16. August 2009 by Da Fu.

Grandma and everyone else is going to die. That is a fact. What death racketeers don’t want is to give up the many hundreds of billions of dollars looted in Grandma’s and everyone else’s death-prolonging care. Their imminent deaths are unavoidable and undeniable. Instead, these death racketeers focus on how much revenue they can generate before death can no longer be prolonged.

Given a choice, i.e., an advance directive opportunity, Grandma and most others would choose a peaceful death rather than to be tortured by futile medical care. Yet, many in the medical-hospital-industrial complex thrive on death-prolonging medical care. They are fighting to keep their booty.

For most of us, it is NOT about the money since we know many more billions are spent on actual life-saving and life-prolonging care. No one quibbles or would ever want to deny this medical care. It is unrewarding to the patient and family but very monertarily rewarding to the medical care providers that is the issue.

Death racketeers are using scare tactics like “death panels” to garner support against the Advance Directives provision. They are not unethical but instead a-ethical, i.e., they have no ethics. They worship the almighty billions of dollars and care little about the pain and suffering without gain that their death-prolonging care delivers.

Shame on all the un-enlightened ones who have been duped into supporting death racketeers. Shame on death racketeers for worshiping the dollar more than their fellow human beings.

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11. July 2009 by Da Fu.

The days of conspicuous American consumption are over. Just like corporations have “right-sized” their employees numbers for years to stay profitable, it is time corporations “right-size” their sales expectations in order to stay, i.e., survive. And, these sales expectations should be based on value propositions–not price.

Conspicuous and debt-increasing consumption by American Consumers has fueled US and Global economic growth for too long. The American Consumer is not longer capable or willing to continue its participation in the Capitalist’s folly, i.e., spending more for the sake of spending without a definitive value.

Value–not price–will be the new American Consumer’s mantra. The days of disposable products are numbered. American value convenience, ease, usefulness and now green over cheap. Myriads of Microsoft Windows computers sit idle because people bought cheap and did not get value. In contrast, Apple through its iPods and iPhones has finally conveyed its computer and operating system (Mac OS X) values proving cheaper isn’t worth it.

Americans have also figured out that a high price tag does not mean value. May products are overpriced for no reason other than someone is willing to pay the asking price. US Drugs are a good example. Drugs are priced the way they are because third parties, i.e., insurance companies are paying for them. I have frequently stated that the best way to cut the price of drugs by over half is to mandate non-coverage by third parties. Consumers/Patients will then realize the true value of generics and that expensive “me too” drugs (drugs that are no better than other, cheaper drugs in their class) are not worth their asking price. Too often direct to consumer drug marketing is directed a getting insurance companies to pay a premium price for a drug. Shame on these capitalists. The almighty dollar has harden their heart and left them with no conscience. Increasing co-pays and co-insurance is making patients realize that more expensive is not necessarily a better value.

Americans are not opposed to spending money for something they value. Cheap Japanese transistor radios of the 50s and 60s evolved in much valued Japanese electronics of today. Korea, Taiwan and China have taken the same route.

Corporations should and cannot ever expect to return to quarter over quarter sales growth. Smart investors (as oppose to greedy capitalists) know that a good company is profitable and stays that way. Increasing profit usually means giving up something of value. Unfortunately, profits is rarely given up in order to increase corporation value and profits. Instead corporations give up intangibles usually experienced employees that eventually erode profits. So, little or no gain is realized.

I find it ironic and paradoxically that a company suffers for not meeting “analysts expectations.” This means a company producing actual facts suffers from not meeting an analysts guess of the future. My expectation would be that the analysts should suffer for not guessing right. Thus, it appears that ANAL-lysts are part of the problem and not the solution. Companies should stop pandering to ANAL-lysts expectations and instead do what is right for the company. They should make products based on value rather than just increasing revenues or profits to satisfy ANAL-lysts. The best way to do this is not report the irrelevant “numbers” needed by ANAL-lyst to make their guesses and instead concentrate on their value propositions and customers.

Value–not price–is key to surviving in the new American markets. How this value is reached and maintained remains to be played out.

