Friday, July 28, 2017

Trouble at the Tummy Temple


The leaves are falling. Not so much that it is getting colder but that it is dry. Even giant branches are falling off huge old trees so I mind where I ride going to the store. Hoping for a rain tonight and possibility tomorrow but Mother Nature will do what she wants. Got a little spritz on the way in with more to come.
The parking lot seems to be busier than I’m used to but I’m a little later and might have gotten into the noon crowd. Upon entering and inhaling the air-conditioning there are few carts available.
Following my usual routes there seems to be more folks today than normal. Many more confused and wandering than normal so the traffic becomes jammed and there is no horn on the cart to get them out of the way.
These faces are strange to me so they are not the usual neighbors filling their carts with grub. The staff still seems to be restocking as normal and going about their usual routines but all these new folks are searching the aisles as if they are aliens that just landed.
The items I had come to load in my cart are in the same places so I just took a breath and took the time to move around these wandering zombies and took my place in the line to the checkout.
All the checkouts were stocked and the lines were long like it was Thanksgiving, but I have time and can wait.
I ask about the crowd today and Katy tells me, “The Martins are closing and the Food Lion is shutting down.” So as Brian stuffed my dirty cloth bag with blueberries, peanuts, and my medicine, I thought this might be the NEW normal?
As I loaded my pony the parking lot was packed. Have all those shoppers decided my little Tummy Temple would fill their needs or was it the threat of rain?
I somehow avoided the traffic craze and managed to get back into a quiet neighborhood over crusty leaves and noticing another branch down on a neighbor’s house. Ouch!
Will return tomorrow as I always do, except for Christmas, and may have to adapt to the new competitors for our daily sustenance.

Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Who Are These People?


Every morning this week I’ve been hearing about the massive forest fires burning. Due to climate change or drought once a forest gets started burning dry vegetation is a wonderful fuel and with a breeze can spread quickly.
So I hear these reports from government officials saying they are using every resource to try and control Mother Nature. When fire spreads it doesn’t care if it is a tree or a house, it is fuel.
My question is who are these people that go into a very threatening and dangerous situation to help strangers save their property, animals and perhaps themselves for blistering heat and flame?
Unlike soldiers or police who run toward danger, these fire fighters are only there to stop the danger with water and dirt.
Seems the U.S. Forestry Services, you know Smokey the Bear and caretakers of our natural parks, get volunteers of folks who will carry 70 lb. packs and wear heavy clothing and helmets and walk for miles up steep terrain to dig trenches and chop down trees and try to stop Mother Nature from causing more catastrophe.
Our taxes pay for their meals and clothing and training and cots but it is the people who make the difference to continue to go back again and again making a war on fiery disaster.
Like many professions; teachers, police, trash removers, etc. cannot be fairly compensated for the amount of difficult work in stressful conditions with little appreciation.
I applaud these folks who put themselves in harms way to save our forest and grasslands for they are also home for others.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Have you colluded today?


You may have brushed your teeth and combed your hair and whipped your butt but you probably colluded too.
To collude, by definition is to come to a secret understanding for a harmful purpose; conspire. Knowingly perform some evil deed.
Some may refer to such thoughts as ‘sin’ but it happens everyday by everyone.
If you run a business you have to decide what will expand the business and if that means layoffs don’t worry about those people. If you are a medical professional you have to perform triage for some won’t make it.
To plot and plan to do collusions takes skill and scheming. There will always be folks who offer the opportunity to enlarge your ego without consequences; unless caught.
“Thank you Mrs. Wiscoft. That silver tray helped pay for my electric guitar.” “Mr. Murry, that money I found in your dresser helped pay for the booze to get your daughter to give it up.” “Mrs. Rollins, thanks for the use of your sports car for our road trip. We brought it back. No harm. No foul.” “Suzie, please files these reports and I’ll see you at the regular place at the regular time. Call your husband and tell him you’ll have to work late and I’ll reschedule my wife.”
These are just day-to-day adventures into testing the limits with the experts sharing secrets that were made up to be secret anyway. Then there are those who wake up in the morning and plot war.

