In my opinion many people would agree there are superstitions that make life fun and interesting, things like four-leaf clovers and daily horoscopes, and most people will read those little strips found in Fortune Cookies. My having been raised among southerners, the Okies and Arkies that settled in places like Weedpatch and Southeast Bakersfield I was treated from childhood to many stories and superstitions indigenous to the South that were just plain fun when not downright interesting. And when not intended to do harm, to deceive and take advantage the cultures of most societies are enriched by these things and are often loath to forsake them entirely.

But these many years later and far removed from the fabulous stories of childhood, and now living in a scientific world of enlightenment and technological marvels one would think those superstitions and stories of the past would be long forgotten; but not so. In many cases they have taken on a new appearance in the shape of things like UFOs. However, not everything in the X-Files can be dismissed and those folks in Texas saw something, and most of us believe our government hides many things, some of which equate with Roswell, Area 51 and the storyline in “Independence Day.” After all, given things like JFK and the Warren Commission, 9/11 and that Commission, etc., who can blame any of us for thinking those in our government are quite capable of lying about UFOs? Just watching and listening to the present contenders for the White House is enough to cause us to believe we are living an X-Files or Twilight Zone episode, though in the case of TV and films we have professional actors rather than wannabees.

As I share with friends, one thing keeps cropping up; the feeling we all have of waiting for another shoe to drop. It’s as though we are holding our collective breath waiting for another bit of really bad news. As one dear lady shared with me, she finds herself sitting in her home with the TV off some of the time now and simply alone with her thoughts, something uncharacteristic of her usual mode of life. But we have to acknowledge all the bad news and America being without any real leadership it is no wonder some of us simply don’t even want to get out of bed lately. It all leads to much speculation as to “What’s next?” Nothing good is the general consensus. But never fear, Klaatu may yet come to the rescue; and though I’m not expecting this to happen, I have claim to a few reasons from my own “Outer Limits” for thinking it may not be entirely discounted.

Those familiar with the stretch of Wheeler Ridge between Weedpatch and Highway 5 know how desolate that long piece of road is going through open fields given to agriculture or alkali and tumbleweeds. You can drive for several miles without seeing a house or another vehicle on the road. One morning while driving this road there suddenly appeared from out of nowhere what looked like a new silver-colored pickup tailgating me. Wondering where in the world the thing could have come from so quickly on this long, straight, empty open road I began to pull to the side in order to let it pass, but glancing in my rearview mirror the thing had disappeared! I was so startled I stopped my car, got out and looked all around trying to determine what had happened to that truck; but it was nowhere to be seen! I knew it had to have abruptly turned off somewhere, but there was nowhere it could have gone and the wide open expanse of flatland all about held no sign of it, no dust trail thrown up and no growth or other obstructions that would have concealed it! It had simply disappeared!

There is nothing to match the glory of the heavens, the countless stars to be seen on a moonless night in the middle of our great deserts far removed from any human habitation. This has always been one of the attractions as I wandered such vast and empty wilderness places; but you also become familiar with the various critters like scorpions, snakes, Horny toads and Gila monsters. Generally preferring solitude I would often travel and camp alone in the deserts, and one night as I was blissfully asleep in my sleeping bag I was awakened by something moving on it. Immediately roused from a sound sleep I instinctively grabbed whatever it was and flung it away from me. Fully awake now I was conscious of the thing I had grabbed being a handful of something big and hairy, and decided it had to have been a very large tarantula. Of course, in the darkness of the night I couldn’t be sure.

When you live alone as I do here in the country without any neighbors close by it is pretty quiet, and when I lock up at night and go to sleep I don’t expect any noise or visitors to disturb my rest. So you can imagine my reaction one night to something pouncing on my bed in the dark. As I instinctively grabbed at whatever it was, it turned out to be the resident cat. I thought she had gone out for the night, the usual routine; but this wasn’t the case.

The point being I am used to being alone in the dark, and am very conscious of anything crawling or jumping on either sleeping bag or bed. But the other night something pounced on my bed, and when I grabbed for it in the darkness nothing was there! Now fully awake I turned on the light, got up and began to search; but I was conscious of the fact the cat had gone out as usual before I went to bed. I could find nothing. So, I lit a cigarette and sat on the edge of my bed pondering the situation. On the one hand there had to be a perfectly rational explanation to whatever had pounced on my bed and awakened me. On the other hand, I could think of no rational explanation for it. There are things that go bump in the night, but nothing like this had ever occurred in my life and it simply made no sense.

But when you travel through wilderness places, especially the great deserts, you are not only “treated” to things that go bump in the night you also see some strange sights. It was while lying in my sleeping bag out near Edwards AFB in the predawn I looked up to see three metallic disks in an equidistant triangular formation moving high in the sky above me, reflecting the sun not quite yet risen. They circled in this triangular formation for about ten minutes then suddenly zoomed north and disappeared. Just as I sat on the edge of my bed the other night pondering the imponderable, in like manner I lay in my sleeping bag then and pondered what I had seen.

However, at least in the case of these UFOs I had seen something; and I would far rather deal with inexplicable things seen than unseen, but there are some definite exceptions to this. One night while driving over toward Ridgecrest, as I had just started down the summit from Walker Pass headed toward the desert floor I saw what appeared to be five distinct, large fires equidistant from each other burning on the side of a hill some five miles distant. There were two of these in line, with the other three in a line equally spaced below the two. But while the shapes were those of fires, they were static; they didn’t move or flicker as fires would, and adding to the mystery they were all the same size and shape, each “fire” having five distinct pointed “flames,” two above and three below. I stopped and got out of my car in order to observe the phenomenon. I watched for nearly fifteen minutes, and suddenly the “fires” simultaneously disappeared.

If you live long enough and travel wilderness places as I have you are going to see and experience strange things some of which might properly be described as paranormal. But when I have looked at that night sky filled with countless stars, it always occurs to me that what we consider reality may pale beside what is possible; realities yet unknown and unseen. To use a thought from many philosophers and scientists, one expressed in “Men In Black,” given the immensity of what may be possible what might we know tomorrow? We may even discover why I don’t believe my departed loved ones and friends have ever left at all, but remain with me.

Since the time I first studied astronomy as an undergraduate, there have been many new discoveries in the science. For example, the earth was found to be orbiting the sun. Ok, so maybe it wasn’t that long ago, but when I thought about how long it has been that scene from “Space Cowboys” came to mind where Jay Leno is asking whether the “boys” had fought on the side of the Blue or Gray. All kidding aside, advances in studies of our universe continue to make much of what was known yesterday antiquated today, though the great writers of SciFi seemed to have anticipated some of the new discoveries being made.

This is not to minimize the significance of the great minds like Newton and Einstein, but they had to exercise a little more caution when it came to expressing their imagination. Fortunately, due in large part to the popularity of Carl Sagan, Star Trek and other such programs the great minds of those like Michio Kaku are emboldened to make known their flights of the imagination without fear of losing their academic standing, though it remains true there are stranger things in the universe than we have the capacity to imagine.

Within a relatively short period of time the thinking in astronomy of a static universe changed to that of an expanding one. For a while it was thought this expansion was slow and uniformly gradual, but to the surprise of astronomers it was found the expansion was not only uniformly fast but accelerating! Even more dumbfounding was the fact this acceleration began five-billion years ago, somewhat past the half-way age of the theoretical beginning of the universe, and scientists haven’t a clue to why this happened at that particular point in time!

The scenario is one of a football game. Both sides have been struggling and the game is down to the wire, and only a punt by one team will win the game. So, whoever the team was five-billion years ago decided to punt the universe. But as many of you know punting is usually problematical, and oft times a last resort. In the case of the universe, the “punt” seems to be a miss since the galaxies are doomed to move away from each other at an enormously accelerating rate and will eventually leave each one in the darkness of space without neighbors.

A happier thought is one of sparing the “neighborhood.” We all know the problems of congested cities with their degradation of quality of life and those who can move to the “burbs,” but the dream of most is to have a few acres in which to roam. Those like me love the wide open expanses of the deserts where there is no sign of human habitation and your eyes can take in panoramic miles and miles of miles and miles without anything of human manufacture interfering with your line of sight. It’s the old story of those that would move on elsewhere seeking solitude once they heard the sound of a neighbor’s ax. The point was well made by Lee Marvin in “Paint Your Wagon,” and some of us don’t mind having been “born under a wandering star.” Could it be that despite the enormous time involved, the billions of years in the process, the “planning” is for an uncrowded universe?

There may be a “Great Intelligence” at work in the universe, in its creation and continuing to work on it. But if so, it is far beyond either our intelligence to comprehend or even our imagination. However, I can imagine something like gods in conflict much like a football game and punting the universe five-billion years ago. And how about this; some of you are old enough to remember hitting the radio trying to get it to work, and at any age you have probably kicked or thought about taking a hammer to something, the contemporary target of frustration most likely being a computer, and most of us are familiar with the expression that when all else fails “get a bigger hammer.” Might the gods be of the same disposition?

Alas, when it comes to things on an astronomical scale whether in size or time we mere mortals are incapacitated. It is all too vast, too huge to comprehend. We are left wondering like the Psalmist looking at the stars; of what possible significance could we be in the vast scheme of the universe? But, ah hah! We mortals are capable of speculation about such enormous things as the universe, and in our speculations we take on the very characteristics of the gods in such speculation. Despite the very enormity of it all we are capable of wonder, capable of investigating and discovery of things that a few years ago would have been solely the purview of SciFi. And so we are emboldened to think in terms of things nearly supernatural in their characteristics, things like colonizing other planets, star and time travel. If in nothing else humans are gods we are such in the individual empires of our minds, and these minds capable of challenges that were the stuff of science fiction scant years ago.

