Ah, yes, I love being inscrutable first thing in the morning…. almost as good as the smell of cordite in the air…. For those unfamiliar with chemistry, or warfare, or the streets, cordite is the smell of gunpowder, after it’s been used, usually to fire a weapon of some kind…. Not to worry, I never carry while escorting, or when writing these missives…. ‘Tisn’t necessary, what with the mines, and the number of stashed knives, spears, and other quiet-type weapons laying about the area, most of them hidden in plain sight…. Like a book, a knife is a pleasant thing to have nearby….

What? Me? Paranoid? Not at all…. I’m a realist, a warrior of the Light, and a student of war for my entire life. Having grown up on Army bases, primarily, until the age of ten, the concepts of Duty, tactics, strategy, discipline, and The Rules were all drummed into me from  birth. (The Rules of a Gentleman, of course….) Keeping track of potential enemies is part of life, for me, and for anyone with a realistic concern about surviving, and living well; it doesn’t do one’s stress levels any good to be ignorant of potential threats…. So, my habit of keeping myself well-armed, if not obviously so, is a rational response to the danger that exists EVERY FUCKING WHERE in the world, ESPECIALLY in a country where the government cannot be trusted….

SIGH…. I’m not only NOT going to rant already, I’ll give you fair warning…. The rant today, in section three, turned out to be one of the longest pearls every written, and certainly the longest rant I’ve ever produced…. Headlines and new CRAP kept popping up in front of me as I searched the news, along with some perfect accompanying material, including pearls…. they all kept insisting on being included, as it all, basically, is one subject, viewed from different points…. It grew, unfortunately, beyond all reason, and would now comprise a decent essay, or a monograph on a subject of interest, to post somewhere else online….

Instead, I’m going to get this one on the road to completion, by using my new-found, newly favorite ruthlessness to take us down the page to where we need to begin…. Hold on, ffolkes, it could get a bit bumpy….

Shall we Pearl?….

“The question was once put to him, how we ought to behave to our friends; and the answer he gave was, “As we should wish our friends to behave to us.” — Diogenes Laertius (c. 200 AD) — Aristotle, xi

Gee, sound familiar?…..

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This particular batch of classical music starts out with, and contains, a bit more opera than I like, but, it’s still pretty good, and makes an excellent background for reading of these Pearls…. or, anything else, for that matter. Enjoy, ffolkes….

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“Ignorance is the opiate of the poor, a cordial, administered by the gracious hand of providence.” — Soame Jenyns, “A Free Enquiry into the Nature and Origin of Evil”

http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Texts/jenyns-selection.html

The above link leads to an analysis of this quote by Samuel Johnson, a contemporary of Mr. Jenyns, wherein he lays out his thoughts on the concepts discussed in the article quoted above, by Mr. Jenyns; for the most part, Mr. Johnson does not agree with him, and, in certain respects, he is correct in his assessment…. However, he is NOT incorrect in his observation of the effect of ignorance on the poor; he is, strongly, incorrect as to its source, and the degree of divine compassion that is indicated by such ignorance…. In short, he is right, in that ignorance is, and continues to be, a large part of the oppression that creates a class of poor; he is completely wrong in thinking, and even more so in saying, that such ignorance is in any way a beneficial state….

I would make a guess, based on experience and observation, that Mr. Jenyns was a preacher, or cleric of some order, if merely an academic (possibly the most dangerous kind, as they tend to be very far removed from reality, as exists for the majority of mankind, thus making them innocents, in terms of insight into human nature, since their knowledge is limited to what they read of that nature, and not observations of it’s behavior out in the real world….). It is clear in the statement that he gives far too much credence to the delusional system followed by the majority of people, thus insulating him from ever realizing any truths that will stand up to the real world….

For example, the attitude he expresses can be shown to lead to the kind of ignorance that encourages misogyny, bigotry, racism, and narcissism, the actual four horses of the Apocalypse (not horsemen…. I figure, if it’s Apocalypse, the horses would be running rogue, destroying and creating chaos on their own…. no direction wanted, or required…. makes perfect sense to me, as much as any such superstitious nonsense can….). The appearance of all four of these qualities in society is a sure indicator of the impending demise of that un-civilization…. (as pointed out to me recently, we really don’t HAVE a civilization; there is nothing ‘civil’ about it….)

We see it in the paranoia displayed by those who are ostensibly elected to protect us, but, who spend their time spying on us, lying to us, and ignoring anything that might make changes beneficial to all. They spend their time, instead, filling their pockets, and satisfying the needs and wants of their financial backers, otherwise known as bankers, snakeheads, corporate masters, lobbyists, and other such parasitic entities who make it possible for them to complete their agenda, which has NOTHING to do with what is good for the common man, or for society, but, rather benefits them, and those who support them….

