My Therapist and I

Well, we cleaned the house and then I saw my therapist. When I returned I met a realtor who took pictures of my house for the mortgage company.

My therapist mentioned that he had read the blog and liked how it brought up a different perspective. I always enjoy seeing my therapist. He provided me a safe place to be confused and someone to talk to. It is important to say things out loud and it is important to write them so that others can read it. Things sound different when we say them out loud. They sound different to us.

I have written a few posts that I never posted. After writing them they did not sound the way they had in my head. Still, it is important to think about what we say. One of the problems with the internet and blogging is that many people, because of anonymity, will say horrible things. They say things they would not in public. I say the same things in public that I post on this blog and anyone who knows me knows this to be the truth.

I do not consider what I do to be journalism, it is merely amateur writing. I do not seek to be a news source. Real journalists spend months investigating things. Bloggers would never have uncovered Watergate. There is still a place for big media. I don't like the fact that the media is now owned by about six giant companies; but, I don't want it to go away. When freedom ends it will be because there is nobody left to talk to all of us. The last nail in the coffin will be the elimination of big media.

We should fear monopolies. We should also fear that no industry can get the attention of government. Totalitarianism in the west will not be because of complete control by business, it will because no organization is big enough to contradict the government. In my opinion even government will be destroyed in exchange for direct democracy and individuals voting with their cell phones.

In order to have an empowered citizenry, there must be a process that forces compromise. Two parties forces compromise, thousands of parties mean endless bickering and no ability to change the status quo as consensus cannot arrived at. That is where I think we are headed and that is where Europe is.

Just for fun

I saw this video, it has the world's oldest photographs and I thought my readers might enjoy seeing them. The link.

Things are moving quickly

I had planned to go to work today but it just wasn't to be. I see my therapist today and now I have a realtor coming by to take pictures for the mortgage company. So, we are cleaning the house before he gets here. I took a quick peak at the news and had my coffee and thought I might do a quick post of something that has been on my mind for 40 years.

When I was a child we were told that oil came from decomposed dinosaurs. That is what we were taught, they even made a cartoon commercial with that explanation. Let me prove to you why it is a lie. In the ocean thousands of feet below the ocean floor is oil and lots of it. How did it get there?

Some will attempt to find any reason to explain it; but, they don't work. One person guessed that maybe it was from the ocean animals that died. Couple of problems with that, we don't find quantities of dead fish at the bottom of the sea. The other problem is that the oil can be found under bedrock in the ocean, how did the fish get under the bedrock?

So, we do know that oil was created from an organic material (or so we are told). What organic material could lay 1,000 below the ocean floor? If you doubt there is lots of oil there consider the gulf spill.

Let me ask the question again, "Where did the oil come from?" If the oil did not come from above then it came from below. I don't even like that answer. The other alternative is that it was placed there. That is a God answer and I don't know how I feel about it either.

Here is what I do believe, science has an answer and we have been told it. There are a lot of things that we (average people) don't get told the truth about. Wikileaks has pretty much proven that. We are kept ignorant, why?

Thirty-five years ago I was taught how to memorize anything in minutes, to speed read with no loss of comprehension (half a page at a time rather than a word at a time) and I watched seven year olds from Korea use their fingers like an abacus to do advanced math instantaneously. I have often wondered why these things are not taught in western schools.

Many years ago there was a class you could take from the Evelyn Wood speed reading school. I haven't seen a commercial for this in decades, why not? It works and I learned on my own, you could also. It is incredibly simple, you don't have to be smart to learn it and it worked the tens of thousands of people. Why don't we teach it in school?

Some will say that we don't need to know these things anymore because we have computers and calculators and smart phones. What a lousy answer that is. These things are simple to learn and allow us to think and do things without relying on technology or others.

Instead of teaching the Evelyn Wood method for speed reading, people are taught to skim and get the gist of what is written. The result is that they learn to avoid detail and believe that fully understanding a thing is too much work. The result is that they cry out for simplistic answers. Willingly uninformed.

Let me throw out a thought at you. Imagine you could read a whole page, every word and not lose any comprehension in the same time it takes to read a word. It is possible and it is proven. President Kennedy could do it. What if I could teach you to memorize exactly what you read in under ten minutes. Now imagine of a nation of people who were taught these things in school. Can you imagine how much they would learn?

