Month: February 2025

An Official Press Conference was convened last Wednesday at the Capital Executive Office, traditionally referred to as “The Oblique Office.” Present was the newly re-elected Chief -Executive, Denny J. Dumpster, his unelected sidekick, Feline Crust, and the usual members of the media (except the AP).

It had been leaked to the media by a federal civil servant two days before his shocking, unexpected summary dismissal by Crust), that the two had conferred for three days and that the Chief Executive, anxious to reveal his brilliant new plan, had requested that the meeting be scheduled at once. However, he was obliged to wait an extra day while members of the Official Cleaning Staff cleaned the copious ketchup stains from the drapes, and the spaghetti and pasta sauce, on the walls.

Despite the remaining ketchup stains and a small amount of spaghetti on the entrance door, President Dumpster, impatiently desirous of proving to the press (and the public) that his universal perception as incompetent was erroneous, directed that the Press Conference be convened “at once.”

When all had assembled in the (“mostly clean”) Oblique Office, Dumpster excitedly announced that he (and his smiling autistic savant) had devised a brilliant plan; in fact, a “panacea” (he, in candor, actually used the word, “answer”) to most of the Country’s problems. The “brilliant” solution would consist of the effectuation of the following: to trade one of the blue states, like Rhode Island, in exchange for Mexico. Dripping with salivary excitement, he explained that the incorporation of Mexico would, ipso facto, solve the Nation’s immigration dilemma since the transfer would legally make Mexicans American citizens and thereby avert the immigration problem. He also suggested that his private development company could build hotels and golf courses and would be able to profitably improve the impoverished Nation.

Several of the members of the media actually fainted. Then, one reporter commented that Mexico had historically owned a substantial portion of the Southwest until it lost the “Mexican-American War.”

After much responsive hiccuping and coughing, nevertheless, and -notably, in a pseudo-confident voice, the embarrassed President stated: let’s postpone the plan. America does not like “losers.”

The media rose and slowly filed out, much relieved, while carefully assisting their fainted colleagues from the historic chamber.

-p.

Despite juxtaposing two words that can be seen as mutually contradictory, the present title is not oxymoronic but thematically editorial. Understandably, the adjective ” solo” means alone, while “society” represents living together in a community. Nevertheless, our present theme relates to the current inclination to elect to live singular or solitary lives.

We are not credentialed as sociologists; the observations articulated in this writing are exclusively based on our perceptions, information garnered from the television news media, newspapers, magazines, and nuanced experiences. Nevertheless, our sources of information are consistent in confirming our present thematic, social phenomenon.

It seems evident, that Man’s progress to modern humankind was catalyzed by Man’s choice to live in a community, mutually sharing the responsibilities necessary for survival and, thematically, the many benefits derived from interaction with others. The beneficial dynamics of societal interaction were stereotypically implicit in such communal living. However, Recently, salubrious social interaction, to his material detriment has become less common. .

Our information reveals a universal shift from traditional societal interaction to a more solitary, virtually reclusive lifestyle. As reported, there appear to be far fewer communal activities, joint undertakings, and socialization at parties and neighborhood barbeques, and lesser attendance at places of public assembly such as movie houses, theaters, restaurants, and other places of public assembly. Such adverse development was significantly exacerbated by the advent of the pandemic, causing many people to interact and be employed, virtually, from home rather than in the company of others by the prophylactic necessity to avoid human contact.

In recent years there appears to be a trend to singularity in which young adults, for example, are dedicating more time to personal self-improvement through regular attendance at the gym rather than socializing with others and apparently, marrying later. Concerns for financial success and physical fitness, have overtaken, those relative to the future of spouse and family.

We must confess to a lack of knowledge as to the etiologic history of this toxic societal condition; but do observe that its toxicity was exponentially catalyzed by the advent of the facile, but societally regressive “smartphone; rendering anachronistic, the vital societal dynamic of interactive, communication, The regressive trend is exemplified by the practice of young people engaging in video games on their hand-held appliances rather than read books and at dinner time, under the table, surreptitiously consulting their smartphones, for information or communication. We were non-plussed to observe that it is not uncommon for many young toddlers to be afforded smartphone technology.

