The attack of the machines

  In case it isn't too hard for some of you to think of the violent take over of the machines we created to eventually turn against us, like in the movie, The Terminator. Let me point out to you that the subtleness of our total dependence on them is well under way. Our absolute obsession to be the first on your block to own the newest and fastest hand held computer/phone, is both sad and funny. I watch as people rush to give away more of themselves to these machines.  Their privacy, and yes, in extreme cases, they give away their very lives to these machines, and so willingly. I know that many of you view me as just an angry old man trying to stave off the onslaught of these devices, and you would be both right and wrong about it, both at the same time. Its true that they have already begun to take over, and that I do my best to fight it, but I am not angry about what I see going on in this situation, but rather sad, and a little scared too. Make no mistake, big brother is already watching, we past that milestone in the Obama years, even though the potential for such abuse was there before his administration. The question is, Can we stop it? The answer to that is no, nor should we when the computers are used for medical and scientific reasons, and in that way, are indispensable.

  But as for its offshoot, the social internet, that is a whole other matter. The social internet exists for one reason and one reason only, and that is to sell. It is one huge selling machine. Having been taken on three different occasions for a total of $1,250 dollars, Two fifty for a concert seat scam, the other $1,000 wasted on two so called Christian self publish companies. Wolves in sheep's clothing types for those of you who know scripture. If you remember nothing else from this article, remember these two old true sayings, One, Nothing is for free, and two, If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Lessons I relearned online. I'm pretty street smart, and in one on one personal encounters, I can spot the schemers and the hustlers a mile off, but when dealing with the faceless and dead computers? Well, like I admitted, they already got me once, they won't again. There was one other time, and that with a stock advice company. But that was more of a salesman lying to make a commission. 

But quickly now, they, ( the computer giants), do two things to you the consumer. First, you must submit to training for whatever device you choose to use. Knowing full well that the average person, no matter your age, will need their help. Via planned obsolescence, wherein you need the next upgrade or app, or, to keep just enough a secret, so that you are totally dependent on them, either way, they win, and you the buyer whose hard earned dollars have made these few men so incredibly rich and powerful, are at their mercy. Either way, no matter how you look at it, we have reached that tipping point where we are more dependent on them, than are they of us.  And if that doesn't scare you in some way, it should. 

DAMN!

  Every time I think I'm out they pull me back in. If you are sick of hearing that line so often I can't blame you, as it gets used a lot. But it is a good quote, I use it too from time to time, and this is one of those times.  

  Politics, god how I hate the filth that has become politics! I have tried so hard to stay away from it, but like it or not, here I am again. So let's talk about the press. But only as a fictional account, as the story line was to be me interviewing members of the press. Me the interviewer, and them the interviewee. The two I have chosen for my little fantasy interview, was little CuckieTodd and Chris Matthews. I would love a one on one with the chief honcho over at NBC news, but he'd never have the nerve to face me. So, I'm a working type guy, the hell with the boss, and we'll use the lowly reporter. Nose to the grindstone feretting out the real story type of guys! Just kidding, C'mon, smile, this is Chuck and Chris. They aren't real news men, they are the puppets on the strings that other people pull. Now Chuckie I kinda like because he looks like one of my son's buddies, but Chris? There was a time when you were good, but now? But lets not feel too sorry for the lad, because when I think of these two clowns I see one as my son's buddies whose a nut, and as for Chris, this ones for you homo phobial PC'ers. Early into the first term, someone put up a placard on the internet with Chis and some other guy dressed as girl cheerleaders. I can't help it. Every time I see him on TV, thats the picture I see in my mind. And you know what I found out? Its very hard to take seriously a man dressed in a tu-tu.

I was a teenage liar,

  Back in the days when I was a liar, I was one of the best. To be a great liar, you must remember the chronology of each thread you spun in your web of lies. As time goes by and the circumstances change after the initial lie was told, it requires that you lie all the more to keep the first one covered. Like a spider, the liar must spin more and more lies, creating layer upon layer the longer the truth is to remain hidden. 

