Don't Blame left or Right, Blame Nihilism.

Image credit Johnny Silver Cloud

Historically there have been atrocities committed by leaders on the left that could be equivocated with the evil coming from the alt-right today and the various hate groups fueling it. Some even surpassed it.That said, none of them are American, none of them were evil simply because they were on the left part of the spectrum or relevant to this situation with opposition of hate groups coming from the left in America today. 

They were Authoritarian's and nihilists and used the doctrine of the left to support their acts and could have just as easily done so from the right given the proper political climate. Authoritarians are loyal to themselves, not a party or ideology.

Nazi type movements come from the extreme authoritarian right. They are nationalist in nature. Hitler used some socialist measures when it suited his purpose (it's actually called populism which works from both sides), but you could hardly call him a left wing tyrant. My history teachers in college usually placed him on the extreme end of the authoritarian right (as opposed to libertarian right or either end of the left).

Let us not try to disqualify the arguments of Democrats or Republicans solely on the basis of what historical figures have done around the world. If you look at the spectrum properly you will see that no politician in power today has become extreme enough in action to be place near  Mao, Stalin or Hitler. 

The Alt-Right, White Nationalists, Neo Nazis, and KKK have given their aid and support to the election of #45 and the Republican party, they are making a lot of hateful noise, and they are actually getting violent. This is a problem. It doesn't make moderate Republicans or even #45 Nazis, but it needs to be addressed. 

Being complicate with these groups is almost as bad as joining them, but not all or even most Republicans are complicate with them. Many prominent Republicans have rightly and justly spoken out against these groups. The alt-right may have appeared to hijack the republican party for now with the last election, but #45 hasn't shown any loyalty to any particular group or ideal to be honest. The danger in #45 is his nihilist nature, not the alt-right supporting him.

Personality testing doesn't work.

Borrowed from Wikipedia

The Myers Brigg test is junk pseudoscience cooked up by unqualified individuals and its adoption almost worldwide by corporations and experts that should know better is appalling. Personality testing in general has not been proven to be accurate or effective. Personality is not static and people can't be lumped into arbitrary categories. Please consider the sources below:

• https://books.google.ca/books?id=Njh9KgwSjs0C&dq=The%20Cult%20of%20Personality&source=gbs_navlinks_s
• https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/give-and-take/201309/goodbye-mbti-the-fad-won-t-die
• http://www.businessinsider.com/myers-briggs-personality-test-is-misleading-2014-6
• https://www.theguardian.com/science/brain-flapping/2013/mar/19/myers-briggs-test-unscientific
• https://books.google.com/books?id=OrrCBQAAQBAJ&source=gbs_navlinks_s
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/on-leadership/myers-briggs-does-it-pay-to-know-your-type/2012/12/14/eaed51ae-3fcc-11e2-bca3-aadc9b7e29c5_story.html?utm_term=.6e7e92232616
• http://www.newstatesman.com/martha-gill/2013/12/why-personality-tests-dont-work
• http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18723950
• https://www.wsj.com/articles/are-workplace-personality-tests-fair-1412044257

Polygraph testing is a lie.

Image borrowed from sketchport.com

I'll just leave this here. Polygraph testing is junk pseudoscience. Governments, corporations, and police organizations should stop using it. Read the sources below and consider them if ever asked to undergo a polygraph.

• https://www.apa.org/research/action/polygraph.aspx
• http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22467640
• http://www.amazon.com/The-Lie-Detectors-American-Obsession/dp/0743259882
• http://www.vox.com/2014/8/14/5999119/polygraphs-lie-detectors-do-they-work
• http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-pass-a-polygraph-test-2015-5
• https://fas.org/sgp/othergov/polygraph/ota/contro.html

Single Payer is Responsible Governance.

I know it has been made into a partisan issue, but providing a national healthcare system that allows everyone to receive care regardless of their individual ability to pay really isn't a partisan issue. In a single payer system the people providing services get paid so that the people that need it receive it. It satisfies sensibilities on both sides of the aisle. 

The only people that stand to lose are the one that rake in money hand over fist on the inequitable private insurance system. The Affordable Care Act addressed some of the issues with our system but doesn't go far enough. Part of the job of government is to provide for the general welfare of the people. Implementing a system that provides all of us with the care we need and all of the professionals that provide the services compensation is not a government over reach like many conservatives try to claim. Both the preamble & the taxes & spending clauses of the U.S. Constitution mention providing for the general welfare of the people.

