America's "National IQ" in Trumpian Freefall

America's "national IQ" in freefall—rejecting history, reason, freedom for all rather than the few & democracy by re-electing convicted felon Donald Trump who undermines institutions, foments chaos, & pardoned violent insurrectionists and sides with our international autocratic enemies like war criminal Vladimir Putin. 

A nation embracing autocracy is a nation in decline. 

If we were to imagine a "national IQ" as a metaphor for collective reasoning, decision-making, and long-term planning, the trajectory of the U.S. would suggest a severe decline in critical thinking and civic responsibility under the scenario you describe.

After the Obama and Biden administrations—both of which emphasized democratic norms, institutional stability, and a return to global alliances—the re-election of a convicted felon with autocratic tendencies and a history of undermining democratic institutions would indicate a failure of national judgment. It would suggest that a significant portion of the electorate is either unable or unwilling to recognize the dangers of authoritarianism, misinformation, and corruption, despite the clear historical warnings.

The pardoning of convicted violent criminals from the January 6 insurrection would further signal a breakdown in the rule of law and an embrace of political violence as an acceptable tool of governance. This would mark a shift from a nation that values democratic principles to one that tolerates or even encourages lawlessness when it serves the interests of those in power.

If a nation’s IQ were measured in its ability to uphold democratic values, sustain rational governance, and protect its institutions from internal sabotage, then under these conditions, the U.S. would be in intellectual and moral freefall. It would indicate not just ignorance, but an active rejection of wisdom, history, and accountability—factors that typically lead civilizations into decline.

The terms disease and malady are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings and connotations:

1. Disease – A specific pathological condition with identifiable signs, symptoms, and causes, often related to infections, genetic disorders, or environmental factors. It typically implies a medical diagnosis.

   • Example: Diabetes, tuberculosis, and cancer are diseases.

2. Malady – A broader term that can refer to any kind of disorder, affliction, or condition affecting health, including physical, mental, or societal issues. It has a more general and sometimes metaphorical use.

   • Example: Anxiety, corruption, or social unrest can be called maladies.

Key Differences:

• Medical specificity: "Disease" is more medically precise, while "malady" is more general.
• Formality: "Disease" is the preferred term in medical and scientific contexts; "malady" is often used in literature or philosophy.
• Scope: "Malady" can refer to non-medical afflictions (e.g., "the malady of greed"), whereas "disease" does not.

People susceptible to authoritarian or extremist ideologies, including MaGA’s more extreme elements (or perhaps any element), often share specific psychological traits and cognitive tendencies. While not all supporters fit this mold, those who become deeply entrenched in authoritarian thinking or conspiratorial beliefs tend to exhibit some of the following characteristics:

Psychological Traits Susceptible to "Mind Worms" Like Authoritarianism

1. High Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA) – Prone to submission to perceived authority, aggression toward outsiders, and conventionalism.
2. Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) – Preference for hierarchy and dominance over perceived lower-status groups.
3. Low Cognitive Reflection – Quick to accept intuitive (but often incorrect) answers instead of engaging in deeper analysis.
4. Need for Cognitive Closure – Discomfort with uncertainty, leading to a preference for black-and-white thinking.
5. Fear-Based Thinking – Higher susceptibility to fear messaging, often linked to personal or societal insecurity.
6. Low Openness to Experience – Resistance to new ideas, cultures, or perspectives, preferring familiar and traditional norms.
7. High Conspiratorial Thinking – Tendency to believe in grand conspiracies that explain complex realities in simple terms.
8. Collectivist vs. Individualist Loyalty – Often prioritizes group identity (e.g., party, nation, race) over independent moral reasoning.

Why "Mind Worms" Work on This Personality Type

• Repetition & Echo Chambers – The more a claim is repeated, the more it feels true (illusory truth effect).
• Identity-Driven Politics – When ideology is tied to personal identity, questioning it feels like an attack on the self.
• Emotional Manipulation – Fear, anger, and grievance are powerful motivators, often overriding logic.
• Us vs. Them Mentality – Encourages tribalism and distrust of "outsiders" or "elites."

This isn’t exclusive to MAGA—historically, all forms of authoritarianism (left or right) thrive on these traits. But MAGA’s blend of nationalism, grievance politics, and anti-institutional rhetoric makes it particularly effective at exploiting these vulnerabilities.

If the U.S. were in full democratic crisis (as it is nnow)—facing an autocrat in power, the erosion of institutions, replacing agency and department heads with sycophants loyal to Pres. Trump and not the US Constitution or the People, in the pardoning of insurrectionists to send the message, "Break the law for ME and you'll be protected"—the emergency path to restoration would require immediate and decisive action. 

Here’s what should happen right now:

1. Mass Mobilization & Public Pressure

• Organize nationwide peaceful protests and strikes to demand accountability.
• Pressure Congress, state legislatures, and courts to act swiftly against authoritarian moves.
• Mobilize civil society groups to coordinate resistance against anti-democratic actions.

2. Legal & Congressional Action

• Invoke the 14th Amendment, Section 3 to bar insurrectionists from holding office.
• Fast-track impeachment or constitutional remedies if abuse of power escalates.
• State attorneys general must challenge unconstitutional actions through lawsuits and injunctions.

3. Protect Elections & Voting Rights

• Secure upcoming elections by fighting voter suppression laws and ensuring election oversight.
• Fund and mobilize voter turnout at unprecedented levels.
• Challenge any fraudulent election interference in courts immediately.

4. Federal & State Resistance

• Governors and state officials must refuse to enforce unlawful federal orders that undermine democracy.
• States can pass emergency laws protecting election officials, judges, and prosecutors from political interference.

5. Whistleblower & Insider Resistance

• Federal and state employees must document and expose illegal or unconstitutional directives.
• The judiciary and military must uphold the Constitution over any authoritarian commands.

6. International Pressure & Sanctions

• Allies must be engaged to condemn anti-democratic moves and threaten economic/political consequences.
• The UN, EU, and other democratic nations must apply diplomatic pressure and sanctions if necessary.

7. General Strike as Last Resort

• If democracy is being actively dismantled, a coordinated nationwide general strike could cripple the economy and force change.

This is not a time for passive hope—it’s a time for organized, legal, and relentless action to defend democracy before it's too late.

Compiled with aid of ChatGPT

Election 2024: As Mob Size Increases, Intelligence Decreases Proportionally?

Some more interesting conversations with AI.

While attending university to earn my degree in psychology, I was introduced to a correlative statement that, "as mob size increases, intelligence decreases proportionally."

“In crowds the foolish, ignorant, and envious persons are freed from the sense of their insignificance and powerlessness, and are possessed instead by the notion of brutal and temporary but immense strength.” The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind – Gustave Le Bon

Remind you of any currently popular, right-wing political party?

ChatGPT said:

The idea that the intelligence or rationality of a mob decreases as its size increases is commonly attributed to observations in crowd psychology and group behavior. One of the key figures associated with this concept is French sociologist Gustave Le Bon, who discussed it extensively in his 1895 book, "The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind" (Video/transcript). Le Bon argued that individuals in large groups tend to lose their sense of individuality, rationality, and responsibility, leading to a kind of "collective mind" that is often more impulsive, emotional, and irrational than the behavior of the individuals alone.

Le Bon suggested that crowds are susceptible to suggestion and that individuals within the group often act based on emotions rather than logic. This can lead to what he called the "de-individuation" effect, where people become anonymous and behave in ways they would not when alone or in smaller groups. His theory emphasized that as the size of the crowd grows, the more likely it is for groupthink and mob mentality to take over, reducing overall intelligence and reasoned decision-making.

Psychologists like Sigmund Freud and later thinkers such as Elias Canetti in Crowds and Power have expanded on these ideas, further reinforcing the notion that mob behavior tends to amplify emotional responses and decrease intellectual reasoning.

The concept has since evolved into modern studies on groupthink, peer pressure, and herd mentality, all of which explore how individuals' decision-making capacities can diminish in larger groups or mobs.

I asked:

What is the most correct form of that statement?

ChatGPT said:

A more precise and correct version of the statement could be:

"As the size of a crowd increases, the capacity for individual critical thinking and rational decision-making tends to decrease, often leading to impulsive, emotional, and less intelligent collective behavior."

This version captures the essence of the idea without suggesting that the group's intelligence literally diminishes. Instead, it emphasizes the tendency for individuals within large groups to succumb to emotional influences, lose a sense of personal responsibility, and behave in ways they might not when alone. This results in actions that can appear less intelligent or more irrational on a collective level.

I said:

And if even more succinct?

ChatGPT said:

"As crowd size increases, individual critical thinking and rational decision-making often decline, leading to more impulsive and emotional group behavior."

I asked:

Has that original theory been discounted?

ChatGPT said:

The original theory posited by Gustave Le Bon and others about crowd behavior has not been entirely discounted but has evolved and been nuanced over time. While Le Bon's ideas laid a foundational understanding of mob mentality, contemporary research in social psychology and behavioral economics has offered a more complex view of group behavior.

Here are some key points regarding the evolution of the theory:

Complexity of Group Dynamics: Modern studies highlight that group dynamics can lead to both positive and negative outcomes. While large groups may exhibit impulsive behavior, they can also foster creativity, problem-solving, and collective intelligence.

Social Identity Theory: This theory suggests that individuals in a group may maintain their rationality when their social identity is strong. Group members can engage in thoughtful decision-making based on shared values and goals, contrary to Le Bon’s view of irrationality.

