What a shame it is coming to this
The shame is that many humans are going to have to die before their time.

Maybe by starvation, maybe by revolution, but it is going to happen because of elected politicians, and some dictators. The era of good intentions is over. No amount of smooth talking will help fellow humans who are cold and hungry, and the winter in the northern hemisphere is coming. And it is already going on, depending on where you live.

Now there is nothing wrong with being human normal, like wearing more clothes to keep warm in the winter, or growing food when the time is correct to get through the cold season.

What seems silly, at least to me, is most of this potential food problem is man caused. Right now in the world (the Earth) there is still enough food to feed the 6.5 billion humans in an OK sort of way. But right now, also, our elected politicians are doing things that might kill us in their way. Now if we vote or submit to this, fine. I suspect humans hungry and seeing their kids suffering may vote otherwise. They might even slow down their birth rate. That might even cause a revolution?

And all I want to do is live in a rural part of Tennessee in 2010.

Now does charity come from the local government, or we local citizens in our way and our own local standards? How does each entity deal with the deadbeats and also poor people? After all, as embarrassing as it is, a good portion of our poor people are just deadbeats. And of course, do they even deserve a vote? I think not!

One thing constant is change

And most humans don’t like change. The evidence of that is all about us. Just look at what the environmentalist types tend to do…try to maintain the status quo. Just look at what our politicians tend to do…try to maintain the status quo, at least their status quo. In periods of economic hard times, so many politicians try to maintain the past they were comfortable with. And they may be reflecting their constituents, depending on where one lives and the level of government?

Now most change is gradual, kind of like the idea of Darwin’s evolution. Some change is more quick, like cataclysmic. An era of many volcanoes or many earthquakes provides such an example. Or for we humans, fads tend to be cataclysmic in nature. Certainly a revolution or civil war tends to be an example of a quick human change, vice gradual.

Now most accept gradual change, for whatever reason. An example is the name of the land Greenland. Now most would say it is not so green, now. But it must have been greener some time in our past, even discounting that human “marketer” types probably had something to do with the old time name, too. And at the end of the last ice age, around 10,000 years ago, New York City was maybe ½ mile under the ice. Most would say that the gradual change that has occurred to New York City in this regards is acceptable.

And some change is good, or at least most humans like it. An example is the expansion of public electricity, or the availability of mass communications to many people. Most people like running clean water, waste water methods, police and fire protection, and public schools, when they can get it. Even many USA Americans think running clean water is a right, and after all most have had it all their lives.

And some change is not so good. The widespread availability of food, and salt, in USA America today is causing many medical type problems. And the weather may be doing its periodical warming and cooling, and many that have food today may not have it available for their descendents in the future. Of course this depends on where one lives in this world. Even the “perennial” north and south poles may shift, or shed some of their ice we expect to be a constant. Pandemics are always a worry, too.

Now some change is simply “man-caused”. The reasons are many, but the human tendency to grossly over-generalize is one obvious culprit. For example, all people in Africa are not the same, nor do they think the same. Different cultures and tribes have different values, and some cultures are simply superior to others. The same idea applies everywhere, when one thinks about it. Yet too many human politicians tend to try do a one-size fits all solution to the problems they perceive as having to be solved. Of course some of this is just one group of humans trying to exploit or dominate another group. In either example, this kind of change is usually not so good. And one could lump in human selfishness in this category of man-caused change that is not so good. Exploiting aquifers for water, or other humans for family gain, are such an examples.

Never assume conspiracy (as change) when sheer incompetence will do.

Next for another idea…change can be exploited. In military talk, much change offers “cracks” to be exploited. In this idea, the quicker the speed of change, the more opportunities appear to be exploited by the savvy operator. In this idea, spending time to maintain the status quo is not always wise. Not all humans try to reinforce success, and often reinforce failure.

Now with a wink and a nod… Some things are constant. Examples are death, taxes, and the effects of hormones.

The clash of cultures

It is so obvious. Many of our Western values are failing. But our Eastern values are also poor. Of course, this is mostly economics. And in the end, it is mostly about we humans. Are we fickle or not? And so also the question comes up, are we too dumb or even selfish?

Now mostly it is about us and our families. That’s a good goal about our future, I think. The main problem I think, is the energy consumption where we live. Now all want to promote their families, and quality of life. And most of we humans like public electricity, and are willing to pay for it.

Now like the Brits and the Russians in an earlier age, some Europeans and the USA are expending their young people and wealth in some effort in the so called Middle East. I prefer to call it the Caucus area, even the trans-caucus area.

So to revert to the basic idea, is there a clash of cultures going on?

Now I do not respect them (our ancestors), kinda. But if they too loved their families and way of life, that is human normal, at least to me. So I think if that made them happy, that is OK with me. Now in 2010 I am supposed to live with their decisions. Now I can talk about friction.

Of course the catch is dealing with the weirdoes. Now I suggest just killing them all.

Some cultures just don’t get along. I suspect it is mostly humans and the values we think well of.

There are some ideas and values worth fighting for.

The main idea, at least to me, is that some ideas and tribes, all human, do better than others. And it is obvious to me to reinforce success, not failure.

I can recognize change, and say thank you.

We went without public electricity for about 10 minutes around 10 AM local time. The reasons are beyond me. And I consider myself in the middle of no where, as in rural USA.

We are so spoiled, I think. The old standard was 2 or 3 days in my rural area.

For what ever it is worth, I do like public electricity. Mostly because I am a computer nerd. Now having the satellite TV going too also appeals to me.

Now the cell phones and hard wired phones still worked, and I appreciate what so many fellow local Americans have done to keep the system going.

Good on em.

Who wants to be lied to?

Now I think most of us want and expect to be governed. But in the same vein, most of us want to think we know what is going on. The catch is how we humans have evolved, politically at least, and throughout the Earth. And our governments do provide benefits, especially depending on where one lives.

The obvious debate is between the ideas of knowing what is going on vice propaganda. In more USA terms, I think of the idea of really good USA type marketing, which I think is pretty good, especially if you watch TV. Even Google has made this into a good way to make a living. I guess we humans are predictable, as far as marketing goes.

What bothers me in simple terms, is how to interpret those politicians who lie for their own gain. Now that is a moral indignity, at least to me.

So what to think. Most of us expect humans trying to get elected to lie, albeit with some smoothing. But my vote is that we also expect elected rulers to be honest. In this idea is much friction. After all, many politicians at all levels still do their best, which is what most of us count on.

In the meantime, I have to live, to include me and my family.

And in the meantime, I think we will select future politicians who lie less. How about moral standards when ruling us? And all I just want to think about is what is going on. After all, it is me and my family at stake.

The times they are a changing

Some of it was predictable in the USA. Even back two years ago one could confidently think that people wanted change, and a third party in the USA was coming. The normal and usual question to “who were you going to vote for President” was “I wish we had another choice”.

Now we are getting “other” choices thanks to the hard work of so many fellow USA citizens. What I still find astounding is the apparent stupidity of so many fellow Americans who assume the status quo two party national system will go on forever. How typically human. Even more amazing is the idea that some third party must be organized like in the status quo past, and compete as a Party. Maybe it will, but in the meantime, to this citizen, this effort will support any candidate who thinks about priorities like integrity, honesty, and even “the people” and what they think.

Anyway, both present USA national parties have had most of a century to make things better, and use your own judgment as to the results in the USA, to include your school board, your city, your county, your state, and our federal government.

So with all this friction and change in the USA, the world still goes on. And I think our present financial problems will affect the world. Basically that means things will slow down throughout the world. Don’t count European countries out, but don’t also count Asian (in the western term) countries out, either. Now I only mean this idea in the human term, not the nuanced “ USA State Department” kind of term.

Again, much change is coming. And much friction is going to occur for so many reasons, including where you live. It’s a big world, especially when you are a mom or dad.

The really good news is the USA and the New World is still the best hope for we world humans to both survive, and have a Family that will survive and flourish, as in be happy.

For those of us that live here in the still New World, we have a good deal and opportunity. For those motivated to come here, this is probably better than where you live. Of course in the end, it is your decision. Just keep in mind even things are changing here, too.

The pendulum swings, still

For those that have never heard of a pendulum, it is just the weight that swings under old time clocks to help them “keep time”. Now modern quartz type watches and clocks do a much better time keeping job, and are so much better for we “masses” that still like knowing the time. Most of us still like knowing the time, or need to for our job, or so I think. And with GPS and TV and other such things, even the old time short wave broadcast of BBC time hacks seem to be passing.

The idea of the pendulum swinging in colloquial terms to me means the swing of our body politic, in all ideas, mostly societal values.

Hence I enter ideas of the old (before I was even born in the USA in 1948), and after I will die (probably in the USA, maybe Belize). Now I can be prejudiced, too, since I have been around the World and the USA. In other words, I have been exposed to many ideas and values. For example, in the 8th grade my best friend was Mike Lopez, back when southern California grew oranges. Now I live on the Upper Cumberland Plateau in eastern Tennessee, and that obviously influences me, too.

