February 4, 2018

Phil Beaver seeks to collaborate on the-objective-truth, which can only be discovered. The comment box below invites readers to write.

"Civic" refers to citizens who collaborate for responsible freedom more than for the city.

A personal paraphrase of the June 21, 1788 preamble:  We the civic citizens of nine of the thirteen United States commit-to and trust-in the purpose and goals stated herein --- integrity, justice, collaboration, defense, prosperity, liberty, and perpetuity --- and to cultivate limited services to us by the USA. I am willing to collaborate with other citizens on this paraphrase, yet may settle on and would always preserve the original text.   

   

Today’s thought

An individual may discover or be coached to understand that personal living goes better if every thought, expression, and action is guided by the principle: First, do no harm. Let me restate that, the individual may discipline his or her thoughts, speech, and behavior according to: First, do no harm.

  

With a majority of citizens so motivated, the dissidents against human justice would have public and private examples that could inspire them to reform. Then, the people might asymptotically approach the agreement that is offered in the preamble to the constitution for the USA---to join We the People of the United States, in the rule of law under statutory justice. Statutory justice is based on the-objective-truth rather than dominant opinion.

When a civic issue has not been encountered before, and the-objective-truth is yet unknown, justices may fall back on the principle, First, do no harm.

For example, when a woman and her doctors ascertain that she should terminate her pregnancy because the fetus faces an unwanted life, legislators who are challenged by the opinion that they should intervene may think: First, do no harm.

Again, when a liberal democrat is encouraged to disrupt the civic order in order to proclaim a perceived injustice, he or she may think: First, do no harm.

When a black individual thinks, “I want to be a civic citizen, but first I must support my-people, the Congressional Black Caucus, the collective AMO, or other movement,” may think: First, do no harm.

When a woman thinks, “I want comprehensive fidelity, but first I must fight for gender rights,” may think: First, do no harm.

Again, when a religious elected official thinks, “My God commissioned me to coerce my constituents to accept concern for salvation-in-the-afterdeath, whether they demonstrate civic morality or not,” may think: First, do no harm.

Again, when a president is looking to the people for human justice but is pressured by a faction to promote “In God we Trust,” may think: First, do no harm. After all, the pope is first an individual.

Again, when the Church seeks to defend itself in obvious wrong doing, the pope might think: First, do no harm. After all, the pope is first an individual.

To anyone who thinks statutory justice must conform to a religion, or no-harm personal hopes cannot be private, there is abundant evidence that reform is necessary before it is possible to think: First do no harm.

Only during the last few weeks has my person articulated for self: First, do no harm.

It seems the primary beneficiary of the principle---First, do no harm---is the practicing individual. The people appreciate the individual who so behaves and may mimic him or her.

  

News

The Mississippi envisioned out of control (Steve Hardy) (theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/environment/article_d5a29f26-06a9-11e8-abde-8b9660c81021.html)

  

Only a few days ago, The Advocate updated us on a silt diversion project that could help alleviate the potential flooding in a monster storm: theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/environment/article_ac2d5db0-02db-11e8-bcc0-0fde32e54836.html. The point is that the Trump administration opened the possibility to expedite a project of that magnitude.

The Old River Control Complex could be operated so as to sweep silt from the Mississippi with flow higher than 70% when flooding is anticipated but with more flow into the Atchafalaya when silt can be directed to the Mid-Barataria flood plain. And the Mid-Barataria can be designed to take silt-rich bottom flow, helping to lower the river bed. Perhaps professor Yi-Jun Xu’s studies could help expedite the Mid-Barataria diversion project.

Here's a list of principle players mentioned in the article:
Tulane University professor Mead Allison, director of physical processes and sediment systems at the Water Institute in Baton Rouge.
Army Corps public affairs officer Ricky Boyett.
 LSU hydrology professor Yi-Jun Xu for the American Geophysical Union Dec meeting.
U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge chairs the subcommittee for Corps projects.
Corps assistant operations manager Kayla LeBlanc.
Nicole Gasparini, a Tulane earth and environmental sciences professor.

Other forums

quora.com/Why-did-Socrates-drink-the-hemlock

Perhaps Socrates took the hemlock to avoid claiming guilt. According to the Athens rule of law (2500 years ago) if he were judged guilty he would be sentenced to death. However, he could choose exile, instead.

Erroneously found guilty, he felt the act of choosing exile would be acceptance of guilt. In “The Apology,” he asserted, “I will not say of myself that I deserve any evil, or propose any penalty,” then explained, “The difficulty, my friends, is not in avoiding death, but in avoiding unrighteousness; for that runs faster than death.” In other words, acceptance of the court ruling would be unjust, so the only option for him to remain alive would be for the court to think longer about their decision and reform from it.

In another sense, he was admitting honest privation for an erroneous lifestyle; or accepting responsibility for not having directly collaborated for statutory justice. Earlier, he had described his life: “What shall be done to the man who has never had the wit to be idle during his whole life; but has been careless of what the many care about - wealth, and family interests, and military offices, and speaking in the assembly, and magistracies, and plots, and parties. Reflecting that I was really too honest a man to follow in this way and live, I did not go where I could do no good to you or to myself; but where I could do the greatest good privately to everyone of you, thither I went, and sought to persuade every man among you that he must look to himself, and seek virtue and wisdom before he looks to his private interests, and look to the state before he looks to the interests of the state; and that this should be the order which he observes in all his actions.” I like to write that just as for freedom a person must earn his or her living, the person who wants the liberty to live according to personal happiness must work for statutory justice. 

However, Socrates exercised his freedom by trying to influence fellow citizens in one-on-one conversations and the records his friend Plato created. Thus, either by omission or error, he had collaborated for the unjust rule of law Athens had developed. He died to honor that rule of law, even  when it erred.

I don’t know if Socrates would agree with my opinion---or accept my assertion that honesty is insufficient: life requires integrity.

  

Phil Beaver does not “know” the actual-reality. He trusts and is committed to the-objective-truth which can only be discovered. He is agent for A Civic People of the United States, a Louisiana, education non-profit corporation. See online at promotethepreamble.blogspot.com.