New Anti-Insurgency Weapon
Artificial Intelligence is getting better and better. Now they have little vacuum cleaners that can go about the house, cleaning up, even removing empty beer cans and such. The same principle can be applied to ‘cleaning up’ hostile territories – send little machines out to shoot anybody that carries a gun, wears some form of hostile uniform, whatever it takes. If they do not accidentally kill off entire Wedding Parties then they would be better than what we have going now.
Anyway, I was thinking that Flying Robots would be better than ground deployed robot units, mostly because it could be anticipated that the robot machines would eventually break down, and would fall into enemy hands… the Insurgents would be able to scrap the Machines out for the little guns and cameras and stuff. We wouldn’t want that.
So little Airplane Models with small caliber guns, especially at night. Larger Mother Planes circling above could acquire targets and then release the smaller weaponized models to glide down quietly, very close to their targets, and make head shots, rev up and fly away, back up to the Mother Ship. We could call them ‘Killer Bees’ or some such charming thing.
But the engineering complexities kept bothering me… especially the little guns. It would still be possible that maintenance failures could put all such stuff into Enemy Hands. Then there is recoil. Guns have recoil… and engineers hate recoil, especially aerodynamics engineers… a plane in a slow glide can be stopped dead in its tracks by recoil. All sorts of algorithms would have to be set in place to allow for all that stupid recoil. And, besides, gun shots are so noisy. The first gun shot alerts everybody, and Attacks would therefore have to be limited to small attrition raids… killing a few Insurgents before all the rest run to take cover. Yes, repeated endlessly every night, eventually even attrition raids take their toll. But More is always Better, no?
Suddenly it occurred to me that the High Altitude Mother Plane only needs to drop small non-explosive Smart Bomblettes. The Smart Bomblettes could be built to be narrow and with slender teardrop aerodynamics with just small steering wings and rudders, with a little GPS Module and Camera Eye that could keep a Target acquired and centered… the circuit would be no more complicated than the Jitter Eliminator in every Japanese Video Cam now on the market. Dropped from an altitude of a few thousand feet, the Smart Bomblette would steer itself downward, building up speed, to clunk the Terrorist over his head, killing him instantly, and relatively noiselessly, that is, compared to a gun shot.
Just how fast could one of these things go, without any rocket propulsion? Hmmmm… the formula for Gravitational Acceleration eventually runs into the wall of Wind Resistance Drag, but I’m guessing that a slim teardrop projectile with just the barest control stubs would be able to hit 240 miles per hour or about 350 feet per second. That would make for fairly significant clunk on the head… even if one is wearing a big wooly Turban.
They would be cheap enough to build – mass produced IR Camera Arrays wouldn’t be too expensive (regular cameras could be used for Day Light Fair Weather versions of the Weapon… to save money where money could be saved), and then several small circuit boards, and some servo motors and controls with a lithium battery. And once they hit target, or hit the ground, well, there would be nothing salvageable after that kind of impact, or even if captured intact, of what use could it be to somebody on the ground?
Also, the advantage that the Smart Bomblettes would have over the small glider killer bees is that the Bomblettes could be used Day or Night. During the day, the Mother Plane would have to fly a bit higher to avoid observation or vulnerability to small arms fire, but nobody would be able to see the actual bomblettes being dropped… really, they should not be any larger than maybe six inches long… as long as a dollar bill. The only way the Insurgents could avoid such a Weapons System would be to never leave their Caves… supplies would eventually run thin, and the Insurgents would be starved out. Oh, I guess the Bomblettes could also be programmed for clunking Donkeys and Camels over the head… to interrupt the Insurgents ability to keep their Supply Lines going over rough terrain.
Nowadays they use “Predator” style Unmanned Drone Planes… but these continue to require some Operator Input. I can’t imagine that they are not largely computerized, and that the so-called Operator is there only for Appearance Sake (Machines don’t kill people… People kill people… especially those Wedding Parties), but it really needs to be emphasized that the State of the Art for Artificial Intelligence is now at a level sophisticated enough to allow for Seek and Destroy Weapon’s Systems. The Mother Plane Models I spoke of can be programmed to patrol a certain sector and then to come back when it has run out of fuel or Bomblettes. Solar Power panels could be used to keep them up almost indefinitely, that is, they would only have to return to base to pick up more Bomblettes. But, adding another level of Sophistication, there is no reason why such Model Planes could not be re-supplied by docking up, in the air, with even larger Models that could easily enough simply dump more Bomblettes into the smaller Model’s storage bin, and add more fuel as may be necessary, just as the Big Planes are now refueled in the air so they are not always having to return to base but can stay over the Tactical Area until the pilots are too exhausted to continue. But with Artificial Intelligence, there would not really ever be a reason to have the Model Planes return to base…Machines don’t tire nearly as easily or regularly as People do. Artificial Intelligence Weapons could keep operational 24/7, as they say.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Western Civilization Survival Projections
I was thinking about the dynamics of Collapse of the previous 21 Civilizations, and just how much our Modern Progress seemed to copy the pattern. But there seems to be an important exception.
Now, in most cases what had happened was that there occurred a severe concentration of wealth into private hands, effectively cutting off public funds and resources. Importantly, money for police and military security was cut off. The Private Wealthy did not see this as an important problem for themselves because they had the means to hire vast resources of Private Security – the equivalent of the Modern Gated Communities. They just did not anticipate how bad things could get, and that vast hordes of invading barbarians, mixed with multitudes of Urban Rioters would easily be able to overwhelm the Private Security Companies that was supposed to keep wealth Safe. Not to mention the possibility of the Private Security Firms taking their pay and then going rouge, betraying their masters and then taking over the Mobs, to set up Power for themselves. Why take Orders when one has all of the Coercive Power necessary for giving Orders? As has happened so many times before, the Palace Guard takes over the Palace.
Now, today, yes, we are moving toward such dangerous levels of concentration of wealth. But what is different is that the Wealthy have worked out an unprecedented scam – bogus Military Emergencies are declared so that there can be Emergency Issues of Bonds and extensions of National Debt, all in order to fund more and more Military Weapons Systems. Bonds are converted into Cash which pours into the pockets of the Defense Industry… the primary holders of all the Concentrated Wealth. So, while in all previous Collapses, money had been diverted away from Security to go directly into the pockets of the Rich, in this case, Security was used as an opportunity for a Vast Money Laundering Scheme, and so, despite the Concentration of Wealth implications, there will at least be plenty of Security Resources available, and for a very long time to come.
Now, what are the problems. Previously, in other essays I had spelled out the working definitions for Civilization and Barbarism, in short, that Civilizations can support very dense and high levels of Population, where Barbaric institutions can support only thin levels of Population. Democracy and Western style Rugged Individualism is all rather Barbaric. All of America’s institutions derive from cheap and plentiful Land and, yes, thin levels of Population. The political polarization we now see in America is more than likely caused by stress on America’s mostly Barbarian Institutions, as more is being demanded of them then they can inherently deliver. The Rural Red States don’t like crowds and those Blue State City Slickers, demanding so much Cooperation, which might raise taxes a point or two, well, it makes the Red States so mad that they want to take out their millions of guns and go on a giant shooting rampage… which will indeed happen sooner or later.
Next, considering that America is setting up a virtual monopoly on World Military Power… having more Military Power then the next 5 Military Powers put together… 7 if you don’t count Britain and Israel which are actually sort of like the 51st and 52nd States… unless you choose to see America as again the Little Baby Colony of Great Britain… in which role it acted for almost the entire 20th Century. Oh, Israel… by a clever redeployment of Military Loans, kicking back millions of dollars each year into the American Political System, funding both main Political Parties, Israel exercises more influence on American National Politics than any group of states, corporations, or competing political lobby groups. Israel got everything that it paid for… using guaranteed American Loans to do it, but money is money. American Politics has been bought and paid for, making America the virtual Colony of Israel. Thank God that the People in charge of Israel are sensible and level headed.
Anyway, America’s abhorrence for crowds, and the Civilized Institutions necessary for maintaining People’s in Crowded Urban Settings, will contribute to greater and greater political friction around the World. America will see Other Countries institutionalizing Civilized Programs to manage their High Population Densities as Anti-American, Anti-Democratic, Anti-Capitalist. As America loses all other influence in the World, as the dollar must certainly collapse as it cannot indefinitely withstand the doubling and tripling of Bond Debt and Trade Deficits, then eventually America’s last resort will be firing off ALL THOSE MILITARY WEAPONS.
Now, there is good news and there is bad news. First the bad news – If America resorts to a Global Holocaust in order to keep its primacy, then the World’s Ruling Culture and Institutions will remain stunted in its Pre-Civilized Quasi-Barbaric Condition. Rugged Individualism will survive in order to rear its ugly head again and again and again well into the future. The Good News is that lower population levels, even if only temporary, will relax the heavy demands that have been put, lately, on poor Mother Earth.
What would be desirable would be to enable a modern set of Civilized Institutions which would allow for a High Population Density Equilibrium to be established… bringing as many Cultures and Language Groups on board as possible. But I don’t see how that could possibly happen… not in some simple ‘A to B’ trajectory, anyway. What we can see very clearly is that America could initiate a Global Holocaust any time it wants to. Remember, America’s military weakness is in Occupying defeated Nations. If all it wants to do was Kill Everybody, well, that would be easy.
Now, in most cases what had happened was that there occurred a severe concentration of wealth into private hands, effectively cutting off public funds and resources. Importantly, money for police and military security was cut off. The Private Wealthy did not see this as an important problem for themselves because they had the means to hire vast resources of Private Security – the equivalent of the Modern Gated Communities. They just did not anticipate how bad things could get, and that vast hordes of invading barbarians, mixed with multitudes of Urban Rioters would easily be able to overwhelm the Private Security Companies that was supposed to keep wealth Safe. Not to mention the possibility of the Private Security Firms taking their pay and then going rouge, betraying their masters and then taking over the Mobs, to set up Power for themselves. Why take Orders when one has all of the Coercive Power necessary for giving Orders? As has happened so many times before, the Palace Guard takes over the Palace.
Now, today, yes, we are moving toward such dangerous levels of concentration of wealth. But what is different is that the Wealthy have worked out an unprecedented scam – bogus Military Emergencies are declared so that there can be Emergency Issues of Bonds and extensions of National Debt, all in order to fund more and more Military Weapons Systems. Bonds are converted into Cash which pours into the pockets of the Defense Industry… the primary holders of all the Concentrated Wealth. So, while in all previous Collapses, money had been diverted away from Security to go directly into the pockets of the Rich, in this case, Security was used as an opportunity for a Vast Money Laundering Scheme, and so, despite the Concentration of Wealth implications, there will at least be plenty of Security Resources available, and for a very long time to come.
Now, what are the problems. Previously, in other essays I had spelled out the working definitions for Civilization and Barbarism, in short, that Civilizations can support very dense and high levels of Population, where Barbaric institutions can support only thin levels of Population. Democracy and Western style Rugged Individualism is all rather Barbaric. All of America’s institutions derive from cheap and plentiful Land and, yes, thin levels of Population. The political polarization we now see in America is more than likely caused by stress on America’s mostly Barbarian Institutions, as more is being demanded of them then they can inherently deliver. The Rural Red States don’t like crowds and those Blue State City Slickers, demanding so much Cooperation, which might raise taxes a point or two, well, it makes the Red States so mad that they want to take out their millions of guns and go on a giant shooting rampage… which will indeed happen sooner or later.
Next, considering that America is setting up a virtual monopoly on World Military Power… having more Military Power then the next 5 Military Powers put together… 7 if you don’t count Britain and Israel which are actually sort of like the 51st and 52nd States… unless you choose to see America as again the Little Baby Colony of Great Britain… in which role it acted for almost the entire 20th Century. Oh, Israel… by a clever redeployment of Military Loans, kicking back millions of dollars each year into the American Political System, funding both main Political Parties, Israel exercises more influence on American National Politics than any group of states, corporations, or competing political lobby groups. Israel got everything that it paid for… using guaranteed American Loans to do it, but money is money. American Politics has been bought and paid for, making America the virtual Colony of Israel. Thank God that the People in charge of Israel are sensible and level headed.
Anyway, America’s abhorrence for crowds, and the Civilized Institutions necessary for maintaining People’s in Crowded Urban Settings, will contribute to greater and greater political friction around the World. America will see Other Countries institutionalizing Civilized Programs to manage their High Population Densities as Anti-American, Anti-Democratic, Anti-Capitalist. As America loses all other influence in the World, as the dollar must certainly collapse as it cannot indefinitely withstand the doubling and tripling of Bond Debt and Trade Deficits, then eventually America’s last resort will be firing off ALL THOSE MILITARY WEAPONS.
Now, there is good news and there is bad news. First the bad news – If America resorts to a Global Holocaust in order to keep its primacy, then the World’s Ruling Culture and Institutions will remain stunted in its Pre-Civilized Quasi-Barbaric Condition. Rugged Individualism will survive in order to rear its ugly head again and again and again well into the future. The Good News is that lower population levels, even if only temporary, will relax the heavy demands that have been put, lately, on poor Mother Earth.
What would be desirable would be to enable a modern set of Civilized Institutions which would allow for a High Population Density Equilibrium to be established… bringing as many Cultures and Language Groups on board as possible. But I don’t see how that could possibly happen… not in some simple ‘A to B’ trajectory, anyway. What we can see very clearly is that America could initiate a Global Holocaust any time it wants to. Remember, America’s military weakness is in Occupying defeated Nations. If all it wants to do was Kill Everybody, well, that would be easy.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Practical Reasons for Religious Tolerance
Whether rationally justifiable or not, people become very emotionally invested in their Religions. What do you suppose occurs when these people feel that their Religion is under imminent threat? Psychology tells us that people in such a crunch will be impelled to Fight or Flight. Well, we cannot expect that everybody will run away. So much of the Violence we see in Religious History has been when Religion had taken to an active defense to an impending threat.
Usually the Atheist Community points out how reactively violent the Religious Communities are between each other. “Oh how terrible that the Religions are so antagonistic with each other… its all so simply Barbaric.”
But now the Paradigm is shifting.
I heard a News Story on the Radio about the Neo-Atheists. Probably because of the great success the Far Right has enjoyed with Confrontational Hate Politics, the youngest generation of Atheists have decided that they too would benefit from just such a similar strategy… an “Ends justifies the Means” kind of thing”.
So the tone has gotten harsher, more insulting… exactly like the Fox Network is toward Liberals except it is Atheists attacking Religion. Nothing is off limits. If Religion really is Evil, then the War against it should be total.
Oh, and if the Religions react violently to these assaults, well, again, it is something that can be blamed on Religion. When the First Punch can be rationalized away and justified, then the Punch Back can be blamed. All the focus can be placed upon the Religious Evil of fighting back. Besides, with Religion, any fighting, even fighting back, is clearly hypocritical. Yes, it just so happens that in regards to the Atheists, they can never be blamed for Hypocrisy. After all, Morality needs to come before Hypocrisy.
Anyway, lets look at this new Historical Dynamic, where Atheism is stepping into the Role of Opposing Religion for the purposes of instigating a New Religious War. Yes, yes… Atheism is NOT a Religion. My point is only that Atheism is now ACTING like a Religion, and in the worst way.
Oh, wait! I was ready to say that the most cogent argument AGAINST Religion had been that Religions caused polarization and conflict between Civilizations and Societies. We are supposed to believe that if it were not for Religious Differences, then all would go smoothly between different ethnic and racial groups – tribal affiliations, differences in language, culture, moral expectations, property dispositions, etc… all these things would be only a laugh and smile away from resolution if it were not for the hateful divisiveness that only Religion can be capable of. Only Religions cause War. And this is Religion’s biggest problem, or is it?
But now that Atheism seems poised on it own version of Religious War, do they really now find War to be such a problem? Now, I guess Atheism is growing more Higher Minded, and is probably claiming that the Biggest Problem with Religion is a Matter of the Highest Principle – that it Simply Isn’t True! Atheists have a Moral Duty to stop the Religions in their Lies! What is a little violence when it comes to defending the Highest Principles of Truth? Yes, it seems that Atheism is gearing up for War, and they no longer have a problem with that kind of thing… now that they are a part of it.
Anyway, I have one final argument here against Atheism, that it cannot possibly have any Moral Basis for exactly the same reason they insist that there is no God – that there is no Scientific Evidence for it. Yes, yes, I have heard it a million times that Atheism is not hostile to Morality. But just look around. The WORST Criminal Organization – the most ruthless and terrifying criminals – have all sourced out of the Territories of the Former Soviet Union… where Materialism and Atheism had been indoctrinated culturally for just 3 Generations. No, people were not positively taught to be Evil. I’m sure every opportunity was taken to stress the importance of Social Responsibility, Cooperation, Kindness, Altruism. But with the backdrop of Materialism and Reason, with its rejection of Religion and Spirituality… well, Morality just seemed silly. Selfishness… even Ruthlessness simply seemed for useful.
I wish Atheism would admit that they have a serious problem. Civilizations cannot survive, let alone coalesce, without Moral Beliefs… the general acceptance of inherently irrational moral assumptions. But since Atheism has turned Science into a Virtual Religion… Anti-Religion, that is, well, Morality necessarily has to be rejected. Natural Selection is not for Nice Guys.
When Push comes to Shove, the Atheist Community will count on Survival of the Fittest… what we usually refer to as “might makes right”.
And with their superior Technology, they will probably win any fight. But imagine the World these victorious Atheists will inherit, where they cannot make a single compelling argument not to be thieves and liars.
It reminds me of Voltaire, virtually the Father of Modern Atheism… he had been a Big Deal during what they called the Age of Enlightenment. Anyway, Voltaire had been put in charge of conducting the first French Lottery, and he rigged the game so he could win it himself (as any good Atheist would have) and thus became very rich. He bought an Estate and at first ran it like a true down to the bone Atheist. But then suddenly he built a Chapel and hired a Catholic Chaplin to oversee it and to conduct daily Mass. His Atheist friends were appalled. But Voltaire explained… “it is cheaper than letting the servants walk away with all the silverware”. His Estate could not run without a Moral Basis. Voltaire leaves us with the quote “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to create Him”.
Morality exists in the same Spiritual Atmosphere as God. We cannot do without the One because we need the Other.
Usually the Atheist Community points out how reactively violent the Religious Communities are between each other. “Oh how terrible that the Religions are so antagonistic with each other… its all so simply Barbaric.”
But now the Paradigm is shifting.
I heard a News Story on the Radio about the Neo-Atheists. Probably because of the great success the Far Right has enjoyed with Confrontational Hate Politics, the youngest generation of Atheists have decided that they too would benefit from just such a similar strategy… an “Ends justifies the Means” kind of thing”.
