View from the Mount

View from the Mount
Sober Thought Provoking Archive Essays by SARTRE from BREAKING ALL THE RULES

Friday, January 31, 2014

Have Gun, Will Travel

Few topics cause more confusion and emotionalism than the subject of guns. But before you speculate that this pacifist author is against the second amendment, consider the nature of the real issue. Guns are simply an instrument of function. The principle that is part of our heritage, is the inalienable ability for self defense. This natural right, does not exist because government has passed a law or grants some privilege. Protecting your own life and safety is intrinsic to your very existence. So why do so many people confuse gun ownership with self protection, when the former is only a means, while the later is an immutable right? 

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Thursday, January 30, 2014

The Euro Makes All Things Possible!

Euro, Euro, Euro all around, but not a pence of 'real money', to spend. With these euro notes of this common currency, the wire services heap praise on its successful launch. The wheels of business and the mechanism of finance are all in gear to usher in this brave new world of commerce. For years we have heard the benefits of the first united coinage since the Roman Empire and the elimination of the chaos of individual currencies. So what will this conversion mean for Europe and the rest of the world? 

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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Full Spectrum Dominance

The military doctrine of 'Full Spectrum Dominance' is the vision for the twenty first century. As the term implies, superiority over the entire range of battlefield threats, is the goal that will ensure victory. This viewpoint for combat extends it's dogma of mastery, far beyond the field of war. The essence of the political struggle, in this era of total compliance, is complete control. The New World Disorder is about the elimination of all resistance. The front lines are not limited to opposing defenses, they encompass the entire society. 

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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Another New Year, Getting Better All The Time!

The infinite capacity for delusion is the primary result of 'so called' progress. During this holiday season we are constantly reminded about good will to men and how nice the world is. We are told that the next year will be better and that the promise for mankind is bright. Focus is always directed towards the advancement of society. What sells in this world of myth and mirage, is a fairy tale for the faint of heart, for the ending must always lead to happy every after . 

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Monday, January 27, 2014

The Constitution: on Being a Citizen and Person

Governments have a rule they like to enforce. Defining the standards for citizenship is fundamental to the organization of society. The State has emerged as the final arbitrator for disputes, especially conflicts between the 'person', and the government. But is any person a citizen? The wording within the U.S. Constitution on this topic is clear and indisputable. 

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Friday, January 24, 2014

Inspiration or Substitute Heroes ?

In an age where heroes are as rare as happiness, we are continually told that celebrities are the substitute. Society has strayed so far off the path of purpose, and has manufactured substitute ideals that are more figments of desire, than models to emulate. Modern time has lost examples of heroism, but we still have the need for people to admire and believe in. So it is not unusual to see the attention that is being paid to the passing of an entertainment icon. 

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Thursday, January 23, 2014

Where are the Clerics?

For more than thirty years, a consistent slide in religious leadership has taken over the institutional Churches in America. Once upon a time their mission was preaching the gospel. Today the assignment is to get and keep tax-exempt status. The holy grail is an IRS 501 (c) (3) non-profit tax exempt corporation. Incorporation, of any kind, accepts the rule of the State, over an organization. Why in the world (certainly not a requirement of heaven) would an assembly of believers consider themselves a 'trust' of the government? 

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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

New World Disorder Psychology

Events since 911 have created a deep seeded dread towards the future in the minds of many Americans. What was attacked on that day was not buildings alone. The deaths that were snuffed out were not the only victims from the act of terror. The feeling of anguish has overtaken much of the public psyche, as the tone of the continuous reporting and reflection has exposed an uncertainty, that few would have admitted, just a short time ago. Control over your environment and circumstances is a goal that most strive to achieve. In the fleeting moments by an act of absurd action and applied depravity, security of our world view was shattered.

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Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Honor the Memory of THE Patriot

The soul of the American Revolution was George Washington, but the spirit was Patrick Henry. We all know the greatness of our First President, but have you read the speech that set the tone of our struggle for Liberty from this other Virginian? Each year we honor those who have fallen in defense of our country. But do we fully appreciate the essence of what our bravest patriots fought and died to create? The words of Patrick Henry ring true today, just as they did during his life. Read the entire speech and tell me if the struggle is any different today? Patrick Henry spoke these words on March 23, 1775 and says more about America than all the writing of those of us who revere the purpose of our vision as a Nation. 

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Monday, January 20, 2014

Home Defense and Fly Over Country

With the continuous message that 'America United' is the theme of the day, why do some of us heap scorn on this notion? Living outside metropolitan areas gives the opportunity to avoid contact with the most rabid proponents of the popular culture. It has long been argued, that the elites that design and project current policy, are suspect in their devotion to American principles. Now we have a frenzy to jump aboard the patriotic bandwagon that is defined by these same admirers of the State. No wonder the media is the champion of the drums for war, they are a target of the Terrorists! 

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Friday, January 17, 2014

The 'Loyalist Tale' - American Tories

"I voluntarily take this OATH to bear Faith and true Allegiance to His MAJESTY KING George the Third; - and defend to the utmost of my Power, His sacred Person, Crown and Government, against all Persons whatsoever." Words like these may seem strange to inhabitants of the twenty first century, but to citizenry of the revolutionary period, this was the making of serious discourse. Just hollow rhetoric, or was this sentiment of the day, a fair reflection by a significant portion of the population? 

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Thursday, January 16, 2014

The Harsh Economic Costs of 911

Now that the task of recovery has begun in earnest, we need to evaluate the after effects of the earth shattering massacre. With estimates well over 100 Billion Dollars for New York City alone, we are in store for some major realignments in the national economy. The federal government will subsidize and grant a large portion of these funds. Coming out of our pockets is nothing new for most of us. But the underlying changes to the functions of the Capitalistic order, may well be much more significant in the long run. 

