The Establishment is smothering opinion diversity and any sort of dissent, even if peaceful

At universities and in government halls around the world, and especially in the USA and Israel, free speech is being egregiously suppressed and often criminalized.  Some Professors (and others) have characterized it as Neo-McCarthyism.  See clip below.

https://www.democracynow.org/2024/4/18/columbia_university_israel_palestine

Academic freedom has been under assault in universities for many years, but now such has ramped up to a "bone-chilling" (from the clip above) level.  The attack largely (but not totally) is being led by people from the extreme political Right.  Whether they know it or not, they're exhibiting one of the primary characteristics of Fascism.  Dissent of any kind is not allowed.  Suppression of it is dressed up as "safety concerns" and/or "national security".

Liberal education is being suffocated.  Plus, at Government Hearings those being called in to testify are constantly being interrupted and attacked with little-to-no decorum or professionalism.  See the clip.  A liberal education is part of the concept of "liberalism".  So, what is liberalism?  What are its tenets?

Despite what the long-ago-hijacked Republican Party thinks, Liberalism is a moral/ethical philosophy and ideology based on the tenets of liberty, consent of the governed, equality before the Law, and tolerance.  Different forms of the belief sometimes depart from one or more of those tenets.  Despite that, the general definition is valid.  

Attention those who are extreme Right-Wingers:  except for Alexander Hamilton (who wanted a monarchy as our form of government), all the Founders of the USA were considered liberal in their political views and philosophy.

Peaceful diversity of opinion, dissent, and/or protest always should be allowed in a free society.  Suppression of such reeks of hubris and dogmatism, and even a whiff of totalitarianism.  Those who claim to be for "freedom", but then promote the suffocation of dissent are hypocrites to the Nth degree.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Coming A.I. Monopoly

Each of a few of the 813 billionaires in the USA are vying for control of the A.I. industry.  That's somewhat akin to a person wanting a monopoly over our highway system, or electrical grid, or the internet, or our transportation means, or all our schools.  And the effort is on steroids (so to speak).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP5sQhGlxj4

As you'll see in the short clip above, the spiel presented by these wannabe monopolists (especially Sam Altman) is laced with phrases such as "for the good of all", "nonprofit research", "semi-nonprofit" [Really?!  It's either nonprofit or not.], "with humanity's best interests at heart", "a set of world-changing advances", and the like.

All these A.I. tools supposedly will be "open source", with the company OpenAI leading the way (so far).  If so, why is Elon Musk suing OpenAI for breach of contract?  He says the company is closed, not "open".  ChatGPT may be available to most people, but it's a piddly little thing compared to what's coming soon.

Instead of millions of people having access to the development of these gizmos, and which values go into their "training", the whole process currently is controlled by a centralized committee of Super-Rich investors.  It's their values which will be informing and shaping the rest of us.  That's what needs to be regulated, NOW.

Politicians are behind the eight ball and lagging on the learning curve re this whole scenario.  They need to get with the program.  I think A.I. should be deemed some version of a public utility.  It certainly must at least be prevented from becoming a monopoly.

[NOTE---

Also see:  https://individualsovereignty.blogspot.com/2024/02/this-peril-goes-way-way-beyond-trump.html  and,

https://individualsovereignty.blogspot.com/2024/03/heres-why-ai-must-be-decentralized-asap.html ]

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

"Climate Engineering: Doubling Down on Bad Habits"

https://steadystate.org/climate-engineering-doubling-down-on-bad-habits/

In general, it seems Technocrats are not aware of and are ruining human alignment with the continuity of the ecosphere.  Also, I suspect they are more or less innocently unaware of the elements of the ecosphere - the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere (aka, geosphere) - and how those elements are deeply and intricately interrelated.  They make up the Earth System, which is one giant ecosystem (with many sub-ecosystems).

It appears to me that their geoengineering plans (related to climate) are nothing more than efforts to avoid the reduction of carbon emissions.  The reasoning seems to be:  let's alter the amount of solar radiation reaching Earth and/or suck carbon out of the air, so we can keep burning fossil fuels into infinity.  Those scenarios are not well thought out.  See the spot-on article at the link above.

If these climate engineering plans ever get up to the required scale, negative unintended consequences are a distinct probability.  Efforts to control Nature are a Techno-fantasy.  While short-term success often is achieved, in almost all cases disaster or near-disaster eventually is the unintended result.  The Agricultural Green Revolution(s) of a bit over fifty years ago is a prime example.  [For details, see Chapter 2 in my second book, Choices & Change on the Path to a Sustainable Existence...", OR read the excerpt here - https://individualsovereignty.blogspot.com/2024/02/excerpt-from-choices-change-on-path-to.html .

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

With a striking cover, the eBook version has been launched

The eBook format of my second book (which is about Sustainability for humans and Earth) is now on Amazon.  Here's the link---

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVZZW9GC/ref=monarch_sidesheet  [Scroll down to see the striking cover.]  If you don't have a Kindle gizmo, it can be read with Amazon's free App.  Please at least read the book's Description at the link (previously posted on this blog).  If not interested in the major topics, perhaps you might know of someone who would be.  Thanks. 

