The way I hoped life would turn out

It didn’t .

Saying the quiet part out loud

 We knew this is their plan. Project 2025 makes that clear. But if you harbor any doubt, here it is from the horse’s ass own mouth. 

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-tells-christians-they-wont-have-vote-after-this-election-2024-07-27/

Jefferson knew what we need to do

 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 their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.****

Thomas Jefferson

Possible side effects may include...

 I miss the Colbert Show. I miss Prescott Pharmaceuticals.

Here’s a list of some of the best side effects. And below, some of the funnier “Cheating Death” segments (starting with the first one where Colbert can’t keep a straight face, a rarity for him):

Hepatitis C++
Phantom Hand Syndrome
Vivid dreams of self-cannibalism
An inability to breathe on weekends
Bad humors
Chicken fingers
Oxford coma
Ukraine in the membrane
Atomic fireballs
Sleep waltzing
Night terriers
Creamed corneas
Stubble vision
Idris elbow
Male pattern Baldwin
Search and seizures
Hipster dysplasia
Highballs
Bud Light lime disease
Mathlete’s foot
Involuntary jowel movements
Abra cadaver
Brain whistle
Ice-splosions
Capillary yogurt
Abdominal salad shooters
REO Speedlung
Nostril inversion
Pituitary ferns
Skeletal xylophoning
Teriyaki lung
Elevated heart weight
Chinese firebones
Restless torso syndrome
Mild Hulk-ism
Minor heart explosions
Late-onset albinism

I Stand With...

 I see so many "I stand with..." almost always followed by a country. Well, and I say this as a veteran, I don't stand with any country. 

I will stand with the people, people everywhere. All humans belong to the same family. Beyond the influence of politics, nationalities, or religions, all humans are the same. We all want to live, to eat, to be healthy, to care for others. 

I stand with humanity. Fuck ideologies and political parties and the corporations.

The value of objectivity

“The decay and disintegration of this culture is astonishingly amusing if you are emotionally detached from it. I have always viewed it from a safe distance, knowing I don't belong; it doesn't include me, and it never has. no matter how you care to define it, I do not identify with the local group. Planet, species, race, nation, state, religion, party, union, club, association, neighborhood improvement committee; I have no interest in any of it. I love and treasure individuals as I meet them, I loathe and despise the groups they identify with and belong to.”

― George Carlin, Brain Droppings 

It’s fashionable to claim to have hope in the future of America. All my liberal friends are rightfully concerned that that fat orange fuck might get reelected. If he does, game over. 

We’re already witnessing the end game of capitalism. It’s indisputable that everything on this planet has become a for-profit venture. Even our government is for sale. With every ten senators you buy, you get a Supreme Court justice at half price. Buy more and save. God is being ignored while money has taken his place. 

One advantage of having turned 70 this year is the realization that I have no stake in the future of this country or the world. I’ve done my part, I can’t do much more, and I don’t have a whole hell of a lot of time even if I could. I have no family to be concerned about. I have no vested interest in the future.

So like Mr. Carlin, I can objectively watch the end of capitalism, the end of democracy, the end of the human race, and feel no regret. We brought it on ourselves and we’ve spent thousands of years trying to avoid the consequences of our actions. I don’t hope for a positive outcome because I believe we deserve whatever happens. Good, bad, or neutral, we own it.

War of savages

In the world right now we have an example of war as fought in the 1940s and war as fought in 1 CE. They aren’t all that different. Atrocities, civilians as collateral damage, completedestruction of buildings and homes. 

It’s been said that while we can’t predict what sorts of weapons will be used in WWlll, we can be sure WWlV with be fought with stone spears.

Humans are a savage race. We’ve had to invent gods or elect despots to keep us from killing each other daily. Unless we continue to evolve mentally we will always be like this. Of course it’s not likely we’ll survive long enough to overcome our base tendencies. 

Who are the Americans?

Even though I use the terminology myself, lacking an accepted alternative, isn’t it time to stop calling people Native Americans and simply call them Americans? The rest of us are European Americans, African Americans, or South Americans. 

But the only people with a right to the un-hyphenated name Americans are those who were here before the colonization of the continent. 

Research

“In order to conduct our studies into what was killing the subjects, we had to kill several of the subjects to study them closely. After thorough tests and investigations, we have concluded the primary cause of death of the subjects are scientists who kill the subjects in an attempt to discover what was killing the subjects. Studies will continue in an effort to substantiate those findings.”

Las Vegas shouldn’t exist

Every day I see and hear people talking about the environment and how our society is failing to address important issues. 

Let’s look at Las Vegas, one of the most popular tourist destinations in America. 

Las Vegas is a city in the middle of a desert. No one with any sense would have considered building a house, let alone a city, in the middle of the Nevada desert in the 19th century.

Yet in the 20th century, a group of mobsters needed a way to launder their illegal gains, and gambling, already a popular addiction, was an easy way. All they needed was a friendly legislature and a sufficiently remote location that law enforcement was unlikely to bother them. 

Once Nevada realized the potential income from gambling and the mob, they were all in. In fact, brothels became legal as well. Las Vegas became a one-stop-shop for nearly all human vices.

