Two Constitutional fundamental flaws

 Dear Editor, (submitted Oct. 26, 2021 but not acknowledged or printed)

Former Congressman Garry Giffords’ disturbing list of violent and lethal attacks (Attacks on Politicians…Oct. 25, 2021) on US policymakers and other elected officials in increasingly unstable democracies missed two fundamental factors inflaming human passions.

The first.  Democracies don’t work. Never have.  Never will.  Majority decisions rarely reflect reality.  You can peg this habit to tribalism, cognitive dissonance, apathy, or simply gross individual ignorance regarding the multitude of disrupters that threaten everyone’s freedoms and security -- and the sustainability of our essential environmental infrastructure.  But then you would miss the other underlying engineering flaw of our government and governance systems.  The absence of justice.

They are both based on “independence” – a mental illusion that exists nowhere in the known universe.  This delusional principle infects the human mind to prioritize freedom – and ignore responsibility.   Wise minds have always understood that acting irresponsibly has negative consequences. 

Read the preamble to the Constitution.  It has six fundamental intentions that few people on earth would reject.  Everything after the preamble (except a few Amendments) is largely responsible for inflaming most civil discontent.  Too many laws passed with these are unjust.  Our Constitution is a legal system, not a justice system.  Its failure to “establish Justice” explains its failure to ‘insure domestic tranquility” and every other preamble intention.

Inscribed above the entrance to the US Dept. of Justice is “Justice is the great interest of man on earth.   Wherever her temple stands, there is a foundation for social security, general happiness, and the improvement and progress of our race.”

For those of us who have benefited from the status quo of our unjust system, it is hard to imagine the lethal rage of those at the effect of it.  It has been our sustained comforts and the failure of our imagination that has been fueling such discontent with our government and elected officials for decades.  From the Oklahoma City Bombing to the attacks on 9-11.  Real or perceived injustices drive rational minds to consider lethal violence when their fundamental rights have no majority appeal in a flawed or non-existing (international law) justice system. 

The founders insisted on the 2^nd Amendment as a check on any irresponsible government.  The founders also included our capacity to alter the Constitution.  Unfortunately, our dysfunctional two-party democratic system prevents that.

Thomas Ricks, in his book “First Principles” identified the word “virtue” as a core value of the founders.  It was used over 6000 times in the 120,000 archived digitized documents he searched.  Virtue appeared more than “freedom”.  

Abraham Lincoln once wrote that our Declaration of Independence is our “Apple of Gold”.  And our Constitution its ‘frame of silver’.    It is guaranteed that things are going to get worse, a lot worse until our elected officials understand the need to consistently codify federal laws that are consistent with “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God”.  And start swearing an oath to protect these instead of an inherently flawed Constitution.

Once we fully grasp the reality of our global interdependence, the common phrase “US interests” would be replaced by ‘humanities interests’.  Then for the first time in US history, our nation would have a virtuous foreign policy.  And laws that finally reflect every American’s flag pledge of “liberty and justice for all”. 

Chuck Woolery   chuck@igc.org   240-997-2209

315 Dean Dr., Rockville, MD 20851

 

 

Virtue of greater value than freedom!

 

Dear Editor, (not printed in the WTimes as of 10-13-21)

Everett Piper displayed a profound misinterpretation of Dr. Fauci’s comments in Canada (“Small man’s disease...” Op-ed, Washington Times 10-11-21).   If the founding fathers of our great nation read what Mr. Piper wrote, they would laugh.

Anyone reading the quotes of those wise souls would readily grasp the vital importance of individuals being “responsible” with their freedoms -- if they intend to keep them.   In writing his book “First Principles” (an in-depth study Washington, Jefferson, Adams, and Madison’s sources of wisdom) Thomas Ricks’ researched “some 120,000 documents in the U.S. National Archives’ database, Founders Online”. He found the word “virtue” mentioned about “6000 times”.  More often than the word “freedom”! 

In our nation’s revolutionary days the word ‘virtue’ had a different and very powerful meaning.   It was understood as an “essential element of public life” --  good men ”putting the common good before one’s own interests.”  Ricks quoted the historian Joyce Appleby who asserted that virtue was the ‘lynchpin’ of public life – that is, the fastener that held together the structure.”

In this proper context, Mr. Piper lacks a realistic understanding of what it takes to keep Americans in our freedom-loving nation healthy, alive, and united.   This pandemic has already killed more Americans than our last Civil war (which took more American lives than all the wars Americans had fought in since then…combined!)  If Mr. Piper continues his irresponsible rhetoric, his ignorance of biology, history, and reality may be turning this highly lethal rhetorical war into another bloody civil war.  

Off shore illicit funds needed for global security

 

Dear Editor, (10-4-21):  NOT printed in the post.  Not even acknowledged.  

Finally!  The “billions” (and more likely trillions of dollars) stashed in offshore accounts made the Post’s front page!   I write trillions because that was printed in the Post’s “Five myths about Kleptocracy, By Natalie Duffy and Nate Sibley (both researchers at Hudson Institute’s Kleptocracy Initiative) 1-8-2017.   They referred to a 2012 report asserting that at least $32 trillion may be stashed in these anonymous havens by kleptocrats, oligarchs, international crime cartels, violent extremist groups, and rich capitalists avoiding taxes.   https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-kleptocracy/2017/01/04/42b30d72-c78f-11e6-8bee-54e800ef2a63_story.html . 