Though many mysteries of the universe are under scrutiny and investigation, the two greatest mysteries of all that effect our very lives remain; those of life and death. But as I watch, read and listen to those like Michio Kaku I have cause to wonder whether the questions surrounding these two great mysteries may yet be answered. This I know, until these two mysteries are solved there cannot possibly be a “Theory of Everything.” But it wasn’t that long ago TV was the stuff of science fiction, and only scant years ago computers were strictly the stuff of SciFi, and when I look at what changes have been wrought in only my own lifetime my mind reels!

Still the pragmatic problem facing our species is whether we will destroy ourselves before reaching our full potential, and given the tremendous advances we have made that full potential is truly mind-boggling! But despite the tremendous advances in learning and the sciences we continue to have the barbaric wars engendered through politics and religion, the very real possibility of world famine rears its ugly head as too many unproductive mouths breed with no thought of how to feed the resulting children, and the “Lord of War” continues a very lucrative career while the inner cities of America and elsewhere in the world resemble the Black Hole of Calcutta, cages with too many rats.

It has taken wealthy patrons of the arts, a leisure class to give humankind the best of the arts and sciences. It takes time for the best minds of our species to roam at will, to do the kind of stargazing, experimentation leading to discovery that has proven of such benefit to civilizations and the quality of life some few enjoy. But the greater part of the world’s population lives hand-to-mouth, never benefiting from the great advances of more civilized nations. It seems a race, now, as to whether civilized nations will prevail in the face of so many dangers threatening. Even here in America the legitimate question is being raised whether we can weather the threats we now face, those of potential economic collapse and being a debtor nation to those that want to do us harm.

At the same time that I have lived long enough to see such dramatic advances in the sciences and technology, I have lived long enough to experience good jobs being plentiful and one paycheck taking care of a family, to have known a time when gas was fifteen-cents a gallon and bread fifteen-cents a loaf, a nice house could be bought for $3,500 or a nice apartment in Hermosa or Redondo Beach with ocean view and within easy walking distance of uncrowded and clean beaches could be rented for $35 a month. Despite the empty rhetoric of politicians, there are none that have the temerity to promise Americans a return to the kind of hope those like me were born into and once had for the future of our nation.

It could be interpreted as despair that I turn my attention to things like whether our solar system and earth, intelligent life here on earth is unique in the universe, even whether we might be an experiment of the gods, whether the universe can be viewed as a football game and punted. But so long as I am able to even speculate about such things, to me it is evidence of my maintaining hope in the face of seeming hopelessness. The result being that I have not yet thrown up my hands in despair, but continue to maintain the kind of hope some might very well consign to “faith” in science fiction.

But given the scant number of years our species has been around, and given the miracle of intelligent life that has enabled us to do so much in what amounts to the blink of an eye in the cosmogony of it all, how can I not take hope that we humans are very special and the punt may yet prove to go through the goalposts and win the game. After all, the terms infinite and immortal have relevance to us though we haven’t the capacity to imagine them. Nevertheless, they remain the speculation of the empire of individual minds in which we retain the status of gods, and perhaps the children of gods.

But what happens if our species should have to punt and we miss? One idea, and one found in some theologies, is a few favored of the gods will be there to continue the game. In my opinion, why not? There must be a reason we humans are so competitive minded and game-oriented so why not the gods, or even the ending to “Men In Black?” Our god-like capacity of curiosity, to explore, discover, invent, create, and speculate about things beyond imagination leave me wondering about the things I’ve experienced and seen in my own relatively short lifetime; and of course I’d like to know what those folks in Texas recently saw?

The MSM and politicians choosing to ignore the real issues of ordinary Americans while talking absolute nonsense with nothing of substance, given the choice I’m comfortable with my own realities rather than those of the powerful, rich and famous. And having made the choice of my own reality as opposed to that of other lunatics, rather than simply finding an empty cell in the asylum and becoming a recluse I choose to promote my own brand of lunacy.

For example, in discussion with some friends as to why Bush, Obama, and the Clintons are still alive when so many want them dead it occurred to me there may be “special souls” that defy the odds. In fact, the odds are so overwhelming they fall into the category of the supernatural. Michael Corleone was wrong; not everyone can be killed. The proof of this is the fact that throughout history there have been those that despite the odds against their surviving have beat enormous odds in continuing to live, and many that have needed killing despite the numerous attempts made against them, people like Stalin and Hitler, continued to beat the odds.

Is Bin Laden still alive because of the ineptitude of Clinton and Bush or “supernatural intervention” on his behalf? If it were only a matter of money or the desire to kill them, many a tyrant would have met their demise before inflicting so much damage. So I conclude forces unseen are at work in such cases, not all of them in the category of “They are only alive because it’s against the law to kill them.”

Of course, there are good people throughout history that have defied the odds against their living, people like George Washington. Special souls therefore, if there be such, may be good or evil, which would lead to the assumption there are unseen forces at work both good and evil in conflict, the belief of many different cultures since the beginning of human history and continuing to be credited by many; and not just the ignorant and superstitious, but some of the brightest and best educated.

The other day a line from a book I hadn’t read in nearly thirty years came to mind that I wanted to use in an article I was working on. I still had the book in my library, one of over 400 pp. in length, and despite my having an extraordinary memory the thought of leafing through it to find that one line was daunting. Nevertheless, I pulled out the book and much to my dismay there was the very line I needed on the first page I opened to! Many such things have happened throughout my life, not all of them so pedestrian by any means but on the contrary left me wondering how I was still alive! But whether of little seeming consequence or importance or bizarre and extreme they still catch me by surprise. I know they have happened with other people, and when they happen they can leave you wondering whether other forces are at work science cannot explain. In some cases, the things that happen are very much out of “The Twilight Zone.”

In “The Mummy” there is much to Evie’s observation “If I can see it and touch it then it’s real.” Of course, the delight of the film is the many supernatural things going on that change Evie’s point of view and many of us enjoy. But when something of the paranormal happens in a person’s life there is no denying the experience; though some of the “saints” may have in fact been quite mad. But it is my own experience with things inexplicable that prevent me at times from replying to someone with a seemingly fanciful story: “Are you nuts?” To my mind because of some of my own personal experiences there is a chance they may not be despite Evie’s imminently practical observation.

Mythologies such as those of the Greeks quite understandably attribute human characteristics to the gods and goddesses, much as do other mythologies. By this method of interpretation extraordinary people and events otherwise inexplicable fall into the realm of human understanding and acceptance; and it is a given the deities may favor some humans over others, thereby becoming special souls. But both good and evil deities of various descriptions are allowed a place in order to account for both saints and sinners sometimes beating the odds. And were it not for the mythologies, such things would leave us wondering how to make any sense of this. My conclusion is there may be guardian angels in some special soul cases, but the Devil and his servants have their own special souls they care for as well.

To bring it down to where the rubber meets the road, the two coaches of football teams pray God will give them victory. But one team has to lose. The win will usually go to the better team and plays the better game much in the manner of Napoleon’s point God is on the side of the army with the most cannon. The problem is that this is not always the case, and so Lincoln was correct in not claiming God was on the side of the North, and both Emerson and Thoreau were reluctant to accept what men called “good” without thorough examination.

As I watch and listen to Bush making nice with the Saudi’s and talk nonsense about peace in the Middle East I think of the film “Lord of War.” By now most people realize the most corrupt leaders fare better than any noble, should any noble ever gain a position of leadership, but I keep coming back to the mythologies that credit some being special souls. At least this makes sense of so many hundreds of millions born to no other purpose but to suffer and die, just as Nature decrees among plants and animals only a few among the many survive and when the many exceed their limit they die. Blessed, touched, cursed, however much you try to be scientific, empirical, and practical I don’t believe an honest mind can arbitrarily dismiss the case for “special souls” by whatever means natural or supernatural be they good or evil.

So much of the humor of Sam Clemens was dependent on his gift of exaggeration, but he did not exaggerate when he called attention to the fact of how essential it is to good writing that one uses exactly the right word. How many times I have read something by someone expecting to be taken seriously, and doomed their effort by the use of nearly the right word, but not exactly the right word. This of course goes beyond the efforts of people that simply don’t know how to write and often use words incorrectly and know nothing of syntax or the proper rules of grammar.

But not even the greatest of writers is immune from their personal demons. A good example from one of our greatest writers Sinclair Lewis comes immediately to mind in this context. Struggling with his own demons Sinclair Lewis has Mr. Pengilly ask Elmer Gantry why he does not believe in God? You don’t read far in the works of great writers but what you soon realize these were struggling with issues that haunted them, Herman Melville being one of the more obvious.

In the case of Lewis with his character Gantry, there is the dichotomy of being a scoundrel on the one hand and heroic on the other. What Lewis did not seem to realize was despite the hypocrisy of Gantry, Lewis leaves no doubt in the minds of readers Gantry is a believer in God. In Lewis’ effort to skewer religious hypocrisy and blinded by some personal demon he was trying to exorcise, he skewers himself with this glaring contradiction, a glaring error in the novel. Trying for dramatic effect, Lewis failed to use “exactly the right word” in this instance. He could easily have had Mr. Pengilly question Gantry’s belief in God rather than the abrupt, obvious statement of outright condemnation: “Mr. Gantry; why don’t you believe in God?” This would have let Lewis off the hook; but whatever was haunting Lewis, perhaps even tormenting him that caused such an egregious error made him blind to the obvious.

The stories are legion about brilliant and gifted people making blunders. But little has been written about such people making such blunders in attempts to exorcise some demon in their life, and writing being in many cases a form of catharsis it isn’t any wonder some of these blunders on the part of brilliant and gifted people reveal the demons. The really great storytellers redeem themselves by producing great works of literature; but invariably reveal the things that are haunting or tormenting them in the process. Finding such ghosts and demons in the great works of literature is somewhat like the popular show “Ghost Hunters,” but requires much more effort of the mind and a great breadth of reading.

In “Some Came Running,” Dave doesn’t realize the story he has written is finished until Gwen points this out to him. It is a classic case of a writer who has written better than they know; and we find this to be true of many great writers. Certainly James Jones was fully aware of this, and it caused him to make a point of it; he knew this is one of the ghosts that haunts all gifted writers, but he also knew some such ghosts are friendly and others are not, that some may be demons the writer is attempting to exorcise.