In about three days or so, the eBook should be on about ten or so other book venues, such as Apple Books, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Baker & Taylor, bibliotheca, and tolino.

Top-notch research scientists explain our predicament and what's required to transition to and thrive in a sustainable environment.  [So far, the Establishment's efforts in that arena are inadequate.  Too many linear, short-term thinkers.]  I'm just the messenger.

We have crucial choices to make, and they must be made ASAP.  The Future is Now.  Be informed, and please choose objectively and wisely.  Someday our children and grandchildren will thank you.

Everyone Be Well

Here's why A.I. must be decentralized ASAP

Send this list (or the entire essay) to your political representatives.

In no particular order---

1.  Without "Open Source" (decentralized) A.I., there's no safety valve or protection against only a few people determining the content and use of the technology.  In such a situation, there's a tremendous potential for abuse, for molding the public mind.

2.  Augmented Reality (AR), which eventually most likely will be some sort of glasses (rather than a full headset or "helmet") will become affordable for most people in developed countries in the not-too-distant future.  It will enable people to be in physical/actual reality, but change/augment parts (or all) of what they see.  Some experts say it will be as addictive as heroin or crack cocaine, and over time easily could cause the user to become detached from actual reality.  With further use, varying degrees of mental illness may loom large.

3.  Relatively soon and not including AR, A.I. will be in everything made by humans.  Initially, its purpose will be to suck up data about every one of us.  [That's already in progress with the internet, SMART appliances owned by most people, social media, and a few other things...but not yet everything.]  That data will be way beyond name, address, phone number, etc.  It will include what you wear, what you read, your habits, what your total behavior is like, your politics, your spiritual beliefs, your economic beliefs, your health, and more.  Basically, a model of you will be assembled.  Why?  The models will be sold for profit.  The data will be orders of magnitude larger and more detailed than what's sold now.

4.  The data obtained will be used to create other A.I.s (assistants, tutors, companions, mentors, and the like) which will be able to influence us in a certain direction (as consumers, or voters, or employees, or citizens, or volunteers, or other functions).  Millions of people will be influenced simultaneously in real time.  The current battle is over who gets to insert their values into these A.I.s because that will determine the direction of the influencing.

5.  It will be difficult to opt out of having an A.I. assistant, tutor, mentor, etc. because those who do opt out will find it increasingly difficult to make a living, keep a job, advance in your job, get an education, change careers, and the like.  All industries will be immersed in A.I., and employers will use the technology to either "improve" you, or replace you.

6.  High Tech A.I. companies essentially are strip mining our data from us, using it to make a profit, but not compensating us.  Plus, we have zero say in how our data is used.  Data ownership is a key issue not being addressed by politicians.

7.  As the availability of natural and social resources continues to diminish, augmented reality A.I. and mentoring/tutoring type A.I. will be relied upon more and more for both mental escape and learning or decision-making.  If only a few people are controlling the content of those A.I.s, then the likelihood of authoritarian scenarios increases.  So, too, does the likelihood of some sort of neofeudalism.

Go to the link on the post below (from last month) for many more details provided by John Robb:   https://individualsovereignty.blogspot.com/2024/02/this-peril-goes-way-way-beyond-trump.html

As Robb points out, totalitarian communism was defeated largely because its system was overly centralized.  The system of democratic countries, for the most part, is decentralized, which over time makes it more innovative and resilient.  Unfortunately, though, with financialization and corporate globalization, democratic countries essentially have created a highly centralized system.  Only a relatively small number of people control the direction of finance, economics, trade, and politics.  If A.I. remains a "black box" (so to speak) with only a small number of corporations determining its content and direction, then our centralization problem will increase exponentially.  There's a high degree of probability that a somewhat subtle form of Authoritarianism will follow.  It's highly likely that a majority of people will be convinced to demand it.

Practically speaking, only politicians can prevent that "Brave New World".  If society is to thrive with any degree of vibrancy, then A.I. must be opened up, decentralized.  Inform your political representatives now.

............................

Not only my opinion.  Good Luck to us All

Gaza, Israel, USA, Biden, and Netanyahu

Someone I care about wrote me and suggested I have compassion for Biden.  My response is below.

RE your "compassion for Biden" comment---

My compassion is for the children and other civilians in Gaza.  Biden is now a war criminal (according to several philosophers, UN humanitarian workers, university professors, & others), complicit in ethnic cleansing, genocide, and the outright starvation & murder of innocent children.  His hypocritical statements, e.g., "I'm doing everything I can to stop this [the "over-the-top" war]" are sickening.  He's not doing even half of what he could.

I wonder how compassionate toward Genocide Joe you'd be if your grandson had been killed in Gaza by U.S. supplied weapons.  Biden has materially helped to kill over 12,300 children.  Nothing can excuse that.  I don't care what his reasoning is.  He's complicit in war crimes, period.  Trump would be even worse, but that doesn't make Biden less of a war criminal.  What he's doing is a stain on him and everyone in this country.  It's totally unforgivable.  You don't back a thug (Netanyahu) who purposely attacks hospitals, UN shelters, ambulances, residences, etc., with innocent children in them...even if you believe your perceived enemy also is there.  It's criminal, immoral, unethical, and barbaric.  And yet, Biden keeps sending weapons to do the deed.

