16. May 2009 by Da Fu.

Since Primeval Tribal members can conceive and hold only one ideology at a time (their own!), the cannot accept anyone else with differing thoughts. Thus, they attack the person with the differing ideology rather addressing (’attacking”) the different ideas. These attacks are a successful way to divert the attention from the ideas to the person; thus, leaving the ideological controversy unaddressed. These Primeval attacks are getting old and remain unfruitful in the Modern era. Basically, the autocratic leader of the Primeval Tribe, Rush “Limpbag” Limbaugh, ought to resign and lead a monastic life of sllence and solitude. This should lead to the Enlightenment of some of his ideological automatons.

Speaker Pelosi’s statement that the CIA mislead her is her personal belief. The Primeval Tribe should know better than anyone else the political value of ‘faulty’ recollection. W. Bush, Cheney, Rove, Gonzalez and may other W. Bush Regime cronies purposely used ‘faulty recollection’ as means to excuse their misgoverning. There is no proof that Pelosi’s recollection is faulty yet.

Yet, the Primeval Tribe men like Rush Limpbag call for Pelosi’s resignation because she doesn’t remember like they think she should and they frequently don’t. This is a double standard, i.e., faulty memory is OK for Conservatives/Primeval Tribal members but not for Modern Tribal members.

It is ironic that even if Pelosi had known about water-boarding in 2002, if she had tried to do anything about it she would have been pilloried and mercilessly attacked and even called a traitor. Limpbag would have called for her resignation. No one outside the Primeval Tribe can ever be right! Peolsi and any Modern Tribal member can NEVER be right unless they adhere to Primeval Tribal ideology.

The era for the Conservative ideal for universal mono-ideology is passed. W. Bush and his Dick were their chance to govern and they failed miserably. Diversity of culture and socio-economic statuses will forever prevent the return of Conservative hegemony. Thus, Limpbag take a hike….your ideas are passe. Then again, I don’t expect Limpbag to walk away from a cash cow since it’s really about Conservative money not the Conservative agenda.

(addendum: For clueless Republicans, it is with tongue-in-cheek that I write this using Republican methodology)

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16. April 2009 by Da Fu.

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas at a Conservative Tea Party on April 15th said something like “Americans are getting tired of what is going on in Washington.” What Americans are tired of is clueless politicians like Perry saying they are speaking for Americans. It is ironic that those who lost the national race for leadership are still acting as they are leading. Is it stupidity or hubris?

NO ONE SPEAKS for AMERICANS. Americans are TOO DIVERSE to have ANY ONE PERSON speak for them. Leaders in America REPRESENT their American constituents but they do NOT speak for them. They must continuously ask their constituents what they are thinking and convey what their constituent are saying. It is hubris to believe that they always know what they thinking and are always speaking for them.

Conservative (Primeval) Tribal Leaders lead by fiat and do not believe they need to ask their constituents for advice. That is why they shun polls and get record low poll approvals like GW Bush did. GW was not representing his American constituents and he was NOT speaking for Americans most of the time he was in office even though he believe he did. They are exclusively partisan.

Modern Tribal Leaders l B. Obama listen to their constituents through all sorts of methods including polls. They represent their American constituents as much as possible. The look beyond partisanship and for consensus hoping Primeval Tribal leaders are unable to get beyond their partisanships.

It is unlikely that clueless Politicians like Gov. Perry of Texas will become wise enough to represent Americans nationally. Yet, GW Bush did it. So to quote H.L. Mencken, “No one in this world has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.” Has G.W educated us enough to be wary of a Rick Perry and Jeb Bush? I would certainly hope so.

Americans can not stand to have there Leaders Speak for Them rather than Represent Them again. We cannot afford it politically, financially or spiritually.

P.S. Dick Cheney: You have always been wrong. You are an anachronism. Go back to your pre-1960’s fossilize era. You don’t belong in the 21st Century.

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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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15. April 2009 by Da Fu.

In spite of continuing US & Gobal financial crises and ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is remarkable how calm and collective people are nowadays. Ironically, unlike G. W. Bush’s Regime’s, Obama’s leadership is so reassuring and unassuming that there is time to relax and take a deep breathe. Obama’s competence is so unexciting that it is allowing Americans a longed needed respite from the 8 years of turmoil fueled by Bush’s incompetence.