Groupthink: Research on groupthink illustrates how conformity pressures can lead to poor decision-making in groups, but it also acknowledges that diverse groups can enhance problem-solving and lead to better outcomes when managed effectively.

Collective Intelligence: Some studies suggest that diverse groups, when allowed to express different viewpoints, can outperform individuals on complex tasks, indicating that collective intelligence can sometimes exceed individual reasoning.

Context Matters: The context in which a crowd forms plays a crucial role in its behavior. Factors such as the purpose of the gathering, the presence of leaders, and the overall social environment can significantly influence whether a crowd behaves rationally or irrationally.

In summary, while Le Bon's foundational ideas about crowd behavior remain influential, they have been enriched by subsequent research that recognizes the complexities and potential for rational behavior in groups. The relationship between crowd size and intelligence is now viewed through a more nuanced lens that considers various social dynamics and contexts.

I asked:

How does that relate to the bizarre behaviors in discounting, ignoring, or rejecting even criminal behavior of an authoritarian and now convicted felon like Donald Trump in his MaGA political entity?

ChatGPT said:

The bizarre behaviors associated with discounting, ignoring, or rejecting the criminal actions of an authoritarian figure like Donald Trump, particularly within his MAGA political movement, can be understood through several psychological and sociological concepts related to group dynamics and crowd behavior. Here are some key points of relation:

Ingroup Bias: Supporters may exhibit ingroup bias, where they favor their group (in this case, the MAGA movement) over others. This bias can lead to rationalizations of behavior that would typically be condemned if exhibited by outsiders. Members may dismiss or downplay negative actions by their leader to maintain group cohesion and identity.

Cognitive Dissonance: When faced with evidence of wrongdoing by a figure they support, individuals may experience cognitive dissonance—an uncomfortable feeling arising from holding conflicting beliefs. To resolve this dissonance, supporters might reject the evidence, reinterpret it, or rationalize the behavior as acceptable, reinforcing their allegiance to the leader.

Groupthink: Within the MAGA movement, groupthink may manifest, where members suppress dissenting opinions and prioritize consensus over critical analysis. This can lead to collective rationalizations that ignore or downplay criminal behavior, as individuals prioritize loyalty to the group and its leader over independent judgment.

Moral Disengagement: Supporters may employ moral disengagement, a psychological process that allows individuals to separate their ethical standards from their actions or the actions of their leader. This can result in justifying or overlooking criminal behavior by framing it as a necessary means to achieve a perceived greater good.

Social Identity Theory: Many supporters may derive a significant part of their identity from their association with the MAGA movement. This strong social identity can lead to a reluctance to criticize or abandon the leader, even in the face of wrongdoing, as doing so could threaten their sense of belonging and self-worth.

Collective Rationalization: The group may collectively rationalize or reinterpret actions that might otherwise be viewed as criminal. This collective mindset can create an echo chamber where dissenting voices are minimized, and problematic behavior is either ignored or reframed as a strategy against perceived threats from outside groups.

Fear of Social Repercussions: Individuals within the movement may fear social repercussions or ostracization for criticizing Trump or the MAGA ideology. This can lead to a reluctance to engage in open dialogue about his criminal behavior, further entrenching group loyalty.

Charismatic Authority: Trump's charismatic leadership style may contribute to a phenomenon where supporters view him as an embodiment of their values, leading to a willingness to overlook or dismiss actions that contradict those values, reinforcing loyalty to his persona rather than to ethical standards.

These factors create an environment where bizarre behaviors, such as ignoring or discounting criminal actions, become more prevalent among supporters. This reflects how group dynamics and psychological processes can influence individual behavior, especially in the context of strong social identities and charismatic leadership.

I said:

This has even taken his MaGA people to vote against their own interests, their own country, against the US Constitution, and the spirit of America, to the point that some of them have said they'd rather "spend time with Putin than a Democrat."

ChatGPT said:

Yes, the phenomenon you describe—supporters voting against their own interests, the interests of their country, and even the principles enshrined in the Constitution—can be analyzed through the same psychological and sociological lenses previously mentioned. Here are some key points to consider:

Identity Over Interests: Many supporters prioritize their identity and affiliation with the MAGA movement over their individual interests or the broader interests of the country. This can manifest in a willingness to support policies or candidates that may not align with their economic or social well-being if those policies are framed as part of their group's identity.

Polarization and Us vs. Them Mentality: Political polarization has intensified, leading to a perception of Democrats not just as political opponents but as existential threats. This "us vs. them" mentality can make supporters more likely to align with leaders like Trump, even when it means voting against their interests, simply to oppose the perceived enemy.

Charismatic Leadership and Loyalty: Trump’s charismatic leadership fosters a strong emotional connection with his supporters. This can lead individuals to prioritize loyalty to him over their own rational interests or the principles of democracy. When supporters say they’d prefer spending time with authoritarian figures like Putin rather than Democrats, it underscores the depth of their allegiance to their leader and their rejection of opposing viewpoints.

Manipulation of Fear and Mistrust: Trump's rhetoric often plays on fears of socialism, immigration, and societal change, which can lead supporters to view Democrats as threats to their way of life. This fear can override rational decision-making regarding their interests or the implications for the country.

Social Reinforcement: Within their social circles, MAGA supporters may find reinforcement for their beliefs, further entrenching their views and making it harder to consider alternative perspectives. The echo chamber effect can create a distorted view of reality where opposing ideas are not only rejected but vilified.

Disregard for Democratic Norms: Some supporters may embrace authoritarian figures because they perceive a breakdown of trust in democratic institutions. Their willingness to disregard the Constitution or democratic norms reflects a broader crisis of legitimacy and trust in those institutions, as they align more with leaders who promise to disrupt the status quo, regardless of the consequences.

Nostalgia and Idealization: Supporters may idealize a past vision of America that they believe Trump embodies, leading them to overlook actions or policies that contradict democratic values. This nostalgia can be a powerful motivator for voting behavior, even when it aligns with authoritarianism.

Emotional Appeals: Trump's ability to connect emotionally with his base through rallies, social media, and rhetoric can lead to decisions driven more by emotional resonance than rational analysis. This emotional connection often transcends traditional political considerations, encouraging loyalty even when it contradicts their interests.

In summary, the behavior of voting against one's own interests and embracing authoritarian figures can be understood as a complex interplay of identity, loyalty, emotional manipulation, and social dynamics, reflecting deeper issues within contemporary American political discourse.

I asked:

How do you combat such a challenge?

ChatGPT said:

Combating the challenges posed by the dynamics of group behavior, polarization, and the willingness of individuals to support authoritarian figures over their own interests requires a multifaceted approach. Here are several strategies that can be effective:

Promote Critical Thinking: Encourage educational programs and initiatives that foster critical thinking skills. Teaching individuals to analyze information, evaluate sources, and consider multiple perspectives can help combat the acceptance of misinformation and dogma.

Encourage Open Dialogue: Create safe spaces for open dialogue where individuals can discuss differing viewpoints without fear of backlash. Facilitating respectful conversations can help break down barriers and encourage understanding between opposing groups.

Empathy and Storytelling: Share personal stories that humanize issues and illustrate the real-world consequences of political decisions. Empathy can bridge divides and create connections that transcend ideological differences.

Highlight Common Values: Focus on shared values and common ground, rather than divisive issues. Emphasizing areas of agreement can help build coalitions and reduce hostility between groups.

Combat Misinformation: Actively address misinformation and disinformation by promoting media literacy and fact-checking resources. Encouraging individuals to verify claims before accepting them can reduce the spread of false narratives.

Leverage Trusted Voices: Engage respected figures within communities to help bridge divides and foster understanding. Leaders who can speak to their peers with credibility may be more effective in challenging harmful narratives.

Community Building: Foster local community initiatives that encourage collaboration across political lines. Engaging in community service, local projects, or shared interests can help individuals see each other as neighbors rather than adversaries.

Address Economic Concerns: Many individuals support populist movements due to economic insecurity. Advocating for policies that address economic disparities and improve the well-being of all citizens can reduce the appeal of authoritarian figures.

Promote Democratic Norms: Emphasize the importance of democratic norms, institutions, and the rule of law. Educational campaigns can help people understand the consequences of undermining these principles and the value of civic engagement.

Encourage Civic Participation: Mobilize individuals to engage in democratic processes, such as voting, attending town halls, and participating in local governance. Increased civic engagement can empower individuals to advocate for their interests within a democratic framework.

Use Social Media Wisely: Utilize social media platforms to disseminate positive messages, counter misinformation, and create campaigns that promote understanding and cooperation. Engaging narratives can attract attention and foster discussion.

Be Patient and Persistent: Changing deeply held beliefs and behaviors takes time. Approaching discussions with patience and persistence, recognizing that change is often gradual, is essential for long-term impact.

By implementing these strategies, individuals and organizations can work to counter the negative effects of group dynamics, promote healthier political discourse, and foster a more informed and engaged citizenry. Ultimately, the goal is to create an environment where rational discussion and democratic values prevail over fear, division, and authoritarianism.

I asked:

Do you think we'll be OK, and how long will it take to get back to a new normal?

ChatGPT said:

The path to a new normal in the political landscape and societal dynamics is complex and varies significantly based on numerous factors, including the actions of leaders, community responses, and individual engagement. 

Here are some considerations regarding the potential for recovery and the timeline:

Historical Context: Societies have faced political upheaval, polarization, and authoritarianism throughout history. While these periods can be challenging, many societies have ultimately returned to a more stable and functional state. The process can be long, but history shows that recovery is possible.

