The Myth of the "Rugged Individual" in the USA

Politics in the USA are being dominated by people who like to think of themselves as "Rugged Individuals".  These people have the impression that they are somehow self-sufficient and don't need society in general or the government in particular to impose on them or tell them how to live their lives.  The last thing they would ever admit is that human civilization is akin to a beehive because they prefer to look at themselves as a lone wolf, master of their domain, self-sufficient, free thinking, and reliant on no one else. 

I see this in people who think that living far away from big cities frees them from reliance on civilization and lends them some sort of special status as an independent sovereign because they live on a dirt road 20 miles from the interstate.

I see this in people who fly politically offensive flags or adorn their vehicles with politically charged bumper stickers. They have the impression that their anti-social politics gives them some sort of tough guy persona and aura when they drive down the road or stroll through a crowd.

I'm here to pour some ice water on the 99.999% of the fools who think for some reason that they are rugged individuals instead of just another soft body stooge with an even softer brain.

Do they rely on the energy grid for electricity or natural gas?  Do they have vehicles that need gasoline or diesel fuel?  Do they need to buy food or can they grow their own food or hunt animals on their own land?  Do they make their own weapons, including firearms and ammunition?  Do they rely on any medical prescriptions for their health or mobility?  Do they rely on a municipality to provide clean drinking water and a sewerage system?  Do they drive on public roads?  Do they need air conditioning to survive a sweltering climate?  Do they need our system of law and order to protect them, their homestead and possessions. 

In most every single case, the people who like to think of themselves as independent are actually completely or mostly dependent on the "system" they like to pretend they don't need.  They are typically physically weak and flabby, ill-educated in history and current events, willfully ignorant, greedy, incapable of self sufficiency, incapable of self defense other than to brandish a weapon, and un-religious except for the part where they claim in public to believe in a God so powerful it created the entire universe, but so frail that it needs people to defend them in a courtroom.   

I suppose there might actually be a few true rugged individuals in the USA.  The other millions who think they belong to the elite club are just run of the mill common folk with no special survival skills or abilities who absolutely need the privileges and comforts of modern life but hate to admit it.  The toughest thing they'll ever do is skip a meal.  

This is important because the preamble to US Constitution makes it clear that the law of the land in the USA is meant to serve us a group of people, not as individuals.  When a person parses 235 year old wording in the Constitution to determine what their rights are today as an individual, they should first read the preamble to reacquaint them to why the document was written in the first place.        

  We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

  

         

What I Do and Don't Do to Stay Fit at 56

I made some edits to this post on 11/07/21.  

 As a 56 year old American male who weighs about the same that I did in 9th grade and can fit into the same Levi's, I thought I would make a list of things I do and don't do to stay fit and active.  I'm not saying my methods or habits will work for anyone else, but they work for me.  

First I will point out the totally obvious thing.  Americans typically eat way too much food and there just aren't enough hours in the day to work off the excess calories.  If you want to be fit it has to start with eating right.  The good thing is you can eat any of the foods you like, just not too much or too often.  But you can't go on plowing through super sized meals thinking you can work it off at the gym later.  It doesn't work like that.  

What I DON'T do.  

- I don't eat breakfast.  I might have a spoonful of Greek yogurt, some pecans or a piece of fruit but not for a few hours after I wake up.    

- I don't eat a meal for lunch.  maybe some veggies and nuts.  I do have a weakness for dark chocolate chips, I finish off a whole bag in a couple weeks time by sneaking a few here and there.      

- I don't have a gym membership, go to any gyms or use a treadmill. I have a short daily workout at home.  

- I don't take protein supplements, slim-fast type mixtures or prescription drugs other than antibiotics very occasionally.     

- I don't have different workouts on different days of the week. Its the same routine, 7 days a week.

- I don't ever try to max out to see how much I can lift or squat.  Why risk injury to see how much you can lift?    

- I don't sit much ever.  I have used a stand-up desk at work for years and even now working from home I stand just about all day long.    

- I don't eat or drink things with a lot of sugar.  Sugar is low grade poison. Get it out of your diet as much as possible.  Leftover Halloween candy is my weakness   

-  I don't spend useless hours arguing on Social Media. It's one thing to make a comment or say your peace.  Its quite another to get into long drawn out pointless arguments.