If we taught kids the easy way they might actually enjoy learning. These kids could read 40 or 50 news sources a day and begin to see patterns. So why don't we do it? Why did they stop teaching these things in college in the early 90s, why didn't we teach it in elementary school? More kids would have gone to college.

If you doubt what I am saying, look up Evelyn Wood and go to their website. Ms Wood has passed on but her organization is still around. School is designed to make you miserable, it is designed to teach you the bare minimum and make you not want to learn more as you grow up. At a minimum, that is what it achieves.

Everybody thinks they understand the world but the truth is 99.9% of the world doesn't even understand how the world operates. Most people have no idea of what they are capable, they only know what they are not capable of and they are wrong about that.

I have been very blessed in many ways in my life. I was born smart (not bragging, I wasn't born retarded - credit goes to my parents and their genes), I was taught speed reading by an aunt where I was about 10, I was taught to memorize anything by an Uncle at 15 and I had access to books. I used to read two or three books a day at the same time. Anyone can learn these techniques. If you learn them all and read everything you will be surprised at how easy it is and what you are capable of.

Well, got to get back to getting the house ready for its inspection. Be well.

Early Night

Short post. I am really just sitting here thinking about moving. It's funny I have waited over a year to finally leave and yet. I think about the two decades I have spent in the Antelope Valley and all that has happened here. I think about raising my children here and the weather and how the area has changed.

The last few years have been hard and I am tired and very tired of spending four hours a day on the road. The move will be good for me but we should always say goodbye before starting a new life. Don't want to bring baggage.

Have a great day and be well.

And Another Thing

I don't know what expectations people have of my blog. It is what it is and will continue to be so. I don't know what expectations people have of me, get over it. If we have not mutually exchanged promises, you have no right to expect anything of me.

Why would anyone have the right to expect more of me, what have you given me. Expect me to say what I believe or am wondering, that is all you can expect of me and I still have no responsibility to any of my readers. This is what it is, my thoughts.

We have entered a new age. I like Jane Fonda as an actress, I don't like her as a person. I will watch her movies. Today people have the ability to express themselves worldwide, just like this little blog does. People do not have to like me, understand me or even want to be around me. They are welcome to see what I think, I write it down as it occurs to me. All doors swing open and closed.

I wish to make something perfectly clear. I don't care if anyone talks to me, I will be me and if they choose to talk to me they will get me. Not the false face that everyone else needs to feel a need to put on or hide behind. You get me. I determined when I was a child that the number one priority in my life was to be all that I could be. The number two priority was to help others. I do them both.

Too many people have lofty beliefs and never act on them. I have very simple beliefs and act on them. How many of you have four homeless people living in your homes? I do. How many of you have helped gays? I have. How many of you have forgiven the one who hurt you the worst and then helped them, I have.

It is wonderful if people believe that others should do their best, it is not when they do not do the same. Beliefs are meaningless if they do not result in action. That is the new testament. I live what I talk and too many people who know this read this blog, let them tell me I am a liar. I post all comments that are not obscene (use cuss words or discuss things that children should not read about).

I am always amused when people tell me how they feel the homeless should be helped but have not taken any in. What they are saying is that others should help them. That is garbage. Trust me children, judge not less you be judged. Anyone reading my blogs expecting me to match up to some twisted profile that you have of Christians or others better check themselves first. I didn't mention every way in which people can get Aids, what slime I am. Instead I help people with it.

I will never match any one's expectations. I owe nothing and have never offered that up. To my readers I wish to make a point. I was thrown off of a website because I say what I think, that is part of how this blog started. I will respond to questions; but, I will respond with further clarification, never by hiding or apologizing for things I meant to say.

To have a real relationship we need to be truthful, not judgemental. We should have opinions and we should express them, wait the response. I am pacifist but I bite. I will respond and I will insist upon being me. It has never and will never be negotiable. I will not trade my truth for comfort or friends or help or any other goodies. I say this up front.

If you have never been beat by bamboo sticks understand that I have. If you have never lived on the streets, I have. If you have never lost everything to those who did you wrong, I have. You would never know it by meeting me.

To all appearances I am a well to do professional. I have doctorate and make six figures. I am a Christian and do not hide it nor promote it. People who don't know me have expectation based on that limited information. They do not know who I spend time with or much else. Still, they insist upon telling me who I am. Don't waste your time, it does not change who I choose to be. I will choose to be who I wish to be and wish the same for everyone. I choose to be myself and help others even people who think differently than me. If you do not do the same than you are still a child in my eyes.

