Sojka's Call

Let me start out saying I am not sure this blog title is a correct label for the discussion.  The readers of this blog have had many off-blog discussion threads lately about a cross-section of hot topics e.g. AGW, health care, social security, US deficit, Tea Party, etc.  Those discussions have taken the typical left-right, point-counterpoint, data vs emotion form of argument most of the time.  Very seldom is anyone's mind actually changed by the discussions in spite of each persons conviction in their "rightness" and no matter what manner of convincing argument or data set they present. In a previous post Sojka's Call: Democracy vs States Rights we discussed Spiral Dynamics and its relation to the current discussion.  A video of Wilbur was recently posted on a subject called Divine Pride.  Check the link to read the introduction and watch.  While I am having a little problem with his use of the term pride, I believe the concept he discusses is valid....

I am reposting this Tom Coumans article from the Daily Reckoning. The new war??? 1914 All Over Again? By Ton Coumans I am not one for art, statues or monuments. Most of these objects fail to touch me but every now and then I bump into something that sticks in my mind. Last summer I was drawn to the monument in the picture below, which stands on a square in Nevers - a beautiful city on the river Loire in France. I spent quite a long time studying it and I eventually took some pictures that, for some reason, I regularly review at home.                                                             WWI Statue in France You will have recognized that this is a monument commemorating the tribulati...

In some personal discussion threads about the Tea Party and US government corruption and the current military entanglements we find ourselves in my personal philosophy of the proper role of government has been severely questioned by my friends and myself. In thinking about this problem and reading up on history of our founding fathers and their intent as codified in the Constitution, various economic theories, and using must plain common sense many things are starting to become clear. My whole philosophy of what gov't should/shouldn't be is evolving radically right now. I have realized that as long as massive money and resources are concentrated for use by an entity (US Gov't in this case) it will be misused. 1. Our military is being misused. 2. Our treasury is being misused. If they are radically smaller than they are today the level of possible misuse is reduced the same. What does that mean? - a radically smaller military that is not capable of foreign inte...

 This article details the involvement of the Koch Brothers with the Tea Party. It is a long and very worth your time and effort to read and digest.  If you want to understand the Tea Party, where it came from, and how it is funded read this entire article.  There are some key names in here that show up over time.  Remember them and when you read other articles in the future make the connections.  Personally, I have mixed feelings about the Tea Party, the Koch brothers and the agenda being pushed.  I embrace many Libertarian values and much of their agenda.  However, we should all understand where the messages are coming from, who is crafting them, their goals, and who is ultimately behind these seemingly disparate groups that are tied together in many complex and interesting ways.  Strongly recommended use of your time to read and understand.  The billionaire Koch brothers’ war against Obama: newyorker.com

Al Fin: Bringing Up Children Who Can Deal With Risk

And, now this to worry about. I guess even your solar panels would be useless because they would fry. Al Fin: Electronic Armageddon on National Geographic Tuesday Night

Your health is put at higher risk through GMO's due to lectins. What are lectins? They are a plants' natural defense mechanism preventing over consumption by pests be they animal or insect. Grains and legumes are the best examples of plants with naturally higher amounts. That is why so many people have digestive issues with those foods and any food prep involving soaking, fermentation, and sprouting help lessen the lectins you consume. Oh, and you raw food folks - guess what? Cooking reduces lectins too. Now we find out that part of the process used to make GMO plants less desirable by insects are making them less digestible by humans. Companies that modify plant genetics increase the amount of lectins for pest control. There is an article at Mark Sisson's blog that goes into greater detail if you interested.