- I don't watch cable news except for occasionally.  Maybe a half- hour spread over a week.  When I do it is for the information,  I am not much interested in the commentary.  

What I DO. 

- I drink large amounts of black coffee starting early and right up to dinner.  About 10-12 cups a day. Yeah I know.     

- I eat a large dinner of real food which may or may not include meat, but only occasionally red meat.   Processed foods are avoided for the most part.  When you only eat one meal a day you can cut loose.  I've found that 1 large meal per day is more satisfying than 3 skimpy meals per day.      

- I walk a lot. 10,000 steps at least and as much of it as possible outside to get fresh air and sunshine. My 12-month rolling average is currently 11,900 steps per day.  

- I complete a 5 minute workout every day that includes 25 reps with a 25 pound weight for arm exercises and squats, 2 minutes of planking, and 10 reps bench pressing 165 pounds. Its a quick but challenging workout, I'd guess maybe 1 of 100 men my age could do it.  But I recover fast and I'm back to whatever I was doing before in no time.  I added a time lapse video below that shows the entire workout in 22 seconds.     

- I donate blood to the Red Cross as often as I can.  For whatever reason I feel more energized in a way after donating blood,  I think the turnover does your body some good.  Anyway, its a good way to get your vitals checked, you get a free Covid-19 antibody test, you get a granola bar and some cheeze-its and oh by the way someone out there needs your donation.  I'll reach 50 units in a couple more months. 

- I avoid eating anything for at least a 12 hour period every day, and try to eat most my food at dinner, around 5 pm. 

- I listen to loud music, play my guitar(s) and sing rock songs (as in belt it out) every day and I have for decades.  Music soothes and exercises the mind even if it is hard rock or techno at 130 bpm and singing forces you to breathe fully in ways that you will never do in normal conversation.  I have no idea why I have still have excellent hearing unlike most of my siblings, but there is no question that I have been exposed to much more loud music and industrial noise than any of them.  I know ears don't develop immunity to loud noises, but there must be some explanation.  

- I watch episodes of the MTV show Ridiculousness as often as possible, binge watching is not unusual. Laughter is the best medicine.  You need a dose everyday and there is nothing else that works for me like this show.  

- I read books.  Long detailed books from different genres. It resets your mind and changes your perspective slightly when you read books. My experience is that people who read books think at a deeper level than people who don't.   

- I sleep well at generally consistent times.  The more you get good sleep, the more you want to make sure you get good sleep. 

- The latest change to my routine is that I jump in the shower as soon as I turn the water on instead of waiting for it to heat up.   I started doing this after a trip to the Upper Peninsula this past Summer when I discovered diving into Lake Superior and how 45 seconds of cold water resets your entire perspective on the day. 

And here is a time lapse video of the quick workout. 

 

  

After a long hiatus from writing, I have a few things to say

These are in no particular order.  This is going to be a scratchpad where I collect my thoughts and try to express them as simply as I can.  I hope you find something that makes you stop and think for a moment. And keep in mind, presenting an idea does not mean I am promoting it. 

Extremists can never admit their strategy is wrong.  When it fails their response is to go further down the same road that has failed so far, resist compromising and never turn back.  If the medicine isn't working, they will keep doubling the dosage until it does.

Its BS to criticize an imperfect reality by holding it up against a Utopian alternative reality that was dreamed up in hindsight.       

You can never kill a conspiracy theory because in the mind of a true believer any evidence that refutes the conspiracy just proves that the secret plot runs even deeper than they originally thought.  

It is mathematically impossible to create sustainable economic growth that relies on limited natural resources.  It seems silly to need to point this out.     

The moment bullying stops working the bully will turn into a victim.  They are two sides of the same coin.  

A thing is only really worth what you will be able to sell it for when you need to sell it.  Hopefully you won't need to sell it when everyone else who owns the same thing needs to sell theirs as well.   

The US dollar is backed by the full faith and credit of the American people.  Our economy is based on our confidence in the economy.  

Sometimes the best way to get an idea to spread is to convince someone else it was their idea.

The most basic and important function of a civilization is educating the young people to take over.

People generally tend to live up to or down to your expectations of them. 

