Month: May 2024

Those first-generational offspring of Ashkenazic Jewish immigrants to America may be fortunate enough to have retained some passing knowledge of the singularly cultural richness and expressive feature of descriptive nouns and adjectives attributable to Yiddish. The exotic tongue is overflowing with a full panoply of empirically based, expressive vocabulary, quite distinct from the more prosaic, American English, the latter, ubiquitously useful in the preparation of bills and invoices. For example, the word, “mensch“ or “menshlikite,” which in our lexicon translates merely to “man” and “mankind,” carries with it, in Yiddish, a positive affirmation of admirable character, possessing sincerity, compassion, and the valuable humanistic capability for empathy. The word, “fahrschtant,” in the Yiddish context means more than its derivation, the German word for comprehension; it carries with it an intimation of depth and emotionally based, insightful understanding. The word, “gonif” translates to a ubiquitously expanded designation of more than the literal, “thief,” or “crook,” and may be utilized, when relevant, to designate a person’s systemic inclination to be systemically untrustworthy.
However, our recollected and usefully expressive, mot de jour, is “chutzpah.” The latter, is a word which, to do its syntax justice, would require an arsenal of descriptive English adjectives and a relation of analogical experiences. At the risk of reductionism, we would, for contextual purposes, merely state that said Yiddish judgmental noun refers to “extreme nerve,” presumption,” or, perhaps, “shocking factual presumption.” An illustrative example might be the apocryphal murderer of his parents who pleads with the Judge for mercy because he is an orphan.
In our view there is no more astounding demonstration of “chutzpah,” than yesterday’s statement by Donald J. Trump. After being afforded the entire juridically appropriate measure of criminal due process, in asserting that his conviction (by a unanimous jury, of all 34 counts of felony) was “rigged.” It was equivalent in rational merit to the spurious orphan claim by the murderer of his parents, or, perhaps to a conceived charge of anti-Semitism lodged by Adolph Hitler against Golda Meir. Words taken from the American lexicon, such as “inappropriate,” “nervy,” “undeserved,” or “shortsighted,” are, sadly, emotionally insufficient and expressively impotent. We would contextually declare that the only sufficiently descriptive term for Trump’s astoundingly inappropriate, cynical and myopic complaint is pure and unadulterated, “chutzpah.”
It was Trump, the unabashed public declarant of a firm resolution to be a dictator and despenser of the American Constitution, the trademark owner of the societally damaging concept of “alternate facts,” the business record deceiver and tax defrauder, the serial adulterer, the rapist and conspiratorial hush money practitioner, tactical vote denier and (television witnessed) soliciter of State officials to alter voting results, the purloiner of National top secret documents, surreptitious inciter of the insurrection, user of the Presidential Office to surreptitiously garner profits for his private business interests, in substantial violation of the “Emolument Clause” of the U.S. Constitution, utilizer of undemocratic tactics to deceitfully delay qualified candidates for SCOTUS in order to secure Justices receptive to his personal influence, practitioner of serial mendacity and an ample record of ubiquitous criminality that cried foul, as a response to his conviction by the unanimous vote of twenty impartial law abiding citizens.
Over the years, it has been the unjust and disturbing observation that autocratic opponents of democracy, demandingly, brazenly and tactically, avail themselves of every conceivable right and principled democratic protection, in their attempted goal of the destruction of the institution from which those rights are derived. In the subject prosecution, the Court and the juridical system took great pains to afford to Trump, all of the constitutional rights and laws applicable to New York defendants, charged with criminality; a practice which undoubtedly would be obsolete should Trump succeed in his stated intention to be an autocrat, if elected to the Presidency. It is truly disturbing that Trump, having availed himself of the services of a reputable defense attorney of his own choosing, and being the recipient of the strictly mandated protections afforded to all criminal defendants under the solicitous New York Criminal Laws, been fairly adjudged guilty of all 34  felony charges, by a unanimous jury of citizens, would declare that the trial was “rigged” against him by his political opponents. Such assertion can only, under the presenting circumstances, especially considering his ubiquitous acts of deceit, be denominated no less than classic “chutzpah.”
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For the purposes of our present theme, we have chosen to borrow the title and architecture of the thrilling and dramatic violin concerto of the venerable baroque composer, Antonio Vivaldi. In the infra- structure of his brilliantly conceived work, the discrete meteorological seasons are serially portrayed by their appropriate musical strains and nuanced tempo, symbolically referable to their respective universal characteristics.
We see expressive utility in our chosen analogy between the format of said musical composition and the varied theme of Man’s nuanced reaction to the discrete progressive changes, natural to his “seasons” of life. In the interest of literary candor, we will confess to the possibility of subjectivity of treatment and will confine our observations and remarks to our perceptions of the mainstream persona. Like Vivaldi, we have employed the format of four seasons, albeit, arbitrarily selected and perceived: “toddler to age 20, “young adult”, ages 21 to 40, “mature adult,”” 41 to 60, over 61, old age.” N.B., for purposes of simplicity of presentation, we have chosen to model our observations on the universally observed traits relative to the dynamics and self-perception of the maturing member of mainstream America, omitting the nuance of minority status, economic class or disability.
SPRING:
Regarding his first season of life, (childhood) there is little to be contextually observed, relative to the variation of Man’s subjective propensity for temporal adjustment and perception to life’s evolving process of maturation. During this early period the human persona has not, by virtue of the absence of inclination, nor sufficient instructive interpersonal interaction to have enabled the formation of an established and referable self-image. Dependent upon his parents and others. by temporal necessity, he submits to their supervisory care and autocratic authority; often, as relevant, submissive to their expressed observations concerning his character. There pragmatically, z paucity of empirical observations possible. relative to our theme of temporal adjustment and appropriate perception, with the possible exception of an increasing, impatient aspiration for greater personal agency and capability, as available, when they are older.
SUMMER:
