Trump's New Greater Pledge of Allegiance

Remember the original:

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Later adding "God" into our nation's words was the beginning of a bad path. It sounds good, but it is counter intuitive how it has negatively affected us. Understand, if I were a staunch theist, and a great American, the more I am both of those things, the more I would want to remove "God" from our government, in order to protect all people's version of God, and our nation. If we choose one over others, which we are doing now, it is patently NOT America. 

Comprehend how the current is in practice during a Trump Administration, not in speech....

#POTUS #GOP

Wikipedia:

The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of allegiance to the Flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Colonel George Balch in 1887,[3][4][5] later revised by Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942.[6] The official name of The Pledge of Allegiance was adopted in 1945. The last change in language came on Flag Day 1954 when the words "under God" were added.[7]

In 1906, The Daughters of the American Revolution's magazine, The American Monthly, listed the "formula of allegiance" as being the Balch Pledge of Allegiance, which reads:

“I pledge allegiance to my flag, and the republic for which it stands. I pledge my head and my heart to God and my country. One country, one language and one flag.[13]”

In subsequent publications of the Daughters of the American Revolution, such as in 1915's "Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth Continental Congress of the Daughters of the American Revolution" and 1916's annual "National Report", the Balch Pledge, listed as official in 1906, is now categorized as "Old Pledge" with Bellamy's version under the heading "New Pledge".[20][21] However, the "Old Pledge" continued to be used by other organizations until the National Flag Conference established uniform flag procedures in 1923.

In 1923, the National Flag Conference called for the words "my Flag" to be changed to "the Flag of the United States", so that new immigrants would not confuse loyalties between their birth countries and the United States. The words "of America" were added a year later. The United States Congress officially recognized the Pledge for the first time, in the following form, on June 22, 1942:

“ I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Happy White American Supremacist Day?

Good morning, welcome.

Happy White Supremacist Day!

Because that's, where we're headed now....

Conservatives gotta be pleased with their take over of the American Government. They've waited so long, tried so hard, and finally got their chance to show us all wrong in our silly beliefs of decency and intelligence over base binary authoritarianism. They do love being told what to do and letting daddy take control. How Republican though.

Shock and awe, now followed by an act of compassion in Pres. Trump attacking the drug companies so his own can say, "See what good and compassionate works he is doing?" But he failed and backed off claiming success as usual.

Yes, we see the shallow ignorance of our ways. Praise conservatives and the Republican party! Hey. By the way, how come so many Republicans are questioning what's going on now as if they didn't see it coming? Well they are good at that. For instance, remember, Flint Michigan? They do.

Tom Countryman put it well, we now have a president and his selected administration of amateurs who are damaging America.

"A policy without professionals is by definition an amateur policy. You have to help make the choices that bring this country forward," Tom Countryman, the outgoing Undersecretary for Arms Control, said in a farewell address at the State Department.

Idaho is supporting Pres. Trump's ban on Muslims.

But then they've been saturated in white supremacist culture for as long as I can remember. In Spokane at the GOP offices someone wrote on their windows yesterday, "refugees welcome Nazi scum". It's being investigated as a "hate crime". Yeah, THAT's what hate is. I get it, but it's intolerance of intolerance, isn't it? And that's the crime? But then, surrealism surrounds supremacist beliefs.

I remember being tricked into a white supremacist compound in the back hills of Idaho in the late 1970s. One of the scariest days of my life. It was surreal. Very nice people, with an ugly doctrine pouring through their veins.

My wife ripped my shirt sleeve at the shoulder that day from hanging onto my arm while smiling to them until we could get the hell out of there. She just kept whispering to me, "Get me out of here, get me out of here...." But we had come with one of them we didn't know was one of them till we got there. We got to listen to their visiting national leader that day in their church.

It was Surreal.

Frightening beliefs. Separatist, superior to other races, an easily proved defective doctrine and delusional belief system of lessors trying to see how to be more than they are.

I'd hate to say that I can't wait until the first extreme vetted Islamist terrorist act, with it being no better than what we have now but, reality does have a way of making things ironic.

This ban is going to be a recruiting boon for ISIS types.

What we had was working, is worked out and we've had no terrorist attacks from people from the banned countries. Fear mongering is the fascist's tool to call fear to what hasn't happened so people have to prove a negative, which is nearly impossible. And stupid.

According to experts, we are now less safe from this ban. People like Mike Morell, Former Deputy Directory, CIA, said last night on Charlie Rose:

"I did not find it surprising that Donald Trump's first butting of heads with his new administration was with the intelligence community.

"Because the fundamental job of the CIA, of the intelligence community is to put FACTS on the table. For a guy who fundamentally doesn't like facts. They interfere with his opinion."

Americans are brave and independent. Or should be to stand up to who we are.