Grassroots Movements: Increased civic engagement and grassroots movements can drive change. The resurgence of activism in various forms suggests a willingness among many individuals to advocate for democratic values and challenge authoritarian tendencies.

Educational Initiatives: Investing in education that promotes critical thinking, media literacy, and civic engagement can create a more informed electorate. Over time, this can lead to a more resilient society capable of resisting harmful ideologies.

Changing Demographics: As demographics shift, younger generations often bring different values and perspectives. Their engagement in politics and social issues can influence the direction of society, potentially fostering a more inclusive and democratic environment.

Technology and Communication: The rise of technology and social media can facilitate more rapid dissemination of information, allowing for grassroots movements to gain momentum quickly. However, it also presents challenges, such as the spread of misinformation, which must be addressed.

Leadership and Accountability: The emergence of leaders who prioritize democratic norms and values can help steer society back toward a healthier political landscape. Accountability for those who undermine these principles is also crucial for restoring trust.

Economic Factors: Addressing economic concerns and disparities will be vital for fostering social stability. Societal healing often correlates with improvements in economic well-being and opportunities for all.

Cultural Shifts: Societal values can evolve over time. As communities engage in dialogue and build connections across divides, there is potential for a cultural shift toward more tolerance, understanding, and cooperation.

Timeline for Recovery

Short-Term (1-5 years): In the near term, we may see increased activism and mobilization around democratic values, but deep-seated divisions may still exist. Local initiatives, community building, and education efforts can lead to incremental improvements.

Medium-Term (5-10 years): With sustained efforts, including civic engagement and addressing economic issues, we might see a more significant cultural shift and a gradual return to healthier political norms. New leadership could emerge, and younger generations might play a key role in shaping the future.

Long-Term (10+ years): A new normal could emerge as societal values shift, political norms are reinforced, and institutional trust is rebuilt. This process may take a generation or more, but history indicates that societies can recover from periods of turmoil.

Ultimately, while the challenges are significant, there is also a strong foundation of resilience and potential for positive change. The timeline for recovery will depend on collective efforts, civic engagement, and the prioritization of democratic principles in the years to come. The future remains uncertain, but the capacity for growth and improvement is present.

I asked: 

Briefly, how long if Donald Trump wins the presidency again in 2024, and how long if Kamala Harris wins?

ChatGPT said:

The potential timelines for societal recovery and normalization can vary significantly depending on who wins the presidency in 2024:

If Donald Trump Wins:

• Short-Term (1-2 years): Expect heightened polarization and further entrenchment of authoritarian tendencies, with potential erosion of democratic norms. Resistance from opposing groups may increase, leading to further societal division.
• Medium-Term (3-5 years): If Trump's policies continue to favor divisive rhetoric and policies, significant challenges to democratic institutions may arise, making recovery more difficult. However, grassroots movements and civic engagement could grow as a reaction.
• Long-Term (5-10+ years): Recovery could be prolonged, depending on how deeply his administration undermines democratic norms and institutions. Societal healing might take a generation or more, with potential for significant unrest and resistance.

If Kamala Harris Wins:

• Short-Term (1-2 years): A Harris presidency could lead to an initial period of stabilizing efforts, focusing on rebuilding trust in institutions and addressing social divisions. There may be backlash from Trump supporters, but institutional norms could be reinforced.
• Medium-Term (3-5 years): With a focus on inclusive policies and community engagement, society may begin to heal, leading to a gradual return to a more functional political climate. Collaborative efforts may foster dialogue across divides.
• Long-Term (5-10 years): Recovery and normalization could occur more rapidly, especially if economic and social policies address the root causes of division. Trust in institutions could be restored, allowing for a healthier political landscape.

In summary, a Trump victory may prolong the path to recovery, while a Harris victory could facilitate a more rapid return to stability, though challenges would still exist regardless of the outcome.

Walkabout Thoughts #96

Thoughts in Streams of Consciousness, Rough & Ready, and Lightly Edited from an Award-Winning Filmmaker/Author you’ve never heard of while walking off Reality and hopefully the last half-life vestiges of Long Covid while listening to podcasts.
Walking Day is Monday, July 1, 2024.

Weather for the day… nice day, starting out, 64° with little wind, semi-overcast, a bit humid. 67° once back at home.

Oh, this just went live yesterday...

Interview with indie author/filmmaker JZ Murdock  (NO Politics!)

Podcast is WTF? With Marc Maron. 

Nope, turned out it's Rachel Maddow's latest ep. of Ultra, Bonus Ep: Rachel Maddow w/Tony Kushner , it's Monday! It's good for MAGA to listen to at least the 1st 15 minutes or so about our history of what we're seeing today, from a century ago with Henry Ford, and Italy. And other stuff. IF you can STILL vote for Trump after THIS, you're support involves authoritarianism, not Trump. 

I'd said I wouldn't vote for Trump back in 2016 merely because of his character, not his politics. Which I never needed to get anywhere near. Now I am and his "politics" IS... authoritarianism. However we live in a democratic Constitutional Republic, let's keep it... as Ben Franklin once challenged US. 

And if you think we don't live in a democracy but a "constitutional Republic" (my MAGA older brother has said that for years and I never got what he was getting at until he supported Trump)? That's ignorant autocratSpeak for sedition if not moving toward insurrection. 

You literally CANNOT HAVE a "constitutional Republic" WITHOUT being IN a democracy. Dumbass. Yes. We see you. You're going to take power and come for us? Well? Americans' response to things like that from foreign OR domestic enemies has typically been... "Here I am!" And did I say, "Dumbass"? 

Dumbass.

So today, SCOTUS finally ruled on something, pushing it to the very end of their term, seeing the Trump immunity crap mostly all back down to the lower courts. I think they’ve been ruling lately in ways telling Congress to finally do their damn job. Relying on Roe v Wade for 50 years? It was idiotic. Do your job. Leave it not up to SCOTUS in their toxic conservative slant on things lately.

I’m glad it’s not easy to indict a POTUS for actions in office for official actions but the government needs to protect us, needs to have the capability of self-awareness, when it’s being attacked, especially internally, especially by single points of failure like POTUS as in the case of convicted felon and failed exPOTUS Donald Trump. Come on I mean, catch a clue?

The Executive, the White House, the Oval Office, the President is usually pleased to get more power. Not now. It's gone too far, apparently. Pres. Biden's address to America after the SCOTUS ruling showed him very concerned. If you don't have the law restraining a POTUS, then it's about their character? For Biden, I think we're good. For Trump? Good God! 

Or those like him so very ready to imitate him? We're screwed. Trump's CHARACTER was what worried me about him becoming POTUS back in 2016 to begin with! This isn't good if he gets elected. He can't. Justice needs to be seen for America in his going through his earned indictments and trials, conviction and imprisonment. I still think he's earned, if not by law then by morality, to receive Capital Punishment. Our body politic is not protecting itself well enough, yet, and it has to update how it handles things like this.

For decades BOTH Republicans AND Democrats said POTUS had too much power, more vocally whenever their opponent is in the WH. Today, SCOTUS gave POTUS even more power. Pres. Biden said he will not abuse his powers. He's not who I'm worried about. One almost wishes he would make some abuses just to get this all under control. But when the cops start acting like the criminals, it's not good.

All America need to drop what they're doing & educate themselves on authoritarians. Read, "Strongmen". IF that were to happen, support for Donald Trump would rapidly drop off.

He would steadily lose the ability to receive enough votes to even BE on the ticket he has no right being anywhere near.

Pay attention to our future. Perhaps by reading, On Tyranny, by Timothy Snyder.
People need to learn about authoritarians...before it's too late (and before November 2024).

When you understand the Authoritarian Playbook, the format of the authoritarian, you see clearly in Donald Trump what's going on. MAGA may never see it because they are lost deep in their (his) delusions and desires. But many of them will and eventually all of them can.

Yikes...

Now Marc is talking about some documentary he watched that was too much recreation. He said it should’ve just been a cheap movie but he did learn some things. For one, he asks if Hitler actually ever did personally kill anyone? Someone said he could think of one person.

Possibly not because this is in the area of ideologues who get other people to do their killing due to their position of power and lack of accountability, they tend to get carried away and in their  "yes men" they surround themselves with. They become ever more toxic and ever more delusional until you end up with something like World War II and the Holocaust, which wasn’t just Jews being slaughtered, but they were the more aggressively mechanized murdered, not to mention the whole, "you gotta wear a star" for purposes of humiliation and designation, and all that crap. 

That reminds me that it’s Monday and Rachel Maddow's new Ultra episode is out.

Great, so no Ultra this week because of the Fourth of July, which is not today, so what the hell? But instead, a bonus episode interviewing playwright Tony Kushner whoever that is. Turns out, pretty cool episode.

Ah. He is working with someone else on a screenplay for Steven Spielberg of the first season of Rachel Maddow's Ultra podcast. Well, good for her!

As Rachel points out if you want to get benefits and no ads on her podcast, you can subscribe to the MSNBC something.

About that. Paying. Yes we should support our creatives and things we support and enjoy and listen to and watch or read so they continue. But nowadays, my DVR /Internet and cable through Comcast/Xfinity is around $250 take or leave $10 every month. Then there is any additional like Paramount+ or Apple TV or Disney+ where "plus" stands for, "you’re gonna pay more money out and in the end you’ll be "nickel & $10'ed" into poverty."

I find I have to get one streaming service, which is for a month, use whatever free trial weeks or whatever I can get, and try to squish a month's viewing into as soon as I can before the free trial runs out. Then cancel and join another streaming channel to see what you enjoy on their offerings.

