Month: April 2025

Since the formation of the white supremacist organization, the Ku Klux Klan in 1865, the notion of “White Christian Supremacy” has fueled reductionist hatred and bigotry in the United States. Relevantly, the “Great Displacement Theory,” ethno-nationalist, i.e.,” White,” groups have maintained a neurotic fear of being “replaced” by non-white immigrants. Their blatantly hateful offences against non-Christian and brown or black individuals have varied empirically. obnoxious, prejudicial conduct to homicide. In common with implicitly reductionist features of race and ethnic prejudice, they forego humanistic recognition of the “other,” and, in their egregious intolerance, routinely eschew the provisions of the U.S. Constitution and the law of the land.

The bigot’s declared, reductively ignorant, but passionate cry is: “They will not replace us!’ The latter martial battle cry demonstrates not only a betrayal of the American mantra of liberty and its avowed motto, ” E Pluribus Unum,” but also an ignorant and delusional mindset. Aside from its lack of empirical recognition that Homo Sapiens are born in different colors and diversdely acquired ethnos, the illusion that such miscreants represent the epitamy and ultimate embodiment of the standard and acceptable iteration of the human race, is as farfetched as its pronounced, reductive and delusional hubris; illustrative of the empirical observation that ignorance and resultant reductive thought are conjoined twins, difficult, or anecdotally impossible to separate.

Modern human beings, according to scientific human anthropology, originated on the continent of Africa and subsequently spread worldwide, replacing the Neanderthal and other early species. This theory is the universally accepted model in the field of paleoanthropology, relative to the geographical origin and early appearance of the modern iteration of the human being. Any “selfie” will attest to the discernible plethora of human change and “replacement” since the Stone Ages.

The profuse tattoos on Trump’s selection of our aberrant Secretary of Defense, attesting permanently to his support of Christian White Militias, is a demonstration that such xenophobic and religious bias, shared by a ubiquitous assertion of reductively ignorant citizens, relative to their delusion that white American Christianity is the ultimate zenith of Natural Evolution and that they are mandated to avoid its pollution. In addition to its being morbidly delusional, as testified to by Man’s known developing and changing history, the ideation is harmful to the retention of liberty and democracy; the latter, our Nation’s aspirational foundation.

Based upon our previous perception of some of the enraged militant faces of the Trump-inspired insurrectionists, it would be conceivable to imagine a conceivable scenario in which Neanderthal Man might, programmicly protest against the developing appearance of the Cro-Magnon, the protesters bearing heavy stone-sculptured signs enunciating, in prehistoric pictorial symbols, “We will not be replaced.”

-p,

The publicised event of Pope Francis’s historic passing seemed to evoke thoughts concerning the traditional Biblical religious canon and its singular social impact upon modern empirical thought and prejudices. We have previously conjured up the Bible’s apocryphal recitation of the beginnings of Mankind, specifically portrayed in the Book of Genesis, which, for believers, apparently has had an enduring effect on social thought and behavior. Thematically, it is understood by countless believers to justify the arcane concept of “Original Sin,” as well as having an enduring effect upon the unfairly assigned status to women (ask J.D., Vance).

The universally accepted message is well known: Adam is tempted by Eve to eat a fruit ( an apple) from the “Forbidden “Tree of Knowledge on which the inciting serpent resided, resulting in the banishment of the couple (mankind) from the “Garden of Eden.” ( previous condition of ignorance). A simple conceit, but which thereafter evolved to be humanistically devastating. In our view, it is symbolically erroneous, albeit retaining an enduring and cogent religious and social significance.

The presence of a serpent (the snake) in ancient mythology and belief was universally considered a symbol of fertility (Freudian?) by recognized mythologists such as Joseph Campbell. To our resultant perception, a symbol of fertility, residing in the “Tree of Knowledge,” would empirically symbolize mental fertility. Eve’s apocryphal ooffering of the apple from the “Tree of Knowledge would symbolically and affirmatively accord credit to women for Mankind’s acquisition of consciousness of self (“of his “nakedness”), no longer, thereafter, to remain insapient like the other creatures of creation (i.e., “banished from the Garden of Eden.) In our view, the concept of every infant as being born in sin (“Original Sin”) is more than bizarre and pessimistic, but, thematically, symbolically erroneous.

The enduring concept of Eve (Woman) as temptress and Adam sinfully partaking of the “Forbidden Apple,” might, consistent with ancient beliefs, more justly, salubriously, and perhaps, consistently, be perceived as symbolically demonstrating that it was woman who delivered knowledge to Mankind, rather than tempting him and his entire Earthly progeny to life-long sin. Unfortunately, and undeservedly, like the Greek God, Prometheus, she was granted a rather bad rap.