A later Post news article alleged that US authorities don’t know who owns approximately half of all the US homes valued at over $5 million in our nation’s wealthiest cities.  This anonymity is compliments of the greed of the US real estate industry lobby. 

And if that isn’t enough corruption corroding our nation’s financial system - that corruption also inflames our greatest national security threats (the forces of poverty that fuel hunger, pandemics, wars, environmental destruction, populism, refugee flows, species extinctions, indebtedness, and terrorism. Another news source April 5, 2017 (MARTIN KENNEY: PUT YOUR OWN TAX HAVENS IN ORDER, AMERICA, by Martin Kenney asserted that the U.S. holds 20 percent of the global market for financial services for non-residents with foreign assets of $16.75 trillion (2013), and foreign direct investment of $3 trillion (2014). http://www.fcpablog.com/blog/2017/4/5/martin-kenney-put-your-own-tax-havens-in-order-america.html#sthash.IiaU0HjG.dpufhttp://www.fcpablog.com/blog/2017/4/5/martin-kenney-put-your-own-tax-havens-in-order-america.html

In 2015 the United Nations offered the world a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to achieve by the year 2030, and most nations have agreed to meet them.  These remain a comprehensive and holistic approach intended to address the root causes now driving most of our accelerating threats.  A lack of financial resources is not the problem.  Just the lack of political will and wise foresight to grasp that a “whole of government” approach cannot work against hyper corrupt globalization.   We need a whole of government's effort.  First to freeze these illicit funds. Then seize them and devote what is needed to actually achieve these wise goals.  Is there anything else that could bring our nation or our world together during this increasingly tense and chaotic time?    It is increasingly a self-evident truth that time is not on our side.  The momentum of change around us cannot be stopped with the glacial speed at which our democratic political systems change.  Why do we continue to ignore the warnings?

Freezing and seizing some of the $32 trillion stashed in offshore accounts could go a long way toward meeting the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.. 

 "The accomplice to the crime of corruption is frequently our own indifference" Bess Myerson

Religion's Purpose: On Columbus/Indiginous People's Day

 

Like economics, politics, science, and technology-- religion is a tool.

 

A multi-use tool.   Our mind (also a tool) can use each of these tools for saving lives, improving health, reducing suffering, or bringing life as we know it to an end on this unique planet.

 

Religious beliefs, rituals, and practices have the power to leverage the human mind to control the body in undertaking the noblest of actions - or committing the most horrific atrocities. It is we who decide what our minds will believe.  Choose wisely. Not just on what religion, ethnicity, or culture you were born into.   Heritage is important. But it should not be more important than the sustainable survival and thriving of humankind. 

 

There are an estimated 4,300 religions in the world with new ones being invented each year.  The seven most popular religions represent about 75% of the world’s people.  Christianity alone has an estimated 40,000 variations.  

Each religion has its own variations of beliefs, rituals, and practices.  But the popular religions are each based on a single call to action.  We know this as ‘the Golden Rule” – ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’.

This maxim is found in most religions and cultures for a reason.  It has a sound biological and moral underpinning of empathy, compassion, honesty, kindness, generosity, and trust.  It is linked to justice. 

Thus, justice, the Golden Rule, and the Jesus story of the Good Samaritan all represent a self-evident truth.  A fundamental principle essential for sustainably securing the “Blessings of Liberty for ourselves and our posterity.”

In summary, the primary purpose of religion is to encourage us to be more virtuous.  We don’t need religion or even mediation to do that.  But it can help!  Unfortunately, in today’s world people too often believe that their beliefs are the truth.   A truth they are easily willing to sacrifice their lives for, or the lives of others who believe differently.  It is within this shallow and stubborn mindset that our own greatest and most immediate threat has been created.   It’s not climate change!  It is what our minds have created with science and technology in a world lacking justice.  Both nations, groups, and individuals now have an unprecedented capacity for mass murder.  Combined with economic beliefs that are driven by selfishness that has perpetuated global poverty and continues to trash our environmental infrastructure while ignoring our vital yet crumbling national physical infrastructures that Americans all depend on.

Even before the creation of the atom bomb Albert Einstein wrote “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” Albert Einstein, 1941

Next 4^th of July read the Declaration of Independence and deeply consider the two law sets (the Laws of Nature and Nature's God) that led to the phrase “all men are created equal”.  If you think “men” only mean ‘males’ remember who birthed and protected, you when your survival was most dependent on a female’s breast and loving care. And that males are all missing a fourth of the chromosome that mostly determines one’s sexual attributes.  Not always.  But mostly.  We all possess fundamental God-given rights, to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness – however, we define happiness.

And don’t forget that our founding fathers believed most in the value of virtue (mentioned 6000 times in more than 120,000 documents they exchanged between themselves and others).  More than freedom!  Back then the word virtue was understood as an “essential element of public life”.  It implied good men “putting the common good before one’s own interests.”  Historian Joyce Appleby asserted that virtue was the ‘lynchpin’ of public life – that is, the fastener that held together the structure.”   Religion may be the greatest human path to virtue.  But it is not the only one.

I’ll assert that nothing destroys the respect that many people have for religion…than those who do not practice the Golden Rule.  And most threats humankind faces are exacerbated by that.