I am the son of a cop and a housewife. My family are all blue collar, I just have a better education and certain bizarre abilities. People who assume that I am privileged because of what I attained, just don't understand who I am. Labels and comparisons will never explain me. My hot button is easy to find, try and get me to meet your requirements and expectations. I will fail, I will still be me and I won't react to prove I am the opposite, I will just keep being me. That is what I wish for everyone.

Using Outliers to Justify Positions

I remember during the early 70s the conversation surrounding abortion. The argument by pro-abortionists was about the victims of incestuous rape being forced to have babies. That was the argument that pro-abortionists used. It was garbage then and it is garbage now.

Based upon the argument, abortion was un-Constitutionally imposed by the Supreme Court. If one bothers to actually read Roe vs. Wade, the court case that legalized abortion, the justices used the logic that the babies could be aborted if they were not viable. In other words, abortion was not a crime because the babies would be unable to live if born before X number of months.

This type of logic, using extremes to justify all abortion is deceitful. What percentage of abortions are done by the victims of incestuous rape, it is very few. The millions of abortions done every year in America are usually the result of people who did not have the sense to use protection.

The deceit at the heart of the Supreme Court case was that they knew they were misusing logic. The proof is in what they did later. If they had stuck to the logic of viability of the baby then we would preventing more and more abortions because we can now remove babies from the womb at 4 months and they can be kept alive outside of the mother.

This is not about abortion, it is an example. It is about intellectual integrity and the truth. Not to attack my commenter; but, lets consider Aids. I was told that I didn't understand the issues because non-homosexuals can get Aids. Let us consider how this argument came to be popular.

When Aids first appeared in the United States it was the result of a gay flight attendant who contracted it in Africa. The man in question knew he was sick and knew he was contagious, he kept sleeping around with other gays and did not tell them that he would make them sick. He didn't care.

He slept with a lot of people and they then passed it on to others. The other group that quickly spread it was Haitians who were intravenous drug users, needles were hard to get in Haiti and the sharing of needles was very common. There is a good book on the history and spread of Aids called, "And the Band Played On". The result, in the early years, was that Aids was almost exclusively a disease that was in the gay, Haitian and drug using community.

Many people who claimed to be Christians began saying that the disease was the result of God's wrath and that the gays deserved it. For me this exposed those claiming to be Christians as not really Christian. Aids is horrible disease and we should not wish ill of that type on anyone. I have lived through seeing too many people die from degenerative diseases, I could never wish such a thing on anyone.

Because there appeared to be little sympathy for gays and drug users, the gay community sought an example of an innocent. They chose Ryan White, a young boy who got Aids from a blood transfusion. They used an innocent little boy to achieve a goal. They used a sympathetic outlier to justify spending millions to find a cure. Their argument was insincere. I understand their reasoning; but, I think they should have hit the real issue and stuck to it before dealing with outliers.

The real issue behind legalizing abortion was whether or not anyone should be prevented from having an abortion. You can take any side you like; but, the real issue and the real consequence was to legalize it for everyone. The same is true with funding of Aids cures. The real issue is whether or not we should seek a cure for diseases that are primarily spread by consensual acts by groups that are not generally accepted. Because some people will say no others attempt to look at side issues, the infinite what ifs.

I personally believe that Marijuana should be legal for those over 18. I see the medicinal marijuana argument as another lie. Yes, marijuana has medicinal uses; however, the millions of people with medical cards for its use have no such diseases. Because the real purpose behind the law is to legalize marijuana, underage people can buy it. The lie lead to consequences.

Let us tell the truth about these things. The truth is that in the United States the greatest number of people with Aids are gay people who engaged in unprotected sex. Because of their actions it spread to people like Ryan White. The vast majority of people who have abortions have likewise had unprotected sex, this is just the truth. Finally, the vast majority of people with medical marijuana have no disease. They just want to smoke pot.

I wish to return to discussing Ryan White for the moment. I referred to him as innocent, that does not mean I consider the gays guilty. Let us not be simplistic or naive. As I said the man who brought Aids to the United States knew he was sick and he did not warn those he spread it to. He was complete jerk. The people he gave it to were also innocent; however, they engaged in unprotected sex knowing that they could get venereal diseases, they knew they were taking a risk. Ryan White did not have a choice, he needed blood transfusions.

