Banning Muhammad's fake Image at Hamlin University

 When Hamlin University let a college Professor’s employment terminate after the prof showed a painting of Muhammad made in the 14th century it was cited as an example of pervasive far-left extremism ubiquitous on college campuses in the U.S.A. that shoehorn students into leftist-Democrat party political correctness. Yet the largely unreported element in play was the location of Minnesota and it’s largest in the nation concentration of Somali immigrant Muslims. The Muslim community of Minnesota of course became notable for being a source of Isis recruits.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/01/hamline-university-what-to-think-firing.html

https://www.mprnews.org/conflict/called-to-fight

https://religionnews.com/2023/01/03/an-image-of-the-prophet-muhammad-ignites-an-academic-storm/

Maybe the quiet college didn’t feel up to putting a red flag in front of bored potential ISIS recruits fallen on hard times with the downfall of Isis in the Middle East. Isis may not have had sufficient time to reorganize in Afghanistan to export or outsource a conflict to begin a new Islamic State someplace else. After 2001 and the WTC attack prohibitions on images of Muhammad were ironically elevated virtually to an Islamic law in some places with a fatwa, perhaps to pre-empt cartoon images of Muhammad made by anti-Muslim publications. Middle-Eastern Muhammadanism is heavily associated, commonly, with ruling powers and/or sectarian conflicts.

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2015/01/16/quran-prophet-images

The era of integration and affirmative action drafted a couple of generations of new educators to academia and changed the demographics and content, focus and spin of higher education significantly. That wasn’t all bad if the educators resonate overseas enough to improve educational prospects of the uneducated. It can become counterproductive though if truth and the facts are spun into obscurity and replaced by politically correct narratives reinforcing the ancient, venerable problem of educators becoming sycophants of political power locally instead of independent auditors, objectively of secular and religious affairs.

It is possible that the old conservative though disappearing Lutheran community didn’t object too much to not featuring a reasonably good, simple painting of Muhammad and the angel Gabriel meeting either. Ancient fiction art doubled down as a sacrilege being shown to the public when it is not kosher to make an image of Muhammad for Muslims- although the painting was done by a Muslim with a good Arabian kind of name. That was an era where Orthodox iconoclasm and the Turkish conquest of Constantinople and attack on Vienna were, or would be in the air of worldly affairs. Islam was reempowered in its war against Europe. Maybe the iconoclast movement was stimulated  by increasing Muslim pressure and hegemony upon Byzantine culture and land.  I would give Hamlin a pass for demurring on joining the Greek fire waters of controversy since their educators may not carry many concealed weapons to class and there aren’t heavily armed campus security personnel with a large supply of sandbags around.

The Pond at Desert's Edge (a poem)

Where did you run when time went
like a slick fox through fog spent
cups of grog wreck papers bent
physics banter clues clog tent

Infinite numbers of dimensions go
cross webbed then, four plot Avrm’s goat
space and motion send matter with time glow
caught for replacement of sins mortals know

Ladies and lakes will come now
when rains of the Earth rise somehow
time loaves the vine just to plough
cold logic met ponds from Tao.

Four of Infinity - the poem

 

Infinite numbers of dimensions go
cross webbed then, four got Avrm’s goat
space and motion sent matter with time glow
caught for replacement of sin mortals know.

Joe Biden's hidden classified documents are a trove of cream puffs

 When it was revealed that former Vice President Joe Biden had left classified documents at one of his Trump administration era offices he continued the tradition of creepy Democrat leadership treachery inititated by the Clinton administration (cf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CRPT-104hrpt849/html/CRPT-104hrpt849.htm )

President Biden and Democrat leadership excoriated Donald Trump and supported F.B.I. raids at the Trump Florida residence to look for classifed documents. Mr. Biden expressed surprise that he had possessed classified documents one might believe, disingenuously.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-united-states-government-district-of-columbia-us-department-justice-a45855907a73acb256bb7c4dd5a91610

A part of Democrat Party playbook seems to be to U.S. nationalism and religion too since they may conflict with imperial style aims to make world culture cinform to post-modernist values. Lying, cheating and stealing are acceptable modus operandi to accomplish that objective for the moral subjectivists.

Maybe Mr. Biden had thousands of classified domuments and the few discovered- perhaps ten, were the scum at the bottom of the pot...one will never know. Like Hillary CLinton's emails that disappeared with a wiped hard drive or the truth about Hunter Biden and Ukrainian business or mafia relations a veil of obscurantism and the dark haze of sympathetic broadcast media 'coverage' encountering the actual facts would be as rare as the spectre of cream puffs falling from the sky.

