Biden & Crew apparently believe almost anything said by the extremist Netanyahu

 https://www.democracynow.org/2024/12/26/michael_casey_resigns_over_gaza

Watch/listen to why a fifteen-year USA diplomat resigned from the State Department.  Several others also have done likewise, but we don't hear about it from the Mainstream/Corporate Media.

Casey was a frontline diplomat in the Israel-Gaza conflict.  He wrote numerous reports to the Upper Crust of the State Dept. detailing the war crimes of the Israeli military.  They were ignored.  Details are at the link above.

Israel continues to attack children, hospitals, schools, refugee shelters, ambulances, journalists, and basic infrastructure.  Biden & Crew continue their "ironclad support".  The tiny amount of humanitarian aid (food, water, medical supplies) which sometimes is allowed to get through to Gaza is grossly inadequate. People in Gaza are starving, dying from lack of medical care, and often being maimed or killed outright still to this day.  Where's compassion?

The entire scenario is a stain not only on Biden's Administration, but also on our country.  Yes, some are protesting and speaking out against this immoral Gaza policy, but not nearly enough.  Some world Leaders are boycotting Israel, but not enough.  What the Israeli Gov't is doing in Gaza is textbook genocide, and our Gov't is complicit in the execution of it.  There's a high probability that when Trump takes office, he'll make things even worse.

Watch the video at the link above, and then ask:  are the deaths of innocent people in Gaza simply "collateral damage"?  Keep in mind that genuine collateral damage is accidental.  The deaths in Gaza are are not such.  They are brought about on purpose.  The Israeli military knows children are in the hospitals, schools, shelters, etc., being attacked.  The excuse for the killing appears to be:  Hamas is hiding there, so we have no choice.  Really?!  There is, of course, always a choice in such matters.  No sane, ethical person would use such an excuse to murder innocent children.

Every government in the world should be shunning Netanyahu and boycotting Israel.  They should be doing so because millions of their citizens are demanding such actions.

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

Not only my opinion.  Be Well, and be a friction against the Machine.

"Rattling The Establishment's Cage: ..."

 For those who may not like (for whatever reason) shopping on Amazon, my latest book is also now available in eBook format here---

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rattling-the-establishments-cage-scott-c-haley/1145990820;jsessionid=1A939C1289BDBED3AEC564DE17317C1F.prodny_store01-atgap03?ean=2940179599685

and here---

https://books.apple.com/us/book/rattling-the-establishment-s-cage-short-essays-notes/id6535647494

It's also on other venues, such as Everand, Kobo, Tolino, Smashwords, and about six others as well.  On Amazon and Barnes & Noble, you're able to read sample pages.  I haven't had time to check on the other sites, so can't say if they have samples or not.

"The Establishment" is probably a permanent fixture in most societies around the world, and has done some good things.  Too often, though, it misleads or outright lies to us regarding significant issues.  These are things of which we need to be aware if we are to have sustainable and meaningful lives.

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

Not only my opinion.  Be Informed, & Happy Trails

p.s.  The cover image below is one of my Abstract Expressionist paintings.

ADDENDUM to: "After EIGHTEEN YEARS..."

 https://individualsovereignty.blogspot.com/2024/05/after-eighteen-years-this-state-dept.html

NOTE:  The piece above was posted just before Biden announced he won't ship certain bombs to Israel if they launch a full-scale attack on Rafah.  Good for Joe; however, all other munitions will continue to be shipped, just not the bunker-buster bombs.  

CHILDREN will continue to die from USA munitions.  If not that, then from starvation or lack of hospitals/health care personnel.  North Gaza is now officially deemed (by the World Food Programme) to be in a full-blown famine.  Netanyahu continues to restrict food aid.  People object, but don't worry, Bibi - Joe says USA support of Israel is "iron-clad, even when we disagree".  

[So, you can continue to starve those dangerous kids in Gaza, even the newborns and orphans.  Go Bibi!  Biden and the Republicans here give you their iron-clad support.]

This war needs to end, and Biden could end it.  Bombing hospitals, and killing children, and killing health care workers, and killing people standing in line to receive aid, and sending people to "safe areas" and then attacking those areas are all war crimes.  Stop ALL military aid to Israel, Joe.  Sanction and shun Netanyahu, et al.  Stop all Trade with Israel until the war ends.  Make all that "iron-clad".  Then, the probability is high that the slaughter and starvation will cease instantly.

