Earlier this year I exchanged some e-mails with an Anthropology professor at the University of Toronto who blames some of the ills of the world on Capitalism. Bogus, just a way of transitioning blame from greedy assholes to some ideological concept.
Humans are sociobiological animals. A guy named E.O. Wilson developed his theories on sociobiology while studying insects and then applied that theory to mammals, including primates, humans.
Many mammals exist in social groups with a rather flat hierarchy where an "alpha" pair controls the most desirable resources, generally some kind of food. The communities tend be very small and all of the members interact together.
Humans form smaller communities, churches, families, businesses, villages, etc, and as those communities grow and grow the social hierarchies become more and more rigid and more and more stratified.
Capitalism is a way for us to continue that sociobiological need for social hierarchy where "alpha" members accumulate the most desirable resources. In some communities those resources are skills, mental or physical, power or charisma, the ability to convince others to do what one wants, knowledge, memory. The lowest common denominator is money and that ends up being the most desirable resource among the largest portion of the community.
Money often follows charisma, not always, but often.
So, capitalism exists as the primary economic system because it allows humans to support their sociobiological predisposition to establish social hierarchies where alpha members can accumulate desirable resources.
We would need to have a different "lowest common denominator" to establish a different economic/sociobiological social hierarchy based on something other than capitalism.
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Why the wall of separation between church and state is stupid
Separation of Church and States was incorporated into U.S. policy primarily because of religious
discrimination is the 1878 Reynolds decision which incorporated the phrase, "separation of church and state" into public awareness.
Reynolds was a Mormon from Utah who had married more than one wife. Reynolds argued that the First Amendment protections regarding religious freedom allowed him to marry more than one wife. At the time there was a great deal of concern that, like most original States of the Union, Utah would adopt a State Sponsored Religion, Mormonism. Massachusetts was the last of the original thirteen States to stop sponsoring a religion in 1833. At the time of Federal Constitutional ratification most of the States had State sponsored religions.
In order to suppress the possibility of Mormonism becoming a State sponsored religion in Utah, the Justices used circular logic and poor supporting arguments in their opinion.
First, SCOTUS used a law, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" to make a law, "states can't establish a religion" that they were specifically forbidden from making.
Further, SCOTUS used writings of Thomas Jefferson, an individual who was not involved in the writing of the Federal Constitution, concerning the Virgina State Constitution and a personal opinions of Thomas Jefferson written in a personal letter to the Danbury Baptist Association.
Unfortunately, this support means little to nothing for two reasons. The first is that Jefferson was not involved in the Constitutional Debates recorded in the Federalist Papers. The second is that the framers of the constitution wrote the First Amendment while the States they represented had State sponsored Religions and those States, Including Virginia, had State sponsored religions at the time of ratification of the Federal Constitution. We can assume, based on the lack of immediate response by the Federal Government in forcing States to cease religious sponsorship that there was no intent to prevent States from sponsoring religions. All of the original States did eventually write religious freedom clauses into their State Constitutions, and it is by these State constitutions that State sponsored religion is forbidden.
The Reynolds decision violates the Federal Constitution in two ways. First, it employs circular logic and poor support to subvert the intentions of the First Amendment. Second, it takes a power specifically reserved for the individual States unto the Federal government, violating the Tenth Amendment.
This was done specifically to prevent Utah from establishing Mormonism as a State sponsored religion and as such the decision violates the intentions of the founding fathers to establish a nation of religious freedoms.
I won't address whether I think this decision is morally right or wrong. My only point is that this is illogical, illegal and deliberately discriminatory and firmly establishes the influence religious beliefs, both discriminatory religious beliefs and favorable bias.
Reynolds was a Mormon from Utah who had married more than one wife. Reynolds argued that the First Amendment protections regarding religious freedom allowed him to marry more than one wife. At the time there was a great deal of concern that, like most original States of the Union, Utah would adopt a State Sponsored Religion, Mormonism. Massachusetts was the last of the original thirteen States to stop sponsoring a religion in 1833. At the time of Federal Constitutional ratification most of the States had State sponsored religions.
In order to suppress the possibility of Mormonism becoming a State sponsored religion in Utah, the Justices used circular logic and poor supporting arguments in their opinion.
First, SCOTUS used a law, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion" to make a law, "states can't establish a religion" that they were specifically forbidden from making.
Further, SCOTUS used writings of Thomas Jefferson, an individual who was not involved in the writing of the Federal Constitution, concerning the Virgina State Constitution and a personal opinions of Thomas Jefferson written in a personal letter to the Danbury Baptist Association.
