https://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php The largest classic literature discussion forum on the Internet. Read Write Teach Share. en Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:01:14 GMT vBulletin 10 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg https://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15655-About-aging Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:23:04 GMT Last week someone mentioned a friend who had died last year. I couldn't remember the date, so I had to look up the fact that he had died on April; 15. Later I started thinking about what killed him, ad after thinking of the proximate cause, cancer. The one who mentioned him also mentioned that he was aware of a sore from a tumor several years ago. The had never had anything one about an obvious medical problem.

Then I recalled that he used to complain about aging, because he was wearing out. I carefully pointed out that aging doesn't cause any diseases, nor does it make parts of the human body fall apart. If there is a problem with health, then something caused it, something other than age, and the damage probably can be repaired.

As with everything else in the material universe, everything is caused by something. With medical problems there is a distinct cause or several causes. The cause might be genetic, environmental, microbes of some sort, bad behavior, or something else. It is possible that the cause will have to operate for a period of time before the problem erupts. For example, I have an aortic aneurysm, and those usually appear in people who smoked tobacco and are more than sixty-five years of age, but it took that long for the problem to develop, and it probably existed long before it was noticed.

On the other hand, time can be a factor in the development of health problems, because some conditions develop randomly over time. That allows those conditions to develop someday. Sometimes they will develop early and sometimes late, but the longer one lives, the greater the chance that they will develop’ Such conditions would include spontaneous genetic defects, some autoimmune diseases, and other problems that appear randomly.

If someone lives long enough to acquire immunity to microbial disease and for gene breakage to be finished, there are few things that people will die from, except accidents and murder. If deterioration of telomers is eliminated, then people become problems for life insurance companies.

But these situations are very strong reasons in favor of taking care of medical problems when they happen.

And remember that you won’t fall apart from age; although you may fall apart from disease or random damage that won’t catch you, until you live for many years. Some people will disagree with this post, because they feel themselves deteriorating or even shrinking as they get older, but it isn’t the age that is making them deteriorate; they are things happening that are constants that one only notice after they have a considerable way. This also explains why I have spent so much time being worked over by physicians. We have to correct those random problems before it is too late. I have already written about my eventual demise, and it will be the result of a relatively minor problem that has already been put off into the indefinite future. ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15655-About-aging https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15652-How-Not-to-End-Up-in-an-Emergency-Room-or-Hospital-Politics-at-Its-Finest Mon, 25 Aug 2025 22:31:04 GMT The long journey to my acquaintance with the downside of military hospital vs. the civilian sector began in August 2024. I am subject to colds that... The long journey to my acquaintance with the downside of military hospital vs. the civilian sector began in August 2024. I am subject to colds that occur in such a manner that when one ends another starts up. They linger a bit and before I consider the thought of carrying a convenient handkerchief in a left pocket they are gone.

Not this time.

My mother spent her time (or social life) keeping doctor appointments for anything and everything. My sister claimed she would look in her medical books for symptoms and off she would go. Lord help the poor doctor who she felt a bond with. I go in the opposite direction and bother them (as it turned out) when the SECOND threat of imminent death is presented. Much more on that probably in Part 2.

In November I have had enough of what I termed a sinus condition that would not give it up and called for an appointment at Wright-Patterson AFB Base Hospital. We live a seven-minute drive away from there and I use their emergency room for a shortcut for any real issues that would arise in my retirement years as necessary. This would invariably mean a two hour For so loss of time with bad TV in the lobby but a break from sitting around the house deciding what to read next. Lately pulp western novels of the adventures of Jim Hatfield from Texas Rangers magazine. There was that one break where I read Jane Eyre but that's another tale. (Credibility with Litnet insured and no tsk tsk from Logos ensured. Back to business.)

I am assigned a primary care doctor which I have never met. There will be one phone call from him in my future. Another after that rom my kidney doctor wondering what trouble I had bene causing. (My apology for the overuse of foreshadowing. Insecure out of practice storyteller at large.) Normal method is to make the appointment and take the doctor who is handiest. Wright-Patt is a teaching hospital, so they come and go. I'm easy in these things after 21 years of service and take whoever it is in stride with the luxury or knowing all findings will be logged in their computer records. Now if they would just LOOK at them.

Before I go further in this entire ten-month period I was always treated with respect and dignity. Could really have enjoyed that in the active-duty days but retirement has its perks. Any attitudes that came up are purely of my own stubbornness and pride. God is not pleased, and I am usually humbled in due course.

The first doctor went for the allergy diagnosis. I have two cats currently and a dog and refuse to believe they have anything to do with this and reject it out of hand. However, they are the professionals, and I accept the possibility of 'something' I might be allergic to praying it isn't comic book or old books and have their version o Flonase to play with.

For two weeks. Can't win them all and my faith in the medical system remains intact. But in March it will take a severe hit.