The empirical sequelae of such toxic and societally disabling trend to insular, non-social behavior are ubiquitously harmful to the individual psyche, in addition to its impactful challenge to the essential dynamics of human society. We have often declared that the human persona and self-image are empirically created from the experienced reactions of other people with whom we have social commerce. It has been our often-stated belief that the exponential increase in depression and anxiety of the young generation has been due to the loss of stable identity, resulting from the relegation of normal interaction to the limited contact, afforded by society’s use of hand-held electronic digital messaging. .

Self-absorption and personal insularity are not empirical prerequisites for humanistic empathy, the contemplation of one’s inner self nor the aspiration to understand the world scene. Socrates’ admonition to Mankind to: “Know thyself,” manifestly becomes an impossible goal.

Mankind has often experienced the tragic impact of human apathy. The wise and eloquent holocaust survivor, Elie Weisel, memorably declared: “The opposite of love, is not hate, it is indifference.”

For some time, we had agonized over the dilemma: ” How could a demonstrably visible ogre, like Donald Trump, possibly be elected by the American voters? Our ultimate answer appears to be: by the numerical combination of the stereotypical, populist underbelly of the Nation, supplemented, (thematically) by the current, growing population of the singular, reductively, self-interested citizenry.,

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America celebrates its annual National Holiday, “President’s Day,” perennially, on the third Sunday of February. This, holiday honoring past America’s Presidents was created shortly after the decease of President George Washington. Its annual observance, is in essence, a historical statement of appreciation for Presidential service to the Nation. It is additionally, an articulated statement of fundamental rectitude and of the humanism of the American constitutional ‘s systemic assurance of life, liberty, and equality. The history of much of the World has, indeed. been otherwise, and the Founders of Our Nation succeeded in their experimental creation of a Nation run by a Chief Executive, selected by the People rather than by a hereditary Monarch, and/or an Established Religious Authority

.In our view, the event functionally serves as an enduring declaration that success is empirically possible and enduring in a polity dedicated to being “by and for the people.” The historic, popularly elected Chief Executives, subscribing to that foundational principle of governance are appropriately deserving of such Nationally respectful memory, celebratory gratitude, and beneficial recognition.

We would include as deserving of the highest praise, and historical esteem, such venerable National leaders as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklyn D. Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and Barack Obama. In empirical contrast, we consider the following past Presidents, by contrast, as rather less deservant of kudos, Andrew Johnson, Andrew Jackson, Herbert Hoover, and George Bush, Jr. President Donald J. Trump, notably, is deservant of separate treatment, as set forth below.

Regarding the category of American Presidents, less deserving of veneration we would choose to cite, cite Andrew Jackson who promulgated the shameful and inhumane “Indian Act,” (“Trail of Tears”), Andrew Johnson, whose wrongful actions during the Reconstruction Period, justly earned him Presidential impeachment and Richard Nixon whose illegal and unAmerican crimes, necessitated his removal and fortuitous pardon. Nevertheless, we have been able to tolerate their inclusion among the honorable past Presidents on the eponymous holiday. Not so with Donald J. Trump, the context of whose singular persona and despicable level of Presidential service, we, thematically request, be appropriately excised from the list of Chief Executives, honored on Presidents’ Day. We will elucidate.

Of our designated category of “less deserving of veneration,” only Trump was and is guilty of undermining the existential features of our Nation’s democracy, its constitution, and its system of laws, perversely including, its definitional existence as a democracy by undermining its vote, together with his unashamed repudiation of societally basic principles of moral behavior. His empirical resume would reveal a disgracefully errant American President, personified by anti-democratic rule, distaste for the societal moral compass, publically demonstrated treasonous behavior, and memorably repeated declarations of intent to ” be a dictator.”

