DEMOCRACYOLOGY DEPARTMENT, WAS      PRAYER OF HEALING FOR DEALING WITH GLOBAL GOVERNMENTAL PROBLEMS Dear Readers:  It is very important that we commence such a subject as the study of democracy and all the other connected political science subjects, including Man and Womankind themselves and their culture, with a prayer.  We need all the help we can get and especially the help of God.  In fact, our Founders of the U.S. set up our country under God...not as a Theocracy but for guidance.  They were afraid of "organized" church running things.   Jesus of Nazareth the great healer (and we have much in government that needs healing) when entering the worst diseased situation would not dwell on the materiality of the scene, but would immediately turn His attention to His great, unlimited, perfect, loving Father God.  He knew that this good, loving God was really the spiritual control panel behind the material, and it was necessary to recognize this omnipotent, omnipresent "quickening Spirit" (as described by St. Paul the Apostle).  Jesus, therefore, prayed to this God for help, and He was positive that God would answer His prayer, no matter how bad in a human material sense the situation looked.  This scene was not the true God scene.  The Spiritual Godly picture was (is) perfect, for after all , He created everything in the first place and it was good, and especially Man who He created in His very own spiritual likeness...and he was good.  Therefore, we ask God to give all of us the ability to look at, and appreciate, God's true spiritual picture.  With this spiritual thinking the bad must melt away into its true nothingness.  Yes, the evil one "the liar and father of all lies" as Jesus described him, and who is always right there with his empty briefcase and promoting bad, will slink away - beaten by good - Jesus and God - Jesus being the only one who is "the wayshower."  He is the Key, the one we must  go to first.   Therefore, in the name of Jesus we ask that He and God with their  true, good, everlasting, spiritual qualities guide our studies.  Amen.   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -   "De je vous all over again" as Yogi Bera said. What is going on globally now is very eerie for your writer.  I have the same feeling now as I had when a kid in the Great Depression - right before World War II.  It was a rough time in many ways, with much family struggles...and on top of everything, ominous storm clouds were forming in Europe and elsewhere. We kids were well aware of everything.  I kept my ear glued to the radio, and I watched every newsreel at the theatres. Dad worked at three theatres in town (Columbia, Missouri - a college town) doing advertising art. He had a great loft studio next to the Varsity. Later, he set up the Design Dept. at Stephens College.  We lived out in the country north of town (Vandiver Drive - named by my Mom) and had a man working for us named "Royal." He was from an old Russian family that had escaped the Bolschevics.  He played soldiers with me - I collected little lead soldiers. I was the Finnish - the soldiers had white ski uniforms, and he had to be the Russians. The aggressive Russians had just attacked Finland. The Fins fought back courageously.  Their ski troops gave the Russians fits, but, finally, they were overwhelmed. But to this day, I admire the Finns greatly. The whole world was watching that war. Western and Eastern Europe was very unsettled.  We kids could buy  dirigibles or Zepphlins - balloons shaped as these sinister ships. We would glue on the cardboard cutout cabin. I remember getting these balloons and tin soldiers at a dime store on Broadway.       Royal had been a U.S. Marine and had taught me such delicate arts as how to throw a bayonet (at age 7). He was a cook also and happily prepared my sack lunch - with highly curry flavored food, that I couldn't hardly stand. Royal was proud of some machine gun bullet scars across his stomach. These were received battling pirates in the south China Sea. I don't know what ever happened to Royal, although I bet he tried to enlist when Pearl Harbor hit...if the Marines took victims of bullets in the stomach and they probably did!       A little later, we had an apartment on the campus of Mizzou. A visiting professor from Germany, his wife and two young sons, lived in the house also. The sons were little Nazi brown shirts...always spouting Nazi balogna. They were very aggressive, especially the older one. They were thoroughly brain-washed on Naziism. The older son kept pushing and pushing me in the most arrogant way.  He ran down our country, and I stood up for our country. Eventually, the older brother and I tangled with fist fights, knock down drag out affairs. I believe I was one of the first Americans to fight Nazis for our country! What an education! I did o.k. thanks to training by Royal the Marine and also my Aunt Lavon who was a good friend of Babe Diedrickson Zaharias; they had been team mates on a pro basketball team here in midwest. Lavon taught me how to box and also how to get off the blocks in track...all with a win attitude.           At the same time in the news, some other Americans could see big threats but not everyone. Washington D.C. seemed paralyzed in denial. General MacArthur at that time was Chief of Staff of the Army in Washington and pleaded with Congress and President to do something.  Brittain was in desperate need of ships and other help, and Nazi U-boats were picking off our merchant marine.  Yes, our ships and those of the British and others, and we just diddle-daddled around. It was scandalous how we didn't help England. Meanwhile, our government increased some production of war supplies, but not near enough. There were some military maneuvers.  A tank outfit came through Columbia and bivouaced in a park along hwy 40 ( a main east west artery).  Mom Dad and I went out and visited. This was not far from the Hartley Banks home; he and I were school mates in the lab school. One tank crew let me crawl down inside.  These were very tiny tanks. They had little rounded turrets. We invited one of the crew members to our home for dinner.  He was a corporal. Mind you at the same time, the Nazis were making highly sophisticated, giant Tiger and Panther tanks and studying blitzkriegs and pincers - advanced ideas of Guederian and others...although not new  really (Thutmosis III of Egypt employed the blitz over a thousand years before Christ and he and his chariots and troops made it all the way up to the present Mosul area in Iraq..and Alexender the Great in 300 B.C. employed the pincer in practically every battle (including a big battle near Mosul - Arbella or Guagamilla as some call it...the Nazis panzer commanders studied antiquity very well!).      Cousin Glennon Price of Neosho, Mo. was accepted into a new national, Navy, pilot, training program...but there were only 40 such trainees...and the Navy had to cut back drastically due to lack of funding after the program was underway just a little while...and this was just before Pearl Harbor. Funds were tight and the military was obviously getting the short end of the stick. Glennon would land in a shiny silver trainer at the Columbia airport, and we would have him for dinner. He was getting in flight hours out of St. Louis or some field not far away. Well, of course, when Pearl Harbor hit, he was grabbed fast. I'm sure the Navy wished they had many more like him. But it wasn't their fault I can guess, but the fault of Congress. He would go on to become an aircraft carrier Commander, and he and crew would guard the Atlantic coast from Nazi submarines that would sneak around the west coast of South America and elsewhere.       We lived at Hollister, Missouri when Pearl Harbor was attacked. Some neighbor kids and I came back from church, climbed big Taneycomo Hill and learned the news from our parents.    We could look down in the valley at night and during the day and see fires on each end of the Turkey Creek Bridge. Eerie!  Hard reality had hit Americans  square in the face like a cold towl. Local volunteers were diligently guarding the bridges with deer rifles...and it was cold that night (Dec. 7th) and for nights to come.   I remember everyone was worried...were they going to attack the mainland too?  No one knew for sure! Later, there were scares of baloons with bombs floating over to our mainland (a few did make it)...and also sightings of submarines off our coasts.  Nazi saboteurs (terrorists)  were taken prisoner in a war plant out east; they were executed. No playing around in war.        The Nazis had blitzed courageous Poland, and pushed the British to Dunkirk on the Channel. 130 thousand troops managed to escape in little private boats and naval ships to England.  Later, we kids would have a Scout Master for a summer at Hollister, Gary Owen from England (nephew of some local folks, the Owen family that had a bank in Branson). He had been a Seaman on a naval ship at Dunkirk.  He told us how he and his mates pulled men out of the water up on their sloping deck (their ship had been hit too).  He said a number of men died because they were pulled up head first on the sloping deck and should have been pulled up feet first so the water would drain out of their lungs. He very emphatically impressed this life-saving trick on us.  And to add to the ordeal, he and everyone else at Dunkirk were attacked by Nazi, Stuka, dive bombers whineing out of the sky on he and the other sailors and escaping men struggling frantically below.  The Stukas had sirens attached to their wings. Don't ever forget Dunkirk. Many military escaped to fight another day.  Study the history that led up to it carefully. Neville Chamberlain, the notorious British appeaser earlier said that there was really no problem with the Germans! Lots of hard lessons there. Today I see many appeasers. How do you get blindfolds off and look at things with reality?      During the war we moved to Kansas City where Dad and Mom worked in the North American Aviation plant where they made B-25 Billy Mitchel bombers. Dad was too old to be in the military.  Mom worked in the accounting office and Dad became Head of the Dept. of Technical Illustration.  He crawled around in planes doing 3-D drawings for other engineers to solve "Gremlins." He was often around our great secret weapon, the Norton Bomb Sight. He did wonderful illustrated manuals for Rosy the Riveters.  He was an all 'round artist and had been political cartoonist for the noted country editor Mitchell White of the Mexico Mo. Ledger.  But now it was a very serious time believe you me. We were all worried about friends, neighbors and relatives going in the service. We carefully followed along on their draft status...then, so and so received Uncle Sam's greetings. And many had volunteered...some while in High School. Stars representing those serving were on little banners hung in neighbor's windows. Some of the stars were gold!!! Then, I remember going down to see a captured Nazi Tiger Tank downtown (probably a bond drive thing). I crawled all over and in it.  What a giant, and I thought of that pitiful little tin can I had also crawled around in. Another great lesson! This Nazi tank had goughed places where .50 cal tracers had richocheted. They didn't penetrate. These spots looked like one had taken a hot poker and pushed in some soft material.  Awesome protection. By the way, why don't we have Bond Drives now? Strange! We kids even bought .10 cent bond stamps sold by teachers!  Now, we have really become weak...and dumb.        And as usual, my ear was glued to the radio.  I was first to hear the awesome scarey news that Hitler and Von Rundsted did a big counterattack in Belgium: "The battle of the bulge."  That was indeed scarey.  Everyone thought we had it in the bag! No. One never has it in the bag in war! I anxiously told the folks when they came home. We listened to developments with great anticipation.  The 101st and remnants of an other outfit were holding miraculously at Bastogne, Belgium against everything the Nazis could throw against them.  The 101st Commander, General Anthony McAulif replied cryptically "Nuts" to the German order to surrender.        Meanwhile, our military and allies were battling it out in the Pacific. We kids saw movie newsreels showing the rape of Nanking.  How someone got those pictures out I don't know. Some troops become animals; terrorists today are animals.  We saw the Royal family of England down in the ruins of London talking with survivors. Princess Elizabeth and her sister were young girls but standing tall and giving hope. I could identify with young folks like that. The Nazi Luftwaffe was throwing everything they had at them...and the Royal Air Force and factory workers and civies  not only hung on...but won the battle of Brittain!  Roosevelt finally came through with some old destroyers. Roosevelt had lead in his drawers. What is this dumb political thing about denial - which we are greatly suffering from right now? All old military commanders know about it.  Napoleon warned his marshals about it, and to look at things the way they really are not as one wants things to be,  then, he himself marched off with 500,000 troops into Russia with a Russian winter on the horizon. . Then,  in WW II, Herr Hitler was about to do the same dumb thing and charge into the Russian brick wall.  But the US and many other free people around world are in the same  state of denial right now. Yes, we are fighting terrorism - but not in a total mobilize the home front and everyone pitch in way as it should be in a democracy where the individual is running the country (or supposed to).  General Pershing who warned against half way measures is probably groaning right now.  So, how do we get the half-way (if that much) politicians to wake up. Of course the military is doing great; it's the politicians that have problems.  I noticed they recently balked at building some more of the super super fighter planes.  I know, funds are short. But funds were even shorter during the Great Depression and before WWII...and then when Pearl Harbor hit, funds magically appeared!  Washington now has also cut space travel (we must keep technology going, because others are certainly keeping it going!).  If the politicians get scared enough they might act (but precious time is a luxury and slipping away; civilizations have fallen because of denial). One of the best ways to get beat is to plug up creative channels with denial.  Pearl Harbor really shook us up, and the next day, Pres. Roosevelt stood before Congress and declared all out war (not a present glorified War Powers upgrade that we have now). The politicians are scared at the wrong things; they are scared they won't get the votes of the anti-war faction...plus scared of this and that, trained to not rock the political vote, guarding their good salaries, etc. "Security?" But a word to the wise.  Storm clouds are everywhere. Better be prepared as the Scouts say.  If an 8 year old kid can stand up for his country and actually fight for his country at that, a President and the rest of Washington can do likewise.  It's de je vous all over again!  A word to the wise.   (entered Feb. 5, 2010,  Ron Miller). U.S. SUPREME COURT DOESN'T UNDERSTAND DEMOCRACY; HENCE, DOESN'T UNDERSTAND THE CONSTITUTION, THE GREATEST REFLECTION OF DEMOCRACY...AND AS A RESULT ARE PASSING TOP HEAVY RULINGS.  A terrible ruling from a democracy standpoint just came down from the U.S. Supreme Court. They just allowed big business to have the power of an individual and contribute funds for elections. If you understand democracy this will send you into shock.  First, big corporations aren't individuals, and it is individuals who rule.  Always keep that in mind...it's not power from anything big above that rules.  The individual is the power and is above. Big corporations have great power with their big money, and this big power must be controlled with a firm hand.  But now the Supreme Court has opened the flood gates of big powerful corporations from above. It is unbelievable what has happened.  But the Supreme Court has given single individual citizen power to the big corporate masses earlier.  This is probably one of their precedents in the present ruling. Our Founders were absolutely brilliant when they came up with our Constitution and the Declaration of Independece also - both great reflections of democracy.  If one understands democracy they understand our Constitution and vice-versa, if they understand the Constitution they understand democracy. But look what has happened, Washington D.C., including the Supreme Court, has let strange pseudo-religious doctrine seep into its thinking and culture.  See article on down about "The Priests of New Thebes," (in Washington).  Strange doctrine is coming from many different sources. I believe some of it is coming out of business schools. Some other whacky doctrine  is coming out of elsewhere behind the ivy walls.  Humanistic, material thinking saturating Washington goes all the way back to "The Age of Enlightenment." The atheist philosophers of France in the 1700s were having a big ball. Ultimate ethical guidance was attacked viciously.  The material man methods ruled.  The free citizen "under God" idea was obliterated.  Now, we have the present mess.  Just look around. The scientific proof is in the news every day.  We have lost our course.  And now even the Supreme Court is a victim.  It is going to be hard to change such rulings - they have to be over-ruled. And the Justices are in there for life. How do we get them to study democracy...and get the basics of democracy into their psyches?  Term limits for these "Gods" of Mt. Olympus might be one idea.  And before they get on the job, give them a basic test on democracy and the Constitution.  A Congressional screening doesn't dig deep enough.  The American people have got a lot of work to do.  The first job is to study democracy and educate "The Priests of New Thebes."   (entered Jan. 21, 2010...Ron Miller).  It was just learned that the vote on the above was close - 4 to 5!  It should have been 9 all in favor of democracy. The 5 have an ideology of capitalism instead of democracy. Capitalism is important of course, and does need to be heard, but democracy and the individual are all important.  But it can be seen how easily democracy can be eroded and slip away from a society.  We must fill up the little gullies (this is a big gully) or they will just keep getting bigger. Jan. 22, 2010. RM.   HOW TO GET PRESIDENT OBAMA STRONG. President Obama is faced with more problems than a centipede with fallen arches! I sympathize and know it is a brutal job, and admittedly there are many unknown factors in the White House that make it difficult to analyze. I have to use a lot of deduction, but also there is much history and ancient history and personal experiences that can be used in the analysis.  Really, all of us have the problems too as actually we are his bosses. He could have fewer problems if he would just revert to democracy, gradually lost over the years in Washington.  Trust in the individual Americans; let democracy reign! After all, democracy is self rule, and it is freedom from power and aggression above. He and the others in Washington D.C. have got it all flip-flopped. A student of democracy as your writer - up to his chin all day long in the study of democracy - is totally aghast at what is happening!  Relax and let the hard-working, smart individual citizen, and the Constitution of our democracy do the work. What a novel concept! They need to get back in training. Anyway, democracy is another crucial story analyzed shortly here.  In any case, it is obvious that President Obama needs to get strong to face all the present messes, much of which is caused by not having a democracy...and add "under a True God" (not any of the man, material, pseudo gods that abound today more than in an Egyptian temple).  He comes across as fearful, hesitant, confused and a believer in pseudo-god philosophies. He is a brilliant speaker, possibly the best since Cicero and Demosthenes, but something is missing.  Carefulness is good, but sometimes Commanders-in-chiefs must act fast and firmly when the battle rages. Read about the sharp-heads-up Roman Centurions and Tribunes in fierce battle in Caesar's "Gallic Wars." Also  peace and talking at the table are good, and that needs to be tried...and "blessed are the peace-makers,"  but that is when one is dealing with nice people... not charging tigers with deadly fangs stained with the blood of millions of good people.  Daniel went in the Lion's den and wasn't eaten. But lions are animals; terrorist humans use the high frontal area of the brain for devious aggressive means. They have invaded our precious land; if 9-11 wasn't enough to qualify for "invasion" in the Constitution I don't know what is. They are super mean animals from an anthropological standpoint.  They are masterpiece creations of the Devil.          How does one deal with all this global mess...plus dozens of problems on the home front, unemployment, the country is broke, in debt to foreigners, riddled with crime, school dropouts, lack of character in Washington and on Wall Street, etc.? Don't give up prayer; keep that going, but also face the realistic facts.  First, of all, and this will be radical surgery, is push the democracy button. Regain the "Lost spirit of democracy," as classicist Edith Hamilton pointed out, and that was lost by the ancient Athenian city state. She believed this loss of the spirit of democracy is what caused their downfall.  Get back to the democracy set up by the Founders. They were absolutely brilliant and sharper than anyone in Washington today. Just admit it.  Get off arrogant high horses in Washington.  Release the latent atomic energy of the individuals who were once free citizens, the bosses.  We have gotten so far away from this - I'll call it cultural drift - that people in Washington don't have a clue. I believe that the citizens believe and feel that something is drastically wrong, but they feel powerless. The foxes and blacksnakes are in the chicken house! How strange for citizens to feel powerless in a democracy!   There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth of the priests of New Thebes (see another article on down), but it has to be done. Vote them out. Make new contenders swear on a stack of bibles that they will revert to democracy. (but if they are humanist/atheists, which many of them must be, then what do we get them to swear on?). What's right is right.  Free the little business people.  Get buracracy off their backs...off everyone's backs.  One of the big failures of weak leadership is trying to command a big machine...forgetting that the individual cogs are what needs to get moving.  There are too many strange monkey wrenches - pseudo-religions - clogging the gears.  Don't just keep pouring gas into the big stalled machine; fix the cogs first. General Swartzkoff would send new Second Lieutenants down to stand in front of a tank and give it orders!!! (talk he gave at a local college).  Also, President Obama must do as Jesus at the Temple - overturn the tables of the money-changers.  Money is important but not God and must have ultimate ethical control.  Then, we must face the fact of how to get Obama strong enough to push the democracy button in the first place.  If I could wave a magic wand I would send him immediately down to Ft. Campbell Ky. and enroll him in a training platoon of the 101st Airborne.  This is ultimate reality fast. Have him study the background of the 101st and the "Bad Bastards of Bastogn" and what it took to beat off everything the Nazis could throw at them. Study the history of the Screaming Eagle patch going back to the Iron Brigade of the Civil War (of the 8th Wisconsin) and their black iron shield emblem...and then "Old Abe" the pet mascot American Bald Eagle that was carried out front (not apologized for in the back). It was quite a history.  Old Abe would fly around over the battle sites such as at Corinth, etc. and somehow was missed by Reb sharp shooters). Then, once when marching with the Iron brigade on his tether up front , he flew up, grabbed the corner of the American flag and helped hold it high!.  Also, in the Civil War the Stars and Stripes had to be carried high. If the flag-bearer fell, someone else would pick it up and carry it high (General McArthur's father Arthur did this in battle charging on and received The Medal of Honor.  The American flag must always be carried out front and off the ground. Obama has got to pick it up and charge! He's the nation's top flag-bearer!  Have him carefully watch the training Platoon Sgt.  He has to get that kind of courage and reality.  He's not getting such learning in his office. Kick the Machiavellianism- as -a -religion 8-balls out. He is undergoing much on-the-job-training but has missed out on a lot of basic, practical, down home learning and experience.   He is so desperate that he is relying on pseudo-religions - socialism, radicalism, moneyism, Machiavellianism, as well as those around him (for too much input), etc., etc. A smorgasbord of advice is good...if their religion is democracy, the Constitution and God.  He must rely on democracy..tempered by the ultimate ethics God.  Even though he taught the Constitution, he missed it! This is unbelievable, but it has happened.  Old false doctrines of some kind have got him.  He's got to shake it off and push the button...and fast.      Now, for foreign aggressive grissle-brains.  Immediately call into his office the ghosts of the following:  Generals John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, Eisenhower, Grant, Sherman, Washington (he had to do a lot of on-the-job training too), Alexander the Great, Fredrich the Great, Geo. Patton (you have to put the fear of God in grissle brains and also realize that the offensive is better than the defensive), and also inspire one's own troops. And also call on that Platoon Sgt. from Ft. Campbell. If it was my old platoon sgt. I would make him Chair of the Committee.  Especially study General Pershing from Missouri.  He had to face terrorists in the Philippines - the Moros. They were so fanatic that they wrapped their bodies in cloth so that when wounded they wouldn't bleed so fast.  The famous Colt 45 pistol was invented with its terrific knockdown power to help stop Moros.  We need some newer Colt 45s. Obama has got to radiate strength. General Patton was feared more than any of our generals by the Nazis. He believed that "the other poor bastards should be the ones to die for their country." Intellectualization is good, but this is down and dirty war on many fronts. The Romans had the win mind set of salting the earth (sometimes symbolical) of the vanquished city and plowing a trench all around the city.  