Paul, of Hammockman blog, and Marc, of An Alaskan in Yucatan. February 2012, Sisal MX
My wife and I first learned of Merida from watching a food show. I began researching the city, and encountered Hammockman blog from someone who would soon become a dear friend. We came to Merida on vacation for three weeks in 2009, staying at a B&B near the bullring. Paul walked from his home on c.61 to greet us. A rich friendship ensued. (I had begun blogging a few years earlier, at yahoo, which later “vaporized” my digits when Microsoft bought it; and at Travelblog â see entries for hat making in Becal, Campeche; and at Ballenberg, Switzerland.)
I met Marc at a bloggers conference in 2010. The three of us began meeting weekly for coffee. A fourth friend, blogging at BackyardNature.net captured our attention from further afield. Jim Conrad is a modern-day Thoreau whom I’ve written about in these pages, here, and here, etc. Paul’s wife Susan, “graduated” earlier this year. And overnight, he moved on, too. My life has been enriched for knowing them.
L-R: Jim Conrad of BackyardNature.net, Hammockman, son Isaac. Nov 2010, Piste MX.
After prayers and quiet listening, my first thoughts this morning tumbled out with this:
NATUREâS HUNGRY WOMB:
SHE wants to continue running her Kosmic Experiment of natural selection.  WE are causing/contributing-to a Sixth Extinction (according to Elizabeth Kolbert), and could be on the cusp of a global meltdown, due to our abuses of carbon energy, and of our waging of perpetual warfare (with potentially life-altering nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons).
SCIENCE begins with attempts at defining any given problem. Â Yes, itâs guess-work. Â And better guesses eliminate feebler guesses. Â But the human element is not on the Periodic Table! Yet it can’t be ignored. Â The problem is US! We are a part of Nature, and our desires are shaping HER options. Â (SHE is not sweating; but perhaps we should be.) Â So, whatâs our next âbest guessâ? Â Who are WE as a species? Â What is our DESTINY? Â What is our DUTY? Â Do we have a CHOICE? Â What do we really desire?Â
Heraclitus said  ‘he who does not expect the unexpected will not detect it: for him it will be undetectable, and unapproachable.â  (~Karl Popper, quoted in Conjectures and Refutations, Routledge paperback, p.198).
RepubliCANâTs wonât admit that Trump stole the election of 2016 by buying and burying the story of his sex-capades with a porn star, for which he has been found guilty of all 34 felony counts of electoral fraud by a jury of 12 New Yorkers, who famously, rarely agree on anything. .
RepubliCANâT officials found it impossible to vote to impeach a man who obstructed lawful transfer of electoral power by encouraging mob violence, even while 60 courts found no credible evidence of electoral fraud â aside from his FAKE ELECTORS.
RepubliCANâTs wonât do anything about containing our epidemic of school shootings. (They argue that they need assault rifles to protect against too much guv’mint, rather than protecting our children!)
RepubliCANâTs refuse to recognize that climate change is a serious threat to humanity, needing new approaches to energy generation, and conservation. “Heat death” is coming to a neighbor near you.
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RepubliCANâTs refuse to govern within our means by giving huge tax breaks to the ultra wealthy. TAX THE OBSCENELY RICH! Make America AFFORDABLE Again â MAAA!
âThe Lord is my [our] shepherd . . .â Â (see Psalm 23)
The Lord is also our Patient Tutor, inviting us into daily dialog. Jesus was a speaker of truth, but not a writer. Showing up for breakfast with Jesus is stimulating! Â Â He speaks to us between the lines of our Textbook, the Bible. Â We speak with him in prayer and listening, in quiet meditation â âMy sheep know my voice . . . (see John 10).
    I donât sit in pews anymore, except to pay respects to late friends, young couples, or new arrivals. Church is/and can be enjoyed anywhere; ad hoc, spontaneously. St Paul terms church âthe body of Christ; ekklesiaâ(118 times in Luke-Acts). Itâs not a building, or a brand; itâs a relationship, a delight regarding our community, our context, recognizing Christ in each other, and in our neighbors.