Privacy Rights Still Matter

Many don't care about privacy rights. They have given up because we are already watched by companies and corporations online and elsewhere everyday. You can't be a hermit anymore. If you tried to live under a rock Google would come along, snap a picture and add that rock with your limbs showing to Google Maps. Heck, I have practically no privacy in using the services I share this on and you none to speak of if you are reading it. For those of you that don't see a big deal with the NSA & now the CIA spying on Americans let me explain it in a way even my 5 year old son would understand.

Sometimes bad people get put in charge. Bad people don't care if you are breaking the law. If they don't like what you do or say or believe they might lock you up or hurt you. We don't want bad people spying on us. If Bad people are in charge and know everything you do and say or believe because of the NSA or CIA they can find ways to hurt you.

The "You have nothing to worry about if you aren't breaking the law" argument is naive. Privacy rights matter and we are in a society where everything is all ready voluntarily watched by corporations in lieu of direct charges for service. The difference is that so far corporations appear to be standing up to the government when it comes to obtaining that data. Also, you are voluntarily giving that info to the corporations, it is being taken clandestinely in the case of NSA or CIA involvement. Don't expect the same of the NSA or CIA whose job is to give that info to our government. They are even more invasive then Google or Apple, or Microsoft and all to happy unlike them, to give your info to people in power with bad intentions.

A Vote for Trump is NOT Always a Vote for Hate.

Please consider this. The KKK supported Trump. Some of our friends and family voted for Trump. That does not automatically make them in league with the KKK or supportive of the KKK. There are people of all races and many belief structures that chose to vote for Trump. Yes, a person gaining the support of hate groups and not loudly and very publicly denouncing them makes me uncomfortable, but denigrating other Trump voters over it just widens the divide. I posted some stuff that made somebody I care about very upset because it seemed to them like I was lumping all the Trump voters into these groups. I'm not. Everybody has their own reasons to vote the way the do. I will continue to verbally denounce groups like the KKK and denounce known white-nationalists because their beliefs are contrary to my values, but it isn't a personal insult to Trump voters.

Right has More Success than Left Electing Presidents that Lose the Popular Vote

It is interesting that the right has the most success at winning the presidency despite losing the popular vote. I'm guessing it is coincidence but it still makes me wonder. At any rate, I would like to see the electoral college abolished. Presidents should either be chosen by popular vote or by full vote of the House and the Senate.

1. John Quincy Adams lost the popular vote in 1824 and the electoral vote. Federalist and Classical Conservative

1. Rutherford B. Hayes lost the popular vote in 1876. Republican, but he proclaimed himself to be a conservative Republican

1. Benjamin Harrison lost the popular vote in 1888 Republican, He was known as a conservative Republican.

1. George W. Bush lost the popular vote in 2000. Republican

1. Donald J Trump, lost the popular vote by the largest margin in US history. Republican. Claims to be conservative. Was a registered Democrat for several years.

Sources:

wikipedia.org

www.factcheck.org

www.u-s-history.com

www.usatoday.com

Essential Oil Fad

If you are considering using essential oils for medical reasons please consider a few things first. The only real data thus far shows that they may be useful as a supportive therapy. One example would be aroma therapy for cancer. There isn't real evidence as yet that they can cure things like cancer and should not be considered as a replacement for proven medical treatments like radiation or chemotherapy. Please read the following links for more information:

• dōTERRA: Multilevel Marketing of Essential Oils

• https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/aromatherapy-pdq

Trump is Clearly Not Truly a Republican.

I encourage everyone that supports Trump and claims to be Republican to read and digest the full text of their party platform. After doing so you wont be able to call Trump a Republican and you may question your stances or wish you had supported a more moderate candidate in the primaries. I have read it. Have you?

Republican Party 2016 Platform Final Draft

Governance Hijacked by Hate Groups.