Good ideas spread on their own, bad ideas blame the marketing. 

A poker player who is all-in with a lousy hand has no choice but to bluff.  The same thing goes for a person trapped in their closed mind.

Test the logic by applying extreme examples.  

Once a person is convinced their politics are aligned with the will of God, anyone who disagrees with them isn't just wrong, they're evil as well. This points at the basic reason politics and religion don't mix. Any political compromise becomes a "deal with the devil". 

God doesn't need anyone to defend them in Court and they probably don't really care all that much where humans drew lines and built walls in the dirt. 

It takes a leap of faith either way to be convinced that God does or does not exist.  Logic requires proof before something can be taken as fact and uncertainty is logical without it.       

 

To people who are accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression. 

A pendulum can only stop in the middle.   

You know you are over the target when you start taking flak.

Demagogues used to incite poor people to hate wealthy people.  Now they incite poor people to hate other poor people.              

You cannot be Pro-Life unless you are Pro-Earth.  Eden is an acronym for Need.    

  

Usufruct is a word used in early American history about property ownership that says owning a piece of land makes you the caretaker free to use the land to benefit from its fruits, but not yours to destroy and ruin for future generations.  We should revive this word and concept.  

The writers of the Constitution were so concerned with preventing tyranny by the majority that they  enabled tyranny by the minority instead, which is much worse. Constitutional checks and balances were undermined by the proliferation of sparsely populated States because of their undue influence in the Senate over heavily populated States.  The system of Federalism designed as a compromise between 13 colonies did not scale up well to 50 States with a huge variation in population.

  

Turning Government functions over to private corporations does not provide savings that weren't already available through better management of the operation.  The same ideas to reduce waste can be implemented in public and private companies. Privatization has been primarily driven by politicians looking to undermine public labor unions and steer taxpayer funds toward their political supporters who then reap private profits from public funding.  Free markets are something nice to talk about in theory but a kleptocracy similar to Iran or Russia is the real goal.    

Reducing corporate taxes does not create jobs.  Consumers with money to spend create jobs.  Lower taxes may increase corporate profits but they won't spur hiring or investment in new factories unless there is increased demand for products and services. This is why it doesn't make sense to fund corporate tax breaks by chipping away at their customers' disposable income.  

Religious faith and human reason must coincide because there is only one truth.  

      

You can tell a lot more about a person from who their enemies are than you can tell from who their friends are.      

 

Freedom of religion is logically equivalent to freedom from religion.  "None of the above" has to be one of the boxes a person can check.  

When politicians are allowed to make laws that impose a religion, the people are one election away from a different group of politicians imposing a different religion. 

The Constitution established how the Government functions and how leaders are elected and how laws are made. There is no escape clause that enables insurrection.  The most likely scenario for revolution is that voters will elect leaders whose intent is to burn down our house of democracy from inside.  Attempting to discredit and dismantle the system of Government itself instead of working within its established framework to bring reform is an unforgiveable breach of the oath of office for a Government official.     

 

Leave the campground cleaner than you found it.  Earth is your campground. 

The ones complaining the most about Socialism define it as "Whenever the Government helps someone besides me."  They will go to great lengths explaining why the taxpayer funded programs they benefit from are not actually socialism.   

Some believe that when there is an argument, the truth will only be found in the middle of the opposing viewpoints as if there was a magical balance fairy.    

Not all people who are less than perfect are equally bad.  There are degrees of just how bad. 

A cult is proven when the members who leave are immediately transferred to the top of the shit list. 

        

Practice does not make perfect if you are doing it wrong.

Just because you don't see the pattern yet doesn't make it random.    

Quite often the more complex and difficult a problem seems, the simpler its solution will eventually be, you just haven't had the moment of inspiration to look at the same problem from another angle.  When a persistent problem seems to magically disappear it could be someone who figured out the cause and was too embarrassed to admit it took them so long to figure it out.    

The more you learn the more you will realize how little you know.  The same thing applies in reverse.   

It is not enough just to have a destination in mind, you need to formulate some sort of plan how to get from here to there. 

By the time you hear  "To make a long story short.." its usually too late for that.    

Pay attention in math class.  Life is a series of one story problem after another.  

 

The right to vote should be granted at age 16 when young people have to start paying payroll and income taxes.  No taxation without representation!      

