My father grew up under communism.  He escaped his country with no money and didn’t speak a word of English.  Yet he came to this country seeking a better way of life.  Can you even imagine the injustice he must have experienced in order to even consider taking such drastic measures?  I think about his story.  I wrote it so that all people could remember and learn from the past so as not to repeat our troubled history, and yet I see the very things he lived through taking place in the United States of America, a country which is supposed to be the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.  Is it?  I am starting to wonder.

There is a pandemic, and the implications of this have been used in order to justify exceptions, exceptions, which I am sad to report, have nothing at all to do with taking precautions to stop the spread of the illness but rather only to curtail the freedom of citizens.

To provide some historic context, pandemics did not just emerge as a twenty first century phenomena.  They have been around since people have populated the planet. A few of the more commonly known are:  polio, small pox, bubonic plague, leprosy, H1N1, the first go with SARS Covid 19, Ebola, AIDS, Spanish flu, tuberculosis, and cholera.  If you are a student of history, you know that the death rates for many these viruses far exceed the current death rate from the second round of SARS Covid 19, the one loosely termed the coronavirus.

Pandemics are nothing new, but what is new is the way this one is being approached, not by the medical field but by people in elected positions who have sworn an oath to protect and serve the Constitution of the United States and the rights of the citizens.

Communists have a tactic, and it is worth noting that the first thing they do is remove local municipal law enforcement (i.e. “defund police” just as Seattle is doing at this very moment).  They close churches and places of worship (just as the current Governor of California has mandated).  They silence and persecute intellectuals (just as many scientists and doctors are being persecuted for presenting evidence that goes against the group think which is being delivered by government agencies such as the CDC).  They ask you to spy on your neighbor because that is what a “good citizen” does (just like some cities have set up systems to report people who are in violation of ordinances).  They ban books (just as historical books are being banned from libraries and schools).  They erase the historic names of places and monuments (just as we are seeing across the country even with those who are immortalized because they were great leaders that pushed for positive change and freedom, perhaps especially around those who pushed for positive change and freedom because that type of individualism runs counter to group think and the communist ideology, i.e. “everybody equal”).

Under communism, people start to slowly shift their belief in God and free thought for group think and belief in science and system.  The individual is objectified as nothing more than a data point or a serial number.  You are inventoried, and you are tracked.  This is all done in the name of the “greater good.”  (Just as the lead virologist at the CDC is talking, not about a cure but about donated samples, mandatory vaccines, and contact tracing).

A kind of group messaging (what we call propaganda) is constantly reinforced in order to change your thought process.  You are programmed through programming.  In my dad’s case, they didn’t have television at the time, so they broadcast this over loud speakers.  This was 1950’s style communism.  Today it’s done through multiple mass media and social media outlets.

The implications for the individual human are incredible, much less the implications for business.  Read my dad’s story, and you will see how small businesses evaporated into a production system of drones where the people at the top flourished from the sweat and blood of the nameless masses.  Communists hate small business.  Small business is the mark of the individual.  It is an affront to the collectivist, and so the communist must destroy it.

The communists are all too eager to have you do things from which they exempt themselves.  This is the true meaning of the word entitlement.  It’s a “do as I say, not as I do” mentality, one that benefits the person in charge at the peril of those without power. 

I don’t know the exact moment this started in the United States, but the first clear sign to me was the closing of all of the churches in March which happened all at the same time.  When the church closes, look out.  Look out especially when every church closes at the same time across an entire country!  Even if you are non-religious, look out.  This is a clear sign that the government is usurping the will of the people.  There is a reason the founders of the US listed freedom of religion as the first bullet point under the first amendment.  When there is a pandemic, the church is the first place I would want to go.  In fact, even if this virus were lethal to the point of only a .00001% chance of survival, and especially then, the church would be the first place I would seek refuge.  But they closed them, and no one even raised an eyebrow.  Interesting . . . 

Another right listed first in the amendments is freedom of peaceful assembly.  Here too, people were “not allowed” to gather in groups of ten or more.  “Not allowed.”  I find that interesting.  The Bill of Rights allows it.  The Bill of Rights is very clear, yet politicians said not to, and people were compliant in surrendering the right even though the limitation of the government’s power is clearly written for all.  Also interesting . . . 

Then there was a group of rioters who swarmed around cities without obeying laws, much less ordinances, and even went so far to commit acts of murder, vandalism, theft, brutality, assault, impediment of public facilities such as fire trucks, and any manner of indecent criminal behavior without so much as a reprimand much less a prison sentence that they rightly deserved, and people still did not advocate their own right to freedom of assembly.  More interesting yet . . .