The republican party is being led by a president elect that is neither conservative nor truly a republican by virtue of his words and actions thus far. Fringe edge groups with hateful philosophies have hijacked the process and gotten who they want in power. It does not matter if Trump is officially connected with these groups or not as it does not change the reality of the situation. He is appointing people to high level positions that support the erosion of the institutions, agencies, and foundations of our democracy. This is not a conservative approach to politics or leadership. Many republicans that did not support Trump initially for the same reasons the rest of us don't have knuckled under. Some haven't, and we should work with them to protect our shared values and way of life.

19.43% of the USA supported Trump in the general election. These people should subordinate to the good of the republic, but instead they support those that would destroy it by bringing fascism to power. I will the first to laud good decisions in the best interest of all Americans if I see them, but I will not hold my breath and say just give him a chance when he is already doing things that set a terrible precedent for our nation. The reality of a representative democracy is being destroyed while the structure is preserved, at least on face. Are the rest of us going to stand idly by while it happens? 

Sources for 19.43% stat:

Daniel S. Levine for Heavy.com

Worldodometers

Google

nytegeek.blogspot.com

A liberal concept from the right, doomed to fail.

A wall along the Mexican border would cost between $12 and $25 billion and it would have to cover over 2,000 miles of terrain. Think about it, that is more than the the entire budget of NASA. Real conservatives should see this for what it is. An enormous over reach of the federal government and a huge waste of tax dollars. You could build the hoover damn several times over with that money. With a federal budget deficit is $441 billion how can we stand for nonsense like this? Please contact your representatives in the house along with your senators to let them know this money can be put to better use.

Sources:

1. Current US Federal Budget Deficit: Causes, Effects - The Balance
2. U.S. Department of Homeland Security. U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Border in Miles. Washington, 2016
3. Drew, Kate. "This is what Trump's border wall could cost US." CNBC. NBCUniversal Comcast, 9 Oct. 2015.
4. Granath, Bob. "'Reach for New Heights' -- NASA Budget Unveiled for Fiscal Year 2016." NASA.gov. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Feb. 2, 2015.

Our Electorate doesn't Represent the Majority.

When a person can become president with only 19.43% of the nation casting a vote for them something is wrong. I haven't done the math on other presidential elections yet, but I'm sure this is a frequent occurrence. This isn't about just Trump, the system is broken. 

Voter turnout and voter access are major contributors to this problem. We need election day to be a national holiday and to reduce barriers to lawful voters getting registered to vote. We need to give more time and media attention to 3rd party candidates so that people understand that they have more and maybe even better choices. There is nothing wrong with being a member of a political party that shares your values, but we need to understand that full ticket loyalty isn't necessary in a general election. It is okay and even healthy for democracy if you vote your conscience regardless of party affiliation.

No Candidate Had 1/2 the Nation's Support.

This is for the portion Clinton and Trump supporters that seem to be confused because they are sharing memes, status updates or comments that include claims that anyone got half the nation’s support. No candidate got half the nation’s support or even half the eligible voter’s support so please just stop spreading ignorance. There is no mandate here for anyone other than a clear showing of disapproval or apathy from those with the ability to vote. Yes Trump won, but it doesn’t mean half or even most approve and the same would have been true of Clinton.

Population of the USA: 324,118,787 or 100% of the nation

Eligible voters: 231,556,622 71.44% of the nation
Eligible that didn’t vote: 92,671,979 28.59% of nation or 40.02% of eligible
Eligible that voted: 138,884,643 42.85% of nation or 59.98 of eligible 
Clinton: 65,844,610 20.31% of nation or 28.44% of eligible or 47.41% of voted
Trump: 62,979,636 or 19.43% of nation or 27.2% of eligible or 45.35% of voted

Sources:

Daniel S. Levine for Heavy.com

Worldodometers

Google

Unchecked Nationalism usually leads to War.

The renewed proliferation of nuclear weapons cannot be allowed. Please write or call congress and let them know that we do not want our children growing up with the fear we had and that we would like them simply to be allowed to survive. An arms race is not an "America First" policy, it is a recipe for everyone's annihilation. This is the kind of madness that makes Russia our enemy and this is why Democrats said Trump was unfit to have nuclear codes. I am referring to this article from CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/22/politics/donald-trump-strengthen-expand-nuclear-capability

This is serious, this is terrifying, and this is a reversal of nessacary progress towards peace. Unchecked nuclear proliferation in the hands of hard line political strongmen is a possible end to life as we know it. This isn't a partisan issue, this is a human issue and we need to send a strong message to both Putin and Trump on the matter. Unchecked nationalism leads to war and death. Nuclear war could mean death for all or most of us.

