A Good On-Line Reading of the KJV Bible

I found a good audio app for reading the King James version of the Bible. It is available here.

https://www.bible.com/en-GB/audio-bible-app-versions/1-kjv-king-james-version

or here...

https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/1/MAT.5.kjv

Does NFL Have Racist Rules on Bling?

When Odell Beckham wore a $350,000 watch during an NFL football game last Sunday he experienced mild social chastisement for wearing the costly bling. It was said that select expressions of bling violate NFL rules. One must ask, since bling has been associated with African Americans who want to show their wealth, if NFL anti-bling rules are racist levers savagely designed to keep free-expression down? Should anti-bling rules be considered hate crimes?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/browns/2019/09/10/browns-odell-beckham-jr-keep-wearing-richard-mille-watch-games/2276256001/

Pro athletes with hundreds of millions of dollars in the bank or in investments may feel a need to make their wealth obvious to the public. Pro football stars contribute greatly to the advancement of society and lift tens of thousands of homeless people out of poverty in Los Angeles.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/panthers-cam-newton-outfit-jokes-buccaneers

Bling should not be repressed in the NFL. If I were a pro football star I too might feel the temptation to wear a watch three times greater in expense than that of Odell Beckham (or a $25 dollar Casio from Wal-Mart). Timing is very helpful in sports and football plays. A watch that is a smartphone can provide instant intelligence from a Universe of analysts with detail able to provide an edge over the competition with cheap or no (lol) watches worth even $100,000.

Kierkegaard and Bureaucratic Irony

I completed a course on Kierkegaard and Socratic irony from the University of Copenhagen. It was an excellent view into how Kierkegaard interpreted Socrates and the Socratic method of finding the truth through questioning tradition and discovering why what people believe is wrong. Kierkegaard applied that process even to the church and its ossified ecclesiology, wherein people did not find Christ for-themselves. I used the information in several essays. Fundamentally the course was very enjoyable and enlightening concerning a deeper view of historical European philosophy. The course is useful for those seeking to understand why bureaucrats are such klutzes at forming good policy to address challenges of the modern world including the ongoing mass extinction.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/kierkegaard

https://www.inverse.com/article/59208-omega-3-shortage

Tradition and history are important for cultural continuity. Yet it isn’t an either/or criterion of choice challenging people. That is people may and even must question tradition in order to refine or reform it- as Luther did, and as contemporary Christian clergy seem to have forgotten to. A priesthood of believers for example, is possible today to actualize Luther’s notation that all Christians are priests.

Today’s elites may share views of society as objects-for-others as did select intellectuals of the European Romanticist milieu. Feuerbach, Marx and Fichte were students of Hegel. The era of German romanticism was in full swing with the idea of Socrates about irony and subjectivity, relativism vs. naive empiricism experiencing radical development.

Apparently Hegel in his criticism of Socrates felt that the negation of truth or knowledge in outward social structures in favor of individuals discovering the truth for-themselves, went too far, insofar as it left everything negative and a vacuum. The romantics liked that and some developed the concept so far as to be virtual nihilists with a self-defining ego and the only meaningful fact.

Hegel developed his idea of the historical dialect of the world spirit realizing itself, and Marx and Engels followed along adapting the paradigm to their own purposes. Hegel though was wrong about the world spirit for several reasons, and off the mark about his criticism of Socratic irony i.m.o. Yet he was right that one should have a positive doctrine (Marx tried to propound one, however the positive doctrine should be conditional, contingent and pragmatic rather than explicitly comprehensive and explanatory universally and inclusive of the political environment.

Probably Darwin came closer to actualizing a positive doctrine similar to Hegel's evolving dialectic, yet without any sort of spiritual or socially deterministic pretension. Evolution obviously does not progress in a bifurcated dialectic yet is discrete, although all within a unified physical law paradigm that is thermodynamically deterministic.

I believe that God set the Universe into being and transcends quantum cosmological explanatory paradigms. So he may entail determinism and indeterminism concurrently due to his omniscience and omnipotence. Temporal points of view may aspire toward a reductionism that present a political point of view as natural law. That generally would be in error.

Should Pres Trump Plan for State of the Union Alt Venue?

It might not be too early for the President to plan for and locate an alternative venue for the State of the Union speech. Last time Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi had an intifada-tantrum and banned the speech for some time. If an alternative hall had an option for use the speech might have gone ahead on the scheduled date at the alternative venue with a coalition of the willing of Representatives and Senators not minions of Spkr Pelosi in attendance.