            The Welcoming Committee / “Prepare to meet thy God.” ~ Amos 4:12  [photo by MeridaGOround]
    I’m about 15 years your senior. And for about 15 years, while still up north, I learned much from a small weekly Saturday-morning Bible study at a nearby farmhouse attended by Catholics, Baptists, Mennonites, non-affiliateds,, after which a few of us would adjourn to a local prison to continue in a nondenominational Bible study with a group of about a dozen inmates, reading the Text aloud around the circle, for discussion. Being a fellow student in both of those studies was often a high point of my week. We were there to learn, too, along with those prisoners, some of whom were very astute.
    The portions of the Textbook detailing the career and after-effects of the life of Jesus â the âgood news”/gospels and âthe letters”/epistles â were written by witnesses, or reported to their listeners, at least 30+ years after the crucifixion, but we have none of those original documents, which were later tampered with by well-meaning scribes/”copyists”, as is clearly evidenced in the many hand-copied scrolls and codices of those early times, by comparing them, which reveals variations between them.  (Could anybody write accurately of what they heard that long before? â but the point is moot, as we don”t have the originals.) So, if we want to listen for our Tutor’s voice, it’s an asset to have flexibility for reading between the lines of the Text in it’s many translations; and to think with intense curiosity about the words and meanings.
The word logos in Greek means reasoned, principled; we see it in our English word logical â something very different than emotional : moving (Fr. a public disturbance). In Johnâs gospel, Logos is capitalized as Word in chapter one to represent the Messiah, the Christ, âthe Annointedâ. Rationality (logos) is a two-edged sword, affirming and denying. It defends truth and cuts down lies. Ancient Greeks wrestled to fathom truth, eventually describing it as âthat which is not a lieâ.  Such a slashing definition! Faith requires logic and appetite â hunger and thirst for right thinking and principled living â to maintain justice and balance in our communities.
    In spite of our distractions, rebellions, class-skipping, chasing of our own desires, God has patience with us, and faith in us.  Faith comes from God. We canât generate it on our own! Trust, yes we can do that, gradually. But the faith is God’s, in us and through us. God believes in the human family!  The best way to sharpen our appetite is to dine with God daily, our morning meal of communion.  Bread and fish and many a dish are served, freshly prepared and deliciously seasoned, washed down with the fruit of the vine (see John 15; and John 6).  Relocating hunger from our bellies to our hearts is wise. The “SERMON ON THE MOUNT” (Matthew 5-7) is a good place to start. I hope you will visit this great gift often. (You can pick your preferred translation from dozens.) THE GIFT: I’ve queued up a fresh modern version for you.  Got appetite?
    Religion and politics are very separate topics, which the Founders of our nation treated wisely in the First Amendment. But weâve forgotten much, and are ignoring those guardrails.  (America is not a “Christian nationâ; we allow all religions.) The Founders built a wall of separation between church and state â a global first â to protect the church from the state, and the state from the church. See CURING CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM by Congressman James  Talarico (TX) a short video (19 minutes) Powerful Christian rebuke! (NOTE: his sermon starts with funny beer jokes.)
    Roy, if you insist on voting for someone who is unkind, unChristian, undemocratic, unreasonable, I will honor your right to do so; thatâs your privilege in America. (We both defended that right.) But just remember: I still love you, and my vote cancels yours <wink/grin>
    ~God is the Giver! “Thank God for this gift, too wonderful for words.” (2Cor9:15 ~NLT)
This entry is for rationalists, atheists, and weary Christians capable of thinking outside the box; and for anyone interested in a One-Thing approach to ontology (the science of being). Brace yourself. Fasten seat-belts: Turbulent god-language ahead. Below I will show a screenshot of text â a pdf-page from a book first published in 1910, but the pdf is from a 1919 edition. (Note: the book is written in the voice of a divine We â which is not the title; I wonder if it might be from an author’s “near-death experience.”) Iâve never seen a printed copy of any editions. The book speaks of One Thing: wholeness, health, holiness â as a unity.