Not brave on a compound and independent as separated from all other Americans. But out in the open with ALL other Americans of every race, creed or color. Nor do we hide behind cowardly authoritarian laws and executive orders that abuse others to protect ourselves.

Make up your mind, American... or fascist?

Fascism - authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. synonyms:authoritarianism, totalitarianism, dictatorship, despotism, autocracy; More: (in general use) extreme right-wing, authoritarian, or intolerant views or practice.

#POTUS

PS The politics and actions from the White House are making me ill. I need a break. So my blog on Monday will be on creative pursuits and some new and pretty cool news about Troma Pictures new Amazon Prime style of streaming B- rated horror films they are so well known for and, Kelly Hughes and one of his films, Don't Kill Grandpa Until We Strangle the Babysitter (2016).

Cannabis - Up Side, Down Side

It's good to face reality whatever that may be. Good OR bad (as Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has recently pointed out). But this is an article that can be perceived only as bad, bad for the masses, as well as disingenuously good for anti-cannabis groups. What we need is more research, more information. Legalization, not continued abuse. Healthcare, not prison.

This is a time and a climate where we need things like cannabis. Not just for medical issues but also for recreational ones. It is far more gentle on one's system than alcohol, recreational drugs like cocaine, heroin and so on. As for people calling it a schedule one drug, or a gateway to harder drugs, that is pure ignorance and goes against what science shows and we are seeing. They are looking at personality issues there with people, not the actual cannabis itself.

We have a new president now in Pres. Trump. A capitalist and a businessman who has left a lot of damage in his wake in making more and more money. However if he truly is a capitalist and a businessman then cannabis should be legalized by the end of the year, nationally.

Certainly before he leaves office. Which as things are going from his actions, could be any day now. If he is who he says he is in being a capitalist and having such a great mind, nobody has one better, he claims. Then surely he can do anything. Even this.

I'd expect to see by the beginning of 2018, a new and thriving capitalism based, not criminal based, health based not judicially based industry. But we won't. That however is an argument for another time.

There is a new article is talking about people who over indulge on a daily basis, that is to say, actually abuse it, and does not refer to normal or even regular use of cannabis.

Conservative and anti Cannabis types are already gloaming onto this report in droves. It is their Godsend in the realm of anti Cannabis diatribe and potential legislation. They will take this out of context and use it inappropriately as always. Seeing the world as they do in black and white and not the measured grey that it is and how honest people, how adults would normally use information.

It's odd however that this result would be found as cannabis, unlike tobacco, is a vasodialator. Tobacco actually is a vasoconstrictant. Ever know someone who right after sex has to light up a cigarette? HAS to?. It's because in part sex releases chemicals to relax, but they are addicted to nicotine. So while they like the good feeling from the release in the culmination of sex, they crave that tension, that vasoconstrictive effect that nicotine induces. It also explains those anxious people who need to smoke cigarettes. They crave the familiar when really they need soemthing else. But that's the confusion of addiction.

Meaning overall anyway I suppose, that under this study tobacco would be potentially leading to Alzheimer's even more so, yet we haven't heard about that. But apparently not so. Well, kind of. Nicotine has some nasty side effects, and some good ones. However once the body breaks it down into cotinine ....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-201899/Tobacco-cure-Alzheimers.html

"In the case of Alzheimer's, cotinine may share nicotine's ability to improve attention and memory and at the same time reduce or halt disease progression. "One advantage of cotinine is that it could be used long-term with little concern about serious side effects and substance abuse."

Who knew?

"Addiction" is a medical term indicating a physical addition. Cannabis is not physically addictive but can be psychologically addictive. That however is a mental and not physiological defect.

About that..."Marijuana use disorder is a new term introduced by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) used by psychiatrists and mental health professionals for diagnostic criteria."
http://hightimes.com/medicinal/science/pot-matters-marijuana-use-disorder/
The High Times article has a list of eleven elements for the criteria of diagnosing substance use disorders.

Again, the article states (and I'm not disputing this, but it's odd) that:
"Those diagnosed with cannabis use disorder showed a significant reduction in brain blood flow in almost every region."

I think that requires more investigation because of the way Cannabis works on the brain. It doesn't make sense. If this was a conservative anti cannabis article I would call bull on this. As the article itself indicates, this is odd indeed:

"More research will have to be conducted to corroborate this claim. But it’s reasonable that someone who only lights up occasionally won’t have such an issue. This study conflicts with a 2014 preclinical trial, also published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. There, tiny doses of marijuana’s active ingredient, delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) had neuroprotective qualities. It helped ward off Alzheimer’s by destroying beta amyloid proteins which are what cause the disease. So in the end, it may be an issue of dosage. A little is okay, but too much is damaging. But only more studies can tell us for sure."