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Collaboration

Have you ever tried to write a book with another person? It is more difficult than one thinks.
Two separate people with two separate ideas trying to collaborate. Sometimes two minds are better than one.
It is how we socialize by getting along with other people. If it is a book there is a proofreader, an editor, a publisher, etc. No one goes it alone.
Yet it is tough when the heads knock and a decision has to be made. Who is the grown up here?
Some of the great collaborations: Rogers & Hammerstein, Lennon & McCartney, Goffin & King, Jagger & Richards etcetera had one person who was good at one skill and another person who was good at another. Together they complimented each other and results were incredible.
You may not like the other person but to accomplish the collaboration you have to get along.
The most intense collaboration is marriage.
We’ll skip that dating and crush and sharing sweaters and rings but a collaboration of marriage is a commitment. For whatever reasons you tie the knot you better like the other person.
I’ve collaborated.
A guy who is a much better poet than me wrote some of the best songs. Enjoyed sharing ideas with other writers presenting me with images I’d never seen. Jamming with pickers who are more qualified than this strummer taught me techniques and patterns and rhythms never heard on the radio.
Luckily for me I also collaborated with a few who taught me wonders never expected. A good collaborator will enjoy your company and talents and thoughts and makes you laugh and help you cry and takes you on unexpected adventures and fill in the gaps.

Saturday, July 22, 2017

I have a pre-existing condition

I’m crazy.
Not bat-chit crazy with foaming mouth and coats that tie in the back, but somewhat not normal.
Is crazy on the affordable health care act/bill of the past several years that cannot come to fruition? What do they offer for crazy?
This insurance thing has gone on and on and no one seems to know what to do. Why is that?
Have we made the simple care of professional health care workers taking care of the sick and injured so difficult that even an act of congress can’t solve it?
Yet everyday there is the sound of sirens carting the broken to the nearest health center to try to be patched up. The same with every war movie when the first words you hear after the bullets start to fly is “Medic”.
No one ask for your insurance carrier on whether you can afford the services being provided to keep you alive.
Still somebody has to pay for the gasoline, the tubes and pouches and needles and uniforms and vehicles that come at the beckoned call for assistance.
Those big fancy buildings with admission and tiled hallways and gurneys and all sorts of flashing light machines and nice people dressed in scrubs to check on your chart will still have to pay the light bill for life support won’t matter if the plug is pulled by the power company for delinquent payment.
Insurance is a practice or arrangement by which a company or government agency provides a guarantee of compensation for specified loss, damage, illness, or death in return for payment of a premium. Insurance is indemnity, indemnification, assurance, (financial) protection, security, and coverage. Insurance is a thing providing protection against a possible eventuality. Insurance is protection, defense, safeguard, security, hedge, precaution, provision, surety, immunity, guarantee, and warranty for peace of mind.
From what I understand, you pay premiums for a policy with clauses and restrictions and agree to co-pay before the insurance is needed and the insurance company says, “You are covered”. Just keep paying on time.
The idea, I believe, is to get everyone to buy into the insurance plan so if one or another gets sick or request payment assistance there will be this big pot of money to draw from to ‘cover’ the cost.
Maybe they forgot that when all those horny solders came back from WWII they made babies. Lots of babies who are not getting to the ripe old age of needing more and more health care. Can we afford it?
I personally have all the respect for the health care providers. It is a nasty, messy, smelly professions with little appreciation but those you are helping are at their most vulnerable.
I also appreciate insurance for I’ve had catastrophic events that would have required me to sell my house to compensate if I’d not had insurance.
So the discussion will continue and people will get sick and people will be hurt and people will die and insurance won’t pay for all of it.
What do they do for crazy?

What to do on a 105-degree day, beside sweat?


This old Geezer decides it is just too hot to do just about anything. Feed the critters and supply plenty of water and watch as the thermometer rises. What’cha gonna do about it?
Wait it out.
Hydrate and rehydrate and change shirts is the rule of the day. Even cold showers dry off quickly in the body heat.
Yet in 100+ heat your mind goes numb.
It is surprising what you start to remember in this heat.
That tall wooden white chair on the beach of Wrightsville in a youth experience of blowing a whistle and learning about rip currents with white stuff on your nose comes to mind.
Stag Parties was forgotten but something reminded me of an image of a girl in horns surrounded by young lads in top hats ready for the hunt. You had to be there.
Flip over the record came to memory when I had to do the same for a cassette I was listening to. Sure messed up make-out time when you had to stop and flip the record.
When there is time of silence and space thoughts of all kinds come to pass. Dreams fulfilled, lost loves, ventures taken, adventures missed all become a whir in the heated air.
Perhaps a project could be accomplished in a cooler spot, but why avoid the reality of the moment. When it gets this hot, the body starts to fumble for the brain shuts down.
And tomorrow will be the same. Checking out.

Thursday, July 20, 2017

What You Got To Complain About?


