Looking beyond the now

For those of you tired of politics:

I’m tired of the madness they shout

I’m mired in confusion and doubt

Okay that bit of a phrase came into my head the other day. Not sure why, so I “internet” searched it thinking I must have heard it before. I didn’t dig deep but couldn’t find anything even close. Not even a 60’s song or a rap song popped up. Still think someone must have written this down somewhere, seems to obvious. All sorts of crazy stuff did pop up from the search, but not this specific phrase. Probably need to dig deeper.

Anyway if no one has said it before, I am claiming it and even the T-shirt and button rights. My copyrighted two-line lyrics for the day.

So, as you know I am not a fan of Trump, Putin, Democrats and Republicans, yet they are tied together in the American political scene and dominating the news. Lately I have decided to separate Putin from making general comments about Russia. Sooner or later there will be no more Putin, he projects himself as healthy, so it may be awhile, but there will be a post Putin Russia. Eventually we will be able to have a relationship with Russia that is much better than his election meddling and other assorted anti-American behavior. There was an article recently maybe Bloomberg, maybe Forbes that talked about some Russian people trying to find a non-Putin Russia. I glanced quickly through it. Hopefully they can get better traction and create a true democracy or more representative government.

On a side note the Democrats continually prove they are clueless by nominating Nancy Pelosi to be Speaker of the House. Just more proof the Parties at the National level are self-serving, and many other adjectives not fit for family discussion.

And everyone is getting all hot and bothered by the latest revelation by Cohen that there was Russia Trump Tower discussion up until early summer 2016. Whoop dee doo! The real collusion of Trump began a decade or so ago. It may be difficult to impossible to prove, but somewhere many years ago, Putin started working on destroying our country from within. He planned for a long time. Slowly it must have dawned on him to create a politician favorable to him. He may not have had Trump in mind originally, but he was planning.

And he chose to infiltrate the Republican party. Why you ask, well I have absolutely no proof, but crazy ideas. The Democrats are clueless, and the Republicans are greedy, and both fail this country.  So, if you had a long-term plan where do you start. It may seem that choosing someone that is clueless would be a great place to start. And the Republicans historically project the anticommunist pro America patriotic rhetoric regularly. So, you might think Putin would infiltrate the Democrats, the liberal bastion of lets all get along people who might be susceptible to overt friendly gestures and be ready to get along. No folks, Putin is smart. Putin chose the Republican party because a clueless person as the sayings go; can buy a clue or get a clue or whatever. Greedy people tend to stay greedy. And Putin recognized how depraved our materialism, how greedy our donor class had become. He recognized it before the left-wing fake news media did. He knew it before Fox. In fact, he probably watched good ole Rupert build up the Fox network with a gleam in his eye. The donor class could control the masses they wanted to, and Putin knew to use this weapon to his advantage.

Most Americans do not understand the rest of the world thinks long term. Leaders from Asia and Europe know their history. They know the need for Machiavellian plots if they want to survive and thrive. Putin was relatively young when he gained power, so he knew he had time. He hates the United States. And he wants Russia to be a world leader. He felt comfortable waiting his plans out.  Go listen to his speeches on how he feels about American exceptionalism and other American thoughts. He wants to see us fail and Russian rise.

And we make it easy for Putin. Our faults are horrendous and obvious. It was no coincidence that Putin was infiltrating the NRA as he was supporting Trump. Putin looked for people’s weakness driven by greed. Greed is his friend. And Trump was a greedy man with no plan ten years ago. Again, Trump may not have been his first choice, but Trump fit his need. A person who is vain, greedy, incompetent, easily manipulated, desperate need for attention, and in trouble financially. Trump could not get loans. Trump wanted everyone to think he was the greatest businessman alive. He wanted to be the most popular guy in the billionaire’s club. And Trump had a rudimentary understanding of the same weaknesses Putin saw in us. Trump was groomed.