Charge and lead up ahead. Alexander did this, and would make a surprise pincer movement around the right and come in behind the enemy and his old general Parminio leading his main left flank. You can't fake it.  Leaders must lead and be creative.   Immediately form a type of French Foreign Legion that accepts people from all over the globe.  Obama would be amazed at how many would volunteer...and from timid countries of NATO at that.  Next, stand up in front of Congress as did Roosevelt the day after Pearl Harbor, and declare War per the Constitution; don't politically and fearfully dance around the Constitution with war powers (half way approach, which Pershing abhorred). The Constitution says if invaded, declare war.  Mobilize. Real war would shut up many of in rank dissenters.  If they spouted off as the terrorist major at Ft. Hood they would be out fast.  Build another Quantanamo; let it be known that you expect to fill that one up fast. War means prisoners of war not civilian court treatment.  State clearly that The Geneva Convention would be in full effect. War is the Iron Trade; quit running from this reality. The enemy is going to use any prison or anything else to help recruit. Care about the USA over anyone else.        Each week the White House should call in a group of Ministers of different faith.   Have new ones each week. These are present day Theologians; then, call in the ghosts of the past Theologians.  How did we get away from "Under God?" brilliantly set up by our Founders?  Our Founders ignored the so-called "Age of Enlightenment" - the atheist philosphers commencing in France (at the same time our Founders were founding our country), but this Atheism (humanism another name...or materialism still another name) obviously finally took hold and would infiltrate schools and now Washington.  The Founders would be horrified at what has happened. Our Founders were so sharp in the Scriptures that they weren't influenced by the Age of Enlightenment (atheism-humanism).      So, in many positive ways, ignite power of all the individual citizens including kids. As a kid in WWII I was glad to bundle newspapers, do without and buy 10 cent War Bond Stamps. Our school teacher sold these in class. Our great country of America has been attacked (many times). We know who the enemy is. It is war against the terrorists (and that includes pirate terrorists).   The Constitution is with us. We are either with the Constitution or not. Yes, if we go the Constitutional War route, we will no doubt lose some democracy - such as loss of habeas corpus as Lincoln had to sacrifice during the Civil War, but we will still be ahead on democracy in many ways. Entered: Jan. 4, 2010, RM.  HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!!!!  Lots of things cooking on the Democracy stove.   And we here at the WAS are right in the middle of it with our Democracyology Dept. WAS.  Abraham Lincoln said that Law should be the religion of the land.  And, democracy is law.  Everything in our form of democracy (and there are many forms of democracy) revolves around our great Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence.  We citizens - the bosses in our democracy (self-rule) have to be constantly on guard.  We are in the main office of the factory, and we must know immediately if there is a pipe leak in building no. 82, so, we can fix it. Our communication/info/news/message center must be on the ball - totally accurate, unbiased and thorough. If the news dept. is biased or fouled-up we must send the ghost of Walter Williams who founded the first school of Journalism in world at Mizzou and make everyone in the dept. memorize his Journalist's Creed.  Then, we must send some technician (representative) to fix the leak, but we have to keep checking on him or her to see that they actually get the job done and aren't side-tracked in building 81...or aren't fixing some machine instead of a leaky pipe.  This is why we managers don't get as much sleep as others with different management systems (but it is well worth it!).  We have to keep on the situation(s) as hound dogs.  Yes, it is a lot of work and aggravation; this is the price we pay for all of our precious freedom, otherwise, "leaks" grow as the proverbial little hole in the Dutch dam, and pretty soon we can have a gushing mess that can take down the entire factory!  I know, being a Mgr. is hard.  This is why many democracies have gone under, and it is also why many countries get stuck with various forms of dictatorships/slave operations.  Even the fabled Athenian democracy went under.  They got side-tracked in a number of crucial ways.  Some of our technicians we have sent to fix leaks today have gotten themselves into the wrong buildings and fouled up in a number of ways.  They didn't understand our system.   They have danced around our factory rules.   They believe BIG things above the individual citizens should rule.  They believe BIG  money should rule the individual. They believe politics itself as a pseudo-government should rule.  They are greatly overpoweringly impressed by anything big.  They aren't very sharp. Salesmen have sold them off base methodology.  They have bought Bermuda shorts in Alaska in January. Their tool boxes contained sharp attire and great tools provided by our Founding Fathers, but they haven't used.  Also, the main problem why our "Technicians" get lost back in the factory complex is that they don't have a map of the factory complex (our democracy is a big factory).  They are trying to find their way around and tackle problems using cheap tools they have bought themselves. They are rubes and way over their heads; again, they don't utilize the simple effective tools provided by our  founders of the corporation.  They don't rely on tried and true road maps such as the wisdom of the ages in the Scriptures (the God plan with things such as The Ten Commandments)...again provided by the Founders but lost down in the tool box someplace.  Our technicians actually trample on these great rules...and wonder why they are lost!  Strangely, they perform a dance all around these laws. One wonders what is being taught in their technical colleges of law  and  business schools and also in high and grade schools?   The Man/human approaches they have learned are woefully indadaquate - disasters.  Now, we bosses have got to form rescue units and send them out to find our delegated technicians back somewhere in the factory, and give them spiritual/democracy CPR and restore them to life (both life with a little l - basic democracy and law - and Life with a Big L...Spiritual Life). Our poor technicians tried to take on a big job with poor preparation...including character preparation to withstand all kinds of temptations.  If they can't learn fast, we will have to fire them.  Fortunately, our Founding Fathers were intellectually and spiritually prepared when they set up our democracy under God, which by the way worked great for a long time - making us leaders of the world.  But, unfortunately, things have degenerated the past hundred years or so. Humans became enamored with themselves and materialism and their own philosophies and money and all kinds of other human god temptations (the Garden of Eden all over again!). There was no control.  The First Commandment was (and still is) shattered time and again.  A regression of history occurred...back to the days of materialism and false Gods in days of Moses. Moses had a similar monumental fight on his hands.  His people were heck bent on worshipping Bal and the Golden Calf and a pole set in the ground (a sexual phalic symbol).  He had a very difficult time getting them to focus on the greatest unseen power Yahweh.  No sooner would he turn his back than they would head right back to these material, humanistic, false gods.  Then, along came Jesus. He studied Moses carefully, and constantly taught spiritual things - Life, Light, Love.  Without such a true road map, our poor technicians back in the factory complex are easily lost.  And, of course, our entire factory depends on them.  So, we have got to watch them like hawks.  Make sure they have a true Godly road map, and a true democracy road map, otherwise, they will wreck the entire factory. Obviously, they have picked up some weird factory maps...socialocracy, lobbyocracy, bigocracy, humanism/atheismocracy, political partyocracy, mushocracy (halfway, don't- rock- the boat politicoocracy), survival-of-fittestocracy (which includes Eugenicsocracy), and the list of false gods goes on and on.  They are really lost.  Some of the factory is actually collapsing! Send out the cadaver dogs fast! Hopefully, we can get our technicians restored back to democracy under God life/Life!!! (entered Jan. 1, 2010....Ron Miller).  GLOBAL-WARMING - AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL/ANTHROPOLOGICAL VIEW.      There are very few scientists as close to the earth as archaeologists. We actually excavate in the earth.  We go down to "sterile soil" as it is called where there isn't any more cultural material or clues.  We often live out in the boonies in tents for a long time.  It is a unique experience.  I know that this helps when analyzing the Global-warming issue.  To give you an example.  Back in the 1950s we were doing salvage archaeology along the White River that commences in Arkansas and bends up into Missouri and then down into Arkansas.  We were in the Missouri bend area.  One summer one of our crew members was a biology student.  He made a great biological spotting - A Road Runner - common to the warm southwest U.S.....but up here in Missouri now!  He sent a card in with his spotting to the Missouri Conservation Dept. in Jefferson City.  He received a reply getting credit for a first spotting!  Since I live in the area, everyone began to notice another biological phenomenon...the incursion of Texas road bumps - Armadillos!  Now they are all over the place here in southern Missouri (I don't know how far they have migrated north).  This is all "wildly" fascinating for me having grown up here, camping, fishing, hunting, surface collecting artifacts, swimming, gardening and always close to the great outdoors.  Something big is definitely going on.  Also I noticed when gardening that the past 35 years or so has been harder and harder to put out a Fall garden (must be planted in July and early August). Last summer was better, but for the most part it keeps getting warmer and warmer.  This is all a lot of evidence.  This all presents a major problem for citizens and government.  Denial is a tough nut to crack.  So, is tradition. The sociologists and anthropologists know these blocks.  Also, change is going to require creativity...and here the past 40 years or so we have been training ourselves to be non-creative - let other countries do the thinking and manufacturing.  Forget about independence and self-reliance.  Money is God and will take care of everything!  We have gotten ourselves in a box...when we need to be thinking out of the box as the saying goes.  Get ready for wild fun and games; something will have to give.  Glaciers keep on melting.  Temperature demographics keep on moving.  Biology keeps on moving.  Natural neon warning signs keep flashing.  There should at least be contingency plans.  The Operation Branches (G-4) in all military branches do the contingency planning.  I hope they are at least doing contingincy planning on the warming issue. But really much more should be done.  Reality is tough.  Even ancient Athens with all its philosophers got itself in unreal ruts.  They did wonderful things but as Nebuchanezzer's Son couldn't see the writing on the wall.  Societies always face dangers.  Many can often see warning signs.  Sometimes there are no warning signs such as sudden 8 point earthquakes and tsunamies.  Right now there is much denial.  Napoleon told his 12 Marshals to look at things the way they really are not as you want them to be.  Then, he marched his giant army into Russia with winter on the horizon - a Russian winter!  Denial is a tough thing.  We have got to do a lot of structural tradition changing in society.  If we are creative and democracy holds up (we are losing fast), and the individual remains free and can create we have a good chance of making it through and even coming out smelling as roses!  So, think denial-busting, think real, think creativity...don't cling to traditional concrete "life-preservers."  Keep flexible.  I doubt that Washington can do it. The Flat Earth Society can't do it.  So, individual citizens need to get on this.   A word to the wise.   Entered Jan. 1st, 2010 - Ron Miller     THE PRIESTS OF NEW THEBES - WASHINGTON, D.C.   Today I was watching C-Span and the reading of the Senate version of the new Health Bill (a stall method). I almost turned off it was so complicated, dull and hard to understand.  Suddenly, it hit me as a ton of bricks.  That's it; that's the problem.  Right before my eyes; right before the whole nation's eyes we are all watching the modern  priests of Thebes right out of ancient Egypt. They are still alive and well...and ruling us all...the peasants of the countryside.  Washington D.C., as the Priests of ancient Thebes, has created this fantastic gobbledygook writing and priestly system - that no one understands but them. They go through their priestly motions in magnificent temples of stone with impressive statues all about.  This is how the Priests controlled everything. Also, the people were more king oriented than self-rule oriented, so, easily fell into the awe thing. They were well trained/programed.  It is really a kind of puppydogocracy.       Now, it's modern Hieroglyphics and Hieratics inscribed on long winded Bills - big scrolls kept hidden in Temple vaults, behind massive doors of cedar of Lebanon with shiny brass hinges.  These ultimate controlling priests wear business suits instead of linen tunics.  American people would be shocked at how many of them there are in the halls of marble!  It takes tremendous knowhow to do all this priestly stuff. The peasants along the modern Nile Rivers (Mississippi, Missouri, Hudson, Rio Grand) are in awe, hypnotized by it all.  Scribes of the ancient temples had to study many years.  It takes a complicated, secret  language and intricate rigamaro. It is a religious culture that knows all about the political cosmos.  It is a closed club; they rule.  They let students out in the populace know about The Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence, but then they practice the real, secretive, priestly religion of New Thebes under the cover of this now obsolete "old politics".  The same thing goes on in university and college departments with gobbledygook scholarship "scholarly, priestly Hieroglyphics|" (three fourths of it never gets over the ivy walls to the Demos ).  How tremendously powerful is language and false religion with awe-inspiring secrets.  It rules the roost.  Serfs, who don't know the difference between a true or pseudo-religion, say, "it must be good because it is all so awesome; they must know what they are doing, so, let us bow to it all." So, this is how the Priests of New Thebes hang on to their "superiority," and "their land."  And, they fiercely protect their religious, priestly culture - THEIR realm and THEIR land - with great zeal. They fully intend to retain their priestly power for four-thousand years as did their forebearers of ancient Egypt.        Anthropologically speaking it is a special ruling culture.  Who can break into this?  Who can break out?  How can democracy be retrieved? "Tradition dies hard" as the sociologists say.  In a democracy where the citizen is supposed to rule, these true rulers should be able to change it.  Theoretically, it is possible.  Vote the rascals out.   Get candidates in who promise to restore  the great old English language - reduce gobbledygook to a few pages of down home understandable logic. And once they are in, citizen rulers must watch them as hawks, so they don't fall into old priestly ways.  By the way, this would save a fortune$$$$.  Ancient Rome was able to do it.  They got the Laws of Rome reduced to twelve tablets which they posted in the Forum for all to see.  Of course, the law went down hill when the Emperors took over just before the birth of Christ, and they became the Law! There is a constant attraction to powerful priesthood. The emperors of Rome tied themselves into the power of religion; some even became high priests and a few even became deified. Rome lasted around one-thousand years. Hitler, a self-anointed Emperor tried unsuccessfully for another one-thousand years.  The ancient Egyptians, on the other hand, lasted for four-thousand years. They brought new meaning to highly structured, priestly, secret, gobbledygook culture.  But that kind of rigidity and false religion is brittle.  The Egyptians were so rigid that when the Romans came along with a superior more rigid culture in fourty-four B.C., the Egyptians were one big glass jaw.  Of course, they had other problems too, but the priestly rigidity had to have been a main problem.  The Head Priest - in this case Cleopatra - ruled when it all came tumbling down.       Today, in Washington, the Priests of Thebes shield themselves under  supposed "Democracy." discarding true God for the pseudo-god religion Humanism/Atheism...Man becomes the god!  Disastrous!  They are arrogant. They have not only gone against the wishes of the Inspired Characters of the Scriptures but gone against the Founders' wishes...a democracy under God. The New Priests dance around the Constitution reverting to their own Book of the Dead, their priestly culture.  They repeatedly violate the First Commandment of God!  Who do they think they are...anyway!?  Do we sense industrial strength ego here?        Moreover, the Priests of Thebes must keep "their" temple coffers filled. They need a lot of money to keep their culture going. Lobbyists, a type of priest attached to the priestly bodly,  love to fill their chests. The main priesthood also borrows much money and prints it too.  They can't keep the presses going fast enough. The priests also painfully squeeze more and more money out of the peasants, who really should be running things in the first place.  This priestly culture devours money by the train car load.  They are as priestly vampires.          The Priests of Thebes are too slick for words!  All the Priests and sub-priests - including the god-like Pharoah himself or herself - the Presidents (who are easily sucked into the false religious vortex hook line and sinker) - love and must have all that power and keep their neat deal and that of the masses of underling priests going at all costs...and be sure their particular factions keep succeeding inpower.  As long as they can hang on to their secret gobbledygook heiroglyphics and priesty duties - and snow the "dummy" peasants - keep them in religious awe (with help of media) and dole out a few loaves of bread every now and then to them, they can maintain their Priestocracy.  But, really, shown by history, Priestocracy is so introverted, secretly structured that it has a brittleness that is very dangerous for society.  True democracy, with a good set of rules (Constitution, gathering dust in some temple) on the other hand, is  very powerful and flexible, with each person a thinker and important and working for THEIR GOVERNMENT, THEIR PEOPLE - NOT THEIR PRIESTLY CULTURE OF NEW THEBES.         There is much to study about the Priests of New Thebes. They have two factions - going back to the founding. These factions became more and more complicated and began to adopt a false religious character (breaking the First Commandment and governmental rules and some others too.   The Founders of our country would be horrified at the loss of democracy and the country under God and the takeover by the Priests of New Thebes (entered Dec. 19th - 22nd, 2009 - Ron Miller).  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -   ECONOMY PROBLEM, EASY TO SOLVE. The economy problem is easy to solve.  Solution:  Immediately revert to Democracy...where the individual is free and the one governing the country. In other words, get the horrendous, ruling dinosaurs of government and emperor/priests of Thebes complexes off the backs of the free citizen....thus freeing the fantastic hydrogen power of the individual to create, work and be happy.  This could be accomplished in a second.  It is remarkable how our mogul politicians in Washington have danced around our U.S. Constitution and what our brilliant Founders set up for us.  It is all unbelievable arrogance at work today.  Human arrogance has come up with all kinds of man philosophies ...but in the process, the arrogant moguls completely forgot the Founder's philosophy...a democracy under God.      Dominating people have fought democracy for centuries and are still fighting. It is because some always want to be slave-masters. And some want to be slaves...until they find out how horrible it is...but then it is too late to change.   Shakespeare would have written a tragedy about it.      So, the solution is immediately get back to democracy...not mogulocracy, duhocracy, lobbyocracy, humanisticocracy, creeping Politicalocracy "political creeps", Darwinismocracy, Eugenicsocracy, Marxismocracy, etc., etc.  When the slaves are freed,  stand back world!  Of course, as poined out by Edith Hamiliton the Dean of the classicists and especially referring to Athens, there must be some control in a democracy. The philosophers knew this.   Entered Dec. 4th, 2009.  Ron  Miller      By the way, Congress and the Administration are great actors deserving of Academy Awards. They go through acting scenes in committee meetings and on TV, and look very official. They dance all around the reality of simple democracy under God.  While they are acting they are breaking the 10 Commandments - having all kinds of Gods besides the true God.  Nothing wrong with money, unless one worships it, which they do (ruled by the Lobby Priests of big business). They are  soooo slick. (entered Dec. 8, '09 - RM)     NO. 1 RULE LEARNED FROM STUDYING DEMOCRACY. Each citizen in a democracy (self-rule form of government) MUST study history.  The citizen must keep their rear view mirrors of history attached  when travelling down the freeway of life, otherwise, they are in for some very rude awakenings....as we are all observing all around us right now!  Many answers are all there in history  - with, of course, some creative adapting to present situations.  I run into students who believe history is soooo dull. How wrong they are!  This should be their NO. 1 study, and I will show you why.  Example 1.  While the so-called "Age of Enlightenment" was flourishing in Europe - especially France (beginning in 1700s) - with the Atheist philosophers having a field day....our Founding Fathers here in the US were carefully observing it - but thanks be to God they weren't conned into it.   They founded our country Under God.  Our Founders - founding our country at that same time - were absolutely brilliant.  They were students of history. Jefferson could read the classics in original languages...Latin, Greek. They knew the Scriptures well.  They held fast to "Our country under God," but not under (organized) Church. They could well see the organized church disaster in France at that time.  They didn't confuse God, which they knew we must have, with the possibility of an organized church taking over. They knew their Scriptures well - much much better than the Atheist philosophers.  Today, citizens of Europe and U.S. aren't that sharp, and have been taken to the cleaners.  They don't know their history, especially the Scriptures, and now the humanist/atheists have a ring in their noses.  Our Supreme Court has a ring in their noses and so does Congress.  So, how are you going to get the ring out?  Read history (and the Scriptures are the greatest history of all).       Big earth-shaking events were going on then that would affect us today...the commencing of the atheist/humanist movement on one side of "the pond" and our country under God on the other side. The Atheists were jubilent when various Man methods of solving problems came along and they latched on to them with religious devotion, i.e., Darwinism, Pragmatics, etc. Their big mistake was that they completely missed the really True Power - "the quickening spirit" so described by St. Paul the Apostle. And proof of God's existence is always right there - the greatest help of all time. Just follow God methodology and one can see that it works. Jesus used God methodology all day long for three years doing all sorts of wondrous things; it worked!  Jesus tried hard to show people.      Here's some more history to help visualize what happened.  The Atheist-humanist movement, beginning with the Age of Enlightenment, began to adopt...Marxism-Leninism-socialism....Darwinism and its off-shoot Eugenics...then, the philosophy of Pragmatism (the humanists loved this Man-thinking as they love all Man solutions, "Man" being their God)...then, more great flowering of humanism/atheism in 20th Century (led by the educator Dewey (one of signers of original Humanist Manifesto).  The education field practically worshipped Dewey.  All of this humanist thinking set up our country for the invalidation of God...and look at the tragic results of what Man-thinking has done. Look all around.  It's a disaster.  God and His Ten Commandments is invalidated in schools; look at the results in families, on the street (including Wall Street)...and worst of all Washington D.C...and even our inner-sanctum of inner-sanctums "Guard Dogs" -The Supreme Court!!!  We don't have a democracy any more; we have a Zinjanthropusocracy...or a Duhocracy.  We have gone backwards as fast as a Jules Verne governmental time machine.      This whole period of history from the misnomer "Age of Enlightenment" to the present time is one of the worst disasters of history.  Just think, the philosophers of "enlightenment" tried to out think and out do Moses, Isaiah, Jesus, Paul, John, Matthew, Peter and all the rest.  What an arrogant goose egg the humanist philosophers produced!        But, they rule today. They have invaded most of the university, college and high school and grade school campuses.  They knew right where to go first - education. I have to say, the atheists are very sharp. They were (and still are) working at night when the rest of the country slept.       Another example:  Recently 8 of our CIA people were killed in Afghanistan by a double agent.  They thought they had won him over!  A very similar thing happened in old Rome, although on a larger scale of devastation.  The Romans thought for sure that they had Romanized the German princes Herman and his brother.  