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

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

After EIGHTEEN YEARS, this State Dept. diplomat...

has resigned because of Biden's egregious, hypocritical Gaza policy.

https://www.democracynow.org/2024/5/3/state_dept 

Listen carefully to her reasoning; she's right on the mark.  Her name is Hala Rharrit.

Yesterday, Biden made things worse with his antisemitism speech.  Apparently, he doesn't know the difference between antisemitism and antizionism.  The difference is significant.  He also accused protesters of forgetting what Hamas did on October 7.  There's no basis for such an accusation.  No one has forgotten.  What Hamas did then does not justify what Netanyahu has been doing for months...with aid from the USA.  Biden is forgetting what the Israeli Leadership has been doing to Palestinians for about 75 years.

CHILDREN still are dying, health care people as well.  Reporters have been targeted, hospitals destroyed, and civilians have no safe haven anywhere.  In addition, the World Food Programme recently declared North Gaza is now in a "full-blown famine".  Meanwhile, Netanyahu continues to restrict food aid into Gaza.

Biden is turning into a hack politician.  No vision, no diplomacy, and dogmatic.  [By the way, Trump is even worse.]  Even more unacceptable, Joe is complicit in ethnic cleansing and numerous war crimes.  He has taken no significant actions to rein-in the criminal fanaticism of the current Israeli Leadership.  His puny protestations to Netanyahu are overwhelmingly being ignored.  Meanwhile, civilians are being shot, bombed, and starved while their infrastructure is reduced to rubble.

It's all unethical, immoral, and in many cases, criminal.  Scholars, diplomats, politicians, even Israelis, and others all around the world are saying so.  Biden's lack of comprehension of the situation is mind-boggling.  He appears to be in some sort of dogmatic rut.  It pains me to see that the few politicians in the USA with a notable amount of philosophical vision have been (to a large degree) effectively marginalized by the dogmatists.

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

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

"Rattling The Establishment‘s Cage: Short Essays & Notes on Unorthodox Views of...

 Environment, Economics, Ethics, Politics, War, Spirituality, and More"

The hardcover format of my third book is now available.  Paperback version will be out within a few days.  I'll try to get the eBook up and running within two weeks.  This book contains many of the most-read posts from this blog.  Here's the book's Description on Amazon---  [there's a link below the Description]

My primary academic and practical interests in a relatively long life have been (and still are) in the subjects of ecology, agriculture, economics, politics, and ethics. For this third book - which is a fairly short and easy read - I've included secondary interests as well. See the book's subtitle for the additional subjects. Also take notice of the words UNORTHODOX VIEWS in the subtitle. For the most part, you will not find these ideas in the mainstream, corporate media. The "Establishment" seems to prefer to ignore such concepts. For example, are you aware of the following? Twenty countries (including the USA) have agreed to expand fossil fuel production for twenty-six more years. Details are in this book. Another example: Are you aware that in only the last thirty years we've used more energy than in the previous 150 years, and why we must transition from a high-energy-use society to one of low-energy use? You won't find that in the Establishment's public information output, but you will in this book.

For multiple decades, the Establishment (both public and private) has been wildly successful in influencing us to accept concepts, policies, and actions which favor the Upper Crust of society at our expense. But in the last ten years or so, everyday working people have decided enough is enough. Genuine change is in the Big Picture now, and education - both formal and informal - is the key. This short book can help to overcome the Establishment propaganda, and point the way to a sustainable and meaningful existence.

