Chirps (Some Would Say Rants)

Click to proceed to my latest Chirp.

Over the last several years I have decided to write about what I have learned and loved throughout my life. They have become such a collection that I have decided to loosen them on an unsuspecting world. These Chirps are not an Academic Thesis, or a Legal Treatise, and they are not written so. They are intended to inform and enlighten the general public on the topic, and hopefully motivate the general public to further investigate the topic. As such, I have tried to minimize the length of the Chirps to be between the size of a Tweet and the other slightly lengthier Articles on my website. I hope that you will read and enjoy them, and perhaps it will give you something to think about. The various topics are as follows:

It’s Complicated

How often have we heard someone state “It’s Complicated” when responding in a political debate? Yes, it can be complicated when dealing with the cause and effect of an issue. But, often, the core issue of the debate is not complicated. It is the core issues that I try to address in these Chirps. When you strip away the Deflections, the “Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors” and the “Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning” it is often not that complicated. I point out that many who argue a political issue resort to Deflections, Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors as a tactic to obscuring people's understanding, leaving them baffled or bewildered and susceptible to accepting their conclusions. It is most often done by inserting oblique facts, nonsequiturs, exceptions to the rule, and the perfect vs. the practical. You should always go to the core issue of the argument and examine its meaning. When engaging in a debate blow away the Deflections, Obfuscations, Smoke, and Mirrors and get to the core issue. Determine the core issue, the facts and truths of the issue, then debate the cause and effect and the actions to be taken.

Stating The Obvious and Common Sense

Many would say that these Chirps are “stating the obvious” or just “common sense”. Unfortunately, in today's society, the obvious has become obscured and common sense is not so common. When I speak of common sense I do so as stated in my "Common Sense" article, which I would encourage you to read. The obvious is often (deliberately) obscured in order to achieve a political goal through the means of “Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors” as I stated in my "Dialog & Debate" article, which I would also encourage you to read. Therefore, I think that I need to Chirp by “stating the obvious” and utilizing “common sense”.

Arguing from Ignorance

When I speak of ignorance it is not in a pejorative sense. I mean a lack of knowledge, or incomplete knowledge, or just plain incorrect knowledge. When I speak of argumentation, I mean the logical structure of an argument: a statement or observation, the premises, and the conclusion. This includes the deductive or inductive reasoning of the argument. I also include the identification of logical fallacies and cognitive biases incorporated into the argument as outlined in my “Reasoning” and “Dialog and Debate” Articles. There are many different ways that an argument can be improper. Statements or observations can be incorrect or misleading, premises can be incorrect or missing, and consequently, the conclusion would be wrong. These and many other things may make the conclusion of an argument wrong. Sometimes, even in the statements, observations, or premises are incorrect the conclusion may be right. This is usually due to blind luck and falls under the category that “a stuck clock is right twice a day”. You should keep this in mind when reviewing an argument, or when you are stating an argument. The Chirps on this web page are too short for a substantive argument. When I think it necessary to elaborate, I will direct you to an article that has a better argument.

Criticism vs. Critique

The only acceptable method of public discourse is disagreement - to be of different opinions. If you are in disagreement with someone you should be cognizant that people of good character can and often disagree with each other. The method of their disagreement is very important to achieve civil discourse. There are two ways you can disagree with someone; by criticizing their opinions or beliefs or critiquing their opinions or beliefs.

• Criticism - Disapproval expressed by pointing out faults or shortcomings.
• Critique - A serious examination and judgment of something.

Most people, and most commentators have forgotten the difference between Criticism and Critique. This has led to the hyper-partisanship in today's society. In a civil society critiquing a viewpoint or policy position should be encouraged. This will often allow for a fuller consideration of the issues, and perhaps a better viewpoint or policy position without invoking hyper-partisanship. We can expect that partisanship will often occur, as people of good character can and often disagree with each other. Criticizing a viewpoint or policy position will often lead to hostility, rancor, and enmity, which results in the breakdown of civil discourse and hyper-partisanship. It is fine to criticize someone for their bad or destructive behavior, but it is best to critique them for their opinions or words. We would all do better if we remember to critique someone, rather than criticize someone.

My Beliefs

Throughout my Chirps and Articles, I have held fast to my core beliefs. These core beliefs are in our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" and our Founding Fathers' "American Ideals and Ideas", as expressed in The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. I also believe in "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" and the importance of "A Civil Society". I also believe in  "Rationality" through "A Philosophical Approach" to "Reasoning", utilizing proper "Dialog & Debate" methods. I also believe that many of the problems that America faces are "The Problem is Systemic Liberalisms & Progressivisms". Anything that may contradict these core beliefs, I cannot hold to. Thus, in writing my Chirps and Articles, I always keep in mind my core beliefs, and I will not write anything that violates these core beliefs. As such, I concur with what Martin Luther said in defending his "Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences", which came to be known as The Ninety-Five Theses in opposition to the Catholic Church position:

“I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.”  - Martin Luther

My Approach

I have often said that English is my second language, while thinking is my first language. Those that know me, and my writing, know that my second language (English) can be very poor in spelling, grammar, malapropisms, and phraseology (thank God for computer spell checkers, thesaurus, and grammar checks), and I struggle to write anything. I am a very organized and logical person, and I attempt to keep my writing organized and logical. I attempt to write clearly, concisely, completely, confidently, and understandably. As such, I hope that these articles are readable to all with a high school education.

In writing my Articles and Chirps I have attempted to assure that the information I present is factual and accurate. I, therefore, expend time and effort in researching to obtain the facts and achieve accuracy. The process of writing for me is an intellectual, emotional, and physical strain. I have, therefore, written a short Article “The Intellectual and Emotional Strains of Writing” that explains my research efforts, and the intellectual, emotional, and physical strains of writing these Articles and Chirps.

I often write about the general principles of the topic of the Chirp, and do not expend much effort on the specifics, as the specifics require more detail and length than these Chirps are intended. When I believe that more specifics are required I will often write a hyperlinked Article that contain these specifics, which I would encourage you to read.

I am willing to change my opinions based on new or better information or reasoned counterpoint, or as a wise sage has stated;

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."   - Benjamin Franklin

and

However, until such time as I have new or better information, or reasoned critique, I will remain firm in my opinions, as I am firm in what I see as the right. For those who think I may recant some or all of what I have written for any other reasons I would remind them of the previous quote of Martin Luther said in defending his Ninety-Five Theses.

As regards to my debating these issues, I would direct you to my Chirp on “09/07/19 Form Over Substance” as to my reluctance to engage in debate on these subjects. Essentially, I believe that I am a poor debater. It is for this reason that I often do not engage in debates. I do, however, engage in discussions in which both sides have ample time to challenge the facts, statistics, and reasoning of their arguments to effectually explain their arguments.

To Tweet, to Chirp, or to Sing

The vocalizations of birds have been characterized as tweeting, chirping, or songs, depending on the duration of the vocalizations. In human social media communications, we have used the term tweet to signify a short expression of one’s thoughts. I do not believe that a tweet is appropriate for expressing thoughts on an important topic, but a chirp may properly encapsulate one’s thoughts. Therefore, this webpage has been titled “Chirps”. Where longer thoughts are required to understand my thoughts, I sing a song in the articles I have written. The only nebulosity is in determining what is a chirp and what is a song. Occasionally, my chirps can be rather longish, but when this happens, I chirp as I do not believe that the topic is worthy of a song.

I do not have a Twitter account for this reason, and I have not utilized my Facebook account for two decades, as I believe that Twitter and Facebook have a perverse impact on society, especially young people. I will also never become involved in any social media, as I am not interested in having my thoughts labeled or censured by anyone. Consequently, all my thoughts on any topic are only posted on my website.

Burden of Proof

In all of science, engineering, law, philosophy, theology, economics, statistics, and many other areas of human interactions the “Burden of Proof” is upon the person or persons who makes the assertion, or as Christopher Hitchens once said, "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence."

This burden, as I have written in my Article “Burden of Proof”, must be based upon “Reasoning” rather than emotions, for emotions will almost always lead to a false conclusion. If you do otherwise you may fall into the trap of ‘if you cannot show their assertion is wrong then their assertion must be right’, which is obviously an untrue statement. You may also fall in the trap of 'trying to prove a negative', which is almost impossible to do. You should also remember that ‘Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence’.

With this in mind, all my Articles and Chips attempt to meet this Burden of Proof. If you think I have erred please Contact Me and provide the details of of what you believe are my errors. I will review these comments, and if I think that they are appropriate and correct I will make corrections and even, perhaps, change my opinion.

Terminology and Hyperlinks

Throughout these Chirps and my Articles I often utilize terms and phrases that I believe that should be defined and elucidated. I have, therefore, created a webpage on the "Terminology" that I often utilize in my Chirps and Articles. When appropriate, I will hyperlink to these terms, and I will also hyperlink to other of my Chirps and Articles for further elaboration when necessary.

“Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.”
 - The Butlerian Jihad

These charts reveal the true nature of who pays income taxes in America—and it is the rich that pay most of the income taxes, while the poor pay minimal income taxes. As I previously examined in my Article on “Tax the Rich and Making Them Pay Their Fair Share”, the statements “Tax the Rich” and “Their Fair Share“ have complex meanings and economic implications. Those who utilize these phrases rarely understand the complex meanings and economic implications of taxes. They often casually and thoughtlessly presume that the rich can afford the taxes and that there will be no or little risks to the economy nor impacts to the middle or lower class by taxing the rich. In all these presumptions, they are wrong, and they pose an economic danger to all Americans if they should succeed in “Taxing the Rich” or making them “Pay Their Fair Share”.

Thus, the wails and cries of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists of “Taxing the Rich” or making them “Pay Their Fair Share” are but political rhetoric for electioneering purposes, and they are without any basis in fact. These statements also depend on the ignorance of the public to be effective. These statements are also divisive, as they pit groups of Americans against other groups of Americans, and they provoke unwarranted jealousy and anger in many Americans where none is warranted.

05/21/25 Republican Tax Cuts

Benjamin Franklin once famously said, "In this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes." In modern America, the other certainty is that the Democrats will proclaim that the Republican tax cuts are for the rich and that their claim is unencumbered by any facts or truths. In 2017, President Donald Trump and a Republican-controlled Congress successfully enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) into law. (The majority of its provisions took effect in 2018.) This law is about to expire, but the current Republican members of Congress are trying to codify it into the tax laws, while the Democrat members of Congress are claiming they are tax cuts for the rich.

The Heartland Institute has conducted a study, “Tax Cuts & Jobs Act: An Updated Study on the Effects of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on U.S. Personal Income Taxes”, which examined the impacts of Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The key takeaways were:

• Data from the IRS measuring income tax revenues collected from 2017 to 2022 show the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) reduced the average amount of personal income taxes paid by filers in every income bracket, with the largest benefits going to lower- and middle-income households.
• We estimate that tens of millions of working class and middle-income filers have enjoyed a total tax savings of least $6,000 since 2018 because of the TCJA law, although most filers earning at least $75,000 annually have saved substantially more.
• Based on IRS data, we estimate that from 2018 to 2024, the total average amount saved by filers in the “$50,000 under $75,000” income bracket was more than $6,300.
• Filers in the “$75,000 under $100,000” income bracket saved $8,300 from 2018 to 2024.
• We estimate filers in the “$100,000 under $200,000” bracket saved nearly $13,500 in total from 2018 to 2024.
• If Congress fails to extend the personal income tax cuts included in the TCJA, many working class and middle-income filers will pay thousands in additional taxes over the next five years.

The Tax Foundation report on “Summary of the Latest Federal Income Tax Data, 2024 Update” has revealed that new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data on individual income taxes for tax year 2021 shows the federal income tax system continues to be progressive as high-income taxpayers pay the highest average income tax rates. Average tax rates for all income groups remained lower in 2021, four years after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), than they were in 2017 prior to the reform. The 2021 data also reflects changes in people’s incomes and in government policy during the coronavirus pandemic. Their key findings are:

• In 2021, taxpayers filed 153.6 million tax returns, reported earning more than $14.7 trillion in adjusted gross income (AGI), and paid nearly $2.2 trillion in individual income taxes.
• The average income tax rate in 2021 was 14.9 percent. The top 1 percent of taxpayers paid a 25.9 percent average rate, nearly eight times higher than the 3.3 percent average rate paid by the bottom half of taxpayers.
• The top 1 percent’s income share rose from 22.2 percent in 2020 to 26.3 percent in 2021 and its share of federal income taxes paid rose from 42.3 percent to 45.8 percent.
• The top 50 percent of all taxpayers paid 97.7 percent of all federal individual income taxes, while the bottom 50 percent paid the remaining 2.3 percent.
• The 2021 figures include pandemic-related tax items from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), such as the non-refundable part of the third round of Recovery Rebates and the expanded child tax credit (CTC) and earned income tax credit (EITC).
• Capital gains realizations exceeded $2 trillion to reach a 40-year high, driving income growth and taxes paid for high-income groups.

These findings show that the Republican tax cuts benefited the middle class and that the rich pay most of the taxes in America. Consequently, the Democrat’s cries and wails of “tax cuts for the rich” or “tax the rich” have no basis in fact and are unencumbered by any facts and truths, as I have discussed in my chirp on “04/19/25 Unencumbered by any Facts or Truths”.

05/20/25 The Madness of American Education

With the rise of anti-Americanism, Anti-Semitism, pro-Islam, pro-China, and Internationalism sentiments, along with the deteriorating quality of education and lack of critical thinking skills, American Colleges and Universities have become a cesspool of poor education. They have become centers of indoctrination rather than education, as I have examined in my Article on "Indoctrination versus Education". The suppression of Free Speech, violent protests, the support of terrorists and terrorism, crushing student debt, and marketplace worthless degrees are all too commonplace in modern American Colleges and Universities.

The Madness of Colleges and Universities has been seeping down into our K-12 Public Schools. However, it is a different type of madness in our K-12 Public Schools. K-12 Public School teachers and administrators have begun to believe that it is their responsibility to educate their students on morality and social values rather than provide them with a solid educational foundation. The madness of Social Engineering and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) permeates K-12 Public School teachers, administrators, and school boards. Political Correctness, Wokeness, and Cancel Culture are the only acceptable standards for K-12 Public School teachers and administrators. Parental rights are ignored or circumvented. Teacher unions have become part of this problem as they have exclusively focused on the needs of their union members and have forgotten about the needs of students and parents.

At the end of the movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai”, the mostly fictional story of the attempt by British Commandos to destroy a train bridge being built by British Prisoners of War during World War II, the British doctor who treated the POWs sits on a hillside to view the first train to cross the bridge. Instead, he witnesses the commando raid and the deaths of all but one commando and the death of the British and Japanese commander who built the bridge, as well as many Japanese soldiers. After he witnesses the destruction of the bridge (the untrue part of this story), he exclaims, in the last dialog of the movie, “Madness, Madness, Madness”. In observing modern Colleges and Universities and K-12 Public schools, most Americans mutter to themselves madness, madness, madness.

My new Article, “The Madness of Modern American Education”, examines this madness in modern Colleges and Universities and K-12 Public schools.

05/19/25 The Biden-Hur Audio

With the release of the Biden-Hur audio of his interview with a prosecutor about his handling of classified material while he was not President, these audios portray an alarming picture of President Biden’s mental health. Amid long, uncomfortable pauses, Joe Biden struggled to recall when his son died, when he left office as vice president, what year Donald Trump was elected, or why he had classified documents he shouldn't have had. His veering off topic to unrelated subjects and stories reveal an undisciplined mind that cannot focus on the topic under discussion, which is alarming for a President who can make life and death decisions and alter the course of history.

Some have suggested that Biden’s performance was a deliberate attempt to obfuscate and avoid answering questions that could lead him into legal trouble. To this I am reminded of Hanlon's Philosophical Razor: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." Therefore, I am more inclined to believe that his performance was not a fake, but that the stress of the situation exacerbated his mental condition. An exacerbation that reaffirms that he suffers from dementia.

The fact that the White House and Democrat Party Leaders covered up his condition reveals that they were more interested in obtaining and retaining power than doing what is in the best interest of America. In addition, the Mainstream Media had little or no interest in revealing his condition and, indeed, disparaged anyone who spoke out about his condition, which reveals their incompetency or complicity in this cover-up as I have Chirped on “05/18/25 Incompetent or Complicit?”.

This cover-up is also one of the greatest scandals in American history, as it allowed for a sitting President to serve while he was unfit to exercise the duties and responsibilities of the presidency. But it is not a first in American history; Woodrow Wilson had a severe stroke that incapacitated him, and Franklin D. Roosevelt was essentially on his deathbed for many months at the end of his presidency. Yet both were renominated by the Democrat Party, and the Democrat Party retained its political power with their reelection while these Presidents were incapacitated.

All of this begs the question, “Who was making Presidential decisions and setting policy?”, i.e., “Who was exercising the duties and responsibilities of the presidency?” Given Biden’s mental condition, it seems unlikely that he was in control of his Administration. A Presidency by committee is not Constitutional, as stated in the first sentence of Article II. Section 1 of the Constitution states, “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.” Our Founding Fathers rejected an Executive Branch ruled by committee as too cumbersome and too factious to properly exercise the duties and responsibilities of the Executive Branch of government. Yet, that appears to be what occurred in the Biden Executive Branch. It also calls into question the legitimacy of the Executive orders, directives, and pardons that the Biden Administration issued, as he appeared to be mentally incapacitated, and thus legally incompetent, of knowing what he was (supposedly) signing. Thus, the question is, what is the legal status of these Executive orders, directives, and pardons if they were supposedly signed by an incompetent person? This will be an absolute mess to clean up if there is a legal challenge to them, and it could also beget a Constitutional dilemma in the resolution of these legal challenges.

It also calls into question the duties and responsibilities of his subordinates in upholding their Oath of Office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Section 4 of the 25th Amendment is about the removal of an incapacitated President, but it appears that none of Biden’s subordinates considered invoking the 25th Amendment, despite his apparent incapacitation. One can only conclude that they were more interested in retaining power than doing what is in the best interests of America.

At the very minimum, Congress needs to examine the facts of this situation and take action so that it does not occur again. I would suggest that they modify the 25th Amendment as I have proposed in my Chirp on “05/13/25 Repeal and Replace”. This Congressional examination will be difficult, as some of the Democrat members of Congress appear to have been involved in this cover-up, and they would be disinclined to reveal their participation or their degree of involvement in this cover-up. But let the chips fall where they may, and let all be held accountable who participated in this cover-up.

Accordingly, we must conclude that the Executive Officers of the Biden Administration, the Democrat Party Leaders, and the Mainstream Media were in active or passive collusion in support of this cover-up. In this, they were subverting the Constitution of the United States by not fulfilling their roles to support and defend the Constitution. Everyone who was involved in this cover-up needs to be removed from office, and they should never have a position of power or trust at any level of government. They, by their words and deeds, have proven that they are not people of virtue and, therefore, they are a disgrace and unfit to lead a people dedicated to Constitutional governance.

05/18/25 Incompetent or Complicit?

With the recent revelations by journalists of the declining physical and mental health of President Biden in the last years of his presidency, the question that should be asked of them is “Were you incompetent in uncovering his health, or were you complicit in the cover-up of his health?”

If he was in such bad health, why did these journalists not uncover the facts and truths and report on them? The excuse that the White House engaged in a successful cover-up does not hold water, as anyone who had eyes and ears could ascertain that President Biden had health problems. The excuse that they were not a doctor and could not diagnose President Biden’s medical condition also does not hold water. After all, when the symptoms are obvious, you don’t need to be a doctor to recognize that someone is sick. The job of a journalist is to uncover the cover-ups and to report their findings to the American public. This involves a healthy skepticism of what government officials are saying, and journalistic investigations to uncover the facts and truths.

As these recent revelations have occurred after the presidential election, one can reasonably suspect that the journalistic predilections, and their disdain for Donald Trump, made them complicit in this cover-up to not provide Donald Trump with any advantage in the presidential election. Any journalist who would be complicit in a cover-up, for whatever reason, is not worthy of being called a journalist and should resign or be fired from the journalistic post. To do otherwise is to stain the journalistic profession and make all journalism suspect in the minds of the American public. Alas, today’s journalism deserves the scorn of the American public, as I have written in my article on Modern Journalism.

In either case, incompetent or complicit, this makes these journalists contemptible. Even now, they are more contemptible as they try to excuse their incompetence or justify their complicity. This contemptibility is made even worse by their profiting from book sales about President Biden’s health decline.

In Oliver Cromwell’s speech to the Rump Parliament of April 20, 1653, he had some choice words about the current state of Parliament, which is apropos to these journalists:

“Ye are a factious crew, and enemies of all good government…Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there not one vice you do not possess?...Ye have no more religion than my horse. Gold is your God…Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation. You [who] were deputed here by the people to get grievances redressed are yourselves become the greatest grievance…Go, get you out! Make haste! Ye venal slaves, be gone!...In the name of God, go!”

To which I would exclaim to these journalists, “In the name of God, go!”, and not bedevil the American public with your contemptible journalism.

05/17/25 Weltanschauung

A worldview is said to be the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society, encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. However, when two parties view the same real-world phenomenon, their worldviews may differ, one including elements that the other does not. Weltanschauung is a German term that refers to a comprehensive perspective or understanding of the world as a whole. It encompasses an individual's or society's beliefs, values, and knowledge that shape how they interpret and interact with reality. Weltanschauung is used as an English word because the English worldview is too vague and not comprehensive enough.

However, when a weltanschauung is based on insufficient or improper facts, or falsehoods, a weltanschauung is delusional and leads an individual or society into making decisions that are counterproductive or harmful. In the history of the world, erroneous weltanschauung has led to many conflicts and even wars, as well as violations of the natural rights of those who disagree with the erroneous weltanschauung.

Such it has become in America today, as the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders weltanschauung is often based on falsehoods, as I have written in my Article on The Biggest Falsehoods in America. And such it is with those who suffer from Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), as they suffer from group think and group gospel, as I have written in my Chirp on “05/12/25 Group Think and Group Gospel”. In support of their erroneous weltanschauung, the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders often use "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language" to justify their erroneous weltanschauung.

Their erroneous weltanschauung has led them to formulate political goals and policy agendas that have had deleterious impacts on American society and individual Americans. Fortunately, most Americans now recognize that they have an erroneous weltanschauung, and they are turning away from them, and are supporting changes to correct the deleterious impacts they have inflicted upon America. Like a jilted lover, the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are reacting bitterly to this rejection, and they are acting out and verbally, and now physically, accosting anyone who disagrees with them and supports the changes that the American people elected Donald Trump to implement.

This acting out should not dissuade Americans from supporting the changes that America needs to right its course. This acting out should be condemned by all thoughtful Americans as counterproductive to Liberties and Freedoms, disruptive to A Civil Society, and harmful to our American Ideals and Ideas.

05/16/25 How Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) Works

Many have wondered how Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) works. It is quite simple, and it is humorously explained by Groucho Marx in his 1932 film “Horse Feathers”. Clicking on the image below will direct you to the scene in the film that explains all you need to know about how TDS works. Who knew that the Marx Brothers could be so presentient about Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists reactions to President Trump?

05/15/25 My Five Biggest Lessons in Life

In thinking over the lessons I have learned in my life, I realized that five lessons were predominant in guiding my life and career. They are, with hyperlinks to my Pearls of Wisdom about them, are:

1. Be in control of yourself.
2. Be the better person.
3. Do Not Swear, as swearing lowers your status in the opinion of intelligent and wise people.
4. Do more than is expected of you, and make sure that you do it well.
5. Pay heed to The Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin:
   • Doubt a little of your own infallibility.
   • Be prepared to change your mind based on newer or better information.
   • Pay attention to the opinions of others, as they may be more knowledgeable, intelligent, or wiser than yourself.

I learned lessons three through five very early in my adult life and applied them to my life as soon as I learned them. As for lessons one and two, I learned these lessons the hard way in my mid-thirties, and I struggled to implement these lessons in my life. I believe that all these lessons have aided me in my life and career. We would all do better for ourselves by keeping these five lessons in mind as we go about our lives.

The other thing that I have learned in life is encapsulated in a little ditty that I have composed:

Shit Happens

“Sometimes you shit on yourself,
Sometimes others shit on you,
And other times shit just happens.
It doesn’t matter how shit happens.
It only matters how you deal with the shit.
You can either clean yourself up and smell the roses,
or you can wallow in the shit and everything stinks.
And remember; it’s just as important to learn from the shit,
as it is to clean yourself up from the shit!”
– Mark Dawson

05/15/25 Do More Than What is Expected of You

After I graduated from high school in the spring of 1969, I shortly thereafter attended a computer programming trade school, in which the trade school classes were half a day in duration. Upon graduation from high school, my Godmother arranged for me to become a delivery boy at a small print shop that her company utilized, where I worked the other half of the day until my graduation from the trade school. My delivery boy's duties and responsibilities were to pick up the materials needed to complete the print job and deliver the final product to the companies that hired the print shop.

This pick-up and delivery effort did not consume all my hours at the print shop, and I looked for other things to do while I was not busy. I noticed that the print shop had accumulated much dust, dirt, and small paper fragments that were strewn across the floor. I, therefore, decided to pick up a broom and dustpan and sweep the floors. I also noticed that the stocking shelves were in disarray, and I proceeded to straighten them out. I also began to help another employee in her job. I continued in these efforts throughout my employment whenever they were needed.

On my last day at the print shop, the manager congratulated me and thanked me for my efforts. He also mentioned that he knew I was a special person when I started sweeping the floors, organizing the stock shelving, and helping the other employee. He stated that in the past, no other delivery boys he had hired had ever taken it upon themselves to do anything other than pick-up and delivery duties. He advised me that I should always do more than what is expected of me, as this would make me stand out and help advance my career.

This was advice that I took to heart and applied throughout my career. Advice that did indeed make me stand out and helped advance my career. The only caveat that I would add is that if you do more than expected, you need to Do It Well; otherwise, you will stand out for the wrong reasons and stymie your career.

05/14/25 The Lawless Party

“No one is above the law” was a familiar refrain by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists to justify the criminal prosecutions and civil proceedings against Donald Trump. Yet, in their current “resistance” to President Trump’s actions, they believe that they can violate the law in their resistance, and that they should be immune from legal proceedings for these violations. To this immunity, I would respond that “No one is above the law”, and if you break the law, you should face judicial consequences.

The Democrat Party Leaders' recent actions around illegal immigration detention centers are a prime example. They have physically tried to intervene and enter these detention centers, and during their actions, they have had physical confrontations with detention officials and guards. They claim that they are only exercising their free speech rights and their authority of congressional oversight and/or state or local official powers.

However, no one has the free speech rights to become physically involved with another or to force entrance into a restricted property. They have the free speech rights of protest, and the free speech rights to advocate for a change or elimination of a law, but they have no free speech right to violate the law. As to congressional oversight, there is a procedure to exercise this oversight that respects the balance of powers between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government and provides for the orderly exercise of this oversight. As for State or Local official powers, they are constrained by the supremacy clause of the Constitution and, therefore, Federal law takes precedence over their official State and local powers.

Their actions were not for the exercise of their free speech rights or for their Congressional oversight, nor for the exercise of official State and local powers, but only for political grandstanding. A political grandstanding that does not provide immunity for breaking the law. This is all part of their efforts of Lawfare against Donald Trump and his supporters, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government" and "Judicial Restraint". Alas, such lawfare is but an exercise of imposing their policies and political goals by unconstitutional means, which is a violation of their Oath of Office to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States”.

Accordingly, they should be prosecuted for breaking the law as “No one is above the law”, and no heed should be given to their wails and cries of free speech, Congressional oversight, or State and local powers. Otherwise, anarchy will become common throughout America as justification for what anyone believes is a just cause. We would also do well to remember my admonition when observing their words and deeds:

"Just because you 'believe' something to be true does not mean that you 'know' something is true, and just because someone says it is true or false doesn't make it true or false."
  - Mark Dawson

05/13/25 Repeal and Replace

Given the debacle of President Biden’s physical and mental health to discharge the powers and duties of the Presidency, which was apparent to any American who could put aside politics and observe his words and deeds, it also illuminated how worthless Section 4 of the 25th Amendment is in removing an incapacitated President. I, therefore, propose that we repeal and replace Section 4 of the 25th Amendment with the following:

“Once a year, on the first Tuesday of March, the President of the United States will undergo a physical and mental health evaluation by the Surgeon General of the United States. The results of this test shall be confidentially disclosed to the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Speaker of the House, the president pro tempore of the Senate, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on the first Thursday of March. On the first Friday of March, a conclave will be convened of these persons, and if in the opinion of three-fifths of these persons that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of their office, then the results of the test results shall be used to initiate the removal of the President of the United States from office, and the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

If such a decision is so rendered that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, then Congress will convene in an emergency session on the second Wednesday of March and vote on the second Friday of March as to whether to permanently remove the President of the United States from office. The results of the Surgeon General’s examination shall be publicly disclosed and be the basis for the deliberation in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Upon a three-fifths vote in the House of Representatives and a two-thirds vote in the Senate that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, then the Vice-President shall be sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as the new President of the United States.

If, during the course of the year, the President of the United States exhibits behavior or actions that call into question their fitness to discharge the powers and duties of their office, then a conclave of the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Speaker of the House, the president pro tempore of the Senate, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court shall be convened, at the discretion of any one of these persons. If in the opinion of three-fifths of the conclave persons, such behavior or actions warrant a physical and mental health evaluation by the Surgeon General of the United States to determine the physical or mental fitness of the President of the United States, then the President shall undergo such an examination the day after the three-fifths determination is made. Two days after the examination of the President of the United States, the Surgeon General of the United States will confidentially disclose the results of their examination to a conclave of the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Speaker of the House, the president pro tempore of the Senate, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. If in the opinion of three-fifths of the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Speaker of the House, the president pro tempore of the Senate, and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court that the President of the United States is unfit to discharge the powers and duties of their office, then the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

After the Vice President assumes the powers and duties of the office as Acting President, the Congress will convene in an emergency session on the following Wednesday and vote on the following Friday as to whether to permanently remove the President of the United States from office. The results of the Surgeon General’s examination shall be publicly disclosed and be the basis for the deliberation in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Upon a three-fifths vote in the House of Representatives and a two-thirds vote in the Senate that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, then the Vice-President shall be sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court as the new President of the United States.”

05/12/25 Group Think and Group Gospel

It is somewhat humorous to see Progressives parroting expressions of the day (or week). It is also sad, as it demonstrates a lack of independent thinking as well as group thinking on their part. No rephrasing of these expressions is allowed in the ranks of Progressives, and these expressions are often used for political posturing, and they often contain (dire) predictions that just as often do not come true. The biggest parroting and predictions are by Progressive commentators, the Mainstream Media, the Mainstream Cultural Media, and the Democrat Party Leaders.

This Group Think comes from their Group Gospel, in which Progressive doctrine is the only acceptable thinking allowed. This Group Gospel also explains their Trump Derangement Syndrome, as Trump is the antithesis to their gospel, and he invokes a religious zeal in their opposition to him and his supporters. This Group Gospel takes precedence in their life over all other factors. Family, friends, neighbors, and other affiliations play second fiddle to their Group Gospel, and anyone who does not believe in their Group Gospel is not to be associated with, and they should be opposed with religious zeal.

Many of these Progressives are irreligious and have little or no belief in God, which should remind all of the following words of wisdom and caution:

"When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing. They then become capable of believing in anything."
  - Emile Cammaerts (often mistakenly attributed to G. K. Chesterton)

Their Group Think and Group Gospel fanaticism is reminiscent of the Thirty Years' War, in which Protestants and Catholics fought over Christian doctrine differences. A war that was fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648 that was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. A conflict (although not an outright war) that is now being waged in America between Progressives and non-Progressives.

In all of their Group Think and Group Gospel, their thoughts are unencumbered by any facts and truths, as I have discussed in my chirp on “04/19/25 Unencumbered by any Facts or Truths”. There are no incriminations or consequences when they are wrong or inflict negative consequences on America, and no apologies are ever offered when they are wrong or when the negative consequences arise. This Group Think and Group Gospel is antithetical to our Bill of Rights, most especially to the First Amendment, and violations of the First Amendment by Progressives are acceptable if it advances their Group Think and Group Gospel.

Consequently, Group Think and Group Gospel are a danger to our Liberties and Freedoms and A Civil Society, and they are antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas. Patriotic Americans must oppose this Group Think and Group Gospel in America, as to not do so is to face the very real possibility of the implementation of authoritarianism and despotism in America if they succeed in obtaining their goals.

05/11/25 Vanity, Thy Name is Progressivism

"Vanity, thy name is Progressivism" is a phrase that plays on the structure of a famous line from Shakespeare's "Hamlet," which originally states, "Frailty, thy name is woman." The original phrase is no longer apropos in today’s America; however, vanity and Progressivism seem to be intertwined in modern American Progressives.

A humble person will do good modestly, while a vain person does everything obtrusively. A humble person will speak unpretentiously, while a vain person will speak pretentiously. A humble person recognizes their limitations and that they are fallible, while a vain person thinks that they know all and are always right. A humble person cannot be vain, while a vain person is never humble except to appear humble to stoke their vanity.

In Progressives' self-righteousness and moral superiority attitudes, as well as in their Political Correctness,  Wokeness, Doxing, Swatting, Adjective Justice activism, and Virtue Signaling, they are demonstrating their vanity. Their vanity often leads them into inanity to justify their vanity, and often this inanity reveals their foolishness or stupidity. Alas, their vanity requires them to Demonize, Denigrate, or Disparage those who would disagree with them to reinforce their vanity, which leads to the degradation of A Civil Society in America.

Over time, vain people tend to become insufferable to normal people, and normal people will try to avoid being in their company. This is what is happening to Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders in today’s America. They have become insufferable, and the American people are not listening to them and supporting their opposition. In the 80/20 percent division in today’s American politics, they have firmly placed themselves in the 20%, and they seem intent on entrenching themselves in this minority due to their vanity. Thus, they are confirming that “Vanity, Thy Name is Progressivism”.

05/10/25 A Dred Scott Decision in Modern America

The Dred Scott decision was of an enslaved African American man who, along with his wife, Harriet, unsuccessfully sued for the freedom of themselves and their two daughters, Eliza and Lizzie, in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case of 1857, popularly known as the "Dred Scott decision". The Scotts claimed that they should be granted freedom because Dred had lived in Illinois and the Wisconsin Territory for four years, where slavery was illegal, and laws in those jurisdictions said that slave holders gave up their rights to slaves if they stayed for an extended period.

In a landmark case, the United States Supreme Court decided 7–2 (7 Democrat against Scott, 2 Republicans for Scott), finding that neither he nor any other person of African ancestry could claim citizenship in the United States, and therefore Scott could not bring suit in federal court under diversity of citizenship rules. This decision was a major catalyst for the Civil War, and upon hearing about this decision, future President Lincoln stated that this decision would not stand.

Today, in modern America, we are facing another Dred Scott moment. The Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments on May 15 on a momentous question: What is the extent of lower court judges’ power to block a president’s policies nationwide? If the Supreme Court decides that lower court judges have the power to issue nationwide injunctions, then the Balance of Power between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches will forever be changed in America. Lower court judges would assume some Presidential authorities under the cover of this decision, and they could direct the President to initiate or end Presidential actions at their discretion. The meaning of the first sentence of Article II. Section 1 of the Constitution states that “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.” will be altered to include, with the approval of judges. This would mean that judges have the de facto power to override executive policy decisions, and a judge would essentially be setting policy that rightfully belongs to the President.

Also, as Abraham Lincoln warned in his first inaugural address: "the candid citizen must confess that if the policy of the government, upon vital questions affecting the whole people, is to be irrevocably fixed by decisions of the Supreme Court, the instant they're made, in ordinary litigation between parties in personal actions, the people will have ceased to be their own rulers, having to that extent practically resigned their government into the hands of that eminent tribunal." This is even more true when a Lower Court judge, or an Appellate Court decision, renders a nationwide judgement.

There is no doubt that Presidents need to work within the boundaries of their executive authorities and powers, and not infringe on the Constitutional and Civil Rights of Americans. The doubt is in who decides what the boundaries and infringements are, and how much judges can determine if the boundaries have been exceeded and/or infringements have occurred. If judges take an expansive view of their judicial power, then they shrink the powers of the presidency and thwart the will of the people as expressed in elections. If they take a narrow view of their judicial power, then our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" could be endangered by a President overextending their authorities and powers. In American history, contentious policy issues were often resolved by conflicts between the Legislative and Executive Branches of government, with minimal intervention by judges. It was only in the latter part of the 20th century that judges became more involved in these policy conflicts by issuing rulings that required actions or inactions of a President.

One also wonders whether, under the logic of a lower court judge issuing nationwide rulings, they could issue rulings against the Legislative Branch to do or not do something at the judge’s discretion. In either case, if the Supreme Court allows lower court judges to issue nationwide injunctions, then they are declaring that judges are actually Lords, as I have written in my article "Judges, Not Lords". Lords that are unelected and unresponsive to the will of the electorate. This is why their decision would be as momentous as the Dred Scott decision, as it will displace government of the people, by the people, and for the people, with a government of the judges, by the judges, and for the judges.

05/09/25 A Little Practical Wisdom

In the discussion of deportations of illegal immigrants, one of the questions is what Due Process Rights do illegal immigrants have, which also raises the question of who has Due Process Rights in America. In America, an American citizen has full Due Process Rights that cannot be abrogated except in a time of war or national emergency. Legal immigrants and Visa residents in America have limited Due Process Rights, as they are in America under a promise of good behavior and not to be involved in any criminal actions. If an immigration judge finds that legal immigrants and Visa residents are involved in criminal actions or engaged in behavior contrary to the restrictions of their immigration or Visa, they should be deported, and their Due Process rights are limited to an appeal to an Appellate Immigration Judge. If someone is found to be an illegal immigrant by an immigration judge, then they can be deported immediately by order of the immigration judge. Illegal immigrants' Due Process rights are limited to having a hearing in front of an immigration judge, with the possibility of an appeal to an Appellate Immigration Judge under very limited circumstances.

This issue of Due Process Rights is not new nor unique in American history. It goes back to the very beginning of our Constitutional Democratic republic, and has been adjudicated by the Supreme Court several times in our history. It was also addressed by political leaders throughout our history, as exemplified by the comment by one of our Founding Fathers and the third President of the United States:

“Whether circumstances do not sometimes occur which make it a duty in officers of high trust to assume authorities beyond the law, is easy of solution in principle, but sometimes embarrassing in practice. A strict observance of the written laws is doubtless one of the high duties of a good citizen: but it is not the highest. The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger, are of higher obligation. To lose our country by a scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property & all those who are enjoying them with us; thus absurdly sacrificing the end to the means.”
 - President Thomas Jefferson

One of the most illuminating comments about civil liberties and the application of law and due process rights come from a Supreme Court Justice and a co-counsel at the NAZI Nuremberg Trials:

“[t]his Court has gone far toward accepting the doctrine that civil liberty means . . . that all local attempts to maintain order are impairments of the liberty of the citizen. The choice is not between order and liberty. It is between liberty with order and anarchy without either. There is danger that, if the Court does not temper its doctrine logic with a little practical wisdom, it will convert the constitutional Bill of Rights into a suicide pact.”
 - Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson

Consequently, those advocating for full Due Process Rights for non-citizens are “absurdly sacrificing the end to the means”, and in their advocacy, they will “convert the constitutional Bill of Rights into a suicide pact”. We would all do well to remember one of my Pearls of Wisdom, “Do the Right Thing for All”, and apply “a little practical wisdom” when deciding on Due Process Rights for non-citizen residents of America.

Otherwise, to ignore “The laws of necessity, of self-preservation, of saving our country when in danger” is to jeopardize our nation, and the “scrupulous adherence to written law, would be to lose the law itself, with life, liberty, property & all those who are enjoying them with us” would occur.

05/08/25 The Modern Brownshirts in America

The Brownshirts (Sturmabteilung) were the civilian shock troops for the NAZIs during their rise to power in the 1920s and early 1930s. They would lead marches and mobs in the streets of Germany, shout down the opposition to the NAZIs, break up meetings of the NAZIs opponents, and verbally and physically intimidate NAZIs opponents to silence them. Their principal targets were Communists, the Romani people, trade unionists, and especially the Jews. It was through their efforts that the NAZI party was able to overthrow the constitutional Weimar Republic (1918 to 1933) and establish national socialism in pre-World War II Germany. In all of these actions, the NAZI Brownshirts believed that what they were doing was best for Germany and the German people.

Today, the modern American Brownshirts are the Progressives/Leftists activists in America. These modern American Brownshirts also lead marches and mobs, shout down the opposition, break up meetings of their opponents, and verbally and physically intimidate their opponents to silence them. They have also started using violent criminal actions against their targets. Their targets are Republican Party Leaders, MAGA supporters of President Trump, and any business leader who supports Trump. In all of these actions, the modern American Brownshirts believed that what they were doing was best for America and the American people.

The modern American Brownshirts are attempting to seize power in the Democrat Party to obtain authoritative political power in America. They are also attempting to expel all Democrat Party Leaders who do not support them or their tactics. They have managed, with the support of Democrat Party leaders, to appoint judges that share their political beliefs and rule extraconstitutional to achieve their goals. They reserve the right unto themselves to determine what is best for America and the American people, and they will brook no opposition to their political goals and policy agendas. In doing so, they are a danger to our Democratic republic, and they are the initiators of Constitutional crises in America.

Consequently, the modern American Brownshirts are a worthy successor of the NAZI Brownshirts, and they are a danger to our Liberties and Freedoms and A Civil Society, and they are antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas. Patriotic Americans must oppose these modern Brownshirts in America, as to not do so is to face the very real possibility of the implementation of authoritarianism and despotism in America.

05/07/25 Hustling and Baiting In America

In my list of "The Biggest Falsehoods in America", one of these falsehoods is “Racism is Prevalent”. In this article, I state that the United States is the most racist country in the world, except for all the others. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Irish, Italians, Jews, and other ethnic and religious groups have all experienced racism within the United States. The history of the United States regarding these groups has always been one of initial racism, bigotry, prejudice, and then inclusiveness. Racism still exists in the United States, but it exists in all other nations. Indeed, I believe that racism is inherent in human nature. The desire to associate with others that we know and understand is a self-protection mechanism that is basic to human nature. To deny so is to deny human nature. The means to overcome this inherent tribalism is through knowledge, experience, and understanding of one another. It requires that we listen to the better angels of our nature and not listen to our devils. The United States is a country founded on the principle that all men are created equal. We have not always been true to this principle, and the institution of slavery in the United States is the worst example of being untrue to this principle. However, we, the people of the United States, have shown a remarkable propensity for trying to correct the error of our ways and strive to meet this principle.

Today, in modern America, racism exists in individuals and small groups of Americans, but it is not widespread nor institutionalized. You may not believe this if you listen to many Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as they stoke racism rhetoric for political gain. They utilize "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language" to find racism in their opponents and in America, where none exists. Thus, they have become race-hustlers or race-baiters for political gain.

"Race hustlers" is a term used to describe individuals, often in the context of racial politics, who are accused of exploiting racial issues for personal gain or to incite division. This label is frequently applied to activists and public figures advocating for racial justice, and it reflects broader ideological conflicts within discussions of race in America. “Race-baiting” is the unfair use of statements about race to influence the actions or attitudes of a particular group of people. It often involves exploiting racial tensions for political or social gain.

On a personal observation, I attend two different cigar lounges during the week, one on the weekend and one during the week. At these cigar lounges, Whites, Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Irish, Italians, Jews, and other ethnic and religious groups congregate in harmony, except when we discuss sports and politics (which are friendly and pleasant discords). Everyone is entitled and encouraged to become involved in our discussion, and all feel at ease in voicing their opinions. I have also attended other cigar lounges in which the same congregations occur. In a racist America, such congregations would not happen.

These race-hustlers and race-baiters will point out that mob rhetoric and violence over alleged racism are proof of racism in America, but these racial mob actions are not a symptom of racism in America but a consequence of race-hustling and race-baiting in America. Alas, much of this race-hustling and race-baiting comes from Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists. But, then again, these Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists will hustle and bait any group of Americans as part and parcel of their Identity Politics strategy and tactics.

Consequently, race-hustling and race-baiting, and identity-hustling and identity-baiting, is one of the most divisive and despicable occurrences in America. And it must stop! Otherwise, we will forever be a divided country into one that pits one group of Americans against another group of Americans.

05/06/25 Illegal Immigration Can Benefit America

The proponents of illegal immigration, mostly Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, like to declare that most illegal immigrants come here to improve their and their family's lives, and they contribute to the economy by taking low-paying jobs that Americans do not wish to do. While this may be true for many illegal immigrants, it is not the whole story.

Many of the jobs they take are under the table and, therefore, not income taxable, and many of these jobs are below minimum wage. These unreported below-minimum-wage jobs also make for more profitability for businesses that employ illegal immigrants, and it keeps the labor costs of goods and services to a minimum, which benefits Americans. However, illegal immigrant workers deprive American citizens and legal immigrants of the opportunity for employment at minimum wages. Many illegal immigrants send a portion of their wages to their relatives back in their homeland. While this may be good for their families back in their homeland, it is not so good for the American economy. The wages earned in America should be spent in America, as this helps America’s economic vitality.

Illegal immigrants are not integrating themselves into American society by adopting American values and norms, and they maintain a separate identity that is not conducive to American values and norms. Illegal Immigrants are also consuming government social services for which the American taxpayer funds, while most illegal immigrants are not paying taxes. This is an undue burden on American taxpayers and should end. It is also true that many gang members, terrorists, drug runners, and human traffickers are illegally immigrating into America, thus endangering Americans. Drug addictions, robberies, burglaries, assaults, rapes, and even murders are being perpetuated by these illegal immigrants, making our streets unsafe and instilling fear in citizens and legal immigrants of being the victim of these crimes. Accordingly, Americans are living under a cloud of fear from illegal immigration.

Finally, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are advocating a road to citizenship for these illegal immigrants and their children. These advocates are also insisting that any children of illegal immigrants who are born in America are legal citizens of America. They often utilize this rationale to oppose the deportation of illegal immigrants who have had children born in America as deporting an American citizen as manifested in the child, or breaking apart of families by deporting the illegal immigrant but allowing the children to remain in America. This path to citizenship for illegal immigrants will have long-term consequences if enacted. It will change the voter demographics across America, and the Democrat Party Leaders are hopeful that it will expand the rank and file of the Democrat Party and make the Democrat Party a majority party for many decades. This is the primary reason that Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists support illegal immigrants remaining in America, as obtaining and retaining political power is the ultimate goal for them.

Consequently, the idea that illegal immigration can benefit America is a falsehood, as the disadvantages of illegal immigration far outweigh the advantages of illegal immigration.

It is for these reasons that I have added “Illegal Immigration Can Benefit America” to my list of "The Biggest Falsehoods in America".

05/05/25 Legal and Illegal Immigrants

Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists just cannot bring themselves to say “Illegal Immigrants”. Whenever they pontificate about the illegal immigration issue, they only say “immigrants”, thus equating illegal and legal immigrants. But they are not equal. Legal immigrants are welcome in America, and they have most of the rights and privileges of citizens. Illegal Immigrants are lawbreakers in that they enter America illegally. Their rights and privileges are limited, and they can be deported for illegally entering America.

Accordingly, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are engaged in verbal sophistry to confuse Americans as to the status of illegal immigrants. They are also stoking fear in legal immigrants with their rhetoric of deporting “immigrants”. Legal immigrants should have no fear of being deported unless they engage in criminal activities, and they are afforded expansive Due Process rights in any deportation efforts. Illegal immigrants have limited Due Process rights as they are de facto engaged in lawbreaking by entering America illegally.

Illegal Immigrants are also consuming government social services for which the American taxpayer funds, while most illegal immigrants are not paying taxes. This is an undue burden on American taxpayers and should end. It is also true that gang members, terrorists, drug runners, and human traffickers are illegally immigrating into America, thus endangering Americans. Drug addictions, robberies, burglaries, assaults, rapes, and even murders are being perpetuated by a considerable number of illegal immigrants, making our streets unsafe and instilling fear in citizens and legal immigrants of being the victim of these crimes. Accordingly, Americans are living under a cloud of fear from illegal immigration.

It is important that Americans distinguish between legal and illegal immigrants. Americans should be welcoming and supportive of legal immigrants (which most Americans are) but also be opposed to and support the deportation of illegal immigrants. It is important that Americans recall the preamble to the Constitution:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

To allow illegal immigration is to violate the principles of the preamble of the Constitution, as illegal immigration makes these goals difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.

05/04/25 Transgenderism in Children

Sex and gender are two different aspects of being human; sex is physiological (of or consistent with an organism's normal functioning), while gender is psychological (mental or emotional as opposed to physical in nature). In my collected Chirps on "Transgenderism" I explore the 1) Meaning and Science 2) Gender Transitioning and 3) Societal Impacts of Transgenderism. I also equate how gender transitioning has become 4) Our Modern-Day Lobotomies.

Modern scientific research has discredited the assertions of transgendered activists about transgenderism in children, and it has revealed the harm done by psychological counseling and transition medication and surgery on children. These are the scientific facts and truths that the Transgendered Rights activists would have you ignore or that they obfuscate with terms such as “Gender Identity”, “Gender Fluidity”, “Gender Affirmation”, “Gender Confirmation”, “Sex Assigned at Birth”, and other terms to lead you astray.

In medicine, Informed Consent is a principle in medical ethics, medical law, and media studies that a patient must have sufficient information and understanding before making decisions about their medical care. In our society, it is not possible for children and adolescents to give informed consent as we recognize that their brains and intelligence are not sufficiently developed to properly reason for giving informed consent. Thus, for children and adolescents, informed consent can only be given by their parents or legal guardians for a gender transition. However, society has a say in gender transition, as it impacts the physical and mental well-being of future members of society (which is why we have many different laws dealing with the upbringing of children).

The physical differences between the sexes often provide an advantage for the male physique over the female physique in terms of physical exertions. Strength, speed, height and weight, heart and muscular capacity, and endurance are generally greater in the male than in the female. As such, any attempt to commingle biological males with biological females in any competitive sport gives the biological male an advantage over the biological female. Privacy in the public arena in restrooms, locker rooms, and other public accommodations that have been traditionally segregated by sex is also being challenged by transgender activists. Traditionally, segregated accommodations were done for the purposes of privacy and safety. Privacy has always been important to females, as they do not wish to be exposed to or gawked at by males except by mutual consent. Fears of molestation or sexual assault that may occur without this privacy are also a concern, and a transgender male in their midst often causes emotional distress on their part. There is also a concern that a male will pose as a transgendered female to gain entrance to their private spaces for nefarious purposes.

In the past, we medically treated many people for perceived mental problems in an inappropriate manner. Chemical castrations for male homosexuality often occurred, and lobotomies, a discredited form of neurosurgical treatment for psychiatric disorders or neurological disorders (e.g., epilepsy, depression) that involves severing connections in the brain's prefrontal cortex, were often performed. Today, gender transition medication and surgery on children is equivalent to chemical castrations lobotomies, as they permanently alter the physical bodies of children with no hope of fully detransitioning.

Regrettably, these falsehood on transgenderism in children are detrimental to our children, their parents, and the body politic, and they should not be believed nor acted upon.

It is for these reasons that I have added “Transgenderism in Children” to my list of "The Biggest Falsehoods in America".

05/03/25 The Morality of it All

In Victor Davis Hanson’s new article, “The Trump Counterrevolution and the Moral Ledger”, he states that “Despite the media hysteria, Trump’s counterrevolution remains on course.” A course “. . . on accomplishing what is right and long overdue—and then making such reforms quietly, compassionately, and methodically.”

And, yes, the Trump Administration is acting quietly, compassionately, and methodically in a moral manner to protect the vast majority of Americans who wish to live in a society that is moral, ethical, and just, as I have written in my article on “Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue Within Government and Society”. As I have written in my Chirp on “05/02/25 Abnormal Normality”, the Trump Administration is attempting to restore normalcy in American society by illuminating the abnormality of his opponents and eliminating their influence in American society and government. There is no “Constitutional Crisis”, no threats to “Our Democracy”, no “Oligarchy”, and no government of, for, and by the rich in the Trump Administration. Indeed, the Trump Administration is about middle and lower-class Americans by providing them with employment, economic security, and safety and peace in both America and the World. He has also undertaken the arduous and difficult task of reforming our government to save taxpayer monies, implement efficiencies, and reduce our National Debt and budget Deficits.

Such threats to America come from the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists actions of legal Lawfare against the Trump Administration, assaults on the First Amendment rights of their opponents, refuge for illegal immigrants, support of violent actions by their supporters, and support for transgendered activism that infringes on women’s rights and harms children. The Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists' response to the Trump Administration's actions is to only offer fear, anger, and falsehoods (as I have written in my article on "The Biggest Falsehoods in America"). As Mr. Hanson has said in his article:

“Enraged Democrats still offer no substantial alternatives to the Trump agenda.

There are no shadow-government Democratic leaders with new policy initiatives. They flee from the Biden record on the border, the prior massive deficits and inflation, the disaster in Afghanistan, two theater-wide wars that broke out on Biden’s watch, and the shameless conspiracy to hide the prior president’s increasing dementia.

Instead, the Left has descended into thinly veiled threats of organized disruption in the streets. It embraces potty-mouth public profanity, profane and unhinged videos, nihilistic filibusters, congressional outbursts, and increasingly dangerous threats to the persons of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.”

Alas, as they have no substantial alternatives to the Trump agenda, we can only expect more fear, anger, and falsehoods from the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, much to the detriment of America and Americans.

05/02/25 Abnormal Normality

In the article by Mark Lewis, “When the Abnormal Becomes Normal, Can a Society Survive?”, he states:

“Every society in human history has had its freaks, weirdos, perverts, criminally insane, noncompos mentis, i.e., a segment of society considered by the vast majority of that citizenry as “abnormal,” not fitting in with the average, accepted morality and norms of that culture. It has happened everywhere. Such human riffraff, rabble, and garbage simply cannot be totally obliterated from the earth.

But successful societies have recognized that, to be successful, this freakish, perverted element of society must not become too large or influential, or they will disrupt the whole fabric and moral foundation upon which that society is built and must operate, and that chaos, disharmony, and irredeemable discord will result if the rabble gets too strong. A society simply cannot exist in licentious anarchy. Recognized, agreed-upon standards must exist for a civilized society to function effectively. For lack of a better word, we call it ’normality’.”
 - Mark Lewis

Today, in modern America, thanks to Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders permissive attitudes, we are living in an abnormal society. In addition to the permissive licentiousness they tolerate in public forums and gatherings, they have also tolerated and often condoned open borders, sanctuary cities, senseless violence, domestic terrorism, transgender nonsense, public school failures, and violations of our Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights. Morality, ethics, and virtue seem to have no place in modern America, and we have seen a rise in lying, cheating, and stealing in modern America. Thus, we have become a society that Mr. Lewis warned about.

Mr. Lewis ends his article by stating:

“History indicates that a society cannot exist unless there is a specific standardized model of decent, self-controlled behavior that most people recognize as being a norm that everybody must follow and that if abnormality, if freakishness becomes too widespread if the perverts aren’t isolated and the people protected against them, then there's no longer any control, there's no longer any basis of agreed-upon civilized behavior. And chaos ensues.”

But all hope is not lost. The recent election rightward shift and the support of President Trump’s policies would indicate that most Americans are tired of this nonsense, and they are calling for an end to this nonsense. Leniency and tolerance for abnormal normality are on the decline by those who are not engaged in abnormality, but, alas, the abnormal are intensifying their abnormal behavior in opposition to this rightward shift.

Accordingly, all normal Americans should be thankful that President Trump is trying to put an end to this abnormality and restore normalcy. I am fearful that if President Trump does not succeed, then America will descend into chaos. A chaos in which our Liberties and Freedoms will be endangered by the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders and their abnormal supporters.

05/01/25 Rules and Hypocrisy

The Democrat Party has exhibited a propensity for “Rules to benefit me, but no rules to benefit thee”, which demonstrates their hypocrisy. In an article by Victor Davis Hanson, “What Is Democratic Legality?”, he lists many examples of them applying rules for others while rejecting these rules for themselves.

We have seen in the past that the Democrats changed the rules in the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as within the Executive branch, to their benefit while they were in power, only to complain when the Republicans used these changes or made changes for their benefit while they are in power.

A more recent example (which is not cited in Mr. Hanson’s article) is the arrest of judges for alleged illegal conduct. The Democrat wails and cries about these actions are hypocritical to their exaltations of “No one is above the Law” in defending prosecutors’ actions against Donald Trump and his supporters. Thus, the Democrat Party has also exhibited a propensity for “hypocrisy to our interests is acceptable, while hypocrisy disadvantageous to our interests is unacceptable.”

Such rule changes and hypocrisy are unsuitable when either party engages in them, but the Democrats have made them part and parcel of their tactics to advance their political goals and policy agendas while hindering any opposition to their political goals and policy agendas. As such, these rule changes and hypocrisy are nothing but chicanery and stymieing, which the American people should reject by not electing any person who engages in these words and deeds.

04/30/25 Here We Are Again

In Jonathan Turley’s latest column, “Here We are Again”: Federal District Courts Piling on Injunctions to Stop Trump”, he states:

“Trump has already faced a record number of national injunctions by district courts. His administration has objected to forum- and judge-shopping by political opponents by bringing the majority of such challenges in overwhelmingly Democratic states like California.

Such injunctions did not exist at the founding, and only relatively recently became the rage among district court judges. Under President George W. Bush, there were only six such injunctions, which increased to 12 under Obama.

Both Democratic and Republican presidents have complained about district judges tying down presidents like so many judicial Lilliputians. However, when Trump came to office, the taste for national injunctions became a full-fledged addiction. Trump faced 64 such orders in his first term.

When Biden and the Democrats returned to office, it fell back to 14. That was not due to more modest measures. Biden did precisely what Trump did in seeking to negate virtually all of his predecessors’ orders and then seek sweeping new legal reforms. He was repeatedly found to have violated the Constitution, but there was no torrent of preliminary injunctions at the start of his term.

Now, however, with less than 100 days in office, Trump 2.0 has already surpassed that number for the entirety of Biden’s term.”

He ends his column by stating:

“The problem with some of these orders is not that they are without foundation, but that courts appear on a hair-trigger to enjoin the Trump administration on any subject whatsoever. There is a need to deescalate in both branches as we expedite these appeals. We are indeed “here again,” but this is not a good place for anyone.”

My only comment about this article is how should President Trump de-escalate his actions if his actions are within his presidential powers. To which I would say to Professor Turley, No—the de-escalation must come in the Judicial branch, either from a Supreme Court decree or by Congressional legislation as I have Chirped on “04/16/25 No Rogue Judicial Rulings”.

04/29/25 To “Facilitate”

In a Supreme Court of the United States decision on April 10, 2025, “Kristi NOEM, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security, et al. v. Kilmar Armando ABREGO GARCIA, et al.”, the Supreme Court ruled that the government must facilitate the return of Mr. Garcia to America, “The order properly requires the Government to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia's release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador.” A strange decision, as Johnathan Turley has written in his article “A Writ of “Facilitation”? Court Issues Curious Order in the Garcia Case”, in that “in the order, the Court ordered the government to “facilitate” the return without stating what that means.”

This “facilitate” ambiguity has led to much dissension on both sides of the issue. What is meant by “facilitate”, and what fulfills the “facilitate” court order? Attorney General Pam Bondi has suggested that they will facilitate the return of Mr. Garcia by having a plane fly him back to America if the government of El Salvador releases Mr. Garcia to American custody. For their part, the government of El Salvador has declared that they have no plans to release Mr. Garcia to American custody.

I would like to suggest a compromise. As a one-time goodwill gesture to President Trump, El Salvador will escort Mr. Garcia to the gates of the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador, which is American territory (thus, he is back in America). The U.S. guards will then escort Mr. Garcia to a room in the embassy, where an immigration judge, a court stenographer, and a public defender will adjudicate Mr. Garcia’s case. The immigration judge would then vacate the previous judgment of Mr. Garcia, hold a new hearing, and, I would expect, would then order Mr. Garcia to be deported. The U.S. guards would then escort Mr. Garcia back to the gates of the embassy and turn him over to the El Salvador authorities, who would then escort him back to their prison.

Accordingly, this compromise should meet all the legal requirements to “facilitate” Mr. Garcia’s return and to afford him his Due Process rights under the illegal immigrant statutes.

04/28/25 Who Is To Be Master

The opening of the preamble to the Constitution states “We the People” as a reminder that in America, we the people are the masters of government, and as President Lincoln so famously said in his Gettysburg Address in America, “government of the people, by the people, for the people” is what America was founded upon.

As such, all Americans should remember, as stated further in the preamble to the Constitution, that the government is there for the purpose “in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”.

This dynamic between we the people and the government has been contentious throughout our history, as some Americans wanted more government involvement in society while some wanted less government involvement in society. This same contentiousness is also present in the Balance of Powers and the Separation of Powers between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches of government. Our Constitution tried to achieve a balance between We the People and Government by establishing a Democratic republic with the election of our government by the people, which would be responsive to the will of the electorate but protective of the Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights of all the people. The Constitution also specified a Separation of Powers between the branches of government by assigning specific duties and responsibilities to each branch of government while not overlapping these duties and responsibilities between the branches. This was the first time in history that the people were the masters of government and that government power was restricted. Thus, whenever we think about our Constitutional government, we should envision the following image:

Unfortunately, during the 20th century, these boundaries and separations began to blur and overlap, which is a danger to our Liberties and Freedoms and antithetic to our American Ideals and Ideas.

We have seen that we, the people, are more dependent on government and an electorate divided by party rather than principles, often between those receiving government benefits and those who finance the government benefits. We have also seen the Legislative branch become more supine to the Executive branch, the Judicial branch becoming more involved in mediating disputes between the Legislative and Executive branches, as well as the Judicial branch become more involved in settling disputes of a political or social nature. As such, the Judicial branch has become the more predominant branch of government, which is worrisome as the Judicial branch is appointed rather than elected and, thereby, the least democratic branch of government and least responsive to the will of the electorate. Ergo, justices, and judges have become more lords than judges, as I have written in my article "Judges, Not Lords".

We have also seen a decline in the American people's understanding of our Constitution and the proper functions of American government. Alas, this lack of understanding has allowed politicians more interested in political power than upholding our American Ideals and Ideas to utilize "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language" to obtain their political power.

The American people must regain their mastery over government, insist that the government reinstitute the Balance of Powers and the Separation of Powers in government and that the government function within the assigned duties and responsibilities of each branch of government. Otherwise, the American experiment of a Democratic republic will fail, and with it, our Liberties and Freedoms and our American Ideals and Ideas will be swept into the dustbin of history.

04/27/25 Hope and Hopeless

One political commentator has noted that the Democrat Party is not putting out their best and brightest, to which I would respond that 1) they have no best and brightest, or 2) the commentator is wrong—these are their best and brightest. Either way, this is a sad commentary on the state of the Democrat Party, as the following cartoon encapsulates:

04/26/25 A Wave of Illegal Immigration Deserves a Wave of Deportations

As the Trump White House has argued about the wave of illegal immigration: “Over the last 4 years, the prior administration invited, administered, and oversaw an unprecedented flood of illegal immigration into the United States. Millions of illegal aliens crossed our borders in violation of longstanding Federal laws. Many of these aliens unlawfully within the United States present significant threats to national security and public safety.” President Trump’s executive order on January 20, 2025, called the arrival of the illegal immigrants into America an “invasion” that jeopardizes national security, and he started a wave of deportations of these illegal immigrants.

In response to this wave of illegal immigration, the Trump administration is supporting the legal precedent that due process can be waived or limited where immediate action is necessary to prevent harm to the public or to national security interests. He and many in his administration have also stated that a deportation order from an immigration judge is sufficient due process to deport an illegal immigrant. I would add that almost all of these illegal immigrants entered America without any due process to determine if they were legally eligible to enter America. I would also add that the Democrats who are opposing President Trump’s efforts on Due Process grounds never spoke of Due Process to allow for the entry into America of these illegal immigrants.

One way that the Trump administration is utilizing to address this issue is to revive the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport immigrants it alleges are gang members or terrorist sympathizers. “People who are enemies of the United States don’t have the same level of due process,” said border czar Tom Homan. “Immigration agents are the principal judges of whether or not a detainee has gang affiliations”, Homan said, and that “if they determine that there is an affiliation, that detainee’s rights to due process are limited”.

Hans A. von Spakovsky and Charles Stimson of the Heritage Foundation agreed with Homan. “It’s important to recognize that illegal immigrants don’t have the same due process rights as citizens,” they wrote. “For more than 100 years, the Supreme Court has held that the only due process to which illegal immigrants are entitled is what Congress gives them through federal immigration law.” Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has noted: “The decisions of executive or administrative officers, acting within powers expressly conferred by Congress, are due process of law.”

As Vice President JD Vance has said, “[The Democrats] don’t want border security. They don’t want us to deport the people who’ve come into our country illegally. They want to accomplish through fake legal process what they failed to accomplish politically: The ratification of Biden’s illegal migrant invasion.”

This Democrat illegal immigrant kerfuffle isn’t about law, order, or the Constitution. It’s about delaying the Trump Administration policies through legal Lawfare for the purpose of running out the clock on the second Trump presidency and an attempt to nullify the 2024 election results, as I have written in my Chirp on “04/21/25 How To Nullify an Election”. Thus, the Democrat's cries and wails of due process not being applied for illegal immigrants are but a ruse for (supposedly) political gain. Accordingly, Americans should not buy this ruse and support President Trump’s wave of deportation of illegal immigrants.

Ed Brodow, a conservative political commentator and author of ten books, recently penned a column, “Should Due Process Stop Trump From Deporting Illegals?” in which he explores this issue in more detail. I would highly recommend this column to all, as it is well worth the read.

04/25/25 Foreign Aid for El Salvador

Foreign aid that benefits America and the nation or the people it is directed to is a good thing. Alas, as DOGE has revealed, much of our past foreign aid has been corrupted by progressive ideological goals, and much of the foreign aid is siphoned off by non-governmental agencies before it reaches the nations and/or people for which it was intended. Such foreign aid abuse must be eliminated in the future, and full transparency must be established for non-military and non-intelligence foreign aid.

Given the above, I would suggest that foreign aid be allocated to El Salvador so that they can construct, maintain, and operate another maximum-security prison in El Salvador. Their current Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) is a maximum security prison in El Salvador, opened in January 2023, designed to house a large number of inmates, particularly those involved in gang activities. It has a capacity of 40,000 and has been criticized for overcrowding and possible inmate abuse. A new prison would help alleviate these problems, and it could be used to house violent criminals and terrorist group members from other countries, mostly America. It would also act as a deterrent to violent criminals and terrorist group members in America, knowing that there was a harsh prison ready and willing to incarcerate them.

Such an endeavor would not only be economically advantageous for El Salvador, but it would also help ensure the stability of their government by involving other countries in the security of El Salvador. It would also cement their relationship with America and open other forms of foreign aid from America to El Salvador. This is a win-win for both America and El Salvador, and it should be done without delay.

04/24/25 Judicial Interpretation Should Not Be Judicial Rule

With the many judicial rulings on President Trump’s illegal immigrant deportation efforts, it now appears that judges are making the law up. If the judge cannot cite the stature and the sub-clauses of the stature that specifically state what they are ruling upon, then they are making it up. Many excuse their efforts under the label of “Judicial Interpretation” or “Judicial Discretion”, but in reality, it is judicial rule and judicial lawmaking.

In my new Article, “Judicial Interpretation Should Not Be Judicial Rule”, I examine this issue and its use in the case of illegal immigration. From the time of the Constitutional Convention through the adoption process of the Constitution and throughout our Constitutional Democratic republic, the issue of judicial restraint has bedeviled America.

This issue has come to the forefront of the question of illegal immigration, and it is endangering America and Americans' lives and safety. Regarding the issue of Judicial Restraint in the current illegal immigrant deportation issue, judicial restraint has disappeared from activist judges. Rather than rule on the basis of the law, they are interpreting the law to suit their own predilections.

As I concluded in this article, it is my personal opinion that if an immigration or appellate immigration judge rules that someone is in America illegally, then the President has the authority to deport them to their country of origin at his will. If an immigration or appellate immigration judge rules that someone is in America illegally and a member of a criminal organization or terrorist group, then the President must immediately deport them to a country of his choice. Also, if an illegal immigrant has been found guilty of a crime, then after they have served their sentence, the President must immediately deport them to their country of origin. In all of these cases, the ruling of an immigration or appellate immigration judge is all the Due Process that an illegal immigrant is entitled to before they are deported.

As I have Chirped on "03/25/25 Executive Order Restraining Judicial Powers", it is time for President Trump to confront these judges and assert his Constitutional powers to deal with illegal immigrants. It is also time for Chief Justice John Roberts and the other Justices to stop being indecisive and rule for Presidential powers and authorities to deal with illegal immigrants, and reign in these rogue judges, as I have Chirped on, "03/26/25 The Agony of Indecisiveness".

04/23/25 Congresspersons, Senators, and Judges Interference in Foreign Affairs

The Logan Act is a U.S. federal law enacted in 1799 that prohibits unauthorized American citizens from negotiating with foreign governments in disputes with the United States. It was created to prevent individuals from undermining the government's foreign policy and has rarely been enforced since its passage. Only two people have ever been indicted on charges of violating the Act, one in 1802 and the other in 1852. Neither was convicted.

There has been little judicial discussion of the constitutionality of the Logan Act. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in Waldron v. British Petroleum Co. in 1964 mentioned in passing that the Act was likely unconstitutional due to the vagueness of the terms "defeat" and "measures” but did not rule on the question. In December 2020, the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel wrote a memorandum opinion concluding that the Logan Act "was constitutional when enacted, and unless or until repealed by Congress, remains valid and enforceable." The Department of Justice made this opinion public in January 2025. The question I have is whether the Logan Act can be applied to Congresspersons, Senators, and judges’ interference in foreign affairs.

Congresspersons and Senators' interference in foreign affairs may be present in their trips to El Salvador to obtain the release and return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to America. This is clearly a matter of foreign affairs under the purview of the President, and they had no permission from President Trump to engage in negotiations for his release. These meetings are also a political stunt by the Democrats, and they could be viewed by the El Salvador authorities as interference in, and an insult to, the sovereign powers of the El Salvador government, which could impact American foreign relations with El Salvador. As such, the El Salvador government could deny entrance for these Congresspersons and Senators without their government’s permission and concurrence by the President of the United States. Perhaps it is time to apply the Logan Act to Congresspersons and Senators who are involved in these efforts in El Salvador or any other nation that may choose to become involved in the future.

There have been other incidents in the recent past (mostly during the Trump Administrations) where Congresspersons and Senators have appeared to try to influence foreign relationships by engaging in comments for the purposes of influencing a foreign government. While they have the right to do so under the Speech and Debate clause of the Constitution, as long as such speech and debate occurs within the halls of Congress, their comments can be viewed as trying to influence a foreign government in opposition to President Trump’s foreign policies. While such comments may not be a technical violation of the Logan Act (as they are not involved in negotiations), they are certainly an intrusion of Presidential powers in foreign policy and relations, which can be viewed as a Separation of Powers issue between the Legislative and Executive branches of government.

It also appears that some of the judge’s rulings in immigration lawsuits may have also intruded into presidential foreign policy authorities, which may impact foreign relations. While this may not be a technical violation of the Logan Act, as the judges did not directly enter into negotiations with a government, the incidental impact would require the President to enter into negotiations with a foreign government at the direction of the judge’s ruling. This can also be viewed as a Separation of Powers issue between the Judicial and Executive branches of government.

It is also true that President Trump ran for and won the presidency on a policy of deporting illegal immigrants, and such efforts by Congresspersons, Senators, and Judges to interfere with his effort to do so is an attempt to nullify his election, as I have Chirped on “04/21/25 How To Nullify an Election”. Their efforts on behalf of illegal immigrants in foreign countries are an intrusion into his presidential powers of conducting foreign policy and is also a backhanded effort to nullify his election.

Accordingly, such interference in foreign affairs by Congresspersons, Senators, and Judges is outside the purview of their duties and responsibilities under the Constitution and a violation of the Separation of Powers doctrine of the Constitution. This must stop, or our foreign policy and foreign relationships could devolve into chaos, which would be harmful to America.

04/22/25 The State of the Economy

When most people consider the economy they think about the impacts of the economy on the cost of living, job security, inflation, and their savings and retirement. However, the Economy of the United States is composed of many factors; Stock Market, Commodity Market, Bond And Annuities Market, Consumer Price Index, Interest and Inflation Rates, Employment Rate, Productivity, and many other factors. Each of these factors has its own measurements for determining the economic history and the current economic state of the factor (often called an Economic indicator or Index). The economy is also divided into many sectors, which are utilized to determine the growth or decline of the economic sector within the economy. These factors and sectors are interrelated and interconnected, and the impacts on one or multiple of these factors or sectors will have repercussions on the entire economy. I do not pretend to have any special knowledge or experience in these factors and/or sectors, but I am aware of them and realize their importance in determining the state of the economy and the economic welfare of America and Americans.

The Financial Conditions Index (FCI) is a newer measure that reflects the overall availability and cost of credit in the economy, incorporating various financial indicators such as interest rates, credit spreads, and market volatility. It helps assess the health of the financial system and its potential impact on economic growth. As such, it is useful in determining the state of the economy in America. The website YCharts has an interesting, simplified graph of the FCI over the last few years. This 5yr chart covers the end of the first Trump presidency, through the Biden Presidency, and the first few months of the new Trump Presidency:

As can be seen from this chart, the FCI fell and then remained level during the COVID-19 Pandemic, sharply raised and then began to fall during the Biden presidency but never reached the highs of the first Trump presidency, and it is now beginning to rise in the new Trump presidency. If current trends continue (and there is no guarantee that they will), we may expect a continued rise in the FCI. There is one thing that we can expect: that nobody knows what will happen to the FCI in the future, and nobody accurately predicted its performance in the past. Thus, the doomsayers and the exuberant financial commentators had or have no idea of what they are talking about as far as the future or past of the FCI is concerned.

Thus, to take with any certainty the doomsayers or the exuberant financial commentators on the future of the economy is foolhardy, and you should only be concerned and think about their prophesying. The one thing that we know about the American economy is that it always rises and falls, but over the long term, it always rises. The only question is when and for how long the rise and fall will occur and to what heights and depths it will rise or fall.

Lastly, we should not heed politicians and bureaucrats about the state or future of the economy, as they are not economists and have little or no experience in economic, financial, or business matters, and they are often driven by political concerns rather than economic concerns. However, we should be concerned about government taxing, spending, and regulations, as these factors often have a significant impact on both the short-term and long-term growth or decline of the economy, which impacts all of America and all Americans.

04/21/25 How To Nullify an Election

With their losses in the 2024 election, the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are attempting to nullify the will of the American people through tactics that are anti-democratic. Anti-democratic in that they are not resorting to American democratic means to oppose President Trump and his Administration.

They have forgotten that shortly after his 2009 inauguration, during a meeting with Congressional Republicans, President Obama famously stated, “Elections have consequences, and at the end of the day, I won.” This statement highlights the importance of democratic processes and the power of the people’s voice. It serves as a reminder that elections are not mere formalities but rather a critical tool for change. It emphasizes that the outcome of an election can bring about significant consequences for the direction and policies of a country. Both President Obama and President Biden used these election consequences to bring about change, and they were opposed by the Republicans through democratic means. Regrettably, the Democrats have opposed President Trump’s election consequences, not by democratic means, but by “resistance”.

Their main resistance of the Democrat leaders in Congress is the legislative tactic of the utilization of the Senate filibuster to halt or stymie legislation the American people elected President Trump, and a Republican Congress to enact, as I have Chirped on “04/14/25 Majority Rules”. Rather than work with President Trump to achieve what is best for the American people, they are trying to halt or delay all his initiatives in the hopes of electoral advantage in future elections.

The other significant resistance is of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists clogging up the courts with lawsuits of a dubious nature to obtain injunctions against President Trump’s Administration from sympathetic judges, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Judicial Restraint". This is but an attempt to elevate Progressive judges will over the duties and responsibilities of the presidency and, therefore, an assault over the Balance of Powers between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches of government so carefully crafted by our Founding Fathers in the Constitution. This is Judicial Lawfare that has no place in America.

Their other resistance tactic is the utilization of vitriolic rhetoric, not burdened by any facts or truths, to stir up anger and fear, which often results in violent protests by Progressives/Leftists. These violent protests have recently morphed into domestic terrorism, as I have chirped on “03/31/25 Domestic Terrorism – Part I” and “04/01/25 Domestic Terrorism – Part II”. These violent protests and domestic terrorism are for the purpose of intimidating President Trump’s supporters into silence and/or inaction for fear of their or their family’s safety. As such, this tactic is not a democratic means to oppose President Trump. Alas, the Democrat Party Leaders and their Progressive supporters have not taken a firm stand against these violent protests and domestic terrorism, as they believe that it aids and abets their efforts to oppose President Trump.

Within all these tactics, they are exhibiting their penchant for ignoring facts and truths, as I have Chirped on “04/19/25 Unencumbered by Any Facts or Truths”. With these tactics, they are intentionally trying to nullify the results of the 2024 election and the will of the electorate. Such tactics need to stop, as they only further exacerbate the divisions within America, which leads to the diminishment of A Civil Society in America.

04/20/25 Keep Your Mouth Shut and Your Mind Open

While working in Germany on a NATO proposal, I learned a very important lesson in life—keeping your mouth shut and your opinion open. This was a NATO proposal effort of a consortium of two German companies, one Italian, one French, one English, and one American company, with a freelance American engineer who had extensive NATO engineering project experience. I had become very friendly with a German engineer who had spent several years in America while obtaining his PhD, and he spoke perfect English and understood American ways and mannerisms.

The other German engineer was the Chief Engineer on the effort, and this engineer was from Prussia, and he had a Prussian autocratic approach to managing the engineering team. His approach did not go over well with the other engineers, as they were all intelligent, experienced, and leaders within their engineering organizations and resistant to an autocratic approach. I also discovered another problem, which was explained to me by the other German engineer with whom I had become friendly.

The friendly German engineer explained an important language difference that was impacting the dynamics of the group. He explained to me that in the Germanic languages, a negation statement was most often at the end of a sentence or paragraph, while in the Latin languages, such negation statements were most often at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence or paragraph. Consequently, Latin-speaking people misinterpreted what was being said by Germanic-speaking people as an affirmative statement until they heard the negation at the end. This would lead the Latin-speaking people to misinterpret what Germanic-speaking people were saying while they were speaking, and it would raise the ire of the Latin-speaking people during the discussion.

From this, I learned not to interrupt and to withhold my opinion until I heard all of what was being said. Excellent advice, no matter who is speaking or what nationality they come from. I also learned that I was better able to concur or critique what was said when I did so and that my judgments of what was said were evenhanded and more acceptable to others. Thus, my advice to all, when they are listening to someone, is to keep your mouth shut and your mind open while someone is speaking and to only concur or critique after the speaker is finished.

04/19/25 Unencumbered by Any Facts or Truths

Due to the election of President Trump and their Trump Derangement Syndrome (and now Elon Musk Derangement Syndrome), the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists have gone totally deranged. A derangement in which they are completely unencumbered by any facts or truths, and they will believe anything about Trump and Musk that their derangement can evoke. It is this derangement that makes them susceptible to President Trump trolling them or trapping them, and their reactions to this trolling or trapping is often madness.

In their derangement, they often make allegations and/or provoke fear of President Trump and his Administration that is unfounded and unrealistic. In their allegations, they are trying to make President Trump and Elon Musk a bogeyman or ogre that everyone should be fearful of and to invoke opposition to anything that the Trump Administration may attempt to do. However, in their attempts, they are betraying their own inanity and idiocy, as well as their being useful idiots, as I have Chirped on “04/19/25 Useful Idiots”.

The current allegations about President Trump and his Administration deporting illegal immigrants encapsulate how the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are unencumbered by any facts or truths, as I have Chirped on “04/15/25 To Deport or to Not Deport”. Their defense of the illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia has been found to be without merit despite their assertions. Regardless of President Trump’s Administration Officials releasing the documentation of his crimes, they continue to assert without any evidence that he is not a gang member, that he is a family man, that he has committed no crimes worthy of deportation, and that he did not receive Due Process despite having his case adjudicated by an immigration judge and an appellate immigration judge.

In evaluating their assertions, it should be remembered that in all of law, philosophy, theology, economics, statistics, science, engineering, and many other areas of human interactions, the burden of proof is upon the person or persons who makes the assertion, as I have examined in my Article on “Burden of Proof”. We should always remember this when listening to a dialog, debate, or commentary where assertions are being made and that:

"The Burden of Proof always rests with the person who makes an assertion. To not do so is to ask the other person to prove a negative - which is very difficult to accomplish."
  - Mark Dawson

"The Burden of Proof must be based upon reasoning rather than emotions, for emotions will almost always lead to a false conclusion."
  - Mark Dawson

You should also keep in mind of those who make assertions that:

"Just because they 'believe' something to be true does not mean that they 'know' something is true, and just because someone says it is true or false doesn't make it true or false."  
  - Mark Dawson

We would also do well to remember what Christopher Hitchens once said, which is now a Philosophical Razor that can be utilized to dismiss any argument: "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." I would argue that assertions without evidence must be dismissed without evidence. To do otherwise is to allow for an uncivil society, as I have discussed in my Article "A Civil Society". Consequently, as the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists provide no evidence for their allegations and they are unencumbered by any facts or truths, but they do engender fear, they are antithetic to a civil society.

04/19/25 Useful Idiots

The one thing that The Party of the People, the Democrat Party, has in common with Communists and Socialists is that they are dependent on “useful idiots” to propagate their platitudinal messages. Unfortunately for the modern Democrat Party, they have been electing their useful idiots to office, and they even managed to elect a useful idiot to the Presidency (i.e., Joe Biden). This useful idiocy can be seen in how the Democrat Party Leaders (and their useful idiots in the Mainstream Media) will parrot each other’s hackneyed talking points. No variations of the talking points or intelligent reasoning about the talking points are exhibited by their useful idiots. These useful idiots are also unencumbered by facts and truths, as their opinions are often based on Pseudoconomics, Pseudohistorical, and Pseudoscientific thinking, as I have Chirped on “04/08/25 Pseudohistorical and Pseudoscientific Progressivism” and “04/09/25 Progressives Pseudoeconomics”.

Unfortunately for the useful idiots, the Democrat Party has a history of discarding their useful idiots when they no longer become useful, at which point they become simply idiots. When they go from a useful idiot to just an idiot, they often continue with their idiocy. However, these useful idiots may also often adopt other useful idiocy in support of the Democrat Party. Thus, the cycle of Democrat Party useful idiots goes round and round between different or recycled useful idiots.

As such, the Democrat Party's useful idiots should not be heeded, as paying any attention to their idiocy will make you idiotic. It is also a recipe for negative consequences to our society, as the history of “The Party of the People” and the Biden Administration has proven.

04/18/25 The Big Four Societal Problems

In modern America, we have seen a rise in civil unrest and assaults on our Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights. Of all these problems, I would argue that there are four problems that are head and shoulders above our other problems: 1) Natural Rights Violations, 2) Domestic Terrorism, 3) Anti-Semitism, and 4) The Democrat Party.

Natural Rights, as I have Chirp on "07/28/24 I Have the Natural Right", are endowed by nature and nature's god, and they are not subject to infringement by other people, organizations, or governments. Yet, in America today, we have seen people and organizations that do not respect the Natural Rights of others and a government that has tried to infringe or constrict the Natural Rights of a person or organization, as I have discussed in my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government".

We have also seen a rise in Domestic Terrorism of “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.”, as I have chirped on “03/31/25 Domestic Terrorism – Part I” and “04/01/25 Domestic Terrorism – Part II”.

Anti-Semitism is also on the rise in America, as I have discussed in my collected Chirps on "Anti-Semitism in Modern America". This is a dangerous situation for America, as I have often said:

“Anti-Semitism must be confronted and condemned whenever it rears its ugly head.
For history has shown that whenever it is not confronted and eliminated,
it festers and grows to become a cancer that will eventually destroy society.”

Yet, in modern American society, Anti-Semitism is tolerated, while pro-Palestinian terrorism is lauded.

At the forefront of these problems in modern America are the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. As I have Chirped on “04/06/25 It’s Not the Message—It’s the Madness”, the madness of the modern Democrat Party and Progressives has become commonplace. This madness of the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders exacerbates the other three problems, and until their madness is corrected, it may not be possible to solve the other three problems.

These Big Four Societal Problems in America have to be rectified for America to right its course and preserve our Liberties and Freedoms. If we do not rectify these problems, then America will descend into chaos and self-destruction. As Abraham Lincoln once said:

"At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."
 - Abraham Lincoln before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois

And these Big Four Societal Problems are problems that have sprung up among us.

04/17/25 The Sky is Falling

“The sky is falling” said Chicken Little to the farm animals. Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are now proclaiming to the American public that President Donald Trump is plunging the United States into (a) chaos, (b) a recession, or (c) a “trade war”. Like almost all their proclamations against Donald Trump, they have as much veracity as Chicken Little’s claim that the sky is falling.

The Democrat Party, which often claims to be the party of change, is now exhibiting their fear of change, or rather their fear of change that they do not understand nor with which they concur. The party that supported the failed ‘Bidenomics’ is now warning that Trump's economics will fail with calamitous consequences. A Democrat Party that is immersed in Pseudoeconomics, as I have Chirped on “04/09/25 Progressives Pseudoeconomics”, which always leads to failed economic policies.

It is a fear that they are trying to instill in the American public, and it is a fear that only the farm animals should believe. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself”, so should the American people not be fearful of Trump's economics. We should all remember that Donald Trump was a very successful businessperson and that much of his success started with The Art of the Deal. Therefore, only concern is warranted, but in their concern, the American public should remember that President Trump turned the economy around and was economically successful in his first term until the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Thus, he should be given the chance to turn the economy around and be economically successful in his second term. The American people should also remember that it is not wise to bet against Trump, as he has a stellar record of achieving whatever he sets out to do.

Therefore, as Pope John Paul II said to the people of Poland who were suffering under Communist leadership, “Be Not Afraid”, as I Chirped on "03/14/25 Be Not Afraid", and I would say to all Americans, be not afraid but only be concerned.

04/17/25 Kahunas

There is no doubt that Donald Trump has kahunas. The doubt is if other Republicans have or can grow kahunas. Most Republican politicians do not have kahunas for fear it would impact their election or reelection chances. However, President Trump has demonstrated that kahunas, coupled with good and sound policies, increase your favorability and election/reelection chances. Kahunas must also be coupled with the ability to express your policies in a manner that the American public understands, applies common sense, and is done with authenticity (i.e., no equivocalness, no disingenuous, and no-nonsense). Kahunas also require courage in standing your ground in the face of harsh (and often inaccurate) criticisms.

One of the lessons of President Trump’s recent election (and past election), along with his current Executive Orders and legislative endeavors, is that kahunas, coupled with good policies, will help obtain your goals. And if the goals are what is best for America and Americans, a majority of the public will support your goals (and your election/reelection). Thus, my message to Republican politicians and their supporters is to get and/or grow your kahunas, as it will help you achieve your goals and increase your chances of election or reelection.

04/16/25 No Rogue Judicial Rulings

The ‘No Rogue Rulings Act or NORRA’ was Introduced in the House of Representatives on 02/24/2025 and passed by the Yeas and Nays of 219 – 213 on 04/09/2025. This act limits the authority of federal district courts to issue injunctions. Specifically, it prohibits a district court from issuing an injunction unless the injunction applies only to the parties of the particular case before the court. It is a simple and understandable one-page act that should be supported by all Americans.

However, this bill was opposed by all Democrats in the House, and It is expected that the Senate Democrats will also oppose this bill through the use of a filibuster. A filibuster which is an effort to stymie the will of the majority of the members of Congress and to thwart the will of the electorate for the changes in government that they elected President Trump to institute, as I have Chirped on “04/nn/25 Majority Rules”. http://www.profitpages.com/mwd/chirps.htm#mozTocId100173

Their opposition to this bill is because judicial Lawfare appears to be the only means that they can oppose President Trump, and this bill would make judicial lawfare much more difficult. But such judicial Lawfare is an assault on the Balance of Powers between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches which were carefully constructed by our Founding Fathers to help preserve our Constitutional Liberties and Freedoms. Thus, the Congressional Democrats' opposition to this bill allows for the continued infringement of our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All by rouge judges.

As I have examined in my collected Chirps on "Judicial Restraint", judicial restraint is a serious problem in modern America. It is a problem that needs to be addressed and resolved through legislative, executive, and Supreme Court judicial actions. The NORRA legislation is a good first step to correct this situation, and it should be passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President. To do otherwise is to allow for the reign of rouge judges over America.

04/16/25 A Fascist Dictator

As Derek Hunter has said in a recent column, “Democrats Found Their Next Anti-Trump Conspiracy”:

“If Donald Trump were half the monster Democrats claim he is, they would be terrified to speak out against him. I don’t know if they know this or not, but fascist dictators aren’t big fans of people calling them fascist dictators, they’re kind of funny that way. They also have a habit of disappearing people who call them out for, well, anything. Yet, MSNBC still exists. CNN still exists. Every columnist at every left-wing corporate media outlet still exists.”
 - Derek Hunter

Like most of the pejoratives said about Donald Trump, it is a case of Projection on their part. Projection is a defense mechanism by which an individual unconsciously attributes their behaviors, emotions, impulses, undesirable characteristics, and thoughts to others. It is a way of taking our internal dialogue and turning it into an external exchange, as if our own beliefs or behaviors belong to someone else. In the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists case, it is they who are more conforming to their pejoratives than Donald Trump.

Many of my Chirps and Articles (too numerous to mention in this Chirp) have examined the words and deeds of the modern Democrat Party, and how they have behaved in a manner that is antithetic to our American Ideals and Ideas, as I have written in my article "J'accuse!". Indeed, they have behaved in a manner that is more appropriate to the pejoratives for which they accuse Donald Trump.

Alas, the American people have much more to fear by the actions of the Democrat Party than anything that President Trump has done. Consequently, the American people should interpret their pejoratives as a projection of their own faults and shortcomings.

04/15/25 To Deport or to Not Deport

Mistaken deportation refers to the wrongful removal of an individual from a country, often due to administrative errors or misinterpretations of immigration laws. Recent cases, such as that of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, highlight the legal challenges and implications surrounding such deportations. The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration must facilitate the return of Mr. Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongly deported to El Salvador, as he had an immigration judge order of non-deportation to El Salvador. The Supreme Court's decision emphasized the need for the government to clarify its actions regarding his return while acknowledging potential limits on judicial authority in foreign affairs. The Supreme Court's decision has also come under scrutiny, with U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer arguing that the U.S. “does not control the sovereign nation of El Salvador, nor can it compel El Salvador to follow a federal judge’s bidding.” as well as in Johnathan Turley’s article “A Writ of “Facilitation”? Court Issues Curious Order in the Garcia Case”.

There is some dispute whether Mr. Garcia was a gang member and engaged in criminal activities in America, but there is no dispute that he was an illegal immigrant. The Trump administration continues to allege that Mr. Garcia is “confirmed to be a ranking member of the MS-13 gang by a proven and reliable source,” something his relatives vehemently deny. Attorney General Pam Bondi commented that, "First and foremost, he was in our country illegally." and "In 2019, two courts, an immigration court and an appellate immigration court, ruled he was a member of MS-13, and he was illegally in our country." Bondi noted that is was now up to El Salvador, not the United States, to decide if they want to return him, stating that the U.S. would help "facilitate" that return by providing an airplane.

However, the Trump Administration has also admitted that Mr. Garcia was deported to El Salvador in an "administrative error". As for “administrative error”, all government actions are subject to an administrative error, as “To err is Human”. Such administrative errors should be corrected when uncovered and be corrected in an expeditious manner. In the case of Mr. Garcia, such correction is a Herculean task, as it requires the cooperation of a sovereign nation that now has custody of Mr. Garcia. I would suggest that the El Salvador authorities respond to this request for his return and that they hold legal proceedings to determine that Mr. Garcia was a gang member in El Salvador who committed illegal actions. If so, they would declare that he is a criminal under El Salvador law, and as such, he is serving his sentence, but they would be happy to return him after his sentence is served. If not, then they will, as a courtesy to America, return him to American custody.

The other question is if Mr. Garcia is entitled to full legal Due Process before deportation or if an immigration judge’s ruling and/or Presidential authority are sufficient to deport any illegal immigrant. In Mr. Garcia's case, there is also the question of whether he should have been deported to El Salvador and into their harsh prison system. This raises the larger question of whether Illegal Immigrants are entitled to full Judicial Due Process before being deported and if it is better to not deport thousands of illegal criminal immigrants for one illegal noncriminal immigrant to not be deported through an administrative error.

With upwards of thirty million illegal immigrants in America, it may prove to be a Sisyphean task to provide full legal Due Process to all of these illegal immigrants. It would take decades tying up the courts and at great expense to provide full legal Due Process to all illegal immigrants. The proponents of full legal Due Process for illegal immigrants realize this is a Sisyphean task, and their goal is to tie up illegal immigrant deportations so that the illegal immigrants may remain in America.

Accordingly, the real issue is what is the necessary authority to deport illegal immigrants and if noncriminal illegal immigrants should be deported at all. Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are in support of retaining illegal immigrants in America, while Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders want them deported. If we should decide to retain the noncriminal illegal immigrants in America, then we have opened our borders to any person who successfully illegally immigrates. This has serious implications for our economy and social services, as well as potential electoral impacts if at some future time we grant citizenship to these noncriminal illegal immigrants. There is also the question of if these illegal immigrants have children while they are in America. Are these children American citizens and entitled to vote when they become of age to vote? Alas, I believe that this citizenship of noncriminal illegal immigrants and their American-born children citizenship is the end game for Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as they believe that these noncriminal illegal immigrants and their children will be future Democrat Party voters. If we should grant this citizenship to noncriminal illegal immigrants, it would have a pernicious impact on our national identity and potentially lead to a permanent Democrat Party rule over America.

Consequently, all illegal criminal immigrants should be deported immediately on an immigration judge's ruling and/or Presidential authority. If you are an illegal noncriminal immigrant, no matter how good a person or family member you may be, you should self-deport or be deported expeditiously to your country of origin and apply for legal immigration into America. To do otherwise is to reshape America into a country that it was not intended to be—a law-abiding Democratic republic dedicated to our American Ideals and Ideas and for the Liberties and Freedoms of all its inhabitants. And if you have illegally immigrated to America, your action in doing so has demonstrated that you do not share our law-abiding values. I would also say to those Americans who support allowing illegal noncriminal immigrants to remain in America that you are not showing your law-abiding values. To these same Americans, I would also say that if you do not like our immigration laws, then you should work to have them changed and not try to ignore or circumvent our immigration laws.

Addendum – On 04/16/25 the DOJ & DHS release the Kilmer Abrego Garcia documents that proved he was an MS-13 gang member, and that Garcia's wife filed two restraining orders against him for violence against her.

04/14/25 Majority Rules

The majority rules in the American government as long as the majority acts in a Constitutional manner and respects the Liberties and Freedoms of the minority. Alas, this has been forgotten by Senate Democrats, in that they are blocking legislation by filibuster that requires a three-fifths (60) vote to end the filibuster. They are not doing this to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and minority rights but as an exercise to block legislation for which they disagree with the policy of the legislation and for future electoral purposes. Thus, they are thwarting the will of the electorate, as expressed in the recent election. Such actions by the Senate Democrats are injurious to our Democratic republic and increase the cynicism that most Americans have about our government.

Until the Democrat Party Leaders start paying attention to what the American people want and adjust their behavior accordingly, they will continue to thwart the will of the American people, and they will not achieve electoral success. Perhaps their lack of electoral success is what is best for America, given how much they have managed to screw up America and Americans in the last few decades. Unfortunately, by filibustering needful legislation to fix the screw-ups, they are making it difficult to fix their screw-ups.

04/14/25 Oligarchy in America

The Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists claim that the Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives are trying to establish an Oligarchy in America is another example of Projection. Projection is a defense mechanism by which an individual unconsciously attributes their behaviors, emotions, impulses, undesirable characteristics, and thoughts to others. It is a way of taking our internal dialogue and turning it into an external exchange as if our own beliefs or behaviors belong to someone else. In the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists case, they project and amplify their own oligarchy that they have established in the last several decades. It is also a case of unconsciousness to their own words and deeds, as they believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and that their policies are what is best for all Americans. Consequently, they cannot fathom that their party is an oligarchy and may be wrong for America's best interests.

 If you examine the Democrat Party leadership, you can see how much of their leadership has remained in power in the last few decades. If you examine the voting record of the Democrats in Congress, it is one of en bloc voting for or against legislation as the Democrat Party leadership ordains. This static leadership and en masse voting are but an indication of an oligarchical nature of the Democrat Party, while the Republican Party has seen a significant shift in its leadership and independent voting in the last few decades. If you examine the finances and campaign contributions of the Democrat Party, you can see that most of the very wealthy and big businesses in America have been major contributors to the Democrat Party, and they have had significant input and sway on the Democrat Party's political goals and policy agendas. As such, these contributors have been incorporated into their oligarchy. Again, this is an indication of the oligarchical nature of the Democrat Party.

As I have Chirped on "01/11/22 Our Democracy", and as Rob Natelson has written in his article “‘Our Democracy’ = Their Oligarchy”, their lofty words are concealing their dastardly deeds that are the antithesis of democracy. It is also an example of their hypocrisy, as they say one thing and do the other thing in accusing their opponents of trying to establish an oligarchy while they try to maintain their own oligarchy.

Their wails and cries of a Republican Oligarchy in America have come about with the realization that their oligarchy is beginning to crumble. The wealthy and big business contributors are scaling back or not contributing to the Democrat Party, and some are even defecting to the Republican Party. This is frightening to them as they see their power slipping away. Rather than reforming their party to become more democratic and responsive to the will of the American people, they are trying to utilize rhetorical sophistry to hold onto power. And their latest rhetorical sophistry is that the Republican Party is trying to establish an oligarchy in America.

04/13/25 Choose Life

In the Judeo-Christian Bible, Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ESV states:

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turnsLawfare away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today, that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore, choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

Thus, choosing life in the Bible refers to the decision to follow God's commandments and embrace a relationship with God, and to choose life so that you and your descendants may live.

Today, we have seen this dilemma in the Middle East and throughout the world of people and their leaders who choose death rather than life. Radical Islam, Communist China, Dictatorial Russia, and other peoples and leaders have chosen death over life. Such people and leaders who choose death are evil, and they, therefore, should perish.

In his travels through Israel and Gaza, #1 International Bestselling author Douglas Murray has seen the best and the worst humanity has to offer, and he has no trouble choosing a side. In his new book, “On Democracies and Death Cults: Israel and the Future of Civilization”, he examines this issue in regard to the Israeli and Radical Islam conflicts. There is also a YouTube video, “Douglas Murray: Choose Life, Not the Death Cult”, in which he elaborates on this topic. As I have not yet had time to read this book, I cannot recommend this book at this time, but I have watched the video, and I would recommend that all watch this video to gain a fuller understanding of “Choosing Life”.

04/12/25 The Audacity of District Court Judges

The audacity of District Court Judges in issuing rulings on Presidential authorities can be highlighted in an absurd historical parody.

A District Court judge could rule that The Civil War was not a “war”, as only Congress can declare war, and war can only be declared against a foreign enemy. Thus, any action by the Federal government is but a Federally armed effort to put down a rebellion against the lawful authority of the Federal government in the States that illegally declared succession. Therefore, no presidential war powers, only presidential law enforcement powers, could be utilized against the States or rebels.

A District Court judge could also rule that the President must follow all appropriate laws regarding the criminal and civil rights of those in rebellion, including the destruction, damage, or forfeiture of their property (including slave property), and that Due Process of Law should be given to the rebels in all Federal actions against them. Such a ruling would require warrants for their arrest and/or for the seizure of their property to be issued, and a trial and judgment against them would be required before any Federal action is taken against them.

A District Court judge could also invalidate the Emancipation Proclamation as unconstitutional, as the President had no Constitutional authority to free the slave property of those in rebellion. They could also rule that the slaves freed by Union troops be returned to their owners, as the Supreme Court Dred Scott decision stated that it "deprives citizens of their [slave] property without due process of law".

It is expected that the lawyers for the states who declared secession and the lawyers for the individual rebels would file their lawsuits in district courts that were part of the rebellious states and had judges sympathetic to their cause. The appeals of the rulings of these lawsuits would eventually make their way to the same Supreme Court that issued the Dred Scott decision, where it was expected that an ambiguous and divided decision would be made by the Supreme Court Justices.

It was also expected that such Due Process would be as expeditiously accomplished as possible within the judicial system, but such Due Process could take several months or years to come to a final judicial decision. Until such time as a final decision of the Supreme Court was delivered, Federal actions against the rebellious States and individual rebels would be of a limited and constrained nature.

Such is the absurd situation is that we are now experiencing, where District and Appellate Court Judges make rulings against President Trump and his Administration on matters of Presidential authorities.

04/11/25 How Soon They Forget

The Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists seem to have no difficulty in contradicting themselves. They can say one thing, and sometime later, they say the other thing. They also have the tendency to forget what they previously said or to claim ‘that’s different’ when confronted with these video clips while not explaining why it is different, as I have discussed in my Chirp on “04/02/25 That’s Different, Projection, and Both Sides Do It”. This trait has only been exacerbated by their Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). All it takes is for Trump to say something, and their TDS kicks in, and they say the opposite, even if it is different from what they previously said. It has become a cottage industry on blogs, social media sites, and political commentary websites to post the before and after video clips of them contradicting themselves. One of my (current) favorites is the comments about reciprocal tariffs, in which Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer made essentially the same point that Donald Trump makes, and which they now disagree with because of their TDS:

• Chuck Schumer calls for tariffs to target China in 2018
• Nancy Pelosi on US Trade deficit with China in 1996
• Trump Interview With Oprah - Talking Tariffs in 1988!

This is also easily seen in their previous support of Elon Musk and his Tesla electric cars. When he was a darling of the Progressives, they praised him and his cars, and when he supported Trump, he was condemned, and Tesla cars, their drivers, and dealerships were targets of domestic terrorism. The same can be said for Robert Kenndy, Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard. When they supported Democrats and Progressives, they were considered fine people, and when they started supporting Trump, they became persona non grata and pariahs in their ranks.

This forgetfulness is not because of any mental lapse, but it is a hypocritical attempt of political gamesmanship for them to manipulate public opinion to advance their political goals and policy agendas, as well as to obtain or retain political power. While they may practice this hypocrisy, it is important for the American people to be aware of this hypocrisy and not be swayed by it. It is also important for the American people not to vote for hypocrites and to turn them out of office. Otherwise, the bitter hyper-partisanship that reigns in today’s America will continue, and there will be no bipartisanship to achieve what is best for America and Americans.

04/10/25 The Party of the People

Myth and sophistry combine to form what most people believe to be the history of the Democrat Party. The truth of the history of the Democrat Party is much more disquieting than most people realize. Since the days of Aaron Burr, the third sitting vice president of the United States, who shot and delivered what proved to be a fatal wound in a duel with one of the Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton, the Democratic Party has been at odds with American Ideals and Ideas. With a history that includes murder, treason, slavery, segregation, sedition, bribery, and systemic vote theft, it can be argued that the Democrats are, at root, a party more interested in obtaining and retaining power than doing what is best for America. And their words and deeds in the 21st century are a continuation of their true disquieting history.

The “Party of the People” has always been the “Party for Themselves”, and anybody that opposes them has been harshly treated by them. They have a willingness to take on any political or social cause that advances their power, even when the causes have been antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas. They have always divided Americans into interest groups and cobbled together these interest groups for electoral purposes (i.e., now known as Identity Politics) and to pit one group of Americans against another group of Americans. They also have been known to switch allegiances if a group of Americans no longer serves their electoral purposes.

At the founding of America, when America was mostly agrarian, they pitted the agrarians against business and trade interests. In the antebellum period, they supported the slave interests, and during the Civil War, most of the Confederates and their sympathizers were Democrats. In the reconstruction and post-reconstruction eras, they were the party of bigotry, discrimination, and Jim Crow laws against black people. In the Industrial Revolution era, they opposed manufacturers and financial interests and supported socialistic objectives for American businesses, governance, and society. During the 1930s depression period, they implemented many policies and government actions that now many economists believe prolonged the depression and which only had the appearance of helping those Americans impacted by the depression. The Democrats were the primary supporters of World War I and World War II but as my Book It selections of “10/01/24 War and Presidential Leadership” illuminate, they engaged in political tactics during these wars that were deleterious to our American Ideals and Ideas. During the Cold War period, they often were sympathetic to Communists’ socialistic ideals and non-critical of Communists' aggressions, oppressions, and economics (indeed, they often made excuses for the Communist's actions). In the Civil Rights era, they initially opposed Civil Rights legislation and only began to support civil rights when they determined that they could use it for electoral advantage. In the latter part of the 20th century, they became the party of taxing and spending, as well as big government and excessive regulations that intruded into the everyday life of Americans. In the 21st century, they have been taken over by the leftist elements of their party. This has led them down the path of Political Correctness, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Doxing, Wokeness, and the Greater Good versus the Common Good, and lately, "Lawfare" and "The Weaponization of Government". This modern trend has exposed their anti-American sentiments, and anti-American ideals and ideas have become open and prominent among their Progressives supporters and amongst Democratic Party leaders. Throughout its history, the Democrat Party has been known for gerrymandering, vote fraud, voter intimidation, iron-fisted machine politics, and the (tacit) support of violence to achieve its political goals and policy agendas.

Throughout their history, the Democrats have paid lip service to fidelity to the Constitution, but their words and deeds demonstrate that they do not share the American Ideals and Ideas of our Founding Fathers. They have consistently tried to reinterpret the Constitution (i.e., A Living Constitution) to fit their own ideals and ideas, as I have discussed in my Article "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution". They also resort to calls for “Our Democracy” when we actually live under a “Democratic republic”, as I have Chirped on "09/28/24 The Assaults on the Constitution". Their anti-America sentiments and lack of fidelity to the Constitution is a violation of their Oath of Office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, which should disqualify them from holding any office of trust in America. Their words and deeds have also led most Americans to view the Democrat Party as a party of madness and domestic terrorism, as I have examined in my Chirp on “04/06/25 It’s Not the Message—It’s the Madness”.

This is not to say that they achieved no good for America and Americans. They were at the forefront of worker labor regulations, as well as workplace safety and health. They also supported Child Labor Laws and women’s Suffrage, along with other social changes for the betterment of American society. But all of their good has come at a cost—the rise of big government and the diminishment of the Liberties and Freedoms of Americans to their political goals and policy agendas.

Alas, the Democrat Party is not a party of the individual person but the party of mobs. Throughout history, mobs have been proven to be dangerous to an individuals’ "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights" as well as to an individuals’ "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

04/09/25 Progressives Pseudoeconomics

All economics is Pseudoeconomics, as no economic theory or economic model, and no economist or group of economists, can fully understand economics. The economy is so complex and interdependent on numerous factors, as well as The Law of Unintended Consequences and the Butterfly Effect, that any economic theory or model can be assumed to be wrong. When you add into the mix the inability to predict significant changes in science, technology, governments, etc., it is not possible for economics to be a science (as science is based on predictability) but only a pseudoscience. Thus, all economics is Pseudoconomics.

As I stated in my Chirp on “04/08/25 Pseudohistorical and Pseudoscientific Progressivism”, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists have a tendency to believe in Pseudohistorical and Pseudoscientific facts and truths. And they absolutely believe in their Pseudoconomic theories. Their Pseudoconomic theories are based on what they want something to be rather than what they are. Their biggest fault is not acknowledging human nature as it is but believing that human nature is malleable to their desires. As I have often said:

"To deny human nature or economics, or to not acknowledge human nature or economics, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."
  - Mark Dawson

The biggest differences between Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists and Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives is that Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives recognize the Pseudoconomic nature of economics and accommodate their economic beliefs to the realities of human nature, as well as the known and unknown factors that go into economic theories and models. The Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists beliefs are based on their feelings, as I have Chirped on “04/07/25 Progressives Feeling Good rather than Doing Good”, as well as ignoring or denying pertinent facts, as I have Chirped on “04/07/25 You Let Out a Bunch of Stuff”.

Consequently, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists base their political goals and policy agendas on Pseudoconomics, Pseudohistorical, and Pseudoscientific beliefs. This goes a long way in explaining how their leadership has led to the current problems in America. It is also a reason to believe that President Trump and the Republicans can correct this mess, as they have little or no Pseudoconomics, Pseudohistorical, or Pseudoscientific beliefs.

04/08/25 Pseudohistorical and Pseudoscientific Progressivism

One of the traits of many modern Progressives, and all Leftists, is their immaturity, irrationality, pseudohistorical, and pseudoscientific nature. Traits that have been adopted by modern Democrat leaders. Their immaturity is demonstrated by their unwillingness to listen to other viewpoints, their attempts to suppress the free speech rights of their opponents, and their willingness to resort to violence to achieve their objectives. And they always assume that they are correct and moral, while their adversaries are always wrong and mostly evil. This assumption does not allow them to consider the possibility that they may be wrong, and, therefore, they do not have to consider the consequences if they are wrong. Their irrationality is demonstrated by the form and structure of their arguments and their reliance on improper facts and improper statistics to bolster their arguments. Many of my Chirps (too numerous to mention in this Chirp) and many of my Articles in the Miscellaneous Items section of my website have pointed out their improper facts and improper statistics, as well as their improper Reasoning. Their Trump Derangement Syndrome (and now Elon Musk Derangement) is the most prominent sign of their immaturity and irrationality. Their inability to reformulate the Democrat Party after the devastating 2024 election results is another indicator of the depth of their immaturity and irrationality.

Much of their improper reasoning is a result of their pseudohistorical and pseudoscientific knowledge base, as well as a lack of comprehension of human nature and basic economics. Pseudohistorical is due to their lack of understanding of the proper historical facts and reasons for historical events, and pseudoscientific is due to their lack of understanding of science and how science functions. Human Nature and Basic Economics have been the topic of a number of my Chirps and Articles and will not be recapitulated in this Chirp.

Progressives’ interpretation of historical events is incomplete and clouded by their passions. Any historical facts that call into question their interpretation are rejected or ignored. The chain of historical events and, therefore, the reasons for the historical events are lacking in their historical interpretation. They also judge history by current moral standards, not taking into account the morals of the historical times (a viewpoint often referred to as Historical Presentism). In almost all circumstances, they do not consider the economics of the historical event or the lack of economic knowledge in the historical times or personages. These factors, along with a lack of comprehension of human nature shaped by sociological factors, lead them to pseudohistorical interpretations. The History section of my website examines the proper interpretation and historical reasons for some of the events in American history.

Progressives do not understand that settled or consensus in science does not mean that the science is resolved or correct, as I have examined in my article on Scientific Consensus and Settled Science. The history of settledness or consensus in science has often shown that the settled or consensus science has often been incorrect. In the history of science, Isaac Newton’s Theory of Gravity was believed to have been settled for over two hundred years. One man, Albert Einstein, proved the settledness to be incorrect, and his better theory of gravity emerged as the consensus. This has happened many times in the history of science, as an old theory was proven to be incorrect and displaced by a newer theory, and many times, the newer theory is displaced by an even newer theory. They also do not understand that Computer Modeling and Statistical Analysis is not actual Science but only a tool of science, as I have written in my article Beware of Computer Modeling and Statistical Processing. Therefore, all science has the inherent possibility of being incorrect as new scientific experiments and observations, better computer models and statistical analysis, along with new thinking, may lead to better and more correct science. More information on proper science and scientific issues may be obtained in the Science section of my website.

Consequently, the Progressive's interpretation of historical events is indicative of their pseudohistorical nature, while the Progressive's refusal to even consider the possibility that scientific settledness or consensuses, as well as Computer Modeling and Statistical Analysis, may be incorrect or wrong, is indicative of their pseudoscientific nature. A belief in Pseudohistorical and/or Pseudoscientific will lead you to the wrong conclusions about history and science. It will also lead you to make improper choices in the present. Improper choices that will probably have deleterious consequences and will have unintended consequences.

04/07/25 Progressives Feeling Good rather than Doing Good

In my Pearls of Wisdom webpage, I remark that you should always Do Good Before You Feel Good. In today’s society, this pearl is either forgotten or not known, especially by Progressives/Leftists. Their approach is emotional rather than intellectual, as they believe that their feelings are always good and that their intentions are what is best for America and Americans. Most Progressives have good intentions when they think about how to help their fellow Americans. Most Progressives often judge their results based on how they feel good about what they're doing, and they rarely look at the results of what they are doing.

However, good intentions are not enough, as good intentions do not automatically translate into good deeds. Most Progressives only judge their results based on the groups or person(s) that they are trying to help and very rarely determine the impact on those groups or person(s) not helped by their deeds. However, good deeds require that you carefully consider the consequences to all and to society and be aware of unintended consequences of your deeds. Any deed that is deleterious to the Liberties and Freedoms of an individual often results in a loss of Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

A fine example of this is aid to dependent children of unwed mothers. Nobody doesn’t want to help dependent children that are in financial distress, especially dependent children of unwed mothers who do not have a father to help them out. However, the Progressive of that day (i.e., Liberals) passed various Federal programs to provide assistance to dependent children in financial distress, in which the more dependent children that an unwed mother had, the more aid she received. This set up a cycle of more unwed motherhood with more children, as well as more deadbeat fathers, as the government dispersed more and more aid. This has turned into a vicious cycle that has resulted in more unwed motherhood and deadbeat fathers in America.

The same unintended consequences could be said for food stamps. There are few restrictions on what food can be purchased with food stamps, and junk food and sodas are often purchased with food stamps. This junk food and soda have negative repercussions on children’s health, and thus, today, we have an epidemic of obese and unhealthy children (as well as the adults they have become). This problem puts a strain on our healthcare industry and drives up the cost of obtaining medical services, which often requires increased government aid for medical services.

Too often, Progressives appeal to Americans' charitable nature and feelings of wanting to do good for their fellow citizens. They often do this without considering the full impacts of what they propose. All too often, this is an emotional appeal without intellectual consideration of the impact of what they propose. Impacts that have negative repercussions on both the intended recipients as well as on all of America and Americans. As for the Democrat Party Leaders' support for these policies, it is but another ploy of Identity Politics and the expansion of government to obtain and retain political power to advance their political goals and policy agendas.

What Americans need to keep in mind is it is important to analyze the full impacts of any legislation before passing such legislation and to ensure that it does no harm and is for the good of all Americans. Consequently, as I have often said:

"It is much more important to do good than to feel good."
  - Mark Dawson

04/07/25 You Let Out a Bunch of Stuff

In the hilarious 1986 movie, “Back to School”, Rodney Dangerfield plays a fun-loving and obnoxious rich businessman who decides to help his discouraged son get through college by entering the school as a student himself. In one scene (which can be seen by clicking the image below), he confronts a business professor about the realities of modern business versus the hypotheticals of the professor:

“First of all, you've got to grease the local politicians for the sudden zoning problems that always come up. Then there's kickbacks to the carpenters. If you plan on using cement, the Teamsters will want a chat, and that will cost you. And don't forget something for the building inspectors. Then there's the long-term costs, such as waste disposal. Are you familiar with who runs that business? It's not the boy scouts.”

So it is with many academics, scholars, and experts, along with Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, when they discuss their expertise or policy goals. And most of what they leave out is anything that countervails what they believe. As I have Chirped on “04/06/25 Progressives Feeling Good rather than Doing Good”, this is done so that they can feel good about what they are saying or doing, rather than saying or doing good. Therefore, whenever you see, hear, or read from academics, scholars, experts, Progressives, or Democrat Party leaders, you should always think about the realities and the stuff that they are leaving out. If you don’t do so, then you will be living in Fantasyland rather than in the real world.

P.S.—This is one of the reasons that many college graduates believe in political and economic fantasies, as their professors leave out a bunch of stuff.

04/06/25 It’s Not the Message—It’s the Madness

At the end of the movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai”, the mostly fictional story of the attempt by British Commandos to destroy a train bridge being built by British Prisoners of War during World War II, the British doctor who treated the POWs sits on a hillside to view the first train to cross the bridge. Instead, he witnesses the commandos stage their attack and the deaths of all but one commando and the deaths of the British and Japanese Colonels who built the bridge.

The Justice Department defines domestic terrorism as “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.”

Alas, we have seen much domestic terrorism in the last decade. One side, the Progressives/Leftists side, has decided that their causes are so righteous and moral that they are free to engage in any rhetoric and/or activity in support of their cause. While they are free to engage in almost any rhetoric that they choose (except for threats of physical intimidation or violence), they are not free to engage in physical intimidation or violence. Therefore, by definition, those who engage in physical intimidation or violence for a cause are domestic terrorists.

In their domestic terrorism, they have often received verbal support (or silence) from Democrat Party Leaders and the Mainstream Media, who have labeled this domestic terrorism as “mostly peaceful” or an expression of the passion of the protestors. Excuses abound for their conduct, but terrorism is terrorism, no matter the cause of the terrorists.

These domestic terrorists believe that they have the freedom to engage in activities that support their cause, as their cause is so important that any action is justifiable. This is an attitude of the ends justifying the means. Such an attitude is disruptive and dangerous to America and Americans, as I have Chirped on “ 03/29/25 Endangering America and Americans”. But there is also an underlying attitude of these domestic terrorists, as expressed by Jonathan Turley in his column “Rep. Goldman: The FBI Investigation of Tesla Attacks is ‘Political Weaponization’”:

“What few today want to admit is that they like it. They like the freedom that it affords, the ability to hate and harass without a sense of responsibility. It is evident all around us as people engage in language and conduct that they repudiate in others. We have become a nation of rage addicts; flailing against anyone or anything that stands in opposition to our own truths.”
- Jonathan Turley

Such domestic terrorism should never be condoned and should always be condemned. It should also be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. To not prosecute domestic terrorists is to endanger our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. Any politician who condones or excuses, and does not condemn, such domestic terrorism is unfit for leadership of a people dedicated to Liberties and Freedoms, and they should be turned out of power by the American people.

04/06/25 The Three D's and Now Potentially Deadly Actions

In my Article "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate", I lament how the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have degenerated into base political rhetoric in the last decade. With the current election of President Trump and the activities of DOGE and Elon Musk, they have gone from rhetoric to violent actions, as I have Chirped on “03/31/25 Domestic Terrorism – Part I” and “04/01/25 Domestic Terrorism – Part II”.

While protestors have the right to peaceably assemble and voice their opposition to Trump and Musk, they have forgotten the meaning of peaceably, and some have resorted to the damage or destruction of others' property in their protests. Such violent actions have a distinct possibility of physical harm and potentially death to the targets of the violent actions. They may also lead to the harm or death of the perpetrators, as potential targets may arm themselves to protect their property and persons. Despite this possibility, Democrat Party Leaders and the Mainstream Media have still not condemned and called out for an end to these violent actions, and in their silence, they are giving tacit approval for these violent actions. Thus, in their silence, they are condoning these violent actions.

While such violent actions may reveal the depth of the passions of the protesters, it is more revealing of the breadth of their immaturity. Deep passion combined with self-control often leads a person to constructive actions for the betterment of themselves and society, while deep passion without self-control is often destructive to themselves and society. And deep passion without intellectual reasoning will always lead you down the wrong path. It should also be remembered that it is easy to destroy something and much more difficult to build something. Consequently, the destructive tendencies of the violent protestors leave a path of destruction without rebuilding something better in its place.

Such violent actions should never be condoned and should always be condemned. It should also be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Not prosecuting these violent actions would endanger our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. Any politician who condones or excuses, and does not condemn, such violent actions are unfit for leadership of a people dedicated to Liberties and Freedoms, and they should be turned out of power by the American people.

04/05/25 He is the President of the United States, Not of Wall Street

With the recent significant Wall Street downturn in response to the Trump reciprocal tariffs, investors have been wailing and crying about their losses. These same investors did not wail and cry when manufacturers offshored their plants to foreign nations and the workers and suppliers of these manufacturers were laid off or went out of business. The resulting economic harm from this offshoring was dispersed to the many workers, businesses, and communities, while the less numerous investors gained from the increased profitability of the companies that offshored. There were also no wails and cries about the dependence on critical materials and goods from foreign countries or supply chain resilience that impacted America and Americans' well-being. Thus, these wails and cries of investors are of a narcissistic nature that ignores the past harms that were inflicted on America and Americans.

In President Trump’s attempts to revive these manufacturers through reciprocal tariffs, he is acting in the best interest of America and all Americans, and not for the fewer investors who may be temporarily harmed by these reciprocal tariffs. It should also be remembered that Wall Street will recover, as it has always recovered, and the only concern is how long it will take for Wall Street to recover. If the reciprocal tariffs are successful in reviving American manufacturers, then the Wall Street recovery will occur, along with the recovery of workers, businesses, and communities.

The American people have always shown resilience in enduring some short-term pain to achieve long-term gains. This resilience is what is needed in America today to rebuild America for the benefit of all Americans. Therefore, the American people need to ignore the wails and cries of investors to achieve a better future for all Americans.

Consequently, President Trump is acting as the President of the United States and not of Wall Street. His actions are what he believes are in the best interests of America and all Americans, and they are what the American people elected him to accomplish.

04/05/25 Liberation Day

Josh Hammer has written in his column, “The Dismal Science and the Trumpian Tariff Hullabaloo”, that:

“Whenever the subject of trade comes up, many right-leaning free traders and left-leaning neoliberals alike trot out the same talking point: "The economists all agree tariffs are terrible!" And perhaps they do -- or at least most of them do. Barriers to free and unfettered trade may well appear "inefficient" as a matter of an economic model's "deadweight loss" -- and they may well conflict with David Ricardo's much-heralded 19th-century trade theory of "comparative advantage." It may well be the case that "consumer surplus" is indeed harmed by restrictions on the free flow of goods.”

He has also stated, “But this is classroom theory. And the "dismal science" that is the economics profession is not always known for its close relationship to, well, real life.” He also points out that there are more concerns in trade other than economics, “. . . it can be easy to lose sight of other concerns of economic statecraft. But there are other concerns: namely, production and supply chain resilience.” I would also point out the concern of productively employing Americans in jobs in which they can achieve the American dream of having the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life.

Fears of a trade war because of Liberation Day are not unjustified, but they are also not realistic. They are not realistic because, in the past, politicians and Presidents used trade for political purposes rather than economic purposes, and they were not businesspeople who understood real-life negotiations. The difference is that President Trump is a very successful businessperson who understands real-life negotiations on economic matters, and he will be constantly aware of the possibility of a trade war and not push other countries into a trade war. President Trump also has four years of experience from his previous term of office in dealing with the intricacies and realities of international relationships. President Trump is also aware of the other concerns, and he will put America first in these trade negotiations to achieve peace, security, and prosperity for America and Americans.

As U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson declared: “President Trump is sending a clear message with Liberation Day: America will not be exploited by unfair trade practices anymore. These tariffs restore fair and reciprocal trade and level the playing field for American workers and innovators. The President understands that FREE trade ONLY works when it’s FAIR!” It is this understanding that will rebalance our trade with the rest of the world and help revive our economy.

Mr. Hammer concludes his column by stating:

“Americans don't elect economists as our leaders to monolithically pursue the most "efficient" policies possible. And thank goodness for that. Instead, we elect leaders who will exercise prudence, discernment and sound judgment to pursue the common good. Tariffs absolutely do have a role to play. But while a thunderous jackhammer of a policy disruption may be appealing, sometimes a mere scalpel will suffice.”

I would point out that while a scalpel may be desirable, it is often time-consuming and often ineffective in achieving major shifts in policies. Thus, President Trump has taken a public thunderous jackhammer approach to achieve his goals and, hopefully, a more private scalpel approach in his negotiations to achieve his goals. I would not bet against Donald Trump, as he has an outstanding record in achieving his goals (although it is sometimes difficult to figure out exactly what are his goals, as is typical for politicians and wily businesspersons).

04/04/25 Law Enforcement and Judicial Virtue

In my collected Chirps on "Virtue in America", I discuss the importance of virtue in governmental affairs. Sadly, such virtue seems to be lacking in the most important area of government, the judicial process. From law enforcement to judges, we have seen an appalling lack of virtue over the last few decades. From the "The Weaponization of Government" to "Judicial Restraint", virtue has not played any part in their words and deeds.

Their motivations seem to be for the advancement of their political goals and policy agendas rather than to ensure "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". All of this has occurred with the encouragement, support, and guidance of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists. Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that they are acting virtuously and that whatever means they employ to obtain their virtuous goals is acceptable. But the ends never justify the means, as such a belief always leads to despotism then tyranny.

The efforts of Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to root out this lack of virtue in the ranks of their personnel are commendable and should be supported by the American people. Other Secretaries and Directors within the Federal government also need to take action against their personnel who have been involved in these unvirtuous actions. Such actions are not retaliation nor revenge, but retribution against those government officials in the Biden Administration who willfully violated the Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights of any American. The excuse of these personnel that they were just following orders is unacceptable, as just following orders has led to some of the most horrendous violations of human rights in history, as I have examined in my Chirp on "02/19/25 Just Following Orders". Additionally, any Executive Officer or Advisor who has engaged in these unvirtuous actions need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for violating the rights of Americans under “18 U.S. Code § 242 - Deprivation of rights under color of law”.

We also need Congressional action to root out or restrain unvirtuous actions by judges, as they have the Constitutional authority to do so under Article III of the Constitution. The American people should support Congress in these efforts, for judges, who are supposed to be the last bulwark against the infringement of Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights by the government, do more and more lasting damage to the Liberties and Freedoms of Americans and to America than any other branch of government when they act unvirtuously.

Such Executive Branch and Congressional actions against the unvirtuous are to be expected to be opposed by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as most of these unvirtuous actions were undertaken by Democrats in their attempts to obtain and retain power, and judicial overreach appears to be the only tactic they have to oppose President Trump. Alas, such a tactic is not only injurious to Americans but to the Constitution, as it upsets the Executive powers of the President and the Balance of Powers between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of government. However, such Executive Branch and Congressional actions are what is best for America and Americans.

04/03/25 Reigning In the Judges

In my collected Chirps on Judicial Restraint, I lament how District and Appellate Court Judges have stepped outside the boundaries of their duties and responsibilities by encroaching upon the prerogatives of the Presidency. This is a violation of the Separation of Powers doctrine of the Constitution and needs to end. In these Chirps, I have suggested that the Supreme Court consider limiting the jurisdiction of judges or the President issuing an Executive Order declaring that such judicial rulings are unconstitutional and thus null and void. I also suggested that Congress take action to limit these judges from overstepping their boundaries.

Columnist Rachel Alexander has written an excellent article, “What Can be Done About the Corrupt Progressive Judges Destroying the Rule of Law?” in which she discusses the efforts within Congress to reign in these judges. As she states in this article:

“For the first time in many years, a real movement is emerging among Republican leaders to do something about the corrupt progressive judges trampling on the Constitution and the rule of law, ignoring existing laws and precedents. It’s all finally coming to a head with a handful of far left rogue judges issuing injunctions preventing President Donald Trump from doing his job, usurping the powers of the executive branch.”

And:

“The problem has become so bad that The Babylon Bee satire site published an article titled ‘Trump Leaves Presidency To Become Even More Powerful District Court Judge.’”

Let us hope that Congress passes legislation that reigns in these judges, but I expect that Democrat Party Leaders will do all they can to stall, neuter, or block such legislation, as Judicial Overreach seems to be their main tactic to oppose the Trump Administration.

04/02/25 That’s Different, Projection, and Both Sides Do It

The pot calling the kettle black is an excellent rephrasing of the Bible verses Matthew 7:3-5:

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye', when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."
 - New International Version

Such it is of the numerous accusations of the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists against the Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives. Their pot is so much blacker than the Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives' kettle, and hence, their accusations are hypocritical and pathetic. The Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists manufacture scandals out of the most meager Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives incidents while they ignore their own ample transgressions. Their caterwauling about these Republican Party Leaders and Conservative incidents is diametric to the crickets of their own transgressions.

They often claim ‘That’s Different’ about their own transgressions. In the details of the conduct being discussed, this is always true, but in the generalities of the conduct being discussed, it is often the same. There are also the impacts of the conduct, and often, the impacts of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are more severe than the impacts of the Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives conduct. Consequently, the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists have a plank in their eye, while the Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives have a speck in their eye.

The Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists also have the troublesome problem of Projection. Projection is a defense mechanism by which an individual unconsciously attributes their behaviors, emotions, impulses, undesirable characteristics, and thoughts to others. It is a way of taking our internal dialogue and turning it into an external exchange as if our own beliefs or behaviors belong to someone else. In the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists case, they project and amplify their own base motives for their actions upon the Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives. Their pugnacious and inappropriate projections about Republican Party Leaders' and Conservatives' motives betray the deprivation and depth of their own base motives.

Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists also like to claim that ‘Both Sides Do It’, but that is a fallacious statement. Of course, both sides do it; in the human experience, both sides do everything. That is the nature of humankind. Whenever there is an issue confronting our society, the extremes of both sides of the issue will often use the same methodologies and techniques to attack the other side. So therefore, the statement that both sides do it is irrelevant. The question is whether the mainstream and/or leadership of each side of the issue both do it and how much attention they pay to the extremes. In my experience, this is most obvious when dealing with Conservatism versus Progressivism/Leftism, Republican versus Democrat, left versus right, etc. What we should be asking is, “Are the mainstream and/or the leadership of each side doing it?”. When you see one side or the other paying more heed or engaging in extreme deeds or words, you need to weigh the balance. In weighing this balance, you need to determine not only the number of words and misdeeds but also the tone of the deeds or words. If the balance is heavily tilted to one side, then the phrase “Both Sides Do It” is not an equalizer but an excuse to continue the extreme deeds or words by the one side engaged in these words or deeds. And the extreme deeds or words come mostly from the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists.

Thus, whenever Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists yap or howl about Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives, you can be sure that the intensity of their remarks is a reflection of their own transgressions. You can also be pretty sure that there is but little basis for their accusations and that most of it is for political posturing for political advantage rather than for the good of America.

04/01/25 Domestic Terrorism – Part II

Nazis and Fascists labeling of the opponents of Progressives/Leftists policies and political goals has become commonplace in today’s America. Whenever they so label anyone or any group, they are also demonstrating their ignorance of Nazism and Fascism.

German Nazis and Italian Fascists believed in and practiced the rhetorical tactics of "Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage (The Three D's)" against their adversaries, along with the discrimination against groups and individuals in government policies and law and excluding them from the activities of society. They also engaged in the disruption of the free speech of others in all forums, the suppression of any speech that criticized them, and domestic terrorism to obtain their goals. These Nazis were known as the Sturmabteilung (colloquially called Brownshirts ). In this, the Nazis and Fascists targeted the Jews, Gypsies, Mentally and Physically Disabled, Russians, Poles, and other Slavic people, etc... They also believed that the government should control the economy of their nations. Their domestic terrorism was for the purpose of overthrowing the government to obtain and retain political power over the German and Italian people, with the ultimate goal of their dominion over Europe. In all this, they believed that their goals were for the betterment of Germany/Italy and the German/Italian people and that their ends justified their means.

Alas, these tactics are now being utilized by Progressives/Leftists to obtain their political goals and policy agendas in America, the only difference being in who the Progressives/Leftists target and that they don’t have uniforms as the Brownshirts had. The Progressives/Leftists audacity and hypocrisy in engaging in these Nazis and Fascists tactics is astounding. They have no shame, as they, too, believe that their goals are for the betterment of America and Americans and that their ends justified their means.

This Progressives/Leftists rhetoric needs to be exposed and condemned for what it is—Nazi and Fascist tactics on their part. Their domestic terrorism endangers our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All, and they should be shunned by all Liberty and Freedom loving Americans. Any politician who condones or excuses, and does not condemn, such domestic terrorism is unfit for leadership of a people dedicated to Liberties and Freedoms, and they should be turned out of power by the American people.

03/31/25 Domestic Terrorism – Part I

The Justice Department defines domestic terrorism as “Violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.”

Alas, we have seen much domestic terrorism in the last decade. One side, the Progressives/Leftists side, has decided that their causes are so righteous and moral that they are free to engage in any rhetoric and/or activity in support of their cause. While they are free to engage in almost any rhetoric that they choose (except for threats of physical intimidation or violence), they are not free to engage in physical intimidation or violence. Therefore, by definition, those who engage in physical intimidation or violence for a cause are domestic terrorists.

In their domestic terrorism, they have often received verbal support (or silence) from Democrat Party Leaders and the Mainstream Media, who have labeled this domestic terrorism as “mostly peaceful” or an expression of the passion of the protestors. Excuses abound for their conduct, but terrorism is terrorism, no matter the cause of the terrorists.

These domestic terrorists believe that they have the freedom to engage in activities that support their cause, as their cause is so important that any action is justifiable. This is an attitude of the ends justifying the means. Such an attitude is disruptive and dangerous to America and Americans, as I have Chirped on “ 03/29/25 Endangering America and Americans”. But there is also an underlying attitude of these domestic terrorists, as expressed by Jonathan Turley in his column “Rep. Goldman: The FBI Investigation of Tesla Attacks is ‘Political Weaponization’”:

“What few today want to admit is that they like it. They like the freedom that it affords, the ability to hate and harass without a sense of responsibility. It is evident all around us as people engage in language and conduct that they repudiate in others. We have become a nation of rage addicts; flailing against anyone or anything that stands in opposition to our own truths.”
- Jonathan Turley

Such domestic terrorism should never be condoned and should always be condemned. It should also be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. To not prosecute domestic terrorists is to endanger our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. Any politician who condones or excuses, and does not condemn, such domestic terrorism is unfit for leadership of a people dedicated to Liberties and Freedoms, and they should be turned out of power by the American people.

03/30/25 Messaging In Movies

In my article, “Now That's Entertainment”, I explain that I prefer movies that have a very human element in them. Movies that deal with human passions or human conflicts. As such, the scripts for the movies I prefer are essential, for without a good script, it cannot be a good movie. In addition, the directing, acting, and cinematography must be in support of the script, and the music must enhance the emotions of the script. When all this comes together, you usually have a great movie that is also great entertainment. There are also certain movies that I must watch and rewatch every time I run across them while I am channel surfing. Movies in which the directing, acting, and storyline are so compelling that I cannot stop watching them if I begin to watch them.

Many of the movies I prefer also have a message, but a message that is not preached but elucidative by all the elements of the movie. Unfortunately, most modern message movies do not elucidate their message but preach to the audience. This was not always the case, as some great movies of the past have had great messages without preaching the message. Alas, most of the artistic people involved in these modern message movies also go out of their way to preach the message in their activities outside of the moviemaking process. Much of this preaching is about Progressive viewpoints on politics and social justice. If it is a great movie, no preaching is necessary, as the message will be received by the audience through the film.

My top 50 favorite message movies without preaching, along with my must-watch movies are:

A Man for all Seasons (1966) Becket (1964) Braveheart (1995) Casablanca (1942) Charade (1963) Cheyenne Autumn (1964) Citizen Kane (1941) Citizen X (1995) Dr. Strangelove (1964) Hombre (1967) In the Heat of Night (1967) Inherit the Wind (1960) Lord of War (2005) October Sky (1999) On the Waterfront (1954) Mister Roberts (1955) Nobody's Fool (1994) Paths of Glory (1957) Patton (1970) Remember the Titans (2000) Rob Roy (1995) Schindler's List (1993) Serenity (2005) Shane (1953) She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Singing in the Rain (1952) Sleuth (1972) Stalag 17 (1953) The African Queen (1951) The Americanization of Emily (1964) The Caine Mutiny (1954) The Counterfeit Traitor (1962) The Elephant Man (1980) The Flight of the Phoenix (1965) The Haunting (1963) The Last of the Mohicans (1992) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) The Man Who Would Be King (1975) The Music Man (1962) The Name of the Rose (1986) The Producers (1967) The Quiet Man (1952) The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965) The Third Man (1949) The Train (1964) Touch of Evil (1958) Twelve O'Clock High (1949) Will Penny (1967) Witness (1985) Zulu (1964)

I have deliberately omitted the three great David Lean films, Doctor Zhivago (1965), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), as well as the movies Judgement at Nuremberg (1961), The Lion In Winter (1968), and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) as, in my opinion, they are in a class by themselves.

Every one of these movies is very entertaining and afterward gives you food for thought. Nowadays, the entertainment value of a movie is secondary to the sermonizing. Consequently, movies have become political or social propaganda with minimal entertainment enjoyment. This is reflected in the movie awards show, where the nominations and awards are heavily tilted toward the progressive message rather than the entertainment. In addition, the winner’s acceptance speeches are often about the message rather than the thankfulness, and these award shows ratings are tanking as a result.

Alas, much of this attitude comes from a sense of moral superiority and intellectual hubris of those involved in moviemaking. A superiority and hubris that is undeserving. This attitude is not only of movie makers but also of most of the entertainment industry. It should be remembered that great artists are not great thinkers outside of their art, which is often true for any great person outside of their field of greatness.

03/29/25 Endangering America and Americans

As Victor Davis Hanson has written in his article, “From Profanity-Chic to Terrorist-Smut”, Democrat Party leaders are now making veiled threats against Republicans. Most telling is Democrat Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, who once issued threats to Supreme Court justices Neal Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh by name, now boasts, "We have people going to the Republican districts and going after these Republicans who are voting for this and forcing them to either change their vote or face the consequences." In this statement, Schumer talks of forcing them rather than convincing them. Facing the consequences appears to involve violence, given what we have seen against Tesla owners and dealerships, along with other tactics of intimidation and violence directed at Trump supporters, as Victor Davis Hanson points out in his article.

This betrays an attitude that the ends justify the means, and as they believe that they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and that their goals are for the good. This is, unfortunately, the attitude and tactics of despots, dictators, and tyrants, most notedly the Nazi, Fascist, and Communist leadership of the 20th and 21st centuries.

This is a very sad state of affairs where the Democrat Party is so void of ideas, so incapable of garnering voter support, and so incompetent to legitimately oppose Trump that they need to resort to intimidation and violence to achieve their political goals and policy agendas. These tactics are also dangerous to America and Americans, as they involve disrupting A Civil Society, as well as endangering our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

The Democrats are, therefore, unfit for leadership of a people dedicated to Liberties and Freedoms, and they should be turned out of power by the American people.

03/28/25 Making Mistakes

People make mistakes. Sometimes, they are innocent mistakes, and sometimes, they are stupid mistakes. Other times, people claim to have made a mistake when it was a deliberately malicious lie with the intent of harming someone. And remember that a cover-up of a malicious lie is often worse than the original lie. What is important to remember when you encounter a mistake is Hanlon's Philosophical razor: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." And you should also remember that there are three types of lies, ‘Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics’ and ‘Just because you believe something to be true does not make it true’’ as I have written in my article “Lies and Beliefs” What is most important is the harm of the mistake or the lie. Sometimes, the harm is only to themselves; sometimes, the harm is to others, and many times, they harm themselves and others.

This brings us to the current kerfuffle over the disclosure of a private and confidential chat between top government officials, who used the Signal chat phone app to discuss air strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen as the Trump administration stepped up attacks on the rebels. This Signal chat was somehow shared in real-time with the Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. Jeffrey Goldberg claimed that they disclosed “War Plans” and “Classified Information” on this chat, and the Trump administration claimed that there were no actual war plans or classified information disclosed in the chat. What we do know is that real-time operational information was disclosed in this Signal chat, but the questions of whether this shared information was a war plan or if classified information was disclosed and the impacts of this disclosure remain. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has claimed that this Signal chat did not include names, targets, locations, units, routes, sources, methods or other classified information. This would mean that no criminal activity occurred.

Having dealt with highly classified information in my professional career, I can state that I did not detect any classified information in this Signal chat, and I doubt that any war plan information was disclosed in this Signal chat. The information that was disclosed was confidential and should not have been shared with anyone but the intended recipients. We also know that this operation against the Yemen Houthis was very successful, without loss of life or armaments to our forces, and it seems to have been a major blow to the Houthi’s ambitions.

What we also know is that it was a stupid mistake to include Jeffrey Goldberg in this chat. A stupid mistake that needs to be rectified so that it will not happen again, as well as some disciplinary action against the person or persons that allowed this mistake to occur. Such disciplinary action should be based on the incompetence or intentions of the person(s) who made the mistake, and such disciplinary action should be handled internally unless it was intentional, in which case legal action may be appropriate. In no case should a scapegoat be targeted, and no sacrificial lamb be slaughtered for this mistake. It should only be discovered who was responsible and to take appropriate disciplinary action against them.

The opposition to President Trump has tried to make this mistake a National Security breach, which it is not. They are searching for a scandal without much basis to score political points and tarnish the reputation of those high administration officials involved in this Signal Chat. Yet this same opposition had very little or nothing to say about the colossal mistakes of the Afghanistan withdrawal that cost many American and Afghan lives, left behind billions of dollars in military equipment, and tarnished the reputation of America. Indeed, some of the same people who were criticizing the Snapchat mistake defended President Biden and his Administration officials who were responsible for the Afghanistan withdrawal disaster, and nobody was held accountable for this disaster.

Thus, the American people should conclude that the Trump Administration has made a stupid mistake but that the impacts of this mistake are minimal. Therefore, they should ignore the rhetoric of the scandal-mongers and congratulate the success of the Houthi operation while the Trump Administration corrects this stupid mistake.

03/27/25 Team America or Team Left

Current polling shows that Americans support the various big-ticket issues facing America by an 70/30 margin, with 70% favoring the center-right side of the political spectrum on these issues. The question I have for the 30% is, are you for Americans, or are you for Leftists? The rhetoric and the protests (sometimes violent) of the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders demonstrate they are for the leftists and, therefore, in opposition to most Americans. The Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party leader's attempts to stymie the changes that Americans desire through judicial and legislative chicanery are contrary to the will of the people as expressed through democratic elections. It is appalling that the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders will not work with the opposition to achieve fair and just changes but only work to stymie the changes.

For the last several decades, the Democrat Party has been living under the myth that they are the party of and for the common person, while they have become the party of Leftists composed of the wealthy, big businesspersons and union leadership, academicians and scholars in Colleges, Universities and Research Institutions, out-of-touch celebrities, government bureaucrats, and those dependent on government largess. The working class and taxpayers have become less numerous and thus less important in the Democrat Party.

The Democrat Party has been protected in this myth by the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech", "Modern Big Business", "Modern Education", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate". In reality, we have seen them become the party of  Political Correctness, Identity Politics, Cancel Culture, Wokeness., and Virtue Signaling. Often this virtue signaling is without any actual virtue, as I have written in my article “Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue Within Government and Society”, and this virtue is to be imposed upon Americans through “Tyranny Disguised as Virtue and Compassion”.

The Democrat Party Leaders have shown that they are only interested in satiating the Progressives/Leftists base of their party so much that they have become a party of opposition to the American people’s desire to reform the government. Alas, they have become the party of Team Left rather than the party of Team America. A Team Left party that is dooming themselves to lose elections and to become a minority party for the foreseeable future.

Donald Trump has exploded this myth and revealed to the American public what they truly are: a party dedicated to the obtainment and retainment of political power, the expansion of government, and to impose their vision—a Leftist vision of and on America. Rather than doing what is best for the common person, they will always do what is best for the Democrat Party. This is why the Democrat Party hates Trump so much, for he is revealing what they truly are and that he is also an existential threat to their power. This existential threat is the reason why they have resorted to verbal abuse, fear-mongering, and violent intimidation against Trump and his supporters.

All elected and appointed officials of our federal government take an oath of office before undertaking their constitutional duties:

“Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you are about to enter: So help you God?”

Today, the major foreign enemies are China and Islamic terrorism, while the major domestic enemies are Team Left. A Team Left that will ignore or distort the Constitution while engaging in words and deeds that are antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas and pose a threat to our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

Addendum - Jeff Davidson, a  premier thought leader on work-life balance, integration, and harmony, has written an article, “Our Well-Entrenched Internal Enemies”, that explores how Team Left is an internal enemy.

03/26/25 The Agony of Indecisiveness

Kurt Schlichter has written an interesting article, “The Agony of John Roberts”, in which he examines the dilemma that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts finds himself in with regard to the current judicial overreach of District and Appellate Court judges. He begins this article by stating:

Pity poor John Roberts. No, he’s not corrupt or compromised. He is simply a man who has found himself at a pivotal time and place in a position of great responsibility for which he is utterly unsuited. He’s not a dumb man. He is, in fact, a very smart man – Hugh Hewitt knew him personally in the Reagan administration and testifies to that. I have no doubt it’s true. I know many smart people who have similar flaws. As objectively intelligent as John Roberts is, he is unwise, and he is endangering the institution he wants to preserve because he does not understand human nature or the times he finds himself in.”

As I have written in my recent Chirps on “03/21/25 Men (and Women) in Black Robes”, “03/21/25 Reign in the Rouge Judges”, “03/08/25 A Stunning Supreme Court Ruling”, “02/26/25 Federal Judicial Powers”, “02/14/25 An Unconstitutional Supreme Court”, and “02/12/25 Current Resistance and Obstructionism”, our current judiciary has devolved into partisan Lawfare initiated by Progressives/Leftists, who want to achieve their political goals and policy agendas through Judicial activism, as they have not been able to achieve their goals and agendas through the ballot box. Most egregious is their propensity to file unserious lawsuits with hopes of finding favorable judges that will issue Injunctions or Temporary Restraining Orders against President Trump’s lawful actions. This is being done in the hopes of impeding the agenda for which he was elected, and it is the judges who do so that are responsible for this indecisiveness of Chief Justice Roberts.

Mr. Schlichter concludes his article by stating:

“A decision point is coming. Decisive action by the Chief Justice could save the judicial branch by restoring the judicial modesty that preserves the respect of the other branches. If only we could be confident that John Roberts was wise enough to do it.”

Such indecisiveness must come to an end, and Chief Justice Roberts must be forced to take decisive action against overreaching judges. The best way to force this decisiveness may be for President Trump to take decisive actions, as I suggested in my Chirp on “03/nn/25 Executive Order Restraining Judicial Powers”. For when decisiveness confronts indecisiveness, indecisiveness often crumbles into nothingness. We need a decisive judiciary to preserve our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", but we also need a strong Presidency to protect our society from all enemies, both foreign and domestic, and to effectively and efficiently manage the duties and responsibilities of the Presidency. Let us hope that wisdom prevails on all sides, but such wisdom seems to be lacking in our current hyper-partisanship politics and society.

03/25/25 Executive Order Restraining Judicial Powers

This is the Executive Order and speech to the American people that I would like for President Trump to sign and give:

I, President Donald J. Trump, the 47th President of the United States, have taken an oath of office: —"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Executive Officers and members of Congress, as well as Justices and Judges, take similar oaths to support the Constitution.

Our Constitution was structured to have three co-equal branches of government— Legislative, Executive, and Judicial, with neither branch superior to the other branches, and that each branch is responsible for preserving, protecting, and defending the Constitution of the United States. This was done to provide checks and balances within government so as to protect the Liberties and Freedoms of Americans from the passions for power of those who serve under the Constitution.

Through several Supreme Court decisions (starting from Marbury v. Madison in 1803), the Supreme Court have asserted that they have the power to strike down laws and statutes that violate the Constitution of the United States. They have also asserted that they can restrict Executive and Legislative powers and actions that they determine to be unconstitutional. Such assertions are an inferred interpretation of the Constitution, as there is no direct power in the Constitution that allocates this power to the Judicial Branch. Thus, they have accrued unto themselves a power not directly delegated to them in the Constitution. Such an accrued power is dangerous to the Balance of Powers in the Constitution if not applied cautiously and prudently.

The first sentence of Article II. Section 1. of the Constitution states that; “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.” Since I was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, the American people have seen hundreds of lawsuits against my Administration. The resultant judicial orders from these lawsuits are, in my opinion, an encroachment upon the executive powers of the Presidency, and, thus, such judicial orders have exceeded the powers of the Judicial branch. Alas, such Lawsuits and Judicial orders are not meant to clarify executive powers but are designed to hobble my Administration in effecting the changes that the American people expressed through my election. I also hope that Congress will support this Executive Order and pass legislation that more clearly defines Judicial powers in their rulings about Executive and Legislative actions. Such legislation will hopefully restore the balance of powers between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches of government.

I, therefore, am directing all Executive Departments and Agencies, as well as all Executive Officers and Advisors, to disregard these judicial orders as being extraconstitutional and thus null and void. It is my sincere hope that the Supreme Court will reign in the extraconstitutional actions of these judges. It is also my sincere hope that Congress will support this Executive order, for if judges believe that they can usurp Executive powers, it is not a step too far to believe that they can usurp Legislative powers.

The following are the Judicial orders that I have declared null and void under this Executive Order:

• Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
• Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hopefully, this will force all parties to face and resolve the Constitutional issue of Judicial powers over the Executive and Legislative Branches.

03/24/25 Politics and Unhappiness

A recent NBC News poll, “Steve Kornacki: White men, white women and the gap within the gender gap”, has shown some remarkable differences in political opinion between white men and women, differentiated  by education:

What can be inferred by this poll is that college-educated white women have a decidedly Progressive tilt in their political opinions, while college-educated men have a slight Progressive tilt, while both white men and women with no college tilt Conservative. The question that arises is why there is such a difference of opinion between college-educated and non-college-educated white people. Most college-educated people believe that as they are better educated, they are more knowledgeable and morally superior to a non-college-educated person. As such, they view non-college-educated people as often being wrong due to their lack of a college education. The real question is whether colleges are providing a broad-based education that examines all sides of an issue or whether they are engaged in the indoctrination of Progressive or leftist viewpoints of an issue, and I have written in my article on "Indoctrination versus Education". In their education, it is also important to remember:

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope - An Essay on Criticism 

And this deep drinking requires that you thoroughly examine all sides of an issue. It should also always be remembered that an indoctrinated person is rarely a knowledgeable person, as being knowledgeable is a complex endeavor, often beyond just being educated, as I have written in my article on "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom".

Another poll by the American Family Survey also shows a remarkable difference in happiness amongst women by political affiliation:

What can be inferred from this poll is that Liberal Women today are the unhappiest women despite more equality, opportunity, and rights than ever before. This poll also concluded that Conservative, religious women are statistically the happiest women in America by every metric (including sexual fulfillment). In politics, it is not possible to get everything that you desire, and sometimes you get what you consider undesirable. When you are in the minority, you often cannot obtain what you want, and often you get what you consider disagreeable. Politics also teaches us that an individual cannot control circumstances nor can they control others; as I have said in one of my quotes, "Control over others is illusionary, as the only control that you have is over yourself." and elaborated in one of my Pearls of Wisdom to Be in Control of Yourself.

It has also become evident that many Liberals/Progressives have made politics their raison d’être, which often leads to much unhappiness, as they are not able to obtain all or most of what they want in politics. They also allow politics to intervene in their family and friendship relationships, which leads to their unhappiness. This unhappiness and their lack of depth of knowledge is evident in the demeanor of the protesters against President Trump’s policies. Just viewing and listening to these protesters reveals that most of the vile and ignorant comments come from the women protestors, from which we can conclude, given the previous poll, are mostly college-educated women.

The Republicans and Conservatives had to deal with President Obama for eight years and President Biden for four years. The Democrats and Progressives had to deal with President Trump for four years, and they now need to deal with President Trump for another four years. Que Sera, Sera. But if you react to President Trump with enragement (which is often a byproduct of Trump Derangement Syndrome), you will only increase your unhappiness and disrupt A Civil Society. Such disruption is harmful to America and Americans and is a threat to our Liberties and Freedoms. Consequently, all must be in control of themselves for their own happiness and pay heed to the words of wisdom by one of our Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, to "Doubt a little of your own infallibility." as well as:

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."   - Benjamin Franklin

03/23/25 Profanity and Polite and Respectful Treatment

I am not a preacher man, nor a God-fearing person, but I do believe in the God of the Holy Bible and the moral and ethical teachings of the Bible, as well as a loving God who can forgive the moral and ethical transgressions of a person. I also believe that it is not proper to use profanity or treat any person impolitely or disrespectfully. Three stories from my youth led me to believe that profanity, impoliteness, and disrespectful treatment were not acceptable conduct based on my or any other person’s conduct.

My paternal grandfather was a bigot in that he believed that Blacks and Latinos did not have the moral character nor intellectual capacity of a white person. He did, however, believe that all people deserve polite and respectful treatment and that profanity, in all cases, was unacceptable. The one time that I swore in front of him, he dressed me down and informed me that only polite and respectful conduct was acceptable and that profanity was never acceptable. As he worked his way up to shop floor foreman in a national thread dying factory, he supervised many white people and a few black and Latino people. As the shop floor supervisor, he insisted that all who he supervised treated each other politely and respectfully and that no profanity would be tolerated on the shop floor. He would also not tolerate any impolite, disrespectful, or profanity in his personal and public life, and he would call out anyone who engaged in these words and deeds. While he was bigoted throughout his life, he kept to this credo throughout his life.

My father started out as a bigot due to his upbringing, but he kept to my grandfather’s credo, and he rapidly changed his opinion due to his efforts during World War II. While working with all races and creeds in WWII, he gained more respect for other people, but he remained prejudiced against some groups, as he believed that they were lazy by nature or were culturally unable to achieve their full potential. As my father aged and became a more religious person, he realized that even this prejudice was not acceptable, and he abandoned his prejudice and began to treat each person as an individual. He also kept my grandfather’s credo throughout his life.

I, on the other hand, grew up with no consideration of bigotry or prejudice. I had Jewish friends, Catholic friends, Italian friends, a black friend, and Polish friends, and I was friendly to anybody who was friendly to me. I enjoyed learning about their culture and history, not to mention the gastronome delights of their culture. I guess you could call me neutral (but mostly unaware) as regards to bigotry or prejudice. I was too young to be involved in the Civil Rights movement, but I supported it when I matured. As for my daughter, I have never seen any problems with your dealings with anybody in any way, shape, or form. Bigotry, or prejudice or discrimination, is abhorrent to my daughter, and she actively opposes it, for which I am quite proud of her.

While I was working as a part-time delivery boy at a print shop at the start of my adult life (while I was attending a computer programming school), I arrived at work and noticed that the printer had a cut and bruises on his forehead, but I made no mention of this to him or the others. Later that day, he abruptly quit and left the premises. In discussing this with the manager of the shop, I mentioned his cut and bruises, to which he commented that as he was very busy that day, he had not noticed these cuts and bruises. He telephoned the printer that evening to discuss the situation and try to lure him back to the job. The next day, I learned the truth about what had happened. Unbeknownst to me, the printer was a homosexual who had visited a nearby gay bar the evening before he sustained his cut and bruises. Upon leaving the gay bar, he was threatened and attacked because of his homosexuality, and he was traumatized to the point that he did not want to be anywhere in the environs of the gay bar, which included the print shop. Despite the support and pleadings of the Composer and the apologies for not noticing the cut and bruises during the workday, the printer was adamant that he would not come back to work.

The lesson that I learned was that it is important to notice any distress from your co-workers (and your friends), offer assistance or support to the co-worker, or inform the management of any potential problems a co-worker may have. It also reinforced my aversion to discrimination and violence against any group of people due to their associations, and most especially against homosexuals. I vowed to myself that I would never use slurs or epithets against any person or group of people, a vow that I have kept for my entire life.

When I was working at my first full-time job as a computer operator, I swore up a storm. One day, a mature computer programmer whom I admired pulled me aside to discuss my swearing. He explained to me that he had noticed that I was extensively swearing and that he believed that this was because of my youth. He also commented that he believed that as this was the first time I was on my own and without parental supervision, I swore much too often so that I would appear to be an adult. However, he explained, swearing did not make you look like an adult, but instead, extensive swearing made you appear childish. He further explained that swearing should only be done in a limited and appropriate manner to draw attention to what you were saying or to emphasize the passion of what you were saying. To do so otherwise was disrespectful and impolite to those around you. He suggested that I limit my swearing to those situations where it was appropriate. I took his words to heart, and I vowed to only swear to myself, and ever since, I only publicly swear on rare occasions where it is appropriate.

After these three incidents, I adopted my grandfather’s credo, which I have tried to keep for my entire life. I would like to say thank you to my deceased grandfather for providing me with a credo that has served me well throughout my life. I would also suggest that all people adopt my grandfather’s credo, which would result in a more civil and harmonious society.

03/22/25 Power Is All – Part II

In my Chirp on “03/22/25 Power Is All – Part I”, I addressed how a growing economy must simultaneously grow in many arenas, but a few arenas are crucial for growth, the most important being energy power. Our economy also needs to grow with a reduction in power—the reduction of the power of government. At all levels of government, the plethora of laws, rules, and regulations, along with the legions of bureaucrats administering them, act as a retardant to economic growth. While many of these laws, rules, and regulations were of good intent, the consequences of them were not often considered by the makers.

These consequences make it more expensive and time-consuming, as well as increase the possibility of denial for any activity that a person or business may wish to undertake. Even after approval, the laws, rules, and regulations while undertaking or engaging in the activity add additional costs and time to the activity. All of this is a retardant to economic growth and stifles initiatives from being undertaken or expanded. The unintended consequences are the impacts on the spirit of Americans as they grapple with the bureaucrats administrating these laws, rules, and regulations, as well as possible judicial involvement when disputes or challenges arise.

Fortunately, President Trump and his Administration are well aware of these facts and are aggressively trying to reduce the power and size of government so as to stimulate economic growth. Their actions will also unleash the innovative spirit of Americans and expand their Liberties and Freedoms. Unfortunately, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists have become addicted to large government and the control over America and Americans that large government makes possible. Thus, the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists will often fear-monger Americans about the dire consequences of reduced government power.

However, as I Chirped on “03/14/25 Be Not Afraid”, you should not fear this reduction of government, but only be cautious about how the government is reduced. If done properly, a reduction in the power of government will liberate both the economy and spirit of America and Americans.

03/22/25 Power Is All – Part I

A growing economy must simultaneously grow in many arenas, but a few arenas are crucial for growth, as I have addressed in my article on “The Basis of Our Modern Technological World”. This growth must also address the Four E’s in this growth, as I have written in my article “The Four E’s - Energy, Economic, End-To-End, and Environmental”.

Increased energy production is crucial for a growing economy. I have posted a video clip from the movie Apollo 13, in which one of the lead engineers explains that power is all. Without power, nothing good will happen. So, it is with our economy. Without power (energy), nothing good will happen to our economy. Abundant and affordable energy is necessary to drive everything that happens in America. This is why President Trump’s mantra of ‘Drill Baby Drill’ is so important. This is why China’s and India’s economies have boomed in the last two decades—they have heavily invested in increased energy production in that time period.

The fastest and easiest way to increase energy supply is by oil drilling and coal mining, which are at a cost to our environment in terms of pollution, but such costs can be minimized by more efficient utilization of these resources. Natural gas production is also a cost-effective source of energy with less environmental impacts. Hydroelectric energy production can have significant environmental impacts in their construction and geographical limits, and this may make it impractical to generate energy in sufficient quantity for our needs. Nuclear power is a long-term solution to increased energy production, but safety and disposal concerns need to be addressed to calm the fears of radioactive accidents. The technology to address nuclear accidents has been and is being developed, but alas, fear amongst the populace is harder to mitigate. Solar and Wind power has been proven to be inadequate in meeting our energy needs, and the environmental impact of this technology is only beginning to be acknowledged. The main environmental problem is the disposal of spent wind turbines and propellor blades, along with the disposal of spent solar panels, while the operation of solar and wind technology has environmental problems. There is also the question of ‘What happens when the sun doesn’t shine, and the wind doesn’t blow?’ The other questions and answers to Solar and Wind energy production are as I have Chirped on "10/14/23 The Economics of Wind Turbines and Solar Panels" "01/22/25 What Happens When the Sun Doesn’t Shine, The Winds Don’t Blow, and You Encounter the Sounds of Silence?"

The answer to our energy needs is to increase our energy production of all the above (except for solar, wind, and batteries) to meet our current and future energy needs. The development and usage of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies require a massive amount of electrical power that we must begin to produce, along with the increase of energy production for new technologies, and to fuel a growing economy.

The other issue we face is the attitude of many Americans that only environmentally neutral or friendly energy production is permissible, along with another attitude that energy production should not be in my backyard. Neither attitude is obtainable, and it is a hindrance to meeting the needs of a growing economy. Some sacrifice by the American people is necessary, along with efforts to mitigate both environmental and location issues, to sustain a growing economy. If we as a people are unwilling to make this sacrifice, then we have decided to stagnate or scale back our economy to the detriment of all Americans and America.

03/21/25 Reign in the Rouge Judges

The issue of Judicial overreach on Executive powers has dramatically increased since President Trump took office, with over 120 legal lawsuits currently in progress. This has been a long-standing issue, as in 2012, Newt Gingrich, a former Speaker of the House, wrote a paper, “Bringing the Courts Back Under the Constitution”, that examined the historical background of this issue, as well as the then current impacts of Judicial overreach. I have also examined this issue in my March 2020 article on "Judges, Not Lords". This current Judicial overreach is a form of "Lawfare" that is being utilized against President Trump to hinder or halt his actions in support of his agenda, for which the American people elected him. One of the most stunning decisions was the refusal of the Supreme Court to become involved in this lawfare, as I have written in my Chirp on “03/08/25 A Stunning Supreme Court Ruling”.

Through several Supreme Court decisions (starting from Marbury v. Madison in 1803), American courts have asserted that they have the power to strike down laws and statutes that violate the Constitution of the United States. They have also asserted that they can restrict Executive and Legislative powers and actions that they determine to be unconstitutional. Such assertions are an inferred interpretation of the Constitution, as there is no direct power in the Constitution that allocates this power to the Judicial Branch. Thus, they have accrued unto themselves a power not delegated to them in the Constitution. Such an accrued power is dangerous to the Balance of Powers in the Constitution if not applied cautiously and prudently.

There is no doubt that when a President overreaches his Executive powers, Judicial action is appropriate. However, such judicial action should be done with much trepidation by judges so as not to usurp legitimate Executive powers. Such trepidation has not been the normal course of action by judges regarding President Trump’s actions, as their judicial decisions have often seemed to have been motivated by political considerations rather than Constitutional considerations. When a judge usurps legitimate Executive powers, they are also usurping the Constitutional balance of powers, which was instituted by our Founding Fathers to maintain our Democratic republic and preserve our Liberties and Freedoms.

Perhaps it is time we consider limiting the jurisdiction of judges to reduce the impacts of judicial overreach. A first step may be for a law that restricts a District Court Judge from issuing a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) or Injunction to the Executive or Congressional Branch outside the boundaries of their District Court jurisdiction. This law would also restrict an Appellate Court from issuing a Temporary Restraining Order or Injunction to the Executive or Congressional Branch outside the boundaries of their Appellate Court jurisdiction. Consequently, only the U.S. Supreme Court could issue a nationwide Temporary Restraining Order or Injunction against the Executive or Congressional Branches.

This law would also effectively reduce ‘Forum shopping’, a dubious legal tactic to have a legal case heard in the court that the filer believes is most likely to provide a favorable judgment. It would also force the Supreme Court to make decisions on issues of nationwide importance. This law would not, however, reign in the power of the Supreme Court in a dubious decision that would overstep its own powers and unconstitutionally intervene in the Executive or Legislative Branches. To reign in this Supreme Court overreach, we need a strong, united Legislative and Executive Branch to assert their constitutional duty and responsibility to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States whenever the Judicial Branch usurps its Constitutional powers.

In all corrective actions, we should remember that all three branches of government (Legislative, Executive, and Judicial) are co-equal, and each branch has the constitutional duty and responsibility to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. No branch is the final authority on the Constitution, and no branch has the final say on constitutional issues. To do otherwise is to make one branch supreme over the other branches, which was not our Founding Fathers' intent in drafting the Constitution.

03/21/25 Men (and Women) in Black Robes

Americans have become used to the supremacy of courts in deciding issues of constitutionality and proper governance. From a lowly District Court Judge to the Supreme Court Justices, they consider themselves the final arbiter on all things Constitutional. However, this was not what the Founding Fathers envisioned when they drafted Article III of the Constitution. The Founding Fathers were well aware of how destructive the courts could be to liberty and freedom. One of the main reasons for The Declaration of Independence was judicial overreach and the passions of judges that led them astray from Equal Justice For All and doing the bidding of the King or Parliament in their rulings.

Thomas Jefferson, for example, warned that if the Constitution means whatever judges want, it would be like “a mere thing of wax, that they could twist and shape it into any form they please.” George Mason did not support ratifying the Constitution as written, in part because it might still allow judges, by reinterpreting the Constitution, to “substitute [their] own pleasure for the law of the land.” Carson Holloway, a Professor at the University of Nebraska Omaha, wrote a paper in 2019 for The Heritage Foundation, “Against Judicial Supremacy: The Founders and the Limits on the Courts”, that has been summarized as:

“Americans’ contemporary understanding of judicial power is inconsistent with the argument put forward by Hamilton and Madison in The Federalist. Although The Federalist affirms the power of judicial review—and hence the role of the judiciary as a check on the other branches—it does not present this as the first or most important function of the courts. Moreover, The Federalist does not support the vast implications of judicial review as including a power to decide the great moral issues of the times and to adjust the Constitution to trends in public opinion. Finally, The Federalist lends no aid to the belief that the Supreme Court is the ultimate interpreter of constitutional meaning, unanswerable for its interpretations to any authority but itself.”

My own article, "Supreme, But Not Always Right", examines how when the Supreme Court rules outside the boundaries of the Constitution or does not review constitutional issues (known as Activism or Abdication), it is not upholding the Constitution. And, sometimes, the Supreme Court simply gets it wrong. And when the Supreme Court gets it wrong, it impacts our Natural and Constitutional Rights and our society for decades, if not permanently.

We must all remember that judges and justices are but men (and women) in black robes. While they are skilled at law, they are not endowed with any special wisdom that supersedes the Executive or Legislative Branch's wisdom or prerogatives. Judges need to remain within the Four Corners of the Law and the Constitution and only rule on the words and meaning of the law and the Constitution. They (and we) should remember that they are "Judges, Not Lords" and that they need to leave policy differences or social changes to the prerogative of Congress or the President where it rightfully belongs. To do otherwise is for the Judge to become a legislator or executive, which would make them Lords over America and Americans.

03/20/25 Republicans are a Threat to Democrats Hypocrisy

With all the wails and cries of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists that Trump and Republicans are a threat to “Our Democracy” and are provoking a Constitutional crisis, as well as other prerogatives, the real threat of Trump and Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives is that they expose the hypocrisy of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists.

For almost every statement that Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists make about Trump and Republicans, you can discover their hypocrisy in their previous words and deeds. It has become a cottage industry on social media to transpose their former statements with their current statements, which are often diametrically opposite to each other. Almost every statement that they make about Constitutional interpretation is hypocritical to other statements they have made on Constitutional interpretation, not to mention being a wrong interpretation of the Constitution.

The biggest hypocrisy that was revealed was that the Biden Administration and Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists claimed that the border was under control, then claimed that new immigration laws were needed to stem the flow of illegal immigrants into America. As President Trump said in his State of The Union address, “The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation. It turned out that all we really needed was a new president.”. A president who would enforce current immigration laws and secure the border within weeks. The next largest hypocrisy was that President Trump would legally target his opponents, all the while when the Biden Administration was targeting Trump, and as they were also heavily involved in "The Weaponization of Government" against their opponents. The hypocrisies involved in their lying about the COVID-19 virus, the pardons for his son and family members, his mental state and fitness to be President, along with a host of other hypocrisies too numerous to mention in this Chirp, know no bounds.

Alas, they believe that they are not hypocritical, for whatever words and deeds that are necessary to oppose Trump and Republicans, and/or necessary for them to obtain and/or retain power, are acceptable to them, as they believe that their ends justify their means. Such an attitude and hypocrisy are disruptive and dangerous to America and Americans. The good news is that the American people have become aware and are acknowledging this hypocrisy, and they are discounting anything that they may do or say. Until honesty and integrity overtake the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, the American people should discount their words and deeds and turn them out of power.

03/19/25 Congressional Budget Office Projections

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is notorious for its failures in accurately projecting the revenues and spending impacts of legislation. Many of these failures are a result of their being mandated to utilize Baseline (budgeting) in their projections. Baseline budgeting is an accounting method the United States Federal Government uses to develop a budget for future years. Baseline budgeting uses current spending levels as the "baseline" for establishing future funding requirements and assumes future budgets will equal the current budget times the inflation rate times the population growth rate.

However, Baseline Budgeting makes many assumptions and presumptions that do not hold true in the real world. There are also many unknowns (such as how the populace will react to the changes wrought by the legislation) that cannot be accounted for in Baseline Budgeting. Consequently, the CBO rarely is accurate for any major changes implemented by the legislation.

Congress is about to begin the process of making major changes to tax legislation, per President Trump’s predilections, which, upon completion, will have to be “scored” by the CBO. A score that will be hotly contested by both sides of the aisle in Congress. What the American people should be cognizant of during this debate is that both sides will be wrong, and occasionally right, in their charges and countercharges about the impacts of the tax legislation. As it is not possible to accurately determine the impact of the tax legislation, it is not possible to determine who is right or wrong in their statements.

During this debate, the American people should remember that President Trump ran for office on the promise of tax reform, and he was elected by a significant majority of Americans. Therefore, his predictions should be given weight as an expression of the democratic process. This is not to say that Congress has no say in the matter, but only that Congress should be deferential to his inclinations and promises. After all, elections have consequences, and one of those consequences of the last election is the American people's desire for change. The American people should also remember one of the most astute observations in politics on taxing is:

“Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree!”  - Russell B. Long

An approach that never works and is always unsatisfactory. The American people should also remember that taxing the wealthy rarely works, as they will find a way to minimize their taxes. Increased taxing on corporations and businesses results in higher prices for goods and services (also known as a hidden tax), which has economic and inflationary consequences that negatively affect most Americans and rarely impact corporations and businesses, as they pass on the impact of these taxes onto their customers.

Consequently, the American people should ignore the rhetoric from both sides of the aisle and decide for themselves what to think about the tax changes based on their knowledge and experience.

03/18/25 Parental Rights in Education

In a column in USA Today by Jonathan Turley, “The Red Scarf Girl: The Fight Over Parental Rights Just Got Primal”, he writes on the latest decision against parental rights by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Foote v. Feliciano. As he has stated, “The fight over parental rights could become the defining issue for many in the coming years. It is also a type of cultural war over what many of us view as a natural right over the raising of our children.”

Almost two years ago, the U.S. House of Representatives addressed this issue by passing the Parents Bill of Rights Act, which has been summarized as:

Parents Bill of Rights Act H.R.5 — 118th Congress (2023-2024) Passed House (03/24/2023)

This bill establishes various rights of parents and guardians regarding the public elementary or secondary school education (including secondary career and technical education) of their children. Local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools must comply with the requirements of the bill in order to receive federal education funds.

Specifically, the bill requires schools to notify parents and guardians of their rights regarding the education of their children. These rights include the right to

• review (and make copies of at no cost) the curriculum of their child's school;
• know if the state alters its challenging academic standards;
• meet with each teacher of their child at least twice each school year;
• review the budget, including all revenues and expenditures, of their child's school;
• inspect the books and other reading materials in the library of their child's school;
• address the school board of the LEA;
• receive information about violent activity in their child's school; and
• know if their child is not grade-level proficient in reading or language arts at the end of 3rd grade.

Additional rights include the right to

• receive information about any plans to eliminate gifted and talented programs or college credit programs in their child's school;
• know the total number of school counselors in their child's school;
• know if their child's school operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities that permit an individual whose biological sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designed for individuals whose biological sex is female;
• know if their child's school allows an individual whose biological sex is male to use restrooms or changing rooms designated for individuals whose biological sex is female; and
• receive timely information about any major cyberattack against their child's school.

Each LEA must (1) post on a publicly accessible website (or otherwise widely disseminate to the public) the curriculum for each grade level, and (2) include detailed budget information in its annual report card.

The bill provides for additional family educational and privacy rights, including by (1) prohibiting schools from acting as an agent of a parent for purposes of providing verifiable parental consent for a vaccination, (2) prohibiting schools from selling student information for commercial or financial gain, and (3) requiring schools to engage meaningfully with parents in developing privacy policies or procedures.

An elementary school or a school consisting of only grades 5-8 must obtain parental consent before (1) changing a minor child's gender markers, pronouns, or preferred name on school forms; or (2) allowing a child to change the child's sex-based accommodations.

The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to evaluate and analyze the impact of the bill on protecting parents' rights in the education of their children and the costs to educational agencies and schools.

There were concerns about this bill (Pros and Cons of the Parents Bill of Rights), and some liberal lawmakers have branded it the “Politics Over Parents Act.” The Biden administration had also voiced opposition to the bill. As such, this bill was never passed by the Senate. Given the concerns of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in the Foote v. Feliciano ruling and the current disputes over parental rights in schools, this ruling must be reviewed by the Supreme Court, and Congress must revisit this issue and pass an act that protects Parental Rights in schools.

03/17/25 Despicable Tactics of Free Speech Suppression

Wokeness is an attitude of one’s awareness of and alert to social and political injustices. Practiced by overzealous Progressives who are often perceived as smug, virtue signaling, and intolerant of other viewpoints, it often results in an attempt to intimidate into silence those that do not agree with the woke. Some of the despicable tactics that they utilize to intimidate their opponents into silence are:

Deplatforming is denying the right of others to speak or to hear opposing views. The argument that stopping free speech is free speech is nothing more than a twisted rationalization. Protesting outside of an event is an act of free speech. Entering an event to shout down or “deplatform” speakers is the denial or disruption of free speech.

Doxing (sometimes written as Doxxing) is the act of revealing identifying information about someone online, such as their real name, home address, workplace, phone, financial, and other personal information. That information is then circulated to the public — without the victim's permission. Doxxing is an attempt to punish someone for expressing an opinion with which the doxxer disagrees by making them vulnerable to potential threats to their safety or well-being.

Such is the state of Progressives today, as they are anti-free speech for speech with which they disagree. Much of these tactics come forth from a poisoned mind that is closed to any rational dialog or debate opposing their political goals and policy agendas. In their closed minds, they believe that they are virtuous and battling evil. They have surrounded themselves with an echo chamber of like-minded people, and they will not tolerate dissenting opinions even within their own bubble. Anyone outside of their woke bubble can be subject to deplatforming and doxing. As Erick Erickson has written in his article, “The Poisoning of the Democrat Mind”, they have poisoned themselves into believing that they are not a problem:

“To Democrats, led by their media voices, the problem is the people, not the Democrats. The people are stupid, duped, racists, bigots, Nazis, desirous of whiteness or otherwise bad. The only virtuous Americans are those who agree with the progressive left, which amounts to around 20% of the American public. Likewise, it is never their policies or proposals, just their messaging that is off. Guided by the voices of MSNBC, a network watched, on average, by just two-tenths of a single percent of the American public, and the neurotic women and gay men of The New York Times, the Democrats are not so much out of touch as they are outside reality.

 Democrats have built an echo chamber that is poisoning them. Their preferred news network, newspapers, and voices, intoxicated by power and control, lack the humility to relate to people outside of their bubble. Their thought leader on MSNBC instead of wishing a young Black teen battling brain cancer well, hoped he would not grow up to commit suicide. That is what the Democrats are doing by listening to Wallace, Maddow, Colbert, etc.”
 - Erick Erickson

They are a problem in that they are disrupting our society by intimidating free speech and, thus, endangering our Liberties and Freedoms.

03/17/25 Slavery and Information Suppression

In the Antebellum South (roughly 1815-1861), any abolitionist sentiment was harshly suppressed. Books, newspapers, pamphlets, and flyers were confiscated and destroyed before they could reach the populace. People who went to the South to speak against slavery or educate the slaves were roughly treated with some tarred and feathered or forcibly driven out from the south. Much of this was legally done by Southern legislations passing laws against promoting anti-slavery. As a result, the southern population was deprived of reading or hearing any opinion opposed to slavery. Thus, they had a united front that supported and maintained slavery, as they never had the opportunity to read or hear the arguments against slavery. Consequently, rather than a peaceful solution to end slavery, a bitter and destructive Civil War was needed to end slavery.

This is what happens when you deprive people of information from all sides of an issue. It is not possible to make a rational and reasonable decision without all the facts and information about an issue. And this withholding of information is happening in America today under the guise of Disinformation, Misinformation, and Malinformation. Fortunately, the utilization of Disinformation, Misinformation, and Malinformation to suppress information is becoming less common, but it needs to be eliminated. Anyone who attempts to suppress information by labeling it Disinformation, Misinformation, and Malinformation is of the same mindset as the Antebellum South political leadership suppression of anti-slavery information, as they believed that they were correct and moral, and no other viewpoint needs to be expressed.

The only allowable response to the dissemination of disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation is to call it out and provide the proper facts and truths in response. Any other response is a violation of a person’s Natural Right to Free Speech, which fosters civil strife and is harmful to America and Americans.

03/16/25 Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Virtues

In the ‘This vs That’ website they have an interesting webpage contrasting the seven virtues and the seven deadly sins. We would all do well to remember and practice these virtues and avoid committing these sins.

Seven Virtues

The Seven Virtues are a set of positive qualities that are believed to lead individuals towards a life of moral excellence and spiritual fulfillment.

• Humility is the virtue of modesty and selflessness, recognizing one's own limitations and the contributions of others.
• Charity is the virtue of giving and generosity towards others, showing compassion and empathy for those in need.
• Patience is the virtue of endurance and tolerance in the face of adversity or difficulties, maintaining a calm and composed demeanor.
• Kindness is the virtue of compassion and benevolence towards others, showing empathy and understanding in all interactions.
• Chastity is the virtue of purity and self-restraint in one's thoughts and actions, maintaining moral integrity and virtue.
• Temperance is the virtue of moderation and self-control in all aspects of life, avoiding excess and indulgence.
• Diligence is the virtue of hard work and perseverance in one's endeavors, showing dedication and commitment to achieving one's goals.

Seven Deadly Sins

The Seven Deadly Sins, on the other hand, also known as the capital vices, are a classification of vices in Christian teachings.

• Pride is the sin of excessive belief in one's own abilities, leading to arrogance and a lack of humility.
• Greed is the sin of excessive desire for material wealth or possessions, often at the expense of others.
• Wrath is the sin of uncontrollable anger and hatred towards others, often resulting in violence or harm.
• Envy is the sin of jealousy and resentment towards others for their possessions, qualities, or success.
• Lust is the sin of excessive sexual desire or craving for physical pleasure, often leading to immoral behavior.
• Gluttony is the sin of overindulgence in food or drink, leading to wastefulness and lack of self-control.
• Sloth is the sin of laziness or apathy towards one's responsibilities or duties, resulting in neglect and inaction.

03/16/25 Wisdom from an Ancient Greek Comedian

Aristophanes (c. 446 – c. 386 BC) was an Ancient Greek comic playwright from Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving plays belong to the genre of comic drama known as Old Comedy and are considered its most valuable examples. Aristophanes' plays were performed at the religious festivals of Athens, mostly the City Dionysia and the Lenaia, and several of them won the first prize in their respective competitions.

Aristophanes was known as "The Father of Comedy" and "the Prince of Ancient Comedy". Some of his famous quotes, still applicable today, are:

“A demagogue must be neither an educated nor an honest man; he has to be an ignoramus and a rogue.”

“Evil events from evil causes spring.”

“Open your mind before your mouth.”

“The wise learn many things from their enemies.

“Wise people, even though all laws were abolished, would still lead the same life.”

“You cannot teach a crab to walk straight.”

“You should not decide until you have heard what both have to say.”

“Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown. Ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever.”

03/15/25 Things Change

Calls for change often ring out from Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as they are unsatisfied with the current situation. They often forget that changes can have positive or negative results. They just as often forget that when things change, they often change other things. In this change, it is impossible to predict all the other changes that will occur and the impacts of these other changes. The impact of all the changes will have consequences, consequences both small and large, and consequences that are unpredictable. This unpredictability is due to human nature’s responses to change and the law of unintended consequences. Thus, be careful of what you change, as you may get changes that you do not want or desire. Those who claim they can predict the impacts of the changes are demonstrating their ignorance of change, or their hubris, or both, and they should not be believed.

03/15/25 Perspective, Not Jingoism

I am a proud American, but an American who is not afraid to face both our past and present shortcomings. Unlike some Americans who have a jingoistic view of our past, my view is based on a careful review of our past. Rather than only look at the results, which is a jingoistic approach, I consider the governmental, political, social, economic, cultural, scientific, and technological environment in which the events occurred, as well as the historical perspective of those involved in these events. I also do this for current events in America. This requires much effort in reading and/or researching these events, but the time spent is well worth the effort. Before I reach a conclusion, I also spend much time thinking using A Philosophical Approach in considering the events.

When I listen to commentators and politicians, I am often stunned as to the lack of their knowledge of American history. While I expect this in ordinary Americans, due to the appalling lack of proper history and civics teaching in public schools, this is not acceptable for commentators and politicians. If you are going to commentate about American history, then your comments should be based on facts and truths rather than jingoistic viewpoints. Otherwise, you are doing a disservice to the viewers and leading them into believing things about American history that are just not so. Such a leading is a disservice to the American people, as it leads them to make poor decisions based on poor commentary.

Consequently, whenever you hear a jingoistic comment about American history, you can safely assume that the person uttering the jingoistic comment has not spent much time learning the history of the event, and they are probably more interested in swaying your opinion rather than informing you.

p.s.- As an example, my article on “Slavery in the United States Constitution” examines the facts and truths of this topic, as opposed to the jingoistic comments on this topic.

03/14/25 I Don’t Really Care

‘I don’t really care’ has become the default response to these entitled Mainstream Media journalists and commentators who think we must listen to them as gatekeepers of facts and a free society when they have consistently lied about Trump, COVID, the Hunter Biden laptop, and Russian collusion. Everyone has flocked elsewhere for factual and truthful information unbiased by their Progressive predilections.

And this is good for America. The Mainstream Media's biased coverage of all things Conservative and Republican has confused and misled the American public. As a result, the American public has not been able to separate the wheat from the chaff and make a proper decision on whom to elect. Thanks to President Trump’s astounding triumph against the Mainstream Media's biased coverage, the American people have had the opportunity to have their vision cleared and, thus, can now clearly see the wheat and disregard the chaff.

The chaff is the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders who have been trying to bamboozle the American public with the help of the Mainstream Media. In addition, the efforts of DOGE have exposed the waste, fraud, and abuse corruption in the Federal government that was utilized to support Progressive values and causes, as well as Democrat Party agendas.

Consequently, the American public is no longer listening to the Mainstream Media, and they are ignoring the wails and cries of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. This is what is best for America, as the American public can make a more rational decision on the future course of America. The American people are finally saying, ‘I don’t really care’ about what the Mainstream Media, Progressives/Leftists, and the Democrat Party Leaders have to say. Accordingly, I would say to the American people, ‘Keep it up’, as this is what is best for you and America.

03/14/25 Be Not Afraid

In June 1979, shortly after his papacy began,  Pope John Paul II traveled to Poland, where ecstatic crowds constantly surrounded him. This first papal trip to Poland uplifted the nation's spirit and sparked the formation of the Solidarity movement in 1980, which later brought freedom and human rights to his troubled homeland. He brought with him one simple message— “Be Not Afraid”- and the fear that the Communist overlords had spent several decades installing in them began to subside and be replaced by defiance.

This “Be Not Afraid” attitude has begun to arise in America after several decades of Progressive "Activists and Activism", "Adjective Justice", "Cancel Culture", "Critical Race Theory (CRT)", "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)", "Doxing", "Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG)", "Equity and Equality", "Identity Politics", "Intersectionality", "Modern Feminism", "Virtue Signaling", "Wokeness", and the suppression of supposed disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation, had installed fear in many Americans of speaking their minds.

Thanks to President Trump’s astounding triumph against the disparagements, denigrations, demonization, and lawfare arrayed against him in his bid to be reelected, the American people have relearned to not be afraid of speaking their minds and to not be intimated into silence. This may be President Trump's greatest accomplishment, as people who believe that they can speak their minds can believe that they can be their own rulers and determine their own governance.

Therefore, I would say to all Americans, “Be Not Afraid” of speaking your mind and trying to change the future course of America, for it is possible to do so if you will not allow yourself to be intimidated into silence.

03/13/25 A New Form of Money Laundering

Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, underground sex work, terrorism, corruption, embezzlement, and treason, and converting the funds into a seemingly legitimate source, usually through a front organization. Money laundering is ipso facto illegal; the acts generating the money almost always are themselves criminal in some way (for if not, the money would not need to be laundered). As financial crime has become more complex and financial intelligence is more important in combating international crime and terrorism, money laundering has become a prominent political, economic, and legal debate. Most countries implement some anti-money-laundering measures.

In our current federal government, there appears to be a new form of money laundering. This form of money laundering is when the government makes a grant or lets a contract to a non-government organization, which then disburses the money to other non-government organization(s), who may then disburse the money to still another non-government organization(s). At each level of disbursement, the non-government organization(s) allocate significant monies for salaries and overhead expenses. The result is that a significant portion of the original grant or contract money is not spent on the intended purposes but on salaries and overhead expenses.

This government money laundering is very difficult to trace, as the financial reporting to the government by all levels of the non-government organization(s) is lax and often non-existent at all the levels of the non-government organization(s). Consequently, the government does not know (and sometimes does not wish to know) how much of the original money is being spent for its intended purpose(s). This non-government organization(s) funding is, in effect, a rewards system for the people and organizations involved. A reward system that appears to be heavily tilted to Progressive non-government organization(s) and causes.

Alas, this means that the government is spending money on causes that many American people may object to and that there is little or no accounting for how the money is spent. This is the very definition of waste, fraud, and abuse in government. It is also a contributing factor to the bloat in government spending, employees, and payroll. It may also constitute election interference, as this government money laundering is mostly directed in support of progressive political goals and policy agendas. The use of taxpayers’ monies for government money laundering directed at Progressive causes is also immoral as well as unethical, as it has been said: 

"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."   - Thomas Jefferson

It has also become ‘The Tyranny of the Minority’, as Progressive's political goals and policy agendas are less supported by the American public, and they have become a minority of the American people.

03/13/25 The Damages

The damage of the Biden Administration's actions may never be fully known or calculable. DOGE has revealed and calculated some of the damage, but this is only the current damage. What has occurred in the previous years of the Biden Administration may never be uncovered, along with the previous administration’s damages, as the bureaucracy has been covering up these damages for decades. There has also been damage to our government, as they turned almost all government actions into those of a partisan political nature.

There is also unknown damage as a result of the impacts of what was done. Not only the impact of the money spent but also the sociological impacts of how the money was spent. We know that much money was spent to advance Progressive political goals and policy agendas, to sway the American public and the world with nonsense, and sometimes to support America’s opponents and enemies. We know that a large percentage of Americans have lost faith in our government to be fair and equitable, and they expect that the government largely lies to them. Such cynicism corrodes the fabric of society and loosens the bonds that hold us together.

Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are desperately trying to stop the DOGE efforts that are uncovering this damage. They are making ridiculous excuses or undertaking cover-ups for what DOGE has exposed, and they have also initiated many lawsuits to limit what DOGE may investigate or what corrective actions may be undertaken. These are the words and deeds of accomplices or accessories to what has occurred.

Fortunately, a revitalization seems to be occurring with the uncovering of what had occurred in the Biden Administration. Those who are guilty of corruption, fraud, or abuse of power need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law to correct this damage. Doing otherwise is to ignore criminal actions and make such actions more possible in the future, as government officials and bureaucrats will know that there will be no consequences for their wrongdoings.

Thus, it is vitally necessary for all the facts and truths to be revealed to the American public to regain faith in our government and tighten the bonds that hold us together. After all, as it has been said, ‘sunshine is the best disinfectant’, especially in government.

03/12/25 Diaspora for Palestinians

The Jewish diaspora, which was the dispersion of the Jews outside Israel from the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 587-86 BC when they were exiled to Babylonia up to the present time, has ended, and it is time for the Palestinian people to recognize this fact. The terroristic events of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel have shown that the Palestinian people do not accept this fact and that they will perpetuate pure evil to change this fact.

As Ben Shapiro has written in his article “Sometimes, Moral Clarity Isn't Difficult”:

“This week, the world was reminded of the deep and abiding evil that has wormed its way to the center of Palestinian nationalistic culture by the news that the Bibas family -- a mother, Shiri; a 4-year-old boy, Ariel; and his 9-month-old brother, Kfir -- who had been kidnapped back to Gaza on Oct. 7 had in fact been murdered. Their bodies are to be returned to Israel this week; Hamas held the corpses hostage, and in return received the release of imprisoned Palestinian terrorists.

It is instructive to recall the circumstances of the Bibas family's kidnapping. They were not, in fact, kidnapped by identified members of Hamas. They were kidnapped by Palestinians in civilian dress, who joined Hamas for their murderous spree. For over a year, zero Palestinians apparently revealed the whereabouts of the Bibas family to the Israelis; zero worked to keep them safe or to restore them to liberty.

This fits with a pattern of civilian involvement in Palestinian terror activity: the reality is that the Palestinian terror apparatus is incestuously intertwined with the Palestinian civilian population. That is why released hostages tell of being held by civilian families in Gaza; why terrorists merge so easily into the surrounding civilian population; why the popularity of Palestinian terrorist groups remains sky-high among Palestinians generally. The hard division between terrorist and civilian so cherished by the West simply doesn't exist in practice in places like the Gaza Strip.”

This is pure evil not only by Hamas but also pure evil by the Palestinian people. Thus, it is time for a Palestinian diaspora to occur, and a diaspora of at least a thousand miles away from Israel. The Demographics of the Palestine people are a population of about 2 million in the Gaza Strip (2022 est.) and 3 million in the West Bank (2022 est.), for a total of 5 million Palestinians. Thus, the question is where the Palestinian people can be dispersed. South Somalia (population ~ 18 million) and East Yemen (population ~ 24.5 million) are the two best locations to settle the Palestinians, as they are sufficiently far away from Israel and have Arabic and Islamic populations. The difficulty is, of course, how to peaceably resettle the Palestinian people in these countries. As Somalia and Yemen are hostile to the United States and Israel, a peaceable resettlement seems unlikely; we may be forced into an unpeaceable resettlement. If this be the case, then so be it, as the evil of the Palestinian people is much greater than the harm of an unpeaceable resettlement.

The only other solution to end the pure evil of the Palestinian people is a holocaust of the Palestinian people (as it appears to be their desire for the Jews in Israel), for they have shown no inclination to change their minds as there is evil in their hearts. Evil should not be allowed to persist in today’s world of possible Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, and Electronic Infrastructure attacks, and allowing Palestinian pure evil to persist puts the entire world in danger.

03/11/25 The Conflicts of Eastern, Islamic, and Western Values and Culture

Today, the biggest conflicts in the world are the differences between Eastern, Islamic, and Western civilization values and culture. Eastern, Islamic, and Western Civilizations have distinct values and cultures that often lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. My new article “The Conflicts of Eastern, Islamic, and Western Values and Culture” examines the distinct values and cultures of these civilizations that lead to these conflicts.

03/11/25 Modern Western Civilization

Modern Western Civilization had its origins in the Judeo-Christian values of the Dark and Middle Ages and began to flourish into a distinct Western culture starting in Italy during the Renaissance, moved to France, then Holland, and finally to Great Britain, where it migrated to the United States, and spread out to the rest of the world on this axis. It was during this Western cultural development that the Scientific Revolution and Age of Enlightenment occurred in Europe and America. On the website Modern Gentleman Life, they have posted an article, “A Beginner's Guide to Western Culture: What You Need to Know” by Dingo Lin Chan, that opens with:

“Western culture is the umbrella term for the cultural norms, traditions, values, and practices that have emerged in Western Europe and North America. Art, literature, music, philosophy, science, and politics are just a few of the many disciplines it includes. In the modern era, Western culture has had a significant influence on the rest of the world. The advancement of democracy, human rights, capitalism, and contemporary science are just a few of the things it has helped with. It is crucial for anyone, especially the modern gentleman, who wants to navigate and participate in today's globalized society, to understand and interact with Western culture. It is a vital part of one's general education to have knowledge about the cultural norms, traditions, values, and practices.”

No culture in the history of humankind has been more responsible for the advancement of humankind than Western culture. These Western cultural advancements far exceed that of any other culture, and they have brought Liberties and Freedoms, along with health and prosperity, to all of humanity. Yet Western culture has been in decline for several decades, and it is important to examine the reasons for this decline. If we wish to properly address why Western culture has been declining, we should look back in history to determine why Western culture moved from one country to another. The answer to this question contains the seed of the answer to why Western culture is currently in decline.

The movement of Western culture occurred when the countries that I have mentioned started to suppress free speech and, with it, free thought. When this occurred, the intelligentsia in the country where this suppression occurred moved to a neighboring country that fostered free speech, and eventually, free speech settled in America.

In the last several decades in America, we have seen a decline in free speech with the rise of Progressive "Activists and Activism", "Adjective Justice", "Cancel Culture", "Critical Race Theory (CRT)", "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)", "Doxing", "Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG)", "Equity and Equality", "Identity Politics", "Intersectionality", "Modern Feminism", "Virtue Signaling", "Wokeness", and the suppression of supposed disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation. Much of this free speech suppression has been written about in the book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage”, by Professor Jonathan Turley. We have also seen a totalitarian impulse of European governments to control free speech in Europe under the umbrella of "Hate Speech" and the suppression of supposed disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation.

All of these free speech suppressions have greatly contributed to the decline of Western cultural values. But all hope is not lost. With the recent election of President Trump, these free speech shackles have been greatly reduced, and the American people feel more freedom to speak their minds and are less fearful of retaliation for speaking their minds. We are also seeing a rise in Europe of dissident political movements that are speaking out against their government's suppressions and policies that shackle their opponent's free speech. Both Americans and Europeans should remember the words of wisdom of one of the great 20th-century dissenters of Communist tyranny:

 “The strength or weakness of a society depends more on the level of its spiritual life than on its level of industrialization. Neither a market economy nor even general abundance constitutes the crowning achievement of human life. If a nation's spiritual energies have been exhausted, it will not be saved from collapse by the most perfect government structure or by any industrial development. A tree with a rotten core cannot stand.”  - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

In America and Europe, the spirit that Solzhenitsyn spoke of is the spirit of Western culture. It is time for us to reeducate and rekindle ourselves in the spirit of Western culture. If we do not do so, then Western cultural values will be extinguished, and humanity will slide into another Dark Age in which the rule of humankind will be of despotism, authoritarianism, and totalitarianism.

Four foreign thinkers, Douglas Murray, Jordan Peterson, Kemi Badenoch, and Konstantin Kisin, reflect on this decline of Western culture in their speeches at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship 2025 conference:

• Douglas Murray on A Civilization Moment: The Choices We Face
• Jordan Peterson on The Best of Our Inheritance: A Call to Remember
• Kemi Badenoch on The problem isn't liberalism, the problem is weakness
• Konstantin Kisin on The Better Story – Create Don’t Complain: Building a Better World

And finally, “JD Vance's Historic Full Speech At Munich: Slams European Leaders On Free Speech” confronts European leaders about what they stand for.

My readers would do well to watch these videos, as these speakers have much more knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom than I have to speak on this topic.

03/10/25 The Real China

In an article by David P. Goldman, “China as It Is”, he expounds on China Nationalism versus Western States' nationalism:

“Westerners think of a nation in organic terms: Nations begin with a common language, culture, and religion. They coalesce from tribes and clans, and then decide what sort of state they will have and what those states will do. The reverse has been true in China since its earliest beginnings, shrouded in legend and unearthed by archaeologists: The Chinese state created China, not vice versa. The core of the country is the enormous flood plain defined by the 8,000 miles of the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. Taming the floods and irrigating the fields made it possible for successive Chinese dynasties to assimilate peoples who still speak 200 dialects today out of six major language groups. This is not a new or original assertion: Karl Wittvogel’s 1957 book Oriental Despotism, among others, presented a similar thesis.”

He also notes that:

“. . . China’s hierarchical system never developed a dialectical philosophy comparable to that of Heraclitus, Parmenides, and Plato. Orders flowed from the Emperor to the provincial governor, from the governor to the local Mandarin, and from the Mandarin to the head of an extended family working a farm; its political system resembled nested Chinese boxes. The notion of an individual opinion had no practical value: There was no popular assembly, no Senate, no forum in which conflicting views might be debated. Chinese philosophy focuses on acceptance, hierarchical loyalty, or adherence to authority, in its respective guises of Taoism, Confucianism, and Legalism. It instantiates Hegel’s contention that Vernunft (loosely, critical reason) depends on freedom. America’s founders spent generations governing their affairs through church assemblies, town meetings, and provincial legislators before they ventured to create a republic. The Chinese in their 5,000-year history never had such an opportunity.”

He concludes this article by stating:

“I do not like this system, and I do not believe that it fosters the kind of disruptive creativity that challenges established modes of thought. Western culture has inherent advantages, or at least used to have such advantages when we still paid homage to the high culture of the West. But Chinese civilization has roots that have endured for thousands of years, and will not change to suit our sensibilities.”

Because of this, China has not led the world in new scientific or technological advances, along with advances in the arts and culture. Such advances require independent and non-group thinking that is not encouraged, and indeed is suppressed, in Chinese culture. It should also be noted that China’s entire 20th-century ascendance was based on purloining U.S. technology, exporting its products on the U.S. market below the cost of production to capture market share, and impelling American corporations to relocate, offshore, and outsource—thus leaving our industrial hinterland a "rustbelt."

Indeed, China is contributing almost nothing to the advancement of humankind, as such advancement requires respect for individual human beings and the allowance of individuals to be independent thinkers. Instead, China views the individual as consumers and/or producers who conform to what Chinese leaders believe they should be. Woe be to humankind if China is allowed to dominate the world, as such domination would reduce humankind to a state of modern serfdom.

03/10/25 Ukrainian Fables

There is a multitude of misinformation about President Trump and the war in Ukraine. As usual, Victor Davis Hanson cuts through this nonsense to expose Five Ukrainian Fables that are currently circulating. These fables are:

• Fable one: Trump is appeasing Russia?
• Fable two: A trade war?
• Fable three: America is bullying Europe?
• Fable four: Negotiating with Putin is selling out?
• Fable five: Europe is going to save Ukraine?

This article is well worth the read to clear away any misconceptions about what President Trump is trying to accomplish with his Ukraine policy. He ends his article by stating:

“Aside from all the present posturing and mock-heroics, the only way to save Ukraine is for the U.S. president, Donald Trump, to reflect joint Ukrainian, American, and European interests in stopping the war, forcing Putin as far back eastward as possible where he started in 2022, and creating a credible deterrent along with a DMZ/industrial corridor tripwire to stop another 2008, 2014, and 2022 invasion.

Anything else is empty carnival barking.”

03/09/25 Conducting Foreign Policy

Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the United States Constitution empowers the President to conduct Foreign policy with:

“He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.”

This clause has always been interpreted to mean that the President has the sole power to conduct foreign policy, limited to the approval of treaties by the Senate.

The Logan Act is a U.S. federal law enacted in 1799 that prohibits unauthorized American citizens from negotiating with foreign governments. It was created to prevent private individuals from undermining official U.S. foreign policy. It has been one of the least utilized laws in American history, has never been successfully prosecuted, and, in the opinion of many legal scholars, may be unconstitutional. Nevertheless, it expresses the point of view that the President or presidential delegates are to conduct the foreign policy of the United States.

When several Congressional Democrats intervened with the President of Ukraine to help scuttle the Mineral Rights agreement that President Trump had worked out with President Zelenskyy of Ukraine, they were interfering with the foreign policy powers of the President. If they did not like the agreement, the place to oppose it was in Congress, not in the Oval Office. The several Republican Senators who met with President Zelenskyy prior to the Oval Office meeting were doing so to facilitate the agreement and were not interfering with Presidential powers to conduct foreign policy.

Thus, it may be time to invoke the Logan Act against these Congressional Democrats to determine if they interfered with Presidential Foreign policy powers and to also help resolve the constitutionality or the boundaries of the Logan Act. Such a prosecution against these Congressional Democrats would give all an awareness of Presidential Foreign policy powers and give pause to those who would infringe on Presidential Foreign policy powers.

03/09/25 Nobody Elected Executive Officers

The only persons elected to office in the Executive Branch are the President and Vice-President. All others are appointed by the President, some are confirmed by the Senate, and all have their authorities, duties, and responsibilities delegated to them by the President. Thus, the phrase “Nobody Elected Them” when applied to Executive Officers is inane and shows a lack of knowledge of how our Constitutional government works.

In addition, there are many independent agencies within the federal government, and none of their leadership has been elected to their positions. These Independent Agencies' leadership positions are filled by appointments by the President and/or Congress, many with a fixed term of office. Thus, these leaders are unaccountable to anyone, least of all to the democratic will of the people, as I have written in my Chirp on "02/27/25 Federal Independent Agencies".

Consequently, when someone cries out that nobody elected them when referring to Executive Officers, they are railing against our Constitutional order, and they should be corrected and ignored. When someone has taken an oath of office to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and utters this phrase about Executive Officers, they are violating their oath of office to defend the Constitution, and they should be admonished and/or removed from office.

03/08/25 A Stunning Supreme Court Ruling

On Wednesday morning, March 5, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold a lower court ruling forcing the Trump administration to reinstate billions of dollars in foreign aid, which was placed under a 90-day moratorium by the president (Supreme Court denies Trump request to block $2 billion foreign-aid payment). In Justice Alito’s dissent, joined by Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas, he noted:

 “Does a single district-court judge who likely lacks jurisdiction have the unchecked power to compel the Government of the United States to pay out (and probably lose forever) 2 billion taxpayer dollars? The answer to that question should be an emphatic ‘No,’ but a majority of this Court apparently thinks otherwise. I am stunned.”

Alito continued.:

“Today, the Court makes a most unfortunate misstep that rewards an act of judicial hubris and imposes a $2 billion penalty on American taxpayers. The District Court has made plain its frustration with the Government, and respondents raise serious concerns about nonpayment for completed work. But the relief ordered is, quite simply, too extreme a response. A federal court has many tools to address a party’s supposed nonfeasance. Self-aggrandizement of its jurisdiction is not one of them. I would chart a different path than the Court does today, so I must respectfully dissent.”

While the issue of paying for work already done is important, the issue of Judicial interference in Executive powers looms larger. Alito’s dissent acknowledged a “frustration with the Government” and that the aid groups had broached “serious concerns about nonpayment for completed work.”

If a new President cannot pause federal funding to audit it for waste, fraud, and abuse, then the former President can load up on spending for their policy goals and agendas and reward their supporters before they leave office. This is exactly what occurred as the Biden Administration left office. The Biden Administration also hid this funding through a series of cash flow transactions through several organizations before it reached its final destination. There is also the possibility that very little of this money was used for its intended purpose, and instead, it was being utilized for administrative costs and salaries, which, if this were done by a private person or company, could be considered money laundering.

This judge’s decision also makes a judicial ruling superior to Executive powers and, thus, makes judges lords, as I have examined in my article "Judges, Not Lords". This judicial encroachment on the Executive Branch has become far too common in today’s governance, as lawsuits, rather than presidential discretion and political debates, are being utilized to achieve policy agendas and political goals. It is also true that these lawsuits are initiated in district courts by the process of ‘Forum shopping’ to have their legal case heard in the court they believe is most likely to provide a favorable judgment. This forum shopping needs to end, as it calls into question the neutrality and equal protection of the law in a judicial ruling.

Consequently, if the Supreme Court cannot see the importance of the issue of the balance of powers between the Executive and Judicial branches of government, then it may be time for the President to assert his Constitutional duty to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and defy the rulings of a Court as Unconstitutional. While this may provoke a Constitutional crisis, the encroachment of courts on Executive powers is also a Constitutional crisis. Thus, the Supreme Court must consider the issue of judicial encroachment on executive powers and make a clear and unambiguous decision as to the extent to which judges may intervene in executive powers while respecting executive powers.

addendum – Since I had written this Chirp, George Landrith, the president of the Frontiers of Freedom Institute, has written a column that addresses this topic—“Judicial Overreach and the Separation of Powers: Why Judges Cannot Run the Executive Branch” that supplements my thoughts.

03/08/25 The Tyranny of the Minority

The Senate Democrats are in the minority (by a small margin), and they are acting en bloc to thwart any Republican initiatives that do not accommodate their agenda. Rather than working with Republicans to achieve an accommodation, they are invoking the Senate rules process of cloture (as opposed to a filibuster), which is not in the Constitution but only in the Senate rules. These actions are known as Minoritarianism, or more commonly, “The Tyranny of the Minority”. Senate and House rules were formulated to ensure an orderly process while allowing all Senators and Representatives to voice their opinions with comity.

The Constitution was designed for a majority to prevail while protecting the rights of the minority. It was not designed for the minority to block the actions of the majority, as such blockage is undemocratic and often results in a lack of comity. Thus, the en bloc cloture actions of the Senate Democrats are not in the spirit of the Constitution, and they are destructive to the will of the people as expressed in elections.

To allow this to prevail is to allow the Congress to be ineffectual, as I have Chirped on "02/17/25 An Ineffectual Congress". An ineffectual Congress is not what our Founding Fathers devised, and such a Congress allows for Executive and Judicial Branch supremacy in the affairs of our government. This is apparent in the current Executive Orders of President Trump and the litigious lawfare waged by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists in the courts against these Executive Orders.

Our Founding Fathers meant for the Congress to be the place where the conflicts between the majority and minority were to be resolved. To utilize cloture to stalemate these conflicts is not in the best interest of America and, indeed, can be destructive to American society. Thus, I would say to the Democrat Senators and Representatives to accept that they are currently in the minority and that the American people voted for a change of course in the last election. In this acceptance, they should work for the betterment of America and Americans within the Constitution and not try to thwart the will of the majority of Americans, as expressed in the last election.

*********************************************** Fast and Furious *************************************************
With the pace of events in the Trump Administration and the numerous inanities and absurdities
of his opposition, I will begin as necessary to post more than one Chirp per day.
**********************************************************************************************************************

03/07/25 State of the Union Highlights

In his State of the Union address, President Trump noted his accomplishment in a few short weeks:

• Americans joining the military in record numbers.
• Bringing foreign investments into America.
• Bringing manufacturing home to America.
• Cutting regulations to unleash American prosperity.
• Declaring America’s youth are perfect as God made them.
• Declaring the brutal Tren de Aragua gang as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
• Ending censorship and bringing back free speech.
• Ending discriminatory “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion”.
• Ending political prosecutions (i.e., lawfare and the weaponization of government).
• Ending the harmful electric vehicle mandate.
• Ending the sexual mutilation of America’s youth.
• Ending waste, fraud, and abuse in government.
• Ending wokeness in the U.S. military.
• Implementing tariffs to combat illegal drug smuggling and illegal immigration.
• Imposing reciprocal tariffs to reduce trade deficits and unfair, discriminatory, or extraterritorial taxes imposed by our trading partners.
• Promoting health and wellness among Americans.
• Protecting our kids from radical gender ideology.
• Protecting women’s sports from the incursion of biological males.
• Pursuing peace in Ukraine.
• Recognizing only two sexes.
• Removing illegal alien killers, rapists, and drug dealers from our streets.
• Renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
• Securing historic investments in American chip manufacturing.
• Securing our border.
• Taking down illegal revenge porn.
• The capturing of an ISIS terrorist that masterminded the Kabul airport Abbey Gate attack.
• Unleashing American energy production.
• Waging war on the deadly cartels trafficking deadly drugs into our country.

He also mentioned his attempts for the peaceful acquisition of Greenland and the 'reclaiming' of control over the Panama Canal. With these accomplishments and actions, President Trump has united most Americans in support of his actions. He also highlighted several Americans during this address:

• A border patrol agent who shielded his partner from gunfire.
• A student getting accepted to West Point.
• A young boy fighting brain cancer becomes an honorary Secret Service agent.
• A young girl who was severely injured by a boy in a sports competition.
• Several family members of the victims of illegal immigrant criminal murders.
• The return of American Marc Fogel from Russian prison.
• The widow and daughters of the firefighter who was shot and killed during the attempted assassination of Trump.

It should be noted that the Democrats and Progressives did not applaud these persons, which demonstrates their lack of compassion, appreciation, and gratefulness of ordinary Americans, as well as their blind hatred of all things Trump.

 In addition, he called on Congress to pass legislation for:

• Defeating inflation.
• Ending taxes on tips, overtime, and seniors’ Social Security.
• Improving America's defenses.
• Lower taxes for all Americans.
• Punishing cop killers with the death penalty.
• Restoring the American shipbuilding industry.

President Trump also mentioned his success with restricting illegal immigration and said, “The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation. It turned out that all we really needed was a new president.” And we have a new President who is committed to making America great again. Referring to the attempted assassination in Pennsylvania last year, he said, “I believe that my life was saved that day in Butler for a very good reason. I was saved by God to Make America Great Again — I believe that. I do.” Let us hope that God continues to save and guide him in making America great again.

With these accomplishments and calls for Congressional action, President Trump has shown that he is indeed a political colossus in modern America, as I have Chirped on “03/05/25 A Political Colossus”. Americans need to support his actions and remember that there may be some short-term pains to achieve his goals, but long-term gains will be achieved for all Americans and America.

03/06/25 A Religious Fervor

Much has been said of the Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) that inflicts many Americans. Very little of this TDS is based on "Rationality" or "Reasoning", but it does resemble a religious fervor that has enveloped America in the past, most notoriously in the Salem Witch Hunts. This religious fervor is being led by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders as they believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. As such, they view Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as not just being wrong and stupid but that they are bad or evil persons, as demonstrated by their usage of pejoratives, as I have written about in my Article "Divisiveness in America".

Everything that they believe is true and correct is being challenged by Trump, and they are reacting as if he were committing blasphemy against their beliefs. They are ginning up their followers with religious fervor against Trump and his supporters, and they are provoking actions of their followers that are inimical to our American values of A Civil Society. In this, they are tearing down American society to be replaced by their religious beliefs, much like the Salem Witch Hunts tore apart colonial Massachusetts.

The difference between the religious fervor of Progressives and the exuberant Trump supporters is that the Progressives are primarily motivated by blind obedience and conformity, while Trump supporters are motivated by commitment to Freedoms and Liberties with individualism. Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists believe we have the liberty to do with what they agree with and the freedom to act within what they believe is acceptable. Consequently, all Liberties and Freedoms must be subsumed within these constraints. Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders believe that your Liberties and Freedoms are God-given rights that no person, organization, or government may suppress and that individualistic thought and speech are to be encouraged and promoted.

Consequently, this religious fervor needs to stop forthwith, as it can only harm America and Americans. It is perfectly fine to believe in Progressive values, but such beliefs should be based on rationality and reasoning and not religious fervor. To do otherwise runs the risk of the destruction of our Liberties and Freedoms and a slide into despotism in America.

03/05/25 A Political Colossus

The noted former news anchor Brit Hume, who has covered State of the Union speeches for decades, commented after President Trump’s latest speech, “If anyone doubted Trump is the ‘political colossus’ of our time, his joint address 'put that to rest.'”

A social media post by Doctor of Phrenology commented:

“I wanted a Chief Executive who is a super-competent manager. I wanted a Head of State that is a true statesman. I wanted a Leader who inspires greatness. Tonight I got what I wanted!”

Such are the superlatives that were made after President Trump’s latest State of the Union speech, and snap polls show that between 69% and 76% of the American people approved of President Trump’s speech.

The attitude and antics of the Democrats were disrespectful, and they did not even applaud the uplifting stories of some Americans that President Trump related. The admonishment of the Speaker of the House to maintain decorum was necessary, their use of paddles to show their opposition was childish, and the ejection from the floor of a Democrat Congressperson for lack of decorum was fully warranted.

President Trump was not kind nor reconciliatory to the Democrats, but his demeanor pales in comparison to how the Democrats treated President Trump in the past. The reminders of the failures of President Biden and his Administration, along with their turbulent political goals and policy agendas, were necessary to set the plate for President Trump’s reforms and agenda.

All in all, this was a speech that most Americans could get behind and follow to ‘Make America Great Again’.

03/04/25 Proper Argumentation

Much of what passes for argumentation in today’s political discourse is not proper "Dialog and Debate". I do not expect this to change, as proper dialogue and debate expose the weakness of much of the argumentation. Indeed, the purpose of their argumentation is not to uncover the facts and truths that proper dialog and debate would accomplish but to score points and gain support. Thus, it is up to the listener or reader to apply proper dialog and debate to their arguments.

Some rules of thumb to help you do this are:

Occam's Philosophical razors:

• "Simpler explanations are more likely to be correct; avoid unnecessary or improbable assumptions."
• "Entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity."
• "The simplest explanation, that fits all the known facts, is most often the correct explanation."

Hitchens's Philosophical Razor: "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." It is quite common for a person to make an assertion by referencing unnamed studies, statistics, or polls to back up their claims. Consequently, those making an assertion need to cite the study or reference the statistical model or poll in any claim they make to verify the validity of the assertion.

Hanlon's Philosophical razor: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."  And remember Aristophanes wisdom, “Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown. Ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever.” Therefore, the truly stupid person can never be reasoned with, nor can you change their mind. Consequently, determine if a person is truly stupid and then ignore their stupidity. Sagan’s Philosophical standard: "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

In addition, some of my own quotes (in alphabetical order), when applied to any argument, may be helpful:

"A picture is worth a thousand words, but it is also subject to a multitude of interpretations and misinterpretations."

"An understanding of the economics of a situation leads to a better and fuller understanding of the situation, or, as it has been said, 'follow the money' in any situation."

"Assertions are not facts, as they often contain Presumptions and Assumptions; Improper Facts; Faulty Reasoning; Logical Fallacies; Cognitive Biases; and the problems of Unintended Consequences that may be inherent in any assertion."

"Change can be good, bad, or indifferent. New governments, new ideas, new laws, and new regulations may help, but they may make things worse, and often they are neutral."

"Empirical data, properly analyzed, will lead you to the truth of any situation."

"If an argument is not intellectually rational and reasonable then it cannot reach a sound conclusion, except by accident."

"Just because you 'believe' something to be true does not mean that you 'know' something is true, and just because someone says it is true or false doesn't make it true or false."

"Obtaining advice from a person who is neither knowledgeable nor experienced in that particular subject is obtaining worthless advice (i.e. don't ask an opinion of someone who does not know what they're talking about)."

"One of the hubris of many intelligent people is that they believe that if they are smart about one thing they are smart about many things, including politics, economics, and sociology. What they do not realize is that nobody is really smart about politics, economics, and sociology, especially politicians, economists, and sociologists, as there is nothing definitive about politics, economics, and sociology."

"Reasons are often not Reasoning, as reasons are generally emotionally based while reasoning is intellectually based."

"The Burden of Proof always rests with the person who makes an assertion. To not do so is to ask the other person to prove a negative - which is very difficult to accomplish."

"The Burden of Proof must be based upon reasoning rather than emotions, for emotions will almost always lead to a false conclusion."

"There are three sides to every story: one side, the other side, and the truth. And it is always best to determine the truth before voicing an opinion."

"There can be no truths without proper facts and proper reasoning."

"Those that do not know history or science should not speak of history or science."

"To deny human nature, economics, or science, or to not acknowledge human nature, economics, or science is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."

"Without knowing the details, it is impossible to know the devils."

“If your reasoning is torturous and convoluted, then there is a high probability that it is improper reasoning, and you will reach a wrong conclusion.”

“Studies can show anything that the author(s) wish to find, and statistics can be misleading as they are dependent on the data inputs and the data manipulations of the author(s).”

“There are things that we know, things that we know we don't know, and things that we don't know that we don't know. It is the things that we don't know that we don't know that often cause the most problems.”

Finally, there is also confusion about “Experts” and “Evidence”. An expert opinion is not evidence; it is the expert's opinion of the evidence, an opinion that is often debatable and disputed by other experts. The consensus of experts is not proof of the evidence, as consensus often changes as new or changed evidence comes to light or previous evidence is discarded as incorrect or faulty. Therefore, "Experts Agree" is not a valid argumentation point, and it should be ignored.

03/03/25 Philosophical Razors

In philosophy, a razor is a principle or rule of thumb that allows one to eliminate ("shave off") unlikely explanations for a phenomenon or avoid unnecessary actions. My new article, “Philosophical Razors”, lists the most common razors that can be used to deconstruct an argument, have been extracted from the Sloww website. A Philosophical Razors cheat sheet graphic from this website may prove useful to my readers:

These Philosophical Razors should be utilized in your "Reasoning", along with "Formal and Informal Logic", Cognitive Biases", and "Logical Fallacies" to determine the correctness of an argument. It should also be remembered that the Burden of Proof is upon those making an argument and that the Rules of Reasoning be applied to both your and others' arguments, as I have written in my Article Burden of Proof and Rules of Reasoning.

03/02/25 The Relaxing Power of Classical Music

With all my commentary on the inane happenings in today’s America, it is easy to become stressed and anxious about events. Whenever this happens to me, I resort to playing relaxing Classical music to calm my nerves. Herewithin are my favorite short, relaxing, soulful, and lyrical Classical Music pieces:

• Albinoni: Adagio
• Bach: Air On The G String
• Barber: Adagio for Strings
• Beethoven: Adagio Cantabile
• Borodin: Quartet No. 2 in D major for Strings, III. Notturno: Andante
• Brahms: Waltz in A flat Major
• Chopin: Nocturne in E-Flat, Op. 9, No. 2
• Debussy: Claire de lune
• Dvorak: Songs my mother taught me
• Faure: Pavane
• Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, op. 46. Morning mood
• Khachaturian: Gayne's adagio
• Kreisler: Liebesleid
• Liszt: Un Sospiro Concert Étude No. 3
• Mahler: Symphony No. 5 in C sharp minor: Adagietto
• Mascagni: Intermezzo
• Massenet: "Thais" Meditation
• Mendelssohn: Sweet Remembrance
• Mozart: Adagio for Violin and Orchestra in E, K.261
• Offenbach: Les Contes D'Hoffmann: Barcarolle
• Pachelbel: Canon
• Rachmaninoff: Vocalise
• Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte
• Rubinstein: Melody
• Saint-Saëns : Le Cygne (Carnaval des animaux)
• Satie: Gymnopédie No. 1
• Schubert: Ständchen (transcribed by Liszt)
• Schumann: Träumerei, from Kinderszenen No. 7
• Smetana: Vltava (The Moldau)
• Sibelius: The Swan of Tuonela
• Tchaikovsky: Andante cantabile
• Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
• Williams: Schindler´s List Theme
• Traditional:

• Amazing Grace
• Greensleeves
• Londonderry Air
• Simple Gifts
• Shenandoah

For my thoughts on and my passion for Classical Music I would direct you to my webpages on Classical Music:

• Classical Music Appreciation An Introduction for those that know little or nothing about Classical Music.
• Classical Music Chirps - Paragraph sized, succinct comments, and recommendations for listening to some of the most  understandable and enjoyable Classical Music by all who listen to it, even those who are not all that interested in Classical Music.
• Classical Music Lists - Various lists relating to Classical Music.
• Classical Music Recommendations - Recommended compositions of Classical Composers, with associated YouTube videos.

03/01/25 The Counter-Revolution

As usual, Victor Davis Hanson has provided knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom to what is now happening in America. What is happening under the Trump Administration is a Counter-Revolution to the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders political goals and policy agendas of the last several decades. In his new article, “Who Caused the Counter-Revolution?” he delineates the cause and effect of what is happening in today’s America.

02/28/25 Nullification

Nullification is when a State or Local government attempts to negate Federal Law or Regulations in their Legislative Jurisdiction. However, Article VI of the Constitution has a paragraph that states that:

“This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.”

Thus, when any State or Local government attempts to negate Federal Law, it is in violation of the Constitution. There were various Nullification attempts in the 19th century, none of which succeeded, and Federal authority remained supreme. We fought a Civil War as a result of several State's attempts to nullify their adoption of the Constitution as a result of fears that the new Federal Government, under the control of President Lincoln and a Republican Congress, would restrict or outlaw slavery. The Civil War established that no State could withdraw from the Union and that no State could defy Constitutional Federal authority. Any disputes between state or local governments and the federal government are to be resolved constitutionally through the federal judicial process or by changing the law in Congress.

Alas, we are currently in a Nullification crisis. I speak of the current States and local governments that have Illegal Immigrant Sanctuary laws. The Constitution assigns all authority over immigration to the Federal government, which the Supreme Court has affirmed on multiple occasions. Consequently, when State and local governments have sanctuary laws that defy or negate Federal powers over immigration, they are Nullifying the Constitution. Such Nullification should not be allowed to exist and should be stopped forthwith. Any elected official who attempts to carry out these sanctuary laws is in violation of the oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. Any judge who upholds these sanctuary laws is also in violation of their oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. They should be removed from office and barred from any position of trust or honor in the United States. Any person who attempts to interfere with the implementation of immigration laws should be prosecuted and punished to the fullest extent of the law for obstruction. No reasoning nor excuses are valid for nullifying the Constitution or obstructing immigration law enforcement, and no quarter should be given to those who do so.

I am very much opposed to Nullification except in a very specific instance. If the Federal Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branch act in unison outside of their Constitutional powers, then the States need to exercise their powers under the Tenth Amendment and negate their unconstitutional actions. So far, in our history, this has not occurred, as most often the Supreme Court has ruled against such Legislative and Executive actions. However, it should be mentioned that the Supreme Court has not always been Constitutionally correct in its rulings, as I have written in my article "Supreme, But Not Always Right". It is only when all three branches of government act in unison that Nullification should occur, and hopefully, negotiations and compromise will resolve the issue before Nullification is considered. Let us hope that Nullification never occurs, as it would be a true Constitutional crisis and most likely rip apart our society.

The article on The Tenth Amendment website, “Nullification”, presents a different viewpoint, and this article should be considered when forming your own viewpoint on Nullification.

02/27/25 Federal Independent Agencies

Over the past almost hundred years, Congress has created Federal Agencies that are independent or semi-autonomous from both Congress and the President. Independent agencies of the United States federal government exist outside the federal executive departments (those headed by a Cabinet secretary) and the Executive Office of the President. These agencies have executive regulatory, rulemaking, and enforcement authority for the duties and responsibilities delegated to them by Congress.

Yet, Congress has no constitutional authority to create agencies outside of the President’s control, as the first words of Article II of the Constitution state: "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." Through some circuitous legal reasoning, the Supreme Court has allowed these agencies to exist. In an article on The Tenth Amendment website, “Are (Most) Independent Agencies Unconstitutional after Seila Law v. CFPB?” by Michael D. Ramsey, he examines the Constitutional history and issues of Presidential power over all Executive and Independent agencies of government. 

The original idea for these Independent Agencies was that certain functions of government needed independence from both Congress and the Presidency so that they could make non-partisan or bi-partisan decisions not influenced by the politics of either Congress or the President. In their being Independent agencies, they, in effect, have become a fourth branch of government not elected or beholden to the people of the United States. Such Independent Agencies can also work at cross purposes from both the Congress and the Presidency, and not always in the best interest of the people of the United States.

If Congress is concerned about the abuse of power by the President over these Independent Agencies, then they should remember that Congress has oversight responsibility, the power of the purse, and, if needed, the impeachment authority to reign in any abuse by the President. In the current structure of Independent Agencies, it is the Independent Agencies that can abuse their powers without any recourse from both Congress and the President. Such a situation should not be allowed to occur under our Constitutional Republic, as all Federal power is subservient and responsive to the American people through elected representatives in both Congress and the President.

02/26/25 Federal Judicial Powers

In an article on The Tenth Amendment website, “Who Decides? The Founders’ Forgotten System of Checks and Balances” by Michael Boldin, he states:

“There is not a syllable in the constitution, that makes a decision of the judiciary – of its own force, and without regard to its correctness – binding upon any body, either upon the executive, or the people.”

That’s from Lysander Spooner, an American abolitionist, entrepreneur, lawyer, essayist, natural rights legal theorist, pamphletist, political philosopher, and writer often associated with the Boston anarchist tradition, reminding us of an essential but long-forgotten fundamental principle repeatedly affirmed by the Framers: The Constitution is supreme, not acts of Congress, not the views of the president, and not opinions of the courts.

That brings us to a crucial question: Who decides when the Constitution is violated?

According to the Founders, the answer was simple – everyone. And that’s the key to understanding what real “checks and balances” under the Constitution are all about.

“Our judges are as honest as other men, and not more so. They have, with others, the same passions for party, for power, and the privileges of their corps. Their maxim is ‘boni judicis est ampliare jurisdictionem,’* and their power the more dangerous as they are in office for life, and not responsible, as the other functionaries are, to the elective control. The Constitution has erected no such single tribunal knowing that, to whatever hands confided, with the corruptions of time & party its members would become despots.”  - Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson understood that concentrated power, especially in an unelected judiciary, would inevitably lead to despotism. Judges could claim more and more authority, slowly eroding constitutional limits under the guise of interpretation.

Given the lawsuits against President Trump’s Executive orders and DOGE efforts, as well as District Judges issuing nationwide injunctions against these actions, the question of Judicial powers is more germane than ever. It should be noted that one of the reasons for the Revolutionary War was that the British Crown was appointing judges who were beholden to the King, and these judges were making arbitrary decisions based on the King’s predilections rather than law. Many judges are now issuing injunctions that are based on their Progressive predilections with little fidelity to the Constitution. Much of their rulings have been clothed through legal gobbledygook that will not pass Constitutional muster in the Appellate or Supreme Court. Which makes them lords rather than judges, as I have written in my Article “Judges, Not Lords”.

Judicial review of the Constitutionality of Congress’s or the President's actions is not enshrined in the Constitution but comes from an 1803 Supreme Court ruling, “Marbury v. Madison”, that established the principle of judicial review, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes they find to violate the Constitution of the United States. The question has always been, what can be done when the courts rule outside of the Constitution? It has happened before in our history, and it is happening more frequently in our modern history.

The aforementioned article on The Tenth Amendment website examines this issue of who decides when the Constitution is violated in the following sections of the article:

• The Judiciary’s Limited, Constrained Role
• Constitutional Supremacy
• Corruption
• Spooner: No Intrinsic Authority
• Coequal and Independent Branches
• No FORCE or WILL
• The Duty of Each Branch
• The Real Final Arbiter: The States

Mr. Boldin concludes that “Under the Constitution, no single branch holds absolute authority over its meaning. Each branch, and ultimately the people of the states themselves, must judge constitutional violations and act accordingly. This is the true system of checks and balances created and implemented by the Founders.”

Thomas Jefferson also warned about judicial supremacy to decide questions of the Constitutionality of actions by the President and Congress:

“the opinion which gives to the judges the right to decide what laws are constitutional, and what not, not only for themselves in their own sphere of action, but for the legislature & executive also in their spheres, would make the judiciary a despotic branch.”  - Thomas Jefferson

It is, therefore, past time that we take action to reign in judges who rule outside the Constitution based on their Progressive predilections. To not do so is to give up our Constitutional order and submit ourselves to the reign of lords in the judiciary.

 

*"Boni Judicis Est Ampliare Jurisdictionem" is a legal maxim, meaning it is part of a good judge to enlarge his jurisdiction. This principle emphasizes that a good judge should broaden the remedies available under the law to ensure substantial justice is served. However, a good judge cannot rule outside the bounds of the law, as such a ruling would then be arbitrary and capricious, which is anathema to the rule of law.

02/25/25 The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution

The Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”, is often the forgotten Amendment by the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches of the U.S. government. However, this is an extremely important amendment, as it limits Federal power to what is in the Constitution, and it delegates all other powers to the States or the people.

Through the usage of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language", these branches have usurped and expanded their powers beyond what the Constitution delegates to them, usually through the Necessary and Proper clause of the Constitution. Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 – the “necessary and proper” clause – is often called the “elastic clause” or the “sweeping clause” because many people believe it gives the federal government the power to do just about anything:

“To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.”

However, the necessary and proper clause doesn’t actually delegate any power at all. It’s what is known as a “recital. As constitutional scholar Rob Natelson put it, “A recital is a passage in a legal document that has no substantive legal effect, but serves to inform the reader of assumptions or facts behind the document”. In an article on The Tenth Amendment website, “Necessary and Proper Clause”, George Nicholas states that this clause only enables them to carry into execution the powers given them, but gives them no additional power.

The Tenth Amendment website has a number of short, readable articles on how the Federal government has usurped and expanded its powers by ignoring this Amendment. For those concerned about the loss of our Liberties and Freedoms to the government, this website is an excellent reference to how the U.S. government has violated this Amendment, which has led to the loss of our Liberties and Freedoms.

02/24/25 DOGE Savings

With DOGE uncovering tens of billions of waste, fraud, and abuse, with a goal of at least a trillion dollars in savings, the question is being raised as to what to do with the money saved. Some have suggested rebates to the taxpayers of the United States, and others have suggested that we use this money to pay down the national debt. It has also been suggested that we roll over this money to the next budget cycle. There has also been the suggestion that we should do a combination of these suggestions. Each idea has its own benefits and disadvantages, and it is difficult to make a decision on what we should do with these savings. It is much too early, and each suggestion has not been thought through before making a decision as to what we should do with the DOGE savings.

Alas, some Progressives have also suggested that we do not reduce the spending from the DOGE savings but only spend these savings on other priorities. In their calls for spending, they often make the claim to paraphrase Russell B. Long’s quote on taxing*, “Spend on me, spend on you, don’t spend on that fellow behind the tree!” Unfortunately, there is rarely anyone behind the tree. As typical for Progressives, they would rather spend than save, and I am sure that their ideas on how to spend this monies would be unacceptable to most Americans. I am unalterably opposed to their suggestion that we spend the DOGE savings. We need to reduce Federal spending to spur the economy and not increase the federal debt. We should also set a goal of no more deficit spending, as this puts a burden on future generations of Americans to pay for what we spend.

The DOGE savings are a challenge to Republican Congresspersons, as they are the party that claims they are fiscally responsible; they will have to be fiscally responsible with these savings. Otherwise, they will be held accountable by their voters, which will not be pretty if they act fiscally irresponsible.

 

*“Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree!”  - Russell B. Long

02/23/25 Saving Democracy

With all the wails and tears of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists about saving our democracy, the biggest wails and tears have been about DOGE. How dare Elon Musk and DOGE audit Federal government Departments and Agencies to expose waste, fraud, and abuse. According to them, it is a Constitutional crisis and an abuse of power to do so. Their cries that ‘Nobody elected Musk’ do not recognize that nobody elected the heads and their deputies of Executive Departments and Agencies, as I have written in my Chirp on “02/11/25 Executive Powers”. Are these heads and their deputies not allowed to perform an audit of their respective Executive Departments and Agencies because they were not elected? Do unelected bureaucrats get to decide how to expend monies allocated by Congress to their Departments and Agencies without Presidential oversight?

We can only conclude that they were more concerned about what DOGE would uncover rather than saving democracy. As it has been said by a noted national columnist in her article “What Democrats Really Meant About 'Saving Democracy'”:

“But it turns out that Democrats and the left weren’t warning about an end to democracy. They were panicking over an end to bureaucracy, which is a federal system that allows them to launder taxpayer funding for leftist pet projects in the United States and abroad.”  - Katie Pavlich

Their cries about the need for process and Congressional oversight are but an attempt to reign in DOGE and sublimate them into the black hole of Congress where their efforts will die or come out ineffective, as I have Chirped on “02/15/25 Process vs. Obstructionism” and “02/17/25 An Ineffectual Congress”. As such, their wails and tears need to be scoffed at by the American people and ignored by President Trump and Elon Musk.

02/22/25 The Burden of Proof and Rules of Reasoning

Throughout my Chirps and Articles, I have often mentioned the “Burden of Proof” on various topics. I have, therefore, decided that as I have often discussed this topic, it would be wise to coalesce my thoughts in a new Article, “Burden of Proof”.

We should always remember that when listening to a dialog, debate, or commentary where assertions are being made that:

"The Burden of Proof always rests with the person who makes an assertion. To not do so is to ask the other person to prove a negative - which is very difficult to accomplish."   - Mark Dawson

"The Burden of Proof must be based upon reasoning rather than emotions, for emotions will almost always lead to a false conclusion."   - Mark Dawson

We would also do well to remember what Christopher Hitchens once said, "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." I would argue that assertions without evidence must be dismissed without evidence. To do otherwise is to allow for an uncivil society, as I have discussed in my Article "A Civil Society".

The assertor often believes that their assertions are truths, as they rarely encounter resistance to these assertions, and thus, they continue to make their assertions. Alas, it is an unfortunate fact that in today’s society, many Progressives claim that they interpret the facts as they see them to be proper, but interpreting the facts by not applying proper facts and proper reasoning leads to improper conclusions. To reason properly requires that you take "A Philosophical Approach" to your "Reasoning" and apply the Rules of Reasoning, as elucidated in the book Rules of Reason: Making and Evaluating Claims by Bo Bennett, Ph.D. The authors’ rules are succinctly summarized in my new article, which should help you apply reason to assertions made by yourself and others.

02/21/25 Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)

A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus on humanitarian or social issues but can also include clubs and associations offering services to members. Some NGOs, like the World Economic Forum, may also act as lobby groups for corporations. Unlike international organizations (IOs), which directly interact with sovereign states and governments, NGOs are independent from them.

Untold and unaccounted for, billions are spent by the U.S. Government on NGO’s. Yet, nowhere in the Constitution is there any mention of Congressional funding for non-governmental activities. The regulation and oversight of these NGOs is rather loose, and who, what, when, where, why, and how they operate and spend their monies is largely up to themselves. It is also an unfortunate fact that many of these NGOs have a political orientation to support Progressive causes.

The first words of Article II of the Constitution: "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." requires that all operations and expenditures be under the purview of the President. Thus, funding for NGOs is extra-constitutional and, indeed, may be unconstitutional. Also, the morality of these NGO expenditures is a moral affront to many Americans and, as one of our Founding Fathers has said:

"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."   - Thomas Jefferson

Thus, these NGO expenditures are acting in a sinful and tyrannical manner, which is never acceptable in America. Consequently, these NGO’s must be brought under the umbrella of Presidential powers and incorporated into the United States government.

02/20/25 An Appalling Lack of Civics Education

In listening to Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists comments and assertions about our Constitution and government, it is apparent that they have an appalling lack of civics knowledge. There is also the issue of the proper interpretation of the Constitution, as I have written in my article "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution". In this lack of knowledge and their Democratic Constitution interpretation, the Democrats and Progressives are joined by the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate" due to their Progressive predilections. They often interpret the Constitution and government actions as what they want them to be rather than what they are. In doing so, they often use "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language" to justify their comments.

Alas, they will often make assertions without any proof and just as often will require their opponents to prove them wrong. In all of science, engineering, law, philosophy, theology, economics, statistics, and many other areas of human interactions, the Burden of Proof" is upon the person or persons who make the assertion, or as Christopher Hitchens once said, "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." When pressed for proof, they often retort that “Studies Show” or “Statistics Say”, not acknowledging that studies can show anything the author(s) may want them to say and statistics can prove anything based on the data inputs and data manipulations, as I have examined in my Article "Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave".

Given the appalling lack of civics education in American public education it has also led to uneducated people’s misunderstanding of our Constitution and the functioning of our government. What little civics education they receive in schools is often based on the Democratic Constitution interpretation and governance, due to the Progressive predilections of most public education teachers. Thus, civics education has become indoctrination, as I have written in my Article "Indoctrination versus Education". As indoctrinated people cannot make a rational decision; they will often make a poor decision with negative consequences for themselves and society.

Such a lack of civics knowledge is why the Democrats and Progressives can make inane assertions of a Constitutional crisis or a threat to democracy against their opponents. Anyone with proper Constitutional knowledge can see right through these assertions. If you do not know why these assertions are nonsense, then you should begin to question your civics knowledge and educate yourself as to what our Constitution actually says and how our government functions.

Until this situation is corrected, we will continue to see the American public confused about our Constitution and government. And this situation cannot be corrected without proper civics education and intellectual reasoned discourse. Alas, proper civics education and intellectual reasoning seem to have become passée in today’s America, and Democrats and Progressives prefer this situation as it allows them to manipulate the American public to support their political goals and policy agendas.

02/19/25 Just Following Orders

The Nuremberg Trials after World War II saw many of the defendants trying to employ the defense that “they were just taking orders” to absolve them of their guilt of crimes against humanity. While such a defense may be appropriate for lower-level officials who were unaware of the consequences of their actions, it was not an acceptable defense for those officials who knew, or should have known, the consequences of their actions.

Today, we see the same defense of those government officials who were involved in the Lawfare against President Trump and his supporters. As I have written in my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government", such lawfare is an assault on the Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights of all Americans. As I have Chirp on "11/26/24 Deprivation of Rights by Government Officials", such a defense should not be allowed for those government officials who knew, or should have known, that they were violating the Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights of those Americans who opposed the Biden Administration.

The current Trump Administration is looking into government officials who participated in this lawfare, and taking appropriate actions (dismissal or reassignment), along with possible legal actions against them. Such actions against those government officials who knew, or should have known, are not retaliation nor revenge, but retribution against those government officials in the Biden Administration who willfully violated the Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights of any American. Without this retribution, we run the risk of continued violations of the rights of Americans by any administration in the future, as government officials will be aware that they can violate our rights without retribution. To do otherwise, we will see the continued violations of our rights by government officials in the future.

As such, do not accept the excuse from these officials that we were just taking orders, as knowingly taking unlawful orders is to be an active participant in illegal actions. They should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for the purpose of affirming and reestablishing our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

02/18/25 Defamation and Pejoratives Tactics

As I have mentioned in my Chirp on “02/17/25 An Ineffectual Congress”, a significant reason for close elections and narrow divides in Congress is because of the Democrat's campaign tactics of fear and loathing of their Republican opposition. Such fear and loathing tactics only bitterly divide America, as it creates a dichotomy of the good people versus the really bad people. The Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists have resorted to defamations and pejoratives as their main fear and loathing tactic, as I have written in my Article "Divisiveness in America", which further exacerbates bitter divisions in America.

The Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are now using these defamations and pejorative tactics against Elon Musk and his staff in their DOGE efforts. The outing of his staff members’ identities is an attempt to instill personal fear of retaliation in his staff members. Such outings are loathsome and a danger to the functioning of government employees and must cease forthwith. Lawsuits against the people who have been involved in these outings should be undertaken, and the U.S. Attorney General should look into the possibility that crimes may have been committed by those so involved in these outings.

Such defamations and pejoratives against most Trump appointees have become part of the opposition tactics against President Trump, as they have become a common tactic of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists in the last several decades. Such defamation is often slander and libel that goes unpunished, as the Supreme Court has made it difficult for public figures to sue for slander and libel. The landmark U.S. Supreme Court 1964 decision in New York Times Co. v. Sullivan was a ruling on the freedom of speech protections in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which restricted the ability of a public official to sue for defamation. The bar for lodging such lawsuits has become so high that most public figures will not even lodge a lawsuit against those who have defamed them. This situation needs to be corrected, as it has led to the politics of personal destruction against any public figure that someone disagrees with.

Fortunately, the American people have begun to tune them out big time, and they are now only preaching to the choir. However, the Supreme Court must revisit the New York Times Co. v. Sullivan decision and lower the bar for instituting defamation lawsuits by public figures. Otherwise, we will permanently become a society of the politics of slander and libel to the detriment of America.

02/17/25 An Ineffectual Congress

The Real Clear Politics (RCP) Congressional approval poll from 12/5 through 2/11 shows that 22.8% approve and 65.8 disapprove of Congress, which is a spread of -43.0%. This disapproval percentage is well earned, as Congress has shown that it is ineffectual in addressing the concerns of regular Americans. It should be noted that this disapproval comes from both sides of the political spectrum, as Progressives do not believe Congress is doing enough to advance their agenda or stop the actions of Conservatives, while Conservatives believe that Congress is stymieing their agenda. In this assessment, both sides are correct that Congress is ineffectual.

However, the American people also deserve a large part of the blame for this situation, as they have consistently elected a Congress that is narrowly divided along Progressive Democrats and Conservative Republican political alignments, and with little Democrat or Republican Moderates in between. This narrow divide has allowed both parties to stymie each other’s political agenda. Whenever a hot-button issue is brought up in Congress, they often become deadlocked, and they often do nothing or water down legislation so much that it is ineffectual. Even the last election, which was a clear majority in favor of President Trump, was a narrow margin for Republicans in Congress. Until this narrow margin changes, it can be expected that Congress will be ineffectual.

A significant reason for these close elections and narrow divides in Congress is because of the Democrat's campaign tactics of fear and loathing of their Republican opposition. When you disparage, to the point of demonization, your opponents to gain electoral support, it is difficult to justify to your supporters any cooperation with the Republicans after the election. If you passionately believe, as many Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists do, that the Republicans, Conservatives, and MAGA supporters are demonic, then no cooperation is possible with such wicked persons. Thus, the Democrats in Congress are forced by their campaign tactics to be in opposition to and to stymie any Republican initiatives.

The "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate" also deserve some blame for this situation, as they have not challenged the facts and assertions of the Democrat's fear and loathing campaign. Indeed, they have been supportive of the Democrat's campaign due to their Progressive predilections. This has led to the ignorance of the American public as to the truth of the Democrat’s assertions. Given the appalling lack of civics education in American public education, it has also led to the uneducated person’s misunderstanding of our Constitution and the functioning of our government, which would lay bare the falsehoods of many of the assertions of the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists.

The Supreme Court also bears some responsibility for an ineffectual Congress. As I have Chirped on “02/14/25 An Unconstitutional Supreme Court”, many decisions on Constitutional questions regarding Congress and the Presidency have been ambiguous, as the Supreme Court has attempted to be more accommodating and vacillating to both sides of a constitutional issue rather than make a definitive decision on Congress and Presidential actions. Such vacillations have only intensified the divide within Congress and between Congress and the Presidency, which has led to a more ineffectual Congress.

Alas, until these circumstances change and the American people elect large majorities of one party in Congress and the Presidency, we will continue to have an ineffectual Congress. And God help America if this large majority is of the current Democrats, as their campaign tactics have been destructive of American society.

02/16/25 Sunshine is the Best Disinfectant

With all the vociferations of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists as to the DOGE efforts, the question is, “What are they hiding?” The answer is in what DOGE has uncovered. The administrative state that they have established over more than the last half a century has become the Progressive funding and slick Progressive effectuation state. They are, therefore, being vociferous because their machinations are being exposed, and their funding is being cut off.

In all their wailings, they are not defending the individual expenditures and intrigues; they are only decrying the process being used to cut their machinations off at the knees. But process can often be turned into obstructionism, as I have Chirped on “02/15/25 Process vs. Obstructionism”. Thus, they hope to divert the American people's attention onto the process and gloss over how the money is being spent.

The supporters and beneficiaries of this misspent money, especially in the Mainstream Media, are promoting the process argument while downplaying how the monies are being spent. Their argument that the money being spent is largely for humanitarian reasons or not a significant percentage of the Federal budget is without merit. Just because they are small wrongs, it does not make them any less wrong, and a mass of small wrongs makes it a large wrong. Any monies being spent improperly are a misuse of taxpayer’s monies, and the percentage of monies being misspent is significant when they are aggregated together. Given the massive Federal debt, it is critically important that Federal spending be reduced at all levels of government and in all amounts. Otherwise, we burden future Americans with our spending and the possibility of dire economic impacts on America. Accordingly, it is important that we allow DOGE to continue in its efforts to expose these expenditures and machinations.

Also, the morality of these expenditures is a moral affront to a majority of Americans and, as one of our Founding Fathers has said:

"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."   - Thomas Jefferson

Thus, the bureaucrats that have approved these expenditures are acting in a sinful and tyrannical manner, which is never acceptable in America. Consequently, transparency to the American people is of the utmost importance, and anyone who opposes this transparency is not operating in the best interests of America or Americans.

02/15/25 Process vs. Obstructionism

Process in government affairs matters to ensure an orderly, non-capricious, and just outcome occurs in government affairs. This is especially true of anything that occurs within the judicial system, as a process is needed to ensure our rights are protected. Process is also important in the Legislative and Executive branches of government to ensure that discrimination, favoritism, or bribery does not occur. The Administrative Procedure Act (APA) of 1964 was designed to rein in the administrative state and protect against overreach and actions by federal agencies that might be deemed “arbitrary and capricious”. However, agencies have figured out numerous ways to get around the “arbitrary and capricious” standard, as arbitrary and capricious are often in the eyes of the beholder and/or judges.

When agencies have done this, the process can be utilized to obstruct, convolute, and warp the Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights of Americans. The current bureaucratic rules and regulations in government seem to be more about protecting the bureaucrats than assuring a just outcome. Much of this process is justified for the protection of America or Americans, but much of this is actually for the protection of the bureaucrats and the institute of the rule of government. There also seems to be an objective of these rules and regulations to facilitate a progressive agenda for Americans (i.e., if it is progressive, it is approved; if it is not progressive, it is obstructed).

The excessive hurdles and time-consuming processes make it much more difficult to achieve a just outcome and opens the window to legal challenges to all bureaucratic decisions. Thus, Americans who are trying to achieve an approval or objective of the bureaucratic process are often stymied by the process.

The reform of these processes should be one of the goals of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to ensure that government is not an obstructor but a facilitator of the approval or objectives of common Americans. If we do not reform these processes, then we will become a government of the bureaucrats, by the bureaucrats, and for the bureaucrats.

02/14/25 An Unconstitutional Supreme Court

The primary responsibility of the Federal and State Supreme Courts is to uphold the Constitution. Yet, we have seen in the past that the Supreme Court has not always done so, as I have examined in my Article "Supreme, But Not Always Right". We have also seen in the 21st century that they have attempted to be more accommodating and vacillating to both sides of a constitutional issue rather than make a definitive decision on the Constitutionality of government actions. We have also seen moderate and weak decisions based upon an attempt to placate public opinion to uphold their esteem in the public eye. In their attempts to be conciliatory, they have not been faithful to the Constitution and have made rulings that are dubious as to the Constitutionality of government actions. Thus, confusion and misunderstandings as to Constitutional limits on government have occurred. They have also been very slow to make a decision, as is typical for legal proceedings, but such slowness has led to discordance and divisiveness in American politics. There is also the issue of the proper interpretation of the Constitution, as I have written in my article on "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution".

However, all of these issues are coming to a head as a result of President Trump’s actions in the first few weeks of his administration, as I have Chirped on “02/10/25 Fast and Furious” and “02/11/25 Executive Powers”. The Supreme Court not only needs to examine the actions of President Trump as to their Constitutionality but also the actions of Congress to ensure that they do not intrude upon Presidential powers, duties, and responsibilities.

When Congress allocates monies in general to various Departments and Agencies and does not specifically allocate monies to various line items of expenditure, then they have given the President authority to determine how to expend the monies so generally allocated. When Congress attempts to interfere with Executive Advisors to the President, they are intruding upon the President's ability to obtain independent advice, so long as the Executive Advisors do not attempt to institute such advice as that is the duty and responsibility of Executive Officers who are subject to Congressional oversight. When Congress creates an independent or semi-autonomous agency of government, they are violating the first words of Article II of the Constitution: "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." therefore, such independent or semi-autonomous agencies of government are unconstitutional.

It is time for the Supreme Court to get a backbone and stand up for the Constitution and the limitations of government, as well as for Constitutional order. The Supreme Court needs to be faithful to the Constitution, as it is the right thing to do, and it is also the best way to right the course of America. If they do not do so, then the question is of the best means to reign in the Supreme Court, as without such faithfulness to the Constitution, they are intruding upon the Liberties and Freedoms of all Americans. Not doing so would also make the Supreme Court an Unconstitutional Supreme Court.

02/13/25 Pejoratives and Baseless Allegations

As I have written in my article, “Divisiveness in America”:

“The use of pejoratives should only be utilized against people who have committed crimes, are immoral, or behaved in an unethical manner, not to people with whom you may disagree. And pejoratives should only be utilized in limited circumstances. They should never be utilized in political or social policy debates and discussions as this only leads to divisiveness. To do so otherwise demonstrates a lack of character or intelligence on the part of the people that utilize pejoratives.”

Yet, pejoratives seem to be the main arguments that Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists have to offer in response to the actions of President Trump and his Executive Officers and Advisors. They have also tried to utilize baseless allegations of undemocratic or unconstitutional actions by President Trump and his Executive Officers and Advisors, as I have Chirped on “02/11/25 Executive Powers”. In doing so, they have utilized "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language" to justify their baseless allegations and confuse the American public as to the merits of their baseless allegations. Such confusion is injurious to our Democratic republic, as it leads to misunderstandings about our Constitutional order.

This is the political tactic of fear and loathing, which they unsuccessfully tried during the 2024 Presidential campaign. It is a tactic that bitterly divides Americans into “Us” versus “Them” camps. It is also a tactic that depends upon the dumbing down of Americans to keep them ignorant as to the proper functioning of our Constitutional Democratic republic. Rather than trying to convince Americans that their ideas are better, they have engaged in pejoratives and baseless allegations to counter the actions of President Trump and his Executive Officers and Advisors. This makes them a party that is not fit to lead a people dedicated to Freedoms and Liberties and to Constitutional order.

02/12/25 Current Resistance and Obstructionism

The resistance to President Trump has taken a new and nastier form than the previous resistance to President Trump. Rather than fabricate charges directly against President Trump, they fabricate charges against the people who are nominated as Executive Officers or employed as Presidential Advisors to President Trump. They have taken the approach of loud verbal and nasty revilements and vilifications against these Executive Officers and Presidential Advisors, as well as anyone who disagrees with them, many of which are thinly disguised threats against those so targeted. They then use them as piñatas to be beaten upon in an attempt to smear and destroy their reputations. This is not hardball politics but nasty politics. It is also the politics of personal destruction. In this, we should remember the Bard of Avon’s wisdom:

“Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls: Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing; ’twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed.”  - William Shakespeare in Othello

They also claim that President Trump and his officers are acting unconstitutionally, with little or tortuous constitutional basis for such claims. They are also claiming that the Trump Administration is assaulting “Democracy” while they ignore that President Trump was democratically elected to reform the government. They have also begun to institute lawsuits based on dubious merits, and they are organizing and funding Blue State's resistance to Federal authority. Such Blue State's resistance is in violation of Article VI of the Constitution, which states:

“This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.”

Thus, utilizing State laws to contradict Federal laws is Unconstitutional, and State authorities, Judges, and Justices must accede to Federal laws, rules, and regulations. In these lawsuits they are Judge shopping to find sympathetic judges that Trump’s actions are Unconstitutional. This is being done in the hopes of tying up President Trump’s hands in protracted legal litigation. It should be noted that some of these lawsuits do raise legitimate Constitutional concerns, but most of these lawsuits are simply an attempt to obstruct President Trump’s executive powers, as I have noted in my Chirp on “02/11/25 Executive Powers”. Such judicial interference in the normal operation of executive power is a usurpation of the Executive Branch’s Constitutional authorities and makes them lords rather than judges, as I have written in my Article “Judges, Not Lords”.

Alas, such is the current form of “Obstructionism” and “Resistance” to the new Trump Administration. However, it is but resistance and obstructionism based upon the personal destruction of their opponents and frivolous lawsuits. Rather than trying to convince Americans that their ideas are better, they have engaged in the politics of personal destruction and Unconstitutional judicial obstructionism.

02/11/25 Executive Powers

The first words of Article II of the Constitution: "The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America." which gives the President quite a leeway in exercising executive powers. The President has the authority to delegate their duties and responsibilities to others in the Executive Branch of government, subject to oversight by the Legislative Branch and review by the Judicial Branch as to the Constitutionality and legality of their actions.

The Legislative Branch can only craft laws that deal with the process of Executive Branch operations, but such laws may not infringe on the authority or the duties and responsibilities of the President. No government department or agency can Constitutionally operate independently of the Executive Branch, and the President has the power to examine and direct government departments and agencies. When the Legislative Branch creates autonomous or semi-autonomous agencies, these agencies operate outside of the Constitution, as they violate the first words of Article II of the Constitution, which states that only the President has executive powers. Consequently, all such agencies must be brought under the authority of the President's executive powers for them to be Constitutional.

The Judicial Branch of government may not substitute their direction or discretion of executive actions, except when a clear violation of the Constitution or the legal process has occurred. As such, the Judicial Branch must defer to the Executive Branch unless a clear violation has occurred. When a judge issues a stay on an Executive Branch action that is of an ambiguous nature, they are substituting their opinion for the President’s opinion, and they also tie up the President in months, if not years, of legal actions. When judges do so, they anoint themselves with executive powers. For judges to do otherwise is, therefore, a violation of the first words of Article II of the Constitution.

Thus, when President Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and hired Elon Musk to lead the DOGE efforts, he was well within his executive power authorities to delegate Presidential duties and responsibilities to Elon Musk. As long as Elon Musk reports to the President or the White House Chief of Staff, works for and at the direction of the President, and gets the President's approval for his actions, there is no Constitutional issue. The only question is whether his actions as an advisor to the President are subject to legislative oversight, as his position is that of presidential advice rather than that of a Senate-approved executive officer of the United States. As for the judicial review of his actions, this, too, is rather limited, as he does not have the authority to make changes, only to make suggestions to the president and executive officers who implement the changes.

Consequently, if the President has the executive power to request information and/or investigate an executive department and/or agency, then DOGE has the delegated Presidential authority to investigate any department and/or agency that the President directs them to investigate, as they are operating under the auspices of Presidential Executive Powers.

Addendum – In an article published on Feb 25, 2025, by Seton Motley, founder and president of Less Government, “DOGE Is Constitutional. What It’s Exposing Is Unconstitutional”, he examines the Constitutionality of DOGE and the Unconstitutionality of Independent Agencies and the restrictions on the President in managing the Executive Branch of government.

02/10/25 Fast and Furious

In the three weeks since the inauguration of the 47th President Donald Trump we have seen a slew of nominations, Executive Orders, and Presidential and Executive Officers directions that are meant to reform the Federal Government and undo the damages of former President Biden. Most of these were to implement promises that President Trump made on the campaign trail (imagine that—a President implementing his campaign promises). Many of these have elicited (or aroused, as Senate Minority Leader Schumer put it) furious anger amongst Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as they are antithetical and anathema to the policies and political goals of President Trump’s opponents, but most of these actions are supported by a majority of Americans.

I have, to date, not Chirped on these nominations, Executive Orders, and Presidential and Executive Officers directions as I have been laid up with a virulent strain of influenza that put me in the hospital for two days and two nights and weaken and wearied me for the last three weeks. Given my medical and mental state, I thought it unwise to comment until I recovered. Now that I am sufficiently recovered, I will be Chirping once again.

My biggest take is that these actions were necessary to right the course of America and to institute Common Sense in the actions of government. My biggest concern is that these actions be Constitutional and that they should eventually be enacted in legislation to avoid being overturned by a future President who may not agree with them. It is also the right Democratic Republic thing to do to have Congress codify these changes in legislation.

01/31/25 AI and the End of Humankind

As I have written in my Article “Is Artificial Intelligence Possible?” and my collected Chirps on "Artificial Intelligence", a world dominated by Artificial Intelligence (AI) may not be desirable and could possibly be a sterile world. It also raises the specter of the end of humankind, as the noted Science Fiction author Arthur C. Clarke spoke of in a 1964 interview “ARTHUR C. CLARKE - Predicts the end of Mankind and the rise of Artificial Intelligence”. As in Frank Herbert’s Dune novels, the Butlerian Jihad (the bible of Dune) states: “Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.” as this led to a devastating war between man and machine. The great science fiction author Isaac Asimov also explored this conflict in his robot stories and novels, which led him to postulate four laws of Robotics and the conflicts of these laws in human interactions:

• Zeroth Law - A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.
• First Law - A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
• Second Law - A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
• Third Law - A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

While this may only be science fiction, much science fiction has been illuminating of the possible impacts that scientific advances may have on humankind.

The recent advances in AI should give all to pause and consider the impacts of AI on humankind. We should not be solely led into a world of AI by the proponents, supporters, and investors of AI, but we should also consider the philosophers, moralists, and theologians' concerns about an AI world. If we are to live in a world of AI, it should be a deliberate choice balanced by the concerns for humankind and the proper usage of AI alongside Human Intelligence (HI). Not doing so is to lead us down a perilous path that could lead us into conflicts with AI and/or portend a dangerous struggle with AI or the end of humankind in the future.

01/30/25 Neo-Darwinism Issues and Concerns

According to Dr. Stephen Meyer, Director of the Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture, he and many other evolutionary biologists believe that the modern Neo-Darwinism theory of evolution falls short on several fronts and fails to prove the overall theory (which he explains in a Joe Rogan Experience interview). Austrian evolutionary theorist Gerd B. Müller has written a scientific paper, “Why an extended evolutionary synthesis is necessary”, explaining why we need to rethink the Neo-Darwinism Theory of Evolution. Dr. Meyer’s five Explanatory Deficits of Neo-Darwinism are:

1. Origin of Life: Darwinism does not explain the origin of life itself. It describes the process of evolution once life exists but does not address how the first living organisms came into being from non-living matter.
2. Complex Structures: The theory struggles to fully explain some biological structures’ sudden appearance and complexity. Critics argue that specific organs, such as the eye, exhibit “irreducible complexity,” meaning they need all their parts to function and could not have evolved incrementally.
3. Fossil Record Gaps: The fossil record shows abrupt appearances of fully formed species without clear transitional forms. This lack of “missing links” challenges the gradualist evolution model.
4. Genetic Information: Darwinism is often criticized for not explaining the origin of the vast amounts of genetic information in DNA. Some consider the random mutations and natural selection described by Darwinism insufficient to account for the complexity and specificity of genetic codes.
5. Macroevolution vs. Microevolution: While Darwinism explains small-scale changes (microevolution), such as variations within species, it is criticized for not adequately explaining large-scale changes (macroevolution) that result in the emergence of entirely new species and higher taxonomic groups.

A growing number of scientists agree: Our universe and life were produced by intelligent design, not unguided evolution. Thus, a new field of evolutionary biology, Intelligent Design, has arisen that is scientific and non-religious (i.e., not creationism and not pseudoscientific):

“Intelligent design refers to a scientific research program as well as a community of scientists, philosophers, and other scholars who seek evidence of design in nature. The theory of intelligent design holds that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. Through the study and analysis of a system’s components, a design theorist is able to determine whether various natural structures are the product of chance, natural law, intelligent design, or some combination thereof. Such research is conducted by observing the types of information produced when intelligent agents act. Scientists then seek to find objects that have those same types of informational properties that we commonly know come from intelligence. Intelligent design has applied these scientific methods to detect design in irreducibly complex biological structures, the complex and specified information content in DNA, the life-sustaining physical architecture of the universe, and the geologically rapid origin of biological diversity in the fossil record during the Cambrian explosion approximately 530 million years ago.”

We would all do well to consider Intelligent Design and its implications and to keep an open mind as to its possibility.

Dr. Stephen Meyer’s free mini-book, "Scientific Evidence For A Creator", is a very interesting read for those interested in the fundamental origins of life. In addition, Dr. Casey Luskin has written a web article, “What Is Intelligent Design?” that can be viewed here, and Dr. Jay Richards has written a web article, “What Intelligent Design Is — and Isn’t”, that can be viewed here.

01/29/25 Mysteries of the Modern Universe

Almost 120 years ago, in 1905, a Patent Clerk 2nd class from 1902–1909 at the Swiss patent office in Bern, Switzerland, the PhD Physicist Albert Einstein published a series of papers that ultimately shook the foundation of Physics so much so that Physics prior to 1905 is now known as Classical Physics, and from 1905 onwards would be known a Modern Physics. These papers proved the existence of atoms, the quantum nature of subatomic processes, and the relativity nature of the Universe (his famous papers on Brownian motion, the Photoelectric effect, and his Special Theory of Relativity and the equivalence of Mass and Energy). While it took several years for these papers to be recognized as revolutionary, they soon became the foundation of Modern Physics. In 1915, he published another paper on the curvature of spacetime (General Relativity), which, when proven in 1919, displaced Isaac Newton’s Theory of Gravitation, which had stood unchallenged for over 230 years.

Since that time, all scientific observations and experiments have shown these theories to be correct and have provided a solid foundation for the advancement of Modern Physics. However, in the last several decades, Modern Physics has several conundrums that need resolution for physics to be coherent and unified. Much of these conundrums have arisen from observations by Space Telescopes and significant technological improvements to Particle Accelerators that have occurred in the last several decades. Most of these conundrums are small-scale, but a few of them are large and strike at the heart of physics.

My new Science Article, “Mysteries of the Modern Universe”, which replaces my old article on the Mysteries of Modern Physics, examines the large-scale conundrums that need resolution, and such resolutions will significantly impact modern physics and our understanding of the workings of the Universe. These large-scale conundrums are:

• The Irreconcilableness of Quantum Mechanics to General Relativity
• The Mutual Exclusiveness of Quantum Entanglement and Special Relativity
• The Problems with the Big Bang Theory
• The Nature of Dark Energy and Dark Matter
• What is the Physical Nature of the Arrow of Time

01/28/25 Modern Science Issues and Concerns

Modern science has walked hand-in-hand with the progress of humankind, and it has often led to this progression of humankind. Advances in modern science have advanced all other endeavors of human progress, from medicine, psychology and psychiatry, technology, the arts, as well as religion, morality, and ethics, and to other arenas of human progress, including economic, political, and social advancements.

Science does not have all the answers to the workings of nature, but it is the best means to obtain the answers to the workings of nature, as I have examined in my article “On the Nature of Scientific Inquiry”. Science must continue to probe the workings of nature, and science must always question its current answers to determine the facts and truths of the workings of nature. To not do so is to wallow in ignorance and to stymie the progress of humankind.

However, it is unfortunate that much of modern science is trivial science. Although this trivial science may be interesting and may lead to non-trivial science, it can lead to excessive spending that may not be necessary. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to differentiate between trivial science and non-trivial science. If scientists were spending their own money or the money of university/research institutions, this would not be a problem. However, much of science is funded by governmental means. Even if it is money that the University/Research Institutions are spending, when you follow the money back to its source, you will often find governmental funding. Sometimes, there is even a shell game where the governmental funding sources are hidden for unworthy reasons.

These problems, along with the other problems of modern science, as I discussed in the subsection “The Troubles with Science” in the aforementioned article, need to be addressed for modern Science to thrive and continue to assist in the advancement of humankind.

For more of my observations and opinions on scientific issues and concerns, I would direct you to my web page on Science Articles.

01/27/25 Scientific Speculation

There is an area of scientific inquiry that is known as Scientific Speculation. This area of scientific inquiry is not based upon observations or experiments; it is simply scientists speculating "what if". As it is not based on observation or experimentation, it cannot be actual science, but it is an important area of scientific inquiry as it can lead to actual science. This raises the scientific question of the purpose of science, in which the answer is for science to explain the Real World Out There (RWOT), as one of the greatest scientists of all time has said:

"Reality is the real business of physics."  - Albert Einstein

Science needs to be in the business of explaining the RWOT; otherwise, what is the purpose of science? Without the goal of explaining the RWOT, science would simply be an intellectual enterprise with no goal other than science (as much as mathematics is). Any science without the goal of explaining the RWOT is not actual science but speculative science. A danger of speculative science is that non-scientists may misinterpret speculative science as actual science and assume the speculations to be the facts and truths of the RWOT. This can lead them to poor judgments about scientific issues, which can lead to negative repercussions in society as a whole.

A scientist, or a group of scientists, will speculate to determine the possibilities of a scientific inquiry, but if they do not have the ability to observe or experiment on their speculations at that moment in time, then it is not actual science. Scientific Speculation is very important as it gets the creative juices of the scientist started. Often, the results of this Scientific Speculation are that they discover ways in which they can turn the speculation into science. Many of the scientific theories of the 20th century (especially in astrophysics, atomic physics, and quantum theory) have started out as scientific speculation. Often, mathematics is utilized as a point of discussion for speculation. If the mathematics is good, they then start to determine if they can create experiments or make observations that would confirm their speculations. Many times, scientific Speculation strays into other areas of scientific inquiry, and new science in these other areas is a result.