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5. July 2009 by Da Fu.

I saw a t-shirt with “Never Say Never” written on it and it made me smile because of my personal truism. It is “My only intolerance is intolerance”. My other double take truth is “What we all have in common is that we are each unique.” Some say what makes us human is the ability to hold two contradictory ideas at the same time. The double take truths above are such ideas. Yet, many think that holding contradictory beliefs makes them human but instead it just makes them self-serving hypocrites.

For example, many Christians believe worshiping Christ (his mystical side) and ignoring his teachings (his ethics) is being a devout Christian. This is not true. It makes them a half Christian. Thomas Jefferson rewrote the Bible and took out the mysticism and left only the ethics. It is how Jesus wanted us to behave. Most Christians do not behave this way.

Many hate their neighbors because they hate themselves. They assuage this self hate by giving money to a church and preachers promote this giving and self enrichment through “prosperity ministries.” Today these preachers would be thrown out of their “Temples” along with their “money changers” supporters by Jesus himself. These churches and their teachings are an abomination of Jesus’ life and death.

Though good deeds alone cannot get one into heaven, being good enough to get into heaven means by nature doing good deeds. It is paradoxical to be heaven good and not do good deeds. It is consistent to be an evil doer and attempt “good deeds” to make up for the evil deeds. Unfortunately, the so-called “good deeds” evil doers do are not truly good deeds since they are self centered and selfish. So, evil doers delude themselves.

These delusion are not limited to Christians. Islamic “Jihadist” a.k.a, terrorist, suicide bombers, etc. delude themselves into believing they are doing “good deeds” when they are actually being selfish. Is it not selfish to want a harem of “vestal virgins”? Is is not selfish and self-enriching to impose ones beliefs on others?

If the leaders of these Jihad movement are so committed why do they have to convince others (usually the poor and ignorant) to die for their cause? Why are they not suicide bombers themselves? The answer is they have too much to gain by letting others die for their beliefs. Deeds for self-enrichment whether monetary or otherwise are evil even in Islam.

Double take truths make many of us human while double take beliefs make many self-serving hypocrites. There are worlds of differences.

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22. June 2009 by Da Fu.

All conflicts are tribal. Even those conflicts within Tribes are about factions (’sub-tribes’) within tribes. How sub-tribes and minority Tribes are allow to participate in governing determines the way they are respected and how they survive.

Take Iraq for example. The major tribes are Shiite, Sunni and Kurd with many other minor tribes (e.g., Christian Iraqis). Since the majority of the country is Shiite and if they can come to vote as a block, the Shiite’s will control the country and the Sunni and Kurd Tribes are powerless. Even if the Sunni and Kurd Tribes could form a political alliance, they would still be in the minority. Is there any hope for Iraq as country then? The answer depends on their governing structure.

If a super majority such as 60, 66 or even 75% is need for major constitutional and oil revenue redistribution then the minority tribes could garner enough influence to demand respect and prevent a simple majority overwhelming them. As an alternative a majority of each tribe’s representative would have to support the measure. In these situations, the minority Tribes/Parties cannot be ignored.

Ironically, in the USA W. Bush and his VP Dick saw a 51% slim majority as a “mandate” to lead all the people the way this slim majority desired. They railroaded the other 49% and caused them enough pain to throw the Republican Tribes out of office and also take their ruling majorities away. The Bush Republican Coalition was made up of the Conservatives, Capitalists and Christian Tribes. This coalition fell apart due to the Conservative’s hegemony and Capitalists’ financial mismanagements.

Does this mean the Democrats can govern at will? No because the “60% filibuster rule” in the Senate allows a minority to maintain power by preventing the majority to act. Thus there is a mechanism for minorities parties (’tribes’) to be respected. Paradoxically, this minority power that the Republicans hold on to so dearly, is the same power they threatened to take away from the Democrats when they lead the Senate. Their “nuclear option” to get rid of the 60% filibuster would not be serving them well at this time. Republicans need to know that what goes around comes around.

