REMEMBERING A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY.

 AUGUST, 28,1963.

MARTIN LUTHER KINGS " I HAVE A DREAM" SPEECH.

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BLAST FROM THE PAST: HOW CAN WE FIGHT TERRORISM? PT 1.

 

Exactly what is TERRORISM?

-  What are the Goals behind it, and what are the Motivations?

-  Do the Methods Used by Terrorists Work, in Achieving the Desired Goals?

-  Are the Tactics of Terrorists Self- Defeating, always Doomed to Failure, or are They Practical, and Often lead to Success?

-  Should Terrorist Tactics be Answered in Kind?

The First Question that must be Addressed is simply, what is TERRORISM? 

FIRST, Terrorism is not an Ideology, it is a Means to an End. There are no Specific Set of Rules or Written Doctrine that Encompasses all Terrorist Groups and Individuals, and no Identifiable Code of Law or Morality that is Universal in Nature.

To Clarify, I will Define TERRORISM as : THE USE OF VIOLENCE, OR THREAT OF SUCH, TO ADVANCE THE DOCTRINE, IDEOLOGY, RULES, OR GOALS OF A GIVEN AND IDENTIFIABLE GROUP THAT IS NOT GENERALLY REGARDED AS A LEGITIMATE POLITICAL ENTITY, OR THE RECOGNIZED LEGAL AUTHORITY FOR A RESIDENT POPULATION OR GEOGRAPHICAL AREA.

HOWEVER, THE TARGETS OF SUCH VIOLENCE ARE NOT TRADITIONAL, SUCH AS MILITARY INSTALLATIONS AND GOVERNMENTAL OFFICES. CIVILIAN POPULATION CENTERS, BUSINESS AND CONSUMER DISTRICTS, AND PLACES OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP BECOME THE PREFERRED AREAS TO CREATE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION.  THE DESIRE IS TO ESTABLISH A DISRUPTION IN NORMAL ACTIVITIES, AND A GENERAL SENSE OF PANIC AMONG THOSE WHO FREQUENT, OR LIVE IN THESE AREAS.

THE PURPOSE-  CREATE AN ATMOSPHERE THAT WILL CAUSE THE CIVILIAN/MERCHANT POPULATION TO  BECOME SO TRAUMATIZED AND FRIGHTENED, THAT IT FORCES THE POLITICAL/GOVERNMENTAL POWERS RESPONSIBLE FOR ADMINISTERING AND PROTECTING THESE AREAS, TO GRANT CONCESSIONS, ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS, OR AGREE TO THE STATED GOALS AND POLICIES OF THE TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. 

The Terrorist(s) are not Interested in the Traditional Types of Warfare and Combat.

WHY?  Because They Usually Lack the Numbers and Quality of Combatants and Armaments to Engage in Set Piece Battles.  So to Attack Military and Civilian Strong Points that are Well Protected would be Useless.  The Terrorists would be going up against Forces Designed and Trained to Meet, Engage, and Defeat Opposing Forces Conducting Normal Combat Operations. 

Is Terrorism a New Phenomena, or can we Find Examples in other Parts of Human History?  Is it an External Threat Alone, or is there an Internal Danger Just as Dangerous and Potentially Destructive.

LOOK FOR PART 2.

PRESIDENT BIDEN REMEMBERS WHAT "...PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE..." MEANS, EVEN IF THE GOP DOESN'T. PART 1.

PRESIDENT BIDEN STANDING UP TO THE ANTI-VACCINATION AND ANTI-MASKER CROWD IS A RESPONSIBILITY THAT OTHER PROGRESSIVES SHOULD BE FOLLOWING.

(OF COURSE, I MEAN THE U.S. SENATE, ESPECIALLY THOSE ELECTED PRIOR TO 2016. IF YOU NEED TO ASK WHY, I SUGGEST YOU READ MY ARTICLES ON BARACK OBAMAS SELECTION FOR THE SUPREME COURT, AND THE 2016 ELECTION RETURNS.)

One thing I have learned about Politicians and Public Figures a long time ago is their ability to pick and choose which parts of a subject to discuss and criticize publicly, (Parts they have knowledge of and agree with), and the parts they attempt to avoid at all cost, (Parts they do not understand or comprehend, and would make them look Ignorant, Intellectually Challenged or Morally Bankrupt if they attempted to justify their opinions.)

This is especially true when it comes to matters of Law, with the U.S. CONSTITUTION BEING A PRIMARY AND OFTEN SHAMEFUL TARGET. Even worse, it seems to be a Tactic used by LAW SCHOOL GRADUATES, AS WELL AS THOSE WITH NO FORMAL LEGAL TRAINING.

I have written and published a number of Articles on the CONSTITUTIONAL LAW, ESPECIALLY THE "BILL OF RIGHTS," on this Website. So if this SUBJECT MATTER APPEALS TO YOU, I RECOMMEND BROWSING OTHER AREAS OF THIS SITE FOR MORE INFORMATION.

However, for this article, I will be referencing THE PREAMBLE.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

As you can see, the PREAMBLE OF THE U.S. CONSTITUTION DOES NOT GO INTO SPECIFICS, BUT INSTEAD POINTS TO UNIVERSAL "GOODS" OR "NECESSITIES" THAT MUST BE ACCOMPLISHED.

IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION.

- ESTABLISH JUSTICE.

- INSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY

- PROVIDE FOR THE COMMON DEFENSE.

- PROMOTE THE GENERAL WELFARE.

- SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY FOR

OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY.

What is most important. however, is what is said at the very beginning:

"WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES..."