Scientific Speculation should be encouraged, as it often leads to scientific breakthroughs, but it should be labeled as speculation and not taken as actual scientific fact and truth until proven by observation or experimentation. A good example of this is the discovery of the Higgs boson. The Higgs boson was first postulated in the mid-1960s, and it was not actually proven until 2013 after the Large Hadron Collider was developed and an experiment was performed that revealed the Higgs boson. Another good example of this is the modern scientific Speculation of the creation of the universe known as the Multi-verse. It may never be possible to prove or disprove the Multi-verse, but it has led to much useful discourse among scientists. These Scientific Speculation issues and concerns, along with other scientific issues, also apply to The Anthropic Principle and String (or M Theory) Theory.

You must always keep in mind that just because science says something may be possible does not mean that it is possible. Just because science says that something may happen does not mean that it has happened, is happening, or may happen. It is just as possible that it has never happened, is not happening, and will never happen. Thus, Scientific Speculation should always be kept in its proper place in science. A place in which scientists can freely speculate, but a place that is not in the RWOT.

01/23/25 What Happens If They Don’t Want It?

McKinsey & Co.’s Mobility Consumer Pulse recently released a survey that found that 46 percent of electric vehicle owners in the United States said that they were “very” likely to revert to owning a gas-powered vehicle next time they buy a car. The reasons for this change of mind are:

“The biggest reason EV owners cited for wanting to return to owning a gas-powered vehicle was the lack of available charging infrastructure (35%); the second-highest reason cited was that the total cost of owning an EV was too high (34%). Nearly 1 in 3, 32%, said their driving patterns on long-distance trips were affected too much due to having an EV. The biggest reason EV owners cited for wanting to return to owning a gas-powered vehicle was the lack of available charging infrastructure (35%); the second-highest reason cited was that the total cost of owning an EV was too high (34%). Nearly 1 in 3, 32%, said their driving patterns on long-distance trips were affected too much due to having an EV.”

This trend is likely to continue because the problems of owning an electric vehicle cannot be negated in the near term of the next decade. The American people are stating loudly and clearly, with their money, that they have little faith in the viability of electric vehicles in the near term. Yet the government continues to spend taxpayers’ monies on subsidies to manufacturers and consumers, as well as funding other aspects of electric vehicles. The government is also setting goals for the production of electric vehicles, as well as making it more difficult to purchase and operate gas-powered vehicles.

Thus, the government is restricting a person’s Liberty and Freedom to choose what they think is best for themselves and coercing suppliers into producing unwanted products. When a government tries to force someone into doing what the government wants rather than what the person wants or coerce businesses, it is called totalitarianism. In a country dedicated to Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All, such actions by the government should not be tolerated. Consequently, it is past time for the government to get out of the electric vehicle business and allow the free market to determine the supply and demand for electric vehicles.

Note – President Trump’s Executive Action on the Green New Deal has for now put an end to this question and leaves the decision of what car to purchase up to the consumer—where it belongs.  

01/22/25 What Happens When the Sun Doesn’t Shine, The Winds Don’t Blow, and You Encounter the Sounds of Silence?

It was recently reported that the quantity and velocity of the winds in North America declined in the year 2023. We also know that it is impossible to predict cloud cover and inclement weather, and their extent and duration, when the sun will not be shining. We have also become aware that as electric vehicles run more silently than gas-fueled vehicles, pedestrians and drivers are less aware of the approach of electric vehicles, and the number of car collisions and automobile accidents involving pedestrians has increased when an electric vehicle is involved.

Thus, the question of what happens with renewable energy is when the sun doesn’t shine, the winds don’t blow, and when humans encounter the sounds of the silence of electric vehicles. Anybody who would respond that battery backup for solar and wind technology is displaying their ignorance of battery technology and/or the quantity of battery electrical storage needed to power our economy. For anyone who would respond that humans need to become more aware of their surroundings, they are not acknowledging human nature, and to deny human nature will lead to calamitous consequences.

It is not practicable to turn on fossil fuel power generation plants that are dormant (or running at very low power generating capacity) when solar and wind are supplying power, as the efforts in doing so can be time-consuming along with other technological problems. Most of the academics and activists who propose this solution have neither the engineering knowledge nor practicable experience to make this claim reliable. The only power-generating capability that can accomplish this is Nuclear Power, and the same people who desire solar and wind power are often opposed to Nuclear Power, along with others who are distrustful of Nuclear Power.

To not address these questions is foolish, and as we all know, “fools rush in where angels fear to tread”. Consequently, unless we answer these questions, we are being directed by fools. We should ignore these fools and insist that these questions be answered before we rush in and down the path to calamity. Otherwise, we are all fools deserving of the consequences of being foolish.

Note – President Trump’s Executive Actions on Energy Independence has for now put an end to this question and has put America on a path to self-sufficiency and future growth to power our economy.

01/21/25 The Harm of Preemptive Presidential Pardons

President Joe Biden on Friday, January 17, 2025, announced that he had commuted the sentences of almost 2,500 individuals who were convicted of non-violent drug offenses, especially those impacted by sentencing disparities. These commutations are an affront to the American people, as they speak of someone (i.e., President Biden) overriding the Law as passed by Congress and affirmed by court rulings. He, as President, may have the right to do this, but he has no moral justification for doing so. If he felt that an injustice was being perpetrated by these sentences, then he should have proposed to Congress that they modify the law. Upon the passage of the modified law by Congress and his signing of the modified law, it would then have been morally justified to issue these commutations. Joe Biden doing it all on his own speaks of his authoritarian nature and disregard for the principles of our Democratic-Republic form of governance, as I have Chirped on "12/08/19 A Democratic-Republic".

Just hours before Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States on Monday, January 20, 2025, President Joe Biden issued pre-emptive pardons for a number of high-profile figures, shielding them from potentially being held accountable by the incoming administration. The pre-emptive pardons were announced Monday morning for Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Gen. Mark Milley, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, lawmakers and staff that served on the Jan. 6 Committee, including former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Rep. now Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), as well as U.S. Capitol and D.C. Metropolitan police officers who testified before the Select Committee. Then, just minutes before President Trump was sworn in, Biden preemptively pardoned his family members who had been involved in questionable activities with foreign governments and entities.

With these preemptive pardons that President Biden has issued, we have become a society without the rule of law. If Executive Officers and others believe that they can violate the law and not be held accountable via a preemptive Presidential Pardon, then they will have no restraint on any actions they may take. There will be no rule of law to constrain their actions, and we will become a nation that abides by the rule of men rather than the rule of law.

As I have written in my Chirp on "12/10/24 Pronounced In Law", the utilization of Presidential Pardons should be constrained to after a person has been Pronounced in Law that they have committed “Offences against the United States”. As such, preemptive Presidential Pardons would be Unconstitutional, and the Rule of Law would reign supreme in America.

01/20/25 Our Modern-Day Lobotomies

The question of transgendered children raises many issues, one of which is medical treatments for such children. Putting aside the other issues which I have addressed in my collected Chirps on "Transgenderism - Sex and Gender", and only addressing one aspect of the issue of transgendered treatments raises profound moral and ethical concerns.

In the past, we medically treated many people for perceived mental problems in an inappropriate manner. The great mathematician Alan Turing, who helped speed up the end of World War II by breaking the German Enigma cryptography machine, was sentenced to chemical castrations for his homosexual acts along with many other homosexuals. Lobotomies, a discredited form of neurosurgical treatment for psychiatric disorders or neurological disorders (e.g., epilepsy, depression) that involves severing connections in the brain's prefrontal cortex, were often performed. False memory syndrome (FMS) was a proposed "pattern of beliefs and behaviors" in which a person's identity and relationships are affected by false memories of psychological trauma. Recollections that are strongly believed by the individual but contested by the accused, which often traumatize both the accuser and the accused.

History has not been kind to these treatments, as they are now considered barbaric and inhumane. Today, we have the issue of medical treatments for child transgender transitioning. I believe that history will not be kind to child transgender transitioning, for, as it has been said:

“There are no trans kids. No child is 'born in the wrong body'. There are only adults like you, prepared to sacrifice the health of minors to bolster your belief in an ideology that will end up wreaking more harm than lobotomies and false memory syndrome combined.”  - J.K. Rowling

Consequently, transgender transitioning medical treatments of children are of a dubious moral and ethical foundation, and they need to end. Sacrificing a child’s future for an ideology is never acceptable and betrays a lack of morals and ethics amongst its supporters.

01/19/25 New Meanings for Old Words

If you are currently listening to the Mainstream Media and Democrat politicians, you may have discerned that there are some new meanings for old words. Apparently, disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation have a new meaning, as they now mean anything that does not support Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists narratives. Divisiveness has also taken on a new meaning—anything that is politically inconvenient for Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists is divisive, while any criticism of President Trump and his Administration is for the purpose of unifying Americans against Trump.

While this shift in meaning started prior to the reelection of President Trump, it has reached gale force after his reelection. The American people, however, are not buying it. Those who are adopting these new meanings are Progressives speaking to other Progressives and Democrat politicians speaking amongst themselves, and they both live in a bubble of Progressiveness to which non-Progressives pay little heed.

The only good that will come of these new meanings is that it will further isolate Progressives from the rest of America and that these changes of meanings do not change any minds nor garner more support for Progressives and Democrat politicians. Therefore, I would say to those that adopt these new meanings, “Keep it Up!” as it will further alienate the voting public and lead to the defeat of Democrat Party candidates and their Progressives/Leftists policies.

01/18/25 Recognition of the 28th Amendment

President Biden, on Friday, January 17, 2025, announced his “recognition” of the Equal Rights Amendment. He tweeted, “Today I'm affirming what I have long believed and what three-fourths of the states have ratified: The 28th Amendment is the law of the land, guaranteeing all Americans equal rights and protections under the law regardless of their sex.” 

The facts and truths are that it was not ratified, as the window Congress gave to be having expired decades ago. President Biden (or at least his staff) should know this, and he and his staff know the President has no role in amending the Constitution, as do all the Democrats pretending it is now the law of the land. They’re only lending their names and positions to it as a political stunt to raise money and spur lawsuits by various left-wing groups across the country. As usual, Jonathan Turley had the most cogent remarks about this in his article, “I See Dead Amendments: President Biden Issues Otherworldly ERA Declaration”.

Those elected officials who swore an Oath of Office to “Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution of the United States”, who now claim the 28th Amendment is the law of the land, are in violation of their oath of office, and they should be censured by their governing body for violating their oath. Blatantly lying about the Constitutionality of something known to be Unconstitutional is not preserving and protecting the Constitution but subverting the Constitution, and such people should not be in positions of political power.

01/15/25 You Get the Leadership of That Which You Elect

The devastating Los Angeles wildfires are a result of the lack of Democrat leadership, which the people of Los Angeles and California elected. Rather than ensure that the basic services (i.e., Criminal Justice, Firefighting, Highways and Roads, Water Supply, Waste and Sewer Management, Resources Management, Elementary and Secondary Education, Emergency Public Health Services, and Safe, Reliable, Abundant, and Affordable Energy), the people of Los Angeles and California elected leadership that was more concerned with social welfare and social justice (i.e., Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Identity Politics, Political Correctness, and Virtue Signaling, along with a host of other non-basic services). While the Los Angeles wildfire raged, the California Legislature met in special session to try to “Trump Proof “ California rather than address the many basic services problems of California and its cities, as Michael Shellenberger has written in his perceptive and penetrating book “San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities”.

The people of Los Angeles and California do not deserve what has occurred in these wildfires, but they have earned it. They earned it by whom they elected as their leaders, and as the Bible has said, “A man reaps what he sows.” they have reaped the wildfires from their election and reelection of Democrat politicians more concerned about social welfare and social justice than ensuring basic services are of preeminent importance. In their attempts to create a social Elysium they have created a basic services Dystopia.

For their actions, the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists who have led Los Angeles and California for the last several decades must be held accountable. An inquiry as to the causes and responses to wildfires must go beyond just the physical reasons for the wildfires and the technical responses but also into the leadership failures that led to the catastrophe. Alas, given the propensity for Democrat leaders to avoid accountability through excuses, I suspect that there will be little accountability and many excuses in this inquiry, while the inquiry itself will be heavily politically influenced. This inquiry must also examine the current state of preparedness of other California cities for wildfires and other natural disasters.

They fowled their own nest, and they, therefore, must accept responsibility to clean up their own mess. There will be a hue and cries for Federal funding to help clean up their mess, but such hue and cries are an avoidance to accept accountability and responsibility for their mess. The people of the other States had no say in the government of Los Angeles and California, which gave rise to this mess, and, therefore, they should have no obligation nor responsibility to pay for the cleanup and rebuilding of Los Angeles and California. No amount of Virtue Signaling by those demanding Federal assistance should be heeded, for there is no virtue in helping someone avoid the responsibility for their own actions. Pleas of charity for assistance should only be directed to individual Americans and should not be required from other States taxpayers.

These wildfires and responses should also be a warning to other Americans as to the dangers of ignoring or reducing government resources for basic services. It should be remembered that without basic services, it is not possible to achieve social welfare and social justice. It should also be remembered that the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are the forces for social welfare and social justice at the expense of basic services for all localities and States in America in which they have political power.

Consequently, it is time for the American people to turn out of office to those politicians who don’t prioritize basic services, as they pose a real danger to the well-being, health, and safety of all Americans.

01/14/25 Free Thought and Free Speech

Recently, the American biologist Dr. Jerry A. Coyne, Ph.D., wrote an article, “Biology is not bigotry”, that was originally published in the Freedom From Religion Foundation’s Freethought Today publication. It has since been removed by Freethought Today because “it does not reflect our values or principles.” So much for free though and free speech, and so it has become for many Higher Education and Academic Institutions.

It is not free thought, but group thinking has become the modus operandi in higher education and academic institutions. Bending your knee to the prevailing wisdom or suffering the consequences has replaced free thought and free speech. As such, many of the thinkers in these institutions live in fear that if they express any thought or opinion contrary to the prevailing wisdom, they will be repudiated and punished.

Such a bending of the knee is contrary to one of the main purposes of Higher Education and Academic Institutions. Free thought is required to uncover facts and truths that advance knowledge and human progress, and free speech is needed to propagate this knowledge.

It should be remembered that facts and truths are not bigotry but only observations that need to be accepted and accounted for. Anyone who claims facts and truths are bigotry is trying to lead you astray and warp your worldview. If you allow them to succeed, you will live in an unreal world in which you will suffer terrible consequences. It should also be remembered that, as in one of my own quotes, “Your freedom of speech does not give you the right to violate my freedom of speech.”, and that no one has any right to censor anyone’s free speech.

Such censorship of free speech in Higher Education and Academic Institutions needs to be examined by Congress to determine if these Higher Education and Academic Institutions are worthy of receiving Federal funding. Any Higher Education or Academic Institution that engages in censorship or the suppression of free speech is unworthy of receiving Federal funding, as these actions are antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas. As Jonathan Turley has written in his article, “A New Year’s Resolution: Let’s Get the United States Out of the Censorship Business”, “. . . we need to get the United States out of the censorship business by passing a law barring any federal funds for the use of censorship, including grants to academic and NGO groups.”

01/13/25 Free Speech in All Forums

The political scandal of the cover-up of President Biden’s mental health, along with the cover-up of the COVID-19 origins and proper responses, has been exacerbated by the suppression of free speech under the label of disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation. Not only was the government suppressing free speech, but the forces of the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate" were involved in this suppression.

Many of those involved in this suppression justified their actions by claiming that free speech was only protected against government actions, but as private concerns, they were free to suppress any speech that they thought was improper. This raises the question; “Does the right of free speech only apply to government actions, or does it apply to all aspects of society?” Jonathan Turley, the noted Constitutional scholar and Free Speech advocate, has answered this question in his book “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage” and has additionally commented that:

“As the ACLU has long maintained, censorship occurs in both private and governmental forums. The same figures insist that, if there is no violation of the First Amendment (which only applies to the government), there is no free speech violation. The First Amendment was never the exclusive definition of free speech. Free speech is viewed by many of us as a human right; the First Amendment only deals with one source for limiting it. Free speech can be undermined by private corporations as well as government agencies.”  - Jonathan Turley

Consequently, the next Congress needs to examine this issue, not only in the suppression of free speech by the government but also in the suppression of free speech in non-governmental arenas. In doing so, it would be wise to heed the words of our first President:

"If the freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."  - George Washington

01/12/25 Virtue and Vanity

Both virtue and vanity are rarely present in a single individual. A virtuous person often recognizes their own limitations and is often subdued about their merits. A vain person does not acknowledge their inadequacies, nor are they humble. A virtuous person should be admired for these qualities, and a vain person should be ignored for their conceit.

Alas, in modern America, virtue has become a rare attribute, and vanity is often rewarded, especially among celebrities and politicians. As I have written in my article “Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue Within Government and Society”, “Virtue was the most important for elected and appointed officials, as well as public servants, in the practice in their public duties. Virtue was also important for the people to practice, as it is necessary for the retention of our Liberties and Freedoms.” We all should remember the words of wisdom of our Founding Fathers about virtue:

“To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical [imaginary] idea.”  - James Madison

“Is there no virtue among us? If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. No theoretical checks-no form of government can render us secure. To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea, if there be sufficient virtue and intelligence in the community, it will be exercised in the selection of these men. So that we do not depend on their virtue, or put confidence in our rulers, but in the people who are to choose them.”  - James Madison

“The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess the most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society, and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous while they continue to hold their public trust.”  - James Madison

“I go on this great republican principle, that the people will have virtue and intelligence to select men of virtue and wisdom.”   - James Madison

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom."  - Benjamin Franklin

"Virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government."  - George Washington

“When public virtue is gone, when the national spirit is fled the republic is lost in essence, though it may still exist in form.”  - John Adams

Thus, the Founders saw a direct link between virtue and sustaining their revolutionary experiment. They recognized that for their new democratic republic to endure, society had to cultivate virtues at personal and public levels.

We should also take heed of the words of Oliver Cromwell, an English statesman, politician, and soldier widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms (fought between 1639 and 1653), initially as a senior commander in the Parliamentarian army and latterly as a politician. A leading advocate of the execution of Charles I in January 1649, which led to the establishment of the Commonwealth of England, he ruled as Lord Protector from December 1653 until his death in September 1658. His words are also a warning for our new Congress and Presidential Administration if they do not commit to the change that the American electorate expressed in the last election:

“Ye are a factious crew, and enemies of all good government…Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there not one vice you do not possess?...Ye have no more religion than my horse. Gold is your God…Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation. You [who] were deputed here by the people to get grievances redressed are yourselves become the greatest grievance…Go, get you out! Make haste! Ye venal slaves, be gone!...In the name of God, go!”  - Oliver Cromwell

Those in government without virtue or an excess of vanity should “In the name of God, go!” and not be permitted to sow the seeds of destruction of our society.

01/11/25 Using Courts to Discredit, Tarnish, and Smear

On Thursday night, 01/09/2025, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing that took place on Friday, 01/10/2025, but stated that he could still challenge his conviction “in the ordinary course on appeal”. It is well known that the ordinary course of appeal may take several years to accomplish, during which time President Trump’s opponents will be able to tarnish him as a convicted felon.

Also, on Thursday, 01/09/2025, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a bid from President-elect Trump’s two co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case to block the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s final report. A report that is totally one-sided, as the defendants had no right to legally challenge and cross-examine the witness against them. A report that is also dubious as Jack Smith’s appointment may have been unconstitutional and pursued in violation of Presidential Immunity, as I have Chirp on, "08/18/24 Supreme Court ‘Reforms’ on Presidential Immunity".

While these opinions may be legally proper, they are harmful to the presidency and are not in the best interests of the American people. As I discussed in my Chirps on “01/10/25 Discrediting and Tarnishing President-elect Trump” and "01/11/23 Biden’s Classified Information SNAFU", these efforts were nothing but an attempt at Lawfare as I have written in my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government".

Many legal scholars and judicial commentators have pointed out the injustices of the indictment and trial that are an affront to the American legal system (for more information please review Jonathan Turley’s article “Merchan’s Monster: Judge’s Attempt to Calm Townspeople Fails In Trump Trial”). Previously allowing these judicial actions to proceed raised concerns about judicial interference in an election, and it now raises concerns of possible judicial interference in the President's official duties and responsibilities, which is a concern about the encroachment of the Judicial Branch upon the Executive Branch. As such, the judicial system has become part and parcel of the weaponization of government. While Judges and Justices must be very concerned about the Rule of Law and the integrity of judicial proceedings, to allow these concerns to override “Justice” is to pervert the judicial system against “Justice”.

The American people have passed their judgment on these lawfare proceedings by electing Donald Trump as the next President, and to allow this lawfare to continue is an affront to the American people. It also makes many Americans wary of the judicial system in that such lawfare has not only been waged against Donald Trump but also against his supporters and ordinary Americans who have opposed government actions. One of the most important things that the next Trump Administration could do to restore trust in the judicial system is to pursue legal action under “18 U.S. Code § 242 - Deprivation of rights under color of law” against those who have allegedly violated this law.

Woe to be for all Americans if this is allowed to continue, for a society of Liberty and Freedom loving people that believes that “justice” has been perverted is a society that is ripe for an insurrection against “Injustice”.

01/10/25 Discrediting and Tarnishing President-elect Trump

Judge Juan Manuel Merchan is a Colombian-born American judge and former prosecutor. He is an acting justice of the New York State Supreme Court in New York County (Manhattan). He presided over the 2024 criminal trial of former U.S. president Donald Trump, in which Trump was found guilty. Merchan is the first judge in history to preside over a criminal indictment and a guilty verdict of a U.S. President and the first judge to hold a President in criminal contempt of court.

However, his outrageous actions and distemper, along with his rulings and interpretations of the law, have shown him unfit to be a judge or a lawyer. Now he has become a threat to Justice and The Rule of Law in America and to the office of the President. In his Trump Derangement Syndrome and efforts to get Trump, he has disgraced himself and the judicial system of New York. The Appellate and Supreme Court of New York have also disgraced themselves by not reigning in Judge Merchan.

Many legal scholars and judicial commentators have pointed out the injustices of the indictment and trial that are an affront to the American legal system. This indictment and trial is nothing but an attempt to wage Lawfare against former and now President-elect Trump, as I have discussed in my Chirp on "09/19/23 Lawfare". They were wholly done for the purpose of discrediting Trump in an attempt to influence the Presidential election and are now continuing in order to tarnish Trump in his future presidency.

Such tactics are a form of smear politics, and they have no place in the judicial system. They tarnish and discredit the judicial system, and they sow distrust in the judicial system. Until this injustice is corrected, the American people should be wary of not only New York's judicial system but also all judicial systems in which lawfare has been instituted.

It is time for the U.S. Supreme Court to step in and end this charade for the good of the country and to reestablish the integrity of all judicial systems in America. This should be done under Section 1 of the 14th Amendment, which states, “nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”. In doing so, the U.S. Supreme Court should declare that the indictment, trial, and conviction of Donald Trump are null and void with prejudice (cannot be reinstituted). They should also declare that Judge Merchan be removed from his judgeship and his law license be revoked as a warning to all judges in America that such actions are not permissible in the judicial system. Until this happens, the integrity of all judicial systems in America will be in doubt.

Update: On Thursday night, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to block President-elect Donald Trump's sentencing to take place on Friday, but that he could still challenge his conviction “in the ordinary course on appeal”. While this opinion may be legally proper, it is harmful to the presidency, and it is not in the best interests of the American people. A future Chirp of mine shall examine this action of the Supreme Court and its impacts.

01/09/25 Oh, Canada

There has been much talk about Canada becoming the 51st state in the Union ever since President-elect Trump chided Prime Minister Trudeau about Canadian policies that are harmful to America. While the Canadian policies need to be reformed to make them more equitable and fair, as well as to assure the safety of America, the issue of statehood for Canada is continuous (and maybe facetious and not serious), yet it may not be a bad idea but fraught with difficulties to achieve. My new article, “Oh, Canada”, is an examination of the issues and concerns regarding the admittance of Canada into the United States.

01/08/25 Take Care that the Laws be Faithfully Executed

The U.S. Constitution twice imposes a duty of faithful execution on the President, who must “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed” as stated in Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution, and in Article II, Section I of the Constitution to take an oath before they enter on the Execution of his Office:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

If the President is taking care that the laws be faithfully executed, then no Federal, State, or local officers or officials may take any action that obstructs their Constitutional duties and responsibilities. Thus, any Federal, State, or Local officers or officials who obstruct the President’s enforcement of Immigration and other laws are unconstitutional acts. In addition, the efforts of Federal, State, or Local officers and bureaucratic officials to “Trump Proof” their governance could possibly be considered unconstitutional if done prior to the inauguration if such acts impede the future President’s efforts to faithfully execute the laws after they enter office.

In either case, before or after his inauguration, they are un-American and undemocratic acts, as they obstruct the peaceful transition of power and supersede the will of the people as expressed in their votes. Such people who engage in these activities should be removed from office and barred from any future position of trust or responsibility in any branch or level of government in America. To not do so is to harm the body politic, as it places such persons in a position of unrestrained authority above the people’s will as they hinder the faithful execution of the President's duties and responsibilities.

01/07/25 Lame Duck Sessions

The actions of President Biden and his Administration since the election of President-elect Trump have been appalling and counterproductive to the interests and will of the American electorate. His Executive Orders, his release of Gitmo detainees, his pardons and commutations, his allocating monies, his “Trump-proofing” the government, and even his Presidential Medals of Freedom have been outrageous and offensive to the American people.

Thus, we need to have a serious discussion about limiting what any President can do in the ultra-lame-duck three months after an election timeframe. If our political leaders were angels, we wouldn’t need to worry about it. But the Democrat Party Leaders have shown that they are no angles and, indeed, have shown themselves to be devils when handing over power to the Republicans.

Consequently, President-elect Trump must not only plan a transition but also plan how to undo the actions of President Biden in his lame-duck session. This is not how our Founding Fathers envisioned a peaceful transition of power when they created the Constitution, and the modern Democrat Party has once again shown that they have little fidelity to our American Ideals and Ideas.

01/06/25 Regaining Trust

The Biden Administration has been a reign of pervasive lying and liars. Starting with his own denials of corruption in his and his family members' pay-to-play schemes, to his physical and mental health incapacities to serve, and now ending with his despicable pardons, he and the people who served under him have lied profusely. Whether it be before Congress in testimony by Administration officials, from his Press Secretaries' briefings at the White House and to all other Departments' Press Secretaries, to all of their public statements and journalist interviews, it has been a cesspool of lies. All these lies have been made without any accountability when they are uncovered. The situation has become so bad that nobody but the most partisan of his supporters believes anything that they say. This has resulted in a complete lack of trust in government officials and the American public.

Once this trust is lost, it is extremely hard to regain. For us to remain a cohesive society, we must regain this trust. While President-elect Trump has been known to exaggerate, he has not outright lied, and he speaks his mind and tells you what he believes to be the truth. You may not like what he says, but you know he means what he says and that he will not outright lie to the American public. It is hoped that he will instruct his officers to be truthful in all their dealings with the Courts and Congress.

When Trump becomes the next President, it is time for accountability to be implemented. The negative consequences of these lies are immeasurable and were very harmful to America and the American people. The breadth and depth of their lies are too enormous to ignore in the name of comity or bipartisanship. Those who testified falsely before a Court or Congress need to be prosecuted by a Special Counsel appointed by the new Attorney General for their criminal actions of perjury. Those who lied without perjury need to be publicly excoriated and condemned for bearing false witness to the American people. This is not revenge but retribution in an attempt to restore trust by making those who lied to the American people accountable for their words and deeds. 

Until such accountability occurs, it may not be possible for the American people to trust the government. Such accountability will also deter future government officials from perjuring themselves and hopefully lead to a more honest government that the American people can trust.

01/05/25 How to Make America Great Again

Stephen Moore, an American conservative writer and television commentator on economic issues, has written an article, “10 New Ideas to Make America's Economy Great Again in 2025”. In this article, he outlines the steps required to make America healthy, prosperous, and great again in 2025:

1. Slash Job-Killing Regulations
2. Make the Trump Tax Cuts Permanent
3. Replace Welfare With Work
4. Use America's Abundant Natural Resources
5. Cut Medical Costs by Demanding Health Care Price Transparency
6. Allow School Choice for All Families
7. Implement a Pro-America Immigration Policy
8. Revive America's Great Cities
9. Pull the U.S. Out of the Paris Climate Change Treaty and Other Anti-America Agreements
10. Finally, Drain the Swamp

He concludes his article by stating:

“These are admittedly bold aspirations for an economic transformation toward freedom and free enterprise. But the one person who can get it done is Trump.”

Let us hope that President Trump takes his advice and succeeds in implementing these suggestions. If so, we will indeed become healthy, prosperous, and great again in 2025.

Note— For more of Moore’s thoughts, please visit his webpage on Townhall.

01/04/25 The Failure of the 25th Amendment

The 25th Amendment to the Constitution deals with Presidential succession in the event of the death or disability of the President. It has become apparent, due to President Biden’s failing mental and physical health since before his ascension to the Presidency, that he was unfit to be President. The recent report on Biden’s health in The Wall Street Journal reveals his sharp mental decline and his Administration’s efforts to cover up his decline since the beginning of his Presidency. As Jonathan Turley has written in his article “He has Good Days and Bad Days”: The Journal Exposes the Concerted Effort to Conceal Biden’s Mental Decline:

“In an explosive exposé, the Wall Street Journal has revealed how the mental decline of President Joe Biden was pronounced from the start of his term. However, cabinet members and other Democrats lied to the public about his declining levels of acuity and engagement. That effort succeeded largely with the help of an alliance with the media, which showed little interest in whether the President was actually running the government.”

And:

“The belated interest in the story reflects not only the limits of modern journalism but the limits of the 25th Amendment. From the outset, there was concern over Biden’s acuity and stamina within the White House. It was hidden from the public. His cabinet members like DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, and others quashed claims of any diminishment with first-hand testimonials about how sharp and impressive the President was in meetings. Vice President Kamala Harris echoed those claims.”

He concludes his article by stating, “The problem was never “age shaming,” it was a shameless effort to shield this president from tough questions and public exposure.”

Anyone in the Biden Administration, from the Vice-President on down, and anyone in Congress who knew of his mental condition and said nothing or helped with the cover-up is guilty of perpetrating a fraud upon the American public, and they were derelict in their duty to take appropriate action. The appropriate action would be to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution and determine President Biden’s fitness to hold the office of the Presidency. Anything else is nothing but an attempt to hold onto the reins of power regardless of the consequences. Such people behaved despicably and were unworthy of having any power; thus, they needed to be denied any future access to power. Lady Macbeth (i.e., Jill Biden) also bears responsibility for allowing her husband to continue in office despite his obvious physical and mental decline.

This report is also an indictment on the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate" for their failure to investigate and report on Biden’s mental decline. Those who knew and said nothing or assisted in the cover-up are unworthy of any trust in the future, and they should be ignored by the American public in any of their future statements or reporting. This entire spectacle also makes it hypocritical of those journalists who are now concerned and worried that Donald Trump's lawsuits against the press will cause them to "self-censor" as if they haven't been vigorously self-censoring for the last four years.

The reason for a free press in the 1st Amendment to the Constitution is so that they can investigate and report on what is occurring in government so that the American people can make a judgment on government actions. Without a free press, the government can take many actions that are antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas and become an oppressive government. For journalists to not report the facts and truths makes them propagandists for the administration and, indeed, makes them a Fifth column for those that they support.

Consequently, the 25th Amendment must be replaced to avoid this situation in the future. The ability to remove a President who is no longer physically or mentally fit to hold office must be taken out of the hands of persons who benefit from the President remaining in power and placed in the hands of those who will act in a virtuous and bipartisan manner for the good of the country. In today’s hyper-partisan environment, this may be difficult to achieve and may not even be possible, but the American people deserve better and to not be led by a President who is physically or mentally incapable of holding the office of the Presidency.

01/03/25 The Worst Presidency

In Rob Natelson’s article, “The Biden Presidency: The Worst in History?”, he makes the case that using Constitutional duties and responsibilities criteria as a guide for evaluating a President, Biden eventually will be remembered as one of America’s worst Presidents. As his article states, the Constitution’s Criteria are:

“The Constitution charges the President to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” In other passages, some less overt, it charges him with administering the executive branch, recommending policies to Congress, vetoing bad bills, appointing good federal officers, and conducting foreign policy.”

In the section of his article on “How Does Biden Rank?”, he examines the following record of the Biden Administration using Constitutional criteria and commonsensible standards:

• Foreign policy
• Military policy
• Law enforcement
• Scandal
• Moral Authority/Demagogy/Polarization
• Equal justice for all vs. abuse of power
• Intelligence
• Vision

In his conclusion, he states:

“It is sobering that we have lived through one of the worst administrations in U.S. history and that, despite this record, Biden’s chosen successor lost the popular vote by less than two percentage points.

Yet it is a tribute to our Constitution that America survived even this administration, and it is reassuring that the electorate finally decided to end it.”

This article is not only an indictment of President Biden and his Administration but of all the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists who supported and excused his and his administration's conduct. It is also time to end these supporters as holders of political power in America. To do otherwise is to run the risk of future Presidents and Administrations' failure to uphold their Constitutional duties and responsibilities.

01/02/25 Truths and Lies

This month’s Book It selections are about some of the biggest truths and lies that evade and pervade America and Americans. Until the truths are accepted and the lies rejected, it is not possible to have a rational and reasonable discussion on the issues that they invoke; confusion will prevail, and solutions will fail. These Truths and Lies books are:

Vivek Ramaswamy, an American entrepreneur and billionaire, Presidential candidate, and now, along with Elon Musk, the co-head of the Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E. or DOGE), has written a book about basic truths and the true meaning of America First. Truths: The Future of America First by Vivek Ramaswamy explores ten truths that drive America First. These truths, and their impact on America First, are:

• God is Real
• The Climate Change Agenda is a Hoax
• “An Open Border is Not a Border”
• There Are Two Genders
• There Are Three Branches of U.S. Government, not Four
• The Nuclear Family Is the Greatest form of Governance Known to Mankind
• Reverse Racism Is Racism
• Nationalism Isn’t a Bad Word
• Facts Are Not Conspiracies
• The U.S. Constitution Is the Strongest Guarantor of Freedom in History

Alan Dershowitz is an American lawyer and law professor known for his work in U.S. constitutional law and American criminal law. From 1964 to 2013, he taught at Harvard Law School, where he was appointed as the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law in 1993. Dershowitz is a regular media contributor, political commentator, and legal analyst. He is a person that I highly respect and someone who I regularly read and then think about his articles and books, and I will sometimes modify my opinion based upon his thoughts. While Alan is a Liberal Democrat, with whom I often disagree with his governmental and social policies, I am in solid agreement with his views on Anti-Semitism in America and the world.

He has written a small book, The Ten Big Anti-Israel Lies: And How to Refute Them with Truth, in which the title is self-explanatory to the contents. These lies, and their impacts, are:

1. The Accusation: “Israel Is a Colonial, Imperialist State”
2. The Accusation: “Israel Denied Statehood to the Palestinian People”
3. The Accusation: “Israel Caused the Refugee Problem of the Palestinians”
4. The Accusation: “Israel Is an Apartheid State”
5. The Accusation: “Israel Is Guilty of Genocide and War Crimes”
6. The Accusation: “Israel Is Engaging in Forced Starvation”
7. The Accusation: “Israel Engages in Illegal Occupation of Palestinian Territory”
8. The Accusation: “Israel’s Illegal Settlements in the West Bank Are a Barrier to Peace”
9. The Accusation: “Israel Is Preventing a Two-State Solution”
10. Claim: “Iran Is Not a Barrier to Peace”

Many of these truths and lies I have written about in my Chirps and Articles. These books are a succinct summary of these truths and lies and the impacts on America by the deniers of these truths and the supporters of the lies (i.e., most Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders). Those who deny these truths and support the lies are adrift in a cloud of uncertainty that obscures their moral and ethical values and which leads them and us down a path of ruin for our society. Such a ruination of our society will not only have a devastating impact on America and Americans but also on the future progress of humanity in the attainment of an enlightened future for all people.

01/01/25 Always Remember

As we enter into the new year, rather than resolutions, I would suggest that you always keep in mind the following:

12/31/24 Societal Unhappiness

In my previous Chirp on “12/30/24 Personal Unhappiness”, I examine how personal unhappiness seems to abound in modern America. What also seems to abound in modern America is a sense of unhappiness in our society. This unhappiness is often the result of high expectations for a society dedicated to Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. Our failure to achieve the optimal of these noble goals leads many to unhappiness with our society. What many people fail to recognize is where we started and where we are in achieving these noble goals, as they utilize Presentism to adjudge American history, as I have written in my Chirp on “05/06/24 Whence Anti-Americanism”. There is also a failure to understand the meaning of or confusion about these noble goals. Much of this is due to the failures of Public Education and a belief in The Biggest Falsehoods in America, as well as a misunderstanding of our American Ideals and Ideas.

This unhappiness is most predominant amongst Progressives/Leftists, as they have an almost utopian vision of what America should be. But they have forgotten, or did not know, the words of the great French philosopher, author, and journalist Albert Camus, “Utopia is that which is in contradiction with reality.” They also have no conception of the Systemic Family, Education, and Faith Problems in America, and they will not acknowledge the failures of Progressivism as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives".

Progressives and Leftists seem to be determined to spread this unhappiness in their desire to fundamentally transform America. In this, you should not allow them to make you unhappy about America. Despite the issues and concerns about the problems in modern American society, we can take comfort in the fact that, in America, we have always tried to improve our society. It is in this effort to improve our society that we should be happy about, and we should continually strive to improve America to achieve our noble goals.

12/30/24 Personal Unhappiness

Happiness, the state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy, is the emotions experienced when a person is in a state of well-being, a goal that every person desires. Indeed, it is a fundamental Natural Right as expressed in the Declaration of Independence as one of:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

As such, happiness is part of our nature, and the pursuit of happiness is inherent to our nature. However, the consequence of violating our nature—physical, moral, intellectual— and its moral and ethical limits is unhappiness, whose myriad symptoms include malaise, guilt, shame, despair, arrogance, cynicism, self-pity, victimization, and delusion.

Yet, in modern America, unhappiness seems to abound. Unhappiness has a range of meanings, including misery, destitution, grief, distress, squalor, sorrow, and misfortune. All these reveal different dimensions or shades of unhappiness. The question then is, why is there so much unhappiness in America? The answer may lie within our personal goals to achieve a state of happiness—in both the spiritual and material goals we set for ourselves to obtain happiness. Not enough, or too many, spiritual or material achievements in our life can lead to unhappiness, and a lack of focus on long-term satisfaction for short-term gratifications can lead to unhappiness.

Consequently, our expectations for our lives also play a role in our unhappiness. Too high expectations and too low achievements in our lives will lead to unhappiness. But our expectations of ourselves often exceed our talents, abilities, skills, knowledge, and intelligence, as most people have a higher opinion of themselves than the reality of themselves. In many cases, the opportunities for achievement in life can be limited by the external circumstances surrounding our lives. Having more realistic goals for our lives and achieving many of these goals will lead to more satisfaction and happiness in our lives. However, it is possible to improve our talents, abilities, skills, knowledge, and intelligence through hard work and education (both formal and autodidact), which will increase our chances of obtaining satisfaction and happiness in our lives.

12/29/24 Happiness is Owning a Dog and/or Cat

In reading a book about Albert Camus, the author, Robert Emmet Meagher, recounts a story of meeting James Watson, one of the team that discovered the double helix structure of DNA, in which Watson remarked that almost everything anybody needs to know about life can be learned from dogs: courage, companionship, cleverness, loyalty, honesty, and love. He spoke with such enthusiasm and affection for man’s best friend that Meagher wondered if, at this point in his life, shortly before a death that he knew was coming, he might have preferred canine to human companionship. Dogs are everything that Watson said of them, and Camus might have had similar regard for his dog Kirk. Like the character Meursault in one of Camus’s books, dogs make the most of every moment. The moment is what they have, where they live. Dogs would be confused if offered a promotion, asked about marriage, or expected to behave at a funeral. They understand loyalty but not morality. Once they become your pal, your enemies are theirs. It’s not a matter of racism or misogyny.

Having owned four dogs (and two cats) in my adult life, I can attest to the above. I can also attest that dogs and cats bring happiness into your life and soothe you in times of unhappiness. Therefore, own a dog or cat if you are either happy or unhappy, as they will increase your happiness in all circumstances in your life and teach you something about life.

12/28/24 Thoughts on My Life Worth Living

The opening lyrics of the Simon & Garfunkel song "A Hazy Shade Of Winter" have haunted and been appropriate to my life:

“Time, time, time, see what's become of me. While I looked around for my possibilities, I was so hard to please.”

As I am now firmly ensconced in my hazy shade of winter senior years, I have the luxury of reminiscing on my life and taking stock of it. Despite life’s ups and downs, I can say I have had a life worth living. I have a marriage and daughter, a successful career, a few good friends, and many associations that have been fulfilling. I have, through my skill and abilities as well as hard work, lived an American middle-class suburban life in a few single-family houses. I have traveled by way of personal vacations or business trips throughout America, as well as southern England and northern Germany.

Most of my time has been spent in the pursuit of my professional career goals, followed by my family life. Throughout my life, I have attempted to increase my Information, Understanding, Intelligence, Experience, and Wisdom, as I have written in my article on "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom". As to the wisdom I have gained, I have attempted to impart this wisdom and live my life based on this wisdom, as I have written in my article on Pearls of Wisdom.

Unfortunately, as the time left in life is shortening, I have had limitations on my time to pursue my current goals of increasing my knowledge and wisdom. Limitations on my time that have increased through illness and osteoarthritis in my knees. Nevertheless, I will continue to pursue my current goal of increasing my knowledge and wisdom until my mental acuity falters. However, there is insufficient time left in my life to achieve all my current goals.

When it comes time to meet my maker, I can stand tall and claim to have lived a moral and ethical life, and a life of virtue and character as I have Chirped on "11/22/23 Virtue and Character". As such, I shall leave my life in peace, knowing that while I have had failures, I have had little regrets in the life that I have lived. What regrets that I have had are between me, my maker, and my wife, but I can also claim that I have had a life worth living.

12/27/24 Ode to the Person that Fades from Memory, and then Into Obscurity and Oblivion

The only certainty in life is that it will come to an end, and all that remains of the deceased are memories of them by their family and friends who have survived them. Memories within the survivors of the deceased person will eventually fade and then sink into obscurity as the survivors age and pass away. Memories of the deceased by the survivors of their grandparents, parents, in-laws, siblings, children, grandchildren, aunts and uncles, as well as cousins, and their friends and even co-workers who have passed away are to be treasured and not discarded.

Only a great person can expect to escape the ravages of history and be remembered for centuries or millennia. Such great people are few and far between, and the least that should be said of them is they were great and worthy of remembrance. We erect statues, monuments, tombs, and shrines to these great people and record their words and deeds for posterity so that their memory does not fade and sink into oblivion. But it should be remembered that the great ones can be either good or evil, or both, and they should be remembered as such with all their human imperfections.

But what of the memories of those that are not great? The memories of the not-great deceased should be treasured by those family and friends who knew and survived them, but eventually, the survivors will also pass away, and their memories of the deceased will sink into oblivion with their death. Therefore, we must all accept that the memories of us after we pass away will fade and sink into oblivion. This is not to be regretted but accepted as the way of life.

For those who have been harmed by the deceased’s words and deeds, I would suggest that you put aside any bitterness or anger that you have toward the deceased. Nothing can come of your bitterness or anger except to make your own life more unpleasant. Remember the deceased one’s folly in harming you, and use their bad example to make good decisions in your own words and deeds toward others. This will make you a better person, and the memories of you after you pass away will be enhanced.

It is rather for us, the living, to live our lives so that the memories of us after we pass away will enrich the lives of those who survive us. This will also provide peace and tranquility to those who mourn us after our death. Therefore, we should live life to its fullest and create good memories of ourselves for those who survived us. This is the greatest legacy that we can bequeath to those who survive us.

12/26/24 Sikhism

I have thoroughly enjoyed the book “12 Major World Religions” by Jason Boyett, and it has proved to be an excellent introduction to the major religions of the world. I was especially impressed by his chapter on Sikhism. In his chapter, he points out that:

“The Sikh offers many positive teachings to the world: a deep sense of community, a focus on selfless service, and an individual code of conduct based on simplicity, honesty, and humility. Moreover, Sikhs are committed to social justice and defense of the of the innocent. Sikhism is one of the world’s most inclusive and egalitarian religions, with very little discrimination based on gender, class, or race. People of any faith are welcome in the Sikh gurdwara, and Sikhs do not seek to convert others—anyone who worships one god is respected as a believer of the same spiritual journey as a Sikh. With few rituals and no priests, it is a religion led by the community.”

Mr. Boyett also points out that two of the tenets of the Sikh religion are The Five Thieves and The Five Virtues.

The Five Thieves:

“Sikhs believe that the major weakness of the human personality mut be subdued or erased to live in full devotion to God. These are kaam (lust or addiction), hrodh (rage), lobh (greed or materialism), moh (worldly attachment), and ahnkar (ego or conceitedness). These are sometimes often called the Five Evils of the Five Vices.”

The Five Virtues:

“To reach mukti, or salvation, Sikhs must develop certain qualities to guide them closer to the divine. These are sat (speaking the truth and acting justly), santokh (contentment or acceptance of life’s circumstances), daya (compassion or mercy), nimtata (humility), and pyare (love of God and others). The devout Sikh must always be pursuing and practicing these qualities.”

While I am not a believer in Sikhism, I have much respect for their religion. In the Five Thieves and the Five Virtues, I find a basis for living a moral and ethical life, and we would all do well in avoiding the five thieves and practicing these five virtues. As such, they are an excellent supplement to the Ten Commandments of Judeo-Christian religions for living a godly and moral life.

The Sikhs also have an interesting symbol, the Khanda, for their religion:

As Mr. Boyle points out:

“The symbol of Sikhism is the Khanda, an artistic representation of three swords and a circular throwing weapon known as a chakkar. The middle, vertical sword is double-edged and represents the power of God. Its two edges symbolize divine justice (the punishment of evil) and freedom (which should be guided by virtue).

The two outer weapons, which cross each other at the bottom, are kirpans, the ceremonial daggers carried by all Sikhs. They represent the concept of Miri Piri, two balanced forms of authority—temporal/political (miri) and spiritual (piri)—as taught by Guru Har Gobind, the sixth guru who first armed the Sikhs to protect against persecution.

The circular ckakkar behind and between the swords signifies eternity, the timelessness of divinity, and the necessary balance between miri and piri. This combination of weapons is viewed by Sikhs as a visual depiction of their duty to serve one another (seva) and protect the defenseless.”

It should be noted that the Sikhs experienced two episodes of genocide in their history and survived both attempts. These genocides were instituted in 1746 and 1762 by the Afghani Durrani Muslim empire forces, which resulted in the Sikhs arming themselves (for the first time in their history) to protect themselves from persecution. The Sikhs are a non-violent religion except in defense of themselves and for the defense of the innocent.

Thus, Sikhism has much to teach us about proper personal behavior, humankind, and its relationship to God. It would do all of us well to listen and ponder what their religion teaches.

12/24/24 Americans Not of Judeo-Christian Birth

During this holiday season, in which Christians celebrate the birth of Christ and the Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, we should also remember and respect the other Americans of non-Judeo-Christian faith. There are many Americans of non-Judeo-Christian faith who have led happy, successful, and productive lives in America, unfettered by society or law in the practice of their non-Judeo-Christian faith. This is one of the great successes of America—Religious Freedom as enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution. The Bill of Rights (the first ten Amendments to the Constitution) is one of the many reasons to be proud of America.

We, as Americans, have also elected and appointed many persons of non-Judeo-Christian faith in our government. Most recently, Tulsi Gabbard’s Hindu faith is a core part of her story. She embraced the Gaudiya Vaishnav tradition, a branch of Hinduism devoted to Lord Krishna, as part of her family’s spiritual path. Vivek Ramaswamy's faith is of the Vedanta tradition of the Hindu religion, and both Nikki Haley (raised Sikh and converted to Methodist Christian) and former Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (raised in the Vedas scriptures of Hinduism but converted to Catholicism) are but some other American politicians that are not of Judeo-Christian birth.

Consequently, this holiday season is not only a celebration of Christmas and Hanukkah but a reminder of our religious freedoms for all religions and religious persons in America. Thus, I would say Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all Christians and Jewish people around the world.

12/23/24 Unethical Actions of the House Ethics Committee

As I have written in my Article, "Justice and the Rule of Law in Non-Judicial Proceedings", I lamented how many non-judicial actions by the government violate the Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights of individual Americans.   

In the case of former congressperson Matt Gaetz, we have seen such non-judicial violations and watched it become a political witch/warlock hunt of an unliked colleague by the House Ethics Committee. The release of their findings reveals the extent of their violations of his rights and their attempts to smear his name with unsubstantiated allegations. As he responded to this House Ethics Committee release:

“The Biden/Garland DOJ spent years reviewing allegations that I committed various crimes. I was charged with nothing: FULLY EXONERATED. Not even a campaign finance violation. And the people investigating me hated me. Then, the very “witnesses” DOJ deemed not-credible were assembled by House Ethics to repeat their claims absent any cross-examination or challenge from me or my attorneys. I’ve had no chance to ever confront any accusers. I’ve never been charged. I’ve never been sued. Instead, House Ethics will reportedly post a report online that I have no opportunity to debate or rebut as a former member of the body. In my single days, I often sent funds to women I dated - even some I never dated but who asked. I dated several of these women for years. I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18. Any claim that I have would be destroyed in court - which is why no such claim was ever made in court. My 30’s were an era of working very hard - and playing hard too. It’s embarrassing, though not criminal, that I probably partied, womanized, drank and smoked more than I should have earlier in life. I live a different life now. But at least I didn’t vote for CR’s that fuck over the country!”

The release of the House Ethics Committee report and the leaks of the report prior to the release expose the unethical conduct of the committee. Such political posturing by the committee is an affront to our American Ideals and Ideas and should not be tolerated. If it is tolerated, we open the doors to more political witch/warlock hunts in the future. Such a future for America is a dark and gloomy place for Americans to reside.

12/22/24 The Lottery Courts

It has been said that in America, anybody can sue anyone for any reason. Unfortunately, this is very true. As a result, too many Americans view the court system as a lottery, where you file a lawsuit for frivolous reasons to recover superfluous damages and hope for a win from a sympathetic jury or an out-of-court settlement. This is especially true against the wealthy or large companies, as they are viewed by many Americans as moneybags to be plundered at will. In modern America, we have seen such lawsuits against many people and organizations for purposes other than righting a wrong.

Two new types of lawsuits have been gaining prominence in the last decade—one to defame a person or organization based on dubious allegations, the other to profit on tragic circumstances in which the plaintiff has only a modest connection. Both are not for the purpose of righting a wrong but for the purposes of political posturing or avarice. These frivolous lawsuits are also a form of legal harassment by those who institute such lawsuits and a financial drain and time consumer on the defendants in defending themselves against such lawsuits.

However, in these frivolous lawsuits against people and organizations, we harm society by loosening the ties that bind us. We pit one party against another and tie up the judicial system with inconsequential matters. We also forget that people and organizations are not perfect, that accidents happen, and not everything can be blamed on someone's negligence. There are no guarantees in life, and sometimes bad things happen to good people, which is an insufficient reason to institute a lawsuit.

In a lawsuit for damages, when something bad happens to you, you should first determine if it was accidental or because of someone’s negligence, then remember that if it was accidental, “To err is human and to forgive is divine.” Of course, the difficult question to answer is if it was an accident or negligence that was responsible for the harm. Often, a lawsuit is necessary to determine the cause of the harm, in which case a lawsuit is justifiable.

As for lawsuits that are for the purpose of political posturing, these are insidious for the purpose of destroying a person’s reputation. As the  Bard of Avon has said:

“Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls: Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing; ’twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed.”  - William Shakespeare in Othello

In such lawsuits of political posturing, there must be recourse for those who have been sued without merit. Counter-lawsuits have proven to be ineffective, costly, time-consuming, and unsatisfactory for the reputational loss of the defendant. Alas, in today’s America, the plaintiffs of such lawsuits are lauded by their supporters for partisan reasons despite the merits of their lawsuits. This must change, and at a minimum, there must be public reprobation for those who instituted such lawsuits instead of public acclaim from partisan supporters of the lawsuit.

Until we resolve this issue, both constitutionally and legally, we shall continue to be at each other’s throats, to the detriment of America and all Americans who become involved in these types of lawsuits.

12/21/24 Supreme Court Defiance

President Biden announced yesterday that he is canceling $4.28 billion in student loans for nearly 55,000 public service workers as he prepares to exit the White House. As I have written in my Chirp on "04/13/24 Promises Made and Promises Not Capable of Being Kept", this issue has been resolved by a Supreme Court decision. A president has no authority to expend monies not allocated and approved by Congress. Thus, President Biden’s continued attempt to provide student loan debt forgiveness is Unconstitutional unless legislation is passed by Congress allowing for this expenditure. In President Biden’s continued attempts to provide this student loan debt forgiveness, he is acting in defiance of the Supreme Court. Such defiance is an assault on our Constitution in the separation of powers doctrine and a violation of his Oath of Office to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

This student loan debt forgiveness is also immoral, as it takes money from the taxpayers (those who have earned the money) to give to the student loan holders (those who have not earned the money). To claim that it is the government that is paying off the debt is dubious and deceptive, as it places an amorphous entity (the government) between the taxpayer and the person who spends the money on student loans. This is done in the hopes of "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors" to hide the plain facts. The plain fact is that someone knowingly encumbered themselves in debt, and in facing the consequences of repaying the debt, they wish for others to pay off their debts. This raises the question of the moral justification for making someone else pay for another person’s bad decision. It is also the same principle that Abraham Lincoln espoused in his opposition to slavery:

“You work and toil and earn bread, and I'll eat it. No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle.”   - Abraham Lincoln

This student loan debt forgiveness is an act of redistributing wealth that is only worthy of an authoritarian government or a socialist state. It is also nothing but a hollow promise, as Congress is very unlikely to pass such student loan debt forgiveness. This is but another example of the Bread and Circuses approach to electioneering and governance for which the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are notorious. This action will again be slapped down by the courts as Unconstitutional, and it is time for the American people to slap down the Bread and Circuses actions of Democrats and Progressives.

Update – It was announced late yesterday that the Biden Administration is scrapping its proposed plan to provide student loan forgiveness for upwards of 25 million borrowers. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said that given the limited time and resources available in the final weeks of the administration, and the legal challenges facing the proposal, the department would focus instead on “helping at-risk borrowers return to repayment successfully.”

12/20/24 A Continuing Resolution

Secret, comprehensive, and bipartisan are code words used by politicians to ramrod legislation through which would not be acceptable if done in the light of day. Legislative agreement to do the wrong thing does not make it the right thing to do. Necessary and needful does not mean for the purpose of funding special or political interests, nor for the garnering of voter support. A debt ceiling is no ceiling if it can be raised capriciously to meet capricious spending. The failure to provide adequate time for legislators and the public to read and review legislation before it is voted upon is an attempt to muzzle opposition before the fact. A Continuing Resolution (CR) by Congress is a continuation of all these practices.

12/19/24 Putting an End to Lawfare and the Weaponization of Government

The Georgia Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis election interference case against Trump, the New York Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and Judge Juan Merchan ‘hush money’ case, and the exorbitant $83.3 million civil verdict against Donald Trump in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case of dubious allegations, were all Lawfare against Trump to thwart his election for President. The continuation of these cases after his election victory is but attempts to continue to harass him, and they all have negative Constitutional issues and impacts.

The recent ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court on Presidential Immunity has a direct bearing on the Willis and Bragg prosecutions, which call into doubt their prosecutions, and the fine imposed in the E. Jean Carroll case has implications for a violation of Amendment VIII to the Constitution that “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” In the continuation of the Willis and Bragg prosecutions, it appears that they are being pursued in defiance of the Supreme Court ruling, and the excessive E. Jean Carroll fine is an assault on the equal rights and protections of all Americans.

All three of these cases, in their continuation, have concerns about possible interference in the Presidential office duties and responsibilities. Given the dubious nature of all these cases, it is best that they be dropped, as was done in the Federal Indictments against Donald Trump by Jack Smith in the mishandling of national security documents and the attempt to overturn the 2020 U.S. presidential election cases. All these cases were driven by lawfare, which resulted in the weaponization of government, and all should be dropped. All Lawfare and Weaponization cases should cease and desist in the future, as they are all an assault on the Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All, as I have examined in my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government". In addition, the perpetrators of these cases should be harshly condemned and perhaps lose their law licenses for their dubious legal actions and infringements on our Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights.

12/18/24 The Moral Confusion of Western Civilization

I recently ran across a quote that succinctly and perfectly encapsulates the moral confusion of Western Civilization:

“One day, the barbarians will be at the gate, and we’ll be debating what gender pronouns to call them.” - Douglas Murray

Such moral confusion allows for the collapse of Western Civilization and the rise of barbaric forces in the world. Make no mistake: Western Civilization, despite its faults, has been the greatest force for good against evil, the well-being of its people, and the prosperous advancement of humanity. Thus, it is incumbent upon those who understand this truth to defend Western Civilization against the barbaric forces that are allied against Western Civilization, both from within and outside Western Civilization.

12/17/24 Psychological Disorder of Compliance to Authority

In the YouTube Video by The Tanya Rabbi, “Watch Carefully: Jordan Peterson Drops BOMBSHELL Findings on Adolf Hitler”, he makes an observation that not only did Hitler and the Nazis have a psychological disorder, as Professor Peterson suggests, but that they were driven by a distaste by the Jewish people's affinity for charity to other, less fortunate people. I would suggest that there is also a third and very important reason for the Nazi's hatred. The Nazis believed in a pure Ayran race that was compliant to the will of a strong leader such as Hitler, his minions, and their possible successors.

This can be attested to as the Nazis were not just Anti-Semitic, but other people were also targeted by the government of Nazi Germany based on their nationality, ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, or sexual orientation. This can be authenticated by the numbers from the Wikipedia article on Holocaust victims:

• Jews 6 million
• Soviet civilians 5 million
• Soviet POWs 3 million
• Poles 8 million
• Serbs More than 310,000
• Disabled people 270,000
• Romani 250,000–500,000
• Freemasons 80,000
• Slovenes 20,000–25,000
• Homosexuals 5,000–15,000
• Spanish Republicans 3,500
• Jehovah's Witnesses 1,700
• Total 17 million

The Nazi Gestapo was used to focus upon political opponents, ideological dissenters (clergy and religious organizations), career criminals, the Sinti and Roma population, handicapped persons, homosexuals, and, above all, the Jews. All these people were considered as disobedient to the will of the Fuhrer and, therefore, needed to be eliminated. Their primary target was the Jews, as they knew that the Jewish people, through their religious beliefs, would not be compliant to any person but only to the will of God. The other people on the above list were also considered to be non-compliant with the will of the Fuhrer.

This psychological disorder of compliance to authority is what despots, dictators, tyrants, totalitarians, authoritarians, aristocrats, autocracies, and oligarchs utilize to obtain, retain, and weld power over a people. The American Revolution from the British was in part due to their unwillingness to be compliant with the will of the English King and Parliament. Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All are antithetical to compliance, and individualism is contrary to compliance. Accordingly, compliance with authority is anti-American, as it conflicts with our American Ideals and Ideas.

Alas, this psychological disorder of compliance can be seen in today’s Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders in their anti-Christian and now Anti-Semitic attitudes. Their cozying up to Islamists is but a ploy to attract votes, but if the American Islamists should disavow the Democrat Party and its leaders, it is almost certain that they will become anti-Islamists. The Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders tactics of Cancel Culture, Doxing, Hate Speech, Identity Politics, Political Correctness, and Wokeness are but an attempt to intimidate their opponents into compliance. The Administrative State also utilizes compliance to authority to impose its will on Americans.

Consequently, Progressives/Leftists, Democrat Party Leaders, and the Administrative State are operating outside of the bounds of our Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights, and they should be opposed by all Americans who treasure our Liberties and Freedoms.

12/15/24 A Wall of Separation

Most people are familiar with Thomas Jefferson's statement about a “wall of separation between church and state”. This phrase is but a small part of what he said and meant, and this small part is often improperly utilized to rationalize the exclusion of religious thought and religious persons in government. However, the full quote gives a greater meaning to what he wrote:

“Religious institutions that use government power in support of themselves and force their views on persons of other faiths, or of no faith, undermine all our civil rights. Moreover, state support of an established religion tends to make the clergy unresponsive to their own people, and leads to corruption within religion itself. Erecting the ‘wall of separation between church and state,’ therefore, is absolutely essential in a free society.”   - Thomas Jefferson

Thus, it can be seen that he was warning about state intrusion into religion and not religion intrusion into the state. Our Founding Fathers were very cognizant that a moral and religious people were necessary for our government to survive, as the following quotes illuminate:

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other."   - John Adams

“Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God?”  - Thomas Jefferson

“Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”  - George Washington

"I have lived, Sir, a long time and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that "except the Lord build they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel."   - Benjamin Franklin

As Alexis de Tocqueville wrote in his “Democracy in America” observations, published in 1835, he wrote of the New World and its burgeoning democratic order:

“Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot. How is it possible that society should escape destruction if the moral tie is not strengthened in proportion as the political tie is relaxed? And what can be done with a people who are their own masters if they are not submissive to the Deity?”  - Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America

Thus, de Tocqueville believed that a religious foundation was necessary for liberty to thrive. The question is what manner of religious faith is necessary for liberty to thrive. There are many religious faiths throughout the world and in the history of the world. Most of these faiths have been imbecilic to liberty, and they have often demanded obedience to their beliefs and tenets regardless of liberty. As to my opinion as to the best religion for liberty to thrive, I would agree with one of our Founding Fathers:

“The moral and religious system which Jesus Christ transmitted to us is the best the world has ever seen, or can see.”  - Benjamin Franklin

Today, in America, we see the competing forces of agnosticism, atheism, secularism, and the major religious faiths competing for dominance in American society. To this competition, I would respond with the thoughts of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who persuasively argues in her Profession of Faith:

“Russell and other activist atheists believed that with the rejection of God we would enter an age of reason and intelligent humanism. But the “God hole” — the void left by the retreat of the church — has merely been filled by a jumble of irrational quasi-religious dogma. The result is a world where modern cults prey on the dislocated masses, offering them spurious reasons for being and action — mostly by engaging in virtue-signalling theatre on behalf of a victimised minority or our supposedly doomed planet. The line often attributed to G.K. Chesterton has turned into a prophecy: “When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything.”

In this nihilistic vacuum, the challenge before us becomes civilisational. We can’t withstand China, Russia and Iran if we can’t explain to our populations why it matters that we do. We can’t fight woke ideology if we can’t defend the civilisation that it is determined to destroy. And we can’t counter Islamism with purely secular tools. To win the hearts and minds of Muslims here in the West, we have to offer them something more than videos on TikTok.”

As well as:

“…we can’t fight off these formidable forces unless we can answer the question: what is it that unites us? The response that “God is dead!” seems insufficient. So, too, does the attempt to find solace in “the rules-based liberal international order”. The only credible answer, I believe, lies in our desire to uphold the legacy of the Judeo-Christian tradition.

That legacy consists of an elaborate set of ideas and institutions designed to safeguard human life, freedom and dignity — from the nation state and the rule of law to the institutions of science, health and learning. As Tom Holland has shown in his marvellous book Dominion, all sorts of apparently secular freedoms — of the market, of conscience and of the press — find their roots in Christianity.

And so I have come to realise that Russell and my atheist friends failed to see the wood for the trees. The wood is the civilisation built on the Judeo-Christian tradition; it is the story of the West, warts and all. Russell’s critique of those contradictions in Christian doctrine is serious, but it is also too narrow in scope.”

Consequently, the Judeo-Christian values upon which our country was founded are still the proper religious foundation for Liberty to thrive. It should also be remembered that liberty without proper moral constraints on liberty is a recipe for licentiousness and anarchy and that Judeo-Christian values are the proper moral constraints on liberty. We do not need government involvement in religious affairs, as Thomas Jefferson has said, but we do need proper religious people and thoughts in our governance to maintain a free society.

12/14/24 The Core Moral Question of Abortion

With the angst amongst the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists about their recent losses in the election, many have returned to the abortion issue as an electoral concern. They do not seem concerned about reexamining the moral issue of abortion but only about how to better exploit the abortion issue for electoral gain. But it is this moral issue of abortion that must be reexamined to resolve the issue of abortion. Moral issues in America have a long history, from the issues of Independence to Abortion. In all these American moral issues, we can see a pattern of Americans' perceptions of moral issues.

John Adams, one of our Founding Fathers and the second President of the United States, famously responded to a question about the American Colonists support for Independence that about one-third of them were for it, one-third opposed it, and one-third had no opinion. In my readings about the Antebellum period prior to the Civil War, I believe that the same proportion of the American public were for, against, or of no opinion about slavery. This same one-third, one-third, one-third pattern can be discerned at the start of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950’s. Today, in modern America, I believe that approximately the same proportion of the American public are for, against, or of no opinion about Abortion.

In all four of these issues, Independence, Slavery, Civil Rights, and Abortion, the core issue was and is one of a moral nature. A moral issue that could not, and cannot, be decided by a majority or by individual States. Morality cannot be decided on anything except the bedrock moral principles of Natural (i.e., Human) Rights. The Declaration of Independence outlined the moral justification for Independence, while Abraham Lincoln’s many speeches laid out the immorality of slavery, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches and writings laid out the immorality of bigotry and discrimination. I would now like to lay out the core moral question of Abortion.

The bedrock moral principle of the abortion question is that no person may unjustly take the life of another person. To unjustly take the life of another is murder, and murder is never permissible, as it is a violation of the Natural Right to Life of a person. Thus, the core moral question of abortion is that of the status of an unborn child as a human person. If an unborn child is a human person, then it is immoral to take their life. Thus, you must first examine the question of the human status of an unborn child before you can take a stance on abortion.

To this question of the human status of an unborn child, there are only three possible answers: 1) their humanity begins at the moment of conception, 2) their humanity occurs sometime during their gestation, and 3) their humanity begins after their birth. To properly answer the abortion question requires a good person to unflinchingly determine the human status of an unborn child, as I have written in my Chirp on “10/08/24 A Good Person”.

All other questions surrounding abortion cannot be properly answered until you make a determination of the human status of an unborn child. All of the other questions of abortion, without answering the core question of the human status of the unborn child, involve utilizing "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language" to be answered. When you make a determination of the human status of an unborn child, then these other questions of abortion can be properly answered.

This is why I have become weary and disgusted by the political rhetoric on abortion. In this political rhetoric on abortion, there is little or no discussion of the core question of the humanity of an unborn child, and all politicians seem intent on avoiding answering this core question. Until the core question of the human status of an unborn child is resolved, there can be no definitive answers to the abortion question, and the political rhetoric will reign supreme on the abortion question.

As to my opinion of the human status of the unborn child and to the other questions of abortion, I would direct you to my thoughts on abortion in my articles on "The Abortion Question", "The Analogy of Abortion and Slavery", "The Constitution and Abortion", and "The Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Considerations of Abortion".

12/13/24 Not Reparations but Extortions

Once again, the talk of reparations for the sins of slavery in America is being discussed in California. To this, I would say that just as the sins of the father shall not be vested upon the son, so shall reparations not be vested on the son. I would also remind all of what Abraham Lincoln said about slavery:

“You work and toil and earn bread, and I'll eat it. No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle.”   - Abraham Lincoln

To take someone’s earned money and give it to another is the same concept. No one has the right to take the fruits of a person’s labor and bestow those fruits on another person. Such an act is an act of tyranny. Thus, all talk of reparations should end unless it is of reparations to those who were inflicted by those who so caused the infliction.

Consequently, these are not reparations but extortions. An extortion with an implied threat that if they are not paid, there will be serious political and social consequences that would harm Americans. Giving in to extortionists is neither moral nor ethical, and the only virtuous responses to extortionists are acceptable.

12/12/24 Double Standards and High Expectations

Actress and Singer Sabrina Carpenter has stated, to wild applause from her audience, “I read something today that said that men shouldn’t have birthdays because they never grow up.” This begs the question of what if a male actor or singer had stated, “Women shouldn’t have birthdays as they never mature beyond the age of sixteen.”

Many women also have high expectations and ridiculous demands for men that they will date, such as  every man must be at least six feet tall, with six-pack abs, a six-figure income, and a six-inch you-know-what to be worthy of their attention. What if men had the same high expectations as women in that every woman must be at least five and a half feet tall, with a least a 34C-24-32 figure, an income at least the same as the man, and that a woman must put out at least six times a day for her man to be worthy of his attentions.

Such comments and expectations on both sides are ridiculous. It is also a sign of narcissism by those who would believe such statements. But narcissism seems to be all the rage in today’s society. This is especially true in modern Feminism. Modern Feminism is all about the female, to the exclusion and detriment of the male.

However, this may be changing, as many young women are speaking up about the problems they are having in their relationships with men because of modern Feminist attitudes. Many men are also beginning to voice their displeasure with these attitudes. A YouTube channel, MenNeedToBeHeard, speaks about men's issues with a focus on the hypocrisy and double standards that society has towards men.

PragerU’s short documentary, MIA: Masculinity in America, encourages men to embrace the power of masculinity and its positive impact on relationships, families, and society as a whole. This video answers the question of ‘What does it mean to be a man in America today?’. Young men are told that masculinity is “toxic”, traditional gender roles are oppressive, fathers are unnecessary, and women are no different from men. This is leaving young men grappling with questions about their identity and purpose. This video by Aldo Buttazzoni searches for the truth and speaks with respected experts about the critical role men play in society. This video features interviews with:

• John Gray (author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus)
• Cassie Jaye (investigative filmmaker and director of The Red Pill documentary)
• John Rosemond (family psychologist and author of The Bible Parenting Code)
• Chloe Carmichael (clinical psychologist and author of Nervous Energy)
• Brian Echevarria (father, husband, and activist who went viral for his anti-CRT speech at a school board meeting)

Hopefully, intelligence and rationality will prevail, and we can fashion a society of politeness and equal respect between the sexes.

12/11/24 Democrat’s Ethics

The ethical challenges of the Democrat Party and Democrat politicians, along with their Progressive commentators, are great. They claim that there are no excuses for the Republican Party and Republican politician's lapses of ethics as they are abject and ignominious, while they also claim that the Democrat Party and Democrat politicians are to be forgiven or ignored as they are righteous, and their goals are noble (i.e., the ends justify the means). In these claims, they are supported by most of the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate".

From the Obama Administration spying on the 2016 Trump Presidential campaign and to Hillary Clinton’s funding of the Steele Dossier, along with the the false FISA warrants against the Trump Campaign and his supporters and appointed officials, to the Russian Collusion Delusion and the President Trump Impeachments, to the Biden family corruptions as revealed by Hunter Biden’s laptop and their denials of such corruption, to the improprieties of the 2020 presidential election and the January 6th, 2021 mob actions as an insurrection, to the disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation on the COVID-19 Pandemic, to the demonization, denigration, or disparagement, along with the assaults on the Constitutional and Civil Rights of those Americans who  disagreed or opposed them, to the Donald Trump indictments and trials, to the overturning of Joe Biden’s primary election in 2024 and the cover-ups of  President Biden’s mental health deterioration, and now the preemptive Presidential Pardon of Hunter Biden, they have shown that they have no ethics and are only concerned with themselves and their lust for and the attainment and retainment of political power.

The falsehoods, deceptions, and denials about their own elected and appointed officials' unethical conduct are too numerous for this Chirp, but they are widespread and deep. In an article by Jonathan Turley, “The Wild World of Democratic Ethics”, he states:

“None of this matters in the Wild world of Democratic ethics. It is very simple. Whatever Democrats are attempting cannot be “wrongful ends.” More importantly, it is the ends, not the means, that are the measure of ethics. Since they are only fighting for what is right, the ends justify the means from cleansing ballots of Republicans (including Trump) to supporting a massive censorship system to ignoring court decisions to count invalid votes.”

In the last dozen years or so, the Democrat Party and Democrat politicians have shown they are unworthy to lead a people dedicated to Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. Their support of violent mob agitators and their race hustling, in their support of illegal immigration and the resultant gang crime and illegal drug and human smuggling, in their blaming America on the international stage, and in their propagation of The Biggest Falsehoods in America is demonstrative of an anti-American attitude. Their political tactics of "Identity Politics", "Political Correctness", "Wokeness", "Doxing", and "Lawfare", and their "Hyper-Partisanship" are antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas.

Such a party and its politicians need to be relegated to the ash heap of history, and until they totally reform themselves, they need to be kept as far away from political power as possible.

12/10/24 Pronounced In Law

Pronounced in Law may be an argument against the Presidential Pardon of Hunter Biden. Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution, dealing with Presidential Pardons, states:

“. . . he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”

There are three words in this statement that could be utilized to negate the pardon of Hunter Biden and restrict future Presidential Pardons:

• Reprieves - (law) the act of reprieving; postponing, or remitting punishment.
• Pardons - (law) a warrant granting release from punishment for an offense.
• Offences – (law) A transgression that constitutes a violation of what is judged to be illegal.

Reprieves and Pardons deal with punishments, and the word Offences is ambiguous in what determines when a legal offense has occurred.

From the webpage “Understanding the Legal Definition of Pronounced in Law”:

“To have a matter ‘pronounced in law’ is to have it formally and authoritatively declared. It represents the culmination of a legal process and marks the beginning of its implementation. Understanding the significance of this term is crucial for anyone engaged in legal proceedings, as it shapes the course of actions and consequences that follow.”

It is possible that the meaning of these words could be determined by a Sense of Congress Resolution that is upheld by the Supreme Court, that offenses against the United States can only be established after the guilty party has been Pronounced in Law, and that only after such a pronouncement could a reprieve or pardon be issued by the President of the United States.

If this is true, then preemptive presidential pardons would be unconstitutional, and therefore, the presidential pardon of Hunter Biden would be null and void, as he has not been pronounced guilty by law. It would also constrict future Presidential Pardons to only occur after a pronouncement of law is formally declared by a judge or a court of law.

Such a course of action would be beneficial to Justice and The Rule of Law in America and help constrain government officials to constitutional actions that I expressed in my Chirp on “12/07/24 No Virtue in Preemptive Pardons”. Otherwise, we run the risk of runaway Presidential Pardons that are anathema to our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

12/09/24 Trump Proofing

Trump proofing is all the rage amongst many Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists as an attempt to thwart President-elect Trump’s plans to deport illegal immigrants, along with other Trump policies with which they disagree. Trump proofing is but an attempt to thwart the will of the people, as expressed in the last election. If President Trump and his administration are acting lawfully and constitutionally, such Trump proofing is an obstruction of justice against the lawful actions of the federal government. Anybody has the right to challenge the actions of the government as unconstitutional or unlawful in a court of law, but such resistance to government actions needs to be restricted to a court of law; otherwise, they could be considered an insurrection against the lawful and constitutional authority of the government.

However, the courts need to expeditiously consider if the lawsuits brought forth are with merit or just an attempt to utilize the courts for the purposes of delaying Trump’s constitutional and lawful actions. They also need to bring these lawsuits to federal courts as they are federal issues. Bringing the lawsuits to state or local courts would only be for the purposes of delay or to judge shopping for a judge who is sympathetic to their cause. We also need to be concerned that Federal judges may rule not on the merits of the case but on their antipathy to President Trump or his political agenda.

Trump proofing is also being done by the outgoing Biden Administration to protect the federal bureaucracy from the incoming Trump Administration plans to scale back the federal bureaucracy to institute efficacy, efficiency, and the rooting out of corruption in the bureaucracy. As such, the roadblocks that are being instituted by the current Biden Administration can also be considered an insurrection against the incoming Trump Administration, not to mention that it should be considered sinister actions on the part of the Biden Administration.

Thus, Trump proofing is an insidious form of insurrection against the constitutional and lawful actions of the Trump Administration. It is insidious because the insurrection is being waged from inside the government rather than from forces outside the government. But it is an insurrection regardless of its origination. Consequently, it must be opposed by all who believe in constitutional government, our democratic republic form of government, and our Liberties and Freedoms. To do otherwise is to allow those who can not, nor will not, accept the results of the last elections as a referendum to change the course of government in America.

12/08/24 A Veneer to the Smear

The Department of Justice has a very checkered history in the Obama and Biden Administrations regarding the politicization of the DOJ and FBI against their political opponents. This politicization even continued to occur at the start of the Trump Administration, but it was directed against President Trump and his administration. These actions called into question the honesty and integrity of the leadership of the DOJ and FBI, and until this situation is corrected by the next Trump administration, all should be wary of the DOJ and FBI.

The nomination and confirmation of Pam Bondi as Attorney General and Kash Patel as FBI Director, as well as their commitment to reforming the DOJ and FBI, should be applauded and supported. However, until this corruption in the DOJ and FBI is corrected, there should be little reliance on the current DOJ and FBI leadership to provide accurate and unbiased information regarding President-elect Trump’s nominees (i.e., FBI Background Investigations).

The current calls by some Senators and many Progressive commentators for a thorough vetting of the nominees before confirmation hearings and a vote for approval, while appearing noble and with fidelity to the Constitution, is but a sinister attempt to delay and hobble the new Trump Administration on its pursuit of reforming the efficacy and efficiency, and the rooting out of corruption in the Executive Branch. In addition, to rely on FBI Background Investigations of the nominees before the FBI is reformed would lead to the potential of biased FBI reporting, which could put a veneer to the smear of some of the nominees that are adamantly opposed by the forces of the deep state, Progressives/Leftists, and Democrat Party Leaders. As I have Chirp on "11/22/24 The Smears", these smears are destructive not only to the nominee and their families but also to the body politic.

Thus, utilizing FBI Background Investigations as a basis for confirmation and/or as a tactic of delay is unacceptable and should not be tolerated. The American electorate has spoken, and they desire an expeditious and honest confirmation of President-elect Trump’s nominees to begin the process of reforming government.

12/07/24 No Virtue in Preemptive Pardons

Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution states:

“The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.”

In constructing the Constitution, our Founding Fathers assumed it would be administered by wise and virtuous people, for as the “Father of the Constitution” has said:

“The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess the most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society, and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous while they continue to hold their public trust.”  - James Madison

With the pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, Joe Biden has shown that he is a person without wisdom or virtue. This comes as no surprise to those who have dispassionately examined the history of Joe Biden and his family. A family history of corruption, lies, deceptions, duplicitousness, vindictiveness, and retributions. All the things he accuses Donald Trump of are but projections of his own flawed character and lack of virtue. Those who support, condone, excuse, or justify the Presidential Pardon of Hunter Biden also have no concept of virtue, and thus, they have disgraced themselves.

In addition, the use of preemptive pardons, whether for private individuals or government officials, raises the likelihood of people behaving in an unlawful manner. If they know that they will face no consequences for their unlawful actions due to an (expected) preemptive pardon, then they will not feel constrained in their actions. Alas, these preemptive pardons also raise the specter of government officials behaving unlawfully with political motives, as they may expect a preemptive pardon for their actions if their actions were politically advantageous.

We should all remember the words of another Founding Father:

“When public virtue is gone, when the national spirit is fled the republic is lost in essence, though it may still exist in form.”  - John Adams

Allowing these preemptive pardons to become commonplace means allowing for public virtue to be vanquished in America. Although America will still exist in form, it will be lost in essence.

12/06/24 The Transitive Property of Greatness

In mathematical reasoning, there is something known as Substitution Property vs. Transitive Property, defined as follows:

“In the field of mathematics, properties play a crucial role in establishing relationships and making logical deductions. Two such properties that are frequently used are the Substitution Property and the Transitive Property. These properties are fundamental in various branches of mathematics, including algebra, geometry, and calculus. While both properties serve distinct purposes, they share some similarities and differences.”

And:

“The Substitution Property and Transitive Property are both fundamental principles in mathematical reasoning. The Substitution Property states that if two quantities are equal, then one can be substituted for the other in any equation or expression. This property allows for the simplification and manipulation of equations. On the other hand, the Transitive Property states that if two quantities are equal to a third quantity, then they are also equal to each other. This property allows for the chaining together of equalities, making it possible to establish relationships between multiple quantities. While the Substitution Property focuses on the replacement of equal quantities, the Transitive Property focuses on the establishment of equality between multiple quantities.”

However, in the field of human endeavors, this reasoning does not apply and is faulty. Given the extent of human knowledge in any endeavor, it is exceedingly difficult to obtain knowledge, experience, and wisdom in more than one endeavor. While some people may have expertise in two or three endeavors, these different endeavors are usually closely related and share a common knowledge base. Those people who are intelligent and wise in more than one endeavor and do not share a common knowledge base are very few and far between.

In an article by Alan Joseph Bauer, “Brains Ain't Everything”, he utilizes these concepts to help explain why some people believe that if they are great at one human endeavor, they believe that they are great in other human endeavors, and many people believe that greatness in one endeavor implies greatness in other endeavors. 

“There is something I call “The Transitive Property of Greatness.” It posits that if a person is great in one thing, we might as well expect that he will succeed in something else. It is the basis for Hollywood stars telling us about climate change: if they are such good actors, they must also know what they are talking about regarding carbon dioxide spewing out of the back of their private jets. The problem with the theory is that it generally does not work. Superstar guard Isiah Thomas was a lousy coach. GOAT Michael Jordan was so-so in his brief professional baseball career. While there are people who have truly succeeded in multiple fields such as doctors who became outstanding investors or Donald Trump, who arguably succeeded both in business and as president, the overall trend is that people do best when they stick to their areas of expertise.”

My own life experience is but a good example of this. I have managed to become very knowledgeable, experienced, and an expert in but a few areas of my computer profession. Outside of these areas, I have learned to ask for the advice and direction of those people who have the knowledge, experience, and expertise that I lack. Outside of the computer profession, I have become knowledgeable on a few other topics only through decades of autodidactic study. I certainly do not claim to be an expert on these other topics, but I believe I have become knowledgeable enough to comment on these topics. I have also gained the wisdom, as Benjamin Franklin said, to "Doubt a little of your own infallibility." and to examine arguments of multiple experts on different sides of an issue and change my mind based on another Benjamin Franklin quote of wisdom:

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."   - Benjamin Franklin

In doing so, I have learned to discern between an intelligent person and a wise person, as I have written in my article on "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom", and to pay greater heed to a wise person. I have also learned not to comment on things for which I am not knowledgeable and to listen to other knowledgeable people and research what they have said before voicing my opinion.

Thus, I expect that few people have expertise outside of their knowledge base, and if they venture into other endeavors, they often do not know what they are speaking of. Ergo, as only a fool would seek medical advice from a financial advisor—and vice versa- nobody should listen to the opinions of someone who is not an expert in what they are saying. This speaking outside your expertise seems to occur frequently on matters of politics, sociology, and science. Everybody has opinions and beliefs on various issues and concerns within these topics, but as I said, "Just because you 'believe' something to be true does not mean that you 'know' something is true, and just because someone says it is true or false doesn't make it true or false."

Consequently, listening to people sound off on topics in which they are not knowledgeable, even when they reference other intelligent people (who may or may not be a wise person), is a fool’s errand. Accordingly, most political endorsements, social policy prescriptions, and science affirmations by unknowledgeable people are useless, and we should pay no heed to them.

12/05/24 A Special Kind of Stupid

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) was a German Lutheran pastor, neo-orthodox theologian, and anti-Nazi dissident who was a key founding member of the Confessing Church. In his pondering about the evils of Nazism and the German people who supported the Nazis, he came to an astounding conclusion. The German people were not evil, but stupidity was allowed to overcome them by adopting a collective viewpoint.

“Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice. One may protest against evil; it can be exposed and, if need be, prevented by use of force. Evil always carries within itself the germ of its own subversion in that it leaves behind in human beings at least a sense of unease. Against stupidity we are defenseless.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer from his book “After Ten Years: An Account at the Turn of the Year 1942–1943”.

Bonhoeffer argued that stupid people were more dangerous than evil ones, as while we can protest against or fight evil people, against stupid ones, we are defenseless — as reason falls on their deaf ears.

Carlo M. Cipolla (15 August 1922 – 5 September 2000) was an Italian economic historian. He was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. Cipolla wrote an essay in 1976, "The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity”, which explores the controversial subject of stupidity. In this essay, Cipolla postulates five fundamental laws of stupidity.

In pondering Bonhoeffer's thoughts on the stupidity of the German people and Cipolla's thoughts on stupidity in general, I am reminded of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders attitudes regarding President Trump and his MAGA supporters, as well as their general attitude about Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders. Their rhetoric about Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders, as I have examined in my Chirp on "09/22/24 Democrat Extreme Rhetoric", betray their Bonhoeffer collective attitude of stupidity. In thinking about Cipolla's five fundamental laws of stupidity, I realized the dangers of their special kind of stupidity.

As such, I have written a new article, “A Special Kind of Stupid”, which examines the special kind of stupidity of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders”.

12/04/24 The Success of Donald Trump

Tucker Carlson had one of the most perceptive comments about the success of Donald Trump in American politics:

“If the people in charge had done a half-way decent job with the country they inherited, if they cared about anything other than themselves, even for just a moment, Donald Trump would still be hosting Celebrity Apprentice. But they didn’t. Instead, they were incompetent, and narcissistic, and cruel, and relentlessly dishonest. They wrecked what they didn’t build, and they lied about it. They hurt anyone that told the truth about what they were doing.”  - Tucker Carlson

Eventually, the majority of the American people recognized the truth about these politicians and their supporters and rebelled against their corruption. But such politicians will not fade easily into that good night of insignificance or irrelevance, as they are too addicted to power. Thus, the American people who elected Donald Trump must continue to support Donald Trump to prevent the recovery of those politicians who have so failed the American people. Do not let these politicians and their supporters’ prevarications, duplicitousness, and deceptions vacillate your support of President Trump. For the love of power always breeds corruption to obtain and retain power.

In their lust for power, they will utilize all the tools to of the English language to obtain and retain power. Some of the more common means that they utilize to sway the American people are:

• bamboozle, bamboozlement - Concealment of one's true motives by elaborately feigning good intentions so as to gain an end.
• blather, blathering - Idle or foolish and irrelevant talk.
• chicanery - The use of tricks to deceive someone.
• crickets - An idiom that means no reply or reaction at all; no spoken or written answer.
• deceptions, deceptiveness - A misleading falsehood. The act of hiding one's true feelings or intentions.
• duplicitous, duplicitousness - Marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another.
• gaslighting - Manipulate someone psychologically so that they start to question their own sanity.
• gibberish - Unintelligible talking.
• gobbledygook - Incomprehensible or pompous jargon of specialists.
• hoodwink, hoodwinking - Influence by slyness.
• hypocrisy, hypocritical - Professing feelings or virtues one does not have.
• insincerity, insincerely - The quality of not being open or truthful; deceitful or hypocritical.
• mealy-mouthed - Avoiding the use of direct and plain language, as from timidity, excessive delicacy, or hypocrisy; inclined to mince words; insincere, devious, or compromising.
• pablum - Worthless or oversimplified ideas.
• prevarications - Be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information.
• self-righteousness - The quality of being overly convinced of one's own righteousness or moral superiority.
• shenanigans - The use of tricks to deceive someone.
• slyness - Shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception.
• sophistry - A deliberately invalid argument displaying ingenuity in reasoning in the hope of deceiving someone

Do not be fooled by these means, and when you encounter them, you can be sure that they are done for the purposes of obtaining, retaining, and exercising power for ignoble purposes.

12/03/24 Rules To Live By

In my young adulthood, I once ran across ten humorous sayings about life that I have tried to keep in mind throughout my adult life:

Rule number 1 and 2, “Never wrestle with a pig: you both get dirty and the pig likes it!” and “Never argue with an idiot; people watch may not be able to tell the difference!” have been especially important in my life. I have also tried to keep these two rules in mind whenever I write my Chirps and Articles.

“This too shall pass” is the fable of a powerful king who asks assembled wise men to create a ring that will make him happy when he is sad. After deliberation, the sages handed him a simple ring with the Persian words "This too shall pass" etched on it, which had the desired effect. In my Chirp on "02/04/24 This Too Shall Pass", I have written about the wisdom of this fable in regard to the various Forms of Governance that have passed through history.

In this Chirp, I ponder the best response to pigs and idiots when they pontificate without rationality and reasoning in their blathering. Like the assembled wise men, I wished to create a simple phrase that encapsulated a central truth about their blather. The only phrase of wisdom that I believe encapsulates a central truth is: “What a load of crap!”. A somewhat harsh phrase, but necessarily harsh to counter their blathering. Without this phrase, I would be wrestling with a pig or arguing with an idiot, which I am loath to do.

Many of these pigs and idiots believe that they are rational and reasoned, but in examining their blather, I see that their reasoning is faulty for the reasons that I espouse in my article on Reasoning. Their rationality is also suspect for the reasons that I espouse in my article on Rationality. They certainly are not philosophical in their blathering, as I have explained in my article on A Philosophical Approach.

Accordingly, “What a load of crap!” is the most succinct and accurate phrase that describes their blathering. I, therefore, will be utilizing this phrase in my future Chirps and Articles whenever they blather.

12/02/24 The Three Most Important Personal Rules of Life

In my webpage, Pearls of Wisdom, I recount many of the lessons I have learned in my life in the form of rules to live by. Many of these rules were formulated to help me live a Moral, Ethical, and Virtuous Life, something which I vowed to do early in my adulthood. Early in my adult life, I encountered many situations, by personal involvement or observation of others, in which I was dismayed by my own words and the words and deeds of other people. This dismay led to my vow in the hope that it would allow me to Be the Better Person in my interactions with others. It took many years and many bitter experiences to formulate these rules and learn to live by them, but as I have often said, "True Wisdom Most Often Comes from Bitter Experience... Considered!" Upon doing so, I had much more satisfaction in my life, and I also believe that following these three rules helped significantly advance my professional career. These three most important Personal Rules of Life that I learned were:

• Do Not Lie, Misinform, or Conceal
• Be Prepared to Admit Your Mistakes, Listen to Others, and Change Your Mind
• Be Prepared to be a Good Person

While I have previously written about these three rules in my Chirps and Articles, I thought it appropriate to post a webpage of these rules so that others can learn from them and perhaps help them avoid my mistakes. I also hope that by following these rules, you will be able to lead a Moral, Ethical, and Virtuous Life.

12/01/24 A Christmas Carol

Mostly every American and English-speaking person is familiar with the book ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens. This familiarity is mostly through the many fine adaptations for movies, television, and the audio readings of the book. But no adaptation for movies and television of a great book can do full justice to a great book, so I would suggest that all read the book. There are many life lessons to be gained by reading this book, and this reading should give us all to pause, reflect, and consider our own ghosts of Christmas past and present, as well as to consider what we want our Christmas future to look like. Thus, this month's Book It selection is, therefore, only one book.

American society, too, has its own Christmas Carol. The ghost of Christmas past is the previous Obama, Trump, and Biden Administrations, while the ghost of Christmas present is the Trump election and transition, and the ghost of Christmas future is the upcoming Trump Administration.

With the overwhelming election of President Trump, the American people have looked at the ghosts of Christmas past and decided to correct the course of America for a better ghost of Christmas future. The Ghost of Christmas Present is in the transition, too, and there are nominations for the future Trump Administration.

Let us hope that the incoming Trump Administration can Make America Great Again, and in the final lines of A Christmas Carol:

“Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world. Some people laughed to see the alteration in him, but he let them laugh, and little heeded them; for he was wise enough to know that nothing ever happened on this globe, for good, at which some people did not have their fill of laughter in the outset; and knowing that such as these would be blind anyway, he thought it quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes in grins, as have the malady in less attractive forms. His own heart laughed: and that was quite enough for him.

He had no further intercourse with Spirits, but lived upon the Total Abstinence Principle, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!”

11/30/24 The Golden Rule

All major religions and many cultures and societies had/have a “Golden Rule“, more often invoked in spirit rather than in practice. The Golden Rule is the principle of treating others as one would want to be treated by them. It is sometimes called an ethics of reciprocity, meaning that you should reciprocate to others how you would like them to treat you (not necessarily how they actually treat you). Various expressions of this rule can be found in the tenets of most religions and creeds through the ages. Indeed, many religious scholars have commented:

“…numerous studies show that it (Golden Rule) has been endorsed in all of the major and most minor religions.” - Neil Duxbury

“The golden rule is shared by virtually all the world’s religions.” - Jeffrey Wattles

Interestingly, Jeffrey Wattles calls it “The principle of the practice of the family of God.” which sounds like a Hindu Sanskrit phrase meaning “The World Is One Family”.

In my new article, “The Golden Rule”, I examine the history of the Golden Rule and the reasons for the consistent violations of the Golden Rule throughout human history. The three main reasons for these violations are:

• Obsessive Passion or Compartmentalization
• Indulging in the Seven Deadly Sins
• The evil of trying to impose your will upon another person or persons

I end this article by stating that trying to obey the Golden Rule is very difficult. You need to be consciously and consistently aware of the Golden Rule in all your behavior, and you need to craft your words and deeds with the Golden Rule in mind. While this is very difficult, the satisfaction of doing so is very psychologically rewarding. Consequently, by following the Golden Rule, you are living a life of morals and ethics. A life that is self-satisfying and well worth living.

11/29/24 Free Will and God’s Knowledge

Free Will, the power of making free choices unconstrained by external agencies, is that characteristic of intelligent beings that distinguishes them from animals. Free Will means that no one can predict the future with any certainty when it comes to the choices that an intelligent being makes. It also means that the words and deeds of an intelligent being are their own, and they must take full responsibility for their words and deeds. There is no ‘The Devil Made Me Do It’ nor any other excuse that would mitigate their words and deeds. Mitigation should only be utilized to understand the circumstances of their choices and to make a judgment of their choice. The only exception is for anyone who suffers from severe mental illness and is incapable of making an intelligent decision. Anyone else who uses mitigation to absolve their choices is not acting responsibly and is not deserving of our sympathy.

It has often been said that God knows all that has happened, all that is happening, and all that will happen. With this statement, I must disagree. While I agree that God knows what has happened, and he knows all that is happening, he cannot know all that will happen. God’s knowledge of what has, is, and will happen is true based upon the physical properties and physical laws of the Universe, as he established these physical properties and the physical laws that constrain the Universe. What God doesn’t know is what will happen when an intelligent being exercises their Free Will and then makes a decision. As individuals have the free will to take any action, God cannot know what action they will take. God can only observe their words, deeds, and thoughts and then render judgment of them after their body passes away and their spirit joins with God.

For more of my thoughts on God, I would direct you to the section “Religiosity” on my website.

11/28/24 A Thanksgiving for America and Americans

The Harris campaign lied to the American people about her true policy positions and political agenda. The Harris campaign lied to her donors about her prospects for election. The Harris campaign is lying to themselves about the reasons for her overwhelming defeat. Kamala Harris herself has built a career on deceptions and lying about her life, career, and her policy positions and political agendas. But such lying is all too common in modern America by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists. For if they told the truth about their policy positions and political agendas, they knew they could not garner the support of a majority of the American people.

Fortunately, the American people saw through their lies and deceptions and elected someone who spoke truthfully of his vision for America. For this, we should be thankful on this Thanksgiving Day. We should also be hopeful that the new Trump Administration can implement its policy positions and political agendas and right the course of America to become a better society for America and Americans and bring peace to the rest of the world.

Happy Thanksgiving, America!

11/27/24 Questions and Answers

Life is full of questions and answers. Most questions are not fully nor properly structured to reveal the true nature of the question, and most answers are not fully or properly answered. Questions that are incomplete or biased will lead to wrong answers, and answers that do not consider all the rational possibilities will lead to wrong conclusions.

A properly constructed question is one that is unbiased and not leading, as well as comprehensive enough to be constructive. A proper answer is unbiased and not prejudicial to an outcome. Asking a proper question and properly answering the question requires that you be aware of and exclude your Cognitive Biases and eliminate Logical Fallacies in both your question and answer. Both are knowledge and intellectual skills that are difficult to acquire and practice, as I have written in my Article "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom".

A truly intelligent and wise person will pose questions and answers in the following manner:

1. Having the courage, intelligence, and wisdom to ask the proper question.
2. Knowing that you do not have (all) the proper answers (or perhaps any answer) to the proper question.
3. A willingness to listen and consider (all) the proper answers and the courage to reject improper answers.
4. The intelligence, Rationality, and Reasoning to evaluate the costs and benefits of each proper answer.
5. The wisdom to choose and the courage and fortitude to implement the optimal answer as the solution to the proper question.

Courage is necessary for both the question and answer, as most people only want to listen to what they want to hear, and often, the proper questions and proper answers are what they need to hear. The costs and benefits analysis goes far beyond the financial, business, or economic sphere but into the personal, family, and societal impacts of any proper answer. The personal, family, and societal impacts often have non-tangible costs and are difficult to quantify, but they are often the most important impacts that need to be considered. In these societal impacts we always need to consider the "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights" of individuals, as well as "The Law of Unintended Consequences" in choosing the proper answer to implement.

Thus, we must all evaluate the questions and answers for these qualities and the way they were attained before we reach a conclusion and implement the answer.

11/26/24 Deprivation of Rights by Government Officials

With the lawfare we have seen under the Biden Administration against President Trump and his supporters, as well as ordinary Americans who have opposed government policies, the existential question is how can we protect the rights of citizens against government violations of their Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights.

The U.S. Code, Section 242, Title 18, “Deprivation Of Rights Under Color Of Law”, makes it a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States:

“Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, ... shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.”

As the aforementioned webpage on the U.S. Code states:

“For the purpose of Section 242, acts under "color of law" include acts not only done by federal, state, or local officials within their lawful authority, but also acts done beyond the bounds of that official's lawful authority, if the acts are done while the official is purporting to or pretending to act in the performance of his/her official duties. Persons acting under color of law within the meaning of this statute include police officers, prisons guards and other law enforcement officials, as well as judges, care providers in public health facilities, and others who are acting as public officials. It is not necessary that the crime be motivated by animus toward the race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin of the victim.

The offense is punishable by a range of imprisonment up to a life term, or the death penalty, depending upon the circumstances of the crime, and the resulting injury, if any.”

Yet it is exceedingly difficult to prosecute government officials under this act, as various Supreme Court rulings have given government officials considerable leeway in their actions against citizens in pursuit of justice. This is how it should be, as without this leeway, the government could be paralytic in its pursuit of justice, or the government may be deprived of competent persons who would not wish to serve as government officials under the threat of prosecutions under this U.S. Code.

An individual suing the government for violations of their rights is time-consuming and expensive, and they are rarely successful in these lawsuits. Such lawsuits are also ineffective in preventing systemic violations of our rights by government officials. Thus, we need to enforce this U.S. Code against current or former government officials who are or have systemically violated our rights. Without the enforcement of this U.S. Code against government officials we run the risk of lawfare against citizens who lawfully oppose the government or are deemed a political threat to any current administration. This is exactly what has happened in the Biden Administration.

As the Declaration of Independence stated, “But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.” Let us not throw off our government for the Biden Administration abuses and usurpations, but instead, let us prosecute those government officials who were responsible for the systemic violations of our rights.

We must be careful and judicious in applying this law against current and former government officials, as inappropriately applying this law could damage government functioning. However, appropriately applying this law against former or current government officials would go a long way to answering the existential question of how we can protect the rights of citizens against government violations of their rights. It would also act as a deterrence of government officials in their considerations of (dubious) prosecutions.

This is not retaliation nor revenge, but retribution against those government officials in the Biden Administration who willfully violated the Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights of any American. Without this retribution, we run the risk of continued violations of the rights of Americans by any administration in the future, as government officials will be aware that they can violate our rights without retribution. To do otherwise, we will see the continued violations of our rights by government in which it may become necessary to throw off our government or become ruled by despotism.

11/25/24 Criminal Acts by State and Local Officials

Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump's "border czar" nominee, threw down the gauntlet to Democrats who plan to defy Trump's mass deportation of illegal aliens, underscoring that to do so is a federal crime under the Criminal Resource Manual “1907. 8 U.S. Code § 1324 - Bringing in and harboring certain aliens” which defines several distinct offenses related to aliens. Subsection 1324(a)(1)(i)-(v) prohibits alien smuggling, domestic transportation of unauthorized aliens, concealing or harboring unauthorized aliens, encouraging or inducing unauthorized aliens to enter the United States, and engaging in a conspiracy or aiding and abetting any of the preceding acts. Most telling is the paragraph on:

“Harboring -- Subsection 1324(a)(1)(A)(iii) makes it an offense for any person who -- knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation.”

Homan made it clear that the feds would not attempt to commandeer state and city officials. He acknowledged that such officials have no duty to help federal immigration agents. But they may not interfere with the agents in the execution of their duties or take affirmative steps to conceal or shield illegal immigrants from federal law enforcement.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the Constitution and Federal Laws are the supreme law of the land, and under several Supreme Court rulings, immigration is the sole prerogative of the Federal government. Thus, State and Local officials can have no say on immigration or the actions of the Federal government concerning immigrants, illegal or otherwise, if the Federal government is acting constitutionally. They can only constitutionally challenge such laws in a federal court of law, and to have such laws overturned is unconstitutional.

Consequently, sanctuary city and state laws are unconstitutional and a violation of the aforementioned U.S. Code. In addition, State and Local official who obstructs Federal officials in the performance of their legal duties and responsibilities in apprehending illegal immigrants are engaged in Federal criminal acts subject to arrest and prosecution. If these city and state officials do obstruct Federal law officials in the apprehension of illegal immigrants, I would recommend that they be cuffed, arrested, prosecuted, and fined and imprisoned if found guilty. Otherwise, the rule of law is being violated by city and state officials, which invites nothing but chaos in our society.

11/24/24 Senate Confirmations

There is no doubt that Senate confirmations of Presidential nominees play an important role in the checks and balances of our government. However, in recent decades, these Senate confirmations have become somewhat of a roadblock for a new president to enact his political agenda, as it takes considerable time for the confirmation process to conclude. Much of this logjam is because of the number of nominations to be processed by the Senate, but some of it is because of political grandstanding and obstructionism by the opposite party.

The current system of Senate confirmation of nominees is badly broken and needs to be addressed. The process to nominate and confirm appointees takes longer, and fewer nominees get confirmed expeditiously by each successive president. As a result, many of the most essential leadership positions across the federal government sit vacant for too long. This situation hobbles a new President in enacting the goals that they were elected upon.

This situation is exacerbated by the current nominees of President-elect Trump, as he has rather quickly decided on a large number of persons he wishes to nominate, and these persons are dedicated to reforming the government in ways that the Democrat Party opposes. Thus, we can expect the Democrat Senators to slow-walk these nominees to hamper President-elect Trump’s implementation of his agenda. An agenda that the American people supported by his overwhelming election.

The incoming Senate Republican majority needs to be prepared to address this situation and change the laws and rules to streamline this process before President Trump is inaugurated. Otherwise, they will be part of the problem, rather than part of the solution, to the reforms for which President-elect Trump was elected.

11/23/24 Meritocracy in Government Employment

In a recent YouTube Short Video, Elon Musk commented that he terminated a Twitter employee for lack of performance. While interviewing her, he discovered that she was a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) hire. He ended the interview by terminating her, commenting that “DEI stands for Didn’t Earn It.” and that all of his employees had to earn their employment.

This “earning it” is the basic concept of meritocracy that seems to have been lost in modern America. Perhaps, with the election of Donald Trump as President, this concept will again be first and foremost in America. America would be far better off if meritocracy regained its prominent role in society.

Such an attitude about personnel “earning it” should be utilized by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in the new Department of Government Efficiency (D.O.G.E.) when they review government personnel. These personnel decisions must be balanced by need and efficiency, but excess bureaucracy, when efficiencies are obtained and/or bloat is determined, must result in government personnel reductions.

Some have complained that reducing government personnel will increase unemployment in our current stagnant economy. While this may be true, if the economy recovers with less government bureaucracy and more efficiencies, this will be a temporary situation. It should also be remembered that government employment is not for the purpose of reducing unemployment. It should also be remembered that government employment is not a guarantee of lifetime employment and that need and meritocracy should be the determinants for government employment.

Civil Service laws and regulations were enacted to prevent the excesses of the Spoils System, but in doing so, we now have the excesses of government bureaucracy. An excess of bureaucracy in which once they are hired by the government, they are always employed by the government. Civil service laws and regulations must be reformed to prevent the spoils system, allow for government personnel reductions, and weed out those who have not earned it.

Consequently, Civil Service reform must be a priority for D.O.G.E., for without this reform, it would be exceedingly difficult to reduce government bureaucracy.

11/22/24 The Smears

In America, a person is innocent until proven guilty—in a court of law. In the court of public opinion, it is often the opposite, especially in politics. The tactic of character attacks with unsubstantiated or false accusations for political advantage or financial extortions has become all too common in modern American politics. Such accusations are often bereft of evidence, and in the case of sexual misconduct allegations, they are often of a he-said/she-said nature, or someone saw something that is open to interpretation. In many cases, the person making the allegations is of dubious character that calls into question their assertions.

Many times, a politician will often reach a financial accommodation with a non-disclosure agreement rather than defend their reputation in an open environment that would damage their political career and/or reputation, despite the truth or falsehood of the allegation. This has been proven to be true when Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders smear a political appointee with whom they strongly dislike or fear. Very rarely do Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders engage in such smear tactics, as they view character attacks without substantiation to be reprehensible, having seen many of their appointees being the target of such smear tactics. Often, the Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders engage in policy attacks against their opponents rather than character attacks, as policy attacks are fair game in the political arena.

Most nefarious is when the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate" report, without substantiation, on these allegations as if the politician were guilty of the misconduct until they prove themselves innocent. Proof of innocence is almost impossible, as it requires someone to prove a negative, which is almost impossible to do.

Another problem is that to prove their innocence; the politician would need the ability to cross-examine the witnesses against them in a court of law, where perjury by the witnesses would have serious negative legal repercussions. Such legal proceedings are often protracted affairs, and the politician’s reputation is damaged despite the outcome of the proceeding. This is a lose-lose situation for the politician, and it often results in the end of their political career while damaging their reputation, even if the allegations are shown to be false. As Raymond James "Ray" Donovan, an American businessman and former Secretary of Labor under President Reagan, who was the first sitting Cabinet officer to be indicted, had said when he and seven other construction executives were charged with fraud and acquitted, “Which office do I go to to get my reputation back?”

Consequently, political smears are not only destructive to the politician but also to the body politic. I do not expect the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders to abate their smear tactics, but I would hope that all fair-minded Americans would pay no heed to such smear tactics and spurn those who would engage in such smear tactics.

11/21/24 The Spell

Once a spell is broken, it is exceedingly difficult to recast it. For more than the last decade, there has been a spell that if you say anything politically incorrect or you are not sufficiently woke, then you will suffer negative consequences to your livelihood and/or personal life. With the overwhelming election of President Trump, this spell has been broken. People feel free to speak their minds without fear, and it shows in their jubilant expressions of joy. The Trump shuffle is but one sign of this joy, and another is the cheers that accompany President Trump at his public appearances. Another sign is the expressions of patriotism and a sense of optimism that the problems facing America can be resolved and that the fundamental transformation of America is over and has failed. Consequently, the era of wackiness in America is over, to which I say— Good Riddance.

This spell that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders placed over the American people shows the dangers to our Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights by the despotism that they engaged in. A nefarious despotism in that it was cloaked in “Saving Our Democracy” and protestations of eliminating disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation while they themselves engaged in falsehoods and deceptions. We Americans should always stand up for facts and truths and do the right thing morally and ethically and in a virtuous manner. The lesson to be learned by Americans dedicated to Liberty and Freedom is never again to allow this spell to be cast over America. Fight, fight, fight whenever someone attempts to cast this spell, and never allow your Liberties and Freedoms to be impinge.

11/20/24 Human Intelligence (HI) vs. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

I have often said that AI is mostly artificial and only somewhat intelligent. When utilizing AI, it should always be remembered that human beings developed the AI computer systems, and humans make mistakes, are subject to Logical Fallacies and Cognitive Biases, and have been known to be manipulative to achieve a desired outcome. Consequently, AI is imperfect and should be utilized with caution.

Additionally, AI is Different in intelligence from Human Intelligence, as the following chart illustrates:

These differences between AI and HI are important in the following three ways:

In human creativity, these differences can be stark. While AI may mimic and combine pieces of human creativity, it cannot create something truly new. Ai cannot create something entirely different from what Mozart, Beethoven, and Stravinsky did in music, DaVinci, Michelangelo, or Picasso did in fine art, along with other artists who broke new ground in their art. In the field of literature, Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens, James Joyce, the Brontë sisters, Jane Austen, and a host of other authors have created truly original works of literature beyond the capability of AI, while Shakespeare cannot even be approached by AI. The same could be said of Newton and Einstein in the sciences, as well as many other scientists, engineers, and technologists. While AI may be able to solve complex mathematical problems, it cannot create a new branch of mathematics. In questions of philosophy, theology, morals, and ethics, AI is mute and incapable of even asking the questions. Human creativity knows no bounds, while AI is constrained by what is and has been.

Thus, AI is a powerful tool to help humans solve problems, but it cannot be a replacement for HI in creativity in all forms. Humans are necessary for creativity, and a world of AI without HI would be sterile and without progress, as I discussed in my Chirp on "05/31/23 A Sterile World".

11/19/24 The Shrinking of Our Psyche

I have occasionally written about the Mainstream Information Conglomerate and its pernicious impacts on our politics. However, their impacts go far beyond politics and into our personal knowledge base. When they disseminate falsehoods (knowingly or unknowingly), disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation, we often retain the information as “factual” and utilize this information in our decision-making. Decisions that will have an improper conclusion because they are based on improper information, which directly impacts our lives. Regrettably, there are hidden impacts on the deepest levels of our psyche, which is a result of the ubiquitousness of Smartphones and the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to process information.

Today, wherever we may be or go, the presence of smartphones in everyday life is noticeable. This usage of smartphones is taking up more and more of our time and reducing our time spent thinking about the information being provided. It is making us more dependent on the information being provided as factual rather than questionable, therefore making us more dependent on the information being provided to guide our decision-making. It is this dependence that is impacting us at the deepest levels of our psyche.

Many people’s personal information base is shrinking as they resort to using their Smartphones to look up information on their Smartphones, which queries the Mainstream Information Conglomerate to search for and retrieve information. Often, they do not question the results but simply accept the results as factual. Many people are now resorting to AI provided by the Mainstream Information Conglomerate to answer their questions on complex topics, and again, they accept the AI results as factual. In this, they are not exercising their own cognitive abilities but are depending on the AI to reach a proper conclusion. Thus, they are not becoming more knowledgeable, as I have written in my article "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom".

This dependency also robs us of our creativity as we allow AI to supersede our own creativity. AI has some basic limitations that most people are not aware of, as I shall discuss in more detail in my next Chirp. AI is only intelligent in how it processes vast quantities of information and how it organizes the information query results. AI, however, does not have the capacity to derive new insights into the query results, which requires creativity. This creativity requires a human brain that retrieves and processes information differently than AI. The human brain learns through experiences and senses, while AI learns from data that is limited to its information base, as the following diagram illuminates:

Thus, when we become dependent on Smartphones and AI, we are foregoing our creativity. Smartphones and AI have their place in our modern technological world, but their place is not to displace human creativity. Human creativity is a major factor that differentiates humans from animals. This human creativity is a major reason that we have evolved and gained control of our lives, rather than just reacting to circumstances, as is true for animal species. Consequently, when utilizing smartphones and AI, we should all be wary of the results that they provide and not forgo our own creativity when utilizing these results.

Regrettably, this is often not the case, and we blithely accept the results of Smartphone and AI queries. This has resulted in a degradation of our psyche, as an article by Makai Allbert, “When Smartphones Get Smarter, Do We Get Dumber?” adroitly explains.

11/18/24 Institutional Neutrality

The New York Sun article “Dozens of Universities Are Embracing ‘Institutional Neutrality’ — Will the Policy Do Any Good?” has reported that:

“As the anti-Israel student protests that roiled college campuses in the spring have started up again this fall, scores of American universities are hoping to temper the political climate by embracing a policy known as “institutional neutrality” and refraining from offering official positions on world events which don’t impact the school.”

Neutrality, however, can be interpreted and implemented in many ways. Unfortunately, given how universities and colleges have dealt with campus dissent in the last several years, we can expect that they will interpret and implement neutrality in a self-serving manner that will attempt to avoid conflict and mollify the protestors. To respond to these protestors that they raise difficult questions to answer and, therefore, they will be tolerated is the response of those that lack morals, ethics, or virtue, for these questions are not difficult to answer for those that have morals, ethics, or virtue. Universities and Colleges are supposed to be the repositories and disseminators of knowledge, intelligence, and "Reasoning" and "Rationality" for the betterment of their students and society. Neutrality that conflicts with these goals or conflicts with morals, ethics, or virtue should not be implemented nor tolerated.

The basic issue is whether Universities and Colleges are neutral when it comes to the question of evil. Will they insist on neutrality on the evils of Nazism, Fascism, Imperial Japan, Communism, Racism, Torture, Slavery, Anti-Semitism, Child Prostitution, Sexual Assault, and Religious Zealotry? Will they remain neutral on the issues of Natural/Human Rights, Liberties, Freedoms, Equalities, Equal Justice, Self-Government, and the rise of Despotism, Dictatorialness, and Tyranny? When the facts and truths of human oppression are revealed, will they remain neutral?

Neutrality in the face of evil is a cowardly position that allows evil to fester and grow. Universities and Colleges must be proactive in opposing evils. The historical nature and purposes of Universities and Colleges were in opposition to ignorance and malevolence, as well as the liberation of the human spirit to explore the facts and truths of our world and universe. Remaining neutral when evil rears its ugly head and distorts the facts and truths or attempts to suppress the human spirit is not an acceptable stance for Universities and Colleges.

Consequently, Universities and Colleges must be proactive in opposing evil and confronting and not tolerating those who would advance evils. Thus, the expulsion of students and professors from Universities and Colleges that advance evil is an acceptable response to evil sayers and evildoers.

11/17/24 The Manipulations of Wikipedia

The world needs an online encyclopedia that provides factual, accurate, and unbiased information that everybody can rely upon. Knowledge is power, but incorrect, insufficient, or tendentious knowledge corrupts power. I have often relied upon Wikipedia to research and write my Articles and Chirps, and I often hyperlink to Wikipedia articles in my articles and Chimps.

I have, however, noticed that Wikipedia has drifted to the left in many of its political, social, economic, and current history articles, and even some science articles, as I explain in my Chirp on “05/03/22 The Fall of Wikipedia”. Therefore, you should be cognizant of this drift in these articles and cautious in your acceptance of the information on Wikipedia. As always, you should never rely on one source, such as Wikipedia, when researching a topic or subject. The Conservapedia website has a good introduction of Examples of Bias in Wikipedia with more specific details.

This is especially obvious regarding Democrat Vice-Presidential nominee Tim Walz's controversy about his military record and charges of Stolen Valor. After this controversy erupted, Wikipedia changed its webpage about Republican Vice-Presidential nominee JD Vance as follows:

At the same time, Wikipedia has retained information on Democrat Vice-Presidential nominee Tim Walz that we now know is incorrect:

One can wonder what other information on these Wikipedia web pages has changed to reflect Wikipedia's political biases.

Therefore, regarding political, social, economic, current history, and some science Wikipedia articles, you should be wary of the factual and truthfulness of these articles. Remember—Buyer beware and double-check from outside sources when reviewing these articles.

11/16/24 Arrogance

Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. As such, they view Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as not just being wrong and stupid but that they are bad or evil persons, as demonstrated by their usage of pejoratives, as I have written about in my Article "Divisiveness in America". In this attitude, they are demonstrating their arrogance and their self-righteousness, something that was amply demonstrated in the last presidential election when they utilized vituperations against their opponents.

As from the web article, 50 Arrogance Examples: “Arrogance is an overbearing behavior characterized by an inflated sense of self-importance and superiority over others. It often manifests as a dismissive attitude, presuming one knows more or is better than others, typically without the merit to justify such beliefs. Arrogant individuals may underestimate or undervalue the opinions and feelings of others.” and “Arrogant people tend to be hard to get along with because they often assume they’re better than everyone else. As a result, they fail to listen to other people’s points of view.” Such arrogance is often demonstrated by the attitudes of:

1. Refusing to admit when you’re wrong.
2. Interrupting others while they speak.
3. Talking over someone in a meeting.
4. Assuming you’re the smartest person in the room.
5. Dismissing others’ ideas without consideration.
6. Refusing to ask for directions when lost.
7. Taking credit for someone else’s work.
8. Looking down on others because of their job or income.
9. Not accepting feedback or criticism.
10. Bragging about personal achievements unsolicited.
11. Ignoring advice because you believe you know better.
12. Not waiting your turn in a queue.
13. Mocking someone for not knowing something you do.
14. Not apologizing because you believe you’re always right.
15. Treating service staff disrespectfully.
16. Showing off expensive possessions to make others envious.
17. Name-dropping to gain status.
18. Thinking rules don’t apply to you.
19. Always trying to one-up someone’s story.
20. Ignoring or dismissing experts in a field you know little about.
21. Not listening in a conversation, just waiting for your turn to speak.
22. Making decisions for others without consulting them.
23. Assuming everyone is interested in your opinion.
24. Patronizing someone for their choices.
25. Refusing to acknowledge others’ successes.
26. Giving unsolicited advice.
27. Thinking your way is the only right way.
28. Overestimating your own importance.
29. Treating certain people differently because of their background.
30. Boasting about connections or networks.
31. Thinking you don’t need to study or prepare because you’re naturally talented.
32. Looking down on others for their taste in music, art, or literature.
33. Not valuing other people’s time.
34. Belittling someone’s feelings or experiences.
35. Making fun of someone’s accent or way of speaking.
36. Assuming you’re a preferred guest and inviting yourself to events.
37. Correcting minor mistakes just to show superiority.
38. Using complex jargon to confuse or belittle someone.
39. Judging someone’s worth by their attire.
40. Taking the largest portion for yourself without considering others.
41. Being dismissive of someone’s problems because you think yours are bigger.
42. Laughing at someone’s dreams or ambitions.
43. Not giving others a chance to speak in a group setting.
44. Thinking you’re too good for certain tasks or chores.
45. Dismissing someone’s concerns without truly listening.
46. Speaking about a topic without proper knowledge, but acting like an expert.
47. Taking up more than your fair share of space in public areas (e.g., manspreading).
48. Never considering you might be the source of a problem.
49. Ignoring someone’s boundaries or personal space.
50. Regularly making conversations about yourself.

An arrogant person also has forgotten or never knew the American Proverb:

“Arrogance is a roadblock on the highway of wisdom.”

Thus, while arrogant people may be intelligent, they are often not knowledgeable, as I have written in my article "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom".

Such arrogance and self-righteousness are often regularly displayed by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders in their dealings with those who disagree with them. When they display such arrogance, we should all remember that:

"Never mistake arrogance for intellect."  - D.B. Harrop

Consequently, their arrogance and self-righteousness should be a warning that they are attempting to camouflage their intellectual shortcomings, and we all should be wary of whatever they are saying.

11/15/24 Ash Heap

Kamala Harris embarrassed herself and the left, and she will be tossed onto the ash heap as George McGovern, Al Gore, John Kerry, Mike Dukakis, Walter Mondale, and Hillary Clinton have been. Add in the presidencies of Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden, and you have a not-so-pretty picture of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists leadership in America.

Such it is for the modern Democrat Party. They have chosen style over substance, identity politics over mass appeal, and disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation over facts and truths. They should not be spreading falsehoods about themselves and their opponents. The American people are also demanding solutions to the problems that we face, and not banalities and clichés. Biased media coverage and celebrity endorsements can no longer put lipstick on a pig. The American people demand positive results and do not accept excuses.

Until the Democrat Party reforms itself, it has no credibility and deserves to be consigned to the ash heap.

11/14/24 Rage and Resistance

As Jonathan Turley has written in his article, ‘Second Resistance to Trump’ has already begun, but it won’t work so well this time:

“The single most common principle of recovery programs is that the first step is to admit that you have a problem.

That first step continues to elude the politicians and pundits who unsuccessfully pushed lawfare and panic politics for years.”

And:

“After a crushing electoral defeat and the loss of the White House and likely both houses of Congress, one would think that Democrats would be ready for that first step to recovery. However, those hoping for a new leaf on the left do not understand the true addictive hold of rage.”

We first saw this rage and resistance in the election of President Trump in 2016, and we now see it in his election of 2024. The most disturbing threat to our democracy is the rage and resistance of both elected and appointed officials and the bureaucracy. Our democratic republic was instituted to have the government reflect the will of the people, with safeguards to protect the rights of individuals and groups. Whenever the government does not reflect the will of the people while protecting their rights, we no longer have a democratic republic but some form of a minoritarian government.

Rage allows those who are enraged to engage in words and deeds that are unacceptable in a civilized society. While these words and deeds may be legal when done by non-governmental people, when they are done by governmental people in the performance of their duties and responsibilities, they are subversive to our democratic republic and a true insurrection.

We have seen how this rage by governmental persons was subversive during the first administration of President Trump. The Russian Collusion Delusion, the two impeachments, endless Congressional investigations aimed at President Trump and those surrounding him, along with the lower-level administrators and bureaucrats hindering, slow walking, or obstructing President Trump’s initiatives are all symptoms of this rage. Such rage limited his agenda and policy goals, which the American people elected him to implement.

During the Biden Administration, we have seen this rage manifest itself in governmental actions against Republicans, Conservatives, and opponents of the Biden Administration in their rules, regulations, and lawfare leveled against them. Thus, the safeguards to protect the rights of individuals were violated by the Biden Administration and the bureaucrats.

As we enter into the next Trump Administration, we are again seeing this rage and resistance manifest itself. The comments by various elected officials that oppose President Trump, saying that they will not cooperate and indeed resist President-elect Trump’s lawful policies, is an insurrection against the federal government. It should also be remembered that the Constitution is the supreme law of the land and that no State or local government can contravene or ignore the Constitution or Federal law. Thus, any attempt by any State or local government to resist lawful actions by President Trump is an insurrectionist action. They have every right to challenge the lawfulness of a policy, but they have no right to resist when the policy is lawful.

Trump Derangement Syndrome is the mental illness that fuels this rage. As with all mental illnesses, there is no reasoning with the mentally ill. And, as with all mentally ill persons, you should not pay heed to their delusions but instead chart a course that is sanity-driven.

11/13/24 Dismantling the Deep State

In one of his first announcements, President-elect Trump has announced a plan to dismantle the Deep State. This plan has ten points as follows:

1. On Day One, re-issue 2020 executive order restoring the president’s authority to fire rogue bureaucrats.
2. Overhaul federal departments and agencies, firing all of the corrupt actors in our National Security and Intelligence apparatus.
3. Fundamentally reform the FISA courts, ensuring that corruption is rooted out.
4. Establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to declassify and publish all documents on Deep State spying, censorship, and abuses of power.
5. Launch a major crackdown on government leakers who collude with the media to create false narratives, pressing criminal charges when appropriate.
6. Make every Inspector General’s Office independent from the departments they oversee, so that they do not become protectors of the deep state.
7. Establish an independent auditing system to continually monitor our intelligence agencies to ensure that they are not spying on our citizens or running disinformation campaigns against the American people.
8. Continue Trump administration effort to move parts of the federal bureaucracy outside of the Washington Swamp, just like President Trump moved the Bureau of Land Management to Colorado. Up to 100,000 government positions could be moved out of Washington.
9. Ban federal bureaucrats from taking jobs at the companies they deal with and regulate, such as Big Pharma.
10. Push for a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress.

More information about this plan can be found at “President Trump’s Plan to Dismantle the Deep State and Return Power to the American People”.

11/12/24 Self-Awareness

Self-Awareness amongst the political elites, journalists, self-proclaimed intelligentsia, and other elitists is not a trait to be expected of them. Self-Awareness requires that you be introspective and admit your faults and shortcomings, and as Benjamin Franklin has said, “Doubt a little of your own infallibility.” They are not self-aware because they are self-righteous, as they believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior they are, of course, always correct.

Self-Awareness is also not to be expected of them as they are never confronted by others about their faults, shortcomings, and fallibilities. They can say or do whatever they please, secure in the knowledge that they will not be called to task. They can propagate disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation, as well as spread falsehoods and deceptions, without fear of exposure by their supporters in the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate". Such is the state of America, where facts and truths hold little sway with the American public. Slogans, catchphrases, catchwords, catchlines, and other jingoisms have replaced intelligent thought, and "Rationality" and "Reasoning" have been superseded by emotional appeals.

Thus, you can be assured that as Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists assess their losses in the recent election, it will not be done utilizing self-awareness but by incriminations or fabricating excuses for their losses. Such a lack of self-awareness will doom them to wander in the wilderness of lost elections for many years to come.

11/11/24 A Red Wave

The dominant win of President-elect Trump is even more obvious in the following three charts:

Shift of Voters since 2020

Shift of Voters by Demographic since 2020

I would venture that the reason for this shift is that the Democrats nominated a disliked and incompetent candidate for President, who chose a disliked and incompetent candidate for Vice-President. The Democrat's policy positions were vague and unpopular and ignored their record during the Biden Administration. The American people did not like the pejoratives leveled against them by the Democrat candidates, political elites, journalists, self-proclaimed intelligentsia, and other elitists. The American people are not chumps, and they will not support a candidate that attempts to hoodwink and bamboozle them. Thus, a Red Wave of votes for Trump ensued, and he is now the President-elect.

11/10/24 We Did It

In an article by Everett Piper, “We did it: Trump will be our 47th president”, he explains how Trump won the election. He explains, “Yes, Mr. Trump did it, but there’s more to the story. Not only did he do it, but so did we.”:

We, the “basket of deplorables.”

We, the “irredeemable rubes.”

We, the farmers who “lack gray matter.”

We, the ranchers accused of destroying the planet with our horses and cows.

We, the “toxic males” who still act like men.

We, the “weak and unintelligent” women who still like biological males.

We, the backwoods Christians who “cling to guns or religion.”

We, the ones they’ve called racists, sexists, fascists, bigots, xenophobes, homophobes, Islamophobes, transphobes, Nazis, crazy, stupid, intolerant and hateful.

This past week, we stood up en masse and said we’ve had enough.

We’re tired of their arrogance.

We’re tired of their insults.

We’re tired of their condescension.

We’re tired of them.

This article is well worth the read, as he elaborates on how “We the People of the United States” took control from the political elites, journalists, self-proclaimed intelligentsia, and other elitists who would rule rather than lead the American people. Yes, We Did It, and we need to continue to do it to right the course of America.

11/09/24 Pearls of Wisdom for the Trump Administration

In my Pearls of Wisdom, one of the most important pieces of advice is to “Do the Right Thing for All”, for as I have said:

“When faced with a dilemma or predicament, choose to do the right thing for all, not the right thing for yourself. For, although it may not work out well in the short term, it will work out well in the long term.” - Mark Dawson

As Donald Trump enters into his term of office, I would ask him and the members of his administration to remember this pearl of wisdom. As he is a lame duck and cannot run for reelection, he has the opportunity to put aside political considerations and do the right thing for all Americans. Doing the right thing for all Americans will right the course of America.

He and his administration should always keep in mind another of my Pearls of Wisdom, Promises Made and Promises Kept, and keep the promises he made to the American people during his election campaign. After all, his promises were a major reason why he was elected in a landslide, and they should be the standard, along with his performance, by which his administration is judged.

Finally, as in another Pearl of Wisdom, he and his administration should Be Prepared to Change Your Mind as circumstances warrant, for as one of our Founding Fathers has said:

“For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise." - Benjamin Franklin

and

“Doubt a little of your own infallibility.” - Benjamin Franklin

If he and his administration should change their mind, the American people should be honestly and truthfully informed as to the reasons for their change of mind, and hopefully, they will gain the support of the American people for their change of mind.

Keeping these three Pearls of Wisdom in mind will make for a prosperous and peaceful America in the future.

11/08/24 Political Polling and Mainstream Media Bias

Once again, the cognitive and intentional biases of Political Pollsters and the Mainstream Media have been revealed in the 2024 Presidential election.

Except for two pollsters (Trafalgar & Insider Advantage), the polls all erred on the side of a close race rather than a dominant win for President Trump. One wonders if the pollsters are trying to affect rather than reflect the public mood. The pollsters and their supporters claimed that they were all within the margin of error, but they all erred, on average, to a tight, closely contested election. This illusion of a tight, closely contested election only bolstered the campaign of Kamala Harris while inhibiting the chances of a Donald Trump dominant victory. Such widespread errors reveal that polls are mostly inaccurate and, I believe, show a cognitive bias in favor of Democrats and Progressives.

Meanwhile, the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate" were in the tank for Kamala Harris. The Media Research Center press watchdog said the big three networks that dominated TV coverage ended up giving Harris coverage that was 78% positive to just 15% positive for former President Donald Trump. That 63-point advantage is the biggest in history and about three times what 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry had over former President George W. Bush. Thus, the intentional biases for Democrats and Progressives have once again been illuminated.

As the Trump transition and administration begins, we can expect to see these cognitive and intentional biases to continue in an attempt to thwart his policies and political goals. Do not let them succeed! Discount their polls and do not believe their spin, for they have proven that they cannot get it right, and they will say anything to thwart President Trump.

11/07/24 Political Parties Change

The Republican Party and the Democrat Party are not your parents and grandparents’ parties. Parties change over the decades, and the last several decades have seen major shifts in both the Republican Party and the Democrat Party. The political goals and policy agendas of both parties are different now than they were in the past.

The recent election of Donald Trump has solidified these changes in the Republican Party with its shift to a more centrist and populist orientation of the Republican Party, while the Democrat Party has shifted more leftward. With the coalition of voters for President Trump, Identity Politics has been loosened in the Democrat Party, and it will continue to be loosened as President Trump institutes changes that are beneficial to all Americans. Rural Americans, so often ignored by the modern Democrat Party, have risen in prominence in the Republican Party. Manufacturing businesses and the jobs they create will be a focus for the modern Republican Party. Foreign policy in the Republican Party will be redirected to what is best for America and Americans, while internationalism will continue to be central to the Democrat Party. Economics, which seems to be an unknown or disregarded in the Democrat Party, will guide all Republican Party decisions. The rich and famous have little role in the modern Republican Party, while they have and will gain more prominence in the Democrat Party. Finally, and most importantly, the worth and dignity of the individual person and the Liberties and Freedoms of all Americans will be central to the Republican Party, while "Socialism" and "Social Engineering" will be dominant in the Democrat Party.

Thus, all Americans should be aware of these changes to the Republican Party and the Democrat Party and adjust their voting accordingly, if not outright changing their party affiliation.

11/06/24 Not Rocket Science

Well, the chaos of voting that occurred in previous presidential elections seems to have been averted in the 2024 presidential election. While there are still problems to be resolved for future presidential elections, these problems can be resolved with diligent and proper corrective actions.

As I have written in my articles "Voting in America" and "Voting Responsibilities", the way we conduct voting in America is an invitation to cheating. Cheating is the disenfranchisement of a legitimate voter by negating their vote when an illegitimate vote for the other candidate is counted. It is also an invitation for lawyers and judges to become involved in the election results. Getting the lawyers and judges involved in deciding elections, rather than the voters deciding elections, often leads to disenfranchisement.

As Jonathan Turley has written, “This is not rocket science. Rocket science is Elon Musk catching a massive booster rocket on what looked like a giant barbeque fork. Getting the staff and computers in place in a historic election should not be a great challenge.”

Let us hope that these problems will be addressed and resolved to assure free and fair elections in which Americans can be confident of the election results.

11/05/24 It is Time to Elect Someone Who Understands the Working Person

It is well past time to elect someone who understands and loves the American people. As former President Trump has said, “You can’t lead America if you don’t love Americans—and you can’t be president if you hate the American people!” Any person or party that makes derisive comments about their political opponents does not understand nor love the American people.

Barak Obama saying that when “they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion”, Hillary Clinton saying that “you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables” and that “Now, some of those folks – they are irredeemable”, Joe Biden saying that “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters”, and Kamala Harris calling Trump supporters fascists and likening them to Nazis betray that they do not understand nor love all Americans, but only their supporters.

My choice, then, is a person who understands and loves all Americans, even his opponents, who he believes are wrong for America and Americans. That person is, without further comment:

11/04/24 American Patriotism

Many people across the world are patriots of their country. They love their country, they believe in their country, and they want their country to succeed. This is also true of most American people, but patriotism in America needs to be much more.

Patriotism in America should be about a belief and support for our "American Ideals and Ideas" and the striving for "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" through the equal implementation of our "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights". To believe otherwise is not American Patriotism but simply country patriotism, as is common in the rest of the world. When I speak and write of my own patriotism, I speak and write of my commitment to our American ideals and goals, and not just as a country patriot.

Americans should not become country patriots, as Americans should serve as an example of a higher patriotism, a patriotism that John Winthrop wrote of as a “shining city upon a hill.” If we become common patriots, then we will become ordinary people like the rest of the world. American patriotism should be a beacon and call for the other peoples of the world to emulate and strive for in their country. To abandon this American Patriotism is to become one of many common country patriots as is customary across the world, and we will cease to be, as Abraham Lincoln has said, “the last best hope of Earth”.

11/03/24 Uselessness and a Bad Example

“No one is completely useless. You can always serve as a bad example.”  ― Jim Beaver, Life's That Way

This quote perfectly encapsulates what has become of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists—they serve as a bad example and are completely useless. As I have stated in a previous Chirp, Victor Davis Hanson has written in his article “Kamala's Insane Talking Points”:

“On the one hand, is the prior Trump 2017-20 concrete record: border security, no major wars abroad, calm in the Middle East, a deterred Russia, Iran, and China, low inflation, low interest rates, lower crime, lower taxes, strong deterrent military -- and opposition to mandatory electric vehicle mandates, biological males competing in women's sports, and the woke/DEI agenda.

On the other hand, is the Biden-Harris 2021-2024 record: the unchecked entry of 12-20 million illegal aliens and a destroyed border. People still struggle under Biden-Harris's earlier hyperinflation and high interest rates. The horrific regional wars in Ukraine and the Middle East continue. Biden-Harris embraces the unpopular DEI/Woke agenda.”

Such a comparison has shown the complete uselessness and bad example of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists in leading America. They have gotten it completely wrong on their political goals and policy agendas, to the detriment of America and the world. They have alienated half of the American public with their charges of racism, sexism, and fascism against them and have pitted groups of Americans against other groups of Americans. They have not solved the problems of America but have exacerbated the problems.

Consequently, they are deserving of repudiation by the American public in the upcoming election. They must be swept out of power so they cannot stall nor halt the changes needed to solve the problems of America. Until the American electorate sweeps them out of power, we can only expect the continuation or worsening of the problems in America. While the Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives are not perfect, they are far better than the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists in leading America and making the changes needed to solve the problems in America. Thus, I would encourage all Americans to vote Republican in the upcoming election to right the course of America.

11/02/24 Who Are You Going To Believe?

The famous Marx Brothers quote by Chico Marx, “Who you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes?”, should be updated for the Mainstream Media coverage of Biden-Harris-Walz to “Who you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes and ears?”.

Spin, editing, and non-coverage of outrageous comments by Biden-Harris-Walz have reached epic proportions in the Mainstream Media. On the other hand, any offensive comment made by Trump or Vance, or by their supporters, is blown out of proportion, or the comments are twisted to appear outrageous by the Mainstream Media when they are not that excessive.

Such is the case for Modern Journalism in its adoption of Advocacy Journalism, as I have written in my Chirp on “10/18/24 Advocacy, Not Journalism”. Their advocacy for the Harris-Walz ticket and for other Democrat Party candidates has risen to the point that they should be considered in-kind contributions to the Democrat Party and their candidates. We have also seen the usual shenanigans of the "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate" to mislead, deceive, or cover up the true nature of the Democrat candidate's record, policies, and agendas. These shenanigans should also be considered in-kind contributions to the Democrat Party and their candidates. This Advocacy Journalism and shenanigans are a major contributing factor to the closeness of the polls in the current election cycle. If the American people were properly informed, I do not believe that the polls would be this close.

To be a participant in this Advocacy Journalism and shenanigans requires that you believe that the American public is either fools or chumps that can be manipulated into voting for the candidate of their choice or that the American public is too unintelligent to make a wise choice for whom to vote. Either way, they demonstrate a self-righteous attitude that they are better educated, more intelligent, wiser, and morally superior than the American public.

To this, I would say they are not, and I advise the American people not to be swayed by their Advocacy Journalism and shenanigans. Instead, you should utilize other alternative sources to uncover the Democrat candidate's authentic record, policies, and agendas before casting your vote.

11/01/24 Leave the Democrat Party Behind

The modern Democrat Party has become one of intolerance for any viewpoint other than their own. As I have often said, as they believe that they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that their policies are best for all Americans. Consequently, the Progressives/Leftists and the Democrat Party are motivated to do what is best for them rather than what is best for all Americans.

Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat Congressperson for eight years, has seen and heard all from an inside perspective. She has written a book, “For Love of Country: Leave the Democrat Party Behind”, which is this month’s Book It selection. This book is an expose of their lust for power and their utilization of any means necessary to obtain power, which has become the modern Democrat Party. In their self-righteousness, The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Liberties and Freedoms, and any person who disagrees with them be dammed.

I would highly recommend that all Americans read this book and then take her advice to leave the Democrat party behind. I would also ask you to consider the words of RFK Jr. in a recent interview in which he tells the TRUTH about the current Democrat Party:

"The party that I grew up, with the party of John F Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, that doesn't exist anymore. In fact, there's been a complete inversion. The party that I grew up with was the party of peace. My father ran for president against the Vietnam War. President Kennedy never sent a combat troop abroad to die during his administration. He told his best friend the primary job of a president of the United States is to keep the country out of War. Today the Democratic party is the party of War, and the Republican party is the party of Peace. The Democratic party I grew up with was the party of civil rights, of constitutional rights, of freedom of speech, particularly the First Amendment. Today, it's the party of censorship and surveillance. The Democratic party that I grew up with was the party of women's sports. My uncle Ted Kennedy wrote Title IX to make sure that women had an equal shot to men in colleges, and the Democratic party today is not the party of women's sports. The Democratic party was the party that was skeptical of the domination of our government by corporate power. Today the Democratic party is the party of big Pharma, big Tech, big AG, big food, the military industrial complex, Wall Street, and it's the party of Dick Cheney and John Bolton. These are, it's a party that I absolutely do not recognize. These are the guys who wrote The Patriot Act."

10/31/24 Vacuousness, Deceptions, Falsehoods, and Fearmongering

As the 2024 Presidential election closes, we have seen one of the most unusual presidential campaigns in modern American history (sans the COVID-inhibited campaign of 2020). On one side, the Trump campaign has run a standard campaign of rallies, town halls, news conferences, journalistic interviews, and now, in today’s modern technological world— podcasts, while the Harris campaign has tried to avoid, minimize, manipulate, and/or constrain such campaigning. The Harris campaign has also tried to institute a basement campaign without being in a basement, as I have written in my Chirp on 08/10/24 The New Basement Strategy and Tactics.

The Harris campaign has been one of vacuousness, deceptions, falsehoods, and fearmongering. In doing so, she is trying to bamboozle and hoodwink the American public into believing that she is something that she is not. She also uses chicanery to paint her opponent as something that he is not. Her gibberish and pablum are an insult to the American public’s intelligence. Thus, her campaign has revealed the character of a person with a deficiency of morals, ethics, virtue, and intelligence. It has also been revealed that she will do or say anything to obtain and retain power.

Such a person is not fit for leadership of a people dedicated to Liberty and Freedom. As such, we should not risk placing in the White House a power-hungry, vapid nothing like Kamala Harris. If you can’t vote for Donald Trump (which I can understand), then you should not vote for such a person as Kamala Harris. America will survive a Trump presidency (as it has previously), but it will forever be detrimentally changed by a Harris presidency.

10/30/24 Vote Your Conscience, Not Your Identity

The Harris campaign and her surrogates have begun to chastise various people of identity groups for not supporting her. Large segments of black Americans and smaller segments of Hispanics, Asians, Women, Jewish, young voters, and other demographic voters have begun to express concern and displeasure with presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

This is a manifestation of Identity Politics in the Democrat Party, in which all members of an identity group are expected to think, believe, act, and vote alike. Such an attitude amongst Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists demonstrates their disregard for the individual and favor for the collective. Group thinking is encouraged, and individual conscience is discouraged. Indeed, when individual conscience is voiced by members of these identity groups, they are roundly condemned and disparaged.

This attitude by the Democrat Party is an insult to the intelligence of the members of an identity group. It is also antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas in which our Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights are based upon the rights of the individual. Thus, the Democrat Party is acting in an un-American manner. They also have the propensity to be rulers rather than leaders, as I have written in my Article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders", and rulers believe that they should be obeyed and not challenged. Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists also believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. As such, any dissent from their viewpoint by the members of an identity group is considered wrong and harmful, and it is to be silenced.

Much of this behavior by the Democrat Party is for electoral advantage, but also because of their belief in a Democratic political theory of the Constitution. I do not mean a Republican Party or a Democratic Party Constitution, but a Republic or a Democratic political theory of the Constitution, as I have written in my article on "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution".

In America, individual conscience reigns supreme, and it is a cornerstone of our Freedoms and Liberties. Disregarding your conscience for your identity group affiliation chains you to the will of others, and it makes you subservient to others. Consequently, it is very important that you vote your conscience, not your identity.

10/29/24 A Campaign of Vileness

The presidential campaign of Kamala Harris, which started out with pronouncements of joy and a new way forward, has turned into a campaign of vileness as her poll numbers have declined. She, and her surrogates, have accused Trump and his supporters of being racists, misogynists, Nazis, Fascists, and Stalinists, along with other pejoratives, as I have written in my article on "Divisiveness in America". Harris has also asserted that Trump is a "fascist," a "dictator," an "insurrectionist", and "unfit" for office, and he is somehow "exhausted," "senile," and "confused."

All these accusations are morally reprehensible (i.e., vile), as they are all based on unsubstantiated beliefs, as I have Chirped on “10/28/24 Reality and Unreality Beliefs”. Such a campaign demonizes her opponents, which ends up pitting one group of Americans against another group, further diving Americans into bitter hyper-partisanship.

Accordingly, she and her campaign stumpers, her endorsers, her supporters in the various media, and all those who repeat these vile remarks are reprehensible. They should be condemned and ostracized by all people of morals, ethics, and virtue. The American people should certainly not cast their votes for her or candidates that support her comments, as these comments will do nothing but denigrate Americans and degrade and destroy America.

10/28/24 Reality and Unreality Beliefs

The Russia collusion hoax, lies about “good people on both sides,” impeachment one, impeachment two, the January 6th committee, multiple frivolous indictments, a handful of civil cases, charges of Nazism, Fascism, and dictatorialness, comparisons to Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin, and other extreme rhetoric as I have examined in my Chirp on "09/22/24 Democrat Extreme Rhetoric”, are but some examples of the unreal beliefs of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS).

As Victor Davis Hanson has written in his article “Kamala's Insane Talking Points”:|

“On the one hand, is the prior Trump 2017-20 concrete record: border security, no major wars abroad, calm in the Middle East, a deterred Russia, Iran, and China, low inflation, low interest rates, lower crime, lower taxes, strong deterrent military -- and opposition to mandatory electric vehicle mandates, biological males competing in women's sports, and the woke/DEI agenda.

On the other hand, is the Biden-Harris 2021-2024 record: the unchecked entry of 12-20 million illegal aliens and a destroyed border. People still struggle under Biden-Harris's earlier hyperinflation and high interest rates. The horrific regional wars in Ukraine and the Middle East continue. Biden-Harris embraces the unpopular DEI/Woke agenda.”

In all these unreal TDS claims, there have been charges that Trump is a threat to “Our Democracy”, as I have Chirped on "01/11/22 Our Democracy". However, as I have examined in my collected Chirps on "The Decline of Free Speech in America", "The Weaponization of Government", and "Despotism in America", these have been the greatest danger to “Our Democracy” that is based on our "American Ideals and Ideas". As I have examined in my collected Chirps on "Threats to Democracy", the greatest practitioner of these threats to our democracy has been the Biden-Harris Administration.

Consequently, it can be said that the believers of TDS live in an unreal world, an unreal world that, if acted upon by electing those who believe in TDS, will have detrimental impacts on America.

10/27/24 Women Voters in America

A majority of women voters in America do not like Trump, and they will not vote for him. Much of this dislike is in his mannerisms, which can be uncouth, coarse, crude, rude, impolite, or improper for a politician. I, myself, am sometimes offended by his mannerism, but I understand that much of this is done for shock purposes to break through the barriers of the prejudicial "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate" that politicizes or inhibits thoughtful discussions on the issues and concerns facing America.

It is not necessary to like a politician to vote for them. The important reason to vote for a politician is that you agree with their political goals and policy agendas. It should also be remembered that there is no such thing as total agreement with another person, and a politician may have some stances with which you disagree. Thus, when voting you need to consider the pluses and minuses of a politician’s stances, then decide which political candidate you believe has, on balance, the better stances.

When evaluating a candidate’s stances, you also need to examine their record and then compare their record to their stances to determine their true political goals and policy agendas. When you compare the record of the Trump-Pence Administration to the Biden-Harris Administration, you can see a stark contrast. During the Trump-Pence Administration, we had border security, no major wars abroad, calm in the Middle East, a deterred Russia, Iran, and China, low inflation, low interest rates, lower crime, lower taxes, a strong deterrent military, and the lowest unemployment and highest real income increase for both minority and non-minority Americans in many decades. During the Biden-Harris Administration, none of this continued, and the situation in America and the world worsened to the detriment of the American people.

If you remove the last year's statistics of the Trump-Pence Administration and the first-year statistics of the Biden-Harris Administration due to the COVID-19 pandemic impacts, the contrast is starker. Thus, the Trump-Pence Administration record was much more beneficial to America and Americans than the Biden-Harris Administration. This is what the women voters of America need to consider when casting their votes. What will be a better America for them, their loved ones, their families, and for America and Americans—a Trump-Vance or a Harris Walz Administration? It is for this reason that you should cast your vote and not for any dislike of Trump’s mannerisms.

10/26/24 Just and Unjust Actions

The Declaration of Independence's second paragraph is the foundational principle of American society:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Any violations of these principles are a betrayal of the American people and a corruption of the natural rights of the people. Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness are the base, but not the only, natural rights that our government was instituted to protect. The government is instituted to protect these rights, and they are bound in their actions to preserve these natural rights. Any government not so constituted and not so constricted as to not infringe on these natural rights is no legitimate government committed to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

In the Declaration of Independence, a list of the particulars of the history of repeated injuries and usurpations of the natural rights of the American Colonists is enumerated, and in this list, we find the basis for restrictions on government actions. In particular, the five most basic natural rights that can never be violated are:

1. No person or government may unjustly take the life of another person.
2. No person or government may unjustly encroach on the Liberty and Freedom of another person, i.e., the right of a person to act freely without interference by, or violence against, others.
3. No person or government may unjustly interfere with the right of any person to acquire, possess, and dispose of personal property.
4. No person or government may unjustly infringe upon another religious belief and practice unless such religious beliefs and practices infringe upon others’ beliefs and practices.
5. No person or government may unjustly restrict the right of another person to freely speak their mind and associate with other people.

The American Constitution was crafted to protect these and other natural rights and to ensure that government is not arbitrary, despotic, or tyrannical, which leads to violations of natural rights. We must also be mindful that, as the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution states, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” Hence, the Constitution does not specify all the natural rights that are to be protected, and it directs through the Ninth Amendment that the government must be mindful of natural rights in the crafting and enforcement of laws, rules, and regulations.

To ensure that these and other natural rights are protected, the Constitution establishes an independent Judicial system to adjudicate disputes of Natural Rights violations by the government, as well as other disputes on legal issues of law and enforcement, and to conduct civil and criminal trials. The Constitution also specifies that the government must institute equal protection and due process of law to determine what actions by both government and individuals are permissible. The question is of the meaning of “equal protection” and “due process”. In these questions, the concerns of substance and procedure of law must be addressed to determine what just and unjust actions are by both the government and individuals. Again, the Declaration of Independence forms a backdrop for the answers to the questions of substance and procedure of law.

In my Book It of “07/01/21 The Library of Liberty – Part I”, I recommend the book “The Conscience of the Constitution: The Declaration of Independence and the Right to Liberty” by Timothy Sandefur, which examines these and other questions of natural rights and constitutional government that are raised by the Declaration of Independence. For, as he states:

“When it comes to American Constitutional order, the Declaration of Independence gives us the standard: it stands above our political arguments to explain the basis and limits of rightful government.”

All Americans would do well to ponder the underlying meaning of the Declaration of Independence when thinking about governing principles and to be cognizant of the five most basic natural rights that can never be violated by any government or person.

10/25/24 Inherent Good and Instrumental Good

Most people believe that they are inherently good; therefore, their actions must be instrumentally good. This is especially true for Progressives, as they believe as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always inherently good and that all their actions are instrumentally good. But, as I have written in my Chirp on “10/08/24 A Good Person”, to be an inherently good person requires that you unflinchingly determine and examine the core moral and ethical questions of any situation. After you determine the moral and ethical good of any situation, you then need to determine the moral and ethical response to the situation to do instrumental good. Violating or compromising the inherent good to achieve an instrumental good may achieve some good results in the near term but will always fail in the far term. Such failure will then re-raise the inherent moral and ethical questions and lead to further attempts to do instrumental good, which may lead to more violations of compromises of the inherent good in the implementation of the instrumental good. Thus, a cycle of inherent good/instrumental failures continues. Such a cycle of inherent good/instrumental failures can have tragic consequences.

Domestically, this cycle is exemplified by the major issues and concerns that afflict America and Americans. Racism, Abortion, Immigration, Crime, Addictions, Equality and Equity, along with a host of other issues, have all been caught in this cycle of inherent good and instrumental failures. Much of this cycle begins by not properly addressing the inherent good to determine the instrumental good that is needed to solve these problems. This misunderstanding of the inherent good leads to the failure of the instrumental good, and until we determine the inherent good, it is not possible to implement the instrumental good.

This determination of the inherent good is often obscured by "The Biggest Falsehoods in America", which makes it difficult to determine the instrumental good that should be obtained. Solving these problems requires us to understand the facts and truths to rebut these falsehoods. Unfortunately, because of the misinformation on these falsehoods, this is often not possible. Politicians and activists are more interested in scoring political points, along with other motivations, that interfere with our understanding. Let us all begin to understand the true nature of the inherent good so that we can work together on implementing the instrumental good.

On the international stage, this cycle is exemplified in the conflicts between Israel and the Arab peoples. For over half a century, this cycle has led to much death, injuries, and destruction on both sides of the conflict. The inherent good of peace has led to violations and compromises in the instrumental attempts to achieve peace, and this cycle has continued until the present day. It is time to recognize that the Israel people have the right to exist in peace and prosperity without the constant threats of violence and the destruction of Israel by the Arab peoples. Therefore, no peace is possible without the elimination of these threats to peace. Consequently, Israel must be allowed to destroy these threats before peace can be achieved. This destruction should be the first instrumental solution to the conflict between the Israeli and Arab peoples for peace to be achieved.

To achieve true peace requires that the Arab people recognize that the subjugation or elimination of people who do not believe in Islam is not a legitimate religious goal and, indeed, is a violation of God’s will that all people should live in peace and harmony with each other. The inherent good of proselytizing, rather than violence and threats of violence, is the only acceptable instrumental means for converting a person to what you believe is the true faith in God. Until all Islamic people recognize that proselytization is the only good instrumental means to achieve the inherent good within Islam, there will be no peace across the world between Muslims and other faiths.

Thus, the inherent good and instrumental good both need to be resolved when addressing any problem on the domestic and international stage. Otherwise, the problems will not be properly resolved, and any other approach will result in failure, with the corresponding human suffering and misery that accompanies such failure.

10/24/24 Inanity and Foolishness of Celebrity Endorsements

Megan Kelly recently remarked on the inanity and foolishness of Taylor Swift’s endorsement of the Harris-Walz Presidential candidacy. Like most celebrity endorsements, they are feelings-based rather than rationally rooted. There is also little thought about the negative consequences of their opinions if they should be implemented. Consequently, you can safely ignore almost all celebrity endorsements of political candidates, as they are often bereft of intelligent thoughtfulness.

The transcript of Mega Kelly’s remarks that illustrate this point is as follows:

“Screw you, Taylor Swift. That’s how I would like to begin…

I don’t know whether [her endorsement] will have an effect [on the election]. I mean, supposedly some 350,000 people have rushed to some website to register to vote or express interest in potentially doing that. But young people don’t generally vote, and I don’t think people who at this point in the election cycle had not registered to vote are not going to do it because of Taylor Swift. But let’s set that to the side…

This woman has… is a billionaire. I saw her amazing mansion in Rhode Island. I went to some hotel there, and there it is up on a cliff. You’ve never seen a more beautiful home. It’s one of what? 20? She’s got so many gifts thanks to all of you and thanks to your daughters, who you probably had to drag to her concerts. You want to make your daughter happy, and so you did it and that’s true whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat.

And how does she thank this nation? She turns around and not only does she pick a side in a hotly contested presidential election alienating at least half of her fan base, but she says the reason she’s voting for Kamala Harris is because of Tim Walz’s LGBTQ stance.

Do you know what Tim Walz has done on the LGBTQ front?

Let me tell you what’s going to happen… to a little girl sitting in Wisconsin, who is maybe on the spectrum, maybe has acne, maybe is a little heavyset, maybe feels upset because her parents are getting divorced, or something like, and is going to find herself down a rabbit hole on Reddit. And her parents aren’t going to know because they’re getting a divorce and they’re not focused on her right now.

She is going to spend hour after hour on that thing and Reddit is going to tell her she is actually a boy. And she’s going to get sucked into this gender cult, and she is going to say, ‘Mom and Dad, I want puberty blockers into cross-sex hormones’ – which will sterilize her and deprive her of all sexual pleasure for the rest of her life.

And they’re going to say, ‘No, you’re a girl. And she’s going to say, ‘But I want I want top surgery… this double mastectomy where I’ll have tubes coming out of me and I’ll never breastfeed a child. I want that too because I’m a boy.’ And they’re going to say no.

She’s going to go to a judge in Minnesota and, because of Tim Walz, the court will take custody of her use the Medicaid funds in Minnesota to provide her all of those things – chop off her breasts, sterilize her with the puberty blockers into the cross-sex hormones… There’s a law that Tim Walz signed that says the court can take jurisdiction, which in this instance means custody, over minor children who are not getting ‘gender affirming care.’ [And that ‘care’] is a lie. There are only two genders. There are men and there are women. One cannot become the other…

And when this girl inevitably comes to the conclusion that she didn’t want any of this, that it only added to her problems – which were the divorce, and the acne, and the puberty, and not any trans issue – who is she going to go to then?

This is all because of Tim Walz. That’s what Minnesota is doing right now to little girls and boys – taking custody away from the parents so that they can have these procedures without any loving parent there to help. And that’s what Taylor Swift just endorsed for your children.

So screw you, Taylor Swift.”

I would also add that anyone who believes that a minor child has the intellectual capacity to make life-changing decisions are themselves inane and foolish, and they should not be trusted to be involved in any life-changing decisions for anyone.

10/23/24 Religion In Politics

As I have written in the section on “Religion and Politics” in my Religiosity webpage, the purpose of the Wall of Separation is to separate government from religion, not to separate religion from government. This wall of separation is not directly written into the Constitution, but it is inferred by the Constitution in the Establishment Clause of the 1st Amendment. The phrase itself comes from a letter that Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802 to answer a letter from them written in October 1801. Thus, it is Unconstitutional for the government to become involved in religion, but it is not Unconstitutional for religion to become involved in government.

As religious people and religious organizations have the 1st Amendment rights of Free Speech and Petitioning the Government for a Redress of Grievances, they can become involved in politics. Indeed, America has a long history of religious people and organizations being involved in politics. From pre-Revolutionary War times through the Civil War and Reconstruction times, religious people and organizations were highly active in politics and were often political leaders. It was with the rise of Progressivism in the 20th century that religious people and organizations began separating themselves from politics. This was mainly due to their opposition to many Progressive policies and the Progressives excluding, shunning, and excoriating them for their opposition. Non-profit and tax laws and regulations were modified to make it difficult for them to practice their religious politics without losing their tax-exempt status. Thus, an era of non-involvement of religious people and organizations in politics arose.

With this non-involvement of religious people and organizations in politics, we lost much of our moral and ethical foundations in the crafting of legislation and governance. This has been to the detriment of our society, as without religious, moral, and ethical foundations, we have seen a deterioration of the foundations of our society and a rise in immorality and unethical behavior of both citizens and politicians. As one of our Founding Fathers has said:

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other."   - John Adams

Hence, it is time to reintroduce religious people and organizations into politics and governance. The question is about the scope of religious involvement in politics and governance. As religious people and organizations have 1st Amendment rights, there can be no legal incumbrances to their involvement, but self-control by religious people and organizations regarding the issues and concerns of morality and ethics is warranted. As God has bestowed the Natural Rights of all people, any violations of Natural Rights warrant religious involvement. Social issues that conflict with religious morals and ethics also warrant religious involvement. Social issues such as Manual, Sexual, or Child Slavery, Racism, Abortion, and Transgendered Child Care require religious involvement, while other social issues such as Immigration, Crime, Child Rearing, Pedophilia, Sexualizations of Society, LGBTQIA+ Exhibitionisms, Drug or Alcohol Addictions, Prostitution, as well as other social issues, requires inputs from religious people and organizations.

To do this requires a change of Non-profit and tax laws and regulations to accommodate religious organizations in politics. Without these changes to tax laws and regulations, it would be burdensome for religious organizations to become active in the social issues in which they should participate in America. It also requires courage from religious people and organizations to speak their minds and to be unafraid of despotism when they do so.

10/22/24 Bipolar Scenarios

Bipolar scenarios (one or the other, this or that, etc.) are often common in discussions of the issues and concerns facing America and Americans. With bipolar scenarios, it is easier to illuminate the differences between two positions to determine the answers to the question that is under discussion. However, bipolar scenarios are often not the reality of the situation, and they have the inherent possibility of presenting a nonsensical scenario.

In Science, if you ask a question about a situation that can never occur, then science considers the question as nonsensical, and it need not be answered. This is easily understood by the question, ‘What happens when an immovable object meets an irresistible force?’ If you have a universe that has an immovable object, it means that there is no force in the universe that can move the object, and conversely, if you have an irresistible force in a universe, then there is no object in the universe that can resist the force. Thus, it is not possible to have a universe that has both an immovable object and an irresistible force, and the aforementioned question is not possible; therefore, the question is nonsensical and need not be answered.

In Philosophy and Theology, the same nonsensible questions can occur. In medieval Europe, there was the theological question of ‘How many angles could dance on the head of a pin?’ This question presupposes the existence and physical properties of angles, as well as the physical dimensions of the point at the head of a pin. As none of these things are knowable, then the question is nonsense and need not be answered.

Consequently, whenever a person asks a question about something that cannot occur or is unknowable, then the question is nonsense and needs not be answered. Unfortunately, in modern America, many people ask questions about what cannot occur or is unknowable, especially in politics, sociology, and economics. Therefore, the only answer to these questions is that they are nonsense questions, and they need not be answered until they become knowable or can occur.

10/21/24 Ignorance and Stupidity

Mark Lewis recently made a comment in one of his articles, “Knowledge, Stupidity, Virtue, Immorality”,  that:

“I hate using the word “stupid” because it sounds rude and mean. But there is really no other good synonym that effectively captures the meaning of that word. And to believe certain things is truly...stupid.

Let me clarify the distinction between “ignorance” and “stupidity.” We are all born ignorant, but not stupid. I believe that, as beings created in the image of God, there are some innate qualities (conscience, etc.) that He has put in us, but still, knowledge is learned (even our consciences must be taught and trained). We aren’t born with knowledge. All of us are ignorant about countless things. Most people know virtually nothing about rocket science. That doesn’t make them “stupid,” it just makes them “ignorant”—untaught in that subject. True knowledge is beneficial and can lead to wisdom. False “knowledge” (believed) produces stupidity and foolishness and often horribly tragic consequences.”

I, myself, have tried to keep this distinction between ignorance and stupidity in my Chirps and Articles, as well as in my interactions with others. It would behoove all of us to keep this in mind when we interact with others and to remember that it is best to help the ignorant become more knowledgeable and to criticize those who would remain stupid.

The issue in modern American political thought is that it is easy to remain stupid if you surround yourself with others who are stupid. This leads to a belief that you are not stupid, as you have relied on others’ stupidity to affirm that you are not stupid. In a crowd, thinking for yourself is not encouraged and is often discouraged. This makes you but a lemming following the crowd wherever its leaders may direct you to go. The solution is to become more knowledgeable, as I have written in my article "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom", and then think for yourself in a "Rationality" and "Reasoning" manner before making up your mind. You may end up reaching a wrong conclusion, but you will not remain stupid.

10/20/24 Truths and Feelings

"Man is always prey to his truths. Once he has admitted them, he cannot free himself from them."   - Albert Camus, French philosopher and writer

I can personally attest to the truth of this statement, as when I have admitted the truths about myself to myself, I have had to ponder and then live with the truths about myself. This is not only true for my personal faults and strengths but also for my thoughts on the truths about issues and concerns facing America and Americans. This can be a heavy burden to bear, but it is a burden that has helped me become a better and more thoughtful person about myself and the society that I live in.

This admission about the truths about myself requires an unflinching and honest evaluation of myself, as well as what is occurring in American society. This unflinching and honest evaluation of American society has been reflected in my various Chirps and Articles, which I cannot retract unless I obtain new or better information that would lead me to a different conclusion. If I obtain new or better information that leads me to a different conclusion, then I am quite willing to retract what I have previously written and to explain the reasons for this retraction and my new conclusion in a new Chirp or revisions to my Articles.

Hurting someone’s feelings is an insufficient reason for an apology or retraction if the facts and the truths remain the same. It is up to the person whose feelings have been hurt to adjust their feelings based upon the facts and the truths from the facts.

In many of my recent Chirps, I have written about the unvarnished facts and unpleasant truths about the modern Democrat Party and its Progressive supporters, and I shall continue to do so. Unless you can intellectually dispute the facts and/or rationality arrive at a different truth from the facts, then I shall not apologize or retract what I have written. To do so would display a lack of courage of my convictions or fear of retaliation, which I am unwilling to do. I will also remember that when the devil attacks you, you should take it as a badge of honor. A badge of honor that I shall proudly wear if I am attacked for writing or speaking the facts and truths of the facts.

10/19/24 Foresight

Democrat Vice-Presidential candidate Tim Walz recently participated in a pheasant hunt with his shotgun, in which he demonstrated his ineptitude in handling the shotgun. You would think that if he was going to make this pheasant hunt a photo-op, he would have thought of privately retrieving his shotgun and practicing its handling before he stepped into the photo-op.

This photo-op not only demonstrated his ineptitude but also his lack of foresight. But such is true for many Democrat candidates and incumbents. They often speak and act without foresight of the impacts of their words and deeds. This is not only embarrassing to them but also consequential to the body of politic when they speak or act on matters of public policy and the laws, rules, and regulations of government.

This lack of foresight also explains many of the problems that Americans face due to their not thinking about the consequences of their words and deeds. This is but another example of why most Democrats should not hold elected or appointed office, as foresight is an essential attribute necessary to govern a people.

10/18/24 Advocacy, Not Journalism

Modern Journalism in the 2024 Presidential election campaign has seen a massive rise in Advocacy Journalism. Advocacy in their predilections for Democrat candidates and against Republican candidates. This is evident when a Mainstream Media journalist conducts a sit-down interview with a candidate. In these interviews, they utilize “facts” in their questions that are slanted for the Democrat candidate and “facts” slanted against the Republican candidate. When the candidate is a Democrat, the journalist asks a softball question with the candidate's favorable disputable “facts”, then silently allows the Democrat candidate to respond without interruption. When the candidate is a Republican, they ask hardball questions of the Republican candidate with unfavorable very disputable “facts”, then interrupt the Republican candidate when they try to answer the question and dispute the “facts”. They are also notorious for utilizing gotcha or trap questions against Republicans without any gotcha or trap questions for Democrats.

In the 2024 Presidential election campaign, we have also seen one candidate, Vice-President Kamala Harris, avoiding sit-down interviews and press conferences except by a few friendly Mainstream Media journalists and Mainstream Cultural Media hosts, while the other candidate, President Donald Trump, has had many sit-down interviews and press conferences with an unfriendly Mainstream Media. The only exception to this was the recent formal sit-down interview of Kamala Harris by Fox News anchor Bret Baier. This very short interview of about 20 minutes (at the candidates’ insistence) was contentious and combative in that Kamala was intent on not directly answering the question while drawing out her non-answers to consume as much time as possible. This forced Mr. Baier to often interrupt her to get a proper answer (which he never obtained) or to move on to the next question.

This advocacy journalism is a disservice to the American public, as it keeps them ill-informed, which often leads the American public to make bad decisions about which candidate to vote for. It also leads to much Divisiveness in America, as each side is bitterly arguing with the other side based on improper information reported by Advocacy Journalism. Thus, this Advocacy Journalism should be considered by the American public as falsehoods, disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation perpetrated by the Mainstream Media.

It is also one of the primary reasons that the American public does not trust the Mainstream Media and, in many cases, despise the Mainstream Media. It should also be considered as an in-kind contribution to the Democrat Party and their candidates, and it should be treated so by the Federal Election Commission (which is not possible given the protection of a Free Press in the First Amendment to the Constitution).

Consequently, Advocacy Journalism is a major contributor to the ills that face America. Until Advocacy Journalism ends, it may not be possible to calm the stormy waters that inflict modern America. Advocacy journalism may not end until it collapses under the weight of its deception of the American public, who will no longer pay any attention to it.

10/17/24 The Moral Failures of the West

Led by Progressives/Leftists, and supported by Democrat Party Leaders, we have seen a decay of morality and ethics and a rise of anti-Americanism in the world. Judeo-Christian values are often mocked and certainly disparaged. This moral decay is especially evident in the anti-Israel demonstrations following the 7 October 2023 terrorist attacks in Israel on innocent civilians. This attack was immoral and perpetrated by evil people that should have been roundly condemned by all moral people. Instead, what we have seen is:

“The West's moral failures in the aftermath of 7 October were of an entirely new order. They exceeded even my grim fears. They shone a harsh, inescapable light on the retreat from reason and abandonment of Enlightenment many of us have warned of for years. ... The delirium of our post-civilizational era emerged into broad daylight. It was undeniable now: The West is in the stranglehold of a profound moral crisis. ... The sympathy for Hamas on our campuses and streets is fundamentally an extension of the West's own crisis of meaning, of our denial of our own insights, of our betrayal of our history.”  - Brendan O'Neill, former editor of the British libertarian magazine Spiked

The people involved in these anti-Israel demonstrations lack morality and are despicable. Any leader who has not unequivocally condemned this attack and these demonstrations is unfit to lead a moral people. These leaders have become immoral and spineless, as evident in their silence or support of these demonstrators. Any politician who has not unequivocally condemned this attack and these demonstrations is unfit to hold an office or any position of power in a government dedicated to Freedom and Liberty based on the value of a single human being.

10/16/24 The Value of a Single Human Being

Judgment at Nuremberg is a 1961 film set in 1948, in which an American court in occupied Germany tries four Nazi judicial officials for war crimes. The presiding judge, Dan Haywood, makes a statement near the end of the movie before pronouncing the guilt and sentencing of the defendants:

“There are those in our own country too who today speak of the 'protection of country,' of 'survival'. A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient, to look the other way. Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what'? A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult! Before the people of the world, let it now be noted that here, in our decision, this is what we stand for: Justice, truth, and the value of a single human being.”  - American Judge Dan Haywood in “Judgment at Nuremberg”

At the end of the movie, the guilty defendant, Ernst Janning, asked Judge Dan Haywood to come to his holding cell to explain himself, with the following dialog:

“Ernst Janning: Judge Haywood... the reason I asked you to come: Those people, those millions of people... I never knew it would come to that. You must believe it, you must believe it! Judge Dan Haywood: Herr Janning, it "came to that" the first time you sentenced a man to death you knew to be innocent.”

This movie, written by Abby Mann, was also a condemnation of McCarthyism that had just swept America, in which many Americans were persecuted and prosecuted for speaking their minds.

Alas, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders with their Tribalism via Identity Politics and Intersectionality, as I have written in my Chirp on “10/09/24 Tribalism”, and their utilization of "Political Correctness", "Cancel Culture", and "Wokeness", have forgotten the value of a single human being. In my collected Chirps on "The Decline of Free Speech in America", "The Weaponization of Government", and "Despotism in America", I have outlined how these are assaults on individual Liberties and Freedoms and the value of a single human being. I have also discussed, in my collected Chirps on "Threats to Democracy", that these are all assaults on democracy.

The Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders' persecution, and sometimes prosecution of Americans that disagree with them and speak their minds is despicable and reminiscent of McCarthyism, and it is equivalent to the NAZI persecutions and prosecutions of their opponents as depicted in the movie. The perversion of the justice system for political purposes that has occurred under the Biden-Harris Administration is evocative of what happened in NAZI Germany as depicted in the movie. The Presidential campaign of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, with all of their deceptions and falsehoods, and all their proclamations of joy and a new way forward, is the same type of rhetoric that Adolf Hitler used to obtain power over the German people. NAZI Minister of Propaganda Joesph Goebbels's co-option of the German news media is similar to the corruption of the American "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate" for Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party policies, agendas, and candidates. The governmental takeover of our economy by excessive laws, rules, and regulations is but a start to full control of the economy, as was done by the Reich Ministers of Economics and Finance. The support for the Democrat Party by many American Modern Big Business leaders to give them a competitive advantage and favorable government scrutiny is the same as the support of the German Industrialists for the NAZI party.

While America's current status is not as bad as that of NAZI Germany, as it has only started in its downward slide, it is a downward slide that could end up as bad as NAZI Germany if it is allowed to continue. This is also not to say that there is a conspiracy in modern America, but only that of like-minded American people thinking and behaving alike and then pursuant to the same goals for American society. But when these goals take precedence over the value of a single human being, they are Un-American goals. The only question is what will become of it if it is allowed to continue and succeed. It is time for the American people to make a corresponding “Judgment at Nuremberg” for those who would lead America on our current path and to reaffirm the value of a single human being.

10/15/24 Leave the Democrat Party Behind

The modern Democrat Party has become one of intolerance for any viewpoint other than their own. As I have often said, as they believe that they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that their policies are best for all Americans. Consequently, the Progressives/Leftists and the Democrat Party are motivated to do what is best for them rather than what is best for all Americans. As such, they also have the propensity to be rulers rather than leaders, as I have written in my Article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democrat Congressperson for eight years, has seen and heard all from an inside perspective. She has written a book, “For Love of Country: Leave the Democrat Party Behind”, that is an expose of their lust for power and their utilization of any means necessary to obtain power, which has become the modern Democrat Party. In their self-righteousness, The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, Liberties and Freedoms, and any person who disagrees with them be dammed, as their lust for power knows no bounds. The publisher’s description of her book is a good recap of the book:

“Tulsi Gabbard was the rising star of the Democrat Party. But the growing wokeness, fomenting racism, and intolerance were more than she could stomach, and she left. This is her story and a call to action to Americans who love our country and cherish peace and freedom.

Today’s Democrat Party is controlled by an elitist cabal of warmongers driven by woke ideology and racializing everything. They are a clear and present threat to the God‑given freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.

A soldier, former member of Congress, and a former presidential candidate, Tulsi loves her country: “I answered the call to serve and swore an oath, dedicating my life to supporting and defending the Constitution, both in uniform and in public office. I have always been an independent-minded person but became a Democrat when I first ran for office because I saw a party that stood up for the little guy, free speech, and civil liberties. That party is no more.”

Today that party is unrecognizable: undermining free speech, antagonistic to people of faith, hostile to the police and law and order, suspicious of law‑abiding Americans, supporting open borders, and using our national security apparatus to target political opponents.

Now an Independent, Tulsi calls on those who love America to stand up for peace, defend freedom, and protect our democratic republic from those seeking to undermine it at every turn. It’s time to leave the Democrat Party behind.”

Normally, I would make this book a Book It selection for the month; however, given the current presidential election campaign, I believe it is important to promote this book as soon as possible. I would encourage all Americans to read and ponder this book before they cast their votes.

If we allow the Democrat Party to remain in power in any branch or level of government, then our "American Ideals and Ideas", "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", and our "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights" will be shunted aside to be replaced by a Democrat Party Oligarchy and governmental despotism. While this situation in modern America is serious, it can become grave, as I have discussed in my next Chirp on “10/16/24 The Value of a Single Human Being”.

10/14/24 Accomplishments and Consequences

As usual for political campaigns, a candidate makes claims of their accomplishments without discussing the consequences of their accomplishments. Often, these accomplishments are generic or inflated, and they often improperly utilize statistics in their claims. They also have built-in assumptions that may be misleading or incorrect. This is amply demonstrated in the following two charts on the Biden-Harris Administration, in which the first chart is the accomplishments, while the second chart is the consequences of the Biden-Harris Administration:

Of course, both charts are slanted for or against the Harris candidacy, and thus, they should be taken with a grain of salt. My point is that you should always determine the facts and proper statistics, question the assumptions, and then consider both the accomplishments and consequences of any candidate's claims before casting your vote for a candidate.

10/13/24 Kamala as a Self-Made Woman

As in all presidential elections in modern America, we have seen a slew of celebrities endorsing Progressive Democrat candidates. Given the Progressive predilections of most celebrities, this is not unexpected. However, in regard to Democrat Kamala Harris’s election, there are more than Progressive predilections that should be considered. I will use the Oprah Winfrey endorsement as an example.

Oprah was born and raised in a lower-class family and became a self-made woman who used her intelligence, skills, abilities, talents, willpower, and perseverance to achieve her success. Nothing was handed to her, and she demanded nothing in return except for the recognition of her talents and abilities. She is a shining example of self-made success in America. She should be an example to all Americans, and especially young American women, of what can be achieved in America.

If we compare her example of success to Kamala’s example of success, we see a different example. Kamala was born and raised in an upper-middle-class family of two college professors who divorced when she was young, and she had some privileges not available to most Americans. Upon graduating college with a law degree, Kamala was hired as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California, and eventually as an Assistant District Attorney in San Fransisco, California, which is not an unusual start to a public law career. Shortly thereafter, she engaged in a sexual affair with the powerful married Speaker of the California Assembly and future mayor of San Fransisco, Willie Brown, which gave her some prominence. Willie Brown arranged for Kamala to be appointed to the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and later to the California Medical Assistance Commission, for which she had little knowledge or experience of the board and commission’s responsibilities. One wonders if there was another woman with knowledge and experience to fill both these seats that was passed over because she was not sexually involved with a powerful politician.

When the position of District Attorney for San Fransisco became open, Willie Brown once again arranged for her to be the Democrat candidate without opposition. The same thing happened when the position of Attorney General of California became open, as well as when the position of United States Senator for California became open. In California, selection by the Democrat Party is almost a guarantee of an election, as San Fransisco, Los Angeles, and California statewide voters are overwhelming Democrats. When Joe Biden was searching for a Vice-Presidential candidate, he restricted his search to a woman of color, and Kamala was chosen on that basis. During her political career, she has had to campaign very little, if at all, against opposition within her party, and when she campaigned for the 2020 Democrat Presidential nomination nationwide, she failed so miserably that she dropped out before any votes could be cast for her. Her nomination to be the 2024 Democrat Presidential candidate was also circuitous, as it was appointed rather than democratically obtained.

She has also shown a propensity for political expediency by saying whatever she thinks will help her obtain political power. In this, she has often been disingenuous, misleading, flip-flopping, or outright lying about her background, history, or policy positions. She has also traded in her status as a woman and/or person of color (Indian, Hispanic, or Black as expedient).

Thus, in Kamal Harris, we have a candidate who has never earned her success through her own talents and abilities. This is not a career that should be emulated by anyone, especially by young women. It is not a career based on being a self-made woman to achieve success, as Oprah did. This is not something that any parent or grandparent would want for a daughter or granddaughter. Indeed, it is something that a parent or grandparent would warn their daughters or granddaughters to avoid, as it is denigrating to their personhood. Kamala should, instead, be put up as an example of what not to do in your career, and she should be disparaged and shunned because of her career paths.

So, I would say to the celebrities that have endorsed her, rethink your endorsement based upon her character values and career path that led her to where she is. Character values should be more important than Progressive predilections when choosing our leaders. She is certainly not someone that we should elect to the most powerful political position in America—the Presidency.

10/12/24 A Stupid Incompetent Person

Newt Gingrich recently made a comment in response to questions about Kamala Harris's recent interviews with the Mainstream Media and Social Media that she was a “doofus” (a stupid, incompetent person). While this word may be harsh, it is also accurate. As Byron York has written in his column, “When Kamala Harris' Promises Come to Nothing”, her assigned responsibilities to bring internet service to "unserved and underserved" rural areas and expanding the number of charging stations for electric vehicles have come to nothing. I would also add that her appointment as “Border Czar” has resulted in the largest influx of illegal immigrants in American history. Hence, she proved her incompetence in governing during her term as vice president.

In these interviews, she has exhibited a self-absorbed, self-important, self-involved, self-centered, conceited, egocentric, and prideful persona (i.e., her excessive vanity). Her non-answers to questions always turn to her vain stories without addressing the question that was asked. Her plans are simply goals, as they cannot be plans because they have no details. These goals are bereft of intellectual substance and often have no basis in political, social, or economic realities. Thus, these goals exhibit her stupidity. Her evasions on the questions of the current Israeli conflict have exacerbated the situation, which not only exhibits her stupidity but has also been dangerous to world peace.

Her persona can also be seen in the turnaround of her vice president staff, which has been astounding, and it has been reported that it is her persona that has made working for her emotionally distressing for her staff.

Consequently, Kamala Harris has proven with her own words and deeds that she is a doofus and that she is unworthy of being elected President.

10/12/24 The Reconstruction of Kamala Harris

As Jonathan Turley has said in a recent article, “Kamala’s True Grit: Harris Embraces a Gun Vilified During the Biden-Harris Administration”:

“The reinvention of Vice President Kamala Harris in this election has been a thing to behold. In politics, candidates often reconstruct their records to secure votes, but Harris appears to have constructed an entirely mythical being. Once ranked to the left of socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders and viewed as among the most liberal members of the Senate, Harris has sought to convince the public that she is actually a frack-loving, gun-toting, border-defending moderate.”

I would also add that the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate" are all-in in supporting this reconstruction.

The mythical being of the current reconstructed Kamala Harris is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, intent on bamboozling and hoodwinking the American electorate to elect her as President. But like a wolf who sheds its sheep’s clothing when its prey is trapped, Kamala will revert to her left of socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders origins and reveal her true self. After all, as she herself has said, her “values have not changed”.

The American electorate should look to her past record to determine her true values and pay no attention to the sheep’s clothing that she is currently wearing. Otherwise, the American people will be her prey that is trapped.

10/11/24 Civil Discourse

In the course of my maturity, I have learned some important lessons that I have attempted to live my life by. Many of these lessons I have incorporated in my webpage Pearls of Wisdom. One of these lessons is the importance of civil discourse when communicating in an individual or group environment. What I have learned is:

Never start a sentence until I know how it ends, for if you don’t do so, you will often say something that you will regret and may have to apologize for.

Learn the importance of remaining silent and listening to others. When they are finished talking then you may speak, but you should only speak when you have something knowledgeable and intelligent to contribute. Keep in mind the adage, ‘It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt.’

When listening to others and in your own speech, it is important to differentiate between fact and opinion. Separate the facts from the opinions, and comment on the facts before voicing a disagreement or stating your opinion. As always, as Benjamin Franklin has stated, “Doubt a little of your own infallibility.”

Interrupting another’s speech is rude and does not allow them the opportunity to complete their thoughts, which may be different from what you expect. It should only be utilized when egregious falsehoods are being spoken, and a calm retort carries more weight than an outburst. Do not allow your own speech to be interrupted, but make sure that your facts are correct and your opinions are rational before you speak.

Finally, do not be afraid to change your mind based on what others have stated, or as it has been said:

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others." - Benjamin Franklin

If you keep these lessons in mind in your own conversations with others, you will be amazed at how civil and friendly your conversations will be.

10/10/24 A Vacation From History

In an article by Ben Shapiro, “One Year Later”, he begins the article by stating:

“In the West, we are on vacation from history.

That's because we are living on the interest earned by our parents and grandparents. The European continent, until the war in Ukraine, had never experienced a more peaceful respite from history than since the end of the Cold War; America has enjoyed its own peace dividend, with spending ballooning to unprecedented levels and our wars fought in distant lands.

When you are on vacation from history, you tend to engage in foolish fallacies. Fallacies like the idea that evil doesn't exist; that negotiation solves all conflict and that weakness brings with it peace instead of war; that apologizing for Western civilization is a corrective to past injustice rather than an incentive for future violence.”

These three paragraphs succinctly state the myopic views of many Americans and most Progressives. Not knowing history or not fully comprehending history leads to the following truisms:

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."   - George Santayana

"Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it."   - Edmund Burke

In three other paragraphs, he states:

“And yet history does not stop.

History does not stop because there is, in fact, no end of history, no conciliation between all cultures. The promises of Isaiah that swords will be beaten into plowshares remain unfulfilled -- and until the coming of a messiah, will continue to remain so. The United Nations' statue depicting a gun with its barrel-end tied into a knot remains more a mockery than a tribute, given the UN's own involvement in terrorism and murder across the globe -- including on Oct. 7 and in southern Lebanon.

History will continue, because human evil is quite real.”

In this article, he explains that the current events in Israel are a wake-up call to the world. He concludes this article by stating:

“But the West must understand a simple truth: Just because Israel is located on the bleeding edge of history doesn't mean that the vacation for the rest of the West can last. In fact, it's already ending. And the more the West insists on turning over and hitting the snooze button, the worse history's wake-up call will be.”

This is an article that all Americans should read and ponder. If we do not learn the proper lessons of history and take the proper corrective actions, we will again slip into worldwide violent conflicts and wars as we did in the 20th century.

10/09/24 Tribalism

Tribalism seems to be inherent in human nature. Since the beginning of human history, we have gathered into clans, tribes, fiefdoms, and nations. Each group competed with other groups (mostly violently) for the natural resources needed to survive, to enslave another group for manual labor purposes, or to enrich themselves at the expense of the other groups. This gave rise to hatred, biases, prejudices, and discrimination against other groups, often based on race, religion, ethnicity, nationalities, and other external factors such as ancestry, socioeconomic status, language, customs, etc., that differentiated one group from another. Thus, much human misery was brought about by tribalism.

America was the first nation formed that tried to eliminate tribalism within government and society by ensuring "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". At times, we have failed to reach this goal, but upon self-reflection, we have also tried to correct these errors. Today, America is the most diverse nation in the world, with the most Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. While hatred, biases, prejudices, and discrimination still exist in America, it is mostly at an individual level and not tolerated in a governmental nor at a societal level.

However, in modern America, we have seen a new form of tribalism emerge—the tribalism of Identity Politics. It is different from the old form of tribalism as it is possible for an individual to be included in multiple identities through a process known as Intersectionality. Wherever you end up in this intersectionality, you are in a tribe of like people. And often, you may have hatred, biases, prejudices, and discrimination against other intersectional tribes. Such a situation in America is despicable, as it is antithetical to American Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

Alas, Identity Politics and Intersectionality can be utilized by politicians to gain an electoral advantage, and often is utilized. By gathering different intersectional tribes under one banner, it is possible to win elections to obtain or retain political power. The problem, then, is that you must appease each intersectional tribe under your banner, often at the expense of those that are not under your intersectional tribe banner. This divides Americans into an Us versus Them mentality, which tends to increase hatred, biases, prejudices, and discrimination between the Us and Them. This also leads to constrictions or negations of Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

Us versus Them can be useful when differentiating between policy positions, but it is divisive when used for any other purpose. Unfortunately, one political party, the Democrat Party, has taken Identity Politics and Intersectionality as a strategy to win elections, and their tactics often exacerbate the Us versus Them mentality. The other party, the Republican Party, does not utilize this as a strategy to gain votes but sometimes uses the tactics of Us versus Them to forward their agenda.

Consequently, supporting the Democrat Party is supporting more divisiveness in America, reductions in Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All, and an increase in human misery brought about by tribalism. This tribalism in America must end for America to be a peaceful and prosperous nation.

10/08/24 A Good Person

Most Americans believe that they are a good and virtuous person and that they, therefore, make good moral and ethical decisions. However, this is not the proper order of things. To be a good person, you must first make good moral and ethical decisions and then act with virtue in your decision. However, making a good moral and ethical decision requires that you properly examine the morals and ethics of any situation in which you may become involved. Doing this requires that you first unflinchingly determine and examine the moral and ethical questions of the situation, determine the positive and negative consequences of the moral and ethical decision (keeping in mind The Law of Unintended Consequences), and then act with virtue on your decision.

Unflinchingly, determining and examining the moral and ethical questions requires a thorough determination of the core moral and ethical questions of the situation, as often, when you thoroughly examine the situation, you will discover some underlying moral and ethical concerns that you have not considered. After determining the core moral and ethical questions, you must have the fortitude to accept the facts and truths of the situation in reaching your conclusions. After reaching your conclusions, you must be willing to change your previous thoughts and feelings based on your conclusions. In this change of heart, you should remember the following words of wisdom:

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise."   - Benjamin Franklin

Virtue then requires that even in the face of harsh criticism, you have the courage to defend and uphold your conclusions.

With core moral and ethical questions, there are often no easy answers. Tough choices need to be made, and repercussions are to be expected. Dealing with these repercussions while remaining virtuous is what makes you a good person.

10/07/24 True Peace

With the world in flames in Ukraine and the Middle East, along with other hot spots, the cries for ‘Peace’ ring loud. But those who cry for peace should remember the true meaning of peace, as the great Dutch philosopher has explained:

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."   - Baruch Spinoza

All other definitions of peace fall short of true peace. The cessation of hostilities without benevolence, confidence, or justice is not true peace, and often, that peace will end with future further hostilities. Peace, in the definition of Spinoza, can occur through negotiation or victory of the righteous. Negotiations are preferable but require a desire on both sides for true peace. If one side or the other is not willing to obtain true peace, then true peace can only be obtained by the victory of the righteous. Victory by the unrighteous leads to the oppression and subjection of the defeated and the peace of the dead, dying, and destruction of a society.

I believe that a negotiated peace can be obtained in Ukraine, but only peace through victory by the righteousness of the Israel cause can be obtained in the Middle East. In Ukraine, the leadership of both the Ukrainian and Russian people can be mollified to obtain true peace, but in the Middle East, the anti-Israel forces will not accept true peace but only the defeat of Israel.

As bloody and destructive as a war may be in the Middle East, it is not worse than the blood and destruction that the enemies of Israel have and wish to inflict upon Israel. It should also be remembered that the enemies of Israel are evil sayers and evil-doers, and those who support this evil are complicit with evil. As such, the world must confront their evil and eradicate their evil. Consequently, as Ben Shapiro has said in his Article “The Power of Victory”:

“All of which should remind the West of a simple principle: there is no substitute for victory. Peace results from the credible threat of use of overwhelming force, not from empty words around glossy tables. A strong and more confident West makes for a better and more prosperous world.”

10/06/24 Non-Judgmentalism

In an older column by John Hawkins, “The 6 Big Ways Liberals Are Destroying America’s Culture”, he opines on the various ways that Progressives have degraded our culture. His thoughts have led me to make my own list, based on my various Chirps and Articles, of what I refer to as the degradation of the Soul of America:

• Assaults on Free Speech
• Disparagement of Religion
• Denigration of Labor & Capitalism
• Tribalism via Identity Politics and Intersectionality
• Sexualization, Modern Feminism, and the Demonization of Men
• The Politicization of Everything
• Political Correctness & Wokeism
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), along with Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG)
• Victimhood for All but White Males
• Transgenderism
• Non-Judgmentalism

The biggest surprise on this list may be ‘Non-Judgmentalism’, but it is this Non-Judgmentalism that allows Progressives to perpetrate the degradation of the Soul of America. As the people of America are loath to judge others, as they may be judged by other people, they have accepted non-judgmentalism. However, Non-Judgmentalism allows for immoral, unethical, and a lack of virtuous conduct by all. In this environment, anarchy reigns free, and an orderly society ceases to exist. It also allows evils to arise, persist, and grow.

The only question is what the basis for someone is to make moral, ethical, and virtuous judgments. For this answer, we can look at the wisdom of our Founding Fathers:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim tribute to patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness - these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. . . . reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principles.”  - George Washington

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other."   - John Adams

“Of all the systems of morality, ancient or modern which have come under my observation, none appears to me so pure as that of Jesus....I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus.”  - Thomas Jefferson

“I think the System of Morals [devised by Jesus] and his Religion as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw, or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting Changes.”  - Benjamin Franklin

Accordingly, if your judgementalism is based on solid Judeo-Christian morals and ethics than judgmentalism is appropriate. However, you should always remember to not only adjudge others by these morals and ethics, but to judge yourself by these same morals and ethics.

10/05/24 Reasons to Reject Leftism and Progressivism

In a column by Mark Lewis, “Two Reasons I Reject Leftism”, he gives his reasoning for his disdain for Leftism:

1. I’m not a Leftist because it is philosophically in error from its very roots.
2. I reject Leftism because of the kind of people it produces.

These are also the major reasons why I disdain Leftism, as well as for their disdain for "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights". Regrettably, in the last decade or so, Progressivism has morphed into Leftism to the extent that the major difference between the two is Leftism espouses violence to achieve its goals, while Progressivism condones violence if it helps to reach its goals.

This was exhibited in the 2020 Summer of Love, in which little love was embraced, but many violent riots occurred. This violence by Leftists was condoned by Progressives and by many Democrat Party Leaders. Indeed, the current Democrat candidates for President Kamala Harris and Vice President Tim Walz condoned and sometimes assisted the rioters during and after the riots. This reason alone should be enough not to vote for them.

Mark Lewis concludes his article by stating:

“Leftism is wrong philosophically. And that is further evident by the kind of people Leftist philosophy produces. It needs to be eradicated from the earth.”

A conclusion with which I wholeheartedly agree.

10/04/24 For Swine They Have Become, and Swine They Remain

Trigger Warning—while I have always attempted to remain civil in my Chirps and Articles, the following Chirp cannot be civil, as it deals with a topic that needs to be said with directness and forthrightness.

Jesus said, in a portion of the Sermon on the Mount, “Do not cast your pearls before swine” meaning don’t waste your time with people who aren’t going to listen. Alas, it can be said that most Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have become swine, as they refuse to listen to anyone who disagrees with them. They have also become worse than swine as they attempt to silence anyone who would disagree with them with their squeaking, oinking, and grunting. Now, they are seriously discussing limiting the Free Speech of their opponents if they should win the next election.

Despite their lofty words about why they want to do this, there is nothing lofty about restricting free speech. Indeed, restricting Free Speech always ends up with the evils of despotism and tyranny over those of whom they would restrict their Free Speech. Their hubris in their belief that they can determine what constitutes falsehoods, disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation is driven by their vanity and arrogance. Their self-righteousness knows no bounds, and their lust for power to control speech is limitless. Therefore, they are swine. Such swine should never be put into positions of power and responsibility, as they will drag down all into their swine sties.

If they succeed in winning the next election and institute their control of speech, then the American Ideals and Ideas will have been lost. Consequently, it is important for the American people not to elect these swine and to let them slop in their swine sties with themselves.

10/03/24 Mainstream Media Debates

The one thing that is very clear after both the 2024 Biden and Harris Presidential debates with Trump and the Walz and Vance Vice-Presidential debates is that the Mainstream Media should never again be involved in these debates. This was noticeable in the previous 2016 and 2020 debates, but it has become abundantly clear in the 2024 debates. The biased questions, the unasked questions, the incorrect and slanted fact-checking, and the silencing of microphones have shown that Mainstream Media debate moderators are in the tank for the Democrat Party candidates. Thus, these debates are between Republican candidates and Mainstream Media and Democrat candidates.

This is a result of Modern Journalism that does not even try to be unbiased and evenhanded when covering Republican candidates. A biased and inequitable treatment of Republican candidates that is an ultimate disservice to the American public. Consequently, it would behoove the Republican Party to shun all debates in which the Mainstream Media is involved and announce to the American people the reasons for this shunning.

The Mainstream Media has thus become a Fourth Estate in both its explicit capacity of advocacy and implicit ability to frame political issues favorable to the Democrat Party. History has shown that when Fourth Estates arise, the will of the people declines, and despotic or tyrannical governments arise.

This Fourth Estate is dangerous to the future of America, as it does not allow the American people to make an informed decision on whom to elect or what public policies to implement. In their hubris, the Mainstream Media has taken it upon themselves to decide what is best for America and Americans and bias their journalism to their predilections. If their biases are allowed to continue in America, we also run the risk of despotism and/or tyranny. Thus, the American people should also shun the Mainstream Media and pay no credence to their journalism.

10/02/24 Tooters and Their Fools

“Toot your own horn”, and variations thereof is an idiom commonly used in English to describe someone who’s proudly showcasing their accomplishments, usually to the point of boasting. Politicians, celebrities, and business leaders often practice tooting their own horns as a means to advance their own careers. All too often, though, they toot beyond their accomplishments, and some even toot without significant accomplishments. There is even a few that toot without any accomplishment, which are, therefore, nothing but bold face lies. Such bold-faced liars are people who are not to be trusted or paid attention to.

Bold-faced liars are often people who pay more attention to the praises of others than to their deeds. Such praises are often from fools who are easily deceived. Such bold-faced liars are engaging in vanity, and they should keep in mind the Bible verses:

“It is better to listen to rebuke from a wise person than to listen to the song of fools. For like the crackling of burning thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.”  - Ecclesiastes, Chapter 7, Verse 5-6

Today, in America, the biggest tooters without significant accomplishments are President Biden and Vice President Harris. Indeed, they are tooters without any significant accomplishments, and these toots are often accompanied by bold-faced lies. They often disregard the negative consequences of their deeds and attempt to cover up these negative consequences by trying to silence their critics and with the manipulation and willing cooperation of the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech", "Modern Big Business", "Modern Education", "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate". Half-truths, incorrect and inappropriate statistics, and bald-faced lies are the tools that they utilize for this manipulation, and they are dependent upon the fools in America to believe these falsehoods. Fools that then go on to sing their praises and stoke their vanities.

As can be seen in the Right Track/Wrong Track polling, most Americans believe that we are on the wrong track in America. A wrong track that is being led by the Biden-Harris tooters and fools. Do not be fooled by these tooters and the fools that support the tooters. America has significant problems that need corrections, and tooters and fools cannot make these corrections and, indeed, will only worsen these problems.

10/01/24 War and Presidential Leadership

The world is a much more dangerous place than it was four years ago. Due to the incompetencies of the Biden-Harris Administration, we have seen a rise in conflicts across the world that endangers the entire world, and some noted commentators and scholars have presaged a coming world war. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the American voters in the 2024 Presidential Election to determine who is the best person to lead us in these conflicts.

Such a judgment should be founded on the past leadership in America in times of conflict. Many people who are interested in war are primarily interested in the battles and the military leadership of the war. But it is much more than this—it is also about the political leadership of the war and the war's impacts on society. In American history, this is amply demonstrated by the leadership of President Lincoln in the Civil War, President Wilson in World War I, and President Roosevelt in World War II. This month’s Book It selections examine the Presidential leadership of Lincoln, Wilson, and Roosevelt during these wars.

Reading these books provides an insight into the complexities of political leadership in times of conflict. Complexities of not only directing military operations but of guiding the American people and our society in obtaining the goals of the conflict without endangering our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", which is all too easy to do during times of armed conflicts.

09/30/24 An Old Book

In cleaning out my garage, I discovered a box of very old books, all of which, except for one book, were worthless and which I threw away. The one book that piqued my interest was by Albert E. McKinley, Charles A. Coulomb, and Armand J. Gerson. Utilizing my own advice in my Chirp on “09/29/24 New Ideas and Old Books”, I read this book and was generally pleased with it. This book was written immediately after the Armistice that ended the hostilities of the Great War (World War I), and it provides a good overall perspective, without much detail, of the events preceding and during World War I. The Table of Contents for this book is:

CHAPTER:
I.           Europe Before The Great War
II.          Why Germany Wanted War
III.         German Militarism
IV.         International Law And The Hague Conferences
V.          International Jealousies And Alliances
VI.         The Balkan States
VII.        The Beginnings Of The Great War
VIII.       The War In 1914
IX.         The War In 1915
X.          The War In 1916
XI.         The War In 1917
XII.        The War In 1918
XIII.       The United States In The War
XIV.       Questions Of The Coming Peace
CHRONOLOGY—Principal Events of the War INDEX

The first six chapters of this book lay a solid foundation for the events that led to World War I, while chapters seven through twelve are a very good recap of the military operations of World War I. It is noteworthy that many of the issues that preceded World War I are still with us today (i.e., as In Alphonse Karr's famous quote, “The more things change, the more they are the same.”). Chapters thirteen and fourteen, from a modern perspective, leave much to be desired. These chapters were written shortly after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, which ended the conflicts of World War I and before the 1919 Treaty of Versailles dealt with Germany. As such, they are skewed by patriotic fervor and an unrealistic sense of optimism about the future of European peace. A peace that never came about, and in which the Treaty of Versailles set the stage for World War II. A much better and more modern book, which I will review in next month’s Book It, is about America’s role in World War I and the impacts of the Treaty of Versailles:

The Illusion of Victory: America In World War I by Thomas Fleming “The political history of the American experience in World War I is a story of conflict and bungled intentions that begins in an era dedicated to progressive social reform and ends in the Red Scare and Prohibition.”

The book, “A School History of the Great War”, may be obtained from Goodreads, Amazon, AbeBooks, or Project Gutenberg or downloaded in a  PDF format from the Internet Archive.

09/29/24 New Ideas and Old Books

William Durant (November 5, 1885 – November 7, 1981) was an American historian and philosopher best known for his 11-volume work, The Story of Civilization, which contains and details the history of Eastern and Western civilizations. It was written in collaboration with his wife, Ariel Durant (May 10, 1898 – October 25, 1981), and published between 1935 and 1975. He was earlier noted for The Story of Philosophy (1926), described as "a groundbreaking work that helped to popularize philosophy". Both he and his wife were jointly awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.

He and his wife had a keen insight and wisdom on the lessons of history, one of which was:

“[Of] every hundred new ideas, ninety-nine or more will probably be inferior to the traditional responses which they propose to replace. No one man, however brilliant or well-informed, can come in one lifetime to such fullness of understanding as to safely judge and dismiss the customs or institutions of his society. For these are the wisdom of generations, after centuries of experiment in the laboratory of history.”  - Will and Ariel Durant

Therefore, we all must be wary of new ideas and examine them in the light of history. Such an examination should not only be from modern sources but include contemporaneous sources of history, as well as insights from less modern sources. Such an examination from all sources will provide a broader perspective that will lay a better foundation for understanding history. It is also possible that you may encounter ideas that you may not have considered, as illuminated by the following quote:

“If you want new ideas, read old books.”  - Shane Parrish

Reading old books is a good idea, as examined in the article by Michael Hyatt, “How Reading Old Books Gives Us New Perspective”. As he has stated in the beginning of this article:

“One trait common to leaders is a passion for books. Reading improves our thinking, people skills, and more. Leveraging a library of history, biography, philosophy, business, and psychology can give leaders a competitive advantage. But there’s a hidden bias working against us.

We live in a culture that places a premium on things that are new. Discontent, if not a virtue, is certainly a way of life. Understanding this, marketers highlight “newness” as a primary attribute of their products, assuming that this equates to better.

The implication is three-fold:

• New is more valuable than old.
• New is more relevant than old.
• New is more accurate than old.

The book industry plays along. For as long as I can remember, there’s been a relentless focus on the new. Reporters, reviewers, podcasters, and bloggers mostly cover fresh voices and the latest releases. And bookstores dedicate less and less space for what the trade calls backlist—titles more than a year old.

In fact, booksellers typically give up on new books after sixty to ninety days and ship the unsold ones back to the publisher. Why? To make room on the shelves for the avalanche of still newer books in the pipeline—about a million every year.

There are some signs this is changing. User-directed sites like Goodreads promote old books along with the new. And anyone can now locate obscure, out-of-print books in a few clicks through Amazon, AbeBooks, or Project Gutenberg.

But why read old books in the first place?”

The aforementioned article by Michael Hyatt has the answer to this question, and I would highly recommend that you read and think about his answers, then apply his wisdom to your readings.

09/28/24 The Assaults on the Constitution

Jonathan Turley has written in his article, “The Counter-Constitutional Movement: The Assault on America’s Defining Principles”, on the growing anti-constitutional movement in the United States. This assault on the Constitution is being led by law professors who have lost their faith in the defining principles and institutions of our Republic.

Our Constitution was written to protect "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" and the rights of the minority against majoritarian oppressions. As Professor Turley has written:

“Without counter-majoritarian protections and institutions, politics would be reduced to raw power.”

A raw power with little constraints and with no protection for the individual as espoused in the Constitution’s Bill of Rights. As Professor Turley has written in his article:

“The cry for radical constitutional change is shortsighted. The constitutional system was designed for bad times, not only good times. It seeks to protect individual rights, minority factions and smaller states from the tyranny of the majority. The result is a system that forces compromise. It doesn’t protect us from political divisions any more than good medical care protects us from cancer. Rather it allows the body politic to survive political afflictions by pushing factions toward negotiation and moderation.”

What Professor Turley failed to mention is that there is an assumption from these Constitutional critics that they represent a majority of Americans in the policies they wish to implement. In poll after poll, the issues of Illegal Immigration, the Economy, Foreign Policy, Violent Crime, Gun Control, Health Care, Abortion, Transgenderism, Climate Change, and Energy Production, etc., as well as the Right Track-Wrong Track polling, show no clear majority for their policy positions, and these polls often show most Americans in opposition to their policies. Therefore, implementing their policies in the form of a democratic government they envision requires that they ignore the will of the majority.

Indeed, to implement their unpopular policies, they would have to ignore their own cries of “Our Democracy” and Implement “Their Oligarchy”, as in the article by Rob Natelson, “‘Our Democracy’ = Their Oligarchy”. As he explains in this article:

“But you shouldn’t confuse Our Democracy with real democracy. The initial modifier serves to debase the noun—much as “sub-human” means less than human or “social justice” rationalizes acts of individual injustice.”

This article clarifies the true meaning of ‘Our Democracy’ and how it is, in reality, undemocratic. He closes this article with:

“Our Democracy” really looks like “Their Oligarchy.” Or like some of those other “democracies” the left has erected over the years: The Democratic People’s Republic of (North) Korea comes readily to mind, as does the former (East) German Democratic Republic.

In my collected Chirps on "Oligarchy in America", I examine how, and how much, America has already drifted into a semi-Oligarchy and the consequences of such a drift. It is also an unfortunate fact that the 2024 Presidential election is also about this Oligarchy. The forces arrayed against former President Trump are the forces of the Oligarchy, while the Trump forces are about the end of this Oligarchy. Thus, the underlying issue of the 2024 Presidential election is the preservation and continued growth of an Oligarchy or the end of this Oligarchy in America. This should be kept in mind as you cast your vote.

09/27/24 Facts About Fact-checkers

In an article by Jack Kerwick, “Epistemology Politicized”, he states:

“Epistemology is a branch of philosophy. It literally means “the study of knowledge.” Epistemologists, then, are those philosophers who specialize in examining questions like: Is knowledge possible? If so, then how so? Does knowledge derive from reason, sense-perception, or some other source(s)? Is there a difference between knowledge, on the one hand, and, on the other, belief or opinion? If so, in what does this distinction consist?”

Epistemology also concerns itself with the nature of “facts”: What is a fact? Do facts exist in the world? How do you determine what is a fact? How is a fact different from an opinion? Do facts lead to truths? These questions lead us to the question of the accuracy of fact-checkers. For persons and/or organizations to profess themselves “fact-checkers”, it is equivalent to them professing themselves “truth-tellers” or “reality-checkers”, which leads us to the other questions of Epistemology. It also raises the question of who fact-checks the fact-checkers.

Fact-checkers get to choose what facts to check and who is to be fact-checked. Such choices are arbitrary and incomplete to determine truths. Indeed, these fact-checks may be misleading of the truth as they often include "Cognitive Biases" and "Logical Fallacies" in their fact-checking. Selective fact-checks are misleading as they do not give a full picture of the truth. Fact-checking based upon statistics is the most misleading, as the fact-checkers often have insufficient knowledge of the topic being fact-checked and insufficient knowledge and experience of the proper utilization of statistics, as I have written in my article on "Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave".

Thus, it can be said that fact-checkers are not there to reveal the truth; they can only partially reveal lies. Even those revelations of lies can be biased and influenced by fact-checkers' proclivities, emotions, and personal biases. They can also be influenced by the biases of those who employ the fact-checkers. This is especially true when fact-checkers are checking politicians.

This was most evident in the recent Presidential campaign debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. The moderators were obviously biased against Trump as they fact-checked him several times, but they did not once fact-check Harris. Also, their fact-checking needed to be fact-checked, as it was obviously incorrect fact-checking to anyone who knew the realities of what they fact-checked.

Thus, everyone should always be wary of the fact-checkers, as they can often be incorrect in their fact-checking.

09/26/24 Abortion and Religion

In my Chirps and Articles in opposition to abortion, I have always avoided bringing religion into this discussion. This was mainly done because I do not believe that religious arguments are needed to oppose abortion, and I do not think that I have the religious qualifications to comment on religious opposition to abortion. However, recently, NFL Hall of Fame Coach Tony Dungy, who is a religious person qualified to discuss religious issues, called out Vice President Kamala Harris for saying that people of faith can support abortion.

In an X post on September 19th, Kamala Harris @KamalaHarris posted:

“One does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree: The government, and certainly Donald Trump, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.”

 To which Tony Dungy @TonyDungy responded:

“Dear VP Harris: I hear you make this statement all the time. Exactly what “faith” are you talking about when you say you don’t have to abandon it to support abortion? Are you talking about the Christian faith that says all babies are made in the image of God (Gen 1:26), that God places them in the womb (Jer 1:5) and that we should not take any life unjustly (Luke 18:20)? Are you talking about that faith or some nebulous, general “faith” that says we’re good enough, and smart enough to make our own decisions? What “faith” are you talking about?”

A post by Tony Dungy that has had no reply from Kamala Harris or anyone else. I believe that Tony Dungy’s statement is all that is necessary for me to comment on religious opposition to abortion. I, therefore, shall speak no more about religion and abortion but shall constrain my thoughts on abortion to my articles on "The Abortion Question", "The Analogy of Abortion and Slavery", "The Constitution and Abortion", and "The Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Considerations of Abortion".

09/25/24 Vapid and Vacuous

Vapid and Vacuous are the two best words to describe Kamala Harris’s 2024 Presidential campaign. Vapid, a lack of significance, and Vacuous, devoid of intelligence or thought, may not just be her campaign tactic but may best describe her character.

Words cannot begin to accurately describe how vapid and vacuous she can be. However, parody can do justice to her vapidity and vacuousness, as in the following video clip:

Elon Musk - Kamala Harris PARODY Ad

My only response to this video clip was to remember a famous scene from the movie Billy Madison:

Billy Madison - Everyone is now dumber

Thus, everyone who listens to Kamala Harris becomes more dumb because of her vapidity and vacuousness.

09/24/24 The Importance of an Independent Judiciary

In my Chirp on “08/14/24 Judicial Independence”, I explained the importance of Judicial Independence to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and for our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". Those who wish to “reform” the judiciary for any other reason than to assure their independence and integrity are posing a danger to our republic. A danger that should be opposed by all Liberty and Freedom loving Americans.

Last month, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch appeared in a rare interview where he reacted to President Joe Biden’s agenda to “reform” the high court. Biden’s agenda, and now supposedly Harris’s agenda, would include term limits and ethics codes, among other things. He prefaced his statements by stating:

“Shannon, you’re not going to be surprised I’m not going to get into what is now a political issue during a presidential election year. I don’t think that would be helpful,”

Justice Gorsuch then went on to state the core reason why Judicial Independence is important:

“I have one thought to add. It is that the independent judiciary means. What does it mean to you as an American? It means that when you’re unpopular, you can get a fair hearing under the law and under the Constitution. If you’re in the majority, you don’t need judges and juries to hear you and protect your rights…it’s there for the moments when the spotlight is on you. When the government’s coming after you. And don’t you want a ferociously independent judge and a jury of your peers to make those decisions? Isn’t that your right as an American? And so, I just say, be careful.”

Consequently, Judicial Independence means independence for each American to exercise their "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights". Without judicial independence, the government has an easier path to tread when it tries to prosecute or persecute an individual for exercising their rights.

Alas, we have seen in modern America attempts to constrict Judicial Independence when they make unpopular or controversial rulings. And most of these attempts have come from Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists. This is but another reason why these people should not be elected or put into positions of power, as they pose a danger to all individual Americans' independence.

09/23/24 Selective Justice

In an article by John Nantz, “Selective Justice and the Trump Assassination Attempt: Garland’s DOJ in Crisis”, he comments on Attorney General Merrick Garland's address to the nation on September 12, 2024:

“Last Thursday Attorney General (AG) Merrick Garland delivered an address to the workforce titled “An Independent Justice Department.” The speech drew howls of derision from the right, and for good reason. 

In a completely unaware manner, Garland stated emphatically that his Department of Justice (DOJ) operates based on norms that “treat like cases alike.” He pronounced “there is not one rule for friends and another for foes…one rule for Democrats and another for Republicans…” All of red state America waited for the laugh track to queue, but it never did. Garland made these shocking statements with complete conviction. The degree of self-deception or outright arrogance is breathtaking in this bureaucratic screed.”

In my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government" and "The Decline of Free Speech in America", I have outlined just how deceptive the Attorney General’s address was. However, this arrogance is not limited to the head of the Justice Department, as almost all presidential cabinet members have displayed this self-deception or outright arrogance. They all believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Such arrogance is common in the Biden-Harris Administration, as they are mimicking the arrogance of both President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris.

Thus, it can be said that the best thing that ever recently happened in the nominations for Supreme Court Justices was that Merrick Garland’s nomination was never considered by the Senate. His actions, self-deception, and outright arrogance show that he is unfit to be a Supreme Court Justice, and indeed, he is unfit to be the Attorney General.

09/22/24 Democrat Extreme Rhetoric

During the last eight-plus years, we have heard many extreme statements about President Trump and his MAGA supporters as being dangerous to democracy. He and his supporters have been accused of being Fascists, like Nazis, Racists, Dictatorial, and assorted other pejoratives, as I have written in my article "Divisiveness in America". This rhetoric includes, but is not limited to:

• Kamala Harris — repeatedly: "Trump is a threat to our democracy and fundamental freedoms."
• Kamala Harris: "It's on us to recognize the threat [Trump] poses."
• Kamala Harris: "Does one of us have to come out alive? Ha ha ha ha!"
• Joe Biden: "It's time to put Trump in a bullseye."
• Joe Biden: "I mean this from the bottom of my heart: Trump is a threat to this nation."
• Joe Biden: "There is one existential threat: it's Donald Trump."
• Joe Biden: "Trump is a genuine threat to this nation ... He's literally a threat to everything America stands for."
• Joe Biden: "Trump and MAGA Republicans are a threat to the very soul of this country."
• Joe Biden: "Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic ... and that is a threat to this country."
• Tim Walz: "Are [Republicans] a threat to democracy? Yes. ... Are they going to put peoples' lives in danger? Yes."
• Gwen Walz: "Buh-bye, Donald Trump."
• Nancy Pelosi: "[Trump] is a threat to our democracy of the kind that we have not seen."
• Jasmine Crockett: "MAGA in general — they are threats to us domestically."
• Dan Goldman: "He is destructive to our democracy and ... he has to be eliminated."
• Disgraced Harris staffer TJ Ducklo: "Trump is an existential, urgent threat to our democracy."
• Top Harris surrogate Liz Cheney: "Trump presents a fundamental threat to the republic and we are seeing it on a daily basis."
• Steve Cohen: "Trump is an enemy of the United States."
• Maxine Waters: "Are [Trump supporters] preparing a civil war against us?"
• Maxine Waters: "I want to know about all of those right-wing organizations that [Trump] is connected with who are training up in the hills somewhere."
• Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Trump is an "existential threat to our democracy."
• Adam Schiff: Trump is the "gravest threat to our democracy."
• Gregory Meeks: "Trump cannot be president again. He's an existential threat to democracy."
• Dan Goldman: "Trump remains the greatest threat to our democracy."
• Jake Auchincloss: "What unifies us as a party is knowing that Donald Trump is an existential threat to Democracy."
• Abigail Spanberger: "Trump is a threat to our democracy … the threats to our democratic republic are real."
• Annie Kuster: "Trump and his extreme right-wing followers pose an existential threat to our democracy."
• Becca Balint: "We cannot underestimate the threat [Trump] poses to American democracy."
• Jason Crow: "Trump is an extreme danger to our democracy."
• Raul Grijalva: "Trump is an existential threat to American democracy."
• Michael Bennet: Trump is "a threat to our democracy."
• Stacey Plaskett: Trump "needs to be shot."
• Steven Horsford: "Trump Republicans are a dangerous threat to our state."
• Gabe Vasquez: "Remove the national threat from office."
• Mike Levin: "Donald Trump is a threat to our nation, our freedom, and our democracy."
• Eric Sorensen: "He is the greatest threat to law and order we have in our country."
• Greg Landsman: "The threat is not over."
• Pat Ryan: "Trump is an existential threat to American democracy."
• Rick Wilson, The Lincoln Project: "They're still going to have to go out and put a bullet in Donald Trump."
• Former Harris-Biden staffer Kate Bedingfield: Democrats should "turn their fire on Donald Trump."

Meanwhile, the deplorable commentary from Democrats and many in the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", and "Social Media" in the aftermath of the latest assassination attempts have been even worse:

• Hakeem Jeffries: "We must stop [Trump]."
• Rachel Vindman, wife of disgraced impeachment hoax 'witness': "No ears were harmed. Carry on with your Sunday afternoon."
• Mikie Sherrill: "This really seems to be the confluence of two very bad things going on in the Republican Party ... the attempts to divide, to enrage the population."
• State Rep. Steven Woodrow (D-CO): "The last thing America needed was sympathy for the devil but here we are."
• Lester Holt, NBC Nightly News: "Today's apparent assassination attempt comes amid increasingly fierce rhetoric on the campaign trail. Mr. Trump, his running mate JD Vance, continue to make baseless claims..."
• Alex Witt, MSNBC: "Do you expect there to be calls from within the Trump campaign to [tone it down]?"
• Phil Bump, The Washington Post: "Another chance for Trump to frame Democrats as dangerous has emerged."
• Bill Kristol, The Bulwark: "Vance ... incite[s] potential violence with lies."
• Ron Filipkowski, liberal commentator: "Was the golf course guy with the gun a migrant?"
• David Frum, The Atlantic: "Trump and his running mate have spent the past week successfully inciting violence ... today they want to present themselves as near-victims of violence."
• Jonathan Chait, New York Magazine: "Trump is a threat to democracy, and saying so is not incitement."
• The Cincinnati Enquirer: "The former president, Donald Trump, brings a lot of this stuff on himself."
• USA TODAY: "Hope in America."
• NBC News: "Golf course incident."
• Bloomberg: Trump "seizing on assassination attempt."

If these people believe these statements are true, then they are suffering from the mental illness of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), as the previous Trump Administration bears no relationship to these statements. If they do not believe these statements to be true, then they are playing a dangerous game to obtain and retain political power. A dangerous game that will lead to civil strife and possible civil war. The only threat of a Trump Administration is an end to the Progressive policies of Democrats and the Media. Such an end is but the normal political process of change in America, and as long as the Trump Administration acts Constitutionally to end these policies, they are no danger to America.

Consequently, Democrats and the media must immediately cease their inflammatory, violent rhetoric against President Trump. Otherwise, there will be more assassination attempts in the future.

09/21/24 Kamala’s Repeated Lies

At the Presidential debate between Kamala Karris and Donald Trump, Kamala Harris told lie after lie after lie. She has continued to tell these lies in her campaign rhetoric and advertisements. These lies include, but are not limited to:

• Kamala denied she raised money to bail violent rioters out of jail during the 2020 Summer of Love, while at the same time she verbally supported the rioters.
• Kamala denied she supports a fracking ban which she has repeatedly supported in her previous statements.
• Kamala denied she supports a mandatory gun confiscation although she has supported mandatory gun buy-backs.
• Kamala falsely claimed President Trump supports "Project 2025" — despite the fact that he has never been involved in its creation nor has he endorsed Project 2025.
• Kamala falsely claimed President Trump supports a national abortion ban and wants to ban IVF.
• Kamala falsely claimed that "Donald Trump left us [with] the worst unemployment since the Great Depression."
• Kamala falsely claimed that "Donald Trump the candidate has said in this election there will be a bloodbath if the outcome of this election is not to his liking", when what he said was that there would be an economic bloodbath for auto workers if Kamala was elected.
• Kamala falsely claimed that "not one member of the United States military...is in active duty in a combat zone."
• Kamala falsely claimed that on January 6, 2001 “. . . the president of the United States incited a violent mob to attack our nation's Capitol, to desecrate our nation's Capitol. On that day, 140 law enforcement officers were injured. And some died." No law enforcement officers died, most of the injuries were minor (although some were serious), one protester was shot and killed, and Trump asked the protesters to “peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.”
• Kamala falsely claimed that she does not support a government takeover of health care, although her past statements have supported a government takeover.
• Kamala falsely claimed Tim Walz didn't legalize abortion-on-demand until birth in Minnesota, which is what he did and signed into law.
• Kamala resurrected the Charlottesville hoax that Trump praised the violent rioters, which fact-checkers have repeatedly debunked.
• Kamala said "that's not true" when President Trump highlighted her support for defunding the police — which she has repeatedly called to do.

In addition to repeated lies, Kamal Harris has not directly explained her decisions of:

• Why did she let up to 20 million illegal aliens enter the country.
• Why did she support policies that harmed the economy and drove up inflation.
• Why did she supported law enforcement policies that have endangered many Americans and neighborhoods.
• Why she was fully on board with the gross incompetence of the Afghanistan withdrawal that left 13 U.S. service members dead.
• Why she did not take any actions as Vice-President to solve the problems in America that have occurred during the Biden-Harris Administration.

There is one thing that she said is true: her Radical Left values "have not changed."

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called Vice President Kamala Harris' decision to moderate her views on fracking and "Medicare for All" "pragmatic," saying that Harris is "doing what she thinks is right in order to win the election" and that he still considers her to be "Progressive." This also explains her repeated lies. She is lying to bamboozle and hoodwink the American voter into voting for her. It is incumbent on the American voter not to make her a successful liar by electing her, as I have written in my Chirp on “09/16/24 Successful Lies and Liars”.

09/20/24 The Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Considerations of a Bigger Government

One of the great moral and ethical questions facing America is abortion, as I have written in my Chirp on “09/18/24 The Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Considerations of Abortion”. Another great moral and ethical question facing America is our national deficits and debt, as I have written in my Chirp on “09/19/24 The Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Considerations of Debt and Deficits”. The final trifecta on the great moral and ethical questions facing America is Big Government.

A big government often becomes a big brother that intervenes in the lives of its citizens. Such interventions often come at the cost of our Liberties and Freedoms. Our Founding Fathers were aware of this dilemma and attempted to limit government to the needful and necessary functions of government while preserving the Liberties and Freedoms of the individual. With the growth of Progressivism in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the Founding Fathers' fears of big and intrusive government were proven to be well founded, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives".

Thus, our "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" are all under assault by the forces of Big Government in modern America. Attempts to constrict our First and Second Constitutional Amendment Rights are, but the apparent attempts, but other, more subtle attempts occur within the big government regulatory state apparatus. Most recently, we have seen "The Decline of Free Speech in America" and "The Weaponization of Government" and a rise in "Despotism in America" as a result of big government.

The other insidious effect of big government is a decline in personal responsibility. As a big government assumes the responsibilities for actions that should be incumbent on an individual to fulfill, the individual becomes more thoughtless and takes less responsibility for their own words and deeds. Dennis Prager is fond of saying, “The bigger the government the smaller the Citizen”, which has been a truism throughout history. He gives five reasons for this statement:

1. People who are able to take care of themselves and do so are generally better than people who are able to take care of themselves but rely on others.
2. The more people come to rely on government, the more they develop a sense of entitlement — an attitude characterized by the belief that one is owed (whatever the state provides and more).
3. People develop disdain for work.
4. People become preoccupied with vacation time.
5. People are rendered more selfish.

As such, a big government becomes a big brother that guides and directs the lives of its citizens.

Many of the proponents of a bigger government do so because they believe that it is important for the greater good of Americans. As I have written in the "Greater Good versus the Common Good", the government was instituted for the Common Good of its citizens. While The Greater Good may seem innocuous and beneficial in theory, in practice, it can be very harmful. The logic of The Greater Good is that whatever does the most good for the most people is for The Greater Good. Using the logic of The Greater Good allows the government to implement any government policy or program that they determine is for the benefit of most Americans, even if it may be harmful to some Americans and, indeed, may violate the Natural and Constitutional rights of some Americans. The Common Good term restricts government actions to those that are enumerated and delineated in the Constitution that are beneficial for all the people while not favoring any groups of people nor violating the Natural and Constitutional rights of any American. The Greater Good would also allow the government to intervene in any speech or actions by individuals, entities, or groups of people to restrict their words and deeds to what they determine is for The Greater Good, or at a minimum, restrict those words and deeds they deem harmful to Americans. The greater good also raises the question of what the greater good is. To paraphrase the great economist and commentator Thomas Sowell:

"The most basic question is not what the greater good is, but who shall decide what the greater good is?"

Consequently, the Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Considerations of a Bigger Government should weigh heavily on all Americans. The contemplation of these dilemmas and considerations should be a basis for determining your vote for a politician. Any politician who supports a bigger government also supports restrictions on an individual. Many such restrictions are contrary to our American Ideals and Ideas and are not worthy of a people dedicated to Liberty and Freedom.

09/19/24 The Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Considerations of Debt and Deficits

One of the great moral and ethical questions facing America is abortion, as I have written in my Chirp on “09/18/24 The Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Considerations of Abortion”. Another great moral and ethical question facing America is our national deficits and debt.

A deficit occurs when the federal government’s spending exceeds its revenues. The federal government has spent $1.90 trillion more than it has collected in fiscal year (FY) 2024, resulting in a national deficit. The accumulation of unpaid deficits is our national debt. The U.S. national debt grew to a record $34 trillion by the end of 2023, and it ballooned to nearly $35 trillion by the middle of 2024. Much of these deficits and debt are to support a larger and bigger government, which is not the focus of this Chirp.

To place such a debt upon current Americans and to foist this national debt upon future Americans is a disgrace and poses a moral and ethical burden upon Americans. It is unethical to spend money that you do not have without a plan to pay off these debts and immoral to expect others to pay off your debt. It is most especially immoral to expect future Americans to pay this national debt.

There are only three ways to pay off this debt: 1) tax more and use the additional tax monies to pay off the national debt, 2) spend less and use the tax surplus generated to pay off the national debt, and 3) tax more and spend less for the purpose of paying off the national debt. To claim that we will outgrow these national debts by the future expansion of the economy is a baseless claim, given how, over the last several decades, we have not paid off these national debts but have increased the national debt. This is because growing the economy to increase tax revenues to pay off the national debt will not work if the rate of the national debt growth is larger than the rate of economic growth. Given the size of our national debt, the third way is the only way that we can pay off this national debt.

However, this would require politicians to exercise fiscal restraint, something they are loath to do as they regard spending as a means to garner support and favor their contributors while taxing can disfavor their opponents. Regarding government taxing and spending, it can be said:

“The major difference between the Democrat Party and the Republican Party fiscal policies is that the Democrats love to tax and spend, while the Republicans love to reduce taxes and spend. The major controversies are on what to tax and how to spend the taxpayers’ monies.”  - Mark Dawson

One of the most astute observations in politics on taxing is:

“Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree!”  - Russell B. Long

However, what follows this on spending is often:

“Spend on me, spend on you, don’t spend on that fellow behind the tree!”  - Mark Dawson

However, As Taxing and Spending always lead to debts and deficits, and ultimately inflation and/or recession for me, you, and the other fellow, the truth is:

“Economically, the wisest thing to do is to reduce taxes on everyone and to constrict spending to the revenues generated by taxes while paying off the National Debt with part of the revenue generated.”  - Mark Dawson

It also pits those paying taxes against those receiving the spending. And as there are fewer taxpayers and more spending receivers, it skewers elections in favor of those politicians that advocate increased taxing and more spending.”

This increased national debt is ultimately economically unsustainable. It will eventually lead to an economic depression and/or runaway inflation, which will harm all Americans. It is, therefore, incumbent on all Americans to support fiscally responsible politicians who will spend less and only tax more to pay off the national debt. For Americans to do otherwise is to support the immoral and unethical actions of fiscally irresponsible politicians.

09/18/24 The Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Considerations of Abortion

For those who believe in abortion, I would ask, “Can you explain to me why an unborn offspring is not human and therefore undeserving of the human right protection of its life?” If you respond with the reasoning that the unborn offspring is dependent upon the mother for its life and therefore undeserving of the protection of its life, it raises the question of whether when a born person becomes dependent on another for its life, either through medical problems, serious injuries, dementia, or even the infirmities of old age, do they deserve the human right protection of their life. As such, dependency is not a reason to take the life of a human being. Thus, the Moral Dilemma of Abortion is the reasoning of why abortion is moral or immoral. Until you answer the moral dilemma of abortion, you cannot make a moral decision about abortion.

In my Articles on "The Abortion Question", "The Analogy of Abortion and Slavery", and "The Constitution and Abortion", I have written extensively on the topic of Abortion. With the Presidential election cycle of 2024, this topic will once again be at the forefront of campaign issues. The Democrat Party is in favor of Abortion Rights with little or no restrictions, while the Republican Party has adopted the platform of allowing this issue to be resolved by the individual States as the recent Supreme Court ruling has instituted. In these positions, both parties are morally wrong.

Euphemisms such as Pro-Life, Pro-Family, Anti-Choice, Pro-Choice, A Woman’s Right to Choose, Reproductive Rights, Reproductive Health Care, and other euphemisms for or against abortion are utilized to obscure the moral dilemmas and ethical considerations of abortion. These euphemisms are not acceptable, as they only camouflage the moral and ethical issues and obstruct the resolution of the moral and ethical questions.

My new Article, “The Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Considerations of Abortion”, examines why both parties are wrong and the moral dilemmas and ethical considerations of abortion. I have attempted to do this in a dispassionate manner to try to assist in the resolution of the moral or immoral question of Abortion. In this examination of the moral dilemmas and ethical considerations of Abortion, I have attempted to avoid the usual euphemisms used in the abortion debate and by using the right names of which I talk about. I do so for the reasons as a very wise man in history has said:

09/17/24 Conspiracy Theories

In modern America, much political dissent has often been labeled as Conspiracy Theories, and many of them are indeed Conspiracy Theories. As I have Chirped on Chirp on "10/24/23 It’s a Conspiracy Theory", Conspiracy Theory has no formal definition, but it is often applied to anybody who disputes the Progressive political narrative, Mainstream Media accounts, or government assertions. Therefore, it is just a dismissive means of labeling dissenters and questioners as kooky. However, some initial “Conspiracy Theories” allegations have been proven to be true, but most have been proven to be untrue.

To understand Conspiracy Theories requires some terminology to be defined, as per the Vox article “Conspiracy theories, explained”:

• Conspiracy: A plot between multiple people to secretly control or manipulate a situation or commit crimes in secret.
• Conspiracy theory: The belief or argument that a conspiracy exists.
• Conspirator: A person who plans or carries out a conspiracy.
• Conspiracy theorist: A person who believes a conspiracy plot exists or is taking place.
• Apophenia: The condition of seeing or imagining patterns in random occurrences.
• Conspiratorial thinking: A mindset that makes someone susceptible to believing in conspiracy theories.
• Conspiratorial worldview: A mindset that permits acceptance of multiple conspiracy theories or the belief that the world is run by one vast conspiracy.

The website ‘The Conversation’ has a series of articles about Conspiracy Theories, “Articles on Expert guide to conspiracy theories”, that provide more in-depth information on Conspiracy Theories.

The Conspiracy Theories that I wish to discuss in the Chirp are those Conspiracy Theories in United States politics. These are especially pernicious Conspiracy Theories as they were meant to influence an election or shape governmental policies. Some of the more recent and largest assertions of a Conspiracy Theory include, along with their accuracy are:

• Candidate Trump Campaigns Russian Collusion (untrue)
• QAnon Exists (untrue)
• COVID-19 Virus Wuhan Lab Leak (true)
• Hunter Biden Laptop Russian Disinformation (untrue)
• President Trump led Insurrection of January 6, 2021 (untrue)
• Hamas and Hezbollah are Freedom Fighters and Not Terrorists (untrue)

These assertions of a Conspiracy Theory were harmful in that they were meant to sway the opinions of the American people based on falsehoods that were known to be false by the originators of these Conspiracy Theories. A successful swaying that has begotten more Conspiracy Theories to influence elections and shape public policy. This is corruption in American politics, as it is knowingly utilizing lies and deceptions to gain an unwarranted political advantage.

As I mentioned in my Chirp on It’s a Conspiracy Theory:

“Since the beginning of the Biden Administration, we have seen a sharp rise in the usage of the term Conspiracy Theorists. Almost anyone who questions the motives or goals of the Biden Administration has been labeled as a Conspiracy Theorist.

This time-worn tactic of labeling those in opposition to government words and deeds for the purpose of marginalizing and then ostracizing them from society has often been the first step into despotism, then dictatorialness. A step that, if successful, often leads to terrible consequences, as we have seen in the 20th and 21st centuries pogroms, concentration and work camps, gulags, and massacres of those that oppose a government.”

Thus, it can be said that the Biden-Harris Administration is corrupt to the detriment of the American public’s understanding of the issues, concerns, and problems facing America. A corruption that can lead to terrible consequences for America.

09/16/24 Successful Lies and Liars

As in the adage ‘A Lie Can Travel Halfway Around the World While the Truth Is Putting On Its Shoes’, a successful lie is widely disseminated before the truth is uncovered. A successful lie often drowns out the truth, and the lie lingers well after the time that they were told. A successful liar is one who is believed to be telling the truth, and when the truth is discovered, there are no consequences for the liar. The problem with successful lies is that they often beget other successful lies, and a successful liar will continue to tell lies.

There are three main types of liars per MedicineNet:

• Natural liars: This is the most common type of liar. Natural liars are people who can lie easily with great skill and success. They don't believe their own lies, they're just good at lying.
• Pathological liars: Pathological lying is often a warning sign of antisocial personality disorder (commonly known as a psychopath). A pathological liar is usually considered manipulative, selfish, and cunning.
• Compulsive liars: Compulsive liars bend the truth about everything, large or small. For a compulsive liar, telling the truth is very awkward and uncomfortable, while lying feels right.

It can also be said that those who occasionally lie show a lack of judgment, and those who continually lie demonstrate that they are without morals, ethics, and virtue. It is an unfortunate fact that many politicians are liars, and more than a few of them are Natural or Compulsive serial liars. Politicians' lying is a fact of life throughout human history, and occasional exaggerations, distortions, and prevarications by politicians are to be expected, but Natural or Compulsive serial lying does harm to the body politic. A successful political lie is often camouflaged by half-truths, a willful perversion of facts, or improper utilization of statistics.

It is an unfortunate fact that in today’s hyper-partisanship America, serial lying has become the norm for far too many politicians. This was amply demonstrated by the Trump Russian Collusion Delusion that gripped many Democrats during the 2016 Presidential candidacy and Administration of President Trump. During this delusion, there were many serial lies told by many Democrats, much to the harm of the body politic. Even after the Mueller investigation and report debunked this delusion, whispers of Russian collusions with President Trump continued.

Today, this serial lying by Democrats has continued in the candidacy of Kamala Harris. Not only are she and her supporters serially lying about President Trump, but they are serially lying about Kamala Harris’s personal history, political record, and policy positions. Those who are informed of her actual history and record, along with her past policy positions, can easily spot these lies. The litany of her and her supporters’ lies about her is far too long to be encapsulated here within. It can be fairly said that almost everything that she and her supporters say about her is serial lies. When she and her supporters are not lying, they are spouting opportunistic pablum of a politician who speaks well on worthless or oversimplified ideas for political gain. These serial lies and pablum can be considered manipulative, selfish, and cunning (i.e., pathological lies) in an attempt to bamboozle and hoodwink the American public into voting for her.

Thus, Kamala Harris and her supporters are unworthy to lead America, as they are doing harm to the body politic. We can also expect that she and her supporters will continue with the serial lies and pablum if she should be elected, as a leopard cannot change its spots. It is incumbent upon the American electorate not to allow serial liars to be put in or remain in positions of power. Otherwise, the future of America will be darkened by the leadership of successful serial liars.

09/15/24 Print the Legend

At the end of the movie “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, after Ransom Stoddard who lived and told the true facts of the story, the newspaper editor who hears the truth tears up the journalist notes and throws them into a burning stove, at which time the following dialog occurs:

Ransom Stoddard: You're not going to use the story, Mr. Scott? Maxwell Scott: No, sir. This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.

So, it seems to be with the "Mainstream Media". Facts and truths no longer appear to be relevant, and the narrative is about the legend. This is but one more example of the problems of "Modern Journalism". Additionally, we have seen in the modern Mainstream Media that if no legend exists, then one is made up and disseminated as fact and truth.

This is especially true when it comes to the legend of Kamala Harris. Prior to the withdrawal of Joe Biden from the 2024 Presidential election, Kamala Harris was perceived to be a failed Vice-President and a San Francisco radical leftist (to the left of even Bernie Sanders). She had failed in every task that was assigned to her, and her public appearances were often laughed upon. Her utterances were often sophomoric, vacuous, and derided as condescending to her audience. Yet today, according to the Mainstream Media, she is the best person to lead America into a bright future. Considering how dimwitted she has appeared in the past, it will not be a bright future but a dusk for America.

A dusk for America, based upon her platitudes and promises with no policy positions, in which government has control over the economy, inflation will continue, real economic growth will be stagnant, and in which Americans of the middle and lower classes will continue to suffer. These items, along with illegal immigration being unabated, Free Speech being constricted, crime continuing to increase, and leftist agendas being implemented, which are antithetic to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

However, the truth will set you free if you discover the truth behind the legend of Kamala Harris that the Mainstream Media is proclaiming. Alas, it is difficult to uncover the facts and truths of Kamal Harris behind the smokescreen that the Mainstream Media is promulgating. The Mainstream Media is in the process of throwing the facts and truths of Kamala Harris into a burning stove and lauding the legend of their own creation about Kamala Harris.

Do not be bamboozled and hoodwinked by the chicanery and slyness of the Mainstream Media. Discover the facts and truths of Kamala Harris and make a properly informed decision before casting your vote. Otherwise, you may be voting for a dusk in America, which may be irreversible.

09/14/24 He’s Combative, She’s Dishonest, and the Moderators Were Biased

I have delayed Chirping about the 2024 Presidential Debate as I considered my opinion about the debate. Quite frankly, it comes down to he’s combative, she’s dishonest, and the moderators were biased for Harris and against Trump, or as Victor Davis Hanson observed in his article “A Forgettable Warped Debate”:

“The September 10th presidential debate went down as expected. Summed up, it was Sappy and the Blob pile on Grouchy.

The swarmy and evasive Vice President Kamala Harris preened, posed, and proffered empty platitudes.

The ABC moderators proved they were predictably and shamelessly biased.

And an irate former President Donald Trump confirmed that he was too touchy and easily triggered.”

This excellent article recaps the lowlights of this debate and sets the record straight on the facts and truths about President Trump’s record. Victor Davis Hanson finishes this article by stating:

“The sappy Harris won the visuals; the grouchy Trump likely the issues.

But the real losers were ABC and its two partisan moderators, Muir and Davis.

Both managed to easily outdo CNN’s Candy Crowley’s infamous partisan sabotage of the 2012 debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama.

Just as we do not remember anything else about that spectacle other than Crowley’s career-ending interventions to aid Obama, so too did Muir and Davis confirm their shameless biases.

They sought to warp a debate, disgraced their network, and offered a good reminder why such media “moderators” should never be allowed anywhere near presidential debates.”

For the last several decades, Presidential Debates have been a farce. A farce of their own making by all sides involved in these debates. As I had written in my Chirp on "09/30/20 Presidential Debates" about the 2020 Presidential Debates:

“The current format for Presidential Debates is not conducive to illumination. Besides the journalistic bias (see my Article on "Modern Journalism"), many of the questions are intended to provoke a visceral reaction.  I would suggest we return to the format of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Three Presidential and one Vice-Presidential debate would be scheduled. For the Presidential Debates one debate on Foreign Policy, one debate on Domestic Policy, and one debate on any other issues. The Vice-Presidential Debate would be for any issue. Each candidate would prepare six questions they want to ask the other candidate on the debate topic. The first candidate would get two minutes to ask their first question, and the other candidate would then get five minutes to respond to the question, with the questioner then getting three minutes to rebut the answer. The other candidate would then get to ask their first question utilizing the same constrictions. This would go back and forth until all six questions from each candidate would be debated. The moderator would only be responsible for assuring the candidates stay within their time constrictions and do not interrupt the other candidate during their allotted time.

I believe that this format would provide a better forum for each candidate to express themselves and bring out the issues that they believe are important for the American people to understand. The questions the candidate asks would also illuminate the character and integrity of the candidate. The answers and rebuttals would further illuminate the American people and allow them to make a better judgment on the candidates. This also puts the debates into the hands of the candidates - where it belongs.”

Given early voting in modern America the Presidential Debates would need to occur in the month of September, with the Vice-Presidential debate occurring in early October. Such a debate format is not perfect, but it goes a long way in resolving the farce of the current debates.

09/13/24 Less Government and More Free Speech

In a new article by Jonathan Turley, “Want More Freedom of Speech? Try Less Government.”, he states that:

“It is time to get the United States out of the censorship business for good.

In the last three years, the House of Representatives has disclosed a massive censorship system run in part with federal funding and with coordination with federal officials. A federal court described this system as truly “Orwellian.”

The Biden Administration has made speech regulation a priority in targeting disinformation, misinformation or malinformation. President Joe Biden even said that companies refusing to censor citizens were “killing people.”

His administration has now created an anti-free speech record that is only rivaled by the Adams Administration, which used the Alien and Sedition Acts to arrest political opponents.”

He has also written an article, “The EU Just Declared War on Free Speech in America. It is Time to Fight Back”, in which he notes that:

“One of the greatest threats to free speech today is the European Digital Services Act. The act bars speech that is viewed as “disinformation” or “incitement.” European Commission Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager celebrated its passage by declaring that it is “not a slogan anymore, that what is illegal offline should also be seen and dealt with as illegal online. Now it is a real thing. Democracy’s back.

In Europe, free speech is in free fall. Germany, France, the United Kingdom and other countries have eviscerated free speech by criminalizing speech deemed inciteful or degrading to individuals or groups. The result had made little difference to the neo-Nazi movement in countries like Germany, which is reaching record numbers. It has, however, silenced the rest of society.”

I could not agree more with Professor Turley. Free Speech is under assault today, and this assault is being led by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists. While those who are assaulting free speech claim they are combating falsehoods, disinformation, misinformation, malinformation, as well as hurtful/harmful or provocative speech, they often do so by spreading their own falsehoods, disinformation, misinformation, or malinformation via hurtful/harmful or provocative speech.

As I have written in my Chirp on "07/07/24 Limitations on Free Speech", the problems with limiting Free Speech is who shall determine what is true or false, hurtful/hurtful, provocative, or disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation. To paraphrase Thomas Sowell, "The most basic question is not what speech should be restricted, but who shall decide what speech should be restricted?” The answer to this question is that nobody, or any group of people, has the intelligence or wisdom to decide what speech should be restricted.

Therefore, Professor Turley has advocated a robust debate on Free Speech in this election cycle, of which he has written in the first article I have cited:

“In 1800, Thomas Jefferson defeated John Adams in the only election where free speech was a primary issue for voters. It should be again. Vice President Kamala Harris is known as a supporter for these censorship and blacklisting operations. She can now defend that record and convince Americans that they need to have less free speech.

This debate should ideally focus on one simple legislative proposal. In my new book, I suggest various measures that can regain the ground that we have lost on free speech. One such measure is a federal law that would ban any federal funding of any offices or programs (government, academic, or corporate) that rate, target, censor, throttle, or seek to take adverse action against individuals or groups based on their viewpoints in public forums or social media.”

He concludes this article by stating:

“Let’s get our government out of the business of rating, throttling, blacklisting, and censoring citizens. It is time to pass a free speech protection act.”

To which I say, “Here, here”.

09/12/24 The Sounds of Silence

With the rise of the attempts to suppress speech as offensive, hurtful, harmful, or microaggression, as well as disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation, we run into a quandary with this logic. The quandary is that whatever you say and write is bound to offend someone, somewhere, and somehow, and what are the actual truths or falsehoods of supposed disinformation, misinformation, or malinformation? Thus, utilizing this logic requires that you say nothing, or it requires a definitive lexicon of what is not permissible to speak and/or write and/or what is disinformation, misinformation, or malinformation.

Not only is this a rising problem in America, but it is even more entrenched in law throughout Europe. As Mr. Bean's (Rowan Atkinson) definitive defense of free speech (full video) in Britain has elucidated: "The clear problem with the outlawing of insult - is that too many things can be interpreted as such."

To develop this lexicon raises another quandary, as a paraphrase of Thomas Sowell illuminates:

"The most basic question is not what is in the lexicon, but who shall decide what is in the lexicon?"

The logic of constricting, restricting, or suppressing any speech also requires that you violate the Natural Free Speech Rights of a person, as I have examined in my Chirp on “07/28/24 I Have the Natural Right”.

Consequently, if we are to utilize this logic, the only acceptable speech and writing are the Sounds of Silence, as silence is the only means that you can ensure that you will not be offensive to someone, somewhere, and somehow, or that you may be spreading disinformation, misinformation, or malinformation.

09/11/24 Socialism in America

Democratic socialism is a left-wing set of political philosophies that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management within a market socialist, decentralized planned, or democratic centrally planned socialist economy. Democratic socialists argue that capitalism is inherently incompatible with the values of freedom, equality, and solidarity and that these ideals can only be achieved through the realization of a socialist society. Although most democratic socialists seek a gradual transition to socialism, democratic socialism can support revolutionary or reformist politics to establish socialism. Democratic socialism was popularized by socialists who opposed the backsliding towards a one-party state in the Soviet Union and other nations during the 20th century.

The non-profit The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a broad tent, democratic socialist political organization in the United States. After the Socialist Party of America (SPA) transformed into Social Democrats, USA, Michael Harrington formed the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee (DSOC). The DSOC later merged with the New American Movement (NAM) to form the DSA. The organization is headquartered in New York City and currently has 78,000 members, as well as 59 self-identified Democrat Socialist politicians in federal and state elected offices. It differs from other forms of socialism in America that coalesce under the banner of Social democracy or Authoritarian socialism, but there is overlap in many of their social and governmental policies.

Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy and supports a gradualist, reformist, and democratic approach towards achieving socialism. It takes the form of socially managed welfare capitalism and emphasizes economic interventionism, partial public ownership, a robust welfare state, policies promoting social equality, and a more equitable distribution of income.

Authoritarian socialism, or socialism from above, is an economic and political system supporting some form of socialist economics while rejecting political pluralism. As a term, it represents a set of economic-political systems describing themselves as socialist and rejecting the liberal-democratic concepts of multi-party politics, freedom of assembly, habeas corpus, and freedom of expression, either due to fear of the counter-revolution or as a means to socialist ends. Several countries, most notably the Soviet Union, China, and their allies, have been described by journalists and scholars as authoritarian socialist states.

The core issue of any democracy or socialism is whether it is possible to have a self-sustaining democracy and a robust socialistic economy. The history of democracy throughout the world is that democratic states collapsed in infighting between different factions within the democracy or that foreign invaders conquered a democracy because of this infighting. The history of socialism is that whenever it has been tried, it has resulted in stagnant economic growth and shortages of the basic necessities of life, along with its governments degenerating into despotism and then tyranny. Consequently, misery and hardship lay along this path for the populace of this society.

The other core issue is that the suppression of the Natural Rights of the people within this society is needed to maintain this society (i.e., the Natural Rights, as I have examined in my Chirp on “07/28/24 I Have the Natural Right”). Combining these core issues of Democracy, Socialism, and Natural Rights makes for a dysfunctional society, and it is a path to the destruction of a society. The people of this society eventually rebel and overthrow the government, or the government takes oppressive measures to control the populace.

The claims by modern Democrat Socialist that it was done improperly in the past and that they know how to do it properly in the present ignore the facts that:

"To deny human nature or economics, or to not acknowledge human nature or economics, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

As well as:

"You cannot implement a wrong social policy the right way. For if it is a wrong social policy it will always fail. While the goals of a social policy may be noble, the details of its implementation will determine if the goal can be reached (i.e., the devil is in the details)."   - Mark Dawson

We should also remember the quip by the Nobel Prize-winning economist F. A. Hayek: “If socialists understood economics, they wouldn’t be socialists.” 

It is also the height of hubris to believe that you can have all the answers to reorganize a modern complex society to obtain your (Utopian) vision of what a society should be, as I have examined in my Chirps on "01/03/21 Socialism and Democratic Socialism" and "05/03/21 Democratic Socialism Questions".

Consequently, Democratic socialism is an untenable and indefensible solution to the troubles in America.

09/10/24 Failed Policy Positions

Finally, three weeks after being nominated as the 2024 Democrat Party Presidential candidate and less than two months before the 2024 Presidential election, Kamala Harris posted her policy positions on her website. On her webpage entitled A NEW WAY FORWARD, she outlines her policies of:

• Build An Opportunity Economy And Lower Costs For Families
  • Cut Taxes For Middle Class Families
  • Make Rent More Affordable And Home Ownership More Attainable
  • Grow Small Businesses And Invest In Entrepreneurs
  • Take On Bad Actors And Bring Down Costs
  • Strengthen And Bring Down The Cost Of Health Care
  • Protect And Strengthen Social Security And Medicare
  • Support American Innovation And Workers
  • Provide A Pathway To The Middle Class Through Quality, Affordable Education
  • Invest In Affordable Child Care And Long Term Care
  • Lower Energy Costs And Tackle The Climate Crisis
  • Trump’s Project 2025 Agenda
• Safeguard Our Fundamental Freedoms
  • Restore And Protect Reproductive Freedoms
  • Protect Civil Rights And Freedoms
  • Trump’s Project 2025 Agenda
• Ensure Safety And Justice For All
  • Make Our Communities Safer From Gun Violence And Crime
  • Secure Our Borders And Fix Our Broken Immigration System
  • Tackle The Opioid And Fentanyl Crisis
  • Ensure No One Is Above The Law
  • Trump’s Project 2025 Agenda
• Keep America Safe, Secure, And Prosperous
  • Stand With Our Allies, Stand Up To Dictators, And Lead On The World Stage
  • Invest In America’s Sources Of Strength
  • Support Service Members, Veterans, Their Families, Caregivers, And Survivors
  • Trump’s Project 2025 Agenda

These policy positions and the issues that she highlights with these policies also raise the question of why she and President Biden did not undertake to resolve these problems during the Biden-Harris Administration. The answer is that it was the policies of the Biden-Harris Administration that caused most of these problems. Ergo, she is asking Americans to elect her to solve the problems of the Biden-Harris Administration's own making.

As usual for her campaign, these policy positions have minimal substance and are mostly platitudes and promises without sufficient details to critique her policies. And, once again, the Harris-Walz campaign is utilizing the Straw Man Fallacy in comparing her policies to the Project 2025 agenda, an agenda that is not affiliated with nor endorsed by President Trump or the Republican Party, as I have written in my Chirp on “09/05/24 The Straw Man Fallacy”. She also distorts and warps Trump’s policy positions and words to make them appear to be something that they are not and to instill a fear of a Trump presidency that is unwarranted given the history of his past Presidential Administration.

What little details that she supplies appear to be mostly short-term fixes to alleviate the pressing problems that most Americans face. Short-term fixes that will make many Americans feel better without solving the systemic long term problems that the Biden-Harris Administration foisted upon America through their ineptitude. An ineptitude that America and Americans can ill afford to suffer through for another four years. Thus, if you are concerned about these problems, it is important not to be bamboozled and hoodwinked by these policy positions.

Consequently, her New Way Forward is not new but a continuation of the failed policies of the Biden-Harris Administration.

09/09/24 Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing

In two lines by the playwright:

 “Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”  - Macbeth by William Shakespeare

And such it is with the candidacy of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz—all sound and fury signifying nothing. No written policy positions or plans have been forthcoming from them. Nothing but platitudes and promises without substance have emanated from their candidacy. What little they have said about their economic ideas has been scoffed at by economists as deleterious to our economy. In addition, the flip-flopping of her previous positions has led to no understanding of her actual stances, and no explanations for the flip-flops have been offered.

As I have written in my previous Chirps on “08/29/24 Changing Our Minds”, “08/30/24 The Hallmarks of an Evil in Disguise”, “08/31/24 A Farce of a Campaign”, “09/01/24 Values and Policies”, “09/02/24 Destroying the Village”, and “09/03/24 An Inveterate Liar”, this is not a campaign of ideas and solutions to the problems America faces, but a campaign of lies and deceptions. Lies and deceptions for the purposes of obtaining political power rather than for solving America's problems.

Such a campaign is unworthy of the American public, and such a campaign should be rejected by the American public. To not do so is to continue the failed policies of the Biden-Harris Administration and to endanger the future of America and the world.

09/08/24 Enlightened America

In the rise of Nazism in Germany in the 1920s and 1930s, many Jews and good people of Germany ignored or excused the Nazi rhetoric and plans as something that could never occur in an enlightened Germany. Some Jews even collaborated with the Nazi’s as outlined in the Wikipedia article on “Jewish collaboration with Nazi Germany”.

Today’s Democrat Party is ignoring, excusing, and sometimes supporting Pro-Palestinian/Pro-Hamas/Pro-Hezbollah/Anti-Israel rhetoric in America. All Americans should not ignore, excuse, nor support this rhetoric as something that could never occur in an enlightened America, for the history of Anti-Semitism has shown that if unopposed, it will rise and take over a society no matter how enlightened a society may be.

The Democrats often do this in the guise of virtue signaling their opposition to oppression, discrimination, unfairness, and other noble-sounding ideals, but in doing so, they are lending tacit support for the evils (and terrorism) that are being perpetuated against the Jewish people in the Middle East.

I am generally opposed to one-issue voting, but when the issue involves evil, I will vote against evil every time. Therefore, if you hate Anti-Semitism and believe that Israel has a right to exist, then there is no way that you can in good conscience vote for any Democrat candidate in the upcoming election, as they are aiding and abetting the rise of Anti-Semitism in America and, consequently, supporting evil.

09/07/24 Stupid Is As Stupid Does

“Stupid is as stupid does” is a famous line from the movie Forrest Gump. Spoken by the mother of Forrest to allay his concerns about his low I.Q., it is also a reminder that what you speak and how you act is the determinative factor of your smarts and persona. Thus, whenever you judge a person, it is their words and deeds that determine their character. Also, whenever you speak pejoratives of a person, you should make sure that the shoe fits; otherwise, you are demeaning your own character.

The utilization of pejoratives in politics has been very common throughout history, especially when there is a political campaign to obtain office. However, recent pejoratives have had a special inventiveness to them, given the nature of the pejoratives. I am speaking of the utilization of the pejorative of Fascism and Nazism against political opponents. The evils of Fascism and Nazism are beyond the pale, and to allege someone of Fascism or Nazism without any evidence is especially repugnant.

Nazism is an ideology that rejects liberalism, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights, stressing instead the subordination of the individual to the state and the necessity of strict obedience to leaders. It emphasized the inequality of individuals and “races” and the right of the strong to rule the weak.

Fascism has generated considerable disagreement among historians and political scientists about the nature of Fascism. However, Fascism has been best expressed by a quote from its leading proponent:

“The definition of fascism is the marriage of corporation and state.” “All within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.” “We do not argue with those who disagree with us, we destroy them.”  - Benito Mussolini

Fascism and Nazism were an affront to human dignity and rights, as well as responsible for tens of millions of deaths to innocent people, as well as untold destruction of property, cultures, and societies. The havoc that Fascism and Nazism wreaked is not to be taken lightly by demeaning the true meaning of Fascism and Nazism for political advantage purposes. Those who do so should be roundly condemned and ignored or shunned as political pariah unworthy of any attention to their words and deeds.

Both Fascism and Nazism utilize propaganda, intimidation, censorship, and the marriage of journalism and government to achieve their goals. The common feature of both Nazism and Fascism is the state control over the economy, the suppression of Free Speech, the weaponization of government against opponents, and the corruption of the courts to achieve a predetermined result.

Anyone, or any group, that utilizes these tactics is following in the footsteps of Fascism and Nazism, and they should be considered a threat to "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". Alas, we have seen in modern America that the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are turning to these tactics to achieve electoral victory and political power. A victory and power that is being paid at too high a price, as such tactics can only lead to the destruction of America and the subjugation of its people. And it is all too common for Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders to claim that their opponents are Fascists or Nazis when they are the ones utilizing Fascist and Nazi tactics. Thus, modern Fascism and Nazism are as modern Fascism and Nazism does.

09/06/24 The Battle Hymn of the Republic

The "Battle Hymn of the Republic” is an American patriotic song that was written by the abolitionist writer Julia Ward Howe during the American Civil War. In my opinion, the best and most moving performance of The Battle Hymn of the Republic is by The United States Army Field Band, and I would recommend everyone view this performance.

The fifth stanza of this song is apropos to this Chirp:

“In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me. As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, While God is marching on.” - Julia Ward Howe

Some modern performances and recordings of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" use the lyric "As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free" as opposed to the wartime lyric originally written by Julia Ward Howe. It is this “live” to make men free that I wish to Chirp upon.

The deep divisions on State Rights and Slavery that separated the North from the South prior to the Civil War were essentially about the issues of Constitutional Supremacy and ensuring Freedom for All individuals throughout America and its territories. Today, we have deep divisions on the issues of Natural/Constitutional Rights and the morality of Abortion that separate us. These modern divisions often align with a person's political, religious, or secular worldview. Today’s divisions are not primarily geographic as they were in the Antebellum period of American History. And although there are some geographic divisions in modern America of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Coast along with the West Pacific Coast versus the rest of the country, today’s divisions are both cultural and sociopolitical between Progressives/Leftists and Conservatives. These divisions are reflected in the partisan politics of Democrat Party Leaders and Republican Party Leaders.

Our American Ideals and Ideas of "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" require that our rights as specified in the Constitution be respected and enforced and that all individuals are treated with politeness, respect, and dignity, not only by the government but also by other Americans. Consequently, all efforts to inhibit, constrain, or negate these rights by any party or parties are antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas.

The modern politics of Cancel Culture, Hate Speech, Identity Politics, Intersectionality, Political Correctness, Racist, Virtue Signaling, White Privilege, and Wokeness, and the modern ideas of Critical Race Theory (CRT), Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG), and Systemic Discrimination and/or Disparities, along with the "The Decline of Free Speech in America", "The Weaponization of Government", and the rise of "Despotism in America", are antithetic to our American values. These modern politics, ideas, and actions are major contributors to the divisions in modern America and disrupt A Civil Society in America.

Today’s divisions are exacerbated by the almost uniform silencing or derisions of Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders by the Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, Mainstream Information Conglomerate, Social Media, Big Tech,  Modern Big Business, and Modern Education, who support the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders worldview. A silencing or derision that also disrupts A Civil Society in America.

Our Freedoms and Liberties cannot long withstand these modern politics, ideas, and actions, and along with the silencing or derisions of contrary opinions, we face a perilous future for America. A perilous future that requires that all Liberty and Freedom loving Americans remember to ‘let us live to make men free’. A rebirth of freedom which is needed in modern America, for as President Abraham Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address:

“. . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

09/05/24 The Straw Man Fallacy

The Straw Man Fallacy (sometimes written as strawman) is the informal fallacy of refuting an argument different from the one actually under discussion while not recognizing or acknowledging the distinction. One who engages in this fallacy is said to be "attacking a straw man".

The typical straw man argument creates the illusion of having refuted or defeated an opponent's proposition through the covert replacement of it with a different proposition (i.e., "stand up a straw man") and the subsequent refutation of that false argument ("knock down a straw man") instead of the opponent's proposition. Straw man arguments have been used throughout history in contentious debate, particularly regarding highly charged emotional subjects, and politicians have utilized straw man tactics throughout history.

Politicians of all stripes are notorious for creating Straw men, then attacking the Straw man while ignoring the Real man. Straw man tactics in politics are often effective, as they arouse the passions of the electorate in support of the politician and/or their policies. Straw man political campaigns, however, are misleading as they do not address the opponents’ positions or policies but deflect attention from the actual positions and policies of an opponent. Political campaigns based on straw man arguments are, therefore, deceptive, and they often devolve into scare tactics.

Such is the case with the 2024 Harris-Walz campaign in their campaign’s utilization of the Project 2025 plan in their campaign against the 2024 Trump-Vance campaign, a plan that is not affiliated with nor endorsed by President Trump or the Republican Party. Neither does the Democrat Party Platform address the Republican Party Platform, but instead, it takes aim at the Project 2025 plan. Thus, they have created a Straw man informal logic fallacy of refuting an argument different from the one actually under discussion while not recognizing or acknowledging the distinction. Thus, whenever the 2024 Harris-Walz campaign mentions the Project 2025 plan, you can safely assume that they are attempting to mislead the American public.

Such a fallacious campaign is a disservice to the American people and unworthy of a candidacy that posits themselves as leading America into a brighter future. A bright future cannot be built on the dark clouds of logical fallacies and fallaciousness. It is also indicative of a candidate more interested in obtaining power rather than informing the American people of their plans and policies. Indeed, it is an attempt to scare the American people into voting against their opponent rather than for their candidacy. Such a frightening of the American electorate often leads them to make bad decisions about whom to vote for, which bodes ill for the future of America.

09/04/24 Journalistic Malpractice and Malfeasance

Journalism is the profession of reporting, photographing, or editing news stories for media dissemination. Malpractice and Malfeasance are improper professional conduct and wrongful conduct that harms others. In modern America, we have seen Journalistic Malpractice and Malfeasance (a.k.a. "Modern Journalism") at unprecedented levels in our history.

While there has been much Journalistic Malpractice and Malfeasance in American history, it has been on both sides of the issues that have occurred. Today, however, there is only one-sided Journalistic Malpractice and Malfeasance—the side of the Progressive and Democrat Party. The other side, the Conservatives and Republican sides, has been effectively silenced by a lack of honest journalistic reporting on their viewpoints and policies. Indeed, there has been much disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation of their positions that it can reliably be claimed that Modern Journalism has become propaganda for Progressives and the Democrat Party.

This can be readily seen in the 2024 Harris-Walz campaign journalism. Journalists have supinely accepted a lack of press conferences, personal interviews, and no policy prescriptions from the 2024 Harris-Walz campaign. They have also ignored her record and previous policy statements in favor of disseminating her rhetoric of joy and hope. In this, they are keeping the American people ignorant to help her achieve electoral victory, as I have written in my Chirp on “08/24/24 Ignorance is Bliss”.

Our Founding Fathers understood that a Free Press and Freedom of Speech were vitally important to preserving our Freedoms and Liberties and necessary to expose the machinations and corruptions of government that would endanger our Freedoms and Liberties and corrupt our Democratic-Republic. When the press and government work hand in hand, as they are doing with the 2024 Harris-Walz campaign, they pose the biggest threat to Freedoms and Liberties.

A threat that must not be ignored by the public, as we have seen the consequences of ignoring this threat. This same hand-in-hand between the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign and journalism brought forth the election of President Biden and the resulting problems that now plague America. And, as in the old aphorism, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” do not bring shame upon yourself by voting for the Harris-Walz ticket.

09/03/24 An Inveterate Liar

Now, after both the 2024 presidential conventions have wrapped up, political advertisements have begun to flood the media. Advertisements in which we can expect the usual exaggerations and distortions of the candidates’ records and policy positions from both the Democrat and Republican campaigns. This presidential election cycle, however, has the added element of outright lies and coverups and no policy positions from the 2024 Harris-Walz campaign. The Pro-Harris and Anti-Trump predilections of the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate", as I have written in my Chirp on “09/nn/24 Journalistic Malpractice and Malfeasance”, will also contribute to these lies and coverups.

After Kamala Harris’s Democrat National Convention (DNC) speech on Thursday, August 22, 2024, conservative firebrand Tucker Carlson, in a video that can be viewed here on X, picked apart everything Harris’ said, calling her a “very scary person.” He continued, “She's much more skillful than I have ever seen. She's a liar on the deepest level,” Carlson said. “The things she is saying right now are not just untrue - they're the opposite of the truth, which is the hallmark of evil.” And it is indeed evil, as lying to achieve a political goal always leads to evil rearing its ugly head.

Anyone who is familiar with Kamala Harris’s past record and policy statements can easily spot the lies, distortions, and coverups that her campaign is now disseminating. The question is, therefore, was Kamala Harris lying then, or is she lying now, and more importantly, is she just an inveterate liar? Given her current campaign claims about her record and policy positions, it is a safe bet that she is an inveterate liar. These are not the normal political lies, distortions, and coverups that we can expect in a campaign, but they are lies meant to bamboozle and hoodwink the American public into believing that she is something that she is not.

The other question is, given these outright lies and coverups and no policy positions, is how would she govern if she were elected? Given her past record and policy statements, it is easy to believe that she is a true believer in extreme Progressivism, if not outright Leftism on some issues. Thus, we can expect that she will govern to the left of The Political Spectrum. Such a Progressives/Leftists governance by the Biden Administration has led to the problems that America and Americans now face, and such problems will not be solved but only worsen in a President Harris Administration.

Thus, if you are concerned about these problems, it is important not to be bamboozled and hoodwinked by the 2024 Harris-Walz campaign. No amount of Joy and Hope, as I have written in my Chirp on “09/nn/24 Strength Through Joy”, can solve the problems facing America and Americans. Only policy prescriptions based on human nature and the invisible hand of economics can solve our problems, which the 2024 Harris-Walz campaign has not elucidated.

09/03/24 Strength Through Joy

NS Gemeinschaft Kraft durch Freude (German for 'Strength Through Joy'; KdF) was a German NSDAP-operated leisure organization in Nazi Germany. It was part of the German Labor Front (German: Deutsche Arbeitsfront), the national labor organization at that time.

Set up in November 1933 as a tool to promote the advantages of Nazism to the German people, and internationally, it was also used to ease the process of the rearmament of Germany. Through its structure of organized events and promotion of propaganda, it was also intended to prevent dissident and anti-state behavior. By 1939, it had become the world's largest tourism operator.