It is a tragedy for America that our young people are not learning to read and write, that our great heritage of literature has fallen on such hard times. How many a young person might be able to deal with their own ghosts and demons if they were being properly instructed in the art of writing, and learning the critical thinking skills of dissecting and analyzing the great works of literature doing some “ghost hunting” of their own. In the process of discovery, young people would come to realize that even the greatest names in literature had their own ghosts and demons; and this would be of comfort to young people today, helping them to realize they are not alone in their private thoughts of such things, but on the contrary are in the very best of company.

Of course this would require good teachers, those that are literate and love great literature, capable of instructing young people in the fine arts of writing and reading well. But the universities are no longer producing such teachers, a point made painfully clear by Harper Lee over forty years ago, and one with which I am all too painfully aware from personal experience. It would take a great deal more than throwing the money of taxpayers at the problem to fix it, it would require a leadership capable of recognizing there is no “royal path to knowledge,” nor is there one to making children and their education a primary goal of America. “No Child Left Behind” is nothing but empty political rhetoric until the problems in the universities of America are fixed, until the ugly reality of what our educational system has become is confronted and dealt with realistically.

The joy of teaching for me was in a large measure leading young people into new worlds of exploration and discovery, not just the rote memorization of facts needful as some of these are. If those presently contending for the White House had such an experience working with children and young people how much more believable they might be. As it is, I doubt any of them have known the thrill of discovery in searching for the ghosts haunting great writers, I doubt any of them would even know what I mean by such a thing; though in time past even some politicians were gifted writers and readers of great literature.

You can’t beat the line from the film “Tombstone” when Wyatt Earp is asked what he thinks happens when you die and replies: “Something. Nothing. Hell, I don’t know!” Now that’s as honest an answer anyone can give. It’s too bad so many people are not given to such honesty about the question because to me this is the best of conventional wisdom, and wisdom that transcends any mere conventions.

Wyatt’s reply in the film to the question is far from being original, it’s the one most of us struggle with and many of us would have the same reply to the question. Because of this great unknown, while there is much speculation about what happens when we die admittedly there is little if anything that can correctly be called “conventional wisdom” on the subject. And no matter what personal beliefs one may have about it what, exactly, would be considered conventional wisdom on this subject? Once you think about it, this becomes an intriguing question worthy of much discussion; and what might be suggested as conventional wisdom in one case might be considered ridiculous in another based on a multiplicity of mitigating factors. Still, the sheer honesty of Wyatt Earp’s reply cannot be dismissed, and it is on this basis I consider it the best of conventional wisdom on the subject.

But apart from questions concerning the supernatural and a hereafter, if any, oftentimes scientists have problems with their versions of conventional wisdom that in some cases is very nearly as ethereal as philosophical speculation on subjects like the soul and immortality. The conventional wisdom in science continues to be challenged since the time it was finally determined and accepted the earth orbited the sun. I recall when it became conventional wisdom the dinosaurs met their demise from an asteroid or comet, but now this is being questioned. There were always some like me who doubted the theory, but eventually we wound up on the periphery. However, just as new things continue to be found in astronomy and physics that denies conventional wisdom so with studies of life on our planet.

Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008. Did Insects Kill the Dinosaurs? By Michael D. Lemonick. By now, scientists have a pretty good idea of what conditions were like in the Cretaceous period, which started about 135 million years ago, and came to a sudden end 70 million years later, with the death of the dinosaurs. Or rather, they think they do — but two new sets of research results suggest there’s a lot more to learn. The first has to do with the period’s cataclysmic close. In lots of people’s minds, the mystery of what killed the dinosaurs and other species — paving the way for the rise of mammals — was solved a couple of decades ago: a giant asteroid or comet slamming into the Earth, resulting in a dust cloud that shrouded the sun, cooled the planet dramatically and killed off plants and animals wholesale. It’s a compelling story, but plenty of scientists never completely bought it. The dinos died pretty quickly, they admit, but not quite abruptly enough to be explained this way. So alternate theories — the dinosaurs succumbed to allergies, from the rise of flowering plants, or to world-shaking volcanoes in what’s now India, or to disease — have always bubbled around the periphery of the conventional wisdom…

Other things like dramatic climate changes not due to asteroids or comets are being suggested in conjunction with insects and disease that may account for the demise of dinosaurs; but when you have searched the literature you are left with the uneasy admissions by scientists that they don’t really have an answer to the question; and what was once conventional wisdom is found wanting due to new, and sometimes contradictory when not anomalous findings. The most worrisome thing is that the very same things whatever they may have been that caused the demise of the dinosaurs could very well be the cause of our own; not to mention our having the nuclear power to destroy ourselves without any other “help.”

As a boy I loved reading the National Geographic magazines. They were filled with stories and photos of interesting places and people, exciting adventures by explorers that made me long to take part in such things. But as a boy, it was one thing for my imagination to be titillated by the dangers of such adventures while the reality of the dangers and hardships were not so apparent. But even as a young boy a few of the articles did cause me to question at times how certain conclusions were made on the basis of scant information. It would be quite some time before I could realize even scientists were capable of stretching facts to suit their assumptions; and to my dismay I came to realize even scientists were possessed of imagination! It did not occur to me that scientists were capable of lying; it would take some time for me to adjust to that human frailty in scientists.

So, scientists are human, and like most people may bend some facts to fit assumptions and theories; especially when grants, foundations, big money and big reputations based on university academic credentials may be on the line. The problem here is not unlike the problem “The Da Vinci Code” addressed. But would any group of scientists agree to hide facts that might threaten some widely held and cherished belief? Would any group in politics be strong enough to hide facts about JFK, UFOs, extraterrestrials, Jimmy Hoffa, 9/11, Saddam’s WMD, the “threatening” Iranian speedboats, the latest “promises” of politicians, etc.?

Folks, when you try to analyze such things it isn’t surprising many of us are left wondering and with no better answer than Wyatt Earp: “Something. Nothing. Hell, I don’t know!” To me this is the best of conventional wisdom, a wisdom that transcends mere convention and most importantly transcends the conventional wisdom of the MSM that has fallen to the level of those that believed the sun orbited the earth.

If Britney Spears could be regressed to what she should have been had not something happened in her early childhood to cause her to make choices she eventually made, what might she be today? Britney may have become another Mother Teresa, a rocket scientist, or world class brain surgeon had not some childhood event caused her to change course. Some may scoff at the idea, but the very same people may believe other things seemingly as fantastic.

Since there is little hope of our government leaders changing their ways of tax and spend regardless of who holds what office, I’ve decided there may be merit to sharing some of my views about healthcare and questions surrounding the death penalty. One reason for my doing this is my disgust at the TV hack/quack Dr. Phil intruding his obnoxious person on a defenseless Britney Spears. God knows the poor girl needs help, but Dr. Phil? I have a mental image of Nesferatu bending over that young woman ready to suck out her life’s blood. But then, what are politicians but vampires?

It would certainly make sense to legalize prostitution and marijuana, to abolish the death penalty and make murderers spend their lives behind bars with no chance of parole and a strict limit on any appeals. It would make sense to secure our borders, enforce our immigration laws and go after those that hire illegal aliens, to amend our Constitution and get rid of the insanity of “anchor babies.” Well, these things have as much chance of happening as my excellent suggestion to turn Bakersfield’s Padre Hotel into a world class whorehouse. More ’s the pity; which only proves brilliant ideas are not always rewarded according to their merit.

Granted I make neither a good liberal nor conservative, and am often condemned by both sides on several issues, nevertheless my sense of justice, of what is right and wrong continues to motivate me to inveigh for some causes I hold dear. And hearing politicians talk about healthcare, I decided to acquaint some who may not have heard about PsychoSearch; my own take on the situation and something I am sure makes Dr. Phil green with envy he did not think of it.

With my background in both science and the social sciences, especially psychology with an emphasis on the paranormal, I realized that regression to past lives held the promise of regression to lives that should have been lived. Far from being the traditional regression and analysis of problems arising from childhood, with the rapid progress of computers this great dream of mine was finally realized, and the classic study of Arnie Schmartzkoptfer was the first successful result. Arnie’s case seemed ideal to test my hypothesis that a person cannot only be regressed like Shirley MacLaine to past lives, but with the computer power now available could be regressed in such a manner as to predict what that person’s life should have been had circumstances been different.

The cause of Arnie becoming a mass murderer, killing over seven hundred elderly people in various nursing homes before being apprehended was well publicized. A few harping critics wondered how it took so long for Arnie to be caught and arrested. This was explained very satisfactorily when it became known that the homes in which Arnie was employed used the same methods and criteria for determining qualifications as those of personnel employed in Social Services and other government agencies. And when questions arose over the demise of a few patients in the care of Arnie, much in the way schools get rid of bad teachers and administrators, and hospitals get rid of bad doctors he would simply transfer to another nursing home and the demand gave Arnie ample opportunity for full employment everywhere with little attention being given to a background check. Even had this been done, confidentiality and fear of lawsuits would have prevented his other employers giving details of his dismissal from other places of employment.

As Arnie’s trial dragged on with great publicity attached, it became clear to me that something had happened to him as a child that caused him to act out this kind of antisocial behavior toward the elderly. And having honed my hypothesis with the customary rats, guinea pigs, and grad students, I was ready for Arnie. My reputation was sufficient to gain me entrance to the poor fellow while in prison (the jury had found him guilty of mass murder but innocent by reason of insanity). Of course, the conditions for testing were ideal since he was confined to the psychiatric ward of the prison. After days of testing, I discovered Arnie had come to this sad pass because of chalk dust. Or, rather say the lack of chalk dust.

