Saturday, April 15, 2017

April 15, 2017 revised

See "Additions on 4/16/17", below.


Phil Beaver works to establish opinion when the-objective-truth has not been discovered. He seeks to refine his opinion by listening to other people’s experiences and observations. The comment box below invites readers to express facts, opinion, or concern, perhaps to share with people who may follow the blog.
Note:  I often connect words in a phrase with dashes in order to represent an idea. For example, frank-objectivity represents the idea of candidly expressing the-objective-truth despite possible error. In other words, the writer expresses his “belief,” knowing he could be in error. People may collaboratively approach the-objective-truth.

The Advocate:  See online at theadvocate.com/baton_rouge

Commenting on “Lent’s lesson in humility,” Our Views, The Advocate, April 15, 2017, p. 4B.
  
Thoughts in this editorial present opportunity to clarify public-integrity as collaboration for private-liberty-with-civic-morality. “Civic” refers to mutual-justice in public connections & transactions between strangers rather than “civil” conformance to social morality. Civilization often requires subjugation of at least one of the two parties.
 
Quoting the editorial, “. . . human fallibility and the need to connect with something larger than ourselves,” here’s a definitive “something”:  Each person needs broadly-defined-civic-safety-&-security, hereafter civic-security. Thereby, a cooperating person may have the freedom to discover personal preferences during his or her lifetime. Dissidents against civic-security never exercise the liberty to discover their person, and therefore, tend to remain subject to “human fallibility.”
 
“Humility . . . is sadly missing.” Humility is perhaps the strongest human resistance to gullibility. It takes hubris to assert to your person that he or she knows-enough-to-define the objects of discovery. Consider physics as energy, mass and space-time rather than a study. Physics emerged 13.8 billion years ago. Is it humble to claim that a human being a few thousand years ago defined an intellectual entity that is responsible for physics and all that emerges from it? Is it humble to claim that the Church canonized the-objective-truth? Does the-objective-truth yield to canonization? Does either gullibility or hubris convert literature into “scripture”?
 
It is amazing that The Advocate would employ the word “self-effacement” to impose Lent as somehow superior to areligious modesty. I suppose the erroneous dominant-opinion rendered in Greece v Galloway (2014) is motivating almost all minister-politician-partnerships to try to impose their factional Christianity on Americans. Imposition of religious doctrine has always failed and hopefully we are in the last attempt, as least in America: factional-Christianity cannot be the dominant-civic-opinion. In fact, areligious is the largest faction of the US population at 23 % vs 21 % Catholic. See pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/ .
 
But why does The Advocate try to impose pollster’s failures respecting liberal democracy on the people? Is liberal-democracy indeed a religious competitor in the field with factional-Christianity? The people in 84 % of US counties won the election. Now, their candidate, Donald J. Trump is president. The people won and Lent has no say in it beyond whining from factional Christian hubris as exhibited by The Advocate. The election result as a Lent-lesson makes no sense.
 
And respecting Obamacare, factional Christianity expressed itself as the Achilles’ heel of the GOP, whose candidates the voters defeated in the primaries. Why would The Advocate prod a GOP wound to promote Lent? Is it evidence that Lent is actually a secular activity when religious neutrality is offered to the willing by the preamble to the constitution for the USA? The preamble is areligious rather than secular.
 
We “need each other” alright, but imposition of factional Christianity conflicts public-integrity. In public-integrity, a civic people iteratively collaborate to discover the-objective-truth for living rather than promote imagination for dying. For believers, including any contributors to this lamentable editorial, happy Holy Saturday. Let’s work together to establish voluntary public-integrity. Every one of us needs it.
 
It is late, and I had a busy day renewing my faith in people as the hope for civic justice.


Today’s thought Jeremiah 33:3. For someone who trusts and commits to the-objective-truth of which most is undiscovered but much as become understood and well used in the 2600 years since Jeremiah was written. Indeed, the discoveries and technologies are astounding and helpful in our lives.

Letters

John Barry lies (Ehrhardt). I agree.

I appreciate the news about the “partnership between the New Orleans Geological Society and three universities [for] and underground atlas of south Louisiana, pinpointing faults and researching the root causes of subsidence along the coast” and the reminder of GOMESA. “GOMESA funds are to be used for coastal conservation, restoration and hurricane protection.boem.gov/Revenue-Sharing/ .

