Is There an Answer for the Problem of Racist Police Officers?

African Americans are most likely correct in their acertation that racism is common, even among the police.  The system is in fact in need of change, and that starts with changing the attitudes of citizens to respect public officials.

The needed changes are deeper than simple racism.  This is an issue that goes straight to the core of ethical values necessary for the functional living of American citizens.  Too often teens and even children have fallen into prejudice against the police as a direct consequence of tolerance for hip hop culture.  Hip hop culture attitude tact is a great offender because it does not tolerate ways that will ever result in respect for police officers, but instead degrades the fabric of society for what rappers see as truth.  I remember the songs from grade school, like "Fuck the Police," by N.W.A. or 911 is a joke by Public Enemy.  Those types of attitudes improve nothing.  Contrarily, they ruin the idea of respect crucial for a positive perspective among youth for police.

For there to be improvement, hip hop culture must change its attitude toward police by viewing officers who work such jobs as of caliber as most of us view doctors.  We as Americans need better leadership that fosters respect among our youth.

We all know what sells, so people sell it.  That is capitalism in a nutshell.  I suggest making capitalism smarter through censorship.  If the USA is to get beyond racism, we need to stop selling millions of dollars and copies of anti-law enforcement media paraphernalia led largely by African Americans to our young and impressionable children.

In order to improve our condition, merely rioting, protesting, and/or complaining is not going to cut it.  It will take legislation, and giving up some freedom through permission of censorship.  The situation with the police will not get better unless we as a society act to make the job of being a police officer a more respectable position.  What I mean is rather than protesting or rioting against the police or the criminal justice system, we should be encouraging and fostering respect of public officials, such that respectable people will find these jobs honorable.                                    

 This was inspired by this CNN news alert: 

There is a startling racial divide in America between how whites and nonwhites view police and the criminal justice system, according to a CNN / ORC poll released today. 

More than half of white Americans - 57% - think none or almost none of the police in their area are prejudiced against blacks. Just one quarter of nonwhite Americans feel the same way.

The survey, which was mostly conducted before the shooting of NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos in New York on Saturday, found similar results on perceptions of the justice system as a whole. While 41% of Americans say the criminal justice system treats blacks fairly, far more whites - 50% - see equity. Among nonwhites, that figure drops to just 21%. Two-thirds of nonwhites said that the criminal justice system favors whites over blacks.

Please Give Immigrants Citizenship, Suffrage, Living Wage and Healthcare

The way some of us, especially Republicans, are treating and want to treat immigrants harkens back to the days when slavery was legal in the USA. Immigrants today do the same work back breaking work that slaves once did, and though it needs to be done, harvesters deserve sufficient compensation, such as healthcare.
It is time to stop taking advantage of immigrants, so that we stop creating another social caste. I would never support the denial of education, and/or food, to anybody. I would also like to facilitate immigrants gain of citizenship and suffrage.

Letter to Congress about Renewable Energy

Dear Representative Bill Keating,


Thanks for responding. Our state should focus on tidal energy instead of wind energy. Tidal energy has the potential to provide far more energy than wind energy. Just as we have wind turbines, so to could we have tidal turbines underwater cranking from the ebb and flow of the tides, producing massive amounts of power. If we used screening/netting to keep them out, this would not endanger creatures such as marine mammals and fish.


Sincerely,

Craig Hamilton

On Fracking, Freemarkets & Environmental Danger: A Letter

We only get one planet.  It is up to us, as humans, the one species that has both done the most ecological damage, but is also capable of better stewardship, to take care of it.

Please, I implore Congress that fracking is not in our best interest.  Fracking is damaging to the environment.  It is not just peoples' imaginations getting the best of them.  The future is in renewable energy.  That is where we should put our money.

There is no amount of regulation that can make fracking safe!  It is time to stop this practice.

What good is free market capitalism if it precludes our ability to enjoy the grandeur of the environment?