So the tone has gotten harsher, more insulting… exactly like the Fox Network is toward Liberals except it is Atheists attacking Religion. Nothing is off limits. If Religion really is Evil, then the War against it should be total.
Oh, and if the Religions react violently to these assaults, well, again, it is something that can be blamed on Religion. When the First Punch can be rationalized away and justified, then the Punch Back can be blamed. All the focus can be placed upon the Religious Evil of fighting back. Besides, with Religion, any fighting, even fighting back, is clearly hypocritical. Yes, it just so happens that in regards to the Atheists, they can never be blamed for Hypocrisy. After all, Morality needs to come before Hypocrisy.
Anyway, lets look at this new Historical Dynamic, where Atheism is stepping into the Role of Opposing Religion for the purposes of instigating a New Religious War. Yes, yes… Atheism is NOT a Religion. My point is only that Atheism is now ACTING like a Religion, and in the worst way.
Oh, wait! I was ready to say that the most cogent argument AGAINST Religion had been that Religions caused polarization and conflict between Civilizations and Societies. We are supposed to believe that if it were not for Religious Differences, then all would go smoothly between different ethnic and racial groups – tribal affiliations, differences in language, culture, moral expectations, property dispositions, etc… all these things would be only a laugh and smile away from resolution if it were not for the hateful divisiveness that only Religion can be capable of. Only Religions cause War. And this is Religion’s biggest problem, or is it?
But now that Atheism seems poised on it own version of Religious War, do they really now find War to be such a problem? Now, I guess Atheism is growing more Higher Minded, and is probably claiming that the Biggest Problem with Religion is a Matter of the Highest Principle – that it Simply Isn’t True! Atheists have a Moral Duty to stop the Religions in their Lies! What is a little violence when it comes to defending the Highest Principles of Truth? Yes, it seems that Atheism is gearing up for War, and they no longer have a problem with that kind of thing… now that they are a part of it.
Anyway, I have one final argument here against Atheism, that it cannot possibly have any Moral Basis for exactly the same reason they insist that there is no God – that there is no Scientific Evidence for it. Yes, yes, I have heard it a million times that Atheism is not hostile to Morality. But just look around. The WORST Criminal Organization – the most ruthless and terrifying criminals – have all sourced out of the Territories of the Former Soviet Union… where Materialism and Atheism had been indoctrinated culturally for just 3 Generations. No, people were not positively taught to be Evil. I’m sure every opportunity was taken to stress the importance of Social Responsibility, Cooperation, Kindness, Altruism. But with the backdrop of Materialism and Reason, with its rejection of Religion and Spirituality… well, Morality just seemed silly. Selfishness… even Ruthlessness simply seemed for useful.
I wish Atheism would admit that they have a serious problem. Civilizations cannot survive, let alone coalesce, without Moral Beliefs… the general acceptance of inherently irrational moral assumptions. But since Atheism has turned Science into a Virtual Religion… Anti-Religion, that is, well, Morality necessarily has to be rejected. Natural Selection is not for Nice Guys.
When Push comes to Shove, the Atheist Community will count on Survival of the Fittest… what we usually refer to as “might makes right”.
And with their superior Technology, they will probably win any fight. But imagine the World these victorious Atheists will inherit, where they cannot make a single compelling argument not to be thieves and liars.
It reminds me of Voltaire, virtually the Father of Modern Atheism… he had been a Big Deal during what they called the Age of Enlightenment. Anyway, Voltaire had been put in charge of conducting the first French Lottery, and he rigged the game so he could win it himself (as any good Atheist would have) and thus became very rich. He bought an Estate and at first ran it like a true down to the bone Atheist. But then suddenly he built a Chapel and hired a Catholic Chaplin to oversee it and to conduct daily Mass. His Atheist friends were appalled. But Voltaire explained… “it is cheaper than letting the servants walk away with all the silverware”. His Estate could not run without a Moral Basis. Voltaire leaves us with the quote “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to create Him”.
Morality exists in the same Spiritual Atmosphere as God. We cannot do without the One because we need the Other.
Freedom and Privacy
Freedom and Privacy
In the West we hear so much in praise of Freedom, but which kind of freedom? There are two kinds of freedom. There is the Freedom in the Light where every free act is done in the open, up and above board. Then there is the Freedom of Darkness, where all depends upon Privacy – concealed motives, hidden incomes, secret pass-times.
Whenever I hear Patriots on the Far Right glorifying the deaths of young soldiers who kill and are killed for Freedom, I wonder whether the gratitude is only about Protecting the Freedoms of Darkness and the Secrecy.
Yes, there are instances where there is some disagreement about what is and what isn’t shameful, that is, on what it is that requires so much Privacy. A great many Homosexuals would be happy to enjoy their Lifestyle in the open, but fear a crazy, bigoted and hostile general Public. Indeed, almost anybody even a shade outside the Sexual Mainstream is anxious about their Privacy. But we need to remember that Society has nearly always considered such things as the proper realm for Privacy. Sex, the Bathroom, and the Laundry – these things have always been private, and should really stay that way. Man as a Spiritual Being doesn’t need to be reminded so often of the Physical Things, and thus the Spiritual Importance of the Privacy of Home and Body.
Yes, while there have been historically recognized religious injunctions against some details of sexuality, in actual practice, most of the time, only discretion had really been required, and Religion would have been happy enough if only private matters had been kept private. While the Rules said “No Kinky Sex”, what was actually meant was “No Kinky Sex on Main Street in front of City Hall in the middle of the day”. Yes. Gay Sex Parades probably would never have been a good idea. But the same could be said for Straight Sex Parades. Such things should remain private.
Yes, yes… we now have large factions of the Public who are seriously hostile to and ready to attack certain groups because of their Private Behaviors. Legislation is invading the Home… even the bedroom. But honestly I think the motivations here are more seated in Democracy than Religion. When it is the Political Parties spending hundreds of millions of dollars to disseminate hostile propaganda and to establish Tax-Exempt Hate Action Groups, then we need to assign blame where the blame is due.
Yes, it is ironic that the same Political Groups that so loudly proclaim the importance of Freedom, are the ones who so readily jump to persecute others. The Conservative Freedom to Cheat on Taxes and Exploit the Lower Classes is somehow Sacred, but the Household Freedoms of the occasional sex act, which never impact anybody, are to be hounded out and destroyed.
And it is probably not even about Sex. Or Abortion. Or whatever. Remember, nowadays it is all about Democracy. And Democracy is about dividing and polarizing the Body Politic into Winning Majorities and Losing Minorities. Dividing. Not Uniting. The only things that matter are the things that can win or lose Elections.
We no longer have Good and Evil. We no longer have Right and Wrong. With Democracy has come a new operative Duality – Win and Lose.
It makes one willing to reconsider exactly whether or not Democracy should really be considered as a kind of “Ideal”, or should be grouped along with all of the other crazy excesses of History… another insane revolution, intoxicating the delusional Masses for an archeological moment, and finally ending in ruin and the collapse of Civilization.
But let’s return to the topic of Public Freedoms and Privacy. What kind of Man is Free – acts Free and lives deliberately – and has no need of Public Privacy? Well, of course, it is an Honest Man… usually a Working Man. Lives on Honest Pay, pays his taxes, largely stays at home, and doesn’t bother anybody. Then there is the Man who can be Free only behind the screen of Public Privacy. These are all of our Cheats and Criminals. I would guess most Politicians and Lawyers. Probably most of our Wealthy Classes are of this group. After all, it has been their Propaganda that has so closely tied Privacy with Freedom… and since Propaganda is not bought cheaply, they must want so much Privacy for some personally compelling Reasons. Also, in a highly competitive Marketplace, it is difficult to imagine how entirely honest men could get to the Top of the Heap when being dishonest and unethical would offer so many competitive advantages. I would suppose that the greatest part of any group of billionaires probably has something to hide. Large Fortunes, that is, Destructive Levels of Concentration of Wealth, and Mushrooms grow in the Dark. Yes, I know there is a difference. Only some Mushrooms are poisonous.
We’d all be much better off if all Public Privacy were entirely removed. Electronic Money to assure that every monetary transaction could be recorded and monitored, and cameras everywhere so there could be complete and total surveillance. We almost have all the Technology we need for it. Only improvements in Cataloging and Compressing an almost infinite amount of Data could make it all a bit more convenient.
Yes, yes, yes, we have been conditioned by Decades of Anarchist Propaganda into thinking that Surveillance is the worst of all possible Evils. Big Brother is supposed to be a Bad Thing. But we need to remember that at the turn of the 20th Century all the experts were worried about two conflicting Revolutionary Trends – it was the Communists versus the Anarchists. Now, a hundred years later, Communism has been defeated. But has anybody heard of the Evil of Anarchism lately. Not a word. Why? Well, because they were the Winners. They used Propaganda successfully to ‘normalize’ their crazy Doctrines. Anarchism became the New Mainstream. But if somebody were to visit from another Planet… the Planet of Objectivity and Reason, then the Anarchism would stand out for exactly what it is. Chaos.
All the Crime, Corruption, and Castles on Hills against the vast slums of Poverty… it’s the Chaos born of Anarchy. The Anarchists won.
We need to go back to the Middle.
And Total Surveillance would be a Good Thing. If the Police know everything, then Honest Men will no longer be condemned for not being able to produce their own alibis. “Where were you when…?” Criminals always have an answer for that question. Only Honest Men are caught short. A Total Surveillance Society would reverse that. Total Surveillance proves the Honesty of an Honest Man.
It would be a bit like Heaven. For after all, in Heaven does not God Know All, See All? And Pure Souls have nothing to hide from God. In the World, at least in the Public Realm… every man’s home still being his ‘castle’…no Honest Man should have anything to hide. It would be a Great Light from which all the Cockroaches of Crime would have to run and hide. We would trade a useless Privacy for a Substantial level of Security and Safety.
In the West we hear so much in praise of Freedom, but which kind of freedom? There are two kinds of freedom. There is the Freedom in the Light where every free act is done in the open, up and above board. Then there is the Freedom of Darkness, where all depends upon Privacy – concealed motives, hidden incomes, secret pass-times.
Whenever I hear Patriots on the Far Right glorifying the deaths of young soldiers who kill and are killed for Freedom, I wonder whether the gratitude is only about Protecting the Freedoms of Darkness and the Secrecy.
Yes, there are instances where there is some disagreement about what is and what isn’t shameful, that is, on what it is that requires so much Privacy. A great many Homosexuals would be happy to enjoy their Lifestyle in the open, but fear a crazy, bigoted and hostile general Public. Indeed, almost anybody even a shade outside the Sexual Mainstream is anxious about their Privacy. But we need to remember that Society has nearly always considered such things as the proper realm for Privacy. Sex, the Bathroom, and the Laundry – these things have always been private, and should really stay that way. Man as a Spiritual Being doesn’t need to be reminded so often of the Physical Things, and thus the Spiritual Importance of the Privacy of Home and Body.
Yes, while there have been historically recognized religious injunctions against some details of sexuality, in actual practice, most of the time, only discretion had really been required, and Religion would have been happy enough if only private matters had been kept private. While the Rules said “No Kinky Sex”, what was actually meant was “No Kinky Sex on Main Street in front of City Hall in the middle of the day”. Yes. Gay Sex Parades probably would never have been a good idea. But the same could be said for Straight Sex Parades. Such things should remain private.
Yes, yes… we now have large factions of the Public who are seriously hostile to and ready to attack certain groups because of their Private Behaviors. Legislation is invading the Home… even the bedroom. But honestly I think the motivations here are more seated in Democracy than Religion. When it is the Political Parties spending hundreds of millions of dollars to disseminate hostile propaganda and to establish Tax-Exempt Hate Action Groups, then we need to assign blame where the blame is due.
Yes, it is ironic that the same Political Groups that so loudly proclaim the importance of Freedom, are the ones who so readily jump to persecute others. The Conservative Freedom to Cheat on Taxes and Exploit the Lower Classes is somehow Sacred, but the Household Freedoms of the occasional sex act, which never impact anybody, are to be hounded out and destroyed.
And it is probably not even about Sex. Or Abortion. Or whatever. Remember, nowadays it is all about Democracy. And Democracy is about dividing and polarizing the Body Politic into Winning Majorities and Losing Minorities. Dividing. Not Uniting. The only things that matter are the things that can win or lose Elections.
We no longer have Good and Evil. We no longer have Right and Wrong. With Democracy has come a new operative Duality – Win and Lose.
It makes one willing to reconsider exactly whether or not Democracy should really be considered as a kind of “Ideal”, or should be grouped along with all of the other crazy excesses of History… another insane revolution, intoxicating the delusional Masses for an archeological moment, and finally ending in ruin and the collapse of Civilization.
But let’s return to the topic of Public Freedoms and Privacy. What kind of Man is Free – acts Free and lives deliberately – and has no need of Public Privacy? Well, of course, it is an Honest Man… usually a Working Man. Lives on Honest Pay, pays his taxes, largely stays at home, and doesn’t bother anybody. Then there is the Man who can be Free only behind the screen of Public Privacy. These are all of our Cheats and Criminals. I would guess most Politicians and Lawyers. Probably most of our Wealthy Classes are of this group. After all, it has been their Propaganda that has so closely tied Privacy with Freedom… and since Propaganda is not bought cheaply, they must want so much Privacy for some personally compelling Reasons. Also, in a highly competitive Marketplace, it is difficult to imagine how entirely honest men could get to the Top of the Heap when being dishonest and unethical would offer so many competitive advantages. I would suppose that the greatest part of any group of billionaires probably has something to hide. Large Fortunes, that is, Destructive Levels of Concentration of Wealth, and Mushrooms grow in the Dark. Yes, I know there is a difference. Only some Mushrooms are poisonous.
We’d all be much better off if all Public Privacy were entirely removed. Electronic Money to assure that every monetary transaction could be recorded and monitored, and cameras everywhere so there could be complete and total surveillance. We almost have all the Technology we need for it. Only improvements in Cataloging and Compressing an almost infinite amount of Data could make it all a bit more convenient.
Yes, yes, yes, we have been conditioned by Decades of Anarchist Propaganda into thinking that Surveillance is the worst of all possible Evils. Big Brother is supposed to be a Bad Thing. But we need to remember that at the turn of the 20th Century all the experts were worried about two conflicting Revolutionary Trends – it was the Communists versus the Anarchists. Now, a hundred years later, Communism has been defeated. But has anybody heard of the Evil of Anarchism lately. Not a word. Why? Well, because they were the Winners. They used Propaganda successfully to ‘normalize’ their crazy Doctrines. Anarchism became the New Mainstream. But if somebody were to visit from another Planet… the Planet of Objectivity and Reason, then the Anarchism would stand out for exactly what it is. Chaos.
All the Crime, Corruption, and Castles on Hills against the vast slums of Poverty… it’s the Chaos born of Anarchy. The Anarchists won.
We need to go back to the Middle.
And Total Surveillance would be a Good Thing. If the Police know everything, then Honest Men will no longer be condemned for not being able to produce their own alibis. “Where were you when…?” Criminals always have an answer for that question. Only Honest Men are caught short. A Total Surveillance Society would reverse that. Total Surveillance proves the Honesty of an Honest Man.
It would be a bit like Heaven. For after all, in Heaven does not God Know All, See All? And Pure Souls have nothing to hide from God. In the World, at least in the Public Realm… every man’s home still being his ‘castle’…no Honest Man should have anything to hide. It would be a Great Light from which all the Cockroaches of Crime would have to run and hide. We would trade a useless Privacy for a Substantial level of Security and Safety.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Subjugating Afghanistan
Subjugating Afghanistan
Recently the Newspapers were all in a rage about the Italian Forces in Afghanistan paying bribes to the Taliban Forces to go easy. Apparently nobody had told the French, and so when the Italians rotated out and the French Rotated in, to what they thought was a Peaceful Sector, they were surprised when actual War broke out all around them. And of course the French, Moral Paragons one and all, absolutely refused to Pay for Peace… not when they could Kill for it.
Anyway, the International Consensus seemed to be that the Italians were not fighting fair, using money instead of mayhem.
Maybe it was because the word “bribery” had been used. You know, the American’s had done substantially the same thing in Iraq, only they did not call it ‘bribery’. There it was announced that General Patraeus “negotiated a settlement with the Sunni Insurgents whereby their militias would receive regular salaries and be issued weapons and ammunition in return for joining in the Fight against Al Qaeda”… all that said without using the word ‘bribery’ even once. But essentially it was the same thing… the Enemy was being paid off to go easy. And it worked! General Patraeus was hailed a huge Hero for practically winning the whole War single-handedly. They called his Strategy “The Surge”… but it was the surge of dollars into Enemy Pockets that turned everything around.
Oh, and it seems that it was more or less a personal agreement between General Patraeus and the Sunni Insurgents he had paid off. As soon as he left, taking his Promotion and moving on to Afghanistan, the Payments to the Sunnis entirely dried up. There were no official allocations or requisitions left in place. It all seems to have been done rather informally, as though General Patraeus had been taking the funds from Petty Cash or the Office Supply Budget. Of course, the Iraqi Government was free to renegotiate the Peace, picking up for themselves where General Patraeus had left off, but it is likely that the Shia Militants would rather keep the Money for themselves and go back to War with the Sunnis. They are, after all, Muslim. Besides, Iraq is a Democracy now. The Shia Politicians can’t very well announce that they are bribing Sunnis can they? So the Iraqi War will inevitably ratchet back up again.
Anyway, I have the feeling that the Italians in Afghanistan were just as careful about what they called their ‘bribes’ as General Patraeus was, but that the Media was not so kind to them as they were to the Americans. There are Perks in being the Last Remaining Superpower in the World. So the Media took the American Statement at face value, while they had no problem looking under the onion-skin of the Italian Statement to declare in outrage “But that is tantamount to Bribery!”
And this is why Democracies can’t fight Wars. Appeasing Public Opinion requires so much silliness. But what is needed in War must be practical and effective. What is practical and effective? Well, one offers significant rewards to those enemies who agree to cooperate – offering Jobs, Positions of Power, Social Respect and Status. But on the other hand there has to be a ruthless savagery delivered upon any Enemy who remains in the Field, to include entire Tribal Enclaves or even towns and villages that provide substantial logistical support for the Enemy. Remember, the Americans did not end their Civil War until Sherman burnt Atlanta and Lincoln assured the Plantation Owners that they could keep their Farms if not their Slaves. A Very Sweet Carrot or a Very Hard Stick. And Democracies are unwilling to do either one thing or the other. Look at the thanks Lincoln got.