He was slick.  While putting on his act, he was mobilizing German forces north of the Rhine.  Two crack Roman Legions were lured across the Rhine into the Teutonberg Forrest and destroyed.  It was a disaster for Rome.  Still another example:  George Washington in he middle of the Revolution narrowly missed being assasinated by one of his staff who everyone had believed to have defected from the British.  No!  It was a close call.  It shook Washington up so that he became suspicious of foreigners on his staff from then on.           - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -    DEMOCRACY AND WAR.                               It is interesting to look at various historical and prehistorical events concerning warfare and apply to the present.  Citizens of a democracy must face the cold hard fact that they better be up on military things and must all participate some way.  Each individual citizen is a boss-leader, therefore leaders can't sit back, they must lead. The time for loyal opposition-dissention has come to an end when there is war (but it must be properly declared war per our Constitution. See below). When war comes, the time for banding together has arrived. A house divided can wipe out the whole force.  The individual free-spirits working together creatively gives a tremendous, powerful advantage and can overcome anything.  Also, the society must have a win attitude or else prepare for slavery or death.  It's all there, one example after another in history.      So, citizens of a democracy must also study history. How did the free ancestors handle war? How did others handle war? These citizens can't afford to take off the rearview mirrors on the freeway of life. Can't be in denial here and be self-obsessed with one's own "great" ability. Politicians have tried this with various strategic and tactical theories, business school approaches, economic approaches, high tech philosophy as a religion approaches, etc. resulting in terrible disasters.       Also, realize democracy "self-rule" is a gem, and it will make many hostile-aggressives insanely jealous. These aggressors want people to be slaves and they the master.  Give them an inch, and they will take a country.  So,  "Rally 'round the flag, boys and girls."  The institution of democracy - our country - is at stake.  And, to save freedom also, unfortunately, means war. We haven't made it to utopia yet.  Keep trying, of course, but face the real facts.  George Washington knew that to prepare for war is the best way to keep from having war.         Of course, as mentioned above, a free democracy must make sure in the first place whether they should go to war or not. Big decision.  If so, "no halfway measures will solve this problem" as Gen. Pershing warned. The President must stand up before Congress and declare war as Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt did in WW II - the very day after Pearl Harbor (he actually should have declared war on Axis sooner when Nazi subs were blowing our ships and British ships  out of the water. Americans have it so good they have a hard time going to war - facing such tough reality. Napoleon said to look at things the way they really are, not as you want them to be (then, he turned right around and marched 400,000 men into Russia with a Russian winter on the horizon).              Strangely, one thing to watch is a victory!  A democracy can go down hill very fast after a victory.  I know, it's an odd phenomenon.  But the democracy can become soft, lazy, dull, non-creative and decadent.  Citizens have it so good, that they become overconfident and forget the reality of life....aggressors...outside and in that breed like flies.  Citizens ignore the tough ethical checks and basic character development.. Denial sets in.  The  writer Velleius Paterculus (first century AD) analyzing the fall of the great Roman Republic (a democracy for 450 years, ), pointed out that the Romans after their great win over Carthage (after battling for a hundred years), started going down hill, degenerating, and set themselves up for the dictator Caesar...and next, his nephew Augustus who proclaimed himself Emperor, and  a line of other Emperors followed (see: CAESAR by Adrian Goldsworthy, p. 10).  During the time of the Emperors, Rome,  slowly went down hill...so, "Big Brother" isn't the answer. Big citizen is the answer.      A Greek, Polybius in his HISTORY, who was right in the middle of the last of Rome's Republic - before the time of Christ - believed that the success of the Republic was due to its balanced Constitution.  No one person or part of the country could dominate (again, see the above mentioned source, p. 11).       The dean of all of the classical scholars, the late Edith Hamiliton said that the Athenians with their great democracy went down hill because "they lost the spirit of democracy."  Today we have lost much of the spirit of democracy.  We have exchanged democracy for other forms of government and religion....lobbyocracy being the leader here in the U.S.  Also, the philosophy-religion of humanism has, unfortunately, marinated into all,  especially in Europe and U.S.....as has one of it's flock,  the humanist philosophy of Pragmatism (promoted by the famous educational guru John Dewey who was one of the signers of The Humanist Manifesto).  Eugenics, an off-shoot of Darwinism - Man's speeding up of Natural Selection - is also popular (influence from  this philosophy can be seen in the present health care reform legislation). Other humanistic-material philosophy-religions are strongly entrenched around the world: Marxism-Leninism-Socialism... Maoism and Leninism...worship of leaders (as seen in last U.S. campaign)...and also worship of media stars...not to mention science (if worshiped as a religion).  All of this  as a religion is a form of modern Baalism in the days of Moses.  Moses battled this materialism non-God stuff constantly.  He knew that it all broke the First Commandment. You think Baalism is some ancient foreign nothing thing?  They worshipped the golden calf (as does Wall St)...and also a pole planted in ground (a phalic object). Look at all the sexual religion in the media.  So, there are Cultural Wars also.  I believe we are loosing most of these cultural wars now because of our Duhocracy.         In order to strengthen the U.S. Fort, the citizens must definitely, first, have a true religion.   It's not too late, although the clock of historical time is clicking away. The cuckoo could pop out at any time, we are becoming that weak!  Concerning, the problems after victory.  We had a big success in WWI...and commenced going down hill in the Roaring 20., but, then, had a very sobering time in the Great Depression before WW II hit.  We had a great victory in WW II....then, another big victory with the cold war.  Looks to this culture-watcher that we are going down hill culturally.  Moreover, we are in two draining wars - Iraq and Afghanistan...,neither resolved. The half-way approach that General John J. "Black Jack Pershing" warned against in war, isn't working.  We also have the problem of having the wrong pseudo-religions mentioned above.            Later on in this section I tell about what I call being "techno-dulled."  Relying too much on technology. Paradoxically, this is the Age of Technology. Technology is great, and you want to be ahead of the cutting edge, but not all situations can be solved by technology..or the present technology;  new creative thinking and technology may be needed immediately.  Constant creativity is a must.  In Afghanistan, we keep sending out convoys and the enemy keeps picking them off.  Castro in his Cuban campaign did the very same thing. Batista (with limp help from U.S.) couldn't adjust.  He just kept sending trucks out.  Batista and U.S. and rest of the world lost.          In the time of Agustus Caesar of Rome, the legions couldn't adjust either, and two of them were lured by the Germans into their battleground, the rough Teutonberg Forest, just north of the Rhine.  The legions of Varus were wiped out much to the shock of all Rome.  After that loss it was very hard for Rome to raise troops. Romes better make sure they win (go all out).  If the Romans could have only fought the rough Germans out on level ground where they could have used all of their high tech formations and seige engines.  They were the high tech leaders of the world, but the Teutonberg Forrest was the beginning of the end of the extension of the borders of the Roman Empire. We have several Teutonberg Forests going on right now.          Alexander the Great and his Army arrived at what is now Afghanistan in 300 B.C.  He didn't have the luxury of taking a long time trying to decide what to do, or being ruled by politics.  What did he do?  He simply invaded the country.  Then, he was in control and could imposed Greek culture on them.  Of course, there is a hard fast military rule that kicks in.  It is harder to control a country than take it over.  But Alexander Hellenized his conquered lands, and in some cases it lasted for several hundred years, but in most places Hellinization was finally lost.  We are trying to have instant Hellenization in Afghanistan now without even conquering.  But, remember, lives of our allied troops are being lost because of this "historical knowledge weakness."  We should bring in the spirit of General Pershing (that is, if we really decide to declare all out war).         A great example of how democracies should go about war takes us back to Athens when word came in that a massive horde of Persians was heading for Attica....specifically a beach and plain called: "Marathon."  ALL the male citizens, playwrites, philosophers, stone-masons, et al,  immediately pitched in, grabbed swords, spears and shields and headed for that legendary place. A brilliant fellow named "Miltiades" was the leader, and figured out a neat plan of defense.  The Athenians were greatly outnumbered but pulled off a great victory.         The Founders of our country knew the need of the military and defense and put in the Constitution "the right to bear arms"  and, "if invaded, declare war."  We did this in WW II with President Franklin  Roosevelt standing before Congress.  Since then the politicians have figured out various degrees of "War Powers."  If we had really declared war, there would be no problem with Quantanamo.  Prisoners would simply be prisoners of war as in WW II.  There would be a total pitching in as in WWII and "the battle of Marathon."  However, we can't expect many victories with the "halfway" approach cautioned againts by Pershing.        Creativity is one of the keys.  Alexander the Great was very creative.  On top of this, he had the courage to put creativity into action.  He had a good teacher...Aristotle....and his father the late King Phillip.  He also had some tough smart troops.  They managed to last for 8 or 9 years on the campaign into Asia.  But, one must watch it after 8 or 9 years.  Even the tough Macedonians wore out.        Thutmoses III of ancient Egypt was great at the blitz three thousand years before the Nazi tank expert Guderian.   Thutmosis and his troops and charioteers made it all the way up to  present Mosul the old land of the Mitanni in northern Iraq.  Ramases was a great general also. He rewarded valliant soldiers by throwing them strings of golden beads from his balcony.  Always reward the troops.  Medals are great, but gold beads are not bad either!        I noticed only this week a couple of our convoys in Afghanistan forgot to have flanking guards and were attacked. The old Greek generals knew this need. One of my instructors in the Army had lost most of his company, because he didn't post flank guards.  He lost his Captain's rank, being demoted to 1st Lt., but, fortunately, they kept him in to instruct us, and boy did he instruct us. Those guys who have learned the hard way are the best teachers.  I would never fall into the scape goat mode (see our WAS Sect. "Race & Cultural Relations" on this site for a discussion of the scapegoat phenomenon).  Make teachers out of those who make mistakes.         And, all the ancient generals knew that high ground was the best place to camp. This was ignored - disastrously - recently in Afghanistan.         Fighting using anthropological knowledge.  The underlying problem of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is Sex.  Yes, here we have two Patriarchial cultures (so determined by religion).  Men dominate.   Men see their women being lost to western culture....a free democratic culture.   They are becoming demasculated.  This is why they fight so ferociously!  Men's very manhood is going down the drain and they are maddened by it.  Herr Dr., Professor Freud, M.D.  would be writing papers constantly today on this situation.  The free world's best weapon is just keep pouring on all the good things.  Sooner or later they are going to implode.  One problem, however, atomic bombs in Pakistan.  Here India would play a big part. Declare peace if bombs shipped to a neutral U.N. facility.  All countries pitch in to help. Put UN troops on borders. Also, women help by insuring men are very important, but they the women must be free, can go to schools and not be intimidated in any way.       More later on the military and democracy.    (entered Oct. 27, 2009 and Nov. 1, '09 - RM). PRESIDENT OBAMA'S AGONIZINGLY LONG DELAYED SPEECH ON AFGHANISTAN FINALLY RHETORICIZED.     I was especially waiting to see if President Obama would violate General John J. "Blackjack" Pershing's rule "No halfway measures will solve this problem" (when leading the 1st Div. into WWI).  Obama was going along just fine...then BOING!  He did it!  He said we will retreat in 18 months!  But there are many other things he is violating:  He must stand up in front of Congress and declare all out war (if it is deserving) per the Constitution (no war-powers dancing around the Constitution). In a democracy, everyone participates.  Mobilize! War Bonds! Kids gathering paper for recycling, etc., etc. Win philosophy...not halfway politico philosophy.  You know what happens to a house divided!  Use leadership skills to charge.  Gen. George Patton was eccentric, but he was feared more by the Nazis in WWII than any other General.  Obama really wimped out with his politicalocracy.  His on the job training is a pain.  RM, entered Dec. 6, '09. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -    DEMOCRACY (i.e., self-rule - freedom) UNDER SEVERE THREAT FROM GLOBAL WARMING/CARBON POLLUTION ....AND OTHER TOXIC FORCES (i.e., MIND POLLUTION & FOOD POLLUTION).  The big environmental meeting of nations at Copenhagen, Denmark is near (Dec.) as this is being written.  It is imperative that nations get hold of themselves, shake off denial, face reality, exercise constructive character and culture and stop carbon pollution of atmosphere causing global warming. Democracy - freedom - is at stake.  Democracy - self-rule can't work if the individual citizen is crushed by overpowering forces in the environment and quite possibly crazed people who have come to the end of their rope.  Not only do we have to stop carbon pollution but we must also stop mercury pollution (caused by smoke pollution),  which is fouling the food supply from the sea and some commercial fish farms on land.       Mind pollution must also be cleansed.  In fact, mind pollution must come first.  Man has put a lot of human limitation on himself, but remember, God is not limited. So, it is easy to see that Man must reclaim his basic spiritual birthright before he can act in a Godlike free, creative fashion and do what he has to do. This is the true reality that He must face. He is in denial, because he doesn't really know what to do; he can't be creative. His own human methods aren't good enough. He needs a higher, perfect, mental approach.  Again, remember that God isn't in denial, limited or indecisive and knows exactly what He is doing. See the next section on why Man has lost His true spiritual identity.  What is going on around us right now isn't the first time that Man has tried to outsmart the wise-in-God characters of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, which has always ended tragically.  Really, what we see is Man arrogance, laughing at spiritual wisdom and rightful, correct stewardship of the land (see: Genesis). And it is easy to see how destructive this human ego is. Just look around. Also, down through history, scholars have seen terrible results of this arrogance, war being the most noteable example. However, as terrible as war is, as well as other problems, financial, medical, etc., what faces us now, global warming, the fouling of our global nest,  is much worse. It is really a war with ourselves!       If participants at Copenhagen have hurt any of their brothers and sisters around the world in any way, they need to get square with God. They first need to ask Jesus to come into their hearts. An amazing thing will happen when all that Love-Life-Good-Right enters one's heart. They also need to  ask forgiveness of God, forgiveness of their sins. They need to ask for guidance and courage to do what is right... what God knows is right.  Just turn the problem  over to God. Ask Him what to do. An answer will come, and it will be good. It may not be what is expected. Oct. 8, 2009, Ron Miller.                                                                                                             THE SIMPLE ANSWER TO THE CONFLICTS, MISERIES, SELF-DESTRUCTION AND PERPLEXITIES OF SOCIETY. It is obvious that humans love misery. The answers are right before them, yet, they ignore! It is a strange situation.      Many of our problems today commenced back in the 1700s in France during a time called "The Enlightenment," when the Atheist-humanist philosophers missed a major turn in the road of life...and went the humanistic/atheist/material way. Here was the beginning of a great invasion of Christianity...what historians Will and Arial Durant called "The Attack on Christianity," in their AGE OF VOLTAIRE. As they explain the situation, a lot of the problem was because the Church of France and also the Patricians -the upper crust - were so corrupt. The Church had some good features and there was great art, but much was rotten to the core. The Durants said it was a time when people cared more for Madame Pompadore than the Mother Mary!      The Atheist Philosophers or "Philosophes" missed one crucial thing. They saw all the bad and blamed it on Christianity and Church, not exploring things deeper, not exploring the Scriptures - God's Text - deep enough and seeing that wonderful "base" wasn't at fault, but humans and human thinking.  They obviously didn't know enough about the Scriptures; they should have delved into that great old Spiritual wisdom to see how they should have really gone. But humans have this cursed arrogance/ego thing, and want and think they can do it all themselves. They want to look at things, the way they want to....me, me, me, I, I, I (a narcissistic philosophy...a pseudo-religious approach).  The humanist proclaims  "Man is perfectly able to solve his problems himself,"  and, besides, they believe there is no God anyway..."look at all the dumb results...caused by Religion! " Again, ignoring the Scriptures.  Of course, it is the humans who are the problem.  As that wisest of all philosophers Pogo said: "We have met the enemy, and he is us!"        Man today is no smarter than the Pharisees of old...who stood by and witnessed Jesus heal time after time all day and sometimes at night for three years. Here was scientific proof that there was (is) God, because Jesus used God and God methods to heal. He wanted to show everyone that He had this God connection and knew how to call upon God for all kinds of help, and God answered, simple as pie, obvious as the nose on the critics faces. And Jesus told followers to go and do likewise! And millions are being helped right now using these same God methods...and demonstrating scientifically that there is God. He is always there, but has to be reached out to and tapped into. The doubters obviously don't know how.  Some, fortunately, can just give themselves to God and benefit enormously in many ways, but other cannot.            And, of course, our US democracy won't work unless "under God," as the Founders well knew. And Christianity was the religion of the land. Jesus had the "methodology."       Critics also often get off the trail by latching on to human doctrine - wrong interpretations (not proven right scientifically) that has attached itself to the Scriptures. Some of this is very gloomy, which is just the opposite of Loving/God Jesus methodology and being, which is more powerful than the Hydrogen atom.       Critics today have no idea how much Theological and archaeological work has been done the past two-hundred years, especially the past one-hundred years...and going on right now...and throwing great light on the Scriptures! Now, is really the Age of Spiritual Enlightenment.  It is a shame that they have to miss all this good; it is all right there for the taking and use. For a good example... Jesus is helping many connect with the very real "quickening Spirit," as St. Paul termed it and helping them enormously. The humanists don't attend the services (some enormous) or read journals. The Bible scholar, Reverend Henry Haley, who wrote: HALEY'S BIBLE HANDBOOK, called the Bible "The Old Anvil," because it has worn out countless hammers of criticism down through the ages, yet, goes right on helping countless people." Personally, I can think of at least three other things I would rather do than go up against Moses, Isaiah, Jesus, Paul, Peter, John and Luke the Physician and all the rest of the inspired characters of the Bible.       The French philosophers really had a massive ego problem. Ah yes, human wisdom "knowledge" is heady stuff (explained in the Garden of Eden episode...and also by wise Solomon - "All is vanity.") So, the philosophers (who are supposed to be wise...duh!) got off on their own highway.  And, guess what? Look around...all the Man stuff - leaving God out - has resulted in what we are experiencing today. It's a philosophical/political/Theological/anthropological/social disaster. The Ten Commandments - the greatest ethical "Sledge-hammer" of all time has been thrown out of courthouses and schools. Our country "Under God" has been thrown out of schools, families and Washington, D.C., trampled on by humanist/material/atheist thought that has seeped in everywhere. This is the story of the Age. Where's the media? The humanist movement had a heyday in the 20th Century.  Academia and Washington, D.C. needed a religion and constructed giant churches dedicated to Darwinism, Marxism/socialism, Pragmatism, Eugenics, Capitalism (as a religion), Political Partyism, Lobbyism and anything material, with countless devotees and priests. Yet, many right now are standing around wondering what has hit them. They have been hit by a material, worldly, humanist semi-truck and have no idea how to heal themselves or their country...or take that giant step of at least looking at the spiritual world...other side of the scientific coin. So, amazingly, American citizens and citizens of Europe and citizens elsewhere have graciously given away the wisdom of the ages, the greatest possesion they ever had, given to them by their forefathers and God...fabulous Spiritual wealth. These ultimate loosers make the Zinjanthropus Race look like a bunch of geniuses.  Again, everyone has to have some kind of religion. Here's hoping people pick the true religion; the false religions are disastrous. Entered: Sept. 29, 2009 - with a few additions Oct. 8th, 2009 - Ron Miller       One of the sharpest things I have ever seen in my excavations of history is the fact that our Founding Fathers knew all about "The Enlightenment," and they didn't go along with all that Atheism.  They were specific that our country would be "Under God."  Jefferson and Franklin and others were actually over there in France as Ambassadors, surrounded by the Patricians and all the opulent materialism. It must have been quite an experience for these down-to-earth highly intelligent (sharp as could be) Americans witnessing French culture and its philosophers.  Again, they didn't go for it. They were specific in the Constitution that our country would not be under (organized) church. They were sick of the church of France.  I have to take off my hat to our Founding Fathers.       But, look what happened to all of Europe.  They fell for it, and to this very day humanism is still lodged in their culture.  Church attendance is way down. I don't believe to this very day they know what has happened to them.  And, sadly, the philosophy did begin to lodge over here in the U.S. and elsewhere in the Americas.  Marxism is a very atheistic, humanistic, pseudo religion that had its roots in the Enlightenment.  Darwinism is also a big pseudo-religion as is science in general for the humanists.  Darwinism as a pseudo-religion had its roots in the Enlightenment also.  There is never any mention of the other, more powerful, Spiritual side of the scientific coin.         I mention all the above because there is a big encroachment of the humanist-atheist movement globally right now as I write. They operate while others sleep.  It is making big headway. It has infected our government, schools and families.  Most people don't have a clue what has happened to them, and the Atheists love it. But just look at the terrible results around us.        Entered: Oct. 19, 2009.  Ron Miller.  