This brings us to the current campaign tactic of Kamala Harris that she is the candidate of joy and hope. A campaign in which the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, along with the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and the "Mainstream Information Conglomerate", have promoted. A tactic that involves promoting falsehoods, disinformation, misinformation, malinformation, and opposition speech suppression about her record and policies.

Such a tactic of joy and hope, without any substance, is nothing but a diversionary tactic to elevate her profile and to hoodwink the American public to make her ultra-progressive history and policy positions more palatable. It is dangerous to America and Americans, as much sophistry can be disguised under joy and hope. Such a candidate should be rejected by Americans as dangerous to the future of America, as joy and hope are not a prescription for the problems facing America and Americans.

09/02/24 Destroying the Village

In what is considered one of his iconic dispatches, published on 7 February 1968, Peter Arnett wrote about the Vietnam War of the Battle of Bến Tre: "It became necessary to destroy the town to save it,' a United States major said today. He was talking about the decision by allied commanders to bomb and shell the town regardless of civilian casualties, to rout the Vietcong." The quotation was gradually altered in subsequent publications, eventually becoming more familiar, "We had to destroy the village in order to save it." The accuracy of the original quotation and its source has often been called into question. Arnett never revealed his source except to say that it was one of four officers he interviewed that day. US Army Major Phil Cannella, the senior officer present at Bến Tre, suggested that the quotation might have been a distortion of something he said to Arnett. The New Republic at the time attributed the quotation to US Air Force Major Chester L. Brown. In Walter Cronkite's 1971 book, Eye on the World, Arnett reasserted that the quotation was something "one American major said to me in a moment of revelation."

In Victor Davis Hanson's new article, “Who Is 'Destroying Democracy in Darkness?'”, he points out that:

“The 2023-2024 campaign season is not just the strangest on record, it’s also arguably the most anti-democratic.

Ostensibly, the Democratic Party has claimed over the last decade that Donald Trump posed a continued and existential threat to the republic.

That allegation subsequently justified a variety of anti-democratic means to neuter his first two presidential candidacies, his presidency, and now his third and final run for the White House.”

He then goes on to list all the ways the Democrat Party has tried to destroy Trump and sums it up by stating:

“Add up the last decade's purchased collusion caper, unprecedented two impeachments, orchestrated disinformation hoax, efforts to de-ballot Trump, warping of the legal system to jail him and destroy his candidacy, forced removal of an unpopular but unwilling President Biden from the Democrat ticket, virtual anointing of Harris by fiat in his place, and the current collusion with a compliant media to avoid public scrutiny and cross-examination of Harris.

And the conclusion?

Have those who lectured us about democracy in danger now decided to save it by destroying it?”

Thus, the Democrat Party is trying to destroy the American village to save it. After they save our democracy, they intend to rebuild our democracy into their vision of a democracy. However, their vision of democracy, as outlined by Rob Natelson in his article “‘Our Democracy’ = Their Oligarchy”, is not a real democracy, as he states:

“But you shouldn’t confuse Our Democracy with real democracy. The initial modifier serves to debase the noun—much as “sub-human” means less than human or “social justice” rationalizes acts of individual injustice.”

Their vision of democracy is antithetical to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and an assault on our "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights" and to our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

09/01/24 Baring the Soul of Abraham Lincoln

Professor Allen C. Guelzo, formally the Director of Civil War Era Studies and the Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era at Gettysburg College, and now the Thomas W. Smith Distinguished Research Scholar and Director of the Initiative on Politics and Statesmanship in the James Madison Program at Princeton University, is considered one of the foremost experts on the American Civil War period and the life of Abraham Lincoln. Professor Guelzo is an award-winning author of many books who has also written for and appeared on numerous media outlets.

He has written a new book about Abraham Lincoln, Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment, in which he examines, and dare I say, lays bare the soul of Abraham Lincoln regarding his belief in Democracy and the role of the people and the government in a democracy. In his examination of Lincoln, he also equates Lincoln’s thoughts on the issues and concerns of democracy to what is happening in modern America.

In this book, Professor Guelzo points out that:

“There are, nevertheless, certain features of the democratic landscape today which Lincoln never encountered, and which pose threats for which his example yields little in the way of direction. Suzanne Metler and Robert Liberman[i], in diagnosing four historical dangers to democracy in America (starting with the Hamiltonian-Jefferson standoff of the 1790’s and continuing through the Civil War), worry that the “executive aggrandizement” begun during the Great Depression has mushroomed into a bureaucratic nightmare in odds with the fundamentals of democracy. “The exertion of Presidential power” together with the multiplication of executive agencies, the willingness of Congress to offload responsibility for governance, and the technical capacity for creating a “surveillance state,” aided by “surveillance capitalism” have together allowed virtually a fourth branch of government to emerge, protected by near-permanent tenure and internal administrative law.”

Professor Guelzo also points out that:

“By the beginning of the twentieth century, Lincoln’s free-labor economy increasing began to feel dated against the background of rapid, large-scale industrialization and what Herbert Croley in 1909 called “the aggrandizement of corporate and individual wealth,” and the need for “the regulation of commerce, the organization of labor, and the increasing control over property in the public interest.”

However, the nature and purpose of democratic government and the underlying meaning of democracy remain the same. Thus, it is important that we examine Abraham Lincoln's thoughts on democracy. Given the contentious rhetoric on “Our Democracy” in this election cycle, I thought it only fitting that I have a Book It for this special book about the soul of Abraham Lincoln.

[i] Four Threats by Suzanne Mettler and Robert Liberman—the presence of four specific threats: political polarization, conflict over who belongs in the political community, high and growing economic inequality, and excessive executive power.

09/01/24 Values and Policies

In her interview with CNN's Dana Bash on August 29, 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris replied to the question on the changing of her positions:

"I think the most important and most significant aspect of my policy perspective and decisions is my values have not changed."

Yet, to date, she has not specifically stated her values or policy positions to assist the American voters in determining if her values are their values and if her policy positions are acceptable to Americans. Accordingly, undefined values and unstated policies policy positions are not a means for the American electorate to make an informed decision as to her suitability to be President.

It should also be noted that for a politician, your values should guide your policies, and your policies should guide your governance. If your policies change, then the question is if your values have changed. In either case, it is incumbent upon a politician to explain why the policies have changed or if their values have changed, as I examined in my Chirp on “08/29/24 Changing Our Minds”. In her answer, Kamala Harris did not explain why her policies have changed, and she demonstrated that she is prevaricating to bamboozle the American public into voting for her.

In response to her supporters’ defense that both sides do it, I would respond that Donald Trump’s values and policies are unambiguous and without deception. We know where Donald Trump stands and the corrective actions he plans to take to solve the problems that beset America, whereas Kamala Harris’s stances and plans are mostly aspirations and platitudes, as I have Chirp on "08/25/24 Party Platform Comparisons".

In the 2024 Presidential election, the American people have the choice between two candidates with two different approaches to campaigning; informing the public what he (Donald Trump) plans to do or hoodwinking the public on what she (Kamala Harris) wants to do. To this day, her only policy statements were on price controls and taxing unrealized capital gains, which have been roundly criticized by all economists as counterproductive, unworkable, and fraught with dire economic consequences for all Americans. Kamala Harris’s presidential website is nothing more than an advertisement to contribute money or sign up as a volunteer, along with exalted biographies of herself and her running mate, Tim Walz. Her presidential website does not even mention the 2024 Democrat Party Platform or her support for this platform. It should also be remembered that a candidate without any policy positions is a duplicitous candidate who can adopt any policy position if they are elected.

Thus, the American electorate will either be a chump or an informed voter in this election. If you feel that you cannot vote for Donald Trump, it does not mean you must vote for Kamala Harris. An uninformed vote is not a wise vote, and it often leads to unintended and ill consequences for America and Americans. Consequently, you should not make an uninformed vote and demand that Kamal Harris articulate her values and policy positions before you consider voting for her.

08/31/24 A Farce of a Campaign

Campaign Rallies, Town Halls, Press Conferences, Journalist Interviews, and Debates are the hallmarks of an American political campaign. Such events allow the American people to see and hear a candidate's unscripted and unedited persona and to make a judgment on the candidate’s fitness to hold office.

Alas, since Kamala Harris’s ascendancy to the Presidential candidate standard bearer of the Democrat Party, we have seen very few of these events, and what we have seen has been heavily scripted and contrived. Such artificialness has been utilized to cover up Kamala Harris's artificialness. Her campaign aids understand that she does not do well in a natural and free-flowing environment, and they attempt to control her environment to disguise her deficiencies. If they are successful in their artificialness, we can expect that it will forever change how future campaigns are conducted, to the detriment of America.

In their artificialness, they are expecting that the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and the "Mainstream Information Conglomerate" will condescend to this façade and support her candidacy. In this, their expectations have been fulfilled, although some cracks in support of this façade have begun to appear.

In this façade, they are making a farce of American political campaigns. A farce to hoodwink and bamboozle the American people to support her candidacy and vote for her. Such a slyness is unworthy of the American people’s intelligence and is also a hallmark of evilness, as I have Chirped on “08/nn/24 The Hallmarks of an Evil in Disguise”.

Let us hope that this façade crumbles before the American people cast their votes. If not, the American people who vote for her are making an uninformed vote, which bodes ill for the future of America.

08/30/24 The Hallmarks of an Evil in Disguise

Evil always comes upon us in disguise, as without disguise, we would often reject evil. Evil also occurs when we temporize our morals and ethics and act without virtue. As such, evil always tries to disguise itself, for without disguise, it most often fails. Half-truths, falsehoods, deceptions, and cover-ups are the means that evil disguises itself. Evil often uses projections of its own evilness upon others (both the guilty and the innocent), as well as a tone of self-righteousness with a lack of self-awareness, as I have written in my Chirps on “08/28/24 Political Projectionism”, “08/08/24 Self-Righteousness”, and “08/09/24 Self-Awareness.

The modern history of the world has shown how disguised evil can be utilized to obtain power. From Lenin to Stalin, Mussolini to Hitler, Tojo to Moa, to Khamenei, Gaddafi, Hussien, and Arafat, along with a multitude of other tinpot leaders in the 20th and 21st centuries, evil rose to power through disguise. Once they had achieved power, the true nature of their evil was revealed. When such a person is in power and exercises their power, they bring suffering and misery to their people and the eventual collapse of their society.

Therefore, half-truths, falsehoods, deceptions, cover-ups, projectionism, self-righteousness, and a lack of self-awareness are the hallmarks of evil in disguise. When a leader utilizes these methods to obtain power, they are evil and are leading their people into evilness. When people are supportive of such a person, they are affiliated with the evil doings of such a person. When people give such a person power, they are complicit with evil.

Alas, we see such hallmarks in the 2024 Harris-Walz Presidential campaign, as they are utilizing these methods in their campaign to achieve election victory. If they achieve such a victory, it can be said that they are leading America into evilness. An evilness that will bring suffering and misery to the American people and the eventual collapse of America.

08/29/24 Changing Our Minds

As one of our Founding Fathers has said:

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."   - Benjamin Franklin

Changing our minds is an important human characteristic, and changing your mind based on better information or fuller consideration is a positive trait of a person. However, changing our minds needs to be based on better information and fuller consideration; otherwise, it is for expediency purposes that we have changed our minds. It is an expediency done to gain an advantage rather than to reach a proper conclusion, and it is often done for nefarious purposes. Also, changing our minds without "Rationality" and "Reasoning" does not lead to a better conclusion but most often leads to an improper conclusion.

It is incumbent upon a leader when they change their mind that they explain the better information and fuller consideration that led to a change of their mind. Otherwise, it is proper to conclude that they have changed their mind for expediency purposes.

The 2024 Harris-Walz Presidential campaign has seen many changes of mind from Kamala Harris in her previous statements and actions. It should also be noted that such changes of mind have not come directly from Kamala Harris but through spokespersons and leaks from her campaign aids. In all these changes of mind, none has come with an explanation of why she has changed her mind, and often with denials and deflections about her change of mind. Thus, we can conclude that her change of mind is for the purpose of political expediency in winning an election. If it is political expediency that she used to change her mind, will political expediency permit her to change her mind after she is elected? Any person who changes their mind for expediency purposes will have no problem changing their mind again if it is expedient. Thus, we can conclude that Kamal Harris will not govern based on her current stated positions but will change her mind based on political expediency.

08/28/24 Political Projectionism

In Victor Davis Hanson’s new article, “The Myriad Projections of the 2024 Campaign”, he defines Political Projectionism as:

“Projection is a Freudian psychological term. It describes a particular defensive mechanism, when people, often unconsciously, attribute their own (usually undesirable) behaviors to others who do not have them.

These mental gymnastics are intended to alleviate one’s own guilt or sense of inadequacy at the expense of another.

Sound familiar?

But in the political sphere, projection involves more overt dissimulation. It is increasingly common for leftist candidates or political parties to falsely accuse their opponents of the very destructive behaviors and unpopular agendas that they themselves embrace, but out of political necessity must deny.

Rather than an unconscious Freudian defense mechanism, political projection is usually a conscious strategy of hiding one’s own negatives by fobbing them off on antagonists.

Projection often proves a quite successful ploy.

After all, the political projectionist knows best his own hazardous or off-putting conduct and policies. And so, he can most skillfully attribute just these liabilities to those who have had no experience with them.”

The rest of his article explains how the 2024 Harris-Walz campaign is turning out to be projectionist to the core. The main reasons are that Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Governor Tim Walz, have long advanced fringe leftist political agendas, and on a more personal level, both are attacking the behavior and conduct of their rivals as a way of deflecting attention from their own weaknesses on that score. They do this because they know that if they become open and honest about what they have done, they will likely be defeated.

The remainder of this article is an examination of the myriad ways in which they are Political Projectionists. A political projectionism that warps reality and distorts history, and if it is believed and acted upon by the American public, is dangerous to the body of politics. The danger is that it will lead the American public to make unwise choices as to whom to cast their ballots, and thus unwisely alter the future course of America.

08/27/24 America’s Greatest Need

“The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess the most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society, and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous while they continue to hold their public trust.”  - James Madison

I have often written about wisdom and virtue in my Chirps and Articles, but a new column examines this issue far better than I have written. Columnist Mark Lewis examines this quote as it applies to modern America in his article, “America’s Greatest Need--Virtuous Rulers”. This insightful article explains that:

“Of course, firstly, to do what Madison said, a person must know what “virtue” and “wisdom” are, and most Americans don’t. The godless Left has made licentiousness, decadence, perversion, and depravity so prevalent that a nuclear family is now “weird.”  And such is the reason why we elect people like Biden, Clinton, Obama, Pelosi, and every other Democrat in Washington and around the country—and most Republicans as well. “

And:

“If there is one thing America has not done, if there is one great principle the country has tossed out the window, if there is one great piece of advice and truth that is utterly ignored in the political ethos of the United States today, it is the words of James Madison above as written in “The Federalist,” no. 57. And it’s why we are destroying ourselves.”

This article further illuminates how and what has happened in modern America and the resulting consequences that bedevil our society. Until we elect politicians of wisdom and virtue, we can expect that we will continue to destroy ourselves. Mr. Lewis’s article is well worth the read, and then a weeping for America.

08/26/24 The American People Aspirational Platform

An aspirational platform that most Americans would support and want the government to accomplish is:

• A Robust Economy that:
  • Decreases Inflation
  • Decreases Government Spending at all levels
  • Decreases Government Taxes at all levels
  • Provides Full Employment
  • Reduces the Cost of Living
• Legal-Only Immigration and Secure Borders
• A Significant Reduction in Crime, Gang Violence, and Drug and Alcohol Addictions
• Energy Independence
• A Strong Defense Dedicate to Winning Conflicts and Deterring Adversaries of America
• A Deterrence Foreign Policy and Less Foreign Entanglements
• No Deficit Spending and a Reduction of the National Debt
• Elimination of Identity Special Privileges and Preferences in Governmental Law, Rules, and Regulations
• A Limited and Less Intrusive Government at all levels of governance

However, lofty aspirations and good intentions do not make for good deeds, as it has been said that:

“Hell is paved with good intentions.”  - Samuel Johnson

“Well done is better than well said.”  - Benjamin Franklin

“A good intention, with a bad approach, often leads to a poor result.”  - Thomas A. Edison

Aspirations are not enough to achieve a goal; you must have a plan to achieve your goals based on reality. In politics, the reality of human nature and the invisible hand of economics cannot be ignored nor contravened. If you attempt to do so, your plan will always fail, and much time, effort, and money will be wasted trying to implement your plan. Additionally, history has taught us that trying to implement a plan that does not account for human nature and the invisible hand of economics leads to unintended results, often accompanied by the misery and suffering of those who must live under the plan.

As such, in the crafting of Laws, Rules, and Regulations to accomplish the above aspirations, you must always ensure that the protection of our "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights" and the promotion of our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" is paramount in all Laws, Rules, and Regulations. Otherwise, you are corrupting our "American Ideals and Ideas", and it will require a government that is oppressive to implement and maintain this corruption.

The question that you must ask yourself is whether the Democrat Party Platform or the Republican Party Platform will best achieve these goals, as I have written in my Chirps on “08/21/24 Democrat Party Platform” and “07/13/24 Republican Party Platform”, as well as my comparisons of these platforms in my Chirp on “08/25/24 Party Platform Comparisons”.

08/25/24 Party Platform Comparisons

When examining the lofty words and highfalutin ideals and ideas of a Party’s platform, it is always important that you discover the details of how they will be implemented, as it is in the details that you will find the devils, as I have written in my Article on “The Devil is in the Details”. With this in mind, I will try to dispassionately examine the major points of the 2024 Presidential Party platforms, as I have outlined in my Chirps on "07/13/24 Republican Party Platform" and “08/21/24 Democrat Party Platform”.

Democrat Party Platform points: Growing Our Economy from the Bottom Up & Middle Out Rewarding Work, Not Wealth Lowering Costs Tackling the Climate Crisis, Lowering Energy Costs, & Securing Energy Independence Protecting Communities & Tackling the Scourge of Gun Violence Strengthening Democracy, Protecting Freedoms, & Advancing Equity Securing our Border & Fixing the Broken Immigration System Advancing the President’s Unity Agenda Strengthening American Leadership Worldwide

Republican Party Platform points: Seal the border, and stop the migrant invasion Carry out the largest deportation operation in American history End inflation, and make America affordable again Make America the dominant energy producer in the world, by far! Stop outsourcing, and turn the United States into a manufacturing superpower Large tax cuts for workers, and no tax on tips! Defend our Constitution, our Bill of Rights, and our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms Prevent World War Three, restore peace in Europe and in the Middle East, and build a great iron dome missile defense shield over our entire country -- all made in America. End the weaponization of government against the American people Stop the migrant crime epidemic, demolish the foreign drug cartels, crush gang violence, and lock up violent offenders Rebuild our cities, including Washington DC, making them safe, clean, and beautiful again. Strengthen and modernize our military, making it, without question, the strongest and most powerful in the world. Keep the U.S. Dollar as the world’s reserve currency Fight for and protect Social Security and Medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age Cancel the electric vehicle mandate and cut costly and burdensome regulations Cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children Keep men out of women’s sports Deport Pro-Hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again Secure our elections, including same day voting, voter identification, paper ballots, and proof of citizenship. Unite our country by bringing it to new and record levels of success.

 For a more detailed comparison of the candidate's policy positions, I would direct you to the Britannica ProCon.org webpage, “Side-by-Side Comparison Chart”.

The Democrat Party Platform:

The Democrat Party platform, as is all too common in the modern Democrat Party, is mostly an aspirational statement with few concrete details of the specific goals they wish to implement. It is also clear that someone forgot to edit the platform, as it is written as if President Joe Biden is running for reelection with Vice President Kamala Harris. In fact, there are 19 references to a second Biden term in the document despite his withdrawing his candidacy.

The Democrat Party platform also pretends that the Biden-Harris Administration has had no part and parcel, nor any responsibility, for the current problems that America and Americans face but that they can fix the problems of their own making if you reelect them. This begs the question of if they know how to fix the problems, why haven’t they done so?

As I have mentioned in my Chirp on “08/nn/24 Ignorance is Bliss”, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, for electioneering purposes, want to keep the voters blissfully ignorant on the record of Kamala Harris and details of their policy positions. Their goals, if they attempt to implement them, would lead to a restructuring of American society along Utopian ideas. Utopian ideas, which are never achievable, as they run contrary to human nature and the invisible hand of economics, as I have written extensively in my Chirps and Articles.

Neither does the Democrat Party Platform address the Republican Party Platform, but instead, it takes aim at the Project 2025 plan that is not affiliated with nor endorsed by President Trump or the Republican Party. Thus, they have created a Straw man informal logic fallacy of refuting an argument different from the one actually under discussion while not recognizing or acknowledging the distinction. Politicians of all stripes are notorious for creating Straw men, then attacking the Straw man while ignoring the Real man.

Thus, it can be said of the 2024 Democrat Party platform, as Shakespeare so eloquently put it in Macbeth, “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”. Signifying nothing as there is nothing substantive to critique of its implementation and/or efficacy, and nothing to determine how it would impact our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

The Republican Party Platform:

The Republican Party platform has some aspirational aspects but is mostly a plan to take corrective actions to solve the problems that beset America. These corrective actions run contrary to the Biden-Harris Administration efforts that they have undertaken since the beginning of their administration, which provokes the anger of the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists as it is an indictment of their policies and a refutation of their ideas and ideals.

The major issues with the Republican Party platform are how to Constitutionally implement their actions and not run afoul of "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". Thus, the Laws, Rules, and Regulations to take these actions must be very carefully constructed. A careful construction that was somewhat lacking in the former administration of President Trump. It is hoped that President Trump will live and learn from his previous mistakes and that he will not repeat them. This is something that should be considered when supporting and voting for President Trump.

Thus, the Republican Party platform is easier to adjudge for its impacts and efficacies, as it has more details of the actions that they wish to undertake than the Democrat Party platform. Consequently, the American people are not left ignorant when making a choice between the Republican and Democrat Party platforms.

Conclusions:

The 2024 Presidential election is a stark contrast between the two parties, but a contrast that can be made based on the record of the Trump and Biden administrations. Each candidate and their party’s platform offer a contrasting vision of the future of America. It is, therefore, important that the voters examine the facts and history of the two administrations before making a choice between presidential candidates Trump or Harris. It is also important that the voters discount the rhetoric, pejoratives, and inventiveness of the campaign to determine if they would rather live in an America of the Republican vision or the Democrat vision, then vote accordingly.

08/24/24 Children, Go Where I Send Thee

"Children, Go Where I Send Thee" (alternatively "Children, Go Where I Send You" or variations thereof, also known as "The Holy Baby", "Little Bitty Baby", or "Born in Bethlehem") is a traditional African-American spiritual song. Among the many different versions of the song, a defining feature is the cumulative structure, with each number (typically up to 12 or 10) accompanied by a biblical reference. Today, many Americans know it as a Christmas carol.

While this song was written to lead children to Christianity, it also can be applied to Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists in their attitude that they know what is best for America and that the American public are children that need to be directed to where they wish them to go. It is with this attitude that they exhibit rulership rather than leadership, as I have written in my Article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

Rather than convincing the American public that their ideas are what is best for America and Americans, they wish to preside over America and Americans to accomplish their goals, as I have Chirped on “07/30/24 The Democratic Politburo Committee”. In their presiding, they will brook no dissension, and they are comfortable with restricting the free speech rights of Americans. Under the guise of disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation, they have attempted, along with their compatriots in the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech", "Modern Big Business", "Modern Education", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate", to control the information and speech of Americans. In this, they have forgotten, or did not know, the wisdom of our first President:

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."  - George Washington

Thus, they wish for the American people to be like sheep and to go where they send them, even if it is to the slaughter of our American Ideals and Ideas and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

08/24/24 Ignorance is Bliss

 “Ignorance is Bliss” is an insightful adage, and one in which I have often observed that ignorant people are often happy in their ignorance and often become angry and blame others when their ignorance has negative repercussions upon themselves or if their ignorance is challenged. Ignorance leads to bad decisions and unhappiness in life. Ignorance in governmental affairs and economics leads to bad decisions that negatively impact society if they become predominant and a basis for actions and policy. Ignorance never considers "The Law of Unintended Consequences" and its subsequent deleterious effects. Ignorant governmental actions and social policy always result in counterproductive impacts and/or failure in governmental actions and policy.

Derek Hunter, in his column “Media Bias 101: It’s Different When Democrats Do It”, has made an interesting observation about ignorance and media bias:

“I realized something the other day about media bias that I’d been aware of for a long time, but never really connected all the dots on it before – these people aren’t trying to win anyone to their side, they’re simply lying to keep their claws deep into the people they’ve already made ignorant.”

The public is ignorant in that a large percentage of them are uneducated, lacking knowledge, or are ill-informed in the fundamentals of government or economics. The Mainstream Media, through their practice of advocacy journalism, as I have written in my Chirp on “08/12/24 Advocacy Journalism”, make no attempt to properly inform the public and to lessen their ignorance. Unfortunately, as a result, many people believe they have sufficient knowledge and wisdom to make decisions on governmental actions on public policy issues and for whom to cast their vote.

Advocacy Journalist often stokes righteous indignation in the ignorant public to achieve their political and social policy predilections. This righteous indignation is often turned into anger by politicians, as angry voters, rather than informed voters, often decide elections, thus increasing the politicians’ chances of election or reelection. This is an insidious feedback loop that allows for ignorance to become predominant and a basis for governmental actions and policy.

Alas, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, along with the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and the "Mainstream Information Conglomerate", are promoting ignorance to achieve electoral victory. They want to keep the voters blissfully ignorant of the record of Kamala Harris and the details of her and their policy positions. In this, they are no better than con artists who wish to swindle the American public. Don’t let them be successful, for if they are successful, you can expect more deleterious consequences, as well as failed governmental actions and policies. This blissful ignorance will become anger and lead to a further deterioration of America and American lives.

08/23/24 Joseph Goebbels Would be Proud

Joseph Goebbels was a German Nazi politician and philologist who was the Gauleiter (district leader) of Berlin, chief propagandist for the Nazi Party, and then Reich Minister of Propaganda from 1933 to 1945. Joseph Goebbels was one of the most loathsome and vilest persons in history, but he was also very candid about his means and methods to achieve his despicable goals. Although I do not like to quote loathsome people, his quotes are illuminative of what is happening in modern America. The most appropriate quotes are:

“A lie told once remains a lie, but a lie told a thousand times becomes the truth”

“If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself.”

“If you tell a lie long enough, it becomes the truth.”

“If you tell a lie, tell a big one.”

“It is not propaganda’s task to be intelligent, its task is to lead to success.”

“It is the absolute right of the State to supervise the formation of public opinion.”

“It would not be impossible to prove with sufficient repetition and a psychological understanding of the people concerned that a square is in fact a circle. They are mere words, and words can be molded until they clothe ideas and disguise.”

“Propaganda must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred.”

“Propaganda works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their own free will.”

“The essence of propaganda consists in winning people over to an idea so sincerely, so vitally, that in the end they succumb to it utterly and can never escape from it.”

“The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.”

“There is no need for propaganda to be rich in intellectual content.”

“There will come a day, when all the lies will collapse under their own weight, and truth will again triumph.”

“Think of the press as a great keyboard on which the government can play.”

“This is the secret of propaganda: Those who are to be persuaded by it should be completely immersed in the ideas of the propaganda, without ever noticing that they are being immersed in it.”

“We shall reach our goal, when we have the power to laugh as we destroy, as we smash, whatever was sacred to us as tradition, as education, and as human affection.”

These means and methods are only worthy of those that wish to rule, and those that wish to impose their worldview on those who would disagree with them. Which brings us to the Democrat Party Convention. The kindest thing that can be said about them is that they were putting lipstick on a pig to cover up their failed policies, and they attempted to tar and feather the Republicans by misrepresenting (i.e., lying) about them and their policies. This is unlike the Republicans who attempt to strip the cover-up paint job of the words and deeds of Democrats to reveal their true colors. The most accurate thing that can be said about the Democrats is that they are applying Goebbels’ means and methods to achieve their goals. As a great philosopher has said:

“The beginning of wisdom is the ability to call things by their right names.”  - Confucius

As such, I am compelled by my wisdom to label the Democrat Party for what they say and do, which is their propensities to follow the dictums of Joseph Goebbels in their campaign strategies and tactics.

The Democrats cloak their intentions in lofty ideals and words while they engage in despicable tactics against their opponents. This is often done in their Self-Righteousness and a lack of Self-Awareness, as I have Chirped on “08/08/24 Self-Righteousness” and “08/09/24 Self-Awareness”. Such people should never be put into positions of authority and responsibility, as they will utilize their power and control to do as they see fit rather than the proper and virtuous thing.

08/22/24 Serious Repercussion On America

In my Chirp on "10/14/22 Balancing the Ticket", I discuss the importance of choosing a Vice-President, as it could possibly have serious repercussions on America. Since the time of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (passed by Congress on December 9, 1803, and ratified on June 15, 1804), when the election of the President and Vice President was combined into one ticket, Vice Presidents have been chosen to balance the ticket for geographical or political purposes to win an election. This has not led to many repercussions for our Nation, mostly because the Vice President has inconsequential duties and responsibilities under the Constitution, and most Presidents have ignored their Vice Presidents. However, on several occasions, this has led to negative repercussions, and on two occasions, it has had positive repercussions. What I didn’t discuss was the repercussion of a Presidential and Vice-Presidential lopsided ticket, as this has rarely happened in American history. By lopsided, I mean that both candidates on the ticket are at the extremes of "The Political Spectrum".

This may arguably be said of the current Republican Trump-Vance ticket, but it is unarguably true of the Democrat Harris-Walz ticket. If you compare the Republican and Democrat Party platforms, as I shall do in a future Chirp, you will see a Republican platform that is right of center of the political spectrum, while the Democrat platform is far left of center of the political spectrum. The label of “extreme right” or “far right” is only appropriate if you have a base point of moderate Progressivism as the medium point, which is not a proper basepoint to adjudge the political spectrum. This is supported by the polls about the Republican Party platform, in which a large majority of Americans agree with most of the points on the Republican Party platform. In contrast, the Democrat Party platform is not supported by a large majority and, indeed, polls less than half of Americans in agreement with their platform. Thus, the Democrat Harris-Walz ticket can be said to be extreme or far left in both of their candidates.

Extremes of the top-level leadership of any organization do not bode well for the long-term health of the organization and often lead to negative consequences for the persons or society that the extreme organization influences. Extremes in a political party, if they should obtain power, pose a danger to all, as after they obtain power, they often try to stifle their opposition. A stifling that infringes on the "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights" of all and is implemented first through despotism and then becomes tyranny.

08/21/24 Democrat Party Platform

The Democrat National Committee has offered a 2024 Presidential Election Platform that has nine points of what they wish to accomplish for the American people if Kamala Harris is elected President. These points are:

• Growing Our Economy from the Bottom Up & Middle Out
• Rewarding Work, Not Wealth
• Lowering Costs
• Tackling the Climate Crisis, Lowering Energy Costs, & Securing Energy Independence
• Protecting Communities & Tackling the Scourge of Gun Violence
• Strengthening Democracy, Protecting Freedoms, & Advancing Equity
• Securing our Border & Fixing the Broken Immigration System
• Advancing the President’s Unity Agenda
• Strengthening American Leadership Worldwide

As always, the devil is in the details, and the details will be hotly debated and demonized by the Republican Party.

08/20/24 Bread and Circuses

With the opening of the Democrat Party Presidential Convention, it can be said that the Bread and Circuses have begun. Bread and Circuses is a metonymic phrase referring to superficial appeasement. It is attributed to the Ancient Roman Juvenal (Satires, Satire X), a Roman poet active in the late first and early second century AD, and is commonly used in cultural, particularly political, contexts.

In a political context, the phrase means to generate public approval, not by excellence in public service or public policy, but by diversion, distraction, or by satisfying the most immediate or base requirements of a populace, by offering a palliative: for example, food (bread) or entertainment (circuses). Juvenal originally used it to decry the "selfishness" of common people and their neglect of wider concerns. The phrase implies a population's erosion or ignorance of civic duty as a priority.

Bread and Circuses have often been utilized by politicians as a means to obtain and retain political power and control. Just as often, Bread and Circuses have led to the destruction of a society as attention is diverted from the serious issues and concerns that plague a society. A plague that ultimately decimates a society and makes it vulnerable to outside forces that desire its destruction.

Today, in modern America, Democrat Party Leaders are utilizing Bread and Circuses to appease their special interest groups (i.e., Identity Politics) and against their political opponents. The continual expansion of Entitlements in modern America, along with the hyper-partisan and often outrageous political rhetoric, have been the staple Bread and Circuses of the Democrat Party in modern America. Student loan forgiveness and the show trials of President Trump are just the latest Bread and Circuses that the Democrat Party Leaders have offered to the American public. This Bread and Circuses is to the detriment of the American people and has contributed to the decline of America, which may possibly lead to the destruction of American society.

08/19/24 A “New” Solution to Inflation

Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris has proposed a “new” solution to inflation: government-mandated price controls. Yet, this is not a “new” solution, as it has been tried throughout history, and every time it has been tried, it has failed and brought forth misery and suffering for the people who had to live under price controls.

Thomas Sowell has said: “Price controls must invariably produce black markets, where prices are not only higher than the legally permitted prices, but also higher than they would be in a free market.” In his 2011 book, ‘Forty Centuries of Wage and Price Controls, How Not to Fight Inflation’, the late Robert Lindsay Schuettinger of both St. Andrews University and Yale University offered that “Indeed, there is not a single episode where price controls have worked to stop inflation or cure shortages.”

A new public Artificial Intelligence (AI) capability, Grok, has been released by X, and according to xAI's website, Grok is an "AI modeled after the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy." The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is, of course, an old sci-fi novel (slash radio drama slash TV show slash movie), but the name "Grok" appears to be drawn from a different old sci-fi novel, Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. In that book, "grok" is a Martian word with a definition roughly along the lines of “to know something (or someone) on a truly intimate level.”

The most recent history of price controls is in Venezuela. A Grok user asked what price controls did to Venezuela, and here is how it answered:

After the implementation of price controls in Venezuela, primarily under the leadership of Hugo Chávez and continued by Nicolás Maduro, several economic and social consequences emerged:

- Inflation and Hyperinflation: Price controls were intended to make goods affordable for the population, but they led to one of the highest inflation rates in the world. This was partly because setting prices below market value encouraged hoarding, smuggling, and black market activities, where goods could be sold at higher prices. The government's response often involved further controls or nationalizations, which didn't address the root causes like currency devaluation and over-reliance on oil revenues.

- Shortages: The price controls made it unprofitable for businesses to import or produce goods at the controlled prices, leading to widespread shortages of basic goods. This was exacerbated by the government's policies on currency and import controls, which made it difficult for businesses to obtain foreign currency needed for imports.

- Economic Collapse: The combination of price controls, currency controls, and the drop in oil prices led to an economic collapse. Venezuela, once one of the richest countries in Latin America, saw its GDP shrink dramatically. The economic downturn was characterized by high unemployment, poverty, and a significant brain drain as professionals left the country.

- Black Market and Smuggling: With official prices set too low, goods were often smuggled into neighboring countries where they could fetch higher prices. This not only led to shortages within Venezuela but also created a parallel economy where the U.S. dollar became the de facto currency for many transactions.

- Social Unrest and Migration: The economic policies, including price controls, contributed to social unrest. The economic crisis led to one of the largest migrations in recent history, with millions of Venezuelans leaving the country due to economic hardship, seeking better living conditions elsewhere.

- Political Implications: The economic policies, including price controls, were part of a broader socialist agenda which, while initially popular due to social programs funded by oil revenues, eventually led to widespread dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction was a significant factor in the political polarization and the international recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the interim president by several countries, although Maduro retained control with military support.

The aftermath of price controls in Venezuela serves as a case study in how economic policies can backfire, leading to unintended consequences like hyperinflation, shortages, and a significant humanitarian crisis. The situation has been complicated by political factors, international sanctions, and the country's heavy reliance on oil, which when prices fell, left the government with fewer resources to manage or mitigate the economic fallout.

Price gouging is a pejorative term used to refer to the practice of increasing the prices of goods, services, or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair by some. The claims that Kamala Harris and other Democrat candidates that they will curb price gouging require price controls of one form or another. Nobody, or any group of people or government, has the intelligence or wisdom to decide what prices should be. They are especially unable to determine how people and the marketplace will react to price controls, especially the impacts of "The Law of Unintended Consequences" on price controls. Therefore, Kamala Harris’s price controls need to be discarded into the ash heap of history before they bring forth misery and suffering to the American people.

The biggest danger to America in price controls and the inflation it produces is, as the distinguished political commentator David S. Broder (writing then the Boston Globe on October 25, 1978), put into eloquent and compelling language of the dangers that price controls and the inflation it produces:

“What inflation has done fundamentally is to deepen the insecurities in this country, and thus warp the opportunities for positive leadership on other issues . . . inflation damages the conservative social values which are essential to the country’s future. Stability, savings and investment are all undermined by inflation. Severe inflation makes a mockery of most families’ financial plans. Most working people feel there is no way they can protect their budgets against this kind of assault on the dollar.

It erodes the sense of trust on which an economy and a society rest, and it makes people cynical about the chances of obtaining any social goal more ambitious than mere survival.

While it persists, there will hardly be room in our politics for any other major issue.”

Kamala Harris and other Democrat candidates' price control solutions also demonstrate her and the Democrat Party Leaders' lack of knowledge of basic economics. In this time of economic distress in America, we need leadership that understands economics to guide us through this economic distress. Wishful thinking will not solve the economic problems; it will only worsen these economic problems. Consequently, a vote for Kamala Harris is a vote to continue or worsen the economic distress in America.

08/18/24 Supreme Court ‘Reforms’ on Presidential Immunity

President Biden has recently proposed “reforms” to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) of a constitutional amendment that would effectively reverse the historic ruling from the court that gave presidents immunity for some actions they take while in office.

The recent majority decision of the Supreme Court on Presidential immunity has some very penetrating and thought-provoking quotes about Presidential powers and immunities:

"Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority. And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. There is no immunity for unofficial acts. This case is the first criminal prosecution in our Nation’s history of a former President for actions taken during his Presidency. Determining whether and under what circumstances such a prosecution may proceed requires careful assessment of the scope of Presidential power under the Constitution. The nature of that power requires that a former President have some immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts during his tenure in office."

"At least with respect to the President’s exercise of his core constitutional powers, this immunity must be absolute. As for his remaining official actions, he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity."

“The first step in deciding whether a former President is entitled to immunity from a particular prosecution is to distinguish his official from unofficial actions. In this case, no court thus far has drawn that distinction, in general or with respect to the conduct alleged in particular. It is therefore incumbent upon the Court to be mindful that it is ‘a court of final review and not first view’”.

“Critical threshold issues in this case are how to differentiate between a President’s official and unofficial actions, and how to do so with respect to the indictment’s extensive and detailed allegations covering a broad range of conduct.”

“Most of a president’s public communications are likely to fall comfortably within the outer perimeter of his official responsibilities.”

“It is these enduring principles that guide our decision in this case. The President enjoys no immunity for his unofficial acts, and not everything the President does is official. The President is not above the law. But Congress may not criminalize the President’s conduct in carrying out the responsibilities of the Executive Branch under the Constitution. And the system of separated powers designed by the Framers has always demanded an energetic, independent Executive. The President therefore may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled, at a minimum, to a presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts. That immunity applies equally to all occupants of the Oval Office, regardless of politics, policy, or party."

As Chief Justice John Roberts stated about the minority dissent to this ruling, “Trump asserts a far broader immunity than the limited one we have recognized”, and he downplayed the dissenters’ doomsday rhetoric over the immunity ruling. He continues, “As for the dissents, they strike a tone of chilling doom that is wholly disproportionate to what the Court actually does today—conclude that immunity extends to official discussions between the President and his Attorney General, and then remand to the lower courts to determine ‘in the first instance’ whether and to what extent Trump’s remaining alleged conduct is entitled to immunity.”

For those wishing to curb Presidential actions that they believe are outside the duties and responsibilities of Presidential authority, it should be remembered that the Constitution provides for “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” and “Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.”

Any attempts to impose additional limitations on presidential powers or to make a President liable to civil or criminal prosecutions by partisan prosecutors must examine the impacts on the Constitutional separation of powers not only within the Federal government but the separation of powers between the Federal, State, and local governments. Such changes will have impacts on the Executive Branch’s duties and responsibilities and on the ability of a President to make unencumbered decisions unfettered by concerns of future prosecution driven by partisan motivations rather than actual criminality. This also raises the possibility that we could enter an era of a banana republic in America, as I have Chirped on “06/02/24 Welcome to Our American Banana Republic”. There must also be an awareness of The Law of Unintended Consequences when making these changes. If done improperly (and there may be no way to do this properly), it could result in a hobbled rather than restrained presidency.

Given the fact that the Supreme Court has already ruled on this issue, an amendment to the Constitution may be required to achieve this goal. Such an effort is fraught with danger and could be a fool’s errand as well as an example of ‘For Fools rush in where Angel’s fear to tread.’ Thank God that many in the leadership in Congress have said that this proposal is dead on arrival.

08/17/24 Supreme Court ‘Reforms’ on Term Limits and Ethics

President Biden has recently proposed “reforms” to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), which is composed of term limits and an enforceable ethics code. While these reforms have a noble connotation in their titles it should always be remembered that the details are what provides the nobility, as I have examined in my Article on The Devil is in the Details.

The Supreme Court was established in the Constitution of the United States under Article III, and within Section 1 (of three sections) it is defined as:

“The judicial Power of the United States shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office.”

As a separate branch of government, its main purpose was to serve as a check and balance on the abuses of power of the Legislative and Executive branches of government and to ensure that the Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All as enshrined in the Constitution were enforced.

The duties and responsibilities of the Supreme Court were further delineated in the 1803 Supreme Court decision on ‘Marbury v. Madison’. Marbury v. Madison was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that established the principle of judicial review, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes they find to violate the Constitution of the United States. Decided in 1803, Marbury is regarded as the single most important decision in American constitutional law. It established that the U.S. Constitution is actual law, not just a statement of political principles and ideals. It also helped define the boundary between the constitutionally separate executive and judicial branches of the federal government.

As for President Biden’s proposed term limits and an enforceable ethics code, it is readily apparent in Section 1 that justices and judges have a lifetime appointment, and they can only be removed from office for bad behavior. Bad behavior, however, has never been clearly defined; it has always been assumed that they have not engaged in any criminal acts. Ethics codes for justices and judges imposed by the other branches of government have always been resisted, as they can be utilized as a club against a justice or judge to intimidate them on their rulings. Such intimidation flies in the face of equality before the law as justices and judges would be more attuned to the fallout of their decisions rather than ensuring that the law was equally enforced.

Therefore, imposing term limits would require a Constitutional amendment to replace Section 1. To impose an enforceable ethics code would require that you comprehensively and definitely establish what is bad behavior, and it could possibly need another section of Article III to be Constitutional. Such an effort is fraught with danger to the balance of powers within the Constitution and could be a fool’s errand as well as an example of ‘For Fools rush in where Angel’s fear to tread.’

There is a legitimate case to be made for term limits on the judiciary, as Rob Natelson's article, “Biden’s Supreme Court Term Limits Proposal”, has pointed out. He has also pointed out that “For an octogenarian who has held federal office for more than 50 years to propose limiting others’ service seems absurd. And there is no statesmanship in Biden’s proposal.” Thus, President Biden’s proposal does not properly address the issues of term limits and is entirely motivated by political interests rather than the interests of the independence and integrity of the Supreme Court. Thank God that many in the leadership in Congress have said that this proposal is dead on arrival.

08/16/24 Congressional Authority Over the Judiciary

Our Constitution has established three co-equal branches of government, each with its own duties and responsibilities, and with a balance of power between them in order to keep a check on government powers to preserve the Liberties and Freedom of all Americans. Recently, however, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists have become very upset by some Supreme Court decisions with which they vehemently disagree. In their anger, they have been proposing “reforms” to the Supreme Court to bring them closer to compliance with what they believe. The question is if Congress and/or the Presidency has the Constitutional authority to “reform’ the Judiciary.

The answer is that Congress does have limited authority to change the jurisdiction of the federal courts. This authority was recognized by the Supreme Court itself in Ex parte McCardle (1869). Chief Justice Salmon Chase ruled that it did have the authority “to make exceptions to the appellate jurisdiction of this court.” In this ruling, they stated that in Article III of the Constitution:

The Constitution of the United States ordains as follows:

'§ 1. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.'

'§ 2. The judicial power shall extend to all cases in law or equity arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States,' &c.

And in these last cases, the Constitution ordains that,

'The Supreme Court shall have appellate jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under such regulations, as the Congress shall make.'

However, Chase also emphasized that the law did “not affect the jurisdiction which was previously exercised” so that prior decisions would remain fully enforceable.

Moreover, shortly after McCardle, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Klein (1871) that Congress may not use its authority of court jurisdiction to lay out a “rule of decision” for the Supreme Court or effectively dictate results in court cases.

As Jonathan Turley has pointed out in his article “Jurisdiction Stripping or Court Killing? The “No Kings Act” is a Decapitation of the Constitution”:

“Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) has introduced the “No Kings Act” with great fanfare and the support of most of his Democratic colleagues. Liberal groups have heralded the measure to legislatively reverse the ruling in Trump v. United States. It is obviously popular with the press and pundits. It is also entirely unconstitutional in my view. The “No Kings Act” is not just a cynical abdication of responsibility by Democrats, but would constitute the virtual decapitation of the Constitution.”

As such, these “reforms” should be treated with the scorn that they deserve, and their sponsors should be shamed for having proposed them.

At the end of his article, Professor Turley listed the senators who were willing to adopt this Constitution-destroying measure. We should all remember them as antithetical to the Constitution and be wary of any of their statements regarding the Constitution:

Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jack Reed (D-RI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Tom Carper (D-DE), Peter Welch (D-VT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Angus King (I-ME), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA).

08/15/24 Judicial Activism and Legal Realists

Judicial Activism has abounded in America since the middle of the 20th century, founded on the theory of Legal Realism. This has resulted in many court decisions based on Liberal and Progressive interpretations of the Laws and the Constitution. Now that the courts are starting to render more conservative decisions, we have seen a rise in disdain of the courts by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists. We have also seen them trying to “reform” the courts (especially the Supreme Court) to stem and even reverse this tide.

These attempts are dangerous to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", as they would make the Judicial Branch subservient to the Legislative Branch and upset the balance of powers between the branches, which our Founding Fathers so carefully crafted in the construction of the Constitution.

“Legal realists” believe that judges make law—not just apply or find it, as traditionally understood. As such, the “realists” believe judges should legislate consciously and deliberately to promote “social policy” goals. In a series of articles over the last few years, Constitutional scholar Rob Natelson has written about Judicial Activism and Legal Realists:

1. “Part I: Judicial activism: Here’s a core reason for it you’ve never heard about”
2. “Part II: What Can We Do About Legal Realism and Its Promotion of Judicial Activism?”
3. “Justice Gorsuch Takes on the “Legal Realists”

In my Article, "Judges, Not Lords", I examine some of these issues. I also quote one of our Founding Fathers about Liberty and Judges:

"Liberty can have nothing to fear from judges who apply the law, but liberty has everything to fear if judges try to legislate."  - Alexander Hamilton

Much of the current disdain, anger, and sometimes fury against the Supreme Court by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists is because the Supreme Court is applying the law rather than legislating via Judicial Activism and Legal Realism, as they have been doing for more than the last half-century. In this application of the law, they have often ruled against the predilections of the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists. Thus, this disdain, anger, and fury are being direct toward them for not supporting the social policies and political goals of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists. However, this disdain, anger, and fury by members of the Legislative and Executive Branches of government are deleterious to the proper functioning of our Constitution and an assault on the Balance of Powers within our Constitution.

My next three Chips on Congressional Authority Over the Judiciary, Term Limits and Ethics, and Presidential Immunity will examine these Supreme Court “reforms” in more detail.

08/14/24 Judicial Independence

Judicial Independence is a foundational aspect of the Constitution. As Rob Natelson has commented upon the Founding Fathers' viewpoint on the judiciary, “Although the Founders did not think much of the British king or parliament, they deeply admired the English legal system. Over the previous two centuries, the English legal system had evolved from a mere tool of the king into a cluster of institutions with a reputation for independence tempered by incorruptible respect for the law.”

And, as Alexander Hamilton has said in The Federalist Papers No. 78—The Judiciary Department—about the importance of an independent judiciary:

“This simple view of the matter suggests several important consequences. It proves incontestably that the judiciary is beyond comparison the weakest of the three departments of power; that it can never attack with success either of the other two; and that all possible care is requisite to enable it to defend itself against their attacks. It equally proves that though individual oppression may now and then proceed from the courts of justice, the general liberty of the people can never be endangered from that quarter: I mean, so long as the judiciary remains truly distinct from both the legislative and executive. For I agree that “there is no liberty if the power of judging be not separated from the legislative and executive powers.” And it proves, in the last place, that as liberty can have nothing to fear from the judiciary alone, but would have everything to fear from its union with either of the other departments; that as all the effects of such a union must ensue from a dependence of the former on the latter, notwithstanding a nominal and apparent separation; that as, from the natural feebleness of the judiciary, it is in continual jeopardy of being overpowered, awed or influenced by its coordinate branches; and that as nothing can contribute so much to its firmness and independence as permanency in office, this quality may therefore be justly regarded as an indispensable ingredient in its Constitution, and in a great measure as the citadel of the public justice and the public security.”

Thus, Judicial Independence is very important in our "American Ideals and Ideas" and for our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". Those who wish to “reform” the judiciary for any other reason than to assure their independence and integrity are posing a danger to our republic. A danger that should be opposed by all Liberty and Freedom loving Americans.

08/13/24 Media Rating Systems and Fact Checkers

The House Judiciary Committee, under Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), have been investigating media rating systems being used to target advertisers and revenue sources of certain websites, mostly websites of conservative or dissenting voices. These media rating systems are an effort to strangle the financial life out of sites by targeting their donors and advertisers to induce them to stop their donations or advertising on these websites. As Jonathan Turley has written in his article “The GARMs Race”, the media rating organizations NewsGuard and the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) have been criticized as the most sophisticated components of a modern blacklisting system. Elon Musk’s X has even filed a bombshell antitrust lawsuit against a left-leaning advertising cartel and several member companies, alleging the group targeted the social media site with an illegal ad boycott.

These media rating systems are a newer development of the adjunct fact-checking organizations that have been around for many years, which also have mostly targeted conservative or dissenting voices as untrue. It is an unfortunate fact that in today’s world, we too often rely on fact-checkers to help determine the truth. However, fact-checking is subjective rather than objective and is susceptible to the cognitive biases of fact-checkers and the predilections of fact-checking organizations. This results in improper labeling of asserted “facts” as being true or false. Thus, determining the truths or falsehoods of facts is vulnerable to human interpretation of the facts, as I have Chirped on "10/15/21 Proper and Improper Facts". The four biggest problems in the process of fact-checking are Narratives, Statistics, Science, and Economics, which I examine in my article “When Fact Checkers Don’t Understand Facts”.

As Professor Turley has said in his ‘The GARMs Race’ article, “Pundits and politicians, including President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama, have justified their calls for censorship (or “content moderation” for polite company) by stressing that the First Amendment only applies to the government, not private companies.” and “The threat against free speech today is being led by private groups seeking to exercise an unprecedented level of control over what people can read and discuss.”

The Natural Right to Free Speech goes beyond restricting the governmental control of speech. Free Speech in all areas of life is important to the health of a society, as it spurs the growth of a society in all aspects of a society. Free speech also spurs individual growth by expanding the horizons of an individual’s thoughts, as I have examined in my Article "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom". As history has taught us, the constrictions of Free Speech is an oppression that ultimately results in civil strife or civil war and the collapse of a society.

Any constriction of free speech will strangle a society and cause it to atrophy and eventually die. No person, no organization, and no government are intelligent nor wise enough to predetermine which Free Speech constrictions will or will not harm a society. Thus, no Free Speech constrictions should be allowed in society. To do otherwise is to doom a society.

08/12/24 Advocacy Journalism

As I have written in my Article "Modern Journalism":

“Most journalism students today go into journalism to "change the world". However, it is not the job or responsibility of a journalist to change the world. Their job is to uncover the facts, consult with experts on all sides to determine the veracity of the facts, and then report the facts to the public. If you wish to change the world you should become a politician, or become a commentator, or devote yourself to charitable efforts, or go into the Arts or Sciences, or - God Forbid - start a business that has a positive impact on society.”

This new form of journalism is known as Advocacy Journalism, which is a genre of journalism that adopts a non-objective viewpoint, usually for some social or political purpose. Advocacy journalism has as much to do with true journalism as social justice has to do with justice; they are both but perversions of the meaning of the word by adding an adjective in front of them.

When you place an adjective in front of the word “journalism”, you no longer have true journalism - you have favoritism and propaganda. This is the corruption of true journalism for political or social purposes, and it leads to misleading, if not outright lies to the American public. A misleading and lying that is done to promote journalists' political and social predilections to elect Democrats and to support Progressives with whom they agree.

This advocacy journalism allowed them to accept the basement strategy of the 2020 and 2024 Democrat presidential campaigns, as I have written in my Chirp on 08/10/24 The New Basement Strategy and Tactics. This advocacy journalism allows for them to not challenge the previous words and deeds of Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Tim Walz, which are not being reported upon or being rewritten to make them more palatable and electable to the American people. This is often done by journalists in their Self-Righteousness and a lack of Self-Awareness, as I have Chirped on “08/08/24 Self-Righteousness” and “08/09/24 Self-Awareness”. It is also indicative of their lack of ethics and virtue in their character.

As Matt Vespa has written in his column, “NBC News Pretty Much Confirms Tim Walz Lied About His Military Service”, in which he stated:

“It's the Democrat media complex at work, though they’ve become more shameless since the Obama era. After Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016, there was a conscious effort to disregard the truth to protect Democrats and help them no matter what. It’s the only explanation for the flurry of ethical and overall journalistic malpractice that we’ve seen, from the Russian collusion hoax to Hunter Biden’s laptop; we do not hate the media enough for their overt corruption.”

In this Advocacy Journalism, they are bamboozling the American public as to their intentions, as well as hoodwinking the American public into electing Democrat candidates that suit their predilections.

08/11/24 Rules for Thee, but Not For Me

The Joe Biden presidential nominee replacement debacle has, once again, demonstrated that the Democrat Party operates on a ‘Rules for Thee, but Not For Me’ basis. Some states have laws regarding the duty and responsibility of the elected delegates to party conventions to vote on the first ballot for the person that they had committed to in the primary. There are also State laws regarding the replacement of a nominee in those States in which Joe Biden’s name has already been submitted to the State. There are also Federal Election Commission (FEC) laws, rules, and regulations regarding the disclosure of campaign finance information and the management of campaign funds, for which the FEC is responsible for enforcing the provisions of the law. Such provisions as to the limits and prohibitions on contributions, the proper expenditure of campaign funds, and ensure that the proper legal filings of campaigns to the FEC are followed. The Democrat Party itself has rules of conduct for its primaries and procedures for its convention process.

It appears that not much consideration was given to these issues and concerns in the replacement of Joe Biden as the Presidential nominee of the Democrat Party. Indeed, we are starting to see the legal issues and concerns of possible FEC violations in their actions. As such, the situation of replacing a duly elected person after a primary has never occurred before, and the legal issues and concerns have never been addressed by the FEC. It is this uncertainty and ambiguity that the Democrat Party is relying upon to do what they please. Given the snail pace of the FEC in enforcing their regulations, the Democrat Party is hoping to do as they please through the election cycle and not face any consequences for their actions until after the election.

This is but another example of the Democrat Party leaders operating as a politburo, as I have Chirped on “07/30/24 The Democratic Politburo Committee”. A politburo in which they, and they alone, decide what is to be done, and everyone else is to fall into line and support their decisions. In this, the Democrat Party has operated as if they could do as they please, regardless of the laws, regulations, or rules. This is also another example of the Democrat Party operating for their benefit alone to obtain and retain power and control, as I have Chirped on “07/20/24 It’s All About Power and Control”.

08/10/24 The New Basement Strategy and Tactics

In 2020, Joe Biden ran for president from his basement, with fears of the COVID-19 pandemic as the rationale for this decision. No rallies, no press conferences or give-and-take with the press, no unscripted interviews, and only scripted statements from his basement were the modus operandi of his campaign. A tightly crafted and controlled messaging was the order of the day, along with the image of Joe Biden being a conciliatory moderate Democrat. The ‘Unifier’ and the ‘Adults in Charge’ mantra, along with pejorative comments about President Trump and his MAGA supporters, were the yang to his yin campaign strategy. The  "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate were all on board with this strategy due to their Progressive predilections and extreme dislike of President Trump. Such a strategy was designed to cover up the deficiencies of Joe Biden and disguise his policies, as well as to hoodwink the American electorate into believing the crafted image of Joe Biden rather than the reality of Joe Biden.

Today, this basement strategy has been adopted and adapted by the presidential campaign of Vice-President Harris, with the main adaptation being the basement constituting all of America. Since her ascendancy to the Democrat Party nominee for president, there have been few rallies of an unscripted nature, no free-form press conferences or give-and-take with the press, and no unscripted interviews, with only scripted statements and appearances as the modus operandi of her campaign. She is also balking at more than one debate in hopes of limiting her unscripted exposure to the American electorate. In this, the Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, Social Media, and Mainstream Information Conglomerates are on board with this strategy due to their Progressive predilections and extreme dislike of President Trump.

She and her Vice-Presidential pick Tim Walz’s previous words and deeds are being rewritten to make both of them more palatable to the American electorate. This is knowingly being done by her campaign, along with the assistance of the Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, Social Media, and the Mainstream Information Conglomerate, as they are well aware that her and his viewpoints are disfavored by a majority of the electorate. Thus, the 2024 Democrat Party campaign is another hoodwinking of the American electorate into believing the crafted image of Kamala Harris and Governor Walz rather than the reality of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. A reality that I have outlined in my Chirp on “08/07/24 Ideological Partners in Extreme Progressivism”.

This hoodwinking was successful in the 2020 presidential campaign, and it is hoped to be successful in the 2024 presidential campaign. However, this previous successful hoodwinking brought forth the problems that America and Americans now face. If this current hoodwinking is successful, we can expect a continuation of these problems. When considering this hoodwinking you should remember the aphorism, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”

08/09/24 Self-Awareness

Self-Awareness is the experience of one's own personality or individuality, and part of what makes us human, along with Intelligence and Consciousness. This definition, however, is not the subject of this Chirp. For the purposes of this Chirp, I mean the self-awareness of the interrelations of your words and deeds, i.e., saying one thing and doing another or holding conflicting ideas.

The capacity of the human mind to hold conflicting ideas seems to be unlimited. This is often the case when emotional responses take priority over intellectual considerations. People wish to feel good about themselves and their words and deeds, and they often do not fully consider the consequences of their words and deeds. They often do not comprehend the conflicts on seemingly disparate ideas. The effort required to make these connections is often time-consuming and intellectually rigorous, and many people do not have the time and/or ability to do so, as I have examined in my Article on "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom".

It is easier to believe that if it feels good and you are a good person, then you are doing good. However, this is often not the case. Not fully thinking about the impacts and consequences of the implementation of your ideas, along with the considerations of The Law of Unintended Consequences, will often result in harmful consequences. Accordingly, whenever you consider any idea, you should remember the following words of wisdom:

"Well done is better than well said."   - Benjamin Franklin

Alas, this is rarely done, especially regarding social policies and political rhetoric. In the quest for a better society and governmental actions to achieve this betterment, we often are guided by our feelings rather than our intellect. The Democrat Party, in particular, appeals to our feelings without much intellectual regard for the consequences of their policies. This may be good election politics, but it is poor social policy as often their social policies engender negative consequences.

The Democrat Party's election strategy and tactics, as well as their governing approach, often rely on good feelings and, unfortunately, through their utilization of Identity Politics, Wokeness, Cancel Culture, and Lawfare, pits one group of Americans against other groups of Americans. Much of this is because of their self-righteous attitude, as I have examined in my Chirp on “08/08/24 Self-Righteousness”.

America is at a fork in the road in the direction of our future society and governance. One fork leads to a progressive future and all the attendant problems of Progressivism, as I have examined in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives". The other fork is a return to the founding principles of America, as I have examined in my Article on "American Ideals and Ideas". Americans need to become much more self-aware and intellectually oriented to make a proper decision on the future of America. Fortunately, we can examine the different forks by examining the records of President Trump and President Biden to determine which fork we wish to take. Therefore, this election cycle is more than the individual issues and concerns; it is about who we want to be as a people and society.

08/08/24 Self-Righteousness

Self-Righteousness is a mental illness that blinds you to the facts and truths. A Self-Righteous person will not, as Benjamin Franklin once said, "Doubt a little of your own infallibility." A Self-Righteous person is often sanctimonious and makes little or no attempts to examine and consider their opponent's Reasoning and Rationality. A Self-Righteous person will never brook any dissension to what they believe are the facts and truths. A Self-Righteous person will always believe that someone who disagrees with them is motivated or guided by selfishness or moral depravity. A Self-Righteous person often believes that any words or deeds that promote their beliefs are justifiable. A Self-Righteous person will reject, without intelligent thought or rational consideration, the opinions or arguments of their opponents, and they will often utilize "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" against their opponents. Thus, a Self-Righteous person is a danger to "A Civil Society" and the "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

The most Self-Righteous people in America are Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as well as the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", and "Social Media", as their words and deeds far eclipse any Self-Righteousness of their opponents. Their Self-Righteousness is demonstrated by their pitting groups of Americans against each other through their utilization of Identity Politics, Wokeness, Cancel Culture, and Lawfare. Their Self-Righteous Weaponization of Government is destroying our American Ideals and Ideas and leading us into despotism or worse. 

Just as I am a huge supporter of Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights, so am I an opponent of Self-Righteousness. In the opinions that I have written in my Chirps and Article, I believe that I am right, but I am not self-righteous in these opinions, as I am willing to dispassionately examine and consider my opponents' Reasoning and Rationality. So, it should be for all Liberty and Freedom-loving Americans.

08/07/24 Ideological Partners in Extreme Progressivism

Democrat Party Presidential candidate Kamala Harris’s Vice-Presidential pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, has a very Progressive viewpoint that matches Kamala Harris’s viewpoints. Their top ten shared domestic affairs viewpoints are, in alphabetical order:

• Abortion on Demand
• Climate Change Alarmism
• Criminal Leniency
• Gun Control
• Illegal Immigration
• Pandemic Mandates and Restrictions
• Pediatric Transgendered Medications and Surgery
• Permissible Violent Civil Disobedience
• Public Education Progressive Ideology Indoctrination
• Socialistic Governmental Policies

In the Foreign Policy arena, they share viewpoints on:

• Communist China Inclusion on the World Stage
• Global Trade Economies
• Internationalism Politics
• Iranian Government Leniency
• Pro-Palestinian and Anti-Israel Policies (along with more than a touch of Anti-Semitism)

These viewpoints are in addition to the normal Democrat Party policies of increased taxes and spending, expanded and additional government entitlements, along with a large and intrusive government and governmental regulations.

There is nothing wrong with a Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidate sharing viewpoints unless the viewpoints in themselves are wrong. And Kamala Harris and Tim Walz's viewpoints are wrong for America and Americans. Electing the wrong people with the wrong viewpoints is a recipe for disaster for America and Americans. Wake up, America, and smell the coffee. If the coffee smells bad, do not drink it.

08/06/24 A Sense of Decency

In 1954, in a dramatic confrontation, Joseph Welch, special counsel for the U.S. Army, lashes out at Senator Joseph McCarthy during hearings on whether communism had infiltrated the U.S. armed forces. Welch’s verbal assault—including the enduring question, "Have you no sense of decency?"—marked the end of McCarthy’s power during the anticommunist hysteria of the Red Scare in America.

The same question can be put to Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as well as the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", and "Social Media" for their role in the 2020 and 2024 presidential elections. Their role is not only as I have Chirped on “08/05/24 Then and Now, and Perhaps the Future” but also on other shenanigans that have and are currently occurring. Indeed, their entire campaign and election strategy and tactics are shameful. Replacing a duly nominated presidential candidate with an appointed nominee, giving countenance to the flagrant policy positions changes and the distortions of the historical record of their new candidate, their use of pejoratives against their opponents, distortions of their opponents’ words and sometimes outright lies about them, instituting dubious balloting shenanigans that call into question the validity of an election, and various other deceptions and deceits are all shameful acts.

They, therefore, have no sense of decency, as they are only interested in obtaining and retaining power to advance their policies and political goals. Such people should never be placed in positions of power, as they can only tear down and not build up a society.

08/05/24 Then and Now, and Perhaps the Future

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise."   - Benjamin Franklin

Changing your mind based on better information or fuller consideration is a human trait that is important for the betterment of a person and should be cultivated by all. Changing your mind for any other reason is suspect, as it is often done to obtain a personal advantage that may be harmful to others. When a public figure or politician changes their mind, it is incumbent upon them to explain the reasons for their change of mind; otherwise, all should be wary of both their old and new opinions as deceptive or deceitful.

Rewriting your history to obscure or remove your previous opinion is insidious and pernicious, as it is a deliberate misleading of others for nefarious purposes. This is indicative of a person without character and virtue who is deceptive and deceiving. Those who would aid and abet such a rewriting are also without character and virtue, as they, too, are misleading for nefarious purposes. Such a person or people should never be believed nor placed in any position of trust or authority, as they are unworthy of any trust or power over others.

Which brings us to the current situation regarding Kamala Harris. Four short years ago, her politics were very progressive. Today, with her ascension to the 2024 Democrat Party nominee for President, her progressive policy positions have changed without explanation, and her history is being obscured, rewritten, or expunged to make her appear more moderate. It is not difficult to ascertain the reasons for this, as four years ago, her progressive policy positions were helpful to her political ambitions, while today’s moderate policy positions are helpful to her political ambitions. Such a person will have no difficulty in changing their policy positions in the future if it suits their political ambitions.

She is also being aided and abetted in this changing of her policy positions and the rewriting of her history by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, with the assistance of the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", and "Social Media". Such actions by them are also insidious and pernicious, as it is an attempt to trick the American electorate into voting for her. It is also indicative that they and she do not believe her previous policy positions would garner the votes needed for her to be elected today.

Alas, this changing of her policy positions and the rewriting of her history may work, as the American electorate is not being properly informed about these changes of her policy positions and the rewriting of her history. Indeed, the American electorate is being deliberately misinformed to assist her in winning the election (and perhaps lessen the negative impacts on electing downstream Democrat candidates). Such a deception is equivalent to the deception of Biden’s policy positions and his mental acuity and physical fitness, which occurred during the 2020 presidential campaign. A deception then that brought forth many of the problems we have faced in the last four years, and a deception now that, if it is successful, will continue and possibly worsen these problems for the next four years.

08/04/24 Until Now

In Jonathan Turley’s new book, The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage, he describes America as being in an age of rage, for which I must agree with him. The question is, what is the root cause of this greater rage today?

Many have pointed out that the deep divisions of governing approaches of the Democrat and Republican Parties have led to hyper-partisanship in today’s politics, as I have examined in my Articles on A Republic versus a Democracy and A Compact and a Contract - Not A Living, Breathing Document. We have had these divisions in America’s past, but in modern America, it has been a deeper and more visceral rage.

Much of this can be attributed to the dominance of Progressive ideology and ideas in the 20th century, as I have examined in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives". With this rise, we have also seen a rise in the assumptions of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders who believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. As such, they view Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as not just being wrong and stupid but that they are bad or evil persons, as demonstrated by their usage of pejoratives in describing their opponents.

Contributing to this rise of rage are the forces of the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech", "Modern Big Business", "Modern Education", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate", which have been in almost uniform support for Progressivism and they have ignored or been dismissive of any other viewpoints. The Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, and Social Media have also profited from this rage by increasing clicks and viewership of their media. It is also true that they have morphed into the Ministry of Truth for Democrats and Progressives, as I have Chirped on “07/30/24 The Ministry of Truth”. 

Nobody likes being told that they are stupid, bad, or evil and that their thoughts and opinions may be ignored or dismissed, which leads to a rise of rage in those so labeled. In addition, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists have unrelentingly utilized aggressive rage-provoking tactics of "Identity Politics" and "Divisiveness in America", as well as "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" on all that oppose them, which contributes to the rise of rage in their opponents. These tactics have also led them to engage in negative connotations and worst-case interpretations of what their political opponents say or do, which leads them to stoke fear and loathing of their opponents, which leads to a rise in rage from all sides.

Since the presidential election of 1988, the Republican presidential standard bearers have been George H. W. Bush, Bob Dole, George W. Bush, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Donald Trump. In that same timeframe, the Democrat presidential standard bearers were Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and now Kamala Harris. It can be said that the Republican presidential standard bears that only Donald Trump has used aggressive rage-provoking tactics, and of the Democrat presidential standard bearers, only Michael Dukakis and Bill Clinton did not use aggressive rage-provoking tactics.

The claims by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists that both sides do it rings hollow when you weigh the balance, as I have Chirp on, "04/01/19 Both Sides Do It". That is, until now. With the rise of Donald Trump, who has been utilizing these same tactics against his political opponents, they have been given a dose of their own medicine, and they do not like it. Consequently, their rage against Donald Trump and his supporters has exponentially increased. Alas, this has resulted in an increase of rage on both sides.

The Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists' calls for "A Civil Society" also ring hollow, as they are only interested in their opponents being more civil while they continue their incivility. Hence, we can only expect this rage to continue until both sides behave in a more civil manner. I do not expect this to happen, especially if Donald Trump is elected, as the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists have built their entire election and governing strategy and tactics on fear and loathing of their opponents.

08/03/24 Weirdness

The Democrat Party and Progressives have started to utilize a new word to describe their opponents— “Weird”. This from a party that has utilized "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language" to advance their political goals and policy agendas. If you observe any rally of the Democrats, you can see many examples of the weirdness of their supporters, as so humorously illustrated by the following cartoon:

There is also much weirdness in the people who they have appointed into positions of power and responsibility in the Biden Administration.

Their utilization of weird to describe their opponents is sheer hypocrisy when you examine their own weirdness, and it does not make their opponents weird because they have labeled them weird. In this examination, you should remember one of my own quotes:

"Just because you 'believe' something to be true does not mean that you 'know' something is true, and just because someone says it is true or false doesn't make it true or false."   - Mark Dawson

Their own weirdness extends into their Perversion of the English Language in their willingness to change the meaning of words and terms, which knows no bounds. Their willingness to suppress words and terms is also unlimited, often under the umbrella of Political Correctness and Wokeness. This is exemplified by Kamala Harris’s recent statement that “. . . we have to have the courage to object when they use the term ‘Radical Islamic Terrorism’.” However, when they do this, we should always remember the quote of a very wise man in history:

“The beginning of wisdom is the ability to call things by their right names.”  - Confucius

Thus, by uttering this statement, as well as many other utterances of hers that are a pervasion of the English language, she has demonstrated her lack of wisdom.

08/02/24 Free Will vs. Oppressed Victimhood

At the beginning of Chapter 11 of the book, “San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities” by Michael Shellenberger, he writes the following:

“After World War II, a long-standing philosophical debate over whether we have free will or are just the products of our environments gained real-world significance. Former Nazi officers on trial defended themselves by saying that they were not responsible for their actions, including the operation of gas chambers, because they were following orders. Courts ruled that this was not a valid defense, and philosophers including French existentialist Jen-Paul Sarte gained worldwide fame in his emphasis on individual responsibility. “Man is condemned to be free,” he writes, “From the moment he is thrown into this world he is responsible for everything he does.”

Michael Foucault disagreed. Following the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, Foucault felt that individual responsibility was a myth used by powerful people to punish and discipline others for things they could not control. None of us choose our brains and bodies, our families and communities, or our places in time and space. How could we be said to have “free will” at all?

The problem with this line of thinking is that people appear to behave far better when they take responsibility for their actions than when they don’t. Subjects primed to disbelieve in free will are, for example, more likely to engage in aggressive behaviors. Disbelief in free will even seems to impair some cognitive processes.

One way to think about free will is that it exists only as a belief. The more we believe in free will, the more it exists. The less we believe in it, the less it exists. “If you do call free will an illusion, it’s a useful illusion, right?” said Cory Clark, a professor of social philosophy who is doing innovative research into how we think about freedom and responsibility. “Thinking through, ‘If I do X, Y will happen’ is an important part of the process that leads to making better choices. If people thought they didn’t have to do that, they may not make good choices anymore.”

It is all too easy in modern America to claim that you are an oppressed victim of others and society. This is not only true for the homeless but for all who claim victimhood and oppression. Such a claim frees you from the responsibilities of your words and deeds. It negates the possibility that your free will bad choices are responsible for your current condition and smothers the possibility that you can make future free will decisions to improve your condition. It also makes you dependent on others, society, and government to improve your condition.

In this dependency, you must concede some of your liberties and freedoms to those whom you depend upon. This gives rise to big government that takes from those who have made good decisions and gives to those who made bad decisions, which introduces a cycle of dependency on government. Thus, the “Welfare State” arises and grows ever larger. A Welfare State that must impinge upon the Liberties and Freedoms of all to satisfy the needs of the dependent members of society. Such a Welfare State slips from democracy into totalitarianism to meet the needs of the dependent members of society.

Such has been the course of America in the 20th and 21st centuries with the rise of Progressivism. No balance between giving a hand-up to the unfortunate and a hand-out to the dependent has been attempted nor achieved, and the Welfare State grows ever larger. Such a Welfare State is economically unsustainable without totalitarianism, and such totalitarian states are rarely long-lasting nor provide for a thriving economic or robust society that meets the needs of all the people.

08/01/24 Absurdity, Nonsense, and Craziness in the Progressive Worldview

How the absurdity, nonsense, and craziness of the modern Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, and the  Mainstream Media and Mainstream Cultural Media agenda is the topic of this month’s Book It selections. In a new book Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History by Nellie Bowles, who is a Progressive journalist, as well as someone who was born, raised, and lived this life, she started asking questions and then began doubting what was being said and done by Progressives in modern America.

In a series of personal stories about her search for the facts and truths about what has occurred in America during the last decade, she illuminates the unpleasant facts and truths that the Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, and the Mainstream Media and Mainstream Cultural Media have ignored or covered up. And it is not a pretty picture. As she stated near the end of this book, these people are “. . .  in service of an ideology that made sense everywhere but in reality.”

Another recently published book by a former progressive, San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities by Michael Shellenberger, looks at this problem by focusing on one topic— Homelessness in San Fransisco. Homelessness and the attendant issues of mental illness, drug and alcohol addiction, criminal activities, and unsanitary living conditions of the homeless, along with the fears of the neighbors living nearby the homeless.

One paragraph in particular struck me in this book:

“Words are powerful. The word “homeless” not only make us think of housing, it also makes us not think of mental illness, drugs, and disaffiliation. The word directs our attention to things perceived as outside of a person’s control, such as the high cost of housing, and away from things perceived as in their control, such as working, parenting, and staying sober.”

This statement reminded me of the quote of a very wise man in history:

“The beginning of wisdom is the ability to call things by their right names.”  - Confucius

Ergo, until we identify the true causes of “homelessness” by speaking their right names and addressing their real problems, we cannot be wise and solve the problem of homelessness.

This misuse of words is true for the other problems facing America. The Perversion of the English Language by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders to sow doubt and confusion to achieve their political goals and policy agendas is a despicable tactic that needs to end, as it is a hindrance to the solutions to the problems facing America.

Chapter 11 of this book, “The Heroism of Recovery”, is especially important, as it examines the importance of ‘victimhood’ in the homeless problem. This victimhood attitude is also important to society as a whole, as the victimhood viewpoint is responsible for many of the other problems in America. In Chapter 15 of this book, “It’s Not About the Money”, he further states about victimhood:

“The dark side of victimology is how it moralizes power. Victimology takes the truth that it is wrong for people to be victimized and distorts it by going a step further. Victimology asserts that victims are inherently good because they have been victimized. It robs victims of their moral agency and creates double standards that frustrate any attempt to criticize their behavior, even if they are behaving in a self-destructive, antisocial ways like smoking fentanyl and living in a tent on the sidewalk. Such reasoning is obviously faulty. It purifies victims of all badness. But by appealing to emotion, victimology overrides reason and logic.”

In Chapter 17 of this book, “It’s a Leadership Problem”, he sums up why the problems of homelessness continue to exist:

“How and why do progressives ruin cities? So far, we have explored six reasons. They divert funding from homeless shelters to permanent supportive housing, resulting in insufficient shelter space. They defend the right of people they characterize as victims to camp on sidewalks, in parks, and along highways, as well as to break other laws, including against public drug use and defecation. They intimidate experts, policy makers, and journalists by attacking them as being motivated by a hatred of the poor, people of color, and the sick, as causing violence against them. They reduce penalties for shoplifting, drug dealing, and public drug use. They prefer homelessness and incarnation to involuntary hospitalization for the mentally ill and addicted. And their ideology binds them to the harms of harm reduction. Housing First, and camp-anywhere policies, leading them to misattribute the addiction, untreated mental illness, and homeless crisis to poverty and to policies and politicians dating back to the 1980’s.”

Essentially, we are allowing Absurdity, Nonsense, and Craziness to permeate modern America, and this permeation is not restricted to the problems of homelessness. In trying to resolve the problems of Absurdity, Nonsense, and Craziness in modern America, brought forth mainly by Democrat Party leaders and Progressives, a succinct reason is that they have forgotten the adage and wisdom of one of our Founding Fathers. An adage and wisdom that should not be forgotten by all Americans before they cast their ballots:

"Well done is better than well said."   - Benjamin Franklin

However, doing something requires making hard decisions that may be unpopular with the electorate, social change advocates, or special interest groups. It thus risks the possibility of losing elections, which the Democrat Party is loath to do for the reasons that I have written in my Chirp on “ 07/20/24 It’s All About Power and Control”.

These two books, along with another book I reviewed on “06/01/21 The Liberal Mind”, go a long way in explaining how absurdity, nonsense, and craziness have arisen in modern America.

07/31/24 Of What Race, Religion, and Heritage is She?

Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, California, on October 20, 1964. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was a biologist whose work on the progesterone receptor gene stimulated advances in breast cancer research. Shyamala had moved to the United States from India as a 19-year-old graduate student in 1958. After studying nutrition and endocrinology at the University of California, Berkeley, she received her PhD in 1964. Kamala Harris's father, Donald J. Harris, is a Stanford University professor of economics (emeritus) who arrived in the United States from Jamaica in 1961 for graduate study at UC Berkeley and received a PhD in economics in 1966. Donald Harris and Shyamala Gopalan met in 1962 and were married in 1963.

Kamal Harris claims to be the first African American and first South Asian American vice president. Harris’s father is of Afro-Jamaican descent and an Anglican, while her mother is from India and a Hindu. Afro-Jamaicans are Jamaicans of predominantly African descent, but through intermarriage, they are of mixed Afro and Hispanic descent. They also represent the largest ethnic group in Jamaica. Thus, Kamal Harris is of mixed race, religion, and heritage.

Kamal Harris was born in Oakland, California, and very early in her life, she moved to Illinois as well as other parts of the Midwest and thus spent her childhood in America. When she was twelve years old, her mother and sister (her parents were divorced when she was seven) moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada. After high school in Canada, Harris attended Vanier College in Montreal in 1981–1982. She then attended Howard University, a historically black university in Washington, D.C., and she eventually moved back to California to begin her career.

Many in America are of mixed race, religion, and heritage, and none of this should matter in America or; as Martin Luther King Jr. has stated, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” Ergo, all should be judged on their character, and none should be judged on their race, religion, or heritage. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your race, religion, and heritage, but it is wrong to utilize this to gain an advantage over other people. The content of your character should be what you utilize to advance yourself.

Any person who utilizes race, religion, and heritage as a metric of a person is a bigoted person, and any politician who appeals to race, religion, and heritage is engaging in Identity Politics. Both are despicable, and both should not be tolerated in America. Alas, the appeals to Identity Politics in modern America are all too common and all to destructive to the fabric of our society. Thus, appeals to Identity Politics should be rejected and condemned by all Americans, and politicians who make these appeals should not be elected nor put into positions of leadership or power in America.

In modern America, the wails of Critical Race Theory (CRT), Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), LGBTQIA+, White Privilege, Systemic Discriminations and/or Disparities, and Racist and Wokeness are all appeals to Identity Politics. And all these wails should be rejected by those who believe that all Americans should be judged by the content of their character. To not do so is to invite further Divisiveness in America and the degradation of A Civil Society in America.

07/31/24 Systemic Discriminations and/or Disparities

Systemic—affecting an entire system—is common to all civilizations throughout history. It is how civilizations are constructed to provide order from chaos and to provide for the needs of the people of a civilization. Systemic is accompanied by a hierarchical structure in the government and society of a civilization. Systemic is not inherently good or bad, but it can be used to achieve good or bad results. Systemic, when utilized to oppress a people and/or to deprive them of their Natural Rights, is evil. One defining characteristic of oppression is the constriction of a person’s capability to rise or fall in the hierarchy based on their individual merits or to not reward an individual for their contribution to society. Such a constriction is usually enforced by a caste society and an aristocratic form of government. When such a constriction occurs, it can be said that there are Systemic Discriminations and/or Disparities within a society or government.

The history of America has been one of opposition to caste societies and aristocratic governments. We started out imperfectly with the stain of slavery and various forms of bigotry and discrimination, along with capitalistic excesses in our economy, but it is also a history of correcting these faults to obtain less Systemic Discriminations and/or Disparities in our society and government. We have not fully achieved this goal, but given human nature, it may not be possible to fully achieve this goal. However, we have made significant progress toward this goal with the start of the Civil Rights movement in the mid-twentieth century onward. Today, in modern America, we can claim to be the most diverse and least systemic Discrimination and/or Disparity society and government in the world.

07/30/24 The Ministry of Truth

In the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, written by English writer George Orwell, he describes ‘The Ministry of Truth’ (Newspeak: Minitrue) that is the ministry of propaganda. As with the other ministries in the novel, the name Ministry of Truth is a misnomer because, in reality, it serves the opposite: it is responsible for any necessary falsification of historical events. However, like the other ministries, the name is also apt because it decides what "truth" is in Oceania. As well as administering "truth", the ministry spreads a new language amongst the populace called Newspeak, in which, for example, "truth" is understood to mean statements like 2 + 2 = 5 when the situation warrants. In keeping with the concept of doublethink, the ministry is thus aptly named in that it creates/manufactures "truth" in the Newspeak sense of the word. The book describes the doctoring of historical records to show a government-approved version of events. At the time that this book was written, the concern was that the government would become corrupt, coercive, and oppressive to the people. Today, the concern is that the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", and "Social Media" act as The Ministry of Truth.

This can be seen today in their rewriting of Kamala Harris’s history and record, as well as the distortions and sometimes outright falsehoods of nominees Donald Trump and J.D. Vance’s record and statements. These rewritings, falsehoods, and distortions are so egregious as to be a perfect example of ‘The Ministry of Truth’. It is also an example of the suppression of truths, as I have written in my article "Who Needs Government Suppression When You Have Big Tech Suppression".

Alas, there seems to be little way to correct this situation, as most of the Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, and Social Media seem united in their opposition to Donald Trump and J.D. Vance and in their support of Kamala Harris. We can only hope that the American people can see past the rewriting, distortions, and falsehoods being spread about Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, and J.D. Vance’s history and record. Nineteen Eighty-Four was meant to be a warning about the future and not a guidebook for the present, as Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, and the Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, and Social Media have undertaken in modern America.

07/30/24 The Democratic Politburo Committee

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has for some time operated as the Democratic Politburo Committee (DPC) in that the ranking members of the DNC make a decision on candidates or policy, then expect the other members of the DNC, and the Democrat voters, to approve their decisions. This operation is utilized to enforce party discipline and conformity, as was done in most Communist states. This has been quite evident in the efforts to oust President Biden from the 2024 presidential campaign and now the efforts to anoint Vice-President Harris as the new candidate in the 2024 presidential campaign. As David Harsanyi has said, “With some hard work, pluck, the right boyfriend, and a bit of genetic luck, Kamala Harris has found her way onto the presidential ballot without having to secure a single primary vote. Don't tell me the American Dream is dead.”

While this is the most obvious reflection of a Politburo, this approach has gone on for quite some time at the DNC. This DPC approach is authoritarian rather than democratic and an affront to our American Ideals and Ideas. Even the manner in which President Biden withdrew from the presidential race was authoritative. A letter to Congressional Democrats from President Biden, followed three days later by an address to the American public, was authoritarian and haughty, and it reflected that his withdrawal was done for electability purposes rather than for the good of America, as I have examined in my Chirp on “07/20/24 It’s All About Power and Control”. Since his withdrawal, we have seen the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists engage in rank hypocrisy to justify his decision to withdraw, as I have Chirped on “07/23/24 Let the Games and Hypocrisy Begin”, and all at the direction of the DPC.

While the Republican Party has some authoritative propensities, this authoritarianism has often been thwarted by the Republican Party electorate, and their candidates and policies have mostly been directed from the bottom up (as seen by the rise of Donald Trump and other Republican candidates against the wishes of the Republican leadership).

Such an approach by the DPC is worthy of a banana republic, as I have written in my Chirp on “06/02/24 Welcome to Our American Banana Republic”, rather than the leadership of a people dedicated to Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. Until the Democrat Party suffers calamitous election defeats, we cannot expect their modus operandi to change. Thus, it is incumbent on the American electorate to oust from power the Democrat Party so that they can reflect and right their course to the American way of conducting a democratic party (i.e., from the bottom up).

07/29/24 It Feels Good, but Does It Do Good?

It is all too common to hear Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists spouting off on the nobleness and morality of their political goals and policy agendas. All these proclamations are based on an emotional appeal, but few of them have an intellectual foundation, nor are they grounded in reality. When you examine the results of their political goals and policy agendas, you will see that there is much lacking in positive results.

As Nellie Bowles has written in her book, “Morning After the Revolution: Dispatches from the Wrong Side of History“, these people are “. . .  in service of an ideology that made sense everywhere but in reality.” These people have also forgotten the adage and wisdom of one of our Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, "Well done is better than well said."

They wish to be do-gooders, but they are primarily interested in feeling good. A true do-gooder only feels good when they have achieved a positive result. The positive results from Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists' political goals and policy agendas are few and far between, and usually, the good that they achieve is often for a select few (i.e., Identity Politics) at the expense of others.

Alas, it is difficult to overcome an emotional appeal with intellectual reasoning, and many Americans rely on an emotional appeal to sway their decisions on social policy. Consequently, there is much that is harmful rather than helpful in Progressive's social policy decisions. Whenever you make a decision on social policy, it should be reality-based with an intellectual foundation. Otherwise, you are part of the problem rather than part of the solution to the problems that beset America.

07/29/24 What Is Evil?

In today’s modern world, it is easy to discount evil as a psychiatric condition and/or relativistic or subjective to one’s personal knowledge, opinion, or experience. It is also easy for many to rank evil from pure evil to individual evil acts, although there is much disagreement amongst the different rankings. Whatever the root cause of evil or your ranking of evil, evil does exist, and some people are evil. The difficulty is defining what evil is and who the evil perpetrators are. This Chirp is not about evil persons; as much research and scholarly articles and books have been written about personal evil, I could not hope to contribute anything to this discussion. This Chirp is about the evil of governments and societies.

Governments and Societies can also be evil. Indeed, throughout history, most governments and societies have been evil to various degrees. For governments and societies, it is easy and proper to define a society or government as evil if they purposely violate the Natural Rights of individuals within their confines. While there are many Natural Rights that an individual person has, some of these Natural Rights are more pertinent to the discussion of evil. As I have written in my Chirp, “07/28/24 I Have the Natural Right”, there are ten prominent Natural Rights that, if violated by a government or society, allow us to define the society or government as evil and to rank their evilness based on the severity, number, and quantity of their evil acts. It is also possible to rank a government or society on its evilness by the structure of its government or the societal structure that supports its evil acts.

If you examine governments or societies throughout history through the lens of evilness, I believe that you gain an understanding that America has been one of the least evil governments and societies in history. Although America has had some evilness in its history (Slavery, Native Americans, Bigotry and Discriminations being the big three evilness), Americans have also recognized this evilness and taken actions to correct their evils. Our government or society was structured to preserve the natural rights of individuals and to take corrective actions to correct any wrongs that may occur in our government or society.

Many who decry America for its supposed inequities and evils do so through a standard of a Utopian society and government. A Utopian standard that can never be achieved due to the frailties of Human Nature and the invisible hand of Economics. Instead, we should be proud of our American Ideals and Ideas, and of our efforts to enshrine and preserve Natural Rights in our government and society, as well as to correct any evils that we may uncover in America. In our attempts to correct any perceived evils in our government or society, we should always remember to preserve our Natural Rights and the following:

"To deny human nature or economics, or to not acknowledge human nature or economics, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

07/28/24 I Have the Natural Right

In my article on "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights", I espoused upon the foundation and hierarchy of these rights. As sentient, conscious, and intelligent beings, we all have Natural Rights. If we did not have Natural Rights, then any rights that we may have would be endowed by society or by governments. It should always be remembered that anything that society or government can give can be taken away by a society or government. This would make Natural Rights subservient to society and governments and not allow for any freedoms or liberties for the individual except those that a society or government would endow.

All Natural Rights reside within the individual. No government or society constituted that violates Natural Rights is a legitimate government or society. The individual members of society can cede some of their Natural Rights to ensure a just society, but they still retain their Natural Rights. The government or society has a duty to ensure that those rights ceded to it are upheld. A government that does not uphold these ceded rights is not a legitimate government. Failure of a government to uphold these rights is a legitimate reason for the members of society to change or replace such a government.

Natural Rights are difficult to define, implement, and enforce. However, some Natural Rights are preeminently important and cannot be violated by a society or government. These include, but are not limited to:

• I have the natural right as a sentient, conscious, and intelligent being to live, have liberty, and pursue happiness under all circumstances. You have no Natural Right to take my life, constrict my liberties, or prevent me from achieving my goals, except if I am violating the Natural Rights of another person.
• I have the Natural Right as a sentient, conscious, and intelligent being to protect myself from harm, injury, or death. You have no Natural Right to harm, injure, or kill me except in the protection of your own, your family, or your neighbors’ lives, injury, or harm.
• I have the Natural Right as a sentient, conscious, and intelligent being to think and express my thoughts, regardless of any other considerations. You have no Natural Right to tell me what to think and what I can express, nor to suppress what I think and express.
• I have the Natural Right as a sentient, conscious, and intelligent being to obtain, retain, and dispense my own personal property. You have no Natural Right to steal, damage, or destroy my personal property.
• I have the Natural Right as a sentient, conscious, and intelligent being to associate, or not associate, with whomever I please. You have no Natural Right to restrict my associations unless my associations violate the Natural Rights of other persons.
• I have the Natural Right as a sentient, conscious, and intelligent being to be treated equally by other persons, society, and governments. You have no Natural Right to treat any person, or groups of persons, differently from myself.
• I have the Natural Right as a sentient, conscious, and intelligent being to privacy. You have no Natural Right to violate my privacy, except if I am violating the Natural Right of another person in my private actions.
• I have the Natural Right as a sentient, conscious, and intelligent being to believe or disbelieve in God and to practice my beliefs as I see fit. You have no Natural Right to suppress my beliefs or constrict my practices, except if my practices violate another person’s Natural Rights.
• I have the Natural Right as a sentient, conscious, and intelligent being to own my body and to choose what may be done to my body. You have no Natural Right to force me to undergo any bodily procedure that I do not wish to undergo unless, by not undergoing the procedure, I present an imminent danger to other persons.
• I have the Natural Right as a sentient, conscious, and intelligent being to raise my children as I see fit. You have no Natural Right to supersede my Natural parental rights unless I pose a danger to my children.

When adjudging your own and another person’s words and deeds, it is imperative to keep these Natural Rights in mind for yourself and others. To not do so leads to a convoluted application of Natural Rights, which infringes on everyone’s Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

For more of the concepts and importance of Natural Rights, I would direct you to the articles of Professor Randy E. Barnett, “A Law Professor’s Guide to Natural Law and Natural Rights” and “The Imperative of Natural Rights in Today's World”. While these articles were written by a scholar, they were written for the general public to read and understand.

07/28/24 The Eradication of Evil

President Reagan once famously said about how he would deal with the Soviet Union, “We Win; They Lose”, for which he was mocked. However, by focusing on the goal and adopting and adapting tactics to achieve the goal, America won, and the Soviet Union lost. Such is the position of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding Hamas. It is the focus on the ultimate goal that distinguishes Reagan and Netanyahu, a focus on the goals while instituting and changing tactics as necessary to achieve the ultimate goal.

Many evil acts were done during the American Civil War, but such evil acts were necessary to eradicate the greater evil of slavery. The carpet-bombing of Japan and Europe during World War II could be considered evil, but it was done for the purpose of eradicating the greater evil of Imperial Japan, Nazis, and Fascists. Evils that needed to be eradicated for human suffering to end and human dignity to be restored.

Regarding Israel, there have been many attempts to institute peace among the parties to the conflict. However, the events of October 07, 2023, have demonstrated that one party is not interested in peace—Hamas. Consequently, peace will only come when Hamas loses and is eradicated. How Hamas loses and is eradicated is not as important as their losing and being eradicated, for when confronting evil, the end of evil is more important than the tactics used to defeat evil. Nothing short of the eradication of evil is important, for if evil is allowed to fester, it will grow and rear its ugly head in the future. And make no mistake about it: Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran are evil. Thus, I would say to Netanyahu, go for it and eradicate evil! I would also say to the critics of Netanyahu’s goal and tactics that to not eradicate evil is to support evil, which makes you one with evil.

07/27/24 Anti-Semitic Actions and Inactions

In an article by David Harsanyi, “American Liberals Silent as Outbursts of Antisemitism on Par With Charlottesville Proliferate”, he writes that President Biden is scared to offend the pro-Hamas faction in his party. Mr. Harsanyi begins his article by stating:

“Not long ago, a left-wing “fact-checking” site, Snopes, finally admitted that President Trump had never called the neo-Nazis who marched at the Unite the Right rally at Charlottesville in 2017 “very fine people.”

For years, Democrats, including President Biden, have repeated this false claim. Indeed, Mr. Biden, who’s been running for the presidency since 1987, ludicrously told the press in 2019 that the events at Charlottesville, and Trump’s alleged reaction, inspired him to run in 2020.

Well, there’s a new Charlottesville every week in America nowadays. They aren’t led by a few hundred Nazi cosplayers, but thousands of Islamists and leftist fellow travelers whose goals are supported by numerous administration officials, congressmen, and newsrooms.”

He then goes on to list many of the offensive words and deeds, the criminal actions of the pro-Hamas agitators in America, and how the Biden Administration has reacted or not reacted to those offenses and criminal actions. The lack of the Biden Administration actions and inactions against the pro-Hamas agitators, and their very tepid statements about them, is war worse than the allegation that Trump called Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists 'Very Fine People', as the Snopes article explains, is untrue.

These very actions and inactions of the Biden Administration and the pro-Hamas administration officials, congressmen, and newsrooms demonstrate the Anti-Semitism of the left. Mr. Harsanyi concludes his article by stating:

“And every time there is a new Charlottesville, it not only affirms why Israel needs to exist — or that “anti-Zionism” and antisemitism are now indistinguishable — it tells us that Jews can’t rely on the contemporary left to be on their side.”

Thus, if you are Jewish or concerned about the evil of Anti-Semitism in modern America, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Anti-Semitism in Modern America", then you must be opposed to the Biden Administration and the administration officials, congressmen, and newsrooms who support the pro-Hamas agitators in America.

07/27/24 Those that Can

It has often been said, “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach”. This phrase implies that individuals who are unable to succeed in their chosen field resort to teaching almost as if it were a consolation prize. This is a simplistic stereotype, failing to understand what it truly means to be a teacher. The complexity and significance of being a teacher is not to be underestimated. Therefore, those who say the phrase, “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach”, are not contributing anything useful to the discussion and, indeed, are degrading the discussion.

Many of those who can do have often taught as well, while some of those who can do have not taught for personal reasons (including their realization that they would be poor teachers). While there are many teachers who can’t do, there is no discredit or shame that should be attached to this, as most people in other professions vary in their skill sets from excellent to poor, with only a small number being at the top of their profession.

To be a teacher is a respectable, honorable, and important vocation, but only if you are a good teacher. A good teacher is one who imparts knowledge and critical thinking skills, as well as motivating the students to learn as much as they are capable of learning, while a bad teacher is one who does not accomplish these teaching goals. A bad teacher is also one who de-emphasizes the intellectual development of the student in favor of emphasizing the emotional well-being of the student. A bad teacher does not only debase teaching, but they are harmful to their student's intellectual as well as emotional growth.

Emotional growth requires that a student learn how to deal with being incorrect and disappointed, proper personal behavior and social interactions, and a host of other emotional responses that are necessary once the student enters the non-student world. Emotional growth does not require that we coddle and protect the students’ feelings and inappropriately bolster their self-confidence or from unpleasant facts and discordant information. Intellectual growth is not only the accumulation of knowledge but also requires that a student learn how to think and not what to think.

Unfortunately, in Modern Education, we have seen a significant shift from the intellectual growth to the emotional growth of the student and from how to think to what to think, as I have written in my article "Indoctrination versus Education". This must be stopped and reversed to do justice to a student’s intellect, skills, and abilities. To accomplish this, we must identify those who are bad teachers and dismiss them from the teaching profession. In these dismissals, I expect the teacher unions to be in opposition. In the teacher’s union opposition, they are relegating the teaching profession to that of a tradesman occupation to be protected despite the quality of their trade services. They are also placing the best interests of the teachers over the best interests of the students, parents, and society.

We also need a change to the academic training of teachers, a change to which we can expect Colleges and Universities to be resistant, as teacher education has become financially lucrative and politically and/or sociologically motivated and thus resistant to change. We also need a change in the pedagogical training of would-be teachers to emphasize how to educate a student on how to think. This may be difficult, as I believe that many teachers and would-be teachers do not themselves know how to think.

The proper education of students is critically important to the future of our society. For the last several decades, we have not done a good job of educating students. Poorly educated students make for poorly informed citizens who cannot make good decisions in their lives, as well as good decisions as to the future course of our society. Indeed, the bad decisions that they may make will be detrimental to their lives and detrimental to society. Consequently, we should adopt an approach of rewarding good teachers and dismissing bad teachers.

07/26/24 College Student Behavioral Problems

College and University students love to protest, as it is a means of Virtue Signaling that signals their supposedly higher morals. Many of these protests are disruptive to normal student instruction and activities, and many times, they turn violent. All too often, their professors join them in these protests, which they believe lends credence to their protests. And just as often, the students, and sometimes the professors, have little knowledge or comprehension of what they are protesting.

The recent Anti-Israel/Anti-Semitism protests are a perfect example of this behavior. Students have little understanding of the complicated issues of the Hamas terrorists’ actions on October 7, 2023, and are not interested in understanding the Israeli government's response to this terrorism. They are being swayed by incoherent and irrational rhetoric from the Palestinian viewpoint and ignoring the Israeli viewpoint. There is also no consideration of the consequences, or unintended consequences, of their proposed solutions.

They are also not concerned about the impact of their protests on the non-protesting students. A non-protesting student has the right to an education and campus life unfettered by the protesting students. Any disruption to the non-protesting students’ rights should not be countenanced nor permitted by the College or University administrators. Alas, college or university administrators have shown little interest in protecting the rights of non-protesting students. This is an abrogation of their duties and responsibilities to provide a safe and educational environment for all their students.

The question is, what should be done to protect all students’ rights? The University of Florida’s Allowable Activities and Prohibitive Items and Activities flyer may be a good first step:

Other States should adopt this code for all publicly funded Colleges and Universities and deny taxpayer funding for private Colleges and Universities that do not adopt this code. There should also be a concerted effort to remove College and university presidents, administrators, and trustees who do not support this code as a dereliction of their duties and responsibilities to their students, parents, funders, and taxpayers. We should also consider firing professors who support these disruptive or violent protestors, as their actions demonstrate their inability to provide quality, intellectually thoughtful, rational, and reasonable education to their students.

07/26/24 K12 Student Behavioral Problems

In the bygone days of Catholic K12 education, Sister Marie would whack your knuckles, Father John would slap your head, and who knows what the teacher would do if you misbehaved in school. This was all done as part and parcel of student behavioral problem correction. Today, it is considered child abuse, and it is forbidden, but student behavioral problems abound. In Public K12 education, this was less frequently done and sometimes humorously referred to as Tactile Response Education (TRE). However, the results were the same, as there were fewer student behavioral problems when TRE was utilized.

Corporal punishment is the more common term utilized for this discipline, and it often became excessive and resulted in physical injury and mental anguish to the student. Thus, student corporal punishment was banished and disappeared from K12 education. With this banishment, K12 student behavioral problems increased, and they have become a major problem in K12 education. Today’s student behavioral problems have also resulted in physical injury and the mental anguish of other students, not to mention the disruption of the education of the other students. These K12 Student Behavioral Problems follow them outside of school and into their adult life and often result in civil disturbances or criminal activities by the students who have behavioral problems. Consequently, we must address student behavioral problems in schools to help alleviate the problem of student troublemakers outside of school.

Effective discipline must be established for K12 Student Behavioral Problems, but this is very difficult in an environment where teachers and administrators are not allowed to even touch a student. We must, therefore, rethink what is allowable and effective discipline for K12 Student Behavioral Problems. Perhaps it may be time to consider some form of very limited corporal punishment (such as low power, short duration, hand-held tasers) to ameliorate these K12 Student Behavioral Problems. There are no easy answers to this problem, but the problems caused by these misbehaving students are pernicious in the learning environment and in society as a whole.

07/25/24 From Traditional Liberalism to Modern Progressivism

I am old enough to remember when there was little Progressivism and much Liberalism in America. However, due to the real and perceived failures of Liberalism by the American public, Liberalism started to become tarnished, and in the late 20th century, many Liberals started disclaiming Liberalism, declaring that “I am not a Liberal, I am a Progressive.” However, the Liberal and Progressive policy positions did not materially differ. In the 21st century, however, Progressivism began to veer leftward, and today, the policy positions of modern Progressives differ significantly from traditional Liberalism.

Liberals were huge defenders of our First Amendment Rights, somewhat neutral defenders of our Second Amendment rights, and large supporters of "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights". They also shared many of the beliefs of our "American Ideals and Ideas" and individual "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". However, as Progressives veer leftward, they transformed these beliefs to achieve a greater good rather than the common good for America, as I have written in my article "Greater Good versus the Common Good". In doing so, they developed an anti-Americanism attitude, as I have discussed in my Chirp on “05/06/24 Whence Anti-Americanism”. They also began to constrict our First and Second Amendment rights for the greater good, limiting Freedom and Liberty to be constrained by what Progressivism deemed to be acceptable speech and conduct, substituted Equality with Equity, and instituted a two-tiered justice system as I have Chirped on, "07/31/21 A Two-Tiered Justice and Governmental System". Much of this was done to combat what they believed to be an "Oppressive Patriarchal Hierarchical Society", under the banner of "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)", "Critical Race Theory (CRT)", "Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG)", the end of our purportedly "Racist" society, and the revocation of supposedly "White Privilege".

Progressives also began to equivocate about their beliefs through "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language" to make them more palatable to the American public. They also utilized the tactics of "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" against their opponents, as well as "Cancel Culture", "Doxing", “Hate Speech”, "Identity Politics", "Lawfare", "Virtue Signaling", and "Wokeness". They have also propagated "The Biggest Falsehoods in America" to justify their actions.

In doing so, Progressives have become despotic against their opponents, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Despotism in America", and have significantly hastened the "The Decline of Free Speech in America" and "The Weaponization of Government". They have also accelerated civil unrest through "Hyper-Partisanship" and have not engaged in "A Civil Society" discourse. In this, they have become a threat to Democracy, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Threats to Democracy". They are also attempting to institute an Oligarchy, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Oligarchy in America".

Thus, the ideals and ideas of Liberalism have disappeared from America, but many of these ideals and ideas, especially regarding the worth and dignity of every individual person and individual rights, have been incorporated into Conservatism. Accordingly, if you believe in the worth and dignity of every individual person and individual rights, you must reject modern Progressivism as antithetical to these ideals and ideas.

07/25/24 From Traditional Feminism to Modern Feminism

The Feminist movement of the latter half of the 20th century was a very important movement to achieve equal rights for women, as for far too long, women in America had been deprived of their rights and hindered in their ability to achieve self-fulfillment. However, equal pay for equal work, the opportunity for advancement based on your skills and abilities, and the personal choice in the balance of your personal and professional life are not feminist values; they are human values. Human values that everybody should support for all people regardless of sex, race, national origin, religion, age, marital status, or disability.

Unfortunately, Modern Feminism has taken a turn from these values in that they wish to create special privileges based on the female gender, or as one wag has said, “Modern Feminism wants all the power of men, all the privileges of women, and all the accountability of children.” They have also devalued maleness, as I have written in my article “Feminism and the Devaluation of the Male”, and turned away from the importance of heterosexual love, marriage, and children. Modern feminists have little interest in men or the needs of men, and they seem to be only concerned with the professional, emotional, and physical needs of women, and seem to be only interested in motherhood if it is single motherhood. Men play little part in their worldview, and the small part they play is considered unimportant. Modern Feminists have also stood idle while Transgenderism is destroying the equality gains that they have achieved over the last several decades.

Modern Feminists have also exhibited selective outrage over claims of sexual harassment and sexual assaults. Their outrage is only directed against allegations against male Republicans and Conservatives, while allegations against male Democrats and Progressives have been overlooked or defended. They have also not come to the defense of Republican and Conservative women for the words and deeds against them that they would consider outrageous if directed against Democrat and Progressive women. They have also been notably muted about the Israeli women brutalized by Hamas, as well as circumspect about sexual harassment and sexual assaults in Islamic countries and by Muslims throughout the world.

Alas, Traditional Feminism has morphed into Modern Feminism, contrary to the values of Traditional Feminism. Accordingly, if you believe in the values of traditional Feminism, you must reject modern Feminism as antithetical to these ideals and ideas.

07/24/24 Hubris, Not Humility

I have often written that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. One wonders where they came to this smug attitude. In pondering how this has come to be, I believe that it has much to do with Modern Education. In focusing on the students' emotional wants and needs, protecting their feelings, and boosting their self-confidence, educators have forgotten to challenge the students' intellectual development. An intellectual development that challenges them to explore beyond their knowledge base and thinking by exposing them to new knowledge and expansive thinking and to contrary ideas and beliefs.

They are, therefore, in fact, teaching them what to think rather than how to think, as I have examined in my article on "Indoctrination versus Education". Thus, they enter the adult world believing they have all the answers and are full of hubris rather than the humility of knowing there are limits to their knowledge and experience. The humility of knowing what you know, knowing what you don’t know, and realizing that there is much that you don’t know that you do not know about is not present within them.

Consequently, this hubris settles into a smug attitude in which no humility is present. Thus, they believe that they are always correct and that others who disagree with them must be wrong, stupid, or perhaps evil.

07/24/24 Politics for Profit

New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez was found guilty Tuesday, July 16th, of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for using his powerful post to enrich himself and his wife. “This wasn’t politics as usual,” US Attorney for the Southern District Damian Williams told reporters outside court Tuesday. “This was politics for profit.”

Politicians enriching themselves is all too common throughout history. In American history, this is also common, but Americans have an aversion to enrichment by bribery. Most often, the enrichment is by more subtle means, which are borderline illegal and sometimes over the line illegal, but usually do not involve cash payments, precious metals, or expensive gifts as was the case for Sen. Menendez. It is often difficult to prove in a court of law that the enrichment was over the legal line, and prosecutors are loath to bring charges against politicians as they can be seen as political witch hunts.

This brings us to the First Family, whose enrichments were done by familial surrogates rather than directly to Joe and Jill Biden. For most of Joe Biden’s political career (and he has had no career other than politics), there have been whispers of influence peddling on a small scale. With his becoming Vice-President, this influence peddling became big time, mostly through his son Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden established dozens of shell companies and a multitude of bank accounts, which he utilized to disguise his activities, and he obtained lucrative contracts and positions with foreign companies in which he had no knowledge, experience, or capabilities. Hunter accumulated millions of dollars and distributed them to his family members. This was done through monetary shell games with his shell companies and multiple bank accounts, and he was able to disguise his actions and disguise his father’s connection to the money he obtained.

Recently, the dam finally broke, and much of Hunter’s activities became public knowledge, along with his activities’ connections to his father. Despite Joe Biden’s denial that he had any knowledge of his son’s business activities, it is now apparent that Joe Biden was involved in his son’s business activities. Thus, we can say that Joe Biden was profiting from his son’s influence peddling. It's not exactly bribery, but it's almost as bad. Bribery is often a direct payment to achieve a goal, while influence peddling is often an indirect payment to achieve a goal. However, both are the Politics for Profit and should have no place in American politics.

As such, it is time for Joe Biden to leave the public arena. If he does not go willingly, then the American people need to vote him out. It may also not be possible (or wise) to bring him to justice considering his current mental incapacity and his status as President or ex-President, but the stain of his influence-peddling should always be attached to his name and, thus, be remembered as a warning to all politicians that the Politics for Profit should never occur in American government.

07/23/24 Pardon Me

With the withdrawal of President Biden from the 2024 Presidential election, there are many questions and issues that need to be answered and resolved. The State laws regarding the conventioneers from voting for anyone but Joe Biden on the first ballot, the legality and means of replacing his name on State Ballots that have already been legally set, the use of the campaign funds he has already raised, and various other Federal Election Commission laws, rules, and regulations are all unresolved questions and issues. I would expect the Democrat Party to engage in all sorts of legal chicanery to have these laws negated or declared unconstitutional and/or for them to circumvent or ignore these laws. If the past is a prologue to the future, then we can expect that the Democrat Party will exhibit an attitude of ‘Election Laws for Thee, but Not For Me’.

The one thing that is not an issue is the Presidential Pardon clause in the Constitution. The President may pardon or commute any person for Federal violations of the law at the President’s discretion, prior to a prosecution or after a conviction of the law. Given the Biden family history of influence peddling, corrupt dealings, tax evasion, and sometimes outright violations of Federal Law, this is an important consideration for the Biden family members.

Thus, I expect that President Biden will issue preemptive absolute pardons for himself, Jill Biden, Hunter Biden, James Biden, and Francis Biden before he leaves office. To do otherwise is to leave his family exposed to legal action for their past misdeeds, a situation that would be intolerable for the corrupt Biden Family members. These pardons should also be intolerable for the American public, as it institutes, as US Attorney for the Southern District Damian Williams stated after the conviction of New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez for bribery, “This wasn’t politics as usual; this was politics for profit.”

07/23/24 Let the Games and Hypocrisy Begin

With the withdrawal of President Biden from the 2024 Presidential election, the Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, and the  Mainstream Media and Mainstream Cultural Media have engaged in singing the praises of Joe Biden. Praises for his years of public service, his doing what is right for America, his patriotism, his selflessness, the greatness and successes of his Presidency, and other exaggerated rhetoric flow from their mouths, and none of these praises are true. Joe Biden did not withdraw from the 2024 Presidential campaign for any of these reasons. Joe Biden's character has been, and is now, motivated by calculations, first and foremost, of personal political interests. Joe Biden was forced to withdraw due to intense political pressure from Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists fear of losing the election not only for the Presidency but also for the Democrat Party House and Senate down-ballot candidates, as well as by rich Democrat Party contributors withdrawal of financial contributions until he withdrew his candidacy.

In all these praises, they can be categorized as:

• equivocations - A statement that is not literally false but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth
• evasivenesses - Intentionally vague or ambiguous
• fabrications - A deliberately false or improbable account
• falsehoods - A false statement
• prevarications - A statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
• untruths - A false statement

And all these praises are for the purpose of misleading the American public by:

• bamboozlement - Concealment of one's true motives by elaborately feigning good intentions so as to gain an end
• blather & blathering - Idle or foolish and irrelevant talk
• crickets - an idiom that means no reply or reaction at all
• gaslighting - Manipulate someone psychologically so that they start to question their own sanity
• gibberish - Unintelligible talking
• gobbledygook - Incomprehensible or pompous jargon
• hoodwinking - Influence by slyness
• slyness - Shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception

As usual for Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists they are employing the tactics of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language" to justify their praises for Joe Biden.

Their comments on Joe Biden’s physical and mental capabilities for the last four years are, as more than one wag has pointed out, like the 1989 movie “Weekend at Bernie's”, and prevarications and hypocritical on their part. With the withdrawal of President Biden from the 2024 presidential election, their hypocrisies have been demonstrated to have no bounds. Their statements on Joe Biden's greatness are but a continuation of their hypocrisy. His incapability to run for President while being able to be President is a shining and sheer example of their hypocrisy. Their efforts and statements to get him to withdraw his candidacy and then praise his efforts while in office are hypocritical. Their knowing of his physical and mental deficiencies from the start of his candidacy (both in the 2020 and 2024 campaigns) was a hypocritical effort to obtain and retain power and control over the American people.

Do not be fooled by their praises or hypocrisy, as it is only a means to ease Joe Biden out of the campaign and make his replacement more palatable to the American public. All this praise is in the hope that they can turn around the gloomy election prospects for Democrat Party candidates so that they can obtain and retain power and control over the American people, as I have written in my chirp on “07/20/24 It’s All About Power and Control”.

07/22/24 Changing Your Mind

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."   - Benjamin Franklin

Such is the case of former critics of Donald Trump who have changed their minds about him. Derek Hunter, a former critic and now supporter of Donald Trump, has written an article about changing your mind, “The Idea of Changing Your Mind Confuses Democrats”, that examines this change of mind:

“Ever change your mind on anything or anyone? I bet you have. Do you know why I’d bet that way? Because you’re a human being, which makes you capable of all sorts of amazing things, especially the ability to learn new things and adapt to that knowledge. OK, maybe not ALL human beings have that skill – I’d tell Democrats to change their minds, but they shouldn’t work without tools – but those with an IQ larger than their hat size certainly can. This is why so many in the media seem to be confused by the idea that some people have changed their minds about Donald Trump.”

This article points out that:

“Human beings, intelligent ones, admit when they’re wrong and learn from it. How stupid would you be if you held fast to everything you thought when you were 20? I’d be a dope-smoking moron, likely with a rotten liver, and would not have one of my best friends. If I stood fast to what I thought starting in mid-June 2015, I’d be my underpants cheering on Rachel Maddow, Joy Reid, and the rest of their Reich Cabinet of National Salvation in front of an LED screen pretending to be at the Republican convention on MSNBC. But I’m not. And you are not. Fewer and fewer people are, which only reinforces what I’ve been saying here.”

Therefore, when Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, and the Mainstream Media point out that some current supporters of Donald Trump were former critics of him, I would point out the aforementioned quote of Benjamin Franklin as the reason for their change of mind. I would also point out that changing your mind based on better information or fuller consideration is a positive trait of a person.

07/22/24 The Connoisseur

In the book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage” by Jonathan Turley, the author points out In Chapter 25, “Rockwellian Free Speech”, that the Norman Rockwell painting “The Connoisseur” is of a man staring at an abstract piece of art and is waiting patiently for meaning to emerge from the paint drips:

Professor Turley then states that:

“I happen to like modern art. However, when it comes to constitutional law, I am unapologetically Rockwellian. The Constitution resonates with first principles that are profound and defining values of a free people. Once again, there has long been a rejection of classic free speech views as unsophisticated and lacking proper nuance. Once free speech becomes more of an abstraction, it can be balanced against other interests and confined to achieve other goals. It is more Rothko than Rockwell, leaving greater room for interpretation by the beholder. In constitutional law, the criticisms of figures such as Greenberg are strikingly familiar. Many law professors brush off natural or autonomy-based interpretations of the First Amendment as not “serious” and lacking a certain discernment. Free speech is one of the paint drops in an abstract constitutional work in which the meaning comes a functionalist whole. As we have seen, this untethering of interpretation from the text proved to be little more than a constitutional conceit. It can render meaning so fluid as to become entirely situational or subjective. Pollock once advised observers that, if they wanted to truly enjoy his work, they should stop looking for objective meaning. This is a dangerous practice when applied to the interpretation of a constitutional right.”

For me, this painting also represents how most mainstream Americans view the policies of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. They stand and stare at these policies to try and make sense of them, and they are bewildered as to what they mean and how they are interrelated and sensible. The abstract piece of art in this painting is how Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders view the Constitution as a living, breathing document (i.e., Living Constitutionalists). This viewpoint is a very dangerous practice when applied to the interpretation of the Constitution, as it allows the Constitution to be construed in any manner that the beholder wishes. A construing that, if applied, would endanger our "American Ideals and Ideas" and allow for an assault on our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

07/21/24 Who Would You Rather Have as V.P.?

Many opponents of President Trump have criticized and derided his Vice-President pick, J.D. Vance, for Vance’s youth and inexperience, not to mention that he is a true Conservative (oh my goodness gracious). The question I have for these critics is: Is it better to have a Vice-President who has succeeded in life at everything that he has done by his own efforts, or a Vice-President who has failed at many of the things that she has done and succeeded only through her connections and/or her physical attributes?

J.D. Vance was born and raised in Middletown, Ohio, a once flourishing American manufacturing town where Ohioans could live content, middle-class lives on single incomes. Over time, many of those good jobs disappeared, and JD’s family suffered the effects along with many others. His parents divorced when he was a toddler, and Vance's childhood was marked by poverty and abuse, and his mother struggled with drug addiction. Vance and his sister Lindsey were raised primarily by his maternal grandparents, James (1929–1997) and Bonnie Vance (née Blanton; 1933–2005), whom they called "Mamaw and Papaw”. His grandparents on both sides had moved to Ohio from the Appalachian Mountains area in Kentucky.

After graduating from Middletown High School in 2003, Vance enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. He was deployed to Iraq as a combat correspondent for six months in late 2005. He then attended The Ohio State University with the support of the G.I. Bill and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and philosophy in 2009. He then went to Yale Law School, where he was an editor of The Yale Law Journal. He graduated in 2013 with a Juris Doctor degree. He then entered private practice at the law firm Sidley Austin. Having practiced law for slightly under two years, Vance moved to San Francisco to work in the technology industry as a venture capitalist. Between 2016 and 2017, he served as a principal at Peter Thiel's firm, Mithril Capital. He then moved back to Ohio and started a business dedicated to growing jobs and opportunities in the American heartland. He also wrote the #1 bestselling book Hillbilly Elegy, which was turned into a Netflix movie.

In early 2018, Vance considered running for the U.S. Senate against Sherrod Brown but did not do so. In April 2021, Vance expressed interest in running for the Senate seat, which was vacated by Rob Portman. He ran and won a competitive Republican primary, and on November 8, in the general election, Vance defeated Democratic nominee Tim Ryan with 53% of the vote to Ryan's 47%, becoming the Junior Senator from Ohio. Thus, it can be said that J.D. Vance's success was based on his own efforts and achievements.

Kamala Harris was born into a life of privilege as both her parents were academics working at multiple universities. Her K12 education was at some of the best private schools available to her. Harris attended Howard University, a historically black university in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Howard in 1986 with a degree in political science and economics. She then attended law school at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, through its Legal Education Opportunity Program (LEOP), and graduated with a Juris Doctor in 1989.

In 1990, Harris was hired as a deputy district attorney in Alameda County, California, where she was described as "an able prosecutor on the way up". In 1994, Speaker of the California Assembly Willie Brown, who was then dating Harris, appointed her to the state Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board and later to the California Medical Assistance Commission. Harris took a six-month leave of absence in 1994 to join the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, then afterward resumed as prosecutor during the years she sat on the boards. While serving on the boards, she received a hefty salary from each board. Harris's connection to Brown was noted in media reportage as part of a pattern of Californian political leaders appointing "friends and loyal political soldiers" to lucrative positions on the commissions.

She became a Democrat political riser and star in California, where it is almost automatic that you will succeed if you are a Democrat. From 2004–2011, she ran and served as District Attorney of San Francisco. Nearly two years before the 2010 California Attorney General election, Harris announced she planned to run. She also stated she would run only if then-Attorney General Jerry Brown did not seek reelection for that position. Brown instead chose to run for governor, and Harris consolidated support from prominent California Democrats. She won a close election in 2010 against a Republican and easily won reelection in 2014, thus serving as California Attorney General from 2011–2017. In January 2015, Senator Barbara Boxer announced that she would not run for reelection in 2016, and Harris announced her candidacy for the Senate seat the following week. The 2016 California Senate election used California's new top-two primary format, where the top two candidates in the primary would advance to the general election regardless of party. Harris won by 60% over fellow Democrat Loretta Sanchez in the general election, becoming the junior Senator from California.

Her biggest challenge was in 2020 when she ran for the Democrat Presidential nomination but dropped out when it was apparent that she had little traction and was unlikely to even win the primary in her home state. Prior to her run for the Democrat Presidential nomination, she published a book, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, which achieved modest success during her candidacy for President and Vice-President. She was chosen to be Biden’s Vice-Presidential running mate when Biden committed himself to choosing a woman of color as his running mate. Thus, it can be said that Kamala Harris's success was based on her connections and physical attributes rather than her achievements.

Since becoming vice president, her record of achievement is dismal, as can be seen by her appointment with President Biden to lead the administration’s efforts to stem migration across the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as other efforts assigned to her. Her foreign policy trips have been uniformly panned, and her public appearances and speeches have become babble fests and muddled much of the time. What she has demonstrated is that she is not capable of being President if the need arises. Given President Biden’s mental and physical health deterioration, the need may arise if he gets worse and/or is reelected.

Accordingly, I again ask the question to the critics of J.D. Vance: Is it better to have a Vice-President who has succeeded in life at everything that he has done by his own efforts, or a Vice-President who has failed at many of the things that she has done and succeed only through her connections and/or her physical attributes? The answer is obvious to all but the most partisan: J.D. Vance is better qualified than Kamala Harris to become President if the need arises.

07/21/24 Special Counsels

In the United States, a Special Counsel (formerly called Special Prosecutor or Independent Counsel) is a lawyer appointed to investigate and potentially prosecute a particular case of suspected wrongdoing for which a conflict of interest exists for the usual prosecuting authority. Other jurisdictions have similar systems. For example, the investigation of an allegation against a sitting President or Attorney General might be handled by a special prosecutor rather than by an ordinary prosecutor who would otherwise be in the position of investigating his or her own superior. Special Counsels also have handled investigations into those connected to the government but not in a position of direct authority over the Justice Department's prosecutors, such as cabinet secretaries or election campaigns.

Since the expiration of the Independent Counsel statute in 1999, there has been no federal statutory law governing the appointment of a special counsel. Upon the law's expiration in 1999, the Justice Department, under Attorney General Janet Reno, promulgated procedural regulations governing the appointment of Special Counsels.

However, current regulations exist for a Special Counsel that has been utilized seven times since the law's expiration in 1999, but such regulations have not been legally adjudicated nor ruled upon by the Supreme Court. As such, the issue of the Constitutionality of a Special Counsel is an unresolved issue. The main issues are: Is it constitutional for a president or attorney general to create and fund a special counsel office without congressional approval, and can they appoint a person to head the special counsel office without Senate approval? In the current Supreme Court ruling on Presidential Immunity, Justice Thomas filed a concurring opinion in which he noted that he believed that a Special Counsel’s office was Unconstitutional. In the recent trial in Florida, in which former President Trump is accused of mishandling classified information, the judge ruled that the Special Counsel’s office was Unconstitutional as to its creation, funding, and appointment of Special Counsel, then dismissed all charges against President Trump based on that finding. The judge in the Washington D.C. trial of former President Trump, in which he is accused of election conspiracy, is also examining this issue, but she has yet to rule on this issue.

Thus, until the Supreme Court rules on the constitutionality of the current regulations, the constitutional issue of a Special Counsel is unresolved. Of course, Congress could enact legislation that formalizes a Special Counsel office and appointment, but given the bitter hyper-partisanship in modern America, I do not expect that this will happen.

07/20/24 It’s All About Power and Control

I have often said that as Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that their policies are best for all Americans. Consequently, the Progressives/Leftists and the Democrat Party are motivated to do what is best for them as they believe that any actions that they undertake to obtain and retain power are the proper and needful actions for the benefit of all Americans.

This is demonstrated in their current discussions and actions regarding President Biden. It has become obvious to all that Joe Biden is no longer physically and mentally fit to be President now or in the future. Yet, they are only attempting to have him withdraw his presidential candidacy and not resign from the Presidency. They are also scheming about how and who should replace him as a candidate while ignoring the democratic will of the primary voters who voted for his and Kamala Harris’s candidacy. These are not the actions of a party that is running on the promise to preserve “Our Democracy”, as I have Chirp on "01/11/22 Our Democracy". A party truly dedicated to “Our Democracy” would require that President Biden resign or for them to invoke the 25th Amendment to have him removed from office to be replaced by Kamala Harris as President (as she was democratically elected to do). They should also not be discussing any replacement for Kamal Harris as the presidential candidate of the Democrat Party, as she was democratically elected by the primary voters. As such, they are only interested in obtaining and retaining power for themselves regardless of the will of the Democrat Party primary voters.

In these words and deeds, they seem more concerned about the ignoble purposes of obtaining and retaining power and control over the American people than they are about preserving “Our Democracy”. Any party so interested in obtaining and retaining power for themselves is not a party dedicated to “Our Democracy”, but a party dedicated to themselves and a party that is only interested in establishing an autocracy over the people. Such a party does not deserve to be the leaders of a Freedom and Liberty loving people, nor of a people dedicated to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

07/20/24 Is the 25th Amendment Useless?

The 25th Amendment to the Constitution deals with the removal of a sitting President when they have become incapacitated. At the time prior to the adoption of the Amendment, it was hotly debated, with supporters and opponents offering various pros and cons for its adoption. Its supporters defended the Amendment as necessary in a world of modern medicine that can sustain life even when serious mental and physical disabilities addle a person, and the Amendment was the best that could be achieved. Its critics decried Section 4 of the Amendment as overly complicated and would require virtuous actions by politicians to be invoked and followed through, which was unlikely to occur, and the Amendment was confusing and complicated in its application.

Since the adoption of the 25th Amendment, there has been no serious need to invoke the 25th Amendment. Now that there is a need for this Amendment, it has been shown that the opponents of the 25th Amendment were correct in the application of this Amendment. We have a seriously addled President who refuses to resign even when members of his own party recognize his mental and physical disabilities, and we have seen no serious attempts to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. What we have seen is cover-ups and lies about his condition, aided and abetted by the Mainstream Media. The fact is that in a dangerous world, it is dangerous to have an addled President. As President Biden is obviously addled, he poses a danger to the American people and needs to be removed forthwith. Political considerations about his removal do not alleviate the danger he poses and are inconsequential to the possible dangers that we may face. Yet, political considerations have predominated in the discussions of his removal, and virtuous actions by politicians are nowhere to be seen.

The lesson to be learned is that while individual virtue by politicians may occur, collected virtue by many politicians is rare, and in both cases, political considerations often intervene in virtuous actions. Consequently, a law that requires virtuous actions by politicians is usually doomed to failure and should not be depended upon. Thus, the 25th Amendment has failed, and it needs to be replaced by an Amendment that does not require virtuous actions by politicians to be invoked and followed through.

07/19/24 Excoriating Lawfare

In an article by Andrew C. McCarthy, “Mr. President, If You Want to Mend Our Political Divide, End Lawfare”, he excoriates the practice of "Lawfare":

“Lawfare is the criminalization of policy differences and partisan rivalries. As such, it is another iteration of the same pathology Biden condemned in his Oval Office remarks: the abuse of power that catalyzes political violence.

A stable republic settles its differences in its democratic processes — debates by its elected representatives and fair elections. In an unstable nation, the ruling regime uses its control of prosecutorial power to imprison and harass opponents and dissenters. The objective is not just to suppress but to vilify political opponents — to portray them as treasonous, if not inhuman, and as an existential threat to the society. This is the same abomination that inspires political violence.

Included is lawfare’s inevitable regimen of two-tiered justice. In lawfare, the regime’s enemies are pursued obsessively, even for trivial or manufactured offenses — Bragg’s prosecution of Trump being a perfect example. In a contrast too stark to be missed, lawfare shields the regime’s apparatchiks and allies from serious prosecution even for violent crimes — witness the blind eye turned to rioting and other lawlessness by self-styled racial-justice and pro-Hamas agitators, the blatantly unlawful harassment of Supreme Court justices, and the Biden DOJ’s yearslong effort to shield the Biden family from accountability for influence-peddling.

The practice of two-tiered justice inculcates in the society the lesson that violence — whether against political enemies or in furtherance of regime-favored causes — is rewarded. It breeds ever more violence and instability.”

Lawfare only brings about despotism then tyranny, as I have examine in my collected Chirps on "Despotism in America" and "The Weaponization of Government". As is normal for Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, they often espouse lofty goals before committing disreputable words and deeds. Such is the case for President Biden as he often talks the talk, but rarely does he walk the walk, as he did in his Oval Office address to the Nation after the assignation attempt on President Trump. At the end of Mr. McCarthy’s article, he illuminates the deeds that are necessary to back up the talk:

“Sunday evening, the president said that Americans are not “enemies” of each other — that “we are friends and co-workers, citizens and most importantly fellow Americans,” who are bonded together despite our political differences. It is one thing for Joe Biden to say that. It’s another to prove that he means it. He can do that, cost-free but to great political benefit, by ending lawfare.”

07/19/24 Are They Enemies or Opponents?

It is all too common in modern America to view an opponent as an enemy. However, there are significant differences between an enemy and an opponent. Enemies are any hostile group of people who wish to defeat and destroy you, while opponents are those who offer adversarial disagreement with you. Enemies must be defeated, while opponents should be accommodated without sacrificing your principles.

Unfortunately, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists view Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as enemies that must be defeated by any means necessary rather than opponents who should not be elected through the normal political process of elections. Thus, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists engage in the tactics of Threats to Democracy, The Weaponization of Government, Lawfare, and the possible American Banana Republic, as I have written in my Chirp on “06/02/24 Welcome to Our American Banana Republic”. In engaging in any means necessary, they are being antithetical to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and are assaulting our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

They do this because Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. As such, they view Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as not just being wrong and stupid but that they are bad or evil persons, as demonstrated by their usage of pejoratives, as I have written about in my Article "Divisiveness in America".

This is nothing new for Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as they have been treating Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as enemies for several decades. Alas, they have forgotten the words from The Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

In their forgetfulness and in a long train of abuses and usurpations, they have angered those that they treat as enemies rather than opponents. An anger that is now at a boiling point that may tip us into a civil conflict or civil war, which is justifiable under the above principles of The Declaration of Independence.

07/18/24 Mainstream Media Cover-ups and Lies

Victor Davis Hanson's new article, “Our Brezhnev, our Pravda, our Soviet Union...” recounts how the Mainstream Media has become the Pravda (“Truth”) of America. Their cover-ups and lies about President Biden’s deteriorating mental and physical health do justice to the Pravda cover-ups and lies about the stasis of the Soviet Union’s General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev of the Communist Party. Cover-ups and lies that lasted for many years until they were able to announce that he had died. As Mr. Hanson stated in his article:

“Biden, too, is at that point of stasis. He cannot do press conferences, town halls, debates, or real interviews. To do so would confirm to the public the truth: that Biden is too cognitively challenged to continue his presidency.”

Thus, the cover-ups and lies about Biden’s health can no longer withstand the truths about his condition, and the Mainstream Media now professes shock that they were lied to about his health. However, they were lies that the mainstream media were all too willing to accept in their support for the politics of the Democrat Party and the Biden Administration, as I have written in my article on "Modern Journalism". An acceptance of lies that is contrary to their journalist ethics of uncovering the facts and reporting the truths of the facts to the American public. Such old-fashioned journalist ethics have become passé in modern America, and they have been replaced by advocacy journalism that adopts a non-objective viewpoint, usually for some social or political purpose. As such, in advocacy journalism, facts and truths do not matter if they contravene the accepted political narrative. Alas, the Free Press has become the Self-Censored Press to achieve the journalists’ political proclivities.

In such an advocacy journalistic era, democracy cannot survive, as democracy requires that the public have the unvarnished facts and truths to make an informed decision. However, in such an advocacy journalistic era, despotism can thrive, as those who have contrary facts and truths from the journalists’ political proclivities become fearful of recriminations for speaking their minds. In such an advocacy journalistic era, journalists become petty despots and, consequently, the enemies of Liberty and Freedom.

07/18/24 The Online Censorship Racket

In an article by Jonathan Turley, “Elon Musk is Right: End the Online Censorship Racket”, he discusses the recent report of the House Judiciary Committee and the disclosure of yet another effort to silence opposing viewpoints by squeezing the revenue of individuals or groups, including Elon Musk and Joe Rogan.

“Few Americans have ever heard of the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, let alone understand how it shapes what they read and hear in news and commentary. That may soon change.

An alarming new report of the House Judiciary Committee details this organization’s work to censor conservative and opposing viewpoints in the media by targeting figures such as Joe Rogan and entire social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter).

It is part of a massive censorship system that a federal court recently described as “Orwellian.” The sophistication of this system makes authoritarian regimes like China’s and Iran’s look like mere amateurs in censorship and blacklisting.”

Mr. Turley also points out:

“Through the years, I have testified repeatedly in Congress on this system supported enthusiastically by President Biden and his administration. It has proven to be a frustrating game of whack-a-mole for civil libertarians. The Democrats in Congress have uniformly opposed any investigation or action on censorship while denying for years that there was a coordinated effort between government and corporations. When we were successful in uncovering components of this system, they were often quickly shut down as the work shifted to other components and assets.”

Such duplicitous action reveals the true commitment of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists to stifle any speech that opposes their political goals and policy agendas. The fear of being targeted by such groups is also a form of despotism. A stifling and despotism that is an assault on our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

The question is, of course, what can be Constitutionally done to end this Online Censorship Racket? We had better find a solution to this problem before our Constitution becomes but a hollowed-out shell in protecting our "Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights".

07/17/24 That Didn’t Take Long

In a Washington Times article By Stephen Dinan, “Biden rejects responsibility for overheated rhetoric: ‘I’m not engaged in that’”, he discusses an interview that President Biden had with Lester Holt of NBC News on Monday, July 15, 2024:

“President Biden laid blame for the country’s overheated rhetoric at the feet of former President Donald Trump in an interview Monday and said he sees no need to change his own behavior.

A day after asking all sides to “cool” their words and two days after a gunman narrowly failed to assassinate Mr. Trump, Mr. Biden told NBC that it’s Republicans who have crossed the lines — and particularly Mr. Trump’s “inflammatory” words.

“I’m not engaged in that rhetoric. Now my opponent is engaged in that rhetoric. He talks about ‘bloodbath’ if he loses,” Mr. Biden said.

He specifically rejected the idea that he needs to do any soul-searching about his own words.”

Since that interview, other Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, and the Mainstream Media have disclaimed that they are engaging in overheated rhetoric and that Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives are primarily responsible for the overheated rhetoric. Such claims rely on "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language" to buttress the claim, which makes their claims ludicrous. If you are utilizing pejoratives, as I have written in my article Divisiveness in America, then you are engaged in overheated rhetoric.

This is but another example of how Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, and the Mainstream Media engage in navel-gazing when it comes to their own words and deeds. A navel-gazing that allows them to ignore the consequences of their own words and deeds and shift blame to their opponents for any negative consequences that their words and deeds engender. It is a self-delusion that absolves them from any responsibility for the havoc they may wreak. It is also a delusion that the mainstream media does not question and, indeed, supports, as it is also a delusion that the mainstream media also has.

These delusions are dangerous to America and Americans, as it allows for havoc to reign without assigning responsibility for the havoc. It also allows the perpetrators of the delusion to divert the American public from assigning responsibility to the persons who created the havoc, thereby stymieing the American people to take corrective actions to put an end to the havoc.

07/17/24 Zombie Lies

What is a Zombie Lie? Bill Maher coined this term to mean something that never was true, but certain people refuse to stop saying it, or something that used to be true but no longer is, but certain people pretend it's still true.

In a Real Time with Bill Maher interview with the notable black radio host Charlamagne Tha God, aka Lenard Larry McKelvey, Maher makes some interesting points. One issue that Maher has criticized progressives on is the lack of recognition of progress in America. Bill Maher was visibly disappointed by Charlamagne's statement that you need to be 5x better as a black person in America in 2024:

BM: "I think that's a zombie lie." CTG: "Why?" BM: "Because that's not America anymore."

Maher continued:

“Is there more work to be done? Sure, but it’s not 1619. It’s not even 1960. Non-whites can and do have the right to access any public facility without being seated in a racially segregated zone, can attend any educational institution, vote, drive cars, and do pretty much anything a Muslim woman cannot in Iran or Gaza. That’s the point. Jim Crow is dead—stop acting like we haven’t moved past it.”

He also stated:

“Every nation has a dark period in its history. Slavery was our original sin, and we fought the deadliest war in American history to resolve it. It doesn’t exist, though I’m sure many progressive students wish it did to feed their victimhood addiction. Things are exponentially better now than they were in 1960, or 1860, or 1760.”

I often disagree with Bill Maher, especially on what Zombie Lies are or are not. However, I believe that on this topic, he is absolutely correct, as I believe that on issues regarding human interactions:

“In regard to human interactions, time passes, things change, and what was true yesterday may not be true today, and what will be true tomorrow is unknown. Therefore, remember yesterday, live for today, and think about tomorrow.”  - Mark Dawson

Many statements are claimed to be Zombie Lies, but if the statement has some factual basis, it cannot be a lie, but it can be a mistaken and/or misleading statement. This is often true during a political dispute as both Zombie Lies and mistaken and/or misleading statements are all too common, as I have written in my article “Lies and Beliefs”. We should all keep in mind when evaluating the truth or falsehood of political statements that:

"Just because you 'believe' something to be true does not mean that you 'know' something is true, and just because someone says it is true or false doesn't make it true or false."   - Mark Dawson

Additionally, tis the Presidential election season when former Zombie Lies arise from the dead and become once again in vogue and all too common. Zombie Lies are told by partisans on both sides, but they appear to be a political tactic of the Democrat Party. This is especially true about President Trump's statements, as he is often too colorful and unclear in his statements, makes comical and facetious statements, and makes statements that border on or are Zombie Lies. The Democrat Party also takes many of Trump’s statements out of context to make them appear to be what they are not. It is also an unfortunate fact that Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are bereft of humor and will twist and turn Trump’s comical and facetious statements to make them appear to be serious statements. This is especially pernicious when the Zombie Lie said about Trump have been proven to be false, yet they are propagated to smear Trump.

Thus, beware of Zombie Lies from both sides during this political season, as they will become fast and furious for the next several months.

07/16/24 A Larger Voice in a Large Crowd

In a column by Noah Rothman, “Deeper into the Abyss”, he expresses the sentiments that are complementary to those that I expressed in my Chirp on “07/08/24 A Small Voice in a Large Crowd”:

“In moments like these, writing anything at all feels like an imprudent exercise. It’s hard to think of anything that will make a positive contribution to the discourse. The most prudent course would be to say nothing at all, gather information, and produce something of value when passions have cooled. But taking that path means ceding the environment to firebrands and political vandals whose enterprise depends on thoughtless fervor. If writing injudiciously risks exacerbating tensions in a political landscape rife with them, it’s just as irresponsible to allow the miscreants and demagogues to control the mic. So here goes.”

I have often delayed Chirping about a current event until more information becomes available or my anger subsides to a more dispassionate state. Given our current extremely contentious presidential election season, I expect that contentious events will occur fast and furiously, and there may be little time to reflect or calm down before the next contentious event occurs. Thus, I may be forced to Chirp more quickly than would be normal for myself. In such an environment, it can be expected that mistakes may occur or intemperate reactions may be exposed. If this should happen in my Chirps and Articles, I would ask your forgiveness beforehand, and I shall correct myself by addendum.

In the past, I have self-restricted my Chirps to one a day, but given the numerous, fast, and furious current events in this Presidential election cycle, I find that once a day is too limiting to give justice to the nonsense that is occurring. I, therefore, will begin to Chirp more than once a day to keep up with the nonsense. Any errors that may occur in my original Chirp will be corrected by an addendum in the original Chirp, while expansions to my original Chirp thoughts will engender a new Chirp.

07/15/24 Violence in the Political Arena

There have been many immediate comments by prominent people about the assassination attempt on President Trump, most of them about how individual violence is unacceptable in the political arena. However, there has been no such condemnation when mob violence is utilized for political purposes.

The most glaring example of this was the many incidents during the 2020 Summer of Riots throughout the last Presidential campaign. As reporters opined that the mobs were “mostly peaceful”, in the background of their reports were scenes of arson, looting, and vandalism in which approximately $2 billion in personal property destruction occurred and in which hundreds of people were injured, and approximately 45 persons were killed. Thousands of demonstrators turned out nightly, with some of them hurling fireworks, rocks, ball bearings, and bottles at law enforcement officers. The law enforcement officers responded with huge plumes of tear gas, rubber bullets, flash-bang grenades, and shielded charges that created chaotic, war zone-like scenes.

During these protests, many Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists voiced support for the protesters as justifiable actions by the events that preceded and triggered the protests. Some supporters and Democrat Party politicians even helped with fundraising in support of the rioters, and almost no prosecutions ensued against the rioters. When the January 6th, 2021, “Insurrection” occurred, there was immediate and universal condemnation and prosecutions for these rioters, as they were in opposition to the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists stances. Thus, it seems that mob violence is acceptable in the political arena if it is in support of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists convictions, but it is condemned when it opposes their convictions. Meanwhile, Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives have condemned all mob violence from all sides of the political spectrum.

Consequently, we have a dichotomy of what is acceptable and unacceptable violence in individual and mob violence where none should exist. All political violence should be condemned by all under all circumstances. Otherwise, we live in a chaotic society where A Civil Society cannot exist.

07/14/24 Blind, Deaf, and Clueless

One look at the video of the shooting of President Trump in Butler, PA., is enough for any semi-intelligent person to conclude it was an assassination attempt. Yet many in the Mainstream Media ran this story with the following headlines:

• “Secret Service Rushes Trump Off Stage after He Falls At Rally” - CNN
• “Secret Service Rushes Trump Offstage After Popping Noises Heard At His Pennsylvania Rally” - NBC News
• “Trump Apparently Injured at Rally” - MSNBC
• “Trump Rally Halted by Security Incident” - Fox News
• “Trump Rally Incident” - NBC News
• “Trump Speech Interrupted by Secret Service” - CNN
• “Trump Taken Away After Loud Noises at Rally” - Washington Post

If ever there was an excellent example of the bias of the Mainstream Media, these headlines take the cake. The Mainstream Media’s inability to accurately portray this assassination attempt demonstrates just how Blind, Deaf, and Clueless they are (and perhaps deliberately so) when it comes to reporting on Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives.

There have been many immediate comments by prominent people about this assassination attempt, mostly about how violence is unacceptable in the political arena. However, the most intelligent quote about the reason for this assassination attempt is by Former Attorney General Bill Barr, “The Democrats have to stop their grossly irresponsible talk about Trump being an existential threat to democracy. He is not.” When you demonize an opponent by personal pejoratives, as I have written in my article on “Divisiveness in America”, you set the stage for an irrational or mentally unbalanced person to take deplorable and deadly actions to eliminate the demonized person. Such has been the case of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists in their fear and loathing of Trump (i.e., TDS - Trump Derangement Syndrome). Thus, we have the following situation:

Alas, I do not expect Democrat Party Leaders or those who are infected by TDS to mute their rhetoric about Trump (except in the next few days), as it appears that this is the only effective strategy and tactic that they have to defeat Trump.

07/13/24 Republican Party Platform

The Republican National Committee has offered a 2024 Presidential Election Platform that has twenty points of what they wish to accomplish for the American people if Donald Trump is elected President. These points are:

1. SEAL THE BORDER, AND STOP THE MIGRANT INVASION
2. CARRY OUT THE LARGEST DEPORTATION OPERATION IN AMERICAN HISTORY
3. END INFLATION, AND MAKE AMERICA AFFORDABLE AGAIN
4. MAKE AMERICA THE DOMINANT ENERGY PRODUCER IN THE WORLD, BY FAR!
5. STOP OUTSOURCING, AND TURN THE UNITED STATES INTO A MANUFACTURING SUPERPOWER
6. LARGE TAX CUTS FOR WORKERS, AND NO TAX ON TIPS!
7. DEFEND OUR CONSTITUTION, OUR BILL OF RIGHTS, AND OUR FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS, INCLUDING FREEDOM OF SPEECH, FREEDOM OF RELIGION, AND THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS
8. PREVENT WORLD WAR THREE, RESTORE PEACE IN EUROPE AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND BUILD A GREAT IRON DOME MISSILE DEFENSE SHIELD OVER OUR ENTIRE COUNTRY -- ALL MADE IN AMERICA
9. END THE WEAPONIZATION OF GOVERNMENT AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
10. STOP THE MIGRANT CRIME EPIDEMIC, DEMOLISH THE FOREIGN DRUG CARTELS, CRUSH GANG VIOLENCE, AND LOCK UP VIOLENT OFFENDERS
11. REBUILD OUR CITIES, INCLUDING WASHINGTON DC, MAKING THEM SAFE, CLEAN, AND BEAUTIFUL AGAIN.
12. STRENGTHEN AND MODERNIZE OUR MILITARY, MAKING IT, WITHOUT QUESTION, THE STRONGEST AND MOST POWERFUL IN THE WORLD
13. KEEP THE U.S. DOLLAR AS THE WORLD’S RESERVE CURRENCY
14. FIGHT FOR AND PROTECT SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WITH NO CUTS, INCLUDING NO CHANGES TO THE RETIREMENT AGE
15. CANCEL THE ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATE AND CUT COSTLY AND BURDENSOME REGULATIONS
16. CUT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR ANY SCHOOL PUSHING CRITICAL RACE THEORY, RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY, AND OTHER INAPPROPRIATE RACIAL, SEXUAL, OR POLITICAL CONTENT ON OUR CHILDREN
17. KEEP MEN OUT OF WOMEN’S SPORTS
18. DEPORT PRO-HAMAS RADICALS AND MAKE OUR COLLEGE CAMPUSES SAFE AND PATRIOTIC AGAIN
19. SECURE OUR ELECTIONS, INCLUDING SAME DAY VOTING, VOTER IDENTIFICATION, PAPER BALLOTS, AND PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP
20. UNITE OUR COUNTRY BY BRINGING IT TO NEW AND RECORD LEVELS OF SUCCESS

As always, the devil is in the details, and the details will be hotly debated and demonized by the Democrat Party. I eagerly await the Democrat Party 2024 Presidential Election Platform so that I can compare and contrast the different platforms. Until then, I can only expect the platforms to sharply disagree with their visions and the future course of America.

07/12/24 If Trump Wins

A new campaign ad by the Biden Reelection campaign has started to run that makes the following points:

This begs the questions of:

• Why not Mass deportations and migrant detention camps for those persons who have entered America illegally?
• Why not Reinstate the Muslim Travel ban for those Muslim countries that have extensive ties to Islamic terrorists?
• Why not Deploy federal troops to Democratic-run cities when Law and Order is not being preserved in those cities?
• Why not Direct the DOJ to prosecute political opponents who have utilized Unconstitutional and illegal means to impose their will upon America?
• Why not Replace career civil servants with hard-line loyalists, as the current civil servants are hard-line Progressive loyalists?

There is also the problem of their utilizing fearmongering to invoke mob passion to vote against Trump rather than the usual political rhetoric to incentivize their supporters. The answer is that they are so deficient in their usual political rhetoric that they fear losing the election if they do not utilize fearmongering. This fearmongering further increases Divisiveness in America and harms A Civil Society.

Ronald Regan's question about Jimmy Carter’s record, “Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?” hangs over the reelection of President Biden. In an attempt to avoid answering this question, the Biden 2024 election campaign has resorted to fearmongering against Trump and Republicans to hide the factual answer to this question. America, the American people, and the world are not better off today than at the start of the Biden Administration. This answer is a sufficient reason to not vote for Biden and the Democrat candidates, and the utilization of fearmongering is a sufficient reason to vote for Trump and Republican candidates.

This, along with my chirp on “07/11/24 It’s On the Ballot”, is why the 2024 election is crucial to America's future. It is a choice of our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" versus a despotic government intent on establishing their "Oligarchy in America". God forbid the American electorate makes the wrong choice, as all hope may be lost for a bright and prosperous America dedicated to our American values.

07/11/24 It’s On the Ballot

As Jonathan Turley has written, “Since his dystopian speech outside of Independence Hall in 2022, President Joe Biden has made “democracy is on the ballot” his campaign theme. Pundits have repeated the mantra, claiming that if Biden is not elected, American democracy will perish.” I agree that democracy is on the ballot, as well as the American values of Freedom of Speech and the preservation of The Rule of Law in America. As I have written in my collected Chirps on "Threats to Democracy", "The Decline of Free Speech in America", and "The Weaponization of Government", we have seen a continual assault on these American values by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists. President Biden and his Administration have been at the forefront of this assault, and all three American values of Democracy, Free Speech, and the Rule of Law will perish if Joe Biden is reelected.

This assault is currently directed against former President Trump, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "The Trials of Trump", but it has also ensnared his associates, as well as ordinary Americans who have dared to express their virulent disagreement with Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders political goals and policy agendas. Thus, we have seen a form of despotism descend upon America. This despotism is on the ballot in the form of Democrat Party candidates who all seem to support these despotic actions.

Consequently, our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" are on the ballot in the 2024 election. Think wisely and choose carefully for whom you would vote in the 2024 elections, as the future course of American values is on the ballot.

07/10/24 Rational, Reasonable, and Virtuous

In my articles on "Rationality"  and "Reasoning", and in my collected Chirps on "Virtue in America", I discuss the importance of these attributes, especially in political life. A rational and reasonable person understands the mental and physical unfitness of President Biden to remain in office and run for reelection. A virtuous person would try to get him to resign and not run for reelection. However, rationality, reasonableness, and virtuousness seem to be lacking in Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists in regard to President Biden. Their fear and loathing of Trump (i.e., TDS - Trump Derangement Syndrome) runs so strong that they would sacrifice all to defeat Trump.

The discussions that they have been having on replacing Biden as their presidential candidate since the presidential debate have been about his electability rather than his mental and physical fitness, with fitness only being the excuse for dropping him. Prior to his awful Presidential Debate performance with Trump, they all were supportive of Biden and made excuses for his physical and mental difficulties. When it appeared that he was electable, there was no talk of replacing him; it was only excuses for his physical and mental deterioration so as to not harm his electability. Additionally, if he is indeed unfit to run for President, then he is unfit to be President, and they should be trying to get him to resign from the Presidency as well as not run for reelection. Thus, their words and deeds are not of a rational, reasonable, and virtuous person but of people who only wish to obtain and retain political office and power.

Their lust for power and control over the American government and society knows no restraints nor bounds, and they will not allow any obstacles to their lust. In their belief that they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good, and, as such, they believe that they can do no wrong. The Constitution, the Rule of Law, and Civil Discourse are all to be jettisoned in their lust for political office and power and in their Trump Derangement Syndrome. What they are sacrificing in this belief is the future of America as a land of Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All, as well as the security and safety of America and the world. Thus, they and President Biden are a danger to our American Ideals and Ideas, as well as to the security and safety of the American people and of the world.

07/09/24 The Best-Laid Plans

An article by Victor Davis Hanson, “Bidengate and the Doom Loop”, begins with him stating:

“The entire 2019-20 Biden candidacy and subsequent presidency were predicated on a rotten Faustian bargain. A hale Joe Biden would feign his aw-shucks, Joe from Scranton schtick. And an ossified working-class Joe’s camouflage would get the hard left elected—especially thanks to the changes in balloting laws that often saw only 30 percent of the electorate voting on Election Day in key states.

In exchange, the two narcissistic Bidens would bask in the power and attention of the presidency. From the start, Jill and the media would orchestrate deep cover for Joe’s escalating dementia as well as the true intentions of the now-in-power radical Democratic Party with its neo-socialist agenda. The former Obama acolytes would get their long-dreamed-of third presidential term. And this time they would enact a truly radical agenda while their string puppet mumbled to everyone that he was just old, familiar Joe working for the middle class.

The problem, inter alia, with the ruse was that it was based on a complete lie to the American people. Joe Biden was nowhere near cognitively competent. He could not campaign “normally” in 2020. And it would be impossible for his dementia to go undetected even in the ceremonial duties of the presidency for four, perhaps even eight, more years.”

Unfortunately for the Democrat Party, as the poet Robert Burns has said, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” The hubris of the Democrat Party Leaders that they could predict the progress of dementia in an individual and control the events surrounding a dementia-laden person is astonishing, and, as a result, their chickens have come home to roost. They are now laden with a presidential candidate whom most of the American people now recognize is in the throughs of dementia and is therefore unelectable.

As Victor Davis Hanson concludes in his article:

“Biden and the apparat that presses on with the current farce might well lose more than the presidency—by losing both houses of Congress and ensuring Trump an unobstructed legislative trajectory to implement a complete reversal of the Obama-Biden years.

Yet, if Biden should step down voluntarily, pundits have run through the endless ensuing problematics. They are considerable: will his successor be on the ballot in all 50 states? What will the Party’s leftist base do if the identity-politics-selected Harris is pushed aside (and what will it do if she is not and steps up to the presidency?). And how would a successor to Biden emerge in a free-delegate luche libre at a Chicago carnival convention, with chaos both inside the convention hall and a more violent “Death to America!’ bedlam on the streets outside?

So given all these nihilist alternatives, the two Bidens’ choice for now is to bark at the public. They will insult their own toadish media and deny the obvious. They will put the country’s interest dead last and connive that Joe can scowl, scold, lie, and yell at his critics—with not a care that our enemies abroad will conclude this is a golden Biden moment to do something stupid that may not come again.”

This entire article is well worth the read, as it documents the hubris of the Democrat Party Leaders in perpetuating this fraud on the American people and the problems this fraud has engendered upon America and the Democrat Party.

07/08/24 A Small Voice in a Large Crowd

I am but a small voice in a large crowd of free speech in opposition to modern American Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders' political goals and policy agendas. But it has become  very dangerous to be in this crowd in modern America, as the Threats to Democracy, The Weaponization of Government, Lawfare, and a possible American Banana Republic, as I have written in my Chirp on “06/02/24 Welcome to Our American Banana Republic”, have become predominant in modern America.

This is why I am very careful in presenting a reasonable and rational argument for my opinions. I am also very careful in choosing my words, terms, and phrases in my writings so that I will not be misunderstood by my readers or mischaracterized by those who disagree with me. I am also concerned that if I become a louder and more important voice, then I would face "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" and possible Lawfare of those that disagree with my opinions. Such carefulness should be utilized by all in their opinions, as it makes for A Civil Society. However, civil society does not condone the Three D’s nor Lawfare, which has become all too common in modern America.

Consequently, I must also be wary of expressing my opinions as I may suffer reputational, financial, or legal harm for doing so. This wariness is antithetical to the meaning of Free Speech and constricts free speech to those who have the courage or legal and financial resources to express what they think. I have the courage but lack the legal and financial resources to defend myself if Lawfare by my opponents is brought against me.

It is a shame that we have come to this point in American society. Without true freedom of speech, we become a mute and acquiescent people, subservient to those who have the governmental or legal and financial resources to engage in The Weaponization of Government or wage Lawfare. This must end, or we run the very real possibility of slip-sliding down the slippery slope into despotism and tyranny. A despotism that is already occurring in modern America, and a despotism that is being instituted by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders against their opponents.

07/07/24 Limitations on Free Speech

I have often mentioned that Free Speech is under assault in modern America, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "The Decline of Free Speech in America". In the book by Jonathan Turley, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage”, in Part IV of the book “Restoring the Indispensable Right”, the author examines the many ways that Free Speech is under assault in modern America. Those that engage in this assault claim that words are hurtful and provocative, or they are disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation and, thus, need to be censured for preventing the harm to persons and society that these words engender. Professor Turley also states that “The use of disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation is a modern conceit used to protect the sensibilities and self-image of those denying free speech. As with ‘content moderation’ these terms allow advocates to avoid terms like censorship that still come with a stigma in polite circles.” Those who assault Free Speech often justify these assaults on free speech under the mantra that nobody should be allowed to shout fire in a crowded theater or spread falsehoods that bring about negative repercussions. They also claim that the Constitution is not a suicide pack and, therefore, the First Amendment right to Free Speech can be limited to exclude words that harm a person or society. Such claims are in themselves falsehoods, as they are deeds rather than words that cause harm, and the suppression of free speech in any form or for any reason is harmful to a person and society.

It has become painfully obvious in modern America that what was considered “truths” in the past have become falsehoods in the present. During the Coronavirus Pandemic, the natural origin of the COVID-19 virus, the importance of masks and social distancing to prevent infections, the need to slow the spread and prevent infections by closure of schools and limiting public gatherings, and the efficacy of vaccinations were all deemed to be truths in the past but are now known to be falsehoods. Anyone who exercised their Free Speech rights to challenge these “truths” in the past was condemned and censured as spreading falsehoods that harmed individuals and society. As a result of these past “truths” being unchallengeable and dissent being suppressed, much harm was done to individuals, the economy, and society. Hence, the limitation of free speech was a real harm to Americans, America, and the world.

The other problem with limiting Free Speech is who shall determine what is hurtful, provocative, or disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation. To paraphrase Thomas Sowell, "The most basic question is not what is harmful, but who shall decide what is harmful?” as there is much disagreement on what is harmful. As I have often said, I will agree with limitations on Free Speech and other policy decisions that impact Americans if I am to be the person who makes such decisions. I am sure that this would not be acceptable to those who disagree with me, as it is unacceptable to me that those that I disagree with make decisions on what is harmful. To allow any one person, or a group of people, to make decisions on what Free Speech is harmful can only result in despotism and eventual tyranny in America.

Thus, any limitations on Free Speech harm all and is a form of despotism. A form of despotism that is antithetical to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and an assault on our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

07/06/24 The Moment for Choosing

In an article in The New York Sun, they report that Trump Is endorsed for President by three leading columnists who say the campaign has reached ‘the Moment for Choosing’. Conrad Black, Victor Davis Hanson, and William Bennett, in a detailed statement, declare Trump the better candidate in ‘every important policy area.’

“We believe,” the three say, “that America and the world would be best served by the reelection of President Trump. We believe this because we find him superior in every important policy area, a much more capable executive, a much stronger and more energetic and intellectually agile occupant of such an enervating office, and a person who, despite terrible bouts of hucksterism in his commercial career, is substantially less compromised ethically than President Biden.”

In the conclusion of this report, Messrs. Black, Hanson, and Bennett state that “the indomitable resistance” by President Trump to the campaign against his candidacy has “enabled him to show admirable strength of character under daunting conditions” — making the 45th president the candidate who would “best serve the interests of the United States and of the Western world.”

To which I would comment, “Amen!”

07/05/24 Propogandists Rather Than Journalists

The recent debacle of President Joe Biden in the first presidential debate also demonstrates how the Mainstream Media and Social Media are a debacle. For the last several years, the Mainstream Media and Social Media have been covering up the decline of President Biden’s mental and physical health deterioration, or they have been making or propagating excuses for his decline. His decline has now become painfully apparent to the American people, and this decline can no longer be covered up by the Mainstream Media and Social Media.

The Mainstream Media and Social Media have retorted that they were misled by the Biden Administration, and they were only reporting on what they had been told by Biden insiders. However, a reporter is not a scribe, and, as such, they have the duty and responsibility to uncover the facts and truth and then report their discoveries to the American public. Otherwise, they are but lemmings running off the cliff with the other lemmings rather than being objective and uncovering the facts and truths and reporting them. A journalist has this duty and responsibility to the American public to report the facts and truths, as the facts and truths are necessary for the American people to make informed judgments.

In Chapter 27, “‘False News’ and Censorship by Surrogate”, in the book “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage” by Jonathan Turley, the author points out that in the Biden Administration and by Democrat Party leaders:

“The coordination of censorship and blacklisting of dissenting voices in recent years raises the concern over the establishment of a de facto state media. While the First Amendment was designed to prevent the control of media through prior restraint and direct regulation, it is possible to have a state media by consent rather than coercion. The government found willing allies in media and social media companies for a system of censorship and blacklisting.”

Much of this lack of reporting the facts and truths is that the Mainstream Media and Social Media have a predilection for Progressive policies and Democrat Party politicians and do not wish to report anything that may go against their predilections or be helpful to Conservative policies or Republican Party politicians. Thus, Mainstream Media and Social Media have become propagandists rather than journalists.

07/04/24 Celebrate the Meaning of Independence Day

As I have written in my previous July 4th Chirps on Independence Day Celebrations, our celebrations of July 4th must be more than a celebration of independence from England but also a celebration of our American Ideals and Ideas. Our American ideals that are expressed in the Declaration of Independence are what we should be celebrating on Independence Day. Without celebrating these American ideals and ideas, we are only celebrating a historical event, not the meaning of this historical event. This is especially true for today's celebration, as we have entered into a period of Threats to Democracy, The Weaponization of Government, Lawfare, and a possible American Banana Republic, as I have written in my Chirp on “06/02/24 Welcome to Our American Banana Republic”. Accordingly, we must celebrate the principles of the Declaration of Independence to fully give meaning to our Independence Day celebrations. As such, we should all read and ponder the opening words of the Declaration of Independence:

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America. When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

We should also think of the abuses of government as listed in the Declaration of Independence and ponder if these abuses are present in our current governance. If so, we should rededicate ourselves to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and end these abuses. If these abuses are not ended, then the Declaration of Independence is a warning: “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

07/03/24 Independence and Seditious or Treasonous Rebellion

Were the protests at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021, equivalent to the Boston Tea Party? The Boston Tea Party was an American political and mercantile protest on December 16, 1773, by the Sons of Liberty in Boston in colonial Massachusetts. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the East India Company to sell tea from China in American colonies without paying taxes apart from those imposed by the Townshend Acts. The Sons of Liberty strongly opposed the taxes in the Townshend Act as a violation of their rights. In response, the Sons of Liberty, some disguised as Native Americans, destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company. The Boston Tea Party was the first act of rebellion by the American Colonists, which eventually led to the greatest act of rebellion in the American Revolution, in which the British government labeled the Declaration of Independence as seditious and the Revolution as treasonous.

America has a history of rebellion when perceived injustices by the government occur. Indeed, at the founding of America, we had the Shay’ Rebellion (1786-1787), the Whiskey Rebellion (1791-1794), and the Fries's Rebellion (1799-1800), which required forceful government intervention to quell. In each case, the Government (British for the Boston Tea Party and the American governments for the other rebellions) labeled the perpetrators as seditious or treasonous and tried the perpetrators for such. Throughout American history, there were other " rebellions” in which the government labeled the perpetrators as seditious or treasonous and took legal action against the perpetrators. In modern America, we have seen the Civil Rights movement (1954–1968) and Vietnam War opposition (1965-1973) “rebellions” change the course of American history. All these rebellions were initially labeled as seditious or treasonous, and all of them were instituted by a minority of Americans who perceived injustices in America.

Thus, America is a society of irascible and irresistible impulses to challenge authority and rebellious actions when perceived injustices by the government occur. Many of these “rebellions” were for the good of American society, as these “rebellions” changed the course of America for the better. In many cases, the governmental actions against the perpetrators were for their words rather than their deeds. Deeds that cause death, injury to others, and property damage or destruction are legitimate causes for legal actions. However, words are not a legitimate cause for legal actions, as they are protected speech under the First Amendment to the Constitution. The punishment for improper actions needs to be proportionate to the deeds under the 8th Amendment and other amendments and clauses of the Constitution. Otherwise, you are, in effect, punishing the words of the perpetrators.

The January 6th, 2021, United States Capitol Building attack in Washington, D.C., was the actions of a mob of supporters of then-U.S. president Donald Trump two months after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. The perpetrators perceived that the election was unjust and corrupt, and they sought to occupy the Capitol and prevent a joint session of Congress from counting the Electoral College votes to formalize the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. The attack was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing the certification of the election results, and Joe Biden became President of the United States.

Since that time, there has been a House of Representatives investigation of this attack and prosecutions against the perpetrators. An investigation that has now been discredited as unbalanced and prejudiced against the perpetrators and concealment of improper government actions before, during, and after the attack. The charges, prosecutions, and sentences of the perpetrators are well out of proportion to the deeds of the perpetrators, and the proper due process of law for the perpetrators has been questioned. In all these investigations and prosecutions, the perpetrators were characterized by the government as seditious and rebellious (and even by some as terrorists in lieu of treasonous), much like all the previous “rebellions” in American history.

Thus, the question is, should the January 6, 2021, protests at the United States Capitol Building be perceived as equivalent to the other “rebellions” in American history? It is a question that we must all ponder in deciding what to make of this “rebellion” and how history will perceive this “rebellion”.

07/02/24 Independence and Bearing Arms

As we celebrate Independence Day, we should remember that there would be no Independence Day celebrations if the American Colonists did not bear arms. The right to bear arms is not only for the purposes of being able to hunt for food but also for protection against violence by others against yourself, your family, and your property, and for the ability to defend against oppressive government actions, as I have Chirped on "10/24/20 The Natural Right of Self-Protection". Our Founding Fathers knew this by not only protecting themselves against marauding Indians but also protecting themselves against British and French troops that would infringe on their Natural Rights.

American colonists declared their intention to protect themselves through armed conflict, if necessary, against British threats against them and their natural rights. When the British attempted to seize their weapons, they utilized armed resistance to protect themselves. The Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, ensued, and along with the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, the American Revolution began.

Your Natural Right to keep and bear arms has been under assault for several decades. An assault led by regulations on the purchase of firearms and ammunition and also by calls for “commonsense” gun control, limitations on the purchase of types of firearms and ammunition, as well as limitations on firearm accessories. An assault, as I have written in the subsection “The Right to Bear Arms” of my History Article, “The Underlying Meaning of the Bill of Rights”. The book In Defense of the Second Amendment by Larry Correia, which I have reviewed in my Book It on “04/01/23 What Part of the Second Amendment Don’t You Understand?”, is one of the best references of the meaning and importance of our Natural Right to keep and bear arms.

As we do not regulate or restrict our First Amendment rights of Free Speech, Peaceful assembly, Free Press, Religious Freedom, and Petitioning the Government, why should we be able to restrict or regulate our Second Amendment Right to Keep and Bear Arms? The restrictions and regulations on these rights are antithetical to the purpose and intent of the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and are thus un-American.

We have seen a concerted effort by some parties in modern America to restrict or strip our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, which is antithetical to the intent of the Founding Fathers in ensuring that our Natural Rights are sacrosanct in our society and protected against governmental interference with these Natural Rights. Accordingly, anyone who would deny you the right to bear arms is denying you the right to protect yourself from tyranny.

Thus, as we celebrate Independence Day, we should all remember that without the right to keep and bear arms, there would be no Independence Day, and without protecting our right to keep and bear arms, we run the risk of our Natural Rights being infringed and our slip-sliding down the slippery slope into tyranny.

07/01/24 Independence and Free Speech

In celebration of Independence Day, this month’s Book It selection is but one book, “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage” by Jonathan Turley. This book examines the history and legal issues of Free Speech in America. However, it is neither a legal nor historical tome, but a readable, understandable, and enjoyable book suitable for the general public.A book that is a timely, revelatory look at freedom of speech—our most basic right and the one that protects all the others. Without freedom of speech, America would not have had Independence Day, as it was free speech that set into motion all the events that led to our independence from England.

Alas, Free Speech is under assault in modern America in our current age of rage. This book reminds us of the importance of Free Speech in preserving our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". At the very least, you should read and ponder the Introduction and Conclusion of this book to comprehend the importance of Free Speech and the current assaults on Free Speech in modern America.

06/30/24 So Be It!

In an article by Andrew C. McCarthy, “Why Joe Biden?”, he answers this question, “Because Democrats wanted to stay in power and propping him up, as impossible as that has now become, seemed to be the best plan.” He also makes the point that Biden’s closest aides and the top Democrats are responsible for propping up Joe Biden, but many Democrats are not part of this effort:

“As catastrophic as Biden is in his senescence, he remains useful cover for the fact that the youth, energy, and money in the Democratic Party is woke-leftist, Islamist, counter-constitutionalist, post-American, and unelectable.

This doesn’t mean the whole Democratic Party is that way. But it does mean that sensible Democrats have to mind their tongues and genuflect in the crazies’ direction if they want to remain viable. They may personally believe, like the majority of Americans believe, that the border needs to be secure; that we can’t allow millions of illegal aliens a year to enter the country; that we don’t want boys and men invading the formerly safe spaces of girls and women; that mere statistical racial disparities in outcomes do not establish racism; that crime — especially recidivist crime — is a serious problem; that we need to back Israel’s wars against Hamas, Hezbollah, and their Iranian patrons; that a radical “green energy” transition the country is not ready for weighs too heavily on the budgets of everyday Americans even as it drives the national economy deeper into the ditch; and that America, warts and all, is fundamentally good — rightly, the envy of the world. But woe betide the Democrat who gives voice to such commonsense views.

Democrats have thus rolled the dice with Biden, and with the nation’s security, because the alternative is dealing with that rift.”

Being a mature adult requires that you accept the responsibility for your words and deeds and bear the burdens of the negative consequences of your words and deeds. As the Bible says in Galatians VI, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” and in Hosea 8:7, “For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind.” the Democrat Party has sown and is now reaping. It now appears that Biden may be unelectable and may drag down other Democrat Party candidates with him, to which I say, “So Be It!”. The Democrat Party must now bear the burdens of their words and deeds, and they deserve their reaping from their sowing, and America and the American people will be better off as a result.

06/29/24 Beyond the Pale

A typical modus operandi of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders is to utilize political tactics and rhetoric that are considered beyond the pale of acceptable political means, and when Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders use these tactics, they call for an end to these tactics and rhetoric as beyond the pale of acceptable political means. They also do not offer any apology for their using these tactics and rhetoric, nor do they offer any recompense for those harmed by their tactics and rhetoric. This is, of course, a double standard of conduct and the height of hypocrisy. Alas, double standards of conduct and hypocrisy for Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders is the norm in modern America.

Inflaming mob passions with disingenuousness and lying to the American people is a tactic that is beyond the pale and often used by Democrat Party Leaders. Persecuting and prosecuting their opponents’ words and deeds while excusing their supporters’ words and deeds is hypocritical and beyond the pale. Filing frivolous legal lawsuits to tie up in legal proceedings and delay actions with which they disagree is beyond the pale. Their use of unconstitutional means to achieve their policy goals and political agendas is beyond the pale.

When the Supreme Court issued rulings with which they agreed, they supported the independence of the Supreme Court. However, when the Supreme Court issued rulings with which they did not agree, they wanted to make the Supreme Court more compliant to their viewpoints through threats as well as by denigrating some Supreme Court Justices and by utilizing various unconstitutional means to change the composition of the Supreme Court, all of which is beyond the pale. Their "The Weaponization of Government" and their rhetoric on "Threats to Democracy" is only applied to their opponents, and not their supporters, and is beyond the pale. Even laws have been crafted that exempt themselves and their supporters from the law, which is hypocritical and beyond the pale.

Their deliberate sowing of confusion in the American public mind through "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors", "Putting Words into Another's Mouth", "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", and "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and their utilization of "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" is beyond the pale.

The reason for this is that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Consequently, Progressives/Leftists and the Democrat Party leaders are motivated to do what is best for them, as they believe that what is best for them is best for all Americans. In addition, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are only interested in obtaining and retaining power to implement their policy goals and political agendas, and, therefore, they believe that any tactic and rhetoric to achieve political power for them is acceptable political means. As I have Chirp on "05/26/24 There Be Witches and Warlocks", they also believe that Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders are evil and that any tactic and rhetoric necessary to defeat them is acceptable. All of this is beyond the pale.

These political tactics and rhetoric by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are contrary to A Civil Society and invoke Divisiveness in America, and are therefore beyond the pale. Consequently, they are despicable political tactics and rhetoric that should end. However, we can only expect that they will end when they become ineffective and lead to election losses for Democrat Party candidates. Accordingly, it is up to the American public to end these beyond the pale tactics and rhetoric by not voting for Democrat Party candidates. Only then will the Democrat Party reform itself and stop going beyond the pale.

06/28/24 Stuttering and Cluttering

Stuttering is a disruption in the fluency of verbal expression characterized by involuntary, audible or silent repetitions or prolongations of sounds or syllables. These are not readily controllable and may be accompanied by other movements and by emotions of a negative nature, such as fear, embarrassment, or irritation (Wingate 1964).

Cluttering is a disorder of both speech and language processing that frequently results in rapid, dysrhythmic, sporadic, unorganized, and often unintelligible speech (Daly, 1993).

Stuttering and Cluttering are treatable, but sometimes not. Treating them earlier in life is more likely to be successful than treating them later in life (as it is with most psychological treatments). Stuttering and Cluttering in old age can be very difficult to correct due to the mental effects of old age, and stuttering and cluttering often become more pronounced in old age and are often symptoms of mental decline.

The history of Joe Biden has been one of stuttering, but it has now become one of cluttering. The appearance of President Biden in the 2024 State of the Union address, and now the first Presidential debate of 2024, in which his stuttering and cluttering were not as readily apparent as in his other public appearances, leads one to wonder if there is a pharmaceutical reason for his minimal stuttering and cluttering in these venues. If so, he and his team are attempting to hoodwink the American public into believing that he is mentally fit to be President. We know as a historical fact that the spouses and close associates of Democrat Presidents Woodrow E. Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt lied and hid the deteriorating physical and mental health of these presidents to retain power, and it appears that the spouse and close associates of Democrat Joe Biden are doing the same as regards to his deteriorating physical and mental health. Such lies and hides are a sufficient reason not to vote for Biden in the upcoming presidential election.

The question is, is President Biden’s cluttering one of the mental effects of old age? Given that he is exhibiting other physical and mental declines (difficulties in climbing stairs, awkward gaits, being physically led around by others, wandering inappropriately, blank stares, and other awkward displays), it is safe to assume his cluttering is one of mental decline.

Just as you would not give an older person who has severe cluttering the responsibility of conducting your business or handling your finances, so the American should not give responsibilities of the Presidency and the conducting of the Executive Branch administration to Joe Biden. It is well past time for Joe Biden to retire from the public stage and enjoy what time he has left in life with his family.

06/27/24 The Unethical and Immoral in Political Debates

With the first 2024 Presidential debate occurring tonight, the American people should be very wary of what both candidates espouse in this debate. President Trump has a well-deserved reputation for exaggerating his record and exorbitant statements about his opponents. President Biden has a well-deserved reputation for outright lying about himself and his record and claiming that his opponents are lying about himself and his record.

Politicians exaggerating their records and exorbitant statements about their opponents is to be expected in their politicking and political disputes. However, while I consider this conduct to be unethical, I also realize that it is normative for politicians throughout history and that there is nothing that can be done about it. However, outright lying and claiming that opponents are lying when the truth is demonstrable is immoral and should not be tolerated.

It should also be remembered by the American public that facts and truths can be interpreted differently by persons of goodwill. Such interpretations are not unethical or immoral; they are disputes. Disputes which should be adjudged in a different manner than unethical or immoral statements.

Thus, in tonight’s presidential debate, the American public needs to be cognizant of the unethical, immoral, and disputed aspects of the debate and make their judgments on the debate with this in mind.

06/26/24 Reality Check

Ray Didinger is an American sportswriter, radio personality, sports commentator, author, playwriter, and an honoree of the writers’ honor roll in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He has spent his entire career covering the NFL Philadelphia Eagles as well as other Philadelphia sports teams. During his time as a sports commentator, when the other commentators or fans became over-exuberant about the Eagles, he would often interject with the phrase “Reality Check” and proceed to bring back some sanity to the discussion.

In that spirit, I believe it is time to have a “Reality Check” on the assertions of what President Trump may do if he is elected. A reality check is based on what he did (or did not) do when he was President and what his opponents claim he will do if he is elected.

You may recall that during the 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton was embroiled in a scandal regarding her private e-mail server and the mishandling of classified information. The chant of “Lock Her Up” rang out loud amongst Trump supporters, while Clinton supporters claimed that it was not a serious violation of the handling of classified information. Given my experience in the handling of classified information, as I have written in my article Classified Information, I can attest that this was a serious violation and that if other people with security clearances had done what Hillary Clinton did, they would have been prosecuted and if convicted would have served time in prison. Upon entering office, President Trump took no action against Hillary Clinton, despite his supporters' pressure to do so, as he decided that for the good of the country, no action was the best action. Thus, we can conclude that Trump places the good of the country as his highest priority regarding his actions against opponents.

During the Trump Administration, we did not see any threats to democracy or the weaponization of government that occurred during the Obama and Biden administrations, as I examined in my collected Chirps on "Threats to Democracy" and "The Weaponization of Government". The only threat that the Trump Administration presented was the threat to block Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders political goals and policy agendas and his disruption of their desire to establish their oligarchy in America, which I have written about in my collected Chirps on "Oligarchy in America". It was because of these blockages and disruptions that President Trump was relentlessly attacked by his opponents, and, despite these attacks, he did not take any personal actions against his opponents that his opponents claimed he would take against them if he was once again elected. Trump has stated that if he is once again elected, he will be too busy fixing the problems of America to engage in any retaliation or revenge against his opponents. Given that he has shown that he places the good of the country as his highest priority, there is no reason to disbelieve this statement.

During the Trump Administration, the stonewalling, disingenuousness, and lying to Congress and the American people were minimal, as to be expected of contentious political disputes. During the Biden Administration and somewhat the Obama Administration, stonewalling, disingenuousness, and lying were taken to a new level and became standard operating procedure. Consequently, we can expect that if Trump is once again elected, stonewalling, disingenuousness, and lying will return to normal levels.

In the Biden Administration, we have also seen defiance to Supreme Court rulings with which they disagree (i.e., student loan forgiveness, the overturning of Federal abortion rights, and other rulings) to an extent never seen in the Trump Administration. Thus, Trump worked within the Supreme Court rulings while Biden worked against Supreme Court rulings. Consequently, we can expect that if Trump is once again elected, Supreme Court rulings will not be defied, and he will work within Supreme Court rulings.

In the Biden and Obama administrations, we saw a distortion of the doctrine of prosecutorial discretion to avoid law enforcement for those laws with which they disagreed. Insidiously, what the Obama–Biden administration dubbed “prosecutorial discretion” was, in reality, a dereliction of the president’s Constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed. In the Trump Administration, while there was some abuse of prosecutorial discretion, it was nowhere near the extent and for the purposes of invalidating the law as in the Biden and Obama Administrations.

Therefore, assertions of what he would do if he was elected bear little relationship to the reality of what he did or did not do as President. Consequently, these assertions are nothing but irrational fearmongering by his opponents. A fearmongering that is meant to sway the election based on emotional responses rather than intelligent thought. Fearmongering that is amongst the lowest form of electioneering. Such it is with Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as they are aware that fearmongering and mob passions help Democrat candidates, while intelligent thought leads voters away from Democrat candidates.

Alas, what we can expect if Trump is elected is that the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists will ratchet up their rhetoric and use whatever means necessary to oppose Trump and his political goals and policy agendas. Whatever means necessary to include inflaming mob passions with disingenuousness and lying to the American people, stonewalling in Congress, as well as frivolous legal lawsuits and sometimes unconstitutional actions to oppose Trump. Means that are contrary to A Civil Society and invoke Divisiveness in America.

06/25/24 Some Other Democrat for President

There has been talk of replacing President Joe Biden as the Democrat candidate for President with another Democrat leader. The most prominent name mentioned is California Governor Gavin Newsom. Gavin Newsom has political appeal as a younger, attractive, charming, and articulate person. The question, however, is if his intelligence, skills, and abilities are sufficiently abundant to right the course of America and provide leadership to correct the ills of America. In a column by Victor Davis Hanson, “How California's Paradise Become Our Purgatory”, he examines the current state of affairs in California under Gavin Newsom and begins his column by stating:

“California has become a test case of the suicide of the West. Never before has such a state, so rich in natural resources and endowed with such a bountiful human inheritance, self-destructed so rapidly.

How and why did California so utterly consume its unmatched natural and ancestral inheritance and end up as a warning to Western civilization of what might be in store for anyone who followed its nihilism?

The symptoms of the state’s suicide are indisputable.”

He then examines the many problems in California and their impacts on California and the people of California under the leadership of Governor Gavin Newsom. It is not a pretty record and serves as a warning to the American people if Gavin Newsom should become President. He concludes this column by stating:

“In sum, a privileged Bay Area elite inherited a California paradise and turned it into purgatory.”

Consequently, a President Gavin Newsom can be expected to turn America into a purgatory. Unfortunately, for the Democrat Party (and America), the other names being mentioned do not have the political appeal as attractive, charming, and articulate persons, nor sufficient capability to right the course of America and provide leadership to correct the ills of America. Thus, the Democrat Party may be stuck with Joe Biden. Let us hope that America is not stuck with Joe Biden for another four years, nor stuck with the other names being mentioned to replace Joe Biden.

06/24/24 A Reminder on Economics in Politics

As I have stated in my Chirp on "12/15/22 The Ultimate End of Tax and Spend":

“Regarding  government taxing and spending, it can be said:

“The major difference between the Democrat Party and the Republican Party fiscal policies is that the Democrats love to tax and spend, while the Republicans love to reduce taxes and spend. The major controversies are on what to tax and how to spend the taxpayers’ monies.”  - Mark Dawson

One of the most astute observations in politics on taxing is:

“Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree!”  - Russell B. Long

However, what follows this on spending is often:

“Spend on me, spend on you, don’t spend on that fellow behind the tree!”  - Mark Dawson

However, As Taxing and Spending always lead to debts and deficits, and ultimately inflation and/or recession for me, you, and the other fellow, the truth is:

“Economically, the wisest thing to do is to reduce taxes on everyone and to constrict spending to the revenues generated by taxes while paying off the National Debt with part of the revenue generated.”  - Mark Dawson

It also pits those paying taxes against those receiving the spending. And as there are fewer taxpayers and more spending receivers, it skewers elections in favor of those politicians that advocate increased taxing and more spending.”

These maxims should be remembered as we enter the 2024 Presidential election cycle. Beware the bloated political rhetoric from both Democrats and Republicans on taxing and spending, as there is not much economic truth in bloated political rhetoric, especially from Democrat candidates’ fearmongering emotional appeals and Republican candidates’ passionate scare tactics. You need to be very concerned and consider the economics of spending before you cast your vote for a candidate. After considering economics, it is possible to cast a rational vote for the candidate that you believe is the most economically responsible. Not considering economics is a plunge into further economic distress and potentially economic ruin.

06/23/24 The Piggy Bank of the Biden Administration

Politicians have often treated the public treasury as a piggy bank to reward their supporters. Such has it always been, and such it will always be. The issue is to not allow this piggy banking to corrupt the duties and responsibilities of the politicians. It is also unethical and illegal to channel government monies to groups or organizations that will utilize these monies for electioneering purposes.

Unfortunately, this seems to be the modus operandi of the Biden Administration. Government funding (i.e., taxpayer monies) is being channeled to groups and organizations that support the Biden agenda and being restricted from groups and organizations that differ from the Biden agenda. Recent revelations have shown an increase in government funding to groups and organizations who are actively involved in election activities to get out the vote or propagandize for President Biden’s reelection.

Such funding and grant monies are supposed to be spent for the goals of the groups and organizations and for no other purposes. However, it is easy to fudge such money with accounting gimmicks and other nefarious methods to disguise how the money is spent. The use of taxpayer’s monies for election purposes is immoral as well as unethical, as it has been said: 

"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."   - Thomas Jefferson

It is also corruption in elections when such monies are spent for election purposes, as it gives the incumbent an advantage of money over their opponent.

Thus, the Biden Administration is involved in corrupt, illegal, immoral, and unethical actions to give themselves an unfair and illegal advantage in the 2024 presidential election. But this should be of no surprise to anyone who examines the workings of the Biden Administration, as the Biden Administration is rife with corruption, illegalities, immoralities, and unethical actions.

06/22/24 Are They the Same?

The attempts of Biden supporters to claim that the convictions of Donald Trump and Hunter Biden are a refutation of a two-tiered system of justice, on the superficial reason that both a Republican and Democrat person were convicted of crimes, is ludicrous.

The difference is that the Donald Trump convictions were obtained by nebulous and improper charges and corruption of the due process of law, as I have examined in my collected Chirps on "The Trials of Trump". Hunter Biden’s conviction was obtained by Hunter Biden’s clear violations of the law and by the application of the proper due process of law, but this only occurred after the Biden administration attempted to corrupt the legal system to Hunter Biden’s advantage. This attempted plea deal and the allowing of the statutes of limitations to expire for other Hunter Biden crimes is another example of a two-tiered system of justice in modern America.

The attempts of the Biden administration of a plea deal for Hunter Biden before the trial that would have given Hunter Biden a sweetheart deal that would allow him to get off the charges with a slap on the hand and a get-out-of-jail free pass for all previous illegal activities are an example of a two-tiered system of justice.

Thus, the claims of Biden supporters that the convictions of Donald Trump and Hunter Biden are a refutation of a two-tiered system of justice is yet another attempt by them to confuse the American public by the utilization of Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors. Therefore, I would say to all Americans, do not be confused, as we do have a two-tiered system of justice in America, accelerated by The Weaponization of Government that has occurred in the Obama and Biden Administrations. A two-tiered system of justice that is antithetical to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

06/21/24 Ignorant Bliss and Ignorant Anger

Ignorance is bliss, and it is not a truism, as ignorance only appears to be bliss, but it is harmful to a person and to society. Ignorance allows you to make bad choices that will have negative repercussions on yourself, others, and society. Thus, ignorance should be avoided. Alas, in modern America, ignorance is all too common, especially in the chattering class of the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech", "Modern Big Business", "Modern Education", "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate". Their ignorance is propagated to the public, which increases ignorance in America. Much of their ignorance is a reinforcement of "The Biggest Falsehoods in America", and much of the public acceptance of their ignorance is due to the problems of "Public Education", “College and University Education”, and "Indoctrination versus Education". Thus, much of ignorance is due to a lack of a proper education. Proper education in the sense of not obtaining the foundational knowledge and the skills and abilities which allows one to think properly, as I have examined in my article on "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom".

If ignorance leads to bliss, then I would have to say that Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists live in a state of bliss, but their rhetoric demonstrates they often live in a state of anger. Their ignorance of Human Nature and Natural Rights, the Principles of American government, economics, science and technology, international relationships, and a host of other subjects know no bounds and leads them to believe that America is a flawed and defective nation. Much of their ignorance is of what I have examined in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives".

For someone who is knowledgeable on these subjects, it can be agonizing to listen to their commentary. When I listen to them, I try to categorize what they are saying under the following definitions:

• Bamboozlement – Concealment of one's true motives by elaborately feigning good intentions so as to gain an end.
• Blather - Idle or foolish and irrelevant talk.
• Crickets - an idiom that means no reply or reaction at all.
• Gaslighting - Manipulate someone psychologically so that they start to question their own sanity
• gibberish - Unintelligible talking.
• Gobbledygook - Incomprehensible or pompous jargon of specialists.
• Hoodwinking - Influence by slyness.

When you categorize what they are saying, you begin to realize that they are not saying much, and much of what they say is disingenuous. The question is whether they are truly ignorant or deliberately trying to obtain political goals and policy agendas through deception. Alas, I believe that many of them are just ignorant, but some of them are being deceptive. In either case, they are inflicting harm upon America. A harm that is encouraging civil strife and becoming irreparable.

Much of this can be attributed to Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believing that they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior. Thus, they believe that they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they live in a state of ignorant anger by not acknowledging that they may be wrong or not knowing that they do not have sufficient knowledge needed to make an informed judgment.

Consequently, you should be very wary of taking what they say at face value, as it is often driven by ignorant anger. You should be even more judicious in supporting their political goals and policy agendas, as often these goals and agendas are contrary to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and harmful to our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

06/20/24 A Democracy or a Republic

Recently, some Progressive commentators have expressed anger at Conservatives for insisting that America is a republic and not a democracy, as many Progressives believe. In this Progressives belief, they are demonstrating their ignorance of the Principles of American Government and the history of the founding of America.

Our Founding Fathers knew the difference between a democracy and a republic. They knew the history of democracy in ancient Athens, the history of republicanism in ancient Rome, and the terrible consequences of both forms of governance. They, therefore, established a Constitutional Republic in which representatives in the republic were democratically elected or appointed to avoid these terrible consequences. In this Constitutional Republic, the representatives in Congress are responsible for law-giving, the Executive is responsible for administrating the law, and the Judiciary is responsible for the judging of law (known as the three branches of government). The branches of government are emblematic of a Republic, while the election or appointment of the persons to serve in the branches of government is emblematic of a Democracy. This is why our government is often referred to as a Democrat-Republic.

This can be attested to by a single comment by one of our Founding Fathers. As the Founding Fathers were departing the Pennsylvania State House at the close of the Constitutional Convention, one of the bystanders shouted a question to Benjamin Franklin:

Bystander - 'Well, Doctor, what have we got - a Republic or a Monarchy?' Franklin - 'A Republic, if you can keep it.'

A Republic that needs to be kept to preserve our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". Any other form of governance usually leads to despotism and a form of government that is neither a republic nor a democracy. Anyone who espouses our government as a democracy is therefore demonstrating their ignorance of our history and our Principles of American government, and they should not be heeded. Indeed, they should be scorned as they are dangerous to America.

06/19/24 A Brief History of Palestinian Evil

In a new column by Dennis Prager, “Germans -- Even During the Hitler Era -- Were a Better People Than the Palestinians”, he recounts the history of the Palestinians since the 1940s. It is a history of violent anti-Semitism and violence to their Arab neighbors with whom they disagree. A history in which their Arab neighbors wish to have no interactions with them and actively bar them from entering their lands. It is also a history that they are now bringing to American soil.

Given this history, it is important for America to not support, in any manner, Palestinians until they reform themselves to become a peaceful people. This includes humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, as humanitarian aid to them allows them to continue in their unacceptable violent actions and activities. It is also important to restrict their access to American soil to only those who are peaceful and to deport those who are not peaceful. Americans need not allow for the immigration of violent people of all stripes and, indeed, should not do so. There should also be censured of all those who support the Palestinians and a firm affirmation that such support is abhorrent.

Mr. Prager ends his article by stating:

“To be "pro-Palestinian" today means being pro-Hamas just as to be "pro-German" during World War II was the same as being pro-Nazi. The only difference is that the Germans as a whole were a better people than the Palestinians. If you support the Palestinians, you should know whom you support.”

Consequently, from the river to the sea is the only place that Palestinians should be permitted to inhabit until they reform themselves into a peaceful people, and they should be constricted in their activities and actions to peaceful protests between the river to the sea. To support any other course of action is equivalent to supporting Nazis, which makes you one with evil.

06/18/24 A Very Crucial Op-Ed

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) has been variously described as homespun, folksy, down to earth, hilarious, snarky, irascible, and a host of other complimentary or disparaging adjectives, but rarely as an Oxford-educated lawyer, which he is. His examination of witnesses in front of the Senate committees of which he is a member and his interviews on television make for some of the most amusing and withering television in America. Some of his quotes and saying can be reviewed on my webpage here.

When Sen Kennedy opines on a topic, his words should be carefully and thoughtfully considered. He recently wrote an op-ed that first appeared in the Shreveport Times on May 11, 2024. This piece also appeared in the Daily Advertiser, Houma Today, The Daily Comet, The Town Talk, The News-Star, The Weekly Citizen, and Daily World. The words of intelligence and wisdom that he wrote are so crucial to American society that I have decided to post the entire op-ed in this Chirp:

Is transgender inclusion more important than women’s sports?

Many players on the New Orleans Pelicans probably feel like a kid inside when they’re on the basketball court. They might even miss their days of dominating middle school basketball tournaments, instead of squaring up against the giants in the NBA.

 No one, however, would think it was fair if Zion Williamson joined a youth basketball league simply because he identified as a 12-year-old. No middle school boys could stop Williamson from getting to the basket, and they’d probably end up injured if they tried.

 Men and women don’t compete for the same reasons. Yet transgender activists want athletic institutions to ignore these obvious physical differences so transgender athletes can feel included, even if it hurts biological girls in the process.

 From middle school gyms to NCAA swimming pools, activists seek to force women and girls to compete against biological men and boys. These activists claim it is a “myth” that transgender athletes have an advantage, but most Americans know this is untrue and unfair.

Starting in the womb and continuing through puberty, men develop physical advantages that help them outperform women in competitive sports. On average, men are taller and have higher bone density than women. When controlled for height, women also have 15% smaller hearts and 12% smaller lungs than men.

These physical differences give men a significant advantage in athletics, especially at the elite levels. In several track and swimming events, the female world record holder wouldn’t qualify to compete in the men’s race. In weightlifting, men outperform women in the same weight class by as much as 30%.

Some activists claim that transgender athletes are different from typical men because they take cross-sex hormones. After two years of cross-sex hormone treatments, however, biological male athletes can still run 12% faster and pound out 10% more push-ups than women.

Allowing biological boys to compete as girls will harm women’s sports. Still, many activists believe their feelings and the feelings of transgender athletes are more important.

These activists allowed the 554th-ranked male swimmer, then known as William Thomas, to become the NCAA Division I national champion named Lia Thomas. Thomas’ participation in the pool eliminated the dreams of the biological women who worked for that title, and that wasn’t the worst of it. The locker room was.

According to a lawsuit filed by several women who competed against Thomas, no one warned them that they’d have to share a locker room. Instead, the tournament quietly and quickly redesignated the girls’ locker room as “unisex” without so much as hanging a new sign.

Athletic officials and other adult decision-makers ignored the privacy and dignity of young female athletes to help a biological male/transgender female feel included. They also put women and girls at risk of suffering much more severe injuries than they would typically face when playing against female opponents.

Biological women are more susceptible to injuries than biological men. Female soccer players, for example, are twice as likely to suffer concussions as male soccer players, in part because men have different neck-strength-to-head-size ratios that help them better absorb blows.

Several female athletes have suffered season-ending injuries against biological male competitors. In Massachusetts, for example, a girls’ basketball team forfeited a game because a transgender player on the opposing team injured so many of their players. In North Carolina, a volleyball player is suing her state after a transgender player dealt her a serious concussion.

Allowing biological men with gender dysphoria to compete against women jeopardizes women’s access to scholarships and other financial opportunities, too.

The NCAA limits how many scholarships each team can distribute. By definition, granting a scholarship to a biological man who is on the women’s team denies a biological woman of that scholarship. The University of Washington already has offered its first scholarship on a women’s team to a biological male. It likely won’t be the last opportunity taken from biological women.

Many fair-minded people reject the idea that women and girls who work hard to develop their athletic talents must sacrifice their opportunities, privacy and safety to promote gender activism. I’m one of them.

Louisiana is full of fair-minded people. We recognize that it’s common sense for boys and girls to compete in separate leagues. That’s why a bipartisan coalition in the Louisiana legislature passed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act to prevent biological boys from competing against biological girls in our elementary and high schools and from sharing their locker rooms.

Protecting women and girls in sports doesn’t need to be a partisan issue. Congress should follow Louisiana’s leadership and do more to protect girls, their sports, their scholarships, and their futures from a social experiment that is already proving to be unwise.

– Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy

Some newspapers that published this op-ed have withdrawn this op-ed, most notably USA Today. When pressed, Senator Kennedy’s office was told the op-ed, which National Review later picked up, was taken down by USA Today over “loaded language” and the use of the phrase “biological male”, to which Senator Kennedy responded:

“[The] USA Today Network apparently does not like the way I express myself,” the senator told Fox News in a statement. “They think they are the speech police. Drunk on certainty and virtue, they think they are our moral teacher. This attitude is why so many Americans have lost confidence in the media. The media is not going to win that trust back until they return to neutrality instead of advocacy. Most people don’t support allowing biological men to participate in women’s sports because they think that will bastardize sports, skew the results, and hurt women. Other people disagree. Gannett should simply report the two sides and not try to silence the position it disagrees with.”

His other articles on Transgenderism are “President Biden Has Jumped the Title IX Shark” and “Congress must support parents who protect their children from irreversible gender procedures”, which should be read by all Americans to bring some sanity to this topic.

06/17/24 The Fellowship of God and Humans

Having just finished reading and thoroughly enjoying the book “12 Major World Religions” by Jason Boyett, I have pondered upon the many similar tenets of these religions of Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Baha’i, Shinto, and Jainism were the founders of the major religions of humankind, and most are revered as prophets of God. They and other leaders of their religion pondered the nature of God, a person’s relationship to God, and how to live a Godly life. In my pondering, I began to think of how I would construct a new religion based on these common tenets (and may God forbid me from doing so, as I am unworthy of this task).

A person is capable of doing great good and great evil but often lives a life between good and evil. The purpose of this new religion is to help a person to recognize their duties and responsibilities to God and to guide them in the exercise of their free will to make moral, ethical, and virtuous choices in their life. If you apply the standard of “the right thing to do” for your words and deeds without a foundation of your duties and responsibilities to God, it is easy to justify any actions you take as the right thing to do. Thus, a belief in God and his teachings and wisdom is necessary to do the right thing. After all, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo, and Mao all believed they were doing the right thing, as did many other persons throughout history, but if they had believed in God and his wisdom and teachings they would have known that they were not doing the right thing.

In doing so, I have attempted to extract the wisdom from the world’s religions and the secularists and to ignore and discard the gobbledygook that is all too common in religions and the blather of secularists. This is done to achieve a core belief in God, a person’s duties and responsibilities to God, how a person should properly exercise their free will, and how a person can live a moral, ethical, and virtuous life. The Fellowship of God and Humans is focused on the individual relationship of God to a person and the Godly relationships between individual persons.

My new article, “The Fellowship of God and Humans”, are my thoughts on how I would construct this religion. The various topics that I address in this religion are:

• Foreword
• Dogmas—a doctrine that is proclaimed as true without proof

• The Creation and The Hereafter
• The Blessings of God
• The Creed of Adherents

• Tenets—a religious doctrine that is proclaimed as true without proof

• The Golden Rule
• The Ten Commandments
• The Five Virtues and Five Weaknesses:
• The Five Virtues to be obeyed:
• The Five Weakness to be avoided:

• Doctrines—a belief that is accepted as authoritative

• Natural Law and Natural Rights
• Human Nature

• The Roles of Humans—Normative and Customary

• The Role of Worship
• The Role of Work
• The Role of Economics
• The Role of Science and Technology
• The Role of Society
• The Role of Government

• Dictums—authoritative declarations

• The Seven Stages of Life
• Leadership
• Celebrations
• Holidays and Festivals

• Afterword

The Fellowship of God and Humans avoids any ancillary issues that are not germane to the relationship between God and humans, as well as Godly person-to-person relationships. It leaves these ancillary issues to the domain of politics, and where the domain of politics and the domain of God overlap, it is the domain of God that must take precedence.

06/17/24 The Elite Experts

The world abounds with experts. Experts that are more than willing to provide opinions, counsel, and recommendations to correct the ills and problems of society. Experts with much of their expertise in an academic sense rather than real-world experience. However, just as you would not go to a virgin to learn about the passions of sex, so you should be wary of experts without any real-world experience of what they expound.

Many of these experts have a presumption of correctness attitude, bordering on arrogance, especially those who have doctoral degrees or tenure at what they consider elite Universities. The Dirty Dozen of these elite Universities are:

Consequently, you should always be wary of the correctness of the experts from these Dirty Dozen Universities, as their opinions may appear to be conclusive, but they are often just a show of hubris rather than pride in achievement and veracity.

In addition, many of these experts often exhibit politically correct and woke opinions to maintain their social standing and prominent position in their departments of their University and academia. Another of their traits is a propensity for Multi-Nationalistic values rather than American values, often to the point of disdain for American values.

It has often been said that real-world experience is a slap in the face for college graduates when they leave academia. As most experts never left academia, they have not experienced this slap in the face. Accordingly, beware of experts who have not been slapped in the face by real-world experience, as they and their expertise have not faced the realities of the real world.

06/16/24 The Greater Good or The Common Good

God spare us from those who wish to institute the greater good for humankind, as only God knows what the greater good is. As for the greater good, I would paraphrase one of the great thinkers of our time:

"The most basic question is not what the greater good is, but who shall decide what the greater good is.”  - Thomas Sowell

Those who believe that they know what the greater good is are delusional, as only God can know the greater good, and we should leave the greater good to God’s discretion. As for the common good, humankind should strive to institute the common good for all humankind, as the common good can be agreed upon by rational and reasonable persons.

Too often, those who believe they know the greater good often lump the greater good into the common good. The difference is that the common good is directly for the benefit of all, while the greater good often benefits selective groups and is justified as the common good by "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language".

Do not be confused, as the greater good is often deleterious to society, while the common good is a benefit to society. The greater good has often been utilized to infringe on the Natural Rights of all persons and justification for acts of despotism and tyranny. Many wars have been fought for what was perceived as the greater good, and all such wars have been cruel and savage to all involved in them.

It is also true that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have been advocates for the greater good, while Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders have been champions for the common good. This difference is the basis for the different interpretations of the Constitution, as I have written in my article "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution". It is this difference that has been an underlying cause for the hyper-partisanship in America, as each side has a different perspective on the good that our society should undertake.

06/15/24 Why You Should Vote for Trump

I will admit that I voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 and 2020 elections, not because I liked him, but because I believed that his opponents were incompetent, wrongheaded, deceivers, or corrupt. Hillary Clinton had the additional distinction of being a lawbreaker in her handling of classified information and the utilization of an unauthorized e-mail server, a distinction that Joe Biden now shares with his lawbreaker in his handling of classified information and utilization of e-mail outside of government e-mail servers. I, therefore, believe that Donald Trump was the lesser of two evils and that in the 2024 Presidential election we are faced with the same choice.

Most important to the future course of America is that they have instituted assaults on our democratic norms and a furthering of divisiveness in American politics. In the years of his administration, we have seen the slide towards an American Banana Republic through the utilization of The Weaponization of Government and Lawfare, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "The Trials of Trump". He has also engaged in election interference and demagoguery, as I have Chirped on "05/07/24 Election Interference and Demagoguery". We have also seen an assault on our Free Speech rights by the Biden Administration, as I have written about in my collected Chirps on "The Decline of Free Speech in America", and a rise in despotism in America, as I have written about in my collected Chirps on "Despotism in America". The Biden Administration has taken the art of evasive or non-answer answers in Congressional Oversight to a new height when they are ignoring or deliberately refusing to cooperate with Congressional hearings.

The Biden Administration has consistently ignored, defied, or circumvented Supreme Court rulings with which he does not agree, most blatantly in his attempts on student loan forgiveness. He and his minions in Federal, State, and Local justice systems have instituted frivolous prosecutions of individuals exercising their free speech rights in opposition to his policies and political goals, most especially in abortion protests, public schooling disputations, and the transgendered agenda. He has consistently instituted lawsuits against State and local governments, rather than working with them, who attempt to deal with the illegal immigration impacts on their jurisdictions. He has used Executive Orders for the non-enforcement of laws passed by Congress with which he disagrees and for forgiveness of the lawbreakers of the laws with which he disagrees.

We have also seen their incompetence in handling foreign affairs and domestic issues. On the International stage, the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Ukrainian War, the recent terrorism in Israel, and the threatening actions of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, and on the National stage, the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problem, to gas price increases, to inflation, to a recession, to the Fentanyl drug addiction scourge, and to a host of other issues we have seen many scandals of the Biden Administration. Except for partisan-driven Americans, no one believes that we are better off than we were four years ago.

America has seen some political scandals during the Biden Administration (and many unseen, as they are either excused or ignored by the Mainstream Media), and we have also seen how the Biden Family and Joe Biden himself were involved in personal corrupt dealings despite their and their supporters’ denials. This does not mention that President Biden is in the midst of dementia and is not mentally (and perhaps physically) fit to be the President of the United States.

Alas, the Biden Administration has sown chaos in America and throughout the world. They have also demonstrated that they are the antithesis of American Ideals and Ideas and of our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. Nothing that Donald Trump could do if he is elected can match the magnitude of the chaos that the Biden Administration has done. Indeed, if we objectively look at the four years that Donald Trump was President, they were relatively calm except for the discord (the Russian Collusion Delusion, the Impeachments, and the anti-police protests and riots, amongst other discords) that Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists sowed upon America to oppose President Trump.

Consequently, the only way out of this chaos is to elect Donald Trump and Republican Party candidates who will bring back sanity to America. Therefore, I will once again vote for Donald Trump, despite my dislike for his mannerisms, bombastic nature, and political theatrics. To not vote for Donald Trump and Republican Party candidates is to continue the chaos in America and to continue in the disintegration of our American Ideals and Ideas.

06/14/24 Why They Love Trump

Tucker Carlson recently commented on why so many people love Trump. I have transcribed this commentary and presented it here within this Chirp without comment, as it is so plain-spoken that it needs no comment:

“Millions of Americans sincerely love Donald Trump. They love him in spite of everything they've heard. They love him often in spite of himself. They love Donald Trump because no one else loves them. The country they built, the country their ancestors fought for over hundreds of years, has left them to die in their unfashionable little towns, mocked and despised by the sneering halfwits with finance degrees but no actual skills who seem to run everything all the sudden. Whatever Donald trump's faults, he is better than the rest of the people in charge. At least he doesn't hate them for their weakness. Donald Trump, in other words, is and has always been a living indictment of the people who run this country. That was true eight years ago when Trump came out of nowhere to win the presidency, and it's every bit as true right now. Trump rose because they failed. It's as simple as that. If the people in charge had done a halfway decent job with the country they inherited, if they cared about anything other than themselves even for just a moment, Donald Trump would still be hosting Celebrity Apprentice. But they didn't. Instead, they were incompetent, and narcissistic, and cruel, and relentlessly dishonest. They wrecked what they didn't build, and they lied about it. They hurt anyone who told the truth about what they were doing. That's true, we watched. America is still a great country, the best in the world, but our ruling class is disgusting. A vote for Trump is a vote against them. That's what's going on in this country.” - Tucker Carlson

06/13/24 A First Family Criticism

I prefer not to personally criticize those that I disagree with, but I choose to critique them, as I have explained in the Criticism vs. Critique section of these Chirps. Sometimes, however, a person’s words and deeds are so outlandish or harmful that they deserve criticism. Such is the case not only for Joe Biden but also for his family members.

Joe Biden is a pathological liar who serially repeats lies even when they have been proven to be lies, as I have commented upon in my Chirp on "10/29/22 A Pathological Liar". In a column by John Nantz, he poses the question, “How Do You Successfully Lie To 300 Million People?”, to which he begins to answer by stating:

“Joe Biden is a pathological liar. That’s easy to prove. Just about every public statement that he’s made is an outright lie. His claims about his law school career and standing were false. He claimed to have marched during the civil rights movement — a lie. He’s lied repeatedly, boldly about Hunter’s corrupt business dealings, and his intimate relationship to them. He’s spent 47 years stacking lie upon lie, building a colossal monument to his depravity and to the public’s gullibility.”

Perhaps he believes, along with Joesph Goebbels, that “If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself”. It has been my experience that such liars do so out of a lack of confidence in their life’s achievements and that they must fabricate lies to validate their lives.

The ease with which Joe Biden will smear a person or persons who disagree with him betrays a meanness and cruelty streak within himself, along with a lack of confidence that he has the intellectual acuity to challenge them. The smirk and grin that President Biden gave when a reporter asked about the conviction of Donald Trump betrays his sinister side.

His wife, Jill Biden, is a modern-day Lady Macbeth, more interested in power and the trappings of power than in the well-being of a loved one. When you truly love another, you are caring and protective of that person. When a loved one exhibits signs of mental and/or physical decline, you try to insulate your loved one from doing harm to themselves or others. This often involves withdrawing a person from a public presence to the confines of a private life, not only to protect them and others but also to protect them from embarrassment and reputational harm as a result of their mental and/or physical decline.

His son, Hunter Biden, depravities and corruption are now so well known that they need no elaboration here within. He is a lost soul who has accomplished very little in his life, and his accomplishments are the result of grifting from his father’s name and positions of power in government. He leaves a trail of ruin in his wake to all the people who become involved in his schemes. If Hunter Biden is the smartest man that he knows (as Jor Biden once proclaimed), then Joe needs to dump his current friends and associates and obtain new friends with intelligence.

His daughter, Ashley Biden, had her diary stolen and revealed, which contains numerous salacious details of her upbringing that should bring a cringe to any decent parent. An upbringing that has resulted in many trials and tribulations in her life, including her addictions along with her being "hyper-sexualized" at a "young age" and being traumatized by it. Despite her attempts to walk back these words, we should all remember the wisdom in the 1859 poem ‘The Rubáiyát’ of Omar Khayyam:

“The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.” - Omar Khayyam

His brother, James Biden, has also been a grifter from his brother’s name and positions of power in government. It appears that the achievements in his life have been the result of his brotherly ties and his involvement in Hunter Biden’s schemes. Thus, James Biden does not have a record of self-achievement but a trail of accomplishments (and corruption) due to his family ties.

Such a family is often referred to in American life as trailer trash, but no, the Bidens are not trailer trash; they are a family of self-entitled scumbags. Consequently, Joe Biden is unworthy of holding any office of honor or trust at all levels of government, and his family needs to exit the public stage while their corruption is being cleaned up by others.

Alas, this is also a sad commentary on modern American political life. To those who would defend and support such a family, I would say that there is a black hole of depravity in your soul regarding morality and ethics in the lives of public officials. A black hole of depravity that should also preclude your participation in public affairs.

06/12/24 Equal Justice for All?

Theodore Roosevelt once famously said, "No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it." This quote encapsulates the fundamental principle that governs society - the adherence to the law, regardless of one's standing or authority. Roosevelt's words highlight the notion that the law is not a matter of preference but rather a universally applicable set of rules that must be followed by all. Regardless of power, wealth, or influence, the law is meant to serve as an equalizer, ensuring justice prevails.

In modern America, however, we seem to be morphing into a two-tiered system of justice, as I have Chirp on "07/31/21 A Two-Tiered Justice and Governmental System". These two tiers of Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders are prosecuted for alleged violations of the laws, while Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are ignored or excused for alleged violations of the laws. Nowhere has this become more apparent than in the case of Huter Biden’s investigations and prosecutions on Federal Firearms violations of the law. The government tried to give him a sweetheart deal, but they were rebuffed by the judge overseeing the deal and a public outcry as to its unjustness. Thus, Hunter Biden is now involved in a trial to determine his guilt or non-guilt of these alleged Firearms violations of the law. One wonders how vigorously or effectively the prosecution will be, given how they first tried to arrange a sweetheart deal with Hunter Biden. One hopes that the jury will dispassionately examine the facts and the law to reach a proper verdict.

However, in two recent articles by Jonathan Turley, “Is Hunter Biden Pursuing a Jury Nullification Strategy?” and “Just Ask Mookie: Hunter Biden Has No Defense Other Than Nullification”, he examines the overwhelming evidence of Hunter Biden’s guilt and the tactics of the defense attorneys to emotionally sway the jury so that they will reach a not guilty verdict through Jury Nullification.

Jury nullification in the United States occurs when a jury in a criminal case reaches a verdict contrary to the weight of evidence, sometimes because of a disagreement with the relevant law. It originated in colonial America under British law. The American jury draws its power of nullification from its right to render a general verdict in criminal trials, the inability of criminal courts to direct a verdict no matter how strong the evidence, the Fifth Amendment's Double Jeopardy Clause, which prohibits the appeal of an acquittal, and the fact that jurors cannot be punished for the verdict they return.

In America, Jury Nullification often occurs because the jury sympathizes with the defendant, the law is disliked, or they believe the law is unjust. It also occurs when the jury believes that the prosecution has overstepped its bounds and is behaving unjustly. Some defendants and their attorneys often hope for a Jury Nullification when the evidence is overwhelmingly against the defendant or when they believe they can portray the prosecution as vengeful or vindictive.

Such is the case in the current trial and guilty verdict of Hunter Biden. The jury appeared to dispassionately examine the evidence and reached a sound verdict, and they were not swayed by Jury Nullification. The next question is, will the sentence be proper and just to fit the crime, or will it be lenient because Hunter Biden is the son of the President? The follow-on question is whether President Biden will issue a pardon for his son. I expect that the pardon question will be answered based on the sentence and will only come after the 2024 Presidential election so as not to harm the reelection chances of President Biden.

To those who would claim that the conviction of Hunter Biden demonstrates that we do not have a two-tiered system of justice, I would respond—Nonsense! The crime and criminal actions of Hunter Biden were clear-cut and unambiguous, and Due Process of Law was followed in his prosecution. In the case of President Trump’s conviction, the alleged crime(s) were ambiguous and deliberately multifaceted to sow confusion, the actions of President Trump were deemed to be nefarious as truthful motivations, and the conviction was obtained by violations of Due Process of Law via a biased process involving a partisan prosecutor, a conflicted and tendentious anti-Trump judge, and a jury selected from a pool of largely anti-Trump voters, as I examined in my collected Chirps on “The Trials of Trump”.

Such disparities between the trials of Hunter Biden and Donald Trump are proof of a two-tiered system of justice in modern America and not a refutation of a two-tiered system of justice in modern America. Such disparities will always occur in a two-tiered system of justice, as in a two-tiered system of justice, there is no justice, only favoritism. A favoritism that is destructive to our society and the antithesis of American Ideals and Ideas and our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

06/11/24 The Trials of Trump Chirps

I have coalesced my Chirps on the travesty of justice that is the current prosecutions of President Trump into an article, “The Trials of Trump”. A travesty of justice as it is the flawed conviction of a biased process involving a partisan prosecutor, a conflicted judge, and a jury selected from a pool of largely anti-Trump voters. These legal indictments and trials of former President Trump are another example of "Lawfare" and "The Weaponization of Government" that have run rampant in modern America. They are also an assault on the principles of the American Judicial System, as these Chirps examine. As such, they should be opposed by all Americans who revere our American Ideals and Ideas and who are dedicated to our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

06/10/24 The Penance That Must Be Paid

In the 2020 Presidential election, Americans faced a choice between the incumbent President Trump, who many Americans disliked because of his boisterous and bombastic manner, and challenger Joe Biden, who was presented as a return to normalcy and would put the “adults in charge”. As we were in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, the normal electioneering process and voting was circumscribed, and Biden ran a campaign from his basement. Thus, Americans did not get to know Joe Biden in the normal electioneering manner.

Other than in the COVID-19 period of the Trump Administration, America was experiencing economic growth and prosperity, and the international arena was relatively peaceful. Domestic disputes about social policy were still raging, and domestic tensions and mob actions (sometimes violent) were rising (many of which were stoked by Democrat Party Leaders words and sometimes deeds). Many Americans became weary of this situation and opted to vote for Joe Biden in a hotly disputed election in which Biden was declared the winner.

During the Biden Administration, America has seen many disgraceful events. On the International stage, the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Ukrainian War, the recent terrorism in Israel, and the threatening actions of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, and on the National stage, the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problem, to gas and food price increases, to inflation, to the Fentanyl drug addiction scourge, and to a host of other issues we have seen many disgraceful events in the Biden Administration. We have also seen inordinate deficit spending and the national debt balloon to crushing levels. We have also learned how Joe Biden and the Biden Family were involved in corrupt dealings throughout his career, despite their and their supporters’ denials and lies (Joe Biden was involved in the business dealings of his son, and the Hunter Biden laptop and Ashley Biden’s diary were real).

We have also seen an increase in "Lawfare" and "The Weaponization of Government" under the Biden Administration, culminating in the indictments and prosecutions of President Trump. A weaponization that is a travesty of justice and an assault on the rule of law in America, as my collected Chirps on "The Trials of Trump" have examined.

Consequently, the American electorate was bamboozled by the Democrat Party and Progressive leadership in the 2020 Presidential election, as there would be no return to normalcy, and there would be no adults in charge. In the 2024 Presidential election, we are facing a choice between the same two candidates, the difference being that now Joe Biden has a record to run on (and seems to be running away from), which can be compared to the Trump record.

Many Americans who voted for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election are beginning to question and doubt their vote for him, but they are hesitant to vote for Donald Trump for the same reasons they didn’t vote for him in the 2020 presidential election. In the 2024 Presidential election, however, they must confront the disastrous record of Joe Biden and ask themselves whether they want to continue on the path that Joe Biden has led America. To those Americans who question and doubt their vote for Joe Biden, I would say that we cannot proceed down this path, as it would lead to the ruination of our American Ideals and Ideas and our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. Thus, you must hold your nose and vote for Donald Trump to halt, and perhaps correct, the path of America. When you hold your nose and vote for Donald Trump, think of it as the penance that you must pay for being bamboozled and casting the poor vote you made in the 2020 Presidential election.

06/09/24 Kangaroo Kourt Konviction Lessons to be Learned

With the ‘kangaroo kourt konviction’ (sic) of President Trump (and make no mistake about it, this was a Kangaroo Court), we have learned some important lessons.

The first large lesson is that in any court proceeding against a politician or conservative activist, the verdict should be suspect, as it may not be based upon the law but on the emotions of the prosecutor, judge, or jury. This has become all too common in modern America as we have traveled down the path of "Lawfare" and "The Weaponization of Government". Thus, we must all beware of the label of “convicted criminal” and its variants when applied to a politician or conservative activist until we examine the circumstances in and around the legal proceedings. Of course, we should also be wary of the defendant declaring a political prosecution until we examine the circumstances in and around the legal proceedings. Therefore, do not place much credence on these verdicts when you adjudge the character of a person until you have all the pertinent information about the legal proceedings. Many of these prosecutions are done for reputational or financial harm to the defendant rather than serious illegal conduct. Indeed, much of the alleged illegal conduct has been for felonies wrapped around misdemeanors, which would normally be punished with a slap on the wrist.

We have also learned from the celebratory attitude of the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech", "Modern Big Business", "Modern Education", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate" entities that they have demonstrated they are now active enemies of Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders. They’re not just skeptical. They’re not just people who disagree with Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders. They’re certainly not objective, neutral truthtellers whose only goal is to enlighten the public. They want to actively influence the public, yet they want the respect that objective commentators might be due. These entities have been thoroughly weaponized against anyone who would disagree with their progressive propensities, and they must be not just neutralized but actively thwarted for the facts and the truths to be known by the public. They have also demonstrated that they have no allegiance to our American Ideals and Ideas.

The biggest lesson to be learned is that the hyper-partisanship of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders has overstepped the bounds of the political norms of politicking that were established prior to the 21st century. Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. As such, they view Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as not just being wrong and stupid but that they are bad or evil persons and that any means can be utilized to defeat them. Even the means of weaponizing the Government against their opponents and infringing on the Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All of Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders. Such means will eventually tear apart America and could possibly lead to civil strife or civil war as Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders assert themselves to regain their Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights, as I have Chirp on "02/24/24 To Be Fearful of a Civil War or Civil Deconstruction"’.

For those who would respond that a majority of American people will not support the actions of those who insist on the preservation of their Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights, I would retort that the majority does not get to violate our rights and impose its will on the minority, for that is antithetical to Natural and Constitutional Rights. I would also remind you that during the American Revolution, John Adams, one of the leading proponents of the Declaration of Independence, a founder of the Constitution, and the second President of the United States, said about majority support. When asked how many of the colonists supported the American Revolution, he stated that about one-third supported it, one-third opposed it, and one-third had no opinion on it. Clearly, there was not a majority in support of the American Revolution. The same could be said for the American Civil War. Should we have not fought the American Revolution or the Civil War as it did not have majority support? Absolutely not - as revolutions and civil wars are often fought by a minority that feels oppressed by the majority. So, it should be for those who are resisting governmental actions that disregard or abrogate our Freedoms and Liberties by the government. They are standing up for our Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights, and although they may be in the minority, they have the right to stand up for our Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights.

06/08/24 There Will be No Consequences

In modern America, "Lawfare" and "The Weaponization of Government" go unabated and, indeed, are expanding. One of the reasons for this is that there are no consequences for engaging in these improper actions, as I have Chirped on "03/15/23 Lack of Consequences - I" and "03/16/23 Lack of Consequences - II". In many cases, these actions are rewarded through future reelections and appointments (sometimes for a higher elected or appointed office), or when they leave office, they obtain lucrative positions as commentators or book-signing contracts. In no cases are they prosecuted for abuse of office or dereliction of duty as they should be. In no cases have they been removed from office, as I have decried in my Chirp on "04/27/24 Dereliction of Duty". Thus, we can expect that there will be no consequences to those which I have Chirped about on “05/18/24 A Travesty of True Justice”.

Much of this has been brought about by the loss of Religion, Morality, Ethics, and Virtue within Government and Society, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Virtue in America". A loss of these fixed values with a replacement by relative values has led us astray and allowed our elected and appointed officials and our populace into words and deeds that are harmful to society. There has also been an increase in Virtue Signaling without true virtue, which leads to confusion as to what our fixed values should be.

This lack of consequences must stop, or our elected or appointed officials will continue in their abuses of office or their derelictions of duty, and our society will continue to degenerate. A good place to start would be the removal from office of those persons responsible for the travesty of justice that is occurring in the prosecutions of President Trump. However, this removal is fraught with Constitutional and legal issues, which I have written about in my article “The Removal of Elected or Appointed Officials who Violate their Oath of Office or Are In Dereliction of Duty to the Constitution”. These removal issues need to be resolved forthwith, and the removal of elected and appointed officials who are abusing their office or in dereliction of their duties needs to begin to right the course of America.

06/07/24 There Will Be Fallout and Blowback

Make no mistake about it: there will be fallout and blowback from the Trump trial and verdict.

The immediate fallout is a loss of faith in the Judicial System and the Rule of Law by most Americans who have recognized that this trial and verdict is a sham. A sham that can be perpetuated against anyone who would disturb the powers that be. As Alan Dershowitz, a preeminent legal scholar and commentator, who is also certainly no fan of Donald Trump, has also written in his article “Trump’s trial is a stupendous legal catastrophe” that:

“Every American should be appalled at this selective prosecution. Today the target is Trump. Tomorrow it may be a Democrat. After that, you and me. The criminal justice system is on trial in New York. If Trump is convicted based on the distortion of law and facts that we’re seeing, the system would have failed us all.”

The excuse that the conviction can be overturned on appeal, which would be decided in the future, holds no water in the present. The present damage is appalling and has a deleterious fallout that will remain with us even if the conviction is overturned.

A deleterious fallout in the hesitation in decision-making by elected or appointed officials for fear of future legal actions by biased prosecutors and complicit judges. They will have to couch and frame their decisions with an eye to possible future frivolous prosecutions. Thus, limited paralysis will descend upon elected or appointed officials, which often results in poor, improper, or inappropriate decisions to cover possible future frivolous prosecutions.

Perhaps the most insidious and disguised fallout is in the inadvertent intimidation of future Republican or Conservative candidates who do not wish to place themselves in legal harm's way by possible frivolous prosecutions. A legal harm’s way that has deleterious impacts on their reputation and finances. This may deprive us of the best and brightest candidates who have unique and independent ideas, which will consign us to candidates who go along to get along to stay out of possible legal harm's way.

The blowback will occur in the 2024 election cycle and election. An ugly campaign will get uglier, and divisions between Americans will harden. Nobody will be satisfied with the election results no matter how the election turns out.

All of this strikes at the heart of our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our individual "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". All of this leads to the corrosion of the American people’s belief that President Lincoln stated in the Gettysburg Address, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

06/06/24 The Obituaries for the American Justice System

Alan Dershowitz, Jonathan Turley, and Andrew McCarthy, who are on The Political Spectrum of Left, Central, and Right, respectively, have written columns that examine the travesty of justice and the fractured rule of law that has occurred in the Trump Trial:

• Alan Dershowitz— “A prosecution so crooked it would make Joseph Stalin blush!”
• Jonathan Turley— “The Ghost of John Adams: How the Trump Trial Harkens Back to a Dark Period of American Law”
• Andrew McCarthy— “In Memory of Justice”

The last few lines of each article are illuminative of the seriousness of the impacts of the Trump trial:

“DA Bragg has demonstrated how easy it now is to get a conviction against a political opponent. Other ambitious DA's are likely to follow suit. And the ultimate losers will be the American public.” - Alan Dershowitz

“In the faces of ecstasy of demonstrators and commentators alike this week, we see the same joyful release from the bounds of legal process. The addictive quality of rage. For them, it was a cathartic moment that was described by one commentator as a reason to celebrate and a “majestic” moment. For the rest of us, it was more menacing than majestic. It could prove to be the moment that galvanized many outside of Manhattan; the moment when citizens saw where our rage has taken us.Sometimes we have to be forced to see what we have become to better understand who we are. We are better than this.” - Jonathan Turley

“What happened in Manhattan was monstrous. The fallout is the antithesis of a constitutional republic that presumes innocence, imposes the burden of proof on the state, venerates its due-process rules, and guarantees equal protection of law. The antithesis is now the norm. Regardless of what happens to Donald Trump, all of us will live to regret it.” - Andrew McCarthy

These columns are sad commentaries on the current state of justice in America. A state of affairs that has been brought forth by the Biden Administration, Democrat Party Leaders, and their lackeys in State and local governments. In this, they have been assisted by the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech", "Modern Big Business", "Modern Education", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate", who will not accurately portray the facts and truths of this situation due to their predilections for the political goals and policy agendas of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists.

The comments that President Biden made after the verdict about the trial proceedings and respect for the legal process are outrageous in their lack of understanding of the meaning of the Rule of Law and the travesty of justice that occurred in the Trump trial. The smirk and grin that President Biden gave as he left the stage are indicative that he is knowingly trying to bamboozle the American public into accepting this travesty of justice and the fractured rule of law as normal and acceptable, or at least delay the consequences until after the 2024 Presidential election in which he can exploit the improper conviction of Donald Trump.

Consequently, we are sliding faster down the slippery slope to despotism in America and the loss of our American Ideals and Ideas and our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

06/05/24 The Rubicon Has Been Crossed

When Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River, it signaled the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the rule by tyrannical Emperors. Ever since then, the phrase “crossing the Rubicon” has been an idiom that means the passing of a point of no return. Unfortunately, with the conviction of Donald Trump, we have crossed the Rubicon in The Weaponization of Government.

With the tens of millions of dollars raised by the Trump campaign after his conviction, and the rise in his poll numbers after the conviction, the American people have opened their eyes to the corruptions of our political norms and the judicial system by the Biden Administration and their lackeys in State and local governments. Many Americans over the last few years have been suspicious that our judicial system has been corrupted by politics. With the Trump conviction, most Americans have reached the conclusion that the judicial system is corrupted by politics and that this trial is only the latest example of the use of the justice system for political purposes. In a democracy, when a majority of the people believe that an essential function of government is corrupt, you have crossed the Rubicon into something other than democracy.

Many legal scholars are hopeful that the appeals process will overturn the conviction and that the American people will regain confidence in our judicial system via this process. Alas, it is not only Trump's conviction that the American people are concerned about, but also the entire process of the judicial system that they are concerned about. It is obvious to all intelligent persons that the Trump legal process was instituted in a presidential election year to harm the prospects of a Trump election. As appeals and an overturning of a conviction can take many months and even years, the legal process is being corrupted to achieve a political goal. Thus, this corrupt process will impact the election while the appeal process is ongoing. It is, therefore, the failure of the judicial system that is the root cause of the distrust that the American people feel.

Unless the United States Supreme Court steps in and immediately ends this travesty of justice and the fracturing of the Rule of Law, the Rubicon has been crossed, and there will be no going back. The judicial system would have been corrupted to achieve a political goal, and the political norms shattered as it opened the door to political prosecutions to obtain political goals. As Alan Dershowitz has pointed out:

“Every American should be appalled at this selective prosecution. Today the target is Trump. Tomorrow it may be a Democrat. After that, you and me. The criminal justice system is on trial in New York. If Trump is convicted based on the distortion of law and facts that we’re seeing, the system would have failed us all.” - Alan Dershowitz

The Rubicon has already been crossed, and like Humpty Dumpty in the Mother Goose nursery rhyme:

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall; All the king's horses and all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty together again.”

In crossing this Rubicon, we may never be able to put the shattered pieces of our judicial system and political norms together again unless the Supreme Court forthwith stops this shattering.

06/04/24 Under the Cloak of Legitimacy

In an article by Alan Joseph Bauer, “Why Do Despots Feel They Need Legitimacy?”, he raises this issue, which is apropos to the current prosecutions of President Trump. However, he is not the only person who has raised this issue regarding the prosecution of President Trump. Many legal scholars, on both the left and right, have become concerned that the prosecutions of President Trump have strayed far from our legal principles and the rule of law in America. Some of the first and loudest voices that have raised this issue are Alan Dershowitz, Jonathan Turley, and Andrew McCarthy, who are on The Political Spectrum of left, central, and right, respectively.

Mr. Bauer begins his article by stating:

“There is a tendency for the most ruthless and autocratic countries in recent history to use democratic norms for cover. With the conviction of Donald Trump, the US has moved closer towards them.”

He then goes on to provide a litany of examples of the despots of the 20th and 21st centuries and the tactics they employed, and he then explains how these tactics were employed against Trump. Near the end of his article, he asks the question:

“What is the difference between the Soviet trials where the outcome was known from the start, the confession was obtained through force, and the judge understood his instructions and what we saw in New York?”

The answer is, of course, there is no difference—it is the same story of a cloak of legitimacy to cover up their illegitimacy. Finally, he asks, then answers, the following question:

“So where does America go? Will we have the perfunctory elections of Russia and the ersatz “people’s house” of Iran or will America still be the land of the free and the home of the brave? Tune in this November.”

06/03/24 A Corrupt State

In a New York Post editorial by Michael Goodwin, “A trial that exposes New York’s corrupt justice system”, he succinctly illustrates how New York has corrupted its judicial system to achieve the political goal of “Get Trump”:

“Only a top-quality case, beyond reproach and political taint, should have been used to bring the first-ever indictment of a former president. Instead, the city and state put on a show trial long on theatrics–porn star testifies about sex! — and short on evidence that any crime was actually committed.

And so the script has flipped, with the trial itself an assault on the notion that justice is blind. No matter what the jury says about Trump, the prosecutors, the judge, the state court system and the political class have been revealed as thoroughly corrupt.

This is the third time New York Democrats distorted the legal system to serve their partisan aim of destroying Trump. One case involved a change in a statute of limitations law that ultimately led to a defamation ruling against him and a ridiculous fine of $92 million.

Another murky case, brought by the overtly-partisan state attorney general, concocted a civil fraud charged aimed at bankrupting him. An amateurish state judge who enjoyed the spotlight far too much nodded yes and declared a fine of $355 million.”

The New York Sun editorial, “Judge Merchan’s Outrageous Jury Instructions”, is another example of how a New York judge has corrupted the judicial system, as they stated:

“President Trump’s fate went to the jury on instructions from Judge Juan Merchan that strike us as outrageous — and ripe for challenge. The judge’s instruction releases jurors from the obligation to make a unanimous decision on the key question. They “must conclude unanimously that” Mr. Trump engaged in an election conspiracy “by unlawful means,” the judge said. Yet, he added, “you need not be unanimous as to what those unlawful means were.”

At that point Judge Merchan supplied the jurors with a kind of à la carte menu for determining whether Mr. Trump had broken the law.”

These instructions, along with many of his rulings and gag orders, as well as his refusal to recuse himself due to his daughter’s involvement in Democrat Party fundraising, are outrageous and an affront to equal justice under the law. They are the rulings and instructions crafted to reach a guilty verdict and gag orders to restrict President Trump's freedom of speech. As such, as I have written in my Chirps on “05/17/24 True Justice” and “05/18/24 A Travesty of True Justice”, they are a corruption of justice and an assault on our First Amendment Constitutional Rights.

Our American Constitution guarantees a republican form of governance and the protection of all Americans' constitutional and civil rights. This is no longer happening in New York State, as the legislators, governor, and judges have conspired to deprive Donald Trump of his right to equal justice for all. Therefore, it is my contention that the Federal government needs to step in to correct this assault on our Constitutional and Civil Rights. I do not expect this to happen, as the Biden Administration and the powers in New York State seem to be in cahoots with each other to get Trump. Our only hope is that the United States Supreme Court will step in and put an end to these corrupt actions by the New York state authorities.

This is but another example of how we are becoming an American Banana Republic through the utilization of The Weaponization of Government and Lawfare. This also leads us further down the path of becoming a Banana Republic, as I have written in my Chirp on “06/02/24 Welcome to Our American Banana Republic”.

06/02/24 Welcome to Our American Banana Republic

With the conviction of President Trump and President Biden’s brief remarks on Friday from the White House, we have officially entered into an American Banana Republic. Trumped-up charges, a jealous prosecutor, a biased judge, and a jury swayed by passion rather than law are all earmarks of a Banana Republic. Coupled with a chief executive who utilizes this situation for electioneering and to avoid campaigning against an opponent that leads only to despotism and authoritative government. Such a state of affairs now exists in America.

The smirk and grin that President Biden gave when a reporter asked about the conviction of Donald Trump, and his decrying his fate as a “political prisoner” and blaming President Biden directly, was the look of a despotic person and a semi-fascist attempt to hold on to power.

A semi-fascism that I have Chirped about on"11/04/22 Semi-fascism in America", and a power that is not for the common good of America but for the institution of their oligarchy, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Oligarchy in America". The excuse that they are attempting to save “Our Democracy” rings hallow, as hallow as what was said by a U.S. major after a battle in the Vietnam War, “It became necessary to destroy the town to save it.”. Destroying our democratic principles and institutions is not the way to save “Our Democracy”; it is only the way to destroy “Our Democracy”, as I have Chirped on "01/11/22 Our Democracy".

This is the ultimate corruption of “Our Democracy”, and it is being brought into America by President Biden and his Administration, Democrat Party Leaders, and Progressives/Leftists. Legal appeals and the overturning of convictions are too time-consuming to be effective in correcting this situation. Therefore, the only immediate correction to this situation is the election of Donald Trump and Republican Party candidates in the forthcoming election. For this reason, and this reason alone, the Democrats need to be turned out of power; otherwise, we will have instituted an American Banana Republic.

06/01/24 Absurdism

Albert Camus (November 7, 1913 – January 4, 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His works include The Stranger, The Plague, The Myth of Sisyphus, The Fall, and The Rebel.

Camus was a moralist; he claimed morality should guide politics. While he did not deny that morals change over time, he rejected the classical Marxist view that historical material relations define morality. Philosophically, Camus' views contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as Absurdism (a philosophical school of thought stating that the efforts of humanity to find inherent meaning will ultimately fail). Some consider Camus' work to show him to be an existentialist, even though he himself firmly rejected the term throughout his lifetime.

Camus was also strongly critical of Marxism-Leninism, especially in the case of the Soviet Union, which he considered totalitarian. Camus rebuked those sympathetic to the Soviet model and their "decision to call total servitude freedom". A proponent of libertarian socialism, he claimed the USSR was not socialist and the United States was not liberal. His critique of the USSR caused him to clash with others on the political left, most notably with his on-again, off-again friend Jean-Paul Sartre.

While I do not hold many of Camus’s political beliefs, I do believe that his philosophical musings are worthy of serious consideration. I would also direct you to the Wisdom Trove quotes of Albert Camus to gain a better insight into his thoughts and musings.

This month’s Book It selections are two different types of biography of Camus, and a collection of some philosophical musings about him and his works.

05/31/24 The Core Existential Questions

What, who, when, how, where, and why I am are the big questions in life that philosophers and theologians have grappled with for millennia. The existential response to these questions is simple but profound.

What I am is a conscious, sentient, intelligent being. Who I am is a corporeal being of the male or female sex of the homo sapiens species. When I came into being is at the moment of conception, when I was endowed with my own unique human genetic structure. How I came to be is through the normal process of sexual conception, pregnancy, and birth. Where I came to be is somewhere on the planet Earth, in the Solar system located in the Milky Way galaxy of the Universe. Why I am is the unanswered question we all try to answer for ourselves throughout our lives.

The final unasked existential question is the easiest to answer: what is to become of me? The only answer is death, for all mortal being’s life ends in death. The only question about death is when it will occur, where it will occur, and how it will occur. There are no answers to these questions on death except to wait for death to answer them.

However, whenever we try to answer the “why” existential question, we must always base our answer on what, who, when, how, and where answers to the existential questions, as these answers are the core of our being. If we do not do so, we will reach a false conclusion, as the “why” answer depends on the other core existential answers.

It is unfortunate that in modern America and, indeed, in the rest of the world, we do not consider the answers to the core existential questions. This leads us astray into absurdities and foolhardiness in the conduct of our lives and our society. It is also a denial of our human nature to ignore or discount the core existential questions and answers, and as I have said:

"To deny human nature, or to not acknowledge human nature, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

05/30/24 Absurd Absurdism

In my Chirp on “05/29/24 Absurdism and Existentialism”, I discussed how Albert Camus was at the forefront of Absurdism. On March 28, 1946, Albert Camus gave a speech at Columbia University’s McMillin Theater on “The Human Crisis”. On that night, in less than thirty minutes, he somehow managed to distill and convey his deepest fears and steepest challenges in words that have lost none of their urgency or relevance in the over 75 years since he spoke to them. However, I have three challenges to his thoughts on the human crisis.

Throughout his life, Camus had two examples of what he considered part of the human crisis: the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, and the utilization of Capital Punishment (the death penalty). He regarded them as abhorrent and an affront to humanity. I disagree with him on these two points. Indeed, I would respond that the atomic bombings were the only moral thing to do, and while I consider most death penalties inappropriate, there are circumstances when the death penalty is moral and appropriate.

In my Article on “The Morality of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bombings”, I explain my reasoning on the morality of the atomic bombings, and in an article by Dennis Prager, "Some on the Right Are Having a Moral Meltdown", he goes into more detail about the morality and history of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan.

In my article on “Capital Punishment”, I examine the morality and utilization of the death penalty in more detail. I believe that the death penalty is moral and appropriate in circumstances such as crimes against humanity, mass murders, serial murders, heinous murders (murders accompanied by torture of the victim), political assassinations, or murder of civil servants. Conversely, the death penalty is not moral nor appropriate in any other than in these circumstances.

Regarding these two moral challenges, it is not always a black-and-white moral decision. If you choose to make it black and white, then you give evil the opportunity to triumph, or at least give evil the opportunity to wreak havoc. Sometimes, you must choose the lesser harm of two or more moral decisions to make the correct moral decision. The atomic bombings and the death penalty are the lesser harms that I believe are the correct moral decisions.

The third challenge is that he seems to be of the opinion that this crisis was a product of the 20th century. My contention is that the human crisis has been part of humanity's history. The struggle between liberty and freedom on one side and those who wish to have the power to rule over others is part and parcel of the history of humanity. The strategies and tactics in this struggle have almost always been brutal and are examples of the human crisis.

This human crisis may have deepened in the 20th century, but it has always been with us and will always remain with us, as the heart of this human crisis is human nature. Until human nature changes, we cannot escape the human crisis; we can only try to ameliorate, control, and direct human nature to minimize it.

05/29/24 Absurdism and Existentialism

Absurdism—a philosophical school of thought stating that the efforts of humanity to find inherent meaning will ultimately fail, and Existentialism—relating to or dealing with existence (especially with human existence) were two philosophical schools of thought that came about in the middle of the 20th century in Europe, and especially France. Both were new ways of looking at the meaning of life and the human condition.

Absurdism is the philosophical theory that the universe is irrational and meaningless. It states that trying to find meaning leads people into a conflict with the world. This conflict can be between rational man and an irrational universe, between intention and outcome, or between subjective assessment and objective worth, but the precise definition of the term is disputed. Absurdism claims that existence as a whole is absurd. It differs in this regard from the less global thesis that some particular situations, persons, or phases in life are absurd.

Albert Camus (French: 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His works include The Stranger, The Plague, The Myth of Sisyphus, The Fall and The Rebel. Philosophically, Camus' views contributed to the rise of the philosophy known as Absurdism. Some consider Camus' work to show him to be an existentialist, even though he himself firmly rejected the term throughout his lifetime. I would direct you to the Wisdom Trove quotes of Albert Camus to gain a better insight into his thoughts and musings.

Existentialism is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the issue of human existence. Existentialist philosophers explore questions related to the meaning, purpose, and value of human existence. Common concepts in existentialist thought include existential crisis, dread, and anxiety in the face of an absurd world and free will, as well as authenticity, courage, and virtue.

Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (French: 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th-century French philosophy and Marxism. Sartre was one of the key figures in the philosophy of Existentialism (and phenomenology). His work has influenced sociology, critical theory, post-colonial theory, and literary studies. He was awarded the 1964 Nobel Prize in Literature despite attempting to refuse it, saying that he always declined official honors and that "a writer should not allow himself to be turned into an institution." I would direct you to the Wisdom Trove quotes of Jean-Paul Sartre to gain a better insight into his thoughts and musings.

Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre were initially friends, but they came to oppose each other philosophically, as well as because of Camus’s opposition to Communism and Sartre’s support of Communism. Each side had valid criticisms of the other side, and neither side provided definitive answers to their questions (which is true for much of Philosophy). What they did was expand the horizons to examine the meaning of life and the human condition. Absurdism declined toward the end of the 20th century while Existentialism grew. Today, however, Absurdism seems more relevant to the world we live in, and it has seen a rise in importance.

05/28/24 Capital Punishment

For the purposes of this Chirp, I define “Murder” as the deliberate unlawful taking of a human life, while “Killing” is the unintentional lawful taking of a human life. Those who murder should be apprehended, tried, and, if convicted, should serve significant prison sentences. Those who kill can do so in a justified or unjustified manner. A justified killing is when you kill another to protect the lives and limbs of you and your family, stop the commission of a violent crime in progress, or when in the armed forces under fire by enemy combatants. Unjustified killing is when you end the life of another through accident or negligence. Unjustified killers should also be apprehended, tried, and, if convicted, should serve an appropriate sentence for their acts, while justified killers should face no legal consequences.

I do not believe that capital punishment is appropriate for those who kill. The question to be answered is whether capital punishment is an appropriate sentence for those who murder. I do believe that capital punishment may be an appropriate sentence for those who murder, but only in limited and extraordinary situations. My reasons for believing in the death penalty in limited and extraordinary circumstances are explained in my new article on “Capital Punishment”.

05/27/24 What Can Be Done

Democrats have an existential question that they must answer before their convention—What can be done about crazy Uncle Joe and daffy Aunt Kamala? President Biden is a doddering dolt, who is now dimensia ridden, and who is controlled by a cynical or self-serving confidant that is his wife "Dr." Jill Biden, a 21st-century Lady Macbeth if there ever were one. Vice President Harris is a dimwitted cackler-in-chief, about as popular these days as a communicable disease. Yet they are the presumptive nominees for President and Vice-President of the Democrat Party.

As Josh Hammer explains in his column, “Democrats Are Stuck With Joe Biden as Their Presidential Nominee”, their choices have narrowed down to none. This also explains why the Democrats are so keen on Lawfare and The Weaponization of Government against President Trump during this election cycle, as they see it as the only hope of defeating Trump. Mr. Hammer concludes his column by stating:

“Democrats therefore have no choice but to take a deep breath, pray to the deity they probably don't believe in, and roll the dice with their impotent current ticket. And Republicans couldn't possibly be happier about it.”

05/26/24 There Be Witches and Warlocks

The Salem Witch Trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. More than 200 people were accused. Thirty people were found guilty, nineteen of whom were executed by hanging (fourteen women and five men). One other man, Giles Corey, died under torture after refusing to enter a plea, and at least five people died in jail.

The trials began after a few local women in Salem Village were accused of witchcraft by four young girls, Betty Parris (9), Abigail Williams (11), Ann Putnam Jr. (12), and Elizabeth Hubbard (17). The accusations centered around the concept of "affliction," and the witches were accused of having caused physical and mental harm to the girls through witchcraft.

This was a dark and notorious episode in American History. The theocratic leaders of Salem, Massachusetts, believing in their moral correctness and self-righteousness and driven by a mass hysteria of the populace, proceeded to violate the rights of the accused to achieve their goals—a moral and pure religious society in their community. Most Americans were repulsed by what had occurred, and the Salem witch trials began the end of the experiment of religious theocracy leadership in America.

Today, in modern America, we have seen a new form of religious theocracy in America. The theocracy of Progressivism, whose beliefs are its woke ideology and of their own moral correctness and self-righteousness, which has led them to persecute and prosecute anyone who may disagree with them. Their mass hysteria is propagated through their Trump Derangement Syndrome that allows for no "Rationality" and "Reasoning".

They persecute their opponents through the utilization of "Political Correctness (PC)", "Identity Politics", "Cancel Culture", and "Doxing", and the tactics of allegations of "Racist", "White Privilege", and "Hate Speech", all the while they are "Virtue Signaling" their own belief in their moral correctness and self-righteousness. And they are now prosecuting their opponents through Lawfare and The Weaponization of Government.

They point to the wearers of MAGA apparel as the Witches and Warlocks and to any of the supporters of President Trump as the followers of the Witches and Warlocks. And, of course, President Trump is the devil leading the Witches and Warlocks.

In their words and deeds, the theocracy of Progressivism has become the Salem Witch Trials leaders of today. Thus, today will also become a dark and notorious episode in American history.

05/25/24 A Relevant Constitution

We have often heard that the Constitution is irrelevant to the modern world, as it was written over two centuries ago by dead white men. As such, it is said that it cannot meet the needs of modern America, and besides, it is undemocratic. The question is, then, do we ignore the Constitution and govern as the Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court see fit for modern times? The answer to the question is given by Rob Natelson in his article “Yes, the Constitution Does Matter—A Lot”. As he has stated in this article:

“The Constitution was not designed to solve all human problems, nor could any man-made document ever do so. Even if every clause in the instrument were enforced quickly and perfectly, life still would be marred by foolish laws, unfair conditions, political and economic mistakes, and other human failings.”

He then goes on to explain why the Constitution is important and relative to our society and concludes his article by stating:

“The inaccurate view that the Constitution doesn’t matter can have dangerous consequences. If we accept that view, then no one is bound to anything in the document. We have no legal basis for protest when an election has been corrupted or even cancelled.

If we believe “the Constitution doesn’t matter,” then we have no positive law basis for complaining about loss of rights to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, keeping and bearing arms, property—or any of the other hundreds of rights and rules we take for granted in daily life.

Ideally, we should not take those rights and rules for granted. But on a day-to-day basis we are able to do so precisely because the Constitution matters so much.”

Consequently, whenever you hear someone decrying the relevancy of the Constitution or saying that we should ignore the Constitution to do what is “Right for America”, you can be assured that the person making this comment is foolish and dangerous and fools should be given no heed and ignored.

05/24/24 Moderation

In reading the book, “A Life Worth Living: Albert Camus and the Quest for Meaning” by Robert Zaretsky, I came across the following quote about moderation:

“As a political value or philosophical concept, moderation is notoriously elusive. Is it, in fact, a full-bodied theory or a worldview? Is there, moreover, something questionable about the very desirability of moderation. It is not always the case, after all, that one of the extremes that define a mean is wrong. Or, for that matter, the mean is not always the most desirable end. Ultimately, is it something more than a disposition to avoid extremes, whether or not one of those extremes is desirable?

In a recent work, the political theorist Aurelian Craiutu insists that moderation is a positive theory, one based on the intrinsic values of pluralism, gradualism, and toleration. A moderate, Craiutu suggests, is a thinker who embraces ‘fallibilism as a middle way between radical skepticism and epistemological absolutism, and acknowledge[s] the limits of political action and the imperfection of the human condition.’”

I would like to suggest that moderation, in many instances, is desirable, but in some instances is undesirable, and moderation often leads to failure. America was founded on the failures of moderation and engaged in a Civil War on the failures of moderation. Prior to the Revolutionary War, many moderates sought accommodation with the British Crown and Parliament, but their efforts failed. Prior to the Civil War, there were moderates who tried to reach an accommodation on slavery, and their efforts failed. Today, in modern America, there are those who are trying to reach an accommodation on the issue of Abortion, and these efforts will fail as the beliefs of a woman’s right to choose abortion and the rights of the unborn child to live knows no accommodation. There are several other issues in modern America that may not be amenable to moderation, such as transgenderism and illegal immigration. Thus, moderation is only workable when the issue is one that is not polarizing based upon deep-seated morals, the issues of Liberty and Freedom, or concerns over safety and security.

If you ask the question, ‘Who are the great moderates of history?’ it would be a very difficult question to answer. Moderates generally achieve short-term successes but engender little long-term success in changing the course of history. As such, history rarely recognizes moderates as consequential to the advancement or devolution of human progress.

Consequently, moderation is not a solution to deep-seated problems but only a postponement of the problem to the future, a postponement that may have deleterious consequences in the present and future. It should also be remembered that moderation is only possible when all sides can acknowledge their own fallibility and concede that the other side may have valid arguments. Without this acknowledgment, even moderation is unlikely to succeed.

05/23/24 Progressive Claims

The history of human progress has zigged and zagged, retreated and leaped forward, and has been unpredictable. Progressives often like to claim that they are on the right side of history, but as I have written In my Chirp on "08/26/23 The Manifest Destiny of Progressivism":

“The originators and supporters of Progressivism attempted to take on the mantel of Manifest Destiny for their ideals and ideas. In doing so, they adopted many attitudes that their ideals and ideas were the only future course of history and that they are on the ‘Right Side of History’. However, the right side of history is an oxymoron; as there is no right or wrong side of history, history is just what has occurred in the past. Progressives believe in historical trends while ignoring that history has often diverged from a trend by circumstances and/or the actions of powerful or influential people or scientific or technological discoveries and innovations. After all, except by hindsight, who could have foreseen a historical trend that led to the Industrial Revolution or the Information Age, or the fall of civilizations that changed history, or leaders that changed history?”

Progressives also like to claim that when a person has changed their opinion to reflect a more progressive stance that they have “evolved”. But as I have written in my Chirp on "05/18/19 I'm With Stupid":

“They also utilize the term “evolved” to describe a person who has changed their position to a more progressive/leftist stance. They forget that evolving does not necessarily mean becoming better. Many species evolve and then become extinct, as their evolution was not conducive to their (changing) environment. Evolution does not necessarily mean improvement, and it certainly does not have anything to do with intelligence.”

Another Progressive claim is that when their candidates in the Democrat Party win control of Congress or the Presidency, they pronounce that the adults are now in charge. In Congress, it can be said that under the Democrat Party, rarely are there any adults put in charge, as their Congressional leadership is politically and not ability-determined. As for the presidency, the example of leadership in the Biden Administration demonstrates that they are anything but adults. The ineptitude of President Biden and Vice President Harris, as well as the across-the-board Executive Officers of the Biden Administration, is amateurish and astounding. This, along with their prevarications, evasivenesses, and ludicrously insincere or vague talk with empty promises that are supposed to impress, does nothing to impress and also demonstrates that they are not adults.

Thus, claims of the Right Side of History, a person evolving into progressivism, or the adults in charge should be mocked, as there is no such thing. These claims are only a ploy to induce you into believing that Progressivism is the only legitimate future course for America. The future course of America should be for the striving to attain our "American Ideals and Ideas" and to effectuate the "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

05/22/24 Intellectuals and Capitalists

In an article by Rainer Zitelmann, “Why Intellectuals Don't Like Capitalism”, he outlines some of the reasons that most Intellectuals dislike Capitalism. While he makes many interesting points, he has forgotten one important point. Capitalism does not allow for the control and power over government and society to be directed by a self-anointed elite. Intellectuals believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior and, as such, they should be in control of government and society. Capitalists believe that the meritocracy of talents, abilities, skills, hard work, and intelligence should be the determining factor in the leadership of government and society.

The term “Explicit knowledge” refers to knowledge acquisition that can be readily articulated, conceptualized, codified, formalized, stored, and accessed. However, there is a different kind of knowledge, “Implicit knowledge”, which includes personal wisdom, experience, insight, and intuition. Research has shown that implicit knowledge is the route of knowledge acquisition most often taken by capitalists, while explicit knowledge is the only acceptable route for intellectuals. Competition is the determining factor in Capitalism as to who rises to the top, while Intellectuals believe that academic credentials should determine who rises to the top.

Both capitalists and intellectuals believe that they deserve the leadership of government and society because of their accomplishments. Thus, we have a power struggle between Capitalists and Intellectuals. A power struggle in which Intellectuals demonize, denigrate, and disparage Capitalism to achieve the control and power over government and society that they feel they so richly deserve. Capitalists, on the other hand, discredit Intellectuals as not being attuned to the “real world”, and that Intellectuals' solutions to the issues, concerns, and problems facing the world are not economical or practicable and, consequently, they are better suited for control and power over government and society.

We should utilize intellectuals' explicit knowledge to guide us in making decisions and capitalists' implicit knowledge to guide us in implementing solutions, but we should not let the intellectuals or capitalists succeed in obtaining power and control. This is because Intellectuals are more often wrong than right as to the proper course of government and society, and Capitalists often fail to account for the moral principles of governance and societal interactions in their solutions.

05/21/24 Lies and Deceptions

Lies and Deceptions abound in modern America, especially in the use of studies and statistics. As I have written in my article, “Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave”, knowing what is important, what is unimportant, and what is misleading when reviewing studies or statistics is crucial to discovering the truth.

Studies can show anything. For every study that shows something, there is another study that shows the opposite. This is because every study has an inherent bias of the person or persons conducting the study or the organization that commissioned the study. A very good person conducting the study recognizes their biases and compensates for them to ensure that the study is as accurate as possible. Having been the recipient of many studies (and the author of a few), I can attest to this fact. Therefore, you should be very wary when a person says, "Studies show". You should always look into a study to determine who the authors are and who commissioned the study, then examine the study for any inherent biases that may be within the study.

Everything that I said about studies also applies to statistics. However, statistics requires more elaboration as it deals with the rigorous mathematical science of statistics. Statistics is a science that requires very rigorous education and experience to get it right. The methodology of gathering data, processing the data, and analyzing the data is very intricate. Interpreting the results of the data accurately requires that you understand the statistical methodology and how it was applied to the statistics being interpreted. If you are not familiar with the science of statistics and you have not carefully examined the statistics and how they were developed, you can often be led astray. Also, many statistics are published with a policy goal in mind and, therefore, should be suspect. As a famous wag once said, "Figures can lie, and liars can figure". So be careful when someone presents you with statistics. Be wary of both the statistics and the statistician.

Studies and statistics often claim to be scientific and rigorous. However, most of them are not as scientific or as rigorous as we may believe. Most studies are based on statistics, and most statistics become studies. However, most studies based on statistics have issues with data, methodology, correlation and causality, sampling, and confidence level, as well as risk factors and probabilities, along with a host of other issues.

Politicians, along with Activists and Activism, often cite studies and statistics to buttress their arguments, especially in an election cycle. However, all should beware of these studies and statistics as they are often incomplete, inaccurate, and sometimes incorrect. Even government agencies’ studies and statistics are prone to incompleteness, inaccuracies, and sometimes incorrectness, along with being politically biased to suit the predilections of Congressional leaders, Presidents, and Executive Officers, as well as bureaucrats. It is also an unfortunate fact that Justices and Judges often rely on statistics in their rulings without sufficient knowledge to ascertain the good from the bad studies and statistics. Alas, the "Mainstream Media" and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate" accept these governmental studies and statistics without wariness, and thus, they foist these statistics as truths on the American public.

The faults of studies and statistics are predominant in the areas of the 1). Economy, 2). Crime, and 3). Climate studies and statistics. In some cases, they are deliberately deceptive to achieve a political or social goal. It is also an unfortunate fact that most of the people who tout these studies and statistics do not understand the intricacies of studies and statistics, nor the particulars of the subject of the studies and statistics. Those who tout these studies and statistics accept at face value the opinions and consensus of the “experts” on the subject and often ignore or reject the opinions of the “experts” dissenters, as I have written in my article “Scientific Consensus and Settled Science”.

An example of this is the current usage of statistics in ascertaining the current state of crime in America. John R. Lott, Jr., president of the Crime Prevention Research Center who has served as senior adviser for research and statistics in the Office of Justice Programs and the Office of Legal Policy at the Justice Department, has written a fine article, “The FBI's Crime Data Has Real Problems”, that demonstrates the woeful lack of the proper utilization of crime statistics by the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting program and the Bureau of Justice Statistics on crime. As the egregious errors in these statistics are beyond the normal boundaries of mistakes, it can only be assumed that this is a deliberate misuse of statistics with deception for the purposes of a political narrative.

Deceptions also abound in modern America. One of the biggest deceptions in modern America was that the use of masks and social distancing would slow the spread of the COVID-19 Virus. You do not need a knowledge of medicine to understand this deception, as a knowledge of the physics of gases and fluid dynamics would allow you to determine this deception. When the size of the COVID-19 virus was determined, you would have known that the pore sizes of masks were much too large to stop the virus from inhalation and exhalation. When the airborne means of the spread of the virus was determined, you would have also known that airborne distribution of the virus would occur rapidly and extensively, especially in modern heating, ventilating, and air-conditioned rooms and buildings, making any social distancing ineffective. Thus, the deceivers of slowing the spread of the virus through masks and social distancing were responsible for the terrible social and economic impacts that masks and social distancing brought forth upon America.

As the major literary figure Jonathan Swift wrote in 1710 on this topic in “The Examiner”, “Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it.” often paraphrased as “A Lie Can Travel Halfway Around the World While the Truth Is Putting On Its Shoes.”, these lies and deceptions in modern America are meant to sway public opinion with falsehoods. We should also remember another quote about deceptions:

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!”  - Sir Walter Scott

These lies are often followed by a tangled web of deceptions to support the lies. Consequently, those that lie and support the lie are deceivers. Deceivers who wish to mislead the public to achieve their political goals and policy agendas are based on falsehoods. Do not let them deceive you, and do not accept their studies and statistics at face value. It is especially important that you do not vote for the deceivers and not support the policy goals of activists who are deceivers. Determining who is and is not the deceiver can be difficult, but by listening to both sides of the studies and statistics, it can help you make a better decision on who the deceivers are.

05/20/24 Two Camps of Americans

Today, in modern America, the people have been divided into two camps: the camp of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders and the camp of Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders. The moderate camp, which was predominant throughout American history, has become a minor camp and is only significant in terms of their votes, as the two camps are about evenly divided in numbers. As such, moderate voters often determine the outcome of elections but have little effect on the direction of governance, as each of the two camps governs to their base’s inclinations. Consequently, elections are about appeals to moderates to win an election but are not determinative for future governance.

The Republican Party is the vehicle of an ideological movement, while the Democratic Party is a coalition of social groups. Republican leaders prize Conservatism and attract support by pledging loyalty to broad values and often speak to the principles of small and limited governance. The Democratic Party prizes Progressivism and seeks concrete government action, appealing to voters' group identities and interests by endorsing specific policies. It often focuses on entitlements and big activist governance to achieve its policy goals. Thus, both camps talk past each other, as they have different political goals and policy agendas. Unfortunately, these different political goals and policy agendas are often at odds with each other.

Politicians and candidates' political rhetoric and campaigning often focus on the hot-button issues that fire up their base. At the same time, they offer platitudes to the moderates in an attempt to sway their votes while simultaneously engaging in demonizing their opponents. In all of this political rhetoric, they often sow confusion as to what are our "American Ideals and Ideas", the meaning of our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", and by different interpretations of our Constitution, as I have written in my article on "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution". They have also forgotten, or do not know, the difference between the "Greater Good versus the Common Good" and that the Constitution was forged for the common good.

Much of this confusion has been brought about by the advancement and failures of a Progressive agenda in America, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives". It has also been brought about by Conservative failures to adequately address social issues and concerns and articulate the importance of individual rights in addressing these issues and concerns. Consequently, in this confusion, Americans have lost their identity as to the soul of America, as expressed in the words of the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

As well as the preamble to the Constitution:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Thus, we have divided into two camps with different ideologies and objectives for our governance. Camps that are often diametrically opposed to the political goals and policy agendas of each other. Camps that engage in bitter hyper-partisanship in trying to reach their objectives. Camps that have forgotten and do not address the soul of America, nor our Constitutional principles. Camps that will end up destroying American society in their quest to achieve their political goals and policy agendas.

05/19/24 An Assault on the American Judicial System

Jonathan Turley is an American attorney, legal scholar, writer, commentator, and legal analyst in broadcast and print journalism. A professor at George Washington University Law School, he has testified in United States Congressional proceedings about constitutional and statutory issues. Jonathan Turley’s website Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks is a collection of his articles that are brief and easily understood by the general public, as well as being well reasoned and thoughtful. I am particularly impressed by Professor Turley’s articles on the defense of the Right to Free Speech and Due Process of Law. The sections on his website about Constitutional law, Criminal law, and Free Speech should be a must-read for all interested in these topics.

In a series of articles, he has eviscerated the legal travesty of the Trump prosecution by Alvin Bragg in Manhattan. These articles should be a must-read for all Americans to understand why this trial assaults the American judicial system. They are:

• The Trump Trial in Manhattan is an Indictment of the New York Legal System
• Alvin Bragg has his Trump trial, All he Needs Now is a Crime
• Court to Decide Trump Contempt Sanction Including Objection to Use of Turley Quotation
• Disbarred, Serial Perjurer Walks into a Court and Asks to Take an Oath…Seriously, No Joke
• Stormy Daniels Day: Alvin Bragg Lights Dumpster Fire in Manhattan
• Michael Cohen Goes on TikTok With New Trump Taunt … and Announces Campaign for Congress?
• “I See Dead People”: Bragg’s Case Against Trump Goes Paranormal
• The Appearance of Michael Cohen: A Wreck in Search of a Race
• Unfixable: Michael Cohen Faces a Reckoning of Biblical Proportions on Cross Examination
• Did Michael Cohen Commit Perjury in the Trump Trial?
• Getting Played: The Demolition of Cohen on Cross Examination Reveals “The Grift” to a New York Jury
• The Lawrence O’Donnell Factor: Will the Trump Jury Exercise Blind Justice or Willful Blindness?
• Bragg and the Jackson Pollock School of Prosecution: Why the Trump Trial Could End With a Hung Jury
• The Closing: Trump’s Final Argument Must Be Clarity to Chaos in Merchan’s Courtroom
• A Manhattan Canned Hunt: The Trump Jury is Out But is the Case in the Bag?
• Trump is Convicted: What Comes Next?
• The Ghost of John Adams: How the Trump Trial Harkens Back to a Dark Period of American Law
• Buzz Kill: The Trump Conviction Presents a Target-Rich Environment for Appeal

Please note that I will update this list as Professor Turley writes additional columns about the Trump trial.

Other legal scholars have also written and spoken of the travesty of justice that is occurring by both the prosecutor and judge in the Manhattan courtroom. Andrew C. McCarthy, the noted prosecutor and legal commentator and certainly no fan of Donald Trump, has written in his article “Trump Should Be Acquitted in Manhattan”:

“Let’s put aside all of the constitutional objections to Alvin Bragg’s prosecution of Donald Trump — objections premised on the shredding of both federal and state due-process guarantees. Trump ought to be acquitted for the simplest of reasons: Prosecutors can’t prove their case — neither the case the grand jury actually charged, 34 counts of felony business-records falsification, nor the case that elected progressive Democratic district attorney Alvin Bragg has imagined into existence, an uncharged conspiracy to steal the 2016 election by suppressing politically damaging information in violation of federal campaign-finance law.”

Allan Dershowitz, a preeminent legal scholar and commentator, who is also certainly no fan of Donald Trump, has also written in his article “Trump’s trial is a stupendous legal catastrophe” that:

“Every American should be appalled at this selective prosecution. Today the target is Trump. Tomorrow it may be a Democrat. After that, you and me. The criminal justice system is on trial in New York. If Trump is convicted based on the distortion of law and facts that we’re seeing, the system would have failed us all.”