Recently the Newspapers were all in a rage about the Italian Forces in Afghanistan paying bribes to the Taliban Forces to go easy. Apparently nobody had told the French, and so when the Italians rotated out and the French Rotated in, to what they thought was a Peaceful Sector, they were surprised when actual War broke out all around them. And of course the French, Moral Paragons one and all, absolutely refused to Pay for Peace… not when they could Kill for it.
Anyway, the International Consensus seemed to be that the Italians were not fighting fair, using money instead of mayhem.
Maybe it was because the word “bribery” had been used. You know, the American’s had done substantially the same thing in Iraq, only they did not call it ‘bribery’. There it was announced that General Patraeus “negotiated a settlement with the Sunni Insurgents whereby their militias would receive regular salaries and be issued weapons and ammunition in return for joining in the Fight against Al Qaeda”… all that said without using the word ‘bribery’ even once. But essentially it was the same thing… the Enemy was being paid off to go easy. And it worked! General Patraeus was hailed a huge Hero for practically winning the whole War single-handedly. They called his Strategy “The Surge”… but it was the surge of dollars into Enemy Pockets that turned everything around.
Oh, and it seems that it was more or less a personal agreement between General Patraeus and the Sunni Insurgents he had paid off. As soon as he left, taking his Promotion and moving on to Afghanistan, the Payments to the Sunnis entirely dried up. There were no official allocations or requisitions left in place. It all seems to have been done rather informally, as though General Patraeus had been taking the funds from Petty Cash or the Office Supply Budget. Of course, the Iraqi Government was free to renegotiate the Peace, picking up for themselves where General Patraeus had left off, but it is likely that the Shia Militants would rather keep the Money for themselves and go back to War with the Sunnis. They are, after all, Muslim. Besides, Iraq is a Democracy now. The Shia Politicians can’t very well announce that they are bribing Sunnis can they? So the Iraqi War will inevitably ratchet back up again.
Anyway, I have the feeling that the Italians in Afghanistan were just as careful about what they called their ‘bribes’ as General Patraeus was, but that the Media was not so kind to them as they were to the Americans. There are Perks in being the Last Remaining Superpower in the World. So the Media took the American Statement at face value, while they had no problem looking under the onion-skin of the Italian Statement to declare in outrage “But that is tantamount to Bribery!”
And this is why Democracies can’t fight Wars. Appeasing Public Opinion requires so much silliness. But what is needed in War must be practical and effective. What is practical and effective? Well, one offers significant rewards to those enemies who agree to cooperate – offering Jobs, Positions of Power, Social Respect and Status. But on the other hand there has to be a ruthless savagery delivered upon any Enemy who remains in the Field, to include entire Tribal Enclaves or even towns and villages that provide substantial logistical support for the Enemy. Remember, the Americans did not end their Civil War until Sherman burnt Atlanta and Lincoln assured the Plantation Owners that they could keep their Farms if not their Slaves. A Very Sweet Carrot or a Very Hard Stick. And Democracies are unwilling to do either one thing or the other. Look at the thanks Lincoln got.
Will the Messiah Be a Woman
I recently had a dream; a dream that fit well within the new regime of dreams I have been having lately which place me as a member of a group. Yes, once I had been an individual, but now I have become a cog on the Great Wheel of Things. Anyway, at the center of this dream was a woman, not a young woman, who it seemed was being groomed and fitted out for some kind of role or contest. She was middle-aged and so it could not have been the usual ‘beauty contest’, but there seemed to be parallels. Attention was being paid to her appearance, but she was also being groomed for Talent and Expression. Interestingly, she did not smile… not that I was ever able to see. Not much levity in her character – this was a serious woman. But there was a great deal of gushing about her from the others. One of the ladies working upon her hair and make-up gave out the optimistic conjecture that she would certainly land First Place. Well, ‘optimistic’ projections into the future make me nervous. I always fear that hoping for the best brings the worst and that over-expectations attract a kind of ‘jinx’. So I spoke up, and not remembering exactly what I said, I said something like “No, we should be lucky if she gets second, and we certainly don’t want her to be proud”. At this moment the ladies had to go off and they got up to leave, including our Subject. As she walked by, while not remembering exactly what she said, she said something like, “yes, I will keep in mind not to be proud”. Well, it seemed like sarcasm and I echoed her on her way out… “You won’t be proud?”. It all came across as rather flat banter; that I DO remember.
After I awoke it occurred to me that I was nervous speaking around this woman, and that she was probably nervous speaking around me. Usually in my dreams I have gushing conversations with the ladies, but this was different. So it set me to wondering what was different. Why the tension?
Now, often in my dreams there had been elements describing the maturation and development of a Messianic Character… starting out decades ago, a Dream Character, as a young autocratic Prince, selfish to an infantile extent – everything was about himself. I would have to protect him from Palace Revolts. His egotism was that provoking. As years went by the Prince became idealistic, again to the extreme… he could not think clearly because of all his ‘principals’. There I had to protect him from his Wars. Wars are what occur when People in Power use any Means to protect even the slightest Ideals… not bothering to ask themselves “Is it worth it?”.
Several years ago this Dream Messiah matured. He was suddenly Wise and Clear Sighted, and not a little bit overwhelmed with the problems of the World, but I remember him resolutely marching off to address them. And he was definitely a male.
Was this Lady something of a feminine Messiah? She seemed already at the Mature Stage. There was no profound Egotism. She recognized the ‘Others’ all about her and made allowances for them. And her lack of Levity may have indicated there was no cloud of Ideals blocking her vision or putting stars in her eyes.
This all set me to thinking about the Real World. Might a Female Messiah be better received, over-all, than a Man? I was thinking that the Collective of Male Testosterone from around the world would perhaps bristle less in reflexive reaction to a Women rising to World Dominance, than some hairy man who wouldn’t get any respect until he had beaten everybody up, just like in any band of primates or pack of wolves. But, no, not really. I remembered that Female Heads of State have had a horrible time being accepted… as a percentage of their total, the girls get assassinated far more often than the boys. Apparently The Game is even rougher for the women.
But a female Messiah might have greater credibility among Women in general. I might suspect that Women from all around the World have begun to be suspect of Men… at home, in Politics, in Business. They look around and they see the men in their lives, as they drink, as they gamble, as they smoke cigarettes and as they run around from whore house to whore house, lying about every single thing they do. Would these women have much trust in a Messiah, if he were a man? I would guess not. Especially after the big let-down of Obama. Male Messiahs would all seem like so much more bullshit.
But is it important what Women think? Well, yes. Women raise children. The first notions in a child’s head are planted there by the Mother. We get our first philosophies on our mother’s lap. If we want a Generation growing up respecting a Messiah, it would probably be best if the Messiah were a Woman.
After I awoke it occurred to me that I was nervous speaking around this woman, and that she was probably nervous speaking around me. Usually in my dreams I have gushing conversations with the ladies, but this was different. So it set me to wondering what was different. Why the tension?
Now, often in my dreams there had been elements describing the maturation and development of a Messianic Character… starting out decades ago, a Dream Character, as a young autocratic Prince, selfish to an infantile extent – everything was about himself. I would have to protect him from Palace Revolts. His egotism was that provoking. As years went by the Prince became idealistic, again to the extreme… he could not think clearly because of all his ‘principals’. There I had to protect him from his Wars. Wars are what occur when People in Power use any Means to protect even the slightest Ideals… not bothering to ask themselves “Is it worth it?”.
Several years ago this Dream Messiah matured. He was suddenly Wise and Clear Sighted, and not a little bit overwhelmed with the problems of the World, but I remember him resolutely marching off to address them. And he was definitely a male.
Was this Lady something of a feminine Messiah? She seemed already at the Mature Stage. There was no profound Egotism. She recognized the ‘Others’ all about her and made allowances for them. And her lack of Levity may have indicated there was no cloud of Ideals blocking her vision or putting stars in her eyes.
This all set me to thinking about the Real World. Might a Female Messiah be better received, over-all, than a Man? I was thinking that the Collective of Male Testosterone from around the world would perhaps bristle less in reflexive reaction to a Women rising to World Dominance, than some hairy man who wouldn’t get any respect until he had beaten everybody up, just like in any band of primates or pack of wolves. But, no, not really. I remembered that Female Heads of State have had a horrible time being accepted… as a percentage of their total, the girls get assassinated far more often than the boys. Apparently The Game is even rougher for the women.
But a female Messiah might have greater credibility among Women in general. I might suspect that Women from all around the World have begun to be suspect of Men… at home, in Politics, in Business. They look around and they see the men in their lives, as they drink, as they gamble, as they smoke cigarettes and as they run around from whore house to whore house, lying about every single thing they do. Would these women have much trust in a Messiah, if he were a man? I would guess not. Especially after the big let-down of Obama. Male Messiahs would all seem like so much more bullshit.
But is it important what Women think? Well, yes. Women raise children. The first notions in a child’s head are planted there by the Mother. We get our first philosophies on our mother’s lap. If we want a Generation growing up respecting a Messiah, it would probably be best if the Messiah were a Woman.
Recording TV Shouldn’t be THAT Difficult
Topics covered:
DVD Recording Errors
VHS Recording problems
Sylvania ZV450SL8
Pioneer DVR-650H
ATSC Tuning
NTSC Tuning
HDD vs. DVD vs. VHS
I suppose I am one of millions of people who used to watch one TV Show while recording another to watch later. We would all use VHS Tapes. In the old days you could buy some fairly reliable VHS Recorders… ones that would last 3 or 4 years. But that was long ago. I think the manufacturers finally peaked at the point where they could make the things very cheaply, out of the cheapest components – weak motors, lowest bid bearings, and electronics from the very latest Developing Nation to discover the Factory System while still having just the faintest inkling regarding Quality Control. Oh, the machines would have to be meaty enough to last through the warranty period. So, in the end they were selling us 60 day VHS Recorders. And the tapes seemed to have taken the same trajectory downward. In the Old Days I would use a single tape for years on end. Now, most tapes can’t survive through to their fifth use. The Industry seemed to have had a Race to the Bottom. Some Brands were worse, but none were good. You can take apart a “Premium Tape” and find, well, just throw-away parts… indeed you’ll come away surprised that they last as long as they do.
Anyway, I was getting tired of the cycle of buying new tapes, hoping I was having a chronic tape problem, only to find I needed a whole new machine. Or sometimes the failures were mercifully catastrophic – where a machine would just die, saving me from the nagging “it could be anything” kind of problems… forcing one to go out and buy head cleaners, new tapes, and eventually whole new machines anyway.
I was looking at my old machine, that Sylvania, that was slowly giving up the VHS ghost and noticed on the other side it had a DVD Recorder. Problem solved! I thought. So I went out and bought some DVD Read Writable Disks and got to work. Guess what I found. “RECORDER ERROR Can not record on this Disc E 4 5403900”. later I would get E 4 54043e02
It turns out that the Manufacturers agreed upon a common standard for Error Codes, but they won’t tell anybody what they mean. You can even search it on line and not find out any real information on these Universal Error Codes… I guess the Companies found a way to purge the Net, or they have assassin teams. Anyway, nobody is will to tell you what these codes mean. As far as the General Public is concerned, they all mean just about one same thing – “You’re Screwed!”
But I found a lot of Web Traffic from other people who were having RECORDER ERROR messages. There are a lot of problems out there. First, there is a difference between DVD+ and DVD-. The old machines, and mine was an old Sylvania ZV450SL8, don’t recognize the DVD+. Then there was the Speed Problem. The Old Machines don’t recognize the new speeds, and nobody sells the Old Slow DVD Disks anymore. Oh, you can try to buy new-old discs online, but half the time the Sellers will ship the Fast Ones thinking they are doing you a big favor… faster is better, right? Then the problem that breaks the Camels back is not all disks work in all players. Some Machines from some Manufacturers like Disks made by one company but not another. Nothing on the packaging tells you this. Some of the User Manuals, on page 37 or thereabouts, warn that special brands must be sought out, but who reads the manuals anyway?
You know, Government Regulated Standardization would have precluded all of these problems. We really do need Big Government… no, we need a HUGE Government. This letting EVERY manufacturer build and sell tricky recorders and tricky tapes where nothing works with anything else, and so much time and money is wasted playing mix and match… well, it all could have been settled in one big Planning Meeting where specifications could have been decided upon once and for all. And if something doesn’t work, then some Big Ass CEO goes to jail and a Vendor License gets lifted. No more getting stuck with useless Memorex Tapes. It all makes me wonder whether Archeologists digging up our Landfills thousands of years from now will be left to puzzle why Trash Dumps all around the World were peppered with spools of Memorex Disks still fresh in their packaging. I suppose if they still have Capitalism, they will understand quickly enough, for as long as Capitalism remains alive then the notion and appeal of baiting Consumers with pretty but useless junk and ripping them off will never be entirely forgotten or abandoned.
Well, but shaking my fist at the sky would not help… not indefinitely, anyway. I had to believe that something out there might work – that some certain Brand and Model of Machines with some certain Brand of Disks could make for a useable combination. They couldn’t all be bad, could they? So I did a huge Web Search to find something that I could confidently go out and buy. But I just found that there are a million problems out there. Yes, there were happy customers out there, but they seemed far too relieved. Everybody was going through way too much trouble! Oh, one guy On Line gave out the cogent and probably prophetic warning that DVD’s were probably a transitory medium anyway, and that it would be crazy to get over-invested in it, and that if one still had an old piece of junk VHS recorder and a pile of tapes laying around the house that still worked, then try to get another couple of years out of them to last you up to the point where we can all laugh derisively when the well deserved Death of DVD comes as it surely will. Unfortunately, my machine was choking on my last few tapes and I need something new now. I was missing TV shows.
You know, we have been in the middle of a Memory Revolution – hard drives with dazzling amounts of memory, and even little memory sticks that each have a hundred times more data capacity then NASA had in total when they ‘said’ they landed a man on the moon. With so much Digital Memory available so cheaply, why were we all still dicking around with disks and tapes? Why not just run the TV Shows into pure memory, simple and sweet?
Yes, there is TiVo. Isn’t that what TiVo does? They have a Webpage that doesn’t seem to work.. or I couldn’t make it work. Anyway, the word I picked up on TiVo is that it is akin to being in a kind of Cult or Secret Society that one has to join… that you can’t just buy a TiVo machine and go home and fire it up. I’ve heard that people have to sign up for stuff. Maybe you need to tithe and attend Sunday services for it. I’m not sure about anything…as I said, their Web Page wouldn’t even work for me. And it all sounds far too complicated from what I have heard in the general ambiance. Remember, it is all only about recording one TV show while one watches another. It shouldn’t involve monthly payments, calendar schedules, sworn oaths, giving up first born children and dancing naked at the bi-annual human sacrifice ceremonies. If I wanted that kind of thing, I’d buy a Saturn.
But once I got the idea of Pure Memory Recording, I searched around and found that Pioneer made a few Machines that might do the job for me. So I ran out and bought one right on the sport, right? No, wrong. There has been another Big Problem plaguing the TV Recording Crowd and that is the Tunerless TV Recorder – VHS or DVD Recorders without the “Antenna In” and “Antenna Out” Connectors. They sell them all over the place now. The first time I bought one, I didn’t believe it when I got it home and found that there was no place to plug my Cable. Honestly, what good is it? Yes, yes, the Sales People tell you that you can get a Top Box or a Set Top Box. But the stores never have one in stock to sell to me. I was told the Cable Company would be glad to rent me one… if I wanted to stand in line for it, and then add to my monthly payments. It was disgusting. Technology taking these huge steps backwards. New Recorders not able to replace Old Recorders.
Anyway, after looking long and hard I found Recorders with Tuners – with Antenna Ins and Outs. The boxes were labeled as having ATSC Tuners. And these worked fine. It turns out, though, that ATSC Tuners are specifically made to handle the new Digital Signals. But most Cable Companies are still putting Analog Signals out over their lines. Yes, they are receiving Digital Programming on their end and we can see the signs of this when the picture freezes or gets choppy or the voices get out of sync… all Digital TV problems, but the signal actually running down our cables is Analog, that is, unless you are actually paying extra to specifically get Digital Channels and those highfalutin HiDef Channels, and even then you will probably still have a range of Analog Channels… in my area is it channels 2 through 64. You know, we should be very happy and grateful that the Cable Companies are converting these signals for us, at their end, or we really would need those darn ATSC top boxes. Oh, if the Cable Companies ever do give up on giving us free Analog Conversion, then we will need not just one ATSC Tuner, but we will need Double Tuners, so we can watch one show while recording another. I saw it mentioned a few times while I was doing all that searching around. It all might happen in 2012, to coincide with all that other End of the World crap.
Anyway, I looked up the Pioneer specs and could find nothing anywhere that said anything about its having an ATSC Tuner. This was when I still thought that was what I needed. But in the Tuner section of the Specifications it listed NTSC. So I looked that up. It turns out that NTSC is Analog Tuning… what I had been getting all along. You see, the ATSC Tuners I had been dealing with were designed to recognize and pass-through Analog Signals to some bare-minimum NTSC Analog tuner that the TV would recognize. I thought I had been using the ATSC Tuners, but not really… not in the full sense. But I was getting a Picture and I was happy. I never knew the difference of the fine details.
Oh, by the way, Retail Salespeople are mostly young lazy idiots. Yeah, for minimum wage, what would we expect, but they are around the stuff all day long. It’s their job to know this stuff. Or maybe it is a matter of them being too young and too dumb to have any communication skills or realizing what the World really expects of them. In a highly technical business they need to be able to come to terms with all of the complexities involved – they need to know what all the little Letters and Logos on the Boxes mean, and they need to be able to explain their applicability to the Customer’s World and Requirements. But these kids are out of our School Systems. They think that they were doing fine with barely passing grades. Really, the schools do a great disservice to the children by providing so many Passing Grades in their Evaluations – A, B, C, D. Only ‘F’ flunks. Only 2 Grades are necessary for any Educational Evaluation – “Perfect” and “Go Back and Try Again”. Until they master everything that is expected of them, they should not be allowed go on and get out – keep them in School forever, or transfer them straight to Prison if they pass some certain age limit. But the Schools should not be allowed to release these idiots into the greater society. The Schools with their system of ‘Good Enough’ does not prepare these young people for a World where good enough is simply no longer good enough.
And with some of those kids one needs to wonder of their honesty. This one Pioneer Model in one large well stocked Audio Electronics Specialty Store had “Antenna In” and “Antenna Out” connectors, where the Tuner is, but it was not the traditional threaded 75 Ohm Cable Input that we are familiar with. He could find an adapter only for the “Antenna In”. I mentioned that I need “Antenna Out” also. He said “You are only recording, so you only need the ‘In’”. Well, I had explained earlier what I was doing – recording one thing while watching another, that the Signal has to be able to run through the Recorder to the TV Set for both things to work at once. He either didn’t understand, or he was lying to me. He was either stupid or he thought I was. That bothered me.