Anyway, as the pendulum swings, here’s what I think and can report.

First the old days.

• An awful lot of eloping went on in the 1930’s
• We had orphanages
• Birth control depended mostly on females
• We had homes for unwed mothers
• We married our relatives (usually distant in family history but still local) more than we do now
• Ideas like ethics and shame were dominant throughout society
• We worked hard, and some did better than others
• As an America, we were isolationist
• As an America, we were rural, mostly
• As an America, we still did not have public electricity, and all the wonderful machines that have come from it.
• We were thinner then, as in less “heavy”. We even walked back then because we had to.

Second the “new” days. Who really knows, and of course it depends on where you live.

• Generational “war” is coming as the recent Western idea of social security to dump our old time relatives on to the government as compared to the old time system of taking care of our old time relatives. Much friction is coming
• Shame and ethics are rebounding in Western societies
• Birth control will revert to females
• What’s wrong with working for a living?
• The age of the modern masses hedonism is coming to an end.
There is “no free lunch”, which most know. Those that do not know will find out when they suffer in their local community. Maybe the adults are in charge in some local communities?
• Going cold and hungry makes a big impact!
• The Western idea of voting is so important. Think about security for our families, clean water, waste water treatment, and educating our children. Now our local leaders can decide, or we, the voters, can. I expect much future friction.
• A small percentage of we humans are criminals. I think we will begin to lock them up more than we have been doing just to protect we humans and our families
• Public health will become a priority. Nobody wants to get Malaria, for example. Now I even read about bed bugs in New York City. In the end I sure hope it is a voter decision, in the end, again. I myself choose DDT, for example.

We reap from what we sow. Is this idea simple enough?

The new world

Let me just add to the email "chatter" here where I live on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.

The order on this cut and paste is newest to oldest.

I agree, and talk is cheap. So only time will tell.
By the way, there is a Plan B, jail.
And he has reported to me that even in Putnum County Jail in low security, there are more gang members and Negroes than ever. Right or wrong, that is what he reported. And I do not think he liked it, so the idea of avoiding jail time still works in his case, if you believe what he reports.


I think if he gets out of here, dumps the woman he's with, and quits his drug use, there could quite possibly be success for him somewhere. And success isn't hard to achieve. It starts with a job, which is easy to obtain if you put forth just a little effort on your behalf. In all honesty though I'm not sure if Adam knows how to put forth effort, at least in a productive way. My views may seem to be on the pessimistic side but what's sad is that I'm just being a realist.


I agree, and talk is cheap. So only time will tell.
He did bring his present girlfriend and provider of a present roof, the ex-wife of the former Monterey Mayor, with him yesterday late. She and he says she has Type II diabetes, and that probably is correct. Now she is going to have to clean up her act, and I have doubts she can or will do it. She meets the classic old line/joke about being rode hard and put up wet. I think she is about age 40. Worst case, I give her two more years before she loses a leg or two, or goes blind, and then passing on somewhat soon after that. She even says her Cookeville doctor has her on oxycontin (also called oxycodone), which is an addictive pain drug that even made Rush Limbaugh go deaf. I told her that to provide an incentive to her.
Anyway, Type II diabetes is such an infinitely treatable condition, if she cleans up her act, which is pretty much the same as doing whatever the doctor recommends, which is usually conventional wisdom. Now to put things in perspective, having Type I diabetes is really bad because one's body is born without the ability to make insulin, and our bodies need insulin to make our bodies work as God intended.
All this long diatribe is to report Adam was giving her hell while they were here, and I think he was seeking me to just back him up in whatever he is telling her. All this suggests he might still be trying to turn things around for himself, and you know what, he might. Of course he was also here just to borrow some more DVD's, but unlike my relatives, he actually brings them back.
I think I hurt his feelings when I told him he was not welcome to use my tractor anymore. But I did come back immediately with a question as to whether he was trying to kill me, since I needed exercise, too, and doing tractor work was about my speed these days. That seemed to satisfy him, if a big smile is any indication.
He also reported another Monterey drug bust that was big enough to include using the Motel 6 as a processing center. I'll just wait for all this to come out, too, if even half correct.
By the way, if he succeeds?, then he has a good productive time of at least two decades ahead of him. Who knows, he might even become a preacher somewhere?

Hope it works for him. He will have to make some changes in his life for it to completely work.

Some construction project, vice regular job. But he is optimistic. That's all I know from what he has told me.

Some construction project, vice regular job. But he is optimistic. That's all I know from what he has told me.

I think he is the typical case of needing to get the heck out of Monterey.

Thank you. I think I have been hoodwinked. Plus my 2009 Polaris is still down pending one more part showing up via UPS, and then I have to do the work to fix it after it shows up.
In the meantime, I go without the services and machine I paid for, like $11.5 K (as in USD).
Now my personality is still charity oriented, but again I may have failed on Adam Henry. He was and is an OK choice, and compared to his Family, he is the best of the bunch.
In theory he has a new $15/hr job, and I sure count on it.
Meantime, I still go without my Polaris Ranger. And he offered to pay for it all, but of course, he has nothing to pay with.
Now I give him some credit. I think his mom and dad screwed him over when he was growing up, but he has made it worse for himself, I think. Anyway, hanging out with the ex-wife of the old mayor of Monterey says a lot.
And as always, I do wish him luck, which he deserves, I think.

The status report on the pond yesterday was one beer can on the side of the drive by the pond, and a coke bottle floating around the southwestern part of the pond.

Too bad William Henry Harrison's own hubris killed him by giving a 2 hour inaugural address in horrible weather.

Yep, it started out as a campaign song and then morphed into more. Here's a wiki link on all this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tippecanoe_and_Tyler_too

Yeah I've heard it. I always assumed it was their campaign song.

Here's one more question? Have you ever heard the song "Tippacanoe and Tyler Too". I think it came out around 1840!


I'll be a marketing asshole again and ask if you would be able to email the link of my song on Amazon to a lot of folks you know. Maybe they will buy it since it's only 99 cents.

Things in perspective

Let me add this idea to the reader’s bag of tricks. Act, don’t react.

Now this is easier said than done, but again there is a technique, trick if you will, that helps in putting things in perspective when trying to analyze a potential problem. Managers usually learn this idea, though most do have to be taught. It is not a human trait most of us are born with.

Now those in leadership positions often have problems brought to them. Mothers and Fathers know this quite well, I think. My encouragement is to “listen”, then act vice react. And of course don’t do anything for at least a day so you can think about it, and gain the advantage of hearing other courses of action. Now of course some situations demand a quick answer, like siblings fighting each other, and hopefully the “leader, as in mother or father” has thought all this out ahead of time.

Now above the Family level, some problems are bigger than others. The key, at least to this poster, is to put things in perspective. And an honest person will know (or recognize) that they might not know “everything” they wished they could know given enough time.

Now we also know the world is not perfect, so other humans operate with ego and micromanagement ideas that often work for the short term. It is both the long term and human tendencies that tend to balance things out. Nobody, in the long term can dominate humanity, but surely some can in the shorter terms, like a hundred years or less.

And sometimes, “in perspective”, they do an OK job, too...at least during their time and location, like Sri Lanka.

Now I suggest a starting list of “problems” we should put in perspective. I am sure there are many others the reader can add to.
• Global warming. Is it the sun or humans?
• Rural vs. Urban. What does that mean?
• Type of government. And what should public government do? And how should government balance good ideas with resources? How about elections? How about tax methods to pay for all this stuff our government does?
• Public health. To include food, clean water, and waste water treatment.
• Education. Is it teaching all good human things learned before, or more indoctrination of young people?
• Transportation. Is it for the public or business, or both?
• Maintenance. How do we pay to maintain previous generations’ projects, most done with good intentions at the time, I hope? How do we even assign priorities, as in tax more or just let lesser priority projects fail in the long term?
• Locally, whom do I vote for? And why, mostly, if they can balance the competing priorities to my voting satisfaction. Do I think they (our elected leaders) can put things “in perspective”? For example, do we locals and our elected leaders decide to pay to maintain the waste water sewer system set up in the 1960’s? What do we have to give up to pay for this, if anything in the budget?
• Academic vs. real world. Which way do you think we humans will go?

With all the normal turmoil in the World, now is a good time to remind all that putting things in perspective is a good skill for leaders. Again, it is a skill that most must be taught or acquired, but those with this skill can sure help we humans go forward to our future, whatever that will be.

Now I will modify a line from one USA 1970’s movie, Jeremiah Johnson. “Lord knows, I hope it be an experienced person”.

Are not we humans fickle?

Now what is wrong with being fickle? And fickle to me is some combination of high school cliques and wanting to take care of my family, and their families.

Thank goodness it is the summer in the northern hemisphere. When humans get hungry, and “cold” this coming winter in the northern hemisphere, then things will begin to change, or so I predict.