No change whatever and starting to get grumpy. I throw it away and grumble some more and everything goes on hold until March 2025 when things ramp up to more fun and games.

NEXT: Sandstorms and cobwebs take on a sinister meaning and the above blog title justifies its use. ]]> mtpspur https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15652-How-Not-to-End-Up-in-an-Emergency-Room-or-Hospital-Politics-at-Its-Finest https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15651-High-Drama-A-Tale-of-Blood-Stubborn-Pride-and-Experience Wed, 20 Aug 2025 05:42:13 GMT It has been a very longtime since I posted to my blog. The events to be recorded began August 2024 but the main event takes place from March 2025 to... It has been a very longtime since I posted to my blog. The events to be recorded began August 2024 but the main event takes place from March 2025 to June 2025. An old Litnet friend suggested it might make for a true story with twists and turns.

Some things to be written concern a blood draw that goes terribly wrong; two diagnostics that were way off the mark, two warnings of impending death, one late night commentary on the Book of Jonah with an ICU nurse, and a couple of phone calls to smooth ruffled favors. And a lieutenant I called Missy and got away with it.

I have discovered that I have been unbale to answer old message left me and I worry that Virgil and Kiz Paws may think I have forgotten them. I shall begin this narrative if I see some responses to THIS post as it can be quite lengthy and I need to get the chronology lined up properly. ]]> mtpspur https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15651-High-Drama-A-Tale-of-Blood-Stubborn-Pride-and-Experience https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15650-Or-Rationality Thu, 24 Jul 2025 17:37:55 GMT After posting the blog on inferiority, I started wondering if I should have not posted it. Then the thought came that maybe I should have advocated... After posting the blog on inferiority, I started wondering if I should have not posted it. Then the thought came that maybe I should have advocated rebuilding the mental hospital system. Then I thought, nah, that was bad. But just now I saw an article about MAGA people looking for Trump to take action in his comments about prosecuting Obama, and I realized, again, that closing the mental hospitals was a mistake.

I certainly did not support Obama, and I think that he made some major mistakes, but for Trump to accuse him of treason is absurd. It would be very easy to show that Thump has committed treason, but the case against Obama is tenuous, at best.

After this thought, I started to think that Trump’s suggestion of prosecution of Obama is sufficiently irrational that this idea is enough for him to be thrown out of office, except that the congressional Republicans wouldn’t go along, but it this may make Tromp lose some more support.

We don’t need a president who makes lamebrained comments about his predecessors. The responsibility of the president is to carry out the acts of Congress. But the president is only one of many examples of a low level of rationality. We just have to look at the news to see how people have abandoned rational thought.

I remembered again today how I considered if countries were run by rational people, then they would find ways to settle disputes without resorting to war, whether shooting or by trade.

A few years ago, I had a great time writing “The Gods Complain”, a short story about the Gods trying to pin down causes and ways to improve the atmosphere in the Middle East. They succeeded, but that was in a parallel world, so we don’t see the results here. That was about people demanding that their opinions were superior to the opinions of everyone international news and thought that people were finally becoming sane: the ethnic cleansing in Palestine was slower, and there were no active wars in that region. Then the rebellion in Syria started, and that continues, even though the elected government was tossed out, the rebels haven’t decided how to handle things. And that was before Russia invaded Ukraine and made another mess. There were a few little wars around the world, but fewer than usual.

Another big problem is that people overcomplicate things. That is, they fail to apply Occam’s Razor. And that applies to more than just ideas. Automobiles come to mind, and that has been a problem with the automobile industry for a long time. Electric automobiles were mostly abandoned in the early 20th century, because they were inconvenient to runs and had short range, and there were relatively expensive. Steam cars were abandoned in the 1920’s, because the manufacturers were greedy and tried to maximize profit per unit, so they piled on extras. That left us with internal combustion vehicles, even though they are complicated and expensive to build, compared with steam, but Henry Ford and others balanced costs and prices, so more people could buy more of them. When Doble was trying to sell cars for $5000, Ford was selling cars for less than $1000.

These days, we could have steam cars that would cost a quarter as much as an electric, and if it used propane to create the steam, it would produce no pollution. On the manufacturing side, a steam car uses old technology, so it can be built without special materials, and its production causes little pollution, unlike electric vehicles.

Comparing steam with internal combustion engines produces a similar result. internal combustion engines have hundreds of moving parts, while steam vehicles have about two dozen moving parts. More parts mean more cost to produce, and they produce more friction, which greatly reduces the theoretical efficiency of internal combustion engines. The cost of the engine is only one part of the cost of a vehicle, but steam engines have a huge power to weight advantage over other power plants.

It might also be a good idea to apply Occam’s Razor to other manufacturing decisions, but it takes money, also. Applying Occam’s Razor to political decisions is usually easier, and it saves money, rather than costing more ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15650-Or-Rationality https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15649-Inferiority-Culture Wed, 23 Jul 2025 12:59:21 GMT Some years ago, people thought and worried about mediocrity taking over the world. That isn’t a worry any more, because inferiority is taking over.... Some years ago, people thought and worried about mediocrity taking over the world. That isn’t a worry any more, because inferiority is taking over. People act as if low quality and thoughtless behavior and expression are fine.