If you make a shit load of money, just subscribe to everything all year around, annually being cheaper. But you can’t help but notice that in total, maybe you only watch any streaming channel for a month (or two or so) out of every year, but you pay for an annual subscription.

Well, that’s fine if you’ve got a lot of money, who cares I guess, and you want to support things not going away if you like them, so...

But as most of us, or a majority of us (or a lot of us anyway) view it, people on a fixed income, people in retirement or at a low economic level, those who don’t have that kind of money, it turns out that an enjoyment factor can become a burden

And it’s not even something like online sports gambling addiction. If I were married, or in a living together relationship, or was more active and out and about all the time, I wouldn’t need so much news and entertainment. But they keep my sanity so I pay the fees and try to keep it at a minimum.

When the Internet started up, we all loved it. Free information for everyone! That was the 80s and 90s.

Then at some point in the 90s and early 2000s everything started getting locked down and monetized. Service got better in many ways, to be sure. But at some point I started to realize I was being nickel and dimed to death financially. And some things had disappeared completely.

I found things I had been subscribed to for months that I only used for one week and I’d been paying for almost a year and in one case for a couple years. It wasn’t much back then, but I never used the service. And I had a job and was making a hell of a lot  more than I do now.

I’ve always checked my checking account, but I got more adamant about monitoring what was going on with the advent of the internet and paid services. Understand, while some paid for AOL, or some service or other in the early days, I struggled and learned and tried to go free. You learned a lot more. You saved a lot of money.

In recent years, I started realizing at times that I was paying for a streaming service I forgot I even had. So I monitor it all closely and I’m not getting what is essentially getting scammed. Like legitimate scamming. Like when you get on a website or get a new service and have to sign their customer agreement that's either 50 pages or one page that you can’t understand what the hell it says.

I know we passed a law that says it has to be readable and understandable. But a lot of people still don’t understand. So you tend to just click, "Yes, I accept whatever..." and move on.

Be careful about that though.

A lot of artists have signed contracts and found out years (or decades) later, when they knew they had to be making millions that they weren’t making much of anything. Or they needed something and asked for it and got the fancy car and in being young and inexperience and maybe previously poor, were quite happy not giving it all much though. In this case, I'm thinking about record companies. You can refer a couple episodes back on Marc Maron WTF? With Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath or read his published book that details all of this kind of thing.

I learned many years ago, back in. I don’t know, the 80s or 90s, never sign any contract without at least reading the entire thing. I’ve been sitting in the office of a company and they handed me a contract they said was "boilerplate" and maybe it was. Typically it is.

I still read it, sitting there in the office wasting their time. Unless they said I can take it home in which case I’ll probably have a lawyer look at it.

But the very least we can do is vote and pay taxes we owe, and read our damn contracts before you sign them!

Because if you don’t understand something or you do notice something where it sounds like in the future you could be getting screwed? Don’t sign it. Negotiate, a lot of times they’re happy to negotiate. Sometimes it’s just a matter of if they can get something, great if not, they'll give you a fair deal. That's business. That's what I call "corporate thought". Get what you can at a minimum, see what you can get. No thought of I don't want to rip someone off. Just take what you can get. At some point it is just reasonable, logical, but it can also be kind of sleazy and slimy.

I mean in business, it’s not always criminal or unethical. It’s just "ask for the moon and take what you can get." That is sensible, with a company, but with people, I think we have a responsibility to not ruin their lives. And you know be kind of fair. But it goes both ways. So there are times when I asked for the ridiculous, and... was easily given it. I walked out of there Happy. Happier.

Until I realized, once I thought about it (see it pays to take time to read, absorb, consider, which offered the "moon", really? IS that what's happening?). If they were that happy to sign the ridiculous thing I asked for, could I have asked for more? But don’t go down that path if that happens. You'll drive yourself mad. 

Enjoy your great deal for the time being. Just tuck it in the back of your mind that the next time you negotiate ask for what you didn’t get and then ask for the ridiculous. The reasonably ridiculous. Don’t ask to be president United States if you’re signing a record deal. But maybe listen to what artists like Jewel did. Getting from the record company what the company thought was a ridiculously a good deal for them but turned out to make her a whole shit load of money in the end. She just seems to have a natural ability many of us don’t have. That’s what lawyers are for and CPAs. If you’re in that kind of business or industry? Use them.

I always told my kids, if you’re in business or if you’re making a lot of money, use reasonable caution as I pointed out above. Get an accountant and a CPA. But also, depending on how much you’re making, get an accountant or a CPA or a lawyer to audit your accountant or CPA or lawyer, and on a six-month if not annual basis.

You may still get ripped off, but at least you’ll minimize it and won’t go on for years or decades before you realize you’re old and have no money and are in debt with maybe tax evasion charges.

Starting my 2nd mile and now finally shutting up and listening to Rachel‘s podcast on stage and live but recorded.

Rachel says the single smartest person she ever interviewed is this playwright Tony Kushner.

Which, for some reason, makes me think I need to get back to submitting my screenplay to agents again and managers. This is something I started doing about 1984 when I graduated WWU. And while I made some progress, as I’ve detailed in previous blogs certainly with “The Teenage Bodyguard' (True crime drama screenplay), I still have never actually sold anything .

What I’ve learned about that over the years is it doesn’t matter how qualified or great you are in your discipline or art. My younger brother's art is amazing and yet, he's not rich (should be). It matters if you have enough networking and business sense or simply a capability of either brute force or cleverness in positioning yourself to where luck is gonna happen to SOMEBODY and it might as well be YOU because you got yourself to be standing there when it hit.

I’ve been on the receiving end of that several times in my life and almost did hit it big, at least by my definition. Which isn’t very grandiose. Since where and how I grew up I never thought I would make it to $10 an hour. And I went way the hell over that. I never thought I’d have any kind of retirement and I ended up with three, one of them now fully depleted with what life threw this way, but not by any misadventures on my part. Just as I said… Life.

I do dislike promoting myself. You have no idea… The me of 20 or 40 years ago, would be completely blown away by the me of today in that arena. And I assume the me of 20 years from now or certainly the me of having found success and financial reward in the future, would look back on me now and just shake his head. Fool.

Whatever...

We do the best we can in life. Be happy with knowing that. It’s like raising your kids. Most of us are going to screw up, make mistakes. Maybe our kids will grow up troubled. But if you did the best you could with what you had and you showed them love and made them know they are loved, it not only makes up for a lot with them, but I think you can mostly forgive yourself. Maybe…

From Rachel's book, she’s reading a passage on stage live: "Ford accused Jews, or Jew Jewish capitalists of all evils in the world.“

If you can’t see how stupid that is, how ignorant that is, how bigoted that is, how racist that is, then you probably agree with Ford and we can see you for what you are. Bigoted, binary, vapidly ignorant.

It’s simple to avoid being that way. Always strive to be better than who you were yesterday and are today.

Henry Ford called the metal brass, a "Jew metal". Weird. Therefore, you found no brass in the cars he manufactured. Give me a break.

Reminds me, hopefully for a completely different reason, of the Smith Tower in Seattle Washington. As I understood it because of some kind of action or strike by maybe lumbermen or purveyors and dealers of wood for building back in the day, he refused to put any wood in his building and used, massive amount of steel and marble and I think brass, but I’d have to check. If you’re in Seattle and you got some spare time over and take a look inside the tower. Go up to the top have a drink. It’s truly a marvel to behold just to walk in on the ground floor. 

Regarding wooden Seattle skyscrapers.

Ford: if you ever look around the country where there’s trouble you will find Jews. OK, but I would assume there’s also Catholics and Christians and atheist protestants and maybe Mormons Muslims… What a douchebag.

Just to mention, since medieval times and before, Christians weren’t allowed to do certain things, and when you see a market where you can jump into it and others wouldn't allow you to do much else, you jump into it. Jews fulfilled those roles for maybe thousands of years, certainly in Christian nations. So when the only people you have to blame are those who are the only people you would allow to do certain jobs, is that on them or you, or your people?

Sure anybody who has a monopoly can get carried away or abusive. I’m not arguing that. But to lay that blame not on toxic capitalism or the awareness of a paradigm forced into being, not by the people you are blaming for it, and to blame their race or culture as you may perceive them, just seems ignorant and racist.

This is why Buddhists believe in enlightenment. If you are aware enough of any situation, you focused out of, especially in a binary manner, being more aware of the situation and all its aspects which will help you course correct and decrease or eliminate your own cognitive biases: Be more aware, it's better for everyone.

Ford's radical anti-Semitism isn’t something we should be against because of Jews, but because of the bigotry, ignorance, and single-minded focus on laying vast amounts of blame and situations upon any people, not just Jews.

There’s so much bigotry involved in racism against blacks or Jews, or you name them, that when you pull back, we should be against, not just the racism alone, but we should be against the overall condition. We should be against the mindset that leads us to lay blame or hate any one group of people, when that’s not at all that’s going on.

This is interesting, what Rachel is reading because I didn’t know Ford got involved in politics, or tried to. Though I did know he bought a newspaper (I've listened to all Rachel's podcasts) and poured his hatred of the Jews into it. I didn’t know it was losing money until somebody sent him a letter saying to pick an enemy and stick to it. Then let’s make sensationalism!

Ford had already been laying blame on the foot of whoever he lost to in an election and blamed him in a way that evokes Donald Trump today. Trump sure as hell isn't original in anything he’s doing. He’s just original in trying to pull it in America where we are supposed to be inoculated against his kind of fascism. Ford was deep into that over 100 years ago here in America when we were less aware of fascism and such overt bigotry.