Need proof I’m not talking through my ass? Here, read this, then tell me the NSA, GCHQ, CIA, FBI, and all the other government spy agencies aren’t completely out of control…. I dare anyone to do so….

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/oct/29/gchq-nsa-data-surveillance?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2

“The group also said information obtained through these overseas “arrangements” was treated as if it were targeted surveillance, removing a requirement under UK law not to search for UK citizens and residents in such data troves. This means that British citizens could, in theory, be subject to warrantless monitoring by GCHQ.”

“The line the Government took at the hearing was that there were adequate safeguards, they just couldn’t be made public,” he said. “Leaving aside whether secret safeguards can ever be adequate, this reluctantly-made disclosure suggests otherwise.”

Excerpted from the article found at the link above these four lines….

Need a bit more proof? Here is an article from the UK Guardian on a subject reported in all the major news outlets (though with less depth, and more speculation in the others….), about the sheer stupidity/cupidity of public officials in this country, turning a medical issue into a panic, due to their own ignorance, and that of the public, which they foster and encourage….

Want some more scary proof? Well, maybe you don’t want it, but, it’s out there, so, here…. read this…. If this doesn’t tickle your outrage bone. then you don’t have any passion at all, and have already accepted your slavery….

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/oct/29/fbi-hacking-press-internet-users

Excerpts from the article:

“The Seattle Times and Associated Press issued angry statements to the FBI on Tuesday after the American Civil Liberties Union’s Chris Soghoian discovered that the FBI had falsified an AP story and byline, and then possibly attempted to make it look like the fake story was published on the Seattle Times website – all to deliver malware to a suspect in a criminal case. The evidence was buried in documents obtained by EFF (pages 61-62) under the Freedom of Information Act three years ago (and the emails date back even further)….”

“Though there are still a lot of questions that FBI seems unwilling to answer. Because the documents were heavily redacted, it’s tough to tell how the whole plan worked: we still don’t know how the FBI delivered the link (through a fake reporter or mySpace friend), to which website the link went, how many people besides the suspect clicked on it, or whether there even more impersonation going on beyond what we see in the email. And most importantly: how often do they normally impersonate news organizations and falsify articles?”

“Since at least 2007, the FBI has had what it calls a “Secure Technologies Exploitation Group” – which is a more polite way of saying they have a team that hacks computers.”

“They’ve been using the same language with judges, at least one of whom has recently rejected the FBI hacking request, given the invasiveness of what they were actually doing. The judge described the FBI’s malware tool in that particular case like this:

“Once installed, the software has the capacity to search the computer’s hard drive, random access memory, and other storage media; to activate the computer’s built-in camera; to generate latitude and longitude coordinates for the computer’s location; and to transmit the extracted data to FBI agents within the district.”

Still not convinced just how sick this society is?? Or, how the people who are supposed to be in charge are complete assholes, almost to a man?…. Check this article….

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/oct/29/maine-nurse-defiant-maine-ebola-quarantine

From the article:

“People infected with the Ebola virus may not show symptoms for up to 21 days, spurring the calls by politicians for a three-week isolation period. However, people with the disease are not infectious until they are symptomatic, typically after developing a fever. Even then, those infected can only spread Ebola through body fluids, such as blood or vomit. The disease is not airborne. ”

“The day before Hickox was detained in Newark airport, a New York City doctor, Craig Spencer, was diagnosed with Ebola. The doctor took at least three trips on the subway, dined out and went bowling, spurring public anxiety.”

“Do you understand what that did to the psyche of public officials in a metropolis of nine million people,” the Today show host Matt Lauer asked Hickox.”

“Of course I do understand, it has created a lot of fear, but we still have to make policies based on evidence,” Hickox said.”

If I have to point out to you how wrong all of this is, then, I am afraid you need to practice your thinking skills, or, perhaps, you need go find the thinking cap you put in the attic, years ago…. It’s crystal clear to me that the political forces in this country have blown the Ebola virus issue completely out of proportion, aided and abetted by the media, which thinks only of how fantastic claims of impending doom sells more papers, than does a reasoned approach to any issue. Pay attention, ffolkes…. Everything you need to know about the ridiculousness of the political buffoons’ reactions can be found in the above excerpt, which describes the medical status of the disease…. IT ISN’T ANY FUCKING MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE FLU THAT PASSES THROUGH US EVERY DAMN YEAR….

Sorry for shouting, but, damn it, listen to me….