Concentrated Wealth has helped developed the RIse of Sin

 When churches make sin such as homosexuality officially OK. and perform homosexual marriages many Americans are down with it Sitting comfortably in pews they can consider Wall Street portfolio performance and think about how to survive inflation profitably.

Traditionally inflation was bad for capital investments that were locked in to a low rate of return. Capital usually rises faster than wages so wealth over time becomes concentrated as big capitalists glom up smaller capital clumps in various kinds of buyouts. Setting aside the inconvenience of Biblical sin from official church doctrine is a logical en passant action in the criterion of concentrating capital. It is sometimes useful for empires to annihilate national and religious spirit and install a uniform secular culture without dissenters.

It is interesting to consider the historian Arnold Toynbee’s paradigm of challenge and response that he used to analyze the rise and fall of civilizations. As a contemporary American the United States is of  interest; wealth is concentrating in the United States equal to that of Mexico presently so one may wonder how that affects broader social criteria for freedom, democracy and basic well-being for citizens.

Without enough challenges individuals and societies may not develop skills at overcoming challenges. Inherited wealth may allow living in inherited incomes, properties and so forth that require no ingenuity, adaptivity or challenges to overcome for the heirs. As wealth concentrates and a class rises with such unchallenged people owning most of the nation’s capital a certain kind of financial conservatism can develop that is not one of conservative moral values or classical virtue. It is instead a fiscal conservatism that descries challenges to one percent of society owning about everything or at least subjugating all of the capital that it does not directly possess.

The ruling class does not want to seem to be so. It hires and promotes minorities in the United States into positions that it receives in the existing system and would not otherwise have already attained, or so it is led to believe. A meritocracy defines itself by how well individuals support the values of the one percent including censoring social media. Pro football is greatly entertaining yet completely useless and even parasitical as millions are led to follow the seasonal cycle of not producing anything material at all for the benefit of the masses. Chess champion Bobby Fischer at least invented the Fischer time clock. Einstein’s theories of relativity are instrumental in space work with satellites, farmers produce food to eat and football is nothing more than an opiate of the masses.

The fundamental problem in the United States is the return of a mostly unchallenged class that promotes values mostly of self-serving special interest to itself. Keeping capital from becoming overly concentrated and democracy sliding into plutocracy is a great challenge to overcome for society generally and isn’t likely to be met well. It will be interesting to see where that leads with farces like border porosity for non-citizen illegal labor to enter and keep labor supply cheap and the middle class weak. Not only is the nation no longer a real democracy, it has an inherent sub-class of non-citizen workers that cannot even vote.

The Meek have and shall inherit the Earth

 In taking an online course concerning the history of Jerusalem circa 8th century B.C.E. though to the 5th century B.C.E. when it was invaded and/or destroyed by Assyrians, Babylonian and Persians there was an illuminating historical point that emerged that served to explain some of the context that Jesus may have been informed with when he said that “the meek shall inherit the Earth”. During the period when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Judah, destroyed Jerusalem and depopulated the city carrying away the inhabitants to Babylon there was a remnant left in the city that were deemed by the Babylonian ruler to be harmless to there interests; poor Jews not affiliated with Jewish leadership or military power.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/jerusalem/home/welcome

Poor and meek people that had been subjugated by the advantaged classes were for a time left in Jerusalem to fend for themselves and perhaps maintain some services for occupying elements. One might infer today that when the devil claims his booty of worldly leaders, rich and powerful people, atheist swingers and schemers to their destiny just the poor and meek in spirit will remain to inherit the Earth.

Psalms 37:11 — “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” 

2nd Kings 25 verse 12-"But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen."

Jeremiah 40 verse 7

“7Now when all the captains of the forces which were in the fields, even they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed unto him men, and women, and children, and of the poor of the land, of them that were not carried away captive to Babylon;”

Matthew 5 verses 3-12

“3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

Laurel Lee for Speaker of the House is a Good Choice

Einstein was attributed with saying; “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results”). The House voted for the tenth time for Speaker with the same result. Apparently that is a reflection of deep state Representatives that are interested in money for-themselves and a handful of dissenters (20) that refuse to vote for the same old deficit spending leadership of the deep state.

