Mock Bake Sale Rally for BBH | Strike BBH

Yesterday I read from Imprimis about "Liberal" compassion, and read a few jokes from the New York City Cab Driver's Joke Book and also commented on Rush Limbaugh's and Sean Hannity's inane and irrelevant commentary.

Why Don't More Blacks Vote Republican?

Republican pundits make the same stupid mistakes again and again because they think that being conservative is about where on stands on "the issues" instead of where one stands on change.  Because they make this mistake they get "rat-trapped" into rationalizing injustice, inhumanity and incivility.

The stupid question that conservative pundits ask constantly is:  Why don't more blacks register and vote Republican?

Well let's see...

When any police officer is killed police unions make sure that the funeral is attended by fellow officers from around the country. In some cases tens of thousands attend the services.  Any time that police officers are criticized or "attacked" police union representatives are quick to respond and in some cases make threats.

When Michael Brown was killed how many police officers attended the services? How many police union representatives expressed condolences?  How many talk show hosts?

When Philando Castile was gunned down under color of authority by a Minnesota police officer did Rush Limbaugh attend the funeral?  Sean Hannity? Justice Thomas?  Walter Williams?  Larry Elder? Did they give him the respect due him as a citizen?  As a human being?  No.  They implied that Mr. Castile was at fault and deserved to be shot. 

When Walter Scott was murdered by a police officer in South Carolina how many police unions expressed doubts about the shooting?  Demanded the dismissal and prosecution of the murderer? How many expressed condolences? Attended the funeral?

When a police officer is killed he or she is lionized.  The airwaves are filled with glowing descriptions of the officer's service, family life and even hobbies.  When Michael Brown was shot down he was demonized and dismissed as merely a willful thug who disobeyed police orders. Apparently Mr. Brown had no family or hobbies and deserved the "death penalty" for having the temerity to defy a policeman.

Because conservatives foolishly allow themselves to be brainwashed into playing the issues game law enforcement has become the enemy of justice (and common sense).  This is stupid and wrong.

So...why don't more Blacks become Republicans?  Go figure!

Police Officers Lie?

A few years ago I was a temporary employee at a police department in the San Gabriel valley.

One of my duties was to file reports.
While I was doing so I came across a file that contained a line-up-card. Line-up-cards display multiple head-shots and are used to make identification of suspects. On the card one of the mug-shots was circled and written next to it were the words: "she's the one". From the appearance of the line-up-card one would assume that a suspect had been identified by the victim or a witness. Not so. In the report the reporting officer explained that he had marked the card and used it to psychologically confront and pressure the suspect in question.

I wonder how many people have made false confessions because of tactics like this.

Racism!

I read yesterday chapter 17 of Ayn Rand's non-fiction work titled The Virtue of Selfishness about racism. 

I thought that it would be interesting to compare what Ayn Rand experienced in 1960s America with what is going on today.  It seems that very little has changed.

I like the fact that Ayn Rand is very thorough.  She shows how she reaches her conclusions and defines her terms.  Pundits and writers today fail to define their terms making debate and reasoned discourse all but impossible.

I do take issue with the title of the book.  The Virtue of Minding Your Own Business would have been better.

Ticket Snipers et.al.

While I was out delivering food I received a traffic ticket (moving violation) from a Pasadena PD officer. 

I decided to fight the ticket and use a company that I had seen advertised on billboard signs called Ticket Snipers. I went online and had my case evaluated.  I was told that Ticket Snipers could help and informed that such help would cost $138.00.  I paid the fee and then filled out information on the web site and spoke to a representative on the phone. 

A few days later I received, in the mail, my defense package.  A form to request trial by "paperwork" and my statement.  I signed the forms and wrote a check for $238.00 (my bail) to L.A. County.  I then waited for the result (it was then late October).

At the end of January 2018 I received the result in the mail from the court.  The judge found me guilty.  A note written by the judge stated that he had "disregarded inadmissible evidence".  I was provided with the verdict a form to request a "trial de novo" (a new trial) that must be submitted by February 15th.

