This is my final post for 2024. This year has been a real ballbuster in every respect. The only positive takeaway is, I’m still on this side of the grass. Any positive aspects of the presidential election remain to be seen. I can’t imagine the pressure on Mr. Trump to perform, especially considering that a percentage of Merka want him to fail. I don’t understand this level of hatred or the depths of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) in the Democrat party. I suppose it makes sense in light of their historic hatred, divisiveness, and racism, but to destroy the republic in retribution is unconscionable.

The end of the year is a couple weeks, and the past, well, let’s hope we don’t see anything like this again, but something tells me that were on a Möbius strip (loop) – ‘A geometric shape with one continuous side that’s created by twisting a rectangle 180 degrees and attaching the ends together. The Möbius strip is often associated with infinity, unity, and non-duality.’

It’s more complex than a simple loop, since it requires two trips around to arrive at the original starting point. I use this analogy, because what we experience today, is a repeat of the past – only we fail to recognize it.

For you movie buffs, the dilemma this creates was used in Arthur Clarks’ ‘A 2001 Space Odyssey’ when the HAL 9000 computer tried to follow conflicting directives. The results were catastrophic. You should read the book, or at least watch the movie. It explains how conflicting messaging – programs can create problems in simple logical machines like computers.

Merkans see thing in simplistic terms like good or bad, right and wrong, and have difficulty deciding a direction when faced with a simple choice. We become confused by the ambiguous messaging we see every day on the’boob-tube’. The Corporate Media Complex (CMC) plays a key role in keeping us misinformed. When facing this confusion, we revert to what we know and what we’ve done in the past, even if it previously failed.

What we see in our republic is a direct result of administrative actions that countermand, or invalidate, the US Constitution, the administrative design for this republic. Discord results when we ignore or circumvent the design, or block the processes designed to avert the mistake, resulting in the chaos and friction we witness in our nation. The system is not perfect, it does, however, allow for updates and corrections as necessary, but only by following the processes and procedures as prescribed. The chaos we see today is a direct result of tampering with its exquisite, elegant, and skillful design.

For the past 246 years, Philistines in our government have tampered with the mechanics of our constitution to allow themselves latitudes and opportunities to seize power, and to profit from their meddling. We are witness to the calamitous results of these actions; they are all around us.

Albert Einstein is attributed with saying: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results”, but what he did say is: “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” ~ Albert Einstein

So, applying these two statements to our current and past regimes, I deduce that our leadership has a serious learning disability; or maybe we’re trying to solve problems using the same thinking and judgement that created them.

This exposes that Merka has a serious cultural problem, as well as an endemic learning disability. Looking back over the past forty years, I recognize that our expectations for the people in charge, our government, is to solve the problems, the ones they created, but not by using the same mechanism they used to create these blunders. Our expectations are absurd. Congress, the opposite of progress, never changes their approach which is why they fail every time, they never learn this lesson.

The disastrous past 4 years were a ball-buster for this country. We are more and further divided than ever before, and chances of unification are nearly non-existent. If divide and conquer was the goal of the partisan politicians, we are nearly there. Another 4 years of democrat leadership would have clinched the deal. We were very lucky to dodge that bullet. I doubt we’ll be that lucky next time.

Countries are often referred to as ‘The Ship of State’. It’s a metaphor Plato used in ‘The Republic, book #6’. “Plato’s view of democracy, as nothing more than a ‘drunken pleasure-cruise’, reflects the philosopher’s utter contempt for popular government and its catering for the lowest desires of humanity. Under democratic rule, the ship of state is sailing adrift with no clear destination in sight.”

America’s Ship of State is the epitome of Plato’s remark, wandering, about to founder, and going down fast. All indications from the partisan political parties, our government, is that they are drilling holes in the hull to let the water out.

* A boats’ hull must remain water-tight, that is, to keep the water out, so the ship may stay afloat and be useful; it’s called buoyancy.

Decisions made by our government, are destroying us by dismantling our constitution little by little… ‘Drilling Holes In It’, giving themselves license to avoid the self-correcting triggers integral to this noble document.

Our leaders make unfulfillable promises for all manner of things they cannot possibly supply without first taking them from somewhere or someone else; but isn’t that what governments’ do?

And by extension, spending money they don’t have to fund their reckless and imprudent decisions.