The thoughtless, routine inclusion of Donald J. Trump among America’s Holiday roster of honored past Presidents, would be inappropriate and constitute holiday an effective pollution of the ritual Memorial, honoring America’s Presidential past. His name should be beneficially and responsibly excised from our (democratic) Nation’s roster of venerable or democratically acceptable, holiday-celebrated Chief Executives.

-p.

Before Vladimir Putin’s atavistic, and illegal assault on the democratic Nation of Ukraine (2022), there has been no significant war since the Second World War. Russia’s unprovoked attack was an inarguable and egregious articulation of Russia’s autocratic Premier, Vladimir Putin’s assertion of his delusional Ceasar-like power, dedicated to the forceful reprise of the USSR, presumably. encouraged by his easy grab of Ukraine’s Crimea and the Donbas.

In concert with most right-thinking inhabitants of the Planet, we are outraged at the convening of the “Peace Conference” at which Donald Trump’s “Bro-Mate,” and the aggressor, Vladimir Putin, will be represented, but, bizarrely and unjustifiably, without the rational and fair representation of the victim, Ukraine’s democratic President, Vladimir Zelinsky.

Nevertheless, such justified outrage is somewhat ameliorated in consideration of the starkly evident contrast between the respective position of the publically embarrassed and deprecated, would-be “Alexander the Great,” Vladimir Putin, and the contrasting Vladimir i.e., Ukraine’s President. Zelensky.

Putin, in his ego-delusional, publically broadcasted assertion that Ukraine would be summarily defeated in three days, has, nevertheless, expended billions of dollars and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of soldiers in his egomaniacal venture, which, has empirically, lasted more than three years.

It will be recalled that said delusional, self-identified Caesar, has famously broadcast photos of himself, heroically posed, in gladiator fashion, riding a horse, bare-chested. In demonstrated reality, he is a faux strongman, under the existential control of a coarse cadre of Russian mafia, composed of rich oligarchs, and a leader who is empirically able to remain in power by poisoning and imprisoning his detractors,

By bright contrast, President Vladimir Zelensky, democratically elected by the popular vote of the people of Ukraine, has further elevated and endeared himself to his Nation and the free world by his dignified demonstration of steadfast courage and patriotism. [It is revealing that, among the propagandic justifications of Putin for his egregious aggression, was his meme that Ukraine is a “fascist” State since its Vladimir is Jewish; irrefutably, not a historically empirical choice of fascism].

We adamantly disapprove of the Trump administration’s decision to convene a dystopic peace conference in the absence of one of the parties involved in the contextual war (as we are ineluctably, non-plussed and concerned about all matters, Trumpian), but we can glean a bit of satisfaction in the knowledge that the egotistic Putin, with the assistance of our disreputable Chief Executive, is desperately attempting, and will predictably fail, to save face.

-p.

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With the reader’s anticipated permission, we would like to relate a personal experience that may be of interest.

Last evening, following our routine viewing of the [MSNBC] televised news, we went to bed with a momentarily unspecific feeling of relief. After several thoughtful moments under the comfortable quilt, we identified the generalized disposition as a measure of relief and discernable joy.

It would appear that inveterate “bloggers” suffer from a PTSD-like malady in which they search for a singular expressive metaphor to acceptably and precisely express their intended meaning. Despite a sense of generalized optimism, we found ourselves experiencing a somewhat restless night in the latter ruminative endeavor; there seemed to be a plethora of expressive choices causing us much consternation in the choice of metaphor which seemed the most appropriate and accurate.

