America - The Disturbing Influx of Gnosticism, The Occult and Magick

Occult means hidden, that's all. However, in modern usage it summons up images of dark sorcerers in black robes, chanting ritual spells in arcane language, or, to a few, Wiccans dancing at midnight in the woods, so let's go with those images. Occult teachings supposedly lead to knowledge and power. Cults of various sorts use this promise to lure initiates, as did the old Mystery religions. Of course, there are also solo practitioners of these arts.

How anyone can use the term occult is beyond me? In the old days, established religions persecuted followers of these beliefs, so, yes they were occult, hidden. It was a matter of survival. However, nowadays, you cannot go into any bookstore without seeing row upon row of books purporting to give you access to arcane knowledge and vast power. Just glance through any of the 'New Age' and 'Spiritual' sections. So the idea of hidden is long gone, and thus, perhaps, the word 'occult' should be replaced with 'esoteric' for accuracy's sake.

Magick is the bending of the fabric of the Cosmos to your will. As I stated in an earlier post, if you are hungry, go to the fridge and make a ham sandwich, you have worked magick. All technology is magick; we have just come to accept most of it as ordinary, and, for the most part, that is fine.

It seems that if we manipulate the World of Classical physics, we are okay. Example: if I build a car, and use sound engineering, no problem. If I make a simple electrical device, no problem. However, when we begin to manipulate things we do not understand, it becomes problematic. Example: nuclear energy. We barely have the tiniest understanding of sub atomic processes, just a few mathematical formula that seem to be somewhat accurate as models for some of what happens. But, we rushed madly ahead and ended up building bombs that can destroy the World. Yes, we also get electricity from nuclear reactors, but we still have a bit of a problem with those, primarily, what do we do with those spent fuel rods? We bury them in caves and abandoned mine shafts but, evidence clearly shows that the radioactive materials eventually seep into the groundwater/ (If you live near such a site, you may want to consider taking iodine tablets, just a thought).

Now, despite such a lesson, you have scientists ready to plunge even deeper into  levels of reality we do not grasp. Thank God, the Large Hadron Super Collider seems to break down frequently Lord knows what might happen otherwise. Even worse are those who babble, quite seriously of such things as Anti-gravity and zero-point energy to be obtained from hyper-dimensional physics. If this sounds like mumbo jumbo, it is. They are only a tiny step away from summoning demons. Actually, a few scientists have done that. I do not have time now, but if interested, do a little research on the doings of the Stanford Research Institute and their work on Remote viewing, Telepathy, Clairvoyance, Telekinesis, and the like. If you do not find their work credible, remember, the US Government took them very seriously and we have much evidence that the old Soviet Union did the same sort of work. By the way, by all accounts, they were fairly successful, sort of, but, on a few occasions, the results were disastrous.

Of course, all this is not enough for some and they seek deeper magick. Well, let's see. There are 2 types, black and white magick. Black magick is the seeking of power for personal gain and/or to harm others. Even a practitioner like Crowley dislike the dark magick. He claimed that since it came from dark emotions such as anger and fear, it was unpredictable; that even when it worked it had unintended side effects.

White magick, as the Wiccans and others will tell you, is done for the benefit of others. You would think that would make it just fine, a nice thing to do. Well, no. You see, every action has a multitude of consequences, many of them unintended. When you muck about with energies and powers you do not understand, your good intentions do not necessarily control the outcome, and not a one of the many schools of magick can explain what goes on in their rituals. Most, claim that they summon any of a variety of spirit beings and compel or entice them into doing the sorcerer's bidding. The more modern schools speak of contacting hyper-dimensional beings and having them work for the sorcerer. Still others, such as Crowley, said that the images of spirit beings and the rituals to invoke them simply opened up powers innate, but untapped, within humans. In short, and in plain English, none of these folks had a clue what they were doing.

Sometimes, these workings produce results, to small degrees usually, but, occasionally on larger scales. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, usually, like all things, a mixture. It does seem that the greater the power sought, the more likely it is to produce bad results. How does it work out for the sorcerer? Generally, not too well. Any society ruled by wizards, from the ancient shamen to the Priests of Egypt, to the lamas of Tibet, have all fallen. Throughout Europe and the Americas, such practitioners were dealt with harshly and their spiritual powers certainly did not help them. Crowley died a penniless heroin addict. My advice, stay away from any promise of magickal power. When in doubt, remember Jesus' prayer which specified, 'Thy will be done.' Run it by your Creator and see if you get approval. For example, He (or She, I only use He out of convention) does not seem to mind such things as planes and microscopes and electric lights, but summoning the Dark Powers is unacceptable.

Or,  for those less religiously inclined, remember how, in The Lord of the Rings, Frodo kept trying to give the Ring to other, more powerful folks, such as Gandalf, Tom Bombadil, and various Elves. All refused knowing that however good their intents, the power would corrupt them.

America - The Dangerous Influx of Gnosticism, Cults

Cults are groups, not always small, that view themselves as in some way separate from the mainstream. In and of itself, that may be harmless. There are cults that obsess with certain artists or works of art. Even certain teams and sports figures develop a cult-like following. But, things sometimes get a bit weird.

Often, cults build around a charismatic figure who seems to be teaching a new approach to life. They are convincing in their ability to make others believe that they have the answers and, they will share them with all who follow obediently. If this sounds like religion, it is. Many religions, including Christianity, started as small cultish gatherings. However, many cults are really only about one man's love of power. Remember, Jesus said, 'by their fruits shall you know them,' so let us look at three examples. These were all from the 60s, all ultimately failed and all produced sorry fruit. These were relatively small cults; it is easier to chronicle them instead of the mega-cults like Scientology, but the process is the same.

First, Ken Kesey and The Merry Pranksters. Kesey, in interviews admitted that he loved power. He was kind of the ringmaster fro this travelling circus that was devoted to acid evangelism. Ken set the tone and was the primary teacher. What did they do? Well, they convinced a whole lot of young people that it was a great idea to scarf down acid, speed and grass in huge quantities, anytime and anywhere. They had no truck with the urgings of Tim Leary and Alan Watts that the drugs be used carefully with proper attention to the state of mind of the user and the proper, safe setting. This finally led to the infamous Acid Tests where groups as diverse as kids, artists, intellectuals, street people and Hells Angels gathered to get ripped in the most chaotic environment imaginable. To say this was a bad idea is an understatement. Why do this? All I can say is look at financial and logistic issues. The Pranksters were not a group of wealthy folks. most being grad students, struggling artists and a few recently discharged GIs. Ken was a published author but let me assure you, newly published authors are not rolling in cash. Yet, the group was kept on the move and supplied with a seemingly endless supply of weed, speed and acid. Now, we know that this was the era of MKUltra and they were fascinated with the idea that psychedelics could be used to control group behavior. In the Pranksters and the Acid Tests they had a travelling laboratory. Make your own conclusions, but I think it all had an unsavory odor. Then, suddenly, it all stopped. Kesey went back to writing and running a dairy farm, others back to various artistic pursuits and a few just burnt out and died. Strange, is it not?

