Category Archives: Opinions
A morning on Twitter in middle of Pandemic – is he obsefecating again?
My hero never shirks from real language
Published on
by
Chomsky Says Trump a ‘Sociopathic Megalomaniac’ Who Made US ‘Singularly Unprepared’ for Pandemic
New comments from the renowned academic come after he accused Trump of wanting “to destroy the prospects for all organized human life… in the near future.”
We need to bring back the Unions
Wanted: No War
The longer other countries, such as Iran and North Korea, are not allowed to have nuclear energy, the longer they are dependent on oil!
As The Guardian said “The establishment assumes that Iran can never possess nuclear weapons, yet the United States lives with nuclear-armed adversaries like Russia and China and aligns with the nuclear-armed military dictatorship in Pakistan.”
The Climate Crisis almost demands that we enable the building of more nuclear power plants. We have learned from our mistakes how to build them safely now. We should offer to build nuclear facilities for any country that wants them! Especially Iran and North Korea.
But Big Oil, with their fossil fuels lobby, holds tremendous economic power and influence on politics, particularly in the United States. They continue to scare the public over anything nuclear.
We need to fear Climate Crisis more than War. Iran having the ability to build a nuclear warhead is not nearly as dangerous as Trump having control of the US arsenals.
Data matters:
If you are running in a group, perhaps it is a race. Otherwise it’s not.
Perhaps the cause of our greatest problems
Go here for some good data displays
https://inequality.stanford.edu/publications/20-facts-about-us-inequality-everyone-should-know
Define Conundrum
a question asked for amusement, typically one with a pun in its answer.
No Is Not Enough – the book
The new book “No Is Not Enough” by Naomi Klein should be read by all. It was rushed out in reaction to Donald Trump, but includes important comments about climate change and the anthropocene.
Because one of the most unjust aspects of climate disruption is that our actions as adults today will have their most severe impact on the lives of generations yet to come, as well as kids alive today who are too young to impact policy — kids like Toma (her son) and his friends, and their generation the world over. These children have done nothing to create the crisis, but they are the ones who will deal with the most extreme weather — the storms and droughts and fires and rising seas — and all the social and economic stresses that will flow as a result. They are the ones growing up amidst a mass extinction, robbed of so much beauty and so much of the companionship that comes from being surrounded by other life forms.
The above quote from the book is how I feel about my grandchildren (aged 12-19). Global warming, climate change, neoliberalsim, the USA oligarchy, Trumpism, all of these things are not their fault. The adults of the “western world” have effed up society and the planet so bad that I feel revolution will be the only way out. And these kids will be fighting the wars, unless we can help wake people up to the dangers.
Get a copy of the book, buy it, library it, borrow it. And learn more at
“I’m not looking to overthrow the American government, the corporate state already has..” – John Trudell
States that Discriminate
I love my state — California. We have an Assembly Bill AB 1887 that prohibits state sponsored travel to 8 states that have passed laws discriminating against various classes of people. I think more states should follow suit, to put pressure on these backward, mean state governments.
This list is here to help me remember to not vacation in these states and to minimize travel time if we must travel through them on the way to somewhere else.
• Alabama
• Kansas
• Kentucky
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• South Dakota
• Tennessee
• Texas
Some day, hopefully, these states will change their laws and support all people.
Noam Chomsky Interviewed at Google
Noam Chomsky appeared at Google in Cambridge May 23, 2017, to speak to an audience of primarily Google staff. The video of the “Google Talks” event was published to YouTube June 5.
This discussion seemed to be more personal than I have heard Chomsky before. Usually Professor Chomsky is “on topic” all the time. The interviewer did a great job, acting like a student sincerely interested in Chomsky’s early life and how he became an activist.
Later in the talk, the word “internet” came up, more and more. Chomsky obviously uses Google products, but only mentioned Google Translate specifically.
He warned about using Artificial Intelligence for more than just data mining. AI should be used for more humanistic endeavors. Understanding ourselves, our species, should be the focus of our prime directive.
I enjoyed it and recommend that you take an hour to listen to a very open discussion: human existence should be our number one priority.
You can watch it by clicking here
or by going to www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C-zWrhFqpM directly.
You can also just search in YouTube.