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9/11 REMEMBERED WITH A LASTING IDEA: A Living Working Museum of Democracy in the Stylized shape of a Peace Pipe, a Calumet, the head piece made of stone, Catlinite, earth red in color with symbolic peace smoke constantly issuing upward to Heaven and The Great Spirit. The living working area of the museum would have an amphitheatre (modelled after the Greek theatre of Epidauros the greatest of the theaters(near the healing center of Asklepios). At the Memorial students and others would conduct debates. In so doing, people worldwide could learn how to conduct intelligent discussion of issues (not shouting matches of bobble heads on TV nor terrorist killing of opponents!). There would be daily debates. There would be displays of the history of worldwide democracy (self rule by citizens). There would be sub- amphitheatres where scholars would lecture on democracy...and thespians would perform plays on freedom. There would be special displays on Law (what Lincoln said "should be the religion of the land." There would also be displays on downfalls of democracy in history and why they fell. This would include the Athenian and Roman Republic downfalls. Also a display on our U.S. form of government (a lobbyocracy) that is now, unfortunately, just a semi- democracy (only a shadow democracy) having succumbed to powerful big business, one of the great tragedies of history. Big business is great, but it must be controlled by ethics and law. There would be a display on importance of having a strong military and defense. Aggressive, grissle-brained tyrants become insanely jealous of democracies, and there are always plenty of them around. There would also be a giant 3-dimensional art exhibit showing the democracy, governmental anatomy of the U.S., England and other democracies including Indian tribes that made up the Iroquois Confederacy one of the most famous democracies and which served in great part as a pattern for the U.S. democracy and federalism (a combination of democracies). Also have an exhibit on the Peace Pipe of American Indians. It was a "white flag" among warring tribes. The smoke going up to Heaven had great meaning. The sole site in Minnesota where the sacred stone Catlinite was mined was a peace area where bows and tomahawks of all were laid down. Many of the tribes were involved in war culture. Have an exhibit on the famed, universal, sign language of the Plains' Indians. This sign language overcame different languages and war cultures and promoted trade and relations. How about a universal "sign language" today...elements all warring cultures could understand? If not a language per se, assemble other understandable elements? There would be an exhibit and also a department on the study of terrorism...and other forms of aggression and pathology of tyrants. There would also be a department on the study of prejudice and cultural relations. In fact, all exhibits would have their own study departments...and individual Curators I should add in this prospectus. Then there would be the overall Dirctor. There would also be a special Docent Center with several types of Docents...Docents connected with the Center and free-lance "civilian" docents...and student docents in training. And as with a University (which in a way this is...The University of Democracy if the title hasn't been used), each department would have its own library, and, then, there would be a big central library. Speaking of the similarity with a university, students could receive degrees and certificates for their study. This Center would bring together the best scholarly minds, historians and ancient historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, Theologians, psychologists, medical, museologists... any study even remotely helpful. We don't want to miss a thing. Your writer has proposed this idea before to the powers that be, but no response. We will keep working on it. All help appreciated. We may have to take the project on ourselves. We are very low budget here, but anything is possible. We would need a Mgr. and other volunteers. We are not even set up for non-profit here at the WAS, so, we would have to start from scratch on this. Anyone interested? In a way, this Department here within our WAS site, is a working, written Museum of Democracy, but there needs to be a living place as described above. Thinking of all those who were lost on 9-11 and also thinking of their families. Sending a lot of Love. Entered 9-11-'09 - Ron Miller, WAS - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TSAR MEANS CAESAR IN THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE (found in the book NAPOLEON; A Political Life by Steven Englund). There is much comment in the news now about Tsars in the Obama administration. The word Tsar is really bad usage - especially in a democracy. Something as "Lieutenant" might be better. There has to be delegation, especially in our U.S. massive bureaucracy. As always make sure there are checks and double checks. Ask: is Tsar in the Constitution? I don't believe so! Pare down. The big, hungry dinosaurs above want to run things..."they MUST eat to maintain their weight" as Bass expert the late Robert Page Lincoln said of lunker Bass in his classic book: Black Bass Fishing. A democracy is self-government. Study basic democracy. NOTE: BEFORE COMMENCING OUR SMORGASBORD OF STUDIES ABOUT DEMOCRACY...WE CALL..."DEMOCRACYOLOGY," IT SHOULD BE MENTIONED THAT AMERICANS DO A LOT OF GOVERNMENTAL CRITIZING HERE IN THE U.S., AND OTHERS OF FOREIGN LANDS MIGHT THINK OUR RAMPARTS ARE CRUMBLING AND THE BASTILE IS ABOUT TO BE STORMED (we don't want this, and will have more to say about the ghosts of the philosopers of "The Enlightenment" causing much of out trouble today). BUT THIS ISN'T THE CASE. AND, IF SOMEONE ELSE SHOULD CRITIZE OR MISTAKINGLY THINK IT A WEAKNESS AND TRY AND BASH US, A CURIOUS PHENOMENON KICKS IN. WE IMMEDIATELY DROP OUR POLITICO IN-FIGHTING AND JOIN TOGETHER TO FACE WHATEVER IT IS. AMERICANS GET MISJUDGED ON THIS A LOT. REALLY, POLITICO CRITICISM IS A STRENGTH IN A DEMOCRACY. SO, HERE WE GO WITH POLITICO ANALYSIS, AND, YES, SOME CRITICISM...BUT, HOPEFULLY, SOME CREATIVE SOLUTIONS AS WELL. NATIONAL HEALTH PLAN. THE ANSWER IS REALLY VERY SIMPLE. FIRST, RESTORE DEMOCRACY, AND IN THE PROCESS EACH INDIVIDUAL WILL BE ALL-IMPORTANT AND CARED FOR FIRST CLASS AND BILLIONS$$$ WILL BE SAVED. YES, HORRORS, WE HAVE LOST OUR DEMOCRACY! WHAT HAS BEEN GOING ON HERE GRADUALLY IN U.S. FOR A HUNDRED YEARS OR SO IS NOT GOING TO LOOK GOOD IN THE HISTORY BOOKS. ALSO, REMEMBER THAT INDIVIDUAL MEDICAL PEOPLE ARE CITIZENS TOO, AND THEY AND THEIR PRACTICES - SMALL BUSINESSES - MUST BE CARED FOR. IN FACT, FREE UP ALL FREE ENTERPRISE...HOWEVER, BIG BIG BUSINESS NEEDS MUCH ETHICAL CONTROL. THEY ARE TREMENDOUSLY IMPORTANT AND NEED TO BE HEARD BUT ARE NOT INDEPENDENT CITIZENS. DEMOCRACY IS INDEPENDENT CITIZEN RULE. First, wrest power in Washington away from big money powers - the Lobbyists and any other big powerful thing, any dinosaur squashing life out of the free ctizen who is really the boss...and get rid of any politico power-operator who is in cahoots with any dinosaur. This may make Washington D.C. a ghost town for a while, but it must be done. In the meantime, do as the old Athenians, let citizens draw lots to fill administrative roles. Pick them out of some Wal-Mart. They would be much less contaminated...for a while, then, they would probably get the power bug...maybe the greed bug too, so, keep terms short. In any case, Congress and the Administration must be weaned from their dinosaur money mommas and any other non-democracy belief system. It will be painful for them - children in the crib dependent on Big Momma(s). Can they do it? Can they erase the dollar signs from their pupils? I doubt it. U.S. citizens - ultimate opthalmologists - will have to vote them out. Then, put straight jackets on big money. It must be controlled. Capitalism is a great and helpful money machine, but it has to have sledge-hammer control...ethics (self-control) and Laws (state controlled ethics). Capitalism and all the other isms don't rule the country, the citizen does. Athenian philosophers knew that democracy was great, but it must have discipline such as laws and high personal ethics (see: Edith Hamilton's writings on Athens). The Athenians would be aghast at our rule by giant corporate business. So would people of the Roman Republic (before dictators). Our government was set up as a democracy. Anything big above trying to rule, influence, control the citizen is bad. That isn't democracy. So, drag all big government off of citizens. Again, this is a democracy...not an internal revenueocracy or a lobbyocracy. Instruct Washington on principles of democracy. Have crash classes. Utilize TV and the internet for democracy education....the big historical study of democracy picture and also the study of our special type of U.S. democracy with our Declaration of Independence, Constitution (and Preamble and Bill of Rights). The restoration of democracy will immediately free up vast sums of money that can be used for health, military, fixing infrastructure, etc. Just think, enormous sums can be saved on campaigning, medical ads on TV (now making good citizens sick and brain-washed), high priced drugs, insurance fees, tax paper work, etc., etc. Cut the balogna. Free up the fantastically powerful individual machine that will create all kinds of wealth and will be more healthy in process just being free alone! So, the basic democracy superstructure must first be fixed, "and all things will be added unto us!" The true provider of wealth God must be respected above all else (don't break the First Commandment). Good luck. Entered Aug. 18, '09 - RM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DEMOCRACY LOST. Yes, we have lost our treasured democracy. Washington D.C. has become a strange crazy quilt culture, with pieces glued together, stapled, nailed fragments of odd, political and other strange secular humanist culture..with a few tiny elements of democracy exposed but not many. And wonderful unlimited spiritual things "the wisdom of the ages" swept under the rug of ignorance. This weird transformation has been going on for a long time, actually with roots going back to the age of atheism in France, 1700s. What is really weird is that newly elected persons to Washington D.C. are instantly absorbed into this culture - I'll call it "Oddocracy," so fast that it is shocking. They become scarey android/zombie characters - mesmerized by this culture. People back home want them to do things in down home, practical, logical, Sunday School ways, but these curious android/zombies barely turn their head and just keep on zombieing along...crashing blindly into walls. The two android/zombie armies (political parties) often fight with each other as something out of a gross Halloween movie. It's eerie. The poor American people have got themselves a humongous problem. But it is their own fault for not studying and being on guard agaisnt diabolical pseudo-religions. They will have to dig deeply into this morass of oddocracy. Bring along the hip boots and gas masks. A clue. Sitting in high ivory towers are control rooms with the true masters of these android/zombies. These controllers (Priests of the numerous pseudo-religions) know exactly what they are doing...but it isn't what American citizens really want and need and plead for. These controllers of many different selfish persuasions are operating strange levers and buttons manipulating politicians and others (including the Media) to do their own bidding. The poor citizens become minor players. These priest in the ivory towers know how to control America; they go for the political primordial brain. Good luck freeing the android/zombies from their powerful controllers and thus restoring great old American democracy under God. When lacking of courage, remember..."All things are possible with God." And..."God has not given thee the power of fear...." Entered Aug 27, '09 - RM - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HUMANISM-ATHEISM INFLUENCE IN HEALTH CARE PLAN NOW ON THE TABLE. The humanist/atheist movement has made much headway and infiltrated minds of much of America this last century. This has been disastrous. They are big devotees of any material, non-god, Man, pseudo religion to solve problems with never mention of the Spiritual all powerful Loving God other side of the coin. Look for all this in the present Health Care proposal. I believe you will begin to spot this influence. Clue. Natural Selection within Darwinism (a pseudo-religion) is a deep-rooted belief of many humanist/atheists. So is Eugenics an off-shoot of Evolutionary theory (Eugenics is Man speeding up Natural Selection...the Nazis loved this). Look for influence in population control movement. The Marxists-Leninist-Socialists, by the way, also love Darwinism. What strange "religions." By the way, where is any mention of Bible/Spiritual Healing in the new Plan? This is the greatest healing methodology of all time...both for social problems and medical. Understanding is growing every day (see our Spiritual Healing Research Dept. WAS). Talk about cost-effectiveness. This would save gillions of dollars. Entered Aug. 25, '09 - RM - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ARENA DESENSITIVITY PHENOMENON - ONE OF BIGGEST GLOBAL PROBLEMS. This is something we have been following here at the WAS for a long time...The Arena Desensitivity Phenomenon. This phenomenon goes back to old Roman arenas and no doubt having roots going on back in antiquity. People of Rome got so used to gore that it didn't bother them...in fact it was as a drug every bit as bad as cocaine...and they wanted more! Majno the Harvard Pathologist writing in his Healing Hand (a history of ancient medicine) tells of Roman arena spectators in North Africa, crazed, running out on the arena floor after a gladiator had been killed and eating his spilled organs. They believed this would give them the power of the gladiator. This arena phenomenon builds up with more and more desensitivy until the crowd becomes sub-animal. You can't have a civilization with this stuff going on. A lot of desensitivity is going on globally now, lopping off heads in combat and drug war killings, killings in streets, suicide bombers, plane bombings and other mass killings, torture, family abuse, etc. Stop it cold with major media, standard educational ways. We must look at causes and neutralize arena stuff...in TV games, calm down sports events (Majno cited football with more deaths than many realize...(your writer will add brain injuries also)...with fans becoming more and more desensitized...(and owners also)...TV and movies (they keep getting more gory). Dirty language is becoming more desensitized. High type language expresses high type civilization...really the soul of civilization. Study old language experts such as Max Muller. Kids and others are becoming programed in the wrong direction. Language, the very heart and soul of civilization...corrupted and weakened! Can it be changed for good without a true religion to help the problem is doubtful. So, the weakening and degenerating of culture continues. Robert Louis Stevenson the great writer of Treasure Island and many more classics, said that he had to be creative and change filthy language of the Spanish Main pirates and their sea chants, so that a mother could read the story to a child on her lap. So, one of the problems here is lack of creativity. Demand top creativity. It takes much more work. Don't let the sewer mouths run you. Build up civilization any way possible. Stop the Arena desensitivity phenomenon in its tracks. Don't play the low life's game. Play the high type civilized game...otherwise humanity will keep going down the drain! Media and others must do what they must do now. Be creative. Don't play the gore-monger's game on their battlefield. Fight with TV programs using high type mind methods. Explain what is going on...and that we must go up the civilized ladder...not down. Civilized people will not play the gore game. If necessary they will be strong and hold gore-mongers at arm length...but always thinking "up the civilized ladder." Entered Aug. 22, '09 - RM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - BUSINESS CRASH IN ANCIENT ROME. Would you believe that there was a business disaster in ancient Rome very much as the one from which we are suffering right now? See: "The Annals" of Tacitus, Book VI, chaps 16-17. The comparisons are eerie. The Roman business world hit the wall thanks to the usury operators, especially the ones in real estate. Greed running amok got under the fence of old protective laws of the Republic, and the financial dominoes began to fall. There was much widespread loss of money resulting in much misery. This business crisis of Rome occurred in 33 A.D. Interestingly, this was about the time of the Crucifixion! (there is another research project!). The crisis first fell upon the shoulders of the praetor Gracchus. Of course, it was all too big for him - the Empire going down the sewer of Rome - and he had to turn things over to the Senate to solve things. But guess what? Each of the Senators was corrupt! What an amphora full of worms! The old problems of usury and greed were totally out of hand. Real Estate loans with high interest were at the heart of things (again, sound familiar?). Now, the supposed solution fell upon the Emperor, Tiberius, an unsavory character himself. Something had to be done fast, as Romes financial system was coming apart at the seams. Tiberius, who was probably luxuriating at his idyllic villa on the Isle of Capri, Near Naples, proposed a moratorium of a year and a half for everyone to get their acts together under the law. Yes, there were old Roman Laws made back in the tough old days of the Republic (a democracy), but somehow were ignored with the entrance of dictator-emperors upon the scene (does this sound more and more like "de je vous all over again" as Yogi Bera said?) Ye gads, today it looks as if we have ourselves more emperors, and have had a bunch of them for a long time. Just what we need in a democracy - emperors! Solid old ethics of Rome, the laws posted in the Forum, rules of the powerful gods - especially the Lares and Penates who watched over the hearth and homes) had been slowly forgotten. This was one of the most tragic denials of history. Again, does all this sound familiar today..."our country under God" in Washington and schools invalidated...the sledge-hammer ethical controls needed for government, economy and daily life...character development! The moratorium of Tiberius in ancient imperial Rome didn't work. Now, the Emperor was forced to inject mucho dinero into banks...to the tune of 100,000,000 sesterces out of the imperial coffers. This was equivalent to $4,000,000 of our money (reckoned in the early part of our last century - the time when my source was published, READINGS IN ANCIENT HISTORY by Davis). Desperation time! Next, Tiberius tried a plan whereby borrowing could be done without any interest at all (notice - the financial Moguls in Washington have just reduced interest on loans!! Overall, they are keeping interest very low...but all very similar to the catastrophe remedy in ancient Rome). This no interest plan lasted for three years. Apparently, things finally worked out, but exactly how long recovery took I am not sure, but I would guess about four years. A lot of research is needed on this old catastrophe. Much can be learned to help today. It could be that financial cracks were beginning to form right there in the foundation of Rome? Interestingly, I am wondering...have our financial Moguls been reading these old methods? It sure looks like they have! The repair methodology is so similar! It's eerie! If not, these present methods and the old ones of Rome are so similar -common logical remedies "the psychic unity of Man" as anthropologists might say - that it is a case of delayed action "parallel development" another anthropological term. In any case, we need to chuck the imperial dictatorial stuff post haste going on today, and get back to "the Republic" - the free individual governing themselves, with good, proven ethical controls...laws - both governmental, plus character development and spiritual wisdom of the ages. Help the little businessman. Get back to "Our country under God."...not under Imperial God. Re-post The Ten Laws of God...great ethical sledge-hammers....and also post human law, which works if not dodged. Discourage the garbage - Neanderthal non-creativity - in media - sewage - flowing into living rooms. Inject starch in the backbones of newspapers. We need them and other media for a check. Now, they don't want to offend advertisers...in other words they have a don't- rock- the- boat, greed, fear, philosophy...and wonder why they are having problems. If the media goes along with people who are breaking the First Commandment right and left - worshipping other gods, greed, power, politics, etc. what do they expect? Notice again, the Romans did have protective laws right between everyone's eyes, but they were ignored due to everyone being character challenged. Yes, it was a widespread character challenged disease. The cultural infrastructure had been greatly weakened, no doubt because of loss of the strong old Republic. The philosophy became, let big daddy dictator do it. The Romans did make an earlier mistake; they had an old device whereby a dictator could be called in for a while to set things straight, but precedent was set, and the power-operators loved it and decided to stay! And lazy plebes and patricians said, "great, we won't have to do anything, la, la, la, and have a wild ball with usury, and go to the free circuses." Today we must run like heck from anything that is remotely similar to dictatorship - before it begins to catch hold. Unfortunately, it is catching hold right now as we speak right before our very eyes. And how did the Romans appease the masses if they became restless? Give them "bread and circuses." Big Daddy Emperor was the one giving out all kinds of doles (see the next article re. "Stimulus Plans of Rome)." Also some of the very rich put on circuses to gain points with the plebes and these god-men built impressive structures all supposedly to secure eternal glory and again impress the masses. Most of those structures are in ruins today. But, financial matters overall were controlled better in the tough old Republic where Senators had more character and the Tribunes were tough representing the tough plebian citizenry...and all were thinking about their beloved Rome first, it's laws and gods. There were rough spots even then, of course - democracy is never quite perfect, but as Churchill said "better than anything else." There had always been a problem with usury. Citizens must constantly be alert in any kind of democracy. There must be strong ethical sledge-hammers and laws (enforced). Also, again, notice that the action taken in 33 A.D. was by an emperor (king, dictator if you prefer). So, again, I hate to be the one reminding you that today we have the President of the U.S. assuming power of a king/dictator/emperor, which is about as opposite as you can get from democracy, which we are supposed to be. And we can't accept "benevolent dictator" because a dictator is a dictator. The people and laws should be solving the problems. Power should be coming down from people, not going down from dictators or various and sundry varieties of dictatorial clones. Our dictatorial moguls in Washington and of other financial centers around the world, who also hit the wall, should have been studying their history...and especially history of democracy, and Theology. And, better yet, the citizens (the bosses) especially should have been studying their history in the first place and holding official's noses to the grindstone. Well, of course, that couldn't happen in top heavy non- democratic governments, but all could have read history....and studied character. In a democracy you can't really blame the elected officials, for they are merely employees of the citizenry, who are the true bosses. They can't really waste valuable time blaming the character challenged individuals (apparently reflecting their own character challenged personalities), but must set to work immediately patching up their democracy. One problem is that we keep losing so much of it, that it gets harder and harder to restore. Right now, we've just got a semi-democracy...and keep getting more top heavy by the minute. The Roman citizens of their fading Republic became lazy and welcomed the dictators with open arms. It is weird to see this happening all over again...two-thousand years later - masses adulating glorified Caesar! The concept of dictator can be a slow monster trudging along silently, working its way up to present generations and then devouring these poor people who didn't bother to once look behind. They didn't believe in historical rearview mirrors. We have a gigantic democracy problem - even overshadowing the financial problem (just a symptom). Overshadowing the democracy problem is an even bigger "dumbing down" cultural problem. We need crash programs in the study of democracy, history and ancient history as well as ethical character development...and also studies in the arts and sciences...high cultural things. Funds spent on these studies would do more good for our country than anything else the moguls are doing now, although books can be checked out free at the library and purchased for a pittance at used book sales and garage sales. Parents can instruct children - no charge. Entered July 2nd, 2009, and July 4th, '09 RM P.S. Any students out there looking for a college major, here are several of the most important ones for you...history, including ancient history, and study of ethics and political science and any smartening up studies. Please....for all of our sakes!!!!! This could be our last chance; we are losing democracy fast. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - STIMULUS PACKAGES IN ANCIENT ROME. Tiberius, who had to "stimulate" banks of ancient Rome, 33 A.D. with tons of sesterces has already been covered in the previous article. But, before Tiberius there was the emperor Augustus who handed out money along with grain to the grumbling citizenry. He had two ministers, Maecenas and Agrippa who kept their fingers on the pulse of the plebes for him. They reported to Agustus when the citizens needed another infusion. Here in the U.S. the citizens have already had one stimulus check (last Spring) and another one is supposedly scheduled shortly. So, these "checks" were (are) really hush money. Hopefully, they will do a little "stimulating," but the emperors know that it won't do much. Today our President (who has become an Emperor in tradition of old Rome) has his own ministers who advise him when to do another infusion to shut up the masses out there, until something else can be tried. And, of course, our Emperor today has already tried gigantic infusion of banks. Some is being paid back, but trillions of dollars are still owed. And still trillions have been lost down that mysterious black hole of oblivian! What the Emperor needs to do is restore democracy. Get business machines working full steam by simply getting the behemouth of government off their backs. Get the behemouth off backs of all citizens. Restore excitement and competiveness. Study the basic workings of democracy and people. We could have untold wealth. Utilize the individual, (this is free!!!!) atomic powerful citizens of a democracy. Of course, promote good ethics. Before restoring democracy, be sure and let the people know how much work will fall in their lap. They must attend town hall meetings rain or shine, vote, study issues, smarten up. My source re. handouts of Agustus is Famous Men of Rome by John H. Haaren, LL.D. and A.B Poland, Ph.D., Am. Book Co. 1904. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TECHNO-DULLED, A CONCEPT. Here is a term I created in a collection of articles on the first Iraqi War...Desert Shield/Desert Storm..."The Iraqi War Series." This was published right at the beginning of "Desert Storm." This term might be useful for you. I keep tinkering with it. A synonym would be Technology Overconfidence. This technology overconfidence can lead to disasters. Technology is good, of course, but it can be as much of a problem as it does good...maybe even more of a problem. Of course, any culture, especially in war and business, wants to be ahead of the cutting edge. But you have to watch it carefully or you can get complacent and put too much stock in it and run into a myriad of problems that engulf you. Some battlefield weapons, if too complicated, might require you having to send to M.I.T. or Japan to get them fixed! Then, there is a money problem. The more complicated the more repair or replacement expense. A college is eager to build a fancy new structure on campus. Along comes a good contributor with funds...but everyone forgets one important detail. The benefactor doesn't provide a substantial endowment to take care of overhead, repair, etc. far into the future. The Roman Army was very high tech with fancy field machines. The Legionaires were highly trained in field maneuvers. But then the rough Germans lured two crack Legions into the rough and rocky Teutonberg Forest just north of the Rhine River. The Romans and their leader Varus were totally annihilated. It was a disaster for Rome; it just couldn't have happened! Nobody could beat a Roman Legion! The Romans were techno-dulled. The Americans in Viet Nam had highly technical weapons such as helicopters and jets but were beaten by North Vietnamese with less technology. We couldn't adjust or come up with an answer. We were techno-dulled. And it seems that techno-dulling has magnified. Technology looks sooo good. Business schools love technology. Theoretically, there can be fewer employees. Of course, what happenes due to techno-dulling that didn't work, the fewer employees ended up doing more work. The business school technocrats said, that's o.k., when those fewer employees wear out, there are plenty more in line. Our techno-theories can't be wrong. Then, more money has to be squeezed up to the top by-passing middle class. This techno-dulling had to have contributed to the present mess. Then, in Iraq, the gurus in Washington said we can do o.k. with fewer troops. We have an abundance of technology. But the business school overconfidence in technology wasn't working. Finally, more troops were brought in...but is all still a massive problem due to techno-dulling. Some things learned. No matter how much tecnology, don't forget people. Don't forget money to pay for all the fancy technology and far into the future too. Technology is great if you don't get techno-dulled. One answer is to get technology that is as simple as possible. The transister is one example. Ron Miller, July 21, 2009 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - POLITICAL GRIDLOCK...OR ANY KIND OF GRIDLOCK...AN ANSWER FROM THE REPUBLIC OF ROME. Have a gridlock problem? Republicans vs Democrats in Congress can't get together? Demonstrators in streets of Iran want more rights, but government is intransient? Gridlock! People of China are in gridlock with Government. Global Warmers vs non-global warmers. It's all gridlock and looks impossible to figure it out. But, gridlocks can be resolved...have actually been done...in the early days of the old Roman Republic (before the dictators and emperors took over). HOW THE PEOPLE OF THE OLD ROMAN REPUBLIC OBTAINED POWER IN GOVERNMENT. This is a great story, one of the greatest of all political or any stories. It is about how the Plebes (the citizens) gained power of their own within the Senate (Patricians) system. The people were suffering all kinds of injustices and the Senate simply wasn't paying any attention to them. It was political gridlock. The people had no power at all. So, they demonstrated - peacefully - better termed a strike. The Senate became worried, but weren't about to give up any of their long held power. No sir. Heals were dug in all around. But the Plebes kept up their discontent. It took quite a while. But it was a major problem for Senate, mainly because now they couldn't go to war and defend themselves because of the gridlock. To make a long story short there was an outstanding man named Menenius Agrippa, whose name now should be posted on a sign in halls of Congress and government offices around the world. He was sent by Senate to the camp of the Plebians. He then told them a story which I will relate now thanks to Livy the historian: "Once upon a time the parts of the human body did not agree together, but the various members had each their own policy; and it befell that the other parts were indignant that everything was procured for the belly by their care, while the belly did nothing but enjoy the pleasures they afforded it. So they conspired: - the hands should no more carry food to the mouth, the mouth would not receive it, nor the teeth chew it. But while they wished to subdue the belly by famine, these parts themselves, and the whole body, were reduced to the last degree of emaciation. Thus it became evident that the services of the belly was by no means a slothful one (but that it had a most important purpose). This caring type man sent from Senate signalled that the Senate was beginning to bend. This loosened the rusted nut so to speak and a reconciliation was thus put in order. Note: both sides dearly loved Rome; this was the key. They loved Rome more than themselves. The Plebes didn't take up arms; the Patricians didn't send guards. The Senate conceeded some points and even went further. The Plebes could have two elected Tribunes to represent them Licinius and Lucius Albinus. Here was the beginning of "The House of Commons" and our U.S. "House of Representatives." It was momentous in history. The "common people" just can't be denied. It may take time to loosen mental "nuts" "tradition dies hard" as the sociologists say, but the oppressed must keep at it. And, of course, top heavy governments who have intransient pseudo-religions such as Marxism/Leninism are harder "nuts" to loosen. However, "the writing is on the wall" as Nebuchanezzer's son saw in ancient Babylon. The Plebes had one other hurdle and that was getting one of their own to be a Consul (Roman gov't had two Consuls). This finally did happen not too long after. And I should mention that the Tribunes (a few more were later added to represent the people) were a vigorous bunch and had the powerful "Veto" coming from the people - for any laws passed by the Senate. Today our President has this power, and various branches can check "veto" each other, but you can see where our Founders got the idea. Our Founders as you can see were very well read on Roman history. They obviously studied Livy. So, any gridlock can be broken. "The parts of the body just won't ever feed the stomach if separate from each other." Thanks to Livy's "History", book II, chaps. 23-24 and 32-33. My secondary source is READINGS IN ANCIENT HISTORY, II. Rome and the West. by William Stearns Davis, Allyn and Bacon, 1913. Entered July 5th, 2009, RM - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - IRAN AND DEMOCRACY. PRESIDENT OBAMA'S, POLITICAL, GOSSAMER CLOTH COVERS STATUE OF LIBERTY. A quick note for the courageous Iranian people. We salute the freedom-demonstrators in the streets this very moment, standing up to oppressive dictatorship (and there are many others around the world also out in the streets). The freedom demonstrators definitely have right on their side. It's unfortunate that tyrants/dictators/super-controllers/slave-masters of all shapes and sizes - as now running Iran (and also in China and Burma as we speak) - have to be dragged kicking and screaming from their power thrones. The people have to be counted. They must have rightful power. God created individuals first not governments...or lobbies. The Iranians aren't the only country seeking freedom. There are millions of slaves in China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea, Burma and elsewhere that can't stand the oppressive, controlling dictators in power and long for freedom and self-government too. Who wants to be a slave? Who wants a slave-master? Slavery has been tried countless times down through history and failed miserably. Freedom and self-government is the answer. However, it is very difficult to get out from under slavery once the slave-masters have taken over. Dictators will stop at nothing to keep power...and they control the military! At the moment, our own government - home of the Statue of Liberty no less - is being very meek in standing up to this oppression in Iran...and also being nicey nicey to dictatorial Cuba...and where is the vociferous opposition to Burma..and the tyrants there holding freedom lover Ang San Su Chi prisoner? The free world needs to be battling this every day. President Obama is a mush type politician... a classic halfway -don't- rock- the- boat operator. Washington is full and running over with these dime a dozen politicos. Strangely, when the pre-politicos get power, they start playing the halfway politico game instead of the 100% democracy game. And the democracy game is really much easier, more effective and logical ("logic" the great ingredient needed in a democracy as reminded of by the classicist Edith Hamilton). All the elected officials have to do is steer the democracy rudder..whatever form of democracy they have. "They" the massive egos, believe "they" must do everything. I actually was pulling for the new administration to do something as something needed doing, but after being deeply involved in democracy here lately...I look up and go into shock stareing squarely at dictatorship and emperorism. I have to call it as I see it. And just look what has happened. He, Pres. Obama, with all of his brilliance, has been outfoxed by the Iranian leadership that has him buffaloed. Obama's fear and politico methodology can be smelled easily thousands of miles away by hostile aggressives...and by strong freedom fighters too. Obama doesn't realize it, but he is in a real war. The enemy is throwing word bullets (psychological warfare) at him (and also supplying real bullets to others to fight and kill us and friends). They have Obama checked on the chess board...simply because he is playing on their board, with their pieces and by their rules. Talking and meetings are great, but impossible with charging tigers. In the cold war, Pope John Paul II and President Reagan had much strength behind them...Scriptural right, many people, economic power, powerful military. As we speak, Sec'y of State Clinton is in the Middle East demanding the Iranians get with it now and come to the table or else there will be sanctions. They will come to the table if they can play their game. She does have them in a way - for they are embroiled in internal gridlock. Now is the time for Statue of Liberty talk. Obama could easily battle back in other ways. One example... Re. the Iranian leadership's denial of the Holocaust. Tell them and world the Iranian leadership has been reading Adolf Hitler who came up with the Big Lie technique. Tell a big enough whopper and some will believe. The world has had enough of Hitler types. By the way, this Hitler type lie definitely shows their true motive toward Israel as they have obviously been carefully studying the dictators's methodology. Another one of Iran's Big Lies is that the U.S. was running all the freedom seekers in the streets of Iran. Again, this is right out of Hitler's and Goebbels' text book. Goebbels was Hitler's Propaganda Minister. This sick duo was slinging such balogna leading up to and including WWII. Churchill fortunately was one of few who caught on early. Neville Chamberlin, the infamous appeaser didn't. I will say this, western culture, especially with freedom for women has no doubt influenced street demonstrators, but I don't believe there has been any focused conscious attack of any kind. Iran's leadership is also using the nefarious device of the scapegoat phenomenon so prevailent in prejudice and a device used by Hitler. Social psychologists study this in detail. (see: our section on this site: Race & Cultural Relations, WAS). People have to have a scapegoat for their own pitiful shortcomings when times are hard. The horrible classic example was the Nazis making the Jews scapegoats. And, with Iran reading Hitler...look out! In this case, today, the Jews, U.S. and Brittain are the "scapegoats." The aggressors use the device for their own aggrandisement and domination. Hitler was an expert at it. Iran is using the scapegoat device to the hilt, so are other terrorists. Incidentally, on the subject of propaganda and psychological war, the Russians contributed some nefarious methods to this pot of sewage based on Dr. Pavlov's studies using his famous dog (Pavlov could control dog's drooling with a piece of meat...then, this is transferred over into human drooling). Combine Pavlov methodology with the Hitler/Goebells'stuff and you have some deadly mind warfare. Many other Marxists/Leninists picked up on it (moreover, they have conflict built into their ideology, a really sick combination, i.e. Hegel's (teacher of Karl Marx) theorum: Thesis/antithisis/synthesis)...especially the North Koreans who refined this psychological stuff greatly and are utilizing it right now, saber-rattling, etc. Ask any Korean War vet. The Marxists poured it on during the Cold War. Obama needs to expose all this balogna, brain-washing, mind-weapon stuff. Zap them back. Obama must be very careful that he himself isn't affected by such brain saber-rattling...and doesn't start drooling. I notice that the terrorists in Afghanistan are also using advanced psychological warfare. The weapons of psychological warfare in Middle and Near East look to be as powerful as atomic bombs. They are consistently setting them off. What Obama is doing as we speak is covering The Statue of Liberty with a political gossamer cloth. You can partially see the inspiring sculpture....but not quite. How weak and confusing. Obama needs to take the cloth off the Statue of Liberty and let it proudly shine. Put a big map of the world at the base of the statue and put Xs on the countries that don't have freedom. Invite aggressors to meet right there at the foot of the statue. And the whole country pray for these countries of slavery. Don't be afraid of bad. "Don't hide one's light under a bushel." The Statue of Liberty isn't in some sculptor's studio in a corner, a halfway work in progress, covered up much with wet cloths to keep the clay wet. It is complete and great! I will say this in defense of Obama. A later news report said that he was misinformed by the CIA re Iranian voting outcome. Still, he should have known enough basic philosophy and history of democracy to know "Freedom isn't free," and one really has to be tough defending it. Ask any vet. And recently in Africa, in Pres. Obama's defense he spoke strongly of democracy. Great. Keep on keeping on. Many people had complained of his soft approach on Iran. There were many towns in the way of tyrant aggressor Ghenghis Khan who was sweeping across the Steppes with his horde. The town officials came out meekly to appease him, and would bow down. They wanted to be nice and talk things over. The Khan would just lop their heads off. Talk is great if both sides have some kind of similarity as in old Republic Rome where the Plebes and Patricians dearly loved their common Republic and Rome. (see above article). The Plebes had peaceful strikes asking for representation, and the Patricians didn't call out the guard. And even earlier, Daniel was able to survive unscathed in the Lion's Den, but are you (we) this advanced spiritually? True, Theology/Spirituality is incredibly powerful but must be studied and applied. The old African saying: "walk softly but carry a big stick" (borrrowed by Teddy Roosevelt) is not bad at all. How do we get Washington toughened up? Pres. Obama has a Marine advisor, a general, in the White House, which gives me some hope. But Obama's religion is politico (again, a half-way approach), so, the Marine has himself a job. General Pershing said: "No halfway measures are going to solve this problem," when first entering WW I with the First Division. Obama needs to study Lt. Steven Decater who fought the Barbary Pirates. Decater said: "Our country, right or wrong!" By the way, Decater's boss was President Thomas Jefferson. Those men knew a thing or two about our country. Pres. Obama does try mightily in many ways, works hard and does some good things, and is very talented. He's probably the greatest orator since Demosthenes and Cicero. He is a good person, and many around the world want this goodnes and like him very much. All that is a great asset and needed, but, aggressors don't understand good...only divisions and money, and Obama is short of both. Unfortunately, he and his advisors are creating havoc in our system. His dictatorial approach is horrible for a democracy. He needs to let business fly (FREE it up); get government totally off its back (and off the backs of individuals too; they form businesses}). True, there have been bad eggs -character challenged individuals, but let our great law deal with them. Also, promote character development, patriotism, democracy in the home and at school. This is the real problem. But what do you expect with the takeover of schools and Washington and Wall St. by the Humanist/atheist movement the past century? Tap the atomic free spirit and true biblical spirit of individuals! We would have untold wealth. Creativity would be released...and fear squashed...creating wealth. Free people could breath again and do better than ever. If we are going to spend any money, spend it on Character Development Programs. Of course, one can buy a used bible at a garage sale for .50 cents. Same for books on American history. Re. Obama being a dictator. He is doing exactly what Napoleon did when he took the crown in his own hands and placed it ceremoniously on his own head (he couldn't find anyone else with enough authority other than himself!!). So, Obama has become Emperor I of the U.S. and over many others around globe who are mesmerized by his rhetoric. I have explained many times that the Romans goofed when they provided a red carpet for a dictator to come in, quickly fix something, then, supposedly, get out. Guess what? Caesar just decided to stay! This was the beginning of the end. The Roman Senate (representing the Patrician Class) and the Tribunes (representing the Plebes), had become so weak, they just let all this happen...as we are today! As mentioned above, once the tyrants get a foothold even it is extremely difficult to get them out. And couple this phenomenon with our star struck citizens...and look out. Obama needs to just relax, take the crown off, and let our democracy work. He's scareing this student of democracy. It's actually simple and cheap. Where did the politicos get it in their heads that they have to revise our great democracy? Reverting to democracy would be the most radical thing of all. It would save trillions of $$$; in fact, make trillions. We need to mobilize; have a crash project to restore democracy throughout the system; it would immediately save gillions of $$$ and be a great example for others. The real dictator now that has taken over our country is Corporate America. It is a powerful machine and needed, but the supposed handlers in Washington let it get out of control...and they got swallowed up in it. The exact same thing happened in Rome with the dictator Caesar. Did you notice that Congress passed a bill to supposedly control credit card banks. But these banks immediately figured out ways to re-zap the citizenry...and Congress did nothing about it? Look for more re-zapping if Congress passes a new medical bill. Washington is totally ruled by this dictator...and it is like a baby dinosaur - young and still growing...and becoming more powerful by the minute. But, there is a catch with the freedom for business approach, which I must include here. We have to counter the Karl Marx phenomenon and not play into his hands. Marx predicted that money rises up to the top and stays there. For many years his prediction was controlled. The middle class got some and so did the poor. I believe it ($) then began drifting up more toward the top...via bad loans, other incredible money grabbing, etc. And, again, lack of controlling character and ignoring of laws was missing. To develop character one has to have the ethical sledge-hammers of fear of God, and study of history with good examples, good laws (enforced) and good examples in the family and society. What a strange experience for your writer, an archaeologist/anthropologist...writing and researching a pet subject democracyology (a term your writer came up with) and having to witness dictator/emperors in the USA! I can hardly believe it. It's surrealistic (and surrealism was one of the cracks in the Roman Empire!). But it really is happening. Our Founders up on clouds are jumping up and down and pulling their wigs off! Cicero of old Rome, who battled the dictators is also jumping up and down. "You've let the power operators in the door!" Cicero won against the Cataline Conspiracy, but lost to Caesar and Mark Antony (one of those who took over after Caesar). The grand old Republic of Rome (a democracy) was over! It can happen here right now (is happening!). Re. Dictatorial corporate America. What about elected representatives to control busines, say, business tribunes? They do have needs and are important. And there has never been anything like it...anything this giant. The election should be by the people to exert control. Individuals who work in business are free individual citizens, but not the business mass. The President can do a lot, of course, with help from Congress. Restore power to the people. Many other countries are suffering the same affliction. The Executive/Legislative/Judicial needs to get together and quickly restore democracy. By the way, just a thought...in the case of Iran, Obama's wishy-washy, halfway politics could be a kind of "projection" of his very own fear...fear of "tea party" movements in the streets here at home? But, back to the Iranians. Remember, Athens went down the tube in a relatively short time, and I believe that one reason (other than fighting grissle brained Spartans, over-extending their empire, jealousy of philosophers by big shots, plague, etc.) ... was that half the population - women - were short changed! The men wanted to control everything. So, even though Athens had a great thing "democracy" they had a man-contol thing - a patriarchy - patriarchial system. So, President Obama needs to direct all his energy into restoring democracy and seeing to it that there are sledge-hammer ethical controls. One big control is character development. Another is law. Another control is Sunday School things. Good things that everyone wants will fall into place. It's really very easy and not expensive at all! Ron Miller, June 20th, 2009 (and some added June 23, '09..and June 25, '09..and July 5, 2009...also July 17, '09). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - CIVILIZATION PROMOTION CAMPAIGN. Here's an idea that developed from our studies of democracyology/archaeology/anthropology/art history...and some other studies. We need to promote CIVILIZATION. There are many people and cultures around the globe who can be considered civilized (there are many degrees of civilization)...but many are not. Some haven't even made it to the bottom rung and are wildly killing their poor neighbors and even their own brethren. They are the problem and not the solution. Civilization is the solution. Everything boils down to the fact: Are we civilized or not? Are we climbing up the rungs of the civilized ladder...or going down? So, let's do everything we can to promote climbing UP the civilized ladder. Here are some qualifications...the bare minimum - basic elements - just jotted down by your writer (if readers can think of any more, let us know). 1) NON-SELF. Think of neighbors and others. What are people and their cultures doing to think of and help others? Of course, "charity begins at home," but what's the non-self quotient? This one is rough on the "Me" generation, but it requires much maturity to think of others. A little baby is thinking Me, Me, Me...gimme the bottle." Society has a tremendous challenge getting this little me character out of the baby mode. Sometimes it never happens! This selfish little baby can't be considered civilized. If someone is thinking of harming their neighbor, including invalidating (mental hurting) their neighbor or aggressing across any border, they FLUNK. Very often a person or culture's problem is not thinking of others. Ask - what can I do to help others...provide some good service for others? Prejudice is not thinking of others. What is one's prejudice quotient would be one thinking of others test. Definitely, ladder rungs are given for supplying food, medicine, shelter, helpful uplifting thoughts (include prayers). Do citizens give little gifts and do good thing for friends and neighbors? Or, are they lost in themselves? Of course, don't forget: "charity begins at home." Note: Unfortunately, but true, many weak, hostile aggressives will misjudge and look at caring people as weak. Thinking of others is really strength and maturity. So, sometimes you have to think of others and at the same time fend off negative forces. Be strong. "No good deed goes unpunished." The Evil One doesn't like good. So, examine if the society has caring people. Lot involved here. 2) HAVING A TRUE RELIGION...AN ULTIMATE ETHICS. Related to above. Does the society have a LOVING philosophy/religion? There are a lot of philosophies out there, but most can be classified as pseudo-religions. 3) CREATIVITY QUOTIENT. Is the society creative? And does the culture promote creativity? If a person and their culture are creative, great! They are constantly restoring and building up themselves, others and their culture. They aren't standing still immobilized on some rung...there is some movement...some new action...and working upward. They can creatively get themselves out of fixes. Many politicians and execs are brilliant, but not creative, and beyond that, even if there is creativity, many don't have the courage to follow through on any creativity. And, there may be a creative person nearby, but such person often gets steamrolled due to jealousy or dullness of the exec. or politician. The creativity rung is made of hard hickory...strong and flexible, but very hard to attain. Look for new inventions...creative ideas in Congress. Check for non-creative stagnation. 