And then Trump was given a platform via Fox. What a blessing starting in 2011 or so Trump became popular on Fox. His opinions were sought out by hosts of certain shows. The birther movement gave Trump his first taste of national political power. Another chance coincidence, but one Putin could use to develop a candidate he needed. Trump was already under Putin’s influence. Moving him forward was just the next step.

So, for all you who think the Trump Tower in Russia or the meeting in Trump Tower about “adoptions” proves there was collusion or a conspiracy. Oh no. You are far behind the times on the real collusion. No one has an army of social media trolls they can pull out of a hat. They were recruited and trained long before 2015. They were put to work in 2015 and 2016. The hi-jacking of American Social Media was long planned, it just needed the catalyst, the candidate, and since Fox had fostered hate in the heartland, Putin had two avenues to drive home his boy. And again, Putin was smart. Do you think Trump figured out the electoral college numbers on his own? No, he was sent to the Midwest to fight and gather every vote he could to bring those states home to him. And clueless Clinton, let him.

The Democrats are clueless still, but maybe one day they will find the quarter on the ground and buy a clue. For now, the Republican/donor class greed has blinded them to how depraved they are and how desperate they want Trump to be successful, so they can take even more from this country. As the man himself says “sad”.

And as always, I scream in the forest with no one around, we need new parties to represent the people of this country, even the Trump fans who have lost touch with the truth but are the hard-working Americans that are losing everything and do not know why which generates their anger.

Our country is great when we implement our values, work hard, respect each other, and grow ourselves, and yes even our economy. Real capitalism should be about making a good product at a good price and treating your workers and customers with respect. Corporate American by and large is not business or capitalistically inclined. They are greedy. They are not doing anyone any good. They are making money through their manipulations, but true product production, innovating, growing their business, developing their workforce, etc is not corporate America now.

Putin saw the above plus, our deteriorating public education, our growing wealth gap and what he sees now is good, for him.

So, all you people waiting for Mr. Mueller to pull a rabbit out of his hat and indict Trump on some wonderfully conceived collusion. Sorry, but Mr. Mueller needs to go back some time and prove Trump needed Putin before even Trump thought about running for President. And that my friends may not be provable. Putin is smart enough not to have left a paper trail. There is a connection but connecting the dots may be too large of a project. We need to move forward and find new leaders to pick up the pieces post Trump and re emerge as the country we truly can be.

Cheers

They say nothing good happens after midnight.

So, when does the good start back up? When the milkman delivers milk? The paper boy newspapers? Sunrise?

Who knows, it seems bad happens 24/7. Good, well that is debatable.

And I am fighting the urge to discuss the bad. Okay, not really bad in the biblical sense, but bad from the Bible or some people’s interpretations.

I do not believe in the rapture. I do believe in God, essentially the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I do not like the impression I get that the evangelical Christians want to create the end times, so they can all be part of the Rapture. It lets them not be accountable for their lack of action or following the true teachings of Christ. Sure, they do Christian activities, but really diving down and following Christ, not so sure on that one. And I know they feel I am evil for not believing in the end times like they do. We all have our opinion.

I struggle though with a group of people so obsessed with a theory about Armageddon that is not two hundred years old, but they treat it like it came directly from the Book of Revelation. It didn’t. It is a creation of the fore runners to the modern evangelicals. Yet they have become a large enough group and with their obsession helped elect the one person that comes close in personality to the entity we are all to despise and avoid. This entity would bring about the end times and help all good people be part of the Rapture. First of all, the Bible very distinctly says, man will not know the hour, but they sure want to make the hour happen. And second, they do not feel the person they elected is this entity I am referencing. They support him because he appears to support Israel, but in a way that would lead to Armageddon. Which is something they want. Again, we all have our opinion. I do not think they are right, and their efforts to become correct actually go against the one person they believe in as the ultimate authority on mankind and everything else. Man will not know the hour.

Do I believe our President is the Anti-Christ? No, but I believe he is the living embodiment of everything anti-Christian. Everything he does almost always goes against Jesus’ teaching. And these people who swear by Jesus seem to miss the boat on this one. Irony is either not a strong enough word or the correct word for what applies in this situation.