Next, take a look at the Fort Hill Community. In Boston, there was a fine musical group. the Jim Kweskin Jug Band that hired a skinny little guy name Mel Lyman, a good singer and banjo player and an awesome harmonica player. Just where Lyman came from and how he arrived in Boston is a bit mysterious, but he showed up and in an era when most folks barely had knew a thing about  marijuana, he was already deeply experienced with LSD. No one knows how he gained that knowledge but he went right to work. He rapidly took control of the group, using acid as a programming tool. The group knew this. They later said that they knew what he was doing and that was just fine because he was improving them. New members were given massive doses of acid and required to spend the last few hours of their trip with Mel.  It was there that he programmed his world view into their brain. His was an extremely Gnostic view of the World as evil and ready for destruction and that he, as God's emissary, or God Himself (his position varied) was going to see to the coming destruction. The group was disciplined, polite, neat and hardworking. Many were skilled craftsmen, besides being musicians, and they built a thriving home remodeling business that morphed into construction and real estate. They still exist, although Mel died years ago, are prosperous, and still think of themselves as a community. All they had to do was surrender their minds. Mel is the key and the question, Where did he come from? How did he understand mind programming so well? Where did he get his seemingly endless supply of acid? I think I detect the fine hand of the Government again, but those folks were always good at hiding their trail.

Finally, I mention the Manson Family. I will not bore you by rehashing their already well known history. I would like to raise a point or two. Charlie and the girls were well known to the LA Sheriffs office and several times plans to raid the ranch were in the works. Each time, orders came down from higher ups to call off the raids and leave the group alone. Several former Sheriffs have mentioned their surprise at this and their suspicions that something was definitely askew. After all, isn't Law enforcement supposed to go after known criminal operations. Second, Charlie had an interesting friend, a known CIA agent named Ronald Hadley Stark. There are pictures of the two together and they were often seen strolling and chatting.  Interesting because Charlie's neighbors in San Francisco were The Process Church, an infamous off shoot of Scientology. Well, their founders, Robert and Mary Ann Degrimston, were also good buddies with Stark who also links with Tim Leary, William Mellon Hitchcock, a rather shady financier whose dear family friend was CIA agent and later head of operations of the nasty little group, Richard Helms,  and the biggest drug smuggling ring in the Land, The Brotherhood of Eternal Love. All buddies it seems right at the time when their was a violent power struggle going on over who would run the massively lucrative drug distribution business in California. Funny, that one of the Tate massacre victims. Wyjtold Frykowski, was trying to corner the distribution of psychedelics among the Hollywood elite. And, funny how all sorts of weird folks always end up at the same place, at the same time, but authorities never seem to make the connections. One last point. The CIA claims that they, with a massive budget and many top flight scientists, developed nothing really useful from the MKUltra research. How strange then that Manson, a near illiterate who had spent most of his life in penal institutions, managed to take such control over a group of men and women. Contrary to popular belief, most of Manson's group were from fairly decent backgrounds, Troubled yes, but not horrific. Squeaky Fromme, for example, had a father who was involved in aero-space research. Tex Watson was a well liked respected young man from Texas, a top athlete and decent student. Yet Charlie managed to do what the CIA with all of its resources, could not. There are those who believe that Manson was a puppet of the CIA, an experiment in mind control and violence. Seems about right to me.

Cults do not get as much mention these days. We seemed to have grown so weird that this has become the era of the lone nut. I believe that so much was learned from the manipulated cults of old that the Powers that Be, have taken those techniques, refined them and through their media outlets, feed them to every one at once. Most folks are still strong and centered enough to remain little effected, but some grow deeply disturbed. thus, the lone nut.

Will the cults make a comeback? Sure. When you see ISIS, that is what you are looking at. In this Nation, I believe you will see similar things plus a corresponding rise of variations on the KKK/ Christian Identity/Nazi cults. What may seem like just a bunch of oddballs may have a more sinister purpose and that charismatic leader may just be a shill, a frontman for some very powerful folks.

If you see friends or family becoming obsessed with any group, especially one with a very charismatic leader, if they start separating themselves from old friends and loved ones and spending all their times with their new group, if they speak of how loving everyone in that group is, be worried. Try to reach them. Try to get them into a different place. Try to reason. They may respond, they may not, but be aware that they are in serious trouble.  Next post: the spooky world of the occult and magick.

America - The Dangerous Influx of Gnosticism, Mystery Religions

Across the Internet, you see about as much mention of Mystery Religions as you do Gnosticism, some promoting them, others horrified by them. Let me try to explain.

Among the Ancient cultures, many taught, not by discourse, not by liturgy, but by initiation. Someone wishing to learn about a certain sect was led through a series of steps, each preparing him for the next and finally culminating in the full revelation of whatever truth they claimed to have. The idea was that some truths just have to be experienced. In this way, they bore a loose resemblance to Gnosticism, but there was a difference. The 'truth' revealed in the Mysteries led the initiate to adapt to the World, not ready himself for departure, and there is the danger.

Inevitably, no matter how well intentioned the founders of the Mystery cult were, they degenerated to systems of control. In leading the initiate through the steps, they broke down, his personality and remolded them in the way that suited the Priests of the cult. To tell of the Mysteries procedures and truths was almost always a crime punishable by death.

To be honest, we know almost nothing about the exact steps in any of the initiations or of the supposed 'truths' revealed because almost no written records were kept, not surprising since they were 'mysteries' with severe punishment for any who revealed them. The Greeks left one sketchy report but it is none too detailed.

Each of the cults centered around a certain god or goddess. As discussed in the last post, the annoying spiritual entities that plague mankind often pose as deities. See the problem. Yet, there are those today who seem to long for the return of the 'old gods' and their Mystery cults. This is the problem with such groups as the neo-pagans who seem to pop up here and there on websites across the Internet. There are elements of this also in the fascination with some branches of Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, voodoo, and the old religions of Latin America. There is also strong hints of this in the otherwise inexplicable interest in the heroes of the now nearly ancient DC and Marvel comic books. Those heroes were modeled after the various pagan gods and goddesses and learning their lore is almost like going through an initiation.

I have even seen some wishing to equate exposure to occult based rock shows or extreme hardcore punk with initiation into a sort of nebulous cult, especially when psychedelics are thrown in. All who long for a return to the pagan past should remember one thing. The cultures that embraced these religions all collapsed. Yes, some remnants remain but, for the most part, they are so marginalized as to be non-existent. And, yet, here they are trying to reappear and some very foolish folks are calling them. They need to ask themselves, 'why did they disappear?'