Anyway, when I finally understood that the Pioneer Machines probably would be able to work just fine with the cable I had at home, with their HTSC Tuners, I went out and bought one of their Machines.
I found a small shop where the Owner was the salesman. He had a bench in the back with equipment stacked up. He knew what all the Letters and Logos on the boxes meant. He knew ATSC and NTSC and showed me in his shop the hookups I would use at home, and that they would work. He was fun to talk show, and the demonstration was fun. It verified everything I had learned in all of my Web Searches.
I got a Pioneer DVR-650H. It has a Hard Drive with 250 Gig Memory… that is a lot of hours of TV. It also had a DVD side. Yeah, a lot of people buy these things so they can illicitly tape movies in the theaters with their camcorders and then ‘burn’ Cheap Pirate Swap Meet Copies to sell on the street. Salespeople were assuming that is why I wanted to buy such a thing and were giving me all the Details of the Pirate Trade, and I had to interrupt several times with “Excuse me, but do I really look that sleazy?” Oh, but the machines were rather pricey – three times what I would have expected to pay for a new VHS Recorder. Yes, so I guess it would be nice if the machine could help pay for itself, sleazy or not, wouldn’t it? The asking price was $699 but after I told my sad tale to the Store Manager, he good-willed a hundred bucks off the top and let me have it for $600 even. I was grateful, but still wonder how much just a Hard Drive Thing would have been. Maybe Pioneer should think of making something that can be used purely in the case where somebody wants to watch one TV Show while he records another. Sometimes spending a little bit for a machine that does the one simple thing that one needs it for is preferable to spending a ton of money for a machine that does that one simple thing, while also being able to do a million other things that will only collect dust, never be used, and slowly rot away from neglect. But, then again, it might simplify manufacturing and marketing to have One Model that keeps everybody happy. The big price bite was probably the Hard Drive thing anyway. All the other extras probably did not add up to much at all. So I should probably stop all my bitching.
This Pioneer thing, the DVR-650H, does seem to be a very good machine. For one thing, the NTSC Tuner seems to be a notch above the simple minimum that came in my Sylvania ZV450SL8. The same Cable Signal going to the same TV seems to have a lot more sharpness and clarity. Maybe even the DVD side works. I don’t know. After all these DVD problems I’ve been having, I simply don’t want to have to screw with it.
The important thing is that the HDD Side works very well. HDD is what they call the Hard Drive half of the thing. I thought I was having problems at first, because I couldn’t set out a “Title” which I thought it was necessary to do (you see, I had started to read the Manual. One should NEVER read the Manuals… they only confuse you and put ideas into your head). Anyway, if you just start to record something then the Machine will automatically give it a Title – referring to the time of day or the channel one is recording, which one can edit later at one’s leisure. I was actually making it quite harder than it needed to be. Really, it is almost as simple as just hitting a single button.
Oh, I took a guess and started to PLAY a previously recorded TV show while recording a new Recording, and, WOW, it lets you watch what you recorded before while recording something new. Now that’s progress! That old VHS Machines couldn’t do that.
DVD Recording Errors
VHS Recording problems
Sylvania ZV450SL8
Pioneer DVR-650H
ATSC Tuning
NTSC Tuning
HDD vs. DVD vs. VHS
I suppose I am one of millions of people who used to watch one TV Show while recording another to watch later. We would all use VHS Tapes. In the old days you could buy some fairly reliable VHS Recorders… ones that would last 3 or 4 years. But that was long ago. I think the manufacturers finally peaked at the point where they could make the things very cheaply, out of the cheapest components – weak motors, lowest bid bearings, and electronics from the very latest Developing Nation to discover the Factory System while still having just the faintest inkling regarding Quality Control. Oh, the machines would have to be meaty enough to last through the warranty period. So, in the end they were selling us 60 day VHS Recorders. And the tapes seemed to have taken the same trajectory downward. In the Old Days I would use a single tape for years on end. Now, most tapes can’t survive through to their fifth use. The Industry seemed to have had a Race to the Bottom. Some Brands were worse, but none were good. You can take apart a “Premium Tape” and find, well, just throw-away parts… indeed you’ll come away surprised that they last as long as they do.
Anyway, I was getting tired of the cycle of buying new tapes, hoping I was having a chronic tape problem, only to find I needed a whole new machine. Or sometimes the failures were mercifully catastrophic – where a machine would just die, saving me from the nagging “it could be anything” kind of problems… forcing one to go out and buy head cleaners, new tapes, and eventually whole new machines anyway.
I was looking at my old machine, that Sylvania, that was slowly giving up the VHS ghost and noticed on the other side it had a DVD Recorder. Problem solved! I thought. So I went out and bought some DVD Read Writable Disks and got to work. Guess what I found. “RECORDER ERROR Can not record on this Disc E 4 5403900”. later I would get E 4 54043e02
It turns out that the Manufacturers agreed upon a common standard for Error Codes, but they won’t tell anybody what they mean. You can even search it on line and not find out any real information on these Universal Error Codes… I guess the Companies found a way to purge the Net, or they have assassin teams. Anyway, nobody is will to tell you what these codes mean. As far as the General Public is concerned, they all mean just about one same thing – “You’re Screwed!”
But I found a lot of Web Traffic from other people who were having RECORDER ERROR messages. There are a lot of problems out there. First, there is a difference between DVD+ and DVD-. The old machines, and mine was an old Sylvania ZV450SL8, don’t recognize the DVD+. Then there was the Speed Problem. The Old Machines don’t recognize the new speeds, and nobody sells the Old Slow DVD Disks anymore. Oh, you can try to buy new-old discs online, but half the time the Sellers will ship the Fast Ones thinking they are doing you a big favor… faster is better, right? Then the problem that breaks the Camels back is not all disks work in all players. Some Machines from some Manufacturers like Disks made by one company but not another. Nothing on the packaging tells you this. Some of the User Manuals, on page 37 or thereabouts, warn that special brands must be sought out, but who reads the manuals anyway?
You know, Government Regulated Standardization would have precluded all of these problems. We really do need Big Government… no, we need a HUGE Government. This letting EVERY manufacturer build and sell tricky recorders and tricky tapes where nothing works with anything else, and so much time and money is wasted playing mix and match… well, it all could have been settled in one big Planning Meeting where specifications could have been decided upon once and for all. And if something doesn’t work, then some Big Ass CEO goes to jail and a Vendor License gets lifted. No more getting stuck with useless Memorex Tapes. It all makes me wonder whether Archeologists digging up our Landfills thousands of years from now will be left to puzzle why Trash Dumps all around the World were peppered with spools of Memorex Disks still fresh in their packaging. I suppose if they still have Capitalism, they will understand quickly enough, for as long as Capitalism remains alive then the notion and appeal of baiting Consumers with pretty but useless junk and ripping them off will never be entirely forgotten or abandoned.
Well, but shaking my fist at the sky would not help… not indefinitely, anyway. I had to believe that something out there might work – that some certain Brand and Model of Machines with some certain Brand of Disks could make for a useable combination. They couldn’t all be bad, could they? So I did a huge Web Search to find something that I could confidently go out and buy. But I just found that there are a million problems out there. Yes, there were happy customers out there, but they seemed far too relieved. Everybody was going through way too much trouble! Oh, one guy On Line gave out the cogent and probably prophetic warning that DVD’s were probably a transitory medium anyway, and that it would be crazy to get over-invested in it, and that if one still had an old piece of junk VHS recorder and a pile of tapes laying around the house that still worked, then try to get another couple of years out of them to last you up to the point where we can all laugh derisively when the well deserved Death of DVD comes as it surely will. Unfortunately, my machine was choking on my last few tapes and I need something new now. I was missing TV shows.
You know, we have been in the middle of a Memory Revolution – hard drives with dazzling amounts of memory, and even little memory sticks that each have a hundred times more data capacity then NASA had in total when they ‘said’ they landed a man on the moon. With so much Digital Memory available so cheaply, why were we all still dicking around with disks and tapes? Why not just run the TV Shows into pure memory, simple and sweet?
Yes, there is TiVo. Isn’t that what TiVo does? They have a Webpage that doesn’t seem to work.. or I couldn’t make it work. Anyway, the word I picked up on TiVo is that it is akin to being in a kind of Cult or Secret Society that one has to join… that you can’t just buy a TiVo machine and go home and fire it up. I’ve heard that people have to sign up for stuff. Maybe you need to tithe and attend Sunday services for it. I’m not sure about anything…as I said, their Web Page wouldn’t even work for me. And it all sounds far too complicated from what I have heard in the general ambiance. Remember, it is all only about recording one TV show while one watches another. It shouldn’t involve monthly payments, calendar schedules, sworn oaths, giving up first born children and dancing naked at the bi-annual human sacrifice ceremonies. If I wanted that kind of thing, I’d buy a Saturn.
But once I got the idea of Pure Memory Recording, I searched around and found that Pioneer made a few Machines that might do the job for me. So I ran out and bought one right on the sport, right? No, wrong. There has been another Big Problem plaguing the TV Recording Crowd and that is the Tunerless TV Recorder – VHS or DVD Recorders without the “Antenna In” and “Antenna Out” Connectors. They sell them all over the place now. The first time I bought one, I didn’t believe it when I got it home and found that there was no place to plug my Cable. Honestly, what good is it? Yes, yes, the Sales People tell you that you can get a Top Box or a Set Top Box. But the stores never have one in stock to sell to me. I was told the Cable Company would be glad to rent me one… if I wanted to stand in line for it, and then add to my monthly payments. It was disgusting. Technology taking these huge steps backwards. New Recorders not able to replace Old Recorders.
Anyway, after looking long and hard I found Recorders with Tuners – with Antenna Ins and Outs. The boxes were labeled as having ATSC Tuners. And these worked fine. It turns out, though, that ATSC Tuners are specifically made to handle the new Digital Signals. But most Cable Companies are still putting Analog Signals out over their lines. Yes, they are receiving Digital Programming on their end and we can see the signs of this when the picture freezes or gets choppy or the voices get out of sync… all Digital TV problems, but the signal actually running down our cables is Analog, that is, unless you are actually paying extra to specifically get Digital Channels and those highfalutin HiDef Channels, and even then you will probably still have a range of Analog Channels… in my area is it channels 2 through 64. You know, we should be very happy and grateful that the Cable Companies are converting these signals for us, at their end, or we really would need those darn ATSC top boxes. Oh, if the Cable Companies ever do give up on giving us free Analog Conversion, then we will need not just one ATSC Tuner, but we will need Double Tuners, so we can watch one show while recording another. I saw it mentioned a few times while I was doing all that searching around. It all might happen in 2012, to coincide with all that other End of the World crap.
Anyway, I looked up the Pioneer specs and could find nothing anywhere that said anything about its having an ATSC Tuner. This was when I still thought that was what I needed. But in the Tuner section of the Specifications it listed NTSC. So I looked that up. It turns out that NTSC is Analog Tuning… what I had been getting all along. You see, the ATSC Tuners I had been dealing with were designed to recognize and pass-through Analog Signals to some bare-minimum NTSC Analog tuner that the TV would recognize. I thought I had been using the ATSC Tuners, but not really… not in the full sense. But I was getting a Picture and I was happy. I never knew the difference of the fine details.
Oh, by the way, Retail Salespeople are mostly young lazy idiots. Yeah, for minimum wage, what would we expect, but they are around the stuff all day long. It’s their job to know this stuff. Or maybe it is a matter of them being too young and too dumb to have any communication skills or realizing what the World really expects of them. In a highly technical business they need to be able to come to terms with all of the complexities involved – they need to know what all the little Letters and Logos on the Boxes mean, and they need to be able to explain their applicability to the Customer’s World and Requirements. But these kids are out of our School Systems. They think that they were doing fine with barely passing grades. Really, the schools do a great disservice to the children by providing so many Passing Grades in their Evaluations – A, B, C, D. Only ‘F’ flunks. Only 2 Grades are necessary for any Educational Evaluation – “Perfect” and “Go Back and Try Again”. Until they master everything that is expected of them, they should not be allowed go on and get out – keep them in School forever, or transfer them straight to Prison if they pass some certain age limit. But the Schools should not be allowed to release these idiots into the greater society. The Schools with their system of ‘Good Enough’ does not prepare these young people for a World where good enough is simply no longer good enough.
And with some of those kids one needs to wonder of their honesty. This one Pioneer Model in one large well stocked Audio Electronics Specialty Store had “Antenna In” and “Antenna Out” connectors, where the Tuner is, but it was not the traditional threaded 75 Ohm Cable Input that we are familiar with. He could find an adapter only for the “Antenna In”. I mentioned that I need “Antenna Out” also. He said “You are only recording, so you only need the ‘In’”. Well, I had explained earlier what I was doing – recording one thing while watching another, that the Signal has to be able to run through the Recorder to the TV Set for both things to work at once. He either didn’t understand, or he was lying to me. He was either stupid or he thought I was. That bothered me.
Anyway, when I finally understood that the Pioneer Machines probably would be able to work just fine with the cable I had at home, with their HTSC Tuners, I went out and bought one of their Machines.
I found a small shop where the Owner was the salesman. He had a bench in the back with equipment stacked up. He knew what all the Letters and Logos on the boxes meant. He knew ATSC and NTSC and showed me in his shop the hookups I would use at home, and that they would work. He was fun to talk show, and the demonstration was fun. It verified everything I had learned in all of my Web Searches.
I got a Pioneer DVR-650H. It has a Hard Drive with 250 Gig Memory… that is a lot of hours of TV. It also had a DVD side. Yeah, a lot of people buy these things so they can illicitly tape movies in the theaters with their camcorders and then ‘burn’ Cheap Pirate Swap Meet Copies to sell on the street. Salespeople were assuming that is why I wanted to buy such a thing and were giving me all the Details of the Pirate Trade, and I had to interrupt several times with “Excuse me, but do I really look that sleazy?” Oh, but the machines were rather pricey – three times what I would have expected to pay for a new VHS Recorder. Yes, so I guess it would be nice if the machine could help pay for itself, sleazy or not, wouldn’t it? The asking price was $699 but after I told my sad tale to the Store Manager, he good-willed a hundred bucks off the top and let me have it for $600 even. I was grateful, but still wonder how much just a Hard Drive Thing would have been. Maybe Pioneer should think of making something that can be used purely in the case where somebody wants to watch one TV Show while he records another. Sometimes spending a little bit for a machine that does the one simple thing that one needs it for is preferable to spending a ton of money for a machine that does that one simple thing, while also being able to do a million other things that will only collect dust, never be used, and slowly rot away from neglect. But, then again, it might simplify manufacturing and marketing to have One Model that keeps everybody happy. The big price bite was probably the Hard Drive thing anyway. All the other extras probably did not add up to much at all. So I should probably stop all my bitching.
This Pioneer thing, the DVR-650H, does seem to be a very good machine. For one thing, the NTSC Tuner seems to be a notch above the simple minimum that came in my Sylvania ZV450SL8. The same Cable Signal going to the same TV seems to have a lot more sharpness and clarity. Maybe even the DVD side works. I don’t know. After all these DVD problems I’ve been having, I simply don’t want to have to screw with it.
The important thing is that the HDD Side works very well. HDD is what they call the Hard Drive half of the thing. I thought I was having problems at first, because I couldn’t set out a “Title” which I thought it was necessary to do (you see, I had started to read the Manual. One should NEVER read the Manuals… they only confuse you and put ideas into your head). Anyway, if you just start to record something then the Machine will automatically give it a Title – referring to the time of day or the channel one is recording, which one can edit later at one’s leisure. I was actually making it quite harder than it needed to be. Really, it is almost as simple as just hitting a single button.
Oh, I took a guess and started to PLAY a previously recorded TV show while recording a new Recording, and, WOW, it lets you watch what you recorded before while recording something new. Now that’s progress! That old VHS Machines couldn’t do that.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Bumper Sticker Doctrine of Free Sin
In my visits to America I had seen a bumper sticker: “I am not Perfect, just Forgiven”. Do a search, it turns out to be a title of a song… probably one of those twangy Country Songs done in a thick Texarkana accent that bespeaks the urge to fight the Battle of Appomattox all over again, hoping for a different outcome. I think they all think that EVERY white man had his own Plantation.
I saw the bumper sticker while on Route 66, the famous Highway that coincidentally follows the Bible Belt from end to end, from East to West, from start to finish. What is the ‘Bible Belt’, you may ask. Well, I’ve heard it characterized as Bible Churches and Honkytonks, competing for every street corner… that is, the ones not already taken up by McDonalds. The Bible Belt is also known for a great deal of incest, which probably needs no further explanation than all the chronic drunkenness…to be charitable we must suppose that such behavior can only be explained by actions committed during dead-drunk blackouts. Oh, and Blackouts are quite common in that region. There are Cowboys who think it quite normal to never remember how they get home, or how they manage to wake up finding themselves in jail. Oh, the women also, if one looks at them closely, they do not seem to trail far behind the men in their drinking, or their smoking, or in every means of pursuing a steady decline. So, anyway, all the talk about Incest is just a big rumor. But that doesn’t mean they know where all the babies are coming from. They simply can’t remember.
They really could use more birth-control. In the American South every woman over the age of six should be on birth control. Incest or not, it might serve to slow down the babies having so many babies.
Now, it might be supposed that the Churches are there to turn around this deplorable situation of abysmal morality, that the Churches would exercise a positive moral influence. You would think so. But actually these little Bible Churches are probably a huge contributing factor. They’ve been there from the first. After a few hundred years one would think their beneficial influence would have kicked in by now. But I fear that The Free Sin Doctrine is not lost on these people. While they may nearly all be Brain Rotted Stupid, still, the constant repetition finally gets through. Tell an idiot a million times that God forgives his Sins and he might begin to eventually consider the matter as a given… and then crawl into bed with his… close relatives.
Yes, yes, yes, Young Christian People are always arguing with me that NOBODY understands Christian Doctrine to imply Free Sin. They mean ‘nobody they know’. Not in the Churches where they have come from! How can this be explained? Well, the Churches in the Northeast and West emphasize a different facet of Paulism – Predestination and Election – that God signals who is Saved or Not by who is Rich or not. So the Protestants of the Northeast have to work hard and earn earn earn, in order to prove to God and Themselves that they are part of the Saved Elect. Of course, they still have Forgiveness of Sins, but ONLY if they are members of the Elect. So they are likely to do ANYTHING to get rich. Their eternal Salvation depends on it. You see, if they end up Poor, it means that they are and always have been and always will be, damned – ‘reprobate’ is the Theological Term. It all tends toward stratifying a Class Society, where a Social and Economic Elite will dig in and defend their Special ‘Spiritual’ Status… their ‘election’ or having been chosen by God. Yes, this is all morally reprehensible, bigoted and snobbish, but at least they are frugal and watch how much time and money they waste on drink and drugs, prostitutes, etc. This is all Church of England Protestantism and Presbyterianism. Oh, and they think it is all wonderful proof of how great their Religion is that so many of their Members are Rich as God. They really do in their heart of hearts directly correlate Material Wealth with Divine Spiritual Preference.