Many of these essays were written for a blog I’ve maintained since 2007, IndividualSovereignty.blogspot.com; others were penned this year, 2024, and are not on the blog as of this writing. All have been written by me (no A.I.), are some of the most popular on the blog, and all were edited for this book. Each essay is on its own page (some are two or three pages in length), and for context, I’ve included the year it was written.

https://www.amazon.com/Rattling-Establishments-Cage-Environment-Spirituality/dp/B0D258YK58/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2RHAX2MAHFJMF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.wBx0AXWwliw6AIX3UriJ-Q.XKisvXnGAbI93CJd9U3zKaklPIVVI-fDNisvcLUmp0g&dib_tag=se&keywords=Rattling+The+Establishment%27s+Cage%3A+Short+Essays+and+Notes+by+Scott+C.+Haley&qid=1714283549&s=books&sprefix=rattling+the+establishment%27s+cage+short+essays+and+notes+by+scott+c.+haley%2Cstripbooks%2C134&sr=1-1

OR---

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D258YK58?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520

OR---

If neither link works, In the Search box at the top of any Amazon page, select the  category "Books", and in the box type "Scott C. Haley" (no quote marks are needed).  All three of my works should appear.

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

Thanks for your consideration.  Be Well 

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

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".]

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

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

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).

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

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Israeli Leadership & Hamas are EQUALLY guilty of not only war crimes, but also stupidity

 Israel---

1)  Attacking facilities such as hospitals, residences, refugee shelters, schools, U.N. SHELTERS - where not only adult civilians but also CHILDREN are present - is totally inexcusable.  It's immoral, unethical, and unlawful.  It's criminal, no matter what the excuse for it.  [Have other countries (including the USA) done anything similar?  Yes, but such does not make it right or legal.]

2)  Telling refugees to evacuate to the south for safety, and then attacking the south, killing and maiming civilian adults AND CHILDREN, also is a war crime.

3)  The Leadership is stupid if they think the CRIMINAL acts of Hamas justify "collective punishment" in Gaza AND THE WEST BANK.  That doesn't fly in a civil society.  They're also stupid if they believe ethnic cleansing is justifiable, and if they think the world doesn't know they are trying to get all Palestinians to leave both Gaza and the West Bank.  Finally, they're stupid if they don't see that their actions are creating a whole new generation of militants.

Hamas---

a)  Because of its scale and immoral brutality, their initial attack was not only criminal, but also a WAR CRIME.  Period.

b)  Hamas is stupid because they had to know how egregious the Israeli response would be.  They had to know civilian "shields" wouldn't mean a damned thing to the Israeli Leadership.  Why?  Because the current Leadership has been strangling Gaza for quite awhile, and bulldozing Palestinian homes in the West Bank as well.  They don't care one whit about the lives of Palestinians.  [I'm referring only to Israel's current Leaders, not all Israelis.]

SIDE NOTE---  Most of the Fed Gov't here in the USA should be completely ashamed of their involvement in this whole scenario, and of their weak, tepid criticism of the KILLING OF OVER 5,000 CHILDREN.  The greatest amount of shame on you.  Such will not be forgotten for a long time.

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

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Genocide in Gaza

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/10/26/judith_butler_ceasefire_gaza_israel

Isn't the killing of over 7,000 civilians (almost 3,000 of them CHILDREN) enough?  According to Israeli Leadership thinking, apparently not.  

If you truly don't believe the actions of Israel are genocide, then perhaps you should listen carefully to the philosopher, Professor Butler, at the link above.

No one I've heard is justifying the brutal murders of Israeli civilians by Hamas.  Those actions were criminality at its worst.  On the other hand, the actions ordered by the Leadership of Israel in response are over-the-top, beyond-the-pale, immoral, and unethical.  Even many Jewish people, in Israel, the USA, and other countries, are strongly protesting that response.

In Israel and the USA, government spokespersons essentially have stated:  this is war, it's messy, and civilians get killed.  In other words, too bad, such is life.

Sorry, that's not an ethically acceptable reason for the wholesale bombing of Gaza, which includes killing people in hospitals, schools, UN shelters, residences, and the like.  Nor is it justifiable to bomb entire neighborhoods because Hamas tunnels are under those neighborhoods.  Israeli Leaders seem to be assuming everyone living in such places was complicit in the construction and use of those tunnels.  The Leaders also appear to be assuming that all Gazans support the brutal murder of Israeli civilians.  Or, maybe they just think:  hey, tough luck, but that's war.

Here's a recent hypothesis proposed (which I believe is probable):  because some people in the Government of Israel seem to believe ALL Palestinians support terrorism, the current crisis is being used to make life in Gaza so unbearable that all the residents migrate out of the area, or alternatively, die from lack of food, water, medicine, and other supplies.