  But the truth will always out at some point, and when liars are exposed, their reactions are predictable and almost always the same. Usually, the first reaction is to blame someone else, it is never the liar's fault. Rather than finally come clean and admit their guilt, the next step is the excuses which are many. But when all else fails, and the excuses don't change things in their favor, the liar will look to the last resort, I call it the "poor me" syndrome, where the liar now caught and exposed will look for sympathy. The honor that truth brings is foreign to their DNA. 

  Liars are by nature egotistical and self centered, selfish in a word. I know, because when I was a liar, I was a great liar, my ego convincing me that I was smarter than everyone else. The plain truth about lying is that with all the scheming and speech filtration necessary to be good at it, it is exhausting and a drain on your brain, sapping you of most of your mental power. 

  Now that I am a truth teller, I can tell you from personal experience, that it is hard to be a good liar but easy to tell the truth. No scheming and planning is necessary, you just say what's on your mind. It isn't as difficult as you might think once you get the hang of it. Afterall, it is natural to lie, as like a child's first reaction when asked, Who broke the lamp? But believe me, just by being able to speak the truth openly is freeing. It brings peace where lying brings stress. Try the truth, I promise you it will set you free! 

The Bubble People?

  We'll start at the end, as I wasn't sure if this would be the story I'd tell. But as it turns out, as I was thinking of finally writing something and it, this might as well be this one. So, the Bubble People will do. You see, I have been putting off writing lately for reasons I don't understand. Also I have my easel set up with the last painting I was working on, but I haven't touched that either? Why is the reason for the question mark. 

  Apparently I'm in a state of flux of some sort, not knowing whether to go this way or that, having no point of focus, with no real clear direction. Thats the way its been lately, just taking it as it comes, one day at a time. Just ramblingI guess? I keep waiting for something to happen, though I have no idea what, or even if whatever it is, whether it will happen at all. I keep moving forward though, one day at a time, and in some cases, one moment at a time. Accordingly, with no point of focus and no clear objective I move not in a straight line, but meander from one side of the road to the other, just taking it as it comes. Toil and trouble with more questions than answers, trapped as it were, by the limits of my own understanding. Also, there is this gnawing feeling that there is something I'm supposed to do, but who knows, perhaps this is all there is to be, and maybe I'm already doing it? So for now, and at this point in time, this is what is going on in my bubble. How are you this day, and whats going on in your bubble? Beyond your family and friends, when you come right down to it, each of us each of us is alone, each within our own bubble, alone.   

Happy Easter

  So finely a moment of peace. Sometimes life can be one interruption after another, and lately, I've been up to my ears in interruptions, some good, and some bad. Anyway, now that I have a moment to myself, let me wish you all a belated Happy Easter. As we sometimes say to each other on Easter morn, He has risen, and respond, he has risen indeed! 

  So now I'm wondering as to what method I should use for the message, and more importantly, what should the message be about? Something current I should think, how about drugs? Let me start off by telling you something that most of you will dismiss out of hand. That being, that Heroin is the best this world has to offer. Each of us desires the same thing deep within. For what each of us is so  looking for, is peace. Peace, outer peace and inner peace, total peace, and opioids according to the dose, can provide that peace if only for a moment. But my God, the cost for that brief feeling comes at a staggering cost, and for many, their lives. 

  The alternative for this false peace of course is what God offers. Peace, eternal peace, peace forever, peace from what was, peace from what is, and peace for what is to come. Peace. Eternal peace. Peace forever and a day. Happy Easter! 

Max

  So me and Max, that is to say Max and I, went for our morning walk. Max? Oh, he's my dog. We have an on again off again relationship, and this morning, we were trying to beat the rain. Well I was, but as for Max, he was in a mischievous mood, and was in no particular hurry. Being a twice a day pooper and the fact that he hadn't pooped last night added to the urgency. 