These available metaphors included: “The worm has turned,” ” “The sun has set,” The seismic meters are evincing a discernable tremor,” “The fog has lifted,” “The storm has abated,” “The wind has shifted,” “The fever has broken,””The sea has calmed,” “The fire has been extinguished,” “The light of reason has prevailed,” The fog has lifted,” ” The sea has calmed,” “The flood has receded.” “The road has turned,” “The ship has arrived,” ” The cat is out of the bag,” “Daylight has arrived,” ” The ancient conundrum has been solved,” ” The dark night has dawned” “The chickens have come home to roost,” ” The horse is out of the barn,” “The bright light of reason has illuminated the darkness of ignorance,” “The roadblock has been removed,” “The way has been cleared.” “The ducks are in a row,” ” Reason has prevailed,” ” The parties have seen the light,” “Peace has been restored,” “The caser has been solved,” ” The opponents have amicably. reconciled,” ” There has been a meeting of the minds,” “The path of reason has been found,” and, incredibly, a surfeit of more metaphorical choices. Who said that the plight of the dedicated blogger was easy?

After much tossing and turning, we, mercifully, reached a personally acceptable choice: viz., “And the Flag was Still There” from the “Star Spangled Banner” by Francis Scott Key, who after the intense British bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1812, observed the miraculous survival of the American flag.

What we saw that night on the news media was the beginning of an ineluctable and systemic, non-partisan objection to the autocratic “wrecking ball” [metaphor} taken by Donald Trump and his bizarre, unelected sorcerer’s apprentice {another metaphor] to the American democratic and constitutional way of life; we are optimistically looking forward to its seismic [ditto] growth in intensity.

-p.

N.B. errata, # 224 “Gaza” [1] The number of casualties on Nov. 7 was approximately half the number indicated, [2] The Balfour declaration regarding the State of Israel was years before its founding in1948,

We have configured the title of this writing in the style of an ersatz-algebraic formula to highlight our principal theme, “Cruelty.” Much is known and millions of words have been expended on the subject of the reprehensible traits of Donald Trump, viz., his serial mendacity, lack of moral compass, ignorance and incapability, egocentrism, numerous prejudices, criminality, denigration of the American constitution, of the media, and institutions of enlightenment. He has proudly declared, and is currently making good on, his brash public declarations to be an autocrat, and thereby, a despoiler of the unique and desirable American way of life.

What strangely appears to be unstated, is Trump’s innate, rank cruelty. The same may be observed in his many socially repugnant acts of physical and articulate abuse of women, his selfish and defamatory xenophobia, and his repeated and malignant calumny of his political opponents. His opprobrious, publicly stated reference to the military dead at Arlington Cemetary as “suckers” and “losers was characteristic of his deplorable cruel insensitivity. [“What was in it for them?”]. Can anyone, possibly, in fathom the depth of despair experienced by the families of the young sons and daughters who prematurely lost their lives in service to the Nation? The draft-dodging (“bone spur”) orange-haired speaker apparently lacks any such human capacity. Further, his ubiquitous opposition to government programs of assistance to the disabled and needy, and his autocratic denial and disparagement of the democratic definitional vote, taken together would inarguably be determinative that it is he, who is appropriately entitled to the gold medal of ” loser.”

We were initially introduced to Trump’s excessive, innate, and despicable cruelty by an event, viewed on public television, that occurred during his first (twice-impeached) term. Donald Trump, on that shockingly revealing occasion, was being routinely interviewed on public television. It seems that one of the members of the media, despite being challenged by the horrendous shaking symptoms of cerebral palsy was posing a routine question to the President, when an event occurred that permanently cemented our opinion that Donald Trump empirically deserves the attribution of a degenerate persona. Our orange-haired, egotistic, and consummately sadistic protagonist, rather than routinely, respond to the question, in his dismayed presence, on public television, performed a clownish and despicable parody, voice and action, of the courageous reporter’s display of the stereotypical symptoms of palsy. This event irreversibly sealed our feelings of loathing and detestation of Trump and his cruelly displayed degenerate persona.

In the very first month of Trump’s bizarrely attained, second term, we are enabled, if necessary, to confirm our factual discernment of Donald Trump’s, innate and eternal practice of despicable cruelty. In his opprobrious reprise, as Chief Executive, Trump acquired “a partner in cruelty, a “sorcerer’s apprentice,” in the person of an impish, autistic-savant known as Elon Musk, reputed to be the richest man on the planet.