Now nobody wants to die, at least before what they think is their “time”. Now as a heart attack person who died in a USA walmart parking lot (age 60 I recall), and some son of a gun saved my life and brain, and well, I am both thankful, and bitching. After all, I had a perfectly good death which was both quick and painless, and now I have to die again. Bummer. And I can be fickle, too. And I hope the second time will be as quick and painless as the first time.

Unfortunately, many of us know of other circumstances through our relatives. Why can’t we treat our relatives like our pets, for example.

Back to being fickle.

How about let the people decide vice some well intentioned ruling class, like a King and Queen. In this idea I suspect much friction will come. And hopefully present USA national leaders will listen. I myself think they will for all reasons, to include the vote.

And you know what? A lot of Americas live in rural ares, for quality of life reasons, and work in more urban areas, for their family reasons. Having a connection to land comes up a lot. They are making nice families, inspite of drugs, for example.

After all, we humans can be fickle, and vote our instincts which is mostly our family promotion, in our minds.

And my instinct is that much of what has gone on in the last half century is finally catching up through both of the present national parties. Now things are going to change, probably circa 2014, but who knows. And I am thinking locally, of course.

Anyway, I would rather discuss and debate about our elected leaders, what ever economic or human theory they espouse, rather than have a revolution.

Now of course, that is just my opinion.

Doing things in little pieces

What prompts the title to this post is the basic question about what to do about being in a bad situation. And the overriding concept to this particular human is that complaining does little good unless one can offer alternatives, i.e., solutions. And the idea is talking about politics, not divorce, for example.

And some alternatives are probably better than others, but the voters can decide that. And the idea of a vote is so good when the alternatives affect people’s lives and their families’ lives.

And so one can take the present situation in the USA, which is both enormous, and varied to boot. Now I try to avoid psycho-babble type analyses of what is going on, to include our present political leaders at all levels. Just what to do is what I mean and think about.

The obvious example to me is where I live in Putnum County, Tennessee, which is on the Upper Cumberland Plateau in eastern Tennessee. Now the County has much to do with my quality of life, as well as the State of Tennessee; so the typical reporting that usually tends to focus on the national government, and there is poor reporting even there, in my opinion; then that all needs to be “interpreted” by some local person like me so I can try figure out what is important to me. I can’t imagine someone from even the other side of the State being able to do that OK to where I trust them. Sorry for how convoluted the previous has been, that that is also my convoluted thought.

Now one more thought does come to mind. Many people “worse case” things, and that is often a prudent way to go. Some people “best case” things, and they tend to be disappointed in the long run. Most people think things are seldom black or white, but more typically grey.

I suspect we as a USA are in a grey area, again.

Now here is how I define “grey”. Much change is going on (compared to the last few decades). At the federal level, the USA has a decidedly leftist leadership, both in the Executive and the Legislative. Competency and experience and elitism have been called into question. There is an element of doubt that President Obama may try usurp the federal Legislature using his ancestors Executive authorities.

But the USA world is way past federalism,that is today I think we are still a United States vice one USA country. So the grey area extends to States and Counties that affect our quality of life, and our families’ quality of life.

Here in Putnum County are several hints things are changing already. The County Commissioners, all 24 have been just been changed by 12 new ones. The County Commissioners act like a legislature in my mind. Rather than raise property taxes, the School Board has “found” energy savings. Of course that begs the question, why did this not happen before? And even our County Executive is also a CPA!

Now nothing changes overnight. Here is one local opinion about our taxpayer money, and I also pay. For example they ok'd a 130,000 dollar elevator plan for our County Clerk Wayne Nabors. This elevator is only for his private use. Waste of county money. Also what makes us logical county Democrats and Republicans mad on this 130,000 dollar elevator is if the commisioners are so quick to pass the ok on it why couldn't they have put the money to use in actually bettering the county. My thought is that Wayne payed them under the table, which is what most think. But anyways it's just another political quagmire.

Now all this “grey” area stuff suggests like or similar things are happening all over the USA “in little pieces” from a USA point of view. The astute reader might think the emphasis is on “local” vice “national”, and they would be correct.

Back when our USA federal government began providing block grants of tax money decades ago, I even then thought that was a terrible idea. The obvious objection was that if the federal government had enough money to pass it back to the States, then we were paying too much federal taxes, and the states were not taxing enough. Let the voters decide, I thought. Now this present idea worked for decades, but now the consequences are coming home to roost.

Last, and truly last, the vote will truly correct many things, in my opinion. Mostly it will be the local votes and mostly those about “basic” services like police, fire, water, waste water, and public schools. Now there are so many good and well intentioned ideas, like even a fish ladder on a beach in southern California, but if that trumps public sanitation, for example, then priorities are going to change, again as long as we can vote. It will take new elected leaders.

What’s wrong with elected politicians doing their job? How about determining priorities and using budgets?

So doing things “in little pieces” is what is happening in the USA, anyway. I sure hope this idea extends throughout the world. And I sure applaud and thank all humans that are doing the difficult work to make all this happen today, as it is. They have a lot to be proud of!

As long as I can vote

Few care what I think.

First for the bad news. Here in the USA there is a pattern of behavior suggesting some evolution to dictatorial or even royalty rule. The really bad news is that this worst case pattern is some combination of the both the present executive and the legislative branches at the federal level.

Second for the good news. Here is the USA this will never happen because of citizen efforts, to include voting. Dictators and kings and queens will just get voted out. God help us if this gets to something else, like a revolution.

As an obvious equal thought, most citizens just don’t even think about all this until they think their lifestyles and families’ futures are threatened. Said another way, most want some way to live and promote their families, and be able to say how that should be.

And the present USA is a good way for humans to assert themselves. Mostly it seems to balance human greed with balance.

Now we always have a Plan B.

And the human world is much bigger than the USA, at least in human numbers.

Now the economics are far different. And we humans both exploit each other, and also need our earth assets.

I just hope in the future we, the voters, the local citizens, can decide.

The alternative is to let others decide.

It is a new world

And it is new because of humans throughout the world. Humans change, and so does the world, mostly because of that. But mother nature, like our sun, also changes and that affects things, too.

Now we humans are usually family and also self interested, to include human greed, so that is not new. The question to so many is what does that imply to our world in our future?

Now I throw in a wild card in my imaginations. Will what happens in the USA affect things a lot. And my answer is “I think so”. I imagine so because so many humans have come here because it is both a new world (compared to our past), and that mostly means family economics, as in jobs, and our children’s future. But also there is an intrinsic idea that we adults control and influence our children’s futures, and that is good.

So are we in the present new world going to revert to our normal human aspects, and fight for our past wherever we live. Or are we going to try for better things, like the right to vote, and then be willing to even win that fight, to include revolution or civil war wherever we live.

Will the old world, because of humanity, overcome the new world?

There are so many historical precedents, to include dictatorships, royalty, and other types, so our past leaders do listen, at least some. And some are better than others, at least as far as history goes. Royalty, War Lords, and Tribal Leaders come to mind.

So is the Western Construct of voting and elected leaders and “power to the people” come to mind. I think so. Our human USA Constitution is pretty good, especially compared to our human past.

In this will be much human friction.

In this idea is there is truly a new world coming? And for those alive it will probably not end in our lifetime. The USA is obvious, but don’t forget so many others, like in China, Japan, the Stan states in the Transcaucasia area, those humans in Africa, and or course, South America. For those who I have left out, I both apologize, and remind all that numbers count, as well as ideas, too.

Now one idea does worry me. If the have nots can vote them selves money from the haves, then probably, that system will collapse.

There has to be a balance, run by the "haves", in my mind.

I,and many do think, that we humans being in charge is a good best given our alternatives. Now just how we pick them in both the old world and the new world is still up for grabs.

We are so spoiled

The way I read history even the kings and queens and royalty lived in nice houses, that were cold in the winter.

Now as an expeditionary Marine I even lived in a tent with a dirt floor in Korea up near the DMZ (for three months). And it was the fall and early winter, and it got cold. Now in fairness, in the last month me or my “roommate” scrounged a broken piece of ¼ inch plywood so we could have a wood floor, which partially covered the dirt. It was OK.

Now let me pile on. This last winter I spoke with a lady who lived on a farm in Nebraska with her husband and daughter. Now the daughter had to go out once a day to chop the ice out of the heated water trough in the barn for the horse. And earlier I knew some New Englanders who just wear more clothes in the winter to stay warm when the thermostat is set down to save money.

For a no no, I underwent heart surgery about two years ago, and bragged initially about going 39 days without a bath to my nurses who asked if I was ready to take a shower. They were not impressed! But loved ones did send me baby wipes to Kuwait, which worked OK for cleaning arm pits and crotches. And of course, if we all smell the same, then most humans don’t notice.

