Electoral Count Reform Act

 Probably a good idea. It shows that we are learning from our threats and making changes. Presidential Election Reform Act

Why Do We Need National Unity and Development? 9 Ideas to Think About

National unity around key concepts and values we all share helps ties different communities to a bigger picture of democracy and self governance.  There will be some disagreement and arguments based on which political party one belongs but the big picture should take precedence. 

I'm a light R but carry some values from the central L. Despite my party affiliation (RINO-DINO) I sort of just say what I think because I believe our country needs independent thinkers and people who can bridge gaps. 

A few ideas I'm sort of thinking about that are important to national development.....

1. Economic Development and Environmental Protection: It is possible to develop, improve technology, and protect our environment. That takes a balance between improving our natural systems like the Great Lakes while also encouraging economic investment in the region (I know short on facts but its just a quick statement.)

2. Military Readiness, Space Development: Develop the world's strongest, most capable and most innovative military. That includes advanced technologies and space development as the next frontier. Some of the technologies such as robotics and new lines of weaponry can be used in both. Military capabilities will need military, industrial, and scientific coordination.

3. Human Capital Development: Ensure that we have an education/training system in place that creates highly skilled graduates that are ready to compete on the global market. That includes life long learning and wide spread human capital development that maximizes creative, scientific and technical talent.

4. Infrastructure, Power Grid, Export Structures: Create an adaptable plug and play power grid focused on renewables and electrification as well as the ability to utilize older energy such as oil, gas, nuclear, etc. When one commodity goes up in price or becomes scarce other fuel sources can supplement. Likewise, we also need ports, rail and other methods of moving products off our shores and into the global marketplace.

5.Innovation, Core Technologies, Advanced Manufacturing: Encourage the US and our institutions to develop superior/leading products, services, and technologies so as to spearhead industries in multiple high value markets. That requires a focus and adjustment in how we approach business and create co-development.  

6. Market Development and Global Influence: We must continue to develop markets and relationships to sell American products and offer opportunities for other nations to join into supply chains and the free market system. Encourage nations to adopt principles of fair trade and cooperation that benefits all parties.

7. Internal Institutional Development and Universalization: I have seen local systems default in support of certain ethnic, racial, and Good Old Boy networks in a way that is similar to societies where ethnic, racial, and religious corruption/strife is brutal and common. We must believe and follow our Constitution to create/maintain societal stability/support from the widest amount of stakeholders in alignment with our conception of freedom. 

8. Capitalistic-Democratic Leadership, Social, and Wealth Circulation: We should encourage the best and brightest to rise as well as the capitalistic-democratic system to rejuvenate itself. That comes through ensuring there is room for new ideas, leaders, social groups, and opportunities that circulate throughout the system. It helps to create wider benefits of capitalism and greater decision making beyond current "connected" group think in our parties.

9. Reducing Domestic Extremism and Outside Election-Social Influence: We have to tackle how some of our politicians of both sides are encouraging and following extremist agendas. We need better methods of detection and new laws that can discover, analyze, implement and eventually overcome domestic extremism and foreign influence in internal national affairs.

Will Snowden be Drafted/Invited to the Front Lines of Ukraine? I Doubt It...But There is a Point to be Made

We owe loyalties to our nation even when we may disagree within something we must be wise with those disagreements. If that disagreement can't be fixed internally then you find another safe channel to deal with the disagreement (Perhaps consider other reporting channels, agencies, or Congress). The mistake he made is he went overseas to a foreign adversary without considering how that information is worth more than any individual person or their cause. 

No one is perfect, just like no system is perfect, and sometimes we need a little correction but the minute we go to a foreign adversary we open up a huge can of worms. Of course Russia is going to welcome him with open arms and give him safe haven. They are equally likely to get as much information as they can from him and exploit the PR of it all. 

Sometimes it feels like we have a few politicians and people who think Russia is out to help them solve some of their political and personal problems. Whether that is running there with national secrets or encouraging them to investigate political candidates those are inappropriate behaviors. They are inherently dangerous.

Snowden put himself in a difficult situation by not using the various legitimate channels available to him and then jumped to a foreign country to make his point. I wonder if part of that information he shared, and perhaps a few others, may have led to increased conflict we now experienced. Even small bits of information can change things.

Why is he getting Russian citizenship now and what secrets did that cost him? I think Russia should reconsider their current path of sending troops to Ukraine for the sake of everyone involved....Russians, Ukrainians, UN, and everyone else (Personally I hope they reconsider and find a peaceful alternative path to reconnect with the world.). I wonder if Snowden will be one of the first to earn his new Russian found citizenship by volunteering to the front lines?  

Ok sorry......