God bless,

Craig Hamilton

Senator McCain, The Playground, and The CIA's Use of Torture

The belief that ‘boys will be boys’ is exceedingly dangerous in adults. It is an attitude that starts in childhood, and that if it goes uncorrected, it is very dangerous, such as what we have here. It is time we taught our children how to play, rather than let them engage by themselves without guidance. This is a preventative measure.

My wife is going to pull my son out of public school in favor of homeschooling for precisely this reason; that the playground is going unfettered. Children might have the imagination required for play, but too often guardians have made excuses for boys dangerously saying, “Boys will be boys.” Without correction, that attitude is sometimes carried into adulthood, and I think that is what happened here.

The Higgs Boson or God or Both?

Scientists have discovered - evolution explains our origins, gravity explains why apples drop, solubility explains salt water and so on. Yet, scientists can't explain why particles exist. Science tells us about the Higgs boson, which some people call the "God particle," but why does there need to be this particle? There are answers to that question, but what about this one: why is there existence in the first place? Science can often tell us about the cosmos, and science may even say, "There is a cosmos because there is a Higgs boson," but why does the cosmos require the Higgs boson? The faithful say; it was G-d, yet under scrutiny the answers of science, religion, and history are full of empty answers. For instance, the faithful can't tell us why is there Gd in the first place. In all disciplines, one "why?" leads to another "why?" ad infinitum until we are forced to contemplate the absurdities of this world, such as why Hashem gave the Jews Torah, or why Allah gave Muslims a Qu'ran, etc.

Preventing Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Through Rehab for Would Be Mothers

Any pregnant mother; especially one that has had a difficult time staying away from the booze bottle or drugs should be entitled to check into a rehab for an extended stay, no questions asked, in order to prevent her unborn child from developing lifelong ailments associable with drinking and drugging during pregnancy.  Not only do we need to prevent crack babies, but there is a huge cost from would be mothers who don’t act responsibly.  We need to be responsible as a society to raise children, and that means allowing a complete full term stay at a rehabilitation center, for any mother that suffers from addiction.

Facebook - Sharing Gmail Emails

Google and Facebook should team up and make it possible to share emails on one's Facebook wall.  In fact, it should be more than only Gmail and Facebook allowing cross-platform sharing.  Facebook should to team up with all of the most popular email related companies, like HotMail (Outlook.com), Aol Mail, Yahoo! Mail, and Gmail, and make it possible to share anything from anywhere.

Wal-Mart and Getting Beyond Money in Economics

I don't wish to trade numbers on Wal-Mart. In my head, I believe Wal-Mart has too much money, and it is also in my head that it is important to redistribute that money. What we have here is an issue of money plumbing. The pipe leading from Wal-Mart executives out to the real world is clogged. It is time to get the plumber. Believing that money isn’t always in the right hands should be no more difficult than the unfortunate occurrence of a drain clogging.

The issue of unclogging the money drain is to make the economy fit reality. In reality, Wal-Mart has more than its fair share of money, and consequently Wal-Mart executives are not permitted to spend their money by Hashem. Sure they can admire their bank accounts, but Hashem forbids that they spend.

Some suggest that the reason executives don’t spend is due to confidence. They suggest that nervousness or uncertainty is the monkey wrench in the economic machine – imagine that billionaires more uncertain that folks making minimum wage - but their ability to spend has very little to do with confidence, especially in comparison to karma. If Wal-Mart had better karma, then they would be able to spend more of their money.

We need to take the money out of Wal-Mart's hands and do something constructive with it rather than waiting the rest of our lives for Wal-Mart to get some "confidence." Perhaps, the most important thing that we could do with this money is tackle the debt and deficit. We could also use the money to build infrastructure. Therefore, I do not suggest just handing it out to the poor at random though there should likely be some of that too.

Economics and money are 2 separate things. I looked it up in my Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary and found that money was nowhere to be found in the definition of economics.

To believe that one will die without money is a popular lie. It is true that some people may die without money, but it is important to know that money isn’t life sustaining in the way that Gd creates this universe to be sustaining. You could live a wonderful life and have no money because money isn’t always the way of acquiring more stuff. It is only true that if money is demanded by you, then your experience will reciprocate that. If you demand money from others, especially those deserving and who do not have money, then money will be demanded of you at a time when you don’t have the benefit of money.