Unfortunately, this support means little to nothing for two reasons. The first is that Jefferson was not involved in the Constitutional Debates recorded in the Federalist Papers. The second is that the framers of the constitution wrote the First Amendment while the States they represented had State sponsored Religions and those States, Including Virginia, had State sponsored religions at the time of ratification of the Federal Constitution. We can assume, based on the lack of immediate response by the Federal Government in forcing States to cease religious sponsorship that there was no intent to prevent States from sponsoring religions. All of the original States did eventually write religious freedom clauses into their State Constitutions, and it is by these State constitutions that State sponsored religion is forbidden.
The Reynolds decision violates the Federal Constitution in two ways. First, it employs circular logic and poor support to subvert the intentions of the First Amendment. Second, it takes a power specifically reserved for the individual States unto the Federal government, violating the Tenth Amendment.
This was done specifically to prevent Utah from establishing Mormonism as a State sponsored religion and as such the decision violates the intentions of the founding fathers to establish a nation of religious freedoms.
I won't address whether I think this decision is morally right or wrong. My only point is that this is illogical, illegal and deliberately discriminatory and firmly establishes the influence religious beliefs, both discriminatory religious beliefs and favorable bias.
Faster than light travel
I've been writing a story about faster than light travel and trying to stay within the boundaries of what Einstein's worshipers believe is possible.
There are three basic parts of the system:
The first is a long range scanner capable of detecting even tiny space debris traveling at speed.
The second is a camera system which records star positions and identifies them using spectroscopy. This allows the ship to maintain a record of its position relative to a location. This becomes tricky, more on that later.
The third is a "wormhole" projector. Yeah, I know, this sounds kind of wacky. Essentially the ship projects a wormhole that allows it to travel as far as the scanner system can see in an instant. Lets say 1,000,000 kilometers or 600,000 miles.
Once the ship makes a jump the scanners identify the exact position based on relative position of the stars. The reason this is tricky is that traveling 600,000 miles creates a slight difference in the way we see things.
At 100 meters, a one degree variation results in about 25mm of variation. A kilometer, 250mm of variation. 10 kilometers, 2500 or 2.5 meters. 10,00,000 is 250,000 meters. Precision becomes very important in relative location, and after jumping what is, essentially, 3 light seconds, everything moves.
While the rear scanners are locating the ship precisely, the forward scanners are scanning for any space debris that could cause problems. If the space is clear, another worm hole is projected and the ship jumps.
The velocity of the ship is based on the time it takes to calculate and the range of the mass scanners. The faster the processing, the further the scanning range, the faster the velocity. 3 seconds scanning at about 1 million kilometers is light speed. 1 second at 1M is 3xL.S. .1 second is 30xL.S.
Anyhow, still working on it.
There are three basic parts of the system:
The first is a long range scanner capable of detecting even tiny space debris traveling at speed.
The second is a camera system which records star positions and identifies them using spectroscopy. This allows the ship to maintain a record of its position relative to a location. This becomes tricky, more on that later.
The third is a "wormhole" projector. Yeah, I know, this sounds kind of wacky. Essentially the ship projects a wormhole that allows it to travel as far as the scanner system can see in an instant. Lets say 1,000,000 kilometers or 600,000 miles.
Once the ship makes a jump the scanners identify the exact position based on relative position of the stars. The reason this is tricky is that traveling 600,000 miles creates a slight difference in the way we see things.
At 100 meters, a one degree variation results in about 25mm of variation. A kilometer, 250mm of variation. 10 kilometers, 2500 or 2.5 meters. 10,00,000 is 250,000 meters. Precision becomes very important in relative location, and after jumping what is, essentially, 3 light seconds, everything moves.
While the rear scanners are locating the ship precisely, the forward scanners are scanning for any space debris that could cause problems. If the space is clear, another worm hole is projected and the ship jumps.
The velocity of the ship is based on the time it takes to calculate and the range of the mass scanners. The faster the processing, the further the scanning range, the faster the velocity. 3 seconds scanning at about 1 million kilometers is light speed. 1 second at 1M is 3xL.S. .1 second is 30xL.S.
Anyhow, still working on it.
Getting rid of a body
I was writing a short story about a guy who kills people in the Detroit area, generally for the mob, but, realistically for just about anyone. I write stories, I don't submit them anywhere, I guess you could say that I'm still practicing. I am going to get rid of a body. I came up with a couple of different ways.
First, wrap the body tight in galvanized chain link fencing. Perforate the body using an icepick. Attach three 5 gallon buckets filled with cement and dump it in at least 50 feet of water.
Second, cut the body up into several pieces. Wrap each piece in galvanized wire mesh, "chicken wire". Attach an anchor to each piece and spread them out in water at least 25ft deep, dumping a piece every five minutes while running the boat about as fast as it can.