Maybe it started with to movement to make all children feel good, so they all got trophies, and maybe some people think that equality should mean that no one can do a better job at anything than anyone else. Whatever started it and pushed it along, the election of Trump as president showed people that anyone can grow up to be president.

Then I clicked on an email, something about “Advisor Angle”, and it turned out to be trying to sell so-called “crypto-currency”. There are some superior con-artists in crypto, but most people are their marks, the patsies of the scam. And that scam makes some people feel good, because they win. It is similar to the old saying that one is superior, if he, or she, is still alive and thus superior to those who have died.

As with many situations, it is a matter of the definition. If one is measuring people by their wealth, then the super-rich are superior to the poor. But if happiness and satisfaction with life is the goal, then a different collection of people are at the top of the list.

Socrates believed the best people were those who dedicated themselves to living a virtuous and examined life, prioritizing inner goodness and the care of the soul over material possessions or external achievements. This is embodied in his famous quote, "The unexamined life is not worth living.” (Borrowed from Google’s AI)

Trump and his plutocratic friends would contend that wealth is the best way to measure the quality of people. I don’t completely disagree, but it has something to do with how the wealth was acquired. Trump got money from family and by borrowing. There that are people like Warren Buffett, who became rich be making good decisions in investing. And there are also some people who became rich the way that Bill Gates did; he was hired by a smart man with a good idea (Paul Allen) and staying there and collecting pay and gains.

There probably are as many ideas of how to measure the quality of people as there are people who would ask the question or look inside themselves.

But this has veered off course. It is good for people to think well of themselves, but it is a mistake to determine the best and the worst people are the same. If we wanted to look at the human race as a whole, there those who do the most to advance humanity are the best humans, but defining how each person advances humanity.

And I haven’t asked the Gods and Goddesses. Thy usually have reasonable opinions about humans. I will have to ask. It’s sort of odd, but I will ask, when I get a chance. The original purpose of this blog entry was to praise the wise and make the unwise look unwise, but the unwise have become more popular in the last few years.

I am not aiming toward a strict ranking of people by any particular characteristic, but I think that what used to be known as the “Natural Aristocracy” should get more respect than the con-artists who make big splashes in popular media. Who should we blame? The popular media, public education, the successful moves to stop calling the mentally retarded mentally retarded, or what? One suggestion that I have is that evolution of the species has ended, and now it is in devolution. I think that is an interesting idea, and there are several good reasons for believing it, but it is in opposition to equality, so it probably will be unpopular.

I would love to know what others think of devolution of humans. ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15649-Inferiority-Culture https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15648-Trump-and-George-III Sat, 19 Apr 2025 01:14:52 GMT The Battles of Concord and Lexington were 250 years ago this weekend. That reminded me of some of the complaints against King George III. Trump has... The Battles of Concord and Lexington were 250 years ago this weekend. That reminded me of some of the complaints against King George III. Trump has ignored the rule of law and has had people arrested simply because his people wanted to arrest. He has ignored laws that were passed by Congress. He has imposed arbitrary and onerous taxes on whim. He has sent people to distant places and refused to allow courts to operate so that people can receive due process. One such law was the Posse Comitus Act, which has been codified in the USC. That law dictated that U. S.military troops cannot be used on U.S. Soil, except in cases of rebellion, but Trump has had troops deployed to the border with Mexico.
Trump has not yet had time to create a long record of crimes and usurpation, but the activities of his minion, Musk, has had serious negative effects already, and those effects will continue.
And now Trump is trying to replace fired civil service employees with people who supported. Civil Service was created to stop presidents from doing that. I think that the courts will have actions to take in regard to that.

Congress didn't casually pass laws creating departments and granting them budgets. While the federal government is bloated and costs much more than it should, there are laws and procedures for changing and eliminating programs. There are legitimate reasons for thinking that some parts of the federal government are not authorized by the Constitution, but there are ways to eliminate those. Sending a crew of people who do not know the relevant laws to close down parts of departments is
absurd.

The idea that the internal Revenue Department can get by with thousands fewer people than it has it silly. The IRS has trouble getting its job done with all the people that it had, so how can it get by with fewer? It had already been reported that the IRS has stopped auditing. Maybe that was the object of shrinking the IRS; getting Trump and his pals off the hook for taxes they owe.