So apparently, Ford himself got into disinformation in the years around 1917. While I have said that Russians were the disinformation experts, honed to excellence by the Soviets and continued on by the Russians after the USSR fell after the CCCP no longer exists, I do believe they are the consistent experts in the world at it through recent history.

What we’ve seen elsewhere and certainly in America over the past hundred years, at least in people who from time to time, stumbled upon it, and touched on the notes of fascism and authoritarianism, every time have had their legs cut out from under them because we are after all, America.

Today we revisit this. You will note that Donald Trump is going in this direction but is also now a convicted felon. He didn’t quite get away, yet. At least we know him and we see him and we are showing him to the world.

Sadly in his running for election again, and in having as much support by his MAGALoon contingency, much of the world is shaking in fear over the prospect of America, the most powerful nation in the history of human life, might give its power to a buffoon and narcissist like our little fascist Donald Trump

Just to point this out in case you missed it, the guy who sent Ford that letter guiding him into disinformation and a greater depth of fascism would be today Trump's, Steve Bannon. Who also just surrounded himself for four months in prison for his crimes under Donald Trump. We can only hope something happens to him in prison, where he never returns to walk our free streets again. Streets that are still free unless we do not stop the people trying to put us all in "concentration camps", in our minds, and our own communities.

Starting mile three…

Wow, apparently for two years Ford ran 92 articles in his newspaper against the Jews. Like “Jewish jazz moron music becomes our new national music“ and., “The international Jew, the world’s problem “, apparently Ford distributed this newspaper across the country through his Ford dealerships.

Evidently, Ford dealers would toss the latest issue of Ford’s racist newspaper under the front seat of every brand-new sold Ford automobile.

This is really despicable behavior.

This is funny. Several people on this street I’ve walked by have smiled at me. Usually, they will nod their head, smile wave, whatever and I'll return a gesture. But this last woman had an interesting smile. I kind of thought, well that was interesting. I mean, I thought that it nice but for some reason, I looked down to see what’s on my T-shirt today. And today I’m wearing my big bold cartoon letters saying "That Metal Show" from, you may have guessed it, “That Metal Show “. The show for years who had on rock legends. Fun show with two comedians and one big brain "can’t forget anything rock ‘n’ roll historian": "Hosted by Eddie Trunk (the historian), Jim Florentine, and Don Jamieson, That Metal Show distills decades of your favorite hard rock and heavy metal into a solid 60 minutes."

Oh the best part of this reading Rachel is doing on stage is that Hitler lifted entire passages of Ford's four-volume book, raging against the Jews and used it for his own Nazi purposes

I’ve detailed this more extensively in a previous blog.

To sum this all up about Hitler and Ford? Hitler was interviewed by a journalist and he said he considers Henry Ford his mentor. Well, that pretty much wrapped that up.

How do you know you believe in a conspiracy theory? Because it can’t be proven or disproven, even with facts. It may even be able to be disproven, but the conspiracy theory adherent remains believing they know a secret and that makes them special. Who wants to give up believing to their core that they are special and they know something that most others don’t. That they could be the hero if they just do this or that? Which typically is to blame on their intellectual or physical attacks on some group. Which is how Hitler put it to the journalist, that “somebody has to take the blame."

One of the primary rules of the authoritarian playbook noted by Professor Timothy Snyder is that you have to have "an enemy" or someone put "the other ". Someone to blame. Especially someone you can get others to hate. The more ignorance involved, the more powerful your cause.

I’m all for being a patriot or dying for a cause or for your country, but we have people who are dying for their country, or ready to, or hurting or killing others for their country, entirely unaware of what they’re attacking them for, all based upon conspiracy theory and ignorance. And in the case of Donald Trump, in support of a criminal autocrat who is trying to abuse his power and position to end how the United States has run for over 200 years.

Trump wants to have power and be positioned in office forever until he dies. And then before he dies it is his hope he will choose someone to continue his evil works. And yeah, I do think this is evil. I don’t so much think Trump is evil, as much as mentally incompetent or at least mentally unhealthy Or as I like to put it, psychosocially unhealthy, as a sociopath, narcissist and pathological liar, all of which does fit together.

There is a book out worth checking out by Ramin Setoodeh, "Apprentice in Wonderland - How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass. Pretty interesting stuff. The author says Trump is living a delusion with many "enemies" as he perceives it. It's a pathology. From the book blub on Amazon:

"Here for the first time is the definitive untold story of Donald Trump’s years as a reality TV star. Trump himself admits he might not have been president without The Apprentice. Now, just as he uncovered the chaos inside the daytime favorite The View in his bestselling Ladies Who Punch, Ramin Setoodeh chronicles Trump’s dramatic tenure as New York’s ultimate boss in the boardroom, a mirage created by Survivor producer Mark Burnett and NBC boss Jeff Zucker. With unprecedented access, including hours of interviews with Trump, his boardroom advisers George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher, Eric Trump, and some of the most memorable contestants, and writing with flair and authority, Setoodeh shares all the untold tales from this legendary show that has left its mark on popular culture, shaped the legend of its star, and ultimately changed American history."

What Trump is trying to do is spread his belief system that he, and especially Steve Bannon (who is internationally trying to indoctrinate people into authoritarianism), are simply pushing out evils against humanity. Stephen Miller is a prime example of this. They are all spreading fantastic beliefs untethered in reality with just enough truth in them to confuse and obfuscate.

It all evokes the concept of “purity “or “pure blood “. Which is a nonsense concept that led to eugenics as a concept and the Nazi effort in WWII. It purports to work as a species to make yourself the best you can be. Evil? No, not per se. But when you turn it into a science with no concept of humanity, humaneness, empathy, or compassion, then it quite easily, and quite quickly becomes evil and does great evil to others, whom you do not like.

If you want proof of that, go to an actual history book or documentaries on World War II. Don’t just focus on the Holocaust because although that was specifically aimed at a group, the Nazis also slaughtered I believe 12 million Russians in their war of attrition.

The first crime for Nazis in pre-WWII is their belief in their perfection or purity, which was never true to begin with from the get-go.

So much authoritarianism is based on lies, disinformation and propaganda and a belief in "I am greater than you" and you are “"the other" who we need to fear as an existential threat and eliminate you entirely and completely. Then of course move onto a new perceived and purposed "enemy", the next group whom we designate as the new, “the other “. In Soviet Union under Stalin “the other “ became your neighbor, or your cousin, your spouse, your children, or your parents.

And that’s what we’re looking forward to here under an authoritarian. As much as MAGA can rationalize, or Steve Bannon claims Trump is only speaking in metaphor… his January 6 insurrection, proved that bullshit. While their ends may justify their means, their end for us shold be obvious to us, because of logic and history. Foretelling our future if we're not careful.

How do we know the conspiracy theory bullshit we’ve been hearing is there and happening now? Listen to Trump and his MAGA officials and followers:

"You can’t trust journalists. The media is your enemy. The other party, the Democrats, are doing crimes that are exactly what we’re doing, but we’re trying to neutralize that by saying they’re doing it and denying we’re doing it. Science is faulty. Science is wrong. Science does not know more than Internet Internet “facts“. Rumors are as valid as journalism. The zeitgeist is whatever we wanted to be and whenever the establishment says it is is wrong until we become the establishment and then whatever we say is always correct and right and righteous. Theocracy gives us more authoritarianism than we can achieve in any other way."

And then eventually: "Religions are your enemy We the government or your religion. Our dear leader is your God." And suddenly we are North Korea. Think about America becoming North Korea as the most powerful country, the richest country in the history of humankind. And who then becomes "the other"?

Everybody, not the United States. But we'll always have enemies inside us to sow distrust, fear, hatred. Good grief read about how bad it got under Stalin in the USSR. If "they" (whomever, other countries) want to be safe, if "they" want us to trust and believe them, it is all about our empire. They have to be all about our empire. Our Foundation. Hoow we founded it and the truth only we can designate as, "Truth".

Remember, "No other Gods before Me"? And "Me" is our Dear Leader, or whoever is newly designated as such. Our government and our Dear Leader being one in the same.

Therefore, all representatives of our government are representatives of our Dear Leader... who is God, and they are therefore minor Gods below him, doing his bidding.

Brief Aside: I was a fan of Kate Bush nearly since she first performed, I never heard of this group before now.

Brief and Final Aside: I've often said, "Buddhism", the Buddha Dharma (including all the teachings of all Buddhas), which I would argue is not a religion. 

I've met people raised in Buddhist countries who tend to treat Buddhism as a religion. I see that as the human propensity to recreate all things of duration to be a religion either directly or of a sort. I reject that and the concept of different "schools" of "Buddhism". I take any "Buddha" other than the original as interesting insights that should be considered, and incorporated or lost as one sees fit and appropriate. I was raised old-school Slovak Catholic, my mom's family is Czechoslovakian, Dad's is Irish. I spent my early adulthood surveying various forms of thought and religions. I earned a university degree in psychology.

I found it fascinating that my Buddhism merged well with my childhood Okinawan Isshinryu Karate studies, in the Asian philosophy we were introduced to in those classes which later merged well with my Aikido studies, and even later in my studies in psychology. I saw a Buddhist vein of similarity amidst them all. And in myself, a comfort and familiarity I eventually realized came from my upbringing at home and my initial familiarization in Karate of East Asian philosophy.

I started to follow Buddhism as I best understood and accepted it. I later became a Freemason and realized I was not a ritualist. But Buddhism seemed to be my best form of matching up to how I understood the world outside of science, and in avoidance of organized religions. Which seemed too problematic, lending themselves far too much to undue control and abuse.