Well I started writing this after midnight, so you can blame all this on nothing good is happening right now. Or you can deal with the truth, which most people including myself struggle with on a daily basis. And since it is after midnight there is an element of being tired as crap as I write this, which doesn’t help the flow. Yet, if I do not do it now I may never write this.

I saw a comment on a post where the person states Jesus was a liberal. Always amazes me when people try to direct Jesus into their world. Jesus is neither conservative nor liberal. He is simply the truth. We ignore the truth and his teachings, but he and his teachings still exist. Everyone wants to put God in a box to fit their reality. And so, you can expect that when I say mankind barely knows 2-3% of the truth, people do not want to hear it. Anyway, it is late, I have been holding back on writing this idea for days now and it has gone through various iterations in my head. This is the mildest version. Still worried our wonderful government may take anything you say the wrong way. Apparently, they showed up at Tom Arnold’s house recently, but he probably did say something that caught someone’s ear. I haven’t heard what and I am not internet searching for the answer right now.

The bug was in my head and I had to let it out. I am still amazed that evangelical Christians spend more time telling us what we do wrong but hold in the highest esteem a man who contradicts everything the man they say is their savior and path to salvation taught. Labels are so misleading. Calling Trump, a conservative, and calling evangelicals Christians are two labels that seem to go hand in hand, but Trump and the evangelicals are neither no matter what myths they create for themselves.

Cheers all

Happy Thanksgiving 2018

Good morning all, 

We are blessed with gorgeous fall weather this morning. Some of the kids are running the Turkey Trot this morning leaving the better half and I to cook. And we are fine. Very quiet for now.

Hope all is well with you. Have a great day and wonderful Holiday Season coming up.

Got much on the mind, but will save it for later since today is a day set aside to be grateful. And sometimes we need to work hard to remember what we are grateful for and some years it is obvious. I hope this has been a good year for you.

Thank you for reading this blog. Next month will begin my 9^th year writing this madness.

Cheers

I have empirical proof I am right.

Sinema winning the US Senate race in Arizona is great news for my thinking.

What did she do? She stayed away from the progressives and kept her message straight forward. She didn’t embellish, she focused on a few important issues to the average American and stuck to it. And I am not making great revelations here, most political pundits are saying the same.

She won. And she won in Arizona. If Beto had done the same thing he probably would have won. (more proof the Democrats are clueless)

So how does that prove I am right? As you know I state regularly that most of America is moderate to moderately conservative. And family issues such as healthcare are very important. And what did she espouse as a major theme for her campaign? Healthcare.

The Republicans have always traded in the issues that have won over the middle class, but they never cashed in. They always support the donor class once the legislation is written. The Democrats are all talk on the other side of the coin.

Ms. Sinema still needs to produce, but the message should be clear to any aspiring politician that hard work, straight forward talk on basic issues will always sell to Main street. The Republicans never produced so my next win is this shows there is promise in creating a true third major party that makes what she did a regular part of their development.

No one is truly developing basic public policy that supports the middle class. Healthcare, Social Security, infrastructure, jobs and better wages, education are all main street issues, but neither party has ever produced public policy that furthers this agenda. Throw in balancing the budget and bringing down the size of the government, reduce government intrusion and it seems Republican, yet where is the pudding? (I am a conservative)

The country is waking up that there is no pudding. Now can we make the next step and find more people like Sinema to take this to the next level? I think we can. 

If you read any of my previous posts about public policy, you see many of these themes. I am not saying I am specifically right, yet I do feel I am on track. I do have a couple of adventurous projects written into them, but overall most people are ready for someone to do what the Republicans and Democrats have not done in fifty years. Sinema even though claiming to be a Democrat took a different track than either party did this mid-term.

In my foolish optimism, am I feeling a whiff of a breeze; one that you think you feel on a very still day.  Maybe a hot and muggy day, one that just seems to weigh on you and never stops, but there is that moment from a completely different direction, maybe you felt something, maybe you saw a leaf move a bit. Are we there?