4) ART QUOTIENT. Arts. Connected with the above is the Arts. The arts must be right up there on the top few rungs - one of the great prizes of civilization and necessary ...a tremendous civilizing thing. Yet, the arts is ignored by many..and barely on the bottom rung, if at all! Unbelievable! The U.S. doesn't even have a Chair or Presidential Cabinet position for the Arts! Arts is being cut back in schools! Hard to believe in the 21st Century. This knocks us down many rungs on the civilized ladder. The Athenians knew that the arts were crucial...drama, painting, ceramics, sculpture, architecture, dance, music, etc. When they knew this they had a Golden Age. So, what is the Arts/Creative quotient of a culture? Do governments, (city, county, state and national) as old governments of Paris, think art and promote? Maybe contests, symphonies, shows and statues in the park, etc? If financially broke, at least pats on the back? Governments doing so would be thinking art. This takes high type cultural thinking. Look at all the strip malls of the U.S. How dull! They all look the same. Many a creative architect (including landscape architects, of course) is chomping at the bit to do some great creative art to be appreciated for centuries. Why not turn them loose? Get out of the dull- architecture- on- the- back- of- an- envelope, copy cat, mentality, which is many rungs down the ladder. Look at the beautiful cave paintings of Altamira and Lascau 25,000 years old. Those artist/cultures "Cro-Magnon" are far ahead of today's, dull, Strip Mall Culture. Art lasts. "Life is short, but art is long." (old Roman saying). Art/Creativity will actually save the culture; without it the culture is very feeble and can't last long. 5) FREEDOM QUOTIENT. Citizens should be free...not slaves (There are many ways to be slaves...at work, in the home (sometimes a dungeon!!!)(not just women, but men and kids can be slaves also)...mental ideological slavery at schools and colleges and in government). Of course, "freedom really isn't free" as the saying goes. It is a hard battle. Soldiers of a democracy well know this. There must be discipline...control, defense, otherwise, there would be chaos. As I speak, there is a move in Washington DC that is definitely dictatorial. See, in a democracy you can't go to sleep a second! The controllers love to start doing stuff...stuff the free citizen and representatives should be doing. Ancient Rome went to sleep and the dictators took over. They had a clause for a dictator to come in for a short time, get things straightened out and then get out...but it set a disastrous "precendent" as the lawyers say. Then, here came the arrogant dictators full force. They believe with their "superior intelligence" they know exactly how to solve the problem(s). If you don't believe it, just ask them! The powerful energy of the individual is immediately snuffed out. (the powerful energy of the individual should actually be encouraged). Here we have arrogant termites working away on the wooden ladder of civilization. By the way, the ladder should be stainless steel. Actually, come to think about it, our ladder is stainless steel...the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. We've covered it up with some kind of gook! Anyway, serious stuff going on as we speak...and not healthy for a democracy. We are carefully noting as we analyze civilizations. Another Note: re. freedom in old Athens. Half the population - women - weren't free and couldn't participate in government! This had to have contributed much to the demise of this famous old city state. They didn't last long, just a few hundred years...a short time really in all of history and prehistory. So, this brings up another qualifying factor: 6) LAW. This is a kind of higher ruling or philosopy as mentioned above, but deserves closer examination. Law is the great foundation of democracy. Abraham Lincoln said: "Let Law be the religion of the land." Our Constitution is our main law and supposedly guarded by the Supreme Court (hopefully...but easy for egocentrisim and ethnocentrism to seep in!). Democracies have the basic legal document of a Constitution...and in our U.S. case, add The Bill of Rights and The Declaration of Independence...very unique documents. And to judge if the laws are good, are they fair laws? Some dictatorships have constitutions, but, of course, are unfair. They favor the tyrants and government above the citizen who must be free as our U.S. Founders well knew...in fact, God Ordained free individuals...as mentioned in our Declaration of Independence. And do citizens know the law? The ancient Romans posted the basic 12 laws in the Forum for all to see. Easy to follow. Everyone knew. So, what is the citizen's law quotient? Our laws are becoming too complicated. Medical Drs are burdened with complicated law. Have a medical committee of three Drs and three non pro citizens study liability cases. Want to save money in medicine? AN IDEA. The Athenians drafted "ordinary" citizens to participate in government. How about some community experimenting with this today? Today women would be involved; things would be twice as good! 7) GOOD MANNERS. Are men women and kids acting as ladies and gentlemen? Add manners. The old knightly code of chivalry had some good points. Open doors for the other person. If such cultural codes are present, proceed up several rungs on the ladder. Again, this is thinking of others but should be stressed. The British I believe are leaders in this area, maybe going back to old chivalry? But there are other well mannered countries also. Kids must learn manners instead of growing up to be ill-mannered klinkers and abusing others, themselves and society. 8) WORK. Do people have good work to do? Work is very important in many ways. If out of work, look around the place. Plenty to do if one self starts. George Washington Carver said: "start with what you have, make the most of it, and don't stop." And what is the craftsmanship quota of a culture? Are products of quality? Carpenters in old novice class in Europe had to first make their own tools of beautiful rose wood. Many of these great craftsmen came to America. Solid stuff. Have we lost it? It would seem so, but hope I am wrong. Check museums for these inspirational tool gems. Can jewelers still make their own brooch and cameo settings? Or their own cameos? Work solves many problems. Is it a busy bee society? Promote small business. Get the oppressive dead dinosaur of government off their backs totally and let them breath. Let work/production/creativity/non-fear/incentive/craftsmanship soar! These products are valuable. Get ready for untold wealth! So, what is the present work quotient? Stiffled? Languishing? Non-existent? Fearful of being crushed by the dinosaur? 9) EDUCATION. Is education available...and how many are getting this education? How many are leaving in the middle of high school? Education is very important in a democracy. Individual citizens are running themselves, so, they have to be up on many things. Citizens must be educated or they are doomed to have a stupidocracy...and the culture plummets down the civilized ladder. Thank Heavens for libraries. Help them! Put track shoes on and head for the library. Our motto here at the WAS Info. Ctr. comes from Poor Richard: "Put a patch on your coat and buy a book." Thank heavens for teachers. So, how are schools and teachers doing? Does the society have libraries, and does the society help libraries? How are colleges and universities doing? Is knowledge soaring over the ivy walls to help society? Or stuck, hidden in the enclave gathering dust? Learning is exciting. Young George Washington Carver loved to learn...and found plenty of interesting things around him. Start looking. 10) IS THERE PLENTY OF FOOD & WATER? The Osage hunt chiefs made sure that if some hunter out on the group hunt didn't get any game, that he was given some to take home. It was a kindly gesture. There was no humiliation. Some hunter who might be unlucky, would be lucky the next hunt. It's not communism, it's care. Take care of the land and water. Small landowners and farmers will do this best; they care about handing things down to descendents in good shape. Unfortunately, big farm operations are taking over (the same thing happened in Rome!!). Study soils science. Rich soil with organic material is granular soil, and granular soil holds water (thanks to old Soils I prof., Dr. William Albrecht of Missou; he helped discover Aureomycin..the "golden mould"). Vegetation holds moisture; blacktop doesn't. Terraces holds water and soil. Albrecht said that catfish in rich Mississipppi Delta are good natured, whereas sharks living off sandy (low nutrition) beaches are mean. 11) MEDICAL QUOTIENT? Can everyone get medical help? If it costs too much they can't get it. Is it high quality? Even in "primitive" societies, everyone has access to the Shaman. They pay what they can.  Is medical research progressing? Are big pharmaceuticals and insurance companies running individuals or vice versa? Again, there must be tempering with a high philosophy. Shamans have to work hard, say, digging up snake root to help anesthesize their throats for their arrow-swallowing routine. But not all patients can pay. It may be a bad year for pelts. There needs to be a special fund for medical researchers; most citizens just can't handle the added expense (high drugs, super equipment, etc.). Don't forget the mental quotient in healing. Good mind things are very healing and save tons of money. Spiritual healing needs to be developed. Very cost effective. 12) DEBT QUOTIENT. Watch the debt (a form of slavery mentioned above) thermometer. Also this item is related to the financial quotient section. This and several other sections might be combined at a future time. In early Athens, many citizens were in debt to "big lenders." They couldn't pay, so, had to become slaves to the big lenders. The genius Solon (democracy founder) was called in. He absolved all debt! Very simple, and in a democracy it is the citizen (really the big guy) who was helped. He was thinking in terms of democracy re. the problem. Today, our leaders are totally reversed from Solon's approach! What's going on now in much of world is a total ignorance of fundamentals of Democracy. It worked o.k. for Athens (for a while) for they went on to their Golden Age (but later went down the tube). 13) HISTORY/PREHISTORY QUOTIENT. Preservation of History and Prehistory (written by archaeologists and various historians) and studied. Societies must care about their past...the heirlooms of society...the written records - history...the big, data, memory bank. It would be horrible for a culture to have to suddenly start "from scratch," with no knowledge how to do things learned from those who went before. This knowledge is priceless. It is the knowledge bank, every bit as important as a financial bank. The ancient Greeks believed that if a culture had museums and could look at their culture, it was a great civilized accomplishment (Pausanius). This means funding for maintenance of structures "restoration" and research. Descendents of ours, hundreds, even thousands of years from now, will greatly appreciate all we can do to save it. They will naturally want to know all about their ancestors. If we loose it, destroy it, cover it up with concrete and asphalt, we will be villified forever. Descendents will learn from us and hopefully it will help them from going down the tube. Cicero, the great Lawyer, Philospher, Orator, Writer of ancient Rome said that the past, present and future are all related and important. Knowledge of the past just may very well not only save us but save people and cultures of the future...with a treasure chest of ideas...and also seeing what didn't work. A 4-8 wheeler "The Disaster Special" is thundering down the track..if we don't learn from history and save it. So, check the history appreciation quotient, which will also be a check on how close that train is coming down the track. Hint. You can hear the steam whistle right now! Tough laws will probably be needed. Remember, democracy requires much discipline. Edith Hamilton pointed this out with studies on Athens. 14) WRITING QUOTIENT. Related to the above and several other areas is Writing. Basic tool of humanity and civilization! Needed for history, records, stories. What is being done to encourage? Among other things, study literature. What is the publishing situation? Books, Newspapers, Magazines? Much is going digital, but that is o.k....quite a jump from old papyrus and parchment! Can it be saved as well as paper? Preserve the records? 15) PHYS ED. Physical exercise and phys Ed. The Athenians believed - sound body = sound mind. Strangely, phys ed. has been cut back first in schools! It doesn't take a lot of equipment. The person leading class doesn't even have to be a great athletic type. So, rate exercise and phys ed on the civilized rung. It is very important for a healthy, moving upward civilization. Simply, is society in shape? 17) ADVANCED CUSTOMS. The Arunta of Australia have a very complex cross-cousin marriage system. A diagram on the blackboard looks like one in a nuclear chemistry lab. The Arunta of Australia have a much more advanced marriage system than our simple/primitive living together culture. Thus, the Arunta are higher up the civilized ladder! 18) HAPPINESS QUOTIENT. A good indicator of other elements in society. If there are a lot of bread lines there can't be happiness. 19) STEWARDSHIP OF LAND AND ENVIRONMENT QUOTIENT. (Related to Food & Water above). God created everything and it was good, and humans are in charge of taking care of it. Today, even though big powers as U.S. and China have many good things they are destroying the environment of the earth and thus have dropped many rungs down the ladder. "You don't get something for nothing!"). This gets back to the very first rule - thinking of others...and having a true religion. Sad to say that the big powers and many others have flunked. There may have been a few pitiful attempts...but "Mushocracy - fearful politics" rules. There will have to be a reckoning. This leads to.... 20) DENIAL QUOTIENT. Related to facing reality quotient and a number of other "quotients" listed here. Politics is saturated with denial. Politics can't come to grips with major problems. Politics might do a halfway "solution" but seldom seems to do a complete job. There are always countless strings still dangling that cause much confusion and strife down the line. Denial is not solid logic. Fear is involved. The word "pragmatic" is used a lot today. Logic is great, but here's a catch. Pragmatism is a full fledged philosophy - a man/material philosophy. The humanist/atheist movement loves it. The education guru Dewey loved Pragmatism. He was one of the signers of the Humanist Manifesto - and right in the middle of education and worshipped by many educators (one big reason God invalidation easily slipped into schools and Washington). So, logic is great, but simply don't make it a Man religion. Check reality...but also check Real Reality. 21) ADMIT WHEN WRONG AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT...THE FLEXIBILITY QUOTIENT. How fast can society turn on the proverbial dime (without a dictator)? Don't hold your breath. It will probably take years of slow learning. The Roman Army was great out in the open field with all of its maneuvers and ability to haul in heavy seige equipment, etc....but couldn't change suddenly to the rough Teutonberg Forest of Germany and rough Germanic fighters. I call this being techno-dulled (WAS Iraqi War Series - Desert Shield/Desert Storm). As a result, the Germans lured them in and annihilated two crack Legions along with their general Varus. The impossible had happened. Agustus back in Rome is said by Senaca to have banged his head against the wall ...saying "Varus, where are my legions!" I believe we have some leaders in Washington right now banging their heads against the wall. (they did this in Viet Nam war also). They are going the business school "MBA Model" of downsizing military (as a department store)with high tech supposedly filling in the gap...and in a department store fewer employees do more work for the higher up theorists! Strange. But we can't quite win wars, and we have depressions, and no one can figure out why. Meanwhile, the enemies constantly lure us into their Teutonberg Forests. This only confuses and demoralizes populace...and the "House is divided" even more. Some cultures learn and work and some don't. Some are in a torturous purgatory. Some are self-destructing as we speak. Some are moving up, well oiled. And the really hard thing, is that even if one advances up some rungs on the ladder, keeping an advanced position is really tough. It is very difficult to keep from falling back down after a while of cultural lethargy and neglect. It's like the rungs are greased with lazyness, self-satisfaction, ignorance, arrogance, hostile-aggresson, selfishness, non-creativity, illogic, no art ability or appreciation of finer things, non-discipline, denial, non-adaptability and dullness. Takes a lot of constant work and good cultural machinery to keep the fine Swiss watch of culture/society going and advancing. There are many fine parts. Civilization is tough. The basic idea then is to protect one's civilized position and then work up even higher...not to slide down the ladder as many are doing as we speak! "The sky's the limit!" It's a tall ladder! 22) GOOD NEWS/MEDIA. How else are citizens "the true bosses in a democracy" going to know the truth unless they have good objective news media. Much of news media today has devolved into slanted news per wants of big owners. There has been slanted political ownership for a long time, but still they held to better ethics than today. The Journalist's Creed written by the country editor Walter Williams who founded the first school of Journalism in the world at the University of Missouri, Columbia, should be studied. Many papers are just politically mushing to NOT rock the boat and get by and not offend advertisers. Pure selfishness/fear/lack of knowledge of democracy, as mentioned earlier. They are slowly heading for the edge of the bluff...when they should be fighting mightily for the truth and protecting society. Good media takes much courage. Tyrants hate good media and will try their best to get control of it. Looks like they have succeeded!! Presently, Pres. Obama is courting the liberal press, re. the new medical program. He needs to invite the conservatives into his sessions too. Hard, hard, hard I know, but, again, this is supposed to be a democracy! So, let's democ. 23) MONEY GENERATING MACHINE/FINANCE/ECONOMIC DEPT. Is this department working without misery for populace and those in business? Is it top-heavy. Does it benefit all? Of course, some will make more $ than others, but it shouldn't mean the others will be in slavery for it. Greed can actually be put to work for good...and has created much for the world, but it must be controlled...with ethical sledge- hammers. Our Founders knew that "Our country under God," was the way. 24) BUCHENWALD FACTOR. The Buchenwald concentration camp in WWII shows the worst side of humanity. Check to see if a society has a propensity to subjugate others to this misery? If so, they get totally kicked off the ladder of civilization. Does a society believe that Buchenwald and the other dreadful places of the Holocaust didn't really exist? Denial listed above plays in here. Has a society forgotten Buchenwald, Aushwitz and the others? If so, they are incredibly ignorant and can't possibily survive as a civilization. This section could also be called: "The Aggression Factor"...but your writer happened to see the ceremony at Buchenwald on TV yesterday (June 5, '09) with Pres. Obama, Elie Wassel (survivor of Buchenwald) and Chancellor Angela Merkle of Germany...and went ahead and named this area after the camp. There are different degrees of aggression as pointed out by Anthony Storr in his Human Aggression. There is actually some good aggression that might even save one's life. Much has been written on the subject. But the Nazis went completely bananas, and some societies even today haven't learned an iota and are charging away in the same Nazi direction. Some as Iran are using Hitler's Big Lie technique (tell a big enough whopper (as Holocaust didn't exist) and a few will believe it!). I know, it is moronic, but must be faced. At first the Nazis were appeased by Neville Chamberlain of England. So, you can't reason with charging, ignorant tigers...and denial will just get you eaten! But carefully check the Aggression-Buchenwald Factor...which also includes the denial factor of the population. The Germans just went along with Hitler, la, la. So, how sheeplike is the population? How aggressive are the movements? Lots and lots of detailed study in this project. This leads to the need of help. 25) THE STUDY OF THIS CIVILIZATIONOLOGY IN A SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZED WAY. There are many degrees in the above analysis of civilization. Societies get complicated, and study help is needed. Science can help much....but as mentioned earlier there must be overriding Theological guidance. The great creative scientist George Washington Carver said that he didn't want anything to do with anything, including science, that wasn't connected with God (Newsletter of the Carver Birthplace Assoc.). 26) TWO THINGS TO CHECK (AND MUCH OF ABOVE FACTORS IN HERE)...LOGIC & CHARACTER. Edith Hamilton the classicist said logic is a societal important factor. General Norman Swartzkoff said in a lecture at a nearby college that a breakdown in character has led to most leadership problems in Washington. Swartzkoff is a great student of leadership. Are young folks being taught good character in family...at school...and in community? They watch adults (example). What are they watching? There are some great civilized examples. The U.S. has some good examples but also some bad examples. It wouldn't hurt to have a Civilization Office in upper eschelons of gov't to keep tabs on the above. There are some watchdog groups I believe, but there needs to be a high level coordinating group in government. Show demographic map charts of the above. Media should publish weekly or possibly daily reports. Good luck. Let's encourage civilization...true civilized wealth...the material wealth will follow. Ron Miller. Entered Apr. 6th, 2009. NOTE: I need to explain that while Americans might criticize their government, it is surprising to many around the world, that the USA citizens still will stand up for their country in final analysis. Lt. Steven Decatur who fought the Barbary Pirates said it best: "Our country right or wrong!" RM - June 21, 2009. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - MANY PROBLEMS WITH SOCIETY TRACED BACK TO 18TH CENTURY. The very first paragraph of famous historians Will and Arial Durant's monumental work: "The Age of Voltaire" is the Rossetta Stone for solving the many problems facing society today. They ask "How come is it that a major part of the educated classes in Europe and America has lost faith in the theology (that "for fifteen centuries") supported the moral code upon which Western civilization has been based? This is where the downfall commenced..."The Age of Voltaire." This hefty volume is Part IX of their famous THE STORY OF CIVILIZATION. Humans simply have outsmarted themselves. Humans were and still are just positive that the old characters of the Bible were off base. Humanism materialism is the answer they proclaimed. How could anything one can't see be so powerful? This is humanity's biggest loudest blunder of all time. Takes a lot of arrogance to go against Moses, Isaiah, Jesus, John, Paul and all the rest, but humans are never in short supply of this negative ingredient. Your writer is more excited stumbling across the above mentioned "first paragraph" of "The Age of Voltaire" than if I had discovered the second tomb of King Tut (and that is saying a lot for an archaeologist). One of the great things about the Durants is that they are not adverse to talking about religion. Thank heavens! (Entered May 6th, 2009 - RM) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DEMOCRACYOLOGY - IMPORTANCE. Your writer keeps saying that this or that department of this WAS site is the most important, but this one on the study of democracy - democracyology (coined by your writer) - has to be right up there at the top. Look around us right now - one governmental disaster after another - and most of it is the result of not understanding our democracy...and the history of democracy...and the study of Man...and history in general, including military history...all elements of democracyology. Most of the answers are all there, chiseled in stone...the good and bad experiments of society. (For thoughts on new problems in democracy since Rome and Athens, scroll down). History is priceless. Many young people scoff at the study of history...and prehistory (history written by the archaeologists)...and the character called: "Man" (anthropology...and groups - sociology). Again, look around, and see the results of your scoffing! Look at your bank account! Look at the dumbing down of society. Look at the people out of work. Look at the needless suffering. Every day students of democracy have to endure looking at the meltdown and knowing that much of what is happening, happened in ancient Athens and Rome, and that the inspired characters of the Scriptures have been there and done that! And that old military commanders are pleading with us to study their failures and successes. Washington D.C. has ignored many hard learned axioms of military science in Iraq and Afghanistan..."No halfway measures,"(Gen. Pershing)..."A house divided will not stand," (Scriptures, then, Lincoln)..."Look at things the way they really are, not as you want them to be," (Napoleon)..."Secure the area" (universal military axiom)..."Weakness kills troops," (universal)..."Weakness makes cowards of us all," (Gen. Patton, then, Vince Lombardi)..."Guard your flanks," (universal ancient axiom), "if attacked, declare war" (not half-way war powers), U.S. Constitution. If our U.S. Constitution had been followed and all out war declared, there would be no problems with Quantanamo. They would be Prisoners of War. And, anthropologists are pointing emphatically to cultural elements that work..and don't work - from the world laboratory. Study Edith Hamilton's classic: THE ECHO OF GREECE. The Athenians began fighting amongst themselves (they were "dumbing down"). Many of the philosophers - especially Plato - believed that there must be learning...a higher type, knowledgeable, logical person-citizen. Creativity was (is) extremely important. And courage to follow through with creative ideas as Pericles. Politics today is don't -rock- the- boat- go- the- safe- route-so-voters-won't-be-fearful-and-vote-for-me-again- politics. Reality became warped. I've noticed in art history that Surrealism creeps in...not just graphics but in other cultural elements. Romans began painting human heads on vines instead of flowers. Civilization goes down the rungs of the ladder instead of up. Look at unimaginative foul-mouthed commedians on TV, appealing to jungle instincts. Robert Louis Stevenson, the master, said it takes more creativity to clean up foul mouthed pirate sea chants. This high civilized creativity was applied to his Treasure Island. Unfortunately, though, society is going backwards to the jungle and the crib and Me, Me, Me...I want my bottle now...and, anything for the bottle! I want stimulated now! I must have everything now! A very immature jungle culture. Cultural drunkenness has come upon us. But, back to the Athenians. They continued on their dumbing down slide (after all they had accomplished in their Golden Age with great thinking things!). Socrates, one of the greatest thinkers of all time and mentor of Plato, another fantastic brain, had to drink the hemlock (for "corrupting" society with thinking!)