One can hardly decide which is worst. Rich Sinners or Poor Sinners.
But in the Bible Belt, it is nearly all Baptist. The Baptist Churches came out of the same Society as Plantations and Slavery. There was only one Rich Man in every town. The Church couldn’t tell EVERYBODY they were reprobate… so in that particular Doctrine (Amoral Election and Predestination), Paul was allowed to be ignored. But the REST of the Bible was definitely the Word of God! Especially those parts about Sin All You Want. Yes, in the South, and the Wannabee South of that great sprawl of Red States, they know their Bible… the convenient parts, anyway. Born Again! Saved! It is drummed into them from their mother’s lap. Believe in the Lord Jesus and your sins will be forgiven. Forget about being Rich when you can be poor and happy (they mean drunk and laid).
Oh, I shouldn’t just be singling out the moral decadence of America’s rural whites. I suspect there is also a connection between all of the little Black Protestant Churches and high crime rates in the Black Communities. And then there is the astronomically high rate of unwed preganancies, which are probably not entirely a bad thing. The young Black ladies have enough sense to kick the young men out who would otherwise be a drain on their households. Rural White Women need their Men, even if it drags them down. Black Women manage to get on by themselves. But there are social drawbacks. While it is good for the women, it deprives the men of the civilizing influence that the company of women often imparts. The men, not living with women but only socializing with them in the worst places, begin to extrapolate from their experience that women are only creatures of the night, and they become dismissive of them. Listening to Modern Urban American Music, there is no very high regard expressed for Women. And this only exacerbates the tendency for the Women to further isolate their Homes away from the men who so little appreciate them.
The Black Community may have some positive influences flowing in from Islam. Muslim Theology pays a great deal more attention to Moral Responsibility. However, the Muslim propensity for Justifying Violence is troubling, especially as it is being introduced into a Community that has enough problems with Violence already.
I’ve been watching the Tyler Perry movies. They are great break from the typical Hollywood formulas where every movie is great deal like the one before. Tyler Perry deals with some very deep and complex problems in the Black Community and he portrays the Black Churches as a largely positive influence. The Churches are centers for Community Support, and that can hardly be minimized. However, unless the Books and Doctrines of Paul are ripped out and tossed away, it does a morally troubled community little good to hear the preachings that God has a policy for endorsing Free Sin. The Black People only need to look over at the White People, their Rural Neighbors or the City Snobs, and ask themselves if that is what they wish to turn into. The Black Community should consciously separate Jesus out from Paul and formulate what they believe are the correct Doctrines. A Christianity of Just Jesus would have all the advantages of a Morally Stringent Islam but without the flaws of Constant Jihad against everybody and everything. Thank God that Jesus never picked up that sword that Mohamed took up and that has been following around Islam ever since. Mohamed may have had his reasons, but today every Camel Jockey from Mongolia to Zanzibar thinks they have plenty of reason too and the Example of Mohamed only encourages them.
The one advantage Islam does have is that you can’t nail a Bumper Sticker to a camel’s ass.
I saw the bumper sticker while on Route 66, the famous Highway that coincidentally follows the Bible Belt from end to end, from East to West, from start to finish. What is the ‘Bible Belt’, you may ask. Well, I’ve heard it characterized as Bible Churches and Honkytonks, competing for every street corner… that is, the ones not already taken up by McDonalds. The Bible Belt is also known for a great deal of incest, which probably needs no further explanation than all the chronic drunkenness…to be charitable we must suppose that such behavior can only be explained by actions committed during dead-drunk blackouts. Oh, and Blackouts are quite common in that region. There are Cowboys who think it quite normal to never remember how they get home, or how they manage to wake up finding themselves in jail. Oh, the women also, if one looks at them closely, they do not seem to trail far behind the men in their drinking, or their smoking, or in every means of pursuing a steady decline. So, anyway, all the talk about Incest is just a big rumor. But that doesn’t mean they know where all the babies are coming from. They simply can’t remember.
They really could use more birth-control. In the American South every woman over the age of six should be on birth control. Incest or not, it might serve to slow down the babies having so many babies.
Now, it might be supposed that the Churches are there to turn around this deplorable situation of abysmal morality, that the Churches would exercise a positive moral influence. You would think so. But actually these little Bible Churches are probably a huge contributing factor. They’ve been there from the first. After a few hundred years one would think their beneficial influence would have kicked in by now. But I fear that The Free Sin Doctrine is not lost on these people. While they may nearly all be Brain Rotted Stupid, still, the constant repetition finally gets through. Tell an idiot a million times that God forgives his Sins and he might begin to eventually consider the matter as a given… and then crawl into bed with his… close relatives.
Yes, yes, yes, Young Christian People are always arguing with me that NOBODY understands Christian Doctrine to imply Free Sin. They mean ‘nobody they know’. Not in the Churches where they have come from! How can this be explained? Well, the Churches in the Northeast and West emphasize a different facet of Paulism – Predestination and Election – that God signals who is Saved or Not by who is Rich or not. So the Protestants of the Northeast have to work hard and earn earn earn, in order to prove to God and Themselves that they are part of the Saved Elect. Of course, they still have Forgiveness of Sins, but ONLY if they are members of the Elect. So they are likely to do ANYTHING to get rich. Their eternal Salvation depends on it. You see, if they end up Poor, it means that they are and always have been and always will be, damned – ‘reprobate’ is the Theological Term. It all tends toward stratifying a Class Society, where a Social and Economic Elite will dig in and defend their Special ‘Spiritual’ Status… their ‘election’ or having been chosen by God. Yes, this is all morally reprehensible, bigoted and snobbish, but at least they are frugal and watch how much time and money they waste on drink and drugs, prostitutes, etc. This is all Church of England Protestantism and Presbyterianism. Oh, and they think it is all wonderful proof of how great their Religion is that so many of their Members are Rich as God. They really do in their heart of hearts directly correlate Material Wealth with Divine Spiritual Preference.
One can hardly decide which is worst. Rich Sinners or Poor Sinners.
But in the Bible Belt, it is nearly all Baptist. The Baptist Churches came out of the same Society as Plantations and Slavery. There was only one Rich Man in every town. The Church couldn’t tell EVERYBODY they were reprobate… so in that particular Doctrine (Amoral Election and Predestination), Paul was allowed to be ignored. But the REST of the Bible was definitely the Word of God! Especially those parts about Sin All You Want. Yes, in the South, and the Wannabee South of that great sprawl of Red States, they know their Bible… the convenient parts, anyway. Born Again! Saved! It is drummed into them from their mother’s lap. Believe in the Lord Jesus and your sins will be forgiven. Forget about being Rich when you can be poor and happy (they mean drunk and laid).
Oh, I shouldn’t just be singling out the moral decadence of America’s rural whites. I suspect there is also a connection between all of the little Black Protestant Churches and high crime rates in the Black Communities. And then there is the astronomically high rate of unwed preganancies, which are probably not entirely a bad thing. The young Black ladies have enough sense to kick the young men out who would otherwise be a drain on their households. Rural White Women need their Men, even if it drags them down. Black Women manage to get on by themselves. But there are social drawbacks. While it is good for the women, it deprives the men of the civilizing influence that the company of women often imparts. The men, not living with women but only socializing with them in the worst places, begin to extrapolate from their experience that women are only creatures of the night, and they become dismissive of them. Listening to Modern Urban American Music, there is no very high regard expressed for Women. And this only exacerbates the tendency for the Women to further isolate their Homes away from the men who so little appreciate them.
The Black Community may have some positive influences flowing in from Islam. Muslim Theology pays a great deal more attention to Moral Responsibility. However, the Muslim propensity for Justifying Violence is troubling, especially as it is being introduced into a Community that has enough problems with Violence already.
I’ve been watching the Tyler Perry movies. They are great break from the typical Hollywood formulas where every movie is great deal like the one before. Tyler Perry deals with some very deep and complex problems in the Black Community and he portrays the Black Churches as a largely positive influence. The Churches are centers for Community Support, and that can hardly be minimized. However, unless the Books and Doctrines of Paul are ripped out and tossed away, it does a morally troubled community little good to hear the preachings that God has a policy for endorsing Free Sin. The Black People only need to look over at the White People, their Rural Neighbors or the City Snobs, and ask themselves if that is what they wish to turn into. The Black Community should consciously separate Jesus out from Paul and formulate what they believe are the correct Doctrines. A Christianity of Just Jesus would have all the advantages of a Morally Stringent Islam but without the flaws of Constant Jihad against everybody and everything. Thank God that Jesus never picked up that sword that Mohamed took up and that has been following around Islam ever since. Mohamed may have had his reasons, but today every Camel Jockey from Mongolia to Zanzibar thinks they have plenty of reason too and the Example of Mohamed only encourages them.
The one advantage Islam does have is that you can’t nail a Bumper Sticker to a camel’s ass.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Child Molesting and the End to Salvation
When the Bishops were found to have taken every dodge to clear Pedophile Priests or to allow them to escape the long arm of the Law, well, people could not understand it in the least. Was it Corruption? Was it simply dull witted insularism where the Bishops only had it in mind to protect the Us’s from the Them’s? But the Bishops were powerful Bosses of the Church, and the Priests, well, just little worker ants in the system. Why did the Bishops care so much? Why didn’t the Bishops simply throw those little perverts to the Wolves – turn them in for prosecution, ex-communicate them and fire their asses. Burn down their damn houses!
But nobody thought for a moment about Church Doctrine. Remember, Jesus died for our sins. Forgiveness. Salvation by Faith, not Works. In a Theological Setup like that, really, isn’t one sin much like the next. Are not all sins to be forgiven. So, yes, while there is a particular horror about Child Molesting, from the standpoint of Doctrine, the Bishops could not treat it in any other way than as though it were a normal sin like lying, cheating, exploiting the poor, or the usual adult heterosexual sins … the normal Work-a-day Bread and Butter Sins of the Confessional. The ones the Priests say they’ve heard a thousand times.
So, anyway, the Bishops were defending the Pedophiles because they thought they were defending Doctrine. Salvation hung in the balance. If God would forgive those cocksuckers, He would forgive anybody. Isn’t that what everybody signed up for? Hey, if you don’t like Sinning, what did you become a Christian for?
In the Middle Ages if anybody questioned Catholic Doctrine, then the Heel would fall. Complaining Communities would be declared heretical ‘en masse’. If some arrests and convictions did not turn things around, then there would be more, and more, and more. If slaughtering the entire heretical community was what it would take to silence the Questioning of Doctrine, then that is what it took. Oh, and remember that the Big Complaint was never that the Bishops were Morally too strict. It was always about Corruption. And, yes, there were always a great many complaints that the hired Priests were … troublesome. You know, honestly, the Bishops never did believe in paying their Priests what decent well educated Human Beings should be paid. So they paid Second Rate and got Second Rate. But despite all that it still remained firmly in the Field of Salvation Doctrine that people could not simply withdraw the Benefits of Salvation from some Christians because the Sins considered inconvenient. Salvation was Salvation. There could be no picking or choosing, or it all would be lost. Wouldn’t it?
But now we have the Modern World and the Church was being taken to Court and losing. Defense of Doctrine was not a permitted defense in the Secular Courts. The Law recognized only Moral Responsibility. And the Church was losing big. Some Cities had to sell off more than half of their Schools and Hospitals to pay off the Sex Victims… who deserved all they got. Afterall, people cannot be expected to give out Blow Jobs for free. They stepped forward demanding to be paid for their services. So give them the money. They must have worked very hard for it. We can all live without schools and hospitals as long as we know that all the various sex acts had been paid for in full. Yes, we can never forget who the victims were in all this.
Oh, by the way, the Catholic Church is constitutionally decentralized. The Pope is ONLY the Bishop of Rome. He would take care of Rome, and the Bishops would take care of their Towns. The way this came down legally was that the Lawyers could not sue Rome for what was done in Cleveland. So the Bishops had to pay their own bills. So, how long, then, could we expect that a Bishop would defend Doctrine if it meant he would eventually go bankrupt and lose his entire Diocese. Rome was not helping. Indeed, Rome seemed as ready to throw the Sinners to the Wolves as anybody else. The Vatican had released self-serving Comments deploring the decline in American Morals… and then European Morals when just as much Pedophilia was found Over There.
So Pedophilia was selected out as being the One Unforgivable Sin. No Salvation for the Pedophile. No Forgiveness. Christ did not die for no dick up the ass.
But wait… what does that do to the whole Doctrine? Remember that the Bishops earlier were probably not defending those little cocksucking Priests because of any sense of loyalty or attachment. They probably wanted to flog them to death for creating so much trouble. But they saw it as their Duty as Bishops to defend Doctrine above all else.
Well, now the doctrine has been cracked.
The World hated Pedophiles and so the Pedophiles be damned.
But now isn’t All Sin back on the Table. Can the Church really just throw out only a corner piece of Doctrine? Now that a Line can be Crossed, what new Doctrine defines that line?
What exactly were we going for when we wanted Forgiveness of Sins? What did we think Salvation meant? Just the little Sins? Of course we could not be forgiven if we did anything seriously wrong. But that reduces Christian Salvation to just silliness.
Anyway, I’m happy. Paulist Doctrine has been renounced. But how long is the Church going to let it go without making the formal announcement that Salvation is no longer in play?
Maybe the Church will be cynical about it all. If nobody has noticed yet, maybe they never will. They will simply run the Church one way, insisting upon Moral Responsibility and Good Works, while still paying lip service to Forgiveness and Salvation. The Church will pretend there is still Salvation and Forgiveness, as long as nobody expects to get any of it. They will continue to Write the Checks against all the old abandoned Doctrines. But since all the Lawsuits, they just can’t cash them any more.
But nobody thought for a moment about Church Doctrine. Remember, Jesus died for our sins. Forgiveness. Salvation by Faith, not Works. In a Theological Setup like that, really, isn’t one sin much like the next. Are not all sins to be forgiven. So, yes, while there is a particular horror about Child Molesting, from the standpoint of Doctrine, the Bishops could not treat it in any other way than as though it were a normal sin like lying, cheating, exploiting the poor, or the usual adult heterosexual sins … the normal Work-a-day Bread and Butter Sins of the Confessional. The ones the Priests say they’ve heard a thousand times.
So, anyway, the Bishops were defending the Pedophiles because they thought they were defending Doctrine. Salvation hung in the balance. If God would forgive those cocksuckers, He would forgive anybody. Isn’t that what everybody signed up for? Hey, if you don’t like Sinning, what did you become a Christian for?
In the Middle Ages if anybody questioned Catholic Doctrine, then the Heel would fall. Complaining Communities would be declared heretical ‘en masse’. If some arrests and convictions did not turn things around, then there would be more, and more, and more. If slaughtering the entire heretical community was what it would take to silence the Questioning of Doctrine, then that is what it took. Oh, and remember that the Big Complaint was never that the Bishops were Morally too strict. It was always about Corruption. And, yes, there were always a great many complaints that the hired Priests were … troublesome. You know, honestly, the Bishops never did believe in paying their Priests what decent well educated Human Beings should be paid. So they paid Second Rate and got Second Rate. But despite all that it still remained firmly in the Field of Salvation Doctrine that people could not simply withdraw the Benefits of Salvation from some Christians because the Sins considered inconvenient. Salvation was Salvation. There could be no picking or choosing, or it all would be lost. Wouldn’t it?
But now we have the Modern World and the Church was being taken to Court and losing. Defense of Doctrine was not a permitted defense in the Secular Courts. The Law recognized only Moral Responsibility. And the Church was losing big. Some Cities had to sell off more than half of their Schools and Hospitals to pay off the Sex Victims… who deserved all they got. Afterall, people cannot be expected to give out Blow Jobs for free. They stepped forward demanding to be paid for their services. So give them the money. They must have worked very hard for it. We can all live without schools and hospitals as long as we know that all the various sex acts had been paid for in full. Yes, we can never forget who the victims were in all this.
Oh, by the way, the Catholic Church is constitutionally decentralized. The Pope is ONLY the Bishop of Rome. He would take care of Rome, and the Bishops would take care of their Towns. The way this came down legally was that the Lawyers could not sue Rome for what was done in Cleveland. So the Bishops had to pay their own bills. So, how long, then, could we expect that a Bishop would defend Doctrine if it meant he would eventually go bankrupt and lose his entire Diocese. Rome was not helping. Indeed, Rome seemed as ready to throw the Sinners to the Wolves as anybody else. The Vatican had released self-serving Comments deploring the decline in American Morals… and then European Morals when just as much Pedophilia was found Over There.
So Pedophilia was selected out as being the One Unforgivable Sin. No Salvation for the Pedophile. No Forgiveness. Christ did not die for no dick up the ass.
But wait… what does that do to the whole Doctrine? Remember that the Bishops earlier were probably not defending those little cocksucking Priests because of any sense of loyalty or attachment. They probably wanted to flog them to death for creating so much trouble. But they saw it as their Duty as Bishops to defend Doctrine above all else.
Well, now the doctrine has been cracked.
The World hated Pedophiles and so the Pedophiles be damned.
But now isn’t All Sin back on the Table. Can the Church really just throw out only a corner piece of Doctrine? Now that a Line can be Crossed, what new Doctrine defines that line?
What exactly were we going for when we wanted Forgiveness of Sins? What did we think Salvation meant? Just the little Sins? Of course we could not be forgiven if we did anything seriously wrong. But that reduces Christian Salvation to just silliness.
Anyway, I’m happy. Paulist Doctrine has been renounced. But how long is the Church going to let it go without making the formal announcement that Salvation is no longer in play?
Maybe the Church will be cynical about it all. If nobody has noticed yet, maybe they never will. They will simply run the Church one way, insisting upon Moral Responsibility and Good Works, while still paying lip service to Forgiveness and Salvation. The Church will pretend there is still Salvation and Forgiveness, as long as nobody expects to get any of it. They will continue to Write the Checks against all the old abandoned Doctrines. But since all the Lawsuits, they just can’t cash them any more.
Evil Monks
Recently I had spoken with a fellow who, in his younger days, had been an American Peace Corps Volunteer in the Far East. Amidst his endless stories and observations was the fascinating tidbit that NOBODY ever decided to become a Buddhist Monk, that the Monasteries were actually just functional Orphanages. Yes, while it is supposed that some actual orphans were dropped off, that is, children who had lost their parents, in most cases it was probably prostitutes dropping off incidental babies, or a farmer dropping off the baby of an unmarried daughter after “a fox had jumped out her window”, whereupon the daughter could become a proper virgin again. So, in short, the Monasteries of the Far East are filled almost completely with … well, let’s keep calling them “orphans”. That’s nicer. His point was that in the Far East becoming a Monk represented no huge religious or spiritual commitment. Monks just happened to be Monks. Nobody ever asked them what they wanted?