Now with public electricity, even local people in my rural county and city think they need air conditioning to live, and they are being honest. Yet the first time I lived in Okinawa, a semi-tropical land, if I had had a million dollars, I could not have bought an air conditioner if I wanted to. So I learned about fans. As long as we have public electricity, fans are OK.

Now also look around where you live and see how many clothes lines are out in the yards…not many. Most people seem to use public electricity hot air dryers these days, at least in the USA. We are so spoiled! We are living as common citizens better than most of our ancestors. But we do work to buy these things that do benefit ourselves, or so it seems. Now in fairness, one can still go to Amazon.com and find the today versions of clothes lines.

And I all want to do is live until I die.

In the meantime, I think I'll go back to defrosting my old 1928 GE refrigerator, which of course needs defrosting periodically. These days most "modern" refrigerators have an automatic defrost capability, and many don't know how to defrost the old time ways because they don't have to know. We are so spoiled.

A simple ditty

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Americans have hearts and minds too

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Americans come from all over
It’s a big world too

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Who rules our world
We do

Roses are red
Violets are blue
The USA is different
From the rest of the world too

Roses are red
Violets are blue
As bad as things seem in the USA
It can be worse too

Roses are red
Violets are blue
All people are not created equal
But equal opportunity is true

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Is this a A Simple Desultory Philippic
Not true

A student of history

We all have our hobbies. History is one of mine. And mostly it is local history about where I live today on the Upper Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.

Now just because it is a hobby does not make me an expert. I still am not sure if anyone is an expert, as opposed to thinking they are an expert. And certainly some humans are better historians than others.

Now what I pursue is the human aspect of history. I have always wondered what many people were thinking during the time of the American Revolution. My premise is that what humans did in their times can give me a hint as to what we humans may do in this time that I am living. Certainly, the technologies and communication means have changed, but we humans have been pretty much the same for a long time, I think.

I always wonder about when parents report how much smarter their kids are than they. If this were correct, then we should have a bunch of little Einsteins running around, and most know that is not correct. Better educated perhaps, but smarter, I don’t think so. And all the other human factors, like from the Ten Commandments, are pretty much the same, I think.

And then there is my experience, which is mostly as a US Marine. Mostly, for this post, it means don’t come up with a problem without offering solutions. I still buy that idea.

Now for a long time I have been wondering about the implications of the present situation in the USA. For example, is it like, from a human point of view, what our USA ancestors experienced during the time of the American Revolution? For now, I don’t think so. I keep in mind that many resorted to revolt, and I just don’t think we are there as an American culture today. For example, when I want to drive to shop at Wal-Mart 15 miles away, I don’t think I should pay a bribe for gas for my car, or carry a gun to make it through a road block, or be shot at. I have experienced such human things elsewhere, and it was not a fun human experience.

Yet I also wonder what we humans will do these days if some ruling class arises in the USA to tell us how to live and solve our human problems. The patterns of behavior are disturbing to some when things remind them of the Weimer Republic times in Germany (when citizens still voted), or King Louis the 16th in France. One recent news article tripped me off about circulating ideas about circumventing the legislature in regards the immigration debate in the USA. Now if some rulers want to take away our votes, then history suggests reaction in the USA. Said another way, voting is a big deal, and if you don’t like the outcome, vote later in time, but support the vote.

Now the historical problem question I have been trying to avoid comes up. What if we have a situation like the times of the American Revolution. And my experience says I must offer solutions.

So here it is. Vote vice revolt. If the vote is taken away (or stolen is how it might be done), then think about revolt. Even I might then take up arms and interrupt my Wal-Mart shopping trip. Even then I might selectively quit paying some taxes, and see what happens.

But that should not happen. Our USA culture, will correct things in our own rule of law way. No wonder so many humans in the rest of the world want to come here. The alternatives in the rest of the world are not so good as the USA.

Last, I don’t accept our USA culture has evolved to the point where our elected legislatures pass human laws, and the elected executive signs these laws to enact them, and then hired bureaucrats, all who take oaths to support the laws, can selectively decide which laws to enforce. Now it does happen, I believe, but as a way to govern, it should not happen. And if we need bigger bureaucracies to get the job done, then let we humans vote and pay for it.

It is fun being a student of history. What is not fun is thinking or imagining what we humans may do.

Examples of change

In the USA people want change. Past elections reflect this, I think. What follows are examples presented in a kind of bullet format.

Academia reputation for performance and results declining.

NE (North East) Schools reputation declining. The perception of a NE schools clique is arising. There are now lots of smart Americans around, not all in the NE, and they have funding, too.

Appreciation for ethics, shame, oaths, public health, and religion is arising.

Voter turnout (participation) at the lower levels increasing. More appreciation for what our local governments should do at the basic level, like police, fire, clean water, waste water, and public schools.

More public education will focus on human history in the USA. And there will be standards. And some may fail. Public acceptance of failing and standards will increase.

Diversity idea fading back to melting pot idea, which is what is happening anyway.

More investigative reporters are arising. And the focus on our governments’ performance and results at all levels is arising.

Environmental ideas that hurt humans at the expense of humans is fading. The idea of a common sense balance is arising. Nobody wants a cholera epidemic, anywhere. Nor do we want to promote malaria and the practices that bring it.

Playing God using governmental policies is fading in appreciation. For humans it is often called social engineering, or even redistribution of wealth (these days). For the environment, it is often called “new or better” regulations.

Newspapers and the three public “news” organizations are declining. Would you like fries with that order?

Opportunity for the two national parties has faded based on results. A third party based on ideas will arise. The Tea Party is a start, and maybe more will come?

The economic problems in the USA these days are already being taken care of as best we can, including family support. Now let we humans assert ourselves, and we may be surprised.

Borderline idea. USA foreign endeavors will decline. Vital national interests will actually get discussed. America’s natural and cultural isolationalism will and is gaining influence. The oceans around the USA still count. The idea of the importance of other nation building as in our interests will decline. Respect for other human systems (cultures) will increase, as in be respected. But their problems are their problems, not ours, or so I guess.

Regional conflicts and wars are so human and usual. They will continue. Only if some larger power gets involved will some change occur, for the short period (like one or two centuries). Call it a wild card for many reasons. For example, some nations can expend their wealth (their citizens efforts) in some pursuit their leaders pick.

Change is always painful to most humans. Just how change happens will revert to more human influences than political influences of whatever political party is in charge. As always, no matter what our politicians try do, humans will do what they think they have to do. I call it autopilot.

Just look at our cars in the USA. Already change as to saving energy is happening. Most people just want to save money in order to support their lives and their families. And more evolution is coming just because of humans.

And I imagine many can think of other examples of what we humans will do, and come up with to invoke change. Anyone who thinks they can control a country or the world is silly. Humans will always assert themselves, mostly for selfish reasons, I think.

For example, how are humans able to handle the change caused by so many more humans gaining USA type energy uses, like cars, air conditioning, basic heat, or even such public health ideas as clean water and waste water treatment.

One answer to change is both obvious and lucky, too. It is called the USA.

The Poky Little Puppy

It’s official, I’ve become like my father.

Anyway, I am going through the “trash” of a 15 year old daughter from Atlanta, Ga. My father used to do this to my chagrin. Now I have a hint as to why.

Now presently I live on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee, USA. The house is over 100 years old, and pretty much like living in a museum, which is a pain these days. I too like some air conditioning in this warm and humid time of the summer at this area, but that is silly here. Of course AC electric fans work pretty good, too, which is what I use, kinda like when I lived in Okinawa the first time. And in the winter, like most in the Northeast or the Midwest, I just wear more clothes. What’s new?

What hacked me off is one thing. What this 15 year old girl did, using initiative and hard work during a short visit, was unacceptable to me. She chose to throw away the subject book. I choose to use my standards where I live. Why should she even be so dumb to impose her standards on me?

Now what prompted all this is two-fold. First is that my handyman, screwed my tractor by poor practices. In other words, he was bush hogging in the woods, which is dumb since the tractor does not have a skid plate, and got the hydraulic lines torn up in the process, and now they leak bad. Now I have to fix it, of course, and pay the bill. Second is that we parents need to teach our kids about life at home. No male is born knowing how to work a tractor, for example. His Mom and Dad just failed him, in my opinion. And now I get to pay. So much for charity and well intentioned ideas.

There is a third factor, too. The $85 tractor service manual is now missing. And all I want to do is find out where to put in new hydraulic fluid once the repair is made by me, I hope.

So in the meantime, at least I have rescued the Poky Little Puppy book. And I still have another trash bag to go through.

Urban versus rural

The friction is so obvious. So many in cities have their needs, and so do those in rural areas. The two priorities often clash.

For example in the USA, people need energy to have their life style. But for those in NYC to expect those in Montana to let their state get covered over by solar panels is a silly idea. Go figure. And this all assumes the “grid” will help all this.

Now move to China, which I think is still ¾ rural. How long will the rural people tolerate birth defects from all the ecological damage being done these days in this part of the earth. Everyone loves their country, to a point.

