I like the Pope. He seems like a very nice guy who cares about all the people in the world who are suffering, which is all the people in the world, more or less. He is obviously not very bright, and has very little understanding of economics, politics, or science, but it is not necessary to have a high IQ to enter the kingdom of heaven. So good for him. He’s pretty old, so whatever damage he causes will not last long. I’m sure the Church will survive, as it has for two thousand years. I do kinda wish he would mention the millions that have suffered and died under socialism and communism in places like Cuba, and all the Christians that have either been murdered or have fled from the Middle East, but he can’t do everything. After all, he’s busy denouncing air conditioning and “consumerism”.

Up here, living in one of the circles of the heavenly realms, we are still exposed to the suffering of the billions not living in the heavenly realms. Earthly conditions are better than ever, but they are also more universally known than ever. Now it looks like the suffering billions, at least a large proportion of them, have every intention of picking up stakes and moving to our circle of the old HR (Heavenly Realms). The question is what do we do? Of course they all want to live here. Who wouldn’t want to, given the choice? But, if they all come here, then this will no longer be a circle in the heavenly realms. It will be a corrupt, tyrannical, crime-ridden kleptocracy, like any one of a number of African, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries. I submit that we are, ever so slightly, already moving in that direction.

There are a couple of points of view about what to do. One point of view is that all of the suffering of the non-HR people is the result of European colonization. Therefore it is all our fault and Western Civilization should commit suicide as a reparation. That’s one point of view. I hope I’ve stated it fairly. The other point of view is that European colonization, for all of its many flaws, was, on balance, a civilizing influence, and Western Civilization is something worth defending and preserving, and, dare I say it, expanding where possible.

When I say Western Civilization, I refer, of course, to Europe and the United States of America, and several allied others. Europe is the history of Western Civilization. The USA is the current bearer of the torch. Another name for Western Civilization is (Oh no! Don’t say it! Everyone will freak out!) Christendom.

It looks to me like Christendom is on the way out, in slow motion. If that happens, what takes its place will not be pretty.

I would never display Robert E. Lee’s Confederate battle flag. I’m a Union guy. I’m glad the Union won. But I love the South. These days there is less racism down here than there is up North. It is less segregated and less uptight about race. There is a big migration of black folks moving back South from the North.

You want to take down the flag at the Civil War memorial on the South Carolina capitol grounds, fine. I don’t really care, one way or the other. But now all confederate flag stuff has been removed from Walmart, Amazon, eBay, and everywhere else. Apple has removed all Civil War games from the App Store. There’s talk of destroying all the statues of Confederate generals. People want to ban Gone with the Wind and the Dukes of Hazzard.

This is insane.

My friends think I have gone over to the dark side, because of my disagreements with what goes under the label “progressive” these days. I don’t think so. I think they have, through inertia and intellectual laziness, drifted over to the dark side without knowing it. And they reinforce each other. If you get crossways with the groupthink, it can be uncomfortable, which is why most people don’t like to have unpopular opinions.

One of my opinions is that the ideal society encourages and creates space for creative, hard-working people to succeed. I believe that we live in a society, here in the U.S.A., closer to that ideal than any other society in human history (even though it could always use some improvement). Anyone who realizes that opportunity exists for smart, hard-working, knowledgeable people to be successful, has a real shot. For one thing it is easier to learn skills, and accumulate scientific, literary, and philosophical knowledge today than it has ever been, ever.

But if you are born in the ghetto, have no father, and your mother is a crack whore, or some other Dickensian fate befalls you, you will probably not realize what is possible. A few do, but most don’t. Making everyone aware of the opportunities that exist, what it takes to exploit them, and how to acquire the necessary knowledge to exploit them, is not only the best way to help people, it is the only way that will actually work. Much of the welfare state, at every level, while well-intentioned, is doing more harm than good.

Another thing I believe is that we are at war with Islam. This is the thing that it is most forbidden to say except for maybe being against gay marriage, or thinking that cutting off your dick is indicative of mental illness. If I am right, about Islam that is, then we must at some point, sooner or later, be able to say out loud that we are at war with Islam, or we will lose.

I think that what my friends call the “dark side” is the side that actually perceives the darkness and the light as it really is. In this world today, the United States of America is the light, and Islam is the dark.

ISIS is a Satanic death cult. It, and other groups like it, are Satan’s army. Good and evil. These are Lord of the Rings times. Islam is the religion of Sauron.

Meanwhile, God’s army, under the non-leadership of Barack Obama is scattered, indecisive, lacking in confidence, unwilling to face the reality of the threat, for fear of giving offense, for fear of responsibility, for fear of acknowledging the beyond life and death seriousness of existence.

1970. One evening when we were living on Waller, I was tripping on acid and decided to go for a walk. It was already dark. I was down on Haight at Scott, the borderline between the Haight and the Fillmore (At that time a black ghetto, since gentrified), and this black dude (we called them spades back then) accosted me and asked for a light, which I didn’t have. Then he asked me where I was going. Oh, just out for a walk. Then he patted me down to see if I had anything worth stealing, which I didn’t. Then he invited me to a house party, but I didn’t go. His vibes were great throughout the transaction.

I remember when we were living on Waller St, corner of Scott. Back then it was on the borderline with the Fillmore, which was a black ghetto pretty much, before it got gentrified. The corner store, where I went for cigarettes, gave out Brown stamps when you bought something there.

Zodiac killed a cop in a parked car one block down on Waller, june 19, 1970. I’m pretty sure I heard the shot. It was like 5:30 in the morning.

Sitting on the porch swing, Southern dusk, sipping some Jameson’s. The oxycodone kicked in awhile ago. Some morning doves have made a nest at the top of the porch pillar over in the corner. They do this several times a year, hatch out a batch. It has become a tradition. This year they didn’t show up again for awhile after the first batch. I said to Candace, maybe they want to have the old nest cleaned out. Candace cleaned it out, and they were back the next day. It’s the perfect place, sheltered from the rain and the wind and the sun, invisible to anyone not on the porch, maid service, They just have to put up with the humans that come and go, and sit on the porch, and take their picture. Luckily these are gentle folk who live here.

I’m reading the biography of my distant relative, William Henry Seward: Lincoln’s Indispensible Man. The Democrats labeled Seward an “extremist”, because of his uncompromising stand against slavery.

Nowadays, the Democrats (and the media, but I repeat myself) call you an extremist if you advocate slightly slowing the rate of increase of spending money that we don’t have. They also call you a hostage taker, a terrorist, a suicide bomber, and a domestic abuser.

I have labored in the vineyards of Information Technology for more than four decades. I have designed and implemented database software, and web software, for organizations that process large amounts of national traffic. I currently develop and market my own software, mostly based on database technology.

The so-called “glitches” of the Obamacare roll-out were not caused by unexpected, massive traffic. If it was unexpected, that’s already enough incompetence to justify firing in the real world. Too much traffic may be and probably is a factor to some extent. However, drawing on my vast experience, and my hours of attempting to set up an account and explore options at healthcare.gov, these are not glitches, and traffic has little to do with it. This system has not been tested. It doesn’t work. Fixing it is going to be a long-term project.

The Republicans have been stupid, trying to defund Obamacare. Had they just left it alone, the story would be the failure of Obamacare instead of the mean Republicans shutting down the beloved government.

The Democrats have been stupid. Agreeing to a one year delay of Obamacare would be the best thing that could have happened for them. This rushed, untested, dysfunctional roll-out is embarassing.