July 20, 2017

Phil Beaver works to establish opinion when the-objective-truth has not been discovered. He seeks to refine his opinion by listening when people share experiences and observations. The comment box below invites readers to write.

Note 1:  I often dash words in phrases in order to express and preserve an idea. For example, frank-objectivity represents the idea of candidly expressing the-objective-truth despite possible error. In other words, a person expresses his “belief,” knowing he or she could be in error. People may collaboratively approach the-objective-truth.
 
 Note 2: It is important to note "civic" refers to citizens who collaborate for the people more than for the city.
 
A personal paraphrase of the preamble by & for Phil Beaver:  Willing people in our state routinely, voluntarily collaborate for comprehensive safety and security: continuity (for self, children, grandchildren & beyond), integrity (both fidelity and wholeness),  justice (freedom-from oppression), defense (prevent or constrain harm), prosperity (acquire the liberty-to pursue choices), privacy (responsibly discover & pursue personal goals), lawfulness (obey the law and reform injustices); and to preserve and cultivate the rule of law for the USA’s service to the people in their states.
 
Composing their own paraphrase, citizens may consider the actual preamble and perceive whether they are willing or dissident toward the preamble.  
   

Our Views (theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/our_views/article_c3d9ba80-6be6-11e7-a706-57092f44c6d0.html)

It’s easy for a hometown reader to become depressed when the newspaper seems to be either clueless or in the enemy’s camp---the camp of appetite satisfaction on someone else's bill. Why do some physicians and insurance companies write in favor of Obamacare?

Much of the DNC celebrates the ousting of Jefferson-Jackson as a dinner title. See nytimes.com/2015/08/09/us/jefferson-jackson-dinner-will-be-renamed.html. The reader muses: What’s to save the ideas (see below) of George Washington, father of the country? And what’s to save St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, LA? The Church canonized the Bible that condones slavery.

Yet The Advocate has the audacity to suggest that the closet-style, executive-order DNC could collaborate on anything. And that John Bel Edwards wants anything more than to tap into the federal money tree funded with increased debt on America’s youth in order to cover Edwards-folly. Also, it has become clear that physicians are in it for the money. All the recent letters by physicians in support of Obamacare invoke the old cliché: The squealing physicians tout “do no harm” in order to get the money. The stock market teaches: “Pigs get fed, hogs get slaughtered.”

Here’s what I like about George Washington, speaking on June 8, 1783---before the Treaty of Paris had been negotiated.

“There are four things, which I humbly conceive are essential to the well being, I may even venture to say to the existence, of the United States as an independent Power.

1st An indissoluble Union of the States under one federal Head.

2ndly A sacred regard to public Justice.

3dly The adoption of a proper Peace Establishment—and

4thly The prevalence of that pacific and friendly disposition among the people of the United States, which will induce them to forget their local prejudices and policies, to make those mutual concessions which are requisite to the general prosperity, and, in some instances, to sacrifice their individual advantages to the interest of the community.

These are the pillars on which the glorious fabrick of our Independancy and National Character must be supported —Liberty is the basis—and whoever would dare to sap the foundation or overturn the Structure under whatever specious pretexts he may attempt it, will merit the bitterest execration and the severest punishments which can be inflicted by his injured Country.”

Washington went on to preside over the constitutional convention and the signing by 2/3 of delegates of the inclusive, 1787 preamble to the draft constitution for the USA. Its ratification by the people of nine states on June 21, 1788 carried the promise to add a bill of rights. Afterwards, people in other states had the option to remain free and independent states or join the USA. When the promised Bill of Rights had been negotiated, another state had been accepted in the USA, so ten states were required to ratify on December 15, 1791, the negotiated constitution for the USA. The preamble was unchanged and remains the only sentence that cannot be ratified without revolution.

The DNC, intentionally or not, seems on a woeful path. It would not surprise me to see John Bel Edwards change parties to serve personal ambitions. But it would not restore my will to take a chance on him. Edwards taught me "when in doubt, none of the above" is a noble vote.

  

Today’s thought, G.E. Dean (Psalms 138:6, CJB).

“For though Adonai is high, he cares for the lowly; while the proud he perceives from afar.”

Dean says, “Humanity touches the heart of God. Pride does not please him.” By “humanity” does Dean mean human error, passion, humankind’s quest, intentions and failure? How does “the heart of God” differ from God?