This trial is another example of the Lawfare occurring in modern America and the division of Americans into two camps, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "A Tale of Two Cities". A lawfare and division that is antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas and a perversion of our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. A lawfare that, for many Americans, has eroded faith in our justice system. A lawfare that, if it continues, will contribute to our society's disintegration and to the possibility of a civil war in America, as I have written in my Chirp on “05/15/24 A Civil War Future”.

05/18/24 A Travesty of True Justice

In my previous Chirp on “05/17/24 True Justice”, I mentioned that without true justice, it is not possible to have an orderly and peaceful society and that some prosecutors and judges are swayed by a sense of righteousness that overrides their duties and responsibilities to ensure true justice reigns supreme. This has become most evident in the prosecution of former President Donald Trump and the lack of prosecutions of former Senator and Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and former Senator and Vice President Joe Biden for similar alleged “criminal acts”.

The actions and inactions of the prosecutors and judges in these cases have been astounding and breathtaking in their violations of true justice, and they may be in violation of the law and the canon of ethics for prosecutors and judges. As Andrew C. McCarthy has written in many of his articles in National Review, as well as Jonathan Turley in many of his articles on his website, the shenanigans that are going on in the courtroom and behind the scenes by the prosecutors and judges of former President Donald Trump are a clear violation of true justice and current jurisprudence. They may also be violations of former President Donald Trump's Constitutional Rights. They are, however, a prime example of how Lawfare has taken hold in modern America. They are also an attempt to influence an election, as I have written in my Chirp on “05/08/24 Lawfare and Election Interference”.

These actions and inactions by prosecutors and judges in the cases against former President Donald Trump, former Senator and Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and former Senator and Vice President Joe Biden have already damaged the integrity of our justice system and the confidence and support of the people in our judicial system. It is my contention that the U.S. Supreme Court needs to step in immediately to stop these shenanigans and restore the integrity and jurisprudence of the American judicial system. For them to not do so risks calamitous consequences for our American Ideals and Ideas. We, the American people, also need to step up and demand that these prosecutors and judges who have participated in these shenanigans be forthwith relieved of their duties and responsibilities. If this is allowed to continue, it may irrevocably damage our judicial system, lead to widespread civil unrest, and contribute to the possibility of a civil war, as I have written in my Chirp on “05/15/24 A Civil War Future”.

05/17/24 True Justice

In Deuteronomy 16:18-20 of the Bible, it commands the people of Judges and Justice:

“18. You are to appoint judges and officials for your tribes in every town that the LORD your God is giving you. They are to judge the people with righteous judgment. 19. Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous. 20. Pursue justice, and justice alone, so that you may live, and you may possess the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”  - Berean Standard Bible

In addition, there are many other Bible verses about Judges and Justice. Some of the more pertinent verses for the purposes of this Chirp are:

 “Furthermore, select capable men from among the people--God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.”  - Exodus 18:21

 “You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.”  - Exodus 23:2

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”  - Exodus 20:16

 “You must not pervert justice; you must not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the rich; you are to judge your neighbor fairly.”  - Leviticus 19:15

 “Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”  - Deuteronomy 1:17

These commands of God are words of wisdom no matter what your beliefs or non-beliefs may be, for without steadfastly holding to these words of wisdom, it is not possible to have justice. Today, in modern America, we have forgotten these words of wisdom in our pursuit of social and political justice. Much of this injustice is promulgated by prosecutors and judges who are swayed by a sense of righteousness that overrides their duties and responsibilities to ensure true justice reigns supreme. The utilization of Lawfare in pursuit of social and political justice is a travesty of justice, and it destroys the integrity of our justice system and the confidence and support of the people in our judicial system.

Without true justice, it is not possible to have an orderly and peaceful society. People will live in fear that if they violate a prosecutor’s or judge’s sense of righteousness, even if they have been lawful in their actions, they will run afoul of the judicial system. Such a fear paralyzes society and will eventually lead to its ruin.

05/16/24 The Berean Standard Bible

The Berean Bible Society was founded over seventy-five years ago for the sole purpose of helping believers understand and enjoy the Word of God. Their Organization holds without apology all the fundamentals of the Christian faith and is evangelical; that is, they believe that salvation is by grace through faith alone on the basis of the shed blood of Christ. They also emphasize the importance of proclaiming the whole counsel of God in light of the Pauline revelation. Insofar as Paul is the apostle of the Gentiles, it is their firm conviction that in his epistles alone have the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny for the Church, the Body of Christ, during the dispensation of Grace.

The Berean Standard Bible is a completely new English translation of the Holy Bible, effective for public reading, study, memorization, and evangelism. Inspired by the words in the Book of Acts, and based on the best available manuscripts and sources, each word is connected back to the Greek or Hebrew text to produce a transparent text that can be studied for its root meanings.

The Berean Study Bible represents a single tier of the Berean Bible. This printing contains the full Berean Bible text, footnotes, section headings, and cross-references. It is not what is considered a traditional study Bible, as it includes only the text, cross-references, and footnotes. Additional components, including translation tables, lexicons, outlines, and summaries, are free online at their website, “Bible Hub”, which features topical, Greek and Hebrew study tools, plus concordances, commentaries, dictionaries, sermons, devotionals, and in a variety of apps and software.

I have found that the Berean Standard Bible is a good and understandable modern translation of the Bible. Previous translations of the Bible are often unreadable or misunderstood by the modern public mind. Many of these previous translations of the Bible were also influenced by incomplete or incorrect biblical scholarship and sometimes by political, economic, or sociological considerations of the times and environment in which they were translated. The Berean Standard Bible attempts to correct these problems based on modern biblical scholarship and not be influenced by political, economic, or sociological considerations.

Consequently, in my future Chirps and Articles, I will utilize and quote from the Berean Standard Bible and the Bible Hub when I reference the Bible.

05/15/24 A Civil War Future

No sane person wants a civil war, but then again, no sane person wants to live in an insane country. Regrettably, in modern America, we seem to be living in an insane country.

Anti-Americanism/Anti-Semitism/Anti-Israelism, Senseless Crimes/No Prosecutions/Defunding the Police, Violent Protests, Open Borders, Entitlements for Illegal Immigrants, Homelessness, Dangerous Drug Addictions and Legalizations, Youth Sex Changes, Unconstrained Transgenderism and Homosexuality in the Public Arena, Modern Feminism, Climate Change/Environmental/Energy Policy foolhardiness, Educational Inanities at all levels, Voter Fraud, Lawfare, Constrained First and Second Amendment Rights, Judicial Overreach and Convoluted Rulings, Unsustainable Deficit Spending and Debt Ceiling, and a litany of other insanities seem to pervade America.

The noted historian and commentator Victor Davis Hanson, in the YouTube video “Final Warning: America’s Last Chance Before Collapse” and his article “American Paralysis and Decline”, explains how our civilization is in a state of collapse. A collapse that may not be avoidable given the current insanity in America and which may only be recoverable via a civil war.

This, coupled with a despotic fear if you should speak out against these insanities, has led many Americans to consider if a civil war is the only solution to this insanity. Alas, they may be right that a civil war may be the only solution, as this insanity, led by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, and supported by the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech", "Modern Big Business", "Modern Education", "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate", may be uncurable through normal democratic processes due to Hyper-Partisanship, Wokeness,  Cancel Culture, Doxing, and the pitting of one group of Americans against another group of Americans.

A civil war is a terrible thing to endure, but an insane society is an even more terrible thing to endure and which will lead to the collapse of our society. Unless we correct the insanities in modern America, a civil war may be necessary to right our course and preserve our society.

05/14/24 Ten Most Common Untruths and Blood Libel

Victor Davis Hanson has written a new article, “Try a Little Honesty About Israel”, which examines ten of the most common untruths being bandied about by the Pro-Palestinian protestors. They are:

1. Progressive Hamas
2. Colonists and settlers
3. Two-state solution
4. Occupied Gaza
5. Netanyahu is the problem
6. Targeting civilians
7. Protestors are Pro-Palestine
8. Anti-Israel is not Anti-Semitic
9. Genocide
10. Disproportionate response

These lies, and his unmasking of them, expose the truth to the lies of the protesters. Thus, this article is an important read for those dedicated to the truth.

In an article by Dennis Prager, “The Genocide Libel Is the Blood Libel of Our Time”, he wrote:

“In medieval Europe, Christians who hated Jews spread the lie that Jews kidnap Christian children, slaughter them, and use their blood to bake matzos for Passover. This lie became known as “the Blood Libel,” probably the greatest libel in history. Over the course of many centuries, Jews were tortured and murdered, often by being burned alive, because of the Blood Libel.

The Blood Libel was particularly odious in light of two facts: It was the Jews who, through their Bible, first outlawed human sacrifice; and one of the first laws in the Hebrew Bible is a ban on consuming blood.

For centuries, Jews had to confront the fact that all around them, throughout Europe, a vast number of people believed an enormous lie about them. Jews have to confront the same thing today. We are now living through the Second Blood Libel: the claim that the Jewish state is committing genocide. But, unlike the Blood Libel, this libel is not the product of Christians; it is the product of Muslims and the Left. The very people against whom the greatest genocide in recorded history — the Holocaust — was directed are now accused of that crime.”

He then goes on to explain that the current cries of “genocide” by Israel against the Palestinians are the modern-day equivalent of medieval Europe’s “Blood Libel”. The purported number of Palestinians killed in the retaliatory strikes against Hamas for their October 7, 2023, terrorism against Israel was widely overinflated, and the corrections to these numbers have been underreported. Thus, as Mr. Prager ends his article:

“Even if the media give these new numbers the attention it has given the alleged “genocide,” it will not end a single anti-Israel demonstration or cause one Israel-hater to cease accusing Israel of genocide. Since the accusation was never based on truth, truth will not end it.

The only genocide in the Israel-Palestinian war is the one Hamas and Iran seek to perpetrate against the Jews of Israel.”

Untruths and Blood Libels against Israel are despicable and evil, and they need to be vigorously denounced by all who revere decency and honesty. Any prevarication or moral equivalence in condemning these Untruths and Blood Libels is tacit support of evil, and you must confront the evildoers and evil sayers to extinguish evil; otherwise, evil may triumph.

05/13/24 The Rise of Evil in America

As I have written in my Chirp on “05/16/24 Parallelism in America”, in today’s America, we are seeing a rise in evil. This rise has been illuminated by the current protests against Israel and for the Palestinian people. Make no mistake that these pro-Palestinian protests are nothing but a disguise for Anti-Semitism, as I have also Chirped on, "03/28/24 Modern Anti-Semitism".

The phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is nothing but a phrase for the elimination of Israel, for Israel is totally between the river and the sea. As I have written in my Chirp on "01/09/24 Virtual Signaling without Virtue", these protests are simply virtue signaling with little knowledge or comprehension as to what they are protesting. They certainly do not realize that they are engaged in evildoing.

This Anti-Semitism must be forthrightly confronted and condemned by all who oppose evil. There is no moral equivalency when confronting evil, and there is no temporizing with evil. It is time for all clergy to point out this evil of Anti-Semitism, condemn it, and urge their congregations to condemn Anti-Semitism whenever and wherever it arises. All politicians and community leaders should also join in this pointing out and condemning Anti-Semitism, and all Americans who believe in our American Ideals and Ideas and our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All must condemn this Anti-Semitism.

For those who claim the situation in the Hamas-Israel conflict is complex, I am reminded of the thoughts of the famed Rabbi Jonathan Saks: 

“The Israeli-Hamas conflict is not complex. It's very simple: One side wants the other side dead.”  - Rabbi Saks

When one side wants the other side dead, it is not virtuous to support the side that wants the other side dead, and it is evil to aid and abet the other side who wants them dead. We all should also remember that:

Anti-Semitism must be confronted and condemned whenever it rears its ugly head. For history has shown that whenever it is not confronted and eliminated, it festers and grows to become a cancer that will eventually destroy society.

05/12/24 Evil Disguised by Moral Equivalence

In the Ten Commandments of the Bible, Exodus 20:7 and Deuteronomy 5:11 states:

“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain”, or "You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God" (NRSV) and its variants, is an admonishment to not do evil or justify evil in the name of God. It is considered a grievous sin and will not be tolerated by God. Those who aid or abet the evildoers are just as guilty of evildoing as the evildoers. Therefore, those who justify evil acts with moral equivalence are evildoers, as they are aiding and abetting the evildoers.

There is no doubt that the acts of Hamas and Hezbollah are evil, and those who justify these acts with moral equivalence are aiding and abetting the evildoers. Hence, the Palestine protesters across the world are as evil as the evildoers. It is also an unfortunate fact that the Biden Administration's tepid support for Israel, and sometimes hindrance of Israeli responses to evil, is aiding and abetting the evildoers. Thus, the Biden Administration has become evil.

While many would complain that this judgment of the Biden Administration is too harsh, this Commandment is harsh and unyielding and not subject to disputations by mere mortals. As the prophet Nathan called out the sins of David And Bathsheba, so must we call out the sins of the Biden Administration.

I am not a prophet of God, nor do I claim any special wisdom about God. But I can recognize evil when it rears its ugly head. I also recognize that to live a Godly life, you must confront and extinguish evil; otherwise, evil may triumph.

05/11/24 The Chosen of God

The Jewish people are the chosen of God, chosen to show what faithfulness to God’s will means and the evils of the faithless against God’s will. Given the turbulent trials and tribulations of the Jewish people throughout history, they have provided this showing. Yet throughout these trials and tribulations and throughout history, the Jewish people have persevered. No historical people have persevered for as long as the Jewish people, which leads me to believe in God and that God chooses wisely.

Today, they are again showing the evilness of those who are faithless in God’s will. The terrorism of Hamas and Hezbollah against the Jewish people demonstrates the evilness of the faithless against God’s will. The elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah from the Mideast may be another reminder by God as to the terrible consequences of evil against God’s will.

Just as God demanded that the ancient Jews eliminate the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites (Deuteronomy 20:16-18), he may be directing the elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah. Those who oppose the elimination of Hamas and Hezbollah may, therefore, be supporting the evils of the faithless against God’s will. Consequently, woe be to those who support Hamas and Hezbollah, as they may be supporting the evils of the faithless against God’s will, and God will judge of their words and deeds when they meet their maker.

To those Jewish people who have suffered the terrible consequences of Hamas and Hezbollah terrorism, I would say that your sacrifice has not been in vain, as you serve as a reminder of God’s will, and your sacrifice will be rewarded by God in the afterlife. I would also say long live the Jewish people as a reminder of what faithfulness to God’s will means and the evils of the faithless against God’s will.

05/10/24 Parallelism in America

A century ago, in a place almost halfway around the world, a great country was in despair. This great country, renowned for its Philosophers and Theologians, composers and musicians, authors and poets, artists and artisans, architecture and craftsmen, scientists and engineers, had succumbed to despair because of its loss of greatness and the economic devastations of World War I. In their despair, they searched for reasons as to their plight. Instead of looking at their own actions as the reasons for their dilemma, they began an outward/inward search for scapegoats. Outward in blaming other countries for their problems, and then inward in blaming groups of their fellow citizens for their problems. In this outward/inward search for scapegoats, they turned to evilness.

They began to listen to the demagogues amongst themselves in that:

"First, they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me." - Martin Niemöller

Within a few short years, the demagogues obtained control of the government, and they began their pogroms against their opponents, which ended up with World War II, millions of deaths, and calamitous ruination for all but America. It started with governmental control of society and the economy and ended with genocide and slavery for those who opposed them:

“It didn't start with concentration camps, slave labor, and gas chambers. It started with one party controlling the media. It started with one party controlling the message. It started with one party deciding what is the truth. It started with one party censoring speech and silencing the opposition. It started with one party dividing citizens into 'Us' and 'Them'. It started with one party calling on their supporters to harass 'Them'. It started when good people turned a blind eye and let it happen. It ended with concentration camps, slave labor, and gas chambers.”  - paraphrased from the Holocaust Museum

All of this is evil and an evil that may be festering in today’s America. The rise of Anti-Americanism and Anti-Semitism in America, as I have written in my Chirps on “05/06/24 Whence Anti-Americanism” and “03/28/24 Modern Anti-Semitism”, along with "Hyper-Partisanship", "Identity Politics", "Political Correctness", "Wokeness", "Doxing", and now "Lawfare" in America, are but symptoms of the rise of evil in America.These symptoms have given rise to a feeling of despair as to our perceived loss of greatness and the economic doldrums we are currently enduring. Symptoms that are being aggravated by the words and deeds of Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, and their supporters as a means to obtain and retain power to advance their political goals and policy agendas. We must fight this despair and reclaim our American Ideals and Ideas to ensure our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All so that we do not become an evil country like the other once great country became.

05/09/24 Non-Answer Answers

Congressional hearings and inquiries have become a joke. A joke in that the time limits for questioning are absurdly short, and the witnesses have become adept at not answering the question with absurd excuses for not answering a question, vacuous answers to the question, or running out of the clock with long-winded statements that do not answer the question. Indeed, these non-answers have become pathetic and/or humorous in their evasions. They also are injurious to our democratic process and balance of powers, as they thwart the role of Congressional Oversight in our system of government.

Instead, they use "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language" as non-answers. Simple yes/no answers, such as Would you allow your teenage daughter to dress or undress in front of a transgender boy who is dressing or undressing in the woman’s locker room, or simple replies to what is your definition of a woman, are being evaded by non-answers. The litany of non-answers to Congressional Oversight hearings and inquiries in the last decades could fill a book and are far too numerous to list in this Chirp.

It is an unfortunate fact that Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, and their supporters are especially addicted to non-answers, and it became a modus operandi in the administrations of President Obama and Biden. Non-answers are a tactic and means to obscure their actual intentions or deeds, as they are aware that if they did so, their actions or proposals would not be palatable to a majority of Americans.

As such, non-answers have become a means for Democrat politicians to obtain and retain power to advance their political goals and policy agendas. Rather than utilizing clear language and intelligent reasoning to explain and justify their words and deeds, they resort to non-answers to hoodwink the American public. As the old adage states, “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me”, the American people should be ashamed of themselves for allowing them to get away with non-answers.

05/08/24 Lawfare and Election Interference

The administrations of President Obama and President Biden have been very selective in who they investigate and prosecute for violations of federal laws and our constitutional and civil rights. It has become apparent to all involved that the selection criteria is Democrat and Progressive "Activists and Activism" who support their administrations versus Republicans and Conservatives who oppose the policies of the Obama and Biden administrations. Much of these investigations and prosecutions are not for the purpose of obtaining convictions for violations of the law but for intimidation and ruination of their opponents in a process known as "Lawfare".

This Lawfare has now extended to election interference. The prosecutions in an election year of former President Trump and his associates and supporters are for the purpose of keeping them in court proceedings and off the election trail. It is also for the purpose of delegitimizing President Trump in the eyes of the voters in the hopes that they will not vote for President Trump. It also has the repercussions of depriving President Trump of some of his most able and effective campaign aides and possibly diminishing campaign donations from wary supporters.

Two new articles, “The Travesties of the Trump Trials” by Victor Davis Hanson and “Biden’s Collusion in the Anti-Trump Lawfare Gambit” by Andrew C. McCarthy, examine the political impetus and machinations of this Lawfare against President Trump.

Consequently, this is but another example of the election demagoguery employed by Democrats, as I have written in my Chirp “05/07/24 Election Interference and Demagoguery”. If they are successful in these efforts, then how elections are conducted will forever change, with Lawfare becoming part of the election process. Woe be to America if this should happen, as free and fair elections in America will be relegated to the ash heap of history.

05/07/24 Election Interference and Demagoguery

In the Presidential election of 2016, we had the issue of Russian collusion interfering with the normal election process. In the Presidential election of 2020, we had the issue of the COVID pandemic interfering with the normal election process. In the Presidential election of 2024, we have the issue of President Trump’s indictments and trials interfering with the normal election process. In all three of these elections, it was the Democrat candidate and the Democrat Party that were interfering with the normal election process. In this, it appears that the Democrat candidate and party do not believe that they can win an election without interfering with the normal election process, and this belief may be true.

This election interference, along with fearmongering and demonization, as I have written in Chirp on "08/23/23 Progressives and Fearmongering and Demonization", appears to be the preferred election tactic of Democrat candidates. These tactics of interference, fearmongering, and demonization are the tactics of demagogues that have been used throughout history, much to the detriment of humankind.

Many Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, and their supporters would claim that both sides do it.  However, as I have examined in my Chirps on 04/01/19 Both Sides Do It", the issue is not that both sides do it but whether the mainstream and/or leadership of each side of the issue both do it and how much attention is paid to the extremes in their respective parties. In the Republican Party, few of the leadership engage in election interference and demagoguery, and the extremes are hardly paid attention to, while in the Democrat Party, many of the leadership engage in election interference and demagoguery, and the extremes are pandered to. Thus, it is the Democrats that are engaged in election interference and demagoguery as a tactic to win elections to obtain and retain power.

When was the last time you saw a Republican Party leader standing on the front steps of the Supreme Court building, with an angry mob behind them, threatening the Supreme Court members on a decision they were about to render? When was the last time you saw a Republican Party House Speaker physically tear apart a Presidential State of the Union address in front of a national audience? When was the last time you saw a Republican Party leader making scurrilous and unsubstantiated allegations about Democrat politicians from the House or Senate floor while hiding behind Congressional immunity from slander or libel lawsuits? When was the last time you saw a Republican Party leader use pejoratives against a Democrat candidate or politician, as I have written in my article on Divisiveness in America? When was the last time you saw a Republican President give as vile a speech as President Biden gave in front of Independence Hall on September 01, 2022, as I have Chirp on, "09/03/22 A Terrorist and a Fascist" and written in my article on The Soul of the Nation? When was the last time that you saw a Republican Presidential administration (either directly or through its surrogates in the State and Local governments) prosecute Democrat politicians, advisors, and supporters for other than serious criminal actions that were unrelated to politics, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government"? The litany of Democrat Party leaders’ demagogic words and deeds in their official capacities could go on and on.

As I have often said, the major difference between Republican and Democrat leadership in their opposition to each other is that Republican Leadership believes that Democrats are wrong, while Democrat Leadership believes that Republicans are evil. This is why Democrat Leadership engages in demagoguery, as they believe that they are morally obligated to defeat Republican evils. This is also why they don't want to intelligently debate their opposition, as they only want to berate their opposition for their supposed evils.

As to election interference, it is the Democrat Party that advocates for voting changes that make it easier to cheat and harder to uncover cheating. They also utilize their political power to obstruct investigations into ballot cheating. The ballot counting in Democrat Party strongholds is so rife with abnormalities and inconsistencies that it is difficult to ascertain the integrity of the ballot counting. As I have discussed in my articles on Voting in America and Voting Responsibilities, many of these voting problems originate in Democrat Party machinations to rig the vote in favor of Democrat candidates. Consequently, the Democrat Party is heavily invested in election interference.

Thus, in modern America, we have election interference and demagoguery by the Democrats for the purposes of winning elections to obtain and retain power. A power that they are willing to utilize to install an Oligarchy in America composed of themselves and a power to institute Despotism in America against their opposition.

05/06/24 Whence Anti-Americanism

Many Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have an Anti-Americanism attitude, as they believe that America is the worst country in the world because of its Racist history, White Privilege social structure, its Oppressive Patriarchal Hierarchical Society, and its Capitalism and Free Markets economy. Much of this belief is based on The Biggest Falsehoods in America and a lack of knowledge or misjudgments of history, economic ignorance or fallaciousness, and a flawed understanding of human nature.

As Winson Churchill once elucidated, “it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”, I would say that “America is the worst country, except for all the others that have been tried”. All countries throughout history have had their flaws and faults, and all countries have been worse than America with all its flaws and faults.

In my Article “Condemned to Repeat It”, I note that without a true understanding of history, it is not possible to comprehend historical persons and times, which leads to false assumptions and conclusions about history. It is, therefore, important that you properly examine history. A preponderance of people believe that history is simply an insight into the past, mere stories of people and their lives, or a collection of dates and facts that are seemingly meaningless in our world today. However, as Disha Aadiya Ajit has written in his article, “Why history?”, properly examining history provides more than stories, dates, and facts. As he has stated, “History encompasses the bygone eras reflective of human advancement, spirit, resilience, successes and failures that have metamorphosed into the world as we know it today”, and history provides insights for making judgments on today’s events and the possibilities in the future.

The word “presentism” is the judging of people and events of another time by the standards of today. In literary and historical analysis, presentism is a term for the introduction of present-day ideas and perspectives into depictions or interpretations of the past. Some modern historians seek to avoid presentism in their work because they consider it a form of cultural bias and believe it creates a distorted understanding of their subject matter. Some consider the practice of presentism a common fallacy when writing about the past. American historian Barbara Tuchman once said, “Nothing is more unfair than to judge the men of the past by the ideas of the present”. Thus, we should all be more circumspect in our judgments of historical people and events and be cognizant of the old saying that you must walk a mile in someone’s shoes to understand what they are going through. In another fine article by Disha Aadiya Ajit, “Opinion: Should We Judge Those From The Past By The Standards Of Today?” he explains why presentism is a fallacious judgment of history. 

In an illuminating article by Mark Lewis, “'Progressivism': The Modern Zeitgeist”, he looks at Presentism in terms of the Zeitgeist characteristic of an age or generation. This article also makes for an interesting and recommended read.

It is readily apparent from their historical statements that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders lack a true understanding of history, that they utilize presentism in their judgments of history, and thus, they are distorting history to achieve their political goals and policy agendas. An examination of my various History Articles on American History points out many of the fallaciousness of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders regarding American history. This lack of a true understanding of history and presentism leads them to engage in anti-Americanism rhetoric.

In properly examining history, it is critically important that we understand the economic circumstances of the historical times. The economics of a society and its people were often the driving factor in what occurred in history, and so it is today. However, very few people have an understanding of macroeconomics, including many economists, which is necessary to understand the why and how a society operates economically. This lack of understanding of the economics of a society and of a person leads to misjudgments as to the functioning of a society and the reasons individuals make decisions about their lives. The economic ignorance or fallaciousness of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders leads them down a primrose path of decision-making to achieve their political goals and policy agendas. When their policy agendas fail due to their lack of understanding of economics, they often disparage Americans and America for their failure, which reinforces their anti-Americanism attitude.

My Chirp on "01/14/24 Constrained or Unconstrained Human Nature" examines how Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have an unconstrained vision of human nature. This unconstrained view of human nature leads them to believe that they can mold human nature to suit their political goals and policy agendas. While they may be able to change the minds of some people, the vast majority of people in America and the world are immune to their blandishments and enticements and will continue to make their decisions based on the constrained vision of human nature, which is not moldable. Thus, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are in denial of human nature. As such:

"To deny human nature, or to not acknowledge human nature, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

This denial of true human nature leads them to disparage most Americans and America, which reinforces their anti-Americanism attitude.

Consequently, anti-Americanism is based on a lack of knowledge or misjudgments of history, economic ignorance or fallaciousness, and a flawed understanding of human nature. There is also more than a touch of delusions of utopianism that permeate the deriders of America. A utopian delusion that they know what is best and how to best achieve their Utopia. But nobody knows what is best nor how to achieve the best, for as the great economist Thomas Sowell has said, "There are no solutions. There are only trade-offs." It should also be remembered that Utopia can never be achieved; as the great French philosopher, author, and journalist Albert Camus has said, “Utopia is that which is in contradiction with reality.”

05/05/24 Virtue In America

In an article by Mark Lewis, “Have You Ever Heard Any Current Politician Use the Word 'Virtue'?”, he states:

“My dear friends, if you want to know how America has gotten so far off the track, where our beloved country has lost its way, why there is so much moral decadence, so many utterly corrupt, self-centered, power-hungry politicians, and a largely ignorant, gullible citizenry, the majority of whom don’t seem to know what is really happening, then please read the following quotes. Each of them is from James Madison, one of the greatest minds in our history, and the man given the most credit for writing our Constitution and establishing the government we were supposed to have.”

The five quotes of Madison that he utilizes are:

“I go on this great republican principle, that the people will have virtue and intelligence to select men of virtue and wisdom.”  - James Madison

“If a man is not fit to govern himself, how can he be fit to govern someone else?”  - James Madison

“Is there no virtue among us? If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. No theoretical checks--no form of government can render us secure. To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea.”  - James Madison

“The advancement and diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.”  - James Madison

“The aim of every political constitution is, or ought to be, first to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue the common good of the society, and in the next place, to take the most effectual precautions for keeping them virtuous whilst they continue to hold their public trust.”  - James Madison

His comments on these quotes are quite illuminative of the current state of virtue in America. I have also written an Article, “Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue within Government and Society”, along with my collected Chirps on "Virtue in America", which examines the state of virtue in America. In Mark Lewis’s article, he also states that:

“If people aren’t taught virtue, honesty, self-control, respect for property, industry, truth, and goodness, then they will have none of these qualities.  And, again I ask, when was the last time you heard ANY politician in America, on either side of the aisle, encouraging Americans towards the absolute necessity of a virtuous, godly, self-controlled life?”

And:

“An unvirtuous people with no self-control will produce societal chaos, i.e., America in 2024. And a society in chaos will cry out for greater government to protect it.”

In his article he concludes:

“The answer is the one Madison taught us:  to educate our people in virtue and elect leaders of wisdom and virtue. If that is even possible any more.”

Alas, virtue in America has seemed to have been relegated to the ash heap of history. But without reestablishing virtue in America, it is not possible to properly address the issues and concerns facing America, or as James Madison has also warned:

“To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical [imaginary] idea.”  - James Madison

05/04/24 A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

A recent campus photo during the Anti-Israel protests says a thousand words about the importance of the Second Amendment. In the background, we see a Jewish student being assaulted by the protesters, while in the foreground, a law enforcement officer ignores the assault:

AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Every person has the Natural Right to protect themselves, their family, and their neighbors from the criminal actions of others. We normally cede this right to law enforcement officers, but if they are unavailable or choose not to do so (or prevented from doing so by the orders of superiors), we need to be able to protect ourselves. Sometimes, the best protection is a firearm at our side to dissuade or defend ourselves from the criminal actions of others.

The old adage, “When seconds matter, the police are only minutes away”, should be caveated by “but only if they should decide to protect you.” Alas, in modern America, they are often more than minutes away or unavailable to protect you, and many police departments seem uninterested in protecting you due to "Political Correctness" or "Wokeness". Their only purpose is to protect your life, liberty, and property, and in modern America, they seem to have little interest in doing so. It is, therefore, up to each person to provide their own protection, and the best protection is a firearm that can be brandished or used if necessary.

05/03/24 Getting It Morally and Historically Wrong

Recently, Tucker Carlson told Joe Rogan that any person who defends the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, is evil:

"People on my side ... on the Right, you know, have spent 80 years defending dropping nuclear weapons on civilians. Like, are you joking? That's just like prima facie evil. ... It's wrong to drop nuclear weapons on people. And if you find yourself arguing that it's a good thing to drop nuclear weapons on people, then you are evil. Like, it's not a tough one. It's not a hard call for me. So, with that in mind, like, why would you want nuclear weapons? It's, like, just a mindless, childish sort of intellectual exercise to justify -- like, 'Oh, no, it's really good because somebody else will get it.' How about 'no'? How about, like, spending all of your effort to prevent this from happening? Would you kill baby Hitler, you know, famously?"

In this, he is morally and historically wrong, as I have written in my Article on “The Morality of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bombings”. We must ponder the morality of these bombings, but we must do so in its historical context. An article by Dennis Prager, "Some on the Right Are Having a Moral Meltdown", goes into more detail about the morality and history of dropping the atomic bombs on Japan.

Consequently, Tucker Carlson owes a retraction and apology for this comment, as it shows a lack of morality and historical insightfulness as to what occurred in the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan.

05/02/24 Morally, Intellectually, and Scientifically and Technologically Wrong

In my Chirps on “04/28/24 Morally Wrong”, “04/29/24 Intellectually Wrong”, and “04/30/24 Scientifically and Technologically Wrong”, I point out how the modern Democrat Party has gone astray. They have abandoned Reasoning" and "Rationality, and replaced them with their Lies and Beliefs, and they have trampled upon our Natural, Human, and Civil Rights. In their going astray, they have become a threat to America, as I have discussed in my collected Chirps on "Threats to Democracy" and "Despotism in America". In addition, they are attempting to institute rulership in America, as I have written in my article To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders, as they are trying to establish an Oligarchy in America as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Oligarchy in America".

Their assaults on our free speech rights and their weaponization of government, as I have examined in my collected Chirps on "The Decline of Free Speech in America" and "The Weaponization of Government", threaten the very fabric of our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All in America. Their proposals for the scientific and technological issues facing America are often unscientific and uneconomical and are, therefore, destructive to our economy and our social fabric.

Consequently, it is imperative to vote out of office Democrat politicians until they reform their party to be in alignment with our American Ideals and Ideas. To not do so is to allow for the destruction of our American Ideals and Ideas. In doing so, we should remember the words of President Lincoln:

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."  - Abraham Lincoln

Also, in doing so or not doing so, we should remember the words of caution from President Lincoln:

"We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth."  - Abraham Lincoln

05/01/24 Wisdom Par Excellence

Thomas Sowell, (born June 30, 1930) is an American economist, social philosopher, and political commentator. He is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. With widely published commentary and books-and as a guest on TV and radio-he became a well-known voice in the American conservative movement as a prominent black conservative. He was a recipient of the National Humanities Medal from President George W. Bush in 2002.

He is also one of the wisest people I have ever encountered in my readings. His wisdom goes beyond economics, but economics is the foundation of his wisdom. Three books of his wisdom are this month's Book It selections, which all Americans should read to increase their own wisdom.

04/30/24 Scientifically and Technologically Wrong

As Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott in Star Trek: The Original Series has often said, “You cannot violate the laws of physics.” I would also add that you cannot compensate for the laws of physics, and you cannot ignore the laws of physics. You must always be cognizant of the Laws of Physics and obey them. As for technology, all technology is based on the laws of physics but is limited to what is achievable by the current state of engineering. Few people have sufficient knowledge of science and technology to ascertain the truth or falsehood of scientific and technological claims. Most people rely on “experts” to make a judgment of these claims. It is for this reason that I have written a series of articles about science and technology, which I am familiar with and which can be reviewed in the Science section of my website.

However, most people fall into the trap of automatically accepting the claims of experts or the consensus of experts. It should be remembered by all that experts are only experts in their field of study, that they can often be wrong, and that most have very little expertise outside of their field of study, which may impact their field of study. Regarding scientific experts, it is almost always the case that they have little expertise in the political, sociological, and economic impacts of what they may suggest or advocate. This has been especially true on the major scientific and technological issues of our time, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Climate Change", the "Coronavirus Pandemic", "Transgenderism - Sex and Gender", and energy policy as I have written in my Chirp on "11/16/22 Stupid Is as Stupid Does".

You should also be wary of Scientific Consensus and Settled Science, as throughout history, most scientific consensus and settled science has been overturned by advancements in science, as I have written in my article on Consensus and Settled Science. In addition, there are several problems of modern science that need to be considered when evaluating scientific claims, as I have written in my articles on Orthodoxy in Science and The Problems with Modern Science.

As I have written in my Chirps on "05/12/23 The Abandonment of Hard Science to be Replaced with Political Science", Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, as well as the Biden Administration, have abandoned hard science and replaced it with political science to achieve their political goals. This is foolish and destructive to our society, a destructiveness that may cause economic and/or sociological problems and may be uncorrectable. Thus, in most cases, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are Scientifically and Technologically Wrong on issues related to science and technology.

04/29/24 Intellectually Wrong

It is breathtaking to observe how Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are bereft of knowledge of Constitutional governance, economics, history, science and technology, and human nature. This lack of knowledge may be ignorance, but it may also be willful disregard, as when the facts and truths contravene their beliefs or political agendas, they disregard or dismiss the facts and truths. Many of my Chirps and Articles have dealt with their lack of knowledge of these subjects and the dangers of their disregarding or dismissal of the facts and truths, or as I have said:

"To deny human nature, economics, history, or science and technology, or to not acknowledge human nature, economics, history, science or technology is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

And failure is what we have seen in modern America because of Democrat Party leadership and Progressives/Leftists Activists and Activism. Not only have we experienced failures, but we have also seen Divisiveness in America and the loss of A Civil Society in America due to Hyper-Partisanship, which is leading us into Despotism in America. As I have written in my article, J'accuse!, the modern Democrat Party has become antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas. Their being intellectually wrong has led America into chaos, a chaos that may destroy our American Ideals and Ideas.

04/28/24 Morally Wrong

The Democrat Party has morphed into a party of moral wrongs. Morally wrong on Anti-Semitism, Islamism, Racism, Illegal Immigration, Abortion, Transgenderism, Free Speech, Gun Rights, and a host of other Natural, Human, and Civil Rights issues. It is immoral to discriminate against any person, except for the content of their character and their competencies (i.e., Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)). It is immoral to persecute and prosecute their political opponents (i.e., The Weaponization of Government), and it is immoral to pit one group of Americans against another group (i.e., Identity Politics, Critical Race Theory (CRT), and White Privilege). It is immoral to take taxpayer monies from a person who has earned the money to give to another person who has not earned the money (i.e., Entitlements and the Greater Good versus the Common Good).

If it is a choice between doing what is morally right or politically advantageous, Democrat Party Leaders will always opt for politically advantageous. They are a party without principles except for the principle of obtaining and retaining power to enact their political goals and policy agendas.

They cloak their immorality in lofty words but implement dastardly deeds. Through the utilization of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language", they foster immorality. Many Democrats would claim that morality is relative to the circumstances and the context of the situation. But true morality knows no abridgment by circumstances and context, as righteousness and wickedness are bound by morality.

Thus, we have a party that wishes to lead or rule America, as I have written in my article To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders, and this leadership or rulership is without a moral basis for their political goals and policy agendas.

04/27/24 Dereliction of Duty

The Impeachment saga against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has finally ended with an unsatisfactory conclusion. Unsatisfactory in that it has not resolved the question of what is to be done when elected and appointed officials are engaged in a dereliction of duty, and most especially when they are not faithfully executing the laws passed by Congress. As I have written in my Chirps on "03/16/24 Impeachment Proceedings" and "02/13/24 What is Impeachable?", I do not believe that the impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas met the Constitutional criteria for impeachment. But I may have been mistaken.

In a new article by Andrew C. McCarthy, “The Mayorkas Senate Impeachment Trial That Wasn’t”, he states, “The contention that the two articles the House alleged against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas do not state impeachable offenses is wrong.” as he states that:

“The fact that his conduct is probably not criminally prosecutable is beside the point. Impeachment does not require a penal crime. As Hamilton memorably observed in Federalist No. 65, it is a political offense sounding in abuse of the power entrusted to a public official, not in common crime.”

His article explains his reasoning, and the Founding Fathers' reasoning, on the meaning and scope of impeachment and why dereliction of duty was not explicitly included in the Impeachment clause of the Constitution. This lack of dereliction of duty in the Impeachment clause of the Constitution, due to the Founding Fathers inability to articulate the difference between profound and trivial dereliction of duty, has led many to interpret impeachment as only for a criminal offense by an officeholder. Thus, the removal of an elected or appointed official who is in dereliction of their duty is unresolved to this day.

As I have examined in my article, “The Removal of Elected or Appointed Officials”, there are many issues and concerns about removing an elected or appointed official for dereliction of duty. However, this is an important issue to discuss and resolve, as in the last several decades, we have seen a dramatic increase in the profound dereliction of duty by the president and executive officers. Often, these profound derelictions of duties involve not faithfully executing the laws as passed by Congress, ignoring the law, redefining the meaning of the words in the law, or issuing regulations that are contrary to the intent of the law. Sometimes, Executive Orders creating rules and regulations that have no basis in law or are contrary to laws as passed by Congress are promulgated, as I have written in my Chirps on "07/28/19 Executive Orders"  and "03/08/21 Rule by Regulation and Executive Orders".

There is also the issue of lying or misleading Congress and the American people with no consequences when discovered, as I have Chirped on "06/04/21 Why They Lie and Why They Get Away with Lying". Lying, misleading, obfuscating, not answering a question, or withholding information from Congress is a dereliction of duty under Congressional oversite responsibilities of the Constitution and should be cause for impeachment.

If we continue to allow politicians or officers to be in dereliction of their duties, then we no longer have a balance of powers between the branches of government or limited and enumerated powers within a branch of government. To not bring politicians or officers within the constraints of the Constitution is to allow for capricious and arbitrary government, which is an assault on our "American Ideals and Ideas". Thus, we must address and resolve the issue of impeachment for dereliction of duty.

04/26/24 Useful Idiots Leadership

In my previous Chip on “04/nn/24 Useful Idiots,” I discussed who the Useful Idiots are in today’s America. In this Chirp, I will examine the leadership and their motives of the Useful Idiots in America. Throughout history, Useful Idiots and Useful Idiots Leadership have come from both sides of The Political Spectrum. However, in the 20th and 21st centuries, the vast preponderance of Useful Idiots and Useful Idiots Leadership has been on the left side of the Political Spectrum.

Many of the non-politician Useful Idiots Leadership are Progressives/Leftists Activists and Activism. Most of these people have a sense of self-righteousness and self-importance, as well as a lack of broad knowledge, an overabundance of irrational thinking, and a know-it-all attitude. These personality traits allow them to reject any facts or truths that are contrary to their beliefs. They also often have an unconstrained view of Human Nature as I have defined as "Human Nature (Unconstrained or Constrained)", which leads them to make proposals that are contrary to human nature, as I have written in my Chirps on "01/14/24 Constrained or Unconstrained Human Nature" and "01/31/21 Human Nature and Behavior". Coupled with a lack of understanding of the economic impacts of their proposals and a lack of foresight as to both intended and unintended consequences of their proposals (as I have written in my article on "The Law of Unintended Consequences"), this leads to detrimental repercussions of their proposals if or when their proposals are enacted.

As for the politicians who are the Useful Idiots Leadership, most of them originate from Democrat Party Leaders. While many of the Democrat Party Leaders believe in the issues espoused by Progressives/Leftists Activists and Activism, much of their words and deeds are for the purposes of electioneering to obtain and retain political power. Rather than exhibiting true leadership by ameliorating the proposals of the Useful Idiots Leadership to constrict them to facts and truths, Constitutional limitations, Economic realities, Consequential analysis, and Human Nature constraints, they encourage their idiocy to gin up votes for Democrat Party candidates and their political goals and policy agendas. We should also remember my own aphorism:

"To deny human nature or economics, or to not acknowledge human nature or economics, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

It is also an unfortunate fact that many in the Mainstream Media who practice Modern Journalism are parroting the Useful Idiot's Leadership proposals, political goals, and policy agendas with an uncritical eye. Thus, allowing the Useful Idiots and Useful Idiots Leadership to appear to be reasonable is dangerous for America’s future. An ill-informed public cannot possibly make an informed judgment as to the proper future course of America, and decisions based on incorrect or incomplete information always lead to disastrous results.

Thus, in today’s America, we are being led by the Useful Idiots Leadership and their Useful Idiots for the purposes of control and power over Americans, as I have written in my Chirp on "02/08/24 It’s All About Control and Power". This needs to end by voting out the elected officials and removing appointed officials that pander to the Useful Idiots, as well as paying no attention to the Mainstream Media reporting and commentary. Until this happens, we can expect more chaos in America while being led down the path to the destruction of our American Ideals and Ideas.

04/25/24 Useful Idiots

Useful Idiots, or useful fools, are people perceived as propagandizing for a cause without fully comprehending the cause's goals or the consequences of obtaining the goals. They are often cynically used by the cause's leaders to achieve their goals. Useful Idiots have been a fixture throughout human history, but with the advent of mass communications in the 20th century, their presence and impacts have been magnified. Useful Idiots have also been ratings boosters and clickbait for the "Mainstream Media" and "Social Media", as they often provide spectacles without substance. Useful Idiots are often utilized to achieve political and/or social goals that, upon the utilization of "Rationality" and "Reasoning", would not be desirable by a majority of the people.

The question is how to discern a Useful Idiot from someone who is knowledgeable, as I have written in my article, "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom". The answer is not as difficult as it would appear to be. If someone is a member of a disorderly crowd of people (a mob), it is an indicator of a Useful Idiot, and the more violent the mob, the more idiotic the Useful Idiots. Peaceful gatherings of a crowd to express an opinion are not mobs and, therefore, not an indicator of a Useful Idiot, and they often are an indicator of a thoughtful person.

When someone responds to an intellectually reasoned viewpoint with emotional pejoratives, then it is safe to assume that the responder is a Useful Idiot. Pro-Palestinian and Anti-Israel demonstrators (which is just another way of being an Anti-Semite) can safely be assumed to be Useful Idiots. Supporters of open borders (no matter which national border is being violated) can safely be assumed to be Useful Idiots. Supporters of defunding the police, no arrests for minor crimes, no or small bail for unlawful actions, and limited prosecutions of criminals can safely be assumed to be Useful Idiots. And people who would limit or suppress Free Speech, the Free Press, Freedom of Religion, Free Assembly, Free Petitioning, and the Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms can safely be assumed to be Useful Idiots. Anyone who disregards economic principles when analyzing proposed governmental laws, rules, regulations, or social policies is a Useful Idiot.

In the arena of political and social advocacy, people who believe in "Critical Race Theory (CRT)" and "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)" can safely be assumed to be Useful Idiots. Believers of an "Oppressive Patriarchal Hierarchical Society", "White Privilege", and  "Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG)" can also safely be assumed to be Useful Idiots. Anybody who believes in any form of Oligarchy, Socialism, or Communism can safely be assumed to be a Useful Idiot.

In the past few years, we have seen the utilization of Useful Idiots to implement policies to deal with the COVID-19 Pandemic and the issue of Transgenderism, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Coronavirus Pandemic" and "Transgenderism - Sex and Gender". Those that support the policies enacted under the pandemic mandates or transgendered rights can safely be assumed to be Useful Idiots.

In today’s America, the number of Useful Idiots far exceeds the number of Knowledgeable persons, but this has been the case throughout world history. The important point is whether we will allow the Useful Idiots to set out the future course of America or pause to consider the wisdom of Knowledgeable persons in setting the future course of America. Alas, we appear to be under the direction of the Useful Idiots rather than the Knowledgeable persons in today’s America. This bodes ill for the future of America, and unless we right our course, we can expect a chaotic future in America.

04/24/24 CPB, PBS, and NPR as Progressive Propaganda

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and National Public Radio (NPR) and were formed in 1967, 1969, 1970, respectively, at a time when over-the-air television and radio were dominated by a limited number of commercial interests. It was felt that there was a need for over-the-air broadcasting for educational and cultural purposes, which was being neglected by the limited number of commercial interests. Thus, the Federal government stepped in to provide this educational and cultural broadcasting. With the advent of cable television and the Internet, the need for educational and cultural programming was reduced, as it became financially possible for special interests to fund educational and cultural programming over cable television and the Internet. However, the federal government continued to fund CPB, PBS, and NPR with taxpayer monies after the special interests met the need for educational and cultural programming.

CPB, PBS, and NPR have always had a slightly liberal orientation to their programming, but they sometimes counterbalanced this viewpoint with some conservative programming. Alas, over the last few decades, they have become distinctly Progressive in their viewpoints and have ignored Conservative viewpoints in their programming. They have also aligned themselves with the policies of the Democrat Party while disparaging the policies of the Republican Party, so much so that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting should be renamed Corporation for Progressive Broadcasting, as well as renaming Public Broadcasting Service to Progressive Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio to National Progressive Radio.

In a new article by Jonathan Turley, “Should NPR Rely on Listeners Rather Than Taxpayers Like You?”, he examines the current kerfuffle regarding “the National Public Radio (NPR) after a respected editor, Uri Berliner, wrote a scathing account of the political bias at the media outlet.” He continued on to say, “Although NPR responded by denying the allegations, the controversy has rekindled the debate over the danger of the government selectively funding media outlets. That is a debate that does not simply turn on the question of bias, but more fundamentally on why the public should support this particular media company to the exclusion of others.”

After examining some of the issues and concerns of public funding for NPR, Professor Turley closed his article by stating, “The market tends to favor those products and programming that the public wants. If the demand for NPR is insufficient to support its budget, then Congress should not make up the shortfall and prop up the programming. If it is sufficient, then there is no need for the subsidy.” and “This debate should not turn on whether you agree with the slant of NPR programming. NPR clearly wants to maintain a liberal advocacy in its programming, and it has every right to do so. It does not have a right to federal funding.”

I believe that his points are also applicable to CPB and PBS, and I, therefore, think it is well past time that CPB, PBS, and NPR should be cut from governmental funding and allow them to compete in the free market of ideas and free speech for their funding.

04/23/24 A National Existential Decision

With the recent announcement of Presidential candidate Donald Trump that he believes that abortion is an issue to be decided by the individual States, as per the recent Supreme Court decision, he is attempting for electioneering purposes to sidestep this contentious issue. At the same time, President Biden has asserted that he wishes to make abortion legal in all States, thrusting this issue onto the national stage. Thus, the issue is whether abortion should be decided at the Federal level or if it is a States rights issue. I have made my thoughts on abortion well known in my article "The Abortion Question", in that I believe the core issue is one of whether an unborn child is a human being or not a human being. Consequently, the issue of abortion is an existential issue (relating to or dealing with existence—especially with human existence) that must be resolved on a national level, as it defines us as a people.

Trump’s position, and the Supreme Court’s position, is very much like Senator Steven Douglas’s slavery position of Popular Sovereignty prior to the Civil War. Popular sovereignty is the principle that the leaders of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, who are the source of all political legitimacy. Citizens may unite and offer to delegate a portion of their sovereign powers and duties to those who wish to serve as officers of the state, contingent on the officers agreeing to serve according to the will of the people. In the United States, the term has been used to express this concept in constitutional law. It was also used during the 19th century in reference to a proposed solution to the debate over the expansion of slavery in the United States. Senator Douglas’s proposal would have given the power to determine the legality of slavery to the inhabitants of the territory seeking statehood rather than to Congress. His position would have left the contentious issue of slavery to the territories, therefore allowing America to continue to be divided into Free States or Slave States.

As Abraham Lincoln said on the issue of slavery in his House Divided Speech at Springfield, Illinois, on June 16, 1858:

“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.”

So it is with the issue of abortion, as I have written in my article "The Analogy of Abortion and Slavery". I, therefore, agree with President Biden that this is a national issue, but I vehemently disagree with President Biden that abortion should be permitted for the reasons stated in my aforementioned article on "The Abortion Question". I would also passionately disagree with President Trump and the Supreme Court’s decision to make this a State's Rights issue. We must resolve the issue of abortion at a national level, as it is an existential decision, as slavery was an existential decision. Otherwise, we will continue to be at each other’s throats until the abortion issue is resolved nationally.

04/22/24 Electric Vehicles Hidden Harms

In my previous Chirp on “04/21/24 Electric Vehicles Hidden Costs”, I examined the impacts of electric vehicles on roadways and firefighting. In this Chirp, I examine the health issues of electric vehicles.

While it may be true that the gross carbon footprint of an electric vehicle is less than an internal-combustion engine, there are other issues to consider. The carbon footprint of an electric vehicle must include the carbon emissions from the mining, transportation, and manufacturing of the specialized materials needed for electric vehicles, as well as the electrical power generation needed to recharge the batteries. Therefore, the total carbon footprint reduction is more than just the emissions from the electric vehicle. As such, the net carbon footprint reduction in electric vehicles may not be as great as it would first appear. Thus, the increased carbon emissions from the infrastructure needed to produce and recharge electric vehicles pose an additional health risk to those persons involved in these activities, as well as persons located near these activities.

According to some studies, electric vehicles tend to have, on average, higher claim severity for bodily injury and property damage liability claims, but they have a lower frequency than internal-combustion vehicles. Electric vehicles can be much heavier than an equivalent vehicle with an internal combustion engine, which may protect EV drivers and passengers but poses a greater risk to pedestrians or other vehicles and persons upon impact.

In addition, electric vehicles release more toxic particles into the atmosphere and are worse for the environment than their internal-combustion engine counterparts, according to a resurfaced study. It found that brakes and tires on EVs release 1,850 times more particle pollution compared to modern internal-combustion engine tailpipes, which have “efficient” exhaust filters, bringing internal-combustion engine vehicles’ emissions to new lows. Today, most vehicle-related pollution comes from tire wear. Thus, electric vehicles, which are heavier than internal-combustion vehicles, increase tire wear, which increases the health risks to all persons who inhale these toxins. As such, more electric vehicles on the road increase the health risk to all persons and the healthcare costs for those so affected.

It is also true that electric vehicle fires pose a health risk to firefighters and others nearby from the toxic chemicals and fumes they emit. Toxic chemicals that spread near the fire and into the sewers from firefighting actions and toxic fumes that are spread by winds. There is no way to contain these toxic chemicals and fumes while putting out electric vehicle fires, and the cleanup required for the toxic chemicals is difficult and expensive to accomplish, and toxic fumes are impossible to contain or remove once they are released.

Consequently, electric vehicles increase the health risks for all persons, and not just those who purchase electric vehicles. A cost that society must bear in the medical treatment costs of those persons so affected.

04/21/24 Electric Vehicles Hidden Costs

The increase of electric vehicles on our roadways causes some additional problems that are often not considered in the rush to adopt electric vehicles. A series of articles on the Verisk website examines the current issues regarding electric vehicles:

• Electric Vehicles in Focus, Part I: How Many, How Soon?
• Electric Vehicles in Focus, Part II: How EV Design Influences Vehicle Safety
• Electric Vehicles in Focus, Part III: Electric Vehicle Fire Risk
• Electric Vehicles in Focus, Part IV: Electric Vehicle Weight and Infrastructure
• Electric Vehicles in Focus, Part V: The Evolving Cyber Threat to EV Charging Stations
• Electric Vehicles in Focus, Part VI: EVs and ESG
• Electric Vehicles in Focus, Part VII: Future Innovations, Future Risks

Many of these problems impose additional burdens on government agencies that have to deal with them. Some of the more pressing problems and their financial impacts on these government agencies are as follows:

It has become clear that the road surface wears out much faster from electrical vehicles compared to internal-combustion engine vehicles. Due to their massive battery, electric cars weigh more than ordinary internal-combustion engine cars. Because of this greater weight, not only do the tires wear out faster, but according to experts from the Delft University of Technology, the top layer of the asphalt is also likely to wear out more quickly. Therefore, roadway repairs need to be more frequent and thus more expensive to accomplish. In addition, need to account for the additional weight impacts of electric vehicles, making them more expensive to build and repair.

Car fires have always been dangerous and difficult for firefighters, but highly combustible chemicals in electric car batteries are posing new challenges. Unlike the gasoline tanks in internal-combustion engines, the enormous lithium-ion batteries used to power electric cars pose some significant fire risks; electric vehicle fires burn hotter, electric vehicle fires can reignite, electric vehicle fires can leak toxic chemicals and fumes, and electric vehicle fires can ignite from saltwater flooding. There are also some key differences that make electric vehicle fires harder to combat. One major difference is the possibility of what's referred to as a "thermal runaway," in which an EV battery falls into a cycle of overheating and over-pressurizing, causing fires and sometimes explosions. These powerful fires are plaguing ships carrying electric vehicles, causing extensive damage to parking garages and even leading to widespread recalls of electric vehicles.

Putting out electric vehicle fires is time-consuming and expensive. Electric vehicles with lithium-ion batteries burn hotter and faster and require far more water to reach final extinguishment. Also, the batteries can reignite hours or even days after the fire is initially controlled, leaving salvage yards, repair shops, and others at risk. While normally, a conventional car fire may be put out with between 500 and 1000 gallons of water, an electric vehicle will often need a much more prolonged intervention because the battery is protected by a strong encasing. Because the chemicals in the battery will continue to produce their own oxygen to some degree, even when completely soaked, water is less effective in putting out an electric vehicle fire than an internal-combustion engine vehicle. An American fire company recently needed to use 24,000 gallons of water to put out a battery fire in a Tesla in a parking lot car fire. Studies suggest that even more water may be necessary to put out electric vehicle fires and that specialized firefighting equipment and fire retardants are needed to effectively put out electric vehicle fires.

Thus, putting out an electric vehicle fire takes longer to accomplish, uses much more material (water and other fire retardants), and poses a health risk to firefighters (and others nearby) from toxic chemicals and fumes. Consequently, government and volunteer fire companies must expend more time, effort, and expense in putting out an electric vehicle fire. There is also the additional expense in water and other fire retardants, additional expensive equipment to put out electric vehicle fires, and electric vehicle firefighting training.

This, coupled with the additional expense of roadway repairs, new roadways, and replaced roadways, adds to the financial burdens on governments to accommodate electric vehicles and thus increases taxes on all persons, even those who do not purchase electric vehicles.

04/20/24 Inanity of Progressive Economic Measures

The inanity of Progressive measures that subsidize demand while restricting supply is that they ignore the Law of Supply and Demand as a price and inventory determinant, as described in an article by David Luther, “Law of Supply and Demand Defined”. They also try to camouflage that subsidies require taking monies from taxpayers who are not interested in the product or service subsidized and then giving it to other taxpayers and non-taxpayers who are interested in the product or service subsidized, thus skewering the Law of Supply and Demand.

Most of this inanity is justified by doing good for America while ignoring the harm that they inflict upon America. With lofty rhetoric accompanied by "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language”, they attempt to implement policies that violate economic principles. In this, they have forgotten the words of wisdom from Benjamin Franklin: "Well done is better than well said." They have also forgotten the discernments of Thomas Sowell, "The first rule of economics is there isn't enough to go around. The first rule of politics is to ignore the first rule of economics." and "There are no solutions. There are only trade-offs." 

This is most especially pronounced in the Renewable energy proposals as espoused by Climate Change activists, as well as Electric Vehicle mandates. The subsidies for the suppliers and the mandates for the consumers violate the Law of Supply and Demand and skewer the free marketplace. In addition, it subsidies the rich while it increases costs for the middle class and poor consumers, as I have written in my chirps on “04/18/24 Government Subsidies for the Rich” and “04/19/24 The Madness of Electric Vehicles Quotas”.

However, this inanity is not limited to climate change or electric vehicle measures; it extends to all government subsidies. It also presumes that the government can pick and choose the winners and losers in the economic marketplace, which governments throughout history were notorious for not being able to do. History has also taught us that it also increases the potential for graft and bribery amongst government officials involved in subsidies and mandate regulations, thus leading to poor decisions by government officials.

Almost all of this is justified by doing what is best for America and the World. In this, they have forgotten another discernment of Thomas Sowell, "The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best?" When governmental decisions are made without accounting for economic principles, then I would suggest that the people making these decisions are not the ones that you want to decide what is best.

04/19/24 The Madness of Electric Vehicles Quotas

To combat Global Warming, President Biden is requiring that 50% of all new vehicle sales be electric by the year 2030. But nobody can require an automotive manufacturer or car dealer to make or sell a quota, as it is up to the American people to purchase an electric vehicle to meet any quota. And the American people are not purchasing electric vehicles in the quantity to meet President Biden’s goal.

Current sales and inventory data show that electric vehicles are piling up on car dealership lots across the country. Another sign that electric vehicle demand has cooled is that the car rental firm Hertz Global Holdings is selling about 20,000 of its electric vehicles, including Tesla’s, from its U.S. fleet after only two years of offering its electric vehicles for rent. Its decision underscores the bumpy road electric vehicles have hit as their sales growth slows, causing carmakers like General Motors and Ford to scale back production plans.

Recent cold weather events have shown that charging stations may fail to function in extreme cold, the time to recharge increases, the electric batteries will not take a full charge, and the range of the electric vehicles decreases. Add in the additional costs to repair an electric vehicle and the exorbitant price to replace the battery in the event of battery failure or collision damage; the American people are reluctant to purchase electric vehicles.

It is also true that even with government subsidies, the cost of a new electrical vehicle is greater than that of a gas-powered vehicle. Also, demand for used electric vehicles and prices are falling, thus decreasing the resale value of the electric vehicle to the purchaser.

Consequently, the electric vehicle green revolution has hit a speed bump, proving that you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make them drink. Until the American consumer determines that it is receiving value for its purchase of electric vehicles, no electrical vehicle quota on manufacturing or sales of an automotive manufacturer or car dealer is reachable. Thus, President Biden’s electrical vehicle sales quotas are a delusion bordering on madness, as any attempt to enforce the quota has negative economic repercussions for the American economy and the pocketbook of the American consumer.

04/18/24 Government Subsidies for the Rich

It is all too possible for the government to subsidize an activity that seems to benefit society but, in effect, turns out to be a subsidy for the wealthy. This is especially true when it comes to government subsidies for Electric Vehicles and House Solar Panels.

Electric Vehicles are highly subsidized by the government to bring down the cost of these vehicles. Even with these subsidies, the cost of an electric vehicle is beyond the reach of most middle-class Americans and, therefore, is only a benefit to wealthier Americans. House solar panels can be expensive to purchase and install, for which government subsidies are available for Americans who can afford the purchase and installation costs. In addition, the excess electrical power that these solar panels produce when the homeowner is not utilizing the solar panels at full capacity is sold back to the electric companies or applied as credits to their electric bill for the normal electricity they utilize when the sun doesn’t shine. In many cases, this sale back occurs when the excess power generation of the solar panels is not needed by the electric company and hence goes to wasted electric power by the electric company. Thus, solar panel subsidies are mostly beneficial to wealthier Americans. In addition, when the government mandates solar panels for new house construction, it drives up the cost of home ownership, which puts many new home purchases out of the reach of middle-class Americans.

As I have Chirped on "10/14/23 The Economics of Wind Turbines and Solar Panels", Wind Turbines and massive Solar Panel arrays are heavily dependent on government subsidies and tax credits, which camouflage the economics of these technologies. Companies that depend on government subsidies are not competing in the free market, and thus, their costs and prices are skewered, and their incentives are skewered toward the government interests rather than the consumer interests.

These government subsidies and tax credits also shift the cost shift from individuals or companies to taxpayers, which shifts the economic risks of these technologies onto the public. Alas, this may make for good politics, but it is not good economics. It is not the function of government to provide subsidies and tax credits to individuals or companies, as it puts them in the position of choosing winners and losers in the marketplace, which a government is ill-suited to accomplish. It also allows politicians to reward and enrich political friends (the winners) while encumbering political opponents (the losers), all at taxpayers’ expense.

04/17/24 Ferreting Out Causes of Climate Change

As I have said in my Science Article on “Climate Change”, I believe in climate change. I believe the climate has changed in the past, the climate is currently changing, and the climate will change in the future. Throughout the geological history of the Earth, the global climate has changed dramatically. There have been periods when the Earth was warmer, hotter, cooler, and colder than it is today, and this is a geological scientific fact. If you have read my Science Article “On the Nature of Scientific Inquiry”, you know that I have a scientific orientation to my thinking, and I apply that scientific thinking to many of the issues and concerns of climate change.

Major shifts in the Earth’s climate have good scientific explanations, but minor shifts are less scientifically explainable. There are so many factors and interrelationships between the factors that the scientific explanations for minor shifts are much less certain than that for major shifts. In the last century and a half, we have undergone a minor shift of increased cooling followed by a minor shift of increased warming. The question as to why we have had these minor shifts in the last century and a half is not fully or completely scientifically understood. Many have suggested that the increased warming shift is a result of human-caused impacts on Climate Change. This may be true or may not be true, depending upon your interpretation of scientific facts and beliefs. The problem is that in ferreting out human-caused impacts on climate change from natural-caused impacts on climate change, you must fully understand and explain natural-caused shifts before you can attribute any change to human-caused impacts.

Until you can understand and explain natural-caused shifts, it is premature to attribute much of these shifts to human-caused impacts on Climate Change. That does not mean that we should not be concerned about the warming trend and take reasonable precautions to reduce possible human-caused impacts. However, to take inordinate changes without understanding natural-caused shifts runs the risk of not solving the problem, as well as severely impacting the foundations of our economies and social structures. Thus, it would be foolish to make any major changes until we have this understanding, and as the famous poet has said:

“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”  - Alexander Pope

04/16/24 Strings, Superstrings, and M-theory Oh My

String theory, Superstring theory, and M-theory became a field of study in Particle Physics in the late 1960s. Particle physics or high-energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and forces that constitute matter and radiation. String theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles of particle physics are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings, and as the theory developed, it became Superstring theory, then M-theory.

In all these theories, there has never been one iota of verification. Indeed, some String Theorists are now making the claim that as Strings exist in multi-dimensions it may never be possible to experiment or observe Strings, as multi-dimensions are unobservable and not possible to experiment upon. In addition, String Theory has no predictability, and without predictability, it cannot be considered a strict science.

This raises the issue of whether these theories are a description of reality and, as one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century has stated:

"Reality is the real business of physics."  - Albert Einstein

My newest Science article, “Strings, Superstrings, and M-theory Oh My”, examines this issue for your elucidation.

04/15/24 Scientific Speculation, Hypothesis, and Theories

Good science generally proceeds in two steps: Scientific Hypothesis followed by Scientific Theories, as outlined in the section on The Scientific Methodology in my Science Article “On the Nature of Scientific Inquiry“. In another section of the same article, Scientific Speculation,  I examine the role of Speculation in Scientific Methodology. In modern science, in the last few decades, we seem to have expanded this methodology into three steps: 1.) Scientific Speculation, 2.) Scientific Hypothesis, and 3.) Scientific Theories.

Before this expansion, there was much Scientific Speculation, but it was generally kept to the scientists or a small group of scientists who were doing the speculation. Today’s modern science has morphed into scientific speculation, which is made publicly available before there are any observations or experiments to bolster the speculation. Much of this Scientific Speculation is bolstered by mathematics from the scientists, but as I have Chirped on "03/30/21 Mathematics is Not Science", good mathematics does not equate to good science, but good science requires good mathematics.

Such scientific speculation by scientists often raises their public profile, increases book sales and/or speaking engagements, increases media exposure, and can lead to increased funding for their scientific research. However, the downside is that the public may confuse Scientific Speculation with Scientific Facts that have been affirmed by scientific observations and/or experiments. Such confusion on the public’s part can lead them astray and introduce scientific beliefs about science that are not factual. As a person of the general public with some scientific knowledge, I can attest in my discussions on scientific topics with other people of the general public that they often have little or no understanding of the differences between Scientific Speculation and Scientific Facts. This leads them to have incorrect scientific beliefs, or as Mark Twain has said, “The trouble with the world is not that people know too little; it's that they know so many things that just aren't so.”

Many scientists, when writing or speaking of their Scientific Speculations, will identify them as such but place little emphasis on the speculative nature of their ideas, as well as the fact that many Scientific Speculations are discarded when observations and/or experiments falsify them, as I have written in the Predictability & Falsifiability in Scientific Theories section of the aforementioned article. You must always keep in mind that just because science says something may be possible does not mean that it is possible, and just because science says that something may happen does not mean that it has happened, is happening, or may happen. It is just as possible that it has never happened, is not happening, and will never happen. As such, I am concerned that the general public does not understand that the vast majority of Scientific Speculations will not come to fruition and that the vast percentage of their words are Speculations based on no scientific facts. This is the major complaint I have about the morphing into the new Scientific Methodology of Scientific Speculation, Scientific Hypothesis, and Scientific Theories.

Scientific Speculation is fun for both scientists and the general public, and Scientific Speculation should be encouraged, as it often leads to scientific breakthroughs. However, it should always be labeled and emphasized as speculation and not taken as factual until it is proven by scientific observations and/or experimentation.

04/14/24 The Ubiquitousness of Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft Copilot, Open AI ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and various other Artificial Intelligence (AI) apps have come of age and are becoming omnipresent in today’s technological world. Having spent my entire adult life in the computer technology world (mostly in computer systems, software, and databases), I believe that I am sufficiently knowledgeable to comment on AI.

Because of my experience, I am well aware of the problems that occur when developing computer systems and software. The biggest problem is the people who design and develop the computer system. Humans are fallible and will make mistakes. Even teams of computer systems and software designers and developers, which are necessary to develop modern complex computer systems and software, make mistakes even though one of the reasons that teams are formed is to minimize mistakes. The interpersonal dynamics between the team members often result in miscommunication that leads to mistakes. These human mistakes often result in incorrect computer processing and erroneous results.

The other major problem is an old saying in the computer field, “Garbage in results in garbage out (GIGO)”, and the precaution that improper Boolean logic returns incorrect results. If the data being utilized by the computer systems is incorrect, incomplete, or missing, then you will encounter GIGO. Boolean logic combines multiple statements that are either true or false into an expression that is either true or false. Boolean logic utilizes three basic logical operators: AND, OR, and NOT to reach a true or false state of the Boolean statement (IF Boolean logic THEN do X if true, ELSE do Y if false). Often, the Boolean statement contains multiple logic parameters that are processed in mathematical order or operations (which can be overridden using parentheses within the Boolean statement). If this Boolean statement is formatted incorrectly, then the truth or falsity conclusion (X or Y) will be wrong (often with detrimental consequences).

In AI computer systems processing, much data (information) must be analyzed to produce a result. The quality of the information and sometimes the quantity of information to be analyzed by AI can be lacking. This often results in incorrect or skewed results that can be misleading, if not downright wrong. The other issue is while there is a large amount of consensus (indisputable) information available, there is a much smaller amount of non-consensus (disputable) information available. The balancing of the consensus and non-consensus information can often be difficult and subject to the Boolean logic used to process the information, as well as human error and predilections of the team that created the AI computer systems and software. Therefore, what appears to be factual and truthful results from AI processing may not be so. An example of this is the recent disaster with Google's AI image generator, as explained in an article here, in which the results of a request were laughable if they were not so pathetic and ominous.

The manner in which a question is posed to an AI computer system and software can also be problematic. English is an imprecise language and open to misinterpretation, or the question can skewer the AI results to be favorable to the predilections of those asking the question. Thus, AI can be utilized to produce a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The danger of AI systems to society is that many (if not most) people will allow the results of the AI computer systems and software to be a substitute for their own thinking. For the reasons about the problems with AI given above, this could lead you to make an improper decision that could have deleterious impacts on yourself and society. The ability of the human mind to research, analyze, and reason is crucial to understanding and proper decision-making, as I have written in my article "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom". With the advances in AI technology and the ubiquitousness of AI, we may be creating a society where many people may not be able to think for themselves, while a few persons knowledgeable and experienced in AI will be in control of the levers of knowledge that society utilizes to make decisions. Thus, we may be slip-sliding into a Brave New World society, as I have examined in my Article, “Dystopia”.

AI is an important tool, but like all tools, it can be misused and/or fail to function properly. As such, it is very important that you be wary of all AI results and apply your own knowledge, intelligence, and reasoning to the results of AI.

04/13/24 Promises Made and Promises Not Capable of Being Kept

Tis the Presidential election season in which many promises by politicians are not capable of being kept. Two of the current big promises are Student Loan Forgiveness and Abortion Rights. The Supreme Court has ruled on these issues, and their rulings are the law of the land until they are overturned by a future Supreme Court Ruling. Thus, politicians’ promises to overturn or negate these rulings are empty rhetoric for political electioneering. Any attempts by President Biden to circumvent these rulings is an assault on the Judicial Branch of government and, thus, an assault on the Constitution of the United States.

In this assault on our Constitution, they are assaulting our "American Ideals and Ideas" of a Balance of Powers between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of government. Thus, they are assaulting our Democratic Republic and endangering our society. An endangerment in which we will slide down the slippery slope to a more authoritarian form of governance that endangers our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

Their assaults are not only Unconstitutional, but they betray an attitude that they know what is best for America and they will institute what is best regardless of the consequences. In this, I am reminded of the words of wisdom of a modern scholar:

"The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best?"   - Thomas Sowell

In America, the electorate decides what is best in accordance with our constitutional constraints, the limitations of governmental powers, and the duties and responsibilities of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government. Thus, they are making promises that they are not capable of being kept without overturning our Constitution.

04/12/24 Vote for Results

In an article by Laura Hollis, “Stop Voting for Intentions; Vote for Results”, she laments that too many voters cast their ballots based on their good intentions to do something to fix the problems facing America. However, she states:

“The sentiment "We have to do something" drives disastrous decisions. Sentiment doesn’t make sense. Feelings aren't facts. Loud protesting isn't logical. Politicians exploit voters when emotions run high. They get elected on facile promises to "solve" deeply entrenched problems. And then, when they enact policies that worsen those problems (and create others), they protest that their intentions were good.

That's not good enough.”

Good intentions rather than good results seem to be the criteria that these politicians wish to be adjudged. Rhetoric, rather than results, seems to be the order of importance, and when the results are detrimental, they are to be forgiven as their intentions were good. But as one of our Founding Fathers has said:

"Well done is better than well said."   - Benjamin Franklin

Until we change the order of importance to results followed by rhetoric, we will continue to have unresolved (and more) problems in America. And the only way to change this order is for the American electorate to vote based on results and to ignore the rhetoric. Thus, her admonishment to “Stop Voting for Intentions; Vote for Results” is the best advice for solving the problems in America.

04/11/24 A Sexist Chirp

There has been much hubbub about rising movie stars Sydney Sweeney’s beauty and Timothée Chalamet's handsomeness, as can be seen here and here. There is no doubt that she is a true beauty, and he is very handsome. The only question is whether they will retain this beauty and handsomeness throughout their life. Life can be cruel in that as we age, we lose much of the physical appearance of our youth. Some people retain their physical beauty throughout their lives, while most people lose much of their physical beauty. This is why it is important that we judge the physical beauty of a person based on their age. People in their twenties do not have the same physical beauty as in their thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, and beyond. The same is true for the character of a person, as while we mature, we often gain more knowledge and wisdom that changes our character (sometimes for the worse). Indeed, the character of a person often changes over the decades of their life, and while they may be criticized or critiqued for their past words and deeds, they should be adjudged for their current character.

Just as you should not judge a beautiful or handsome person based on their youth, so you should not judge historical persons and eras based on today’s moral and ethical standards. The morals and ethics of people and events in previous centuries cannot be properly adjudged by today’s morals and ethics.

As I have written in my Article, “Condemned to Repeat It”, do not use our current morality and ethics as a basis of the judgment of what happened in a historical period or location, but only use it as a guidepost. Get to know the morals and ethics of that period or location so that you can judge the actions and events of the people of that period or location. You can then utilize our current morals and ethics to compare them to their morals and ethics and reach a fuller understanding of the people or events that occurred. You will often discover hidden truths about history if you utilize this technique.

The word “presentism” is the judging of people and events of another time by the standards of today. In literary and historical analysis, presentism is a term for the introduction of present-day ideas and perspectives into depictions or interpretations of the past. Some modern historians seek to avoid presentism in their work because they consider it a form of cultural bias and believe it creates a distorted understanding of their subject matter. Some consider the practice of presentism a common fallacy when writing about the past.

Thus, we should all be more circumspect in our judgments of historical people and events and be cognizant of the old saying that you must walk a mile in someone’s shoes to understand what they are going through.

04/10/24 No Way Out

In a recent Townhall article by Jeff Davidson, “No Way Out: Tumultuous Months Lie Ahead”, he writes:

“It now seems inevitable that leading up to this November, and in the months that follow, America will experience extreme turmoil, if not outright hostilities and even urban warfare. Nothing that I write here will have any impact in terms of what is likely to occur. For one, Leftists don't tend to read Townhall articles, and, two, the wheels of extremism are already in motion.”

He then addresses the tactics that may be expected in the 2024 Presidential race and what may happen after Trump is elected if current polls are to be believed. It is not a pretty picture based on what Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are presently doing to President Trump and have done in the past to candidate and President Trump.

Much of the Democrat election tactics are based on fear of their opponents. An irrational fear based on their worry and distress that a Trump election would signify the end of their oligarchy, as I have chirped on many occasions, and as Rob Natelson has written in his article “‘Our Democracy’ = Their Oligarchy”. They sow this fear to divide America in the hopes that fear of President Trump will outweigh those who do not fear President Trump.

These fear tactics rely upon disinformation, misinformation, malinformation, and dezinformatsia (as I have Chirp on, "05/10/23 Dezinformatsia"), and the suppression of free speech as I have written in my collected Chirps on "The Decline of Free Speech in America". These actions, combined with "The Weaponization of Government", bring disrepute through aspersions upon President Trump and his supporters and are the true "Threats to Democracy" in America. If Democrats should win the 2024 presidential elections and control of Congress, we shall see the continued decline into "Despotism in America", as despotism seems to be the main tactic of Democrats for obtaining and retaining power in America.

04/09/24 Oligarchy in America

Over the past several years, I have Chirped about how our Democratic-Republic has morphed into an Oligarchy. This morphing has been a subtle and progressive occurrence in our government. I, therefore, thought it necessary to consolidate these Chirps to illuminate how this morphing has resulted in an Oligarchy in America. These consolidated Chirps can be perused in my collected Chirps on "Oligarchy in America".

04/08/24 Ten Questions to President Biden

House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer has sent a seven-page letter to invite President Joe Biden to testify in the Republican impeachment inquiry. The letter is the latest, and best, reduction of the glaring contradictions in the President’s past statements on his family’s well-documented influence peddling operation. In this letter, Chairman Comer has pointed out that:

• As Vice President, you met Jonathan Li, the chief executive of a fund that claims on its own website that it is a Chinese state-backed entity. You met Li in Beijing in 2013. You later wrote a college recommendation letter for Li’s child. Li sent your son hundreds of thousands of dollars and provided him equity in the Chinese state-backed entity;
• You met Ye Jianming, the chairman of a state-connected Chinese entity, China Energy Fund Committee (CEFC), meant to further the “One Belt, One Road” initiative to spread Chinese influence around the world. Your son and business associates began courting business from Ye while you were Vice President. You then met Ye in 2017 in Washington, D.C., and his company wired $3 million to a Biden business associate days after you met him, which was shortly after you publicly signaled your intention to run for the presidency in 2020.1 In 2018, Ye was detained by Chinese authorities because of allegations of corruption;
• You spoke with your son in front of one witness about your family obtaining Chinese investments in exchange for promising your position on a board of a company tied to the Chinese government after your departure from the vice presidency.
• Since August 2023, the White House has had in its possession drafts of the speech you delivered to the Ukrainian parliament in 2015. Despite these drafts involving a small number of documents, for seven months the White House has prohibited production of these documents to the Committee;
• During a briefing with Committee staff, the White House claimed it was an interagency policy decision to condition the United States providing a loan guarantee to Ukraine on the firing of the Ukrainian official investigating the company that was, at the time, paying Hunter Biden $1 million per year. The White House has refused to provide documentation to support this assertion;
• Bank records uncovered by the Committee have shown that in 2016, shortly after you succeeded in having the Ukrainian official fired, the Department of State provided to Hunter Biden’s bank a letter stating the embassy did not have “negative information on Burisma Holdings[,]” despite in 2015—prior to your visit and speech—the U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine singling out the owner of Burisma as corrupt.
• In February 2014, the richest woman in Russia paid into your son and his business associate’s company $3.5 million days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in an apparent attempt to avoid U.S. sanctions on Russian bank accounts. To date, the Russian oligarch has not been subject to any public sanctions;
• In May 2014, Hunter Biden attended a party and placed you on speakerphone with the same individual and her husband, the former mayor of Moscow. Days after that phone call with you, the Russian individual made a “hard order” of $10 to $20 million to a company in which your son had a large financial interest.
• The Committee has identified and successfully traced money from foreign transactions—including from China—to your own bank accounts. Certain checks have been described as “loan repayment[s].” However, the person who provided you free bookkeeping during your time as Vice President (and your son’s business partner), did not remember any evidence of a loan from your accounts. When asked to provide evidence of the underlying loans, the White House refused.

Given the above facts the House Oversight Committee chairman has invited President Biden to testify to answer the following ten questions:

1. Have you met, spoken to, or otherwise interacted with Jonathan Li of Bohai Industrial Fund and/or Bohai Harvest Rosemont?
2. Have you met, spoken to, or otherwise interacted with Ye Jianming of CEFC?
3. Have you met, spoken to, or otherwise interacted with Henry Zhao of the Harvest Fund?
4. Have you met, spoken to, or otherwise interacted with Vadym Pozharskyi of Burisma Holdings?
5. Have you met, spoken to, or otherwise interacted with Mykola Zlochevsky of Burisma Holdings?
6. Have you met, spoken to, or otherwise interacted with Kenes Rakishev of Novatus Holding?
7. Have you met, spoken to, or otherwise interacted with Yelena Baturina?
8. Have you met, spoken to, or otherwise interacted with Yuriy Luzhkov?
9. Did you ever ask your brother James Biden about the source of the funds he used to pay or repay you?
10. Did Eric Schwerin have insight into all your bank accounts until December 2017?

In this letter from the House Oversight Committee Chairman, the White House Counsel’s Office sent a mocking and taunting reply that was unbefitting an official correspondence between Congress and the White House. As Jonathan Turley has said in his commentary about this letter, “Say It Ain’t So, Joe: The House Formally Invites President Biden to Testify in Impeachment Inquiry”:

“The involvement of a member of the White House Counsel’s staff issuing such a disrespectful and taunting message would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Yet, the media has enabled such denial and deflection by showing no interest in the answers to any of these questions. It is part of the genius of the Biden management of this scandal. The White House quickly got reporters to buy into the illusion, making any later recognition impossible for these reporters. It is Houdini’s disappearing elephant trick applied to politics.

Even if most of the media refuses to demand answers, the public has a right to hear directly from the President on these specific questions. President Biden can still deny all of this countervailing evidence and “say it ain’t so,” but he should say something.”

The Mainstream Media and Democrat Party Leaders have little interest in exploring and answering these facts and ten questions, but the American people should be interested, as they strongly indicate the corruption and even bribery of Joe Biden in his past and present actions.

04/07/24 The Hypocrisy of Talking the Talk and Walking the Walk

True hypocrisy is encapsulated in the saying, “Rules for thee, but not for me.” By this standard, the biggest hypocrites today are Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists activists, academics, intellectuals, commentators, journalists, the very wealthy, and those who consider themselves elites.

The phrase "talk the talk, walk the walk" is an idiomatic expression that emphasizes the importance of matching one's actions with one's words. It means that it's not enough to just speak about doing something or to make promises; one must also demonstrate those intentions through action. Thus, "Talk the talk, walk the walk" means to affirmatively match one's actions with one’s words.

Many, if not most, of the biggest hypocrites identified above, are good at talking the talk, but they are lacking in walking the walk. By talking the talk, they believe that they are doing good for humankind, which excuses their not having to walk the walk. Their own lifestyles demonstrate that they are hypocrites in that they are filled with excuses of why they cannot walk the walk while demanding others walk the walk of what they talk about. The litany of their unwillingness to walk the walk that they talk about is far too numerous to catalog in this Chirp, and their excuses ring hollow upon closer examination.

I suspect that their talking the talk has more to do with their assuaging their guilty feelings rather than deep concern about what they talk about. Guilty feelings that are brought about by their own successes, while most people have not achieved such success. Guilty feelings about their material possessions that are unattainable by most people. Guilty feelings about their lifestyle that are beyond the ken of most people. However, they need not feel guilty about their successes if their success was a result of the meritocracy of skill, ability, hard work, and intelligence, as success due to meritocracy is what propels humankind forward in prosperity for all.

Consequently, if you cannot walk the walk, then you should not be talking the talk, for all that does is make you a hypocrite. The world is much too filled with hypocrites who need to start walking the walk before they talk the talk. Otherwise, it is nothing but blather that they talk about.

04/06/24 MAD Magazine America

Mad (stylized as MAD) is an American humor magazine first published in 1952. It was founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines, launched as a comic book series before it became a magazine. It was widely imitated and influential, affecting satirical media, as well as the cultural landscape of the 20th century, with editor Al Feldstein increasing readership to more than two million during its 1973–1974 circulation peak.

The magazine, which is the last surviving title from the EC Comics line, publishes satire on all aspects of life and popular culture, politics, entertainment, and public figures. Its format includes TV and movie parodies, and satire articles about everyday occurrences that are changed to seem humorous. Mad's mascot, Alfred E. Neuman, is usually on the cover, with his face replacing that of a celebrity or character who is being lampooned.

From 1952 to 2018, Mad published 550 regular magazine issues, as well as scores of reprint "Specials", original-material paperbacks, reprint compilation books and other print projects. After AT&T acquired Time Warner in June 2018, Mad ended newsstand distribution, continuing in comic-book stores and via subscription.

When I examine today’s "Mainstream Media", I can see the influence of MAD Magazine on "Modern Journalism". This is especially true when they cover Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders, as Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders are always characterized as being on the dark side of the forces in America, while Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are characterized as being on the good side of the forces in America. If there was ever a MAD Magazine parody of “Star Wars,” they could look to modern journalism as the basis for the parody.

Alas, much of the predilections and biases of the Mainstream Media go unnoticed by many Americans, and, therefore, many Americans have incorrect or insufficient information on which to make an informed decision about America's future. Thus, we are living in a MAD Magazine society in modern America.

04/05/24 A Special Kind of Stupid

"There are some ideas so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them." - George Orwell

Absurdity abounds in today’s America, driven by intellectuals, activists, and politicians. It would take a special kind of stupidity to believe in what Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders think. Then again, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are a very special kind of stupid. A stupidity driven by an unwillingness to face reality and embrace a fantasy of what they want to believe.

This is demonstrated in the movie, ‘Back to School’, in which millionaire businessman Thornton Melon is upset when his son Jason announces that he is not sure about going to college. Thornton insists that college is the best thing he has never had for himself, and to prove his point, he agrees to enroll in school along with his son. Thornton is a big hit on campus: always throwing the biggest parties and knowing all the right people, but is this the way to pass college? In one of the scenes, he takes a business course with his son, taught by the learned and expert Professor Barbay. He starts the lecture by discussing how to create a fictional company from the ground up by constructing the physical plant, setting up an efficient administrative and executive structure, then manufacturing the product, followed by marketing of the product. Thornton Melon makes some astute observations on Professor Barbay’s on the building of a plant in the following dialog:

“Thornton Melon: Oh, you left out a bunch of stuff. Dr. Phillip Barbay: Oh really? Like what for instance? Thornton Melon: First of all, you're going to have to grease the local politicians for the sudden zoning problems that always come up. Then there's the kickbacks to the carpenters, and if you plan on using any cement in this building, I'm sure the teamsters would like to have a little chat with ya, and that'll cost ya. Oh, and don't forget a little something for the building inspectors. Then there's long-term costs such as waste disposal. I don't know if you're familiar with who runs that business, but I assure you it's not the boy scouts. Dr. Phillip Barbay: That will be quite enough, Mr. Melon! Maybe bribes, kickbacks and Mafia payoffs are how YOU do business! But they are NOT part of the legitimate business world! And they are certainly not part of anything I am doing in this class. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Melon! Thornton Melon: Sorry. Just trying to help. That's all. Dr. Phillip Barbay: Now, notwithstanding Mr. Melon's input. The next question for us is where to build our factory? Thornton Melon: How 'bout fantasyland?”

Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders' embrace of fantasyland leads them to make pronouncements, laws, rules, and regulations that are disconnected from the reality of social order and economics and of a constrained human nature, as in my definition of "Human Nature (Unconstrained or Constrained)". Thus, they bring chaos into our society with their words and deeds, as I have examined in my Chirp on "01/10/22 Lofty Words and Dastardly Deeds".

To my fellow Americans, I would say, “Enough is enough!” It is time to ignore their words and deeds and vote for candidates that embrace reality. Only then can America right its course and ensure a better future for our children and grandchildren.

04/04/24 Get Trump

The movie ‘Judgement at Nuremberg’, is about an American court In 1948, in occupied Germany, that tried four Nazis for war crimes. Specifically, the movie is about a trial after three years since the most important Nazi leaders had already been tried. A trial of four persons who used their judicial offices to conduct Nazi sterilization and cleansing policies, including an esteemed Judge Dr. Ernst Janning, as well as Prosecutor Emil Hahn, Administrator Werner Lampe, and Minister of Justice Dr Karl Wieck, who are ably defended by the German lawyer Herr Rolfe. Retired American judge Dan Haywood has a daunting task ahead of him. The Cold War was heating up, and no one wanted more trials as the German and Allied governments wanted to forget the past. The overarching question for the tribunal to decide is what the proper thing to do is.

This movie contains a lot of thought-provoking dialogue about justice and jurisprudence, quoted here within, which makes for a rather lengthy but important Chirp. The thoughts that have provoked me are, ‘Are we seeing the perversion of justice and jurisprudence in today’s America as depicted in this movie?’ The following lines of dialog are illuminative of this concern:

“Judge Dan Haywood: The principle of criminal law in every civilized society has this in common: Any person who sways another to commit murder, any person who furnishes the lethal weapon for the purpose of the crime, any person who is an accessory to the crime - is guilty.” __________________________

“Ernst Janning: There was a fever over the land. A fever of disgrace, of indignity, of hunger. We had a democracy, yes, but it was torn by elements within. Above all, there was fear. Fear of today, fear of tomorrow, fear of our neighbors, and fear of ourselves. Only when you understand that - can you understand what Hitler meant to us. Because he said to us: 'Lift your heads! Be proud to be German! There are devils among us. Communists, Liberals, Jews, Gypsies! Once these devils will be destroyed, your misery will be destroyed.' It was the old, old story of the sacrificial lamb. What about those of us who knew better? We who knew the words were lies and worse than lies? Why did we sit silent? Why did we take part? Because we loved our country! What difference does it make if a few political extremists lose their rights? What difference does it make if a few racial minorities lose their rights? It is only a passing phase. It is only a stage we are going through. It will be discarded sooner or later. Hitler himself will be discarded... sooner or later. The country is in danger. We will march out of the shadows. We will go forward. Forward is the great password. And history tells how well we succeeded, your honor. We succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. The very elements of hate and power about Hitler that mesmerized Germany, mesmerized the world! We found ourselves with sudden powerful allies. Things that had been denied to us as a democracy were open to us now. The world said 'go ahead, take it, take it! Take Sudetenland, take the Rhineland - remilitarize it - take all of Austria, take it! And then one day we looked around and found that we were in an even more terrible danger. The ritual began in this courtroom swept over the land like a raging, roaring disease. What was going to be a passing phase had become the way of life. Your honor, I was content to sit silent during this trial. I was content to tend my roses. I was even content to let counsel try to save my name, until I realized that in order to save it, he would have to raise the specter again. You have seen him do it - he has done it here in this courtroom. He has suggested that the Third Reich worked for the benefit of people. He has suggested that we sterilized men for the welfare of the country. He has suggested that perhaps the old Jew did sleep with the sixteen year old girl, after all. Once more it is being done for love of country. It is not easy to tell the truth; but if there is to be any salvation for Germany, we who know our guilt must admit it... whatever the pain and humiliation.” __________________________

“Ernst Janning: Once more, it is being done - for love of country. It is not easy to tell the truth. But if there is to be any salvation for Germany, we who know our guilt must admit it - whatever the pain and humiliation. I had reached my verdict on the Feldenstein case before I ever came into the courtroom. I would have found him guilty, whatever the evidence. It was not a trial at all. It was a sacrificial ritual in which Feldenstein, the Jew, was the helpless victim.” __________________________

“Judge Dan Haywood: Janning, to be sure, is a tragic figure. We believe he loathed the evil he did. But compassion for the present torture of his soul must not beget forgetfulness of the torture and death of millions by the government of which he was a part. Janning's record and his fate illuminate the most shattering truth that has emerged from this trial. If he and the other defendants were all depraved perverts - if the leaders of the Third Reich were sadistic monsters and maniacs - these events would have no more moral significance than an earthquake or other natural catastrophes. But this trial has shown that under the stress of a national crisis, men - even able and extraordinary men - can delude themselves into the commission of crimes and atrocities so vast and heinous as to stagger the imagination. No one who has sat through this trial can ever forget. The sterilization of men because of their political beliefs... The murder of children... How *easily* that can happen! There are those in our country today, too, who speak of the "protection" of the country. Of "survival". The answer to that is: survival as what? A country isn't a rock. And it isn't an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for, when standing for something is the most difficult! Before the people of the world - let it now be noted in our decision here that this is what ‘we’ stand for: ‘justice, truth... and the value of a single human being!’” __________________________

“Emil Hahn: Today, you sentence me! Tomorrow, the Bolsheviks sentence you!” __________________________

“Ernst Janning: Judge Haywood... the reason I asked you to come: Those people, those millions of people... I never knew it would come to that. You must believe it, You must believe it! Judge Dan Haywood: Herr Janning, it came to that the first time you sentenced a man to death you knew to be innocent.” __________________________

“Judge Dan Haywood: Herr Rolfe, I have admired your work in the court for many months. You are particularly brilliant in your use of logic... [Rolfe nods with an appreciative smile] Judge Dan Haywood: -so, what you suggest may very well happen. It is logical, in view of the times in which we live. But to be logical is not to be right, and nothing on God's earth could ever make it right! [Rolfe wipes the smile from his face]” __________________________

“Emil Hahn: Germany was fighting for its life. Certain measures were needed to protect it from its enemies. I cannot say that I am sorry we applied those measures. We were a bulwark against Bolshevism. We were a pillar of Western culture. A bulwark and a pillar the West may yet wish to retain.” __________________________

“Emil Hahn: [During dinner in the prison mess hall] How dare they show us those films, how dare they? We are not executioners, we are judges! Werner Lampe: You do not think it was like that, do you? There were executions, yes, but nothing like that, nothing at all! [Turning to a man at the table behind him] Werner Lampe: Pohl! Pohl, you were at those concentration camps, you and Eichmann. They say we killed millions of people. ‘Millions’ of people! How could it be possible? Tell them, how could it be possible? Pohl: [In a matter of fact tone] It's possible. Werner Lampe: How? Pohl: You mean technically? It all depends on your facilities. Say you have two chambers that accommodate two thousand people apiece. Figure it out. It's possible to get rid of ten thousand in a half hour. You don't even need knives to do it. You can tell them that they are going to take a shower, and then instead of the water, you turn on the gas. It's not the killing that is the problem, it's disposing of the bodies. That's the problem.” __________________________

In America today, we are seeing the corruption of the Judicial system to ‘Get Trump’ and his supporters, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government". Judicial actions against Trump and his supporters that they justified with the same type of reasoning employed by the four Nazis tried for war crimes in the movie ‘Judgement at Nuremberg’. If this is allowed to continue, we are indeed sliding down the slippery slope away from our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our principles of "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

In these prosecutions of Trump and his supporters there is also more than a hint of “Show me the man and I will find the crime” that Lavrentiy Beria, the most ruthless and longest-serving secret police chief in Joseph Stalin’s reign of terror in Russia and Eastern Europe, bragged that he could prove criminal conduct on anyone, even the innocent. By stretching the bounds of the law, the Trump prosecutors are attempting to find the crime. By prosecuting Trump’s advisors, they are also attempting to breach lawyer-client privilege and the confidentiality of presidential advisors’ communications. They also do not consider the repercussions of their actions on the future of American society. If we allow this type of prosecution against one side, then when the other side controls the levers of power, these prosecutions may become commonplace in American governance. In this, we should also keep in mind the following dialogue from another movie, A Man for All Seasons:

William Roper: “So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!” Sir Thomas More: “Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?” William Roper: “Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!” Sir Thomas More: “Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!”

Thus, the prosecutions of Trump and his supporters are not giving “the Devil benefit of law” and are imperiling the safety of the law for all. They, therefore, are violating our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our principles of "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". They are also leading America down the path to a Banana Republic and instituting "Despotism in America".

04/03/24 Freedoms of Western Culture

In an article by John Anderson, “Freedoms of West make our culture worth defending”, he states that “At a time when the West faces serious challenges from outside and within, we need to return to our roots and remember why Western culture is worth defending.”

He then goes on to state:

“The West has created a peace and prosperity unlike any other time in history, but that is no accident. It is thanks to Western institutions and values such as democracy, the free market, and the rule of law. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1989 because people were tired of totalitarian, communist governments. They wanted what the West had. In the 1990s the victory looked absolute and perhaps that made us complacent: we thought it would go on forever.

But we are not in a good place and, to return to a better place, we need to re-find our fundamental freedoms, which have been the engine for our progress. These are freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of belief and conscience, and freedom to own private property. Together they are four legs of a stool – if you weaken one, all are compromised.”

These freedoms are under assault from both external and internal forces in America. In my collected Chirps on "Threats to Democracy" and "Progressivism and Progressives", I have examined many of these internal threats. The biggest external threats are obviously China and Russia, whose government is antithetical to Western culture. However, these external threats also come from Western nations that will not stand up for liberty and freedom within their own countries, nor will they speak up for liberty and freedom in oppressive nations. For Western nations to not defend Liberty and Freedom for all peoples is a betrayal of the principles of Western culture and is a sad commentary on the state of Liberty and Freedom in today’s world.

Mr. Anderson ends this article by stating, “So let’s celebrate the freedoms we enjoy in the West and not take them for granted. They were hard won, but they’ll easily be lost if we don’t regain our self-confidence and live as responsible, virtuous citizens in our communities.” To which I say, “Hear, Hear”.

04/02/24 The Truths Behind the Lies

In an article by Victor Davis Hanson, “Gaza: Truths Behind All the Lies“, he examines the rhetoric of those who are protesting Israel's actions against Hamas in Gaza. He exposes the truths of the rhetoric of “Occupied Gaza”, “Collateral Damage”, “Disproportionate”, “Two-state solution”, “Ceasefire”, “Ramadan”, “Civilian Casualties”, “Foreign Aid”, and “Prisoners”.

Truths that expose the rhetoric as nothing more than Anti-Semitism, as I have Chirped on, "03/28/24 Modern Anti-Semitism". Alas, many Americans are beginning to believe these lies, for as Nazi Reich Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels has stated, “If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it, and you will even come to believe it yourself.”

Do not believe these lies, for these lies will corrupt your soul and lead you to evilness. Even more so, you must counter these lies with truths, for to not do so is to succumb to the evils of Anti-Semitism. I would also remind you of the following words of warning:

"First, they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me." - Martin Niemöller

Do not let America become Anti-Semitic, for to do so is to destroy our American Ideals and Ideas for all.

04/01/24 The Aftermath of the Civil War

The Reconstruction Era of 1865-1877 was a period in United States history following the American Civil War, which was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of abolishing slavery and reintegrating the former Confederate States of America into the United States. During this period, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution were added to the United States Constitution, along with a variety of Civil Rights legislation, to end slavery and grant equal civil rights to the newly freed slaves.

The Reconstruction Era was fraught with controversy, intense political infighting, civil strife and violence, as well as financial corruption. It has been interpreted and reinterpreted by historians and legal scholars to this day. This month’s four Book It selections examine the modern view of The Era of Reconstruction.

03/31/24 Sex and Gender – Societal Impacts

In my Chirp on “03/29/24 Sex and Gender – Meaning and Science”, I explained that science informs us that male and female bodies differ not only in their sex chromosomes and their psychological organization for reproduction but also (on average) in their size and shape, bone length and density, fat distribution, musculature, and various organs, including the heart and brain. Some of the more predominant societal impacts of these differences regarding Transgenderism are its impacts on athletic competitions, Transgenderism in public accommodations, public K-12 education of Transgenderism, and public displays of Transgenderism, which are the topics of this Chirp.

The physical differences between the sexes often provide an advantage for the male physique over the female physique in terms of physical exertions. Strength, speed, height and weight, heart and muscular capacity, and endurance are generally greater in the male than in the female. As such, any attempt to commingle biological males with biological females in any competitive sport gives the biological male an advantage over the biological female. As Riley Gaines has stated, when she was a top ten competitor in women’s swimming, and her husband was in the mid-two-hundreds in men’s swimming, when she privately competed with her husband, he “always beat the pants off me.” This is why so many biological males are in the top ten when they compete against biological females. Not only do biological males have a competitive advantage, but we have seen an increase in female injuries when a male competes against them.

Privacy in the public arena in restrooms, locker rooms, and other public accommodations that have been traditionally segregated by sex is also being challenged by transgender activists. Traditionally, segregated accommodations were done for the purposes of privacy and safety. Privacy has always been important to females, as they do not wish to be exposed to or gawked at by males except by mutual consent. Fears of molestation or sexual assault that may occur without this privacy are also a concern, and a transgender male in their midst often causes emotional distress on their part. There is also a concern that a male will pose as a transgendered female to gain entrance to their private spaces for nefarious purposes.

Public K-12 sexual education has always been a contentious issue, made even more so by the LGBTQIA+ community's insistence that they be included in this sexual public education. This issue revolves around the propriety of Public K-12 sexual education and the parental or legal guardians' rights to instruct their children on sexuality in the manner and at the age of their children in which they see fit. Public education on LGBTQIA+, and more specifically transgender sexuality, has caused an uproar when it became an elementary school issue. The insertion of transgender sexuality education in a child’s (age 4-12) curriculum at a time in their life at which a child is incapable of emotionally or intellectually processing these concepts is unjustified and, indeed, unethical and immoral. Even in an adolescent's (age 13-17) education, sexual education can be confusing, given the hormonal changes that are occurring within their bodies. Transgender education in public education has even stepped into Gender Transitioning counseling in public education. Such teaching and counseling are not education but indoctrination, and it is often given without the knowledge or approval of a child’s parent or legal guardian.

We have also seen a rise in the lack of decorum in public displays of sexuality in flagrant public displays by the LGBTQIA+ community that would not be tolerated if they were done by the heterosexual community. The pride parades by the LGBTQIA+ community often devolve into simulated sexual acts that are inappropriate for public (especially children) viewing. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your sexuality, but pride should be tempered by modesty in public displays of your sexuality. There is also the issue of flagrant public displays and instruction of Transgenderism in public forums such as libraries, community centers, gyms, and other public accommodations. The issue of public libraries lending sexually explicit books and materials to underage adults without parental or legal guardian consent is also a concern.

In all of the above issues, the question is of a conflict of rights—the LGBTQIA+ community members' rights versus the non-LGBTQIA+ community members' rights. At what point do individual rights clash, at what point do the parental or legal guardian rights take precedence, and at what point do societal concerns override individual rights? This is a delicate question that has always been at the forefront of our American Ideals and Ideas. We should also remember my own aphorism, “The liberty and freedom to choose what you do or say does not free you from the consequences of your deeds or words.”

In the societal impacts of LGBTQIA+, and especially Transgenderism, we should all remember a rule of thumb: “First, do no harm.” Do no harm to both the LGBTQIA+ and non-LGBTQIA+ community members, as well as do no harm to society as a whole. All persons need to be treated politely and respectfully, with dignity, and with regard to their Natural, Human, and Civil Rights, but one person’s individual rights cannot transgress upon another person’s individual rights. The boundaries of transgression are very difficult to qualify and establish, but they must be dispassionately examined and instituted.

As for my opinion, I do not believe that Transgenderism should be permitted in athletic competitions or in public accommodations, nor should it be permitted in a child’s education and constricted in an adolescent’s education. I also believe that lewd and lascivious behavior in the public arena should not be allowed.

This viewpoint does not constitute hate for the transgender or the LGBTQIA+ community, but it does constitute a concern for the physical and mental well-being of persons suffering from transgender dysphoria. They need assistance in dealing with their transgender dysphoria, but this assistance should consider all options for treatment. To do otherwise is to potentially harm a transgendered person rather than help them with their dysphoria. When thinking about Transgendered Rights, we must always remember the scientific facts and truths; otherwise, we will make ill-informed or uninformed decisions on how to help and/or treat a transgendered person.

03/30/24 Sex and Gender – Gender Transitioning

In my Chirp on “03/29/24 Sex and Gender – Meaning and Science”, I examined the basic differences between the sexes (male and female) and the meaning of gender. I would note that facts and truths must be based on reality; otherwise, we will live in a fantasy land that can change according to anyone’s discretion. Ignoring scientific facts leads you astray and to untruths. Science informs us that male and female bodies differ and that there are biological differences between men and women, and they are consequential.

Transgendered Rights activists would also have you believe, as Shakespeare put it, “To be or not to be, that is the question” on a transgendered sex transition. But this is the wrong question. Claiming that a question is wrong may sound odd. Surely, answers can be wrong. Likewise, suppositions, views, claims, and assertions can be wrong. But can the questions be wrong? The answer to this question is given in the Psychology Today article, “To Be or Not to Be": Is That Really the Question? Hamlet's famous question is limited and misleading” by Iddo Landau, Ph.D..

If you attempt to change your gender, it is not a change of your sex, as sex is at the chromosomal level, which cannot be changed. Substituting your gender through drug or surgical treatments runs the risk of physiological problems that could adversely impact your health for the rest of your life. There is also the possibility that you will encounter physiological problems in the attempt, which may require years of therapy to countervail. Drug and surgical treatments only impact your hormones and physical appearance, but your chromosomal structure will remain the same. Thus, any attempts to change your sex are futile, and any attempts to change your gender could be dangerous to your physical and mental health.

The question is not to be one sex or another, as this is impossible, but what is the best method of dealing with transgender dysphoria? Gender dysphoria is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identity—their personal sense of their own gender—and their sex. Is it to be by gender transition, or is it to be by mental health therapy? The Transgendered Rights activists would have you believe that the only means of dealing with transgender is to physically transition to the other sex. The scientific facts and truths say otherwise. No one can fully transition to another sex, and many transitioned transgender persons experience physical and mental problems during and after the transition. Many transgender dysphoria persons can be helped by mental health therapy rather than transitioning, but most do not receive the proper mental health therapy for their dysphoria. In today’s America, there is too much rush to transition a transgender person and insufficient consideration of mental health therapy.

The other question is, at what age should a transgendered physical transition be allowed? An adult person (18+ years old) should have the right to physically transition as they see fit. The real question is, is it appropriate to allow physical transition for children and adolescents? Many children role-play genders in their discovery of the world in which they live, but does this mean they are transgendered dysphoric? Adolescents, as a result of their puberty, go through tremendous mood swings as they adjust to the changes in their bodies from their sex glands becoming functional. Confusion abounds in adolescents during this time as they receive mixed messages about their bodily changes. In this confusion, they may question their gender identity, which is perfectly normal. But does this confusion mean that they are transgendered dysphoric?

In medicine, Informed Consent is a principle in medical ethics, medical law, and media studies that a patient must have sufficient information and understanding before making decisions about their medical care. In our society, it is not possible for children and adolescents to give informed consent as we recognize that their brains and intelligence are not sufficiently developed to properly reason for giving informed consent. Thus, for children and adolescents, informed consent can only be given by their parents or legal guardians, as I have discussed in my article on “The Destruction of Our Children”. Consequently, only a parent or legal guardian may approve a gender transition. However, society has a say in gender transition, as it impacts the physical and mental well-being of future members of society (which is why we have many different laws dealing with the upbringing of children).

In discussing the wisdom of allowing children and adolescents to gender transition, there has been much "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” on both sides of the issue. It is, therefore, important that we cut through this gobbledygook with a dispassionate analysis of the costs and benefits of children and adolescents' gender transitioning. But until this dispassionate analysis occurs, we should all remember a principle of medicine, “First, do no harm.”

03/29/24 Sex and Gender – Meaning and Science

Sex and gender are two different aspects of being human; sex is physiological (of or consistent with an organism's normal functioning), while gender is psychological (mental or emotional as opposed to physical in nature).

Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inherits traits from each parent. By convention, organisms that produce smaller, more mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm) are called male, while organisms that produce larger, non-mobile gametes (ova, often called egg cells) are called female. An organism that produces both types of gamete is hermaphrodite. Sex is determined by The XY sex-determination system, which is a physiological sex-determination system used to classify many mammals, including humans, some insects (Drosophila), some snakes, some fish (guppies), and some plants (Ginkgo tree). In this system, the sex of an individual is determined by a pair of sex chromosomes. In most cases, females have two of the same kind of sex chromosome (XX) and are called the homogametic sex. Males have two different kinds of sex chromosomes (XY) and are called the heterogametic sex.

There is another class of sex chromosomes, XXY syndrome, XYY syndrome, and XXYY syndrome, which are variations of the normal XX (female) and XY (male) chromosomal structures. The exact number of people with these variations is unknown, as these syndromes are often not diagnosed until physiological complications and sometimes psychological difficulties occur from these variations.

Gender includes the social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man, woman, or other gender identity. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e., gender roles) and gender expression. Most cultures use a gender binary, in which gender is divided into two categories, and people are considered part of one or the other (boys/men and girls/women); those who are outside these groups may fall under the umbrella term non-binary. Some societies have specific genders besides "man" and "woman", such as the hijras of South Asia; these are often referred to as third genders (and fourth genders, etc.). Most scholars agree that gender is a central characteristic of social organization.

In general, medical doctors must treat their patients based on their sex, while psychiatrists treat their patients based on sex and gender, and psychologists treat their patients based on gender for those who suffer from Gender dysphoria. Gender dysphoria (GD) is the distress a person experiences due to a mismatch between their gender identity—their personal sense of their own gender—and their sex.

Science informs us that male and female bodies differ not only in their sex chromosomes and their psychological organization for reproduction but also, on average, in size, shape, bone length and density, fat distribution, musculature, and various organs, including the heart and brain. These secondary sex differences are not what define us as male or female; organization for reproduction is what does that. If you are bodily structured to inseminate, then you are male, and if you are bodily structured to gestate, then you are female.

When we step back from contentious political debates, we can see scientists acknowledging what might be otherwise an unpopular truth: that there are biological differences between men and women, and they are consequential. The Institute of Medicine at the Nation Academy of Sciences published a report in 2001 titled Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health: Does Sex Matter?, in which the chapter titles of the report sum up basic truths of our bodily nature: “Every Cell has a Sex”, “Sex Begins in the Womb”, “Sex Affects Behavior and Perception”, and “Sex Affects Health”. Wikipedia has three main articles on the differences between males and females: Sex differences in human physiology, Sex differences in humans, and Secondary sex characteristic that highlight the main differences between males and females.

These are the scientific facts and truths that the Transgendered Rights activists would have you ignore or that they obfuscate with terms such as “Gender Identity”, “Gender Fluidity”, “Gender Affirmation”, “Gender Confirmation”, “Sex Assigned at Birth”, and other terms to lead you astray, which is the topic of my next Chirp “Sex and Gender – Gender Transitioning”.

03/28/24 Modern Anti-Semitism

In a book by Alan Dershowitz, “War on Woke: Why the New McCarthyism Is More Dangerous Than the Old”, he devotes an entire chapter to modern Anti-Semitism in America and the world and equates it to McCarthyism. This is an excellent chapter that explains why Israel and the Jewish people are not responsible for the turmoil in the Mideast and how Hamas and its supporters, as well as Anti-Semitic persons throughout America and the world, have inappropriately twisted the facts to support their Anti-Israel, Anti-Semitism, and Anti-Zionism viewpoints. Much of the support for the recent Hamas terrorist’s actions comes from a twisted sense of morality, as I have Chipped on, “01/09/24 Virtual Signaling without Virtue”, “11/20/23 Humanitarianism and Terrorism”, “10/19/23 Moral Equivalence”, and “10/18/23 Unadulterated Evil”. For those who wish a clear-headed explanation of wrongdoing and responsibility for the current events in Israel and the Palestine people, this is a must-read chapter.

The fact is that this Anti-Semitism is a growing problem in Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders circles. Whether it be worldwide or in America, modern Anti-Semitism is mainly a left-of-center problem. There are, of course, Anti-Semitic sentiments on the far right, but these are outliers on the right and are given no heed by the mainstream right (see my Chirp on “04/01/19 Both Sides Do It”). However, the Anti-Semitism on the left is becoming more mainstream. Whether it be politicians, commentators, activists, College and University students and professors, and even journalists, it is more acceptable to express Anti-Semitic sentiments. Those who practice Anti-Semitism must be rebuked and should not have a position of power or authority in society so that they cannot sow their Anti-Semitism.

Anti-Semitism must be confronted and condemned whenever it rears its ugly head. For history has shown that whenever it is not confronted and eliminated, it festers and grows to become a cancer that will eventually destroy society.

The problem that I have is that Alan still believes in a two-state solution where an Israel and Palestine state live in peace and harmony with each other. However, a two-state solution is not possible when one state believes in and desires the destruction of the other state. A two-state solution can only be considered after the total destruction of the Hamas terrorists and their supporters has been accomplished. But it also requires a change of heart in the minds of the Palestine people that Israel has the right to peacefully co-exist alongside the other states in the Mideast. Given the blindness and furor of the Palestine people against Israel and the Jewish people, I doubt that this will happen anytime soon.

I would also remind Alan that the vast majority of Anti-Semitism McCarthyism is originating from Progressives/Leftists and some Democrat Party Leaders. This is a problem that he has to confront from his being a part of that Political Spectrum, and as I have discussed in my Chirp on “03/27/24 An Open Letter to Alan Dershowitz”.

03/27/24 An Open Letter to Alan Dershowitz

Alan Dershowitz is an American lawyer and law professor known for his work in U.S. constitutional law and American criminal law. From 1964 to 2013, he taught at Harvard Law School, where he was appointed as the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law in 1993. Dershowitz is a regular media contributor, political commentator, and legal analyst.

He is a person that I highly respect and someone who I regularly read and then think about his articles and books, and I will sometimes modify my opinion based upon his thoughts. While Alan is a Liberal Democrat, with whom I often disagree with his governmental and social policies, I am in solid agreement with his views on Constitutional law about our individual rights in our First Amendment rights of free speech, peaceful assembly, free press, religious freedom, and petitioning government, and our Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Constitution Amendments rights of the due processes of the law, as well as Section 1 of the Fourteenth Amendment which requires that each State not abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens, the due process of the law, or the equal protection of the law.

In two of his newer books, “Get Trump: The Threat to Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Our Constitutional Rule of Law” and “War on Woke: Why the New McCarthyism Is More Dangerous Than the Old”, he examines how modern Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are destroying the Constitution and individual rights. Get Trump makes clear that unconstitutional efforts to stop Trump from retaking the presidency challenge the very foundations of our liberty: due process, right to counsel, and free speech. War on Woke exposes new McCarthyite tendencies and tactics of academia, the media, and the business community, especially high-tech, that promote closed-minded intolerance.

In the book War on Woke, Alan states that the bedrock principles of American democracy and jurisprudence are:

“This new McCarthyism challenges the basic tenets of the classic liberal (in the traditional sense) state: Freedom of expression; due process; presumption of innocence; right to counsel; equal application of the law; tolerance and respect for differing viewpoints; an acceptance of the reality that in a democracy, no one always gets their way. And noble ends do not justify ignoble means.”

These bedrock principles are those with which I agree with and support and matters that I have written about in many of my Chirps and Articles.

Alan has recently been comparing what is happening in today’s America to McCarthyism. However, what is happening in today’s America is worse than McCarthyism, in that Senator McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee did not control the Executive Branch of Government and thus could not bring the full weight of government against their political opponents. Alas, in today’s America, we see the Executive branch persecuting and prosecuting their political opponent, which poses an existential threat to our rights and our Republican form of government, as I have written in my articles on “A Republic versus a Democracy” and "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution".

We are all creatures of our upbringing and education, and the times that we grew up in, and we all have political biases that shape our person. As such, Alan was shaped by the words and deeds of conservatives and liberals, as well as the Democrat and Republican Parties of the 1950s and 1960s. Consequently, his perspective is clouded by the events of his youth, and he does not fully appreciate how much conservatives and liberals, and Democrat and Republican views and opinions have changed since then. Indeed, the views and opinions of both conservatives/liberals, and Democrats/Republicans have switched so much that they mirror the views and opinions of each other from the 1950’s and 1960’s. He also fails to recognize that the power and control that the Conservatives and Republicans wished to exercise in the 1950s and 1960s is the power and control that the Progressives and Democrats wish to exercise in modern America. He also does not fully understand that modern Democrat Party Leaders are more interested in being rulers rather than leaders, as I have examined in my article on "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders". Alan does a good job of trying to overcome these biases, and he critiques both sides of the political spectrum, but he fails to appreciate the full extent of this change from the 1950s to the 1960s.

As I am a "Constitutional Conservative", I believe that he goes a little light on his criticisms of Democrat Party Leaders. In particular, his tepid support and belief in the good intentions of Attorney General Merrick Garland is misplaced, as Attorney General Garland is leading the Justice Department that poses a threat to our individual rights, and as the leader of the Justice Department he bears ultimate responsibility for their actions, and to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitutional rights of all Americans. In this, Attorney General Garland has failed, which makes him part of the problem.

Alan is a big believer, as am I, in “the shoe on the other foot” legal analysis of the issues, which is another way of saying, “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander”. In this, he is properly concerned that the actions being taken by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders will be taken by future Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders if they regain power. However, the devil we know poses such an existential threat to our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" and "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" that the future possible threats are of less importance than removing the current threats.

The questions I have for Alan are “What are the determinants to know when Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have Cross the Rubicon and have become an existential threat to America and Israel?” and “Have they already crossed the Rubicon?”. If or when they have crossed the Rubicon, “Will you call for the election of Republicans in the 2024 elections to end this existential threat?” or “Will you continue to hope that you can change the Progressives and Democrats practices and end this existential threat?”. Thus, Alan has a Hobson's Choice of the necessity of acting on two objectionable alternatives from his perspective. Elect Republicans to stop this existential threat or to continue to believe that you can change Progressives/Democrat Party Leaders' words and deeds and risk the possibility that they will destroy America and Israel before you change their minds.

Given the religious fervor that permeates those who believe in these practices, as I have Chirped on “03/12/24 Onward, Progressive Soldiers”, it can hardly be expected that they will change their minds based on "Reasoning" and "Rationality", but it can be expected that they will continue to engage in "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" for those that would oppose them.

This is not only a Hobson's Choice for Alan Dershowitz but for all Americans, for if we do not end these practices by Progressives and Democrats, then we shall meanly lose the last best hope of earth.

03/26/24 Social Media Narcissism and Victimization

It is my firm belief that "Social Media" is an outlet for the narcissism and victimization of the posters and repliers. It is the perfect example of my “The 10-80-10 Rule” in that 10% of those involved in the endeavor are incompetent and should find another endeavor, and 10% of those involved in the endeavor are superior and are those who you would want to do the endeavor. The other 80% of those involved are somewhere between those two extremes, usually graphed on a bell curve, with the peak being around 50%. Therefore, only about 10% of social media posts have any worth, while the rest are the musings of narcissists. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find the worthwhile without wading through narcissism and victimization. As such, much time is wasted reviewing social media posts to find the nuggets of what is worthwhile. This is why I spend so little of my time reviewing social media posts.

Recently, many psychologists and psychiatrists have noted that excessive use of social media has led to pathologies that can be harmful, especially to children and adolescents. I believe that social media reinforces narcissism or a sense of victimization in the posters and repliers. It has also changed the dynamics of personal interrelationships, as there is less personal interaction and more social media interactions between individuals or groups of individuals. These social media interactions act as a shield and protector of posters and repliers to make comments (sometimes anonymously) that they would not make in personal interactions. Many of these social media posts and replies are impolite, discourteous, disrespectful, and outright rude and denigrate those that they are directed against. This social media behavior often translates to personal interactions, as social media posters and repliers have no sense of decorum when personally interacting with individuals or groups of individuals. This may also be a contributor to the rise in the volume and heat of the political rhetoric in today’s America.

Alas, I cannot foresee a solution to this problem except to reinstitute a sense of shame on the posters and repliers. Regrettably, in today’s America, shame seems to have been relegated to "the ash heap of history".

03/25/24 Progressives Deconstruction of America’s Culture

Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. As such, they view Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as not just being wrong and stupid but that they are bad or evil persons, as demonstrated by their usage of pejoratives, as I have written about in my Article "Divisiveness in America. Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have a vision of what America should be and what Americans should believe. As many, if not most, Americans do not share this vision, they believe that it is necessary to deconstruct America in order to reconstruct America to fit their vision. They, therefore, engage in the deconstruction of American culture in the following ways:

Hyper-Partisanship: Progressives believe that the politicization of everything is necessary to achieve a better society, according to their vision of a better society. A vision that is often Utopian but that fails to account for the constrained nature of most people, as I have defined in Human Nature (Unconstrained or Constrained). Thus, they practice Hyper-Partisanship in all that they say and do to achieve their deconstruction, and they often engage in The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate against their opponents.

Speech Constraints: Political Correctness, Wokeness, Cancel Culture, and Virtue Signaling are de rigueur amongst Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. Woe unto thee who would dare not to constrain their speech according to their tenets. Ostracization and ruination are to be vested upon those who do not limit their words and deeds to within these constraints, as I have discussed in my collected Chirps on The Decline of Free Speech in America.

Non-Judgmentalism: The demands from Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders that we not judge another’s words and deeds, but to treat them as relative to an individual and circumstances, is to have a society without a moral or ethical code to live by. Such a society cannot long endure, as it often devolves into chaos. If anyone insists on judging another person’s words and deeds according to a fixed moral or ethical code, they are often labeled as perpetrators of Hate Speech against those so judged.

Tribalism: The utilization of Identity Politics, driven by Intersectionality, has driven Americans into tribes with their own issues and concerns. These tribes compete with each other to obtain governmental favoritism and/or entitlements. This tribalism has now encroached into the non-governmental world with the introduction of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) into businesses and Higher Education. Thus, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have forgotten that we are all Americans first, with a common heritage and shared beliefs on Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

Victimhood: Allegations of Racist and White Privilege, based upon Critical Race Theory (CRT), have at their core a belief that most Americans are victims of a patriarchal society. In their victimization, they believe that the forces arrayed against them are so oppressive that they cannot be overcome through personal endeavors and that their only recourse is strong governmental actions against their oppressors. Such feelings make them dependent on government Entitlements and place them in a cycle of poverty in which they cannot break free to achieve all that they can based on their own abilities, talents, and efforts.

Modern Feminism: Modern Feminism is anti-male in that it pays little heed to the needs of men, and it devalues males and masculinity, as I have discussed in my article on Feminism and the Devaluation of the Male. This starts in primary education (K-12), where teaching techniques are oriented toward feministic characteristics, and boys are expected to behave like girls. This continues throughout the life of males and leads to a dysfunctional lifestyle amongst many males in which many boys do not mature into men. This is one of the major causes of gang membership and gang violence, as boys will disassociate with a society that does not recognize their needs and join a gang that does recognize their maleness.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and More (LGBTQIA+): All individuals deserve Natural, Human, and Civil Rights and to be treated with dignity, respect, and politeness. Today, however, the LGBTQIA+ community wants more than to be able to live their lifestyle in the privacy of their abodes. They wish to thrust their lifestyle into the public arena and engage in public words and deeds that the non-LGBTQIA+ community would not consider appropriate public words and deeds for even for their own heterosexual private lifestyle.

As such, with these deconstructions, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists believe we have the liberty to do with what they agree with and the freedom to act within what they believe is acceptable. Consequently, all Liberties and Freedoms must be subsumed within these constraints. This is not Liberty and Freedom but subservience, and it is antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas. Such deconstruction often results in civil strife that can lead to a civil war, as I have Chirped on, "02/24/24 To Be Fearful of a Civil War or Civil Deconstruction".

03/24/24 Wealth Accumulation by Politicians

I recently ran across the following quote that raises an important issue:

“If we don’t allow athletes to gamble on games in which they participate, then why do we allow politicians to invest in companies that they regulate?”  - Anonymous

Often, a politician will claim that a spouse, a sibling, their children, or other family members are the ones doing the investing and that they had no knowledge or input on the investment. However, to believe that a politician had no knowledge or input requires a willing suspension of disbelief. Who knows, except the principles, what conversations occur in the privacy of their homes? What we do know is that many politicians have become wealthy during their public service, and the wealth is far greater than their salaries would make possible. Some of this wealth accumulation may be legitimate, but some of it appears to be far beyond what even a smart investor could hope to achieve.

Of course, no laws were broken, or at least provenly broken, as lawmakers have written few (and effective) laws to regulate the financial transactions of lawmakers and their families. Protestations that the current financial transactions laws are sufficient to cover this situation should fall on deaf ears, as the results of these financial transactions speak loudly for themselves.

The Constitutional question of special financial transaction laws for lawmakers and their families is also a concern. Equal protection of the laws would indicate that this may not be possible, as well as the question of interference by legal and regulatory forces in the operation of the Legislative or the Executive branch. However, insider trading by lawmakers is covered by current laws, but these laws are insufficient to cover the special circumstances of politician’s financial transactions, especially by family members engaged in financial investment transactions.

This wealth accumulation by politicians bespeaks of corruption, as well as bespeaking of politicians acting on “rules for thee, but not for me”. This is a corruption that harms the body politic. It also harms other investors who do not have the insider’s knowledge that a politician has of proposed laws and regulations that will impact the financial health of those being regulated.

The ultimate answer to this problem is to elect politicians who conduct themselves with virtue, character, and ethics, as I have written in my Chirps on "11/23/23 Ethical Conduct" and "11/22/23 Virtue and Character". However, virtue, character, and ethics in modern politics seem to have been relegated to the ash heap of history, and voters seem little concerned about these characteristics in a politician when they cast their ballots.

03/23/24 Senator Schumer Must Go

As Conrad Black has written in his article, “Schumer’s Speech on Israel Completes a Trifecta of Errors Suggesting He Is Ripe for Removal as Democratic Leader”, Senator Schumer has had:

“. . . a trifecta of Major blunders, any one of which should have been quite sufficient to sack Mr. Schumer from his high office and replace him with someone less mindlessly accident-prone. In 2017, in an orgy of histrionics, he purported to weep on the Senate floor in sympathy for those whom the newly installed President Trump wished temporarily to keep out of the United States because they emanated from terrorism-afflicted Muslim countries”.

“This boffo performance was followed several years later by the spectacle of the Democratic Senate leader standing on the steps of the United States Supreme Court and threatening, apparently physically, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh if they provided the margin in cases antithetical to Mr. Schumer’s far-left ideology. (The Constitution be damned.)”

“Senator Schumer’s call last week for a change of prime minister through an election in Israel was, as it has widely been regarded, an outrageous intrusion in the affairs of another sovereign country, and a close American ally, for whom Mr. Schumer is advocating, substantial, military assistance.”

Senator Schumer has also demonstrated hyperpartisanship in his dealings with Republicans, especially House Republicans, who are now the majority party in the House of Representatives. His leadership in the change of the Senate Filibuster rules for short-term gain has turned into a long-term blunder on his part. His response to the George Floyd killing by the police and the riots of the “summer of love” of 2020, in which “peaceful protests” did $2 billion of damage, wounded hundreds, and killed approximately 45 persons, was pathetic and harmful to the body politic. He has demonstrated through his words and deeds that he does not wish a leader in America but a ruler of America, as I have written in my article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders". These, and so many other miscues and mistakes, have done harm to the Senate and to the country.

Consequently, he must join Senator McConnell (who also has a litany of miscues and mistakes) in leaving his leadership of the Senate. To do otherwise is to further harm America.

03/22/24 The First and Second Rules

Anyone who has read my Chirps and Article knows I am a big fan of the economist Thomas Sowell. He is an excellent example of a person who has tread the path of "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom". Over his ninety-plus years on this earth, he has had many notable quotes, with many being very witty, some of them of which I have collected in my webpage on the quotes of Thomas Sowell, and many of them collected by Dean Kalahar in his book “The Best of Thomas Sowell”. One of his most notable and witty quotes is:

"The first rule of economics is there isn't enough to go around. The first rule of politics is to ignore the first rule of economics."  - Thomas Sowell

If you want a succinct explanation of why our national debt has kept rising over the decades, you only need to refer to this quote for the basic explanation of this debt. Ignorance of economics, or the unwillingness to accept economic facts, is the underlying reason why politicians keep increasing the national debt. The second most important reason can be found in other Thomas Sowell quotes:

“No one will really understand politics until they understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their own problems - of which getting elected and re-elected are number one and number two. Whatever is number three is far behind.”  - Thomas Sowell

“Compassion is the use of public funds to buy votes.”  - Thomas Sowell

“One of the grand fallacies of our time is that something beneficial should be subsidized.”  - Thomas Sowell

Thus, we have a plethora of politicians who live by these first and second rules. The few politicians that attempt to buck these rules are often labeled as uncaring, mean-spirited, selfish, money-grubbing, racist, privileged or patriarchal, and other pejoratives. However, a better label for them would be ‘realists’. We should all be cautious of ignoring these realists, as you can only deny reality for so long, as when reality returns, it often returns with a vengeance. A vengeance that will wreak havoc on the economy and will result in much pain and suffering for all Americans.

03/21/24 Purposes and Limitations of Government and the Law

Those of you, like me, who are political theory geeks are quite familiar with the writings of John Locke in his “Second Treatise of Civil Government”, Thomas Jefferson in the American “Declaration of Independence”, and Frederic Bastiat in an essay called "The Law", which defines the purposes and limitations of government and the law. These three writings set the boundaries of legitimate government and the law for a people that believe in "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

In an article by Allen West, “You Own Nothing”, he examines how modern America has strayed far beyond these boundaries as a result of progressive political agendas and policy goals, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives".

Thus, we have morphed into a form of Despotism and Totalitarianism in modern America. Unless we can reverse this trend, we shall continue to morph outside the boundaries of legitimate government and the law. Unless or until we change this course, we run the risk, as forewarned by one of our greatest Presidents:

“We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.”  - Abraham Lincoln

03/20/24 Liberty Relies on Rule of Law

In an article by S. T. Karnick, “Liberty Relies on Rule of Law”, he reminds us that:

“The past few years have provided a crucial lesson for the liberty movement: our freedoms rely on the rule of law. People cannot be free without the protection of a strong and fair sovereign government.

Our rights to life, liberty, and property depend on due process and full respect for the people's rights, privileges, and immunities. Without that, arbitrary government can do pretty much as the current individuals in control desire—and it generally does that, up to and often beyond what those in power perceive they can get away with.”

This article then reviews the government actions in the last two decades that endanger the rule of law and our liberties and closes with the statement:

“We are in the grip of an uncomfortable paradox. Those of us who believe in freedom must devote our energies to the restoration of the rule of law in this nation. It is the precondition for all the freedoms we enjoy.

That is a harsh truth for us freedom-lovers to accept, but it is nonetheless true.”

I would remind everyone that to preserve our liberties, we must be proactive in protecting them. As Thomas Jefferson said, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”  If we do not do so, then, as Thomas Jefferson has also said, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”

03/19/24 Presidential Succession

As anyone who has had a relative or friend who is or has suffered from dementia, it is quite clear that President Biden is in the throes of dementia. Special Counsel Robert Hur’s release of his report on Senator and Vice-President Biden’s mishandling of classified documents in which he stated that President Joe Biden was too old to charge for the mishandling of classified documents, noted his memory and recall lapses, and described the President as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

My mother, my mother’s mother, as well as some other family members, have suffered from dementia, as I have Chirped on, “08/08/20 A Most Terrible Disease”. Dementia is a serious mental health issue and is not to be taken lightly. Consequently, people who suffer from dementia should not be in control of themselves, let alone be in control of others. I am sorrowful to say that when President Biden speaks, along with how he speaks (unnatural pauses, losing focus, stiff posture, hanging sentences, etc.) along with his physical motions, as well as when I look into his eyes I mostly see empty space behind his eyes, reinforces my opinion that he is in the throes of dementia.

His family, his friends, and his political associates owe it to him and our country to remove him from office and allow him to retire in peace and dignity. To allow a person in the throes of dementia to be in control of the levers of government is too great a danger to be contemplated. For those people who do not believe that Joe Biden has dementia, they are either ignorant of dementia, engaging in a willing suspension of disbelief about Joe Biden’s mental state, or have a visceral fear of an opponent and/or a lust to retain power. For a politician to even consider allowing a person with dementia to run for President and serve four more years is the height of absurdity. Any politician who entertains this absurdity is not fit to be a leader of the American people, as a true leader under these circumstances will do what is best for the country without considerations of fear or power.

Thus, it is time to consider the invocation of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to remove and bar President Biden from office. Hans A. von Spakovsky of The Heritage Foundation has written a fine short article, “The 25th Amendment and a Disabled President”, which examines the history and usage of the 25th Amendment. Alas, he ends this article by stating:

“Some have suggested that it is time to invoke the 25th Amendment. It is, of course, exceedingly unlikely for a host of political reasons that Ms. Harris and a majority of Mr. Biden’s Cabinet would send Congress that notification.

We are, however, living in dangerous times where we need a president who has the ability to competently and effectively protect the nation and handle the duties of what many believe is one of the hardest jobs in the world.”

Unfortunately, by not removing President Biden from office, we are endangering America and the rest of the world by allowing a mentally incapacitated person to be President.

03/18/24 Election Interference in Israel

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has called for new elections in Israel, claiming that the prime minister has "lost his way." Not only is this election interference in trying to overturn a democratic election in a foreign country but the reasons he has given for the new elections is hubris on his part that the Israeli people should only elect a person who agrees with his viewpoint on the issue of the Israel-Hamas war.

As Senate Minority Leader McConnell rightly pointed out in a clear admonition about getting involved in foreign elections. "Israel is not a colony of America whose leaders serve at the pleasure of the party in power in Washington. Only Israel’s citizens should have a say in who runs their government. This is the very definition of democracy and sovereignty," he offered. "Either we respect their decisions, or we disrespect their democracy."

For Senator Schumer, who expresses so much concern about “Our Democracy”, he shows little concern for other countries' democracy. This should be of no surprise to anyone who has observed how Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists operate in a manner that is antithetical to democracy, as I have Chirp on "01/11/22 Our Democracy" and as Rob Natelson has written in his article “‘Our Democracy’ = Their Oligarchy”.

03/17/24 Rotten Justice

In an article by Alan Dershowitz, “That's forbidden love! ALAN DERSHOWITZ slams Georgia judge for letting DA Fani Willis continue her war on Trump despite paying her 'lover' with taxpayer dollars... ... it's more proof of America's rotten justice” he chastises Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee as essentially letting District Attorney Fani Willis off the hook. Rather than splitting the baby, Judge McAffee has cleaved justice by allowing a prosecutor who has lied in her depositions and testimony to continue being a prosecutor. President Trump should immediately appeal this decision for the reasons given In Professor Dershowitz's article. In addition, President Trump’s lawyers should seek to have DA Fani Willis's law license revoked for perjury to a court and to have the trial delayed until the revocation process is complete as if she is disbarred, she would be ineligible to prosecute President Trump.

He ends his article by stating, “But no matter the outcome, this prosecution has been irrevocably tainted – and the U.S. justice system sinks deeper into decay.” This is an opinion that I wholeheartedly agree with.

03/16/24 Impeachment Proceedings

As I have examined in my Chirp on "02/13/24 What is Impeachable?", I do not believe that the impeachment of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is Constitutional. However, the House of Representatives passed the Impeachment Articles against Secretary Mayorkas on February 13, 2024. Regrettably, indications are that the Senate may not even bring the Impeachment to a trial or vote, as most Senators do not believe Secretary Mayorkas has committed an impeachable offense.

I say regrettably because I do not believe that it is proper for the Senate to ignore an impeachment from the House, and I believe it is important for the Senate to consider and vote on what is impeachable. I, therefore, believe that the Senate should address this impeachment, but in a narrow manner.

The Senate should introduce the Articles of Impeachment in their chamber but then limit what is to be first debated in their chamber. The Senate should give the House Impeachment Managers thirty minutes to explain and defend why these Articles of Impeachment are Constitutional, then give the defenders of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas thirty minutes to explain and defend why these Articles of Impeachment are Unconstitutional. The Senate should then adjourn for two hours to think about and privately discuss these arguments.

When the Senate comes back from this adjournment, they should pose one question for a yes or no vote by the Senators: Do the allegations in the Articles of Impeachment rise to the level of Constitutional Impeachment? I believe that a large majority of Senators would vote nay, and then a motion to dismiss the Articles of Impeachment could be introduced and passed. Upon the dismissal of these Articles of Impeachment, the matter would be resolved, and a strong message would be sent to the House that Articles of Impeachment must pass Constitutional muster before the Senate would fully act on them.

03/15/24 RINO's and Unjustness

In an article in The Washington Times by Peter Navarro, “RINO opposition must unite around Trump to stop destruction of our country”, he cautions the Republicans In Name Only (RINO) opposition to Donald Trump that:

“Whatever complaints or quibbles you may have had with Mr. Trump over the years, all of these grievances pale in comparison to the very real and enormous damage that Mr. Biden as president is doing to our economy, our fiscal balance, our border security, our social and political fabric, and most dangerously, our national security. To oppose Mr. Trump is to support a Biden agenda that threatens the very viability of our republic.”  - Peter Navarro

This caution is applicable to the Democrat electorate, which is concerned about the direction and future of our country. To them, I would say if you cannot vote for Donald Trump and you are concerned about Joe Biden, then I would suggest you don’t vote at all, for a vote for Joe Biden is a vote to continue the damage of his political policies and agenda.

I would also note that former Trump White House aide Peter Navarro has been ordered to report to a Miami prison on March 19th, 2024, to begin serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the January 6th House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021 “Insurrection”. Given that we now know that the January 6th Select Committee engaged in disinformation, misinformation, malinformation, and a cover-up of information that exonerates President Trump, and that the committee itself may have been constructed contrary to House rules, a defiance of the subpoena seems justified.

The January 6th Select Committee was not properly authorized and constructed through normal House procedures. In addition, it did not properly operate with "Justice and the Rule of Law in Non-Judicial Proceedings" that a normal House committee implements. As such, it had all the appearance of a Kangaroo Court befitting a Banana Republic. To imprison Peter Navarro under these circumstances seems unjust, especially when the committee itself was unjust.

This is but another example of a two-tiered system of justice that has become normal in today’s America. Anything dubious that President Trump or his advisors said or did becomes subject to criminal prosecutions, while anything dubious that his opponents did or said is ignored by the justice system. As dubious words and deeds have become all too common in today’s political arena, to prosecute only one side is another example of "The Weaponization of Government" that “threatens the very viability of our republic.”

03/14/24 Insurrection Cover-Up

It has been claimed by the House Committee investigating the January 6, 2001 “Insurrection” that President Trump took no actions to suppress the “Insurrection” that he instigated. An “Insurrection” of which I have extensively Chirped, which can be reviewed in my collected Chirps on "Insurrection".

What was not revealed by the committee, as they didn’t want it to be widely publicized, was the Trump administration’s security plans, which included 10,000 National Guard troops to protect Washington, DC., and that the city rejected his offer to provide these troops. These revelations were gleaned from an interview with Deputy Chief of Staff Anthony Ornato, who heard conversations between White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. Meadows wanted the city to request whatever they needed to keep the city secure. Rep. Liz Cheney’s Cheney was reportedly present for these interviews, and as The Federalist journalist Mollie Hemingway has reported:

“Former Rep. Liz Cheney’s January 6 Committee suppressed evidence that President Donald Trump pushed for 10,000 National Guard troops to protect the nation’s capital, a previously hidden transcript obtained by The Federalist shows.

Cheney and her committee falsely claimed they had “no evidence” to support Trump officials’ claims the White House had communicated its desire for 10,000 National Guard troops. In fact, an early transcribed interview conducted by the committee included precisely that evidence from a key source. The interview, which Cheney attended and personally participated in, was suppressed from public release until now.”

My question is, why would anyone who would instigate an “insurrection” want to use armed troops to suppress said “insurrection”? They wouldn’t—and it is oxymoronic (or political chicanery) to claim otherwise.

Thus, the members of the January 6, 2001, House Investigative Committee were either moronic or they were being deceptive. I doubt very much that they are moronic, but I have no doubts that they were being deceptive. A deception upon the American people that continues and is being utilized by Democrat politicians and the Democrat Party to advance their electioneering.

A deception that strikes at the heart of America, as it is based on disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation being propagated upon the American public, thereby creating an ill-informed electorate. Such deceptions are not uncommon among Democrat politicians and the Democrat Party, as facts and truths are a hindrance to the election of Democrats, not to mention an impediment to the enactment of social policies and political goals of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists.

03/13/24 It is a War

America has become "A Tale of Two Cities", as Progressivism has divided America into two cities—Progressives and non-Progressives. It has become a conflict between "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution" and a war between two visions of America. A war that pits "Progressivism and Progressives" on one side and a war for our "American Ideals and Ideas" on the other side. It is a war against Progressivism’s "Despotism in America", "The Weaponization of Government", "The Decline of Free Speech in America", and a diminishment of "A Civil Society" in America, as well as a war on the West as I have Chirped on “01/05/24 The War on the West”. It is a war that is being waged that threatens our Republic, as I have examined in my collected Chirps on "Threats to Democracy". It is a war that poses an existential threat to the future of America. It is a war that must be won by non-Progressives to preserve our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

It is a war that is being waged through the utilization of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” by the Progressives and their allies in the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech", "Modern Big Business", "Modern Education", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate". It is a war that is not being waged effectively by non-Progressives, as their appeals to the American public require intelligent thought rather than the emotional appeals of Progressives; as I have written in "Think vs. Feel - or - Emotions are Easy, Thinking is Hard".

At this moment in America, it is a cold civil war between the two sides. However, it could break out into a hot civil war as more non-Progressives feel threatened by Progressives and governmental words and deeds that encroach upon their Liberties and Freedoms. This process has been accelerated by the Biden Administration and Democrat Party Leaders. While most Americans would abhor a hot civil war, it should be remembered that historically, civil wars are initiated by a large minority that feels oppressed, as was the case in the American Revolutionary War.

In modern America, we are reaching that point where a hot civil war may be possible. The best means to avert a hot civil war is for the American people to turn out of elected and appointed office the Progressives who are leading us down this path to a hot civil war. The best means to accomplish this is for Americans to overwhelmingly vote for Republican candidates in the 2024 election. Otherwise, we will continue down the slippery slope to a hot civil war.

03/12/24 Onward, Progressive Soldiers

‘Onward, Christian Soldiers’ was a hymn sung during the American Civil War, which I have adapted to fit modern American times as follows:

1. Onward, Progressive soldiers, marching as to war, With the banner of DEI going on before! Wokeness, our only Master, leads against the foe; Forward into battle, see our banner go!

Refrain: Onward, Progressive soldiers, marching as to war, With the banner of DEI going on before!

2. At the sign of triumph MAGA's hosts doth flee; On, then, Progressive soldiers, on to victory! Evil's foundations quiver at the shout of our indignation; Comrades, lift your voices, loud your demands raise! [Refrain]

3. Like a mighty army moves the powerless aside; Comrades, we are treading where the self-righteous have trod; We are not divided; all one body we, One in anger and doctrine, one in solidarity. [Refrain]

4. Onward, then, ye people, join our rowdy throng, Blend with ours your voices in the triumph song; Glory, laud, and honor, unto Wokeness our Master! This thro' countless ages Progressives we shall sing. [Refrain]

03/11/24 Backward to Intolerance

In the play and movie ‘Inherit the Wind’ by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, the following bit of dialogue occurs between Defense Attorney Drummond and the Judge:

“Drummond: (turns to Prosecuting Attorney BRADY, in righteous anger) I say that you cannot administer a wicked law impartially. You can only destroy. You can only punish! And I warn you (Points first at BRADY, then to various members of the audience and the JUDGE) that a wicked law, like cholera, destroys everyone it touches! Its upholders as well as its defilers!

Judge: Colonel Drummond!

Drummond (Striding to the JUDGE’s bench. This speech builds to a crescendo at the end.) Can’t you understand that if you take a law like evolution and make it a crime to teach it in the public schools, tomorrow you can make it a crime to teach it in the private schools? And tomorrow you may make it a crime to read about it? (Turns to the crowd in the gallery and begins addressing them. The crowd has grown strangely quiet during all of this as they listen. BRADY looks worriedly.) And soon you may ban books and newspapers. And then you may turn Catholic against Protestant, and Protestant against Protestant, and try to foist your own religion upon the mind of man! If you can do one, you can do the other! Because fanaticism and ignorance is forever busy and needs feeding. (Strides slowly back to the JUDGE’S bench) And soon, Your Honor, with banners flying and drums beating we’ll be marching backward – BACKWARD - to the glorious ages of that sixteenth century when bigots burned the man who dared bring enlightenment and intelligence to the human mind! (DRUMMOND turns with disgust back to the defense table as he continues to pack his bag.)

Judge: (In an angry, but shocked tone) I hope counsel does not mean to imply that this court is bigoted.

Drummond: Your Honor has the right to hope!” - Inherit the Wind: Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee

While this play and movie spoke directly of religious intolerance and scientific advancement, in a larger sense, it was about trying to silence or impose a belief or opinion upon another person or persons who do not share this belief or opinion.

Alas, this reminds me of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders who would silence or impose their beliefs upon Americans and, indeed, the rest of the world. Such a silencing or imposition is contrary to the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of a person or persons. The statement “I will not tolerate intolerance” is an oxymoron, and it is an excuse to impose their intolerance upon Americans. To paraphrase Thomas Sowell:

“The most basic question is not what is to be tolerated, but who shall decide what is to be tolerated.”

As such, the warning of Defense Attorney Drummond “that a wicked law, like cholera, destroys everyone it touches! Its upholders as well as its defilers!” is apropos to modern America. If we continue to allow this silencing or imposition, we are moving backward in time when intolerance of another’s thoughts and speech is suppressed or punished if it does not agree with Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders beliefs.

03/10/24 Another Impactful Decision

“Nothing in the Constitution requires that we endure such chaos.”

Those words from the Supreme Court in its Trump v. Anderson ruling on Monday put an end to the effort of Democratic secretaries of state to engage in ballot cleansing by removing former President Donald Trump from the 2024 election. The court’s decision was one of the most important and impactful moments in its history, as Jonathan Turley has written in his article on this subject.

Another impactful decision awaits us in President Trump’s claim on Presidential Immunity. The Supreme Court has scheduled arguments for April 25 to review Donald Trump’s claim that he is immune from criminal prosecution on charges of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. I am troubled by President Trump’s claim of blanket Presidential Immunity, but I am even more troubled if we allow prosecutors at all levels of government to lodge civil and criminal complaints against a former President. If we allow this to happen, then any prosecutor at any level of government, with a political axe to grind, could institute legal action against a former President.

The question is, where do we draw the line on legal actions against a former President, and is it even possible to draw a line? I do not have an answer to this question, but I am certain that in this age of hyperpartisanship, if we do not draw a line, then we will have a multitude of prosecutions against former Presidents motivated by political considerations. No President could effectively preside over an administration if they believed that any of their words or deeds were subject to future legal actions by politically motivated prosecutors at all levels of government. This situation will strike at the heart of our republic with ruinous consequences and chaos. Which brings me back to the ruling of the Supreme Court in its Trump v. Anderson decision:

“Nothing in the Constitution requires that we endure such chaos.”

03/09/24 Threats to Democracy - In Closing

In 20th century America, the rise of Progressivism and big government in the administrative state has gradually accumulated the threats to democracy so that the four key attributes of democracy: free and fair elections, the rule of law, legitimacy of the opposition, and integrity of rights, and the four specific threats to democracy: political polarization, conflict over who belongs in the political community, high and growing economic inequality, and excessive executive power that leads to the destabilization of democracy which have dangerously converged in the 21st century. In my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives", I have examined the meaning and history of Progressivism and its impacts on American Governance and Society.

As to the current immediate threats to democracy, we have a convergence of forces in America that are the prime instigators of these threats in the 21st century. These forces are, as I have written in the "Terminology" webpage, "Democrat Party Leaders", "Progressives/Leftists", the "Administrative state", "Big Tech", "Mainstream Cultural Media (MCM)“, "Mainstream Media (MSM)", "Modern Big Business (MBB)", "Modern Education", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate".

Accordingly, I have collected my Chirps on the "Threats to Democracy" into an article in the order in which they should be read. We should all read this article and weep for America if we do not correct this situation. Otherwise, as Abraham Lincoln has said, “We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth,” and we will see an end to democracy in America.

03/08/24 Threats to Democracy - Getting Away With and Rewarded For It

One of the aggravating factors of the threats to democracy is that the officers in government who engage in actions that are a threat rarely suffer negative repercussions or legal consequences for their actions. Rarely does the government institute legal actions against its own officers, especially if they are acting on behalf of elected politicians’ wishes. Many times, their actions are not illegal by statute but are contrary to Constitutional principles and, therefore, not subject to legal proceedings. For those individuals or groups who have been harmed by their actions, it is legally difficult, time-consuming, and expensive to pursue a civil lawsuit against the government, especially if their actions were not illegal by statute (i.e., Unconstitutional actions). Consequently, legal consequences for their actions are rarely successful. There are sound reasons for making it difficult for an individual or group to pursue legal action against the government. However, it is possible and sometimes successful to sue the government for Unconstitutional actions, but it is rarely successful to sue for illegal actions as criminal actions are the purview of the judicial system of government.

Usually, the only time the government institutes legal actions against its officers is when a political uproar arises whenever their actions are discovered. Even then, the legal actions are mild, as there are political considerations that temper the government’s response. In today’s bitter hyper-partisan political environment, the actions that are a threat to democracy are often justified or vilified by the different sides of the issues, and just as often are defended or attacked by the utilization of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language”. Rarely does the public understand the legalities or constitutionality of the issue at hand, and they often support one side or the other based on their politics.

A more insidious aggravating factor is that the perpetrators of these threats to democracy feel no shame for their actions, as they believe that their actions are justified by saving “Our Democracy” or their commitment to “A Higher Loyalty” than to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and act within the law. All people who work in the government have no higher duty than adherence to the Constitution and the Law. It is also expected that all government officers act with virtue, character, and ethics, and they should feel shame when they do not do so. However, virtue, character, ethics, and shame in modern politics seem to have been relegated to "the ash heap of history".

Another aggravating factor is that many of the government officers that have engaged in these threats to democracy leave their government position for lucrative jobs in the media, higher education, or big business as a reward for saving “Our Democracy” or their commitment to “A Higher Loyalty”. Some have even written books (with hefty advances and royalties) to justify their actions. Thus, we have instituted a perverse reward system for those who have been a threat to democracy. A reward system that encourages other government officers to engage in threats to democracy with expectations that they will be rewarded for their actions.

It should be noted that this perverse reward system most often favors Democrat officers and Democrat Party Leaders while rarely favoring Republican officers or Republican Party Leaders, as the predilections of the media, higher education, and big business are to promote Democrat Party politics and Progressivism.

Consequently, we glide down the slippery slope of losing our democracy by these government officers’ actions. Threats to democracy by government officers which are destabilizing America and leading us down the slippery slope of Civil Deconstruction that may lead to a Civil War.

03/07/24 Threats to Democracy - The Biden Presidency Scandals

America has seen many scandals during the Biden Administration. On the International stage, the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Ukrainian War, the recent terrorism in Israel, and the threatening actions of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, and on the National stage, the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problem, to gas price increases, to inflation, to a recession, to the Fentanyl drug addiction scourge, and to a host of other issues we have seen many scandals of the Biden Administration. We have also seen how the Biden Family was involved in corrupt dealings despite their and their supporters’ denials.

The question for this chirp is, do these scandals rise to a level of a threat to democracy? Not all of them rise to this level, but some of them are threats to democracy. In the book Four Threats by Suzanne Mettler and Robert Liberman, the authors examine the four key attributes of democracy: free and fair elections, the rule of law, legitimacy of the opposition, and integrity of rights, and the four specific threats to democracy: political polarization, conflict over who belongs in the political community, high and growing economic inequality, and excessive executive power that leads to the destabilization of democracy.

It is an unfortunate fact that much of the Biden Administration has been a threat to democracy. From the very first day of his office, he and his administration have taken actions or sided with Progressive forces that pose a threat to democracy. Many of these threats to democracy have been examined in my collected Chirps on "Despotism in America",  "The Weaponization of Government", "The Decline of Free Speech in America", and many more have been examined in other of my Chirps. He also ignored and did not enforce the laws with which he disagreed, a violation of Article II of the Constitution, which requires that the President “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed”. Consequently, President Biden has acted as a ruler rather than a leader of America, as I examined in my article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

The Biden Administration and the Democrats have called into question the freeness and fairness of elections by all the irregularities of the 2020 Presidential election. They have impinged on the rule of law by taking extraordinary and excessive legal actions against their opponents. They continually question the legitimacy of the opposition by derisively labeling them MAGA Republicans or right-wing extremists (along with their supporter’s derogatory labels of Fascists and Nazis) and questioning their commitment to our democracy. They have also tried to implement many social policies that most Americans do not support through the use of Executive Orders or regulatory changes, which have not been authorized by Congressional legislation. They have also harmed the integrity of our rights by continually trying to restrict the First and Second Amendment rights of individuals and groups.

In these actions, they have engendered political polarization by pitting one group of Americans against another group of Americans. Their attempts to legalize illegal immigration with future voting rights for those who entered America illegally create conflicts over who belongs in the political community. Their economic and inflationary policies have resulted in higher and growing economic inequality. They have also exercised excessive executive powers through a multitude of executive orders and burdensome regulations without Congressional authorization.

Alas, in the Biden Administration, we have seen all the threats to democracy in all the four key attributes and four specific threats of democracy as examined in the book ‘Four Threats’. The threats to the four key attributes pose a danger to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", and the four specific threats are an assault on the body politic. The authors of ‘Four Threats’ note that these four specific threats have been present in America’s past, but not all four threats simultaneously, while in modern America, these four threats have arisen simultaneously and are threatening our democracy. They caution that the simultaneity of these threats is the basis for Civil Deconstruction that may lead to a Civil War.

Thus, the actions of President Biden and his administration pose an existential to democracy and America. A threat that is destabilizing America and leading us down the slippery slope of Civil Deconstruction that may lead to a Civil War.

03/06/24 Threats to Democracy - The Trump Presidency Scandals

President Trump continued the use of excessive executive powers through a multitude of executive orders, first by nullifying many of President Obama's executive orders and then by issuing his own executive orders. From the beginning of his administration, President Trump was at loggerheads with FBI Director James Comey, along with the entrenched leadership of the Intelligence community. This clashing extended to Attorney General Jeff Sessions when President Trump thought that he was not being proactive in protecting President Trump’s interests. This resulted in the scandals of the Firing of James Comey and forcing Jeff Sessions to resign. Some of the other scandals of the Trump administration were his Impeachment, the 2020 Election, the Russia Scandal, Travel Bans from Muslim Countries, the building of the Border Wall, the Resignation of Michael Flynn, Public Service and Private Gain, and Trump's Use of Twitter.

The question for this Chirp is, do these scandals rise to a level of a threat to democracy? Not all of them rise to this level, but some of them are threats to democracy. In the book Four Threats by Suzanne Mettler and Robert Liberman, the authors examine the four key attributes of democracy: free and fair elections, the rule of law, legitimacy of the opposition, and integrity of rights, and the four specific threats to democracy: political polarization, conflict over who belongs in the political community, high and growing economic inequality, and excessive executive power that leads to the destabilization of democracy.

There is also the question as to whether these scandals were actual scandals or fabricated scandals by President Trump’s political opponents, which I will address later in this Chirp. Some of these scandals were much ado about very little, and they were hyped by his political opposition and the "Mainstream Media" and "Mainstream Cultural Media", which were in almost unanimous opposition to the Presidency of Donald Trump. Part of the perception of these scandals is President Trump’s utilization of a forehand slap against his opponents and that he has a crude and in-your-face style of political fighting, which intensifies political polarization. However, President Trump’s bark was often louder than his bite. That said, President Trump had a bite that posed threats to democracy. These bites were of the same manner and magnitude that President Obama and now President Biden posed in their threats to democracy.

What President Trump did was more of a threat to the political goals and policy agendas of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. They regard President Trump and his MAGA supporters as an existential threat to their political power and the "Administrative state" that they utilize to exercise their power. As such, they believe that any and all tactics to stop President Trump were acceptable, which in itself are threats to democracy. This is demonstrated by the Congressional actions against President Trump during his administration:

The House and Senate spent about two and a half years investigating allegations that candidate Trump colluded with Russia to sway the 2016 Presidential election. Allegations that were fabricated by the Hillary Clinton Presidential campaign and supported by the FBI and Intelligence agencies even when they knew they were dubious allegations. The FBI even submitted false affidavits to the United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), also called the FISA Court, to obtain warrants against Trump campaign advisors and Trump Administration officers. Allegations that were later revealed to be fabricated and false by the Robert Mueller special counsel investigation and FBI actions for which special counsel John Durham slammed the FBI in his 2016 probe scrutinizing then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and its alleged ties to Russia. The conduct and statements of the Democrat House and Senate members during the Congressional investigations were inflammatory and reckless, which further polarized America.

As to the impeachments of President Trump, I have written an entire series of articles on "Impeachment" and why I thought that these impeachments were unwarranted. In bringing these impeachments against President Trump, Congress was engaging in a threat to democracy in trying to overturn an election and make Donald Trump ineligible to run for office again. By not utilizing "Justice and the Rule of Law in Non-Judicial Proceedings" in the impeachment process, they have besmirched the concepts of justice and posed a threat to democracy.

As I have written in my collected Chirps on "Insurrection", the events at the Capitol building on January 6th, 2001, were more of a ruckus and riot than an insurrection. While many of the actions by the people involved were unlawful, they were not attempting to overthrow the government of the United States. Yet Democrats and some Republicans portrayed them as insurrectionists for political gain.

Thus, while President Trump posed a threat to democracy, it was the same threats to democracy that was posed by President Obama. However, the threats to democracy of the Biden presidency exceed those of Presidents Obama and Trump, which I will examine in my next chapter.

03/05/24 Threats to Democracy - The Obama Presidency Scandals

You often hear that the Obama administration, whatever its other failings, has been “scandal-free.” However, this is a myth propagated by Obama supporters and by a complacent "Mainstream Media" and "Mainstream Cultural Media" that hears no evil, speaks no evil, and sees no evil about the Obama administration.

Some of the Obama administration scandals include the AP Phone Records Scandal, the Attack on the Benghazi Compound, Secretary of State Clinton's Email Server, DOJ and the New Black Panther Party Voter Intimidation, Fast and Furious Gun Walking, GSA Spending Spree, Hacking Data Breach, IRS Targeting Scandal, Trump’s Russian Collusion fabrication and FISA Warrants, Solyndra Subsidies, and the VA Waiting List Scandal. These, and other scandals and controversies, are outlined in the following articles:

• “Obama’s ‘Scandal-Free Administration’ Is a Myth” by Hans A. von Spakovsky of The Heritage Foundation
• “The Biggest Controversies of Barack Obama's Presidency” by Tom Murse of ThoughtCo
• “9 Controversies Obama Didn’t Mention When He Denied Any ‘Major Scandals’” by Fred Lucas of The Daily Signal

The question for this Chirp is, do these scandals rise to a level of a threat to democracy? Not all of them rise to this level, but some of them are threats to democracy. In the book Four Threats by Suzanne Mettler and Robert Liberman, the authors examine the four key attributes of democracy: free and fair elections, the rule of law, legitimacy of the opposition, and integrity of rights, and the four specific threats to democracy: political polarization, conflict over who belongs in the political community, high and growing economic inequality, and excessive executive power that leads to the destabilization of democracy.

We have learned that Attorney Generals Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John Brennan, and FBI Director James Comey, along with other prominent Obama Administration leaders, have been involved in activities that are threats to democracy, as I have Chirped on “03/03/24 Threats to Democracy – II”.

President Obama himself has also engaged in activities that are a threat to democracy, and more specifically, his utilization of Executive Actions and Executive Orders as a run-around against Congress. As President Obama announced at the beginning of his administration:

“I've got a pen, and I've got a phone, and I can use that pen to sign executive orders and take executive action. I've got a pen to take executive actions where Congress won't. Where Congress isn't acting, I'll act on my own. I have got a pen and I got a phone. And that is all I need.”  - President Barack Obama

President Obama did, indeed, use his pen and phone to bypass Congress and rule by executive fiat, which is a threat to democracy of the highest order. He expanded and enlarged on the predicates of executive aggrandization set by other presidents of the 20th century, but the breadth and depth of this bypassing of Congress exponentially increased in the Obama Administration, which continued in the Trump and Biden Administrations. He also had a disposition to not enforce the laws with which he disagreed, a violation of Article II of the Constitution, which requires that the President “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed”. Consequently, President Obama tended to rule rather than lead America, as I examined in my article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

Thus, the actions of President Obama and his administration did pose a threat to democracy. Threats to democracy that continued and expanded into further actions by the Trump and Biden administrations based upon the Obama administration predicates.

03/04/24 Threats to Democracy - III

In my previous Chirps on "11/08/23 Threats to Democracy" and “03/03/24 Threats to Democracy – II”, I discussed the current and historical threats to democracy in America. The first Chirp is my opinion about the threats to democracy in modern America, while the second Chirp is about the book Four Threats by Suzanne Mettler and Robert Liberman, in which the authors examine the history of America regarding the threats to democracy. This Chirp is about some critiques I have about the book and a current threat to democracy that the authors of this book have not considered.

In this book, they give no credence to the accusations that the modern  "Mainstream Media" and the  "Mainstream Cultural Media" have political predilections and biases that make it difficult, if not almost impossible, to have Conservatives and Republicans fairly represented in the mainstream media. This contributes to political polarization, as when Conservatives and Republicans believe that their voice is not being heard, they become frustrated and then angry. In addition, "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" are often utilized against Conservatives and Republicans, which belittles them. This is the main reason for the rise of alternative conservative media, rather than the threat of legitimacy of the opposition that the authors attribute to the rise of alternative conservative media. Recently, we have seen that the Conservative and Republican voices in the mainstream media are being censored or repressed, which further increases political polarization and the rise of alternative conservative media.

This mainstream media predilections and biases also gives rise to the differences in the electioneering between the Democrats and Republicans. Republicans and Conservatives must be more aggressive to get their message across in the mainstream media, which is demonstrated in the differences between Obama, Trump, and Biden electioneering. Obama utilizes a backhanded slap against his opponents, while Trump utilizes a forehand slap against his opponents. Obama has an elegant and debonair style of political fighting, while Trump has a crude and in-your-face style of political fighting, and Biden has adopted both types of slaps and styles. However, both types of slaps and styles from these presidents are politically polarizing.

The authors also attribute the rise of big money contributions of the rich and big business to Republicans as another threat to democracy in modern America. However, no mention is made of big money contributions of the rich and big business to Democrats, which has become greater than the contribution to Republicans per Open Secrets analysis of the 2022 election cycle, which is based on Federal Election Commission data.

I would also take issue with their utilization of economic inequality, as their analysis of economic inequalities is sophomoric, in some cases untrue, and betrays their lack of knowledge of basic economics. This analysis utilizes the perceived inequality in modern America without examining the underlying truths of the economic situation. Economic inequality can be a threat to democracy if the inequality is of the rich growing richer at the expense of the poor, as was true at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. However, in the middle of the 20th century, the abuses of the wealthy against the lower classes were abated by the enactment of laws to prevent these abuses. Economic inequality in the latter half of the 20th century and into the 21st century was a result of entrepreneurs providing goods and services at an affordable price to the middle and lower classes that generated wealth for those who succeeded in doing so, but it also elevated the living circumstances of the middle and lower classes. Technological creativity and innovation also contributed to this economic inequality, which led to explosive wealth generation for the creators and inventors of this technology, while at the same time, it bettered the lot of people in American society. The authors also do not account for the mobility of persons between economic classes that is prevalent in today’s America, which blunts the threat of economic inequality being a threat to democracy. These and other issues of economic inequality are best illuminated in an article by Thomas Sowell, “Using Statistics To Lie About Inequality”, which is based on his book “Wealth, Poverty and Politics”.

In modern America, this feeling of economic inequality is due to the loss of employment of previous lower-class labor-intensive jobs and the reduction of our middle-class industrial base employment due to foreign competition. However, perceptions often become a reality in the minds of people, and it is the perception of economic inequality that often drives this threat to democracy.

I believe that one of the modern threats to democracy is our poor and improper public education, as I have written in my articles on "Indoctrination versus Education", "Public Education", and “College and University Education”. We also have the problems of "Systemic Family, Education, and Faith Problems" that plague America. Much of these problems are a result of Progressivism, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives". These problems engender an electorate that can be easily swayed by undemocratic forces, especially unscrupulous politicians that are more concerned about power than democracy while professing their commitment to “Our Democracy”, as I have examined in my Chirps on “02/18/24 The Greatest Danger to Democracy” and "11/08/23 Threats to Democracy".

This lack of proper public education is the greatest threat to democracy in modern America. It is a threat in that modern education is producing a one-eyed man, blind in his right eye, which does not allow for the full consideration of the issues and concerns of the threats to democracy.

Consequently, the author's analysis of the causes of the modern American threats to democracy is deeply flawed and biased. It is a flaw and bias that is all too common in the intelligentsia in modern America, and it is a flaw and bias that is contributing to the threats to democracy in modern America. It is a flaw and bias based upon a lack of proportionality between Democrats and Republicans in modern America, where the Republican threats weigh heavily, and the Democrat threats are minimized or ignored. Based on my knowledge of history, chapters two through seven are a good analysis of the historical threats to democracy in America. While chapter one exhibits some flaws and biases, chapters eight and nine are not a worthy effort by the authors. As such, the author’s analysis in Chapters 8 and much of Chapter 9 is not helpful but hurtful to the cause of democracy in America.

03/03/24 Threats to Democracy - II

In my Chirp on "11/08/23 Threats to Democracy", I discussed the biggest threat to democracy in modern America is the people who utilize the phrase “A threat to our Democracy”. Democracy is all about a cacophony of opinions freely expressed and freely debated. The phrase “A threat to our Democracy” is often used by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders as an attempt to intimidate into silence those that disagree with them. In some cases, it is an excuse to persecute and sometimes prosecute those who disagree with them.

In the book Four Threats by Suzanne Mettler and Robert Liberman, the authors examine the history of America regarding the threats to democracy. In Chapter 1 of the book, ‘Threats to Democracy’, they examine the meaning of democracy and the threats to democracy. The authors state that functioning democratic systems tend to share four key attributes: free and fair elections, the rule of law, legitimacy of the opposition, and integrity of rights. They then go on to explain the presence of four specific threats to democracy: political polarization, conflict over who belongs in the political community, high and growing economic inequality, and excessive executive power that leads to the destabilization of democracy. While Chapter 1 exhibits some of the authors' political biases, these biases are not detrimental to the topic of this chapter.

In Chapters 2 through 6, they examine these threats in American history: ‘Chapter 2—Polarization Wreaks Havoc in the 1790s’, ‘Chapter 3—Democratic Disintegration in the 1850s’, ‘Chapter 4—Backsliding in the 1890s’, ‘Chapter 5—Executive Aggrandizement in the 1930s’, and ‘Chapter 6—The Weaponized Presidency in the 1970s’. These chapters provide an excellent overview of the events in American history that posed threats to democracy.

In Chapter 7— ‘At All Costs, How the Four Threats Endanger Democracy’, they examine the extent and impacts of these four threats and four key attributes to American democracy.

Chapter 8— ‘Dangerous Convergence’, is the most disappointing chapter in this book. It is nothing more than a diatribe against Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders, placing the blame on them for the modern-day threats to democracy. It is based upon the premise that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders represent moderation and restraint in their approaches to the issues and concerns of modern America. The authors express a viewpoint that Democrats and Progressives have not stoked any political polarization, but they have only reacted to Republican and Conservatives stoking of political polarization. Very little is said of the Threats to Democracy by the Obama Administration (partly because the chicanery of the Obama Administration has only come to light about and after this book was written), and as this book was published in 2020, there is no examination of the threats that the Biden Administration to democracy.

In Chapter 9— ‘Putting Democracy First’, the authors continue this diatribe against Trump but then rise above it in the section on ‘Learning from the Past’. However, in the next section ‘Putting Democracy First’ they espouse that “equal representation of the states in the Senate” and the “Electoral College” are undemocratic without noting that both ideas contribute to democracy for all across America, as without them, politics would gravitate to densely populated areas leaving behind other areas of the country. Such gravitation was ultimately responsible for the Ancient Greek Athenian democratic state to collapse, as our Founding Fathers were aware of and tried to prevent this collapse by including these two ideas in the Constitution.

Therefore, I would suggest that the authors issue a new edition of this book that rewrites Chapters 8 and 9 with a more evenhanded approach through an examination of the threats to America by the Obama and Biden administrations. To do so, however, would require them to cast aside their political predilections and biases, which, given their tone in Chapters 8 and the beginning of Chapter 9, I do not expect will happen.

The authors note that these four threats have been present in America’s past, but not all four threats simultaneously, while in modern America, these four threats have arisen simultaneously and are threatening our democracy. They caution that the simultaneity of these threats is the basis for Civil Deconstruction that may lead to a Civil War.

The main issue I have with this book is when the authors look at modern America through the right lens of their eyeglasses, they see much of these threats in Conservatives and Republicans. However, when the authors look at modern America through the left lens of their eyeglasses, they seem a little short-sighted to these threats in Progressives and Democrats.

If you believe, as I do, that the Federalist policies of Alexander Hamilton are more like the policies of the Democrats of today, while the Republican policies of Thomas Jefferson are more like the policies of the Republicans of today, then their historical analysis shows that the Democratic party politics was responsible for most of the initiation of the threats to democracy, while the Republican party politics were often apathetic or supine in the face of these threats. This does not let the Republicans off the hook, as apathetic or supine in the face of wrongs is no excuse, and standing up for what is right and not allowing the wrong is the only proper course of action.

In my next Chirp on “03/04/24 Threats to Democracy – III”, I will examine some more of the critiques that I have of this book.

03/02/24 Mega-Fines

In an article by Alan Dershowitz, “Is Trump's Mega-Fine Unconstitutional?”, he examines the constitutionality of the fines imposed upon Donald Trump in the New York state court case against him:

“Arthur Engoron, the New York Supreme Court judge in the real estate case brought against Donald Trump by the state attorney general, has fined Trump and members of his family $464 million. This raises the question of whether the fine – which does not reflect damages actually done – is "excessive" under the Eighth Amendment of the US Constitution, which reads as follows: "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."”

I would also note that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution in Section 1 states that:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Consequently, this trial may have also been unconstitutional as it violated the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, as it deprived Donald Trump of property, without due process of law, nor with the equal protection of the laws.

This article is a perfect complement to his book, “Get Trump: The Threat to Civil Liberties, Due Process, and Our Constitutional Rule of Law”. The actions of the state are also an example of "Lawfare", as I have examined in my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government". Thus, this trial and the fines imposed by Judge Engoron are an assault on the Constitution. As such, any person concerned about our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" and "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" should stand in opposition to this trial and the fines imposed. Thus, I hope that the U.S. Supreme Court recognizes this and will declare the entire trial and fines as Unconstitutional under both the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution.

03/01/24 Supreme Civil War Scholarship

James Munro McPherson is a preeminent American Civil War historian. He, along with Allen C. Guelzo, are my favorite historians of the Civil War Era. While I have reviewed several of Professor Guelzo’s books in my Book It of “09/01/20 The Meaning of History”, I have yet to review books of Professor McPherson. This month’s Book It selections are of my favorite books by Professor McPherson.

02/29/24 Thoughts on a Life Worth Living and Death

As I am now firmly ensconced in my senior years, I have the luxury of reminiscing on my life and taking stock of it. The question that I have often asked myself is what makes a life worth living, and how do you determine if your life is or was worth living? For me, the ultimate answer is if you have lived a moral and ethical life and have acted with virtue and character in your life, as I have as I have written in my new article “A Life Worth Living”, you have lived a worthy life. If you can answer in the affirmative to these four attributes, then when your life comes to an end, you can pass away in peace, knowing that you have experienced a life worth living.

One of the certainties of life is that we will all die. The only question is when, where, and how we will die. Therefore, to be afraid of death is an emotional waste of time and energy. Rather than be afraid of death, we should be careful not to court death by taking actions (or inactions) that may court death. Live your life carefully to the fullest without being afraid of your inevitable death, and use your concern about death to guide you into minimizing your actions that may lead to your death.

The concept of hell is mostly a Christian concept, in which the souls of the dead who led an immoral life will suffer in the afterlife. Many historical concepts of hell involve fire and brimstone that inflict physical pain upon those consigned to hell. However, I believe that this concept is incorrect. A more painful hell would be for those consigned to hell to experience the pain and suffering they inflicted upon others during their lives. Thus, the suffering of those consigned to hell would be an emotional pain that is a far more appropriate punishment.

Of course, the truly evil persons of history deserve any and all punishments for all time that can be inflicted upon them in the afterlife. I also believe that a person can redeem themselves from this hell after they are fully cognizant of their misdeeds and repent to God. But only God can determine if they are fully cognizant and repentant, as only God can determine the truth of their repentance and bestow forgiveness.

For those who believe that there is no repentance from hell, I would remind them of the words in the Bible, “The judgments of the Lord are True and Just.”, and trust that God will make the proper decision on their repentance and forgiveness.

02/28/24 Relying On Others’ Opinions

In the research for my writings, I attempt to read and listen to the thoughts and opinions of other people with whom I agree or disagree. It is not possible to fully read or completely listen to the opinions of others, as it can be time-consuming to do so. This is especially difficult to accomplish when I may disagree with another, as it takes self-control and discipline to pay attention to those with whom I disagree. But it is important that you do so when forming an opinion or criticizing or critiquing another person. Too often in America today, we are quick to criticize or critique another person based on what someone else has said about the other person. In doing so, it is easy to mischaracterize what a person has written or said. In addition, what is said by someone else is often an Ad hominem-based argument rather than a reason-based argument, which is not illuminative of the topic that is being discussed. Consequently, if you wish to disagree with someone, you have the responsibility to read and/or listen to what they have written or spoken and not rely on what someone else has said about them.

In this, I am reminded of the words of wisdom by the great English philosopher, political economist, politician, and civil servant John Stuart Mill:

“He who only knows his own side of the case, knows little of that. . . Nor is it enough that he should hear the arguments of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. That is not the way to do justice to the arguments, or bring them into real contact with his own mind. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them; who defend them in earnest, and do there very utmost for them. He must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form. . .”  - John Stuart Mill

02/27/24 Superlatives

It is all too common in today’s America to praise a person with superlatives such as great, wonderful, brilliant, marvelous, fantastic, first-rate, superb, marvelous, etc... Much too often, these superlatives are undeserved and are nothing but flattery. I find this inappropriate use of superlatives to be demeaning and repugnant, as it cheapens a person who is deserving of the superlative. It also has the pernicious effect of those so praised in believing that they are better than what they truly are and perhaps ameliorating their efforts to improve themselves. There is also the problem that those listening to the superlatives may not have the knowledge, intelligence, or experience to properly appraise whether the superlative is appropriate or inappropriate. All of this is to say that everyone, the speaker, the object of the praise, and the listener, needs to be more judgmental of the worthiness or unworthiness of the superlative.

Whenever I evaluate a person, I try to categorize their qualifications as follows:

1. Excellent or Great
2. Good
3. Average
4. Mediocre
5. Poor

Within these categories, I also sub-categorize them into three levels:

1. Upper
2. Middle
3. Lower

This is an imperfect and subjective scale, and a person may have a different categorization based on the topic that they are elucidating. This categorization and sub-categorization allow me to make a judgment on a topic by the quality of the person providing me with the information that I need to make a judgment. A person's higher categorization and sub-categorization also motivates me to think about and research a topic that they are elucidating that has piqued my interest, which sometimes results in my changing my opinion on a topic.

We would all do well to judge a person and what they are elucidating by their qualifications and to ignore the superlatives of others in making this judgment.

02/26/24 Principles, Truisms, Locutions, and Rules

I have extracted and edited my Principles, Truisms, Locutions, and Rules from my life observations web page that I have tried to apply to my life, and while I have not always succeeded, I have tried. While many of these items are wise, quite a few are also humorous. I hope that these items are helpful in your life, or at least put a smile on your face.

02/25/24 Depoliticize Our Lives

In the book The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity by Douglas Murray, he concludes the book with a section on “DEPOLITICIZE OUR LIVES”:

“The aim of identity politics would appear to be to politicize absolutely everything. To turn every aspect of human interaction into a matter of politics. To interpret every action and relationship in our lives along lines which are alleged to have been carved out by political actions. The calls to spend our time working out our own place and the places of others in the oppression hierarchy are invitations not just to an era of navel-gazing, but to turn every human relationship into a political power calibration. The new metaphysics includes a call to find meaning in this game: to struggle, and fight and campaign and ‘ally’ ourselves with people in order to reach the promised land. In an era without purpose, and in a universe without clear meaning, this call to politicize everything and then fight for it has an undoubted attraction. It fills life with meaning, of a kind.

But of all the ways in which people can find meaning in their lives, politics–let alone politics on such a scale–is one of the unhappiest. Politics may be an important aspect of our lives, but as a source of personal meaning it is disastrous. Not just because the ambitions it strives after nearly always go unachieved, but because finding purpose in politics laces politics with a passion–including a rage–that perverts the whole enterprise. If two people are in disagreement about something important, they may disagree as amicably as they like if it is just a matter of getting to the truth or the most amenable option. But if one party finds their whole purpose in life to reside in some aspect of that disagreement, then the chances of amicability fade fast and the likelihood of reaching any truth recedes.

One of the ways to distance ourselves from the madnesses of our times is to retain an interest in politics but not to rely on it as a source of meaning. The call should be for people to simplify their lives and not to mislead themselves by devoting their lives to a theory that answers no questions, makes no predictions and is easily falsifiable. Meaning can be found in all sorts of places. For most individuals it is found in the love of the people and places around them: in friends, family and loved ones, in culture, place and wonder. A sense of purpose is found in working out what is meaningful in our lives and then orienting ourselves over time as closely as possible to those centres of meaning. Using ourselves up on identity politics, social justice (in this manifestation) and intersectionality is a waste of a life.

We may certainly aim to live in a society in which nobody should be held back from what they can do because of some personal characteristic allotted to them by chance. If somebody has the competency to do something, and the desire to do something, then nothing about their race, sex or sexual orientation should hold them back. But minimizing difference is not the same as pretending difference does not exist. To assume that sex, sexuality and skin colour mean nothing would be ridiculous. But to assume that they mean everything will be fatal.”

Perhaps it would be best if all Americans make a resolution to depoliticize our lives. It would certainly lower the volume and heat of the political rhetoric in today’s America. I would also suspect that it would be a calming influence in everyone’s lives. Unfortunately, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have made this nearly impossible, as they have politicized almost all aspects of American life with a constant barrage of negativity about American society and Western Culture, as I have Chirped on "01/04/24 Western Culture".

02/24/24 To Be Fearful of a Civil War or Civil Deconstruction

As I have written in my recent Chirps on "02/22/24 The Administrative State" and "02/23/24 Unbalanced and Unlimited Powers", America is undergoing a “fundamental transformation” that negatively affects our "American Ideals and Ideas", "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights", and "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". This fundamental transformation is a result of sliding into a more Progressive and secular society that is hostile to our American values, and especially to our Judeo-Christian mores. This fundamental transformation is being led by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders through a process of Civil Deconstruction of American society.

In their attempts to fundamentally transform America, they often engage in "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" against anyone who disagrees with them, which has resulted in the pitting of Americans against Americans and a rise in hostility between different groups of Americans. Recently, we have seen a pushback against their ideology and ideas and their tactics to obtain their political goals and policy agendas. A pushback that has elicited even more hostility from them towards their opponents.

In the past, there have been many physical confrontations from the fundamental transformers against their opponents, and some of this hostility has resulted in physical violence. The mob violence of the 2020s, which resulted in deaths, injuries, arson, property destruction, and looting, perpetuated by Progressives/Leftists, was defended by the Democrats, assisted by the actions of Law Enforcement by Democrat Mayors and Governors, and not prosecuted by Democrat local District Attorneys or State Attorney Generals. However, the mob violence at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, by far-right individuals that resulted in trespass, theft, and destruction of property was vigorously confronted by Democrat Congressional Laws Enforcement and is being fully prosecuted, and in some cases, being maliciously prosecuted. There have been many other instances of violence by Progressives/Leftists against their opponents on a smaller scale. Thus, it can be said that violence is but one of the tactics that Progressives/Leftists utilize to achieve their goal of fundamentally transforming America.

Another recent tactic being utilized by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders is the weaponization of government via "Lawfare", as I have written in my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government".

However, such hostility begets hostility to the point where physical altercations between the sides are a distinct possibility. Also, the weaponization of government may be turned against them if their opposition obtains control of the levers of government. Thus, the question is, are we headed for a Civil War between the two sides or a continuation of the Civil Deconstruction that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are engaged in?

In the book Four Threats by Suzanne Mettler and Robert Liberman, they discuss the presence of four specific threats to democracy: political polarization, conflict over who belongs in the political community, high and growing economic inequality, and excessive executive power that lead to the destabilization of democracy. These four threats have arisen in modern America and are threatening our democracy, and they are the basis for Civil Deconstruction that may lead to a Civil War.

No sane person wants a civil war, as civil wars wreak havoc on society. Death, Disease, Destruction, serious injuries, and economic disruptions are the consequences of a civil war. But Civil Deconstruction also wreaks havoc on society. Civil Deconstruction leads to a collapse of the functioning of a society and destroys the civil bonds that bind a people together. With this civil deconstruction comes a devaluation or destruction of our American ideals and ideas, Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights, and freedoms, liberties, equality, and equal justice for all. It then becomes a question of what is worse—a Civil War or a Civil Deconstruction?

In examining this question, it is necessary to analyze both the pros and cons of a Civil War or a Civil Deconstruction, as I have Chirped on “02/17/24 Both Sides Now”. As history has taught us, Civil War or Civil Deconstruction often leads to a collapse of society and just as often leads to new Forms of Governance that are antithetical to democracy. It is hoped that we can avoid both a Civil War and a Civil Deconstruction, but that hope is fading as each side digs in and hardens its stance against the other side. Thus, we should be fearful of both a Civil War and Civil Deconstruction, but we must also be aware that each is possible in today’s America.

As for me, I am unwilling to sacrifice our American ideals and ideas, Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights, and freedoms, liberties, equality, and equal justice for all to civil deconstruction. Therefore, if it becomes a choice between either a Civil War or a Civil Deconstruction, I will opt for a Civil War to retain our American values and mores.

Let us hope that it never becomes necessary to make this choice; however, let us also remember that our American way is the last best hope for humankind to retain what is best for humankind. Let us then do what is right, what is just, and what is true, as if we do not, then we shall die as one of the great civil libertarians of our time has said:

“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”  - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

02/23/24 Unbalanced and Unlimited Powers

The United States Constitution was designed to have three co-equal branches of government: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. It was also formulated to have a balance of power between the branches of government in which each branch has limited and enumerated powers. A balance of power that is needed to prevent the abuses of power, and limited and enumerated powers that are needed to prevent the proliferation of powers.

Unfortunately, with the rise of Progressivism and the Administrative state, this no longer seems to be the case in America. Our Founding Fathers envisioned the Legislative Branch as establishing the laws that the Executive Branch would faithfully execute, and the Judicial Branch would determine the Constitutionality of the laws and adjudicate any disputes of the laws. However, the rise of an “Administrative state”, along with an underlying "Bureaucratic Swamp", has shifted the balance of powers in America to an undeclared fourth branch of government—Independent Agencies and Government Bureaucracies.

We have also seen an unbalance between the branches of government with the ascendency of a powerful President, Congress ceding power to bureaucracies to formulate rules and regulations covering almost all aspects of American life, and a Judiciary that feels it can intervene in any aspect of government and society and make rulings that fall outside of their purview.

All these forces in modern America are like a spreading cancer. Elected or appointed officials within government seem to pay little heed to the Constitution or to our "American Ideals and Ideas". It seems that our elected or appointed officials often attempt to circumvent the Constitution and Supreme Court decisions to achieve their political goals and policy agendas. Much of this is driven by the hubris of elected or appointed officials who believe that they can control the American people regardless of human nature or economic realities. In this, I would remind them that:

"To deny human nature or economics, or to not acknowledge human nature or economics, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

This is also a fatal conceit that is devaluing our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" and ruining America. It is also fueling the demise of "A Civil Society" as the hyper-partisanship of to whom and how much control will be exerted by the government is bitterly fought about between the partisans.  

Much of this is a result of the Supreme Court's reluctance to declare laws, rules, and regulations to be unconstitutional and to seek a compromise between the partisan parties, some of which I have examined in my Articles on “The Failures of the Supreme Court” and “Supreme, But Not Always Right”.

Alas, I am doubtful that the Supreme Court will change its approach or that it will be enough to change the course of America that we have embarked on in the last half-century. We, the people, need to be proactive in removing this cancer within our society. A removal of this cancer which will require an excising of our political leadership that has engaged in these unconstitutional actions, as I have discussed in my article “The Removal of Elected or Appointed Officials Who Violate their Oath of Office”.

Until we right the course of America, I can foresee more deconstruction of our American Ideals and Ideas or the possibility of a civil war to reestablish our American Ideals and Ideas.

02/22/24 The Administrative State

The "Administrative state" is a term used to describe the power that some government agencies have to write, judge, and enforce their own laws and regulations. Since it pertains to the structure and function of government, it is a frequent topic in political science, constitutional law, and public administration. The phenomenon was relatively unknown in representative democracies until the beginning of the 20th century. Its sudden rise has corresponded to the rise of Progressivism, and many claim that the two are interrelated. The impact of the Administrative State on Liberties and Freedoms and representative democracy is much debated.

In America, the administrative state is mostly found in the independent agencies of the federal government (although some states have independent agencies). The Constitution neither makes nor infers anything that resembles an Administrative state, and thus, many believe that Independent agencies are Unconstitutional.

In addition, in America, the way that some Independent agencies operate would seem to be in violation of justice and the rule of law as incorporated into the Constitution, as I have examined in my Article "Justice and The Rule of Law in America". The violation of these Constitutional protections would also make Independent agencies Unconstitutional. In America, the officials of Independent agencies are appointed (often without Senatorial approval) and usually with a fixed term of office, which makes it exceedingly difficult to remove them from office. Thus, they are not responsive to the will of the people as expressed by elections but can operate in opposition to our elected officials' will, which is an assault on democracy.

Consequently, these Independent agencies can operate on a capricious and arbitrary basis, and this must end. As I believe that independent agencies are Unconstitutional and are being done wrongly, perhaps the better solution would be to fold these independent agencies into the Executive Departments or the Executive Office of the President, which would then make them Constitutional and subject them to Constitutional constraints. Many supporters of Independent agencies would respond that they need independence to operate impartially and that all that is required to correct these problems is a reform of how an Independent agency operates. However, it is impossible to be impartial in today’s hyper-partisan atmosphere, and we should never compromise our Constitutional rights for the nebulous purposes of “impartially”. In this, I would paraphrase the words of Thomas Sowell, "The most basic question is not what is impartial, but who shall decide what is impartial?" and paraphrase Benjamin Frankin, "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase Impartially, deserve neither Liberty nor Impartially."

In our attempts to grapple with the issues and concerns about Independent agencies, we should also remember my allocution:

“It is not possible to do the wrong thing rightly, as no wrong thing can be done rightly.”  - Mark Dawson

02/21/24 Human Nature or Free Will

Human nature is the shared psychological attributes of humankind that are assumed to be shared by all human beings. Human Nature comprises the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind or what it 'means' to be human. Human Nature has been molded by the physiological construction of the human brain and millions of years of human evolution.

Progressives/Leftists have an Unconstrained vision of human nature that believes that human nature is malleable and can be improved by governmental actions and societal pressures. Conservatives have a Constrained vision of human nature that believes that human nature is not malleable and that people will act in their own best interests and of their own Free Will, while Moderates have a vision of human nature that believes that human nature is somewhat malleable and can be improved by limited governmental actions and societal pressures.

Free Will is the power of making free choices unconstrained by external agencies. Free Will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, and other judgments that apply only to actions that are freely chosen. It is also connected with the concepts of advice, persuasion, deliberation, and prohibition. Traditionally, only actions that are freely willed are seen as deserving credit or blame. Whether free will exists, what it is, and the implications of whether it exists or not constitute some of the longest-running debates of philosophy. Some conceive of free will as the ability to act beyond the limits of external influences or wishes.

Human Nature and Free Will would seem to conflict with each other. However, I believe that human nature is an unconscious guide, while free will is a conscious choice, and free will can and will override human nature as the individual so chooses.

Therefore, because of free will, each person is responsible for their own words and deeds. While there may be societal pressures and impediments that influence your decisions, it is possible to overcome these factors and achieve your goals. Your achievements are based on your physical and mental capacities, skills and abilities, intellect, knowledge, and hard work to achieve your individual goals and to rise above the circumstances of your birth.

However, it is only in a free society that respects "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" that each individual can rise above their circumstances and achieve their goals. Any other type of society artificially constrains an individual and defies human nature and free will.

02/20/24 Keeping Silent About Islamic Pathologies

In a recent forward to the book “Defenders of the West: The Christian Heroes Who Stood Against Islam” by Raymond Ibrahim, the eminent scholar and commentator Victor Davis Hanson made the following cogent statement:

“And in the current mood, whether in academic circles or popular culture, Western browbeating manifests itself in virtue-signaling damnation of Western civilization—while quite timidly practicing self-censorship, or keeping silent, about Islamic pathologies, including those, ironically, most illiberal to race and gender, diversity, equity, and inclusion.”  - Victor Davis Hanson

This statement encapsulates what I have Chirped on “01/05/24 The War on the West”, as well as my Article “The Problems with Islam”. For those Western browbeaters and apologists of Islam, my reply to them is that which I have written in my aforementioned Chirp and Article.

02/19/24 The Removal of Elected or Appointed Officials

In modern America, the Oaths of Office of Public Officials have become just a formality to start their term of office. Little thought and fidelity are given to their oaths once they begin their term of office. These Oaths of Office are a vow to uphold, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution as their primary responsibility and the Constitutional constraints to their duties and responsibilities as defined by the Constitution. In the past, we have relied on the virtue and character of elected or appointed officials to keep their oath of office, along with the shame they engendered if they did not do so. However, virtue, character, and shame in modern politics seem to have been relegated to "the ash heap of history". Thus, little heed is given to their Oath of Office when they are executing the powers of their office. As such, they do not consider the Constitutional restraints on their powers, as they are more concerned about their political goals and policy agendas and the resulting political popularity gains and/or their reelection prospects to their current elected office or future elective or appointive office.

The question is, then, what can be done about reigning in these violations of their oath of office? The most common answer is their removal from office by impeachment. However, impeachment is not often available, is rarely utilized, and even more rarely results in their removal from office. This is because the Constitution is quite explicit and thus narrowly defines impeachment as “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Consequently, a violation of an Oath of Office is not considered sufficient grounds for impeachment, as rarely do the violations of their Oath of Office concern Treason, Bribery, or high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

My new Article, “The Removal of Elected or Appointed Officials”, examines this question and provides some possible answers. This article supersedes my previous articles on “Removal of Executive Officers” and “Removal of Justices and Judges”, and, as such, I have withdrawn these articles.

02/18/24 The Greatest Danger to Democracy

As I have written about in my Chirp on “02/16/24 A Slight of Hand”, the Biden Administration poses a threat to democracy in how they operate authoritatively and in secrecy:

“The greatest danger to democracy is not from outside sources but from insiders who operate authoritatively and secretly. Such has been the modus operandi throughout the Biden Administration, which makes them a great danger to our democracy, as I have Chirp on "11/08/23 Threats to Democracy".”.

But in a larger sense, the greatest danger to our democracy is an apathetic electorate not interested in our "American Ideals and Ideas", "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", and "Justice and The Rule of Law in America", but only concerned with getting their piece of the pie. We also have the problem of "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" utilized to engender fear of the opponent, and "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” to justify political agendas and policy goals that are threats to democracy. Adding into the mix of "The Biggest Falsehoods in America" only makes for more confusion in the minds of the electorate.

Much of this is made possible by improper or incomplete civics instructions in modern public education, as well as the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech", "Modern Big Business", and "Modern Education" support for policy positions that are counter to our "American Ideals and Ideas". There is also a dearth of knowledge amongst the American public on "Capitalism and Free Markets", as well as much mistaken knowledge on "Socialism". This leads to confusion and improper economic understanding as to the repercussions on governance based on this lack of or incorrect knowledge. Much of this misunderstanding has been brought forth by Progressivism, as I have explained in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives", and is being led by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists in modern America. Despite their cries of saving “Our Democracy”, they operate in a manner that is antithetical to democracy, as I have Chirp on "01/11/22 Our Democracy" and as Rob Natelson has written in his article “‘Our Democracy’ = Their Oligarchy”.

Consequently, the greatest danger to democracy is an electorate that is unaware or unconcerned about how the government operates or the means that they utilize to obtain their political agendas and policy goals. Alas, there seems little hope that the American electorate can be awakened to this danger, considering the political and social forces that would prefer to keep them in darkness of this greatest danger to democracy.

02/17/24 Both Sides Now

When discussing significant changes or new proposals to how our government functions, it is common and correct to be concerned about potential negative repercussions to any proposed change and/or new. What is less common and incorrect is to balance the fear of a change and/or new with the negative repercussions of the current functioning of government.

Politicians are loath to see any change in the functioning of government, as this could disrupt their control and power over the levers of government. They are often supportive of the new—when the new increases their control and power over the levers of government. Change and/or new can also impact their reelection prospects, as any change and/or new to government functioning will have impacts (both positive and negative) upon their constituents.

Many people are also fearful of any change to government functioning, as it could disrupt their lives and understanding of how to utilize the government to achieve their ends. However, the old saying “Better The Devil You Know Than The Devil You Don't” is not a good basis for resisting change and/or new, as the devil you know could be more harmful than the devil you don't.

Hence, change is often necessary when the government is not operating in the best interest of the people but in the best interests of the government. Often, the change is a choice of the lesser of two evils. However, it is necessary to examine the current evils and possible changes and/or new evils to determine the best future course to undertake. When examining these evils, it is best to remember my concerns on "Change and/or New" before undertaking any change or new proposal.

As such, we should examine both sides of the change and/or new government functioning before we undertake a change and/or new. We should also always remember that it is more important that change and/or new should be in the best interest of the people and not the best interests of the government or the politicians.

02/16/24 A Slight of Hand

As Jonathan Turley has written in his article “The Rasputin Effect: Biden Moves To Make Podesta the Climate Czar With A Crown… or a Confirmation”:

“With the departure of John Kerry as “climate czar,” President Biden has announced that he will be replaced by John Podesta, a Democratic powerbroker and Washington insider.

Podesta, however, will take the power and not the title. He will be appointed as “coordinator,” thus sidestepping and confirmation by the Senate, which could have been brutal.

Such action will shield Podesta from questions about Kerry’s work and expenses as climate czar. Before leaving office, Kerry refused to turn over information on his staff to Congress and the public. The Biden Administration is now being sued over the secrecy.”

This is but another example of the government operating in secrecy from the public when secrecy from the public is not necessary. It is especially pernicious as the Biden Administration is attempting to operate in secrecy from Congressional oversight. The issues of government climate change policy are of such magnitude that secrecy is anathema to democracy. Thus, the Biden Administration is operating undemocratically and, ergo, poses a danger to democracy.

As usual, the words and deeds of the Biden Administration are in contraction to each other. They talk one game but walk another game. Such slights of hand are typical in the Biden Administration, as they do not want the American public to be aware of what they are actually doing. This is because they realize that much of the American public would not be supportive of what they are doing, so they must do it secretly to obtain their political agendas and policy goals.

The greatest danger to democracy is not from outside sources but from insiders who operate authoritatively and secretly. Such has been the modus operandi throughout the Biden Administration, which makes them a great danger to our democracy, as I have Chirp on "11/08/23 Threats to Democracy".

02/15/24 An Intriguing Legal Question

In an article by Hans A. von Spakovsky of The Heritage Foundation, “Was It Legal To Appoint Jack Smith in the First Place?”, he points out a question of the legality of the appointment:

“Was Special Counsel Jack Smith illegally appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland and is his prosecution of former Pres. Donald Trump unlawful? That is the intriguing issue raised in an amicus brief filed in the Supreme Court by Schaerr Jaffe, LLP, on behalf of former Attorney General Ed Meese and two law professors, Steven Calabresi and Gary Lawson, in the case of U.S. v. Trump.”

Mr. Smith was appointed by Attorney General Garland to be the chief prosecutor for all of the January 6, 2021, “Insurrectionist” litigation, as well as President Trump’s role in the “Insurrection”. This amicus brief raises serious and fundamental issues as to whether Attorney General Garland had the constitutional and statutory authority to appoint Mr. Smith as special counsel. If he was not legally appointed, then all actions taken by Mr. Smith are null and void, including the overturning of the convictions of the January 6th defendants and his prosecution of President Trump. It would also be necessary for the court to seal all evidence that Mr. Smith has obtained, as it would be the fruits of the poisonous tree.

This issue needs to be decided by the Supreme Court. Otherwise, it will be possible for an Attorney General to appoint persons who would be the hounds of "Lawfare" against their political opponents.

02/14/24 The Persecutor in Atlanta

The political persecutor in Atlanta has found herself in troubled waters. Normally, I am not much concerned about the personal indiscretions of public officials, as we are all human and subject to human fallacies. However, when a public official’s personal indiscretions impact their official duties, we all should be concerned.

When Fani Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County GA, who is responsible for the election case prosecution of former President Trump, hired attorney Nathan Wade as a special prosecutor to lead the Trump prosecution, she went over the line from personal indiscretion to official duties. It is now apparent that Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade were engaged in an extramarital relationship. A relationship that is inappropriate in a professional setting and creates concerns about a conflict of interest.

In hiring Mr. Wade at a large expense and for a prosecution in which he has no legal experience, Ms. Willis has enriched her lover. In addition, Mr. Wade has utilized his enrichment to pay for several expensive vacations with Ms. Willis and himself. In my opinion, this is corruption and a misallocation of government funding. In addition, she may also have perjured herself in the affidavits she filed with the court to explain her relationship with Mr. Wade. All of this points to a prosecutor who is derelict in her duty to engage in an above-board prosecution.

Consequently, I believe that a mistrial without prejudice should be declared and that a change of venue outside of Fulton County, GA, with another district attorney, should be instituted to determine if President Trump has run afoul of election laws.

02/13/24 What is Impeachable?

With the failure of the Impeachment vote against Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the question of what impeachable offenses are has again arisen. The Constitution is quite explicit on impeachment in Article II, Section. 4. in that:

“The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

Many legal and Constitutional scholars have narrowly construed this clause to mean Treason, Bribery, or illegal actions. As I have written in my article, Impeachable Offenses, there are  good reasons to narrowly construe this clause, as Stanford law school professor Pamela Karlan has written about the impeachment clauses:

“The Framers meant for the phrase ‘high crimes and misdemeanors’ to signify only conduct that seriously harms the public and seriously compromises the officer’s ability to continue. If the phrase is given a less rigorous interpretation, it could allow Congress to influence and control the President and the courts.”

As Secretary Mayorkas was not charged with Treason, Bribery, or illegal actions, but only the failure to faithfully execute the laws on immigration, his was not an impeachable offense under a narrowly construed interpretation of this clause.

The President of the United States has a duty, under Article II, Section 3, of the Constitution that “he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed” and the Oath of Office of Executive Officers requires them to discharge the duties of the office for which they enter, which includes faithfully executing the laws:

“I, [NAME], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

However, Secretary Mayorkas has violated his Oath of Office by not enforcing immigration laws, and thus, he has not faithfully discharged the duties of his office. Many claim that he has the power to do so, usually under the guise of Prosecutorial Discretion or establishing regulations that make a mockery of Illegal Immigration laws. In doing so, he has challenged the authority of Congress to establish the laws of the United States by evading the immigration laws established by Congress. His utilization of Prosecutorial Discretion to not enforce the law has been beyond the pale, as I have written in my Chirp on "01/17/23 Prosecutorial Discretion".

This utilization of regulations to evade the law and Prosecutorial Discretion to not enforce the law has been on the rise in America in the 21st century, especially in the administrations of President Obama and President Biden. Thus, the question of how to bring the Executive branch into compliance with the laws passed by Congress is of paramount concern for the balance of powers between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of government. In the case of illegal immigration it has also pitted State and Local governments against the Federal government, as the economic and criminal impacts of illegal immigration have placed a burden on them and the people within their jurisdiction.

In a larger sense, however, it is a question of what type of governance the American people will tolerate. Will we have a powerful Executive branch that can override the will of Congress or an Executive Branch that will faithfully execute the laws that Congress has passed? Consequently, it is a question of whether we will be true to our "American Ideals and Ideas" or whether we will reshape America into a more authoritative form of governance directed by the Presidency.

The answer to this question is how we respond to Executive Officers who do not faithfully execute the laws passed by Congress. If they are allowed to continually flaunt the laws passed by Congress without consequences, then we will continue and expand an authoritative form of governance directed by the Presidency. Congress and the judiciary must find a way to impose consequences for those executive officers who flout the law. If we wait until the next Presidential election to correct this situation than much harm can be done to America (as can be seen from the negative impacts of this flaunting on America by the Biden Administration), and it will encourage future Executive Officers to flaunt the law as they see fit.

It should be remembered by all that if you don’t like a law, you should change the law, not evade nor enforce the law. To do otherwise is to make the law capricious and arbitrary, as well as to increase lawlessness and chaos in America to the detriment of all Americans.

Update – The House of Representatives passed the Impeachment Articles against Secretary Mayorkas this afternoon. However, indications are that the Senate may not even bring the Impeachment to a trial or vote, as most Senators do not believe Secretary Mayorkas has committed an impeachable offense. Therefore, the questions raised in this Chirp are still applicable, and the answers are unresolved.

02/12/24 The Supreme Law of the Land

In an extraordinary ruling, the unanimous Supreme Court of Hawaii rejected the holdings of the United States Supreme Court on the Second Amendment as inapplicable to the 50th state. Hawaii apparently is controlled not by the precedent of the Supreme Court but by the “spirit of Aloha.”  While Queen Liliʻuokalani would be pleased, the justices of the United States Supreme Court may view such claims as more secessional than spiritual.

When the people of Hawaii agreed to join the United States, they agreed with Article. VI. Paragraph 2 of the Constitution:

“This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.”

Consequently, anything in Hawaii’s history, traditions, or laws that conflicted with the Constitution was null and void when they joined the United States. Thus, the ruling of the Supreme Court of Hawaii is null and void as it conflicts with the Constitution of the United States as determined by previous U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

This is but another example of State courts trying to circumvent the Constitution and Supreme Court decisions on constitutionality when they disapprove of the Constitution or Supreme Court rulings. This must stop, and any Legislative, Executive, or Judicial official who attempts this is not upholding their oath of office. Flagrant disregard of the Constitution should be met with removal from office by any Legislative, Executive, or Judicial official who engages in flaunting the Constitution or Supreme Court rulings. To not do so is to allow for chaos to reign supreme and for the eventual dissolution of the rule of law in America.

02/11/24 Social Justice Fallacies

In an instant New York Times bestseller, the new book Social Justice Fallacies by renowned economist Thomas Sowell demolishes the myths that underpin the social justice movement. In the first four chapters, he examines the common fallacies, in both their history and economics, that social "Activists and Activism" labor under. He then concludes the book by examining the words and deeds of social justice and the dangers of implementing their policies based on their fallacies.

In reading this book and then thinking about this Chirp, I realized that a brief synopsis of these chapters would be inappropriate, as each chapter is a brief synopsis of the fallacy it describes. Indeed, the book is only 130 pages of narrative, with another 71 pages of notes and a comprehensive index. Instead, I will simply provide the chapter titles and subtitles in this book:

1. “Equal Chances” Fallacies
   • Reciprocal Inequalities
   • Origins of Inequalities
     • Inequalities Among Individuals
     • Inequalities Among Groups
     • Environment and Human Capital
     • Episodic Factors

2. Racial Fallacies
   • Assertions Versus Evidence
   • Genetic Determinism
     • Early Progressivism
     • Later Progressivism

3. Chess Pieces Fallacies
   • Redistribution of Wealth
     • History
     • Tax Rates versus Tax Revenues
     • The Inflation “Tax”
   • Chess Pees and Price Controls
     • Reaction to Price Controls
     • Minimum Wage Laws
   • Chess Pieces and Income Statistics
     • Trends Over Time
     • Different Numbers of People
     • “Stagnating” Income Growth
     • Turnover in Income Brackets
     • The “Rich” and The “Poor”
     • Implications for “Social Justice”

4. Knowledge Fallacies
   • Conflicting Visions of Knowledge
     • Consequential Knowledge
     • Opposite Visions
   • Facts and Myths
     • Employment Issues
     • Payday Loans
     • Housing Decisions
     • Children
   • Patterns and Consequences
   • Implications
5. Words, Deeds, and Dangers
   • Visions and Vocabularies
     • Merit
     • Racism
     • Affirmative Action
   • Implications

I would encourage all to read this book, as it provides illumination on the Social Justice Fallacies predominant in today’s America. For those who would disagree with his analysis, I would remind them of the importance of reading the words of those with whom you disagree, as expressed by the great English philosopher, political economist, politician, and civil servant John Stuart Mill:

“He who only knows his own side of the case, knows little of that. . . Nor is it enough that he should hear the arguments of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. That is not the way to do justice to the arguments, or bring them into real contact with his own mind. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them; who defend them in earnest, and do there very utmost for them. He must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form. . .”  - John Stuart Mill

02/10/24 What Do You Expect of a Politician?

Most people have unreasonable expectations of politicians. They either expect that they will deliver the goods or that they provide leadership based on knowledge and wisdom of the issues and concerns. However, it is not possible for them to deliver the goods as they are constrained by what is allowable by the United States Constitution and their State Constitutions. They are also not very knowledgeable or wise on most of the issues and concerns, as no one person can be very knowledgeable or wise on all the issues and concerns.

Their motivations for entering into politics are also varied. Some see it as a career path to effect change for the betterment of society; some see it as a service to their country after they have achieved some success outside of government. All politicians are concerned about their reelection and often temper their decisions based on reelection criteria. Some politicians will tell you what you want to hear, while occasionally, some politicians will tell you what you need to hear. In this, they are like all persons who wish to obtain, retain, and advance in their employment, trade, or profession.

So, what should we expect of a politician? My personal opinion is that the most important expectation we should have of a politician is that they have virtue and character, as I have examined in my Chirps on "11/22/23 Virtue and Character" and "10/09/22 Financial Virtue in Public Office". When judging the virtue and character of a politician, it is important to remember that:

"It is much more difficult to be virtuous than it is to virtue signal."  - Unknown

And:

"The words of a person are important to adjudge their virtue. However, the deeds of a person are important to judge their character. And deeds have much more of an impact than words. Or, as Benjamin Franklin has said 'Well done is better than well said.'".   - Mark Dawson

I also expect that a politician should be willing to change their opinion based on new or additional information that they may encounter and to explain to their constituents their reasoning for their change of opinion. For, as one of our Founding Fathers has said:

"Doubt a little of your own infallibility."   - Benjamin Franklin

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."   - Benjamin Franklin

These are high expectations that are difficult for a politician to achieve, but I expect politicians to strive for this achievement. Those politicians who do not strive for this are unworthy to be leaders of a Liberty and Freedom-loving people. Indeed, it seems that politicians who do not have virtue or character wish to be rulers rather than leaders, as I have examined in my Article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

I, therefore, expect that politicians should be virtuous and act with character, work within the bounds of the Federal and State Constitutions, and be leaders rather than rulers, as I have examined in my article on “Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue Within Government and Society”.

02/09/24 A State of Chaos

Any society in chaos is a society on the decline, and it will eventually slide into a form of a repressive government. When people feel that they are in danger from enemies both foreign and domestic, when crime has risen and remains unchecked, when the economy is deteriorating and not beneficial to the common person, when governmental intervention into the lives of the populace restricts their Liberties and Freedoms, the flowering of chaos leads to an overthrow of the government, often to be replaced by a repressive government.

This is because people will not live long in a state of fear, danger, and uncertainty that chaos engenders. They will demand that order and stability be restored, whatever the costs and the cost is often a repressive government. Many times throughout history, this chaos has led to rulership by a strong man and a repression of the populace of the society. This repression has often had a right-wing flavor, but the 20th century has proven that this repression can have a left-wing flavor.

When we observe the modern state of America, we can see the seeds of chaos. A chaos that seems to be deliberate with the intention of replacing our "American Ideals and Ideas" with those of "Socialism" ideals and ideas, as they believe that "Socialism is Acceptable". Alas, these seeds of chaos are being planted by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders in America.

The nonsense of "Activists and Activism", "Adjective Justice", "Big Bad Science", "Bureaucratic Swamp", "Cancel Culture", "Conspiracy Theory", "Critical Race Theory (CRT)", "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)", "Doxing", "Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG)", "Equity and Equality", "Greater Good versus the Common Good", "Hate Speech", "Herd Mentality", "Hyper-Partisanship", "Identity Politics", "Intersectionality", "Lawfare", "LGBTQIA+", "Modern Feminism", "Political Correctness (PC)", "Racist", "Social Engineering", "Social Media", "Virtue Signaling", "White Privilege", "Wokeness", being spouted and implemented in America are the seeds of chaos.

Through the utilization of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language”, the American people are being bamboozled into believing that these seeds of chaos are in their best interest and the best interest of America. Do not be fooled—as the flowering of chaos always results in a repressive government.

The chaos that is being sown is an attempt to fundamentally transform America into a society that is under the control of a Progressive/Leftist ideology. A control that is based on rulership rather than leadership, as I have examined in my article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders". Such control and rulership can only be implemented by despotism, which will soon morph into Forms of Governance that are not respectful to the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of the American people.

02/08/24 It’s All About Control and Power

In my Chirp on "01/14/24 Constrained or Unconstrained Human Nature", I discuss how Progressives/Leftists have an Unconstrained vision about humanity that believes that human nature is malleable and can be improved by governmental actions and societal pressures. I also discuss how Conservatives have a Constrained vision of humanity that believes that human nature is determined by human evolution and that people will act in their own best interests, while Moderates have a vision of humanity that believes that human nature can be somewhat improved by limited governmental actions and societal pressures.

With the Unconstrained vision comes a belief that it is possible to control what a person thinks and believes, as well as their speech and actions, for the purposes of improving society, while Moderates believe that some control is necessary to improve society. Conservatives, on the other hand, believe that controlling people is specious and doomed to failure. It is also a fact that to control a person requires power over a person to exercise this control. This power over people is often in the form of despotism that just as often morphs into other "Forms of Governance" that suppresses the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of the individuals in a society. For my own part, I have learned from my life experiences that:

"Control over others is illusionary, as the only control that you have is over yourself."  - Mark Dawson

As such, I have learned that it is important to Be in Control of Yourself, as I have written on my Pearls of Wisdom webpage.

Thus, we have seen in America that Progressives and Leftists are attempting to gain power to institute control over others for the purpose of trying to improve humanity. This has been true for most of the 20th century and has accelerated in the 21st century, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives". In doing so, they have staged an assault on our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" by attempting to control our thoughts and speech, as I have discussed in my collected Chirps on "The Decline of Free Speech in America". Or, as I have said:

"The law is meant to control a person's actions, not their thoughts or speech. The thoughts and speech of each person are controlled by their own morality, ethics, and religious beliefs."   - Mark Dawson

In this, they are restricting our Liberties and Freedoms for:

"Liberty is to choose the what and how in exercising your Natural Rights, while Freedom is the absence of repression before, during, or after exercising your Natural Rights."   - Mark Dawson

Thus, Liberty and Freedom are the antithesis of Control and Power. We should also remember my other quote:

"The hubris of a government that believes they can direct or control a free people is astounding. Only a subjugated or subservient people can be directed or controlled." - Mark Dawson

Finally, it should be remembered that human nature has been molded by six million years of evolution that cannot be changed over decades, as the efforts of Marxism, Communism, and Socialism in the 20th century have demonstrated, for:

"To deny human nature, or to not acknowledge human nature, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

02/07/24 The State is the Problem!

Argentina's new President, Javier Milei, surprised diplomats at the World Economic Forum last month by saying, "The state is the problem!"

He spoke up for capitalism, "Do not be intimidated by the political caste or by parasites who live off the state ... If you make money, it's because you offer a better product at a better price, thereby contributing to general well-being. Do not surrender to the advance of the state. The state is not the solution."

He also said, "If measures are adopted that hinder the free functioning of markets, competition, price systems, trade and ownership of private property, the only possible fate is poverty."

Perhaps he should be invited to address a joint session of Congress to impart his wisdom upon Congress’s members. I doubt, however, that this will happen, as Democrat members of Congress have no interest in hearing anything except their own predilections. They also seem incapable of understanding basic economics and the role of government in a free society.

02/06/24 A Democracy or a Republic

The question of whether the United States was to be a Democracy or a Republic was debated by the members of the Constitutional Convention. Many of the wisest members of the convention were rightly concerned about the stability of a Democracy, as well as the encroachments on the Liberties and Freedoms of the minority in a Democracy. This can be seen in some quotes from the members of the convention:

“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.”  - John Adams

“Democracies have been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property; and in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their death.”  - James Madison

“It has been observed that a pure democracy if it were practicable would be the most perfect government. Experience has proved that no position is more false than this. The ancient democracies in which the people themselves deliberated never possessed one good feature of government. Their very character was tyranny; their figure deformity.”  - Alexander Hamilton

“Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos.”  - John Marshall

In addition, many others have had concerns about Democracy, as a few quotes illustrate:

“The experience of all former ages had shown that of all human governments, democracy was the most unstable, fluctuating and short-lived.”  - John Quincy Adams

“Democracy is four wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.”  - Ambrose Bierce

“Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.”  - Oscar Wilde

“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”  - Winston Churchill

It is for these reasons that the Constitutional Convention instituted a Republic rather than a Democracy. In our Constitution, the only body that is democratically elected is the House of Representatives, while Senators were appointed by the State legislators until the 17th Amendment and the Presidency was elected by the Electoral College, whose members were democratically elected. Thus, we have a hybrid government that is best described as a Democratic-Republic form of governance, as I have Chirped on "01/12/24 Our Republic".

Therefore, when you hear the cries of “Our Democracy”, you should be wary of what the speaker has to say, as they are ignorant or duplicitous of the nature of democracies and our Founding Fathers' wisdom. To be guided by the cries of the ignorant or duplicitous is foolish and often leads down the slippery slope to despotism or other forms of governance that do not respect the rights of the individual.

02/05/24 The Firm®

U.S. Senator for Utah, Mike Lee (R), fired off a lengthy X (formerly Twitter) post on Thursday, Feb1, 2024, in which he thoroughly blistered both the bill—and Senators Schumer and McConnell. He began by recounting a short conversation with a reporter:

“Earlier today, a reporter standing outside the Senate chamber told me that, after four months of secrecy, The Firm® plans to release the text of the $106 billion supplemental aid / border-security package—possibly as soon as tomorrow.

Wasting no time, she then asked, “if you get the bill by tomorrow, will you be ready to vote on it by Tuesday?”

The words “hell no” escaped my mouth before I could stop them. Those are strong words where I come from. (Sorry, Mom).

The reporter immediately understood that my frustration was not directed at her.

Rather, it was directed at the Law Firm of Schumer & McConnell (“The Firm®”), which is perpetually trying to normalize a corrupt approach to legislating—in which The Firm®:

(1) spends months drafting legislation in complete secrecy,

(2) aggressively markets that legislation based not on its details and practical implications (good and bad), but only on its broadest, least-controversial objectives,

(3) lets members see bill text for the first time only a few days (sometimes a few hours) before an arbitrary deadline imposed by The Firm® itself, always with a contrived sense of urgency, and then

(4) forces a vote on the legislation on or before that deadline, denying senators any real opportunity to read, digest, and debate the measure on its merits, much less introduce, consider, and vote on amendments to fix any perceived problems with the bill or otherwise improve it.

Whenever The Firm® engages in this practice, it largely excludes nearly every senator from the constitutionally prescribed process in which all senators are supposed to participate.

By so doing, The Firm® effectively disenfranchises hundreds of millions of Americans—at least for purposes relevant to the legislation at hand—and that’s tragic.

It’s also unAmerican, uncivil, uncollegial, and really uncool.

So why does The Firm® do it?

Every time The Firm® utilizes this approach and the bill passes—and it nearly always does—The Firm® becomes more powerful.

The high success rate is largely attributable to the fact that The Firm® has become very adept at  (a) enlisting the help of the (freakishly cooperative) news media, (b) exerting peer pressure in a way that makes what you experienced in middle school look mild by comparison, and (c) rewarding those who consistently vote with The Firm® with various privileges that The Firm® is uniquely capable of offering (committee assignments, help with campaign fundraising, and a whole host of other widely coveted things that The Firm® is free to distribute in any manner it pleases).

It’s through this process that The Firm® passes most major spending legislation.

It’s through this process that The Firm® likely intends to pass the still-secret, $106 billion supplemental aid / border-security package, which The Firm® has spent four months negotiating, with the luxury of obsessing over every sentence, word, period, and comma.

I still don’t know exactly what’s in this bill, although I have serious concerns with it based on the few details The Firm® has been willing to share.

But under no circumstances should this bill — which would fund military operations in three distant parts of the world and make massive, permanent changes to immigration law — be passed next week.

Nor should it be passed until we have had adequate time to read the bill, discuss it with constituents, debate it, offer amendments, and vote on those amendments.

There’s no universe in which those things will happen by next week.

Depending on how long it is and the complexity of its provisions, the minimum period of time we should devote to this bill after it’s released should be measured in weeks or months, not days or hours.

Please share this if you agree.”

As I could not agree more with this statement, I am sharing it with my readers.

02/04/24 This Too Shall Pass

In the history of governments, scholars throughout the ages have debated the rightness and efficacy of the various Forms of Governance. Most of these arguments have proven to be faulty or fallacious. This is not to say that the originators of these arguments were unknowledgeable or unintelligent, but that the experience of history has demonstrated the defects in their arguments. Thus, these theories of government have been consigned to the ash heap of history. So it should be, as experience and better information should be the determinate of the validity of an argument about governance.

Much of this change in the scholarship of governance has arisen because of a better understanding of the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of individuals has expanded, as well as the negative economic impacts of bad governance upon the society and the groups and individual members of the society. When history has shown the failure of the different types of governance, then the scholarship on the failed governance should be put aside and relegated to historical analysis.

The history of the 20th century has shown that Marxism, Communism, and Socialism in their various forms (including Nazism and Fascism) have been abject failures in both the Natural, Human, and Civil Rights of the members of society and the negative economic repercussions to their society.

Consequently, we should relegate Marxism, Communism, and Socialism to the ash heap of history and only support historical scholarship of their failures. To do otherwise is to mislead people into believing that these forms of governance can be improved and made workable. A misleading which can have terrible consequences if some form of these governances is instituted in the future. We would all do well to remember that any government that does not recognize the Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights of its populace is doomed to failure, with terrible consequences for the people and their society.

02/03/24 The Lost Cause

In the aftermath of the defeat of the Confederacy in the Civil War, there arose a mythology of “States Rights” and the “Lost Cause” and of the nobility, honor, dignity, bravery, and selflessness of the Confederate leaders, both military and civilian. The Lost Cause of the Confederacy (or simply the Lost Cause) is an American pseudohistorical negationist myth that claims the cause of the Confederate States during the American Civil War was just, heroic, and not centered on slavery. This mythology grew to such proportions that even reputable historians affirmed and propagated the mythology. At the same time these Southern sympathies were being disseminated, they were also disparaging, denigrating, and demonizing the Union Leaders. Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, and others were derided, and the cause of Union and Emancipation was taken to task by falsehoods and deceptions. This tide crested in the middle of the 20th century, but vestiges still remain, especially in public perceptions.

First enunciated in 1866, The Lost Cause has continued to influence racism, gender roles, and religious attitudes in the Southern United States to the present day. The Lost Cause's false historiography – much of it based on rhetoric mythologizing Robert E. Lee's heroic status – has been scrutinized by contemporary historians, who have made considerable progress in dismantling many parts of the Lost Cause mythos.

In the twenty-first century, many of the supporters of Communism and Socialism have claimed that their failures were because they were not implemented properly. There is no acknowledgment that Communism and Socialism may be contrary to human nature, governmentally unworkable, and not economically feasible. Thus, they are simply wrong, and as I have often said, “It is not possible to do the wrong thing rightly, as no wrong thing can be done rightly.”

However, Communism and Socialism supporters continue to make excuses, much like the supporters of the Lost Cause continue to make excuses. It is well past time that Communism and Socialism be historically dismantled and consigned to the dustbin of history. Such consignment would relegate them to the historical departments of academia, and be taught as contrary to Natural Rights, uneconomical, unworkable, and failed systems in the political, economic, and sociological departments of Colleges and Universities. To do otherwise is to ignore the facts and deprivations of Communism and Socialism, which is unworthy of any scholarship.

02/02/24 What Was the Civil War About?

Many modern historians in the last half century or so frame the Civil War in terms of race and racism, as well as the preservation of white privilege and white superiority. Despite a lack of documentary evidence for this framing, and because of the insertion of personal opinion by these historians, many Americans do not have a grasp of the true meaning and significance of the Civil War.

Most people would say that it was about slavery. However, the more complicated truth is that the Civil War was, at its root, a dispute about whether states could secede from the Union. The proximal issue was, of course, slavery, but in the 70 years prior to the firing on Fort Sumter, other issues had driven citizens to talk of secession or rebellion, including taxation during the Whiskey Rebellion in 1791; the War of 1812, during which the Hartford Convention of New England states made it plain that they believed secession was legitimate, and trade and tariffs during the nullification crisis in 1832. In 1860, the riveting issue was slavery, but the underlying conflict was about secession.

At the beginning of the Civil War, President Lincoln and others sought to downplay the issue of slavery, as they knew it would fracture the Union cause and potentially lead to defeat. It was only in the middle of the Civil War after most in the Union fold realized that it was not possible to have a Union half free and half slave, that the issue of the abolition of slavery rose in prominence. By the end of the Civil War, the issues of the Union and the abolition of slavery were on equal footing (especially after the Union soldiers observed firsthand the deprivations of slavery and the humanity of the slaves).

Consequently, the result of the Civil War was that succession was not Constitutional, and the 13th Amendment outlawed slavery. Thus, it is proper to say the Civil War was about the unconstitutionality of succession and the elimination of slavery.

02/01/24 Understanding Civil War Motivations

As I have mentioned in several of my Chirps and Articles, when you make judgments on historical events, you must understand the times in which they occurred. An understanding of what the people were thinking helps you understand their words and deeds. However, understanding their thinking is difficult to accomplish even for historians. Prior to the 19th century, historians had little documentary evidence of what the common people thought of the war.

With the rise of a free press that could praise or criticize the events of the war, and the extensive letter writing between those that fought the war and the those that remained on the home front, The American Civil War was a sea change in the volume of the historical information about what the people thought about the war. This month’s Book It selections examine the Civil War from the perspective of the people who fought the war and those that stayed behind at home. These books provide a good understanding of what the people of the Civil War thought they were fighting for.

01/31/24 Rabble-Rousers

Today's rabble-rousers demonstrate and demand (usually at the top of their voices and often with mob actions) for "Change and/or New" laws and/or policies in government actions. They have no interest in a proper "Dialog and Debate" to determine the impacts of the change/new, and they especially do not want the opposition to have any voice in the change and/or new.

In this, they remind me of those people who rabble roused for the sparing of the life of Barabbas rather than the life of Jesus. Barabbas was a criminal who may have been a rebel against Rome, a robber, or a murderer who was set free by the rabble-rousing mob. Jesus was a preacher of love, kindness, forgiveness, and charity for all, whose followers were not rabble-rousers but devotees of living the life that Jesus preached.

It is an unfortunate fact that the rabble-rousers are those who get almost all the attention. At the same time, those who live a life of peace, as defined by the Philosopher Baruch Spinoza as, “Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice.”, receive little attention. The rabble-rousers are attempting to stampede society into the actions they desire rather than convince the American people of the desirability and effectiveness of their demands. In this, they are not trusting the good sense of the American people to choose the proper course for America. As such, they believe in a command-control form of government, where they command and control the people.

Their argument that they only want a democracy of the people to institute change and/or new is specious, as it is a democracy of mob rule that does not recognize the Natural Rights of the minority. Often, their demands are not approved of by most of the American people. In addition, a two-tiered justice system has been implemented in America in which the Barabbas of our society face little justice for their destructive actions. At the same time, the peace lovers are threatened by legal actions for exercising their First and Second Amendments Rights, as I have Chirp on "07/31/21 A Two-Tiered Justice and Governmental System".

Consequently, we are setting free the Barabbas of our society to wreak their havoc while the peace-loving people are being condemned to suffer the consequences of their havoc.

01/30/24 Standing Up to Bullies

Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, College and Universities students, professors, and administrators, LGBTQIA+, Antifa, BLM, and a host of other Activists and Activism all operate with the strategy of intimidation and bullying. Using the tactics of "Adjective Justice", "Cancel Culture", "Conspiracy Theory", "Critical Race Theory (CRT)", "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)", "Doxing", "Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG)", "Equity and Equality", "Greater Good versus the Common Good", "Hate Speech", "Herd Mentality", "Hyper-Partisanship", "Identity Politics", "Intersectionality", "Lawfare", "LGBTQIA+", "Political Correctness (PC)", "Racist", "Virtue Signaling", "White Privilege", and "Wokeness", they attempt to bully their opponents into silence. There is a constant barrage of "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" in their encounters with their opponents.

They have also utilized "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” to justify their policies. Thus, they have become the thought and speech police with the support of the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech", "Modern Big Business", "Modern Education", and "The Mainstream Information Conglomerate". In this, they are attempting to silence any opposition to their policies and political goals. They are also attempting to inflict reputational and financial harm, as well as the possibility of civil torts or criminal prosecutions, for any that would speak out against them.

In this, they are violating the Constitutional rights of their opponents, most especially their First and Second Amendment rights. They will ignore or discard the "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" and "Justice and The Rule of Law in America" to achieve their goals.

As with all bullies, it is necessary to stand up and confront the bullies to stop the bullying. This is most difficult in today’s society, as the forces of bullying seem overwhelming. But as it was prior to and during the American Revolutionary War, overwhelming bullies can be successfully opposed. The preservation of our "American Ideals and Ideas" is worth the efforts and costs of standing up to bullies; otherwise, as Abraham Lincoln has said, “We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth” and succumb to despotism.

01/29/24 Swatting

In our Age of Rage against political opponents, a new tactic to express a person’s rage is “Swatting”. Swatting is the act of making a false report to emergency services to prompt a response at a particular address. The goal is to get authorities, particularly a SWAT team, to show up at a person’s home with whom they disagree and disrupt their lives.

Initially, this occurred against Conservatives and Republicans, but it is starting to occur against Progressives and Democrats. No matter who it occurs against, it is wrong and needs to stop. It is an attempt to intimidate the opposition into constricting their freedom of speech in that if they speak up, they run the risk of having their homes swatted, which endangers not only them but their families and their properties. As such, it is a form of terrorism and should be dealt with as if it were a terroristic act. Therefore, it should be made illegal and prosecuted as a terrorist act. Those who are convicted of swatting should receive long prison sentences and large fines because of these terrorist swatting acts.

If this continues, we will eventually see harm to personal property, injuries to the unsuspecting victims of swatting, the possible deaths of swatting victims, and perhaps harm to the response team members. It is also a violation of the Constitutional rights of those swatted, most especially their First Amendment rights.

01/28/24 Go Woke, Go Broke

Adam Smith, born 300 years ago on 16 June 1723, was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the thinking of political economy and a key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as "The Father of Economics" or "The Father of Capitalism", he wrote two classic works, The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759) and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (1776). The latter, often abbreviated as The Wealth of Nations, is considered his magnum opus and the first modern work that treats economics as a comprehensive system and as an academic discipline. In The Wealth of Nations, he offers one of the world's first connected accounts of what builds nations' wealth and has become a fundamental work in classical economics. Reflecting upon economics at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, Smith addresses topics such as the division of labor, productivity, and free markets. Smith refuses to explain the distribution of wealth and power in terms of God's will and instead appeals to natural, political, social, economic, legal, environmental, and technological factors and the interactions between them.

While the academics of economics have significantly advanced in the intervening centuries, many of the core principles that Adam Smith elucidated still hold true. One of these principles is how the “invisible hand” of the market worked as people exercised their choices between certain products. This principle can shape economies and challenge whole governments. It is this principle that determines the success or failure of a business, as a business must produce something that a consumer wants or needs at a price that the consumer can afford, or it will go out of business. Thus, it is in their own interest to tailor their business to the consumer to ensure that sufficient profits are created for their own needs to be met. As Smith wrote, “It is not from the benevolence of the Butcher, the Brewer or the Baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.”

In an article by Jonathan Turley, “Happy Birthday, Adam: The Invisible Hand Just Slapped Disney”, he points out that alienating your consumers is not in your own interest. To do so will have negative repercussions on your business—even to the point of the failure of your business. To foist something upon your customers that they do not want or to demean or insult your customers is to risk the failure of your business. Yet, many businesses in today’s America seem intent on doing so in their attempts to institute Political Correctness, Virtue Signaling, and Wokeness within their business. In doing so, they are alienating their consumers who do not believe in these principles, and these consumers make up a significant percentage (if not the majority) of Americans. Some of their words and deeds have become so offensive that those Americans who are so offended are taking their business elsewhere and significantly impacting the profitability of the businesses that engage in these words and deeds.

We also have the example of Sports Illustrated, in which they went woke in their annual swimsuit issue by featuring plus-sized models and a transgendered (male to female) model. Their sports coverage had also been veering from sports coverage to sports social activism coverage. As a result, they lost their subscribers and newsstand sales in the process and have laid off all their employees. Other companies (Bud Light, Target, Gillette, etc.) have also become woke in their marketing and social activism and have seen a decline in their sales.

Thus, the phrase “Go Woke, Go Broke” has arisen in America. This phrase, however, is just a restatement of Adam Smith’s principle of the “invisible hand” in the marketplace. Consequently, it would behoove business leaders to reacquaint themselves with Adam Smith’s principles and operate their businesses with these principles in mind.

01/27/24 Oligopoly

An Oligopoly is an economic system in which the control over the supply of a commodity in the marketplace is in the hands of a small number of producers, and each one can influence prices and affect competitors. In the latter part of the 20th century and into the 21st century, we have seen the rise of Oligopolies in America, as companies merge or are purchased by other companies. In financial institutions, pharmaceuticals, Mainstream Media, Social Media, Internet Access providers, Cell Phone service providers, transportation services, consumer electronics, and consumer goods purchases, a few companies dominate their marketplace. While they have competitors, their competition outside of the oligopolistic marketplace is not significant. It is also very difficult for an outside company to break into this Oligopoly.

While an Oligopoly may provide visible benefits to consumers (in terms of lowering prices and wider availability of products and services), the negative repercussions are not as visible. Often, these Oligopolies can freeze out smaller competitors and set prices unresponsive to the Free Market, where prices are determined by competition between businesses. In the past, America has been concerned about monopolistic companies, and as these Oligopolies are not monopolies, they are not subject to monopolistic regulation. Consequently, it may be necessary to create laws to regulate Oligopolies to ensure that they do not abuse their oligopolistic powers. The difficulty is in determining what constitutes an oligopoly, what is an abuse of power within an oligopoly, and what the proper laws and regulations are for an oligopoly.

The most pernicious abuse of an Oligopoly is their involvement in politics and social policy. All large businesses become involved in politics regarding the laws and regulations that impact their business operations. However, many of these Oligopolies have become heavily involved in areas outside of the laws and regulations of their business operations, in that they are supporting social activism and politicians that have their social activism propensities. Many of these Oligopolies have Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders propensities, and many times, they shut out voices that are in opposition to their social activism propensities. Thus, they are violating the spirit of our First Amendment rights of free speech, peaceful assembly, free press, religious freedom, and, occasionally, our Second Amendment rights to keep and bear arms. Alas, the almost universal establishment of "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)" departments in these Oligopolies is also a violation of our rights, as I have Chirped on "04/05/22 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)".

Therefore, we have the additional problem of determining what constraints should apply to Oligopolies in their social activism and political support. My personal opinion is that no company should be involved in politics and social policy, as I have written in my Article, “Other People’s Money (OPM)”. As for Oligopolies' involvement in government regulations, I also believe that this is pernicious, as I have examined in my Chirp on "05/05/22 A Symbiotic Relationship".

Thus, it is time for the American people and Congress to examine Oligopolies and their powers to determine the limits to their powers for the protection of the American people’s rights within an Oligopoly. Otherwise, we will be subsumed by Oligopolies and subject to their propensities.

01/26/24 Intersectionality

Intersectionality in mathematics is the intersection of two or more objects consisting of everything that is contained in all of the objects simultaneously. For example, in Euclidean geometry, when two lines in a plane are not parallel, their intersection is the point at which they meet. More generally, in set theory, the intersection of sets is defined to be the set of elements that belong to all of them. Unlike the Euclidean definition, this does not presume that the objects under consideration lie in a common space (a set with some added structure).

The Set Theory of Intersectionality can be illustrated by the following Venn Diagram:

Venn four ellipse construction of Intersectionality

Complications arise when you apply the Set Theory of Intersectionality to groups of people, especially when it is done for social or political purposes. The following are the various definitions of Intersectionality based on a Progressive and Conservative viewpoint of Intersectionality when applied for social or political purposes:

Intersectionality (Wikipedia) is an analytical framework for understanding how individuals' various social and political identities result in unique combinations of discrimination and privilege. Intersectionality identifies multiple factors of advantages and disadvantages. Examples of these factors include gender, caste, sex, race, ethnicity, class, sexuality, religion, disability, weight, species, and physical appearance. These intersecting and overlapping social identities may be both empowering and oppressing. However, little good-quality quantitative research has been done to support or undermine the theory of Intersectionality.

Intersectionality (Conservapedia) is a form of left-wing identity politics and cultural Marxism. Intersectionality, so named because it relies on the intersection between race, class, sex, sexual preference, religion, gender identity, and a myriad of other irrelevant characteristics, is a bigoted ideology used by leftists to make policy. It is constantly pushed by university professors, journalists, and politicians, along with the rest of the establishment. One's level of oppression is determined by the number of oppressed groups they fall into, and/or where that group falls on the oppression hierarchy. Islam is at the top, followed by the LGBT community, then "people of color," then women, Jews, and WASPs.

At the highest level of all people-oriented Intersectionality is the set of “All Human Beings”, while the core of every people-oriented intersectionality diagram is an “Individual Human Being”. This core can only be subdivided by sex—Male and Female (XY DNA or XX DNA Chromosomes), but not gender identity, as that is a higher-level element in the intersection. Thus, a more accurate diagram of people-oriented Intersectionality is as follows:

Therefore, the core of all people Intersectionality is an individual human being, and this individual human being must be considered in dealing with all social or political purposes of Intersectionality. Those who do not acknowledge this highest level or core are not properly intersecting, or they are being duplicitous for social or political purposes. We all should be wary of those who are improperly intersecting or being duplicitous, as they are not trying to ascertain the truths of Intersectionality but are trying to push an agenda upon an unknowledgeable or unsuspicious public.

You must also be concerned about the percentage of Intersectionality within the set of All Human Beings and the percentage of each element in the Intersectionality to ascertain the scale of the Intersectionality. It is also true that each person has a weighted scale of the element's importance in their person, and weighted scales are challenging to incorporate into a Venn diagram. There is also the issue of multiple intersectionality sets within the set of all human beings. The question then becomes how each Intersectionality set intersects with the other Intersectionality sets in the human beings set, and what is the weighted importance of each Intersectionality set in the set of all human beings?

The pernicious impact of Intersectionality is in categorizing a person based on their intersections. An example of this is the Intersectionality of my nationality origins. I am one-quarter English, one-quarter Scottish, one-quarter German, and one-quarter other Eastern European nationality. This has little weight on my person (other than some minor pride or embarrassment of the contributions to humanity from these nationalities), but I am one hundred percent American, in which I take great pride. But above all, I am a human being who has Natural Rights that cannot be circumscribed by any intersectionality preferential treatment or discrimination. That is what we must remember when discussing Intersectionality—that every person is a human being entitled to their Natural Rights before all else and that:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  - The Declaration of Independence

01/25/24 How States May Respond to Illegal Immigration

In a series of articles by Rob Natelson, he examines the Constitutional questions and summarizes state powers over immigration and military force—particularly the power to respond to illegal border crossings. For those interested in the Constitutional questions and state powers in resolving the open borders problem we currently face, I would recommend these articles:

• Understanding the Constitution: How States May Respond to Illegal Immigration, Part I
• Understanding the Constitution: How States May Respond to Illegal Immigration—Part II
• Understanding the Constitution: How States May Respond to Illegal Immigration—Part III
• Understanding the Constitution: How States May Respond to Illegal Immigration—Part IV
• Understanding the Constitution: How States May Respond to Illegal Immigration, Part V: About Birthright Citizenship

Yesterday, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas sent a letter to President Biden after a Supreme Court decision that gave Border Patrol agents permission to slash state-installed razor wire at the border. Governor Abbott argued in this letter that Texas has a "Constitutional right to self-defense", explaining that the White House had failed to hold up its end of the Constitutional compact that guarantees the federal government will protect its 50 states and territories from external invasions. He noted that by not taking action to quell the influx of illegal immigrants over the past three years, President Biden has failed to meet his constitutional duty and, as such, Texas has the constitutional right to protect itself against invasion. This letter and his actions are certain to generate constitutional issues that will reverberate throughout America. This letter can be viewed here.

01/23/24 The Blade of Perseus - II

Victor Davis Hanson was a website, “The Blade of Perseus”, which I wrote about in my Chirp on "11/09/23 The Blade of Perseus". While this website is a paid subscription of $50 per year to have full access, it is worth every penny to be able to read, listen, and view his insights and wisdom on modern American society.

Some recent articles that he has written have especially intrigued me and are evidence of his knowledge, intelligence, experience, and wisdom. The first article is:

The 10 radical new rules that are changing America:

• Money is a construct.
• Laws are not necessarily binding anymore.
• Racialism is now acceptable.
• The immigrant is mostly preferable to the citizen.
• Most Americans should be treated as we would treat little children.
• Hypocrisy is passe.
• Ignoring or perpetuating homelessness is preferable to ending it.
• McCarthyism is good.
• Ignorance is preferable to knowledge.
• Wokeness is the new religion, growing faster and larger than Christianity.

He also has a series of articles on his thoughts about the current state of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in America:

• The DEI Ruse Is Imploding. Part One—Diversity
• The DEI Ruse Is Imploding. Part Two—Equity
• The DEI Ruse Is Imploding. Part Three—From Equity to Inclusion
• The DEI Ruse Is Imploding. Part Four—Epitaph

I would also recommend his thoughts about The Hysterical Style in American Politics and how Biden ‘Saves’ Democracy by Destroying it, as in the 21st century, we have seen Progressives and Democrat Party leaders engage in a left-wing, hysterical style of inventing scandals and manipulating perceived tensions, as well as engaging in "Lawfare", for the purposes of political advantage.

I would highly recommend that my readers review these articles, regularly read his other thoughts on America, and support Professor Hanson by subscribing to his website.

01/22/24 Does Political Moderation Work?

Many who are not politically attuned or unaware of the repercussions of government policies on "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" often claim to be "Moderates or Centrists". This can be an emotionally satisfying response, but it often has negative repercussions that impact our "American Ideals and Ideas". In addition, Moderation or Centrism rarely solves the problems in America and often introduces additional problems. Moderation or Centrism has also been a driving force for the growth of government and increased government spending and taxes, as a little bit here and there without corresponding cutbacks equates to growth in government, spending, and taxes. Moderation or Centrism also elects politicians who do not wish to make difficult choices for fear of losing electoral support in making a difficult decision, as these politicians often wish to be all things to most voters.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to list the great moderates of history, as Moderation or Centrism tends not to promote greatness but graduations of improvements in the lot of humankind. However, Moderation or Centrism can also result in a decline in the lot of humankind when it detracts from their Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. In addition, Moderates or Centrists often believe that the changes they support will have minimal impacts on themselves or society. This belief betrays a lack of knowledge of basic economics and "The Law of Unintended Consequences", as a change in government will have both positive and negative impacts.

Consequently, Moderation or Centrism is not a long-term solution to the problems that beset America. Difficult decisions need to be made as to the future direction of America in the role of government and the scope of spending and taxes. Postponing these difficult decisions by engaging in Moderation or Centrism only postpones the inevitable reckoning of not making difficult decisions. It also shifts the burden of not making these difficult decisions to our children and grandchildren, which is a moral failing on our part.

01/21/24 Socialism and Capitalism Disputations

In a series of short eBooks from the Hoover Institute, they examine the disputations between Socialism and Capitalism. Each one of these eBooks is less than a dozen pages long (except for the first one, which is twice as long as the others), and each page is well worth the read. These eBooks are:

• The History of Socialism and Capitalism
• Capitalism, Socialism, and Freedom
• Socialism And The Constitution
• Political Freedom and Human Prosperity

My new article, “Socialism and Capitalism Disputations”, is a short synopsis of the main differences between Socialism and Capitalism that these eBooks discuss. I also have a new article, “Economists You Should Know—Foundations for the Conversation On Socialism And Capitalism”.

I conclude my article on Socialism and Capitalism Disputations by warning that in utilizing democratic means to reform our American society, we must always be careful to ensure the importance of individual rights and protect the life, liberty, and property of each person. We must always carefully evaluate any socialistic proposal as to its impacts on our Liberties and Freedoms, as well as its impacts on our economy. Otherwise, we run the risk of severely impacting our society to the detriment of all Americans.

Therefore, I would highly recommend that you read these four eBooks from the Hoover Institution to properly understand the meaning of Socialism and Capitalism and to discuss the implications of Socialism intelligently.

01/20/24 Tear Down This Wall!

The  Berlin Wall Speech, which was delivered by United States President Ronald Reagan in West Berlin on June 12, 1987, is commonly known by a key line from the middle part: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" The full paragraph from this speech was:

“We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”  - Ronald Reagan

The speech drew controversy within the Reagan administration, with several senior staffers and aides advising against the phrase, saying anything that might cause further East-West tensions or potential embarrassment to Gorbachev, with whom President Reagan had built a good relationship, should be omitted. American officials in West Germany and presidential speechwriters, including Peter Robinson, thought otherwise. According to an account by Robinson, he traveled to West Germany to inspect potential speech venues and gained an overall sense that the majority of West Berliners opposed the wall. Despite getting little support for suggesting Reagan demand the removal of the wall, Robinson kept the phrase in the speech text. On Monday, May 18, 1987, President Reagan met with his speechwriters and responded to the speech by saying, "I thought it was a good, solid draft." White House Chief of Staff Howard Baker objected, saying it sounded "extreme" and "unpresidential", and Deputy U.S. National Security Advisor Colin Powell agreed. Nevertheless, Reagan liked the passage, saying, "I think we'll leave it in."

And leave it in, he did, to the great effect of the people of Berlin and East and West Germany. An effect that spread across the world, as it signified the final collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe and eventually the Soviet Union.

Ronald Reagan was a great communicator in that he said what he thought and believed, rather unlike other politicians who say what they think you want to hear and couch their statements in vapid language to disguise their true intentions. On many other issues that faced America during his Presidency, Ronald Reagan often utilized the same approach of saying what he thought and believed.

Today, we face a slate of politicians who will not say what they mean and often lie about their intentions. They often use polls and focus groups, as well as political consultants, to determine what they will say. As such, there is “no truth to power” in what they express, and, indeed, their statements are often “go along to get along”. Alas, they also often engage in "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" against those with whom they disagree, in which they pit one group of Americans against another group of Americans. Consequently, the bitter hyper-partisanship we have in America continues and deepens.

Today, most politicians wish to be rulers rather than leaders, as I have written in my article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders". However, there is one politician who is not engaged in these political rhetorical games but is instead saying what he thinks and believes. This politician is Vivek Ramaswamy, who was an entrepreneur before he began his 2024 Presidential Campaign. You may not agree with what he says, but you can clearly understand what he means. While I do not believe that Vivek Ramaswamy is yet qualified to be President of the United States, I do believe that he shows promise to eventually rise to the top in political leadership. He may also be the best person to be Vice-President, as a person who would clearly articulate the core issues in America and illuminate the choices of the future path of America, as Ronald Reagan did when he counseled General Secretary Gorbachev to tear down this wall.

01/19/24 Show-and-Tell

Show-and-Tell is a game that children engage in, but it is also an electioneering game that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders engage in. It is a Democrat Party game of style in their electioneering rather than of substance of their policies. The problems that beset America are problems of substance, but the Democrats do not address the substance but instead concentrate on a façade of lofty words to disguise the harmful deeds of their policies. This, along with their tactics of fearmongering and demonization, as I have written in my Chirp on "08/23/23 Progressives and Fearmongering and Demonization", is the basis of their electioneering.

Thus, the Democrat candidates are often nominated based on their style rather than their substance on the issues. This gives them an appearance of concern for the issues and problems in America, but it does not provide any concrete solutions to these issues and problems. It is as if they are trying to disguise their solutions from a fear that the American electorate may reject their solutions (which is probably a rational fear). After winning an election, the Democrat Party candidate will then attempt to implement policies that do not comport with their lofty rhetoric and are often detrimental to America. Therefore, the Democrat Party candidates are engaged in lofty words while they perpetuate disreputable deeds.

America has seen many botches in the last few years under Democrat Party leadership. On the International stage, the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Ukrainian War, the threatening actions of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, and the reaction to Hamas Terrorism in Israel, and on the National stage, the negative impacts of their economic policies on the economy, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problems, to gas price increases, to the Fentanyl drug addiction scourge, to the Suppressions of Free Speech and the Weaponization of Government, and to a host of other issues we have seen many botches. All these botches are the result of the policies of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, and at the same time, they try to disguise these problems with a façade of words. In this, they are contemptible for not addressing and correcting these problems.

Consequently, they engage in a show-and-tell without substance when electioneering, but their substance when governing has been harmful to America.

01/18/24 Depressive Personality Disorder

Aaron Beck of the Beck Institute is the creator of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and he believes that a depressed person has three basic storylines: 1.) I’m a terrible person, 2.) the world is a terrible place, and 3.) the future is bleak. Having had bouts of depression in my past, I can attest to the truth of these storylines for depressed persons.

Michael Shellenberger is an Environmental activist who writes about politics, the environment, climate change, and nuclear power. He has commented that the advocates of Global Climate Change believe that humankind is destroying the planet, the future is bleak, and the world is failing. Hence, they share the common storyline of a depressed person in that it is a collective rather than an individual depression.

My own perception of Progressives/Leftists activists is that they share this storyline, in that they are always claiming that their opponents are terrible people, that the world is a terrible place to live in and needs to be put right, and that the future will be bleak if their policy prescriptions are not implemented.

Thus, using the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy criteria of a depressed person, we can conclude that Progressives/Leftists suffer from a form of depression. Being a depressed person leads you to make decisions that are not reality-based, and often, these decisions are not to your benefit. As such, we need to be wary of their policy prescriptions as they will often not be to our benefit, and they are not reality-based. Consequently, do not be taken in by their pronouncements and be leery of all their policy prescriptions, as they come from a depressed person’s perspective.

01/17/24 Totalitarian Evil: Crimes, Terror, Repression

In the 1997 book, “The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression” by Stéphane Courtois, Andrzej Paczkowski, Nicolas Werth, Jean-Louis Margolin, and several other European academics, the authors document a history of political repression by Communist states, including genocides, extrajudicial executions, deportations, and deaths in labor camps and artificially created famines.

My new article, “Totalitarian Evil: Crimes, Terror, Repression”, is a brief examination of the scope and impacts of these totalitarian evils that have a proven record of failure and that in these failures, they have committed crimes against humanity.

01/16/24 Who Are the “Privileged”

As an addendum to my Chirp on “01/15/24 CRT, DEI, and ESG as Destructive Forces”, I have discovered that John Hopkins recently sent out a list of people automatically guilty of "privilege", whether they know it or not. This message was emailed directly to employees from the DEI Office. Those so labeled as “Privileged” are:

• Males
• Whites
• Christians
• Mid-aged people
• Able-bodied people
• Middle & owning class people
• English-speaking people

When this email became publicly known, they were forced to withdraw this email after a public outcry. However, in sending this email, they disclosed the criteria that they were utilizing for DEI implementation at Johns Hopkins, which I suspect is the criteria for all DEI implementations in America. In doing so, they revealed a discriminatory criterion not based on a person’s knowledge, intelligence, experience, skills, abilities, and talents. Thus, they are not meritocracy-based criteria, which is contrary to our "American Ideals and Ideas". Indeed, they are a form of "Socialism" that has always proved to be unworkable and is harmful to all the persons who have to live within these criteria.

01/15/24 CRT, DEI, and ESG as Destructive Forces

In the last several years, we have seen three forces arise that are destructive to our Western traditions, as I have written in my Chips of “01/04/24 Western Culture” and “01/05/24 The War on the West”. The three largest forces are "Critical Race Theory (CRT)", "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)", and "Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG)".

CRT, DEI, and ESG are forces that involve the deconstruction of Western traditions that threaten the cohesion of society and civilization. CRT, DEI, and ESG are forces of racism, discrimination, and opposition to "Capitalism and Free Markets". CRT views all of society under the prism of race and categorizes a person based on their race, ordering them from the most oppressive to the most oppressed. DEI, while sounding lofty in its goals, requires that you discriminate against some people to favor other people rather than utilize meritocracy to evaluate a person. Much of this DEI discrimination is based on the "Intersectionality" of a person, with little regard to the knowledge, intelligence, experience, skills, and abilities of a person. ESG does not reward the success of businesses in providing goods and services at an affordable cost, nor effective and efficient governmental policies, but uses "Progressives/Leftists" social criteria to determine the successes of a business/government.

In this, CRT, DEI, and ESG deconstruct society on an incomplete and artificial criterion. It is also a deconstruction without constructivism, which leads to nothing but the destruction of our society. When they try to reconstruct, their reconstructions are often "Socialism" or utopian based and do not account for human nature or economics. As such:

"To deny human nature or economics, or to not acknowledge human nature or economics, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

When their failures become evident, they often claim that the failure was based on Racism or they were victims of an "Oppressive Patriarchal Hierarchical Society" or "White Privilege". This was most recently seen in the backlash to recent Congressional testimony by the presidents of Harvard, Penn, and MIT on anti-Semitism on their campuses. After the resignation of the presidents of Harvard and Penn, they trotted out the usual excuses for their failure. However, as Konstantin Kisin has said in his article about Claudine Gay, who resigned as the President of Harvard:

“So here is the truth: we must return to pursuing the goal of a colour-blind society immediately. There is no such thing as positive discrimination. All discrimination is wrong. And because it is wrong, it will create precisely the kind of resentment that Claudine Gay is now facing. She is seen as the standard-bearer of the DEI industry and is being treated as such by people who have had enough.

All of us must be treated on the content of our character. When we refuse to follow this principle, we hurt everyone: White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Jewish. A healthy society relies on the equal treatment of all individuals. The fact that we have to say this out loud in 2024 is a sign of how far we’ve fallen.”

And fallen we have. CRT, DEI, and ESG are antithetical to our Western traditions and must be actively opposed and ended. Otherwise, Western society will collapse, and all the human progress that Western tradition has achieved will be negated.

01/14/24 Constrained or Unconstrained Human Nature

It has been suggested that partisanship in today’s America is a result of a Constrained and Unconstrained vision of human nature, as examined by Thomas Sowell in his book “A Conflict of Visions”.

Progressives/Leftists is an Unconstrained vision that believes that human nature is malleable and can be improved by governmental actions and societal pressures, and that appealing to the better nature of a person will accomplish this improvement. They also believe that social problems and issues can be resolved through governmental actions and the world can be made a better place by governmental actions. Thus, they believe in a big government that acts for the greater good, as I have defined as the "Greater Good versus the Common Good", and that the Natural Rights of the individual should be circumscribed to the needs of society.

Conservatives is a Constrained vision that believes that human nature is determined by human evolution and that people will act in their own best interests. They also believe that governmental and societal pressures on human actions have limited effects and that these societal and government pressures should only be utilized to constrain a person to lawful actions that do not impinge on the Natural Rights of a person. They also believe that social problems are inherent in human nature and are uncorrectable through governmental actions. Thus, they believe in a limited government that only acts on the common good, as I have defined as the "Greater Good versus the Common Good," which preserves the natural rights of the individual.

Moderates have a vision of human nature that believes that human nature can be somewhat improved by limited governmental actions and societal pressures and that society can be improved by limited governmental actions. As such, they believe that it is possible to pick and choose from policy positions of both Progressives and Conservatives to achieve a better society. Therefore, Moderates want a government that addresses the common good and the major issues and concerns that will improve society and for the government to be as large as necessary to achieve the common good and to address important social policies. The difficulty of moderation is the determination of what the major societal issues and concerns are and how much governmental actions are required to address these problems without significantly impacting the natural rights of a person.

It is this dichotomy of beliefs that has pitted one group of Americans against another group. Thus, we have a conflict of visions that leads to the bitter partisanship that we see today. Progressives want big government to solve the issues and concerns facing Americans, while Conservates want limited government that allows individuals to resolve these issues and concerns, and Moderates want some of both for the benefit of society. Neither of these sides wishes to concede to the other side as they believe that their vision is correct, and to concede to the other side is to abandon their vision of human nature and governance.

01/13/24 Constitutional Supremacy

Today, we have seen many challenges to the supremacy of the Constitution from many politicians of the local, State, and Federal governments. While many such challenges may be justified, some are in direct opposition to Constitutional Supremacy as defined in the Constitution:

"This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding."  - U.S. Constitution, Article VI, Clause 2

Legal challenges, adjudicated by the Judiciary, are proper and necessary when the Federal government oversteps its bounds. However, many of these challenges are in direct contradiction to the supremacy of the Constitution as the Constitution defines the powers of the federal government, which also restricts the Federal Government to these powers. The Founding Fathers clearly articulated the limits of the federal government by the passage of the 10th amendment in the Bill of Rights, which states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Therefore, no local or state government, nor the three branches of the Federal government (Legislative, Executive, and Judicial) may violate the Constitution of the United States. Yet, in today’s government, violations of the Constitution abound. Much sophistry is utilized to justify these actions, but sophistry in governance often leads to anarchy. Politicians engaged in these challenges and sophistry are also in violation of their Oath of Office to “Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution of the United States”. As such, they are deserving of impeachment and removal from office and barred from serving in any office of trust at all levels of government.

Much of this has occurred because politicians have corrupted the Judiciary by appointing judges who will make decisions based on politics rather than the law, who then engage in sophistry to justify their political decisions under the law. Such judges that engage in political decisions and sophistry are also in violation of their Oath of Office to “I, (NAME) do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as (TITLE) under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God.” As such, they are also deserving of impeachment and removal from office and barred from serving in any office of trust at all levels of government.

However, I do not expect that this impeachment will happen as politicians are very good at protecting their power and privileges. Also, if impeachment is done injudiciously, it could lead to chaos in government. What needs to be done is for the electorate to turn out of office those politicians that violate the Oath of Office and for judges to face more strict scrutiny, before confirmation, on their philosophy in making judicial decisions (and not just on what they say but what they have said and done in the past). Again, I do not expect that this will happen, as the American electorate is not engaged in its electoral decisions by Constitutional concerns, and politicians want judges who will rule based on their predilections.

Consequently, we can expect that this situation will continue to occur, and our Constitution will continue to lose its supremacy.

01/12/24 Our Republic

As the Founding Fathers were departing the Pennsylvania State House at the close of the Constitutional Convention, one of the bystanders shouted a question to Benjamin Franklin:

Bystander - 'Well, Doctor, what have we got - a Republic or a Monarchy?' Franklin - 'A Republic, if you can keep it.'

Our Founding Fathers were well aware of the dangers of a Democracy and the inherent instability of democracies. They knew that there were significant differences between a Republic and a Democracy in the governance of the people. They knew that democracies, through mob passions, would often trample upon minority rights, which often led to civil strife and civil wars that ended the democracy. They knew that democracies would tax and spend (or not spend) on the basis of popularity rather than necessity, which often led to economic hardships and an economic collapse of the democracy. They knew this from their studies on the histories of Democracies and Republics. They, therefore, were careful to institute a Republic rather than a Democracy for America.

Therefore, when you hear the cries of “Our Democracy”, you should be wary of what the speaker has to say, as they are ignorant or duplicitous of the nature of democracies and our Founding Fathers' wisdom. To be guided by the cries of the ignorant or duplicitous is foolish and often leads down the slippery slope to despotism or other forms of governance that do not respect the rights of the individual.

01/11/24 Equal Justice for All - II

Once again, the Justice Department announced that they would pursue prosecutions against those that were involved in the January 6, 2021 “Insurrection”, as I have written about my collection of "Insurrection". This time, the Justice Department will be charging people who were present at the Capitol building but did not engage in any lawlessness except for simply walking onto restricted areas of the Capitol grounds.

This is in contrast with the lack of prosecutions for the people who engaged in the Summer of Riots in 2020, in which the rioting and looting cost many more lives and much more property destruction and damage, as well as extensive looting then that which occurred at the Capitol building on January 6, 2021. This summer of riots mob actions of murders, assaults, arsons, and lootings in many cities was well past the limits of a peaceable assembly to protest injustices in America. They were an insurrection against the legal and lawful authority of the State and local governments and, indeed, were directed at the legal and lawful authority of the Federal government. These rioters no longer wish to correct injustices but to overturn our republican government through mob rule.

It has become apparent that in the Biden Administration if you commit “Insurrections” in support of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders predilections, you will face little consequences, but if you commit “Insurrections” in support of Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders predilections, you will face the full weight of the law. This is not limited to “Insurrections” but can also be seen in the threats of prosecutions of anyone who would oppose Democrat policy positions, from School Board meetings to other public policy gatherings in that if you would vigorously protest their predilections you are often threatened with prosecutions. This is in addition to the "Lawfare" that they are engaged in, as I have Chirped on "09/19/23 Lawfare".

Consequently, these actions by the Biden Administration are a direct threat to our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" and "Justice and The Rule of Law in America". Such actions by the Biden Administration demonstrate that they wish to be rulers rather than leaders, as I have written in my Article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders". Thus, it is the Biden Administration that is in Insurrection against the Constitution of the United States.

01/10/24 Equal Justice for All - I

Hunter Biden defied a Congressional subpoena to testify about his and his family’s financial involvement with foreign nationals, which is relevant to the House of Representatives impeachment inquiry as well as other Congressional Committees’ oversight investigations. As a result, the House of Representatives is considering a resolution to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress:

“Resolved, That Robert Hunter Biden shall be found to be in contempt of Congress for failure to comply with a congressional subpoena.

Resolved, That pursuant to 2 U.S.C. §§ 192 and 194, the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall certify the report of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, detailing the refusal of Robert Hunter Biden to appear for a deposition before the Committee on Oversight and Accountability as directed by subpoena, to an appropriate United States attorney, to the end that Mr. Biden be proceeded against in the manner and form provided by law.

Resolved, That the Speaker of the House shall otherwise take all appropriate action to enforce the subpoena.”

The particulars of his lack of compliance are:

“On December 13, 2023, Robert Hunter Biden failed to comply with deposition subpoenas issued by the Committees on Oversight and Accountability and the Judiciary for testimony relevant to the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry and the Committees’ oversight investigations. Instead, Mr. Biden opted to read a short, prepared statement in front of the Capitol. Accordingly, Mr. Biden has violated federal law, and must be held in contempt of Congress. Mr. Biden’s testimony is a critical component of the impeachment inquiry into, among other things, whether Joseph R. Biden, Jr., as Vice President and/or President: (1) took any official action or effected any change in government policy because of money or other things of value provided to himself or his family; (2) abused his office of public trust by providing foreign interests with access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him; or (3) abused his office of public trust by knowingly participating in a scheme to enrich himself or his family by giving foreign interests the impression that they would receive access to him and his office in exchange for payments to his family or him.

[...]

The Oversight and Accountability Committee, with the other investigating committees, has accumulated significant evidence suggesting that President Biden knew of, participated in, and profited from foreign business interests engaged in by his son, about which the Committees intended to question Mr. Biden during his deposition. Mr. Biden’s decision to defy the Committees’ subpoenas and deliver prepared remarks prevents the Committee from carrying out its Constitutional oversight function and its impeachment inquiry. Mr. Biden’s refusal to comply with the Committees’ subpoenas is a criminal act. It constitutes contempt of Congress and warrants referral to the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution as prescribed by law.”

Whether the appropriate United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution will carry out their duties and responsibilities and pursue prosecution is another matter. If not, then there will be no equal justice in America, as the Rule of Law will not apply to the Biden family.

01/09/24 Virtual Signaling without Virtue

With the cries throughout the world for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas conflict and a pause for humanitarian aid for the Palestine people, we have another example of virtual signaling without virtue. While calls for a cease-fire and peace sound virtuous, it should always be remembered that:

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."   - Baruch Spinoza

As there is no disposition for benevolence, confidence, and justice with Israel amongst Hamas and the Palestine people, there is no virtue in calling for peace between the two sides. It is equivalent to calling for peace with Germany and Japan before World War II, in which peace would allow the German Nazis and Japanese Imperialists to continue their aggressions and murderous ways.

There have also been many calls for a two-state solution to the current crisis in Israel. However, this is nothing but a fable and virtual signaling. A fable in that you cannot have a two-state solution in which one state is dedicated to the eradication of the other state. It is not only the Hamas and the Palestine leadership that is dedicated to the eradication of Israel, but also a vast majority of the Palestine people also wish to eradicate Israel. Thus, those that call for a two-state solution are only virtue signaling, as the virtue of a two-state solution where one state is dedicated to the eradication of another state is not a virtue, but instead, it is a path to more violence against Israel.

The phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is nothing but a phrase for the elimination of Israel, for Israel is totally between the river and the sea. As it is used in the slogan, the word “free” is either an adjective or an adverb. It modifies either a condition or an action. Dictionaries offer us several definitions of “free” when used. If it is used as an adjective, it can refer to a right to self-governance, suggesting an absence of constraints, restrictions, or controls. When used as an adverb, it can mean the removal of an obstruction or of an unwanted feature. As Hamas and the Palestine people have never (along with other mid-East Arab states) been dedicated to self-government and the individual rights of its populace, we can only conclude that the word “free” in this phrase means the removal of Israel.

The call for humanitarian aid to the Palestine people is also virtual signaling, as much of this humanitarian aid is directed into Hamas coffers, which is then utilized for terrorism purposes. Thus, humanitarian aid to the Palestine people is allowing them to continue their attempts to eradicate Israel. The Palestine people must bear the burden of the Hamas terrorists they supported and allowed to operate in their midst, and until Hamas is eliminated and the Palestine people adopt the meaning of free as self-government and the individual rights of its populace, and peaceful coexistence with Israel, humanitarian aid is counterproductive to peace.

For those who claim the situation in the Hamas-Israel conflict is complex, I am reminded of the thoughts of the famed Rabbi Jonathan Saks: 

“The Israeli Hamas conflict is not complex. It's very simple: One side wants the other side dead.”  - Rabbi Saks

When one side wants the other side dead, it is not virtuous to support the side that wants the other side dead. Thus, calling for a cease-fire, a two-state solution, and humanitarian aid for the Palestine people is not virtuous and, indeed, it is immoral.

01/08/24 Laws of War

As I have written in my Chirp on "09/01/19 War is Hell!", war is hell but often an unavoidable hell. In the course of the history of warfare, we have developed some rules of war to constrain the war to the combatants of the war. Colleterial damage and innocent casualties will be incurred in a war, but as a result of the concept of Just war theory as a doctrine of war, the colleterial damage and innocent casualties are to be minimized.

The Law of War is the component of international law that regulates the conditions for initiating war (jus ad bellum) and the conduct of hostilities (jus in bello). Laws of war define sovereignty and nationhood, states and territories, occupation, and other critical terms of law. Among other issues, modern laws of war address the declarations of war, acceptance of surrender and the treatment of prisoners of war, military necessity, along with distinction and proportionality, and the prohibition of certain weapons that may cause unnecessary suffering. The law of war is considered distinct from other bodies of law—such as the domestic law of a particular belligerent to a conflict—which may provide additional legal limits to the conduct or justification of war.