The answer is simple. The Western Civilization, which is still hanging on, despite attempts to destroy it, are based, mostly, on Judeo-Christian roots with a bow here and there toward the Greek philosophers. These beliefs include the idea that the Creator made a Cosmos that is rational, that follows laws that can be discerned. Now, they made a lot of mistakes along the way, but this idea has led us to create the World we now live in, a world of comfort, fast transportation, instant communication, a world where if we think and study, we can grasp the laws of Nature and get at least a glimpse of the Mind of God. This line of thought led to the recognition of Man as an important being and the concept of the worth of the individual. It has given us a world where we can store food safely, see doctors that might actually cure us, the ability to pick up a phone and talk to Mom or get in a car and go see Dad.  In short, Western Civilization began when we abandoned the belief in appealing to whimsical spirits and started to explore the rational World God gave us.

Now, let me be clear. Science, the logical exploration of the cosmos, is not perfect. There are questions it will never be able to answer, and thus is a terrible substitute for Spiritual Beliefs. A society that looks to science for spiritual answers will end up like the old Soviet Union, cold and bleak, but science is a fantastic tool, when practiced properly.  By that I mean that science should fit theory to facts, not pick a theory and fit the facts to that, especially when that theory is popular only because it is the favorite of the guys paying for the research. But, you do not throw out the baby with the bathwater and you do not throw away the scientific method because it is misused.

In short, I would like to know how many would be neo-pagans really want to return to those days of yore when many women died in childbirth, many kids died when young, typhoid and cholera and smallpox were widespread and the average life expectancy was less that 40? How many wish to pay homage to the old gods and return to days when most never traveled more than a few miles from home in a lifetime, night was a time full of fearsome predators and the Priests of the local Temple to whatever God was popular where you live ruled the kingdom and if that God seemed a bit peevish might want to sacrifice your kids to cool thing out? If you can truly say yes, then great. Get yourself a piece of land, far away from the rest of us, and have at it. Me, I much prefer sitting in a comfortable air conditioned room, going to nice restaurants, golfing and dealing with a Creator who is rational and relatively easy to get along with. Next post, cults.

America - The Dangerous Influx of Gnosticism, Archons, Aliens, and Other Weird Critters

In my last post, I noted that one of Gnosticism's few useful ideas was that of the Archons. Here things get really strange, so hang on.

The Archons were thought to be spirit beings that hang around Creation driving humans crazy. That is the short version. Think of them as mental sand gnats, constantly biting your mind and, in the process, implanting odd ideas and images. Why? Well, it just seems to be their job, say some. Others claim that these are the demons of Hell. All believe them to be emissaries of the Demi-urge. They are ubiquitous and said to be always with us.

Other cultures have similar ideas. The World's mythology is full of all sorts of things that go bump in the night. Astronomer and Computer Programmer, Jacques Vallee, wrote software that searched records of unexplained phenomena and makes a good case that these beings are somehow inter dimensional travelers, and they have always been here. Throughout history, they have been thought of as angels, demons, Manitou, elementals, Kami, loa, orishis, and various other names. He believes that these are the same beings now thought of as Aliens or Extraterrestrials.

These beings are tricky. Some, it seems are benevolent, some neutral, many very malevolent. Those who seem benevolent often turn out to be anything but kindly. These beings have power, to varying degrees, to implant thoughts and visions in our minds and will use anything we desire, obsess on, or fear. They, if they have enough strength to show themselves, will appear however you wish. If you are searching for ET, there he is. If you are obsessed with religious motifs, you might see Yahweh or Satan. If you miss your great Aunt Millie, well, Millie will be right there. They will fill your mind with wonders and wisdom, most of which is nonsense. Or, they will guide you down paths you wish to explore, only to finally yank the rug out from under you and leave you trapped in a nightmare. Or, here and there, they may actually help you.

Is any of this true? Really, who knows? The evidence points toward this as possibly true, sort of. Why does it happen. Well, modern physics seems to think that we live in a many dimensional Cosmos. If so, then beings stuck in the other dimensions are messing with us.  Maybe they are just tricksters. Maybe God wants us tested. Maybe they feed off our energies. Maybe they want to be here. The last I find possible. When Jesus cast out the Demons who called themselves "Legion' the expressed fear and sadness at having to return to what they called an arid, desolate place. Possibly, they want energy from us to pass into our World, not a cheery thought. The beings we see, if that is the case, are merely projections that seem real. The Buddhists call them 'tulpas' and Western occultists call them 'thought forms or, sometimes, 'glamours.'

There are other possibilities. Maybe we are all crazy enough and possessed of enough mental energy to create these thought forms ourselves. Or, maybe these really are beings from another planet. Or maybe, the Governments, ours and others, have taken the old tales of the supernatural, and are using them as part of their continuing exploration of mind control, a possibility that Vallee also allows for.

Or, maybe all of these things are true and our lovely little planet is a hotbed of conflict and byzantine plots. I admit that this would lead some to think that the old Gnostics had a point, that this a hellhole of a prison and we are doomed to suffer until we admit that life sucks and we simply give up and turn our eyes toward Heaven and the next life. Drop that thought immediately.

These beings, whatever they are, only have as much power as we give them. They can only win if we let them, but the fight is tricky. In the next posts, we will take up Mystery Religions, Cults and the Occult. Then, I will give you a few simple techniques to overcome this mountain of negativity. Stay tuned, and watch out for things that go bump in the night.

America - The Dangerous Influx of Gnosticism, The Gnostics

Gnosis simply means knowledge. The term is usually applied to a group of early Christians who rejected faith as a path to salvation. They believed that you had to gain knowledge, knowledge of the Nature of God and the Creation. This differed from Paul's emphasis on faith and James' emphasis on good works. Beyond this, things get murky.

The early Church fathers fought a battle against Gnosticism because a) they felt it was false doctrine and b) you cannot organize a Church if everyone is learning things in their own way. Point b is especially important because the Church, at this point was making an effort to consolidate their power. Ultimately they won and for long years they were the greatest Power in Europe, a position they turned into a Kingdom, not of God as much as a Kingdom of wealth and control..

The Church mentioned some of the Gnostic writing in their early documents but seemingly destroyed all of them they could, or so they thought. In the late 1940s, a clay jar was found at Nag Hammadi containing scraps of these old documents that had been hidden . Some were nearly complete texts, others, the barest of scraps. Since, others have turned up on the antiquities market.

Most of these writing share a common theme. The original Creator made a world of spiritual essences that were perfect but, somehow, something went wrong and one of those essences, later known as the Demi-urge decidied to try his hand at creation. Either he was grossly incompetent, and the little spirits of what would become humans were trapped or he was evil and sought power by trapping them. Either way, the World, they believed is an illusion, an evil, corrupt mess.

