Samples that confirm Harari

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A few posts ago, mariner introduced the writings of Yuval Noah Harari, a renowned futurist who has provided books, articles, lectures and opinions about how to interpret today’s reality and project the interpretations into mankind’s future. His new book is Homo Deus; he was interviewed in The Atlantic magazine for February 2017.

Harari takes a simplistic view of humanity, saying that humans may think fancy thoughts in the frontal lobe, but human behavior does not roam far from opinions controlled in the Hindbrain (Reptilian Brain). As you might guess from its name, it’s a piece of brain anatomy that we share with reptiles and is the most primitive. It’s in charge of our primal instincts and most basic functions – things like the instincts of survival, dominance, and mating. Freed from obedience to history books alone, Harari can project very broad patterns that are predetermined by the hindbrain. [think Donald]

Harari’s book is one of several new books on our culture, economy, morality and politics that, even as a small amount of material, provides the new core concepts that are driving H. sapiens history today and tomorrow. The handful of books is a fine college ‘major’ that will prepare you for judging new and sometimes disturbing values. Although touted as college material, all the sources are pleasant and frequently entertaining texts.

Mariner includes the above preface to aid in understanding the economic upheaval occurring today. There are two examples: the emergence of oligarchy and the phenomenon of the haves taking as much as they can from the have nots, specifically the Republican health care legislation designed to replace the Affordable Care Act AKA Obamacare or ACA.

The current emergence of oligarchy was launched by Ronald back in the 1980’s. It has exploded into our culture because of powerful advances in communication technology which naturally give an edge to those who have the resources to leverage rapid information; do not give credit for the healing GDP and historic stock prices to the election of Donald. Unpoliticized economists have long said the economy rises and falls regardless of who is President. Data storage and massive processing capability have allowed corporations to be virtually transportable, cutting costs and sending profits through the roof. Why hasn’t profit been shared with the lower income/little income/no income folks? Generalists say that this is just the cost of new economic growth; Harari says it’s the hindbrain protecting unfocused fears associated with survival and dominance – and sex if it applies. The hindbrain, incidentally, has little ability to manage morality; that’s managed by the limbic system. [think Donald]

This tennis game with the brain is informative but Harari suggests this leads to a troublesome future. It is simpler to ask readers to reflect on Bernie’s comment that 1 percent of the population holds 90 percent of the wealth. Over time, there will be less and less available to sustain this ratio. Overpopulation, diminishing resources, and increased imbalance in the biosphere will take its toll on “unneeded” people.

The second example, the new health bill, shows the same preference by conservatives to squeeze out humans who, not because they aren’t permitted but because they can’t afford the health services – a clear echo of hindbrain decision making. Conservatives rationalize that every resource must contribute to a safer economy or, frankly, it weakens the economy.

These examples are presented with the ideas Harari would utilize. This approach certainly has its detractors. What seems critical to the mariner is that if one takes a fair view of human history, it behaves very much like Harari suggests whatever the historical situation. That being the case, humans are in for some troubling times within a century or so.

Two thoughts predominate: overpopulation (implying disappearing resources) and globally based natural issues; near horizon is the effect of global warming; far effect is a major ice age (not that we have to wait for the ice age, the shift in orbit will catch the attention of tornadoes, volcanoes, earthquakes, and disruptive shifts in the weather.

See why some don’t like Yuval Noah Harari? There are no cuddle blankets. However, his no nonsense, no comforting fantasies about political theory and no guarantee about consistency, give us a clear image of the future for Homo sapiens, all things being equal.

Have a nice day.

Ancient Mariner

 

Wait, the Taxes are still being Audited.

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Adam Davidson, a freelance journalist associated with PBS, wrote an article for New Yorker magazine that exposes neatly why Donald didn’t want to give up his taxes. When Donald was unexpectedly elected President, he was in the midst of a real estate deal with crooked government officials in Azerbaijan, a small nation that sits between Russia and Iran. The particular officials in question are a front for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard – a militant political power in Iran that sponsors terrorism around the world. Donald backed out of the deal when he won the election.