It seems improbable that in an election year House Democrats would not weaponize the State of the Union and ban it making demands that the President do such and such, roll over etc. before he will be allowed to darken the door of the House. If the Speaker uses the State of the Union speech for a negotiating and political humiliation tool while censoring the President again, President Trump should have a plan B for the House of Representatives. 

Not everyone is loyal to the U.S.A. or its laws, constitution or history. Neither do they honor the sacrifices of those that gave their lives for national defense. After all, they are simply dead, and the living can eat, drink and be merry with clever things to say about the symbols of the nation. Malcom X was given an exemption to the W.W. II draft because he told the recruiter that he just wanted to be in the Army so he could kill white people; he might have been telling the truth. It is an old topic-many have grievances about the nation and American history and would destroy it if they could, or make it something entirely else, or seek remedies that preclude loyalty to the U.S.A. presently or even expressions of loyalty if they actually were to try to bring about rectification of social reality with constitutional ideals.

Utilitarianism, Libertarianism and Egalitarianism

Utilitarian is an ethical system for political philosophy. It was invented by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill. Its primary direction is for the greatest good for the greatest number of citizens. Obviously there has been much development and theory concerning that. Utilitarianism may exist within nearly any form of modern government.

Libertarianism is a political outlook companion of a laissez faire kind of national and international political economy where people are free to determine their own actions so far as possible. It is less than pure anarchy, and is generally unrealistic so far as governing a modern society goes.

Egalitarianism is a political situation where people are generally on an equal social, political and financial track, and with upward, downward and lateral social mobility normal for all classes. It is not quite a classless society yet does not have hard social stratification either.

Amazon Forest Fires Exemplify Degradation of Ecosphere

  I think many people actually don't know what an ecosphere is. I have learned that for many first worlders comfort is more important than abstract thought about world environment. It is unwise to overestimate popular intellect content. There are probably three transcendent opinions regarding the state of the ecosphere of Earth; it is in decline, it is allright, it is improving. Politically one may do something restorative, do nothing, or do something wrong.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-09/uoct-dac091019.php

Another factor is population. Humans usually degrade ecosphere reducing its extent in area and biodiversity-quality and quantity. For example,one burns down Amazon forests to grow one particular crop for the market, for example. That is a reduction in ecospheric quality with the loss of hundreds of thousands of species for a handful of species. Sterile urban growth reduces ecospheric area and health for obvious reasons. Technology to reverse ecosphere decline includes whatever might be invented or applied innovatively.

https://earther.gizmodo.com/amazon-forest-fires-soar-past-100-000-causing-spike-in-1838007724

 I have considering building artificial mountain ranges as an idea for humans to live inside in order not to displace ecosphere-yet of course that would change it too. There was a federal law about wetlands such that there was to be no net loss of wetlands. That worked kind of to prevent wetland loss. A no net loss of surface ecosphere or biota law would stimulate innovation yet might be too challenging and radical for those that actually develop real estate.

https://www.inverse.com/article/59208-omega-3-shortage

President Putin Probably Has No Invasion Plans for the Near Future

President Putin's reconquista of the Crimean Peninsula helped piece back together historical Russia. The Crimean Peninsula was part of Russia for about the same time as New England was part of the United States; should the U.S.A. give New England back to the previous owners, or just cut New England loose from the U.S.A. so it could come out as Blue Soviet Nude England?

During the confusion following the end of the Soviet Union, Russia was at a military disadvantage, President Clinton’s policy helped wrest away Russian lands that pre-existed the Soviet Union in the drive to erase the former Soviet Union. It was a bad policy in regard to Crimea.

I believe President Putin is fairly conservative in asserting natural Russian rights as far as international relations go. Invading any nations that weren’t part of the historical Russia in a settled and obvious way isn’t likely, unless it is in some sort of proximal self-defense requisite situation that does not presently exist. There probably is no Von Putin  deus ex machina plan building up to  beat down weak Europe.

Restoration of Russia does not mean restoration of the Soviet Union. Personally I prefer restoration and stability for nations and the ecosphere. The Bahamas could use some restoration now, except it should involve ecospheric building syntegrity.

State's AG Google Investigations Like USA vs Microsoft?

Google is being investigated by 50 state attorney generals for monopolistic practices. Google is too popular and its success has reinforced its wealth and market position in searches. Google it is a synonym for internet search.