Don’t know if you noticed it but when we ‘talk’ we ‘complain’. It seems the main topic of speaking to one-another is to complain about something.
I’m not saying the human species is unhappy with everything there is to be enjoyed on this planet but it sure sounds like it. No matter where you go or whom you talk to everyone is complaining.
There is plenty of stuff happening everyday that is annoying, frustrating, upsetting, and otherwise worth a good complaint, but does everyone else want to hear it?
Take work for example, there are plenty of topics there to complain about. The copier is jammed again, the coffee machine is overflowing, there are no good snacks in the vending machine, got too much work, not paid enough are always good conversation starters but you are talking to fellow workers who are in the same situation.
Family is always a topic of complaining. “My wife doesn’t….” or “My husband doesn’t….” or “the kids are….” or “My mother-in-law….” Are all good starters for a complaining conversation? It not only tells of the misery a person is living but also can annoy the listener who may not be interested in sharing experiences.
Houses and cars are always good topics that people can complain about which will bond neighbors in their struggle to survive. Complain about things that break or getting stuck in a traffic jam or frustrated by the normal day-to-day living. Everyone has them or there wouldn’t be anything for the immigrants to do.
Now automobiles are perfect examples of a great topic to complain about. As soon as you are handed the keys that chunk of metal rubber and vinyl depreciates. Whether it is new or used there are so many moving parts that can break, rust or need some computer diagnostics you can always have something to complain about. Then there is the condition of the roads and detours for repairs and breakdowns to complain about and of course the occasion of an accident. It is always an accident unless your complaining turned into road rage. Automobiles also like to go-missing so you can complain to the authorities and start all over again.
Vacations are a great subject for complaining. From the very beginning you are doomed to complain. Getting the family together and packing the car creates so much stress you wonder why it is called a vacation? The constant squabbling and getting lost only fuels the fire of frustration. Once the destination is reached, there is the unpacking confusion, lost items, rush to the beach for a good sunburn, bad Wi-Fi connections, gritty sand, overprice tourist restaurants, crappy towels and paraphernalia that just goes home to the trash, constant struggle to have ‘fun’ then turn around and repeat the process home.
If traveling by a carrier there are tickets, delays, transfers, lost luggage, tight seats, annoying companions and constant instructions of where to go but not how to get there.
Food is always a good topic to complain about. Even at the finest restaurants food prepared delicately with magnificent presentation just isn’t cooked right for your proletariat pallet. Food served in paper is scarped down by the pound with no complaints washed down by sugar drinks and then complain about the bad service from an assembly line worker making minimum wage. At the grocery story after wandering miles of aisles looking for that special ingredient that will make the slop you are about to serve to your family a cuisine dish you have to complain about how long it is taking to check-out or there was not enough capers since their expiration date only last twelve decades.
A bad hair day or a poor fitting suit or someone else’s’ choice in clothing is good for a complaint. The tabloids show us all the dos and don’t for fashion tips but most of us don’t follow them so why complain. We don’t care what we look like.
In the past year or two, with the help of the Internet and social media, politics has taken off as a great topic of complaining. Doesn’t matter your political affiliation or preference, there is plenty to complain about and argue with other’s who do not agree. It is like a sport when my team is winning everyone cheers. There are even cheerleaders’ called ‘talk shows’. Unfortunately no matter how loud we protest or complain, these chosen representatives of the people make the laws that rule our lives.
Religion is not a topic to complain about. You’ve chosen what God you want to follow so there are no complaints there. Then again there are all those other religions you can complain about.
Love is a major topic for complaining. Just listen to the jukebox or any of your favorite television dramas. There are volumes of terrible writings and poems about love lost, love hurts, love unrequited, etc. Our constant search for more includes love but we don’t seem to know it so we complain about the mystery unconceived.
So the next time someone comes up to you and ask, “How are things going?”
What will you say?
“Not bad. Can’t complain. If I did what good would it do?”

Saturday, July 15, 2017

Paranoid


Paranoia is classified as a mental illness characterized by systematized delusions of persecution or grandeur with or without hallucinations; excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others.
When you are elderly and live alone every sound brings awareness of something happening. And that alone can bring thoughts of fantasy beyond rationalization.
Did those people trying to sell God go in the house next door and not come out? Who is that guy parked across the street? Delivery? Neighbor? Those people who are walking by and staring at me on the porch, are they friends or foe?
My wife certainly had enough experiences to predicate being distrustful of others, but was always open and overly welcoming to strangers. She would see a soldier in uniform at the mall and go up and hug him shedding a tear.
At the same time she needed her privacy and her space and did not want anyone looking over her shoulder.
The next-door neighbor would gaze out her window (as I often do now) but my wife found it evasive and opaque the windows. I found it peculiar at the time but now realize when you live four feet apart from your neighbor you need light not action.
This morning I heard a sound in the neighborhood that was unfamiliar. A mechanical noise of some kind and it was close to me.
Was I being paranoid?
Was it the HVAC guys working on my neighbors AC unit again? Was it the power company adjusting the flow of current? Was it the parade of trucks visiting the neighborhood to pick up scraps? Was it some kind of criminal trying to steal my treasure?
I wrap myself in privacy. I don’t post profiles on the web. I don’t reply to unknown phone calls. I have a fence, with locks. My freedom is my security to do I want in my space.
So it turns out there is an earthmover in the alley. I’d seen them working up the next block but this was Saturday. Thank you city taxes. They didn’t apply a cover of gravel but they did straighten and flattened the roadway that had become a slushy mess in the spring rains.
So it will be just another normal day of feeding the critters, watching the shadows move and listening to Mooney Music. Maybe I’ll do a project? Maybe I won’t?
What was that?