Outrageous.

Don't bother trying to change my mind on this... because no one can.  No one.

---------------------------------

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

No Technology is more useful than this one

 I just recently came off a 10+ hour power outage, plus the landline phone (the only phone I have) & internet were also out (& the fiber-optic cable for them is underground).  This all in the middle of the heaviest snowfall in my 11 years here.  It drove home two points...again.

1.  There is no technology more useful than a steady supply of electricity.  Not SMART phones, nor so-called A.I., nor any other High Tech gizmo.  More importantly,

2.  According to the geologist & mining engineer, Simon Michaux, plus two physicists, and a couple of other scientists I can't recall at the moment, within about FIVE years, we'll be at the beginning of a protracted period of critical mineral supply shortages (there are plenty left in the Earth, but getting them, refining them, & distributing them will be problematic).  Manufacture of the one billion SMART phones per year (currently) will have to be cut way back.  Why?  Because each one has from 30-70 different critical minerals, & they will be needed for the massive number of needed renewable energy gizmos.  Never mind the batteries.  

So, the experts I mentioned above say it's highly likely that a "cell phone winter" is coming...unless we transition to a much simpler phone, one without all the bells & whistles (& many of the minerals) of the much touted SMART phone.  Those who say they "can't function without my phone" perhaps should imagine functioning without electricity.  

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

TEN reasons why Trump should be seen as UNAMERICAN...and more

1.  He has little-to-no respect for the U.S. Constitution.

[Source:  his own words]

2.  He admires dictators.

[Source:  his own words & actions]

3.  He doesn't believe in an independent Justice Department.

[Source:  his own words & actions]

4.  He has little-to-no respect for members of our military, especially those who had the extreme misfortune of being POWs.

[Source:  his own words]

5.  He has little-to-no respect for immigrants...except for (I'm            guessing) his grandparents and present wife (who were      immigrants).  He forgets how immigrants helped build the USA.

[Source:  his own words & actions]

6.  He has no statesmanship, and usually acts like a whining child.

[Source:  his own words & actions]

7.  He works to maintain a personality cult.  It's all about him, not    the USA (or the world).  Quote:  "I'm the only one who can save you."  ~ DJT.  Such is pure, unadulterated idiocy.

[Source:  his own words & actions]

8.  He manipulates his "fans" by means of serial lying and playing to their fears.  Trump is habitually dishonest & a truly negative,   sociopathic, vindictive person.

[Source:  his own words & actions]

9.  He has little-to-no respect for (or knowledge of) anything in            Nature, ecological principles, or conservation.

[Source:  his own words & actions]

10.  He's almost completely anti-democracy.

[Source:  his own words & actions]

Several polls show a majority of voters don't want Trump or Biden as President.  Here's one---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8rPZI4ofaY&t=1s

Here's another---

https://www.masslive.com/politics/2024/02/2024-election-voters-dont-want-trump-biden-rematch-umass-amherst-poll-says.html

Someone referred to the upcoming election as "the evil of two lessers".  😏

............................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Ten reasons why it's time for President Biden to gracefully retire

1.  President Biden, you tepidly stated the Israeli response to the initial Hamas attack was now "over the top".  It's much more than that; it's criminal.  Yet, you keep sending weapons and ammo to Israel, thus supporting the response which you say is too much, "over the top".  Hello!
2.   Every country ( including the USA) should be sanctioning Netanyahu and other members of the current Israeli Leadership who are responsible for purposely killing thousands of children and other civilians.  Those victims are not collateral damage.  It was known they were in the hospitals, UN shelters, refugee camps, ambulances, residences, etc. which were attacked.  Netanyahu et al. are Trump-on-steroids.  That's what you're supporting, Mr. President.  Wake up.
3.  According to Oil Change International,  twenty countries (including the USA) are planning to expand oil production for twenty-six more years.   https://priceofoil.org/content/uploads/2023/09/OCI-Planet-Wreckers-Report.pdf
4.  You tout your climate mitigation efforts, but they really are a mixed bag.  In accordance with number 3. above, you are expanding drilling for fossil energy on public lands.  Plus, the Inflation Reduction Act (constantly bragged about by you and others) favors oil companies as much as efforts toward renewable energy.
5.  Your Administration continues to pursue Julian Assange.  His "crime" was exposing US military misdeeds, some of which were war crimes.  Your backing of Netanyahu means you are complicit in war crimes.  That's according to many humanitarian scholars at the U.N., a few politicians here in the USA,  a few universities around the world, and several governments.  Wake up.  You're aiding in the murder of CHILDREN.
6.  Yes, you're better than Trump as a Leader, but not better than so many other potential candidates.  Trump is so unAmerican and has such a cult mentality, but still might win the election if someone other than you isn't running against him.  You don't seem to know how to deal with his idiocy.  Like many others, you let him get away with constantly changing the subject whenever he's caught in a lie or otherwise backed into a corner.  He acts like a spoiled brat, and gets away with it.  Anyone who knows the first thing about debating could show him up to be the whining child he is in no time at all.  He's a gaslighter, a serial liar, a bully, and his knowledge of almost everything is pathetic.  He's not an unknown. 
7.  Unlike a few politicians, you don't seem to understand ecological overshoot at all.  Plus, you don't appear to grasp any ecological principles (not just overshoot).  Like other anachronistic politicians, you apparently believe infinite economic growth - which, by the way, is exponential - is compatible with the health of a finite planet.  You don't see such as an oxymoron.
8.  Like Obama and Trump, you're updating our nuclear weapons arsenal instead of eliminating it.  You seem to have bought into the idea that a "limited" nuclear war is possible without any significant consequences.  Sheer ignorance.
9.  Trump has zero statesmanship, but yours isn't much better.  Putin warned the West about NATO expansion to his borders, and wanted talks about Ukraine.  Your Administration avoided talks.  Instead, you were quick to jump into a proxy war.