Belief that money is the solution, and that money is more important than hard work, is as the snake in the Garden of Eden telling us that if we only believe provision comes from money (and not Gd), then we will surly die for lack of money. The snake tries to trick us into selling our labor at a cost. However, I suggest working hard, and hoping in Hashem that everything will take care of itself and goodness will arise from this hard work.

I am not saying that all money is a bad thing. Money may certainly be a powerful and useful tool for good, especially in trade. However, I don't equate increasing money to increasing gain. For instance, I do believe wellness and hard work go together. I don't believe hard work, or even any work results in increased cash flow or that money equates to personal wellness. For me it is all about being well.



Historically, since capitalism has become prominent, the state of the world has drastically improved. This has led many to attribute capitalism to wellness. However, it is not just money that has improved. The world is radically different now from how it used to be, and that may be attributed to various forms of technology as well. However, money is as the training wheels of a bicycle. Sooner or later, the training wheels should come off. And then, once they do it is my hope that it doesn’t result in poverty or increased laziness. On the contrary my goal is that people work hard because working hard is rewarding.

Be Suspicious Muscle Building Promises That Work

I am highly suspicious of these sorts of products. I won’t deny their power to morph regular peoples’ bodies into mega-muscle machines. However, I am skeptical about the long term effects. These products aren’t creating natural looking bodies. Granted, there is an obesity epidemic in 1st world nations. However, I must question if men are really intended to look like this.
If having one of these supposed ideal bodies is healthy, how do we explain this:

"One-Third Of WrestleMania VI Competitors Now Dead"

That's 1 in every 3 wrestlers in only 14 years!!!

Facebook Complaint Causes Need for Major Overhaul

Good grief! When will Facebook allow multiple channels so we don't have to miss out on what we like? I want to be able to toggle between animals, music, politics, etc.  Sometimes I might want to shuffle or randomize my channels.  This is not new technology.  Randomization has been a part of music players since the shuffle button was invented, and then they probably borrowed that idea from something earlier, like the lottery.

Facebook SHOULD STOP TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A SINGLE INTEREST FOR ME, and recognize that its customers', such as yours truly, likely have many interests, especially interests that are not being catered to!

We are frustrated with Facebook!

The solution is to make Facebook.com similar to Pandora.com, asking customers how we want our feeds grouped.  Let us switch between user tailored preferences.  For each like I have in a particular group, ask me if I favor this sort of material in my feed, not whether I "like" it or not.

I don't like horrors, yet I feel some things in the news should be reported on that I don't like.  It is a problem for honest people if we don't like horrors, because when Facebook.com sees us not liking it, not matter how horrible it is, they jump to the conclusion that we don't want it in our feeds.  Rubbish! 

This is a complaint that people have had about Facebook since the beginning, and that is Facebook is telling its users what they like according to Facebook's idealistic grouping, and not serving its customers.

Dear Facebook, please put me in control of my feed!

Did You Read The Whole Label? - GMO, Organic, All Natural, Etc.

All of this label is important.  Of course some things here would make this product seem healthy, but we need to look at all the labels comprehensively.  For instance, in this case need to know what Arsenic is or else we miss the big picture, and we are unable to see the forest through the trees.
Don't give up and fall into the black and white thinking fallacy.  Non-GMO Certified, Organic, and All Natural are things we need to be concerned about.  Usually they are good things.  However, when we go shopping it is important to scrutinize our purchases.  We need to put our money where we see wholesomeness.  Purchases are multifaceted.  There is a lot to consider.  Don't give up when you see something like this.  When wrong is found, blow the whistle at morally depraved products!  Only a jerk would label arsenic in this way.  Avoid those people.  They have bad karma.

Are We Overreacting to Income Inequality?

I admit my uncertainty, but for the most part I agree with you, Senator Bernie Sanders; income inequality is a problem. But, I am not convinced that putting more money in peoples' hands is the way for the little guy to get more stuff. I know there is data that says giving people a raise actually gets them more stuff, but I have to wonder if that is short term economics because of factors like ever increasing inflation.