When people do their jobs with excellence it should appear as if nothing special is going on. I recall the day when I first saw Michael Jordan play in Chicago. At half time, I told my companion that Michael must be having an off game because he looked quite ordinary. My companion pointed to the scoreboard and noted that Michael had 25 points the first half. I was amazed at how Michael made a 25 point half look so routine and unexciting. That is true mastery and competence.

So, with Obama’s leadership anxiety is melting and a cautious optimism is slowly but surely arising. The sinners of Bush’s era that lead to an un-needed war in Iraq and the financial debacle will pay for their sins. They will regret their duplicity and subsequent actions.

In the meantime, the World will regain confidence in a America that is honest, forthright, willing to work hard and is not duplicitous. God bless America!

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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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6. November 2008 by Da Fu.

After taking a personal hiatus to give my thinking a rest, I have decided to return with a new perspective. Obama’s election have restore a confidence in the American way.

I will have several new blogs in the next weeks that reflect the change in my thinking.

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24. July 2008 by Da Fu.

When I was a kid, I told my parents I wanted to own a bank because that was where all the money was. They were amused. Today I drive around in my home town, every EXPENSIVE commercial four-corner intersection has at least one if not more than one branch bank. I have learned since my childhood that banks get their money from us–the general banking public. So, why am I paying for all these expensive banks on every corner along with paying for essentially every service the bank provides?

Banks are not only building expensive facilities they are also paying shareholders. Recently in their foolish attempts to make more and more money (greed has no bottom or top) they have lost their shirts on sub-prime loans. But, this is not my problem or yours except they will make it our problems by gouging us with more fees of all kinds.

To make matters worse, as we suffer the consequences of a down economy with increasing inflation especially gas and food prices, they raise our fees and interest rates to cover their costs and losses. I hear a long time ago, that socialism has a heart but does not work and capitalism has no heart but works. We are suffering from capitalism’s lack of heart and paradoxically, it is NOT working.

Are there answers? Well for one thing, we must learn to live within our means. No more debt supported life-styles. Pay off credit cards. Next, shop for banks services just like any other bargain hunting. Credit Cards vary on fees and charges. There are some that are much more advantages than others. Shop around for your best deal. If possible, use a credit union. They do NOT have the shareholder’s interest at heart; they have yours (or, at least, they’re supposed to). Stop frivolous spending like cigarettes!

Finally, mutual banks needs to be established where the depositors and users are the owners. These mutual banks would minimize fees and charges while maximizing returns to their customers. Vanguard is a good example of a fund company that believes in this philosophy; so, we should invest our retirements, 401(k), etc. with them. In this way the lower fees and charges increase our retirements amounts rather that the money managers.

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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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19. June 2008 by Da Fu.

Americans are changing to Democratic candidates because of the pain of the Bush regime’s foreign policies and economic debacles. Now Americans are starting to conserve fuel and change their driving and riding habits due to the pain of fuel prices. Pain is an valid impetus for change and frequently used in animal behavior control. Yet, it would be nice to think as the higher cognitive functioning animal that humans are that change would be thought out before the ‘pain for change’ is present.

Our national debt at $10 trillion is unserviceable. Will we have to have a massive economic crises with massive inflation of over 1000% per year in order to make the debt worthless and thus serviceable. That will certainly be very painful. Yet, the tax and spend Democrats nor the tax cut and spend Republicans have the political will to cut governmental spending. God help us when we reach our third world economic crises and our lenders impose economic austerity measures on us in order for the country to stay solvent. Pay back will be very painful in more ways than one.

In 1973 we suffered the pains of fuel shortages. This pain lead to some national measures that improved the circumstances. Yet, when the pain went away we went back to our old wasteful habits and stopped conserving and being wasteful. Today, the pain of fuel costs are again causing change but change will take time. In the meantime, the pain will not relent. There are NO short term answers. Only long term planning will work.

As already noted, the panacea of fuel cells powered by hydrogen is not real since fuels are needed to create hydrogen. We will be transferring the energy of hydrocarbons (coal, gas, oil) to make hydrogen and paradoxically transforming energy from on type to another is never efficient so we will be using more energy than made. Hydrogen will only perpetuate and worsen the current shortages and make global warming worsen UNLESS we use nuclear power. Nuclear power is the GREEN energy source but we are doing nothing massive in this direction. A national program like the race to the moon is needed in energy to solve our issues in the next decade.

Ironically, avoidance of pain is almost a universal value. Nevertheless, pain is fast becoming a universal requirement for change. God help the American people as it goes through the tremendous pain of giving up it wasteful life-styles and becomes a citizen of the world. Joining others in saving our world and our selves is going to be painful.

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