Having desirably declared our critique of misapprehended Biblical mythology, we would affirm our strong and enduring preference for judging people, irrespective of their sex or gender, by their empirically demonstrated character.

-p.

In our late octogenarian musings, we have often analogized our ancient condition to a used automobile, viz., worn joints, slow mobility, and the frequent need for service. At times, we see ourselves as an old “Chevy,” needing frequent mechanical service, and, for some of our contemporaries, a change of parts.

In this conceptual analogy, we have had the exotic experience of perceiving a mundane television commercial as having an unintended and unexpected metaphysical significance. The relevant advertisement relates to an automobile service that offers the service of determining whether an apparently shiny, new auto offered for sale has previously been in a damaging collision. The advertiser styles the offered service “Carfax” and presents an alert car fox who utters, “Give me the carfax (car facts) ” relative to its possible history of an automobile offered for sale as “new”, despite its having empirically sustained a collision.

As declared, we were somehow inspired to conceptualize the commercial as symbolic of a humanistic message concerning our perceptive appraisal of others with whom we interactively relate. The commercial advertiser offers for sale its investigative services to determine the possible existence of an accident-damaged automobile, deceitfully offered for sale at full price. Analogously, as interactive members of society, are we responsibly obliged to consider the possibility of human trauma in the societally pleasant smile of others? Pragmatically missing is a smart and discernible fox to guide us in our appraisal of others, appropriately deservant of empathic consideration.

Anecdotally, as unsophisticated young first generation American children growing up in the immigrant ambience of the 1940’s Brooklyn, we regularly witnessed the elements of past trauma and struggle, reflected in the time-worn, tragic faces of the elder generation bearing personal histories of suffering from European antisemitism and severe economic privation; regarding which troubles apparently seem to make their enduring imprint, notwithstanding their occasionally smiling face.

The readily available inclination to such perceptive sensitivity was implicitly imprinted on our psyche, maintaining its enduring cognitive application in our contemporary interactions; the outward stimulus for the caution being, anecdotally, less readily apparent and discernible.

In our view, successful societal life mandates an appropriate awareness and sensitive consideration of the experiential history of other societal members regarding the possibility of past challenges and their sublimina. endurance, as analogously illustrated in the contextual television commercial.

-p.

The recent passing of Pope Francis, followed, thematically, by his previously requested, abridged official ceremony, appropriately warrants our sincere condolences. In addition, it presents the observation of certain singular phenomena relative to the phenomenon and dynamics of ubiquitous human change, notably those relating to Man’s eternal religious beliefs and practices.

Generally speaking, religious faith involves adherence to a particular religion and spiritual system of doctrines and ceremonies relative to the worship of a God. It represents a specialized choice of mysticism and significantly affects the manner and cognitive process of believers.

As we read history, Catholicism, knowledgeably, ruled by a papacy, the latter, the reportedly oldest continuing absolute monarchy in World history, developed a highly sophisticated mode of theology and an elaborate organizational structure.

A reading of medieval history reveals the “Dark Ages” periods of the Catholic Church, evincing inquisitions, pogroms, and autocratic control of the population, especially refererable to the lower classes, in which barbaric inquisitions, torture, and ubiquitous misery were inflicted upon those charged with “heresy” (often over petty matters) in an unchanging system of orthodox autocracy. The Church was “infallible” in its doctrines so that any variation in doctrinal belief, often, conclusively determined by the mere choice of words, meant cruel and barbaric retribution.

In the 16th Century, responsive to the above-described tyranny, the “Period of Protestant Reformation developed, offering changes and reforms deemed repugnant to orthodox Catholicism, leading to conflict and brutal religious warfare. As a notable example, the bloody “Thirty Years’ War” in Central Europe (1618 to 1648), in which history reports, casualties numbered between 4.5 to 8 million, from battle, famine, and disease.

Change, for the persona of Man, has eternally been slow and painful; most notably, and empirically, changes in religious orthodoxy, belief, and practice. It is this time-honored observation that makes the life of the late Pope Francis singularly significant and memorable, even to secular empiricists.

The incomparable significance of “humanism,” not consistently an observable feature in the recorded history of the Catholic Church, was, notably, the defining quality of the late Pope Francis, an aspirational quality to which all men, religious or secular, should appropriately aspire. Unlike the previous “Princes of the Church,” Francis injected into the historic institution the salubrious features of modesty and humanism, so exemplary in the case of an ordained Catholic Pope. Such notable grace provided the motivation for this confirmed secularist to praise his life by this written memorial.