 10.  Your outmoded foreign policy is a disaster.  It's predicated on the idea of the USA as the world's police force.  It's stuck in a "unipolar" world, with the USA as the undisputed Head Honcho.  It fails to recognize the emerging multipolar world, in which other major nations actually get to have some influence in their regions.  See the Jeffrey Sachs interviews on Democracy Now for details.

The election still is eight months away.  Time to change horses.  There are plenty of potential candidates who have a much better chance than you, Mr. President, of defeating the poorest excuse for a politician in the history of our country.  Bow out gracefully, and you'll see a flood of (okay, maybe only several) candidates enter the race.  The wannabe dictator will be defeated first verbally, and then at the ballot box.  Hands down.  

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

This peril goes way, WAY beyond the Trump danger

Our Trump problem is like a bothersome gnat compared to this.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2n_Jk37cLE

Not only is democracy in peril, but so are social cohesion, cognition, a meaningful life, and Nature.  What's described here isn't only in the future; it already has started.  Politicians are doing little-to-nothing to get a handle on it.

The piece at the link above is about centralized A.I., augmented reality, networked tribalism, and how a few High Tech mega companies are using all that to mold the public mind.  It's about the Corporate Surveillance State manipulating the public into accepting something akin to neofeudalism.  If our "Leaders" don't decentralize A.I. as soon as possible, then it's highly likely Fascism (which is the Power of Big Biz married to the Power of the State) will rule societies all around the world.  China and Russia already are Fascist States.  More than likely, the USA soon will be (if not already) if A.I. isn't put on a short leash.  Only politicians can do that.  Even though they talk-the-talk, Big Biz won't do it. 

The danger of A.I. is not that machines will wind up killing us.  It's much, much more subtle a threat.  If you think you know enough about A.I., or if you believe it's all being handled, you're wrong.  If you have to watch this interview in stages, do so.  It will BLOW YOU AWAY.  Hopefully, you'll then be motivated to send the link to the staff of your political "representatives", and to everyone you know.  

The guy being interviewed, John Robb, is ex-military and an astronautical engineer, as well as a past consultant hired by numerous Fed Agencies on A.I. and network related issues.  He's been at that for about 30 years...and he's worried about all the above.  By the way, he's not all doom and gloom; his message winds up being positive (although, from an ecological viewpoint, a bit unrealistic in places).

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well & Be Aware

An Apparently Much-Needed BIOLOGY Lesson for the Alabama Supreme Court

 When a female human egg is fertilized by a male human sperm cell, the result is known as a zygote.  [The same is true with all other members of the biological Animal Kingdom.]  A zygote still is a single cell.  It has no brain, central nervous system, eyes, heart, etc.  [Yes, that should be obvious and known by everyone.  Given the Court's decision, however, thought I'd better make sure:]

When the fertilized egg divides into two identical cells, and those two divide, and on & on, the result is known as an embryo.  While an embryo, the group of cells appears no differently than does a group of cells from any number of other animals at the same stage of development.  It's a blob of undifferentiated cells.  It's not a child, not even close.  There's no brain, no developed systems found in a fetus, no sentience, no consciousness, nothing but a group of identical cells.  Yes, an embryo has the potential of becoming a human life; but it's not yet such.

Approximately eleven weeks after the last menstrual period in the mother, an embryo begins the phase of cell differentiation.  Body systems develop with specific organs.  The eventual result is known as a fetus.  The differences between an embryo and a fetus are monumental and relevant to ethics.

When an embryo is frozen (which happens in the IVF*** process weeks prior to the beginning of the change to a fetus) cell differentiation doesn't begin until after unfreezing.

[***IVF = in vitro fertilization]

To treat/view an embryo as a child is absurd.  To make things worse, one of the justifications for the decision was a citation from the Christian Holy Bible.  I was unaware of Alabama being a theocracy, or at least, acting like one.  There's no way that's appropriate...or even legal I would guess.