Human gullibility is strong enough to mislead a person into believing his or her thoughts. One shield of protection is the humility to admit to self: I do not know the-objective-truth. Dean advocates mystery, which seems to serve him well.

Letters.

Nursing homes abuse CNAs (Lowery). (theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/letters/article_b1da071e-6bef-11e7-b779-a75e83569c60.html)

To JT McQuitty: I agree. It suggests skimming the service for profits. Now, on to the rest of an appeal to willing people for relief.

Free enterprise is predicated on competition to supply market needs. Entrepreneurs perceive a need for a product or service, do the work to design a way to responsibly offer the product or service, secure funding, and go into business with pricing the customer may and can pay. If the market is not there, the entrepreneur loses the business. Profit is the incentive that motivates entrepreneurs to try, and potential failure inspires integrity. However, some people either honestly never discovered integrity or don’t like it.

The customer is protected from high, even prohibitive prices by competition. That is, another entrepreneur sees another way to serve for profit, and goes into a different business. For example, home care competes with nursing homes. Nursing homes are needed when home care is not feasible, so both businesses have markets.

Free enterprise may be defeated by the force of law. An entrepreneur schemes with politicians to pick the people’s pockets by legislative favor for their business. Conceptually, the people’s representatives---the legislature, administration, and courts---act in the people’s interest to assure free enterprise. But it does not work that way: it seems many legislators do not practice integrity. Some have not encountered integrity and some are criminal, even evil.

Lobbyists and legislators collaborate to pick the people’s pockets, and they live high on the hog as a consequence. Lobbyists not only increase prices for the needed services, but the practice adds unwanted bureaucracy in government.

Only a free and independent people can provide justice. Iterative collaboration by willing people using the preamble to organize interests and the-objective-truth to discover mutual accommodation of responsible personal choices may constrain the dissidents who man lobbying and political favor.

America has drifted so far from free enterprise and representative republic government---the rule of statutory law; it will be difficult to get back on track. However, a willing people can get the job done.

Because most people have neglected the preamble’s civic agreement for 229 years, America has never been great: But it is not too late for us and our generation’s children, grandchildren, and beyond---our posterity.

To Frommyview: I object to "Alice . . . in these times in BR, we don't need more commentaries with any more references to 'racism' than necessary." Ms. Lowery has a right to honest expression, and I have a right to read her opinion.

I dislike political modifiers on "American." A person is either an American or a dissident. However, I only hope to persuade 2/3 of citizens to agree---to trust and commit to the civic agreement stated in the preamble to the constitution for the USA rather than perhaps lamely label themselves of "we, the people." Among the 1/3 dissidents are people who have not done the work to somewhat understand history or otherwise don't understand, laggards, criminals, evils, and others.

How many people have done the easy work to form the opinion that June 21, 1788 is the USA's actual "birthday," rather than the ceremonial July 4, 1776?

It is not surprising that many people with black skin do not consider themselves as people for whom the preamble is intended. How many people have the time for scholarly research to discover that many loyal English colonists from 1720 to 1763 wrote fervently to end their enslavement by England with commitment to stop the African slave trade, and plan, upon winning their own freedom, to emancipate the African slaves? How many people have done the work, as I have, to earn the opinion that the 1787 preamble was intended for people with black skin; despite another erroneous Supreme Court opinion, Dred Scott, 1857. Just another reversible error to the court, but what a woeful "decision!" It gave us the Declaration of Independence as an imposition on the preamble and indeed the constitution.

I want to persuade people who prefer to call themselves "African Americans" to consider that the preamble offers iterative collaboration for comprehensive safety and security; And that the goal is freedom from oppression with the opportunity to acquire the liberty to pursue private preferences rather than the dictates of an institution, whether it be a government, a religious doctrine, a civic association, or a tradition.

However, until they decide, African American is good enough for me, if that is their preference for them, and I do not consider it racism. I consider it self-defense against a wound I did not cause yet deeply regret for my own sake as well.

I don't know what experiences motivated your statement to Ms. Lowery, but I'm on her side in the public debate. Additionally, I oppose physicians and other medical care providers who promote and take advantage of Medicaid.

  

Democracy (Mickey). (http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/letters/article_e97efd52-6bf2-11e7-9190-3f818d0ed074.html)

The USA promises a republican form of government, mob rule (democracy), having been considered and rejected in 1787. In today’s politics, the mob is the collection of people who consider themselves “victims,” however they justify the personal opinion and their arbitrary accusation of the perpetrators. Liberal democracy's principal tool is stonewalling, a form of lying.