Oh, and these people would continue to be Monks all of their lives, considering that there was a strong social stigma against… “orphans”. Somebody should probably look into that today. With Television everywhere, probably even in the Monasteries, these Monks would learn what it is to act normally. They could escape, grow their hair, go to the Big City and get a job. So it is that the Modern World changes everything.
Anyway, back to the Orphanage Monasteries. Yes, it is wonderful that in certain Monasteries the Monks are given such intensive training in matters of the Spirit… if we could only find where such a Monastery actually exists. But more usually we see Monks given enough vocational training to be manufacturers of Gift Shop Trinkets, or they are set out to beg at the train stations or airports. Their Spiritual Training consists of keeping to a schedule of mandatory prayers. Well… that better than nothing.
Oh, but there is far worst. We see all these Movies in which unscrupulous Administrators of these Orphanage Monasteries take all of these lads and train them up to be Fighters, Militiamen and Assassins. Certainly, it must be a far stretch to understand how Religion and Spirituality could have much to do with any of this. It is more likely that Chief Administrators with Priestly Titles have no official oversight and can make themselves rich in any way they can imagine, even by hiring out private armies and hit men.
Oh, it is not just the Buddhists I blame for this lack of centralized discipline and control of their “Priests”, but historically the Muslims have had the same problem with their Monasteries. The original Assassins came out of some very corrupt Muslim Monastery. And the Assassins would have made the Ninjas look like a bunch of little pussies!
Oh, and here is a puzzler… that there are so few female Monks, Nuns, in the Far East. Nobody ever says so out loud, but a lot of ‘nostril pinching’ is suspected. What they ‘say’ is that the female babies are far more frail than the boys and so many more female babies ‘die’ at birth… nobody says they are ‘killed’, but simply that they don’t make it. Yeah, pinching their noses probably doesn’t help since they are so frail already. Anyway, even if they are not wanted, the boys are passed along to the Monasteries. There is simply nowhere for the unwanted female babies to go. I hope this has changed. To me, the prejudice seems to go the wrong way. Girls can be so much more useful than boys in the Modern World. They cooperate better. Less testosterone. Anything a boy can do, that matters, a girl can do better.
Oh, the West should not be too judgmental about Infant ‘Nose Pinching’. Remember that only until recently “Infant Mortality” was high even in the West. And Mid-Nurses were employed. Now, what was a Mid-Wife’s job, exactly? The Mid-wife would come into the home. Talk to the wife. Talk to the husband. Have a look around. Then a baby would be born that would either live or die. Coincidentally, a lot of large families in small houses had a higher infant morality rate. Not a written word has passed into History… who would write such a thing? … but the Mid-Wives were probably nose-pinching. Oh, and while their services were much sought out, sometimes it was resented, and the resentment would on occasion explode. Most of the American Witch Trials targeted Mid-Wives. But they shut down those trials quickly. People needed to protect their Secret. Before Birth Control and Legal Abortion, and before there were Social Programs and Safety Nets for the miserably Poor, people needed to do something about their pest Babies. I guess nobody thought about sending them all to a School for Trained Killers. Oh, if only the whole World were Buddhist.
Oh, and these people would continue to be Monks all of their lives, considering that there was a strong social stigma against… “orphans”. Somebody should probably look into that today. With Television everywhere, probably even in the Monasteries, these Monks would learn what it is to act normally. They could escape, grow their hair, go to the Big City and get a job. So it is that the Modern World changes everything.
Anyway, back to the Orphanage Monasteries. Yes, it is wonderful that in certain Monasteries the Monks are given such intensive training in matters of the Spirit… if we could only find where such a Monastery actually exists. But more usually we see Monks given enough vocational training to be manufacturers of Gift Shop Trinkets, or they are set out to beg at the train stations or airports. Their Spiritual Training consists of keeping to a schedule of mandatory prayers. Well… that better than nothing.
Oh, but there is far worst. We see all these Movies in which unscrupulous Administrators of these Orphanage Monasteries take all of these lads and train them up to be Fighters, Militiamen and Assassins. Certainly, it must be a far stretch to understand how Religion and Spirituality could have much to do with any of this. It is more likely that Chief Administrators with Priestly Titles have no official oversight and can make themselves rich in any way they can imagine, even by hiring out private armies and hit men.
Oh, it is not just the Buddhists I blame for this lack of centralized discipline and control of their “Priests”, but historically the Muslims have had the same problem with their Monasteries. The original Assassins came out of some very corrupt Muslim Monastery. And the Assassins would have made the Ninjas look like a bunch of little pussies!
Oh, and here is a puzzler… that there are so few female Monks, Nuns, in the Far East. Nobody ever says so out loud, but a lot of ‘nostril pinching’ is suspected. What they ‘say’ is that the female babies are far more frail than the boys and so many more female babies ‘die’ at birth… nobody says they are ‘killed’, but simply that they don’t make it. Yeah, pinching their noses probably doesn’t help since they are so frail already. Anyway, even if they are not wanted, the boys are passed along to the Monasteries. There is simply nowhere for the unwanted female babies to go. I hope this has changed. To me, the prejudice seems to go the wrong way. Girls can be so much more useful than boys in the Modern World. They cooperate better. Less testosterone. Anything a boy can do, that matters, a girl can do better.
Oh, the West should not be too judgmental about Infant ‘Nose Pinching’. Remember that only until recently “Infant Mortality” was high even in the West. And Mid-Nurses were employed. Now, what was a Mid-Wife’s job, exactly? The Mid-wife would come into the home. Talk to the wife. Talk to the husband. Have a look around. Then a baby would be born that would either live or die. Coincidentally, a lot of large families in small houses had a higher infant morality rate. Not a written word has passed into History… who would write such a thing? … but the Mid-Wives were probably nose-pinching. Oh, and while their services were much sought out, sometimes it was resented, and the resentment would on occasion explode. Most of the American Witch Trials targeted Mid-Wives. But they shut down those trials quickly. People needed to protect their Secret. Before Birth Control and Legal Abortion, and before there were Social Programs and Safety Nets for the miserably Poor, people needed to do something about their pest Babies. I guess nobody thought about sending them all to a School for Trained Killers. Oh, if only the whole World were Buddhist.
Civilization and the Internet
The Ancient Greeks thought of themselves as ‘Civilized’ and thought of everyone else as ‘barbarian’. What they probably meant by it was whether or not people were familiar with their own local customs – they should have just said “Greek” or “Not-Greek”, not “Civilized” or “Barbarian”.
In the Modern World people use the word ‘Civilized’ to mean modern. Old ways are ‘Barbarian’ while all the new stuff is “Civilized”. It plays well into the idea that All Progress is Good.
Or the term ‘Civilized’ is used to cover everything they deem to be ‘politically correct’. When being judgmental, people used the term ‘Civilized’ to express approval, ‘Barbarian’ to express disapproval.
But important words need to be defined. If we really seek to be ‘Civilized’ we really have to have some fixed idea to aim for that does not shift with the popular taste or the political mood of the day.
Thinking about what Civilization has meant throughout History, at the most basic level it refers to those institutions and customs that allow for the greatest population densities. Barbarian, as the opposite, refers to cultural traits that keep population densities low, serving to engage conflict that either kills off population elements directly or serves to drive off population into retreat and emigration. Examples? Ancient China and India were able to sustain huge urban populations. Against this on the other extreme we have Nomadic Hunter Gatherers or Nomadic Pastoralists where populations were low and were actively maintained to be low – think the American ‘Indians’ or the Eurasian Steppe Tribes.
The other day I was reading a book that purported to lay out the next hundred years. Regarding the Internet, his comment was that it was ‘barbarian’ … I found the quote – “Computing culture is… by definition, barbaric. The essence of barbarism is the reduction of culture to a simple, driving force that will tolerate no diversion or competition”. Huh!? Sounds like he doesn’t like computers and so they are ‘Barbaric’… “by definition”. His definition of Barbarism, that it ‘tolerates no diversion or competition’, well that sounds like institutions that settle conflict and emphasize cooperation. And isn’t that Civilized? Remember it is the Lowest Population Density Cultures that allow for the most Competition, most of it very deadly. And as for ‘diversion’, the small tribal units that rise up and develop within the matrix of all the nomadic travel and the competing social organizations and individuals found in more advanced Barbaric Communities, well, are often very diverse, especially in regards to the development of new weapons systems to be used to advantage in all of their ‘competitions’.
It is the Civilizations that, on the other hand, prioritize conflict resolution and cooperation by regulating ‘competition’ and minimizing ‘diversion’ as a source of social friction. The author’s “definition” simply does not fit with the patterns of History. I think what the guy was doing was using a definition of Civilization and Barbarism that paraphrased “American” and “Un-American”. His book “The Next Hundred Years” was a thinly veiled manifesto urging America to launch a military assault on the rest of the World, conquering it before there could be any significant change in the balance of powers away from Unchallenged American Supremacy. Computerization, which could empower the Developing World, scares the guy and in his mind can end up hurting America more than it helps, so it has to be Barbarian – ‘by definition’.
Actually, Computerization has already proven to be rather ‘civilized’, insofar as it has been applied to organize or produce subsistence goods and to ameliorate the living conditions within the Modern Urban Sprawls. And the Sky is the limit. Left unrestricted Computerization and the Information Society could really collect and catalogue ALL information. Society and the Economy could be planned down to the finest details. Oh, and Crime and Corruption depends upon Shadows and Information Dark Zones. Complete Information would eradicate Crime and Corruption. A complete Civilization would definitely have a Computerized Backbone.
Yes, Computers have been used for assault and to divide, that is, Computers have had a Barbaric role in places. Barbarians use any Weapon they can find. Many Corporations and Political Activists have urged Computerization upon Authoritarian Regimes, hoping that “Freedom” of information would serve for the Collapse of Order, so that Western Corporations could swoop in and pick up the pieces. Use the Internet to spread Discontent and Rebellion – to burn ‘down Civilized Cathedrals’ so the Businessmen can get ‘a few golden candlesticks’ cheap at auction.
Yes, in fact the Internet can be destabilizing. However, behind the possibility of a little bit of destabilization, there is the huge potential for centralizing and collecting Information. This makes Control so much easier. Corruption and Crime were possible in previous Planned Economies, but with Computerization and the links between all Information and All Transactions, well, it won’t be quite so easy to make a bag of potatoes go missing as it was before.
There has been a previous Information Revolution in History. The Printing Press. It first arrived in China. The Chinese used the Printing Press to distribute Information Pamphlets. The first major printing in History was the title “Get Rich Grow Rice”, it was distributed free from the Government, and the little book gave precise details for building rice paddies and installing irrigation systems (“water always flows from up to down”) as well as setting out the calendar for planting and harvesting. The Chinese made much of their Information Revolution – Chinese Population grew enormously while at the same time larger surpluses were able to be stored to offset occasional famines and dry spells. Other forces eventually intervened, but largely Information proved to be a good thing in regards to promoting and maintaining a high population density… in being ‘Civilized’.
When the Printing Press got to Europe, it was used to reproduce the Bible, which was sold privately, and which effectively introduced Paulist Doctrine to the Masses. Paulist Doctrine? Think “Salvation” which is the code word for Free Sin and permissive Capitalism. European Civilization became fracture by Nationalistic and Class Wars and there was the rise of the exploitative Factory System, Usury, Rum Running, the Slave Trade. Of course, there was also the Chinese Style of Information Books getting out, though nobody ever gave anything away. The Printing Press Revolution in Europe was therefore half Barbaric and half Civilized – forces of conflict and selfishness offset by tools for production and cooperation. The Result still hasn’t entirely settled.
But the Computerized Revolution… well, it all gets cranked up by a significantly large notch, doesn’t it? I would bet on Civilization… eventually. The near view is a bit troubled, however.
The World presently is on the brink of disaster and I honestly can’t see it so swiftly turn back from the Edge, as it would need to do. So the Present Order is very likely to collapse and the 7 Billion people who live today will be confronted by a period of intense Barbarism. Remember that Barbarism cannot support any significant Population Density. As Economies and Product Distribution Systems break down, crowded metropolitan areas will simply starve out. I suppose when the dust clears there will be several hundred million people left on the entire Planet. Maybe as they rebuild they will be able to put Computerized Information Technologies to good use and perhaps introduce the World’s First True Civilization, and not the Hybrid Barbaric Civilizations we have had to deal with up until now.
In the Modern World people use the word ‘Civilized’ to mean modern. Old ways are ‘Barbarian’ while all the new stuff is “Civilized”. It plays well into the idea that All Progress is Good.
Or the term ‘Civilized’ is used to cover everything they deem to be ‘politically correct’. When being judgmental, people used the term ‘Civilized’ to express approval, ‘Barbarian’ to express disapproval.
But important words need to be defined. If we really seek to be ‘Civilized’ we really have to have some fixed idea to aim for that does not shift with the popular taste or the political mood of the day.
Thinking about what Civilization has meant throughout History, at the most basic level it refers to those institutions and customs that allow for the greatest population densities. Barbarian, as the opposite, refers to cultural traits that keep population densities low, serving to engage conflict that either kills off population elements directly or serves to drive off population into retreat and emigration. Examples? Ancient China and India were able to sustain huge urban populations. Against this on the other extreme we have Nomadic Hunter Gatherers or Nomadic Pastoralists where populations were low and were actively maintained to be low – think the American ‘Indians’ or the Eurasian Steppe Tribes.
The other day I was reading a book that purported to lay out the next hundred years. Regarding the Internet, his comment was that it was ‘barbarian’ … I found the quote – “Computing culture is… by definition, barbaric. The essence of barbarism is the reduction of culture to a simple, driving force that will tolerate no diversion or competition”. Huh!? Sounds like he doesn’t like computers and so they are ‘Barbaric’… “by definition”. His definition of Barbarism, that it ‘tolerates no diversion or competition’, well that sounds like institutions that settle conflict and emphasize cooperation. And isn’t that Civilized? Remember it is the Lowest Population Density Cultures that allow for the most Competition, most of it very deadly. And as for ‘diversion’, the small tribal units that rise up and develop within the matrix of all the nomadic travel and the competing social organizations and individuals found in more advanced Barbaric Communities, well, are often very diverse, especially in regards to the development of new weapons systems to be used to advantage in all of their ‘competitions’.
It is the Civilizations that, on the other hand, prioritize conflict resolution and cooperation by regulating ‘competition’ and minimizing ‘diversion’ as a source of social friction. The author’s “definition” simply does not fit with the patterns of History. I think what the guy was doing was using a definition of Civilization and Barbarism that paraphrased “American” and “Un-American”. His book “The Next Hundred Years” was a thinly veiled manifesto urging America to launch a military assault on the rest of the World, conquering it before there could be any significant change in the balance of powers away from Unchallenged American Supremacy. Computerization, which could empower the Developing World, scares the guy and in his mind can end up hurting America more than it helps, so it has to be Barbarian – ‘by definition’.
Actually, Computerization has already proven to be rather ‘civilized’, insofar as it has been applied to organize or produce subsistence goods and to ameliorate the living conditions within the Modern Urban Sprawls. And the Sky is the limit. Left unrestricted Computerization and the Information Society could really collect and catalogue ALL information. Society and the Economy could be planned down to the finest details. Oh, and Crime and Corruption depends upon Shadows and Information Dark Zones. Complete Information would eradicate Crime and Corruption. A complete Civilization would definitely have a Computerized Backbone.
Yes, Computers have been used for assault and to divide, that is, Computers have had a Barbaric role in places. Barbarians use any Weapon they can find. Many Corporations and Political Activists have urged Computerization upon Authoritarian Regimes, hoping that “Freedom” of information would serve for the Collapse of Order, so that Western Corporations could swoop in and pick up the pieces. Use the Internet to spread Discontent and Rebellion – to burn ‘down Civilized Cathedrals’ so the Businessmen can get ‘a few golden candlesticks’ cheap at auction.
Yes, in fact the Internet can be destabilizing. However, behind the possibility of a little bit of destabilization, there is the huge potential for centralizing and collecting Information. This makes Control so much easier. Corruption and Crime were possible in previous Planned Economies, but with Computerization and the links between all Information and All Transactions, well, it won’t be quite so easy to make a bag of potatoes go missing as it was before.
There has been a previous Information Revolution in History. The Printing Press. It first arrived in China. The Chinese used the Printing Press to distribute Information Pamphlets. The first major printing in History was the title “Get Rich Grow Rice”, it was distributed free from the Government, and the little book gave precise details for building rice paddies and installing irrigation systems (“water always flows from up to down”) as well as setting out the calendar for planting and harvesting. The Chinese made much of their Information Revolution – Chinese Population grew enormously while at the same time larger surpluses were able to be stored to offset occasional famines and dry spells. Other forces eventually intervened, but largely Information proved to be a good thing in regards to promoting and maintaining a high population density… in being ‘Civilized’.
When the Printing Press got to Europe, it was used to reproduce the Bible, which was sold privately, and which effectively introduced Paulist Doctrine to the Masses. Paulist Doctrine? Think “Salvation” which is the code word for Free Sin and permissive Capitalism. European Civilization became fracture by Nationalistic and Class Wars and there was the rise of the exploitative Factory System, Usury, Rum Running, the Slave Trade. Of course, there was also the Chinese Style of Information Books getting out, though nobody ever gave anything away. The Printing Press Revolution in Europe was therefore half Barbaric and half Civilized – forces of conflict and selfishness offset by tools for production and cooperation. The Result still hasn’t entirely settled.
But the Computerized Revolution… well, it all gets cranked up by a significantly large notch, doesn’t it? I would bet on Civilization… eventually. The near view is a bit troubled, however.
The World presently is on the brink of disaster and I honestly can’t see it so swiftly turn back from the Edge, as it would need to do. So the Present Order is very likely to collapse and the 7 Billion people who live today will be confronted by a period of intense Barbarism. Remember that Barbarism cannot support any significant Population Density. As Economies and Product Distribution Systems break down, crowded metropolitan areas will simply starve out. I suppose when the dust clears there will be several hundred million people left on the entire Planet. Maybe as they rebuild they will be able to put Computerized Information Technologies to good use and perhaps introduce the World’s First True Civilization, and not the Hybrid Barbaric Civilizations we have had to deal with up until now.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Why Did God Abandon Christ
Modern Jewish Religious Scholarship has an answer for the Christian claim that Jesus was the Messiah, and that is that a failed Messiah could not have been any Messiah at all. God would never allow a Valid Messiah to fail.