By the way, when you do a Google Search for questions regarding an "embryo", about one-third or more of the answers deal with a FETUS, not an embryo.  So it seems some Tech Whiz "Kids" who write algorithms for this Search topic, also need this Biology lesson.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

p.s.  In case anyone is wondering, I have an academic background in Biology and taught the subject at both the High School and Community College levels for years.

Attention: Main Street, City & County Comprehensive Planners, and Anyone Truly Interested in Sustainability

Here's why 2-4% annual Growth (which, by the way, is exponential) is harmful, and a framework for the sustainable alternative---

https://steadystate.org/envisioning-a-steady-state-comprehensive-plan/

It's somewhat of a long read, but worth it.  If nothing else, study the informative graphics and you'll get much of the central theme.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"France's Start-Up Nation is a Neoliberal Hell"

 https://techwontsave.us/episode/206_frances_start_up_nation_is_a_neoliberal_hell_w_nastasia_hadjadji?emci=10369721-2fd0-ee11-85f9-002248223794&emdi=fdc8a869-ebd0-ee11-85f9-002248223794&ceid=6171896

The neoliberal Macron, elected in 2017, has more or less teamed up with portions of the neoliberal High Tech Industry to transform France into something akin to a "start-up" corporation.  [It began as only efforts to attract High Tech investment, but morphed into working toward the instituting of a full-blown Corporatocracy.]  For details, copy & paste on a new page (or do a Search for the title) the link above.

In the name of "efficiency", the team (so to speak) is working to privatize public services and basically dismantle or drastically reduce France's social safety net.  That's the common objective and function of neoliberal policies instituted by Establishments in most "democratic" countries all around the world.  

What boggles the mind is this:  in the past several/many years, neoliberalism and the associated corporate globalization have shown themselves to be an abject failure relative to benefits to Main Street.  The failure has been ecological, social, and economic, never mind psychological and political.  If you're in the top twenty percent (or so) of income earners, then the whole thing has been great for you.  The rest of us have not fared so well.

Except in my country, the USA, most of the world has recognized the harm done by privatization, deregulation, austerity for Main Street, job insecurity, reduced retirement benefits, monopolization in High Tech, stagnant wages, and the like.  So, it's no wonder to me why Main Street in France and elsewhere has been protesting neoliberal policies and the continuing transfer of wealth to the Upper Crust.

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Why the factory farming of animals (and animal lab experimentation) is an obscenity

 https://tamerlaine.org/factory-farming-in-pictures

1.  Family farms, shrinking in number, still outnumber factory or "industrial" farms by far.  BUT, the total number of animals on factory farms is greater than the total on family farms.  A single factory dairy farm can have anywhere from 700 to 25,000 milk cows...on ONE "farm".  Dairy cattle!  These cows are never on pasture.  They live in giant warehouses and/or crowded feedlots.  There are about 9.4 million milk cows in the USA; the majority of them are never grazing on pasture their entire lives.  [NOTE:  in China & a few other countries, there are factory dairy farms with up to 100,000 milk cows on each one.]

2.  Hogs on factory farms live their entire lives indoors, most of them in steel bar crates, not roaming around in a big indoor arena.  Sows live in gestating crates barely longer and taller than the animal...their entire lives (which usually is only a few years).  [See the photo at the link above.  Not counting dogs, hogs are the most intelligent of all farm animals.  In general, they can do simple math better than a 3-yr-old human.  Like all livestock, they are social creatures, & have emotions.]

3.  Poultry on factory farms are never outdoors anymore.  They're raised in crowded crates in giant sheds, several packed into each crate, & crates stacked upon each other.

4.  Lab animals--- I can't even go there--- many of the experiments are cruel beyond belief, done in universities with full Government funding.  Mice, cats, dogs, primates, and a few other mammals are subjected to inordinate suffering.  Sentient beings treated like nonliving objects.  There are a few corporations which do nothing but raise "crops" of these creatures, thousands of future victims for sale.  It seems many humans pretend all animals except us are too dumb to be aware of their own suffering.  I guess such thinking soothes their consciences.

In most of these factory operations, cleaning of animal wastes is done automatically, which means it's incomplete.  Because of the massive numbers of animals, infected/sick ones often get overlooked and die without medical treatment.

The philosopher, Kant, once wrote (paraphrased):  we can judge the character of people by their treatment of animals.

Factory farming (especially of animals) is an obscenity.  It's a gross insult to civil society, sentient beings, and Nature.  We are capable of far better behavior.  Studies have shown that "small farms can feed the world".  Google it.  [You'll find arguments and studies supporting both sides of the question.  The disagreement largely revolves around the definition of the term, "small farm".]

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Excerpt from: "Choices & Change on the Path to a Sustainable Existence..."

 Here's part of Chapter 2 (Soil, Not Oil) from my second short book.

[The book is available here:  https://www.amazon.com/Choices-Change-Path-Sustainable-Existence/dp/B0CSSVWB3N? ] ---

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Introduction

Dirt is almost totally without any life in it. Soil is a living ecosystem which, in conjunction with water, air, sunlight, and the chlorophyll in green plants, makes animal life possible on Earth. It’s a more valuable natural resource than petroleum. Partly because few people seem to recognize or appreciate that view, we are in a worldwide soil crisis. [Dr. Vandana Shiva, a renowned agroecologist, has an informative and beautiful book out titled, Soil Not Oil.]