This appealed to the citizens of that day because they were under the control of the oppressive Romans. The Romans had not always been heavy handed in their rule, but the Empire was starting its decline and they kept upping taxes and were having a difficult time keeping control over their dissatisfied poulation. This situation is mirrored in our present society as we witness, in the US and Europe, the decline of Western Civilization.

You would have thought that the Romans would have loved a bunch of people who really did not care about this world but they did not. If folks do not participate in society, economies fail. Besides, they had grown power hungry and power tolerates no dissent. So the Church had the Roman backing in stopping this dissident movement.

The Gnostics truly did not care what happened in this World. Why try to change a corrupt evil illusion? The modern day equivalent of this is Tim Leary's insipid motto 'turn on, tune in, drop out.' And like the 60s hippies, the Gnostics were bound to fade away. Most people, while recognizing the evil that does exist on Earth, do not find the Earth and life itself, evil. It is a blend of both good and evil, and as such, can be improved.

Well, the Romans did not like that either and finally they found, or maybe invented, Paul who said that yes, the World was a wretched place, doomed to soon be destroyed, but, that God ordained this, to test us and, as such, we should meekly comply with oppression and suffering. Ultimately, over time, as the Rennaissance and the Age of Enlightenment arrived,  such beliefs started to fade. although, they still have some power today.

The whole fascination with Gnosticism that we see today is a poor reaction to the terrible problems we see around us. It is frightening to see people just give up without a fight and lose interest in this beautiful World. It is appalling that folks allow themselves to be so manipulated and that is what is going on. There are now so many people in the World that the economy will keep chugging along, for a while, and it is convenient for the Powers that Be to allow some, often very bright and educated people, to just opt out of participation.

If you find all of this confusing, good. It shows that you are still sane. To attempt to read something like the Secret Gospel of John or the Apocalypse of James is a daunting task. Half way through, you will either be dozing or ready to teart your hair out. If you make it through and think you understand and agree, seek psychiatric counciling immediately.

There are 2 useful things to come out of Gnosticism. First, the Gospel of Thomas. Unlike the other books found at Nag Hammadi, it contains no distaste for life. It is a collections of sayings, nothing more, no cosmology, no prophesy, just the sayings of Jesus. Are they the true roiginal sayings? Who knows, but we can say the same for the sayings in the Synoptic Gospels. To me, and many others, the words in the Thomas Gospel ring true. They have a power and a sense of being truly revolutionary. They seem like the kind of words that would inspire men and women. By comparisom, the words in the other Gospels, while similar, seem watered down, just what you would expect from a religion designed to control.

In addition, the Gnostic books intrioduce the idea of the Archons. We will get into that strange and fascinating topic in my next blog.

America- - The Dangerous Influx of Gnosticism, Terms

I do not mention other blogs on my site because I do not often  have time to spend reading them. Also, I find that many of them turn into forums for people to dart off on tangents, pick  on others, fawn all over the writer, and generally spout nonsense. I welcome comments, but only if pertanent to the subject and only if reasonable and constructive.

Having said that, I do on occassion read a little here and there; especially those dealing with the stranger things out society is going through, and I have grown apalled and a bit alarmed by the prevalence of sites dealing with 'gnosticism.' In itself, gnosticism is perfectly valid topic and quite fascinating, but folks who do not really understand it should stay away from it. Gnosticism has become a catch phrase for all sorts of weirdness. So, in the next few posts, I would like to try and explain a few things.

First, let me go through a few terms you see bandied about.

Occult: Occult simply means hidden. The CIA's actions are occult. Military secrets are occult. Hiddden business plans are occult. The term is used on many sites to refer to the aspects of religious beliefs hidden from all but the elite of the religion's leaders or to the inner most workings of a Magick society, ie the OTO or the Golden Dawn. The reason for hiding the material is said to be that a certain degree of initiation or preparation is needded befor ethe initiate can accept the full truth. Realistically, material is hidden from the neophyte becuase any sane person would reject it and run the other way when presented it. The group first wants to work on breaking down his/ her personality before fully letting them in on what is really going on.

Mystery Religion: In the past, as far back as we have records of civilizations, religions were very hierarchical. The priests kept secrets, 'mysteries,' that they revealed in a series of initiations to individuals. The higher up you went, the deeper the mysteries. Often the initiations involved some sort of ritual imitaing death and rebirth. Often, from what we can gather, they degenerated into a very slick method of controlling the thoughts and actions of individuals. There are groups today that mimic the Mystery Religions. Many, like the much maligned Freemasons, are social organizations, at least on the lower levels, that do a lot of good. We do not know what happens on the upper levels because, well, it is a mystery not revealed to most. Some groups, like the Skull and Bones, with the political and economic power of its members, are a bit more problematic. Others, such as Scientology are very problematic which leads to our next term-

Cults: Cults are basically close knit groups of like minded people. That is all. There is not necessarily anything wrong with that. A celebrity fan club is really a cult. Small religious sects may be thought of as cults and many are quite beneficent. There are, however, dark cults. Scientology is such an example. Going back to the 60s and 70s  you can see many such examples, the Process Church, the Children, the 22 Disciples, the 4 Pi, Hari Krishna, the Children of God, then in later years, Heaven's Gate, The Order of the Solar Temple, The Raelians, Jonestown, The Branch Davidians, The City of Elohim and others. These things pop in and out of existence frequently. A current, nasty example, is the 5 Angle movement.

Magick: Magick, not David Copperfield, is bending the fabric of space-time to your will. It is that simple. Technology is magic. Making a ham sandwich when hungry is magick. Growing crops is magick. The problem comes when you try and use your will to force others to do as you want or to force the Cosmos to follow your will. Then you have 'black magic.' Stay away from that.

Extraterrestraisl/Aliens: Beings not of this Earth, or at least not from the same 4 dimensions we live in. Are thay physical beings or spirits? From other planets or other dimensions? Friendly or hostile? Yes, no, maybe, all, some. Who knows? It is also, to make things a whole lot stranger, manifestations of our own mind and/or manifestations of thoughts put in our minds by certain unsavory humans. Confused? You should be. I am, but I will try to sort all that out, as much as it can be.

In my next post, I will explain a bit more about Gnosticism. Do not worry. It will be light on history because, contrary to what you may read elsewhere, we know very little of its history. There will also be very little philosophy or theology because what we do know of Gnostci thinking is a muddled mess. But, I will let you know why I think the fascination with these ancient loonies is important and upsetting.

America and the Elections - Chaos Approaches

Well, The Donald and Hillary win big in New York and they should be the Nominees, but, not so fast. Bernie cannot win, but he is staying in and that will give him a whole lot of power at the Convention. This will continue to push her further to the left, something she dreads. Hillary was basically campaigning as a continuation of the Obama Presidency. Bernie has killed that plan. He has brought up issue after issue that have made her change her stance and has people thinking, sort of. Now polls show that Democrats want a very left wing candidate.