George III may have had the excuse of insanity, but Trump claims to be sane; although the evidence is that he is not very intelligent and extremely ignorant.

https://www.archives.gov/founding-do...ion-transcript ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15648-Trump-and-George-III https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15647-Trump-and-George-III Sat, 19 Apr 2025 00:55:25 GMT The Battles of Concord and Lexington were 250 years ago this weekend. That reminded me of some of the complaints against King George III. Trump has... The Battles of Concord and Lexington were 250 years ago this weekend. That reminded me of some of the complaints against King George III. Trump has ignored the rule of law and has had people arrested simply because his people wanted to arrest. He has ignored laws that were passed by Congress. He has imposed arbitrary and onerous taxes on whim. He has sent people to distant places and refused to allow courts to operate so that people can receive due process. One such law was the Posse Comitus Act, which has been codified in the USC. That law dictated that U. S.military troops cannot be used on U.S. Soil, except in cases of rebellion, but Trump has had troops deployed to the border with Mexico.
Trump has not yet had time to create a long record of crimes and usurpation, but the activities of his minion, Musk, has had serious negative effects already, and those effects will continue.
And now Trump is trying to replace fired civil service employees with people who supported. Civil Service was created to stop presidents from doing that. I think that the courts will have actions to take in regard to that.

Congress didn't casually pass laws creating departments and granting them budgets. While the federal government is bloated and costs much more than it should, there are laws and procedures for changing and eliminating programs. There are legitimate reasons for thinking that some parts of the federal government are not authorized by the Constitution, but there are ways to eliminate those. Sending a crew of people who do not know the relevant laws to close down parts of departments is
absurd.

The idea that the internal Revenue Department can get by with thousands fewer people than it has it silly. The IRS has trouble getting its job done with all the people that it had, so how can it get by with fewer? It had already been reported that the IRS has stopped auditing. Maybe that was the object of shrinking the IRS; getting Trump and his pals off the hook for taxes they owe.

George III may have had the excuse of insanity, but Trump claims to be sane; although the evidence is that he is not very intelligent and extremely ignorant.

https://www.archives.gov/founding-do...ion-transcript ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15647-Trump-and-George-III https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15646-Age-doesn-t-Kill Wed, 02 Apr 2025 00:28:54 GMT Recently, a friend has been having serious medical problems. When I thought about his situation, I realized that he had been suffering from the... Recently, a friend has been having serious medical problems. When I thought about his situation, I realized that he had been suffering from the problem for several years. One of the main problems was a tumor in one of his lungs; My father had a similar problem, and had a cough from it for several years, but he didn't have the medical people look into the matter. He and my friend both asserted that it was from age, and to both of them I pointed out that age does not cause any particular medical problems Age provides more opportunity for problems to develop, but the problem is not caused by age. There are medical problems that are commonly blamed on age; “age-related macular degeneration is one example. The relation with age is that it took time for the degeneration to develop. Heart disease, osteoporosis, aneurysms, and a wide variety of other conditions are often said to be related to age, and they may be age related, because they have have time to develop when people are older.

We all know that we will come to an end at some point, but there are many ways to do so. Old Tom Parr, who lived 152 years (he was born in 1483 and died inf there is a problem, then correct it. 1635). He died after being taken to London to be shown off. Up to about 120 years, people die from disease or falling apart, but after that people die from other things. Parr died from riding in a coach for a week, or so, and Li Ching-Yuen died peacefully at home after about 265 years.

Those two lasted as long as they did by correcting problems as they arose. That's what we all should do. Eventually, the human body will correct all problems, and after that, we have to depend on accidents and crime to get rid of people.

One of the most noted gerontologists, Aubrey De Grey opined in 2007 that the first person who would live to 1000 was alive then. We won't learn whether he was right for a few centuries, but it has been determined that the human body has the torrential fo living for a very long time.

There are several general principles. If there is a problem, then do something about it. The Medical profession is mostly composed of people who want to help others, and they will try to help you. Take care of yourself. And be careful. After all of those animalcules fail to kill you, there might be someone driving a car who decides that he or she thinks the world would be better without you. Age has nothing to do with it, but if you let yourself fall apart, that's your problem. Thee most difficult method for living a long time is something that most people don't believe; it's up to you. Your attitude toward your life and the continuance of it is something that you can decide.

The subconscious mind is like the operating system of a computer. It determines how things will work and what they will do. Like a computer, the conscious mind is the user interface, and it allows one to edit the subconscious mind.

There is a lot more to this subject, and many people can figure it out, and there are people around who might help. ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15646-Age-doesn-t-Kill https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15645-Mind-your-own-business Thu, 27 Mar 2025 23:37:05 GMT I was going to write about how the world would be much better, if everyone minded their own business and refrained from minding the business of... I was going to write about how the world would be much better, if everyone minded their own business and refrained from minding the business of others. but then I ran into a quote: “When you are dead, you do not know you are dead. It's only painful and difficult for others. The same applies when you are stupid.” This is credited to Ricky Gervais.
I would contend that minding other people's business is similar. You might think you are doing someone a favoe, but when you are minding someone else's business, you are creating pain to someone else.

