Palestine and Israel are still fighting. No solution in sight as they both want to eliminate the other in favor of a one state solution, and they each want total control of the single state. Conflict has been going on since the first violence broke out in the 1920 riots. Solution is to separate the two countries with a very large wall and police it so neither side can attack the other. United States has the leverage to force such a solution but is not willing to use it.
Russia and Ukraine are also still fighting. Fear remains it will escalate into a broader war. Russian warships in Cuba are not a good sign. Russia wants to make a point, and I believe they have. I live in Georgia and remember the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. Georgia was very much in range and would have been. one of the main targets if the missiles had been launched. Was not a comfortable time and would not like to see it happen again. But it very well could. Past time to resolve the conflict with a cease fire and a treaty. United States could force it to end but will not use its leverage.
Presidential campaigns underway. Close to a dead heat. Georgia is split about evenly. I know a lot of people on both sides, democrats and republicians. They have all hardened their positions, and dislike and mistrust each other more than ever. No respect or love lost. Outcome in Georgia will depend on whose supporters turn out and vote, but republicans have a lead in the polls. Republicans think democrats will destroy our economy, take us into socialism, continue useless foreign wars, and keep the border open for anyone who wants to come in. Democrats think republicans will destroy our form of government and make us into a fascist state. Both of them may be right. Four and a half months until election.
Other than that, things are fine. Beautiful day in Georgia. People getting ready to go on their expensive cruises and vacations and enjoying life. From that it appears the economy is great and future looks good.
Student protests have been in the news the past few weeks. In Atlanta protests were mainly on the Emory Campus. According to local news reports, protestors began erecting tents on the quadrangle, the main open area on campus. Their purpose was to build an encampment and protest the treatment of the citizens of Gaza. Campus security ordered that they take the tents down. The protesters refused. Objects were thrown at campus security. Security began removing the tents themselves. Protestors started fighting with security. City and county police were called in to help. The tents were removed and twenty three students, faculty members and non students were arrested. The charges were mostly criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. Other charges were simple battery against a police officer and obstruction of a police officer. More protests followed over the next few days. Buildings were blocked and barricades set up blocking entrances and stairs. These were cleared by police. The faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences passed a vote of no confidence and asked that the president be fired. An online student vote of no confidence also passed, also asking that the president be fired. Alumni are divided on whether the President should keep his job. A number of alumni have accounts on social media for Emory graduates. I am a graduate of Emory and belong to a few of those groups. Several have started petitions and other methods of support for the president. I have not signed or joined their efforts. My thoughts are the students should be allowed to gather in groups and protest on the grounds of the campus without interference, expressing whatever views they have. I draw the line at obstructing sidewalks, preventing access to buildings, setting up barricades, encampments or tents, and occupying buildings. I support efforts to stop those things from occurring, including use of city or county police if needed. That is what the Emory president did. But reports are that some students and faculty were arrested for just being in the area. That I don’t agree with. If that occurred the president may be fired. It all depends on the facts. The Board of Trustees will have to sort through the facts ti determine what actually happened. So far they have not reacted or made any response on the events.
We used to say that the United States was a melting pot. Now we say that diversity is our strength. There is big difference in those two concepts. They are mutually exclusive and contradictory. There are reasons why our concept of our country has changed, and the change is a major change. The effects on our future will not be good.
Currently we have groups Jewish and Muslims in the United States as citizens. They are now clashing over the situation in Gaza. They are different groups of people, with different DNA clusters, religions, and cultures. It will be a long time before they become assimilated, see themselves first as citizens of the United States, and agree on foreign policy that has the interest of the United States first. That is what it means to become assimilated into a country and its culture, a culture that the people share and agree to.
Assimilation problems are nothing new to the United States. Different parts of the country were settled by different groups of people who had those differences. Groups settled in Virginia and the Carolinas looking for riches who set up large farms to grow tobacco and cotton. Puritans in New England set up a theocracy. Scotch Irish in Appalachia wanted freedom, liberty and to escape any type of government or control. The Dutch in New York were merchants, traders, and businessmen. Germans in the Midwest wanted to cooperate and work together as groups in communities. People from Spain, China, Africa, and many other places all had their own similar differences. We should not be surprised at the differences and disagreements. All imposed on tribes who lived in groups farming and hunting with the land belonging to the tribe. They were not happy with the newcomers who took their land and wanted to change their way of life. Some adjusted and joined the newcomers ways, but many did not and fought until they were subdued by overwhelming force and numbers.
