Shinto is a pantheistic belief, its underlying principle being ‘All life is animated’. And as a consequence of this idea, “Nature can never be evil.”
Phenomenology is the concept that of an infinite number of channels, we choose which ones we focus on, to the exclusion of all others.
Roger Ailes and Lee Atwater were Ronald Reagan’s hatchet men back in the day. I don’t know the ins and outs of their cabal which included North, McFarlane, Haig, Bush et. al., but of the first two…one went on to found the ‘news division’ of Fox, creating a media megaphone for an unprecedented manifestation of Orwellian doublespeak, exemplified by the motto, ‘Fair and Balanced’. The other is long deceased, but his protege was Karl Rove, aka Bush’s Brain.
An undeniable offspring of this Cthulhun couple is none other than Donald Trump. To make the point unmistakably clear, Ailes -who today it was announced paid off a former anchor he sexually harassed to the tune of 20 million dollars- is free to gambol without recrimination or indictment, and is now one of the head advisers to the Trump Campaign.
Nature can never be evil, but floods and fire and drought and earthquakes and tropical diseases sure are nasty. And people can and do makes things worse. Are people to be considered part of Nature anymore?
Any day we can choose to dial into the bliss of a sunny morning, attune to the harmonics of a waterfall, or watch loons move across South Pond. Or we can drink pop (soda, culture) all day everyday. We might have to shelter in place though, or evacuate, as conditions dictate.
The leaders of Trump’s campaign are undisguised racists and hate-mongers. Somehow that campaign is closing the gap. Or so they claim. By some measures it’s dead even.
To summarize, and sythesize; Nature can never be evil, escapism without end may be possible, but life is neither fair nor balanced.
Replicate
Add to the list Mr.David Brock, former GOP hitman responsible for attacking Anita Hill, Troopergate, etc. who switched sides (?) and has become an equally disgusting operative on behalf of the Democrats, and very specifically the Clintons, who have funded him and helped him along for the last 20 years.
The Nation reported that Democratic donors “loved Brock’s conversion story, particularly since he’d been inside the machine they hoped to replicate.”.
One of the emails in the Clinton state department trove is one outlining his plans to bring down and impeach Clarence Thomas. He spread rumors that black lives don’t matter to Sanders, and compared him to Chavez. He’s used loopholes to keep getting paid from organizations that are supposed to be free of coordination with campaigns. He’s in charge of a team of people who search out critics of Clinton on the Internet and do their best to squish them.
…
Ailes gets $40 million to be fired plus a new job; Brock gets funded to be a jerk on multiple levels. We all end up with two of the worst top choices EVER for leadership.
Clinton is likely to win big with major gains in the Senate in maybe even House – but what are her bold plans? I can’t think of a single issue she’s campaigned on other than being Not-Sanders and now Not-Trump. If I were about to win big, I’d plan big, and get supporters behind me to make the big changes necessary. Nothing is going to change, though, except a few more corporate favors will be doled out to the big donors.
Her lack of substance is probably why Trump, a truly awful option, is closing that gap. She hasn’t inspired anything even close to the (phony) hope and change of 2008. No energy. It’s hers to lose, and she still could clutch defeat from the jaws of victory. Watch out, though. It won’t be her fault. It will be voters who are to blame.
Te destruction of the Republican party has been amusing to watch. There’s nothing really left there. No one in charge. No one able to keep things under control. Funny that Democrats are racing to catch up with them in so many ways.
Thanks guys. When you read
Thanks guys. When you read these back to back it ‘fleshes’ out a lot for me. These campaigns are too complex because it’s not easy for me to follow the two heads of evil and the moldy crumbs they leave behind…
We don’t need war with Russia
Not likely with Trump; likely with Clinton.
Read what Eric Zuesse has to say:
Clinton Plans to Destroy Russia – – 08.31.2016
Leaked emails are filling in the picture of a Bill-and-Hillary-Clinton plan to destroy Russia – a plan which had originated with US President George Herbert Walker Bush in 1990, and which has been followed through both by his son George W Bush, and by both of the Clintons, but which has only recently started to become documented by leaked publications of personal communications among the key operatives who were the insiders running this operation behind the scenes, and who include Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, George W Bush, Victoria Nuland, Jeffrey Feltman, Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud, Saudi Crown Prince Muhammed bin Salman al-Saud, and the Emir of Qatar.
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/08/31/clinton-plans-destroy-russia.html?platform=hootsuite
"debate"
Last night, it turns out, the two major party candidates had a “debate” on a battleship. They did a great job of keeping the whole thing rather secret from the general public.
Instead of confronting one another, the encounter took the form of two, unique, personal interviews. Neither candidate had to see the other or talk to them.
I’m torn on whether I think this is a good idea, and it seems to be getting more common. On one hand, it’s nice to spend the extended time with one person, but on the other hand, it all seems a bit too controlled and choreographed. I would not be surprised if questions were vetted ahead of time.
unfortunately upbraided
My post tried to weave together the idea that there are terrible destructive forces in life that we are pretty much at the mercy of. Yet it seems, we can exacerbate these forces with indulgent or oblivious behavior, or maybe mitigate the damages with some mindful preparation. I also added the thread that we are free to ignore these (or any) energies, but at our peril.
With the election, and the entire electoral process such a debacle on all sides, it’s hard for me to find much comfort or consolation around all this. Philosophy, and humor offer *some* relief, but it’s really minor in the face of what’s at stake, or what we’re bound to lose by our sorrowful antics.
I've read that the universe
I’ve read that the universe is dominated by chaos and therefore is evevrywhere including us. Cosmos is secondary. Destructive forces must be the primary forces. Life must a weak force that adds to our insignificance. (and i guess I’ve been talking to you know who too much)
vetted ?
Quote: “I would not be surprised if questions were vetted ahead of time.”
I’d be surprised if they weren’t.
As my father said
“It’s not that life isn’t good, it’s that it’s not fair.” Well said, Spinoza.