Though not recognized as such at the time, the crisis began with the first agricultural Green Revolution in the late 1950’s and throughout the 1960’s. Because planners were concerned about human population outpacing food production, plant breeders started developing new, high-yielding varieties of cereal grains, particularly wheat and rice. The newly developed crops were high-yielding because they managed to pull more nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) out of the soil as compared to older varieties.

In addition to new crop varieties, science developed pesticides and farmers applied them to their fields in earnest, especially in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Tons of DDT were dumped onto fields, thus controlling plant-eating insects. Food production began to rise.

Apparently, few people were concerned about any potential impact of poisons on soil microbes, worms, fungi, and other life forms necessary for soil health.

At the same time, the petrochemical industry developed artificial (synthetic) fertilizers. By about the early 1970’s, worldwide food production began to increase at an unprecedented rate. Such was the start of the second Green Revolution. Due to massive application of both synthetic fertilizers and irrigation water, it lasted to about 1985 or so. Annual grain production increased by 160%.

When the Green Revolution began, the start of a long period of soil degradation also began. For quite awhile, it was unrecognized. The widespread use of DDT on crops (and thus, on soil as well) began not long after WWII, well before the Green Revolution. It was banned in the USA in 1972. The primary reason for the ban was the harm it caused populations of raptors, or birds of prey. The harm to soil generally was unknown at the time. In agriculture, other poisons took the place of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). Herbicides also contributed to the ongoing degradation of soil. So, too, did the massive use of synthetic fertilizers. To understand WHY and HOW petrochemicals (in this case, synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides) cause the degradation of a most valuable resource, let’s look at soil in a bit more detail.

Like all others, soil is a highly complex natural ecosystem. Most ecologists would agree that a healthy, natural ecosystem is more complex than anything ever built by humans. Anything. So, the first thing to keep in mind is: soil is a living system with more complexity than any machine or system made by us. That complex, living system is the basis of our food supply. Almost all our plant and animal food products ultimately come from the soil. Instead of essentially poisoning it with artificial petrochemicals, we should be revering it and treating it with the utmost care. [See Pal, R. 2006 in References.]

Fifty or more years ago, a good topsoil consisted of 25% air, 25% water, 45% minerals, and 5% humus. The last item, humus, is partially decayed organic matter. It’s derived primarily from dead plants, plant parts (such as fallen leaves, twigs broken off, tree bark, etc.), dead animals and microbes, and animal wastes. Humus is crucial to soil fertility. It provides not only macronutrients such as Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), & Potassium (K), and the secondary nutrients Calcium (Ca),   Magnesium (Mg), and Sulfur (S), but also the micronutrients Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), Iron (Fe), Chloride (a form of Chlorine, Cl), Copper (Cu), Molybdenum (Mo), and Boron (B). When industrial farmers use the main synthetic fertilizer made from petroleum, all the soil gets is macronutients. Over time, the soil slowly is degraded. Today’s soil contains humus hovering around 1%, and that’s only a part of what makes up the Soil Crisis.

Other Aspects of Soil Important to Humans

• About 25% of the world’s land biodiversity is found in soil. One result of that: biodiverse soil bacteria provide us with new antibiotics. Also, biodiversity overall makes a soil ecosystem healthier and more resistant to environmental stresses such as disease in soil plants and animals, drought, and other damage to soil food webs.

• Soil filters water. For the most part, large groundwater aquifers are located inside “solid” rock. Rock has many tiny crevices, cracks, and microscopic pores which allow water molecules to enter. They accumulate there over thousands and thousands of years. Before ever getting to underlying bedrock, soil filters the water as it travels downward. That’s why water from a drilled well generally is “pure”.

• Soil is an important carbon sink. It sequesters carbon dioxide, thus keeping excess CO2 out of our atmosphere.

• The mineral portion of soil is composed of various combinations of sand, silt, and clay. Individual clay particles are so tiny they can be seen only with a high-powered microscope. As such, they exist in what’s known as a colloid, or in colloidal form. In that state, they have a net negative electrical charge. This means they attract positively charged mineral nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, etc. The nutrients thus are prevented from leaching down into the lower depths of the subsoil, out of reach of many plant roots.

• Humus also exists in colloidal form. It, too, holds nutrients in the topsoil where they can be absorbed by plant roots. The colloids making up both inorganic clay and organic humus are the most chemically active parts of any soil. They are crucial to soil fertility. Humus is a great source of nutrition for plants, and by releasing the nutrients slowly during decomposition, the plant roots are not “burned” when the nutrients are absorbed. The petrochemical fertilizer, ammonium nitrate, sometimes does damage to plant roots by quickly overwhelming and “burning” them.

• Green land plants get most of their water and nutrients (other than glucose, which they make themselves) from soil. Such plants not only are the basis of our food web, but also a significant source of the oxygen we require to live.