Israel claims it is targeting only Hamas.  Come on, that doesn't hold water, not a drop.  Why?  In addition to the bombing, Israel has laid siege to Gaza - no food, no water, no fuel for generators, no medical supplies, etc.  A siege targets everyone.  Yes, they finally allowed numerous supply trucks to enter.  For two million people, the amount of supplies was a pittance.  Inadequate.

All civil people everywhere should be objecting to the actions of Israel in Gaza.  Not only is the situation tragic and brutal, it's not ethically justifiable.  Finally, how extremely ironic it is that Israel is committing genocide.

Here's another irony:  the three Abrahamic religions ALL worship the God of Abraham, but often still can't be civil to one another.  It makes one wonder:  will humans ever "live and let live"?

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

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Attached photo is in the public domain.

Exactly what will it take for...

1.  Biden, DeSantis, Trump and all the other dogmatic, linear-thinking politicians around the globe to recognize we're in a climate emergency?  Biden should be declaring one.

https://www.democracynow.org/2023/7/28/headlines/un_leader_declares_new_era_of_global_boiling_amid_hottest_month_in_human_history

2.  mega companies such as Amazon to realize they need to hire more employees rather than laying off ones they now have on staff? That is to say, IF they really want to have a decent company, then that's what they should do.  Not just more warehouse workers, but more customer service reps as well.  Algorithms rarely can handle customer service adequately.  Of course, such hiring would mean slightly reducing the gazillionaire status of the owners.  Such is not worth consideration by said owners, I guess, eh?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Bezos#:~:text=With%20a%20net%20worth%20of,Bloomberg%20Billionaires%20Index%20and%20Forbes.

3.  politicians in countries with nuke weapons to realize how ignorant and/or stupid it is to have such weapons?

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article271584102.html

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-01-22-mn-25349-story.html

https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2022-04/news/biden-policy-allows-first-use-nuclear-weapons

I must confess, I don't know the definitive answers to those questions.  I only can guess.  One such guess:  unprecedented, massive disasters.

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

Be Well

Editorial Review

 Below is a review of my first book provided by:  International Review of Books.

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

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Beginning of the Path to Human Extinction, and HOW TO GET OFF IT

Which line stood out from all the others in the book?
It has taken about forty to fifty years for neoliberalism and corporate globalization to bring us to what might be the beginning of the path to human extinction.

General Summary for Context:
A look into what's going on right under our very noses—the extinction of the human race.  While this may sound a bit dramatic and drastic, the author provides us with a detailed albeit frightening look at how our preconceived notions (more is better, for example) are not leading us to happiness but instead, on a direct path to being obliterated. In addition, he offers recommendations as to how we can stop this freight train from crashing and burning, taking all of us along for the ride.

Concise Review:
A fascinating look at how our preconceived ideas of acquiring possessions, status, power and prestige (leading to unstoppable financial accumulation) is actually a barrier to personal fulfillment. Conspicuous consumption is not providing us with happiness but on the contrary, straight to ruination and destruction.  Indeed, how our actions are propelling us not to contentment but to the wanting of more and more, continuing the vicious cycle of materialism, greed and overconsumption. But there are things we can do to halt this process, and the author offers specific and informative suggestions as to what each of us can do as our part in continuing the human race.  

General Thoughts on the Book:
A truly grounding and disturbing look at how ideas and values ground into us from birth are not leading us towards happiness but to mass extinction.  Perhaps not tomorrow but certainly in the generations to come. I was riveted and totally engaged with this book and highly recommend it to anyone with an open mind who is willing to overcome their preconceived notions and take a careful look as to what this author is describing. Definitely a five star read.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

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

The book may be purchased here---
 https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BVJMMWLG/about
OR - 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beginning-of-the-path-to-human-extinction-and-how-to-get-off-it-scott-haley/1141364431?ean=2940160947181\
OR-
email me & I'll send you a free pdf copy.  Make the title of your email "Book 1 Copy".