If someone told the Buddha that they prayed to him, he might respond by gently redirecting them to focus on their own practice and understanding. He would likely emphasize that enlightenment comes from one's own efforts and realization rather than through praying to external figures. The Buddha might say something akin to:

"Do not pray to me, but rather, seek to understand my teachings and apply them in your life. True liberation comes from your own effort and insight, not from external supplication."

This response would align with the core Buddhist principle that individuals must take responsibility for their own spiritual development.  

Western Christianity saw this as barbarianism for hundreds of years. Maybe thousands.

The original Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, emphasized self-reliance, personal experience, and understanding in the pursuit of enlightenment. He did not advocate for the worship or prayer to deities, including himself. 

His teachings, encapsulated in the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, were designed to guide individuals toward their own enlightenment through ethical living, meditation, and wisdom. I have had great respect for the Dalai Lama Lhamo Thondupand, and for the late Thích Nhất Hạnh, among others.

These are all things that if helpful, can be utilized, shaped and formed to aid us in our travels from birth to at least, death.

On that note, I’ll bid you adieu…and leave you with that.

It’s 10:39AM and not time for lunch.

Cheers! Sláinte!

Walkabout Thoughts #83

Thoughts & Stream of Consciousness, rough and ready, from an award-winning filmmaker and author you’ve never heard of, while walking off long Covid, and listening to podcasts…walking day Sunday, June 9, 2024

 
Weather for the day… nice day, starting out, 66° nice sunny day, blue sky with broken sparse clouds, cool breeze starting out, 73 once back at home

Podcast Pod Save America, ep. The Wilderness Could Trump-Curious Black Voters Swing the Election? (Ep. 3) about the Black vote with Terrance Woodbury and Lavora Barnes, Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. This is an interesting podcast episode because things are not what we think. 

On what he would say to a voter about voting sane and in this election, for Joe Biden...

“Here is why I need you to help me to keep winning because of what we’ve been doing and want to do for you." This, because telling them to vote for a third-party candidate gives the election to Trump.

When you have people who think Trump was the one who gave them their government check and not Biden, that they got training for a job because of Trump, not Biden, you’re up against the brick wall of at least misinformation and misperception.

When people think "I get the idea that Trump and Biden won’t do for me what I need, or want them to do, I'm not voting for Biden," it's time to make it clear that protest voting is not for the General Election, but the Primary. Third Party voting so often doesn't do at all what people think.

It would seem that one of our big problems is a lack of accurate information and an utter misunderstanding on how our elections really work in America.

A protest vote against your candidate? Do not vote for third party opposition in the General Election as voting for someone else will not get you want, when the person you vote for won’t win the election. It's just throwing away a vote. While the person you preferred can end up losing the election. So? How does that help you?

The problem greatly seems to be simply getting the correct and apprpriate information out there.

Today we really have to prove to people what's accurate. I wouldn’t even waste my time proving what's inaccurate, or disinformation, or propaganda. Politics today is very counterintuitive. While it always has been, it also had been based in facts, or spin. Spin being the twisting of facts up to but before they becoming a lie. That makes them an opinion, a perspective, an orientation. A lie is where it’s no longer spin and just an untruth, misinformation at best, mistaken information, but when you’re spinning beyond spin into lying, it’s really now weaponized information as disinformation that is disingenuous at best, but typically just meant to be a lie.

I'd like to comment on my last blog where I was talking about martial arts and fights I’ve been in. While I’ve been in thousands of fights at dojos, I’ve only been in a few actual and serious street fights. I do believe had I been like some of my friends from the past, I would’ve been in more street fights. But I was a good talker. In talking to a friend years ago I came to realize how many fights I would have been in, had I not diffused the situation with logic or humor.

We were taught as kids by our sensei that before you choose to fight someone and harm them...choosing to, as you can usually run away...in choosing hurt ego over hurting another human...we were trained to kill quickly. Not as in tournament or sport fighting...as in judo in Japan...so we were told we had to acknowledge that street fighting is a choice.

Which was why when I first learned in college about Aikido, one of the top 5 martial arts of Japan, I quickly switched from Karate (or any other martial art I had tried). Yes, I know about all the arguments against Aikido and nonsense about that. So many detractors to Aikido in that ignorant "my martial art is better than yours" nonsense. No martial art works in every situation. Which is what Bruce Lee talked about. It's just a moot and useless point with so many variables.

When I first learned about Israeli Krav Maga, I found it very interesting. Also, Systema, the Russian martial. But once I hit a point in my life where I wasn’t worried about a need to perhaps killing to protect myself, I no longer found a need for that kind of thinking, for the harder and harsher martial arts. There is of course, JuJitsu, and so on. Effective forms all. But for me in the end it was which martial art seems to be making you the most happy in practicing it? Aikido.

What I liked about Aikido is that in all the dojos I’ve been in, I’ve never seen one where there was so much lightheartedness and happiness from practitioners. When I was younger, Karate was all about "pushing through the pain." In Aikido, it's more like, “If it hurts? Don’t do that." Or you'll often hear, “You’re doing it too hard." That's not to say it's weak, though there is the harder  style of the younger O'Senei Morihei Ueshiba, the Founder; or the Steven Seagal style, which one could argue is abusive egoism. Or the softer style of the older O'Sensei who also allowed finally, women, and children to study.

All that being said, I've seen some seemingly magical movements and techniques in Aikido. Like blocking or throwing someone... without touching them. I’ve seen it. I’ve done it. I’ve experienced it happen to me. 

Aikido: "You don’t take their body, you take their mind." Or, "You don’t throw them at the ground, you throw the world at them." It’s the only martial art I’ve known with a philosophy behind it that translates directly into the movements, and the movements into the philosophy. I've had others claim that for their style. I still haven't seen it to be true.

Back to politics… 

If I could convince people of one thing before I die, it would be to vote in our elections. Don’t get all wrapped up like an extremist. Don’t get so wrapped up in your leader as MAGA does to where you end up supporting a delusionally, pathological, convicted sexual abuser, narcissistic authoritarian like the vastly ignorant and petty Donald Trump. Sure, get as involved as you want. Be fascinated. Be annoyed. But keep your anger at a minimum in the Buddhist sense of moderation in all things. Be objective. Find accurate information. 

But do be effective. And the first step of that is voting. When you vote, it forces you to make a decision. To make a decision you have to know what you’re talking about, or should. When you take responsibility and vote, it leads to other good things. Simply casting a vote sets up a pattern in your mind that's not only healthy to yourself, but to your fellow citizens and your country at large.

Approaching mile 1.5 mile and I swear I just got the faint whiff of a skunk. 

Aw yes...nature.

When I post my blog, it has two presets. One for tags (like hashtags) and one for published time and date. Each blog is a little different, but there seem to be primary themes. I think I’ll ask the AI what it thinks are the best top 10 tags I should use for this. That way I can always add or delete as need be. But at least I'd have some standard tags.

Damn right sock again keeps slipping down, trying to become an insert in my shoe. I think what’s going on is with these low cut, Costco socks. It's my older white ones that are messing up. I recently got a bunch of the newer dark-colored ones which are fine. It’s interesting how when I was a kid you'd get a hole in your sock and mom would "darn" it. She'd say, "Dark it, another sock to darn." Then she'd darn it by slipping a wooden darning "egg" tool with a handle extending from it, to inside the sock so she didn't stick her finger with the sewing needle. Which I'd seen her do plenty of times.

Or you’d get a hole in your sock and just get a new pair. Which happened more often after I moved out of my parent's house. I actually darned my socks for a while. Then when I was making enough money, just tossed then and bought a new pair. These socks seem to be designed now to where before they wear out, they purposely lose their elasticity so you have to dump them as they won’t stay up on your foot properly. Designed obsolescence, nonsense.

Like...it’s too expensive to repair a TV now, so you just buy a new one. I refused to do that like 10 years ago with my Spectre flatscreen TV. It was my first flatscreen, so I thought I would stick it in my bedroom to replace the old CRT tube one. I'd been in a process of trying to get all flatscreens ASAP. It took a while but finally got rid of all the high energy burners. I took a chance and took it apart and replaced a blown part that I had to solder out, and solder in a new one. But it still wouldn't work and I could NOT find the problem.

I had purchased some kind of electronic device around that time and I bought a plan with it, which might’ve been at Best Buy, I don’t remember. If you had an electronic device break, they’d fix it. Probably for my new receiver/amp for my home entertainment devices. I cherished the one I'd had for years that my girlfriend got me for my birthday once. Then we later married. I'd had it a long time. The most expensive gift any woman had ever gotten me at that time. 

Back in the 80s I had a lot of home entertainment devices back in the early 9os. I'd been an audiophile (worked at Tower Records in college), then a videophile (after college when I worked for a while at Tower Video). But I had no way of connecting all those devices and it took a lot of remote controls. This new receiver had one remote. It meant a lot to me.

She gave me the remote as a wrapped gift. Leaving me very confused. Then she opened the front door of our apartment at the show horse farm we lived at and she was a horse traine at, and there was the receiver. Amazing!

So anyway, I called Best Buy up. They sent a repair guy out. He looked at my repair and said, "Good job, I won’t have to replace that." He then found the secondary problem and fixed it. And the TV was back up and running and for no cost. 

I eventually ended up giving that TV to my son. He’s had it for years now in his apartment. It’s also his game monitor. My game monitor is my video editing station's monitor. Which is way smaller than his TV. I think his is a 42 inch. I think mine is a 28-inch. My living room LG TV is a 55-inch. Which I do like it a lot. When I gave him my old tv, I thought it wouldn't handle the newer graphics as it wasn't super clear. After a few days of his having it he found a switch or something and voila! Instant HD clarity. What the hell?