Friday, July 14, 2017

Blasphemy



In the beginning I find a rock. I like my rock. I keep my rock.
You come along and take my rock away from me and won’t give it back.
I don’t like that you took my rock but you are bigger and stronger than me so I look for some mystical power that can equal the score.

I create GOD…


In monotheism and henotheism, God is conceived of as the Supreme Being and principal object of faith.
The concept of God as described by theologians commonly includes the attributes of omniscience (infinite knowledge), omnipotence (unlimited power), omnipresence (present everywhere), Omni benevolence (perfect goodness), divine simplicity, and eternal and necessary existence.
God is also usually defined as a non-corporeal being without any human biological gender, but the concept of God actively (as opposed to receptively) creating the universe has caused some religions to give “Him” the metaphorical name of “Father”.
Because God is conceived as being invisible from direct sight and not being a corporeal being, God cannot be portrayed in a literal visual image; some religious groups use a man (sometimes old and bearded) to signify or symbolize God or his presence because of “His deed of creating man’s mind in the image of His own”.

And God gave us…

The 10 Commandants
1.    I am the LORD thy God
2.    No other gods before me
3.    No graven images or likenesses
4.    Not take the LORD(s) name in vain
5.    Remember the sabbath day
6.    Honour thy father and thy mother
7.    Thou shalt not kill
8.    Thou shalt not commit adultery
9.    Thou shalt not steal
10.Thou shalt not bear false witness
11.Thou shalt not covet

