Why Justice Isn't a Joke! One true path forward and many backwards!

There are people who feel justice is a joke. Some will be given free passes and others will become responsible for all of society's ills (In most societies one group or another is picked.). It makes no difference what position one is in or their perceived value to society (I have a Muslim name and told my family was targeted for that reason. At present it appears corruption is given a free pass. Time will answer that definitely. I expected that but I have been wrong on a number of occasions. I don't even really care that much any more. Free passes should be embarrassing in the modern century. It is a devaluing of life.). Justice isn't a joke and when we give a free pass to behaviors that are obviously wrong we make a mockery of the rule of law.

Punishment isn't necessary but accountability is a must! That should come with moral conscious and wisdom. It makes no difference if someone is the president or the lowest ditch digger (I respect the later more than most in the "connected" class. I'm not against the connected class but I'm against their subjective entitlement to irresponsibly put our democracy at risk. Our country isn't a game and people should not be manipulated for political gains. There is much more at stake then winning the elections or which party takes the lead. I say that as a light right RINO republican. RINO=Republican In National Opportunities. I think I might have that wrong because those who seem to use the word  {Republican in Name Only} often don't have truly conservatives values. Conservatism is based in time honored values of multiple religions, historical societal connection and institutional respect for helpful traditions. It has little to do with sacking capitals.  🤔)

If your sacking our capital or torching pro life buildings you should be held to account as that is the nature of justice. Likewise on a local level if your stealing money, spreading false stories or getting your bigoted friends involved it is moral bankruptcy in my mind (Who asked any of them to get involved and if they did ask why did they willing choose to be involved? The manipulation of others and elder seems to be ongoing process. ). 

For example one could conclude at the end of all the prior protests that whether one is a police officer or protestor they should fall under the same laws (...with the former having a greater responsibility not to engage in corrupt acts. I support good officers 100% and civil rights 100%). We shouldn't give more or less value to people in society based on current political interests. There should be no such thing as immunity (Immunity for legitimate mistakes is perfectly acceptable but immunity for corruption and criminal intent is not.)

Until we begin to universalize our laws and use moral conscious to apply them properly we will always be dealing with distorted justifications and manipulation of our cherished values. We have responsibilities to maintain democracy from one generation to the next without ripping at the seams in the wanton ability to get or gain something. That requires the three legs of democracy to work a the best state they can.

Judge, President or Pauper there should be no excuses! What am going to do (I'm not a particularly important or powerful person but I do understand the necessity of finding solutions to problems.)? Stand up for our American principles, be open to rectification (i.e. accepting apologies and positive reengagement). What I'm not going to do is pretend it's ok, sweep it under the carpet, or sugar coat obviously corrupt behaviors. It's up to everyone else, including our politicians/leaders to determine who they are and whether they are going to move toward positive self reflection or further projection!

Society is indeed a contract.…[But, a]s the ends of such a partnership cannot be obtained in many generations, it becomes a partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born….Changing the state as often as there are floating fancies,…no one generation could link with the other. Men would be little better than the flies of a summer. Edmund Burke

 I encourage others to have some type of value system they can claim independent of their parties and social networks. Our futures relies on our choices today. Whether targeted again by the ex mediocre sports group, corrupt officer(s) in their social network, or their easily manipulated supporters I will walk where I want because our country, towns, and opportunities are worth not giving hate the last word (At least until our system chooses a higher form of existence or commits our democracy into history books as a failed experiment. Failure on local levels is a data point to failures on a national level. You will need some systems thinking to see how they may be associated if those experiences are exhibited by others.)

Who am I? Known to some as "The bitch!"(the name yelled out to my kids) to others "The dirty Muslim" (I actually see myself more as a Muslim, Catholic, Jew. I see the value in each). In my ancient/young adult past a few have called me "The All American Boy". I'm not sure any of that is 100% accurate as how you define me is more about how you define yourself (Ceci n'est pas une pipe). If I was to define myself for myself I would lean more to the description of cogito ergo sum (...and I bet you thought my childhood endeavor of philosophy and reading was useless. Maybe it was.....). 

Keep it civil America! You don't know what you got till you loose it! Kind of the reason why we need our "know it all" politicians to start focusing on the big picture...or we need to work within the system to replace the most ignorant of the bunch for the sake of everyone else; including the next generation! Don't be selfish in your choices and duties! Think beyond your careers (Freedom of speech comes with some responsibility to use it for the betterment of society.).