Hmmmmm. Considering all the support that Judaism and Zionism has been getting from Christians lately, particularly from the American Protestants who often act more extremely Zionist than even some of the worst Zionists, you would think that the Jews would develop a more tactful answer to such a crucial Christian question besides “there is absolutely no basis for your Religion”. But it does help explain why the Jews have been such a universally loved and adored people – why every Society that has ever had dealings with the Jews have come away with warm feelings and eternal gratitude. It is because the Jews have always been so consistently generous, accepting, and kind, especially concerning topics of comparative Religion.
But just because an argument is stark, mean-spirited and nasty does not mean that it should not be addressed. Maybe that even adds a priority. Why was Christ a failed Messiah? It all began with enough promise. In His infancy the Three Kings came from the Civilized East proclaiming that not only did Hebrew Prophecy predict His Coming, but likewise all of the World Religions were aware of His Coming and were wide open for His Acceptance. And Jesus became quite famous while still very young. He would have had decades to fulfill his destiny. But after only a few years, it was over. Jesus was knocked out by almost the very first flex of serious political opposition. It does appear that Christ was a bit too much of a light-weight to be a World Messiah and King of Kings. We could have expected a bit more Push and Gravity from a True Messiah. Or maybe a True Messiah could have harnessed his resources better – side-stepping early fights until he had the strength to win them.
So what happened? What went wrong?
Look at Mathew chapter 21, Mark 11, and Luke 19. We have the story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem and instigating a riot in the Holy Temple. Jesus objected to the vendors and money changers and we get the picture of Him knocking over tables and cracking a whip at middle-aged Jewish Businessmen who had been doing what they had always done, and were probably surprised and appalled at what must have appeared to them to be a crazy instance of mean-spirited lawlessness by some lunatic zealot.
In Mathew and Mark we also get the Story of Jesus blasting some poor fig tree with a curse. Jesus killed a tree. Now who goes about gratuitously killing trees? How does a tree go about deserving to die?
Okay, seriously, what happened? Did Jesus have some sort of a nervous breakdown? Apparently. How else can we explain it? What we do know is from that moment on Jesus no longer enjoyed the protection of God. There was no longer a protecting Army of Angels seeing to it that Jesus could not even stub a toe. Jesus was now entirely vulnerable.
Are the Jews correct about a Messiah necessarily having the endorsement God, no matter what? Yes, it is an argument with some apparent sense behind it, but then the Jews needs to wonder to themselves why they have NEVER had their Messiah. Until they have a True Messiah that has never failed, they should not talk about what constitutes a True Messiah. If we look at History, simply the way IT IS, and not as they think it SHOULD BE, then it seems that the Christian view is probably more correct – that God can send Messiahs, but that Messiahs can screw up. That seems to be what happens.
Jesus very well may have been a True Messiah that failed. David also might have been a True Messiah that had failed. Naked dancing in the street. Killing men over pretty girls. Yeah, David was a great Messiah… if he just only would have stuck to writing inspirational psalms and killing evil giants.
So, maybe Messiahs aren’t guaranteed any special sense for being wise or even very careful. And just being good is not always enough.
It reminds me of Joan of Arc, a veritable Messiah of France. Her Mission was to clear away Occupation Forces so she could get her King crowned. She succeeded brilliantly. History speaks of pitched Battles, blood and gore, but probably what had happened was that the British and Burgundian Forces largely withdrew ahead of the Maiden’s Advance, not wishing to face their Enemy at the height of their Enthusiasm but willing to back off and bide their time. They did not call it the “Hundred Years War” for nothing. But still, marshalling such Enthusiasm even for a limited Mission was a major historical feat. Even dealing with her own Armies was something of a miracle… getting so many Men to fall in line. But even after her God Given Mission was achieved, she kept fighting, and for reasons that were not really very clear. Pounding on walls of smoky little forts outside Paris. What on Earth for? So God withdrew the protection of His Angels and Joan was captured and suffered almost every indignity. She was burned to death. An English Cardinal was there… yes, the English were still to be Catholic for another 5 minutes in History before they would betray their Civilization… anyway, witnessing the Burning of Joan of Arc he said, “My God, we have burned a Saint! There will be nothing left for us now”. I guess the Cardinal had seen all the way into the Future, of England today, being a little Lap Dog for America.
Anyway, back to Messiahs. Apparently Messiahs have to pay very close attention to their Mission parameters. But even knowing exactly what their Mission parameters are must be a significant challenge. Jesus probably thought he was supposed to chase around businessmen, and Joan must have thought she had to carry on the Good Fight. Who knows what David was thinking… that Messiahs could do any damn thing they liked and God would just have to deal with it… apparently the Orthodox view of Judaism even back then.
But the Truth was that Jesus was probably supposed to act with Kindness, Patience and Due Process. Rule by Riot was not to be the first act of a Messianic Kingdom. Joan should have stopped and meditated on her next move. And David might have listened to his conscience. They all should have avoided making mistakes.
Maybe God can tolerate small errors. But Violence in the Temple was probably over the line. Joan attacking small garrisons just to flex her muscles was probably over the line. David being a drunken playboy, well…
It’s a shame that Messiah’s can’t have Coaches. Being a Player is complicated. One really should know better, but during the heat of the Game, well, the cool thinking of a Coach on the side-lines simply makes more sense.
“Jesus! We’ll worry about the Temple Business Plan Lay-out later. Right now our big problem is getting them the trust us.” If Jesus had only had a Coach shout in those instructions, maybe we would have had a Messiah and King of Kings, and the World would be Civilized Today. Maybe Americans would even have had Health Care by now.
Yes, maybe we should temper our prayers for a Second Coming of Christ, and remember to first pray for a Good Coach. With a Good Coach then maybe we could keep a Jesus or a Joan in play long enough to finally do some Good.
Hmmmmm. Considering all the support that Judaism and Zionism has been getting from Christians lately, particularly from the American Protestants who often act more extremely Zionist than even some of the worst Zionists, you would think that the Jews would develop a more tactful answer to such a crucial Christian question besides “there is absolutely no basis for your Religion”. But it does help explain why the Jews have been such a universally loved and adored people – why every Society that has ever had dealings with the Jews have come away with warm feelings and eternal gratitude. It is because the Jews have always been so consistently generous, accepting, and kind, especially concerning topics of comparative Religion.
But just because an argument is stark, mean-spirited and nasty does not mean that it should not be addressed. Maybe that even adds a priority. Why was Christ a failed Messiah? It all began with enough promise. In His infancy the Three Kings came from the Civilized East proclaiming that not only did Hebrew Prophecy predict His Coming, but likewise all of the World Religions were aware of His Coming and were wide open for His Acceptance. And Jesus became quite famous while still very young. He would have had decades to fulfill his destiny. But after only a few years, it was over. Jesus was knocked out by almost the very first flex of serious political opposition. It does appear that Christ was a bit too much of a light-weight to be a World Messiah and King of Kings. We could have expected a bit more Push and Gravity from a True Messiah. Or maybe a True Messiah could have harnessed his resources better – side-stepping early fights until he had the strength to win them.
So what happened? What went wrong?
Look at Mathew chapter 21, Mark 11, and Luke 19. We have the story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem and instigating a riot in the Holy Temple. Jesus objected to the vendors and money changers and we get the picture of Him knocking over tables and cracking a whip at middle-aged Jewish Businessmen who had been doing what they had always done, and were probably surprised and appalled at what must have appeared to them to be a crazy instance of mean-spirited lawlessness by some lunatic zealot.
In Mathew and Mark we also get the Story of Jesus blasting some poor fig tree with a curse. Jesus killed a tree. Now who goes about gratuitously killing trees? How does a tree go about deserving to die?
Okay, seriously, what happened? Did Jesus have some sort of a nervous breakdown? Apparently. How else can we explain it? What we do know is from that moment on Jesus no longer enjoyed the protection of God. There was no longer a protecting Army of Angels seeing to it that Jesus could not even stub a toe. Jesus was now entirely vulnerable.
Are the Jews correct about a Messiah necessarily having the endorsement God, no matter what? Yes, it is an argument with some apparent sense behind it, but then the Jews needs to wonder to themselves why they have NEVER had their Messiah. Until they have a True Messiah that has never failed, they should not talk about what constitutes a True Messiah. If we look at History, simply the way IT IS, and not as they think it SHOULD BE, then it seems that the Christian view is probably more correct – that God can send Messiahs, but that Messiahs can screw up. That seems to be what happens.
Jesus very well may have been a True Messiah that failed. David also might have been a True Messiah that had failed. Naked dancing in the street. Killing men over pretty girls. Yeah, David was a great Messiah… if he just only would have stuck to writing inspirational psalms and killing evil giants.
So, maybe Messiahs aren’t guaranteed any special sense for being wise or even very careful. And just being good is not always enough.
It reminds me of Joan of Arc, a veritable Messiah of France. Her Mission was to clear away Occupation Forces so she could get her King crowned. She succeeded brilliantly. History speaks of pitched Battles, blood and gore, but probably what had happened was that the British and Burgundian Forces largely withdrew ahead of the Maiden’s Advance, not wishing to face their Enemy at the height of their Enthusiasm but willing to back off and bide their time. They did not call it the “Hundred Years War” for nothing. But still, marshalling such Enthusiasm even for a limited Mission was a major historical feat. Even dealing with her own Armies was something of a miracle… getting so many Men to fall in line. But even after her God Given Mission was achieved, she kept fighting, and for reasons that were not really very clear. Pounding on walls of smoky little forts outside Paris. What on Earth for? So God withdrew the protection of His Angels and Joan was captured and suffered almost every indignity. She was burned to death. An English Cardinal was there… yes, the English were still to be Catholic for another 5 minutes in History before they would betray their Civilization… anyway, witnessing the Burning of Joan of Arc he said, “My God, we have burned a Saint! There will be nothing left for us now”. I guess the Cardinal had seen all the way into the Future, of England today, being a little Lap Dog for America.
Anyway, back to Messiahs. Apparently Messiahs have to pay very close attention to their Mission parameters. But even knowing exactly what their Mission parameters are must be a significant challenge. Jesus probably thought he was supposed to chase around businessmen, and Joan must have thought she had to carry on the Good Fight. Who knows what David was thinking… that Messiahs could do any damn thing they liked and God would just have to deal with it… apparently the Orthodox view of Judaism even back then.
But the Truth was that Jesus was probably supposed to act with Kindness, Patience and Due Process. Rule by Riot was not to be the first act of a Messianic Kingdom. Joan should have stopped and meditated on her next move. And David might have listened to his conscience. They all should have avoided making mistakes.
Maybe God can tolerate small errors. But Violence in the Temple was probably over the line. Joan attacking small garrisons just to flex her muscles was probably over the line. David being a drunken playboy, well…
It’s a shame that Messiah’s can’t have Coaches. Being a Player is complicated. One really should know better, but during the heat of the Game, well, the cool thinking of a Coach on the side-lines simply makes more sense.
“Jesus! We’ll worry about the Temple Business Plan Lay-out later. Right now our big problem is getting them the trust us.” If Jesus had only had a Coach shout in those instructions, maybe we would have had a Messiah and King of Kings, and the World would be Civilized Today. Maybe Americans would even have had Health Care by now.
Yes, maybe we should temper our prayers for a Second Coming of Christ, and remember to first pray for a Good Coach. With a Good Coach then maybe we could keep a Jesus or a Joan in play long enough to finally do some Good.
Paul the Third Person of the Trinity
One grows up with the furniture of one’s Religion and even if it is not entirely comfortable or even suitable, one grows accustomed to it, and familiarity is its own consolation.
But once past the age of intellectual integrity then one must be willing to send off to the Heap anything that can’t justify itself as True Religion. The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity is one of those old familiar things that needs to be trashed.
But first, we should examine why it is that Theologians create questionable doctrines in the first place. Well, all such things occur on two levels. The first level of deception is when some seemingly inspired Founder of a New Sect or Religion spins out a new basic doctrine. The precise details are unimportant because the general picture is ordinarily enough to attract and convince the common people – such people are not particularly caught up in over-thinking things, or even in doing much thinking at all. But then afterward, sometimes long after the founder has gone to his Eternal Reward, the people who do worry over the details, the Scholars and Priests, discover that there are logical, theological, metaphysical and even reasonable discrepancies in the Basic Doctrine. More often than not they wish to support the Basic Doctrine, and not toss it out for being flawed. In most cases they are the Career Professionals of the Religion and have every interest in sustaining the Religion… in not ‘killing the goose that lays their Golden Egg’. They may even believe that their Religion might do some good if allowed to persist. And so they set out to fix everything. They come up with convoluted attachments to the Basic Doctrine that fill in the gaps and to reconcile the inconsistencies.
One is supposed to argue from Particulars to the General, to see how all the little things add up to One Big Thing. But the habit of Theologians, however, is to take the One Big Thing already handed to them and simply make up a lot of little things to fit with it. After the Fact has already been established by Tradition and Authority, they superimpose new sets of details and interpretations on the old stories and rewrite the literatures so it all seems as though it were solid from the very beginning.
In Christianity, Salvation was the Basic Doctrine. The Holy Trinity was the invention that was supposed to remove the difficulties.
You might ask, “what was the problem with Salvation?” Well, the problem is that if by killing one man the Entire World for All Eternity could get Salvation, well, then they would have killed somebody long before, wouldn’t they? Especially if sins are forgiven. The Killing itself might be wrong, but, then, if it is immediately forgiven… But it all simply doesn’t follow. There is no such power in any one man. Human Sacrifice had been used for particular and limited ends, for some temporary atonement or momentary appeasement, to relieve a famine or assure a victory, but nobody ever pretended that some Universal and Eternal Benefit could be accrued just by murdering one guy.
So, this is why we have the Second Person of the Holy Trinity – Jesus the Man was redrawn as Jesus the God. Jesus as a Divine Person suddenly had the power to be very useful if He were to be ‘Sacrificed’. Killing Jesus the God Man would be enough to plausibly argue for Salvation – Jesus a God would be a Worthy Sacrifice to God the Real God… the First God. Sorry, we can’t call Him the ‘only’ God anymore. Multiplying one’s Gods confuses things, doesn’t it? For instance, does one pray to Jesus, or simply in the name of Jesus? Is Jesus God or isn’t He? (How many Sunday School Teachers wish they could have replied to such a question, “Don’t worry about it. Its all just bullshit anyway”).
And it gets even harder. The Trinity also has a Third God. What is that about? Well, as the Theologians of the 2nd Century looked upon the Doctrines that came out of the First Century, they were troubled over the matter of credibility and credentials. Jesus, if He had not always been thought of as a God, at least started as a plausible candidate for Messiah, and worked great wonders, spoke with Wisdom, and had a lot of charisma. No one ever doubted that Jesus had been a Great and Powerful Man, not even His enemies. But all of the Big Doctrines, and especially the Doctrine of Salvation and the supporting Doctrine that Jesus was a God Man, all these doctrines came from Paul. Well, Paul had problems. His biggest problem was ‘who the heck is Paul’. He was not part of the original Team. We are not told that he even met Jesus, and if he had met Jesus, we are probably not told about it because Paul was probably one of those pesky Pharisee enemies of Jesus, and that would have been simply too difficult to explain away. Also, many from the original Team, the Real Apostles, went to print renouncing Paul and his Teachings. We see Paul in the light of the Greek Church that fell for his stories, but back in the Holy Land it was all quite different. Paul had many real enemies. The last chapters of the Book of Acts follow Paul around Jerusalem as first one Forum and then another of Jews and Christians bring Paul to trial for inciting riot and preaching heresy. Paul’s reputation was saved in part because absolutely all of the Second Century Reviewers were in fact Greeks who did not worry in the least about Semitic and Hebrew sensibilities, such as Monotheism and One Jealous God. But they did understand that Paul had huge credibility problems. While he was their most beloved Founder, he was also their worst embarrassment. It seems to be a problem with Religions of the Near East.
Oh, where did all the Jews and Real Christians go? Why were the Greeks left in charge of Christianity. Well, remember the Book of Revelation and the Prophecies of Jesus that said the World would end and Jerusalem would be destroyed and the Church would be removed up into Heaven. It happened right on schedule. From 70 A.D. to 130 A.D. there had been three progressively severe Wars of Jewish Rebellion. The Jews would riot and murder some community of Greeks (over the years the Rebel Jews had murdered millions of Ethnic and Cultural Greeks) and then Rome would come in and re-establish order. Well, they found the only way to re-establish order was to kill them all… a lesson modern generals are reluctant to take heed to, supposing that the Roman Generals had never tried winning ‘hearts and minds’ which would have worked as well for them then as it has worked for us now. Anyway, Rome’s successful Final Solution for their Jewish Problem quite erased any influence that the Genuine Christian Church might have had on the Greek Counterfeit Church.
So, back to Paul’s credibility issues. From the 2nd Century perspective, Christian Doctrine seemed to come from an outsider – a man without miracles, charisma, or any particular destiny; a rough and ugly man. He sold a Religion to the Greeks, but that spoke as much toward Greek gullibility as to any special power he had to sway minds and persuade hearts. While Doctrines relied upon the say-so of this spotted personality, then there would be problems.
So the Theologians of the 2nd Century invented the notion that the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit could rank on the same footing as God Almighty Himself. Therefore, when pressed on the issue of just what gave Paul any credibility on matters of Religion, well, they could answer that Paul had been possessed by the Holy Spirit. It was not that they were believing Paul – ugly, stupid, ill-tempered Paul – it was that they were believing the Holy Spirit that was only using Paul as a vessel. Yes, that was it. They had their Story.
The issue would rise again in History. Catholic Civilization reigned for a Thousand Years, just as Christ had predicted, but then there was the invention of the printing press, and Bibles were printed out in ordinary language – vernaculars – English and French instead of just the Priest-Speak of Latin. The first Reformers and Fundamentalists began taking to the streets proclaiming that the Bible taught Free Sin, but they were answered that nobody important in the Bible spoke such Blasphemy. It was only Paul and only then in the last and least significant chapters, the back pages. You know, High Christian Civilization ( which our biased History calls the Dark and Middle Ages) had did its best to forget Paul had ever existed. Only the Bishops remembered Paul… Paul had been their Personal Secret that allowed them to live in all of their corruptions. Salvation was a Privilege enjoyed only by the Bishops and Popes. The Bishops still use Paul similarly – molesting children, insisting that if Salvation forgives Sins, then they might as well sin enough to put the doctrine to some good use. But the ordinary people and even the ordinary clergy and the Religious Orders had never heard of Paul. Or if they had, then Paul was dismissed as some crazy nut that survived in a dusty book that obviously suffered from too little intelligent editing when they had first put it all together.
