Truth About Obamatax

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Over the past 3.5 years under Obama, America has seen almost every milestone passed by the Romans on their fall to irrelevance. In conjunction with that, there are many seeds of tyranny in Obamatax (formerly known as Obamacare until Chief Justice John Roberts correctly exposed the sham). You see, the problem with lies is that in order to perpetuate them you have to always be able to keep your facts straight and remember to whom you told what and keep up the charade. If you tell the truth, the facts remain. I have much experience with this.

Obama's chief accomplishment is to threaten us to comply under penalty. Pretty much everything he does, aside from Obamatax, demands that we behave as directed or suffer the penalty. In his Orwellian ruling that Obamacare is a tax, Roberts solidified Obama's efforts to send out the IRS to enforce his will upon us, because despite what Harry Reid claims taxes are not voluntary. Well, maybe they are. After all, Treasury Secretary Geithner is a known tax cheat, as are many of the Democrats who are supposedly into helping people. Most troubling to me, Obama's administration is full of duplicitous hypocrites who, like the Pharisees before them, live only to be seen of men and care little for anyone. Even after Obama’s own lawyers argued that it wasn’t a tax, the Court said it was, and Obama's own people are still arguing that Roberts is wrong.

The trouble is that they don't really want to help anyone. As soon as the problem goes away, you no longer need them. This is about power. All we are allowed to choose is who will rule over us; they will choose everything else. They know better, they want us to believe they ARE better even though they are not required to prove it, and they want us to believe they can make men better. They will compel us to be happy and peaceful and prosperous even though they will admit you can't force a horse to drink. Under the guise of representative government, and despite crying foul with the GOP does in kind, they skirt the rule of law. As a Democrat, you cannot lose. If the legislature doesn't like it, you pass an executive order; if that doesn't work, you turn to the courts. If the courts don't back you, then you threaten to pack the court with people who agree with you. You can't lose! You have all power to change things to always benefit you.

Very much like Rome, in which, even when you had three co-emperors, the ruling power still resided in the hands of a few individuals. Even as they promise that it will make things better, they see the opposite happen. Every indicator of good fortune is down and every indicator of misfortune has risen. The day of the SCOTUS ruling, stocks tumble, recognizing the huge drain on disposeable income. If they can compel you to buy healthcare, they can compel you to buy anything. I found it interesting that Rush quoted the “constitution by a thread” line, because I have been saying it before he did, and I took it from Ezra Taft Benson in a book from 1967.

Most Democrat programs are about bullying. They say they have a right to equal pay for equal work, but according to them you do not have a right to any pay at all if you work in healthcare, because people also have a right to that for free. While they support the right of workers to unionize and strike, they would NEVER support the unionization of doctors for fear that if doctors went on strike nobody would get any healthcare. This is how absurd their logic is. It’s a one-way street that always benefits them. Young people are not the proposed beneficiaries of their policies; they never have been. They are always the targets. They need the money of young people to subsidize paying for poor people and old people and retired people, and the only group they can tap is the only group with money that’s not participating, by penalizing young people. The ages are vestiges of bygone eras. In our day, you are considered an adult at 18 in terms of participating in government, in war, and in taxes. It was not always that way. The draft was lowered to 18 to boost enlistment rates for Vietnam. The voting age was lowered to match that. How many 18 year olds however are participants in the system? The government even acknowledges they are ill-equipped to participate since it acknowledged extension of medical benefits under parental insurance until you are 26. What’s magical about that age? It’s when you start being productive. Obama's politics have nothing to do with the Constitution and everything to do with grabbing power.

For some time, I have warned politicians against the notion of trying to make earth, which is fallen, the utopia that heaven alone can sustain. Whereas most people are focused on avoiding evil, very few focus on being and inviting good. It's why none of the utopian models of economics, politics, or even religion have succeeded. They are focused on avoiding excess and sin but not on the search for and acquisition of righteous traits. It is why all the Great Societys of modern America and Enlightenment Experiments of the pilgrims have failed to establish a utopia on earth. They tried to establish one without the assistance and substance of Heaven. They would do well to keep in mind the words of the Psalmist who wrote that "unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor build in vain (Psalm 127:1)".

My best friend told me once that I'm the happiest person he knows. It's not because I look happy and smile and frolic and laugh as much as it is about how I am at peace with myself and at peace with my values. You see, happiness is not found in what people do; it is found in what they are. It is not enough to avoid what is wrong; to be ideal, to really be happy, you must also do and be what is right. As we become better people, we invite the Spirit of God into our lives. Happiness is a fruit of the spirit. Don’t spend time trying to be happy or find happiness. The only way to truly be happy is to have the Spirit with you. That’s why happiness is linked to righteousness, because the longer and more purely we live in accordance with the gospel of Christ, the more frequently and deeply we will be able to enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost in our lives. Obama cannot give us that. He does not intend to.

Echoes of Rome

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I have been watching the History Channel's 13 part series on the Rise and Fall of Rome. I highly recommend it. I have noticed as I listened to it how many similarities there are in our day. It seems that too many of our leaders, unwilling to learn from history, have been forced to repeat it.

Here are a few things I pulled out of the series: Rome was brought down by largess Today we find that, pretty much whoever holds the reigns of power, they give kickbacks to their friends and hand out bread to the masses in return for temporary control of power

Money buys votes Although we ostensibly choose our leaders, sometimes it really does feel like the Democrats would hand out methadone, needles, contraceptives, and free cars in return for checking the default of Democrat if they could get away with it

Amateur hour by their CinC results in near disaster 113BC Consul Carvo Our current CinC, having never run anything really in his life including his own household, has thrown our troops time and again into harm's way, to the point where we're getting our clocks cleaned by nomads

Only aristocrats can lead them to victory They still resist the notion, as did the Romans, that anyone can be good because of skill. They cling to birth, to seniority, and to an aristocracy. Whether it's the notion of Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton, they consider the rest of us barbarians and unable to lead America to glory.

Armed with more arrogance than skill Very few of our elected leaders are actually accomplished in anything other than winning elections. Obama in fact himself said one of his biggest qualifications for being president was that he won the election. Yet, they always have a plan. The more the plans fail, the more the planners plan.

The only thing more dangerous than a barbarian army is a barbarian woman Rather than defend the border against incursions, the Obama administration has, via the Dream Act/Executive Order attempted to do things that guarantee that the barbarians actually settle our lands, forgetting that allowing Odoacer to do so in 465AD led to the end of Rome.