Now think 100 years into the future. Here in the USA we rural type fellows (formally from Atlanta) have other objectives. And all I want to do is grow grass in the front yard. And I am working on it, in my way, of course.

Hope springs eternal

Assuming humans still influence the world, then you can hope.

Now most don’t believe 90% of what they hear (or read), and only 50% of what they see.

Now the way I was taught in the USA was that there is normally only one real reason, and many good reasons. That idea seems to work still. It is so human. And call it marketing, or propaganda, or anything else, most of us use a jaundiced eye in our own decisions about our future, and our family’s futures.

And we live under so many governments, and some are better than others. But even then there is a common bond, hope.

So this is, as always, an interesting time in human history. Mostly, the genies have been unleashed as to human evolution. The bad news is that we still have to live, as in stay warm and eat. I guess I should be pleased that the genies have been unleashed. The downside is what happens. After all, people still have to live, and be happy.

By the way, for some good news, I define happiness as good health and self respect. This idea accommodates the obvious friction between men and women, for example.

Along the way, this 62 year old male recognizes that the nation state idea is some western idea from the 19th century. Some humans have other opinions about how they will be ruled. And there are so many alternatives.

Anyway, hope springs eternal.

Where have all the cowboys gone

Oh you get me ready in your 56 chevy
Why don't we go sit down in the shade
Take shelter on my front porch
The dandy lion sun scorching,
Like a glass of cold lemonade
I will do the laundry if you pay all the bills

CHORUS:

Where is my John Wayne
Where is my prairie son
Where is my happy ending
Where have all the cowboys gone

Why don't you stay the evening
Kick back and watch the TV
And I'll fix a little something to eat
Oh I know your back hurts from working on the tractor
How do you take your coffee my sweet
I will raise the children if you pay all the bills

Chorus

I am wearing my new dress tonight
But you don't, but you don't even notice me
Say our goodbyes
Say our goodbyes
Say our goodbyes

We finally sold the chevy
When we had another baby
And you took the job in tennessee
You made friends at the farm
And you joined them at the bar
Almost every single day of the week
I will wash the dishes while you go have a beer

Chorus

Where is my Marlboro man
Where is his shiny gun
Where is my lonely ranger
Where have all the cowboys gone
Where have all the cowboys gone
Where have all the cowboys gone

Yippee aw, yippee yea (6 times)

Ethics is something taught

Nobody is born knowing ethics.

And every culture has its own ethics. And as some cultures are historically more successful than others, so are the ethical ideas that these cultures historically use. There are many examples obvious to those who travel around the world for extended periods of time.

For example, most western cultures don’t appreciate duplicity, but many eastern cultures do. And I believe the world’s longest lasting empire to date was the Byzantine Empire (about a 1,000 years) which in my mind used a good blend of western and eastern ideas, like buy out your enemy if you can. I believe the world’s longest lasting western empire was Roman, which in my mind lasted about 600 years.

Most cultures do not tolerate outright lying for many reasons. One obvious example is finding and going to a doctor. While picking a doctor usually involves sales pitches (like an election), once one picks a doctor one usually wants the truth, tactfully of course, but the brutal truth (like running a country). Nobody in any culture that I know of wants to be lied to too about their health, their habits, etc. Now the patient can do what they want to with what they hear, again, in most cultures. Yes we humans do have a lot in common, too.

Now here in the USA, I hear many expressions, I think, that are really about ethics. Such expressions are like: nanny state, personal responsibility, risk taking, rewards, and more recently outright lying and credibility (as in trust and faith).

Now I also think most ethical ideas and principles are taught at home. But for sure they are taught. And some do better than others. And, again, some cultural ethics are better than others.

Now many, often called ideologues in the USA, seem to be seeking some kind of even keel for all. That’s fine for them, I guess. But for them to ask me to compromise my ethics to seek some even keel is the preverbal straw that broke the camel’s back.

Said another way, we humans are different, and to try impose one’s way and ideas and ethics on the others just is not normal, not human, not reasonable.

There are alternatives. Like establishing ways (rules) to have all humans work for our common good, while respecting our own cultures and ethics. Or how about letting the “market” which reflects human greed and love of family and ego, also influence the outcome. Now that is just two ideas.

The key point is that there are alternatives to having one group try impose themselves on all the others. What an historically wasted effort, though typically human throughout times.

So what’s the point of this post. Here in the USA, ethics needs to be reinforced. Be it the vote, be it shame, be it pure human greed, be it ego, be it family, but reinforce it anyway you can. After all, it has to be taught.

The way my mother and her mother taught to me comes to mind. The idea “that that is just not right” still comes to mind.

And here in the USA I trust ethics ideas and teaching will be at all levels, but mostly local, as in state, county, city, and school boards.

Now I don’t dwell in the past, but I also don’t ignore the past.

Some of our ancestors were also smart and did OK in their time and in my mind. Part of that idea is our culture’s ethics, both past and future.

Urban and rural

I moved to where I now live (roughly 700 acres) on purpose back in circa 2002. I used to live in Atlanta, which I liked a lot. And I like where I live now, even when I have to check the hydraulic ram that pumps my spring water 24/7/365. Even my waste water treatment setup makes me happy. I guess I could call myself a post baby boomer hippy type fellow, except I am also a retired Marine and I guess a neo-fascist baby killer according to the image. My present age is 62.

Well I just got back from doing some ditch maintenance and wheel barrow work. My drive way is about ¼ of a mile through the woods, and about every five years the ditches by the drive way need to be cleaned in order to keep the water off the road, as in the driveway road. So bottom line, rake the ditch, and then put the leaves in a wheel barrow and dump all in the woods. This is both brainless work, and hard work.

Now it seems this kind of work is demeaning to most of my local fellows in Monterey, Tennessee. After all it is just ditch work.

So I guess I will have to do it. After all, it still has to be done.

In the meantime, locally I hear if you can get fired from any job (and document it), then you can make a “draw” from the government.

Go figure.

Can you imagine life without electricity?

Electricity is a modern invention that helps a lot of people. It is not something we mine, rather we make it. Public use of electricity was only figured out about 120 years ago. Even in the USA we had rural electrification efforts about 80 years ago, for example.

Now electricity has changed the world, for the better most would say. It helps run irrigation pumps to feed people, for example. Also, just to turn the switch to turn on artificial light to go to the bathroom at night sure seems to help. And nothing counts like counting on our refrigerators and freezers to keep the food presentable. Before then, for example, communities often shared meat before it went bad. Of course, there also takes some electricity to even keep our cars and other such widgets running, to include our telephones. After all, gasoline still takes electric powered pumps to get it in our cars.

I cannot imagine life without electricity. Just how we get from A to B is what I wonder about. Mostly I think it will take time, which so many politicians in the USA seem to lack. And by time I think of the ways to make public use electricity.

So the goal may be good…but the method may be stupid. How about giving things time for humans to figure things out? How about we birth less babies, for example.

This post got my attention

Opinion: It's Amateur Hour in the Nation's Capital

Special to AOL News (July 1) -- Last week's flap involving Gen. Stanley McChrystal was notable for many things, but what stands out most in my opinion was how it reflects the declining respect that so many Americans have for those in leadership positions.

While decorum can be imposed by fiat, it is genuine respect that prompts teams to achieve in all fields, and which must be earned. I'm not going to defend the general, who clearly overstepped his bounds and had to be dismissed to maintain civilian control over the military. But he was (and I am) clearly frustrated with micromanagement of the Afghan campaign by politicians lacking military experience and situated thousands of miles away.

In recent years, we have seen far too much of this situation, where those with little or no pertinent experience or knowledge impose their views upon the country and in the process undermine respect for major institutions with their ineptitude.

For example:

•We currently see a Supreme Court nominee with virtually no experience in the law, outside academia and the White House, and none as a judge.
•We have the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee considering the Elena Kagan nomination focusing ad nauseam on her handling of the gays in the military issue years ago at Harvard Law School, and largely disregarding issues that are of real significance to Americans today -- such as her views on the implications of the Constitution's Commerce Clause for the new health care law.
•In House hearings on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, we have noted experts in petroleum engineering -- Reps. Henry Waxman and Edward Markey -- making determinations as to which well-drilling method was preferable.
•We have a treasury secretary with no private sector experience and who had trouble filing an accurate tax return.
•And last year we saw our president -- with no experience running a business -- deciding to oust the CEO of General Motors.
If our country is going to get back on track, we need to redevelop confidence in and respect for our leaders and institutions. This means first and foremost electing and appointing people who command this respect by virtue of their bona fide achievements and not simply their paper credentials.

In recent years, far too many people with prestigious degrees and titles have made far too many horrible decisions that have caused great harm to Americans everywhere. We need people who have shown through their actual performance in business, the military, government or academia (preferably in multiple areas that pertain to the problems we face) that they can and will handle pressure and act at all times with integrity and good judgment.

The time for on the job training in lofty positions is over.