My email is:  abstractcowboy@gmail.com
...................................
Be Well

Too Many Toxic Male Police in the USA

 Yes, the police often have a frustrating, dangerous job to perform.  Kudos to those who manage to perform it in a sane, responsible, and professional manner.  Unfortunately, too many don't.  They appear to be ruled by toxic emotions, a lack of ethics, and zero professionalism.  ASAP, they need to be weeded out of police ranks.  All this has been obvious for years.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7R-9DUBOAA

From the get-go, the behavior of the police toward Mr. Nichols was utterly unprofessional and toxic.  Very quickly, it turned to criminal.  Then it became inhumane.  I don't care what Mr. Nichols did or didn't do, he never should have been treated in such a manner.

To all Police Departments everywhere:

Whenever you stop, detain, or arrest someone, that person is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, and must be treated as such.  You are not a court of law.  If a "suspect" argues with you, or struggles because he or she is afraid of you, or even runs from you, it is your job to resolve the situation in a humane, professional way.  You are not allowed to beat the person to a pulp.  If you can't handle those rules, then get out of law enforcement and stay out.

In this case, the two policemen who are pleading innocent to murder should have done everything possible to try and stop the beating of Mr. Nichols.  It appears they didn't try at all.

This overall, systemic problem in law enforcement must be dealt with immediately by all police administrations.  Toxic, bullying individuals must be kicked out and kept out.  A code of ethics must be rigorously implemented and enforced.  Failure in these matters is on the heads of those in charge of departments.

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

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

The Beginning of the Path...

 https://twitter.com/ScottHa85992272/status/1517008688757805057?s=20&t=g-cyDZeraww1yNhJ6JaPwQ

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-beginning-of-the-path-to-human-extinction-and-how-to-get-off-it-scott-haley/1141364431?ean=2940160947181

The eBook version is now available. The paperback version will be shortly. If you scroll down at the Barnes & Noble page (above) to "About the author", you'll get a better idea of my qualifications for writing the book.

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

Be Well

Latest Additions to the Bibliography for...

 The Beginning of the Path to Human Extinction, and HOW TO GET OFF IT - Notes on a Paradigm Shift.

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

These are all excellent---

Barnes, Peter.  2006. Capitalism 3.0: a guide to reclaiming the commons,                  Berrett-Koehler Publishing.  pp. 65-116.

Bontz, Scott (Edited by). Fall, 2021. Land Report – Number 131, The Land                         Institute.  pp. 4-28.

Brown, Charles S. Winter 1995. Anthropocentrism and Ecocentrism: the Quest for         a New Worldview, The Midwest Quarterly, Volume 36, Number 2.

Clayton, P. and W. A. Schwartz. 2019. What is Ecological Civilization? - Crisis, Hope,         and the Future of the Planet, Process Century Press. pp. 53-68, 82-93, 114-                143.

Farrar, John et al. 2003. HOW ROOTS CONTROL THE FLUX OF CARBON TO THE                 RHIZOSPHERE, Ecology , Volume 84, Number 4.

Fioramonti, Lorenzo et al. February 202.   Wellbeing economy: An effective                     paradigm to mainstream post-growth policies?, Ecological Economics,                     Volume 192.

Goudie, Andrew S. 2019. Human Impact on the Natural Environment – Past,                     Present and Future – Eighth Edition, John Wiley & Sons. pp. 267-281,                        341-359.

Kinne, O. 2002. Eco-ethics further developed text: 01.05.2002. EEIU Brochure,                   Inter-Research, Oldendorf/Luhe.

Melgar-Melgar, Rigo E. and Hall, Charles A.S. March 2020. Why ecological economics needs to return to its roots: The biophysical foundation of socio-economic systems, Ecological Economics, Volume 169.

Miller, Todd. et al. October 2021. Global Climate Wall – How the world’s                             wealthiest nations prioritise borders over climate action, Transnational                     Institute, Amsterdam. pp. 1-65.

Ratcliffe, Jennie M. 2021. Nothing Lowly in the Universe, The Crundale Press.                   pp. 157-176, 195-213, 245-275.

Sparenberg, David. 2021. Earth Spirit – Confronting the Crisis – Essays and                         Meditations on Eco-Spirituality, John Hunt Publishing. pp. 9-11, 18-20, 32-35,          83-84.

Werner, Marion. et al. 2022. The Glyphosate Assemblage: Herbicides, Uneven                 Development, and Chemical Geographies of Ubiquity, Annals of the American         Association of Geographers, Volume 112, Number 1, 2022.