It is an entertaining story in its own right, full of nonsensical arrangements and thinly veiled money laundering schemes.[1] Incidentally, any person or business, no exceptions, making private deals with foreign government officials is not allowed, period. Participating privately in foreign military affairs is not allowed, period. Privately aiding and abetting enemies of the state is not allowed, emphatically. Any of these will cost prison time and yuge, really yuge fines.

Learning of this business arrangement, and of two or three arrangements with Russian government officials, and another international deal involving the oust of the current President of Ukraine, the news broadcasts this week have had a pleasant element for a change. We must thank Donald for throwing in one of his pathological comments claiming Barack tapped his telephone. A comparison between Barack and Joe McCarthy was like an after dinner mint.

Lack of action to do something about their President pushes the Republicans further into a desperate corner. The less than victorious presentation of the replacement for the Affordable Care Act doesn’t help, either. Sooner or later dragging their feet will not be enough. Investigative committees and special prosecutors are in the wings. These special investigating teams have the authority to subpoena Donald’s tax records. He may well choose to resign the Presidency if his taxes are subpoenaed but he will not be able to escape prosecution for the type of behavior presented by Adam Davidson – unless Republicans offer him a deal…

Donald’s one dimensional view of reality is about to bring him down. Mariner suggests readers (to some degree) turn their attention to legislators in their own Federal and state districts. Remember redistricting will be performed by those who are elected 20 months from now.

Ancient Mariner

[1] See http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/13/donald-trumps-worst-deal

About the Future of Voting

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The latest impact of the election is just beginning to trickle in. It is hard to glean from the mismanagement of the administration compounded by the old Republican Congressional machine (which includes many democrats) with roots back to Reagan in the 80’s and birth certificates hovering around 1940-1955. The mariner has read several sources about which he trusts rationality, fairness, and unbiased evaluation. The best source, that is the richest in terms of providing future insight, is an article from The Atlantic by Ronald Brownstein.[1] The statistics pulled together by Brownstein are the data behind the mariner’s observations.

Things will be turned over to the millennials in the 2018 elections when for the first time baby-boomers will be outnumbered at the polls. This situation will be more influential when citizens born since 2001 will have 5% of the vote.

Still, the young voters will have hard economic times as the international philosophies of economics and cultural ethics come under great turmoil. The entire world is entering an economic crisis as the chasm between corporate profit and job/income come to loggerheads – at the blessing of massive automation.

Focusing on 2018 elections, it could be an evolutionary transition to Democratic Party ideals that is a move toward contemporary concern for individual citizens over the lifespan of their wellbeing. But this is not guaranteed. Many workers, many, many workers, will be jobless by 2020. It is not a simple political party or states’ rights issue anymore.

What the voters need more than anything is a strong, ethical, moral and educated government at Federal and state levels who will be able to sail the heavy seas over the next 50 years and deliver justice – however that is defined.

An example of how powerful party politics is can be observed in the recent news item about Montana’s election costs. In Montana, each county pays for elections whether Federal, state or local. Montana has sparse population and each county must spread government costs among very few taxpayers. Unfortunately, Montana has had three state-wide elections in a very short time. The election boards in each county met to discuss ways to reduce election cost. They quickly came to the conclusion that a mail-in system would be affordable.

Everyone thought this was a good solution until the republican controlled legislature vetoed the bill because the mail-in vote would be the demise of the republican controlled government.

The mariner suggests that one push one’s horizon of cause and effect as we enter a truly metamorphose period of human history.

HEALTH SECTION

Mariner, like most of you, is not interested in physical exercises. Still this is a lax attitude about serious physical weakness. One exercise he recommends is to walk up the stairs without the help of holding on to the railing. Simply walk up the stairs on your own two legs. You will be surprised how much more exercise is required of your quadriceps and how much more you must depend on balance. Don’t do this going down the stairs; you may die if you lose your balance.

Ancient Mariner

[1] See https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/03/can-millennials-save-the-democratic-party/518523/

Yuval Noah Harari talks about the Future

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Frequent readers know the mariner has three alter egos: Chicken Little, whose fears are a response to imminent events, Amos, a skeptic and critic of human ethic and behavior, and Guru, a futurist, generalist and philosopher at large. Mariner mentions this because this post reflects, to a great extent, mariner’s perception of reality for all three. The post cites a number of quotes from an interview on the Atlantic website with Yuval Noah Harari, a renowned futurist who has provided books, articles, lectures and opinions about how to interpret today’s reality and project the interpretations into mankind’s future.