During the ensuing and radically changing period encompassing adolescence to young adulthood, the factor of self-image and capacity for inner personal awareness and thought has had some time to develop. Nevertheless, sufficient interactive experience is developmentally necessary to the establishment of a consistent and usefully referable lifetime self-image. In the earlier part of this season of life, physical prowess and endurance are at their highest level of capability and are proudly taken for granted. In the space of a couple of decades, a subtle, but noticeable amelioration of the same is subtly and disturbingly noticeable. The individual, at times, accordingly, feeling a degree of limitation and a sense of developing vulnerability, longs for his earlier physical aptitude and empirically confirmed, confidence in his physical prowess. In contrast, however, his personal awareness of his distinct persona, has been in the empirical process of development toward the destination of a referable inner identity and stable perception of himself and his environment. During this season, he may choose to marry and start a young family, with the accompanying implicit prestige and sense of maturity; however, as a contrasting feeling of disappointment, he mourns a presenting subtle, but noticeable, decline in physical capability. Often, he seeks, vainly, to reprise his prior level of physical capabilities by joining a gym or participation in a regular “rehabilitative” and “restorative” regimen of physical exercise.
FALL:
With the advent of this human season, self-image and personal identity have had time and experience to have established a stable and referable basis; and a personalized, nuanced interactive identity is internalized, which regarding normally socialized individuals, is not notably dissimilar. Disturbingly, strength and physical endurance have declined noticeably, by painful subjective comparison with that of earlier seasons of his life, now complicated by subtle, and not so subtle, changes in personal appearance and in the physiology of muscle mass and consequent capability. He may suffer the poignant recognition of observed changes from his former youthful appearance to one of mature aging. This specific. temporal discovery empirically, seems more exigently discomforting in the women. It is the latter’s perceived “catastrophic” and insecurity of perception that exponentially enriches the coffers of the purportedly, restorative, cosmetic industry and their incessant advertisers. This emotional reaction is In temporal synchrony with the recently acquired empirically useful experience-based sense of self identity and referable self- image and the emotionally corrosive panic of aging and looking the part.
WINTER:
In the fourth season of life, we observe, for diverse people, the culmination of the lifetime personal success of self-fulfillment or, contrastingly, feelings of depressive degeneration, dependant upon the individual’s development of a contemplative and mature perspective on the natural dynamics life, or depressive bitterness about the accompanying physical features of an approaching old age. Physical prowess has radically declined, joints and backs evince pain, in many cases, ambulation is dependent on a cane, a walker or a wheelchair, hearing aids and corrective eyeglasses are required and family members or others are required to assist in various physical activities. For those who have been wise or fortunate to have developed a mature sense of perception and understanding, there is the innate feeling of gratitude for the franchise of life, itself and (hopefully) for reasonably acceptable health; for others, unfortunately, sense of despair and depression.
The professed intention of this writing is the emphasis on the personal benefits of a rational, mature perception and appreciation of the eternal procedural orchestration of life. As we have consistently proposed, the same can be attained by the lifetime process of self-improvement through reading good literature and involvement in the arts and sciences; thereby, one contemplatively advances towards the goal of a mature perception and a development and in useful consequence, a rational acceptance of the universal and inevitable changes in the normal orchestration of life. The qualities of character and persona, as well as physical beauty are empirically and appropriately evaluated, in the relevant context of the naturally occurring stage of one’s lifetime symphony; vain attempts at altering one’s naturally evolving personal appearance by vain cosmetic subterfuge, restoration of anachronistic youthful prowess or other feckless examples of demonstrated immaturity are revelatory of a superficial and unrewarding life experience; and, additionally, an aesthetic failure to see beauty and value in their appropriately applicable settings.
Like Vivaldi’s great symphony, all of life’s stages, in context, can aesthetically and valuably be perceived as beautiful.
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In further and definitive support, we would proffer our principled disdain for aphoristic “wisdom” as our thematic example of the common chestnut: “Those who do not study history are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.” The implied message of this tired admonition is that the knowledge of past mistakes enables their informed avoidance. In such quotation, as is universally the case with aphorisms, there is a notable conflict between the facilely expressed, pseudo-wisdom, and empirical experience.
Nowhere is this critical observation more instructively cogent than in the contemporary right-wing, MAGA efforts directed at replacing our democratic form of government with an authoritarian, religiously inspired, Nazi-like polity, analogous to the 1930’s corruption of the democratic Weimar Republic in Germany, (1919 -1933) to Hitler’s appalling and horrific Third Reich. Modern history tells us that Adolph Hitler used his demagogic, albeit neurotically, egocentric skills to exploit the general economic grievances of his hapless Nation to achieve dictatorial power [ N.B., not merely for “one day,” as enunciated by our own contemporary Orange-dyed egocentric and neurotically amoral demagogue.]
In our view, an enlightened comparison of the eternal mistakes of the past, accompanied by their consequent tragedy and societal suffering and the factual replications of the same, metaphysically, are not founded in the failure to learn from historical experience but rather, as the eternal perpetuation of unremitting flaws in Man’s innate psyche. Our often repeated panacea would be Man’s achievement of personal enlightenment and self-improvement; not, necessarily in perusing history.
Our thematic apprehension consists in the eminent possibility of a catastrophic transmogrification of our desirable Democratic Republic to an authoritarian dictatorship by the pronounced, “one-day” dictator and his cultish acolytes by sowing our free American society with the fast growing and invasive seeds of totalitarianism. We are of the worrisome opinion that not enough mainstream citizens, notably inclusive of the unthinking, suicidal MAGA lemmings, are sufficiently aware of that alarming eventuality and its effects upon his personal life and liberty (ref. earlier blog “LEMMINGS”). Our deep concern resides in our fear that contemporary minds seem to be ill- equipped to embrace the dire realization as to how easily democracy could thus disintegrate, which inability is destined to lead to tragic regret.