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

As I finish this draft, there's only one entry ("Melgar-Melgar") which has incorrect indentation after line 1.  Tried to fix it, but wasn't permitted to by whatever this word processing program here is called.  All the other entries are correct, but whether or not that will hold true after I click on "Publish" is anybody's guess.  😊  In any case, I don't have time to undo any damage done by algorithms.

Still hoping to have the book done by the end of this month, but that easily could spill over to sometime in February.

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

Be Well

p.s.  Just now looked at a preview of this post.  As I feared, the Tech Whiz Kid algorithms pretty well messed up the biblio format.  C'est la vie, eh?  That's okay, it's readable.

In Relation to the Ongoing Crisis: Human Consciousness & Intelligence Relative to Other Earthly Forms of Those Characteristics

 I'm fairly certain that we humans all have been raised to believe human beings are superior to all other life forms on Earth.  Perhaps not superior in every way possible, but at least in regard to intelligence and consciousness.  As we journey through life, that idea often is reinforced by both people and circumstances.  We view the concept as a given; no further thought about it is necessary.

Some people believe in it because of religion, I'm guessing.  At least, that is likely in terms of the religion in Western World cultures.  In those beliefs, humans are the pinnacle of creation.  Other animal life, and certainly plants, are viewed as having only a utilitarian purpose vis-a-vis humanity.  Forget about microbes.  Atheists and perhaps agnostics, as well, seem to believe in it because of little more than Logic.  It simply makes sense.

Like most everyone else, for years I bought into the myth of human superiority.  How could it not be true?  Of course we were meant to dominate this planet.  Eventually, though, I came to realize there are other ways of looking at the web of life and our place in it.  I didn't experience a single "eureka" moment, nothing like that.  It was more like hundreds of those moments, and they stretched out over decades.  Because of my education and experience in Agriculture, Biology, and Environmental Geography, most eurekas involved nonhuman animals, plants, and other parts of the natural environment.  Then, too, the ignorance (and sometimes, utter stupidity) displayed by we humans relative to our habitat and other life played a part in changing my worldview.

Here are only two little tidbits which helped to bring about about my transformation.  Did you know that trees communicate with each other in forests, and "mother trees" nurture nearby seedlings?  They do these things by means of symbiotic, micorrhizal fungi.  Watch this video by the plant ecologist, Suzanne Simard.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Un2yBgIAxYs&list=WL&index=65&t=33s

This is not based on magical thinking, but rather on solid ecological research.  The clip is relatively short, and quite a revelation.  The botanist, Diana Beresford-Kroeger, has something similar in a full-length documentary, Call of the Forest: the Forgotten Wisdom of Trees.  Both pieces demonstrate scientific evidence supporting the hypothesis that trees have a type of consciousness and intelligence.  Not like that of humans, but nonetheless significant.

While we most certainly are unique, humans are but a single strand in the fabric of life on Earth.  Our mistaken worldview coupled with our hubris regarding other life have resulted in the current Crisis.  A change in our Ethics is critical if we are to survive and thrive in the future.  It has taken us decades to cause life-sustaining natural cycles to be on the brink of ruin.  We must now re-double our efforts to avoid total disaster.  That's not only my opinion.  Many other people all across the political spectrum agree.

In my next post, I'll provide a long list of sources which show what's needed and why, plus some of the amazing research going on presently and in the recent past.   It's the not-yet-complete bibliography for a short book I've been writing since January of this year.

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Everyone Take Care

A New Blog

Here's the link---

https://ecologicalliberalism.blogspot.com/

Please join me on a path forward.

Everyone Be Well, and Happy Trails

May All Fanatic Tribalism Evaporate

Below is my response (modified just a bit) to a Forwarded email received from a dear friend.  That email contained a link to a YouTube clip of a speech by a Swiss Member of Parliament.  In that speech, the young man was exhorting his colleagues to "stand up" against the invasion of Europe by Islamists.  One could infer from the email that the same should apply to those of us in the USA.  The theme was almost entirely immigration, not terrorism.  My response is about the USA.
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Europeans & Americans need to understand a simple fact of demographics.  This speaker hit the nail on the head when he described our cultures as "child-poor".  It's a matter of BIRTH-RATE.  I don't worry too much about the coming majority of either Middle-Easterners of the Islam persuasion OR of Spanish-speaking Catholic Americans because that is inevitable.  The ones already here legally will be a majority of our population in a few to several generations simply because they reproduce a gazillion times faster than Anglo-Saxons (in general).  There is no "solution" to that.  They will rule because of democracy and demography.