That was weird...remember the twice-viewed cat in the matrix indicating a glitch in the matrix? I just saw an ant walk onto the side of the road. I took three more steps and saw an ant walk onto the side of the road, again. Almost in the same exact pattern of walking. I know. Stupid. 

But that’s what writers and filmmakers do right? They notice patterns and build on them... to entertain. So...

One of our big problems today is how religion and entertainment have blended with politics. Evangelicalism and charlatanism blended with the con arts. It is a heady mix. Easy to weaponize. Handy for the con artists among us. Or the religious leaders. Of politicians weaponizing religion for their own self-benefit.

The male guest on the podcast, Terrance Woodbury, is saying he’s told people “Because you voted, we have been able to do these things for you." And then indicates to them what those things are. He definitely has a point. Rather than go out and prove what a louse, a liar, a cheat, a felon Donald Trump is, push on the empowerment of the voter and what that has led to them to and it’s not Trump's "baffle them with bullshit" method. It’s to overwhelm them with reality and how they do have a choice so they can after all, affect their own benefit. Terrance is saying Biden has been doing that and he also acknowledges their pain. And that too is important.

It’s your basic positive over negative. Trump's all-negative. "Revenge!" Well? Fuck him. Revenge isn’t American. Accountability is. We didn’t go into World War II for revenge. We went to make Nazis accountable and stop them. And we did that. The world did that. We don’t need to be doing it all over again in our own country.

Again, Terrance on the podcast is saying that this is not to say we’re waving the "mission accomplished" flag, as Pres. George W Bush did once, we're acknowledging and representing.

While toxic conservatives would label me a "liberal bleeding heart", I’m not. I’m middle of the road. Trying to be neutral. Seeking out the Truth and simply demanding justice where necessary. The problem is the that right has moved so far to their right, the sane people on the moderate left look extreme. It's in the arena of the "mad".

When I watch a documentary series like, “STAX: Soulsville USA”, by the end of that four-part documentary series I felt justifiably angry about what was done to that record company, to those musicians, to those Black people involved, to that culture in general. 

Also in what I had lived through as a kid back then in how I perceived reality through the information we had been given. I don’t think that makes me a "bleeding heart". That makes me an angry fucking American! Angry at how American citizens were treated. How many of us treated them with false information. That's fair. That's honest. That's reality. That's wrong to have happened. 

By that conservative definition, American troops freeing Nazi concentration camp victims would make those soldiers bleeding liberal hearts. No, no, no! They were pretty much just angry, fucking Americans! For good reasons!

The whole thing about our democracy being broken? It’s not really broken. It’s just at times difficult and complicated among a diverse cultural population. When you have one conservative party that is feeding fear in a steady machined stream to citizens, where they have so skewed things into believing that their "ends justifies their means", they have effectively for their side, broken democracy. But it’s not broken for all of us, not yet, not if they would just stop their narcissistic bullshit. 

No one is asking them to turn into Democrats. Just to start from a fair position of being American in trying to sell their beliefs, not force them onto others who disagree with their orientation in life. To understand that Christianity is a very wide system of belief, and not just whatever theirs is. It’s not Christian Nationalism, overall. It’s not white supremacism. It’s not authoritarian, or theocracy. 

For ourselves, we are all American and this country needs to be American, where one can not and should not, define all those negative principles into empowering fear and abuse to modify citizens into unreality, just in order to fit their illiberal, autocratic desires. 

Desires that oddly fit some of our international enemies' desires. Which is just weird.

Does that all sound like a bleeding heart liberal? Because to me it sounds like someone who believes in utilizing honesty, truth, justice and a more accurate viewpoint, that there actually is right and wrong. But also that while some things are binary, when you bring humanity into it, especially with individuals, it’s a nuanced situation. 

People have to be treated humanely. The Republican Party thinks too much about numbers, binary concepts, and corporations (basically and too often, toxic capitalism). People aren’t those things however, while those things that run because of those people, they expect us to take those people out of their equations? Really?! While people comprise corporations, unlike "Citizens United" (ununited), those corporations are NOT "People."

It's nonsense. If not, utter bullshit!

Regarding our democracy and elections. I know, when you don’t get what you want it's frustrating. But do consider how cynicism leads to authoritarianism. We need to be positive and move on, changing what we can as we can, when we can. But we don't need conservatives (or liberals) blocking the ways to advancing our culture, our country and the quality of life and enhancing the human experience. In the end it is NOT all about enhancing our country, but our citizens. 

HOW is that so hard for so many in the minority to recognize and comprehend? How did we allow them to become so often in our single points of failure in our elections and power offices to control inordinately far more than they have any right to?

I once unknowingly, maybe in high school, possibly in college, argued for authoritarianism. I wanted things to change like right fucking now! But my teacher, or professor, in being wiser explained to us that instant change in government tends to be damaging, if not deadly to citizens. 

Government is designed to move slower, like a lumbering giant, and for a reason. Things need to be thought out, info acquired and accumulated, evaluated, assimilated and planned, and only then executed. While Trump wants to flip a switch and get it done like it’s a corporation, which is often damaging to corporations. Remember, Trump has always failed upward protected by fools and greed. And he gets cheered for all that. But in the end it's ignorant and deadly. Even in a corporation.

I’d like to see a study of how many citizens are dead because of POUTS45's (incorrect and in...)actions. I do believe over 100,000 Americans are dead because of Covid due to how Trump handled things, especially in the beginning. He put someone at the CDC to make them dysfunctional and skew their figures so the Trump administration looked good. His corruption of our agencies and departments under his control has taken years and millions of dollars to correct...and to heal. Using our tax dollars. And also the healing of the trust of the American people, which may well take decades.

All because of one petty, greedy, pathologically, narcissistic little man. A fool who will literally say anything to get what he wants. That’s not how you lead people.

It's been interesting to watch a new 3 part documentary series, "Ren Faire" on HBO about a guy who started the Texas Renaissance Faire and now wants to sell out and retire. It's a study of power among people who have to alter their behaviors to assuage one man's existence ("King" George Coulam), and desires. He doesn't seem to be an evil man, but in that position, people react in ways to blend with his mind and desires and it warps reality. It can lead to harming people who are merely trying to succeed, and do what the man wants. It's cultlike. When you apply that consideration to someone like a Donald Trump, it's very insightful. Especially when you add in Tump's own pathologicals. I have a couple of friends who worked at Ren Faires years ago when they were younger. One on the east coast, a guy who did "medieval comedy & stage fighting among the crowds". The other a woman who had some horror stories about a "king and queen" who really seemed to think they were and the Faire workers as their 'kingdom" or cult. Abuse happened.

It's interesting that another Faire in Texas, distanced itself immediately from the documentary series: Scarborough Renaissance Festival.

Trump as POTUS45 involved some of the “corporate thinking" I’ve mentioned before and have seen time and again in CEOs who were severely damaged, and sharing that at a company, who perhaps even got fired, but then failed upward into leading another company. It's a weird kind of thing.

Trump has been failing upward his entire life, protected by people greedy to get their hands on the wealth and power that surrounds him. But as we seen in his not really being all that much of a billionaire, while a truly horrible businessman (and person). While some of us, some conservative Americans are doing their best to make true, Trump's (bizarre) "wonderfulness" regardless what he truly is. While all the facts surrounding Trump are to the contrary. And what is Trump doing in response? He throws a tiff and is obnoxiously contrary, to state it gently.

Regarding what I said above about being negative and positive in battling Trump and his authoritarianism...that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be pointing out Trump’s failures and lies. Remember, the Trump administration's "infrastructure week" that went for years until the end of his presidency. And yet, never did complete? Then Biden came into office and did it.

Yeah. That happened. And we can’t forget it. We do have to remind people of it. Especially those who never knew it and don’t believe it. How do you accomplish that? I suspect in using the Russian or Republican concept of "quantity is quality" (no really, they ARE very similar), and just flooding good info out there in ways that even Fox News would end up having to carry it. Even Russian State TV could end up carrying some of it and inadvertently share the information, not realizing, they're spreading Truth, which they seem so allergic to. How very Republican of them.

I have Alexa. I've waited for something like this since Star Trek TOS in the 1960s. 30 years ago I probably wouldn’t have had one in my house, 40 years ago, for sure (certainly NOT when I was in the USAF, and they were monitoring our home phones, or whatever, which they openly acknowledged and we didn't need to help them with it).

Just in being paranoid and careful back then I wouldn't have had a "smart speaker" (monitor). But I’m at an age now I don’t really give a damn and I really do like the convenience of remotely turning a light on in another room. Or turning my air conditioner on or off remotely, or adjusting its temperature via speech. Or turning on my living room and kitchen lights as I'm getting up out of bed. in the dark of morning. Or turning my home lights off or on while driving. Though I also have it doing that in set up schedules.

So right now while I’m out walking about I can open my Alexa app on my cell phone and turn on the air conditioner before I get home so that it won’t be really hot before I even open the door.

I can just speak while I’m walking and say, "Siri" to get a response on my iPhone 11. I did that and said, "Have Alexa turn on my air conditioner." And it said, "You haven’t turned that on in your home app." So apparently it can’t converse with Alexa, but I can set that up on my iPhone. And that my friends, is awesome.

A bulldog and a spaniel just came up to me and said, "Hi." Well, that was nice and friendly.