P.S. if you feel offended by what I say you might need to do some soul searching because you are the one who determines if it relates to you. Disturbance of your psyche should tell you something about yourself. 🤷 Just saying. 💁

“In order to seek truth, it is necessary once in the course of our life, to doubt, as far as possible, of all things.”
– Descartes, René, Principles of Philosophy (1644)

Powell Testifies to Congress: A Discussion on Inflation and Next Steps

 Federal Chair Jerome Powell discusses some changes on inflation. You can read an overview in Powell's Warning. I'm not going into super depth about what he is saying but I would agree that there are larger environmental factors involved outside the U.S. (i.e. war, supply chains, etc...) We want to see wages rise without necessarily raising price (That will require rebalancing our labor market to raise value, wages, and functionality. It means we do more with our current labor and increase their market inputs. None of that means that companies should not think about the growing differences between executive pay and labor pay. A level of narrowing that gap can be helpful.). Interest rates are likely to rise to slow the economy down. Part of me thinks there is some advantages to putting ourselves at the center of the highest value leg of the global supply chain and leak off to our allies lesser activities to raise the value of our labor. Not 100% sure how to do that.

Too bad we couldn't make a push to return manufacturing and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) back to the U.S. to ride the wave! (Lots of people are likely looking for alternatives to invest in manufacturing from China. See G7 Gives China the Belt. 😏. They will need to do more than that but at least they are talking about it. China and "The West" can find their own niches but it is time "The West" find look for new competitive strategies. That is why I think we should look at Rapid Innovation Systems. An unfinished national innovative cluster theory.)

Ukraine Loses Ground in War: Exposed to Artillary

 Ukraine is stuck in a difficult spot. It must not only defend itself but also push back against Russian forces. If you read 'Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk now ‘completely under Russian occupation’ after months of fighting' you will get a pretty good sense of their dire situation. 

We have heard over the past few weeks a few things the Ukrainians may be suffering from that include 1.) lack of ammo, 2.) slowing Western support, 3.) lack of artillery and air protection and 4.) lack of troop replenishment. 

To win this war Ukraine may need to change some of its strategies but it will also need to garner faster and more forceful support. With Belarus appearing to enter the war and threats made against other western nations we should have some concerns. 

Coordinated effort to get the Ukrainians the things they need and provide advanced tactical support may be helpful. At present this is their war but tomorrow it may be other nations. A protective buffer becomes diminished and we may soon hear the grinding of steel on steel with all of the sparks. 

Going Back to Moral Conscious and Law: Unchecked Rage

In my mind law and moral conscious should be connected.  We have experienced a lot of extremism over the past few years as a nation. We don't really have a strong understanding of what it is and how to resolve it. I believe the makings of such extremism existed for a long time but we neither had the theoretical lens to see it nor the foresight to tackle such issues early. 

Let us talk about domestic extremism for a moment. If you were a minority of some time (Muslim, Arab, Jew, Black, Asian, White, etc... The race and religion isn't important as it is based in who has power and who can be scape goated.) you may have experienced extremism at one time or another. Now that has moved onto different forms and beliefs.

While people may have experienced unchecked hate against those seen as "untouchables" in society it wasn't coordinated on a large group level. Some people moved from individual rage to group rage and shared sense of hate purpose. When given a level of political cover (Republican or Democrat) it begins to justify the unjustifiable. (Politics is no longer a always a discussion/debate but sometimes an act of physical force.) 

Once we had a sacking of the capital we saw domestic extremism clear eyed in a way that could not be ignored. The smaller risks of individual targets now moved to group support. It was always there one way or another but it was acceptable in smaller doses against "those" people (Whomever seemed most prudent  based on the circumstances of the times.). Now we have politicized and accepted such behaviors on different levels across our socio-political-bio existence.

We have chances to universalize our values, universalize our application of law, and connect moral conscious with legal jurisprudence. When people do extremist things like lie, coordinate others in hate, spread false rumors, ostracize, misuse their positions, intimidate, use violence, threaten, etc... we should not put our eyes to the ground and keep walking. 

In my experience, poor actions in one place often leads to poorer outcomes in other places. Its a little like ignoring a disease when you first find it and then discover years later it has spread. Preventing before getting a disease and in turn tackling the sickness as soon as it is realized is important (i.e. early mental health intervention.). Extremism is like a disease such as cancer on society and seeks to create divisions and distort institutions to bend to their will (not party specific). 

I believe there are a few things to consider:

1.) Universalize our values and laws.

2.) Use critical thinking and evidence based decision making. 