Don't Decry Secular Christmas Values

I believe in the idea that Christ is the most important aspect of Christmas, but I refuse to discount or disregard secular Christmas traditions. The whole point of celebrating Christmas so near to pagan and other holidays was to spread the message of Christ by example, not decry older or newer traditions around this time of year. 

The only way to keep Christ in Christmas is to live and act through his teachings, not chastise others. When you lecture people about the meaning of Christmas it only serves to drive them away from Christianity. Keep Christ in Christmas by loving those that don't, not by scolding them. Evangelize through moral and kind actions instead of rhetoric. Let God do good through you so that others may see and benefit from it instead.

Christmas should be a time of unity, not a divisive war on secular or pagan values. Christmas isn't about picking fights with people that have Jewish, Buddhist, Hindi, Agnostic, or even Atheist beliefs. All of us are created equal and if our beliefs aren't infringing on the rights of others they should be respected even if not shared.

Being LBGTQ is NOT a sin!

Modern American Nazis

Invisible Illness

I am one of those people with illness and disability that isn't all that visible by just looking at me. It isn't my fault but I'm treated like it is.First I get the "You don't look sick" comments. Others try to blame my weight, Then they try to blame me for the diabetes until they find out it's type 1. Some assume that I am doing it to myself and that I am currently engaged in bad habits to cause my problems. I'm not, and that is just rude.

Wikipedia has this to say on invisible illness:

Invisible disabilities are chronic illnesses and conditions that significantly impair normal activities of daily living. In the United States, 96% of people with chronic medical conditions show no outward signs of their illness, and 10% experience symptoms that are considered disabling

I have gotten weight loss lectures and the managing type 2 diabetes speeches from people that don't bother to get the whole story more times than I count. Doctors and nurses that stop reading my chart at my weight and diabetes are the worse offenders. They don't realize I'm type 1 and they don't look at the rest of the history before talking to me. They think they have their answer because I'm a fat diabetic and just proceed to the lectures. They don't ask questions and find out that I'm active and eating healthy before they judge and lecture.
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Others are prior co-workers or friends that pipe in with advice when they don't get it. They only know what they see in pop culture and news health reports by ignorant reporters. The colloquial attitudes that dictate diabetes is all the same and caused by eating sugar is what they believe. Here is a clue, I was sick before I was fat, and type 1 isn't the same as 2. It is not preventable or caused by lifestyle issues. Your dietary advice isn't going to cure me and I already exercise more than you.

Putting the fork down and losing weight isn't going to cure my destroyed back that has been through 3 surgeries and is getting worse because I had to have a disc removed., It isn't going to fix my leg after multiple surgeries for a muscle infection. It isn't going to cure the anxiety or depression I have struggled with since I was a skinny active child. It isn't going to cure the fibromyalgia, the wrecked left knee, the degenerative disc disease, the congestive heart failure caused by antibiotics, or the congenital conditions I have. It wont reverse Type 1 Diabetes. I put the damn fork down and got off my butt a long time ago. It helps, but I'm still sick.

These people need to stop judging. I track log and control everything I eat and I am in the gym 3 to 5 times a week when I'm not in a hospital bed. I doubt they could say the same.

Next time you encounter somebody with invisible illness or disability don't judge. It doesn't matter if they look fine, they are not. They didn't do it to themselves so spare the lectures and comments. Have some respect for a change.

Marijuana is Unlawful in Every State of the U.S.

I am so sick of pot smokers implying a lot of tripe that I never said. A few pot smokers that I know go ape crap when I point out that despite local laws Marijuana use is still unlawful everywhere in the USA. They need to just back off a little. Pointing out the glaringly obvious federal legal issue looming overhead during an election season is not the same as making statements on whether marijuana use should be unlawful or on it's actual validity as a medication. It isn't a claim that hemp shouldn't be used in manufacturing. It is not a claim that smoking it to get high is it's only use or delivery method.   