Even the Democrats have sub-tribes. The Minorities (e.g., Hispanic, African-American), Liberal and Moderate Tribes. The Liberal Tribe’s Health Care Reform is garnering some resistance from the Moderate Tribe and will have to be changed to get passed. Compromise and accommodation (’two dirty words’ to Conservatives) will be required to have a measure passed.

Israel is a reverse example. Israel’s major Tribes are so evenly split that very, very small Minority Tribes (e.g., Ultra Orthodox Jewish Tribe) have garnered unprecedented control to make a majority. If a super-majority was required to bring down a government, then the power of very small Minority Tribes can be prevented from becoming controlling.

Successful governing is about including all tribes and balancing power. It is not about a majority takes all because this leaves out a significant number of citizens. It about inclusiveness, compromise and respect of all citizens.

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16. April 2009 by Da Fu.

Today, the Obama Justice Department released GW Bush Regime’s Legal Opinions on torture. They condone blatant violations of basic human rights and violate the Nuremburg Trials and Helsinki Accords. Yet, the current Attorney General said that no CIA or other agents using these legal opinions will be prosecuted. Is this the ultimate in American hubris?

In the Nuremburg Trials, it was decided that a defendant’s claim that the action was a legal State order or sanctioned is insufficient to justify basic human rights. Are American’s doing the say thing?

Someone needs to be prosecuted for this egregious violation of basic human rights and I believe Bush’s so-called Legal Team should be the ones. They are the one who wrote these opinions and sanctioned illegal actions. They are the criminals and they should not be allowed to get a pass on these illegal decisions.

And if these Legal Team members state that these decisions were demanded by higher ups then these higher ups should be prosecuted also. NO ONE is above the decisions of the Nuremburg Trials and Helsinki Accords.

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12. April 2009 by Da Fu.

A major difference between Modern Tribes and Primeval Tribes is Modern Tribal Leader’s respect for other Tribes regardless of differences. Even though the Republican Primeval Tribal Coalition ruling days are over, they still pretend to be in charge and refuse to respect the will of the majority, i.e, a Democratic Party Modern Tribal Leader. Maybe it is time for Primeval Tribal Coalitions that comprise the Republican Party to come to an end. We can no longer tolerate their collective destructiveness.

The Primeval Tribes that comprise the Republican Party–the Conservatives, Christian Fundamentalists and Capitalists have ruled our country since 1994 and have destroyed any semblance of cooperation with other tribes. Their unilateralism and partisanship has also done a lot to destroy the American way of life for other tribes.

The Democratic Party is made up of Modern Tribes–Liberals and Trade Unions and Primeval Tribes–Minority Groups. Minority groups are in the Democratic Party because they cannot or will not assimilate into one or more of the Republican Party tribes even though they hold many of the same values.

It was not imagined that Capitalists Tribe would act against their corporation stakeholders’ interests for their personal self interests but they did. So we have the financial debacle we have now. Pure Capitalism is unethical and must be regulated and corporate governance must rein in unfettered Capitlism for the good of all stakeholders and not just the Capitalists themselves.

Some Christian Fundamentalists Tribal members are realizing that their values cannot be imposed on others and they should love others in spite of their differences. In spite of what they believe, philosophy, beliefs and faith are not based on any immutable laws of nature; therefore, adherence is a choice. They need to accept others just as they want others to accept them.

Finally, the Conservative Primeval Tribe needs to get over their law and order fixation. Laws are man-made and can be unmade. Prohibition is a good example. People with guns kill more people in the USA than the current wars in Iran and Afghanistan. Maybe guns don’t need to be regulated but who can get guns does. Conservatives must become part of the solution instead indirectly supporting the problem.

It is unlikely that the Republican Primeval Tribal Coalition will ever regain power without major modifications. The Capitalists are seen are the cause of our current financial crises, the Conservatives as supporting Presidential and other powers that went way beyond the Constitution and the Christian Fundamentalists as focused on theocracy rather than religion. In the meantime millions of spiritual Americans remain unchurch of religions’ focus on social rather than on spirituality.

