Occupation of Independence

Blogs like to list links to other websites. I have no way of knowing how important this is. But the list of links tends to get out of date. That is too bad, because potentially it is a good way to spread the word about good websites. Recently I had the pleasure of updating my own list of links. You find them by clicking on the three horizontal bars in the upper right of the blog. I am proud of the list I have accumulated and put my money where my mouth is, by donating to these sites in one way or another.

It is important to find good news in the world. After all, we need a certain amount of optimism to get out of bed in the morning. Yes, hope is just the setup for disappointment as I learn more about the situation, but still... Consider the "Academy of Ideas" videos on You Tube. Nothing could be more subversive from You Tube's point of view. And yet these videos are permitted. Is it just because the Academy of Ideas knows how to disguise itself with general words and avoid certain specific keywords that You Tube would automatically censor? Is there an official list of forbidden phrases and words on You Tube? Or can you only learn those words the "hard way." In a censored society, it must become quite a game and a habit to express yourself indirectly through disguise or allegory. 

  Over the years I have studied the history of religions, despite having no interest in the doctrines themselves. And that is putting it politely. The history of religions seems less dry to me than the history of kings and wars and names, names, names... After all, religion pertains to human feelings and aspirations. Talk about a lucky combination: I picked up a History of Christianity (MacCulloch) on the week of the RTR 2022. The Rubber Tramp Rendezvous is a sort of hobo festival in the Arizona desert, aimed at people who live in vans and visualize themselves as a "movement." They seeketh redemption -- financially and socially -- while following the preaching of their Holy Man with a Beard.     It was interesting to see the RTR as analogous to the development of a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in the early Christian Church. From MacCulloch: Scepticism was generally drowned out by the eagerness of people seeking an exceptional and guaranteed experience of holiness, healing, comfort

Seen from a big-picture point of view, the sabre-rattling of the Biden administration seems like craziness. The Soviet Union ceased to exist 30 years ago! Why is Russia the enemy of the USA? Why does NATO even exist? Why is the Pentagon funded at Cold War levels? And why should the USA provoke China? We are dependent on them to make everything for us now that we make nothing for ourselves. Taiwan and the South China Sea are in their sphere of influence. But, as a wise man said a long time ago:       Polonius [aside]: Though this be madness, yet there is a method in’t.—      William Shakespeare. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark  The Biden administration has little going for it now, and this is a mid-term election year. But it still has two important assets: almost complete support from the Mainstream Media, and a president's leadership over foreign policy. Working together, a constant state of Fear over war can distract the peasant-masses from issues that will hurt the Biden administration