Indeed, fascism, known to be not an uncommon the history of Europe is, by no means a novel political pathology in America. As illustration we would cite the Jim Crow Laws of the American South, the Ku Klux Klan, the exponential rise in America’s nativist and xenophobic hostility, the 1936 German Bund, the past widespread and pernicious anti-Semitic influence of Father John Coughlin, Charles Lindberg, a Nazi sympathizer, the internationally famous architect, Philip Johnson, the poet, Ezra Pound (supporter of Mussolini), Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the “American Nazi Party, and too many other notables, numerically far outweighed by an uncountable population of today’s right- wingnuts. One might, relevantly, refer to the fear-inspiring novel by Sinclair Lewis, “IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE,” to comprehend the novelist’s warning that it, definitively, “can” happen here.
Readings in the relevant contextual area on the subject of fascism, reveal that a great many notable political scientists and historians (Ex. Griffin and Payne) authoritatively maintain that the term “fascist” is appropriately accurate to describe the politics of Donald Trump. The latter, the would-be dictator, uses classic fascistic techniques to win over and excite his large base in eroding liberal rights. In 2017, visiting Hamburg, Germany, Trump publicly and ominously stated, “Hitler did a lot of good things.” In 2022, President Joseph Biden referred to the Trump, MAGA agenda, as “semi-fascist.”
Trump’s signature red baseball caps, emblazoned with the prominent white letters, “MAGA,” dutifully worn by a sizeable multitude of visible Trump supporters, is an abbreviation of his tactically, deceitful meme, “make America Great Again”; and an understood and implicit intra-cult, dog whistle message, stating, among other pernicious, anti-American sentiments, personal affirmation of Trump’s Nazi-style, racist anti-Muslim, and Mexican border wall xenophobic propaganda.
It is our present intended theme and earnest desire to convey the realization and clear-sighted understanding that in the next Presidential election, there is singular existential significance to the endurance of our Republican Democracy, relative to who America votes against, rather than who he affirmatively votes for.
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In contrast to the two branches of our tri-partite Democratic Republic, Executive and Legislative, members of which are elected by the people, the Justices of the third, Judicial branch, (the Supreme Court of The United States, “SCOTUS”) are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, (Art. 3 U.S. Constitution). Article 3 also gives Congress discretion to determine the shape and structure of the Federal Judiciary.
In the immediately preceding writing (# M. 70 “WELCOME TO CAMELOT”) we ventured to offer our conception of the etiology and empirical persistence of the foul, toxic pestilence currently infecting our body politic with the insidious and virulent virus of anti-democratic, fascist pathology. Clinically hazardous symptoms of its ubiquitous metastasis are palpably evident; yet most impactful of all, is its morbid impact upon the historically revered and existentially important, highest judicial branch of government, The U.S. Supreme Court.
As conjectured in the previous writing, the steep decline in fiduciary responsibility of our highest court may have had its advent in the legally consequential case of Bush v. Gore (2000). In that eventful case, SCOTUS inexplicably, chose to accept for deliberation a matter containing political issues; in violation of the constitution’s strictures regarding the “Separation of Powers.” This singular event seemed to encourage the opening of the floodgates to political and religious lobbies desiring to exert their monied influence upon receptive Justices. Such body blows to the ethnos of our vaunted democratic, resulted in a veritable dumpster of undemocratic decisions, best exemplified by catering to the religious lobby in the authoritarian reversal of long- established precedent in rendering illegal the right of abortion, resulting in a never-ending nightmare of tragic and dangerous outcomes. A comparative catering to a self-interested, political lobby, was demonstrated by the SCOTUS’ outrageous decision, removing restrictions on campaign contributions, thus distorting and minimizing the impact of the public vote.
The mainstream citizen’s shock and distain for the serious erosion of moral and judicial principle on the part of the Nation’s formerly venerated highest Court, was catalyzed and further exacerbated by alarming public revelations of morally revolting corruption on the part of certain Justices of the Supreme Court, viz., Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito.
Justice Thomas has been revealed to have shamelessly and illegally, accepted large quantities of cash and other expensive emoluments from an identified billionaire, interested in specific adjudications. Thomas is also married to a politically influential wife who is a Trumpian election denier and an influential supporter of MAGA’s authoritarian attack on American democracy.
Justice Alito, the avatar of unconstitutional homage to the religious lobby and newly disclosed supporter of the White Christian Nationalist Movement, was the trademark author of the opinion in the Dodd case, which overturned one half century of SCOTUS precedent in Roe v. Wade, decreeing the illegality of a woman’s private right to abortion. Such immoral and unprofessional catering to the religious lobby, in addition to having offended the historic theme and dynamics of the constitution in protecting citizen rights from incursion by government has, by its authoritarian ruling proximately led to an uncountable record of misery, tragedy and death.
It has lately been disclosed and irrefutably proven, by widely disseminated photographs taken by the National media, that Justice Samuel A. Alito is a proud and demonstrative supporter of White Christian Nationalism by his proud and audacious choice to fly flags, emblematic of his zealous support for that un-American and authoritarian (Nazi-like) movement; and by natural extension for Trump’s fascistic January sixth insurrection. Such advertised anti-democratic sentiment was underscored by such obnoxious flags being publicly flown on flagpoles on both of his properties.
Well-intentioned suggestions that these two morally tainted Justices be recused from participation in relevant cases, in our view, are not sufficient or prudently appropriate. It would seem to be existentially appropriate, ‘y in these exceptionally troubling and equivocal times that these morally tarnished, purported guardians of our Democratic Republic, be instructively and summarily impeached and removed from office by Congress and deprived of financial and other benefits of office.
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More than two and one-quarter centuries ago, the Scottish poet, Robert Burns wrote: The best-laid schemes of mice and men gang aft aglay, oft go awry. And leave us naught but grief and pain.”