Every year, you will note, without fail, no matter how many cases are seen, or not seen, of the flu strains they tout as so dangerous, the medical/pharmaceutical industry wants everyone to get a flu shot (Only $4.95/dose at K-Mart, or Walgreen’s, or even if free…. Somebody is being charged by the pharmco’s for this “service” to the public, paid by the insurance money they rip us off for….). Every year, we see the same advertising, and the same push to “Get Your Flu Shots!”…..

But, to treat it that way costs money the corporations that control health care don’t like to spend…. They don’t want something like that known widely, or they wouldn’t be able to convince anyone of the danger, thereby losing, literally, BILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS every year, from having to treat kids with the flu, and from not getting all those adults to buy the shots they’re trying to sell…. They simply aren’t going to let that happen, are they?…. Not when they can use the government, and the media, and the ignorance of the average person to manipulate them into being afraid of nothing much at all….

There is plenty more proof, should anyone need it…

Indeed, misogyny, and outright fear of women, among most men in this world, is a key problem in our world, an all-too common fact of life, caused by the attitudes related above, to wit: ignorance, encouraged by society itself….This cowardly weakness is manifested in our daily lives very much more than anyone wishes to admit…. From what I read, and from what I’ve seen in my 64 years, I can truthfully say I estimate 99% of all men alive today are, at least to some degree, misogynists… They are afraid of women’s sexuality, and how they feel it threatens their masculinity, which they do not understand at all, connecting it to their physical size advantage, rather than to their intelligence, or understanding…

The problem arises from the unfortunate fact that men have a tendency, when they fear, to resort to violence, or, if threatened by a woman (in their minds), by sexual misconduct (a fancy way of saying rape, or sexual harassment of all types….)…. If you think I’m overstating the situation, or the issue, take a moment to read the following article, and watch the video….

Both provide graphic proof of my contention, and there is little I can add to make it any stronger than it is…. So, check it out, please…. This is an issue that is important to ALL men, and ALL women…. seriously…. Then, think about the simple fact that this video was performed in only ONE place…. a large one, to be sure…. but, is this any different than what you see on the streets of your own city? I don’t think so….

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/oct/29/woman-records-10-hours-of-harassment-walking-through-new-york

It scares me, and not just a little bit, either…. The only solutions I see are only going to happen if the entire species acts as one organism, and, so far, we haven’t done too well at that…. not that I’ve noticed…. Add to that the fact of human nature that we all know to be true, i.e., change is the hardest thing to do for us, and, well…. Let’s just say, as delicately as we can, things aren’t looking terribly promising for us having much of a future…. We are the victims of our own nature….

I can think of only one creature on the face of this planet who will miss our sorry asses when we are gone, and, they already love us more than we could possibly deserve, or love ourselves…. Dogs, I think, will wonder where we’ve gone, but, if we are all that was gone, I think things would get along fine, and none of the other creatures would be concerned at all…. not considering how we have treated them….

“If you can see a thing whole… it seems that it’s always beautiful. Planets, lives…But close up, a world’s all dirt and rocks. And day to day, life’s a hard job, you get tired, you lose the pattern. You need distance, interval. The way to see how beautiful the earth is, is to see it as the moon. The way to see how beautiful a life is, is to see it from the vantage point of death.”  — Ursula K. Le Guin, Dispossessed

“They made light of it.” — New Testament — Matthew xxii, 5

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Well, even software can have an urge, I guess; all seven of these pearls were picked out by Smart Bee, though only two were original to him/her/them/it/…. That urge seems to have something to do with a sharp stick, and the eyes of a politician…. Well, they deserve all the shit we can throw at them, since that’s all they throw at us, so…. enjoy….

“Is it fair to hold politicians to the same standards as humans?” –Smart Bee

“Nothing, indeed, but the possession of some power can with any certainty discover what at the bottom is the true character of any man.” — Edmund Burke

“Nothing can so alienate a voter from the political system as backing a winning candidate.” — Mark B. Cohen

“I support drug testing. I believe every public official should be given a shot of sodium pentathol and asked “Which laws have you broken this week?”– Smart Bee, (again with gigoid’s full agreement… damn good idea.)

“I have discovered the art of deceiving diplomats. I speak the truth, and they never believe me.” — Conte Camillo Benso di Cavour

“Abuse of words has been the great instrument of sophistry and chicanery, of party, faction, and division of society.” — John Adams (1735-1826)

“Either CONFESS now or we go to “PEOPLE’S COURT”!!” — Zippy the Pinhead

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Whew! That’s a long one, ffolkes. Even though much of it was done yesterday, I still had to proof, edit, and format the whole thing, so, at this juncture, I’m just happy I got it done…. In fact, I’m going to go with the flow, and take us out of here, now, so we can all get on with what promises to be a good day…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes…..