Significantly alter the way we live Obama always talks about 'fundamental transformation'. You transform things you don't like. He doesn't seem to care what we think. Despite being overwhelmingly opposed by popular opinion, he passed Obamacare anyway.

If it’s just a raid, it’s temporary Despite tooting his own horn about killing bin Laden, Obama doesn't seem to take any other incursions against America and American interests seriously. The border violence with Mexico doesn't bother him, despite the fact that weapons he had sent to Mexico killed an American DHS agent and have created danger zones on the Mexican border. Rome never did reinforce the Alps, and a steady stream of Germanic tribes poured across it and harassed them unceasingly. Let's also not forget all the drugs pouring over too.

Marius won their respect by eating the same food, sleeping in the same ditch and by being in better physical shape than his men While the people are faced with increased expenses and lower wages, Obama luxuriates at our expense. Look at the beers he drinks when he goes out; he has higher tier beers. Look at the fact that he didn't pay the bill at the Father's Day brunch. Look at the vacations Michelle takes. It's no wonder the military has members actively speaking out against him!

In Roman society, there were many more poor than middle class Obama spoke this week about how important "trickle up economics" is. What trickles up from the poor? Disease, misery, and poverty. The poor don't have extras. Obama's policies will destroy the middle class, not to mention they balkanize us into classes...

Marius judged them not by their pocketbook but by their skill Rather than look at skill, most politicians surround themselves with lackeys. Obama also this week suggested that, in lieu of giving gifts to other people, you give gifts you would otherwise give to newlyweds, friends with birthdays, etc., to HIM and his campaign. How arrogant!

Rome underestimated the veracity of the barbarian women who, like Sparta, preferred death above dishonor Several years back, Obama announced a new military medal for "courageous restraint". As our enemies arm their women and children or dress up their men as women, Obama rewards people who let themselves get killed. Patton said that you don't die for your country; you let the other poor bastard die for his.

Fear of barbarians led to a change in politics just as fear of financial collapse has for us Barbarian incursions upset the economic status of the empire. Once the Vandals took North Africa, there was little food to eat; when Egypt fell, that happened too. When they lost the Alps, they lost the salt mines. Fearing for financial collapse, our government has, as did Rome, usurped industry and commerce.

Sacrifice: I approve of your plan, but no guarantee of victory When the Romans turned to pagan gods, they were not guaranteed victory. Obama turns to the pagan patrons of Marxism, who approve of his plan, which has no guarantee of victory. In fact, he runs on the same platform saying that he just needs to keep doing more of the same. I thought that was the definition of insanity to do the same thing and expect different results.

To keep his position, Marius turns to corrupt politicians and assassinates potential rivals Obama surrounds himself with criminals, miscreants, and malcontents, and although he has not killed anyone, he continues, as he did when he ran for the Senate, to assassinate their character, pointing out the mote to draw attention away from the beam in his eye

Still loved in 86BC, he continues to win elections, sliding towards dictatorship Although I cannot conceive how or why, many people seem to be in love with Democrat party candidates. Although they cannot point to their records, these men are charismatic demagogues who gain support through charisma rather than their CV.

Political injustice and endless war becomes the slippery slope that ends the Empire While they afford special privileges to our enemies, our government continues to be unjust towards the citizenry. While they talk of peace, Obama gets us into ever more wars- Syria, Africa, Afghanistan, and back to Iraq.

Growing greed poisons their politics Despite party affiliation, most politics seems driven by greed. Too many of them are interested in what will benefit them rather than what will be of benefit to the civil society. Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people, and as soon as virtue is gone, no government can govern the people that will not govern itself.

Genocide becomes the modus opporendii in order to avoid another Spartacus-style slave uprising that might happen if they took too many prisoners This one hasn't become obvious yet, but it has been the clarion call of the power monger throughout all of recorded time.

Conservatives suspect Ceasar, but they are ignored Not only do they ignore conservatives, they vilify them. They see only the evil in the people with whom they disagree and only the good in people they happen to like personally. Most concerns of Obama's power are dismissed, or they deflect and talk about what conservatives 'might' do if they took power. What about what the Democrats DID do while they had it?

Pompeii is so infatuated with his teenage bride, Ceasar’s daughter, that he neglects his work Politicians today are easily distracted. From vacations to golf to the NCAA brackets, it seems like they will search out and embrace any excuse to do anything other than the job they are paid to do.

Caesar’s dispatches justify illegal actions because they are successful The ends justify the means, according to most politicians. Apparently, drones are ok now because they use them to kill terrorists. Apparently the war on terror is ok because Obama got Osama. He doesn't question the morality of his decisions and policies, only whether they accomplish what he wants.

Brutus, Ceasar’s nephew, reads greed and ambition into Caesar’s writings Some of Obama's former backers are now warning us against him, which is fascinating that they might, if times were different, do to him what Brutus did to Ceasar

Ceasar becomes a de-facto king, and the people fear that if he becomes factual king the people will lose their rights to vote As Obama continues to skirt the authority of Congress and talk about what he will do if Congress refuses to act, we can see the same thing loom that loomed for the Roman Senate. If he obtains power to do his will then what will our will matter except to vote him once again dictator for life?

Brutus is persuaded to conspire against him Everyone seems to be breaking with Barack. Biden threw off the image of lunchbox Joe. Former backers are now endorsing Romney. Hollywood starlets are disappointed. There is talk of Hillary for President. They are disallusioned.

“no one man can be the leader of Rome” Groups like the Tea Party gain strength from the notion that one man might be seeking to make himself king. This is not an oligarchy or a monarchy, and these kinds of groups will continue to grow and gain strength.

Led to more violence and to empire With the defeat of Arizona's immigration law, Obama has left the southern border open and issued an open invitation to drug dealers, warlords, and terrorists to cross the border. In Rome, that led to solidification as empire, abolition of the Senate, and civil war.

Obscene riches for all, the link of the army to its general, and competition amongst the aristocrats to serve themselves set up a perfect storm for Empire Despite the fact that Obama cannot keep his campaign spending in the black, he continues to promise special benefits. Even as SCOTUS prepared their briefs, Obama issued an EO and granted amnesty, making the court look bafoonish. At the same time, he claims he has the support of the army and law enforcement, despite the fact that his issues claim he believes them to be racist bigots.

Nation-building to expand Roman culture to the barbarians Obama and his ilk used to mock Bush for nation-building. Yet, he insists on following suit, embroiling us in ever more foreign efforts to "spread democracy".