I don't remember when I learned about that, but a few years ago, I asked a friend if she “would like a hand.” She replied, “I don't need a hand.” To that I replied, I asked if ypou would like a hand, not whether you needed a hand.” She understood the difference, and replied in the affirmative, so I gave her a hand.

In contrast, earlier today, while making a purchase, I droppped a coin, and someone else dove for it, as I bent over. That person claimed to be trying to help me, but her action was not helpful, and I told her that she should learn to mind her own business.

In a similar way, Donald Trump seems to think that he is doing good by getting involved in things that are not his job, but he seems unable to understand what is hiis job.

I think that both situations are examples of people becoming painful by their stupirity but not realizing it.

The same principle applies to countries. The U.S.A. did well when we minded our own business, but at some points, the government has tried to mind the business of others. That problem is also being done now. The U.S.A. does not need or want Greenland, and continuing the present situation there would be advantageous to everyone. Alas, Trump thinks that he wants Greenland. No one understands why he might want Greenland, and his desire certainly is based on erroneous thinking.

Similarly, Canada is not part of the U.S.A., and we like the present situation. Canada almost became part of the U.S.A., but things didn't go well. On December 31, 1775, the Northern Army attacked Quebec City from the land. The army was divided into two sections. One division came in from the Plains and stormed a gate and took it. They went on to take the lower city and were ready to take the upper city, but they waited for the other division, but the commander of that group had been killed while advancing toward the city, and the second in command was afraid to advance further, even though the lower gates had been taken and it was noth dangerous. There they stood, until the commander of the first division ordered a retreat, because he didn't think he had adequate forces. But h would have had adequate forces, if the Northern Army hadn't hadn't been sickened by bad water on its way to Quebec. The problem probably was giardia. As a result, Canada is not part of the U.S.A., but Canada still hasn't named Giardia its national parasite.

Giardia decided, and we should not fight the forces of nature. Canada I not part of the U.S.A., and we want it to stay that way.

Another way to put it is that the world would be happier, if Mr Trump minded his own business. We do not need Greenlan or Canada, and we certainly do not need Gaza. The people of Greenland need their country, and Canadians need Canada, and the Gazans certainly need Gaza, and they would be happier, if they were alllowed to live in their country, or even allowed to =return to the homes that they and their grandparents were forced to leave by people who insisted on minding the busines of others. ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15645-Mind-your-own-business https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15644-Trump-s-Rationale Wed, 12 Mar 2025 15:45:10 GMT I was thinking about why Trump might be ruining the U.S. economy, but there were no obvious answers, unless he was just following orders from his... I was thinking about why Trump might be ruining the U.S. economy, but there were no obvious answers, unless he was just following orders from his leader, Putin. That is possible, but he has done a few things that probably irked Vladimir. Then I recalled his history of debt and bankruptcy. Maybe he is trying to avoid another bankruptcy.
By ruining the economy, he is making the money worth even less, and so far, the interest rates have not moved much. But the higher inflation makes life easier for debtors, because it means they can pay down debt with cheap money. I don’t know Trump’s [resent indebtedness, but in the past, he had to look for loans from banks in other countries, because U.S. banks were onto his game. Vladimir and Russian oligarchs are one source of his funding, and he has been trying to pay down debt with favors, and that’s why he is backing Russia in their invasion of Ukraine.
But a few favors are nothing compared to destroying the value of the U.S. dollar. If he can pay back debt in dollars that are worth a tenth as much as the dollars when he borrowed, then he will be far ahead.
Warren Buffett appears to have made the right moves by reducing his exposure to equities and hold more Treasury obligations. It probably isn’t too late for other investors to use the same tactic to improve their fortunes.
The bear market in equities probably will last until 2028, when the changing of president will be near. The other large factors will the national debt and income tax rates. Trump may try to reduce tax rates again, and that will eliminate any advantage gained by reducing the budget. By 2028, the national debt should be relatively small, but the unemployment rate will be higher. The ideal candidate for president will be a fair tax limited government libertarian or Whig. We will need to increase the income tax to provide income for the government after the disastrous tariffs will be repealed. We also will need a federal organization that will get Americans working again, because the unemployment rate will be more than twenty percent. Rebuilding basic industries will be important, because the depression will have ruined international trade, so many industries will be in horrible shape. The situation would be ideal for Herbert Hoover, if he weren’t dead. There may be some Libertarians who could handle the job, but I don’t know who they are.
Working our way out of the depression won’t be easy, but it will require that many people do jobs that are not what they would like, but getting basic industries going can be like that.
Infrastructure will have been neglected for a few years, so construction will be necessary. Housing might be easy, because so many migrants will have left the country, and natives along with them. But the lack pf the safety net for the least of the people probably will have led to a high mortality rate, so unskilled workers will not be as easy to find.
The financial sector probably will be horrible, because they were paid in cheap dollars, so they will not have money to lend, and there probably will be new names on many banks, But Trump will have paid his debts will those cheap dollar, so he will be happy. Musk will have spent a few years plundering federal agencies, so it shouldn’t bother him that Tesla will be belly-up.
After the next president will be inaugurated in 2029, things should improve, but getting to that point will be the problem. Following the example of Warren Buffett may be a way to profit from the country’s dire condition, but that will require investment capital. ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15644-Trump-s-Rationale https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15643-The-Duty-of-Civil-Disobedience Thu, 27 Feb 2025 01:16:21 GMT The Duty of Civil Disobedience


People don't often discuss it, but we citizens of the United States of American are expected to overthrow the government, if the government abuses its powers or the rights of citizens.