Read the interview.[1]

Here are some samples:

Derek Thompson: First, work. You have a smart and scary way of looking at the political implications of mass automation. At the end of the 19th century, France, Germany, and Japan offered free health care to their citizens. Their aim was not strictly to make people happy, but to strengthen their army and industrial potential. In other words, welfare was necessary because people were necessary. But you ask the scary question: What happens to welfare in a future where government no longer needs people?

Yuval Harari: It’s a very scary scenario. It’s not science fiction. It’s already happening.

The reason to build all these mass social service systems was to support strong armies and strong economies. Already the most advanced armies don’t need [as many] people. The same might happen in the civilian economy. The problem is motivation: What if the government loses the motivation to help the masses?

In Scandinavia the tradition of the welfare state is so entrenched that perhaps they’ll continue to provide welfare even for masses of useless people. But what about Nigeria, South Africa, and China? They have been encouraged to provide services mostly in the hope of advancing prosperity, [which requires] having a large basis of healthy and smart citizens. But take that away and you might be left with countries with elites who don’t care about the population.

Thompson: Americans might be richer and better educated than they used to be a generation ago, with better health care and superior entertainment options. But the fact of progress doesn’t seem to matter. The story is all that matters. And the victorious Trump story was that America’s cities were falling apart and “I alone can fix it.”

Harari: [White Americans without a college degree] are a declining class within a declining power. The U.S. is losing power compared to the rest of the world, and within the U.S., the Trump voters are losing their status. Even though they are experiencing better conditions, the narrative self which is dominant in most people tells a story of decline, which says that the future will be worse than the present. And most people’s happiness depends on their expectations, not their conditions.

—-

There is a good section on the demise of humans in the future computer age. See the interview.

For the present, however, use it while you have it:

It is not too late in February to select a pleasant day to visit an outdoor place like a park, forest, botanic garden, or walking trail to take in the fresh whiffs of Cancer thaw. While enjoying this pleasure, stop by a restaurant akin to such pleasures.

It has been a long, stressful election season. Discharge some tension by visiting the following website:

http://www.politicalcartoons.com/

Turn off the television for 24 hours and use your phone device only for phone calls – not even texts! Wander around your property to see what’s going on, discover some interesting but small tasks at hand, maybe rummage in the attic or basement. The inner you needs exercise just like your quadriceps do.

Arrange a family gathering perhaps around Memorial Day or Independence Day – include a generation in each direction.

Arrange a summer fête for neighbors.

Be glad you are alive today!

Ancient Mariner

[1] See https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/02/the-post-human-world/517206/?utm_source=nl-atlantic-daily-022117 Also check out Yuval Harari’s new book, Homo Deus. In other words, turning ourselves into gods. There are critics, e.g. see http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/book-review-homo-deus/ however it is difficult to perceive other directions than Harari suggests.

Emolument Clause Grows Weaker

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Mariner was depending heavily on the Emolument Clause in the Constitution to be the baseball bat that would make Donald sit up and make a decision whether he was a business man or the President of a Democratic Republic. Understanding that a lawsuit would be the mechanism (Congress isn’t functioning at the moment) and it would end up in the Supreme Court if Donald resisted making a choice, Mariner opined that it would be served the moment he put his hand on the doorknob of the White House on Inauguration Day.

Many political and legal experts are expressing doubts whether the clause applies. The clause specifically references “appointed officers.” Donald is not appointed; Donald is elected.

Several pundits have used the words of Jesus: You cannot serve two masters. Quite applicable in Donald’s case. Already he has made it clear that the United State is not a democratic republic; it is the latest acquisition of his Corporation and he is the Chairman of the Board and CEO. Since the election, Chicken Little has not ventured outside the henhouse; among the electorate, Chicken sees the directness of authoritarian government as a pleasant relief from slow and deliberate democracy. An autocratic King might be a productive change to those without foresight.