3.) Look beyond the obvious so as to not be blinded by false constructs (i.e. all people who look or worship like this are no better or worse when compared to those who look and worship another way.). 

4.) Intent and motivation is important in assessing behaviors. 

5.) Mental health help is important so as to avoid bigger situations later (Extremism is catalyzed by outward focused distorted personalities.). 

6.) Remove those who either misuse their positions and/or manipulate our institutions. Violations of law should be enforced when they are based in hate and rage.

7.) Encourage different groups of people to stand together against those who accept, support, or encourage extremism (Meaning we all have a stake in the success of our nation and it shouldn't be one group or another that damages that at the detriment for the rest of us.). 

8.) Be open to requisitioning your own personal values for the best possible outcomes. 

In the past few years we have become much more aware of the nature of these behaviors on a local and on a national level. We all have a stake in encouraging critical thinking, moral conscious in legal application, and the development of understanding of how these things work. We must now begin to figure out what our next steps as a nation, people, and individuals should be (For me its positive engagement and encouraging accountability....even if that accountability helps the perpetrators live healthier and happy lives where rage isn't part of their personality nor justifiable among their friends. There are bigger principles at stake.) 

Which is more important.....The law or moral conscious? Perhaps they should be one in the same. It looks like in these situations where far right (justification of rage) or far left (justification of rage) and or local social networks (unable to think for self) we must find a path through to reasonable compromise. I'm not sure anyone has the solution but we can hope for peace, understanding, and empathy. We must become again a single people. There are breadcrumbs of paths that lead to shared futures but we must find them.

Painting of Lilacs and Mountains: Does painting have a place in business?

Is art beneficial to business? It's a simple question of whether painting has a place in modern business. We often think it is for the flighty and non serious. Obviously it has benefits for the advertising arenas but how about visualization and decision making?You may want to read a little something on business creativity and how creativity leads to better overall decision making and business Intelligence. Creativity in Business. The National Endowment for the Arts has a working paper specifically on Artists and Business. While my art may not be the greatest not everything I do is useless. Its a learning process utilizing as many senses and experiences as possible. It becomes increasingly possible to see the possibilities of "out of box". Support your local arts for long term competitiveness. 

Painting of lilacs and mountains. Purchase in Etsy Shop. Some of profits go to various charities. Slowly growing. 

Bipartisan gun control bill passes through Senate: Is there fear that small compromises will lead to bigger compromise?

If you really want to understand what is being passed with the gun compromise act you should read the The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in full. There are things like mental health help, background checks, red flag, funding, etc.. Thus, there was an effort of our leaders to address an issue and put forward a solution. We will have to see if The House will pass it as it is seen as less supported in this arena. 

Just to clear out my own bias I have no problem with people having hunting guns, target practice guns, antique guns, self defense oriented guns and in some cases more powerful guns. I am just not sure when higher military grade guns are needed by the average person in society (I am also not an expert in all the different uses for guns but am descent at absorbing different perspectives. This is just a post to help myself and others think through some options. ). 

I do understand the fear of some gun owners who feel that things they view as sacred are being taken away. Some may feel that if they compromise a little then people are going to compromise more and that will erode their rights. Perhaps in their perspective once the door is open it will lead to a flood of changes. This is where trust needs to come into play. Trust is something that seems to be on decline at an institutional, political and/or person level in society. 

You would be hard pressed to make an argument that everyone regardless of criminal background, mental health, reasoning ability, etc... needs high powered aggressive oriented guns under any and all circumstances. On the flip side, you would be equally frustrated in making the argument that no one needs a gun ever under any circumstance or purpose! (Notice I'm really putting it out there! Its meant to be bold for illustration purposes of solutions being in the middle.)

Even most people that are gun advocates are likely to sort of agree with the above paragraph that not everyone needs a gun but fear that any compromise will lead to many compromises. This is where we need people to respect the intent and purpose of the 2nd Amendment (Not play childish games with controversial and potentially dicey issues that range from gun rights to abortion. We need politicians that get the big picture and don't just trample others arguments simply because their party expects them to do so. We need critical thinkers in leadership positions.). 

Leaders/politicians (That is making the assumption they are they same of which some are and some are not.) should only consider that which will truly have an impact on helping protect lives and will drop the non-practical aspects of any ideological push (Meaning its not about winning arguments but about realized gains to lives. We should explore the solution options. ) We would then seek to tweak laws to find the right balance between gun ownership and gun responsibility; also called value homeostasis.