Pipeline (Richard). At 180 barrels per truck tanker, 480,000 barrels per day equates to 2670 tanker trips/day one way. Keeping such traffic off our interstates would be a boon to safety & security.

Walter Reed judicial crimes (Bonnet). Law-enforcement first-responders including investigators and DAs have criminal pressure on both sides---civic immorality from the criminals below and from the judges above. This civic injustice may be relieved if the people establish public-integrity. 
 
Kathryn Jean Lopez column. “[Mustafa] Akyol supports the current U. S. bombing of Syria . . . but he stress the necessity of bearing “wiser action” in mind.”
 
Like all liberal democrats, Lopez seems to like parroting doublespeak.
 
Michael Gerson column (Page 1B). It is amazing that Gerson can’t grasp that conservatism has been lost for decades. Many of the people who voted for Trump celebrated that their votes lifted him above the GOP candidates.
 
It is my hope that by the end of Trump’s presidency conservatism will have been replaced by private-liberty-with-civic-morality, leaving the arts such as religion as private pursuits. Somebody pinch Gerson and invite him to consider public-integrity.
 
Clarence Page column . I’m glad to learn about “cultural appropriation.”
 
I experienced it in the 1970s. Also, I witnessed the American flag being drug in the streets by communists. I had no desire to share the culture of the flag draggers.
 
I am not a student of foreign cultures, even though I lived in Greece and love the language and past and worked in Germany and like the customs but not all the history. Understanding America is a monumental task, and I have not enough life to master its culture.
 
However, I know more about American history than most people do. For example, I know that the preamble introduces the constitution for the USA. It starts, “We the People of the United States.”
 
Thereby, the constitution disengages not only from the Declaration of Independence, it proposes termination of the Confederation of States that declared independence. With France’s strategy and military power the confederation won independence, and in France received the treaty that recognizes not a confederation of states, but thirteen independent states. Five years later, nine states ratified the draft constitution for the USA, creating a nation. The other four states had to decide not to remain independent.
 
If I can persuade most people to establish voluntary public-integrity in the USA, I will be happy to have helped people pursue their preferences for their lifetime. With broadly-defined-civic-safety-&-security, hereafter civic-security, I have no obligation to know their preferences in the arts, sports, religion, etc. I makes no difference to me if a civic person’s preference is a God, a red God, a yellow God, no God, etc.
 
I think it is presumptive to attempt to share any culture beyond civic-security and common interests actually held. For example, I do not care to study Christianity but an not concerned that some people like that interest.

Additions on 4/16/17:


Uninsured motorists (page 1B). Iberville Parish using “advanced license plate readers,” a camera system.

Mentoring program (page 3B). Dow Chemical’s Abigail Cook announced a mentoring program for high schoolers with 3 years volunteering with up to 2 students per mentor. Leadership Academy covers: pillars of leadership, STEM career exploration, social graces, communication skills, and financial literacy.

LSU Tram (page 1A). Broome vaguely supportive to spend $500,000 on tram studies.
 
I surmise she hopes that Baton Rouge would develop a system similar to the New Orleans system, which controversially expands with time. Thus, success with LSU to the state capitol would lead to a future branch to NBR, then another branch to SE BR. 
 
The Metro Council was to review the expenditure on April 12, but the COA walkout by some council members prevented the review.
 
North Korea claims (Page 1A). Readers cannot trust the Associated Press. Eric Talmadge slanted views about N. Korea’s nuclear buildup as though President Trump is a twitter trouble maker.
 
At immediate stake is security for S. Korea. Trump expresses strength and readiness to defend, and I think it is un-American to belittle his messages. 
 
Also, The Advocate prefers to poke Trump rather than share important points. Thus, current N. Korea strategy: maximum pressure and engagement. Solicit help from China, for example, now reducing their coal purchases from N.K. They may have 13 atomic weapons at end 2016. Nearest threats are S. Korea, Japan, and U.S. territory. 
 
Trump twitters to the world (rather than trust competitive media). If leaders don’t respond, a strategic surprise may ensue. 
 
Associated Press cannot be trusted with such possibilities, but even in a swamp there are reporters, and Matthew Pennington may be one.
 
Coal use in electricity (page 1A). I appreciate The Advocate’s article, which demonstrates that President Trump’s action to free coal markets is significant in Louisiana as well as across the country.
 