In economics a good plan is to have one's cake (own it) and eat it too through environmental and employment sustainability. As one eats one cake it need be replenished rather than consumed and drawn down to nothing with dirty energy, mass species extinction, degradation of ecosphere and fishing, increasingly non-secure national boundaries, concentration of wealth and comparative impoverishment of the poor and middle classes etc. In Washington D.C. pork for constituent special interests seems to be the general principle that will enrich one's political family narrowly. Republicans have been divided over the election of Rep. McCarthy. Because the party is more of a deep state organ than conservative and some have even talked about making concessions to Democrats to get a deep stater from California elected Speaker of the House it is consistent that they refuse to select a conservative for-the-people sort of representative to the job.

I have suggested they run Florida Rep. Laurel Lee for the job. She is a lawyer and can speak; that's what they do (too well sometimes).

The Republican Party should elect Rep. Laurel Lee as Speaker of the House as the leading edge of change. The party after Ronald Reagan just seems to lack the capacity to put forward charismatic, capable leaders. Rep McCarthy is alright I suppose, yet no one expects much to change or get done if he does win the job. January of 2025 will eventually roll around and the party should coordinate a bit with a little optimism and forward thinking its personnel for the equivalent of a Superbowl team.

The Seattle Seahawks appear to be building for the future rather well. Denver has gone out and been competitive for the important task of winning first place in the NFL draft April 27 by losing most of its games in 2022. Denver gave its first and second round draft picks to Seattle for 2023. Republicans like the Seahawks barely have a winning record in the House. Seattle too may be good enough to make the playoffs if they win and Green Bay loses to the Detroit lions Sunday, unlike Seattle the Republican Party does not appear to be planning ahead for 2024 when a DeSantos victory would put the party into the position of taking control of the Senate, House and Presidency. Speaker McCarthy doesn't have the charisma required to lead female voters to vote Republican in 2024. Of course Republicans could offer the Speakership to Rep Hakeem Jeffries if he would change parties today. That may be the only way there will be a new Speaker tomorrow. He would look like other deep staters in Congress and fit right in.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_Lee

NFL Evolution to Kinder, Weepier Tough Guys

 Times have changed in the U.S.A. When Damar Hamlin was hit in the chest with a shoulder from an offensive players running at full speed it seemed fairly obvious that his heart might have stopped, that he might have had the air knocked from his lungs, and that his head might have been hit by the offensive players helmet and then the ground in quick succession. It was the sort of injury that occurs when a safety whom is a lighter player tackles a stronger back nearly standing up. Newton's law of transferring force of impact from the larger, faster object to the lighter, slower one approach at an angle was exemplified. I tried tackling my breath knocked out. A db or safety should have a lower attack vector.

The NFL cancelled the game and players were in tears and prayed en masse (they should do that anyway and not rarely) as the Buffalo safety was treated on the field with CPR to keep the heart going and brain functioning with oxygen input. THis morning Mr. Hamlin is in critical condition. Probably he will make a full recovery and return to the game eventually next season. What will be remembered is the crying of the tough guys; in the U.S.A. men didn't used to be trained to cry. The change is somewhat notable.

It is possible that in the era of national feminization and homosexuality and ubiquitous television that some of the players were acting because there is a female audience for the games these days that is increasing in numbers. It is good for strong men to appear to be sensitive while off camera they would cut the throat of someone that insulted them if legally permissable.

Still, historically speaking the evolution to crybaby males in comparison to the men of the 1930s, 40s and 50s seems to be a change in national character worth noting. There are probably many reasons why the change has occurred including a vast number of causes including females in the workforce and social ideas of equality as well as ubiquitous surveillance and vast national debt that might deserve having grown men crime and tear their clothes while throwing ashes into the air.

Rather than evolve into a society of morlocks below ground and eloi above living in a naive utopia where tough American males weep at an injured player on the field while the government funds foreign wars where hundreds of thousands of people perish or are injured for life, the crying society should work for peace and stop funding foreign wars as a preferred alternative, since many people and the poor of the world haven't got great medical evac and Class I Trauma Centers available with Obamacare.