I am now deciding whether to request the new trial.

Over all I am satisfied because I learned things that will last me for the rest of my life such as the ability to go to trial via the mail. 

American Culture vs. American Counter Culture

The fundamental struggle in this country is between culture and counter culture. The cultural expression of socialism is idealism which is psychologistic, emotional and concerned with power. Culture is realistic, intellectual, and concerned with ethics.

I experience counter cultural attitudes on a regular basis. At restaurants, at hotels, I am confronted by people who treat all relationships as power struggles. Who seek to dominate. The temptation is to engage these individuals on their terms rather than doing what is right.

How Intelligence Works (when it does)

I've learned that intelligence gathering is more than just gathering data. One needs to know what kind of information one is looking for.

I've also learned that analysis requires people that are thoroughly knowledgeable about their area of expertise so that conclusions reached will be timely and accurate.

Also, breakdowns in the accuracy of intelligence information can be attributed to poor leadership. Hiring people who are better administrators than intelligence analysts.

Co2 a Green House Gas?

The theory of global warming is based on a theory called "the greenhouse effect". The "greenhouse" theory says that certain gases get trapped in the troposphere eight to eleven miles high. Further the theory says that these gases help to prevent the escape of heat from the planet.

Now, carbon dioxide is, as a matter of fact, one and a half times heavier than oxygen and travels along the ground. It therefore cannot be found in the troposphere and is therefore not a greenhouse gas.

Sue The Bastards

"Sue the Bastards" is a book that I relied on as a reference and guide through the legal system as I prosecuted five causes of action against Southern California Edison in superior court.

Although I ultimately lost I found the information contained in the book crucial: the use of practice guides, procedure and what to expect generally were very useful.

One thing that I would change if I could would be making sure that I understood what constituted evidence in my case.

One thing that I learned that wasn't covered in the book was how to depose people on the cheap. Most lawyers use a stenographer that costs $500 per hour. Instead I could use a notary public that costs only $20.00 per day.

How and why to Reform the Filibuster

I read an article from the January 2017 issue of Imprimis (a publication of Hillsdale College). The article wad adapted from a speech given by Tom McClintock.

In this article Congressman McClintock makes the case that the Filibuster needs to be reformed. He argues that the changes made to the Filibuster rule in 1970 have hampered the Senate's ability to vote on bills in a timely manner.

His recommended reforms include doing away with the two-track system that was implemented in 1970 and requiring senators to be limited to two two-hour speeches per bill.

December 31, 2017

Today I will be reading the second installment of the Imprimis article titled "The Problem of Identity Politics and its Solution". 

Yesterday I read the first part of the article which covered the history of identity politics from 1973 to the present.

Matthew Continetti is the author/speechmaker that created the content for this article.  Mr. Continetti errs when he claims that the origin of identity politics is the novel called "The Gulag Archipelago".  Philosophy and more specifically metaphysics is the correct origin of political theory. 

Identity politics has its foundation in Descartes and metaphysical subjectivism:  Metaphysical subjectivism is the theory that reality is what we perceive to be real, and that there is no underlying true reality that exists independently of perception. 

If subjectivism were valid (which it is not) then the individual would have no other frame of reference to the world around him but identity.  Furthermore the individual would be able to be sure of nothing and would have no universal rights or wrongs to guide him/her.  The individual would only be able to act based on those character traits with which  he/she identified.

Even further, change for the subjectivist would be extremely difficult if not impossible.  Any suggestion that the subjectivist should change would be a threat to their identity.

December 9, 2017

Reading from an issue of Imprimis (Latin:  "in the first place") a publication of Hillsdale College.  This issue is excerpting parts of a speech given by an editor.  It is titled "Russian Collusion?"  The article is very detailed with lots of facts but it fails to draw a conclusion.  Was there collusion between the Trump team and the Russians?  The article seems to suggest/imply that there wasn't but it would have served everyone better if this was stated explicitly.