Conquest becomes the lure With his recent actions concurrent with SCOTUS decisions, Obama has made it clear that unilateral action is only bad if it's done by Republicans. He once said he didn't have power to pass the Dream Act alone; he has done so. He once said the government controls immigration policy; he bites his thumb at states that try to enforce the laws.

Her neighbors call “civilization” tyranny All of the nations we are attempting to 'help' and in which we are at war are upset that we are there. We do not share their values. The reason why our Constitution works for us is because the people living at the time it was written shared Judeo-Christian values and were about commerce and freedom. Without those things, we are imposing our values on them without their ability to comply, even if they consent! That is tyranny.

Seduces its enemy with trade and luxury Rome gave away technology and fancy goods and protection in order to gain allies, acquire territory, and obtain hoplites. We do the same thing, relying on the notion that they will not want to disrupt trade or lose the flow of American luxuries (as long as our luxuries are still made within borders we control or by allies who like us). It is essentially bribery, and the money must keep flowing. Even then it's no guarantee. If you doubt that research why Jefferson engaged in the Barbary wars.

Rome gives tribute to Dacia, which invades the province of Moesia Obama gives technology and assistance to our regional rivals. There remains suspicion that Obama allowed Iran to capture a drone and that he's giving away secrets and technology to gain power. That only holds until our enemies think they can do better by breaking the dike of power.

Forsake the needs of the empire to pursue personal glory Obama goes out of his way to take glory and pursue his own happiness. He golfs, goes on vacation, takes credit for Seal Team 6 and for the killing of the Somali pirates. He gloats about intelligence and in doing so threatens our national security. He trades benefits for votes and promises to give people jobs, buy them new kitchens.

Romans believe in the power of the past…how have WE always done things Even as DEMs complain about the GOP going backwards, they try the exact same policies. Obama says we just didn't spend enough in the stimulus (which he now blames on Bush) and insists that it just takes more of the same until it will eventually work. That's the attitude of a demagogue and the mark of insanity, doing the same thing and expecting different results. The GOP does not want to go back to the old way of doing things; that's the DEMs who want to run everything with wind and the sun as if we're still sailing wooden ships across the Pond. The GOP wants to go back to the old way of facing the future.

Demands that every person take part regardless of religion Rome forced Christians to make sacrifices to pagan gods. Obama essentially did the same by forcing the Catholic church to pay for contraceptives and commit infant sacrifice to the gods of indulgence, luxury, and popular sodomy. He does not care about religion, and most people are not sure what his is if they think he even follows one.

Decius allowed religion to pitt roman against roman at a very time when barbarians threatened the borders of the empire. The people lived in fear, usurpers arose. As they pit us against one another, they blind our eyes to incursions from without. When Rome's legions were preoccupied putting down rebellion, they were pulled from the borders and left them open to incursion.

When the army loses faith in the emperor, it leaves the borders open, and barbarians pierce the heart of the empire, reaching near to Rome itself. Obama has done even worse by encouraging SCOTUS to declare Arizona's border open. They will not respond to calls from AZ law enforcement, which essentially tells the Goths to come in and sack Phoenix at will.

The emperor was expected to be in command, in the front rank, not on the golf course. Although Consuls, Generals, and Emperors were chosen for demonstrated military valor, sometimes they had to prove it. Obama has done none of that, taking credit for things he did not do and did not support. He was upset with the Navy officer who authorized the snipers to kill the Somali pirates, and he did a CYA when it came to Bin Laden in case the mission was botched, then he bragged about it and gave away our intel secrets. Egotistical!

Maxcentius promises free bread and tax cuts, but they learn it is a lie. It is no longer a secret that Obamacare is Obamatax. It's not going to give anyone anything. The poor already have Medicaide, but the states are going broke, paying at least 50% of their budgets paying health care for the poor. Your health care isn't free. Your coverage is guaranteed, but you still have to pay for it! If you don't there is a fine, enforced by the IRS.

Aleric only wants a Roman command. When the Romans slaughter Goths, he threatens Rome, but rather than work with Aleric, Honorius displays no tolerance for barbarians. In many ways, the DEMs regard the GOP as barbarians- uncultured, unconcerned, and uncivilized. Obama has zero interest at all in working with the GOP. For him, compromise is when the GOP capitulates to his will.

Avidus Enjoys the luxuries of power while ignoring the true problems of the empire. This weekend, Obama gloated over his SCOTUS win. Then he promptly took off for a week vacation because he "works so hard", and he'll assuredly take vacation in August although probably not to Martha's Vineyard lest it cost him in an election year. Meanwhile he still eats and flies and campaigns at our expense, making an official 15 minute visit so he can get it free and then hold a half dozen fundraisers that don't help us.

Without a well-armed military they are vulnerable to the barbarian murdering and blood-lettings In addition to cutting the DoD budget, Obama also wants to cut their healthcare. What happened to "costs won't go up" and "you can keep your doctor"? They always cut the DoD, because they hate the military. It's a threat to them (see Egypt and the end of Mubarak). On our southern border, the barbarians murder and rape and pillage, using weapons given to them by Fast and Furious and Eric Holder's DoJ. The military is powerless to do anything.

Rome dies because of ambition, because the leaders do what is best for them rather than being good stewards Obama is all about power and prestige. Roberts' ruling was all about his legacy. It was not done in consideration of what was best for us; it was good for them, and that was good enough. The Constitution died last Thursday with the scurrilous rulings on Obamacare and Arizona.

Army loses allegiance as the government refuses to pay them (wow, that’s familiar). Invasions of homesteads overcame the army (illegal immigration). Eventually Rome gave way to a new empire, but the Goths weren't interested in Empire; they were interested in plunder.

In Rome lay all the wonderful and terrible aspects of humanity, and if we understand them, perhaps we can repeat the good ones. If only Obama were really interested in the good of the people rather than in his own eternal glory.

SCOTUS v States

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I am very grateful today that I was not awarded a position with DHS five years ago. If I were a law enforcement officer today, I would be extremely frustrated. What would I actually do for a living? I can't ask for papers, and DHS will no longer send them to check if local officers detain an illegal alien.

John Roberts has been a huge disappointment, and if this is a preview of coming attractions, then the calamities foretold by prophets ancient and modern are about to come upon this people. James Madison said that the Constitution was written for a moral and religious people; there is nothing moral about protecting aliens over the citizenry. POTUS and SCOTUS are immoral, and now we know it.