The idealistic Founders of the new Nation, to be later known as the United States of America (reverentially, “America”), embraced just such a “best-laid scheme,” eschewing the historically unjust and tyrannical history of Europe in their “radical” intention to create a Nation, “by and for, the People.” Their conception was to design a secular, free society with no privileged classes, despotic Monarch nor Established Church. They designed the architecture of an independent, tri-partite polity (Separation of Powers”), Executive, Legislative, (elected by the citizenry) and a Judicial Branch, to resolve the consequential legal issues of the day. Each of the branches was granted authority to curb any act of the other, deemed to exceed or diminish any of the mandates of the newly promulgated constitution. (“Checks and Balances”).

Notably, there were two declarations, amid the Founders’ expectations of success of the idealistically conceived polity. Asked, “What kind of Nation has been created? Benjamin Franklin’s famous reply was, “A Republic if you can keep it.” Reservations were similarly expressed by co-founder, Thomas Jefferson, who, presciently, declared that for a democracy to succeed, it must have an educated and informed public. Such remarks were in keeping with the dire observations of the poet, Robert Burns.

The American experiment, in its later employment of its dedicated population and ample resources, was victorious in its battles against the specter of totalitarian evil which reared its ugly head in the First and Second World Wars. It emerged as the World’s avatar and protector of democracy. The Nation, domestically was in the slow process of universal equality, albeit slowly. Since the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, our enterprising capitalistic society has reliably extended emphatic programs of assistance to the needy, promulgated regulations relevant to the quality of food, water, medicine, labor conditions and has implemented many needed policies of compassionate capitalism. The notable extent of significant political opposition was, in large part, essentially rooted in party affiliation; Democratic Party (labor-oriented, free trade, equitable tax system, subsidized housing, health insurance) and Republican (free trade, lower taxes, gun rights, deregulation of business and labor).

Until recent decades, the Nation had in the main, been compliant with its vaunted motto, “E Pluribus Unum,” evincing a mutually foundational love and pride of country, respect for the social compact and moral compass, a basic unified sense of joint and mutual National kinship, steadily progressing free and tolerant National atmosphere, and when warranted, express humanistic inclinations. The mainstream citizen felt proud and thankful of his good fortune to be a citizen of that admirable country.

We are unable to conceive of the specific moment when the overall positive atmosphere of the Nation mutated. We presume that the nefarious revelations about Nixon concerning that President’s criminal behavior, the passionately divisive Viet Nam War, and, as later the unprecedented and errant political morphing of the Supreme Court, first observable in the 2000 Bush v. Gore case, the subsequent revelations of corrupt and unprincipled catering to rich and powerful lobby groups, secular and religious, resulting in unwise decisions in the arenas of urgently needed gun control, in undemocratically removing limitations on political donations by self- interested corporation, bending to the religious lobby, as egregiously demonstrated by its unprecedented overturning of Roe v. Wade, failing to provide necessary protections for voting, and, shockingly, by its immoral and corrupt acceptance of gifts from wealthy donors,  interested in the particular determination of cases.

In addition, the development of insular groups of like thinkers (“group think”) on major disputed issues and like groups of diverse view locked in an antagonistic cold war, the isolated and non-communicative impact on society of the universal use of mechanical “smartphones,” in lieu of humanistic, social interaction, resulting in consequential feelings of lonely existence, the societal decline in significance of the family, the populist preference for ephemeral diversion and corresponding decline in reading and elective personal interests, the latter, capable of personal development and mature perception. It would appear that there are many cogent empirical causes, aside from the most dreaded one, the innate nature of mankind, which last possibility we, would optimistically prefer to reject.

In our plethora of past writings, we have consistently attributed the problem to a general decline in the desire for personal improvement by means of engagement in personally beneficial pursuits such as reading good literature and involvement in the arts and sciences, and independent interests; the latter pursuits resulting in the development of a confident self-image, capable of enlightened contemplation of the affairs of life as they present themselves. The alternative lifestyle, engagement in ultimately unsatisfying and meaningless activities is the eventual route to lives of shallowness and discontent.

 Unfortunately, there is an overabundance of American citizens who have, by their own choice, endured frustration and become disgruntled with their resultant, meaningless and pedestrian life.  Many such hapless individuals tend to defensively project the cause for such unhappiness on others, viz., spouses, racial or ethnic minorities, or on “life” itself, as responsible for their feelings of discontent.