These days Las Vegas is home to another American addiction, electric lights. Every day the Las Vegas strip consumes enough electricity to power a small town for a month. According to Utility Smarts, the Strip uses approximately 8000 megawatts of power every day. The MGM hotel alone spends $100,000 a month on electricity.

It’s not just the lights. Homes have been built around Las Vegas, and because it’s a desert community, air conditioning costs nearly equal the cost of lighting. 

On the face of it, Las Vegas shouldn’t exist. It’s a city built in an inhospitable desert by criminals exploiting human weaknesses to garner millions of dollars a day and demanding more power from the grid than can be justified.

And none of this occurs in secret or dark alleys. We all know about it. It’s legal while at the same time being frequently called immoral. The power and water wasted to support this can’t be justified as a social necessity. 

So while the West fights water wars, Las Vegas tourists and residents enjoy fountains and golf courses. While major cities suffer power outages, Las Vegas produces enough light to be visible from space day and night. While politicians lament the decline in morality, they thank god for the money that taxes and gambling provide the local economy. 

Las Vegas exposes the hypocrisy of Americans when it comes to the climate and social issues. We aren’t serious about changing our ways, not as long as there’s profit to be made.

I asked ChatGPT to expound on “chaos”

 And this is what I got 

“ Chaos: Unraveling the Tapestry of Disorder

In the vast tapestry of existence, chaos stands as a compelling thread woven into the fabric of our lives. It manifests in various forms, from the turbulent dance of atoms to the intricate complexities of society. Chaos is a profound and pervasive force that defies simple comprehension, an enigma that challenges our perception of order and unpredictability.

At its core, chaos denotes a state of disorder and unpredictability, where seemingly random events unfold without discernible patterns or rules. While the concept of chaos may conjure notions of confusion and turmoil, it is essential to recognize its role as a potent catalyst for change and innovation. Chaos acts as a crucible of creativity, birthing novel ideas and transformative breakthroughs when traditional structures fail to suffice.

In the natural world, chaos is evident in the chaotic beauty of fractals, where infinite patterns emerge from the simplest equations. The delicate butterfly effect, a cornerstone of chaos theory, exemplifies how a seemingly insignificant event can trigger a cascade of consequences with far-reaching impacts. Chaos lies hidden beneath the surface of seemingly ordered systems, waiting to emerge when conditions reach a tipping point, causing avalanches, stock market crashes, or even drastic weather changes.

Human society, too, is not impervious to the allure of chaos. In times of great social upheaval or revolution, chaos serves as a catalyst for transformative change. The dissolution of established norms and institutions opens the door for new ideologies and social structures to take root. However, unchecked chaos can lead to anarchy and destruction, highlighting the delicate balance required to harness its potential without descending into the abyss of disorder.

Creativity thrives in the realm of chaos, as artists, writers, and thinkers often draw inspiration from the cacophony of life's unpredictability. Chaos unleashes the power of imagination, freeing minds from the shackles of routine and predictability, and enabling the birth of revolutionary ideas that shape the course of human history.

Yet, for all its allure and potential, chaos remains an elusive concept to grasp fully. Attempts to predict chaos have led to complex mathematical models and simulations, but its innate nature resists definitive comprehension. Embracing chaos requires a willingness to surrender control, to accept that some aspects of life lie beyond the confines of our understanding. In this acceptance lies the potential for growth, adaptability, and resilience in the face of uncertainty.

Moreover, chaos is not an isolated force but interconnected with order, creating a dynamic dance of opposites. Order and chaos coexist and intermingle, each giving rise to the other. Life itself emerges from the delicate interplay of these opposing forces, where chaos provides the raw materials for evolution, while order imparts stability and structure.

In conclusion, chaos stands as an enthralling force that weaves through the fabric of existence, challenging our perceptions and inviting us to explore the boundaries of knowledge. Embracing chaos is an acknowledgment of the limits of our understanding and a testament to the ever-changing nature of life. When we learn to dance with chaos rather than resist it, we discover the hidden symphony within the chaos, and therein lies the potential for growth, creativity, and transformation.”

No race but the human race

 My friend over on counter.social, @BrianHjelleVirologist, posted

"Our "races" are social, not biological constructs."

If every person on the planet could get that through their thick skull half the world's problems would disappear. But religion and our egos keep us from admitting that simple truth. 

It's the human race, Homo sapiens, period.

Guidestones to the Future

 Remember the Georgia Guidestones? They were a mystery until some conspiracy nutters decided to bomb them. But the inscriptions survive. 

1. Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
2. Guide reproduction wisely – improving fitness and diversity.
3. Unite humanity with a living new language.
4. Rule passion – faith – tradition – and all things with tempered reason.
5. Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
6. Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
7. Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
8. Balance personal rights with social duties.
9. Prize truth – beauty – love – seeking harmony with the infinite.
10. Be not a cancer on the Earth – Leave room for nature – Leave room for nature.

Some will say that’s all utopian idealism. But many of us understand that we’re seriously in danger of seeing the extinction of human beings. We’ve caused extreme damage to the only home we have through greed and ignorance. Earth cannot sustain an ever increasing population. 