In a religion in which official doctrine eternally praises simple faith and poverty, yet evinces gold leaf roofs, iconic treasures, enormous wealth, and pomp and ceremony, Pope Francis demonstrated the appropriate realization of its eternal representations concerning pius simplicity and loving regard for humanity so overlooked in its many centuries of past history; revolutionary change without official reformation or bloody conflict.

Among the notable reforms of Pope Francis are his modernizing of the traditional Mass, allowing access to influential meetings of Bishops to Lay people, allowing Priests to bless same-sex couples and baptism of children of transgender parents, and refusal to deny communion to people who support abortion. Reportedly, when asked about a Priest who was purported to be gay, he replied, “Who am I to judge? [N.B.: a modest response from the canonical “Infallible Pope,”], residence in a nearby guesthouse instead of the ornate Papal Residence, driving around town in a modest Ford, and democratically advocating for a greater role for women in the Church.

We, who steadfastly adhere to a Lockean, secular, and empirical philosophy of life, nevertheless, admire the refreshing humanism of the late Pope Francis, the spiritual leader of an institution regarding which that venerable quality has not always been a steadfast, reliable concomitant.

-p.

Should you care to know the date,

Mark it, Wildebeast Wednesday

The sun is up, the coffee perked

Soon will be time to join the herd

Stampeding down the dusty road

In its horde transit to greener sites

And in the late afternoon,

To return for food and find some rest.

Some may choose to watch TV

The words of King Orange Widebeast

Churning dust, yet going nowhere.

=p.

(Leonard N. Shapiro, NYC 4/28/25

The American mainstream citizen has regularly been witness to the presumptuously misnamed policy of personalized vengeance designated by the “Orange Avenger” since his dystopic, Orwellian elevation to what had historically been a traditionally venerable Oval Office. Trump’s arrogant use and declaration of the thematic noun, “retribution,” is revealingly symptomatic of his singular level of personal hubris and neurotically presumptuous ideation.

It seems impossible to rationally comprehend the unique persona of an individual so encased and invested in his own reductive bubble, that, albeit President of the most powerful and influential Nation on the planet, evaluates temporal reality by the reductive ideation as to his perception as personally “winning” or “losing.”

The word “retribution” properly refers to the just meting out of punishment by an official authority, such as the State, for societal wrongdoing, and is brightly contrasted with the individual perception, or motivational word, “Revenge.” The mere act of opposition to Donald Trump is transmogrified by virtue of his hubris and aberrant ideation to be deserving of the official status of “Retribution.”

Trump’s delusional perception as to what is acceptable or repugnant to society (read, “him”) appears to be sociopathically unfettered by his numerous criminal convictions, felony indictments, his demonstrated lack of moral compass, his serial mendacity, his overt acts of National treason, or his demonstrable incapability. Such blemishes on his character are distorted and construed by him merely as evidence of opponents’ vain attempts to discredit him. The game, stadium spectators, popcorn, and the umpire reside solely within the discombobulated venue of his perception.

The overweening perception of immense power, vested in such a monomaniac, provides the underpinnings of fear by the ever-present unpredictability of exercise of his dystopian, elected executive power. Wrongdoing is unrelated to rules, regulations, or societal norms; in such instances, it is defined by action, arbitrarily and neurotically, perceived by Donald J. Trump as contrary to his interest and, ipso facto, wrong, and justly deserving of his “retribution.”

We share in the apprehension and temporal angst concerning the potential harm and mayhem caused to the Nation by this Presidential cuckoo nest.

-p.

Modern history has shown that the most effective antidote to the toxic disease of governmental repression and totalitarian rule is the existential endurance of independent, rational thought. The signature goal of higher education is the relevant promotion and advancement of individualized thought and its consequential goal, humanistic enlightenment; the latter, eternally constituting the singularly effective prophylaxis against totalitarianism.

Contextually, the Trump administration has perversely presented the notably identifiable symptoms of the malignant recurrence of virulent, diagnosable fascism. The latest tactic of its deceitful misrepresentation of the salutory, democratic word, “diversity,” has been to further transmogrify and toxicly metastasize to a fallacious, discreditable, and un-American accusation, those whose identifiable symptoms evince disagreement with MAGA agitprop.

It may not be necessary to comment on the blatently undemocratic, and inarguably unconstitutional nature of such egregious misuse of power, whose ambient odor is unavoidably noxious and repulsive; however, much insight to the procedural chess game is garnered from such overtly tactical efforts to “sanitize” education and its successfully traditional end product, individualized and mature perceptive.