I don't with the law. I don't choose not to use it because of the law. Simply put, I choose not to use it because I don't need it and because recreational drug use often leads to addiction and health problems. This is true of Marijuana use as any other drug despite the claims of some users. It's safety compared to alcohol or other drugs isn't the issue. Less harmful for recreational use is still not much of a distinction because recreational use of any drug is harmful enough to be avoided. If I had a condition that was best suited to treatment with marijuana that would be different, but I don't. 

I don't care if you choose to use it or not. Some people have gone off half cocked when I point out the quasi-legal status about denying children with seizures nessacary medication being something I would do. That is rubbish. Pointing out a law isn't the same as supporting it. I wouldn't ever suggest denying a child medication for serious illness. 

If you aren't inflicting it on me or others I don't give a flying frack what you do. I don't support nanny state legislation restricting people's rights for fear of making stupid personal choices that don't affect others. I think it is stupid and unhealthy to use it for recreation but if you aren't getting behind the wheel and killing somebody in a car wreck while high or causing other problems to the public as a result of your drug use I don't give a crap. Go ahead and kill yourself slowly. It's none of my business and I don't want to waste tax money on trying to stop you.

I don't support the current DEA classification and I do believe marijuana has valid medical uses. I'm not starting a fight with pot smokers, but some pot smokers are starting a fight with me with their condescending over reactions and assumptions about my stance on the legality of marijuana use as it stands right now in the USA. I just am just pointing out that what they view as legal could very easily be trampled on at anytime. I am pointing it out because people need to get off their ass and push for change at a federal level as well if they truly want it to be legal.

The federal law is valid from a legal perspective and does supersede the states, even if it is crappy and needs to be changed. The ones going off half cocked at people that point out that it still isn't fixed make themselves part of the problem. All that frustration is being directed to the wrong place. Their dislike of the federal law or lack of compliance where they live isn't the same as it being legal.The claims of a lack of federal police because it is legal are rubbish. I guess they have never heard of the DEA or the FBI that both have offices and officers in their states. Federal agents aren't forcing compliance with federal law at this time regarding marijuana use in some states, but any federal election could put people in office that change that.  I believe recreational use of marijuana is harmful and that the legality is questionable. That doesn't mean I support it being unlawful. Get over it. 

I get told that I'm not educated on the matter and that i need to get my facts straight. Well sorry, but I am educated and I do have my facts straight. I have been told that I don't have any experience or knowledge on the matter and that I just need to shut up. Guess what? I do have a lot of experience and knowledge on this subject. You can't know me, know what I believe, and know what I have done simply because I point out the federal law supersedes local law in this matter. Anybody that graduated or even dropped out of high school in the USA should know this.

I have written to senators, representatives, and other elected officials about getting the DEA classification changed. I have provided donations to organizations pushing for medical and industrial use of the plant. Suggestion that I am compliant because I don't smoke it are rubbish. 

If you don't support the federal law, what have you done for the cause? Using it isn't the same as doing something about the laws. It isn't protest, and it doesn't give you any moral high ground in the matter. Get off your couch, put down the bong and the potato chips. Do something about instead of blasting me for saying it isn't legal.

Your kids are not being taught New Math. It's called Common Core.

A portion (about two paragraphs) of this is taken from a Facebook status update I did today, but I thought it would be good material so I'm using it here as well.

Please stop circulating memes complaining about New Math. Unless your children  are in their mid fifties or early sixties they haven't been exposed to New Math in school. Kids in public school in much of the USA are being taught Common Core Math, not New Math which is actually quite old.

A lot of people are confusing Common Core Math with New Math. I see parents decrying New Math online when what they are actually talking about is Common Core. New Math was tried and failed in the 1960's. Anybody that attended school in the 1970's or later probably wasn't being subjected to New Math and our kids aren't being taught it now. You can't effect change in a program if you don't even know what it is called folks!

That said, Common Core Math is garbage and needs to be tossed. Most parents, even the ones that remember the needed math don't do well helping a child with Common Core, and it confuses the kids as well. Kids often get marked down even with the right answer because they didn't arrive at it using the obtuse methods being taught. Please do more than complain on Facebook about it! Read up a little on it, get your facts in order, and contact your teachers, principals, and school boards. Let them know how you feel and back your argument up with solid facts.

There are 42 states plus the District of Columbia using Common Core Math, The states of Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, Alaska, Nebraska, Indiana, and South Carolina have the good sense not to adopt this ridiculous method of teaching.