So I decided to make these into Laws…

The history of law links closely to the development of civilization. Ancient Egyptian law, dating as far back as 3000 BC, contained a civil code that was probably broken into twelve books. It was based on the concept of Ma’at, characterized by tradition, rhetorical speech, social equality and impartiality. By the 22nd century BC, the ancient Sumerian ruler Ur-Nammu had formulated the first law code, which consisted of casuistic statements (“if … then ...”).
Law is a system of rules that are created and enforced through social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior. State-enforced laws can be made by a collective legislature or by a single legislator, resulting in statutes, by the executive through decrees and regulations, or established by judges through precedent, normally in common law jurisdictions. Private individuals can create legally binding contracts, including arbitration agreements that may elect to accept alternative arbitration to the normal court process. The formation of laws themselves may be influenced by a constitution, written or tacit, and the rights encoded therein. The law shapes politics, economics, history and society in various ways and serves as a mediator of relations between people.
A general distinction can be made between (a) civil law jurisdictions (including Catholic canon law and socialist law), in which the legislature or other central body codifies and consolidates their laws, and (b) common law systems, where judge-made precedent is accepted as binding law. Historically, religious laws played a significant role even in settling of secular matters, which is still the case in some religious communities, particularly Jewish, and some countries, particularly Islamic. Islamic Sharia law is the world's most widely used religious law.
The adjudication of the law is generally divided into two main areas referred to as (i) Criminal law and (ii) Civil law. Criminal law deals with conduct that is considered harmful to social order and in which the guilty party may be imprisoned or fined. Civil law (not to be confused with civil law jurisdictions above) deals with the resolution of lawsuits (disputes) between individuals or organizations.
Law provides a rich source of scholarly inquiry into legal history, philosophy, economic analysis and sociology. Law also raises important and complex issues concerning equality, fairness, and justice. There is an old saying that ‘all are equal before the law’, although Jonathan Swift argued that ‘Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through.’ In 1894, the author Anatole France said sarcastically, “In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets, and steal loaves of bread.” Writing in 350 BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle declared, “The rule of law is better than the rule of any individual.” Mikhail Bakunin said, “All law has for its object to confirm and exalt into a system the exploitation of the workers by a ruling class”. Cicero said, “more law, less justice”. Marxist doctrine asserts that law will not be required once the state has withered away. Regardless of one’s view of the law, it remains today a completely central institution.
The Third New International Dictionary from Merriam-Webster defines law as: “Law is a binding custom or practice of a community; a rule or mode of conduct or action that is prescribed or formally recognized as binding by a supreme controlling authority or is made obligatory by a sanction (as an edict, decree, prescript, order, ordinance, statute, resolution, rule, judicial decision, or usage) made, recognized, or enforced by the controlling authority.”
The Dictionary of the History of Ideas published by Scribner's in 1973 defined the concept of law accordingly as: “A legal system is the most explicit, institutionalized, and complex mode of regulating human conduct. At the same time, it plays only one part in the congeries of rules which influence behavior, for social and moral rules of a less institutionalized kind are also of great importance.”
a. An authoritative, prescribed direction for conduct, especially one of the regulations governing procedure in a legislative body or a regulation observed by the players in a game, sport, or contest.
b. The body of regulations prescribed by the founder of a religious order for governing the conduct of its members.
Law is a system of rules that are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior. Laws can be made by a collective legislature or by a single legislator, resulting in statutes, by the executive through decrees and regulations, or by judges through binding precedent, normally in common law jurisdictions. Private individuals can create legally binding contracts, including arbitration agreements that may elect to accept alternative arbitration to the normal court process. The formation of laws themselves may be influenced by a constitution, written or tacit, and the rights encoded therein. The law shapes politics, economics, history and society in various ways and serves as a mediator of relations between people.
A general distinction can be made between (a) civil law jurisdictions (including Catholic canon law and socialist law), in which the legislature or other central body codifies and consolidates their laws, and (b) common law systems, where judge-made precedent is accepted as binding law. Historically, religious laws played a significant role even in settling of secular matters, which is still the case in some religious communities, particularly Jewish, and some countries, particularly Islamic. Islamic Sharia law is the world’s most widely used religious law.
The adjudication of the law is generally divided into two main areas referred to as (i) Criminal law and (ii) Civil law. Criminal law deals with conduct that is considered harmful to social order and in which the guilty party may be imprisoned or fined. Civil law (not to be confused with civil law jurisdictions above) deals with the resolution of lawsuits (disputes) between individuals or organizations. These resolutions seek to provide a legal remedy (often monetary damages) to the winning litigant. Under civil law, the following specialties, among others, exist: Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus ticket to trading on derivatives markets. Property law regulates the transfer and title of personal property and real property. Trust law applies to assets held for investment and financial security. Tort law allows claims for compensation if a person’s property is harmed. Constitutional law provides a framework for the creation of law, the protection of human rights and the election of political representatives. Administrative law governs what executive branch agencies may and may not do, procedures that they must follow to do it, and judicial review when a member of the public is harmed by an agency action. International law governs affairs between sovereign states in activities ranging from trade to military action. To implement and enforce the law and provide services to the public-by-public servants, a government’s bureaucracy, military, and police are vital. While all these organs of the state are creatures created and bound by law, an independent legal profession and a vibrant civil society inform and support their progress.
Law provides a rich source of scholarly inquiry into legal history, philosophy, economic analysis and sociology. Law also raises important and complex issues concerning equality, fairness, and justice. There is an old saying that ‘all are equal before the law’, although Jonathan Swift argued that ‘Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through.’ In 1894, the author Anatole France said sarcastically, “In its majestic equality, the law forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets, and steal loaves of bread.” Writing in 350 BC, the Greek philosopher Aristotle declared, “The rule of law is better than the rule of any individual.” Mikhail Bakunin said: “All law has for its object to confirm and exalt into a system the exploitation of the workers by a ruling class”. Cicero said “more law, less justice”. Marxist doctrine asserts that law will not be required once the state has withered away. Regardless of one's view of the law, it remains today a completely central institution.

Then I created an assembly representative of the people to write the laws of the land and a series of courts and judges and lawyers to interpret them and hand down their judgments….

Regulation is an abstract concept of management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. For example: in biology, gene regulation allows living organisms to adapt to their environment and maintain homeostasis in government, typically a regulation specifically means a piece of delegated legislation drafted by subject matter experts to enforce a statutory instrument (primary legislation) in business, industry self-regulation occurs through self-regulatory organizations and trade associations which allow industries to set rules with less government involvement in psychology, self-regulation theory is the study of how individuals regulate their thoughts and behaviors to reach goals.

And the people were to follow these laws….

Comply (third-person singular simple present complies, present participle complying, simple past and past participle complied) To yield assent; to accord; agree, or acquiesce; to adapt one's self; to consent or conform. Compliance is the act or process of complying to a desire, demand, proposal, or regimen or to coercion.

But some of the people did not want to follow the Laws….

Rebellion is an act of violent or open resistance to an established government or ruler. Insurgency; rioting, riot, disorder, unrest, revolt, insurrection, mutiny, revolution, insurgence,
Rebellion is the action or process of resisting authority, control, convention, defiance, disobedience, rebelliousness, insubordination, subversion, or resistance.
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or taking over the position of an established authority such as a government, governor, president, political leader, financial institution or boss. The methods can be peaceful, such as civil disobedience, civil resistance and nonviolent resistance, or violent, such as terrorism, sabotage and guerrilla warfare. Those who participate in rebellions, especially if they are armed, are known as “rebels”.

