First Blog

What’s good about the world?   We’re not looking for miracles or final results. We are looking for improvement.   Let’s not look at the world we don’t have now, but look more at the far and recent past where almost nothing was possible, available, accessible, and the like.  Our list does not include everyone everywhere.   Progress is not constant nor uniform.   In some places forward steps come in leaps while in others backward steps seem the rule.   With all we hear daily of riots here, wars there, violence in the streets, intrigue in the palace, assassinations,   subversions, perversions, and all others, we take a pause and consider what we have is far, far beyond the situations of almost all only a century or two ago.       We now live in a world where most people --- Have some civil rights. Have basic schooling. Have machines to make life easier. Have food produced by an agricultural bounty. Have some rights to practice a religion of choice. Are neither s

Nowadays we see near riots in the streets, remarkably well-organized riots, spun off as spontaneous tornados or chaos.   One problem with creating the tornado is the thought that once set its outcome cannot be controlled.  Chaos is no mother's child.  The News.   Nowadays we see news celebrities that run their shows to celebrate their greatness, their self-confessed bullseye opinions, and their news omnipotence.  There is little traditional reporting.  We see an odd combination of opinion supported by news interpretations, interpolations, or selected truths contorted to support personal views.  But more, there is now a news royalty.  These are commentators that use their show to celebrate themselves.  Specifically, we have Bill O’Reilly (FOX) and Chris Matthews (MSNBC). Both regard their opinions as supreme and true.  Matthews seeks affirmation from his guests. O’Reilly corrects views    alternative  from his.   Both frequently interrupt guests far more intelligent than themse

Nothing to lose vs. Nothing to gain Everyone has heard the expression, “ Nothing to Lose .”   This is the dinner bell for action.   Do it now and why not?   Fight it now. Sacrifice what will.   There can be no limit with such stakes.   This state can cause revolutions, riots, protests, disavowal, frustration, rebellion, and profound fundamental changes in direction.   It is the portal to sacrificing everything, including life and limb. " Nothing to Lose " puts power at risk  History has proved this. But what if there is “ Nothing to Gain ?”   This compresses, depresses, and stultifies any action.    It creates passivity, complacence, and inaction in all unhappy parties.    Why take any action when risk has no rewards, for self, for family, for friends, for community, or for the future?   This is the soporific of maintaining a compliant population.   This is the cynical calculation made by power in any society.   It keeps the population quiescent and inert.   &qu