That is not good for Hillary. Traditionally, Candidates campaign toward the fringe and move to the middle because they know that most Americans are really pretty moderate. Bernie will have enough pull to get the Party platform moved to a position that will make Obama look like William F. Buckley and I cannot see how Hillary can maneuver around that. Of course, if elected, she will pay no attention to any of that, but it may make her election a bit problematic.

There is one way Sanders can still get the nomination. There is still a chance Hillary may be indicted over the whole email mess. I think that is unlikely but it would be hilarious to see the Democratic Party stuck with a Candidate for President who was under indictment.

The Republicans are in a mess and it could not happen to a more deserving bunch of folks. Trump still has a fair shot at wrapping up a first ballot nomination and that in itself is a huge issue for Party leaders, but, if Trump fails at that, a distinct possibility, then all hell will break loose at their Convention. Ted Cruz, at that point, would start trying to pressure the delegates, who at that point would be free to vote for anyone, to side with him. The Nation will witness politics at its sleaziest. All sides will resort to any steps possible to get those votes. Ted's problem is that he is about a likeable as a wolverine. However, most of the Party's leaders dislike The Donald at least as much.

What of Kasich? Good question. He seems a likeable and basically honest guy and, by most accounts has been a decent Governor. More to the point, polls show repeatedly that he is the one Republican candidate that can beat Hillary. Yet, for reasons that I just cannot figure, he cannot win Primaries. Still, if the Convention gets to a 3rd vote, he may be the man. That will cause all those folks who voted for Trump and Cruz to grow apoplectic and the Party will fall to bits. In short, if the Republicans finally settle for the one man who might win in November, he will likely not get the support of his own party and will likely not win. Isn't this fun. I have never, in all my many years of watching politics seen anything like this mess..

But wait, it might get better. If Kasich cannot win on the 3rd or 4th ballot, there are others standing by. Do not forget Little Marco who still has a few votes. Then, if all else fails, we have Jeb Bush who might step forward and offer his services as a compromise candidate. Also, there is Paul Ryan. Yes, I know, he said that he absolutely would not take the job. That is what he said about becoming Speaker of the House, right before he took the job.

On top of all of that, there is still a chance that someone, if they get angry enough at the way the Conventions go, might start a 3rd Party run. With tempers as high as they have been recently, I almost expect that. Then the real fun begins because, if whoever it is can get enough support to keep anyone from getting a majority in the General Election, the entire mess goes to the House of Representatives, where they will pick a President and God only knows who that might be.

Stay tuned, folks. Things will just get funnier.

America - What happened to Common Courtesy?

I hate to keep picking on my fellow Americans, but I have to. Really, I love this land for its potential. We have been great and we can do it again but, first, we have to learn some basic courtesy.

I am aghast (I love that word) at the way I see folks behaving in stores. The customers are generally not too bad, but the help do not seem to realize that they are working. As a shopper, all I want is moderately friendly service. I really do not want to listen to service people discussing their personal life with other workers 3 aisles over,  especially when a good deal of that discussion is carried out in language that used to be used only in private. I do not really want to hear managers going off on employees while I am waiting for service. When I ask for help, I expect help, not a shrug followed by 'I don't know. It ain't my department." If people would think, they would realize that this is not the way to keep customers.

When I am at home, I am always surprised when my neighbors seem to think that I want to hear what they are watching on TV.  I do not expect silence, but when I can clearly hear every word on the show that they are watching, that is a bit too loud, especially at 2 AM. Even worse are neighbors who think that I might like to hear the latest foul mouthed, mysogenistic, illiterate rapper howling and grunting over a bass line that shakes the room. If these inconsiderate folks would just think a moment, they would realize how inconsiderate they are.

Or maybe not. Maybe we have at last descended into a period where the motto is 'I'll do what I want and to hell with everyone else.' That is a possibility. In an era when instant gratification is the goal, maybe people think that they should never have to consider their neighbors.

I see it in traffic, where people seem to think that silly things like right-of-way and turn signals are optional. I see it in restaurants. I used to work in one, not too long ago, and was constantly amazed at how people behaved. Kids were bad enough and I expected them to act up a bit, but, to be honest, the so-called adults were worse.

People have grown so self-centered that they seem to feel that their families and friends cannot function without them for even a few minutes. I am still occassionally surprised to see someone walking down the street, going in and out of businesses, talking, seemingly to themselves. Then I realize that they are using their bluetooth to talk. They cannot be out of touch for one instant. They cannot wait until they get to a quiet space and make a proper phone call. Again, I do not want to hear their personal business. The only plus I can find in texting is that at least we do not have to hear their babbling.

On the other hand, texting is rapidly becoming just as annoying. There are people who will not stop texting long eneough to have a conversation with the people they are with. In the middle of business transactions, requiring a bit of attention, it is not at all unusual to see them fingers flying and them not paying the least bit of attention to what they are doing.  Take my word for it people, others can get by without your constant attention.

All of us have our moments when we lapse into bad manners but we, as a society have moved way past lapses. Bad, self-centered, rudeness is very close to becoming the standard form of interaction in America and, if that trend continues, we are doomed.

The solution? Businesses have to set rules of behavior for their staff and allow no exceptions. There are lots of folks looking for jobs and you should remind your employees that they can and will be replaced, quickly.

Parents, look at your own behavior. What sort of example are you setting? Then, when you have a grip on your own behavior, set rules for your kids and enforce them. They will be furious with you but they need parents not buddies and they will get over it.

It may seem that I am being stuffy, but, trust me, if you knew me you would realize how far that is from the truth. I am however, fed up with rude, inconsiderate behavior.

America, Hillary and the Banks, and the Conning of the American People

I hope I have made it clear that I loathe Hillary Clinton and I remain amazed that, despite the fact that poll after poll shows that the American people neither like nor trust her, she continues to look like our next President. To those still supporting her, I refer you to the Politics page of the April 13th Huffington Post.

She is till fighting release of her emails, and while they would no doubt show an embarrassing lack of judgment, the real reason likely has more to do with her Wall Street speeches. You know, the ones she got paid $225000 a piece for; the ones she gave to such fine businesses as Goldman Sachs, the businesses who gave us the housing collapse and the disastrous recession we are still trying to get over. If the emails are released, it would almost force the release of those transcripts, as she could not possibly justify hiding speeches to corporations when National Security matters had been made public. Well, she could, but I do not think even her most ardent supporters would put up with that, although, who knows at this point.

Contrary to what she might have led people to believe. those companies make it clear that they have no say over her release of those transcripts. She owns exclusive rights to them. Now, Hillary keeps braying that she 'stood up to the banks.' She was in the Senate when the economy began its collapse and she introduced one, just one, bill on the issue, a bill that was so inadequate it never got any sort of consideration. Then, when out of the Senate, she started raking in a sizable amount of money by giving her little talks.