Freedom of speech?  Well, the Governor of California recently “banned” singing in public.  Please read my dad’s book on this one.  There is a great passage about singing.  The communists hate singing.  Ban singing?  Sounds ridiculous, but there is a reason they do it.  And then look out for what's next  Ban speaking?  Yes.  Singing is a form of speaking, so if you do not have the right to sing, you do not have the right to speak.  Definitely they will.  After that?  Ban breathing?  Perhaps.  Line you up to force vaccinate you?  I will say no more, though I still have the right.  Wake up people.  You want to talk about “woke”?  Wake up.

There was recently a couple in the news who had been standing on their lawn when a mob approached their private residence.  The couple had guns.  They did not fire guns.  They just held them.  Heck, maybe they just wanted to hold the guns on their lawn.  So what?  Owning a gun in this country is still legal and a protected right under the second amendment.  Or is it? . . . 

What happened next is appalling, and if you are not incensed and outraged about this, all I can say is read my dad’s book to see what happened at Bleiburg. 

Now the couple has a right to own a gun.  There is no crime.  In fact, the gun is not even fired.  No bullets are dislodged from either fire arm.  They just stand there on the lawn.  Yet, a city “official” does the following:  1.) orders the guns removed by police, 2.) without a search warrant, 3.) without a crime having been committed, 4.) without reasonable search and seizure, 5.) and the property is taken without reimbursement of the money paid for that property, 6.) while the government came into their home to do all this.  How many amendments are we violating here?  Let’s add them up just for fun.

First, there is the second amendment which is the right to bear arms.  Next, there is the Castle Law doctrine of Missouri which states that even if the couple had killed trespassers, they would have been within their rights.  There is the third amendment which is that the police had no right to be in their private home.  There is the fourth amendment which speaks to reasonable search and seizure which was clearly violated when the government entered without a search warrant and without any crime having been committed.  Then there is the fifth amendment which is that no person shall be deprived of property without due process of law and no property taken without just compensation.  That is four amendments and one law.  This is clear, and yet there is debate?  Did they stop teaching fourth grade civics class and we just didn’t realize it?  Four amendments and a law, and yet those people are still being harassed by the government.  What sort of madness is this?

Now we get to the ninth amendment.  In short, the ninth amendment states that if anything wasn’t already listed as a right, it’s a right.  So if you are questioning whether the government has the legal right to vaccinate you or make you surrender a DNA sample against your will, the answer is no.  Let’s move on.

The tenth amendment is pretty clear.  The individual states, municipalities, and the citizens of those states and municipalities have the right to do whatever else needs to be done beyond those things listed as the responsibility of the federal government.  What is an example?  Well, one is that states and municipalities have the right to create local municipal police departments.  Remember when I said that the first thing the communists do is to destroy the local municipal police department?  Now why would they want to do that?   Well, if you are a communist, you don’t want any competition.  You want your government big, and you want control at the top.  Get rid of the idea of neighbor protecting neighbor, and take away guns.  Yep.  That is how it all starts.  If people think there is “systemic injustice” at the local municipal police department, what kind of “systemic injustice” do you think is going to happen when you have untrained civilians reporting on each other or a fascist government at the helm?  If you still don’t know, read my dad’s book.  It explains very well what happens when you no longer have the protection of your brother, sister, and neighbor to keep you safe.

So there you have it I am sad to say.  It’s an up to date list of amendments that have all been completely trampled within the last five months.  Unprecedented is right.  The virus is not unprecedented.  That stuff has been around forever.  All of the amendments being trampled?  Now that is unprecedented, and I didn’t even get into mask wearing and the farce of having people wear and breathe through dirty bacteria ridden masks that are virtually ineffective against viruses, or people trying to stop “fake news” and silence experts in the medical community.

Another warning sign is lead virologists not talking about cures but talking about contact tracing.  When did the medical people suddenly stop talking about cures and start talking about IT contact tracing?  Conversely, when did the people in IT start talking about medical matters, such as a former IT CEO talking about vaccines?  Since when did we start taking medical advice from the former CEO of a tech company while silencing actual doctors with PhD’s.  But this is how it all starts . . . 

All I can say is this.  I am a solution person.  How do we fix this mess?  For one, you can read my book to see where this all leads us.  It’s pretty short and clear.  As they say in AA, the first step is admitting you have a problem and snapping out of your denial of that problem.  The book is not a long read, and I wrote it in short quick chapters to appeal to the modern reader.  Beyond the book, pick an amendment.  Any amendment will do.  Just pick one, and stand by it.  You must stand for something.  Because when you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.  Freedom is too big a price to pay for a disease that has over a 97% rate of recovery, and that's even with the data from the experts being massaged in their not so subtle ploy to advocate mandatory vaccines and contact tracing.