Solving big problems is easier than solving little problems. – Sergei Brin
Good Books
Here are two of my recent favorite books, both written by Yuval Noah Harari. Both are well marked, they are very thought provoking. “Sapiens” was written first, it is a full history of our planet, and should be read first. “Homo Deus” is a description of one possible future. For open minded people…
Real Patriotism
‘Real Americans’ have always been rebels: a guide for progressive patriotism
by Micah White in The Guardian newspaper March 2017
to see the full article Click Here
Thomas Jefferson, an author of the Declaration of Independence, once wrote in a letter to James Madison, architect of the US constitution and bill of rights, that “a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical”.
Jefferson also advocated only mild punishment for rebellions so as to avoid discouraging them too much. And, in a wakeup call to today’s Americans, Jefferson famously advocated revolutions every two decades, writing in 1787: “God forbid we should be 20 years without a rebellion … What country can preserve its liberties if the rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?”
Abraham Lincoln echoed Jefferson during his inaugural address in 1861 when he said: “This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember, or overthrow it.”
And so too did Ulysses S Grant in 1885 when he declared: “The right of revolution is an inherent one. When people are oppressed by their government, it is a natural right they enjoy to relieve themselves of the oppression if they are strong enough, either by withdrawing from it, or by overthrowing it and substituting a government more acceptable.”
and
Nowadays, the right of revolution is as inalienable as ever, yet it is rarely acknowledged by those in power. Unlike presidents Jefferson, Lincoln and Grant today’s leaders are loathe to concede that if their government is oppressive, then the people have a duty to revolt. Notice how Barack Obama is fond of praising protesters’s right of assembly but stops far short of celebrating the right of revolution.
All this leads to the final epiphany that we, the people, have a patriotic duty to defend our country whenever our governments conflicts with a higher, democratic ideal.
Human Existence Is in Peril
Whitney Robson Harris (August 12, 1912 – April 21, 2010) was an American attorney, and one of the last surviving prosecutors from the Nuremberg Trials. He wrote the following piece in 2006 at the age of 94.
Given the issues that Donald Trump has brought to our country and our world, I think it is important that we remember that God isn’t going to come along and save us from him, after the fact. We are going to have to solve the Donald Trump issues ourselves. As my Dad used to say: “Get up and do it yourself.” We can’t wait, get involved now. Don’t wait until it is too late.
This paper has always impressed me. So I am sharing it now with a spirit of hope. Be sure to read the finale.
Human Existence Is in Peril — by Whitney R. Harris — June 2006
If we attempt to comprehend this vast universe with its millions of fiery stars and frightening dark holes, and say for comfort that only God could have created it, and therefore, there is a God, we default in our reasoning, for we are unable to answer the further question, “who created the God who created the universe?”
We do know that we live on Earth, spun off from the sun and, therefore, on a planet with a beginning. Moreover, we know that, once a fiery ball, the Earth has cooled and gained life upon its surface — static, nonthinking plants and mobile, thinking animals. We do not know whence came the first manifestation of that life — the tiniest amoeba — capable of discernible thought and movement. To ignite the spark of life requires the hand of God. Never mind the universe. Here on Earth, we find the quintessential role of God.
Hence, I believe first, that God exists.
Until this time at least, man has evolved far beyond any other animals on Earth in comprehension and intelligence. The carnivores exceed his strength on land; the amphibians surpass his power at sea. But man has the gift of reason, which enables him to dominate life on Earth — and the chance to survive as long as the solar system remains hospitable to him. That chance, alas, is not eternal.
And, thus, I believe human life is finite.
Within these limits of survivability man holds his destiny in his own hands. He has yet to prove his worthiness. In the last century, he destroyed more of his own kind in war and in merciless murder than in any other time in history. He is fated to acquire the capability of obliterating himself and all other life upon this planet. And he seems unable to appreciate the consequences of that power. The life that God gave to him may be by him destroyed.
And so, I believe human existence is in peril.
The challenge to man is to establish and to maintain the foundations of peace and humanity upon the Earth for the centuries to come that God has allotted him to live upon this planet. He must learn to end war and protect life, to seek justice and find mercy, to help others and embrace compassion. Each man must respect every other man and honor the God who made this incredible mystery of human life a reality.
I believe there is God,
I believe God is merciful and just,
But if man desires to destroy himself
I believe God will not save him.