People who were in attendance when she spoke, and there are a good number coming forth, say that not only did she not stand up to them, she spoke in glowing terms of the importance of those banks, making it clear that they deserved the full support of the US Government. She went on to say that not only could they not be allowed to fail, it was not totally their fault, that all Americans  were to blame for the economic collapse.

I do not know about you, but I really do not recall giving my permission for the banks to act like common con men. I may be aging, but I still have a pretty fair memory and I remember Ronald Reagan pushing through the deregulation of the banks, with great support from his cohorts in Congress, thus giving the big banks a license to swindle, and they went right at it. I have seen hogs at a feeding trough show more subtlety and restraint. Yet, these are the folks Ms. Clinton gushed over.

I rest my case. 

America, Golf and Celebrities

I would again like to mention the way we treat celebrities. I am not a follower of pop entertainers or TV stars, nor do I follow a lot of sports, but, as I have written, I do watch professional golf. The recent Masters triggered this post.

Jordan Speith is currently the number 2 ranked player in the World. At the age of 22, he has 7 wins, 2 of them majors. In his last 5 majors, he has 2 wins, 2 seconds, and a 4th. That is far better than most golfers do in their entire careers.

Since he came on the scene,  he has been the focus of way too much attention and since his 1st Masters win, it has gotten out of hand. Yes, he is a brilliant young golfer but the key word is young. He is still learning the game. His accomplishments are great, but he likely will get better. But, he will not be brilliant on every shot, in every round, in every tournament. Yet, analysts seem to grow hysterical when he flubs a shot.

Being young, he has not yet learned to say 'no.' He seems to be available for every possible interview, has hustled around to countless TV appearances, and has kept up an unsustainable schedule of play. He has to learn that he does not have to accommodate everyone. All of us, even 22 year-olds, need some rest and time to ourselves. Add to a hectic schedule, the pressure to not just play well, but to play brilliantly and win everything. and something has to give. At the recent Masters, it did.

During a week when he was not at his best, Jordan was pushed and interrogated by the media. He managed to stay in the lead by sheer determination, until finally, on the 12th hole of the last round, the wheels fell off. He looked burnt out and showed it by making a bad choice on the tee and chunking his next shot. It happens to everyone, but, the media seemed to go into near weeping hysteria at the turn of events. Now, Jordan will be pushed to be brilliant his next time out, or all will bemoan his fall from golfing greatness.

Speith seems to be a very decent, down to Earth young man, but, if he is not careful, he could be eaten up by the celebrity machine of the media. To them, he is a commodity, and if they think he has fallen off his game, they will dump him. That would not be a bad thing. In fact, it may be the best thing that could happen to him, because the pressure would be off, but some people fall in love with fame and react very badly when it diminishes.  Hopefully, Speith can remain level headed.

The golf media wants another Tiger Woods and they will not get one, not for a long time if ever. He was that good and how he stood up to the pressure and stayed that consistent is beyond me. The current lot of young players, Jordan, Ricky Fowler, Jason Day, Rory McIlroy and the rest are fine players but none is Tiger. Yet watch the golf announcers. Whoever wins is suddenly heralded as the next greatest ever, until they have bad week, the they laud someone else. All of that is symptomatic of the publics lust for celebrities. It is a cultural disease and the players need to find a way to keep centered and opt out of the celebrity game.  Our culture eats celebrities alive and spits out the remains when the next hot thing comes along.

America and UFOs - Hillary and the Spacemen

Hillary Clinton supporter and past holder of several Government offices, John Podesta, is thrilled. It seems that Hillary has assured him that she will get to the bottom of the whole UFO/Alien Visitor thing. Well thank God for that. Here we have been fussing over that for the last 70 years and it seems that all we had to do was wait patiently on Ms. Clinton. Boy, I can rest easy now.

Of course, her husband said the same thing and got no real answer. Jimmy Carter requested that information from then CIA Director George W.H. Bush and was told that it was available on a need to know basis and that the President did not need to know. Bush himself, when seeking the Presidency, said the there were many, many files on the subject and hinted that he might release some. He did not. So, I wonder just why she thinks they would answer her.

Even if they did, why should we believe anything the CIA says? They have hardly been a fountain of truth over the years. Words like lying, psychotic, psychopathic, manipulative, control freaks, assassins, drug smugglers all come to mind when I see those 3 letters, but maybe Hillary can somehow charm them into telling her the real deal. Maybe, but not likely.

I am of the opinion that after all this time and after all the shenanigans pulled by the CIA and  governments, ours and others, no one really knows the truth. Bits and pieces maybe, but not all of it. The whole UFO thing, flying saucers and such, may be a hoax used by our controllers to scare us. Abductions may be hiding government mind control experiments, replacing real memories of experiments with false memories of abduction, not really a difficult thing to do (the CIA's own files show that they have been working at that since at least the 1940s).

Or maybe all the tales are true. Maybe ET is flitting around all the time. Why? Depends on who you ask. Some say to guide is to a Utopian future. Others say they want to control us and make us slaves or food when they take over. Others say they care not a fig about people and just want to keep us from devastating this lovely Planet.

Personally, I think that no one is flying through the stars to visit. The distances are too great and the wormhole thing scientists talk about may be unworkable. Wormholes almost certainly exist, but there is no way to control where and when you will exit one. I tend to believe that we are visited by, what Jacques Vallee refers to as 'interdimensional beings, and they have always been buzzing about. In past times we have called them angels, demons, devas, kami, Manitou, archons, elementals, gods and other names. Some are benevolent, some quite malicious and all are tricksters. As far as weird craft in the sky, most are experimental craft that we are working on although, if all that is seen flying is lights, then it is quite likely just one of our constant, tricky companions ( see the Book of Ezekiel and his description of the flying wheel. Most scholars say he was seeing one of the seraphim, not a flying saucer, but a different kind of being, an angel. No, angels are not cute naked babies with wings; the Bible always describes them as frightful.).

Who knows? Maybe all of the above are true or maybe there are far more people having psychotic breaks than we think. Maybe all of this is nonsense. Contrary to what Fox Mulder says, the Truth may not be out there. It really does not matter. It is a fun story and fascinating to goof around with but, until one of them lands and says 'hello' or starts blasting us from the sky, we have more important things to do,  like figuring out how to provide clean water for everyone when there are too many people on Earth. Or maybe trying to figure out how we will grow crops when all of the bees die off and the climate has become too harsh.

Besides, why should we worry? Hillary is going to get to the bottom of the matter.

America - Who's Qualified?

I keep swearing that I will leave politics alone but, here I go again. We are hearing Hillary and Bernie braying at each other over 'qualifications.' Let me make this clear. No one is qualified to be President of the United States.

There are no training progarms and no college course to prepare you to take on that role. Many who run are lawyers but legal training, at best, may help you think logically but emotions are a big part of running this strange Country. It is useful to know History but there are problems with that. There are many interpretations of history. Hell, there many versions of any historical incident and, often, a President does not have time to sort thorugh the whole mess. Besides, sometimes, new stuff happens.