PHOTO by MeridaGOround
SCREENSHOT of pdf page below:
[it . . . the pages break thusly.] If you’re a brave and open-minded student, open the pdf of the book, below in red, which is titled CHRIST IN YOU. (This generically-Christian work seems devoid of factional Christian denominationalism.)
A personal note: I no longer sit in pews (except to honor late friends; weddings, etc). I studied briefly in a graduate program at a nondenominational “ivy” divinity school in the early 80’s where the school provided financial support. Without being ordained, over the years I was elected to conduct worship by two congregations, which I did for a total of nearly six years, often twice weekly â four of those years while I was daily running a commercial business with a technical staff and a retail footprint. I also did weekly nondenominational Bible study in a local prison for nearly 15 years.  I carry no brands or banners, but endeavor to wear and share the light divine, without partiality.
The âLord Almightyâ spoke to you on Saturday, saying that Donald Trump would survive to win in November, unless you, Joe, get out of the way, allowing for an open convention. Â Are you listening, Joe?
This silly-dumb film starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte might be instructive in this political moment. (Netflix.)Â The film carries the same title as the book, A WALK IN THE WOODS, by Bill Bryson. Â The film is funnier than the political pain at large in the land over voters’ choices between a sex-abusing congenital liar convicted of 34 felonies â and a guy who is lying to himself and the nation that he has the energy to lead for four more years.
AS A SITCOM, imagine two old duffers golfing together after their presidencies, in foursomes with the likes of Ginnie Thomas and Nancy Pelosi, or other walk-ons: Rudy, Hillary, Bernie, Mitch, Barack, et al â hey, this year’s West Wing?
Jabba said to Han Solo (from translated subscript):
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“But if you fail me again, Iâll put a price on your head so big you wonât be able to get near a civilized system.” <end quote>
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Alito lied regarding his findings on abortion, in Dobbs, according to Sabrina Haake: Alitoâs sleight of hand used selective misrepresentations of ancient common law history to overturn 50 years of Constitutional protection for reproductive choice. He determined that legal abortion did not exist at common law, despite his own passages detailing how âabortion was a crime after âquickeningâ (around 25 weeks) throughout common law. Pages 16 through 28 of Alitoâs own opinion describe how abortion was legal up to 25 weeks, for centuries, so when Alito said there was no abortion throughout centuries of common law, he was lying to reach his preferred outcome.
Jesus said “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” (Matthew 7:1) So who am I to judge this overstuffed dummy? Well, aren’t elections very much about judging the suitability of candidates? BUT, since I have little personal knowledge of the candidate, I will leave it to highly-qualified leaders who have an actual basis for their severe judgement. (And I remind you that Trump said “I am your retribution” â getting even is so telling, making him, and many who support him, decidedly unChristian. âLook in the mirror. ‘Dat you with a stick in your eye? Let’s see!) Note: Jesus also said “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:24) SO, what does that that looks like, up close? â
BUT FIRST, let’s remember that “We the people” have a jury system as a check against injustice, intended to help us reflect Divine judgement. And a jury of 12 brave, upstanding New Yorkers â fairly chosen in court by “both sides” â have risked their lives to find a former president guilty of 34 counts of fraud intended to rig a federal election! (Getting 12 New Yorkers to agree about anything is rare.)Â Â Â THE MATH:Â
100% agreement ! Â 34 x 12 = 408
JUDGEMENT :Â Â PROVEN LEADERS WHO SAW “DJT” UP CLOSE
“Former White House chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, has said that President Trump âis the most flawed personâ heâs ever known, CNN reported. âThe depths of his dishonesty is just astounding to me. The dishonesty, the transactional nature of every relationship, though itâs more pathetic than anything else. He is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life,â Kelly has told friends, the outlet reported. ~ TheHill
âDonald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American peopleâdoes not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us,â Mattis writes. âWe are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.â ~General James Mattis, in The Atlantic.