For they claim the Laws unjust and not representative of the people’s wishes….

Freedom the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is the absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government. Freedom is independence, self-government, self-determination, self-rule, home rule, sovereignty, nonalignment, autonomy, or democracy.

They wanted to be FREE from the regulations of the laws….

Political freedom (also known as a political autonomy or political agency) is a central concept in history and political thought and one of the most important features of democratic societies.
It was described as freedom from oppression or coercion, the absence of disabling conditions for an individual and the fulfillment of enabling conditions, or the absence of life conditions of compulsion, e.g. economic compulsion, in a society.
Although political freedom is often interpreted negatively as the freedom from unreasonable external constraints on action, it can also refer to the positive exercise of rights, capacities and possibilities for action, and the exercise of social or group rights. The concept can also include freedom from “internal” constraints on political action or speech (e.g. social conformity, consistency, or “inauthentic” behavior.) The concept of political freedom is closely connected with the concepts of civil liberties and human rights.

Yet with total freedom and no laws comes…

Anarchy is a state of disorder due to absence or non-recognition of authority, government, lawlessness, nihilism, revolution, insurrection, disorder, chaos, mayhem or turmoil.
An absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual, regarded as a political ideal.
Anarchy is the condition of a society, entity, group of people, or a single person that rejects hierarchy. It originally meant ‘leaderlessness’, but in 1840, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon adopted the term in his treatise ‘What Is Property?’ to refer to a new political philosophy, anarchism, which advocates stateless societies based on voluntary associations. In practical terms, anarchy can refer to the curtailment or abolition of government.

But what they needed were our Laws to keep…

Liberty, in philosophy, involves free will as contrasted with determinism. In politics, liberty consists of the social and political freedoms to which all community members are entitled. In theology, liberty is freedom from the bondage of sin.
Generally, liberty is distinctly differentiated from freedom in that freedom is primarily, if not exclusively, the ability to do as one wills and what one has the power to do; whereas liberty concerns the absence of arbitrary restraints and takes into account the rights of all involved. As such, the exercise of liberty is subject to capability and limited by the rights of others.

And our Laws needed….

Regulation can take many forms: legal restrictions promulgated by a government authority, contractual obligations (for example, contracts between insurers and their insured’s), social regulation (e.g. norms), co-regulation, third-party regulation, certification, accreditation or market regulation.
State-mandated regulation is government intervention in the private market in an attempt to implement policy and produce outcomes that might not otherwise occur, ranging from consumer protection to faster growth or technological advancement. The regulations may prescribe or proscribe conduct (“command-and-control” regulation), calibrate incentives (“incentive” regulation), or change preferences (“preferences shaping” regulation). Common examples of regulation include controls on market entries, prices, wages, development approvals, pollution effects, employment for certain people in certain industries, standards of production for certain goods, the military forces and services. The economics of imposing or removing regulations relating to markets is analyzed in regulatory economics.

And our Laws needed….

Supervision is the action of supervising someone or something. Supervision is administration, management, control, or charge. Supervision is an act or instance of directing, managing, or oversight.

And our Laws needed…

Enforcement is the act of compelling observance of or compliance with a law, rule, or obligation.
Enforcement is the process of ensuring compliance with laws, regulations, rules, standards, or social norms. By enforcing laws and regulations, governments attempt to effectuate successful implementation of policies
Enforcement serves a number of functions; the enforcement of social norms can ensure conformity within insular communities, the enforcements of laws can maximize social benefits and protect the public interest, and enforcement may also serve the self-interest of the institutions that oversee enforcement. Enforcement can be effectuated by both public institutions and private, non-governmental actors. Enforcement is often accomplished through coercive means or by utilizing power disparities to constrain action.
Some scholars have also argued that institutions enforce rules when deciding “when and how to apply” laws and regulations.

So there we have it.

We have created Laws that must be obeyed for they are GOD(s) commandants and to not follow the rule of law is a sin….


In a religious context, sin is the act of violating God(s) will. Sin can also be viewed as any thought or action that endangers the ideal relationship between an individual and God; or as any diversion from the perceived ideal order for human living. To sin has been defined as “to miss the mark”.
The word from Old English may be related to that of Latin, ‘sont’ meaning guilty. In Old English there are examples of the original general sense, ‘offence, wrong-doing, misdeed’. The English Biblical terms translated as “sin” or “syn” from the Biblical Greek and Jewish terms sometimes originate from words in the latter languages denoting the act or state of missing the mark; the original sense of New Testament “sin”, is failure, being in error, missing the mark, especially in spear throwing; Hebrew hata “sin” originates in archery and literally refer to missing the “gold” at the centre of a target, but hitting the target, i.e. error. (Archers call not hitting the target at all a “miss”.)