Poor Max, I've had dogs all my life, but never one as aggravating as him. He's one of those designer dogs, when they mate one breed to another. A Puggle by name, a mix between a beagle and a pug. Take a dog obsessed with food, and one who likes to smell everything, and that sums it up. As for him, the struggle will continue for a while, as I know it isn't his fault. All of my prior dogs were Americans, that is to say they were mutts. A melting pot of a dog. Incredibly faithful, and looking only to please. Not that Max doesn't try in his way, he does, but his ways are so limited. Again in Max's defense, he is the first dog I had to walk. The others had yards and other freedoms. So anyway, here I am tethered to this dog in the rain, just wanting him to poop so we can get home before the skies opened up. We made it! Halleuia, and good times for me and Max and me.  

The First Step

  The biggest threat to our nation and to all of the free people of the world, is socialism and all it's forms. In short, socialism means central control. On the surface it seems attractive as it promises equality for all. What it proposes is that is that all of our needs would be provided by the government. In America this central government would be located in Washington DC,  in the case of the new world order of globalism, the location of the government could be anywhere. In a way, whether you believe in Heaven or think of it only as a mythical place, heaven could be used as a way to understand why socialism looks so promising as a form of government. In heaven, all but God are truly equal, with socialism, all but the elitists ruling class are equal. Both promise to supply all of our needs, and in heaven's case, an eternity of total peace and happiness. Of course in Heaven, God would be the ruler and the provider, where as with socialism it would be people who would lead and have complete control. Therein lies the danger. Virtually all the tyrants and brutal regimes throughout history could never have existed if not allowed by the people to be ruled. Here in the United States of America, our form of government is called a Democratic Republic, and what it provides is that no one person or source of power can rule, as, We the People rule ourselves rule ourselves. Capitalism is wrongly conflated with the government, but it is only the economic engine that powers our Republic. Capitalism in and of itself is in large part why this still young nation has become so powerful so fast, is that capitalism that stirs the drive toward entrepreneurship and invention. As much as you hear the left whine about the abuses of capitalism, they have a good understanding of it as most of the wealthiest among us our liberals politically. One of the biggest problems with socialism and it's big brother communism, is that there is no incentive to create and work hard to achieve your dreams. With those types of government, the more you make the more they take as a way to pay for what the government supplies. The only truly wealthy people with those forms of government are the ruling class and those who are already wealthy. This new global initiative, this drive towards a one world government will be in the form of socialism. In fact, socialism and globalism are synonymous and are one in the same. No matter what side of the political fence you are on, one thing we all agree on is that this country is far too powerful to be taken over militarily by anyone. If we are to fall, we will fall from within. Just like ancient Rome, the first step is to lose our morality as a people, and most already know that we have become morally bankrupt. Common sense is non existent it would seem, and we have replaced commonly held morals with political correctness. For me, the biggest story nationally was the rise of an openly admitted socialist. If the fix hadn't have been in place for Hillary's anointing, one cannot help but wonder how close Bernie would have come to being the Democratic nominee? Lately we hear a lot about Russia's attempt at destabilizing our political system, and the very fact that we are accusing each other is more than the old USSR could ever have hoped for. Spreading doubt is their business. Hitler, and a new word, Hitlerism is now also become part of our national conversation. People call each other facists while few understand what it is. Facism is the means used to keep people in line in a lockstep mentality, it is not a form of government, but a means of enforcing that government. Hitler didn't start as a Nazi, but as the head of the German Socialist worker's party, and as for Russia, they were and will be again if Vladmir Putin has his way, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic. This socialist/globalist utopia so wanted by the left must be rejected in all of it's forms. The question yet to be answered is whether the party of JFK and the old line Democratic party will become that party again, or are they to become a new party called, the Democratic Socialist party. Certainly the party I knew and supported has made a hard left turn, but if they are to survive, they must cast off the politics of division and meet the rest of us in the middle of the road.