...and so did the great orator Demosthenes have to go the hemlock route! Thinking and talking drives aggressive grissle-brains crazy. Put down thinking as a very important rung on the civilized ladder. So, the Athenians lost their wonderful creativity and what Edith Hamilton called "the spirit of democracy." (democracy takes much thinking and work, which lets out millions). Also, their empire became too greedy, and they overextended their empire. They were falling apart in many ways. We have a saying for it: "overdriving one's headlights." Democracy is when the individual citizen governs his or her self. The Athenians lost that drive..."the spirit of democracy." There are many insidious enemies of culture that try and destroy that democracy spirit. They are very jealous of it, and they want to bring it down ...and put themselves on the pedastal instead. So, the Athenians became weak and greedy and over-confident, and, empire crazy, then, the grissle-brained Spartans helped them down the tube during the Pelopenisian War. An epidemic also helped (an unexpected out-of-the-blue factor - as our Katrina). You've got to plan ahead with contingency thinking, and sometimes as an epidemic, you can't control it. Reality is cold, hard and ruthless. It was too much, and the Athenians began to get away from reality. They lost it. Boy Scouts have a great rule: "Be prepared." But, being prepared takes planning, organizing, creating...work!...and, yes, money! And, that takes more work to obtain. So, there is such a thing as a cultural brain meltdown. The Romans picked up on democracy in their early days with their Republic...but, then, they let that get away from them. In its beginning, they dearly loved their Republic. Yet, creeping in - as it always does - there was too much top heavy control with the Senate. They did make a stab with representation of the Plebes by Tribunes, but there was always this top heavy factor, and they even inserted a diabolical "little" clause that there could be a dictator if things got too bad. The Athenians had brought in a man, Solon with dictatorial powers, but he loved democracy. The U.S. as I speak says our President fired the President of GM the car manufacture. Dictatorial is anathema to a democracy. We are seeing democracy shot down before our eyes. We are really watching some monumental democracy dumbing down before our very eyes! The dictatorial element - only one negative element - is downright scarey for the student of democracyology. But, with Rome the big and bad took over permanently. And, the Romans of the Republic hated kings, but look what happened...look how far they slid down the slippery slope! Dictators by the thousands -super aggressors -always want desperately to take over...then and now. We need to find them some other hobby. They invariably get in over their heads. Nevertheless, citizens hand the great gem of freedom to them on a golden platter! Most people apparently are followers. They love kings. The U.S. is handing it over right now in many ways. Let the new "king" or "queen" or "Big Brother" solve the problems. Much of South America loves strong men and women. They and other follower types are tasty morsels for dictators. Yum..yum. The Romans, too, lost their "spirit of democracy." A few champions of their old Republic such as Cicero tried to save it, but it was too late. The "golden platter" of power had been handed over by the citizens, and the dictators were all to glad to receive it. It is an old story. We better watch and jealously guard basic democracy principles. As a student of democracyology I can guarantee you that Democracy is definitely under siege...and some of the walls are even being breeched! Government is now taking over big business. It's a giant gobbleing machine. But big government is a dictatorial dinosaur itself, and its knees have arthritis. Run for cover! Look around...then take charge as a Roman Centurion eyeing the entire battlefield in the midst of battle (Caesar's Gallic Wars); you are the boss in a democracy. No excuses for bad government. Scapegoating won't cut it. The citizen is the problem in the democracy. Back to work and thinking and imagination and doability again. Ouch! And above all, study democracyology so that you know what you (we) are doing...and won't be conned by the big and the bad. And the biggest bad thing is ignorance. By the way, be careful of studying Gibbon's DECLINE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. It has much good research, of course, but you must know that he was an atheist and omitted chapters and volumes. Students, you must be on your toes. Braidwood of the Oriental Institute, Chicago, was famous for his college text and coining the phrase: "Fertile Crescent," in the Near and Middle East, for, yes, he was also an atheist and a leader of the Humanist/Atheist/Man-can-solve-all-problems by-himself-doesn't-need-a-"non-existant"-God movement (be sure and check out William Foxwell Albright's book: History, Archaeology and Christian Humanism - McGraw Hill. So, Braidwood also ommitted volumnes! I know from hard experience having had his text in class...Ancient & Medieval History at Mizzou taught by the Grandfather of Missouri archaeology, campus icon, "Prof" Wrench. It took me 30 years to find out I had been conned. This is only one such reason that we are on our own and lovin' it here at the WAS. Also, by the way, check out Albright's: "From the Stone Age to Christianity". Albright, who spotted Braidwood's, humanist, activities, was the dean of all biblical archaeologists and champion of the scientific approach for archaeology and language scholarship. He was Head of the Dept. of Near Eastern Languages at Johns Hopkins). The American School of Oriental Research named the "Albright Center" in Jerusalem after him. We collect his publications here at the WAS Information Center. Some of them are pretty hard reading, but you might commence with a more easy reading: "The Archaeology of Palestine." It is old, but still has much good. Also dig into the roots of the field of Pragmatism a philosophy adored by atheists such as the big educational guru Dewey one of the main leaders of the humanist/atheist movement in America . He was one of the orginal signers of the Humanist Manifesto and cozy with the Red Chinese and many others who loved the human philosophy of Pragmatism. And, of course, Dewey was idolized in American education. A real toxic bomb in exactly the wrong place! You can see how easy it was for God to be invalidated in schools and then the toxicity spread as a cultural pandemic to main street and Washington...and Wall St. too. We are paying for much of this materialism right now. Useage of the word "pragmatic" is thrown around much today by Presidents, and TV talk show "bobbing heads"...and users have no idea of its atheistic origins ...and that they are actually helping validate the atheist movement by not qualifying each time they use. Logic is great..wonderful..a helpful tool...but is not a true religion. You've got to keep first things first and qualify. Be a thinker. We are witnessing a number of great cultural tragedies right before our eyes....more sliding down the hard earned rungs. The Founders didn't want organized religion...but they loved "Under God." They knew better than to worship materialism...which actually is a religion and which breaks the church state rule! The dumb genie was let out of the bag. More key ommissions and arrogant trampling of spiritual values (ultimate ethics) proven to work better than anything else in the "Laboratory of History," as anthropologist Kroeber called it. The characters in the bible were ahead of the Athenian philosophers. The Humanist/Atheist/Materialists have done a slick job of moving society toward the material - out of the Spiritual, which is really the most powerful of all and affects the material. Material things and studies are fine...but not as religions unto themselves. Aristotle's material logic is fine, but the spiritual logic of Moses and Jesus is vastly superior. Research it yourself. Just look at the mess out there. Think. What can human methods do?(look around)... Then, what can invisible God Love do? Look at results of God/Love. You can find a lot of it. So, it's a scholary minefield out there. I ache for most students and citizens who have been taken to the cleaners...and still are being taken to the cleaners. The thing is, ignorance drags all of us down the tube...back to the jungle. Americans will buy Bermuda Shorts in Alaska in January. Universities have become swamps of materialism and great cathedrals of secular humanism... and everyone wonders why so many problems in government, Wall Street and with youngsters now...and in the home...and on main street. What's really the cause? Darwinism, Pragmatism, Eugenics, Marxism-Leninism-Socialism, Progressiveism  and more are all material philosophies worshipped by many devotees in government, Wall Street...and many in the ivory towers too...and globally as well. All are false religions...worshipped exclusively unto themselves...obviously everyone has to have a religion. Moses tried to tell everyone that Yahweh gave him Ten Tablets with rules for mankind, and the first one (very strategically placed) was: "Thou shall have no other gods before me." And the various religions of materialism are gods. Baalism in the days of Moses was a material religion. The Baal's worshipped material things - a golden calf and a pole stuck in the ground (a phalic symbol). Sound like America right now?! We have slipped back two-thousand years on the civilized ladder! If we apply the common denominator method of math to the situation, invariably we get down to the Scriptures...the ultimate ethics...answers being in the metaphysical-spiritual world - as opposed to being in the material world. The Atheist-Humanist movement, of course, believes that the material world and Man holds the answers (without true religion. It's a free country. Take your pick...but before you do, be sure and study democracyology carefully. Look around at the results of material thinking. It's crucial, because you (we) may not be free very much longer. It's fleeting...especially if the hourglass has some big cracks in it! The cracks keep getting bigger and bigger. There is much much to study in this section besides importance of spiritual tempering. We must not only look at Athenian Democracy for help....but other little city states in Africa that were democratic...some Native American tribes that were (still are) democratic. Some tribes in the northeast even went a step farther and formed a confederacy or federalism for defense ("The Iroquois Confederacy"). This was borrowed by our Founders...as were Native American democratic principles as Chiefs are servants of the people. And, by the way, women were very important in these Native American democracies. If the women didn't like the Chief, it was outsville for him. Many migratory desert-people of the Near and Middle East were and still are fiercely free. Why not put this great free element - more powerful than atom bombs - to work? The Founders had a great smorgasboard of democracy right in front of them to study. Great orators in the lodges. George Washington - a cool character as the cool chiefs was in some of those council lodges. He had to have learned much from them. Remember the above when the Marxists point to the Native Americans and say "Communism." And, of course, the U.S.A. Founders were very well read and studied the classics too, and knew about the Magna Carta and much more, including the problems with (organized) church in Europe, not God. This is what the Founders were afraid of..."organized" church taking over. God is great, but should the organization part of it take over, things become a Theocracy, not a democracy. The Founders wanted democracy where the citizens ran their own show. We must study all this also; the Founders certainly did in depth. They had the translated classics and some as Jefferson could do his own translating! How great to get at those true meanings as seminary students who study Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and more. It's all fascinating...great lessons right in front of us in the books - with great learning experiences...and answers still in the soil too(there is still much historical archaeology to do...the kind as at Williamsburg). Your writer can't wait. Stick around. And, if you have any comments let us hear from you. Write: ronwriterartist@aol.com - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HOSTILE AGGRESSIVES ARE THE SAME NOW AS IN DAYS OF GHENGHIS KHAN. It is fascinating for students of democracyology to observe the hostile aggressives of the world. They are alive and sick as ever and as aggressive as ever with their genes going back to the days of the barbarians. They are bound and determined to take over the other guy, the neighbor and his and her neighbor and so on. And, then, they are still not happy. This hostile aggressiveness is ingrained...but much is learned. In any case, all the dumb wrong elements converge, and here they come. And, even more fascinating, is the reaction of good people to these hostile biological/cultural aggressivies. We need to study the psychological phenomenon of denial. Or call it "the- ostrich- head- in- the- sand- phenomenon," as some students have called it. Some good people simply give up and wilt - whether the aggressor is upon them...or even far away. This reaction is related to the famed Stockholm Syndrome...where bank employees actually joined the bank-robbers in Stockholm Sweeden! It has much to do with not facing reality. But a lot of people will simply not dig in their heals and fight. Many politicians are so programmed with a don't rock the boat syndrome that they simply can't see the big picture. Many free citizens will say...it just isn't all that bad. Yet, the hostile aggressors are proven aggressors. They and their miserable thinking are not going to dissolve. The free citizens should at least take contingency action ...preparations for defense...just in case. But, that still is too much reality. So, we students of democracyology are often dealing with denial. Ron M. (entered Apr. 2, 2009) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - WITNESSING AN ENORMOUS EVENT IN HUMAN HISTORY...the Giant Money Organism imploding. This economic mess affecting all of us is definitely a job for students of democracyology. So, roll out the stainless steel dissecting table in the pathology lab of democracy, and let's see what we can see. By the way, I hope you have strong stomachs? And a cool, objective, steady hand to hold the anthropological/archaeological/Theological scalpel. Yes, it is amazing, we are getting to witness a giant phenomenon as no one has ever seen in history...the unique money organism that has grown to enormous proportions...is imploding before our very eyes. It's anatomy is so complex that it baffles many students who study it closely. Most students just study bits and pieces, but we must look at the entire anatomy. It is very weird looking. It has tubes running to each citizens bank account and has just about sucked all their money into its body. But, it also has tubes running out of it to other monsters in countries all over the world. We must tag all these tubes as electricians tag a tangle of wires. Some of the tubes also run to very greedy managers of the beast who are riding it on top. They have had a very shaky ride, as the beast was in its death throes. They are filling buckets of money as fast as they can, getting ready to escape, before everything collapses totally - this beast and its symbiotic citizens. Strange, it was an organism that was originally meant to help mankind, and, in fact did when it was properly harnessed and controlled, but, unfortunately, it kept growing and growing, (it needed a diet) until now it has collapsed under its own weight as a strange dinosaur with arthritic knees. And caught beneath it are countless poor citizens. Can it and the crushed citizens be revived? Can the monster actually be put to work again, harnesed to society, to help humanity instead of harm it? This monster money organism is so unique. There has always been business...and hardball business at that. The first primitive traders wanted to get a good profitable amount from some pot or chipped flint item. Joe wanted to get as many horses as he could to trade for his new bride. The Father wanted to pay an honorable bride price (more accumulation and hard ball trading). So, there has been trade, and still is, and it kept growing and became unbelievably complicated down through the millenia. Even though it has signs of life, note, it, the beast, is not a human being. It is a mechanical tool, yet, so complicated it is as something from outer space. Yet, humans of America believe in democracy a system where the individual citizen rules. There can not be anything that isn't human serve as ruler. Yet, strangely, this mechanical beast became a leader! And, not only that, but a leader that became a worshipped divinity. Good Heavens! Society really devolved back to the days of the material Baalism and the phallic pole stuck in the ground that Moses had to constantly pull his followers away from! Well, now our similar beast has a magnetic pull! And to add to the complexity, it has a horde of people - nicely dressed in suits - with ropes tied to them (firmly tied to the beast) going out and trying very hard to get the U.S.A. government to do what it wants. These people called "Lobbyists" (with golden dollar signs stenciled on their suits..or should have) carry buckets of money (sucked from the citizens in the first place) that is very desired by representatives of the citizens. The citizens of the long gone democracy, in fact, have lost complete control of all this. They have blinders on and can't see what is happening...and have lost their democracy form of government. The form of top heavy government now is Capitalocracy. And the citizens are now slaves! This is one of the most tragic developments in all of history. There have been kings and dictators and priests rule but now Capitalocracy run by greedy devotees rules with an iron hand. And, the beast rules even though it is very sick and on its last legs. The citizens hardly know what to do with their collapsing idol. In a way it is all too bad. The beast has proven very helpful to society when controlled. But control was lost. The monster has actually controlled the humans who became so attached that they are termed "symbiotic." But now they are whipping the beast and that isn't working. They are trying to deprive it of its lifeblood money and that isn't working. Yet, the beast is very important. It has usually kept the democracy farm growing and surviving supplying life- money nutrients, and is desperately needed by citizens. So, the citizens are very dependent on the beast, but the beast as all human/material things is fallible. It is not the true ruler. The true God Yahweh is the true ruler, but the citizens and beast managers can't see this. Can the citizens reclaim their good, true identies and society and democracy and control the beast? Hopefully, yes, but it is going to take a lot of rehabilitation and training of the beast...and training. But the citizens must be trained first, and the beast and it's handlers won't submit easily. Won't be pretty, but it must be done for the survival of democracy and civilization. "Won't be a rose garden" as the Marines say. Yes, the citizens must first rehabilitate themselves, so, they can appoint good ethical controllers of the beast. They weren't very good bosses of their democracy government in the first place and let lousey handlers take over. The founders of their country in fact had told them over and over that the country must be "under God" - not under some material, dumb beast. The citizens must overcome the magnetic pull of greed, self, power and be observant and tough with their U.S. business. When working, even in the best of times, the beast is very strong willed. And, the citizens can't do it by themselves. They need ultimate ethics for guidance...grand, old, true religions. Man religions didn't work. They gave the wrong thing - the beast - power. But,it just kept growing and becoming more complicated, until it became sick and collapsed on the ground. It was like it was in a candy shop of money and went bananas. Many are trying to ressusitate it in material ways - trying to cram its own life blood - money - down its throat...but it is so bloated with many tares and gashes and broken tubes that there doesn't seem to be enough "food." It's all leaking out! And, these human/material methods just aren't working. It needs different nutrients...character, thinking of others, Boy and Girl Scout things, things that should have been learned in homes and hearths of the land...basic things in the Bible. It is a desperate moment in human history. We are actually witnessing a biggie. It will definitely be in the books (if there are any history books!). Can we the citizens rise to the occasion, and completely turn around on a dime? It is going to take much study of true life..hard reality, reading of good ethical things...thinking (ouch!) Won't be easy! The ancient Roman government was faced with a giant problem. The Patricians, the upper class ruled. They had senators but no "House of representatives." The Senators became selfish and spoiled. Yet, the Plebes, the common people kept clammoring and clammoring for representation. Finally, they were given representatives...called "Tribunes." They proved to be great representatives - and fought hard for the Plebes. You may remember from Cecil B DeMille movies that Tribunes wore the fancy red crests on their helmets. The Tribunes and the Centurions were the battlefield commanders who were right in the thick of things - looking around the entire field of battle. If they saw a weakness someplace they went there to help out (learned from Cesars's Gallic Wars). They would make good models for representatives today. So, today we have a new kind of massive problem - the giant Money machine, but will take major governmental system attention. The machine is needed, because it has done much good at times, when harnessed just right, so, must be controlled. It is very sick. Should it have representation in a democracy, this giant sick beast? In a way, government and citizens know of its needs. But, its representatives - Lobbyists aren't elected! Oddly, it is like a giant new state that has been formed...the 52nd state, and it is throwing its weight around as a state. We can't have this. But, the regular representative are very weak in its presence. They need its money (the Lobbyists carry buckets of bills) for their campaigns and they probably invest in the beast. And, it is impossible to get them to vote against this "life blood." It would take tremendous character! Citizens are going to have to rise up and make such a commotion that it finally gets their attention. But they are stubborn mules. It sure is a sick psuedo state, and it can't be allowed to gobble up all the other states and the citizens too...or the rest of the world for that matter! Our regular states are material entities composed of people. If the new "money state," had state laws/rules/ethics...under the country's main law the Constitution, that might control things. But, it is a powerful monster, and will take much control....and so will citizens of the 50 states need much control to deal with it. Good luck! Ron, entered Mar. 16, 2009). - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NO EXCUSES FOR HAVING A DEMOCRACY or taking a long time to get it under way! One reason this study of democracyology is so fascinating is that you don't have to have a group of people who are highly organized and have a very complex culture to have a democracy. T.A. Rickard in his book: THE ROMANCE OF MINING said that some of the very best democracies ever, could be found in old mining camps in the Gold Rush days of 1849. First, think of each individual as important. Thomas Jefferson was right on...but Genesis was even more detailed and thousands of years earlier. The individual was created by God himself in His (spiritual) image and likeness. God said the creation "was good." Dictators and other power operators didn't create Man and Woman and Child, although they want too and in their image and likeness. The dictators in many different varieties are demigods. They are so desperate to be gods but eventually fail miserably. It is also important to study all the different kinds of democracies as touched on above. Strong willed, power-operating, hostile-aggressive, dictatorial, controlling, dominating, invalidating characters don't like all this study of democracy with the individual being important. They want to be the boss-god. They say, "I must control those "dummies."" "I don't want them ruling themselves!" "They are not as smart as I am." "I have to be superior at all costs, even if it means war, enslavement, torture, starvation, degradation of all kinds." - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ECONOMICS: Anthropologists love the study of economics. They dissect cultures by important areas "cultural organs"... warfare...arts & crafts...religion....socio-political...economy. All are tremendously