To break a Law is a Sin…

Blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God(s), to religious or holy persons or sacred things, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. Blasphemy the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk. Blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence for God(s). Blasphemy is the act of claiming the attributes of deity.
Profanity, sacrilege, irreligion, irreverence, taking the Lord’s name in vain, swearing, cursing, impiety, desecration; archaic execration: the act of giving up something that you want to keep especially in order to get or do something else or to help someone, an act of killing a person or animal in a religious ceremony as an offering to please a god, a person or animal that is killed in a sacrifice.

Are you ready for a flood or pestilence or hordes of locust or sacrificing your children? Is getting to forget to not move your car or take a library book back on time worth a thunderbolt of lightning?



Now that is a leap of faith.

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Appreciation


In this age of disgust and mockery, I’m not sure we remember how to appreciate?
Do you appreciate waking up every morning? You should. Even if you have a cold or aches and pains or even late for work, you’ve beaten the grim reaper one more day.
It seems we jump into hyper-drive with out electronics, communications, confusion and speed into the world, grab a biter on the run and can’t wait to get to the next crisis. Multi-tasking distracts us from appreciation what is going on around us.
“I love you” may be a phrase thrown out leaving or sending off but the time isn’t spent to appreciate those three words.
We show our appreciation of a concert by applauding and buying a tee shirt or a good meal by leaving a tip for the waitperson but do we appreciate the people behind the scenes who make it all happen?
We say ‘thank you’ to the butcher for a special cut but do we show the same appreciation to the guy stocking the produce or bagging the groceries? It is not difficult to show appreciation to the folks how remove your trash or patch your potholes or protect your home at night. We call our soldiers ‘heroes’ but what about the janitor?
“It is their job”, you say? Do you get appreciated for the effort you make at your employment? You are compensated by a paycheck but when did you get a ‘Thank You’?
Getting appreciated makes us smile. It helps our ego. For a moment a pat on the back can make our day better. Even the banquet dinners and plaques and speeches will be put away as only a reminder.
Who shows you appreciation? Well your family has to because you have the same name. Your friends appreciate you because you are comfortable to be with and bring something to the conversation. Your staff hopefully appreciates you for they see you are trying to make the work environment better and thus more profitable for the company and themselves. Your spouse maybe appreciates you if you take out the trash on time and pick up your dirty underpants.
Appreciation should be genuine. Like a wimpy handshake people can tell when there are fake emotions.
How many cut the lawn and trim the bushes and plant the flowers to then sit and appreciate their efforts. The appreciation isn’t just about the neighbors saying, “Your lawn looks great”. It is a sense of accomplishment but more to know the grass will grow taller and the leaves will need raking and the bushes trimming and to assist nature it shows appreciation in the attention.
When on vacation we pause to take in the sunsets, the sounds of the waves, the children’s laughter. The food taste better and laughter is pervasive and the body and mind relax.
Yet the sun sets everyday and the children still laugh but we don’t seem to appreciate life?
Thank you for reading. I appreciate it.

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Fund Me


There seems to be many of these requests under different names but the idea is to get people with cash in their pockets to invest.
This is what started the stock market for people of wealth to share their dollars in hopes of making more dollars. Folks who had an idea but not enough cash to get it started depended on others to invest. Banks would give loans with interest if the credit standing were approved.
People could save up their own cash to fund a new business or manufacture a new item that might sell and profit or go bust. Take your chances and own the risk.
So today it seems everyone is begging for money. Want to buy a pool? Get a kick-starter. Want to take your family on vacation? Hit the social media button. Make a good enough case and the bit coins will fly in.
Got a date with Joan and can’t afford flowers and dinner….. hit the computer. It is like a slot machine full of possible money without payback. Throw in some rare disease and what the money roll in. Add a picture of a sick puppy and wham-o you are getting rich. Talk about your war injury and the patriots will fund American heroes. Tell the reading public that Joan is suffering from addiction and you are saving her for God….Bingo! Jackpot!
What is the use of working a mundane job for a meager salary when people will just send you money for your clever thoughts? Yet if no one is working, where does all the money come from?
Think I’ll apply for government grants to research that question.