Yesterday, I watched John Wick one, two, three, and was headed to four but they wanted money. I had already paid to watch it and my 30 days are up. I would like to offer them a suggestion. I wonder if they charged a dollar to rewatch it, if they wouldn’t end up making more money than the way they’re doing it now? Because once I’ve paid for a movie, I’m never paying for it to see it a second time, outside of that 30-day window. Though I might go $1.99, I would resent it. But $0.99? Yeah, just not a problem. 

Reminds me of the first days of video store movie rentals. $99 to buy a movie? Nonsense. We kept saying $15 and you'd make millions. While they were selling way more at $99 than we could believe, when finally they DID lower the price to about $15, they really did break the market and make a fortune off of their late-in-the-game paradigm change.

Starting mile four… it’s starting to get warm out.

If you’re gonna look back into a politician's history, then you also have to look forward to see if they dropped any their anachronistic nonsense they used to be into. Because it’s those who haven’t that’s a problem.

It’s 12:13 PM. I'm usually home by now. But my son had called me and we talked for a long time. When he called I had been editing my blog that will come out tomorrow morning. So I got a late start on this walk. It’s a little warmer out than I meant to be while I’m still finishing up walking.

For those saying that Biden hasn’t done enough for his POTUS 46 years? Damn, you’re not looking around very much are you? If he has one more term, he’ll be able to push harder for things because it’s his last term. One more term.

Aside from the fact it won’t be for Trump if he wins, if he has anything to say about it. How unAmerican he has become (and always was?) and how autocratic, in using propped up Christian nationalism, of all things. Trump pushes as hard as he can do all the crazy bullshit he wants to do. A lot of that is going to be stuff NO one supported him for. He’ll act like it’s his last term, until he somehow manages to get a third term or just simply be there for life. Luckily, he IS an old, unhealthy fuck and won’t be around much longer. I mean it’s not like he’s one of his kids who could last longer. But that’s another entire problem because once he knows he’s out, or will be out soon, just remember Castro. He’ll choose the next lowlife for president. Which is what he’ll do. That clown won’t let go of power even if he’s out of office, until he drops dead. Because that’s what tyrannical pathological authoritarian narcissists do. What would Putin do? That's what Trump will want to do and try to get away with, if he can. If we let him.

I keep having to stop to pull this damn sock up. Again, glad I’m wearing slip-ons. Well when I get home, it’s in the garbage.

Suns beating down on me, slightly cool wind, this is lovely. Finishing up, just passed my 3.5 mile marker and not long ago I'd be thinking that I’d be going home. End of walk. But I think I’ll be able to get the 5th mile. It feels great, that this feels great. It’s not as difficult as my last walk, which was kind of miserable.

Found a small snail on the side of the tarmac. I put it on the grass, gave it a little water. I’m sure it’s dead. But if you don’t try, you don’t know.

I was talking to my son about this before my walk today, about food and protein. Too much protein and/or if you don’t work out enough, it turns to fat. One of the problems of the elderly is not getting enough protein on a daily basis. I’m supposed to have 4 to 6 ounces of protein daily. I wonder if I actually need that much? But I try to get at least four daily and I know I don't at times. 

Anyway, what I was talking to my son about was how frozen meals have cut protein down so much that it’s become merely flavor and not functional amounts of protein. And they use grams. So if people are told they need 4 ounces and they find there’s 9g or 16 g in some food, especially if you're busy and not paying attention, one might think about it and go, "That sounds like enough protein." What is it? 28.35 g to an ounce? That’s 113.4 g for 4 ounces of protein. But you bought a frozen meal with 12g of protein in it. OK then…there it is.

The guy on the podcast just mentioned that as far as Black people in groups he’s spoken to say, they aren’t worried about Trump‘s racism because "they’re all racist anyway". His response is, "That may be true, but the action of that racism is not working out well for us. When you look at racial violence and the proud boys, and "stand back and stand by" nonsense, Black people aren’t gonna put up with that shit anymore. So it’s all a matter of perspective, reality, information and presenting it in a palatable, acceptable and accessible format and... served to them by the right people. I’m sure if I were black I would listen to someone more I knew from my community, with the same skin color, or at least same culture, rather than some white guy from a potentially different, especially better economic class, or something.

Siri says that it’s 69°. Feels warmer. Feels good though.

Let me say this about politics and how I relate to it. I have things I’d like to see done. But until we're electing decent, honest people, until their politics are based in reality and facts and not alternate facts, we have a problem that’s outside of politics. I don't mean the kinds of people traditionally described as incompetent or corrupt, but the new Trump / MAGA level of incompetent and corrupt. Who too often are presentationally incompetent, while actually fully competent, but functionally useless for America.

I don’t care what your politics are. I don’t care if someone agrees with me or not. That...is OK. Since childhood, I’ve had a strong attachment to what really is. I just want to get back to what the child in me back then demanded as respect, for what’s going on around us today.

That’s good. The guy in the podcast said, "I don’t care what you think. I just care THAT you think.“

Sad that today we have to add an additional caveats to that of, "as long as what you think is based in reality," and if reasonably with the most positive spin on it for yourself, also with a consideration for all people, or at least all (other) Americans. We're in this together, soo may have forgotten that. This tribalism crap has gone too far. There should be consideration of human beings in every decision in the back of our minds. Considerations for all others, everyone. 

While we don't always have to think and act for all every time, to think "globally & act locally" really is a great idea.

I switched over to some other podcast where they're talking about the Hunter Biden trial [update, he has now been convicted on all counts]. I will say this about Justice. In my mind it's about "righting" a wrong and stopping that behavior. But too often Justice is too blind. 

When you get someone like Hunter Biden, or it could be me or anyone, and they’re going through tough times and fucked up, but then they get their life together. We're going to rip them out of that good effort and screw all that up and maybe send them to prison? That’s fucked up. 

Here’s why I say that this isn’t just about them or me, but society at large. Someone who has been having trouble in their life finally gets their shit together. Why would you do everything you can to break them again, to disrupt their lives and that of everyone around them? That’s disruptive to society. One can argue that’s just fucking stupid. There are times when someone bounces in and out of their efforts, I'm not so much referring to those people. 

But in the case of someone has obviously gotten through things, where it's been a while and their life has finally come together...NOW we're going to break them and all around them? How does that make sense? I get the, "But they have to be held accountable like all others!" First off, that's not true, functionally, realistically speaking, that really doesn't happen.

It's also not that they would have escaped "justice" if not tossed into prison. It's about Justice looking at the situation in an intelligent way to see beyond the individual's issues and review that of society at large. Get me? Maybe in 500 years we'll have evolved to that and today, it's just too immature of a Justice system to ask for that.

Crime is crime, but drug addiction is a different animal. 

We have long criminalized that which should be in a medical environment with medical and psychological professionals involved, not experts in law. That’s not a bleeding heart talking that’s sanity and being informed. It’s an understanding of the human condition and mental and physiological processes. We have to get this straightened out. The number of people who needed help who instead being criminalized, destroying them and families since Reagan wiped out many of our mental institutions in the 1980s, is itself, criminal.

Well, I just passed 4.5 miles guaranteeing me my 5 mile walk for the day. Feels good to be out in the sun. The cool wind has changed to a warm wind. Good times! Much better and more fun to be able to work hard to get a long walk accomplished, than have it devolve into a hospital stay, or ending up dead.

Just walking by a family in their front yard on the grass, lots of kids in bathing suits and remembering those times. Raising kids has its moments of being really annoying and as an adult sometimes you really feel you need to escape and get some alone time. But I always recognized during those times how one day I would miss it greatly. I’m not sure I miss having young kids around. Well I don’t have the energy for that anymore. But I did try back then to make good memories. I think I succeeded…

I just saw an ant walk across my path towards the side of the road again. I flashback to what I said above about the ants and the matrix and for some reason I flashed on a Loren EiseleyLoren Eiseley book, "The Star Thrower", a physicist philosophizing. I highly recommend that book, sent a copy to my oldest son recently. Great book for physicists to read. I read it when I was in the Air Force and it gave me an out from rather complicated feelings and being tied into packing parachutes, hour after hour, day after day, for years. Considerations of supporting people who fly to foreign lands and melt cities full of human beings. Yeah, I know war/bad people... whatever.

Look I did my job. Luckily, as was pointed out to me, my job was life-saving, not actually going out and killing people. This from a kid who would have been just fine killing people for good reasons in war. But I spent those years in the Service learning, reading, and thinking. Lots of time to think, packing parachutes all day.

But I had more dilemmas when I found out that there were AC types ("Aircraft Commanders"), pilots of B-52 nuclear weapons systems, jets, carrying nuclear payloads, who were also troubled by their job, who told me he knew a pilot who said he would simply leave the base if we went to nuclear war, and drive downtown to die with his family. 

That AC said he didn't see it that way but he said he understood, and it really was each person's decision.

He said, "I would fly. I would drop my payload on whatever destinations were ours to drop on. And then I would either fly too low to be consumed by the nuclear blast or simply fly into the ground. Because there would be nothing to fly back to if that happened. There would be no more America. There would be no more Russia. I wouldn’t just do that to my crew. But I think my crew would agree. Better to get it over with, quick. If we flew back, what would we find? Where would we land? Our world would essentially be over."

When you’re working on life-saving equipment for these guys for if their plane goes down, who does a guy in his early 20s deal with that kind of actual realistic knowledge from those few involved in such singular situations?

On that note, I’ll bid you, adieu…

And leave you with that. 

It’s past noon and past time for lunch.

Cheers! Sláinte!