V.3

a follow-up poll might be: Why do all Republican congresspeople object to gun control? because it (debatably) conflicts with the 2nd Amendment. they're funded by the gun lobby, including the NRA, who wield heavy influence. they don't feel safe even though statistics indicate it is more dangerous to own a gun than not to. the ak47 pins looks cool on their lapels despite them being the murder weapon of choice used on our children but that list got too snarky

SAFETY & LEGISLATION. The conversation's loaded and the trigger is between liberty and liability. Aim for clarity, not crossfire.

and here's the CBS fact check on Clinton's job creation speech at the DNC Convention speech: Clinton's assertion, then, is true: Democratic presidents added approximately 42 million private sector jobs, to Republican's 24 million. Politifact points out that Clinton did not include public sector job growth in his calculations. Because Democrats are thought to historically add more government jobs than Republicans, adding those figures could have pumped up Democratic job growth figures even more, Politifact argues.

i'd say, if you want money to "trickle down" put it in Mother Teresa's pocket, not the pocket of Elon Musk. but, you might say, "Mother Teresa never built anything. I say, think again, apprentice breath! Mother Teresa built 610 missions in 123 countries. The world doesn't need flying cars. What the world does need, now more than ever, is more Mother Teresas. or, you say, "how about that pioneer of profit -- Steve Jobs? Where would we be now if it wasn't for his keen sense of corporate greed?" I say, we would be exactly in the same place, except you might not be able to play piano on your cell phone. Sure, Steve Jobs was ahead of some curves. But somebody else would have arrived at the same place eventually. Truth is, if Jobs hadn't built his fiercely guarded proprietary machines, we might even be much better off and further along with open source technology and products. Bill Gates is a shrewd businessman also, but of the two hi-tech entrepreneurs, Gates shared more of his work, and ultimately, more of his profits as a philanthropist. You know who would have made a great project manager? Mother Teresa. We probably would have had an electric car that anyone could afford 30 years ago! Instead of the i-Phone we might have the we-Phone. Likely built collaboratively by a more psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually balanced group of contributors with a set of priorities that could result in a better product and better world at the same time. But why speculate? Ask any computer technician/geek/guru what operating system has been the most stable, secure, and efficient for the past 30 years. Their answer will not be Jobs' Mac or Gates' Windows. It will be the free, open source Unix/Linux operating system (Uni, meaning one, as in Universal -- as in Universal Healthcare -- which we don't have -- despite our 3D glasses.

I watched the Oscar winning film NETWORK again and found it even more relevant today than in 1976. Depicting us being drilled by the oil industry and the prostitutes in news, and, of course, everyone "as mad as hell and not going to take it anymore." But that "mad" speech was rather generic. The speech of real substance, that should be screamed out of every window, is "The Corporate Cosmology of Arthur Jensen" delivered in the CEO's lecture:

your ongoing thoughts and feedback on the developing sci-fi saga... 3001: A Space Colonoscopy

given that street or building protests only get as much attention as the media will allow, it is questionable how effective it can be. Of course, disrupting traffic or businesses gains attention but has legal ramifications. calling and writing officials and reps is helpful, but everyone knows it doesn't take much energy or commitment. So I doubt it moves the needle sufficiently. posting and sharing can be informative but the other side can post and share too. seems to me the winner is boycotting. If businesses' glutinous craving for profits brought out their monster, it can be tamed by withholding their meals. And posting and sharing can fuel the boycott and feed us.

to be clear, there's some talk about about dividing the country into 2 countries like the division of North Korea and a South Korea. Or some other configuration that would allow America's right-wing to do their things. Indeed, very complicated, but it deserves some contemplation given the extreme direction they want to take the whole country. here may be some semi-reasonable options. Something that might take affect in, like a decade.

this list is highly speculative considering there are no candidates yet. I like Green credentials, but I'd never consider a Green Party candidate in the current 2-Party System. Like many, i believe in voting for the best representative of my priorities for America in the Primaries. But if asked who i'd like to see competing in the general election, i'd consider compromising a little in consideration of elect-ability. i think AOC and Bernie would be exciting "change" candidates but Bernie is too old and AOC may be too young for many Americans to trust. I'd like to see Pete B in the VP slot. Newsom is the only one dealing with the would-be-king head-on, with a sense of urgency, and a measure of cojones, so i believe he's earned support.

my attempt to define who i am and we are, spiritually, can be read in my blog entry.