Arnie’s first grade teacher, a Miss Granola, was quite elderly and well past retirement. But she used dustless chalk for writing on the blackboard. During Arnie’s regression to that point of his life, I discovered that had Miss Granola not used dust-free chalk, Arnie would have been chosen to shake out the erasers. Deprived of this special privilege of responsibility, Arnie had subconsciously known he was being cheated; and cheated by an elderly person. What Arnie did not understand was that he was being cheated of the life he should have lived as a responsible and productive member of society had he been able to shake out those erasers

With these facts in hand, it was no trouble at all for me to convince a fine lawyer to take Arnie’s case. And just as I believed would happen, a new jury acquitted him on the basis of my findings and an excellent defense by this fine lawyer. Where but in America would such a triumph of justice have prevailed?

But being the sensitive soul that I am, I was grieved to the quick that some few would misunderstand and misconstrue the noble efforts of myself through PsychoSearch. Some even suggested, benighted souls they, that Arnie did not deserve to be set free. Fortunately for Arnie, cooler, and may I say more sensitive heads prevailed.

I notice that the willow flycatcher here locally is being subjected to the same abuse as I have been by misguided people who think they are more important than birds. It is too easy to get caught up in emotions, trivia and peripheral issues and miss the larger picture. After all, was it not for fine legislators, a Supreme Court that cares about America, and my friends like those of the ACLU, caring, knowledgeable and sensitive people just like me, where would America be today?

Granted that a few eggs are broken in making an omelet, like the 700 plus elderly that Arnie dispatched (mercifully, by the way), how can it fail to grieve sensitive people that the real blame was that of a society that simplistically, even callously, failed to take his feelings into consideration? What can you say of a system that would fail poor Arnie in such a manner? This was a miscarriage of justice that cried out for amelioration!

Fortunately, most of the response to my being instrumental in freeing Arnie was quite positive. Not a few commented on the constructive action of his making so many beds available (which are becoming a premium) in nursing homes, savings in Medicare, SSI, etc. In fact, not a few suggested... but I digress; the whole thing of discussing needed and practical euthanasia for the elderly is inevitably met with mindless emotion and fails of cooler heads prevailing.

Far too many are innocent victims like Arnie, that if my talents and PsychoSearch were put to use would be found to be stellar citizens if society had not failed them in the way it failed poor Arnie. But how many are inclined to think of such people as victims? We should beware of the labels given such people, labels like “mass murderer, rapist, serial killer,” labels that are strictly detrimental to justice and good mental health, labels that deny the merits of the individuals and beat down their self-esteem. How can clear-headed people fail to see how this produces victims like Arnie?

I really don’t understand my detractors. If Alzheimer’s is an excuse for running over people with a car, if a prescription is the excuse for killing your own children, if alcohol and drugs are the defenses for countless murders including those caused by drunk drivers, if an underprivileged childhood is the rationale accepted by courts to excuse the most heinous criminals in so many cases, why are people upset with my defending people like poor Arnie for mercifully practicing group euthanasia on the elderly? And if we look to the political scene, nobody is responsible or to be held accountable for any criminal acts, including those that lead to the mass murders of the wars politicians make?

“Indian Jim” was one of several colorful characters I knew as a boy while living in Southeast Bakersfield, an area known back then as “Little Oklahoma” due to being settled by Dust Bowl migrants like my maternal grandfather John Caldwell. In an age of radio long before TV we cherished our storytellers, and while grandad was a good storyteller there were none better than my great-grandmother. She didn’t fabricate things, but would tell stories about the past from her own life experiences that held my brother Ronnie and me spellbound. Not discounting the many hardships of her life, “grandma” made events come alive for us as the best of storytellers do; and her own life had been so full of excitement she didn’t have to make things up.

But there were others like Indian Jim that were given to superstitions and tall tales, and Ronnie and I knew many of his stories were stretchers. However, he was a good storyteller and Ronnie and I were taught to respect our elders, to not talk back or express any disrespect of our elders. There was something else about Indian Jim I couldn’t be expected to understand as a child; he needed to feel important. Though ignorant and illiterate he still had a feeling of self-worth, and telling stories was his way of creating self-esteem for himself.

One of the stories he would tell was of owning a pistol used in a murder. He slept with it under his pillow and when he awoke it would have blood on it. He would wipe the blood off, but the next morning the blood would reappear. He would tell this story in all seriousness, and would have been crushed if Ronnie and I were to express any disbelief; which, of course, we didn’t. It was the way we were raised, and contradicting our elders was unthinkable to us. And young as I was, somehow I knew the old fellow wasn’t trying to take advantage of Ronnie and me. The same cannot be said of many like politicians and some others that are obviously lying in order to take advantage or do harm.

However, I’ve never forgotten Indian Jim’s need to tell his stories, his need to feel like he was somebody, a person needing attention in order to somehow justify his being alive to others and be remembered. I’ve no doubt the most successful of my own Choctaw Cherokee storytelling ancestors did considerable embellishment, but in most cases to make important events memorable. As such, the distinction between telling lies designed to harm or take advantage should always be separated from what are stories to either entertain or give a person a sense of self-worth and importance, even the stories of memorable events and people that eventually fall into the category of myths and legends.

Children often engage in stretchers with their peers and even their parents; it is all part of growing up.

Eventually, we become adults and try to be truthful, but some never leave that stage of childhood and continue to engage in “stories” in order to feel important. Many stories of the supernatural, of UFOs and “alien abductions” probably fall into this category of the person’s need of attention. But some are in need of medical attention.

A fellow I knew quite well was given to stories of being followed by the FBI. He would recount some bizarre events of this and expected everyone to believe him. The problem was I knew him and the FBI well enough not to credit such stories. About a year ago the doctors found he had a brain tumor and he is presently undergoing treatment. I have no doubt this occasioned the stories he would tell, and undoubtedly believed, a case much like that of John Forbes Nash.

I have always liked Shirley MacLaine, and she certainly means no harm by her stories of the paranormal; and if I say I like her as a lovable kook there is no disrespect intended. But I do wonder if there was a need in her childhood, a time during which she felt the need to tell a few stretchers in order to feel she was important. I suppose most show business people had similar needs and some succeeded in carrying out their fantasies into adulthood on Broadway and in films. There are numerous examples of show business people that continue to live lives of fantasy, who never seem to outgrow their need for special attention no matter how successful they become.

Right now as political candidates parade before the cameras some are quite obviously an embarrassing caricature of show business personalities, and most of us know politicians are unabashed celebrity groupies. It is no secret money will buy a lot of things, but it won’t buy a feeling of being loved and adored by an audience; the source of envy on the part of politicians for some celebrities.

But no matter how you mix them or what labels they use, no one would question the wealthy run things. They own our government and the media, the entertainment industry, so the messages sent out by these reflects the thinking of the wealthy, not the majority of Americans. While the infighting among the wealthy can get nasty, even deadly at times, nevertheless it is the wealthy classes that make the rules and run things.

In too many ways America is seen by many nations as a spoiled child rather than an adult dealing with the real issues of life; Hollywood and TV certainly promoting such an image. But the reality; that which is not the America portrayed by the wealthy running things is the rapidly declining hopes of a better future on the part of ordinary Americans.

What is lacking today is a politician of national note that can tell a good story. Things are so bad it seems none of them can possibly deal with the truth, and we expect politicians to lie as a matter of course. But I long for an Indian Jim, someone that can tell a bald-faced lie and tell it as though they actually believe it themselves and mean it to be taken seriously by others. In the face of impending disaster for America, you would think the wealthy would take note and promote someone in politics that could at least tell a good story.

Imagine an America where people are reduced to gathering around communal fires once more, depending on storytellers to give them hope in the face of national tragedy and misery, the case of so many nations throughout history and the source many stories we find in books like the Bible. This is the condition of many people now throughout the world; people that still depend on the storytellers to give them hope and brighten their miserable lives.

Within my own memory I recall such an America, I recall the fires being built to heat water in galvanized tubs to bathe or do laundry and even cooking outdoors of necessity; we very much needed our storytellers like grandma back them. But America lacks leaders that can tell a good story, and whatever the outcome of this election we are all the poorer for this. We are being told lies, and the lies are as improbable as the story of Indian Jim’s pistol without the sole redeeming virtue of being told by good storytellers. Certainly We the People want change, but none of those presently “onstage” can tell a good story. And even apart from that I cannot but feel a great foreboding that one of these people, the choice of the wealthy despite the appearance of things, will be our next president.

For some reason this political season got me to thinking about ghosts. Politicians may not be ghosts, but there is certainly something “haunting” about them and little of reality, but rather appearing to be apparitions. However, if there are such things as ghosts perhaps there is something better to be said about them than their merely haunting places and people.

One of the things I hold against the devout believers in evolution and a mindless cosmos is these wet blankets would deprive us of things like ghosts. They would rob us of our Ouija Boards, crystal balls, fairies and magic charms. As to ghosts, these are a part of all cultures and without them life would not be much fun. “The Time of Their Lives” remains one of my very favorite Abbott and Costello movies, I very much enjoy the “Topper” films and what would Shakespeare and so many other great writers like Poe be without ghosts. We wouldn’t want to be without stories like “The Canterville Ghost,” and though I have never seen a ghost I defy all the naysayers proving to me they do not exist.
I strongly suspect many of those claiming not to believe in ghosts still whistle through graveyards, and like Sam Clemens entertain the thought; “I don’t believe in ghosts, but I’m afraid of them.”

But there is still the matter of not knowing how I would react to a ghost; would I totally freak out like the Witch of Endor at the appearance of the prophet Samuel or would I welcome the experience? There is no way of knowing. So I asked myself the question; if I were a ghost what would I be interested in? It’s pure fantasy to speculate about such a thing, nevertheless I thought it would be fun to entertain the notion; and to my surprise it has turned out to be rather interesting. This thing of not knowing what lies behind or beyond the veil, if anything, has had our species tied in knots for as long as human beings have been around. Studies about the many attempts to reach the departed are fascinating; equally fascinating are the many claims about ghosts throughout human history.