Cheers

And on a completely different note, this week is a very sad week. We will face our mortality, but when it hits home, it hits. A life long best friend of mine, is succumbing to cancer. This is his second bout and very aggressive and unfortunately there is nothing that can be done this time. He lives out of town, yet I have managed to speak to a mutual friend and his wife so far. (I found out last night) There is inevitability to life, but it is staring me in the face this week. I am not good with this, at any level. Soon his suffering will stop and I do not want him to suffer. We have shared so much together, but I cannot change his situation, though I do not want to see him go. One of the worst moments is when you realize there is nothing to say. You try and it fizzles. The better half and I will try to rush down there soon and hope to get a chance to see him before he goes. For six years in college and right after we were inseparable, then life separated us, but we kept in touch. We still managed to get into a bit of trouble every now and then. There are stories not to be told and stories to share infinitely. We were family, sharing and participating in each others’ weddings and much more. Both of us stayed married till that one vow hits home, till death do you part. My brother called me this evening to check in on me and I appreciate he called. It seemed we needed to catch up. He knew my friend also. All of us go through these times, it is inevitable, it will never be better. For him I need a Miller High Life (a few), a Detroit Tigers game, and a Bob Seger tune. Cheers my friend.

There will be new words and new definitions to define these times

Everyone knows the phrase: “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Some one is going to have to come up with new descriptions as to what is going on with our country and very specifically the Republican party. There will be a quote or term, a zeitgeist, a revelation one day, but for now we are going insane trying to figure out the Trump madness.

It may come from psychologists, historians, anthropologists, who knows, but how the Republican Party can wake up every day and accept what is coming from the President and pretend there is not anything wrong is beyond definition right now.

For the last twenty years or so Fox News has been slowly diverting their audience away from critical thinking, so you can see part of the problem. And if you love conspiracy theories, you might think they are truly brainwashing their audience with subliminal messaging at a criminal rate. A rational person cannot fully understand how bad the mindset has become that allows a person to completely disregard so much truth that is available about President Trump and continue to defend him.

And the way they defend him is miraculous. It defies any term available in use today. Sit down and very carefully get into a conversation about Trump. Go slow and be open to listening to a diehard Trump fan, and this includes educated people, and slowly ask them questions and watch them verbally contort themselves into believing he is good for this country. They will masterfully reconvince themselves about how Trump is great for this country and people are unfairly attacking him. Do not argue with them, it is pointless, just let them talk and watch.

I know there are examples in history of similar occurrences, but never have we had so many different ways to hear alternative answers. In the past a despot leader controlled the only means of communication. Not so nowadays, there are hundreds of ways to get information. The twisting of the brain to get where they are is astounding. And they truly believe he is under an unfair attack by the media.

Granted the pretentious left does pick some pretty ridiculous points to hammer over and over with people, but generally it doesn’t take much to realize this man is valueless, clueless, and has serious mental deficiencies. And the pretentious left fed right into their madness by nominating Hillary Clinton to run against him. You do not have to be a Fox fried brain to not like HC. She just rubs you the wrong way and this goes for many people. They forced her down the Democrats throats, and this just reinforced at some weird level to the Trump and Fox nation the Democrats were evil. She isn’t evil, unlikeable yes, but not evil. Yet her unlikability made it easier to play her off as evil. We are not here to discuss her tonight. She has her own problems, but tonight is about being unable to explain the Republican Trump mindset.

And truly, not all Republicans are afflicted with this madness. I think they are just dumbfounded at how bad this is and do not know what to do. Which is even more maddening because we need people to stand up to him. And it must be people that originate from the Republican party and his base. We need people to crawl out from under their rocks and start snapping their fingers and awakening these hypnotized individuals. Again, someone needs to reassure me there is no brainwashing conspiracy coming from the Fox airways because otherwise I have no explanation as to why normally rational people can sit there with a straight face and talk to you that Trump is really a misunderstood genius who is doing what is best for this country.

I have no answers and somewhere in the back of my brain I feel this has been discussed before, from where I do not remember, so hopefully it has, and I am not alone in the recognition somewhere somehow some person will create a term and definition of what is happening. It won’t solve any problems, but at least history will know what we just did to ourselves.