Mariner learned on a newscast weeks ago that there is evidence that shows Donald, Rex, and Vladimir have conferred about reversing sanctions against Russia so that Rex’s corporation, Exxon, is allowed to drill oil in Russia. Turns out Vladimir needs Exxon’s technology to retrieve oil from difficult terrain.

So who is Secretary of State? Rex. Who is Secretary of the Treasury? Mnuchin who worked for Goldman Sachs and made billions from the housing market collapse. Who is Secretary of Health and Human Services? Price. He worked in the Health industry before being elected to the House where he frequently purchases stock in health services corporations then writes legislation that benefits the corporation which runs up the stock – making a tidy profit for Price. Price is one of the most adamant enemies of the Affordable Care Act. If nothing else, government-managed health care will put a damper on his antics in the stock market.

It is only the mariner’s opinion – and a general statement – that Donald has roamed the world of business working primarily with shady financers, organized crime leaders and making deals where he can exit at some point with all the cash (the casinos, several construction projects and sideline businesses –two of which ended in lawsuits). When Asked about Donald early in the 2016 campaign, Colin Powell, usually an understated individual, said “Trump is a pariah in the world of business.”

Narcissistic, defectively egocentric, pathological liar, immoral – all these detract from a positive administration that will look after the nation’s best interest. What mariner fears most is Donald’s ability to ignore all ethical arguments save one: profit, profit, and profit. His trashy business practices and his less than noble cohorts don’t bode well for Mr. and Mrs. Citizen.

Too bad about the Emolument thing.

Ancient Mariner

Generalisms

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Mariner has been writing often about myths. Myths are a legitimate, indeed critical part of religious understanding; without myths, the indescribable spirituality we draw from our faith would not be possible. From the same box of tools for explanation is the generalism.

Everyone uses generalisms every day. We use generalisms to express opinion without having to give a lecture and in the context that offering the generalism does not mean it is absolute. A simple and innocuous example is:

Larry says, “Hello, Tom. I plan to have a Thanksgiving dinner this year. What do I need?” One knows instinctively that Larry does not want a half-dozen recipes dictated or directions to the library or a show and tell about Tom’s last four Thanksgiving dinners. Tom uses a general statement to offer Larry an opinion: “Oh, maybe the common items are a turkey, potatoes and gravy, some vegetables and desert, like a pumpkin pie.” A generalism is an excellent means for expressing a large, unofficial collection of information. It should be noted that a generalism is not an idea; it is an assimilation.

Like myths, while absolutely critical to insightful communication, generalisms can be abused:

One can adopt a literal value for a general statement. This is called prejudice. Good or bad in intention, a generalism is not a specific, formulated entity; making a general statement innately means there are many exceptions and diverse perspectives included – one cannot legislate by means of generalism. It is this error that confronts Donald at every turn. Further, one cannot live a healthy and insightful life trying to act according to a set of prejudices.

One cannot infer a further generalism from an existing generalism. That is the same as executing a split-middle in a syllogism: All cats are four-legged animals; all horses have four legs; therefore all horses are four-legged animals. The derived generalism: all animals have four legs; ducks are animals; therefore ducks have four legs.

However, it is this abuse, building a generalism referencing another generalism that is the foundation of racial prejudice in the US: Whites are successful; blacks are less successful; therefore blacks are not the same as whites. The derived generalism: Successful whites are ambitious; blacks are not as successful; therefore blacks are not as ambitious. One can imagine the multiplicity of prejudice by those who believe generalisms to be literally true.

Broadcast news has drifted from investigative reporting to information of viewer interest, that is, generalisms and placating viewers. This weakness has allowed Donald, among many other misrepresented issues, capable of running an entire campaign and Presidency leveraging generalisms. Donald’s flamboyant pontifications were the news – invalidated by facts. News organizations have lost credibility as a consequence; individuals and legislation hurtful to our culture succeed without scrutiny or public awareness. Generalisms are not always the proper form of communication for the task at hand.

Three cheers and a gold plaque for NBC White House press reporter Peter Alexander when he corrected Donald’s claim to have the Electoral College’s highest win votes in history since Ronald. Peter had done his investigative homework and called out Donald on his blatantly touted falsehood; Donald wasn’t even fourth. Asked how the public could have faith in him if he lies, Donald said someone else gave him the information. Except for Peter, would the public have accepted the generalism not knowing the facts that make the generalism false and self-serving?