Contrary to the Fascist Rhetoric we are often confronted with,

The CONSTITUTION is not just a collection of  Rules and Responsibilities

that protects the Individual from Abusive Government, BUT IS ALSO A SET

OF GUIDELINES THAT PROTECTS SOCIETY ITSELF FROM BEHAVIOR

BY AN INDIVIDUAL(S) THAT IS DESTRUCTIVE AND DETRIMENTAL TO

THE WELL-BEING AND BEST INTERESTS OF THE U.S. CITIZENRY AS A WHOLE.

TO PUT IT ANOTHER WAY: WHAT AN INDIVIDUAL CITIZEN MAY WANT OR DESIRE,

HAS TO BE WEIGHED AGAINST HOW THAT AFFECTS THE POPULACE AS A COLLECTION

OF HUMAN BEINGS LIVING UNDER THE SAME RULES AND CIRCUMSTANCES.

TO BE CONTINUED...

LOGIC- IT'S NOT JUST FOR VULCANS, AND VIEWERS OF "THE BIG BANG THEORY." SHELDON AND HIS MOTHER- POST HOC, ERGO PROPTER HOC, AND THE FALLACY OF TRUTH BY ASSOCIATION. PT 1.

 (FIRST PUBLISHED ON 10/5/2014.)

Since Logic now how has its own page and category, I thought it might be appropriate if we took an example of a Logical Fallacy from "THE BIG BANG THEORY."  This one is called POST HOC, ERGO PROPTER HOC.  

Also, this article will expand this example to include the Fallacy of TRUTH BY ASSOCIATION.

The first episode of the third season, entitled "THE ELECTRICAL CAN OPENER FLUCTUATION", Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj return from their trip to the Magnetic North Pole.  As he is walking through the door into the apartment, Sheldon has the following exchange with his mother while on the phone:

"No mother, I could not feel your church group praying for my safety.  The fact that 

I'm home safe does not prove that it worked. That logic is Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc."

Translated from Latin, it means, "After this, therefore because of this."  It is the Logical Fallacy of assuming a causal relationship between two events, and excluding everything else without justification.

To make this easier to understand here is the breakdown;

                            Sheldon goes on his trip,

                                          

                                          Then,

                    Sheldons mom, and her church group pray 

                                      for his safety,

                                           Then,

                            Sheldon returns home safely,

                                         Therefore,

                          The prayer ensured his safety. 

What Sheldon could have pointed out, to his mother, is that his safe return could be the result of one, or  more of the following: 

1)  Proper planning.

2)  Safety procedures that were followed while en route, or on the way home.

3)  Adequate Water, Food, Clothes etc, to amply supply their needs. 

4)  Communications that allowed access to emergency aid from the outside world.

5)  The mental discipline and knowledge to meet any difficulty calmly and intellectually.

In other words, Sheldons mom concluded that the prayer was the reason for a safe

return, when in fact there may have been other reasons.

Before any of my readers, who believe in the power of prayer, say that I can't rule out Divine Intervention, my reply is simple;  

I AM NOT TRYING TO.

END PT 1.

BIDEN SAYS HIS ADMINISTRATION WILL TAKE ON GOP GOVERNORS BLOCKING MASKS IN SCHOOL.

 

NBC NEWS.

SHANNON PETTYPIECE AND LAUREN EGAN AND MONICA ALBA

August 18, 2021, 4:28 PM

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that he was directing the Education Department to use its legal authority against Republican governors who are trying to block local school officials from requiring students to wear masks to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Speaking at the White House, Biden said some politicians are trying to turn public safety measures into "political disputes for their own political gain" and warned that they are "setting a dangerous tone."

Biden said he had directed Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to wield his oversight authority and take legal action "if appropriate."

"We're not going to sit by as governors try to block and intimidate educators protecting our children," Biden said.Republican governors across the country have recently signed executive orders or enacted laws seeking to prevent local officials from imposing new mask mandates. As children head back to school amid a surge in the delta variant of the coronavirus, some local officials have decided that ignoring the measures is the only way to protect children, especially those under age 12, who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated.

Biden said emergency Covid funding in the American Rescue Plan could cover educators' salaries if their pay is cut for requiring masks in their classrooms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all students in kindergarten through 12th grade wear masks when they return to classrooms for the new school year.

Biden also said Wednesday that all nursing homes will have to require staff members to be vaccinated to keep receiving Medicare and Medicaid funding, which will affect about 15,000 nursing homes and more than 1.3 million employees, an administration official said

About 60 percent of nursing home staffers are already fully vaccinated, according to data from the CDC.

Nursing homes heavily depend on Medicare and Medicaid funds, and some have raised concerns that they would lose staff members if they required them to be vaccinated in an already tight job market.

With a surge in Covid infections the Biden administration been looking to use whatever levers it has to pressure more Americans to get vaccinated.

"While I am mindful that my authority at the federal level is limited, I am going to continue look for ways to keep people safe and increase vaccination rates," Biden said Wednesday. Biden has already required that all health care and nursing home workers with Veterans Affairs be vaccinated and that federal employees get vaccinated or undergo routine testing. Many private-sector companies and universities have also begun requiring vaccinations.

The new policy could go into effect as early as next month. The timing is fluid as the administration works with nursing homes to ramp up vaccinations in the coming weeks, the official said.

Biden administration officials said this month that they were discussing using federal authorities and regulatory powers, including withholding federal funds, to persuade institutions to require their employees to get vaccinated, including nursing homes.

Nursing home residents have been particularly at risk for coronavirus infections even after they have been vaccinated. Data from the CDC showed that the vaccines' effectiveness dropped from 75 percent in March to 53 percent by August. Administration officials said Wednesday that they would recommend that all adults get booster shots eight months after their first doses starting next month.