DONALD, THE GLACIERS ARE MELTING

DONALD, THE GLACIERS ARE MELTING

Donald, there are more than 50,000 glaciers in Alaska and they are all melting. At some point in the not too distant future the only way people will be able to visit  your Mar-a-Lago estate will be with scuba gear and a snorkel.

UNDER THE BUS

UNDER THE BUS

The health care bill that died in the House  last week would have bumped an estimated 24 million people off their health insurance plans.  They would be back using emergency rooms or die early.
That was OK with President Trump because all he cared about was A BIG WIN no matter the cost to the most vulnerable citizens of our country.  In the end he demonstrated what many of us suspected  all along---that he cared not a wit about the people who supported him;  he only  cared about himself and his image.

He was willing to throw the poor, the sick, the poorly educated, the underemployed  and all his adoring followers UNDER THE BUS to get HIS health care bill passed in the House of Representatives. What will it take for his CULT-LIKE FOLLOWERS  to realize that this man has used them to get to the White House and has no intention or ability to  deliver on the simplistic promises he made during his campaign?

RELIGION DOES NOT REALLY EXIST, IT'S POLITICS ALL THE TIME

 I will soon be 79 years of age and I have spent a lot of time trying to determine the value of religions. When I was a teenager I remember quizzing the minister of my Protestant Christian  church about  the relationship between the Bible's Genesis account and the process of evolution.  His explanation was muddled at best.  As a scientist and an educator I long ago accepted as fact the evolution of life on Planet Earth.  People in the United States who reject modern science are doing themselves and their families a disservice by holding on to a past that no longer exists.

I have concluded that there is no true religion that humans should or can follow.  Throughout history religions have been invented by humans (mostly men) to answer questions people had about the changing seasons, the life force found in plants and animals, the various phenomena in the heavens such as the sun, moon, stars, eclipses, etc. and most importantly the meaning of life and death.  Today, we have no need for a religion to answer these questions and concerns, science is providing the way forward.

My observation is that religions were invented by humans to provide answers for the unknown and to provide a power base for leaders to control their followers.  It is Politics All The Time and it has been so in the past.  Today the major religions are controlled by MEN who manipulate people and events to maintain their power. There are so many religions on the planet because humans are so fickle, so argumentative, so different, so opinionated that they simply have a real hard time agreeing on anything. Thus fighting over religion has been a blood sport for thousands of years with humans killing each other by the millions.

Does this mean "GOD IS DEAD"?  Humans invented "gods" to explain the unknown.  There seems to have been a constant feeling  among humans that there exists a power beyond their understanding. However when trying to describe such an entity we use terms such as "listen to my prayer" (assumes ears), "look down upon us sinners" (assumes eyes), "walk with me" (assumes legs).
"forgive us" (assumes empathy), smile down upon us (assumes a face), etc.  In essence we are describing a human image that people insist does not show their "God".

In my opinion, the way to have a truly religious experience is for a person to make a direct connection with something and be moved by the experience such as a beautiful flower, a stunning painting, a colorful sunset, a child's smile, a butterfly, a campfire, or a perceived spiritual presence.  Religious experiences are personal and different for everyone.

Modern religions such as Christianity,  Judaism and Islam use building for followers to gather for worship activities. I believe the buildings, shrines and other symbols such as the cross, Buddha, etc. have become political symbols of separation.  This is how a group establishes their power within a community.  Catholic cathedrals were build to dominate the landscape and still do in many cities in Europe and the US.  I remember a conversation I had as a teenager in my Sunday School class. The question was ----Could a person worship outside a church?  The teacher did not think so. Modern religions are by nature conservative; and are stuck in the current political system that, in my opinion, is slowly decaying.  None of the major religions are really moving humans toward  a progressive future.

It may be that in order for us to move to a better place, a safer place, a more tolerant place, a happier place we must abandon the rigidity of modern religions. For older humans who have grown up in their religious traditions it will be very difficult for them to disavow what they have believed their entire adult lives.  

However the young, who are always more idealistic are showing the way. They are motivated by the threats to their future  of worldwide climate change, of terrorism, of nuclear war, and they see the adults in charge scamming the system for themselves not really caring about their future. If religious institutions are unable to work to solve problems, accept compromise, make necessary changes and give our youth a path to a better life, future generations will abandon the religions of their parents in search of something better.

PRESIDENT MIKE PENCE IS COMING

PRESIDENT MIKE  PENCE IS COMING

Chaos reigns in the United States  and Steve Bannon could not be happier. Historically people have demonstrated that they prefer stability over chaos. even if it means tolerating leadership that is authoritarian or even dictatorial. Mr Bannon, the chief advisor to President Trump has done a "mind-meld" with the president; and they appear to be working from the same "playbook".

Donald J. Trump lives in the "Me, Myself and I" world where only he knows the "truth" and only he can "fix it". I am not sure if he considers himself to be God or simply Emperor Trump. In my opinion Donald's erratic behavior is due to a attention deficit disorder that he suffers from.  He is mentally handicapped and is easily manipulated by those close to him.
Steve Bannon is a brilliant tactician and he is using the fears expressed by Donald and his supporters to move the country toward a more " nationalistic society". Bannon seems to think that he can manipulate the president to continue creating chaos and fear to the point where the federal government will move toward a more authoritarian rule.  Unfortunately our president does not appear to understand our constitutional democracy and might actually welcome complete control.


The president is becoming a sideshow to some people.  Even some who support him, are treating him like a joke. If you are handicapped, the last thing you want, is to be ridiculed for your shortcomings.  This has to hurt and may be behind his constant need to lash out and refusal to apologize for mistakes he makes.  When his colleagues say "Donald will be Donald"in response to a Tweet or comment, it is not a complement.

The President's continued use of Twitter to attack people, events or even other countries is negative, diminishes the stature of the presidency and limits his success.  He should  stop using Twitter, but seems blissfully ignorant to  the chaos he creates with his behavior and no one seems to have the courage to really confront him for fear they will hear those famous words "YOU ARE FIRED".

I do not believe Donald J. Trump will complete his first term.
He is 70 years old and we know nothing about his health. Donald is a very bright person, but he is definitely handicapped in his social and educational skills which is limiting his success as president. His father died of Alzheimers disease, so memory loss has to be a concern for him going forward.  He is already showing the stress of the office and he has been  president for only a few weeks.  I believe deteriorating mental and physical  health will be the most likely causes for Donald to not finish his term.

The other causes for an early exit for Trump are all related to Russia and his finances.  His lack of transparency and honesty about these issues sets him up for all kinds of potential charges.

So if Donald J. Trump leaves the presidency, we get President Mike Pence. Mr Pence is an Evangelical Christian and he is probably more polarizing than Mr Trump; but he appears to be sane and he has governing experience.  His political views are a concern for me, but I have come to the conclusion that I would prefer to have a President who is sane and speaks to God, rather than a person who thinks he is God.