Sorry, I don't time to finish this post. I have just been given my move out day. January 24th. Free at last.

I Am Chatty Today

I keep across articles that seem relevant to thing that I have posted on. Apparently one of the issues is homosexuality. I have discussed before how I don't care what others do in the bedroom, nor do I wish to know. I find the side issues much more intriguing.

I read two articles that showed how polarizing the issue of homosexuality is for many. The first article is on the Salvation Army. The author believes that the Salvation Army should not get donations because they will not provide benefits for same sex unmarried couples. It then chastises the Salvation Army for believing homosexuality is wrong.

Some will have a knee jerk reaction to the article and to the Salvation Army while missing the freedom issue. Firstly, the author fails to point out that Salvation Army will provide food and shelter to gays, they don't ask the people they feed if they are gay or not. Apparently this is insufficient. I am not a proponent of the Salvation Army or their beliefs, in fact, I think are very cult like. Having said that, I give them money on occasion because they feed people that the government does not.

If we take the position that we should not support religious organization charitable work because we disagree with some of what they believe then we must consider the opposite. I give money to groups that are not Christian if how they use the money is to do good works. Should Christians refuse to give to the United Way because it is not a Christian organization. This is dangerous ground.

Before taking a position against people we disagree with, we should consider the other side doing the same. Should we tell Christians to only give money to Christian organizations, it is the same thing; but, you better look and see how many are helped by Christian organizations and how many are helped by non-Christian organizations.

Millions and millions of dollars are given by Christians each year to help cure Aids. Asking them to stop giving because they may believe homosexuality is wrong is tyrannical. Requiring others to believe as you do is tyranny and oppression. Requiring it of a religious organization is even worse.

The author attacks the Salvation Army as being cruel for saying that they would shut down their soup kitchens if they were forced to exist in a manner that violates their beliefs. The Salvation Army said they would rather stop then be forced to live against their beliefs. The author assumes the highest purpose of the Salvation Army is to take up the slack that is left by society, it is not, they are primarily a religious organization. There is no requirement that they feed the needy, they choose to do it because they see the need.

I help others because I see needs. I allow people who would otherwise be homeless to live in my house and I buy them food and other items. It is not a requirement that I do so, one of them I did not even know except through a friend of my daughters. I ask very little of the people who live with me and I don't ask for money. I ask for respect of my privacy and to not create problems. Their beliefs vary greatly from mine, if they do not like my beliefs they can simply leave or choose to discuss them or choose not to. I don't push my beliefs on them, I don't require them to be Christians to live with me.

I could rightfully tell the people who live with me that if they do not accept Jesus then they cannot live in my home. That would be a shame and not be loving. It would be using undue pressure because of my position. I would rather not take people in my house at all then require them to believe like me and that is why I don't ask them to.

It is no different for the Salvation Army. To require them to change their beliefs or do things that they find offensive in order for them to help others is wrong. It is worse than wrong, it is a form of moral slavery. Freedom of association and freedom of speech is more important than agreement.

It is timely that I was taken to task for not understanding Aids or gays. It is timely because of the article about the Salvation Army and this one about Harvey Milk's old store. Mr. Milk was a gay politician in San Francisco. He was killed in San Francisco City Hall. A gay rights group is now renting Mr. Milk's old store and the complaints are not coming from Christians or conservatives, the complaints are coming from more radical gays. They argue that the group that is renting the space is not aggressive enough on gay issues. Rather than working together on the parts they agree on, they seek to separate on the areas where they do not.

Mans greatest urge is to make others to conform to their beliefs. One of my daughters has told me that she will not speak to me unless I live by her rules. Guess what, I don't work that way and it is criminal and despicable to ask me to.

This post is not about homosexuality, it is merely an example that was timely. This post is about allowing others to live the way they see fit. Unfortunately, sheep seek to force others to be like them. It is what makes them unfit as leaders. Good leaders do not seek conformity, they deal with variety.

I was taken to task for not understanding the issues surrounding Aids. I am often told that I don't understand issues. Usually by people who do not understand how "their" issues impact other equally important issues. Hyper-focus by others does not mean that I must do the same and limit myself to only looking at one issue. That is not going to happen.

To the person who posted the comment, my responses may appear to be responses, I seek more than to respond. I seek further conversation. I do not seek agreement, I clarify my position and attempt to give further room for discussion. Be well all.