These Laws of War are violated by Hamas daily. Such protocols as requiring combatants to wear uniforms, not to blend in with civilians, not to use them as shields, not to murder noncombatants, not to rape them, not to mutilate them, and not to execute civilians without trial have all been violated by Hamas. Consequently, Hamas is waging an unjust and immoral war, and anyone who supports them in any manner is supporting unjust war and immorality. As I have written in several of my Chirps, many of the supporters of Hamas are also exhibiting Anti-Semitism, which is in itself immoral. Thus, the supporters of Hamas are supporting unjust wars and immorality.

It is well past time that a people dedicated to justice and morality stand up to the supporters of Hamas and ostracize them from society. In no case should the supporters of Hamas be allowed in a position of authority or governance, as this institutes injustice and immorality. This ostracization is especially important for those who are involved in government, education, entertainment, sports, and business leaders, as they are influencers of our youth and society. Without ostracization, our society will no longer be a "A Civil Society" dedicated to our "American Ideals and Ideas", and, indeed, we will become corrupt of our values, which will result in our being relegated to the dustbin of history.

01/07/24 Why They Hate Us (in Their Own Words)

During 2014-2016, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) published a monthly magazine called Dabiq. The glossy publication was high in quality and was used to communicate with the world. In issue 15, Dabiq explained, in a short article, why they fight us. While there is no doubt that this is an extremist viewpoint in the Islamic world, it is, unfortunately, a viewpoint shared by millions of Muslims. Until this viewpoint is fully contained or eradicated, we will continue to see Islamic Terrorism throughout the world. While it is probably not possible to contain or eradicate Islamic extremism, a good start would be the removal of radical Imans who preach hate and extremism against non-Muslims. Thus, we must wage war on radical Islam and the Imans who preach for it. Otherwise, Islamic Terrorism shall plague us throughout the 21st century. This article can be read on my website at Why They Hate Us (In Their Own Words).

01/06/24 Higher Education Reforms

In my articles on "Indoctrination versus Education" and “College and University Education”, I lament the current state of higher education in the world. This was fully on display in the recent Congressional testimony by the presidents of Harvard, Penn, and MIT on anti-Semitism on their campuses. Their answers (or lack thereof) displayed the hypocrisy of the leaders of these institutions with checkered records on free expression, suddenly claiming their institutional commitments to free speech prevented them from cracking down on anti-Semitic speech.

Their adherence to "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)", "Critical Race Theory (CRT)", and "Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG)", also shows a lack of commitment to the ideals and ideas of University and College education that Western culture spawned. Indeed, they seem to be antithetical to anything that is rooted in Western culture and, indeed, seem to be engaged in a war on the West as I have written in my Chirp on “01/05/24 The War on the West”.

Three recent articles about their testimony highlight the problems in modern University and College education:

• “Dissolve the Universities?” By Helen Dale
• “FIRE to Congress, University Presidents: Don’t expand censorship. End it.—No hypocrisy. No double standards.” by Nico Perrino
• “Reverse Speech Codes Aren't the Answer—Fighting Campus Hate and Anti-Semitism at the Roots of the Problem” by Glenn Harlan Reynolds

I would suggest that we take to heart the comments in these articles and begin the process of reforming our Universities and Colleges to our Western cultural ideals and ideas on a University and College education. Until this reform is accomplished, our universities and colleges will not achieve their purposes, and they will be unworthy of the esteem that they have or desire.

Note – This attitude and approach to educating our youth is also seeping down to K-12 education and needs to stop forthwith.

01/05/24 The War on the West

In the last several decades, we have seen a war on Western ideals and ideas. Do not be confused by the lofty words and political rhetoric of those engaged in this war, as it is a war to fundamentally transform Western civilization. Those who would wage war on the West have many criticisms of the West (some justifiable), but they are woefully short on practical solutions to these problems. Their solutions are often socialistic or utopian ideal-based and do not account for the dark side of human nature but instead depend on the goodwill of human nature. Such an ideal and dependence is doomed to failure as:

"To deny human nature or economics, or to not acknowledge human nature or economics, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

This War on the West is a war against Republicanism, Judeo-Christian Religion, Capitalism and Free Markets, and the Culture of the West. In the introduction to the book by Douglas Murray, The War on the West, his first paragraph states:

“In recent years it has become clear that there is a war going on: a war on the west. This is not like earlier wars, where armies clash and victors are declared. It is a cultural war, and it is being raged remorselessly against all the roots of Western tradition and against everything good that the Western tradition has produced.”

And the Western tradition has produced much good, such as:

• The right to life, and the individual worth and dignity of all people.
• The preservation of the Natural Rights, Freedoms, and Liberties of all persons.
• The right to property and the pursuit of happiness.
• The right to equality of opportunity in the utilization of your intellect, talents, skills, and abilities.
• The right to be treated equally under the law.
• The right to think, speak, and publish whatever you wish.
• The right to peaceably associate with whomever you wish.
• The right to criticize and critique any person, organization, or government without fear of repression or despotism.
• The right to practice your religion or non-religion without fear or intimidation.
• The right to defend yourself, your family, and your community by any means necessary against anyone, organization, or government who would deprive you of your natural rights, freedoms, and liberties.

It can be reasonably said that whoever would violate any one of these rights violates all these rights, as these individual rights cannot exist without all of them existing. It is also true that:

“Liberty is to choose the what and how in exercising your Natural Rights, and Freedom is the absence of repression before, during, or after exercising your Natural Rights.”  - Mark Dawson

Thus, anyone who would curtail or abrogate any of these Western traditions is engaged in a War on the West. Much of this War on the West is a war on the white race, as they assert that white people are inherently racist and oppressive to non-whites. While some of this is historically true, the twentieth century saw much of this crumble. It is also historically true that other races were also racist and oppressive to those not of their race. Thus, this historical guilt of racism and oppression is a shared guilt of all humans and all cultures and societies. Consequently, historical guilt is not that important, except for the purposes of learning from and not repeating the ill lessons of history. What is important is how we conduct ourselves in the present and future.

Much of this War on the West is being conducted by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders as a means to obtain and retain power to implement their political goals and policy agendas. It is also being conducted by many white people to assuage their white guilt from the sins of their forefathers. But such assuaging is also a rejection of the Western tradition, in that in the Western tradition, the sins of the father are not to be invested upon the son. Each person should be judged by their own words and deeds and not be burdened by the guilt of their family members or by their association with others.

It is a War upon the West that must be lost by those who would wage it, and the defeated must be vanquished to ensure that it shall not fester and thrive again. Without doing so, we shall see the crumbling of Western civilization into despotism and anarchy and the repression and oppression of the individual rights of all persons throughout the world.

Note – for more on these Western traditions, I would direct you to my articles on "A Civil Society", "American Ideals and Ideas", "Aspects of Freedom", "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" and “How Christianity Transformed the World”.

01/04/24 Western Culture

All cultures are not equal, and all cultures have contributed to the advancement of humankind. However, one culture has contributed more, indeed much more, than other cultures to the advancement of humankind. This is the Western culture, and primarily, it has been accomplished by dead white men.

From the ancient Greeks to modern Americans, the Western culture has been primarily responsible for the advances of humankind in all spheres of Human interactions. From politics, economics, science and technology, medicine, the fine arts and music, literature, and many other spheres, Western culture has contributed much more than other cultures to the advancement of humankind. This is not said to denigrate any other culture, as other cultures have contributed to the advancement of humankind, but to explain that Western culture has done far more than any other culture to improve the lot of humans.

In weighing the benefits and harms of Western culture, it can be determined that Western culture has contributed much more positivity than negativity to the advancement of humankind. Those who try to denigrate Western culture because of the negativities often do not recognize the great positivity of Western culture. When evaluating any culture, it is necessary to look at both the good and the bad and to weigh the good and bad to determine the impact of a culture on humankind. We should also learn from the mistakes of every culture and try not to repeat the errors of the past, but we should also try to build upon the good of every culture for the advancement of humankind.

Much of Western culture has been the result of the adoption of the Christian religion by Western culture, as I have examined in my article “How Christianity Transformed the World”. Western culture has also incorporated the best of other cultures to try to improve itself. Thus, Western culture has not been exclusive of other cultures but indeed has built itself upon other cultures. Therefore, cultural appropriation of the good of other cultures has been to the benefit of Western culture, while the rejection of the bad of other cultures is also good for Western culture.

Those who would wage war on the West have many criticisms of the West. Some are justifiable, but they are woefully short on practical solutions to these problems. Their solutions are often "Socialism" or utopian based, and a rejection of "Capitalism and Free Markets", which do not account for human nature. Consequently, as I have often said:

"To deny human nature or economics, or to not acknowledge human nature or economics, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

Many of socialism's advocates claim that socialism has never been implemented in the right manner, to which I have responded that “It is not possible to do the wrong thing rightly, as no wrong thing can be done rightly.” Thus, their solutions to the problems of Western culture will not improve Western culture and may lead to the destruction of Western culture. Such destruction will lead to the decay or reversal of the advancement of humankind, for which Western culture has been largely responsible.

To paraphrase Winston Churchill’s quote on democracy being the worst form of government, except for all the others, I would say that Western culture was the worst culture in history, except for all the others. As such, to those that denigrate Western culture, I would respond, “What a load of crap!”

01/03/24 Knowledge of History

"Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it."   - Edmund Burke

Those who do not know history are prone to making judgments about current events that have little basis in the facts and truths of history. Yet knowledge of history is necessary to make informed judgments about current events to determine the proper course for today and the future.

As Douglas Murray has written in his book, The War on the West:

“First, it runs on the presumption that knowledge of Western history inside the West is uniquely lacking; Westerners have become increasingly unaware of what is true and what is not about their own past. Second, it runs on the presumption—again also true—that almost nobody in the West has any knowledge of what countries such as China have done throughout history or are doing today.”

As well as:

“The only thing that modern Western populations are more ignorant about than their own history is the history of other peoples outside the West. Yet such knowledge is surely a prerequisite to be able to arrive at any moral judgments.”

In getting to know history, it is important to separate the myths from the facts. Myths of history abound today, as they are useful to sway public opinion to achieve a political goal. Facts and truths about history often contradict the myths and lead you to a different conclusion about historical events. Therefore, the problem is not only a lack of knowledge about history but also an abundance of incorrect knowledge of history. Or, as Mark Twain has said:

“The trouble with the world is not that people know too little; it's that they know so many things that just aren't so.”  - Mark Twain

Some of these myths and facts of history I have examined in my section on “History” within this website.

Some have claimed that the advances of modern science and technology have changed the application of historical lessons to our modern society. But as the esteemed Professor J. Rufus Fears has stated in The Great Courses on “The World Was Never the Same: Events That Changed History”:

“There are those who believe that Science and Technology have negated the importance of history, that through Science and Technology, humans had moved to a new dimension where the lessons have of history have no meaning. This course shows how false that view is. human nature does not change. Men and women still have the same intellect and the same passions they did in the Babylonia of Hammurabi and the Florence of Dante. As long as human nature remains the same, history will be our best guide to life. The aim of this course is to make us think historically: to use the lessons of the pass to make decisions in the present and to plan for the future.”

For as long as human nature remains the same, the lessons from history are still applicable. To those who wish to transform human nature for the better, I would say that millions of years of human evolution cannot be redone in a few decades, and whenever it has been tried (i.e., Communism and Socialism), it has failed and brought much suffering and misery on the people who it was imposed upon.

Thus, it is important to know and understand history to ferret out the myths from the truths of history, to make better decisions in the present, and to plan properly for the future.

01/02/24 A Core Issue Person

This month’s Book It selections are three thought-provoking books by Douglas Murray, a British author and political commentator. French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy has said of Murray, "Whether one agrees with him or not," he is "one of the most important public intellectuals today." While often controversial in his writings, he is always intellectual and thought-provoking. He often goes beyond the talking points of his critics and examines the core issues of what is bedeviling our society. As I am myself a core issue person, I have commented in my Chirps and Articles on the core issues he illuminates. Therefore, having recently read three of his books and found them to be enjoyable and thought-provoking read, I have decided to make them this month’s Book It selections.

01/01/24 How Christianity Transformed the World

As we have finished celebrating Christmas is important to reflect on how Christianity impacted the world. Wars, Oppressions, Slavery, Injustice, Degradation, Thefts, Murders, Rapes, Disease, Poverty, Destruction, and other harsh living conditions were the lot of the common man throughout history. With the advent and establishment of Christianity, this all began to change. In no other part of the world, except Christendom, was there any hope of change for the betterment of the common man. Christianity changed all that by its theology of the individual worth and dignity of all people. Christianity established that Human rights were a gift from God and could not be abrogated by any government, organization, or person, or as the Declaration of Independence stated:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In no other part of the world was this recognized as integral to the individual human being. Christianity was responsible for bringing these truths to light and establishing them as a basic tenet for all persons. This tenet changes the world for the better. The journey took two millennia to get us to where we are today, with several false starts, wrong turns, dead ends, and occasion retreats before much progress was made. My new article, “How Christianity Transformed the World” examines the impacts of Christianity upon the world.

12/04/23 A Respite

I am due to have my left knee replaced tomorrow due to my osteoarthritis, and my surgeon has informed me that during the first two weeks, I will be on strong pain relief medicine, and in the next few weeks, I will be in much discomfort. As such, I have decided to take a few weeks off from my Chirps and Article writings.

I, therefore, would wish everyone a happy holiday season. I also promise that ‘I Shall Return’ to my writing after I recover from my surgery.

12/03/23 How Dare You!

The war on the West is very real and very dangerous. Western values, especially Christian values, are under constant attack from both within and outside the Western world. As I have written in my Chirps of “12/01/23 How Christianity Transformed the World”, the Western World has been primarily responsible for the advancement of the individual worth and dignity of all persons and for the betterment of the common man. Although this advancement was not without its faults and setbacks, it did advance humankind as no other religion or civilization did, as I have written in my article How Christianity Transformed the World.

Thus, it can be said to paraphrase Winston Churchill, “Western values are the worst in the world, except for all the other world’s values.” In the last few decades, we have seen a significant increase in attacks on the Western world’s values for its actual and perceived faults without an acknowledgment of its benefits to humankind. However, no current or historical civilization has been without its faults, but Western civilization has been by far the greatest positive influence in the advancement of humankind.

Much of these attacks have been upon Christianity, as a strong Christian faith precludes tearing down Christian values and Western civilization. These attacks have resulted in a decline in Christian faith in the Western world, as I have chirped on “12/02/23 The Decline of Christian Faith and Values”. Such a decline bodes ill for the advancement of humankind and perhaps a retreat into barbarism. This has been pointed out by Bill Maher in his monolog on The War on the West and in a book by Douglas Murray, The War on the West.

Konstantin Kisin is a Russian-British satirist, author, political commentator, and co-host (with Francis Foster) of the Triggernometry podcast. Kisin has written for a number of publications, including Quillette, The Spectator, The Daily Telegraph, and Standpoint, on issues relating to tech censorship, woke culture, comedy, and culture war topics in the past but currently publishes articles on these subjects on his website. With intelligence and humor, he comments on current events, and in a recent video, Konstantin Kisin’s full speech to world leaders at Alliance for Responsible Citizenship Conference 2023, he stated:

“There are some people whose brains have been broken. To them our past is abominable and our future is one of managed decline. My message is simple. How Dare You!? You will not steal my son’s future with empty words”.  - Konstantin Kisin

The Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) is a global community with a vision of a world where every citizen can prosper, contribute, and flourish. This thirteen-minute video is a good encapsulation of the attacks on Western values, and it is well worth the time to view as well as your time to think about what he said.

To those who constantly criticize, denigrate, or want to fundamentally change the West, I would respond, “How Dare You!” and I will continue to oppose your efforts to ensure the continued advancement of humankind.

12/02/23 The Decline of Christian Faith and Values

Today, in America and in other parts of Christendom, we are seeing a decline in Christian faith and ideals in the world. This bodes ill for the future advancement of humankind, and it bespeaks the possible increase of oppressive governments in the world. Indeed, we have seen an increase of oppression in the government actions within Christendom, with the most common being in the attempts to restrict the Liberties and Freedoms of thought, speech, association, press, and the practice of religious faiths, as well as constrict the concepts of “Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All”. We have also seen an increase in the weaponization of government against those who would disagree with government actions, as I have written in my collected Chirps on “The Weaponization of Government”. All such restrictions and constrictions fly in the face of our Christian values, as I have written in my article “How Christianity Transformed the World”.

In many of my Chirps and Articles, I have pointed out that the concepts and practices of Political Correctness, Activists and Activism, Adjective Justice, Cancel Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Doxing, Identity Politics, Wokeness, Equity and Equality, Social Engineering, and the Greater Good versus the Common Good are antithetical to the  Christian theology of the individual worth and dignity of all people, as I have Chirped on “11/07/23 The Divine Sovereign Individual”. These concepts and practices are most often the words and deeds utilized by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders to obtain their political goals and policy agendas. Thus, they are engaging in unchristian-like behaviors and sowing disharmony and chaos in our society and governance.

Alas, until we return to our beliefs in Christian values and uphold them in our society and governance, we shall see more disharmony, oppression, and chaos in America and the world, to the detriment of all Americans and the freedom-loving peoples of the world. This decline of Christian faith and values will also result in the atrophy of the advancement of humankind and an increase of barbarianism in the world.

12/01/23 How Christianity Transformed the World

Wars, Oppressions, Slavery, Injustice, Degradation, Theft, Murder, Rape, Disease, Poverty, Destruction, and other harsh living conditions were the lot of the common man throughout history. With the advent and establishment of Christianity, this all began to change. In no other part of the world, except Christendom, was there any hope of change for the betterment of the common man. Christianity changed all that by its theology of the individual worth and dignity of all persons. Christianity established that Human rights were a gift from God and could not be abrogated by any government, organization, or person, or as the Declaration of Independence stated:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

In no other part of the world were these truths recognized as integral to the individual human being and incorporated into governing laws. Christianity was responsible for bringing these truths to light and establishing them as a basic tenet for all persons. This tenet changed the world for the better, as I have examined in my article How Christianity Transformed the World.

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this month, the December Book It selection recommends three books that examine the importance of Christendom to the world, how it has positively impacted civilization, and how the abandonment of Christian ideals has been detrimental to our modern world.

11/30/23 Christian Wars

Widespread war is not peculiar to Christianity, as it has always been practiced by all religions in human history. What is peculiar about Christian wars is that the teachings of Christ would seem to preclude engaging in wars or violence, as he commanded:

• “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
• “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ but I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
• “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”
• “You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."

So why is it that Christendom has engaged in so many wars?

The simple answer is that humans are fallible and that they are often motivated by other concerns rather than Christian morality. Many Christian leaders looked to the teachings of Jesus and his Apostles to justify what they wished to do rather than for guidance on what they should do. Thus, we have Christian wars.

It is also because we have the concept of Just war theory as a doctrine, also referred to as a tradition, of military ethics that aims to ensure that a war is morally justifiable through a series of criteria, all of which must be met for a war to be considered just. It has been studied by military leaders, theologians, ethicists, and policymakers. The criteria are split into two groups: jus ad bellum ("right to go to war") and jus in bello ("right conduct in war"). The first group of criteria concerns the morality of going to war, and the second group of criteria concerns the moral conduct within war. There have been calls for the inclusion of a third category of just war theory (jus post bellum) dealing with the morality of post-war settlement and reconstruction. The just war theory postulates the belief that war, while it is terrible but less so with the right conduct, is not always the worst option. Important responsibilities, undesirable outcomes, or preventable atrocities may justify war.

Many wars have been fought within Christendom from its ascent to the present. Among those major wars were the Crusades (1095–1291), the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453), the Thirty Years War (1618–1648), the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the American Revolution (1775–1783), the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), the American Civil War (1861–1865), World War I (1914–1918), and World War II (1939–1945), along with the European wars of religion of the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries. Emperors, Kings, Princes, Popes, and other leaders and religious extremists have often claimed that their wars were just wars, but the real question is, to paraphrase Thomas Sowell, "The most basic question is not what is a just war, but who shall decide what is a just war?".

We can certainly say that the American Revolution, the American Civil War, and World War II were just wars, as they were fought to reestablish the Natural Rights of individuals against oppression. The other Christian Wars have more ambiguity in their justification. Thus, we can condemn these wars as not being just, but we cannot condemn Christianity if it is an unjust war. However, we should condemn those who led Christians into an unjust war. The question is, should we condemn Christianity for engaging in any war? Unfortunately, evil, greed, and lust exist in the minds of men, and sometimes, it is not possible to confront and eliminate such evil without a war. To not engage in a war against evil portends the destruction of the good of Christianity without such confrontation. The first duty of a Christian is to attempt to change the minds of such evil men without a war, but when push comes to shove, evil should not be allowed to triumph. Thus, war is sometimes necessary to ensure that Christian values will triumph and humankind will not descend into barbarity once again.

11/29/23 An Intelligent Designer?

It is an unfortunate fact that many scientists are atheistic or agnostic. While many other scientists are believers in God, they often remain silent for fear of being deprecated or ostracized. Atheistic scientists often use their scientific knowledge to try to disprove God or disavow the need for God, while agnostic scientists often remain silent as they are unsure or unassertive in expressing their opinions.

This was not always so. At the beginning of the Scientific Revolution in the sixteenth century, a series of events marked the emergence of modern science during the early modern period of history. When developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology (including human anatomy), and chemistry transformed the views of society about nature, most Natural Philosophers had a firm belief in God. They saw Natural Philosophy as a means of explaining the mind of God. With further advances in what is now termed Modern Science, Natural Philosophers became Scientists who believed that science could answer all the questions about the workings of the Universe. Thus, they lost their Theistic Science viewpoint and became believers in a Scientific Materialism viewpoint.

However, advances in modern Physics (1905-today) and Astronomy and Cosmology have raised questions as to whether scientific materialism can answer all the questions about the workings of the Universe. The discovery that the Universe must have been created in the Big Bang Theory and that the physical constants and properties of the Universe are extremely fine-tuned for the emergence of life. These discoveries have raised the scientific question of an Intelligent Designer that created the Universe.

We have also seen advances in Molecular Biology that show the incredible complexity of the internal workings of the cell and the enigma of the complex information coding of the DNA in the cell that is required for even the simplest forms of life to exist. This has raised the question of how life could have arisen that requires such complexity to exist, as we know that complex systems require an Intelligent Designer to create the system.

Materialist scientists have speculated and postulated some answers to these questions, but these explanations lack any scientific basis as they are not based on observations or experiments, nor do they determine the realities of the universe. They also make extensive use of mathematics to justify their claims. However, mathematics is needed to affirm a scientific theory, but you should not utilize mathematics to confirm a scientific theory. Only observation and/or experimentation can confirm a scientific theory; otherwise, you have a belief and not a science. These speculations and postulations also have several philosophical issues and conundrums that do not fully satisfy as an explanation.

A good book that examines the scientific basis for an Intelligent Designer is “Return of the God Hypothesis: Three Scientific Discoveries That Reveal the Mind Behind the Universe” by Stephen C. Meyer. While I still believe that most Intelligent Design proponents approach this topic from a theistic argument with insufficient or incorrect science and mathematics, which I find unconvincing, there are Intelligent Design proponents that approach this topic from a scientific argument, which I find is much more intriguing and convincing. It is within these scientific arguments that the topic of an Intelligent Designer should be considered.

As the late great Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow commented when confronted by the evidence of the reality of the Big Bang Theory in the creation of the Universe:

“it is an exceedingly strange development, unexpected by all but the theologians. They have always accepted the word of the bible. In the beginning God created the heaven and earth . . . . The development is unexpected because science has had such extraordinary success in tracing the chain of cause and effect backward in time. For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance, he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the highest rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”

Given the above, I have done additional research and reading on the question of a Naturalistic/Materialistic or an Intelligent Design Evolution. This has resulted in my writing a new science article that can be read here, which scientifically examines this issue. I have also revised another article, “Science versus Religion” that reflects my new understanding of this issue. I have also withdrawn my article of “PragerU and 'Evolution: Bacteria to Beethoven”, as it does not comport with my new understanding of this issue.

11/28/23 Hardware versus Software

In the book The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity by Douglas Murray, he points out that in many of the contentious social issues of today, a core difference between the opposite sides is that one side believes that a person’s gender, race, and identity are inherent in their physiology (Hardware), while the other side believes that they are a result of the person’s psychology (Software). Thus, the disagreement is one of Nature vs. Nurture. There is also an undercurrent that your Hardware is a basis for your political and social beliefs. Thus, we hear the phrases not truly (insert race), not truly (insert gender), and not truly (insert identity).

This resort to claiming that Hardware is a basis for the correctness of their beliefs is one that also attempts to shut down opposition discussions on these issues, as these bases are innate and immutable and therefore indisputable. In On Liberty, first published in 1859, John Stuart Mill famously laid out four reasons for why speech is a necessity in a free society: the first and second being that a contrary opinion may be true, or true in part, and therefore may require to be heard in order to correct you own erroneous views; the third and fourth being that even if the contrary opinion is in error, the airing of it may help to remind people of a truth and prevent its slippage into an ignorant dogma which may in time—if unchallenged—itself become lost.

In the sciences, free speech is essential for the advancement of science. Almost as important is that a scientist needs to communicate exceptionally complex truths in as simple and clear a language as possible so that they can be evaluated and confirmed by other scientists and, hopefully, can be made understandable to the lay public. This clarity and this honesty, may still exist in the sciences, but it is dead—if it ever existed—in the social sciences. The practitioners and commentators of the social sciences often speak and write in unreadable prose that even its supporters do not fully understand, and its critics cannot dispute that which is not understandable.

Consequently, we have often seen that those who would dispute the claims of Hardware are often shouted down or prevented from espousing their viewpoints in violation of their Free Speech rights. As has often been said, the answer to free speech for that you disagree is free speech to disagree with what has been said by others. However, the free speech of all parties should strive for clarity and honesty so as to be understandable and subject to critique, as I have written in my article "Dialog and Debate".

Alas, this is infrequently occurring in America and seems to be absent in Colleges and Universities where it is most important for the enlightenment and the discovery of truths. This suppression of free speech in Colleges and Universities has also occurred against Professors who would dare to speak truth to power in challenging the orthodoxy of Progressives/Leftists. Two of many illuminating examples are:

As a self-identifying progressive, left-winger, and Bernie Sanders supporter, Professor Bret Weinstein attempted to defend himself against charges of racism by pointing out that “there is a difference between debate and dialectic”. As he also said, “Debate means you are trying to win. Dialectic means you are using disagreement to discover what is true. I am not interested in debate. I am interested in only dialectic, which does mean I listen to you, and you listen to me.” Professor Weinstein persevered: “I am talking about terms that serve the truth.” As it happened, Professor Weinstein never taught at his college again.

Professor Nicholas Christakis, as Master of the residential college at Yale, became involved in a ruckus with students when he tried to explain his view that even if two people do not share exactly the same life experiences, exactly the same skin color or gender, they can still understand each other. I did not work. Later, he tried to explain what a university should be and that it is the duty of a university to “cut at the root of a set of ideas that are wholly illiberal.” These include that “Disagreement is not oppression. Argument is not assault. Words—even provocative or repugnant ones—are not violence. The answer to speech we do not like is more speech.” Nevertheless, Professor Christakis was forced to resign his position as the Master of the residential college.

What is more alarming is that the Colleges and Universities leadership and other Professors, who should know better, are kowtowing to these suppressions of Free Speech. Whether through fear or intimidation or in agreement with the suppressors, they are permitting or sanctioning the suppression of Free Speech on their campuses. It seems that mob passions and mob rule are now the basis for instruction and education at Colleges and Universities, and indoctrination in the orthodoxy of Progressives/Leftists is de rigueur on campuses, as I have written in my article "Indoctrination versus Education". Thus, we need to cleanse the College and University leadership and Professors that do not support and uphold Free Speech and institute and enforce protections for the Free Speech Rights of all viewpoints on campus.

Alas, this Hardware versus Software (i.e., Nature vs. Nurture) reasoning has spread throughout other areas of our society, which is having the same effect of the suppression of Free Speech and the cutting off of dialectic in the debates on the contentious social issues in today’s America. This suppression and cutting off of Free Speech is dangerous to the fabric of our society, as people who are muted will often rise in revolt against their mutters. In today’s America, the numbers of the muted far outnumber the mutters, and tragic consequences for the mutters may occur in a violent revolt against the mutters. What is needed is a peaceful revolt that turns out of power and responsibility to those who would mute others.

We should allow the Hardware believers to espouse their viewpoints, as it is their Free Speech Right to do so, but we should not allow them to be able to be in positions of power and responsibility if they are muting the Free Speech Rights of those with whom they disagree. An insistence on dialectic, which means I listen to you, and you listen to me, without resorting to pejoratives and intimidations, as I have written in my article "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" would be a good start in restoring "A Civil Society" in America.

11/27/23 Why the Peaceful Majority is Irrelevant

In my new article, Why the Peaceful Majority is Irrelevant, I have republished an article by Paul E. Marek, which explains that throughout history, wars have been initiated in which most of the populace desired peace. This article explains why this can happen, as the majority often sit back and let it all happen as the fanatics gain control of a government. He subtitles this article: ‘History lessons are often incredibly simple’, and this simple history lesson is that we must pay attention to the only group that counts: the fanatics who threaten our way of life. This article is a good companion piece to my Article on “The Problems with Islam”, and both articles should be considered when determining the best approach to dealing with Islam and Islamic nations.

But fanaticism is not constrained by religious fanatism. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, we have seen the rise of fanaticism toward political ideology. In the twentieth century Socialism, Communism, Fascism, Nazism, Imperialism in Japan, Islamism, and all their variants became fanatical, and in the twenty-first century, we have seen Progressives/Leftists become fanatical in their ideology.

This fanaticism is in their policies and political goals regarding Abortion, Modern Feminism, Racism, Transgenderism, Illegal Immigration, Law and Order, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Modern Education, Global Warming, etc., and can be seen in their tactics of Political Correctness, Activists and Activism, Adjective Justice, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Conspiracy Theory,  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Doxing, Hate Speech, LGBTQIA+, Modern Feminism, Racist, Wokeness, Identity Politics, and Hyper-Partisanship.

This fanaticism is made possible by the American people believing in the good intentions of their lofty rhetoric while discounting the dastardly deeds of their actions, as I have written in my article “Grandiloquent Statements” and  Chirped on "01/10/22 Lofty Words and Dastardly Deeds". In this, the American people have forgotten the words of wisdom of one of our Founding Fathers:

"Well done is better than well said."   - Benjamin Franklin

Fanatics also invent boogeymen for the populace to fear and to unite against as threats to their safety, security, and well-being, not to mention their being a threat to democracy, as I have Chirped on “11/08/23 Threats to Democracy”. This can be seen in the Democrat Party Leaders demonizing, denigrating, and disparaging their opponents as Right-Wingers, Far-right, Extreme-right, Fascists, Nazis, Racists, and other pejoratives, as I have written in my articles on "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" and "Divisiveness in America".

Fanaticism rarely regards any boundaries of civility, and it is destructive to any society that condones it. Unfortunately, the fanatics in America hold the reins of power and are exercising their fanaticism. In pursuit of their fanatical goals, they are endangering our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights", placing in jeopardy our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", and putting an end to "A Civil Society" in America.

We must learn the lesson of history that fanatics are dangerous to civil society and to anyone that they oppose. Consequently, we must put an end to and eradicate fanatism. Otherwise, we can expect that our "American Ideals and Ideas" will be confined to the dustbin of history.

11/26/23 Forgiveness

In the book The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity by Douglas Murray, he has an interlude between chapters titled “On Forgiveness”. This interlude highlights one of the more pernicious problems of the Internet age of Social Media. Social Media gives everyone a voice in expressing their thoughts, but it also records for posterity their thoughts. Thoughts that are often ill-informed, capricious, impulsive, hotheaded, and sometimes offensive. Thoughts that, upon reflection, the person often regrets or has a change of mind, which cannot be forgotten, withdrawn, or sufficiently nor suitably apologized for.

Many of these thoughts are posted by young people who are incapable of curbing their thoughts due to the fact that the human brain does not fully develop until about 22 to 24 years of age, and the last part of the brain to develop is the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is responsible for most "higher-order" or intellectual brain functions such as thinking, reasoning, judging, planning, voluntary movement, and overall behavior. Thus, until the cerebral cortex is fully mature, impulsive behavior and thoughts are the norm of youth, as I have Chirped on "07/20/20 Ah, Youth”. Even after our cerebral cortex is fully developed, the habits of our youth often impulsively supersede our discretion, and we say or do things that we quickly regret. But the Internet does not forget what we have posted on social media in our youthful exuberance or thoughtlessness.

The Internet and Social Media forever remembering is also a problem in our adult life. After our brains mature and we accumulate more knowledge, life experiences, and perhaps wisdom, we come to realize that what we believe to be certainly true becomes less certain as we mature. Indeed, many times, we reach a different conclusion as we age. This often forces us to reevaluate what we may have said or written in our past, and many times makes us regretful of our words and deeds of the past. Or, as one of our Founding Fathers has so eloquently stated:

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."   - Benjamin Franklin

Thus, for the mistakes of youth and for changes of mind based on fuller consideration, it is best to forgive our and others’ past words and deeds. Ergo, I have elucidated upon this in “To Err is Human, To Forgive is Divine” in my Pearls of Wisdom, which is based upon a great English Poet who wrote in his An Essay on Criticism:

“To err is human; to forgive, divine.”  - Alexander Pope

For those who believe that they have nothing to be forgiven, they are delusional, as all humans err in their words and deeds. Unfortunately, in today’s society, many apologies are not sincere apologies but an attempt to paper over objectionable words and deeds. An insincere apology that attempts to dodge, duck, or shift responsibility to others is no apology at all. And anyone who attempts to cover up their past words and deeds is not worthy of forgiveness. Only a sincere apology should be reciprocated with forgiveness.

In forgiving, it is important to Forgive Ourselves, Forgive Others, and Forgive Past history. We must Forgive Ourselves for the mistakes of our youth and our regrets over the words and deeds that we now conclude were in error. For if we cannot forgive ourselves, then we will find it almost impossible to forgive others. We must Forgive Others for their youthful mistakes and their past regrets, for without forgiving them, we cannot ask for forgiveness for ourselves. We must also Forgive, but not forget, the Past History of a nation or society, as all nations and societies have regrettable pasts. The past should be utilized to learn from mistakes and to not repeat them, and all other words and deeds about the past are nothing but flagellations that do not lead to improvements in a nation or society.

If we cannot forgive ourselves, others, and the historical past, then we shall always be at each other’s throats, and our past words and deeds will hang like an albatross around our neck for the rest of our lives. An albatross that impedes a person or society from becoming a better person or society and which damages all in society. In November 1964, Hannah Arendt, a German-born American historian and political philosopher, delivered a lecture at the University of Chicago in which she stated:

“Without being forgiven, released from the consequences of what we have done, our capacity to act would, as it were, be confined to one single deed from which we could never recover; we would remain the victim of its consequences, forever, not unlike the sorcerer’s apprentice who lacked the magic formula to break the spell.”

In all forgiveness, we should remember that only those who are without sin should cast the first stone. This does not, however, constrict us from critiquing another’s words and deeds, but we should remember the difference between "Criticism vs. Critique" and confine ourselves to critiquing rather than criticizing others, except in the case of immoral or criminal actions of others. In our forgiveness, we should also remember the words from the Lord’s Prayer:

“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”

11/25/23 Domains and Virtue, Character, and Ethics

We all have only one life to live, but in living our lives, we exist in several domains—the domains of a personal life, a family life, a friends’ life, a public life, and an employment life. These domains are shaped by our knowledge, understanding, and experiences in the domains of humanity—a Political Domain, the Religious and/or Philosophical Domains, the Economic Domain, the Scientific Domain, the Sports and Entertainment Domain, and the Artistic Domains (Literary, Fine Arts, Musical).

It is how we live in these domains that is a test of our Virtue, Character, and Ethics. There is no doubt that our words and deeds vary between these domains, but our virtue, character, and ethics should remain the same between and within these domains. To do otherwise is a betrayal of our Virtue, Character, and Ethics, which is demeaning to ourselves.

As the  Bard of Avon has written:

“This above all: to thine own self be true.”  – William Shakespeare in Hamlet

Most modern people interpret this saying as to mean to pursue that for which you are desirous and beneficial to yourself. But it means much more than this. It also has three other meanings; the first meaning is that someone can better judge themselves if they have done what they should or could have done. The second meaning is that one must be honest in their ways and relations. The third meaning is that one must always do the right thing.

As I have written in my Chirp on "05/17/20 Truth, Honesty, Character, and Courage Within Ourselves", Truth, Honesty, Character, and Courage are essential to becoming fully human. Without these items, you cannot be fully functional within yourselves and within society. You also cannot be truly Virtuous, Character-laden, and Ethical without remaining true to your Virtue, Character, and Ethics across the domains that you inhabit. Consequently, you should always be true to your own self in all its meanings.

11/24/23 You Cannot Legislate Virtue, Character, or Ethics

In my previous Chirps on “11/22/23 Virtue and Character” and “11/23/23 Ethical Conduct”, I discussed the importance of Virtue, Character, and Ethics in our lives and society. While we have laws against conduct that harm others, it is not possible to legislate Virtue, Character, or Ethics, for "The Law is Not All". Virtue, Character, and Ethics exist above the law and are necessary for a just society, as I have discussed in my article "A Just Government and a Just Society". We should also remember what one of our Founding Fathers has said about this:

“If Men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and the next place, oblige it to control itself.”  - James Madison

Thus, Virtue, Character, and Ethics are necessary and above the law and as a foundation for the law. For those that would respond to their non-virtuous, lack of character, or ethical violations that they have done nothing illegal, I would respond that justice requires more than obedience to the law. While you may not face prosecutions for your transgressions of Virtue, Character, or Ethics, you deserve disdain from all who value justice.

There is also the question of the violation of the Natural Rights of others from non-Virtuous, Lack of Character, or Ethical violations, as I have discussed in my article "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights". To violate the Natural Rights of others while remaining within the law raises the question of a person’s Virtue, Character, or Ethics. These questions should make all wary of dealing with such a person. Thus, not only should a person remain within the confines of the law, but they should also constrict themselves to conduct which is of Virtue, Character, and Ethical.

As I cannot claim that I have lived a life of virtue, character, and ethics, especially in my youth, I can claim that since I have examined this issue in my early adulthood, I have tried to live a life of virtue, character, and ethics. As such, I can be at peace with myself for my past words and deeds, and I can recommend to all that they lead a Virtuous, Character-laden, and Ethical life as it will be rewarding.

11/23/23 Ethical Conduct

In my previous Chirp on “11/22/23 Virtue and Character”, I proselytize on the importance of virtue and character within a person. However, virtue and character are not only important within a person but are extremely important within many professions. Doctors, lawyers, judges, accountants, financial advisors, and other professionals must have virtue and character in their professions, as they have a direct impact on the well-being of their clients. This is why most professions have a code of ethics for their practitioners. It is also why we have laws to prosecute professionals who transgress their professional duties and responsibilities.

There is another group of people who profess to a code of ethics — politicians, but these ethics are often not followed in their spirit and almost as often not prosecuted. Too often, we have seen what a common person would regard as unethical conduct of a politician that does not result in a serious consequence for their breach, or at most; they suffer an official rebuke with only minor penalties from their colleagues. These politicians often run for reelection and are often reelected despite their unethical conduct.

Thus, we have lower standards for politicians than for other professionals. This is pernicious as politicians have a direct impact on all Americans, and most especially on the Liberties, Freedoms, and governance of Americans. However, much of the blame for this situation is shared by the American electorate for electing and reelecting those politicians who do not engage in ethical conduct. This is also a sad commentary on the American electorate, as had been said as a warning by one of our Founding Fathers:

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom."   - Benjamin Franklin

We have also seen a rise in unethical conduct by our government bureaucrats. This is in the dual problems of fidelity to our Constitutional Ideals and Regulatory Capture, as I have written in my article on "American Ideals and Ideas" and my Chirp on "08/20/23 The Administrative State and Practical Difficulties". Many bureaucrats wish to rule by regulation rather than serve with fidelity to our principles. Thus, they are behaving in an unethical manner.

It is also true that, too often, the American electorate becomes caught up in the words rather than the deeds of politicians. When the words are virtuous, we often overlook the deeds that reveal the character of the politician. Thus, whenever we cast our votes, we should always remember in our evaluation of a candidate that:

"The words of a person are important to adjudge their virtue. However, the deeds of a person are important to judge their character. And deeds have much more of an impact than words. Or, as Benjamin Franklin has said, 'Well done is better than well said.'".   - Mark Dawson

Consequently, America is becoming a society in which materialism is predominant while Virtue, Character, and Ethics are receding in importance.

11/22/23 Virtue and Character

Virtue is the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong. It is also a test of one’s character, which is the inherent complex of attributes that determines a person's moral and ethical actions and reactions. To be virtuous also requires that you do what you think is proper, notwithstanding all the pressures for you to do otherwise. As been said by one of our Founding Fathers (who practiced what he preached):

"Always stand on principle, even if you stand alone."   - John Adams

As to character, we should remember what an American author who was best known for his inspirational book, ‘Life's Little Instruction Book’ has said:

“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.”   -  H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

But both virtue and character require that you confront and admit the truths about yourself so that you can make a virtuous decision and act with character. However, if you should do this, then be forewarned:

"Man is always prey to his truths. Once he has admitted them, he cannot free himself from them."   - Albert Camus

When adjudging a person’s virtue or character, we should always bear in mind:

"The words of a person are important to adjudge their virtue. However, the deeds of a person are important to judge their character. And deeds have much more of an impact than words. Or, as Benjamin Franklin has said, 'Well done is better than well said.'".   - Mark Dawson

The strongest test of Virtue and Character is when it becomes necessary to confront wickedness or evil. Any person unwilling to confront wickedness or evil or to temporize or excuse wickedness or evil is a person without virtue or character. Such people who do so are complicit in the wickedness or evil of others. As two of the great Philosophers of the Enlightenment have stated:

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."  - attributed to Edmund Burke

“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”  - John Stuart Mill

11/21/23 Proportional War

War is not waged proportionally. You are either in a war to win the war, or you will lose the war. Response to terrorism also cannot be proportional, as you either eliminate the terrorists, or you will be subject to more terrorism. And by their very nature, both modern war and terrorism will result in civilian casualties on both sides. Some of these civilian casualties are the result of inadvertent casualties during the course of military operations (i.e., collateral damage), some are a result of their being targeted for their active involvement in the war or terrorism efforts, and some are targeted for psychological warfare or terrorism purposes. Regrettably, in modern terrorism, some of these causalities are a result of the terrorist using them as human shields as protection to thwart retribution for their terrorism.

In war or terrorism, the moral side is the side that seeks to minimize civilian casualties, while the immoral side seeks to maximize civilian casualties. So, it is, for what is occurring in present-day Israel. Those who are confused about which side is moral and which side is immoral are confused because they have no true understanding of morality. To deliberately target civilians as a goal is the moral equivalent of murder. Consequently, Hamas terrorists are murderers and immoral, and their supporters are either directly or indirectly aiding and abetting this murder.

In an article by Victor Davis Hanson, “When Has War Ever Been 'Proportional?” he outlines the moral and immoral actions of both Hamas and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Upon reading this article, it becomes very clear which side is moral and which side is immoral in the present conflict in Israel.

11/20/23 Humanitarianism and Terrorism

With the rise in rhetoric for a humanitarian response to Hamas's Terrorism in Israel, those who engage in or are supportive of this humanitarian response have forgotten or did not know that Terrorism does not recognize Humanitarianism and that Terrorism is the antithesis of Humanitarianism.

To respond with Humanitarianism to Terrorism is to allow for the continuation of Terrorism, as it protects the terrorist from the consequences of their actions. It allows the terrorists to slip away to continue their Terrorism, and it shields them from being exposed by the non-terrorists whom they hide amongst. Until the terrorists are rooted out and eliminated, humanitarian responses aid and abet the terrorists. Once the terrorists are rooted out and eliminated, then Humanitarianism for those remaining is warranted and should be given. Until then, however, Humanitarianism in response to Terrorism plays into the hand of Terrorism, and to play into the hand of Terrorism is immoral and counterproductive to Humanitarianism. Thus, those who demand humanitarian responses before Terrorism is eliminated are reacting in an immoral manner, for to aid and abet Terrorism is immoral, and those who engage in these humanitarian words and deeds are bereft of morality.

Many would respond that these words and deeds of Humanitarianism are a response based upon our Christian heritage values. As Jesus spoke in the Gospels of the Bible:

“You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also."

But Terrorism is not a slap on the cheek that hurts a person but a stab to the body that maims or kills a person. We all have the Natural Right to protect ourselves from harm by another, to the point of justifiably taking the life of another to protect our lives, our family's lives, and the lives of others from the violent deeds of others. And Terrorism is one of the most violent deeds that can be inflicted upon ourselves and others.

This protection for our lives, our family's lives, and the lives of others is thus a moral act, and it is immoral to deny someone this moral right. As it is in all modern warfare, when engaged in a just conflict with an immoral enemy, there will be civilian casualties. The minimization of these civilian casualties should be a goal in this warfare, but not a reason not to engage in a just war. The war on Terrorism is a just war, as it is a war against the evil acts of the terrorists. Regrettably, there will be civilian casualties in this war on Terrorism, but it is something that must be endured for the greater good of eliminating the evil of Terrorism.

Consequently, Israel’s response to the Terrorism of Hamas is moral, and the efforts to thwart this response based on Humanitarianism are immoral.

11/19/23 Reaping What You Sow

The phrase “whatever one sows, that will he also reap” is third within a series of three statements by Paul in Galatians 6:7. The first statement is, “Do not be deceived” and the second is, “God is not mocked.” Although this is a New Testament saying, it is applicable to all human activities and not restricted to any religious faith. Our words and deeds have consequences, and not all consequences are favorable. In today’s America, we are experiencing the unfavorable consequences of what has been sowed in the last half of the 20th century by events in the first half of the 20th century.

In the first half of the 20th century, America was a nation dominated by White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs), and there was much bigotry and prejudice against non-WASPs. This was reflected in our electoral politics, in which Republicans were often WASPs and Conservative in their outlook, while Democrats were often non-WASPs and Liberal in their outlook. In the second half of the 20th century America, this gradually changed in that the Civil Rights movement awoken Americans to unjustness and, indeed, the immorality of the bigotry and prejudice against non-WASPs (especially Black and Jewish Americans). This reaped great benefits for all races and religions in America, and we seemed to be on a path of tolerance and acceptance for all races and creeds in America.

However, the fidelities of non-WASPs to the Democrat party in the first half of the 20th century often remained and became ingrained in our politics in the second half of the 20th century. This was most predominant among Black and Jewish Americans. They overwhelmingly supported the Democrat Party and their candidates in elections, and it was a given that upwards of 90% of this populace would vote for Democrat candidates. In addition, in the last few decades, the Democrats and Liberals morphed into Progressivism and an intolerance for religion in America. Many people lost or were not raised in their faith, and atheism and agnosticism began to rise in America.

Yet, despite this rise in Anti-Semitism, we continue to see continued overwhelming support for Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders within the Jewish community. The same can be said for the deterioration of race relations in America. Despite the overwhelming support of the Black community for Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, race relations have declined in America in the last several decades. Much of this decline in Black America can be attributed to Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders politics, as I have noted in my Chirp on “11/04/23 It’s Working Just Fine”. This overwhelming support of Blacks and Jews for the Democrat Party must end, for it is sowing and reaping Anti-Semitism and Anti-Christianism in America, and stymieing Black progress in America.

Despite the protestations by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders that they are the party of inclusiveness and tolerance, “Do not be deceived”, for their actions speak louder than their words, and their words often contrary to “God is not mocked.” If Americans can retain their Judeo-Christian values, then we can overcome these problems in America. If not, then these problems will continue to bedevil America, and we will continue to be a nation in decline.

In the last decades in America, we have seen a rise in Anti-Semitism and Anti-Christianism in America within the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders in America. With the recent Hamas terror attacks in Israel, this Anti-Semitism has reared its ugly head within these ranks. With this rise of Anti-Semitism and Anti-Christianism in America, I have decided to change my logo. A Mezuzah and a Cross have been added to remind all Americans that our values are based upon our Judeo-Christian Heritage. A heritage to all humankind that has resulted in the greatest advancement of humankind in our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All, as well as the Advancements in the Sciences and the Arts, as I have written in my Articles “Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All” and “How Christianity Transformed the World”. Thus, my new logo is a reminder that our Judeo-Christian values are essential to all aspects of our society, and all aspects of our society must be evaluated within these Judeo-Christian values:

11/18/23 Senseless Criminal Acts

The unalienable right to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” is not possible without a lawful, just, and peaceable society. Any society that cannot guarantee these unalienable rights is doomed to anarchy and destruction or to tyranny. Unfortunately, in modern America, we are degenerating into anarchy as the increase of senseless criminal acts is on the rise. Individual criminal acts, along with gang and mob criminal acts, have surged in America. Nobody and no place is safe from these criminal acts, and fear of these criminal acts has permeated our society. Not only are these acts committed in public places, but they have occurred in personal and business abodes.

In my Chirp on “11/17/23 The Dark Triad and Psychopathy”, I raise the question about the psychology of the perpetrators of these criminal acts, as well as the possible reasons for the increase of senseless criminal acts. There is, however, a more direct reason for an increase in these criminal acts. The perpetrators have little fear of being arrested, detained, prosecuted, or imprisoned for these criminal acts. They, therefore, feel unconstrained in their actions, and without self-constraint, they act impulsively and without forethought of the possible consequences of their actions.

This little fear has been brought forth by Progressive District Attorneys, Progressive Police Commissioners, and Progressive Politicians, who seem to be more concerned about the perpetrators rather than the victims. In their quest for a more perfect society (as they view a perfect society), they have failed to faithfully execute the laws as their Oath of Office requires them to do so. They ignore or neglect to enforce the laws that they disagree with or use prosecutorial discretion to circumvent the laws, as I have Chirped on "01/17/23 Prosecutorial Discretion". They often use lofty or supercilious language to justify their actions, but the results are that senseless criminal acts are on the rise. In this lack of performing their duties and responsibilities, they have become autocratic rather than public servants responsible for ensuring a lawful, just, and peaceable society.

People who believe, speak, or act upon compassion and understanding for the perpetrators without justice for the victims are either inane or nefarious. If compassion and understanding of the criminal behavior of a person is to be considered, it should be done after a conviction and during the sentencing, and it should be tempered with justice for the victim. No allowance for criminal acts should be tolerated before a conviction, as only empathy for the victims and their families is acceptable.

11/17/23 The Dark Triad and Psychopathy

The Dark Triad is a psychological theory of personality, first published by Delroy L. Paulhus and Kevin M. Williams in 2002, that describes three notably offensive but non-pathological personality types: Machiavellianism, sub-clinical narcissism, and sub-clinical psychopathy. Each of these personality types is called dark because each is considered to contain malevolent qualities.

All three dark triad traits are conceptually distinct, although empirical evidence shows them to be overlapping. They are associated with a callous–manipulative interpersonal style.

• Narcissism is characterized by grandiosity, pride, egotism, and a lack of empathy.
• Machiavellianism is characterized by manipulation and exploitation of others, indifference to morality, lack of empathy, and a strategic focus on self-interest.
• Psychopathy is characterized by continuous antisocial behavior, impulsivity, selfishness, callous and unemotional traits (CU), and remorselessness.

High scores in these traits have been found to statistically increase a person's likelihood to commit crimes, cause social distress, and create severe problems for organizations, especially if they are in leadership positions. They also tend to be less compassionate, agreeable, empathetic, and satisfied with their lives and less likely to believe they and others are good.

A factor analysis found that among the big five personality traits, low agreeableness is the strongest correlate of the dark triad, while neuroticism and a lack of conscientiousness were associated with some of the dark triad members. Research indicates that there is a consistent association between changes in agreeableness and the dark triad traits over the course of an individual's life.

Robert D. Hare, a Canadian forensic psychologist known for his research in the field of criminal psychology, developed the Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-Revised), used to assess cases of psychopathy. This tool is commonly used to assess the presence and extent of the personality trait psychopathy in individuals—most often those institutionalized in the criminal justice system—and to differentiate those high in this trait from those with Antisocial Personality Disorder, a related diagnosable disorder. He has identified the psychopathy as consisting of:

• Item 1: Glibness/superficial charm
• Item 2: Grandiose sense of self-worth
• Item 3: Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
• Item 4: Pathological lying
• Item 5: Conning/manipulative
• Item 6: Lack of remorse or guilt
• Item 7: Shallow affect
• Item 8: Callous/lack of empathy
• Item 9: Parasitic lifestyle
• Item 10: Poor behavioral controls
• Item 11: Promiscuous sexual behavior
• Item 12: Early behavior problems
• Item 13: Lack of realistic long-term goals
• Item 14: Impulsivity
• Item 15: Irresponsibility
• Item 16: Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
• Item 17: Many short-term marital relationships
• Item 18: Juvenile delinquency
• Item 19: Revocation of conditional release
• Item 20: Criminal versatility

It has been affirmed that about 3% of the American population suffers from this mental health issue. It has also been stated that it can sink to 1% in peaceful times but rise to 5% in troubled times. The question, therefore, is what the causes of this decrease or increase are. It is Nature or Nurture, Sociological or Economic, lack of deterrence by the failure of law enforcement to aggressively arrest and prosecute such persons, or perhaps other unknown reasons, and what can be done to keep this at a minimum? One can also wonder if the Dark Triad and personality trait psychopathy in individuals are responsible for the increase of criminality in America. In either case, this must be examined to determine the causes and hopefully cures for this mental health issue.

11/16/23 Gay or Queer Rights

In a book by self-professed homosexual Douglas Murray, The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity, he has pointed out that the LGBTQIA+ community (an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more) is not a united community as it is perceived. Within this community, there are sharp differences in the goals, strategy, and tactics to obtain their goals, and there are factions within the community that dislike each other.

One of these fractures is in the differences between “Gay” and “Queer”. The Gay faction believes that gays are—and should be—just like everyone else. As he has stated about the Gay faction:

“That they will win any and all remaining rights battles by demonstrating that nothing makes them different from their heterosexual friends and neighbors. Just like straight people, gays can live in houses with nice picket fences, can marry, have monogamous relationships and eventually produce and raise children like everybody else. In essence they can be respectable.”

The “Queer” faction was—and is—the homosexuals that believe that being attracted to the same sex means more than being attracted to the same sex. As he has stated:

“It is a group of people who believe that being attracted to the same sex should merely be the first stage in a wilder journey. The first step not just to getting on with life but to transgressing the normal modes of life. Whereas gays may want to be just accepted like everyone else, queers want to be recognized as fundamentally different to everyone else and to use that difference to tear down the kind of order that gays are working to get into.”

This has resulted in the Queers believing that they have the right to public exhibitionism, most prominently in ‘Gay Pride’ marches in their dressing in puppy gear and to be led on all fours by a ‘master’ down a public street, along with their antics of simulated homosexual sexual acts. As Mr. Murray has said:

“There is nothing wrong with people enjoying whatever kinks they like in the privacy of their own homes. But you don’t have to be prudish to feel that the phalanxes of people at such protests dressed in fetish gear, in chaps and more, is off putting to whatever cause they are hoping to advance. If the black civil rights movement had included a fetish section it would have been considerably easier to ignore its moral force.”

Just as I am opposed to overt sexual actions in public by heterosexuals, so I am opposed to overt sexual actions in public by Queers. I also believe that it is acceptable if the acts are mutually agreed upon by all parties, for people to enjoy whatever sexual kinks they like in the privacy of their own homes. The government has no business in intruding into the privacy of a person’s home unless they are engaged in criminal activities. And sexual acts between mutually agreeable persons is not a criminal act.

While I am in favor of Gay Rights, I do not believe in Queer Rights. Thus, I have no problem with banning such overt public exhibitionism by all sexual orientations. The right to free assembly gives homosexuals the right to demonstrate, but the right to free assembly does not give anyone license to do whatever they want in the assembly. After all, as we ban any criminal actions or exhortations to violence in any assembly, so should we ban displays of simulated sexual acts and sexual fetishes in a public assembly. Common decency should also preclude any overt sexual licentious in public by anyone or any group.

I have also written about homosexuality in my articles on Homosexuality Nature and Homosexual Marriage and The Rights of Abortion, Homosexual Marriage, Transgendered  and Assisted Suicide, which explains my stances on Homosexual Rights.

11/15/23 Deepfake

A deepfake is a computer-generated image or video of someone based on manipulating existing images using Artificial Intelligence (AI), esp. to make them appear to do or say something that they did not do. With the advent of more AI tools available to the public, it has become easier to create a deepfake that is convincing and harder to detect. This can lead to serious repercussions for those who have been a target of deepfake.

Images, videos, and words have been attributed to people that are not about or from them. In one case, an adolescent boy superimposed images of some girls in his school on pornographic images that were not discernable to the viewer. The girls and their parents were aghast when he started to electronically distribute these deepfake images to other boys in his school. There have been numerous other cases where deepfake words have been attributed to someone, and deepfake photos and videos have been distributed to tarnish a person’s reputation. For as Shakespeare has said in Othello:

“Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls: Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing; ’twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed.”  - William Shakespeare

It is not only our reputations that need to be protected, but deepfake makes it easier to sow disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation to mislead the American people into making poor decisions, as well as sowing more divisiveness in America.

Indeed, Mounir Ibrahim, executive president of Truepic, a technology company focused on transparency and authenticity in digital content, has stated about Deepfake technology, “In my opinion, this is one of the greatest challenges we face today" he said. "Some estimates are that in one to two years, 90 percent of new digital content created online will be wholly or partially synthetic. Without wide adoption of interoperable standards to clearly differentiate authentic content, AI-assisted, and fully generated content, our entire informational ecosystem will be at risk.”

In an article by Leah Barkoukis, “Deepfake Technology Is Now 'One of the Greatest Challenges We Face,' Expert Tells Lawmakers”, she stated that “Artificial intelligence is developing faster than any rules or regulations can keep up.” She has also stated that:

“A legislative fix is one tool but Ibrahim said it won't be enough. Work on content provenance is already being advanced, while other stakeholders are exploring different remedies.”

We would all be advised to read her article and begin to think about and implement the processes necessary to deal with deepfakes. For without doing so, we risk more reputational harm, more bad decisions, and more divisiveness, and we and America will all be poorer.

11/14/23 What is Wrong with Our Universities?

In a column by Alan Joseph Bauer, “The Left Has Shown Its Moral Bankruptcy”, he begins the column by stating, “The response to the barbaric attack in Israel has exposed the liberal and intellectual left as being bereft of knowledge, insights, judgment, and compassion. The left has become a pathetic collection of ideological zealots.” The then proceeds to excoriate the left for their lack of moral clarity and states that “. . . our modern liberal left which has great technical knowledge but no moral depth. All of our leaders are university-trained, without exception. Some have bachelor's degrees while others have advanced diplomas. Yet, they have shown themselves to be morally bereft of compassion and understanding of the severity of the events in southern Israel two weeks ago.”

In a series of articles by Rob Natelson, he examines what is wrong with the Universities. He begins by stating his credentials for analyzing the problems of universities:

“I have studied and worked in a wide range of campus settings. I earned my bachelor’s degree at a private college. I attended law school at a large university, half private and half state, after turning down offers from more prestigious institutions. (I’ll explain the practical implications of that decision later.) I also studied Greco-Roman classics in a large state university.

While practicing law, I was an adjunct (part-time) professor at a community college and later at both a large state university and a large private university.

After taking a basic course in teaching techniques, I served briefly as the manager of a community college program and eventually returned to academia on a full-time basis. I became a tenure-track and later a tenured professor and remained one for the next 25 years. I initially taught at a small private university and then at a medium-sized state university. I also served as a visiting professor at a large state university and as a researcher at a large foreign one.

I can compare academia to other institutions in a way most professors can't, because I’ve also worked extensively in private business, mostly small business, and currently operate a consulting practice.”

With such credentials and experience, he is eminently qualified to dissect the problems of universities, and he has done so in the following articles:

• What’s Wrong with the Universities, and How to Fix It: Part 1 - Laboring under a toxic cultural virus.
• What’s Wrong with the Universities, and How to Fix It: Part 2 - How the university model creates bad results.
• What’s Wrong with the Universities, and How to Fix It: Part 3 - Certification, sports-fever, and other distractions.
• What’s Wrong with the Universities, and How to Fix It: Part 4 - Proposed Solutions.

Alas, our current College and University are not producing graduates who can think dispassionately and analytically, using proper reasoning grounded in facts and truths. Instead, they are being indoctrinated into the ideology of their professors that is skewed to Progressive/Leftists viewpoints devoid of intellectual rigor. They are also emotionally coddling their students against the harsh tumults of the real world into which they will enter upon graduation. As such, they are failing their students, parents, and society. That they are doing this to young minds that have not fully developed physiologically, intellectually, and emotionally is unethical and an act of turpitude on their part. This must stop! Otherwise, our society will further collapse into a state of chaos ruled by mob passions rather than rationality.

11/13/23 Res ipsa loquitur – The thing itself speaks

Res ipsa loquitur is the website blog of Jonathan Turley, one of America’s foremost Constitutional scholars. Professor Jonathan Turley is a nationally recognized legal scholar who has written extensively in areas ranging from constitutional law to legal theory to tort law. He has written over three dozen academic articles that have appeared in a variety of leading law journals at Cornell, Duke, Georgetown, Harvard, Northwestern, University of Chicago, and other schools.

Professor Turley received his B.A. at the University of Chicago and his J.D. at Northwestern. In 2008, he was given an honorary Doctorate of Law from John Marshall Law School for his contributions to civil liberties and the public interest. After a stint at Tulane Law School, Professor Turley joined the George Washington faculty in 1990 and, in 1998, was given the prestigious Shapiro Chair for Public Interest Law, the youngest chaired professor in the school’s history. In addition to his extensive publications, Professor Turley has served as counsel in some of the most notable cases in the last two decades including the representation of whistleblowers, military personnel, judges, members of Congress, and a wide range of other clients. Professor Turley is a frequent witness before the House and Senate on constitutional and statutory issues as well as tort reform legislation.

His award-winning blog is routinely ranked as one of the most popular legal blogs by AVVO.com, an online marketplace for legal services. His blog was selected as the top News/Analysis site in 2013, the top Legal Opinion Blog in 2011 as well as prior selections as the top Law Professor Blog and Legal Theory Blog. It was also ranked in the top 20 constitutional law blog in 2018.  It has been regularly ranked by the ABA Journal in the top 100 blogs in the world. In 2012, Turley was selected as one of the top 20 legal experts on Twitter by Business Insider. In 2013, the ABA Journal inducted the Turley Blog into its Hall of Fame.

Professor Turley’s political inclinations are left of center, but he is a passionate defender of Freedom of Speech and Constitutional adherence to laws, rules, and regulations of government. As such, I often quote Professor Turley in my Chirps and Articles on these topics, and I visit his website blog almost daily to see and read his thoughts. I would suggest that my readers make it a point to frequently visit his website blog to partake in his wisdom.

11/12/23 Americans Estimate

Apparently, when it comes to estimating the size of demographic groups, Americans rarely get it right. In two recent YouGov polls, they asked respondents to guess the percentage (ranging from 0% to 100%) of American adults who are members of 43 different groups, including racial and religious groups, as well as other less frequently studied groups, such as pet owners and those who are left-handed. The results of this polling can be reviewed in their article “From millionaires to Muslims, small subgroups of the population seem much larger to many Americans”, while the main graphic from this poll is as follows:

The other results from this poll provide some interesting food for thought, and I would recommend that you read this article and ponder the impacts on our social polices of these misestimations.

11/11/23 The Failure of Consensus and Compromise

Consensus and Compromise leave no one satisfied and resolve no important issue. Consensus and compromise are important for smaller issues or the details for the resolution of larger issues, but larger issues need to be resolved by a commitment to scrupulousness and righteousness of the core of a major issue. Even then, people of goodwill can disagree about the core of a major issue.

This is best exemplified in the Constitutional Convention when much dissension was overcome by consensus and compromise. However, the consensus and compromise left many unresolved major issues that bedeviled America in the next several decades. This bedevilment rose to a peak in the antebellum and Civil War era of American history. The importance of the Union and the end to Slavery were the core issues for one side, while the other side’s importance was for self-determination and for the preservation of property in the form of slavery. Each side thought that they had a moral and justifiable stance on the core issues. Compromises had been tried prior to the Civil War, and compromise had failed, resulting in a Civil War to resolve the major core issues.

Thus, it has been throughout history. When consensus and compromise fail on a major issue, it often results in a rebellion or war to resolve the core issues. Even then, the victor may not partially or fully resolve the core issue, which leads to further conflicts. Such was the Case of the American Civil War, as the core issues were resolved, but the ancillary issues of civil rights, bigotry, and discrimination remained unresolved until over a hundred years after the Civil War ended.

In America today, we are facing several core issues that cannot be resolved by Consensus and Compromise, as they each have core issues that must be decided in favor of one side or the other. These issues are:

• What are the proper powers, limits, and size of the Federal Government?
• What are the Human Rights of an unborn child?
• What is the extent of the Civil Rights of LGBTQIA+ individuals?
• How we eradicate the Weaponization of Government against political opponents?
• What are the permissible limits on First and Second Amendment Rights by non-governmental entities?
• What are the limitations on government regarding the Parental Rights of underage children?

These core issues define the character and substance of a society, which require the thoughtful consideration of all parties to resolve the core issues. Sometimes, however, the parties are so far apart in their beliefs that it cannot be resolved peacefully. At such times, one party must impose its beliefs upon the other party. It is not always the majority that gets to impose its beliefs, as a moral and just minority should prevail as it was during the American Revolution and Civil War.

Alas, we are at this point on the core issues facing America today. The only question is by which means, peaceable or belligerent, will be used to resolve the core issues, as Consensus and Compromise have failed us on these core issues.

11/10/23 An Unjust Law

Much has been said and written about the recent elections in which several States have incorporated the “Right to Abortion” in their Constitutions or laws. The political ramifications of the majority of voters accepting this right and swaying elections in favor of the Democrats that support abortion have led many commentators to suggest the Republicans drop their anti-abortion stances in order to win elections.

However, the core concern should not be about winning elections but about the morality of the “Right to Abortion”. As Martin Luther King Jr. has stated in his ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’ of April 16, 1963:

“You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern. Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court’s decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, at first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for us consciously to break laws. One may well ask: “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?” The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that “an unjust law is no law at all.”

Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority. Segregation, to use the terminology of the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber, substitutes an “I–it” relationship for an “I–thou” relationship and ends up relegating persons to the status of things. Hence segregation is not only politically, economically and sociologically unsound, it is morally wrong and sinful. Paul Tillich has said that sin is separation. Is not segregation an existential expression of man’s tragic separation, his awful estrangement, his terrible sinfulness? Thus it is that I can urge men to obey the 1954 decision of the Supreme Court, for it is morally right; and I can urge them to disobey segregation ordinances, for they are morally wrong.”

If abortion is the unjust taking of human life, as I have written in my article on "The Abortion Question", then the incorporation of the “Right to Abortion” in their Constitutions or laws is immoral and unjust, and that “an unjust law is no law at all.” In America’s past, we have had many unjust laws that have been overturned upon further consideration, and we have had slavery, which is among the most morally unjust laws possible. As abortion is also morally unjust and morally equivalent to slavery, as I have written in my article "The Analogy of Abortion and Slavery", it should not be incorporated into our Constitutions and Laws.

In the movie “Inherit the Wind”, which is about the Scopes Monkey Trial on the law against the teaching of evolution in the classroom, there is a courtroom scene in which the Defense Attorney Drummond turns to the Prosecuting Attorney Brady and says in righteous anger:

“I say that you cannot administer a wicked law impartially. You can only destroy. You can only punish! And I warn you (Points first at Brady, then to various members of the audience and the Judge) that a wicked law, like cholera, destroys everyone it touches! Its upholders as well as its defilers!”

The “Right to Abortion” is a wicked law that will destroy America. In the Gospels of the Bible, Jesus says to his followers, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” What have we given of our soul in the incorporation of the “Right to Abortion” in our Constitutions or laws? Will the righting of the wrong of abortion tear us apart as the slavery laws did?

The wicked often find justification for their actions in the use of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” to vindicate their actions. But there is no justification for enacting unjust laws, and it is but a hollow victory when we do so.

Abortion Rights are not the only laws that pose the question of just and unjust laws. As I have written in my article, “The Rights of Abortion, Homosexual Marriage, Transgendered, and Assisted Suicide”, the issue of morality and just and unjust law is the core concern that must be addressed in these issues. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: “An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust.” As much as these laws are being formulated that uplift the rights of Abortion, Homosexual Marriage, Transgendered, and Assisted Suicide, they often do so at the expense of degrading the rights of others not covered within the scope of these laws.

Thus, we should not be addressing the political ramifications of the laws, for to do so is to put politics above morality and the institution of just laws. As such, we must act with virtue in doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong in the creation of our laws.

11/09/23 The Blade of Perseus

Victor Davis Hanson is a conservative commentator, classicist, and military historian. He is a professor emeritus of classics at California State University, a senior fellow in classics and military history at Stanford University, a fellow of Hillsdale College, and a distinguished fellow of the Center for American Greatness. Hanson has written over a dozen books, which can be reviewed here, hundreds of columns in various media outlets, and he maintains a website, “The Blade of Perseus”, that has his many columns and videos. A search of YouTube also reveals hundreds of clips and interviews with him.

However, his website requires a subscription of $50 per year to have full access, but it is worth every penny to have access to his insight and wisdom on modern American society. Three recent series of short articles from his website have especially intrigued me, and I have extracted the first few paragraphs from each part of the three series. Hopefully, they will intrigue my readers to support Professor Hanson by subscribing to his website.

Woke Hits the Wall

Part One - The hard-left revolution is running out of gas. We can tell that because the inherent anti-civilizational nature of wokism is beginning to devour the very architects of its creation.

Part Two - Wokeism also sought to defund the police, end cash bail, and empty the jails. George Soros and others poured millions into electing nihilist city and state prosecutors who simply did not enforce the law and let criminals out, often just hours after committing heinous crimes.

Part Three - The entire BLM movement is now in shambles, due not just to its racist tropes, but the sheer corruption and grift of the entire enterprise of mostly middle-class black activists using the threat of riot and violence of the poor underclass as leverage to enrich themselves.

Part Four - Another tenet of woke was a veritable war on gas and oil. Note the same serial ironic theme: if Biden inherited a calm border, he had the luxury or rather the margin of error to demagogue it, destroy it, and not be swamped by illegals—for a while.

American Pravda

Part One - In communist countries, there were two levels of consciousness, two mindsets in other words. What all people mouthed publicly became the opposite of what most thought in private. When the private mind finally became all dominant, the entire system of the Soviet Union and communist Eastern Europe abruptly collapsed under the weight of its own lies.

Part Two - Most believe saying the truth is not worth the cultural opprobrium that honesty earns. So, they keep quiet and, in matters of trans topics, watch female sports wrecked by the participation of biological males, females with male genitalia in their daughters’ school locker rooms, and often obscene drag shows conducted at libraries and army bases.

Part Three - There is a host of other lies that utopian progressives have constructed as orthodox “truths” in order to sabotage reality and ensure a particular code of behavior and thought.

Part Four - Call all this mere “political correctness” or “woke” nonsense. But these disconnects are in essence Maoism. They are dangerous lies that are promulgated by elites to further their own selfish agendas at the expense of the general public, who is to be shamed and ostracized as counterrevolutionaries.

The U.S. Is In Real Decline—No Kidding!

Part One: Energy - There is proverbially a lot of rot in any great nation, which accordingly can endure a lot of self-induced damage.

But has the U.S. exhausted its reserves? Britain after World War I denied that its empire was doomed and its standard of living unsustainable. The Soviet Union was in decline gradually, then abruptly by 1989 became doomed. In the fourth century AD, Rome had established a modus vivendi of incorporating non-Romans into the empire, defending its borders, and tamping down on corruption. A century later, the Western empire collapsed from internal decay and tribal invasions across the Danube and Rhine.

Part Two: Racial Relations - I say America is in serious trouble because the Left has attacked systematically all of the U.S.’s great strengths and advantages on the world stage. It apparently thinks it must dismantle the old America before it can create a “new” America, something like a European Union state, only far more radical and volatile.

Part Three: Insecurity - There are unfortunately other barometers of U.S. ossification.

America’s great strength was also its security. We were protected by two oceans and a similar English-majority speaking and constitutional state on our northern border. In the modern age, we used to insist on only legal immigration from an often corrupt and impoverished Mexico. No longer.

Corruption and lawlessness destroy civilizations. The 20th-century American ability to curb both, at least on the everyday level, explains in part the American success story. But now?

Part Four: Lawlessness and Corruption - Corruption and lawlessness destroy civilizations. The 20th-century American ability to curb both, at least on the everyday level, explains in part the American success story. But now?

Part Five. News Corruption - There is no news media as we once knew it. And without an independent media reporting the news, democracy “dies in darkness.” That Washington Post motto applies best to itself. If every story is milked for political purposes, if any unhelpful news account is censored, if the purpose of reporting is to magnify a leftist and diminish a rightist, then how do the people navigate around our Pravda conglomerate to find the truth?

11/08/23 Threats to Democracy

The biggest threat to our democracy is the people who utilize the phrase “A threat to our Democracy”. Democracy is all about a cacophony of opinions freely expressed and freely debated. The phrase “A threat to our Democracy” is often used by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders as an attempt to intimidate into silence those that disagree with them. In some cases, it is an excuse to persecute and sometimes prosecute those who disagree with them.

The true threat to democracy is the issues I have discussed in my collected Chirps on "The Decline of Free Speech in America", "Despotism in America", "The Weaponization of Government", and my Chirps on "07/28/19 Executive Orders",  and "03/08/21 Rule by Regulation and Executive Orders". Lying to Congress and the American people with no consequences when discovered is another true threat to democracy, as I have Chirped on "06/04/21 Why They Lie and Why They Get Away with Lying". Stonewalling Congressional Investigations for the purposes of political cover-ups also plays a role in the true threats to democracy. When the people in power, whether elected, appointed, or bureaucratic, have no accountability for their words or deeds, then democracy is threatened. The big lies and deplorable actions of these people in power over the last few years about the Steele Dossier, Russian Collusion, Wuhan Lab COVID-19 origination and the virus lockdowns, and the Hunter Biden Laptop directly impacted democratic elections and are a threat to democracy.

Another big lie being perpetuated that threatens democracy is Climate Change, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Climate Change" and my science article on “Climate Change”. Prior to the Climate Change lies, we have seen other big lies, as I have written in my article "The Biggest Falsehoods in America".

In almost all cases, these big lies have come from Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, with assistance from Big Tech, Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, Modern Big Business, Modern Education, and Social Media. The tactics of Political Correctness, Activists and Activism, Adjective Justice, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Conspiracy Theory,  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Doxing, Hate Speech, Identity Politics, LGBTQIA+, Modern Feminism, Racist, and Wokeness also constitute a threat to democracy.

Consequently, the true threats to our Democracy are from the false words and nefarious deeds of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as I have examined in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives". For more on the threats to our democracy, I would recommend that you watch the video “Victor Davis Hanson: Threats to Our Democracy w/ Dr. Scott Atlas”. His words of wisdom on this topic are a warning to Americans that we can ill afford to ignore.

11/07/23 The Divine Sovereign Individual

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. “  - The Declaration of Independence

With these words, our Founding Fathers expressed an eternal truth about the Natural Rights of an individual. It is an eternal truth that the Sovereignty and the Dignity of the Individual are supreme over any other considerations and that it is divinely bestowed. Any government, organization, or person who does not recognize the divine sovereign individual is corrupt and devoid of virtue, ethics, and morality.

An individual bestows some of their divine sovereign individual rights unto a government for the purposes of a peaceful, orderly, just, and safe society and the protection of their other rights. Governments do not decide what the rights of their citizens are, nor does any organization or person have the right to violate an individual’s rights. The Constitution of the United States was formulated in an effort to establish a government that protects the rights of the divine sovereign individual while maintaining a government and society that is peaceful, orderly, just, and safe.

A prosperous society is no excuse for the abjuration of divine sovereign individual rights, as it effectively results in the subjugation or slavery of the individual. Or as it has been said in the Bible in Deuteronomy 8:3, “that man does not live on bread alone”. Nor is the redistribution of wealth or the favorable treatment of one person or a group of people over another justification for infringing upon divine sovereign individual rights. Any governmental law, rule, regulation, or social policy that infringes upon divine sovereign individual rights is, therefore, contrary to Natural Rights and consequently unjust.

Today, in America, we are seeing an assault on the divine sovereign individual rights. Thru the use of  "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language”, the American people are being bamboozled by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders into believing that they are enhancing and extending the Natural Rights of its populace. But anything that infringes upon divine sovereign individual rights is not an enhancement or extension of Natural Rights but an attempt to disaffirm the Divine Sovereign Individual.

11/06/23 The Pro-Islamic Gamesmanship - Part II

With the Islamic terrorist attacks in Israel, we have seen a rise in Anti-Semitism and Anti-Islamism in much of the world, particularly in America. This rise has also seen an increase in violence against persons and organizations of the Jewish and Islamic faiths. Such violence is never acceptable, as it never resolves the problem and often begets more violence. But as I have pointed out in my Chirp on “11/05/23 The Pro-Islamic Game - Part I”, Anti-Semitism is immoral, while Anti-Islamism is moral if it is based on critiques of Islam tenants or criticisms of immoral words and deeds of Islamists.

Alas, another game has arisen in America, where many Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders offer perfunctory criticisms and little actions against Anti-Semitism, while at the same time, they are offering vigorous words and enacting deeds against those that engage in Anti-Islamism actions. In doing so, they are demonstrating a lack of morality. A lack of morality by equating Anti-Semitism and Anti-Islamism, and a lack of morality by not vigorously condemning Anti-Semitism while at the same time they are defending immoral Islamic actions by such an equation.

Their silence in condemning the support in America of Hamas terrorism in Israel, under the guise of pro-Palestinian sentiments, is deafening. It is only understandable by political gamesmanship in not alienating a voting block within the Democrat Party. As such, they are once again demonstrating they are more concerned with votes rather than doing the right thing.

The cowardness of College and University administrators in condemning the words and deeds of their professors and students in support of Hamas is astounding and very troubling. It is troubling as Colleges and Universities are not only responsible for providing an education, but they are also responsible for molding the character and virtue of their students. In not doing so, they are creating a generation of ill-educated students who cannot discern right from wrong. A generation that will enter and lead our society without a moral code to guide them in their decision-making.

Thus, in America, we have one party, the Democrat Party, that has little concern for morality or virtue and that is driven by a lust for votes and, therefore, power. Such a party is not fit to lead a people dedicated to "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". If we continue down this road, we will lose our "American Ideals and Ideas", and descend into the chaos of mobocracy and lose the last best hope for humankind.

11/05/23 The Pro-Islamic Gamesmanship - Part I

There has been a tendency in modern America to equate Anti-Semitism with Anti-Islamism and to label Islam as a religion of peace. But this equation is improper and immoral. Anti-Semitism is based upon falsehoods about the Jewish religion, people, history, and their traditions and customs. Anti-Islamism, however, is based on truths about the practices of Islam, as I have written in my Article “The Problems with Islam”. Some of these truths are:

• A religion in which the majority believes that criticism of the Prophet Muhammed is punishable by death.
• A religion in which the majority believes that apostates should be put to death.
• A religion in which the majority believes that non-believers should be eradicated or subjugated.
• A religion of which the majority believes that non-heterosexuals should be executed.
• A religion in which the majority believes that education should be restricted to males.
• A religion in which the majority believes that women should be subservient to and dominated by males.
• A religion in which the majority believes that female genital mutilation and honor killings are acceptable.
• A religion in which the majority believes that the rule of law is subservient to religious doctrine and tenets and that fatwas supersede the due process of law.
• A religion in which the majority believes in a theocracy with no participation by individuals.
• A religion in which the majority believes that lying about their beliefs to non-believers is acceptable if done to advance Islamism.

While this list of the practices of Islamism is hardly inclusive, it demonstrates that Islam is a far cry from a religion of peace as well as a violator of the Natural Rights of people. While I recognize that many Muslims are attempting to reform these practices, while these practices remain, it is not possible to include Islam as a religion of peace. As a great philosopher of Jewish origins has said:

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."   - Baruch Spinoza

As a majority of Islamic believers do not have a disposition for benevolence, confidence, or justice, it is immoral to equate Anti-Semitism with Anti-Islamism and, indeed, to have an Anti-Islamism bias is a moral stance. It is especially not moral to excuse or accept the violence of much of the Islamic world, and until Islam becomes understanding and tolerant of others and discards its Anti-Semitism, they should not be allowed to join the ranks of the civilized world, as they are a danger to civilization and non-Islamic peoples.

11/04/23 It’s Working Just Fine

The state of America’s urban areas has reached the level of pathetic. Education, housing, employment, crime, infrastructure, and governmental services are uneffective, decrepit, or dilapidated. Many reforms have been suggested, and a few of them have been implemented with negligible or marginal results and sometimes the reforms have produced unintended negative consequences. Reformers and Republicans criticize this state of affairs, and many are baffled as to the fruitlessness of reforms. All decry this situation and wonder why the reforms are not working.

My contention is that the urban areas are working just fine. As much of these urban areas have been under Democrat Party control for decades, I believe that if you define working just fine as the successful election and reelection of Democrats in these urban areas, then these urban areas are working just fine. It is the achievement of this goal that leads the Democrat leadership to believe that everything is working just fine in urban areas.

If your primary goal is to be elected and reelected, and you have been successful in this goal, then you have little inclination to change and much fear that a change will impact your success in this election and reelection goal. Thus, the status quo is preferable to change. This is the main reason that reforms in urban areas are marginal or ineffective. For a party to declare itself the party of change, as the Democrats often do, there is very little "Change and/or New" that they are interested in if it could disrupt their election or reelection chances. This situation is also exacerbated by the implementation of Liberal/Progressive policies, and now some Leftist policies in these Urban areas, as I have examined in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives".

The example of New York City is illuminating. In the modern history of New York City (1974-2023), in the first twenty years, they had liberal Democrats in control (Abraham Beame, Ed Koch, and David Dinkins). This was followed by eight years of moderate/conservative Republican control (Rudy Giuliani) and twelve years of liberal Republican control (Michael Bloomberg). In the last nine years, New York City has been under Progressive Democrat control (Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams). In the first twenty years under Democrat control, the quality of life in New York City declined to the point that the people of New York City elected a Republican to reform the city. For the first eight years of Republican control, the quality of life in New York City significantly improved, while in the next twelve years of Republican control, the quality of life in New York City began to fall. In the last nine years under Democrat control, the quality of life in New York City precipitously fell to the point that New York City is almost unlivable. This is also indicative that Liberal and Progressive policies are prone to failure, while moderate to conservative policies tend to stabilize or improve the quality of life in New York City. This is true for other urban areas, as Republican control has been nonexistent or very brief, and these urban areas have been in steady decline under Democrat control and Liberal/Progressive policies.

Consequently, it can be said that Democrat control and Liberal/Progressive/Leftists policies result in the decline of the quality of life in urban areas. It can also be said that urban areas work just fine in electing and reelecting Democrats and that the only means to reform urban areas is in the election of Moderate/Conservative Republicans. Until this happens, you can expect that urban areas will continue to decline in the quality of life, and no effective reforms will be possible as urban areas are working just fine in electing and reelecting Democrats.

11/03/23 The Behavior of Bullies

With the recent election of the new House Speaker, Mike Johnson, the bullying tactics by the Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, and the Mainstream Media started immediately, as I have Chirped on, "09/21/21 Bullies and Brownshirts". They immediately engaged in an effort to discredit him, as I examined in my article on "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate". Is it any wonder that America is so divided when they engage in "Hyper-Partisanship" at a moment’s notice?

The Republican National Committee just put out seven principles for new House Speaker Johnson. The principles include freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and human dignity. It is a set of principles that is contrary to the principles of the Democrat Party's political goals and policy agendas. Thus, I would expect them to oppose House Speaker Johnson, but I also hope that they will do so in a civilized manner.

Alas, it is an unrealized hope, as this is not how Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists oppose those who disagree with them. They utilize the tactics of a bully attempting to impose his or her will upon another. For bullies, they have become, and bullies they will remain, until the American people turn them out of office and force them to change their tactics.

Thus, it is the American electorate that bears the ultimate responsibility for the hyper-partisanship in modern America. By electing and reelecting the Democrats that engage in these tactics, the American people are giving tacit approval for these tactics. Regrettably, I expect this bullying and hyper-partisanship to continue, as I have not seen any attempts by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists to temper their bullying behavior. Alas, this bullying behavior further increases hyper-partisanship and also stokes fear between groups of Americans, all of which is much to the detriment of American society.

11/02/23 Two Sides of the Same Coin

The ability of the Democrat Party leaders to see Russian Collusion with President Trump where none existed is one side of the coin. The ability of the Democrat Party leaders to not see the influence peddling of President Biden and his family, as it has been revealed, is the other side of the coin. It is the coin of hyper-partisanship in that Republicans are always in the wrong, while Democrats can do no wrong. It is a coin flip of heads and the Democrats win, while on tails the Republicans lose. As such, it is a coin flip in which the American people always lose.

To not recognize wrong when it occurs on your side and to presume wrong on the other side bespeaks to a moral failure. The moral failure of not recognizing what is rightful and what is wrongful, no matter which side is rightful or wrongful. Such people who do so do not deserve to be in a position of leadership or authority, for such people cannot make a decision based on moral grounds, no matter where the chips may fall. It is, therefore, the coin of immorality.

Such moral failure is predominant amongst Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as they believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. As such, they view Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as not just being wrong and stupid but that they are bad or evil persons. It is also a sign of their lust for power and lack of virtue, as they will think and speak immorally if they believe it will further the election and reelection of Democrats. This lust for power and lack of virtue also leads them to select and retain appointed or bureaucratic officials that will support them regardless of the person’s wrongful conduct.

This lust for power and lack of virtue is also seen in their political goals and policy agendas, as they will make decisions based on electoral advantage rather than morality and virtue. When doing so, they will often utilize the tactics of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” to justify their positions. However, immoral policies and agendas have no moral justification, and the utilization of these tactics is also a sign of immorality.  

The "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech",  "Modern Big Business", and "Modern Education" also bear a large responsibility for this state of affairs, as their predilection is to support Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists regardless of their immoral conduct, decisions, and tactics.

Thus, when Democrats are in a position of authority, we see immorality in their conduct and decisions, as they have little fear of losing their reelection or appointments from their immoral conduct.

11/01/23 Abortion, Transgenderism, Same-Sex Marriage, and Assisted Suicide

In my article, “The Rights of Abortion, Homosexual Marriage, Transgendered, and Assisted Suicide”, I examine these rights and their dichotomy between individual and societal rights. As these topics are deep and nuanced, they deserve to be considered in depth. This month’s Book It selections are about these four topics that provide the depth and nuance to fully understand these topics. While I have mentioned these books in my article, I believe that they are deserving of a Book It recommendation as these books are an intellectual, philosophical, and reasoned discourse on these topics. For those who are interested in a dispassionate analysis of these topics, I would highly recommend these books. These books will inform you on what you need to know, not what you want to hear, a practice that I have endeavored to keep all my adult life.

10/31/23 Are the Intelligentsia Intelligent?

The Intelligentsia (the educated and intellectual elite) have forgotten the intelligence aspect of the meaning of Intelligentsia and have instead focused on the education aspect of the meaning. In doing so, they have focused on information and understanding while not fully applying intelligence and not recognizing the importance of experience and wisdom, as I have written in my article "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom". As illustrated in the following diagram from my article, the Intelligentsia gathers a large amount of knowledge and understanding on topics but only organizes it intelligently to fit their biases and without recognizing the gaps in their information and understanding. It is also rare that an Intelligentsia person has real-world experience that allows them to derive wisdom.

This is often the result of the failures of modern "Public Education" and “College and University Education”. It is further exacerbated by a sense of self-importance and infallibility that permeates most of the Intelligentsia. Coupled with a sense of self-righteousness, the Intelligentsia believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. Anyone who disagrees with them is viewed as not just being wrong and stupid but that they are bad or evil people.

Thus, anything that an Intelligentsia person has to say should be viewed with skepticism, as an Intelligentsia person has often become an ignoramus person.

10/30/23 A Life of Illusions

The great playwright Eugene O'Neill once said, “A life without Illusions is unpardonable and a life with Illusions is unbearable.” It is most common for a person to begin their adult life with illusions, but as they experience life, they often shed many illusions. Or, as King Oscar II of Sweden has said, "A man who has not been a socialist before 25 has no heart. If he remains one after 25 he has no head." I disagree with O'Neill that their lives are unbearable or unpardonable. Life is a burden, but it is a burden that most people learn to deal with, while others wallow in victimhood and shift blame to anyone other than themselves. As for being unpardonable, many people can forgive themselves if they believe that their intentions were not malicious. I agree with King Oscar II that youth is intoxicating with optimism while getting older sobers us into reality.

In my life, I have observed that most conservative people tend to live life without illusions, and I believe that most Progressive/Leftists tend to live a life of illusion, while moderate persons live a life of both. I have also observed that a person with illusions often has difficulty understanding those people who do not conform to their illusions about life, while a person without illusions cannot understand why others are not realistic. Thus, the divisiveness in America often is between those who live a life of illusionistic optimism and those who live a life of non-illusion realism.

Many of the Progressive/Leftists illusions are of human nature and the economic forces that drive human nature, while the realism of Conservatism often mitigates optimism and can often lead to cynicism. It is also an unfortunate fact that in today’s world, attending a college or university delays experiencing reality and reinforces illusions. A reinforcement that can linger for several years after graduation and sometimes for their entire life. It is most often the bitter experience of the real world that morphs someone from a life of optimistic illusions to a life of realism. But it is also true that this bitter experience of life can lead you on a path of wisdom. As I have often said, "True Wisdom Most Often Comes from Bitter Experience... Considered!" but you must consider the bitter experience realistically and without excuses for your own culpability in the bitter experience. Otherwise, you will reach the wrong conclusion as to the reasons for the bitter experience, and you will not be able to make better choices in the future to avoid bitter experiences. You should also remember that:

"Shit happens. Sometimes you shit on yourself, sometimes others shit on you, and other times shit just happens. It doesn't matter how shit happens, it only matters how you deal with the shit. You can either clean yourself up and smell the roses, Or you can wallow in the shit and everything stinks. And remember; It's just as important to learn from the shit, as it is to clean yourself up from the shit!"   - Mark Dawson 

As I have examined my life, I have determined that I began my life with illusions but have learned to live a life without illusions. I, therefore, have experienced both the unbearable and unpardonable in my life. I also have had many bitter experiences, and all the types of shit have happened to me. But I have learned from the bitter experiences and the shit, and I have had a better life from living a life of consideration and realism.

10/29/23 Living a Life of Lies

It is an unfortunate fact that in the 20th and 21st centuries, a large percentage of many counties’ populace were and are living a life of lies. From Communism, Socialism, Nazism, Fascism, Dictatorships, and a whole host of oppressive governments, their populace has been told lies, and they must repeat these lies or face frightful repercussions from their governments. Nowadays, the rise and dominance of Progressivism is repeating this scenario in countries that are supposedly free.

In America, this life of lies is being fostered by Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, Big Tech, Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, Modern Big Business, Modern Education, and Social Media. Our "American Ideals and Ideas" of "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" are under attack by the tactics of Political Correctness, Activists and Activism, Adjective Justice, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Doxing, Hate Speech, Identity Politics, LGBTQIA+, Modern Feminism, Racist, Wokeness, Hyper-Partisanship, Equity and Equality, the Greater Good versus the Common Good, Social Engineering, and a Herd Mentality common in today's American society. These tactics are to reinforce the lies being told and to instill fear into anyone who would challenge these lies. These lies started with "The Biggest Falsehoods in America" but have expanded to include, but are not limited to, the following lies:

As Victor Davis Hanson has said, despite the claims of government officials to the contrary that “. . . most Americans saw January 6 for what it was—a buffoonish protest that for some devolved into a spontaneous riot and felonious behavior that desecrated chambers in the Capitol. But the public did not see evidence of a planned armed “insurrection” or “rebellion” or “conspiracy” to “overthrow the government”.

Most Americans had concluded that the Wuhan virology lab was the source of the COVID-19 virus and that the quarantines and lockdowns ruined the economy and had negative social repercussions. Most Americans became suspicious that the COVID-19 vaccines were not nearly as effective as touted by the government and that there were negative reactions to these vaccines for many persons. All this despite the contrary claims by government officials and the Mainstream Media.

Most Americans are furious that the border has ceased to exist while the government claims that the border is secure and that these illegal immigrants pose no danger to Americans despite government assurances to the contrary.

Most Americans believe that crime in the street is being fostered by Progressive law enforcement that is more concerned about the criminal rather than the victim and that it is not racist to believe otherwise.

Most Americans know that Transgenderism is not a major concern and that transgender counseling, hormone therapy, and surgery for minors is wrong without parental permission. They also know that thrusting transgenderism into public arenas such as schools, libraries, and the restrooms and locker rooms of children is harmful to the non-transgendered child and should not be allowed. They also know that transgender males competing in female sports events give the transgendered male an unfair advantage, and that is unfair to the female athletes competing for prizes and scholarships.

Most Americans, upon a cursory examination of the facts, knew that Hunter Biden’s laptop was his and not Russian disinformation and that it revealed the corruption of the Biden family, despite the claims that it revealed no criminality or unethical conduct by Joe Biden and his family.

Most Americans believe that the FBI, DOJ, DHS, IRS, and intelligence agencies have been corrupted and that the DOD is following in their path.

And now, most Americans believe that the "The Weaponization of Government" is occurring and that "Lawfare" is being practiced against those that opposed the Progressive political agenda and policy goals.

Alas, most Americans are afraid to publicly speak up about their beliefs for fear of negative repercussions to themselves, their families, or their career and/or their employment. This fear is thus leading most Americans to live a life of lies. But as Victor Davis Hanson has also pointed out, those governments that practice and allow for lies eventually collapse upon themselves, as the people often rebel against these lies. Let us hope that America can dig itself out of these lies before it collapses or rebels against a government of lies.

10/28/23 Speaking Truth to Power

Speaking Truth to Power used to be a badge of courage when confronting the orthodoxy of the political, economic, and social forces in America. Nowadays, it has become a mark of shame to do so. This major change was wrought by those who have become the powerful. In the past, it was the Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders powers that were being challenged. Today, it is the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders powers that are being challenged.

And woe be to those who have a change of heart and head to speak the truth to the powers of the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. Those who have changed their opinions to the center or to the right of the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are instantly subject to vitriol, and the tactics of Cancel Culture, Doxing, Wokeness, and possible Lawfare, as well as the allegations of Conspiracy Theory, Hate Speech, Racist, LGBTQIA+ phobia, and Hyper-Partisanship fury.

One of those who has had a change of heart and head is Michael Shellenberger. He has written two books that speak truth to power that the Progressives/Leftists have employed vitriolic comments, and he has been subject to the tactics stated above. These books, “Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All” and “San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities”, have engendered the wrath of Progressives/Leftists as they have spoken truth to power.

Michael Shellenberger is the founder and president of Environmental Progress (EP), which was founded in 2016 with the mission of achieving nature, peace, and prosperity for all. They believe everyone has a right to affordable energy, a healthy planet, and urban environments that enable citizens to thrive. Their strategy has been to organize grassroots movements to defend these rights and to fund research into why they are threatened.

He also has many videos posted on YouTube, with “Michael Shellenberger's Guide to Escaping the Woke Matrix” being particularly apropos of speaking truth to power. I would recommend his website and the two books previously mentioned as a starting point for understanding the truths as opposed to the orthodoxies of the current powers.

10/27/23 How Pathetic

The satirical site Babylon Bee has an excellent record of capturing the inanity of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. Some of their recent headlines about the Hamas attack in Israel are pathetic in their pointiness:

• Emperor Hirohito Calls For Ceasefire After Bombing Of Pearl Harbor
• Harvard Student Leaves Lecture On Microaggressions To Attend ‘Kill The Jews’ Rally
• Islam Downgraded To Religion Of Mostly Peace
• State Department Issues Stern Warning To Hamas Not To Misgender American Hostages
• White House Claims $6 Billion To Iran Absolutely Not Related To The Exactly $6 Billion Worth Of Rockets Being Fired Into Israel
• White House Issues Condemnation Of Attack Biden Funded
• Biden Offers The Palestinians $100 Million In Exchange For None Of The Hostages

In fact, much of what the Babylon Bee has satirized has turned out to be prophetic, so much so that they have a webpage, Book of Prophecy, that catalogs their prophecies. I often visit the Babylon Bee website to get a good laugh at the inanities of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders and to maintain my sanity, as I have written in my Chirp on “10/25/23 That of Laughter”. I would suggest to all my readers that they make this website a frequent source of information along with the other websites I have mentioned in my Chirp on “10/26/23 Where Do I Get My News From?”.

10/26/23 Where Do I Get My News and Opinions From?

It is an unfortunate fact that Modern Journalism has descended into Progressive predilections and Democrat Party bias, as I have written in my article on Modern Journalism. While my own predilections are of Constitutional Conservatism with a hint of Libertarianism, I do attempt to read contrary viewpoints if they are knowledgeable and intelligent and presented with "Rationality" and "Reasoning" that utilizes a "A Philosophical Approach". However, I do have regular sources of news and opinions that I check on a daily basis. These news sources are:

National Review

The Epoch Times

The New York Sun

The Washington Times

Townhall.com

As for opinion pieces, I believe that the following columnists have intelligent, reasonable, and cogent opinions, and I read their articles whenever a new column appears from them:

Allan Dershowitz

Andrew C. McCarthy

Dennis Prager

Jonathan Turley

Rob Natelson

Victor Davis Hanson

Finally, when it comes to wisdom about human nature, I regularly view the YouTube videos of Jordon B. Peterson.

While I do not always agree with this news reporting or the viewpoints of these columnists, I do find that they are thought-provoking and deserving of consideration.

10/25/23 That of Laughter

As I have often mentioned Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are wont to utilize "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” to bolster their arguments for their political goals and policy agendas. A careful analysis of their arguments reveals a lack of proper facts and proper truths along with incorrect "Reasoning" and "Rationality". Some of their arguments are so outlandish that it is exceedingly difficult to respond to their assertions in an intellectual manner. When reviewing their arguments, I often find myself responding in the manner of the following quote:

" I think we ought to exercise one of the sovereign prerogatives of philosophers- that of laughter."   - Charles L. Black (American Scholar)

But it is laughter to relieve the anguish of remorse that these arguments hold any weight with the American people. I also do so by remembering the aphorism that “Tis better to laugh than to cry.”, for if I didn’t laugh, I would find myself constantly crying for America. I also remember that in responding to these arguments, it is best to apply Hitchens's philosophical razor: "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." and that their assertions should be challenged by insisting that they prove their assertions, for:

"The Burden of Proof always rests with the person who makes an assertion. To not do so is to ask the other person to prove a negative - which is very difficult to accomplish."   - Mark Dawson

Otherwise, their incoherent arguments will continue to plague America to the detriment of the American people.

10/24/23 It’s a Conspiracy Theory

A new term has arisen amongst Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, and the Mainstream Media—“Conspiracy Theory”. It has no formal definition, but it is being applied to anybody who disputes the Progressive political narrative, Mainstream Media accounts, or government assertions. Therefore, it is just a dismissive means of labeling dissenters and questioners as kooky. The word conspiracy also has a dark undertone connotating some nefarious, harmful, or illegal purpose to their words or deeds. It is also being used to ignore the allegations of those labeled as Conspiracy Theorists. However, it should be remembered that allegations with veracity are not a “Conspiracy Theory” but are simply unproven allegations. And allegations with veracity need to be investigated to determine the facts and truths.

In the past, the term bogeyman was used as an imaginary monster used to frighten children. Today, we are using the term Conspiracy Theorists to frighten adults for the purpose of psychologically intimidating them into not examining the allegations and evidence. In doing so, the labelers are also attempting to suppress the free speech of dissenters and questioners by relegating their free speech to a black hole where it will not be examined. As such, we should all remember the words of wisdom of our first President:

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."  - George Washington

This dumbing and silencing of dissenters and questioners is the goal of those who label them Conspiracy Theorists.

It was not too long ago when persons who raised the allegation that the Wuhan virology lab was the source of the COVID-19 virus were labeled as Conspiracy Theorists. The same is true for those who raised concerns that the COVID-19 virus vaccines may not be as effective as promoted or possibly harmful to many people.

We also had allegations of irregularities in the 2020 Presidential election that raised concerns as to the fairness and outcome of the election. Without any proper investigation of these irregularities, the people concerned about possible voter fraud were labeled as Conspiracy Theorists.

Since the beginning of the Biden Administration, we have seen a sharp rise in the usage of the term Conspiracy Theorists. Almost anyone who questions the motives or goals of the Biden Administration has been labeled as a Conspiracy Theorist.

This time-worn tactic of labeling those in opposition to government words and deeds for the purpose of marginalizing then ostracizing them from society has often been the first step into despotism, then dictatorialness. A step that, if successful, often leads to terrible consequences, as we have seen in the 20th and 21st centuries pogroms, concentration and work camps, gulags, and massacres of those that oppose a government.

10/23/23 Avarice Not Empathy

In an article by Jonathan Turley, “The Biden Family Tree: How Investigations are Exposing the Bidens’ Influence-Peddling Dynasty”, he examines “. . . the exposure of the Biden family and its long-standing business of influence peddling. Newly released evidence from the House Committee on Ways and Means reveals over $20 million coming from 23 separate countries on four continents to at least nine Biden family members. Not only are the Biden transfers becoming clear, so is the Biden family tree in this lucrative form of corruption.”

Professor Turley points out that “There is a sharp disconnect between the public persona long maintained by the press and what is becoming more apparent to the public now.” Joe Biden has long portrayed himself as a common person and a man of the people who is empathetic to the concerns of the people. As Professor Turley also points out, “That is not the image that emerges from the growing evidence about Biden and his family. The Bidens are suffering from legal exposure in actions concerning everything from withholding child support to peddling influence to federal felonies.” and that “. . . it is not empathy but avarice that defines the Bidens.”

It has thus been revealed that Joe Biden and his family are bad actors on the American stage of politics. They are what most Americans despise about politicians—self-centeredness composed of deceptions, corruption, and power hunger. It is time for Joe Biden and his family to exit stage-left from the American stage and face the legal repercussions of their avarice.

10/22/23 Learning History

It is an unfortunate fact that much of people’s knowledge of history comes from movies and television. While movies and television about history are often entertaining, they are just as often not historically accurate nor comprehensive. Even television documentaries about history contain inaccuracies, and they are definitely not comprehensive. There is also the question of the comprehensiveness of the historical knowledge of the people involved in the production. This is because the producers, writers, directors, and even the actors need to be entertaining and often have a viewpoint that they wish to express, and they are willing to fit the facts into the story. Even the historians that they utilize in the production of their movies, television, and documentaries have viewpoints, and sometimes biases, that they incorporate into the production. However, we should all remember:

“You should not learn your history from movies and television, but you should be inspired to learn history from movies and television.”  - Mark Dawson

Many times, I have viewed historical movies, television, and documentaries and have become inspired to learn more about the history that they depicted. I will often do an Amazon search for books on the topic and carefully review the Publisher's Synopsis and Editorial Reviews of the books that have piqued my interest. I also scan the user reviews of the book but do not place much credence on these reviews, as I have no way of discerning if the review is by a village-wise or a village idiot person or someone who has an axe to grind. If I am interested in a book, I will do a library search to see if I can borrow the book from my local library. If it is not available from my library, and I desire to read the book, I will purchase a copy for my personal library. In some cases, if the author or reviewer is someone with whom I am familiar and whom I think highly of, I may purchase the book. After I have read a library book and have determined that it is of high quality that I may want to refer to in the future, I will purchase a copy of the book for inclusion in my personal library.

This has led me to have hundreds of books in my personal library that I often refer to when writing my Chirps and Articles. These books are not only about historical topics but span science and engineering, computer technology, mathematics, economics, politics, music, fine arts (while my wife has many books of English literature and fine arts), and a sundry of other topics.

I must confess, however, that I have not read all the books that I have purchased. I would guesstimate that I have read about 75% of the books in my personal library, while 20% are books that I have purchased for reference purposes, and the remaining 5% are books that I will hopefully read before I pass away. I have also discarded dozens of books that I have purchased and read as unworthy of being retained in my personal library.

Thus, I believe that I have a broad spectrum of knowledge, but while my depth of knowledge is limited to computer technology, I believe that I have a sufficient depth of knowledge to comment on the topics that I have written about in my Chirps and Articles. For more of the books that I deem worthy of your own reading, I would direct you to my Book It webpage.

10/21/23 Historical Knowledge and Historical Mythology

Most people’s historical knowledge is limited to events that occurred during their lifetime and occasionally a few decades before their birth. This knowledge is often incomplete or erroneous, as they do not have sufficient knowledge or proper facts and proper reasoning to understand historical events. What they have is beliefs based upon what they have seen or heard from others, and often, they only pay attention to others who confirm their beliefs. Many times, their historical understanding is of memories that are prone to inaccuracies or contorted to fit their beliefs. This unconscious process is what I describe as Historical Mythology rather than Historical Knowledge.

This unconscious process has been illuminated for me by my interest and extensive readings on American history and by what others have written or said about American history, as well as my conversations on history with others. This dearth of accurate historical knowledge is self-obvious to those who have extensive historical knowledge. The other issue is that even those who have some historical knowledge often do not examine historical knowledge contrary to their beliefs. Thus, their historical knowledge is incomplete or inaccurate.

This lack of historical knowledge allows unknowledgeable or unscrupulous politicians to manipulate the public for political purposes. Examples of this include a lack of knowledge of the history and meaning of the three-fifths clause of the Constitution and the Emancipation Proclamation. If the public had the proper historical knowledge of these events, they might have a different attitude about American history and a different outlook on the racial divisiveness in America than what is propagated by unknowledgeable or unscrupulous politicians. This is usually true for many great historical events in American history, and this lack of historical knowledge leads to the repetition of mistakes, as I have written in my Chirp on “Condemned to Repeat It”. This is also a condemnation of the public education system failures in modern America, as I have written in my article “Indoctrination versus Education”.

Alas, in modern America, we live in a society of historical mythology rather than historical knowledge. This historical mythology allows for social policy to be determined not by historical knowledge but by the passions of historical mythology that are without foundation. This also is a factor in the breakdown of "A Civil Society" in America, as civility requires "Rationality" and "Reasoning" based on knowledge founded on proper facts and proper truths, as I have Chirped on "08/11/23 Proper Reasoning".

10/20/23 A More Dangerous World

In foreign affairs, the modern Democrat Party has been all about giving peace a chance and depending upon the goodwill of those intent upon harming America and others that they oppose, most especially in the Middle Eastern countries of the world. Jimmy Carter’s debacle in Iran started a downward slide by the Democrats regarding dealing with terrorism. Terrorism increased during the Clinton Administration, and while the 9/11 attacks occurred nine months after Bush took office, they were planned and practiced during the Clinton Administration. During the Obama Administration, America has endured seven major Islamic terrorist attacks on its soil on Obama's watch, as well as the Arab Spring uprisings, a political crisis in Egypt, the collapse of Libya into a Civil War, and Syria’s bloody civil war. The Biden Administration has seen more aggression from Russia and China, while Iran and North Korea have become more threatening. The haphazardness of the Afghanistan withdrawal by the Biden Administration once again turned Afghanistan into a hostile country engaged in terrorism.

During Republican Administrations in this same time period, the incidents of world instability and terrorism subsided to manageable levels that did not threaten world peace. Thus, it can be said that Democrat administrations engender more instability in world affairs, while Republican administrations bring more stability to the world.

The main reason for this difference is that the Democrat leadership often sees the world for what they want it to be, while the Republican leadership sees the world as it is. The propensity of Democrat leaders to believe that goodwill will be matched by goodwill demonstrates their unwillingness to believe that self-interest, economics, passions, and a lust for power and influence of human nature is often the prime consideration motivating the decisions of other parties. Thus, they miscalculate the intentions of others by assuming the best in others.

Consequently, whenever Democrats assume control over foreign affairs, the world becomes a more dangerous place. This, alone, is a sufficient reason for the American electorate to be wary of voting for a Democrat presidential candidate. Until the Democrat Party leadership wakes up and smells the coffee, the world will be a more dangerous place with them in control.

10/19/23 Moral Equivalence

In an article by Dennis Prager, “Moral Equivalence Means Either Moral Confusion or Hatred of Israel”, he examines the use of moral equivalence by the defenders of the Hamas evildoers. The opening sentence of this article has pertinence to all users of moral equivalency:

"Moral equivalence has two purposes. One is to enable the morally confused to hide their confusion. The other is to enable the immoral to hide their immorality."  - Dennis Prager

Thus, it is so for almost all users of moral equivalency when contrasting the wrongdoing of both sides of any issue. To properly utilize the moral equivalency argument requires that you have a weighted scale of moral wrongdoing and apply this balance in your arguments. Without this weighted scale, moral equivalency equates the morally insignificant with the morally grave. This leads to an overreaction to the morally insignificant and underreaction to the morally grave.

Alas, this moral equivalency in modern America is predominant and often paralyzes the proper response to morally grave events, and thus, we do not take the proper and effective response to morally grave events. Calls for reasonable and proportionate reactions to morally grave events are not effective in stopping these morally grave events and, indeed, encourage future morally grave events. The reasonable response to morally grave events is that which is necessary to punish these morally grave actions, and the proportionate response to morally grave events is that which is necessary to deter any future morally grave actions. Consequently, for morally grave events, we need to take the necessary actions, and not a reasonable and proportionate response, to punish and deter morally grave events.

10/18/23 Unadulterated Evil

As President Biden has stated, the Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel are “unadulterated evil”. My righteous anger at the events of Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel has delayed my response to this event. This anger leads me to believe that the people who planned and carried out these evil attacks need to be eliminated as both retribution and deterrence from future evil acts. This anger is also directed at the people who supported these evil attacks, either by their silence or vocal support, and they need to be driven from our midst and consigned to wander a desolate wilderness (literally for those in the Middle East and figuratively for their supporters around the world). However, the return of my rational and reasonable thought has given me pause to determine the best course of action to undertake in a manner that confronts evil without trampling on the Natural Rights of others.

However, these attacks were an act of war, and in war, it is often not possible to preserve the Natural Rights of all in confronting evil. The only question is what the response to such unadulterated evil should be. The Biden response is pathetic, as it does not actively confront the evildoers nor their supporters. Consequently, all humanitarian peoples and governments must proceed as if we are at war with these evildoers and temper our concerns for Natural Rights to eliminate these evildoers.

As these attacks were planned and funded by Iran, the rulership in Iran must be destroyed and replaced by a humanitarian government. All members of Hamas (and Hezbollah) need to be executed for their crimes against humanity. As some of the people of Palestine had to know something was about to occur, and they did not even clandestinely inform Israeli authorities of such, they should be relocated away from Israel for the security of Israel and its people. In doing so, we should remember the words of the Civil War Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's Letter to Atlanta in our reasoning for doing so, as well as some other of his wisdom on war:

"Every attempt to make war easy and safe will result in humiliation and disaster."  - William Tecumseh Sherman

"We can make war so terrible and make them so sick of war that generations pass away before they again appeal to it."  - William Tecumseh Sherman

"War is the remedy that our enemies have chosen, and I say let us give them all they want."  - William Tecumseh Sherman

As for the vocal supporters of these evil acts, they should be branded as enablers and be shunned by all decent law-abiding and peaceful persons. They have the freedom of speech to articulate their opinions, but decent people have the freedom of speech to condemn these enablers and the freedom to not associate with these enablers. Any group or organization that enables these evildoers should in no way receive any government funding, nor should any elected or appointed official that enables these evildoers be permitted to retain their office.

“Never Again” should mean never again, and we should wage war against these evildoers and censure their enables to ensure that it will never happen again. For those who are fearful of the possible terrible consequences that may be incurred from taking these actions, or those who believe that this evil has no direct consequences on America, I would remind them of the following words of warning:

"First, they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me." - Martin Niemöller

10/17/23 Out of Their Senses

In their infinite wisdom, the Continental Congress sent John Adams over to France to assist Benjamin Franklin with his diplomacy in obtaining French assistance and an alliance with France for them to engage in a war with Britain. They did this because they had heard of the unorthodox diplomacy of Franklin, and they were impatient with the pace of diplomacy. This did not turn out well, as the King of France, the French Aristocracy, and French society did not care for Adam’s or his style of diplomacy. After a short time in France, Adam’s was reassigned to Holland to obtain their assistance (which also did not work out well for other reasons).

Upon reflection, Franklin wrote:

“I am persuaded however that he [John Adams] means well for his Country, is always an honest Man, often a Wise One, but sometimes and in some things, absolutely out of his Senses.”   - Benjamin Franklin

I feel the same as Franklin on Adams when I consider the words and deeds of Global Climate Change activists. I believe that they are honest and sincere in their beliefs and mean well, but in most things, they are out of their senses. Out of their senses as they often do not utilize proper facts and proper reasoning, do not account for the economics of their solutions, and often depend on a change in human nature to obtain their goals. They operate in a blind faith mode in their dedication to their objectives, and they brook no dissent in their ranks or contrary viewpoints outside their ranks. This is also occurring within the ranks of Climate Change scientists, as:

“To put it bluntly, climate science has become less about understanding the complexities of the world and more about serving as a kind of Cassandra, urgently warning the public about the dangers of climate change. However understandable this instinct may be, it distorts a great deal of climate science research, misinforms the public, and most importantly, makes practical solutions more difficult to achieve.”  - Patrick T. Brown, Climate Change Scientist

Consequently, it is dogma that drives Climate Change activists rather than provable facts. As such, they are not rational, and they behave vindictively to those that disagree with them. Thus, they are out of their senses, and rational and reasonable people should pay no heed to senseless people.

10/16/23 We Are Past That Point

There has never been any large-scale technological development that has been without risks. Economic, Political, Social, and Engineering risks are inherent in major technological developments, especially in their gestation and early life. So, it has been for Nuclear Power Generation. As Nuclear Power Generation was born out of the development of the atomic bomb, there were fears among the general public that a Nuclear Power plant could blow up (impossible for the reactor but possible for the surrounding container and building) or the nuclear reactor could melt down (which is possible but unlikely with proper safety engineering). There were also concerns about the safety of spent nuclear fuel disposal. People were also concerned about the possible increased exposure to radioactivity from the use of Nuclear Power Generation. Consequently, Nuclear Power Generation became untenable to the American public.

Just as Hydroelectric and Fossil Fuel electrical generation plants have had accidents and disasters, there have been accidents, but only one disaster, with Nuclear Power Generation. The Three Mile Island Accident was an engineering flaw that began with failures in the non-nuclear secondary system, followed by a flaw in the primary system that allowed large amounts of water to escape from the pressurized isolated coolant loop. The mechanical failures were compounded by the initial failure of plant operators to recognize the situation as a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA). The Fukushima nuclear accident was because of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which resulted in electrical grid failure and damaged nearly all of the power plant's backup energy sources. The subsequent inability to sufficiently cool reactors after shutdown compromised containment and resulted in the release of radioactive contaminants into the surrounding environment. The Chernobyl disaster was caused by a mediocre nuclear reactor design, defective safety engineering, and poor emergency responses as a result of the Soviet Union’s haste to achieve Nuclear Power Generation at a low cost. We are also beginning to see the ecological impacts of Wind and Solar electrical power in their mining, manufacturing, and end-of-life disposal, as well as the harm to wildlife in their operation.

However, most of the design and safety engineering, as well as the emergency responses, have been improved to the point that these fears are unjustifiable and, thus, we are past that point where we should reflexively reject Nuclear Power Generation. It is time to rethink using Nuclear Power Generation properly, assess the risks, and determine the cost/benefits of utilizing Nuclear Power Generation.

For those who are willing to consider using Nuclear Power Generation, I would direct you to a TEDxBerlin video by Michael Shellenberger, “Why I changed my mind about nuclear power”, that examines this issue. For those who continue to reject Nuclear Power Generation, I would ask you to think about the negative risks and consequences of using other electrical generation technologies (which are many), and I would suggest that you view the same video to obtain the facts and truths about Nuclear Power Generation before making up your mind. I would also ask you to remember some prescient words of wisdom:

“If we’re going to tackle Global Warming, Nuclear is the only way you can create massive amounts of power.”  - Sting, Dec 2016

I would also ask all to remember that:

"The best way to overcome irrational fear is with proper facts and proper reasoning."  - Mark Dawson

10/15/23 Rational and Reasonable Contrariness on Climate Change

Most Global Climate Change activists like to claim that there is a scientific consensus on climate change and that the science is settled. As I have written in my article on Scientific Consensus and Settled Science, no science is settled, as new scientific thought often replaces old scientific thought. Also, scientific consensus is often wrong as new observations and experiments contradict the consensus. Thus, “consensus science” is an oxymoron, as the following quote succinctly points out:

“I want to pause here and talk about this notion of consensus, and the rise of what has been called consensus science. I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you’re being had. Let’s be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus. There is no such thing as consensus science. If it’s consensus, it isn’t science. If it’s science, it isn’t consensus. Period.”  - Michael Crichton

Those that disagree with the consensus or settledness of Global Climate Change science are often labeled as “Science Deniers”. As I have written in my Chirp on "08/03/23 Climate Science Denial", Climate Science Denial is not a denial of science if the denials are based on scientific reasoning. Climate Science Deniers do not deny science, but the scientific consensus and settledness of Climate Change advocates and the scientists that support these activists. Three leading scientists and two knowledgeable and intelligent person on climate science have spoken of their doubts about the consensus and settledness of Climate Change science in the following videos:

Dr. Steven Koonin Questions Conventional Climate Science and Methodology

Dr. Richard Lindzen on Climate Alarmism

Dr. Judith Curry: "Relax, there is no climate emergency!"

Bjorn Lomborg - Is there a Climate Crisis?

Michael Shellenberger: Climate Change Is Real, But It's Not the End of the World

It would behoove all to view these videos before they reach a conclusion on the consensus or settledness of Global Climate Change science. To not do so is to have forgotten the adage:

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope - An Essay on Criticism 

10/14/23 The Economics of Wind Turbines and Solar Panels

In a NY Post article by Jonathan Lesser, “Why wind and solar power are running out of juice”, he points out that:

“Wind turbine manufacturers like Siemens and General Electric have reported huge losses for the first half of this year, almost $5 billion for the former and $1 billion for the latter. Among other problems, turbine quality control has suffered, forcing manufacturers such as Siemens and Vestas to incur costly warranty repairs. In Europe, offshore wind output has been less than promised, while operating costs have been much higher than advertised. Offshore wind developers in Europe and the US are canceling projects because of higher materials and construction costs.”

Other reports have pointed out the economic and ecological impacts of Wind turbine failures that sow debris under the fields on which they stand and decimate birds of prey and the hefty costs of disposal and recycling when a wind turbine reaches its end of life. These economic and ecological impacts also hold true for Solar panels, but as they are a newer technology, the economic and ecological impacts are not yet fully known.

It is also true that Wind turbines and Solar panels are heavily dependent on government subsidies and tax credits, which camouflage the economics of these technologies. These government subsidies and tax credits are also a cost-shifting from the companies to the taxpayers that shift the economic risks of these technologies onto the public. Alas, this may make for good politics, but it is not good economics. It is not the function of government to provide subsidies and tax credits to companies or individuals, as it puts them in the position of choosing winners and losers, which a government is ill-suited to accomplish. It also allows politicians to reward and enrich political friends while encumbering political opponents, all at taxpayers’ expense.

Thus, in all economic forecasts and projections of Wind turbines and Solar panels, the costs/benefits are skewered and should not be accepted as reality.

10/13/23 Climate Regulations Based on a ‘Hoax’

Two prominent climate scientists, physicist Dr. William Happer, professor emeritus in physics at Princeton University, and meteorologist Dr. Richard Lindzen, professor emeritus of atmospheric science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), submitted a response for comment on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new rules to cut CO2 emissions in electricity generation. In this response, they argue that the regulations will have “disastrous consequences for the poor, people worldwide, future generations, and the United States if fossil fuels and CO2 emissions are reduced to ‘Net Zero’”.

As Dr. Happer and Dr. Lindzen have also stated, “The unscientific method of analysis, relying on consensus, peer review, government opinion, models that do not work, cherry-picking data and omitting voluminous contradictory data, is commonly employed in these studies and by the EPA in the Proposed Rule.” and “None of the studies provides scientific knowledge, and thus none provides any scientific support for the Proposed Rule.”

They also noted that Professor Richard Feynman, a Nobel Laureate in Physics, incisively explained the scientific method:

“[W]e compare the result of [a theory’s] computation to nature, ... compare it directly with observations, to see if it works. If it disagrees with experiment, it is wrong. In that simple statement is the key to science.”

Thus, the scientific method is very simple and very profound: Does theory work with observations? If not, it is rejected and not used. Since theories are tested with observations, fabricating data, falsifying data, and omitting contradictory facts to make a theory work is an egregious violation of the scientific method.

Richard Feynman stated this fundamental principle of the scientific method:

“If you’re doing an experiment, you should report everything that you think might make it invalid – not only what you think is right about it.... Details that could throw doubt on your interpretation must be given, if you know them.”

In Albert Einstein’s words: “The right to search for truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true.”

Dr. Happer and Dr. Lindzen commented that the EPA has grossly overstated the harm from CO2 emissions while ignoring the benefits of CO2 to life on Earth, as well as commenting on the Unscientific Method Commonly Used by the EPA and Studies. The entire response of Dr. Happer and Dr. Lindzen can be downloaded here, and I would encourage all to read this response.

Additionally, Dr. John F. Clauser, winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on quantum mechanics, has decided to sign the World Climate Declaration of Clintel with its central message, “there is no climate emergency”. Dr. Clauser is the second Nobel Laureate to sign the declaration, with the first being Dr. Ivar Giaever, winner of the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on Solid-state physics. The number of scientists and experts signing the World Climate Declaration is growing rapidly and is now over 1600 people.

Their response, and the Clintel World Climate Declaration, only reinforces what I have written in my articles on The Problems with Modern Science, Orthodoxy in Science, Scientific Consensus and Settled Science, Beware of Computer Modeling and Statistical Processing, and Climate Change. For those that would claim that Drs. Happer and Lindzen are climate science deniers, I would recommend that you read my Chirp on “08/03/23 Climate Science Denial” to this assertion.

10/12/23 Net Zero CO2

The Roman Warm Period (250 BC to AD 400) was a period of unusually warm weather in Europe and the North Atlantic that ran from approximately 250 BC to AD 400. Theophrastus (371 – c. 287 BC) wrote that date trees could grow in Greece if they were planted but that they could not set fruit there. The Winter of 536 AD was the most severe and protracted episode of climatic cooling in the Northern Hemisphere in the last 2,000 years and initiated the Late Antique Little Ice Age, which lasted from 536 to 560 AD. The medieval scholar Michael McCormick wrote that 536 was the worst year in history to be alive: "It was the beginning of one of the worst periods to be alive, if not the worst year.” In addition, a thousand years ago, during the Medieval Warm Period (about 850–1250 A.D.), Greenland supported Norse farmers who grew crops such as barley, which cannot be grown there now because of the cold. There followed the Little Ice Age that lasted from about 1250–1850 A.D., and glaciers have been retreating ever since then.

None of these fluctuations, far more dramatic than anything predicted by Global Climate Change studies, were caused by or had any correlation with, changing CO2 levels. All these severe weather changes were regional, not global, and were abated by natural forces unrelated to CO2 levels. Hence, there is reason to doubt that CO2 levels are directly related to weather changes and that other factors are more impactful to the weather on a regional basis.

In addition, Global Climate Change studies grossly overstated the harm from CO2 emissions while ignoring the benefits of CO2 to life on Earth. There is overwhelming scientific evidence that CO2 and fossils fuels provide enormous social benefits for the poor, the United States, people worldwide, and future generations; that reduction of CO2 to Net Zero would be a worldwide disaster; and that there is no significant risk that CO2 and fossils fuels will cause catastrophic warming and extreme weather events.

CO2 is the basis for nearly all life on Earth. We owe our very existence to green plants that, through photosynthesis, convert CO2 and water to carbohydrates and oxygen with sunlight. Land plants get the carbon they need from the CO2 in the air. Other essential nutrients—water, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc.—come from the soil. In turn, livestock depends on the availability of green plants to consume so that humans can consume the livestock. Without CO2, there would be no photosynthesis, no food, and no human or other life.

Therefore, we should all be wary of claims that Global Climate Change is responsible for weather events, as well as consider the benefits to humanity of increased CO2 in the atmosphere.

10/11/23 It’s All About Power and Money

My previous Chirp on “10/09/23 Quotes on Good Science” is especially applicable to Global Climate Change. As I mention in the conclusion of these quotes, “Reality is the real business of science, and any science that does not comport to reality is not science.”. As Global Climate Change predictions do not comport to reality, then I can categorically state that Global Climate Change is not science. Although some parts of the science of Global Climate Change are scientific, when aggregated into the whole of Global Climate Change science, they are dubious science.

Additionally, Climate Change activists enrich themselves through the public fear of Global Climate Change, while politicians electioneer on the fear of Global Climate Change, and scientists obtain funding and grants to investigate Global Climate Change based on the public fear of Global Climate Change. Hence, Global Climate Change is more about money and power than science.

Fear, however, is not a good basis for power and money, as when the fear abates, the former fearful often turns to those that engendered fear. It also pits those that are fearful against those that are not fearful, and using fear as a basis for scientific research corrupts science and scientists. Fear also almost always makes for irrational and unreasonable decisions, decisions that can have detrimental repercussions on people, society, and the economy, especially when a government makes these fearful decisions.

Often these government decisions are also made based on the desire for governmental control of society and/or the economy. Thus, these decisions often increase governmental power to the detriment of the Liberties and Freedoms of the people. In the case of international Global Climate Change accords, we see governments not only trying to control their people but also trying to control the people of other nations.

Much of this fear and control is instituted by the attempts to restrict or suppress the freedom of speech of those that would disagree with the Global Climate Change science. In these restrictions, the Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, Modern Big Business, Modern Education, and Social Media are complicit. By labeling all dissent of Global Climate Change science as disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation, as well as disparaging and denigrating dissenters as Climate Change Deniers, as in my Chirp on “08/03/23 Climate Science Denial”, they are implicated in the suppression of Freedom of Speech. In this, we should remember the words of wisdom of George Washington:

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."  - George Washington

In restricting or suppressing those that would disagree with the Global Climate Change science, they are echoing and repeating only one side of the Global Climate Change issue, which results in:

"When one side only of a story is heard and often repeated, the human mind becomes impressed with it insensibly."  - George Washington

An insensibly that leads people to unquestionably accept Global Climate Change as factual when there are many legitimate questions and doubts about the science of Global Climate Change science.

10/10/23 A Scientist’s Duty

As I have written in my Science Article, “Orthodoxy in Science”, dissent (a difference of opinion) and Disputation (the formal presentation of a stated proposition and the opposition to it or a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement) are common in science, especially in the soft sciences. Today, however, I have discerned a significant change in this attitude of tolerance for dissent and disputation that is especially prevalent in the science of Climate Change, COVID-19, and now Transgenderism. Most disconcerting is that the Scientific Journals and Science magazines are suppressing this dissent and disputations between their covers. In doing so, they have forgotten the admonishment of one of the greatest scientists of all time:

“The right to search for truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true.”  - Albert Einstein

But conceal is what they do, mostly by not publishing dissent and disputations or constricting what can be said in these articles. This has been pointed out in an article by Patrick T Brown on September 5, 2023, “I Left Out the Full Truth to Get My Climate Change Paper Published”, he relates that “I just got published in Nature because I stuck to a narrative I knew the editors would like. That’s not the way science should work.” As he stated in his article:

“This matters because it is critically important for scientists to be published in high-profile journals; in many ways, they are the gatekeepers for career success in academia. And the editors of these journals have made it abundantly clear, both by what they publish and what they reject, that they want climate papers that support certain preapproved narratives—even when those narratives come at the expense of broader knowledge for society.

To put it bluntly, climate science has become less about understanding the complexities of the world and more about serving as a kind of Cassandra, urgently warning the public about the dangers of climate change. However understandable this instinct may be, it distorts a great deal of climate science research, misinforms the public, and most importantly, makes practical solutions more difficult to achieve.”

He then goes on to explain why this is happening and how it works, ending the article by stating, “What really should matter isn’t citations for the journals, clicks for the media, or career status for the academics—but research that actually helps society.”

When Scientific Journals and Science magazines are not doing this on their own, they often bow to pressure from the government to censor their articles. In an article by Dr. Jay Bhattacharya on September 11, 2023, The Government Censored Me and Other Scientists. We Fought Back—and Won, he relates that “Last week, a federal appeals court confirmed that science cannot function without free speech. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya reflects on a victory for himself—and every American.” Dr. Bhattacharya then goes on to explain his background, his experience in challenging the official government position on the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the censorship he encountered when he tried to publish his findings. Using proper facts and proper reasoning to reach his conclusions was no defense against the suppression he encountered in trying to publish his findings. The government put pressure on Scientific Journals and Social Media companies to suppress or defame his conclusions, thus violating his Free Speech Rights and his scientific duty not to conceal any part of what he recognized to be true.

In their doing so, the Scientific Journals and Science magazines, along with the government and Social Media companies, are also forgetful of another of Alber Einstein’s words of wisdom:

"A man should look for what is, and not what he thinks should be."  - Albert Einstein

10/09/23 Quotes on Good Science

The world is awash in scientific studies. Many of these studies are hogwash, as they employ unscientific methods to reach a conclusion that the scientists desire. All scientists, and the public, should remember the following quotes when evaluating scientific studies:

• "A man should look for what is, and not what he thinks should be."  - Albert Einstein, 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics, and widely held to be one of the greatest and most influential scientists of all time.
• “The right to search for truth implies also a duty; one must not conceal any part of what one has recognized to be true.”  - Albert Einstein, 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics
• "Reality is the real business of physics."  - Albert Einstein, 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics

• “[W]e compare the result of [a theory’s] computation to nature, ... compare it directly with observations, to see if it works. If it disagrees with experiment, it is wrong. In that simple statement is the key to science.” - Richard Feynman, 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics
• “If you’re doing an experiment, you should report everything that you think might make it invalid – not only what you think is right about it.... Details that could throw doubt on your interpretation must be given, if you know them.” - Richard Feynman, 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics
• "Good science is always based on good experiments. Good observations always overrule purely speculative theory. Sloppy experiments, on the other hand, are frequently counterproductive and provide scientific disinformation. That is why good scientists repeat each other’s experiments carefully."  - Dr. John F. Clauser, 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics
• "The current world I observe is literally awash, saturated, with pseudoscience, with bad science, with scientific misinformation and disinformation, and what I will call “techno-cons.” Techno-cons are the application of scientific disinformation for opportunistic purposes." - Dr. John F. Clauser, 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics
• "Non-science business managers, politicians, politically appointed lab directors and the like are very easily snowed by scientific disinformation. Sometimes they participate in its origination." - Dr. John F. Clauser, 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics
• “I want to pause here and talk about this notion of consensus, and the rise of what has been called consensus science. I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had. Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus. There is no such thing as consensus science. If it's consensus, it isn't science. If it's science, it isn't consensus. Period.”  - Michael Crichton, American writer, and filmmaker educated as a Medical Doctor at Harvard University (BA, MD)

As for Albert Einstein's quote on reality I would amend it to say, “Reality is the real business of science, and any science that does not comport to reality is not science.”

10/08/23 Historical Events Judgements are Complicated

As I have mentioned in several of my Chirps and Articles, when you make judgments on historical events, you must understand the times in which they occurred. An understanding of what the people were thinking helps you understand their words and deeds. However, understanding their thinking is difficult to accomplish even for historians. Up until the 20th century, historians had only documentary evidence such as letters, pamphlets and books, newspapers, transcriptions of speeches, legal records, proclamations, and other written evidence. With the inventions of sound recordings, movies, radio, television, and videos, the documentary evidence expanded and became more comprehensive. Still, it is but an incomplete and imperfect understanding of their thinking that can be achieved.

In addition, historians often bring their modern sensibilities of morals and ethics to bear on their thinking. A good historian will attempt to constrain the influence of their modern sensibilities in their research and writing to be within the bounds of delineated judgment. However, not all historians are so principled, and quite a few of them write their histories with an agenda in mind. Such historians should be challenged and reputed by principled historians, and they often are, but it is difficult for the public to determine and discriminate against unprincipled historians. In addition, some historical writings are not done by historians but by persons who have an axe to grind for or against a historical event or personage. Therefore, we must all be wary of any historical accounting before accepting it as factual or truthful.

This was again accentuated for me in my reading of the book The Union War by Gary W. Gallagher. In his book, he attempts to eliminate his modern sensibilities to determine what the people who supported the Union cause in the Civil War thought that they were fighting for. However, he does point out the contradictions and hypocrisy of their thinking, as the following passage demonstrates:

“American democracy as practiced in 1860 exhibited glaring weaknesses. Woman, free and enslaved black people, did not partake fully of what most northerners would have defined as liberties and freedoms at the center of their popular republic. But it is important to remember, the global context within which the Civil War generation lived and fought—within which, over the proceeding decades, political and economic opportunity had been on the rise in the United States while privilege, with the failures of the European revolutions of the late 1840’s, had seemed to gain a greater stranglehold on other nations in the western world. Falling far short of perfection (as all other governments and political systems everywhere and always do) the American republic nonetheless followed a trajectory toward expansion of opportunity of its citizenry and functioned as a great magnet for immigrants seeking to improve their economical and political circumstances. Across the Atlantic, the United States stood for possibilities and change. The International Workingmen’s Association congratulated Abraham Lincoln on his reelection of 1864, presenting him with an address drafted in late November. Europe’s laboring men “felt instinctively that the star-spangled banner carried the destiny of their class” and believed “their hopes for the future, even their past conquests were at stake in the tremendous conflict on the other side of the Atlantic.”

He also discusses the efforts of many modern historians in the last half century or so to frame the Civil War in terms of race and racism, as well as the preservation of white privilege and white superiority. Despite a lack of documentary evidence and the insertion of personal opinion by these historians, the documentary evidence of the Union supporters’ motivations was for the preservation of the Union. As he states in his book:

“Much recent Civil War scholarship obscures the importance of Union for the wartime generation. Two interpretative threads run through such literature. The first and most prominent suggests that the Union of 1860—1861 scarcely deserved to be defended at the cost of any bloodshed. The second argues that a major shift in war aims occurred when northerners realized that only emancipation made their level of sacrifice worthwhile. In both instances, modern sensibilities distort our view of how participants of a distant era understood the war.”

He also has a companion book, The Confederate War, which examines what people who supported the Confederate cause in the Civil War thought that they were fighting for. Both books are well worth the read to understand the thinking of the American people of the time and to better adjudge the historical events of the Civil War and its impacts on American history.

10/07/23 Historical Personages Judgements are Complicated

In an article by Alan Dershowitz, “History is a lot more complicated than City Council’s statue-haters can admit”, he commented on the campaign to get rid of monuments honoring anyone who owned enslaved people or profited from slavery and anyone who “participated in systematic crimes against indigenous people or other crimes against humanity.” In doing so, however, you need to be aware of the full history of a person and the political and cultural environment in which they lived to make a proper judgment on a historical person, as well as the other aspects of their history. As an example, as Professor Dershowitz stated in this article:

“Consider, for example, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who has an island named after him.

He did a great many good things, but his failures were monumental and costly.

They include maintaining racial segregation in our armed forces while thousands of young African Americans were sent into battle defending democracy.

He closed the doors to Jewish immigration before and during the Holocaust, deliberately making it difficult for Jewish refugees even to fill the unused “quotas” authorized by law.

He is personally responsible for the deaths of many Jews who could have been saved had Roosevelt simply followed the law rather than pandered to the antisemites in Congress and the State Department.

History is filled with these complexities.

Thomas Jefferson’s views on slavery were complex. Abraham Lincoln’s views on the rights of African Americans were likewise complicated.

Woodrow Wilson was a man of peace but a virulent racist.”

Therefore, making judgments on a historical person based on our current morality and ethics is fraught with difficulties. You should not use our current morality and ethics as a basis of the judgment of what happened in a historical period or location but only use it as a guidepost. You should, therefore, be aware of the morals and ethics of a historical person’s time or location so that you can judge the words and deeds of the people of that time or location. You can then utilize our current morals and ethics for comparison to their morals and ethics to reach a fuller understanding of the people or events that historically occurred, as I have written in my article “Condemned to Repeat It”.

To do otherwise is nothing but "Virtue Signaling" without being virtuous, and as it has been said:

"It is much more difficult to be virtuous than it is to virtue signal."  - Unknown

10/06/23 Another Obama for President

With the decline of President Biden in public opinion polls and with questions about his age, honesty, and integrity, the Democrat Party Leaders are searching for an alternative candidate for the 2024 Presidential elections. As they search for a viable candidate that is acceptable to the American public, one name continues to pop up—Michelle Obama. The possibility of her becoming a presidential candidate demonstrates how bereft the Democrat Party is of viable candidates and how the Democratic Party will resort to appearance over substance to obtain and retain power.

Michelle Obama may be an attractive candidate to those on the left, but she is objectionable to those on the right. Her stances on the issues have reflected her extreme progressiveness, and her comments have further provoked "Divisiveness in America", as the following quote illustrates:

“We are going to have to change our conversation; we’re going to have to change our traditions, our history; we’re going to have to move into a different place as a nation.”  — Michelle Obama, May 14, 2008

I can also hear the wailing of racism and sexism against anyone who would disagree with her or critique or criticize her, which would further divide America. Given that she has no political or governmental experience, nor any business acumen or leadership, her credentials to lead or manage the Federal government are thin too nonexistent.

Thus, if the Democrat Party nominates her as their 2024 Presidential candidate, they are pinning their hopes for winning the election on appearances rather than substance on the issues. They are also demonstrating that they are more interested in rulership rather than leadership, as an unqualified President cannot lead but only rule.

10/05/23 Biden Impeachment Inquiry Simplified

South Carolina’s Representative William Timmons has made the most concise and trenchant statements about the purpose of the current inquiry on the possibility of the Impeachment of President Biden. The big three comments he made are:

“Let me simplify our impeachment inquiry for the American people. We have enormous amounts of evidence of Hunter Biden's nefarious and illegal activity. But the question is... was Joe Biden complicit and did he receive a financial benefit? With a few more subpoenas, we will do the job the DOJ, FBI, and IRS actively avoided.”

“This Congress has a duty to further investigate whether Vice President Joe Biden was an affable, loving father simply taken advantage of by his delinquent son, or a knowing participant who was complicit in the scheme and financially compensated for his role. That is why we are here today, to answer that simple question, to determine if our current president is compromised.”

“Look, this scheme is complicated. You’ve got all these countries and all these different roles different people played. But the plan is simple and repeated often. A foreign client has a problem. The foreign client pays a Biden. The vice president leverages influence to force a favorable outcome for the client. The Biden family earns its fee. That’s the scheme.”

As to whether there is sufficient evidence, at this time, to impeach President Biden, I would agree with the statement before the committee of constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley, who said that he doesn’t believe the evidence as it currently exists supports impeaching Joe Biden. What he also said, however, was that he also believed the evidence uncovered so far merited the impeachment inquiry, which is precisely as far as the House GOP has gone. Professor Turley added:

“The only way you’ll be able to get that information is to follow this evidence. What I suggest is you do so without any prejudice, you do so without any assumptions. In fact, I hope that the president will be able to show that there is no such nexus. But you won’t get those answers until you ask these questions.”

Consequently, it is important for the committee to uncover all the evidence, connect the dots, and reveal the facts and truths of Joe Biden’s involvement in Hunter Biden’s schemes. Only then can the American people determine whether an Impeachment of Joe Biden is warranted.

10/04/23 I Am Not in Favor of Democracy

If democracy means the violation of the Natural Rights of a person, then I am not in favor of democracy. If democracy means ignoring or circumventing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, then I am not in favor of democracy. If democracy means the imposition of Progressive Ideology and Ideas on America, then I am not in favor of democracy.

Unfortunately, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that the meaning of democracy is that they can implement their policy goals and political agendas without remaining within the boundaries of Natural, Human, and Civil Rights. Through "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language”, they have bamboozled the American people into believing that they are within these boundaries. To my fellow Americans, I would say do not be hoodwinked by them, as they are not within these boundaries!

Even if they obtain a broad majority of support for their policy goals and political agendas, it is not democracy if it violates the boundaries of Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights, for the majority may never violate the rights of the minority in a democracy. It is not democracy but majoritarianism if they violate these boundaries and majoritarianism, which can only be enforced by despotism.

Therefore, when Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders speak of “our democracy”, as I have examined in Chirp on "01/11/22 Our Democracy", they are not speaking of a real democracy. They are speaking of their majoritarian oligarchy, as Rob Natelson has explained in his article “‘Our Democracy’ = Their Oligarchy”. Do not let them gaslight you into believing their pronouncements, but do resist their efforts as I have Chirped on “09/30/23 Resistance Movements in Modern America”.

10/03/23 Who’s to Blame?

America has seen many botches during the Biden Administration. On the International stage, the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Ukrainian War, and the threatening actions of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, and on the National stage, the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problem, to gas price increases, to inflation, to a recession, to the Fentanyl drug addiction scourge, and to a host of other issues we have seen many botches of the Biden Administration. We have also seen how the Biden Family was involved in corrupt dealings despite their and their supporters’ denials.

The question is who is responsible for these blunders? Many have pointed to specific individuals in the Biden Administration and to President Biden himself as responsible for these blunders. In this, there is much truth, but we should also consider the larger picture which allowed for these blunders.

One of the contributing factors is a belief in Progressivism as a governing philosophy, an unfounded belief, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives". Another contributing factor is the decline of "Modern Journalism" to become advocacy journalism rather than uncovering the facts and truths. An advocacy journalism of Progressive ideology and ideas, and a support of Democrat candidates and politicians in their journalism. Finally, the American people shoulder some of this blame by electing and supporting Progressives and Democrats despite their many blunders.

It is understandable that the American people shoulder some of this blame, for after decades of progressive propaganda and advocacy journalism, they are unknowledgeable of the failures of progressivism and the facts and truths not reported or covered up by modern journalism. The biggest failure of modern journalism was in the 2020 presidential campaign. A failure of modern journalism to draw out candidate Joe Biden from his basement for the American people to make a judgment on his policies and character, the covering up of the Hunter Biden laptop, which revealed his corruption, and the lack of investigative reporting on the irregularities of the 2020 election process. Thus, the American people did not have the information they needed to make a proper judgment in electing Joe Biden.

It should also be noted that the failures of "Public Education" have produced a body politic unfamiliar with our "American Ideals and Ideas" and has degenerated into indoctrination rather than education, as I have written in my article "Indoctrination versus Education".

These larger picture factors, along with the "Systemic Family, Education, and Faith Problems" in America, have produced a society that blunders its way from one botch to another. A blundering which, if not corrected, bodes ill for the future of America.

10/02/23 Going Too Far

The book and movie “A Bridge Too Far” was the story of Operation Market Garden, the World War II Allies' attempt, in September 1944, to hasten the end of World War II by driving through Belgium and Holland into Germany to capture several bridges. Faulty intelligence, Allied high command hubris, and stubborn German resistance would ensure that the Arnhem Bridge was a bridge too far, which resulted in the failure of Operation Market Garden to achieve its goals.

In a Podcast, Jordan Peterson at Club Random with Bill Maher, Jordon Peterson related that he has posed an interesting question for Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders; “When do you think the left go too far?” He also related that he has never gotten a clear answer to this question to those he posited the question.

So, what is the answer to this question? The answer is that you go too far when you violate the Natural Rights of a person. This includes the words and deeds that you engage in to achieve your goals. The strategy of "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate", "The Weaponization of Government", the violations of the First and Second Amendments to the Constitution, and the tactics of Cancel Culture, Doxing, Hate Speech, Herd Mentality, Hyper-Partisanship, Identity Politics, Political Correctness, Virtue Signaling, and Wokeness are all a bridge too far.

Too often, the policies of Activists and Activism, Adjective Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), LGBTQIA+, Equity and Equality, Modern Feminism, Social Engineering, and allegations of Sexist, Intolerant, Xenophobic, Homophobic, Islamophobic, Racist, or Bigoted are a bridge too far and result in "Divisiveness in America".

In their self-righteousness, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that they have the morality to engage in these strategies and tactics for the greater good, as I have written in my article on the Greater Good versus the Common Good. But no greater good can be achieved by violating the Natural Rights of a person. What they will achieve is despotism against those who disagree with them.

Let us hope that by going a bridge too far, the American people will awaken to the harm that they are doing. And, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "Resistance Movements", that a resistance will arise in America against these bridges too far.

10/01/23 The Mythologies of Progressivism

As I have noted in my Chirp on "08/25/23 The Progressive Myths of Science and History", Progressives rely on the “facts” and “truths” of science and history to buttress their ideology. However, they pick and choose tidbits of facts and truths and surround them with their ideology rather than elucidating all the facts and truths. In doing so, they are corrupting science and history and creating myths of science and history, which they propagate to an unknowing public. This month’s Book It selections examine some of these Progressive myths and repudiate them with facts and truths.

09/30/23 Resistance Movements in Modern America

When Donald Trump won the Presidential election in 2016, the cries of “Resistance” rang through Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. But this resistance was not based upon self-rule and self-determination, nor the preservation of Liberties and Freedoms, but of resistance to preserve their Progressive ideology and ideas. As such, it was not a legitimate and praiseworthy resistance. In this resistance, no strategy or tactic was to be excluded, and nothing was off-limits to their resistance. False accusations, Congressional Hearings with no veracity, corruption of the FBI and the Intelligence community, IRS shenanigans, indictments and lawsuits of his supporters, physical and psychological intimidation, violence on the streets, and a steady drumbeat in the Mainstream Media against Trump and his supporters were all in play. The 2020 Presidential elections were all about covering up the infirmities, lies, and corruption of Joe Biden and his family, while the negative drumbeat against President Trump in the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech",  "Modern Big Business", "Modern Education" was incessant. They even resorted to the suppression of Free Speech, Free Assembly, and the Freedom of the Press to further this resistance. Thus, this was not resistance but repression.

In an article by Victor Davis Hanson, “What the Left Did to Our Country”, he lays out a litany of actions that the Left has taken in the last two decades to “fundamentally transform” America. A transformation not based on our "American Ideals and Ideas" but on the imposition of Progressive ideology and ideas upon America. As such, it is time for resistance to arise in America to reclaim our American Ideals and Ideas. A resistance to reaffirming the ideals of The Declaration of Independence and the ideas of the Constitution of the United States. In such resistance, it should be remembered by the resistors that:

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."   - Abraham Lincoln

Without this active resistance and the success thereof, it is quite possible that America will slide into despotism. Let us hope that we can counter this slide with the soap box, the ballot box, and the jury box rather than having to resort to the ammo box, as I have written in my Article, “The Four Boxes of Liberty”. But if we cannot successfully resist through the soap box, the ballot box, and the jury box, the ammo box may be necessary to preserve the last best hope of Liberty and Freedom from perishing from the Earth.

09/29/23 Resistance Movements in Modern World History

Post World War II, there were many resistance movements to oppose established authorities in the hopes of establishing Natural Rights amongst all the people of the world. These resistance movements were primarily against Communism and British and French Colonialism. In the case of British and French Colonialism, the resistance movements were successful in ending colonialism, sometimes peaceably and sometimes not. These colonialist resistance movements were for the purposes of self-rule and self-determination of the people of a country. Thus, they were legitimate and praiseworthy resistance movements. Unfortunately, violence often erupted during this resistance, and Natural Rights were often violated during the resistance. In some cases, the end of colonialism did not bring about self-rule and self-determination but tyranny that violated the Natural Rights of the people.

The yearning for Liberty and Freedom in post-World War II Communist countries led to many resistance movements in these countries. Some resistance movements were organized, and some were spontaneous. All were in an effort to establish self-rule, self-determination, and Natural Rights in these countries, and all were opposed by the communist governments. The Gulag in the Soviet Union, the State Police in Eastern Block European Iron Curtain countries, the Cultural Revolution in Red China, and other Crimes against Humanity under Communist Regimes occurred as a result of resistance to Communist authorities. Eventually, Communism collapsed due to economic forces and the mass support for the resistance movements. The few remaining Communist countries adopted economic reforms to forestall economic ruination, but they continued to impose political oppressions and violations of the Natural Rights of their people.

In Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East, resistance movements were often targeted against tyrannies and dictatorships. They were often violent and not often successful, and where they were successful, they often replaced one form of tyranny and dictatorship with another form of tyranny and dictatorship. Thus, the peoples of those countries did not achieve self-rule and self-determination, the Natural Rights of their peoples were ignored or suppressed, and the economic condition of the people was not improved and sometimes deteriorated.

Consequently, when evaluating resistance movements, it is necessary to determine if the resistors are attempting to institute self-rule and self-determination and establish the Natural Rights of their people. Too often, a resistance movement has espoused laudatory purposes, but the ends are not commendable, or they become corrupted. Thus, it is even more important to determine if their intended goals are just words rather than deeds. A determination that is often difficult to ascertain and requires constant surveillance of the words and deeds of a resistance movement. For, as one of our Founding Fathers has said:

"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."   - Thomas Jefferson

Any resistance movement that is for the purposes of self-rule and self-determination and the Liberties and Freedoms of its people is legitimate and should be supported by all liberty and freedom-loving persons of the world. Conversely, any resistance movements that are not for these purposes should be opposed by all liberty and freedom-loving persons of the world.

09/28/23 Resistance Movements in World War II

In the warmongering, before and during World War II, it was often downplayed or forgotten that many of the peoples of NAZI Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan resisted against their governments. The British and American authorities did not provide any support for these resisters and often engaged in words and deeds that were counterproductive to their efforts. The book The New Dealers' War: FDR and the War Within World War II by Thomas Fleming details many of the words and deeds that were counterproductive to the resistance and how the Allies could have provided assistance to the resisters.

The German resistance to Nazism was composed of many individuals and groups in Germany that were opposed to the Nazi regime and engaged in resistance, including assassination attempts on Adolf Hitler or by overthrowing his regime. It has been estimated that during the course of World War II 800,000 Germans were arrested by the Gestapo for resistance activities. It has also been estimated that between 15,000 and 77,000 of the Germans were executed by the Nazis. Resistance members were usually tried, mostly in show trials, by Sondergerichte (Special Courts), courts-martial, People's Courts, and the civil justice system. Many of the German resistance had served in government in military or civil positions, which enabled them to engage in subversion and conspiracy.

The Italian resistance movement, Resistenza, is an umbrella term for the Italian resistance groups who fought the occupying forces of Nazi Germany and the fascist collaborationists of the Italian Social Republic during the Second World War in Italy from 1943 to 1945. As a diverse anti-fascist movement and organization, the Resistenza opposed Nazi Germany, as well as Nazi Germany's Italian puppet state regime, the Italian Social Republic, which the Germans created following the Nazi German invasion and military occupation of Italy by the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS from 8 September 1943 until 25 April 1945.

Political dissidence in the Empire of Japan consisted of individual Japanese dissidents against the policies of the Empire of Japan, but there were no formal resistance groups or movements.

What is important for the purposes of this Chirp is that it is crucial to support any resistance group that opposes evil and the violations of Natural Rights. If we had done so in NAZI Germany and Fascist Italy before and during World War II, the history of this war may have been quite different. Therefore, it is important that we remember these resistance movements and learn the lessons of history if we do not support them. Thus, this Chirp is a remembrance of those people and groups in NAZI Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan that opposed the forces of evil in their countries. It is also a plea for support for resistance movements of those people who are standing up for self-rule and self-determination and the Liberties and Freedoms of the people of their country in our modern world.

09/27/23 Resistance Movements in American History

Resistance to authority in the form of despotism, totalitarianism, tyranny, monarchy, dictatorship, and other oppressions of self-rule and self-determination have been common throughout human history. The yearning for and understanding of Natural Rights has grown throughout human history, and with it, the desire for Liberty and Freedom has increased.

America itself was born out of resistance to the authoritarianism of the British government that attempted to suppress self-rule and self-determination and the Natural Rights of the colonists as expressed in the particulars of the Declaration of Independence. In doing so, they formulated a new expression of the purpose of government and basic Natural Rights in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.”

In this paragraph, they also established the legitimacy of resistance if it were for the purposes of self-rule and self-determination and the desire for governmental protection of Liberties and Freedoms that flow from the Natural Rights of the people.

After winning its freedom from England, Americans attempted to enshrine the principles of this new formulation of government in the Constitution of the United States, as expressed in the preamble to the Constitution:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Yet, they were not perfect in these principles, as they violated them by allowing the stain and evil of slavery to exist in America. This led to the second great resistance in America and eventually to the Civil War that ended this stain and evil.

Prior to America’s entrance into World Wars I and II, there was significant resistance in America to our entrance into these wars. Only when these wars were framed in the context of Liberty and Freedom did the resistance to these wars dissipate.

The next great resistance movement in American history was in the form of the Civil Rights movement. This (mostly) non-violent movement, placed in the context of Liberty and Freedom, gained the support of the American people and ended systemic bigotry and discrimination in America.

The next resistance occurred in the protests against the Vietnam War. While initially, many of the resistors were non-violent, as the war dragged on, much resistance turned violent. This violence divided Americans, and these divisions lingered on for many decades.

Thus, American resistance movements were for the purposes of self-rule and self-determination, the reaffirmation of Natural Rights, and the expansion of Liberty and Freedoms for the people. As such, they were legitimate and praiseworthy resistance movements.

09/26/23 You Have to Wonder

When thinking about the career of Senator, Vice President, and now President Joe Biden, you must wonder whether he does or says something because he’s a liar or because he’s genuinely stupid. Now you need to add a third and fourth option: corruption and senility. His entire political career has been about him: his egotism, his nihilism, his self-importance, his expedience in saying anything to advance his career, and his avarice to enrich himself and his family. This bespeaks his being a person without character and principles. His motivations appear to be to obtain and retain power and to enrich himself and his family from that power.

Also, as Robert Gates, former defense secretary in the Obama administration, once put it, Biden has “been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.” and as President Obama has stated, “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f**k things up.” This also bespeaks his being limited in knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom.

And wrong and f**k things up has been the story of Joe Biden’s Presidency. America is far the worse by the presence of Joe Biden on our political scene. A nation divided and floundering characterizes his Presidency. The American people have been hoodwinked by his stay-at-home presidential campaign of 2020 and the many cover-ups of his lies, incompetencies, and corruption by the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", and "Social Media".

Given Joe Biden’s history, you need not wonder anymore—he is a liar, stupid, corrupt, and now senile. For those who do not believe this, I would remind them of the words of the American Scholar Charles L. Black, " I think we ought to exercise one of the sovereign prerogatives of philosophers- that of laughter."

09/25/23 Influence Peddling and Lobbying

Influence peddling is the practice of using one's influence in government or connections with authorities to obtain favors or preferential treatment for another, usually in return for payment. It is also called traffic of influence or trading in influence. Influence peddling per se is not necessarily illegal, as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has often used the modified term "undue influence peddling" to refer to illegal acts of lobbying. However, influence peddling is typically associated with corruption and may, therefore, delegitimize democratic politics with the general public.

Lobbying or advocacy in politics is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies, but also judges of the judiciary. Lobbying, which usually involves direct, face-to-face contact in cooperation with support staff that may not meet directly face-to-face, is done by many types of people, associations, and organized groups, including individuals on a personal level in their capacity as voters, constituents, or private citizens; it is also practiced by corporations in the private sector serving their own business interests; by non-profits and non-governmental organizations in the voluntary sector through advocacy groups (interest groups) to fulfill their mission such as requesting humanitarian aid or grantmaking; and by fellow legislators or government officials influencing each other through legislative affairs (legislative assistance) in the public sector. Lobbying or certain practices that share commonalities with lobbying are sometimes referred to as government relations or government affairs, and sometimes legislative relations or legislative affairs.

Influence peddling and lobbying have been part and parcel of governance throughout history and are a result of powerful governments that can enrich or immiserate persons or organizations outside of government. A main difference between influence peddling and lobbying is that influence peddling enriches those in power while lobbying influences those in power to obtain favorable treatment that would enrich those not in power. Consequently, influence peddling satisfies the avariciousness of the politician or bureaucrat, while lobbying satisfies the greed and desires of the non-politician.

The perils of influence peddling and lobbying are that the decisions reached under their influence may have serious (negative) repercussions on the public welfare. The policies of international relationships may be detrimental, the health and safety of the public may be impacted, and the economic impacts may redound negatively to the general good. It is also an unfortunate fact that influence peddling has enriched many a politician, their spouses, families, and friends, as well as their campaign coffers. There is no practical way to eliminate influence peddling and lobbying in government, but when these activities rise to the level of consequential impacts, those involved must be punished either judicially, politically, or economically for their avarice or greed that has brought harm to the general public.

Such is the case of the alleged Biden Family corruption. Not only have they enriched themselves by their influence peddling, but they have corrupted the justice system to deny their wrongdoing. Both actions have wrought great harm to America. While there may be judicial actions that can be utilized to prosecute Joe Biden’s family and friends, the only action that can be taken against Joe Biden while he is the sitting president is Impeachment.

While I am generally against Impeachment, for the reasons that I have written in several articles on The Impeachment of President Trump, the influence peddling of Joe Biden and his family may rise to the level of impeachment. In my article on The Case for the Impeachment of President Biden, I have stated that in evaluating the wisdom of impeachment, you must balance the harm to the functioning of the government and the balance of powers between Congress and the Presidency as a result of an impeachment process, as well as the harm done to the Constitution and America as a result of the Unconstitutional governance by a President. In doing so, you must also keep in mind that “The Constitution is not a suicide pact” when you make a judgment to proceed or not to proceed with an impeachment process. Often, you must make a Sophie’s Choice of the lesser of two evils when faced with this dilemma.

I, therefore, believe that President Biden is deserving of impeachment, conviction, and removal from office. However, as Rob Natelson has explained in his article, “Constitution’s Impeachment Rules Require Biden Inquiry to Be Narrowly Focused”, the impeachment inquiry and possible articles of impeachment must be limited to Joe Biden’s role in the Biden Family corruption. I also believe that on balance, and in both the short and long term, the harm he has done by his influence peddling and to the corruption of the judicial system is far greater than the harm that may result from his impeachment.

09/24/23 Plausible Deniability

Plausible deniability is the ability of people, typically senior officials in a formal or informal chain of command, to deny knowledge of or responsibility for actions committed by or on behalf of members of their organizational hierarchy. They may do so because of a lack or absence of evidence that can confirm their participation, even if they were personally involved in or at least willfully ignorant of the actions. If illegal or otherwise disreputable and unpopular activities become public, high-ranking officials may deny any awareness of such acts to insulate themselves and shift the blame onto the agents who carried out the acts, as they are confident that their doubters will be unable to prove otherwise. The lack of evidence to the contrary ostensibly makes the denial plausible (credible), but sometimes, it makes any accusations only unactionable.

Plausible deniability has often been deliberately utilized by politicians to obtain the goals they desire while shirking the responsibility if the goal is unpopular and, if uncovered, could result in electoral harm. In the case of the Biden family corruption, the entire scheme was designed for plausible deniability. Shell companies, secretive bank accounts, overseas bank transfers, pseudonyms and codewords, duplicitous email addresses, and non-reporting of income to the IRS do not speak of above-board actions by those involved. And besides the goal of enriching themselves without honest efforts, it appears that they were trying to isolate Joe Biden from the appearance of direct involvement in their schemes. To believe otherwise calls for, as Hillary Clinton once stated, “…  a willing suspension of disbelief.”

The one thing that they have forgotten is that for plausible deniability to succeed, it is necessary that the deniability be plausible. As such, as nobody of intelligence and integrity believes their explanations, rather than plausible deniability, they have resorted to the corruption of the justice system to deny wrongdoing.

A corruption of the justice system by slow-walking investigation until the statute of limitations expires, a corruption of the justice system by not utilizing proper investigative techniques, a corruption of the justice system by attempts to plea deal with future immunities and a corruption of the justice system by covering up the other corruptions. They have also corrupted our governance by refusing to release information, redacting information, withholding witnesses, and sometimes deceit or dissembling testimony to Congressional oversight committees.

In this corruption, they have been assisted by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists commentators, as well as by the Mainstream Media’s lack of accurate and truthful reporting. A corruption of the justice system that is an assault on our "American Ideals and Ideas" and antithetical to "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". A corruption of the justice system that, if successful, leads to further corruption in the future by other parties.

09/23/23 Economical or Not

To be economical or not to be economical, that is the question. It is an unfortunate fact that "Progressives/Leftists" and "Activists and Activism" have given little or no consideration of the economic impacts of their words and deeds. Without understanding the economics of their words and deeds, it is not possible to create a policy to deal with their concerns. Indeed, any policy that does not account for economics (or human nature) is doomed to failure. And you cannot counter or ignore the economics of any policy decision, or, to paraphrase one of my quotes:

"To deny economics, or to not acknowledge economics, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

The problem with economics is that it is inexact. The very complexity of economics and the interrelationships between the different complexities make it an inexact science. Economics is also bound up in human nature, and the reactions of humans to changes in their economic circumstances make it impossible to predict the economic impacts of a policy. Different economists have different opinions, often contrary to each other, that are often incompatible and unresolvable. This is why predictions in economics are more often wrong than right.

When Activists, Progressives/Leftists, and Democrat Party Leaders make economic statements, they are often based upon rosy assumptions of what they desire it to be, and when the government makes economic statements, they are most often wrong. Alas, this is most especially true of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), as their economic models are constrained by limitations, assumptions, and presumptions imposed by Congressional politicians. Thus, Congress operates on false economic models of their own making that are constrained to provide rosy economic projections of their policies. Anytime you have a model with constraints that contain assumptions and presumptions, it will most likely produce incorrect results (one only has to look at Climate Change models that are consistently incorrect for proof of the assertion). Indeed, it can be said that the greater the complexity and interrelationships of a model and the further it projects into the future, the more likely it is to be wrong.

Consequently, all economic models and projections should be taken with a grain of salt, as they often are wrong and tinged by the desires of those who do the modeling. And always remember:

"If you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything."   - from Darrell Huff's book "How to Lie With Statistics" (1954)

And:

"All models are wrong, some are useful."   - George E. P. Box, one of the great statistical minds of the 20th century

09/22/23 Truth, Justice, and the American Way

The articulation “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” was a catchphrase of the comic-book character Superman until they went woke in 2021 and changed it to "Truth, Justice, and a Better Tomorrow." Of course, “a Better Tomorrow” is highly subjective and open to interpretation as to what constitutes a better tomorrow. To paraphrase Thomas Sowell, "The most basic question is not what is a Better Tomorrow, but who shall decide what is a Better Tomorrow?” I do not believe it is wise to allow comic book authors to determine a Better Tomorrow, nor wise to allow any group of people to determine what is a better tomorrow. Each person must have the Liberty and Freedom to determine what is a better tomorrow for them and society through the democratic process to determine what is a better tomorrow for society.

The original phrase is much less subjective, as it is based upon our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our commitment to  "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". Thus, once again, we see Progressives/Leftists sowing doubt and confusion to achieve their political goals. Therefore, have no doubts and do not be confused, as “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” is the proper articulation of Americans and America.

09/21/23 Be Careful What You Ask For

In an article by Charles C. W. Cooke, “Why Not Arrest Governor Lujan Grisham?” and an additional commentary article by Andrew C. McCarthy, “Why Not Arrest Governor Lujan Grisham . . . Pursuant to the Civil Rights Law the Biden Justice Department Is Using to Prosecute Donald Trump?”, they both make some interesting points.

As Mr. Cooke points out that:

“More than anything else, the Framers of America’s constitutional order feared executive tyranny. They built a nation of laws not men, of constitutions not caprice, of legislatures not kings.”

As such, no Executive or Executive Officer can act without Legislative approval. When an Executive or Executive Officer arbitrarily acts without Legislative approval, then they are violating the foundations of our governance and leading us into tyranny. As Mr. Cooke has also said in his article:

“A stable and intelligible set of written laws is what separates free nations such as the United States and the tyrannies it was designed to avoid. That law must be seamless in its scope and application. It cannot be applied to some but not others; it cannot be suspended at will; it cannot be subordinated to the subjective judgment of those who swore an oath to uphold it. It exists, or it does not. It remains intact, or it is torn apart. It is universal, or it is obviated.”

Mr. McCarthy points out that the statute being used to prosecute former President Trump by the Biden Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith in the federal election interference case has broader implications if applied to other government officials. Section 241 of the federal penal code is the civil-rights conspiracy statute states:

“If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same[,] … [t]hey shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both[.]”

He also states that:

“Obviously, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D., N.M.) and her subordinates have conspired to injure, oppress, threaten, and intimidate Americans in New Mexico in the free exercise and enjoyment of their Second Amendment rights. Indeed, her acknowledgment that she expects to be challenged in court underscores both her criminal intent and the fact that the rights she has decided to “suspend” are well established in constitutional law.”

When an Executive Officer does not faithfully execute the laws as passed by the Legislature, they are violating the rights of the people within their jurisdiction. This is also a violation of our republican form of government, where the elected people’s representatives in the Legislature make the laws, while the Executive officers (both elected and appointed) must faithfully execute the laws as passed by the Legislature. It is also a violation of their Oath of Office to uphold the United States Constitution and their State Constitution and to faithfully execute the laws thereof. When the Executive officers disagree with a law, they have the right to request the legislature modify, eliminate, or create laws, but they have no right to ignore or skirt the law. The use of “Prosecutorial Discretion” to justify not faithfully executing the laws does not hold water, as I have discussed in my Chirp on "01/17/23 Prosecutorial Discretion".

When any elected or appointed official in any of the three branches of government—Executive, Legislative, or Judicial, does not uphold the law or advocates for the ignoring or skirting of the law, they are engaging in an insurrection against the proper authority of our government, and they should be removed from office either by impeachment or prosecution for violating Section 241 of the federal penal code.

This course of action against these transgressors would require that our leaders have the fortitude to stand up for the principle of the Constitution rather than the expediency of “doing something” and/or pandering for votes. Alas, such fortitude seems to be in short supply in modern America. If our leaders cannot do so, then those of us who believe in our "American Ideals and Ideas" need the fortitude to dispose our leaders who cannot or will not stand up for the principles of our Constitution. In this, we should remember the words of wisdom of the 16th President of the United States:

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."   - Abraham Lincoln

09/20/23 Enmities in America

In the book, “A Disease in the Public Mind: A New Understanding of Why We Fought the Civil War” by Thomas Fleming, he illuminates the emotional enmity that arose between the North and the South prior to the start of the Civil War:

“By the time John Brown hung from the gallows for his crimes at Harper's Ferry, Northern abolitionists had made him a holy martyr” in their campaign against Southern slave owners. This Northern hatred for Southerners long predated their objections to slavery. They were convinced that New England, whose spokesmen had begun the American Revolution, should have been the leader of the new nation. Instead, they had been displaced by Southern slavocrats like Thomas Jefferson. This malevolent envy exacerbated the South's greatest fear: a race war. Jefferson's cry, “We are truly to be pitied,” summed up their dread. For decades, extremists in both regions flung insults and threats, creating intractable enmities. By 1861, only a civil war that would kill a million men could save the Union.”

Such emotional enmities are not uncommon in American history and are with us today. Today, in America, these enmities are often based on falsehoods, as I have written in my article "The Biggest Falsehoods in America". This divide is mainly between the Progressives and the Conservatives in America, and they are exacerbated by the Progressive belief that the ills of America are systemic, while the Conservatives believe the ills are of individuals or small groups of Americans. Much of this belief is rooted in the definition of ‘Systemic’ and the differences between Equity and Equality.

Systemic— affecting an entire system is when a society structures itself in its social, economic, or political practice to achieve a purpose, for either good or ill. In the past, America has had systemic problems, the worst being Slavery, Bigotry, and Discriminations. One of the greatness of America is being able to recognize these problems and correct them. Consequently, these are no longer systemic problems but problems that occur by the words and deeds of individuals or groups or some underlying issues that need correction (e.g., quality public education and economic opportunity).

Too often, Progressives only focus on the outcomes in America and decry the inequities while not examining the causes to determine if there are inequalities. Looking only at the outcomes of these supposed falsehoods can lead you to believe it is a systemic problem, but looking into the causes of these falsehoods can lead you to a different conclusion. Examining the entire process of equalities and equities can assist in correcting the problems of inequalities and inequities. To focus on one or the other to almost the exclusion of the other is a recipe for tragedy, as it will not solve the problems but often create additional problems.

Criticizing society based on inequities presupposed that a utopian society of equalities and equities is possible. While this may be a laudatory goal, it is but a delusion, as it does not account for human nature or economics. While all humans are born with equal Natural Rights, not all humans are born with equal talents or abilities. This is the main cause of inequities, as people of more talent or abilities often rise in American society, while those of lesser talents and abilities remain static, regress, or moderately advance in society. Thus, there will always be inequities in society based on talents and abilities.

Economics also plays a large part in equalities and equities. Some people have better access to capital in the form of cash and loans. Those who can take advantage of this access to economically advance themselves. The question then becomes whether this access is based on systemic or extrinsic forces. America has many laws and regulations to ensure that there are no systemic biases in access to capital. However, laws are imperfect, and when possible systemic inequalities are discovered, the laws and regulations are modified to address these inequalities. To utilize inequities as a basis to adjudge if a problem is systemic does not do justice to economic forces. Thus, all should remember when examining inequalities and inequities that:

"To deny human nature or economics, or to not acknowledge human nature or economics, is foolish. To do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

This focus on Inequalities, along with The Biggest Falsehoods in America, has much to do with the enmities in America. A focus on inequalities and the correction of such would reduce the inequities that occur and ensure the fair treatment of all persons in America. Focusing on inequities leads to "Divisiveness in America" and a lessening of "A Civil Society" in America. This focus also pits groups of Americans against each other and creates a sense of victimhood in America. This protracted enmity can only lead to civil disunion that bodes ill for America, for such a protracted enmity once led to the American Civil War to resolve this enmity.

09/19/23 Lawfare

In an article by Jeff Davidson, “The DOJ's Insidious Practice of Lawfare, Intimidation, and Coercion”, he defines “Lawfare” as:

“Lawfare is impacting society in horrendous ways, many of which ultimately impact your life and your experiences. What is lawfare? Derived from combining the words "law" and "warfare," it is the employment of legal approaches to delegitimize, damage, or destroy an opposing party or to hinder their ability to employ their own legal rights.”

He also goes on to state that:

“Lawfare was employed against individuals whom the DOJ had targeted, to damage or disparage their character, waste their money and time, or triumph over them for public relations purposes. Today the DOJ persecutes, coerces, badgers, and prosecutes Americans, mainly conservatives, time after time.”

Lawfare is the primary means of the weaponization of government, as I have written in my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government". The employment of lawfare is an assault on the Liberties and Freedoms of Americans, as it deters Americans from exercising their liberties and freedom for fear of becoming involved in lawfare actions by the government.

The purpose of lawfare is not so much in the conviction of a criminal act in a court of law, and, indeed, many of the convictions are for Process Crimes rather than actual criminal acts. In many cases, lawfare is utilized to coerce a defendant to plead guilty to a lesser crime rather than face the time, legal expense, and possible greater sentence in the event of a conviction of the alleged larger crime. Lawfare is also utilized to threaten the spouse, children, and other family members of a defendant with possible lawfare actions if the accused does not plead guilty to some crimes.

As such, lawfare is an aspect of despotism by the government. A despotism that is an assault on our "American Ideals and Ideas" and antithetical to "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

09/18/23 What the Left Did

In a new article by Victor Davis Hanson, “What the Left Did to Our Country”, he lays out a litany of actions that the Left did to “fundamentally transform” America, a transformation for the worse. As he has written:

“In the last 20 years, the Left has boasted that it has gained control of most of America institutions of power and influence—the corporate boardroom, media, Silicon Valley, Wall Street, the administrative state, academia, foundations, social media, entertainment, professional sports, and Hollywood.

With such support, between 2009-17, Barack Obama was empowered to transform the Democratic Party from its middle-class roots and class concerns into the party of the bicoastal rich and subsidized poor—obsessions with big money, race, a new intolerant green religion, and dividing the country into a binary of oppressors and oppressed.”

He then goes on to list the ways that the Left has “fundamentally transformed” America for the worse and how the Biden administration has accelerated this transformation.

The Left, in doing so, is fulfilling Abraham Lincoln’s prophecy about the destruction of America from within. In Lincoln's The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions speech of January 27, 1838, he spoke of how America could be destroyed:

“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.”

The Left’s actions are an attempt to coax America into committing suicide. In this, they are being assisted by well-meaning but credulous Progressives and duplicitous Democrat Party leaders. Professor Hanson closes this article by stating:

“We could variously characterize their efforts as destroying the nation to save it, or burning it down to start over, or fundamentally transforming America into something never envisioned by the Founders.

Will their upheaval succeed? All the levers of the power and money are on the side of the revolutionaries. The people are not. And they are starting to wake to the notion if they do not stop the madness in their midst they very soon won’t have a country.”

09/17/23 The Ever-present Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was a knowledgeable, intelligent, and wise person well beyond his humble beginnings, education, and years. In three of his speeches, before he became President, he demonstrated all these attributes. These speeches are Lincoln's The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions speech of January 27, 1838, Lincoln's A House Divided speech of June 16, 1858, and Lincoln's Cooper Union Address of February 27, 1860. In these speeches, he demonstrated his command of the troubles of his time and their causes. But these causes go beyond his time to the very nature of the problems of a Republican form of governance. Thus, they ring as true today as they did in Lincoln’s time.

My new Article, “The Ever-present Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln”, reviews these speeches in the context of their applicability to today’s events in America.

09/16/23 Presidential Liars of the 21st Century

In the 21st century, America has suffered a succession of Presidential liars. These are:

Barack Obama (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African-American president. Obama previously served as a U.S. senator representing Illinois from 2005 to 2008 and as an Illinois state senator from 1997 to 2004 and worked as a civil rights lawyer and university lecturer.

Donald Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.

Joseph Biden (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who is the 46th and current president of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 under President Barack Obama and represented Delaware in the United States Senate from 1973 to 2009.

Many people would include President George W. Bush as one of the biggest Presidential liars in the 21st century for the statements he made against Saddam Hussein of Iraq. However, President Bush was not lying but mistaken, as he was informed by the intelligence community, the military, and the State Department that his statement was factual. It wasn’t until after the Iraq War that they learned that Saddam Hussein had engaged in a massive deception to mislead America as to its capabilities and intentions. Thus, President Bush was mistaken and not a liar, as I have written in my chirps on “09/11/23 Truth as a Defense”.

While there is not yet a scholarly examination of these lies, there has been much political commentary on the lies. Any objective observer of the American political scene knows of these lies and, untainted from political considerations, knows that these lies have had an impact (sometimes positive and sometimes negative) on American governance, politics, and society.

All these Presidential lies of the 20th century and 21st century have seeped into the American psyche, and lying is now expected of Presidents and politicians. Thus, the character of the American people has been corrupted, and we have become more cynical and accepting of lies by Presidents and politicians. As such, we have become infected in our souls, as explained by Plato:

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil."  – Plato

09/15/23 Presidential Liars of the 20th Century

"False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil."  – Plato

Lying seems to be a political trait, and the history of America is littered with lies by Presidents and politicians. These lies are of two varieties: personal lies and policy lies. Personal lies are often done to enhance their biographies and make them more appealing to the electorate, while policy lies are to advance a political agenda that they believe is best for America. Personal lies reflect upon their insecurities about themselves or the concealment of unpleasant truths of their lives. Policy lies are a deception to institute an agenda that the American people may not be supportive of or to cloak aspects of a policy that may be disagreeable to the American people. In either case, this lying is often injurious to society and the American people.

In the 20th century, this lying was elevated to a new level to institute fundamental changes to our governance and our domestic and foreign policies. In many cases, the Civil Rights of their opponents were violated to suppress the opposition to these changes and to cover up these lies. The three biggest Presidential liars of the 20th century are:

Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of Princeton University and as the governor of New Jersey before winning the 1912 presidential election. As president, Wilson changed the nation's economic policies and led the United States into World War I in 1917. He was the leading architect of the League of Nations, and his progressive stance on foreign policy came to be known as Wilsonianism.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882 – April 12, 1945), commonly known as FDR, was an American statesman and politician who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. Roosevelt directed the federal government during most of the Great Depression, implementing the New Deal in response to the worst economic crisis in American history. He also built the New Deal coalition, realigning American politics into the Fifth Party System and defining American liberalism throughout the middle third of the 20th century. His third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II.

Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served as vice president from 1961 to 1963. A Democrat from Texas, Johnson also served as a U.S. representative and senator.

The books The Illusion of Victory: America In World War I by Thomas Fleming and The New Dealers' War: FDR and the War Within World War II again by Thomas Fleming document these lies by Wilson and Roosevelt, while the Pentagon Papers document the lies of Johnson.

While Wilson has been criticized for his lies, and LBJ has been disparaged for his lies, FDR is still held in esteem by many, as the full extent of his lies is not well known. This is regrettable, as the extent of FDR's lies has been detrimental to America. The repercussions of all the Presidential lies on the international stage embroiled America in wars with dreadful consequences, and the repercussions of their lies on the domestic stage changed the character and economics of America. Repercussions that are still being negatively felt in today’s America and the world.

09/14/23 Media Lies and Cover-ups

From the Presidential campaign through the administration of President Trump in 2015 to 2019, we were inundated 24/7 with media lies like "Russian Collusion," "Putin's Puppet," "Election Rigging," and the "Steele Dossier." When all such "evidence" was proven to be a complete fraud fabricated through Hillary Clinton's surreptitious hiring of and collusion with a discredited ex-British spy, Christopher Steele, and a Russian fabulist at the Brookings Institution, Igor "Iggy" Danchenko, and a Clinton toady in Moscow, Olga Galkina, as examined in the NY Post article “Inside the Clinton dossier and the con behind the Russiagate scandal”. Their reporting on the two Impeachments of President Trump and the “Insurrection” of 2021 was so one-sided that a majority of the American people reacted with antipathy to their reporting. They also responded to allegations of voter fraud in the 2020 Presidential election by denials or cover-ups without any investigative reporting. In any of this, did the media apologize for the disinformation, misinformation, and malinformation that they spread? Were any of the Pulitzer Prizes or other news media awards rescinded for these lies and cover-ups?

In the Presidential campaign of 2020 and throughout his administration, Joe Biden repeatedly lied when he claimed he knew nothing of his son Hunter's influence-peddling businesses. The president further prevaricated that he was not involved in Hunter's various shake-down schemes. Had journalists just been honest and independent and reported the facts, then-candidate Joe Biden might have lost a presidential debate and even the 2020 election. The public would have learned from Hunter's business associates and his laptop contents, which the media claimed was Russian disinformation but was proved to be true, that Joe was deeply involved in his son's illicit businesses. As the NY Post article “Media’s long con to bury Hunter Biden’s laptop scandal”, the media has been an active supporter of the Hunter Biden laptop lies and cover-ups. As Victor Davis Hanson has written in his article “From One Unapologetic Media Hoax to the Next”, they continue to lie or cover up the truth of the Biden family corruption to this day.

For the last eight years, the discredited media has never expressed remorse for any of the damage they did to the country. And they will not apologize again when the latest indictments against former President Trump are eventually exposed as duplicity. No one has ever been fired or apologized for perpetuating journalistic fraud on the masses of fake news stories that are believed by the core of liberal America. But given liberals’ penchant for self-righteousness and insufferable condescension, it’s not shocking that we’ll never get an apology. They can’t admit that they’re wrong because they’re too arrogant and dismiss those who were correct about this story because they view them as inferior. And that is why the media is distrusted and will never learn from their mistakes.

Alas, "Modern Journalism" ethics have sunk so low that they have become the propaganda arm of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, and they are now a Fifth Column rather than the Fourth Estate in America. This bodes ill for America, as without proper facts and proper reasoning, the American people cannot make proper decisions about the future course of America. And proper facts and proper reasoning to arrive at truths is what proper journalism should be about, for:

"There can be no truths without proper facts and proper reasoning."   - Mark Dawson

09/13/23 Mistakes, Lies, or Truths?

In the recent indictments of former President Trump, the question of whether he was mistaken or lying, or perhaps telling the truth, has been raised. As I have pointed out in my chirp on “09/11/23 Truth as a Defense”, if President Trump was mistaken or was telling the truth, then the indictments are without merit on these points and need to be dismissed in a court of law. If he was lying, then the burden of proof falls upon the prosecution that these were knowing lies with the intent to commit criminal acts.

In all of science, engineering, law, philosophy, theology, economics, statistics, and many other areas of human interactions, the Burden of Proof" is upon the person or persons who make the assertion, or as Christopher Hitchens once said, "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." The burden of proof must be based upon "Reasoning" rather than emotions, for emotions will almost always lead to a false conclusion. If you do otherwise, you may fall into the trap of "if you cannot show their assertion is wrong, then their assertion must be right", which is obviously an untrue statement. You may also fall into the trap of trying to prove a negative, which is almost impossible to do. You should also remember that "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence".

In American jurisprudence, the prosecution always bears the burden of proof (i.e., Innocent until proven guilty). Consequently, the prosecution must prove that President Trump knowingly lied for criminal intent purposes. If the prosecution cannot meet this burden of proof, then these trials are nothing but Show Trials to tarnish President Trump and to sway the electorate against President Trump. If it is the latter, then the prosecution is engaging in election interference, and if it is the former, the prosecution is engaging in smear tactics. In either the former or latter, the prosecution is perverting justice by not engaging in "Justice and The Rule of Law in America". There is also more than a hint of “Show me the man and I will find the crime” that Lavrentiy Beria, the most ruthless and longest-serving secret police chief in Joseph Stalin’s reign of terror in Russia and Eastern Europe, bragged that he could prove criminal conduct on anyone, even the innocent. By stretching the bounds of the law, the Trump prosecutors are attempting to find the crime. By prosecuting Trump’s advisors, both legal and others, they are also attempting to breach lawyer-client privilege and Presidential advisors’ communications confidentiality. They are also not considering the repercussions of their actions on the future of American society. If we allow this type of prosecution against one side, then when the other side controls the levers of power, then these prosecutions may become commonplace in American governance. We should also keep in mind the following dialog:

William Roper: “So, now you give the Devil the benefit of law!” Sir Thomas More: “Yes! What would you do? Cut a great road through the law to get after the Devil?” William Roper: “Yes, I'd cut down every law in England to do that!” Sir Thomas More: “Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!” ― Robert Bolt, A Man for All Seasons

 Thus, the prosecutors in the Trump indictments are not giving “the Devil benefit of law” and are imperiling the safety of the law for all. They are, therefore, violating our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". They are also leading America down the path to a Banana Republic and instituting "Despotism in America".

09/12/23 Doubt and Confusion

Through the utilization of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language”, progressives seem intent on sowing doubt and confusion in the minds of the American people. Doubt and confusion that is used as a paralysis for the words and deeds of those Americans who may not agree with them, thus allowing them to institute their political goals and policy agendas while uncertainty reigns in the minds of the American public.

They often use inane platitudes and assertions without evidence that, with further examination, turn out to be falsehoods. Many of these platitudes have a feel-good aspect that, upon examination, has no foundation and many times does not lead to doing good, and many of their assertions are based on "The Biggest Falsehoods in America". They often present these platitudes and assertions as statements of facts that are unchallengeable, as they have been successful at ingraining these falsehoods into the American public’s perceptions. However, perceptions often are not reality, and perceptions without reality often lead to bad decisions with negative repercussions.

They, themselves, often believe that these falsehoods are truths, as they rarely encounter challenges to these falsehoods. When they are challenged, they often require their opponent to prove the correctness of their challenge, while at the same time, they offer no proof of the correctness of their platitudes and assertions. This portrays an attitude of "if you cannot show their assertion is wrong, then their assertion must be right”, which is a logical fallacy and which is obviously an untrue statement. In doing so, they are not following the philosophical Burden of proof of the Holder of the Burden, Shifting the Burden of proof, and Proving a negative, as well as utilizing Evidence of absence to prove their assertions. They are also violating the philosophical standards of Hitchens's Razor and the Sagan Standard, as well as making empirical claims not subject to Falsifiability, often through the utilization of Russell's Teapot claims. The most insidious aspect of their platitudes and assertions is that they are often making an Argument from ignorance, as they have not made an effort to verify their facts and not constructing "A Philosophical Approach" to their "Reasoning". Many Progressives will claim that they are interpreting the facts as they see proper, but interpreting the facts by not applying proper facts and proper reasoning leads to falsehood as "There can be no truths without proper facts and proper reasoning" as I have examined in my Chirp on “08/11/23 Proper Reasoning”.

While they may not be technically lying to the American public, as I have examined in my Chirp on “09/11/23 Truth as a Defense”, their platitudes and assertions are the equivalent of lies, as they have not properly ascertained the truths of their statements. Perpetuating a lie through repeating a lie does not absolve them from the moral and ethical responsibility of lying, as they are maintaining the lies. As an old Proverb states, "A lie will go round the world while truth is pulling its boots on" it is consequently difficult to counter lies and their impacts. A lie is easy to construct, but the truth is more difficult to ascertain and requires thoughtful consideration to discover the truth. Thus, the Doubt and Confusion they are sowing is based upon lies, and we should pay no heed to liars.

09/11/23 Truth as a Defense

John Peter Zenger (October 26, 1697 – July 28, 1746) was a German printer and journalist in New York City. Zenger printed The New York Weekly Journal, and he was accused of libel in 1734 by William Cosby, the royal governor of New York. However, the jury acquitted Zenger, who became a symbol of freedom of the press.

In 1733, Zenger began printing The New York Weekly Journal, which voiced opinions critical of the colonial governor, William Cosby. On November 17, 1734, on Cosby's orders, the sheriff arrested Zenger. After a grand jury refused to indict him, the Attorney General Richard Bradley charged him with libel in August 1735. Zenger's lawyers, Andrew Hamilton and William Smith, Sr., successfully argued that truth is a defense against charges of libel.

But truth is a defense against more than libel. When someone speaks the truth, they are immune from all legal proceedings. The only question is if they have spoken the truth. Truth, however, is often difficult to prove, while lies are easier to prove. Truth is based on facts and proper reasoning of the facts, but facts and reasoning may not lead to the truth.

As I have explained in my Chirp on “08/11/23 Proper Reasoning” and my article on "Reasoning", reasoning is fraught with difficulties and complications. Incorrect, incomplete, or omitted facts, even with proper reasoning, will not lead to the truth. In reasoning, "Formal and Informal Logic" may be faulty, Cognitive Biases" and "Logical Fallacies" may occur, and the Burden of Proof may not be present, which leads to an improper conclusion. Thus, truth can be elusive and difficult to ascertain.

When someone speaks to what they believe to be the truth but is in error, they are not lying but mistaken. It is only when someone speaks to what they know are not the facts or truths that they are lying. When someone is mistaken, and the errors are illuminated, then they need to apologize and correct their statement. When someone is lying, they bear the moral responsibility and perhaps the legal ramifications of their lying.

If we prosecute those who speak what they believe to be the truth when they are mistaken, then we have the suppression of the Freedom of Speech and the Press. The proper response to mistakes is the correction of the mistakes by the Freedom of Speech and the Press, and not by prosecution. If individual harm is done by mistakes, then individual legal recourse should be available to those so harmed. Lies, however, should be prosecuted as they are often negligent and malicious in purpose and meant to inflict damage.

When prosecuting these lies, we should always seek justice and ensure that the two kinds of justice, substantive and procedural, are instituted. As Alan Dershowitz has written in his article, “Justice Requires Fair Procedures”, without substantive and procedural justice, there is no justice. No matter what your opinion is of the person who is mistaken or lying, we all need to insist that substantive and procedural justice be accorded to those accused of mistakes or lies. To do otherwise is to institute Kangaroo courts and pervert justice.

09/10/23 A Contributor, a Differentiator, or a Despoiler

“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”  - Henry David Thoreau

“This sentence, which appears in the first chapter, “Economy,” is perhaps the most famous quotation from Walden. It sums up the prophetic side of Thoreau that many people forget about; he was not just an experimenter living in isolation on Walden Pond, but also a deeply social and morally inspired writer with an ardent message for the masses. His use of the word “desperation” instead of a milder reference to discontentment or unhappiness shows the grimness of his vision of the mainstream American lifestyle. He believes that the monomaniacal pursuit of success and wealth has paradoxically cheapened the lives of those engaged in it, making them unable to appreciate the simpler pleasures enumerated in Walden. But the unpleasantness of American life, according to Thoreau, is more than simply financial or economic, despite the title of his first chapter. “Desperation” is also a word with deep religious connotations, the “lack of hope” that, according to Dante (one of Thoreau’s favorite writers), was inscribed on the gates at hell’s entrance. The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan’s Protestant spiritual classic and a bestseller in the New England of Thoreau’s day, features a hero who passes through a bleak lowland called the Slough of Despair on his way to meet God. By asserting that most humans have gotten stuck in despair, Thoreau is implying that they are unable to continue farther on their pilgrimage toward true redemption.” - from Sparknotes.com

While I do not agree with Thoreau on desperation, I would agree with him if he had used discontentment. Their discontentment is in the longing for something better than their present situation and unhappiness that they have not achieved all that they had hoped to achieve. Such is the lot of most people while some other people are happy and satisfied with what they have achieved, and other people are disappointed, dissatisfied, or despondent with their lives.

I would personally label these groups of people as Contributors, Differentiators, or Despoilers. A Contributor is a person who has a positive influence on their family and friends, their community, and their coworkers and employer, while a Differentiator is one who changes things for the better in these arenas of life. If you are not a Contributor or a Differentiator, then you are a Despoiler of others.

It is unfortunate that in modern America, the ranks of the Differentiators have decreased while the ranks of the Despoilers have increased. Whether it be social, economic, religious, or governance that has driven this change, it is a change for the worse in America. A change that I believe is being driven by "The Problem is Systemic Liberalisms & Progressivisms" in America. The Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders in modern America seem to be unhappy people who believe they are victims of an oppressive patriarchal society over which they have no control. But control over others is illusionary, as the only control that you have is over yourself.

As I have entered the end stages of my life, I can look back on my life and say that I was a Differentiator in my career, a Contributor in my personal life, and I could have easily become a Despoiler in my career or personal life if I had not taken control of my life, and proactively made decisions or changes to my life.

To all the Contributors in our society, I would say thank you for your contributions, as the world cannot function without contributors. You should also be comforted that if you could not be a Differentiator, you were at least not a Despoiler. For the Despoilers, I would say that it is not too late to become a Contributor, but you must not view yourself as a victim but take control of your life to become a Contributor.

09/09/23 We Are All Different

One of my pet peeves is when people say things such as “If I can do it, so can you” or “It’s easy or it’s hard”, they are not taking into account that all people are different. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, skills and abilities, and physical and mental capacities. We are all born equal in our Natural Rights, but we are all born unequal in our capabilities and capacities. Much of the drama and comedy of life is about these inequalities, and the paths our lives take are often driven by these inequalities. Our life experiences also add to our uniqueness. We should all consider these inequalities and uniqueness in our dealings with others, and we should all not deign nor exalt another person based on these inequalities and uniqueness. Nevertheless, we should recognize these inequalities and uniqueness and adjust our expectations of another person based on their uniqueness. We should also take into account our own uniqueness whenever we undertake any task and not expect that we are capable of doing anything that we desire.

We should all recognize that some of these differences are sexually based, as men and women are different mentally and physiologically. These male/female differences are often subtle but sometimes significant, and the accumulation of these differences in a man or woman makes for unique differences between a male and female. As in all generalities, specific instances of individual men or women may not reveal a significant difference between the two, but as a whole, men and women are, to a degree or extent, somewhat different. Often, these differences are the basis of marital discord and/or the war between the sexes.

With this in mind, it is helpful to examine these differences to understand the basis for the differences. In the article Scientific Facts About Differences Between Men and Women on Factinate.com (created by trivia nerds who have a passion for learning and sharing information), they point out that there are some genuine differences in the biology, chemistry, and mental make-up of men in comparison to women, and vice-versa. They list off 45 of them in the hopes that the next time you're tempted to make an assumption about the opposite sex, you stop and take some time to consider the facts. Do not be misled by the titles of these differences, as the content may not be what you expect. I, therefore, recommend that you read this article as a basis for understanding some of the differences between men and women.

1. Equal Intelligence
2. Goodnight, baby
3. Unfriendly Faces
4. Tunnel Vision
5. Longer Lifespan
6. Thin Skinned
7. Loose Ligaments
8. Bigger Hearts
9. The Big Sniffer
10. Sniffing Out Adultery
11. Both Sides vs. One Side
12. The Incredible Shrinking Brain
13. A Neater Hand
14. Linguistically Inclined
15. Multitaskers
16. Not as Sad as You Think
17. Water in the Blood
18. Cold Feet
19. Physical vs. Verbal
20. No Sleep? No Problem.
21. 1000 Gene Difference
22. Consonants and Vowels
23. Neurological Disorders
24. Processing Emotion
25. Colour Detection
26. Conflict and Competition
27. Finger Length
28. Better Spatial Sense
29. He’s Not Just Ignoring You
30. Chronic Worrywarts
31. Feel More Pain
32. Store Fat Differently
33. Brow Bossing
34. Hears Like a Bat
35. Honey, Have You Seen My Keys?
36. Popped Up Veins
37. A Spare Chromosome
38. Mathematical Mind
39. Faces & Moving Objects
40. 3-Dimensional Thinking
41. Cool as a Cucumber
42. Formed Before Birth
43. Right Minded
44. Seeing Things Differently
45. Acoustic Size Judgement

09/08/23 The Big Three

Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders seem to have an attitude toward black conservatives that they should be consigned to purgatory for eternity. They will not listen to or consider what they have to say and, indeed, use the tactics of "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" when confronted by their thoughts, ideas, and arguments. They also have this attitude when confronted with female or Latino conservatives’ comments or arguments. This goes along with their belief that anyone that opposes their ideology must be unintelligent, bigoted, or wicked.

This is most troubling for America, as all erudite and sagacious thoughts and opinions should be considered when considering societal issues and concerns. It is also counterfactual, as exhibited in the thoughts and opinions of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and economists Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams. In my opinion, the thoughts, ideas, and opinions of these big three should always be seriously considered by all people of all political persuasions whenever consideration is given to the topics of which they have written or spoken.

Clarence Thomas is an American lawyer and jurist who is as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since his confirmation in 1991. During his years on the Court, Thomas has pursued an original general meaning approach to constitutional interpretation; he has been unswayed by claims of precedent—by the gradual build-up of interpretations that, to his mind, come to distort the original meaning of the constitutional provision in question, leading to muddled decisions and contradictory conclusions. A close reading of Thomas's hundreds of well-crafted and passionately argued majority, concurring, and dissenting opinions illuminates how Justice Thomas applies this original meaning approach to questions of constitutional structure as they relate to federalism; substantive rights found in the First Amendment's religion and free speech and press clauses, the Second Amendment's right to keep and bear arms, the Fifth Amendment's restrictions on the taking of private property, and the Fourteenth Amendment regarding abortion rights; and various criminal procedural provisions found in the Ex Post Facto Clauses and the Bill of Rights.

He has written an autobiography, “My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir”, revealing his poor southern upbringing and the pieces of his life he holds dear and detailing the suffering and injustices he has overcome.  A few books have also been written about him and his Constitutional opinions.

Dr. Thomas Sowell is an American economist and social theorist who spent the last several decades as a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. Dr. Thomas Sowell was born in North Carolina but grew up in Harlem, New York. He dropped out of Stuyvesant High School and served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. He received a bachelor's degree, graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1958 and a master's degree from Columbia University in 1959. In 1968, he earned his doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago.

Dr. Thomas Sowell has served on the faculties of several universities, including Cornell University and the University of California, Los Angeles. He has also worked for think tanks such as the Urban Institute. Since 1980, he has worked at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He writes from a libertarian conservative perspective, and he has written more than thirty books (a number of which have been reprinted in revised editions), and his work has been widely anthologized. He is a National Humanities Medal recipient for innovative scholarship which incorporated history, economics, and political science.

Walter Edward Williams, who passed away on December 2, 2020, was an American economist, commentator, and academic. As a black man raised in the ghetto of Philadelphia, PA, he provided keen insights into the political and economic issues confronting minorities in America. He was the author of over 150 publications which have appeared in scholarly journals such as Economic Inquiry, American Economic Review, Georgia Law Review, Journal of Labor Economics, Social Science Quarterly, and Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy, and popular publications such as Newsweek, Ideas on Liberty, National Review, Reader’s Digest, Cato Journal, and Policy Review. He authored eleven books: America: A Minority Viewpoint, The State Against Blacks, which was later made into the PBS documentary “Good Intentions,” All It Takes Is Guts, South Africa’s War Against Capitalism, which was later revised for South African publication, Do the Right Thing: The People’s Economist Speaks,  More Liberty Means Less Government, Liberty vs. the Tyranny of Socialism, Up From The Projects: An Autobiography, Race and Economics: How Much Can Be Blamed On Discrimination? and American Contempt for Liberty, and A Cure Worse Than The Disease: Fighting Discrimination Through Government Control.

In my opinion, these are the big three black persons in conservative thought in America, but there are many others, such as Allen West, Ben Carson, Candace Owens, Charles Payne, Condoleeza Rice, Deroy Murdock, Harris Faulkner, Larry Elder, Lawrence Jones, Shelby Steele, and Tim Scott. All of these people have achieved wisdom, as I have written in my article "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom". These wise persons, and all other wise conservatives, deserve thoughtful consideration of their opinions and not the disparaging or disdain that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders seem to direct to anyone who would disagree with them.

09/07/23 Why I Do Not Go into Politics

Given my great concern about the future of America, many would ask why I do not go into politics to effect a change to what I believe are the issues and concerns impacting the future of America. My response is that I do not believe that I would be an effective politician. Some of the reasons that I do not believe that I would be an effective politician are:

• I have the unfortunate habit of telling people what they need to hear rather than what they want to hear.
• I do not suffer fools gladly.
• I am also one who does not play well with others.

These are not the traits of a politician but of a philosopher. Also, I believe I am a poor debater, as I lack the ability to quickly recall facts and figures and what I have previously written or said on a topic. As my pronunciation of words is often humorous, it would detract from what I have to say. I also have an aversion to modern political debates, as I have Chirped on “09/07/19 Form Over Substance”. Consequently, I do not believe that I would be an effective politician.

Thus, I have constricted myself to writing my Chirps and Articles in the hopes that I can effect a change in America through my writings.

09/06/23 Keep In Mind

Presented, without comment, are some of my own quotes that I try to keep in mind whenever I write or speak:

Knowledge and Understanding

"I refuse to talk before I have thought."  - Mark Dawson

"Know whereof you speak or write before you speak or write."  - Mark Dawson

"Knowing why is often more important than knowing how."  - Mark Dawson

“Nobody really knows politics, economics, and sociology, as those topics are often tied to human nature and the unpredictable reactions of people to circumstances.”  - Mark Dawson

"Those that do not know history should not speak of history."  - Mark Dawson

"Those that do not know science should not speak of science."  - Mark Dawson

"To understand well you must read; and read well, often, and on subjects on which you are unfamiliar."  - Mark Dawson

"Without knowing the details, it is impossible to know the devils."  - Mark Dawson

Facts and Truths

"Assertions are not facts, as they often contain Presumptions and Assumptions; Improper Facts; Faulty Reasoning; Logical Fallacies; Cognitive Biases; and the problems of Unintended Consequences that may be inherent in any assertion."  - Mark Dawson

"Educated Guesses always have the inherent questions as to the quality of the education and the accuracy of the guess."  - Mark Dawson

"I would rather be factually correct than politically correct."  - Mark Dawson

“If an argument is not intellectually rational and reasonable then it cannot reach a sound conclusion, except by accident.”  - Mark Dawson

"Just because you 'believe' something to be true does not mean that you 'know' something is true, and just because someone says it is true or false doesn't make it true or false."  - Mark Dawson

"Reasons are often not Reasoning, as reasons are generally emotionally based while reasoning is intellectually based"  - Mark Dawson

"The Burden of Proof always rests with the person who makes an assertion. To not do so is to ask the other person to prove a negative - which is very difficult to accomplish."  - Mark Dawson

"The Burden of Proof must be based upon reasoning rather than emotions, for emotions will almost always lead to a false conclusion."  - Mark Dawson

"There can be no truths without proper facts and proper reasoning."  - Mark Dawson

"There is no such thing as 'my truth' or 'their truth', as there is only 'the truth'."  - Mark Dawson

Finally, I always try to keep in mind:

"You may be the smartest person in the room, but you're not the only person in the room, and most times, you are not the smartest person in the room."  - Mark Dawson

09/05/23 Rating Presidents

Many historians and other organizations like to rank the presidents, but rarely are these rankings based upon the Constitutional duties and responsibilities of the President, as I have Chirped on, "04/11/22 A Successful President". This chirp outlines the thoughts of Rob Natelson in his article Using the Constitution to Re-Rank the Presidents. He has written a follow-on article, Is Biden the Worst President Ever? A Historical Assessment, in which he has ranked President Biden using constitutional criteria, in which he states, “Admittedly, it is risky to compare the performance of modern presidents against their predecessors. Because it is hard to place current events in historical context, snap judgments can prove embarrassing later.” He also capsulizes the reasons why these surveys are deeply flawed for two reasons: the questions and the answers:

“First, the questions are largely disconnected from the president’s job description as it appears in the Constitution. Most questions do not address constitutional duties such as general law enforcement and serving as military commander-in-chief. Instead, they reflect liberal obsession with factors like “vision” and “economic management.” And while the framers designed the presidency as a check on Congress, the surveys give presidents better scores if they go along with Congress.

Second, the answers are skewed by liberal bias. For instance, in the 2021 C-SPAN survey, academic historians listed Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933-1945) third among presidents for “economic management,” while ranking Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) 15th. But history shows that FDR’s conflicting economic policies failed to pull the economy out of the doldrums after years of trying, while Reagan’s policies quickly converted a recession into an economic boom.”

In this article, he rates President Biden on the following factors.

• Scandal
• Enforcing the Law
• “Equal Justice”
• Foreign Policy
• Economic Management
• Abuse of Power
• Moral Leadership v. Demagogy
• Cognitive Impairment
• Military Policy

In his conclusion, he states, “Of course, a full historical assessment of the Biden presidency will have to await completion of his term. At this point, however, he seems headed for a ranking among the very worst of American presidents.”

I would encourage all to read this article, as it puts President Biden and his administration into the perspective of his performance of his Constitutional duties and responsibilities.

09/01/23 American Progressivism Reader

American Progressivism started in the late 19th century and flowered at the beginning of the 20th century. The Presidential Administration of Woodrow Wilson was when it began to be incorporated into American governance. After a brief pause in the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression in the United States brought forth even greater Progressivism under the Administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). It was under the FDR Administration that Progressivism became entrenched in the American government. After a World War II pause Progressivism came back to the forefront in The Great Society of President Lyndon Johnson. To this day, we have Progressivism baked into American governance.

Yet, the administrations of President Wilson, Roosevelt, and Johnson had a dismal record on the Civil Rights of dissidents. They also operated on a reinterpretation or ignoring of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, and they attempted to indoctrinate Americans into a Progressive ideology of governance and societal culture. This month’s Book It selections are the books that examine the history of the Wilson and Roosevelt Administration regarding Progressivism and the Civil Rights of Americans during their administrations.

08/31/23 The Twists and Turns of Theodore Roosevelt

The history of Theodore Roosevelt, who served as the 26th president of the United States from 1901 to 1909, had many twists and turns as to his political thoughts and principles. At the beginning of his political career, he was somewhat Progressive in his attempts to weed out the graft and corruption of the political bosses and party machines of his day. During his Presidency, he was mildly progressive in extending government involvement in domestic affairs while trying to remain within, but often stretching Constitutional bounds. However, unlike the Progressives of his day, he was internationally imperialistic in his desire to make America a world power. After he left the Presidency, he became very Progressive on domestic affairs while remaining committed to making America into a world power, often at odds with progressives that wanted America to concentrate on domestic affairs.

Consequently, it is difficult to characterize the political thoughts and principles of Theodore Roosevelt. Much of the popular view on Theodore Roosevelt is formed by his words after leaving the Presidency, but this cannot be a full measure of a historical person as they should be adjudged of their entire life. Therefore, when we think of Theodore Roosevelt, we should remember the entirety of his life and not focus on one period of his life.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Please note that the below series of Chips on Progressivism and Progressives have been combined into my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives", that are in the proper order in which they should be read. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

08/30/23 Progressivism and A Tale of Two Cities

Along with these collected Chirps on Progressivism and Progressives, I would refer you to my collected Chirps on the "A Tale of Two Cities", as Progressivism has divided America into two cities—Progressives and non-Progressives. Two cities that are in opposition to each other in their basic governing philosophy, as I have examined in my article “A Republic versus a Democracy”. Two cities that have a different interpretations of the Constitution, as I have examined in my article "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution". As a result, the two cities have disagreed on our "American Ideals and Ideas" and what constitutes "A Just Government and a Just Society". One city, the Progressive city, has engaged in acrimonious and venomous disputations against the other city that has undermined "A Civil Society" in America.

Until one city prevails in America, this acrimony will continue. The resolution of this conflict will have profound repercussions on "Justice and The Rule of Law in America", as well as our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". Thus, it is important that this conflict be resolved, and during this resolution, we should remember the advice of Abraham Lincoln:

"Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties."   - Abraham Lincoln

08/29/23 The Failures of Progressivism

While some Progressive ideals and ideas have been beneficial to America and Americans, their record of failure far exceeds their successes. The problem with Progressivism is its ideology. It is an ideology that is based on their belief that they can mold human nature to fit Progressivism, on a lack of understanding of economics, and their presumption of the deference of the individual to society's goals.

In the past, there have been many despots, dictators, monarchs, totalitarians, and tyrants that believed that they could mold human nature. None of these attempts have ever succeeded, and none can ever succeed. As human nature has been molded by over six million years of evolution, a few years or decades of molding cannot undo these millions of years of evolution. Any attempts to do so have resulted in human misery and suffering, as well as the suppression of Natural Rights. Thus, all attempts to mold human nature are doomed to failure.

Progressives also believe that they can direct an economy to progressive ends. Once again, history has shown that any attempts to direct an economy are fruitless and often end with the collapse of an economy. Something as large and interrelated as an economy is impossible to direct, as it requires a knowledge of economics that is unknown and may even be unknowable.

They also have a zeal in their pursuit of Progressive goals to ignore the individual. They believe that the individual needs to be subservient to society, that rights are bestowed by society onto an individual, and that government is for the purpose of the betterment of society. As such, they have little or no respect for Natural Rights, and that “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”, and especially of property, is constricted to what they believe are acceptable parameters. In this, they do not recognize that history has demonstrated that people all over the world have chaffed at these restrictions and often rebelled against their rulers when so constricted.

Modern Progressivism has metamorphosized and become intoxicated with Political Correctness, Activists and Activism, Adjective Justice, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Doxing, Hate Speech, Identity Politics, Racist, Wokeness, Hyper-Partisanship, Herd Mentality, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and "Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG)", in the belief that these goals are Progressive goals. In doing so, they have forgotten the purpose of Progressivism was to improve the social and economic status of ordinary Americans.

In their past and current attempts to implement Progressivism, they often resorted to Despotism against those that would disagree with them. This can be demonstrated in my collected Chirps on "Despotism in America" and "The Weaponization of Government". Thus, they corrupt the meaning of "A Just Government and a Just Society" and infringe upon the "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" in pursuit of their Progressive goals. This is why modern America is in such dire straits. After more than a century of Progressivism, it has resulted in more divisiveness, more disruptions to our society, and more and bigger government unresponsive to the issues and concerns of ordinary Americans and, indeed, seems contrary to the exigencies of ordinary Americans.

These, then, are the biggest failures of Progressivism and why Progressivism needs to be defeated in America, for to do so or not do so:

"We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth."   - Abraham Lincoln

08/28/23 Progressive Celebrations of America

When we celebrate national holidays and important persons in our American history, we would all do well to remember the ideals and ideas of America and the personal thoughts and viewpoints of these historical persons. However, in today’s America, we can see a pattern that Progressives employ when celebrating the key events and figures of America’s political tradition: their celebrations are almost exclusively historical and biographical and carefully avoid any reference to—or commemoration of—their ideas or principles. We also see a pattern of dismissal or disparaging of The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution as not important nor relevant to modern America, and a focus on the wrongs that have occurred in American history, without a corresponding noticing on the good within American history.

There is no discussion of the "American Ideals and Ideas" of these documents or key figures in these celebrations, as these ideals and ideas often contradict Progressive ideals and ideas. They also try to pervert The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to comport to Progressive ideals and ideas, as I have written in my Chirp on "07/22/21 The Party Hostile to The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution". We should also remember that for the vast majority of his life President Wilson, one of the originators of American Progressivism, had grounded his thinking about government in open hostility to the Declaration of Independence. We need only recall his 1911 address, where Wilson proclaimed: “If you want to understand the real Declaration of Independence, do not repeat the preface.” Do not repeat, in other words, the very part of the Declaration with all the universalistic language about self-government.

However, we should all remember the ideals of The Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

We should also remember the ideas of the Constitution as expressed in the Preamble of the Constitution:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The ideals of the Declaration of Independence, and the ideas of the Constitution on the best ways to institute our ideals, are the bedrock of American governance and the foundation of our society. It is important not only to understand the words of the Declaration and the Constitution but to understand the ideals and ideas that went into their creation. And the best way to accomplish this is to understand the thoughts and words of our Founding Fathers, as well as other great Americans and other great thinkers’ thoughts and words on these documents. It is just as important to not be led astray of their true meaning as Progressives are in the habit of doing.

Unfortunately, many Americans have forgotten or do not agree with our American ideals and ideas. The American ideals and ideas of "A Just Government and a Just Society" and "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" are, therefore, in danger of being forgotten or discarded. It is important that we remember our past and the events surrounding our past, as well as the ideals and ideas that shaped our history, for as Edmund Burke has stated, "Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it."

08/27/23 Narcissistic Personality Disorder of Progressives

The hallmarks of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) are grandiosity, a lack of empathy for other people, and a need for admiration. People with this condition are frequently described as arrogant, self-centered, manipulative, and demanding. They may also have grandiose fantasies and may be convinced that they deserve special treatment. These characteristics typically begin in early adulthood and must be consistently evident in multiple contexts, such as at work and in relationships.

People with NPD often try to associate with other people they believe are unique or gifted in some way, which can enhance their own self-esteem. They tend to seek excessive admiration and attention and have difficulty tolerating criticism or defeat. Individuals with NPD can be easily stung by criticism or defeat and may react with disdain or anger. Humble, self-deprecating humor is often lacking in a person with NPD, as they believe that they must always be taken seriously. Politicians and activists often reflexively react to criticism by employing "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" against those that would criticize them.

This definition sounds applicable to many politicians and "Activists and Activism", and it is often characteristic of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. As I have often said, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. As such, they view Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as not just being wrong and stupid but that they are bad or evil persons, as demonstrated by their usage of pejoratives, as I have written about in my Article "Divisiveness in America". As such, this attitude can be considered a trait of a person with NPD.

From Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Barach Obama, to now Joe Biden, to a host of other politicians and activists with a Progressive disposition, NPD seems to run rampant amongst them. They brook no criticisms of themselves and their policies, and they are often averse to compromise with their opponents.

Most NPD persons are often difficult to work with or for, as they tend to be authoritarian in their approach to interacting with other persons. In politicians, NPD persons are often predisposed to be rulers rather than leaders, as I have written in my article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

Thus, we should all recognize the signs of an NPD person and be very wary of them. Their NPD impulses are not in the best interest of others, but they are only interested in themselves despite their pretenses otherwise.

08/26/23 The Manifest Destiny of Progressivism

Manifest Destiny was a cultural belief in the 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand across North America. There were three basic tenets to the concept:

• The special virtues of the American people and their institutions.
• The mission of the United States is to redeem and remake the West in the image of the agrarian East.
• An irresistible destiny to accomplish this essential duty.

This Manifest Destiny was accomplished by the end of the 19th century by the hard work and efforts of Americans, but it was not foreordained. After this was achieved, America and Americans began to search for another Manifest Destiny. Americans are often idealistic and need a greater purpose for their lives and destinies. Given the social-economic problems of the late 19th and early 20th century, they began an idealistic search for solutions to these problems. From religion to politics to economics, they began an examination of possible solutions to these problems. One of these proposed solutions was Progressivism.

The originators and supporters of Progressivism attempted to take on the mantel of Manifest Destiny for their ideals and ideas. In doing so, they adopted many attitudes that their ideals and ideas were the only future course of history and that they are on the ‘Right Side of History’. However, the right side of history is an oxymoron; as there is no right or wrong side of history, history is just what has occurred in the past. Progressives believe in historical trends while ignoring that history has often diverged from a trend by circumstances and/or the actions of powerful or influential people or scientific or technological discoveries and innovations. After all, except by hindsight, who could have foreseen a historical trend that led to the Industrial Revolution or the Information Age, or the fall of civilizations that changed history, or leaders that changed history?

The fall of the Roman Empire led to the Dark Ages and the Middle Ages, which reversed the historical trends of Europe and the Middle East. The same could be said for the fall of other civilizations that have occurred throughout history. Leaders such as Alexander the Great, Constantine, Muhammad, Charlemagne, Napoleon, Hitler, and many others have changed history. If Muhammad or Napoleon had never been born, or if Hitler had died in the gas attack he suffered in World War I, then the history of Europe and the Middle East and humanity would have been significantly different.

There is also no historical accounting for great scientists and artists such as Newton and Einstein, Beethoven and Da Vinci, and many others that changed history within their domains. Individual business leaders arose, such as Andrew Carnegie (steel), Andrew Mellon (finance, oil), Cornelius Vanderbilt (water transport, railroads), J. P. Morgan (finance, industrial consolidation), John D. Rockefeller (Standard Oil), Henry Ford (automobiles), and Howard Hughes (multiple industries) that changed American society in the past, and modern Americans such as Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, Mark Zuckerberg, Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch, Steve Jobs, and Warren Buffett that changed how society operates today.

Progressives might respond that if these persons had not come about, then other persons would have done so. However, there is no way to ascertain this as a fact, and there is no way to determine when and what the impacts of these other persons would have been. Our history would have been quite different without these persons, which shatters the claims of historical trends. This claim of historical trends also assumes that history is linear with an upward slope of human progress. But history is not linear nor upward in human progress. It ebbs and flows, with ups and downs in human progress, and all that can be said of historical trends is that they are malleable, changeable, and unpredictable.

Therefore, historical trends are more in the backward eye of the beholder than they are foreordained. Consequently, it is safe to ignore and challenge these claims of historical trends and the Manifest Destiny of Progressivism, for if history has taught us anything, it is that history is not foreordained.

08/25/23 The Progressive Myths of Science and History

In my Chirp on “08/16/23 American Progressivism”, I note that Progressivism relies on the “facts” and “truths” of science and history to buttress their ideology. However, they pick and choose tidbits of facts and truths and surround them with their ideology rather than elucidating all the facts and truths. In doing so, they are corrupting science and history and creating myths of science and history, which they propagate to an unknowing public.

These scientific mythologies abound in "Activists and Activism", and almost all activism that relies on scientific truths is mostly scientific mythology. Many of these same activists also use their scientific mythology in a grandiloquent manner:

 “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle them with bullshit.”  - W.C. Fields

They also propose government actions with far-reaching consequences and have forgotten the aphorism:

 “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”  - Alexander Pope

Thus, their scientific mythology is fraught with danger if it is believed to be scientific truths.

This is most especially true in Environmentalism and Climate Freezing, then Climate Warming to Climate Change activists. These activists have not only selectively used science, but in some cases, they have fabricated science based on their interpretation of the science, not to mention that their predictions have always been wrong. They have also confused Scientific Consensus and Settled Science with scientific truths, which all good scientists know is no substitute for scientific proof. They have also tried to institute an Orthodoxy in Science, which is anathema to the progress of science. They are also basing their scientific myths on computer modeling and/or statistics, without consideration of the problems of computer modeling or statistics, as I have written about in my Article Beware of Computer Modeling and Statistical Processing. In doing so, they are creating scientific myths that they use as a foundation for their activism.

The Progressive's history of America is also mythology, with the facts, truths, and meaning of American history being selective, reinterpreted, and convoluted to fit their ideology. They have created entire historical bailiwicks dedicated to their mythology. Bailiwicks such as Critical Race Theory, Equity Theory, Intersectionality, and The 1619 Project which are not only factually and historically incorrect, but the holders of these beliefs attempt to justify these beliefs to institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) (a Progressive ideal) rather than Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All (an American ideal), the comparisons of the two ideologies that I have Chirped on "04/05/22 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)". Many Academics and Scholars in America (and in the world) have been gripped by the lofty ideals of Progressivism. Thus, the entire history of Progressivism in the 20th century has been rewritten or ignored by Progressives and many Historians to paper over Progressivism failures and the negative repercussions of their agenda. In doing so, they are creating historical myths that they use to advance their Progressive agendas.

Alas, Progressive Myths of Science and History are doing great harm to American society and governance. If you believe these myths, then you are making ill-informed decisions that can only negatively impact American society and governance. Decisions as to which politician to vote for, which policy issues to support, and which advocacy organizations to financial support are poor decisions if you base them on mythology. Consequently, you must sort out the facts and truths of science and history, ignore the mythology, and use your head rather than your heart when making these decisions. Otherwise, the future of America bodes ill, as a belief in mythology only leads to poor or calamitous decisions.

08/24/23 Progressives and Education

The American people have always believed in the importance of education, and schooling for children is part and parcel of our society. Indeed, America was one of the most literate countries in the world throughout most of its history. Education, until the Progressive era, was often provided privately by communities or by religious groups, which often discriminated against its student body by race and/or religion. Gradually, public education became a Local and State government prerogative as nowhere in the Constitution is education mentioned. This is because our Founders believed that this was a State, local government, or community issue that was delegated to them by the Tenth Amendment. This is the way it was until the latter part of the 20th century when the Federal government became alarmed about the quality of education across States and local jurisdictions, as well as the inequity of racial discrimination in public schooling resources.

Progressives were concerned about education from their beginnings and supported public education and public funding for all children. John Dewey (October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer. He was one of the most prominent American Progressives in the first half of the twentieth century and a leader for progressive public education. Indeed, much of modern public education was founded upon his ideas about public education.

As much as the progressives were concerned about the quality and universality of public education, they also foresaw that public education was a means to propagate their Progressive ideology and ideas on children and, thus, future voters. In all of this, they began to reform the ways and means of public education and the principles and methods of instruction (pedagogy) of teaching. College curriculums for prospective teachers were instituted, and State licensing of teachers became a legal requirement to teach. Much of these college curriculums incorporated Progressive ideology and ideas in the education of prospective teachers, with the repercussions of many teachers including progressive pedagogies in their teaching of students.

Because of Constitutional issues, these reforms occurred at a State and local government level and remained so until the latter part of the 20th century. In the latter part of the 20th century, the Federal government became concerned about the Civil Rights of public education for black and poor students in America, then began to become more involved in public education to redress the Civil Rights inequalities of public education in America. Thus, the era of Modern Education began in America.

Despite increased federal involvement in the funding and statutes for public education since then, the quality of Public Education has not improved much, and in many cases, it has become worse. My article on "Public Education" discusses many of the issues and concerns regarding public education in today’s America, while my other article, "Indoctrination versus Education", addresses the issues of the manipulation of public education for Progressivism goals.

Many of the problems in modern public education can be traced back to the implementation of progressive ideas in education. As more Federal government involvement in modern education occurred, the focus of Modern Education became more on the indoctrination of Progressive ideas and ideology and less on the dissemination of knowledge, truths, and rational thinking, along with the skills and abilities to function in modern society. Thus, modern public education has deteriorated the quality of the education that a student receives to the detriment of the students.

Thus, modern education fails to provide a good education for its students, it fails to provide a good environment for its students, it fails to prepare its students to become productive and contributing adults, they fail the parents of the students, and they fail the taxpayers who fund these schools. And these failures are the consequences of implementing Progressive ideologies and ideas in public education.

08/23/23 Progressives and Fearmongering and Demonization

Since the time of the founding of the modern Democrat Party in Andrew Jackson’s time, they have engaged in "Identity Politics" and disdainful rhetoric in order to win elections to obtain and retain power. Disdainful rhetoric is nothing new in politics and has occurred throughout American history. Identity Politics has also occurred throughout American history, but it was usually based on nationality, religion, or race. Most of the time, the disdainful rhetoric occurred during the election cycle and cooled off (but never went away) between elections. However, with the rise of Progressivism, this changed.

Progressive started to differentiate on the basis of political ideology (with an attitude of Us vs. Them, Good vs. Evil, Right vs. Wrong, etc.) and turned to fearmongering and demonization rather than disdainful rhetoric. They also extended their attacks into the personal realm; in that they not only attacked the politics of their opponents, but they also attacked the personhood of their opponents. Reputational, financial, and judicial harm to their opponents was not only a goal to drive them from politics but as a warning to others that opposed them that they would personally harm them if they exercised their Freedom of Speech and Assembly in opposing progressives.

In doing so, they often utilized the tentacles of government in these attacks that violated the Civil Rights of their opponents. Indeed, many historians and lawyers have commented that the administration of President Woodrow Wilson was the greatest assault on Civil Rights since the post-Civil War. The administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt also engaged in Civil Rights violations but in a more clandestine manner. President Lyndon Banes Johnson’s administration also engaged in Civil Rights abuses, but often in a ham-handed way that the American people looked down on.

As fearmongering and demonization became effective in advancing Progressivism, they became part and parcel of Progressive tactics. And, as Progressives obtained dominance in the Democrat Party, it became part and parcel of Democrat Party electioneering and governance, as I have examined in my Chirps on "03/27/21 Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself" and "02/06/21 How Does Temporary Becomes Permanent?". We have also seen a dramatic increase in the weaponization of government (a form of Civil Rights abuse) by the Democratic Party to obtain and retain power for the furtherance of Progressivism, as I have examined in my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government". Thus, we have entered into an era of "Divisiveness in America" and a loss of "A Civil Society" in America through the utilization of fearmongering and demonization by Progressives.

Many Progressives proclaim that both sides do it. Of course, both sides do it, as in the human experience, both sides do everything. That is the nature of humankind. Whenever there is an issue confronting our society, the extremes of both sides of the issue will often use the same methodologies and techniques to attack the other side. So therefore, the statement that both sides do it is irrelevant. The question is whether the mainstream and/or leadership of each side of the issue both do it and how much attention they pay to the extremes. In my experience, this is most obvious when dealing with Conservatism versus Progressivism or Leftism, Republican versus Democrat, Left versus Right, etc. What we should be asking is, 'Are the mainstream and/or the leadership of each side doing it?’. When you see one side or the other paying more heed to the extreme of their side or engaging in extreme deeds or words of their own, you need to weigh the balance. In weighing this balance, you need to not only make a determination of the number of words and misdeed incidents but also the tone of the deeds or words. If the balance is heavily tilted to one side, then the phrase 'Both Sides Do It' is not an equalizer but an excuse to continue the extreme deeds or words by the one side engaged in these extreme words or deeds.

Rather than convincing the American public as to the rightness of their ideas, Progressives have used fearmongering and demonization of their opponents to stampede the American public into accepting their Progressivism. A stampede that is driven by the forces of Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Doxing, Hate Speech, Identity Politics, LGBTQIA+, Modern Feminism, Wokeness, and Hyper-Partisanship, in an attempt to institute a Herd Mentality in support of Progressivism. Such a stampede impacts our "American Ideals and Ideas" and has negative repercussions on our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

08/22/23 Progressives and Systematic Lies

The three great progressive Presidents of the 20th century, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson, systematically lied to the American public, especially when it came to war. The extent of their lying is revealed in two books and an official government report. These are:

The Illusion of Victory: America In World War I by Thomas Fleming The political history of the American experience in World War I is a story of conflict and bungled intentions that begins in an era dedicated to progressive social reform and ends in the Red Scare and Prohibition. Thomas Fleming tells this story through the complex figure of Woodrow Wilson, the contradictory president who wept after declaring war, devastated because he knew it would destroy the tolerance of the American people, but who then suppressed freedom of speech and used propaganda to excite America into a Hun-hating mob.

The New Dealers' War: FDR and the War Within World War II by Thomas Fleming Acclaimed historian Thomas Fleming brings to life the flawed and troubled FDR, who struggled to manage WWII. Starting with the leak to the press of Roosevelt's famous Rainbow Plan, then spiraling back to FDR's inept prewar diplomacy with Japan and his various attempts to lure Japan into an attack on the U.S. Fleet in the Pacific, Fleming takes the reader inside the incredibly fractious struggles and debates that went on in Washington, the nation, and the world as the New Dealers, led by FDR, strove to impose their will on the conduct of the War.

The Pentagon Papers, officially titled Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force, is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. Released by Daniel Ellsberg, who had worked on the study, they were first brought to the attention of the public on the front page of The New York Times in 1971. A 1996 article in The New York Times said that the Pentagon Papers had demonstrated, among other things, that Lyndon B. Johnson's administration had "systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress."

These systematic lies were done to maneuver the American public into accepting a war in which there was much public sentiment against these wars. During the course of these lies and the cover-ups of these lies, they often violated the Civil Rights of the Americans who opposed the wars. They also engaged in vituperative rhetoric against their opponents, and many times persecutions and prosecutions against their opponents. In doing so, they whipped up mob passion against their opponents and warmongering against the nations that they wanted to wage war against.

These systematic lies betray an attitude amongst progressives in which they do not trust the American public to make a wise decision. They believe it is acceptable to engage in these systematic lies if it is for the good of America and Americans. As Progressives believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that their policies are what is best for all Americans. Consequently, it is acceptable to them to engage in systematic lies to implement what they believe is best for America and Americans. In this, they have forgotten or did not know:

"The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best?" - Thomas Sowell

In the Progressive mindset, they believe that only they know what is best, and they should be the only persons to decide what is best. As such, systematic lies are acceptable if it is for the best for Americans and America.

Alas, these systematic lies of Progressives are not limited to war, for once you adopt this mindset, it is acceptable to engage in systematic lies in all agendas and policies that you believe are best for Americans and America. Thus, their mindset also applies to domestic and international affairs, and so it is acceptable for them to engage in systematic lies in all arenas to implement their Progressive ideology and ideas upon America.

08/21/23 The Administrative State and Constitutional Issues

The Administrative State is built on three main pillars, each of which clashes with core constitutional principles. As Ronald J. Pestritto has stated in his book America Transformed: The Rise and Legacy of American Progressivism, these are:

“The first pillar was the congressional delegation of discretionary and regulatory power to the executive—especially to an enlarged national administrative apparatus which, it was contended, would operate under the advantages inherent in expertise and specialization. The second pillar was the combination of powers—legislative, executive, and judicial—into single entities within the administrative apparatus, thus benefitting from the efficiency of centralizing all core agency functions in the same set of hands. The third pillar was the insulation of administration from political control.”

Previous too, and during the first term of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Supreme Court resisted such pillars and often declared them, or parts of them, unconstitutional. However, by the appointment of new Supreme Court Justices and intense political pressure on the Supreme Court, President Roosevelt, in his second term, was able to sway the Supreme Court to his view of a Progressive government. Since that time, the Supreme Court has often ruled in favor of the Administrative State and its authorities, duties, and responsibilities. However, in recent times we have seen some pushback by the Supreme Court on the pillars and excesses of the Administrative State.

This pushback is why in today’s America, the appointment of Justices and Judges have become such a contentious affair. The Progressives realize that if the pillars of the Administrative State are constricted or dismantled by Supreme Court decisions, then the governmental concepts of Progressivism will come tumbling down.

But it is not only the Supreme Court decisions that have enabled the rise of the Administrative State but also Congress’s supine acceptance of the Administrative State. In an effort for expediency and to avoid controversial decisions that could impact elections, Congress has often delegated powers to the Administrative State that are Constitutionally delegated to the Legislative Branch of government. Thus, we have seen a breakdown of the separation of powers and the checks and balances that were built into the Constitution to ensure the proper roles of the branches of government. This breakdown has also had a nefarious impact on Americans' "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

There is no doubt that the Constitutional principles of government, as espoused by our Founding Fathers, conflict with the governing principles of Progressivism, especially in the concept of an Administrative State.

The issues and concerns of an Administrative State on the limitations of knowledge, the principles of government, practical difficulties, and constitutional issues are why an Administrative State is not possible nor desirable. Consequently, a means must be found to reign in the Administrative State and have it operate within our Constitutional principles.

08/20/23 The Administrative State and Practical Difficulties

The previous chip on “08/19/23 The Administrative State of Experts – Part I” dealt with issues of the principles of government in an administrative state, but there are also practical difficulties that occur in an administrative state. The practical difficulties in an administrative state are the conduct of the people within the administration. The largest difficulties are Regulatory Capture, Consent Decrees, and Bureaucratic Inertia and Arrogance.

Regulatory Capture explains how governmental regulatory agencies actually operate in the real world, rather than how they were supposed to operate when they were authorized:

“Regulatory Capture is an economic theory that says regulatory agencies may come to be dominated by the industries or interests they are charged with regulating. The result is that an agency, charged with acting in the public interest, instead acts in ways that benefit incumbent firms in the industry it is supposed to be regulating.”

“Regulated industries devote large budgets to influencing regulators at federal, state, and local levels. By contrast, individual citizens spend only limited resources to advocate for their own rights. This is an extension of the concept of concentrated benefits and dispersed costs of regulation, public policy, and collective action in general, described by economist Mancur Olsen.”

“In many cases, the regulators themselves come from the pool of industry experts and employees, in part due to the complex and specialized knowledge needed to regulate an industry, and may also then return to work in the industry after their government service. This is known as the revolving door between government and special interests. In some cases, industry leaders trade the promise of future jobs for regulatory consideration, making revolving doors criminally corrupt.”

“Regulatory agencies that come to be controlled by the industries they are charged with regulating are known as captured agencies, and agency capture occurs when that governmental body operates essentially as an advocate for the industries it regulates. Such cases may not be directly corrupt, as there is no quid pro quo; rather, the regulators simply begin thinking like the industries they regulate, due to heavy lobbying.”

 - From the article Regulatory Capture at Investopedia.com

Consent Decrees are an agreement or settlement that resolves a dispute between two parties without admission of guilt (in a criminal case) or liability (in a civil case), and most often refer to such a type of settlement in the United States. The plaintiff and the defendant ask the court to enter into their agreement, and the court maintains supervision over the implementation of the decree in monetary exchanges or restructured interactions between parties. It is similar to and sometimes referred to as an antitrust decree, stipulated judgment, or consent judgment. Consent decrees are frequently used by federal courts to ensure that businesses and industries adhere to regulatory laws in areas such as antitrust law, employment discrimination, and environmental regulation. There are many advantages and disadvantages to using the consent decree, as outlined in the Wikipedia section on ‘Effects’ of a Consent Decree.

The core issue is the scope of the consent decree. Does a consent decree require Congressional approval if its scope falls outside of the delegated powers of the Executive or Judicial branches of government? Many consent decrees require actions by the government and the other parties to the consent decree that seem to be the prerogatives of Congress to be legitimate under the Constitution.

As important and as useful as the tool as consent decrees are, they can also be abused in the hands of governmental bureaucrats. They are often utilized to advance a government policy not instituted by Congress, most often when an activist group sues the Federal government. Many times, governmental regulatory agencies utilize a consent decree to advance their own agenda outside the bounds assigned to them by Congress. And many times, Congress takes no action, and the Executive Officers approve of these consent decrees, as they can hide behind the contentious policies of consent decrees rather than directly vote upon or implement these policies. And when this occurs, the result is often more Federal powers over the people of America without their consent. Sometimes these consent decrees fund activists’ groups as part of the financial settlement of the consent decree, which often begets more lawsuits and consent decrees.

Bureaucratic Inertia and Arrogance are a problem in all governments, but in an administrative state, it is a larger problem. A larger problem because in an administrative state, the management and personnel of government agencies are immune to corrective actions, or removal, by forces outside of the agency. When you are an authority unto yourself, you create and enforce your own procedures and conduct yourself as you see fit and at a pace that is of your own choosing. Those outside of your agency that you become involved with must be submissive to your conduct if they require your services. As a result, this is not, as President Lincoln so eloquently put it, “government of the people, by the people, and for the people”, but “government of the bureaucrats, by the bureaucrats, and for the bureaucrats”.

08/19/23 The Administrative State and Principles of Governance

The previous chip on “08/18/23 The Administrative State of Experts – Part I” dealt with issues of a general nature about the administrative state. However, there are issues with the principles of government in an administrative state.

The key principle at work in the development of the administrative state is the destruction of the separation-of-powers constitutionalism and its replacement by the separation of politics and administration. Additionally, Progressives believe that the administrative state should operate quasi-independently, with only nominal oversight by Congress and the Judiciary. Presidential authority should only be for the nominations of the management of the agency, but there is no authority for the President or Congress to remove the management or personnel within an agency.

Progressives also believe that for an agency to operate with maximum efficiency in its regulation of an industry for the purpose of the well-being and general welfare of America, it is necessary for rulemaking, investigatory, prosecutorial, and adjudicatory powers to be combined and at its disposal. Thus, the entire enterprise of the modern administrative state owes its existence to the abandonment of the separation of powers as an operative constitutional principle and its replacement by a system separating politics and administration.

This destruction of the tenant of the separation of powers—the prohibition of combining the functions of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government—has resulted in the modern administrative state. Administrative agencies routinely combine all three governmental functions in the same body and even in the same people within that body. Thus, we have a government within the government. Professor of Law Gary Lawson at Boston University School of Law has given an example of this in the functioning of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC):

“The Commission promulgates substantive rules of conduct. The Commission then considers whether to authorize investigations into whether the Commission’s rules have been violated. If the Commission authorizes an investigation, the investigation is conducted by the Commission, which reports its findings to the Commission. If the Commission thinks that the Commission’s findings warrant an enforcement action, the Commission issues a complaint. The Commission’s complaint that a Commission rule has been violated is then prosecuted by the Commission and adjudicated by the Commission. The Commission adjudication can either take place before the full Commission or before a semi-autonomous administrative law judge. If the Commission chooses to adjudicate before an administrative law judge rather than before the Commission, and the decision is adverse to the Commission, the Commission can appeal to the Commission.”

This, of course, makes the Commission an independent authority unto itself, with no appeal outside of the Commission as to its actions. Consequently, they are a government within a government unresponsive to any outside authority.

08/18/23 The Administrative State and Limitations of Knowledge

Many Progressive politicians (since the start of American Progressivism) have called for an administrative state to be administered by experts free from politics. Such an administrative state is an impossibility, as for an administrative state to function properly, it requires that the administrators (i.e., “Experts”) have a thorough and complete understanding of diverse subjects.

The first is that they need to understand the limits of knowledge (i.e., a). That we know what we know, b). That we know what we don't know, and c). That we don't know that we don't know). It is not possible for anyone, or any group of people, to fully know a) as what they know may be incorrect, or b) as what we think we don’t know may be incomplete, and c) is an impossibility because we don’t know of what is not known.

The next is to understand economics, as money makes the world go round. However, nobody thoroughly understands economics, including economists, as economics is not a precise nor fully developed science. Without an understanding of economics, it is impossible to predict the economic impacts of a governmental decision, which leads to the final point.

Finally, how can anyone account for the "The Law of Unintended Consequences", as they are unintended and therefore unknowable beforehand? Unintended consequences always occur from any administrative action, and these consequences can be neutral, positive, or negative and may have serious repercussions of an unexpected benefit, an unexpected drawback, or a perverse result on society.

The lack of understanding of these subjects will always lead to improper decisions by the administrators. Their decisions, at best, are a guestimate of the impacts of their decisions and rarely does the best occur.

As for politics, it cannot be separated from administration, as politics is bound to human nature, and there is no accounting for human nature. They also cannot predict the response of the populace to their administrative actions, which reinforces The Law of Unintended Consequences. These administrators often have an ideology or the ideas of Progressivism, which is political by the very nature of Progressivism. Thus, administrators are always political and make decisions based on their political viewpoints.

The claim that these administrators will act in the best interests of the people begs the question:

"The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best?" - Thomas Sowell

Even the most noble or virtuous administrator does not have the knowledge or wisdom to make such decisions on what is best, and people often disagree on what is best. Also, having someone decide what is best often requires despotism to enforce what they believe is best, or at the very minimum, requires silencing those that would disagree with their decisions. Thus, an administrative state violates the Natural Rights of the people.

This is why an administrative state of experts determining public policy is not possible or desirable.

08/17/23 Grandiloquent Statements of Progressives

Grandiloquent statements, lofty in style and puffed up with vanity, are a staple of politicians, commentators, and activists. The Grandiloquent statements by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are often appeals to fundamentally transform America to what they perceive for the better, while the grandiloquent statements by Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders are often appeals to the wisdom of the Founding Fathers and the preservation of their "American Ideals and Ideas". Thus, there is a dichotomy between these grandiloquent statements.

However, Progressive grandiloquent statements are often an attempt to propagandize and spur their supporters into action, and these statements are often bereft of practical goals or ends that are achievable, as often they require a change of human nature or based on an ignorance of economics. In addition, these grandiloquent statements by Progressives often provoke bitter disputations that divide Americans, and they often have an attitude of intellectual and moral superiority that postures their opponents as intellectually deficient or morally injudicious.

My new Article, “Grandiloquent Statements”, examines grandiloquent statements and their impacts and repercussions on society and government. In the past and present, we have seen Progressive grandiloquent statements in abundance to fundamentally transform American society and governance. Regrettably, what we can all learn from history is that Progressive grandiloquent statements rarely achieve their intent, and often they often wreak havoc on America and the world. Thus, we all should beware of Progressive grandiloquent statements and look for The Devil is in the Details of all grandiloquent statements.

08/16/23 American Progressivism

As I mentioned in my Chirp on “08/14/23 The Ideology is the Same”, Progressivism is an ideology that runs counter to our Founding Father's American Ideals and Ideas, and that is an infringement on our Natural, Human, and Civil Rights. An ideology that, as President-elect Barack Obama once stated, desires to “fundamentally transform” America. However, Progressives are often opaque in defining the ideology of Progressivism, and they often cloak their ideology in expressions of high-sounding morals or pithy statements that lack little substance of what their ideology entails. There is also little taking into account the consequences or repercussions to society of instituting their ideology, as they believe that the lofty goal of Progressivism is a sufficient reason to institute their ideology. Consequently, it is difficult to determine what are the basic tenets of Progressivism.

A book by Ronald J. Pestritto, America Transformed: The Rise and Legacy of American Progressivism, examines the tenets and history of Progressivism and its impacts on American governance and society. As the publisher states about this book:

“The America of the modern administrative state is not the America of the original Constitution. This transformation comes not only from the ordinary course of historical change and development, but also from a radical, new philosophy of government that was imported into the American political tradition by the Progressives of the late nineteenth century. The new thinking about the principles of government-and open hostility to the American Constitution-led to a host of concrete changes in American political institutions. Our government today reflects these original Progressive innovations, even if they are often unrecognized as such because they have become ingrained in American political culture. This book shows the nature of these changes, both in principles and in the nuts and bolts of governing. It also shows how progressivism was often at the root of critical developments subsequent to the Progressive Era in more recent American political history - how it was different than the New Deal, the liberalism of the 1960s, and today’s liberalism, but also how these subsequent developments could not have transpired without the ground laid by the original Progressives.”

Once you have read this book, you will understand the core ideology of Progressivism and the reasons for their support of various political agendas and policy goals.

Progressivism also relies on the facts and truths of science and history to buttress its arguments. Rather than state all the facts and truths, they pick and choose tidbits of “facts” and “truths”, then surround them with their ideology. In doing so, they are corrupting science and history to buttress their ideology and creating Myths of Science and History, which they propagate. It is many of these Myths of Science and History that I have written about in my Chirps and Articles, and is the subject of my Chirp on “08/19/23 The Progressive Myths of Science and History”.

08/15/23 The Ideology is the Same

The 20th century in America saw the rise of Progressivism that morphed into modern Liberalism and then once again became Progressivism. However, the core ideology of Progressivism and Liberalism is the same ideology. This ideology was based upon the ideas of President Woodrow Wilson in the early 20th century regarding his concept of government. A concept that was antithetical to the Founding Fathers' concept of government (which President Wilson admitted in his many speeches and writings). Unfortunately, much of this ideology is baked into modern governance in America. This has been poignantly pointed out in an article by Ronald Pestritto, “Woodrow Wilson: Godfather of Liberalism”, which illuminates the Progressive/Liberal ideology of governance.  

This tactic of renaming an ideology when it has become unpopular, without changing the ideology, is often utilized by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. In doing so, they often utilize "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” to achieve this renaming. A renaming in which they try to cloak the shortcomings or failures of their ideology and also hope to dupe the American public into believing they have changed for the better.

It is not for the better that they do this renaming but for the continuation and furtherance of their ideology. An ideology that runs counter to our Founding Father's American Ideals and Ideas. An ideology that is an infringement on our Natural, Human, and Civil Rights. An ideology that would transform our Constitution from a republic to a democratic political theory of governance, as I have written in my Article, A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution. An ideology that often relies on bribery, intimidation, or despotism upon the American people to achieve its goals. Therefore, it is an ideology that needs to be opposed and overturned in our governance to ensure our American Liberties and Freedoms.

08/14/23 What is Progressivism?

In a book by Ronald J. Pestritto, America Transformed: The Rise and Legacy of American Progressivism, he examines this question at the beginning of Chapter One, ‘A Primer on Progressivism and the Progressive Era’:

“What is progressivism? The chapters in this book will lay out its characteristics in detail, but to begin we can think of it as an argument to move beyond the political principles of the American founding. It is an argument to enlarge vastly the scope of the national government for the purpose of responding to a set of economic and social conditions which, progressives contend, could not have been envisioned at the founding and for which the founder’s limited, constitutional government is inadequate. Whereas the founders posited what they held to be a permanent understanding of just government, based upon a permanent account of human nature, progressives have countered that then ends and scope of government are to be defined anew in each historic epoch. They have coupled this belief in historical contingency with a deep faith in historical progress, suggesting that, due to historical evolution, government was becoming less a danger to the governed and more capable of solving the great array of problems besetting the human race. Historically, these ideas formed a common thread among the most important American thinkers from the 1880s into the 1920s and beyond, manifesting themselves in the writings and speeches of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Croly, John Dewey, Robert La Follette, and several others.”

He further states in Chapter One:

“Wilson, in reflecting what it meant to be a progressive, wrote of government as a “living thing” which was to be understood according to” the theory of organic life”. This “living” notion of a constitution, Wilson contended, was far superior to the founders’ model, which had considered government a kind of “machine” which could be constantly limited through checks and balances. As a living entity, the progressives reasoned, government had to evolve and adapt in response to changing circumstances. While early conceptions of national government had carefully circumscribed its power to the perceived threat to individual liberties, progressives argued that history had brought an improvement in the human condition, such that the will of the people was no longer in danger of becoming factious. Citing a whole new host of social and economic ills that called out for a government remedy, progressives took this doctrine of progress and translated it into a call for a sharp increase in the scope of government power.”

Thus, Progressives believe that the powers of the national government, and especially those of the president, are plenary (full in all respects), not enumerated (specify individually)—as defined by the Constitution.

Dr. Pestritto also points out that a plenary power requires an administrative state “whereby a large, unelected bureaucracy is empowered with significant governing authority.” Such an administrative state would be run by administrative experts who are appointed and which are drawn from the educated classes. To be effective, such administrative experts would need to share a common ideology and ideas of the Progressive goals of the government. These administrative experts would combine aspects of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial functions of government in the creation and administration of regulations to govern almost all the functioning of society.

This, then, is the core ideology and ideas of Progressivism, which is antithetical to our Founding Fathers' ideology of the Declaration of Independence and the ideas of the Constitution of the United States, which the Founding Fathers regarded as necessary to preserve our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights". In our Founding Fathers' ideology and ideas, our rights supersede government, while in the Progressives' ideology and ideas, our rights derive from the government, and these rights can evolve and adapt and be created or discarded as necessary in solving what they believe is the great array of problems besetting the human race.

08/13/23 Repeating History

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."   - George Santayana

American Progressivism started in the late 19th century and flowered at the beginning of the 20th century. The Presidential Administration of Woodrow Wilson was when it began to be incorporated into American governance. After a brief pause in the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression in the United States brought forth even greater Progressivism under the Administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR). It was under the FDR Administration that Progressivism became entrenched in the American government. To this day, we have Progressivism baked into American governance.

Yet, the administrations of President Wilson and Roosevelt had a dismal record on Civil Rights. Using a Democratic interpretation of the Constitution (as I have written in my article "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution"), and sometimes just ignoring or dismissing our American ideals and ideas as expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, Progressives began a campaign to indoctrinate Americans into a Progressive ideology of governance and societal culture. A history of their efforts during the Wilson Administration is examined in the books:

• Over Here: The First World War and American Society 25th Anniversary Edition by David M. Kennedy
• The Illusion of Victory: America in World War I by Thomas Fleming

Using grandiloquent statements and the Progressive Myths of History while at the same time using economic fears and World War I war-mongering, President Wilson and his Administration trampled upon Americans' Civil Rights to achieve their political goals and policy agendas. Thus, a campaign of fear and intimidation ensued, in which they violated the right to Freedom of Speech and the Press, along with the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Many people were imprisoned for dissenting from the administration's opinions, and many more were intimidated into silence for fear of imprisonment. Those that they could not imprison were smeared and demonized with innuendo and rumors of being unpatriotic and even un-American. They whipped up the American public to support and even assist them with their efforts. Thus, a dark period of Civil Rights abuses descended upon America. It was only after World War I when the American people were war-weary and no longer in economic fear, did the American public repudiate these efforts and elected a series of Republican presidents to bring back “normalcy”.

Alas, we have forgotten this history, and a little over 100 years later, we are repeating it in the fears of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the warmongering of the Ukrainian-Russian war. Much of what President Wilson’s Administration's Civil Rights abuses entailed are being attempted by President Biden’s Administration. It is chilling to read this history of the Wilson Administration and realize that the same tactics they utilized are being utilized by the Biden Administration. It is, therefore, imperative the American public repudiate these Civil Rights abuses of the Biden Administration and return to “normalcy”. A “normalcy” that should also repudiate the Progressive ideology of governance, as the Progressive ideology is antithetical to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

Thus, my next several Chirps will be about Progressivism and Progressives. Hopefully, my readers will have a better understanding of this political movement and can make better judgments about this ideology and its political agendas and policy goals.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Please note that the above series of Chips on Progressivism and Progressives have been combined into my collected Chirps on "Progressivism and Progressives", that are in the proper order in which they should be read. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

08/12/23 Modern Governance

The history of the modern forms of government has revealed several types of governance based on structure and political principles. The structure of a government can be divided into Unitary States or Federal States, while the political principles of states are of several different types. My new article, “Modern Governance”, examines the structure and political principles of modern forms of government.

08/11/23 Proper Reasoning

People have many reasons for what they think or believe, but they often do not have proper reasoning to arrive at the proper conclusions of their thinking and beliefs. In many of my Chirps and Articles, I mention proper reasoning as important to reach a proper conclusion. To reason properly requires that you take a "A Philosophical Approach" to your "Reasoning" and apply the Rules of Reasoning as I have Chirped on "06/07/23 Rules of Reason".

Reasoning philosophically is the most effective way of thinking and is the best method to reach a sound conclusion. Thinking philosophically focuses and organizes your thoughts in a manner that helps you properly reason. In using Reasoning, you need to understand the Structure of Reasoning, Formal and Informal Logic, Logical Fallacies, Cognitive Biases, and Common Sense. These must always be ascertained and incorporated for proper reasoning. You must also be aware of how to utilize "Common Sense" appropriately. In applying the Rules of Reason, you will be better able to adjudge the veracity of your own and others' claims and make a judgment on the truthfulness of a claim. The more you apply these rules of reason to a claim, the more you will realize the nonsense of much reasoning, and the better you will be able to separate the wheat from the chaff of the myriad of claims that surrounds us.

In evaluating your or another person’s reasoning, it is often not possible to determine if you or they have properly reasoned. However, whenever you or someone else uses "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” in reasoning, you can be fairly certain that they have not utilized proper reasoning.

Being able to express your proper reasoning clearly, concisely, completely, confidently, and understandably helps others to understand your proper reasoning and convince them of the soundness of your conclusions. In my Chirps and Articles, I consciously try to be clear, concise, complete, confident, and understandable. Also, in my Chirps, I have often expressed my conclusions without fully explaining my proper reasoning, which is why I have written Articles that do explain my proper reasoning. Consequently, whenever I hyperlink to an Article in my Chirp, it is for the purpose of fully explaining my proper reasoning. Thus, I would recommend reading my previously mentioned Articles to understand proper reasoning.

08/10/23 Inanity and Mockery

Vice President Kamala Harris is notorious for her inane word salad statements that talk down to the American public. She recently suffered another inane word salad, this time on banks while speaking to reporters at the Sycamore & Oak retail village in D.C.:

"And so for years, we have worked to expand investment in community banks because, you see, community banks specialize in providing loans and financial assistance to small business owners, in particular those in overlooked and underserved communities, and as the name suggests, community banks are in the community."

To which a Twitter user so aptly rephrased as:

“Water is wet … because it's water! Mkay? When we think about water's wetness, we must think in terms of how that wetness affects us all. Only then can we appreciate just how wet water truly is …”

I am old enough to remember Vice President Dan Quayle being mocked by the mainstream media for some of the things he said. Compared to Vice President Kamala Harris, Vice President Dan Quayle would seem to be an intellectual.

But there will be no mockery from the Mainstream Media of today, as they only mock Conservatives and Republicans and cover up or make excuses for Progressives and Democrats. Alas, this is but another example of the bias in the Mainstream Media that permeates Modern Journalism.

08/09/23 Perception Is Not Reality

Facts and figures don’t lie, except they do if they are misused, as I have written in my article on "Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave". However, the biggest factual lies are factual misperceptions. We may think that we know the facts, but often we do not really know the facts. My newest article, “Perception Is Not Reality”, examines some of these misperceptions and their repercussions.

These misperceptions are bad for the body politic, as making a decision based on perceptions always leads to a bad decision. Misperceptions that lead to divisiveness in America and bad decisions that have negative repercussions for our society. Consequently, before making any decision, it is important that you determine the facts and disregard the misperceptions.

08/07/23 Notable American Historians

Having read quite a bit of American history, I have been able to develop an informed opinion as to whom I regard as excellent American historians. While many other historians have written quality works, I have found the following historians to be consistently excellent:

• Allen C. Guelzo
• Gordon S. Wood
• W. Brands
• Rufus Fears
• James M. McPherson
• John Ferling
• Joseph J. Ellis
• Paul Johnson
• Thomas Fleming
• Victor Davis Hanson

More information and hyperlinks to these historians and their books can be reviewed in my new article “Notable American Historians”. The books by these historians are well worth a read. But as always, the reader should beware, for while they may be excellent books, that does not imply that they provide a complete or unbiased view of history. That is why I often read at least three books on a historical topic to ensure that I have multiple views on a historical topic.

08/05/23 Cat’s Cradle

Cat's Cradle: A Novel by Kurt Vonnegut was, according to its publisher, “a satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalyptic tale of this planet’s ultimate fate, it features a midget as the protagonist, a complete, original theology created by a calypso singer, and a vision of the future that is at once blackly fatalistic and hilariously funny. A book that left an indelible mark on an entire generation of readers, Cat’s Cradle is one of the twentieth century’s most important works—and Vonnegut at his very best.” The Wikipedia article on this novel describes Cat's Cradle as “a satirical postmodern novel, with science fiction elements, by American writer Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut's fourth novel, it was first published in 1963, exploring and satirizing issues of science, technology, the purpose of religion, and the arms race, often through the use of morbid humor.” While the article is an interesting synopsis of this novel, it is no substitute for reading the novel.

Upon reading this novel, I discovered that little did Vonnegut know that Cat’s Cradle was more than satire but it was a prediction on modern American society. Told with deadpan humor and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it ... In Kurt Vonnegut’s time, the fear of global destruction was of atomic war; today, the fear of global destruction is of Global Climate Change.

The semi-humorous religion of Bokononism in the novel is analogous to today’s Wokeism, except Wokeism is not semi-humorous—it is inanity. The absurdities of Bokononism match the absurdities of Wokeism, and the vacuousness of Bokononism locutions are equivalent to the vacuousness of Wokeism locutions. The characters in Cat’s Cradle are as daft as today’s Progressives and are cut from the same cloth.

In Chapter 28 of Cat’s Cradle, ‘Tyranny with a Difference’, he recites a “Calypsos” of the Bokonon religion:

“I wanted all things, To seem to make some sense, So we could all be happy, yes, Instead of tense. And I made up lies So that they all fit nice, And I made this sad world A par-a-dise.”

And so, it is with Wokeism. They make up lies that all fit nicely so we all can be happy. I also suspect that they would not be unhappy with a tyranny if it were the tyranny of the woke. As, after all, if we were all woke, then the world would be a par-a-dise.

Alas, if we proceed down the path of Wokeness, it will not be Global Climate Change that will end civilization, but it will be Wokeism that leads to the end of our civilization.

08/03/23 Climate Science Denial

Climate Science Denial is not a denial of science if the denials are based on scientific reasoning. Climate Science Deniers do not deny science, but the scientific consensus of Climate Change advocates and the scientists that support these activists. As I have written in my articles Climate Change, Scientific Consensus and Settled Science, Orthodoxy in Science, and Beware of Computer Modeling and Statistical Processing, there is much science that is disputable about Climate Change. In discussing Climate Change, it is important to remember the words of wisdom of Rabbi Elijah Schochet "We can disagree without being disagreeable." However, the advocates of Climate Change have become disagreeable in that anyone who would disagree with their scientific “facts” or “reasoning” is tarnished with the labels of Climate Change Denial or Science Deniers. They have also engaged in "Cancel Culture" for any scientist who would dispute their claims. This is dangerous for the advancement of science, as most advancement of science springs from disputes about scientific facts and reasoning.

Many of the advocates for Climate Change have little scientific background or scientific knowledge, and their scientific knowledge of Climate Change is obtained by examining only the science with which they agree. In this, they have forgotten the adage:

"A little learning is a dangerous thing; drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: there shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again." - Alexander Pope - An Essay on Criticism 

To drink deep in science requires that you examine the scientific reasoning of those scientists that disagree with the scientific “facts” or “reasoning” behind Climate Change advocates. To this end, I would suggest the following websites that challenge the scientific “facts” or “reasoning” behind Climate Change advocates with other scientific “facts” or “reasoning”:

• Climate Change Dispatch
• Climate Change Reconsidered
• CO2 Coalition
• Copenhagen Consensus Center
• Environmental Progress
• com
• Real Climate Science

Along with these websites, I would recommend the following books that examine the facts, impacts, and repercussions of implementing the policies of Climate Change advocates:

• Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All by Michael Shellenberger
• False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet by Bjorn Lomborg
• Lukewarming: The New Climate Science that Changes Everything by Patrick J. Michaels
• Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters by Steven E. Koonin

In reviewing these websites and books, you should remember the following words of wisdom:

"Doubt a little of your own infallibility."   - Benjamin Franklin

And:

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."   - Benjamin Franklin

Therefore, consider that you may have been wrong, and do not be afraid to change your opinion in consideration of any new information that you have encountered in reviewing these websites and books. You should also never use the terms Climate Change Denial or Science Deniers for those persons who base their denials on sound science and scientific reasoning. To do otherwise is to make you a denier of science and an impediment to the advancement of science.

08/01/23 Good Science

Dr. John F. Clauser, born 1942, is an American theoretical and experimental physicist known for contributions to the foundations of quantum mechanics. Clauser was awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics, jointly with Alain Aspect and Anton Zeilinger “for experiments with entangled photons, establishing the violation of Bell inequalities and pioneering quantum information science.”

Dr. Clauser spoke in July at the event Quantum Korea 2023. What follows is a transcript of his remarks that prompted the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to cancel his appearance this week, and began a predictable trajectory of broader cancellation. In this speech he made some astute observations of today’s science, which is probably why he is being canceled:

“Good science is always based on good experiments. Good observations always overrule purely speculative theory. Sloppy experiments, on the other hand, are frequently counterproductive and provide scientific disinformation. That is why good scientists repeat each other’s experiments carefully.

For inspiration to young scientists, I would suggest that today is an opportune moment for careful observations of nature. Why? The current world I observe is literally awash, saturated, with pseudoscience, with bad science, with scientific misinformation and disinformation, and what I will call “techno-cons.” Techno-cons are the application of scientific disinformation for opportunistic purposes.

Non-science business managers, politicians, politically appointed lab directors and the like are very easily snowed by scientific disinformation. Sometimes they participate in its origination. The purpose is to try to inspire you as young scientists to observe nature directly so that you too can determine real truth. Use the information gained from carefully performed experiments and research to stop the spread of scientific misinformation, disinformation, and techno-cons.

Well-educated scientists can help solve the world’s problems by acting as scientific fact-checkers. A fact-checker’s most common problem, unfortunately, is determining what is true and what is not. The world is awash with someone else’s perception of truth as an alternative to real truth.

Perception of truth frequently differs significantly from real truth. Moreover, given sufficient promotion and advertising, perception of truth becomes truth. Its promotion by commercial enterprise Is called marketing, commonly used in the furtherance of political, commercial, or various opportunistic ends by its promoters. When promotion is done by government or political groups, it’s called spin or propaganda.

To such a promoter, perception of truth is truth. If you can sell it, it must be true. If you can’t sell it, it must be false. Perception of truth is also malleable. If you can sell it, if you want to sell it, and you can’t sell it, that’s easy. You change it. You can change truth. You can claim false observations if necessary.”

Some other astute observations from this speech are:

“Real truth is not malleable. It can only be found by making careful observations. Well-tested laws of physics and observational data are important guides to allow you to distinguish truth from perception of truth.”

“Real truth could be found if and only if you learn to recognize and use good science. It’s especially true when real truth is politically incorrect and does not reflect political, business aims, or desires of leaders. Even the scientific community can sometimes become diluted by pseudoscience.”

The entire speech can be reviewed at “The Crisis of Pseudoscience, by John F. Clauser”. These comments are closely aligned with my Chirp on, "08/02/22 The Corruption of Modern Science", and further my belief that modern science has been corrupted by politics.

07/30/23 Honor Thy Father and Mother

The Fifth Commandment that God gave to humankind states:

“Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

Many people misconstrue the meaning of this commandment to mean you should obey your parents and adopt their viewpoints on life and living life. However, God gave every person a mind and the intelligence to utilize their mind and the free will to make their own decisions on life and living life. Therefore, the true meaning of this commandment is to be polite and respect your parents and consider their opinions when you make your own decisions. God only expects that you will obey the Ten Commandments; otherwise, you are free to use your own mind and intelligence to make your own decisions.

This includes voting for a candidate and support for or against a governmental policy decision. Too often, a decision on support for a political party candidate or a governmental policy issue is reflexive to the political party affiliation of your parents. Rather than deciding based on their own thoughts and beliefs, many people reflexively support the policies and candidates of their parents.

It should be remembered that political parties often change their character and policies. If your character and policies are not in accordance with the current political party candidate or a governmental policy issue, then you should consider changing your vote or support for a political party. This is often difficult to do, especially if you should discuss your change with your parents or children (and your other family and friends). Such discussions often result in bitter disputes and a parting of ways. During such discussions, we should remember the words of advice of Rabbi Elijah Schochet “We can disagree without being disagreeable.”, and that you should Always Be Polite and Respectful is such discussions. Under no circumstances should this disagreement lead to the fracturing of the love between parents and their children, nor the honoring of a child for a parent. Simply agree to disagree and retain your love and continue to honor your parents.

Alas, in today’s polarized and politically charged hyperpartisan environment, this is often not the case. Parents and their children have often separated and not spoken to each other for years and even decades. Grandchildren are not permitted to have any interaction with their grandparents, and families have split into camps where each camp has little or no interactions with the other camp. This is deleterious to society, as strong family bonding is essential to a strong society. When this occurs between a parent and child, it is also a violation of the Fifth Commandment of God.

07/29/23 I Declare

In today’s political rhetoric, there are too many opinions masquerading as declaratives. A declarative is a grammatically unmarked statement that represents an act or state as an objective fact, while an opinion is a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty. Thus, there is confusion among the reader or viewer of what are facts versus opinions, a confusion that also often exists in the speaker or writer’s mind. Thus, it is important for all parties to be aware of the difference between opinions and declarations and to distinguish between them when communicating. Otherwise, a false declaration will be assumed to be factual and lead to a false conclusion.

Most politicians and political commentators make declarations without supporting facts, which is, therefore, an opinion, and they do so without stating their declarations as opinions. They consciously, but mostly unconsciously, do this as a means of justifying their opinions as factually based. When this is done consciously, it is an attempt to mislead the public, and when this is done unconsciously, it demonstrates a lack of proper reasoning on their part. In either case, the public should beware of all statements from them, as it can safely be assumed that their conclusions are flawed.

Alas, we cannot expect politicians and political commentators to change their modus operandi, and therefore, the public needs to consciously differentiate between declarations and opinions when reading or listening to their pronouncements.

07/28/23 What the Heck Is This QAnon?

In viewing news and commentary, you may have heard or read the term “QAnon”, which has no formal meaning and seems to have no rhyme or reason in its application. The columnist Jeffrey A. Tucker has written about his examination of the history, meaning, and purpose of this term in his article “What the Heck Is This QAnon?”. His conclusion is the term was fabricated by the New York Times (NYT) and that:

“QAnon for the NYT is just a curse word, a thing they attach to something they are really against and really want their readers to be against too. In the parlance of the NYT, there is a gradient of bad guys. To be a “conservative” is to be clueless, stupid, and easily led. To be “right-wing” is to be malicious, hateful, and probably very dangerous. But to be QAnon, that is beyond the pale, utterly hopeless and grotesque, deluded and insane, and certainly a gravely destructive person who should never be allowed any platform, much less professional success.”

A conclusion with which I agree based on my observations of the usage of this term. A conclusion in which these gradients can be used as pejoratives to classify conservatives as disreputable, right-wingers as deplorable, and QAnon as despicable. Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders also have a gradient of ‘MAGA Republicans’ that spans the edges between conservatism and right-wingers for any American that would consider supporting Donald Trump. In doing so, any pejorative gradient is dividing Americans into good and evil Americans and sowing "Divisiveness in America".

Historically, this pejorative gradient of a people has been used by despots, dictators, and tyrants to oppress their people and conduct wars against other peoples, often with tragic consequences to those people who were so perjured. QAnon is also a signal to the "Wokeness" mob to engage in "Virtue Signaling" and "Cancel Culture" against the person or entity they declare to be QAnon, again with tragic consequences to those so labeled, as I have mentioned in my Chirp on “07/22/23 To Tell the Truth”.

As QAnon has no definite meaning, it can be assigned any meaning by anyone that would utilize the term. Thus, we have a situation much like Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll's ‘Through the Looking Glass’:

'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean ' neither more nor less.' 'the question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.' 'the question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master ' that's all.'

And any attempt to respond to the allegation of being a QAnon is analogous to Miguel de Cervantes's Spanish epic novel ‘Don Quixote’, in which Don Quixote attacks some windmills which he believes to be ferocious giants—to no avail.