What we (as a general generic term) would want is only those restrictions that would have a positive impact be considered. That both sides should respect the 2nd Amendment and do their best to keep it as in tact as possible. From free of constraint as possible. These rights carried us forward in some difficult times and we should avoid letting people who shouldn't have guns use them inappropriately and in turn reflect negatively on law abiding gun owners (Its always the bad apples that damage it for everyone. The laws are designed to protect against the unreasonable in people's behavior and choices.).

(This isn't really an argument for or against gun or gun control, it is an argument of a type of logic where we know there are exceptions but don't trust another {the other} party enough to be reasonable in action/thought. Trust comes from experience. Highlighting how extreme views can be destructive to decision making through polar thinking and that can damage future opportunities. What seems reasonable is sometimes misused by others to win political arguments instead of saving lives {the purpose of a bi-partisan approach anyway}. Thus, if our politicians orient their focus past the politics of present to the central essence of human needs {feeling of safety} then we can make better decisions and in turn sew more trust We build trust be taking into consideration the different stakeholder's of society's need. Compromise becomes easier when you trust that the people on the other side are "reasonable" and respect your opinions and values {Instead of focusing on winning arguments.}. In other words, rigidity of political polarization impacts the ability to compromise. Failure to compromise we get stuck in the lower {versus higher} modes of thinking. Everything is all this or all that and rationality is lessened! Maybe not? 🤷)

Let us see what happens. Notice I am not leaning in one direction or the other because I want to understand how the legislative process is influenced by personality and emotional attachment to certain topics (Gun control is a big thing just like abortion. People will go into a rage when they hear these terms and that has even deeper causes. Its not what the answer people have that is important but the process they used to get to that answer that counts. )There is going to be a lot of debate in The House over this issue. Everything will work out as it should but we should be polite and thoughtful in our discussions on thorny issues.

Gun control....

Kayaking the Au train River: History and New Tourism

If your looking for an outdoor kayaking adventure you may want to do go down the Au train River. Au train MI. is located about an hour north of Escanaba and there are about 3-4 kayak renal places within close vicinity. It takes about 3-5 hours to go down the river with lots of places to stop on the banks. A few bathrooms in the state forest as well. 

I suggest you pick up your cans and garbage. It was very clean and clear but there were a few cans that people recently left. Its not your trash dump. I believe the kayak companies go down and look for them but I think people should be a little more mindful that we have pristine beauty in the U.P. and we don't want to mess with that.

I like the outdoors so I look with disdain when people leave junk. Other than a few small exceptions it was beautiful.

Bring your sunscreen, cooler, food and other stuff! Bring drinking water as the sun can get hot. We had a large group of 30 people.

Memories of Au train.
Mining Journal

You can gain some sense of history as Au train started in 1856 as a hunting and trapping area, lumber, iron making and a tourist destination. Hometown Chronicles. 

The Irrationality of Group Rage

Group rage starts with loyalty to individuals who rage. Why people rage run from all different justifications but most rage is usually unwarranted. People who critical think typically don't rage against others. They may be upset, they may disagree, but they don't have the psychological benefits to rage. Rage is a deeper emotion that does sometimes have value for self defense but is often used as offence to harm others. 

In situations where hate is mixed rage is often marked by the desire to maintain a cover on one's internal feelings (Sometimes other incentives such as money and embarrassment but these are associated with deeper issues). An early childhood loss, feelings of inadequacy, etc.. and to keep at bay those overwhelming feelings so they project them onto a target. 

Typically these targets are people they are jealous of, who disagree with them, frustrate them, or are better then them in some way or form. They may or may not be better but they are perceived that way. In the perpetrators mind the best way to stop those feelings is to put that person down and devalue their lives. 

That devaluing comes from making up stories, lying, dehumanizing and other distorted sense of projections. When it is one's feelings alone it has no legitimacy (i.e. angry person) but when they can get a group involved it is seen as legitimate (It may all be a distorted subconscious lie but its about sharing that rage with others and finding supporters in hate.)

The weaker the personalities they surround themselves, the lower the boundaries (i.e. cultish/clannish groups), the more likely they are going find adherents to their cause. The group becomes a tool to get the target even though the target didn't do anything wrong and/or had every right to protect themselves and their family (Irrationality of the group lost in the legitimacy of numbers.)

What makes these situations dangerous is that the group becomes not only the tool but also the enablers of hate. They become unable to choose their own value systems and must hate the target even though the target has always been nice to them and they have no valid reason to do so. 

This becomes increasingly more distorted in groups where each persons value is highly structured and they are told what to believe, who their friends can be, what values they hold, etc... In this case we are talking about a ex mediocre sports group from 25+ years ago that has not grown up or created healthy sense of self. 