No one knows everything, so we need people whose demonstrated good judgment extends to acknowledging what they don't know, and deferring to those who are more qualified.

Even people who are competent in one or more areas do damage when they turn into "know-it-alls" or "buttinskys," imposing their view everywhere. Even worse are mediocrities or inept people who have too much confidence in themselves and override those with real expertise. They may have the formal authority to do so, but do irreparable damage to the stature of the institutions they represent. Washington hot air jokes were funny 30 or 40 years ago, but that time has passed.

We can adopt all the technical fixes in the world for health care, the auto industry, the financial sector, the energy sector or elsewhere, but they will only succeed in getting people to spend, borrow, invest and function if they are accompanied by a belief that the country is in good hands and that their persons are secure.

This will only happen if we are led by those who genuinely command respect.

Marty Robins is a corporate attorney (J.D. Harvard Law School) and adjunct law professor at the Northwestern University School of Law and DePaul University College of Law. He has authored two books and been frequently published in legal journals on various financial and intellectual property topics. He writes frequently for The Huffington Post.

To submit an op-ed or letter to the editor, write to opinion@aolnews.com. If you intend your letter to be published, please specify that and provide your name and location (city and state).

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Once a lightweight, always a lightweight

Not too long ago (before the 2008 elections) one of my heart doctors asked for my opinion about Barack Obama. I pretty much said he was a lightweight we would never elect. Boy, was I wrong. I pointed out the obvious, that eventually humans will quit loaning us money as a country, and then the proverbial poo poo will hit the fan. Now it is closer than I thought. Back in 2009 I predicted, using a Moody’s forecast, it would be around 2016. Now I think it is much closer, like 2012.

Now in fairness, most of Americans wanted change, and voted that way in most elections, to include the President and our Congress members. The past record of performance and results by both reigning national parties is pretty dismal in 2010, I think. Conventional wisdom says we voted out the Republicans in 2006 and later in the expectation of change. Now the Democratic party has had its chance; and many are disappointed. Most still think change is a big deal, like an objective. Loyalty to any of the status-quo parties is secondary to loyalty to our Country, and our families.

Now again the proverbial conflict between idealism and practicality comes to the for-front. I’ve heard it said another way. Some humans want to “expand their mind and ideas”; and some aspire to doing the basic day to day ruling of a country as large as the USA. As always, and mostly because we are humans, there are always new problems to solve. And sometimes it takes a federal government; though it usually takes a more local governments, like a state, county, city, or school board.

So now I am worried about my future life and my descendents futures? Why? Because here in the USA we have elected so many lightweights who will do their bit.

And they may not be up to the challenges. Now whether it is ignorance, do goodism, or other more egotistical things; I don’t really care too much of what they try do.

In the end, humans will predominate, one way or the other. I just hope my descendents get a chance. Now that is a reasonable objective.

A real simplistic review

Service chiefs, like the Commandant of the Marine Corps, are mostly to man, train, and equip their service so to “chop” effective forces out to combatant commanders who do the fighting, defending, etc. Service chiefs also are on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and thus are principle advisers to the civilian leadership on military matters.

Combatant commanders, like the fellow in Afghanistan, are the gunfighters. They have a different chain of command that ultimately goes to the Secretary of Defense and then the President. They have to ask for and receive effective forces from the service chiefs in the end. They usually do this through the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at least these days. Some of this is proforma/traditional, and some is on the fly. Anyway, deployments are normally planned out well in advance for all the obvious reasons.

Now the service chiefs have a full time job. It includes things like doctrine. For example, all four services have an air arm, but just who they work for in a combatant command area is still a matter of friction. It also includes things like budgets, and they are the normal way to work with the people in Congress who control the purse strings.

Now combatant commanders often act and think like pro-consuls of the Roman past, and that causes friction with the State Department, too. And combatant commanders do not work for service chiefs, nor the State Department.

One complicating factor is those who work in the President’s own National Security office. They form another conduit to the President, and hopefully help him coordinate the various Secretaries like Defense and State. Now I think President Eisenhower invented this office, but what it does varies over the decades by whoever happens to serve there. Oliver North is one example.

One other factor to keep in mind is the law. For example, a law going back to the late 1940’s dictates that the Marine Corps shall consist of three divisions and three wings. My opinion is that is part of the response to President Truman and General Omar Bradley trying to reduce the Marine Corps to be the Navy’s policemen. And talk about laws, for example for good pay budgeting reasons the Navy is limited to so many petty officers 1st Class in a fiscal year. So if one petty officer 1st class skill level goes “over” in numbers for any reason, other petty officer 1st class skill levels will necessarily suffer, and on purpose. While this may sound silly, that is in the end because of the law and associated funding. All this is part of what a service chief does, as in typically trying to manage this the best he can.

Now for a voter’s opinion.

First the bad news. Trying to get humans to work together in a joint effort is hard work, still, and probably always. It usually takes some head knocking to make it work OK, which doesn't always happen. Now the good news. The USA is far ahead of the rest of the world in this area. Just look at the poor Iranians who have “two” military type forces, the regular military, and the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps). Not only do they compete for their funding, but they most likely have different chains of command, which is both silly, if true, and typically human normal. And the Iranians are just normal. Historically, look at the vaunted Germans in WWII when they had a military and also an SS that got its own funding. If the well is always full, so be it. But if it can go dry, or just down, then that is another thing.

By the way, there will not be a test on all this aforementioned.

Things are going to change

Let me get this right. A USA federal judge gave certain citizens six votes each in a local election in Port Chester, N.Y.

And he gave this six vote idea to a group of Americans called “Hispanics”, which is a census term I think.

Now I cannot find his “ruling” on the internet, so the “devil is in the details” still applies, as always.

But who in their right mind would “rule” some American people get six votes, and some American people still get their one vote?

Now whether he is constrained by the laws as he sees them, or is just imposing his ideas, I do not know.

But for sure, things are going to change.

The value of using human history

The main value is with the emphasis on “human”.

After all, all times and circumstances are different. But, how we humans act and react in our own times has a consistency that can be an attention gainer. Yes, the circumstances are always different, but how we in our own times think and act and react is probably pretty consistent. In other words, if one wants to add to their bag of tricks, considering history has advantages; and respecting human tendencies is smart. It is pretty much taking advantage of all who have gone before us, and what we might learn from them, our ancestors. And why not?

Some examples are obvious to me. Whoever heard of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854? Well many did in their time, and they made decisions that affected all of them, back in their time. Fast backward to the Magna Carta, and read about all that. Fast forward to the recent and long civil war in Sri Lanka, and read about these fellow humans, on both sides. Even read about the history of the USA Constitution.

Now what do we humans do if our present leaders think and act and govern another way, as in their way. That is a normal human question. After all, some leaders do better than others, or so I think. And mostly I think we voted them in, at least in the USA. Now in mainland China, I think, these leaders presently got themselves ingratiated with the present dictatorship, and now have a hard row to hoe, in the old fashioned human history term. And in other parts of the world, like the continent of Africa, the old time western diplomatic idea of nation states will evolve back to whatever happened before. There is friction everywhere in some of Africa, one might say from a tribal and history point of view.

Last one historical human tendency is to generalize, especially about humans. Yet we are so different everywhere, to try impose one idea on all is historically silly.

The point of this article is to think about what we humans presently want to do in our own country. And using some history is probably smart in adding to one’s bag of tricks. And most certainly our human future will be different from our past, everywhere.

That is just what is going to happen

Now if you even buy the idea of this title, then think foreign and domestic. And think that decisions and actions have consequences. And even think that we humans also will think about what to do outside of our governments, and mostly in self interest.

I suggest doing your best to seek out key bits of information. Like a lot of businesses are rat holing cash to be ready for worse things to come. This idea is both foreign and domestic, and most humans in the world should worry, as they probably will. Mostly they worry because they have to anticipate, and mostly they think about their families. And this idea is both business and personal.

What really bothers me is that the proverbial cork is out of the bottle, and the genies have been unleashed. Mostly I think of foreign regional powers going at it, and it getting back to us. What bothers me the most is that this present government in the USA is in over its head, mostly lightweights, and they may end up dragging us down, too. Now in fairness, things like nuclear downwind patterns will come up, and that may rile us up, too.

In the end, a lot of young people alive today are now going to die before their time. What a shame. There are other alternatives, both foreign and domestic. These people did not have to die too early, but they are going to because of poor USA leadership. Anarchy, which is always around the corner, is one thing, but uncontrolled behavior all around the world is another. We humans need responsible governments, I think.

I guess you also have to buy an idea of governance at all levels. Mostly do our leaders dictate what they think is good for us, or do they dictate laws and rules that promote our futures? This is a more profound idea than many may think. And do we get to vote for these leaders? Just who is in charge?