We would interrupt the further progress of our writing to express an alternate, but unquestionably related matter. As regular viewers of public television news programs and selected movies, we have been painfully subject to empirically disturbing messages demonstrating heartrending views of emaciated children and adults, the unfortunate residents of third-world countries like Ethiopia and Sudan, mercilessly suffering pain, sickness, and premature death from starvation, lack of water and sublime misery.

We had experienced some feeling of relief by the knowledge that organizations like USAID had been engaged in the compassionate activities of supplying desperately needed food and medicine to such unfortunate people in the World; the latter, an unfailingly appropriate expression of empathy and plain morality by the richest Nation in the World,

Trump, with the assistance of his similarly pathological, and billionaire, “Sorcerer’s Apprentice, has announced the heartlessly cruel elimination of the existential and empathic services of USAID. This is an action that somehow may conceivably, be acceptable to that criminally insensitive duo but unquestionably unthinkable by any mainstream human being with normal societal upbringing. This revolting level of cruelty would be seen as cruelly unimaginable for the traditional American citizen, but systemically consistent with the perverse personas of Trump and his unelected sidekick, the eternally smiling, impish Elon.

The foregoing shameful scenario is augmented by the sadistic duo’s reductively ignorant wrecking ball destruction of needed federal agencies, including the U.S. Education Department, the limitation or elimination of federally funded institutions of medical research, and many other ubiquitous programs of needed federal assistance. according to their reductive, cruel, and delusional ideation of “cutting waste and unnecessary expense.” The utter disregard for the needs of our Nation and the cruel, summary discharge of a copious number of federal civil servants is foolhardy and demonstrably cruel.

It is but little relief to recognize that the foolishly inspired MAGA voters will likewise be the unfortunate beneficiaries of such reprehensible cruelty.

=p,

The manifestly unjust conduct of the peace conference concerning Russia’s atavistic and cynical aggression against Ukraine, which, reportedly includes the wrongdoing aggressor, Russia, but not including the victim, (the democratic Nation ) of Ukraine, seemed to conjure up analogous feelings of injustice, regarding certain perceptions of the recent Hamas-Isreali conflict. The acrid smoke and fire of the latter, by now, seems to have cleared up sufficiently to be enabled to reprise the subject objectively and analytically,

The following brief review of the relevant history should help consider the context of the matter:

After the Ottoman War, England was awarded the Middle East territory, of Palestine viz., “The British Mandate. When The League of Nations decided to establish a homeland for the World’s displaced Jewish people the territory of the British Mandate, was divided in two; one for the Palestinian Arabic people, the other for the refugee Jews. In 1948, the League issued the historic “Balfour Declaration,” recognizing a State of Isreal, relative to the part previously designated for the Jewish People. Within merely hours, a joint force of Arabic Nations militarily attacked the newly designated Jewish State, the attackers having been fully armed and trained by the British (“The Arab League.”), The untrained, poorly armed, besieged Isreal, somehow emerged victorious. However, later decades evinced many military attacks against the Hebrew Nation which were repelled. The scripture of Islam, unfortunately, contains a specific direction (“jihad”) to eradicate the Jews.

Israel decided, at some point, to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, thereafter exclusively occupied by the Palestinian People. It came to pass that the militant group, “Hamas,” internationally recognized by most non-Arabic Nations, as a “Terrorist Organization\ secured the governance of Gaza. It was this terrorist group, plus certain Palestinians that notoriously attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, on the Hebrew holiday of “Simchat Torah.”

Reports indicate that the attack was preceded by substantial rocket fire and that the attackers employed hand-held gliders, powered by trucks. in their surprise assault. Twenty-five hundred celebrating Israelis were killed and 251 were kidnapped; the latter, constituting all ages, from toddlers to old people. The kidnapped hostages were dragged, along with the retreating terrorists, to Hamas strongholds; well-supplied military tunnels tactically constructed under Gaza hospitals and other places of public assembly. This cynical tactic was part of a plan to cause Isreal’s predictable retributive action to be necessarily wreaked against such civilian targets thereby, pathologically, using the innocent: Palestinian public as “shields” and, importantly, incurring Universal criticism of Israel for evident cruelty in egregiously bombing hospitals and public place,

Unfortunately, these evilly-inspired tactics worked. The media reported outrage, as foreseen, on an international scale against Isreal for alleged inhumanity, such vehement outrage conspicuous on American College Campuses, which, in many instances included the vehement charge of “Genocide.”