As the Declaration of Independence says. Such actions should not be done lightly or over transient causes. The right granted by the Second Amendment to the Constitution specifies what the people have the right to have to carry out the overthrow, if that becomes necessary.

Back when writing was by hand, people were were less wasteful with words, so the second Amendment didn't list every possible weapon that might be used. That was summarized with “the right to have and to bear arms”. That means that the people have the right to have and to bear any and all weapons. While nuclear missiles didn't exist then, the right to use them, if it became necessary to do so is clearly implied.

I am not suggesting that the present government should be overthrown, but it is something that politicians should think about. How far can they go, or have they gone too far already? Restrictions have been put on the rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.

Civil Disobedience is a form of protest against actions of the government that are improper or of dubious validity. Protest against the actions by Trump's minions might seem pointless, but they are valid protests, and they protest against actions that may be contrary to the Constitution and rights of the people. I don't think that any reasonable person would contend that all of the programs that Congress has passed were proper, and many people have considered the Education Department to be federal overreach since it was first created, and there are programs in several departments that are outside the purview of the federal government, but Congress made the mistakes of creating those, so it should be charged with eliminating the,.

Some people opine that anything that Congress votes for the federal government to do is valid, unless the courts throw it out. They may be right. We will see. But if Trump were serious about making the federal government smaller, then he should have had Congress eliminate programs; he certainly does not have the power to eliminate them by himself.

The best laid plans of mice and men aft gang agly (Robert Burns). The founders of the U.S.A. didn't think it would last a long time, and Jefferson opined “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it's natural manure.” I have not lived in a time when there was widespread feeding of the tree of liberty, but it gets small feedings regularly. I would prefer that the people be better educated, so they would be able to detect a tyrant by his speech and actions. Some people want to push their own positions, while others take a wider view of the world, and some of them can understand that a “rising tide lifts all ships.”

It is pointless to protest the tides, but we should never let tyrants have an easy life. The question is how to tell a tyrant from a benevolent despot. Tyrants do not assist people in living their own lives, while benevolent despots assist the people in living their lives. Would be tyrants appeal to the misunderstandings of the people.

But when a friend of the president starts telling people they are fired, because he doesn’t understand the political system, then it might be time to protest, and such thoughts are so common that there might be some success.