December 4, 2017

I read Management of the Absurd by Richard Farson to illustrate the cultural hold that the idealists have on this country.  One of the tenets of idealism is "possibility thinking".  If one is to pretend that "anything is possible" then one must suspend acknowledgement of reality.  One must also embrace new ways of experiencing the world.  Ways that aren't realistic but make up for realism in novelty and excitement.  Mr. Farson's book is one of those novel and exciting experiences.  It promises short cuts to efficacy and unlimited amounts of power.  The kind of power to operate with impunity.  No such thing of course exists.  All actions have consequences.  All decisions involve gains and losses.  Not because I say so but because the attempt to operate with impunity is in conflict with metaphysical reality.  In order to deal with reality, reality must first be consulted.

November 8, 2017

Chapter 22 of Richard Farson's Management of the Absurd is titled Everything We Try Works and Nothing Works.  What Mr. Farson failed to consider when writing this book is that an absurdity is a contradiction and a contradiction cancels itself out so that what we are left with is nothing.  A zero. If as the title suggests "nothing works" then we wouldn't bother to get out of bed.

Planning is an Ineffective Way to Bring About Change is the title of Chapter 23. And no, planning is not necessarily an effective way to bring about change it is an effective way to bring about goal completion.

Organizations Change Most by Surviving Calamities is the title of Chapter 24.  Organizations change most when forced to change:  Hostile takeovers and lawsuits are classic examples.

People that We Think Need Changing Are Pretty Good the Way they Are is the title of Chapter 25.  Since no one is perfect everyone needs changing at least in certain areas of their life and yes they are pretty good but not the best they can be.

Chapter 26:  Every Great Strength is a Great Weakness.  Classic Hegelian dialectic.  Every thesis has an anti-thesis and when clashed brings about a synthesis.  Untrue contradictions only bring about nothing.  A zero.

Chapter 27:  Morale is unrelated to productivity.  Morale is related to productivity (indirectly).  Morale is related to motivation which is related (directly) to productivity.

Chapter 28:  There are no Leaders, Only Leadership.  Ridiculous on its face.  Leadership is the quality that leaders exhibit.  No leaders...no leadership.

November 3, 2017

Michael Crichton said of the book:  " He irritated me (!).  He provoked me (!).  He made me nod, he made me smile and he made me shake my head...[He] reports more than experience; he gives us wisdom (?????)

Sunday October 22, 2017

Chapter 17:  "The Better Things are the Worse they Feel".  Right away the author hedges his bet:  "...we expect that our actions will produce satisfaction for those we try to help.  But they seldom do - not for long anyway." (italics mine) Mr. Farson has just contradicted himself and the rest of the chapter is moot.

Part Six:  Dilemmas of Change.  Chapter 18:  "We Think We Want Creativity or Change, But We Really Don't".  Who is "we"?  Is Mr. Farson writing about everybody? Just him and his family and friends?  No answer.  How does Mr. Farson define creativity and change?  He doesn't.  Again the author uses story-telling and verbal picture-painting to get across his point.  Unfortunately he includes only those stories and pictures that tend to support his pre-conceived notions.  No definitions, no facts, no logic = no communication.

Chapter 19:  "We Want for Ourselves not What We are Missing, but More of what We Already Have."  Again, who's "we"?  You and the mouse in your pocket?  Secondly, assuming that the statement is true, who cares?  Mr. Farson attempts to answer that question in the final paragraph of the chapter:  "The difficulty for all of us is that our absorption with what we do well may blind us to what will enable us to do even better."  So what?  Yet again in this chapter Mr. Farson has failed to state a problem much less a solution.

Chapter 20:  "Big Changes are easier to Make than Small Ones".  Taking this statement at face-value the author has asserted something that is counter-intuitive rather than absurd or paradoxical.