Separate colonies and later states were formed with different rules and ideas. The states joined together under a constitution that was vague on details, full of compromises and allowed for a central government given certain limited rights but with other rights reserved to the states. Not all those rights were listed in the constitution, and others were loosely described in eighteenth century language. Some problems were intentionally left unresolved, leaving them to be worked out by future generations.
The idea then was that the different groups would assimilate and become one people and one culture, grouped together in a melting pot. That process has never gone smoothly, and we still see that today. But now we have given up on becoming one culture. We are composed of different people who want to retain there on identity. Each group wants all the other groups to change and become like them. Many are intolerant of each other. Our founders did not believe that would work. They thought we had to grow and blend together, with each group changing and blending together to form a national culture and identity. That still has not happened, and now large segments of our country do not want it to.
Our national debt keeps growing. Congress continues passing laws to spend more money than the government collects as revenue. There is a danger in doing that. Each year that we have a budget deficit budget the national debt grows. The government has to pay interest on that debt, and they have to borrow money to pay the interest in the debt. If the amount of interest paid gets high enough, there will be an economic crises. There is a limit to how much interest we will be able to pay. If the amount is interest gets higher than the amount of revenues we take in plus the amount of money we are able to borrow, there will be a crises. There could be a point where prople will stop buying our bonds and stop accepting our dollars as payment in exchange for goods and services. Knowing that could happen does not give me a comfortable feeling. Not so much for myself but for future generations.
Part of the cause if the problem is in a democracy people can keep voting themselves benefits until they bankrupt the government. Other types of governments can also go bankrupt from overspending also, but also for different reasons. People voting to spend more money than country can afford is a process we see going on in the United States now. Many economists predict that at the present rate we will be bankrupt about in about twenty years.
It is if course possible that bankruptcy may not be our main problem in twenty years. The debt may not be our main problem then there may be other problems. We are said to be suffering from climate change, rising sea levels and food shortages. There is also toxic pollution of our soil, air and water. And always the chance of nuclear war or pandemics.
Those are issues to consider when we vote this year. What is the position of the candidates on these issues. What solutions do they purpose to deal with those issues. Those are the questions to ask about the candidates. More important than their age, whether they fall down, stumble, use bad and offensive language, or their personal, private lives. Those issues may be important if they interfere with their ability to carry out their policies and work toward their goals, but their positions and goals are the most important matters to consider. What good is it to have a healthy person in office if they are working toward the wrong goals and taking us in the wrong direction. Not good at all is my answer. I want someone working toward the right goals. And each voter has to decide for himself what the right goals are, and vote for the candidate working toward those goals.
The House of Representatives recently passed bills for aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. My representative, Hank Johnson, from Georgia, voted against the bills. I agree with his votes.
The aid to Ukraine I see as a mistake. It only allows for more people to be killed in a war that has only one way to end. That end could have been achieved in the first few weeks of the war. It was not because of the interference of the United States government. That was a mistake. We used the same domino effect strategy that was used for the war in Vietnam. Stop them now or they will roll over the rest of the world. The theory was wrong then, and it is wrong now. Putin is not Hitler, and Russia is not Germany in the thirties.
Aid for Israel without conditions is a mistake. There is only one possible successful solution to the conflict. The United States should condition any further support or aid to Israel on condition that they build a wall between them and Gaza, and stop their embargoes and other restrictions and controls of Gaza. A wall should be built between the two countries that cannot be penetrated. Israel should give up all rights or claims to lands of Gaza, and recognize Gaza as a separate country in order to continue receiving aid from the United States. They are in fact two separate countries, and that fact should be recognized and supported. Israel should stop all interference with the internal and external affairs of Gaza.
We recognize Taiwan as part of China. They are one country. By selling arms and giving aid to Taiwan we are treating Taiwan as a separate country from China. But our policy and position is that they are one country. We are contradicting our policy when we treat Taiwan as a separate country. We can’t have it both ways. They are either one country or they are not.
This is an election year. Not just any election year but a presidential election year. They come every four years. Presidential election years give us a chance to set out policy and direction of the succeeding four years, and for even longer when we consider the long term effects of policy and appointments made by our president. Not only is the president elected, but the entire House of Representatives, one third of the senate and a number of governors and local officials. It is a pretty important year for our country, our country’s future, our future, and the world’s future.