SCOTUS decisions are paradoxical and contradictory. They cannot compel us to have an ID, but they can compel us to have health care. They refuse to enforce laws, but they can strike down laws passed by states that are in support of federal law. Precedence is a funny thing, because they choose to ignore what doesn't support their notions and pick out minutea that are sometimes absolutely unrelated. For example, they refuse to profile certain individuals from known terror client nations, but in 1890, SCOTUS ruled that it was legal to seize the property of Mormons because polygamy threatened the country's Christian character. Now they say it's not a Christian nation. Which one is it? Or does it just change with the whims of those nine justices garbed in the black robes of a false priesthood?

According to Justice Kennedy (a title that doesn't apparently have anything to do with Justice), only the federal government can pass immigration laws. However, they say absolutely nothing about sanctuary cities and states, about tuition subsidies for illegal aliens, about health care and other benefits for illegal aliens. It's a foist on a somnambulent public where they have things both ways and seem to treat the law more like the pirate's code. What are the states supposed to do now? Apparently they have to follow unconstitutional laws from the federal government or face military suppression. In effect, the Supreme Court of the United States abolished the 10th Amendment today and abolished states. They are now client kings of Rome.

The United States stands on the edge of a knife. States are no longer allowed to protect their own citizens, and the federal government is disinclined to. A barbarian has risen to the position of Consul, and he is only interested in his own power and the power of his friends, the citizens of the republic be damned. Arizona got slapped down today for daring to challenge the authority of Rome, and if they try anything else, they might have to face down her legions as well.

The Constitution hangs by a thread. The Minutemen must muster. I'll be flying that flag every bloody day from now on until they come and force me to strike it.

Update 3:46 PM Romney, despite his claims to be the warrior to protect the Constitution, is confederate with the court. Rather than come out strongly, his spokesmen dodge the question. Rather than step up for and defend the Constitution, he's watching his own back. Yes, he's an albatross, and he smacks of cowardice. I'll gladly be proven wrong, but that's up to him to evince. The data suggests he does not belong to Phylum Chordata.

Allowing the Atonement

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**although the facts of this story are true, I have changed the names to protect the character and reputation of those mentioned therein**

As we talk about repentance and the atonement, I think we miss a great opportunity to encourage our friends and neighbors to follow a path to reformation. We frequently do not allow them to overcome the resolved issues of the past, and in so doing we harm them and retard their progress. I have been the recipient of such unwillingness to leave the past in the past and an observer in the case of other people, but I was surprised to realize today that I have not been, for some time, a perpetrator of this injustice.

My real only friend as a freshman in High School was a member of my Faith named Richard, who was a senior. Richard and I, being the only members of my Faith who went to lunch concurrently, would sit together at lunch and discuss what we had read and learned in the scriptures. Frequently he came prepared with analogies and visual aids. I wrote page after page in my journal inspired by our conversations. Yet, for all of this synergy, all was not well with my friend Richard. Several members of my congregation as well as fellow students and parents expressed concerns about my friendship with Richard.

About a year before, Richard had been heavily involved in drugs. I remembered, once they brought this up, that I had seen Richard in the hallways a few times at church. However, I did not know that Richard; the Richard I knew was a man of faith and conviction who was making something very good of his life and troublesome circumstances. As far as I was concerned, the old Richard was dead; the new Richard was a man born in Christ, a new man, a new life, and in my opinion he was a man of virtue.

We read in the scriptures that "whosoever repents of his sins shall be forgiven, and I the Lord will remember them no more". CS Lewis writes in Mere Christianity of the New Men. I really felt a year later when I read Lewis that Richard was one of the New Men. If it was good enough for the Lord to forgive Richard his past, it was good enough for me. I never did meet that version of Richard, and the one I knew is the one who has been made permanent in the 19 years hence.

If a man cannot be allowed to move beyond his past, he must always be defined by it, regardless of his present. Some of the worst among us insist that they be integrated continuously and only in the moment while they hold our mistakes against us, even when we have made amends. Even worse, sometimes we extend guilt by association and force others to suffer for the mistakes of innocents. When we make men hang forever for a single moment of time, we in essence deny the Christ. It is not simply to deny his name but also his divinity, his atonement, and his ability to make men better. Only when we allow the atonement can we really prove that we value the sacrifice and service of the Savior.

Christians and Chemists

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Since moving to Las Vegas, I look forward to Sunday less than I would like. It seems like more often than not I face a great deal of resistance from people who self-describe as Christians. However much they claim to seek Christ, sometimes it seems like they resist knowing or being more than they currently do or are. It is rather frustrating.

In many ways, the members of my congregation share similarities with the students in my classes. At the beginning of every semester, I walk into a room full of students armed and ready to resist me. You see, they desire to be almost anywhere else because they do not think they will need or use anything that I teach them. On top of that, they have almost all heard and been convinced that Chemistry is difficult. I point out that any of them who cook do chemistry and that all of them who are alive are already experts at chemistry whether their bodies have convinced their brains that this is true.

I wonder how many Christians share feelings with my Chemistry class. I suspect that very few of them are there because they really love chemistry and hope to learn more about it. Most of them want to be anywhere other than where they are. For the most part, those who are engaged in success view the course as a prerequisite, a box that must be checked off on their degree requirement list in order to progress and accomplish their ultimate vocational aspiration.

Like my students, many Christians are going through the motions. I read a story yesterday about how people who believe in heaven are more likely to commit crime. Well, the title was misleading, but that's what they really found. You see, belief isn't the same as action or character. It seems like they would rather do anything else, be anywhere else, and the like except to make a show of face. Not everyone who calls himself is a Christian any more than every person with a smartphone or DLS camera is a photographer. Discipleship takes discipline.

Eventually, most of my students come to appreciate and understand the relevance of chemistry in their lives. I try very hard to instill that in them. Some of them even enjoy themselves in the class. I hope that we of faith can follow their example and understand the real value of our Faith in the course of our lives.

Constitution Day

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The neighbors have noticed that I fly a flag on days they don't expect. Some of them have noticed I fly flags they've never seen. However, for all of my attentiveness, I discovered this morning that I missed a day that means a great deal to me. Yesterday was Constitution Day.

On 21 June 1788, New Hampshire ratified the Constitution. Being the ninth state to do so, that made the Constitution officially the replacement to the Articles of Confederation and the new government of the land. Benjamin Franklin, in response to the day replied in a written response read by a compatriot, "Thus I consent sir because I know no better and because I am not sure that it is not the best."

As many American politicians talk about what they would like to do, I have noticed how they talk about how they have a good idea or a great one. However good it might be, it bothers me just how much we settle for "good" when we could have "better" or "best".