So the Protestants of the 16th Century invented the doctrine of “Word of God” – that if the Bible says it, then it can be equated to God Almighty Himself. This Doctrine had been invented for the same reason that the Holy Spirit had originally been promoted up to God Status, and that was in order to make Paul equal to God. While the Whole Bible is supposed to be the Word of God, when we see how the Doctrine is actually applied, all the benefits fall to Paul. Jesus doesn’t need the help, and nobody else is ever quoted for anything. “Word of God” is used to effectively make Paul the Third God of the Holy Trinity.
Yeah, I know. Yuck! So that is why they still need the Idea of the Holy Spirit to stand in for Paul. But there would also be problems enough with just the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was declared the Third Divine Person of the Holy Trinity, but It came from rather humble beginnings. The scriptures of the first century speak of the Holy Spirit, but the rendering is a bit confused. At Pentecost it seemed at first that Everybody had the Holy Spirit, but by the next day all seemed to return to normal and nobody had it. The Book of Acts speaks of a few select people known for having the Holy Spirit, but does not give their names. It seemed to be a rare gift even where it was acknowledged. No, Paul is not acknowledged as having had the Holy Spirit. The same passage in the Book of Acts that speaks of people having the Holy Spirit then goes on to speaking of Paul as being one of the others, who, by inference, obviously didn’t have It. Yes, Paul says he had it, but it is odd that the Real Christians at the time did not agree.
Paul, in his letters, particularly Corinthians, speaks of the Holy Spirit, but defines it in ordinary non-spiritual non-miraculous terms. Why would Paul down play the Holy Spirit when he would benefit so much personally by the Doctrine? Well, you see, the Holy Spirit had first appeared among the Hebrews and the Jews in Jerusalem. Paul’s Greeks had heard of it and were complaining that Paul was not giving It to any of them. They were all paying Membership Fees and expected something, and Paul did not appear to be delivering. So Paul answered effectively that the Holy Spirit was really no big deal after all. Paul defined the Holy Spirit in ordinary terms so he could argue that his ordinary people already had plenty of It. And he diverted their attention to Faith and Salvation.
So we have a situation where the Holy Spirit is at first minimalized, and then when it is seen how useful it can be, it is suddenly ‘super-sized’ up again to being an Equal Person with God… a Third God. Well, this simply brought back the problem that Paul had tried to address – that people would have some great expectations of this Holy Spirit, and how could the Church be expected to deliver on such great expectations? With millions of Believers and NOBODY with any hint of the Holy Spirit, people would begin to get suspicious. Oh, but maybe the more serious problem would be from people who would insist, as Paul had, that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and that they should be the New and Blue Religious Leaders.
This brings us to Gnosticism. People were not oblivious to the point that Paul had benefited from the Holy Ghost Doctrine to the extent of being treated like a Human God, even despite an altogether apparent lack of good looks, fine bearing or exemplary intelligence. If Paul could do it, well, anybody could. Everybody saw their chance. If they could only think of just one neat gimmick, then they could invoke the Holy Spirit just like Paul had. And many did. New Teachings and New Teachers were popping up in every district. Even honestly, without suspecting any of the usual deliberate and jaded scams, people could be seduced by such a Doctrine into supposing any wacky internal notion or delusion to be a Gift of the Spirit.
Oh, there was also the problem of people asserting their Moral Objections to the Free Sin Doctrine of Salvation, offering as their support and reason the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Well, this idea that the Holy Spirit could be used to support a standard of Righteousness and Purity, well, it had to be crushed! What would Christianity come to if we again permitted such moral judgments? Isn’t the teaching “Judge not and be not judged”? We will accept a complete world of the worst criminals because we might someday commit a misdemeanor. And we call that ‘Religion’. Anyway, it was the logic that appealed first to the Bishops and then and now to the Protestant Leaders of Everything.
So, anyway, finally the Church put its foot down and issued the pronouncement that the Holy Spirit had served its purpose and would now come to its end. It was the middle of the 4th Century. Christianity had just become the State Religion. God therefore no longer needed to talk through people. The Holy Spirit’s earthly career would be finished – exorcised! That would be that! The same Conference, the Council of Nicea, that had selected and sealed the Books of the Bible also issued the Death Certificate for the Holy Ghost.
Thank you, Holy Spirit. That will be all.
When you think about it, it is all rather sad. At Pentecost, the first celebration after the Death of Christ, the Promise of the New Religion had been summed up in the sanctity and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It would have been nice if that Promise had been pursued and developed. People could have nurtured their Spiritual Lives with such an open and unspecified Doctrine. Instead the idea of the Holy Spirit was materially exploited and then abandoned when it lead to some complications. It would be traded out for the Doctrine of Salvation, that Jesus had been murdered to Justify Free Sin. Hell is swapped for Heaven – where else, after all, can Sinners be received without Judgment? Whatever a Religious Doctrine says or doesn’t say, Heaven must absolutely and unequivocally be reserved for Spiritual Purity and Perfection – once any Darkness or Stench is allowed in, then it is no longer Heaven, is it? So don’t kid yourself, the ‘Heaven’ that Sinners are lining up for is just a pearly trap door over the abyss of Hell. It can be no other way while there is still a God in His Heaven. Satan cannot prevail, even if Satan ‘believes’, even if Satan has ‘Faith’ – as long as Satan still sins, he still belongs in Hell, just as do all sinners.
But our Religion mixes all of that up and nobody seems to be able to tell the difference.
I remember a Catholic Priest standing up at the pulpit and bragging that “Christianity” was the only Religion in the World that provides “Salvation”. He saw nothing wrong with that. Would he have preferred that the Entire World be allowed Free Sin? Yes, as a matter of fact, it would be more fair if the Rest of the World could equally drop the restraints of Morality and Ethics and be just as Free and easy going as Christians. Capitalism would work so much more smoothly if everybody could ignore their scruples.
But once past the age of intellectual integrity then one must be willing to send off to the Heap anything that can’t justify itself as True Religion. The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity is one of those old familiar things that needs to be trashed.
But first, we should examine why it is that Theologians create questionable doctrines in the first place. Well, all such things occur on two levels. The first level of deception is when some seemingly inspired Founder of a New Sect or Religion spins out a new basic doctrine. The precise details are unimportant because the general picture is ordinarily enough to attract and convince the common people – such people are not particularly caught up in over-thinking things, or even in doing much thinking at all. But then afterward, sometimes long after the founder has gone to his Eternal Reward, the people who do worry over the details, the Scholars and Priests, discover that there are logical, theological, metaphysical and even reasonable discrepancies in the Basic Doctrine. More often than not they wish to support the Basic Doctrine, and not toss it out for being flawed. In most cases they are the Career Professionals of the Religion and have every interest in sustaining the Religion… in not ‘killing the goose that lays their Golden Egg’. They may even believe that their Religion might do some good if allowed to persist. And so they set out to fix everything. They come up with convoluted attachments to the Basic Doctrine that fill in the gaps and to reconcile the inconsistencies.
One is supposed to argue from Particulars to the General, to see how all the little things add up to One Big Thing. But the habit of Theologians, however, is to take the One Big Thing already handed to them and simply make up a lot of little things to fit with it. After the Fact has already been established by Tradition and Authority, they superimpose new sets of details and interpretations on the old stories and rewrite the literatures so it all seems as though it were solid from the very beginning.
In Christianity, Salvation was the Basic Doctrine. The Holy Trinity was the invention that was supposed to remove the difficulties.
You might ask, “what was the problem with Salvation?” Well, the problem is that if by killing one man the Entire World for All Eternity could get Salvation, well, then they would have killed somebody long before, wouldn’t they? Especially if sins are forgiven. The Killing itself might be wrong, but, then, if it is immediately forgiven… But it all simply doesn’t follow. There is no such power in any one man. Human Sacrifice had been used for particular and limited ends, for some temporary atonement or momentary appeasement, to relieve a famine or assure a victory, but nobody ever pretended that some Universal and Eternal Benefit could be accrued just by murdering one guy.
So, this is why we have the Second Person of the Holy Trinity – Jesus the Man was redrawn as Jesus the God. Jesus as a Divine Person suddenly had the power to be very useful if He were to be ‘Sacrificed’. Killing Jesus the God Man would be enough to plausibly argue for Salvation – Jesus a God would be a Worthy Sacrifice to God the Real God… the First God. Sorry, we can’t call Him the ‘only’ God anymore. Multiplying one’s Gods confuses things, doesn’t it? For instance, does one pray to Jesus, or simply in the name of Jesus? Is Jesus God or isn’t He? (How many Sunday School Teachers wish they could have replied to such a question, “Don’t worry about it. Its all just bullshit anyway”).
And it gets even harder. The Trinity also has a Third God. What is that about? Well, as the Theologians of the 2nd Century looked upon the Doctrines that came out of the First Century, they were troubled over the matter of credibility and credentials. Jesus, if He had not always been thought of as a God, at least started as a plausible candidate for Messiah, and worked great wonders, spoke with Wisdom, and had a lot of charisma. No one ever doubted that Jesus had been a Great and Powerful Man, not even His enemies. But all of the Big Doctrines, and especially the Doctrine of Salvation and the supporting Doctrine that Jesus was a God Man, all these doctrines came from Paul. Well, Paul had problems. His biggest problem was ‘who the heck is Paul’. He was not part of the original Team. We are not told that he even met Jesus, and if he had met Jesus, we are probably not told about it because Paul was probably one of those pesky Pharisee enemies of Jesus, and that would have been simply too difficult to explain away. Also, many from the original Team, the Real Apostles, went to print renouncing Paul and his Teachings. We see Paul in the light of the Greek Church that fell for his stories, but back in the Holy Land it was all quite different. Paul had many real enemies. The last chapters of the Book of Acts follow Paul around Jerusalem as first one Forum and then another of Jews and Christians bring Paul to trial for inciting riot and preaching heresy. Paul’s reputation was saved in part because absolutely all of the Second Century Reviewers were in fact Greeks who did not worry in the least about Semitic and Hebrew sensibilities, such as Monotheism and One Jealous God. But they did understand that Paul had huge credibility problems. While he was their most beloved Founder, he was also their worst embarrassment. It seems to be a problem with Religions of the Near East.
Oh, where did all the Jews and Real Christians go? Why were the Greeks left in charge of Christianity. Well, remember the Book of Revelation and the Prophecies of Jesus that said the World would end and Jerusalem would be destroyed and the Church would be removed up into Heaven. It happened right on schedule. From 70 A.D. to 130 A.D. there had been three progressively severe Wars of Jewish Rebellion. The Jews would riot and murder some community of Greeks (over the years the Rebel Jews had murdered millions of Ethnic and Cultural Greeks) and then Rome would come in and re-establish order. Well, they found the only way to re-establish order was to kill them all… a lesson modern generals are reluctant to take heed to, supposing that the Roman Generals had never tried winning ‘hearts and minds’ which would have worked as well for them then as it has worked for us now. Anyway, Rome’s successful Final Solution for their Jewish Problem quite erased any influence that the Genuine Christian Church might have had on the Greek Counterfeit Church.
So, back to Paul’s credibility issues. From the 2nd Century perspective, Christian Doctrine seemed to come from an outsider – a man without miracles, charisma, or any particular destiny; a rough and ugly man. He sold a Religion to the Greeks, but that spoke as much toward Greek gullibility as to any special power he had to sway minds and persuade hearts. While Doctrines relied upon the say-so of this spotted personality, then there would be problems.
So the Theologians of the 2nd Century invented the notion that the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit could rank on the same footing as God Almighty Himself. Therefore, when pressed on the issue of just what gave Paul any credibility on matters of Religion, well, they could answer that Paul had been possessed by the Holy Spirit. It was not that they were believing Paul – ugly, stupid, ill-tempered Paul – it was that they were believing the Holy Spirit that was only using Paul as a vessel. Yes, that was it. They had their Story.
The issue would rise again in History. Catholic Civilization reigned for a Thousand Years, just as Christ had predicted, but then there was the invention of the printing press, and Bibles were printed out in ordinary language – vernaculars – English and French instead of just the Priest-Speak of Latin. The first Reformers and Fundamentalists began taking to the streets proclaiming that the Bible taught Free Sin, but they were answered that nobody important in the Bible spoke such Blasphemy. It was only Paul and only then in the last and least significant chapters, the back pages. You know, High Christian Civilization ( which our biased History calls the Dark and Middle Ages) had did its best to forget Paul had ever existed. Only the Bishops remembered Paul… Paul had been their Personal Secret that allowed them to live in all of their corruptions. Salvation was a Privilege enjoyed only by the Bishops and Popes. The Bishops still use Paul similarly – molesting children, insisting that if Salvation forgives Sins, then they might as well sin enough to put the doctrine to some good use. But the ordinary people and even the ordinary clergy and the Religious Orders had never heard of Paul. Or if they had, then Paul was dismissed as some crazy nut that survived in a dusty book that obviously suffered from too little intelligent editing when they had first put it all together.
So the Protestants of the 16th Century invented the doctrine of “Word of God” – that if the Bible says it, then it can be equated to God Almighty Himself. This Doctrine had been invented for the same reason that the Holy Spirit had originally been promoted up to God Status, and that was in order to make Paul equal to God. While the Whole Bible is supposed to be the Word of God, when we see how the Doctrine is actually applied, all the benefits fall to Paul. Jesus doesn’t need the help, and nobody else is ever quoted for anything. “Word of God” is used to effectively make Paul the Third God of the Holy Trinity.
Yeah, I know. Yuck! So that is why they still need the Idea of the Holy Spirit to stand in for Paul. But there would also be problems enough with just the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit was declared the Third Divine Person of the Holy Trinity, but It came from rather humble beginnings. The scriptures of the first century speak of the Holy Spirit, but the rendering is a bit confused. At Pentecost it seemed at first that Everybody had the Holy Spirit, but by the next day all seemed to return to normal and nobody had it. The Book of Acts speaks of a few select people known for having the Holy Spirit, but does not give their names. It seemed to be a rare gift even where it was acknowledged. No, Paul is not acknowledged as having had the Holy Spirit. The same passage in the Book of Acts that speaks of people having the Holy Spirit then goes on to speaking of Paul as being one of the others, who, by inference, obviously didn’t have It. Yes, Paul says he had it, but it is odd that the Real Christians at the time did not agree.
Paul, in his letters, particularly Corinthians, speaks of the Holy Spirit, but defines it in ordinary non-spiritual non-miraculous terms. Why would Paul down play the Holy Spirit when he would benefit so much personally by the Doctrine? Well, you see, the Holy Spirit had first appeared among the Hebrews and the Jews in Jerusalem. Paul’s Greeks had heard of it and were complaining that Paul was not giving It to any of them. They were all paying Membership Fees and expected something, and Paul did not appear to be delivering. So Paul answered effectively that the Holy Spirit was really no big deal after all. Paul defined the Holy Spirit in ordinary terms so he could argue that his ordinary people already had plenty of It. And he diverted their attention to Faith and Salvation.
So we have a situation where the Holy Spirit is at first minimalized, and then when it is seen how useful it can be, it is suddenly ‘super-sized’ up again to being an Equal Person with God… a Third God. Well, this simply brought back the problem that Paul had tried to address – that people would have some great expectations of this Holy Spirit, and how could the Church be expected to deliver on such great expectations? With millions of Believers and NOBODY with any hint of the Holy Spirit, people would begin to get suspicious. Oh, but maybe the more serious problem would be from people who would insist, as Paul had, that they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and that they should be the New and Blue Religious Leaders.
This brings us to Gnosticism. People were not oblivious to the point that Paul had benefited from the Holy Ghost Doctrine to the extent of being treated like a Human God, even despite an altogether apparent lack of good looks, fine bearing or exemplary intelligence. If Paul could do it, well, anybody could. Everybody saw their chance. If they could only think of just one neat gimmick, then they could invoke the Holy Spirit just like Paul had. And many did. New Teachings and New Teachers were popping up in every district. Even honestly, without suspecting any of the usual deliberate and jaded scams, people could be seduced by such a Doctrine into supposing any wacky internal notion or delusion to be a Gift of the Spirit.
Oh, there was also the problem of people asserting their Moral Objections to the Free Sin Doctrine of Salvation, offering as their support and reason the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Well, this idea that the Holy Spirit could be used to support a standard of Righteousness and Purity, well, it had to be crushed! What would Christianity come to if we again permitted such moral judgments? Isn’t the teaching “Judge not and be not judged”? We will accept a complete world of the worst criminals because we might someday commit a misdemeanor. And we call that ‘Religion’. Anyway, it was the logic that appealed first to the Bishops and then and now to the Protestant Leaders of Everything.
So, anyway, finally the Church put its foot down and issued the pronouncement that the Holy Spirit had served its purpose and would now come to its end. It was the middle of the 4th Century. Christianity had just become the State Religion. God therefore no longer needed to talk through people. The Holy Spirit’s earthly career would be finished – exorcised! That would be that! The same Conference, the Council of Nicea, that had selected and sealed the Books of the Bible also issued the Death Certificate for the Holy Ghost.
Thank you, Holy Spirit. That will be all.
When you think about it, it is all rather sad. At Pentecost, the first celebration after the Death of Christ, the Promise of the New Religion had been summed up in the sanctity and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It would have been nice if that Promise had been pursued and developed. People could have nurtured their Spiritual Lives with such an open and unspecified Doctrine. Instead the idea of the Holy Spirit was materially exploited and then abandoned when it lead to some complications. It would be traded out for the Doctrine of Salvation, that Jesus had been murdered to Justify Free Sin. Hell is swapped for Heaven – where else, after all, can Sinners be received without Judgment? Whatever a Religious Doctrine says or doesn’t say, Heaven must absolutely and unequivocally be reserved for Spiritual Purity and Perfection – once any Darkness or Stench is allowed in, then it is no longer Heaven, is it? So don’t kid yourself, the ‘Heaven’ that Sinners are lining up for is just a pearly trap door over the abyss of Hell. It can be no other way while there is still a God in His Heaven. Satan cannot prevail, even if Satan ‘believes’, even if Satan has ‘Faith’ – as long as Satan still sins, he still belongs in Hell, just as do all sinners.
But our Religion mixes all of that up and nobody seems to be able to tell the difference.
I remember a Catholic Priest standing up at the pulpit and bragging that “Christianity” was the only Religion in the World that provides “Salvation”. He saw nothing wrong with that. Would he have preferred that the Entire World be allowed Free Sin? Yes, as a matter of fact, it would be more fair if the Rest of the World could equally drop the restraints of Morality and Ethics and be just as Free and easy going as Christians. Capitalism would work so much more smoothly if everybody could ignore their scruples.
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