We are witness to a significant, palpable trend in how we govern ourselves. The Federal level is now inept and incapable of breaking the bonds of self-imposed tyrannies. Washington is ripe and rife with tyranny. We witness the tyranny of lobbyists, though most of it is hidden from our view, inserted in our laws, and imposed upon inept lawmakers seeking only their immoral self-interests. All of this has one thing in common, greed. Then there is the tyranny of self-defeating partisanship; it is well-experienced practitioners blinded from unconsciously selected biases and ideas imposed, not their own. Last, and worst of all, is the tyranny of corruption, so ingrained it has become normalized even though it is often illegal. Tyranny, like water, seeks its level. Tyranny is incorruptible because it is the soul of corruption. We are in need of independent thinkers.

The epicenter of corruption is now Washington, DC. It is for this reason that its power to govern has become impotent, chaotic, and illogical. It is a fencing match with no winner, but we, the people, continue to lose the most.

The Federal government's power is streaming away from this epicenter, leak after leak toward local governing bodies. It streaks naked past the state level unabashed and unafraid, to where it belongs, in the hands of the people in our counties, cities, townships, villages, and neighborhoods. I am one of those independent thinkers, and so are you, if you choose to be. Please, for the sake of our children and theirs, find your voice. It is deep inside you. You probably argue with it every day. You can feel it beating in your chest. Speak from your heart. Do not surrender it to the status quo.  Do something now.

August 6, 2024

I wrote this essay on October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas-led attack and slaughter of unsuspecting Isralis at a music festival. Violence begets violence and it was inevitable that Israel would respond – the question on my mind that day was how would they respond. 

The death toll is now estimated to be over 37,000 Palestinian people with no end in sight.  However this number is likely the lowest estimate, the actual number could be 5 times this estimate. Read this article from The Lancet for greater detail.

Hamas Attack in Israel 

“He started it,“ said the young boy.

“Who started it doesn’t matter,” said the wise mother, "two wrongs never make a right.”

I condemn Hamas leaders for bringing a horrific, disgusting, immoral tragedy down upon their people. What did you hope to gain by such a blatantly suicidal action? Only more hatred is what you have wrought and horror and tens of thousands deaths of your own children.

So now the Israelis have justification, higher moral ground, to continue to kill for revenge? More immorality and atrocities in response? No, "two wrongs never make a right.”

Israel has one of the most advanced intelligence apparatus in the world and they claim they did not see it coming? Only a fool can believe that.

There is no such thing as higher moral ground. It is a highly subjective measure.  It is sadly a completely human thing, this depravity. 

I condemn Israeli leaders for reacting with such disregard for the lives of innocents. Killing with impunity colored by cruelty. This will come back on the Israelis for decades to come. 

It is human nature. When someone wrongs us, we want to retaliate. Infuriated, we hold on to memories of these ‘wrongs,’ and when given the opportunity, we respond in kind, unless we choose to take a wiser path, the path to reconciliation, the path to peace. 

Judaism prohibits the taking of revenge. These Israeli leaders are hypocrites (and now war criminals).

I condemn any leader who cannot see their way to the path to peace. Humankind will not thrive, nor survive if our leaders do not. We must do what is required to seriously walk along the path to peace.

Have these Israeli leaders not learned what our parents taught us about two wrongs? 

I wonder how many human beings the Israelis have killed out of revenge since 1948? How many more deaths will it take Israelis, 60 million? How many deaths will it take to satisfy your bloodlust? Are you better than the Nazis? Then demonstrate it. Because since October 8, 2023 you have shown no compassion for the innocents trapped by this cruel tragedy. Worse, you have labeled innocent children terrorists to justify your crimes against humanity.

How many more Palestinians will you cause to become radicalized? How many more enemies of Israel have you created?

When will world leaders become wise and work to end the carnage, human suffering and deaths of innocents? When will the media draw attention to the fact that most Palestinians are not Hamas terrorists but simple people trapped by true terror mongers from both sides of the argument. 

Those who seek justification for murder and war have no higher moral ground. 

Why do some find it impossible to give humanity a chance? 

Are We Becoming A Nation Of Bullies?

Of the many pretermissions about Trump is the fact that he has taught our children that to be successful all you need to do is be a name-calling bully and liar. In my opinion, that’s why Crook tried to kill him. Trump represented the worst of those things that Crook learned to hate while being in school, the bullies and liars who were cruel to him just for laughs. Trump supporters are likely to have been the sycophants of bullies past – weak, ignorant assholes who stood by and laughed while the self-aggrandizing bullies demonstrated their cowardice and insecurity. All in the name of fun? Bullshit. “Fun” at the expense of others is cruelty. These behaviors are on the path to Sadism. 

All of my life I have despised bullies and the parents that made them. Children do not become bullies all by themselves, an ignorant, insecure parent or parents show them the way. As children, we learn by mimicking – imitating how significant others around us behave. We can spot the bully behaviors in daycare settings. It is a learned behavior. It is not an inheritable trait.

Is this scenario familiar? A father gets a speeding ticket on his way home from work. Angry as he walks into the house, in front of the children he belittles and degrades his wife. Hurt and emotional mom then yells at the oldest who takes her anger out on her hapless little brother, who crying, kicks the sleeping, innocent dog that yelps in pain and bewilderment. Bullying always harms the innocent.

I’m no hero, but when the situation presented itself, I have put my body between the bully and their prey more often than not. I intervened on behalf of someone who was being bullied while others, the sycophants, looked on with morbid curiosity. What’s wrong with these people?

Most roller coaster rides start with a slow, steep, seemingly arduous climb to a summit. The ride that follows zigs, zags, makes a sharp turn here and there and maybe a loop-to-loop then slowly glides to the uneventful finish.

For many, life is very similar until we approach the finish line. Instead of a gentle, slow glide to the finish, time speeds up. You become increasingly aware that, for you, time is running out. There is the sense of floating in a tube on a placid, pristine mountain lake. Then, an undercurrent you didn’t know was there draws you into a stream. Soon you are whizzing and spinning through rapids towards an awesome waterfall. The roar of the water becomes deafening the closer you get to the falls. As you descend you feel weightless. If you don’t get hurt, surviving the waterfall is exhilarating; to not survive is resting in peace.