Many people will try to dissuade you from the things you have chosen. So much of what we pick as people is either "not bad" or "good", but that's not the full upgrade. If it's not better, why should we change? Not all change is for the better; sometimes it just leaves us with something different, and often it leaves us with something of lower quality.

Some of our political leaders insist that we need another convention, that the Constitution is outdated. Principles, however, are forever. I echo the words of Franklin, because I am not sure that it is not the best that Constitution with which we are blessed. I do not see how the men of our time, who are fascinated with American Idol, Sponge Bob, Harry Potter, and the Kardashians can possibly match the brilliance and wisdom of Locke, Montesquieu, Jefferson, Madison, et al. Even if that type of man existed today, we would not be likely allowed to meet them. They would be compelled in school to conform.

Thank God they were born in that day instead of ours.

Happy Constitution Day.

Energy Balance

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Over the course of the summer term, as we have discussed equilibrium and stability in class, I experienced an epiphany. I think that the universe seeks balance, in whatever way it can, according to the conditions. Now equilibrium does not mean that things are perfectly 1:1. What it really means is that under the conditions, the rate in one direction and the rate in the other have reached a steady state, even if it favors one direction over the other.

When we perturb a state or are in a state that is perturbed, we seek something better, something with which we are more comfortable. As a young boy, I was willing to tolerate a much larger degree of entropy (chaos) than my mother, who insisted on straightening it (or rather having me straighten it up more) in order to reach her energy comfort level. Even I eventually reach a point where I will dust, knowing how much I loathe that particular chore, because eventually the cost-benefit ratio is sufficiently low that I'm willing to invest energy.

Most things that come to mind seek greater energy balance. When we are warm in the summer, we eat popsicles, drink water, run through the sprinklers, and if it's hot enough and we can afford it we turn on the climate control. We are constantly on the lookout for a better job, a simpler method, a shorter route, a faster computer, etc. These are done so that when we put forth effort we obtain more gain on the investment, or that are time and limited resources are used more efficiently.

For my students, this is a fairly easy concept to explain. Many of them wait until the last minute to study and must cram until late in the evening or early the morning of the exam. All of those who study daily, or regularly, in smaller doses find that just before the exam all they must do is review and focus on points where they are weaker. If you are willing to put in small amounts to sustain it over time, it takes far less to correct when push comes to shove. That also tends to require a lower net amount of energy investment than to wait until the crisis breaks and fix it then.

I have already written, somewhere at least, that I believe the universe moves towards greatest stability under the conditions. Like I tell the class, if you were in space, the matter and energy of which you are comprised would disburse to fill the void, because that's more stable. Spontaneous processes occur because they are more stable after the reaction than before. The universe will have balance, it will have order, and it will make sure that its energies and resources are distributed to the most efficient manner possible.

This does not mean that things will be concentrated 'equally' between left and right. We all know that the vast expanse of space is largely bereft of both matter and energy. If it were disbursed perfectly, there would be too little of either anywhere in order to do any good to anyone or for any purpose. As I teach about equilibrium, balance does not mean that the teeter-totter of energy is horizontal- it simply means that under the conditions, there is a balance. You know this is true. Balance a fork or a spoon on your finger. It's not perfectly in the center. However, when at rest, it is balanced.

Just as with energy, the two forces in this universe are at balance with one another. Like we might suspect from the universe, most of the energy and matter is skewed towards the 'good' side, or the useful work side. Very little is on the side of 'chaos', because the chaos does not contribute to a balance. Chaotic energy is not doing useful work. God is not balanced out by the devil. He is always stronger, because what He does is always useful. In the end, I have great hope that most of what we do and what He has done for us in this life, will prove to have been useful work.

Most people are satisfied with "good enough". The universe is trying to create something better. Perhaps for that reason unexpected things happen to us, because the universe, so much larger and more powerful than we, is not satisfied with a meager effort once we tip the balance to something more stable, more useful, and more desirable. It pushes onward, or it changes the equation so that when we do something foolish the energy and matter is not wasted.

If the principles are true, then matter and energy and neither created nor destroyed. The universe must have a way to recapture matter and energy that are otherwise or at least from our perspective wasted so that they serve a better end. However inchoate this theorem may be, it is my Apology to the World, that the Great Organizer of Heaven and Earth will have balance, will have order, and will have as much useful work done as possible. As a scientist I have seen it on a small scale, and as I learn to understand more, I see even more reason to believe. Evidence suggests, and I will continue to investigate that end.

May you find balance and may you one day see what useful work your efforts have done. When you reap what you sow, be sure that it is something worthy of reaping.

As He Commands

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One of the most useful but most hard won lessons of my life has been submission to the Will of my Creator. I have been called many times. Sometimes I would not hear; sometimes I gave a half-hearted effort; sometimes the fruit born of my efforts didn't look at all like what I expected. Yet, I continue to act upon the impressions I receive.

My students are frequently caught up in grades as a measure of accomplishment. One of them realized yesterday during our exam review that once you get into the program your grades suddenly become irrelevant. I have been arguing for years that many of the metrics measured by men and applied as signs of success are simply inaccurate and useless. You desire to be good, to do good, to make a positive contribution, and a whole heap of other worthy attainments. I believe that the most important accomplishment in life that a man may achieve is to perfect his ability to communicate with the Holy Ghost. He will tell us then what is really good and worthy of our efforts.

Sometimes, relying on the Spirit of God is a difficult thing. Few people make decisions after they appeal to the Lord for guidance, especially if their families veto revelation with other, albeit uninspired, opinions. Many people do not believe in a higher power, and many of the people who do think that God only talks to old men in beards who herd sheep in Asia Minor. Consequently, it can be difficult to be confident that you have heard and acted upon the voice of the Lord.

It is a common principle that transcends the times and asks each one of us to prove our willingness to obey. When Abraham was finally blessed with a son, God commanded him to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice. When Jonah was commanded to go to Ninevah, he jumped aboard a ship headed the other way. In all times, different men have had different reactions. Sometimes, they are willing to go and do what God commands knowing that if He asks something He will prepare a way for them. Years back, when I felt very strongly about a particular thing in which my efforts seem to be frustrated, one of my cousins told me on the phone whilst we discussed it that if there was no open road then it must not be a command for me at this time.

Sometimes we hesitate because we want to be sure. I can only imagine what it might have been like to walk into Ninevah and tell the people to repent or be destroyed. On several occasions that come to mind, I remember asking God if He was sure that was what He wanted me to do. My friend John gave me the advice to press forward and trust that God would stop me before I went too far down a road that was incorrect. When I have obeyed the promptings, I have always been led to a land of promise, even if the blessings came disguised as a trial.