And this definition will not apply to the power mad alt right and the one percenters. We know why they support Trump. They are just criminals. This will be about the masses. So, if you are inclined to write a thesis or create a new buzzword, start working. Someone will eventually label this madness. I am not saying they will figure it out, it will just be labeled.

Cheers

On election day let’s talk about God

Have you ever noticed that if you look at a picture of hurricane from space and then a picture of a galaxy of the type like ours they look very similar? I am not talking specifically, but in general form. The hurricane has outer bands that circle the eye, but generally is one large complex of a storm circling the eye. A spiral galaxy, our type, has arms that stretch out from the center, yet overall is a large complex of stars circling the center of the galaxy.

And why do I bring this example up? No real reason except it helps illustrate another point that I cannot do the math to prove or disprove. And that is the entire universe is rotating around a center. I believe in consistency in what God created so just for my world I am thinking the universe also rotates like the moon around the earth, the earth around the sun, sun around the center of our galaxy. It makes sense for the universe to be rotating around its center or origination point, at least in my little world.

And what has the got to do with the price of tea in China or God for that matter? So lets stop there for a moment.

Ever since the dawn of humans, mankind has been trying to define or explain our creation.  And if you read ancient history, there are all sorts of theories about creation. Eventually the Judeo-Christian version of creation dominated the theological viewpoint in this part of the world. The one God, creator theory, God above all others, yet there is only one God. ( yeah, people seem to ignore that contradiction, and I’m sure some theologian has figured it out) Anyway, I am not going to argue theology and which version of creation is right because this is more about how humans have it wrong.

I am not saying the Judeo Christian version of events is incorrect, actually far from it. I believe much of this is correct, but presented in the wrong terms. I do believe there is a moral imprint on our hearts so to speak. Most people know right from wrong, even when committing something that is considered wrong. Some people do not have this in the wiring of their brain and psychologists have many terms for these people, but most people have a basic understanding of right and wrong.  And that brings up another point for the moment, science basically is the labeling, measurement, and description, or the how of creation. And this includes psychologists trying to label human behavior. Just because I say this doesn’t mean I agree with everything scientists say, yet they have great value because they are exploring the definitions and measurements of our origins.

Did Moses actually experience God with the burning bush? Or was handed the Ten Commandments directly from God? I am not sure if you have to believe the literal interpretation of the Bible to believe God does try to connect with mankind to give direction. Yet, the Ten Commandments are a great framework for mankind. I even believe some literal interpretations may not be enough. And when Jesus pretty much paraphrased them into two: Love God above everything and love your neighbor as yourself it makes life much easier. Maybe we take life too seriously. Religion sure does.

And that leads me to my point. Religion is mankind’s version of events. And this means we are viewing creation through mankind’s lenses and not through God’s. And I say that knowing we cannot view creation through God’s eyes. So we must step back and realize our lenses, our eyes are inadequate to see creation or define it. And also that there are two creations, the physical creation of our universe and then the creation of life and the ability to understand there is life and take it to the next level, the choice of life, or as some label: free will.

So how do you prove this theory? Just like the universe rotating around the center of the universe, I cannot do the math, I cannot directly explain this, because I do not have God’s eyes. I have to find some examples within the context of what we do know.

And just like the universe rotating, no one wants to believe something different from what they already know, but oops, that knowledge is through mankind’s lenses, not God’s.  I know the rotating universe is far-fetched, so people will believe that taking God to the next level is far-fetched, yet that is exactly the problem I am trying to identify. There is a level of God we cannot obtain. Mankind just isn’t ready.  

Think about it this way, Creation is always defined as being perfect, but what is perfect. We define perfection in our eyes, not God’s because we do not know what God thinks is perfection. Like in Genesis, God saw that it was good, yet what did God see that was good. Honestly we have no clue and if anyone tries to argue they are arguing religion, mankind’s lenses, not God’s.