It would be simplistic and reductionist to attribute the sole blame for the negative transmogrification of our former inspirationally democratic Nation to its extant divisive and critically vulnerable state to the demagogic and perverse influence of Donald J. Trump. Yet, notably, the repulsive inclination of Trump to appear to “display his middle finger” to social convention and to neurotically eschew the societally approved moral compass, is attractive to the underbelly populist and may be perceived as supportive of their grievances and disappointed life. In our view, the existence of millions of poorly educated and uninformed Trump supporters is more hazardous to democracy than the Orange egomaniac, himself.

The vital “first aid” to be initially applied to our Republic’s bleeding injury is the casting of sufficient votes to defeat the populist-criminal-would-be dictator. When that existential threat to Republican Democracy is defeated, we can consider possible routes for beneficial advancement and fulfillment, where needed, of our citizenry. We would propose an effective, albeit, realistically, gradual cure.

We are reliably informed that, regarding the designation of our species, “Homo sapiens,” that “Homo,” is the Latin word for Mankind and that the term, “sapiens,” translates to “wise” or “knowledgeable.”

From the advent of this blogspace, it has been our overriding dedication to mature perspective and enlightened reason by the individual’s election to enhance Man’s short existence by the salubrious addition of an interest, unrelated to his employment, familial and pragmatic concerns. We have consistently maintained that the individual beneficially engage himself, as possible, in some elective interest, unrelated to his familial and employment obligations such as reading good literature or the private and enriching pursuit of an outside interest as the route to individual self-worth and valuable personal identity. Such private activities, encourage invaluable introspective and objective thought and constitute the primer for developing maturity of perception and, hopefully, acquired wisdom. A limited diet of work, family, and sleep, while salubriously necessary, can be productive of mundane satisfaction but not, necessarily, the beneficial route to ultimate personal self-fulfillment. Our society evinces, in too many individuals, a dearth of healthy self-image and esteem, A life without personally nuanced interests, begets shallowness and lack of mature and experienced perspective; whose predictive etiology is a life spent wearing horse blinders.

Consistent with our universal promotion of growth stimulating outside interests, we would entreat American higher institutions of learning to salubriously promote individual personal advancement, separate from, and additional to, the pragmatic goal of preparation for future professional careers. [N.B., See: # M.67, “THE OPENED WINDOW”].

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We have observed decades of the Nation’s ignorant and reductionist bigots and noted their eternal, abhorrent desire to extend the scope of their toxic venom whenever possible. They can deservedly claim the gold medal for the fine art of perpetuation of ignorant, reductionist tropes including such chestnuts as, “Jewish bankers are conspiring to control the world,” Jews are rich, and are supporters of communism, “homosexuality can be taught,” “Caravans of rapists and criminals are invading and poisoning the Nation, “ (credited to Donald J. Trump, a Court determined rapist with 91 felonies), medically necessary abortion is homicide,  guns promote effective communication and are protected by the freedom of speech as well as the Second Amendment, black skinned people are lazy and inferior, Asians are responsible for viral epidemics, the “coastal elites” control and influence government leftist policies, American racial history should not be taught in schools and Universities, 9/11 was a CIA false flag operation, the Holocaust is mere fiction, vaccination is undisclosed government control, compassionate government assistance as well as health supporting regulation are “socialism,”  rockets are sent down to earth from the upper atmosphere by Israel, the violent insurrectionists are patriots, global warming is false propaganda, the past election was “stolen” by Biden, books perceived by them as objectionable, should be banned, the Darwinian Theory of Evolution is false and heretical, men are superior to women, life-stealing, chattel slavery had beneficial effects on black people, that America was created as a “Christian white Nation,” and on it goes, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.            

The October 7 surprise and barbaric attack on Israel, and the thematically relevant response have provided another fertile opportunity for the perverse conglomeration of anti-Semitic bigots to further evince their systemic potential for hatred by means of their reductionist short circuitry.

As previously observed, following the cruel and barbaric attack on Israel by the terrorist Hamas, the aggressors, as planned, retreated with their kidnapped Israeli hostages, to tunnels, tactically constructed, for such purpose, under Gaza hospitals and places of public assembly. The pathological goal was to situationally oblige the predictable Israeli retribution to be visited upon the innocent Gaza population, their “human shields.”  Hamas, fully aware that it lacked the military capacity to defeat tiny, but militarily competent, Israel, would thereby be perniciously successful in destroying its existential international support.

Unfortunately, the pathological stratagem was successful, resulting in unjust, horrific and lethal punishment, as tactically constrained, to be practiced on the innocent Gaza inhabitants. The world’s moral outrage was exacerbated by the right-wing government of Bibi Netanyahu, whose humanistic inclinations seem far outweighed by his drive for retaliation against Hamas. We, in harmony with other Jews, have voiced our opposition to the visitation of death and substantial destruction upon innocent  Gazan Palestinians, by the Netanyahu government’s unlimited military action in its desire to destroy the offending terrorists.

The heartrendingly disturbing situation has provided the age-old conglomeration of bigoted reductionists, a fortuitous opportunity to exercise their practice of irrational bigotry in their historic hatred of the Jewish ethnos, a prominent victim of abuse, by means of their ignorant conflation (“short-circuiting”) of the actions of the current Israeli government to an increase in classic antisemitism. The ignorant and opportunistic identification of worldwide Jewry with the policies of the current Israeli right-wing militaristic leadership is empirically predictable in the bigoted mindset of reductionist anti-Semites . It is to be emphasized that, contrary to such convenient fantasies and tellingly ignorant reductionist conflation, American, English and European Jewry, are citizens of their respective, distinct countries and not of Israel. Notwithstanding the rational facts, “short circuitry” has eternally been a source of faux justification for hatred.