In the New Testament the Apostles seem to have believed in ghosts, but there is some confusion between the use of the words ghost and spirit; the Holy Ghost is more properly rendered Holy Spirit for example. God is not referred to as a ghost, but rather as a spirit; though how God distinct from his Holy Spirit is to be distinguished is not clear at all. And the use of the word spirit should not be confused with the word ghost; and while many people believe in angels and demons these are quite distinct from ghosts.

However, how would you have a ghost without a spirit? If ghosts manifest themselves we might assume they are spirit beings, and the form of a ghost might be made visible or known by their spirit. While the spirit quickens, gives life; that same spirit may be quickening the departed who have taken on a different form of life. There are different accounts of ghosts as apparitions, opaque or transparent, while others assume a bodily form. Exorcisms are performed to cast out unclean spirits, but not ghosts. Somehow through history ghosts and spirits have become different things. But confusion often reigns when attempting to describe ghosts without spirits being involved.

I’ve asked myself whether in some cases our own minds may project an “apparition,” and then having had the experience unable to deny it. Many forms of hysteria project just this kind of thing, including the hearing of voices of the departed. But what of those cases where such things are reported to happen unawares and unbidden without taking thought of such a thing?

Ghost Hunters and other programs having to do with Psi, the paranormal and supernatural are quite popular; and if I make the assumption there are such things as ghosts I may as well assume that just because people have passed on may not mean they have lost interest in the affairs of the living, and may continue to enjoy mixing with people. In other words, ghosts may still enjoy the society of the living. For example, I like to believe my departed loved ones and friends continue to be interested in me, how I am and what I’m doing in my everyday life just as they were while here in their mortal bodies.

Unlike “The Invisible Man,” ghosts would not be in need of anything so they wouldn’t be robbing banks or attempting to gain anything this world has to offer; though there are stories about ghosts protecting treasure. To what end is usually unclear since I presume there is nothing to be gained by doing so.

I just got off the phone with my good friend Byron, the Episcopal Priest, and I asked him what he would want to do if he were a ghost? He was nonplussed, professing to have never entertained the question; not surprising since I assume the great majority of people have never thought about such a thing. Still, the stories about ghosts are legion, more than legion, but as with all speculations concerning the supernatural open to many and diverse opinions, just as are the stories about angels. The topics are subjects of books, films, TV programs without let and will continue to proliferate ad infinitum; but why?

Yet I am left with the somewhat puzzling question as I am sure many of you will be: What would I want to do if I were a ghost? Maybe you would want to go about clanking chains and scaring people with Boo! And that might be a clue as to who would be the good ghosts and who the bad? Perhaps this would depend on what kind of person you were while inhabiting your mortal body.

This I know; not everyone claiming to believe in ghosts, not everyone claiming to have seen a ghost is nuts. So I accept there are ghosts, and I’ll continue to believe in them as I do of angels and demons though I may never see any of them. As with that 96% of the universe unseen, unknown and perhaps unknowable, the things unseen may yet prove to be the most real. But if any of the ghosts of my departed loved ones choose to appear for whatever reason, I hope I won’t freak out. I doubt I would, since having thought about it I now think I know what I would want to do if I were a ghost. Like Casper I think I would be a friendly ghost, though I won’t discount the possibility of saying Boo! to some I leave behind.

Those of you unaware of the culinary delight of deep fried fresh frog legs may not know that if you don’t want them kicking and splattering grease about while frying in the pan you pulled the tendons. As a boy, I didn’t understand this but did as I was told. And to this day I recall with fond memory the gigging of frogs and the resulting platter piled high with golden brown fried frog legs; absolutely delicious, a gastronomical delight to the most educated palate of the most discriminating gourmet.

It would be some time before I understood things like pulling the tendons of frogs before frying. But my ignorance as a boy of things like electro-static charges and electro-magnetism, positive and negative charges, the movement of electrons that made things like batteries work and frogs jump enabled me to appreciate the ignorance of so many, the kind of ignorance that was, and remains the stock in trade of so many charlatans.

Like Leo Stein, I would not be so quick to question the wisdom of others if I did not question my own. It is when I confront my own appalling ignorance, an ignorance that confounds and denies wisdom, there is more than sufficient reason to be appalled by the ignorance of others, their obvious lack of wisdom, and I continue to be amazed that our species has survived in the face of such appalling ignorance and lack of wisdom. This is one of many mysteries that confront me, emphasizing how much there must be I do not know. And such things are the basis of my self-criticism, the basis of my critical view of many that claim to have knowledge about things despite their obvious ignorance.

Like some of you, I not only read the books and view the programs on TV about history and our universe, about the diversity of life, speculations about the many mysteries surrounding the ancients and even the supernatural, of Psi and the paranormal. Through my years of college and university studies of so many subjects there remained many things in history, literature, the arts and sciences mysterious and unexplained.

In conversation with a friend a couple of days ago I pointed out to him that if he should witness a lightning bolt strike a tree and it should explode and fire erupted from it that would simply be “nature.” But suppose he should see such a thing happen and there was no visible lightning bolt? It takes an atmosphere capable of making that raw energy of lightning to be visible, but remove what makes the lightning visible and how would you explain the sudden explosion of that tree? And so it is with many of the unexplained mysteries of our universe, our solar system, our earth, and life itself.

It is theorized the material universe composed of atoms is only 4%. This leaves the remaining 96% that we are not able to examine, unable to see, touch, smell, and as such is that part of energy like the lightning bolt we only see because of our atmosphere. But even studies in subatomic particle research do not explain the mysteries of electricity. We know what it can do, we know much about its characteristics, be we don’t know what it is. Anyone can go online now to argue, but it will still come down to so many things remaining mysteries.

I’m as fascinated as anyone about theories of our universe, and I could listen to those like Michio Kaku for hours as they delve into the mysterious world of speculation about things like wormholes, time travel, parallel and multiple universes; though in the end it remains speculation. We have the instruments and technology the Greek philosophers lacked, but we are just as far from answers as they were when it comes to the two greatest mysteries of all, those of life and death. In these, the mystery remains. And because these remain mysteries, all of our science deals with that “baryonic” 4% we can examine and work with, but that 96% “non-baryonic” remains the domain of speculation in its many forms from philosophy, religion, Psi, the paranormal, SciFi and even witchcraft. And throughout history there has been no lack of charlatans trading on the superstitions and gullibility of many. And I confess I am still entranced by electricity in its several manifestations including those in Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory. I still wonder at the claims of electro-magnetic “cures” and so much more; I can still wonder at magnets having such a dramatic effect through some unseen forces at work, though we apply terms like “gravity” to things in lieu of understanding.

Because of my own ignorance I can be charitable of Thoreau’s comment about the pyramids of Egypt, that such tombs were built for “boobies” that should rather have been drowned and commending those that did not lend themselves to the enterprise of building such memorials to boobies. Comparatively little was known about those pyramids in Henry’s time, but these many years later there is still so much of mystery about them and the Sphinx I do have to wonder if Henry may have had a valid point; while at the same time wondering about so many monuments of stone and the various inscriptions that continue to confound the best experts.

It is cause for mourning, the loss of the great library at Alexandria. We can only guess at much of the learning and knowledge of the ancients that might have been available to us had it not been for such a catastrophic crime against civilization. But invariably it seems barbarism resulting from greed, corruption, ignorance, even calamitous necessities brought about by things like famine and plague, climatic changes trumps the best of civilization.

Right now, it seems the barbarians are once more threatening civilization as they did during the Dark Ages. And while those of us in America watch what is happening in so much of the world, the suffering and turmoil seeming to be reaching a crescendo we can only speculate what a real education could do to eliminate much of this. And in the face of so much appalling ignorance with its concomitant barbarism and suffering I am forced to acknowledge the same thing threatening America. However, as I wonder about so many things, about the universe, our solar system, the mysteries of life and death, the many mysteries right here on earth I am not so ignorant I do not know what the results of ignorance and want are.

In the England of Dickens’ time things were so barbaric for that “surplus population” of the poor he was moved to write of the threat ignorance and want posed to civilization. But even today here in America the same thing threatens us, the growing divide between the rich and poor, the privileged classes and those doomed to ignorance and want, growing largely from the poor that have children without a future as though they had some “divine” right to propagate wretchedness demanding unearned bread.

I’ve seen and experienced first hand what ignorance and want does to people. Right now, there are undoubtedly children in the ghettos and barrios of America that have the same dreams I had as a child, the same thirst for knowledge and possessing the same wonder about so many mysteries of the universe and of life. But these children don’t have the advantages I had as a child, an encyclopedia and works of great writers, adults that encouraged an education. Many of these children deprived of an education will face the cruel choices of life forced upon them, and many will reflect the words of Doc Holliday about Ringo wanting revenge for being born, something reflected by so many in the “entertainment” industry, even glorifying crime and violence, the dehumanizing of women and children.

Even as I wander about in my own thoughts about so many things, giving myself to speculation about so many things the reality of what all nations face when they are producing barbarians rather than civilized people looms before me. And it takes a civilization worthy of the name to give people hope; but where is the leader now that offers such hope in the face of increasing barbarism in America and throughout the world? It does seem after all is said and done we posses the knowledge to destroy ourselves, but lack the wisdom to prevent it.

In the meantime, the deconstructing of America as a civilized nation, an America without secure borders, without a common heritage, culture, language and led of greedy corrupt politicians and their corporate bosses goes on apace and few seem to believe what happened to Germany leading to Hitler’s power, what is happening in places like Pakistan and Kenya now can happen here. But it can. When you have to “Press one for English,” when people have to live in fear of walking on the streets of America or even driving, when crime is rampant and education is failing, when the non-productive begin to outnumber the productive and our own leaders flaunt the laws ordinary citizens are commanded to obey we are well on our way to becoming a barbarian nation.