The new Millennium did not start in 2000 with the start of the regime of G. W Bush, a Primeval Leader but instead in 2009 with the inauguration of President B. H. Obama, a Modern Tribe Leader. May the people of earth benefit from our nascent American enlightenment.

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8. December 2008 by Da Fu.

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. Walden, Thoreau 1854

Today it not only the mass of men but it is the masses of men, women and children who lead lives of quiet desperation. Change is in the air and this atmosphere should provide many an opportunity to release their desperation. But, work is required.

People are desperate because they are unhappy with their lot and want desperately to change it. The inability to change it causes angst. The masses want to change themselves, their significant other, jobs, friends, churches and/or many other aspects of their lives, but the don’t. They don’t because change causes more angst then they are currently feeling. A “Catch-22″.

Without change, life stops. We constantly change internally. It actually takes more effort to stop change than to let change happen. But fear and anxiety of change prevent it. “Daring the dark” (M. Fox, Creation Spirituality) is the one easy way to allow change. It doesn’t seem easy since the dark produces fear but it is fear of the unknown. Almost universally this unknown is much less than was feared. So, to quote Winston Churchill, “there is nothing to fear but fear itself.”

The election of B. Obama to be President is a lesson. Systematic, thoughtful planning by a Modern Tribe leader (see Link: Moral Values & You) can lead to widespread change. Our fragmented country had been to the the Republican’s advantage; so, they continued to divide and instill fear. It didn’t work in 2008.

So, now is the time to look outward and work together to fixed the our inclusive Modern Tribe moral values and get rid of the Primeval Tribe’s non-inclusive moral values. We must reorganize our priorities to be enhance everyone’s good and not the good of the few. We need to know that each one of us is equal, unique and allowed to be ourselves and that the rich are not more equal than anyone else. Once we collectively support all individuals in the world, the world will again give us the respect we have lost in the last eight years. Only then will our societal desperation end.

And it is now time to look inward and work within ourselves to rid ourselves of dreams we impose on others and get imposed on us. Our reality is just that–our reality. It is unique to us and only us. Those who preach that we are wrong, bad, less human or whatever because we don’t value or believe in their dream are imposing their dreams on us. They only have the power we given them. Not believing their dreams robs them of power. Our dream is right for us as long as it is ours. Once we accept our dream and who we ares, our desperation as individuals will dissolve.

Rejoice in the impending end of Primeval Tribe hegemony. May their exclusive values be gone forever. And, may the inclusive and nurturing values of Modern Tribes finally prevail in the 21th Century.

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15. July 2008 by Da Fu.

The ethical principle of double effect is well understood in Medicine. Basically, it states that unwanted and unintentional bad effects are acceptable when the intent is to do good. Patients who undergo procedures sometimes have unfortunate and unavoidable consequences that may include death. For every attempt to do good a possibility of doing harm exists. So, why is there alarm over the untoward effects of potent anti-psychotics on advanced demented/Alzheimer’s patients?

By the time demented patients required anti-psychotics, they have lost their sentience, i.e., awareness of self and others. So, the control of unruly behavior cannot include verbal appeals and medications are the only alternative. Not infrequently, the unruly behavior is so severe that only potent anti-psychotics manage to re-established some semblance of control.

Recently, some have reported alarming and fatal side-effects to the use of anti-psychotics in severely demented patient and have warned against their use. These alarms have probably lead to less inappropriate AND appropriate use of these agents of control.

In the past, the physical restraining of these patient was condemned and essentially regulated out of use. It now appears that medication restrains may be going the same way. This would leave medical care providers with no options but a padded room. Even then self-harm could not be prevented.

If a life-ending side effect in an unruly, non-sentient demented patient occurs where is the harm? Up to 3% of sentient patient going to coronary bypass surgery die before leaving the hospital and this untoward effect has NOT stopped these bypasses from being performed daily. The principle of double effects permits these procedures to go on.

In the same way, the appropriate use of potent medications, i.e., anti-psychotics, for unruly demented patients must also be permitted. If an unintentional life-ending side effect occurs, so be it. Their physical deaths are frequently not as painful as the psychological and social deaths that the dementia had caused.