Truthfully I doubt he would go even if he was offered the opportunity! The point I want to make here is that there are channels we can have to raise concerns but one can't go to other countries. Stepping outside of internal channels with critical intelligence could put American lives at risk and that might be just as bad as someone leaving a door unlocked with national secrets on top of their desk. Maybe not? 🤷

Vladimir Putin grants former NSA contractor Edward Snowden Russian citizenship

Republicans Should Support FBI While Supporting General Oversight

 All systems must function as intended and I personally think the FBI is doing what they need to do. That doesn't mean on the very high end there isn't some room for oversight but at the same time they need to be free to investigate what they need to investigate. Before my fellow Republicans want to throw out the baby with the bathwater they should think about a few things.

The FBI's independence has uncovered potential espionage and an potential coup that would not have been discovered if we played politics as usual (Remember that it hasn't been publicly proven yet but it is something that we should be concerned about.). Their objectives are to ensure we keep our democracy moving forward based on the laws passed by our legislators (That is why there are different branches.). 

I'm always an advocate for change and think that general oversight is good on the upper levels but I'm not into angry retaliatory changes that further erode the ability to catch and manage those engaged in nefarious purposes. There is always room for improvement but only if the intent is to make more functionable. We must be serious with our politics if we want to succeed as a nation.

Let us consider that there needs to be enough independence to ensure it isn't being political swayed by far right or far left radical leanings. Likewise, there must be enough oversight on the top levels to make sure that it stays in line with the wishes of the people. It should not change so often as to be led by the nose of the flavor of the month movement. It shouldn't be so rigid as to not be adjusting to the longer term trends of society.

Get my point?

It needs to function, be neutral in politics, hold people to account of the law, and maintain its loyalties to the Constitution and its people. Some have argued that Americans should attack, defund, and get retaliatory with the FBI. I suspect those are many of the same people who felt it was ok to sack our capital, support political violence, potentially construct a coup, and bent a knee for self interest. 

Another reason why the best and brightest need to rise. People who are willing to make choices that can increase accountability and improve the system without wildly swinging the pendulum because they are upset they are getting caught. We need long-term strategic thinkers and that doesn't always come from a closed circle of "connected". 

I always support positive change and checks-n-balances in a reasonable way. I do not support breaking a system because people did wrong things and don't like being investigated. Take the reasonable and rational approach and recognize we need this system to maintain some level of independence of thought but not so much it can fall out of line. Yin Yang

You may read GOP readies political heartburn for an FBI it won't defund 

Police Recruitment at Capital and Our Hometowns: An opportunity to diversify

Policing is an important function in society and slow recruitment is a problem but it can under certain circumstances also be an opportunity. It may be an opportunity to recruit diversely and attract different types of people to the practice policing to ensure that is reflective of society and develops multiple new ways of looking at and interacting with people.

If we review current police demographics  (I cannot vouch for the statistics or how they are drawn.) we can see a good opportunity to shore up these slow recruitment/attraction by encouraging minorities and those with cognitive diversity to get involved and become officers. It is a chance for people to sort of take a bag of lemons and make lemonade in a way that improves the systems, encourages trust, and has a positive impact on drawing communities together. 

Support our police and support our communities. Some may have left or retired and that can create a flow of new people if we can find a mechanism to attract new officers. My suggestion is work on the PR, connect new college students and high schools, post widely and using different marketing channels in areas where more representation is needed (race, religion, cognitive diversity, etc.).

Be open to the idea that universalization around a shared need of policing is important. I would encourage those who are pro and distrusting of police to use this opportunity to create win-win.  What is most important is a person's desire to serve and protect the public. 

(That also includes Republicans and Democrats who have in recent times encouraged people to be violent toward police and the FBI. Its time to change the narrative to something more constructive.)

How to Stay Diligent in Face of Hate: Dissertations and A Story Just Behind the Story (Peaking Between the Veil/Curtain)

Hate isn't an easy thing to deal with. Especially if the people who did so are not honest with the blind followers and corrupt officers they surround themselves with. They can pretty much say anything and people will assume its true. That is even more likely if no one asked for the alternative story that money went missing prior, they put kids in harms way, and that there has been long stemming mental health issues by the initiators of hate. In other words, the goal never was to understand it was to scapegoat a family for others problems and issues. It was to circumvent accountability.

I have more obligation to ensure that corruption and hate don't get normalized then they do to protect their egos. Yes I do recognize that based in our current political and legal environment that those who are seen as minorities get taken advantaged of, targeted for ethnic cleansing, and will have few to no rights if someone views them as "the other" . I guess in many ways it has been that way ever since I decided to chase a dissertation and live as Muslim (It was supposed to be temporary but I realized you couldn't go back unless you bust the bubble others live in.). 

I did the one most horrible thing that any red blooded American could ever dare to do and that is I was so bold as to step into another world and left an old one behind (It just negates everyone's psychological sense of "ego centric "rightness"). The world changed immediately with the horrors on people's face and how quickly they were brought to rage (More about that later). This group began to spread rumors, coordinated hate, take things that didn't belong to them, and all types of sadism took over because they were "justified". In hindsight it was the best thing I could have ever done; I think it had a purpose. 

