Coming up Short

The Trump Administration, in its entirety, is proof positive that the Peter Principle is the real deal; not one of Trump's Cabinet-level appointees has the knowledge, the experience or the dedication and commitment needed to effectively lead the department that he or she was appointed to run. The same can be said for all of his other appointees, as well.

When Trump promised to drain the swamp (quite likely the only promise he ever kept), he didn't make clear his intention to drain it directly into his administration. However, that's exactly what happened, and as a consequence the government of we, the people, is in grave and imminent danger of becoming a government of they, the corporations.

When corporations are given license to operate free of regulations and restrictions, it's only a matter of time―and not a very long time―until entire ecosystems collapse; many are already on the brink. Only a short time remains before irreversible tipping points begin their fatal plunge; this is the amount of time we have remaining in which to save ourselves. The longer we delay, the less certain survival of the human―and other―species becomes.

What global leaders―and global citizens, as well―need to understand is that humanity is on a collision course with extinction. Every day we delay in taking the necessary actions to avoid this fate brings us one day closer to the end of everything.

 

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An Open Letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai

Dear FCC Chairman Pai:

Stop the incessant push to restrict Internet access by creating “fast lanes” for wealthy subscribers and “slow lanes” for everyone else. The Internet is more than just a channel for commerce; it's also an important channel for public communications that serves society on many levels. Citizens are not well served by regulations that favor the wealthy over the non-wealthy by restricting and/or limiting Internet access for an entire class of citizens. The way I see it, Chairman Pai, is that your primary responsibility is to the people who pay your salary, not to the corporations that pay you bribes.

Please do the right thing.

Best,

Phil Hanson

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We Have Met the Enemy

One of the most appealing things about modern society and all its trappings is that irony abounds. While capitalist systems devour themselves, the global human population goes farther into serious overshoot, and the global ecosphere trends toward chemical imbalances that will destroy its ability to support life, it seems illogical to assume that the very things that brought the world to this ignominious state of unwell-being will somehow save us from it. Absent radical changes to the economic, environmental, political and social policies now in effect, we’re toast.

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About that Wall

Our so-called president is delusional if he thinks that just because good fences make for good neighbors, high border walls make for good allies. History shows us that high walls create bitter enemies, and exist as much to keep resident populations inside as to keep invading hoards out. Walls breed fear and distrust.

Rather than building walls, we should be tearing them down and building friendships, instead. Tackling global problems arising out of for-profit capitalism requires global cooperation, which is most easily obtained by gaining trust and forging friendships among nations. At a time when humanity stands on the brink of ecocide, putting up a wall is about as stupid as it gets.

Of course, every stupid idea deserves a silly rhyme to commemorate it. This one's based on a children's classic:

Grumpty Trumpty built a high wall,

from which, soon after, he took a hard fall.

Not all of his minions, nor all of his kin,

could put the Pumpkinführer together again.

How will the Cheeto Burrito* pay for his Great Wall? Slashing social benefits for the 99% and giving huge tax cuts to billionaires are my two guesses.

Projected to cost a minimum of $15 billion, Trump's Folly could easily exceed $25 billion when the costs of defending lawsuits and typical cost overruns are factored in. That's a lot of money to commit to a project that is almost certain to be reversed by the next duly elected U.S. President, who is absolutely certain to be smarter than the current one.

*Kind of doughy, full of shit and sprinkled with Cheeto dust (among other things).

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Fear and Hatred Never Sleep

If it were possible to determine sexual orientation at the fetal stage of human development, you can be sure that abortions would not only be legal in the states now seeking to outlaw them, but for certain fetuses they’d be mandatory.

Religion is the stimulant that keeps fear and hatred alive and awake. Fear the gay, fear the different, fear the other, and―above all―hate, hate, hate everything you fear.

No wonder that increasing numbers of people are turning away from religion. Genuinely moral people can neither abide the bigotry nor the hypocrisy.

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Classy Comparisons

Who knew that reviving a blog can be harder than building a new one from scratch? To ease the task and mark the beginning of my return engagement with Frieddogleg, here’s an inspiring 3-minute video that compares middle class to world class (with mellow background music that makes your meager time investment even more worthwhile), and subtly suggests in a tangential way that by changing your life you can help transform the world.

http://www.flickspire.com/m/Rubbertree669/SecretsWorldClass

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