Yet, sadly and disturbingly, historical ignorance and our thematic, reductionist prejudice are responsible for the extant, unjust and misconceived outrage against Jews in general on campus and elsewhere, in the current statistical Olympian leap in the chronic pathology of anti-Semitism. This is a particularly unsettling in the context of American colleges, where age-related, provocateur encouraged, demonstrations have taken place. Even in the enlightened halls of higher education, anti-Semitic ideation seems, to be founded upon the short-circuiting or conflation, of Jewish and Israeli citizens and their respectively distinct National identities; to the perverse delight of hard-core anti-Semites.

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Prior to our retirement, we were engaged in the private practice of law in New York, for a full period of fifty years. Our practice included complicated business litigation (viz., Civil Fraud, Unfair Competition, Breach of Contract, and Business Torts). Accordingly, we feel competent by our past education and practice experience to voice the (radical) views set forth in this writing.

Initially, we are of the view that the jury system as presently constituted is at best a vestigial entity, analogous to the human appendix and tonsils, and, similarly is salubriously excised from our judicial process. The “right to a jury,” or more fully expressed, the “right to a jury of your own peers,” is archaic and judicially anachronistic. The age of social or “privileged classes (i.e., “your peers) is a museum relic of the Medieval past. What is essentially meant is, “the right to a jury of your own equals.” That being said, it has been our (radical?) view that the jury procedure, purposed to ensure the fair assessment of the disputed facts in a case, criminal or civil, must be amended or eliminated, in the interest of justice.

Our felt opinion was catalyzed by our concerns relating to the pending criminal case against Donald Trump, still in process, in which, as we see it, the elements of the accused felony of fraudulent accounting processes to hide Trump’s promiscuity and thereby evade public criticism prior to an election, (“election fraud”), has (already) been sufficiently demonstrated. Testimonial and documented proof have been adduced beyond the criminal law’s mandated stricture requiring a showing of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Our serious concern is that the empaneled jury, may not, for any reason, legal or otherwise, return a unanimous verdict of guilty.

Under our scrupulously fair system, as known, no less than a unanimous jury must find an accused defendant, “Guilty.” Eschewing, the possibility that a juror may be “planted” or influenced by the accused, or his acolytes, we are of the view that the demonstrated “populism” of the extant American public, invokes an empirically based concern for a justly determined verdict. The latter conundrum, we fear, overshadows the critical elements of excessive expense and delay.

The pre-trial procedure, known as the “voir dire,” in which contesting counsel has the opportunity to question prospective jurors in an attempt to filter out unfit prospective jurors, albeit historically and legally appropriate, in our view is jejune and presumptuous; there are no legal “X-rays” to detect privately undisclosed bias or interest. The assumption that strategically worded questions will, with any certitude, uncover the true intentions of an impartial jury candidate, is a tribute to arrogant narcissism.

Most worrisome to us is the observed state of ignorance and thoughtless impediments to justice, evinced by the disappointing, populist character of many of today’s American citizens. Our caliper is based upon the millions of MAGA cultists who consistently support Trump’s, criminality, his philosophy of “alternate truth” and who subscribe to bizarre conspiracy ideation. The conclusions to be reached by such prospective jurors, to be kind, may not exactly square with rational expectation or, more to the relevant point, with the goal of objective and appropriate justice.

Empirical logic would dictate the cogent necessity that should the jury system be continued, it needs to evolve to a more predictably responsible and reliable entity. Summoning random citizens for jury service, in principle, is, democratically laudatory; however, for the reasons annunciated above, jurisprudentially hazardous. American law needs to procedurally revisit and repeal or replace the “Sixth Amendment” of the Constitution. Perhaps a new configuration of the “jury” can be construed, for example, one populated by law students (for school credit), or trained civil servants, retiree schoolteachers, etc. The present gamble on America’s John Q, Public is, as shown by his recently evinced character, rather precarious.

We wait, apprehensively, for the outcome of the current jury trial of the miscreant former President.

-p.

 The theme of our present writing may be contextually articulated by an anecdotal recounting of a true and instructive, personal event. For many years, it was our habit to start Monday, Wednesday and Friday with a morning swim at the 92^nd Street Y. We would change our clothes in the large locker room prior to a cursory shower, followed by our swim. Customarily, during the routine activity of changing into our swimsuit or, thereafter, getting dressed in our street clothes, we would engage in a bit of casual banter with others similarly engaged. One notably singular locker room interaction has remained enduringly memorable.

One of the locker room regulars was speaking to a friend whose gym locker was next to ours, regarding the friend’s, as described, “disappointing” and “boring” vacation. “There was absolutely nothing to do,” he complained. We were completely flummoxed when he disclosed that he was making reference to his trip to the City of Prague in the Czechoslovak Republic. We, in fact, had the good fortune to have visited that destination on two occasions and, to the contrary, found it to be spellbinding and memorable.