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/71/71-h/71-h.htm ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15643-The-Duty-of-Civil-Disobedience https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15642-Scams Wed, 12 Feb 2025 17:12:08 GMT I looked at the Economist this morning, and the cover story was on Scams, especially online scams and crypto-currency and related matters. The... I looked at the Economist this morning, and the cover story was on Scams, especially online scams and crypto-currency and related matters. The lead-in was gentle, a story about the president of a small bank who was found by an online scammer, a woman (maybe), who convinced him to invest in her crypto scam. He went in a little way and got a good return, so he plunged in further, then he lost everything of his savings, savings for child’s education, church treasury, and $47m from the bank that he ran. He is now in prison and will be for a long time. Such stories are not rare.
A few years ago, an online acquaintance said that she had bought a lottery ticket for me, and it won. She had put it in my name, so she couldn’t cash it. And I would have to set up an account with that country’s lottery to jet it. One of the things that I would need was my bank’s international account number. When I asked the branch manager about that, I was told that it was a scam. The branch manager was right, and I learned that even better after looking into the websites involved.
The article in the Economist explained how they scammers spend years making things look good, and it mentioned that several countries in Asia get a large part of the GDP from scams. I had been looking at sites in the hope of finding a woman, and many look good, but after waiting a while I learned to doubt the validity of the ones who are too fast to try to close the deal. And it seemed like Central Asian countries were full of scammers, and anyone who claims to have gotten my email address from my friends is certainly lying.
The article mentioned a few more examples, and the following article is about Elon Musk, which I thought was very appropriate, since Musk seems to have been running scams since he violated his initial visa by getting a job, and that visa violation made him ineligible for permanent resident status or citizenship.
After that there was an article about Trump, who has been scamming other businesses and the government for decades, but he doesn’t want people to remember that. Do you remember how he didn’t bother paying contractors who did work for him? Or do you remember the scam university he set up that was found guilty of educational fraud?
Not many people remember that electric vehicles were popular in the early 1900’s, but within a few years, the cost, weight, and short range made potential buyers look elsewhere. The subsequent popularity of internal combustion engine vehicles was the result of a successful marketting ploy. Steam engine automobiles were cheaper to build, more reliable, and had better range, and were easier for repairs. The manufacturers, principally Stanley and Doble, used relatively expensive chassis so they could charge more per car for the fancier bodies; some Dobles cost $5000. Then Ford turned out cars with a simple gas-powered engine and sold it for about $1000. Other producers of gas-powered cars made things a little fancier but priced them for much less than Doble.
The electric car manufacturers mostly went out of business before WW I, and the steam powered car companies died in the 1920’s, but the cheaper and less reliable gas cars are still around, and they still are less efficient and more complicated than steam cars.
There are several things that make me think that someone is trying to scam me. They include telling lies about what is going on, using crypto-currency, and selling electric powered cars. Now, don’t get me wrong, there are uses for electric vehicles: they make good industrial lift trucks, where they can spend every night on a charger, but they are not very good for road vehicles. Crypto—currency was clearly a scam from the beginning. It has no value and depends on someone even more foolish buying at a higher price for investors to make any money. There have been several shady characters who became president of the U.S.A., starting with Andy Jackson and going downhill from there, but I think the U.S.A. should have honest people in charge, again.
The points that I think readers should take away from this post are: avoid scams, crypto-currency, electric vehicle (except for forklifts), and don’t do business with Trump or his allies. You might also want to read the article in The Economist. And if you are looking for love online, be dubious of potential mates from Asia. ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15642-Scams https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15641-Presidential-powers Thu, 06 Feb 2025 16:36:00 GMT Recently, the extent of the powers of the president of the United States of America has become an issue. Actually, the extent of presidential power... Recently, the extent of the powers of the president of the United States of America has become an issue. Actually, the extent of presidential power has been an issue for a long time, but it seldom has come to a head.
It seems that Trump thinks that he can make an order about anything, and the world must bow to his will. Things like that have happened in the past, and the matter of getting rid of political enemies was a major when Lincoln had some of his enemies convicted in military courts and executed. Eventually, the Supreme Court determined that that was not valid or legal, but it was late for Milligan. With Trump, I think that we should rein him in before he kills enemies through military tribunals or other invalid courts.

The powers of the U.S. President are simple and explicitly stated in the U..S. Constitution. Most of them are stated quite clearly in Article Two and a few other [places. The president is responsible for carrying out and enforcing laws passed by Congress. Specified powers include :
Section 2

The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.
He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.
Section 3
He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.

There are some other items that the president is responsible for, but there is nothing in the constitution that gives the president the power to appoint Elon Musk to close down departments and agencies that the Congress voted into existence. Nor can the president repeal laws that were passed y Congress and signed into law, nor can he change state laws or policies. I don't think that he can make Gaza
Reagan spent a lot of time on vacation, and no one noticed the difference. Eisenhower spent a lot of time playing golf, but he didn't cheat.

Several presidents were much wealthier after their term in office. Several presidents also tried to rule by edict, but the courts quickly put them in their places.

If Trump had bothered studying history, then he would have found that golf was a better way to spend one's time than playing dictator, but apparently, Trump didn't learn that private crimes can be forgiven, but crimes against the people cannot be forgiven, so he continues crimes against the people. And if he had studied history, then he would have learned that no one has ever won a trade war.

Apparently, he doesn't care,but failure to abide by his oath of office is a high crime. OFFICE IS A HIGH CRIME. ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15641-Presidential-powers https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15640-Citizenship Tue, 28 Jan 2025 02:04:20 GMT The citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment has not been an issue for most of the time it has been in force. Before the Fourteenth was... The citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment has not been an issue for most of the time it has been in force. Before the Fourteenth was ratified, July 9, 1868, each state had its own definition of citizen. Those laws included whoever the state had wanted to be a citizen. In many states, Blacks, Indians, and women were excluded, and in some states there was a requirement that an adult male paid taxes to become a citizen.

When it was written, the intention was that Black people, whether formerly slaves or free persons would be citizens. The Fourteenth had effects that varied widely, since it increased the numbers of citizens in every state. But the immigration laws were different. Basically, anyone could immigrate to the U.S.A. from any other country, with exceptions for people who probably would become public charges due to low intelligence or poor health. Criminals were also banned, but that wasn't followed closely, and it was usually difficult of impossible to check the bona fides of an immigrant.

The widespread restrictions on immigration were not introduced until the law passed in 1923, which placed quotas on people from various places. Until then, Immigrants were given a visual inspection for disease and their names, trades, place of origin were collected, and they had to have some small amount of money, and that was if they entered at Ellis Island in New York Harbor. There were means of entry that were even easier (my paternal grandparents came in through Canada, and apparently Canada also had no restrictions. Becoming a citizen was fairly easy, and there were associations designed to help people with that. there was a Polish-American Citizen Club in the town where i grew up, and such clubs were common around the country. It was generally assumed that immigrants would become citizens after a few years, and they usually did, so the matter of citizenship of their children was not an issue at that time.