For those who, conceivably, lack the requisite insight, we would contextual;lly declare, that the inculcation of authoritarian governance is existentially nourished and husbanded by an uninformed, inadequately educated, and myopic public; the latter being compliant, pliant, and malleable “sillyputty” in the egregious hands of totalitarian malefactors. A relevantly reprised admonition of Thomas Jefferson, to the effect that democratic government can only succeed if a Nation evinces literate and informed citizenry, has a particularly bright resonance in this context, (in addition to that as intended, viz., good governance.)

Trump’s egregious efforts to control university education irrefutably seek to apply the foul, heinous, and pungent”fertilizer” upon which the repulsive and indigestible stalks of fascism existentially feed and nocturnally thrive.

As any informed citizen is aware, the foul emergence of a tyrannical government can only be born and thrive in a venue evincing the noxious swamp of citizen ignorance and disinterest; the latter domicile. Inarguably, the preferred venue of Trump and his MAGA lemmings, but not the rationally chosen homestead of the educated and informed citizen.

Wisdom, derived from an uncensored liberal education, provides the fundamental underpinnings of an enduring democratic Nation and effectively constitutes the eternally effective prophylactic against autocracy.

It is encouraging to observe the recent growth of rejection of such tactics of , “cleansing,” predictably languishing in their present stages of public rejection and its predictable, historically appropriate mortality.

=p.

After several frustrated years of inability to appropriately describe the sui-generis persona of Donald J. Trump, we were recently stricken with an epiphany, amounting to an acceptable mode of his portrayal. For years, the presenting conundrum resided, not in the inadequacy of critical adjectives in our lexicon, appropriately descriptive of his societally aberrant and bizarre persona, but in the anomalous applicability of all of them.

An adequate description of any individual, pragmatically requires the selection of a few outstandingly representative traits, positive or negative, to enable the rendition of a comprehensible picture of the subject, In the unique case of Donald J. Trump, it bizarrely appears that the entire inventory of negative adjectives is applicable, thus rendering, his personalized description intrinsicly indistinct and nebulous; indeed, one might randomly conjure up, at random, any negative adjectival attribution of Trump and deserve confidence in its empirical verisimilitude.

The singular difficulty in the portrayal of this uniquely unprecedented ogre, scientifically, and curiously identifiers as a member of the anthropological class of homo sapiens, may be avoided, as we recently have realized by the effort to conceive of his contextual perception as a comic book villain, who, escaping the c comic book pages of his fictionally creative role through some unseen portal and eerily arriving into the world of non-fictional reality, creating the singular occurrence of a mixed media reality.

One might recall from early life, certain memorable comic book villains, appearing in publications of D.C. Comics or Marvel Enterprises, LLC., such as “The Joker,” The Penguin,” “Magneto,” “Lex Luther,” and others among the copious menagerie of colorfully portrayed “bad guys,” and thus, discover that he is more capable of an acceptable referential description of the real-life, elebrated villain, the “Orange Autocrat” presently maintaining his darkly evil sway over the American Nation.

In the comic armegeddon, the fictionally created monster is reliably defeated by the publisher’s utilitarian and supremely capable super-hero, yet the contextual, non-fictional villain, aptly thus describable by reference to the action-packed comics, will not be confronted by a colorfully imagined super hero like Superman, Captain Marvel, or Spiderman; the latter cast of ultra characters, unfortunately, for moral society, are not able, analogously, to find the portal leading to a mixed media reality.

The justice-restoring, declaredly, non-fictional,” Super-Hero,” available to restore justice, societal health, and morality to Gotham City, in the non-fictional world of reality, is the conglomerate of informed and dedicated American citizens, without benefit of impressive stereotypical super-hero costumes, with the effective antidote as prescribed in their informed, constitutional franchise of the vote.

-p.

From the aesthetic view of birds in their flowing, oceanic-like tides of seasonal migration and the compelling sight of hordes of wildebeests churning up clouds of dust in their annual trek to seasonal venues, to the contrastingly mundane ceremonial morning shaving and dressing, the dynamics of repetitive or routine behavior are universal and eternal. Dr. Ivan Pavlov, the famous Russian physiologist, uncovered (1904) the natural phenomenon of behavioral conditioning, which occurs in response to the presentation of relevantly motivating stimuli.

Human behavior might also permissibly be described as “Pavlovian,” in the sense and analogous context that empirical experience (as opposed to basic instinctive reaction) motivates the empirical predictability of Man’s nuanced response. From the quick withdrawal of one’s grip on the handle of a hot tea kettle or the overtly expressed rejection of stale food, to the willing acceptance of a cold beverage on a hot, summer afternoon, or the positive self-affirmation of external laudatory approval.