important...each are keystones. Right now the economy is front and center in our culture with the global meltdown. It's amazing to this writer that the Moguls in Washington are just throwing money at the problem. This is what many parents are doing with their kids...just throwing money at their problems. The truth is that many solutions cost little if any...but apparently not as spectacular to the politicians and constituints. How about setting up a crash study program for Character? We could do the outline and post on the internet. Some 5th grade class could do the same thing. That would save gillions of dollars in the future. Solon the great founder of democracy in ancient Athens did a free trick when the Athenians were so debt- ridden. Instead of throwing $$$ at the big owners of notes...he absolved all debt!!!! There was probably much wailing and gnashing of teeth amongst the big lenders, but everything worked out o.k....with the eventual Athenian Golden Age. Of course, it didn't last, because of general human weakness. Another free help - maybe the best of all for instant help for everybody is to remove government from backs of small business - or any business- or individual for that matter. It would be wilder than the "Days of 49" gold rush or the Klondike. People are desperate for a start in life. This would do it. I have marvelled at the boom town effect at nearby Branson, Missouri. People crave a start in life. So, open up the flood gates. But why hasn't Washington done this? They don't want to turn loose of their secure power and money. Actually, there would be so much money generated that Washington would do fantastically better. But now we are back to Character studies (for both Washington and Wall Street...and the individual businesses themselves). But this would be exciting. Ridiculous costs in medicine and insurance must be reduced. But don't forget M.D., Osteopaths, Chiropractors and others are really small business operators. So, they, too, need to get government off their backs. I have a hunch that would help a lot. Have a special fund set up to take care of ridiculously high space age medicine. Encourage research with help from this fund. But watch it carefully. Another free help. This one is being done a little bit now with a new adm., and that is control Lobbyists. They need to be controlled even more...and politicians totally weaned from them. This also means controlling campaign funds. Restrict budgets and campaign times. Citizens are really going to have to raise cane to get their attentions to wean politicians. Entered Feb. 12, 2009. Ron - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- PALESTINIAN PROBLEM; A SOLUTION: I presented an idea for the Near and Middle East back in the days of the First Gulf War. I wrote a series of articles right in the middle of that conflict. The first phase of the war was called: "Desert Shield," and the second part: "Desert Storm." I put my articles together under the title: "The WAS Iraqi War Series." This was run as a WAS Special Publication. One of these articles was about a peace idea. Essentially, the idea was to set up a Research Center of Scholarship/Science/Theology somewhere in the Near and Middle East - and make it a center of neutrality. This would be very much on the order of the Native American's sacred "Pipestone Quarry" in the state of Minnesota in the U.S. of North America. They made Calumets "Peace Pipes," from the reddish stone found there. Smoke from the peace pipes went up to the Great Spirit. Many tribes came to the quarry, and everyone declared "king's X" there. Calumets also were carried as a kind of white flag through hostile villages. This peace method, the quarry and the pipe itself was astounding really when you consider that most of the Native Americans were involved in a constant war culture. One tribe attacks another, then, that tribe must retalliate and it goes back and forth and on and on ad infinitum. There must be revenge in this war culture system, and no one ever wins, and everyone suffers in one way or another. There is some glory, but, so hard earned, and more misery than glory. It's a bad deal. War culture is a virulent disease. In any case, set up a great neutral center of learning (respected by many) where scholars and scientists of all types can work in peace and develop "mine" good things for that vast area...and the rest of the world while they are at it. The Palestinians, Israelis, Christians and other religions there can set aside a piece of neutral land for this super place of learning. Not only could scholar-scientists from that area participate, but send out a call for scholar-scientists from all over the world to participate. It would be quite an honor to participate. Set it up in departments. Be sure and have enough ground for agriculture test plots and other experimenting...then, keep expanding the borders of this area...and expanding and expanding! It's a fact, that there are many fine scholars and scientists over there now in that God-forsaken land of brainless killing. They just don't get the press coverage. Cave Man clubbing of each other appears to the TV viewers to be more dramatic (much in-depth education by press is necessary). As things stand, the aggressors, politicians (and many are aggressors), the dramatic, gory stuff now, gets all the notoriety. The press is as mindless as the hostile aggressives. Welcome to the Colosseum of Rome all over again! The death and destruction are right in our living rooms at that! Disease and pollution at home! We haven't made an inch of headway in 2,000 years! It is the citizens of the world responsible for much blame for what we see today in the Near and Middle East. True, many fine scholars have left to avoid the killing and destruction by the grissle brains. But, I believe they would return to their homelands if they had a peaceful place to work and create...and make their homelands cost effective. This proposed Center would be a great work of architecture. It would cover many miles, so, there would be many miles of peace. It would be funded by many foundations and individuals too from all over the world. Now, individuals can take charge and be part of the answer. This place would be composed of many cultures. These scientists and associated helpers working in blessed peace would create wonderful things to help farming in dry areas, the conservation of water, medical things and much more...including peace studies. Don't forget there is much to build on going back to great days of the Arabs when they were leaders in medicine, astronomy, math, etc. The Hellenistic culture before this was very erudite also. There were wonderful libraries in the Near and Middle East. There is much in old Sumerian and Babylonian Culture as well...but don't be like Sadaam who wanted to be the reincarnation of Nebuchadnezzar, who was a dictatorial type king. People need freedom...but, of course, as Hamilton points out "Freedom requires discipline." Then, of course, Egypt has great scholarly roots going back to Imhotep the physician/architect. And, the Persians of old Iran have a wonderful rich history of learning and culture also. The Israelis from all over the world bring wonderful traditions of learning and culture. As the song goes: "accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative." So, why not commence using brains instead of brawn? Why not creativity - massive innoculations of it - to help mankind instead of tearing it down? Why not peace instead of killing? This would at least be a start. Palestine/Israel would be a good start. Those people deserve good. While at it, why not tear down the barbed wire surrounding them? Iraq could bring together the hostile groups as well, with the universal language of scholarship, in a neutral center to help all. Put all that scholary brain power to work! Retrieve those who have left. Relax, let the brains be important. Beating up bodies definitely hasn't worked. And, Afghanistan has a great heritage also. Build on the good. Set up a center for good. True, you can't argue with a charging tiger. Defensive muscle must be kept at the ready. Zinjanthropus types can go bananas any minute. But, at least try, and keep trying. And, by the way, the Palestinians are slaves right now. They are slaves in a compound. How incredibly ironic, a compound as a hellish concentration camp of Europe. Israel is also a compound. They are a defensive fort surrounded by barbed wire and walls, but trapped inside. They are a democracy, yet, on a constant war footing, which cuts down on democracy. The Many power operators - inside and out of the Israeli/Palestinian area - want to control everybody. The opposite of slavery is freedom. They need free air. Everybody needs free air! That's one of the global glitches - not enough freedom. Someone always wants to be the slave-master. The area also has the problem of Patriarchial issues in religion. I know it is sensitive, but if someone is the master, then, someone has to be the slave. The whole area needs to get hold of itself and think freedom for all. For a sum up. If we interviewed both sides of the Israel/Palestinian conflict they would state adamantly that the other side did something bad first and they had to retalliate. However, we must go deeper than this. The next layer of the onion is really a war culture problem. Then, another layer down we find that much of their war culture has to do with the old nemisis of mankind prejudice... cultural and human prejudice. And, as we dissect culture we find a lot of different "strange" things (about the other side)including religion, appearances, other "odd" ways of doing things, old hatreds, etc. Why not, as the Osage wise men, make use of other culture elements to help one's own culture? And, of course, when times are bad, the social psychologists know that one of the axioms of prejudice is that the person or culture having a hard time must have a scapegoat to blame. No one wants to blame themselves for Heavens sake! Although the words of Pogo the great social psychologist reminds, nevertheless, that "we have met the enemy and he is us!" So, to solve this apparent dilemma we must do something as the Native Americans of the U.S.A. They latched onto a basic thing in common that was more powerful than all of them, all tribes, and that was the Great Spirit. The smoke from all of their universal (needs) peace pipes went up to Heaven. Now, the smoke from all the ruins and bomb crematoria of the Near and Middle East can symbolically go up to the great Spirit Allah, Yahweh, Jehova. The universal spirit wants to help but must be crying. And, the needs of all are universal...food (from improved agriculture methods), health from medical, psychological and spiritual research, good relations from social/anthropological/spiritual research and all important the need for God/Love. The neutral "Pipestone Quarries" idea of the Near and Middle east would be transferred to a number of research centers...starting with one in the middle of Israel and Palestine. Give them plenty of room for a peace area with research grounds, restful parks (researchers and other citizens need these nice areas for rest and inspiration during creative research). Do everything possible to promote creativity. And anyone who interfers with this good would be a dumbbell. Forget the methodology of the socialist/Marxists/Leninists and their "Thesis/antithisis/synthesis" (pure conflict) cooked up by Marx's teacher Hegel and stolen by Marx. Only have a creative aggression to solve the needs of humanity - not just for the Near and Middle East. They could lead the way. Also, forget material Darwinism as a religion with its survival of the fittest (more conflict)...and Darwinism speeded up by Man (Eugenics...one of the favorite methods of the Nazis)...unwittingly practiced by Israelis and Palestinians. Building a little more on the above line of thinking, call it something like a "Universal Research Center". This would combine all God terminology. And, there could be a symbolic stream of smoke going up, so, as never to forget the people killed and wounded and that the Universal Spirit is all important. Good luck...and God is luck! Entered here Jan. 8th, 2009. A little added the 10th, 11th and 12th - Ron Miller - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - DEPRESSION/RECESSION ANSWERS. Here are some notes I have jotted down to help get the U.S. and some other countries out of the present depression. 1. The ancient Romans were the strongest when they had little families that believed in hearth and home...and also believed in the gods of hearth and home called: "the Lares and Penates." They had a great home culture. We still use some of their ideas of the wedding ring on the second finger of the bride and carrying the bride over the door step. These hearth and home husbands, who were very responsible made excellent soldiers, and helped Rome rule the world. However, big land operators began to buy up little farms, and the hearth and home folks had to move to the city. Then, the cities became crowded, and it wasn't long before it was "bread and circuses," to pacify them. The big shots just threw things at them "bread and circuses," which, of course, didn't really solved the problem. Today the same thing is happening. Small farms need to be restored. Won't be easy, because much farmland has been covered by strip malls. But the problem needs to be addressed. There will have to be some radical cultural surgery here. 2. Restore democracy. We are fortunate that we have a democracy, however, it is only being operated on a couple of cylinders. True democracy is atomic powerful. Citizens need to participate more in local government, however, husbands and wives are working two jobs and come home worn out. More radical surgery needed. 3. Lobbyists in Washington and State Capitols are running things, because the politicians need their money to run their campaigns. Sad. Corporations and big organizations are made up of individual citizens, but they aren't citizens themselves. And, they do deserve representation. Their information/needs must be sent to individual Representatives and Senators but taken out of the election process...analyzed objectively...perhaps sifted thru an elected committee. Senator McCain tried to block the lobby money for campaign needs, but was defeated...in the senate and with his presidential election bid. Again, more radical surgery is needed. Won't be easy as the foxes must pass bills and save the chicken (democracy and country) yet, are in the hen house!~ 4. Re-establish character. This one personal trait could have saved our country from the present depression. The Lares of the Hearth & Home and field could have kept character high. 5. Along this line, high type culture is needed. High art of all types is needed, and we don't even have a Secretary of Culture in the President's Cabinet. Also needed in schools is not only massive doses of the arts, but also much gym. The Athenians well knew this, yet, these two subjects are being cut back drastically. Science, along with its great logic, would make Aristotle proud, but the arts are needed just as much. So, upgrade schools. America's greatest teacher was Dr. George Washington Carver. He had a practical hands-on-creative approach that was super. His methods are being used to great effect in over 40 school districts here in Missouri. (check with Head Ranger, Lana Henry at the Natl. Carver Birth Center at Diamond, Missouri. Carver was a scientist and artist. This will get us back in the international science leadership position. Carver also protected the peanut growers of the south when foreign markets began encroaching. He even testified before the Senate. 6. "START WITH WHAT YOU HAVE...MAKE THE MOST OF IT...AND DON'T STOP." This was the advice that George Washington Carver gave to young folks....but also good advice for anyone...especially now in this depression. 7. Think of others. Carver was always thinking of others. He and his students and sometimes even Booker T. Washington himself would load up the Jessup Wagon pulled by a pony or mule and head out in the country side to show folks how to enrich soil, plant, preserve crops... and even have nice little homes in the midst of poverty. He saved the south with his knowledge of soils and plants. The Boll Weaveel had arrived and cotton (a heavy feeder) had worn out the soil. It was time for the peanut and sweet potatoes and crop rotation...and many new products for each to help economy...diversification! Think diversification around your place and country! Green is big. How many diversified jobs can be squeezed out of Green? More later along this line. Entered Jan. 19, '09 Ron Miller - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - An article on Kings. The early Romans hated kings. They had the type of dictatorial kings. There are types of Constitutional Monarchies today that have parliaments and are democracies, but the first Romans weren't so fortunate. Finally, they were fed up with it. They had heard of a new thing way off in a place called Athens whereby the individuals ran their own government! What a revolutionary thing. Who ever heard of such a thing? But it did sound good, because they were fed up with kings. So, they sent a delegation over to Athens to talk with a fellow named "Solon" who was behind this radical movement. There had been a terrible financial disaster in Athens where the big shot lenders - greedy blood-sucker types - were actually making slaves of the poor folks who couldn't pay their debts. Solon had been elected to solve this miserable crisis. The first thing he did in office was to absolve all debts. He just wiped the slate clean!! He wasn't into economic theory; he was into democracy. This was totally opposite of what is happening in our U.S./Global crises today...where the biggies are the ones bailed out! Well, you can imagine the wailing and gnashing of teeth in the big financial money-lending community of Athens! But, things worked out o.k. Little Athens went on to become one of the greatest cities on the face of the earth...with fabulous building, play-writing, sculpture, philosophy, painting, ceramics, cameo and intaglio cutting, sports - "the Olympics" and more. The world looks up to them today. Oh yes, the fact-finding contingent from Rome went back home, and they were now on the way to a great democracy - known as the Republic of Rome. That lasted for several hundred years until around 40 B.C. when the dictators began to rule. And, by the way, once the power operators get in, it is nearly impossible to get them out. Society finally has to grind down to a halt. Entered Dec. 14, 2008, Ron Miller - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NEW PROBLEMS IN DEMOCRACY SINCE DAYS OF ANCIENT ROME AND ATHENS. We do have some unusual problems with which to deal in our modern democracy. First, we have a highly complex variety of capitalism. It is able to keep spinning with much borrowing of capital. There has always been borrowing, but we have the borrowingest form of all. We have borrowed ourselves blind, and have even borrowed from foreign governments, who now own us. And, strangely, these governments, as the Chinese, could clamp down any second and demand payment...or do other strong arm things around the world, and we in our weak state, could do nothing. And, what is worse, they have conflict built into their Marxist ideology. This is surely the age of denial...blinded by greed...anything goes and forget about the future. Pure self-destruction...pure lack of character and patriotism for our country. Also, we are playing into Marxist hands in another way. Marx said, "money will rise to the top and stay there." Second thing new. Our massive intricate capital system has spawned hordes of lobbyists. They are thick as flies in halls of states and the national capital. Actually, they deserve to be heard, but in a very strong way, because money is involved. Third thing new. Our technology has snowballed at such a fantastic rate that we have super technology and can barely keep up with it. And many worship it. We have become techno-dulled. If we can feed the beast with techno-repairs by super technicians, o.k. But this requires vast sums of money and giant organization...that sometimes must travel thousands of miles and across oceans. Fourth thing new. Climate out of control - caused by Man. Hopefully, it is not too late to reverse things. Entered Dec. 19th, 2008 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE EFFECTS OF OUT-OF-THE-BLUE-CATACLYSMS ON THE CITIZENS OF A DEMOCRACY AND THE SUBSEQUENT EFFECTS ON THE DEMOCRACY There is something I constantly have in the back of my mind - a constant worry - as I observe democracy from my often rickety step ladder...and that is, what if we are suddenly hit by an out-of-the-blue catastrophy? Naturally we are so deeply involved in all of the present problems and dangers, but something sudden could really rock the boat - maybe swamp it completely. The hurricane Katrina is one example. New Orleans is still trying to get back on its feet. If homeland defense had been under the Dept of Defense, Washington could have called on the Operations expertise of the Pentagon and organized Katrina relief. Just think, all of that knowhow in the tradition of Gen. George Marshall fame, who had organized the Ardenne offensive for Pershing in WWI ...and with his WWII experience...and experience with the Marshal Plan? I live close to the New Madrid Fault in S/E Missouri. The fault runs from Illinois down thru Memphis and into Arkansas. It's a monster. I have written much on it. In 1812 there were several 8 pointers, and heavy after shocks went on all winter. The Mississippi flowed backwards! Giant geysers of fumes and earth shot out of the ground. Hugh crevices opened in the earth. Church bells rang in New England. Reel Foot Lake was formed. It was literally hell for the few residents of the pioneer village of New Madrid. And mind you it was cold winter! Experts have pointed out that today there are major gas pipe lines crossing the fault and going up to New England. There are big populated cities nearby. Memphis would be hit hard if a big one kicked off. There are constant small seizmic recordings on the seizmographs. We monitor these recordings via the USGS reports here at the WAS Hq. at Hollister, Mo. If there should be another 8 pointer, we would get a 6 pointer here. Chimneys would topple here. So, the question arises, can the Gov't keep functioning some way? We have economic disasters rocking us right now...but always be ready for that block-buster natural disaster...or something else out of the blue. Do you have a tent, sleeping bag, extra water and food, personal things, batteries, a radio, etc.? The more the individual citizen is prepared the better the overall gov't will survive. Then, there are the disasters of unforseen aggressors. The barbarians suddenly appear at the gate. Where did they come from? Rome was finally taken over by aggressors...but Rome was weak internally and couldn't resist. Avoid the old House Divided syndrome. We've got it now. Get off that self introverted kick fast. Athenians began to fight among themselves. Non-creative people resort to this sort of thing. So, a lot to think about here. Starting a democracy is one thing, but keeping it is another. Natural disasters are one thing that weakens the super structure if not prepared. We have 2X4s getting knocked out right and left. We've got to keep them propped up...and replace them with steel girders. Above all, protect and care for the free individual. Entered Dec. 15, 2008. Ron Miller - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE DEMOCRACY EDUCATION OF OUR FOUNDERS. It had to be a great democracy education for young George Washington during his frontier days when he witnessed the tribal council proceedings of the Native Americans. The tribes were democratic. They were very dignified and smart. You couldn't get anything past those tribal leaders, nor past the women who had a great, final, matriarch sayso about their chiefs. If these chiefs bombed out in some way, the women got them out fast. The femminists would love that system! But, can you just imagine Washington sitting there in the Council lodge soaking up the analytical procedings - very democratic procedings, with everyone getting their say so...and no doubt George had his chance to say something too...after smoking the peace pipe. It had to have been quite an experience for him. But to really appreciate how sharp these chiefs were and what an intricate democratic system they had, you really have to get the feeling how cool and sharp they really were. Forget the whooping injuns chasing the stage coach. Reconstruct the Albany Conference one of the milestones leading up to the forming of our U.S. None other than wise old Ben Franklin was present and highly impressed with these speakers (May Bush in the DAR Magazine). Washington and Franklin were really getting an education. But in other ways the colonists were receiving a gradual aculturation of high type Native American Culture. True, the Iroquois became allies of the British and were a thorn in the side of Gen. Washington later on in the Revolution. But, the colonists absorbed much high type culture from them. I mentioned above things like "Chiefs are servents of the people." (May Bush article). And, the colonists could see first hand the 5 tribes "The Confederacy," working together for defense...a federalism. It all fit together with what the Founders had learned reading the classics. Some of them as Jefferson were lawyers. They had to have studied the laws of Rome...the twelve tablets of law in the Forum...and the early Republic of Rome. Jefferson's library is being reconstructed at the Library of Congress. We need to check the classical titles. And, of course, some speeches of Demothsenis and other eloqutionists survived...as well as some speeches of Isocrates. Works of Plato and Aristotle survived as did the works of Cicero the lawyer, philosopher, consul of Rome. I'm sure that Jefferson well knew the Republic of Plato, the works of Cicero and the others. Cicero battled negative elements trying to bring down the Roman Republic. And, of course, they well knew the bible with it's 10 Commandments, the very root of our law. The Scriptures have much on freeing the individual from negative oppression...the deep miseries of mankind, fear, bad of many kinds, etc. Fantastic high quality analytical thinking with deep roots of Native American culture and the classics - all the cream of the ages - was shaping our country. What a miracle! We need to do every thing we can, and quickly, to save it. First thing, read history to appreciate it and to learn about and correct elements that get out of line. Entered Dec. 17, 2008 - Ron Miller