Years back when I first moved to Vegas, I spoke with one of my church leaders about the personal revelations I had received. I wasn't sure I was receiving the messages correctly or if I was hearing only what I desired to hear. He told me to trust it and verify it and that he wasn't concerned because I was actively looking to do what God desired of me. I have pushed forward with faith, and I have seen the fruit. I challenge you to push forward in faith when God asks something of you. I promise you that as you do you will hear a voice behind you that says in your mind, "This is the way; walk ye in it", and that will give you confidence and peace.

Take All You Want

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Tonight, I had a chat with my mother, and it reminded me of many a thing from my childhood. I suppose that's a common theme this week, but they were good times during which I learned many great things thanks largely to my angel mother. She didn't always know the answer, but she knew where to look, which might be why I learned to love the library and books and eventually science, which is the search for answers, but I digress. That's really what I do both for a living as well as in my free time such as this blog. I am here helping people find answers.

One of the stories from my childhood was the story of Tony the Lion. Tony was a zoo animal as I recall with a gorgeous mane of the finest hair. One day, some mice came to Tony, admiring his hair, and they asked if they could take a few of his hairs to line their nest. "Take all you want," said Tony. One by one, other animals in the zoo also prevailed upon Tony for a few strands with which to decorate and elevate their living conditions, and each time Tony gave the same answer. You see, pleased as he was by his mane, he was also pleased to share, so much that eventually Tony was completely bald.

There are people in this world who have and know and do great things who selfishly hold onto it. I however subscribe to the notion that life is richer when you share it. That's the motivation behind sharing of my life, my testimony, my experiences, and my thoughts with whomever will listen. Sometimes I give anecdotes in class to students, and sometimes I just chat with the college's electricians who came by today to alter the ventilation system in our fume hoods. Sometimes, I just write on this blog for whomever it is God directs here to read it. I desire to share.

I do not claim to have all the answers. Like my mother before me, I have learned where to look. Some of that knowledge can be gained by study. The rest must be gained by faith. I invite every one of you to hold onto all the truth, knowledge and wisdom that you already possess. When you come across what I offer, I invite you to come and get more. I direct you to sources of pure truth, the whole truth, and only truth. As I wrote in the introduction to my book Free Thinker "If you find my thoughts amusing, laugh. If you find they support yours, rejoice. If you are taken aback at my lack of wisdom, thank God that He made manifest my weaknesses to you that you may learn to be wiser than I. If they make you think, then this book and my life have accomplished their goals."

God knows better than you what you need. I have made a great effort, particularly of late, to turn people to better sources than I. Like I tell my students, everyone has an agenda, and mine is to help you realize that everyone has an agenda and to be skeptical of their motives. Keep all the good you have, and come here for what I have, and then turn to Him for even more. Like Tony, God has a mane of great hair, and to those who ask, He gives the same answer: "Take all you want, then come and get more".

Childhood Memories and Doc Brown

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I was looking for an unrelated reason at pictures from Star Trek III on Yahoo, when I came across a picture of Christopher Lloyd as a Klingon. I had forgotten for a while that he was even in that movie, but he has been and is my favorite Klingon ever. Perhaps it's because he wasn't a bit player or a stereotype. He was Christopher Lloyd, the eccentric and fascinating character who has come to fill roles in many beloved film titles.

You don't hear me talk much about favorite movies or actors. Truth be told, I know very few of them by name. In fact, when I discussed this, I mistakenly called him Christopher Plummer (whose work I also enjoy), which is consistent with me to not really be keen on the faddish and hip. Notice I'm still using the word hip for example. However, Christopher Lloyd has got to be one of my favorites.

Like most of you, I first noticed Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown in the Back to the Future series, which remains one of the best all time trilogies for its themes, accuracy in future predictions, adhesion to science, and continuity. It has been and remains one of my favorites. In addition to that, he was Professor Plum in Clue, a Klingon commander in Star Trek III, and on and on and on. He is a character, and I'm glad he's still with us even if he doesn't star in movies today that I choose to see. His characters and his face are integral parts of my childhood, and when I see it or hear his voice it evokes childhood memories of times I really enjoyed.

Punished for Good Behavior

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There's a good reason why some people quit doing what they ought to do. Although most of us don't do it directly for the rewards per se, it's nice to get something in return or at least have our efforts appreciated. However, that's not how the world works. Like Milton Friedman pointed out, there is no system established by man that rewards virtue. In his landmark work "Human Action", Ludwig von Mises makes the contention that people live lives of virtue because they value virtue more than anything else. It's ok until you get punished.

My local utility company announced that they will soon be implementing a monthly usage fee based on the size of your water service line. They are doing this to pay for a new water intake out at Lake Mead. When they budgeted it, they unwisely extrapolated current construction in Vegas during the boom as going on in perpetuity, and now those of us who have been financially wise will have to pay the price. The people who steal from me are about to tell me what’s fair.

According to their direction, the incentives of the government, and a sense of personal responsibility, I use water responsibly. I know that water makes the difference in the desert, and my landscaping is designed to use a minimum amount of water and lose a minimum amount via transpiration. Consequently, I only use about $8 per month in actual water consumption at current rates. The other $12 of my bill is taxes and connectivity fees. The proposed fee of $21/month for a ¾” service line will effectively double my water bill per month with no visible benefit to me.

Every time we do something to be responsible, the government finds a way to punish us. Conserve fuel, they say, because it's a limited resource that pollutes the environment, and then when tax revenues decline they raise the gas taxes. Stop smoking and drinking to take better care of your health, they say, and when the sin tax revenues decline, they raise the rates on those who are still addicted. Conserve water and install water-smart landscaping, they say, and they implement a new fee. Conserve electricity, so we can pollute less, have more, and be green, and then they install digital meters so they can control how much you use and shut it off if you're drawing too much power when demand is high. Even when we do things to help ourselves, they don't like that. People grow their own food, and then they are criticized for not participating in commerce. People pay their bills, and then their neighbors get bailouts for mortgages they do not pay. Some stockpile lightbulbs, and they threaten to fine you for using them.

Some of the ideas are great in principle and poor in practice. What concerns me more than whether they are rational and logical is whether they are things the government can legally tell us to do. You see, there is a 15 page document in the Archives in Washington DC called the United States Constitution, which tells the government that it is a creation of the people and therefore may only do things the people allow it to do. The creature should never boast itself above its creator. Sure, we can vote for politicians, but then we're too stupid to make any other decisions for ourselves. Seriously?