Generalisms are not facts, they are presumptions.

Yet, because the public prefers not to spend time postulating and judging facts, generalisms are more entertaining therefore draw a larger viewer share. As the official prevaricator of information, broadcast news owes the public more than entertaining generalisms. A condition lasting several generations, the public will require therapy to restore the requirement for facts.

[The first news center was converted from a public service to a profit center in 1977 (20/20). By the late 80’s all news was competing for profit rather than better news based on facts.]

The public has become lax about being correctly informed – paradoxically, during an era when more facts are free, more information is quickly accessible and more available than ever. If the news won’t investigate, the viewer is vulnerable unless the viewer decomposes news generalisms into the ‘facts’ that may or may not support them.

Ancient Mariner

 

Can Love Create Matter?

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Today, religious folk are having a hard time with spiritual icons. Viewing the main religions over two thousand years, it is obvious religious institutions have inserted disciplined belief systems which largely benefit continuity of the institution rather than enriching the lives of believers.

Uncountable numbers of books have been written about religion; too many have had to explain again for each historical era what the icons mean and have had to reinterpret the complex integration of spirituality and cultural morality. Now, in the Information Age, principles of religious belief are drowned in a waterfall of instant and constant speculation, experimentation, and analytical second guessing. The mariner confesses to be a part of the deluge. Even so, his motivation is to ease the angst prevalent today.

Believers of many religions are caught today without an acceptable story describing the power of faith and spirituality. On the one hand, the traditional stories are increasingly defined as myths which are not the core value but rather the value is an extended and often confusing meaning of the myths. What is the new creative force? What is the replacement story not of belief but of the powerful reality that still catches our awareness today?

A few clarifications are in order from which we may construct a modern story.

As a broad overview, there have been only three distinct forms of animals in Earth’s history: invertebrates, reptiles and mammals. Only mammals have a brain with a limbic function. The limbic is the source of emotions; emotions are required for mammals because they must manage the early lives of their offspring – therefore requiring a means of sensing the state of offspring. Emotional feelings like sympathy, empathy, and compassion, just to name a few emotions, are the means by which parental awareness is managed. We call these emotions ‘love.’ There are emotions like hate, disdain, possessiveness and many more which ignore the caring emotions – the emotions that grow sustainable life.

The creation story begins many religious histories. The element that is still very much a value today is the awareness that an event or thing is good or that it is bad. The human sense of judgment is far more sensitive than any other mammal’s – even other simians and modern dogs.

The final clarification is imagination. Only humans can perceive what a Universe is; only humans can perceive a different state of being after death and even in inspirational moments while alive; only humans can perceive a nuclear weapon….

A new story about the creative power of God can be derived from our power to create life by using love. Is the act of loving a creative power in the Universe? The old stories hold firmly to the idea that God is Love – the most powerful myth!

The cultural morality derived from love has suffered the most. Early civilizations placed human authority above the larger but less abrasive power of love. Humans drifted from the purity imagined by their religions to follow other emotions like greed, capitalism, nationalism and authoritarianism. Humans used emotions to manufacture selfish benefits rather than support the power that comes from acts of love.

The twenty-first century is a hellish scene: a troubled planet, a restless Sun, a drifting Moon – all props for an Armageddon movie. Then there is the intense greediness of all organizations from governments to corporations to religious institutions – all equating righteousness to numbers of dollars or political favoritism. Sympathy, empathy and compassion are not in control of creation and the situation demonstrates that non-love destroys.

What God looks like is not important. God doesn’t look like anything we can imagine. But what does God do? God loves. There is our doctrine. The twenty-first century needs someone to love it.

NOTES

Errata – the URL for the Atlantic magazine is www.theatlantic.com Pardon the error.

The frequency of mariner’s posts will drop a bit as the gardening season approaches. He still will send an email notice so look for an email that a new post is on the website. Anyone wanting to email the mariner please write to skipper@iowa-mariner.com

Ancient Mariner

Are You Willing to have sex to pay for Education?