I’ve used the metaphor of a sinking ship of state in multiple commentaries over the years, and I must say that it is so very appropriate to our current situation in this republic. Then again, Plato said the same thing over 2500 years ago.

The real conundrum is… Why haven’t we learned anything in all that time? Are we so arrogant that we can ignore history’s warnings, and so cock-sure that we have nothing left to learn?

We claim superiority in nearly every aspect of our lives and in our republic, but things have not improved one scintilla in all that times. America has a great track-record when the citizens are consulted, but an abysmal record when led by congress, which is precisely why I append the word congress with – the opposite of progress: ‘congress, the opposite of progress’. It appears that as individuals we have an incredible capacity to excel, but when subjected to leadership with delusions of grandeur we usually fail miserably. Have you ever thought about why?

Again, our incapacity to learn from our mistakes exposes our severe learning disabilities. We continually state the obvious phrase – “We won’t make that mistake again,” but we always do… We repeat the same steps, in the same order, expecting different results. Doesn’t this define insanity…?

Yes, we have wonderous technical marvels, but our morality and ethics seem to deteriorate as our industrial and scientific prowess improves. One would think that these innovations would accelerate advancements in all areas, yet the convers seems true. Innovation and ethical growth appear to be mutually exclusive, notably went profit is the primary driver.

Improvements in medical maintenance are better than ever, but it’s just maintenance, nothing has been cured. We have vaccines to arrest, mask, or manage some diseases, but we foolishly create chemical additives for our food that, when consumed, create or exacerbate medical problems. Available facts point to the direct link between most food additives and too many ‘new ‘diseases and medical problems, but we decline to make changes, especially when they could negatively affect profits.

What have we learned?

We see the evidence, and choose to ignore it.

It’s not about health; it’s about greed!

The materials used to package our products invade our bodies causing unimaginable and irreparable harm.

Where are our marvelous technology and social progress concerning our health?

It’s not about health; it’s about money!

America has the ‘WORST’ healthcare system in the world… Stop for a moment to consider this outrageous and incriminating fact – American also has the most expensive health care in the world.

Yes… America has the Worst and Most Expensive healthcare system out of 195 countries on this planet…

How can this be?

That’s a damn good question…

My well considered response is: $$$$$

We can do it faster and cheaper, but is it better for us, or is it the increase in revenue that drives the business of medicine, or other businesses for that matter.

Which is more important to America: faster & cheaper or the good of the country?

I don’t expect a response. Just think about the decisions made by our government, and most businesses, and realize that we are not a factor or part of the calculus in these decisions. We are no more than ‘the means to their ends…’ and nothing more than the financial cornerstone for their mercenary programs.

Are our efforts in service of humanity, specifically this republic and its citizens, or do we worship other gods – money and power.

According to our friend AI – ‘it is possible to profit from serving humanity, particularly by creating businesses or ventures that address significant social or environmental problems while also generating revenue through sustainable practices, innovative solutions, and a positive brand image that attracts customers who value ethical business practices.’

As an observer and critic of Merka’s socio-political escapades I approach this next phase in the life of our republic with guarded optimism and caution. I’ve become so calloused from unfulfilled promises and disappointments that I’m indifferent to the enthusiasm of political pandering and assurance. “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.”

I am exhausted by our attempts to fix what we’ve broken using the reasoning that broke them or caused the failures. This is the conundrum of rationalizations. When you take the easy path to a goal, irrespective of the consequences, you find yourself back at the beginning – it usually takes at least two trips around the ‘Möbius strip’ to reach the starting point. Merka’s on a marry-go-round – I’m getting dizzy. But… we never learn, do we?

“The ends, justify the means.” I’ve beaten this short phrase to death in an effort to expose the faults that this pretext implies. It stands as evidence of failures and problems in every aspect of our republic. It’s most appropriate and applicable to decisions that ignore historically proven consequences.

“We know the probable outcome based on history, but we still fall into those traps… following the lemmings off the cliff. We make the same choices expecting different results.”

My brother-in-law David reminded me that there are times when ‘the ends justify the means’, but those times require serious deliberation and thought, before committing to them. I do agree, but those times must a necessity, and be few and far between, lest we begin rationalizing everything for the sake of expedience, as we do now.