Experiencing cardiac arrest is bad. I don't think that crying is a good reaction to it. One must act or perhaps contemplate fate if action isn't possible. Praying is good. Roy Benevidez faced with adversity choose to act. He was a tough guy; an inspirational figure with virtue. A better example that NFL players.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=roy+benavidez+six+hours+in+hell

Ranked Choice Voting is a Threat to Democracy

 Alaskans are experiencing pro-ranked choice voting commercials on the internet that has little kids choosing ice creme flavors by ranked choices. One little guy even says he is bored. The voice over gy says 'it turns out ranked choice voting is simple'. And that's all a load of bull; voters may find ranking choices easy, what they don't know is how the rankings affect the final winner. The winner is chosen by combing the rankings. Someone with more second place votes can win. It is uncertainty if more second and third place votes can defeat a clear first place rank winner, etc.

There can be no ranked choice without the possibility that the non-first plays vote-getter is a potential choice of the voter. As if peppermint ice creme is a ranked substitute for vanilla. Political candidates aren't like that. One candidate may be anti-abortion and the vioter likes that, so the voter's second choice could possibly be the pro-abortion guy if they can't get the first? Republicans probably ranked the two well known registered Republicans in the race first and second while Democrats probably ranked the neo-Republican Independent Lisa Murkowski first and the second place Republican Nick Begitch second and Sarah Palin (the first place Republican) not even third. Democrats probably voted for their own party candidate second. In Alaska one doesn't need to vote for candidates of their own party.

Ranked choice voting in Alaska appears to be especially designed to let third party candidates beat party candidates. Senator Murkowski in particular benefited from the recent ranked choice voting. She was able to get some more Republican votes and independent votes than she might have. Democrat women voters and Alaska native voters supported Murkowski over the Democrat candidate because Murkowski's position on social issues are more Democrat than Republican, she has deep pockets from her inherited incumbancy from her father then Gov. Murkowski who appointed her to her first term as a Senator, and the international insider team that supports the deep state supports the Murkowski brand of politics. This post isn't about Senator Murkowski it is simply a criticism of ranked choice voting that allows odd copilations and structures of political races to be decided by commission and ommision of choices for candidates one doesn't want to be elected.

The gaming of voting in Alaska really should be studied by an independent think tank that can evaluate the varieties of ways that winners can be selected from various combinations of parties and candidates in races with multiple parties. Murkowski led by 2000 votes after the votes were counted, yet a candidate needed to have 50% of the votes to win without going to the ranked choices apparently. If Democrats voted for Murkowski as their candidate and 25% of Republicans did since she is a registered Republican the party wouldn't run as their own candidate, and Democrats voted for the second place Republican Nick Begitch as their second choice, Begitch would place ahead of Kelly Tshibaka the Republican winner on the second choice rankings and Murkowski would have won of the ranked choices mean anything. If the contest is close second choices would be added to the first choices to see who the winner is. The system is implicitly crooked and allows the crooked an solid advantage.

Ranked choice voting seems like a direct attack on the integrity of U.S. elections.

Reflection on a new scifi novel

 I am not of course a great writer. My science fiction novels are an outlet for expressing new-to-me philosophical ideas that have germinated after a few years of reading cosmology, reflecting on philosophy and theological matters. Ideas of ancient philosophers may usefully be insinuated into new synthetic constructions with modern cosmology. Insights from the Biblical book of Genesis may be contrasted with ideas from Darwinian evolution and contemporary literary criticism. Hermeneutics- interpreting the Bible, may be considered in light of Wittgenstein’s principle of the indeterminacy of translation and God’s eternal nature; how and what should be communicate to temporal, contingents beings anyway?

An idea for a new novel could be biologically based since we are generally in the post-COVID 19 mass epidemic era. COVID and other viruses and bacteria that affect or clog human lungs show the wild growth possibility of living organisms inside a human body. Would it be possible to exploit wild bacterial growth subjected to redesign in artificial intelligence to infuse human physiology with new and healthy, regenerative growth of human cells pervasively including that of the brain?

If enough was known about the construction of human physiology inclusive of D.N,A. and R.N.A. wouldn’t it become possible to reconstruct aging bodies continuously and directly with programmed viruses and bacteria? Artificial intelligence would know the molecular structure of human cells, viruses, bacteria and program the strucutures to infuse resynthesized material scaffolded to rebuild cells or duplicate new ones. 

 Plainly I haven’t enough education in molecular biology to write that kind of a novel yet it is an interesting criterion to develop or at least mention in a work on my ordinary interests of Multiverse construction, philosophy, theology, scientific cosmology and Biblical parameters examined with Wittgenstein's ideas about the uncertainty of translation. I may find some sort of opening premise to write a minimalist novel this year or next.