The only solution to this problem is a return to "A Civil Society". Alas, in the hyper-partisanship and intense fervor of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, this does not seem likely. The normal human inhibitions of shame or benevolence of concern for another person seem to play no part in the words and deeds of those who would utilize pejoratives against those with whom they disagree. Thus, they are tearing apart Americans in order to achieve their political agendas and policy goals.

07/27/23 10 Things Black Students Don’t Need in Schools

Author and pastor John Amanchukwu’s vocal opposition to a proposed California school curriculum at a Temecula Valley Unified School Board meeting he attended on Tuesday, July 18, 2023, included a “10 Things Black Students Don’t Need in Schools” list:

“Number one, we don’t need affirmative action,

Number two, we don’t need equity,

Number three, we don’t need to be pandered to,

Number four, we don’t need you to dumb-down test scores in order for us to thrive,

Number five, we don’t need the school system to be promoting victim mentality,

Number six, we don’t need the soft bigotry of low expectations as we have heard from other people,

Number seven, we don’t need critical race theory or intersectionality,

Number eight, we don’t need reparations or any more welfare state,

Number nine, we don’t need to be propped up as the darlings of the LGBTQ community,

Number ten, we don’t need white liberals telling us that they know what’s best for us.”

The only thing that all students need from their public education is the skills and abilities to become functional adults; the Information, Understanding, Intelligence, Experience, and Wisdom about different areas of knowledge, as I have written in my article, "Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom"; and the ability to use "Reasoning" and "Rationality" to make a decision. All other education of a student is the responsibility of their parents or guardians, or those they would entrust to impart this other education.

07/26/23 Bidenomics

President Biden and his Administration are pushing the term “Bidenomics” to obfuscate the reality of the current American economy. In a new article by Miranda Devine, “The real scoop on Bidenomics: Corruption, tax evasion and Hunter”, she examines what Bidenomics means to the Biden family:

“Joe Biden has been trying in vain to mainstream a concept he calls “Bidenomics.”

The mystifying slogan appears to be an effort to turn around negative public perceptions of his economic agenda, since polls show only one in three Americans approves of his handling of the economy.

The problem is that nobody seems to have a clue what Bidenomics means.

But the definition has become much clearer over the past week, after the first son’s sweetheart plea deal fell apart in Delaware, two IRS whistleblowers testified to Congress about the DOJ’s obstruction of the criminal investigation into Hunter and Sen. Chuck Grassley released an explosive FBI document alleging that Joe and Hunter received $10 million in bribes from a Ukrainian oligarch.

So here is a handy reckoner for Americans to decipher the president’s new catchphrase.”

I would urge everyone to read this article as it is very revealing of the corruption of the Biden family.

07/25/23 A Weapon of Mass Corruption

It remains true that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. When the guardrails of due process and impartiality are discarded, the power wielded by the FBI, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security, and other government agencies becomes a weapon of mass corruption. Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas are corrupting the United States Constitution. This should come as no surprise as President Joe Biden is also corrupting the Constitution.

They are corrupting the Constitution by their undertaking "The Weaponization of Government" and engagement in "Despotism in America", as well as obstructing Congressional Oversight (see also Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute Overview of Investigation and Oversight Power of Congress) and their involvement in Judicial intimidation and/or attempts to circumvent Supreme Court rulings as I have Chirped on "07/24/23 The Circumvention of Supreme Court Rulings". In this, they are becoming a thug government, as Andrew C. McCarthy has written in a National Review article.

In this corruption are being assisted by Democrat Party Leaders, as I have written in my article "J'accuse!". They are corrupting our "American Ideals and Ideas" through the allegations and usage of Adjective Justice, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Doxing, Hate Speech, Identity Politics, Racist, Wokeness, Hyper-Partisanship, and Equity and Equality. In this, they are attempting to destroy America so that they can fundamentally transform America to their ideology, as I have Chirped on “07/06/23 Destroyed From Within”.

They often utilize "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” to justify their words and deeds as what is best for America, and consentaneous with the Soul of America. But make no mistake, their assaults on our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" is not the best nor consentaneous with our American Ideals and Ideas.

Consequently, the Biden Administration is corrupting the Constitution in order to obtain its political agenda or policy goals. If they are successful in these efforts, then future administrations will also engage in this corruption. A corruption that, if allowed to continue, bodes ill for the future of America and the Liberties and Freedoms of its people.

07/24/23 The Circumvention of Supreme Court Rulings

The circumvention of Supreme Court rulings has become modus operandi in the Biden Administration. Whenever a court ruling overturns an Executive Order or bureaucratic regulations, they look for ways to circumvent the court ruling. This is most pernicious when regarding Supreme Court Rulings, of which many of the Supreme Court rulings on Executive Orders or bureaucratic regulations rescinded these orders or regulations of the Biden Administration. They look to the letter of the ruling to determine how to circumvent the ruling and pay no heed to the spirit of the ruling. They then create another Executive Order or bureaucratic regulations to achieve their desires. They do this by using "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” to justify their new Executive Order or bureaucratic regulation.

This is not to mention that many of their Executive Orders or bureaucratic regulations go beyond the scope of Legislation. They, therefore, are a violation of the Constitutional separation of powers of the branches of government and, thus, an encroachment on Congressional or Judicial powers, duties, and responsibilities.

It is quick and easy to write an Executive Order or bureaucratic regulation, while it is slow and laborious to legally challenge an Executive Order or bureaucratic regulation. The Constitution was not created for quick and easy and, indeed, was created to slow down the process. Our Founding Fathers were well aware that the passions of the people could lead to governmental actions that infringed upon the Liberties and Freedoms of the people. They, therefore, created the Constitution with a separation of powers, duties, responsibilities, and checks and balances between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches of government that slowed down the process of ameliorating passions to preserve the Liberties and Freedoms of the people.

Thus, the Biden Administration is corrupting the Constitution in order to obtain its political agenda or policy goals. A corruption that gnaws at our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

07/23/23 Historical Context

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”  - Hamlet.

Academics and scholars have often debated what Shakespeare meant when he used philosophy in this dialog. Throughout the millennia, the word Philosophy meant the obtainment of knowledge inclusive of many subfields such as morality and ethics, religion and theology, law, science, engineering, etc... The term Natural Philosophy was utilized for what we now term science, but there was no set convention that discriminated between the usage of Philosophy and Natural Philosophy, and people often were inclusive of Natural Philosophy when they used the term Philosophy. It was not until the mid-19th century that the term Science was utilized to discriminate between Philosophy and Natural Philosophy. Thus, we cannot know if Shakespeare was using Philosophy in its all-inclusive meaning or if he was excluding Natural Philosophy.

I prefer the all-inclusive meaning in this quote, as it illuminates a truth in the search for knowledge—"that which we know that we know, that which we know that we don't know, and that which we don't know what we don't know” and makes this quote more meaningful. The debate about the meaning of Philosophy in this quote highlights the importance of knowing the historical context of what a word or term meant to the person who spoke or wrote the word or term. Too often today, we assign the modern meaning of a word with a historical statement that is not appropriate to what was originally meant in its historical context. In doing so, we are doing a disservice to the author of the original meaning that was intended.

07/22/23 Philosophy, Natural Philosophy, and Science

Throughout history, the terms Philosophy, Natural Philosophy, and Science were indefinite in their meaning and usage. This led to confusion whenever a person used these words and often misunderstandings of what a person meant when they used these words. Today, they have a more definitive meaning and less misunderstanding in their usage. Today’s meanings of these words are as follows:

Philosophy is the rational investigation of questions about existence and knowledge, and ethics, which throughout the millennia meant the obtainment of knowledge inclusive of many subfields, including Natural Philosophy.

Philosophy (from the Greek: love of wisdom) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those concerning existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Philosophical methods include questioning, critical discussion, rational argument, and systematic presentation.

Today, major subfields of academic philosophy include metaphysics, which is concerned with the fundamental nature of existence and reality; epistemology, which studies the nature of knowledge and belief; ethics, which is concerned with moral value; and logic, which studies the rules of inference that allow one to derive conclusions from true premises. The history of philosophy is itself a philosophical undertaking. Other notable subfields include philosophy of religion, philosophy of science, political philosophy, aesthetics, philosophy of language, and philosophy of mind.

Natural Philosophy was the science of matter and energy and their interactions, which began to branch off from Philosophy to have its own meaning and was eventually superseded by the word Science.

Natural Philosophy or philosophy of nature is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe. It was dominant before the development of modern science. From the ancient world (at least since Aristotle) until the 19th century, natural philosophy was the common term for the study of physics (nature), a broad term that included botany, zoology, anthropology, and chemistry, as well as what we now call physics. It was in the mid-19th century that the concept of science received its modern shape, with different subjects within science emerging.

The term natural philosophy preceded the current usage of natural science (i.e., empirical science). Empirical science historically developed out of philosophy or, more specifically, natural philosophy. Natural philosophy was distinguished from the other precursor of modern science, natural history, in that natural philosophy involved reasoning and explanations about nature (and, after Galileo, quantitative reasoning), whereas natural history was essentially qualitative and descriptive.

Science, the study of the physical and natural world using theoretical models and data from experiments or observation, supplemented the term Natural Philosophy in the mid-19th century to distinguish it from the other branches of Philosophy.

Science is a neutral, rigorous, systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into three major branches: natural sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, and physics), which study the physical world; the social sciences (e.g., economics, psychology, and sociology), which study individuals and societies; and the formal sciences (e.g., logic, mathematics, and theoretical computer science), which study formal systems, governed by axioms and rules. There is disagreement about whether the formal sciences are science disciplines because they do not rely on empirical evidence. Applied sciences are disciplines that use scientific knowledge for practical purposes, such as in engineering and medicine.

New knowledge in science is advanced by research from scientists who are motivated by curiosity about the world and a desire to solve problems. Contemporary scientific research is highly collaborative and is usually done by teams in academic and research institutions, government agencies, and companies. The practical impact of their work has led to the emergence of science policies that seek to influence the scientific enterprise by prioritizing the ethical and moral development of commercial products, armaments, health care, public infrastructure, environmental protection, and Climate Change.

07/21/23 Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom

What is Knowledge and a Knowledgeable Person? Is knowledge everything that is known, the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning, the factual information that a person knows, or the (technical) knowledge and skill required to do something? Is a knowledgeable person one who is highly educated, has extensive information or understanding, an alert and fully informed mind, or a person who is thoroughly acquainted with knowledge through study or experience? It is my belief that Knowledge is everything that is known, while a knowledgeable person is one who has accumulated much Information, Understanding, Intelligence, Experience, and Wisdom about different areas of knowledge.

With this in mind I have done an extensive update to my article on “Knowledgeable � From Information to Wisdom” to include the topics of Information, Understanding, Intelligence, Experience, and Wisdom. Thus, the new title for this updated article is “"Knowledgeable – From Information to Wisdom".

07/20/23 To Tell the Truth

Telling the truth is not easy—it is difficult and has consequences and repercussions. But the immediate consequences and repercussions of telling the truth are far less than the long-term consequences and repercussions of remaining silent, acquiescing or telling a lie. Therefore, you need to tell yourself and others the truth rather than what you think you or others want to hear.

I have had a lifelong habit of not telling people what they wanted to hear but rather telling them what they needed to hear. This habit often had negative repercussions for my career, as I was not very diplomatic in telling the truth, but after I learned how to diplomatically tell the truth, it had positive consequences for my career.

When I undiplomatically told the truth, I was often not paid attention to or shunted aside and sometimes scorned. I was also not promoted, and I often had to find other employment to advance my career. Once I learned how to diplomatically tell the truth, my career blossomed, as my coworkers and management learned that I could be trusted to provide all the unvarnished information they needed to make a good decision. My computer consulting clients were also appreciative of my honesty, as they knew that they would have all the information that they needed to make an informed decision.

In my article “Stories from an Examined Professional Life”, I relate the story of The Retail Furniture Store, where I told a potential client what he needed to hear and not what he wanted to hear. As a result, he did not hire me but instead hired another computer consultant who told him what he wanted to hear. I later discovered, from a mutual friend, that he had regrets about hiring the other computer consultant, as it turned out that what he needed to hear was the truth about his computer needs. As a result, he spent more money and time correcting what he wanted to hear than if he had listened to what I told him what he needed to hear.

In today’s America, the biggest obstacle to telling the truth is "Wokeness" and "Cancel Culture". Wokeness is an attempt to get someone not to speak or to lie about what they really believe to be the truth, while Cancel Culture is an injustice at the hands of a vengeful mob. Wokeness and Cancel Culture are brutal to those that it is directed against, with terrible repercussions to both the persons and the society which tolerates them. It is also true that much "Virtue Signaling" is a reinforcement of Wokeness. Wokeness and Cancel Culture is also a means to impose despotism upon a people. Thus, Wokeness, Cancel Culture, and Virtue Signaling must be opposed by those that value Truth and Justice, as well as Liberty and Freedom.

The accumulation of remaining silent, acquiescing, or telling a lie takes a toll on a person’s life, as it often demeans the meaning of their life. It also has the consequence of:

“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”  - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

A YouTube video by Jordan B Peterson, “You Must Stand Up Against Woke Ideologies”, explains how Wokeness and Cancel Culture arise, how it is implemented, and its dire consequences, as well as the necessity of standing up against Wokeness and Cancel Culture.

07/19/23 How to Fix Climate Change

In Bjorn Lomborg's book “False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet” Section 4 is given over to “How to Fix Climate Change”, in which he discusses the best means to alleviate Climate Change. While I have only a few problems with the chapters on Innovation, Adaptation, and Prosperity, I do have serious problems with the chapters on Carbon Tax and Geoengineering.

Bjorn Lomborg is a big believer in Carbon Taxes to reduce carbon emissions that impact Climate Change. While he acknowledges the problem with a Carbon Tax, he believes that it can still be helpful even if not properly and comprehensively implemented. I have no such belief. With Carbon Taxes, we are talking about much money and political power. Whenever large amounts of taxes are in play, the political lobbying for different tax rates and/or tax exemptions would be extensive, and the results are often inequitable and would blunt the positive impacts of Carbon Taxes on Climate Change. The political power to control the economy and impact the lives of the population increases, often to the benefit or detriment of various groups of people. Carbon Taxes are also a very Regressive Tax that imposes a greater burden (relative to resources) on the poor than on the rich. He also makes no mention of how the tax revenues would be expended. With such large revenues as Carbon Taxes generate, there would be much factiousness engendered. Many politicians would suggest that we provide subsidies to the poor to ameliorate the regressive nature of the Carbon Tax. However, this is just an elaborate means of Redistribution of Income And Wealth, a redistribution that would unduly burden the middle class and have minimal impact on the upper class. There would also be the tendency for politicians and carbon emitters to implement Emissions trading (i.e., Cap and Trade), which I believe is one of the worst ideas ever proposed to combat Climate Change, and that would enrich the traders at the expense of the consumers.

Geoengineering, the deliberate modification of the climate to suit human needs, is a science and technology that Bjorn Lomborg believes should be allocated more funds for Research and Development (R&D). While he does acknowledge the possible negative impacts of applying this science and technology, I believe he woefully underestimates the possible perverse unintended consequences of applying this science and technology. For the reasons I have written about in my Science Article, “Beware of Computer Modeling and Statistical Processing”, I believe that we should never attempt to implement this science and technology. I do believe, however, that research on Geoengineering should be increased, as this will contribute to our scientific knowledge and understanding of climate. I also believe that all the nations of the world should ban any attempt by any nation, entities, or individuals to perform any large-scale testing or implementation of this science and technology.

After all, in regard to any Climate Change policies that we pursue, we should remember that “Fools rush in where Angles fear to tread”, and most Climate Change alarmists tend to be fools, as I have Chirped on “07/18/23 The Myths of Climate Change”.

07/18/23 The Myths of Climate Change

At the end of the movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai”, the mostly fictional story of the attempt by British Commandos to destroy a train bridge being built by British Prisoners of War during World War II, the British doctor who treated the POWs sits on a hillside to view the first train to cross the bridge. Instead, he witnesses the commando raid and the deaths of all but one commando and the death of the British and Japanese commander who built the bridge, as well as many Japanese soldiers. After he witnesses the destruction of the bridge (the untrue part of this story), he exclaims, in the last dialog of the movie, “Madness, Madness, Madness”.

Whenever I read or view the claims of Climate Change alarmists, I get the urge to exclaim, “Madness, Madness, Madness”. This madness of Climate Change alarmists is best explained in the book, “False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet” by Bjorn Lomborg. Throughout my reading of this book, I chuckled or shook my head and sometimes exclaimed madness. This book is the most understandable explanation of the madness of Global Climate Change alarmists.

Enough, argues bestselling author Bjorn Lomborg. Climate change is real, but it's not the apocalyptic threat that we've been told it is. Projections of Earth's imminent demise are based on bad science and even worse economics. In panic, world leaders have committed to wildly expensive but largely ineffective policies that hamper growth and crowd out more pressing investments in human capital, from immunization to education. This book uncovers the truths that Climate Change alarmists don’t want you to know.

In another reasoned book, “Lukewarming: The New Climate Science that Changes Everything” by Patrick J. Michaels, Cato scholars Pat Michaels and Chip Knappenberger explain the real science and spin behind the headlines and come to a provocative conclusion: global warming is not hot―it's lukewarm. While that may not sound massive, it does, as the book's subtitle notes, change everything. Climate change is real, it is partially man-made, but it is clearer than ever that its impact has been exaggerated―with many of the headline-grabbing predictions now being rendered implausible or impossible.

These two books constitute my upcoming Book It of “08/01/23 The Mythologies of Climate Change”, and I hope that you will read them to better understand Climate Change. The introduction to both books is a must-read for those interested in the truths of Climate Change, while the conclusion of False Alarm is a warning of the repercussions of trying to “fix” Climate Change based on the myths. Myths and Science are diametric, and to believe in myths will doom any policies based upon the myths and result in much wasteful expenditures of time and monies, as well as bringing untold misery upon the world and its people.

For more information on truthful Climate Change science and untruthful Climate Change alarmism, I would direct you to my Book Its’ of “03/01/21 Apocalypse Never” and “ 08/01/22 Rational and Reasonable Climate Change”, which review the books  "Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All" by Michael Shellenberger and  Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters by Steven E. Koonin. For more of my thoughts on Climate Change I would direct to my Science Articles Climate Change and Beware of Computer Modeling and Statistical Processing.

07/17/23 Environmentalism and Climate Change

Before there was Climate Change, there was Environmentalism. Over the decades, Environmentalism has been subsumed by Climate Change, in that If you believe in Environmentalism, then you must believe in Climate Change, and if you believe in Climate Change, then you must believe in Environmentalism. But Environmentalism and Climate Change are distinct, and entangling Environmentalism and Climate Change diminishes Environmentalism.

Environmentalism is important, as it is important that we have clean air and water, as well as a rubbish-free environment. It is also important that we have natural lands, streams, rivers, lakes, and ocean preserves. But there has always been a conflict between the environment and the human utilization of the environment. Human progress has always been dependent on the usage of natural resources, and all human endeavors impact the environment. The question of what acceptable impacts on the environment are allowable to sustain human progress and what restrictions are necessary to preserve the environment.

Modern Environmentalism has gone to the extreme of not allowing any impacts on the environment for human progress. While almost no Americans would agree to unrestricted utilization of the environment for human progress, it is the balance between environmentalism and human progress that needs to be considered before implementing any decision on restrictions to human development that impacts the environment. This is analogous to limiting the deaths that occur from automobile accidents. Each year about 45,000 people in America die from traffic accidents. If you ask the experts to determine how to reduce this number to several hundred at maximum, the only answer is to reduce the speed limit to no more than 5 miles per hour. Nobody in their right mind would accept this solution, as the negative repercussions would be far greater than the positive benefits. We, therefore, must strike a balance for society and human progress to flourish. So, it should be for environmental policies.

I am all in favor of striking a balance in environmental policies and protecting the environment as much as the balance warrants. However, I could not say the same for Climate Change policies. As I have written in many Articles and Chirps, the current Climate Change science is very suspect, as I have pointed out in my Science Article, Climate Change, and my new Science Article, Beware of Computer Modeling and Statistical Processing. I believe in climate change. I believe the climate has changed in the past, the climate is currently changing, and the climate will change in the future. This is a meteorological and geological scientific fact. The question is whether human activity is causing the current climate change. This may be true or may not be true, depending upon your interpretation of scientific facts and beliefs. If you have read my Science Article "On the Nature of Scientific Inquiry", you know that I have a scientific orientation to my thinking, and in this article, I apply that scientific thinking to many of the issues and concerns of climate change. Without good science, it is not possible to determine a good balance between Climate Change and Human Progress.

As such, when Environmentalism and Climate Change merge, and Environmentalism becomes entangled in the political discord on Climate Change, it negatively impacts Environmental actions. In addition, the extremism of modern Environmentalists makes people wary of their claims and solutions. Consequently, environmental protection that is beneficial and necessary is questioned and stalled to the detriment of the environment.

07/16/23 Divorce – American Style

In my article “The Rights of Abortion, Homosexual Marriage, Transgendered, and Assisted Suicide”, I discuss the topic of what marriage is, but I make no mention of a divorce in a marriage. In the book, What Is Marriage?: Man and Woman: A Defense by Sherif Gergis, Ryan T. Anderson, and Robert P. George, they identify and defend the reasons for this historical consensus and show why redefining civil marriage as something other than the conjugal union of husband and wife is a mistake. In this book, they point out the two views of the meaning of marriage:

“The conjugal view of marriage has long informed the law—along with the literature, art, philosophy, religion, and social practice—of our civilization. It is a vision of marriage as a bodily as well as an emotional and spiritual view bond, distinguished thus by its comprehensiveness, which is, like all love, effusive: flowing our into the wide sharing of family life and ahead to lifelong fidelity. In marriage so understood, the world rests its hopes and finds ultimate renewal.” and “A second, revisionists view has informed the marriage policy reforms of the last several decades. It is a vision of marriage as, in essence, a loving emotional bond one distinguished by its intensity—a bond that needn’t point beyond the partners, in which fidelity is ultimately subject to one’s own desires. In marriage, so understood, partners seek emotional fulfillment, and remains as long as they find it.”

In all views of marriage, divorce should be available in cases of abandonment, physical or mental cruelty, infidelity, or bigamy. The question is, what the other grounds for divorce in a marriage are? In a conjugal view of marriage, it is only when one spouse has broken or ceased in their conjugal vows that divorce is warranted. In a revisionist's view of marriage, when one of the spouses ceases to feel emotional or sexual fulfillment, then divorce is permissible.

As we have seen the rise of the revisionist's view of marriage, we have also seen the rise in divorce rates. Some would argue that this divorce rise is not a causality but a correlation in divorce rates (as my article  Correlation vs. Causality explains) and that other factors are involved in the rise in the divorce rate. While other factors are indeed involved in the increase in the divorce rate, Common Sense would indicate that causation plays a large part in the rise of divorce rates in a revisionist view of marriage. When marriage is easier to enter and easier to exit, as it is in a revisionist's view of marriage, then divorce becomes more common. Such easier divorce has many different societal impacts, most of them detrimental impacts, as the Wikipedia article discusses. The Heritage Foundation report on The Effects of Divorce on America on children reports, as well as the Forbes report on The Financial Impact Of Divorce, discuss other negative repercussions of divorce.

Thus, we need to include the societal impacts of divorce when discussing marriage; otherwise, we will continue to see an increase in divorce in America to the detriment of America. Along with divorce, America suffers from the problems of Single Parent families that the Hello Motherhood website discusses. As the rise of divorce and single parenthood are very complex problems, and one that I am not qualified to discuss nor recommend solutions, I will keep in mind one of my Pearls of Wisdom, “If You Don’t Have Anything to Say, Say Nothing”, and say no more on these topics.

07/15/23 Destroying an Embryo

I have made my views on abortion well known in my articles "The Abortion Question" and "The Analogy of Abortion and Slavery". In the book, “Assisted Suicide: The Liberal, Humanist Case Against Legalization” by Kevin Yuill, in Section 5—For Abortion, Against Assisted Suicide, the author fails to sufficiently address the humanity of the unborn child. Instead, he asserts without sufficient evidence that “Destroying an embryo is clearly not murdering a person.” This is a loaded, biased statement that has hidden presumptions and assumptions. A more neutral statement would be— “The destruction of an embryo in the womb is not the unjustified taking of a human life.” In making this assertion without sufficient evidence, he has forgotten Hitchens's Philosophical Razor: "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence."

He also defines a viewpoint of life from a sacred perspective rather than a humanistic perspective. A Humanistic perspective rewrite of his Sacred viewpoint would be:

1. Human life begins at conception and ends at death.
2. Every human life has value to itself, to others, and to society.
3. If every human life has value, every human life has a right to life.
4. We may not violate the right to life simply because someone’s existence is a nuisance, either to themselves or to others.
5. Therefore, both abortion and assisted suicide are morally wrong.

The only debatable point would be number 1, which is addressed in Chapter One of the book “Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing“ by Ryan T. Anderson and Alexandra DeSanctis, and that I utilized for my discussion on Abortion Rights. If you believe that from the conception of a one-cell zygote, a multi-cell embryo, a fetus, to a newborn, an infant, a toddler, a child, an adolescent, an adult, a senior, and then death, they are all various stages of a single human life’s growth and development, it is a human life throughout all the various stages of growth and development. If you utilize the above rewrite, the arguments against institutionalizing assisted suicide would be applicable to be utilized against institutionalizing abortion. Unfortunately, the arguments in Kevin Yuill’s chapter are founded on this assertion without sufficient evidence, and as such, they can be dismissed if you disagree with the assertion without sufficient evidence.

He also posits several scenarios to justify this assertion, but he does not posit other scenarios that contravene his assertion. Thus, he does not sufficiently discuss the dichotomy of the choices (presented and unpresented) in the various choices in the scenarios. A dichotomy that I have Chirped about on “06/23/23 Under the Mantle of Civil Rights”.

He also justifies abortion based on “Women’s Equality”, but he does so without discussing the “Equality” of an embryo. He makes no mention of the human rights of an unborn child, and he has, in effect, ignored the question of the humanity of an unborn child by presuming it to not be human. He does this by attempting to separate the definition of human into the categories of “Biological” v. “Biographical” life.

In presuming an unborn child to not be human, he does not address the science of the humanity of an unborn child, but he attempts to redefine humanity away from its scientific basis. If you gave a cell of an unborn child and a cell of its mother to a geneticist, you could ask the geneticist what species these cells are. They would respond that they are homo sapiens. The geneticist can do this because the genome structure of a cell determines the species of the cell, and having a genome structure of a homo sapiens makes you a Human being. If you asked that same geneticist if they were the same human, they would respond that they are not, as each genome structure is unique to each human. The geneticist could also tell you which cell is from the mother and which cell was the child of the mother. Consequently, having a genome structure that is different from another human makes you a unique human. By trying to redefine human away from their scientific basis, you are venturing into metaphysical, philosophical, theological, moral, and ethical questions that cannot resolve the question of the humanity of an unborn child.

The other sections of his book are very good discussions on the topic of Assisted Suicide. I have written this Chirp not to dissuade you from reading this book but only to inform you of the shortcomings of this section of the book.

For a Humanist to not properly address the humanity of an unborn child is not in keeping with their Humanism values, as I have Chirped on “06/24/23 A Humanist”. This is another example of the passion that people feel about the issue of abortion. Humanists and philosophers need to put aside this passion and examine a topic dispassionately and from all viewpoints. It is this dispassion that I try to maintain whenever I Chirp or write an Article, especially on the issues of “Abortion, Homosexual Marriage, Transgendered, and Assisted Suicide Rights”.

07/14/23 Under the Mantle of Civil Rights

In today’s America, many groups of racial, ethnic, sexual, social, or cultural identity persons are claiming “Rights” under the mantle of civil rights. Most of these groups fall within the definition of Identity Politics as practiced by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists.

However, rights often are at a dichotomy with and between each other’s personal rights. And a dichotomy between individuals’ interests and between social policies. The main question is “What is the practical good versus the possible harm to the individuals involved?” and “What are the societal benefits versus the societal detriments of instituting a policy?”. It is difficult, and often contentious, to resolve these problems of the dichotomy of rights. These issues need to be looked at dispassionately, intelligently, and scientifically. But this is not often the case because people have strong emotional and religious reactions to these topics. Whenever we have a discussion on Civil Rights, we should remember that you have no right to harm yourself, nor to harm another, nor to harm society. It is only within that baseline that we can legitimately discuss Civil Rights.

Unfortunately, in today’s America, it seems that granting a civil right to one group often comes at the cost of the infringement on the "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" of other Americans. And once a civil right has been granted to correct a problem within America, it is not revoked when the problem has been corrected. Thus, all Americans continue to have their "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" violated after a problem has been solved. This continued violation is often justified on the basis that the problem or its repercussions have not been completely resolved, but what human problems are ever completely resolved? We live in an imperfect world, and we must learn to deal with these imperfections as they occur. To continue to violate the Natural, Human, and Civil Rights of a person until all the problems have been resolved is to wait for a Utopian world—which can never happen.

This dichotomy has played itself out in the Civil Rights of black Americans. While racism still exists in America (and the rest of the world), we now have laws that make racist actions illegal, and those that engage in them are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. No systemic abuses of the Civil Rights of black Americans are condoned nor tolerated in America, and those racist acts that do occur are harshly criticized and condemned by all but a few Americans.

Recently, we have seen the utilization of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) to justify infringement on the equal treatment of Americans under the mantle of Civil Rights, as I have Chirped on, "04/05/22 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)". We have also seen the utilization of the legal concept of Disparate Impact, as I have chirped on “06/19/23 Disparate Impact”, to justify the retention of outdated Civil Rights laws. Today, this dichotomy of rights has come into sharp focus when considering the rights of abortion, homosexual marriage, transgenderism, and assisted suicide. My new article, “Abortion, Homosexual Marriage, Transgendered, and Assisted Suicide Rights”, examines these rights and their dichotomy between individual and societal rights.

07/13/23 Beware of Computer Modeling and Statistical Processing

"All models are wrong, some are useful."   - George E. P. Box, one of the great statistical minds of the 20th century

These words of wisdom must be kept in mind whenever you utilize a Computer Model or Statistical Process in decision-making or in its implementation in the real world. The difficulty is determining which Computer Models or Statistical Processes are useful and which are useless. In addition, the above quote is why Computer Models and Statistical Processes cannot be a proof of science. No science is ever confirmed by a computer model, as science is proved by observations and experiments conducted in the real world.

Another problem with Computer Models and Statistical Processes is their utilization by non-scientists to advocate for public policies. Too often, the public believes in a computer model, especially when it confirms their beliefs about the real world, and they accept Computer Models and Statistical Processes as “proof” of their beliefs. And unfortunately, most Activists and Activism and politicians for causes that rely on a scientific foundation (e.g., Climate Change, Environmentalism, COVID-19 Pandemic, etc.) accept these Computer Models and Statistical Processes as proof of the correctness of their claims.

We should all remember that “Figures can lie, and liars can figure” as a warning to beware of all who use Computer Models and Statistical Processes to advance their agenda. This was not an indictment of modelers or statisticians; rather, it is a call to use reason and logic and to ask questions and seek understanding when presented with a conclusion based on Computer Models and Statistical Processes. Knowing what is important, what is unimportant, and what is misleading when reviewing Computer Models and Statistical Processes is crucial to discovering the truth.

My new science article, Beware of Computer Modeling and Statistical Processing, is an examination of the general problems associated with Computer Modeling and Statistical Processing and why you need to be careful when utilizing Computer Models and Statistical Processes when making decisions.

07/12/23 Economist Agree

Economists are some of the most disagreeable people on the Earth. They disagree with each other, and they disagree on the science of economics. This is not a comment on their character but an indictment of economic science. Economic science is an unsettled science, mainly because it is an extremely complex science, with many interrelationships and feedback loops within economic processes that are not well known. It is also dependent on human, societal, and government actions and reactions, which are unknowable and unpredictable. In addition, it is not possible to experiment on economic science, as any such experiments will not and should not be accepted by the public, and any such experiments will have major repercussions on people, society, and government. These experiments would also be highly susceptible to "The Law of Unintended Consequences" and subject to many unexpected benefits, unexpected drawbacks, and perverse results.

This is best expressed by the phrase, “That which we know that we know, that which we know that we don't know, and that which we don't know what we don't know”. In economics, that which we know is small compared to that which we know that we do not know, and that which we don't know what we don't know is probably very large.

Consequently, when some says that economist agree, or a variation of this term, we can know that the person who utters this term does not understand economic science, and we should not give heed to anything they may say about economics.

07/11/23 Rules for Conservatives

In an article by Rob Natelson, “Here’s Why It Seems Trump is Always in Trouble”, he reflects on the ‘Rules for Conservatives’ he has learned in his public career. He prefaces these rules by stating:

“For several decades, America has had a definable ruling class—essentially a large oligarchy. It consists of federal bureaucracies, a few career federal politicians from “safe” districts, the managers of certain large businesses, major universities and foundations, and the dominant media. Its members enjoy privileged access to the levers of federal power. So they campaign unceasingly, and often at taxpayer expense, to increase federal power.

The natural adversaries of the ruling class are those who want to seek to revive the Constitution’s limits on federal authority and re-empower individuals, families, religious congregations, local and state governments, small businesses, and private associations.”

Here are some of the rules he has learned:

#1: If you are pro-freedom and pro-Constitution, the standards you must meet are far higher than those applied to others. Just because Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden can get away with something, doesn’t mean you can. If you cannot accept this, then politics is not for you.

#2: In the typical media environment, media bias is worth about 10 percent of the vote for ruling-class candidates. You must factor this bias into your plans, just as you consider other aspects of the local political climate.

#3: Most people do not understand how the media manipulates their attitudes. People often have vague negative feelings toward certain candidates without really knowing why. You must find ways to communicate directly with voters, and do so in a disarming manner. (Ronald Reagan was a master of this skill.)

#4: A conservative candidate must give people specific reasons to vote for him and not for his opponent. This includes criticizing an opponent, but doing so in a way the media cannot portray as “mean-spirited.”

#5: Never trust a journalist. The political graveyards are littered with the bones of politicians who said inadvisable things to a reporter they thought they could trust. Even if the reporter wishes you well, his editors or other superiors may not.

#6: Don’t talk too much; know when to shut up. Prioritize what you want to say and—no matter what you are asked—focus on only your top two or three points.

#7: When you do speak, tell the truth. It’s not only ethical, it helps you keep your story straight. Privileged candidates often can get away with lies, but pro-freedom candidates usually cannot.

#8: Assume that any email or witnessed conversation may end up on the front page of the newspaper. Nixon taped private conversations, and the tapes were used to destroy him.

#9: Avoid impulsive decisions, and build a defensive foundation supporting each major decision. I was very good at this. The media would take statements by my opponents on faith, but they always wanted proof from me. I always had that proof available. (DeSantis is very good at this, too.)

#10: Enlist the best talent you can. Mediocrities may mean well, but they can sink you by making mistakes at the very worst time.

#11: Review your principles often.

#12: Once you are in office, concentrate on changes that are both (1) effective and (2) not easily reversed. The only permanent way to weaken the forces of centralization is to defund them.

The entire article is a worthwhile read as he explains how he has learned these rules.

07/10/23 SPLC Despicable and Divisive Slander and Libel

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) often makes slanderous or libelous statements against persons or organizations, and sometimes government agencies and politicians, that disagree with their viewpoints. In this, they have become a despicable and divisive organization rather than an agency for social betterment. Many Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists rely on the SPLC to justify their remarks, and many in the Mainstream Media and Mainstream Cultural Media report their statements as factual. This is yet another example of destroying ourselves, as I have Chirped on “07/05/23 Destroyed From Within”.

Any criticism of the SPLC is met with charges of "Racism" against those that would criticize the SPLC. This is done in an attempt to silence the critics and to shield the SPLC against any lawsuits of slander and libel. This has the consequence of allowing them to continue their slanderous or libelous statements. As a result, they are ruining the reputations of respectable persons and organizations and increasing the "Divisiveness in America".

These slanderous or libelous statements by the SPLC must end to bring about civil and honest discussions about the issues and concerns of the SPLC. And unfortunately, this can only be accomplished by those so defamed by the SPLC to institute lawsuits of slander and libel, as the SPLC has shown no interest in changing its tactics.

Too often, in today’s America, the counter charges of Racism against those that would criticize the orthodoxy of Progressives are utilized in an attempt to silence the critics. Almost all such counter-charges of Racism are without foundation and therefore are despicable and divisive, and need to end for us to have an honest discussion when actual racism rears its head.

07/09/23 The Perversion of the English Language

In my "Dialog & Debate" article, I discuss The Perversion of the English Language, which I have updated to state:

The perversion of the English language is one of the ways in which to confuse an issue. This English language perversion is accomplished by inventing new words and terms, assigning new meanings to current words and terms, and conflating the meanings of two words and terms. Language is the way we communicate our thoughts and feelings, and perverting language leads to less understanding and more misinterpretation.

Protologism (freshly coined) and neologism (new word) are important parts of the development of the English language. However, protologism words need time to develop a firm meaning and acceptance before they become a neologism. In political dialog and debate, most often, a protologism is a pejorative that has been created to defame a person involved in a discussion, dialog, or debate.

The adding of a new meaning to a word is often done to take an innocuous or positive connotative word or term to insert a contentious meaning to the word or term so that the contentious meaning is more acceptable. Consequently, anyone who would dispute the more contentious meaning of the word or term appears to be disputing the innocuous or positive connotative of the word or term, which puts them at a perceived disadvantage in any discussion, dialog, or debate.

The conflation of words and terms is often done to ameliorate a disputable word or term with an unequivocal word or term. Often these words or terms are antithetic to each other. By conflating these words or terms, they have taken the positive emotional appeal of a word or term to attribute this positive emotional appeal to the contentiousness of the other word or term.

When this abuse of language is being deliberately done, it is often being done for the purpose of obtaining power through sophistry (a deliberately invalid argument displaying ingenuity in reasoning in the hope of deceiving someone). A sophistry that has been utilized throughout history and first examined by Plato. A great philosopher of the 20th century, Josef Pieper, reflects in his book, Abuse Of Language Abuse Of Power, on the way language has been abused so that, instead of being a means of communicating the truth and entering more deeply into it, and of the acquisition of wisdom, it is being used to control people and manipulate them to achieve political and practical ends.

In today's America, this perversion of the English language is a technique utilized by Progressives/Leftists, Big Tech, Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, Modern Big Business, Modern Education, and Social Media to manipulate the American public into accepting their policy goals and political agendas. Policy goals and political agendas that, if they were clearly stated, the American public would not be acceptable of these policies and agendas.

Much of this abuse of language is done in the name of Political Correctness, Activists and Activism, Adjective Justice, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Doxing, Hate Speech, Identity Politics, Racist, Wokeness, Hyper-Partisanship, Equity and Equality, the Greater Good versus the Common Good, Social Engineering, and to institute a Herd Mentality as I have written in my "Terminology" webpage.

Reality becomes intelligible through words. Man speaks so that through naming things, what is real may become intelligible. This mediating character of language, however, is being increasingly corrupted. Despotism, propaganda, and mass media destroy and distort words. They offer us apparent realities whose fictive character threatens to become opaque.

Much like Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll's ‘Through the Looking Glass’, those that pervert the English language have adopted an attitude of:

“'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean ' neither more nor less.' 'The question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.' 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master ' that's all.'”

And people who pervert the English language to advance their policy goals and political agendas are simply trying to be your masters.

07/08/23 Courage of Our Convictions

We all applaud physical courage such as that exhibited by our armed forces, police, firefighters, and ordinary citizens coming to the aid of others at risk to their own lives and safety. However, there is another type of courage that needs applauding—Moral courage. When you stand up for the courage of your convictions in the face of personal disparagement, economic repercussions, and possible danger to your person or property, you deserve to be applauded.

The only caveat is that your convictions need to be founded on sound morals and have an ethical basis. A private moral and ethical basis that treats everyone with politeness, respect, and dignity, and a public moral and ethical basis based upon "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights", "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", that institutes "A Civil Society". Moral courage is when you stand up and speak out whenever you encounter anyone or any situation that is contrary to your moral and ethical basis. The practice of Virtue, the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong, requires that you have the courage of your convictions in the face of personal disparagement, economic repercussions, and possible danger to your person or property.

Virtue requires that you report any wrongdoing or possible unlawful actions to the proper authorities for investigation, and it requires that you make known any wrongdoing or possible unlawful actions by the proper authorities. And virtue is not restricted to lawful actions as "The Law is Not All". Virtue requires that when you encounter possible wrongdoing in your business or professional life, you report this wrongdoing to your superiors for corrective action, and if no such corrective action is undertaken, then you must report these possible wrongdoings to lawful authorities (a.k.a. Whistleblowing). The virtue of government employees requires that any possible wrongdoings or unconstitutional actions of government be reported to superiors, and if no corrective actions are undertaken to your satisfaction, then you must report these possible wrongdoings or unconstitutional actions to Congress for investigations (a.k.a. Whistleblowing). The virtue of elected officials requires that they investigate these possible wrongdoings to determine their veracity and when so, determine to be truthful that corrective actions are undertaken regardless of political affiliation or political considerations.

The only caveat is that a whistleblower must be sincere in their convictions that possible wrongdoings or unconstitutional actions have occurred; otherwise, they are acting in a petulant or vindictive manner. When a whistleblower does blow the whistle for the proper reasons, they are acting in a virtuous manner, and they should be applauded and not vilified. All precautions to protect the virtuous whistleblowers’ reputation, economic impacts, and possible dangers to their person or property must be undertaken. When negative repercussions are encountered by a virtuous whistleblower, then we need to find a way to compensate the virtuous whistleblower for the negative repercussions.

Many people would object that they are but a single person that can have no positive impact on possible wrongdoings or unconstitutional actions, and therefore it is not worth the risk of whistleblowing. However, like a pebble thrown into a pond, the ripples spread throughout the pond and disturb the pond. If enough pebbles are thrown into the pond, it will change the nature of the pond. When you consider whistleblowing, you must also consider injustice and its impacts. And, as Martin Luther King Jr. so eloquently wrote in his “Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’“:

“Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.”  - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Not acting virtuously exacts a penalty on those that choose to be unvirtuous, as:

“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”  - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Consequently, we must all be virtuous and act on the courage of our convictions to institute a better society.

07/07/23 Scared Leftward

Scared Straight! was a 1978 American documentary narrated by Peter Falk that presented a group of juvenile delinquents during their three-hour session with actual convicts. Filmed at Rahway State Prison, a group of inmates known as the “lifers” berate, scream at, and terrify the young offenders in an attempt to “scare them straight” so that they will avoid prison.

Today, we see this scare tactic being utilized by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders against the American people. Through the utilization of Cancel Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Doxing, Wokeness, and assertions of Sexism, Intolerantism, Xenophobism, Homophobism, Islamophobism, Racism, Bigotism. etc., they are attempting to scare the American people into silence and acquiesce to their political goals and policy agendas.

This is the politics of fear to scare the American people straight, where straight is progressivism. Fear is a despicable tactic in politics, as it often leads to divisiveness and irrational policies, as well as the possibility of despotism. As Bible verses teach us to Be Not Afraid so, therefore, we should not be scared leftward. Instead, we should have the courage of our convictions and oppose those who would scare us leftward. In doing so, we must remember the following:

“A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”  - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

07/06/23 Destroyed From Within

On Jan. 27, 1838, Abraham Lincoln spoke before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, about "The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions." During that address, he said: "At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."

We are now witnessing our destruction from within. Our "American Ideals and Ideas" are being destroyed by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders and not being replaced by any better ideas or ideals. As I have discussed in my Chirp on “06/07/23 The Great Silence”, we have many problems in America today that are not being addressed but are being foisted upon us by the actions or inactions of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. To reiterate, these are the problems of:

• the corruption of the Biden family and other politicians;
• the corruption of the FBI, Justice Department, Intelligence, and other government agencies;
• the devolution of our major cities into cesspools of homelessness, rubbish, garbage, defecation, drug usage, and the associated public health and safety risks;
• the economic, social, health care, and Natural Rights impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic;
• the educational failures of our public schools;
• the energy production (oil, natural gases, and coal) limitations;
• the fentanyl epidemic;
• the impacts of crime on the streets;
• the impacts of illegal immigration;
• the opposing Climate Change viewpoints;
• the reformation of government departments and agencies based on "Political Correctness", "Virtue Signaling", "Wokeness", "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)", and "Hyper-Partisanship".
• The rise of Despotism in America and The Decline of Free Speech in America;
• the sluggish economy and its impacts on employment;
• the Voting in America problems;
• and the Weaponization of Government.

These problems are the result of either accident, stupidity, or malice. I do not believe they are accidental, as they are being thrust upon us. I am a great believer in Hanlon's Philosophic Razor: “Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity”. However, these problems cannot be the result of stupidity, as many voices have warned us about the impacts of these problems. Therefore, it can only be concluded that these problems can only be attributed to malice—the malice of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. They do not love America for its ideals and ideas but only for what they believe they can form and shape it into. But this form and shape cannot be accomplished if they define it beforehand, as most Americans would reject this form and shape. Instead, they attempt to destroy America's current form and shape so that they may reform and reshape America from the ruins they have caused to happen.

Consequently, to preserve our American Ideals and Ideas, it is important that we oppose the actions and inactions of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. Otherwise, we will be its author and finisher of America by suicide, and we will have nothing left but the ruins of American Ideals and Ideas.

07/05/23 Colorblind at Last

The Supreme Court, in a recent decision, Students For Fair Admissions, Inc., v. President and Fellows of Harvard College and Students For Fair Admissions, Inc., v. University Of North Carolina, Et Al., determined that race-based admittance criteria for colleges and universities were unconstitutional. The vote counts were 6-3 against UNC and 6-2 against Harvard (because of the recusal of Justice Jackson).

A hue and cry arose amongst  Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists against this decision, with many outrageous claims and historically inaccurate comments permeating their protestations. They are fully aware that the reasoning for this decision is contrary to their "Social Engineering" and "Identity Politics" political agenda, which poses a threat to their electioneering tactics and control of Congress and the Presidency.

The Supreme Court's reasoning was based on Amendment XIV, Section 1. of the Constitution:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

This Amendment was passed shortly after the American Civil War in response to the racist and discriminatory practices that the defeated southern states were instituting. The many discussions and debates prior to the passage of this amendment made it clear that the purpose of this amendment was to establish a colorblind society in government and the law. Subsequent Supreme Court rulings limited the scope of this amendment, and sometimes were contrary to this amendment, but could not change the meaning and purpose of this amendment. The meaning and purpose of this amendment were made clear in the dissenting opinion of Justice Harlan in the Supreme Court’s 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson, which established the notorious “Separate but Equal” doctrine:

“[I]n view of the Constitution, in the eye of the law, there is in this country no superior, dominant, ruling class of citizens. There is no caste here. Our Constitution is colorblind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens.”  - Justice John Marshall Harlan (dissenting)

This recent Supreme Court decision is more in line with the 14th Amendment's original meaning and purpose of the amendment, and the decision should be applauded for its constitutionalism and affirmation that all Americans should be treated equally. In a concurring opinion to this decision, Justice Thomas Concurring Opinion on Affirmative Action lays out a fine history of legal racism and discrimination in American history that should be read and understood by all. In their final statement of the majority opinion in this ruling, they state:

“A benefit to a student who overcame racial discrimination, for example, must be tied to that student’s courage and determination. Or a benefit to a student whose heritage or culture motivated him or her to assume a leadership role or attain a particular goal must be tied to that student’s unique ability to contribute to the university. In other words, the student must be treated based on his or her experiences as an individual—not on the basis of race.

Many universities have for too long done just the opposite. And in doing so, they have concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

For over fifty years, we have had Affirmative action in the United States, which was not colorblind, and we have started down the road of "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)", which discriminates against groups of Americans. These policies are also contrary to the original meaning and purpose of the 14th Amendment. In doing so, we have forgotten that America was founded on the basis of “Equality” and not “Equity”, as in my definition of "Equity and Equality".

The societal impacts of using racial criteria for any selection process has a pernicious effect on all members of society. Any criteria for selection must be based on individual meritocracy and life experiences, for:

"Individuals are the sum of their unique experiences, challenges, and accomplishments. What matters is not the barriers they face, but how they choose to confront them. And their race is not to blame for everything, good or bad, that happens in their lives. A contrary, myopic world view based on individuals’ skin color to the total exclusion of their personal choices is nothing short of racial determinism."  - Justice Thomas

Therefore, our Constitution must be colorblind, for:

“We cannot be guided by those who would desire less in our Constitution, or by those who would desire more. The Constitution abhors classifications based on race, not only because those classifications can harm favored races or are based on illegitimate motives, but also because every time the government places citizens on racial registers and makes race relevant to the provision of burdens or benefits, it demeans us all.”  - Justice Thomas

Thus, it is time to put an end to Affirmative Action and put a stop to and reverse Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion based on the 14th Amendment. It is time that we had de facto equality rather than de jure equality. In doing so, the long road to racial equality under the law will be affirmed by America becoming Colorblind at Last.

07/04/23 The Relevance of The Declaration of Independence

Almost 100 years ago, on July 5th, 1926, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, President Calvin Coolidge gave a speech on the 150th anniversary of the American Revolution. In this speech, he reflected on the importance of The Declaration of Independence to history and its applicability to his modern times. This speech still rings true for the applicability of The Declaration of Independence to our modern times.

“It is little wonder that people at home and abroad consider Independence Hall as hallowed ground and revere the Liberty Bell as a sacred relic. That pile of bricks and mortar, that mass of metal, might appear to the uninstructed as only the outgrown meeting place and the shattered bell of a former time, useless now because of more modern conveniences, but to those who know they have become consecrated by the use which men have made of them. They have long been identified with a great cause. They are the framework of a spiritual event.”

Of the Declaration, Coolidge stated:

“It was not because it was proposed to establish a new nation, but because it was proposed to establish a nation on new principles, that July 4, 1776, has come to be regarded as one of the greatest days in history. Great ideas do not burst upon the world unannounced. They are reached by a gradual development over a length of time usually proportionate to their importance. This is especially true of the principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence. Three very definite propositions were set out in its preamble regarding the nature of mankind and therefore of government. These were the doctrine that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that therefore the source of the just powers of government must be derived from the consent of the governed.”

On the endurant principles of the Declaration, he declared:

“About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning can not be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.”

Of his trust in our Founding documents, he said:

“It is not so much, then, for the purpose of undertaking to proclaim new theories and principles that this annual celebration is maintained, but rather to reaffirm and reestablish those old theories and principles which time and the unerring logic of events have demonstrated to be sound. Amid all the clash of conflicting interests, amid all the welter of partisan politics, every American can turn for solace and consolation to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States with the assurance and confidence that those two great charters of freedom and justice remain firm and unshaken. Whatever perils appear, whatever dangers threaten, the Nation remains secure in the knowledge that the ultimate application of the law of the land will provide an adequate defense and protection.”

On this day, the normally “Silent Cal” Coolidge spoke volumes on the importance of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States to Liberty and Freedom. We would do well to remember his words of wisdom and to keep the principles of the Declaration and the Constitution intact in our governance.

* * * * *

For more about the importance of Independence Day, I would direct you to the Hillsdale College web page “15 Great Speeches to Remind America what Independence Day is About”. I would also direct you to my webpage on “Documents, Letters, and Speeches” which, in my opinion” are the most important letters, documents, and speeches from American history that I have found to be very wise and inspiring. I believe all Americans should read and ponder these letters and speeches and take them to heart.

07/03/23 Forms of Governance

Throughout my Chirps and Articles, I refer to the different forms of governance that I utilize. Therefore, I have compiled a shortlist of the different types of governance, and I have added this list to my "Terminology" webpage.

• Absolutism - The principle of complete and unrestricted power in government.
• Aristocratic & Aristocracy - Government by an aristocratic class; a state with such a government.
• Authoritarian & Authoritarianism - A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution, laws or opposition, etc.).
• Autocracy & Autarchy - A political system governed by a group or a single individual.
• Democratic & Democracy - A political system ruled by the people through majority rule.
• Despotic & Despotism - Dominance through the threat of punishment and violence.
• Dictatorial & Dictatorialness - Expecting unquestioning obedience.
• Majoritarianism & Majoritarian - Governed by the majority; believing in majority rule.
• Meritocracy - The belief that rulers should be chosen for their superior abilities and not because of their wealth or birth.
• Minoritarianism & Minoritarian - A political structure or process in which a minority segment of a population has a certain degree of primacy in that entity's decision-making.
• Monarch & Monarchy - An autocracy governed by a monarch (usually a King or Emperor) who usually inherits the authority.
• Ochlocracy - A political system in which a mob is the source of control; government by the masses.
• Oligarchy & Oligarchic - A political system governed by a few people.
• Serfdom - The state of a serf in which a person is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord.
• Totalitarian & Totalitarianism - Of or relating to the principles of totalitarianism according to which the state regulates every realm of life. The principle of complete and unrestricted power in government.
• Tyranny & Tyrannic & Tyrannical - Characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty.
• Republic & Republicanism - A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them.

07/02/23 The American Cultural Revolution

The Cultural Revolution in China was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal was to preserve Chinese communism by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society. The Cultural Revolution brought forth one of the bloodiest eras in Chinese history, along with social, economic, and political disruptions, disturbances, and dislocations in Chinese society.

The Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG), Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion (DEI), and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and More (LGBTQIA+) agendas are unfathomable acronyms to Middle America and thus mostly ignored. The Abortion, Marriage, and Transgendered Rights movement has also not been fully understood by the American people but has swept across America. Added to this mix is the discord of Critical Race Theory, The 1619 Project, ANTIFA, Black Lives Matter, and Defund the Police. The above issues, along with the American Inquisition, as I have written in my Chirp on “07/01/23 The American Inquisition”, are an American Cultural Revolution. This American Cultural Revolution is bringing forth social, economic, and political disruptions and disturbances in American society. This American Cultural Revolution is also antithetical to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and afterward does not portend well for our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

An American Cultural Revolution based on "The Biggest Falsehoods in America" and the utilization of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” to justify its actions. An American Cultural Revolution with the tactics of "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" against its opponents that begets "Divisiveness in America". An American Cultural Revolution fomented by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders and supported by the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech",  "Modern Big Business", and "Modern Education", to advance their social, economic, and political policies and political agendas.

This American Cultural Revolution is being implemented not by persuading the American people as to its rightness or desirability, but it is being imposed without the informed consent of the American people. This American Cultural Revolution has often been instituted by Executive Orders or Regulations, or Judicial Rulings, while Congress has been made mute by contending factions. As such, this American Cultural Revolution is not by the will of the American people as expressed through Congressional legislation. Thus, it is not occurring through Constitutional processes. Indeed, it is being imposed by despotic actions by its supporters. Consequently, this American Cultural Revolution needs to be opposed by all Americans who believe in our American Ideals and Ideas.

07/01/23 The American Inquisition

The Inquisition was a former tribunal of the Roman Catholic Church (1232-1820) created to discover and suppress heresy— any opinions or doctrines at variance with the official or orthodox position. For the last several decades in America, we have seen an informal Inquisition based upon "Political Correctness" and "Wokeness" that is now becoming formal based on the government actions against dissidents by the Biden Administration.

While nobody is being physically tortured in this American Inquisition, they are being psychologically tortured by fear and loathing. This psychological torture is of the fear of government persecution or prosecution by "The Weaponization of Government", the fear of losing your business or employment through "Cancel Culture" and "Doxing", and the fear of being labeled with personal pejoratives as I have written in my article "Divisiveness in America". This fear and loathing is an assault on the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of all Americans. This American Inquisition is not only being instituted by the government, but is being supported by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, and the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech",  "Modern Big Business", and "Modern Education".

This fear and loathing were the tactics of NAZI Germany to obtain and retain power and to justify the elimination of the Jews and other groups in Germany that opposed the Nazis. While it is hard to imagine the horrors of NAZI Germany occurring in America, most pre-NAZI Germans did not imagine the horrors of NAZI Germany until it was too late to stop them, and many Germans supported the Nazis without knowing the horrors they instituted.

The history of the world has shown that authoritarian governments eventually resort to despotism to obtain and retain more power and impose their will upon their people, to the detriment of the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of their people. It is a slippery slope that starts with minor infractions that are justified for the good of the people but eventually slides down the slope for the good of those who are in power. Thus, to avoid this slippery slope, you must oppose these minor infractions before they become major violations of Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights.

Too often, the history of the world has shown that the end result of authoritarian governments is a civil war or the collapse of civilization by warfare with its neighbors or internal strife. Consequently, the best course for a society veering down the slippery slope is the right the course of the ship of state before it sinks. To right the course of the ship of state in America is to turn out of power those forces that are stoking fear and loathing. Those forces stoking fear and loathing in America are the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, and in the 2024 elections, the American people must turn them out of power to right the course of the ship of state of America before it sinks.

06/30/23 Shouting Us Down

In reading an article by Jeffrey A. Tucker, “Should a Real Expert Debate or Not?”, I was struck by the following statement:

“I’ve become suspicious of people who believe that their best strategy for winning an argument is to interrupt, shout, spit, fling clever rhetoric at ever higher decimal levels, and hurl insults. These people are also good at yelling out technical details in great rapidity so that they cannot be checked in real time.”

“A person with a real command of facts, theories, and real experience can patiently listen to contrary views and answer them with calm reason. There is no grounds to interrupt. On the contrary, all such a person needs is a bit of quiet and some willingness to listen. That person will win the debate against the most belligerent opponent.”

 - Jeffrey A. Tucker

Alas, it is an unfortunate fact that most Progressives/Leftists believe that the free speech of their opponents needs to be silenced or shouted down. I also find it insidious that they often resort to platitudes and unsupported “facts” to counter their opponents’ points. Their platitudes and facts are often only beliefs, not supported by "Rationality" and "Reasoning", and are unaccompanied by the Burden of Proof that is incumbent upon them. When they do this, they believe that their assertions should be accepted as axioms that cannot be challenged. When this occurs, I am also reminded of Hitchens's Philosophical razor: "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." Thus, whenever I observe this type of behavior, I can conclude that the disrupter's viewpoints are without substance and can be ignored and dismissed.

06/29/23 Thoughts of Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton was an American author and filmmaker with extensive scientific education and background who, before he died in 2008, gave some speeches which examined Consensus Science, Environmentalism, and Global Warming (before it became Climate Change). I have posted his thoughts on these topics in my new Science article, Thoughts of Michael Crichton, that I believe is well worth your time and effort to read and consider.

06/28/23 Orthodoxy in Science

Dissent (a difference of opinion) and Disputation (the formal presentation of a stated proposition and the opposition to it or a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement) are common in science, especially in the soft sciences. When such dissents and disputations occur, it is acceptable to critique the science, but it is unacceptable to criticize the scientists, as I have explained in my article “Criticism vs. Critique”. This is an attitude of tolerance for dissenting and disputing scientific claims and the scientists who assert the claims. This tolerance for dissent and disputations, when based upon the scientific evidence or scientific methodology employed (or that lack thereof), is healthy for the advancement of science and for the betterment of humankind.

However, I have discerned a significant change in this attitude of tolerance for dissent and disputation in modern Science. There has been much criticism and condemnation of scientists who speak out against Scientific Consensus and Settled Science, which bespeak of an Orthodoxy in Science resembling Religious Orthodoxy. My new Science article, Orthodoxy in Science, examines this issue.

06/27/23 Consensus and Settled Science

I have updated my Science Article “Consensus and Settled Science” to include a quote that I recently came across that succinctly points out the oxymoron of consensus science:

“I want to pause here and talk about this notion of consensus, and the rise of what has been called consensus science. I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you’re being had. Let’s be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus. There is no such thing as consensus science. If it’s consensus, it isn’t science. If it’s science, it isn’t consensus. Period.”  - Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature technology and are usually within the science fiction, techno-thriller, and medical fiction genres. His novels often explore technology and failures of human interaction with it, especially resulting in catastrophes with biotechnology. Many of his novels have medical or scientific underpinnings, reflecting his medical training and scientific background.

06/26/23 When Fact Checkers Don’t Understand Facts

It is an unfortunate fact that in today’s world, we too often rely on fact-checkers to help determine the truth. But fact-checking is subjective rather than objective and susceptible to the Cognitive Biases of the fact-checkers and the predilections of the fact-checking organization. This results in improper labeling of asserted “facts” as true or false. Thus, determining facts is vulnerable to human interpretation of the facts as I have Chirped on, "10/15/21 Proper and Improper Facts". The four biggest problems in the process of fact-checking are Narratives, Statistics, Science, and Economics, which I examine in my new article “When Fact Checkers Don’t Understand Facts”.

06/25/23 A Lesson in Facts and Truths

With the recent testimony of Special Counsel John Durham on the Russian collusion investigation and the personal attacks that he faced from the Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee, the Democratic members showed their disdain for facts and truths. Without challenging a single fact in the report as untrue, members heaped personal attacks on one of the most respected prosecutors at the Justice Department.

The Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists have shown this disdain for anyone who would challenge their beliefs and narratives, regardless of the facts and truths. In this, they are like inquisitors of the Medieval Catholic Church Inquisition. Inquisitors who would not listen to facts and truths but who would impose torture, cruel and unusual punishments, and even death for those that would not conform to their beliefs. The finest example of this was in the Inquisition of Galileo Galilei.

In 1633, after facing the Inquisition, Galileo was forced to recant his claims that the Earth moves around the Sun rather than the converse. He abjured, sworn, promised, and obliged himself to abstain completely from teaching or defending this doctrine and opinion or from discussing it, to abandon completely the opinion that the sun stands still at the center of the world and the earth moves, and henceforth not to hold, teach, or defend it in any way whatever, either orally or in writing. It was reported (although unconfirmed) that Galileo mumbled, "And yet it moves.” as he was leaving the Inquisition.

As Durham responded to these attacks upon his reputation, “My concern about my reputation is with the people who I respect, my family, and my Lord, and I’m perfectly comfortable with my reputation with them, sir.” he has taught us all a lesson. A lesson in reputation and a lesson in courage to stand by your facts and truths in the face of harsh criticism. For facts and truths will win out in the end, as they are undeniable but can be obscured or hidden in the near term. As to John Durham’s inquisitors and their supporters, I think that the best response to them should be, “And yet it moves.”

06/24/23 A Humanist

Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. Agency is the capacity of an actor to act in a given environment. It is independent of the moral dimension, which is called moral agency.

In the book, “Humanism: A Very Short Introduction” by Stephen Law, he defines Humanists as:

• First, humanists believe science, and reason more generally, are invaluable tools we can and should apply to all aspects of life.
• Second, humanists are either atheists or at least agnostic.
• Third, humanists believe that this life is the only life we have.
• Fourth, humanism involves a commitment to the existence and importance of moral value.
• Fifth, humanists emphasize our individual moral autonomy.
• Sixth, humanists believe our lives can have meaning without it being bestowed from above by God.
• Seventh, humanists are secularists, in the sense that they favor an open, democratic society in which the state takes a neutral position with respect to religion, protecting the freedom of individuals to follow and espouse, or reject and criticized, both religions and atheists’ beliefs.

There are several other views that sometimes are associated with humanists, but a humanist need not be utopian, believe that only human’s matter, be utilitarian, embrace those brands of naturalism that say that the physical universe is the only reality there is, and embrace scientism that believes that every genuine question can in principle be answered by science.

In the following chapters of his book, he explores these concepts in detail:

1. The humanist tradition
2. The case for God
3. The case against God
4. Humanism and morality
5. The value and meaning of life
6. Humanist education and upbringing
7. Humanist ceremonies
8. The secular society

In this, Humanists are very similar to the 17th and 18th centuries Age of Enlightenment viewpoints. As the Enlightenment was ending, Romantic philosophers argued that excessive dependence on reason was a mistake perpetuated by the Enlightenment because it disregarded the bonds of history, myth, faith, and tradition that were necessary to hold society together. These Romantic philosophers’ concerns are also applicable to the Humanists.

In social theory and philosophy, antihumanism or anti-humanism is a theory that is critical of traditional humanism, traditional ideas about humanity, and the human condition. Central to antihumanism is the view that philosophical anthropology and its concepts of "human nature", "man", or "humanity" should be rejected as historically relative, ideological, or metaphysical.

Humanism has the appearance of being beneficial and wholesome, but like all philosophical approaches to life, it can be applied in a manner contrarywise to its intentions. Therefore, like all philosophical discussions on the nature of humankind, be wary of the assumptions and presumptions, the construct of "Structure", "Formal and Informal Logic", "Logical Fallacies", and "Cognitive Biases" of the Reasoning, and the conclusions of Humanists, but do consider their arguments as they are often intelligent and rational.

06/23/23 Should We Do It?

“Technology creates an imperative: ‘If we can do it, we will do it.’ Ethics asks: ‘We can do it, but should we do it?’”.  - Peter Singer - Australian Moral Philosopher

The philosophical field of Bioethics was formed to address this issue in the field of medicine. We are now at a stage where computer technology advances need to address this issue in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

At the dawn of the computer age, there was an acronym that was frequently used— ‘GIGO’: Garbage In -> Garbage Out. It referred to the situation that if your inputs were incorrect, your outputs would be incorrect. It left unspoken that if your processing instructions (computer program) were incorrect, anything it would produce would result in incorrect outputs. The correct acronym should have been GIGPGO (Garbage In -> Garbage Processing -> Garbage Out), not pronounceable, and an admittance that computer programs contained mistakes. As computer programs became more complex, GIGPGO became more pronounced.

AI programs are the most complex programs we have created in computer technology, and GIGPGO is a very important concern in utilizing AI. We must also remember that AI programs were developed by humans, and humans can and do make mistakes. A human mistake in AI processing will produce garbage out. In addition, AI programs require information in to produce information out, and if the quality of the information in is not excellent or unbiased, then the information out will be highly suspect. And the more that we rely on AI for decision making, the more susceptible to GIGPGO we become, resulting in erroneous AI results and incorrect decision making.

There is also the possibility that the more we rely on AI, the more we will not fully utilize our own thinking. We see the start of this when students utilize AI to produce papers and reports for their assignments. We are also seeing this in our utilization of AI to find and digest information on the Internet. Too often, this digestion is not accompanied by thoughtful consideration of the AI results and often a blind acceptance of the AI results.

Attempts to make AI creative in the Arts and Sciences have met with limited and unsatisfactory results, as they often simply meld human artistic efforts in a new manner. Thus, new and unique artistic creations seem to be beyond the reach of AI. As AI is not emotional but intellectual, such a world would be entirely intellectual-based. The emotions of love and hate, good and evil, beauty and ugliness, ambition and apathy, and curiosity and indifference, would play no part in an AI world, making the AI world uninspired, as I have Chirped on "05/31/23 A Sterile World".

AI cannot be utilized to answer all questions. In the field of Physics, the Theory of Special Relativity is irreconcilable with the Theory of Quantum Entanglement, as I have examined in my science article on The Big Questions. If we ask AI to resolve this irreconcilability, it cannot do so, for it requires a human mind to conceive of a new theory to resolve this irreconcilability. Such conception is beyond the capability of AI, as this reconciliation will require inspiration, new ideas, new information, and new thinking to be resolved.

The rhetorical question is, then, could AI ever produce anything such as the works of Shakespeare, Beethoven, Picasso, or Einstein? And if it could do so, would it no longer be “Artificial” but have become “Sentient” Intelligence?

These problems are exacerbated by the unwillingness of the AI program developers to open their AI programs to scrutiny. Under the guise of intellectual property rights, they have placed a curtain of secrecy around their AI efforts. In normal circumstances, intellectual property rights need to be respected, but when AI results are being utilized for important decision-making, this curtain of secrecy can have dire consequences for society.

It now appears that we can do AI, but the question remains should we do it? This answer needs to be explored with another philosophical field to address this issue, and intellectual property rights need to be examined so that we can determine the quality of the AI technology. Otherwise, the utilization of AI for decision-making may result in calamitous consequences.

06/22/23 Actions and Reactions

In Physics, Isaac Newton's classical mechanics basic laws of motion describe the relationship between the motion of an object and the forces acting on it. The third law can be stated as “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction”. In human behavior, it can be stated that every action provokes a reaction, and the actions and reactions could be good, bad, or indifferent.

Many Progressives/Leftists believe that if their intentions are good, the consequences of their actions will be good. What they don’t consider is that. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” and my pithy saying:

“There are things that we know, things that we know we don't know, and things that we don't know that we don't know. It is the things that we don't know that we don't know that often cause the most problems.”  - Mark Dawson

They also do not consider the items that I have written in my article “Good Intentions”. To them, they consider a positive emotional response to being more important than an intelligent consideration based on "Rationality" and "Reasoning". They also rely on the positive nature of human nature while taking little account of the negative side of human nature. To them, if they feel good about their intentions, it is sufficient for them to institute "Change and/or New". In this, they have forgotten the words of wisdom of one of our Founding Fathers:

"Well done is better than well said."   - Benjamin Franklin

For my own part, I do not give a wit for good intentions, but I care very deeply for good results. Good intentions without knowledge, intelligence, experience, and wisdom are often nothing but folly, and I am not interested in paying heed to fools. Much of their foolishness is a result of denying or misunderstanding the true nature of human nature or their attempts to mold human nature to what they desire it to be. They believe people to be as they want them to be rather than as they are. To the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders who act upon this false belief of human nature, I would respond:

"To deny human nature, or to not acknowledge human nature, is foolish. To not do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

06/21/23 A Standard of Normalcy

A Standard of Normalcy is required to function in our world, with Normalcy being defined as being within certain limits that define the range of normal functioning or expectedness as a consequence of being usual, regular or common. It is when things become abnormal that we become confused, disoriented, or disturbed. Thus, a Standard of Normalcy is needed for us to function properly and maintain optimal mental health.

As Dr. Michelle Cretella, M.D., a pediatrician and Executive Director of the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds), as well as a Past President of ACPeds, explains how a standard of normalcy applies to mental health:

“One of the chief functions of the brain is to perceive physical reality. Thoughts that are in accordance with physical reality are normal. Thought that deviate from physical reality is abnormal—as well as potentially harmful to the individual or to others. This is true whether or not the individual possesses the abnormal thoughts feels distress. A person's belief that he is something or someone he is not is, at best, a sign of confused thinking, at worst, it is a delusion. Just because a person thinks or feels something does not make it so.”

As Dr. Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D., a political philosopher and President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, puts it:

“Our brains and senses are designed to bring us into contact with reality, connecting us to the outside world and with the reality of ourselves. Thoughts that disguise or distort reality are misguided. When thought and feelings are utterly disconnected from reality, persistently false or unfounded, and idiosyncratic (i.e., not socially or culturally promoted), they can take us from confused to delusional.”

Perhaps this explains the words and deeds of Progressives/Leftists, Democrat Party Leaders, LGBTQIA+ militants (especially Transgendered militants), Climate Change Activism and Activists, proponents of Adjective Justice, and the believers of The Biggest Falsehoods in America say and do—they have no connection to reality and thus lack A Standard of Normalcy. This may also be why it is almost impossible to have intellectual Reasoning with these people—their perception of reality is distorted to the point that they cannot perceive the outside world as it is but only as how they want it to be.

06/20/23 Identity Theft

“Good name in man and woman, dear my lord, Is the immediate jewel of their souls: Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing; ’twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands; But he that filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed.”  - Shakespeare’s  Othello

In today’s modern world, identity theft not only steals your purse but can lead to financial and reputational harm and ruin. Identity theft also leads to emotional distress and mental health problems for the victims of identity theft. It also consumes much time and effort of multiple parties to correct the impacts of identity theft.

This is why identity theft should be investigated, prosecuted, and face stiff fines and long imprisonment if found guilty. We need to send a message to those that engage in identity theft that it will not be tolerated, and if they are found guilty of identity theft, then they will face financial ruin and long-term imprisonment. Only by doing so can we reduce the incidents of identity theft.

In the age of the Internet, identity theft crosses national boundaries. Therefore, identity theft in all nations needs to be investigated, prosecuted, and face stiff fines and imprisonment if found guilty. Those nations that do not cooperate in doing so need to be considered piranha in the modern world, and the other nations need to take actions that will force them into doing so. Otherwise, it will not be possible to reduce the incidents of identity theft nor the damage that they inflict.

06/19/23 Disparate Impact

Disparate Impact (also “adverse impact”) commonly refers to an unintentional discriminatory practice, whereas disparate treatment (also “adverse treatment”) refers to intentional discriminatory practice. A Disparate Impact policy or rule is one that seems neutral but often has a negative impact on a specific protected class of persons.

As Professor Gail L. Heriot, Professor of Law, University of San Diego School of Law. B.A., Northwestern University, 1978; J.D., University of Chicago, 1981. has stated in her article Title VII Disparate Impact Liability Makes Almost Everything Presumptively Illegal in the New York University Journal of Law and Liberty:

“In Griggs v. Duke Power Co. (1971), the Supreme Court, against the overwhelming weight of the evidence, interpreted Title VII to prohibit not just conscious and unconscious discrimination but also Disparate Impact, subject to an affirmative defense of business necessity. One problem is that, if Disparate Impact based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin is not universal, it is nearly so. It is difficult to come up with a job qualification that has been actually used to select one job applicant over another that does not have a Disparate Impact on some group.”

Unfortunately, the concept of Disparate Impact, which was originally limited to employment practices, has spread to nearly all aspects of the law that deal with decisions by private entities or government activities that impact groups of persons. This intrusion into the decision-making of entities skewers the selection process that often infringes upon the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of an individual.

The question is, how do you legally define Disparate Impact, then determine if a Disparate Impact has occurred? This brings up the same issues of how you legally define Pornography, then determine if something is pornographic. The answer to these questions is that it is ‘in the eye of the beholder’ to determine if something is Disparate Impact or Pornographic.

Many have asserted that Disparate Impact can be determined by the use of statistical methods. But statistical methods have many inherent problems, as I have discussed in my article "Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave". We should also remember that ‘Figures can lie, and liars can figure’ when claims of Disparate Impact are made. Even King Solomon would have much difficulty in determining the motherhood of the baby if he utilized statistical methods to determine the motherhood of the baby. Consequently, when someone makes an assertion of Disparate Impact, we all should be wary of the assertion and carefully review the means that they arrived at the assertion. Often these means are arrived at by "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language”, which make the assertion of Disparate Impact less credible if not an outright fabrication for the purposes of a political agenda or policy decision.

Judicial rulings on Disparate Impact are also highly susceptible to "The Law of Unintended Consequences" and have serious repercussions on the functioning of society. Such repercussions are better examined and resolved by Congress, where they can craft legislation to resolve specific Disparate Impacts with a specific legal definition that requires legal actions.

The infringements upon an individual person’s "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" by the utilization of Disparate Impact is no justification for such infringements. The harm done by such infringements far outweighs the benefits to be gained, and other means should be utilized to determine if and when possible disparate impacts occur and what corrective actions should be undertaken to correct these disparate impacts.

06/18/23 Transgenderism

Facts and Truths must be based on reality; otherwise, we will live in a fantasy land that can change according to anyone’s discretion. Ignoring scientific facts leads you astray and to untruths. Science informs us that male and female bodies differ in their sex chromosomes of XX and XY and their psychological organization for reproduction, but also, on average, in size, shape, bone length and density, fat distribution, musculature, and various organs, including the brain. These secondary sex differences are not what define us as male or female; organization for reproduction is what does that. If you are bodily structured to inseminate, then you are male, and if you are bodily structured to gestate, then you are female. After the reproductive organs, the brain is possibly the most “sexed” organ in a human being. This is not to say that there are male brains and female brains, but that, on average, there are differences in the brains of males and females that tend to make a difference in how men and women experience emotion and pain, how they see and hear, and how they remember and navigate. When we step back from contentious political debates, we can see scientists acknowledging what might be otherwise an unpopular truth: that there are biological differences between men and women, and they are consequential.

The Institute of Medicine at the Nation Academy of Sciences published a report in 2001 titled Exploring the Biological Contributions to Hum Health: Does Sex Matter?, in which the chapter titles of the report sum up basic truths of our bodily nature: “Every Cell has a Sex”, “Sex Begins in the Womb”, “Sex Affects Behavior and Perception”, and “Sex Affects Health”. These are the scientific facts and truths that the Transgendered Rights activists would have you ignore, or they obfuscate with terms such as “Gender Identity”, “Gender Fluidity”, ”Gender Affirmation”, “Gender Confirmation”, “Sex Assigned at Birth”, and other terms to lead you astray.

The Transgendered Rights activists would also have you believe, as Shakespeare put it, “To be or not to be, that is the question” on a transgendered sex transition. But this is the wrong question. Claiming that a question is wrong may sound odd. Surely, answers can be wrong. Likewise, suppositions, views, claims, and assertions can be wrong. But can the questions be wrong? The answer to this question is given in the Psychology Today article, “To Be or Not to Be": Is That Really the Question? Hamlet's famous question is limited and misleading” by Iddo Landau, Ph.D...

The question is not to be one sex or another, but what is the best method of dealing with transgender dysphoria? Is it to be by sex transition, or is it to be by mental health therapy? The Transgendered Rights activists would have you believe that the only means of dealing with transgender is to physically transition to the other sex. The scientific facts and truths say otherwise. No one can fully transition to another sex, and many transitioned transgender persons experience physical and mental problems during and after the transition. Many transgender dysphoria persons can be helped by mental health therapy rather than transitioning, but most do not receive the proper mental health therapy for their dysphoria. In today’s America, there is too much rush to transition a transgender person and insufficient consideration of mental health therapy.

This viewpoint does not constitute hate for the transgender, but it does constitute a concern for the physical and mental well-being of persons suffering from transgender dysphoria. They need assistance in dealing with their transgender dysphoria, but this assistance should consider all options for treatment. To do otherwise is to potentially harm a transgendered person rather than help them with their dysphoria. When thinking about Transgendered Rights, we must always remember the scientific facts and truths; otherwise, we will make ill-informed or uninformed decisions on how to treat a transgendered person.

06/17/23 Hate Speech and Racist

Hate Speech is a term utilized by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders to suppress our First Amendment Rights of Freedom of Speech, the Free Exercise of Religion, Freedom of Assembly, and the Freedom of the Press against any person, group, or organization that oppose their political, social, and economic policies and political agendas.

They often used this term under the rhubarb of Hate Speech incites violence. Direct incitement to violence is not protected speech, but Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are often speaking of indirect incitement to violence, which is very difficult to define and legally prosecute. As such, they are demagoguing rather than explaining.

Racist has a very specific derogatory meaning. However, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have convoluted the meaning of this word to apply it to any person, group, or organization that opposes their political, social, and economic policies and political agendas. They utilize the word Racist in an attempt to silence any opposition to their viewpoints, which is a violation of our First Amendment Rights. As such, they are demagoguing rather than explaining.

Alas, when utilizing “Hate Speech” and “Racist” Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are utilizing "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" to try to silence those that do not agree with them. I have, therefore, decided to add Hate Speech and Racist to my "Terminology" webpage to better explain what they and I mean by “Hate Speech” and “Racist”.

06/16/23 Quotes on the Majority

“I have no interest in being in the majority. I am only interested in speaking the truth. The truth that is determined by the evidence and the facts. A truth driven by Rationality and Reasoning.”  - Mark Dawson

The majority’s opinions or beliefs hold no weight for me, as it is often formed by ignorance or biases. As a result, I often find myself in the minority of opinion or belief. So be it! When I find myself in the minority, I often comfort myself by remembering the Quotes on the Majority on my new webpage. And when I find myself in the majority, I remember the words of wisdom of Samuel Clemens:

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”  - Mark Twain

06/15/23 The Greatest Challenge

In a world filled with many challenges, we often ask ourselves what are the greatest challenges that need to be addressed. Is it Bigotry, Racism, Sexism, Intolerance, Poverty, Health, Addiction, Climate Change, Environment, Energy Production, Gun Control, etc., etc., etc.? The answer is none of these, as the following quote illuminates.

“I have been asked to talk about what I consider the most important challenge facing mankind, and I have a fundamental answer. The greatest challenge facing mankind is the challenge of distinguishing reality from fantasy, truth from propaganda. Perceiving the truth has always been a challenge to mankind, but in the information age (or as I think of it, the disinformation age) it takes on a special urgency and importance.”  - Michael Crichton

If we cannot face and overcome this challenge, then we will not be able to face and overcome any other challenge. It is only by coming to grips with reality and truth we can overcome all the other challenges of humankind. This is one of the main reasons that I have written my Articles and Chirps—to assist others in overcoming this challenge by unveiling reality and truth.

06/14/23 To Obtain and Retain Power

Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have no qualms about doing whatever is necessary to obtain and retain power. Any other concerns are secondary or tertiary. Our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" and "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" are to be circumvented, circumscribed, or ignored to obtain their policy goals and political agendas. Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists believe we have the liberty to do with what they agree with and the freedom to act within what they believe is acceptable. Consequently, all Liberties and Freedoms must be subsumed within these constraints.

Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that their policies are what is best for all Americans. Consequently, the Progressives/Leftists and the Democrat Party are motivated to do what is best for them rather than what is best for all Americans. All of this starts with their attempts to win elections, as I have examined in my articles "Voting in America" and “Voting Responsibilities".

In a new article by Ben Weingarten, “The million-dollar question for 2024 contenders is: How will you win the general election under the present voting system?” he examines this problem and provides some solutions. He concludes that “Only by competing and winning under a rotten system rewarding the kind of organizing and action historically anathema to conservatives will there ever be an opportunity to dismantle that system.”

As I concluded in my article on Voting in America, Election fraud is still with us and will always be with us, as elections are important. Partisan people desire their candidates to be elected, and politicians desire to be elected and reelected, and sometimes both parties satisfy this desire by engaging in election fraud.

Many of these voting problems occur in urban areas of the country rather than the suburban and rural areas. As urban areas have a denser population, it is easier and more effective to engage in election fraud in urban areas. It is also more probable that urban election fraud can swing an election not only for local candidates but also for statewide candidates. As most urban areas are controlled by Democrat Party election officials, the benefits of election fraud are often Democrat Party candidates.

Many cries that this is not a significant problem or there is no ‘proof” of irregularities or illegalities ring hollow. Without knowing the extent of the problem, it is not possible to determine its significance. As to ‘proof’, if you do not investigate the allegations that have veracity, you can never find proof of irregularities or illegalities. And just because you have not heard nor seen these problems in the past does not mean that these problems did not exist or were minor in the past, nor is it currently existent or will not arise in the future. If it becomes easier to commit election fraud, the cheaters amongst us will take advantage of this situation. An advantage that could decide an election, and we do not want our elections to be decided by election fraud.

06/13/23 The Great Silence

Today, in America, we are experiencing a great silence filled with massive babble. The silence of "Rationality" and "Reasoning" in dialog and discussions, and the babble of the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", and "Social Media". Such a babble keeps us uninformed, and when it occasionally rises to information, it is ill-informed information. Such babble increases the likes and clicks of Social Media and the ratings for Mainstream Media and Mainstream Cultural Media but does nothing for the betterment of society.

The guiltiest party to this silence and babble is the Mainstream Media. The primary responsibility of the Mainstream Media is to provide us with pertinent news and factual information for Americans to make an informed decision as to the future direction of our country. In this responsibility, they have miserably failed in the last several decades, as I have written in my article, "Modern Journalism". If the news and facts do not fit their predilections, they simply do not report the news or facts. Any news or facts that support their predilections is hyped and distorted to fit their predilections. Thus, Americans cannot obtain pertinent news and factual information to make informed decisions.

Predilection in the media exists - but it has always existed and will continue to exist in the future. In America's past, there have been British vs. Colonialist, Constitution vs. Anti-Constitution, Federalism vs. State's Rights, Agrarian vs. Industrialist, Abolitionist vs. Anti-Abolitionist, North vs. South, Eastern Interests vs. Western Interests, Republican vs. Democrat, Conservatism vs. Liberalism, Pro-War vs. Anti-War, etc., etc., etc. reporting in journalism. You could always find groups of journalism in support of one thing and other groups of journalism in support of the opposite thing. Both sides have had an equal opportunity to espouse their views in journalism. This is how it should be for the American people to hear both sides of an issue and make up their minds about where they stand on an issue. Journalism of this type also helps with the checks and balances of our political system, and it provides an outlet for all sides to express their views on an issue so that a consensus can be reached.

But something began to happen in the late 20th century and continues today. The balance of journalism shifted in that most of the media began to be predisposed in one direction on many of the issues. There were fewer and fewer media outlets that were reporting the conservative positions, while a majority of media outlets were reporting the progressive positions. The conservative positions began to get less representation in the journalist ranks and fewer media attention and coverage of their positions. Indeed, the conservative positions began to be covered in a negative light by the predisposed media. Today we have nothing but silence or disdain for the conservative positions on:

• the corruption of the Biden family and other politicians;
• the corruption of the FBI, Justice Department, Intelligence, and other government agencies;
• the devolution of our major cities into cesspools of homelessness, rubbish, garbage, defecation, drug usage, and the associated public health and safety risks;
• the economic, social, health care, and Natural Rights impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic;
• the educational failures of our public schools;
• the energy production (oil, natural gases, and coal) limitations;
• the fentanyl epidemic;
• the impacts of crime on the streets;
• the impacts of illegal immigration;
• the opposing Climate Change viewpoints;
• the reformation of government departments and agencies based on "Political Correctness", "Virtue Signaling", "Wokeness", "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)", and "Hyper-Partisanship".
• The rise of Despotism in America and The Decline of Free Speech in America;
• the sluggish economy and its impacts on employment;
• the Voting in America problems;
• and the Weaponization of Government.

These predilections of the Mainstream Media are to perpetuate "The Biggest Falsehoods in America" and to support the political agendas of the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. As such, the American people are uninformed or ill-informed about the alternatives to their political agenda, and most especially to the Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders political agenda. Such uninformed or ill-informed news reporting is a disservice to America and to the journalism profession. They have forgotten that:

“It is our professional duty as journalists to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable—by exposing the faults of the rich and powerful while acting as the voice of the impoverished and disenfranchised.”  - Humorist Finley Peter Dunne as the fictional character "Mr. Dooley."

Today it seems the professional duty as journalists are to support and proclaim the Progressives and Democrats while remaining silent or besmirching the Conservatives and Republicans. As such, they have become a fifth column in America rather than a bulwark for Freedom and Liberty. A fifth column not in attune with our "American Ideals and Ideas" nor interested in "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". A fifth column that imposes a great silence on those that disagree with it and a massive babble to mask their predilections.

06/12/23 A Standard of Normalcy

A Standard of Normalcy is required to function in our world, with Normalcy being defined as being within certain limits that define the range of normal functioning or expectedness as a consequence of being usual, regular or common. It is when things become abnormal that we become confused, disoriented, or disturbed. Thus, a Standard of Normalcy is needed for us to function properly and maintain optimal mental health.

As Dr. Michelle Cretella, M.D., a pediatrician and Executive Director of the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds), as well as a Past President of ACPeds, explains how a standard of normalcy applies to mental health:

“One of the chief functions of the brain is to perceive physical reality. Thoughts that are in accordance with physical reality are normal. Thought that deviate from physical reality is abnormal—as well as potentially harmful to the individual or to others. This is true whether or not the individual possesses the abnormal thoughts feels distress. A person's belief that he is something or someone he is not is, at best, a sign of confused thinking, at worst, it is a delusion. Just because a person thinks or feels something does not make it so.”

As Dr. Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D., a political philosopher and President of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, puts it:

“Our brains and senses are designed to bring us into contact with reality, connecting us to the outside world and with the reality of ourselves. Thoughts that disguise or distort reality are misguided. When thought and feelings are utterly disconnected from reality, persistently false or unfounded, and idiosyncratic (i.e., not socially or culturally promoted), they can take us from confused to delusional.”

Perhaps this explains the words and deeds of Progressives/Leftists, Democrat Party Leaders, LGBTQIA+ militants (especially Transgendered militants), Climate Change Activism and Activists, proponents of Adjective Justice, and the believers of The Biggest Falsehoods in America say and do—they have no connection to reality and thus lack A Standard of Normalcy. This may also be why it is almost impossible to have intellectual Reasoning with these people—their perception of reality is distorted to the point that they cannot perceive the outside world as it is but only as how they want it to be.

06/11/23 Forest Fires Happen

Forest fires happen, as it is the nature of forests fires will occur. They have occurred throughout the past, they are presently occurring, and they will occur in the future. They are known scientifically as “Wildfires”, and they are studied scientifically as “Pyrogeography”. A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire, or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled, and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire (in Australia), brush fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, peat fire, prairie fire, vegetation fire, or veld fire. Some natural forest ecosystems depend on wildfire. Wildfires are distinct from beneficial human usage of wildland fire, called controlled or prescribed burning, although controlled burns can turn into wildfires. Pyrogeography is the study of the past, present, and projected distribution of wildfire. Wildland fire occurs under certain conditions of climate, vegetation, topography, and sources of ignition, such that it has its own biogeography, or pattern in space and time. They have been recorded in the last two hundred years, which can be reviewed in the “List of Wildfires”.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service is responsible for “Forest management” in America. Forest management is a branch of forestry concerned with overall administrative, legal, economic, and social aspects, as well as scientific and technical aspects, such as silviculture, protection, and forest regulation. This includes management for timber, aesthetics, recreation, urban values, water, wildlife, inland and nearshore fisheries, wood products, plant genetic resources, and other forest resource values. Management objectives can be for conservation, utilization, or a mixture of the two. Techniques include timber extraction, planting and replanting of different species, building and maintenance of roads and pathways through forests, and preventing fire.

Federal forest management dates to 1876, when Congress created the office of Special Agent in the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assess the quality and conditions of forests in the United States. In 1881 the Department expanded the office into the Division of Forestry. A decade later, Congress passed the Forest Reserve Act of 1891, authorizing the President to designate public lands in the West into what was then called “forest reserves.” Responsibility for these reserves fell under the Department of the Interior until 1905, when President Theodore Roosevelt transferred their care to the Department of Agriculture’s new U.S. Forest Service.

Many Global Climate Change Activists have claimed that Climate Change is responsible for an increase and the severity of wildfires (a claim that is disputable). However, before such a claim can be made, the question should be how much of current wildfires are due to inadequate or improper forest management policies. Environmental Activists have for several decades opposed many forest management policies as being harmful to nature, and the Forest Service has curtailed or eliminated some of these forest management policies. Therefore, you must determine if current forest management policies are responsible for an increase and the severity of wildfires before you can attribute this increase or severity to Climate Change.

Consequently, those who make the claim that Climate Change is responsible for an increase or severity of wildfires are being unscientific. The science of Pyrogeography must be utilized on individual wildfires to determine the causes of the wildfire before any claims about the cause can be made. Such Pyrogeography studies often take many months, if not years, to determine the actual cause of a wildfire.

06/09/23 Evidence

Evidence is the only way to determine facts and truths. Without evidence, you cannot determine the facts that lead you to the truth. Yet evidence can be deceiving—deceiving in of itself and deceiving in your understanding of the evidence. One of the common deceptions is "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence", but sometimes an absence of evidence does mean absence. For example, we have no evidence of glaciers in the Sarah Desert, but we should not assume that glaciers could exist in the Sarah Desert. Another common deception is how to adjudge the evidence or the presenter of the evidence, as I have examined in my article "Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave".

Evidence can generally be categorized into three types in order of importance:

1. Evidence (also known as Direct Evidence) for a proposition is what supports the proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field.
2. Circumstantial Evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact—such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime. By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly—i.e., without the need for any additional evidence or inference.
3. Anecdotal Evidence is evidence-based only on personal observation, collected in a casual or non-systematic manner.

Direct Evidence is difficult (but possible) to refute, circumstantial Evidence can be interpreted in different ways, while Anecdotal Evidence often leads you astray as it often has "Cognitive Biases" and "Logical Fallacies". In all categories of evidence, "Formal and Informal Logic" must be utilized, and the Burden of Proof" for the evidence must be based upon "Reasoning" rather than emotions, for emotions will almost always lead to a false conclusion. If the Burden of Proof is shifted away from those making an assertion then you may fall into the trap of "if you cannot show their assertion is wrong, then their assertion must be right", which is obviously an untrue statement. You may also fall into the trap of trying to Prove a Negative, which is almost impossible to do. We should also remember the words of Christopher Hitchens who had often said, "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence."

Evidence is most sorely lacking, contradictory, or deceptive when examining the political, social, or economic issues in today’s America. Truths are impossible to determine if the evidence is presented with "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language”. Much of this evidence is presented by “Experts”, but what we have all forgotten is that experts can be, and often are, wrong, as I examined in my Chirp on "06/03/20 Experts ought to be on tap and not on top". There is also confusion about “Experts” and “Evidence”. An expert opinion is not evidence, it is the expert's opinion of the evidence, an opinion that is often debatable and disputed by other experts. The consensus of experts is not a proof of the evidence, as consensus often changes as new or changed evidence comes to light, or previous evidence is discarded as incorrect or faulty.

Thus, beware of the evidence, facts, and truths provided by experts, commentators, or news presenters, as they often base their words on false or faulty evidence.

06/07/23 Rules of Reason

I have just finished reading the book, Rules of Reason: Making and Evaluating Claims by Bo Bennett, Ph.D., which succinctly summarizes how to apply reason to claims made by yourself and others. Claims are constantly being made, many of which are confusing, ambiguous, too general to be of value, exaggerated, unfalsifiable, and suggest a dichotomy when no such dichotomy exists. Good critical thinking requires a thorough understanding of the claim before attempting to determine its veracity. Good communication requires the ability to make clear, precise, explicit claims or "strong" claims. The rules of reason in this book provide the framework for obtaining this understanding and ability.

While I have some issues with this book, the rules he outlines are important to analyze both your and others' claims. These rules of reason are:

1. Acknowledge the Limits of Your Knowledge Regarding the Claim. Understand that there is much you likely don’t know on the topic and realize that even sources that are frequently wrong are sometimes right.
2. Explore Your Biases Related to the Claim. Explore Your biases and realize that they might be affecting your judgement.
3. Isolate the Actual Claim Isolate the claim by finding out what is exactly meant by the claim. This will often uncover an implicit claim.
4. Clearly and Precisely Define Each Relevant Term. Words have multiple meanings, and people use them differently. Don’t guess the meaning if you have any opportunity to get clarification. Clearly and precisely define each relevant term in the claim.
5. Use Terms That Reflect the Scope of the Claim Accuracy. To avoid ambiguity, specify the scope of the claim. Use words like “all”, “none”, “a few”, “some”, and “many”. When possible, be even more specific by providing numbers or percentages.
6. Operationalize Terms When Possible. For terms that can be measured, ask how they can be measured so the claim can be investigated using one or more reasonable standards.
7. Make the Claim Falsifiable When Possible. Do your best to modify the claim so that it is possible to be demonstrated to be false. Otherwise, it will likely be a weak claim.
8. Express an Accurate and Meaningful Level of Confidence. Make sure claims reflect an accurate, clear, and meaningful level of confidence.
9. Covert Causes to Contributing Factors When Appropriate. Causality is a complex area that is virtually always better expressed in terms of causal factors than “the cause”, “the reason”, “the key” or other terms that indicate a binary distinction.
10. Make Strong Analogies and Call Out Weak Ones. Analogies are claims that fall into the continuum from strong to weak. Stronger analogies are specific about how what is being compared is similar, and weaker analogies make claims of similarity where the differences are far greater.
11. Filter All Relevant Assumptions Through These Same Rules. Realize that claims often contain several other implied claims, many of which should also be run through the rules of reason.

In applying these rules of reason, you will be better able to adjudge the veracity of your own and others' claims and make a judgment on the truthfulness of a claim. The more you apply these rules of reason to a claim, the more you will realize the nonsense of many claims, and the better you will be able to separate the wheat from the chaff of the myriad of claims that surrounds us.

06/05/23 My Out-of-Body Experience

In my Chirp on “06/04/23 Is There Life After Death?” I note that the first common element of Near-Death-Experience (NDE) is an Out-of-Body Experience (OBE). I believe in Out-of-Body Experiences, as I once had an Out-of-Body Experience of my own.

As a young lad of about thirteen years old, I went to my Boy Scout troop meeting after school. As it was a cool sunny spring day, the troop decided to play dodgeball in the yard outside of the church where the meeting was held. After forty minutes of strenuous dodgeball, the troop was dismissed, and I walked a quarter mile to my house. Upon arriving home, I immediately went upstairs to my bedroom and took off my glasses, then laid down flat on my back with my arms crossed over my chest. After about a minute, I felt a lightness, and I could not feel my heart beating nor my lungs breathing. Indeed, I could not feel anything except lightness. I opened my eyes and looked down at my motionless body from the ceiling of my bedroom. I looked around my bed area, and everything was crystal clear and in its place. This was extraordinary, given my extreme nearsightedness and other vision problems. I then looked out of my bedroom window and clearly saw what was happening in the yard and street below my bedroom window. I did not hear anything, as there was no sound to hear even before I lay down. After looking back at my body, I felt extremely anxious that if I did not return to my body, I would never return. I remember clawing back to my body, and when I touched it, I was back in my body. I opened my eyes, felt my heartbeat and breathing, then sat up on the edge of my bed, feeling normal. After about five minutes, I then went back to normal sleep. I knew this OBE was no dream due to the reality of my observations when I was out of body, and I have never had a dream before or since that was this starkly real.

Five years later, I discovered that I had been born with a heart murmur, which my doctor informed me meant that I had marked limitations of physical activity. I would be comfortable at rest, but more than ordinary activity causes fatigue, palpitations, or shortness of breath. I had always wondered why after about twenty minutes of arduous physical activity, I could not keep up with the rest of the guys—and this was the answer. After I had learned about my heart murmur, I began to wonder if the arduous dodgeball and walking home physical activities had any bearing on my OBE. Perhaps I experienced some form of a cardiac problem that was the start of an NDE. I will never know, but I do know for sure that I had an OBE.

This leads me to believe that NDEs have a basis in reality, which also leads me to believe in an afterlife.

06/04/23 Is There Life After Death?

For time immemorial humans have asked the question, “Is there life after death?”. No one knows the answer to this question, nor can anyone know the answer to this question. All we have is our faith and the experiences of those that were near or clinically dead but revived from their near or clinical death. No science can definitively determine if there is life after death. However, there is some science that can lead to the conclusion that life after death is a strong possibility. This science is explored in the book, “Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences” by Jeffrey Long and Paul Perry as they stated:

“There is currently more scientific evidence to the reality of near death experience (NDE) than there is for how to effectively treat certain forms of cancer,” states radiation oncologist Dr. Jeffrey Long is his groundbreaking new book Evidence of the Afterlife. In 1998 Dr. Long and his wife, Jody, began the Near Death Experience Research Foundation (NEDRF) with the goal of creating a forum for near death “experiencers” to share their stories. Grounded in first-hand evidence culled from over 1,600 verified NDE accounts, Evidence of the Afterlife presents the strongest argument yet for the underlying truth of those who have died and returned to share their tales.”

Dr. Jeffrey Long, M.D. is one of the few medical or scientific persons who have examined the evidence from the personal stories of people who have experienced a near death experience. As he has stated in his book:

“I am a man of science, and as a result I have examined the data from the NDERF study in a scientific way. At NDERF we explored all of the elements in the NDEs of more than one thousand people, examining consistency among the accounts. In reaching conclusions about the accounts, we followed a basic scientific principle: What is real is consistently seen among many different observations.”

His scientific way is to carefully prepare questionnaires to be answered by people who claim that they have had NDEs, then reject those questionnaires that are inconsistent or contradictory in their responses to the questions. He is then left with testimonies of NDEs that cannot be explained medically, and to those testimonies, he looks for the commonality of NDE experience and applies statistical methods to their testimony. While this is not rigorous science, as it is impossible to do scientific experiments on NDEs without endangering the life of the person being experimented upon. Therefore, his scientific methodology is the best that can be utilized in researching NDEs. From these testimonies, he has culled twelve common elements of NDEs:

1. Out-of-Body Experience
2. Heighten Senses
3. Intense and Generally Positive Emotions or Feelings
4. Passing Into or Through a Tunnel
5. Encountering a Mystical or Brilliant Light
6. Encountering Other Beings, Either Mystical Beings or Deceased Relatives or Friends
7. A Sense of Alteration of Time or Space
8. Life Review
9. Encountering Unworldly (“Heavenly”) Realms
10. Encountering or Learning Special Knowledge
11. Encountering a Boundary or Barrier
12. A Return to the Body, Either Voluntary or Involuntary

From this research, he has concluded that NDEs are real and prove that there is life after death. His nine proofs that support his conclusion are:

1. Lucid Death
2. Out of Body
3. Blind Sight
4. Impossibly Conscious
5. Perfect Playback
6. Family Reunion
7. From the Mouth of Babes
8. Worldwide Consistency
9. Changed Lives

In his conclusion of this book, Dr. Long states:

“This book has important implications for religion. The great religions have always spoken to the belief in God and an afterlife. The evidence of near-death-experiences points to an afterlife and a universe governed by a vastly loving intelligence. Near-death-experiences consistently reveal that death is not an end but rather a transition to an afterlife. This is a profoundly inspiring thought us all and our loved ones.”

His efforts were the first NDE research to be based on a large-scale database of testimonies, but other researchers have also compiled testimonies of NDEs. All this research on NDEs should give pause to everyone to consider the very real possibility that there is life after death. It should also give comfort to those that are contemplating or approaching their death or those contemplating or experiencing the death of a loved one, that death is not the end of life but the beginning of a new, better, loving, joyful, and beautiful existence.

06/02/23 A Tweet of Importance

While I am a Chirper rather than a Tweeter, a recent tweet has caught some national attention. Trevor Williams is a 31-year-old pitcher for the Washington Nationals who happens to be Catholic. He decided to use his platform to speak out about the Dodgers and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence controversy in a statement on Twitter:

This sentiment should be adopted by all sports and entertainment events as they are public events meant for the enjoyment of all the spectators and audience. To offend the spectators and audience is not only disrespectful to them but also a bad business decision, as you risk losing the patronage of the spectators and audience.

Alas, this is but another example of the arrogance of "Wokeness" and "Political Correctness" and an example of  "Virtue Signaling" without being virtuous. It is also an example of the religious intolerance that permeates today’s America in the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech",  "Modern Big Business", and "Modern Education". To be woken and politically correct appears to be intolerant of other viewpoints and to thrust your wokeness and political correctness upon all, thus disturbing "A Civil Society".

We would all do well, including businesses and commercial activities, to remember one of my Pearls of Wisdom to Always Be Polite and Respectful, as that is the only proper way to conduct yourself both publicly and privately.

05/31/23 A Sterile World

The possible harm to society caused by Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a recent topic of discussion. Having a computer technology background, I can attest to the concerns being expressed about the improper utilization of AI. But like all technologies of the modern technological era (1775-present), it cannot be turned back, but it can be channeled if we should decide to do so. This channeling will not be easy and is fraught with difficult decisions. Decisions that need to be discussed, deliberated, and implemented in the light of day. Much AI technology is proprietary to the companies that are developing it, but such proprietariness should not be a cover for secrecy. Secrecy often begets improper utilization of science and technology with harmful consequences to society. AI is no different, but AI can have more extensive negative consequences than other past technologies if utilized improperly.

Rather than discuss these negative consequences (which I am not fully knowledgeable nor cognizant of), I would utilize this Chirp to discuss a world with only AI present. AI is not emotional but intellectual, so such a world would be entirely intellectual-based. The emotions of love and hate, goodness and evil, beauty and ugliness, ambition and apathy, and curiosity and indifference would play no part in an AI world. This raises the question of what the purpose of an AI world would be. Would an AI world be interested in the creation of fine arts (such as painting, sculpture, or music), literature, filmmaking, or architecture? Would an AI world be interested in philosophical musings? Would an AI world be interested in the advancement of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics? Would an AI world be creative and motivated to improve itself, or have a sense of aesthetics concerned with the study of AI in relation to the sense of beauty? Could AI ask itself questions that have not been thought of and find unique ways to answer the questions? Could AI see its world and the universe in a different light without unique inspiration and/or creativity? Such capabilities may be mimicked by AI, but they would be constrained by the lack of new and unique inspiration and/or creativity.

Could an AI world have an Annus mirabilis that would change its world? In 1905, a second-class patent clerk in Bern, Switzerland, who had a doctorate in physics but could not find employment in the physics field due to his peculiar nature, published five papers (with a sixth being published at the beginning of 1906) in a physics journal that were ignored. Two years later, they could not be ignored, as they dealt with the existence of atoms, the relationship between space and time, and the photoelectric effect that answered many perplexing questions of Classical Physics. So much so that 1905 is considered the demarcation year between Classical and Modern Physics. This patent clerk, Albert Einstein, thought of the universe in a completely different manner and went on to redefine the nature of the universe with his theory of General Relativity. Could an AI world be capable of the original thoughts that Albert Einstein provided?

The scientific field of Quantum mechanics also provides an example of the capabilities of AI. In 1926 Werner Heisenberg created his matrix formulation of quantum mechanics. In 1926 Erwin Schrödinger developed fundamental results in quantum theory: the Schrödinger equation provides a way to calculate the wave function of a system and how it changes dynamically in time. In 1930, Paul Dirac incorporated the previous work of Werner Heisenberg on matrix mechanics and of Erwin Schrödinger on wave mechanics into a single mathematical formalism known as The Dirac equation. Could an AI world be capable of coming up with matrix formulation or wave functions? Could an AI world be capable of examining matrix formulation and wave functions to derive The Dirac equation?

The genius of Isaac Newton is another example of the possible limits to AI in that his brilliance may not be possible for AI to create. There are many other examples in different scientific fields that also illuminate this AI issue. This issue of AI creative capabilities is not limited to just the scientific fields. The history of music demonstrates that the genius of Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Ravel, Rachmaninov, and Stravinsky may not be possible for AI to create. Could an AI world create great works of literature such as Austen, Brontë, Cervantes, Chaucer, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Homer, Joyce, Milton, Proust, Shakespeare, or Tolstoy? Can the beautiful art of Cézanne, Degas, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Manet, Monet, Picasso, Raphael, Rembrandt, Renoir, Van Gogh, or Vermeer be created in an AI world? The other fine arts, mathematics, and the musings of philosophers also have many examples of the brilliance of individuals that an AI world may not be able to create.

An AI world would be a world devoid of meaning and purpose. It would be a sterile world. It is the human experience that provides meaning and purpose to the world. This human experience cannot be supplied by an AI world, and it is this human experience that must be considered in our discussions, deliberations, and implementations of AI in our world. AI should never be allowed to dominate the world nor replace the human element in the functioning of our world. AI should only be a tool to enhance human experience and not displace human experience. If we do not channel AI for this purpose, then we shall become a sterile world.

05/30/23 The Interest of The Government

In the course of the 20th century Supreme Court justices enormously increased the authority of Congress. For example, they transformed Congress’s power to regulate Commerce (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) into an authority to oversee the entire national economy. They changed Congress’s power to tax (Article I, Section 8, Clause 1) into a license to spend for almost any purpose. These and other changes rendered the federal government supreme in American life. Not only did the Supreme Court permit Congress to exercise almost unlimited power, but it also permitted Congress to delegate it to unelected Executive administrative agencies. Congress may (and frequently does) pass a statute creating or extending an Executive agency and telling it to regulate some broad swathe of activities, and—voilá!—Americans are saddled with a new or extended set of bureaucratic masters.

One of their rulings, Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837 (1984), was a landmark case in which the United States Supreme Court set forth the legal test for determining whether to grant deference to a government agency's interpretation of a statute which it administers. The decision articulated a doctrine now known as "Chevron deference". The doctrine consists of a two-part test applied by the court, when appropriate, that is highly deferential to government agencies: first, whether Congress has spoken directly to the precise issue in question, and second, "whether the agency's answer is based on a permissible construction of the statute."

The effect of the Chevron Doctrine was that Executive Agencies could create rules and regulations that impacted the Freedoms and Liberties of Americans and that the American people who legally challenged these rules and regulations would find a very high hurdle to overcome to institute a legal challenge. Criticisms of the Chevron Doctrine include:

• The doctrine makes an agency a judge in its own cause, thereby violating the Constitution’s guarantee of due process of law;
• it encourages agencies to expand their power;
• administrative agencies are part of the executive branch, so allowing them to make legislative or judicial decisions violates the separation of powers; and
• the Chevron decision was not well considered, and over time the Supreme Court has had to carve out exceptions.

In effect, the Chevron Doctrine put the interest of the government above the rights of the individual to challenge government intrusion into their lives, resulting in the denudation of the American people's Freedoms and Liberties. In an article by Rob Natelson, “The Supreme Court Might Curb the ‘Deep State’ by Overruling the Chevron Case”, he explains the background of the Chevron case and the effort to overturn the Chevron ruling.

Let us hope that the Chevron Doctrine is overturned, or at least severely constricted so that the American people have more opportunity to challenge the overreaching of government rules and regulations.

05/29/23 Emergency Edicts Follow-On

In my Chirp on “05/28/23 Emergency Edicts”, I quoted a recent legal opinion by Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch about the dubious constitutionality of emergency edits by the Presidents, Governors, and local officials. While I agree with Justice Gorsuch’s opinion, I would ask him, and the other Supreme Court Justices, what they are going to do about this problem. All three branches of government (Legislative, Executive, and Judicial) and all levels of government (Federal, State, and Local) have sworn to support and defend the Constitution. This requires them not to engage in any unconstitutional actions and to oppose unconstitutional actions by any other branch or level of government.

The final line of defense of the Constitution is the Judicial Branch, with the Federal and State Supreme Courts the last bastion of defense of the Constitution. Rather than be a bastion, the Federal and State Supreme Courts have been supine regarding government edicts. Although they occasionally overturn government edicts, they often ignore the core issue of the constitutionality of edicts and overturn the edicts on the particulars of the edict. It is also true that they utilize normal court processes of trials, appeals, then Supreme Court decisions in the legal review of these edicts. This process often takes many months, if not years, to reach a legal conclusion. Sometimes the edict expires, and the issue becomes legally mute, and no legal conclusion is reached about the constitutionality of the edicts. In the meantime, the edict (or parts thereof) is often allowed to be effective. This effectivity often infringes upon the Freedoms and Liberties of the American people and causes social and economic disruptions to America. By operating in this manner, they are not addressing the core issue, and it can be said that all they are doing is rearranging the deck chairs as the Titanic sinks.

It is past time for the Supreme Court to examine the constitutionality of government edicts and to place constraints on government edicts that infringe on the Freedoms and Liberties of the American people. The normal judicial process has been shown to not be conducive to this legal review, and the Supreme Court must find a means to quickly resolve this constitutionality review of edicts. It is time for the Supreme Court to take a firm stance on the constitutionality of executive edicts and reign in these edicts. Otherwise, they are in dereliction of their sworn duty to uphold the Constitution, and the American people are defenseless against the encroachment on their Freedoms and Liberties by these edicts.

05/28/23 Emergency Edicts

On May 18, 2023, the SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES reached a decision in ARIZONA, ET AL. v. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS, SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY, ET AL. This decision dealt with Title 42 restrictions on immigration. Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch issued a separate statement that laid out the history of “Title 42 orders” in the first seven paragraphs of his statement, and then in the last seven paragraphs of his statement he stated:

“Since March 2020, we may have experienced the greatest intrusions on civil liberties in the peacetime history of this country. Executive officials across the country issued emergency decrees on a breathtaking scale. Governors and local leaders imposed lockdown orders forcing people to remain in their homes. They shuttered businesses and schools, public and private. They closed churches even as they allowed casinos and other favored businesses to carry on. They threatened violators not just with civil penalties but with criminal sanctions too. They surveilled church parking lots, recorded license plates, and issued notices warning that attendance at even outdoor services satisfying all state social-distancing and hygiene requirements could amount to criminal conduct. They divided cities and neighborhoods into color-coded zones, forced individuals to fight for their freedoms in court on emergency timetables, and then changed their color-coded schemes when defeat in court seemed imminent.

Federal executive officials entered the act too. Not just with emergency immigration decrees. They deployed a public-health agency to regulate landlord-tenant relations nationwide. They used a workplace-safety agency to issue a vaccination mandate for most working Americans. They threatened to fire noncompliant employees, and warned that service members who refused to vaccinate might face dishonorable discharge and confinement. Along the way, it seems federal officials may have pressured social-media companies to suppress information about pandemic policies with which they disagreed.

While executive officials issued new emergency decrees at a furious pace, state legislatures and Congress—the bodies normally responsible for adopting our laws—too often fell silent. Courts bound to protect our liberties addressed a few—but hardly all—of the intrusions upon them. In some cases, like this one, courts even allowed themselves to be used to perpetuate emergency public-health decrees for collateral purposes, itself a form of emergency-lawmaking by-litigation.

Doubtless, many lessons can be learned from this chapter in our history, and hopefully serious efforts will be made to study it. One lesson might be this: Fear and the desire for safety are powerful forces. They can lead to a clamor for action—almost any action—as long as someone does something to address a perceived threat. A leader or an expert who claims he can fix everything, if only we do exactly as he says, can prove an irresistible force. We do not need to confront a bayonet, we need only a nudge, before we willingly abandon the nicety of requiring laws to be adopted by our legislative representatives and accept rule by decree. Along the way, we will accede to the loss of many cherished civil liberties—the right to worship freely, to debate public family, or simply to leave our homes. We may even cheer on those who ask us to disregard our normal lawmaking processes and forfeit our personal freedoms. Of course, this is no new story. Even the ancients warned that democracies can degenerate toward autocracy in the face of fear.

But maybe we have learned another lesson too. The concentration of power in the hands of so few may be efficient and sometimes popular. But it does not tend toward sound government. However wise one person or his advisors may be, that is no substitute for the wisdom of the whole of the American people that can be tapped in the legislative process. Decisions produced by those who indulge no criticism are rarely as good as those produced after robust and uncensored debate. Decisions announced on the fly are rarely as wise as those that come after careful deliberation. Decisions made by a few often yield unintended consequences that may be avoided when more are consulted. Autocracies have always suffered these defects. Maybe, hopefully, we have relearned these lessons too.

In the 1970s, Congress studied the use of emergency decrees. It observed that they can allow executive authorities to tap into extraordinary powers. Congress also observed that emergency decrees have a habit of long outliving the crises that generate them; some federal emergency proclamations, Congress noted, had remained in effect for years or decades after the emergency in question had passed. At the same time, Congress recognized that quick unilateral executive action is sometimes necessary and permitted in our constitutional order. In an effort to balance these considerations and ensure a more normal operation of our laws and a firmer protection of our liberties, Congress adopted a number of new guardrails in the National Emergencies Act.

Despite that law, the number of declared emergencies has only grown in the ensuing years. And it is hard not to wonder whether, after nearly a half century and in light of our Nation’s recent experience, another look is warranted. It is hard not to wonder, too, whether state legislatures might profitably reexamine the proper scope of emergency executive powers at the state level. At the very least, one can hope that the Judiciary will not soon again allow itself to be part of the problem by permitting litigants to manipulate our docket to perpetuate a decree designed for one emergency to address another. Make no mistake—decisive executive action is sometimes necessary and appropriate. But if emergency decrees promise to solve some problems, they threaten to generate others. And rule by indefinite emergency edict risks leaving all of us with a shell of a democracy and civil liberties just as hollow.”

Justice Gorsuch’s statement is the civil liberty concerns that I have expressed in my Coronavirus Pandemic Chirps. All Americans should read this statement, and consider the negative impacts of emergency edicts on our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights", then take corrective actions as needed.

05/27/23 Whistleblowers Redefined

In the hearings in the House Judiciary Committee subcommittee on government weaponization, what was evident to everyone watching is that for today's Progressives/Leftists, whistleblowers are only those who parrot and advance their ideological agenda. It was appalling to see the line of questions (i.e., “attacks”) levied by Democrat Party Leaders against these honorable FBI agents who presented facts and personal experiences.

A whistleblower is an informant who exposes wrongdoing within an organization in the hope of stopping it, regardless of the whistleblower’s personal reasons or political agendas. The Democrat Party Leaders' attacks on the whistleblowers are an attempt to bully into silence anyone who would expose wrongdoing by Democrats. As such, these attacks are an assault on government accountability and another example of despotism by the Democrats.

The FBI has lost its way and is not honoring the rule of law but enabling despotism through coercion, intimidation, threats, and acts of retribution against their agents who would be whistleblowers. It is an agency that utterly needs restructuring and reform. Yet, it is not the only one. The same is true for the IRS, DOJ, DOD, Homeland Security, ATF, and the State Department.

Allen West has written an article, “When a Whistleblower Ain't a Whistleblower”, that examines these attacks and lets the facts speak for themselves. He had also written a previous article, “The American Stasi State”, examining how we got to where we are. Both articles are well worth the read and consideration.

05/26/23 A Tale of Two Cities – Part Cinq

In my previous Chirps on A Tale of Two Cities, I have pointed out that America has become two cities—a City of Conservatives and Republicans and the city of Progressives and Democrats, where London represents the City of Conservatives and Republicans and Paris represents the city of Progressives and Democrats. And, as in the book, the City of Paris is doomed to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror due to the disregard for the Natural Rights of the people of France by the revolutionaries. Without a commitment to the Natural Rights of the people, all civil revolutions are doomed to anarchy and the rise of some form of totalitarian government. The only civil revolution in history that has had long-term success in assuring the Freedoms and Liberties of its people and establishing a stable government was the American Revolution.

Because America was and is not perfect and does not meet the utopian ideal of the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, they wish to “Fundamentally Transform” America to achieve their Ideals and Ideas. To transform America, they are attempting to demolish America as the first step to achieve this transformation. In this, they are being aided and abetted by the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech",  "Modern Big Business", and "Modern Education".

All voices of dissent are to be suppressed or not permitted, and they have corrupted the government to establish a Two-Tiered System of Justice and the Weaponization of Government to enforce this suppression. They have also corrupted the civil service to establish a government of the bureaucrats, by the bureaucrats, and for the bureaucrats to enforce their political agenda upon Americans. If we do not correct this situation, then we cannot have “A Just Government and a Just Society” and "Justice and The Rule of Law in America", and we will become a nation ruled by men rather than the rule of law.

Such a demolishment can only lead to the end of a "A Civil Society" and the disintegration of our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" and of our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". A demolishment that can only lead to "Despotism in America" and to the imposition of a subservient or subjugated people subject to the proclivities of the government and those in power.

But this need not be if the American people can awaken from their slumber and recognize the danger of continuing upon this path of demolishment. If the American people can right the course of America, then the closing lines of A Tale of Two Cities are also prophetic:

“I see Barsad, and Cly, Defarge, The Vengeance, the Juryman, the Judge, long ranks of the new oppressors who have risen on the destruction of the old, perishing by this retributive instrument, before it shall cease out of its present use. I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss, and, in their struggles to be truly free, in their triumphs and defeats, through long long to come, I see the evil of this time and of the previous time of which this is the natural birth, gradually making expiation for itself and wearing out.

I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy, in that England which I shall see no more. I see Her with a child upon her bosom, who bears my name. I see her father, aged and bent, but otherwise restored, and faithful to all men in his healing office, and at peace. I see the good old man, so long their friend, in ten years' time enriching them with all he has, and passing tranquilly to his reward.

I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. I see her, an old woman, weeping for me on the anniversary of this day. I see her and her husband, their course done, lying side by side in their last earthly bed, and I know that each was not more honoured and held sacred in the other's soul, than I was in the souls of both.

I see that child who lay upon her bosom and who bore my name, a man winning his way up in that path of life which once was mine. I see him winning it so well, that my name is made illustrious there by the light of his. I see the blots I threw upon it, faded away. I see him, foremost of just judges and honoured men, bringing a boy of my name, with a forehead that I know and golden hair, to this place- then fair to look upon, with not a trace of this day's disfigurement- and I hear him tell the child my story, with a tender and a faltering voice.

It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”

05/25/23 A Tale of Two Cities – Part Quatre

In my previous Chirps on A Tale of Two Cities, I have pointed out that America has become two cities—a City of Conservatives and Republicans and the city of Progressives and Democrats. Both cities claim to be based upon "American Ideals and Ideas", but each city has different beliefs about our ideals and ideas. The City of Conservatives and Republicans believes in traditional American Ideals and Ideas, while the City of Progressives and Democrats have redefined these American Ideals and Ideas to suit their political agenda and to obtain and retain political power. In my article "J'accuse!" I point out that the Modern Democrat Party has become:

• The Party of A Living Constitution
• The Party of the Rich and Powerful
• The Party of Double Standards
• The Party of Divisiveness
• The Party of Racism
• The Party of Anti-Americanism
• The Party of Anti-Economics
• The Party of Anti-Capitalism and Pro-Socialistic
• The Party of Power
• The Party of The Decline of Free Speech in America
• The Party of The Weaponization of Government
• The Party of Problems with Voting in America
• The Party Hostile to The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
• The Party Hostile to The Bill of Rights

As such, they no longer represent the traditional American Ideals and Ideas that America was founded upon, but upon ideals and ideas that suit their political agenda and their desire to obtain and retain political power.

Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists like to claim that their American Ideals and Ideas are the true American Ideals and Ideas while at the same time claiming that the Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives do not represent true American Ideals and Ideas. They also claim that those who would disagree with them are Un-American in their Ideals and Ideas. It is only by "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” that the Progressives and Democrats can make this claim and represent themselves as true Americans.

Therefore, Progressives and Democrats who make this claim are only paying lip service to traditional American Ideals and Ideas while they attempt to redefine in the American mind what it means to be an American. In this, they are again pitting one group of Americans against another group of Americans to institute their political agenda and to obtain and retain political power. A pitting accomplished by sowing "Divisiveness in America" through the tactics of "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate".

05/24/23 A Tale of Two Cities – Part Trois

In my previous Chirps on “05/22/23 A Tale of Two Cities – Part Un” and “05/23/23 A Tale of Two Cities – Part Deux”, I point out how America has morphed into Two Cities. A City of Conservatives and Republicans and the city of Progressives and Democrats. This morphing is a result of the loss of our "American Ideals and Ideas" and the consequent redefinition of the Constitution into a Democracy rather than a Republic, as I have examined in my Article "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution".

Our American Ideals and Ideas is that The Declaration of Independence expresses our American ideals, while the Constitution of the United States is the ideas of how to implement our ideals. To not understand and live these American Ideals and Ideas is to have a society without foundation and constant political discord without hope of consensus-based upon a foundation that all sides can agree upon. Without this foundation, we will be talking past each other rather than trying to reach an agreement on how to best achieve our American Ideals and Ideas.

A Republican Constitution entails that Legislators may not create “Irrational and Arbitrary Laws” based on who has political powers. Executives must ensure that all Laws are “Equally Enforced” regardless of political affiliation and that the Judicial Review of the Constitutionality of a Law starts with “A Presumption of Freedom and Liberty” for the individual. A Democratic Constitution entails that Legislators may create laws that they determine are proper for the good of the majority, Executives may decide which laws are to be or not to be enforced based on the perceived good or bad of the law's effects, and that Judicial Reviews of Laws starts with a presumption that the Legislators or Executives are acting properly within the bounds of their authorities.

Until this issue of a Republic or a Democracy is resolved, we will continue to be a Tale of Two Cities, for we cannot be a Republic and a Democracy, but we can be a Democratic republic which is what our Founding Fathers envisioned. The Democrat part is the election of the Republic members of Congress, and the Republic part is in the passage of laws and regulations regarding the governance of America based upon a Republican Constitution. Until this issue of our American Ideals and Ideas is resolved, we run the risk of a societal collapse and:

"We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth."  - Abraham Lincoln

05/23/23 A Tale of Two Cities – Part Deux

In my previous Chirp on “05/22/23 A Tale of Two Cities – Part Un”, I point out the difference between the handling of President Trump's allegations and the Biden Family corruption. This tale of two cities is further illuminated by the recent release of Special Counsel John Durham's highly anticipated report surrounding the investigation into Donald Trump's campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. This report reveals that there was no basis for the Russia Collusion allegations and no predicate for any government involvement in these allegations. No Justice Department, FBI, or Intelligence Agencies, and most certainly no Congressional investigations were warranted based on these unsubstantiated and indeed fabricated allegations. Yet, for over two and a half years government was tied up, President Trump’s Administration was hobbled, and the American people were bamboozled by these false and malicious allegations, and much government monies were expended on investigations of these untrue accusations.

The worse impact of the Durham investigation is that there will be no repercussions for those that knowingly engaged in these investigations. The Durham report states that no criminal laws were violated (a point that I would dispute, as lying to a Court or Congress is a violation of the law), and consequently, no criminal prosecutions will be forthcoming. Therefore, no changes to personnel or procedures within government will be instituted unless instituted by Congress (and the Democrats in Congress have little incentive to do so). Thus, there will be no inhibitions nor deterrence for future misdeeds by government personnel or agencies.

This report gives truth to the points that I have made in my Article, “Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue Within Government and Society”, and the lack thereof in today’s American government and society. Politics and power seem to be the only motivations in today’s government and society, and whatever means are necessary to institute a political agenda and/or to obtain and retain power is acceptable. Such a basis cannot be a foundation for "A Civil Society" and "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". It can only lead to "Despotism in America" and a subservient or subjugated people subject to the proclivities of the government and those in power.

Thus, we again have a tale of two cities—the city of Conservatives and Republicans and the city of Progressives and Democrats, and the opening lines of this book are an apt description of the current situation in America.

05/22/23 A Tale of Two Cities – Part Un

A Tale of Two Cities is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in the Bastille in Paris, and his release to live in London with his daughter Lucie whom he had never met. The story is set against the conditions that led up to the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror. In the Introduction to the Encyclopedia of Adventure Fiction, critic Don D'Ammassa argues that it is an adventure novel because the protagonists are in constant danger of being imprisoned or killed. The opening lines of this book are prophetic:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

They are prophetic in that they are a description of the times we currently live in. This is exemplified by the prosecution of President Trump for nebulous allegations that can be juxtaposed by the lack of prosecution of the Biden Family corruption, which is another example of a Two-Tiered System of Justice and the Weaponization of Government as I have Chirped on “07/31/21 A Two-Tiered Justice and Governmental System” and "08/06/22 The Weaponization of Government".

As I have written in my Chirp on “04/06/23 The Real Insurrection”, “Our system of justice has been turned into a system of laws that can be twisted and turned to persecute and prosecute political opponents. It also allows a district attorney to investigate and prosecute individuals rather than crimes, and such actions by district attorneys are only worthy of Tyrannies and Banana Republics. The excuse that no one is above the law in allowing this type of action by a District Attorney is at odds with equal justice under the law, and he has placed himself above the law by twisting the law to suit a political agenda and is placing President Trump below the law to achieve his political purposes.”

It has also become obvious, for those that value facts and truths, that the Biden Family (led by Joe Biden) is a corrupt institution that sells access to Joe Biden and that the government has no inclination nor desire to prosecute the corrupt actions of the Biden Family. Indeed, they seem to be more concerned with covering up and withholding information about this corruption than they are with prosecuting it.

Thus, we have a tale of two cities—the city of Conservatives and Republicans and the city of Progressives and Democrats, and the opening lines of this book are an apt description of the current situation in America.

05/20/23 The Un-American Activities of Our Government

The FBI, the Justice Department, and the Intelligence Agencies have been so thoroughly corrupted for political purposes since the Obama Administration that they are now actively engaged in Un-American activities. Three articles by Andrew C. McCarthy examine this corruption regarding the Russian Collusion Delusion:

• No, IG Horowitz Did Not Endorse the FBI’s Predication for the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation
• The FBI Didn’t Ignore Russian Intel on Hillary’s Plan to Smear Trump — It Abetted the Plan
• The Durham Report Exposes How Thin the Collusion Case Really Was

Another article by Andrew C. McCarthy, Blinken’s Motive to Dismiss Hunter Laptop as Russian Disinformation: His Own Emails, examines the Intelligence Communities involvement in covering up The Biden Family Business, while another article by Ari Blaff, Biden Campaign Played Active Role in Suppressing Hunter Biden Laptop Story, Congressional Testimony Reveals, reveals the extent of the Biden Presidential campaign in orchestrating the Intelligence Agencies covering up the truth of the Hunter Biden Laptop.

The FBI, the Justice Department, and the Intelligence Agencies have also extended their Un-American activities beyond targeting political leadership into targeting ordinary Americans, as examined in another article by Jeff Zymeri, FBI Improperly Surveilled BLM Protesters, J6 Suspects, Thousands of Political Donors.

Such Un-American activities are an assault on our Freedoms and Liberties, and they bespeak of the despotic measures to control the American people and corrupt the political process to obtain and retain power for those who engage in these in Un-American activities. As those who have engaged in these in Un-American activities are now in control of the levers of the Executive Branch of government or are favored persons by those now in control of the levers of the Executive Branch of government, we can expect no justice for their Un-American activities. Consequently, we can expect a continuation of these Un-American activities in the future, as they have no fear of being called to justice for these Un-American activities.

The "Mainstream Media" are also complicit in these Un-American activities, as they have failed by their own political proclivities to investigate or report on these Un-American activities to the American people. Without the American people being informed of these Un-American activities, it is not possible to rectify these abuses, as public opinion is all that can be leveraged to end these Un-American activities. For it is as true today as when President Lincoln stated:

“In this age, in this country, public sentiment is everything. With it, nothing can fail; against it, nothing can succeed. Whoever molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes, or pronounces judicial decisions.”  - Abraham Lincoln

Public sentiment must be aroused to end these Un-American activities, or as President Lincoln has also stated:

"We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth."   - Abraham Lincoln

05/17/23 Here I Stand, I Can Do No Other

Once again, I have not been posting my Chirps on a regular basis. This time, however, it is because I have contracted the COVID-19 Coronavirus. While the first two days of my contraction were spent with a mild fever, chills and sweats, shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing, and a lack of restful sleeping, the next several days, I only had coughing and wheezing. I have therefore decided not to post any Chirps until I am mostly recovered.

I have, however, reviewed my previous Coronavirus Pandemic Chirps to determine if my perspective has changed as a result of my contracting the COVID-19 Coronavirus. My perspective has not changed, and I am even further convinced, due to recent revelations, that the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic is the largest scandal perpetrated on the American public in the last hundred years. These recently confirmed revelations are:

• Masking does not prevent nor slow down the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus. I knew this to be true when the size and the airborne transmission of the COVID-19 Coronavirus were determined at the beginning of the Pandemic. I knew this immediately because my scientific knowledge of the motion of Gases and Fluid Dynamics, as well as the internal structure of masks, made it impossible for masks to block the flow of the COVID-19 Coronavirus to and from the nasal and oral cavities.
• Social distancing was useless, as the airborne transmission of the COVID-19 Coronavirus occurs within tens of seconds over dozens of yards. Again, my scientific knowledge of the motion of Gases and Fluid Dynamics leads to this conclusion.
• Isolation is of limited value, as no person can be truly isolated from others except in a controlled biohazard environment. Even then it can fail, as can be seen from the accidental release of the COVID-19 Coronavirus from the Wuhan China biohazard laboratory.
• As the COVID-19 Coronavirus was propagated by airborne transmission, the constant anti-biotic washing of hands had no impact on the transmission or contraction of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
• The COVID-19 Coronavirus was man-made and not naturally occurring. Indeed, it was impossible for it to be naturally occurring due to the structure of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, as such a structure could only occur with human intervention by Gain of Function research.
• The COVID-19 Coronavirus vaccines did not make a significant impact on preventing the contraction or spreading of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
• The efficacy of the COVID-19 Coronavirus vaccines is of dubious value and sometimes harmful, with the long-term negative impacts of the vaccine only now becoming apparent.
• Many people, organizations, and companies enriched themselves by the fear and panic of the public without providing tangible benefits to the solutions to the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic.
• The fear and panic caused by the COVID-19 Coronavirus have led to a significant altering of the relationship between the individual and the government, with much more government intrusion into the lives of the individual. It also led to much more power of the government to the detriment of the Freedoms and Liberties of Americans.

In many of these points, I am reminded of the phrase that was often said by Chief Engineer of the U.S.S. Enterprise Montgomery Scott in the original Star Trek television series, “You cannot violate the Laws of Physics”. Much of what was recommended for the COVID-19 Coronavirus protections violated or ignored the Laws of Physics, which can never work as physics laws are inviolate nor ignorable.

To those who would object to the points I have made above, I would remind them of what Martin Luther said in defending his "Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences", which came to be known as The Ninety-Five Theses, in opposition to the Catholic Church position:

“I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.”  - Martin Luther

05/15/23 Stories from an Examined Professional Life

You may have noticed that in the last two months that there have been fewer Chirps than normal. The reason for this is not that I have less to say but that I have finished an effort that I started shortly after my retirement. Upon my retirement from the computer field at the end of 2019, I started to reminisce on my career, and I must say it has been a long and varied career lasting almost a half-century. My career has been centered in the Philadelphia, PA, metropolitan area, where I was born and raised. While I have done most of my work around Philadelphia, and I have, in the middle part of my career, taken many national and European business trips. These stories of my professional life and business trips are often humorous, but sometimes pathetic, but always illuminative of the human side of life in the computer field. I hope that these stories will be informative, instructive, and enlightening and I can impart some of the wisdom I have gained throughout my professional life.

You might expect these stories from my examined professional life in computers to be dry and sometimes dull stories about computers and computer technology. This autobiography is not that type of autobiography, except for some parts at the beginning of this book where computers and computer technology are described to set the stage for the stories from my examined life. Instead, this book is a human story, not only about myself but of the people that I worked with and the human events of my professional life. By telling these human stories, I hope to impart some of the wisdom I have gained in my professional life. If not for the impartation of wisdom, there are enough interesting and humorous stories to entertain the reader.

My professional life path has led me to do many different and sometimes unique things in my career. Many things that I have done have had a positive impact on me, my professional associates, and the businesses for which I was employed or was a consultant. I know that I have taken much gratification in the accomplishments of my career. The good that I did, I believe, has far outweighed the harm that I may have occasionally inflicted. Consequently, I can say that I am satisfied with my professional life path and that it was a worthwhile path.

Throughout my professional computer career, I have had many good and bad things happen to me. Sometimes these things have happened because of my own actions, sometimes because of the actions of others, and many times they just happened. This led me to compose the following ditty:

"Shit happens. Sometimes you shit on yourself, sometimes others shit on you, and other times shit just happens. It doesn't matter how shit happens, it only matters how you deal with the shit. You can either clean yourself up and smell the roses, Or you can wallow in the shit and everything stinks. And remember, It's just as important to learn from the shit, as it is to clean yourself up from the shit!"  - Mark Dawson

I have therefore spent my professional life examining the shit that happened to me and learning from this shit. This examination needs to be done in an honest and brutal fashion that examines your own faults and good points, as well as the faults and good points of others. This examination has made me become a better computer professional, helped mold my character, and made me a better person.

The “Stories from an Examined Professional Life, Reminiscences on a Life in Computers, along with Humorous and Poignant Stories (but not a history of computer technology)” have been posted on my website here. I hope that you will enjoy these stories and perhaps learn something from them.

05/12/23 The Abandonment of Hard Science to be Replaced with Political Science

As I have examined in my Article “On the Nature of Scientific Inquiry”, the practice of hard science is unforgiving in that hard facts and proper reasoning lead to truths and the rejection of falsehoods. Science can often be wrong, but only because new or additional facts come to light to reveal better or different truths. This is why you should always be wary when someone makes a claim of settled science or a scientific consensus, as I have examined in my Article “Scientific Consensus and Settled Science”. Modern science also has numerous problems that call into question the accuracy of the science, as I have written in my Article “The Problems with Modern Science”. However, to deny the hard facts and proper reasoning is to be unscientific, as well as foolish.

In today’s America, Climate Change, Coronavirus Medical Science, and Transgenderism are the three biggest replacements of hard science with political science. A hard look into the hard science of these issues reveals that political science bears little relationship to hard science. I have examined the hard science of climate change in my Article on Climate Change. I have also looked at the hard science and political science of the COVID-19 pandemic in my collected Chirps of “Coronavirus Pandemic Chirps”, and I would especially point out the Chirp on “07/09/21 COVID-19 Lessons Learned” as to the societal impacts of political science trumping hard science.

The political science versus the hard science of Transgenderism is examined in three articles by Ryan T. Anderson, currently president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. These articles are:

• Sex Change: Physically Impossible, Psychosocially Unhelpful, and Philosophically Misguided
• The Philosophical Contradictions of the Transgender Worldview
• When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment

My own view is that humans are only different from other living specials in their brains. All animal species have a brain and neurological system, a heart and cardiovascular system, a muscular-skeleton system, a digestive system, and various other organisms to regulate their biological systems, but humans are distinct in that their brains are wired for intelligence. All animal species also have a reproductive system that is either male or female, which is encoded into their genetic makeup, and which a male inseminates a female, and the female incubates the offspring from their mating, and the offspring are either male or female. This is a hard biological scientific fact, and the offspring are of one binary sex—Male or Female.

Transgenderism is a psychological issue and not a physiological issue, and a form of Psychogenic Illness, as I have explained in my Chirp on “04/18/23 Mass Psychogenic Illness”. As such, we should be considerate of their sexual identity confusion and provide them with counseling to help them out. However, I am opposed to any psychological counseling, medical treatment, or surgery for children under eighteen years old without parental or guardian consent or a court order. Parental or guardian rights to children under eighteen years of age is essential to the family stability of society and should not be interfered with except under court order.

Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, as well as the Biden Administration, have abandoned hard science and replaced it with political science to achieve their political goals. This is foolish and destructive to our society, a destructiveness that may cause economic and/or sociological problems and may be uncorrectable. After all, it is not wise to fool with mother nature and foolish to ignore hard science.

05/10/23 Dezinformatsia

Dezinformatsia: Active Measures in Soviet Strategy (and a later edition published as Dezinformatsia: The Strategy of Soviet Disinformation) is a non-fiction book about disinformation and information warfare used by the KGB during the Soviet Union period, as part of their active measures tactics. The book was co-authored by Richard H. Shultz, professor of international politics at Tufts University, and Roy Godson, professor emeritus of government at Georgetown University.

Shultz and Godson discuss Soviet disinformation tactics including injection of Communist propaganda through covert groups within the U.S.S.R. tasked with disrupting activities of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the U.S. The book explains disinformation methods, including forgery as a covert operation, agents of influence, and using social influence to turn targets into useful idiots. They focus on disinformation activities of Soviet intelligence from 1960 to 1980. Shultz and Godson discuss case studies as examples of Soviet disinformation, including a French journalist covertly financed by Russian agents in order to publish biased material against Western interests, and the front organization activities of the World Peace Council. They back up their analyses with two Soviet intelligence defectors.

Foreign Affairs called the book a "useful survey" of how Soviet intelligence used disinformation "to further its strategic aims such as discrediting America and weakening NATO". The Journal of Conflict Studies described it as "a useful introduction to a field of knowledge" of importance to security experts, the United States Intelligence Community, and diplomats. Society called Dezinformatsia "a highly readable and insightful book". Political Science Quarterly gave the work a negative review, criticizing the book's writing style and methodological rigor.

It is an unfortunate fact that Dezinformatsia has become the tactic of the Democrat Party in the last few election cycles. The Steele dossier fabrications in the 2016 Presidential election, and the covering up of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal in the 2020 Presidential election, are perfect examples of Dezinformatsia. In both cases, not only was the Democrat Party responsible for this Dezinformatsia, but they enlisted the Intelligence and Law enforcement agencies of the government in this Dezinformatsia, as well as the cooperation of the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "Big Tech" in the dissemination of this Dezinformatsia.

One shutters to think what may be forthcoming in the 2024 Presidential election, especially as the Biden Administration has shown a propensity for covering up, distorting, or lying about their actions by the utilization of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language”, as well as the weaponization of government as I have Chirped on, "08/06/22 The Weaponization of Government". The fabricating of false allegations and charges of Hate Speech against their political opponents is another form of Dezinformatsia that they employ.

Dezinformatsia, coupled with election fraud (as I have written two articles on American voting, "Voting in America" and "Voting Responsibilities", and in my Chirps on "02/17/21 Election Integrity", "03/06/21 Election Integrity - Part Deux"), completely skewers elections to favor the Democrat Party. Dezinformatsia and election fraud is an existential threat to democracy, as it is done to ensure that their oligarchy is maintained, as I have examined in my chirp on "07/13/22 The Progressive Road to Serfdom".

If this situation of Dezinformatsia and election fraud is not eliminated and its perpetrators removed from elected and appointed office, then we can expect its continuance and the end of Democracy in America.

05/08/23 Hate Speech

If your definition of hate speech is that if anyone disagrees with your opinions, then they must be uttering Hate Speech, then most all speech is Hate Speech as people often disagree with each other. There have also been calls for censorship of hate speech in all forms of media; "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", and "Social Media", as well as in "Big Tech",  "Modern Big Business", and "Modern Education". Anything that does not comport with Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders' ideology is to be considered hate speech and should be constricted if not outright banned. It is also an unfortunate fact that many assertions of hate speech are often based on policy disagreements rather than ‘hate’, and they are often lodged in an attempt to silence the opposition. However, the question is, to paraphrase Thomas Sowell, "The most basic question is not what is hate speech, but who shall decide what is hate speech?"

Such censorship is antithetical to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and an affront to the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of all persons. But for a heretic-hunting Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, none of that matters. It’s not about how you say it, how rigorously you argue it, or how charitably you present it; it’s about whether you affirm or dissent from their new orthodoxy. To dissent is to be subject to allegations of hate speech and the imposition of censorship, and dissent will be determined by themselves and themselves alone. Most Americans have also forgotten, or did not know, that Free Speech is indispensable to preserve our Liberties and Freedoms, as I have written in my Chirp on 02/22/22 Free Speech is Essential. Or, as George Washington has said, "If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."

Most Americans are offended by hate speech, and they are inclined to support censorship of hate speech because they are appalled by its content. No rational person likes hate speech, but a rational person also understands that preserving free speech entails the toleration of hate speech. The best means to counter hate speech is more free speech in opposition to hate speech. However, there is a category of hate speech that is often not acknowledged in modern America, as it is a subtle hate speech, but it has far-reaching consequences. This is a hate speech that attempts to demonize America or individuals or groups of Americans based upon their political opinions, as I have written in my Chirp on 04/21/22 The Real Hate Speech.

This is the form of hate speech that the Biden Administration seems especially committed to—labeling as hate speech and censoring the free speech of individuals or groups of people that disagree with the policy positions of the Biden Administration. And, as usual, this censorship is mostly targeted at the right wing of "The Political Spectrum" while only rarely being targeted against the left wing. This censorship is not only in the words of the Biden Administration demonizing the opposition but in the actions of government agencies to intimidate, if not outright criminalize, any opposition to their policy positions.

When the hand of government is utilized to crush opposition, then we do not live in a democracy, but we live under despotism, i.e., dominance through the threat of punishment. Despotism is always the end result of censorship, and the use of allegations of hate speech is only a means to accelerate the imposition of this despotism.

05/06/23 A Ship of Fools

The Ship of Fools is an allegory, originating from Book VI of Plato's Republic, about a ship with a dysfunctional crew. The allegory is intended to represent the problems of governance prevailing in a political system not based on expert knowledge. This allegory was used in the movie Ship of Fools (based on the book of Katherine Anne Porter) about a varied group of passengers boarding a ship bound for pre-WWII Germany and represented a microcosm of early 1930s society. The passengers of this ship are either so self-absorbed with their own lives and/or just don't care to notice what is happening in Germany.

Such is today’s state of America. The foolish dysfunctional crew, and the passengers aboard the ship, are sinking the ship of America. Instead, we have taken to arguing about the rearranging of the deckchairs on the Titanic while the Titanic is sinking. The major issues and concerns besetting America are being ignored, while the trivial has been emphasized. This has been done to distract the people of America from recognizing and solving these problems because if they did recognize these problems, they would realize the dismal failures of our leadership in solving the problems that are sinking America.

So, who are the fools on the ship, and why are they being foolish? In 2018, before the Coronavirus Pandemic swept the world, Tucker Carlson authored a book, Ship of Fools: How a Selfish Ruling Class Is Bringing America to the Brink of Revolution, in which he examined the fools who were crewing the ship of America. Since the Coronavirus swept the world, these fools have used the pandemic to become even more foolish and more powerful. As a result, the ship of America is sinking even faster, and the passengers don’t seem to notice or care, and they appear to be quite content in going down with the ship.

The steps needed to resolve this foolishness are to recognize the fools for what they are. Such recognition is possible by knowing "The Biggest Falsehoods in America" and the fools that propagate these falsehoods, as well as the “Terminology and Phrases” they utilize to try to fool Americans. With this knowledge, it is possible to vote the fools out of office and hopefully not elect a different set of fools. Alas, this may not be sufficient to stop the foolishness, and more drastic measures may be necessary to halt the sinking of the ship of America.

The first drastic measure would be to insist that the Constitution of the United States be faithfully upheld, for as President Lincoln has said:

"Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties."   - Abraham Lincoln

Other drastic measures may be necessary, and such drastic measures may convulse American society but may be required to preserve our Constitution. In such convulsions, it should always be remembered some other words of President Lincoln:

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."   - Abraham Lincoln

05/04/23 Diversity is Our Strength

Diversity is our strength is a load of crap. Diversity can be utilized to strengthen a society, but diversity can also weaken a society. It all depends on how you utilize diversity. The use of diversity to incorporate improvements into our society can strengthen our society, but to utilize diversity to divide society into groups will weaken our society. To utilize diversity to exclude or favor one group or another is even more pernicious to our society. Equality of Opportunity has always been the strength of America, coupled with Equality Under the Law. Without Equality of Opportunity and Equality Under the Law, America has no special strength to differentiate itself from other countries, and it shall falter and collapse. We should all remember that the Soviet Union was the most diverse society in the 20th century, and as it had no Equality of Opportunity nor Equality Under the Law, it collapsed.

It is the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders in our society that most often claim that “Diversity is our strength”, but we should remember the perception of Thomas Sowell, who once said, “The next time some academics tell you how important diversity is, ask how many Republicans there are in their sociology department.” It is also these same Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders who utilize diversity to divide America for election purposes and to exclude or favor one group over another in America.

05/02/23 Natural Law and Natural Rights vs. The Law of the Jungle

“Natural Law and Natural Right” tradition is a complex and many-sided body of moral and political thought. It is unified, however, by an agreement as to the natural (as distinguished from conventional or man-made) character of principles of right and wrong and of justice and injustice. Conversely, "The Law of the Jungle" (also called jungle law) is an expression that has come to describe a scenario where "anything goes". The Oxford English Dictionary defines the Law of the Jungle as "the code of survival in jungle life, now usually with reference to the superiority of brute force or self-interest in the struggle for survival". The phrase was introduced in Rudyard Kipling's 1894 work The Jungle Book, where it described the behavior of wolves in a pack.

Anyone who has read my Chirps and Articles knows that I am committed to Natural Law and Natural Rights as a basis for our society. So committed that I have written an Article, “Natural, Human, and Civil Rights", on this topic. I believe that without this commitment, it is possible for a society to glide down the slippery slope to “The Law of the Jungle, with intermediate steps of authoritarianism, autarchy, despotism, dictatorialness, monarchy, oligarchy, ochlocracy, totalitarianism, or tyranny. Natural Law and Natural Rights would never allow for these intermediate steps, as all these steps are contrary to Natural Law and Natural Rights. However, Natural Law and Natural Rights are not definitive and subject to philosophical, theological, and legal interpretation and debate.

The question is, then, what is Natural Law and Natural Right? The Witherspoon Institute’s online center for Natural Law, Natural Rights, and American Constitutionalism contains many of the answers to this question. This resource is conceived as an archive for and a commentary and study guide to the seminal documents of the natural law and natural rights tradition, especially as that tradition relates to American constitutionalism and political thought.

I would, therefore, recommend this site to anyone interested in learning about Natural Law and Natural Rights.

04/30/23 Words of Wisdom

Immediately before Tucker Carlson and Fox News parted ways, he gave a speech before the Heritage Foundation, Tucker Carlson Keynote Address at the Heritage 50th Anniversary Celebration, that I believe is worthy of all Americans to take the time to see and ponder. The words of wisdom that he elucidates in this speech are well worth the twenty-six minutes he spends talking about the importance of truth over falsehoods, good versus evil, and the moral courage and fortitude to stand up for truth and goodness. He also notes that much of our news reporting and public discussions are about issues that are not of significance to the future of America, and when these discussions occur, they are between like-minded people, even if their politics differ. Consequently, Americans are ill-informed about the facts but are inundated with propaganda. This speech illuminates that Tucker is a thoughtful and moral person and not the hateful and bigoted person his detractors portray him to be.

04/28/23 Statement on Joe Biden’s 2024 Announcement

I have never posted a full statement from a living politician on my website. Most of these statements are self-serving and often misleading. They are all to be taken with a grain of salt and often should be discounted. However, a recent statement from President Trump, who often makes somewhat incohesive and bombastic statements, does not fit this mold. It is a very good commentary about President Biden and his Administration that encapsulates the ills that have beset America because of his policies and maladministration. We should all read and think about President Trump’s statement and weep for America from the ruination that President Biden and his Administration have wrought upon America.

Statement from President Donald J. Trump on Joe Biden’s 2024 Announcement:

“You could take the five worst presidents in American history, and put them together, and they would not have done the damage Joe Biden has done to our Nation in just a few short years. Not even close.

Thanks to Joe Biden’s socialist spending calamity, American families are being decimated by the worst inflation in half a century. Banks are failing. Our currency is crashing and the dollar will soon no longer be the world standard, which will be our greatest defeat in over 200 years. Real wages have been falling 24 months in a row—in other words, under Biden, workers have gotten a PAY CUT each and every month for two straight years. We have surrendered our energy independence, just like we surrendered in Afghanistan, which we had just a short time ago—and the price of gasoline just hit a 5-month high, and it’s going much higher than that.

Under my leadership, we had the most secure border in U.S. history, by far. Never had a border like this. Under Biden, the Southern Border has been abolished—and millions of illegal aliens have been released into our communities. What’s happening now is beyond belief. They’re coming in from mental institutions and prisons. They are all being emptied. They are being dumped into the United States of America. Many of these people are very dangerous, they are being dumped. We are like a dumping ground. Our cities have been overrun with homelessness, drug addicts, and violent criminals, who are being released from jail in mass with no retribution whatsoever, while law enforcement is weaponized against law-abiding conservatives or Republicans, or people they just don’t like. Our children are being indoctrinated and mutilated by left-wing freaks and zealots. The senior ranks of our military have gone completely woke, and our military is suffering greatly.

Biden has totally humiliated our Nation on the world stage—starting with the Afghanistan disaster, perhaps the most embarrassing event in the history of our country. It meant so much to our enemies when they watched that horrible retreat. Russia is teaming up with China. Iran is days away from a nuclear bomb—not even thinkable. Ukraine has been devastated by an invasion that would never, ever have happened if I was president—and Joe Biden has led us to the very brink of World War III. They say Trump was right about everything. Well, I’m not predicting World War III, but I will say this: we’re very close and they’re only talking about nuclear weapons.

On top of it all, Biden is the most corrupt president in American history—and that’s not even close. Nobody can believe what’s going on, with again no retribution whatsoever.

With such a calamitous and failed presidency, it is almost inconceivable that Biden would even think of running for reelection. You know what happened in the last election: they cheated, and they rigged the election. But I promise you this: when I stand on that debate stage and compare our records, it will be Radical Democrats’ worst nightmare because there’s never been a record as bad as they have, and our country has never been through so much. There has never been a greater contrast between two successive administrations in all of American history. Ours being greatness, and theirs being failure.

With your support in the election, we will defeat Joe Biden in 2024. We will rescue our economy. We will crush inflation. We will stop the invasion on our southern border. We will restore our Nation’s dignity. And we will prevent World War III from happening. Together, we will all Make America Great Again! Thank you.”

04/25/23 Election Interference

Election interference comes in many forms, as I have discussed in my articles Voting in America and Voting Responsibilities. Two recent insidious election interferences have been the 2016 Steele Dossier fabrications and the 2020 Hunter Biden Laptop coverup. These were insidious because of the involvement of law enforcement and intelligence agencies in this election interference, as well as the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", and "Big Tech" cooperation in this election interference (hereinafter referred to as “The Mainstream Information Conglomerate”).

The 2016 Steele Dossier fabrications was a case of the political opposition funding and disseminating known lies to harm a candidate, which law enforcement used to investigate and leak to The Mainstream Information Conglomerate to help a candidate (who lost), then harass a duly elected President (who won). The 2020 Hunter Biden Laptop coverup was a case of the truth being suppressed by The Mainstream Information Conglomerate, with intelligence agencies' support, by the political supporters of a candidate (who won). In both of these cases, law enforcement and intelligence agencies were corrupted for the political purposes of helping a Democrat candidate to win an election, and The Mainstream Information Conglomerate was coopted to implement this suppression of truth.

Such actions corrupt the democratic process by skewering an election to favor one candidate over another candidate and are, indeed, election interference. It also exposed the truth that the Democrat Party will do whatever is necessary to obtain or retain power, that the supposedly non-partisan bureaucracy is indeed partisan, and that The Mainstream Information Conglomerate is in collusion with the Democrat Party.

If such election interference continues in the future, we will no longer be a “government of the people, by the people, for the people”, but will become a government for the Democrat Party, of the Bureaucracy, and supported by The Mainstream Information Conglomerate.

04/21/23 The Truth of Slavery in America

In an article by Dennis Prager, “Slavery, the Left, and Truth” he starts this article by explaining that:

“A generation of Americans is being raised on half-truths and lies about the history of slavery in America. They are given the impression that America was uniquely bad and that American slavery was uniquely bad. They learn nothing about slavery elsewhere. Among the many lies they are told are that "black slaves built America" and that America is systemically racist.”

He then examines some facts about slavery that puts the truths to these falsehoods.

This article is complementary to my articles on “Slavery and Discrimination rooted in Party Politics”, “The Debt of Slavery and Discriminations”, and the section Racism is Prevalent in my “The Biggest Falsehoods in America” article.

All of these articles are worth reviewing and considering whenever the history of slavery in America is being contemplated. As without understanding the factual history of slavery in America you cannot understand the truths of America.

04/18/23 Mass Psychogenic Illness

Mass psychogenic illness (MPI), also called mass sociogenic illness, mass psychogenic disorder, epidemic hysteria, or mass hysteria, involves the spread of illness symptoms through a population where there is no infectious agent responsible for contagion. It is the rapid spread of illness signs and symptoms affecting members of a cohesive group, originating from a nervous system disturbance involving excitation, loss, or alteration of function, whereby physical complaints that are exhibited unconsciously have no corresponding organic causes.

In a fascinating YouTube interview of Jordan Peterson on, Psychological Epidemics & Gender Dysphoria and Here’s the Truth About Gender Dysphoria he discusses mass psychogenic illness in current American history, and how it relates to the current Gender Dysphoria disputations in America. Some of the current American history of Psychological Epidemics are:

• Cutting Self-harm
• Anorexia nervosa
• Bulimia nervosa
• Day-care sex-abuse hysteria
• MeTooism
• Gender Neutrality Pronouns
• Transgenderism

The belief of Americans in these Psychological Epidemics bespeaks of an affluent and narcissistic society that has lost its Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue within Government and Society, and its commitment to our "American Ideals and Ideas". It also gives truth to the quote of Emile Cammaerts (often mistakenly attributed to G. K. Chesterton), “When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything.”

It is also easy for politicians and Social Justice Warriors to manipulate the American public for the purposes of obtaining power or to achieve their political goals based upon these Psychological Epidemics, as in my Article on, "Crusades of the Social Justice Warriors and Activists". This has been especially true of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as they have adopted this strategy and tactics of exploiting Psychological Epidemics to achieve political goals that they cannot convince the American public to embrace through reasoned argumentation.

Therefore, until Americans recognize Psychological Epidemics and their exploitations, they will fall prey to being manipulated by unscrupulous persons and make poor decisions as to the future course of America.

04/14/23 Global Chaos

Many of my Chirps have been about the missteps of the Biden Administration and a few about the international mess that has been engendered by the Biden Administration. As Robert Gates, former defense secretary in the Obama administration, once put it, Biden has “been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.” and as President Obama has stated, “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f**k things up.”  And wrong and f**k things up has been the story of Joe Biden’s Presidency. His foreign policy decisions have now led the world to the precipice of disaster, and a few more bad decisions will result in chaos for the world.

In another fine article by Victor Davis Hanson, “The Biden 10-Step Plan for Global Chaos”, he asks why the world is in chaos and answers by listing ten ways by which America lost all deterrence to chaos. He concludes this article by stating:

“But the examples explain well enough why our emboldened enemies do not fear us, our triangulating allies judge us unreliable, and calculating neutrals assume America is in descent and too dangerous to join.

Yet without America, the result is a new Chinese order in which, to quote the historian Thucydides, "The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must."

We should all read this article and weep for America and the World as we descend into chaos.

04/10/23 Colonial Tories in Modern America

During the American Revolution, John Adams, one of the leading proponents of the Declaration of Independence, a founder of the Constitution, and the second President of the United States commented about our divisions. When asked how many of the colonists supported the American Revolution, he stated that about one-third supported it, one-third opposed it, and one-third had no opinion on it.

To paraphrase the historian Carl Becker, the American Revolution was both a war ultimately for Independence but also about the nature of the American nation which would emerge after the war. There were, in fact, at least three distinct phases relating to what we can, in general, call the American Revolution. The first of these was in the debate over American liberties prior to the war itself. The second involved the issue of Independence and the war to win our Independence. Finally, there was the question of establishing an American nation afterward, which really was not decided ultimately until the later Civil War.

Colonial Tories were colonists in the Thirteen Colonies who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War. They were often referred to as Loyalists, Royalists, or King's Men at the time, and they were opposed by the Patriots who supported the revolution, and they were often called "persons inimical to the liberties of America." While there were many motives for their loyalism, I believe that their psychological makeup was one of the beliefs in the divine right of a King and the mostly righteousness of government, the importance of an enlightened aristocracy to rule over the general populace, deference to authority by the general populace for an orderly society, and the necessity for the preservation of wealth and property for the benefit of all (but mostly for the few). Many Loyalists were expelled or fled to Canada and England after the war was won by the Patriots but enough remained afterward to influence the establishment of the American nation.

Today, we see this Tory psychology in Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. The importance of the individual and their "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" has been sublimated to the means necessary to achieve their ideas of an ideal society, which are to be determined by, instituted, and ruled by themselves and their bureaucrats in an Oligarchy to preserve “Our Democracy”[i]. Our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" and "Justice and The Rule of Law in America" are to be constrained within their ideas of an ideal society. Thus, we have seen the erosion of our "American Ideals and Ideas" and the rise of "Despotism in America".

Through "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language”, they have tried to confuse Americans into believing that their ideas of an ideal society are the American way. They also believe that their ideas of an ideal society should be accepted by and complied with by all Americans and that any dissent should be considered as Unamerican and should not be permitted.

Consequently, we must resist this Tory psychology, or as in the words of President Abraham Lincoln at another time in American history when we faced an existential question, "We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth." We must also remember in the words of President Abraham Lincoln that in this resistance, "We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." and to preserve the Constitution and our Natural, Human, and Civil Rights in this resistance.

_________________________

[i] In an article by Rob Natelson, “‘Our Democracy’ = Their Oligarchy”, he explains “But you shouldn’t confuse Our Democracy with real democracy. The initial modifier serves to debase the noun—much as “sub-human” means less than human or “social justice” rationalizes acts of individual injustice.” This article clarifies the true meaning of ‘Our Democracy’ and how it is, in reality, undemocratic. He closes this article with, “Our Democracy” really looks like “Their Oligarchy.” Or like some of those other “democracies” the left has erected over the years: The Democratic People’s Republic of (North) Korea comes readily to mind, as does the former (East) German Democratic Republic.

04/06/23 The Real Insurrection

I have delayed Chirping about the indictment of President Trump for two reasons. The first reason was that I wished to see the particulars of the indictment before commenting on the inanity of the indictment. The second reason was I was so outraged by this indictment and the consequences for our society; it has taken me several days to calm down and rationally think of these consequences.

As to the inanity of the indictment, I will leave it to better legal minds that I highly respect to point out the vacuousness of this indictment:

“Bragg’s ‘Indictment’ Even Fails as an Indictment” by Andrew C. McCarthy

“My legal analysis of the indictment” podcast by Alan Dershowitz

“After Donald Trump's indictment wave goodbye to our justice system, say hello to this: The unsealed indictment of former President Trump is legally deficient and factually anemic” By Gregg Jarrett

“Yielding to Temptation: Why The Trump Case is a Test Not Just for the President but the Legal System” by Jonathan Turley

This indictment is an insurrection against our "American Ideals and Ideas", as Constitutional Lawyer and Political Commentator Mark R. Levin so succinctly put it:

1. “Mark it on your calendar; today is the day of the real insurrection, April 4, 2023.
2. When the Democrat Party, for the first time in our history, used a radical Marxist DA in a Democrat city with a Democrat grand jury and a Democrat judge manufactured a criminal case against the leading GOP candidate for the presidency.
3. That is, the Democrat Party is trying to imprison the possible if not probable Republican opponent to the current Democrat president. This is unprecedented in our country. And the Democrat Party has finally succeeded in dragging the nation into tyranny.
4. And the Democrat attorney general in New York, another Marxist, has brought a civil case; the Democrat DA in Atlanta is poised to bring criminal charges in Georgia,
5. and the so-called special counsel in Washington, DC, appointed by Biden's attorney general, is running two grand juries with the intent of bringing a slew of federal charges.”

This indictment opens a can of worms in our legal system and our political society.

Our system of justice has been turned into a system of laws that can be twisted and turned to persecute and prosecute political opponents. It also allows a district attorney to investigate and prosecute individuals rather than crimes, and such actions by district attorneys are only worthy of Tyrannies and Banana Republics. The excuse that no one is above the law in allowing this type of action by a District Attorney is at odds with equal justice under the law, and he has placed himself above the law by twisting the law to suit a political agenda and is placing President Trump below the law to achieve his political purposes.

He has also assaulted our political society in that his actions are antithetical to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and by degrading "Justice and The Rule of Law in America" and the "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". He has also advanced "Despotism in America" and sowed much more "Divisiveness in America". We should all keep in mind that if they can do this to a former president actively campaigning to take back the White House, they can do this to all, and they can come for you if you exercise your Liberties and Freedoms in opposition to them.

In the Criminal Investigation, Grand Jury proceedings, and the issuing of this indictment, the District Attorney has Crossed the Rubicon in which the legal system can be convoluted and utilized to silence or punish political opponents. He has also furthered an Anarcho-tyranny in America, which is essentially a kind of Hegelian synthesis of what appear to be dialectical opposites: the combination of oppressive government power against the innocent and the law-abiding and, simultaneously, a grotesque paralysis of the ability or the will to use that power to carry out basic public duties such as protection or public safety. It is also characteristic of anarcho-tyranny that it not only fails to punish criminals and enforce legitimate order but also criminalizes the innocent.

It is an unfortunate fact that this Anarcho-tyranny in America has become more pronounced in the last few years by the words and deeds of Progressives/Leftists, Democrat Party Leaders, Governors, and Mayors, many District Attorneys, and the Biden Administration. This is most amply illuminated in my collected Chirps on "The Decline of Free Speech in America", but it has gone beyond free speech into a toxic ideology in America, as I have Chirped on "01/20/23 Toxic Ideology".

This, therefore, is The Real Insurrection in America, and if it is not opposed, then we shall no longer be a beacon of hope and a shining city on a hill for the world, and that as President Abraham Lincoln said, "We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth."

04/04/23 Presumption of Innocence; Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Our Founding Fathers were very concerned about the Presumption of Innocence and Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, as the American Colonists had often been prosecuted and tried for their political beliefs and actions with the presumption of guilt and the necessity for the Defendant to prove their innocence. Indeed, this was one of the many important reasons for the American Revolution, and this concept of the Presumption of Innocence and Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt was incorporated into our Constitution.

The legal standard in the United States of America has always been innocent until proven guilty, as the following standard juror instruction illuminates: 

“Presumption of Innocence; Proof Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

It is a cardinal principle of our system of justice that every person accused of a crime is presumed to be innocent unless and until his or her guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt. The presumption is not a mere formality. It is a matter of the most important substance.

The presumption of innocence alone may be sufficient to raise a reasonable doubt and to require the acquittal of a defendant. The Defendant before you, [insert Defendant Name], has the benefit of that presumption throughout the trial, and you are not to convict [him/her] of a particular charge unless you are persuaded of [his/her] guilt of that charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

The presumption of innocence until proven guilty means that the burden of proof is always on the government to satisfy you that [Defendant] is guilty of the crime with which [he/she] is charged beyond a reasonable doubt. The law does not require that the government prove guilt beyond all possible doubt; proof beyond a reasonable doubt is sufficient to convict. This burden never shifts to [Defendant]. It is always the government's burden to prove each of the elements of the crime[s] charged beyond a reasonable doubt by the evidence and the reasonable inferences to be drawn from that evidence. [Defendant] has the right to rely upon the failure or inability of the government to establish beyond a reasonable doubt any essential element of a crime charged against [him/her].

If, after fair and impartial consideration of all the evidence, you have a reasonable doubt as to [Defendant]'s guilt of a particular crime, it is your duty to acquit [him/her] of that crime. On the other hand, if, after fair and impartial consideration of all the evidence, you are satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt of [Defendant]'s guilt of a particular crime, you should vote to convict [him/her].”

You should always remember this when a person has been indicted and prosecuted for a crime, for without keeping this in mind, you are trampling on their Liberties and Freedoms and Liberties and the Freedoms of all Americans. If a person is found not guilty, that does not necessarily mean that they are innocent, but that the government has not met its burden of proving them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. They may have indeed committed the crime, but they may not have committed the crime, but all must assume that they were not guilty of a crime if that is the jury’s verdict.

With the impending indictment of former President Trump, this is especially important, for such an indictment of the former President and leading candidate for the next Presidential election has far-reaching political and social consequences, which I shall examine in another Chirp.

If you take the stance that former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tweeted:

“The Grand Jury has acted upon the facts and the law. No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence. Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right.”

If you believe this, you are demonstrating your ignorance, beyond a reasonable doubt, of our "American Ideals and Ideas" and the Constitutional protections against government tyranny and for the primacy of the government over the individual. It could even be said that you were more likely to be a Tory than a Patriot during the American Revolution.

03/30/23 Their Peculiar Nature

I have often written that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. As such, they view Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as not just being wrong and stupid but that they are bad or evil persons.

Because of this, they have a peculiar nature that whatever they say is factual and is to be believed by all and that their version of events is always accurate. They believe that all that they say must be accepted as truth unless you can prove them wrong, which they believe is unprovable as they are always correct. Their nature also leads them to believe that emotionally based reasons trump intellectual reasoning. They also believe that any absence of contrary facts to their assertions proves that their assertions are correct or that any contrary facts are to be disparaged and disbelieved by all.

In all of science, engineering, law, philosophy, theology, economics, statistics, and many other areas of human interactions, the “Burden of Proof” is upon the person or persons who makes an assertion, or as Christopher Hitchens once said, "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." This burden of proof must also be based upon "Reasoning" rather than emotions, for emotions will almost always lead to a false conclusion. As to accepting that their assertions are always correct, you may fall into the trap of "if you cannot prove that something is wrong, then it must be right”, which is obviously an untrue statement. You may also fall into the trap of trying to prove a negative, which is almost impossible to do. You should also remember that "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence". The difference between feelings and thinking is that feelings are emotionally based, while thinking is reason base, and emotions are easy while thinking is hard, as I have written in the section "Think vs. Feel - or - Emotions are Easy, Thinking is Hard" of my "Dialog & Debate" article.

Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that their peculiar nature is the way of the world. But such a way leads to chaos and the regression of human progress that was brought about by rejecting their way of the world and by the acceptance of "Rationality" and "Reasoning" as the way of the world. To accept their peculiar nature as the way of the world is to slide back into a world of ignorance and fear in human interactions and to the violation of "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of those who would not accept their peculiar nature.

Consequently, it is important that all recognize this way of the world thinking of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, reject their emotional reasoning and unsupported assertions, and pay more heed to others who would disagree with them. To not do so will conflict with our "American Ideals and Ideas", which are based on rationality and reasoning for the preservation of our Natural Rights, and Freedoms and Liberties to advance human progress.

03/28/23 No More Representative Government?

In a new article by Rob Natelson, “The end of representative government?”, he points out that mega-donors funded political hit squads to defeat Republican state legislative candidates. None of these mega-donors had any personal connections to most of the legislative districts they targeted. They didn’t live there, didn’t own property there, and in most cases, probably had never seen the district.

He points out that these mega-donors skewer the election results since the flood of outside money supporting one candidate—coupled with campaign finance restrictions on their rival—ensure that voters never hear both sides of the story. This mega-donor campaign spending was made possible by new state and federal campaign finance laws. These laws largely blocked donations from traditional bases of conservative support. But they allowed liberal multi-millionaires to finance political machines employing labor unions, canvassers, media monitors, and other non-profits, the latest campaign technology, and negative ad campaigns. The flood of money was so overwhelming that targeted candidates couldn’t respond effectively.

In the three sections of this article, ‘Representative Government: The Basics’, ‘But the Voters Make the Decisions, Don’t They?’, and ‘Other Ways the System Is Breaking Down’, he elaborates on the problems and impacts of mega-donors to representative government. This article is well worth the read for those concerned about democracy in America.

03/24/23 The Willing Suspension of Disbelief

Suspension of disbelief, sometimes called willing suspension of disbelief, is the avoidance of critical thinking or logic in examining something unreal or impossible in reality, such as a work of speculative fiction, in order to believe it for the sake of enjoyment. Aristotle first explored the idea of the concept in relation to the principles of theater; the audience ignores the unreality of fiction in order to experience catharsis.

This suspension of disbelief has increasingly become more conspicuous in American politics in the last three decades, most prominently when then Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) utilized this phrase when questioning two high-level Bush Administration officials about the progress of the Iraq war. This suspension of disbelief has also been utilized by politicians in the explanations of their personal conduct.

Hillary Clinton herself relied on the suspension of disbelief when during the 2016 Presidential candidate she defended herself and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, when they had, in just a 16-month period, made over $25 million in speaking fees, largely from corporations with Wall Street ties. Hillary alone pulled in $675,000 from Wall Street firms. When pressed about such exorbitant fees, Mrs. Clinton shrugged, “That’s what they offered.” As Victor Davis Hanson explained in his article “Hillary and the Suspension of Disbelief”:

“Mrs. Clinton would have us suspend disbelief that she is anti-Wall Street despite: 1) raising hundreds of millions of dollars from Wall Street for the Clinton Foundation, 2) raking in enormous speaking fees from Wall Street banks and investors, 3) her husband consulting for a Wall Street firm that offshored millions of profits in the Cayman Islands, 4) her son-in-law Marc Mezvinsky running a Wall Street hedge fund, 5) her daughter Chelsea becoming a multimillionaire after working a few months for a Wall Street hedge fund, and 6) Clinton herself raising $21 million in her 2008 primary campaign from Wall Street-related firms.”

This was not the only time she relied on the suspension of disbelief, as when she explained how she made millions in futures trading when her husband Bill Clinton was the Governor of Arkansas, and in the explanation of her personal email server while she was the Secretary of State and the erasure of the emails in the server when the server was publicly discovered. This suspension of disbelief has also been utilized by former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi when she tried to explain how her husband made over one hundred million dollars in stock trading while she was the Democrat Leader of the House or the Speaker of the House.

We are now being asked to invoke this suspension of disbelief in the explanations of how the Biden family accrued tens of millions of dollars while Joe Biden was Vice President and thereafter, and in the actions of his son Hunter and brother James and other family members to enrich themselves. It is amazing to watch how all the Democrats in Congress, the Biden Administration, Progressives/Leftists commentators, and the Mainstream Media are suspending their disbelief and ignoring, being accepting of, or defending the actions of the Biden family in their explanation of how this wealth was acquired, and what was being expected in return from the Biden family.

This suspension of disbelief is also expected of the American people, but only for the politicians and political parties that the individual American supports. For all others, you are to disbelieve what they say or do and reprimand or hold them in contempt for their words and deeds. This has further pitted one group of Americans against another group of Americans and increased the partisanship in America and the “Divisiveness in America”. Until the American people stop their suspension of disbelief and start examining the words and deeds of politicians in an unbiased manner, we can expect more misbehavior of politicians, with explanations from the politicians that require a suspension of disbelief to be believed.

03/21/23 The Byzantines

"Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it."   - Edmund Burke

In the latest article by the noted historian and political commentator Victor Davis Hanson, someone who knows history, he asks, “Are we the Byzantines?”. The historical parallels between the fall of ancient Rome and America are common in American political commentary, but it may be the fall of the Byzantines that more closely resembles the decline of America. This article is very perceptive and a lively read, which is common to all the writings of Victor Davis Hanson. I would recommend that all read this article and think about the premise that he raises.

03/19/23 What is Best?

I often have, in my Chirps and Articles, quoted the great economist and commentator Thomas Sowell in response to claims from politicians, activists, and others that justify their proposals and actions as being what is best for America and Americans:

“The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best?”  - Thomas Sowell

Whenever anyone justifies their proposals as doing what is best for America and Americans, I will agree with them, but only on the condition that I get to decide what is best. No one will agree to let me decide what is best, as they believe that only themselves or liked minded people can decide what is best for America and Americans. At that point, I retort:

"What is best for all Americans is to allow the individual American to decide what is best for them, as long as they do not harm others nor infringe on the Liberty and Freedoms of others."  - Mark Dawson

They often utilize "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” to justify their proposals and actions as protecting America and Americans from harm. They never balance this protection from harm with the harm done by their proposals and actions, and they often ignore the impacts on Liberty and Freedom of their proposals and actions, or they claim that this is the price to be paid for safety and security. In this, they have forgotten the words of wisdom of one of our Founding Fathers:

"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Benjamin Franklin

In every decision that the government makes for you, they are constricting your Liberties and Freedoms and expanding its power over you. The laws and regulations that government passes and enforce often constrict the choices that Americans may make. These constrictions are often vagarious and too often infringe upon the personal choices of Americans. They rarely consider the impacts of laws and regulations on our Liberties and Freedoms, and they often look for ways to circumvent the Constitution, the great guarantor of American Liberty and Freedom, to pass these laws and regulations. In this, they are making the government the master over individuals and reducing the individual to serfdom.

This approach should also be utilized in your personal life. We all have had difficult decisions to make in our personal lives, and we often consult with family, friends, and co-workers about these decisions. We should always make the decision on what is best for us, as long as we do no harm to others by our decision. However, when we finally make the decision, we should always remember the following:

“What is best for you should be decided by you. If you let others decide what is best for you, it will often not be best for you, but it will often be best for them.”  - Mark Dawson

03/16/23 Lack of Consequences - II

In my Chirp on “03/16/23 Lack of Consequences – I”, I lament the absence of consequences and meritocracy in our government, especially in the Biden Administration. This lack of consequences, however, is not limited to the government but seems to have permeated all of our society.

The most visible of this lack of consequences is the rise of crime on our streets. Criminals no longer fear being arrested, and if they are arrested, they know that they will be released shortly after their arrest. They also do not expect to be prosecuted except for the most serious crimes, and if a conviction is obtained for their serious crimes, they can expect light sentencing. This lack of consequences has led to more crime and more fear amongst law-abiding persons that they will become victims of criminal actions. It has also led retail businesspersons to expect theft and robbery of their business and possible assaults upon themselves and their employees.

This lack of consequences is also recognizable in the Illegal Immigration that is occurring on our southern border. Those who are illegally crossing our southern border have no fear of consequence except the dangers of making the trip to our southern border, and if they successfully make the trip, they can look forward to the benefits of their illegal actions. Not only do they get to stay in America, but they also receive governmental services. Some Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are also interested in a pathway to citizenship for these illegal immigrants (and their corresponding Democrat Party votes). This lack of consequences for illegal immigrants and the corresponding benefits of their illegal immigration has led to more illegal immigration on our southern border.

We have also seen this lack of consequences in modern Big Business. When a small, medium, or large-sized business becomes nonresponsive to its customer's needs or they make bad management decisions that impact its profitability, the consequence is that they go out of business (which is inevitable in a capitalist economy). When a very large business becomes nonresponsive or makes bad decisions, the consequences seem to be that Big Government will step in to financially rescue the Big Business. These bailouts cost the American taxpayers considerable sums of money and turns capitalism on its head, which further drifts America into a socialist economy.

Politicians and "Activists and Activism" are also people that seem to have little regard for the consequences of their words and deeds. They seem to be only interested in what is best for them and their causes, and they also expect a lack of consequences when their words and deeds have negative or unintended consequences. Excuses and blame shifting are their responses for the negative or unintended consequences rather than repercussions for their disregard of the consequences of their words and deeds.

These and other lack of consequences are doing great harm to our society. People and Big businesspeople feel free to do whatever they please without regard to the consequences of their actions. Consequences are a great ameliorating factor that makes people pause to consider the repercussions of their actions or decisions, then try to make their actions or decisions with minimal repercussions to themselves, others, and our society. A lack of consequences attitude leads to bad actions and bad decisions, which will eventually lead to the dissolution of our society. We need to bring back consequences for our words and deeds and ensure that the consequences are born by the people who made defective decisions or bad actions based upon an expectation of a lack of consequences.

03/15/23 Lack of Consequences - I

It is unfortunate that in 21st-century America that there are few consequences for our misdeeds, and the only consequences for our words are those that are politically incorrect or go against the tenets of wokeness. Meritocracy has also been replaced by Race, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Political Affiliation, and other non-meritorious considerations.

This is best exemplified by the Executive Officers of the Biden Administration. Biden likes to crow about the diversity of his administration, but he has nothing to say about the incompetency of his administration. As long as his Executive Officers are diverse, say the right things, and support his policies, he is satisfied with their leadership, regardless of the botches they preside over.

America has seen many botches in the last two years. On the International stage; the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Ukrainian War, and the threatening actions of Russia and China, and on the National stage; the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problem, to gas price increases, to inflation, to a recession, to the Fentanyl drug addiction scourge, and to a host of other issues we have seen many botches of the Biden Administration.

In all of these botches, the Biden Administration Executive Officers have faced no consequences for their failures. Indeed, some have been lauded and rewarded for their failures as long as they say the right things about their failures. Excuses for failure are widespread, and blame has been shifted to others (mostly the Trump Administration, MAGA supporters, and Republicans) for these failures.

Consequently, the words they say have become more important than their deeds. In this, they have forgotten, or did not know, the aphorism of one of our Founding Fathers:

"Well done is better than well said."   - Benjamin Franklin

This lack of consequence for failure does not bode well for America. If we accept good words and bad deeds, then America’s future is somber as we stumble from failure to failure. Until we reinstitute meritocracy for our Executive Officers, we cannot expect success. It is, therefore, exceedingly important that we, the American people, hold the Biden Administration accountable for their failures and insist that they appoint meritorious Executive Officers. The best way to hold them accountable for their failures is through the ballot box, as I have examined in my Article “The Four Boxes of Liberty”. Until we do so, we can expect more failure, more excuses, and more blame-shifting from the Biden Administration.

03/14/23 Democracy and Freedoms at Risk

“Americans are increasingly threatened by state-sponsored censorship that puts our democracy and freedoms at risk”, begins a new commentary by Michael Shellenberger, “Democrats ignore my Twitter Files testimony at their peril and ours”. This commentary is based upon his testimony, along with the testimony of journalist Matt Taibbi, before the House Weaponization of the Federal Government Committee. His rational and reasonable commentary illuminates the dangers of "Big Tech" censorship to Free Speech and our "American Ideals and Ideas".

It also mirrors some of what I have written in my Article "Who Needs Government Suppression When You Have Big Tech Suppression", especially the conclusion of my article:

“In the past, we were rightly concerned about the suppression of free speech and a free press by the government and the associated impacts on our Freedoms and Liberties of this suppression. This was the reason for the adoption of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution. However, today this suppression of free speech and a free press is not coming from the government but this suppression of free speech and a free press is coming from Conglomerate Newspapers, Mainstream Media, and Big Tech. A suppression that is equally as dangerous as governmental suppression. In the past, we depended upon the diversity of opinion by newspapers and journalism to spread diverse opinions and allow the American public to make informed decisions. Today, however, with the rise of Conglomerate Newspapers, Mainstream Media, and Big Tech, there is little diversity of opinion in and between these organizations. We need to recognize the free speech implications of Conglomerate Newspapers, Mainstream Media, and Big Tech suppression and rectify this suppression. Otherwise, the Freedoms and Liberties of all Americans are endangered.”

In his testimony, Michael Shellenberger dealt with the government’s involvement in the indirect censoring of free speech on "Social Media". Censorship that would be unconstitutional if it were directly done by the government. As noted by George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, “If government officials are directing or facilitating such censorship, it raises serious First Amendment questions. It is axiomatic that the government cannot do indirectly what it is prohibited from doing directly.” Michael Shellenberger’s and Matt Taibbi’s testimony laid out the means and methods that social media and the government cooperated with each other to censor free speech. It also laid out the consequences if this cooperation is allowed to continue.

Their testimony, along with their questioning by the Democrat Congresspersons, also illuminated the hostility of the Democrats to the concept of Free Speech. The Democrat Congresspersons' questions and comments exposed their hostility to Free Speech for anyone that disagrees with their points of view, and their blasé attitude toward government interference in the free speech rights of anyone who would so disagree with them.

Free Speech of which there is no compromise, no excuses, and no exceptions to Free Speech, for to restrict Free Speech is to have no Free Speech (the exceptions are few, narrow, and far between that deal with the directed physical harm to persons or the destruction of personal property). Misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, and falsehoods are no excuse for restricting free speech, as it is disputable and unworkable to determine the truthfulness or falsehoods of free speech. The response to misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, and falsehoods is more free speech to counter what you may disagree with.

Thus, we are at a critical juncture in America. Our First and Second Constitution Amendment rights are under assault by the Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, Big Tech, and Government institutions. An assault that bodes ill for our American Ideals and Ideas. All Liberty and Freedom-loving Americans need to these assaults and reclaim our heritage of a freedom-loving people. Otherwise, we will become serfs to the government, and our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" will be determined and dispensed by the government rather than inherent in our humanity and citizenship.

03/12/23 The Capitol Insurrection Videos

This week Tucker Carlson started showing the January 6th, 2001, Capitol ‘Insurrection’ videos that were released to him by Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. He presented these videos unedited, in context, and in a full timeline for specific events that occurred in the ‘Insurrection’. He also interviewed several of the Capitol Police management that revealed what was happening behind the scenes of the Capitol Police actions and inactions. This presentation brought truths to the lies that the politicians, political commentators, and the Mainstream Media were telling about the ‘Insurrection’ and the ‘Insurrectionists’. It brought forth evidence that the January 6th, 2001, Capitol ‘Insurrection’ House Committee was outright lying to the American public and that they manipulated and distorted the facts to support their lies. The cacophonous harangues and vicious screeds directed at Tucker Carlson by those that are now caught in their lies are indicative of the nefariousness of their lies.

There is no doubt that some persons in this mob were violent and destructive, and they should be prosecuted for their violence and destructiveness, but the vast majority of the mob were simply trespassers that behaved like tourists, taking selfies and gawking, although wandering into areas of the Capitol Building that were restricted from the general public.   

In juxtaposition with the George Floyd riots, this was a ‘mostly peaceful’ mob, unlike the mostly destructive George Floyd mob. The George Floyd mob, however, had the support of Progressives/Leftists, Democrat Party Leaders, and the Mainstream Media, and they were treated with kid's gloves and rarely prosecuted. The January 6th, 2001, Capitol ‘Insurrectionists’, however, have been mischaracterized, vilified, and faced prosecutions for mostly harmless acts of disruption. Some of the ‘Insurrectionists’ mob have faced the full force of Federal Law Enforcement, as should be for those of them that were destructive, but almost none of the George Floyd rioters that were destructive have faced any justice for their misdeeds. It should also be noted that in any large mob of people, some of them are there for nefarious purposes, but most of them are not. It is unfair and wrong to taint the vast majority of the mob that was not there for nefarious purposes with the deeds of those that were there for nefarious purposes. It is also vile and wicked to paint with a wide brush the many Americans who had concerns with the 2020 elections as Unamerican and Insurrectionists for their concerns.

Many of The January 6th, 2001, Capitol ‘Insurrectionists’ should have been treated as trespassers and fined and let go. However, some of them have also been incarcerated for long periods of time without a speedy trial, and some have been tried and sentenced to long prison terms that were unwarranted, as revealed by Tucker Carlson’s video review. This disparity between the treatment of the George Floyd mob and the January 6th, 2001, Capitol ‘Insurrectionists’ is a further example of a two-tiered justice system that has taken place in our society, as I have Chirped on “07/31/21 A Two-Tiered Justice and Governmental System”.

In viewing these videos that Tucker Carlson presented it raises the question of who are you going to believe, the politicians, political commentators, and the Mainstream Media, or your lying eyes? As for me, I am going to believe my lying eyes and disregard the lying words of the lying politicians, lying progressive commentators, and the lying Mainstream Media. While both sides do this lying on many different issues and concerns, the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists have made lying a tactic as a means to obtain and retain power. This was amply demonstrated in their lies about the January 6th, 2001, Capitol ‘Insurrection’.

This ‘Insurrection’ governmental lying, along with the governmental Coronavirus Pandemic lying, the governmental lying on the Southern Border problems, and a host of other governmental lying, has further demonstrated that our government has become corrupt, as I have Chirped on “ 02/27/23 America Is Becoming a Corrupt Country”. This corruption is leading to a dissolution of our society, as each side lies in order to obtain or retain power, which just as often pits one group of Americans against another group of Americans.

03/10/23 Big Bad Science

Prior to World War II, scientific research was a modest effort, supported by Universities and Independent Research Institutions and funded by non-governmental sources. With the need for advanced weapon systems to defeat the evils of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan, governments funded scientific research to obtain these weapons. Indeed, the largest scientific expenditure, the creation of the atomic bomb, dwarfed all previous scientific research funding. The Cold War accelerated this process, and scientific research became Big Science supported financially by Big Government at Big Universities and Big Independent Research Institutions.

The nature of scientific research also changed after WWII, as scientific research required expensive instrumentation, teams of scientists, large facilities to house the equipment and teams, and the corresponding overhead expenses for these costs of doing modern Big Science. These costs became so great that the Universities and Independent Research Institutions could no longer bear the funding for these costs, and they increasingly became dependent on government grants and subsidies to fund this scientific research.

With governmental spending comes governmental approval, governmental oversight, and governmental laws, rules, and regulations on the Universities and Independent Research Institutions that accept governmental funding. It also begets a dependency on the government by the Universities and Independent Research Institutions that receive governmental funding. This dependency influences what and how much scientific research will be conducted, at the discretion of not only the Universities and Independent Research Institutions but upon the politicians that allocated monies for this scientific research.

Thus, Universities and Independent Research Institutions are often willing to shape and direct their research to government priorities and/or predilections and to avoid scientific research that would go against governmental predilections. These scientific establishments often direct their science to consensus science rather than expanding the boundaries of science beyond the scientific consensus. In some cases, they have even shaped the scientific results to fit governmental predilections. These scientific institutions also practice a form of cancel culture for those scientists who would dispute the scientific results and governmental predilections. As such, they are not practicing science but scientific deception. Therefore, Big Science has morphed into Big Bad Science in that they no longer pursue science for science’s sake but science for the government’s sake and governmental funding.

This Big Bad Science corrupts science and government, as the public who finance this scientific research through their taxpayer dollars can no longer be assured that the scientific research results are unbiased and that government policy decisions are based on suspect scientific results. No modern society can function without Big Science, as it has become integral to the advancement of society, and no society can function in the long term when Big Bad Science is a foundation for their governance.

There is no easy solution to the problems of Big Bad Science. However, the public exposure of Big Bad Science biases and abuses would go a long way to alleviating bad governmental decisions based on Big Bad Science. This, however, requires that scientists have free speech, and the courage to exercise this free speech, in exposing Big Bad Science. Given our current political environment that suppresses free speech for those that do not support governmental predilections, and the economic pressure on scientists to conform to governmental predilections to receive government funding, this free speech of scientists has been severely limited. Until this free speech problem is rectified, it may not be possible to correct the problems of Big Bad Science.

03/08/23 The Biggest Scandal

“We are living through the largest, deadliest scandal in American history, but the elite media refuses to connect the dots and analyze it.”

So begins a new article by Newt Gingrich, “The biggest scandal in American history”, in which he explains why the COVID-19 Pandemic and our responses to it have turned into the biggest scandal in American history. His explanation, with which I concur, is that the COVID-19 Pandemic scandal has so negatively touched so many areas of American society that it is breathtaking.

• It touched "Big Bad Science" in that so many scientists were willing to lie or misinform the American public or remained silent. These lies and silence by scientists will engender the American people to be skeptical of what any scientists say in the future.
• It touched the "Mainstream Media", who advanced the government narrative and slandered or refused to report credible persons who disagreed with the government narrative. Thus, once again vividly demonstrating their political proclivities and that they could not be a trusted source of honest information to the American public.
• It touched "Big Tech" in their willingness to censor anyone who would disagree with the government narrative on the Pandemic. Thus, they violated the Free Speech Rights of all and not allowing Americans to make an informed decision on the proper Coronavirus Pandemic responses.
• It touched the "Mainstream Cultural Media", who so blindly parroted the government narrative that they became untrustworthy voices, which will impact the American public’s faith in them so that when they make appeals for a good cause, we can no longer be assured that it is a good cause.
• It touched "Modern Big Business", that profited at the expense of small and medium-sized businesses. It isolated Big Pharma from liability for the side effect of the vaccines that they developed, which resulted in improper testing of those vaccines and medical harm to many Americans. It also enriched Big Pharma through the government's wholesale purchasing of the Coronavirus vaccines.
• It touched "Modern Education", which demonstrated that they were more concerned with teacher's unions rather than what is best for the students. It harmed the educational and social development of the students, the consequences of which will be felt for many decades by the students and our society.
• It touched our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" in the constrictions and mandates that were enforced by despotic actions that forced us to violate our consciences and liberties, as I have written in my collected Chirps on the "Coronavirus Pandemic".

In doing so, with all the lies, misinformation, and disinformation that were propagated by all levels of government and our institutions, they destroyed the faith of many of the American people in the American government and our institutions.

Mr. Gingrich closed his article by stating:

“This scandal is so large, and covers so many areas, it will be a major factor in politics and government for the next decade. It will go down in history as a turning point in our lives and the life of our country.

We just need to decide what direction we turn: toward clarity and accountability, or toward lies and chaos.”

Given the current lies and deeds of the Democrat Party Leaders and the Biden Administration on so many other issues and concerns facing Americans, I fear that we are drifting “toward lies and chaos” rather than “toward clarity and accountability”.

02/27/23 America Is Becoming a Corrupt Country

“America has been drifting toward a level of corruption incompatible with a free society and a free-market economy. Political and economic freedom depend on the presence of a level of honesty that makes it possible for people to interact with one another with a sense of trust.”

So begins a new article by Newt Gingrich, “America Is Becoming a Corrupt Country”. He then provides examples of the increasing corruption in America in the last few decades and ends his article by stating:

“There may be no more important fight in the next decade than the reassertion of basic honesty and lawfulness.

The alternative is a steadily decaying, corrupted, and criminal America.

Surrounded by dishonesty, a free society and a free market cannot survive.

This is how important the fight for honesty is.”

To which I say, Amen.

I believe that much of this can be attributed to the decline of Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue in America, which I have written about in my Article “Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue Within Government and Society”. As the great Founding Father, John Adams has said:

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge or gallantry would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution is designed only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for any other.”  - John Adams

I am afraid that in today’s America, we are proving this cautionary warning of John Adams to be true. We should also remember another cautionary warning from John Adams:

“When public virtue is gone, when the national spirit is fled the republic is lost in essence, though it may still exist in form.”  - John Adams

02/26/23 Whangdoodles

Jonathan Turley has written the best commentary on the Ronald Dahl book editing controversy—“The Rise of the Woke Whangdoodles: English Company Rewrites Dahl Classics to Remove Offensive Words”.

This column starts with:

“Where are the Oompa Loompas when you need them. Willy Wonka’s helpers asked “who do you blame when your kid is a brat? Pampered and spoiled like a Siamese cat?” The same question could be asked about publishers after Puffin Books hired sensitivity readers to “update” portions of Roald Dahl’s classic books. The changes include dropping references to Augustus Gloop being “fat.”  Yet, unlike the Oompa Loompas, who found sanctuary “from hornswogglers and snozzwangers and those terrible wicked whangdoodles,” there is no safe place from woke whangdoodles today.”

Then ends with:

“Oompa Loompa doompadee doo I’ve got another puzzle for you Oompa Loompa doompa dah dee If you are wise you’ll listen to me

… Why don’t you try simply reading a book? Or could you just not bear to look?”

We should all bear to look at the author's original work and obtain as much wisdom as possible from their own words.

02/25/23 Education Vouchers for All K-12 Education

K-12 Public Education is failing to meet its duties and responsibilities to educate children to become contributing members of society when they reach adulthood. The systemic problems of "Public Education" begs the question if the current Public School system needs to be dissolved and replaced with another foundation, as I have Chirped on, "03/24/21 Is it Time to End Public Education?". These problems, along with the issues discussed in my new Article, “Free Speech and Parental Rights”, along with the issue that I have examined in my Article on "Indoctrination versus Education", exacerbate the problems of K-12 Public Education.

My new Article, “Education Vouchers for all K-12 Students”, examines the issues and concerns of providing Educational Vouchers for all K-12 students in America.

02/24/23 Free Speech and Parental Rights

While I am a free speech absolutist, I do believe that there are some exceptions to free speech absolutism. These exceptions are speech that directly incites violence or criminal activity, speech that poses direct harm to the listeners (i.e., shouting "Fire" in a crowded theater), and speech that is intended to intimidate those involved in a judicial proceeding to influence the outcome of the judicial proceeding.

I would never accept restrictions on free speech, but I am troubled when it comes to Free Speech when it conflicts with the Parental Right to raise their children in shaping their morals, ethics, and character. Parents should have the right to determine what speech is acceptable in the rearing of their children and which speech is unacceptable to them if they believe that the speech is deleterious to their child's upbringing. This Parental Right can, and often have been abused by parents. However, this Parental Right has also been abused by those that are not the parents of children. Too often, parents narrowly constrict what their children can read, hear, and view, and too often, others widen what children can read, hear, and view beyond what is acceptable to parents.

My new Article, “Free Speech and Parental Rights”, examines this topic and the dilemmas in resolving the conflicts between free speech and parental rights.

02/23/23 Free Speech and Public Service

How much free speech does a (government) public servant have in the performance of their public service? Public servants are ubiquitous in today’s society, and while most of them serve behind the scenes, some of them interact with the public. In their interactions with the public, we have certain expectations and standards for their conduct with the public. As such, they have no unrestricted free speech rights when dealing with the public, and if they violate these expectations and standards, then they can be disciplined and even fired for excessive violations. This is a limitation of their free speech rights as a condition of their government employment. Any public servant that interacts with the public must meet these expectations and standards or face the consequences. An appeal to their free speech rights has no basis for violating these expectations and standards in their conduct with the public.

My new article, “Free Speech and Public Service”, is an examination of the restrictions on Free Speech while a government public servant is performing their duties and responsibilities.

02/22/23 The Spirit of Liberty

As I have written in my Article, "J'accuse!", the modern Democrat Party has become hostile to our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". They have neem largely successful as the American people have been somnolent in defense of our Liberties and Freedoms. Much of this somnolence is because of a lack of proper education on our Liberties and Freedoms, and much of this lack is because of the sorrowfulness of our "Public Education" and the perversion of education into indoctrination, as I have written in my article "Indoctrination versus Education". It has also not been helped by politicians, our leaders, academicians, and political and social commentators that utilize "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "The Perversion of the English Language" to justify their transgressions on our Liberties and Freedoms.

It is, therefore, up to Americans to become more informed and to regain The Spirit of Liberty:

"The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which seeks to understand the minds of other men and women; the spirit of liberty is the spirit which weighs their interests alongside its own without bias."  - Learned Hand, The Spirit of Liberty

This spirit of liberty is more than obedience to the law, as "The Law is Not All", for as the noted jurist Learned Hand has also said:

"Liberty lies in the hearts of men and women; when it dies there, no constitution, no law, no court can save it; no constitution, no law, no court can even do much to help it."  - Learned Hand, The Spirit of Liberty

Without regaining the spirit of liberty in our hearts, we will lose our "American Ideals and Ideas". It is, therefore, vitally important that we regain this spirit as:

"We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth."  - Abraham Lincoln

02/21/23 J'accuse!

In my Article, "J'accuse!", I Accuse the Democrat Party of being:

• The Party of ‘A Living Constitution’
• The Party of the Rich and Powerful
• The Party of Double Standards
• The Party of Divisiveness
• The Party of Racism
• The Party of Anti-Americanism
• The Party of Anti-Economics
• The Party of Anti-Capitalism and Pro-Socialistic
• The Party of Power
• The Party Hostile to The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
• The Party Hostile to The Bill of Rights

The Modern Democrat Party has spent several decades morphing into these stances, which have become ever more apparent in the first two years of the Biden Administration. They have also become the party of "The Decline of Free Speech in America", "The Weaponization of Government", and the instigator of the problems of "Voting in America". I have, therefore, updated my J'accuse! article to include these three additional accusations, as well as updating my Voting in America article to include the shenanigans that occurred in the 2022 elections.

02/20/23 Intolerance

Many Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders claim that they will not tolerate the intolerant. However, when you define disagreement with their political agendas and social policies as intolerance, then they, themselves, become intolerant of a large percentage of (if not most) Americans. Many of these same persons will not even permit the expression of an opinion other than their own, as they believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. In this silencing of opinion, they are committing the fallacy of infallibility as:

“[For people] to refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty. All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility.”  - John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

As such, when they are silencing opinion, they are being antithetical to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". This silencing also leads to "The Decline of Free Speech in America" and to "The Weaponization of Government".

In their silencing, they utilize the following tactics to achieve the silencing of their critics:

• Denunciations of isms—Racism, Sexism, Intolerantism, Xenophobism, Homophobism, Islamophobism, Bigotism, etc.
• Inculpation of Emotional Harm Infliction
• Insistence on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) correctness
• Invocation of Wokeness
• Requiring Adjective Justice
• Requiring Political Correctness from opponents
• Restricting discussion and limiting discourse to be constrained within Identity Politics by opponents
• The rightness of Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG) policies
• Threats of Cancel Culture
• Threats of Doxing Opponents

These tactics also increase the "Divisiveness in America" by pitting one group of Americans against another group of Americans.

Critical Race Theory and The 1619 Project are not only factually and historically incorrect, but the holders of these beliefs are intolerant of anyone who would disagree with these beliefs.

The radicalism of many in LGBTQIA+, ANTIFA, and Black Lives Matter does not tolerate anyone who would disagree with them.

The believers in Global Climate Change and COVID inoculations are intolerant of those that would disagree with them.

Anti-Semitism, Anti-Islamism, Anti-Christian, and the limiting of a person’s religious practices in the public arena are other examples of intolerance.

When those who are intolerant of people with whom they disagree, they often Cross the Rubicon into despotism to enforce their beliefs when persuasion cannot change the minds of those who would oppose them. In Crossing the Rubicon, they are endangering the Liberties and Freedoms of Americans. As a great philosopher has written:

“The object of this Essay is to assert one very simple principle, as entitled to govern absolutely the dealings of society with the individual in the way of compulsion and control, whether the means used be physical force in the form of legal penalties, or the moral coercion of public opinion. That principle is, that the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant. He cannot rightfully be compelled to do or forbear because it will be better for him to do so, because it will make him happier, because, in the opinions of others, to do so would be wise, or even right. These are good reasons for remonstrating with him, or reasoning with him, or persuading him, or entreating him, but not for compelling him, or visiting him with any evil, in case he do otherwise. To justify that, the conduct from which it is desired to deter him must be calculated to produce evil to someone else. The only part of the conduct of any one, for which he is amenable to society, is that which concerns others. In the part which merely concerns himself, his independence is, of right, absolute. Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.”  ― John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

Today, in America, those who claim that they will not tolerate the intolerant have forgotten that their own intolerance infringes upon the Liberties and Freedoms of Americans. They should be reminded of this when they engage in this intolerance, and under no circumstances should they be allowed to utilize despotism to achieve their political agendas and social policy goals.

02/19/23 What are Judeo-Christian Values

The term “Judeo-Christian values” is frequently used. I and many others use it, and I believe in them. But exactly what is meant by Judeo-Christian values? A new article by Dennis Prager, “What Are Judeo-Christian Values?” explains what the core Judeo-Christian values are:

No. 1: There is only one God.

No. 2: The Hebrew Bible introduced the most revolutionary moral idea in history: that there are objective moral truths.

No. 3: Because there are moral truths, good and evil are the same for all people.

No. 4: God is the source of our rights.

No. 5: The human being is “created in the image of God.”

No. 6: The world is based on a divine order.

No. 7: Man is not basically good.

No. 8: Therefore, we must not follow our hearts.

No. 9: God gave us the Ten Commandments to keep in our hearts and mind.

No. 10: Human beings have free will.

I would encourage all to read this article to understand the core Judeo-Christian values and their meaning in life. You must practice these core values in your daily life, for if you cannot practice these core values in your daily life, then you do not believe in Judeo-Christian values.

02/18/23 Mysteries of Modern Physics

In my new article, “Mysteries of Modern Physics”, I examine some of the conundrums of modern physics that need resolution for physics to be coherent. Most of these conundrums are of a small scale, but a few of these conundrums are large and strike at the heart of physics. The resolution of these large-scale conundrums will significantly impact modern physics and our understanding of the workings of the Universe. This article examines what I believe are the most important large-scale conundrums that need resolution to better understand the workings of the Universe.

Modern science has walked hand-in-hand with the progress of humankind, and it has often led in this progression of humankind. Advances in modern science have advanced all other endeavors of human progress, from political science, social science, medicine, psychology and psychiatry, economics, technology, and the arts, to religion, morality, and ethics, and the other arenas of human progress. I expect the answers to the Mysteries of Modern Physics will also contribute to the advancement of humankind.

Science does not have all the answers to the workings of the Universe, but it is the best means to obtain the answers of the workings of the Universe, as I have examined in my article “On the Nature of Scientific Inquiry”. Science must continue to probe the mysteries of the Universe, and science must always question the current answers to determine the facts and truths of the Universe. To not do so is to wallow in ignorance and to stymie the progress of humankind.

02/17/23 The Electrical Bulk Power Grid

The ability to reliability transmit bulk electrical power across North America is critical to our economy and society. Reliable electricity service is essential to the nation’s health, welfare, and security. Powering America’s homes, factories, and gadgets, reliable electricity is a staple for modern comfort and the production of valuable goods and services. Yet as interwoven as the electric grid is into our daily lives, few understand how electricity is delivered to the consumer and the policies that influence this process. My new Article, “The Electrical Bulk Power Grid” examines this system, and some issues and concerns about this system.

02/16/23 Statements of Opinions Rather Than Facts

Too many Americans believe that their statements are facts rather than their opinion. They also believe that their opinions are factually based without knowing all the facts and nothing but the facts. Uncovering all the facts requires much time-consuming research, and most Americans do not have the time nor ability, or skill to determine or analyze the facts. They often rely on others to do this, and the others they rely upon are those people who have the same opinion as themselves. Rarely do they consider the facts of those persons whose opinions they disagree with. They also rely too much on ‘Expert Opinion’, and we all should be wary of expert opinion, as I have written in my compilation Article on “Expert Opinions” Chirps. You should also always be wary of statistics and studies, as my Article “Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave” explains.

It is, therefore, important when we are listening or reading anything that we discern the difference between facts and opinions. You should challenge any opinion that is not buttressed by facts, and you should challenge the facts as to their accuracy and completeness. To do otherwise is to reach an improper conclusion that will often lead you to make a bad decision.

In my Chirps and Articles, I have attempted to obtain the facts, and I listen and read opinions other than that with which I agree. I also have some time, ability, and skill to analyze the facts and discern facts from opinions. It also helps that my science and technology inclinations and readings, along with my extensive readings on history, politics, economics, and sociology, have given me a wealth of facts and a diversity of opinions. It is for these reasons that I am confident in my facts and opinions. But I am also willing to admit that I may be wrong and change my opinions, for as one of our wisest Founding Fathers has said:

"Doubt a little of your own infallibility."   - Benjamin Franklin

and

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."   - Benjamin Franklin

02/15/23 The Road to Serfdom

The road to serfdom is paved with good intentions. Government intervention in the lives of its people is often justified as being beneficial to the people. Thus, we have seen a precipitous rise in laws, rules, and regulations regarding the conduct of people. This raises the question of the proper role of government in society. The answer to this question has been succinctly given by a beacon of liberty:

“The object of this Essay is to assert one very simple principle, as entitled to govern absolutely the dealings of society with the individual in the way of compulsion and control, whether the means used be physical force in the form of legal penalties, or the moral coercion of public opinion. That principle is, that the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant. He cannot rightfully be compelled to do or forbear because it will be better for him to do so, because it will make him happier, because, in the opinions of others, to do so would be wise, or even right. These are good reasons for remonstrating with him, or reasoning with him, or persuading him, or entreating him, but not for compelling him, or visiting him with any evil, in case he do otherwise. To justify that, the conduct from which it is desired to deter him must be calculated to produce evil to someone else. The only part of the conduct of any one, for which he is amenable to society, is that which concerns others. In the part which merely concerns himself, his independence is, of right, absolute. Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.”  ― John Stuart Mill, On Liberty

Or, as a great defender of Liberty and Freedom in American history has said:

“I believe that every individual is naturally entitled to do as he pleases with himself and the fruits of his labor, so far as it in no way interferes with any other men's rights.”  - Abraham Lincoln on Liberty

Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, with the support of the Bureaucratic Swamp, want to limit our choices, and therefore our Liberties and Freedoms, to what they approve. Through "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", they justify their actions as preventing harm to others while they harm the Natural Rights of the individual. They constitutionally justify their actions by interpreting the Constitution as a ‘Democratic Constitution’ rather than a ‘Republican Constitution’, as I have examined in my Article, "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution". In doing so, we are, therefore, becoming more serfs to the government rather than the government being servants to the people.

Serfdom always involves oppression and despotism upon its people and just as often curtails economic growth and the progress of humankind. Alas, if we continue down this road to serfdom, we will lose the last best hope of mankind to the beacon of Liberty and Freedom.

02/14/23 House Committee Hearings on The Weaponization of Government - II

In distinguished Professor Jonathan Turley’s testimony to the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, he points out that the only known facts about government intervention in social media are a result of the release of the ‘Twitter Files’ by new owner Elon Musk. He also notes that Twitter has 450 million active users but it is still only ranked 15th in the number of users, after companies such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Pinterest. I would also point out that, in addition, we have the possibility and suspicion of government involvement with Google Search, Apple Siri, and other search engines that rank or exclude search results based on unknown criteria.

Professor Turley also points out that the “marketplace of ideas” is now largely digital, and these companies, not the government, now control access to the “marketplace of ideas.” The ability to find these ideas is as important as the ability to read these ideas, and it is, therefore, as important that this committee discover if any censorship in the search for ideas, as well as the ability to read these ideas, is taking place in these companies. Consequently, it is important for the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government to examine any government intervention in both search engines and social media to determine if any censorship is occurring.

Therefore, it is necessary for this committee to subpoena any records from both the government and these companies to determine if there is any government involvement in the operations of these companies. If evidence of government involvement is uncovered, then it is necessary for this committee to elicit testimony from both the government and company persons taking part in this involvement.

We can expect that the government and the companies will resist these subpoenas, as it may be embarrassing and potentially open the company to the possibility of lawsuits. Search engine companies also claim that their search algorithms are proprietary and should not be disclosed outside of their company. Such resistance and excuses, however, should not deter the committee, as the suppression of the marketplace of ideas is too important to our Liberties and Freedoms to be undisclosed.

The committee needs to fully uncover the extent of government involvement in these companies, for as a beacon of liberty has stated:

“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”  ― John Stuart Mill, Inaugural Address Delivered to the University of St Andrews, 2/1/186

02/13/23 House Committee Hearings on The Weaponization of Government - I

Distinguished Professor Jonathan Turley of the J.B. & Maurice C. Shapiro Chair of Public Interest Law at George Washington University has testified at the first hearing of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, as he announced in his blog on “Turley Testifies on Censorship Before House Select Subcommittee”. He also posted his testimony for all to read, which can be downloaded here as a pdf document. I, myself, am very interested in this topic, as my collected Chirps on "The Weaponization of Government" demonstrates. I found Professor Tutley’s testimony to be the most cogent comment on this topic.

As he has said in his blog post:

“The Twitter Files raise serious questions of whether the United States government is now a partner in what may be the largest censorship system in our history. The involvement cuts across the Executive Branch, with confirmed coordination with agencies ranging from the CDC to the CIA. Even based on our limited knowledge, the size of this censorship system is breathtaking, and we only know of a fraction of its operations through the Twitter Files. Twitter has 450 million active users but it is still only ranked 15th in the number of users, after companies such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Pinterest. The assumption is that the government censorship program dovetailed with these other companies, which continue to refuse to share past communications or work with the government. Assuming that these efforts extended to these larger platforms, it is a government-supported censorship system that is unparalleled in history.

Regardless of how one comes out on the constitutional ramifications of the government’s role in the censorship system, there should not be debate over the dangers that it presents to our democracy. The United States government may be outsourcing censorship, but the impact is still inimical to free speech values that define our country.”

In his testimony, he also points out that many supporters of censorship in social media of quote Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes:

“. . . the character of every act depends on the circumstances in which it is done . . . The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic.”  - Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

While not pointing out a further statement by Justice Holmes:

“. . . we should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loath and believe to be frought (sic) with death, unless they so imminently threaten immediate interference with the lawful and pressing purposes of the law that at an immediate check is required to save the country.”  - Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes

They also do not point out Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis's quote:

“If there be time to discover through discussion the falsehood and the fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech not enforced silence.”  - Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis

There is also a Supreme Court ruling that is directly applicable to this topic:

“The right to speak freely and to promote diversity of ideas . . . is . . . one of the chief distinctions that sets us apart from totalitarian regimes . . . [A] function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. . . . Speech is often provocative and challenging. . . [F]reedom of speech, though not absolute, is nevertheless protected against censorship.”  - Supreme Court ruling on Terminiello v. City of Chicago, 337 U.S. 1, 4 (1949)

Let us all remember these quotes when thinking about freedom of speech, and we should all read Professor Turley’s testimony to understand the scope of the problem. We Americans should also forthwith demand an end to The Weaponization of Government to preserve our Liberties and Freedoms.

02/12/23 What If?

I am not very high on playing the ‘What If’ game regarding history, as there is no way to ascertain the possibilities and probabilities of the what if. However, I do occasionally play this game for amusement purposes and to stretch my cause-and-effect cognition.

My favorite what if is what if the Imperial Japanese Empire had not bombed Pearl Harbor but instead invaded and occupied Midway Island? Would America have entered into war with Japan over a tiny island located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and only inhabited by a few hundred American servicemen? I suspect that the American people would have shrugged and conceded Midway Island to Japan, as it would not have been worth going to war over.

This possible delay in entering World War II against the Japanese Empire could have allowed Japan to consolidate and strengthen its grip in the Pacific Ocean, as well as Southeast Asia. I would also have delayed our entrance into WWII against Nazi Germany, which would have strengthened their grip in Europe. It is also possible that the strengthening of the grip of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany in the Pacific, Asia, and Europe theaters of WWII it would have made victory more difficult and taken much longer to accomplish, as well as increased the costs of war in casualties and treasury. Given this lengthening of the war and the increased costs, there is also the possibility that we may have negotiated a peace treaty with Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany rather than a victory to stamp out the evils of Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. A negotiated peace that would have had deleterious consequences on post-WWII history.

Another ‘What If’ is what if Nazi Germany had not invaded or postponed the invasion of Communist Russia during WWII. Could Nazi Germany have negotiated a treaty with Communist Russia that carved Europe into Nazi Germany and Russian Communist territories? Or, could Nazi Germany have potentially won this Communist Russia invasion, especially if America was not engaged in WWII in Europe at the time of their invasion of Communist Russia and, therefore, not provided the material resources that Communist Russia needed to defeat Nazi Germany.

The other ‘What If’ possibility of Imperial Japan and Communist Russia (or Nazi Germany if they defeated Communist Russia) negotiating a treaty to carve Asia into Imperial Japan and Communist Russia or Nazi Germany territories. This, too, would have had deleterious consequences on post-WWII history and allowed the solidification and perpetuation of the evils of Imperial Japan, Nazi Germany, and Communist Russia.

Some of this actual history I have discussed in my Article, “The Wars You Don’t Fight”, as well as my observations within this article that “In War There is No Substitute for Victory”, “ Give Peace A Chance”, and “A Diplomatic Solution”. We should always remember that when confronting evil that there is no substitute for victory to abolish evil and that peace is not the absence of conflict, but as a great philosopher has stated:

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."   - Baruch Spinoza

02/11/23 Homophobic, Transphobic, or Other Sexual Phobic

There is no doubt that in America’s past, heterosexuality was the only acceptable form of sexuality, and other forms of sexuality were derided, persecuted, and prosecuted. Today in America, thanks to the courageous efforts of the homosexual community, other forms of sexuality are accepted and not reviled. The "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of all persons are respected regardless of their sexuality, and they are protected under the law from harassment, discrimination, and other injustices they endured in the past. Today the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more) community is free to practice their sexuality in private.

Americans will tolerate moderate forms of public sexual affection (i.e., hugging and kissing) for both heterosexual and non-heterosexual affections, but they object to excessive forms of all sexual affection in public. Public displays of excessive sexuality are not acceptable for all forms of sexuality, and what most Americans strenuously object to is the intrusion of sexuality into the development and education of our children. Americans believe that the sexual development and education of their children is the responsibility of the parents and object to the public intrusion of any excessive sexual affection or the sexual development and education into the lives of their children. This intrusion of sexuality into a child’s life is a Parental Rights issue and not a homophobic, transphobic, or another sexually phobic issue.

Therefore, America is not Homophobic, Transphobic, or other Sexual Phobic; they only wish for the parents to be responsible for the sexual development and education of their children.

02/10/23 Advocates of American Socialism

The popularity of Socialism amongst the young has not abated and seems to be on the rise. Much of this is because of their woeful education in history, economics, and sociology, especially of the events in the 20th century. Another part is their zealousness to change and improve the world, and Socialism paints a splendorous picture of a socialistic society. The wretchedness of a socialistic society is almost never examined or excused by the rationalization that it was not being implemented properly. As in my Chirp on “01/27/23 Childish Naivety and Zealousness”, the young who support socialism are exhibiting a childish naivety and zealousness about how the world operates economically, politically, and technologically.

In a March 4, 2019, short article by Rob Natelson, “Advocates of American socialism need to learn some lessons”, he briefly examines the history, economics, and sociology of 20th-century socialism and states:

“It would be hard to name a political ideology so thoroughly debunked as socialism. It would be difficult to find an idea whose implementation has proved so horrific.

Socialism comes in two economic forms. In the first, the state owns all, or at least the most valuable, economic enterprises. Factories, medical clinics, schools, travel agencies, newspapers—the government owns them all. The prototype was the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Surviving examples are Cuba and North Korea.

In the other economic form of socialism, the state does not own as much—but it controls almost everything. It controls by parceling out benefits to favored groups. It controls by central regulation, by state monopolies (where the government is the sole provider of a product or service), and by government monopsony (where government is the sole buyer). A prototype for this form was Adolph Hitler’s National Socialism. Communist China was originally in the first category and now is in the second.

The second form is the one now promoted by American “progressives.” Central to their platform is massive redistribution, detailed regulation of private economic decisions, some government ownership, expansion of the role of government schools, and a health care monopsony (“single payer”).”

He then buttresses these statements by reviewing the historical facts of Socialism and concludes:

“Repeated experiments in many countries over the past century prove one fact beyond doubt: As an economic system, socialism doesn’t work.”

Not only does Socialism not work as an economic system, but it is, or becomes, politically oppressive and violates the Natural Rights of all persons living under Socialism. For those supporters of Socialism that often claim that it has not worked because it was not done rightly, I would quote myself:

“It is not possible to do the wrong thing rightly, as no wrong thing can be done rightly.”  - Mark Dawson

As the mid-19th century French academic, lawyer, and politician Anselme Polycarpe Batbie has stated:

“He who is not a republican at twenty compels one to doubt the generosity of his heart; but he who, after thirty, persists, compels one to doubt the soundness of his mind.”  - Anselme Polycarpe Batbie

In his time, ‘not a republican’ would be considered ‘not a leftist or socialist’ of our time. Therefore, one can only hope that the young leftist or socialist will mature into a more thoughtful person as they age. Until then, we would all do better to educate the young leftist or socialist and ignore or oppose the older leftist or socialist as irredeemable. Of course, if the young had a proper education in history, economics, and sociology to begin with, this leftism or socialism of the young would not be as widespread in America as it is today.

02/09/23 The Coup and the Anarchy

In two articles by Victor Davis Hanson, “The Coup We Never Knew” and “Anarchy, American-Style”, he outlines the current social and governmental revolution that is occurring in today’s America. In the Coup article, he asks, “Did someone or something seize control of the United States?” and then proceeds to delineate the social and governmental revolution that has occurred in today’s America. He concludes this article by stating, “We are beginning to wake up from a nightmare to a country we no longer recognize, and from a coup we never knew.”

In the Anarchy article, he postulates that the current social revolution in American society is different from our previous social revolutions:

“The 1960s revolution was both anarchic and nihilist. But it was waged against—not from—the establishment. Hippies and the Left either attacked institutions or, in Timothy Leary fashion, chose to “turn on, tune in, drop out” from them.

The current revolution is much different—and far more dangerous—for at least three reasons.

1. The Establishment Is the Revolution
2. Macintosh Becomes MacBeth
3. Big Money, Big Woke”

He notes that the Left of the 1960s has now become the establishment as:

“It now controls the very institutions of America that it once mocked and attacked—corporate boardrooms, Wall Street, state and local prosecuting attorneys, most big-city governments, the media, the Pentagon, network and most of cable news, professional sports, Hollywood, music, television, K-12 education, and academia.

In other words, the greatest levers of influence and power—money, education, entertainment, government, the news, and popular culture—are in the hands of the Left.”

He concludes this article by stating:

“The common denominator to the anarchy? The hardcore Left is your FBI, CIA, and Justice Department all in one. It is Nineteen Eighty-Four. It is our era’s J. P. Morgan.

No wonder we are confused by the establishment anarchists and the anarchy they produce.”

My own Article, “1984 - A Cautionary Tale, Not A Handbook”, examines the dystopian novel ‘1984’ by George Orwell, which was meant to be a precautionary tale against modern tyranny. Instead, the establishment and the Democrat Party seem to want to make it into a handbook for the social order and governance of America, and they are succeeding!

The only way that they can fully succeed is if we let them succeed or they establish a despotism in America. Therefore, all Liberty and Freedom loving Americans need to wake up and resist their efforts by not accepting the leftist’s cultural norms and opposing their despotic actions.

A good start to changing the leftist’s cultural norms is for all Americans to challenge "The Biggest Falsehoods in America" whenever they are uttered by anyone, and you should always remember that when doing so ‘The truth will set you free.’ It will also (eventually) set the other person free when you tell them the truth. Opposing their despotic actions will require the courage to stand up against these forces, as they are determined to destroy anyone who is opposed to their beliefs. Therefore, as the Bible has often declared, ‘Be not afraid’, and remember that ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself’. Courage to do the right thing may be dangerous to your person, but cowardice in the face of intimidation will be dangerous to your psyche.

02/08/23 The Tangential Causes of Tyre Nichols Murder

Another reason for the murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the Memphis, TN, police is that most police officers feel beleaguered, besieged, and unappreciated by hostile police forces that make their jobs much more difficult. The actions of the hostile police forces, as I have Chirped on "06/09/20 Defund the Police Movement" and “01/17/23 Prosecutorial Discretion,” is a main factor in their beliefs. A Siege mentality has thus developed amongst many police officers because of these hostile police forces.

This siege mentality of a shared feeling of victimization and defensiveness is a collective state of mind in which a group of people believes themselves to be constantly attacked, oppressed, or isolated in the face of the negative intentions of the rest of the world. Although a group phenomenon, the term describes both the emotions and thoughts of the group and of individuals. The result is a state of being overly fearful of surrounding people and an intractable defensive attitude. In such a siege mentality, any actions by themselves to protect themselves seem justified.

This siege mentality needs to be broken not only by disciplinary actions against improper police actions but by an outpouring of understanding and support by the public for reasonable police actions when they confront a suspect with hostile or violent intentions or actions. A condemnation of the hostile or violent actions or verbal abuses by suspects needs to be articulated by our leaders to the public, while a reproach and proper disciplinary actions for improper police actions should be forthcoming when appropriate. Of course, any policeman who egregiously violates the Constitutional and Civil Rights of any person in America needs to be prosecuted when warranted, especially when it results in injury or death to someone in America.

Alas, much of these hostile police forces are a result of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders using improper police actions to galvanize their supporters for electoral advantage. The political rhetoric by these persons not only galvanizes their supporters but, in some cases, provokes some people to engage in violent actions to protest these improper police actions. The reporting by the "Mainstream Media" is also not helpful, as they often focus on the sensational aspects of the story before the facts are revealed, as I have Chirped on “01/23/23 Report the Narrative”. This only reinforces the siege mentality of police officers and makes the consequences of improper police actions much worse.

Until this political rhetoric and these hostile police force’s words and deeds cease, it will be very difficult to surcease this siege mentality amongst police officers. Let us coolly and calmly address improper police actions to correct the problems of policing and to put an end to both the siege mentality of police officers and the hostile police force's words and deeds.

02/07/23 The Repercussions of Tyre Nichols Murder

In my Chirp on “02/06/23 The Facts of Tyre Nichols Murder”, I stated my opinion that the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the Memphis, TN police was a murder. There will be, and should be, repercussions from this murder by police officers. However, we should be careful to ensure that the repercussion is appropriate and address the actual problems this murder exhibited.

Many would claim that we need better police procedure training of police officers to prevent these kinds of actions. But police procedure training is not the issue, as no police department trains their officers to commit these acts. Indeed, most, if not all, police departments train their officers on how to restrain themselves in confrontations with the public and especially with suspects of criminal actions. The answer is not better police procedure training but a better quality of character of police recruits. Psychological profiling of police recruits, and periodic psychological profiling of police officers, to determine potential aberrant behavioral tendencies of police officers should be mandatory. The rejection of a police recruit who has potential aberrant behavioral tendencies should occur, and the counseling or dismissal of active police officers who have potential aberrant behavioral tendencies should be mandatory. Instruction on the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of all persons should be part and parcel of police officers' training and periodically reinforced by regular workplace instructional sessions throughout a police officer’s career.

Police officers themselves should monitor other police officers’ words and deeds and provide personal guidance to their fellow police officers that they believe may be exhibiting potential aberrant behavioral tendencies. They should not rationalize nor excuse fellow police officers' words and deeds that exhibit potential aberrant behavioral tendencies. They should, if such words and deeds continue, report to their sergeants any police officer that they believe is exhibiting potential aberrant behavior. The sergeants would then be responsible for taking corrective actions as appropriate to the behavior. There should also be a procedure to ensure that the police sergeants themselves do not engage in potential aberrant behavior and that they are enforcing proper police procedures and monitoring police officers' conduct to correct potential aberrant behavior. They should do this not only to help their fellow officer but to preserve the integrity of their police department, which they rely upon in the performance of their duties and responsibilities.

The above suggestions may be very difficult and expensive to accomplish, and often such instruction does not take into account the realities of street policing. This is why it would be better for current or former police officers to conduct this instruction and counseling. Such police officers that provide this instruction and counseling should be educated and certified to provide this instruction and counseling. Indeed, it may be wise for police sergeants and police recruit trainers to obtain this certification to apply this knowledge in their duties.

As I have stated in my Chirp on "04/21/21 Compliance to Police Officers Instructions", the most effective and best way to reduce improper police actions is also the easiest way. Americans, when they are confronted by the police, should be compliant with the police officers' instructions. If you have a beef with the police officer, then you calmly and rationally talk to the police officer after you are compliant with their instructions. If such calm and rational discussions do not resolve your dispute, then you should take it to court, but do not try to resolve it on the street. If you are not compliant with the police officer's instructions, then you will come out second best in the argument. You may not always get what you want from the police officer by being compliant, but you will not be injured or killed by the police officer if you are compliant.

02/06/23 The Facts of Tyre Nichols Murder

I have delayed writing about Tyre Nichols death at the hands of the Memphis, TN, police. I did so as I wanted to obtain more complete information that was fact-based rather than sensational-based. Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. In the case of Tyre Nichols, we have been told the middle and most of the end of the story, but little has been revealed of the beginning of the story.

The unrevealed beginning of the story is what were the circumstances of Tyre Nichols's initial encounter with the police, and what were the initial actions and reactions of both Tyre Nichols and the police officers? No dashcam or bodycam footage was released (and some have claimed that they do not exist), nor has any official statement been made detailing the initial encounter. The unknown end of the story is that Tyre Nichols’s official autopsy and toxicology report have not been released, but an independent autopsy commissioned by the family has been released. Without knowing these details, it is difficult to make a judgment on the full story.

However, much is known of the middle of the story due to the release of the dashcam and bodycam footage. After reviewing the known facts, I can confidently state that this was a totally unwarranted and unneeded action by police officers in the middle of the story, and thus it was a horrendous and unjustified killing of Tyre Nichols by the policemen involved in his killing, and, indeed, it was a murder. The facts are that the actions of these police officers were cruel, barbarous, savage, and appalling. The total inhumanity exhibited by these policemen is unconscionable and unfathomable to any person with a shred of decency.

The particulars of what these police officers did wrong are lengthy, and it appears that almost all their actions were improper police procedures. Not being knowledgeable about police procedures, I shall leave it to others more knowledgeable about proper police procedures to explain their wrongful actions. However, one of the many dismaying things about this killing is that not one of the policemen involved in this murder took action to prevent this murder. Surely, at least one of these police officers should have known better and acted against the other policemen to prevent this murder. Not only did they take the life of Tyre Nichols, but they also violated the Constitutional and Civil Rights of Tyre Nichols. In doing so, they were assaulting the Constitutional and Civil Rights of all persons in America. Such assaults on Constitutional and Civil Rights by all police persons against any person need to be vigorously opposed and fully prosecuted. Otherwise, no one is safe from criminal police actions.

Consequently, those policemen involved in this murder should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and if convicted, they should serve extended prison sentences, if not life imprisonment. So, it should be for any policeman who egregiously violates the Constitutional and Civil Rights of any person in America, especially when it results in injury or death to someone in America.

02/05/23 Truth

Truth is objective (not based on personal opinion), truth is timeless (not subject to the changing tides of culture), and the truth is unifying (as people will rally around truths), and as it has been said, ‘The Truth Will Set You Free’.

It is an unfortunate fact that many people speak of ‘My Truth’ of ‘Their Truth”, but as I have Chirped on "05/10/20 My Truth", this is a fallacious catch phrase as:

"There is no such thing as 'my truth' or 'their truth', as there is only 'the truth'."   - Mark Dawson

Truth must be buttressed by the facts, all the facts, and nothing but the facts, for truth cannot be obtained by anything other than the facts. To be a seeker of the truth is one of the noblest pursuits that a person can undertake.

In my Chirps and Articles, I always attempt to ascertain the truth buttressed by facts. I may not always be right, but I try to pursue the truth. So, it should be with your own life. Always gather the facts and pursue the truth, for ‘The Truth Will Set You Free’.

02/04/23 Prevarications

Prevarications: a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth; intentionally vague or ambiguous; the deliberate act of deviating from the truth, have become de facto in today’s society, especially in the political arena and in the Mainstream Media and the Mainstream Cultural Media.

Alas, Integrity (Moral soundness) and Virtue (The quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong), along with good Character (The inherent complex of attributes that determines a person's moral and ethical actions and reactions), play little part in our political intercourse. Yet, integrity, virtue, and good character are personal attributes that will not allow for prevarication. Consequently, those that prevaricate are displaying their lack of integrity, virtue, and good character.

This is amply demonstrated in the last three Presidents and their Administrations. Presidents Obama, Trump, and Biden and their Administrations often prevaricated during their terms of office. Some prevarications are to be expected in politics, but a steady stream of prevarications is deceptions foisted upon the American public. These prevarications make it very difficult for the American people to discern the facts and truths to determine the best course for America. Bad decisions are made based on these prevarications, and the problems that beset America are not resolved because of these prevarications.

In the past, such prevarications by politicians were illuminated by the press, and the American public was better able to discern the prevarications. Today, however, the Mainstream Media had no compunction in attacking President Trump and his administration for their prevarications but has shown no such predilection in attacking President Obama and Biden and their administrations for their prevarications. Indeed, they have often supported President Obama and Biden’s prevarications through their supine acceptance of these prevarications and their reporting on the narrative rather than the facts, as I have Chirped on “01/23/23 Report the Narrative”. This is driven by the Mainstream Media's predilections for Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders social policies and political agendas. In addition, the Mainstream Media have departed from objective reporting into advocacy reporting, as Jonathan Turley has written in his article “Objectivity Has Got To Go: News Leaders Call for the End of Objective Journalism”, along with other issues of journalism that I have examined in my Article, "Modern Journalism".

These political prevarications and advocacy journalism divide the American people and exacerbate the bitter partisanship that exists in America today. Until such political prevarications and advocacy journalism is dispensed with, it will be difficult for the American people to make wise decisions to fix the problems besetting America. The best way to resolve these problems is for integrity, virtue, and good character to be elevated in importance in American society and for politicians and reporters to put into practice integrity and virtue and to conduct themselves with good character. The American people can facilitate this change by not supporting and electing politicians who lack integrity, virtue, and good character and not consuming the news reporting of advocacy journalism.

02/03/23 Removal of Justices and Judges

In my Article, "Judges, Not Lords", I address the problem of Justices and Judges who rule beyond the boundaries of the Constitution or the Law. It is an unfortunate fact that in today's judicial system, judges often go beyond the scope of their responsibilities. When a judge issues a ruling utilizing convoluted reasoning or stretching the law in which it was never intended to do, they are corrupting the Constitutional and the democratic process. A judge is responsible for making sure that the law is equally applied to all who come before them. Their holdings, rulings, and decisions should be based primarily on the law as it is written or the intentions of the lawgivers as expressed during the legislative process. Laws are created to ensure a civil society. If a law, or judicial rulings and decisions, is convoluted or distorted, it cannot be followed by the members of the society.

As in my Chirp on "02/02/23 Removal of Executive Officers", the only way to remove a Justice or Judge is by the impeachment process, and the impeachment process does not allow for the removal of a Justice or Judge who rules beyond the boundaries of the Constitution or the Law.

Under the Constitution, a Supreme Court Justice must take the following Oath of Office:

“I, [NAME], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

In addition to this oath, under Title 28, Chapter I, Part 453 of the United States Code, each Supreme Court Justice takes the following oath:

"I, [NAME], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as [TITLE] under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God.''

It is also true that all other Judges in the Judicial Branch must also take these two Oaths of Office before becoming a Judge.

Therefore, I would like to see Congress pass a law that would allow for the removal of a Justice or Judge who rules beyond the boundaries of the Constitution or the Law and thus violates their Oath of Office. The removal of a judge is fraught with potential Constitutional, legal, political, and partisan ramifications. It should, therefore, be very difficult to remove a judge. On balance, I believe that we need this law to reign in the problems of Justices or Judges who rule beyond the boundaries of the Constitution or the Law. This change can also be viewed as a check and balance against the powers of the Judicial Branch. This law, or a Constitutional Amendment if necessary, should be structured as follows:

No Supreme Court Justice, Appellate Court Judge, or District Court Judge may be removed from their office while serving during Good Behavior or Constitutional Jurisprudence. Good Behavior shall be defined as not committing any Treason, Bribery, or any High Crimes or Misdemeanors. Constitutional Jurisprudence shall be defined as not issuing any court rulings that fall outside the scope of their vested Judicial Constitutional duties and responsibilities. A Supreme Court Justice, Appellate Court Judge, or District Court Judge may be removed during their term of office for not exercising Good Behavior or Constitutional Jurisprudence. Such removal shall be on a recommendation for the removal of a Justice or Judge by the President or a three-fifths vote of no confidence by the House of Representatives of Congress to the United States Senate. Such removal by the Senate shall be by a two-thirds vote for a Supreme Court Justice, a three-fifths vote for an Appellate Court Judge, and a majority vote for a District Court Judge by the full Senate for the removal of said Justice or Judge.

This removal process, along with Term Limits for Justices and Judges that I have proposed in my ‘Judges, Not Lords’ article, would go a long way in reigning in Justices or Judges who rule beyond the boundaries of the Constitution or the Law. It would also temper their rulings to ensure that they are Judges and not Lords.

02/02/23 Removal of Executive Officers

Executive Officers are nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and serve at the pleasure of the President. This statement has been true throughout our history; the question I have is whether it should remain true. I firmly believe that the President should nominate and the Senate should confirm the nominations, but I am less convinced that they should serve only at the pleasure of the President. In the past, the only way to remove an Executive Officer was by impeachment and conviction by Congress. The Constitution, in Article II, Section. 4. States, “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Consequently, impeachment of Executive Officers is usually done for criminal actions by an Executive Officer, as there are no other Constitutional means for removing Executive Officers other than for criminal actions. Therefore, their remaining in office has been left to the discretion of the President.

The incompetence of the Executive Officers in the Biden Administration is astounding. Through their words and deeds, they have demonstrated their incompetence. Almost every major decision that they have made has had negative repercussions for America and Americans. On the International stage, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Ukrainian War, the threatening actions of Russia and China, and their policies on Central and South America have all been incompetent. On the National stage, the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, their economic recovery plans, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the increase in crime in our streets, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain and transportation problems, to gas price increases, to inflation, to a recession, and to a host of other issues we have seen negative repercussions on America and Americans by the incompetence of the Executive Officers of the Biden Administration.

There is also the failure of Executive Officers to faithfully execute the laws. Their Oath of Office requires them to discharge the duties of the office for which they enter, which includes faithfully executing the laws:

“I, [NAME], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

Executive Officers have systematically ignored, circumvented, or contravened the law, which is an assault on the Constitution and The Rule of Law. They have systemically weaponized the Justice Department and the FBI to persecute and prosecute their opponents. They have attempted and sometimes succeeded in extending the law via Executive Orders and Directives for the purpose of creating social policy that was not intended by the passage of these laws. All these actions are a violation of their Oath of Office and are Unconstitutional actions.

In addition, many Executive Officers of the Biden Administration have lied to or deceived Congress when Congress has exercised their Constitutional duties and responsibilities of Congressional oversight of the Executive Branch of government. Such false testimony is punishable under the law, but it would require that the Biden Justice Department investigate, charge, and prosecute such false testimony of Biden Executive Officers. This can not be expected to happen, as the Biden Administration is the beneficiary of this false testimony and has no desire to end this false testimony.

Given the number of Executive Officers that President Biden has confirmed that are sheerly incompetent, have not faithfully executed the laws, and have given false testimony, and by the unwillingness of President Biden to remove them from office, we need a better way than impeachment to remove these Executive Officers from office. Their incompetence, not faithfully executing the laws, and giving false testimony have done great harm to America, and we need to remove them from office and replace them with competent persons that have the capabilities, honesty, integrity, and virtue to be Executive Officers.

In the past, we have relied on virtuous Executive Officers that will conduct themselves properly in the performance of their duties, and when they did not do so, they resigned in disgrace. Alas, virtue seems to have been replaced with political expediency in modern America. Therefore, I would like to see Congress pass a law that would allow the House of Representatives to have a majority vote of no confidence for Executive Officers that have engaged in these aforementioned actions, followed by a majority vote of the Senate to remove an Executive Officer for engaging in these aforementioned actions.

Such a law would cause some consternation in our governance, as a partisan Congress may become more partisan, and a Congress of the opposite party from the President may utilize this law to harass the President. However, the damage of the aforementioned actions by Executive Officers is greater than the problems that may be caused by this law. On balance, therefore, I believe that we need this law to reign in the problems of the aforementioned actions by Executive Officers. I also view this law as a check and balance against the powers of the Executive Branch. As to the Constitutionality of this law, it is uncertain, and if ruled unconstitutional, then we may need to consider a Constitutional Amendment to resolve this problem. To which I say—so be it.

02/01/23 Congressional Oversight

Congressional oversight is the scrutiny by the United States Congress over the Executive Branch, including the numerous U.S. federal agencies. Congressional oversight includes the review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies, programs, activities, and policy implementation. Congress exercises this power largely through its congressional committee system. Oversight also occurs in a wide variety of congressional activities and contexts. These include authorization, appropriations, investigations, and legislative hearings by standing committees; which is specialized investigations by select committees; and reviews and studies by congressional support agencies and staff.

Congress’s oversight authority derives from its “implied” powers in the Constitution, public laws, and House and Senate rules. It is an integral part of the American system of checks and balances. The Supreme Court of the United States has confirmed the oversight powers of Congress, subject to constitutional safeguards for civil liberties. On several occasions, in 1927, for instance, the Court found that in investigating the administration of the Justice Department, Congress had the authority to consider a subject "on which legislation could be had or would be materially aided by the information which the investigation was calculated to elicit". As such, the Executive Branch cannot withhold information from Congress except in a narrow and limited fashion, and the Executive Branch is not the sole arbiter of what information can be withheld. Much of this withholding of information is to slow down the process of Congressional investigations by tying up information requests in litigation to determine the appropriateness of the requests, with such litigation being time-consuming to resolve legally.

The current Republican-led House of Representatives is starting to utilize this Congressional Oversight power to examine the misdeeds of President Biden’s Administration, and President Biden’s Administration is attempting to resist this oversight. Such resistance is often done under the pretense that Federal judicial investigations are underway and that the information is protected under the safeguards for civil liberties for the person being investigated, and the possibility for the interference of the investigation that could negatively impact a potential criminal or civil prosecution. They are also utilizing the pretense that there are classified national security concerns in releasing this information. In their other resistance to Congressional Oversight, they are using "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” to justify the withholding of information.

This is nothing new in Congressional investigations of the Executive Branch. What is new is the extent to which the Biden Administration is utilizing these techniques of resistance. Prior to the Republican control of the House of Representatives, most requests from the minority Republicans were rejected under the guise that such requests had to come from the majority-led Democrat Congressional committees for them to be valid requests. Alas, the majority-led Democrat Congressional committees would never issue these requests for the political purposes of assisting the Biden Administration in the withholding of information that would negatively reflect on the Biden Administration and the Democrats. Now that the Republicans are in control of the House of Representatives, we are starting to see more utilization of the rationalization of protecting potential criminal or civil prosecutions or of classified national security concerns in releasing this information.

Much of the information that is being requested by the majority-led Republican Congressional committees is of the nature of covering up the misdeeds of President Biden’s past and present, and their impacts on current policy decisions in the Biden Administration, as well as their endeavors in regards to "The Weaponization of Government". Such non-disclosure of this information is done for cover-up and electioneering purposes. This is also a self-interest and deceptive attempt by the Biden Administration to influence the American public to achieve the policy goals and political agendas of the Biden Administration. This withholding of information should not stand, as this is information that Congress and the American people need to know, as it directly impacts Congresses Constitutional duties and responsibilities, and the American people’s lives and votes, as well as their Liberties and Freedoms.

01/31/23 The PELOSI Act

On January 4, 2023, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced the PELOSI Act for Senate consideration. Officially known as the ‘Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments Act’, it requires Congresspersons and their spouses to divest any holdings or put them in a blind trust within six months of entering office. Hawley’s bill excludes mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, and Treasury bonds purchases, as these funds and bonds are not susceptible to insider knowledge that could lead to an unfair advantage for Congresspersons. As Sen. Hawley stated in a Tweet, “Members of Congress and their spouses shouldn’t be using their position to get rich on the stock market”. It also specifically amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, which prohibits using nonpublic information for private profit, commonly known as insider trading — which is already illegal for business leaders and everyday Americans.

The longstanding problem of members of Congress becoming wealthy from their insider knowledge of legislation is that it gives them a competitive advantage in stock trading that is unavailable to the general public. There is also the problem of companies giving Congresspersons or their spouses preferred stock options in the hopes of influencing legislation. Preferred stock options have a higher claim to dividends or asset distribution than common stockholders and are financially lucrative to the holders of the preferred stock. It has also been the case that legislation has been passed, blocked, or modified in a manner that is financially beneficial to a Congressperson(s) stock portfolio.

The PELOSI Act addresses these problems and is a good act to reign in these problems. Therefore, all Congresspersons should support this Act, and we should be wary of those that do not support this act as they may be the beneficiaries of these longstanding problems. For those that claim that a spouse of a Congressperson should not be encumbered by their marriage, I would respond that this is part of the sacrifice that you make as a spouse of a Congressperson. If you do not like this sacrifice, then you should not be married to a Congressperson, or your spouse should not run for Congress.

01/30/23 Money and Power

In my Chirp on “01/27/23 Childish Naivety and Zealousness”, I remark on how the world operates on an economic, political, and technological basis. Technological workings are the subject of many of my other Chirps and Articles, while economic and political workings are the subject of most of my Chirps and Articles. These economic and political workings are driven by Money and Power, and it can be said that those who have the money, and those that have the power, are largely responsible for what is happening in our world. Those that have control of the money may also have power, and those that have power often control the money. It can also be said that there are many persons that have the money, but those that have the power are far fewer in number. Both can be swayed by other forces, but ultimately, they make the final decisions that affect the workings of the world. Until you understand the workings of Money and Power and their interrelationships, you cannot understand the workings of the world.

As cynical as it may seem, Money and Power are the determining factors in how the world works. Therefore, always follow the money and always determine who the person(s) are that hold the levers of power. This is why a good knowledge of economics and politics is necessary to understand the working of the world. When you discover who has the Money and Power and examine how they utilize the Money and Power, you will understand the why and how of the world as it is.

01/29/23 In With The New, Out With The Old

Many people believe that if something is old, it is not relevant or worthwhile. Nothing can be further from the truth than this belief. This attitude is especially prevalent among the younger generation (as has often been the case throughout history). They refuse to read, hear, or view anything created before they were born. There is much that is old that is not relevant or worthwhile, but there is much that is old that is relevant and worthwhile. The issue is how to determine what is old that is relevant and worthwhile.

There is no easy answer to this question. History often is the best guide to the relevant and worthwhile. Not only the history of humankind but the history of the works and endeavors of humankind. If the works and endeavors of humankind are remembered by history, then this is often because they are relevant and worthwhile.

The Arts and Sciences, the Political and Sociological, the Economics and Commerce, the Architectural and Constructions, and many other works and endeavors of humankind that are remembered by history are all relevant and worthwhile. If you study the history of any topic, you will discover what is relevant and worthwhile.

Therefore, do not be dismissive of the old, for it is the old that has brought forth the new. And the old can continue to bring forth the new when it is studied. It can also be thought-provoking and a guide to what may or may not work when bringing forth the new.

The lessons of history can also prevent you from making errors of judgment that have negative repercussions for yourself and society. History can also enrich your life and provide knowledge and wisdom to your life. Therefore, you should embrace the old as much as you embrace the new, for without appreciating the old, you cannot fully appreciate the new.

01/28/23 Expert Opinions

"Experts ought to be on tap and not on top."  - Irish editor and writer George William Russell

I have written several Chirps about expert opinions, which I have collected into my new article, Expert Opinions. I believe that it is important for the American people and politicians, when they listen or read expert opinions, that they keep in mind the above quote before they rush to judgment and implement a policy based on expert opinion. We should also remember that for every expert, there is another expert with a contrary opinion. Consequently, whenever a politician states that ‘experts agree’ or they make a general statement about expert opinion to justify their policies, you can be assured that they are only listening to the experts that they agree with and ignoring the experts that they disagree with. Therefore, always be wary of expert opinion and politicians that generalize expert opinion. You must always carefully weigh expert opinions, listen to the contrary expert opinions, and apply some common sense to their opinions before reaching a judgment and instituting a public policy.

01/27/23 Childish Naivety and Zealousness

Greta Thunberg (born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish Climate Change activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. Until now, I have not written about her activism, as I did not wish to engage in child abuse. Now that she is twenty years old, I think it is appropriate to comment on her and her activism. When she was not an adult, her activism could be attributed to a zeal for what she believed in and naivety about how the world operates (economically, politically, and technologically), as well as her inability to reason properly, as I have written in my article "Reasoning" and "Rationality".

This childish naivety and inability to reason properly is all too common amongst many zealous Climate Change activists and other zealous activists. Much of this childish naivety and zealousness can be attributed to our glorification of the young, as I have written in my Article on the “Cult of Youth”. Some of this zealous Global Climate Change activism is because of a lack of understanding of the science behind Global Climate Change, as I have Chirped on "07/21/22 Rational and Reasonable Climate Change" and written in my Article on “Climate Change”.

Her activism, while addressing a (perceived) global issue, always seems to be targeted at Western Europe and North American nations. These nations are not a major influence on Global Climate Change, and changing their policies would not have a major impact on Global Climate Change. China and India, along with a host of other second and third-world nations, are the nations where most of the impacts of Global Climate Change occur. While she is proud of her bravery in confronting Western Europe and North American nations that she disagrees with their Climate Change policies, this bravery would be more apropos if she confronted China and India, in China and India, about their impacts on Climate Change. While these nations may allow her verbal activism for show purposes, they will not allow any meaningful physical confrontations to occur in their nations. Indeed, they will ignore her activism, except to pontificate and chastise other nations, and they will not change their policies due to economic and political concerns.

As a result of her actions and inactions, Greta Thunberg is not a poster child for Climate Change Activism but a poster child for Childish Naivety and Zealousness.

01/26/23 Allegations of Detestation

The allegations by many Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders that a person is a Right-wing Extremist, Sexist, Intolerant, Xenophobic, Homophobic, Islamophobic, Racist, Bigoted, or Hater, along with other words and terms as I have written in my article,  "Divisiveness in America", are only truthful allegations depending on the definition of these terms and words by the accuser. Many of those persons that cast aspersions upon others, through the utilization of these terms and words, are not utilizing the dictionary definition of these terms and words. As Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct, they, therefore, believe that anyone who would disagree with their policies must harbor the attitudes of these dictionary definitions of these terms or words. Therefore, when Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders utilize these terms and words, they only mean someone who disagrees with their policy positions regarding these terms and words, and not that the person so accused has the attitudes of the dictionary definition of these terms and words.

This is part and parcel of their strategy and tactics to sow Divisiveness in America for electoral advantage purposes by sowing detestation, fear, and loathing against anyone who would disagree with the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders' policies. This divisiveness, along with "Political Correctness" and "Wokeness", is also an intimidation tactic for the purpose of silencing their opponents through shaming or fear of retaliation. This strategy and tactics are despicable, as they attempt to infringe on the free speech rights of their opponents, and they are lying to the American public to garner votes or suppress the votes of their opponents. Any politician or government official who engages in this strategy and tactics is not to be trusted as a leader in America and should not be elected or appointed official. Any commentator that engages in this strategy and tactics should be chastised and ignored, as they are dissimulators of falsehoods upon the American public.

If someone utilizes these terms or words against me for my opposition to the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders' policies, then I proudly wear these terms and words. If, however, they mean the dictionary definitions of these words; then I soundly reject this characterization of myself. Those that know me, and those that have read my Articles and Chirps, know that I am firmly opposed to anyone who meets the dictionary definition of these terms and words by my commitment to the Natural Rights of all individuals. All those that have unjustly suffered these allegations of detestation should adopt this attitude and vigorously respond to these allegations of detestation in a like manner as I have responded.

Until we can end this strategy and tactics of divisiveness, we will continue the bitter partisanship that has gripped America, and we will be unable to solve the problems and issues that beset America and Americans. America and Americans would be much better off if we remembered that we should be able to disagree without being divisive or disagreeable. The ceasing of Allegations of Detestation is an important first step in achieving "A Civil Society", which should be the norm in American society.

01/25/23 Food for Thought, Consideration, and Concern

In a recent monolog by Tucker Carlson on his Tucker Carlson Tonight show, he brought up that the bureaucracy is in charge of running America. Using examples from President Richard Nixon through President Trump, he makes an interesting case for this premise. He noted that we “… deserve a better system, an actual democracy. When people who you did not vote for are running everything you are not living in a free country”.

These bureaucrats are now attempting to control America through influencing candidate selection and manipulating elections in America. This is being done through selective leaks against the candidates that they do not support and covering-up or suppressing information that would be harmful to the candidates that they do support. They have also successfully changed how elections are held and conducted, and most of these election changes have benefited the candidates that they support.

The candidates that they do support are almost always Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders that wish to expand government and increase government control and regulation over the American people and economy. This, of course, also adds to the number of bureaucratic personnel on the payroll, thus increasing their ability to control and regulate the American people and economy.

If this premise is true, then we are no longer a “government of the people, by the people, for the people” but are becoming a “government of the bureaucrats, by the bureaucrats, for the bureaucrats”. This premise is difficult to prove conclusively, but the circumstantial evidence makes for an interesting case for this premise. If true, however, it bodes ill for the future of America as a people dedicated to Liberty and Freedom. Consequently, all liberty and freedom-loving Americans should view this monolog and make it Food for Thought, Consideration, and Concern.

01/24/23 Reform and Reconstitution

As I pointed out in my collected Chirps on “The Weaponization of Government”, the FBI and the Justice Department have gone rogue in that they are not uniformly applying the Rule of Law by their targeting of opponents to  Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, while allowing violations of the laws by their supporters.

Not only are their actions despicable, but the words they utilize to justify their actions are contemptible. In a new article by Jonathan Turley, “When the FBI Attacks Critics as “Conspiracy Theorists,” It’s Time to Reform the Bureau”, he highlights the reasons that the FBI needs to be reformed. I believe that this is not only a problem of the FBI but also the Justice Department, and more than reform is needed. The FBI and the Justice Department should not only be reformed but also reconstituted. These FBI and Justice Department weaponization has not been limited to the last several years but has occurred in the last decade. A decade of malfeasance needs more than reform; it needs to be reconstituted to ensure that this malfeasance does not occur in the future.

The current leadership of the FBI and the Justice Department needs to retire, resign, or be removed from office. The FBI and the Justice Department needs a new organizational structure with different laws, regulations, rules, and procedures to prevent this malfeasance. Civil and Criminal laws need to be passed that will hold individuals in the FBI and the Justice Department accountable for their malfeasance, and an Independent Inspector General needs to be appointed to root out malfeasance. An Independent Prosecutor should be appointed when the Independent Inspector General uncovers possible malfeasance, for the Justice Department should not be responsible for the prosecution of its own Justice Department employees (i.e., Nemo judex in causa sua (or nemo judex in sua causa) (which, in Latin, literally means "no-one is judge in his own cause") is a principle of natural justice that no person can judge a case in which they have an interest).

Alas, the current Democrat Party Leaders like the way the current FBI and the Justice Department operate, as they have been the beneficiaries of this malfeasance. This is yet another example of how the Democrat Party puts its interests above the American people’s interests. It is also another reason why the American people should elect Republicans to Congress and the Presidency who are committed to reforming the FBI and the Justice Department.

01/23/23 Report the Narrative

In the movie, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, near the end of the movie, after the truth of the person who shot Liberty Valance is revealed by Ransom Stoddard, the newspaper editor Maxwell Scott tosses the interview notes into a stove, which are incinerated with the following dialog:

“Ransom Stoddard: You're not going to use the story, Mr. Scott? Maxwell Scott: No, sir. This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”

Today, the "Mainstream Media" seem to have adopted the same approach as Maxwell Scott, i.e., “This is modern America, when the narrative becomes fact, report the narrative”. It is also unfortunately true that the Mainstream Media is creating the narrative regardless of the facts. A good story appears to be more important than an accurate story, and often a good story is what they believe will advance their political predilections. The Mainstream Media will also pick and choose what stories to report, and in their rush to report these stories, they often get the facts wrong. They also will not report on a story that does not support or contravenes their narrative. Even when the story facts come to light, they will disregard the facts and continue to print the narrative, and they will never admit that they got the facts wrong.

Thus, we have an ill-informed public that believes the narrative rather than the facts. Is it any wonder that Americans vote for politicians that push the narrative rather than deal with the facts? We should all remember that narratives make for bad policy, and these narrative policies are doomed to failure as they do not deal with facts.

01/22/23 Jesus Was a Refugee

In an advertisement by He Gets Us, they point out that Jesus was a refugee. This is most certainly true, as a refugee is an exile who flees for safety. When learning of the birth of a new King of the Jews, King Herod became enraged and threatened by a new potential ruler and ordered all males two years old or younger to be killed. With Herod’s henchmen bearing down on Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary fled with their young child to Egypt. Imagine the circumstances. Two young parents grab their toddler and whatever they can carry on their backs and flee the country. There was no safety for them in their homeland, so the only option was to seek foreign soil.

Yet, the subtle message of this advertisement through the imagery they present is that the people migrating across our southern border are refugees. This is most certainly not true, as most of them are not migrating for safety reasons but for economic reasons. America has always had a proud history of admitting refugees, and refugee status is still a valid reason for immigrating to America. We have also had a history of allowing immigration for economic reasons, especially when land was plentiful and opportunity abounded in America. It is only in the last century that we have restricted immigration for economic reasons, and only because land and opportunity became scarcer in America. Yet we still do allow immigration for economic reasons, but only through an orderly process of approval.

The illegal immigration that is occurring on our southern border is not an orderly process, nor is it approved. Most of these illegal immigrants are not refugees but are immigrating for other reasons. As such, they are illegal immigrants and should be treated as such.

Let us continue to admit refugees and lets us continue to admit economic immigrants through an orderly process of approval. Let us not continue to admit illegal immigrants, as they have no right to immigration under our laws. Illegal immigrants also have no moral right to immigrate as they please, as this is the seed of the destruction of a nation. As President Ronald Reagan has said, “A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation.” Therefore, do not confuse the status of these illegal immigrants as refugees. They are not refugees, and they should not be thought of or treated as refugees.

He Gets Us should not be proud of this advertisement, as it twists the story and meaning of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus’ migration for a political agenda purpose. No Christian or Jew should ever twist the Bible for political agenda purposes, for that denigrates the meaning of the Bible stories in directing us in how to live a moral and ethical life.

01/21/23 Wokeness Has Gone Too Far

In an amazing speech by Konstantin Kisin, speaking at the Oxford Union debate on the motion “This House Believes Wokeness Has Gone Too Far”, he has taken dead aim on “Wokeness”. After making a couple of salient points using Global Climate Change as an example of wokeness not being useful in solving this problem, he concludes by saying:

“The only thing that wokeness has offer in exchange Is to brainwash bright young minds like you to believe that you are victims. To believe that you have no agency. To believe what you must do to improve the world is to complain, is to protest, is to throw soup on paintings. And we on this side of the house are not on this side of the house because we do not wish to improve the world. We sit on this side of the house because we know the way to improve the world is to work, is to create, it is to build. And the problem with woke culture is that it has trained too many young minds like yours to forget about that.”

This nearly nine-minute speech is worth every second of your time. I would encourage all to review and think about what he said.

01/20/23 Toxic Ideology

Western Europe has discovered a new excuse to encroach upon the Natural Rights of its populace. This excuse has the surface appearance of being beneficial to its populace, but its consequences are destructive to a free society. This excuse is for the elimination of ‘Toxic Ideology’ by the suppression and prosecution of ‘hate speech’. Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences laws are being passed in Western Europe, and people are being prosecuted and convicted for violations of these laws.

These laws have the effect of prohibiting the free speech of individuals that disagree with the official policy positions of the government. And, as usual, these laws are mostly targeted at the right wing of "The Political Spectrum" while only rarely being enforced against the left wing.

Europe’s ‘anti-hate’ laws and arrests are a warning for free speech in America, as House Democrat Representative Sheila Jackson Lee has introduced a bill that is a prime example of anti-hate speech and Toxic Ideology legislation. As Jonathan Turley has written in his article “House Bill Would Criminalize Social Media Postings Supporting “White Supremacy” or “Replacement Theory”:

“The anti-free speech movement in the United States continues to grow with alarming speed among writers, journalists, academics, and most importantly Democratic members of Congress. Members now openly call for censorship and the manipulation of what citizens see and read. Yet, even in this environment, a recent proposed by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D., Tx.) is a menacing standout. Jackson has introduced a bill that is an almost impenetrable word salad of convoluted provisions. However, what is clear (perhaps the only clear thing) is that the “Leading Against White Supremacy Act of 2023” would gut the First Amendment and create effective thought crimes. The bill is not going to pass. However, the anti-free speech elements of the bill are deeply disturbing because they reflect successful efforts at speech criminalization in other countries.”

While this legislation will not be considered nor passed by the House of Representatives, we know that the Democrats are relentless in the pursuit of their goals. They, therefore, can be expected to try to slip in much of these anti-hate speech goals in other legislation. Consequently, all freedom-loving people should be alert and oppose these anti-hate speech goals, for as Edmund Burke has said, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."

As with all such matters of determining what is or isn’t covered in discriminatory legislation, I would paraphrase the great American economist and commentator Thomas Sowell:

"The most basic question is not what is Toxic Ideology or hate speech, but who shall decide what is Toxic Ideology or hate speech?"

As Alan Dershowitz has often remarked about the “Shoe on the other foot”, what would the supporters of this legislation think about this legislation if Conservatives and Republicans decided what was Toxic Ideology or hate speech? I suspect that they would be howling about the decisions that they made and claiming that their free speech rights were being violated. Consequently, nobody’s free speech rights should be circumvented nor violated, for:

“Free speech is not just another value. It’s the foundation of Western civilization.”  - Jordan Peterson

01/19/23 The Dirty Bakers Dozen

In America today, we have a baker’s dozen of problems that strike at the fabric and soul of American society. The continuation and non-resolution of these problems are tearing us apart and leading to the disintegration of our society. These problems are of our own making, as our actions and inactions to resolve these problems have led us to this point in American history. Much of these problems are ideologically based, as we have lost our understanding of our founding "American Ideals and Ideas", and we are groping for a new understanding of what constitutes American society. In this groping, we are transforming America, and we have forgotten that change and/or new does not necessarily mean better, as I have examined in my Article "Change and/or New".

These baker’s dozen of problems, in alphabetical order, are:

• Abortion
• Alcohol and Drug Addiction
• Family and Faith Destruction
• Non-Judgmentalism
• Open Borders
• Political Correctness, Wokism, and DEI
• Politicization of Everything
• Public Education
• Public Safety
• Sexuality
• Tribalism
• Victimhood
• Weaponization of Government

My new Article, “The Dirty Bakers Dozen”, examine these baker’s dozen of problems and their impact on America. Under our current bitter partisanship, we can expect little resolution to these problems as each side has different motivations and approaches for the solution to these problems. It is, therefore, up to the American people to become cognizant of the problems and elect leaders that will solve these problems. Otherwise, we can expect that these problems will continue to tear us apart and lead to the disintegration of our society.

01/18/23 It is Not Possible

Many Progressives/Leftists advocate for changes or new approaches to our governance, economy, or societial affairs. As I have written in my Article, “Change and/or New”, such changes and/or new do not necessarily mean good and/or better. Oftentimes, when they achieve changes and/or new, it does not meet their expectations or is fraught with failure. They then often respond that the change and/or new was not done rightly nor fully and that if it had been done rightly or fully, it would have been successful.

These failures mostly occur when the change and/or new is a big-ticket item, such as a change of governance, economic systems, or societal attitudes. History has shown that big-ticket changes and/or new are doomed to failure unless the hearts and minds of the populace have changed to support the changes and/or new. History has also shown that any change and/or new that runs contrary to human nature or has economic fallacies will result in the failure of the changes and/or new. Communism, Socialism (in any of its various forms), Dictatorships, Monarchies, Aristocracies, and Oligarchies have all ignored human nature or have had economic fallacies as their basis—and they have all failed.

Failure is inevitable whenever human nature or economic fallacies are ignored or disregarded. Therefore, whenever anyone makes an excuse for the failure of the change and/or new that it was because it was not done rightly or fully, you can truthfully assert that:

“It is not possible to do the wrong thing rightly, as no wrong thing can be done rightly.”  - Mark Dawson

01/17/23 Prosecutorial Discretion

Prosecutorial Discretion is when a prosecutor has the power to decide whether or not to charge a person for a crime and which criminal charges to file. This is a rather broad power that also gives prosecutors the authority to enter into plea bargains with a defendant, which can result in the defendant pleading guilty to a lesser charge or receiving a lesser sentence for pleading guilty to the original charge.

Prosecutorial Discretion was meant to deal with individual offenders based on the circumstances of their offenses. It was never meant to be applied to classes of people or the selective disregard of laws that the prosecutor disagrees with. This is not how the Rule of Law functions in society. Indeed, it is the Rule of Man rather than the Rule of Law, and the Rule of Man is the antithesis to our "American Ideals and Ideas". If this continues, it portents a collapse of our society into lawlessness. As a result, this misuse of Prosecutorial Discretion has had a deleteriously impacted on American society and has detrimentally impacted our Liberties and Freedoms.

This Rule of Man extends up to the President of the United States, as he often issues Executive Orders to apply Prosecutorial Discretion to whole classes of people or to ignore or circumvent the laws that he disagrees with. He has also issued Executive Orders that institute rules and/or regulations that go beyond what the law allows. In this, he is instituting an assault on our Constitution by ignoring the Separation of Powers between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches of our government.

As such, all such persons that utilize Prosecutorial Discretion for other than what it was intended are in dereliction of their duties and responsibilities to enforce the law, and they are also in violation of their Oath of Office to uphold the law. They, therefore, need to be removed from office and replaced by persons that will enforce and uphold the law. How this removal may be accomplished varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction by Federal, State, and Local laws. Sometimes these laws (or lack thereof) are insufficient to remove from office those persons who improperly apply Prosecutorial Discretion. In such cases, the legislatures need to create or modify the laws for their removal to ensure the Rule of Law is upheld. I do know, however, that if this is not done, then our society will deteriorate into lawlessness as it has been doing so for the last several years.

01/16/23 The Elimination of Harmful Language

Stanford University has instituted a policy for the “Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative” that has the stated goal:

“The Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative (EHLI) is a multi-phase, multi-year project to address harmful language in IT at Stanford.

The goal of the Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative is to eliminate* many forms of harmful language, including racist, violent, and biased (e.g., disability bias, ethnic bias, ethnic slurs, gender bias, implicit bias, sexual bias) language in Stanford websites and code. The purpose of this website is to educate people about the possible impact of the words we use. Language affects different people in different ways.

This website focuses on potentially harmful terms used in the United States, starting with a list of everyday language and terminology.** Our “suggested alternatives” are in line with those used by peer institutions and within the technology community.”

Such an initiative is a clear violation of the Natural Free Speech rights of students and employees of Stanford University. It is also antithetical to the goals of all centers of higher learning for the free and unfettered discovery and exchange of knowledge by all involved in higher education. We should also remember that:

“Free speech is not just another value. It’s the foundation of Western civilization.”  - Jordan Peterson

It is also true that the enforcement of this policy can only be achieved through threats of punishment, which bespeaks of despotism.

Harmful Language is part and parcel of human nature and cannot be eliminated by any actions except self-control by the offender. It is also true that one person’s definition of harmful language can, and is, different from another person’s definition of harmful language, which brings upon the conundrum, to paraphrase Thomas Sowell:

“The most basic question is not what is harmful language, but who shall decide what is harmful language?”