Petrochemicals, a major cause of soil degradation, damage or destroy soil biodiversity by killing many different types of microbes which are necessary to soil health. [See Pal, R. 2006 and Goudie, Andrew S. 2019 in References.] Bacteria, the most numerous of the soil microbes, work to decompose plant and animal matter. Thus they promote nutrient cycling. So do fungi and actinomycetes. Some bacteria can pull nitrogen out of the air and “fix” it into certain plants known as legumes (e.g., alfalfa, clover, and beans). Actinomycetes resemble both bacteria and fungi, and they aid in decomposition of organic matter, thus also contributing to the cycling of nutrients in the soil ecosystem. In addition to decomposition, fungi help bind soil particles into aggregates, and so aid in resistance to wind and water erosion.

Mycorrhizal fungi in soil are especially important to green plants. “Mycorrhizal” refers to a plant’s root system. These fungi live on the roots of plants in a mostly symbiotic (mutually beneficial) manner. Their hyphae – fungal feeding tubes – allow the host plant’s roots to take in more water and nutrients than they otherwise could. The practices of industrial farming – with their use of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides – are destroying these valuable fungi. Thus, over time, crop yields ultimately will be reduced because of soil degradation.

Factory farming also exacerbates wind and water erosion of soil, thus contributing even more to soil degradation.

BOTTOM LINE: the use of petrochemicals on farms, and all the rest of industrial agriculture, must be phased out. Farming and food supply chains must return to a smaller scale in order to regenerate our soil and cease the poisoning of food ecosystems. Organic farming, sometimes called regenerative agriculture, permaculture, or agroecology, is the best choice forward.

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The excerpt above shows how reliance on Technology can backfire if planners and policy makers are not thinking comprehensively.  I see the same thing taking shape today with geoengineers addressing symptoms rather than root causes of our ongoing Crisis.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well, and BE AWARE

The Mother of All Feedback Loops re Human Society

A short while ago, I posted the following as a small part of a new book description---

"the complex feedback loop involving constant economic growth, which requires more energy, which then creates more complexity in society, which then requires more energy, which then creates even more complexity, etc. is ruining our habitat;".

This essay is an expanded view of that concept.

In our past (and ongoing) pursuit of infinite economic growth, we've created a System, a "Superorganism" according to the ecologist, Nate Hagens.  This System is so large, so filled with complexity, and so out-of-control that a) it can't be fully described, and b) it can't be reined-in, and c) it's ruining the ecosphere.  It's the ultimate Rat-Race.  It's a primary cause of our ecological overshoot.  It's a runaway machine with no one at the helm.  It's literally killing us, not only with pollutants, but also with food insecurity, the stress of job insecurity, inadequate health care facilities, wars, inequality and inequity, declining democracy, and the like.  About twenty percent (maybe less) of Earth's human population are managing to stay afloat in the ongoing energy binge; the rest of us are in a slow descent to subsistence living.

[The twenty-six richest people on Earth own as much wealth as HALF the entire world's population combined.  In a civil society, that's an obscenity.  It's most likely also why the Rich and Powerful (perhaps with a few exceptions) want the runaway System to continue.  They appear to not be long-term, comprehensive, holistic thinkers.]

The ever-increasing complexity is causing significant problems in the arenas of:  global supply chains, manufacturing, transportation, consumption, extraction of natural resources, generation and distribution of electricity, health care equity, income inequality, institutional functioning, and more.  As society becomes more complex, the need for more and more energy increases.

Even a High School biology student could tell you with a high degree of certainty that such a scenario is unsustainable on a planet with finite resources.  Unfortunately, it appears most (not all) of the Powers-That-Be are relying on ideology, not science, to navigate through this current Crisis.  They appear to believe the benefits of our 150-year energy binge are the norm, but fail to see the Mother of All Feedback Loops, and the negative externalities of fossil fuel use.  They also don't seem to grasp the looming minerals problem relative to our necessary transition to Green Energy.  Never mind the soil crisis and the impending food supply shortage.

According to the mining engineer and geologist, Simon Michaux, in about only five years there will be serious problems regarding necessary minerals for Green energy.  In about ten years, agriculture also will be having significant problems.  It all revolves around energy.

If we don't voluntarily reduce our energy use, we'll be forced to by lack of cheap, easily available, and abundant fossil fuels AND lack of cheap, easily available and necessary minerals (about 70 of them) for renewables.  Less energy use will lessen eco-overshoot by leaps and bounds.  It also will slow down the Rat-Race by lessening societal complexity.  This all can happen if we phase out of infinite economic GROWTH, and phase into economic development in a steady state economy.  [See https://steadystate.org/ ]

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well, and Be Aware

Quote: "...whether God-given, biologically endowed, or just taken for granted."

This masterfully written essay clearly shows aggregate humanity is on a most destructive path re nonhuman animals.  [ https://greattransition.org/gti-forum/solidarity-animals-crist ]  Despite that bad news, the author inspires to the Nth degree.  At least read the first three paragraphs.  Judith Crist is a wordsmith of the highest order.  Reading her article is well worth the time.