The people who wrote the Fourteenth expected that there would be universal citizenship, so any children of immigrants would be born to citizens. The matter of children being born in the U.S.A. to non-citizens didn't become much of an issue until after 1923, and even then there were not many people travelling to the U.S.A. who did not become citizens. For Trump to want to make exclusions from the citizenship Claus seems almost silly. Thump should remember that his ancestors of a few generations ago took advantage of it, but they probably became citizens not long after the immigrated here.

It might be a good idea to rewrite the Citizenship Clause so it might reflect the present reality, but if that were to be done, it would be wise to think about making it less likely to become obsolete, if conditions changed again. How would it go? “All persons born to legal residents...” Or maybe “All persons born to citizens...” I don't know what the best answer would be, but I might agree to requiring that the mother be residing in the U.S.A. legally, and that would include a woman who was in the process of applying for refugee status or asylum status. The law the is relevant to applying for asylum is an international treaty that requires that the person apply in the first country that person enters that is signatory to the treaty. But there is no simple way to handle this matter that would not harm some people. There are related qyestions that this raises, and I don't know if the people in Washington can handle the matter.



Section 1
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15640-Citizenship https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15639-Democracy Wed, 15 Jan 2025 23:23:06 GMT I frequently hear in person or on electronic media coments about democracy being harmed by some politicians, and that is here in the United States of... I frequently hear in person or on electronic media coments about democracy being harmed by some politicians, and that is here in the United States of America, which was set up as a federal republic made up of republics. Please note that the initial documents didn’t mention democracy; republics were specified. These facts lead me to think that many people do not know what democracy is. The difference between a democracy and a republic is clear and easy to define

A democracy is a government where the people rule; that is that the people make the laws and oversee them being put into action. On the other hand, a republic is a government in which the people elect representatives who make the laws and ensure that the laws will be carried out.

The founders of the United States and other great thinkers in history felt very strongly about the difference between democracy and republic. The founding fathers had strong opinions against democracy; a few examples of those opinions follow:

James Madison wrote,

“Democracy is the most vile form of government…democracies have ever been spectacles of turbulence and contention; have ever been found incompatible with the personal security or the rights of property, and have in general been as short in their lives as they have been violent in their deaths.”

Plato: “Democracy, which is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequal's alike.” “Dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy, and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme liberty.”

Voltaire, however, does not advocate or believe in what we'd consider universal suffrage or democracy. He distrusts "the rabble" and advocates "enlightening" the aristocracy and church to create governance thru "enlightened despots".



Thomas Jefferson
“Democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where 51% of the people may take away the rights of the other 49%."

A page of quotes on democracy by the founding fathers:
https://www.azquotes.com/quotes/topi...oogle_vignette

There are many reasons why one should be dubious of politicians who favor democracy, but perhaps the best reason to not trust them is that they probably are trying to curry favor, so they will be able to become dictators at some point. That is what Hitler did. Remember that Hitler was the leader of a political party that gained a majority in the government so they could give Hitler all of the power. And it might be a good idea to remember also that Hitler is Trunp’s model as a politician.

There are nice aspects to democracy, but they seldom exist in practice. Democracy breaks down in practice, especially if there is a large population. Some Ancient Greek cities used democracy for some time, but when the population became large, they converted to kings or dictators. The traditional New England Town Meeting is, or was, democratic, but it ceased to work effectively with a population over 15 or 20,000. The crowd control and lack of control make it impossible to make complicated decisions.

Ancient and modern thinkers preferred republics or benevolent monarchies, because they could have controls that would prevent anyone from wresting the reins of government away and using them for their own purposes. Alas, in history republic don’t last forever; the Roman Republic was stolen by military dictators; although some signs of republican government remained. The parliamentary government in Germany was taken by Hitler and turned into a dictatorship. But there are some republics that have continued for fairly long periods: The Netherlands have been a republic for centuries, and the English parliamentary republic has been working for centuries, also. Both of those examples have monarchs as figureheads with very little involvement in the government. There have been few examples of benevolent monarchs, and that is largely because they die and are replaced with monarchs who are less benevolent; but there have been monarchies that continued for very long periods without notable problems.

It might be nice to re-establish a benevolent monarchy, but that would require changing the attitudes of many people. It appears that most people in the U.S.A. thinks that government exists to provide services to them. Government exists to provide a framework of laws in which people can live their lives, and to resolve disputes between people. It has been said that the way to judge a government is to see how it treats the least of its people. But a discussion of this matter is a lengthy, philosophical discussion that should be left for now. Suffice it that the U.S.A. is not now, nor has it ever been a democracy, and we should make sure that it remains that way. ]]> PeterL https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?15639-Democracy