No Ban – No Wall
“General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” – Ronald Reagan
Hope for the Future
If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story. – Orson Welles
“When there is no truth, invasions are ‘liberations’ and internment camps are ‘relocation centers’.” – Nadia Tolokonnikova, Pussy Riots
American Values by Larry Kirby
Larry Kirby, a WWII veteran, aged 91 years, was on NPR’s OnPoint with Tom Ashbrook program on May 26, 2016. I luckily was able to hear that program and heard Mr. Kirby give an eloquent talk on American values and how things have changed, in his eyes, since WWII. It was the most meaningful essay I have heard in my lifetime. Mr. Kirby has shown the spotlight on what ails our society in a most honest way. I agree with and applaud Mr. Kirby’s address. I recommend you take about 6 minutes and listen to Larry Kirby’s speech yourself.
You can see the NPR article with pictures at OnpointRadio.
You can read the full essay at Foreign Policy.
Perhaps the audio will get through the WordPress filters here. Click this link, then click the red box in the next screen to make it play.
//embed.wbur.org/player/onpoint/2016/05/26/wwii-vet-larry-kirby
Click here to get your own copy of the MP3 file from my Dropbox file. Please bypass the Dropbox sign-in advert.
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin.
“Be yourself; everybody else is already taken.” – anonymous
RIP San Clemente Dam
The San Clemente Dam in Monterey County, California has been removed, aka destroyed. It was built in 1921 and was intended to serve the Monterey Peninsula. I am one of the folks around town that are very unhappy with what happened to the dam. But it is done and gone. This post is intended to just be a simple record of passing.
The reasons for the removal of the dam are complex and politically charged. The main excuses given were that sediment had built up and was dangerous, the dam was near a fault line, and steelhead trout and red-legged frogs were endangered.
The California American Water company has been in charge of the dam and did nothing to remove the sediment.
All I can say is that I hope someone actually counts the trout and frogs now that the dam is gone. After 92 years, I presume the fish and frogs have been pining away, waiting for this day. The humans left behind on the Monterey Peninsula have to try and find water by building a very expensive and experimental desalination plant.
Cal Am is a subsidiary of American Water Works Company, Inc. NYSE: AWK, which is headquartered in Voorhees, New Jersey. As a Utility company goes, it might be a good investment for the long haul. But I’m not recommending it. As you can tell, I voted to convert to public ownership of the water system in Monterey, but that initiative failed.
Maybe I’ll go out to dinner tonight and eat trout or frog legs. Presumably they will be discounted.
“It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” by J.K.Rowling
Plastic Problems
We all know that plastics have become a major problem for the birds in the air and the fishes in the sea. Plastics never deteriorate and tend to be colorful and attractive. There are many sites around the planet where you can find lots more information about the negative aspects of plastics. Following are my personal plastic pet peeves. 4 ps 🙂
A few years ago, I was walking on the Coast Guard Pier in Monterey and I saw a sea gull all tangled in some plastic wrapping, string-like stuff, possibly fishing line or soft-drink container material. The bird could not get out of the stuff, it was behind a locked fence, and every time I tried to get close, it moved away. There was nothing I could do, except feel sick.
I vowed to always cut any circles I find in plastics I use, to always pickup any loose fishing line I run into, and to never forget that image.
Time marches on. One day two of my grand-daughters were visiting and we went out to lunch. The waiter brought straws. They had a fit, and said “No straws please”. They reminded me that we only use straws once and then they get thrown away. Most straws produced these days are plastic! The lesson I learned from them is that things we use only one time should not be made of plastic! And if they are, we should refuse to use them. Here are a few of those items.
If the straws are made of paper, fine, use them. If made of plastic, speak up and say no.
I love Starbucks coffee. But those damned stoppers are really just a one-time use, live-forever, kind of thing. What is even worse, if you get a coffee at the drive up window and the stopper is already in and you tell them to remove it, they will toss it in the garbage can! Please say “No stopper” when you order.
Milk cartons have two types of opening: all carton, or with a plastic opener. Guess what — the plastic opener has a little pull-tab that has a ring on it. Small birds can get caught in that ring! Cut the thing.
The other day, I bought a jar of relish. I wasn’t paying attention and grabbed the cheapest item on the shelf. When I got home, I realized the jar was made of plastic. Damn. I made a mental note to always buy the glass jars! They might cost a bit more, but so what. The savings just isn’t worth the potential harm the plastic jar will cause.
Jims BBS 