Letters to the Editor
rightly
Published Letters: 46 Editor's Choice: 2
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Minding our health
[Read the article: Minding our health]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Only health and taxes produce such a response of anecdotal evidence. These are the fundamental bases of faith. Are we victims of a supernatural authority, or are we able to control our lives against the cultural needs of acceptable social behavior?
We each exist in a hypnotic state and we depend on that state for survival. We are aware of no more than ten or twelve objects at any time. During the moment of awareness and concentration we automatically respond to suggestions not related to our awake state.
We are creatures of belief, of conviction, and compulsion because we need to survive by repeated learning responses as successful social aceptable behavior.
This is the standard of our concept of who we are.
What we believe is right until it is no longer successful. Belief is not a cloak that we wear. It is intrinsic to the way our brain functions.
Christian Science, alternative beliefs, or Shamanism will not effect biological functions. Belief in any religious system is a 'feel good' behavior that substitutes victimization for purpose in any event that is beyond the control or understanding of the individual.
Hypnotism can influence body functions under neural control, but it cannot change the morphology or the physiology of the systems. It is effective within the capabilties of the body. If an organ is diseased, hypnotism may change pain sensitivity but the relief must not be interpreted as a change in the disease itself.
It has the same limitations in all diseases: hate, bigotry, fear, love, acceptance, and altruism.
If you don't believe this, it proves my statement.
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Where the race and the gender stand
[Read the article: Almost final results from S.C., and where the race stands]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The Democratic nominees are in a celebrity food fight. Notoriety, not substance is the game.
It is more important to recognize the name in the voting booth than the ability of the candidate. The easiest way to recognize the name is by association with a common, but unrelated identity. Race and gender are excellent memory aids.
The result of the election using such techniques will answer the questions: are there more black voters or female voters, or how many black men and white men will vote? It will not settle the most important question : Which candidate will best serve the interests of this nation with honesty and responsibility to all?
That's from the real pledge of allegiance.
We began with a hyphenated America. We were united by our entitlements. We are now supporting candidates because they may represent our prejudices.
We have not been able to create an American people. We do not want to become homogenized like milk, but we are afraid of having the cream rise to the top. We can't have it both ways. Being a fan takes us out of the game. It is our game, played by the same rules on an equal playing field.
We spend our time trying to change the rules and tearing up the stands without any idea that we will all have to pay to repair the damage.
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The big secret is no secret
[Read the article: The big secret about secret societies]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This subject was best presented by Charles Mackay in 1841, by detailing "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. from the Mississippi Scheme of 1790, through the South-Sea bubble, the Tulipmanis, Alchemy, Prophecy, and the religious fantasies, we are no different in our compulsion to follow so that we may have an identity.
Today we place our trust in the private clubs of government, commerce, and subprime mortgages. We race to unite in patriotic fervor against evil itself, and when we tire of that, we follow the secret promise of change.
We are born and bred followers. It is not the new. It is not different. It is the opportunity to join in a successful culture after disillusionment with the present. It is that old time religion, the promise of paradise simply by surrendering to faith in another scheme.
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A dismalogical bequest
[Read the article: The dismal state of George W. Bush]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]George W. Bush has been a waxed amnesiac since the day he took himself seriously. His vaunted presidential library will soon contain the remains of this messianic leader, suitably augmented by Madam Toussaud's artists. It will be placed in a grotto, suitable for reverential visitations above the sealed vaults containing the records of changed objectives and historic successes in foreign and domestic policies.
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Making sense of Super Tuesday
[Read the article: Making sense of Super Tuesday]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Obama promises "change" and attracts those who think their influence with the complaint department will change.
Hillary says "I hear you" and appeals to those who expect more change from government deep pockets.
Everyone continues to vote against their own interests by demanding entitlements. The election booth should not be a confessional. Votes were based on religion, race, gender, or cultural affinity. No one can be satisfied with any successful candidate who promises everything to everyone without spelling out what policies will be promoted and how they will be constituted. Universal health? Too little, too vacuous. Education? Too expensive. Faith based initiatives? Too unconstitutional.
We are in debt. It is not the cost of Social Security, or Medicare, or Health or education that ties the hands of this government. It is the cost of government, government salaries and pensions that have outpaced the incomes of taxpayers. It is the cost of no-bid contracts and cost overruns, waste and incompetence, government practices that would bankrupt any private business. It is entitlement programs to businesses, religious groups, special interest organizations and constituancies. If the government would simply be limited to making laws for all the people instead of the exceptional few or the influential classes, we would not have to select personal representatives bases on personal preferencs of color,shape, smell, or taste.
We speak of a homogenized society. We believe in a mix of cultures. Then we do what humans do best. We vote for cultural dominance to gain privilege in a society devoted to equality.