On the domestic USA front, who knows what is going to happen? The good news is that all USA people have to eat, though many will go hungry when they did not have to. After that it is all free play I would guess. I personally expect my wealth to decline by 50%, and all because of present government policies. I am already making plans to bail out, as in move away to another country with whatever is left. As always, I do have alternatives.

What a shame since I love the USA. And I too have ties to land. Like over 700 acres in Tennessee, USA. As always, I can be happy in a lot of places, not all in the USA. Anyway, I will make my own decision. And so will our present government. Let the chips fall where they may.

Just what is going to happen in the future? I don’t think anyone really knows, as least confidently. But I sure trust the idea that we humans will promote and take care of our families as best we can.

How to think

We humans all think, and mostly use our intelligence we got from our mothers and fathers, our educations, our experiences, and our assumptions we seem to have gotten from some combination of all preceding.

Periodically, the preverbal light bulb goes on for one reason or another. For me, it was my time at GaTech when I learned Newton’s equations were just Einstein’s equations at a slower speed. And things like E=MC squared was really simple calculus. And even quantum mechanics was a way to satisfactorily build things, but it was not necessarily a way to explain what was happening.

One other profound thing happened to me. I used to think I was really smart, especially when I was invited into advanced mathematics courses at GaTech. There I met some really smart people, and I realized I was more normal, albeit a hard worker. I bailed out after two academic quarters.

It was during that time that I made my peace. I agreed with the Einstein quote about God does not roll dice. I also rejected the idea that quantum mechanics explained why things worked. Even my fraternity experience had a religious element, and I actually took the time to study all the major human religions in the world. It always bothered me that sons and daughters of Christians were Christians, Moslems made Moslems, etc. I also read recalcitrant works like Worlds in Collision by Emmanuel Velikovsky. I guess you could say I could think out of the box. Later I even took an engineering course that promoted this idea, said another way. It suggested any engineering study consider three solutions, two obvious alternatives, and a third crazy option to think about.

I even made my peace with God. I decided to think that there was an order in the universe that was still unexplained. I decided religions were a good way to express this for most humans, but it was still not good enough for me. Later when my brother, 18 months younger than me, died, I did this process again and ended up the same way.

I also thought about all this when deciding which way to go in life. I’m kinda a natural geek at heart. But also being an engineer at heart, one has to be practical. It always bothered me that even smart guys like Leonardo Da Vinci had to spend a lot of time seeking funding for his lifestyle and work. I think about this a lot when I review the global warming stuff, a subject I have been studying since the 1960’s.

I thought to go the practical route, and joined the Marines, which also appealed to me. Back then I was also draft motivated. And I later learned there is a lot in common there to the uninitiated. Even the USMC led me to reading a lot of old National Geographic magazines about human explorations in the third world, and even then there was a second world, too. Also reading H.G. Wells Outline of History first published in 1928 was an eye opener. His premise was that there is more human history than just what is published in the West, and mostly about the West's histories.

So how do we think, today? Thinking out of the box, or not following conventional wisdom, is a hard row to hoe. After all, messing with anyone’s rice bowl is serious business to them.

On the geek side, I still wonder about the red shift idea which reports the universe is expanding. I still wonder if our observation ideas are skewed by our human experience and methods. The Heisenberg Principle comes to mind. Basically, if the red shift idea is flawed by our human observations and logic, then what we are seeing is something else. For example, could it be some kind of differential process going on vice some cosmic Doppler effect?

On the political human side, I still wonder how to explain what might be going on in 2010. Maybe it is just easier to think about what to do, though my engineering education suggests knowing what is going on is the first step to solving any problems. Of course knowing what is going on is just a guess. But that is why we think.

Now the real change begins

Have you noticed how much the word “crisis” is now used? Not too many decades ago, one seldom heard this word, especially in it’s morphed political connotation. Do we really have that many crises now that simply did not exist before? Or is the idea just a way for politicians doing their elected jobs, which is mostly to rule, and which to me is mostly to assign and fight for budget priorities. And at least at the federal level ideas like a crisis are a way to borrow more money without staying within budget.

Or does crisis mean our past leaders have done a poor job, from both national parties, I would add. Now all plan ahead, and some better than others.

Along the way, poor ethics and even the rule of law seem to come up more. Is saying one thing and doing another a smart political practice, or a personality defect? And do laws passed by legislatures and signed by executives and the oaths they take to enforce these laws still matter? As one of the “common masses” and the “governed” I still need to have faith in our present governments (school board, city, county, state, and federal). In turn, they still need to provide the reason for my simple faith and future vote.

One complicating problem is our hired bureacrats, which can mean many things. These mostly hard working Americans have to write rules which implement laws, or even and too often have to write the laws. And there are variations of "them". Some are at the executive level, some at the legislative level, all have their own tax payer funded gyms, and all have a great degree of influence which we do not vote on. But even they are subject to change.

Now one idea is to change the size of our USA Congress. The size of the Senate is in the Constitution, but the size of our House of Representatives is presently set by some vote and Presidential signing in the 19 teens. Another idea is to change the location of our federal capital city. Another is to term limit our legislators. After all we in the USA already made an amendement to term limit our executive.

Much friction is coming in the next decade. These present rulers, whom we have elected, are more and more having to make hard choices about budgets, a traditional reason we have politicians. Now how they decide, like to promote one group over another, honor legal contracts, etc. will affect we the “governed”. And we will respond with our votes. All this period will be full of friction, and different throughout our vast land and Country. And it will take a long time, like maybe a decade to sort out.

There are many things to worry about. Like what if our federal government can no longer borrow funds because nobody in their right mind will loan us the money. It has happened before, and many times. Then rough times will come, which will contribute to the real change that is also coming. As one way of life ends, another is coming, and to be in the New World and the USA is not a bad place to be when this change comes about. It is going to happen elsewhere, too.

Two themes course through this article. One is that change will come, no matter what any political leader tries to do to shape it their way and vision. I think of it as a human and masses imperative. The second theme is about voting, which is a way for change to happen. If voting is denied outright, or by subterfuge, or other like a dictatorship, then the change will still happen, though the process and friction will be much rougher and probably longer. But by golly, some less controlled change will happen in the end. As the old saying goes, be careful what you ask for...you might get it.

And I suspect family and children will bubble to the top. My guess is the human imperative is mostly about our kids' futures, and what we have to start to make it happen. And my guess is that we humans will keep our USA America as one nation, mostly for self interest, but also because we now have our own American culture that is worth preserving, in our self interest, of course.

Suppose Americans don’t vote for your idea?

There could be, and probably are, a myriad of reasons. The usual one I hear is the generalization of how we Americans think as a nation. That is so silly, since this is still a country of states, albeit, a United States.

I hear we “Americans are always in a hurry” for example. Yet I know, and I suppose many know, that there are many individuals who are not in a hurry, wherever they live.

Another I hear is the idea that “I know better”. Now that scares me because it suggests ignoring the American vote in favor of some other way. This suggests dictatorship and royalty type of things to me, all un-American.

What does still impress me is the idea of societal and peer pressure. It actually still exists in the USA. The usual example I think of is our treatment of our animals. Most will accept bad treatment of humans, but never the poor animals.

Now whether it is a urban vs. rural thing, or more likely some more esoteric idea like the environment, that is up to the voter in the end. I think most of us still have ties to the land, and enjoy it.

So fellow Americans know how well things are going here, environmentally speaking; just research child birth problems from environmental problems in China, for example. Things can be worse, elsewhere, as it is in China these days.

Back to the title of this post.

Most Americans will vote with their pocket book and their self-interests, to include, environmental. And of course that varies depending on where they live. This idea appeals to many because it just lets the voters be in charge. After all, it is their vote.

The difference between facts and optimism

My vote is that I would pay for people who report the facts, mostly as a short cut (so I don’t have to take the time) to learning the news. Now I think this is pretty human and traditional, for long evolved reasons.
Now some of us think our ethics are so poor these days in the west, that even lying is becoming acceptable to many on the way out.
Any way, I get my vote too, both political, and pocket book.
And I will pay for the facts. After all I want to think I know the news, which is mostly human, after all.
And human is not just “the west”.
Read or listen to what other humans in “the east” think about their situations.
Anyway, just the “facts, mam”.

What happens next?

Nobody knows for sure, but all can guess since that is just human nature, and parental nature probably. Most have heard of similar ideas like self-preservation and maternal-preservation. And governments can dictate behavior, but they can’t dictate what humans think, as much as they may try.

The scary part is the leadership in USA America. It seems we have presently some bad combination of lightweights and ideologues in both our executive branch, and our two legislative branches. And we elected them, and also the world does not stop. And USA America is still a big player in our human world.

Now in fairness, maybe the lightweight and ideologue collars are unfair, but that is still what probably most Americans, and maybe world people, think today. After all, the perception is just as important as the reality, and this idea goes back way before modern media like TV and modern methods like propaganda. Even Roman rulers and dictators had to listen and use this knowledge, and perception, to try rule.