Microsoft was sued by the U.S. Government and found responsible in 2000. An appeals court overturned the verdict. Eventually a settlement was reached. The main problem was the packaging of windows with internet explorer and the difficulty computer producers had in detaching them and using other products.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft_Corp.#Judgment

Google has been sued a lot by various governments and has paid out billions and billions. Fifty states A.G.s are investigating Google, perhaps with mixed motives in possibly filing suit, since Internet sales compete with local brick and mortar sales in states. States have started taxing Internet sales- even from out of state purchasers sending a gift to someone in a state.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/9/20857440/google-antitrust-investigation-attorneys-general-advertising-search

Alternative operating systems to windows are slowly spring up though windows continues to be the world number one in sales if not friendliness. Users tend to feel like renters rather than owners because of the way the software is written. Google isn't like that, though taking down Google plus killed the business sites of lots of people that had invested in building their site up, without providing an easy continuity migration on a downsized location without all of the empty space.

Google is a leftist leaning political entity concerning politics although it is not leftist financially. It is challenging to say what remedies might be made to bring Google into a more competitive position regarding advertising. Google maps have changed the way humanity views the world- literally. Maybe Google could spin off some of its search functions and ties to open source, commercial-free operating Linux systems in order to render search functions available through non-commercial portals. That would be quite a substantial change for-itself.

Automatic Peace Deal for Afghanistan

Afghanistan is fortunate enough to have an automatic, self-igniting peace deal built in that does not require anyone to sign. If the Taliban stops hostilities against its own people, the government and Americans in that country peace automatically breaks out. No one needs to sign anything.

The United States should be prepared to back up the lawful Government the remainder of this century if need be. It could be our new Germany with permanent garrisons established in country to defrappe general war, terror, werewolf return and so forth.

https://nypost.com/2019/09/08/taliban-more-americans-will-die-after-secret-camp-david-talks-cancelled/

The Taliban want to rule Afghanistan through terror on their own people. Not all Muslim Afghan citizens or others want a Taliban theocracy to decree what should be. The Taliban would need to accept Democracy as the lawful form of government and just go back to the plough, madrass and mosque to busy themselves while people choose for-themselves how to run their own life.

Of course the Taliban should be against censorship as authoritarian government like to impose as they declare opposition political speech to be 'hate speech'.  The Taliban party would be one party in Afghanistan yet Democracy would be firmly established and extremism of any sort that would destroy democracy would not be allowed. Neither theocratic or communist governments, royal or authoritarian would be permitted.

The United States should keep troops in secure forts for a century in order to prevent the area from simply becoming a vast, extremist theocracy that support terrorism on the west. Democracy isn't so bad until extremists take over and corrupt moral foundations and censor free speech. Rectification then need occur is a society is lucky enough to be free to work that.

Challenges and Responses During the Great Depression

F.D.R.’s response to the depression rescued millions of Americans from the worst extremes of poverty created by the Wall Street collapse of 1929–33. Unemployment reached 25% in 1933, yet was cut in half by 1935 to 12%. In some rural Oregon counties the unemployment rate reached 1933 levels during the Carter administration in the late 1970s. Banking runs were a problem

Economic Recovery in the Great Depression

One theory that is popular as an explanation for the great depression, it was not limited to the United States, was the tie of money to gold stocks in nations and the need to export gold to sell to help recovery. Nations with a surplus of gold did not spend it. National economies exporting gold contracted with money supply and those receiving it din’t expand money supply. A book Golden Fetters (1992), Barry Eichengreen explains the cycle leading to depression. It is briefly described in the url above from which I paraphrased/abbreviated some of the information in this paragraph.

There is a break in linear time of recovery for the depression of the 1930s- it was the Second World War. The war-time economic requirements for rationing and production of war goods manufacture from civilian plants that had produced consumer items changed things a lot. It was a jolt none should want to try to use in the future. An unintended yet necessary response to the facts of European and Asian wars of aggression by non-Democratic countries, it brought the U.S. economy to the far side of the rabbit hole in the late 1940s in a new political economy. Taxes on the rich were raised to 90% during the war, and Military spending was 42% of G.D.P. The tax rate only slowly tapered off over decades after the war permitting government science, technology and defense research as well as the Interstate Hwy System and numerous electrification projects.

https://www.usgovernmentspending.com/defense_spending

There were new technologies, ways of production, changes in demographics, education and social arrangements that were great. Mass production for war might have been reflected in the knowledge of mass home construction in the 1950s. So many people became internationalized that globalism was stimulated for more than elites. Continuing military intervention and foreign intelligence gathering was required to address a very destabilized and rapidly decolonizing world; not to mention the fission and fusion bomb races.

The rise in unemployment did not halt or solve all of the preexisting social and political, health and conservation issues of the U.S.A. Work continued in the private sector to better life, to invent things and to be productive as government reaction to the high unemployment and banking problems worked from a different direction. The Dust Bowl, floods, cancer. lack of electrification and modern sanitation, meat inspection, organized crime, lack of telephone network saturation etc…those items effected challenges and response continuing for decades.