In this day and age, a knowledge of Science should be of use, but I will wager that, with the exception of Jimmy Carter, who was trained in Nuclear Physics, most Presidential candidates would have to struggle to understand Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Military experience seems to be a commonly excepted criterion. Well, let's see. Bill Clinton had none. GW Bush had next to none and Obama had none. Trump has none. Sanders has none. Hillary definitely has none. Same with Cruz and Kasich. It seems that military experience no longer matters. It is worth noting, however that Eisenhower, the 20th Century President with the most Military experience is the guy who warned us about the expanding power of the militray-industrial complex. He was right and we ignored him.

So, who mught be a truly qualified Presidential candidate. It would have to be someone who is trained in all areas of human knowledge and is able to look at the whole picture and see how everything fits together. In my lifetime, I can think of only one such person, the late, great R. Buckminster Fuller. Fuller thought of himself as a throwback to days past in that he was a generalist, Rather than focusing on one area of knowledge, he looked at the whole. Schools today do not turn out students like that. It is a shame that Bucky never ran, although I am sure he would not have been elected. He simply was not glib and flashy enough. In America, style too often beats substance.

So who among our present crop and candidates is qualified? Not a one. Bernie and Hillary and all the rest need to sto picking at each other about that and take long looks in the mirror.

.

America at The Masters

The Masters is here. Golf fanatics like myself are glued to the screen. That is where I am headed as soon as I finish writing. This year is a dandy. The old Augusta course, after a few years of playing soft and easy, is hard, fast and the wind is swirling in the pines, reminding the players that Mother Nature is still the boss.

The old guard is gone. Tiger is out indefinately. Phil Mickleson missed the cut. Ernie Els knocked himself out on the first hole, and all the old Champions, with the exception of the remarkable Bernhardt Langer, are gone.

The new guys are here and boy are they surprised. Ricky Fowler confidently said that this was his year. He missed the cut. Jason Day, World's #1 looked totally befuddled, saying that he was hitting good shots but they just were not going where they should. Jordan Speith is clinging by a very thin thread to the lead and sounded badly shaken at his Friday play. Actually, his 2 over par was not bad in the windy conditions, but his fall off from the 6 under Thursday rould shook him. That's golf. A day's reward will often give way to unpleasantness. The game is humbling.

Rory McIlroy, in 2nd place, had a very sane reaction to his 2nd round. He seemed amazed that he survived it and surpised that he managed a 1 under.

This is why I love golf. Not only is the game difficult, not only do you see great skills displayed, it shows you the mental make up of the players. Bobby Jones said that golf was mostly played on a 6 inch field between your ears. He was right.

So, in just a few minutes, I will be glued to the set, watching what should be quite a show. Oh, and there is a bonus. The Augusta National course is one of the most beautiful bits of landscaping on Earth. Covered with azaleas, dogwoon, redbud, jasimeine, nandina, all set in a backdrop of tall loblolly pines and little creeks and ponds, on a land full of bumps and hills, it is worth watching for its beauty alone.

Update: I wrote the above on Saturday morning and am posting it on Sunday morning. In the meantime, surprisingly little has changed. Bernhardt Langer, who at 59 has the physique of a 15 year old gymnast, is hanging in. Jason Day is 3 back and still seems slightly befuddled. Rory McIlroy is only 5 back after a bad Saturday. At the end of the round interview, he looked ready to weep and said that Sunday he would be shooting at all the pins, a recipe for disaster at Augusta. Jordan Speith looked shell shocked after finishing bogey, double bogey to turn a 4 shot lead to 1 shot. Who will win? Who knows. The wind will be down but the greens will be hard as cement and  fast and slick, like putting on glass. It will be fun to watch.  

America - Bill Clinton Sees His Chickens Come Home to Roost

Folks, hang on. Things are getting a little weird. I am beginning to believe that we are seeing the beginning of the end of all politics as we know it. The Republican Party and the neo-conservative movements are obviously on the eve of destruction. Now, the chinks in the armor of Liberalism are showing. Bernie Sanders is a self proclaimed Socialist and he is making life extremely difficult for Ms. Clinton. Good for him. At least he is somewhat honest.

The real surprise is Bill Clinton's harassment by the 'Black Lives Matter' group. Let me say bluntly that I find that movement simple minded and annoying, but I never thought they would go after old Willy. After all, for years he has been lauded, almost deified by black activists. Why have they turned on this man who was once called 'America's real first Black President?

Well, when Slick Willie was in the White House he pushed through some bills designed to help black folks. First, the Welfare reform bill demanding that welfare recipients do some kind of work or engage in job training. Good idea, except since it affected so many single moms, it left a lot of loose, unsupervised kids and, being kids in rough neighbor hoods, they got in trouble, a lot of trouble. Nothing new or surprising there.

So, Willie passed some near draconian anti-crime laws and suddenly these kids started ending up in jail. There you see the problem with liberal thinking. The government cannot solve behavioral problems and cannot create jobs for people who have no skills and little interest in acquiring them.

Now, in truth, I think Willie did what he could and had to. Politically, the Nation was in no mood to keep giving money to people who did nothing. Now, we are not only not in the mood for that, we have no money to give them. And he had to do something about the crime because ti certainly did not stay in the 'hood. But, looking back, the Black Lives Matter folks seem to have expected him to just give them lots of money and let the kids run amok. This is the precisely the problem with Liberalism. It raises expectations unrealistically and cannot solve the problem.

The problem all along has been a matter of personal responsibility. I remember Jim Crow laws in the South and the violent reactions of northern white people when integration was forced on them. Yes, it was all horrible and so what? Get over it. People this entire World over have gone through periods of monstrous abuse and, if you look at History, there is one lesson that stands out. Those that succeed are the ones who learn from the past, then stand up and move on.

During the segregation days, there were many Black folks who went to school. studied and became Doctors, Lawyers and started successful businesses. I knew some and, yeah they had a tough deal. It was not right, but, they, with great dignity, went to work and made their lives better. I knew some of their parents and saw them work 70 and 80 hour weeks to better their kids. It all comes down to personal responsibility. The Government cannot solve your problems and will often make things worse.

So, to the Clintons and their ilk, I say. look what you did. You made things worse. And to Black activists I will say. stop whining. Stop wanting more and more from your Government and teach your kids a little discipline because the days when the rest of us wallow in white guilt are over. Either you are citizens and are willing to take responsibility for your own lives and to live in a dignified, moral fashion, or you will just have to sink in a mire of your own creation.

Bt the way, those neo-cons do not get off the hook. The American people, those with brains, are sick of you supporting mega-corporations through tax breaks, bail outs, and sweet back room deals and we have had enough of your treating the World as if you were playing Risk, the Game of Global Domination. Enough of your crap. Bring home the troops, repair the crumbling infrastructure, regulate crooked businesses and stay the hell out of our lives.