I wrote and recorded this song as a populist slogan about never going back to regressive public policies and ideas. Needless to say, it never caught on. We went back. Way back! NEVER GO BACK i am a rock on a hill, looking over this place you know my name, you all know my face you know some words that have meaning the years can't erase we gotta look back before we lose our way we gotta give back, get back to a United State we once shared a dream, we once shared a home i'm wondering how-in-the-hell did we get so alone once it was one for all, and it was all for one we gotta give back, get back before it's all undone to get back to clear skies -- the light in your eyes to get back the best life -- that money can't buy when the minority rules, when our democracy dies to get back up to rise there's a house on a hill looking over this place where they don't know my name, they don't know my face but there is strength in my numbers, they'll hear what i say cause i'll never hold back, never hold back, never hold back and i'll never turn back, never turn back, never turn back and we'll never go back (push, pull) LOOK BACK at what our founders intended and GET BACK to those principles. GIVE BACK and sacrifice for the common good. NEVER GO BACK to repression, injustice or inequality based on gender, race, sexuality or religion. PUSH forward and PULL up those who need help.

btw, i believe men created gods in their image, not the opposite. but how ironic for those who believe there is an almighty, judgemental God/Allah/etc.. to hear these inquiries on their judgement day: Allah: "you blew-up yourself and a hundred others because you thought i'd "hook you up with 13 virgins?"" God: "you did WHAT for the collection and control of fossilized dinosaur bones (oil) and shiny rocks (gold, diamonds, etc.)?" "you killed your brother over a piece of dirt in the Middle East, in my name?" "you abused and exploited the creatures I created simply because you like the taste of their flesh -- and milk -- when you could've had a V8?"

Even if you believe homosexuality is "unnatural" it does not translate to "unethical" or immoral. What is common in nature is not the basis for evaluating human morality. For example, it is most natural for animals to fight or kill each other over food, territory, or mating rights and for males to spread their seed with wild abandon. But those behaviors are not ethical for human's in a civilized society.

QUESTION: IS HOMOSEXUALITY "UNNATURAL?" Homosexuality is not uncommon in nature. Though there are cases of asexual reproduction, HETERO-sexual behavior is simply nature's tool for species re-population. Regardless, there is nothing more natural than the tactile exchange of affection between any two people regardless of what kind of parts they're equipped with.

though the DNC faced big donor pressure to move closer to the GOP corporate policies in modern years, it was Democrats who gave us the 40 hour workweek, minimum wage, overtime, unemployment insurance, social security insurance, medicare, etc.. this is some older info that needs current data added: and this: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Crq61eB5B/

the historical path mankind forged after Jesus (AD), in his name, is paved in: wars, crusades, inquisitions, bombings, arranged marriages, polygamy, child abuse -- including castration, human sacrifice, burning of witches, the suppression of women and gays, etc.. and i would add:

Over the centuries, Christian crusaders have probably used these alleged Jesus quotes to justify murder: Speaking for himself, Paul gave Christian slave owners these words from the New Testament to keep slaves in line: and these words to keep women in line: In Revelations, John writes in the New Testament that only 144,000 people will get into heaven, and none will have "defiled themselves with women". So much for the Old Testament allegation that homosexuality is an "abomination". Apparently, they are the only ones who will serve in God's heaven! Humor aside, both the old and new testament have been quoted to justify discrimination against Gays. But, according to the Bible, a woman couldn't teach at church. Her place is kneeling before the alter of man, and praying behind the curtain of his confessional for sins going back to that first bite you took of the apple ;-) thankfully, though, it was men like me, outside of the control that the Church has on our society, who cleared enough of a path through the mysticism of the Bible to give women the right to vote. there's more to do, and it will take more wide-eyed progressive leaders, and less blind "followers"

it is true that Christianity spread so successfully because the populist themes offered the people a better, more hopeful choice than continuing to live under dictatorships. The core of the Christian concept is indeed wonderful. But it should be separated from the garbage. Sure, there are reasons for the old testament's "marry your rapist" quote, but there are weak explanations for all of society's ills. I'm sure the Romans had their reasons for wanting to throw Christians to the lions. I just believe it is the responsibility of any person or organization who promotes the bible to clearly and strongly condemn references that can inspire harm to others, by some who might naively take the bible as "gospel truth". i believe the New Testament's "Revelation" by John is the clearest example of the problem. Preparing for "the rapture" as it relates to the fight over "the holy land" and the "end of all times" is at the root of the hate, wars and killing in the Middle East, which, in turn, plays a significant role in U.S. politics. The Truth About The Revelation Most Bible scholars and theologians agree that someone identifying himself as John wrote the "Revealing" 60-80 years after Jesus's death. They are unsure if it was the apostle John The Baptist because he would have been nearly 100 years old and the Greek writing style was different. Under great stress after being exiled to a small island by the Romans it is believed he envisioned Jesus coming back in his lifetime to enact vengeance on his Roman persecutors. To avoid being executed as a heretic John coded his written attacks against Rome. For example, the sign of the beast, 666, translates to the emperor Nero in Hebrew numerology. The Rapture event (ascension of the believers preceding the Apocalypse) was not even written by John, but was later translated into the story 1800 years later based on an interpretation of earlier passages in the Bible and the vision of some woman (?).