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” ~ Leo Tolstoy

Why do Tolstoy’s, and Einstein’s statements represent an enigma in our republic? Think about what they imply. Tolstoy’s statement wraps neatly into Einstein’s about problem solving. Unless we change our thought processes, we will continue to arrive at the same conclusions, and you can’t change those processes unless you change the persons’ thinking. This is where the ‘Möbius strip’ analogy fits into my commentary.

Walking on a treadmill is great exercise, but it’s not an effective method of travel, yet walking 1 mile on the treadmill will keep you in the same place – your location never changes, unless you move the treadmill.

Can we predict the outcome of changes made using the ideas and concepts that created the problem? Yes, because this is the Merkan way, not the American way. America ‘was’ innovative and creative, but we’ve fallen into a cycle of flawed thinking, motivated by profit, not moral or ethical progress for the republic.

Here’s one of my favorite political examples.

The Merkan Welfare System: ‘a collection of government programs that help people and families in need achieve a decent standard of living. The goal of welfare is to help people become financially independent.’

The result of Merka’s Social Welfare System is a growing class of people who are comfortable in a system that rewards noncontributory, compliant involvement and subservience – they no longer contribute to this republic, they are parasites.

We extend this program to our world-neighbors through Foreign Aid programs. The idea was to ‘help’ with economic growth, but like the Merkan welfare system, it’s become a staple of many economies, with the aid often going to the oligarchy or corrupt government officials, not where it’s needed. Yet, we continue to increase the amounts and keep sending the checks.

The latest grenade from Bungles the Clown – Biden, was another $10B waiver on Iran’s’ sanctions, now totaling over $70 billion going to fund world-wide terrorism, especially in the Middle East against our top ally Israel.

I call it the “Buy a Friend” program.

The total foreign aid package is $70.3B which does not include $130.1B for Ukraine, or the $70B is sanction waivers for Iran for 2024. In case you’re wondering that totals $270.4B to buy and/or maintain our friendships in other countries – and ‘China Joey’ aka Bungles the Clown, just promised another $3B to Angola to ensure a shipping port for our needed rare-earth and scarce metals to support his climate agenda The Green New Deal’ – another $1T boondoggle… The annual interest alone exceeds $1.127T on the existing debt, and rising quickly.

Lest we forget – we are already $36T in the hole – spending 123.6% of every dollar brought in. This is what I mean by faulty thinking and rationalizations. Either we change how we think and learn to make better decisions, or we will go bankrupt – we are already teetering on that edge.

My point: Yes, readers and listeners, we’ve arrived.

It is true that an individual cannot change, unless they recognize the need, and commit to the process. Since this is true for the person, it follows that it is also true for the republic because the republic is a collection of individuals, who select people to represent us to our government. This is the crux of our problem. We select the wrong people as representatives.

The most recent presidential election may offer a promising ray of hope for the republic, but in the light of the opposition pushing back at every step, I’m dubious of the outcome.

I seriously doubt America has the necessary resolve to see the requisite changes come to fruition. I fully expect there to be a few minor advances, but the opposition to these forward steps will undoubtedly meet them with relentless pushback, and fierce hostility as the major factions fight for self-serving control of the republic.

It’s not about us, the citizens, it’s all about them… the partisan political parties.

“We have met the enemy, and he is us…” ~ Walt Kelley – Pogo

December 12, 2024

~ The Author ~
Charles R. Dickens was born in 1951, is a veteran of the Vietnam war, for which he volunteered, and the great-great grandson of the noted author, whose name he shares.

He is a fiercely proud American, who still believes this is the greatest country on the planet, with which we’ve lost control and certainly our direction. He grew up in moderate financial surrounding; we’re not rich by any stretch, but didn’t go hungry – his incredibly hard working father saw to that. As most from that era, he learned about life from his father, whose story would take too long to tell, other than to say that, he is also a fiercely proud American; a WWII and Korean war, veteran Marine.

Charlie was educated in the parochial system which, demanded that you actually learn something, and have capability to retain it before you advance. He attended several universities in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, and chased the goose further to a master’s, and has retained some very definite ideas about education in this country.

In addition, Charlie is a retired blues guitar and vocalist – a musician. This was his therapy career. Nothing brings him as much joy as playing music, and he wishes that he could make a living at it… but alas… life goes on!