Americans Paying Attention to What Matters

I was wrong. It happens every now and then but this surprised me, pleasantly so. It seems that exit polls in Wisconsin show that terrorism is not the main concern of voters. I believed that the recent bombings in Belgium would trigger a reaction in the US but, no.

It seems that the economy is the key issue. Both Parties agree that the stagnant economy is a big problem. Republicans are second most concerned with high taxes while Democrats are upset about the rapidly increasing disparity between the rich and the rest of us. In both Parties, terrorism is third.

I was sure terrorism would be the big thing and push a surge toward the tough talking Cruz or the even tougher talking Trump. I am very pleased that Americans are keeping their eye on the ball and not falling for distractions.

There are many who would argue that terrorist incidents are not solely the work of those proclaiming themselves terrorists. We know, without question, that the CIA (not the whole Agency but rogue elements within it) created Al Qaida and the Taliban, and there is  considerable evidence that they have some kind of contact with ISIL Some think that these incidents are set up just to elicit a panic response from ordinary citizens, which will, in turn pave the way to tighter government control. Maybe, but I do not think so. I am sure of the CIAs manipulation of Al Qaida and the Taliban but I think that ISIL is like the Frankenstein monster, morphing from its parent organizations into something no one controls. Having said that, I am positive that the Powers that run things love to take advantage of these monstrous attacks to tighten their noose of control.

Of course the saner elements of our Nation and the rest of the World are concerned about terrorism and do what can be done to stop it but, to be honest, if people are willing to blow themselves to bits in order to kill a few others, there really is not a hell of a lot anyone can do and what can be done, pretty much is being done. No doubt it can be done better, but such efforts will never be 100% effective.

In the meantime, we all have lives to live and, quite rightly, we need to get a grip on our fairly dead economy. The American people are not panicking over terrorism and are focusing on matters that concern them on an every day basis. I am pleasantly surprised.

America - The Election and the Jokers in the Deck

I have been reconsidering my belief that this election will come down to Hillary and The Donald, with Hillary winning. It seems that the other candidates just refuse to roll over and play dead and that makes this farce that is playing out even more fascinating. When I say fascinating, I mean in the way a train wreck is fascinating. As much as you do not want to look, you have to.

Trump cannot seem to keep his foot out of his mouth and Hillary is looking a tad zombie like, except in the occasional moments she lets her considerable temper fly. Ted Cruz is making inroads and might have a chance if he was not so unlikeable and Kasich, while certainly to be congratulated for taking the moral high ground, is being mostly ignored because he simply cannot compete with the surrounding lunacy. On the Democratic front, Bernie will not go away and with the amazing amount of money he is raising, he has no reason to get out.

Donald may not get the first ballot nomination and, if that happens, all hell will break lose in the Republican Party. It does seem unfair for the Party to be ganging up on him but I cannot blame them because all polls show that the American people do not like him and either Clinton or Sanders will beat him. However, he has enough backing to kill the Party if he does not support the eventual nominee. If, in their insanity, the Party holds its collective nose and names Cruz, polls show him losing also. The polls show that Kasich, the forgotten man, would beat any Democrat but how can they nominate a guy who has barely shown in any of the primaries?

It is still a fairly safe bet that Hillary will win the Democratic nomination but, poll after poll shows that people do not like or trust her and that most of her supporters are none to excited by her campaign. Sanders, if beaten can cause her a world of grief if he tells his near rabid followers not to support her. Even if he gives her lukewarm support, it is unlikely his fans will turn out for her. But, the Party big shots, the 'super delegates,' will likely see to her nomination. That would be a poor move if she had any competition, but, she will probably eke out a win over either Trump or Cruz.

However, this deck has a couple of wild cards. If Trump does not win the nomination, he is very likely to be so outraged that he will either deny support to the Republican nominee or run a third party campaign, which would effectively both destroy the Republican Party and insure a Clinton win, except for the other Joker, Bernie.

It is easy to forget that Sanders is not a Democrat. He is an Independent Socialist who, in Congress, caucuses with the Democrats, and thus has no Party loyalty. Suppose he decides to run as an Independent. Why not? He has shown that he can raise the needed money, his supporters are almost sure to turn out and vote, and he might just do it. That would about destroy the Democratic Party.

So, we have the possibility of the devastation of the 2 Party system that has paralyzed National politics for far too long. There is nothing in the Constitution that limits us to 2 parties and it is about time the American people are given some new choices. The big money backers who fund the PACs must  be horrified at the thought of their cozy little arrangement being upset.

I urge every one reading this to urge every one they know to pay attention for the next few weeks. If there is a snowball's chance in hell that a 3rd or 4th Party can step in and derail the coronation of yet another shill of the Powers that Be being seated in the White House, jump on it and do every thing you can to see to it that we finally have a voice in our own Government again. We may not get the another chance any time soon. Win or lose, it would be fun to rock the boat a little.

Americans on the Edge of Survival- Those with Physical Difficulties

I may be starting to sound like a broken record but a great many of the problems of those struggling to get by these days are easily solved. Get the Government to stop spending money idiotically and direct at least some of it to programs intelligently designed to help those in need. Also, the rest of us need to practice a little basic human compassion and patience when dealing with the problems of our neighbors.

Such actions would go far toward helping those with physical difficulties. My wife and I have been together over 30 years. She is totally blind and I am losing sight in 1 eye. We help each other and, guess what? The difficulties are not that big of an issue, nor should they be in any interactions you might have with anyone with physical problems, be they deaf, blind, suffering from any of the many neuro-muscular diseases, or para- or quadriplegic.

Does it really cost you a lot to take a few minutes to help someone? Be honest. Everyone has some free time, even at work. I have supervised crews of workers and let me assure you that in any 8 hour day, it is a miracle if you get 6 hours of acual work out of anyone. At home, again being honest, much, way too much, time is spent staring at insipid TV shows. How often have you sat watching every  minute of a football game that is a 28  to 0 blowout in the first quarter, If you can waste time like that, you can spend a few minutes helping someone. Often, we spend more time complaining about what we have to do than it takes to just do it. 

In days past, in honesty, it was a bit difficult to find jobs for folks with physical difficulties, but, in this age of computers, with all the advances made, the only reason many handicapped people are not working is sheer predjudice. Can they do every job? No, but neither can I and neither can you. Let me tell you this. By not giving these folks a chance, you are missing out on some potentially talented workers and condemning them to a life of SSI, disability checks, food stamps, public housing, and Medicaid. This is degrading and demoralizing. And, if you wish to be selfish about it, just think how much money that costs you in taxes.

We are human and to reject, to shun, to hide away those who are, by no fault of their own, different is a sin. A society that rejects those with physical difficulties should be deeply ashamed.