The latter charge was sophomoric and as reported, encouraged by outside agitators. In fact, “Genocide,” is definitionally and legally applicable to an attempt to eradicate a people; as in the cases of Turkey-Armenia, Tutu v, Tutsi, Serbian and Croatian, and, perhaps thematically more relevant, Nazi Germany against the Jews. If the charge of genocide is to be rationally and empirically raised, the Hamas attack was irrefutably, motivated by the articulated desire to eradicate Israel and its Jewish population.

It is additionally notable that the violent attack by Hamas was not a”military” matter. The universally accepted, unwritten strictures of military warfare provide that civilian casualties, if possible, are to be avoided. The October 7th surprise attack by Hamas was, by factual contrast, directed against civilians; of every age, from babies to the elderly, engaged in a holiday celebration, and furthermore evinced, torture, rape, dismemberment, and a myriad of foul acts of every hateful nature.

It may be observed that “The Jews” have throughout history, been falsely accused of the commission of all manner of ubiquitous turpitude, poisoning the wells, for poor harvest of crops, for killing Christian babies for their blood, as an ingredient in Passover win, for various plagues and other outbreaks of human suffering, for seeking World Control by the conspiracy of prominent Jewish Bankers, and more recently, for ” raining rockets down on Earth (Marjorie Taylor Green).

Notwithstanding the empirical and historical, absurdity of any conceivable accusation that the post-holocaust, Jewish People are guilty of “Genocide,” it is our information that they do, affirmatively, confess full responsibility for Jonas Salk, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Leonard Berstein, bagels, and Lox, great corned beef, and the finest artesian chicken soup in the Solar System.

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At appropriate times of the year, the American public is informed of the results of the determined winners of its ubiquitous artistic competitions, such as film ( “the Oscars), actors and film producers of international film and television (“Golden Globe Awards”), and for excellence in television (The Emmy’s). We at plinyblog.com, have also construed a rewards program, (“The Leggies”) dedicated to the judgmental recognition of the quality of the legislative performance, including, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Additionally, it should be noted that there are distinct and material differences, between ” The Leggies” and the stereotypical awards set forth above.

The distinctive features of the ” LEGGIES” consist of the following: (1) they involve several trophies (as opposed to a singular prize), (2) the respective trophies, are awarded to members of Congress who have distinguished themselves in two disparate categories: ” Esteemed” and “Reprehensible.” It should be noted that the following caveats are contextually applicable to both: (a) each category represents but a small, but appropriately representative number of designated winners, (b) the trophies, or awards, differ, depending upon the particular category of qualitative achievement, and, (3) the recognized performances are of longstanding of duration, as contrasted with the usual competitions which feature a singular and notable performance.

To ensure precise accuracy and objectivity, the winners, categorized and listed below, represent the consensus of the entire plinyblog organization, authors, the editing department, production, and distribution, and the blog post’s exacting technical department.

The trophy prizes, for the winners in the two, respective categories of competition, as adjudged by the above described, diverse, democratic, and highly proficient adjudicators are: (1) for the laudatory, “Esteemed” category, a polished oak judicial gavel with their initials embossed in gold and copy of the original draft of the U.S, Constitution; and (2) for the winners in the “Reprehensible” category, official color photos of Elon Musk and Marjorie Taylor Greene waltzing in the Oval Office for the smiling Donald Trump, while the latter is busily engaged in chewing on a ketchup dripping ” Big Mac,” while seated in front of an official White House portrait of Abraham Lincoln.\ As an extra bonus, each of the photos is authentically autographed by Vladimir Putin,

After much consideration and healthy debate, the SENATORIAL “LEGGIES” are awarded as follows: “

“Esteemed:” Senators, Dick Durbin, Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon Whitehouse, Cory Booker, Marc Warner, Richard Blumenthal, and Amy KlobucharJohn Garamonde,.