There does seem to be some support for this report's contentions:
http://www.idmu.co.uk/canncardio.htm
Which says:

"Summary - Cardiovascular effects of Cannabis:

"Cannabis increases heart rate in na•ve users although tolerance develops to this effect.

"Cannabinoids can also reduce blood pressure via arteriollar dilatation in a variety of tissues, although the effect on blood flow varies at a local level, with some organs or brain regions experiencing vasoconstriction, others vasodilation.

"In the withdrawal phase following cessation of chronic use, cerebral blood flow may be significantly reduced.

"Cannabis use has been implicated as a causative factor in a small number of patients suffering strokes or transient ischaemic attacks, and may represent a risk factor to susceptible individuals.

"However cannabinoids, in particular CB1-receptor agonists, have been shown to protect against nerve cell death following stroke, and dexanabinol at an advanced stage of the licensing process as a drug to be administered to victims of stroke or closed-head injuries to minimise the long-term brain damage caused by such events, and to improve survival and recovery prospects."

Conservatives and anti Cannabis types are gloaming onto this report in droves. It is their Godsend in the realm of anti Cannabis legislation. They will take this out of context and use it inappropriately. Seeing the world as they do in black and white and not the measured grey it is.

More to come, I'm sure.

Push Button Mentality

What exactly is push button mentality (PBM)?

It is using concept of "buttons" in the mind, in the mindset, in one's ideology, in one's view of the world. Especially useful if one follows an agenda, a platform, a group or belief system. It is what religion depends on.

It is a binary action. On, change happens. Belief is that you can fix things in this way and if you can't, it is desired. If not demanded. People want easy answers. Simple explanations, easy fixes. It is a short cut for initiating a reaction, or action. It is not a deep evocation, it is a shallow one.

It is how Pres. Trump and the Republican party have found their way into being primary in American politics today. The lowest common denominator.

Education is the antithesis of this.

It is a concept that is especially useful to extremists. It is much used in the conservative movement (and religion) where deep thinking is not desired. Where indeed it is antithetical to it. Where accurate information is counter to its sustainment.

Where education is undesirable and while massive or complex information is highly valued, it is only superficially understood. Highly valued because too much information is the same as not enough to most people. Too much or too complicated information leads to paralysis and then people start to demand the push button answers.

It's odd. An odd behavior. But it relates to fight or flight. Another binary decision. Easy. Effective to either remove your threat, or remove yourself so that the threat remains, but you do not. It has led to the dumbing down of America. But not just America. We're seeing these authoritarian platforms growing world wide.

Even the intelligence community has issues with too much information.

In an age where we have massive amounts of data and information, "intelligence", how does one evaluate it all in order to make use of it? ONE, does not. Because that requires many analysts, computers and programs to do the analysis and serve it up in formats that make most needed data available and actionable.

Those who are informed, who are professionals, are then able to make use of it.

But there is no push button mentality involved there.

Where there is, it widely desired and yet, minuscule functional.

Beware when politicians offer quick and easy fixes. Who say, only they can fix things. Who claim what the problems actually are, are not.

Therein lay insanity. If not...evil.

From "The Man in the High Castle" (S2E5):

"Its intentions were pure. But its methods were cruel."

That says so much too about the republican party and many conservative, especially misguided theistic based beliefs.

The ethically blind cannot see where they step, while those around them who can see, can merely try to warn them of the dangers they are approaching.

It is how faith can be used by those who have no shame, just power, in order to convince their blind followers of the grand stairway before them, yet not warn them of the cliff's edge that is actually there. All to their benefit and that of, the Party.

Open your eyes. See the cliff's edge.

Then push those guiding you toward it to the demise they had planned for you.

America is Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth

Dear Member of the Press,

Please immediately point out whenever the President lies.

You may wait until he's out of the room, but then turn to the camera and just say it:

"Nothing exists to support what the president (or Sean Spicer, or Kellann Conway, or etc.) has just said. It appears simply to be a falsehood."

Start getting sued for libel and defamation. I'm sure the courts will toss it out and you'll be a big hero and achieve many monetary gains at some point. But if not, dude, come on, just toss yourself on the sword. SOME one HAS to!

The President doesn't even want to hear from us.

I suggest you also start having fact checkers in an ear piece working furiously behind the scenes back at the station\network.

You're our last hope. We cannot find Obi Wan Kanobi. it's up to you.

Thanks,
America

#POTUS

America is Crying

Dear World,

Help!

Much thanks!

America

#POTUS

Special thanks to the Netherlands!

Are we witnessing the death throes of Religion?

Will Islam be the religion that takes us from nation state world wars (2 so far) to ideological world wars (seeing anything fomenting around you yet?). Finally pushing religion over the edge from its last vestiges post dark ages to utter obscurity and mere historical research topic?

Sure it may not look that way to believers, but these things happen and when they do, at times vast changes can take place in a very small amount of time.

