The complacency of not thinking; is only surpassed by the dangers.
The stories of people who believe they will retain authority; while giving up responsibility – show how often this myth has been sadly revealed as wishful thinking.
It’s only by accepting the responsibility of thinking; that we can remain free of oppression — and that requires access to everyone’s ideas.
The comfort of intellectual complacency; is only one plot away from the silence of the grave.
You don’t need anyone to tell you the right thing to do – that’s why we need “underwriters” to convince us to do otherwise.
I frequently think of the Moody Blues lyric; “How one thought can live provide the others die” – and how it encapsulates our modern “One Thought” Doctrine: where the action of endlessly “underwriting” one way of thinking; is paired with unceasing attempts to destroy every other.
In Authoritarian governments like ours: Everybody talks about oppression, but nobody does anything about it — not if they know what’s good for them. It’s a Victim’s Fault society; and the victims “put themselves at risk” by being “in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
A strangely disclaiming statement from a government that has gained its power through claiming it can fix everything. But a little “underwriting” can fix that too.
This graphic is like looking across an intersection; towards the policy making documented in “Tompkins County and Tammany Hall.”
The actual survey questions are just as manipulative, although they are crafted more subtly in the Town of Lansing Survey – and the Town’s Comprehensive Plan is demonstrably written by Cornell; through its parts and partisans – and Town authorities did turn their backs on any meaningful participation, review, or approval by the town’s residents.
The violence? Well, there are some rural people who believe I was sprayed with Roundup and poisoned because of my Rural Social Justice activities.
The facts? There is no one in authority left to go to – no one left to trust. That’s a fact.
It happened again. Mr. “Hope-a-dope.” We were told; “You already have my support there” by our County representative; and “You’ll need the signatures of people on the road” – which we did – but when we finished our part: he refused to acknowledge or respond to any of our communications.
We were fools to believe. The only question is whether we were just tricked into wasting time and energy to weaken our resolve — or whether they needed the time to put something over behind the scenes.
Asking for the government’s help in Tompkins County; merely gives advance warning of a problem that needs to be covered up, or a public action that needs to be quashed.
It’s hard to tell whether people don’t attend public hearings because they don’t think that it’s important – or they do know that it’s not important – or they’re just apathetic. But there is one thing that is certain: There is no meaningful public participation in Tompkins County.
While citizens can sign up to speak their opinions for two-minutes; local authorities don’t take two-seconds to reach a decision afterwards. It’s as meaningful a government participation as reading a magazine in a municipal waiting room.
Local governments in Tompkins County treat the opinions of residents like fast food containers – they look for the first place to dispose of them without being seen.
When you read those articles that discuss the advantages and disadvantages of new technology, and the risks inherent in low-probability, high-impact outcomes from emerging technologies: there is one important factor that never seems to be included — the benefit to scientists.
With the prospect of fame, fortune, and the realization of a dream in the balance; these scientists are the last people you can expect to give an impartial and unbiased opinion; and yet they are frequently the decision makers in our “should we risk it” scenario building.
Human nature is not something that only operates outside the boundaries of Science. And the Scientific Method demands that they be allowed to experiment to the end limits of their instrumentality – and beyond. Even if it’s the End of the World — They were the ones who brought it about. Megalomaniacs and Doomsday devices operate all the more freely behind today’s Selfless Science façade.
Not with a bang but a Nobel Prize winning obsession.
“Tompkins County: Creating rural communities where drugs, crime and poverty can thrive.”
“Policy Appropriate” mottos would be a great help in raising public awareness of the ongoing destruction of rural Tompkins County.
It’s not the self-serving evil of Urban Colonialism that sets it apart – it’s the repressiveness of its policies.
And if Cornell isn’t responsible – why is it always at the center of the web?
In a British sit-com – an employee is helped to simulate illness with a bit of soap for his mouth, and an onion to put under his arm. When it doesn’t work; he gives back the onion and is told he should have peeled it first. “You didn’t tell me” he says. “Well it’s common sense ain’t it” he’s told “nobody puts an onion under their arm without peeling it first.” That’s how I feel about Artificial Intelligence.
When my land-line deteriorated into a loud hum and a hash of static; I shouted through the noise to a computer for a service appointment – and then two computer follow-up calls to confirm that I still wanted the appointment – and nobody showed up. So I went through it all again. And again. Then an online “chat” where I was told that all the appointment “tickets” had been somehow erased; received assurances – and nobody showed up. I made more attempts – wasting at least 8 hours in all.
Then one day; the hum and static suddenly stopped – a technician called and said he had fixed a problem that he found on the line – he was never informed of a complaint.
The hum in the line has started up again — should I try to make an appointment?
“It’s nice to have a goal.” I read an article about “Global Warming” influenced weather of 2021 that ended by saying: we have the technologies in place to end our destructive activities – all we need to do is “scale them up.” But isn’t that the whole problem?
We help others – all we need to do is scale it up. We have love – all we need to do is scale it up. We’ve climbed hills – all we need to do is scale it up.
Maybe it would be more practical to scale things down: to scale down hate, and corruption, and greed, and indifference – to have a goal.
“Zero Compassion by 2050” does have one strong point — it’s doable.
“It may be groundbreaking; but is it marketable?” It’s not what you do – but how you market it that’s important. The groundbreaking idea may not be yours; but if you market it quicker, better, or to a wider market – it will become yours in the minds of the many.
On the other hand; an idea that is not marketable is unlikely to get any traction these days – “Responsibility” is the duty that other people have to take care of You; or the accountability they have to You for their actions — the idea that You have to pick up any burdens that are not for your own benefit, or that You have a fault that has not been made by someone or something else; is outmoded and unmarketable.
What used to be Society and Community; has turned into a self-serving “Celebration of Our Lives” paradigm.
When you are perfect; it’s everyone else who must change — maybe that’s why people don’t make those New Year’s Resolutions anymore: there’s no market for humility.