The most important issue is the economy. By that I mean how the voters are doing financially and what they see as their immediate and longer term prospects. The voter views the economy according to his own financial situation. If he has a job he likes and is getting paid well then the economy is fine. If he is struggling with debts and barely making it month to month then the economy is not good. It is a personal thing. This year there are worries about low wages and higher prices. Mixed in with those worries is concern over how illegal immigration and the southern border will affect the economy. The argument can be made that immigration is an economic issue. Immigration could also be classified as a crime issue, as part of welfare, security, terrorism, and other matters. That is true because it affects all these issues and more at the same time. People are concerned over illegal immigration for various reasons, but the main reason is on how it will affect the economy and how it will affect them personally. Another part of the concern over the economy is concern over the federal budget deficit and the national debt. The voters understand that these issues are part of the economic issue, and both will eventually affect them personally. The numbers on the economy look good on paper but on the personal level most people are not happy about their financial situation. This translates into their thinking there are problems with the economy in spite of the numbers and opinions expressed by experts. Voters worry over future funding of the government. That causes concern about the future funding of social security, medicare, welfare, and other government programs. Reports are that social security is running a deficit and future payments may have to be reduced or suspended in the future. All these cause concern and make the economy a large issue in this year’s elections.
In a recent decision, the Arizona Supreme Court decided that an old state law banning abortions except to save the life of the mother is still the law. Result was outcries around the country. I don’t see what is wrong with letting the states decide. That is what democracy is all about. The United States constitution does not address the issue directly. Different parts of the constitution can be used to support each side of the issue. Abortion was clearly illegal in the eyes of the authors of the constitution at the time it was written. There can be no valid argument that the intent was to make abortion legal when the document was written. Reasonable people can disagree on what the law should be. It is a religious, moral, and health issue. Each side should respect the views of people who disagree with them.
The Gaza crisis goes on. I don’t know whether to call it a war or not. A war is a fight between armies. This appears to be a persecution of civilians. The goal is to establish peace in the area. It is extremely difficult to see any existing plan being put in place to achieve that. Since we are providing Israel with the funds and weapons, that makes is a party to and responsible for whatever they do. We should ask ourselves if we are comfortable with what they are doing.
The war in Ukraine is still with us. This one is a war, but barely. Ukraine is about out of resources, supplies, and manpower needed to continue the fight. It is well past time ro negotiate a peace treaty. That should have been done even before the war escalated in 2021.. The same result could gave been obtained without all the destruction and waste. Sending more funds for the war would only result in more destruction and waste without any gain.
Our southern borders are if not open they are very much of holes. Crossing the border illegally is a crime. The people crossing are criminals and should be treated as criminals. Instead they are welcomed by the federal government. I don’t understand why that is our policy. The administration says we need new laws to control the border. That is just not so. The laws are on the books, they are just not being enforced. By choice. If the people of the United States want open borders, that should be the law. That will be one of the issues in the elections in November. We will see what the voters say.
The presidential election polls show the election will once again be decided in seven swing states. Republicans have a small lead in polls in those states. It will be another close election, decided by a few thousand voters in a small number of states. Just what the founding fathers had in mind. Misguided as they were.
It is early spring and flowers and shrubs are blooming. The pollen count is near record highs. That, plus the changeable weather in North Georgia, has many people having trouble with sinus congestion, and generally feeling tired. But the landscape is beautiful. It is a good time of year.
The political commercials for the presidential elections started running this last week. That means seven months of hearing twisted facts and distortions. It is going to be a long campaign. And it will not be pleasant, but something to get through.
The outlook at this point gives the edge to the Trump campaign. That could change, as there is a long way to go before the election, and a lot could happen between now and then. The issue that is most important is the immigration at the southern border. Biden has lost support that he will not be able to recover. That issue alone is enough to cost him the election. On top of that he has more problems. His age, health, and cognitive problems cost him more support. Then there is the fact two wars are going on, both perceived as being due to his mishandling of foreign policy. There were no wars during Trump’s four years in office. The economy is also taking support away from Biden and moving it to Trump. People see prices going up and employment prospects going down. Always a bad sign but especially so in an election year. The national debt is going up and high deficits are still with us. Biden, as sitting president, gets the blame for that and the other problems mentioned above, and more support goes to Trump.
Most people in the United States want to see a better economy, a stop to illegal immigration, less crime in the cities, lower taxes, a smaller governmeng, less regulation of business, less welfare, foreign policy with less interference and involvement by the United States in foreign wars and less involvement in the internal affairs of other nations. They see Trump and the republicans as more likely to provide those things. This belief is based on events and conditions during four years under Trump and the republicans and more than three years under Biden and the democrats. Presidential elections are not just based on the individual running for president, but also on the party and people around the candidate , the platform, and the party. The neocons around Biden cost him support.