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A FEW RECENT TRUMP LIES (with factual corrections from NYTimes):
Atkinson, N.H., rally, Jan. 16, 2024
“While Joe Biden is pushing the largest tax hike in American history â you know, he wants to quadruple your taxes.”
President Biden has not proposed quadrupling taxes. In fact, he has consistently vowed not to raise taxes on anyone earning less than $400,000.
Sean Hannity interview, Jan. 22, 2024
“I mean, what heâs doing with energy with an all-electric mandate, where you wonât be able to buy any other form of car in a very short period of time.”
Mr. Biden has not implemented an electric car mandate. The administration has announced rules that would limit tailpipe emissions from cars and light trucks, effectively requiring automakers to sell more electric vehicles and hybrids. It doesnât ban gas cars.
Newsmax interview, Jan. 21, 2024
“And think of it, for four years we had no terror problem.”
There were in fact terrorist attacks in the United States during the Trump administration. In 2017, to name one, a native of Uzbekistan plowed a pickup truck down a bike path in Manhattan, killing eight people. The Justice Department said the driver, Sayfullo Saipov, carried out the terrorist attack in the name of ISIS.
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QUOTE from famous early 20th-century journalist H.L.Mencken, on the presidency: âAs democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people âŚ. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heartâs desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.â
SOME folks worry about the gov’t knowing where our guns reside.  Perhaps more importantly,  when the govât knows where your ballot â your party affiliation â resides, it’s no longer a SECRET BALLOT; and  itâs easy for parties to gerrymander, resulting in districts designed to be almost solidly R or D, by COLLUSION of both main parties, making it nearly impossible for voters to defeat an incumbent. Thatâs how the parties control us. The result :  career politicians are rarely removed from office, unless caught with pants down (or maybe not!) â and we suffer dictatorial anointing (by party bosses) of who gets to run for office.
Example: Â those voters registered âindependentâ are in even worse shape in NY: the Independence Party has virtually no voice in nominating or choosing those who run in the main parties in NY. So, âindependentâ voters have abandoned their ability to nominate a candidate in what is arguably a more important balloting â the primaries â where potential office seekers are blessed-by and beholden-to party bosses. Â Upstarts are scorned and obstructed by the parties, unless they are “players”. Would-be candidates must kiss the ring of the bosses. Â Our Founders, especially Washington, Hamilton, and Jefferson, were very wary of “party spirit” (factionalism) which might divide the public, as discussed in President Washington’s farewell address.
In New York, voters tolerate this, although there is an effort to lobby for repeal of closed primarieswhich you could sign. We voters deserved what we got. (“He who snoozes loses.) Â The polâs knew we were asleep, and stole our voting franchise, so they could control the game! Â Whatâs even worse: voters who want to switch parties to cast a ballot in a more interesting primary have to do so long before a contest becomes exciting. Recently, a cutoff date to switch was October 25, for an April primary! Thatâs designed by them to prevent people from exercising their choice in a timely fashion as a race heats up. Yep, more control by the proâs. Not a free election!
Donât all Americans deserve open primaries? (Currently only 19 US states have open primaries!) We must work to hide our affiliation. Itâs time to take back the electoral process. We, the people want our voting power restored to full clout, by becoming states with Open Primaries. We want a truly independent ability to opt out of party affiliation, becoming undeclared, without surrendering our ability to vote in a primary of our choice. Our party affiliation must be invisible to government! Thatâs why itâs called a Secret Ballot â but itâs not secret if THEY know the address of your affiliation. And itâs not a free election if you canât easily change affiliation to vote in the primary of your choice. Take back the power to choose! Demand an open primary for NY, or whatever state denies your independence to choose! (We need a revolution in balloting.)Â And it should include “ranked choice voting” so we are not resigned to “voting against” a candidate for fear of wasting a ballot on a very talented someone who “can’t possibly win”.