The Pandemic and Three Myths Of Health

2020 is not the first recorded instance of a pandemic.  In fact, pandemics have been quite common in history.  A few of the more commonly known are:  polio, small pox, bubonic plague, leprosy, H1N1, the first go with SARS, Ebola, AIDS, Spanish flu, tuberculosis, and cholera.  Epidemics and pandemics are not new, but what does appear to be new are the myths that are starting to arise about how we respond to them and health in general.  It seems about time we address some common myths and urban legends that are circulating about the origins of these diseases and how we respond them.  

Myth #1:  Government and Doctors are Responsible for Public Health
Physicians  can treat an illness. Physicians can also run a battery of tests to check certain indicators of health or screen for illness. Physicians can suggest treatment and give advice.  But going to the doctor does not necessarily equate to health. The simple acts of walking to your car, starting the engine, driving to the doctor’s office, undergoing tests, and speaking to a doctor, do not, in and of themselves, make you healthy. Improved health relies on individual actions and choices.

A large portion of our health comes from what we eat, how much we sleep, what we drink, and what we breathe. Every cell in our body is made up of what we take in. Food, water, and air are the building blocks of every cell in our body. If that food, water, and air are unclean, we can expect to be unhealthy. If, on the other hand, the food, water, and air are pure and natural, we can expect that these will contribute to better health.

Because we are responsible for what we ingest and what we ingest contributes to health, responsibility for health care, therefore, comes from our own health care decisions in terms of what we eat, drink, and breathe. Junk food, high fructose corn syrup, carbonated drinks, and inhaling cigarette smoke may not be in the best interest of our health. On the other hand, clean air, clean water, and organic food that is close to the minerals and nutrients of the earth create the essential building blocks that are necessary for optimal cellular function and regeneration.

As far as the government and the term healthcare are concerned, the government does not offer health, nor does it offer care. Recently, the government created mandatory health insurance regulation under the guise of calling it healthcare. The very word “government,” means “to govern.”  The primary role of government is, therefore, to institute governance, nothing more, nothing less.  When the government instituted a system of health insurance, it did not institute health care. What the government put into place was a complex health insurance system that it could administer.  

Myth Busted - Be suspicious of any thing or person that claims to have control over your health care.  Health care is the responsibility and choice of the individual.

Myth #2:  Health Means Being Physically Fit
There are actually at least five types of health: physical, mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual. Physical health is the condition of the body. Is the body running optimally, or is the body struggling to perform basic processes such as digestion, exertion, breathing, circulation, etc.?  But this is not the sole area of health.  There are others.  Mental, emotional, financial, and spiritual health also play a role in the quality of our lives.

We may spend a lot of time and attention on our physical health, but what is the condition of our mental health? Are we addressing our emotional needs for human contact, love, and connection? What about our financial needs? Do we have enough money in the bank to pay bills and attend to our needs and the needs of our family? And do we have a spiritual connection and framework for the world around us whatever that might be for each of us individually? If any of these areas suffer, our health may suffer as well. 

Not only that, but when one of these areas is out of balance, it can throw off the other areas of health as well, leading to a sort of downward spiral of overall illness and imbalance. If our physical health suffers, it can affect our emotional, mental, spiritual, and financial health. If our mental health suffers, our physical, financial, and emotional health may decline. 

One could, therefore, argue that the most important goal of life is to attend to all aspects of our health. And when we take time to contemplate life, nearly every action we take relates back to health.  From paying bills, to going to the grocery store, to socializing with friends, to spending time at the gym, to our job, to going to church, every action (or in action) we take has some consequence on our health.

We should expand our view of heath.  To think only in terms of the physical body is myopic.  Health of the heart, mind, body, and spirit, along with the ability to earn a living, are equally important and can greatly contribute to our happiness, joy, purpose, and financial stability.  

Myth Busted - Anything and any person that stands in the way of our path to these five aspects of health should be questioned and cross examined for motive and ethics.

Myth #3:  Humans Were Put on the Planet or Evolved on the Planet to Conquer Nature 
If every cell in our body is constructed from what we eat, drink, and breathe, then the health of the planet is our number #1 goal in life.  Our planet and its condition has a direct impact on the health of the individual. If we treat the planet badly - polluting the air, water, and food supply - then we pollute our lungs, our digestive systems, and our circulation. Right now the planet is suffering from our actions, and it shows in the number of people who are seeking treatment for cancers, asthmas, digestive illnesses, respiratory illnesses, and the like.  If we make the planet sick, we make ourselves sick as well.  

