Baldwin, the preamble, Bailyn, slaves, DNA, jurisprudence, fear by grace, inidividual-independence

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.

Updated on February 17, 2021 from May 7, 2017

 

The Advocate:  See online at theadvocate.com/baton_rouge, week of May 7, 2017

  

Our Views (The Advocate frustrated). It is outrageous that the Louisiana legislature and administration continues its taxation without representation despite The Advocate’s continual, plain rebukes. Thank you, The Advocate. Readers: write to your representatives.

The consequence of “we, the people’s” overall neglect is a $29 billion state budget that could be $18 billion.

It’s a disgrace that a civic people and pacifists read the hometown newspaper, say their prayers, and wait for magical mystery to take charge of the losses and misery. Just as a person may work to eat, a person may collaborate for civic justice. 

Even though each person’s God is indisputably all powerful, the Gods leave it to each person to earn food and civic justice. In other words, don't stop praying for your hopes, but work for food and civic justice.

It is bad enough that plenty persons intentionally dissent against voluntary public-integrity---perhaps 1/3 of “we, the people”. It’s doubly bad that another 1/3 wait for the magic to kick in.

If you are among the 1/3 civic people or 1/3 pacifists, write your state representative and state senator today and ask them to stop the film-industry subsidy. Perhaps write that 22 cents return to the state on 100 cents of inhabitants’ money does not make common sense, let alone Louisiana benefit.

    

Today’s thought (Hebrews 13:5). As usual, Dean gives a selected verse to support Dean’s idea.

“God is faithful. He will be there for His people.”

The next verse claims that with God on your side people cannot harm you.

Perhaps those verses help a 2017 US girl who is being sold into sex slavery hope for God’s help. Or maybe Christians being slain by today’s barbarians have hope from Dean’s promises.

  

Maybe they conclude they are not God’s people.

I don’t see how anyone but a dissident to voluntary public-integrity could support Dean’s work. I commend The Advocate to reform from a bad practice.

Letters

Judicial responsibility (Edwards). Thank you for your judicial insight and opinion.

Readers may add your “green card” witness to the list of objections to The Advocate’s editorially contradicting “fairness” catalog yesterday, May 7.

I appreciate the list of opportunities: “mental health treatment, cognitive-behavioral therapy and substance use disorder treatment in the community setting.”

Regarding you religious “if,” it seems to me every theistically-influenced human being has a personal God that reflects his or her fidelities to understanding, despite the impositions he or she may have suffered from the clergy. In other words, the God is in the person’s “image and likeness.” In fact, I oppose the state’s provisions for ministers to ply their sales on the captive prisoners. IMO, religion has no standing in the people’s responsibilities for civic justice.

However, I have shared the rest of your message with my representatives.

Cypress Point taxing (Williams). Perhaps innocently, you did not help me understand Claitor’s objections to Carter’s work in 2016 or any changes made for HB 504. Thus, I cannot take a position yet would still vote for Claitor next time.

(I have trouble with Claitor’s death-penalty bill and may vote for someone that seems better, but do not consider Carter a candidate.)

In principle, I oppose taxing districts: I have more trouble than I can handle with city, parish, state, federal, and UN governance (five) and do not want a sixth. However, I collaborate on a voluntary community email group respecting broadly-defined-civic-safety-&-security.

  

Jeff Sadow column (May 7, Death penalty). When all else proves a person committed a heinous crime and also there is DNA evidence, there may be no excuse for a jury trial. The jury introduces uncertainty when there otherwise is none.

If the defense attorney demonstrates weakness in the evidence, especially in the DNA evidence itself, perhaps there is reason for a jury trial anyway.

  

More weight on DNA evidence could save money and protect the public---including the heinous criminals, as Sadow argues.

To Susan Tabor: I thought Sadow was courageous to address State Senator Dan Claitor's response to a long felt Catholic opposition to the death penalty. I would have taken my usual position that religion has no standing in legislation and administration of statutory civic justice.

Sadow's point may be supported by Louisiana's most recent execution. The perpetrator of heinous crime chose not to appeal his execution. Any valuation of his choice is beyond the people's domain of responsibility.

To Charles Foster Kane (CFK): I regret that you wrote so much, but hope it helped you.

In the past---during the third year of my eighth decade---I realized the source of fear in my early life. It’s expressed in an old familiar song: “’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear.” Now, my mind, body and person work for voluntary public-integrity rather than submits to sources of fear.

Donald Trump is a year younger than me, but I think decades ahead in civic morality. Nevertheless, I think, perhaps erroneously, that he could learn from me and therefore write with hope (sometimes directly to him).

To CFK again: Yes. Writing helps me.

 

The reading, too. I just finished Bernard Bailyn's book The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution, 1967. I sought better understanding as well as evidence that the slaves are included in the subject of the preamble. There were enough abolitionists during the period 1720 to 1774 and beyond to justify the claim: yes. The preamble is an agreement by willing people, or people who want to accomplish the goals stated therein. I think that James Baldwin, d. 1987, was such a person, even though I have not found evidence that he considered the preamble. His expressions differ from mine but offer the same human consideration.

 

President Trump only sent his signature on a nice thank-you-card. We'll find out if he acts parallel to my ideas. Certainly on religion, so far, he is not following my hope for separation of church and state and separation of state and church.

To CFK again: The blog is for more details than many readers here want. Fortunately, a few people in this forum and others benefit from my essays.

 

However, I disagree with you about my public expressions. I wrote on many public forums my deliberation about voting for Trump. Also, as I state at the beginning of my daily blog entries, I am writing for my edification yet welcome input from others. My purpose is to improve my opinion wherein other people already are closer to the-objective-truth in their opinions.

 

Baldwin, the preamble, Bailyn, slaves, DNA, and jurisprudence impact my daily writing during these weeks.

  

Cal Thomas column. I agree but with a different perspective: voluntary public-integrity.

I attended a lecture this weekend and the speaker, in typical liberal-professorial-authority seemed to relate every civic goal to compassion---could not address a people’s agreement that promises civic justice.

  

However, late in the lecture, attention turned to the people who voted President Trump into office and the mood turned to venomous hatred against populist fear.

In the third year of my eighth decade, I realized the source of fear in my early life. It’s expressed in an old familiar song: “’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear.” Once I appreciated that lyric, my mind, body and person were able to focus on self-discovery rather than respond to sources of fear.

I doubt the media, abundantly more accessible to scholarly thought then any individual, will overcome fear quickly. But I will not give up.

Robertses column (tax reductions). The Robertses ask, “How can we make a buck?”

They recycle old opinion about traditional economic battles, and do a word jumble.

E. J. Dionne column (authentic democrats). How can people like Dionne spew out venom and not recognize it as hatred?

This weekend, reading a book, I realized a communications mistake I have been making. When someone’s writing oozes hatred, I ask them to go express the hateful ideas to their mirror.

My mirror is much like the idea of Sunday school class. You express your opinion and hear the response of the class. The class responds with shock and rebuke, and you go home and think about it some more. When someone claims you are a heretic, you study even more fervently, and if you think they erred, you drop out to maintain individual-independence. My mirror has come to serve the role of the Sunday-school class. If my statement to my mirror does not ring true, I reconsider.

The person whose book I was reading claimed the only thing you can get from your mirror is your own hypocrisy. I disagree, but recognizing his view, I will not use that metaphor in the future.

Mosquito control (Page 1B) For public safety, this should be a high priority, especially with zika showing up early. cdc.gov/zika/intheus/texas-update.html .

Protest duel (Page 1A) New Orleans police costs are mounting. I hope Gov. Edwards is not contributing more, but if needed, send in the troops.

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.