“Reprehensible:” Ted Cruz, Charles Grassley, John Kennedy, Tom Cotton, Josh Howley, Rand Paul and Marsha Blackburn.

THE HOUSE/REPRESENTATIVE “LEGGIES:

“Esteemed:” Jaime Raskin, Tom Suozzi, Gerry Connolly, Jim Clyburn, Alexandra Cortez, Gerry Connolly, John Garamonde and Zoe Lundgren.

“Reprehensible:” Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Green, Jim Jordan, Darrell Issa, Mike Johnson and Steve Scalese.

There were a plethora of other deserving winners, however, we ran out of trophies. We hope to be inclusive in the future.

-p.

\It has long been our thoughtfully considered conclusion that the innate potential of the human brain necessitates the empirical conclusion that phenomena exist beyond the scope of human knowledge. The eternal, time-worn chestnut, that for every question there is an (available) answer may be jejune or possibly, arrogant. What is the human comprehension of the eternal dynamics or source of gravity or the evaluation of one thousand light years? What is the etiology of the electrochemical energy that powers human life? To pose a question does not empirically, nor rationally result in an available or an eventual answer.

It would appear that the pragmatic existence of the eternal existence of the “unknown,” has eternally constituted the etiology of extra-rational or superstitious belief. The Sun God was thought to die after the Fall season and by certain prescribed tribal rites utilizing the “magical” trees that portended continued life (evergreens) during the dark, winter months, brought back the Sun God, i.e.,” resurrection.” Later understanding of the planetary seasons empirically, and rationally (secularly) superseded former atavistic belief. Notwithstanding the enormity of rational, scientific, and medical advances in human understanding, there understandably remain many matters yet unknown, some of which, we would maintain, are beyond the potential capability of the human consciousness or intelligence; thus, presumably, the phenomenon of “faith” viz,. non-rational belief.

However, it is irrefutably notable that cultural and ethnic diversity in zealous religious belief has led to conflict, prejudice, war, and bloody tragedy. There exists no historical shortage of war, inquisition, conflict, and human suffering evinced by the militant evangelism, historically accompanying religious zeal and prejudice.

Homo Sapiens, despite the invaluable gift of the Natural Evolution of a brain, capable of rational deliberation, historically and fearfully has required explanations for the natural phenomena of life and death, sickness, and good health, the seasons and the changing agricultural conditions, day and night, the visible planets and stars; and by atavistic necessity, metaphysically ascribed superstitious, magical and extra-rational beliefs, to assuage fear and promote good fortune

In the progression of time, “modernized” iterations of a conceptional Deity culturally evolved to fill in the blanks and provide available answers to the eternally unanswered metaphysical questions. Yet, cultural and ethnic diversity inspired historical differences in religious belief which, unfortunately, led to an eternal history of conflict, war, inquisitions, and tragedy. The Thirty Years War in Europe and the needless, tragic “Troubles” in Ireland are but two examples of tragic religious imperialism. In further, instructive illustration of human tragedy resulting from such atavistic religious zeal, one might elect to consider the conflict between the Sunni and the Shira of Islam. Since the 7th Century, these sectional groups, notably, sharing an identical Faith, have been at war over the issue of whether the prophet Mohammad is properly to be succeeded by a blood relative or, otherwise, by an election.

While it fairly may be said that the sense of “community” and identification of “believers” and the softening of the difficult recognition of our ultimate demise are positive societal concomitants of (shared) religious belief, it would appear that the unnecessary tragedy and inhumane prejudice are, inarguably, historically egregious features. Similarly undesirable is the option to prefer folk remedies for disease to modern prophylactic or curative treatment of disease.