The condition of the planet is a reflection of the condition of our bodies, minds, and hearts. If the planet is sick, we are sick. If the planet is well, it contributes to our health and wellness. To think we were put here to conquer that which sustains us is like saying our goal in life is to harm ourselves.  Our goal should rather be to care for ourselves and for each other.

Even a tree depends on soil, food, and air. The same is true for every living organism on the planet, including humans. It is our arrogance that would have us believe otherwise. If we destroy that which sustains us, we destroy ourselves. 

The recent epidemic is proof that we must take better care of this planet. Whether the virus evolved from nature or human laboratory is inconsequential. It is a sign that we are making ourselves sick and that we must change our current behavior to become better stewards of the planet. 

Littering our oceans, polluting our air, altering our food supply through genetic engineering, and social isolation which will contribute to many emotional scars, is a clear sign that our health and the health of the planet must be our number one goal for this lifetime. 

Myth Busted - Human health depends on the health of the planet.  Humans were not put on earth to conquer and destroy it but to care for it.  Caring for the planet is the highest form of self care and care for others because what we do to the planet, we do to ourselves.

The truth is that we do not need complex governance systems of economy to survive.  History has proven that we can, in fact, live without them.  But we as humans absolutely need clean air, clean water, and clean food.  The current epidemic is a wake up call, a red flag that our planet is out of balance. The solution for this balance and returning to a state of health is not to impose government tracking and mandated social isolation.  These are merely precautions based on fear.  The solution is improvement in the way that we treat the earth and each other.  

I was revisiting my Constitution and Amendments this morning during quarantine.  After all, I had nothing better to do with my time.  Interesting read.  I remember studying these back in high school and junior high.  As I read them, they came back to me.  "Ah, yes.  I forgot about that one.  Now I remember."


I bought this copy during one of my international travels, back when free Americans could still travel.  It was in an airport book store.  Will we still have those when we get released from quarantine?  I hope so.  I really liked them.  The pamphlet was in a little box on the side of the counter, and they were selling them for a little over a dollar.  “Why not?” I asked myself, so I picked one up.  

The full Constitution and 27 Amendments are only 38 pages long, and this booklet is only 3” x 5”.  It takes a few minutes to read.

As I read it this morning, I was amazed by its simplicity.  The wording is very straightforward and simple.  It goes straight to the point with no legal double talk.  It is written for clarity, not for confusion as are many laws and bills today.  Even the Amendments are summarized at the top with one clear statement.  The Founders knew what they wanted to say, and they said it.  They did not mince words.  They did not want any confusion or question.  They said what they meant, and they meant what they said.

I encourage everyone to buy their dollar copy and read it.  It is rather eye opening, particularly in the midst of quarantine.  When you do read it, you will realize just how many of our Constitutional rights are stepped on.  Here is a little summary of the more obvious transgressions.

Amendment I - Freedom of religion, speech, and the press; rights of assembly and petition
We are currently prohibited from assembling in groups greater than 10.  We are not allowed to enter a house of worship.  We are being censored on public platforms which are intended as communication channels.  The press and news media are being directed as to what to report and not report.

Amendment II - Right to bear arms
There are those in government who are challenging this right.  They feel it is for our own good to disarm ourselves.  They ignore so many history lessons like those before, during, and after the World Wars as well as the Revolutionary War, when citizens, deprived of the ability to protect themselves, were at the mercy of injustice.  There is a reason this Amendment exists, and the government is questioning the rights of the people.  If this right fails, it is a slippery slope for all rights.  

Amendment III - Housing of soldiers
This Amendment restricts the entry of government soldiers into our homes.  This does not just mean physical presence; it extends to virtual presence as well.  No government entity shall be housed in our homes, and yet the NSA is collecting personal data on its people.  This is about to extend to medical and HIPPA data as well with forced government testing and tracking of all citizens, invading not just our homes, but our physical bodies.

Amendment IX - Rights retained by the people
This is perhaps one of my favorite Amendments as it says very clearly that the Constitution is not meant to restrict the rights of the people but rather to ensure the rights of the people.  “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

Amendment X - Powers retained by the states and the people 
Now we have come to my favorite Amendment, the one that covers everything after.  It simply states:  “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”  That one statement limits the power of the federal government and ensures the rights of the people and the states in which they live.  People say that the Constitution says nothing about the “right to privacy.”  Wrong.  It clearly does.  Read Amendment X, and you will see why this right is protected under the Constitution of the United States.  This extends to the right of the people not to have to donate personal medical data and “specimens” to the US government for collection and data tracking.