Raise the Minimum Wage? Is this some kind of joke?

I keep reading about politicians who want to raise the minimum wage.  This is a pipedream at this point.  It seems more likely that Republicans will be able to thwart it in the next Congressional term.  What crosses my mind is that possibly key Democrats are trumpeting it merely as a way to get more votes for the November 4 election despite the fact that it is unlikely to happen.

Physics of Tesla's Wardenclyffe Tower

On the web, I have come across many pages and videos on Wardenclyffe Tower, but so far everything I have come across on the way the this technology should work is missing key bits and pieces.

Nicholas Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Tower is very similar to the way a battery works.  For instance, the ionosphere which was to act as the energy source is comparable to battery acid in a DC (Direct Current) cell.  The ionosphere is as such because it consists of ions.  Ions are electrically charged because they pass electricity.  For example, deionized water does not carry a charge well because it is no longer ionic, to a certain degree.  The truth is that deionized water can pass a charge, although it is very resistant to that.  For instance, if sodium chloride (table salt) is dissolved in water, it ionizes into sodium and chloride, the sodium ion carrying a positive electrical change, and chloride carrying a negative charge.

The positive terminal was to be made of copper and placed at the top of the Tower.  The negative terminal was iron, and it was to be placed in the dirt (earth), so that earth would become usably charged instead of its usual role as an electrical ground.  In chemical reactions, copper is positive because it may receive electrons.  In chemical reactions, iron is negative because may give off electrons.  The reaction of copper and iron is sometimes referred to as a ox/redox reaction.

In my opinion, the best way to understand the Tesla Tower is to build a battery yourself.  Start with a lemon, a penny (copper or copper plated), and zinc plated nail (sometimes called a galvanized nail).  Like iron, the zinc functions as a negative terminal, meaning it may give off electrons.  These items are purchasable at regular stores; the local grocery store and local hardware store.  And oh yeah, you will want to pick up a cheap voltmeter at a store like Radio Shack, not because it is necessary for the DC cell to work, but because it is important to be able to know that your battery works.  If you are uncertain at this point, perhaps use a regular 9V battery, and play around with it until you are able to measure the voltage of the 9V battery with a voltmeter.

If you are able to figure out how to measure the 9V battery with your voltmeter, then the next step is to use the idea of this battery technology and apply it to a lemon.  There isn’t much hope for you if you can’t intuitively figure out how to operate a voltmeter.

If you have a store bought battery, then you have probably noticed that the way to complete a battery circuit is through its two terminals, one positive, and one negative.  The “+” or red terminal is positive.  The “-” or black terminal is negative.  It is even true that there can be multiple negative terminals, each passing current in such a system.  Thus, just as solid state electricity may be wired to carry parallel circuits, so to is it possible to differentiate electrical terminals in any system, be it the atmosphere, or water, etc.  

Just as we could use the electrodes of a battery to power a lightbulb, so can we use the current generated from the completion of copper and zinc electrodes embedded in a lemon to register on a voltmeter.  Yes, that is it! Use a lemon to power a light bulb!  Make sure the penny and the nail are actually part way into the lemon so that they are in contact with the juice.   You should be able to find video instructions that are plain on www.youtube.com (search for lemon battery).  You may try lighting up a Christmas tree light bulb with it by connect it.

Basically, what Telsa hoped for was that the entire ground of planet earth would become the negative terminal of a battery, so that we could access its electrical power without traditional power outlets, and also very inexpensively.  That is, as a negative terminal, the ground of earth would give off electrons from the stored energy in the skies completing a DC electrical circuit.

This invention is not new.  The origin of the Tesla Tower probably comes the idea of a classic water tower.  There is a reservoir of water in the water tower, where the tower itself may be likened to a Tesla's Tower, while instead of using water current to bring folks water, the Tesla Tower would deliver electric current as needed (instead of the water of a water tower). 

"The 1956 Republican Platform" What changed?