Or to try and give the most specific example I can think of right now, try stepping back and think, if God wanted to create life, what would he need to do so. If you follow the big bang theory through to this moment, we have a wide range of factors that have to come into play that eventually led to humans arguing whose God is better. So is this perfect? Most would say no because we cannot decide whose God is right. And quite frankly most of the arguments are not whose God is right, but whose version of God is right. I break it down in more simple terms that God created us somehow,  gave us moral direction and leaves us to our own devices because he wants to see what we can do with ourselves.  And this is why we screw up so much.

Last example; God had to create life somehow, and this creation had to be perfect in God’s ways for life to come about. God created this planet for us to live on. Yet, some say the planet isn’t perfect. And there is no God because of all the bad things that happen. There are instances where the bad comes from humans, so I argue, we aren’t following God’s directions he gave us and we can change and do better. And in God’s eye this is perfect. God wanted it this way. Or people say the Bible says we must learn to accept whatever comes our way because it is God’s will. I say there is a split. The above we can control and we must. God wants us to choose. He gave us the ability to determine right from wrong and if we want to be what God wants from us we must choose good. And this means making the effort. The Saints aren’t Saints because they sat around. They proactively went out and did good. Okay, you can argue what you think about Catholicism, but the general point is we have a duty to do what is right and to teach what is right and to implement the love God and neighbor in our lives.  The other side of the split is this planet is perfect. Look at it from the concept of to create life maybe we need a dynamic planet and that dynamic planet has a core, rotates, formed to create land and water, so life could develop and eventually become us. So even though we have volcanoes, hurricanes, earthquakes all of which we cannot control, this does not mean the earth is not perfect. In fact, this means it is, if this is what it takes to develop life. So when the Bible says you have to accept what is God’s will, then this is the part we have to put into God’s hands and accept.

So to wrap up, we were created, we are clueless as to what God considers perfect, and we need to quit defining God in our eyes and realize, we just need to follow the most basic of precepts. God gave us free will so we are to show God we love God by doing what God taught, ie go back to Jesus’ break down of the commandments. And other than that we cannot change the physical environment of our planet, it actually works for us and destroying our planet goes against God’s will since this planet is God’s gift to us. Theology in a nutshell. Ha ha ha

This all began way too early this morning so this is what is left of all my original thoughts. Hope you voted.

Cheers

okay okay, Ted Cruz is causing me to say something about the election and I really tried not to today. There are posters that popped up with the phrase Ted Cruz tough as Texas. And the bile won’t stop coming up once I saw those posters. Here is a man that let someone insult him no end on the National Stage and then the same person denigrated multiple members of his family. And then he says all is good with Trump so Trump will come down to Texas  and campaign for him. Really Ted?!?!?!?! Thank God there was a Libertarian on the ballot or I would have struggled with breaking almost 40 years of not voting for a Democrat or Republican. I do not like talking bad about people, but Ted you are not tough as Texas and I am going to leave it at that because in my mind it is real ugly. If you are a real conservative, you should be able to stand on your own merits, not ride the coattails of the most amoral President we have ever had.

Cheers again

It’s the Saturday night before the elections…

And all through the house every creature is stirring even the louse

Yes, politicians run amuck amongst us like the parasites they are, telling us their wonderful fairy tales, hoping we are angry enough or ignorant enough to believe their nonsense.

Well folks time to vote. I do not know how any one can vote with a conscience. The Democrats are trying to hold them selves as the better party, yet for the last two decades they have let the Republican party run all over them. How else would be in this mess if it weren’t for greed and incompetence?

And the alt right and far right Christians are doing everything in their power to completely disprove the existence of God by being a walking contradiction of everything Jesus taught.

So, do your civic duty and go vote and if you have really looked at all the candidates I hope you can make it home without throwing up all over your car.

As I have said numerous times and am willing to say thousands more, we need new parties. Parties brought forth by the people to represent us, not the haters, not the greedy, not the ignorant, but the clear majority of this country who truly want something better. And definitely need something better.

Maybe after this election it will sink in. I keep hoping so.

Long live the Constitution, the Constitution is dying.