Our own politicians give us a song and dance routine while those like Vladimir Putin understand reality and react to that. But the whole thing can turn on a dime, as history so well illustrates. No matter what the future holds, the leadership of America no longer encourages the best of civilization, but seems determined to give the barbarians every advantage that can only lead to more ignorance and want. And that can only lead to not even having telephones no matter what the language, to people killing each other for bread unearned or not. Only an educated and civilized nation can avoid such catastrophic events, and America is no longer going in the direction of an educated and civilized nation with the functioning institutions required for civilized living.

It would only take the loss of electricity, for example, to plunge civilized nations back into the Dark Ages and humankind once more forced to live like beasts. Thoreau may not have been correct about the pyramids, still the enormous number of laborers had to be fed and clothed. And when the laborers can no longer be fed and clothed, what monuments will be built to any civilization?

“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.”  Bucking the mainstream of sympathy for Benazir Bhutto, I’m more inclined to nominate her for a Darwin Award. How often I have wondered at the seeming cupidity of the rich and powerful, and the actions of Bhutto only deepen my sense of wonder about such things. The pope now appears in a “Popemobile,” and with things like JFK one would think anyone of prominence would know they are at risk, especially when they have powerful enemies. And in Bhutto’s case, she must have known as a woman trying for power against fanatical Muslims she was at enormous risk apart from any political considerations. But we are as unlikely to learn the truth of her assassination as we are about JFK or 9/11. Where power and wealth are concerned, the “truth” is often what the rich and powerful want it to be. And while we fully expect a nation like Pakistan with such corrupt leadership to lie as a matter of course, this is no less true of our own government.

It is happening across America, this thing of holding our breath and waiting for the other shoe to drop. But just how long can we be expected to hold our breath while politicians pander for votes while ignoring the most important issues like illegal aliens and unsecured borders threatening our very survival as a nation, without specific answers to the questions surrounding a seemingly suicidal approach to trade agreements and sustaining Muslim tyrants and others in power? It does seem we are drowning in a sea of lawlessness from the White House on down, and those parading before the cameras seem to be more interested in how their hair is combed or coiffed than the many threats, including nuclear, casting such a dark cloud over America.

How long would Israel last were it not for America; and can you imagine the gun control crowd telling Israelis, “You must give up all your weapons?” Were that to happen in fact, Israel would qualify for a Darwin Award. Some things make too much sense to even entertain the notion that any person, or nation, would do something so stupid as to result in their demise; nevertheless there is the Darwin Award with no lack of “honorees.” As it stands right now, I have cause to wonder if our own government is not leading America down this path? Most would agree there seems no lack of stupidity to be found among America’s “leaders.” And that is the most charitable view for what would seem to a rational mind a leadership intent on national suicide! How much clearer can it be, that all nations come into being and survive on the basis of heritage, culture, a common language and well defined and secure borders, that without these no nation can possibly continue to exist as a nation!

Harking back to Shakespeare’s line, you do have to wonder how any of our leaders are able to get a night’s sleep? We know the stories of those like Stalin and Hitler trying to sleep, and such stories are understandable and quite believable. When you know people are plotting to kill you, certain precautions must be taken that would be considered extreme in normal situations. But when you wear the crown, here come the extraordinary precautions. Still, history is replete with the stories of leaders that met their end by acts of stupidity; and wearing a crown does not automatically confer genius on anyone, or make them any less human when it comes to being capable of doing stupid things. As to sleeping, here comes the pharmaceutical industry to the “rescue” for our “crowned heads.” No wonder so many of them behave stupidly just as do many celebrities.

“If you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich?” might be countered in some instances by “I’m too smart to be rich.” Wealth does hold many hazards for the wealthy; and I sometimes wonder why they don’t suffer more than they do. Many of these may die whispering “Rosebud,” but how is it so many seem to escape being robbed, kidnapped, or murdered? Why did JFK die and Reagan lived? Why Bhutto and not Bush?

We know “time and chance happeneth to all alike,” that the battle is not always to the strong or the race to the swift; but some things just do not make any sense at all. In Bhutto’s case, it would seem to be a case of terminal stupidity; but what is keeping Bush alive? Better security? I don’t think so. Surrounding yourself with courtiers and sycophants serve to deceive any Caesar, but these too often make those that wear the crown vulnerable. Still, many of them live long enough to make life miserable for their subjects. Trying to make sense of why some people that really need killing continue to escape it is no wonder I’m given to a supernatural view, that the world is Satan’s domain and the righteous continue to suffer while the wicked prosper.

Lincoln had good reason for his reluctance to claim God was on his side during the war. And anyone willing to be ruthlessly honest with themselves may ask the question of whether they are serving God or the Devil? Too often throughout history those intending good have unintentionally done great harm. This was Thoreau’s attitude toward the various men and societies of his time determined to do him “good” whether he wanted them to or not. Like me, both Emerson and Thoreau knew that no one wants power and authority over others, whether they be persons or governments, that are not seeking their own ends in the process; and no truly good person wants such power and authority over others. Which, of course, is why governments throughout history inevitably become corrupt.

We have good reason for questioning the histories written by men in many instances, there is good and sufficient reason to understand Henry Ford calling history “Bunk,” and even now we witness politicians writing their own “histories” while still alive in the hope of getting people to believe their “bunk,” hoping those in the future will believe their bunk. These pretenders should heed the words of Benjamin Franklin:

If you would not be forgotten

As soon as you are dead and rotten,

Either write things worth reading

Or do things worth the writing.

It does seem to come down to a matter of trust. Who in government do you trust? Like adultery or the betrayal of friendship, once betrayed such trust is never to be regained. And to witness the books being offered by politicians how can We the People but cringe over both the betrayal and the thought politicians can be so stupid as to think we are going to trust any of them to tell the truth? They neither write things worth reading nor do things worth the writing. And America stands on the brink; we are holding our breath waiting for the other shoe to drop at any moment because of this loss of trust in a corrupt leadership that evidences no concern for anyone but themselves.

When Calvin asks little Susie if being a girl is kind of like being a bug, that it must be something like having just enough intelligence to understand nature has played a cruel trick on it but not enough to understand it she quite naturally knocks Calvin into the school lockers. As he lies there seeing stars he says to himself, “I must have put my finger on it.”

But when I read of a young woman telling a particularly obnoxious man making unwanted advances “I don’t date outside of my species” she may have been on to something. There is no want of obnoxious men thinking they are God’s gift to women, but perhaps the storyline of “Men in Black” anticipated the recent announcement about the age of bugs on our planet, and the young woman recognized the obnoxious man as a “bug;” though “Young Frankenstein” did make the comment alluding some men might be considered “worms.” He was probably aware of Psalm 22:6: But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.

Henry Thoreau was well aware of intestinal worms, and mentioned these inhabiting our bodies, that while we may be healthy we are not pure. Not surprisingly, these worms well known to me as a boy are getting some play in the news now, associating them with the poorer classes. We may not have been that poor when I was a boy, but the worms were there; made the more prevalent during WWII when meat was rationed and hygiene and diet often took a back seat to necessity.

Worms aside, scientists now believe beetles may be 300 million years old; so I have to give both little Susie and that young woman credit for their powers of discernment. From the journal Science: “Today, 350,000 species of beetles dot collections around the world, and millions more are estimated to exist but haven’t been discovered — which means they make up more than one-fourth of all known species of life forms. The reason for this tremendous diversity has been debated by scientists for many years but never resolved.”

Given a few hundred million years to evolve, one might credit the idea of that young woman and the film Men in Black with some possibility; not all such life forms may have hewed the line and when some woman refers to a man as an “insect” she might be correct; and allowance should be made for not a few women thinking some men being worms and insects. I recall Gerry Trudeau having Patty Hearst refer to her ex-boyfriend by the term “Insect.” How many a knight in shining armor has proven to be nothing but a bug in disguise.

Fancy aside, some have thought it odd that Thoreau would conclude “Walden” with the story of a bug chewing its way out of a farmer’s table, suggesting the egg may have been deposited in the original tree from which the table had been made some sixty years previously. But Henry was using this as an example not only of our hope of immortality, but suggesting that perhaps there might yet come from some unknown seeming trivial source a “beautiful and winged life” giving hope for humankind. The problem with Henry was his ego, and one can be excused for believing he thought he was an example of this future beautiful species and this was the reason he chose this story to conclude his book notwithstanding his being aware of the stories crediting the longevity of beetles and the high esteem in which some cultures held them.

“Of Bugs and Men” would not have made for a catchy title like “Of Mice and Men,” but the Egyptian Scarab is well known to have been a symbol of immortality, and given a prominent place among the ancient Egyptians as well as other past civilizations. And it is truly amazing the kinds of life that can survive under extremely adverse circumstances; from the ocean depths, hot springs, and arid deserts, even in ice packs and the freezing conditions of the Arctic Ocean you will find various life forms. The punch line in “Jurassic Park” was “Life will find a way,” and so it would seem.

Beelzebub, the Hebrew literally “Lord of Flies” a name accorded Satan, often synonymous with Ba’al of the Philistines is not without foundation in the most pejorative sense. Construed as an unclean thing, the doctrine of Satan came to include insects and serpents, especially those that are venomous. But the scarab continued to hold a very special place in many cultures as a symbol of immortality despite it being a “dung beetle;” the emphasis was upon its survivability, not its feeding habits. In some ways, this compares with the survivability of Satan as a god. And despite the uncleanness of Satan and demons, their association with evil, these still find worshippers.

Now, given the early appearance of beetles as life forms predating even the dinosaurs I’m given to speculation why this should be the case? And like scientists, I also wonder why such diversity? Certainly I associate this with satanic creations, a malevolent mind given to literally diabolical creations like the dinosaurs. And I wonder; could butterflies and hummingbirds be the creations of better gods spitting in the eyes of the Evil One and his demons, just as with orchids vs. foxtails?