The Right Wing here, in particular, screeches on & on about immigration, Islam, Mexicans (even though most illegals now come from Central American countries, not Mexico), etc.  What they apparently don't realize is that the ones here legally already have assured the outcome of the demographic process---they will be the majority of the population in the not-so-distant future...legally.  I figure it's not much use to get all upset about something that no one can do a damned thing about.  Our descendants will be the new minority...that's inevitable.  American culture will change even more than it already has.  Nothing can be done about that...at least, nothing civil, ethical, legal, or moral.  Anything else is unthinkable and indefensible.  [Deporting 11 million people, building a border wall, etc. will not stop the coming change.  That change will come from the people already here legally.]

The good news is that throughout our history minorities almost always have managed to hang onto their cultures...even though each one is no longer (or never was) dominant in the country.  It's not the end of the world, but America will never be the same as what we knew.

Trump & people like him are pandering to Americans' fear, but this is not a question of illegal immigration or the Barbary Pirate Horde.  It's a matter of the birth-rates of those already here legally.  NOTHING can be done about that.  Our descendants will have to adapt...or move to New Zealand.  [They don't allow too many to emigrate from wherever to their land.]  

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We humans like to think that nowadays we're very advanced, intelligent, and sophisticated.  Too often the truth is that we're still stuck in Tribalism, and sometimes, fanatic Tribalism.  Too often each "tribe" is utterly convinced that only it is completely in the "Right"; only it is justified in its actions.  That doesn't say much for us as a species.  "When will we ever learn?", eh, Pete?

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The Powers-That-Be are Lying

The Oligarchs don't lie about everything, but there are several crucial subjects about which they do lie often.  Following are some of those.

1.  Price inflation is stagnant.  The State-Corporate Complex can say this with a straight face because when they figure how much prices have increased, here's what's not included:  the costs of food, housing, and energy.  Those items are not part of what's called "core inflation".  To give credit where it's due, the Powers-That-Be are correct regarding energy costs...even though those are not counted.  Oil has tanked, no pun intended; that's good, but a guy like me drives only about 20 miles per week.  "Low" gas prices don't make up for the constant increases in food and sundry grocery store items.  Manufacturers of those goods either are raising prices outwardly or doing it surreptitiously by shrinking the size of product packages.  Plus, rent for housing in the USA (with a few exceptions) is skyrocketing.  An old dog like me cannot believe how high rental costs are nowadays.

2.  Unemployment in the USA is now 5.X%.  This lie is so egregious as to make one physically sick.  Reputable, credible economists and former Fed Gov't officials all across the political spectrum estimate that the true unemployment rate is somewhere between 20% and 43%.

3.  The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement will be good for everyday Americans.  The details of that abomination now are finally public; some were released earlier by WikiLeaks, but now we have the entire disaster available for scrutiny.  The critics (such as Lori Wallach of TradeWatch) are saying, "It's worse than we expected.", and they were harsh critics before the full text was released.  I've written about this before, so I won't repeat myself.  The details of this miserable Treaty can be found in lots of places, not the least of which is Citizen.org/TPP.  Promotion of the TPP by many in Gov't, the Corporate Media, and various other Mega Corporations is proof positive that Oligarchs don't give a damn about us.

4.  We are not at War...it's "counter-terrorism"; therefore, Geneva Conventions, Due Process, the Constitution in general, Ethics, and even Morality do not limit us when dealing with "enemy combatants".  That lie is so outrageous and defies Logic so much that I'm beginning to think that George Orwell was the greatest political prophet in all of History...bar none.  The Powers-That-Be are trying to sell us on the concept that the people we're fighting are neither soldiers nor criminals.  Sorry, Oligarchs, they have to be one or the other.  The term, "enemy combatant" is a fiction.  Due Process applies to everyone, even soldiers or criminals.  If it doesn't, we no longer are civilized, ethical beings.