Many orators, intentionally or not advance falsehoods. Winston Churchill quoted an anonymous professor in “Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…” See richardlangworth.com/worst-form-of-government .

Americans may consider and perhaps realize that the preamble to the constitution for the USA offers not democracy but personal independence. By combining the preamble and the-objective-truth to iteratively collaborate for mutual living, willing people may establish and maintain comprehensive safety and security using just statutory laws that constrain dissidents against safety and security and motivate cooperation and reform.

America offers freedom from oppression so that each person may acquire the liberty to pursue personal preferences rather than conform to a doctrine beyond comprehensive safety and security. 

Only a willing people can make America great.

Matthew White:

A republican form of government and a representative democracy are the same thing, dumbass.

To Matthew White: I see what you mean. 

The majority vote made Hillary Clinton president of the USA despite the designed democracy spoiler: the Electoral College.

Sooner or later the-objective-truth prevails, hyphens and all.

  

Columns. (The fiction/non-fiction comments gallery for readers)

  

Suicide increasing (Froma Harrop). creators.com/read/froma-harrop/07/17/the-suicide-epidemic-social-economic-or-both

When I feel suicidal, I attend my social worker's advice, which brings me back to reality. Someday, I hope the profession carries the title “civic practitioner.” I think “social” is oppressive: Society must accommodate the person rather than the other way around. And “worker” lessens the importance of the profession.

Harrop’s statistics boil down to 22 million deaths in 2014 vs 30 million in 1929. Perhaps overpopulation is part of the problem.

The social media loneliness studies are helpful. I am on facebook, but do not track it. However, this forum, reading and commenting on opinion and some pseudo news is isolating.

I saw some young people in a restaurant using one cellphone as the focus of conversation for at least thirty minutes and thought I was observing a good practice. Last evening, my daughter fast-read the history of the federal reserve for about twenty minutes. It was delightful and more fun to me than a game of boggle, which our family often plays.

Robots won’t steal (Robert Samuelson). washingtonpost.com/opinions/why-robots-wont-steal-all-our-jobs/2017/07/12/cab18c92-6723-11e7-9928-22d00a47778f_story.html?utm_term=.eccb3d302584

Samuelson writes, “Jobs have been lost before to new technologies, but these same technologies also create productivity increases — efficiency gains — that usually generate more jobs than were initially lost.”

When a statement makes no common sense, the reader looks for evidence, but Samuelson gives none. I suspect that Samuelson is trying to rationalize torpedoes against President Trump’s work to restore manufacturing in the USA.

Low standards (Michael Gerson). tucson.com/ap/commentary/michael-gerson-an-administration-without-conscience/article_e49a16ee-1d5f-594d-95ee-b670253c5c48.html

Gerson, who claims to be an opinion writer, helped me understand why C. S. Lewis is not able to influence me. Gerson wrote:

“The author C.S. Lewis posited three elements that make up human beings. There is the intellect, residing in the head. There are the passions, residing in the stomach (and slightly lower). And then there are trained, habituated emotions — the “stable sentiments” of character — which Lewis associated with the chest.”

What hogwash!

When a business contact calls and says, “I have some information you can use in your current endeavor,” a sensible person responds, “OK.” If the information is useful, you say, "OK." If it is legitimate, you use it.

In other words, if legitimate information about Hillary Clinton reached Donald Trump through a beauty-pageant business associate, the information is not negated by the source. For example, if the fact was that Secretary Clinton was photographed taking a $5 million artifact from a Russian museum, the fact is not diminished because the photograph was taken by a Russian. Of course, that is only a hypothetical argument. However, that information should be reported to the FBI. Other information, especially bogus ideas, are not interesting to the FBI and the FBI ought not be bothered with it.  

I’ll never forget a 1973, clandestine meeting in Panorama, near Thessaloniki, Greece, when I was wined and dined (ouzo and mezedes) and sworn to secrecy then presented a sample of pyrite with a request to have it analyzed. I took the sample to a geologist, who said, “It’s fool’s gold, but let’s analyze it to be certain.” The analyst found the expected iron content. No "fools" report needed---just a word: Sorry, there's no interest.

These issues have to do with personal integrity rather than C. S. Lewis’s centers of emotion and passion. Gerson may search for integrity more than religion. Meanwhile, readers beware anyone who extols C. S. Lewis.

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