The Warden in “The Mummy” says “I hate bugs!” Those Egyptian Scarabs certainly play a prominent part in the film and its sequel. But despite his hating bugs when the Warden finds what he believes to be scarabs of gold mounted in stone and starts prying them out, ah, this proved his undoing; there must be a moral to that, something of “It may be unclean and I may hate it, but make it of gold and…”

While the association of beetles with immortality has a basis in earliest history, most of us react to bugs much the way of the Warden in the film. Men in Black capitalized on this natural abhorrence most of us have to bugs, and despite their prominent place in the scheme of Nature, a “bug” made the consummate villain in the film, though a bug thanked K for not stepping on it in the sequel. So, there are good bugs and bad bugs, but then we all know that.

However, if our species should do itself in we can probably count on bugs surviving be they good or bad bugs. Survivability is key to life; but I wouldn’t want to be around to see the result of a world of either giant beetles or cockroaches. Still, there is to my mind the possibility of some truth to that young woman’s observation of not dating outside her species, and I do believe there are monsters among us in human guise, the satanic and diabolical monsters that prey on women and children.

We depend on honey bees and other beneficial insects, but despite this and our mortal bodies being food for worms I wouldn’t want to be found lower on the food chain while alive than bugs of any kind. There may yet be some beautiful and winged life yet to come, life better than what we mortals have thus far seen. While I share this hope of Henry, the odds seem to favor huge beetles or cockroaches. But my hope remains in an afterlife where there is nothing unclean, no monsters in human guise and no men that can be described as either insects or worms.

“The Ghost and Mr. Chicken” is one of my favorite fun films. I’ve always liked Don Knotts and he represented a simpler time when films could be just plain good fun. In this particular film, he portrayed the problems one encounters when possessed of an especially excitable imagination, and you get a reputation for believing nonsense and telling stretchers. These are not lies as such, since in the case of the well-crafted lies Sam Clemens admired and had a genius for telling a stretcher is not told with the intention of harming any one or taking advantage of people. But if the teller of stretchers is not very careful, they can find themselves in deep trouble when attempting to be taken seriously as Don Knotts so well portrayed in the film.

When we look back through history we may well ask ourselves how some of the ancients believed some of the fabulous and fantastic things they did, the stories of the past we now read seeming so obviously born of at times appallingly superstitious ignorance, stories of gods and goddesses, of magic charms and incantations, stories of so many “miracles,” conjurers and seers passed on from one generation to the next. But at various times throughout history there was a seeming need for such things, in the case of the various religions there was the need for social order and some means of hope in harsh, often brutal conditions.

Whether one chooses to believe the myths and superstitions of religion today or not, there remain many mysteries right here on earth quite beyond our science to explain. It may be those like Newton were possessed of supernatural genius, perhaps Nostradamus and Edgar Cayce tuned in on Psi not possible to the great majority of people. I don’t believe many of the achievements of ancient people could have been possible without something of this kind, perhaps even the help of an unknown superior race, extraterrestrials, even angels. But I don’t know any of these are true; and I’m not ready to believe in flying carpets, talking statues, the virgin berth, Jesus walking on water or rising from the dead. I make a distinction between things I simply don’t know, and things I am not so credulous as to believe.

I do know the human body is composed of a hundred trillion cells, and each cell is composed of so many intricate and some still unknown parts of enormous complexity, the possibility these could all come together and make a fully functional human being is to me nothing short of miraculous! On a scale only of the variety of life on earth there are so many unknowns there is room for so much speculation it boggles my mind! And it seems a quantum leap beyond considering only physical life to that of the mind! There is an empire of the individual quite beyond the reach of any science to either examine or explain, though some progress has been made in understanding physical functions of the brain.

What is it that gives people hope; that gives the individual hope? If it is a matter of religion and you were born to parents steeped in ignorance and superstitions you may be doomed to believing such superstitions the rest of your life, especially if you are born into a nation like so many Muslim nations today that continue to credit such superstitions. But even among the sophisticated Greeks the most serious charge leveled against Socrates was that of sacrilege, and from the beginning of human history untold millions have been sacrificed to a variety of gods. And judging from world conditions today, there are too many places where you would still be killed for sacrilege to “honor” some imagined deity like Allah.

Though there are many mysteries that remain unexplained, what can be explained is things like mob hysteria and panic. There are events in which people lose all sense of personal identity and find themselves part of a mob, the point K made in “Men in Black:” Even though the person may be smart; this is not so with a frightened or hysterical mob of people. And even if Christianity began with a delusional Jesus and carried forth by those caught up in the delusion, it eventually became a civilized religion. However, there are places in the world where ignorance and superstitions continue to hold people enslaved to various Christian beliefs. And consider what the effect would be in the world if the “Da Vinci Code” were more truth than fiction.

In “Elmer Gantry” Sinclair Lewis painted an indelible picture of the kind of religious zealotry that is used to mask all kinds of hypocrisy, even as an excuse to beat a man nearly to death. And I have personally known not only a number of Elmer Gantry’s, but a number of those whose excitable imaginations have convinced the individuals they have experienced things like miracles and angels in their lives. If such people believe these things and such beliefs do no harm I’m not going to become confrontational about it. But I’m always left asking myself the same question of why I have not been so privileged by whatever powers there may be? Like the judge in the Don Knotts film, “My mind is wide open,” and there have been occasions in my life that have left me wondering whether guardian angels have intervened on my behalf, but no spirits, ghosts, or apparitions, theophanies of any kind have made themselves known to me.

A Christian hymn has it “Only Believe.” Well, perhaps unfortunately for me it takes more than that. Like the child Samuel in the Old Testament I’m ready to say to God “Speak for thy servant heareth.” But so far, nothing of which I am aware. I remain convinced the best of America’s virtue is to be found in the rural churches of America. However, this virtue is being threatened by politicians and professional religionists that would place the emphasis on “only believe” rather than emphasizing the thing of most vital importance, that of simply being a good person. And for this, no one needs any religion telling them how to live a life pleasing to God. And here is my personal basis for hope; not for the world but for me. I cannot hope to save the world by simply being a good person, but I can hope to save myself. And such hope does not blind me to evil, it is not the credulous hope of a Pollyanna or a coming “Rapture,” but able to do battle against the evil of this world system while not becoming a partner in such evil. And that is the best, I believe, any of us can do.

If Giuliani really wants to beat the pack he should emphasize his “connections” to organized crime. If he could simply renounce Satan in the same way as Michael Corleone while dispatching his enemies we would find that more admirable than any pretense of “faith” pure as the driven snow. In “The Godfather” you can have the mystery of religion and your faith while at the same time dealing ruthlessly with your enemies and a ruthless world that rewards the strong and penalizes the weak. Vladimir Putin certainly recognizes this, and it may be the reason Time Magazine chose him as “Person of the Year,” something I construe as a message to the present crop of presidential contenders.

I don’t believe America can survive another president that believes God tells them what to do and needs no other advisor, and perhaps like those at Time I believe we need someone that can conduct the business of America and promote what is best for America on the basis of reality, not “faith.” And if faith is to be involved, it had better be that of Don Corleone. But alas for Giuliani, he is at best only a caricature of Don Corleone without any of the redeeming virtues such as an emphasis on personal family values. Unlike Don Corleone, Giuliani is only a politician.

While the arguments ebb and flow about politics my opinion remains that of Emerson, Thoreau, and Sam Clemens, that of contempt for the whole breed. I continue to believe no one becomes a politician with a view to anything but to serve their own selfish purposes and interests. If I find any redeeming attribute in one and put my finger on it, like a balloon if I push that point it returns to its natural state once I remove my finger. The ancient philosophical question, what is the nature of a thing, what is it in and of itself is easily understood when it comes to politicians. A politician is a creature you can depend on and understand as only serving their own selfish interests.

The Godfather saga dealt realistically with the world of organized crime, with religion and politics, recognizing the same human failures and weaknesses in both criminals and politicians. And Michael’s point to Kay that it is naïve to believe organized crime is any different than a corrupt organized government continues to be a point well taken. And no matter how the trilogy ended for Michael, the point remained. And that point no matter how you attempt to refine or excuse it with political correctness is We the People would rather have a Vito Corleone as president than any of the contenders for the Oval Office.

Unfortunately for America, there is no Vito Corleone in the running, not even a Vladimir Putin. What we are being offered is a crop of politicians pandering for the “faith” vote, the Latino and Negro vote, some wanting the homosexual vote, but none of them honest enough to speak the truth that America needs someone that will deal realistically with the enemies of America, most of all the greatest enemy that of our own federal government! What we are facing is “choices” that will continue to be as corrupt as any they are attempting to replace without any of the redeeming virtues of Vito Corleone, but on the contrary will doubtless continue to act as though they were above the laws they demand We the People to obey!

But We the People are not stupid, we realize our federal government is rife with the lawless who are shielded by wealth, power and privilege, and on that basis refuse accountability to ordinary America citizens. None of us expect a president that will secure our borders and put the interests of America ahead of their selfish greed for profits and slave labor, ahead of globalization and the interests of Mexico and China for the sake of profits.

There is no honor among politicians that rise to power on the basis of wealth. And so long as wealth dictates who can even run for elected office, those that choose politics as a profession can only be depended on to lie, cheat, and steal in order to be elected and stay elected. That such wealth is gained by tactics little different than that of Don Corleone is only given the appearance of not being criminal; the more “civilized” all the while ignoring “inconvenient” laws and the buying of politicians and judges goes on apace. This is the system under which We the People are being enslaved. And whether you are Republican or Democrat, the only “choices” being offered is the lesser of evils depending on your own point of view.

For my part, I would vote for Don Corleone or Vladimir Putin if I were only given such a choice. At least then I would know who and what I was voting for. I don’t believe we are being offered any such choice now. But I do know when someone is playing We the People for fools. And while I fear for America because of the rampant corruption in government, the lack of leadership we can trust, I resent being taken for a fool.