5.  It is necessary to monitor everyone in the National Surveillance State.  Good grief, that is pure, unadulterated Propaganda...it's bullshit to the Nth Degree.  Why people are buying into that is beyond my comprehension.  Have mercy.

6.  We are in an Economic Recovery.  That statement is so blatantly ridiculous it defies not only Logic, but the imagination as well.  All one has to do to see it's not true is take a little time to do a serious, critical study of our economic condition...utilizing a wide variety of credible sources while ignoring Propaganda from the State-Corporate Complex.  The USA, and most of the world, is in a deep Recession and heading for a Depression that very well may be worse than the one in the 1930's.
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It's important to keep in mind that when it's "crunch time", when Institutions are in a bind, any Institution will protect itself rather than individuals or Individual Rights.  Natural Rights, possessed by all people, will be sacrificed by any Oligarchy upon the altar of expediency.  It is Institutions that constantly must be monitored...by us.  Remember the words of an Eastern philosopher:  we be many; they be few.  That is precisely why we are inundated totally with Propaganda from the State-Corporate Complex.  It's important to us and future generations that we think critically, speak out, deny unwarranted power to Institutions run amok, boycott those entities that trash Natural Rights, and do it all peacefully.  Violent actions beget more violence and complete suppression of the individual.

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Extraordinary Rendition (ER)

This makes one wonder: how does ER compare to ordinary rendition? Not that it matters much.

I just finished watching the DVD movie, "Rendition"---well acted, well directed, thought-provoking, and a nice little twist to it. Of course, it was Hollywood fiction; however, there was a very interesting documentary in the "Special Features" section. The documentary detailed the cases of two Muslims, one a British citizen and one a German citizen. Devastating stories---both were kidnapped, flown to several overseas prisons (one after the other), and tortured---both physically and mentally. The German was finally released (after many months) in the middle of nowhere, in the dark of night, on foot. After about eighteen months, the Brit was sent to Gitmo where he still has not had a trial.

The longer fictional movie and the short documentary caused me to wonder what has happened to the ethics of ordinary citizens in all countries and the rule of law in general in this country... that we ordinary people allow our governments to kidnap and torture people (whether guilty or not) with barely a peep of protest.

ER is the forceful kidnapping and torture of SUSPECTS, without any regard to the rule of law. One can claim, and many do, that it is necessary for various reasons...and that it saves lives. In other words, a good end justifies the most foul means. That should never be the case, because if we make it so, then the rule of law is meaningless AND there is no end to the use of foul means. A truly civilized society would no longer exist.

Apparently we citizens of the U.S. allow the CIA to conduct ER for one (or more) of the following reasons:
1. we think it is necessary [thus implicitly agreeing that a good end justifies foul means, and that the rule of law sometimes needs to be set aside];
2. we think the victims of ER are guilty...of something...and so kidnapping and torture are justified [never mind that the victims have not been proven guilty in a court of law];
3. it isn't us being kidnapped, so we let it slide [and we cling to the belief that it could never happen to us...unless, of course, a genuine terrorist MISDIALS our phone number...or we know someone who knows someone else who knows still someone else who is a suspect];
4. we believe that there is little or nothing we can do to stop the practice [apparently disregarding the cases where massive protests and boycotts have in fact changed government policy].
5. [there is some other reason of which I am unaware].

Have we lost our minds? This country once stood foursquare against things that we (or more accurately, members of our govt) now do with little or no regret. If we do not have the rule of law, due process, and the guarantee of our day in court, then we truly have very little.

ER is an outrageous affront to a free society. We should be protesting en masse in the streets in every major city in the country. We should be on general strike...we should be shutting down the Fed Govt through boycotts. We should be standing up for the rule of law.

Instead, we let it pass. After all, we have jobs, families, lives to live. Sure, some of us send protest emails, or write letters to the editor, etc. That'll get 'em to stop. Or, we just don't care---it's not important to US as individuals.

[I think I know how McCain & Clinton feel about ER. I wonder how Obama feels about it?]

I find all this incredible. "God" help our children and grandchildren.

Just my opinion.