Crist goes on to unravel/unpack the paradox of our love of animals existing simultaneously with the structural violence we impose upon them.  Then, too, she brilliantly recounts the history and heritage of John Rodman's "Differential

Imperative" - how we, in order to soothe our conscience, assign inordinate value to the difference between us and other animals.  [I say "other animals" because we're part of the biological Animal Kingdom; obviously, we aren't plants or microorganisms:]

Next, Crist relays how indigenous societies have (in general) treated nonhuman animals with respect, compassion, and the dignity they deserve while using them for human purposes.  A much needed lesson for us all.

Finally, she explains how mistreatment and misuse of animals has spilled over to include human-to-human interaction, and our degradation of the ecosphere.  Someday we'll all learn:  "everything is connected to everything else" ~ Barry Commoner, 1971 (another masterful wordsmith).

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care

MAGA should become MAMA: $50 TRILLION has been taken from Main Street

 https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/make-america-mad-again-tax-the-rich

Mad about what?...trickle-down economics, that's what.

For a bit over forty years, the USA has encouraged/supported "trickle-down" economics.  It has been a resounding success...for the Super-Rich.  They mined the gold; and Main Street got the shaft.  There's nothing "Great" about such economics; but Trump thinks there is.

At the link above, a Time magazine article which explains all this is discussed/analyzed by Paul Buchheit, an economic justice author.  He does a great job in this opinion piece of showing how MAGA ignores the reality of the last forty years.

To put $50 trillion into perspective, let's compare the number one million to the number one billion in the framework of "time".  One million seconds (of time) = about twelve days, and one billion seconds = about thirty-one years.  As you know, the number one trillion = 1,000 times one billion.

Often the Upper 1% of income earners like to imply (or state outright) that they pulled themselves up the ladder of wealth by their own bootstraps (so to speak).  Taking the vast High Tech Industry as an example, let's look at what really happened.

In the beginning (the 1950's), High Tech development was funded almost entirely by taxpayer dollars via the Defense Department.  If it hadn't been for public money, which was massive for that industry, development would have been held back for who knows how long.  [Even today, significant government contracts are awarded to High Tech companies and other mega businesses.]  So, whose bootstraps?

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

More on: "Choices & Change on the Path to a Sustainable Existence..."

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CSSVWB3N?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

If you would like a free pdf copy, email me with the title, "Choices & Change".

Below is a list of major topics in the book---

• why we're blind to the Big Picture regarding the "carbon pulse" (fossil energy), and what it will take to transition away from it;
• why the pursuit of infinite economic growth must be abandoned ASAP;
• our blindness regarding mineral requirements for a Green economy;
• while "Going Green" is necessary, unfortunately the present approach by the Powers-That-Be is insufficient;
• why we are not superior to and separate from Nature;
• why our society must convert from high-energy use to low-energy use;
• the complex feedback loop involving constant economic growth, which requires more energy, which then creates more complexity in society, which then requires more energy, which then creates even more complexity, etc. is ruining our habitat;
• ecological overshoot is THE problem, but Powers-That-Be mostly are trying to address only the symptoms of that;
• why there's a soil crisis, and the best choices for resolving it;
• ditto for the fresh water crisis;
• ditto for the food crisis;
• why healthy ecosystems and biodiversity are the bedrock of our existence;
• how factory farming is ruining agriculture, and the best choice forward;
• what many people don't seem to understand about science;
• what is "sustainability", and numerous examples of it;
• the shift in our ethics which is necessary for humans to survive and thrive;
• the propaganda coming from the Corporatocracy;
• why the petrochemical industry must be reined-in;
• why "The Market" can't solve the ill effects of Climate Change; and
• what's needed for a bright future for us and our descendants.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Ecological Ignorance of U.S. Presidents REDUX

I posted the essay below a year ago; it's even more relevant now..........................

 https://www.democracynow.org/2023/1/25/frida_berrigan_doomsday_clock

It borders on insanity that common folks in the relatively free countries (out of 9 total***) which produce & own nuke weapons aren't persistently calling for a ban on such weapons.  Even a number of high-ranking military folks, such as retired Colonel Andrew Bacevich, have stated nukes are unnecessary for the defense of any nation.

[***Many more than 9 "host" (or endorse) U.S. nukes]

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists now have their "Doomsday Clock" set at 90 seconds to midnight.

All our recent Presidents are in favor of so-called "lower yield, tactical" nukes.  Obama launched a 10-yr program (continued by Trump & Biden) to expand and upgrade our nuke arsenal.  Such action demonstrates an ecological ignorance beyond comprehension.

On top of all that, more production of nukes means more nuke waste (which produces ionizing radiation for thousands of years).  The waste we have already is temporarily being stored at whatever site generates it.  That's been going on since the mid-1940's.  There have been big problems, and they continue.

Ike's "military-industrial complex" rolls on, and very few people seem to care, or maybe they feel there's nothing they can do about it.  Here's something you can do about it:

https://www.icanw.org/join  And here's part of why you should,

https://www.icanw.org/nuclear_arsenals

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Not only my opinion.  Take Care