Often, the deciders of harmful language have a social or political agenda for their decisions, which further violates the Natural Rights of those they target. A much better approach is to remind all that polite and respectful speech is the most acceptable form of speech. As I have written in my article on Pearls of Wisdom, we should all Always Be Polite and Respectful and Be the Better Person in all our conduct with other persons. The proper sanction for harmful speech is the admonishment by those around the speaker for their words, and if they continue to engage in harmful speech, then they should be ostracized by all respectable persons.

One of the purposes of higher education is to mold the character of the students, which can be accomplished by the Professors admonishing harmful language and asking a student to leave class until they can regain control of their language, as well as reminding them that their conduct can influence the grades they receive. This, of course, presumes that the Professors themselves engage in polite and respectful speech, and if they should not do so, they should be admonished or ostracized by the other professors and the administrators of the centers of higher learning.

If we keep these Pearls of Wisdom in mind, then there would be no need for an “Elimination of Harmful Language Initiative” by any group, organization, or business and, consequently, no violations of the Natural Rights of any person.

01/15/23 My Varied Personal Avocations

I have updated my main web page to add more information about how I became more knowledgeable on the various topics that I have written about. This section, “My Varied Personal Avocations”, examines my personal interests over the years that allow me to intelligently write about these topics. As a result of My Varied Personal Avocations, I have obtained a breath of knowledge uncommon for most persons. My depth of knowledge was limited to my vocational field of computers, but I did obtain a depth of knowledge on my avocations that allows me to intelligently comment on these topics. My hope in writing my Chirps and Articles on these topics is that my readers will have a better understanding of these topics and perhaps will become interested in one or more of these topics and will discover more about these topics on their own.

01/14/23 Think Thoroughly

The "THINK" slogan was first used by Thomas J. Watson in December 1911 while managing the sales and advertising departments at the National Cash Register Company. At an uninspiring sales meeting, Watson interrupted, saying, "The trouble with every one of us is that we don't think enough. We don't get paid for working with our feet — we get paid for working with our heads". Watson then wrote THINK on the easel.

Asked later what he meant by the slogan, Watson replied, "By THINK, I mean take everything into consideration. I refuse to make the sign more specific. If a man just sees THINK, he'll find out what I mean. We're not interested in a logic course."

In 1914, Watson brought the slogan with him to the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and its subsidiaries, all of which later became IBM. International Time Recording, one of the subsidiaries, published a magazine for employees and customers, named Time, which, in 1935, IBM would rename to THINK. IBM continues to use the slogan. THINK is also an IBM trademark; IBM named its laptop computers ThinkPads and named a line of business-oriented desktop computers ThinkCentre.

Today, many Americans do not think but feel about the issues that confront us or for the politicians that we cast our votes. Many (if not most) of today's political debates and election campaigns are about feelings. But feelings do not make for good policy. Facts, intelligence, "Reasoning", and "Rationality" should be utilized to create policy and elect candidates, with feelings being used as a supplement to thinking. The difference is that feelings are emotionally based, while thinking is reason base, and emotions are easy, while thinking is hard.

Many times, in thinking about something, we often only consider the issue at hand and often do not consider the wider or deeper issues that result from our concluding thoughts on an issue. We also often do not rethink an issue but resort to our previous thoughts about an issue, which were not wider or deeper thoughts to begin with. Consequently, it is important that we think through an issue and consider the wider and deeper impacts of our concluding thoughts on an issue.

In all of this, I am reminded of a scene from the movie Inherit the Wind (1960), in which the defense attorney, Drummond, is questioning the witness Brady about his thoughts on a topic:

DRUMMOND What do you think? BRADY (Floundering) I do not think about things that . . . I do not think about! DRUMMOND Do you ever think about things that you do think about?

We, therefore, need to think thoroughly about things that we think about before we reach our concluding thoughts, and these concluding thoughts need to be reasoned based for them to be rational and prudent.

Always remember that the only good way to create public policy is through an open and honest discussion of the issues based on facts, intelligence, and reasoning, and such discussions should be conducted with proper "Dialog & Debate". All sides of an issue should be heard and debated to ensure that the best public policy is implemented. To do so otherwise often creates more problems than it solves. Doing so also reduces the “The Law of Unintended Consequences”, as discussed in another article of mine.

Therefore, when you think, you should always think thoroughly. Otherwise, your thoughts will lead you astray, and you will reach an improper conclusion.

01/13/23 How's that "Build Back Better" Fiscal Policy Agenda Working?

Spencer Brown’s new article, “Build Back Broker: Wall Street Loses $18T in Worst Year for Stocks Since 2008”, reveals how truly dreadful the economy of 2022 was:

“From the beginning of 2022 until now, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than eight percent. The S&P 500 lost nearly 20 percent over the year. Since January, the Nasdaq ended things down more than 33 percent. That puts all three indices at their worst year-end since 2008.”

All Americans should read this article and weep about how destructive the Biden Administration's fiscal policies were for our economy. They should also be ashamed of their voting in the last election for the Democrat candidates that supported the Biden Administrations' fiscal policies. The question then becomes, as Mr. Brown put it:

“Say, how's that "build back better" policy agenda working?”

I think that all intelligent, rational, and reasonable persons can agree it is not working out well for the American economy and, thus, not working out well for the American people. Much of this is because the Biden Administration is staffed by unmeritorious leadership, as I have written in my Chirp on “01/01/23 Absolutist, Despotic, and Unmeritorious Leadership. Their absolutist and despotic approach to government, as I have examined in the aforementioned Chirp, does not allow them to recognize nor correct their destructive fiscal policies that have so negatively impacted our economy.

So, I would warn the American people to ‘buckle up’ and be prepared for a bumpy economy, as we can expect more negative impacts on our economy for the next few years. Only by a sweeping out of power the Democrats in Congress and the White House can we right our economic course and install sanity to our fiscal policies.

01/12/23 The Right Stuff

Governor Ron DeSantis delivered his second inaugural address on January 3, 2023, from the steps of the Florida Historic Capitol in Tallahassee. In his address to Floridians, Governor DeSantis highlighted the progress that Florida has made to improve the lives of its residents as a result of his administration priorities, including guaranteeing access to high-quality education, creating a robust economy that continues to grow faster than the nation’s, providing access to resources for those recovering from hurricanes, and investing record funding into the Everglades and Florida’s critical water resources. In concluding his speech, Governor DeSantis reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring his state remains the Free State of Florida and set priorities for his second term in office. The full transcript of his second inaugural address is at the webpage “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Second Inaugural Address”.

Many of you know that I enjoy and appreciate a great speech that espouses our "American Ideals and Ideas". This is such a speech! It is a speech that demonstrates that Ron DeSantis has the right stuff to be President of the United States. I, therefore, even at this early stage, support the candidacy of Ron DeSantis for President of the United States in 2024.

01/11/23 Biden’s Classified Information SNAFU

With the recent revelation that Joe Biden had classified information in his personal possession at the end and after he was Vice-President, the comparisons to Donald Trump having classified information in his personal possession at the end and after he was President are inevitable. It is also inevitable that the defenses, excuses, and rationalizations for Joe Biden’s actions by the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, along with the Mainstream Media, were almost immediate. And, as usual, these defenses, excuses, and rationalizations are based on the ignorance of the law regarding the handling of classified information.

Whenever you hear someone speaking about classified information or the handling of classified information, you should always keep in mind that those who know what they are talking about rarely talk, and those who talk rarely know what they are talking about. This is because until you have worked in a classified environment, it is impossible to understand the intricacies of the handling of classified information. I know this for a fact, as I am one of those people who rarely talk, as I spent almost ten years in a classified job and handled thousands of pieces of classified information.

In my article on “Classified Information”, I provided an explanation of the handling of classified information. I did so for the purpose of providing a foundation for understanding the handling of classified information to those not initiated into the world of classified information. This article should provide you with sufficient knowledge to ascertain the veracity of what others are saying when discussing possible breaches in the handling of classified information.

In the case of President Trump's possible mishandling of classified information, there is sufficient reasoning to believe that there was no breach in the handling of classified information for, as the President and only the President, has unlimited authority to classify and declassify information and retain Presidential records under the Presidential Records Act (PRA) of 1978. The majority ruling in the 1988 Supreme Court case Department of Navy vs. Egan states, "The President, after all, is the 'Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States'" according to Article II of the Constitution, the court's majority wrote. "His authority to classify and control access to information bearing on national security ... flows primarily from this constitutional investment of power in the President, and exists quite apart from any explicit congressional grant." Steven Aftergood, director of the Federation of American Scientists Project on Government Secrecy, said that such authority gives the president the authority to "classify and declassify at will." In fact, Robert F. Turner, associate director of the University of Virginia's Center for National Security Law, said that "if Congress were to enact a statute seeking to limit the president's authority to classify or declassify national security information, or to prohibit him from sharing certain kinds of information with Russia, it would raise serious separation of powers constitutional issues."

As Joe Biden was Vice-President at the time of his alleged mishandling of classified information, he had no power nor authority to "classify and declassify at will." A President may not delegate this authority to classify and declassify at will to any other person, as this power and authority only exist in the President himself as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States. Consequently, Joe Biden, as Vice-President, had no power or authority to declassify any classified information in his possession.

Therefore, Joe Biden, when he was Vice-President and until he became President, breached the handling of classified information when he removed it from a secure location, transported it to another location through unsecured means, and stored it in an unsecured location. In this, he committed a criminal action under the laws of the United States regarding the handling of classified information.

Whether he can be prosecuted for these criminal actions while he is President is an unresolved constitutional question. He can, however, be charged with criminal actions while President, with these charges being held in abeyance until after he leaves the Presidency. He also has the power to pardon these offenses by himself while he is President. Such a pardon would provoke a constitutional crisis, as it would allow a President to commit crimes and abuse their powers with no recourse under the law. We could then have a runaway presidency, in which a President would be free to undertake any actions without fear of future legal repercussions to themselves.

If no action is taken against Joe Biden’s breach in the handling of classified information, and continued action is taken against Donald Trump for his alleged breach in the handling of classified information, it raises the question of Equal Justice under the Law and bespeaks of The Weaponization of Government under the Biden Administration.

This is another good example of the mess that President Biden has made for himself and America. But then again, as President Obama has stated, “don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to f**k things up”. This is another in a long list of things that President Biden has “f**k things up” in America, and we can only hope that we will sufficiently survive his administration until a worthy Republican is elected President to straighten things out.

01/10/23 Biden’s Personal Lies

GOP Representative-Elect George Santos' life just got even more interesting on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, when prosecutors on Long Island announced that they were investigating the Republican after he confirmed allegations that he lied about his credentials and past employment. One wonders if these same prosecutors will be investigating Joe Biden for his lies about his credentials and past employment. To wit, some of Joe Biden’s personal lies are:

• Arrested in civil rights march
• Arrested meeting Mandela
• Attended Delaware State University (a Historically Black College or University)
• Attended Temple services on a Sunday
• Called Milosevic a “war criminal” to his face
• Comes from a family of coal miners
• Criticized George W. Bush to his face
• Dead Amtrak worker awarded him for riding 1.8 million miles
• Drunk driver killed his wife & daughter
• Graduated with 3 degrees
• Had a job at a timber company
• Hiked the Himalayas with President Xi of China
• His dad was an early gay marriage advocate
• His helicopter in Afghanistan was “forced down”
• His uncle won a Purple Heart
• Hit a 368’ homer in a baseball game
• Met Parkland families as Vice President
• No knowledge of Hunter's foreign business dealings
• Not “the big guy”
• The oil industry somehow gave him cancer
• Once a truck driver
• Overheard mass shooting
• Participated in sit-ins during the civil rights movement
• Pinned medal on a Navy captain who was just a kid
• Raised in a Puerto Rican community
• Received full-ride scholarship
• Son killed in Iraq
• Spoke to the inventor of insulin (despite his not being born yet)
• Star football player
• Survived a fire
• Top of his class in college
• Turned down an offer from the Naval Academy
• Was once a coal miner
• Was shot at in Iraq
• Won a fight against a drug dealer named Cornpop
• Worked as a college professor
• Worked as a lifeguard

The retractions, corrections, and clarifications that his supporters make for these lies are of little consequence, as the only thing that matters is the actual words he spoke, for they reveal the true character of Joe Biden. He also has a tendency to repeat these lies even after the truth has been revealed, which is an even greater revelation of his true character and the character of the people who would support his lies.

The personal aggrandization lies by George Santos and Joe Biden are not exaggerations nor embellishments, but outright lies that bespeak of character flaws that make a person unfit for leadership of a Liberty and Freedom-loving people. Facts and truths are necessary for the American people to make a judgment about the leadership characteristics and moral character of a candidate for whom they should vote in elections. Indeed, anyone who propagates personal lies about themselves does not wish to be a leader but to be a ruler, as I have written in my Article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

As writer Jonah Goldberg tweeted, "I think Santos is a total embarrassment and has no place in public life. But a lot of folks on this site dinging him seem to have forgotten how much both the current president and his predecessor ‘embellished’ about their accomplishments”, a sentiment with which I agree. The question is, what can we do about those persons who lied to get elected? Removing them from office is to negate the will of the electorate who voted for them, and deciding what lies are worthy of removal is a task that is beyond the wisdom of most people. The best we can hope for is that a sense of shame will lead them to resign from their office. Alas, a sense of shame does not seem to be present in many Americans, especially politicians. Therefore, as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Louis D. Brandeis stated, “Sunshine is the greatest disinfectant”, and the revelations of these lies will lead voters to not elect these shameful politicians in the next election. Unfortunately, today’s "Mainstream Media" has little interest in reporting the character flows of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, but much interest in reporting the character flaws of Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives. This bias in reporting skewers the elections to their preferred (Democrat and Progressive) candidates, which makes it difficult for the electorate to determine the character flaws of all candidates.

The hypocrisy of politicians who point out the beam in the eyes of their opponents without recognizing the mote in the eyes of their supporters is also shameful. The bitter partisanship that exists in America today will not allow them to do the right thing as it could cause a diminishment of their power, which bespeaks of power being the prime factor in their motivations. An attitude that is indicative of their belief that what is best for their party is best for America rather than an attitude of what is best for America is best for their party.

Therefore, as I have spoken in my Chirp on “12/18/22 Legislating Virtue”, Character, Morality, Virtue, and Religion are essential for Americans to retain and practice our "American Ideals and Ideas" and "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" to persevere. Consequently, there should be more public discussion and education on the meaning and importance of Character, Morality, Virtue, and Religion in governmental affairs and the insistence that all elected and public officials be of good character and practice Virtue in the conduct of their public duties. This also requires that the American electorate should insist on these traits for whomever they would cast their ballots for.

01/09/23 Disqualify Them All

The recent revelations that the FBI, the Justice Department, and possibly the members of the Intelligence Service were involved in the censuring of Twitter users require drastic actions to remedy this assault on our Constitutional Right to free speech. There are also allegations, with some veracity, that the government was also involved with other Social Media companies in the censuring of their users. Congress must thoroughly investigate the facts of this matter, and if they are true, then these governmental actions are a violation of our Constitutional Rights.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the government may not solicit nor be involved in any private party’s actions in the exercise of any Constitutional Rights of a person (i.e., the legal doctrine that private entities cannot do for the government that which it cannot legally do for itself). As such, the recent revelations that the government and Twitter cooperated with each other in restricting Twitter users' Free Speech rights is an assault on our Constitutional Rights by these government actors. All government actors have an affirmative duty to ensure that the Constitutional Rights of a person are protected and that any infringement of these rights is subject to criminal and civil prosecutions of the offenders for the violations of these rights.

It is also necessary that those governmental persons involved in this censorship be removed from office, as they have violated their Oath of Office to “… preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States” by their violations of our Constitutional Rights. Not only should they be removed from office, but they must incur the “disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States” and have their pensions and benefits revoked as a warning to other government employees to not engage in unconstitutional actions.

The defense that they were merely “following orders” of their superiors is no defense, as no order to violate our Constitution Rights has any legal merit. They should have refused to obey these orders and resigned if necessary, or at the very minimum, they should have reported these orders to the proper Congressional oversight committees. Unfortunately, these violations of our Constitutional Rights were ordained by some of the highest Executive Officers who would be responsible for prosecuting or removing these governmental employees who violated our Constitutional Rights. The principle of natural justice, “Nemo judex in causa sua” (or “Nemo judex in sua causa”) (which, in Latin, literally means "no one is judge in his own cause"), is that no person can judge a case in which they have an interest. In many jurisdictions, the rule is very strictly applied to any appearance of a possible bias, even if there was no bias (i.e., "Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done"). Therefore, the highest Executive Officers involved in this censoring cannot be allowed to adjudge their own involvement. Consequently, they, themselves, should not be involved in the determination of the possible violations of our Constitutional Rights, and they must also be removed and disqualified from future office for any participation they had in these offenses to our Constitutional Rights.

Alas, the only means to accomplish this removal and disqualification is for the House of Representatives to impeach these persons and for the Senate to convict and remove and disqualify them from office. Given the bitter partisanship of Congress and the partisanship of their violations of our Constitutional Rights, I do not expect this to happen. Consequently, we have an Executive Branch that thinks it can violate our Constitutional Rights with impunity.

It is a sad state of affairs in America when our leadership in the Legislative and the Executive Branches cannot fulfill their duties and obligations of office to “… preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States”. We, therefore, as Americans, must remember the wisdom of the Declaration of Independence, which states:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

If the Legislative and the Executive Branches of our government cannot preserve our rights, then we, as Americans, have the moral duty to alter or abolish the government to reinstitute our Constitutional Rights. Let us hope that it does not come to this, but let us also prepare ourselves for this to happen if our Constitutional Rights continue to be violated by our government.

01/08/23 The Coup

In a new article by Victor Davis Hanson, “The Coup We Never Knew”, he bemoans that many of the recent changes that we have seen in America have occurred without the proper democratic authorizations. He asks a very important question; “Did someone or something seize control of the United States?” He then goes on to list the significant changes that have occurred in the last several years in America that have occurred without any discussions, debates, or democratic authorizations. As Mr. Hanson finished his inventory of wrongs, he stated that “We are beginning to wake up from a nightmare of a country we no longer recognize, and from a coup, we never knew.”

The quantity and rapidity of these changes have overwhelmed the ability for Judicial review of the constitutionality of these changes. Much of these changes have been accomplished by the Executive branches at all levels of government, as well as by lower levels of executive authorities. It has also become all too common for those that are responsible for enforcing the laws to ignore, disregard, or convolute those laws they do not agree with or dislike. Much of this has occurred because of supine Legislative branches unable or unwilling to challenge these changes or that they are in agreement with these changes but do not wish to institute these changes through the normal legislative processes, as they are uncertain if the electorate would agree with these changes. These changes that occur without democratic authorizations are much more of an insurrection than the January 06, 2020 “Insurrection” was, and they are coming from within the government and by elected officials. They are most certainly in violation of their Oath of Office to “Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution of the United States”, as change without the normal legislative process is an assault on our Constitution.

Much of this change comes from Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, and it is the ultimate example of them believing that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and that their policies are what is best for all Americans. As such, they believe that they can implement these policies without undergoing the normal legislative process of change as it is for the best for all Americans. In this, they are guilty of hubris, as they assume that the changes they institute are always for the good without examining the possible problems of the change, as I have written in my Article, "Change and/or New".

They are also (rightfully) concerned that if these changes undergo the scrutiny of the normal legislative process, they may not be able to achieve their goals, as the American people may not accept these changes after they are scrutinized. Their attitude also bespeaks of a disposition to rule rather than lead, as I have written in my Article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders". A rulership that often requires the imposition of despotism to achieve its agenda and goals. It also bespeaks of their lack of faith in the democratic process, as they wish to avoid the democratic process to achieve their political agendas and policy goals.

As a result, all these changes and attitudes have deleteriously impacted American society and detrimentally impacted our Liberties and Freedoms. This is not the way that a Democratic-Republic functions, nor is it the implementation of the Rule of Law in society. Indeed, it is the Rule of Man rather than the Rule of Law. Such Rule of Man is the antithesis to our "American Ideals and Ideas", and if it continues, it portends the end of our American experiment of self-governance and “government of the people, by the people, for the people”.

01/07/23 The Beginning of the End of the Oligarchy

With the election of Rep. Kevin McCarthy as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the beginning of the end to the Congressional Oligarchy has started. But it is only the beginning of the end, and more work remains to be done to ensure that the Congressional Oligarchy does not regain control. The changes wrought by the Republican dissidents need to be expanded and propagated throughout the functioning of the House of Representatives to ensure that Democracy, rather than Oligarchy, is the normal process within the House.

Those that bemoaned the ‘fractiousness’, the ‘unruliness’, the ‘discord’, the ‘disunity’, the ‘debacle’, and the other adjectives that were utilized to describe this dissidence and rebelliousness were the supporters of the Oligarchy and, as such, they were bemoaning Democracy. They are those that wish to be rulers rather than leaders in the House of Representatives, as I have explained in my Article, "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders". We should all be wary of these Congresspersons, as they may not have fully accepted the end of the Congressional Oligarchy, and they may seek to reinstitute it. Such reinstitution should not be allowed to happen, even in the smallest part, as in Congress, the small often grows into the large, especially when power is involved.

Therefore, let us continue down this path to more Democracy in the House of Representatives, and let us next elect a Senate that will also end their Oligarchy, which would then reinstitute the Democratic process throughout Congress. Such a reinstitution of the Democratic process throughout Congress is necessary if we are to retain our "American Ideals and Ideas", which are essential to the preservation of our Liberties and Freedoms.

01/06/23 A Bitter Partisanship

During the American Revolution, John Adams, one of the leading proponents of the Declaration of Independence, a founder of the Constitution, and the second President of the United States, commented about our divisions. When asked how many of the colonists supported the American Revolution, he stated that about one-third supported it, one-third opposed it, and one-third had no opinion on it. Clearly, not a majority in support of the American Revolution. These same divisions could be said for the American people's sympathizes about slavery and the Civil War and their sentiments prior to our entrance into World War II. This could also be said of the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement, as it was a minority effort that finally convinced most Americans as to the rightness of their cause.

Should we not have fought the American Revolution, the Civil War, entered World War II, or brought about Civil Rights as they did not have majority support? Absolutely not – as revolutions, wars, and human rights movements are often initiated by a minority that feels oppressed by the majority.

Today, in America, we are involved in a struggle for the soul of our nation. The forces of the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are committed to fundamentally transforming America into their vision of a utopian nation, while the Conservatives and (some) Republican Party Leaders are committed to our founding American Ideals and Ideas, as I have examined in my article, "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution". This struggle cannot engender compromises as each vision have diametric foundations. We can be one or the other, but it is not possible to be both or a mixture, as these foundations conflict with each other.

Therefore, until this dichotomy is resolved, we can expect more bitter partisanship in America. A bitter partisanship that has contributed to the path of destruction that we are on, as I have discussed in my Chirp on “01/02/23 Tyranny and A Little Rebellion”.

01/05/23 The Messiness of Democracy

Democracy can be messy at times, and it should be messy at times! Democracy allows for the Natural Rights of freedom of thought and speech, religious freedoms, press freedoms, for people to peaceably assemble, and for the people to petition their government, which are all messy. Without Democracy, we become a people that are ruled rather than led. A rule that is instituted by either authoritarianism, autarchy, despotism, dictatorialness, monarchy, oligarchy, totalitarianism, or tyranny.

The finest example of this messiness is in the current election for the Speaker of the House of Representatives. While the Republicans have nominal control of the House (222 to 212, with 1 vacant seat), they are not in control of their own caucus. A group of dissentient House Republicans, unsatisfied with the proposed leadership, have blocked the election of Rep. Kevin McCarthy to be Speaker of the House. Their dissent is that in these troubled times, the American people require strong, effective leadership to counter the Democrat Party Leaders, the Biden Administration, and Progressives/Leftists from advancing their agenda.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy has long been an accommodator and broker of deals with the Democrats to marginally advance the Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders agenda. He has also been skilled in playing the game of political jockeying to obtain power and control over the Republican caucus. The dissentient House Republicans believe that it is time to vigorously fight back against Democrat Party Leaders and the Biden Administration to right the course of America. These dissentient House Republicans do not believe that Kevin McCarthy is the proper person to lead this fight, as he is the ultimate representation of the oligarchic structure of Congress, as I have written in my Chirps that I coalesced into my article “Congressional Oligarchy”.

The arguments in favor of Kevin McCarthy are all about process and power in the House of Representatives. If someone has the power to control the process, then they have control over the activities of the House. They get to decide what and what not, when if whenever, who and who not, and other decisions as to the processes in the House. These decisions are rarely democratic (as could be seen by Speaker Pelosi’s autocratic rule), and they often are parochial and self-centered, and sometimes egocentric. We elect our Congresspersons to lead and not to follow, and all our Congresspersons should be leaders in Congress and not followers. As such, they should all be involved in the process and decision-making of what occurs in the House. This is not currently how the House works, as the Congressional Oligarchy controls the functioning of the House processes.

The dissentient House Republicans’ fight, therefore, is a fight against the Congressional Oligarchy. This is a fight that needs to be won if we are to replace this Oligarchy with Democracy. This is and will be a messy fight. Do not let the messiness distract you nor sap your will to engage in this fight, as the goal is to reinstitute democracy in the House of Representatives. A goal that is worthy of a messy fight! They are fighting for the will of the electorate to be democratically represented in the functioning of Congress rather than the will of the oligarchy to rule in Congress.

01/04/23 Tyranny of the Majority or the Minority

Many of the objections to what I have Chipped and written about in my articles on governmental actions is that these actions are what most Americans support. However, our Constitution was not only for the purposes of a majoritarian rule but even more so for the purpose of the protection of minority rights, and especially for the preservation of our “American Ideals and Ideas” and the “Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All”. Consequently, majoritarian nor minoritarian rule is never acceptable if it contravenes the “Natural, Human, and Civil Rights” of majorities or minorities under our Constitution.

This is an essential principle that many of us have forgotten or never knew that is a foundation for “A Just Government and a Just Society” and “A Civil Society”. The violation of this principle is especially harmful when politicians and activists have forgotten or never knew this essential principle. Many times, they know this principle, but in their quest to achieve a social policy or to accrue more power unto themselves, they ignore or discard this principle of minority rights. Sometimes, these politicians and activists are in the minority but utilize their political clout to impose their minority views upon the majority. These two concepts are known as the Tyranny of the Minority and the Tyranny of the Majority. Neither tyranny is acceptable under our Constitution, as it is tyranny, no matter if it comes from the majority or the minority.

In our rush to solve (perceived) problems, we often institute change or new for what we believe is for the better, and often this is accomplished through the utilization of the Tyranny of the Minority or the Tyranny of the Majority. In my recently updated Article, “Change and/or New”, I point out that calls for change or new rings throughout the land, but we must be cautious about change and new as it often can have negative impacts and consequences to our Liberties and Freedoms and our Natural Rights.

The tyranny of the Majority or of the Minority often leads to ill-fated consequences and is often accompanied by an assault on our Liberties and Freedoms, or our Natural Rights. Consequently, we run the risk of gliding down the slippery slope to the diminution of our Natural Rights and/or the subsequent loss of our Liberties and Freedoms whenever either of these tyrannies prevails.

01/03/23 Elections and Other Government Corruption Instituted

As Rob Natelson writes in his article, “Congress’s new attack on democracy & the Constitution”, the latest Omnibus spending bill of 2022 is an assault upon our Constitution:

“Lying deep within Congress’s inflated and inflationary 4,155-page spending package is an attack on both democracy and the Constitution. Congress calls this nasty piece of work the “Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022.”

The mainstream media would have you believe this measure merely updates an archaic law and forestalls another Jan. 6-style Capitol riot. They are misleading you.

In fact, this measure cripples state lawmakers’ ability to address defective presidential elections. It also tries to re-write the Constitution. The “Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act” will foster confusion, injustice, lawsuits, and corruption—or all four.”

This is not the only assault upon our Constitution contained within this bill. This bill contains numerous measures that infringe upon the Liberties and Freedoms of Americans, most especially on our Bill of Rights amendments. It also allocates spending on pork barrel programs, as well as earmark spending on financial grants that are not within the federal government's enumerated powers under the Constitution. As such, this is an accrual of federal powers and spending not granted by the Constitution.

So, it has been for all the Omnibus Spending Bills that have passed Congress in the last several decades. This procedure is a means for the Federal Government to accomplish spending and policy initiatives that would not pass under the light of the day of normal Congressional legislative procedures. As U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Louis D. Brandeis stated, “Sunshine is the greatest disinfectant” this procedure gives no opportunity for critics to challenge and disinfect these items, as they are packed into a very large bill that is then rushed to a passage and cannot be disinfected by opponents due to volume and time constraints. This is all done under the threat of a government shutdown if the Omnibus Spending Bills are not passed. This is another example of politicians stoking fear to accomplish what they could not achieve under the light of day. To this, I would say if Congress cannot operate under normal legislative procedures to meet its duties and responsibilities, then a government shutdown may be for the best to force them to do their job properly.

These assaults on our Constitution under the Omnibus Spending Bills are a threat to our Liberties and Freedoms, and so it is necessary to end Omnibus spending bills to retain our Constitutional Rights and restrict Congress to the enumerated powers of the Constitution. This, along with the Oligarchy the Congress has instituted, as I have Article on “Congressional Oligarchy”, is another reason that Congress must be reformed or replaced, as I have written in my Chirp on “01/02/23 Tyranny and A Little Rebellion”.

As I have written in my aforementioned Article on the Congressional Oligarchy, in Oliver Cromwell’s speech to the Rump Parliament of April 20, 1653, he had some choice words about the current state of Parliament:

“Ye are a factious crew, and enemies of all good government…Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there not one vice you do not possess?...Ye have no more religion than my horse. Gold is your God…Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation. You [who] were deputed here by the people to get grievances redressed are yourselves become the greatest grievance…Go, get you out! Make haste! Ye venal slaves, be gone!...In the name of God, go!”

If Cromwell were here today to speak the same words to our Congress, which has become everything he said about the rump Parliament and worse, as every word he spoke also rings true about the Congress of the United States. I, therefore, say to Congress that if they do not end their Oligarchy and the Omnibus Spending Bills, then “In the name of God, go!” and end your plague upon America.

01/02/23 Tyranny and A Little Rebellion

As the Founding Fathers were departing the Pennsylvania State House at the close of the Constitutional Convention, one of the bystanders shouted a question to Benjamin Franklin:

Bystander - ‘Well, Doctor, what have we got - a Republic or a Monarchy?’ Franklin - ‘A Republic, if you can keep it.’

Thomas Jefferson, the author of The Declaration of Independence, remarked:

“Experience has shown, that even under the best forms of government those entrusted with power have, in time and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.”   - Thomas Jefferson

On Jan. 27, 1838, Abraham Lincoln spoke before the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, about “The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions.” During that address, he said:

“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” - Abraham Lincoln

The events of the last two years in America under the Biden Administration have given truth to these statements. For we have not kept our republic, we are being perverted into tyranny, and it is by suicide that we are accomplishing our end. It is by a long list of abuses, corruptions, incompetencies, dissemblings, mendaciousness, and despotism by our leaders that we have quickly advanced down the road to our destruction. Our economy is faltering, wanton crime is commonplace, our social fabric is being ripped apart, licentiousness is de rigueur, and our belief in ourselves as a people dedicated to Liberty and Freedom, Natural Rights, and the Rule of Law has dissipated. All of this has been exacerbated by the diminishment of faith, family, and community in our society.

All is not lost, but it can easily be lost if we do not recognize the path of destruction that we are on and take corrective actions. Another great awakening of the American people to our founding principles is required to avert this destruction. Who will be the Thomas Paine to raise the Common Sense amongst us that will shake us up from our slumber and force a great awakening? I fear that no one person can do this, but that a new group of founding fathers will be needed to raise the trumpet call of action to a rebirth of Liberty and Freedom, Natural Rights, and the Rule of Law in America.

I am deeply concerned that given the pervasiveness and entrenchment of these forces of destruction in our society, it may not be possible to dislodge them through normal political processes. Too much of our self-interest is bounded into government largess and governmental actions to easily break these chains of government. But, like Marley’s ghost in Dicken’s Christmas Carol, we wear the chains we forged in life, we made them link by link and yard by yard; and we girded them on of our own free will, and of our own free will we wore them. We must, therefore, of our own free will, break free from these chains of government, and regain our founding principles.

The lack of a proper civics education of most Americans makes this task of dislodgement more difficult. We are also in a race with time, as by the time the American people awake from their slumber, it may be too late to take normal corrective actions. Consequently, it may be necessary for those Americans that are cognizant of the seriousness of these problems to take corrective actions outside the scope of the normal political processes. We should all be wary of doing so, as these abnormal political processes could endanger our Liberties and Freedoms, but our Liberties and Freedoms are already endangered by our current path of destruction.

However, if it becomes necessary to take these abnormal corrective actions, I can take comfort in the words of wisdom of the author of The Declaration of Independence:

“I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical.”   - Thomas Jefferson

01/01/23 Absolutist, Despotic, and Unmeritorious Leadership

America was founded on the principles of detestation of absolutism—the principle of complete and unrestricted power in government, abhorrence to despotism—dominance through threat of punishment and violence, and of the advantages of meritocracy—the belief that leaders should be chosen for their superior abilities and not because of their wealth, birth, or identity. Today, however, these principles seem to no longer apply, especially in the Biden Administration.

Executive orders that contravene or negate laws passed by Congress, regulations that intrude on the Liberties and Freedoms of Americans, Consent Decrees as a means to implement policies not authorized by Congress, and the involvement of government in actions that contradict our Constitutional Rights of Free Speech, Freedom of Assembly, a Free Press, Religious Freedoms, and our Right to Keep and Bear Arms are commonplace in the Biden Administration. These actions bespeak of an attitude of absolutism in the Biden Administration, and the attempts of the Biden Administration to demonize their opponents or to intimidate or coerce their opponents to restrict their words and deeds bespeak of despotism. Their intolerance to any and all opinions and actions that they do not concur with, along with their condonation of the words and deeds of their supporters, is another form of absolutism.

Their appointment of Executive Officers based on Identity Politics (most especially race and sexual orientation), Political Correctness, Wokeness, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), without their having the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform their duties, is a slap on the face of meritocracy. Meritocracy in government is more than knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform their duties; it is also a knowledge and commitment to our American Ideals and Ideas. Especially harmful are those Executive Officers that do not have this understanding nor a commitment to our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. This lack of meritocracy is another way to institute absolutism and despotism, as without meritocracy, the people in positions of power will accede to the impulses and capriciousness of absolutism and despotism.

Therefore, the Biden Administration is in sharp contrast to the character and purpose of the founding of America and is an assault on our Constitution. The actions of the Biden Administration start at the top, as President Biden has exhibited an absolutist and despotic nature, as well as his lack of meritoriousness leadership. If their actions continue unabated, then our Constitution is nothing but a semblance of a Democratic-Republic, but a cover for Absolutist, Despotic, and Unmeritorious Leadership.

12/31/22 In the Name of God, Go!

In Oliver Cromwell’s speech to the Rump Parliament of April 20, 1653, he had some choice words about the current state of Parliament:

“Ye are a factious crew, and enemies of all good government…Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there not one vice you do not possess?...Ye have no more religion than my horse. Gold is your God…Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation. You [who] were deputed here by the people to get grievances redressed are yourselves become the greatest grievance…Go, get you out! Make haste! Ye venal slaves, be gone!...In the name of God, go!”

If Cromwell were here today to speak the same words to our Congress, which has become everything he said about the rump Parliament and worse, as every word he spoke also rings true about the Congress of the United States.

In the past several Chirps have dealt with the oligarchy that now exists within Congress and the negative impacts upon our society by the institution of this oligarchy. Not only is this oligarchy antithetical to what our Founding Fathers envisioned for the role of Congress—as a voice for all the American people that can be heard and acted upon—but it has been detrimental to our society. It is, therefore, time to put an end this oligarchy.

However, ending this oligarchy is easier said than done. This oligarchy is an entrenched power that will not easily relinquish power. This oligarchy has not only corrupted the role of Congress, but it has corrupted the members of Congress. A corruption that permeates not only the upper levels of the oligarchy but also the lower levels of the oligarchy who support the upper levels of this oligarchy.

The easiest means to end this oligarchy is for the lower levels of the oligarchy to no longer elect the upper levels of the oligarchy. This is unlikely to happen as the lower levels of the oligarchy are often jockeying to become the upper levels of the oligarchy. Another means is for the voters of the upper levels of the oligarchy to not reelect these upper-level oligarchs to Congress. This is also unlikely to happen, as the upper-level oligarchs deliver the pork to their electorate in exchange for their votes. The best means to end this oligarchy is for the American electorate to become aware of the importance of Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue in electing our leaders, as I have Chirped on “12/18/22 Legislating Virtue”, and vote for virtuous candidates who will end this oligarchy. Alas, the state of civic education in America is so poor that most Americans do not understand the importance of Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue, which are essential for our “American Ideals and Ideas” and our “Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All” to persevere.

History has shown that when an oligarchy becomes entrenched, it is almost impossible to dislodge. Usually, this dislodging is a result of the collapse of a society or a dislodging by a dictatorial or tyrannical leadership. This is best exemplified by the collapse of the Greek City-States and the Roman Republic, although it has happened to many other societies throughout history.

Let us hope that the American people become aware of this Congressional Oligarchy and understand the dangers of a Congressional Oligarchy. Let us also hope that they will be resilient enough to insist on the end of this oligarchy without a societal collapse or a replacement of the oligarchy by dictatorial or tyrannical leadership. I would also say to the oligarchy in Congress, ‘In the Name of God, Go!’ before ye do more harm to America.

12/30/22 Tasks, Processes, and Systems

Many Americans focus on the task of doing their jobs, which is part of a process within their place of employment, while the many processes within the business are part of the system that a company operates to achieve its goals. It is, therefore, proper to generalize that a multiple of individual coordinated tasks is a process, while multiple coordinated processes make up a system. So, it is within all systems in our universe—both natural systems and manmade systems. Therefore, a change, failure, or destruction of a task impacts the function of the process, which then impacts the viability of the system.

We have all heard the statement ‘ignoring the forest by focusing on the trees’, while giving little thought to its deeper meaning of not considering the Tasks, Processes, and Systems impacts of proposed changes or eliminations. Whenever someone proposes any change or elimination of a task or process, it will impact the system, and any changes or eliminations of tasks or processes often have negative and unintended consequences (as per my article "The Law of Unintended Consequences") on the system if you do not consider all the impacts of the changes or eliminations.

This lack of consideration of the impacts of changes to the Tasks and Processes on the impacts to the System is prevalent in Activists and Activism, Progressives/Leftists, and Democrat Party Leaders for the changes that they often propose. In their zeal to improve the world as they see necessary, they have not considered the negative and unintended consequences of their proposals on the Tasks, Processes, and Systems.

This lack of consideration of the impacts often occurs by not understanding our modern technological world, as I have written in my Article, "The Basis of Our Modern Technological World". It is also a lack of understanding of The Four E’s that are essential to understanding the total costs and impacts of any engineered system developed by humanity, as I have written in my Article, "The Four E’s (Energy, Economic, End-To-End, and Environmental)".

Activists and Activism, Progressives/Leftists, and Democrat Party Leaders often believe that they can change tasks and processes in America and that the impacts will be absorbed with only minor repercussions to the American system. This is a fatal flaw in their reasoning, as societal changes reverberate throughout society and often have negative repercussions on individuals, groups, and all Americans. These negative repercussions not only impact our society but often redounded to our economy in a negative manner.

One of the built-in features of our Constitution was to slow things down and provide for deliberative actions by the government, as our Founding Fathers understood that mob passions often led to bad laws and infringements on our Liberties and Freedoms.

Consequently, it is important for a deliberative examination of the impacts of changes and eliminations to the tasks and processes in America on the entire American system. We should, therefore, insist that our government deliberatively examine the impacts on the tasks, processes, and system for any actions that they propose. A rush to change without deliberative examination of these impacts gives truth to the saying, ‘Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread.’ Those that wish to institute change without deliberative examination of the Tasks, Processes, and System impacts are indeed fools, and we should pay no heed to fools as they endanger America and Americans.

12/29/22 They Like the Oligarchy

In my previous two Chirps, I lamented the rise of an oligarchy in Congress and the utilization of this oligarchy to ram important legislation through Congress. The question that many ask is why they perpetuate this oligarchy? The answer is—They Like It! It allows them to do things that many of the American people would object to by hiding these things within massive legislation that the lower-level members of the oligarchy and the American people cannot easily ferret out. By the time these things are discovered, the legislation has already passed, and it is very difficult for Congress to undo what they have done.

The things that they do often accrue power to themselves and the government at the expense of our “Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All”. After all, as it has been truthfully said, “The Bigger the Government, the Smaller the Citizen”. This oligarchy always passes legislation that increases the size and/or powers of government at the expense of the citizen. A size and power of the government that our Founding Fathers wished to rein in by limiting the government to enumerated powers. Enumerated powers that, over the last century, we have expanded by “Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning”, “Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors”,  “Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness”, and “The Perversion of the English Language”. This has been done with the tacit cooperation of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches of government to expand their powers.

Little thought by this oligarchy has been given to the consequences of increased governmental powers and the impacts on our society of a big government. It is assumed that big government will operate for the benefit of Americans without examining the negative impacts on society of a big government. Almost never does this oligarchy consider the full range of impacts of any changes and additions of governmental powers. This lack of consideration can be classified into the tasks, processes, and systems within the governance of society. My next Chirp, “12/30/22 Tasks, Processes, and Systems”, examines what Congress and the American people should consider in all proposed legislation. Without this consideration, it is not possible to determine the consequences (both intended and unintended) of proposed legislation and its impacts on society.

12/28/22 The Oligarchy Strikes Back

In my previous Chirp, I lamented the rise of an oligarchy in Congress. A perfect example of the operation of this Oligarchy is the last-minute passage of the 4,155-page, $1.7 trillion dollar 2022 omnibus spending bill. This bill, without Congressional crafting other than by the Oligarchy, is a monstrosity of spending that does not reflect the priorities of the American public, but it does illuminate the priorities of the Oligarchy. The impacts of this spending, both the intended and unintended consequences, were of little concern and no debate in Congress. It was a shameful act by the Oligarchy to impose their will upon the lower-level ranks of this Oligarchy and the American public in the passage of this bill.

This is not the way that our Founding Fathers meant Congress to operate—as a voice for all the American people that can be heard and acted upon. In addition to the massive spending in this bill, there was little concern for the taxpayers who would have to pay for this spending. Taxes will go up, deficits will increase, and debts will be incurred, and we can expect that increased inflation and a possible recession will be the result of this spending. What is not mentioned is the moral depravity of burdening future generations with paying off these debts (after all, how many of us borrow money to raise our families and then expect our children to pay off these debts when they grow up?). To claim that we will outgrow these debts by the future expansion of the economy is a baseless claim, given how over the last several decades, we have not paid off these debts but increased them.

This oligarchical management of Congress needs to end, and power returned to all the Congressional representatives of the people. A power that should be utilized to rein in spending and taxing, as well as to pay off our debts by the people who have incurred them. If this Oligarchy is not ended, then we can expect important future legislation to be rammed through Congress by this Oligarchy and future massive spending, taxes, and debts to occur that could result in economic calamity for America.

12/27/22 Congress as an Oligarchy

Oligarchy—a political system governed by a few people—has become the norm in Congress for both political parties. The Senate and the House leaders have established a reward system of powerful committee chairpersons or ranking members being allocated to those who support their leadership. This upper level of the oligarchy controls all that occurs in Congress. The upper levels of this oligarchy craft all legislation with minimal input from the lower levels, and strict conformity on voting by the lower level ranks of this oligarchy is required. Much Congressional legislation is crafted by this upper level, and much of this crafting is done in secret. The only bipartisanship that occurs within Congress is the bipartisanship of the upper levels of each party’s oligarchy cooperating with each other to ram legislation through Congress. It is rare for important legislation to have amendments introduced and debated on the Senate or House floor, and even rarer for this important legislation to be crafted in open committee hearings. There appear to be no middle levels to this oligarchy, as a middle level could pose a challenge to the power of the upper level. It is reminiscent of the Backbenchers of a Parliament who are expected to remain silent and vote for whatever the political leadership proposes, and in this Congress is operating as the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union operated.

All of this is antithetical to a Democrat-Republic form of government where the voice of the people through their elective Representatives and Senators is given equal weight. In doing this, they are muting the voices of the American people who elected Representatives and Senators to challenge the status quo and chart a different course for America. They have also accrued power unto themselves to do as they see fit, regardless of the voice of the American people. This is one of the reasons that Congress is held in such low esteem by the American public, as the American people do not feel that their voices are being heard in Congress. It also has the repercussion of the American people being uninformed about the legislation so passed and the alternative solutions and possible unintended consequences of the legislation so passed. An ill-informed electorate is thus unable to make intelligent choices as to whom they should vote for in an election, and it is easier to create a Herd Mentality in the electorate for the election or reelection of members of Congress that support this oligarchy.

Congress needs a management structure to operate, but this structure should not be an oligarchy. Power needs to be shared amongst all the representatives of the American people to ensure that all the voices of the American people are heard. Until this occurs, we have constricted our Democrat-Republic form of government to the few and most powerful leaders of Congress. It is time to get back to what our Founding Fathers envisioned for the role of Congress—as a voice for all the American people that can be heard and acted upon.

12/26/22 The Core Problems with Charities

Charitable giving and receiving is part of our Judeo-Christian heritage and is to be commended when it is truly charitable. In the Judeo-Christian heritage, charity was forthcoming from an individual or small groups of individuals to help their less fortunate neighbors that needed subsistence for their life’s necessities. Over the last century, charities have expanded to become a ‘big business’ to tackle the big problems of the needs and necessities of large groups of persons. As such, it is still charity if it focuses on the needs and necessities of the individuals in the group. Unfortunately, some big charities have focused more on their own needs and wants rather than their recipient's needs and wants or on societal issues rather than a person’s interests. As such, they have become more scams or "Activists and Activism" entities rather than charities. Charities that expend a significant portion of their donated monies on internal expenditures rather than their recipient's needs fall into this scam category, and these charities need to be publicly audited and prosecuted if they engage in these excessive internal expenditures. Fortunately, most charities in America are not engaged in these excessive internal expenditures and are truly charitable. Charities that focus on societal interests should not be considered Charitable Organizations as such but as Other Not-For-Profit Entities. You should, therefore, consider this distinction between a Charitable Organization and Other Not-For-Profit Entities before contributing to these organizations. True charities should focus on individual recipients, while other entities should be considered as activism, as true charities are person-to-person focused.

A bigger and not fully recognized problem with charities is those charities that offer a short-term solution to a problem that often stymie the long-term resolution of the problem. There is no malice involved within these charities, but only a lack of foresight on the negative repercussions of their charitable actions or of deep empathy for the suffering of those they wish to help. Many charities allow for the problems they address to continue, as many charities often foster a sense of dependency upon the charity to supply the subsistence needs of the recipients rather than making the recipients self-sufficient (i.e., “Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime”). Many of the problems that these charities address are the result of governments failing to correct the systemic problems within their societies. Sometimes this is deliberately done by an oppressive government that wishes to control its populations, other times, it is the corrupt actions of governments or leaders in these nations; and other times, it is done by a government that cannot recognize its own public policy failures that negatively impact their populations, and it is often a combination of these factors.

An excellent example of this is the poverty, hunger, and lack of medical resources in Africa. Africa is one of the most agriculturally fertile and natural resources rich continent on Earth. Yet it remains the most underdeveloped and impoverished continent on Earth. This is because the governments of the nations of Africa are either repressive, corrupt, or unwilling to make the necessary socioeconomic changes necessary to correct this situation. The charities that try to alleviate these problems in Africa are therefore perpetuating these problems by allowing the governments to ignore these socioeconomic problems and then rely on charities to ameliorate these problems within their nations.

Another example is charities that target impoverished groups of individuals within a nation for assistance. These impoverished groups of individuals are often the result of neglect or discrimination by a nation's government or their society. In providing charitable aid to these groups, it allows for the government or their society to continue this neglect or discrimination of these groups.

This raises the conundrum of whether we should continue this charitable aid for the persons of these nations or should we withhold charitable aid to force a change in governance or societal attitudes. Withholding charitable aid would result in much suffering by the persons so affected, but continuing charitable aid allows for the continuation of these problems by allowing governments and societies to ignore their systemic problems.

The ultimate solution to these systemic problems, as proven by history, is to establish a Democratic-Republic form of government, institute the Rule of Law, and foster a Capitalist economy that allows for these systemic problems to be corrected. Until this occurs within a nation, there is no hope, even with massive charitable aid, that the suffering of its people can ever be alleviated. It is also a Sisyphean effort by charitable organizations to alleviate this suffering in those nations that will not address their systemic problems.

12/25/22 Submission to Power

In an article by Mark Lewis, “Why Do Liberals Hate Trump So Much?”, he makes the point that the visceral hatred of Trump has a common basis with other visceral hatreds for other persons throughout history:

“Perhaps the best known (though certainly not the only) example of the same kind of bitter loathing is the rabbinical clique’s attitude toward Jesus. The scribes, Pharisees, and chief priests were the “elitists” in Palestine in Jesus’ day. They were the local “rulers” of the people, they controlled, they intimidated, they spoke for God, and the common people were expected to submit. They loved their power and the positions it gave them—the “Jerusalem Establishment.” Jesus, the outsider, represented a danger to all that. “The common people heard him gladly.” Abomination! Jesus constantly exposed the “establishment’s” failures and hypocrisies, and that drove them insane with venomous odium.

Thus, those religious leaders continually and viciously attacked him. They couldn’t answer his arguments, so they resorted to ad hominem assaults and name-calling, incessantly strove to destroy his reputation and belittle him and lower his esteem in the eyes of the people. He had to be removed. But being unsuccessful in their attempts, they sought help. They took him to the Romans (illegally in the middle of the night) and got him executed. For one reason, and one reason only.

Power.”

While in no way, shape, or form can you equate Trump to Jesus, the underlying emotional reason for the bitter loathing for both Trump and Jesus is the challenge they posed to the elitist’s powers. Just as Jesus challenged the power of the Jewish elitists, so has Trump challenged the power of Progressives/Leftists. This is also the same reason that Progressives/Leftists have a bitter loathing of religious Christians and Jews. To be a religious Christian or Jew is not to submit to the will of Progressives/Leftists, as the only form of submission by religious Christians and Jews is to submit to the will of God as their own conscious determines the Will of God.

This is another reason to celebrate the birth of Jesus, as his life demonstrated that submission to God’s Will leads to the eventual triumph over any submission to secular power. As most Progressives/Leftists are secular, they have forgotten, or do not know, that the Gospel of Luke 6:31 records Jesus as saying, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”, and in Luke 10:27 Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” Doing unto others, and the love of God and the love of neighbor, does not allow for submission to any secular power, as power only recognizes its own will. Just as the Kings of history often claimed that they were doing God’s Will, as they were anointed by God, they often perverted the true meaning of God’s Will to achieve their secular goals.

Therefore, we should all celebrate the birth of Jesus as the triumph of God’s Will over secular power and sing “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! For the lord God omnipotent reigneth.” And we should all remember that submission to God’s Will is greater than submission to any secular power.

12/24/22 In-group Conformity

In a new article by Jeffrey A. Tucker, “The Lesson of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Is Terrifying and True”, he examines an underlying truth to this fictional tale. The truths of the social dynamics of a "Herd Mentality" that enforces in-group conformity. An enforcement of in-group conformity that is arbitrary and ephemeral, as well as antithetical to Liberty and Freedom.

Many people and organizations often claim that “Diversity is our greatest strength” in America. In doing so, they are often only speaking of a diversity of groups based upon external factors such as race, nationality, creed, sexuality, and other external factors that the members of the group have no control over. However, America’s greatest strength is the diversity of thought across and within all groups and individuals, for the diversity of thought provides for the facts and truths to be uncovered to make for better social policy and governmental laws and actions. Diversity of thought is also essential to retain our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" and to preserve our "American Ideals and Ideas". To nurture this diversity of thought also requires that we maintain "A Civil Society" where all thought can be expressed without fear of recriminations. Mr. Tucker concludes his article by stating:

“We do not want to live in societies in which groups systematically disparage and exclude others based on accidents of birth, or by choices we make that harm no one, but neither do we want systems in which leaders can confer privileges and rights based on arbitrary and purely technocratic considerations (vaccinated versus unvaccinated, for example). Until we can get a firm commitment to freedom and rights for all, we will never escape the hellish pendulum swings over who gets to lead and thus pick who can enjoy dignity however temporarily.”

12/23/22 The Skill of Smil

My Book It of “12/01/22 Our Modern Technological World” recommends three books by Vaclav Smil; How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going, Numbers Don't Lie: 71 Stories to Help Us Understand the Modern World, and Creating the Twentieth Century: Technical Innovations of 1867-1914 and Their Lasting Impact. His mathematical, scientific, and technological knowledge is impeccable, and these three books provide a different perspective of our world than what is generally recognized by the public and many learned persons.

Vaclav Smil (born 9 December 1943) is a Czech-Canadian scientist and policy analyst. He is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. His interdisciplinary research interests encompass a broad area of energy, environmental, food, population, economic, historical, and public policy studies. He has also applied these approaches to the energy, food, and environmental affairs of China.

These books highlight the complexity and interdependencies of our modern world and the possibilities, difficulties, and consequences of significant changes to our world. In his doing so, you will better understand that the calls for change that ring throughout our world have both unintended and negative consequences, and the intended consequences can make the world worse due to those advocating the change not fully understanding the complexity and interdependencies of the changes they advocate.

These books are not only informative but a warning that a person who does not plan ahead and think matters through becomes involved in risky or unfavorable situations, which prudent people would avoid. Activists and politicians that advocate for change to garner support or votes are often behaving foolishly, as they do not fully understand the intended or unintended consequences of the change they advocate.

Therefore, we should all remember the proverb, ‘fools rush in where angels fear to tread’, and try to be more angelic rather than foolish when we are considering changes to our modern world.

However, there is one criterion that Professor Smil has not examined in his quest to understand the why and how of humankind progressing. This criterion is that where individual Liberty and Freedom have thrived the advancement of humankind has progressed, while where individual Liberty and Freedom had been constricted or depreciated the advancement of humankind has not arisen or declined.

Upon examining the progression of humankind in history we can in general chart the major epochs of humankind progression from the Ancient Athenian Greeks to the Roman Republic, then to the Arab states, and eventually to the Renaissance in Italy which then flowed northward to France and then to Holland and parts of Germany. From there it crossed the channel to England and throughout Great Britain, and finally across the ocean to America. At each of these stops individual Liberty and Freedom was flourishing, and when it became constricted the advancement atrophied and moved to new locales where individual Liberty and Freedom was growing. We can also say that as religious oppression grew in these locales it restricted individual Liberties and Freedoms, and the progression of humankind moved to locales where religious tolerance and freedom from religious oppression was instituted.

These individual Liberties and Freedoms must be in all aspects of society (i.e., governmental, political, economic, scientific and technological, and artistic endeavors) for any advancement to occur. Consequently, the best means to solve the problems he examines is to allow and expand individual Liberty and Freedom where the creativity and resourcefulness of the individual can be applied to the solutions to the problems he examines.

12/22/22 Big Pharma

Large pharmaceutical companies have often been a great benefit to humankind, providing prevention and cures to many diseases and illnesses. But they also have become a problem in the functioning of society in that they are operating as a Government-Pharmaceutical Complex similar to the Military-Industrialization Complex as I have chirped on, “11/18/22 The Military-Industrialization Complex”.

This has become apparent in the development of vaccines to combat the COVID-19 Pandemic. The government funded the research and development for these vaccines, then purchased these vaccines for the inoculation of all Americans. In doing so, the government bypassed the normal procedures to ensure the safety and efficiency of a drug, restricted the legal liability for any harm of these drugs, and increased the coffers of the pharmaceutical companies who were involved in the development of these vaccines. It is also unfortunately true that many government officials increased their own coffers by investing in the companies that developed these vaccines. The government also paid third parties to administer these vaccines, and as such, these third parties became part of the Government-Pharmaceutical Complex. The government and pharmaceutical companies also covered up or lied about the safety and efficiency of these vaccines, as well as attempted to suppress any free speech that questioned the safety and efficiency of these vaccines or alternative preventions and treatments.

These are the actions of a large-scale Government-Pharmaceutical Complex, and like any governmental complex, they lobbied and donated monies to politicians to support these actions. I have no problem with pharmaceutical companies making a profit, as this is the capitalistic way of life in America. My problem is that the Congressional and Executive Branch are making health policy not based upon the needs of our society but upon the needs of the pharmaceutical companies making profits and on their own election and reelection coffers and vote garnering.

Consequently, the pharmaceutical companies are not the problem; it is a problem of proper decision-making by the Congressional and Executive Branches on health policy. The only solution to this problem is for the American electorate to vote for politicians that will put our healthy well-being needs above their own insular needs. However, determining what is politically insular versus what is needed for our healthy well-being is very difficult to accomplish for the electorate. The only wise method to accomplish this is to look for virtuous candidates that you believe will do what is best for America rather than what is best for themselves and the pharmaceutical company’s interests.

12/21/22 Ethical Principles of Public Health

The fiasco that occurred in our response to the COVID-19 Pandemic has led many (perhaps most) Americans to be wary and distrustful of public health officials and practitioners. This situation needs to be rectified, as public health and practice are crucial for a functioning society. However, trust must be earned, and once trust is lost, it is difficult to regain. An important first step to regaining this trust is for every medical society to establish and enforce a set of “Ethical Principles of Public Health”. An article by David Bell, “10 Principles of Public Health That Could Save Society”, suggests what these principles should be. These Ethical Principles of Public Health are:

1. All public health advice should consider the impact on overall health, rather than solely be concerned with a single disease. It should always consider both benefits and harms from public health measures and weigh short-term gains against long-term harms.
2. Public health is about everyone. Any public health policy must first and foremost protect society’s most vulnerable, including children, low-income families, persons with disabilities, and the elderly. It should never shift the burden of disease from the affluent to the less affluent.
3. Public health advice should be adapted to the needs of each population, within cultural, religious, geographic, and other contexts.
4. Public health is about comparative risk evaluations, risk reduction, and reducing uncertainties using the best available evidence, since risk usually cannot be entirely eliminated.
5. Public health requires public trust. Public health recommendations should present facts as the basis for guidance, and never employ fear or shame to sway or manipulate the public.
6. Medical interventions should not be forced or coerced upon a population, but rather should be voluntary and based on informed consent. Public health officials are advisors, not rule setters, and provide information and resources for individuals to make informed decisions.
7. Public health authorities must be honest and transparent, both with what is known and what is not known. Advice should be evidence-based and explained by data, and authorities must acknowledge errors or changes in evidence as soon as they are made aware of them.
8. Public health scientists and practitioners should avoid conflicts of interest, and any unavoidable conflicts of interest must be clearly stated.
9. In public health, open civilized debate is profoundly important. It is unacceptable for public health professionals to censor, silence, or intimidate members of the public or other public health scientists or practitioners.
10. It is critical for public health scientists and practitioners to always listen to the public, who are living the public health consequences of public health decisions, and to adapt appropriately.

The failure of medical societies to promulgate these ethical principles will prolong the distrust that many Americans have for Public Health officials and practitioners. Another important step to regain this trust is for Congress to investigate and illuminate the words and deeds of Public Health officials and practitioners during the COVID-19 Pandemic, then enact legislation based upon these Ethical Principles of Public Health. The failure of medical societies and Congress to do so will only prolong the distrust of the American people. A distrust that will have negative reverberations for our society for many years and perhaps decades to come.

12/20/22 A Child’s Sexuality Development

LGBTQIA+ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual, and more. These terms are used to describe a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. This is a lifestyle choice that all adult Americans are free to pursue without discrimination or ridicule. The LGBTQIA+ community has been successful in convincing most Americans that a person’s private life should be of no concern to others if it remains private. Therefore, the LGBTQIA+ community should be abstentious in public displays of their sexual affection, just as the heterosexual community should be abstentious in public displays of their sexual affection. Consequently, all public displays of sexual affection should be reserved and delegated to private arenas.

However, the LGBTQIA+ community is not free to foist this lifestyle on minor children, as the sexual development of a minor child is the purview of the parents or legal guardians of the minor child. We, in America, give a wide latitude for a person to do their own thing, be true to themselves, and march to the beat of a different drummer while making little moral judgments upon another’s unconventionality. However, this wide latitude does have boundaries, and one of these boundaries is the intervention of a person, other than parents or guardians of a minor child, into a child’s sexuality development. Any intrusion by the government, organizations, or individuals into this sexuality development is a violation of the Natural Rights of the parents or guardians, and it could do mental or physical harm to the minor child.

This is especially true in public schools, as any sexuality education is reserved for a parent or guardian. Sexual instruction in public education should be restricted to the biological aspects of human physiology. It is important for a child to understand how the human body functions, the care and maintenance of their health, and the physical dangers to the human body, but sexuality development does not fall into this purview. It is also a violation of the Natural Rights of a parent, guardian, or child to allow for any medical intervention, both physical or mental, in a child’s development without the consent of a parent or guardian. If such medical intervention is deemed necessary by someone other than the parent or guardian of a child, then the only recourse is with the consent of the parent or guardian or by a court order in which the parent or guardian is involved in the legal process.

Alas, we have also seen the sexuality of minor children exploited in the mass media, which is a moral affront. It is a moral affront as Religion, Morality, Ethics, Virtue, and Character development in a child is the duty and responsibility of parents or guardians to mold, and anyone who intervenes in this molding can only do so for the benefit of the child and with the proper legal authority to do so. It is also a moral affront as it is harmful to minor children as it sexualizes them at an age where they are mentally incapable of making rational decisions about their development and their future. It also makes children objects of sexual attraction that pedophiles can exploit to their advantage.

In human history, it has always been the duty and responsibility of society to protect its children, for they are the future of society. All predators of children have been dealt with harshly to afford the maximum deterrence and punishment of child predation. Legal deterrence and punishment, by themselves, are insufficient protections for a child as they often only occur after the fact and are based on fear of punishment. We need to instill a sense of shame in anyone who would sexually exploit a child to change their mindset to not even consider intervening in a child’s sexuality development. Consequently, all people of virtue should speak out against this sexual exploitation of children to instill shame upon those who would intervene in a child’s sexuality development.

12/19/22 The Wars You Don't Fight - Part III

In my Chirps on "11/28/21 The Wars You Don't Fight" and "12/10/21 The Wars You Don't Fight - Part II", I discussed several points as to America’s intervention in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict may be justified, and I also pointed out how some of the objections to America's involvement in this conflict were baseless. There is, no doubt, a basis for criticism of how we have approached this (now) war, some of which I unreservedly agree with. Tucker Carlson has taken the lead in objecting to this war, and many of his points are valid and should be addressed. The incompetence of the Biden Administration in their approach to this war is another reflection of the incompetence of the Biden Administration in almost all other matters. The support for the Biden Administrations' approach to this war by many Democrat Party Leaders and Republican Party Leaders is another example of the failures of our elected representatives to govern with intelligent reasoning and cognizant explanations to the American public and instead resort to emotional appeals to the American public.

Yet, the underlying justifications for this war remain the same as I discussed in my Chirps. A new article by Michael Allen, “Top 5 reasons America must support Ukraine and help it defeat Russia”, he points out that this war advances America's interests. These American interests are:

1. Ukraine keeps the war from spreading
2. Ukraine is degrading a hostile Russia
3. Ukrainian success helps restore economic vitality
4. A victorious Ukraine helps the U.S. competition with China
5. A Ukrainian Victory Promotes American Values

There is much short-term pain for America and Europe in pursuing this war, but the long-term gain is worth the pain, as this article explains. Consequently, we should resolve to win this war but also resolve to fight this war more effectively and efficiently to bring it to an end as soon as possible. But we should also remember General Douglas MacArthur’s maxim that “In war, there is no substitute for victory” and that victory is the attainment of the goals for which you fought the war. A negotiated settlement in which you do not obtain your goals is only an invitation for further war in the future. Let us not, therefore, negotiate peace for less than our goals, as this would only beget a future conflict over the same goals.

12/18/22 Legislating Virtue

Virtue—The quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong—seems to have receded in modern America. This may be because many people do not have a firm grasp on what is right or wrong. The fluidity of morals and ethics, as well as the judgment of character in modern America, has led to confusion as to what is right or wrong. This fluidity has also impacted the state of Virtue in America.

As I have written in my Article, “Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue Within Government and Society”, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue were equally important as Religion to our Founding Fathers. Our Founding Fathers also held a specific meaning of these words:

• Morality - Motivation based on ideas of right and wrong.
• Character - The inherent complex of attributes that determines a person's moral and ethical actions and reactions.
• Virtue - The quality of doing what is right and avoiding doing what is wrong.

Of these, Virtue was the most important for elected and appointed officials, as well as public servants, in the practice of their public duties. Virtue was also important for the people to practice, as it is necessary for the retention of our Liberties and Freedoms, or as Benjamin Franklin stated, “Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.”

Alas, as a result of this fluidity, we are now attempting to legislate Virtue into our laws, rules, and regulations. But Virtue cannot be legislated, as it must come from the Religion, Morality, and Character of a person. Any attempt to legislate Virtue is, therefore, doomed to failure, as you cannot legislate the thoughts and feelings of a person. Without Virtue, our republic is lost and aimless, as noted by one of our Founding Fathers:

“When public virtue is gone, when the national spirit is fled the republic is lost in essence, though it may still exist in form.”  - John Adams

I am also reminded of another of John Adam’s words of wisdom:

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”  - John Adams

Consequently, Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue are essential for Americans to retain and practice for our "American Ideals and Ideas" of "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" to persevere. Therefore, there should be more public discussion and education on the meaning and importance of Virtue in governmental affairs and the insistence that elected and public officials practice Virtue in the conduct of their public duties.

12/17/22 A Republican Form of Government

Our Constitution enshrines that Republicanism is the only form of government allowed in America and that each citizen has the equal right to participate in this republican form of government. Such participation starts with the casting of votes to democratically elect the leaders of the republican form of government. The salient parts of the Constitution about this Republicanism are:

Article I Section 4:

“The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.”

Article IV Section 2: 

“The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States.”

Article IV Section 4:

“The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened), against domestic Violence.”

Amendment XIV Section 1:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Amendment XVII:

“The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.”

This Republicanism can only be achieved with the integrity of the vote by free and fair elections. Otherwise, our elected leaders are not chosen by the people but are manipulated into leadership positions. Consequently, the integrity of elections is a prerequisite for a republican form of government. The last two elections (2020 & 2022) have been a challenge to the integrity of elections. As I have written in my Article, "Voting in America", we have had many issues concerning the integrity of the vote in these elections. A large percentage of the people do not believe that these were free and fair elections but were manipulated to achieve the desired result by the people responsible for ensuring the integrity of the vote. As such, the question becomes do we have a republican form of government if these (alleged) manipulations occurred? The answer is that we will never know if these manipulations occurred, as the people who certify the election are the same people alleged to have manipulated the vote.

Legislative investigations and Judicial actions into these elections need to be instituted, not only for the purposes of exposing voting irregularities and punishing the offenders but for the primary purpose of correcting these problems in future elections. Until we can ensure the integrity of the vote with free and fair elections, we cannot be assured that we have a Republican Form of Government that is responsive to the will of the people. If not, we will have the semblance of a Republican Form of Government whose substance is oligarchical by the manipulators of an election. It is, therefore, critical that we address election reforms that ensure the integrity of the vote to ensure that we have a Republican Form of Government as the Constitution requires.

12/16/22 Reality Bites

The Green New Deal and its dependence on Green Energy has been wholeheartedly supported in most European countries. While the goal may be laudable (and the risks understated), there are practicable consequences to dependence on Green Energy, especially in an industrial economy. A new article by Stephen Moore, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Europe”, examines the consequences of Europe’s rush to Green Energy. These consequences do not bode well for the European people who depend on Green Energy to supply their energy needs. Euroland has been thrust into an epic energy crisis with electricity rationing, power outages, $10 a gallon gas, and citizens encouraged by governments to use candles for lights and burning wood for heating purposes. We, in America, need to learn from these European consequences and proceed cautiously in our own attempts to convert to Green Energy sources. Otherwise, we will face the same consequences that the European people now face.

12/15/22 The Ultimate End of Tax and Spend

Regarding government taxing and spending, it can be said:

“The major difference between the Democrat Party and the Republican Party fiscal policies is that the Democrats love to tax and spend, while the Republicans love to reduce taxes and spend. The major controversies are on what to tax and how to spend the taxpayers’ monies.”  - Mark Dawson

One of the most astute observations in politics on taxing is:

“Don’t tax you, don’t tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree!”  - Russell B. Long

However, what follows this on spending is often:

“Spend on me, spend on you, don’t spend on that fellow behind the tree!”  - Mark Dawson

However, As Taxing and Spending always lead to debts and deficits, and ultimately inflation and/or recession for me, you, and the other fellow, the truth is:

“Economically, the wisest thing to do is to reduce taxes on everyone and to constrict spending to the revenues generated by taxes while paying off the National Debt with part of the revenue generated.”  - Mark Dawson

It also pits those that pay the taxes against those that receive the spending. And as there are fewer taxpayers and more spending receivers, it skewers elections in favor of those politicians that advocate increased taxing and spending.

This is a vicious cycle that feeds the growth of government and reduces the independence of the people. More government, more taxes, and more spending equate to less Liberty and Freedom for the individual. This is what our Founding Fathers wished to curtail—an increase of government at the expense of the individual. They attempted to accomplish this by restricting the government to limited enumerated powers. Today, however, the government feels that it can do whatever it deems necessary for the good of the people. The politicians that support this increase in taxing and spending have forgotten that the greatest necessity for the people is for Liberty and Freedom. Consequently, anything the government does that is outside of its limited enumerated powers is an encroachment on the Liberty and Freedoms of all Americans.

The utilization of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language” to justify these taxes and spending as within their limited enumerated powers is an affront to "Rationality" and "Reasoning". It is also an attempt by elected officials to usurp power unto themselves that properly belongs to the people.

In the past, our best bulwark against these encroachments to our Liberties and Freedoms from the Legislative and Executive Branches of government was the Supreme Court. Alas, the Supreme Court has become less Constitutional and more political in its rulings since the time of the New Deal (1933–39) and the Great Society (1964–65). In our zeal to improve American society, we relegated Liberty and Freedom as secondary to the primacy of welfare and security. The Supreme Court acquiesced to this desire if there were no gross violations of the Constitution. However, the spirit of our "American Ideals and Ideas" was violated by these Supreme Court rulings.

This spirit of our American Ideals and Ideas needs to be restored; otherwise, we are a society without foundation except for materialism and avarice. In history, such societies have always faltered and collapsed, leaving their people into destitution and despotism, and often tyranny.

12/14/22 Government Interference in Free Speech

The First Amendment to the Constitution prevents government involvement in the Natural Free Speech Rights of Americans. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the government may not solicit nor be involved in any private party’s actions in the exercise of any Constitutional Rights of a person (i.e., the legal doctrine that private entities cannot do for the government that which it cannot legally do for itself). As such, the recent revelations that the government and Twitter cooperated with each other in restricting Twitter users' Free Speech rights is an assault on our Constitutional Rights by these government actors. All government actors have an affirmative duty to ensure that the Constitutional Rights of a person are protected and that any infringement of these rights is subject to criminal and civil prosecutions for the violations of these rights.

This assault that if it is not stopped, and the offenders punished for these actions, bodes ill for our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All. The American people's seeming unconcern about these actions of the government in Free Speech is a poor reflection of the state of proper civic education in America. Worse, as they should know better, is the Mainstream Media’s lack of coverage and outrage about these government actions. But then again, the Mainstream Media has been cooperating for many decades with Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists in their coverage of Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives, which in itself is despicable as an independent Free Press is essential to our societal checks and balances against government overreach that is essential in retaining our Liberties and Freedoms. And even far worse is the Democrat Party Leader's lack of condemnation of these government actions, as all office holders take an Oath of Office to “Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution of the United States”, and their lack of condemnation demonstrates that they do not take their oath seriously.

The problem with bringing to justice those government actors who have assaulted our Constitutional Rights is that the very people who assaulted our rights are responsible for bringing criminal and civil prosecutions. Thus, we have the legal problem of Nemo judex in causa sua, a dictum that translates to “no one should be a judge in his/her own cause”, which is widely considered a pre-requisite to a reliable, trustworthy judicial system. This principle is meant not merely to prevent a potential wrong-doer from condoning his errors by judging the validity of his actions but also, more importantly, to preserve public confidence in the sanctity and independence of the judiciary.

The appointment of a Special Prosecutor to peruse this matter is insufficient to assure justice, as the person appointed would be appointed by the person who may be investigated (i.e., the Attorney General of the United States), and this special prosecutor would be under the influence of the Attorney General. Congress may appoint, through appropriate legislation, a Special Prosecutor, but given the bitter partisanship of Congress and the partisanship of the allegations, I do not expect this to happen. We are, therefore, left with the conundrum of how to protect our rights when the Legislative and Executive Branches can not nor will not do so.

The answer is that the Supreme Court must take an extra ordinary step and become directly involved to resolve this conundrum. Under their Oath of Office to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States”, they must appoint a Special Prosecutor when the Legislative or Executive Branches are unable, unwilling, or cannot preserve public confidence in the sanctity and independence of a Special Prosecutor appointed by the Legislative or Executive Branches. This Special Prosecutor would only answer to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to preserve their independence and to ensure they are operating within the boundaries of the law. Otherwise, the government may freely trample upon the Constitutional Rights of the people if this conundrum is not resolved.

12/13/22 A Public or Private Carrier

In response to the release of the ‘Twitter Files’, which revealed Twitter-Government cooperation to censor tweets, many commentators have retorted that Twitter is a private business and may choose what or what not is to be allowed within their private business. For most private businesses, this is very true, but Twitter is more than a private business—it is a Public Carrier business.

A Common Carrier in common law countries (corresponding to a Public Carrier in some civil law systems) is a person or company that transports goods or people for any person or company and is responsible for any possible loss of the goods during transport. A common carrier offers its services to the general public under a license or authority provided by a regulatory body, which has usually been granted "ministerial authority" by the legislation that created it. The regulatory body may create, interpret, and enforce its regulations upon the common carrier (subject to judicial review) with independence and finality as long as it acts within the bounds of the enabling legislation.

Public airlines, railroads, bus lines, taxicab companies, phone companies, internet service providers, telecommunications providers, cruise ships, motor carriers (i.e., canal operating companies, trucking companies), and other freight companies generally operate as common carriers. In the United States, telecommunications carriers are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission under title II of the Communications Act of 1934.

A Private Carrier is a company that transports only its own goods, and the carrier's primary business is not transportation. Private carriers may refuse to sell their services at their own discretion, but common carriers must treat all customers equally. Some corporations mix both systems, using common carriers and private carriage in what is called a blended operation.

As such, Twitter is a Public Carrier and must treat all customers equally except to restrict content that is forbidden as defined by 47 USC 230: Protection for private blocking and screening of offensive material. Therefore, as a Public Carrier, they have no right to censor any content except as above in 47 USC 230. Much as phone companies must treat all their customers equally, Twitter must treat all its users equally. A phone company may not listen to its customer's conversations and censor any conversation that they deem harmful, nor can it suspend or terminate a phone number without just cause, such as non-payment for services rendered. If Twitter wishes to claim that they are a Private Carrier, then it cannot be afforded the legal protections that 47 USC 230 provides. Thus, Twitter would be subject to slander, libel, and other publishing laws for the content posted on Twitter, as newspapers and magazines are subject to slander, libel, and other publishing laws for the content that they publish.

Twitter has also become a public forum where its users can express their thoughts and opinions, as well as obtain information to formulate their thoughts and opinions. Consequently, they have a duty and responsibility as a public forum to protect the Free Speech rights of their users. They also have a duty and responsibility to not interfere in the political processes, especially elections, in any manner whatsoever. The same could also be said about Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, and others in their public forum actions.

The recent efforts that Elon Musk has undertaken to reform Twitter are a good first step but must be vigorously pursued by Mr. Musk to ensure Twitter operates as a Public Carrier. These efforts should also be undertaken by Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, and other Public Carries of user-posted comments to ensure that they operate under the rules and regulations of a Public Carrier.

12/12/22 Reform the House of Representatives

Congress is a mess. I know it, you know it, and the American people know it. They are no longer legislating but imposing new laws. The leadership of Congress has eviscerated the role of the rank-and-file congresspersons to be involved in the legislative process. The leadership has authoritative control of the workings of Congress that need not be responsive to the will of the people through their duly elected representatives in Congress. The House Freedom Caucus (HFC) is proposing new House rules to reassert that Members of Congress “must have the ability to participate in making laws”. These rule changes are outlined in their proposal “Restoring the People’s Voice In Congress”, and as they have stated in this proposal:

Between now and January, the House Freedom Caucus will work with likeminded colleagues to demand aggressive reforms to return the People’s House back to the American people and make it function again.

• The leaders of both political parties have consolidated so much power that most Members of Congress have no meaningful role in the legislative process beyond voting up or down.
• The result is that the “People’s House” is serving everyone in Washington except the American people: politicians, connected lobbyists, and entrenched bureaucrats.
• Republicans ran to fix Washington so we should not continue the same system that broke it. It’s time to restore real republican government and give elected representatives back their rightful role in lawmaking to implement the will of their voters.

 The reforms that they are proposing are:

Reform The House Republican Conference: Reclaim Legislative Impact for The People’s Representatives

• Enact a “Majority of the Majority” Rule.
• Restore the Independence of Committees
• Diversify the Steering Committee
• Open the Legislative Process
• Enforce Responsibility in Spending

Reform House Rules: Level the Playing Field For The American People

• Reset the House Rules.
• Hold Bureaucrats Accountable.
• End Secret Deals Behind Closed Doors
• Institute a Ban on Earmarks

I wholeheartedly support these reforms, and I do not believe that the Republicans should vote for the Speaker of the House until these reforms are instituted.

12/11/22 The Lack of Shame and Our Own Infallibility

Shame—A painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt—has all but disappeared from American culture. In its stead, we have seen a boatload of excuses for shameful behavior. Excuses such as being true to oneself, marching to the beat of a different drummer, and doing your own thing have replaced shame. The concept of Virtue in America—The quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong— has no place in modern American society, as I have written in my Chirp on "12/18/22 Legislating Virtue".

Shame, however, is a very important emotion as, upon reflection on our shame, it allows us to correct our words and deeds for the betterment of ourselves and society. In my own early adult life, I did several shameful things which I regretted. However, I learned from this shame and vowed never to do these things again (a vow which I have kept). Without shame, it is not possible to acknowledge your misdeeds and take corrective actions.

Another modern American trait is the inability to admit mistakes and apologize for these mistakes. Instead, we offer a variety of excuses as to why they were not mistakes or errors in judgment. But we should remember the words of a founder of the American Bar Association:

“The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything.”  - Edward John Phelps

Mistakes are a natural part of being human, and we all make mistakes. It is what we do about these mistakes that define our character. To apologize and rectify your mistakes is a true test of character. How we deal with the mistakes of others is also a test of our character, as I have written in one of my Pearls of Wisdom, "To Err is Human, To Forgive is Devine". One of the ways we can reduce our mistakes is to remember, before we speak or act, the words of wisdom of one of our Founding Fathers:

"Doubt a little of your own infallibility."   - Benjamin Franklin

This lack of shame, along with our inability to admit mistakes, is plaguing modern America. A plague that has infected our elected leaders and activists of all stripes. We would all do much better if we learned from our shame and admitted our mistakes, as well as be wary of those who exhibit no shame or are unable to admit their mistakes.

12/10/22 The Real Existential Threat

For many months we have been harangued about the existential threat to our democracy posed by former President Trump and his MAGA supporters. Although they claim that these people are an existential threat, they give no existential reasons for their threat other than they are opponents of the political policies and agendas of Democrats and Progressives. These people pose no threat to our Constitutional government nor to our Constitutional Rights, but they do pose a threat to the Democrat's and Progressive's constitutional interpretation of a democratic constitution (the primacy of the collective people), as opposed to a republican constitution (the primacy of the individual person) interpretation, as I have written in my Article, "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution". This difference in interpretation is not an existential threat but a robust disagreement. The only thing existential about this disagreement is that the loser of this argument may become politically irrelevant and be forced to change their political policies and agendas to be competitive in elections.

However, with the release of the ‘Twitter Files’ by Elon Musk, we now know who the real existential threat to our democracy is—Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, the Bureaucratic Swamp, and Big Tech, aided and assisted by the Mainstream Media. The (successful) efforts by Democrat Party Leaders, Democrat Candidates, and Progressives/Leftists to suppress within Big Tech the free speech rights of their opponents to influence the outcome of an election is an existential threat to our democracy. With the aid and assistance of the mainstream media in not uncovering nor covering this suppression of the free speech rights of dissidents or opponents to the political policies and agendas of Democrat Party Leaders, Democrat Candidates, and Progressives/Leftists, the Mainstream Media has become a part of this existential threat to our democracy.

It is an existential threat as these actions strike at the heart of the First Amendment and suppress the Free Speech Rights of those so targeted and, consequently, the Free Speech Rights of all Americans, as there must be free speech for all, or there will be no free speech for anyone. Free Speech of which there is no compromise, no excuses, and no exceptions to Free Speech, for to restrict Free Speech is to have no Free Speech (the exceptions are few, narrow, and far between that deal with the directed physical harm to persons or the destruction of personal property, as well as in social media the assisting in criminal activities and dissemination of pornography).

We have also seen a concerted effort by these same parties to strip the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, which is antithetical to the intent of the Founding Fathers in ensuring that this Natural Right is sacrosanct in our society and protected against governmental interference. This effort along with their support for other violations of The Bill of Rights, too numerous and complex to discuss in this Chirp, demonstrates that these same parties pose an existential threat to our democracy.

The American people need to wake up from their slumber and recognize and oppose these existential threats to our society, or we shall continue down the slippery slope in the erosion of our Natural and Constitutional Rights and eventually into despotism.

12/09/22 The Evils of Big Tech

Can a company be evil? The horrors of WWI and WWII show that they can be evil by supporting and supplying goods and services to an evil government in the pursuit of profits. The question is, are Twitter, Facebook, Google, Apple, and Microsoft becoming evil in support of China and the interference with the Natural Rights of Americans? The answer is, unfortunately, that if evil is defined as the suppression of the Natural Rights of a people, then they are treading down the path to evil.

American companies are outsourcing their manufacturing to China, where slave labor and the suppression of the Natural Rights of the Chinese people are common and are often used to supply the labor for this outsourced manufacturing. The suppression of religion and the right of the Chinese people to freely speak, assemble, and petition the government for a redress of grievances also bespeaks of the evilness of the Chinese government. These evil actions by China, with the support of Big Tech, demonstrate that Big Tech is supporting evil and thus becoming evil.

Big Tech has also been involved in suppressing the Natural Rights of Americans by the recent revelations of Twitter interfering in elections by censoring the free speech of dissidents and suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story. The fact that Apple restricted AirDrop file-sharing in China is an assault on the free speech rights of the Chinese people, and Big Tech’s allowance of TikTok and other spying apps used by the Chinese Communist Party for duplicitous spying on Americans is an assault on the privacy rights of Americans. The veracity of allegations that the other Big Tech companies are engaging in these activities has shown that Big Tech is becoming evil. Big Tech’s cooperation with the Democrat Party, Democrat candidates, and the Democrat-led American government in suppressing free speech is an assault on our First Amendment rights. In this, the Democrat Party, Democrat candidates, and the Democrat-led American government is also engaging in evil.

An American company has the moral responsibility to uphold the American ideals of the Natural Rights of the people, irrespective of profits. They must not do business with evil countries nor engage in any activities that contravene or suppress the Natural Rights of individuals in any country. The American people, and Congress, must take Constitutional actions that will constrict the evil doings of Big Tech, otherwise:

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."  - Edmund Burke

12/08/22 Nationalism is Both Liberal and Illiberal

Nationalism has often been disparaged and vilified in our modern times because of the horrific events of the twentieth century. Nationalistic governments arose that plunged the world into wars, slaughtered millions of people, subjugated their peoples, and invaded and conquered the people of other nations. People began to associate Nationalism with evil and tried to shed Nationalism. What has been forgotten is that there are two sides to Nationalism: A Liberal Nationalism and Illiberal Nationalism.

Liberal Nationalism is the belief that the individual is loyal to a nation if the nation allows the national people to govern themselves, under laws created by themselves, for the benefit of all their people, and to institute Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All for the people of a nation. Liberal Nationalism is inclusive of all people that share these ideals, and Liberal Nationalism believes that their nation is superior to other nations that do not share these ideals. Liberal Nationalism believes that governmental powers originate from the people and that democratically elected leaders are responsible to the people.

Illiberal Nationalism is the belief in the supreme loyalty of an individual to his nation and that the nation is ethnically determined based on common race, language, culture, and heritage. Illiberal Nationalism is exclusory of all people that are not ethnically the same and often have the belief that their nation is superior to other nations and that their nation should dominate other nations. Illiberal Nationalism believes that governmental powers are vested in a strong leader who determines what is best for the people and who often governs through despotism.

Consequently, Liberal Nationalism is beneficial to humankind, while Illiberal Nationalism is detrimental to humankind. Therefore, let us all take Nationalistic pride in America, for we are a nation dedicated to Liberal Nationalism.

12/07/22 The Greater Good

In many of my Chirps and Articles, I discuss the concept of the Greater Good. The Greater Good is often utilized by politicians and activists to rationalize their political agendas and social policies. But it should always be remembered that:

“The Greater Good is the great fiction that all despots engage in to justify their actions.”  - Mark Dawson

Whenever the Greater Good infringes on the Natural Rights of a person, it often does harm rather than good and often leads to despotism to enforce the Greater Good. We should also remember, to paraphrase the great economist Thomas Sowell, that:

"The most basic question is not what is the greater good, but who shall decide what is the greater good?"

The greater good is always that which promotes the Liberties and Freedoms of a person, consistent with an orderly society that preserves the Natural Rights of all the people in the society. Otherwise, the invocation of the Greater Good is often a call to despotism.

12/06/22 Lessons of Civil Disobedience

Civil Disobedience is the ultimate statement of the ideal of individual freedom, which is at the core of the liberal tradition of liberty and freedom. It is a controversial idea that raises fundamental issues of individual rights and duties versus the necessity of an orderly society. The liberal tradition is of liberty and freedom for the members of society, while the illiberal tradition is one of obedience of individuals to society, as I discussed in my Chirp, "12/08/22 Nationalism is Both Liberal and Illiberal".

Henry David Thoreau was a leading proponent of Disobedience to an unjust state, as his essay "Civil Disobedience" establishes, and that forcible confrontation was sometimes necessary for rectifying injustice, as his support for the abolitionist John Brown demonstrates. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. were disciples of Thoreau and believed that non-violent Civil Disobedience was the best means of Civil Disobedience.

The question is, are forcible confrontation or non-violence the proper and effective methods of Civil Disobedience? The answer is, as usual, it depends on the situation. When a government is to be challenged by Civil Disobedience, the first question is whether the government is one of a Liberal or Illiberal nature. A liberal government respects the rights of the challenger, while an illiberal government has little or no concern for a challenger. In a liberal government, the challenger has the opportunity to have their voice heard and effectuate change, while in an illiberal government, the challenger will be suppressed and silenced with little hope of effectuating change. Consequently, non-violent Civil Disobedience can be effective in a liberal government, while forcible confrontation Civil Disobedience in an illiberal government may be the only means to institute change.

Many admirers of Gandhi point to his effectiveness of non-violent Civil Disobedience to institute the change he desired while forgetting that he was confronting a liberal government in the British Empire. If Gandhi was confronting the illiberal government of the Soviet Union, he would have been sent to a prison camp or executed, thus, effectuating no change in the Soviet Union. Therefore, the proper and effective means of Civil Disobedience depends upon the Liberal or Illiberal nature of the government to be confronted. In simpler terms, it is whether you are confronting basically good or an inherently evil government.

In the case of Thoreau’s support for John Brown’s forcible confrontation against slavery, the institution of slavery was an evil that existed within a basically good government. Many of the American people did not understand or chose to ignore the evil of slavery, while some Americans did not believe slavery was evil. Consequently, forcible confrontation Civil Disobedience was necessary to shock the American people into confronting this evil and putting an end to slavery.

In the case of non-violent Civil Disobedience by Martin Luther King Jr., to confront the injustice of bigotry and discrimination against black Americans, non-violent Civil Disobedience was sufficient to awaken the American people into confronting this injustice and putting an end to bigotry and discrimination in America.

In the case of the Civil Disobedience against the Vietnam War, the use of non-violent Civil Disobedience at the start of these protests was insufficient to awaken the American people to the injustices of this war, and thus forcible confrontation Civil Disobedience became necessary. The only question was the extent of the forcible confrontation that was needed to awaken the American people.

We can, therefore, conclude that the proper and effective methods of Civil Disobedience are dependent upon the liberality or illiberality of the governments being confronted or the evil that is being confronted. There is no easy answer to what the proper and effective methods of Civil Disobedience are, but all that engage in Civil Disobedience must ponder this question, and all those who support or adjudge Civil Disobedience must consider this question.

12/05/22 Aspects of Freedom

The Four Freedoms were goals articulated by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt in an address on January 6, 1941. In this address, he proposed four fundamental freedoms that people “Everywhere In The World” ought to enjoy: Freedom Of Speech, Freedom Of Worship, Freedom From Want, and Freedom From Fear.

My Article, “The Four Freedoms”, discusses these Freedoms and their implications for the governance of a people. Regrettably, I believe that these Four Freedoms are an insufficient aspect of freedom, as, by themselves, they do not assure the Liberties and Freedoms of the people. The question is, then, what are the core freedoms that allow for Liberty and Freedom for all? Professor J. Rufus Fears, in his Great Course, “A History of Freedom”, concludes this course with a summary of what constitutes core freedoms. These constituents are:

1. National Freedom
2. Individual Freedom
3. Economic Freedom
4. Scientific Freedom
5. Spiritual Freedom

My new Article, “Aspects of Freedom”, addressed these core freedoms and their importance to a free society.

12/04/22 What Can They Do?

With the Republicans about to take control of the House of Representatives, the question is how much can they do to right the course of America with the Democrats in control of the Senate and the White House? An article by Nicholas Waddy, “What the New Republican House Can and Can't Accomplish”, examines what can be accomplished. Alas, it is not the number of votes that will determine what they can do, but the politics and public perceptions that will determine what they can accomplish.

Given the Progressive and Democrat predictions of the Mainstream Media, the molding of public opinion will be an uphill battle for the Republicans. With the Democrats in control of the Senate and the White House and the presence of RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) in the House and Senate, it will be politically difficult to do anything meaningful to right the course of America. The best that can be expected is that the Republicans will be able to put a brake on spending and direct the allocations of monies to meaningful government programs.

To persuade the public of the necessity of changing our course, it will be important for the House Republicans to investigate the ineptitude, misdeeds,  and violations of our Liberties and Freedoms that have been perpetuated by President Biden and his administration, as I have outlined in my Article “A Harbinger of Bad Tidings”. Alas, persuading the RINOs may be more difficult, as they often cloak themselves in the robes of uprightness and bipartisanship while failing to recognize the harm to America they are allowing to perpetuate. However, they are often attuned to public perception and public polling, and if the Republicans can sway the American public, they can sway the RINOs.

The next two years are important for the 2024 Presidential election, for if the Republicans can persuade the American public that a wholesale change is necessary to right the course of America, it can be accomplished by putting Republicans in charge of both houses of Congress and the Presidency.

12/03/22 Destroying America

A new article by Victor Davis Hanson, “If You Really Wanted to Destroy the U.S., Then...” examines the governance of the Biden Administration, which is seemingly madness. He concludes his article with, “It would be hard to imagine any planned agenda to destroy America that would have been as injurious as what we already suffered the last two years.” In the damage they have wrought, I am reminded of the end of the movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai” when the camp doctor is observing the Japanese, British, and American dead and the destruction of the bridge and train, he started crying out “Madness, Madness, Madness” to describe the scene. If we do not stop this madness, I am afraid that we are viewing the destruction and death of American civil society.

12/02/22 An Insider Comment on the News Media

Former Rolling Stone contributing editor and reporter Matt Taibbi, now with Substack and not a Trump fan or a conservative, recently made the following comment on the modern news media that every American should ponder:

“I love the news business. It’s in my bones. But I mourn for it. It’s destroyed itself.

My father had a saying: “The story’s the boss.” In the American context, if the facts tell you the Republicans were the primary villains in this or that disaster, you write that story. If the facts point more at Democrats, you go that way. If it turns out they’re both culpable, as was often the case for me across nearly ten years of investigating Wall Street and the causes of the 2008 crash for Rolling Stone, you write that. We’re not supposed to nudge facts one way or another. Our job is to call things as we see them and leave the rest up to you.

We don’t do that now. The story is no longer the boss. Instead, we sell narrative, as part of a new business model that’s increasingly indifferent to fact.

[…]

With editors now more concerned with retaining audience than getting things right, the defining characteristic across the business — from right to left — is inaccuracy. We just get a lot of stuff wrong now. It’s now less important for reporters to be accurate than “directionally” correct, which in center-left “mainstream” media mostly comes down to having the right views, like opposing Donald Trump, or anti-vaxxers, or election-deniers, or protesting Canadian truckers, or any other people deemed wrongthinkers.

In the zeal to “hold Trump accountable,” or oppose figures like Vladimir Putin, ethical guardrails have been tossed out. Silent edits have become common. Serious accusations are made without calling people for comment. Reporters get too cozy with politicians, and as a result report information either without attribution at all or sourced to unnamed officials or “people familiar with the matter.” Like scientists, journalists should be able to reproduce each other’s work in the lab. With too many anonymous sources, this becomes impossible.

We had an incident a few weeks ago where the lead of a wire service story read, “A senior U.S. intelligence official says Russian missiles crossed into NATO member Poland.” That’s the kind of story where if you get it wrong, you can start a war, but they still put all their chips on one unnamed source. That’s very risky practice even if you’re right.

That story turned out to be wrong, which sadly is no longer uncommon. In the Trump years an extraordinary number of “bombshells” went sideways. From the “pee tape” to the Alfa Server story to speculation that Trump was a Russian spy (recruited before disco) to false reports of Russians hacking a Vermont utility to an evidence-free story about Trump’s campaign manager somehow sneaking undetected to meet the most watched human on earth, Julian Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, we’ve accumulated piles of wrong stories.

I’m no fan of Donald Trump. I wrote a book about the man called Insane Clown President. But I’ve compiled a list of over 100 of these “bombshells” that went belly up, from “Bountygate” to MSNBC saying Russian oligarchs co-signed a loan for Trump to countless others, because these stories offend me. A good journalist should always be ashamed of error. It bothers me to see so many of my colleagues so unashamed.

[…]

The excuse, “At least we’re not Breitbart,” doesn’t even hold. Think about another of these bombshells, the one in which Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen supposedly went to Prague to meet with Russian hackers. This story came from the now-disgraced dossier of former British spy Christopher Steele. It’s been refuted multiple times, including by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who flatly declared Cohen “never traveled to Prague.” Yet the tale will not die.

From MSNBC to CNN to McClatchy we’ve had leading media outlets continue to take seriously the idea that Donald Trump’s lawyer traveled to Prague to scheme with “Kremlin Representatives” over how to fix the election using Romanian hackers, who according to Steele would afterward retreat to Bulgaria, and use that country as a “bolt hole” to “lie low.” If that’s not a conspiracy theory, I don’t know what is.

This story is every bit as nuts as the idea that the 2020 election was stolen.”

My article, "Modern Journalism", has made the same points about the news media with different examples, and, as I have said before, they are no longer journalist but propagandist. His full comments and my article point out the sorry state of news media in America and are well worth the read.

12/01/22 Truth Detector - II

In my previous Chirp on “11/30/22 Truth Detector I”, I explained that economics is the best path to obtain the facts and truth. Dennis Prager has written an article, “Between Left and Right, How Do You Know Which Side Isn't Telling the Truth?”, in which he offers what may be the single most important indicator of who is more likely to be lying. It is not a perfect indicator of who is telling the truth -- there is no perfect indicator -- but it comes close. This indicator is:

“With rare exceptions, the party that calls for censorship is lying. People who tell the truth can deal with dissent and different opinions. In fact, truth-tellers welcome debate.”  - Dennis Prager

In today’s America, we have seen the rise of censorship under various labels—misinformation or disinformation, ‘fact checking’, suppression of Social Media posts, the non-reporting of dissenting information by the Mainstream Media, and the restrictions on free speech in academia, as I have written in my Articles “Modern Journalism”, "Social Media and Free Speech", and “The Decline of Free Speech in America”.

John Stuart Mill was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP), civil servant, and one of the most influential thinkers in history. In his book “On Liberty”, he wrote that there is a necessity for plural debate, for taking absolutely nothing for granted but holding all our dearest assumptions up for national scrutiny. There must be ‘protection against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling, against the tendency of society to impose… its own ideas and practices… on those who dissent from them; to fetter the development of any individuality not in harmony with its ways’.

Consequently, free speech is necessary for freedom, or as I have written in my Article, “Free Speech as a Means to Truth”:

“We must remember that there is no Free Speech unless there is Free Speech for all. Thus, without free speech for all, there cannot be any truths, and anyone who would suppress free speech is not interested in obtaining the truth. We also should remember that the truth shall set you free, and without freedom, there can be no progress for humankind nor Liberties and Freedoms for all.”  - Mark Dawson

As such, those that wish to censor, and those who do not have economic answers for their policy positions, are not truth tellers but activists committed to their goals irrespective of the truth. In doing so, they would destroy our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" in the pursuit of their goals. Therefore, all Americans should utilize these Truth Detectors and beware of these people, and not pay heed to their protestations, as they are not truth tellers but truth deniers.

11/30/22 Truth Detector I

In a world filled with lies, half-truths, and fabrications, it is difficult to discern the facts and truths. The best possible means to discover the facts and truths is to examine the economics of a situation and to follow the money. This is the reason that I have written much on economics in my Articles and Chirps. A new article by Jeffrey A. Tucker, “Economics Is a Force for Truth in a World of Lies”, examines how knowledge of economics can lead to facts and truths. In this article, he reminds us that “The world in general has chosen symbolism (political preening) and security (professional and financial and reputational) over truth.”, and then goes on to state:

“We are left with a grim reality. We do not know whom to trust in this world awash in lies. I do have one award to give, however. It is to economics itself, which is a force of nature that no man, no government, and no agency can forever avoid. It’s the most beautiful feature of economic forces operating in the world. It forms a hard wall against the perpetuation of lies and silly visions.”

“The beauty of economics is that it operates without any central direction and nothing can stop its operation. Economic forces blithely ignore the pronouncements of all the powers of the world, from governments to corporate to media darlings. Economics doesn’t care. It just keeps revealing the truth about the world no matter how many people decry it.”

“Economics has always been the business of saying: sorry but your dreams are illusions, no matter how much you believe them or how much power you have to enforce them. Economics is all about observing the indefatigability of cause and effect. You did this and that will be the result, and there is nothing you can do to change that.”

He summarizes that “Economics eventually gets its way. It is a teller of truth.” and “Economics reminds them that reality is a more powerful force in the world than the dopey dreams of both visionaries and outright fakes.” to reach a final conclusion of:

“Who or what can you trust to tell you the truth? In the long run, economic forces are what put a hard stop on the lies. They deserve our respect and admiration.”

11/29/22 Social Terrorism

I recently watched an interview with a person who was forced out of his job and lost the business he created because he expressed a pro-life sentiment. He labeled the actions of those who forced him out as ‘Social Terrorism’ rather than "Wokeness". And that is what wokeness has morphed into—Social Terrorism for the purpose of installing fear of repercussions for anyone who would express an opinion different from the woke mob.

Terrorism is the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious, or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion, or instilling fear. As such, when the woke mob threatens repercussions for anyone who disagrees with them, they are behaving in a terroristic manner. Anyone who follows through and imposes the repercussions is, therefore, a terrorist. This is also the behavior of a despotic person who would attempt to dominate others through threats of punishment and violence.

They are not only behaving as a terrorist and a despot, but such terrorism and despotism is an assault on our First Amendment right to the freedom of speech and to other rights that Americans have in our society. As such, they are un-American in their ideology and ideas. They are more dangerous to our society than were the wackadoodles that staged an ‘insurrection’ on January 6th, 2020, at the national Capital building, as I have examined in my collection of Insurrection Chirps. These Social Terrorists are more insidious, widespread, and harmful than the ‘insurrectionists’ of January 6th, 2020.

Congress needs to have hearings on this Social Terrorism for the purposes of criminalizing these Social Terrorism actions to preserve the Freedoms and Liberties of all Americans. Otherwise, we will become a despotic society driven by Social Terrorists.

11/28/22 The Derangement of Michael Beschloss

Michael Beschloss is an American ‘historian’ specializing in the United States presidency and is the author of nine books on the presidency. However, Mr. Beschloss is a self-described "presidential historian" without any history degrees (he has a degree in political science from Williams College and an MBA from Harvard Business School). Although he has no history degree, he has spent his entire career involved in the modern history of the United States presidency. Mr. Beschloss has been a frequent commentator on the PBS NewsHour and NBC News, and he has been recently retained by MSNBC to be their presidential historian and commentator.

On Tuesday night, November 02, 2022, he warned on MSNBC that if Republican candidates win their races next week that:

"The story in 50 years from now, if historians are allowed to write in this country, and if there are still free publishing houses and a free press, which I'm not certain of, but if that is true, a historian will say what was at stake tonight and this week was the fact, whether we will be a democracy in the future. Whether our children will be arrested or conceivably killed. We're on the edge of a brutal authoritarian system and it could be a week away,"

Historians have always been poor prognosticators of the future, and many have not learned the true meaning of historical events, and they often bring their own predilections to their scholarship. A good historian is aware of this, and they take care to temper their scholarship with this in mind. However, Mr. Beschloss appears to have lost the scholarship that he previously exhibited and has slipped into derangement. His Progressive politics and his animosity toward Republicans and Conservatives have corrupted his scholarship. He is no longer utilizing "Rationality" and "Reasoning" to reach conclusions, but he has descended into "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" for those that he politically opposes.

This derangement, unfortunately, has happened to many Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders as they see their public opinion approval declining and their grip on political power abating. And this is dangerous to American society, as it pits one group of Americans against another group of Americans. This leads to "Divisiveness in America"  and the breakdown of "A Civil Society".

Now that the Democrats have lost control of the House of Representatives, we can only hope that they will engage in introspection and alter their words and deeds to become more civil. Alas, I do not expect that this will happen, as mental derangement is very difficult to overcome and rectify, especially if you believe that you are correct. As I have often stated, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. This unswerving belief that they are correct does not allow for proper introspection that will overcome and rectify their mental derangement. Consequently, we can only expect that they will become more deranged in their words and deeds as Republicans in Congress and the State governments exercise the powers that the American electorate has granted them.

11/27/22 Evidence of a Retreat from Our Founding Principles

In the course of American history in the last several decades, we have seen a retreat from the founding principles of our nation that were espoused in our original Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776, and The Constitution of the United States. These Declaration principles that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, along with our Constitutional principles of Liberty, Freedom, Equality, and Equal Justice for All, have all been encroached upon by the growth of government, most especially the growth of the Federal government. The incremental growth of government has led to the incremental decline of our founding principles. Whether the reasons for this enlargement of government be for the noble purposes of safety or security or the ignoble purposes of power and control, it has resulted in the reduction of our founding principles. This growth of government at the expense of our founding principles has reached the point that we may endanger our founding principles and is leading us on a path to despotism.

To evidence this, I have updated my article, "A New Declaration of Independence", to include the particulars of the last few years. All of the particulars in this New Declaration of Independence are an assault upon the principles that our nation was founded upon. Consequently, We the People of the United States, should solemnly publish this Declaration and declare that the current United States Government is dissolved and that a new Government is instituted for the protection of our founding principles. I have also edited my article, "A New U.S. Constitution", to reflect the recent events in America for the purpose of reinstituting and ensuring our founding principles.

In this, we should mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor to institute a new government that reestablishes our founding principles.

11/26/22 Democracy Into Tyranny

Plato was a great ancient Athenian philosopher that philosophized on the nature and histories of government, examining how they rose and fell and how they governed in between. Some of Plato's most famous doctrines are contained in his books the Republic as well as in the Laws and the Statesman. Our Founding Fathers were well aware of Plato and other great philosophers and their thoughts on Government, Liberty, and Freedom. They incorporated their ideas in The Declaration of Independence as ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness’, and The Constitution of the United States ‘in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity’ that could stand the test of time.

The great Founding Father John Adams summarized Plato’s treatment of how political structures change and deteriorate: Monarchy mutates into aristocracy, aristocracy into oligarchy, oligarchy into democracy, and democracy into tyranny. (Some of Plato’s reasons why democracies degenerate into tyrannies were licentiousness, disregard for the rule of law, and rendering “Strangers [i.e., foreigners] equal to citizens.”) He also believed that any national constitution should not be purely democratic but should feature monarchical and aristocratic elements as well. It should include a chief executive with some monarchical powers, a Senate to serve as an aristocratic branch and a democratic House of Representatives. The other lesson was that the monarchical, aristocratic, and democratic branches should be balanced against each other.

In some cases, these governments fell from a democracy into a tyranny very quickly and usually through a civil war. In other cases, they devolved slowly from a democracy into an oligarchy, then tyranny. In almost all cases, it was the growth of government size and power and the rise of bureaucracies that led them from a democracy into a tyranny. Our Founding Fathers were very aware of this and attempted to limit the growth and power of government to ensure the Liberty and Freedom of Americans. This was accomplished by our Founding Fathers by dividing government duties and responsibilities between Federal, State, and local governments, and by further dividing the exercise of power at each level of government between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches of Government.

Alas, modern America has forgotten history and the wisdom of our Founding Fathers as we have allowed an explosive growth of government. From the growth of Federal government powers at the expense of State and local powers of government, and the comingling of powers between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches of Government, for almost the last century, we have forgotten history and the wisdom of our Founding Fathers.

As such, we are endangering our Republic as we are devolving slowly from a Democratic-Republic into an oligarchy, with the possibility of tyranny in the near future.

11/25/22 A Recipe for Election Tragedy

In an article by Terry Paulson, “Why Did the Wave Become a Ripple?”, he sets forth that:

“Big government pays off for far too many Americans. Far too many Americans either have government jobs or receive extensive government entitlement funds. A vote for Republicans puts their standard of living in jeopardy. We remain deeply divided as a country by party. Those voting for Democrats don’t want smaller government; they receive a lot of money from Democrats. It’s understandable in these challenging times. The pandemic has impacted the confidence of citizens. They’re seeing inflation impact their standard of living, and they look to government for relief. The Tax Policy Center estimates that 57% of U.S. households paid no federal income taxes for 2021, up substantially from the 44% before the pandemic. They have gotten used to free money from government, rent relief in tough times, and the promises of student debt relief. When you get more from government than you put in, you’re not sure you want a party in control that commits to ending the entitlements you depend on.”

This is a premise that I have set forth in my article on "Entitlements". To continue in our entitlement ways is to continue down the slippery slope to more dependency of Americans on government largess. A government largess that requires more and more taxes to support and more government power over Americans. It is also the counter to the noble sentiments expressed by one of our recent Presidents:

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”  - John F. Kennedy

This is also a recipe for disaster in the electoral chances of those who would put right the course of America, as well as a recipe for the destruction of our society. Alexander Fraser Tytler, Lord Woodhouselee FRSE (15 October 1747 – 5 January 1813) was a Scottish advocate, judge, writer, and historian who was a Professor of Universal History, and Greek and Roman Antiquities at the University of Edinburgh. His words about democracy are still prescient and relevant to where we are today in America:

“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to apathy; from apathy to dependence; from dependence back into bondage.”  - Alexander Fraser Tytler

It is time to stop following this recipe for tragedy and right the course of America, and to only utilize entitlements to help lift the poor in America by helping them become self-sufficient. Or, as Benjamin Franklin said:

“I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.” - Benjamin Franklin

11/24/22 Thanksgiving for Freedom

Professor J. Rufus Fears, in his Great Course, “A History of Freedom”, concludes this excellent course with a summary of what constitutes true freedom. These constituents are:

1. National Freedom in the ability of a national people to govern themselves, under laws created by themselves, for the benefit of all their people, and to institute Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All for the people of a nation.
2. Individual Freedom to choose how to live your life so long as you do not harm another nor infringe upon the freedoms of others.
3. Economic Freedom of a free-market economy and the economic opportunity to participate in the free market.
4. Scientific Freedom to seek out the scientific facts and determine the truths of our universe, often to the benefit of all mankind.
5. Spiritual Freedom to practice your religion and worship God, as well as the freedom to follow your own conscience.

Our Country was founded on these ideals of freedom, and while we have not always met these ideals, nor have we currently achieved these ideals, we have, throughout our history, strived to meet these ideals. This Thanksgiving, we should all be thankful that we have these Freedoms in America. We should also dedicate ourselves to preserving and extending these freedoms in the future so that on future Thanksgiving days, we can give thanks for our freedoms.

11/23/22 Campaign Financing and Media Bias

The 2022 mid-term elections saw a tremendous amount of money being fed into the troughs of candidates in close or contested Congressional districts and Senate races. In many cases, one candidate often had two to three times or higher as much money as their opponent, and in all cases, it is the Democrat candidate that has the money edge. Much of this money edge is through Out-of-State Money fundraising from wealthy donors and special interest groups. This raises the issues and concerns that I have written about in my Article “Campaign Financing and Independent Expenditures”.

The predilections and biases of the "Mainstream Media", "Social Media", and "Big Tech", were also on full display with consistent negative coverage of Republican candidates and favored coverage of Democrat candidates, as I have examined in my Articles "Modern Journalism" and "Who Needs Government Suppression When You Have Big Tech Suppression".

With such thumbs on the scale by these actors in favor of Democrat candidates, it is no wonder why Republican candidates had a difficult time getting their message across and must allocate much of their resources to defending themselves rather than espousing their positions on the issues. This one-sidedness bodes ill for free and fair elections in which both sides have an equal opportunity to present their case to the American electorate. It has also contributed to a loss of faith in our elected representatives and our democratic institutions, as many Americans are cynical that elections are being purchased and propagandized for Democrat candidates. Until we address the issues of Campaign Financing and Media Bias, the cynicism of the American electorate is justifiable.

The question is, however, what can be done about this? The answer is, unfortunately, that there is little that can be done about this. Our First Amendment Rights of freedom of speech and the press allow for this situation to occur, as it should be to preserve our Liberties and Freedoms. The danger is that a cynical electorate results in the crumbling of our foundations of democracy and is injurious to the health and welfare of our democracy. A crumbling that could result in the collapse of our society and the loss of our “Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All” and is antithetical to our ideals as expressed by President Abraham Lincoln that “… government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

11/22/22 A Republic of Party Affiliation

A friend of mine commented that the recent 2022 mid-term elections were an affirmation of party over policy and that the fear of change overrode the concern about the issues in this election. To his comments, I responded that self-interest was a contributing factor, as I will next Chirp on "11/25/22 A Recipe for Election Tragedy".

But there is much truth in what he had to say, as it seems that reflexive voting for a party candidate has taken the place of thoughtful consideration of a candidate’s policy positions and political agenda. The recent example of the election of John Fetterman as Senator from Pennsylvania is an example of this. Much early voting, before Mr. Fetterman’s physical condition and policy stances became known, was based on party affiliation. His candidacy was based on hiding his physical condition and subterfuge on his policy positions. As a result, much of the early voting was party based rather than his fitness and his stances on the issues. When the full extent of physical condition and policies became known, it was not possible for the early voters to change their minds and cast their ballots differently. In a close election, such as this one, this may have affected the ultimate outcome of the election. The same could be said of the election of Joe Biden in the 2020 Presidential election. Joe Biden’s mental acuity was never evidenced, and he was portrayed as a moderating influence on the leftist wing of his party and as a uniter of Americans, all of which was a subterfuge.

This is yet another problem with early voting, as well as the lack of debates, as I have examined in my Chirp on "10/18/22 To Debate, or Not to Debate, That is the Question", and the other issues of voting that I have written about in my Article "Voting in America". The other problem is that a Republic of Party begets a Republic of Oligarchy, which is not a Democracy, as I have Chirped on, "01/11/22 Our Democracy". As such, our Democratic republic is dissolving into a Political Party Oligarchy based on party affiliation, with such party affiliation based on underlying factors not related to the best interests of all Americans but the interests of those Americans affiliated with a party.

11/21/22 Winning Primaries and Losing General Elections

Many commentators and politicians have critiqued that in the recent 2022 mid-term elections, one of the factors for the Republican Party's minimal gains was that the Republicans had candidates that could win Primaries rather than General Elections. While this may be true, it is not germane to the reason for a political party unless the main reason for a political party is to win general elections. Such a reason is founded on the premise that the primary goal of a party is to obtain and retain political power rather than illuminate the differences between the parties and allow the electorate to choose between policy agendas and political agendas. While a political party must win general elections to implement its policy goals and political agendas, if it does so while losing its soul and reason for its existence, then it is a hollow victory without sustenance.

If a political party attempts to disguise its policy goals and political agendas from the electorate to win general elections thru the techniques of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors", "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", “The Perversion of the English Language”, and saying one thing but doing another, then it is a party in a masquerade that attempts to simply obtain and retain political power. Such a party is dedicated to rulership rather than leadership, which I have examined in my Article "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

Alas, such masquerading has been the tactic of the Democrat Party for the last several decades. Since the candidacy and election of Bill Clinton, the Democrat Party has been more interested in subterfuge than candor to obtain political power. This has led the American electorate to make unwise decisions that are contrary to the best interests of America. Unwise decisions, as the American electorate has not been fully informed about the policy goals and political agendas of the Democrat Party and the consequences of their policy goals and political agendas. Instead, they have been swayed by emotionally charged rhetoric rather than intellectually based rationality. The American electorate has also been swayed by several underlying factors that have not been illuminated by the political parties nor by the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech",  "Modern Big Business", and "Modern Education". Indeed, these underlying factors have been ignored for the purpose of electing (mostly Democrat) candidates that support the predilections of the aforementioned interest groups.

This is why it is important for the Republican Party, in the Primaries, to nominate candidates of candor so that they can illuminate the differences between their party and their candidates. This allows the electorate in the General election to choose between different policy goals and political agendas and elect candidates they think will implement these goals and agendas. Otherwise, we will continue to be unknowledgeable and confused about the issues and problems facing America, and we will continue to make uninformed and usually poor choices with bad consequences in the General election as to the solutions to our problems.

My next several Chirps will examine, for your consideration, these underlying factors that need to be illuminated for the electorate to make informed choices.

11/20/22 The Death of Investigative Journalism

The Mainstream Media has lost the concept of Investigate Journalism, and it has, instead, become Narrative Journalism. Rather than spending the time to investigate and then report on a story, it has become instant reporting on a story that fits its political proclivities narrative. In this, they have been supported by Social Media, as I have written in my Articles “Modern Journalism” and "Social Media and Free Speech".

A brief list of recent Narrative Journalism in which they got it completely wrong due to a lack of Investigative Journalism includes:

• Andrew Cuomo's COVID-19 leadership was worthy of praise.
• Defaming Nicholas Sandmann and the Covington Catholic Students.
• Haitian migrants were ‘whipped’ at the border.
• The Hunter Biden Laptop.
• The Jussie Smollett incident.
• The Kyle Rittenhouse shooting and trial.
• The Wuhan lab leak theory was ‘fringe’ and a ‘conspiracy theory’.
• Trump Russian collusion and the Steele dossier.

Additionally, the lack of investigative journalism on the 2020 Presidential election irregularities, Joe Biden’s and John Fetterman’s Mental Fitness to hold office, and the Influence peddling by the Biden Family are a result of Narrative Journalism rather than Investigative Journalism—i.e., if it doesn’t fit the narrative than it is unworthy of investigation. Thus, they are not ‘comforting the allected and afflicting the comfortable’ but are, indeed, supporting the comfortable and powerful that share their political proclivities.

This Narrative Journalism has extended to not only not investing but slandering or suppressing any Free Speech of those that do not support their narrative, even those who are also journalists. This is an assault on the Free Speech rights of All American and is incongruous with a Free Press. They also have, along with Social Media, been in collusion with the Biden Administration in suppressing reporting of stories unfavorable to the Biden Administration.

Consequently, they are no longer ‘Journalists’ but Propagandists’. Our Founding Fathers were well aware of the role of a Free Press to help guard against government overreach and to assure our Liberties and Freedoms, which is why they incorporated the Freedom of the Press in the First Amendment to the Constitution. Modern Journalism is failing in its duties and responsibilities to fully inform the American public of all the facts and, therefore, the truths of what is occurring in America.

This failure has dire consequences for America’s future as the American electorate cannot make fully informed decisions on whom they should vote for and what public policies they should support. The good news is that the American public is recognizing these failures of Modern Journalism and turning to alternative sources for news and information. If this trend continues, then Modern Journalism will be relegated to a slideshow, which is where they belong due to their Narrative Journalism.

11/19/22 No COVID Amnesty

On Monday, November 91, 2922, Brown University economist Emily Oster had an essay published by The Atlantic in which she begged, “Let's declare a pandemic amnesty because we need to forgive one another for what we did and said when we were in the dark about COVID.”

However, forgiveness should only be given to those who repent and ask for forgiveness, and in the case of criminal actions, only if they have paid the penalty for their crimes. In the case of the COVID-19 virus, we can segregate forgiveness into those persons that could not have known, those persons that should have known, those persons that did know and did not speak up, and those persons that knew and spoke and acted foolhardy, harmfully, or maliciously.

The harm that was done to our society, economy, the educational and social development of our children, and our Liberties and Freedoms are destructive and incalculable. Alas, much harm was done, some of which was not avoidable, but some of which could have been avoided if more deliberative and rational thought had been applied rather than a rush to ‘do something’. Therefore, forgiveness should be allocated to each group based on their culpability.

At the beginning of the COVID-19 virus, little was known, and excessive precautions were justifiable. As soon as we discovered the size and airborne transmission of the COVID-19 virus, anybody with a knowledge of medicine and physics (especially fluid dynamics and gases) would have known that masking and social distancing were ineffective in preventing the transmission and reception of the COVID-19 virus. As we learned more about the COVID-19 virus, we understood that its impacts were on our senior citizens and those adults that had comorbid complications, while most adults and children were minorly impacted by the COVID-19 virus. It was when this knowledge became known that we can adjudge persons for the forgiveness of their words and deeds.

As to those persons that could not have known, which includes most Americans, forgiveness is fully warranted. Those persons that should have known but did not examine the facts nor speak up should be forgiven but chastised for not finding out and speaking up. Those persons that did know and did not speak up should not be forgiven and reprimanded for failing to do the right thing. Those persons that knew and spoke and acted foolhardy, harmfully, or maliciously should not be forgiven and should face possible civil lawsuits or criminal prosecutions for their actions.

What should not be forgiven is those people and organizations that attempted to silence or suppress information and warnings about the harmful actions that were undertaken in response to the COVID-19 virus. The people and organizations that raised the alarms about the COVID-19 virus responses should be lauded and indemnified for speaking out. It is those people and organizations that spoke out that the American people should pay heed to and support in the future, and those that silenced or suppressed their speech should not be forgiven and punished to ensure that this never happens again.

Consequently, it's time for COVID-19 virus responses accountability, not amnesty, as Spencer Brown has written in his article “There Should Be No Covid Amnesty” and Michael Brendan Dougherty article “A ‘Pandemic Amnesty’? Hell, No.” Blanket amnesty is not warranted and is, indeed, harmful to the future of our society. A harm to our society in that if the unforgivable persons and organizations are forgiven and go unpunished, then they will continue in their harmful ways without fear of punishment and in the hope for forgiveness for their future actions.

11/18/22 The Military-Industrialization Complex

The expression Military Industrialization Complex (MIC) describes the relationship between a country's military and the defense industry that supplies it, seen together as a vested interest that influences public policy. In the context of the United States, the appellation is sometimes extended to the Military–Industrial–Congressional Complex (MICC), adding the U.S. Congress to form a three-sided relationship termed an "iron triangle". Its three legs include political contributions, political approval for military spending, lobbying to support bureaucracies, and oversight of the industry; or, more broadly, the entire network of contracts and flows of money and resources among individuals as well as corporations and institutions of the defense contractors, private military contractors, the Pentagon, Congress, and the Executive Branch.

I have no problem with the Military Industries making a profit on military expenditures, as this is the capitalistic way of life in America. My problem is that the Congressional and Executive Branch are making military decisions not based upon our national security needs but upon the needs of the Military Industry making profits and their own election and reelection coffers and vote garnering. As I have written in my Chirp on “11/02/22 A Woke and Atrophied Military”, many military observers are concerned that the military is losing focus on its mission to win armed conflicts due to wokism and atrophy. They are also concerned that our military cannot fight a two-front war, which has been our military policy for over half a century, and that we would have difficulty winning a one-front war. This is not only because of wokism and understaffing but also because we have not had the proper funding for the military, nor have they allocated the proper apportionments and resources in the military to the goal of winning a modern armed conflict.

Consequently, the Military Industry is not the problem; it is a problem of proper decision-making by the Congressional and Executive Branches on military funding and apportionments of resources within the military. The only solution to this problem is for the American electorate to vote for politicians that will put national security and military preparedness above their own insular needs. However, determining what is politically insular versus what is militarily needed is very difficult to accomplish for the electorate. The only wise method to accomplish this is to look for virtuous candidates that you believe will do what is best for America rather than what is best for themselves and their narrow constituent’s interests.

11/17/22 ESG – A Pathway to Ruination

Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) has become the rage of Progressives/Leftists Governments and Activists and Activism. So, what Is ESG effectuation and investing? Environmental, social, and governance refer to a set of standards for a company’s behavior used by governments to implement national economic and social policies through company regulation and by socially conscious investors to screen potential investments for a company’s adherence to ESG goals. Environmental criteria consider how a company safeguards the environment, including corporate policies addressing climate change and other environmental goals. Social criteria examine how a company manages relationships with employees, suppliers, customers, and the communities where it operates. Governance deals with a company’s leadership, executive pay, audits, internal controls, and shareholder rights.

As Andy Puzder, the former CEO of CKE Restaurants — parent to Hardee's and Carl's Junior — has explained, the basic tenets of ESG are radical environmental policy — the so-called "green" energy transition, progressive social policy — requiring woke principles to be enacted within a company from the top down, and governance policies that see merit-based systems replaced with preferences based on race or sex.

The consequences of ESG, in addition to the forced wokification of massive corporations, include a loss in financial benefit for the shareholders whose money the asset managers are entrusted to a steward. Puzder explained that "ESG policies do not encourage profits" and he goes on to state that, in fact, ESG investing is a negative for profits, it's a negative for investor returns and it's only a positive if you're one of these progressive crusaders who's trying to get these issues through and force them down a countries populations throats without going to the ballot box. These negative consequences on investors, as Sanjai Bhagat the Provost Professor of Finance at the University of Colorado, has written in a Harvard Business Review article, “An Inconvenient Truth About ESG Investing“-“How have investors fared? Not that well, it seems.”

Sri Lanka's recent economic collapse was in large part of the government adopting ESG criteria on the country’s companies and in its governance, while Dutch farmers are up in arms about the negative impacts on farming of ESG implementation. Germany has forced many ESG policies on its companies and within governmental policy, and its economy has been floundering. Throughout the world, ESG has had negative consequences on the people and economies where ESG is being implemented. ESG has led to shortages of products and supply chain problems to make up for these shortages, and all of this has led to increased prices for consumers. As Marc Joffe has written in his National Review article, “Why ESG Is Bad for the Economy”:

“Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment practices distract investors and corporate management from maximizing long-term profitability, which is often achieved through innovation, cost control, and customer focus. By diverting attention away from priorities that align with increased productivity and toward a shifting array of inconsistently defined social-impact criteria, the ESG orientation is a long-term threat to continued economic growth.”

“Like many movements in America’s past, the ESG-investment crusade has taken a reasonable idea and stretched it well beyond reason. If institutional investors continue to deploy funds according to shifting criteria other than long-term profitability, and relying on imprecise metrics while doing so, they will undermine the ability of the U.S. economy to grow and to thereby improve our standard of living.”

Throughout the world, the implementation of ESG has led to greater government control over businesses and the economies of their country. Consequently, ESG is not really about the environment, social, and governance goals; it is about power! The power to control persons and businesses by Government and Progressives/Leftists. The power to implement their agenda without the elective support of the people. The power to impinge upon the Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All, and the power to reorganize society on utopian ideals. As such, ESG should be opposed by all persons who wish to control their own destinies and live under Liberty and Freedom. Otherwise, we will become serfs to their lordship, and democracies will devolve into despotism.

11/16/22 Stupid Is as Stupid Does

In the movie “Forrest Gump” there is the famous, often-quoted line, “Stupid is as stupid does”. Ignorance is often the fuel that powers stupidity, and ignorant stupidity is the most disastrous stupidity of all. Ignorant stupidity also often leads you to believe that you are right when you are wrong. Once again, President Biden and his Administration have demonstrated the truth of these statements and have proven their own ignorant stupidity.

President Biden said Friday, November 94, 2022, that coal plants are too expensive to operate, and "we're going to be shutting these plants down all across America" in order to shift to wind power. President Biden has ordered an end to overseas financing of coal plants and other carbon-intensive projects, the first such federal directive. In a diplomatic cable sent to every U.S. embassy, the White House ordered an immediate end to the financing of such projects as well as more indirect support, such as technical assistance to pipeline operators.

The ignorant stupidity of this policy is so astounding that it belies belief. As I have many times, “When the wind doesn’t blow, and the sun doesn’t shine, and batteries don’t have the capacity to store sufficient power with ample duration to supply our electricity needs during these times, we risk electrical calamity”. To believe that wind (or solar) power can replace coal power in the near future is to ignore "The Basis of Our Modern Technological World" and "The Four E’s (Energy, Economic, End-To-End, and Environmental)", as well as disregard "The Law of Unintended Consequences".

This is again an example of President Biden and his Administration living in fantasyland, as I have Chirped on "10/21/22 Reality Bites I" and"10/22/22 Reality Bites II". The implementation of this coal plant elimination policy will come back and bite us, and it will be a terrible and highly injurious bite. The new Republican Congress needs to put an end to this policy and insist that President Biden and his Administration live in the real world.

11/15/22 Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

A looming crisis is approaching us, and it is a crisis not being fully acknowledged nor being addressed by the Biden Administration, nor is the American public aware of this crisis. It is the approaching crisis of a shortage of diesel fuel. It is expected that by the end of November 2022 that we will not have sufficient diesel fuel to meet our needs. As Waco economist Ray Perryman has explained in an article by Bob Campbell, “Diesel fuel shortage ominous”, “There are only a few weeks' supply left with the nation's 130 refineries going full blast and the truck fleets, trains, ships, farmers and military potentially facing big challenges.”

Diesel fuel is a bedrock of our economy that is essential for transportation and other needs of our economic activities. Diesel fuel is utilized for the vast majority of shipping by land and sea and for supplying aviation fuel to aircraft for all air traffic. Farming equipment, trucks, freight trains, barges, boats, ships, and our military all require diesel fuel to operate. Without the proper supply of diesel fuel, our economy will come to a grinding halt, and without sufficient diesel fuel, we will see shortages and increased prices for everything.

Farmers utilize diesel fuel to conduct their mechanized farming and the shipping of their products, business and consumer goods and supplies are shipped with diesel-fueled vehicles. Diesel fuel generators are a technology of choice for emergency and backup power systems because they can best provide immediate, full-strength, electric power when the primary power supply system fails. Many industrial facilities, large buildings, institutional facilities, hospitals, and electric utilities have diesel-fueled generators for backup and emergency power supply.

The importation of diesel fuel in the quantities needed to support our needs is not possible as a long-term solution, and as a short-term solution, it will only delay the inevitable. We, therefore, must produce the necessary quantity of diesel fuel to meet our needs. So, why is this shortage happening? There are a few important reasons for this, but the most important reasons are a lack of oil drilling, oil transportation, and diesel refining capabilities in America and a historically low supply of diesel reserves.

This is part in parcel with the Biden Administration’s desire to reduce our production of fossil fuels, a policy that has taken us from fossil fuel independence to fossil fuel dependence on foreign trade. A policy that makes us dependent on the vagaries and manipulations of oil-producing foreign nations and foreign oil companies. It also exposes us to capricious price increases for fossil fuels by oil-producing foreign nations.

Waco economist Ray Perryman has also stated that “The good news is that additional refinery capacity is coming online over time, though it still won't leave much slack. Refineries take years and billions to build if companies can even get permits and in the current political environment, such investments take on additional risk.” The Biden Administration needs to ease up on its fossil fuel restrictions and bring us back to fossil fuel independence. Given the almost religious-like fervor against fossil fuels that characterizes the Biden Administration, I do not expect this to happen. Consequently, it is important that we elect a new President in 2024 that will institute policies that restore our fossil fuel independence.

11/14/22 Kangaroo Courts in Congress

A Kangaroo Court is a court that ignores recognized standards of law or justice, carries little or no official standing in the territory within which it resides, and is typically convened ad hoc. A kangaroo court may ignore due process and come to a predetermined conclusion. The term may also apply to a court held by a legitimate judicial authority that intentionally disregards the court's legal or ethical obligations (i.e., a show trial).

In the recent past, some Congressional Committees have been operating as Kangaroo Courts. The Impeachment of President Trump Committee hearings and the January 6th, 2001 ‘Insurrection” committee hearings have clearly shown that Congress is acting as a Kangaroo Court that ignores recognized standards of law or justice. Other Committee hearings have also taken on the tone of a kangaroo court in that they are not being held to uncover the facts to determine the truths for valid Congressional legislative or investigative purposes. They are, instead, being held for political purposes to reach a foregone conclusion for the purposes of electioneering. It is important that "Justice and the Rule of Law in Non-Judicial Proceedings" be upheld in Congressional hearings so as to ensure the protection of the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of any person involved in these hearings.

In the Impeachment Hearings, the Impeachment Resolution gives the President and Republicans an illusion of Due Process, but it appears that the Democrat’s definition of Due Process is for the Republicans to be able to request Due Process, which can be denied by the Committee Chairman, or denied by a full Committee vote which is controlled by the Democrats. The Democrat Chairman also had the right to issue subpoenas without the joint concurrence of the Republicans, to restrict the subpoena power of the Republicans, and to limit questions to the witnesses. It, therefore, limits Due Process to the arbitrariness of the Democrat committee chairman or the Democrat majority in the committee. This Impeachment Resolution, in effect, means that the House Democrats are reserving the right to do whatever they please, howsoever they please, and whenever they please. These are the actions of a kangaroo court and not an investigative committee. My article on "Impeachment Resolution” examines this in more detail.

In the Insurrection hearings, the deck was stacked against former President Trump in that all the committee members were political opponents of President Trump, no testimony of or for the ‘insurgents’ was allowed, and a predetermined conclusion is inevitable. Counsel for President Trump was not allowed, no evidence in his favor was allowed, and testimony was edited and tailored against President Trump. The words and deeds of President Trump prior to and on January 6th, 2021, were taken out of context and were often misrepresented or tailored by omission. The actions of President Trump and the inactions of Congressional leaders prior to January 6th, 2021, to prepare for possible riots were ignored. My Chirps on "06/12/22 A Kangaroo Congressional Committee Hearing" and "07/02/22 Hearsay Evidence" examines this in more detail.

Kangaroo committee hearings are not for legitimate Congressional legislative or investigative purposes but to stoke enmity against a person or party. If, in Congressional committee hearings, this enmity cannot be abated, if civility cannot be restored, or if some semblance of bipartisanship cannot occur, then we will be locked into mortal combat rather than governance. If this can be rectified, then we can proceed with the normal order of business of the governance of the United States. This enmity and the lack of Justice and the Rule of Law in Non-Judicial Proceedings are more damaging to our democracy than anything the Kangaroo Congressional committee is investigating. If Kangaroo Congressional Committees are allowed to continue, and if they influence an election, then we can expect other such Kangaroo Congressional Committees in the future.

But, alas, I do not expect this to happen as the Democrat politician's electioneering tactics are built upon enmity. In the 2022 mid-term elections, we have seen even more displays of Democrat candidates’ enmity and fear and loathing of their opponents rather than policy disagreements. The only way it will ever be over is for the American people to remove the Democrat Party politicians from the reins of power in an overwhelming manner. It is only this removal that will force the Democrats to reassess their tactics and approach to governance, and we can then proceed with the regular order of doing the business of governance.

If the Republicans win control of Congress in the 2022 mid-term elections, then the new Republican-controlled Congress will need to investigate the many cases of abuse of "Justice and The Rule of Law in America" that President Biden and his administration have engaged in. However, these investigations must not be run as a Kangaroo Congressional Committee but as fair and equitable Congressional committee proceedings that institute Justice and the Rule of Law in Non-Judicial Proceedings.

11/13/22 It’s Time to Exit Stage Right

In an article by Terry Paulson, “Why Did the Wave Become a Ripple?”, he sets forth that:

“It’s clear now that Donald Trump is toxic! His victory and first term as president helped set the stage for needed conservative policy changes; he showed that a president could deliver on his promises. But his abrasive comments and personal attacks clearly contributed to Republican midterm losses in this election. Trump’s 2020 loss to Biden was not because of his conservative positions. His campaign was focused on demeaning Biden. More than half of Americans hated him so much that they gave the presidency to what we now know is an age-impaired president. In this election, not all of the Trump-endorsed candidates won. He may have endorsed them, but he did not take from his large political war chest to help fund their campaigns. His negative comments about Gov. DeSantis did not hurt the governor, but they did hurt the party. Trump made a difference, but his time has passed if the GOP is to win the future.”

Former President Donald Trump also recently ranted against Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in what now appears to be a mocking campaign against potential rivals in the 2024 Presidential primary elections. He seems to have forgotten, or never knew, The Eleventh Commandment of Ronald Reagan "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican." His ill speaking can only be harmful to the future of the electoral chances of conservative Republicans, which is harmful not only to Republicans but to America.

I, therefore, agree with Mr. Paulson that it’s time for Donald Trump to pass the torch to a younger generation that exposes his ideals and ideas. It is also time for Donald Trump supporters to throw their support to this new generation of Republican leaders. By doing so, they can help ensure that "Constitutional Conservatives" are elected for many years to come and help right the course of America. To right the course of America will take many years of hard work to accomplish, which will require a younger generation of dedicated conservative politicians to accomplish. Mr. Trump needs to put his ego aside and do what is best for the American people, which is for him to exit stage right while passing the torch without torching other conservative Republicans.

11/12/22 The Times They Are a Changing

Old-school Republicans are dead, and it is time to replace the old-school Republican leadership in Congress and the Republican Party. The mainstream Republicans have not been for some time the party of the wealthy and big business, nor the self-styled elites and government bureaucrats, while the old-school Republicans in Congress have also been mostly civil and accommodating in their words and deeds in Congress. The Democrats now have almost exclusive titles to the aforementioned class of people, while they have been losing the middle class and ethnic groups they have depended upon for several decades. The Democrats in Congress have also been uncivil and partisan in their words and deeds in Congress, as per my Article "Divisiveness in America". This change from old-school to new-school Republicans needs to be reflected in the new Republican leadership in Congress.

The recent mid-term elections of 2022 have not seen the Red Wave of Republicans being elected as expected. There are many different reasons and excuses for what occurred, but in all these reasons and excuses it comes down to, as President Truman’s desk plaque stated, ‘The Buck Stops Here’. Leadership is taking responsibility for all that occurs, both good and bad, under your leadership. When you have continually not met expectations or failed, it is time for a change in leadership.

It is, therefore, time to consider new Republican leadership in Congress and the Republican Party to replace the old Republican leadership, as the old Republican leadership has not met expectations or failed. Inroads have been made in the lower Republican leadership ranks, but the upper ranks of Republican leadership need to be shunted aside and replaced with younger new school Republicans for the Republican Party to thrive. This is especially true for Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, as he is the epitome of old schools Republicans. His performance during the recent 2022 election cycle did not advance new school Republicans and, indeed, did some harm to their election prospects. Also, the RINOS (Republicans In Name Only) in the Senate need to be shunted aside and replaced by new-school Republicans in positions of leadership. The Republican leadership in the House of Representatives has fared better in transitioning to new school Republicans in the lower ranks of leadership, and this should be further encouraged by a change to new school Republicans in the upper ranks of leadership. Current House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy is of the old-school Republican ranks, but he has become more new school over the last several years. However, he has also failed to act aggressively against President Biden and the Democrat's agenda in Congress. Therefore, the new school Republicans in the House of Representatives should elect a new school Republican leader to become the new Speaker of the House.

Both the House of Representatives and Senate Republican leaders need to have a more aggressive attitude in confronting Democrat leadership to change the culture in Washington D.C... A culture that puts activist government and special interests ahead of our "American Ideals and Ideas" and devalues our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

The Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists forces of Political Correctness, Activists and Activism, Adjective Justice, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Doxing, Wokeness, the Greater Good versus the Common Good, Social Engineering Identity Politics, Hyper-Partisanship, and a Herd Mentality need to be confronted and turned back to restore "A Civil Society" in America. The actions of the institutions of "Big Tech", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Mainstream Media", "Modern Big Business", and "Modern Education" needs to be rectified to ensure that the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of all Americans are not violated by these institutions.

The best means to correct these problems is for the new school Republican leadership in Congress, and new school Republican Party leaders, to illuminate these problems to the American people and then pass and promote legislation that will correct these problems, as I have examined in my new Article, “A Harbinger of Bad Tidings”. Only the new school Republicans can accomplish this objective, and they need to be in positions of leadership to achieve this goal. Consequently, it is time to replace the old-school Republican leadership with new-school Republican leadership in Congress and the Republican Party.

11/11/22 A Harbinger of Bad Tidings

My new Article, “A Harbinger of Bad Tidings”, reviews the many convulsions in the last two years that Congress needs to investigate, as well as the need for Congress to investigate other issues that are impacting our “American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". These and the other issues are:

• The Impacts and Consequences of an Open Border Policy
• The Impacts and Consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic
• The Impacts and Consequences of the problems of Voting in America
• The Impacts and Consequences of increased Crime and a lack of Punishment for criminals
• The Impacts and Consequences of an Unequal and Prejudicial system of Justice
• The Impacts and Consequences of The Decline of Free Speech in America
• The Impacts and Consequences of a Woke and Atrophied Military
• The Impacts and Consequences of Homelessness
• The Impacts and Consequences of the problems of Public Education
• The Impacts and Consequences of Influence Peddling by Foreign Governments and other non-American actors
• The Impacts and Consequences of Bureaucratic Regulatory Capture
• And the true story of the January 6, 2020, "Insurrection"

In all these Congressional investigations, we must always keep in mind the difference between rhetoric and reality and focus on the facts and the truths of the facts, as well as keeping narcissism and vitriol out of the proceedings. The Congresspersons should also remember that the purpose of these hearings is to craft legislation to correct these problems and not to produce rhetoric for electioneering purposes.

The above points, and our current government actions on these points, are an erosion of the Liberties and Freedoms of Americans that could harbinger bad tidings for the future of America. As the Republicans have won narrow control of of the House of Representatives in the 2022 mid-term elections, the new Republican-controlled House will need to investigate these issues and the many other cases of abuses that President Biden and his administration have engaged in.

11/10/22 When Will We Learn

As I have written in my Article "Voting in America", Early Voting and Voting by Mail have had nefarious consequences in the 2022 mid-term elections, highlighted by the states of Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. In Arizona and Nevada, the counting of Mail-In Ballots has caused extensive delays, while in Pennsylvania, early voting has skewered the outcome of the election.

Machine failures in Arizona appear to have been primarily in election districts that have traditionally voted heavily Republican, while in Nevada, there are concerns about biased ballot validation and the consequential counting of fraudulent ballots. In Pennsylvania, the extent of John Fetterman’s impairment due to his stroke was unknown to early voters, as I Chirp on "10/17/22 Physical Disability and Mental Impairment", in which the knowledge of his impairment may have changed enough votes to alter the election outcome.

We also had the problem of an extraordinary number of (Democrat) political candidates refusing to debate their opponents, or set unusual terms or conditions for a debate, or only debating well after early ballots are cast, as I Chirped on, "10/18/22 To Debate, or Not to Debate, That is the Question". This lack of transparency does not allow the voters to become more fully informed before casting their ballot, which skewers the outcome of the vote.

We have, additionally, the new problem of the Democrat Party meddling in GOP primaries by the Democrats' strategy of spending millions to boost pro-Trump candidates in Republican primaries, which appeared to pay off Tuesday as the party ended the night with a clean sweep of the races in which it chose to meddle, as examined in the Fox News article “CLEAN SWEEP: Democratic meddling in GOP primaries paid off in a big way on Election Day“. Democrats spent more than $40 million boosting those six GOP candidates, all of whom expressed support for former President Donald Trump as a leader of the Republican Party or were backed by him. All six of the Republican candidates who seemingly benefited from the meddling in their primary victories fell to their Democratic opponents. Those races include a number of key House and gubernatorial races, as well as the New Hampshire Senate race. Such meddling is nefarious and anti-democratic that could have serious repercussions in future elections if this becomes common practice.

All of these practices favor Democrat Party candidates to the detriment of Republican Party candidates, which is why Democrat Party Leaders express little concern or deny voting problems in America. Despite their protestations of concern for voting problems, they are only concerned with protecting their ability to cheat. In the bitter partisanship and close elections that we are experiencing in America today, cheating rather than persuasion seems to be the tactic of the Democratic Party to obtain and retain power. They have also resorted to emotional fearmongering against Trump supporters and Republicans in general in order to divide and pit Americans against each other to garner votes. This emotional fearmongering, not based on policy differences, but based on fear and loathing of their opponents, is destroying the commonality of our "American Ideals and Ideas" and “The Soul of the Nation”.

Until we can correct the voting problems in America, it will not be possible to correct the other problems in America, as we must have free and fair elections that reflect the will of the electorate to solve these problems.

These voting problems and the other problems I have discussed in my “A Harbinger of Bad Tidings” article are all reminiscent of what I have written in my Article “1984 - A Cautionary Tale, Not A Handbook” – which is an examination of the attempts by the Democrat Party to turn 1984 into a handbook for the governance of America instead of a cautionary tale of modern tyranny.

11/07/22 Please Vote

In my Chirp on "09/15/22 Please Don’t Vote", I implored the uninformed voters not to vote. In this Chirp, I am asking the informed voters to vote. I am also asking informed voters to vote based on intellectual rather than emotional responses to the candidate’s policies and positions, nor the candidate’s party affiliation.

Many of my Chirps in the last month have been about the importance of the Republicans regaining control of Congress. The 2022 mid-term elections may decide upon America’s near future and possibly far future, but in either case, America’s future hangs in the balance. Many of the issues, and the candidate's positions on these issues, are existential questions on the nature of governance of America. One party, The Democrats, believes in an interventionist and larger government for the purpose of creating what is best for America, while the other party, The Republicans, believes what is best for America is minimal governmental intervention and a smaller government that maximizes individual liberty and freedom.

In this, as the noted economist Thomas Sowell has often said:

"The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best?" - Thomas Sowell

It is we, the American electorate, that will decide what is best for America’s future in this election. But we must recognize that all of us must work within the boundaries of the Constitution. Anyone, and especially politicians that wish to operate outside the bounds of the Constitution, poses an existential threat to America and must be rejected by the electorate. It may be difficult to determine those politicians that pose an existential threat, but most on the far left and far right fall into the category of existential threats. Given the shift of the Democrat Party to the far left, we should be wary that Democrat politicians will pose a threat. While the Republican Party has drifted more to the right, this drift has not been as serious or far-reaching as the shift of the Democrat Party to the far left. Thus, Republican politicians will pose much less of an existential threat than Democrat politicians.

Therefore, I still say that if you are uninformed about the issues, then I would still ask you not to vote, but if you are informed about the issues, then I would ask you to vote. And if you are truly informed about the issues, then I believe that you will vote for the Republican candidates.

11/06/22 Are You and America Better Off Today

In the final week of the 1980 presidential campaign between Democratic President Jimmy Carter and Republican nominee Ronald Reagan, the two candidates held their only debate. Going into the Oct. 28 event, Carter had managed to turn a dismal summer into a close race for a second term. And then, during the debate, Reagan posed what has become one of the most important campaign questions of all time: “Are you better off today than you were four years ago?”

America has seen many convulsions in the last two years. On the International stage; the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Ukrainian War, the proposed Iran Deal, and the threatening actions of Russia and China, and on the National stage; the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problem, to gas price increases, to inflation, to a recession, and to a host of other issues we have been convulsed by the policies of the Biden Administration.

Today, rather than a dismal summer under President Carter, we have had a disastrous almost two years under President Biden. We definitely are not better off today than we were when President Biden took office, and it appears we will not be getting any better in the near future. The 2022 mid-term elections cannot change this if the Democrats remain in control of Congress, but Republican control of Congress may be able to blunt the severity and duration of this downturn under the Biden Administration.

The Republican candidates may not be to your liking, but they are better than allowing the Democrat Congress to remain in power. Therefore, I say to the American electorate that it is better for our country to have a Republican Congress that may be able to alleviate some of these problems rather than a Democrat Congress that has brought forth these problems. Consequently, you should vote for the Republican candidate even if you need to hold your nose to do so.

11/05/22 The Destruction of America

I have never seen such a precipitous nor quick decline in America’s prospects as I have witnessed under the Biden Administration. It makes one wonder if it is total incompetence or deliberate actions that have brought about this decline. I suspect that it is both, as the Biden Administration is chock full of incompetent people and those that do not believe in traditional American values. In their quest to “fundamentally transform” America into their utopian ideals and ideas, as well as their incompetency, they have set a course for the destruction of America as we have known it to be.

In less than two years, we have witnessed the problems on the International stage of; the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Ukrainian War, the proposed Iran Deal, and the threats of Russia and China, and on the National stage of, the problems on; the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problems, to gas price increases, to inflation, to a recession, and to a host of other issues, America is in decline.

As the Philosophical Hanlon's Razor states, "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." However, stupidly cannot adequately explain the problems that have beset us; therefore, I believe that malice must be a part of our precipitous and quick decline. I have often stated that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that their policies are what is best for all Americans, and they cannot contemplate that they are wrong as they have an unswerving and almost religious belief in the correctness of their policy goals and political agendas.

They also have little grasp of “The Four E’s” or “The Basis of Our Modern Technological World” nor “The Law of Unintended Consequences” of their actions. They are so committed to their belief in "The Biggest Falsehoods in America" that they implement actions that are based on unrealities in today’s America. All this leads them to implement policy goals and political agendas that lead to the destruction of America.

This destruction of America can only end and be reversed by the rejection of the Democrat Party and its candidates by the American people. This is the overwhelming reason why a Red Wave (and hopefully a Red Tsunami) of Republicans and Conservatives should be elected in the 2022 mid-term elections, as well as the elections of a Republican President and Congress in the 2024 elections.

11/04/22 Semi-fascism in America

In the movie “Forrest Gump” there is the famous, often-quoted line, “Stupid is as stupid does”. Therefore, I would say, “Semi-Fascism is as semi-fascism does”, and look to actions rather than words to determine the real Semi-fascism in America. A new article by Rob Natelson, “Joe Biden’s Charge of ‘Semi-Fascism’”, looks at the actions of the Biden Administration to determine if they are semi-fascist. The list he compiled —which many readers of his know is merely a partial one—is frightening and should be of concern to all Americans as these actions show a disregard for our Constitution and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

Professor Natelson utilizes the American Heritage Dictionary (5th edition) definition of fascism for his article:

1. A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, a capitalist economy subject to stringent governmental controls, violent suppression of the opposition, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.
2. A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.
3. Oppressive, dictatorial control.

Despite the charges of Semi-fascism hurled at Republicans and Republican candidates, and Conservative commentators, there are few actions and words by Republicans and Conservative commentators that are Semi-Fascistic. However, there are many words and actions by Democrat Party leaders and Democrat candidates, as well as Progressive commentators, that are Semi-Fascistic. President Biden even gave a speech in front of Independence Hall on the night of September 01, 2022, that was Semi-fascistic and the most divisive, vile, and despicable speech given by a modern American President, as I have written about in my Article “The Soul of the Nation” and Rob Natelson has written about in his article “Biden’s nasty speech and the nation’s governors”. He again repeated these Semi-fascistic and divisive, vile, and despicable comments in a speech on the night of November 02, 2022, at Union Station in Washington, D.C.

These speeches are worthy of George III’s Ministers' and Members of Parliament's comments about the American Colonists who declared independence in that same hall. These speeches are also the tactics of that demonization of a group of people for the purposes of the incitement of the mob that Lenin, Mussolini, Hitler, and Mao utilized to subjugate their own people. President Biden’s outright distortions and fabrications about his political opponents were abominable, and he set the predicate for the persecution and prosecution of his political opponents. As such, his comments were Semi-fascistic and an extreme threat to democracy, as well as an assault on our Constitutional Rights that were unworthy of the leader of a people dedicated to Liberty and Freedom.

I, therefore, say to the American electorate that a vote for a Democrat candidate is a vote for Semi-Fascism in America. The only way to prevent Semi-Fascism in America is to not elect Democrat candidates and have a Republican Congress that can act as a check on this Democrat Party Semi-Fascism in America.

11/03/22 Zugzwang and Schadenfreude

In the game of Chess Zugzwang  is a situation in which a player is forced to make a move as it is their turn, but they would rather not move because any move they make will weaken their position. Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists and the Mainstream Media are facing their zugzwang moment in the 2022 mid-term elections. It now appears that a Red Wave (and perhaps a Red Tsunami) of Republicans and Conservatives may be elected. And they are in a panic!

The Democrats are attempting to change their messaging to address the concerns of Americans. They don’t understand that it is not the message but the consequences of their policy goals and political agendas that concern Americans, as I have written in my Chirp on “10/30/22 Message versus Actions”. This change of messaging is not having any impact, as the American people are not interested in listening to messages but are demanding changes in policies and agendas.

Despite the Mainstream Media's active attempts to cover for Democrat and Progressive candidates by downplaying the concerns of Americans, nefarious election polling, and disingenuous and sometimes outright lying on the Democrat candidate's past statements and votes, the Republican candidates are gaining and sometimes leading in the election polling. The American people are seeing past their deceptions and focusing on the impacts and consequences to their personal lives of disastrous Democrat policy goals and political agendas. And the American people do not like what they see in the Democrat Candidates and Democrat Party. Even traditional Democrat Party strongholds and interest groups are dissatisfied with their party.

All of this points to a Red Wave of Republicans being elected, and they have no answers but denial to counter this Red Wave. They appear to be dammed if they do and dammed if they don’t—thus zugzwang. Let those Americans concerned about the future of America utilize this zugzwang to checkmate the Democrat party candidates.

To this, I and many others are experiencing schadenfreude—delight in another person's misfortune. Those Americans that have experienced the misfortunes of Democrat Party policies and agendas should all be experiencing schadenfreude, and we should utilize this schadenfreude to motivate us to vote to ensure a Red Wave election. It is only with a Red Wave result in the election that we can begin to counter this misfortune and put America back on the right track.

However, a Red Wave election is only a start to putting America back on the right track. It must be followed by actions of the Republican-elected politicians to correct our course. Such actions will be stymied by Democrat-elected politicians and the Biden Administration, but the American people need to become more cognizant of the problems and the Republican solutions to these problems. The American people also need to be supportive of these solutions to force the hand of the Biden Administration. This may not be possible as the Democrats and the Biden Administration seem determined, despite the American people’s dissatisfaction with their policies and agendas, to continue to implement their policies and agendas. It may, therefore, take a Republican President and Republican Congress to fully right the course of America.

11/02/22 A Woke and Atrophied Military

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has embarked upon a course of "Wokeness" in the American military. From purging enlisted and officers that do not agree with his wokism, to the assigning of wokism reading material for officers, to the creation of a chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at the Department of Defense's education wing, Secretary Austin has gone full-woke in the Defense Department. As a result, quality officers and enlisted personnel are leaving the military or not reenlisting, and recruitment goals are not being met, resulting in the understaffing of our military.

Many military observers are concerned that the military is losing focus on its mission to win armed conflicts of this wokism. They are also concerned that our military cannot fight a two-front war, which has been our military policy for over half a century, and that we would have difficulty winning a one-front war. This is not only because of wokism and understaffing but also because we have not had the proper funding for the military, nor have they allocated the proper apportionments and resources to the goal of winning a modern armed conflict.

This wokism and atrophying of our military has been a result of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders social policy goals and political agendas being imposed upon the military. This needs to end forthwith, which can only occur with a Republican Congress having the power of the purse to correct this situation. Consequently, it is important to our National Security that Republican candidates are elected in the 2022 mid-term elections to take control of Congress and correct this situation.

11/01/22 Crime and Punishment

A crime wave has struck America in the last few years, abetted by a lack of punishment for the offenders. Since the summer riots of 2020 (excuse me- the mostly peaceful protests) that cost $1.42 billion in property damage or destruction, with at least 358 civilian casualties (106 deaths and 252 injuries) and more than 2,000 law enforcement officers being injured, crime in America has precipitously increased. Many Democrat Party leaders and Democrat politicians defended these mob actions; some encouraged these mob actions, while the rest remained silent on these mob actions. At the same time, many Democrat Party leaders and Democrat politicians called for defunding the police or reimagining policing, and in some Democrat Party-controlled cities, they tried defunding the police; thereupon, crime increased in these cities due to a lack of policing.

Since the summer riots of 2020, ordinary and violent crimes have also precipitously increased. Wanton destruction of property, property theft, carjackings, assaults, muggings, and even murders have sharply increased. Violent criminals and gangs roam the streets, and when they are arrested, they are released without cash bail to continue their criminal actions. Many Democrat District Attorneys refused to press charges, or they plea deal downward to allow for probation or light sentences. Rarely are these criminals prosecuted to the full extent of the law, and when they are prosecuted, their punishment is mild and of short duration. Alas, many Democrat Party leaders and Democrat politicians defended these District Attorneys, or they remained silent. Excuses and rationalizations have poured forth from many Democrat Party leaders and Democrat politicians, as well as Progressives, to excuse their criminal actions, and they often criticized police actions against these criminals. Thereupon police officers stopped policing, and many became demoralized and quit or retired. As a result, the police forces in our cities are understaffed and underfunded, and crime in our cities is increasing.

Americans are afraid to go out on city streets, even in broad daylight, lest they become victims of these criminals. Americans are also angry about this situation and demanding a change to make our streets safer. But such change is not possible from Democrat Party leaders and Democrat politicians for the reasons I have written about in my Chirp on “10/30/22 Message versus Actions”. Consequently, if you desire a change for the better, the only recourse is to vote for the Republican candidates in the 2022 mid-term elections.

10/31/22 The Indoctrination of our Children

As I have written in my article, "Public Education", the public school systems in America are a failure. They fail to provide a good education for their students, they fail to provide a good environment for their students, they fail to prepare their students to become productive and contributing adults, they fail the parents of the students, and they fail the taxpayers who fund these schools. There are many reasons, mostly unspoken, for this failure which my article examines. The only success that they have achieved is in the indoctrination of our children with Progressives/Leftists ideals and ideas. In this, they have the full support of Democrat Party Leaders, as they share the same ideals and ideas.

This became readily apparent to their parents when they observed their children’s education during the remote teaching that occurred during the COVID-19 Pandemic lockdowns. As many parents began examining the educational materials and books that were being utilized in their children’s education, they became appalled by their content. When the parents looked at some of the instructional materials and recommended reading books and the teacher's interactions with the students in public education, they discovered sexually explicit content and sexual orientation instruction, the teaching of Critical Race Theory and Systemic Racism in America, the didactics of Socialistic ideas and the disparagement of Capitalism, and a general anti-Americanism that permeates the educational and pedagogical teaching in the classroom, as I examined in my Chirp on, "11/07/21 Education and Pedagogy".

Not only is this an assault on educational quality and integrity, but it also leads to confusion and psychological issues in the young minds that are unable to cope with this indoctrination. It creates students incapable of exercising "Rationality" and "Reasoning" in their thinking and, indeed, creates a "Herd Mentality" in their students. It also creates an ant-America attitude in their students. This is also an assault on parental rights to mold the morals and ethics of their children.

When these parents began to voice their displeasure of this (sometimes vitriolically) at school board meetings, they were either ignored or basically told to sit down and shut up. When the National School Boards Association complained about these parents’ actions during these meetings, the Justice Department thought it proper to open an investigation of possible ‘terrorism’ by these parents. Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, in his debate with now Gov. Glenn Youngkin, when so far as to say, “I’m not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decisions.” and “I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.” This is an attitude that is all too common amongst Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as they believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct, and they should decide what is to be taught to students in our public schools.

This is an attitude that must be crushed and defeated at the polls by not voting for Democrat Party candidates and electing Governors, State and Local elected officials, and School Board members that are attuned to these concerns. Otherwise, we shall have indoctrinated rather than educated students that will be the future electorate in America.

10/30/22 Message versus Actions

I have often said that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that their policies are what is best for all Americans. Consequently, when the American people express dissatisfaction with the Progressives/Leftist and the Democrat Party policy goals and political agendas, they do not question their actions; they only question their messaging.

Their messaging often utilizes "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", and “The Perversion of the English Language” for the purposes of obscuring their true positions on the issues to hoodwink the American public. When this messaging fails to persuade the American public, they then try changing their messaging to further bamboozle the American electorate to garner support for their policy goals and political agenda. In this, they often are supported by the "Mainstream Media" and "Social Media" who share their political persuasions.

Message changing by Democrat candidates is what is now occurring in the 2022 mid-term elections, as the American people are expressing dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs in America. As in the proverb, ‘Actions speak louder than words’, the American people need to adjudge the Democrat candidates on their actions rather than their messaging. Most Americans are demanding a change in actions rather than a change in messaging to correct the problems facing America. Actions that the Democrats cannot contemplate, as they believe that they are always correct.

To vote for a Democrat candidate based on their messaging versus their actions, especially a Democrat candidate who has changed their message, is futile to achieve a change of actions. If you desire a change of action, the Democrat politicians and candidates are incapable of changing their actions due to their unswerving and almost religious belief in their policy goals and political agendas. Consequently, if you want a change of actions, the only change of actions that is possible is if you vote for the Republican candidate.

10/29/22 A Pathological Liar

In a column by John Nantz, he poses the question, “How Do You Successfully Lie To 300 Million People”, to which he begins to answer by stating:

“Joe Biden is a pathological liar. That’s easy to prove. Just about every public statement that he’s made is an outright lie. His claims about his law school career and standing were false. He claimed to have marched during the civil rights movement — a lie. He’s lied repeatedly, boldly about Hunter’s corrupt business dealings, and his intimate relationship to them. He’s spent 47 years stacking lie upon lie, building a colossal monument to his depravity and to the public’s gullibility.”

Joe Biden and his administration have spent their entire time in office lying to the American people. From his inaugural speech to the present day, they have been lying. His biggest and most despicable lie was in his remarks By President Biden on ‘The Continued Battle for The Soul of the Nation’ on September 01st, 2022, at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as I have written in my Article “The Soul of the Nation”. His most nefarious lie was his knowledge and involvement in his son’s business dealings, which were obviously an influence-peddling scheme to enrich both Joe and Hunter Biden. His most ongoing continuous lie, from the start of his Presidential campaign to today, is his mental fitness to hold the office of The Presidency of the United States.

He, and his administration, have continually lied about events on the international stage, as well as events on the National stage. On the International stage; the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Ukrainian War, the proposed Iran Deal, and the threatening actions of Russia and China, and on the National stage; the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problem, to gas price increases, to inflation, to a recession, and to a host of other issues we have been lied to by President Biden and his Administration.

Sunshine is the best disinfectant, as former Supreme Court Justice Lewis Brandeis stated this simple and powerful phrase with regard to a duty of publicity and the ability and the wickedness of people shielding wrongdoers & passing them off (or at least allowing them to pass themselves off) as honest men. The actual quote from Brandeis is a bit more eloquent and states:

"If the broad light of day could be let in upon men’s actions, it would purify them as the sun disinfects."  - Supreme Court Justice Lewis Brandeis

Consequently, it is important for the Republicans to regain control of Congress, as they could then bring sunshine upon the lies of President Biden and his administration. This sunshine will allow the American people to make a factual, truthful, and honest judgment on the words and deeds of President Biden and his administration.

10/28/22 Current Election Polling Nefariousness

Political polling has become ubiquitous and nefarious in today’s society.

Ubiquitous because no matter how inane, vacuous, unimportant, or insignificant the topic of the poll, there are people and organizations that will poll the topic. And there will be a hubbub over the results. This is not much of a concern of mine, as people and groups are free to do whatever they choose with their time and monies, and I am free to ignore these polls.

Nefarious, however, is a big concern of mine. It is well established that the wording of the questions, the order in which they are asked, and the number and form of alternative answers offered can influence the results of polls and therefore influence public policy.

This is why I have written an article on “Public Polling”.

Polling on elections is fraught with problems and errors, as well as being ubiquitous and nefarious. Jim McLaughlin, the president of the McLaughlin & Associates poll, is fed up. He told Newsmax on October 10 that major polling firms are intentionally ‘trying to drive down Republican support’ in the November midterm elections. He claims that a vast oversampling of Democrats in mainstream election surveys is intentional, as “They’re trying to drive down Republican support both in the electorate, because you’re not going to show up if your candidates going to lose, and they’re trying to dry up money.” and “Just like we get this biased mainstream media news coverage, their polls are biased.”. The noted political journalist John Fund has recently written a column, “Why Will Polls Now Show Republicans Doing Better?” that explains some of the nefariousness and the problems of the current election cycle polling.

This is why I have said for many years that if a Republican candidate is behind within the margin of error, they are probably equal or ahead in the election results, and if they are ahead in the polls, they will most likely win the election. Therefore, do not let election poll results determine if and how you should vote, and always remember that the election tally is the only poll that is meaningful.

10/27/22 Equal and Impartial Justice

“The most sacred of the duties of government is to do equal and impartial justice to all its citizens.”  - Thomas Jefferson

Today, the government has failed in that sacred duty. These failures are so numerous that it is nearly impossible to recall or list all these failures. But the American people are recognizing these failures. From how our government treats protesters favoring Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders versus prosecutions against Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders, to COVID-19 restrictions and inoculations for Yee and Thee but not for leftist protesters and illegal immigrants, to rhetoric and persecutions for anyone who would dissent or oppose Biden Administration policies and agendas, and to a host of other issues, the American people are awaking to a dual standard of justice in America that the Biden Administration and Democrat Party Leaders are imposing upon America. It has become a system of ‘Us versus Them’ as I have written in my Article “The Weaponization of Government”.

This is a dangerous course for America to undertake, as illustrated by the history of Nazi Germany who undertook this course. As the Nazis believed that as they were more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they were, of course, always correct. Any person that disagreed with them was considered not to be in the wrong but evil, and their elimination from German society was considered an act of purification for the greater good of the German people. In this quest, they deployed the Gestapo, The Reich Ministry of Justice, and a People's Court to achieve their goals.

The Gestapo was the political police force of the Nazi state. The Gestapo was a notorious organization tasked with destroying political opponents of the Nazi movement, suppressing any opposition to Nazi policies, and persecuting Jews. From its origins as a Prussian intelligence organization, it grew into a sprawling and greatly feared apparatus of oppression. The Gestapo investigated any person or organization suspected of opposing the Nazi movement. Its presence became pervasive in Germany and later in the countries that the German military occupied.

The Reich Ministry of Justice was responsible for legal prosecutions in the Nazi state. The Nazi (Volksgerichtshof), which was set up outside constitutional authority, handled political actions against Hitler's dictatorial regime by conducting a series of show trials. Equality under the Law and Equal Justice for All was of no consideration in Nazi Germany. The court systems in Nazi Germany were notorious for not pursuing Justice and implementing and enforcing The Rule of Law, as I have written in my Article "Justice and The Rule of Law in America".  

The only consideration was the protection of the Nazi Party and its members and the suppression by intimidation, persecution, and removal via imprisonment or execution of any dissenters. The Gestapo and The Reich Ministry of Justice also assisted in the eradication of all persons, religions, or nationalities that the Nazi Party considered undesirable.

In today’s America, the Department of Justice has begun to operate as The Reich Ministry of Justice did, while the FBI is morphing into the Gestapo. The Department of Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence and the heads of various Intelligence Agencies, and the Department of Defense have also engaged in these activities. The people responsible for this are:

• Department of Justice Attorney General Merrick Garland
• Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray
• Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas
• Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines
• Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin

However, it is The President of the United States, Joseph Biden, who bears ultimate responsibility for supporting and allowing this to happen. In this, he is violating his Oath of Office to “Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution of the United States”. Indeed, all the aforementioned persons are violating this same oath that they took upon entering office.

We are trotting upon a course that needs to stop and reversed, for as two wise men have stated:

"Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it."   - Edmund Burke

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."   - George Santayana

This is another reason why the Democrats should not retain control of Congress, as they prefer and support this course. The Republicans, if they take control of Congress, need to illuminate this problem to the American people and take actions that will stymie, if not stop and revert this course. If not, we will lose our "American Ideals and Ideas" and put aside our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

10/26/22 Narcissism In America

I have often said that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. As such, they view Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as not just being wrong and stupid but that they are bad or evil persons, as demonstrated by their usage of pejoratives, as I have written about in my Article "Divisiveness in America".

Much of this Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders' attitude can be attributed to their narcissist belief in themselves. A narcissism rooted in their upbringing and education. They have been taught by their parents and teachers a self-importance out of all proportion to self-achievement. They experience grade inflation unrelated to subject mastery, and they are awarded trophies for participation rather than success. Their parents treat them as adults and regard their decisions and opinions as worthy of serious consideration. Rarely do the parents correct their children’s words and deeds but encourage their autonomy regardless of consequences to themselves or others. All of this leads to a mindset rooted in narcissism. A narcissism that carries over to their political beliefs.

The book “The Liberal Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness” by Lyle H. Rossiter, Jr. M.D., is about the psychological basis of the Progressives/Leftists mindset and human nature and human freedom. Although the book was published in 2006, the Liberal/Progressive/Leftist Agenda has become more pronounced and easily understood by the words and deeds of today's Progressives/Leftists and the Democrat Party Leaders. These political goals and policy agendas are antithetical to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and should frighten any person who believes in “Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All” and “Natural, Human, and Civil Rights”. This book inspired me to create articles that are extractions from this book. I would suggest that you read these articles in the following order to obtain the essence of this book:

• The Psychological Causes of Political Madness This article is my overview and commentary on this book.
• The Liberal Mind Overview - This article is an overview of the three sections of this book, which I have titled: I – The Nature of Man, II – The Development to Adulthood, and III – The Adult Liberal.
• The Liberal Mindset – This article is the author's selections from the book that highlight the major topics of the book.
• The Two Liberal Minds Beliefs - This article defines two types of liberals: ‘The Benign Liberal’ and ‘The Radical Liberal’ and their different viewpoints and perspectives.
• The Liberal Manifesto Major Principles - The section “The Liberal Manifesto: Major Principles” from Chapter 35 examines the political goals and policy agendas of today's Progressives/Leftists and the Democrat Party. I have excerpted this section of the book for your review and consideration.
• The Liberal Integrity and Treatment - The Chapter 48 section, ‘Integrity and Treatment’, has the best explanation of the difference between the Liberal and Conservative mindset that I have ever encountered. I have excerpted four sections of this chapter of the book for your review and consideration and as a basis for understanding the psychological nature of the political divides that are occurring in America today.
• The Ideal and Reality in Radical Liberalism  – The Chapter 47 sections, ‘The Liberal Agenda as an Evil’ and ‘Ideal and Reality in Radical Liberalism’ contradicts the claims of moral superiority and correctness that The Liberal Mind so often self-proclaims

This narcissism allows them to reject all opinions and beliefs contrary to their own opinions and beliefs. They, therefore, have not nor can they not grasp the words of wisdom of one of our Founding Fathers:

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."   - Benjamin Franklin"

And:

"Doubt a little of your own infallibility."   - Benjamin Franklin

10/25/22 Vitriol In America

In a recent monolog by Tucker Carlson on Tucker Carlson Tonight, he recounts a recent historical event that is apropos of what is currently happening in America.

“In July of 1993, a radio station in Kigali, Rwanda, began openly attacking one of the country's main ethnic groups, the Tutsis. The radio station was called RTLM, but many remember it as simply Hutu Radio because its audience was primarily Hutu. According to Hutu radio, Tutsi people were responsible for virtually every bad thing that ever happened in Rwanda. Tutsis had way too much money. They had way too much power. Tutsis were way too privileged. They were greedy. They were bigoted. They were racists. They were dangerous. Everything about Tutsiness was repulsive.

For the most part, actual Tutsis in Rwanda ignored all of this. Hutu Radio was not aimed at them, but then in July of 1994, just nine months after RTLM went on the air, a genocide began in Rwanda. More than half a million Tutsis were murdered, in many cases by Hutus whose rage had been stoked to violence by RTLM's broadcasts.

Entire Tutsi families were dragged from their homes and hacked to death with machetes. Hundreds of thousands of women were raped. The world watched in horror as it happened but did nothing to intervene. Instead, our leaders told us at the time, the genocide in Rwanda would live forever as a lesson to the rest of us about the capacity for evil that lurks inside every human heart and the dangers of reducing our neighbors to the sum total of their ethnicity. They're individuals, not ethnic groups.

Bill Clinton gave an eloquent speech actually on the subject in Kigali back in 1998. Look it up and ask yourself as you read it, if any Democratic Party official could today say those same words.”

He then goes on to relate how the commentary and news reporting on MSNBC about Conservatives and Republicans are analogous to what RTLM said about the Tutsis. MSNBC is the most egregious example of this, but other "Mainstream Media" outlets have commentary and news reporting that is of this ilk but not to the vitriol nor extent of MSNBC. In addition, "Social Media" has also engaged in this commentary by allowing Progressives/Leftists vitriolic comments while suppressing Conservatives comments and rebuttals. We have also recently seen many Democrat Party Leaders and Democrat candidates engage in this vitriol. This is dangerous to America, as it pits one group of Americans against another and rationalizes misbehavior and misdeeds by individuals and groups, as well as governmental actions, toward Conservatives and Republicans, as I have written in my Article “The Weaponization of Government”.

This often occurs because Progressives/Leftists (which most of the Mainstream Media and Social Media are) and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and good. As such, they view Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders as not just being wrong and stupid but that they are bad or evil persons, as demonstrated by their usage of pejoratives, as I have written about in my Article "Divisiveness in America".

In the latest New York Times/Siena poll, they asked whether American democracy is ‘currently under threat,’ to which 74% of likely voters polled said ‘yes.’ Of those who responded in the affirmative, they were asked to rank various people and institutions that were a threat. The top threat? The mainstream media, with 59% saying it poses a “major threat to democracy,” 24% saying the mainstream media poses a ‘minor’ threat to democracy, and just 16% think there’s no threat at all. This attitude toward the media was strikingly bipartisan, with 95% of Republicans, 83% of independents, and 70% of Democrats calling the press a threat. However, only 38% of Democrats deem the media a “major” threat, compared to 80% of Republicans and 53% of independents. I suspect that the numbers are low on the Democrat and Independent sides as they are not the targets of this vitriol.

This poll reveals that the American people have recognized that the vitriolic behavior of "Modern Journalism" is an existential threat to America. At the very minimum, it enflames and increases the divisiveness in America, and it deprives the American people of factual and non-pejorative information that they need to make rational decisions on the solutions to the problems that beset America.

Given our First Amendment Rights to Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Speech, there is not much that can be done about this. However, if we allow more lawsuits of slander and libel against Mainstream Media and Social Media companies, this situation can be alleviated, as these companies would temper their commentary to avoid lawsuits. The other thing we can do is to not elect but vote against any candidate that benefits, supports, or engages in this vitriol.

However, we should never ignore them, and we should always call out their vitriol for:

“All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

10/24/22 Aspects of the Left

In a new column by Mark Lewis, “Some Despicable Aspects of the Left”, he examines some of the putrefactions (moral perversion; impairment of virtue and moral principles) of the Left:

1. The Left judges' previous generations by their current moral vision.
2. They judge people by the color of their skin rather than the content of their character.
3. They deny true human nature, believing only in a naturalistic, materialistic universe without spirit.
4. As a consequence, especially of point 3 above, liberals believe the government (controlled by them, of course) can solve nearly every human and world conundrum.

As Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that their putrefactions are the reality of the world. This leads them to policy positions and political agendas not based on reality but upon false assumptions. These false assumptions often have negative consequences and disastrous results for our society. They divide and pit Americans against each other by disclaiming our underlying "American Ideals and Ideas". They also reject our true history of both the good and bad aspects of our history by focusing only upon the bad and making them appear worse than they were (the 1619 Project is the perfect example of this).

This putrefaction has permeated the "Mainstream Media", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Social Media", "Big Tech",  "Modern Big Business", and "Modern Education" to the detriment of our society and has set us onto a course of self-immolation that will destroy our American Ideals and Ideas. Consequently, we must resist and fight against these putrefactions or, as Abraham Lincoln said, “We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.”

10/23/22 The True Meaning of Conservatism

In two new columns by Dennis Prager, he explains the true meaning of Conservatism—Individual Liberty and the conservation of the best of the past. Conservatives believe in individual liberty (there is no liberty other than individual liberty). This especially holds true for the greatest of all liberties—free speech. Conservativism attempts to conserve the best of the past—the best art, literature and music, the best standards, values and wisdom. Conservativism then passes the best of everything to every succeeding generation.

These columns, Explaining Conservatism and Explaining Conservativism II: Why the Left Hates It, are illuminative of the different beliefs of Conservatives and Progressives. They explain much of the difference in outlooks between Conservatives and Progressives. I would highly recommend that you read these columns as they will help you understand the different approaches that Conservatives and Progressives take to the issues and concerns that face America.

10/22/22 Reality Bites II

In my previous Chirp on “10/21/22 Reality Bites I”, I discuss those people who live in fantasyland. The three biggest fantasies that they engage in are discussed in my Articles:

• The Basis of Our Modern Technological World is an examination of the four indispensable sectors of items our modern technological world requires to function: Energy and Power, Food and Water, Essential Materials, and Globalization.
• The Four E’s are an examination of the Energy, Economic, End-To-End, and Environmental Factors in determining the costs and benefits, and impacts of an engineered system.
• Climate Change and the natural Climate Cycles, and the systemic problems and limitations with current climate models.

By engaging in these fantasies, they are charting a dangerous course for America and Americans. A course in which reality will bite, and America and Americans will continue to suffer.

10/21/22 Reality Bites I

In the movie, ‘Back to School’, millionaire businessman Thornton Melon is upset when his son Jason announces that he is not sure about going to college. Thornton insists that college is the best thing he has never had for himself, and to prove his point, he agrees to enroll in school along with his son. Thornton is a big hit on campus: always throwing the biggest parties, knowing all the right people, but is this the way to pass college? In one of the scenes, he takes a business course with his son, taught by the learned and expert Professor Barbay. He starts the lecture by discussing how to create a fictional company from the ground up by constructing the physical plant, setting up an efficient administrative and executive structure, then manufacturing the product, followed by marketing of the product. Thornton Melon makes some astute observations on Professor Barbay’s on the building of a plant, followed by the following dialog:

Thornton Melon: Oh, you left out a bunch of stuff. Dr. Phillip Barbay: Oh really? Like what for instance? Thornton Melon: First of all, you're going to have to grease the local politicians for the sudden zoning problems that always come up. Then there's the kickbacks to the carpenters, and if you plan on using any cement in this building, I'm sure the teamsters would like to have a little chat with ya, and that'll cost ya. Oh, and don't forget a little something for the building inspectors. Then there's long-term costs such as waste disposal. I don't know if you're familiar with who runs that business, but I assure you it's not the boy scouts. Dr. Phillip Barbay: That will be quite enough, Mr. Melon! Maybe bribes, kickbacks and Mafia payoffs are how YOU do business! But they are NOT part of the legitimate business world! And they are certainly not part of anything I am doing in this class. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Melon! Thornton Melon: Sorry. Just trying to help. That's all. Dr. Phillip Barbay: Now, notwithstanding Mr. Melon's input. The next question for us is where to build our factory? Thornton Melon: How 'bout fantasyland?

Professor Barbay reminds me of many Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, as well as experts, academics, activists, journalists, and commentators, in that they have little knowledge or experience in the realities of the world. These people often propose solutions to the problems facing America without considering those realities, as well as not considering the truths of human nature. And reality bites in the real world. As such, they are living in a fantasyland, but a fantasyland that when reality bites, often lead to negative, unintended, or calamitous consequences.

The calamity to our economy of the COVID-19 restrictions, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problems, to gas price increases, to inflation, to a recession, and to a host of other issues are a result of their living in fantasyland.

It is time that we ignore, and turn out of office, those people living in fantasyland for the good of our country. Otherwise, we will continue to try to live in a fantasyland where reality will bite, and America and Americans will continue to suffer.

10/20/22 Rhetoric versus Reality

It is all too common in America today that people often make their political decisions based on the rhetoric of politicians rather than the realities of the world. However, it should be remembered that it is the reality of political actions that are much more important than political rhetoric. Political rhetoric not based upon reality is to live in a fantasyland of imagination, which, when acted upon, dooms the acts to failure. A failure that will have negative consequences and could have disastrous results. Reality must always keep in mind the true economics, as I have written about in many of my “Miscellaneous Articles”, the engineering and technologies limitations as I have written about in many of my “Science Articles”, and the “The Basis of Our Modern Technological World” and “The Four E’s”, as well as the political will of any proposed solutions to the problems facing America. It must also, and always, keep in mind human nature as:

"To deny human nature, or to not acknowledge human nature, is foolish. To not do so will result in much effort, time, and monies being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."   - Mark Dawson

Political rhetoric often raises the hopes of the American people. These rhetorical hopes are often then dashed by reality, and when these hopes fail to materialize, the American people often become cynical, despondent, or disillusioned about government and/or politicians. A cynicism, despondence, and disillusionment that turns the American people against their government and leads to civil unrest.

This political rhetoric reaches its peak during an election season and is a contributor to "Divisiveness in America". Most often, this political rhetoric divides the country into us versus them, where us is good, moral, and intelligent, while them are the polar opposite. This political rhetoric is part in parcel of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors",  "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language”.

This political rhetoric is often done by demagogues to stir up mob passions and install fear and loathing of their political opponents. These wannabes are often of a despotic nature that wishes to be rulers rather than leaders, as I have written in my Article, "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders". Rulership that often requires the imposition of despotism to achieve their agenda and goals.

The American people deserve better but often settle for less to achieve their policy goals and political agendas. But such achievements are hollow, as, without rational persuasion of the American people’s minds, you cannot have "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" but only oppressions of the American people.

10/19/22 The Perversion of the English Language

The perversion of the English language is one of the ways in which Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders try to confuse an issue. This English language perversion is accomplished by inventing new words and terms, assigning new meanings to current words and terms, and conflating the meanings of two words and terms.

Protologism (freshly coined) and neologism (new word) are important parts of the development of the English language. However, protologism words need time to develop a firm meaning and acceptance before they become a neologism. Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders often create a protologism, assign their own meaning, and act as if the word or term were a neologism or long-established word. Most often, this protologism is a pejorative that has been created to defame a Conservative or Republican. If you come across an unfamiliar word that ends with ‘ist’ or ‘ism” and is being used as a pejorative, then you can be almost certain that it is a protologism coined by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders to attack Conservatives and Republicans.

The adding of a new meaning to a word is often done to take an innocuous or positive connotative word to insert a contentious meaning to the word so that the contentious meaning is more acceptable. Consequently, anyone who would dispute the more contentious meaning of the word appears to be disputing the innocuous or positive connotative of the word, which puts them at a perceived disadvantage in any discussion, dialog, or debate.

The conflation of words and terms is often done to ameliorate a disputable word or term with an unequivocal word or term. Often these terms and words are antithetic to each other. The most recent example of this is the conflation of ‘Equality’ and ‘Equity’, as I have Chirped on "04/05/22 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)". By conflating these words, they have taken the positive emotional appeal of equality to attribute this positive emotional appeal to the contentiousness of equity.

Language is the way we communicate our thoughts and feelings, and perverting language leads to less understanding or misinterpretation. The Democrats and Progressives/Leftists will substitute a word or phrase that is innocuous and then utilize it instead of the proper non-innocuous word or phrase, thus leading to misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the language. They also accomplish this as part and parcel of their Social Media, Political Correctness, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Doxing, Wokeness, Identity Politics, and Greater Good versus the Common Good, practices.

While Republicans and Conservatives sometimes engage in this English language perversion, it is a deliberate tactic of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists to obtain their policy goals. Rather than resorting to "Rationality" and "Reasoning" to persuade the American public, they resort to the deception of misnomers or ill-defined language to obscure their true intentions. They also rely on emotional appeals to achieve their goals, in which the appeals and goals are obfuscated by this perversion of the English language.

I have recently updated my Article, "Dialog & Debate", to add this term as something to consider when you observe or read any discussion, dialog, or debate.

10/18/22 To Debate, or Not to Debate, That is the Question

“To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune, Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing end them:”  - Hamlet by Shakespeare

This political season we have seen an extraordinary number of (Democrat) political candidates refusing to debate their opponents, or set unusual terms or conditions for a debate, or only debating well after early ballots are cast. In modern political debates, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders don't want to debate the Republicans, and they want to berate the Republicans. They will attempt to berate the Republican candidates while not addressing the issues and concerns that trouble most Americans.

The issues and concerns of the International stage; the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Ukrainian War, the proposed Iran Deal, and the threats of Russia and China, and on the National stage; the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problems, to gas price increases, to inflation, to a recession, and to a host of other issues are not being addressed by Democrat candidates.

This political season the Democrat candidates have gone full tilt in their tactics of sowing “Divisiveness in America". They do this in order to install fear and loathing of Republican candidates so that the electorate will vote against Republican candidates rather than for Democrat candidates. Of course, Republican candidates do this as well, but without the vitriol that Democrat candidates invoke. Republican candidates will often focus their electioneering on the issues and concerns, while the Democrat candidates will focus on wedge issues while ignoring or dissembling their record on the issues and concerns that trouble most Americans.

The Democrat candidates do this because they are afraid. They are afraid that the American electorate has awoken to the Democrat’s calamitous policies and political agendas. They are afraid as they cannot explain nor justify their rhetoric or votes for these policies and agendas. They are afraid that their Republican opponents will expose their record, and they cannot disregard nor dissemble their record. They are afraid, and they are cowards for not facing their opponent! Any politician that is afraid or is a coward is not fit to be a leader of a free people.

It is the American electorate that should be afraid of the continuation of these Democrat policies and agendas. However, the American electorate can be brave and begin to correct this situation by not voting for the Democrat candidates. Even though they may not like the Republican candidate, they can be assured that the Republicans cannot make the situation worse than it is. Remember, in the famous quote of FDR, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” So, I say to the Democrat electorate, put your fear of Republican candidates aside and vote for what is best for our country. To the Republican electorate, I would say now is the time to come out and vote for the Republican candidates for the good of the country. To all, I would say that what is good and best for the country is for the Republicans to control Congress to act as a check on the calamitous policies of the Biden Administration.

10/17/22 Physical Disability and Mental Impairment

Much has been said of Pennsylvania Democrat Senate candidate John Fetterman’s health problems, And much of this rhetoric has been "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors". His recent stroke led to physical disabilities, which he seems to be recovering from, and all compassionate people wish him a speedy and full recovery. He also suffered a mental impairment which is common in stroke victims. The extent of his mental impairment, the speed of his recovery, and the fullness of his recovery are the real and important questions of his campaign.

A physically disabled person is not a mentally impaired person, and a mentally impaired person is not a physically disabled person, although some people can be both physically disabled and mentally impaired. You should always keep this distinction in mind when dealing with a physically disabled and/or mentally impaired person. While a physically disabled person can overcome or work around their physical disabilities, a mentally impaired person often has limitations in living a full and productive life. A physically disabled person deserves consideration and assistance in employment, while a mentally impaired person may be unable to perform the duties and responsibilities of many tasks in their employment. This is a sad and unfortunate fact for people who suffer from mental impairments. It is this fact that limits employment opportunities for mentally impaired persons.

In the case of John Fetterman, he is attempting to obtain employment in a mentally challenging position of a United States Senator, which requires auditory and verbal skills, as well as the mental acuity to process information and make rational and reasonable decisions. His prospective employer, the people of Pennsylvania, need to know the extent of his mental impairments to determine if he is mentally fit to assume the duties and responsibilities of the office that he seeks. To date, he has not been forthcoming on the information the Pennsylvania electorate needs to make an informed decision on his mental fitness for office.

Many Fetterman supporters and much of the "Mainstream Media" have responded that questions on his mental acuity are attacks on a disabled person. But it is not his physical disability that is being challenged but his mental impairments that are being challenged. Challenges to a candidate’s policy and positions, as well as their mental acuity, are fair game in a political campaign. Anyone who would conflate physical disability and mental impairment are resorting to Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors to mislead or emotionally sway a voter. Such people are not to be trusted as they are not commenting on what is in the best interest of Pennsylvanians but only on their own partisan predilections.

John Fetterman’s campaign is reminiscent of the basement Presidential campaign of Joe Biden, in which the American people were not fully aware or cognizant of the mental acuity of Joe Biden. As a result of the lack of information about Joe Biden’s mental acuity, he was elected President, and consequently, America has been convulsed by many problems since Joe Biden assumed the office of the Presidency. Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors were utilized by the Biden campaign to disguise the mental acuity of Joe Biden, and Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors are now being utilized by the Fetterman campaign to disguise the mental acuity of John Fetterman.

There is an adage, ‘Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.’ that Pennsylvania voters need to remember in casting their ballots for U.S. Senator. Do not bring shame on yourself by casting an uninformed ballot and instead demand all the information on John Fetterman’s mental impairment before you cast your vote. If such information is not available, then do not bring shame upon yourself and cast your vote for John Fetterman.

10/16/22 Distinctions

In a recent column by Dennis Prager, he notes that Torah is rooted in distinctions. Among these distinctions are the following:

• God and Man
• God and Nature
• Good and Evil
• Holy and Profane
• Life and Death
• Male and Female
• Man and Animal
• Parent and Child

He then goes on to state, “In the Torah’s views, these distinctions reflect God’s design—and therefore a Designer. In the biblical worldview, recognition of this design makes civilization possible. The demise of these distinctions would mean the end of civilization as we know it.”

Such distinctions are necessary to live a moral and ethical life, as, without these distinctions, we cannot make rational and wise decisions on the perplexities that we face in life. Such distinctions are also necessary for a society to make reasonable decisions on the many issues and concerns of the dilemmas that society faces and to order itself peaceably.

In today’s America, we seem determined to narrow or eliminate these distinctions, usually under the banner of “Who are you to judge?” and "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)". This banner is often carried by "Progressives/Leftists" that are supported by "Democrat Party Leaders". Through the utilization of "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors", "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and “The Perversion of the English Language”, the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are trying to remove these distinctions to obtain their policy goals and political agendas.

The confusion that they sow leads to a confused society where up is down, in is out, forward is backward, black is white, and slower is faster. In a confused society, it is easier to rule than lead, a herd mentality can be established, and mob rule can then be instituted. Such a society is doomed to collapse and be destroyed by the forces from within. Or, as a wise man once said:

“At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.” - Abraham Lincoln

We, therefore, must clear the confusion being sowed, and remember and act upon the distinctions, if we are to live through all time as a nation of freemen.

10/15/22 Summary of the Latest Federal Income Tax Data, 2022 Update

FYI - According to the IRS, 143.3 million people paid federal income taxes in 2019 for a total of $11.9 trillion in adjusted gross income. Total income taxes paid equaled $1.6 trillion in individual income taxes. More than 100 million U.S. households, or 61% of all taxpayers, paid no federal income taxes last year, according to a report from the Tax Policy Center. However, people who don’t pay federal income taxes must still pay some combination of state income, sales, and other taxes. There are approximately 246.7 million adults in the United States as of that same year.

Key Findings:

• In 2019, taxpayers filed 148.3 million tax returns, reported earning nearly $11.9 trillion in adjusted gross income, and paid $1.6 trillion in individual income taxes.
• The top 1 percent of taxpayers paid a 25.6 percent average individual income tax rate, which is more than seven times higher than taxpayers in the bottom 50 percent (3.5 percent).
• The share of reported income earned by the top 1 percent of taxpayers fell to 20.1 percent from 20.9 percent in 2018. The top 1 percent’s share of federal individual income taxes paid fell to 38.8 percent from 40.1 percent.
• The top 50 percent of all taxpayers paid 97 percent of all individual income taxes, while the bottom 50 percent paid the remaining 3 percent.
• The top 1 percent paid a greater share of individual income taxes (38.8 percent) than the bottom 90 percent combined (29.2 percent).
• The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced average tax rates across income groups.

When people say ‘Tax the Rich”, my comment is ‘We are Already Taxing the Rich’, as I have written in my Article “Tax the Rich and Make Them Pay Their Fair Share”. And when Tax the Rich rhetoric is utilized in an election campaign, you can be assured that those persons engaging in this rhetoric are uninformed or deliberately misleading the American public. Such people should not be paid attention to, as they lead America astray.

10/14/22 Balancing the Ticket

Since the time of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (passed by Congress on December 9, 1803, and ratified on June 15, 1804), when the election of the President and Vice President was combined into one ticket, Vice Presidents have been chosen to balance the ticket for geographical or political purposes to win an election. This has not led to many repercussions for our Nation, mostly because the Vice President has inconsequential duties and responsibilities under the Constitution, and most Presidents have ignored their Vice Presidents. However, on several occasions, this has led to negative repercussions, and on two occasions, it has had positive repercussions.

When Abraham Lincoln chose Andrew Johnson as his vice president, it was for the purpose of balancing the ticket geographically and giving a political voice to southern unionist sentiments. This turned out to be harmful to America as President Lincoln was the right man, at the right time, and in the right place to unify America after the calamities of the Civil War, and Andrew Johnson was the wrong man, at the wrong time, and in the wrong place to unify America. Consequently, America suffered for over one hundred years afterward by continued civil political strife and civil rights abuses because of Andrew Johnson and successive President's lack of moral clarity and effective leadership to overcome these problems.

William McKinley was a machine politician who chose Theodore Roosevelt as his vice president for the purpose of removing him as the Governor of New York; as Theodore Roosevelt was known as an upstart that challenged machine politics and had distinctly different ideas of governance in the tumultuous times at the turn of the 20th century. After the assassination of President McKinley, he was able to calm the waters that were besetting America as a man who led by undeniably conservative principles but who obfuscated his own policies with populist speeches. As such, his elevation to President was beneficial to America.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt chose Harry S. Truman as his vice president, it was because the incumbent, Henry A. Wallace, was unpopular with some of the leaders of the Democratic Party, and Truman was well-liked and personable. He was also thought to be amenable to the wishes of the Democrat Party leaders, and they knew that they could surround him with capable people who would help him govern competently as they saw fit. They also knew that Roosevelt's health was seriously declining, and everyone who saw Roosevelt, including the leaders of the Democratic Party, realized it. If he died during his next term, the vice president would become president, thus making the vice-presidential nomination very important. What they didn’t know was that Truman had an independent streak and was a strong-willed and steady person when he made up his mind and that he would make up his own mind and not defer to others. This served him well when he assumed the Presidency upon the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Thus, it was thus fortuitous for America that he became President.

John F. Kennedy chose Lyndon Johnson as his vice president to balance the Liberal and Conservative wings of the Democrat Party and to keep southern Democrats voting for the Democrat Party (Kennedy’s Southern Strategy). After Lyndon Johnson became president after the assassination of President Kennedy, he governed from a more liberal position, but he embroiled America in civil strife due to his Vietnam War stance and his ambivalence and confliction about Civil Rights (he was a closet racist only concerned with keeping the black vote for the Democrat Party).

Richard Nixon chose Spiro Agnew for God only knows what reason he did so. To the extent that Spiro Agnew had a national reputation, it was as a middle-class Republican moderate who had recently begun to take a tough line on law and order. His background was hardly vetted, and his baggage was unknown. Eventually, this background and baggage forced him to resign, and thank God that Vice President Agnew was forced to resign before President Nixon was forced to resign. It is impossible to know what calamities may have ensued if Spiro Agnew had become President, but it is a good bet that his presidency would not have been beneficial to America.

When Joe Biden chose Kamala Harris as his vice president, it was for the political purpose of diversity (i.e., a black woman). This has turned out to be a pollical liability as Vice President Harris has been divisive, vacuous, and incompetent in any tasks President Biden has assigned to her. It may turn out to be disastrous for America if President Biden is unable to complete his term due to his advanced age or medical and mental issues. It has certainly been disastrous for the Democrat Party, as they are in a quandary as to who they should nominate to succeed President Biden. Many, including myself, are also concerned for the future of America if she should obtain the reins of the power of the presidency.

The lesson of American history is that you should be very careful in choosing your Vice President. The first priority when choosing a Vice President should be competency and integrity of character before you consider Balancing the Ticket. Otherwise, if your Vice President must take the reins of power, it may not be beneficial to America or your party politics.

10/13/22 Voting Problems in America – Part Deux

A little over two years ago, I Chirped and wrote an article on Voting Problems in America. With the upcoming election, I decided to reexamine this issue in light of the events that have occurred since then. As a result, I have updated and expanded my original article, "Voting in America". The new outline of the topics in this article is as follows:

• A Troubled History
• Protecting Your Right to Vote
• Protecting the Integrity of the Vote
• Proper Maintenance of Voter Rolls
• Suppression of the Vote
• Voting Age
• Voter Identification
• Election Day Voter Registration
• Early Voting
• Voting by Mail
  • Mail-In Ballots
  • Ballot Drop Boxes
  • Ballot Harvesting
• Internet Voting
• Election Polling
• Poll Watching vs. Poll Intimidation
• Election Recounts
• Conclusions

I believe that this article provides a sound basis for understanding the Voting Problems in America so that we may begin to address and then solve these problems. My companion article, “Voting Responsibilities”, has also been updated and expanded in light current events. This article examines the issue of who is responsible for addressing and solving these Voting Problems in America which has remained the same.

10/11/22 Septuagenarians and Octogenarians

Septuagenarians and Octogenarians have become much more common in our modern world due to advances in medicine and improvements in nutrition. Many remain physically healthy and mentally alert in their 70s and 80s and only begin to decline precipitously in their 90s. Most people, however, begin to decline physically and or mentally in their seventies and eighties. They can still live productive and useful lives; the question is only of how productive and useful their lives will be. This Chirp is not about most people but of septuagenarians and octogenarians in political office.

It is a fact that many leaders in Congress and the Executive branches are septuagenarians and octogenarians. Not only are the questions on their physical and mental capabilities apropos, but also of how attuned they are to the political, social, economic, and international realities of the 21st century. Sadly, in my opinion, quite a few of them are neither physically or mentally fit to be the leaders of a free people, and most of them are not attuned to the realities of the 21st century. The greatest addiction of all is power, and it is the hardest addiction to overcome, and most overcome this addiction when they die.

However, in our democracy, we can help them overcome this addiction by voting them out of office. To do so requires that "Democrat and Republican Voters" recognize those leaders whose time has passed and then not vote for them. One of the ways we can ease their pain of withdrawal is to respect and honor them after they are out of office, which is not a common occurrence in America due to our current "Hyper-Partisanship" and "Divisiveness in America". When these septuagenarians and octogenarians are voted out of office or retire, there should be a moratorium on criticism of them by both the public and other parties involved in political rhetoric. Instead, let us respect and commend them for their service and occasionally consult them for their knowledge and wisdom. Also, as the best means to overcome an addiction is abstinence, we should ensure they are absent from any positions of power or responsibility.

10/10/22 People Will Talk

In the movie People Will Talk, the successful and well-liked gynecologist, Dr. Noah Praetorius becomes the victim of a witch hunt at the hands of Professor Elwell, who disdains Praetorius's unorthodox medical views and also questions his relationship with the mysterious, ever-present Mr. Shunderson. Fuel is added to the fire when Praetorius befriends young Deborah Higgins, who has become suicidal at the prospect of having a baby by her ex-boyfriend, a military reservist who was called up for service in the Korean War and killed in action.

At one point in the movie Professor Elwell makes slanderous allegations against Dr. Praetorius, to which Shunderson replies:

“Professor Elwell, you're a little man. It's not that you're short. You're...little, in the mind and in the heart. Tonight, you tried to make a man little whose boots you couldn't touch if you stood on tiptoe on top of the highest mountain in the world. And as it turned out...you're even littler than you were before.”

And so, it is with many people. They try to elevate their own stature by demeaning another’s stature.

This is especially true for politicians and wickedly true during an election campaign. It is also a basis for “The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate". Much of the slanderous allegations that politicians level against each other are gross misrepresentations of the other politician’s policy positions, but sometimes they are attacks on the character of the other politician. Character attacks are mostly done by the use of pejorative words or terms leveled upon a politician, as I discussed in my Article, "Divisiveness in America". These pejoratives are rarely accurate and always inflammatory and done to instill fear and loathing of the other politician for the purposes of garnering votes for the attacker or suppressing the votes for those being attacked. It is also a symptom of demagoguery by those politicians who engaged in such attacks. This is also true for many Progressives/Leftists, except the purpose for them is to obtain their policy goals by destroying their opposition. Many politicians and activists would claim that their pejoratives are accurate and true, but they can only be accurate and true if you believe that you are righteous and your opponent is unrighteous and driven by nefarious intentions.

As Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that their policies are what is best for all Americans. Consequently, the Progressives/Leftists and the Democrat Party Leaders feel morally justified in making slanderous allegations against their Republican Party Leaders and Conservative opponents. It is also true that the reverse happens, but it is rarer for, but increasingly occurs, for Republican Party Leaders and Conservatives to make slanderous allegations against their opponents. It is wrong for both sides to do this, and it should cease forthwith to ensure "A Civil Society".

When a politician or activists engages in such rhetoric, they are demonstrating that they are little, in the mind and in the heart, and little people should not be placed in positions of power or responsibility. To place little people in positions of power or responsibility is to degrade true leadership of and for a free people, and it could also engender our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" in their quest for power and control over a free people. Consequently, we must all consider if a politician is a little or big person before casting our ballots.

10/09/22 Financial Virtue in Public Office

There was a time in America that a successful and wealthy person in America would enter public service as a Congressperson or Executive Officer after they had achieved their wealth and success. Indeed, our Founding Fathers envisioned this scenario when they established our Democratic-Republic. This scenario did not play out as expected in the long run as the means to acquire wealth and success in America changed. At the time of our founding, most success and wealth were acquired by agrarian, mercantilism, and tradespersons or by inheritance means. During the Industrial Revolution (a period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840), the means of acquiring success and wealth increased significantly. Large-scale industrial and considerable financial investment means of acquiring success and wealth began to replace the previous means of acquiring success and wealth. Much of these industrial and financial means were indirectly (but sometimes directly) influenced by government activities (mostly internal infrastructure improvements and government procurements). In the twentieth century, direct government activities increased dramatically, and many people acquired success and wealth through their involvement in these government activities. Many other persons tracked and speculated financially on government activities and acquired success and wealth from these financial speculations.

Quite a few of these financial speculators do more than speculate; they often attempt to influence legislation and regulations that are beneficial to their speculations through their government lobbying activities. Indeed, it is often common for lobbyists to assist in the crafting of legislation and/or regulations that positively influence their financial speculations. Sometimes this influence is important and necessary to craft the legislation and/or regulations for the betterment of American society. However, oftentimes, these speculators' and lobbyists' personal interests take precedence over American societal interests. It is the duty and responsibility of Congresspersons and Executive Officers to ensure that parochial interests do not negatively impact American societal interests. However, sometimes, Congresspersons and Executive Officers have a personal financial interest in legislation and/or regulations through their own or their spouse's and family's financial investments. Indeed, a few powerful Congresspersons and Executive Officers have become wealthy through these personal financial interests. Many of our current wealthy elected and appointed officials had earned their wealth the old-fashioned way—before they entered office. Some, however, have become wealthy as a result of their government service.

A List of current members of the United States Congress by wealth and a List of richest American politicians makes for an interesting perusal if you discriminate between who entered into office wealthy and who obtained wealth during or after their elected office. The Clintons, The Obamas, The Bidens, the Pelosis, Al Gore, Dr. Anthony Falchi, and other Congresspersons and Executive Officers or powerful Executive branch employees have become wealthy as a result of their government positions or activities after government service that directly tied into their government service. The question is then how much of their wealth was gained through their government actions or influence upon government actions.

When the American people believe that the elected or appointed government officials are not acting on behalf of the American people but upon their own financial or other special interests, they become distrustful of the government. A distrust that quickly turns into cynicism, then dispiriting and destructive to American society. We used to depend upon the virtue of our Congresspersons and Executive Officers to curb this avarice, but virtue has seemed to disappear in American life, especially among Congresspersons and Executive Officers and the financial speculators and lobbyists. If anybody believes Congresspersons and Executive Officers protestations that they do not engage in these actions, and they are acting virtuously, then the believers are living in a fantasyland. Consequently, to curb this predicament, it has become necessary to pass legislation that regulates Congressperson and Executive Officer's financial activities while and after they leave office. If a Congressperson or an Executive Officer goes not want to undergo this scrutiny, then they should reconsider running for office or holding an executive position. Such should be the price of admission to elective or appointed governmental offices.

Such legislation would require that Congresspersons would adequately, and without loopholes, agree to be regulated or face judicial proceedings against themselves. It also has the question of interference in the spouse's and family member's Freedoms and Liberties to engage in the normal activities that other Americans are allowed under the law. This quandary may be exceedingly difficult to resolve legally, but timely, accurate, and comprehensive disclosure of Congresspersons and their spouses and immediate family member's finances would allow the American people to adjudge the actions of Congresspersons and Executive Officers to determine if they are acting virtuously.

10/09/22 The Big Picture and The Bottom Line

My Article, “The Devil is in the Details”, is about this truism that must always be remembered when considering any issue in our personal, work-related, or public lives. In this article, I considered three devils: The Big Picture, The Details, The Bottom Line, and the four devilish Issues and concerns of Presumptions and Assumptions, The Debatable, The Verbal versus the Written, and The Philosophical versus the Practicable. This Chirp is about The Big Picture, The Details, and The Bottom Line, with an example from two of my new articles.

When people ask for The Big Picture, it is not only for an understanding of what is to be discussed and resolved but is also often done to avoid the details, as they often wish to skip over The Details to reach The Bottom Line. This is often done for brevity purposes, as the details not only take time to discuss but also the time necessary to analyze the details. Many people do not have the knowledge or experience necessary to understand the full scope of the big picture, and therefore, the details are necessary to understand the big picture. The Big Picture is required to set the premises of any discussion, but The Details are required to affirm The Big Picture and The Bottom Line.

The Details are the crux of all the devils. Details often have assumptions and presumptions contained within them, and assumptions and presumptions are often incorrect or wrong and the work of the devil. Consequently, all assumptions within the details must be challenged to ascertain their validity. Details can also contain incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information that will lead you astray, and you will reach the wrong Bottom Line. In the details, you may also encounter the problems of Formal and Informal Logic, and a logical argument that has faulty logic will produce an incorrect Bottom Line. The Details also require that people have the knowledge, intelligence, reasoning, and rationality skills to analyze the details. As many people do not have one, some, or all of these skills, it is possible to sneak in the devil to obtain the wrong Bottom Line.

Skipping The Details and proceeding to The Bottom Line seems to be de rigueur in today's society. Often it is done for brevity to get to the ‘meat” or “heart” of the matter. However, The Bottom Line of faulty premises and improper details leads to the wrong conclusions. Consequently, the Bottom Line cannot be properly ascertained until you have a proper Big Picture and The Details are correct. The devil will also slip assumptions and presumptions into The Bottom Line, which properly belongs in The Big Picture or The Details. Therefore, I am not a bottom-line type of person until after I have verified the veracity and correctness of The Big Picture and The Details. The Bottom Line not only requires the proper conclusions from The Big Picture and The Details, but it must also contain the impacts of implementing the Bottom Line.

My new Articles, “The Basis of Our Modern Technological World” and “The Four E’s”, are excellent examples of The Big Picture and The Bottom Line. Both articles state a premise in their introduction, and both articles reach a conclusion based on the details. Without the details, the premises are debatable, and the conclusions are disputable. With the details, it is much more difficult to debate the premises and dispute the conclusions. Indeed, the details derail the "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors", and "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness" of modern debate and help the reader to understand the issues for them to become more informed and make better decisions. And often, the details negate "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate".

With a properly constructed Big Picture, Details, and Bottom Line, the disputes of a debate would be upon the veracity, correctness and completeness, appropriateness, and accuracy of the facts and truths of The Details to support or oppose The Big Picture and The Bottom Line. Therefore, as a consequence, civil debate is possible, which would lead to less divisiveness in America for "A Civil Society to prevail. Otherwise, we will continue to argue past each other and engage in uncivil debate.

10/08/22 The Basis of Our Modern Technological World

Our modern technological world requires four sectors of particulars to function: Energy and Power, Food and Water, Essential Materials, and Globalization. The sectors can be subdivided into:

• Energy and Power – The sources of energy; Fossil Fuels (Oil, Gas, and Coal), Hydro, Geothermal, Chemical, Solar, Wind, and Nuclear, and the power derived by the conversion of this energy, are essential to the functioning of the modern technological world.
• Food and Water – The farming fertilizers and water supplies, and the direct and indirect Fossil Fuels utilization in farming and food production, as well as abundant clean water supplies needed for drinking, cleaning, cooking, and sanitization processes for a population, are essential to a modern technological world. Also, much water is utilized in many manufacturing processes.
• Essential Materials – The Materials required for a modern technological world are surprisingly limited to Ammonia, Steel, Concrete, Plastics, and Rare-Earth Elements from which most of our modern construction, consumables, and conveniences are derived. These essential materials are the building blocks of a modern technological world.
• Globalization – The interconnection of transportation and communication to provide the Energy and Power, Food and Water, and Essential Materials required for a modern technological world.

All these particulars are interrelated to each other in a modern technological world. A disruption in any one of these particulars in a sector can have severe or disastrous consequences to the other sectors and disrupt or devastate our modern technological world. My new Article, “The Basis of Our Modern Technological World”, examines these four sectors and their impacts on the world.

10/07/22 The Four E’s

The understanding of The Four E’s, Energy, Economic, End-To-End, and Environmental, is essential to understanding the total costs and impacts of any engineered system developed by humanity. An engineered system is a human-developed system that is required to produce a product. Without this understanding of The Four E’s, it is impossible to judge the viability and the cost/benefits of an engineered system. Alas, most people, and most politicians, do not understand The Four E’s, and as a result, they make poor decisions on the feasibility, practicability, achievability, workability, practicality, and reasonableness of an engineered system. My new Article, “The Four E’s - Energy, Economic, End-To-End, and Environmental”, is an examination of this topic that should be considered whenever discussing an engineered system.

10/06/22 Deference to Computers Models

We, in America, have become enamored and often place much deference on the results of computer modeling. However, we should all remember that a Computer Model is the result of the efforts of computer programmers and subject experts, all of whom have their cognitive biases and the possibility of formal logic errors, as I have discussed in my Article, "Reasoning". We should also remember that experts can be wrong, and experts within a subject matter often disagree with each other.

The issue of a computer model that should first concern the public is that the construction of the algorithms in a computer model can be fraught with erroneous logic and improper assumptions. The data inputted into a computer model can also be incorrect or incomplete, and as the old computer acronym of GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out) infers, this can lead to wrong results. Thereafter, there are many other issues of computer modeling that need to be addressed, which I have discussed in my Article “Computer Modeling”.

An example of this is the Hockey stick graph of global temperature, which was one of the first computer models of Global Warming. For many years the developer of this computer model resisted releasing the algorithms and data utilized to create this computer model, claiming that it was proprietary research. After several years of litigation, it was determined that he had used federal funding for this research and, therefore, it was not proprietary, and he had to release the algorithms and data that he utilized in this computer model. Upon doing so, it was determined that the algorithms he created assumed the worst-case scenario, and the data he utilized was suspect in its quality and completeness. As a result, when the algorithms were rewritten for the best case and median case scenarios, and better data was utilized to run the computer model, the hockey stick was not much of a hockey stick, but they did show a milder rising slope of global temperature increase than his worst-case scenario.

Therefore, we all need to place less reliance on computer models and question the algorithms and data that go into a computer model before presuming the computer model is correct. To do otherwise is to make a false conclusion that if you act upon will result in making adverse decisions.

10/04/22 I Am Not an Expert nor Scholar

Some of my readers have expressed astonishment at the scope of my knowledge. They often wonder how I became an expert on so many topics. But I am Not an Expert, Nor am I a Scholar! A scholar is someone who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplines, and an expert is a person with special knowledge or ability who performs skillfully. An expert or scholar is one who has a depth of knowledge on a subject, but often an expert or scholar does not have much knowledge on subjects outside of their own subject. This is a consequence of becoming an expert or scholar in a subject, as you need to narrow your focus to obtain a depth of knowledge due to the sheer quantity of knowledge on the subject that exists in today’s modern world. I have expertise on several topics within my chosen profession (Computers), but even in these topics, I do not consider myself an expert but a very knowledgeable person on these topics. This is usually the case for most persons in their chosen profession, as to become an expert requires considerable education that often leads to an academic or research career. These are the true experts in any field of knowledge. The precaution about relying upon experts is that they can be wrong, experts within a subject often disagree with each other, and experts who hold forth outside of their subject are no more reliable than anyone else. As such, we should be wary of experts; as I have discussed in my Chirp on, "06/03/20 Experts ought to be on tap and not on top". As George William Russell, the editor of the Irish periodical “The Irish Homestead”, wrote in 1910 about the legislative process, which included the following:

“Our theory, which we have often put forward, is that experts ought to be on tap and not on top. We have had during our career a long and intimate knowledge of experts, most interesting men in their own speciality to which they have devoted themselves with great industry and zeal. But outside this special knowledge they are generally as foolish and ignorant as any person one could pick up in the street, with no broad knowledge of society or the general principles of legislation.”

As such, I regard myself as someone who is intelligent and has a broad scope of knowledge but limited depth of knowledge, as well as someone who has gained much wisdom through my life’s experience, as I have explained in my Article, “Knowledgeable - From Information to Wisdom”. I also attempt to not be wrong in what I say, as I have explained in Chirp on, "11/09/19 To Be Right or Not to Be Wrong". I am also willing to change my opinions based on new or better information or rational and reasoned counterpoint, or as a wise sage has stated:

"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."   - Benjamin Franklin

and

"Doubt a little of your own infallibility."   - Benjamin Franklin

10/03/22 True Scholarship

In my Article, “College and University Education”, I lamented the sorry state of higher education in America, and indeed most of the western world. In my Chirp on “10/02/22 A True Scholar”, I pointed out the basis for a true scholarship. Unfortunately, however, true scholarship is often lacking in higher education. Those that practice true scholarship in higher education are often disparaged for their lack of "Political Correctness" or insufficient "Wokeness". Indeed, many of them have left higher education or have been dismissed from their employment due to this disparagement.

This is not a new phenomenon as it has been occurring for more than a half-century. One of the prime examples of this is the career of Thomas Sowell. He started his career as a summer intern in the federal Department of Commerce where he encountered the real-world impacts of federal policies. He then became an academic who taught at Cornell University, Rutgers University, Amherst College, Brandeis University, and the University of California, Los Angeles, but who left academia as a result of this phenomenon. Since 1980, he has been a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he holds a fellowship named after Rose and Milton Friedman, his mentor. While Mr. Sowell has contributed much and enriched our society, he did not do so as an academic in higher education. If he had remained in academia, he could have enriched and expanded the knowledge of thousands of students. This enrichment and expansion of knowledge are being denied to thousands of other students by the flight of true scholars from academia due to this disparagement. As a result, these students are receiving an "Indoctrination versus Education" that is a disservice to them and a detriment to society.

An example of this is in the study of race relations and slavery from the scholarship of Thomas Sowell. In a speech by Jason L. Riley, “The Continuing Importance of Thomas Sowell”, he points out:

“Sowell has long argued that the problems blacks face today involve far more than what whites have done to them in the past. It’s no mystery why black activists want to keep the focus on white racism. It helps them raise money and stay relevant. And it’s no mystery why politicians use the same tactics—it helps them win votes. But Sowell argued that it’s not at all clear that focusing on white racism is helping the black underclass. You can spend all day, every day pointing out the moral failings of other people, groups, institutions, and society in general. The question is whether that helps the people who most need help.”

And:

“The argument that America became prosperous due to slavery is also unsupported by the facts, as Thomas Sowell has pointed out. Individual slave owners certainly prospered, but that’s different from saying the country benefited. In fact, the regions of the country that had slavery were the poorest regions, both during slavery and afterward. Similarly, in Brazil, which imported far more slaves than the U.S. did, the regions where slavery was concentrated were the poorest regions, both during slavery and afterward. Eastern Europe, to look at another example, had slavery far longer than Western Europe—yet Western Europe has always been richer. Millions more African slaves were sent to Northern Africa and the Middle East than came to the West. If slave labor produces economic prosperity, why did those regions remain so poor for so long? And later, when the Middle East did start to become wealthier, it wasn’t due to slavery—it was due to the discovery of oil.”

If a student had exposure to this knowledge and the facts and truths of this knowledge, the state of race relations in America would have a different perspective that would be better for America. And many different perspectives in all fields of knowledge are being denied to students by the lack of true scholarship in higher education.

Mr. Sowell’s scholarship is far more than race relations. To the extent that Sowell is known, it’s mostly for his writings on racial controversies. But most of his books are not on racial themes, and Sowell would have distinguished himself as a first-rate scholar even if he’d never written a single word about race.

This true scholarship, knowledge, and facts and truths by Mr. Sowell and others are being denied to the students in higher education by the flight of true scholars from academia. This situation is shameful and needs to be corrected, or higher education will continue to become lower education to the disservice of their students and to the detriment of America.

10/02/22 A True Scholar

A speech by Jason L. Riley, “The Continuing Importance of Thomas Sowell”, is perhaps the best tribute to the legacy of Thomas Sowell. Mr. Riley stated that when he was researching his biography of economist Thomas Sowell, he kept coming across Thomas Sowell’s own descriptions of scholars Sowell admired, and Mr. Riley was often struck by how well those descriptions applied to Sowell himself.

For example, after the death of Nobel Prize-winning economist George Stigler, who was one of Sowell’s professors at the University of Chicago, Sowell wrote:

“In a world of self-promoting academics, coining buzzwords and aligning themselves on the side of the angels of the moment, George Stigler epitomized a rare integrity as well as a rare intellect. He jumped on no bandwagons, beat no drums for causes, created no personal cult. He did the work of a scholar and a teacher—both superbly—and found that sufficient. If you wanted to learn, and above all if you wanted to learn how to think—how to avoid the vague words, fuzzy thoughts, or maudlin sentiments that cloud over reality—then Stigler was your man.”

And here is Sowell describing another of his professors at Chicago, Milton Friedman:

“[He] was one of the very few intellectuals with both genius and common sense. He could express himself at the highest analytical levels to his fellow economists in academic publications and still write popular books . . . that could be understood by people who knew nothing about economics.”

These tributes to George Stigler and Milton Friedman are the definition of true scholarship and can be equally applied to the scholarship of Thomas Sowell. It is these definitions of scholarship that should be applied to all who claim to be or are attributed as scholars. If these definitions cannot be applied to a scholar, then they are pretended scholars and should be dealt with as such.

09/30/22 Tis the Season

As we enter into an October of an election year, we have entered into the season of "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" and "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors", and "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness" by politicians. Much of this is to propagate fear and loathing of their political opponents in an attempt to garner votes for themselves and to muddle their own positions on the issues to deflect criticism of their positions.

As I have Chirped on “09/29/22 The Richter Scale of Political Discourse”, the rhetoric from these politicians can be rated on a 4-harsh or 5-severe scale in its intensity and destructiveness. While the Republicans are often in the 4-harsh scale, the Democrats are firmly in the 5-severe scale this election season. The reason for placing the Democrats in the 5-severe scale is a result of President Biden's speech on Sept. 5— ‘The Continued Battle for The Soul of the Nation’ and my thoughts on this speech in my Article, “The Soul of the Nation”. This speech was one of the vilest, most despicable, and divisive speeches by an American president. And the Democrats have taken up the battle cry of President Biden’s speech, and they are wielding his points in an attempt to not only defeat but destroy their opponents. This is beyond the bounds of acceptable political rhetoric in America. In addition, President Biden and his Administration's politicization of government, as I Chirp on "08/09/22 The Ultimate Weaponization of Government", have debased our "American Ideals and Ideas". In this, President Biden and the Democrat candidates have become a real existential threat to America, as I have Chirped on “09/17/22 The Real Existential Threat”.

Now, more than ever, the American people need to stand against these tactics and throw the bums out. When you vote in this election, you will not only be voting on a candidate but also on what is acceptable political rhetoric in America. You need to vote wisely and reject any candidate who engages in these tactics. Otherwise, you will be one of those responsible for the degradation of "A Civil Society" in America.

09/29/22 The Richter Scale of Political Discourse

The Richter Scale, also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg-Richter scale – is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 paper, where he called it the "magnitude scale". This was later revised and renamed the local magnitude scale, denoted as ML or M_L. The use of this scale, when applied to human habitat locations, is an indication of the intensity and destructiveness of earthquakes.

Perhaps it is time that we develop a Richter Scale for the intensity and destructiveness of political words and deeds. This scale would be based on the prominence and importance of the person or group that is targeting another person(s) or group(s) and the prominence and importance of the person(s) or group(s) being targeted. It would also be based on the intensity of "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" by the targeting person or group, as well as the physical harm inflicted or the physical destructiveness of those doing the targeting. This Richter Scale of Political Discourse (RSPD) would be utilized to determine the harm done to "A Civil Society". This scale is, by its very nature, a subjective scale, as there can be no objective criterion for importance or speech, but there can be an objective criterion for physical harm or destructiveness.

Whenever any person or group engages in these words or deeds, we should all use our own political Richter scale to determine the impacts of their words and deeds. This scale should be on a one-to-five basis (i.e., 1-mild, 2-modest, 3-medium, 4-harsh, 5-severe), where one is the least intensity and destructiveness and five is the greatest intensity and destructiveness. When one encounters the statement ‘both sides do it’, it is very important to utilize the political Richter scale to determine the balance between the two sides to adjudge the harm done to our Civil Society.

It has been my observation that in this century, the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders often operate on a four to five on this political Richter scale, while Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders often operate on a three to four on this political Richter scale. It would be best for America if both sides could operate on a one to two on this political Richter scale for normal political discourse and only rise to a status of three on this political Richter scale for the most important and serious societal issues and concerns. Alas, given the "Hyper-Partisanship" of today’s American politics, I do not foresee this happening for our political leaders and "Activists and Activism". We, however, as common Americans, can and should operate on a one to two on this political Richter scale in our interactions with each other.

09/28/22 An Elective Despotism

Because Thomas Jefferson thought it would be only a matter of time before the American system of government degenerated into an “elective despotism”, he warned that citizens should act now in order to make sure that “the wolf [was kept] out of the fold”, or as he stated:

“An elective despotism was not the government we fought for, but one which should not only be founded on true free principles, but in which the powers of government should be so divided and balanced among general bodies of magistracy, as that no one could transcend their legal limits without being effectually checked and restrained by the others.”  - Thomas Jefferson

The Founding Fathers took care to limit the powers of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of government and to hedge them with checks and balances to prevent the servants of the sovereign people from becoming their masters. Therefore it is always the time to “act now” to preserve the "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" bequeathed upon us by our Founding Fathers.

Today, in America, half of us believe we live under the old Constitution with original guarantees of Liberty and Freedom, while the other half believe in a “living constitution” that is adaptable by the will of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial to achieve their political goals and agendas. Thus, Living Constitutionalists would have us live in an elective despotism led by an oligarchy of like-minded persons, while the Constitutional Conservatives would have us live in a Democratic Republic reflecting the will of the people tempered by constitutional bounds.

This stroll to an elective despotism started in the first part of the 20th century, became a trot in the middle half of the 20th century, and is now in a full gallop in the latter half of the 20th century and at the start of the 21st century. This elective despotism has arisen by Congress delegating powers to the Executive Branch that were wielded by bureaucrats and agency experts who were under the influence of an oligarchy of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists and supported by Ivy League and other elite College and University trained judges who believe in a living constitution. Thus, we have instituted an elective despotism in today’s America.

This elective despotism has also seeped down to State governments, with California being the most prominent example. In California, they believe it is permissible for the government to determine what automobiles you may purchase, what heating and air conditioning are allowed, how much water and electricity may be consumed, and a host of other regulations on what consumers are not allowed to purchase, consume or utilize. California State regulations upon businesses also impact the operations of a business and affect the availability and costs of the products and services that businesses provide to consumers and other businesses. All these restrictions are done in the name of consumer protection, reduced environmental impacts, natural resource conservation, and a host of other societal reasons. There is no denying that government restrictions and regulations are needed for the protection of the health and safety of all the residents of California, and some regulations may be required to protect societal interests. The question is the extensiveness of these protections, for if these restrictions and regulations are too broad and/or too intrusive upon the lives of the people of California, then they become intrusive and an infringement on the Liberties, Freedoms, and the “pursuit of happiness” of Californians. It is also an unfortunate fact that these California regulatory approaches are being adopted by other States. It should also be kept in mind that all regulations and restrictions affect the availability and costs of the products and services in a State.

An Imprimis article by Myron Magnet, “Clarence Thomas and the Lost Constitution”, examines this issue in regard to the judicial philosophy of Clarence Thomas. As Mr. Magnet stated in his article:

“To the Old Constitutionalists, this government of decrees issued by bureaucrats and judges is not democratic self-government but something more like tyranny—hard or soft, depending on whether or not you are caught in the unelected rulers’ clutches. To the Living Constitutionalists, on the other hand, government by agency experts and Ivy League-trained judges—making rules for a progressive society (to use their language) and guided by enlightened principles of social justice that favor the “disadvantaged” and other victim groups—constitutes real democracy. So today we have the Freedom Party versus the Fairness Party, with unelected bureaucrats and judges saying what fairness is.”

* * * * *

Clarence Thomas is an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Born in Pinpoint, Georgia, he is a graduate of the College of the Holy Cross and Yale Law School. Prior to his nomination to the Supreme Court in 1991, he served as an assistant attorney general of Missouri, an attorney with the Monsanto Company, a legislative assistant to U.S. Senator John Danforth, assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education, chairman of the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission, and a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In 2007, he published My Grandfather’s Son: A Memoir. An excellent intellectual biography of Justice Thomas is “Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell” by Jason L. Riley.

09/27/22 The Dark Side of President Biden and his Administration

In the article “Left’s Vision for America Grows Increasingly Dark” by Kevin Roberts, the president of The Heritage Foundation, he recounts how the left, and especially President Biden, has drifted to the dark side, as I have exemplified in my Article, “The Soul of the Nation”. He recounts that:

“Not that anyone familiar with Biden’s career should be surprised. This is the man who said Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan wanted to put black Americans “back in chains,” who discharged soldiers for not getting the COVID-19 vaccine and tried to force law-abiding civilians out of a job, who conspired with Orwellian technology corporations to censor dissent, who engineered an international humiliation in Afghanistan, who created a deadly border crisis, who spawned historic inflation, and who sicced the FBI on his political opponents and parents who protested failing school boards.”

Along with:

“. . . The families whose schools were closed, whose communities are beset by violent crime, whose children are being indoctrinated and sexualized in their classrooms, who were already paying more than ever for gas, food, and rent and are now paying off the student loans of lawyers, professors, and White House aides.”

President Biden, therefore, is leading America into the dark side, and this is further evidence for the need to Impeach President Biden, as I have written in my Article, “The Case for the Impeachment of President Biden”. If not, we shall see the further pitting of Americans against each other, the persecutions of the political opponents of President Biden, and the malicious prosecutions for alleged but bogus or frivolous criminal actions of his political opponents.

09/26/22 Feeding the Crocodile

In my Chirp on "04/13/22 Presumption of Innocence", I discuss that today, in America, we have forgotten or have chosen to ignore this Presumption of Innocence in the court of public opinion. From a political zeal to discredit an opponent, to disparage someone with whom we disagree, to allegations of personal misconduct, the presumption of guilt until innocence is proven is commonplace. For someone to have to prove their innocence is equivalent to Proving a Negative (i.e., prove you didn't say or do something). One of the things that western society has learned is that you cannot prove a negative and, historically, forcing someone to prove a negative has led to witches being burned at the stake, heretic's being executed, lynching's occurring, summary executions taking place, as well as many other violations of human rights. Today, in the court of public opinion, the presumption of guilt until innocence is proven has led to an uncivil society, as I have written in my Article, "A Civil Society".

This guilty until proven innocent has often resulted in the ruination of reputation, loss of employment, and negative financial consequences for those so accused, and many times they have been proven to be not guilty of the allegations. When allegations are lodged against a person or organization, it is best to presume innocence until the facts are revealed, but it is often wise to be wary of the person or organization until the facts are uncovered. In our Hyper-Partisanship, Political Correctness, Wokeness, and Virtue Signaling world of today, you can also assume that many allegations lack veracity and are without foundation. When a person or organization makes allegations without veracity, you should be suspicious of them whenever they make future allegations against a person or organization. Otherwise, you will become ensnared in the following conundrum:

"Each one hopes that if he feeds the crocodile enough, the crocodile will eat him last. All of them hope that the storm will pass before their turn comes to be devoured. But I fear greatly that the storm will not pass. It will rage and it will roar ever more loudly, ever more widely."  - Winston Churchill

09/25/22 The Collapse of Our Civilization

Dr. Julie Ponesse is a professor of ethics who has taught at Ontario’s Huron University College for 20 years. She has written an article, “3, 2, 1 … Timber! A Philosopher’s Take on the Collapse of Our Civilization”, which examines the reasons for the collapse of civilizations. In this article, she states that the eminent anthropologist Sir John Glubb wrote:

“The life-expectation of a great nation, it appears, commences with a violent, and usually unforeseen, outburst of energy, and ends in a lowering of moral standards, cynicism, pessimism and frivolity.”

She also writes that:

“One lesson history tries to teach us is that civilizations are complex systems—of technology, economics, foreign relations, immunology, and civility—and complex systems regularly give way to failure. The collapse of our civilization is almost certainly inevitable; the only questions are when, why, and what will replace us.”

The ‘Greatest Generation of Americans understood the meaning of moral and ethical character, self-control, and self-sacrifice. It was these characteristics that led them to become the Greatest Generation and defeat the forces of despotism and human cruelty. Since then, and in the economic boom they created afterward, we have become more self-centered and absorbed in our own needs and wants. This societal attitude is typically the start of the collapse of a civilization. This collapse is not the result of outside forces of barbarism but comes forth by forces within a society often disguised as good intentions. However, we should all remember, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”. And these internal forces in America today are being driven not by the lower classes (as was typical in history) but by the elite classes in America.

Led by the elite forces within the Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, Big Tech, Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, Modern Big Business, Modern Education, and Social Media, our ideals of "A Civil Society" and "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" are under attack by Political Correctness, Activists and Activism, Adjective Justice, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), Doxing, Wokeness, Identity Politics, Hyper-Partisanship, Equity and Equality, the Greater Good versus the Common Good, Social Engineering, and a Herd Mentality common in today's American society. Alas, it is the elites that have become the barbarians attacking our civilization. As Dr. Julie Ponesse said in her article:

“It is our leaders, our journalists, and our professionals who ignore the standards of rational discourse, who institutionalize hatred and incite division. Today, it is the elites who are the true barbarians among us.”

In a few short weeks, we will get to choose our leaders once again. In many of the 2022 elections, where there is a dichotomy between the candidates, with the Democrat candidates representing the views of most "Progressives/Leftists", while the Republican candidates represent the views of most "Conservatives". This dichotomy is also between the elite barbaric forces and their counterforces. We must all wisely choose the candidates we cast our ballots for, as we may well be deciding on the revitalization or the collapse of our civilization.

09/24/22 The Destruction of Our Children

Parents or guardians are not only responsible for providing for the health and welfare of their children but also for raising children to become productive and contributing members of society. Society has a duty and responsibility to ensure that children are properly cared for by their parents or guardians and that children are properly educated. Unfortunately, in the last several decades, this parental/guardian and societal obligation have fallen short of meeting its duties and responsibilities. This destruction of our children does not bode well for the future of America, as we are not raising our children to become productive and contributing members of society. A self-centered and self-important population cannot exercise self-control and self-sacrifice to solve the issues, concerns, and problems that we face in America. My new Article “The Destruction of Our Children”  examines some of the issues and concerns of how we are raising our children.

09/22/22 College and University Education

“Abandon all hope ye that enter here.”  - Dante’s Divine Comedy

So, it can be said for most Colleges and Universities. The purpose of Colleges and Universities was to inform, educate, and challenge students by providing an environment that was conducive to learning. An environment that does not contain free speech or safe zones and microaggressions is unheard of. An environment in which all sides of an issue are taught and discussed without shouting or mob actions, and professors reflect every viewpoint and political persuasion. An environment where guest speakers of all ilk are welcomed and treated politely and respectfully. Such an environment was conducive to the growth of a student and to the improvement and advancement of humankind. It also prepared the student to become functional and productive members and leaders of society, able to deal with the vicissitudes of life. The learned professors provided "Rationality" and "Reasoning" to the issues, concerns, and solutions to the problems that beset society that reflect the realities of society.

Alas, such an environment is no longer in most Colleges and Universities. College and University administrators have been supine to the capriciousness of students and professors, professorship is of like-minded persons in which students are being indoctrinated instead of educated, and students believe that they are arbiters of what is acceptable speech and conduct. As such, Colleges and Universities are no longer the bastions of knowledge and enlightenment. Indeed, Colleges and Universities professors and students have become the rank and file of the conformity to Political Correctness, Wokeness, Identity Politics, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Activists and Activism, Adjective Justice, and Social Engineering, as I have written in my "Terminology" webpage.

My new Article, “College and University Education”, examines the current state of these institutions, and how they are failing to meet their duties and responsibilities to their students and society.

09/21/22 Principles – Part Deux

In my previous Chirp on “09/20/22 Principles”, I stated the major principles of my life. I also have several other principles that are important in my life. They are:

The circumstances of our birth (i.e., sex, race, health, intelligence, socioeconomic status, etc.) are not within our control, and we must all bear any burdens of these circumstances. It is how we bear these circumstances that determine the course of our life.

Only you are responsible for your life. Your words and deeds are yours alone, and nobody else is responsible for what you say or do.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.This includes your words in treating all persons politely and respectfully, as well as your deeds in your dealings with others, as I have outlined in my Article, “Pearls of Wisdom”.

Children are the responsibility of parents or guardians, and the duty of parents or guardians is not only to provide for the health and welfare of their children but to raise children to become productive and contributing members of society.

The public education of children on ideas and beliefs contrary to their parent's or guardian’s convictions is immoral and unethical, or as Thomas Jefferson has said, “To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.” Therefore public education should be limited to teaching knowledge and critical thinking skills, as I have Chirped on "02/17/22 Public Education Responsibilities".

Nobody should be forced to undergo a medical procedure without their informed consent, and no person under eighteen years of age may undergo a medical procedure without parental or guardian consent. Otherwise, it is but a short and steep slippery slope to despotism. Too often in history, forced sterilizations and abortions, medical experimentations, medical incarcerations, and other Natural Rights violations have often been the end results of medical procedures without informed consent. And too often have children been harmed both emotionally and physically after undergoing medical procedures without parental or guardian consent.

“My body, my choice” is a fallacious argument as the unborn child is not your body—it is another body. The scientific definition of a human being is that of a being having the DNA structure of a human. And an unborn child has the DNA structure of a human, and its DNA is different from its mother's DNA. Therefore, an unborn child is a unique human being. Whether conceived in love or lust, rape or incest, the unborn child has the Natural Right to life as a human being. No person has the right to unjustly take the life of another person, even prior to the other person’s birth. Thus, abortion is an unjust taking of another human life, and therefore, abortion should be limited to the cases where it impacts the life or or the severe physiological health of the mother.

All of us will eventually die; it is only a matter of when, where, and how we shall die. Therefore, do not fret upon dying, but attempt to live your life to its fullest until the day you die.

These principles will not only assist you in living a moral and ethical life but also contribute to your psychological health and to the betterment of society.

09/20/22 Principles

The newest, and fiftieth book by Alan Dershowitz, The Price of Principle: Why Integrity Is Worth the Consequences, is a reflection of the principles that have guided his life. Throughout his narrative, Professor Dershowitz focuses on three sets of principles that have guided his life: 1) freedom of expression and conscience; 2) due process, fundamental fairness, and the adversary system of seeking justice; and 3) basic equality and meritocracy. As usual, when I read and critique the writings of Professor Dershowitz, there are many things that I agree or disagree with him. However, my agreements and disagreements are on an intellectually reasoned basis. The one thing I strongly agree with him is that in today’s America we are losing our principles to "Hyper-Partisanship" that ensues in "Cancel Culture". This book relates the personal cancel culture experiences that Professor Dershowitz has encountered by adhering to his principles and not submitting to the "Herd Mentality" of the "Progressives/Leftists". This book is quite an interesting and thoughtful read, which I very much recommend, and which has led me to reflect on my principles.

My primary principle is “Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All” and the importance of “A Civil Society” that I believe is (mostly) obtained by our “American Ideals and Ideas”. These principles have guided my thoughts and the writing of my Chips and Articles.

We would all be better persons if we examined our moral and ethical principles and oriented our life around these principles. Unfortunately, many do not do this but rely on our upbringing and life experiences to mold our actions. While this may serve us well in most situations, it is not sufficient when confronted with difficult choices. When examining a difficult choice, a firm grasp of our principles will guide us to making a good and proper decision. Sometimes, these difficult choices must be made relatively quickly; consequently, it is best to prepare yourself for making a quick difficult choice by examining and knowing your principles beforehand.

It will also comfort us after deciding if our decisions have any negative repercussions. We may lose friends, acquaintances, or business relationships because of our choice and face negative financial consequences. Still, we will be comforted (and sleep well) if we decide based on our moral and ethical principles.

Therefore, be prepared to make difficult choices by examining your moral and ethical principles beforehand, and make your choices based upon your principles.

09/18/22 The Case for the Impeachment of President Biden

Impeachment, conviction, and removal from office of any executive official, whether it be President, Vice President, or any Senate-confirmed appointee, is a very serious matter and is not to be done lightly. This is why I opposed the two Impeachments of President Trump, and I believe that it was wrongly done in the impeachment of President Clinton, as I have written in my Article, “Impeachable Offenses”. My new Article, “The Case for the Impeachment of President Biden” examines if President Biden has committed any impeachable offenses for which he should be removed from office.

09/17/22 The Real Existential Threat

President Biden’s Sept. 1 speech—much of which he reaffirmed on Sept. 5—on ‘The Continued Battle for The Soul of the Nation’ has received much criticism on the right and some of the left of the political spectrum. It is noteworthy, however, that much of the “Mainstream Media” has been supportive of this speech, which is a sad commentary on the current state of the Mainstream Media, as they cannot recognize the real existential threat of his speech. The real existential threat of this speech has been elucidated by Rob Natelson in his column, Biden’s Nasty Speech and the Nation’s Governors, in which he states that the speech was designed to intimidate and anger:

“The intimidating background consisted of FBI raids on Biden’s most prominent political opponent and that opponent’s key supporters; an FBI invasion of the office of a sitting member of Congress—thereby violating one of our most treasured constitutional traditions; indefinite incarceration of Jan. 6 defendants; illegal COVID-19 decrees; the militarization of federal agencies; censorship cooperation between the administration and social media; 87,000 new IRS agents (many with guns); and the political purge of the U.S. military.”

“But the administration knows that all its adversaries cannot be intimidated. Those whom it could not intimidate, it tried to anger.”

“The intimidating image consisted of two U.S. Marines standing behind El Presidente.”

“The infuriating image was the color scheme behind the speech, all angry black and red.”

In this speech, President Biden echoes the tactics of McCarthyism. Let us remember when a freshman senator from Maine had the courage to stand and challenge Senator Joseph McCarthy as no one else would when he was demagoguing his opponents, much as President Biden is now doing, saying:

“Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore some of the basic principles of Americanism- The right to criticize. The right to hold unpopular beliefs. The right to protest The right to independent thought.”  - Senator Margaret Chase Smith

It is time for all Americans to stand and challenge President Biden; otherwise, the real existential threat as a result of this speech will become the dissolution of “A Civil Society” in America.

09/16/22 The Pennsylvania 2024 Governor and Senate Elections

In the Pennsylvania 2024 Governor and Senate Elections, we have a microcosm of many of the state elections being played out across America. The Democrat candidates represent the views of most "Progressives/Leftists", while the Republican candidates represent the views of most "Conservatives". And the campaigning, on both sides, was become nasty and personal. If you strip away the nastiness and personal attacks, Pennsylvanians have a distinct choice—a Progressive or Conservative approach to governance and social policy. Pennsylvanians also face a Sophie’s Choice, as I have Chirped on “09/14/22 Sophie’s Choice”, as the candidates all have individual policy positions that are often objectionable to the mainstream of their supporters.

But a choice needs to be made, and this choice should not be made based upon the label of a Democrat or a Republican. Voting on your past predilections of a political party is not the responsible way to vote in this election, as we are at an inflection point as to how we wish to govern ourselves and implement social policy in the future. The consequences of our decision will run deep and for many years in the future. Our social fabric and our economy will be severely impacted by our decision. Consequently, we must vote not only with our hearts but also with our heads, and if you cannot do so, I would ask that you don’t cast a ballot, as I have Chirped on “09/15/22 Please Don’t Vote”. We Pennsylvanians must disregard the nastiness and personal attacks of the campaigns and consider all these factors of governance and social policy before casting our ballot. Let us thus make our vote speak to the future direction that we wish Pennsylvania and Pennsylvanians to undertake.

In Pennsylvania, we have another issue that needs to be resolved. The Democrat candidate for Senator, John Fetterman, recently suffered a severe stroke and has not made many public appearances since his stroke. In those public appearances that he has made, he has only made a few semi-coherent remarks and no campaign speeches, and he is also refusing to debate his opponent until well after early voting has started. He has also set conditions for the debate that call into question his verbal cognitive abilities. As much of a Senator's responsibility is to hear verbal testimony in committee hearings and verbal debate on the Senate floor, then to verbally respond to this verbal testimony and debate, one wonders if he is capable of fulfilling this duty and responsibility of a Senator. In addition, it was recently revealed that one of the reasons that he always wears a hoodie is that he has been concealing a large growth on the back of his neck, for which no explanation has been offered.

This raises the question of his physical and mental fitness to serve. Despite assurances from his campaign team that he is getting better and that he will be well in the near future, the question is, is he non compos mentis (not of sound mind, memory, or understanding; and in law, legally not competent)? This raises Constitutional questions as to his ability to be sworn into office if he is elected, as he may not be able to take or understand his Oath of Office.

09/15/22 Please Don’t Vote

What’s that you say—asking Americans not to vote? Yes, I am, but only those Americans who have not thought about the issues and concerns affecting America, And I stress ‘Thinking’, and not “Feeling’ about a candidate, political party, or a single issue. Feelings often lead to improper conclusions, which allows for violations of Natural Rights and immoral actions such as mob violence, lynching, witch dunking and burning, physical torture and mental cruelty, and other atrocities.

Those that vote out of fear should also not vote. Fear is often aroused by a politician or activists as a tactic to pit one group of Americans against another, with the thought being that their groups are larger than your group and, therefore, they will garner more votes. But voting out of fear, rather than hope, will often lead to demagogues in power rather than leaders in power. It is also a slippery slope that can lead to despotism in America.

Single issue voting is often a problem, as, while you may feel passionate about an issue, the other stances of a politician that agrees with you on the single issue may be more harmful than beneficial to America. We must all remember that a politician’s stances will never completely agree with your stance and, therefore, you need to strike a balance of the politicians’ stances as more harmful or more beneficial to America to guide your vote.

09/14/22 Sophie’s Choice

As a resident of Pennsylvania and a political junkie, my cigar-smoking buddies and I are very interested in the Governor and Senate races in this year’s election. As a "Constitutional Conservative", I am much more inclined to the Republican candidates and disinclined to Democrat candidates. No candidate I have ever voted for in the past has met all my criteria for constitutional conservatism, and I would not expect such as all people differ with each other on some or many political issues. Some candidates, however, come close to our political opinions than others, and some candidates are so far from our political opinions that they are unacceptable to us.

In the current Pennsylvania Governor and Senate races in this year’s election, however, I face a Sophie’s Choice for whom I should vote. Sophie’s choice refers to an extremely difficult decision a person has to make. It describes a situation where no outcome is preferable over the other. This can be either because both outcomes are equally desirable or both are equally undesirable. In the case of this year’s Pennsylvania Governor and Senate races, I face a Sophie’s choice dilemma. Many of the Republican candidate’s policy positions are contrary to my Constitutional Conservatism, while most of the Democrat candidate’s policy positions are anathema to my Constitutional Conservatism.

One of my cigar-smoking buddies feels the same way, but he is so distressed by this situation he has vowed to change his registration from Republican to Independent and find a third-party candidate to vote for Governor and Senate. While I understand his distress, I believe that his solution will do more ill than good. A third-party candidate has no hope of being elected, and by voting for a third-party candidate and not voting for the Republican candidate, you may increase the chances of electing the Democrat candidates. In which case, the devil you don’t want will be elected while the devil you disagree with, but could possibly work with (as in Chirp on "07/16/22 Working with That and Pragmatism"), will go unelected.  

Therefore, my Sophie’s choice is to vote for the Republican candidates and hope that they will ameliorate their policy positions based on Republican voter feedback. Otherwise, we may elect the Democrat candidates that have no interest in ameliorating their policy positions as they are committed Progressives/Leftists.

09/13/22 Qualifications for Elected Offices

The eligibility to become President, Vice President, Senator, and Representative are Constitutionally bound and minimal, as in the table below:

Federal Elected Office	Description of Qualifications
President and Vice President (The qualifications to be vice president are not included in the U.S. Constitution. However, the vice president becomes president if the president resigns from office or dies. This means that the vice president must be qualified to be president in order to run for vice president).	1. At least 35 years old 2. Has lived in the U.S. for 14 years 3. Is a natural born citizen, which means born on U.S. soil (law of soil) or to a U.S. citizen parent (law of blood) 4. May not serve more than two 4-year terms. 5. The vice president may become president because the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office, The vice president, upon becoming president, may be president for no more than 10 years, (This means that the vice president completes the president’s unfinished term and can run for president in the next two presidential elections).
A member of the U.S. Senate (U.S. Senator)	1. 30 years old 2. 9 years as a U.S. citizen 3. Members of the U.S. Senate must live in the state that they represent. 4. No term limits; they can serve an unlimited number of 6-year terms
A member of the U.S. House of Representatives (U.S. Representative)	1. 25 years old 2. 7 years as a U.S. citizen 3. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives do not have to live in the district that they represent, but they must live in the state in which their district is located. 4. No term limits; they can serve an unlimited number of 2-year terms

This is as I should be, as the people who elect them should have wide discretion on whom they want to elect to represent them. However, being minimally eligible is not the same as being qualified. Our Founding Fathers envisioned that elected office holders would be persons of accomplishment who would bring their knowledge and experience of life to their elected office. Too often, this has not been the case, as many elected officeholders have had no experience in life outside of the political world. Many officeholders have made a career in politics from an early age and have had no accomplishments outside of politics. In some cases, this has been advantageous due to the intelligence and upbringing of these persons, but in most cases, this has not been advantageous as they have not had the experience of the non-political (i.e., real) world. A few years of real-world experience is often insufficient to gain this experience, as it is often only after a decade or more of real-world experience that you have an understanding of the real world.

The hustle-and-bustle of real-world experiences better prepares you to deal with the real-world problems that politics addresses. Without this real-world experience, the solution to these problems is often incompatible or conflicts with the workings of the real world. This, in turn, creates more problems than it solves or makes it more difficult for people or businesses to function in the real world. It certainly incurs additional costs and efforts of persons and businesses to function. It also can have a deleterious impact on the interactions within society, leading to more societal problems that politicians believe they must address. A side effect is that these politicians often see the solutions to societal problems as more governmental intervention in the workings of society, leading to a cycle of government growth and intervention in the workings of society.

Thus, it is important that we elect politicians that have real-world experience to formulate real-world solutions to real-world problems. Therefore, it is important that we elect a person that is more than minimally eligible. We should all look at the qualifications of a candidate not only on their policy positions but on their real-world experience. Otherwise, we will create more and more real-world problems than we solve.

09/11/22 R.I.P. David McCullough

David Gaub McCullough (July 7, 1933 – August 7, 2022) was an American popular historian. He is the author of numerous books on many different topics on American history, and a two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In 2006, he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the United States' highest civilian awards.

David McCullough wanted us to think of people as they experienced life—not in the past but in “the present, their present,” as he told a conference of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2001. And he wanted us to know about them so we could conserve the good things they passed down to us. “But let us not look down on anyone from the past for not having the benefit of what we know, or allow ourselves to feel superior,” he told a Dickinson College commencement audience in 1998. “In my experience, the more one learns of that founding generation of Americans—and I mean the real flesh-and-blood human beings, not the myths—the larger they become, the more one wonders what we’ve lost, or are in grave danger of losing.”

In my Article, “Condemned to Repeat It”, I provide a perspective on how to view history and make judgements on civilizations and personages, much the same as David McCullough’s perspective. These words of wisdom by David McCullough and my own article thoughts about how to view our forefathers are also a warning about the current efforts to rewrite and reinterpret our history through modern morals and ethics. Let us not view our history through rose glasses nor through current morality and ethics, as our forefathers would always be found wanting just as our descendants will find us wanting based on their current morality and ethics. Instead, we need to examine history for what it was, for if not than we run the risk of:

“Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it.”   - Edmund Burke

09/10/22 Looking Good Rather Than Doing Good

Governments are too often in the business of looking good rather than doing good. Most environmental and climate change activists believe that they are doing good without having sufficient knowledge of the unintended consequences of their policy decisions. Many consumers often make purchasing decisions based on what they think is good for the environment and lessens climate change. And often, governments make environmental and climate change decisions based on looking good rather than doing good. And many of these decisions are often not good environmental or climate change decisions, as they often do more harm than good to the environment and do not lessen climate change as they shift the repercussions of these decisions from visible impacts to hidden impacts.

It is easier to react to your apprehensions and fears rather than to respond in a rational manner. Responding Rationality requires that you critically examine the issue from multiple perspectives based on intellectual Reasoning. A good example is a recent article by Madison Dibble, “The Unintended Consequences of Declaring 'Climate Emergency'”. Madison Dibble is the communications director for the Center for Accountability in Science,  which examines scientific research in a rational and reasonable manner. As they state in their ‘About Us’ webpage:

“Thanks to the internet, you can now read the latest issue of prestigious peer-reviewed journals as soon as they’re published. Of course, most people don’t get their science news from journals. Health and science reporters distill the details of new studies into news that’s accessible for most readers. Unfortunately, they don’t always have the resources to adequately explain new findings. Additionally, most readers don’t know anything about the organizations and researchers behind these news stories.

Get the info on these important issues here:

• Evaluating Research
• Funding in Science
• Science Journalism”

Some other websites also critically examine environmental and climate change science in a rational and reasonable manner from both the good and bad perspectives. They are:

• Environmental Progress is a non-profit incubator of ideas, leaders, and movements for nature, peace, and prosperity for all. Despite its lofty-sounding goals, they provide reasonable and practicable solutions to environmental and climate change issues from a humanistic perspective.
• Junk Science answers the question – What is “junk science?” as faulty scientific data and analysis used to advance special interests and hidden agendas. The scientific method calls for trial and error until the truth is determined. More than likely, this means many trials and many errors. Scientists learn from their errors. So wrong science is part of the scientific method. Therefore, being wrong is not the same as being guilty of junk science. This site examines all the junk that’s fit to debunk.
• The Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change (NIPCC) is what its name suggests: an international panel of nongovernment scientists and scholars who have come together to understand the causes and consequences of climate change. Because we are not predisposed to believe climate change is caused by human greenhouse gas emissions, we are able to look at evidence the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ignores. Because we do not work for any governments, we are not biased toward the assumption that greater government activity is necessary.
• Real Climate Science critically examines the scientific faults and flaws of climate science. As the late, great, Quantum Physicist Richard Feynman has said, “Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts.” This website debunks some of the expert’s ignorance with a careful examination and evaluation of the facts about climate change.

Most Americans have good intentions when they respond to environmental and climate change concerns. Most Americans, however, often make their decisions based on feeling good about their decision, and they rarely know all the impacts (both positive and negative) of their decision. The difference between feeling good and doing good is often far-reaching, and therefore, it is important that we decide on environmental and climate change issues based on knowledge of both the positive and negative impacts of our decisions and not react based on our intentions. After all, “the road to hell is often paved with good intentions”.

09/08/22 Settled Science

In today’s political arena, many people argue policy positions based on ‘settled science’. The question then becomes; is the science really settled?

In physics, the Newtonian concept of fixed space and time was displaced by Einstein’s Special Relativity, and Newton's Theory of Gravity was overthrown by Einstein’s General Relativity. The early physics of atomics was toppled by Quantum Mechanics, and our early beliefs on the structure of the Universe were completely reversed by advances in observational astronomy and Cosmology. In geography, the theory of the fixed structure of Earth was preempted by Plate Tectonics. In all the other sciences, there are similar stories of ‘settled science’ being overthrown by new and better experiments and observations. What was once thought to be true often turns out to be false, and the process of change was often opposed by leading scientists as contrary to ‘settled science’.

The lesson to be learned from these stories is that science is never settled. Great science is the questioning of ‘settled science’ with new and improved observations and experiments that often leads to the displacement of settled science. There is even a Philosophy of Science that examines this issue, as I have written in my Science Article, “Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn”. The advances in “Chaos, Complexity, Network, and Dynamic Science” of today are leading to even more questioning of settled science.

Consequently, science is never settled but only has a consensus on what theories are the best explanations of the observations and experimentation. Anyone who states that “the science is settled’ or ‘settled science” has no concept of “On the Nature of Scientific Inquiry”, and we should pay no heed to them or what they propose based on their settled science.

The same is also true when people argue based on mathematics, statistics, probabilities, and computer modeling (see my Articles on “Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave” and “Computer Modeling”). Therefore, always beware of someone who trusses their argument based on settled science, statistics say, studies show, or computer modeling demonstrates, as they are often ignorant about the true nature of these topics.

09/06/22 Chaos, Complexity, Networks, and Dynamic Science

The great advancements in the physical sciences in the first half of the twentieth century were Special Relativity and General  Relativity, as well as Quantum Mechanics. The great advancements in the physical sciences in the second half of the twentieth century were Chaos theory and Complex, Network, and Dynamic systems theory. These advancements in science fundamentally changed how science understood the Universe.

Many people have some knowledge of Relativity and Quantum physics, but few people have knowledge about Chaos, Complexity, Networks, and Dynamics science. However, many people should be more aware of Chaos, Complexity, Networks, and Dynamic science, as it not only applies to the physical sciences but has been shown to apply to all human activities. The definition of these theories, from Wikipedia, is:

“Chaos theory is an interdisciplinary scientific theory and branch of mathematics focused on underlying patterns and deterministic laws, of dynamical systems, that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, that were once thought to have completely random states of disorder and irregularities. Chaos theory states that within the apparent randomness of complex, chaotic systems, there are underlying patterns, interconnection, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-similarity, fractals, and self-organization. The butterfly effect, an underlying principle of chaos, describes how a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state (meaning that there is a sensitive dependence on initial conditions). A metaphor for this behavior is that a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can cause a tornado in Texas. This behavior is known as deterministic chaos, or simply chaos. This theory was summarized by Edward Lorenz as:

“Chaos: When the present determines the future, but the approximate present does not approximately determine the future.”

A Complex System is a system composed of many components which may interact with each other. Examples of complex systems are Earth's global climate, organisms, the human brain, infrastructure such as a power grid, transportation or communication systems, complex software and electronic systems, social and economic organizations (like cities), an ecosystem, a living cell, and ultimately the entire universe.

Complex systems are systems whose behavior is intrinsically difficult to model due to the dependencies, competitions, relationships, or other types of interactions between their parts or between a given system and its environment. Systems that are "complex" have distinct properties that arise from these relationships, such as nonlinearity, emergence, spontaneous order, adaptation, and feedback loops, among others. Because such systems appear in a wide variety of fields, the commonalities among them have become the topic of their independent area of research. In many cases, it is useful to represent such a system as a network where the nodes represent the components and links to their interactions.

Networks Theory is the study of graphs as a representation of either symmetric relations or asymmetric relations between discrete objects. In computer science and network science, network theory is a part of graph theory: a network can be defined as a graph in which nodes and/or edges have attributes (e.g., names).

Network theory has applications in many disciplines, including statistical physics, particle physics, computer science, electrical engineering, biology, archaeology, economics, finance, operations research, climatology, ecology, public health, sociology, and neuroscience. Applications of network theory include logistical networks, the World Wide Web, Internet, gene regulatory networks, metabolic networks, social networks, epistemological networks, etc.; see List of network theory topics for more examples.

Euler's solution to the Seven Bridges of Königsberg problem is considered to be the first true proof in the theory of networks.

Dynamical Systems theory is an area of mathematics used to describe the behavior of complex dynamical systems, usually by employing differential equations or difference equations. When differential equations are employed, the theory is called continuous dynamical systems. From a physical point of view, continuous dynamical systems are a generalization of classical mechanics, a generalization where the equations of motion are postulated directly and are not constrained to be Euler–Lagrange equations of the least action principle. When difference equations are employed, the theory is called discrete dynamical systems. When the time variable runs over a set that is discrete over some intervals and continuous over other intervals or is any arbitrary time-set such as a Cantor set, one gets dynamic equations on time scales. Some situations may also be modeled by mixed operators, such as differential-difference equations.”

Chaos theory and Complex, Network, and Dynamic systems theory opens a breathtaking new perspective on the universe. All three theories can help us understand the universe in a way that can enrich our lives and help our understanding of how our societies, politics, economies, finance, commerce, and science/technologies interact and shape our world. We would all be better off and comprehend the forces that shape our world if we gained knowledge of the theories.

I have recently updated my Science Article, “Chaos, Complexity, Network, and Dynamic Science”, which outlines these theories in more detail and their implications for our worldview.

09/03/22 A Terrorist and a Fascist

It appears that not only am I a terrorist, as I explained in my Article “It Appears that I am a Domestic Terrorist”, but now I am a semi-fascist—at least according to President Biden. For those who are unaware of what Fascism truly is, I would direct you to my Article on “Nazism and Fascism”. Basically, Fascism is a form of radical authoritarian nationalism that came to prominence in early 20th-century Europe. The first fascist movements emerged in Italy during World War I before they spread to other European countries. It is best expressed by quotes from its leading proponent, Benito Mussolini:

• “The definition of fascism is the marriage of corporation and state.”
• “All within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.”
• “We do not argue with those who disagree with us, we destroy them.”

President Biden’s comments on the semi-fascism of President Trump’s supporters bespeak of the psychology of a twisted and dangerous mind. A twisted mind as in an older book by Lyle H. Rossiter, Jr. M.D., “The Liberal Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness” is about the psychological basis of the Progressives/Leftists mindset and human nature and human freedom, as I have reviewed in my Book It of “06/01/21 The Liberal Mind”. A dangerous mind, as a new book by Mattias Desmet, “The Psychology of Totalitarianism”, examines how the psychological forces of the individual and the mob that were and are in play in the recent past and today’s world stage led and leads us into totalitarianism. For those interested in a fuller explanation of mass formation, my article “Modern Totalitarianism” recaps the different sections of this book and my commentary on these sections.

President Biden’s speech in front of Independence Hall on Thursday night was the most divisive, vile, and despicable speech given by a modern American President, as I have written about in my new Article “The Soul of the Nation”. It was worthy of George III’s Ministers and Members of Parliament's comments about the American Colonists who declared independence in that same hall. It is also the tactics of the demonization of a group of people for the purposes of the incitement of the mob that Lenin, Mussolini, Hitler, and Mao utilized to subjugate their own people. President Biden’s outright distortions and fabrications about his political opponents were abominable, and he set the predicate for the persecution and prosecution of his political opponents. As such, his comments were an extreme threat to democracy and an assault on our Constitutional Rights that were unworthy of the leader of a people dedicated to Liberty and Freedom.

President Biden’s actions have also exhibited a propensity for Authoritarianism, and many of his administration’s actions have been unconstitutional. He is quickly devolving into “Modern American Fascism”, which is antithetical to our “American Ideals and Ideas”. His twisted and dangerous mind, along with his administration lackeys and supporters, is a threat to the “Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All” we enjoy in America. Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists believe we have the liberty to do with what they agree with and the freedom to act within what they believe is acceptable limits. Consequently, all Liberties and Freedoms must be subsumed within these constraints.

As such, President Biden needs to be impeached, convicted, and removed from office. If not, we will devolve into persecution and prosecution of all those that would disagree with President Biden and his administration and Democrat Party Leaders. If he is unchecked by impeachment, conviction, and removal from office, we run the risk of sliding into totalitarianism in America or a potential civil war to regain our Liberties and Freedoms.

One wonders how long it will take for the Biden Administration to require that Trump supporters must wear the following badge while in public:

09/02/22 Expert Opinion

In the 20th century, we in America have become captivated by expert opinion in all aspects of our society. We have, however, forgotten to be wary of expert opinion, as their expert opinions often come with caveats. Some of these caveats are:

"There are some ideas so absurd that only an intellectual could believe them."  - George Orwell

“Nothing would be more fatal than for the Government of States to get in the hands of experts. Expert knowledge is limited knowledge, and the unlimited ignorance of the plain man who knows where it hurts is a safer guide than any rigorous direction of a specialized character.”  - Winston Churchill

“Our theory, which we have often put forward, is that experts ought to be on tap and not on top. We have had during our career a long and intimate knowledge of experts, most interesting men in their own speciality to which they have devoted themselves with great industry and zeal. But outside this special knowledge they are generally as foolish and ignorant as any person one could pick up in the street, with no broad knowledge of society or the general principles of legislation.”  - Irish editor and writer George William Russell

“I would rather be governed by the first 2,000 people in the telephone directory than by the Harvard University faculty.”  - William F. Buckley

I have examined this phenomenon in my Article, “The Intellectual Yet Idiot (IYI) and Skin in the Game (SIG)”, and my Chirps on “01/09/21 The Intellectual and the Preposterous” and “06/03/20 Experts ought to be on tap and not on top”, but it bears repeating especially in light of what has happened as a result of our COVID-19 responses.

The major lesson to be learned from our COVID-19 responses is that we should not blindly follow the advice of experts, as experts often disagree amongst themselves, and they rarely consider the impacts of their opinions outside of their field of expertise. There is also the issue of the correctness of their Studies and Statistics, as I have outlined in my Article, “Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave ”.

What we have all forgotten is that experts can be, and often are, wrong. Wrong because they lack sufficient knowledge of all aspects of an issue, wrong because the facts they rely on are incorrect, wrong because they have an unrealistic belief in the accuracy of their statistics and modeling, and most importantly, they are wrong because they lack wisdom. And sometimes, the experts have hidden agendas for their expert opinions. Hidden agendas to accomplish what they believe to be good for Americans, but that they believe Americans cannot fully understand the good they wish to achieve.

Therefore, let us be wary of expert opinion, examine the dissenting expert opinion, and obtain expert opinion from others outside the field of expertise that will be impacted by an expert opinion. If not, then we will continue to be seriously impacted by expert opinion that can be wrong or not examined in light of the impacts outside of the field of expertise.

08/31/22 Assuming

To ASSUME is to make an ASS out of yoU and ME, and to assume is to risk the possibility of failure or disaster. History is rife with people, groups, organizations, companies, societies, and governments that have made assumptions that are ruinous to themselves and others. There are many reasons for assumptions, and most of these reasons are erroneous. Often, these reasons become excuses after a failure or disaster.

One of the best ways to avoid the dangers of assumptions is to think beforehand, as explained in my Pearls of Wisdom –"Think Before You Respond" and "Think Before You Act". Another good practice is to remember the ABC rule when thinking about or to analyze anything someone has said or done:

Accept nothing, Believe nobody, Challenge everything.

There are some common types of assumptions, but the number of types of assumptions is in the hundreds. The webpage, 12 Types of Assumptions by John Spacey of Simplicable, explains some of the more common assumptions as “Assumptions are things that you hold to be true without proof that they are true. These are often required to get anything done in an environment of unknowns and uncertainties. The following are common types of assumptions.”:

1. Likely Facts
2. Naive
3. Optimistic
4. Pessimistic
5. Pragmatic
6. Predictions
7. Productive Assumptions
8. Sour Grapes
9. Unproductive Assumptions
10. Unquestioned
11. Unrecognized
12. Unstated

In the webpage, “12 Assumptions People Often Wrongly Made About Their Life” by Carol Morgan of Lifehack she highlights and explains the common wrongly held assumptions that people make about their lives— “So you think you know how the world works, huh? Sure, we all do. We all like to think that we have it figured out. But do you really? Many times, people make assumptions about life that simply aren’t true. Here are 12 of them.”:

1. People are watching your every move and judging you.
2. You have “failed,” when in fact you just haven’t succeeded yet.
3. If you ignore a problem, it will go away.
4. You need to be perfect.
5. Everything that goes wrong is other people’s fault, not yours.
6. You just can’t do it.
7. All of your expectations of other people are reasonable.
8. You think “this” is permanent. It’s not.
9. You’re not important.
10. You think you’re always right.
11. Something is holding you back.
12. You can’t be happy.

In the webpage, 50 Wrong Assumptions that You Always Make by Brian Lee of LifeHack, he explains that “We can make wrong assumptions about almost anything in life. Sometimes we make mistakes from them, sometimes they misguide us and sometimes we can even use them as an excuse. They can be misleading or sometimes even irrational. There are assumptions about anything from work ethics, mathematics and even relationships and happiness. Here are fifty of the most common misassumptions. Perhaps you have heard these or even said some yourself.” He then lists 50 common reasons/excuses that people often make based on assumptions.

Groupthink is a melting pot of assumptions on steroids. The leaders of, or the most vocal members of, the group often base their opinions on assumptions that they believe are common to the group, and the other members of the group often blindly accept these assumptions. Thus, the group is self-reinforcing in its assumptions.

In today’s politics, the most common assumptions and groupthink are "The Biggest Falsehoods in America". These falsehoods are often the basis for laws, rules, and regulations by the government, and they can be ruinous to America. We would do well to remember the ABC rule when thinking about and to act upon these falsehoods. We would also do well to not become involved in groupthink and, instead, make up our own minds by applying "Rationality" and "Reasoning" and then go "Beyond Rationality and Reasoning" to reach our decision.

08/29/22 Classified Information

Whenever you hear someone speaking about classified information or the handling of classified information, you should always keep in mind that those who know what they are talking about rarely talk, and those who talk rarely know what they are talking about. This is because until you have worked in a classified environment, it is impossible to understand the intricacies of the handling of classified information. I know this for a fact, as I am one of those people who rarely talk, as I spent about ten years in a classified job and handled thousands of pieces of classified information. However, given the events of the last dozen or so years involving the mishandling of classified information by high-profile persons and the deliberate distortion of media and others to justify or condemn this mishandling of classified information, I feel compelled to speak up and set the record straight. Of necessity, I will be circumspect and not reveal too much, as this could be a violation of my legal responsibility to remain silent about such matters. However, I do not believe that I am in violation of my legal responsibilities, as I have not revealed any classified information and I have utilized unclassified sources (including government web sites) in writing my new article.