When gun rights activists claim there is no point in new gun control legislation because criminals will just ignore the law anyways, they are making the case that all laws are pointless.  Why have speed limits?  Drivers will speed anyway.  Why have laws against robbing banks? Crooks will rob banks anyways.     

The final shape of a stack of cannonballs was determined by the bottom layer.    

It is hypocritical for politicians to promote the skilled construction trades as a viable career opportunity for young people and at the same time work to destroy labor unions and collective bargaining rights that brought living wages and safe working conditions to these occupations.            

A person cannot claim that evolution is nonsense unless they also claim that using DNA evidence in a court of law is nonsense.  It is the same science.  

"Do not put the Lord your God to the test." appears in both the Old Testament and the New Testament yet many seem to view God as a benevolent superhero will protect them from their own bad choices as long as they pray hard enough before making them.     

Overlooked in all the polarized rhetoric about reproductive rights is the message in a 1994 speech given by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, (now Saint Teresa of Calcutta) in Washington DC to a room full of American political leaders to whom she spoke boldly on the topic of abortion, including how to convince pregnant women who are considering an abortion to decide against it,  Saint Teresa said  "As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts".  She called persuasion not coercion, for charity and love not for political agendas, for us to reach out, not for us to judge and condemn.  I can't think of another time God sent a future Saint to address our political leaders in Washington DC, and I can't imagine why so few actually listened to her.  

              

Climate denial is the easy alternative to looking at children and grandchildren in the eyes and admitting you really don't care what kind of planet they will inherit.  Its all fun-and-games political theatre for loudmouth climate denying gasbags until you make it personal.     

Beware of arguments that rely on anecdotes. There is always an anecdote out there to support any idea or proposal even when there is overwhelming evidence against it.   

Replacing carbon based fuels with renewable energy will create economic growth and not hinder it.  Reducing the demand for carbon based fuels will contribute to excess supply and lead to downward pressure on market prices for oil and gas, leaving consumers more disposable income for other things.  Renewable energy is technology and technology becomes more affordable over time. The green agenda is worthwhile just for the economic growth it will bring. Saving the planet is the added bonus.

  

Its easier to get someone to believe a lie than it is to convince them they've been lied to.  

No organization is immune from having some percentage of people of poor character within their ranks who should be removed before they tarnish the reputation or create financial liability for the entire organization. Respecting law and order does not mean blind loyalty to anyone who carries a badge regardless of their actions and conduct.  The system of law and order needs protection from attacks either from outside or from within.    

            

There is nothing patriotic about cheating on your taxes and sticking future generations with the bills for benefits and services you received. 

People tend to be afraid of what they hate and really afraid of what they really hate. When someone  defends a preemptive attack out of fear, there is a strong chance hate was the real driving factor.     

You can't change a person's mind.  The most you can do is plant a seed of doubt and wait.

A scientist seeks out facts and data in order to arrive at a conclusion.  A politician starts at a conclusion and then seeks out information to help support it.   

It takes an occasional shitty day to help you appreciate the mediocre ones. 

If you emerge from a brainstorming session with a to-do list for someone else you are doing it wrong.

The worst of humanity and the internet can be found in the reader comments section below the news stories.  Carnival barkers with CAPS LOCK keys.  Just stop supporting this idiocy please. It is like handing out sharpie pens in public restrooms.         

The bias is proven by what was left out of the story.  No media outlet has a duty to report every single fact or piece of information on a story they are covering.  Read from a variety of sources and you can  see for yourself who leaves out what details. 

Nothing says you are filled with fear than a need to carry around a loaded firearm so you can kill anything that poses a threat when you leave your bunker to get toilet paper at the dollar store. 

Its not the responsibility of a person who knows a subject very well to spend time educating those who are wholly and willfully ignorant on a subject but are compelled to debate anyway.    

Anyone who concludes the Gospels are a call for God's people to coordinate with political leaders and employ the legal system to promote their religion must have skipped the part about how Jesus died.      

Before you parse the wording and punctuation in the Constitution attempting to divine the writers' true original intent, read the Preamble and note the phrases "insure domestic tranquility" and "promote the general welfare".  If a long, twisted interpretation of the Constitution promotes domestic upheaval and societal chaos or an economic system in which the masses are permanently indentured to a ruling class, the interpretation is nonsense because it doesn't even pass the sniff test of the Preamble.   

