Watching the Trump presidency is like watching a death spiral in painfully slow motion. He kicks, screams, deflects, accuses, lies, colludes, contorts, obstructs, but just cant stop the coming crash. The only mark he will leave on history will be the stain of his destruction - cant wait.
Viewing Earth from the perspective of a tiny fragile globe hurling through space humbles and inspires all at once - but makes flag waving and joining in difficult. And so from age 10 on things got difficult. I mean if you're paying attention, even just a little, how can you not be angry? But how also can you not be inspired and awed. And so I write. By Charlie Phillips
Wednesday, January 31, 2018
Friday, January 19, 2018
Evangelicals Have Lost Their Way
Evangelicals have aligned themselves with Donald Trump.
Donald Trump began his career settling a complaint of racial discrimination in his housing development. From there he moved on to race bating, birtherism, hate, anger, and fear as the tools he uses to attain his personal goals. Goals centered on greed, and himself.
He has adopted a lifelong business 'strategy' of cheating to enrich himself. Breaking contracts with those that he has hired, refusing to pay what they are owed forcing them into court, where it becomes clear, given costs and delays of civil proceedings, that settlement for say 60% of the original agreed upon amount better than nothing.
Six bankruptcies later he is held afloat, not by US financial institutions who refuse to lend him money, but by foreign institutions known to launder money for organized crime.
His own executives have stated that Trump University was a deliberately fraudulent enterprise. He knowingly set out to cheat struggling students trying to better themselves, as a business plan.
Trump has bragged about sexual assault and pussy grabbing and has complaints from over a dozen women of sexual assault or rape.
He had an affair with a porn star shortly after his son was born, cheating on his wife and his family, and then paid her $130,000 to hide it.
He is conflict, lies, anger and hate. He has no charity in his heart, calling countries with mass human suffering and torment - shit holes - and closes doors on them in their hour of need.
He is without a doubt the least 'christian' president this country has ever seen. He is without a doubt one of the most vile, morally and ethically deprived human beings I have ever experienced.
Evangelicals are complicit in this moral crisis. They disgust me in their pious arrogance. The harm they do to satisfy their own selfish agenda, terrifying in its cruelty. In the end it will come to haunt them.
Donald Trump began his career settling a complaint of racial discrimination in his housing development. From there he moved on to race bating, birtherism, hate, anger, and fear as the tools he uses to attain his personal goals. Goals centered on greed, and himself.
He has adopted a lifelong business 'strategy' of cheating to enrich himself. Breaking contracts with those that he has hired, refusing to pay what they are owed forcing them into court, where it becomes clear, given costs and delays of civil proceedings, that settlement for say 60% of the original agreed upon amount better than nothing.
Six bankruptcies later he is held afloat, not by US financial institutions who refuse to lend him money, but by foreign institutions known to launder money for organized crime.
His own executives have stated that Trump University was a deliberately fraudulent enterprise. He knowingly set out to cheat struggling students trying to better themselves, as a business plan.
Trump has bragged about sexual assault and pussy grabbing and has complaints from over a dozen women of sexual assault or rape.
He had an affair with a porn star shortly after his son was born, cheating on his wife and his family, and then paid her $130,000 to hide it.
He is conflict, lies, anger and hate. He has no charity in his heart, calling countries with mass human suffering and torment - shit holes - and closes doors on them in their hour of need.
He is without a doubt the least 'christian' president this country has ever seen. He is without a doubt one of the most vile, morally and ethically deprived human beings I have ever experienced.
Evangelicals are complicit in this moral crisis. They disgust me in their pious arrogance. The harm they do to satisfy their own selfish agenda, terrifying in its cruelty. In the end it will come to haunt them.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Let’s Change MeToo to I Can Do
The #metoo movement often lacks proportionality and due process.
Accusations alone are enough to destroy lives, guaranteeing harm.
Worse, it frames women as perpetual victims against a puritanical background.
It will in the end harm rational feminism and thus women.
Accusations alone are enough to destroy lives, guaranteeing harm.
Worse, it frames women as perpetual victims against a puritanical background.
It will in the end harm rational feminism and thus women.
Saturday, January 6, 2018
To Starve in a World of Plenty
We needn't fear super intelligence per se.
The more I know the more beauty revealed. The void left by ridding ignorance almost always filled by compassion, tolerance, empathy, humility. The pursuit of understanding rewarded by awe.
Set forth in proper directions super intelligence can reveal more knowledge, more beauty then we dare dream. Perhaps even more of what we mean by, humane.
The real threat is to apply super intelligence to our current way of life. The real threat is our current way of life.
“Money flows faster. Economists assure us we grow richer.
Electronic gadgets and entertainments distract us.
Real-world families and communities disintegrate.
Earth and democracy die.
Ruled by soulless corporations that value money more than life,
we get more money, less life.
We face an epic choice:
People power or corporate power;
living communities or corporate colonies;
democracy or corporatocracy;
more life for all or more money for the few.”
David Corten
The more I know the more beauty revealed. The void left by ridding ignorance almost always filled by compassion, tolerance, empathy, humility. The pursuit of understanding rewarded by awe.
Set forth in proper directions super intelligence can reveal more knowledge, more beauty then we dare dream. Perhaps even more of what we mean by, humane.
The real threat is to apply super intelligence to our current way of life. The real threat is our current way of life.
“Money flows faster. Economists assure us we grow richer.
Electronic gadgets and entertainments distract us.
Real-world families and communities disintegrate.
Earth and democracy die.
Ruled by soulless corporations that value money more than life,
we get more money, less life.
We face an epic choice:
People power or corporate power;
living communities or corporate colonies;
democracy or corporatocracy;
more life for all or more money for the few.”
David Corten