There is much more to this story and I will tell you why I'm against corruption, extremism and no longer care what anyone on this planet thinks of me; they can't judge...not even the judges have familiarity in this realm. I learned things that only a few brave souls are likely to have learned in history (I can only think of a few but none precisely this way. One of my goals was to do the most unique dissertation I could think of. I had few things holding me back) and they are important things that can only come from perspective and cognitive role switching. 

(As an example my kids were pulled over 2X and I have been followed home and had a car parked outside my home. The message is pretty clear that people like me are not welcome and we face risks for being there. As a father that is pretty much when I decided I will challenge hate and corruption directly. I did what any father would do trying to protect his kids after I told he perpetrators to keep my kids out of their issues and that was a red line. They crossed that boundary multiple times and used their police associates to help. Feeling frightened for their safety I drew the anger by being outspoken and challenging the larger pre-immune hate oriented self-entitled group that relied heavily on law enforcement as their enforcers {Not what they expected for a "blame the victim" to turn and face them and hold a mirror. Two logical systems as reflective of two different worlds. This was a glimpse of peaking through the curtain. Getting people to put a toe in was challenging.}. 

We have all heard of a sandpiper right? {If not spend more time in nature and on the beach.} Their choice was their choice and its telling of natural intent. Likewise, narcissists usually try to dominate weaker personalities. Tell a narcissist "no" when they want something and watch them attack the seemingly weak, different, socially isolated, or injured.  The choice to attack and those who blindly followed did so based on a dominant personality that has warped their relationships and objectivity of the people through immediate social vicinity. This is why we should have some checks and balances in place and ensure that police recuse themselves when their friends are involved. 

We should have never been put in such a situation because others have failed themselves and their duties. We assumed all the risk, and continue to do so, simply because someone else created us as an exploitable target for their inner turmoil. Not fair! Wrong is wrong and those who accept it are also wrong! Because hate is a dark value it can travel from one arena of life to another and only creates victims until it is challenged and overcome.)

(See I was diagnosed 3X as a highly gifted person with IQ butting against genius {Like 2 IQ points which actually don't matter after 120 much because other personality traits take over. So if your 140 or 160 it can be highly dependent on cultural bias, exposure, education, etc., etc., etc.. One of my kids was also diagnosed as a genius and the other one I'm pretty sure he is a genius based on his interests and association of his discussions. Those are mixed race kids that this group belittled, discounted their lives, and put in harms way. We have a habit of steeling opportunities and putting kids in harm's way for the self needs of others and their bigotries. Black, White or other our children are sacrosanct. Even more so when we have a community that needs leaders and genius contributors we shouldn't put them intentionally in harms way. Not protecting my own offspring would be irresponsible for me, them and the possibilities of what they could become with the right support. If our laws are not designed to protect the next generation from the corruption of the current generation we got a serious break as this generation matures with renewed expectations of freedom and democracy. We need solutions.) 

Walking in other's shoes on such a level has only a few examples I found in history and I drew from those examples. They were actually Catholic examples and I maintain a cultural sense of identity to Catholicism but also have accepted Islamic and Jewish principles into my world view (Its possible when you stop focusing on the minute details of difference). I have a truer respect for religion and how they all point to the same place....so I believe there is something universal and more out there that even the brightest minds can't fully comprehend (Its called life logic and a level of an understanding of a bigger system. Because modern science can't see what it can't measure we must have just a little faith to bridge the gap. or maybe not? 🤔).

That is not something I can explain at the moment but I think with extremism rising in this country and corruption becoming fashionable I think it is starting to be good timing to tell parts of the story. Not all parts are for public consumption; that is my right, my oaths and my conscious. Please don't assume the first thing that pops into your head because you could be very wrong. Think not? You can try this Harvard Implicit Word Research to give yourself some self-reflective insight (Remember the word implicit and implicit bias. Also remember social construction for later discussions. ☝) 

What I can say is that I switched my dissertation for practical reasons and the need to eventually graduate. However, there was much more I learned over my 20 years as a Muslim that wouldn't fit into a dissertation but parts of it are important for people to learn. That has to do with the very root nature of life and how we as a species create all types of justifications for things that are not rational, just, or fair. It isn't race or religion specific. 

A little more information on my beliefs of dissertations and the rise of nationalism. As our world pushes us to change and adapt it is up to us to continue the path of development from one generation to the next and how that creates adaptations (or failure to adapt).

I really should be working on my economic theory of transactional clusters (I didn't invent the whole theory but mine was somewhat independently created and I think it is viable for scalability in Delta County. Once I actually find the time to work on it. Right now I'm just trying to correct an injustice that should be within our legal system.)

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Is the American economy heading into 'dire straights'?

 Investments are on the down track. I wonder how long they will go down. According to the video there is correction and there is downturn in the market. The question is how long and how severe the downturn? I would think that some of the investments we have put into our infrastructure and economy may help reduce some of that downswing. However, that may or may not be true depending on lots of other factors.