Chapter 21:  "We learn not from Our Failures, but Our Successes and the Failures of Others".  Again...who's "we"?  Secondly, the statement is deterministic and false.  Determinism, the attitude that people have no free-will and do what they do because they are forced to by powers beyond their control, is dead.  The statement is also a "faulty dilemma" suggesting that the only way to learn is by trial-and-error.  We learn because we want to know.  We know because we have (unlike the author) done research.

Thursday, October 12, 2017

I have read chapters 13, 14, 15 and 16 from Richard Farson's book titled Management of the Absurd. 

In Chapter 13:  "Every act is a Political Act" Mr. Farson attempt to make the case that, at least as far a managing is concerned, every act is about power.  "...every management act in some way redistributes or reinforces power."  As examples Mr. Farson uses verbal pictures to reinforce the stereotype that he is trying to create. 

I say that he is trying to create a stereotype because his conclusions are unwarranted and his evidence/proof is unsubstantiated.  When someone fails to use facts and logic in reaching a conclusion it is because they are trying to create a superstition or a stereotype.  Superstitions and stereotypes are appealing at first blush because they are shortcuts.  They promise results without having to spend time and effort.

All of this is important because American counter-culture promotes superstition and stereotyping as a method of "empowering" their movement with the ultimate aim of creating socialist revolution and paradise.

Chapter 14:  "The Best Resource for the Solution of Any Problem is the Person or Group that Presents the Problem"  Mr. Farson engages in story-telling to put across his point.  He tells stories about Carl Rogers and his consultation at a university.  Mr. Farson is also quite the adept picture painter painting pictures of various self-help groups and of a management study.  All of this is to create a "paradox" that in reality doesn't and can't exist again all for the creation of a movement the goal of which is to fulfill an idealistic fantasy.

"Organizations that Need Help Most Will Benefit from it Least" is the title of Chapter 15 and in it Mr. Farson attempts to manipulate the reader into going along with the idea that most companies are willfully blind about the need to change until it is too late.

By only looking for stories and pictures that support his pre-conceived notions Mr. Farson is able to manipulate readers into believing that "Individuals Are Almost Indestructible, but Organizations are Very Fragile".  If Mr. Farson was more thorough he would be able to find stories and pictures that support the opposite of what he is proposing:  General Motors and Dolly Madison to name but two.  

Sunday October 8, 2017

Yesterday I read Chapter 13 from the book titled Management of the Absurd by Richard Farson.  The title of the chapter is "All acts are Political Acts".

In this chapter Mr. Farson posits the idea that all management acts are in fact political acts.  In support of this "conclusion" Mr. Farson offers no evidence or proof but instead relies on story telling and verbal picture painting.  The man-made-reality-is-the-only-reality premise of the chapter would be very attractive if it were true.  Changing one's management style would then change the world.  Change the world into what - we don't know.

Thursday October 5, 2017

On Tuesday I read Chapter 10 from the book Management of the Absurd by Richard Farson.  The title of Chapter 10 is:  "In Communication Form is more Important than Content".  The chapter is divided up into four sections.  An introductory section followed by "The Power of the Invisible", ""Where we sit Matters" and "Remembering Rituals".

In the introductory section the author claims that feelings are more important than words, mode of expression is more important than words and that corporate image is "a triumph of form over content".

In the second section Mr. Farson creates meta-messages that he claims are in hidden school curriculum and management training programs and that meta-messages are more powerful than the message itself.

In section three Richard Farson gives another example of form over content by describing how it is that people arrange themselves at business meetings.  As the arrangement changes so does the form of the meeting.

In the last section Mr. Farson reminds us that "the feelings, the arrangements, the rituals, the physical and social design...are crucially important".

No where in this chapter does Mr. Farson define his terms.  What is the difference between form and content?  No answer.  Also, Mr. Farson seems to suggest that form and content are actually the same.

Mr. Farson erroneously starts with the premise that ideas are true until proven false - a fallacy.

The attractiveness of this chapter and as a matter of fact the whole book comes from the illusion that one is being let in on a secret that one is being taught things that are esoteric.  Shortcuts that will allow the reader to get an edge in the workplace.  Too bad that the book fails to deliver.