Third, dig a hole about ten feet deep in the middle of a narrow, 20ft long trench about six feet deep. Put the body in it. Fill the hole in about four feet. Drop a 20 foot long piece of steel pipe with a welded connector in the middle. Refill the trench.
Fourth, pretty much the same as three except bury a large dog above the body.
Fifth, power wash the body with a 1:25 bleach solution. Wrap it in plastic and dump it in a dumpster.
There is always the "feed it to pigs" solution. I thought about that, making the perpetrator a pig farmer with a butcher shop, all sealed cement and tile with a large table and a large, sealed, band saw. During deer season he butchers deer for local hunters. Huge walk in freezer, smoke house, etc. He also buys cos at auction and butchers them.
I thought about a butcher in a city, but, that sounds too much like the Soprano's.
If the guy was a pig farmer and a butcher he would have a reason for a pickup with a freezer in the back to deliver meat. Maybe a false bottom with a winch under it, to drag the body into the freezer.
When I start dealing with boats it becomes more complex, I know, writers always make it seem like this stuff is easy, but, I'm a little too obsessive compulsive for that. Details.
If the guy had a freezer truck and a commercial fishing boat, the freezer truck makes sense. Things just seem complicated at that point.
I kind of liked the idea of a plastic wrapped area for dismemberment, but, I think a cordless sawzall would work better than knives. Completely disassemble the device after use and wash with a hot bleach solution. Completely dry and reassemble. Why people think things can't be disassembled and cleaned is beyond me. Sure, there are some things that can't be disassembled, but, by and large, everything can be disassembled and cleaned.
The plastic and disposable coveralls, etc, would make a rather large package for disposal. Maybe an incinerator with a scrubber system? Maybe even having the emissions bubbled through water? Maybe the pig farmer could have an external boiler system that uses dual fuel technology, biomass (wood chips) and natural gas? The water bubbler scrubber (aeration) could be a carbon sequestration system to minimize the carbon footprint of the heating system.
The water could be used for irrigation of apple trees.....which would generally be used to feed the pigs.
Still working out the details....
First, wrap the body tight in galvanized chain link fencing. Perforate the body using an icepick. Attach three 5 gallon buckets filled with cement and dump it in at least 50 feet of water.
Second, cut the body up into several pieces. Wrap each piece in galvanized wire mesh, "chicken wire". Attach an anchor to each piece and spread them out in water at least 25ft deep, dumping a piece every five minutes while running the boat about as fast as it can.
Third, dig a hole about ten feet deep in the middle of a narrow, 20ft long trench about six feet deep. Put the body in it. Fill the hole in about four feet. Drop a 20 foot long piece of steel pipe with a welded connector in the middle. Refill the trench.
Fourth, pretty much the same as three except bury a large dog above the body.
Fifth, power wash the body with a 1:25 bleach solution. Wrap it in plastic and dump it in a dumpster.
There is always the "feed it to pigs" solution. I thought about that, making the perpetrator a pig farmer with a butcher shop, all sealed cement and tile with a large table and a large, sealed, band saw. During deer season he butchers deer for local hunters. Huge walk in freezer, smoke house, etc. He also buys cos at auction and butchers them.
I thought about a butcher in a city, but, that sounds too much like the Soprano's.
If the guy was a pig farmer and a butcher he would have a reason for a pickup with a freezer in the back to deliver meat. Maybe a false bottom with a winch under it, to drag the body into the freezer.
When I start dealing with boats it becomes more complex, I know, writers always make it seem like this stuff is easy, but, I'm a little too obsessive compulsive for that. Details.
If the guy had a freezer truck and a commercial fishing boat, the freezer truck makes sense. Things just seem complicated at that point.
I kind of liked the idea of a plastic wrapped area for dismemberment, but, I think a cordless sawzall would work better than knives. Completely disassemble the device after use and wash with a hot bleach solution. Completely dry and reassemble. Why people think things can't be disassembled and cleaned is beyond me. Sure, there are some things that can't be disassembled, but, by and large, everything can be disassembled and cleaned.
The plastic and disposable coveralls, etc, would make a rather large package for disposal. Maybe an incinerator with a scrubber system? Maybe even having the emissions bubbled through water? Maybe the pig farmer could have an external boiler system that uses dual fuel technology, biomass (wood chips) and natural gas? The water bubbler scrubber (aeration) could be a carbon sequestration system to minimize the carbon footprint of the heating system.
The water could be used for irrigation of apple trees.....which would generally be used to feed the pigs.
Still working out the details....
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