And to predict, soothsay if you will, is analogous to psycho-babble in my opinion. To predict what and how and why people think is usually a waste of time. It is more practical to predict other people’s capabilities. The obvious example is men and women. We still can’t predict each other’s intents reliably. Now the capabilities, well that is another matter.

So what is going to happen in the near future, both foreign and domestic.

First the foreign area. The preverbal cork is out of the bottle, and all the world’s regional problems will become more obvious to both the western media and the citizens affected. Most conflicts start by poor judgment of the local regional leaders, which is pretty much how much can they get away with. It is the surprises from misjudgments that start regional wars. Now some wars may be between regions, and some may be internal, like a civil war. If one reads the local media, more of this is traditional human stuff.

Second the domestic, like USA America area. Here we have the lightweight problem, presently. Traditional history suggests terrible times, such as these days, often make a leader much greater because of his response given the challenges and problems. Another historical idea is that great leaders are born, and do well in whatever situation they get elected or appointed to. It is the other idea, that some lightweight human and his or her hired minions are doing their best in terrible times, and their best is “shabby”. In other words, other courses of action might have helped we common citizens better.

Now what shabby means depends on what happens. Lord hope it not be some kind of dictatorship or other such attempt to usurp control and power. Lord hope even these lightweights are more reserved and smarter.

Third is the wildcard idea. It can be both mother nature driven, or human nature driven. In either case, the idea of a “one world government” may fade as humans do the more traditional things like retreat to home and more local governments. In this case even the idea of nation states will probably fade in favor of whatever government existed before.

Yes, the world will go on for a while. And hopefully, though naïve I think, human voting will become more used than wars, revolutions, and civil wars. Now that is the human factor mixed with western influence. Just what mother nature does with us is another matter.

Let us not screw our kids over

It is kind of embarrassing to even bring this subject up. After all in the USA America most people still expect their kids to have an even better quality of life than their parents had. And their parent’s quality of life is pretty good, and has been, I think for the last decades.

Yet it seems many of our elected representatives, and our elected executives, seem to be on this course as a way to fund things and get elected in their future. In other words, borrowing from the future to make things nice today seems to be an accepted routine that we support with our votes.

I seem to be educated to the historical idea that taxation without representation caused a revolution. Now a revolution is not some academic idea, it is a human endeavor.

Now education is one key to civilization, and a uniting behavior, I think. And mostly education, as it applied to me, is just the idea that most humans should be educated to the level of all that has gone before. Mostly it is so new humans don’t have to figure out things discovered thousands of years ago, and in the interim period, for example. And along the way, educating young humans to learn the basic skills to perform a service to their employer is a big deal, too. Making change at a fast food market is an example.

And education is a two-way street. Some want to be educated by whatever their local system is, and some don’t. What’s new? We do have drop outs, and always will.

What is disturbing is three things:

1) Is educating our children for their benefit, and probably our human future benefit, mostly a present day adult jobs program? This is an embarrassing question to even ask.
2) Can educating our children be about teaching them things to shortcut having to figure out thousands of years of fellow human learning? In other words, do they have to “do it again”? In my “advanced” classes, that is pretty much what we did. I considered it a waste of time (at age 16 by the way).
3) In the most classical human mode, have we humans in the USA America have dumbed down our own kids (without trying to I think) in order to now figure out we have a problem, and will try to solve it in the future.

What’s wrong with what worked in the past? Why did we change it?

And in the case of private school education these days, the most important, and recognized advantage is that the parents care, and participate. Plus they are paying on top of local property taxes, for example. While the kids are naturally the same as goes smartness, they are better educated in general, and offer a better prospect for marriage and work. In other words, they are better educated. An indirect idea, is that these kids have a father and mother at their home. Boys and girls are different, after all.

In the case of so many world humans coming to the USA to get educated, that is obviously a really good compliment. Two thoughts come to mind. One is that things must be worse back home than is reported in the USA. Second is that there is still value in a USA education that sells.

The obvious good idea is to look forward, and elect humans who will think this way at the school board, city, county, state, and even federal levels. Now every location will do it their own way, what’s new, but by golly it will be their way and about their kids.

At least that seems to be the way the new world USA America is evolving. And public education still seems to be the main idea for our future.

Last, just what is the intention of so many local school boards, and even higher levels of political and budget oversight, and even funding? Is the intention to educate their kids, or some other decision? If the deciders want to range out, consider what the State of Maine has done for almost a century. There I think they used vouchers because they thought it was smart. In the end, it was about the kids.

Now you decide where you live.

A sad state of affairs

Sometimes are better than others.

And this is an others time. Bummer for those affected, which are too many.

One common theme still bubbles to the top.

Ethics.

Now the idea of ethics is in the mind of the beholder. And I don’t mean this in a moral equivalency sort of way. Nor do I mean it in some kind of hedonistic way. More I mean it as ideas as “that is just not right”. One in Christianity might suggest the Golden Rule, and there are variations of this “ethic” throughout the world and across most cultures and religions. This idea is what I think of and mean and suggest. Basically, treat other humans like you want to be treated.

Now most know of people, usually relatives, who say something simple that is profound to you, and you will never forget it, though they probably will. Such a thing happened to me maybe three years ago from my brother, who has done well in the financial world, and subsequently has lost more value he earned in the past than I have. Now what got my attention was that he “never” bad mouths people to make himself feel better, nor does he disparage others that might in the end help him. Yet he volunteered that the present financial situation was caused or influenced by those with poor ethics, and that they should go to jail. Now that got my attention.

As part of my lament the reader may laugh at me. Why is because I expect some degree of honesty and truth from our elected leaders. Now like most humans, I expect politicians running for office to promise about anything, and I discount that as best my experience helps me. But once ruling, I expect more honesty and truth about real problems which still exist. After all, I have to live and exist, as does my family.

Now in too much of the world, the “message” and the coordinated effort to manipulate the actual news seems to work, until people go cold and hungry.

Now those who think they can rule through the use of “message” stuff are suffering from low “ethics” in my mind. This is not the Golden Rule, and certainly not the standards used not too many decades ago. Ruling usually means listening to those ruled. And the message idea always fails in the end, for many reasons.

Last on the ethics “idea”, too many in the USA America think they can legislate our way out of our present dilemma.

I wish them luck. Even back before WWII, our federal legislatures and our president passed “Neutrality Laws”. And we all know what that got us. We can pass all the USA laws we want, I guess.

There is an alternative. One might call it “Fresh Blood”. The idea is to elect rulers at all levels; school board, city, county, state, and federal, that influence our lives and our family’s lives, and they bring their own ethics to the table.

After all, cynicism is one thing, but unethical behavior is another.

Here is an idea. History is human according to humans.

And let us give the Brits some credit for helping shape our world, and I think, our future world. Said another way, their empire at their time introduced ideas that seem to be selling these days. The world these days is not an eastern or western construct, exactly; or even a religious construct, more a human construct.

Anyway old ideas like communism and socialism and capitalism and religious imposition are fading, I think. Anyway, that is just an idea. Unfortunately, we these days will also have to go through the process of change, and the friction that will ensue. And mostly this means all humans are created equal, though some clearly are more hard working and self sacrificing than others. Now mostly that means we love our families and our kids, and go forward in our own ways.

Now I suspect the impact/transition/future will be worse in our human eastern societies, especially if you buy the Brit/western ideas. Use your own experience to think about this. For example, do we humans want to revert to governments like royalty, dictatorship, or false democracies? In other words, using the Brit/western idea, can we still vote about our future, where ever we live on the earth?

In the converse, present rulers wherever also know to listen to the local people however they rule and collect taxes. Most don't seek anarchy. That’s just a dumb way to go. And most potentates know this.

The collapse of one way of life

And the birth of another.

The collapse is inevitable to many. It is mostly economic, but also cultural. The world continues on, to include people all around the world being themselves. The old days of western type domination, be it European colonial, USA economic domination, or military victory in the last World War, has brought us to the point we in the world, the human world, are today. Now others count, too, more than maybe they used to be in western terms.

It is the “birth of another” question I think about. Do we humans descend into anarchy, where the “new” governments usually come from. I hope not, since anarchy is not a good thing for most of humans and our families and quality of life. I still like having the electric refrigerator and freezer working 24/7, for example.

And I still think the USA Constitution is a good way for humans to go in the future. It seems to balance all our human foibles with human reality. And only the willingness of citizens to support it will sustain it. It is just that simple.

So what is going to happen in the next ten years? Nobody knows for sure. There are lots of wild cards. For example consider a civil war in China and if it goes nuclear, then the probable downwind irradiation pattern over Japan and later Hawaii.

I just hope we can survive anarchy and make our future quality of life as good, or better, than it may be today.

Now does that take a political organization like the U.N., or an idea. My vote is for the “idea”.

Now “voting” is another new world “future human” idea. The alternatives are like revolution, civil war, and murder and “pitch forks” in the streets as the low lifes and criminals come out…maybe even a few partisans, too.