It is more than six moths until the election. A lot of things can happen between now and then. But on the other hand, six months is not much time to make up over three years bad policy and bad decisions. Voters have longer memories than that. Trends are hard to turn around. In the meantime, we will watch and see what happens.
Right now, in North Georgia, we are just waiting for the pollen count to go down so that we will feel better. The flowers, shrubs, trees, and landscape are beautiful. But everything comes at a price.
One of the longest ongoing debates in psychology has been the question of what causes differences in personality and personality disorders. The debate is over whether genetics or environment is the determining factor for personality development. That is an important debate. The answer will make a difference in how we think about how people grow and develop into what they are as adults, and will make a difference in how people with personality disorders are treated, and how children are raised and what they are taught as they grow up. The prevailing opinion now is that personality is the result of interaction between genetics and environment. We can think of our personality as a building process based on our genes, which can be thought of as an original plan, or blueprint. Think if it like this. A property owner owns a hundred separate building lots, each in a different county. He hires a different contractor to build a house on each lot, and gives each contractor a copy of the same blueprint to use to build each house. Contractors start to work. As the houses are being built, the contractors encounter problems and differences with property terrain, building codes, zoning, restrictive covenants, labor problems, and material and supply chain supply problems. They have to adapt and make changes from the blueprint as conditions require. The result is that when completed the houses are not identical. A house built from a blueprint could have several possible outcomes depending on conditions during construction.
Our personalties and behavior tendencies develop in much the same way. Although each person has a unique DNA makeup that serves as a blueprint, circumstances and environment also has an influence on how the person grows and develops, and what he is like as an adult. The problems a person may encounters in childhood, and even before birth, vary. The brain develops, changes and grows in response to the challenges, and conditions faced. Diet, stress, abuse, illness, culture are some of the events that result in changes in the way our brains grow. The brain, and the rest if the person’s body, develops in reaction to those forces. The result is that there will be different personalities and behaviors as adults depending on both genetic makeup, the environment, and events that happen during growth.
Research shows that some people with the same illness or personality disorders share certain specific genes, correlated to those illnesses and disorders, but some people who have those genes do not show symptoms. This leads to the question of why some people with those genes show symptoms of those diseases or disorders but others do not. The best answer is that condition in the individual’s environment made the difference. Research can help answer that question.
We should support research on the interaction of genetics and growth and development. More study and research is needed to determine what genes correspond to specific brain development and behavior. This information relating to the caused of behavioral problems can help with and devising programs of prevention as well as treatment. More knowledge and insight into how these conditions occur can also increase our understanding and how we react to individuals with behavioral difficulties and disorders.
I keep reading predictions of our economic future. Most of the forecasts ignore the fact that in a few decades we will be running out of fossil fuels and have nothing to replace them with. The predictions also do not consider the effects of climate change or changing demographics. Prediction’s should include and account for all know factors. Climate change and depletion of fossil fuels are known and foreseeable. These factors should be included when forecasts are being made. And plans should include these factors as well.
The administration and the democrats keep asking for legislation on the southern border. The fact is no new legislation is needed. The laws ard already in place It is illegal to cross the border. The administration is just not willing to enforce the laws and secure the border. And then they blame it on the other party.
The war in Ukraine goes on. It is a needless war that never should have happened. The parties should sign a ceasefire and negotiate a settlement. If is time to stop the waste. We are responsible for how our funds and weapons are used.
In Gaza the killing destruction of Gaza and the population continues. We should apply more pressure with the power we have to end the conflict. We are seeing a failure of our administration to do what has to be done. Since we are furnishing the support, funding and weapons used in the war, we are a party to what is being done. That gives us a right to voice our opinion and exert pressure.
The presidential election appears to be another contest between Biden and Trump, and a few other parties who will be on the ballots. Two candidates who seventy five per cent of voters do not want. It is going to an interesting year, followed by four more years of disunity. There may be a way for our country emerging from the division we are now in and form a unified consensus. We can hope for that but I don’t see it happening . Visions of what our country should be are split very wide. Neither side has any respect or tolerance for the other. Continuing bickering appears to be our foreseeable future. Climate change and other problems may turn our attention to some mutual problem for a while. But then it will turn back to conflict between our different regions and groups. We are composed of many different cultures and genetic groups trying to get along but having to deal with those ongoing conflicts and disagreements. Those differences may be resolved sometime in the distant future, but at this point that outcome is hard to see. We can hold it out as a distance hope.
harben post 