At this season of the year I like to show my warm and fuzzy side, so when you may be considering beer can jewelry for that “special someone” in your life I’m reminded there is no accounting for the things that might strike us as funny. A few years ago I came up with a business idea for Macabre Toys, Inc. Among the offerings along with the usual things like small plastic frogs that would ooze dreadful smelling “stuff” when squeezed and its eyes would pop out and dangle while a three-inch tongue with bug attached would dart out of its mouth, ideal for little boys to give little girls, were home embalming kits; one for beginners like the precocious child with scientific curiosity who could start practicing on their pet goldfish or hamster. These kits progressed in age-specific categories to the “Mother-in-law Special,” all with the usual disclaimers about checking with local health agencies in your area before purchase.

Actually, my sense of humor was inherited from my maternal grandfather. Grandad had a marvelous sense of humor and was given to practical jokes, but none that would put anyone at risk of harm. But there is the matter of my being born in Weedpatch and knowing Kern County so very well over decades of time. If you call Weedpatch your birthplace and know Bakersfield is the butt of so many jokes you had better develop a good sense of humor about such things; Weedpatch and Btown are not for the thin-skinned.

There is no denying Kern County in general and Bakersfield in particular has some very specific problems that have developed over many years. Kern County is quite unique in several ways, not all of them good by any means. And while I applaud the many attempts to bring culture and the arts to Kern County, world-class air pollution, clogged and deteriorating roadways and the clash of so many illegal aliens demanding cheap housing and a panoply of social services and Spanish be spoken does not bode well. And I can’t make anything funny out of the problems those of us living in Kern County are facing.

“The Lords of Bakersfield” is not going away, and the extremes of poverty, the great disparity between rich and poor here in Kern County is not going away. If our governor releases over 20,000 criminals early, many of them are coming back to Kern County. And while I believe marijuana should be legalized, while I believe most things like being arrested for “drug paraphernalia” are bogus, take up unnecessary time on the part of the police and courts there is no denying such people often steal to support their drug habits. So what’s to do? The gangs and drug wars, killings and home invasions are not going away, but every indication is that they will only get worse. And a top news item for the year is the motto “In God We Trust.” How’s that for a bit of irony? But you can hardly blame those touting that motto looking for some help from God since it sure doesn’t look like there is much hope of it coming from any other source.

Recently someone complimented me on my memory. I replied when you write books you had better remember what you wrote twenty years ago or you were bound to contradict yourself. This has nothing to do with changing my mind, which I have done many times; and I’m grateful I continue to be able to change my mind in many instances. But when it comes to matters of right and wrong, there are some things about which I need some strong proof before changing my mind about them.

Many years ago I read an interview with a Broadway producer and director who said he only needed to have someone speak two lines before deciding whether they would have a part in one of his plays: “I love you,” and “I believe in God.” As simplistic as that sounds we appreciate those who speak such lines in sincerity, but they work well enough for a gifted actor and they work well enough for a gifted con. The problem is distinguishing between those that are sincere or only actors or cons. At that, while a Broadway producer and director only needs an actor who can sound sincere while playing a part, in real life many a person may be sincere in their beliefs but sincerely wrong.

While I place no credence in the words of politicians, their having earned the condemnation “As hollow as a politician’s promises,” there are many people that have deeply held and sincere beliefs in both religion and politics. But sincerity by itself is not enough; eventually there must be facts to support such sincerity. I have been sincerely wrong enough times to appreciate that conclusion.

The scene in “Frankenstein” where the peasants are approaching the castle with lighted torches seeking vengeance against the monster and his creator certainly was not intended to be funny; but we laugh wherever that scene is repeated in films like “Love at First Bite” and “Young Frankenstein.” The doctor in the original film was sincerely mad, but mad nevertheless. I look at what is happening in Kern County, at our federal government, at the “actors” on stage pandering for the Oval Office and cannot but see the hoards of peasants with lighted torches resulting from such madness, and there is no humor in that vision.

“The Mummy” with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz is one of my favorite films. There is a scene where the mob is marching while chanting “Imhotep” and I think of so many Muslims held prisoner to the fairytales of Islam for example. But a chanting mob may be composed of one’s own neighbors and friends as Harper Lee pointed out. I just wonder what it is going to take before such a chanting mob will be seen in Kern County or marching on Washington? I’ve had the unfortunate experience of seeing what such a mob is capable of. But I’ve also experienced how easily such a mob can begin with a charismatic leader, Jonestown and other examples coming readily to mind. Factor in enough of superstitions and fears, the circumstances Dickens warned about concerning ignorance and want and you have a very inflammatory situation.

But ignorance and want are increasing worldwide and the schools of America are failing to educate children, which is bound to result in increasing ignorance and want here in our nation not just in those poorer nations. I admit I’m very pessimistic about America changing direction, that we are going to have a leadership able to deliver us from declining into various mobs, each chanting their versions of “Imhotep” demanding others join them or else. And there is simply nothing funny about this. So long as those two demons of ignorance and want continue to plague humankind how can it ever be funny? A sense of humor is one thing; whistling through the graveyard is something else.

Even if it is only a “ten year cycle” America would be hard-pressed to survive a climate change of such duration threatening our food supply. Maybe this had something to do with Time Magazine’s choice of Vladimir Putin?

Many of us view the present political situation and presidential contenders as lunacy and lunatics gone amok against America; and one can only wonder how the rest of the world is going to react to this. For example, some are asking what possessed those responsible for Time Magazine naming Vladimir Putin as “Person of the Year.” We listen to the “justification” for this decision, but are still left wondering whether it was really justified? Whether or not, it does seem to add somewhat to the uneasy feeling not all is right with such thinking to honor a KGB hardliner. And no matter how it is spun by those at Time, the word “honor” remains. But it may be, in my opinion, the leadership at Time recognize the value of someone like Putin so very dissimilar to our politicians that has a no-nonsense approach to dealing with the realities of the real world and isn’t talking shameless if not lunatic trash about their “faith” while pandering for votes.

In a way, I can’t help but believe there was some wishful thinking by those at Time Magazine in their choice of Putin, perhaps even a broad hint to the present crop of presidential contenders here in America. As I wrote some time ago, we want a strong man, not a woman, to take over in the White House; and shedding tears, wrapping “Christmas Presents” hardly helped Ms. Clinton’s case; it won’t help any man running for the office to show tears or anything that would be construed as weakness or feminine sensitivity. The MSM may convey the false impression we want someone who is “sensitive” in the White House, but honesty demands the truth, and the truth is we want someone that can be as “practical” as Vladimir Putin, even though that translates as “ruthless.”

The era we live in demands a leader who is “practical;” and by my definition of this, anyone claiming “godliness” is counted out of the running. I don’t want anyone of “faith” so much as I want someone that will make the hard choices in favor of America rather than corporate greed and the other nations of the world. In the harshest but most truthfulness of the matter, I want someone like a Truman who could make that decision to drop the bombs on Japan, someone that knows the buck stops with them and takes personal responsibility and is accountable for their decisions rather than the weasels America has been cursed with of late. Whoever takes the position of being the anti-weasel will get my vote.

And what if famine overtakes the world food supply? I find it more than a little curious that none of our present “choices” have mentioned the coming “Food Fight.” In fact, it isn’t a subject world leaders are willing to discuss openly; but world leaders know food supplies are running dangerously low worldwide. When this is mentioned in the MSM, it is almost as an afterthought, not deserving of real attention being given it.

Whatever the causes of climate change, it is a reality. America is currently being hammered by fires, floods, drought, ice storms and other kinds of violent weather that have greatly diminished our own food production. Vital forests and fresh water sources are being depleted at an alarming rate worldwide while valuable farm lands are being converted to cities causing increased air pollution and even our oceans are becoming polluted and fish populations are threatened and depleted by this as well as expanding commercial fishing.

Famine in time past has decimated entire civilizations, and was the given cause of Jacob and his sons moving to Egypt where Joseph is credited for saving Egypt during a time of famine. The following history of the Hebrews had its beginning with famine, but also includes the story of mothers eating their own children:

II Kings 6:25-30: And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an a--’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver. And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son. And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh.

If people are depending on science to come to the rescue, this is not going to be possible in a world nearing seven-billion people, the greatest number of which are doomed to continue breeding with no thought of how to provide for the resulting children but still demanding bread, and entire nations so rooted in corruption throughout the leadership there is no possible way for the achievements of science to reach those most in need.

As if astronomy and quantum physics were not enough to dazzle the imagination, the biological sciences certainly offer up a milieu of fantastic ideas for the SciFi writer. It boggles the mind to consider what Mary Shelley might have done after a sit down session with J. Craig Venter, for example.

In an interview by Alan Boyle with J. Craig Venter about his book “A Life Decoded” at one point he says to Venter, “It’s interesting that you mention gene therapy and stem cells. The recent advance with induced pluripotent cells appears to have relied on some of the techniques that have been used in gene therapy. Do you think that hints at a convergence of all these different technologies, rather than seeing this as genetics vs. cell-based therapies? Venter answers, “Well, it wasn’t gene therapy, it was just transferring genes into those cells. I think gene therapy is one of those simplistic notions that sounded really good to everybody, because if something was broken, and you knew what it was, you could go in and fix it. I think the real issue is that we have 100 trillion cells, and it’s hard to get the right genes under the right regulation into the right cells for the effects we’re looking for. Gene therapy would be great if you’re dealing with individual cells outside the body - so-called ex vivo gene therapy. Or if we were a giant amoeba with only one cell, it would probably be pretty effective. But that’s not the case. The scientific community is as capable as the rest of the world of coming up with naïve ideas. I think that was clearly one of them.”

That last statement by Venter about naiveté is something those that believe science will come to the rescue of humankind had better heed. The SciFi stories and films are all there about an earth unable to supply enough food for the population, but most have their basis in the truth of the story in II Kings of what famine does to people. There is no rosy scenario on the horizon for our species, and people are smarter here in America than politicians; people are going to want a President who will be as “practical” as Vladimir Putin given the growing crises America is facing, especially in view of the coming “Food Fight.”