As societally unacceptable as it may be to denigrate traditional, non-factual belief (“faith”) in favor of empirical fact, our loyalty to the human aspirations for survival and fulfillment, obliges us to prefer the available potential of enlightened reason to the ersatz methods of mythical belief. however popular and socially acceptable. It may be noted that the modest authority of this anecdotal writing is confirmed by the writings of such venerable minds as Francis Bacon, John Locke, Rene Descartes, Benjamin Franklin, Emmanuel Kant,, Jeremy Bentham, and a venerable plethora of humanistic, empirical thinkers..

One might beneficially consider rationally substituting the goal of personal redemption and ultimate reward, for that of societal improvement and universal equality.

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In our estimation, there is no more definitive example of prejudicial depravity than the product of the toxic admixture of ignorance, arrogance, and moral asininity displayed by the semi-literate charlatans arrogating to themselves the constabulary responsibility of guardians of the human (read, other people’s) thoughts. This neurotic, quasi-religious, literary evangelism is as unAmerican as it is presumptuously tyrannical. The anti-intellectual, societal pox of book burning and censorship is an inarguable demonstration of unjustifiable and unfounded, determinations of acceptability, founded on a delusional responsibility to protect society from evil influence. The practice, in addition to its plain arrogance, is in reality, hand-in-hand with detestable bigotry;

As we follow the media-reported examples of such contextual delusion, the same empirically seem to apply to books containing, the subjects of sexuality, gender, and race, or concerning the dark periods of America’s history. The inane Quixotic conception seems to be that if such “immoral” and “improper,” matters were scrupulously deleted from the Nation’s literature, they would be protectively erased from history and the reader’s ( morally justified) remorse. However, to the contrary, legitimate and realistic aspirations toward humanistic tolerance and equity may indeed benefit from the instructional examples of the “dark periods ” in American history, as enduring lessons of more appropriate morality and beneficial exercise of humanism. Deleting them from books does not erase their past reality and may render academic, the teaching of human equity, and the American ideal of “E Pluribus Unum.” Banning books on sex, gender, and homosexuality, may conceivably, be more indicative of the neurotic persona of the dedicated censor than any purported determination of human rectitude.

In addition to the analogous practice of an ostrich, burying his head in the sand, book censorship is an egregious violation of the Constitutional assurance of free speech and expression and a violation of American liberty’s implicit franchise of enlightenment. With apologies for the repetition, the perverse and autocratic practice of semi-literate charlatans have arrogated to themselves the bizarre, delusional ideation of personal authority and mandatory duty to audit human thought and its expression, to test permissible accordance with their reductively skewed mindset. It may notably be presumed that a contemplative, regular reader would possess the requisite sensitivity and personal awareness to observe that the arrogated duty and rectitude to police people’s minds constitutes a presumptuous, quixotic, and thoroughly irrational aspiration.

As evidenced by anecdotal history, the self-anointed inquisitors of virtue have, all too often, been the moral offenders, including such famous malefactors as Eugene McCarthy, Father Coughlin, and Huey Long, However, this writing is addressed, contextually, to the ordinary citizen who finds himself personally obsessed with the delusional duty of arbiter of written propriety.

It is instructive to note that the observably, typical supporter of book banning and censorship, is a reductive-minded bigot with a faux, religious-moral ideation of propriety, in conformity to his skewed, prejudicial perception of rectitude, indeed, of reality, itself. We have read novels by Toni Morrison, and James Baldwin whose entitlement for inclusion on the official list of banned books can only be objectively attributed to their race. Protestations on the subjects of gender, sexuality, and physical love seem to reside in the nuanced psyche of the censor, rather than their acceptability..

Included in the long history when the Supreme Court of The United States, merited great respect and veneration, Justice Louis Brandeis wrote (Whitney v.California, 1927):

“If there be time to expose through discussion [and writings*] the falsehoods and fallacies, to avoid evil by the process of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence.”

Quod Erat Demonstatum.”.
-p.