Amendment XIV - Civil rights
This one is also very clear, echoing the words in the Preamble to the Constitution in its aim to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”  It says that no State shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property.”  Being forced into your home, being denied the ability to freely travel, being prevented from labor, and being prevented from property which you earned through your own free labor are the restrictions of the current pandemic.

This is not to say that citizens should not, of their own free will and for the benefit of society and their neighbors, take recommended precautions, but those precautions of six feet distance, which would be reasonable and logical even for a simple outbreak of the flu, should not be imposed on citizens by their government.  We are reasonable people, and it is in each person’s right, power, and freedom to exercise the recommendations of healthcare specialists and scientists.  It is even in their own right, power, and freedom to intentionally become sick if they so choose, perhaps as in the case of caring for or visiting others from a sense of concern or moral obligation.  

And when the government selects to control its citizens' actions and movement saying that it is for our own protection and safety, beware.  That is the mark of an authoritarian government that is not acting on behalf of its citizens but instead acting on its own self interest.  We must value liberty above the government’s urge for control under a false assertion that such a system is acting for our own good.  We as individual free people are responsible for our own health and safety, not a system of government.

We the people have the ability to act on our own behalf, and this is not just an ability, it is a set of rights outlined in the Constitution of these United States.  No system should violate those rights, and if it does, it is a good citizen who stops and questions such violations.  The rights are not hard to understand or access.  They are all beautifully outlined in 38 simple pages that everyone can buy for a dollar or read for free on the internet.

These rights and liberties are the reason my father traveled an ocean and escaped a communist, oppressive, and unjust system of government.  Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past.  By all means, let us remember our Constitutional rights which our Founders fought, died, and carefully ensured for all citizens.
​

It's a good day for staying in.  I love days like this every now and then.  Rainy.  Dark.  Still.  It reminds me it's okay to take it easy.  Nature has its seasons and its cycles, and so do we.  There's no need to rush all the time.  Change is coming.  It always is when it rains like this.  Sometimes it snows.  The trees are saturated.  every inch of their bark is wet.  That must feel wonderful to a tree.  They seem happy in the rain.  They can take a long pause and let their processes flow effortlessly.  

The rain brings change without force and without self-will.  And so it is.  It's not a sharp ending.  It's a gradual shift, and every increment is a reality.  There is a very profound meaning in that if you meditate on it.  We are more tree than IT.  We are happiest in the flow.  Humans created four seasons.  We like knives and boxes, don't we.  But that is random.  It's just language.  Categories are language, and most "disciplines" are nothing more than language and motor skills.

You know how to impress someone?  Speak a language they don't understand.  Nature has many languages we don't know and are, apparently, uninterested in observing.  Because we don't speak them, we dismiss them.  We destroy them, just like the colonists destroyed the indigenous peoples, just because they were different, just because they didn't understand them.  It is a great tragedy and misfortune, the destruction of a species or group of people.

When will we seek balance?  When will we allow species to roam free as they were divinely intended to do?  Control and eradication are nothing more than fear.  We put the orangutan in a prison to observe because we fear.  We study.  Why do we do this?  Even the crocodile has the same basic skeletal structure as a human.  Even a frog and a rabbit has the same basic form and symmetry.  Ponder this some time.  You will see that all categories and sub-classifications are nothing more than language, and that they are totally unnecessary.  

The Native Americans understood this.  Some used the term "brother wolf."  The settlers found this naive.  But the Native Americans tribes were right.  And they had a better understanding of the wolf because they comprehended the similarities instead of fearing the differences.  They did not fear the wolf, though the wolf was a different species, but the settlers feared the Native Americans though they were so much the same.

We think nature is fear.  Nature has no fear.  In nature there is only threat and response, or complete and total repose.  That's it.  Humans fear.  Why?  Because somehow our evaluation went the path of reinforcing differences over similarities.  We think it's intelligence.  It really isn't.

My favorite art form is pen and ink.  In pen and ink, you see the form and structure.  There is no distraction.  When observing skeletons, it's much the same.  Walk through a natural history museum, and you will see the form and structure.  Try it sometime.  Walk around and see if you observe the pattern.  Look at two human skeletons side by side.  There is no black and white.  There is no male or female.  There is no hair color, eye color, etc . . .  You won't notice them on a dog or cat or dinosaur either.  But what you will notice is that we are not so different.  We are essentially the same.  Then what gives us the right to over-populate the planet, conquer, displace, or eradicate another species or even another group of people so much like ourselves?

Some day we will scale it back.  That would be the true march of progress:  get our trash out of the ocean, clean our air, sleep like normal human beings again, eat actual food with seeds in it, and, for God's sake, let other species live where they were intended to live.