Here, power for electricity comes from: 61% natural gas, 14 % nuclear, 14 % coal, 4 % petroleum, 2% wood products, 2% other gases, leaving 3% as minor sources. In addition to CO2, coal emission concerns are SO2 (to acid gas) and mercury. 
 
“Converting existing coal plants to natural gas or building new plants . . . could [increase] electricity bills . . . 20 to 25%,” according to Randy Pierce, CEO of the Association of Louisiana Electric Cooperatives.
 
AG Jeff Landry had joined 26 other states to sue the Obama administration from restricting coal and other costly measures.
 
Thank goodness for the voters who prevented the Hilary Clinton administration. It was not the GOP, which is almost as dysfunctional as the DNC respecting public-integrity. 
 
Pope’s shame (page 2A). I think humanity’s shame is the maintenance of Chapter XI Machiavellianism: priest-politician-partnerships pick the people’s pockets and the people look to their personal god for relief. Believers turn their backs on the-objective-truth for living to nurture imaginary hopes for dying.
 
The act of shaming humanity is repetition of the false idea that humans are born in error (sin). 
 
Jesus said humans have the psychological power to perfect their unique person (Matthew 5:48). The Church holds that perfection in life is heresy, hiding Jesus’s message. 

Shame on the Church and this pope: Humankind will be great.

Arkansas halts execution (page 2A). Encourages Louisiana interest in abolishing death penalty, which I oppose in favor of using DNA evidence and other technology developments to streamline the judicial process.

Secret White House visitor records (Page 2A). The media abuse everything they can, so any means of constraining them is unfortunate consequence. 
 
It seems un-American. But then, the people need free and responsible media rather than unfettered mendacity.
 
One idea is for the media to expose sources of misinformation---place the burden of secretive mendacity on the source. The source could then sue the media if the media erred. 
 
Aid cuts (page 3A). Nations may be held responsible for safety & security for inhabitants---civic security. A nation is comprised of its inhabitants. Therefore, the inhabitants are responsible for civic security.
 
The USA is not civically secure. In a civic culture, most people have the freedom to work and thereby have the liberty to pursue happiness according to their preferences. In addition, they either collaborate or cooperate to live according to the-objective-truth. For their lifetime, they collaborate for civic justice.
 
The USA should focus on establishing public-integrity by our nation of people and emerge an example for the world. 
 
Sanctuary penalty small (page 3A). If so, it may grow. Readers just can’t depend on the Associated Press, here Sudhin Thanawala, to make any common sense. 
 
Palestinian mental terrorist (page 8A). U. K. woman stabbed to death in Jerusalem.
 
Walter Williams column (April 14). The leftist cancer exists on the LSU campus, where students can take a course in dialogues on race.
 
I’m glad to know of George Leef’s “Loyalty oaths Return with ‘Diversity Statements” (despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1964). 
 
Also, Daniel B. Klein and Charlotta Stern’s “Professors and Their Politics: The Policy-Views of Social Scientists,” reporting that they are all Democrats.
 
Williams refers to this as a “fascist college trend,” informing me on the use of that word. Merriam-Webster has fascism: “a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.” However, Google has: “an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.It seems Google is fascist in its dictionary.
 
I appreciate the Vladimir Lenin quote: Give me four years to teach the children and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted. “That’s the gal of the leftist teaching agenda,” writes Williams.
 
Most college head chaplains are Cristian (Page 4D, April 14). Vanun Soni: “Message of tolerance, coexistence and respect.” I like intolerance of harm, privacy, and appreciation.
 
Soni is Hindu at USC. There’s “a rabbi at Dartmouth, another at Wesleyan, a Buddhist at Emerson,” and all the rest are Christian. 
 
Christopher Simon, page 4D, James 4:10. “Giving up your own will and putting yourself at the disposal of others is the perfection of humility and the road to blessedness.”

It is critical to earn a living and collaborate-for or cooperate-with public-integrity and appreciate other people’s liberty to pursue their peaceful personal preferences.
 

Phil Beaver does not “know” the-indisputable-facts. Phil trusts and is committed to the-objective-truth of which most is undiscovered and some is understood.
Phil Beaver is agent for A Civic People of the United States, a Louisiana, education non-profit. See online at promotethepreamble.blogspot.com.

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