One’s accustomed, social condition, and comfortable lifestyle are productive of the perception of its temporal normality. They are causative of feelings of outraged disappointment, even dystopia, in the case of a principal transmogrification osuch normal societal life, when the imposed change is perceived as a diminution of personal spontaneity and freedom of choice. Such a dismaying response would apply to the arbitrary removal of one’s favorite easy chair and doubtlessly, far more predictable to the current diminution of freedom of expression and personal liberty.

The despair caused to the American mainstream citizen, proximately responsive to the ubiquitous, autocratic mischief of the Trump-MAGA administration, is, by such dynamic, contextually repugnant to the mainstream, freedom-loving American citizen, accustomed to the liberal franchise assured by the Nation’s constitutional “Bill of Rights.” The experiential discontent is palpable and makes irrefutable a responsive rejection of the entire dumpster of Trump and his lemming-like cult.

Like the motivational drive of a galloping horde of wildebeast toward the direction of a more suitable venue, the American citizen will, before long, dispense with the unacceptably autocratic atrocity of the Trump-MAGA proponents and, like the practical wildebeast, return to the traditionally positive and easy chair life of the traditionally free and aspirational American citizen.

=p.

Residents of the North American Continent have reportedly, have been experiencing an ever-increasing ground rumbling sound, accompanied by a palpable feeling of shift, similar to that experienced in an earthquake.. Geologists explain that such phenomenon,” the aftershock,” dynamically functions as a physical adjustment necessitated by a previous shift in the Earth’s massive tectonic plates.

The Nation, analogically, is presently experiencing a dynamic “aftershock” responsive to the recent rightward shift from the foundations of its traditional democratic character, effected by the current Presidential administration. The latter change in direction constitutes a notably substantial shift in the deep, stable bedrock of our two hundred and forty-year-old Democratic Republic.

It may be contextually observed that people who normally reside in repressive autocracies are pragmatically submissive and resignedly passive to mundane tyranny; however, once individuals have traditionally accommodated themselves to the sweet fruits of civil freedom and the franchise of liberty, they become systemically resistant to tyrannical incursion into their personal lives.

The current abatement of traditional liberty, expression, and free choice, brought about by the autocratic Trump administration, dynamically serves to catalyze its own uiltimate rejection by a people defining their traditional mode of living, in the enjoyment of the franchise of liberty; it has had the analogous impact of a deep, geological seismic event, shifting the democratic-oriented tectonic plates, underpinning our sxystemi way of life and predictably resulting in, responsive public aftershock.

Donald Trump’s ov erarching self-interested predilection, has, by now, been plainly revealed to the Nation as antithetical to good democratic governance and contrastingly revelatory of his neurotic insatiable aspiration to be seen as a “winner” ( his words) at the cost of the interests of the Nation. domestically and internationally, and that of its citizens.

The Trump administration’s reductionist mentality and undemocratic policies have led to ubiquitous policies of autocratic rule, including the diminution of national military security, the undermining of the economy by the irresponsible imposition of tariffs, the major reduction of existential health research, the banishment and foreign incarceration of hundreds of foreign residents,without due process of law, the fascist-style program of “retribution” against political opponents, an all-pervasive rejection of the tenets of the U.S. Constitution and the societally estabkished Rule of Law, an atavistically imperial desire for the aggrandizement of foreigh sovereign nations, the perverse admiration and passionate romance with foreign dictators, the elimination of vital federal civil service inclusive of regulatory agencies designated to protect the health and safety of the Nation, interference with and hobbling of University and primary educational well as medical and scientific research, the absence of programmatic and equitable reform to the tax code, the elimination of all inspectors general, the promotion of fossil fuels which despoil the environment and cause catastrophic global warming and, in general respect for truth and the aspiration to universal of fairness and equity.

Such “aftershock” reactions have been plainly observed in responsively angry, citizen town meetings, the growing resistance by Universities to further submit to Trump’s autocratic demands, the ubiquitious loud well attended public protests, expressing outrage directed at Trump’s arbitrary and self-serving by-passing of the Nation’s foundational system of law and justice, and the economic bedlam created by Donald Trump’s impulsive and reductionist predeliction for tariffs and satavistic economic policies, the latter’s resulting in higher prices and inflation, despite Trump’s, snake oil campaign representations to the contrary.

It is empirically conceivable, given the egregious and bizarre nature of the Trump administration’s emulation of the Putin-Orbanesque style of autocratic governance, that the seismic meter will uniquely demonstrate a notably higher register attributable to the aftershock than the originating shift of tectonic plates, itself.

-p.