The number one rule in Liars Club: As long as the guy up front pretends to believe all the lies he is telling, everyone else will pretend to believe all the lies they are hearing.  

Lots more where these came from.. This will take a while. -Jim

Cinco de Mayo in Southwest Detroit..

While most white people were celebrating Cinco de Mayo by sipping on a strawberry margarita at some lame Mexican Restuarant at the local strip mall served by a guy named Chad who was wearing a dollar store sombrero and sporting a fake mustache I was hanging out in SW Detroit with my friends totally absorbing the craziness surrounding me ....  ( No one was hurt in the filming of this video although some guy did crash and tumble into a table full of empty bottles at the end if you watch close.. lol.  ) 

SW Detroit Backyard Cinco de Mayo Punk Rock Mosh Pit

Detroit July 2017 random pics

Just a few pictures from a weekend around Detroit.

La Posada on Springwells near Vernor.  Grocery plus Taquiera.  Amazing food

Parson and asada versions of quesadilla and taco are awesome. The green pepper sauce should come in gallon jugs  

This is just a small sample of  the wide variety of fresh baked goods at Sheila's on Springwells near Vernor. This is where you go in Detroit for the real deal Tres Leches cake

Heidelberg project so weird its funny in a pretentious creepy way.

More Heidelberg project American Pickers would buy this car as-is.

More Heidelberg project. IDK what to say about this

Pipe organ at Sweetest heart of Mary Cathedral, perhaps the most awe inspiring building in the city. 

Beacon Park Grand Opening Detroit gets new green space where everyone can wonder what was here before? 

Taqueria El Rey notice the attached Bud Light shed/kitchen. Go here to eat. Soon. 

Shrimp tostada, asada taco, parson quesadilla. Its all delish and 100% legit, you will feel like you are in the coolest dive taquieria in the world because you are.

Evangelical Fundamentalism and Catholic Integralism in the USA

Al Norte by Ricardo Naipes recorded in Southwest Detroit.

I know a little about this song and video. A friend of mine who knows Ricardo and played one of the guitar tracks on the song introduced me to this song a few weeks ago and told me a bit about the lyrics that are in Spanish if you haven't figured that out yet.  

The song is about the heartbreak of leaving your family behind in Mexico who sacrificed so you could risk everything in the desert to come to the North to try to make a better life, but how the people there treat you without honor and squash your efforts but you have to persevere to make some happiness.   

I grew up in Lincoln Park, Michigan about 10 miles away from where this video was made in Southwest Detroit.  I have to admit before I saw this video and heard what the song was about I never really thought much about how the Mexicans who made their way into the USA and Al Norte to Detroit as undocumented people to find work and somehow build a better life might actually regret leaving their family behind in Mexico, but duh.  of course anyone would.

Anyhow, I have spent a good deal of my free time the last couple weeks learning the song in Spanish. I hope to get a chance to belt this one out with my band sometime in the next few months if for no reason than to make people wonder why an old white guy would do that.  Enjoy the song, video and lyrics. And keep in mind Ricardo made this song before the rise of Trump as a politician.    

Sálvate del calor los cerros y el dolor pa' librar la pobreza y pa' vivir mejor. Te tratan sin valor Y critican tu voz Todos somos esclavos y aguantar es tu obligación. Vienes dejando atrás un hogar, el amor de una familia que todo te dobrigo y poder trabajar y sonar en un mundo algo mejor. Y preguntas porque vivo arriesgándome una razón se convertirían en mil, no hay respuestas, solo llantos porque al norte llegue a medio vivir. Pasas hambre y ardor sin comunicación pisotean tus esfuerzos y el llorar no es la solución. Es difícil pensar con tu familia atrás sin poder hacer nada si no estás allá tenemos que luchar por ganar algo de felicidad. y preguntas porque vivo arriesgándome una razón se convertirían en mil no hay respuestas, solo llantos porque al norte llegue a medio vivir. porque vivo arriesgándome una razón se convertirían en mi no hay respuestas, solo llantos porque al norte llegue a medio vivir.