What can be said about 2016 as it winds down? Certainly, something has gone horribly wrong. What could it be?
I believe that ultimately what has broken us apart is a destructive selfishness which has metastasized into a cancer.
Home » Posts tagged 'current events' (Page 28)
Tag Archives: current events
Solstice Greetings
On Wednesday, 21 December, at 10:44 GMT, the Winter Solstice comes to the Northern Hemisphere. It is the shortest day of the year, but this only means that the world is now turning towards the morning. It only gets lighter from here.
This may seem overly optimistic, but it is true. The biggest problem with this kind of faith is that when we are at the lowest point we also are changing the least. Light will return, yes, but slowly at first.
What is even less obvious at this time of darkness is that the dark is exactly what we make of it.
Resistance
What will 2017 bring in politics? An easy prediction is that there will be chaos, given the reign of President Trump. This is an easy prediction to make given his constant stream of wild statements on twitter, at rallies, and in the media itself. The potential war with Congress, starting with an investigation into Putin’s role in the last election, is also a given. But there may be even more to it than that.
Can the left form an effective organization to stop anything at all from happening? Is it possible for progressives to effectively block any change at all? The short answer is yes, it’s entirely possible – and a few unnamed former staffers have outlined exactly how to do it. The 23 page document is very much worth reading as something of an updated “Rules for Radicals”, tailored to the situation at hand.
Dealing with Crazy
Given the speeches, tweets, and cabinet picks of Donald Trump since the election, one thing has become very clear: we are in for a whole lot of crazy.
This term may not sit well with many people, especially those in the psychiatric field. Though it does appear that Trump himself has Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), a diagnosis from afar is rarely accurate or even reasonable. Furthermore, much of the damage we can expect in the coming years comes from those he has surrounded himself with. Many are also crazy. There may be schizophrenia, bipolar, psychopathic tendencies, NPD, or simply substance abuse in play for any of these actors.
So throw away the DSM V. We are dealing with people who have their own version of reality, and that is the point. This is about coping with crazy, regardless of where it comes from.
Bloated Pentagon Revealed
How much waste is included in the $580 billion dollar per year Defense budget?
Critics of President Obama’s reductions in the military will tell you that we have cut beyond the bone. The reduction from nearly $700B in 2008, achieved largely by reducing personnel in combat zones like Iraq and Afghanistan, has been impressive. But does this leave the military starved and incapable of doing its primary job of defending the United States around the world?
It’s been hard to tell because the Pentagon has proved unauditable for decades. But a new report shows that at least $25 billion every year cannot be justified no matter how you look at it. And the details of the report suggest that even a modest restructuring can save tens or even hundreds of billions of dollars without in any way hindering the men and women on the front lines.
Barataria - The work of Erik Hare 