My new Article, “Classified Information” was written for the purpose of providing a foundation for understanding the handling of classified information to those not initiated into the world of classified information. This should provide you with sufficient knowledge to ascertain the veracity of what others are saying when discussing possible breaches of the handling of classified information. If another is saying something that contradicts or contravenes what I have written, then you can be fairly certain that the person does not know what they are talking about regarding the handling of classified information, or they are being disingenuous. Either way, you should not give credence to what they are saying.

08/28/22 Judeo-Christian Morality

The importance of the black preacher in the Civil Rights movement cannot be overstated. Not only did they galvanize their congregants to peaceably support this movement, but they raised the conscience of white Americans to the morality and justness of this cause. Without their voice, the Civil Rights movement may have failed or degenerated into mob violence.

Throughout the following decades, they have continued to support the importance of Civil Rights, but they have also drifted apart from the core issues into supporting tangential issues that have led them astray from the core issue of Civil Rights—the importance of treating every person as an individual. The worth and dignity of each individual person, and the importance of Judeo-Christian morality in dealing with each person and the ills of society, are at the core of Civil Rights.

Consequently, all preachers of Judeo-Christian morality need to ask and answer the following questions regarding the role of Judeo-Christian morality in the functioning of our society, and the actions of individuals within our society:

• What is the Judeo-Christian morality of making a people dependent upon government subsidies for their subsistence?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality of affirmative action by government that favors one group of persons at the expense of another group of persons?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for the countenance of mob violence to achieve a positive social goal?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for theft and violence against persons and their businesses and employees?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for illegal drug use and illegal drug dealing?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for forcing a person to undergo medical treatments against their will?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for not allowing persons to freely associate with each other?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for pregnancy outside of marriage?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for the acceptance of abortion?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for a father abandoning a mother and his children?
• What is the Judeo-Christian morality for the acceptance of single motherhood?

The answer to these questions is self-obvious to a person of Judeo-Christian morality—they are a sin as they transgress against the Ten Commandments, and they are an affront to the worth and dignity of each individual person. These affronts are also destructive to the moral fiber of America and ruinous to our society.

As such, preachers of all faiths and races need to become more involved and vocal about Judeo-Christian morality in individual actions and societal solutions to the ills confronting America. And these actions and solutions need to be based upon Judeo-Christian morality of the importance of treating every person as an individual. America would be a much better place if all persons treated each person as an individual worthy of dignity and respect.

08/26/22 The Thwarter

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been given a lot of nicknames (Cocaine Mitch, Grim Reaper, Moscow Mitch, Massacre Mitch, Midnight Mitch) by those hostile to his politics (see McConnell once called himself the 'Grim Reaper.' Here are the nicknames he's earned since” by Ben Tobin). This is typical of "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" that are often practiced by today’s Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists.

However, he is now earning another nickname by those who support his politics—The Thwarter. His recent comments about some Republican Senate candidates are not only not helpful but, indeed, dampens their chances of election. He may not like or believe in their chances of being elected, but as a Republican leader, he needs to support them. Otherwise, he may find himself still in the minority of the Senate and the American people continuing to be saddled by the destructive policies and agendas of the Biden Administration and Democrat Party Leaders. This saddling is much worse than having, as he has said, ‘bad candidates’ on the Republican ticket.

As Mitch McConnell has spent most of his career on the defense against the Democrats, it appears that he is unable or unwilling to go on the offense against his opponents. But offense is what we now need to regain control of Congress to impede the destructive policies and agendas of the Democrats. If the Republicans gain control of the Senate, despite his lack of support for these candidates, it may be necessary to replace Mitch McConnell as the Senate Majority Leader. Even if they do not regain control of the Senate, it is time for him to be replaced as the Republican Leader. In these turbulent times, the Republicans need aggressive leadership to challenge the Democrats. Sadly, Mitch McConnell has not shown he can lead an offense against the Democrats. And offense is what we now need to right the course of America.

08/24/22 The Decline of the Rule of Law

Robert G. Natelson, one of my Three Scholars Understanding and Defending the Constitution, who I regularly read to understand Constitutional meaning, has written two new articles and one old article on the importance of the Rule of Law in America:

• Governor DeSantis and the Rule of Law—Part I
• Governor DeSantis, the Raid on Trump, and the Rule of Law—Part II
• The link between the rule of law and your economic well-being

Given my recent focus on this topic, with a series of Chirps on The Weaponization of Government, I thought that these articles are a nice complement to my Chirps as well as pointing out other issues regarding this topic. I am hoping that he will continue to write other articles on this topic, and if so, I will post Chirps when he does so. Meanwhile, I hope that you will read his and Jonathan Turley’s and Michael Stokes Paulsen’s articles on the meaning of the Constitution on my aforementioned webpage on this topic.

08/22/22 Abortion as a Constitutional Issue

Rob Natelson, a distinguished Constitutional Scholar with whom I mostly agree, has written a new article, “Understanding the Constitution: Why It Doesn’t Protect the Unborn”, with which I mostly disagree. My disagreement with his article is that he haphazardly utilizes some words and terms in his arguments that are not explicit in the Constitution. I also believe that he has not examined one of the main arguments for the Unconstitutionality of abortion.

In response, I have written a new Article, “The Constitution and Abortion” which is a critique of Professor Natelson’s article, and an examination as to why abortion is a Constitutional issue and not a States Rights Issue.

Since the Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade in 1973, the total number of abortions in America from 1973 through 2020 is approximately 63.6 million+. This is 63.6 million+ human beings' lives that were not protected and ended, depriving them of their Natural Right to life. As with the shame of slavery, we must now bear the shame of abortion. And, as with slavery, we must end this practice forthwith to assure the protection of the Natural Rights of all human beings.

08/21/22 The Jewish Banker

One of the biggest falsehoods of anti-Semitism is that the Jews control the world through their influence in banking and financial institutions. While there are many Jews and non-Jews in these institutions, the Jews play no more prominent role than any other groups involved in these institutions.

The origin of this anti-Semitism goes back to Medieval Europe when Christians believed that Moneylending and Usury was a sin, as Jesus scattered the moneylenders at the Temple in Jerusalem. As such, Christians were not to be involved in moneylending except as a recipient of loans, and interest on these loans was considered sinful. As the Jewish religion had no such compunctions, if done in a fair and equitable manner, the moneylenders of Medieval Europe tended to be Jewish. However, moneylending was not constricted to people of the Jewish faith, and many prominent Christian noblemen engaged in banking, such as the House of Medici as well as the Knights Templar.

The largest Jewish involvement in banking and financial institutions was with the Rothschild family, a wealthy Ashkenazi Jewish family originally from Frankfurt that rose to prominence with Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), a court factor to the German Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel in the Free City of Frankfurt, Holy Roman Empire, who established his banking business in the 1760s. Unlike most previous court factors, Rothschild managed to bequeath his wealth and established an international banking family through his five sons, who established businesses in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Vienna, and Naples. More information about the involvement and contribution of Jewish Bankers throughout history can be found on the webpage “Ancient Jewish History: Banking & Bankers” of the Jewish Virtual Library website.

Today, as it has been throughout history, banking and financing are not a providence of any one group of people. It is the intelligence, knowledge, experience, skills, and abilities of those involved in banking and finance that determine the success of an enterprise and their influence on others, as it is with any other enterprise or societal influences. Consequently, Anti-Semitism in banking and finances, and in all its forms, must be confronted and condemned whenever it rears its ugly head, as I have Chirped on, "08/16/19 Anti-Semitism in the USA". History has shown that whenever Anti-Semitism is not confronted and eliminated, it festers and grows to become a cancer that will eventually destroy society.

08/19/22 Stop the Swap

With the arrest, conviction, and imprisonment in Russia of U.S. citizen and basketball star Brittney Griner on drug smuggling charges, there has been a hue and cry to swap her with an American prisoner of Russian nationality. It has also been suggested that another American, Paul Whelan, who is imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges, be included in this swap. Although both Americans are prisoners in Russia, their cases are different. Ms. Griner is clearly guilty of the crime she committed, while Mr. Whelan may have been wrongly convicted on trumped-up charges.

Ms. Griner traveled to Russia with a small amount of marijuana which she tried to slip through Russian customs officials. Her excuse was that in her rush to pack; she thoughtlessly put this (disguised) marijuana in her luggage. Mr. Whelan was convicted on uncorroborated reports he had been caught receiving a digital storage device containing a list of intelligence officials, charges which he has denied and claims were a ruse to swap him for a Russian national in an American prison.

President Joe Biden recently stated that his administration would “pursue every possible avenue” to bring U.S. citizens Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan home to the United States. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken confirmed that the United States put forward a "substantial proposal" to Putin’s regime for a prisoner exchange, which reportedly would entail releasing Viktor Bout, a dangerous Russian arms trafficker, in exchange for Ms. Griner and Mr. Whelan.

In an article by Rebekah Koffler, “Three reasons why Biden's Russian prisoner swap is a bad idea”, she proffers three reasons why this prisoner swap is a bad idea:

First, the deal would embolden Putin to continue using "hostage diplomacy" to achieve his anti-American agenda.

Second, giving up Viktor Bout to the Russians would harm American security as he would probably resume his arms trafficking.

Finally, by giving up Viktor Bout, it would have wasted the time, money, and effort spent on capturing this notorious criminal.

I would also mention that Viktor Bout is indirectly responsible for the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands of persons because of his arms trafficking. I would, therefore, ask where is the justice for his victims if he is released?

While I agree that the sentence of nine years for Ms. Griner is harsh, it was her responsibility to ensure that she did not violate any laws of the country she was visiting. The lesson of Ms. Griner is that when you are engaged in foreign travel, you must proactively ensure that you do not violate any of their laws. The 16-year sentence of Mr. Whelan, if he was guilty of the crime, was a longish but just sentence for this type of crime. The lesson of Mr. Whelan Griner is that when you are engaged in foreign travel to a hostile nation, you may become embroiled in circumstances beyond your control that could endanger you, and perhaps you should rethink your travel.

I, therefore, sadly conclude that this prisoner swap is Inequitable and should not occur, and it is not in the best interests of future American tourists who may be entrapped for hostage diplomacy. Also, President Biden must prioritize American interests and security, and the cause of justice, by keeping Viktor Bout in jail.

08/17/22 Big Government Begets Big Corporations

I recently read an article where someone stated, "The bigger the government, the bigger the corporations". I regard this quote as a truism, as whenever a government becomes more involved in the business of corporations, the more the corporations become involved in the business of government. This involvement fosters more rules and regulations by the government and more bureaucrats to administer them, which fuels the growth of government. It also fosters more corporate costs and employees to meet the rules and regulations of government. It also fosters more corporate lobbying of the government to influence these rules and regulations, and much of the lobbying is for the benefit of the corporations and not the American people. It also has a deleterious impact on small businesses, as they must expend more costs and time to meet these rules and regulations, which sometimes puts them at a competitive disadvantage with corporations as these rules and regulations are more tailored to big business.

The government does have a role in the rules and regulations of businesses to assure the health and safety of the employees of businesses and the American public. It also has a role in determining the legal boundaries of business operations to ensure a free and fair marketplace that a business must operate within. Too often, however, this government involvement in businesses has become excessive and a detriment to the free and fair marketplace.

Of course, politicians love to become involved in businesses as it gives them more power, enriches their coffers as businesspersons contribute to their elections and reelection campaigns, and they can demagogue on these issues to obtain votes in an election.

Thus, we have a vicious cycle of government and corporate growth at the expense of the American public. This quote is, therefore, a truism, and along with Dennis Prager's article and truism, “The Bigger the Government, the Smaller the Citizen”, we in America find ourselves with a larger government, larger corporations, and smaller citizens.

08/15/22 Free Speech as a Means to Truth

Upon reading the book “A History of Dangerous Assumptions” by John Molesworth, I came across a section of this book that is very illuminative of the importance of Free Speech in obtaining Truth. I have extracted this section to create a new Article, “Free Speech as a Means to Truth”. This section discusses the necessity and importance of free speech to humankind, as was based on the writings of John Stuart Mill in his 1859 essay On Liberty. John Stuart Mill was a great philosopher, political economist and member of parliament was one of the greatest foes of the making of assumptions. His essay On Liberty is one of his most famous works. Here are some selected quotes dealing with free speech from John Stuart Mill’s essay On Liberty:

“. . . protection against the tyranny of the prevailing opinion and feeling, against the tendency of society to impose… its own ideas and practices… on those who dissent from them; to fetter the development of any individuality not in harmony with its ways”

“That the sole end for which mankind is warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the Liberty of Action of any of their number, is self-protection. That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.”

“The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of opinion is, that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; and robbing those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it.”

“All silencing of discussion is ‘an Assumption of Infallibility’.”

More information about this essay can be viewed on the Libertarianism webpage on “An Introduction to John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty“.

08/14/22 Us versus Them

I have combined my Chirps on the alarming trend of the weaponization of government that has occurred during 21st century America, which can be read here. This trend is most notable in the administrations of President Obama and President Biden, as they have pursued investigations and prosecutions against their political opponents. Many claim that President Trump also weaponized government, but the evidence for this is scant and often involves "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning" to be believed. Indeed, President Trump had the opportunity to weaponize government when his supporters chanted “Lock Her Up’ in regards to his 2016 presidential opponent Hillary Clinton for her possible criminal actions as Secretary of State. Despite the veracity of the evidence of the criminality of Hillary Clinton’s actions, he declined to pursue criminal investigations and prosecutions against her. The same could be said against other members of President Obama’s administration who engaged in dubious and possibly illegal activities. President Trump declined to do so as he realized that such investigations and prosecutions would be the weaponization of government for political purposes and would be harmful to the body politic.

There appears that there are no such compunctions in the Biden Administration, and it also appears that the weaponization of government to achieve political goals and policies is a tactic of the Biden Administration. Anyone associated with the Trump Administration appears to be fair game for the Biden Administration. Any supporters of President Trump are also targets for the Biden Administration. Any perceived actions by anyone that can be demonized as MAGA activities are targets for the weaponization of government by the Biden Administration. The Biden Administration has thus divided Americans into ‘Us’ and ‘Them’. In the Biden Administration, the Them are targeted with the weaponization of government while the Us is protected and not prosecuted for criminal activities. This attitude is also prevalent among Democrat Governors, Mayors, District Attorneys, Federal, State, and Local bureaucrats, and other Democrat-controlled government agencies.

Us believes that the Constitution is only an impediment to be circumvented or overcome to achieve their political goals and social policies, while Them believes that the Constitution is a rulebook for a civil society that preserves the Liberties and Freedoms of all. Us also believes that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, the Us believes that its policies are what is best for all Americans. Consequently, the Us are motivated to do whatever they believe is best for America using constitutionally torturous and convoluted reasoning, while the Them believes in doing what is best for all Americans using constitutionally straightforward reasoning. Us, therefore, believes it is acceptable to engage in "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" as they are combating evil, and any and all means to destroy evil are acceptable. Them believes that Us are wrong and only proper "Dialog and Debate" is acceptable. The Us believes in democratic rule rather than republic rule and a democratic interpretation of the Constitution, as I have examined in my Articles, “A Republic versus a Democracy” and "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution", while Them believes the opposite. The Us also believes in rulership rather than leadership, while Them will only accept leadership, as I have examined in my Article, "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

Thus, a cold civil war is in progress in America. Us believes that disagreements with Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists are not to be tolerated and are to be criminalized for Them, nor is Free Speech and other Constitutional and Civil Rights to be allowed for Them. The Us believe that there is only room in America for Us, and the Them are to be expunged from American society. The continuation of this cold civil war can only lead to the dissolution of "A Civil Society" and end to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" or to a hot civil war between Us and Them to resolve this problem. The American people need to put an end to this cold civil war and preserve our Liberties and Freedoms. The only peaceful way of ending this cold civil war is to vote out of office anyone who supports the actions of Us; otherwise, it may be necessary for Them to engage in a hot civil war to end this cold civil war. If this hot civil war should occur, then Them should keep in mind that:

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."   - Abraham Lincoln

08/12/21 Das ist das Ende, das Ende

Near the end of the movie ‘Patton’, as the Germans are destroying papers in anticipation of defeat, the words ‘Das ist das Ende, das Ende’ (This is the End, the End) are heard when the German general tells another officer that the War is over.

With the raid of the Mar-a-Lago home of former President Donald Trump by the Justice Department, led by the FBI, Das ist das Ende, das Ende has come upon America. It will either be the end of our Constitutional Republic or the end of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, as we must choose one or the other as they can no longer coexist. If these actions by the Justice Department and the FBI are allowed to stand, then we will allow the further weaponization of government, as I have Chirped on “08/06/22 The Weaponization of Government”. No person will be safe from government persecution and prosecution that dares to contradict the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists policies. Bureaucrats will determine, through unspoken or indirect threats of persecution or prosecution, who shall speak and what they are allowed to say and who shall be allowed to hold the reins of power in America.

The cast of characters in this abomination of our Liberties and Freedoms has been one of those who have exhibited animosity toward President Trump. From the former Director of the National Archives to FBI Director Wray, Attorney General Garland, President Biden, and all the other responsible persons in between, they have all exhibited an anti-Trump abhorrence that has guided their actions. Even the judge that signed off on the search warrant is a known anti-Trumper who should have recused himself from involvement in these actions. Abhorrence to a politician should not translate into judicial actions but should be limited to the political arena, and only the criminal actions of a politician should be investigated and prosecuted. No legal "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning" should be utilized to pursue criminal prosecution of a politician, for to do so is the weaponization of the judicial system for the purposes of the politicization of justice. Such actions are only worthy of a banana republic and not of a nation dedicated to Liberty and Freedom.

This raid is unprecedented in American history and yet another example of the Biden Administration's weaponization of government for the purposes of the politicization of justice. The reported pretext for the search warrant is just a cover for their persecution and prosecution of political opponents. The flimsy pretext of official and classified documents not being turned over to the National Archives is belied by previous subpoenas that were being complied with by President Trump and his staff, with disputes being negotiated by all the parties involved. Such disputes between former Presidents and the National Archives have been common in the past, especially with former President Obama retaining over 30,000 pages of documents that he has promised to digitize and then turn over to the National Archives but has not yet done so.

In addition, as a matter of law, no President can be charged under the Espionage Act for “mishandling” classified information or records. A Supreme Court decision in 1987 made it clear that the President has inherent constitutional power, as Commander-In-Chief, to classify and declassify anything they want at will, and no law, statute, or regulation may usurp this constitutional power. They can do it through their words and deeds — and they don’t need to label it, they don’t need to report it, and they don’t have to tell anyone. Former presidents do not have this power, but if a President removes these classified documents from their secure location before they leave office, they have every authority to do so. Once someone removed these classified documents from their secure locations under instructions from a sitting President then they are no longer considered classified and, therefore, not subject to criminal nor civil prosecution.

The manner in which they conducted this raid appears contrary to the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution:

“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

The actions of the FBI in the raid of not allowing Trump’s lawyers to see the search warrant except at a distance of ten feet, not providing his lawyers with a copy of the search warrant, not allowing his lawyers to observe the actual search, ordering the security cameras to be turned off so as to not record the FBI agent’s search actions, to the sealing of the Search Warrant from public scrutiny bespeak of secrecy and cover-up. There is also the question as to whether evidence is being doctored, manufactured, and planted in these seized documents, as there has been no proper inventory of the documents that were seized at the time of the seizure. As Trump’s lawyers were not present at the time of seizure to assure the accuracy and completeness of the list of the documents that were seized, and they are not present at the subsequent compilation of this list, any list of seized documents that the Department of Justice and the FBI compiles after the seizure is suspect. There is also the question, and suspicion, that the chain of evidence has been broken with these seized documents.

It is also noteworthy that many of the persons involved in this action have been known to perjure themselves in submissions to the court (i.e., the false affidavits submitted to the FISA court in the Russian Collusion investigations) and the altering of documents to support these affidavits. They have also been known to utilize evidence of dubious veracity, and sometimes known to be false, to justify investigations of President Trump and his associates. They have also spied upon President Trump’s 2016 Presidential campaign and during his Presidential Administration, and now during his post Presidential life.

This search warrant and the affidavits supporting the warrant need to be unsealed for the American public and our elective representatives to examine and determine the validity of the Justice Department and the FBI actions. After the search warrant and the affidavits are unsealed, our elective representatives need to take the appropriate actions as necessary to determine their veracity and appropriateness, as well as the legality of these actions by the Justice Department and the FBI. These appropriate actions should include, but not be limited to, impeachment of Executive Officers, dismissal of employment by those staff members who should have known better than to engage in these actions (just following orders is no excuse when you are in a leadership or management position), the stripping of pensions and benefits of those impeached or dismissed, and prosecutions of criminal wrongdoing by the persons responsible for these actions, as warranted by the facts. This unsealing should not include the list of items seized, except with the approval of President Trump, as this list would be an invasion of Trump’s privacy rights as it appears that many of the items seized were outside the scope of the official and classified documents that were to be seized under the search warrant.

Finally, this raid was far out of proportion to its stated goals and may not have been necessary as a subpoena may have been more appropriate under these circumstances. The proper function of a Search Warrant is to seize and preserve evidence from destruction or concealment for future prosecution by a legal authority. A Subpoena is a writ for the summoning of witnesses or the submission of evidence (such as records, documents, or property) before a court or legal authority and other deliberative bodies. As many of the items seized at the Mar-a-Lago home of former President Donald Trump were outside the scope of the search warrant, it is reasonable to question if the recovery of documents was the true intent of this search warrant. It is more reasonable to assume that the Justice Department and the FBI were on a fishing expedition to serendipitously gather evidence of other dubious allegations of criminal actions by President Trump. If this is the case, then the Justice Department and the FBI are engaging in an assault on the Constitutional and Civil Rights of President Trump. An assault, if allowed to stand, that signals Das ist das Ende, das Ende for "Justice and The Rule of Law in America".

The American people need to put an end to the weaponization of government for the purposes of the politicization of justice. To not do so is to allow for the disintegration of our "American Ideals and Ideas", which will lead to the end of our Constitutional Republic and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". The only peaceful way of ending this assault on our rights is to vote out of office for anyone who supports these actions by the Justice Department and the FBI; otherwise, it may be necessary to engage in non-peaceful means to restore our rights. If this non-peaceful means should occur, then we should keep in mind that:

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."   - Abraham Lincoln

08/09/22 The Ultimate Weaponization of Government

Two days after I posted my Chirp on “08/06/22 The Weaponization of Government”, the Justice Department, led by the FBI, raided the Mar-a-Lago home of former President Donald Trump. This raid is unprecedented in American history and yet another example of the Biden Administration's weaponization of government for the purposes of the politicization of justice. The flimsy reported pretext for the search warrant (not as yet confirmed) is just a cover for their persecution and prosecution of political opponents, and the manner in which they conducted this raid appears contrary to the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.

One of the lessons I have learned in my life experiences is that when I become angry, it is best to bite my tongue and say nothing until my anger subsides (as explained in my Pearls of Wisdom –"Think Before You Respond" and "Think Before You Act"). This raid has not only angered me but has made me livid, and as such, I will not say anything more about this raid until my anger subsides. When I have more information and my anger subsides, I will write a rational and reasonable criticism and critique (as explained in my Pearls of Wisdom - "Know the Difference between Criticism and Critique") of these actions by the Justice Department and the FBI.

Until then, I can only say that this raid appears to be contrary to our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", and a degradation to "A Civil Society", and is only worthy of a Banana Republic.

08/08/22 Defense Production Act

The Defense Production Act was passed in 1950 in response to the start of the Korean War. It was part of a broad civil defense and war mobilization effort in the context of the Cold War. Since 1950, this act has been reauthorized over 50 times, and it has been periodically amended and remains in force. The act contains three major sections. The first authorizes the President to require businesses to accept and prioritize contracts for materials deemed necessary for national defense, regardless of a loss incurred on business. The law also allows the President to designate materials to be prohibited from hoarding or price gouging. The second section authorizes the President to establish mechanisms (such as regulations, orders, or agencies) to allocate materials, services, and facilities to promote national defense. The third section authorizes the President to control the civilian economy so that scarce and critical materials necessary to the national defense effort are available for defense needs. The act also authorizes the President to requisition property, force industry to expand production and the supply of basic resources, settle labor disputes, control consumer and real estate credit, establish contractual priorities, and allocate raw materials towards national defense.

Most of the time, this act has been invoked for national defense reasons, but in the last several decades, it has been utilized for non-defense reasons employing "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning" to justify these government actions. Most recently, it has been invoked for the COVID-19 Pandemic response and to address the baby formula shortage. Recently, President Biden has invoked this act for the manufacturing and importation of Solar Energy Panels and is considering the utilization of the Defense Production Act to implement a larger portion of the Green New Deal, for which he has been unable to get Congressional approval. This action, if taken, would be a usurpation of Congressional powers to legislate and, in my opinion, would be entirely Unconstitutional. If a President cannot get Congress to legislate, then they have no power to implement their unapproved agenda. This is yet another example of rulership, as I have written in my Article, "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders", and as I have Chirped on "03/08/21 Rule by Regulation and Executive Orders".

It is time to amend the Defense Production Act to limit it to defense actions and to establish a new law for non-defense emergency actions. This new law would set time limits for Presidential emergency actions for a fixed number of days, and it would require Legislative approval for any Presidential non-defense emergency actions that exceed this time limit. If we do not amend this act to restrict it to defense actions and create a new act for non-defense emergency actions, then we will continue downward on the slippery slope to rulership and into despotism.

08/07/22 A Real Insurrection

FBI Director Christopher Wray recently testified before a Congressional Oversight Committee on a variety of topics. Congressional oversight, from Wikipedia, is:

“Congressional oversight is oversight by the United States Congress over the Executive Branch, including the numerous U.S. federal agencies. Congressional oversight includes the review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies, programs, activities, and policy implementation. Congress exercises this power largely through its congressional committee system. Oversight also occurs in a wide variety of congressional activities and contexts. These include authorization, appropriations, investigative, and legislative hearings by standing committees; which is specialized investigations by select committees; and reviews and studies by congressional support agencies and staff.

Congress’s oversight authority derives from its “implied” powers in the Constitution, public laws, and House and Senate rules. It is an integral part of the American system of checks and balances.”

In his testimony, he refused to answer several questions, with the reasoning being that he could not discuss current investigations or comment on personnel decisions. It is important that testimony in front of the Congressional Oversight Committee be restricted to a closed session when discussing matters of national security. But it is equally important that Congress and the American people hear open testimony on non-national security issues. As far as current Judicial or FBI investigations are concerned, there may be legitimate reasons why the testimony should be in a closed session, but it is the Congressional Oversight Committees' duty and responsibility to close a session in these cases. It cannot be the Executive Officer's decision whether to testify or not testify, as too often Executive Officers refuse to answer questions, not because of legitimate reasons but to cover up malfeasance. Such malfeasance needs to be exposed before Congress and the American public to preserve our Liberties and Freedoms. In America, we have a government “of the people, by the people, for the people”, and the people need to know if malfeasance is occurring within government, especially in the Executive Branch judicial process, as this directly impacts their Constitutional and Civil Rights. Without open oversight, Executive Officers may feel free to trample on these rights to achieve their goals, as I have discussed in my Chirp on “08/06/22 The Weaponization of Government”.

His refusal to answer these questions appears to have the support of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as it serves their political purposes. As such, the Democrat Party is not supporting proper Congressional Oversight of the Executive Branch to root out malfeasance to preserve the Liberties and Freedoms of Americans, which is a dereliction of their Constitutional duties and responsibilities.

In refusing to answer these questions, he is also violating his Oath of Office to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same:” as you cannot keep this oath if you are stymieing Congressional Oversight. For this reason, FBI Director Christopher Wray is engaging in an insurrection against the Constitution, and he must be forthwith removed from office for this reason.

08/06/22 The Weaponization of Government

A Two-Tiered system of justice in the Justice Department and the FBI now appears to be firmly entrenched in the Biden Administration, as I have Chirp on "07/31/21 A Two-Tiered Justice and Governmental System" and "06/22/22 Injustice Department and the Federal Bureau of Iniquity". In addition, we have seen the corruption of the Intelligence agencies to support political policies and agendas and the degradation of the military to achieve social justice goals rather than to win conflicts. All of these actions represent the weaponization of government to support political goals rather than the performance of their duties and responsibilities.

In these actions, they appear to have the support of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as it advances their political agendas. As such, the Democrat Party is supporting the weaponization of government and lawlessness, as I have Chirp on "05/19/22 The Lawless Party".

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland leads the Justice Department, which includes the FBI, and he is responsible for assuring that all laws are applied equally and that the Constitutional and Civil Rights of the American people are protected. As such, he must resist any political pressures from any source in the performance of his duties.

The selective investigations and prosecutions against political opponents and the non-investigations and lack of prosecutions of political supporters have become notorious. Their threatening words, and the ignominious deeds of investigations, have been for the purposes of intimidating their political opponents. There appears to be little concern for the Constitutional and Civil Rights of their opponents and the equality of justice for all.

Attorney General Garland’s refusal to appoint a Special Prosecutor in the investigation of Hunter Biden, which is fully justified under the law regarding special prosecutors, is an assault on the integrity of the Justice Department and a dereliction of his duties and responsibilities to assure "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". It is indicative of his complicity, or acquiescence to pressure, for the purposes of protecting the President of the United States from political harm, which is not a sufficient reason for his inactions in this matter. The American people need to know the involvement of Joe Biden in his son's business dealings, as I have Chirp on "07/24/22 What Did He Know and When Did He Know It?".

It is also against his Oath of Office to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same:”. You cannot keep this oath if you are not applying equal justice without prejudice and not protecting the Constitutional and Civil Rights of the American people. For this reason, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland is engaging in an insurrection against the Constitution, and he must be forthwith removed from office for this reason.

We should also investigate the actions of the Executive Officers of the intelligence agencies to determine if they are violating their Oath of Office and endangering the American people by their actions. At the same time, the Military leadership needs to be investigated to see if they are in dereliction of their duties to defend the American people from foreign enemies.

If we do not correct this situation, then we cannot have “A Just Government and a Just Society” and "Justice and The Rule of Law in America", and we will become a nation ruled by men rather than the rule of law.

08/05/22 Emergency Executive Orders

In my Chirp on "03/08/21 Rule by Regulation and Executive Orders", I contended that to be ruled by regulation and Executive Orders is to be ruled by despotism. When Executive orders are not about enforcing the law but extending or ignoring the law, when regulations are contorted to become more than the law intended and subject to the predilections of the regulators, and when laws are written and passed that allow for these actions, we are not a Republic of the Citizens but a Tyranny by the Bureaucrats.

In the last several decades, we have seen a slew of ‘National Emergency Executive Orders’ to deal with a crisis. There is no doubt that we have a national crisis when natural disasters strike a region of our country or when the COVID-19 Pandemic struck our country. But such a crisis should be limited in scope and of a short duration. For if they are not so limited, then they are usurping the powers of Congress to legislate national policies, and therefore they are Unconstitutional. They are also a form of rulership rather than leadership, as I have written in my Article, “To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders". This is not a question of what is needful as our Constitution relegates the determination of what is needful to Congress, and Executive Orders are only to be utilized to carry out what Congress has legislated.

We have also seen Executive Orders utilized to ignore laws that Congress has passed when the President disagrees with these laws. Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution requires the President to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.” This clause, known as the Take Care Clause, requires the President to enforce all constitutionally valid Acts of Congress, regardless of his own Administration’s view of their wisdom or policy. The clause imposes a duty on the President; it does not confer a discretionary power. The Take Care Clause is a limit on the Vesting Clause’s grant to the President of “the executive power.”

The COVID-19 Pandemic is an example of the dangers of these Executive Orders, as these orders had a significant negative impact on our economy and a deleterious effect on our Liberties and Freedoms. They were also done without the approval of Congress, and therefore, they were Unconstitutional.

The most recent example of this is President Biden declaring Climate Change a national crisis and issuing Executive Orders to meet this crisis. In doing so, he is directing national policies, expending monies that Congress has not allocated for that purpose, and circumventing Supreme Court rulings on this issue. And in doing so, he is destroying the Balance of Powers between three co-equal branches of government – Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. This is also a violation of his Oath of Office to “Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution of the United States”.

It is also true that anyone who would support these types of Executive Orders is also supporting the usurpation of the Constitution. This is especially distressing when members of Congress or Judges and Justices support these Executive Orders, as they too are upsetting the Balance of Powers and violating their Oath of Office.

08/04/22 Modern Totalitarianism

An older book by Lyle H. Rossiter, Jr. M.D., “The Liberal Mind: The Psychological Causes of Political Madness” is about the psychological basis of the Progressives/Leftists mindset and human nature and human freedom, as I have reviewed in my Book It of “06/01/21 The Liberal Mind”. A new book by Mattias Desmet, “The Psychology of Totalitarianism”, examines how the psychological forces of the individual and the mob that are in play on today’s world stage that is leading us into totalitarianism. My new article, “Modern Totalitarianism”, recaps the different sections of this book and my commentary on these sections.

This book is an invaluable resource in understanding the how and why of the psychological underpinnings of the current irrationality in American society and the rest of the democratic world, has come about. In his examination, he warns that this psychology can easily be manipulated to become totalitarianism of the masses, as the masses unquestionably accept the reasoning and statistics presented to them. The first five chapters of this book cover how the mechanist-materialistic view of man and the world creates the specific social-psychological conditions in which mass formation and totalitarianism thrive. Chapters six to eight detail the process of mass formation and its relationship to totalitarianism. Finally, chapters nine to eleven investigate a way to transcend the current condition of man and the world so as to render totalitarianism superfluous.

Mattias Desmet is a world-renowned Belgian Professor of Clinical Psychology and professor in clinical psychology at Ghent University. He has a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychological Sciences as well as a Master's degree in statistics. His previous books include “The Pursuit of Objectivity in Psychology” and “Lacan’s Logic of Subjectivity: A Walk on the Graph of Desire”. Professor Desmet is the author of over one hundred peer-reviewed academic papers. In 2018 he received the Evidence-Based Psychoanalytic Case Study Prize from the Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, and in 2019 he received the Wim Trijsburg Prize from the Dutch Association of Psychotherapy.

This book is not only an examination of the psychological forces in play, but it is also a warning that we may end up under totalitarianism in some form if this irrationality is not obliviated. Or, as one reviewer has stated:

"Desmet is waking a lot of people up to the dangerous place we are now with a brilliant distillation of how we ended up here."  ―Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

08/03/22 Beyond Rationality and Reasoning

In my Articles, "Rationality" and "Reasoning", I explained the importance of sound rationality and proper reasoning. Upon reading an interview of Mattias Desmet in a web article on a different topic, Mattias Desmet: ‘Mass Formation’ Hypnosis and the Rise of Technocratic Totalitarianism, I realized that I had not placed rationality and reasoning in context to the ethical principles of your conclusions. He discussed the importance of going beyond rationality and reasoning to reach a decision on the suitability, rightness, or appropriateness, and the appropriate actions to undertake based on your rational and reasoned conclusions. I, therefore, realized that I had not placed rationality and reasoning in context to your ethical principles, something that I have always tried to do in my Articles and Chirps but have never formally considered. As he explained in this interview:

“Rationality is always blind. If we believe we are rational, we usually become blind to all the subjective factors that play a role in rational thinking. That’s also the reason why I believe that rationality or rational understanding can never be the basis of human living. The only thing that can really organize society and human living in a fruitful way and in a humane way is ethical principles. It is our ethical principles, the eternal principles of humanity, that should be the basis of humanity living together. We can be rational. We have to think rationally, of course. But we should understand that rationality, in itself, can never grasp the essence of our human existence and can never grasp the essence of everything around us.”

“This rational understanding is extremely limited, and can never be the basis of society. Throughout the last few centuries, we have been thinking that rational understanding is crucial, and that it is the basis of humanity living together. The entire tradition of enlightenment actually believed that a society should be organized according to rational knowledge and rational understanding, and that we should try to manipulate the world around us in a rational way, in such a way that it becomes more friendly to the human being.”

Consequently, we all must consider our ethical principles after reaching a rational and reasonable conclusion. I, therefore, have written a new article for your consideration, “Beyond Rationality and Reasoning”, that further examines this topic so that you can better decide what course of action to undertake when you reach a rational and reasonable conclusion.

08/02/22 The Corruption of Modern Science

In my Book It of “03/01/21 Apocalypse Never”, I recommend a book by Michael Shellenberger that discusses environmentalism and climate change. Michael Shellenberger is the nationally bestselling author of Apocalypse Never, a Time magazine “Hero of the Environment,” the winner of the 2008 Green Book Award from the Stevens Institute of Technology’s Center for Science Writings, and an invited expert reviewer of the next Assessment Report for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He has written on energy and the environment for the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Nature Energy, and other publications for two decades. He is the founder and President of Environmental Progress, an independent, nonpartisan research organization based in Berkeley, California.

Another book, “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters” by Steven E. Koonin, which I have recommended in my Book it of “08/01/22 Rational and Reasonable Climate Change”, is a definitive book on ‘the science’ of climate change, rather than ‘The Science’ of climate change. Dr. Koonin is a scientist who has been involved in Climate Change Research, a leader in science policy in the United States for several decades, and he served as Undersecretary for Science in the U.S. Department of Energy under President Obama.

In a new book by Mattias Desmet, “The Psychology of Totalitarianism”, he examines and notes how science is often incorrect and misused by persons with a political agenda. Mattias Desmet is a world-renowned Belgian Professor of Clinical Psychology and professor in clinical psychology at Ghent University. He has a Doctor of Philosophy in Psychological Sciences as well as a Master of Science degree in statistics. Professor Desmet is the author of two other books on psychology and over one hundred peer-reviewed academic papers. In 2018 he received the Evidence-Based Psychoanalytic Case Study Prize from the Association for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, and in 2019 he received the Wim Trijsburg Prize from the Dutch Association of Psychotherapy.

In Professor Desmet’s book, he observes that “Science adapts its theory to reality, whereas ideology adapts reality to theory.”, to which I would add that in today’s hyper-partisanship, we often see ideologues attempts to warp science into their theories, and sometimes with the assistance of the scientists themselves. In his book, he utilizes the science of the COVID-19 Pandemic, along with other examples, to explore how science has been misused and corrupted to bolster the governmental responses to the pandemic and to persuade the public as to the efficacy and desirability of these responses. In doing so, the government has increased its powers over the public and consequently decreased individual liberty and freedom. A process that the government has increasingly utilized in the 20th and 21st centuries to accumulate more powers unto themselves. Powers that, if unchecked, lead to a slippery slope into despotism.

All three of these books highlight how modern science has become influenced and corrupted by ideology and partisan politics. Where at the beginnings of science, it challenged religious dogma and established authority, today it has become dogma and authority. As Mattias Desmet has stated, “At its birth, science was synonymous with open-mindedness, with a way of thinking that banished dogmas and questioned beliefs. As it evolved, however, it also turned itself into ideology, belief, and prejudice.”

Today, if you question the science, you are a science denier, and if you dispute the scientists, you are disputing science. Modern science has also become dependent on massive funding to conduct its research. Funding that originates from large institutions, big businesses, and government and, as such, it often fawns on the source of the money by buttressing their ideologies, beliefs, and prejudices in its science. Problems that I have discussed in my Science Articles on “The Problems with Modern Science” and “Scientific Consensus and Settled Science”.

Therefore, science is being corrupted for the subjugation of the public rather than the liberation of the public.

08/01/22 Details Without Ends

An author who has written several books on stories from middle America in the last few decades was being interviewed about his experiences. The Interviewer asked him if he had some notable stories from his career. The author responded that he had a story related to him at the beginning of his career that has stayed with him his entire career. He related that he was talking to the Fire Chief of a small town in the Midwest who had just had a discussion with the sales representative of a fire equipment manufacturer about upgrading and replacing the town’s fire equipment. The sales representative was just starting to discuss the benefits and capabilities of his equipment and the technical details when the Fire Chief stopped the discussion as he was overwhelmed by the details and the technical jargon.

The Fire Chief imparted that he had only one question for the sales representative. He explained that when he had a house burning down, a house that was everything to the people residing in it, his question was how long it would take for the manufacturer's equipment to put the wet stuff on the red stuff of the burning house? The Fire Chief then told the sales representative that when he could answer that question, he could come back and talk to him about upgrading and replacing the town’s fire equipment. As the sales representative did not have an answer to this question, the meeting came to an end.

This is an issue that we all face in life – being focused on the details while not remembering the ends. Consequently, always keep in mind the ends when working on the details. Otherwise, you may produce something that does not satisfy your ends.

Details Without Ends is especially prevalent in political discussions, as the details are often discussed without clarifying and agreeing on the ends, or the ends are so nebulous that the details are inconsequential to the ends. It is also one of the reasons for the partisanship in America, as, without agreement on the ends, the details only produce arguments rather than solutions. Of course, it is not always possible to achieve agreement in political discourse, as I have discussed in my Chirp on “07/16/22 Working with That and Pragmatism”. When this occurs, which is frequently in today’s partisan politics, the disagreements should initially focus on the ends to find the commonalities in the ends. The parties can then argue the details to achieve the agreed-upon ends. As always, when the ends or the details cannot be agreed upon or resolved, then the issues must be submitted to the American electorate to resolve these ends and details. Therefore, political arguments should first be about the ends followed by the details to achieve the ends.

When these disagreements occur, it is important that they be conducted through a civil political process to maintain "A Civil Society" and that all parties should not resort to "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" that often results in "Divisiveness in America". In any resolution of the ends and details, it is crucial that the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of all Americans be abided by in the resolution. Otherwise, the rights of the minority will not be respected, and despotism will be necessary to implement the solution.

07/31/22 Core Principles and Core Values

In my Chirp on, “07/16/22 Working with That and Pragmatism”, I mentioned Core Principles and Core Values without clearly distinguish what I mean by these terms. My definition is that Core Principles are the bedrock of what you believe, while Core Values are how you conduct your life.

My Core Principles are Life, Liberty, Freedom, Property, the Pursuit of Happiness, along with the importance of Constitutional governance (which preserve these core principles), and the preservation of Natural and Constitutional Rights. Many of my Articles and Chirps have been about my core principles and their application in today’s society and politics. Another of my core principles is a belief in God, which I have written out in my Article on “Religiosity”.

My Core Values are to treat everyone politely and respectfully, in a truthful and honest manner, along with other values which I have written about in my Article, “Pearls of Wisdom”.

These Core Principles and Core Values have guided my life and were difficult and took some time to ascertain. This is one of the reasons that I have written my Articles and Chirp – so that I may impart these Core Principles and Core Values to others to ease their journey of discovery of these principles and values.

07/30/22 A Rededication to Free Speech in America

As the previous Chirps on Free Speech have mentioned, Free Speech is under assault in America today. An assault that, if successful, will destroy America and impede, if not regress, the advancement of humankind. It must be vigorously opposed by all that believe in "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", for if not opposed, we will lose these cherished ideals in America.

It must be opposed not only by law, for "The Law is Not All", but by rededicating ourselves to the principles of free speech in America. Perhaps if we understood the principles of Free Speech and incorporated these principles into our words and deeds, there would be fewer assaults on free speech and less need for governmental intervention. We, therefore, need a recommitment to the principles of free speech in the hearts and minds of the American people to assure Liberty and Freedom, and for the continuation of the advancement of humankind.

Please note that for future reference I have collected these chirps on Professor Turley’s treatise, in the order of which they were written, in my Article, "The Decline of Free Speech in America".

07/29/22 Educational Space Free Speech

In a treatise by Jonathan Turley, “Harm and Hegemony: The Decline of Free Speech in the United States”, one of the topics he examines is the decline of free speech in academic institutions and the impacts of this decline. As he has stated, “Academics were once united in free speech as a virtual article of faith. That has changed. What was once an atmosphere of pluralism and tolerance has become one of orthodoxy and retribution. Our failing as academics has created the dangerous vacuum that is enabling groups to silence those with opposing views.”

He has proposed ten principles to address this decline, but he has cautioned that “The ten proposed principles do not supplant the universities in determining when violations have occurred. They do not compel university verdicts or adjudications. Instead, they create an obligation to address and document such cases. They also do not intrude into academic freedom or judgment, even when schools have limited the ideological range of the faculty.”

These ten principles are from his Congressional testimony - The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence: Hearing Before the S. Comm. on the Judiciary, 116th Cong. (Aug. 4, 2020). These ten principles are:

1. Guaranteeing that speakers appear on campus under the same costs and conditions, regardless of their views (or opposition to their views).
2. Committing to disciplinary action of students or faculty who block classes, lectures, or speeches by violent acts or threats of violence.
3. Committing to the expulsion or termination of students or faculty who physically assault speakers or others seeking to exercise free speech or the right to peaceful assembly.
4. Committing to disciplinary action of students or faculty who block classes, lectures, or speeches through disruptive conduct inside classrooms, halls or other spaces reserved for such presentations.
5. Enforcing a presumption that the exercise of free speech outside of the school (including statements on social media) for faculty or students is generally not a matter for school sanctions or termination.
6. Committing to due process of students and faculty who are disciplined for exercising free speech rights, including the right to discovery of patterns of bias or inconsistent treatment in other controversies.
7. Barring restrictive “free speech zones” and other exclusionary zones for free expression (other than rules barring demonstrations, disruptions, or exhibits in classrooms, halls, or other spaces used for lectures, presentations, and events).
8. Barring student governments or organizations from sanctioning or censuring fellow students for their exercise of free speech without a clear and narrowly tailored standard as well as the approval of a university body.
9. Barring faculty from sanctioning, censoring, or retaliating against students for their political, social, or religious statements or values (subject to protected exceptions for religious-based institutions).
10. Barring faculty from requiring that students adhere to, adopt, or endorse political, social, or religious positions as a condition for any class, program, or benefit (subject to protected exceptions for religious-based institutions).

Western civilization has recognized for millennia that diversity of thought and opinion is crucial for the advancement of humankind. From Liberty and Freedom to science and medicine, it has been the diversity of thought and opinion that has led to the betterment of humankind. From the time of the Ancient Greeks to today, it has been the dissident of orthodoxy that has led to this advancement. Much of this diversity of thought has been centered in academic institutions where both the teachers and students are free to challenge this orthodoxy and learn how to think and not what to think. Over the last several decades, this diversity of thought in academics has been severely constricted, and the dissident from orthodoxy has not been allowed to speak, or they have been silenced, restricted, or expelled from campuses.

One of the topics that he does not address in any detail is Free Speech in K-12 public schools. With the rise of social "Activists and Activism" in the teaching of K-12 students, as exhibited by the incorporation of Critical Race Theory and The 1619 Project in public K-12 education, we are venturing into educating these students on how to think and not what to think. This is being done for the purposes of molding the students rather than for the teaching of subject matter for the purposes of educating our children to become productive members of society. This is leading to parental discontent, and the public funding of controversial ideas in the classroom, which is abhorrent as:

"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors in sinful and tyrannical."  - Thomas Jefferson

We, therefore, need to examine the limits of Free Speech by teachers in K-12 classrooms.

This trend has been deleterious to the advancement of humankind, and if allowed to continue, it will lead to poor and improper social policy and to a regression of Liberty and Freedom. It is time to stop this trend and to right the course of academic freedom in America. The ten principles exposited above are a good start and should be codified into law, but we need more than the law to stop this trend. We need a recommitment to the principles of free speech in the hearts and minds of all to assure the advancement of humankind.

07/28/22 Physical Marketplace Free Speech

Free Speech in America is under serious assault in today’s society. Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists seem to support Free speech for me and mine, but restricted speech for you and yours. At the same time, Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders seem to want free speech restrictions for what they perceive as immorality. All sides are hypocritical on the issues of free speech, but the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists side is fraught with danger to our society as they would restrict or suppress speech that is in opposition to their policy positions and political agendas. These restrictions of suppression would harm the body politic by not providing the American public with the information they need to make rational and reasonable decisions on public policy and laws, rules, and regulations in government.

While most Americans are rightly concerned about government restrictions on free speech, today, we need to be concerned about the non-governmental restriction on free speech. Free Speech is more than the Freedom of Speech in the First Amendment of our Constitution. To freely speak your mind in all arenas of life is crucial to our Liberties and Freedoms, for, without it, we all become prisoners of our minds as we are unable to express ourselves and our individual thoughts. As ‘Cato’s letters or Essays on Liberty” has stated:

“[w]ithout Freedom of Thought, there can be no such Thing as wisdom; and no such thing as publick Liberty, without Freedom of Speech; which is the Right of every Man, as far as by it, he does not hurt and Control the right of another.”

Non-governmental restrictions emanate from "Big Tech", "Mainstream Cultural Media", "Mainstream Media", "Modern Big Business", and "Modern Education" in today’s society, as I have written in my Articles, "Who Needs Government Suppression When You Have Big Tech Suppression" and "Social Media and Free Speech". Free speech values are, therefore, neither synonymous with nor contained exclusively within the First Amendment. As Johnathan Turley examines in the below-mentioned treatise, all of these public and private forms of censorship undermine free speech values.

Never in American history have Americans been more polarized on the issue of free speech, and never has there been a decline of free speech in America as we have seen today. A treatise by Jonathan Turley, “Harm and Hegemony: The Decline of Free Speech in the United States”, examines this decline and its impacts of the decline. Here are some excerpts:

“Throughout its history, the United States has struggled with movements that aim to silence others through state or private action. These periods have been pendulous, with acute suppression followed by relative tolerance for free speech. This boom–or-bust pattern for free speech may well continue. However, the United States is arguably living through one of its most serious anti-free speech periods, and there are signs that the current period could result in lasting damage for free speech due to a rising orthodoxy and intolerance on our campuses and in our public debate.”

“Where fighting for freedom of speech was once a near-universal rallying cry, opposing free speech has now become an article of faith for some in our society. This has led to a rising movement that justifies silencing opposing views, often on the grounds that stopping others from speaking is, in fact, an exercise in free speech. This movement has both public and private components, but it is different from any prior period due to new technological, political, and economic pressures on the exercise of free speech.”

“The harm from loss of free speech was viewed as existential for our democracy. Today, the focus of many writers and academics is on the harm of unregulated free speech. Recently, a leading cable host heralded censorship on the Internet as part of a new “harm reduction model” of both free speech and freedom of the press. Free speech is now treated as presumptively harmful absent governmental and corporate regulation. The harm is often ill-defined and applied inconsistently. The premise remains that unregulated free speech can threaten the democracy as a whole or it can threaten individual students who feel unsafe due to the expression of opposing views. Rather than treating free speech as the essential element for intellectual discourse, it is often portrayed as akin to a type of controlled substance in our public and academic discourse.”

While this treatise is longish, it is well worth the read by all Americans concerned about free speech in America.

07/27/22 Virtual Marketplace Free Speech

In a treatise by Jonathan Turley, “Harm and Hegemony: The Decline of Free Speech in the United States”, one of the topics he examines is ‘Protecting The Virtual Marketplace’ for the purposes of Free Speech. Over the last few years, we have seen the deleterious effects of "Social Media" constrictions on Free Speech, as I have pointed out in my Article, "Social Media and Free Speech". The canceling of social media accounts, the labeling of content as misinformation or disinformation, and the ‘fact checking’ of posts have changed the course of America by restricting contrary or dissenting thoughts or opinions. In two recent cases, these constrictions have been found to be improper and wrong, which led to significant changes in America. These two cases were of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Hunter Biden’s laptop.

The COVID-19 Pandemic discussions of the origins of the virus, the ethics and dangers of biomedical research and drug development, and the dissenting opinions on the proper approach to combating the virus were not freely discussed and were often constricted or suppressed by social media. This would have been a good time to freely discuss our interdependence with China, and a reexamination of our relationship with China was merited. Biomedical research and drug development and approval, Including the efficacy of the vaccinations, should also have been freely discussed for the American people to decide if they wished to undertake the risks of the inoculations. The governmental directives and restrictions to combat the pandemic have led to significant negative economic impacts upon America, and the costs and benefits of these governmental directives and restrictions were not freely debated before being implemented, nor during the continuation of these governmental directives and restrictions. Many of these governmental directives and restrictions also had a detrimental impact on the Liberty and Freedoms of Americans, and almost all dissenting opinions on these governmental directives and restrictions were constricted, and alternative approaches were not allowed or panned by social media companies. In these constrictions and suppressions, social media companies toed the government line and curtailed or excluded any free speech on these topics on their platforms.

The suppression of the discussions and of the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop and the advancement of the reports that his laptop was ‘Russian Disinformation’ most likely and significantly impacted the 2020 Presidential election. If the contents of this laptop were known by the American electorate, it might have changed the outcome of the election. America would be significantly different than it is today if President Trump had won reelection, and the debacles of President Biden and his administration would never have occurred. This was an example of the social media companies utilizing their platforms to constrict information that was not advantageous, and indeed harmful, to their political proclivities. As such, they demonstrated that they would allow free speech for me and mine but constrict free speech for you and yours. This highlights the debates of if social media companies are to be considered as a Common carrier of content for any person or company or a Publishing company that exercises editorial control of the content. As a common carrier, they have no right to restrict free speech other than that which directly incites violence or criminal activity, speech that poses a direct harm to the listeners, or speech that is intended to intimidate those involved in a judicial proceeding to influence the outcome of the judicial proceeding, as I have Chirped on “07/26/22 Regulation of the “Marketplace of Ideas”.

However, these two cases are not the only cases of Social Media’s constrictions on Free Speech. They are only the two cases in which the problems of these constrictions of free speech on social media are clear and unambiguous. There are many other cases in which the issues of free speech constrictions in social media have had pernicious impacts on America. These two cases also demonstrate the significant impact that social media has on America. Consequently, we need to address free speech on these platforms to ensure that all Americans are informed with a diversity of thought and opinion. If not, then we run the risk that free speech on social media is passé, and social media companies can control the flow of information in America, and hence the future direction of America.

07/26/22 Regulation of the “Marketplace of Ideas”

In the treatise by Jonathan Turley, “Harm and Hegemony: The Decline of Free Speech in the United States”, he examines the Public And Private Regulation of the “Marketplace of Ideas”. While I am a free speech absolutist, almost, I do have some disagreement with Professor Turley’s conclusions. I believe in the widest interpretation of free speech possible, as does Professor Turley. However, there are some exceptions to free speech absolutism. These exceptions are speech that directly incites violence or criminal activity, speech that poses direct harm to the listeners (i.e., shouting “Fire” in a crowded theater), and speech that is intended to intimidate those involved in a judicial proceeding to influence the outcome of the judicial proceeding. It is this last point that I have some disagreements with Professor Turley’s conclusions.

The question about these exceptions is, when do they apply? What is a direct incitement of violence or criminal activity, and what speech causes direct harm? Who is to decide if this speech has occurred, and what actions may the government take under these circumstances? These are questions that have been around for millennia, and most particularly since the establishment of our Constitution.

My judicial exception applies to witnesses, defendants, prosecutors, litigants, arbitrators, and judges or justices. The judicial exception is important to have a civil and peaceful society, and "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" requires a fair and impartial judicial system that imparts "Justice and The Rule of Law in America". Peaceful assemblies and protests about judicial matters and proceedings are acceptable, but vitriolic and threatening speech is not acceptable. To engage in "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" against those involved in judicial proceedings is an assault on the impartiality of judicial proceedings and does harm to the body politic, and should be roundly condemned by all parties but not necessarily restricted.

The additional issue of the judicial exception is are those protests that are for the purposes of influencing current judicial proceedings, or are the protests for the purposes of influencing future judicial proceedings, or both. Two articles, “Protesters Target the Dobbs Majority” by Richard A. Epstein and “Protests and “First Amendment Exceptionalism”: A Response to Professor Richard Epstein” by Jonathan Turley, examine this issue from two different perspectives. The harm to society from influencing current judicial proceedings is that the guilty may go unpunished, the innocent may be punished, the law may be unjustly applied, and laws, rules, and regulations that infringe upon our Natural and Constitutional Rights may be implemented nor may they be overturned.

There is also the tangential issue of privacy at your place of residence. What is the balance of your right to privacy and a peaceable abode for yourself and your family, and your neighbors and their family’s peaceable abode when protestors gather outside of your and their homes, versus the free speech rights of the protestors? There is also the tangential issue of privacy when conducting ourselves in the normal intercourse of life such as shopping, going to restaurants, being present at religious services, attending a sporting event or a concert, etc. What are your and the other non-protesting persons or a businessperson’s rights not to be adversely impacted by protesters at these places? It would be exceedingly difficult to legally define these circumstances that the free speech protestor's rights could be limited without infringing upon free speech. However, it is easy to be a free speech absolutist when your privacy rights are not being harmed, but much more difficult if your life or livelihood is being impacted by these tangential issues.

As a free speech absolutist, I am troubled by both perspectives and their implications for judicial exceptions and for the tangential issues on free speech rights. While I believe in the widest interpretation of free speech possible, I am also concerned about the negative consequences to society of judicial intimidation and the harm to the tangential issues to privacy rights. The balance between free speech and the possible harm to fair and impartial judicial proceedings and the tangential issues is difficult to resolve. In this resolution, you must also keep in mind that "The Constitution is not a suicide pact", as to allow judicial intimidation is to allow for the dissolution of our society.

There is no perfect solution to this problem. However, with the protests about the Supreme Court abortion ruling, and the earlier and subsequent protests it has engendered, it is time to bring more resolution to this issue. And resolve it we must, as:

"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."  - Abraham Lincoln

07/25/22 Free Speech in the United States

In the treatise by Jonathan Turley, “Harm and Hegemony: The Decline of Free Speech in the United States”, he examines the state of Free Speech in today’s America. This PDF is rather long (132 pages, but with many footnotes and wide margins which reduces the content length), and it has no table of contents. I, therefore, have constructed a table of contents that can be utilized by my readers::

Never in American history have Americans been more polarized on the issue of free speech, and never has there been a decline of free speech in America as we have seen today. While this article is long, it is well worth the read by all Americans concerned about free speech in America.

This week’s Chirps will be dedicated to this treatise, with my own commentary on sections of this treatise.

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^[1] Millian – a school of thought from English philosopher and economist, John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), remembered for his interpretations of empiricism (the doctrine that knowledge derives from experience) and utilitarianism (the doctrine that the useful is the good; especially as elaborated by Jeremy Bentham and James Mill; the aim was said to be the greatest happiness for the greatest number).

07/24/22 What Did He Know and When Did He Know It?

Nearly thirty years ago, Sen. Howard Baker (R-TN), the top Republican on the Senate Watergate Committee, famously asked Nixon White House counsel John Dean: "What did the president know and when did he know it?". This question was the beginning of the end of President Nixon. It is a question that has often been repeated when examining the conduct of other Presidents. It is a question that needs to be asked and answered about President Biden’s involvement in the business activities of his son, not only during his presidency but also when he was a Senator and Vice-President.

It strains all credulity to believe that Joe Biden did not know anything about the business dealings of his son Hunter Biden. Given Joe Biden’s propensity of being a liar, a rewriter of his own history, and an opportunist, as I have Chirped on “07/23/22 A Sorry Excuse”, his assertions that he knew nothing of their business dealings are not credulous. The contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop have many e-mails, photos, and videos that show Joe Biden’s associations with Hunter Biden’s business associates and his clients. In addition, we have statements of his business associates that give evidence of the involvement of Joe Biden in his son’s business dealings. We also have the records of the visits of Hunter Biden and his business associates and his clients to the White House when Joe Biden was Vice-President and President.

The contents of this laptop often utilize "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors" to obscure his father’s involvement in his business dealings. However, this obfuscation is often easily seen through by any unbiased person because of a lack of subtlety in these obfuscations. Any rational person could easily ascertain that Joe Biden is the person they are discussing when they are trying to obfuscate.

The question is, then, how Joe Biden’s involvement in his son’s business dealings has impacted his official duties or influenced his decisions? The other question is that of Joe Biden’s susceptibility to blackmail by Hunter Biden’s business clients, given that most of Hunter’s clients were governments or government-controlled entities (and sometimes entities that controlled governments)? If Joe Biden is involved in his son’s business dealings, and it has impacted his duties and decisions, then Joe and Hunter Biden are involved in a conspiracy to defraud the American government that has negatively impacted the American public. The question of what Joe Biden knew and when did he know it becomes central to the current investigations of the criminality of Hunter Biden’s actions. Given the two-tiered justice system that we currently have, where the politically connected, wealthy donors, and partisan social activists are treated differently, I do not have much hope that this question will be asked or answered by the criminal investigation.

This question must be asked and answered, and if it is not done in the criminal investigation, it must be done in the political arena. Given that Congress is controlled by the Democrat Party, I do not expect them to ask or require answers to this question. This is another reason why the Republican Party gain control of Congress in the next election – so that they must ask and obtain answers to this question. And ask and obtaining answers to this question is crucial to our republic and should not be swept under the rug for political expediency purposes.

07/23/22 A Sorry Excuse

President Biden has spent almost his entire adult life in an elective office where rhetoric is often more important than accomplishment, where there is little accountability for being wrong, and excuses are utilized to absolve being wrong. His entire career has been of rhetoric and excuses with little accomplishments. He has been a plagiarist, a liar, a rewriter of his own history, a partisan, an opportunist, and a flip-flopper his entire career. As such, he has shown that he is nothing but an opportunist with no core principles. His and his family’s accumulation of wealth, based on his political connectedness, has demonstrated a corruption of character that places his own interests over the public interests for which he was elected.

His incompetence has also been acknowledged by those that work with him, or as President Obama once said, “Never underestimate the ability of Biden to f*** things up.”, and as Robert Gates, former defense secretary in the Obama administration, once put it, Biden has “been wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades.”

All of these traits have been exhibited in the first year and a half of his Presidency in the debacles they have overseen. On the International stage; the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Ukrainian War, the proposed Iran Deal, and the threats of Russia and China, and on the National stage; the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problem, to gas price increases, to inflation, to a recession, and to a host of other issues they only have excuses or blame. Excuses and blame on the COVID-19 Pandemic, on Putin, on former President Trump, on Republican obstructionism, on greedy businesspersons, on ultra-MAGA supporters, and now on unforeseen circumstances. Excuses in which they have never addressed their own shortcomings. The Executive Officers in his administration have had failures after failures that demonstrate their incompetence, but they have had no accountability for their actions and are never replaced by competent officers. These Executive Officers, and President Biden himself, have also resorted to "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors", "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and sometimes outright lies as a modus operandi to mask their incompetence.

A two-tiered system of justice has been instituted in his administration in which his supporters are held unaccountable for injustices while his political opponents are often harassed, persecuted, and sometimes prosecuted. He and his administration often engaged in "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate", which increased "Divisiveness in America". He has no concept of an "A Civil Society", and he has exhibited a propensity for rulership rather than leadership, as I have written in my Article, "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

His and his administration's excuses are sorry excuses, but the only truly sorry excuse is President Biden himself. His rhetoric and excuses with little accomplishments have come back to haunt him, and unfortunately, it is now haunting the American people. A haunting that can only be excised by an exorcism of him and his administration and his supporters in Congress and in the American public.

07/22/22 A Republic or a Democracy

As Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that their policies are what is best for all Americans. Consequently, the Progressives/Leftists and the Democrat Party believe that they should get most of what they want, and Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders should concede most of what they want. Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders should concede on their core principles, while Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders should make no concessions on their core principles. This leads to much conflict and partisanship in America.

Much of this conflict originates as a result of a disparate belief in the core principles of our Constitution and the role of government in our society, as I have written in my Article, "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution". It is also because of a misconstruing of the meaning of a republic versus a democracy, as I have written in my new Article, “A Republic or a Democracy”. As Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are committed to a Democracy and majoritarian rule, while Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders are committed to a democratically elected Republic, such conflicts naturally arise. However, our Founding Fathers were committed to a democratic republic form of government, as they knew that Democracies and Republics often trampled upon the Natural Rights of the individual, resorted to mob or aristocratic rule, split their citizens into partisan groups, and often ended up in civil unrest or a civil war that led to the collapse of their society. These are all a result of "The Problems of Democracy and Majoritarian Rule".

Whenever a politician or activist advocates for democracy, they are advocating for the eventual collapse of our society. Let us all remember this so that we may preserve our "Freedoms, Liberties, and Justice for All". We should also keep in mind that when the Founding Fathers were departing the Pennsylvania State House at the close of the Constitutional Convention, one of the bystanders shouted a question to Benjamin Franklin:

Bystander - 'Well, Doctor, what have we got - a Republic or a Monarchy?' Franklin - 'A Republic, if you can keep it.'

Let us hope that we can keep our democratic republic despite all the advocates for fundamentally transforming our government.

07/21/22 Rational and Reasonable Climate Change

In my Book It of “03/01/21 Apocalypse Never”, I recommend a book by Michael Shellenberger that discusses environmentalism and climate change. A companion book, “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters” by Steven E. Koonin, is a definitive book on ‘the science’ of climate change, rather than ‘The Science’ of climate change. Dr. Koonin is a scientist who has been involved in Climate Change Research, a leader in science policy in the United States for several decades, and he served as Undersecretary for Science in the U.S. Department of Energy under President Obama.

Dr. Koonin examines the scientific facts and scientific conclusions based upon the facts (‘the science’) of Climate Change rather than what the proponents of Climate Change (The Media, Politicians, Scientific Institutions, Scientists, Activists and Nongovernmental Organizations, and The Public) wishes us to conclude about Climate Change (‘The Science’). He is neither a climate change denier nor a proponent of calamitous climate change but dispassionately analyzes the observations, experiments, computer modeling, and the scientific reasoning of the science of Climate Change. He does believe that human activity has contributed to climate change, but he points out that the significance of the human contribution is very difficult to quantify. He also points out the scientific, technological, economic, sociological, and political difficulties in addressing Climate Change.

For those of us who wish to understand ‘the science’ of Climate Change rather than accept ‘The Science” of Climate Change, this is the book to gain this understanding.

07/20/22 Ecological Impacts

Wind Turbines and Solar Power arrays are not as green as their proponents proclaim. They both have environmental impacts that are often glossed over by their proponents. These impacts are in the Design, Development, Production, Utilization, and Disposal of these items, as I have written in my Article, “Life Cycle Costs (a.k.a. End-To-End or Total Cost of Operation (TCO))”. While all these impacts are inherent in anything that is manufactured, they are often glossed over for Wind Turbines and Solar Power while highlighted for coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear power.

Wind Turbines and Solar Power generators generally have less ecological impacts in the utilization phase of End-To-End Total Cost of Operation, which is the phase its proponents focus upon. However, they do have indirect ecological impacts on the wildlife and the environment in this phase that can be disruptive to wildlife and the environment. Their major ecological impacts are in the Development, Production, and Disposal phases of the End-To-End Total Cost of Operation. The largest of these ecological impacts are in the mining of the rare earth minerals required to manufacture Wind Turbines and Solar Power generators and the disposal of these Wind Turbines and Solar Power generators when they reach end-of-life (somewhere between 15 and 20 years after usage).

Wind Turbines and Solar Power generators have the additional problem of their key components being manufactured with rare earth minerals that are unavailable in America and are imported from other countries that are hostile to American interests, as I have Chirp on, "07/15/19 Rare Earth Minerals". If these other countries limit or stop exporting these rare earth minerals, Wind Turbines and Solar Power generators will cease to operate.

Wind Turbines and Solar Power generators are often unreliable when the wind stops blowing, the sun stops shining, or when they are subject to extreme weather conditions, as they are open-air generators of power. Battery backups, if utilized, while Wind Turbines and Solar Power generators are not generating power, are insufficient to supply the energy needs of our economy, and battery backups, if utilized, have major ecological impacts in themselves. Therefore, these battery backups ecological impacts need to be incorporated into any discussions of the Total Cost of Operation ecological impacts of Wind Turbines and Solar Power generators.

Consequently, we need to consider all these issues when we discuss Green Energy and Climate Change. Two fine books that rationally and reasonably discuss these issues are "Apocalypse Never: Why Environmental Alarmism Hurts Us All" by Michael Shellenberger and “Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters“ by Steven E. Koonin.

07/19/22 The Unconstitutionality of Federal Abortion Legislation

With the recent United States Supreme Court decision on abortion, they ruled that the abortion issue is not in the Constitution and therefore not the purview of the Federal Government. They, therefore, remanded the abortion issue to the State Governments under the 10th Amendment to the Constitution. While I have some disagreement with this, as I believe "The Abortion Question" is an issue of the human rights of the unborn child, and therefore could be decide under the 9th Amendment to the Constitution, this was the decision of the Supreme Court. However, if they did rule under the 9th Amendment it would require that the Supreme Court make a decision when human life begins, which is fraught with difficulties and ambiguities best left to legislatures and the people to decide, rather than an unelected court deciding. Or, as Abraham Lincoln once said:

“Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed.”  - Abraham Lincoln

Under this Supreme Court ruling it is up to the legislatures and the people of the State to make this decision, and the only way for the Federal government to make this decision is for a Constitutional Amendment that delegates this power to the Federal government.

After this ruling was issued Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists demanded that the Congress and the Presidency (the Legislative and the Executive branches of government) codify abortion in Federal laws, regulations, and Executive Orders. All such efforts to do so are an assault on the Judicial branch, as they have the duty and responsibility to decide issues of Constitutionality, and the Legislative and the Executive branches have the duty and responsibility to abide by these decisions. It is also against their oath of office to ‘Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution of the United States’ if they attempt to circumvent this ruling. It is proper and acceptable to disagree with a Supreme Court decision, but it is improper for the Legislative and Executive branches of government to try to sidestep a Supreme Court ruling. And it is only proper and acceptable to express this disagreement in rational and reasonable terms, and not to engage in "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" in your disagreement. To utilize The Three D’s is to attack the legitimacy of the Supreme Court Constitutionally invested powers, and it does not ‘Preserve, Protect, and Defend the Constitution of the United States’.

To codify abortion in Federal laws, regulations, and Executive Orders is also to upset the Balance of Powers between the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of government that was instituted to preserve our Constitutional and Natural Rights. Again, as Abraham Lincoln has said:

"Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties."   - Abraham Lincoln

Indeed, in doing so, they are instituting an internal insurrection against the Constitution. An internal insurrection that must be opposed and not allowed to succeed. An opposition that is morally and legally justified as stated in the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

Therefore, we have the right to utilize whatever means necessary to oppose these actions, as:

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."   - Abraham Lincoln

07/18/22 Abortion Electioneering

Many Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists wish to make the 2022 election about abortion rights, and more specifically the question of abortions in the case of rape and incest. This is an emotional appeal to a tragedy for which we all feel compassion for the victim. Such compassion for the victim should be channeled into comfort and support for the victim and services to alleviate their pain and suffering. Compassion for the victim, however, should not lead you to ignore or disregard the core issue of abortion. When I look upon the subject of abortion, I believe the core of the issue is very simple. The question of abortion is – ‘Is an unborn child a human being or not a human being?’, as I have written in my Article, "The Abortion Question". Until you can answer this question you cannot have a rational policy on the question of abortion.

The abortion supporters bring up the argument of the case of rape or incest to utilize this as a case to allow for abortion under these circumstances, and to demonstrate that abortion is permissible within circumstances. To which I say to them, can you explain to me how an unborn child is any less human because of the manner in which it was conceived? Conceived in love, passion, accidental, hate, anger, rape, incest, or any other manner does not diminish the humanity of an unborn child in any manner whatsoever. And in the case of rape and incest an abortion is as unjustifiable as it is in every other case as it violates the human right to life of the unborn child. I, therefore, believe in the human right to life of the unborn child no matter how it was conceived.

Many abortion proponents deny the human status of an unborn child until some point in gestation or at the moment of birth. They have no scientific or medical definition of when the humanity of the unborn child begins during gestation, and by waiting until the birth of the unborn child to determine humanity allows for the gruesome and barbaric practice of partial-birth abortions and the abortion of a viable unborn child. Many other abortion proponents also claim that it is the decision of the mother to determine the humanity of the unborn child. But allowing the mother to make this decision is to allow the mother to make an incorrect decision that would result in the death of unborn human child. No one should be allowed to unjustly take the life of another, or to judge the humanity of another. This logic of determining the humanity of a person has led to great tragedy in history, as many have utilized this logic of judging the humanity of a person to justify enslaving one group of humans, or exterminating groups of people, based on their supposed humanity or sub humanity (one has only to think of the enslavements of negros in the Antebellum South and the mass extermination of Jews and other undesirable groups by NAZI Germany). The Analogy of Abortion and Slavery is therefore apropos, as slavery was often justified by degrading the human status of the Negro.

The argument that abortion is permissible within other circumstances also raises the question what are the other circumstances that it is permissible to obtain an abortion. Tay-Sachs, Sickle Cell Amenia, Spina bifida, Down syndrome, and many other pre-birth congenital defects can now be detected by doctors prior to birth. If the unborn child is diagnosed with a pre-birth congenital defect, is it permissible for the mother to obtain an abortion under these circumstances. What if the mother does not want a male or female child, or if the unborn child has a propensity for homosexuality? If it is the mother’s decision to abort an unborn child is an abortion permissible under these circumstances. There are other potential circumstances that raise the question of whether abortion is permissible or impermissible. Who is to decide which circumstances allow for an abortion – the mother or society?

This then, are the real questions that need to be addressed and answered if abortion is to become a 2022 election issue. However, the pro abortionists do not wish to address these questions, as they know that if they truthfully and honestly answered these questions they would not garner the support of the majority of Americans for their stance on this issue. Consequently, their electioneering is for the purposes of ginning up their base and not for resolving the issues of abortion.

07/17/22 Permissible Discrimination

Discrimination, in most of its forms, is despicable and should not be tolerated. However, discrimination based on Character, Intelligence, and Words and Deeds are all forms of permissible discrimination. Who would want to be associated with a person of ill repute, or a person insufficiently intelligent to perform a task, not to mention a person whose speech and actions are detestable? When such discrimination occurs, it is honorable and should be encouraged. Such discrimination, when it occurs, is also a motivator for the discriminated person to change their ways.

The question, as always, is such discrimination based on the above characteristics or other reasons? Malevolence is often attributed to discrimination even when the discrimination is based on the above characteristics. Sometimes the discrimination is based on thoughtlessness or stupidity. In philosophy, a razor is a principle or rule of thumb that allows one to eliminate ("shave off") unlikely explanations for a phenomenon or avoid unnecessary actions. One of philosophies tenets is Hanlon's razor: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."

Before jumping to a conclusion as to the basis of discrimination you should consider if the discrimination was permissible or impermissible discrimination, or if it was just plain stupidity. Stupidity should be objurgated by admonishments and corrective actions, while malice should be corrected by legal actions. If we do this, I believe that much of the discrimination In America would be based on stupidity rather than malice.

07/16/22 Working with That and Pragmatism

One of my cigar-smoking buddies will often proclaim that he can ‘work with that’ when Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists make a more moderate statement. No matter how many moderate statements they may make, the question is not can he work with that, but will they work with that? My experience is that many of these moderate statements are to mollify the electorate or to entice Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders into working with them. However, when it comes to working with them, it generally is to lure the Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders into significantly compromising their position, while the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists barely budge on their positions. And many times, the Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists will not concede anything of consequence. Consequently, ‘Working with That’ often means that Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders will not be able to achieve much of their goals while allowing Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists to achieve many of their goals.

This same cigar-smoking buddy also proclaims that he wishes to be pragmatic and obtain as much as possible, given the partisanship of today. Pragmatism is important on the tangential issues or the means to accomplish a goal. You must also distinguish the difference between core principles and core values. A core value is what you believe is the best way to achieve your goals, while a core principle is why you believe your core values are important. For more on Core Principles and Core Values please refer to my newer Chirp on “07/31/22 Core Principles and Core Values”. Being pragmatic about your core values is important to achieving your goals; however, being pragmatic about your core principles is not having any core principles.You may lose the battle on your core principles, but you should not lose your core principles unless you determine that they may be erroneous.

When the core principle between two or more parties is in conflict, you must first examine if a core principle violates the "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" of a person or groups of persons to determine the validity of a core principle. If such violations exist in a core principle, then the core principle is unsound, and you should not be pragmatic and concede to a violation of someone’s rights.

Sometimes, however, there are disputes as to the soundness of a core principle. When such disputes occur in the body politic, each party must present a rational and reasonable argument to the body politic to settle the dispute. An emotional appeal to the body politic rarely resolves the dispute and often exacerbates the bitter partisanship in our society, partisanship that will undermine "A Civil Society" and lead to more "Divisiveness in America".

Consequently, ‘Working with That’ and ‘Pragmatism’ regarding core principles often lead to compromises that negatively impact the rights of a person or groups of persons and that harm the body politic.

07/15/22 Assault Weapons

In my Chirp on “07/14/22 Red Flag Laws Redux”, I quoted David B. Kopel on Confucius:

“When Confucius was asked what would be the first step if a government sought his advice, he answered, “It would certainly be to rectify the names. . . . If the names are not correct, language is without an object.” Bills that claim to be about “Extreme Risk Protection Orders” are not correct; the bills cover much lower-level risks, or just “a danger.” Likewise, the term “red flag” is dubious because some bills label as dangerous the peaceable exercise of constitutional rights. A more accurate name for these laws is “gun confiscation orders.”

I would paraphrase this comment regarding the use of the term ‘Assault Weapons’:

“When Confucius was asked what would be the first step if a government sought his advice, he answered, “It would certainly be to rectify the names. . . . If the names are not correct, language is without an object.” Likewise, the term “Assault Weapon” is dubious because it is being applied incorrectly. An Automatic Weapon fires and reloads continuously when the trigger is pulled, while a Semi-Automatic Weapon only fires and reloads each time the trigger is pulled. However, proponents of gun control group these two weapon types under the term “Assault Weapon” for the purposes of emotional manipulation of the populace to justify the confiscation of guns.”

And the confiscation of guns is their goal as they believe that guns kill people, rather than people utilizing guns to kill people. Proponents of gun control often make no mention of or downplay the role of guns in self-protection and ignore the role of guns in the preservation of Liberties and Freedom. One of the more interesting and relevant of David B. Kopel’s articles is “Guns Kill People, and Tyrants with Gun Monopolies Kill the Most”:

"What are the relative risks of a nation having too many guns compared to the risks of the nation having too few guns? Comparing and contrasting Europe and the United States during the twentieth century, the article finds that the United States might have suffered up to three-quarters of million excess firearms homicide over the course of the century—based on certain assumptions made to maximize the highest possible figure. In contrast, during the twentieth century Europe suffered 87 million excess homicides against civilians by mass-murdering tyrannical governments. The article suggests that Americans should not be complacent that they have some perpetual immunity to being subjected to tyranny. The historical record shows that governments planning mass murder work assiduously to disarm their intended victims. While victim resistance cannot necessarily overthrow a tyrannical regime, resistance does save many lives."

“This Article compares the relative dangers of excessive gun ownership and of excessive gun control based on the historical record of the twentieth century. Part I describes tensions in some treaties, declarations, and other legal documents from the United Nations and the European Union. On the one hand, they recognize the legitimacy of resistance to tyranny and genocide; on the other hand, the UN and EU gun control programs seem to make armed resistance nearly impossible. This Article compares the relative dangers of excessive gun ownership and of excessive gun control based on the historical record of the twentieth century. Part I describes tensions in some treaties, declarations, and other legal documents from the United Nations and the European Union. On the one hand, they recognize the legitimacy of resistance to tyranny and genocide; on the other hand, the UN and EU gun control programs seem to make armed resistance nearly impossible.”

This article examines:

Supporters of gun control should read this article and pause to think about it before they rush to impose gun control. My Article on “Gun Control“ is an examination of the realities of Gun Control in America, while my Article, “Thinking and Reasoning About Gun Control“, is an example, utilizing Gun Control, of how incorrect "Reasoning" can lead to incorrect statements even by experts on reasoning.

07/14/22 Red Flag Laws Redux

In a law article written by David B. Kopel, “Red Flag Laws: Proceed with Caution”, he reviews the Constitutionality and Jurisprudence of Red Flag Laws and Extreme Risk Protection Orders. In his introduction, he states that:

“Red flag” laws, or “Extreme Risk Protection Orders”, have been enacted in several states. While the idea for these laws is reasonable, some statutes are not. They destroy due process of law, endanger law enforcement and the public, and can be handy tools for stalkers and abusers to disarm their innocent victims. Many orders are improperly issued against innocent people.”

He then outlines what is necessary for these laws and orders to be Constitutional:

“When Confucius was asked what would be the first step if a government sought his advice, he answered, “It would certainly be to rectify the names. . . . If the names are not correct, language is without an object.” Bills that claim to be about “Extreme Risk Protection Orders” are not correct; the bills cover much lower-level risks, or just “a danger.” Likewise, the term “red flag” is dubious because some bills label as dangerous the peaceable exercise of constitutional rights. A more accurate name for these laws is “gun confiscation orders.”

Such orders can be legitimate when fair procedures accurately identify dangerous individuals. Such laws include the following features:

• Petitions initiated by law enforcement, not by spurned dating partners or relationships from long ago.
• Ex parte hearings only when there is proof of necessity.
• Proof by clear and convincing evidence that has been corroborated.
• Guarantees of all due process rights, including cross-examination and right to counsel.
• Court-appointed counsel if the respondent so wishes.
• A civil remedy for victims of false and malicious petitions.
• Safe and orderly procedures for relinquishment of firearms.
• Strict controls on no-knock raids.
• Storage of relinquished firearms by responsible third parties.
• Prompt restoration of concealed carry permits for the falsely accused.
• Prompt return of firearms upon the termination of an order.
• Renewal of orders based on presentation of clear and convincing proof.
• Not allowing time-limited orders to be bootstrapped into lifetime federal prohibition.”

At this point, he examines all these bullet points, and he concludes by stating:

“Red Flag gun confiscation orders are legitimate tools for public safety when applied to persons who pose extreme, imminent risk of misusing a firearm. But no Red Flag law enacted thus far has fully protected due process rights of the respondent, and some laws foster atrocious violations.

Lawmakers should aim to reduce the high error rate of ex parte orders, and to ensure protection of due process at every step. States should go beyond the bare minimum for due process; they should provide appointed counsel for all respondents and careful controls on ex parte proceedings.

States that thwart cross-examination, promote unnecessary no-knock raids, leave innocent victims without a civil remedy for false or malicious petitions, or deny any of the seven core elements of due process are complicit in the schemes of gun prohibition organizations to use laws that are ostensibly aimed a very dangerous people to disarm the peaceable.”

More of David B. Kopel’s thoughts on gun control can be reviewed on his website. My Article, “Red Flag, Yellow Flag, and No Flag”, expressed my concerns about these laws. If all of David B. Kopel’s bullet points were addressed in a Red Flag law, I would have much less concern, and these concerns would be in the proper jurisprudence in administering these laws.

07/13/22 The Progressive Road to Serfdom

The road to serfdom in America is being constructed and driven by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists. It is being done gradually and subtly by utilizing "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors", and "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness". Emotional appeals and sloganeering have replaced "Dialog and Debate" as the basis for changing our society. As a result, "Divisiveness in America" abounds, and we no longer have "A Civil Society". An article by Mark Hendrickson, “The Progressive Road to Serfdom”, examines this road as:

“First, a tip of the hat to the late Austrian Nobel Prize-winning economist Friedrich Hayek for his 1944 book “The Road to Serfdom.” (pdf) The imagery of that title is clear and penetrating. Hayek was warning of generic tyranny, not a literal return to the old English system of serfdom. There are many roads to tyranny, and American progressives are charging pell-mell in that direction. This article will trace the arc of progressivism from meliorism to perfectionism to utopianism to tyranny.”

He ends up by explaining that:

“Ultimately, to achieve their utopian goals, progressives need to have the power to smash their opponents. Dissent from the utopian agenda can’t be tolerated. People can’t be left free to pursue individual happiness. Progressives must obtain total political control over all the people. The only way for progressives to achieve utopia is to first achieve tyranny.”

Today, the most common slogan being utilized by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists to drive this road is ‘Our Democracy’, and emotional appeals are often accomplished by placing an adjective in front of the word “Justice”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advocacy_journalismThe same holds true for truth, as in ‘My Truth’ or ‘Your Truth’ rarely reveals ‘The Truth’. We now are placing adjectives in front of other words, such as ‘Democratic’ in front of ‘Socialism’ or ‘Our’ in front of ‘Democracy’. Socialism is not democratic as it must be imposed by despotism, while ‘Our Democracy’ is not real democracy. In a new article by Rob Natelson, “‘Our Democracy’ = Their Oligarchy”, he explains:

“But you shouldn’t confuse Our Democracy with real democracy. The initial modifier serves to debase the noun—much as “sub-human” means less than human or “social justice” rationalizes acts of individual injustice.”

This article clarifies the true meaning of ‘Our Democracy’ and how it is, in reality, undemocratic. He closes this article with:

“Our Democracy” really looks like “Their Oligarchy.” Or like some of those other “democracies” the left has erected over the years: The Democratic People’s Republic of (North) Korea comes readily to mind, as does the former (East) German Democratic Republic.

This is yet another example of lofty words concealing dastardly deeds, as I have written in my Chirp on “01/10/22 Lofty Words and Dastardly Deeds”. I would highly recommend that you read both of these articles to understand The Progressive Road to Serfdom.

07/12/22 Free Speech in Modern Times

Professor Alan Dershowitz and I disagree on many subjects (such as in my article in Vaccine Mandates), but he and I agree on one very important topic – Free Speech. He has written a book on this topic that examines Free Speech in our modern times; “Case Against the New Censorship: Protecting Free Speech from Big Tech, Progressives, and Universities”. He, along with Jonathan Turley, are two preeminent scholars that are proponents of Free Speech as envisioned in our Constitution. His newsletter can be reviewed here, and Jonathan Turley’s articles on Free Speech can be reviewed here. I would encourage all to read this book and review his newsletter, along with Jonathan Turley’s articles, to better understand today’s assaults on Free Speech.

However, I have found that Professor Dershowitz’s book, while having an excellent Introduction to this topic, is somewhat unfocused or tangential to the main theme of the book in the subsequent chapters. While he says many important things in the book, many of these things are not directly apropos to this topic. Specifically, his comments on anti-Semitism and anti-Israel are important, and they need to be said, but they are better dealt with in other books he has written on this topic. He also spends an inordinate amount of time on President Trump’s January 6, 2021 ‘Insurrection’ speech while not spending sufficient time on the speeches of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists that are assaults on Free Speech.

I was also hoping for more Constitutional legal analysis on censorship by non-governmental actors on the topics of Government and Big Tech Collusion to suppress Free Speech, Mainstream Media suppression of news stories harmful to Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, Section 230 protections for censorship on Social Media, Slander and Libel on Social Media Posts, and Public Schools, Colleges, and Universities bans on or limits to Free Speech.

Government and Big Tech Collusion to suppress Free Speech, and the Mainstream Media suppression of news stories harmful to Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, as I have discussed in my Article, "Who Needs Government Suppression When You Have Big Tech Suppression", needs to be Constitutionally examined.

Slander and Libel on Social Media Posts and Social Media censorship protection under ‘Section 47 U.S. Code § 230 - Protection for private blocking and screening of offensive material’, a.k.a. Section 230, are shields that have been expanded by Social Media companies to allow for any censorship that they deem acceptable, as I have written in my Article “Social Media and Free Speech”.

Public Schools, Colleges, and Universities Bans on or limits to Free Speech have pernicious effects, as I have addressed in my Article,  "Indoctrination versus Education", and such bans and limits need to be Constitutionally addressed.

I had hoped that Professor Dershowitz’s book would examine these topics from a Constitutional basis, and while he does make Constitutional comments on these topics, he does not address these topics in depth from a Constitutional basis. He does, however, make a persuasive case that the harm done by Free Speech is much less than the harm done by censorship. Or, as he has stated at the end of his Introduction:

“In the end, our modest goal is to persuade the nay-sayers that freedom of speech, like democracy itself, is the least worst alternative in a world filled with risks and dangers on all sides. We must accept the burden of proving to a skeptical world that free speech is the lifeblood of democracy – that, without it, democracy cannot survive.”

07/11/22 An Issue Is Just a Weapon

A recent article by Rob Natelson, “Why overturning Roe v. Wade causes so much rage”, explains how politicians and political operatives view an issue – generally, not something to be resolved but something to be utilized to garner votes. As he states at the beginning of this article”

“But to the pure political operative, an issue is just a weapon. It’s merely a tool you use to clobber the other guy. Among other purposes, a political operative uses issues to (1) raise enthusiasm and voter turnout in his own base, (2) discourage and depress turnout in the opposition’s base, (3) entice swing voters toward his candidate or cause, (4) frighten swing voters away from the other guy’s candidate or cause, (5) divide the opposition, (6) unify everyone on his side, and (7) distract attention from damaging information.”

He then goes on to explain how this works for politicians and political operatives and how our Constitution was designed to diminish the negative impacts of this thinking. He also explains how the changes in Federal powers in the 20th century have weakened this diminishment and led to the polarization of American society. This is a very good article to understand how politicians and political operatives think and why there is so much partisanship in America today.

07/10/22 A Tangled Web

"Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practise to deceive!"   - Sir Walter Scott

With the withdrawal of Elon Musk’s offer to buy Twitter, the tangled web of this offer has become much more tangled. It is my belief that Elon Musk has put himself into a Win-Win situation while Twitter is in a Lose-Lose situation. Twitter is threatening to sue Elon Musk to recover the one-billion-dollar withdrawal penalty of the offer, while Elon Musk can counter sue Twitter for not providing or providing false and misleading information that was contingent upon the offer. The discovery process for both the suit and countersuit would require Twitter to provide this information, under court order, to determine the veracity of these claims. Twitter seemed reluctant to provide Elon Musk with this information but would now be forced to provide this information as part of the lawsuits. If Twitter had nothing to hide, then they could recover this withdrawal penalty, but they could open themselves to a class-action lawsuit from their shareholders for non-cooperation with Elon Musk, which depressed the value of the shareholder's stocks. If Twitter did have something to hide, they could not recover this withdrawal penalty, as you cannot sue someone in a contract when you are being deceptive by providing false or misleading information. Additionally, if you are being false and misleading to an investor, then you may have provided fraudulent statements to the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) that would place you in criminal jeopardy, as well as a class-action lawsuit from their shareholders for fraudulent solicitation for investment purposes. It is, therefore, unlikely that Twitter remains unscathed in this situation, and they could win under this scenario.

Elon Musk, on the other hand, if he loses the lawsuit, would lose one billion dollars which is not a significant percentage of his net value. He lost more than that when his other investment's stock values dropped due to shareholder concerns with his involvement in Twitter. If he is no longer involved with Twitter, I would expect that his other investments would rebound and may even exceed their previous value, which would more than compensate for the one-billion-dollar withdrawal penalty. Even if the other stocks do not rebound to their previous levels, they will eventually rise, and he will recover his loss. However, if he wins his countersuit, then he will not have to pay the withdrawal penalty, and Twitter may face consequences that will further depress their stock values and possible civil fines from the class-action lawsuit from their shareholders as well as possible criminal penalties. These civil fines and criminal penalties may eventually force Twitter into bankruptcy, where Elon Musk could purchase Twitter for pennies on the dollar or significantly less than his initial offer to buy Twitter.

Thus, Elon Musk ends up in a Win-Win situation while Twitter ends up in a Lose-Lose situation.

07/08/22 Is It a Privacy Issue?

Most pro-abortion activist claim that the issue of an abortion is a privacy issue, but is it a privacy issue? Certainly, the discussions between a mother and her doctor involve Doctor-Patient confidentiality and they should remain private. However, once the decision to abort the unborn child is made the issue of privacy is more nebulous. When a State has laws that restrict an abortion after a certain amount of time from conception the State is de facto declaring that it has an interest in protecting the right to life of the unborn child. At this point it is no longer a privacy issue, as there are two parties impacted by the decision to abort – the mother and the unborn child. As the unborn child has no ability to object to the abortion the State is assuming the responsibility to protect the life of the unborn child. Just as a State in extraordinary circumstances can intervene to protect the rights of an underage child (especially regarding the dissolution of a marriage, a child custody dispute, or life threating medical decisions) the State has the right to protect the life of an unborn child when the State has determined that a human life is in peril. Consequently, as two parties are now involved in an abortion, the mother and the unborn child, it is not longer a privacy issue of the mother, and the State has the right to prohibit the abortion to protect the right to life of the unborn child.

p.s. – For more of my thoughts on abortion please review my Articles, "The Abortion Question" and "The Analogy of Abortion and Slavery".

07/06/22 The Causes of Inflation

The rise in prices is not the cause of inflation, as prices can rise or fall due to the economic Law of Supply and Demand. Price rises are one of the many symptoms when inflation strikes. The rise of inflation is due to the monetary policy of governments. The best explanation for inflation is an article by Lawrence W. Reed, “Government Is an Inflation Fighter”. Once you read this article, you will weep about our current inflation, as you will understand how the Biden Administration bears full responsibility for our current inflation.

07/04/22 Independence Day is More Than a Celebration

Independence Day is more than Barbeques, Picnics, Parades, celebrations, and fireworks. It is even more than a proclamation of sovereignty from England. It is the values that are incorporated into The Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence is divided into five parts: the preamble, the statement of philosophy, the grievances, the operative words, and the statement of the signers. The Declaration’s values surface in every part of the document. An article by Rob Natelson, “The Values in the Declaration of Independence”, does a better job of explaining the values of each part than I could hope to achieve. I would encourage all to read this article and reflect upon our founding values.

Consequently, when we celebrate Independence Day, we are celebrating the values of The Declaration of Independence. Values that should not be forgotten but reaffirmed every July 4th. In our tumultuous times of bitter partisanship, these are values that can bind us together, as these values are timeless. Let us not forget these values but seek to reestablish these values in all that we do as Americans, for these are the values of Liberty and Freedom for all.

07/03/22 The Assault on Our American Ideals

The Declaration of Independence is more than just a declaration of freedom from Great Britain. It is also a list of grievances about the injustices perpetrated by Great Britain upon the American Colonialists. Today, we are faced with additional assaults on our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". However, today, these assaults on our Liberties and Freedoms are being perpetuated by Congress, the Presidency, and the Courts. In the name of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), we have seen these assaults, as I have Chirp on, "04/05/22 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)". We have seen the persecution and prosecution of opponents of President Biden and his administration under the guise of terroristic activities by them and confrontational searches and arrests of persons that oppose their actions. We have also seen selective prosecutions, or no prosecutions, based on the political ideology of the perpetrators. A double standard of justice seems to be in place as if you are politically connected or powerful; the law will not be enforced. Many of these governmental actions, or threats of actions, against individuals or organizations appear to be for the purposes of intimidation to silence those targeted or anyone who would support them or their goals.

The statements and pronouncements by Congresspersons, the President and Vice-President, and Executive Officers have been dissimulations or falsehoods meant to obfuscate and embrangle the assaults on our Constitutional Rights. Indeed, they appear to desire to circumvent and abrogate our rights, most especially our rights under The Bill of Rights. They often feign that our rights are granted by the government and can be modified by the government, rather than these rights superseding the government.

These words and deeds are contrary to our "American Ideals and Ideas", and they are a threat to our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" as well as "Justice and The Rule of Law in America". They also portend a propensity for rulership rather than leadership, as I have written in my Article, "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

Not only has the Biden Administration been actively engaged in these assaults, but Congress is also engaging in these assaults through their various committee hearings, proceedings, and pronouncements. The Courts are also complicit, as they have not stepped in to halt these actions and often approve Search Warrants and Subpoenas of dubious merit.

If these words and deeds continue, then perhaps it will be necessary for a new Declaration of Independence and Constitution, as I have written in my Articles, "A New Declaration of Independence" and "A New U.S. Constitution". Or perhaps an insurrection will be required to correct this situation, as:

"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."   - Abraham Lincoln

Let us hope that we can right our course before such drastic actions are necessary, but we must right our course or:

"We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth."  - Abraham Lincoln

07/02/22 Hearsay Evidence

The January 6th, 2001 ‘Insurrection” committee has once again shown that they are a Kangaroo Court that ignores recognized standards of law or justice, as I have Chirp on, "06/12/22 A Kangaroo Congressional Committee Hearing". The testimony by former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson was explosive but consisted of nothing but uncorroborated allegations and no firsthand accounts of events, including that of Ms. Hutchinson. As such, it was hearsay evidence. Hearsay evidence that is never permissible in a court of law and should not be permissible in other governmental actions, as I have written in my Article, "The Rule of Law in Non-Judicial Proceedings". To allow hearsay evidence in a public hearing is to engage in a smear campaign against the target, and not to allow contravening testimony is to compound the smear campaign. And this is what the January 6th, 2001 ‘Insurrection” committee has become – a smear campaign.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would not allow Republican members on this committee that would support and defend President Trump. Instead, she has stacked this committee with Republican members that opposed President Trump. This is another example of a Kangaroo Court that has a predetermined outcome. The Democrat Leaders proclaim that this committee was formed to ‘preserve our democracy’, but you cannot preserve that which you infringe.

As such, this Kangaroo Congressional Committee hearing has done more harm to our democracy than anything the ‘insurrections’ did, as it is an assault on The Rule of Law in Non-Judicial Proceedings for the accused (President Trump and the ‘Insurrectionists’). It has turned Congressional Hearings into a Witch-Hunt to persecute political opponents. It is also in violation of the Congressional authorization for this select committee, as the minority Republican Leader was not allowed to appoint members of this select committee as the authorization required. As a result, this select committee is being run as a Kangaroo Congressional Committee hearing. Indeed, they are becoming a form of the House Un-American Activities Committee that plagued America in its past, and the words of the committee members are reminiscent of McCarthyism.

As we celebrate Independence Day, we should remember our "American Ideals and Ideas" and reaffirm them. One of the reasons for the American Revolution was to end the practice of Kangaroo Courts that the British often utilized against American Colonists that opposed their actions in America. As such, this committee is antithetic to our American Ideals and Ideas, and all Americans that support these ideas and ideals should oppose this committee.

Addendum (07/06/22) - An article by Byron York, "Cherry-Picking Jan. 6" explores this topic in more detail.

07/01/22 Economic Truths

“The art of economics consists of looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.”
 - Henry Hazlitt

Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders are fond of asserting slogans and clichés that are to be accepted as truths without challenge. Many of these slogans and clichés have perverse economic implications that are also deleterious to society and our Liberties and Freedoms. This month’s Book It selections examine the underlying economics that contradicts these slogans and clichés. In all of science, engineering, law, philosophy, theology, economics, statistics, and many other areas of human interactions, the “Burden of Proof” is upon the person or persons who make the assertion. As Christopher Hitchens once said, which is now a Philosophical Razor, “That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence.” And Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have offered no evidence for these slogans and clichés, and therefore they fail to meet their Burden of Proof. Thus, these slogans and clichés can be dismissed without proof. However, my three new Book It recommendations belie the economics of these slogans and clichés and offer evidence against these slogans and clichés.

Also, when Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders use these slogans or clichés, I am reminded of Shakespeare’s Macbeth when he says, “It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

06/29/22 Current American Despotism

Over the last several years, I have Chirped about Despotism in America. Despotism in America that has been growing throughout the 20th century and has accelerated dramatically in the 21st century. Despotism that is defined as dominance through the threat of punishment or violence. It is for this reason that I wrote my Article, “Despotism in America Chirps”, and it is for this reason that I have collected my Chirps that deal with some aspects of despotism. I would also ask all to remember that:

"Despotism is just an intermediate step into tyranny."
  - Mark Dawson

06/28/22 Whispers and Shouts

I find it quite annoying when President Biden shouts or whispers as if shouting or whispering emphases or reveals some truths. It does none of these things, but it does reveal a lack of "Rationality" and "Reasoning". Every time he shouts or whispers, you can be assured that he is demonstrating his lack of intellectual acuity and misleading the public. He often does this for the purposes of "The Three D's (Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage) of Modern Political Debate" against his political opponents.

In doing so, he has become a divider rather than an uniter, as he promised during his inauguration speech. He has pitted one group of Americans against another, sowing "Divisiveness in America" and lessening "A Civil Society" in America. In doing so, he has also exhibited a propensity for rulership rather than leadership, as I have written in my Article, "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

These shouts and whispers are often a tactic of demagoguery, and President Biden and his administration have become increasingly demagogic against Conservatives and Republican Party Leaders. Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have often resorted to demagoguery; however, President Biden and his administration have taken this to a new level as the American people have increasingly disapproved of the direction of the country under his leadership.

It is also an attempt to herd the American people into actions that, on careful consideration, they would not take. These actions that they would undertake are often unconstitutional and an attempt to accrue more powers to the government. As a result, they are an assault on the Liberties and Freedoms of all Americans.

Consequently, my annoyance is more than emotional. It is a cause of concern that America is traveling down the slippery slope to despotism by these whispers and shouts.

06/27/22 The Road to Hell

There is a reason nearly everyone is familiar with the saying, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” The reason is, of course, that it is true, and therefore it helps explain why there is so much evil. My newest Article, “Good Intentions”, examines the good intentions of Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders. However, it is not an article I have written, but an article by Lawrence W. Reed, “#52-Progressives Have Good Intentions, So What Else is Required?”. In this article, he reveals the Progressives thought processes based upon good intentions and the harm (hell) that they cause.

This is one of fifty-two essays in the book, Excuse Me, Professor: Challenging the Myths of Progressivism by Lawrence W. Reed et al. These essays examine many of these slogans and clichés of Progressives and are an excellent handbook to refute these slogans and clichés. The Foundation for Economic Freedom, of which Lawrence W. Reed is President emeritus, has also posted these essays on their website, which can be read online here.

06/25/22 What a Week in the History of Liberty and Freedom

It has been quite a week in the history of America, as three rulings by the Supreme Court in the past week have reaffirmed the Liberties and Freedoms of the American people. These rulings are:

• Carson v. Makin
  Maine’s “nonsectarian” requirement for otherwise generally available tuition assistance payments to parents who live in school districts that do not operate a secondary school of their own violates the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.

• New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn., Inc. v. Bruen
  New York’s proper-cause requirement for obtaining an unrestricted license to carry a concealed firearm violates the Fourteenth Amendment in that it prevents law-abiding citizens with ordinary self-defense needs from exercising their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

• Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
  The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion as in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey. Thus, those decisions are overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.

The first two rulings reaffirmed the First and Second Amendments to the Constitution, while the third ruling returned to the people, rather than the courts, the decisions on social policy. The third ruling also put lower courts on notice not to be expansive when ruling on social issues but to defer to the will of the people as expressed in their State Legislatures and Congress. It also shifted the burden of social policy issues from the courts to the politicians, where it properly belongs.

Let us hope that the Supreme Court continues this line of legal reasoning and that future rulings are faithful to the Constitution and a reaffirmation of our "American Ideals and Ideas".

06/24/22 A Deliberative Body No More

The United States Senate used to be called ‘The World's Greatest Deliberative Body’. With the passage of the new gun control bill, it must relinquish this title, for there was no deliberation involved in the Senate’s passage of this bill. There were no hearings, no testimony, and no consideration of Constitutional questions about the bill, but a rush to ‘do something’ based on emotional reactions to recent mass shootings.

It is even possible that this bill will have minimal impact on future mass shootings, as there are so many ambiguities and loopholes as to make it problematic as to its impact. There is also the very real possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court may find sections of this bill to be unconstitutional. Unconstitutional in that it may violate the Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution. As such, the Senators who voted for this bill mat have violated their oath of office:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."

Passing a bill without consideration as to its constitutionality is not to “support and defend the Constitution” but an affront to the Constitution. This is what happens when they rush to ‘do something’ rather than be deliberative to do something useful and constitutional. By not being deliberative and rushing to ‘do something’, they are also endangering our democracy by resorting to mob rule. A mob rule that may engulf our institutions and trample upon our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

06/23/22 The Destruction of Civilization

In an article by Charles C. W. Cooke, “Once Again: It Is Not the Supreme Court’s Job to Follow ‘Majority Public Opinion”, he states:

“The Supreme Court is a court, and its job is to uphold the law — whether statutory or constitutional — as it actually exists. The wishes of “majority public opinion” — or of would-be political assassins — are irrelevant to this endeavor. If a sufficient majority of Americans no longer like the law, they can use their democratic power to change its text. But, until they do so, that text will remain what it is, and the Court will be obliged to interpret it without fear, favor, contrivance, or reference to anything beyond its written terms.”
 - Charles C. W. Cooke

He also points out that the Courts are established to uphold the law and not make the law, as a court is not a legislature, and because its job is not to decide what the law should be but what it is. As such, they are formal institutions that require formal textual law on which to base their decisions. When the courts rule outside the formal textual law, they are encroaching upon the prerogatives of Congress. This raises the issue of legal interpretation, which I have Chirped on, "07/12/21 'Constitutional Originalism' versus 'A Living Constitution'". As Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia pointed out in A Matter of Interpretation, the existence of formal institutions requires the use of formal institutions. This is true even in such cases as their application frustrates the majority, pushes the question to a different branch of government, or delays what observers may believe to be a foregone conclusion:

“Of all the criticisms leveled against textualism, the most mindless is that it is “formalistic.” The answer to that is, of course it’s formalistic! The rule of law is about form. A murderer has been caught with blood on his hands, bending over the body of his victim; a neighbor with a video camera has filmed the crime; and the murderer has confessed in writing and on videotape. We nonetheless insist that before the state can punish this miscreant, it must conduct a full-dress criminal trial that results in a verdict of guilty. Is that not formalism? Long live formalism. It is what makes a government a government of laws and not of men.”
- Antonin Scalia

The law is the law. And, until it is changed, it remains the law, irrespective of what the majority might want, how “charged” the atmosphere might become, and how many people try to intimidate or assassinate those whose job it is to uphold it. That’s not a problem to be fixed or bemoaned; it’s the basis of all civilization.

This is why the protesters outside of Supreme Court Justices' homes are despicable. They are assaulting civilization by trying to institute mob rule in America. And this is why President Biden’s Administration, especially the Department of Justice, is disgraceful and complicit in the mob's actions. To not arrest and prosecute these mob actors is to allow and condone mob actions and to assist in the destruction of civilization.

06/22/22 Injustice Department and the Federal Bureau of Iniquity

The recent history of the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation under the Obama and Biden administrations has been dubitable. The selective investigations and prosecutions against political opponents and the non-investigations and lack of prosecutions of political supporters have become notorious. Their words of intimidation, and the ignominious deeds of investigations, have been for the purposes of frightening their political opponents. There appears to be little concern for the Constitutional and Civil Rights of their opponents and the equality of justice for all, as I have written in my Articles "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights" and "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". They have misled or lied to Congress and the American people about their actions on a regular and frequent basis.

Al this bespeaks intolerance for political dissent or opposition to their administrations and a corruption of their leadership duties and responsibilities. Such conduct has become so widespread In the Justice Department and the FBI that many, if not most, Americans believe that we have a two-tiered justice system in America. One tier for the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders and the other tier for their political opponents. As such, the faith in the justice system has been shaken as well as their faith in the American government to protect our Liberties and Freedoms.

Given the incompetence and lack of self-introspection, and indeed, arrogance, of the Biden Administration, we can not expect this situation to be corrected. It will, therefore, be necessary for the next President to correct this situation. And the only correction will be to fire all the leadership of the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation and replace them with persons of integrity that understand their duties and responsibilities to Constitutional and Civil Rights and the importance of equal justice for all.

We should also know and remember the following words of warning:

“It didn't start with gas chambers.
It started with one party controlling the media.
It started with one party controlling the message.
It started with one party deciding what is the truth.
It started with one party censoring speech and silencing the opposition.
It started with one party dividing citizens into 'Us' and 'Them'.
It started with one party calling on their supporters to harass 'Them'.
It started when good people turned a blind eye and let it happen.
It ended with concentration camps, slave labor, and gas chambers.”
 - paraphrased from the Holocaust Museum

"First, they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me."
- Martin Niemöller

06/20/22 Mobs and Social Media

In an article by Rob Natelson, “The Founders and the Twitter Mob”, he begins the commentary by stating:

“Over the past two centuries, our Constitution has done a good job of curbing the menace of mob behavior. Unfortunately, social media have created new challenges by re-empowering political mobs—notably, but not exclusively, the ‘Twitter Mob.’

In this essay, I discuss the risks mobs pose to republican political systems. I explain how the American Founders addressed those risks and how modern social media has re-created some of them.”

He then sections the article into; The Historical Background, The American Founders Recognized the Risk of Mobs, The Founders Addressed How to Curb Mobs, Enter Technology, Addressing the Problems, and Repealing or Enforcing Section 230. These sections illuminate the issue of mob actions on Social Media and their deleterious effects on society.  In other articles by him, he addresses the legal issues of Social Media regulation in the context of a lawsuit by President Trump against Twitter., While this lawsuit has been dismissed, the issues remain. These articles are:

• “Trump v. Twitter, Part 1: How Social Media Censorship Abuses Federal Law”
• “Trump v. Twitter, Part 2: Can a private company violate the First Amendment?”
• “Twitter v. Trump, Part 3: Trump’s best ‘free speech’ claim against Twitter”

Given Social Media's actions in the last Presidential election of canceling conservative voices, the promotion of disinformation on physically violent mob actions, and suppressing news stories unfavorable to President Biden, we have seen how social media can interfere and change the course of elections in America. This is an issue that needs to be addressed and resolved if we are to have Free Speech and the dissemination of contrary or unpopular ideas in America – which is essential to preserve the "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" in America.

06/18/22 What Hath God Wrought

"What hath God wrought" is a Biblical phrase from the Book of Numbers (23:23) to express awe at something that has happened. It is often utilized to express consternation about adverse events. As we look over the history of America in the last several decades, we can all exclaim, ‘What hath God wrought’. The changes in our society, and our societal norms, have been so extensive that our society is unrecognizable to those that lived prior to the 1960s. Some of these changes are for the better, but some have had a deleterious effect on our society.

The bitter partisanship on any political issue, the division of Americans into group identities, the erosion of our "American Ideals and Ideas", the curtailment of our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", and the intrusion of government into all aspects of our lives are some of the major deleterious effects on our society. Progressives/Leftists seem to hate anyone who disagrees with them, while "Conservatives" despise Progressives/Leftists. Politeness and "A Civil Society" are a relic of the past, and "Divisiveness in America" is the norm for Progressives/Leftists rhetoric. "Rationality" and "Reasoning" are passé, and "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors", and "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness" are the norm for intellectual acuity.

The acceptance of all people, regardless of race, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, and disability within American society has been constructive. The advances in science and technology have bettered the lives of all Americans. Extreme poverty has been eliminated in America, while those that live in poverty are able to obtain the necessities of life (food, water, shelter, clothing), as well as other amenities of life.

I suspect that God had nothing to do with what has happened in America, as most Progressives today are atheists or agnostic about God. And perhaps the absence of God in our daily lives, as well as the decline of morality and ethics in our conduct (as I have Chirped on 06/16/22 Morality and Ethics), are responsible for the deterioration of American society.

06/16/22 Morality and Ethics

It is an unfortunate fact that many people interchangeably utilize ‘morality’ and ‘ethics’. However, they are distinct concepts, as can readily be seen by their definitions:

• Morality - Concern with the distinction between good and evil or right and wrong conduct
• Ethics - A system of principles governing acceptable conduct

Ethics require a Morality for them to be beneficial. If your morals are disreputable, then your ethics will be reprehensive. Therefore, we need to distinguish between the morality of a person and their ethical conduct, and Criticism vs. Critique a person based on their morals or on their ethics.

It is also easier for a person to correct ethical lapses if they have good morals, while an immoral person will not change their ethics as they have no basis for a change. We should also not resort to the excuse of legal versus illegal activity to justify immoral or unethical behavior, as I have written in my Article, "The Law is Not All".

This distinguishment between morality and ethics will help us better understand a person’s behavior, and we will know how to adjudge a person and perhaps guide someone to become a better person when they have moral or ethical lapses.

06/14/22 Ah, Youth – Part Deux

In my Chirp on "07/20/20 Ah, Youth", I point out that we know as a scientific fact that the human brain does not fully develop until about 22 to 24 years of age, and the last part of the brain to develop is the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is responsible for most "higher-order" or intellectual brain functions such as thinking, reasoning, judging, planning, voluntary movement, and overall behavior.

This raises the question of when a person should be considered an adult. Today we generally consider a person an adult when they reach the age of eighteen. At this age, they are permitted to engage in all activities of an adult – the exercise of Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights, service in the armed forces, voting in elections, taking prescription medications, alcohol and drug consumption, marriage, sexual relations, freedom to travel, driving (although some States allow for this prior to 18 years of age), etc... They are also subject to being treated as an adult in our criminal justice system, although some States treat them as adults prior to 18 years of age. There is also some talk of lowering the voting age to sixteen years.

We are now engaged in a societal debate as to when a person may “keep and bear Arms” and when a youth may undergo medical treatments without parental permission (such as abortion, transgender transformation, dispensing prescription medications, etc.). This, as well as what is appropriate public education on a variety of topics (such as social justice, gender identity, sexuality, morality, ethics, and religion), are current topics of debate. This debate highlights when a parent or guardian is responsible for a child’s wellbeing and what are the duties and responsibilities of parents and guardians. It also highlights the role of government in child-rearing.

This stratification of adulthood by age is a bipolarism of our indecisiveness as to what constitutes an adult, and it is also an inequality of treatment under the law by age. If we should raise by age the right to keep and bear arms, then we can also raise by age alcohol and drug consumption, as both have deleterious effects on a person and other persons. We could also raise by age the exercise of our First Amendment and other Constitutional rights under this standard of what adult activities are allowed by age. As such, we need to resolve this issue and be consistent in our approach to the duties and responsibilities of both parenthood and adulthood and at what age a person assumes the duties and responsibilities of adulthood.

We also need to clarify what are the duties and responsibilities of parenthood and when these duties and responsibilities of parenthood end, while at the same time, we should also define the rights of children that are to be protected by the government. We also need to resolve what actions are permissible by the State in the raising of children and to assure that the State does not interfere with parental duties and responsibilities. This could be done under the Ninth Amendment of the Constitution “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” Under this banner, the rights of parenthood and children would be protected, and the limits of governmental actions upon children would be restrained. Until this issue is resolved, there will be tensions between parents, children, and the government as to what is proper and just for both parents and children.

For my own part, I do not foresee any other age than eighteen years as politically practicable, but I believe that twenty-one years is more advisable. The Constitution sets eighteen years for the voting age, twenty-five years for a member of the House of Representatives, thirty years for a Senator, and thirty-five years for President and Vice President, and many state laws set eighteen years as the age of adulthood. Consequently, the only practicable age of adulthood is eighteen years.

06/12/22 A Kangaroo Congressional Committee Hearing

A Kangaroo Court is a court that ignores recognized standards of law or justice, carries little or no official standing in the territory within which it resides, and is typically convened ad hoc. A kangaroo court may ignore due process and come to a predetermined conclusion. The term may also apply to a court held by a legitimate judicial authority that intentionally disregards the court's legal or ethical obligations (i.e., a show trial).

On Thursday night, June 9th, 2022, we saw an example of a Kangaroo Congressional Committee hearing. The deck was stacked against former President Trump in that all the committee members were political opponents of President Trump, no testimony of or for the ‘insurgents’ was allowed, and a predetermined conclusion is inevitable. Counsel for President Trump was not allowed, no evidence in his favor was allowed, and testimony was edited and tailored against President Trump. The words and deeds of President Trump prior to and on January 6th, 2021, were taken out of context and were often misrepresentative or tailored by omission. The actions of President Trump and the inactions of Congressional leaders prior to January 6th, 2021, to prepare for possible riots were ignored.

The hiring of Ex-ABC News executive James Goldston to produce the committee’s primetime hearing is further evidence of a Kangaroo Congressional Committee hearing, and it may have been illegal on several counts. Mr. Goldston was once responsible for quashing a news story about the Jeffrey Epstein-Bill Clinton connection, which calls into question his ethics and objectivity. Many assertions and allegations were leveled that the words and deeds of President Trump and the ‘insurrectionists’ were an assault on our democracy. As I have written in many Chirps on "01/06/22 Insurrection Day", "10/19/21 The Insurrection Hoax", "08/08/21 A True Insurrection", "08/01/21 Justifiable Insurrection", "07/07/21 A Speedy Trial?", "06/15/21 Was January 6th a Reichstag Fire?", "06/03/21 Insurrectionists", "04/19/21 Insurrection", "02/15/21 Insurrection and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution", "08/31/20 Insurrection" (which I have combined into a new article “Insurrections Chirps”), this ‘insurrection’ was a tepid and ineffectual ‘insurrection’ if indeed it can be labeled an insurrection at all. This was indeed a show trial for political purposes of damaging President Trump, rather than a Congressional investigation for the purposes of potential legislation to prevent these riots in the future.

As such, this Kangaroo Congressional Committee hearing has done more harm to our democracy than anything the ‘insurrections’ did, as it is an assault on "The Rule of Law in Non-Judicial Proceedings" for the accused (President Trump and the ‘Insurrectionists’). It has turned Congressional Hearings into a Witch-Hunt to persecute political opponents. It is also in violation of the Congressional authorization for this select committee, as the minority Republican Leader was not allowed to appoint members of this select committee as the authorization required. As a result, this select committee is being run as a Kangaroo Congressional Committee hearing. Indeed, they are becoming a form of the House Un-American Activities Committee that plagued America in its past, and the words of the committee members are reminiscent of McCarthyism.

There is a need for a Congressional Hearing to determine the causes and preventive measures that were not undertaken prior to and on January 6th, 2021, for the purposes of preventing these occurrences in the future. However, this Congressional hearing is not structured nor administered to achieve this purpose. Its only purpose appears to be a witch-hunt to persecute President Trump and to deny or stultify any attempt that he may make to run for President in 2024.

If this Kangaroo Congressional Committee is allowed to proceed in this manner and it influences an election, then we can expect other such Kangaroo Congressional Committees in the future. This, more than the actions of President Trump and the ‘Insurrections’ on January 6th, 2021, would be more damaging to our democracy than any of their words and deeds on January 6th, 2021.

Addendum (07/06/22) - An article by Larry O'Connor, "Criminalizing Conservatives" explores this topic in more detail.

06/10/22 Red Flag Laws Redux

In my Articles on "Gun Control" and “Red Flag, Yellow Flag, and No Flag“, and my Chirps on “05/29/22 It’s Not the Gun, It’s the Gunman”, "09/01/19 A Red Flag Abuse", and "08/22/19 Gun Control and Red Flag, Yellow Flag, and No Flag", I have noted many issues and concerns regarding Gun Control. One of my biggest concerns is the utilization of Red Flag Laws to control the purchase of firearms and ammunition.

The proposals are for the Federal government to create and maintain a database of those persons not permitted to purchase a firearm, with such a database to be queried before a firearm is purchased. The practicality of the Federal government in creating and maintaining a database of persons not allowed to purchase firearms is insuperable. This would require the cooperation of all Federal, State, and Local governments to assure this database is up-to-date and contains no errors, a task that no government entity has ever been able to achieve with any database (e.g., the voter registration rolls of any State or Locality). If this database is wrong, then you would be denying a person their constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and if this database is incomplete, then you would be allowing a person to own arms that should not be permitted to own arms. It also does nothing to stop a person from transferring, borrowing, or stealing arms from a friend, family member, or neighbor. It also has no effect on the illegal purchase or transfer of arms by criminals and gangs in America. Nor does it solve the problem of a person who has become mentally unstable but has not yet been diagnosed and added to the database. Consequently, Red Flag laws are a band-aid to the solution of the problem of preventing the purchase of firearms by those persons not allowed to own firearms or ‘potential’ abusers of firearms.

There is also the question of whom should be allowed to access this database. Which Federal, State, and local government agencies would be allowed to enter, change, or remove information in this database, and who should be allowed to query this database? All gun dealers would need to query this database before selling a firearm, and individuals who suspect their names are on this database would need to query this database to determine and challenge their inclusion in this database. This raises the question of abuse of this database by improper queries by government agencies, gun dealers, and individuals querying this database. How could the government possibly control what is proper and improper utilization of this database, and is it a constitutional invasion of privacy when this database is queried improperly?

Red Flag laws are also prone to abuse of reporting suspicious persons and the due process rights of those so accused. It would be easy for Red Flag laws to be utilized to harass a person with whom you dislike or disagree with their politics. Once accused, a person would have to prove their innocence or the government to prove their guilt before being denied their constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Proof of innocence has never been allowed in America, as the burden of proof of guilt has always constitutionally rested upon the prosecution. Also, in America, no one may be prohibited from exercising their constitutional and civil rights until a conviction for a crime; therefore, confiscation of firearms before conviction of a crime has dubious constitutionality. The due process questions of the accuser being able to confront the accuser, the cross-examining of the witnesses for the prosecution, calling witnesses for the defense, a speedy trial, and a trial by jury must also be resolved. This process would be time-consuming, financially prohibitive for the accused, and a burden on the courts, and it would not resolve the constitutional question of what happens to the firearms between the accusation and the resolution of the court proceedings. There is also the question of the due process for challenging the inclusion of someone in the database and the expeditious removal of them when it is discovered that they were incorrectly entered into the database.

The response to the potential reporting abuse of Red Flag laws is that the accuser would face legal actions for making a false accusation; however, such false accusations may be difficult to prove in a court of law. Given the recent history of the Justice Department in selectively prosecuting or not prosecuting people based on their political affiliation or political views, this is a hollow response.

Consequently, Red Flag Laws are an illusion of doing something while not solving the problem while at the same time violating the constitutional rights of Americans.

06/08/22 Save the Country

The state of "Public Education" and Higher Education (Colleges and Universities) in America is appalling. Indoctrination rather than education is par for the course, as I have written in my Article "Indoctrination versus Education". College degrees that have no basis for a career are far too common. Schools are often more concerned with protecting a student’s feelings rather than providing them with the tools to cope with the vicissitudes of modern life. The costs of Higher Education have become so great that they financially hobble a student for a decade after their graduation. All of this invokes "The Law of Unintended Consequences", which have negative repercussions upon America. As a result, we have a nation of citizens that is unknowledgeable, incapable of "Rationality" and "Reasoning", and are ill-prepared to become functioning and contributing members of society.

The question is, how can we resolve this situation? The answer is not more money for students, as this only exacerbates the situation. We need to make a systemic change to education to fix this problem. The answer may be in a new article by Derek Hunter, “To Save The Country, Destroy The Public Education System”. I believe that America would be a better place if we implemented his solution to this education problem. And America does need to make a change in its Public and Higher Education institutions to preserve our "American Ideals and Ideas".

06/06/22 Progressivisms Throw-Away Slogans and Clichés

In the 20th century, Progressivism found its place in American politics and governance. However, Progressivism (a political orientation of those who favor progress toward better conditions in government and society) without Individualism (a belief in the importance of the individual and the virtue of self-reliance and personal independence) often morphs into Egalitarianism (the doctrine that all people are equal and the desirability of political, economic and social equality). An Egalitarianism that is not based on the equality of opportunity but and equality of outcomes, as I have written in my Chirp on "07/01/20 Equality of Opportunity is Antithetical to Equality of Outcome". To accomplish this Egalitarianism, they categorized Americans into groups, with one group or another receiving special treatment or disfavor by the government.

Progressivism is also fond of asserting slogans and clichés that are to be accepted as truths without challenge. These slogans and clichés are sprinkled throughout their talking points in such profusion as to be difficult to challenge. When their assertions are challenged, the Progressive often adopts an attitude that they are correct, and they must be proven wrong or else they are right (which is a logical absurdity). Much of the proof by the challenger would require that they ‘Prove a Negative’ (i.e., prove you didn't say or do something). One of the things that western society has learned is that you cannot prove a negative and, historically, forcing someone to prove a negative has led to witches being burned at the stake, heretic’s being executed, lynching’s occurring, summary executions taking place, as well as many other violations of human rights. In all of science, engineering, law, philosophy, theology, economics, statistics, and many other areas of human interactions, the “Burden of Proof” is upon the person or persons who makes the assertion, or as Christopher Hitchens once said, "That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence."

As such, whenever a Progressive utilizes a throw-away slogan or cliché, they should immediately be challenged and not allowed to shift the burden of proof upon the challenger. And the Progressives' response should be limited to "Rationality" and "Reasoning" based on facts and not suppositions. You should also remember that "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" and, as I have often stated, "Just because you 'believe' something to be true does not mean that you 'know' something is true, and just because someone says it is true or false doesn't make it true or false."

In these throw-away slogans or clichés, I am reminded of Shakespeare’s Macbeth when he says, "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." A new book, Excuse Me, Professor: Challenging the Myths of Progressivism by Lawrence W. Reed, examines many of these slogans and clichés of Progressives, and is an excellent handbook to refute these slogans and clichés as the back cover states:

“There's little truly "progressive" about Progressivism. True progress happens when humans are free, yet the Progressive agenda substantially diminishes freedom while promising the unachievable. Excuse Me, Professor provides a handy reference for anyone actively engaged in advancing liberty, with essential essays debunking more than 50 Progressive clichés.

Does the free market truly ignore the poor? Are humans really destroying the Earth? Is the government truly the first best source to relieve distress?”

Compiled and edited by Lawrence W. Reed in collaboration with the Foundation for Economic Education and Young America's Foundation, this anthology is an indispensable addition to every freedom lover's arsenal of intellectual ammunition.”

The Foundation for Economic Freedom, which Lawrence W. Reed is president emeritus, has also posted the essays in the book which can be read here.

06/03/22 No They Don’t

Democrat Party Leaders and their supporters often claim that Republican Party Leaders don’t have a plan and need to present one to the American people before the next election to win the next election. They also like to misrepresent and demagogue Florida Senator Rick Scott’s plan, which has no support amongst other Republican Senators, as the Republicans plan. This last point is why they want a Republican plan – so that they can misrepresent and demagogue a Republican plan.

The Democrat Party Leaders only wish to install outrage and fear of Republicans in the electorate in hopes of blunting Republican gains in the 2022 elections, as outrage and fear of Republicans is their only hope of blunting Republican gains in the 2022 elections. This tactic of outrage and fear of Republicans is and has been, for the last several decades, their playbook. A playbook that divides Americans into groups then pits groups of Americans against each other in the hope that their groups will be energized and outnumber the other groups.

The only Republican plan that needs to be presented to the American electorate is to blunt as many of the Biden Administrations' initiatives as possible. A blunting to stave off the disastrous course that Americans have endured since the Democrats have been in power and control of the Congress and Presidency since the 2021 election. It should also be remembered that in the 2020 Presidential election, candidate Biden presented no plan to Americans but only promised to fix perceived problems and to change course from the Trump Administration's agenda.

Therefore, the only Republican plan should be that they will oppose the Biden Administrations' initiatives as much as possible, and they will introduce legislation to constrict the Biden Administrations' initiatives. As President Biden has a veto pen, this legislation cannot be expected to be implemented. However, with the election of a Republican Congress, the power of the purse and Congressional oversight of the Biden Administrations' initiatives will illuminate their disastrous policies and energize Americans to oppose the Biden Administrations’ initiatives.

Consequently, the Republicans need not present a plan in the 2022 election but only highlight that the 2022 elections are a choice between the current course of America and a blunting of the current course. It is up to the 2024 Presidential elections to change the course of America for the better, and it is in this election that the Republican Party needs to present a plan to the American electorate.

06/01/22 Dystopia

Given the political and social events of the last few decades in America, Canada, Europe, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, I decided to reread the three great dystopian novels of the first half of the 20th century - Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and Brave New World. These three books are often quoted but rarely read and not fully understood by those that are knowledgeable of these books. The last time I read these novels, I was in my teens, and I thought with all the knowledge and wisdom I have gained in the intervening years that I may have a different perspective on these novels in my seventies. In this, I discovered that, indeed, my perspective of these novels has changed and deepened. When you compare current political and social events to the contents of these novels, you will be even more concerned for the future of America and Europe. It appears that we are on a slippery slope downward into dystopia. Until we understand why we are on this slippery slope and the possible consequences of this slippery slope, it is difficult to change the course of this slippery slope.

In rereading these three dystopian novels, I have been able to detect elements in all of them that are applicable to our current society and may portend the future direction of our society. I have no intention nor desire to oppose social progress for the betterment of humankind or to be a Luddite (an opponent of technological progress), but I have every intention and desire to assure that we do not glide down the slippery slope into Dystopia as we appear to be doing today. Until we understand how it is possible to become a dystopian society, we cannot take proactive measures to prevent gliding down the slippery slope path into dystopia. A slippery slope path into dystopia that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders seem intent on taking America.

My new Article, “Dystopia”, examines these three novels in consideration of these current events.

05/30/22 Embrace History

"Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it."
  - Edmund Burke

Given the deficiencies of "Public Education", the last two generations of Americans are woefully lacking in their historical knowledge or have been improperly educated in history, especially American history. History to most Americans is what happened last month or last year. What little historical knowledge that they have is often distorted by political correctness or political agendas rather than fact-based and intellectual reasoning.

To discover a person's knowledge of American History, I often ask them a question that is illuminative of their knowledge. I ask them what the history, purpose, and reasoning behind the 3/5 slave counting clause and the skirting of the issue of slavery in the creation of the U.S. Constitution is? If they give me a satisfactory explanation, I then ask them why the extinction of slavery did not occur as the Founding Fathers expected? I will finally ask them why the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all the slaves? Most people do not have a good answer to these questions, as they are unknowledgeable about American history. For the answer to these questions I would direct you to my Articles “The Constitutional Founding Fathers Goals” and “Slavery in the United States Constitution”.

Many Progressives, and most Leftists, give an answer that is bereft of historical knowledge and is often irrational. Their explanation often reeks of Political Correctness and Political Agendas rather than knowledgeable intellectual reasoning. This Political Correctness and Political Agendas that distort history often lead to bad policies in the present. People are swayed by emotional responses to incorrect historical facts rather than rational responses about our history and base their policy agendas on this emotional response.

The proper knowledge of history allows you to understand the causes and effects of historical events. This will lead you to learn the lessons from history and, hopefully, the wisdom to guide you in not making the same mistakes of history. I, therefore, say to all Americans that you should embrace history, learn the lessons of history, and vow to not repeat the mistakes of history. For if you do not, then:

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
  - George Santayana

05/29/22 It’s Not the Gun, It’s the Gunman

Once again, in the wake of the senseless mass shooting of school children and teachers in Uvalde, TX, the usual cries of gun control by the usual suspects, with the usual retorts by the usual suspects, the usual evasion of the actual problem is unminded.  The actual problem is not the gun; it’s the gunman. If no guns were available to a deranged mind that would commit mass murder, they would find other means to commit their mass murder.

Since the European discovery and settlement of North America, we have been a land of gun ownership. Gun ownership that was instrumental in the Revolutionary War and the expansion of our country from sea to shining sea. For over three centuries in America, we did not have a problem with mass senseless shootings, and it has only been the last several decades that this problem has arisen. As gun ownership has not changed, there must have been a change in our society that has led to these senseless shootings. This is the problem that must be discovered and addressed to prevent these senseless shootings.

We can start by looking a the Systemic Family, Education, and Faith Problems in America, but to insist that gun control is a solution is to ignore the realities and practicalities of gun control in America. In my February 2021 Article on "Gun Control", I examined the realities and practicalities of Gun Control in America. I conclude this article with the words that Dr. Ben Carson said after the tragedy of the mass murder of the black church members of Charleston, SC, in June of 2015:

"I think we have to start is going to the heart of the matter. The heart of the matter is not guns. The heart of the matter is the heart. The heart and soul of people. You know, this young man didn't wake up yesterday and suddenly turn into a maniac. Clearly there have been things in his background, in his upbringing that led to the type of mentality that would allow him to do something like this. And one of the things that I think that we really need to start concentrating on in this country is once again instilling the right kinds of values particularly in our young people. You know, we're so busy giving away all of our values and principles for the sake of political correctness that we have people floating around out there with no solid foundation or beliefs. "

To which I say - Amen!

05/26/22 We Are All Victims

Victimhood is rampant in America. But victimhood is rampant throughout the world and throughout history. There have been suppressors and oppressors, tyrants, bullies, (hard) taskmasters, slavedrivers, despots, dictators, persecutors, tormentors, torturers, intimidators, bigots, and discriminators in every society throughout history. A society should not only be defined by its victims and oppressors but by the possibilities of the victims to overcome their suppressors and oppressors.

In America, we are fortunate to have a society that allows victims to overcome their suppressors and oppressors. Our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All" allow for everybody to succeed in America. It is not often easy and often difficult to succeed in America, but it is possible to succeed in America. As such, cries of victimhood are not a reason, but an excuse, for not succeeding in America. In America, one of the reasons our democratic republic government was established was to provide equal treatment of all people by the government and an equal opportunity for all Americans to succeed. While we have not always been perfect in achieving this goal, we have always strived to achieve this goal.

Capitalism in America has allowed a multitude of people to rise above the circumstances of their birth and achieve their dreams. Capitalism may not be a perfect economic system, but it is the best economic system yet invented by humankind to allow people to succeed. Capitalism's primary thrust is to provide as many goods and services in an expedient and economical manner as possible while rewarding those who provide the goods and services that other people want. No other economic system except Capitalism has succeeded in bringing the people the goods and services they want at a price they can afford or in a timely manner than Capitalism. It has provided growth and innovation that benefits all. Capitalism has also been instrumental in the advancement of Liberty and Freedom throughout the world, as Capitalism requires the Rule of Law in contracts and property to flourish. Therefore, Capitalists are not suppressors and oppressors but liberators of people.

Our democratic republic government and capitalistic economic system have reduced victimhood to manageable proportions, and whenever suppressors and oppressors rear their ugly heads in America, we attempt to reign them in with laws that outlaw their actions. Consequently, victimhood in America is not a systemic problem but one of individual infringements. And often, it is not an infringement but happenstance, as:

"Shit happens. Sometimes you shit on yourself, sometimes others shit on you,
and other times shit just happens.
It doesn't matter how shit happens, it only matters how you deal with the shit.
You can either clean yourself up and smell the roses,
Or you can wallow in the shit and everything stinks.
And remember; It's just as important to learn from the shit,
as it is to clean yourself up from the shit!"
  - Mark Dawson

We, therefore, need to distinguish between infringements and shit in our lives, place the blame where it properly belongs, and stop utilizing victimhood as an excuse for the lack of success. We should also remember that:

“The more that the government intervenes to correct a social problem, the worse the social problem becomes.”
 - Mark Dawson

05/24/22 Information Shapers

In a recent article by Sharyl Attkisson, “10 Ways Info Shapers Have Infiltrated Our Institutions”, she points out:

“Few matters are so important as the integrity of the information we receive and the recent degradation in its reliability.

The recent leak of a Supreme Court draft related to the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion case underscores how corrupted so many of our important institutions have become by those dedicated to shaping public opinion in a sometimes-dishonest way.

Nearly every facet of our American institutions has been infiltrated by activists, corporate and political propagandists, and even criminals.

Here are 10 key institutions that have been successfully infiltrated by information-shapers:”

I would encourage all to read this article to see how perverse and widespread information shapers are in American society.

05/21/22 What Are They Good At?

The Biden Administration and its supporters have tried to point out the accomplishments of the Biden Administration. They are silent, except to play the excuse or blame game on the debacles they have overseen. On the International stage; the Afghanistan debacle, the Ukrainian War, the proposed Iran Deal, and the threats of Russia and China, and on the National stage; the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase in crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problem, to gas price increases, to inflation, and to a host of other issues they only have excuses or blame. Excuses and blame on the COVID-19 Pandemic, on Putin, on Republican obstructionism, and now ultra-MAGA supporters, but they have never addressed their own shortcomings.

They have, however, excelled in one area – finding people to fill Biden administrative positions that are diverse in appearance but lack the competence or commitment to excel in their duties and responsibilities. The Biden administrative people have also excelled at being bitterly partisan, Leftist in their politics, and congenital liars (as I have written in Chirp on "08/24/21 Their Lips are Moving"). These people have also exhibited that they wish to be rulers rather than leaders, as I have written in my Article, "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders". These people also view the Constitution as an obstacle to be overcome rather than a controlling rule to the governance of America.

They have also been very good a uniting America, as President Biden promised at his inauguration. The latest polls have revealed that 75% of Americans believe that we are on the wrong track. When three-quarters of Americans agree on something, you can safely say that Americans are united on that topic.

As a result, America now finds itself being led by incompetent persons and would-be despots who have no conception of "American Ideals and Ideas". They do, however, believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that their policies are what is best for all Americans regardless of the consequences to America and Americans. Such egotism and arrogance of these people are dangerous for America, and they should be opposed by all Americans who believe in Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All, as well as The Rule of Law as I have Chirped on “05/17/22 The Rule of Law versus The Rule by Men and Women”.

05/19/22 The Lawless Party

The “rioters” of 2020 and the ‘Insurrectionists” of January 6, 2021, have been treated quite differently by the law and by the words and deeds of the Democrat Party Leaders. Equality under the law requires that:

“No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it.”
 - President Theodore Roosevelt

This different treatment of the “rioters” and the “insurrectionist” is but one example of a two-tiered system of justice by the Biden Administration. Attorney General Merrick Garland of the Department of Justice and Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of the Department of Homeland Security has consistently ignored laws that they disagree with and only enforced laws against their opponents but have not enforced laws against their supporters. Their inactions in enforcing immigration laws on our southern border are the most egregious example of their ignoring laws that they do not support. Ignoring a law that you disagree with or ignoring the law until you can change the law to something you agree with is not enforcement of duly enacted laws but a subterfuge to justify lawlessness. Selectively enforcing laws is not the Rule of Law but rather the Rule by Men and Women. In this, they have exhibited that they wish to be rulers rather than leaders, as I have written in my Article, "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders".

The most recent example is the Biden Administration's inactions against the protesters of the draft opinion of the Supreme Court on Roe v. Wade. A current law, 18 U.S. Code § 1507 - Picketing or parading, is very clear on what is acceptable protests against judicial officials:

“Whoever, with the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer, in the discharge of his duty, pickets or parades in or near a building housing a court of the United States, or in or near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer, or with such intent uses any sound-truck or similar device or resorts to any other demonstration in or near any such building or residence, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.”

The inactions of the Biden Administration in enforcing this law are a telling example of their two-tiered system of justice. Legal inactions for their supporters, and legal actions against their opponents, are modus operandi for the Biden Administration. Thus, we have a two-tiered system of justice under the Biden Administration, and Prosecutorial Discretion is not a valid excuse for inaction, as I have Chirped on "03/29/22 Prosecutorial Discretion".

This is no aberration, as the Democrat Party in the last several decades has resorted to "Divisiveness in America" and verbal support of mob actions. Consequently, The Democrat Party has become the party of rulership, threats, intimidations, mob rule, and ignoring the law, and hence the party of lawlessness in America.

05/17/22 The Rule of Law versus The Rule by Men and Women

In America, since our founding, we have been committed to the Rule of Law. The law is above all persons, and all persons must obey the law. No special disposition is given to the rich or powerful, nor to the poor or powerless. All persons must obey the law. Yet, today in America, we see a special disposition for selective groups of Americans or selective persons in America. This special disposition comes in many guises - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, funding for special interest groups, tax breaks for companies or groups of people, and various other government programs that target groups of Americans. We have also seen that politicians often have rules for thee but not for me or my supporters, especially during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Most insidious is selectively enforcing laws or going outside Constitutional bounds to institute policies, as this is not The Rule of Law but The Rule by Men and Women.

This breakdown of The Rule of Law leads to a dissolution of American society, as people and groups scramble for special dispositions for themselves. It pits one group of Americans against another group of Americans and leads to greater disharmony in America. It leads to politicians pandering to groups of Americans that will support and vote for them. Other groups of Americans can become marginalized, and their concerns need not be addressed by politicians. People become self-centered and no longer concerned about other Americans and what is best for America and all Americans.

All of this is a result of The Rule by Men and Woman rather than The Rule of Law. Until we return to The Rule of Law, we will continue to see the dissolution of American society. A dissolution that will end our American Ideals and Ideas and our Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All.

05/15/22 One Nation under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All

Having entered the seventh decade of my life today, I have witnessed and experienced many changes in America. As a child of the fifties, an adolescent of the sixties, and a young adult of the seventies, I have lived through tumultuous times. The tumultuous times of the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the Stagflation of the late seventies shaped my youth, while the bitter partisan divides of the 21st century have molded my perspective. From the patriotic nationalism and national economy of the fifties and sixties to the internationalistic viewpoint and global economy of this century, America has been transformed.

One of the greatest and quietest transformations has been the religiosity of Americans. As America entered the middle of the 20th century, it became less Protestant Christian religious and more secular. Other religions, such as Catholic Christianity, Judaism, Islamism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, became more acceptable and mainstream in America. Belief in science and technology increased, often accompanied by a decrease in religiosity. In many ways, this was good for America and Americans, but in other ways, it has presented problems.

My new Article, “ One Nation under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for All” examines this transformation and its repercussions.

05/13/22 Useful and Malicious Idiots

Much ado has been made about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-GA) sometimes outrageous comments. The Democrats in Georgia have even tried (unsuccessfully) to bar her from running from Congress because of these comments and her verbal support for the January 6th, 2021 “insurrectionists”, as I have Chirped on "01/06/22 Insurrection Day". There is no doubt that Rep. Greene has some outlandish opinions and represents a small faction of the Republican Party.

In comparison, Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-MY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Maxine Watters (D-CA), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) have outlandish opinions, and they represent a large faction of the Democratic Party. In addition, Democrat House leadership often makes outlandish statements against their opponents.

In the Senate, outlandish opinions and statements by Republicans are rare but commonplace by Democrats. Led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and many of the prominent Democrat Senators, outlandish statements against Republicans, Conservatives, and Trump supporters are de rigueur.

This ratio, 10 to 1, is not far off from the ratio of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists who express themselves outlandishly in comparison to "Republican Party Leaders" and Conservatives. It is often claimed by Democrats and their supporters that both sides do it, but there is a difference in the Democrats doing it. Of course, both sides do it, as in the human experience, both sides do everything. That is the nature of humankind. Whenever there is an issue confronting our society, the extremes of both sides of the issue will often use the same methodologies and techniques to attack the other side. So therefore, the statement that both sides do it is irrelevant. The question is whether the mainstream and/or leadership of each side of the issue both do it and how much attention is paid to the extremes. In my experience, this is most obvious when dealing with Conservatism versus Progressivism/Leftism, Republican versus Democrat, left versus right, etc. What we should be asking is, “are the mainstream and/or the leadership of each side doing it?”. When you see one side or the other paying more heed or engaging in extreme deeds or words, you need to weigh the balance. In weighing this balance, you need to make not only a determination of the number of words and misdeeds incidents but also the severity of the deeds or words. If the balance is heavily tilted to one side, then the phrase ‘Both Sides Do It’ is not an equalizer but an excuse to continue the extreme words or deeds by the one side engaged in these words or deeds. You must also carefully examine the words that are utilized by each side to determine if they are adjectives or pejoratives.  Adjectives, when used properly, are not outrageous comments, but pejoratives are usually utilized for egregious purposes, as I have written in my Article, "Divisiveness in America".

The question then is, are these Congresspersons Useful or Malicious Idiots? In political jargon, a useful idiot is a derogatory term for a person perceived as propagandizing for a cause without fully comprehending the cause's goals and who is cynically used by the cause's leaders. The term was originally used during the Cold War to describe non-communists regarded as susceptible to communist propaganda and manipulation. The term has often been attributed to Vladimir Lenin, but this attribution has not been substantiated. Malicious Idiots can be defined as those who know their statements are outlandish but utter them for political gain in motivating their base for voting purposes, or for political contributions, or to advance their political agenda. Often these malicious statements are made to "Demonize, Denigrate, Disparage (The Three D's)" their opponents to silence or marginalize them so that the uninformed public will not pay heed to what they are saying.

In my opinion, I believe that the Democrat House leadership and Senators are being malicious, while the Democrat House members are useful idiots. Both the useful and malicious idiots in the Democrat Party are much more likely to use pejoratives than adjectives when commenting on their opponents. This is because, in general, Republican believe their opponents are wrong while Democrats believe that their opponents are evil and pejoratives are justified in the face of evil. In all cases, it is not good for the body politic for Democrats to engage in this outlandish rhetoric. It divides the country and pits one group of Americans against another group. Also, in my opinion, the only way to stop this rhetoric is to make it ineffective by voting out of office those politicians who engage in this outlandish rhetoric. It would also be helpful if "Modern Journalism" called them out for this outlandish rhetoric, but, alas, as Modern Journalism is in the pocket of the Democrat Party, I do not expect that this will happen.  Until voters remove these politicians from office, we can expect that bitter partisanship will continue in America. A red tidal wave election in 2022 would be a good first step in resolving this outlandish rhetoric problem in America. Here’s hoping!

05/11/22 Progressivism and Leftism Is Becoming Totalitarianism

With the recent uproar over the purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk, the Disinformation Governance Board, and the draft opinion of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, it has become even more apparent that Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have a wide and deep totalitarian steak embedded within their psyche. While Leftism has always been totalitarian, Progressivism has drifted toward totalitarianism as they have seen their political power reduced. The election of George Bush to President in 2000 started this drift, while the election of Donald Trump as President in 2016 accelerated and solidified this drift.

They wish to control the free flow of information and impose their policies by government fiat or court rulings. They have often attempted to justify their actions as preserving “our democracy”. But as I have written in my Chirp on "01/11/22 Our Democracy", their meaning of this term is “‘Our Democracy’ = Their Oligarchy”. And Oligarchs often resort to despotism to enforce their rule and often slide into tyranny if their despotism does not succeed.

As I have written in my Chirp on, "02/22/22 Free Speech is Essential", Freedom of Speech is essential to preserve our Liberties and Freedoms, for free speech staves off the encroachments of would-be despots, dictators, and tyrants. Their attempts to control speech, under any guise, are antithetical to our "American Ideals and Ideas". Any speech protected under our 1st Amendment right is allowable and should in no way be restricted, even on "Social Media" and in "Modern Big Business". We should also remember that:

"If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
 - George Washington

Judges are not meant to legislate the law but only to adjudicate the law. The courts are not intended to legislate, execute, craft, or decide policy. They are meant to provide citizens an avenue for recourse to reconcile wrongs for which they have causes of action. They are meant to determine the constitutionality of laws passed by the Legislators and signed by the President. Judicial independence consists of the intellectual honesty and dedication to [the] enforcement of the rule of law regardless of popular sentiment and the ability to render a decision in the absence of political pressures and personal interests.

Today, Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders have resorted to intimidations and threats against Justices and Jurist to sway their opinions and decisions, thus constraining them of their Judicial independence. Peaceful demonstrations in public places are an exercise of your Constitutional Rights. Mob actions of intimidation and threats are not peaceful but terroristic. It is an exercise of raw power, and we should remember the words of caution about power:

“Power is not a means; it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.”
— George Orwell, 1984

As Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct. Therefore, they believe that their policies are what is best for all Americans. Consequently, they have no compunctions in exercising power, as they are fervently convinced that they know better than the American people what is best for America. We should all remember the wisdom of the great economist Thomas Sowell, who once stated:

"The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best?"
- Thomas Sowell

And Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders believe that they should decide what is best for America. Decisions that often resort to despotism to enforce their rule and that may slip into tyranny.

05/09/22 1984 - A Cautionary Tale, Not A Handbook

The dystopian novel ‘1984’ by George Orwell was meant to be a precautionary tale against modern tyranny. Instead, the Democrat Party seems to want to make it into a handbook for the governance of America. The newest and most perverse form of implementing their homogeneity is through Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), a Ministry of Truth and Propaganda, and a partnership with Big Tech, as I have written in my Chirps on “04/05/22 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)”, “04/30/22 Ministry of Truth and Propaganda” and “05/05/22 A Symbiotic Relationship”. My new article, “1984 - A Cautionary Tale, Not A Handbook”, combines these Chirps with additional thoughts on 1984 and our perilous slide toward a 1984 society in America.

05/07/22 Dissemblers of Misinformation

After some online research, I have discovered some of the biggest dissemblers of misinformation in history:

• A Consensus of Leading Geologists has determined that the Theory of Continental Drift is Disinformation
• Abolitionists Continue to Spread Disinformation on the Human Status and Treatment of Slaves According to Leading Democrat Senators
• Austrian physicist, Ludwig Boltzmann, Continues to Spread Disinformation on the Existence of Atoms According to Leading Scientists
• Claims that cigarette smoking cause cancer is Disinformation According to Cigarette Manufacturers
• Colonial Rebels Continue to Spread Disinformation on British Rule in America According to the Prime Minister of Great Britain
• French chemist, Louis Pasteur, Continues to Spread Disinformation about germs and vaccinations According to Leading Doctors
• Greek Philosopher, Socrates, Continues to Spread Disinformation Corrupting the Minds of the Youth of Athens, and for Impiety, According to a Jury of Hundreds of Male Athenian Citizens
• Italian Scientist, Galileo Galilei, Continues to Spread Disinformation on the Sun Revolving Around the Earth According to the Inquisition
• Local Jewish Carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth, Continues to Spread Disinformation Deemed Harmful by Jewish Religious Experts
• Prominent French novelist, Émile Zola, Continues to Spread Disinformation about the Guilt of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, According to French Military Authorities

We should all remember the wisdom of the great economist Thomas Sowell, who once stated:

"The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best?"
- Thomas Sowell

To which I would paraphrase Thomas Sowell on Disinformation:

"The most basic question is not what is disinformation, but who shall decide what is disinformation?"

05/05/22 A Symbiotic Relationship

The Constitution and its Amendments were drafted and implemented to create a Democratic-Republic government of limited and enumerated Federal powers to protect the Liberties and Freedoms of all Americans. As such, the Federal Government is constrained on the direct actions that it may take against individuals exercising their “Natural, Human, and Civil Rights”. Democracy is an unruly form of society with a cacophony of voices, while all governments prefer an orderly society. Consequently, all governments would impose their dictates on society and proscribe which voices are allowed or disallowed. In America, these direct dictates and proscriptions are not permitted under our Constitution.

Given the rise of the regulatory state in the 20th and 21st centuries, the government has become more involved in the affairs of businesses. This has led to businesses becoming more involved in the affairs of government, as they wish to have favorable treatment of governmental laws and regulations. This has also brought forth the concept of Regulatory Capture as I have Chirp on “12/21/21 Regulatory Capture”. This connection between government and business has developed into a symbiotic relationship between the two.

In the 21st century, this symbiotic relationship has morphed into the ability of the government to pressure “Modern Big Business”, and especially “Big Tech”, into taking actions against individuals and groups that would not be permissible for the government to directly undertake. This pressure, along with the acquiescence of “Modern Journalism” in not exposing this business pressure and symbiotic relationship, has led to the suppression of the Natural l Rights of the people and groups that would disagree with governmental actions.

Contacts and communications between business and the Executive branch, along with lobbying and leaks with Congress, are the de rigueur means that are utilized to foster this symbiotic relationship. The Obama and Biden Administrations have turned this cooperation into a de facto means of trying to govern the people of America. This is also made easier by the “Progressives/Leftists” leanings of the owners, managers, and employees in Big Tech and the corruption of Modern Big Business into utilizing “Other People’s Money (OPM)” to support governmental actions.

My Article on “Who Needs Government Suppression When You Have Big Tech Suppression?” is an example of this cooperation, while my Chirps on “04/25/22 The Affairs of Companies”, “02/10/21 Modern Big Business (MBB)”, “10/04/20 Big Business Social Advertising and Financial Support” are also illuminative of this cooperation.

This symbiotic relationship has resulted in the lessening of the Liberties and Freedoms of Americans and may be a violation of the Constitution. It is certainly an infringement on our Natural Rights and of our “American Ideals and Ideas”. As the Presidency and Congress have no interest in dissolving this mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship, and the Supreme Court is reluctant to address this issue (as I have Chirped on “04/15/22 The Supreme Court’s Reluctance”), the American people need to become aware of this symbiotic relationship and demand that it be ended. If not, America will devolve into a Big Brother state governed by Big Government and Big Business.

05/03/22 The Fall of Wikipedia

Before Wikipedia, all we had were printed encyclopedias -- out of date by the time we bought them. Then libertarian Jimmy Wales came up with a web-based, crowd-sourced encyclopedia – Wikipedia. All writing and editing in Wikipedia are done by volunteers. Wales hoped there would be enough diverse political persuasions that biases would be countered by others. But that's not what's happening. I recently learned that Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger now says Wikipedia's political pages have turned into leftist "propaganda."

The world needs an online encyclopedia that provides factual, accurate, and unbiased information that everybody can rely upon. Knowledge is power, but incorrect, insufficient, or tendentious knowledge corrupts power. I have often relied upon Wikipedia in researching and writing my Articles and Chirps, and I often hyperlink to Wikipedia articles in my Articles and Chirps. I, too, have noticed that Wikipedia has drifted to the left in many of its political, social, and current history articles. 

In my Article on "Reasoning", I point out one of the problems of proper reasoning is "Cognitive Biases", and this problem of Cognitive Biases is imbued within most writings and commentary on political, social, and historical issues. While some of this bias at Wikipedia may be nefarious, I believe that most of this is a result of Myside Cognitive Bias, as I have written In my Article, “Myside Bias”. In the book  Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters, by Steven Pinker, he defines Myside Bias as:

“Politically motivated numeracy and other forms of biased evaluations show that people reason their way into or out of a conclusion even when it offers them no personal advantage. It’s enough that the conclusion enhances the correctness or nobility of their political, religious, ethnic, or cultural tribe. It’s called, obviously enough, the Myside bias, and it commandeers every kind of reasoning, even logic. Recall that the validity of a syllogism depends on its form, not its content, but that people let their knowledge seep in and judge an argument valid if it ends in a conclusion they know is true or want to be true.”

I suspect that most of the editors and decision-makers at Wikipedia are Progressives/Leftists in their viewpoints and that they have an unconscious Progressives/Leftists Myside Bias in their editing and decision making. As I have often stated that Progressives/Leftists believe that they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior; they are, of course, always correct. So it is with the editors and decision-makers at Wikipedia in that they assume that they are always correct. This is the root cause for Wikipedia’s drift leftward.

A course correction at Wikipedia is needed to correct this problem. The problem with a course correction is that most Progressives/Leftists have no interest in countenancing any viewpoint other than their own. As such, it may be necessary for Wikipedia to institute new management and perhaps new ownership dedicated to factual, accurate, and unbiased information on Wikipedia. If not, then Wikipedia may sink to irrelevance, and the world will have lost a valuable resource.

05/01/22 The Charles Krauthammer Award for American Commentary

With the checkered history of the Pulitzer Prize, which many consider the gold standard for journalism awards, perhaps it is time that we establish another prize. This prize would be awarded annually for any published commentary in the previous year that supports our "American Ideals and Ideas" and "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". This prize would be based on the truths of our two founding documents:

“The bedrock of our American Ideals and Ideas is the Declaration of Independence. The foundation of our American Ideals and Ideas is the Constitution. Anything that contravenes this bedrock or foundation is anathema to our American Ideals and Ideas and should not be tolerated.”
 - Mark Dawson

Any published commentary in the previous year that supports the concepts and ideology of these two documents would be eligible for this prize. I would suggest that three awards be given every year – the Gold Standard Award, the Silver Standard Award, and the Bronze Standard Award. These awards would, hopefully, encourage the general public to read and think about the contents of these columns. I would also propose that we name this prize after one of the most distinguished columnists and political commentators of the late 20th and early 21st century in America - Charles Krauthammer.

Charles Krauthammer embarked on a career as a columnist and political commentator. In 1985, he began writing a weekly column for The Washington Post, which earned him the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary for his "witty and insightful columns on national issues." He was a weekly panelist on the PBS news program Inside Washington from 1990 until it ceased production in December 2013. Krauthammer had been a contributing editor to The Weekly Standard, a Fox News Channel contributor, and a nightly panelist on Fox News Channel's Special Report with Bret Baier until his death in June 2018.

Charles Krauthammer did not write many books, but he wrote many columns. Two books by him and his son are a powerful collection of the influential columnist’s most important works; “Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics” and “The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors”. Columns of this nature would be the basis for this ‘Charles Krauthammer Award for American Commentary’.

04/30/22 Ministry of Truth and Propaganda

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified on Wednesday, April 27th, 2022, that the Department of Homeland Security has created a "Disinformation Governance Board" to combat misinformation ahead of the 2022 midterms. This DHS board will be led by Undersecretary for Policy Rob Silvers, co-chaired with principal deputy general counsel Jennifer Gaskill. The executive director will be Nina Jankowicz, a 33-year-old, highly self-confident young woman who is a known disassembler of misinformation from the left (most particularly that Hunter Biden’s laptop was Russian disinformation).

In the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, written by English writer George Orwell, he describes ‘The Ministry of Truth’ (Newspeak: Minitrue) that is the ministry of propaganda. As with the other ministries in the novel, the name Ministry of Truth is a misnomer because, in reality, it serves the opposite: it is responsible for any necessary falsification of historical events. However, like the other ministries, the name is also apt because it decides what "truth" is in Oceania. As well as administering "truth", the ministry spreads a new language amongst the populace called Newspeak, in which, for example, "truth" is understood to mean statements like 2 + 2 = 5 when the situation warrants. In keeping with the concept of doublethink, the ministry is thus aptly named in that it creates/manufactures "truth" in the Newspeak sense of the word. The book describes the doctoring of historical records to show a government-approved version of events. At the time that this book was written, the concern was that the government would become corrupt, coercive, and oppressive to the people. Today, the concern is that the Disinformation Governance Board will act as The Ministry of Truth.

This Disinformation Governance Board also harkens to NAZI Germany, when the lead “truth” teller was Joseph Goebbels, the Propaganda Minister of the Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. His successful lying allowed the Nazis to obtain and retain power and commit some of the most atrocious crimes against humanity in human history. Successful lying always leads to bad consequences and often unintended negative consequences, and successful lying by people in power leads to tragic consequences for the Natural and Human rights of individuals within the power of the liars. The Ministry of Propaganda was backed up by the Gestapo, the political police force of the Nazi state that enforced NAZI truths and harshly persecuted anyone who would not conform to NAZI ideas and ideology.

I can also see ghosts of the Inquisition, when the Catholic Church set up courts whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Courts whose verdicts were often preordained, and punishments were often severe and sometimes included death by burning. The accused were often imprisoned and tortured before the trial, and they were given little recourse to defend themselves at trial.

In thinking about the role of the Disinformation Governance Board, we should also remember the wisdom of the great economist Thomas Sowell, who once stated:

"The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best?"
- Thomas Sowell

To which I would paraphrase Thomas Sowell on the Disinformation Governance Board:

"The most basic question is not what is disinformation, but who shall decide what is disinformation?"

As I have Chirped on "08/24/21 Their Lips are Moving", the Biden Administration are congenital liars, and we can therefore expect that this Disinformation Governance Board will function as the Ministry of Truth and Propaganda. Lying is often a strong word to use, as sometimes they are just mistakes or confusion. However, the sheer number and scope of the Biden Administration's lies demonstrate that they are not mistakes or confusion but deliberate attempts to mislead the American public.

Given that the Department of Homeland Security is a law enforcement agency, and it is the second most heavily armed department behind the Department of Defense, one wonders what actions they will take to address misinformation. Even if they take no direct actions other than words of disapproval or condemnation, the intimidation factor is so large that it will silence Free Speech in America. As I have Chirped on, "03/12/21 Free Speech is Essential", as, without Free Speech, democracy is dead, and despotism is the law of the land. If they do take any actions against the people in America, then they have become the Inquisitors and Gestapo in America.

My revulsion to the idea of a Disinformation Governance Board cannot be overstated. It is an assault on our Liberties and Freedoms and our Constitutional Rights, as I have Chirped on, "09/01/20 The Assault on Our Constitutional Rights". This Disinformation Governance Board needs to be disbanded immediately, and all those government officials who were involved in its creation and administration need to be removed from government service, as they have proven themselves to be antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas. Anyone who countenances or endorses the idea of a government disinformation agency is despicable and not to be trusted with power, as they too are antithetical to our American Ideals and Ideas.

04/29/22 Read, Don’t Read Into

In my "Dialog & Debate" article section on "Putting Words into Another's Mouth", I point out that many people do not read or listen to the actual words someone has written or spoken, but read into meanings of the words, then criticize a person based on the reading into words. This putting words into someone’s mouth, then criticizing the words you put into their mouth is another argumentative technique too often utilized in today’s political discussions and debates. This technique is to rephrase or restate what someone has said in the most negative connotation possible or to add negative statements into another’s mouth. The person who puts the words into another’s mouth then goes on to criticize the words they put into someone’s mouth. This is a dishonest and despicable tactic and a wholly inappropriate manner to debate political issues. It is often done to disparage, denigrate, or demonize someone in the hope that the audience will not pay attention to what the other person actually said. It is your responsibility to only speak your own thoughts and reasoning or to quote the words of another person in critiquing another person. After both sides have laid out their reasoning and conclusions, then it is fair to critique the reasoning or conclusions of the other based on what they have stated, not what you have stated for them.

In writing my Chirps and Articles, I am very careful of the words, terms, and expressions I utilize and to say what I mean and mean what I say. An example of being careful of what you say or write is from a sentence I encountered in my recent readings:

“America’s first president (George Washington) never took a college course and still managed to be the most influential person of his time.”

The phrase ‘to be the most’ implies he was more influential than the other Founding Fathers - such as Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, etc. This assertion about George Washington is highly debatable and unresolvable, for it is impossible to determine who was the most influential of these luminaries. A more historically accurate phrase would be ‘to be one of the most’, and the sentence would have read:

“America’s first president (George Washington) never took a college course and still managed to be one of the most influential persons of his time.”

In writing my Articles and Chirps, I try to avoid assertions without justification, with these justifications being succinct and without ambiguity. If it is not possible to be succinct in a Chirp, I will hyperlink to an article on the topic or to another Chirp that has a lengthier justification. In all my writings, I attempt to be unambiguous so that there can be no misinterpretation of the meaning of what I am asserting.

When reading or listening to another, I keep this in mind and only mentally note questionable assertions and ambiguous justifications. It is only after the person has finished do I critique based on the actual words they have said or written. This is most difficult when reading a book due to the lengthy nature of books. I, therefore, will often pause after reading a chapter and critique the chapter, often rereading certain paragraphs where I have mentally noted an issue that I may have had with a paragraph(s).

If we all kept this in mind, along with my thoughts on "A Civil Society" and “Criticism vs. Critique”, there would be less acrimony and bitter partisanship in our public dialog and debate.

04/28/22 Criticism vs. Critique

The only acceptable method of public discourse is disagreement - to be of different opinions. If you are in disagreement with someone, you should be cognizant that people of good character can and often disagree with each other. The method of their disagreement is very important to achieving civil discourse, as I have written in my Article on “A Civil Society” and my new Article “Criticism vs. Critique”. There are two ways you can disagree with someone; by criticizing their opinions or beliefs or critiquing their opinions or beliefs.

• Criticism - Disapproval that is expressed by pointing out faults or shortcomings.
• Critique - A serious examination and judgment of something.

Most people and most commentators have forgotten the difference between Criticism and Critique. This has led to hyper-partisanship in today’s society. In a civil society critiquing a viewpoint or policy position should be encouraged. This will often allow for a fuller consideration of the issues and perhaps a better viewpoint or policy position without invoking hyper-partisanship. We can expect that partisanship will often occur, as people of good character can and often disagree with each other. Criticizing a viewpoint or policy position will often lead to hostility, rancor, and enmity, which results in the breakdown of civil discourse and hyper-partisanship. It is fine to criticize someone for their bad or destructive behavior, but it is best to critique them for their opinions or words. We would all do better if we remembered to critique someone rather than criticize someone.

Please remember that if you disagree with the messenger, it is not acceptable to kill the messenger. You may kill the messenger, but the message will remain.

04/27/22 The Real World

Most Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists do not have real-world solutions but rhetoric that translates into bad policies in the real world. This is evident from the 2020 elections when Democrats ran on rhetoric and then instituted policies that have had disastrous consequences for America. On the International stage, the Afghanistan debacle, the Ukrainian War, the proposed Iran Deal, and the threats of Russia and China, on the National stage, the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase of crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problem, to gas price increases, to inflation, and to a host of other issues their rhetoric has translated in bad policies for America and Americans.

They put into place an addled President Biden, who exhibits all the signs of dementia, and turned over power to Progressives/Leftists ideologues in his administration. They also put into place a Vice-President who is obviously incompetent on both foreign and domestic issues and is unfit to become President. His Cabinet Secretaries appear to be overwhelmed by their tasks and incapable of exercising their duties and responsibilities. This is not the adults being in charge, as they often claimed in the 2020 elections.

The leftists' members of Congress seem to be running the show in Congress and directing legislative decisions. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer have been ineffective, thank God, in fully implementing their bad policies. No attempts were made by Speaker Pelosi or Majority Leader Schumer to ameliorate the bad policies of the Biden Administration, and indeed, they often supported these bad policies.

The dysfunction of the Democrat Party at all levels of government has led to dysfunction in America. As Victor Davis Hanson has stated in his recent article, “How America Became La La Land”, ‘America these last 14 months resembles a dystopia.’ He concludes ‘First, all of these problems are self-induced. They did not exist until Biden birthed them for ideological or political reasons.’ and ‘The common denominator? Biden knows that he inherited a stable, prosperous America and has nearly ruined it.”

This is a conclusion with which I wholeheartedly agree. My hope is that the American people now recognize that Progressive and Leftists ideas and ideals do not work in the real world and are destructive. A destruction that can only be stopped by voting Democrats out of office until they reform themselves and propose real-world solutions to the problems that beset America. The Red Wave that many are predicting in the 2022 elections needs to be a Red Tidal Wave at all levels of government to stop this destruction. Even then, it will take many years and a Republican President to undo the damage that Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists have inflicted upon America.

04/25/22 The Affairs of Companies

In the recent clash between Disney and Florida about the state's recently passed parental rights bill, Colorado’s Governor Polis recently Tweeted that “we don’t meddle in affairs of companies” He also is urging Disney to move to Colorado after the Florida legislature stripped the company of its special exemptions. The invitation is but grandstanding, as Colorado does not have the weather conditions for a year-round amusement park that Disney would require. As to the comment that “we don’t meddle in affairs of companies”, I would ask Governor Polis if Colorado allows companies to meddle in affairs of the State, as Disney was attempting to do in Florida.

As I have Chirped on, "02/10/21 Modern Big Business (MBB)", "11/18/21 Fascist Corporatism", and "10/15/20 Stakeholder Capitalism is a Form of Socialism on a Small Scale" companies meddling in affairs not related to their business has become more common in America today.

In my "Terminology" webpage, I note that "Modern Big Business" has branched out to social activism, rather than constraining themselves to provide products and services in a timely manner that the common man can afford. In doing so, they are taking company monies from their shareholders' profits, increasing customers' prices, or both to spend on their social activism. For a company to spend monies on social activism, for which the other people may not agree, without the permission of the other people, is immoral, as I have written in my Article, “Other People’s Money (OPM)”. In the advertising of their social activism, they are also skewering the political and social environment to fit their vision of good social policy, as they do not present a balanced viewpoint of this social activism. And most of this social activism by companies has a decidedly Progressive/Leftists orientation.

The reactions of Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists to the clash between Disney and Florida are also illuminative. When a company such as Chick-fil-A or Hobby Lobby expresses conservative values, they are often aghast and condemnable of the company. However, for any company that expresses Progressives/Leftists values, they are supportive and encouraging of their efforts. This reveals that they are not concerned about the interactions between companies and government but only concerned with expanding their political agenda.

Disney’s words and deeds in Florida thrust them into the political arena. When you enter the political arena, you must be prepared for political repercussions. Disney is now suffering these political repercussions, as they should have expected. This should be a lesson for any company that enters the political arena that there is no free lunch, and political actions by companies will have political repercussions upon companies.

For my own part, I believe that companies should only be involved in government actions that impact the operations of their company. Any government actions outside of impacts on a business are no business of a company. And no "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning" and "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors" by companies to justify their non-business interactions with the government should be acceptable.

04/23/22 Mankind Was My Business

As I have Chirped on, "03/31/22 A Global Economy", for the last several decades, we have seen businesspersons and politicians tote the advantages of a ‘Global Economy’. Businesspersons for the purposes of expanding their market share in foreign countries and for the purpose of manufacturing goods at a lower cost in countries with lower labor costs. Politicians for the purpose of bringing less free countries into the political sphere in the hopes that they would become freer and more supportive of America. One of the main beneficiaries of this Global Economy has been China, and the main failure of this Global Economy is China.

China has thrived economically while, at the same time, it has remained belligerent to the ideals of Liberty and Freedom and rarely supportive of America. Indeed, as America has become more dependent on inexpensive Chinese goods, China has been pressing against American interests. We have also seen negative impacts on American jobs and manufacturing as more businesses outsource their manufacturing to China. This has been especially hard on middle America and middle-class Americans. At the same time, the business management of multi-national companies has become more compliant with China’s interests and propensities as they have become more entangled in China.

These propensities of China include the gross violations of the human rights of its citizens for the purposes of political power. The actions and inactions of China in the origination and the contagion of the Covid-19 pandemic were reprehensible and impacted the entire world due to China’s inclusion in the Global Economy. China’s recent gross human rights violations of its own citizens in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Xinjiang, along with its actions in Tibet, and its attempts to suppress Falun Gong in both China and the rest of the world, demonstrate that the Chinese government has no regard for human rights or the opinions of the rest of the world. The usage of forced or slave labor occurs throughout China and sometimes in the manufacture of goods for multi-national companies. In all of these Chinese actions, the multi-national companies turned a blind eye or rationalized China’s actions. After all, it is good business for them as it increases their profit margins or reduces their costs of doing business.

In this multi-national business amenableness to China, I am reminded of a passage from Charles Dicken's story ‘A Christmas Carol’. When Scrooge is confronted by the suffering ghost of Marley, all draped in chains and locks because of his actions in life, Scrooge exclaims:

“But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,' faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself.

“’Business!' cried Marley’s Ghost, wringing its hands again. ‘Mankind was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The deals of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!’”
 - Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

And so, it is, for these business people who are amenable to China’s human rights violations. But the suffering, chains, and locks they are imposing are not occurring in the next life but in the current lives of the Chinese people and all humankind. And we in America are complicit in this suffering, chains, and locks, as we allow these businesspeople to be amenable to China’s actions. We in America bear some of this responsibility due to our dependency on imported goods from China, our desire for inexpensive goods despite the human costs, and often ignorance of the full extent of China’s Human Rights violations. By allowing these businesspersons to be amenable to China’s human rights violations, we are creating our own suffering, chains, and locks in the next life. But like Scrooge, we have the possibility of freeing ourselves from an afterlife of suffering, chains, and locks due to our inactions or complacency. This can only happen if we insist that the multi-national businesspersons stop being amenable to China’s human rights violations and insist that China reform itself if they wish to be involved in the Global Economy.

May God have mercy on America, and our own souls, if we do not take the moral, ethical, and proper actions to help China reform itself and end these gross human rights violations.

04/21/22 The Real Hate Speech

No rational person likes hate speech, but a rational person also understands that preserving free speech entails the toleration of hate speech. As I have Chirped on, "02/22/22 Free Speech is Essential". The best means to counter hate speech is more free speech in opposition to hate speech. It is also an unfortunate fact that many assertions of hate speech are often based on policy disagreements rather than ‘hate’, and they are often lodged in an attempt to silence the opposition.

There is also a category of hate speech that is often not acknowledged in modern America, as it is subtle hate speech, but it has far-reaching consequences. This is a hate speech that attempts to demonize America or individuals or groups of Americans. Some of the common terms for this form of hate speech are: ‘White Supremacist, ‘White Privilege’, ‘Racist’, and ‘Systemic Racism’. These terms are often utilized to foster hate that is often not justified but done for political purposes. America has had these problems in our past, as all societies and nations have and have these problems in their past and present history. Some of these problems still exist in America, but they are not as widespread or as rooted as those who utilize these terms would have you believe. These problems, when they occur in America, are often swiftly addressed to correct them to ensure a just society in America. This is one of the greatness of America, as Americans are willing to acknowledge and correct problems in our society. These hate speech terms are most often utilized for sowing political divisions and garnering votes by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, and not to correct these problems when they are encountered.

Rather than addressing the real ills in America of "Systemic Family, Education, and Faith Problems", they continue to utilize these terms, along with espousing other hateful terms associated with "The Biggest Falsehoods in America", to obtain and retain political power. The utilization of these terms also fosters a victim mentality in many Americans, which often leads to improper rationalisms to justify violent mob actions and criminal activities of the supposed victims. This victim mentality often leads to mental health problems in the supposed victims that prevent them from living a healthy and productive life. Depression, anger, and hate are not healthy and often lead to actions or inactions that do not improve your life. They also lead to making improper political decisions as to the solutions to the ills that beset America.

The statistics of ‘White Supremacist, ‘White Privilege’, ‘Racist’, and ‘Systemic Racism’ in America do not bear out these hate speech terms and often contradict these assertions. Consequently, the people who utilize these terms are either ignorant or demagoguing. Either way, they are people who do not love and wish to improve America, but they wish to transform America into some utopian ideal, as I have Chirp on, "11/23/21 Why Do They Hate America?". Such people should not be heeded, nor should they have any power in America, for their attempts to transform America will only bring about the destruction of America.

04/19/22 The Take Over of America

America is in the process of being taken over by political policies and agendas that are antithetical to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and to our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". This takeover is being accomplished by Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders, with the assistance of Modern Big Business, and most especially by Big Tech and Modern Journalism.

This takeover is succeeding because of an appalling lack of proper history and civics education in our Public Education system. Due to this lack of education, the American people have little basis for understanding the societal impacts of these political policies and agendas. Therefore, they often fall prey to ideas that sound good but have negative repercussions on our society.

This takeover was foreshadowed by some that wished to change, or preserve, America. The former is encapsulated in the words of Alexander Trachtenberg, speaking at the National Convention of Communist Parties in Madison Square Garden in 1994:

“When we get ready to take the United States we will not take you under the label of Communism, we will not take you under the label of Socialism. . .We will take the United States under labels we have made very lovable; we will take it under Liberalism, under Progressivism, under Democracy. But take it we will.”

If he had known about the future of Big Tech, he might have added, “We will take it under the banner of ‘community standards’, ‘disinformation and misinformation’, and the ‘hate speech’ algorithms of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.”

It is, therefore, imperative that Elon Musk is successful in his takeover of Twitter, as he is a stalwart supporter of Free Speech. If he can instill Free Speech on Twitter, he may institute a course correction in the other Big Tech firms. A course correction that is desperately needed to preserve America as a society dedicated to Liberties and Freedoms.

04/17/22 The Slippery Slope

When discussing a politician’s stance on a thorny political issue, many people in opposition to the politician’s stance respond that they can ‘work with that’ or they are ‘a realist’ to seek accommodation or bipartisanship for a solution to the thorny political issue. Rarely, however, is the politician interested in accommodation or bipartisanship when it comes to thorny political issues, but only interested in advancing their political agenda.

There is also the problem that thorny political issues often involve a conflict of the nature of our society, and this invokes issues and concerns of Natural, Human, and Civil Rights. To seek accommodation or bipartisanship often involves infringements on our Natural, Human, or Civil Rights or allows for the continuation or expansion of infringements to our Natural, Human, or Civil Rights.

The classic example of this in modern American history is when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested in Birmingham, AL, for leading a peaceful civil disobedience to protest against the Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights violations of blacks that were common in the South (and other parts of America) at the time. Many clergy and civil leaders encouraged him to be a ‘realist’ and ‘work with’ them and others to change the laws. Dr. King wrote a letter from his jail cell, "Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’", which eloquently explained that you could not work with or be a realist when there are violations of Natural, Human, or Civil Rights. As I have Chirp on "02/13/22 Rebellion Against Unjust Laws" and "10/05/21 Unjust Laws and Civil Disobedience", you must oppose unjust laws, and you should oppose unjust lawgivers; otherwise, you will end up living in an unjust society.

Therefore, you cannot be ‘a realist’ or ‘work with that’ when faced with infringements to our Natural, Human, or Civil Rights. A small degree of being a realist or working with, in a series of small realisms and small working with, adds up to a large degree of injustice and despotism to enforce the injustice. Consequently, the problem with being ‘a realist’ or ‘work with that’ is that it allows for the slippery slope of a glide down into despotism.

04/15/22 The Supreme Court's Reluctance

My new Article, “The Supreme Court's Reluctance”, examines the issues that the Supreme Court appears to be reluctant to address forthrightly. But these issues must be fully and forthrightly resolved to assure the Liberties and Freedoms of all Americans in the future. These issues are:

• Restrictions on Religious Freedoms
• The Recognition of Natural Rights
• Non-Governmental Restrictions on Natural Rights

A hornet’s nest of legal implications and ramifications for the Supreme Court to address, but a hornet’s nest for society if they cannot, or will not, address this hornet’s nest. Without the preservation of our Natural Rights, our society will degenerate into subservience and subjugation to the will of governmental and non-governmental actors. Liberty and Freedom will become abstract concepts that are virtually nonexistent in the functioning of our society. This will rip our society apart, and as President Abraham Lincoln said - ‘the last best hope of earth’ will be relegated to the dustbin of history. The Supreme Court, and all of us, should also remember the words of wisdom from the Irish-born British statesman, economist, and philosopher - Edmund Burke:

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing."
 - Edmund Burke

04/13/22 Presumption of Innocence

The Presumption of Innocence is the principle that one is considered innocent unless proven guilty. It was traditionally expressed by the Latin maxim ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat (“the burden of proof is on the one who declares, not on one who denies”). In the United States, the Presumption of Innocence is a legal right of the accused in a criminal trial, and it is an international human right under the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Under the presumption of innocence, the legal burden of proof is thus on the prosecution, which must collect and present compelling evidence to the trier of fact. The trier of fact (a judge or a jury) is thus restrained and ordered by law to consider only actual evidence and testimony presented in court. The prosecution must, in most cases, prove that the accused is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. If reasonable doubt remains, the accused must be acquitted. In America, the Presumption of Innocence is inherent in the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution.

In the court of public opinion, the Presumption of Innocence is not required, but it is advisable, especially when a person is accused of criminal activities. For if you do not presume innocence, then the accused stands to lose their reputation, employment, wealth, future opportunities, and even family and friends based on unproven allegations or assertions. These items should not be lightly taken from anyone without proof of wrongdoing, and the proof being credible, verifiable, and substantiated. The question is, then, how can you judge an allegation or assertion of wrongdoing? The answer to this question is in another article I have written: “Who are you to Judge?”. I would encourage you to review this article at your convenience.

Today, in America, we have forgotten or have chosen to ignore this Presumption of Innocence in the court of public opinion. From a political zeal to discredit an opponent to disparage someone with whom we disagree, the presumption of guilt until innocence is proven is commonplace. For someone to have to prove their innocence is equivalent to Proving a Negative (i.e., prove you didn't say or do something). One of the things that western society has learned is that you cannot prove a negative and, historically, forcing someone to prove a negative has led to witches being burned at the stake, heretic’s being executed, lynching’s occurring, summary executions taking place, as well as many other violations of human rights. Today, in the court of public opinion, the presumption of guilt until innocence is proven has led to an uncivil society, as I have written in my Article, "A Civil Society".

From the very beginning (and even before) the administration of President Trump, Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists, and the Mainstream Media made little pretense of the Presumption of Innocence of President Trump and his associates. Statements by these parties and the pervasive news coverage were practically all based on rumors and innuendo that presumed guilt. To not keep an open mind and the Presumption of Innocence is an attempt to preordain an outcome, an outcome not based on evidence. It also led these parties to make many outrageous statements that were proved by the Special Prosecutor to be false in the Russian Collusion Delusion. Indeed, all of their presumptions of guilt of President Trump and his associates have been shown to be false presumptions of guilt.

Today, the Presumption of Innocence in the court of public opinion is being played out in the case of Hunter Biden’s activities in the last two decades. Assertions and allegations of pay to play, influence peddling, money laundering, and other criminal actions are being asserted against President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, as well as President Biden’s brothers Frank and James. Per an article in ProPublica, the brothers have become rich because of the ties to then-Senator, then Vice-President, and now President Biden. The veracity of these allegations is high, as we have had the public disclosure of the contents of Hunter Biden’s laptop, which he abandoned at a computer repair shop. He is entitled to a Presumption of Innocence in any judicial proceeding that he may face, and the public should be concerned about his actions but be wary of any allegations and assertions of guilt in the court of public opinion.

My concern is that the very people that are asserting Hunter Biden’s Presumption of Innocence in the court of public opinion are the very people who asserted the guilt of President Trump and his associates in the court of public opinion. Their protestations of Hunter Biden’s Presumption of Innocence bespeak of rank hypocrisy and political gamesmanship considering their assertions of their Presumption of Guilt of President Trump and his associates in the recent past. Such people are not to be trusted nor heeded, as they are not interested in the concepts of the Presumption of Innocence but are only interested in politics. And when it comes to the questions of a person’s Presumption of Innocence, politics should never be a consideration.

04/11/22 A Successful President

The President of the United States has a job description. It appears in the specific document that creates the position: the Constitution of the United States. A successful president does the following things well:

• “Faithfully execute[s] the Office … and … preserve[s], protect[s] and defend[s] the Constitution of the United States.”
• Signs and vetoes bills, using responsible criteria.
• Serves as Commander in Chief of the armed forces.
• Enforces the laws faithfully.
• Grants pardons in appropriate circumstances.
• With some congressional input, conducts foreign policy. (This is a summary of several more specific responsibilities.)
• Appoints and commissions judges and other officers, sometimes subject to Senate approval and sometimes not.
• Nominates a qualified person to fill the vice presidency when there is a vacancy.
• Provides Congress with information on the condition of the country (“State of the Union”).
• Recommends to Congress “such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”
• In certain circumstances, convenes and adjourns Congress.

Many historians and other organizations like to rank the presidents, but rarely are these rankings based upon the above criteria. A recent article by Rob Natelson, “Using the Constitution to Re-Rank the Presidents”, explains the above criteria and why ranking by historians and other organizations is often improper as:

“I think there are two primary reasons for these anomalies. First, when you limit participation to academics, your pool is overwhelmingly left-of-center. Liberals and leftists value big government, and naturally they like presidents who share their agenda. Second, these surveys generally ask respondents to judge presidents by criteria that do not measure presidential performance well. They include questions such as whether a president ‘made a difference’ (changed America in some way), ‘achieved his goals,’ or had ‘vision’.”

These historians and the other organizations' criteria for ranking a president are very subjective and open to debate. However, if you conduct such a debate based on improper criteria, you will obtain improper rankings. Therefore, such rankings are often misleading, and are ideological preferences and not objectively based on the Constitutional duties and responsibilities of a President. As they are often done for political considerations and to sway popular political opinion, Americans should, therefore, disregard these rankings. Americans should also insist that the President abide by their job description and not exceed their duties and responsibilities.

04/09/22 A Diplomatic Solution

In my chirp on, “03/25/22 In War There is No Substitute for Victory”, I discuss the importance of victory in a war. As the war in Ukraine rages on and atrocities against civilians mount, many are hoping that we can arrive at a peaceful diplomatic solution to end the war and restore peace in Ukraine. For those that are desirous of peace, I would remind you of the words of a great philosopher:

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."
  - Baruch Spinoza

Will a peaceful diplomatic solution in Ukraine restore justice to Ukraine or instill a benevolent state of mind in Russia toward Ukraine? Will a peaceful diplomatic solution require Russia to turn over to an international court those persons accused of war crimes in Ukraine? Will a peaceful diplomatic solution require Russia to pay restitution to the Ukrainian people who suffered death, injury, and property losses as a result of Russia’s actions during the war? Will a peaceful diplomatic solution require Russia to pay restitution to Ukraine for the destruction of its infrastructure and economy by its Crime of Aggression in the invasion of Ukraine?

I do not expect any of the above to happen in a peaceful diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian war. Therefore, there will be no ‘peaceful’ solution in Ukraine, only a cessation of hostilities without justice in Ukraine. There will also be no deterrence against Russia engaging in future Crimes of Aggression against Ukraine or any other country that they may target in the future. It also sends a signal to other countries that they could engage in Crimes of Aggression and suffer little consequences if they negotiate a peaceful diplomatic solution to end the wars that they started.

A peaceful diplomatic solution is only possible before an aggressive war begins. Any peaceful diplomatic solution to end any war requires “a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice" to restore peace. Otherwise, it is just a cessation of hostilities that can lead to future hostilities and not ‘Peace’.

04/07/22 Who is Responsible for Inflation?

A new San Francisco Federal Reserve study that was recently released contains a chart showing that U.S. inflation spiked in early 2021 at almost precisely the same moment that President Biden signed his massive $1.9 trillion Covid 'relief' bill. This study, titled 'Why Is U.S. Inflation Higher than in Other Countries?' compares inflation in the U.S. to inflation in other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries across a group of OECD economies: Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In this study, they relied on core inflation measures, which removed the more volatile food and energy prices that would have increased inflation for both the U.S. and OECD countries in the study. A simple chart that they produced is worth a thousand words:

President Biden started out denying inflation was long-term or claiming it only impacted wealthy persons, then swiveled to blaming unforeseeable circumstances and greedy companies for the rise in inflation, and he has now pivoted to blaming Putin and the War in Ukraine for inflation. If the latter was the case, why has inflation spiked before the War in Ukraine, and why is inflation spiking greater in the United States than in the OECD countries. Although the War in Ukraine has contributed to inflation, the main cause of inflation is the economic policies of the Biden administration. Don’t be fooled by President Biden’s rhetoric, but carefully consider the inflationary impacts of the economic policies of the Biden administration.

04/05/22 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)

Governments and  Modern Big Business have begun to create Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) departments within their agencies or companies. A common description of DEI is that Diversity is the characteristics and experiences, both seen and unseen, that make everyone unique. Equity is ensuring fair access to opportunities and resources, while taking into consideration individual’s barriers or privileges and eliminating systemic barriers and privileges. While Inclusion is the actions taken to understand, embrace, and leverage the unique identities and perspectives of all individuals so that all feel welcomed, valued, and supported.

While the ideals of DEI are lofty, they are often very difficult to quantify in legal terms. And while the objective of DEI is noble, the means to achieve them are often ignoble. DEI has often been implemented by the suppression of workplace speech within their agencies or companies and the limiting of employment and promotions to those persons who fit within their DEI criteria. As always, whenever you are trying to determine what is best, the question is:

"The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best?"
- Thomas Sowell

As most DEI departments are staffed by "Progressives/Leftists", their decisions have a conscience or unconscious bias on which persons fit within their DEI criteria and the policies that will be utilized to implement DEI. And much of the time, they decide in a manner that excludes conservative or traditional values. As I have often stated - ‘Progressives believe that as they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior they are, of course, always correct.’ They, therefore, believe that their DEI policies are what is best for their agencies or companies and need not consider ideas and opinions of differing viewpoints.

The real-world reality of DEI is that it is ERC (Exclusion, Redistribution, and Conformity), for the following reasons.

Diversity is Exclusion of non-diverse persons, as it is a form of discrimination where all people that are not considered diverse can be discriminated against.

Equity is Redistribution of Resources as in "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", a slogan popularized by Karl Marx in his 1875 Critique of the Gotha Programme. The principle refers to free access to and distribution of goods, capital and services, which is the goal of Equity.

Inclusion is Conformity of Thought, as they have no interest in any person being included who would differ from their thoughts.

A better acronym than DEI is DIE, for that is what will happen to American society if DEI is normalized in America. It is also true that many of the DEI policies and decisions are an assault on the Free Speech and other Natural Rights of their workforce. In this, they are in violation of our Constitutional Rights and Non-Discriminatory Civil Rights laws, rules, and regulations. As such, DEI has promoted more harm than good in American society and needs to be discontinued in all arenas in which it exists.

04/03/22 The Wars You Don’t Fight

No one should want to fight a war, especially a war that has no direct impact on yourself. However, not only should you consider fighting a war that has a direct impact, but you should also consider fighting a war that does not have a direct impact but may eventually engulf yourself. Such indirect wars are hard to justify but even harder to determine if there could be a justification.

I have extracted my previous Chirps on this topic into a new Article, “The Wars You Don’t Fight” that examines the issue of to fight, or to not fight, a war. As I further chirp on the this topic I will be adding these Chirps to this article as to have a running commentary on this subject of war and peace.

04/01/22 Three Years of Chirping

It was three years ago today that I began to write and post my Chirps and Article about subjects that have piqued my interest or curiosity, or my ire or indignation, as well as the knowledge that I have gained. In this, I have tried to impart the knowledge and wisdom that I have garnered over several decades. I have endeavored to do this in an intelligent manner, utilizing "Rationality" and "Reasoning" rather than in an emotional outburst.

I hope that you have enjoyed or at least considered my thoughts on the topics that I have written about.  In many of my Chirps and Articles, I have written about my personal experiences that have led me to my thoughts and conclusions. I have related the stories of my life to many of my personal friends, and several of these friends have commented that I should write down these stories. I, therefore, have decided to do so. However, the effort required to do so will be time-consuming and detract from my writing Chirps and Articles. Therefore, over the next several months, you may notice a decrease in my Chirps and Articles as I expend more of my time writing the stories of my life.

Most people have many stories from their lives that have impacted their lives, both positively and negatively. The important question is if they have learned the lessons of these stories and utilized these lessons to improve their lives. These stories from my life will be both about the good and bad and the bitter and the sweet occurrences in my life. Many will be about the bad and bitter, as I have often said:

"True Wisdom Most Often Comes from Bitter Experience... Considered!"
  - Mark Dawson

Many people utilize the stories from their lives as an excuse for their current situation in life rather than a reason to improve their lives. I, however, for as long as I can remember, have examined the stories of my life and the lessons learned from these stories to try to improve myself and become a better person, as I have written in my Article "Be the Better Person". Many of these stories have led me to my Pearls of Wisdom, which I have utilized to guide my life. I hope that these stories will help you in examining your own life, learn the lessons from your own stories, and become a better person based on your own life experiences.

When I have finished writing these ‘Stories from an Examined Life’, I shall create a webpage of these stories. I do this in the hopes that these stories will help you understand why I believe what I believe, why I have reached the conclusions in my Chirps and Articles, and how I obtained my wisdom by examining and learning the lessons from these stories of my life.

03/31/22 A Global Economy

For the last several decades, we have seen businesspersons and politicians tote the advantages of a ‘Global Economy’. Businesspersons for the purposes of expanding their market share in foreign countries and for the purpose of manufacturing goods at a lower cost in countries with lower labor costs. Politicians for the purpose of bringing less free countries into the political sphere in the hopes that they would become freer and more supportive of America. The question is, have they achieved these goals after several decades of a Global Economy?

It is true that businesses have increased their markets overseas and lowered the cost of their goods to Americans. But this has also come at a cost that has impacted America. Manufacturing and its supporting jobs have been lost in America and impacted the well-being of many Americans. America has become more dependent on other countries for the essential goods needed in our society. Businesses have also become more dependent on foreign governments to sustain their growth. This dependence has made them more concerned with foreign government's interests and more subservient to foreign government's policies and dictates than with America and American interests. These multi-national businesses have become international in their standpoints and less concerned about what is best for America and Americans. Indeed, they will work to the detriment of America if it is to the benefit or advantage of the foreign countries with which they have economic ties.

Many foreign countries have been exploitive of their labor force and, in some cases, have utilized forced labor in manufacturing. The workplace conditions for their labor force are often appalling, and the health and safety of the labor force are often neglected. The prosperity of their labor force often comes at the expense of the humane, health, and safety of the individual workers, and often their Liberties and Freedoms.

It is not true that these foreign countries have become much freer and more supportive of America. They have often become more aggressive in opposition to America as they have gained more economic influence upon America. And they have not reformed themselves to become more supportive of the Liberties and Freedoms of their citizens. Whatever gains their citizens have made in Liberty and Freedom have been for the purposes of making them more economically competitive and not for the benefit of political Freedom and Liberty. The Natural Rights of their citizens are not recognized and often suppressed to retain and maintain the power of their illegitimate and corrupt governments. For no government can be legitimate if, as the Declaration of Independent states:

“That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

It is past time that we ended this type of Global Economy and replaced it with a Global Economy of Liberty and Freedom-loving countries (Favored Nations) versus those countries not supportive of Liberty and Freedom (Unfavored Nations). Imports and exports between Favored Nations would have few restrictions, while Imports and exports to and from Unfavored Nations would be highly regulated. Until these Unfavored Nations reform themselves to be supportive of the Liberties and Freedoms of their citizens, they should have minimal economic ties to Favored Nations. Multi-national businesses need to have standpoints in support of Liberties and Freedoms, and American multi-national businesses should not be allowed to operate to the detriment of America and Americans. And it is not up to the multi-national businesses in America to determine what is or is not to the detriment of America and Americans, as that is the prerogative of Congress under the regulation of foreign commerce in Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the Constitution.

While it may be difficult to bring about this change to the Global Economy, it is imperative that we do so if we wish to save our Liberties and Freedoms while maintaining a healthy and robust economy in America. This would, of course, require legislators who recognize this situation and be supportive of a change to the Global Economy and not tied to the special interests of multi-national businesses. This would also require that Americans vote for legislators who support this change and turn out of office those legislators who do not support this change. It is, therefore, up to the American voters to bring about this change to the Global Economy.

03/29/22 Prosecutorial Discretion

In my Chirp on "06/16/21 Crime and Punishment", I discuss the impacts on society when a prosecutor uses their discretion to not prosecute criminals. There is also the flip side of Prosecutorial Discretion, in which a prosecutor will use their discretion to target someone or some entity for prosecution. In doing so, many prosecutors have forgotten that they investigate and prosecute criminal acts and not persons. In their attempts to demonize persons or politicians that they disagree with, they often initiate prosecutorial investigations and indictments against such persons without much veracity of the evidence of criminal actions, as I have written in my Article, “The Criminalization of Politics”. This, too, has a deleterious effect on society as well as being a corruption of governmental powers.

Robert Jackson, in 1940 when he was attorney general before going on to be a Supreme Court justice and Nuremberg prosecutor, famously warned about this abuse of Prosecutorial Discretion:

“There is a most important reason why the prosecutor should have, as nearly as possible, a detached and impartial view of all groups in his community. Law enforcement is not automatic. It isn’t blind. One of the greatest difficulties of the position of prosecutor is that he must pick his cases, because no prosecutor can even investigate all of the cases in which he receives complaints. If the Department of Justice were to make even a pretense of reaching every probable violation of federal law, ten times its present staff will be inadequate. We know that no local police force can strictly enforce the traffic laws, or it would arrest half the driving population on any given morning. What every prosecutor is practically required to do is to select the cases for prosecution and to select those in which the offense is the most flagrant, the public harm the greatest, and the proof the most certain.

If the prosecutor is obliged to choose his case, it follows that he can choose his defendants. Therein is the most dangerous power of the prosecutor: that he will pick people that he thinks he should get, rather than cases that need to be prosecuted. With the law books filled with a great assortment of crimes, a prosecutor stands a fair chance of finding at least a technical violation of some act on the part of almost anyone. In such a case, it is not a question of discovering the commission of a crime and then looking for the man who has committed it, it is a question of picking the man and then searching the law books, or putting investigators to work, to pin some offense on him. It is in this realm — in which the prosecutor picks some person whom he dislikes or desires to embarrass, or selects some group of unpopular persons and then looks for an offense, that the greatest danger of abuse of prosecuting power lies. It is here that law enforcement becomes personal, and the real crime becomes that of being unpopular with the predominant or governing group, being attached to the wrong political views, or being personally obnoxious to or in the way of the prosecutor himself.”

True in 1940 and even more true today. Today, we have seen a slew of prosecutorial actions against Republican politicians and Conservative voices in an effort to silence them. Not only is this improper Prosecutorial Discretion, but it is an assault on the Freedom of Speech. In some cases, these prosecutorial actions are targeting independent conservative journalists, which is an assault on the Freedom of the Press. Such prosecutors are not dedicated to "Justice and The Rule of Law in America“ but are motivated by partisan political interests. Such prosecutors need to be stopped and removed from office to preserve the Liberties and Freedoms of all Americans.

As Americans, we have the Constitutional right to have a presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law. As such, a prosecutor is required to remain silent about all investigatory matters until an indictment is presented. Prior to an indictment, a prosecutor can submit court filings that can assert facts of the case for judicial review as to the appropriateness of the investigation, but they can make no assertion of guilt in these court filings. If no indictment is presented, or no trial is to be convened, then the prosecutor can make no assertion nor innuendo of guilt, as the accused person would have no ability to defend themselves in a court of law. A prosecutor is never allowed to assert guilt until after a person has been found guilty in a court of law, but they may assert that they intended to prove guilt once an indictment is presented and during a trial. Consequently, before a guilty verdict or after a not guilty verdict, they may not make an assertion or innuendo of guilt as that would violate a person’s presumption of innocence. Any prosecutor who does make an assertion or innuendo of guilt without a guilty verdict is liable to have their Law License revoked as it would be a violation of the Code of Ethics for Lawyers. Therefore, prosecutors who speak of the guilt of a person without a guilty verdict are anathema to justice, and they need to be removed from office and have their law license revoked to preserve the Liberties and Freedoms of all Americans.

These improper prosecutorial actions have become much too common today, and they are often done for purely political reasons. Politics of this sort has no place in a judicial setting, and politics of this sort often leads to bitter acrimony between the parties involved and, indeed, within society itself. Such bitter acrimony divides the country and makes it much more difficult to achieve consensus as to the solutions required to address the issues and concerns of Americans. These improper prosecutorial actions must end forthwith to retain the Liberties and Freedoms of all Americans.

03/27/22 The Wrong Person

The nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the upcoming vacant seat on the Supreme Court is going worse than I expected as I Chirped on “03/08/22 Supreme Court Justices”.

Her reply to the request by a Senator for her to provide a definition of a woman was that she could not, as she was not a biologist, was absurd. I may not be a veterinarian, but if you hand me a dog or cat, I could tell if they are a male or a female. You can tell the differences by a visual examination of their genitals, and you don’t need to be a scientist to know the difference between a male and a females’ genitals. You do need to be a scientist to understand the physiological differences between a man and a woman, but this is not germane to knowing the general difference between a man and a woman.

The definition of a woman is a female, adult, human. Female as they have an XX chromosome type, an adult as their brain has matured to its full capacity, and human as they have a homo-sapiens DNA structure. Any other definition is an absurdity brought forth through the use of "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors" and "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness" and arrived at by "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning".

One wonders what she would reply if asked for the definition of a black person as the race of a person is difficult to determine, as the scientific definition of race provides little help as there is broad consensus across the biological sciences that race is a social construct, not an accurate representation of human genetic variation. What would be her definition of the social construct that determines race as there is no help from science on a racial definition?

As America has many laws that prohibit discrimination, especially racial and sexual discrimination, a Supreme Court Justice would need an unambiguous definition of sex or race to rule on matters of sexual and racial discrimination. As Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson has no concept of what these terms actually mean, she would be unable to rule on these matters properly.

Her explanation of the lenient sentencing she has melted out for child pornographers reveals that she believes that a judge can ignore the law if they believe that the law is improper, outdated, or just plain wrong-headed.

In America, the Separation of Powers in the Constitution is a foundation for preserving our Liberties and Freedoms. Each branch of government, the Legislative, the Executive, and the Judicial branches, have their own duties, responsibilities, and powers. Each branch of government is equal to the other branches, and each branch may not assume nor delegate the duties, responsibilities, and powers of the other branches.

In her explanation of her reasoning for the lenient sentencing that she imposed, she evidenced that she believes that a Judge can assume the powers of the Legislative branch in the adoption, modification, and annulment of laws. She also evidenced that she believes that the Judicial branch is supreme over the Legislative and Executive branches. Thus, she is destroying the balance of powers in our Constitution, and, in this, she also believes that Judges are Lords, as I have examined in my Article, "Judges, Not Lords".

When any judge does so, we should be reminded of the words of Alexander Hamilton:

"Liberty can have nothing to fear' from judges who apply the law, but liberty 'has everything to fear' if judges try to legislate."
 - Alexander Hamilton

Many claim that we should not oppose her nomination as it does not change the ideological balance of the Supreme Court. But the Supreme Court is not meant to be ideologically balanced, as the Supreme Court is for the purpose of enforcing the Constitution and assuring Equal Justice for All. Ideological balance is not required on the Supreme Court, but a commitment to the principles of and the integrity to the Constitution and the Rule of Law is required, as their first and second Oath of Office states.

The First Oath that all elected persons and officers of the government take is:

"I, ________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

The Second Oath is for appointees to the Supreme Court Bench, and they must not only take the first oath listed above but a second oath. This second oath is called The Judicial Oath, and it is mandatory for Supreme Court Justices to begin serving. The text of this Second Oath is:

"I, _________, do solemnly swear or affirm that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as _________, according to the best of my abilities and understanding, agreeably to the constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God."

Any Senator who would vote to confirm any judicial nominee based on ‘balance’ or any other reasons other than their Judicial Philosophy and Judicial Temperament, and their commitment to the principles of, and integrity to, the Constitution and the Rule of Law are demonstrating their own lack of commitment and integrity to our Constitution and to the Rule of Law.

In Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s answers to her questioning, she is either being disingenuous, deceptive, deceitful, or being deeply political. This attitude demonstrates that she should not be entrusted with any governmental powers or authorities. I believe that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's history, and her current answers to questions at her hearing, have shown that her Judicial Philosophy and Judicial Temperament are not suitable for being a Supreme Court Justice, nor even for being a Judge. The Senate should, therefore, not confirm her nomination as a Supreme Court Justice and President Biden should find someone who is committed to our Constitutional principles and to the Rule of Law to fill this seat on the Supreme Court.

03/25/22 In War There is No Substitute for Victory

With the war in Ukraine raging on, many are hoping that we can arrive at a peaceful diplomatic solution to the conflict. But in war, there is no substitute for victory, as anything short of victory in the face of unprovoked aggression or evil conduct will often reward the aggressor or evildoer.

We did not pursue a peaceful diplomatic solution to the aggression and evil of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in WW II, but we did pursue and achieve victory to end their actions and punish the aggressors and evildoers. Since WW II, we have often entered into conflicts without the goal of victory but for the purposes of obtaining a peaceful diplomatic solution to conflicts. This has led to more aggression and evil-doing throughout the world, as aggressors and evildoers know that they will suffer little or no punishments for their actions.

This cycle of conflict and peaceful diplomatic solutions has led to more conflict and more death and injuries to civilians, and to the destruction of infrastructure, buildings, property, and the economies in the affected countries. A cycle that cannot be broken by peaceful diplomatic solutions but requires victory and the punishment of the aggressors and evildoers. Then, and only with victory and punishment can we hope to end this cycle of conflict and peaceful diplomatic solutions.

03/23/22 Absurdities and Atrocities

Absurdities and Atrocities are like Love and Marriage, first comes one, then comes the other. There are many citations about absurdities and atrocities (often misattributed to Voltaire). Some of the most famous are:

(1) Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.

(2) People will continue to commit atrocities if they continue to believe absurdities.

(3) If we believe absurdities, we shall commit atrocities.

These citations can be translated into some truisms about justice:

Translation 01: Certainly, whoever has the right to make you absurd has the right to make you unjust.

Translation 02: Truly, whoever can make you look absurd can make you act unjustly.

Translation 03: Certainly, anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices.

In America, we have become the Theatre of the Absurd in which logical thought and argument give way to irrational and illogical speech and to the ultimate deeds—atrocities being committed. The absurdities, as I have written in my "Terminology" webpage, of Adjective Justice, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Doxing, Wokeness, Identity Politics, Equity and Equality, and a Herd Mentality. Absurdities promulgated by  Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders for the purposes of obtaining or retaining power and to fundamentally transform America. The current atrocities being committed from these absurdities are the violations of our "Natural, Human, and Civil Rights".

If we continue down this path, we will begin to commit greater atrocities. These greater atrocities will be in the form of physical constraints and physical harm to Americans, and potentially greater atrocities against other peoples of the world. We, therefore, must reject these absurdities and think rationality to assure Liberty and Freedom for all.

03/21/22 They Owe Us an Apology

In a new article by Dr. Marty Makary, “10 biggest COVID mistakes – Americans deserve an apology from the medical experts”, he discusses the biggest mistake our “experts’ made about the COVID-19 virus. Sometimes mistakes are made through ignorance, sometimes by willful blindness, and sometimes by pernicious considerations. Unfortunately, many of the mistakes about COVID-19 were made by willful blindness or pernicious considerations. This was especially true after science determined the physical characteristics and transmission method (size and aerosol) of the COVID-19 virus, which was determined early on in the Pandemic.

His list of the biggest mistakes that our experts made is:

• Surface transmission
• No hospital visitation
• Closing schools
• Ignoring natural immunity
• Downplaying therapeutics
• Not spacing out vaccine doses
• Cloth masks
• Promising no vaccines mandates, then breaking it
• Downplaying a lab leak
• Boosters for young people

Unfortunately, these mistakes have had, and are continuing to have, far-reaching negative consequences in both the short and long term that have impacted all Americans and the nature of our society. The negative impacts on our economy for all persons, businesses, and the government itself will be felt for the next decade or more. Society has fractured along the lines of those that embraced the edicts of masking, social distancing, and vaccinations and those that disputed the need for such edicts. Government at all levels took greater control over the lives of Americans, and in this control, they often violated the Natural and Constitutional Rights of Americans. Americans have become more dependent upon government largess in providing for their needs and, therefore, less self-reliant. This government largess has plunged America into deeper and deeper debt, which burdens future generations of Americans to pay off this debt.  Americans have also become more inured to government intervention in our lives, and many political leaders feel emboldened to continue this government intrusion into our lives.

It is for these mistakes that the American people deserve a forthright and candid apology from those persons who perpetrated these mistakes. Public health officials and politicians alike need to apologize for these mistakes and to make amends, if possible, for these mistakes.

Given the facts and truths that are now surfacing about these mistakes, many Americans have become disillusioned about science, scientists, and government and government officials who perpetrated these mistakes. The cynicism and distrust of government have grown to the point where many Americans no longer believe that government has the best interest of Americans at heart but are only interested in the best interests of politicians, bureaucrats, and businesses that support and benefit from the government actions in this pandemic.

This disillusionment, cynicism, and distrust, along with the erosion of our Natural and Constitutional Rights, has led to a lessening of our "American Ideals and Ideas". A lessening that may end the American experiment, as President Lincoln so nobly said in his Gettysburg Address; “… that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

03/20/22 Yiddish Proverbs

Yiddish Proverbs are famous for their wit and wisdom. Yiddish is known as being its own rich linguistic culture. Born out of Hebrew and German, Yiddish has many unique words and phrases that are used to give humor, sarcasm, and joy at the moment as needed. My new article lists some of my favorite Yiddish Proverbs. And for those that are wondering, I am not Yiddish; I am a Pasty Protestant.

03/19/22 Believing Your Own Propaganda

In a recent article by Derek Hunter, “What If Everyone Is Wrong About The Russian Military?” he posits the idea that the Russians believe in an easy victory in Ukraine because they believed that they had a powerful military. They also believed that the Ukrainian people would welcome them and provide little opposition to their invasion. Events in the war in Ukraine have proven that the Russian military is not as powerful as they presupposed, and that the Ukrainian people were defiant of their invasion, and as a result, the invasion of Ukraine has not gone as well or swiftly as they had presumed. This appears to be a case of the disastrous consequences of believing your own propaganda.

The disastrous consequence of believing your own propaganda not only applies to war decisions but to all decision-making. When you believe your own propaganda, you will institute bad policies and have bad priorities for your policies, as I have Chirped on, "03/18/22 Bad Policies and Bad Priorities".

This appears to be the case for President Biden and his administration, as well as Democrat Party Leaders, as they appear to be fully committed to the policy goals and political agendas based on believing their own propaganda. Their explanations and justification for their policy goals and political agendas reveal that they believe that their propaganda has the correct facts and proper truths behind them. As President Biden and his administration, Democrat Party Leaders, and Progressives/Leftists believe that they are more intelligent, better educated, and morally superior, they are, of course, always correct and they, therefore, believe that their goals and agenda are what is best for all Americans. They will brook no dissent of their facts and truths, and they are dismissive and derisive to anyone who would disagree with their propaganda.

As a result of their believing their own propaganda, they are making decisions that are having disastrous consequences to America. From the International stage of the Afghanistan debacle, the Ukrainian War, the Iran Deal, and to the threats of Russia and China, to the National stage to the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase of crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problem, to gas price increases, to inflation, to climate change positions, and to a host of other issues they are making decisions based on the belief of their own propaganda.

The lesson for all Americans is that "Rationality" and "Reasoning" should be utilized in the formation of all policy goals, and that you should never believe your own propaganda. For to believe in your own propaganda is to invite disastrous consequences upon America, which is the reason that we are in the mess that we are in.

03/18/22 Bad Policies and Bad Priorities

In my previous Chirp on “03/12/22 Who’s to Blame?” I asked and answered this question. However, it is not only a question of ‘Who?’ but of ‘What?’ is to blame for the mess we are in. The answer to this question is policies and priorities. Bad policies carry real-life implications, but the problem extends beyond just policies - it goes to priorities as well.

Policies that are not well thought out, nor examined for intended and unintended consequences, are not policies but wish lists. Wish lists that are more wishful thinking than sensible plans to achieve a goal. They often do not consider human nature or human reactions to change. And they just as often do not take into account the economic impact of the policy. Such policies are bad policies, and if they are implemented, they will result in bad consequences for the American people.

Is it important or not? Does it need to be done right away, or can it be postponed to a later time? Is it a big-ticket or a small ticket item? The rational answer to these questions is what determines the priorities of your actions. Rationality is the critical component to determine priorities, and a rationality as I have written in my articles on "Rationality" and "Reasoning". When policy prioritization is determined by political considerations, rationality is often secondary in importance in determining priorities. When you focus on lesser important policies or prioritize lesser important policies to the level of importance that is unwarranted, you distract attention from what is truly important. The lack of policy prioritization, or the improper prioritization of policies, also contribute to the mess we are in.

Policies that will have a major impact on society, or change the nature of our society, must be considered crucial and must be carefully and rationally examined. They must also be considered as to their constitutionality, and they must have the majority support of Americans. As such, the American people must be to be fully informed as to the correct facts and proper truths that led to the policy and the impacts on the implementation of the policy. Sloganeering, excessive rhetoric, stoking fear, demonization of the opposition, incorrect facts and improper truths, and other nefarious tactics are no substitute for honesty with the American people. Those that would engage in such nefarious tactics have no wish to inform the American public but only to impose what they believe is best on the American public.

Bad Policies and Bad Priorities seem to be the de rigueur for the Biden Administration and Democrat Party leaders. Their attempts to ‘Fundamentally Transform’ and ‘Build Back Better’ America rests upon bad policies and bad priorities and seem to be entirely motivated by political considerations rather than rationality. These bad policies and bad priorities also seem to result in more government control over the lives of Americans and more power for Democrat Party leaders. These bad policies and bad priorities also do not take into account Constitutional limits on government actions. As such, opposition to these Bad Policies and Bad Priorities is the duty and responsibility for all Liberty and Freedom-loving Americans.

03/17/22 Who’s to Blame?

From the International stage of the Afghanistan debacle, the Ukrainian War, the Iran Deal, and to the threats of Russia and China, to the National stage to the impacts of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Americans and our economy, to the increase of crime in our streets, to illegal immigration on our southern border, to the loss of energy independence, to the supply chain problem, to gas price increases, to inflation, and to a host of other issues the question arises as to ‘Who’s is to blame?’

Many would lay the blame to the feet of President Biden and his administration. If so, the question is who is to blame for President Biden and his administration? The answer to this question is multi-faceted, but there is a hierarchical order of blame:

1. Democrat Party Leaders
2. Modern Journalism
3. Democrat Party Voters

The machinations of Democrat Party Leaders in assuring the nomination of Joe Biden and their covering-up his deficiencies (both mentally and physically), as well as his modest intellectual competence, ineptitude, and lack of leadership, have led us to where we are.

Modern Journalism support for the Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders policies and positions, and their assistance in this Democrat Party Leaders cover-up have also led us to where we are. If Modern Journalism had taken its responsibilities seriously, they would have reported all the facts and uncovered the truths about Joe Biden. This would have allowed the voters to make an informed decision about their vote, and the machinations of the Democrat Party Leaders would have been ineffective.

Ultimately, however, it is those people who voted for Joe Biden that must bear the major responsibility for the mess we are in. For without Democrat voters electing President Biden, the machinations of Democrat Party Leaders and Modern Journalism would be for naught. When Democrat voters look at themselves in the mirror and ask, ‘What Happened?’ the answer is that you happened! You did not do your due diligence when examining candidate Biden and his policies. You did not ask the question of what the intended and unintended consequences of his policies would be. You allowed "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors", and "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness" to cloud your judgment. You feel hook, line, and sinker for the machinations of Democrat Party Leaders and Modern Journalism. You are to blame for what happened.

And no equivocations or excuses are acceptable for your vote, as you had the responsibility as a voter to examine and think about your vote before casting your vote. As a result of your vote, we now have the mess we are in, and we will have to endure this mess for the next three years. However, we can blunt but not eradicate this mess by assuring the Democrat Party loses control of both chambers of Congress in the next election.

03/16/22 Twisting and Turning the Constitution's Intent

Progressives/Leftists and Democrat Party Leaders like to claim that our Constitution as a Living, Breathing Document. By this, they mean that they can interpret it in the manner they want and change the meaning of words to suit their ends.

Much like Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass:

'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean ' neither more nor less.'
'the question is,' said Alice, 'whether you can make words mean so many different things.'
'the question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master ' that's all.'

To this, I respond how would you like to play any game in which the rules are living and breathing so that in the middle of the game you or another player can change the rules to give yourself or them an advantage? The Constitution is a rule book in how we organize our society. The Constitution is a living document in that it lives through the process of amending, based upon the will of the people and/or the states, and this change should only be through the Constitutional Amendment process. Until that happens, we should all be playing with the same rulebook (i.e. The Constitution). It is a breathing document in that it has ambiguity built in so that each generation can interpret it as their needs arise (but it should only do so within the bounds of what the founder's purpose was in creating that ambiguity). However, under no circumstances should it be interpreted in such a way as to infringe upon the liberties and freedoms of the American people. Fidelity to the Constitution, as it is intended, is the only way we can assure Peace and Justice in our society.

Torturous logic and reasoning the bend the Constitution to suit your goals is not acceptable. The Constitution was written for the Government of the People, By the People, and For the People, and should be understandable by the people. Anything else takes the Constitution away from the people impinges upon our Liberties and Freedoms.

03/15/22 A Compact and a Contract - Not A Living, Breathing Document

Many say that our Constitution is a Living, Breathing Document, and by this, they mean that they can interpret it in the manner they want and change the meaning of words to suit their ends. The Constitution is a living document in that it lives through the process of amending, based upon the will of the people and/or the States, and this change should only be through the Constitutional Amendment process. It is a breathing document in that it has ambiguity built-in so that each generation can interpret it as their needs arise (but it should only do so within the bounds of what the founder's purpose was in creating that ambiguity). However, under no circumstances should the Constitution be interpreted in such a way as to infringe upon the Liberties and Freedoms of the American people. Fidelity to the Constitution, as it is intended, is the only way we can assure Liberty and Freedom in our society, or has been said:

"Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties."
  - Abraham Lincoln

My new Article, “A Compact and a Contract - Not A Living, Breathing Document” is an examination of the concept of the Constitution being a Compact and a Contract as opposed to it being a Living, Breathing Document.

03/14/22 Constitutional Terms and Words

There have been fewer Chips for the last two weeks as I have been working on my new Article, “Constitutional Terms and Words”. This article defines the more frequent terms and words in the Constitution, many of which I have utilized in my Articles and Chirps. Many of these terms and words were familiar to the people of the time but are less familiar today. Also, over time some of these terms and words' meanings have changed, as is common in the English language. Therefore, it is important to understand the meaning of these terms and words in the context of the times in which they were written.

03/13/22 Lessons from the Schoolyard

My Elementary School education had some problems that I outlined in the section “My Own Public School Education” of my Article on "Public Education". However, I did learn three important lessons from the schoolyard of my Elementary School. They are:

Bullies

When I was eleven or twelve years old, at the beginning of the school year, a classmate who was obnoxious the previous year began to bully my other classmates and me. As he had grown larger and more intimidating over the summer recess, we were all fearful of him and did nothing to stop the bullying. One day on the schoolyard field, he began to bully me, and my anger grew larger than my fear. At that point, I began fisticuffs with him, and I soon knocked him to the ground and began to beat on him. Being the coward that he really was, he whimpered and cried and begged me to stop the beating. I quickly did so, but as I arose, I warned him that he continued to bully my classmates and me; he would have to answer to me. He shook his head in assent and never bullied anyone thereafter. My classmates, at this point, placed me on their shoulders and carried me off the field, cheering me all the way off the field.

Finaglers and Cheaters

That same year in the early spring, we had a double recess that we decided to have a sandlot baseball game. I was chosen to be the captain of one of the teams, while another of my classmates was chosen to be the captain of the other team. The captain of the other team was someone who believed that as his father was a successful small businessman, he was deserving of more consideration and leeway than was merited by his own accomplishments. He often finagled or cheated to obtain what he wanted, and he and I intensely disliked each other. As I was the captain of my team, I decided that I would be the pitcher, while he decided that he would be the first batter for his team. One of our male teachers was enlisted to be the Umpire for the game. As I stood to make the first pitch, I noticed that he would position his upper body in the strike zone, something that I had noticed him doing in several previous baseball games we had played. Not wanting to hit him with a pitch, I threw the ball outside the strike zone, to which he stood up before the pitch arrived and the Umpire called a ball. This happened all three times I pitched to him, and as a result, I ended up walking him to first base. When the half-inning ended, I complained to the Umpire about his actions, to which the Umpire explained that any pitch in the strike zone was a strike regardless of what else happened.

When I next faced him as a pitcher, I steadied myself and threw a hard fastball down the center of the strike zone. He was unable to straighten up before the baseball hit him, and he was struck on the left forearm. He yelled at me and started trotting to first base when the Umpire yelled ‘Strike One’. He pivoted to the Umpire and declared that he was a hit batsman and deserving of first base, whereupon the Umpire informed him that the ball was in the strike zone and therefore it was a strike and nothing else mattered. He returned to the batting box and proceeded to employ the same tactic, whereupon I threw another fastball in the strike zone that hit him again, and the Umpire yelled ‘Strike Two’. My next pitch was a fastball into the strike zone, but he did not utilize his cheating tactic, and the Umpire yelled ‘Strike Three – You’re Out’. At the end of the half-inning, I informed all my classmates of his cheating tactic, and he was never able to employ that tactic again. I should also note that these pitches may have been the finest I have ever pitched, and they are certainly the most satisfying pitches I ever threw.

Worthwhile Punishments

Another time, at about the same age, my best friend and I got into an argument on the schoolyard in which we began pushing and shoving each other. The recess teacher intervened and sent us to sit on the step of the adjacent cafeteria entrance. When we sat down, still upset with each other, we discovered that there were several pornographic magazines on the step. Where they came from and how they got there, we do not know, but we began to leaf through them and gawk at the pictures of naked women in various states of undress. All anger was put aside as we were thoroughly enjoying our ‘punishment’. When the teacher returned at the end of the recess, she discovered us enjoying these magazines, much to her consternation. My friend and I agreed that we hoped that we would receive many such punishments in the future.

The lessons that I learned from these incidents is that fear of bullies must be overcome, and bullies must be confronted, oftentimes by physical force, for the bullying to end. That throwing a strike in the strike zone that hits someone is not your problem but the other persons' problem, and that finaglers and cheatwes must be neutralized. And that if someone is to be punished, make sure that the punishment is not more rewarding than the actions that led to the punishment. Whether they be individuals, groups of persons, organizations, businesses, or governments, you cannot allow Bullies or Finaglers and Cheats to get their way, and you must assure that any punishments for their actions are worthwhile punishments.

This is analogous to the current situation of Putin and Ukraine, as Putin is a bully, a finagler, and a cheat whose punishment is more rewarding than his actions. We must stand up to Putin, or the Bullies, Finaglers, and Cheats will control the world, and without worthwhile punishments, they have no incentive to change their actions.

03/12/22 To Be or Not to Be

Not making a decision is making a decision to do nothing. Equivocating on a decision is a decision to do nothing or to not do enough to make a difference. Equivocation in the face of evil allows for evil to triumph. Putin’s actions in Ukraine demonstrate that he is evil, and he needs to be confronted so as to not allow evil to triumph. When we equivocate, I am reminded of the words of the Bard:

“To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis Nobler in the mind to suffer
The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,
Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them …”
 - Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

A new article by Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis, (ret.),  “Putin wants Ukraine and if we do nothing to stop him our world will never be the same”, he states:

“Doing nothing about the desecration of Ukraine by an international thug is still doing something, much like turning away as someone beats up your neighbor down the street. True, if I rush to rescue him there are risks to me.  However, it’s not enough to just yell harsh words at the criminal and then declare, "I’ve done everything possible." That’s cowardice and inhuman, not a reflection of the America many of us know and love.

There is a better way but it takes moxie that President Joe Biden probably lacks. Real leaders take risks and stand-up against bullies like Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

What’s not in question is that our president has the support of some Americans who insist that the Ukraine war isn’t our fight. I hear their angry protests, "Let the Europeans fight Putin. It’s not worth American blood and treasure.

The same sort of comments were heard before each of the First and Second World Wars by the same kind of people, the elites. They smugly tell us to ignore live television images of more than a million frightened Ukrainians fleeing war, bleeding in the streets and smoke billowing from apartment buildings and hospitals bombed by Putin’s forces.”

He ends his article by asking the question and commenting:

“Will Biden accept the risk and come to the rescue of Ukraine’s civilian population? Unlikely, much as the neighbor and the armchair non-intervention critics, Biden will look away as Ukraine gets beaten up.

And, that my friends, will contribute to the world losing more trust in America and our own sense of morality plummets further.”

Equivocation did not work out well for the Prince of Denmark, nor will it work out well for the people of America and the world in confronting Putin and the actions of Russia in Ukraine. We should all be concerned that any actions we take in Ukraine may lead to a wider war and possible nuclear confrontation. But inaction could also lead us to this possibility. A decision to do nothing in the face of threats of a wider war and possible usage of nuclear weapons by Putin opens us up to doing nothing in the face of threats of a wider war or use of nuclear weapons by other powers that have well-armed forces or nuclear weapons. A world in which well-armed or nuclear bullies would dictate our actions, and a world in which evil could triumph.

03/10/22 The Writ of Habeas Corpus

In Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution, a Writ of Habeas Corpus was established that could be issued to bring a party before a court to prevent unlawful restraint (i.e., the Latin term for you should have the body). Since the time of the Magna Carta, a Writ of Habeas Corpus was considered essential to preserve the Liberties and Freedoms of all persons. The basic premise behind habeas corpus is that you cannot be held against your will without just cause. To put it another way, you cannot be jailed if there are no charges against you. If you are being held, and you demand it, the courts must issue a writ of habeas corpus, which forces those holding you to answer as to why you are being held. If there is no good or compelling reason for your being held, then you must be set free. It is important to note that of all the civil liberties we take for granted today as a part of the Bill of Rights, the importance of The Writ of Habeas Corpus is illustrated by the fact that it was the sole liberty thought important enough to be included in the original text of the Constitution.

As such, what is happening to those arrested for the January 6th, 2020 ‘Insurrection’ is a violation of their Writ of Habeas Corpus right, as it appears that they have not been informed of the charges against them, nor has there been any compelling reason for them being held. The government response that there is a need for secrecy for security purposes does not outweigh the violation of their Writ of Habeas Corpus rights. Nor should secrecy be utilized to shroud these proceedings from public view, as anything that the government does judicially that is shrouded in secrecy is suspect, as it may involve the violation of the rights of Americans. As Supreme Court Justice William O Douglas has said, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” We need sunlight on these judicial proceedings against the ‘Insurgents’ to assure that their rights as Americans are not being violated in these proceedings.

Their Fifth Amendment rights to not be deprived of liberty without due process of law are also being violated, as well as their Sixth Amendment rights to a speedy and public trial are also being violated along with other Sixth Amendment rights. Their Eight Amendment Right to no cruel and unusual punishments inflicted may have also been violated, given the reporting of the conditions in which they are being held. They are also not being permitted to be set free on reasonable bail while they are awaiting trial. Again, these actions by the government need to be laid bare to determine if the government is violating their rights.

While all these actions by the government may fall within the letter of the law, they certainly fall outside the spirit of the law. Without the spirit of the law, the letter of the law rings hollow, and the letter of the law can be manipulated for nefarious purposes. All Liberty and Freedom-loving Americans need to be alarmed and appalled by these government actions, and all Americans should demand that these actions be open to the disinfectant of sunshine.

It is past time that all Constitutional Scholars dedicated to our Liberties and Freedoms, our Natural, Constitutional, and Civil Rights, and The Rule of Law arise and condemn these actions by the Government. And these condemnations must not only be of written and verbal commentaries but of a peaceable public protest at the doors of the Supreme Court. Such a peaceable public protest would inform and alert the American public as to the violation of our rights by the government. For them to not publicly protest is for them to remain paper chasers rather than spirited defenders of American rights and privileges, and it would also demonstrate that they are full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

03/08/22 Supreme Court Justices

With the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill the upcoming vacant seat on the Supreme Court, we begin the dog and pony show in which the nominee is praised for their education, legal skills, and empathy for the American people. And none of these matters for a Supreme Court Justice. The only thing that matters is their dedication to the Constitution, along with the wisdom to apply their allegiance to the Constitution.

The hearings on her nomination will be a series of "Obfuscation, Smoke, and Mirrors", "Euphemisms, Doublespeak, and Disingenuousness", and "Torturous and Convoluted Reasoning", to justify her appointment to the Supreme Court. Very few questions or discussions will be about her Judicial Philosophy as I have outlined in my Article, "A Republican Constitution or a Democratic Constitution", Judicial Temperament in the application of our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All", as well as a commitment to our "American Ideals and Ideas”. Yet these are the only things that really matter for a Supreme Court Justice, for without these things, our Constitution is but a hollow document with many lofty words and phrases.

It is the duty and responsibility of a Supreme Court Justice to assure that the Constitution is more than lofty words and phrases but a governing document to preserve the Liberties and Freedoms of all Americans. The purpose of a Supreme Court Justice is not to achieve a political or social justice goal but to assure that all governmental actions are within the framework of the Constitution. Any nominee that would become a Supreme Court Justice must put aside politics and social justice and only rule based upon the framework of the Constitution.

I believe that Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's past history has not shown that her Judicial Philosophy and Judicial Temperament are suitable for being a Supreme Court Justice. We should, therefore, be very wary of appointing her as a Supreme Court Justice.

03/06/22 Democrat and Republican Voters

Many people vote for their party regardless of the candidates’ policies and positions or what the party stands for. Often, as a result, they vote for policies and positions that are not in their best interests nor the best interests of America. When a person votes this way, they are behaving as a lemming does when it marches over a cliff as part of the crowd.

It is an unfortunate fact that the Democrat Party has more lemmings than the Republican Party. The Democrat Party also has a different sort of lemming – an unthoughtful lemming. The Republican Party has more of a thoughtful type of lemming. The difference between these two types of lemmings is that the unthoughtful lemming votes without concern to the candidates or parties’ policy and positions in both the primary and general election, while the thoughtful lemming votes in the primary for a candidate that they agree with their policies and position but then votes for the party candidate in the general election.

The unthoughtful lemmings are often driven by an unreasonable fear of the opposition by the negative sloganeering and excessive rhetoric of fear of the opposition promulgated by Democrat Party Leaders. The thoughtful lemming is often driven by the concern that the opposition policies and positions are wrong for America and do not represent our American Ideals and Ideas, and they rarely pay attention to the rhetoric of the Republican Party Leaders.

To both types of lemmings, I say stop being a lemming and become a responsible voter and examine and think about your vote before casting your vote in both the primary and general election. Ignore all rhetoric and sloganeering from both sides and vote responsibly. You should never vote out of fear but should always vote out of hope for a better future for yourself and America. Also, think about what is not only best for you but also what is best for America before you vote.

03/04/22 Forms of Governance

Various forms of governance of a society have been tried throughout human history. Most of them have contravened Natural Law and Natural Rights. Below is a short list and definition of these various forms of governance:

• Absolutism - The principle of complete and unrestricted power in government.
• Aristocratic & Aristocracy - Government by an aristocratic class; a state with such a government.
• Authoritarian & Authoritarianism - A form of government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator (not restricted by a constitution, laws or opposition, etc.).
• Autocracy & Autarchy - A political system governed by a group or a single individual.
• Democratic & Democracy - A political system ruled by the people through majority rule.
• Despotic & Despotism - Dominance through the threat of punishment and violence.
• Dictatorial & Dictatorialness - Expecting unquestioning obedience.
• Meritocracy - The belief that rulers should be chosen for their superior abilities and not because of their wealth or birth.
• Monarch & Monarchy - An autocracy governed by a monarch (usually a King or Emperor) who usually inherits the authority.
• Oligarchy & Oligarchic - A political system governed by a few people.
• Ochlocracy - A political system in which a mob is the source of control; government by the masses.
• Serfdom - The state of a serf in which a person is bound to the land and owned by the feudal lord.
• Tyranny & Tyrannic & Tyrannical - Characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty.
• Republic & Republicanism - A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them.

I very carefully utilize these words in my Articles and Chirps to distinguish between them.

03/02/22 Fly Eagles Fly

I have been a huge Philadelphia Eagles NFL Football team fan for over fifty years. As such, I have known many disappointments and some delights over these many decades. The Eagle winning Super Bowl LII over the New England Patriots, their winning the 1980 NFC Championship game against the Dallas Cowboys, the 2004 NFC Championship defeat of the Atlanta Falcons, and the Eagles 2018 NFC Championship winning game win over the Minnesota Vikings are some of my most memorable highlights. There are too many lowlights to mention in this Chirp, but these lowlights part of being an Eagles fan.

As a huge Eagles fan, I believe that I know what is best for the team future, as most fans of professional sports believe they know what is best for their team’s future. However, I am cognizant and humble enough to recognize that as a fan I do not know enough to make the best decisions for a team. I do, however, have an opinion, which is part to the fun of being a fan. Therefore, these are my opinions of what I believe is best for the Eagles team in the upcoming 2022 offseason:

Jalen Hurts needs another year as a starter to show if he is or isn't a starting Quarterback in the NFL. The 2021 season was essentially a rookie season for Hurts in which he showed much promise, but some deficiencies. If he can correct these deficiencies in the 2022 season, he can show he is a starting Quarterback in the NFL.

Jalen Reagor, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Derek Barnett, Ryan Kerrigan, and Steven Nelson cannot be on this football team next year. They have consistently hurt the Eagles, and their few and far between contributions do not outweigh the hurt that they inflict.

The top 2022 Free Agent signing for the Eagles should be a starting Wide Receiver. A receiving core that features DeVonte Smith, a Free Agent, Quez Watkins in the slot, and Greg Ward as a swing slot/outside receiver would make for a formidable receiving corp.

The lineup of Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce- Isaac Seumalo, Jack Driscoll, and Lane Johnson is a one very good Offensive-line. Therefore, the O-line should not be a priority until the later rounds in the 2022 Draft as the Eagles need significant improvement in their Defense. As the Eagles have always been at their best when they have a very good defense they must shore-up their Defense going forward.

The Eagles 2022 Draft needs are an Edge Rusher, Cornerback, Linebacker, and Safety. A defense heavy draft, but the Defense needs the most improvement for the Eagles to be a more competitive team. And my fervent hope is that the Eagles are a competitive team that is in the playoffs every year. A hope that cannot be realized unless they have a good defense. Given GM Howie Roseman’s predilection for wheeling and dealing draft picks, as well as their propensity for the offense in the upper rounds in the draft, I do not expect this to happen. But I believe that this should happen for the Eagles to be a more competitive team in the NFL. Since 2014 owner Jeffrey Lurie and General Manager Howie Roseman have been part of first-round draft decisions that have landed Marcus Smith, Nelson Agholor, Andre Dillard, Jalen Reagor, Derek Barnett, and Carson Wentz — all disappointments to one degree or another. This needs to change for the Eagles to become an annually competitive team. Let all Eagles fans hope that this change occurs with their three first round draft picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. If so, their is hope that the Eagles can once more become a dominant NFL team.

03/01/22 Give Peace A Chance

“All we are saying is give peace a chance.”
 - John Lennon lyrics from ‘Give Peace A Chance’

"Give Peace a Chance" is an anti-war song by John Lennon, written and released in July 1969, which became an anthem of the American anti-war movement during the 1970s. Peace is always desirable, but peace does not mean the absence of conflict, as the great philosopher has said:

"Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice."
  - Baruch Spinoza

Peace, when confronted with evil, rarely has a chance, for evil does not recognize nor pay heed to peace. Evil must often be confronted by power and conflict for the true meaning of peace to prevail. Otherwise, evil may triumph to the detriment of true peace. And in this triumph, it often attempts to expand its evil and engulfs others in its despotism. The evildoers often attempt to justify their actions with lofty-sounding rhetoric and justifications for their evil, but it is nevertheless evil.

Natural Law and Natural Rights know no national boundaries, and all governments need to respect Natural Law and Natural Rights for them to be legitimate governments. Therefore, any such governments that do not respect Natural Law and Natural Rights are engaging in evil. Consequently, we must always confront this evil and extinguish its power. To not do so is as the great Anglo-Irish statesman, economist, and philosopher has said:

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing."
- Edmund Burke

As the great American General William Tecumseh Sherman said, “War is hell”, but sometimes you must go through hell to extinguish evil when the evil is greater than the hell of war. Today, we are faced with a choice between doing nothing or responding insufficiently or sufficiently to oppose evil, as the evil of Russia and China needs confrontation. The actions of Russia in Ukraine are the result of not confronting the evil of Vladimir Putin. Tomorrow, the actions of China in Taiwan and other countries by Xi Jinping will require confrontation. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping are the faces of evil, but the governments of Russia and China are the sources of their evil. Russia and China need to be reformulated to eliminate evil, as evil is the basis of their governments. Any government or business that supports Russia or China is enabling evil, and such support needs to end for peace to prevail. Decades of support by governments and businesses in the hopes of reforming Russia and China have failed, and until a full reformulation of these governments happens, it will not be possible to give peace a chance.

02/28/22 The Importance of Data

All Studies and Statistics rely on data. The data must be as thorough and accurate as possible for the studies and statistics to be meaningful. In addition, the data and the methodology (i.e., Data Mining, Data Massaging, and Data Quality) utilized to analyze the data that goes into the studies and statistics must be made available to others to verify the veracity of the studies and statistics. This data and methodology release will allow others to discover possible mistakes the researchers made have made or to verify the veracity of the studies and statistics. For a researcher to withhold the data or the methodology is to automatically make the studies and statistics suspect, and it is considered fraud in academia when data or methodology is withheld.

However, there is simply no way that data alone can provide a genuine full picture of reality. There will always be holes. It will always be late. There will always be mistakes. There will always be uncertainties over causality. Moreover, all data represents a snapshot in time and can prove extremely misleading with changes over time. I have examined some of the other problems with data and methodology in my Article, “Oh What a Tangled Web We Weave”.

It has been recently discovered that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has been collecting data on the COVID-19 Pandemic but has not released this data to the public. Data that is crucial to our understanding of the science behind the pandemic and our responses to this pandemic. This lack of the release of this data in unconscionable. In this they have perpetuated a fraud upon America and impacted the health and safety of all Americans, as well as the economic well being of America. They have thus done great damage to Americans, and they must be held accountable for this damage. I do not know if they can be legally criminal or civil liable for this damage, but at the very least all those involved in this cover-up must be fired forthwith from their government posts and not be hired for any academic or research organization position. Their actions and inactions in this matter are also worthy of the scorn of all Americans.

02/27/22 They Are Not Worried

A recent article by Victor Davis Hanson, Why is the Left Suddenly Worried About the End of Democracy? explains the bunkum about ‘the end of our democracy’ being uttered by so many Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists. He explains that it is not the end of our democracy that they are worried about, but the end of their power that concerns them. After reading this article you will understand what they really mean by the end of our democracy, and perhaps chuckle at this nonsense. Another article by Rob Natelson, “‘Our Democracy’ = Their Oligarchy”, also looks at the motivations of those that utter about ‘the end of our democracy’ and the dire consequences of believing this nonsense.

02/26/22 (Bad) Actors

In June of 2021, I wrote the article. Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue within Government and Society, which is an examination of these qualities and their importance in American society. Given the trucker protest in Canada and various American governments' actions over the last two years, this article is even more apropos. The lack of these characteristics in our current political leadership is appalling and is responsible for many of the ills that beset America and Canada (along with many other democratic nations in the world). Today’s political leaders are driven by a lust for power, most especially amongst Democrat Party Leaders in America and Progressives/Leftists worldwide, and a desire to be rulers rather than leaders, as I examined in my article, "To Be Rulers or to Be Leaders". They often justify these actions as doing what is best for the people. They often make decisions based on what is best for them and their supporters rather than what is best for all Americans. In this, they have forgotten, or did not know, the words of wisdom and caution of a great American:

"The most basic question is not what is best, but who shall decide what is best?"
- Thomas Sowell

The best decision for Americans is best decided by each American, based on accurate and factual information rather than governmental decisions. However, this would require that they trust Americans to make the best decisions for themselves, a trust in Americans that our political leaders seem to lack. It also requires that Americans examine the facts and make responsible decisions. It also requires that Americans apply their Religion, Morality, Ethics, Character, and Virtue when making a decision regarding issues and concerns impacting all Americans.

Alas, many Americans do not have the background and education to understand these issues and concerns due to "Systemic Family, Education, and Faith Problems" and the poor state of American public education, as I discussed in my article "Public Education". The solution is not to have government make these decisions but to educate the American public so that they can make better decisions for themselves. Unfortunately, our current society is not structured to achieve this goal as many (bad) actors would rather have a supine public that accedes to their decisions.

Amongst the leading bad actors are Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, Modern Big Business, Modern Education, and Social Media. We, therefore, need to reign in these bad actors and level the playing field to assure the American people have the knowledge to make good decisions. This leveling cannot be done by government regulation, as this would cause more problems than it would solve. The proper course of action is to allow those Americans that have been impacted by these bad actors to take legal actions against bad actors when they act badly. It would also require that we extensively reform our public education system to educate Americans as to our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All".

We also need to reform the problems of "Modern Journalism". In their rush to be first in their reporting or for sensationalism to expand viewership and readership, they have forgotten the importance of accuracy and veracity in their reporting. The journalistic reports on the Russian Collusion Delusion, The Coronavirus Pandemic, Systemic Racism in America, and their defamation of Americans that do not kowtow to their viewpoints, along with other dubious actions by journalists and editors, have done great harm to the body politic. Freedom of the Press is essential to our American Ideals and Ideas, but this freedom should not allow for them to misinform or defame Americans. Freedom of the Press is not to be free to say or write anything without constraints. Again, government regulation is not the answer, but a healthy concern about legal lawsuits should give them concern and pause to reflect before they report.

Social Media also needs to be reformed to protect the Free Speech Rights of all Americans, as I have written in my article “Social Media and Free Speech”. Social Medial has taken it upon themselves to restrict what may be said on their sites or for them to label posts or opinions as false, or mis- dis- and mal-information. This restricts the Free Speech rights of Americans and makes social media the arbiters of truth, the truth being something that nobody can objectively determine. These Social Media decisions and actions are based solely on their discretion, with little recourse for the users so impacted. There is also an alarming trend of social media engaging in these decisions and actions against political thought with which they disagree. Opening them up to legal lawsuits is an answer, but again, government regulation is not the answer. However, a healthy concern about legal lawsuits should give them concern to pause and reflect before they engage in these actions.

As I have written in my Chirp on, “02/08/22 Comity in the Workplace”, Modern Big Business is becoming a bad actor. They seem to believe that you must give up your natural rights as a condition of employment, rather than tempering your natural rights while in your workplace to achieve the common business goals of the workplace. Modern Big Business also believes that they have the right to set social policy through social activism rather than follow social policy as delineated by law as I have Chirped on, “02/10/21 Modern Big Business (MBB)”, and my Article “Other People’s Money (OPM)”. This social activism spending by Modern Big Business needs to cease as it is not the proper function of companies in our society, as well as being immoral, as explained in my OPM article. Companies need to focus on their products and services to meet their customers’ needs and not spend monies to meet a social goal. Social goals are the responsibility of the government and the American people and not businesses.

These lawsuits would require extensive changes to slander and libel laws to open lawsuits against the bad actors’ actions. No person or entity should be free to make slanderous or libelous statements against another, nor to make false or unsubstantiated allegations against another person, nor to cause reputational harm to another person or organization without being subject to lawsuits. And nobody should reserve the right to determine what the truth is. All these bad actors should remember that "With great power comes great responsibility", and they should all act responsibly.

02/25/22 Approval of Despotism

A new poll of Americans from The Trafalgar Group surveyed 1080 likely general election voters from February 18-20, 2022, with a margin of error of 3%. This poll occurred after Trudeau brought federal, provincial, and local law enforcement into Ottawa to forcibly clear out hundreds of protesters and dozens of vehicles from Parliament Hill and surrounding areas.

Democrats overwhelmingly favored Trudeau’s response with 65% approval to 17% disapproval. Republican responses were weighted even more heavily against Trudeau, however, with 87% of likely GOP voters disapproving to just 8% approving. Respondents who said they did not belong to either one of the two main parties cut against Trudeau’s crackdown with 74% disapproving versus 21% approving.

Aside from Democrats, the only other demographic areas identified in the poll that cut in Trudeau’s favor are the ages 65 and older category and among blacks and Hispanics. Every other demographic – men, women, Asian, white, younger age groups – disapproved of Trudeau’s handling of the protesters.

The largest difference in approval versus disapproval took place among 25 to 34-year-olds. In that age group, 100% of respondents disapproved of Trudeau’s tactics.

As I Chirped on, “02/24/22 Sliding into Despotism”, Americans have become more inured to despotism, but this poll reveals the extent and to which groups of Americans are accepting of despotism. And it is shocking! It appears that Democrats, blacks, and Hispanics are more accepting of despotism - which are the core groups of Democrat voters. The only good news is that young people disapprove of Trudeau’s tactics. However, the question is if this disapproval by young people is motivated by their understanding of our American Ideals and Ideas or their rebellious nature? I suspect the answer is the latter, but I hope that in large part, it is the former.

This does not bode well for America if Democrat Party Leaders retain power, and they pander to their core constituency. It also does not speak well of our public education system that has not educated these groups on our core American values and, indeed, may have miseducated these groups. It also does not speak well of Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, Modern Big Business, Modern Education, and Social Media who have perpetuated despotic ideals and ideas. These bad actors are laying the groundwork for more despotism in America, as my next Chirp illuminates.

This perpetuation of despotism needs to end if we are to retain our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". Otherwise, we will become a subservient or subjugated people subject to the dictates of governmental authority. The hubris of a government that believes that they can rule a free people is astounding, as only a subjugated or subservient people can be ruled. To not resist these despotic actions and ideas is to submit to despotism and the loss of our Liberties and Freedoms.

02/24/22 Sliding into Despotism

Life, Liberty, and Property are the Natural Rights of all persons. As such, a person has the right to defend themselves, their families, and their society against encroachment to their Natural Rights. Whether these encroachments are from other persons, organizations, or governments, a person has the Natural Right of defense. We often delegate the protection of Natural Rights to the government to assure justice, but justice requires just laws to assure justice. Justice also requires that all just laws be enforced equality for justice to reign supreme. However:

“Sometimes the law defends plunder and participates in it. Sometimes the law places the whole apparatus of judges, police, prisons and gendarmes at the service of the plunderers, and treats the victim -- when he defends himself -- as a criminal.”
 - Frederic Bastiat - "The Law"

When this occurs, then the government is no longer just and a protector of our Natural Rights. Such governments must utilize fear and intimidation to prevent a person from defending themselves, their family, and society against the encroachments to their Natural Rights. To accomplish this, a government must become despotic to achieve and maintain its powers. In an article, Despotism is all around us: the warnings of Montesquieu by Vickie B Sullivan, a Cornelia M Jackson professor of political science at Tufts University in Massachusetts, she writes:

“Montesquieu, the 18th-century French philosopher who brought the term ‘despotism’ into our political vocabulary, would not be surprised at the disjunction between the putative liberty of our society and the experience many have as the victims of irresponsible power within it. In The Spirit of the Laws (1748), he shows that despotism is an ever-present danger and a persistent threat to human flourishing everywhere and always. Even those fortunate to live outside the borders of a despotic government can still be victimised by despotic practices. In response, Montesquieu teaches that the unmasking of despotism must remain a central endeavour in social and political life.”

Alas, America is becoming a despotic country. When the government attempts to control firearms and prosecutes those that utilize firearms to protect their Natural Rights, they are engaging in despotic actions. When a government selectively allows one mob to riot and destroy personal property, as well as injure or kill others without prosecution while furiously prosecuting other groups (i.e., The 2020 riots that swept across America vs. the January 6th, 2021, Capitol riots), they are engaging in despotic actions. When the government issues mandates that are beyond temporary to meet an emergency without legislative approval, they are engaging in despotic actions. When the government utilizes its powers to denigrate and persecute those people who disagree with their actions, as I have Chirped on “02/23/22 The New McCarthyism”, they are engaging in despotic actions. When the government passively allows criminal actions to occur on our streets and does not prosecute the offenders, and indeed, frees them to continue their criminal actions, they are engaging in despotic actions and inactions. When government officials are behaving as if there were ‘rules for thee but not for me’, they are behaving as despots are wont to do.

When such a government engages in these despotic actions, they have forfeited the right to claim they are the protectors of the Natural Rights of their citizens. Unfortunately, this is what the government in America has been doing for the last several years. A despotism that is being conducted by Democrat Party Leaders and Progressives/Leftists. As such, our government has become despotic. This situation is analogous to the pre-Revolutionary War period in American history when the English government in the American Colonies became despotic, which resulted in our Declaration of Independence. And this government despotism is not limited to America but can be seen in many European nations, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. These nations were once the proud defenders of Liberty and Freedom and are now sliding into despotism along with America.

This despotism needs to end if we are to retain our "American Ideals and Ideas" and our "Freedoms, Liberties, Equalities, and Equal Justice for All". Otherwise, we will become a subservient or subjugated people subject to the dictates of governmental authority. The hubris of a government that believes that they can rule a free people is astounding, as only a subjugated or subservient people can be ruled. To not resist these despotic actions and inactions is to submit to despotism and the loss of our Liberties and Freedoms. If such resistance requires a rebellion, then it is a moral rebellion as expressed in The Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

02/23/22 The New McCarthyism

McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion and treason, especially when related to communism and socialism. The term originally referred to the controversial practices and policies of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisconsin) and has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting from the late 1940s through the 1950s. It was characterized by heightened political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a campaign spreading fear of alleged communist and socialist influence on American institutions and of espionage by Soviet agents. After the mid-1950s, McCarthyism began to decline, mainly due to Joseph McCarthy's gradual loss of public popularity and credibility after several of his accusations were found to be false and sustained opposition from the U.S. Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Earl Warren on human rights grounds. The Warren Court made a series of rulings on civil and political rights that overturned several McCarthyist laws and directives and helped bring an end to McCarthyism.

We should all remember McCarthyism and its lessons. For if we do not, then:

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
 - George Santayana

Alas, we are repeating McCarthyism in today’s society, but a McCarthyism of the left against the right in America. The words and deeds of Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, Modern Big Business, Modern Education, and Social Media, and the ideas of Political Correctness, Cancel Culture, Doxing, Wokeness, and Identity Politics are manifestations of McCarthyism against the right.

It is as wrong today as it was then, and it needs to stop now. Unfortunately, the Progressives/Leftist and Democrat Party Leaders have little in their arsenal to offer Americans other than McCarthyism. This is just another reason that they should be turned out of power until they reform themselves.

02/22/22 Free Speech is Essential

Free Speech is essential to preserve our Liberties and Freedoms, for free speech staves off the encroachments of would-be despots, dictators, and tyrants. However, today in America and the rest of the free world, free speech is under assault under the guise of limiting hate speech, politically incorrect speech, views that are deemed harmful or threatening, mis- dis- or mal-information, and a variety of other excuses.

This unprecedented assault is being undertaken by Democrat Party Leaders, Progressives/Leftists, Mainstream Media, Mainstream Cultural Media, Modern Big Business, Modern Education, and Social Media. It utilizes the tactics of Political Correctness, Activists and Activism, Adjective Justice, Virtue Signaling, Cancel Culture, Doxing, Wokeness, Identity Politics, Equity and Equality, the Greater Good versus the Common Good, and a Herd Mentality to restrict free speech. We are living in one of the most extreme anti-free speech periods in our nation’s history. We have never seen the current coalition of political, media, business, and academic figures aligned to limit speech rights.

Jonathan Turley, the noted and respected professor at George Washington University Law School, has testified in a United States Congressional proceeding about the issues of free speech. His testimony on ‘Fanning The Flames: Disinformation and Extremism In The Media’ can be downloaded here. He also testified on ‘The Right of The People Peacefully To Assemble: Protecting Speech By Stopping Anarchist Violence’, which can be downloaded here. These testimonies are some of the most erudite and intellectual defenses of free speech and the issues and concerns about free speech. He has also written many columns about free speech, which I have collected in my “Three Scholars Understanding and Defending the Constitution”. His other Free Speech articles can be viewed here.

Unfortunately, it is not only our Free Speech rights that are under assault but our other Natural and Constitutional Rights are under assault. But without Free Speech, it is not possible to defend these other Natural and Constitutional Rights. Therefore, we must begin to defend these other rights by insisting upon the Right to Free Speech. Those that would constrict our Free Speech would eventually constrict our other rights, and we have started to see these constrictions in America. We should also remember the words of warning from our first President:

"If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
 - George Washington

02/21/22 Just Doing Their Job

As we watch the spectacle of the Canadian police applying force against the protesting truckers, we have heard many of the police and their defenders proclaim that they are just doing their duty, as their job and business is to enforce the laws and follow orders from their superiors. However, their duty is not only to human law but to God’s law, as God’s law always supersedes human law, and God’s law requires resistance to unjust laws. For those atheists or agnostics that do not believe in God, the term ‘Natural Law’ can be substituted for the term ‘God’s law’. Whenever your actions are contrary to God’s law, you forge a link in a chain of guilt and shame that envelopes you, and these links and your chain will govern your future actions to your detriment. These links and your chain are also examined by God in his judgment upon you when you meet your maker. In this, I am reminded of a snippet of dialog from a famous novel:

As Scrooge is confronted by the ghost of Marley all enveloped in the links and chains of his misdeeds, he rationalized that he and Marley were just going about their business; “But you were always a good man of business, Jacob,” faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this rationalization to himself. “Business!” cried Marley’s Ghost, wringing its hands again. “Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”
 - Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Therefore, it is not enough of a rationalization of just doing your job, as we all have a responsibility to obey God’s law above our responsibility to obey human law, for human law can be just or unjust. As such, one has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws, and conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘an unjust law is no law at all.’ We, therefore, must listen to the dictates of our conscience before we take actions that may contravene God’s law. We all must ask if our actions and other persons' actions are in disobedience to God’s law, and if so, we all have the moral responsibility to not act upon these unjust human laws and to oppose those that would disobey God’s law. To not do so is to allow for injustice to reign supreme, which allows for despotism and tyranny to reign supreme.

We should also remember that history has taught us that when someone relies on just following the law or obeying the orders of superiors, it often leads to inhumanities, atrocities, genocide, and other crimes against humanity. These acts were perpetrated by persons who were just doing their jobs and obeying superiors' orders and often done through ignorance, incuriosity, or willful blindness as to the impacts of their actions. Rather than following the dictates of their conscience, they allowed themselves to be pawns of despots and tyrants. This is no valid reason or excuse for these actions as these actions are inexcusable. However, the perpetrators can repent by working to oppose these unjust laws and depose these despots and tyrants.

We must all oppose these unjust laws and depose these despots and tyrants, for we should all remember that:

"Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God."
 - Benjamin Franklin

02/20/22 Our Bedrock and Foundation

Thought for today on our "American Ideals and Ideas":

“The bedrock of our American Ideals and Ideas is the Declaration of Independence. The foundation of our American Ideals and Ideas is the Constitution. Anything that contravenes this bedrock or foundation is anathema to our American Ideals and Ideas and should not be tolerated.”
 - Mark Dawson

A group of Canadian clergy sent an open letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this week rebuking him for invoking the Emergencies Act to quell the Freedom Convoy and for other actions they described as "tyrannical". It would behoove all freedom-loving people to read this letter as this letter, along with Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’, this letter explains the moral justification for civil disobedience against unjust laws as I have written in my Chirp on, “02/13/22 Rebellion Against Unjust Laws”. Although this letter is longer than most of my Chirps, given its importance, I have decided to reproduce it in its entirety as follows:

“TO: the Prime Minister and Federal Government,

We are writing to you as representative pastors of Christian congregations from across the nation and as law-abiding citizens who respect the God-defined role of civil government and uphold the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the highest law of our land, which recognizes the supremacy of God over all human legislation. For the past two years, we have sought to respectfully and peaceably make known to all levels of government our profound concern about the indefinite suspension of civil liberties, coercive mandates and perpetual state interference in the life, freedom and worship of the church – freedoms guaranteed by both our inherited Common Law tradition and Charter. We have also prayed earnestly for our governing authorities, met with them, written letters and petitions, peacefully gathered for protest with other concerned citizens and in some cases filed lawsuits. We have used every lawful means at our disposal to be heard and taken seriously. Yet at every turn, we have been largely ignored, brushed aside, insulted and even told we in no way represent Canadians.

In recent weeks, the hugely popular truckers convoy containing many Christians (including pastors), has captured the imagination not only of this nation but other nations around the world, laying bare that what we have expressed and argued for months is indeed representative of the concerns of millions of ordinary Canadians who value peace, personal responsibility and liberty. The Ottawa protest has presented your government with a wonderful opportunity to meet with and speak to ordinary Canadians lawfully and peaceably requiring the restoration of their constitutional rights. However, in response to their singing, praying, dancing, candy floss, bouncy castles, speeches about the constitution and outpourings of patriotic love for the country, your government has not only refused to meet with these citizens to hear their concerns, you have insulted, denigrated and lied about them, further dividing a hurting and broken nation.

As ambassadors of Christ, whilst we respect your office as a public servant and honour the limited role of civil authority as a ministry of public justice, we do not hesitate to fulfill our responsibility as servants of the living God by unapologetically reminding you that Jesus Christ is Lord and King and the ruler of the kings of the earth. He sets up kings and pulls down the mighty from their thrones and none can stay his hand. In the words of the same scriptures engraved on the Peace Tower in Ottawa and written into our very national Coat of Arms:

‘Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. (Ps. 2: 10-12)’

Mr. Trudeau, with great respect, you are neither the king nor the ruler of Canada. Both you and your colleagues are public servants sent for a short time to Parliament at our behest as citizens to govern under God in terms of the Canadian Charter and to seek a harmony of public legal interest. You do not grant people rights and responsibilities that are theirs as God’s image-bearers and a free people. Since you do not grant them, you have no authority to remove them.

Your government does not grant people the right to their bodily integrity, the right to work or earn a living, the right to decide for their children or to be with their families or dying loved ones, the right to gather to worship and obey God, the right to travel in their own land or enter and leave. Civil government exists to protect these pre-political and fundamental freedoms, not bestow and remove them as if it can function in the place of God .As such, we as Christian pastors condemn in the strongest possible terms your unprecedented invoking of the Emergency Powers Act (1988) with the intent of bringing unaccountable state power to bear on peaceful citizens – "men women and children" – who have been stripped of their fundamental freedoms for two years and who have in many cases lost everything as a result of your government's mandates. There is no national emergency and to invoke one to crush peaceful political dissent is a totalitarian act of repression displaying weakness not strength. These tyrannical actions are exposing this government and people to the judgment of God, and we are deeply concerned that you do not appreciate the significance of God’s wrath upon a rebellious and lawless nation.

We implore you to step back from the brink, restore the constitutional freedoms of the people, respect the God-given rights of our citizenry and above all to humble yourself and take a knee before Christ the King lest you perish in the way. We urge you to repent of the sins of pride, rebellion against God, and bearing false witness. You have not displayed a brotherly care and love for these honest hard-working people who have tried to peacefully bring their very serious concerns to your attention.

Our hope and prayer for you and your government is that you will lift the emergency measures, end these lawless mandates, and enact justice for a people who elected you to that purpose.

'For He shall have dominion from sea to sea (Ps. 72:8).'”

02/19/22 Limited Forcible Resistance

As I have Chirped on the January 6th, 2020 Capitol “Insurrection” many times at here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here, this “insurrection” was anything but an insurrection. In an article by Rob Natelson, What the Jan. 6 Capitol Incursion Really Was, he examines the January 6th “Insurrection” in a historical context. He states that “The Capitol incursion was wrong, but it was not an “insurrection.” It was a very different kind of event with deep roots in our Anglo-American heritage.” He explains that these deep roots as:

“The late Pauline Maier was a distinguished historian of colonial and Revolutionary America. She identified an Anglo-American tradition of “limited forcible resistance.” Although different kinds of actions fit this description, they all have four characteristics:

• Limited forcible resistance is not scattershot, like the looting propagated by leftist demonstrators. It’s focused on the source of political grievance. It is, Maier wrote, “remarkably single-minded and discriminating … [T]argets [are] characteristically related to grievances.”
• When the resistance includes riots or other disorder, it may cause significant property damage, but results in very few casualties. Usually more casualties are inflicted on the protesters than by them.
• Participants include not merely the mobile vulgus (mob or rabble) but community leaders who see themselves as protecting the constitutional order.
• When participants engage in disorder they do so only because they perceive that all legal means of redress have been foreclosed.”

He then goes on to explain how the Capital incursion fits into the definition of a “limited forcible resistance.” One of his conclusions was, “All of that having been said, it’s wrongheaded to classify the Jan. 6 riot as an “insurrection” rather than what it was: limited forcible resistance undertaken by people convinced they had no other remedy.”

Many of the insurrections were of a limited forcible resistance mob, while some were just Wackadoodles. Any political leader who believes this was an insurrection is simply politically pandering, or they believe resistance to their authority is an insurrection. This posturing and belief are dangerous to the body politic, as it does not illuminate the concerns of these “insurrectionists” and is being used to demonize those Americans who have concerns about the 2020 election irregularities, thus pitting one group of Americans against another. To simply dismiss these concerns is to dismiss a large percentage of Americans who believe that their votes were compromised. This dismissive attitude further divides Americans and disenchants many Americans about the legitimacy of our government.

This disenchantment is one of the seeds of civil unrest, which can grow to civil disobedience and potentially civil war. Therefore, these concerns need to be investigated and addressed properly for all Americans to be satisfied as to the legitimacy of the 2020 elections. The House select committee on the January 6th, 2020, Capitol “Insurrection” is not doing this, and indeed, is furthering the divisions and disenchants in America. Indeed, this committee bears a resemblance to the House Un-American Activities Committee of the mid-twentieth century, and McCarthyism, which should never again happen in America.

Two other articles by Rob Natelson, Weren’t the Capitol Hill Protesters “Mostly Peaceful?” and The Undeniable Irregularity That May Have Cost Trump the Election, also examine this “Insurrection” and its causes.

02/18/22 The Abortion Decision

The Supreme Court of the United States is considering a serious challenge to Roe v. Wade from Mississippi in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center. Having had all parties submit their written opinions and having heard all oral arguments, they are currently in internal deliberations as to the resolution of this lawsuit.

As I have Chirped on, "09/15/21 An Unresolved National Issue of Natural Rights", there is much to be weighed in this decision. This decision should be weighed with profoundness and expeditiously, and it should be decided and issued prior to the election cycle of 2022. This will give the American people time to consider this decision and weigh it in their decision as to whom they wish to vote. It is important that they do so before they cast their ballots to help settle this issue in the court of public opinion.

Therefore, I would implore the Supreme Court to issue this decision as soon as possible. I would also implore the Supreme Court to not base its decision on narrow legal grounds but to address the issue on the 9th Amendment Rights of both the mother and the unborn child, the core issue of abortion, as this would provide a sound foundation for its Abortion Decision.

02/17/22 Public Education Responsibilities

The American people have always believed in the importance of education, and schooling for children is part and parcel of our society. However, nowhere in the Constitution is education mentioned. This is because our Founders believed that this was a State and local governments issue that was delegated to them by the Tenth Amendment. This is the way it was until the 1960s when the Federal government became alarmed about the quality and the inequity of education across States and local jurisdictions, as well as the inequity of racial discrimination in schooling resources.

Despite increased federal involvement in the funding and regulations upon public education since the 1960s, the quality of Public Education has not improved much, and in some cases, it has become worse. My article on "Public Education" discusses many of the issues and concerns regarding public education in today’s America. Two other Articles of mine, "Systemic Family, Education, and Faith Problems" and "Indoctrination versus Education", also address the issues of public education in today’s America.

The core issue on Education is what is the role and responsibility of the Federal government in education and the proper ways and means to fund and manage education. Our educational approach in America is to fund educational systems rather than fund the parents or legal guardians in the education of their children. This, by nature, is a top-down approach to education that is rife with bureaucracy and political and judicial meddling in education, which I believe is the core of the problems with Public Education in America.

In 21st century America, we have also seen more "Activists and Activism" in Administrators and Teachers for the purposes of molding children, and less subject matter teaching for the purposes of educating our children. This is leading to parental discontent and the public funding of controversial ideas in the classroom, which are abhorrent as:

"To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors in sinful and tyrannical."
 - Thomas Jefferson

Consequently, we must resolve the core issues on Education to reform education to produce knowledgeable and rational children that can become contributing members of our society as adults.

02/16/22 Government Punitive Damages

Punitive damages, or exemplary damages, are damages assessed in order to punish the defendant for outrageous conduct and/or to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit. Although the purpose of punitive damages is not to compensate the plaintiff, the plaintiff will receive all or some of the punitive damages award. Sometimes punitive damages can be excessive and abused, such as when a jury wishes to punish an individual, company, or organization that they disfavor or they believe has deep pockets and can afford to pay the damages, but such cases are rare but are becoming more frequent in modern America. Punitive damages are subjective by their very nature. Since their purpose is to punish, as opposed to compensation, opinions on how to accomplish this will vary widely among jurors. Regardless, research into punitive damages has revealed some common principles. The wealth of the defendant is positively correlated with large punitive damage awards, jurors either downplay or ignore jury instructions regarding punitive damages determinations, and jurors tend to punish defendants who have conducted a cost-benefit analysis and proceeded regardless of the damages inflicted.

The Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) sharply limits punitive damages from being awarded against the Federal government. This means that damages that are intended to punish the wrongdoer are not allowed. Instead, only compensatory damages can be awarded in an FTCA case.

Given that the 21st century has seen a sharp increase of governmental actions against individuals, companies, or organizations, many times infringing on their Constitutional Rights or going beyond the bounds of the scope of their duties and responsibilities, this FTCA limitations precludes suing for punitive damages to deter these actions by the government. We have also seen law enforcement and regulators enforce or not enforce laws and regulations based upon "Adjective Justice", "Identity Politics", "Political Correctness", and "Wokeness", as well as institute legal actions based on a political agenda rather than wrongdoing. This FTCA limitation precludes using punitive damages to ameliorate these government actions or inactions, and this is a core issue of the proper means and ways of restraining governmental overreach.

I believe that this is wrong and that if punitive damages can be utilized to punish an individual, company, or organization for deterring future inappropriate actions, they should be available to deter future improper government actions that inflict damages upon individuals, companies, or organizations. The punitive damages awarded when such improper governmental actions are so determined must be large enough to deter the government from future improper actions. Given the deep pockets of the government, these punitive damages awards must be very large and directed at the agencies that instituted th