Prague, the Capital city of the Czech Republic and the center of historic Bavaria, is nicknamed the “City of 100 Spires,” possessing many colorful baroque buildings, tall, eerily gothic Churches, the Ancient Astronomical Clock which evinces an hourly show, the quick-flowing Charles River with its span of Medieval Bridge adorned with medieval sculptures, is the birthplace of Mozart and still rife with daily musical presentations, is the major venue of the Bohemian and Protestant Reformation, the center of the “Thirty Year’s War,” the location of the oldest synagogue in Europe, the venue of the legendary “Golem,” a known venue for collectible Bavarian glass, artesian puppetry, and exotic underground restaurants, all situated in an exotic medieval gothic setting and atmosphere. We could continue the recounting of Prague’s captivating features, however, our thematic subject is directed to the value of Man’s lifelong enrichment by contemplative experience and not that Middle Ages City, as such.

The complaining locker room speaker, as later perplexingly revealed, was identified as a practicing, licensed dentist, thereby, attesting to his graduation from college and professional school. His disturbing, birdbrained and shallow complaint was exacerbated by such information; however, in later thought, the phenomenon was somewhat resolved; the substance of which resolution is offered as the leitmotif of this writing.

We have often written of a truly essential ingredient to the attainment of a meaningful life, which, for lack of a better term, we have referred to as “the lifelong inner conversation with oneself,” i.e. the inner, contemplative observation and thought-provoking stimulus evoked by presenting situational experience. It has been our observation that the possession of a contemplative persona and its resultant acquisition of empirically based determinations founded in experienced reality are existentially necessary to the beneficial enjoyment of life. The absence of an inclination for the dynamics of inner, thoughtful observation is a substantial disability. Such costly disability, it would seem, is not, as we formally assumed, relegated to the under-educated and poorly informed. As seen in the above-cited locker room incident, education may not be the universal panacea.

We have also declared that the development and maturation of a stable, nuanced and referable persona, (self-image) appears to be the dynamic product of meaningful interpersonal interaction. The thematic inclination to independent contemplation is sadly, not universal. Many individuals seem to have “closed the window” and remain systemically limited to the role of a mere spectator viewing the external scenario as merely anecdotal or episodic phenomena.

Perception without the beneficial and enduring accumulation of contemplative perspective, constituting our declared foundation for the exercise of rational judgment, when called upon, is an empirical deficiency. Such lack of internal resources may be normally expected in young and inexperienced children but remains a costly disability in the mature individual; who, lacking capacity for a satisfying and fulfilling, contemplative life experience, lives a superficial, barren, reflexive existence. Observed phenomena would seem to possess enduring significance, only to the extent that they are imprinted on developing, evaluative consciousness. One’s capacity and inclination to open his inner contemplative window to experiential events adds to his accumulating understanding and leads the way to ultimate wisdom.

Inarguably, formal education exists as the most effective route to integrated understanding and insight. The cited locker room experience, however, demonstrates that it is possible to undergo the process of formal education, yet lack the invaluable aptitude for inner growth from experiential enlightenment and its resulting potential for the achievement of wisdom.

-p.

While appalled at the distasteful and immoral revelations brought to light in the current Stormy Daniels-Donald Trump criminal prosecution, we would, as a “sidebar,” metaphysically question society’s eternal designation of sexual misconduct as the most venal of the diverse cornucopia of reprehensible behavior.   

In this context, it has been irrefutably demonstrated that the former President is guilty of the flagrant commission of an overabundance of immoral and illegal indiscretions. Many of the latter, objectively measured by their empirically, proximate harm are, inarguably, far more serious than an anti-societal act of adultery performed with a porn star. Such significantly impactful instances of his behavior include treason, inciting insurrection, criminal negligence during the pandemic, intentional theft of top secret government documents, historically egregious unconstitutional behavior in the nature of voter interference and gross and substantial violation of the emolument clause. To add icing to his oversized criminal cake, Trump has publically declared his intention, if elected, to be a dictator.

A moral conundrum, in our view, consists in the bizarre historical societal predilection in Western Civilization, to evaluate errant sexual behavior, albeit immoral, as the singularly paramount deplorable sin, or ultimate act of wrongdoing, as evident in the cited case, despite Trump’s plethora of more impactful, criminal transgressions. In reference to the criminal elements of the Stormy Daniels case, the “hush money” payments are alleged to have been made to silence the public disclosure of Trump’s immoral sexual congress with a “porn star,” just before an election.

Our thematic conundrum is illustrated by the thematic absence of “hush money” attempts to hide from voters any other of the many and various improper and felonious behavior of Trump’s 91 criminal indictments, and his treasonous and corrupt behavior, numerous enough to fill several dumpsters.

We would cite for its illustrative relevance, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, “The Scarlet Letter” (1860). In the novel, the female protagonist, Hester Prynne, is punished for an unmarried act of sex,  shunned by her Puritan Society and forced to shamefully wear the letter “A” (for adultery) for the rest of her life. She is otherwise portrayed as a moral and charitable woman, [In our nuanced view, Hawthorne was describing a purportedly religious society who, in their moral hubris, violated the Biblical admonitions for forgiveness and repentance]. Notwithstanding such observation, the relevant fact is that unsanctioned sexual behavior has eternally been portrayed as Man’s ultimate unforgivable sin, bar none.

Despite the many and various staggeringly impactful transgressions of Donald Trump, it appears to have been Trump’s circumspect fear of adverse publicity, singularly relating to his “Stormy Daniels” transgression, for which the legally proven criminal and arcane mode of payoff for silence was deemed necessary. As empirically demonstrated, in the contextual hierarchy of society, his errant act of sexual misconduct was again, populistically perceived as meriting singular attention, to the exclusion of his many other ubiquitous acts of effectively greater venality and harm.