Many Christians, Muslims, Islamists, religionists, theists, conservatives and even Trump supporters suffer from the arrogance of ignorance.

In that ignorance they call others out for that same thing because they have information that feels foreign or unreal to them. That behavior is a mainstay of the Republican party. A party that is not ignorant itself but guilty of their own actions, of purposefully attack Americans through government, out of their ignorance, and their desire for power and money.

Some out of a skewed desire to do good, but cannot see that within the environment they have built and allowed to be built, around them. In their desire to be their own entity outside of one they despise, they have allowed themselves to be further encased in their detached ideologies. And so other than the few bigots and racists in their party, they are very much a party desiring the best for America. No matter how many may need to die to achieve that goal.

When you have a bad idea (think, self serving Islamist or even Christian terrorism, or American conservatism) and you push it on others to the point of hurting them, of even killing them, what exactly do you think eventually is going to be the backlash?

When do people feel they have finally taken enough and what will they do about it? I'm currently writing a horror sci fi story, "The Unwritten" (soon to be out in my book, Anthology of Evil II) in which a parallel universe has had the Religious Wars and then from the backlash of that came the Science Wars. Science wins out. Because truth always will in the end, it just takes time. Religion was squashed over that of reason. With the demise of religions came the demise of conservatism, or the rise of reasonable and rational conservatism for what it was intended to be and not what it has been absconded and transformed into. The rise of reason and humane attitudes toward one another and the planet then inevitably takes over.

I am not and have never been against people, but against stupid mindsets that lead to ignorant behaviors. Believing Trump is better than someone who is obviously a better quality person in either (take your pick) Bernie OR Hillary; conservative beliefs of ludicrous anti people doctrines; murdering over stupid ideologies based in pie in the sky ancient beliefs of fantasies from ancient and ignorant cultures, and then formed those beliefs in such a way so as to disallow updating that knowledge base...because it destroys those fantasies.

An extremely dangerous and destructive habit to be sure in ignoring reality, in beleiving what is not real to be real. Just be aware of what could be coming. Because we've been setting ourselves up for failure and allowing it to progress.

Religion is also the mindset that leads to denials and one has to be careful about that. It has led to the American form of political conservatism, a cancer on American society and government. It has devastated many of our citizens leading now to a Donald Trump type candidate and no president elect.

Where DO YOU think this current form of conservative political movement came from? Do you not believe it came from religion? Specifically, Christianity? From Christian Evangelicalism? From a mindset born of religion, from their belief systems, from practicing constant denials of reality for the sake of perpetuating religious beliefs in revealed religions, of fear. Fear of a greater power outside of oneself and one's community? Fear of reprisals by a divine force who apparently actually hates you and wasn't considering loving after thousands of years until a historical figure in Jesus of Nazareth come into religious literature because of a failing empire of Constantine the Great?

Fears which conservatism is based in? Fear of knowledge? One has to ask oneself, why does religion beg it's believers to study it only and not its origins? Why is educations anti religion? Why does many of its adherents advocate avoiding education? Why are conservatives in Republicans so anti education? Why do conservatives act one way, then deny their actions, blaming those who had nothing to do with the results of what they have done. Over and over and over again?

Doesn't it all fit together rather nicely and we're not suppose to notice?

All that being said I've never been anti religion through most of my life. I don't mind people having their beliefs if they keep them out of my personal reality, including my government in a country designed to allow for all and not for one to control which we're seeing now in some conservative Christians in government abusing their positions in the Republican party to abuse our citizens. It wasn't until them, until terrorists that I started thinking we need to get control of religions. Trouble being you can't just control one or two, or just their bad parts because of their design. I find it sad for all that so few are ruining things for so many, both believers and non believers alike.

IS the current individual groundswell of attacks based in religious beliefs, white Christian domestic terrorism which we've seen for years graduating to international Islamic delusion brought real, physical desiring death?

It IS interesting to note that the oldest of these three religions in Judaism doesn't seem to be really bothering the world, perhaps because it is the eldest of the three brothers in religion from that area of origin?

Is this the beginning of the end for death based religions (life is better after death in a heaven), capitalistic religions (if I do now, I will reap the rewards later in Heaven)? Why do these problematic religions all come from the Middle East? From the ancient and harsh environment of the desert? With multiple religions based in a single location leading to discord and bitterness?

One has to realize that a single mind worm in a large entity such as Islam, a belief perpetrated by a group, can cascade down into death and destruction before one even realizes it and it's too late.

One has to realize that the end of something long lived, tough, that refuses to die can exhibit a massive amount of pain and destruction as it dies in order to fight for survival that it is losing, in order to appear more alive than it is.

Is this the end?

And if so, just whose end will it be?

We're living in interesting times, to be sure....


#Religion #Islam #Christianity #DesertReligions