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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

What is Happening to Conservatives?

In the heat of turmoil from this quandary of facing reality, it is understood that some voices will spout out with excessive veracity. Honesty is fine, but distortion of the Truth is unacceptable. Since the mood of the nation has gone off in crisis mode, we have been saturated with countless articles about the aftermath of 911. Many are from recognized sources and several new commentators. The trend that emerges is quite disturbing. Gung-Ho was supposed to be the province of the hard core. Has it now been adopted by the entire vast right wing conspiracy?

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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

"A Splendid Little War" - Whose War Is It?

The most important message since the tragic events of September 11th has been written by Pat Buchanan, in his 9/26 article, Whose war is this?, in USA Today. In question is the Open Letter written to President Bush by the 'Gang of 41', a who's who of the neoconservative 'True Believers', exposes their true loyalty and real objective for America. Penned by William Kristol, based upon the policies of Richard Perle, with signers including William Bennett, Jeane Kirkpatrick and Vin Weber; we have the list of the new 'Quislings'. To the credit of Jack Kemp, he parted from his Empower America friends and refused to join in, saying they: "went way over the edge." 

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Monday, January 13, 2014

Think What He Would Be Doing Now?

Republicans should be thankful for the restraint that the President has shown during the initial stages of this national crisis. Just think what response Clinton would have crafted. Thank God he is but a bad memory of the past. But we need not celebrate too soon, because there are others waiting in the wings to push the same belligerent response if they were the voice of policy. Balance in reporting has never been the hallmark of the press or the talking heads. Consider the criticism that Robert Novak has received when he ended his column, 'This is no pearl harbor' with this conclusion: "The big winner today, intentionally or not, is the state of Israel." Neoconservatives have crawled out of their shell, when the possibility that an equilibrium in the Mideast could be considered. 

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Friday, January 10, 2014

Our Day Of Infamy Is Yet To Come

Anyone who watched or heard the address to Congress by President Bush, could hardly help but be filled with pride that Americans can rally together during such a time of crisis. The people of our great land have once again shown their love for home and country. For those who had remaining doubts of the leadership abilities of this president, yesterday surely must put them to rest. His speech was inspiring and resolved. His plan for action has positive elements that will reassure. So you say, why do some still voice dissent for the future 'War on Terrorism'? Let's attempt to deal with those arguments from a pragmatic and reasoned evaluation. 

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Thursday, January 9, 2014

The American Century Ends With A Bang

It is hard to imagine with the carnage that we have just witnessed, that the worse is yet to come. Our emotional empathy extends to all who have suffered and perished, their families and the entire Nation. All the heroes, especially in New York, deserve our sincere respect. It is a time for compassion, but also needs to be the beginning of an era for Justice. Those who are responsible for true 'crimes against humanity', deserve the condemnation of all civilized people. 

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Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Mediocrity of the Meritocracy

Many pundits have presented the case that society needs to reward the achiever. It is argued that the most talented should attain positions of authority, based upon their superior ability. The end result is the formation of a power structure of Elite's; making the decisions, formulating policies and directing the organizations that carry out the plan. It is most difficult to quarrel with the notion that talent is not distributed equally, but it becomes a giant leap to conclude that the very attribute of aptitude, is the sole criteria that justifies positions of authority. 

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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Dysfunctional Public Education Is No Accident

Has the public been so dumbed down that most don't question that our society is at peril because of the failure in government schools? Judging from the clamor that voter polls reflect, most are in favor of even more government involvement in education. Is this mislaid concern because of an insightful grasp that something is essentially wrong, or is it just a response to fix another problem that was created by the very people who have been entrusted with the future of our children?

It should be self evident that the reason for the collapse in education standards is no accident. 

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Monday, January 6, 2014

Go Forward and Move On

Are you tired of hearing "Let's go forward" and "We need to move on"? Well, these catch phrases seem to sum up what our society has become. The idea of a forward direction in almost any aspect of endeavor, implies that progress is our mutual goal. Maybe someone should point out that real progress is seldom achieved in an uninterrupted direction. And what does moving on have to do with realizing this 'so called' progress? 

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Friday, January 3, 2014

Urban Living is NOT Civilization

The name B F Skinner was once known to every student and his work was taught as unassailable fact. His theory is based upon the idea that learning is a function of change in overt behavior. Change in behavior is the result of an individual's response to stimuli that occur in the environment. A response produces a consequence. When a particular Stimulus-Response pattern is reinforced, the individual is conditioned to respond. Whatever you may think of his research, we should all be able to learn from some of his methods. Much of his best known work was with rats and the 'Skinner Box'. Some will say that humans are quite different from the subject rodents, and that conclusions of such research would not apply to humans.

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Thursday, January 2, 2014

Bigger Isn't Better - Better IS Better

Now it is all about the MONEY. Anyone who is mystified about Mergers and Acquisitions, should ask some basic questions. The most important being who is going to pay for the deal? Will the enterprise be better after the marriage? And will the marketplace, consumers, employees and society benefit from this new offspring? All too often in the last twenty years the answers have been; you pay, seldom and none of the above. 

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Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Zionism, Racism and anti-Semitism

A tragic mistake that is common to any discussion on politics is that racism is bad. The dictionary clearly states that racism is: "the notion that one's own ethnic stock is superior", and "discrimination or prejudice based on racism". Now consider for a moment the merits or the flaws in this definition. Ethnic groups regularly take pride in their heritage and traditions. 

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