Essentially, because some people misbehave (usually the people in positions of power), they have to punish the well-behaved. For all of our so-called altruistic rhetoric about shared sacrifice, the only thing most seem willing to share is the sacrifice of the best things for any of us if they cannot be true for all of us. Since some cannot be wise all the time, none of us are allowed to use any of our knowledge. General Small Town will plan out our whole life. He'll tell us where to work, what to eat, and whom to take to wife. Winning an election does not make you automatically a better person; it makes you a servant of the people, and I wish they would remember that and do things that help us rather than restrict us. That might incentivize good behavior.

Enough With the Zombies Already!

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At the tail end of lab today, I caught one of my groups discussing the "coming zombie apocalypse". It doesn't help that a new form of PCP led a man to hallucinate and bite off another man's face or the guy who went around PRETENDING to be a zombie for kicks, because these stories have put it on the minds of people who otherwise care very little about this. I do not understand the fascination with the zombie apocalypse; zombies are an ancient horror meme rather than a new one, and I wish it would stop.

If you think about it, the fascination tells us some interesting things about the young people who think about it. This is not an exhaustive list, but however inchoate it is, it is a start for discussion about just what led to this. That is at least a valuable inquiry as opposed to the topic on which the youth have decided to focus their attention and energies. Sometimes I think they forget we have real enemies and real problems that loom much larger than some putative eventuality that may never happen. Contumelies never seem to yield useful work.

They are preparing for the right things albeit for the wrong reasons. It is always a good idea to gather together some survival supplies, a little food storage, think of an escape route in case of a disaster, etc. As a young boy living in Florida, our family would sit down and pack 72H kits and discuss plans in case a hurricane hit the area. I imagine that places where they have tornadoes, earthquakes, or locust swarms likewise prepare for eventualities. Apparently according to my students there is a store in Henderson that was once an army surplus theme that has changed it's decor to be "zombie apocalypse" related so as to attract younger clientel. It's a brilliant marketing strategy, and at least it gets them thinking about the future.

However, it also gets them thinking about villains. I see nuances in the zombie fad that have occurred before. What we have is an entire group of people who are not only vilified but also that the solution to stopping these villains is to kill them. It sounds very much like the thinking that precipitated every bit of holocaust and genocide ever perpetrated by men. Merely spending enough time with a zombie might make you 'infected' which can only be solved by a mercy killing 'before it spreads to your friends'. It's very darwinian, dog-eat-dog, kill or be killed, etc., type of mentality that pits people against one another and balkanizes them, just like the nations in which so many of these genocides occur.

Of course, it also begs some fun puns. I spoke with a friend today about how we could 'make a killing' selling t-shirts to women that say "I like guys for their brains" and to men that say, "I like women for their brains" that play to the fad. You could have one that says, "If I only had a brain..." with an Oz themed zombie. That is profiteering, but it seems to be both just and righteous if you're doing it to support the president, so why not?

Finally, I have to wonder why exactly young people are the most taken with it. Is it that zombies are the only villains with sufficiently low brain power that our youth believe they can conquer them? Is this how they view heroism? Is this what they think is going to happen to society? It's not really based in sound science; it comes mostly from cinema, which is of course cinema, and hence not to be relied on for facts. After all, how successful would a race be that actively renders its only food source unable to be a sufficient food source? When everyone is a zombie, whose brain do they eat?

As I shake my head, I think about Oz's Scarecrow. Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking. Some people with brains come up with stupid ideas. Is this really the best villain they could come up with? Of course, it's inoffensive, at least until one of the youth, in their craze to actualize their fantasy, actually creates them. I pity the food (us).

Instructor Feedback Form

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Midway through the semester, I pass out an optional Instructor Feedback Form. I do this midway through because if there is something I can correct, I should do so now to help the current students rather than waiting. If I wait, I run the risk of forgetting during the break what suggestions were made, and sometimes the next class needs different things than the current one.

The form is fairly simple and consists of only three questions. What should the Instructor: Start doing? Stop doing? Keep doing? Sometimes the answers are funny. Sometimes they are things I have not considered and that I implement immediately. Sometimes they are things I am not going to do. However, I have received some very thoughtful notes through this process as well as some useful suggestions that I hope are beneficial to the classes I teach.

Here is an example of one note I received yesterday:

Start doing: Perhaps some practice tests/quizzes for the students to work on at home with a tutor would help focus learning on key concepts and formulas.
Stop doing: nothing
Keep doing: What you are currently doing is amazing. Teaching a subject that does not come easily for some students is difficult for a 16 week semester and even more during a 6 week semester. Keep motivating and inspiring the students to expand their knowledge and challenge themselves.

Yeah, I'm pretty much amazing if you consider my age and experience.

The department does this as part of their modus opporendi. However, in an attempt to protect students, these come far too late to help the current class, and it's so distant that it's inconvenient to go look at them. The only time they seem to really matter is if you're up for tenure or contract renewal. The students don't really have power to get us fired.

They do however have power to help us become better. I think it's a useful exercise to do this periodically with people I know who are not students. It usually skips the formality of a form, but I do sometimes ask people I know well to give me suggestions. Sometimes I reject them, but sometimes I implement them. You see, my friends have a greater power to help me become better, and so it's a mutually beneficial arrangement to allow them to make suggestions for corrections.

I aspire to be a better man. I aspire to be a better teacher. I am not sure I am good at either one of those roles, but perhaps that's mostly because I am intimately aware of my weaknesses. While in class, I try very hard to set up a win-win environment. Although I know I must challenge them, I am also there to help them grow, and it works best if I'm growing and learning too.

If you would like to answer the previous questions about me, send me an email. I'm interested in your thoughts.

Thanks For Midway

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I finished reading a book about the Battle of Midway, and I have a few small words to say on this the 70th anniversary of that battle. I looked at the ships, the planes, and the men, and I thank any of you who still live for the work, sacrifices, and courage shown in that battle. I am not sure whether the American military today would be capable of doing what you accomplished then.

One of America’s largest disadvantages in World War II was that by the time we entered the conflict, our novice troops were expected to stand against veteran and elite units. Even where they fought bravely, frequently they did not fight wisely. Like during the Revolution, the great miracle for America is that despite being the respondent in this war, outgunned, outmatched, and surprised, she was able to triumph over her enemies once again.