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Sharyl Attkisson is an independent, somewhat conservative news journalist. She covers stories that are one step away from “Big News” stories that often are more telling than splashy headlines. Attkisson uncovered a situation affecting college students – particularly women.[1] It turns out there is a dating service that doesn’t advertise on television called “Sugar Daddy University.”

College students of both sexes (but one can imagine that the great majority are women – our daughters) who are desperate to pay their bills. Not necessarily tuition directly but fees, add-on costs, additional book fees, Lab fees, parking fees – over $800/month at New York University – etc. all of which are a pay-as-you-go economy. Students interviewed said it wasn’t really a pay for sex arrangement although if you consented, sex pays better.

What does this make our Congress? Pimps? The Congress refuses to assist any form of education or issue regulations or raise taxes to address the fact that students must pay $35 – $80 thousand dollars to obtain a college degree which, according to those who look at the future, is mandatory if our children will be eligible for decent paying jobs.

Even overlooking Congress-sanctioned prostitution, if the US has a prayer of being a leading power in twenty years, the key is education. Congress is not only immoral, it is stupid.

Friends, a 1985 Congress just won’t cut it any more. You all have your good ol’ buddy Congressmen that you’ve voted for all your life but that good ol’ boy is killing us far more than Donald is. When you vote, vote restricted only to fixing one issue; that keeps you from being distracted. And give serious consideration to the candidate’s age. Mariner is an ol’ codger himself. He knows if you grew up before students were shot and killed by the National Guard at Kent State University (1971), you have no idea what’s happening today.

Ancient Mariner

[1] See http://fullmeasure.news/news/cover-story/degree-of-debt for the full story of broken and abused budgets in colleges.

For Richer, For Poorer

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Recently, the liberal economists and the conservative economists began expressing growing concern about the same thing: inequality. Virtually every validated and respected futurist, economist, even international banks, agree about the future: money is rushing faster and faster to only three sectors: manufacture of computers/information, international corporations, and banking/investment.

Mariner could toss lots of numbers and names of countries and corporations at the reader; that would take lots of words and trying to grow reader interest in a desert of information.

Though most readers are resistant to watching mariner’s Internet references, he implores the reader, he begs the reader, he insists the reader, he respectfully requests the reader watch an episode of Forward Thinking, “For Richer, For Poorer – the Dangers of Inequality” last broadcast on Bloomberg television June 17, 2016. In your search engine type:

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-17/forward-thinking-for-richer-for-poorer

Watch it in its entirety. It is not fake news; there is no special interest agenda; it is too complicated for politicians – that doesn’t mean it is too complicated for you.

Further, check your current Atlantic magazine for a review of what Donald is doing. Mariner will let Atlantic speak about the Donald in his stead. The reader also can read the articles at www.atlantic.com.

Ancient Mariner

 

If One Loves, One Loves Alone.

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A couple of readers commented that the mariner has not written much about Donald and the Federal and state Governments. That is true. Mariner has written pointed letters to his Senators and Representative and responds to them often in behalf of Food and Water Watch. He chooses however, to avoid a horrid, depraved and broken place – a diseased Gehenna, Sheol itself. And his peers voted to place Lucifer in charge.

Even as love, compassion and Grace have no bounds, so, too, do depravity, thievery, deliberate enslavement and lust. White Man has never stopped committing genocide; it is close to wiping out an entire nation.

As to Donald, the simpleton electorate had opportunities to force him out and did not. Donald is something everyone complains about but does nothing about – just like THIRTY THOUSAND PEOPLE DYING EACH YEAR BY GUNS! The solution lies in the hands of the same flaccid electorate. God bless us everyone. Ironically, polls show 43 percent of the electorate thinks Lucifer is doing a good job. This is not mariner’s country; time to refurbish the boat…

The US Government looks more and more like the soulless oligarchy run by Vladimir. And Lucifer is leading the way.

Mariner could not help but hear today’s headline when Chief Turtle McConnell shut down Elizabeth Warren for reading Coretta King’s letter in opposition to making Jeff Sessions a judge. How dare Elizabeth impugn a blatant racist?

Mariner is not insane in his ethos, just alone.

Ancient Mariner