It is not about being a Republican or a Democrat, and that one is necessarily wrong, but there is a degree of correctness that is inherent to politics despite the commonality of differing opinions. Politics is a question of the heart, and the bottom line, both of which are not mutually exclusive. The Republicans in the Red states generally have a different sense of goodness, as compared to the Democrats of the Blue states. If something is in fact good, it should bring a sense of wholeness in its resonance in souls, yet I am not one to say that the Red states have it all wrong because in those states there is a greater preponderance of inept folks than the Blue states. In consequence, the ways folks will vote show some natural discrepancies, and that is okay.

Faith in Hashem's Providence

I am really liking Pandora. Today is my first day trying it because we now have internet. This stuff is so inspirational for me to practice while it is playing in the background. It has occurred to me that all this guitar practice may one day lead to a paying job. However, if I have one student who is successful, - even if it is learning only patterns that help with memory, not necessarily a gig - and has no money, I would take that over several students that were not serious, but padded my bank account. Gd is not money. Work with what you have, money or not, and I have a firm belief that anything is possible with faith.

Physical Health in the New World of Technological Modernity

I fear humankind is headed to creating our own dreaded Star Wars Death Star through the inventions of technological modernity.  Honestly, I don’t know why human life expectancy has increased so much in modernity, because historically our ancestors were lucky to live past 30yrs old, and at the same time they were probably in better physical shape. Our success is probably due to health zealots.  Everywhere you go people are reading labels, trying new diets, and buying local.  People are showing concern.  They want to know where their food comes from, what kind of pesticides where used, where GMOs used, and does it have gluten.  This probably adds up with new healthcare technologies to produce people that at least live longer happier lives. Despite the good news, I do foresee some obstacles to physical health in the modern world. Many of us in the 1st world are overweight and suffer from diabetes. Many of us go from watching television to the internet or video games and back again exercising minimally each day.  That is, we go from watching one box to another box with no physical improvement, and very little brain exercise. Many of us leave our houses in order to travel in automobiles, rather than walking.  That is, we go from living in one box, such as a house, to another box, such an office, to another box, such as a car getting virtually no exercise. Rather than traversing to a person’s house for communication, we talk on cell phones.  How many of us can honestly say that we know our neighbors? Musicianship has been replaced by gadgets that resemble toys more than musical instruments. Though we may live longer now we need to do some self analysis.  We need to ask; who can walk a few miles? Because proportionately many of us probably can’t walk a short distance comparative to the historical Dark Ages, and medieval period, despite all the concern about diets, and health. As technology increases, is the world of the Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminator coming or is it a reality now?  What of machines making other machines with a program of how to take over the world, a threat mention by Stephen Hawking.

The Problem of Oligarchy to the USA

Small businesses should be able to compete with big businesses. They have been unable to for some time. Big businesses took over the USA economy, such that the system of government is more similar to as oligarchy than a democracy.  An oligarchy is a small group of people that make all the decisions in the country. I propose that the USA oligarchy has far too much power in Washington. The USA oligarchy has an inordinate amount of power, and we will see this in the next election, as media is always slanted. The lobbyists in Washington of this oligarchy essentially have the power to control legislation through monetary influence, and it has the power to correct the many trillions of dollar debt in a short time, but it is not doing so, no thanks to the legislature. It is not that I say, "If you are rich, then you are a bad person."  Many wealthy individuals are good people.  However, this wealth has the potential for abuses, such as how the Koch brothers are trying to buy the legislature. The USA oligarchy to which I refer largely consists of those companies in the Fortune 500. In fact, this oligarchy probably has the power to make President Barrack Obama popular or unpopular based upon its whims. Who can know the extent of Wal-Mart’s power, and companies like it? Right now, it is a guessing game, but there are those, such as Bernie Sanders, that report this power is far too great and are angry because of it. Who then should pay most of the taxes? I suggest that the businesses in power, particularly the Fortune 1,000 should pay virtually all of the taxes. This is a radical reform, but they are the ones that hold the money, and they are the ones who dominate.  It takes big government to protect big business, so we should turn to the people who the government does the most for.  That is only fair.