Despite great odds, you were victorious. Wave after wave of men, without much experience if any at all, went up against the Japanese Empire, which seemed to have almost every advantage in taking Midway. I am fairsure, that like the Revolution, the victory at Midway was, in the words of George Washington himself, "little short of a standing miracle". I can only imagine how difficult it was for you, and I can only imagine how much different the world might be today if not for your service and sacrifice. When the time grows dire, too few hear and heed the call to serve.

I salute you all. Godspeed, and rest well, ye men of the Greatest Generation.

His Yoke is Easy

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During my horseback riding visit to Colorado, the ranch hands took some time to teach me a few things. I am not exactly sure why, but the manager seemed to take a shine to me and shared with me knowledge despite having a tight schedule. After we returned from our first ride, I tried to help put things away and was exempted because the barn was highly ordered. In order to keep things straight, they put everything in a specific place to avoid errors.

I learned that each of the horses had its own unique saddle. Some of the riders also had their own. The barn contained a series of "rigs" that are basically animal and task-specific yokes. When they ride, they use one rig, and when they tow carts or wagons there is another one entirely. Different types of animals had different types of rigs. You use different rigs for the large pack horses than you do for those that carry people and another set of different rigs for the oxen and other beasts of burden used on the form.

Each horse has, not only a horse-specific saddle, but also a personal saddle designed for each individual horse, and they are not necessarily interchangeable. Different horses have, based on their different anatomy, different requirements in order to set the saddle correctly for a rider. Even when the horses cooperate and let you saddle them, differences in anatomy necessitate unique saddles, bridles, and reins. The saddles were also not clearly made for someone like me. I have very little padding on my posterior, and it took very little time for my rear to be sore.

Like the personal saddles of the horses, each of us in life can expect to have personal yokes. We all come from different backgrounds, educations, and families, and we live in different parts of the world doing different things for a living. We all make different choices, surround ourselves with different friends, go different places on vacation and collect different items as hobbies. Our lives are tailored to the individual because different things will prepare me for celestial glory than will perfect and prepare you. The opportunities and challenges with which we are saddled, the liabilities and disabilities with which we are bridled, and the disappointments by which we are reigned in are useful by God to direct us along the trail that leads to a land of promise where we can rest and have peace and joy.

Our trials are there to turn us to Christ. As much as we may resist him 'riding us' and denying us our will, He knows better than we what we need. CS Lewis wrote that there are two kinds of people- those who say to God "Thy will be done" and those to whom God says, "Alright, if that's what you want, thy will be done". Every trial is engineered to prove our worthiness and our ability to overcome evil, and if we allow ourselves to be reminded of our reliance on a Savior, they will be an opportunity to turn to Him and grow as a consequence.

Perhaps for this reason, when we choose someone with whom to share our lives, God admonished us so strongly to be equally yoked. I have met a lot of very fine people, but like I told my aunt yesterday, they are not interested in coming to Christ and as such are not those with whom I necessarily choose to surround myself. If we are to progress in synergy at the same rate against the same trials, we need to be able to cooperate, and thus compatibility in our yokes plays such an essential part. I learned on the trail that there are horses that like to lead and horses that are content to follow, and if you are on the wrong kind in the wrong place in line, it's a lot more work moving as a unit or making the ride comfortable.

Ultimately all the things with which we are yoked in mortality exist to bring us to Christ. If that is what a trial accomplishes, then it has been good for us. Christ's yoke is easy, and His burden is light, and if we yoke Him to the wagon of our lives, we will be able to make more progress faster than we can alone or even in a well-matched pair.

Police Perspectives

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There have been two periods in my life when I really thought I wanted to be a policeman. Now that I am an adult, I am grateful that I did not get my wish. Partly, it's because I have seen at least nine officers in the last 24H doing traffic stops on the highway (it was 104F yesterday afternoon), but partly it's because of how I think their job affects their perspectives.

One of my relatives works closely with the police processing warrants and such. This particular individual has gained gratitude that members of our extended family are not only largely law-abiding, but also that we're living good lives. You see, not being bad isn't the same as being good.

Contrast that to one of my close acquaintances whose father is a retired cop. He is extremely suspicious. He has spent his entire career basically looking for the bad in people. It's not necessarily his fault, because they send cops to people about whom they already have suspicions, but he really does walk around wondering what hidden sins people are hiding. For him, you are guilty unless you can prove otherwise.

It has been said that it's not a crime unless you get caught. Usually when people use this to defend their aberrant or abhorrent behavior, I ask them if the following conditional based on their own logic applies. What is it if you are caught for a crime you do not commit? You can spend a great deal of time under a microscope that limits the rest of your life. I think of the Duke LaCrosse players whose lives were affected and wonder how George Zimmerman will recover if it is discovered that what he did was self defense. Notice we haven't heard about him in several weeks.

I know someone very intimately who, by virtue of his choices, regularly gets in trouble. The funny thing is that he doesn't actually do the things of which he is accused, or at least not for the reasons unjustly ascribed. However, once a police report is written, it cannot be unwritten. Once an arrest has been made, it cannot be undone. Sure, you can seal your records if you are found not guilty, but all too often people blame them for things they did not do. Once accused, how does one clear one's name?

We are all people, and people make mistakes. I wonder how jaded and suspicious I might be if I went out looking every day for miscreants and malcontents, if everyone at whom I looked with any degree of scrutiny ended up having skeletons stacked in his closet, and if I knew about the hidden pasts of people I admire right now. You see, in the end, if we really believe in Repentance, then the new person becomes as if the old one were dead, and they begin anew. That is what we hope others and God will grant us, and yet sometimes we are loathe to extend the favor.

Although at the time when the Nevada Highway Patrol rejected me I was upset, I think they did me a favor. That wasn't their motivation, but I am grateful in a way. It seems so easy to slip in a way that can ruin your life completely, particularly now that the police are enforcing small things in order to raise revenues. (I have heard about arrests for jaywalking and taking pens home from work for example.) It makes me grateful that my status and upbringing kept me afield of the influences that were strong enough perhaps to persuade me along another course. It makes me grateful that I do not know about people's past lives. I feel bad for those who do this for a living, because it must be difficult to deal with it, especially if you have children, and I feel bad for this acquaintance whose father, although he means well, has over-corrected. If you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will. People tend to find that for which they look, and so if we look for the good in them eventually we will find it.

I agree with CS Lewis who, in the preface to my personal copy of The Screwtape Letters, talks about how he does not believe there is any such thing as a bad man. If you take away all that is good in man, you are not left with an evil man, you are left with nothing at all. I hope that these policemen are left with something when they finish their careers. I worry.