Because of this limited thinking and cultish adherents such groups become dangerous. They are not able to be derailed because the internal dialogue is distorted and their false perception becomes put on the target (Let us pretend that the target has done nothing wrong.) They become Steven King creepy in the sense that they will not deter themselves from their object or pick a healthier path forward. Throw in there a couple of cops whose social life is owed to the group members and you have a big problem (Using legitimate authority for illegal and illegitimate things. Extremism cuts across our societies.) Our tomorrow is defined by our actions today.

Team Democracy: Anchoring our American Values and Responsibilities

Cicero Denounces Catiline 1889

We have certain universal values that should be supported and encourage in society. We must pull the fringes back to the center through shared commitment to our institutions. Americans first and parties second. We have a responsibility to be honest and protect each generation from the selfishness of the few. Democracy is like a sacred torch that must fed with positive thoughts and positive actions to maintain its hard won benefits. Each generation will adjust its meaning ever so slightly expanding the practical adaptability of Democracy. We are limping in our obligations because some in society feel entitled that they should have their way at all costs (A faulty ethical system that can lead down a logical path that can justify political extremism and critical thinking deficits.)

I agree with the danger of outside influence impacting our elections and in turn trying to create internal dissention. Some are unwittingly just blindly ( mental slaves of forms-Plato) who don't question or think about the alternatives. They solidify their distorted deep seated beliefs through emotional encoding and every time they think about the topic they become enraged again. They can't short cut the process unless you reach them early before their emotions are attached or create an inclusive environment where thoughts and beliefs are shared openly in the spirit of learning. (Which may have nothing to do with the topic but only one's perception of the topic. Much of our beliefs and values are subjective but carry similar strains cross culture and cross society.) Add group validity to internal distorted beliefs (i.e. mental health. Why we need mental health and tracking strategies) and you have group justification for rage (feelings of powerlessness).  Give them a target (s) (the scape goat) and you got yourself shared extremism based on the ways in which they communicate, the terms/sayings they use, symbols they create, internal rage, their leaders values, etc....(Some more interesting reading not necessarily in order....Blind Leading Blind, Vervet Monkeys, Embedded Groups,  Interconnected, Economic Influence Social, Social Cognition,  Social Cap Theory, Social Capital. Systems Thinking, Optimism, Socialization Process, Human Perception, Hyper Politics

This is the Safe Pledge the military guys were talking about. It is a pledge to protect democracy through non-violence in the U.S.  We must always be open to truth which means we must first be open to being wrong (A Lot!). I support it even if it is just a reminder on what we should already know (i.e. our oaths and Plead of Allegiance. You can lean more about that in History of Oath). I encourage you to send it to your politicians (Doesn't matter the party.) and ask them to pledge support or you won't have their vote (Seems like much of the problem comes from that arena anyway. They did make a pledge and say it everyday but to many it hasn't sunk in what oath they have given.  Maybe not? 🤷 Time will tell.....)

This quote below is interesting because it highlights that we must always be aware that we know little to nothing about our world (Meaning as we innovate and develop new tools in the Digital Era we will learn more about our environment from reaching further out into space and further inward into molecular biology/DNA) and/or "the truth" shifts because of new understandings (...even its subjective nature. There is always another layer of truth. Dang.....Philosophy!  🤓😂)

“No human being will ever know the Truth, for even if they happen to say it by chance, they would not even know they had done so.” Xenophanes

Catching Pike in the Escanaba Harbor (Underwater Pics)

One of my friends caught a great pike in the Escanaba harbor. I didn't measure it but likely 30+ inches. I think he is going to let him go. I was encouraging to cut it up and give me some for supper but because of its size I am going to text him and tell him to let move on in its life. According to a Michigan Document  

"Delta County Chicago Lake, Carr Lake, Hamilton (McDonald) Lake, Lyman Lake, Escanaba River upstream from first dam at US-2, Round Lake (T40N, R20W, S1): no size limit on Northern Pike and up to five (5) Northern Pike may be retained in the daily possession limit with only one (1) greater than 24 inches." 

We initially went there to dive and pick up a drill he lost and help the marina grab a bubbler that fell into the water. I did get to try out my used Coleman outdoor/underwater camera I bought on Ebay for like $15. Is ok but want to take it into deeper water. Anyway....it was a good catch!

You might be interested in reading....

Pike Stats Rules and Guidelines

Field & Stream Pike Beginner Tips Bait

Great Lakes Fishery Commission