 Can it be that society is sufficiently shallow in character and principle, as to selectively ignore reprehensible acts of inhumane cruelty and pathological degradation and direct the beams of its populist searchlight on the more primitively religious and exotic subject of errant sexual behavior? Is the “North” in our sociological moral compass fixed in the magnetic direction of bedroom keyholes?  

Adulterous sex, inarguably, constitutes a significant impediment to our societal order and, conceivably, a material breach of the Social Compact. One would assume, however, that a rational and utilitarian hierarchical classification of human wrongdoing would be construed, respectively, in accordance with criteria relating to the nature and quantity of its consequent, human impact. Our tentative conclusion is that sexual misconduct is more primitively and emotionally unsettling to Man, whose accepted civility requires the diligent restraint and attenuation of his own personal desires.

-p.

Evangelical Christianity, as generally known is an influential proselytizing movement, whose avowed purpose is to affirmatively promote the moral teachings and faith as prescribed in the New Testament. Such self-appointed “mission” encompasses the active promotion of New Testament Biblical dogma, particularly, its proclaimed direction to Mankind to conduct his life in an unassailably moral and faith-based manner. The context of this writing relates to our attempt to comprehend their bizarre and unfailing support of the sociopathic person of Donald Trump.

In our view, the salient revelation of empirical falsity of such avowed missionary dedication appears to be nowhere as demonstrably false and deceitful as in the movement’s eternal support for the miscreant, Donald J. Trump; whose blatant immorality and multiple acts of felonious criminality (“sins”) are daily confirmed by the national media.

Perhaps the most illuminating of Trump’s vast morass of immoral and egregious charges (inclusive of  91 felony indictments and errant behavior ranging from tax fraud, bribery, adultery, judicially determined rape, defamation and tax fraud, to, acts of definitional treason and sedition, including the incitement of an insurrection), is the “hush money,” Trump-Stormy Daniels, Criminal Court prosecution, now on trial. The case involves Trump’s adulterous congress with a porn star, at the time when his third wife, Melania had recently given birth to their son, Baron. Trump’s “sinful” behavior, later exacerbated by his criminally fraudulent scheme to hide it from potential public notoriety by means of a false pay-off scheme, designating the same as “legal fees”; to avoid the revelation, before an imminent election, of his lewd and lascivious lifestyle. Said deceitful and lurid episode if potentially supplemented by a broadcast taped event, containing Trump’s outrageous boasts of singular sexual prowess and celebrity privilege regarding women, predictably, would have ended his role as a Presidential nominee.

The reported testimony in the Stormy Daniels criminal fraud trial, to date, unveils the neurotic extent of Donald Trump’s narcissistic sense of personal sexual prowess; her surprise confrontation with his unexpected appearance in “sexy” silk pajamas, and enticing behavior, consisting of his false intimations to “Stormy” of the opportunity to appear on the Trump- hosted television program, “The Apprentice,” and the adulterous sex act, itself. Also clearly proven was the subsequent, felonious scheme to disguise the $130,000 payoff to Stormy for her silence.

As a general matter, Donald J. Trump has long been shown to be a serial abuser of women. The record confirms that Trump has practiced a life-long career of sexual assault, including, non-consensual groping and kissing of women. Notably, Trump has been judicially adjudicated a “rapist” and a serial defamer in the much publicized, E. Jean Carroll case. In the realm of business, Trump enjoys a known, despicable reputation for “stiffing” his contractors, tax evasion and a well-deserved reputation as a real estate grifter.

It is thematically instructive that Trump’s tawdry lifetime of “sin,” including his overflowing cornucopia of criminal acts, many of which are the subject of criminal indictment, supplemented by his record as a serial feminine abuser and rapist, markedly, have not diminished his consistent support by the Evangelical movement, the latter, publically represented as the proselytizing and judgmental “holier than thou,” “keep the faith,” horde of apparent religious pretenders..

An instructively analogous phenomenon, viz., the purported, “Right to Life,” advocates’ publically espoused pretentions, similarly, do not, at minimum, approach empirical reality. Contrary to the language of their tactically selected name, they will dedicatedly and shamelessly commit murder, destroy adult lives, and institute harassing criminal prosecutions, in their purported cause to protect “life”; but whose rank hypocrisy is irrefutably revealed by their consistently cruel opposition to government assistance to the needy child following birth. The patent hypocrisy of their avowed mission espousing “right to life,” is demonstrated by its bizarre applicability, solely, to the fetus, itself, until the event of birth. Their irrational hypocrisy and deceitful pretense is further demonstrated by their record of support for capital punishment, uniform opposition to gun regulation and opposition to both abortion and contraception. By analogy to the purported Evangelical Deity-inspired, moral mission, which chooses to afford its tactical support for the brazenly immoral Donald Trump, the “Right to Life” movement deceitfully, asserts its firm dedication to protect “human life,” albeit, strictly limited to the existence and duration of the fetus. It is observably evident that their respective motivations are far from that publicly advertised.

Political power and influence would empirically appear to be the authentic motivation of Evangelical Christianity as well as the deceitfully named, “Right to Life” adherents. Rather than admirable promotion of morality and respect for human life, they, unconscionably, mask their nefarious lust for political power and noxious influence in appealing, but false and deceptive cloaks of moral rectitude.

We have often declared the existential importance for any normally socialized, contemplative citizen, to exercise his moral judgment, founded upon his own consistent, empirically based self-image, rather than to, facilely and perilously, accept that of any arrogant and possibly self-interested third-party sources, religious or secular.

-p.