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27. June 2008 by Da Fu.

The US Supreme Court’s reversal of 1930’s “settled law” that the community instead of the individual has the right to own guns makes it obvious that Justices Roberts and Alito were duplicitous during their Senate confirmation hearings. It is sad that they have let their values agenda lead them to lie in order to be confirmed for the US Supreme Court. These two Juctices along with Justices Scalia and Thomas provide the core group that will change other settled law, i.e., they will outlaw abortion. They are mistaken and this is how.

If an individual has a right to bear arms then they have a right to life,liberty and the pursuit of happiness which means they have the right to abortion and marry any person they want regardless of gender. But, this is not how the Law & Order Tribe sees it. This Tribe (see Moral Values, Politics & You) is an extremely strong one that sees laws in black and white and unchangeable. Unchangeable except when it is to their benefit. And, that is the crux. The Law and Order Tribe is intolerant of other tribal values and therefore discriminate against anyone not of their tribe. Ironically, the Law & Order Tribe violate the Constitution and many laws and only respects the laws they believe in.

Paradoxically, it is obvious that settled law regarding abortion and marriage personal rights are at risk from a US Supreme Court that rules on gun ownership personal right. There paradox is understandable when one understand the tribal value systems that the individual Justices adhere to.

Shame on you, Justices Roberts and Alito. You have lied to the country and you should resign for your duplicity. Then again you don’t have the individual courage to do so. Your tribe is your identify and you are just their pawns. Shame on you for being so naive.

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22. June 2008 by Da Fu.

Paradoxically, death is the only prerequisite for life. Therefore, in order to be alive death must occur. Otherwise it is not life but instead immortality. If this is true, then why is death so poorly managed in our American society?

Death is treated as unwanted and unexpected by most Americans. It is as if it isn’t suppose to occur because it is not discussed and the subject is avoided. Out-of-mind means that death will not occur. This childish and naive thinking is part of American’s immaturity. It is time we grow up and acknowledge ‘the elephant in the room.’

Baby boomers have seen their parents pain, suffering and poor quality of end-of-life and many have vowed not to let that happen to them. Yet, they remain legally, psychologically and socially unprepared. This preparation is key to experiencing a successful death.

Legal preparation for death includes Advance Directors which can be codified as Living Wills, Directives to Physicians, Durable Power of Attorney and outpatient withholding or withdrawing life support interventions. Regular Wills and estate planning are also necessary. Even many of those who have these legal preparations are still not prepared for death because they have ignored the psychological and social aspects of preparation.

Psychological preparation for death requires that one live in the moment instead of dreading the future. One must accept ones lot in life and do their best in each moment. No one can ask for anything else. This also means that all primary feelings (emotions) are legitimate and that meta-feelings (i.e., feeling about feeling such as shame, remorse, embarrassment) need to worked out. As noted, ‘rule with your hear and live with your conscience’ means being true to one primary feeling. Yet, while legit to feel one feeling, what one does about them is what makes us human and prepares us for death. While feelings are legit, all actions are not. We are responsible for our own happiness but not at the expense of others happiness.

Social preparation for death means recognizing the others who are also suffering in the death of a loved one. All attention is paid to the dying person to the exclusion of those who will remain after the death. Their suffering and needs go unaddressed. These needs include ‘the talk’. The talk is the intimate soul to soul communication of the love, pleasures and sorrows of their interrelationship and a formal letting go or good-bye. It includes accepting that the relationship will die with the death and that those remaining will have to grieve and continue on. What ‘needs to be said’ should be said in this conversation; so that there are no regrets or remorse about something left unsaid. Funerals are too late to express ones feelings to a dead person.

If I can say to myself, “If I die today, I would have no regrets”, then we are as prepared as possible for death. But if we cannot say that, then we should ask ourselves, “What will I regret?” and then do whatever necessary to remediate these issues. Tragically, some will remain unremediable. Being at peace means not having remorse or regrets about ones death.

A successful death, as much as that is possible, requires legal, psychological and social preparation. Since regardless of preparation, death will come it makes sense to prepare.

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