I’m Pathetic


It looks like a nice day today. Plenty of sleep and sunshine morning but a twinge in my back. Not hungry and the coffee is just dirty water. It’s 80 in the house at 7:30AM. Find yesterday’s shirt and the cleanest dirty shorts. Each pair of sweat shorts has sweat stains that will not wash out but they don’t have enough holes in them to only be worn in the yard until they become paint rags. “White haired person come this way” is overheard in the Indian voice. Other than that the yard is quiet. Too early for the critters but not the backyard neighbor. More guys out than normal but maybe this is early enough for the guys to get out of the house? Too early for traffic but not mowing the lawn. Is that Rick Flair jogging with a stick? Just nod acknowledgement of another human being but no talking. These folks are strangers. Neighbors, but strangers. New road sign finally replaced and the old iron sign removed yesterday. It has white letters on a green background. Green? Not brown like the Fan District or blue like the Museum District but our neighborhood is not a district. Where did that drain come from? I’d passed this block time-after-time, everyday and had never noticed that drain. Why would there be a drain in the middle of the block? This is a long block that is really two blocks put together. Well maybe it has something to do with half the block being in the city and half the block being in the country? Like why do some blocks have sidewalks and some don’t? And on some blocks one house will have a sidewalk and the next one doesn’t?  Everyday is an adventure and these are the thoughts that fill the head under the Styrofoam helmet religiously strapped on everyday. Squeeze the brakes, follow the same route, move around the couple pushing their infant riding a plastic buggy with load wheels and avoiding the car coming in the opposite direction while not trying to hit a pothole or manhole cover. It is still early so the parking lot is pretty empty. Still a guys day in the store so it is fairly easy to move about. Blueberries? Check. Watermelon? Check. Also comment to the guy restocking the fruit that “Watermelon is a real hit in my yard” Why do I tell this guy something he certainly doesn’t understand without a back-story but there is no time for explanations. Now that I’m here a decision needs to be made for ‘what’s for supper?’ Pass the frozen dinners and the still locked up pharmacy one wonders… “what did I eat yesterday?” and “what do I have in the cupboard?” BBQ! I have leftover BBQ still in the mug. And I’ve got to eat that bread before those fuzzy things happen. There is that egg in a box but I’d have to cook so maybe another sandwich. Not too much trouble and will fill me up for another day. Not totally healthy but filling. Asked a southern girl from Tennessee yesterday about what to put on BBQ and she suggested a thing called ‘sticky fingers’. Like the name and the record so make a big sweep around the guy more pathetic than me looking at his grocery list as if it were written in a foreign language. He’ll be on the phone in a minute. Down to the condiment aisle to the hot sauces I’m so familiar with. BBQ sauce? Where are you? Oh they’re on the right. There are so many choices. That one looks good with the name Stubbs and a black guy who looks like he does know how to cook. There is one from a Bob and Ray and not sure if that is a comedy team of cooking experts? I’ve not seen their show on PBS. Normally I go local for Sauer BBQ sauce but it is a rarity to find and not today. There it is! ‘Sticky Fingers’. Should I buy it? It is only $1.29 and the sign says ‘local’ but there are two choices? What the heck like is about the adventure so go for the Original. What else would make a dull sandwich more exciting on a Sunday? Cole slaw!! That almost makes it sound healthy. “Hello Katy” as I say the first real words of the day. To another human being. Being a constant customer to the Tummy Temple I get recognized and since they are all wearing nametags have made it a habit during my brief conversation at the checkout lane to acknowledge them. Katy, the short stout fiery redhead with all the jewelry notices the ‘sticky fingers’ sauce and comments that it is good as the guy before me still hasn’t filled his bags.  I tell Brian that the watermelon is a hit in the yard as Katy shifts to the next customer and Brian just grunts. I don’t think he really likes this job. Not a cloud in the sky but the traffic is starting to get erratic so take some time. Not many faces going home but the hands and legs know the way to a well-traveled path. The back is loosened and the knees remind age is not your partner. The jays call as soon as I get over the gravel but the yard is still asleep. Blueberry time is call and seed is poured with the invitation (out loud) “come and get it…. soup’s on”. Who am I saying this to at this early morning hour? Put the store of blueberries in the refrigerator along with the watermelon and slaw but no room for the soda pop so I’ll put them in later as the room becomes available. The yard still hasn’t woken up but the radio shows bring me back to a different time and give me the chuckle for the day. “Maybe it is time to make that sandwich Cliffie” I hear someone say. Oh, it is I in a thick cockney accent as I do when I talk to myself out loud. “Why yes, Cliffie I believe it may be time to fill the belly with sustenance and fodder”. “Then I suggest we get a move on and make us that sandwich that isn’t so appealing but necessary.” “Why certainly Cliffie, after you.”
adjective: pathetic
description: arousing pity, especially through vulnerability or sadness.
synonyms: pitiful, pitiable, piteous, moving, touching, poignant, plaintive, distressing, upsetting, heartbreaking, heart-rending, harrowing, wretched, forlorn