I suggest we consider heeding the advice on the Guidestones. We’ve gone too long in the wrong direction. 

Out of the ashes of Twitter

Now that Twitter has gone up in flames and Reddit is on the same path of self-destruction, people are running crazy around the web looking for the next big thing, the next Twitter.

There won't be another Twitter. Future social networks will learn the lessons taught by Elon and Steve and avoid those situations. Perhaps the closest extant network modeled on Twitter is Truth(dot)social, the enclave of snowflakes and members of Y'all Qaeda. If that's your cup of tea, go for it, while it lasts.

For everyone else there's a growing number of social networking alternatives. At the moment it seems to be a three-way race between Threads, Mastodon, T2, and BlueSky. The last two are still invitation only, so their growth is slow right now.

Threads, brought to you by the same folks that own Facebook and Instagram, is growing by thousands of members every day. I'm sure that's due to its close association with Facebook. The word on the web is that Facebook is the social network for your parents, so the cool kids are all flocking to Threads. 

Yet quantity doesn't assure quality. I'd rather be in a room with two really interesting and informative people that I can have a conversation with than be in a room with a thousand people all talking at the same time. These new networks are also finding out how necessary moderation and rules that don't change daily every time the owner gets mad about something, are. 

I was on Twitter from the start, I joined 17 years ago. In that time I enjoyed talking with friends and strangers who became friends. That experience started to get tarnished in 2016 with the advent of trolls and hate-filled people. By 2017 Twitter was little more than the online voice of Trump. 

Last year I found a site called Counter.Social. It offered not just friendly conversation on a wide variety of topics, it offered something rare with social networks, security. No ads, no data-mining, no trolls. In addition, Counter.Social offers amenities unheard of on other sites. I encourage you to check it out for yourself. It's free to join though many of us are supporting the owner with a $5 a month pro membership. 

My final word on this topic. The social network you decide to call home should be a good fit for what you want in such a site. There never will be a one-size-fits-all network. If you're interested in looking into Counter.Social, if privacy and security are important to you, come by, check it out. If it helps, you might want to take the following information into account in making your decision. 

NOTHING TO SEE HERE...

Trump’s indictment, and those to come, are welcome distractions. They are allowing us to ignore for even a few moments that there are rich and powerful forces determined to undermine our democratic republic, as imperfect as it may be, and substitute for it a theocratic fascist state. 

They’re distracting us from the imminent danger our entire planet faces due to our terrible stewardship and our unbridled capitalism. The band’s still playing but the ship is sinking.

Chaos Reigns

 Even big companies are conspiring to reign chaos down on America. Google is selling .zip and .ooo domains. Spammers are jumping on .zip domains. 

And Apple wants to drop “Hey” from waking Siri. Insane. I learned how bad that can be when I changed the wake word for Alexa to Computer. 

I never realized how many times I say computer during the day, usually prefaced with a profanity.

ALL THE GOOGLES IN GOOGLEVILLE...

 So here’s how I see my future; I’ve accomplished the first step. I’ve sold my soul to Google. In exchange, I received a gmail account, a spot on Orkut, a Blog on Blogger and unlimited access to Google/Froogle/Google images, groups and news. 

I have heard that others have received these same benefits without bartering their soul, but I cannot confirm these rumors, and besides, I wasn’t using it anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal.

In the next few years, after Google buys up Microsoft and Intel, and owns a controlling amount of stock of the internet, they’ll want their piece of the real world. Real estate, literally. So somewhere in the mid-West will blossom Googleville, a beta community. I, of course, will be among the first in line to apply for residence. Landscaping be damned, we’ll all be in our lovely Googlehomes, sitting in front of our GoogleMachines computers with broadband access via our Google ISP, 24 hours a day. Blooging this, gmailing that, searching for even more entertainment. 

Once a week I’ll trek down to GoogleMart for my supplies, maintaining my net connection with my Googleberry device. On the way back I’ll stop to fill the tank of my Googlemobile, then it’s back home to surf some more.

Ah, could my future be any brighter?

(First published on my blog in April of 2004)

Privilege

 Is anyone else sick of privilege? White privilege, Male privilege, Police privilege, Government privilege. This country shouldn’t entertain privilege for anyone who has enjoyed undeserved privilege since its founding. It’s other people’s turn now.

Imposter Syndrome

 All my adult life I played in a stage production called “My Working Life”. At work I wore a uniform (costume) and acted according to a script (the expectations of the job/my employers). I wasn’t me at work, I was a character in a play which earned me money that was used to enjoy my real life. In fact I took great pains not to mix my professional and private lives. I don’t party with coworkers or make friends with them. I seldom if ever bring work home with me. I avoid discussing my job when I’m not at work. My two lives are wholly separate. It’s a matter of compartmentalization.

 

WE NEED A REVOLUTION

Saving America going to take a revolution. Not necessarily a violent revolution, but a complete rethinking of capitalism and democracy. We’re seeing the limits of both systems in providing us with an equitable society and a sustainable planet. It isn’t feasible to think we can continue down this same road and not fall off the cliff at the end of it, which is just around the next corner.