FEATURE ARTICLES. THEY WANT TO MAKE A LAW? PT 1.

You are sitting at Home one evening, and the Phone Rings. After the Obligatory Greetings, the Voice on the other end says, "Did You Hear on the News that SENATOR ---- wants to Enact Legislation to..."

Stop Right There.  How Many Times have you engaged in Conversations that have started Similarly?  In the next Few Minutes, You will probably be subjected to something like either of the Following:

-  Why Senator ---- is a Crook or a Fool for pushing such Legislation, and  must be Voted out of Office.

          OR

-  That Senator ------ is a Genuis who should run for President.

What comes Next?  Sometimes it is the Callers Desire to learn where

YOU STAND ON THE ISSUE, SOLICITING AN OPINION ON A TOPIC

THAT JUST MINUTES BEFORE YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTED.

Unfortunately, Many People Give in to such Inquires, and NEVER TAKE

THE TIME TO EDUCATE THEMSELVES ABOUT THE PROPOSED

LEGISLATION,  AND IF IT WILL DO EVERYTHING THE CALLER SAYS 

IT WILL, EITHER GOOD OR BAD.  This may End Up with the Listener 

never Realizing the True Rationality of why the Legislation was Put Forth

in the First Place.

There Must a Better Way.

ETHICS AND MORALITY. THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE INDIFFERENT. PT 2.

A STRICT FAITH BASED SYSTEM OF MORALITY DIFFERS FROM THE 

OTHERS IN ONE IMPORTANT FACTOR:

THERE IS NO EVALUATION DONE BY THE INDIVIDUAL TO UNDERSTAND, OR EVEN JUSTIFY WHY THEY SHOULD FOLLOW, OR OBEY THE MORAL DOCTRINE THAT IS SET FORTH IN THE PARTICULAR SYSTEM OF FAITH.

IN FACT, TO EVEN QUESTION THE "WORD", REGARDLESS OF THE HOW AND WHY, MIGHT BE CONSIDERED AN IMMORAL ACT. CONCEPTS OF "RIGHT" AND "WRONG", OR, "GOOD" AND "EVIL" ARE USUALLY NON-NEGOTIABLE, WITH LITTLE, IF ANY, ROOM FOR COMPROMISE.

However,  

If One Lives in a Country that is not some form of THEOCRACY, perhaps a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC LIKE THE U.S, A DEGREE OF ADJUSTMENT OR ACCOMMODATION MUST BE MADE TO CIVIL AND CRIMINAL CODES OF LAW, OR YOU RISK PUNISHMENT AND CENSURE FROM GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIES.

In the U.S., the BILL OF RIGHTS  SAYS:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;"

For this Article, I am referencing this for a Specific Reason:

WHILE CERTAIN BEHAVIORS, BELIEFS, OR ATTITUDES MAY BE CONSIDERED IMMORAL AND UNACCEPTABLE TO THE RELIGIOUS FAITH OF THE INDIVIDUAL, THE LEGAL SYSTEM MAY CONSIDER THEM PERMISSIBLE, AND THEREFORE NO PUNISHMENT WILL BE EXACTED BY CIVIL AUTHORITIES.

UNFORTUNATELY, MANY PEOPLE EQUATE THE FOLLOWING:

        SINS OF THE FAITH = CRIMES AGAINST THE STATE/SOCIETY.

I KNOW THIS IS DIFFICULT FOR SOME TO ACCEPT, BUT THEY ARE NOT ONE AND THE SAME, IF WE ARE DISCUSSING FREE AND OPEN FORMS OF GOVERNMENT.

As we have seen Time and Time Again, even in the U.S., THERE ARE THOSE WHO BELIEVE THAT: 

FREEDOM OF RELIGION = NO RIGHTS FOR THOSE WHO VIOLATE THE MORAL CODE OF MY FAITH.

HOWEVER, NOT ALL FAITH BASED SYSTEMS OF MORALITY VIEW THEIR ROLE AS PRIVATE CITIZENS THE SAME WAY, AT LEAST IN TERMS OF TOLERATING OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS.

IN AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM OF FAITH BASED MORALITY,  the GOAL IS TO WORK WITH OTHER SYSTEMS OF MORALITY, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT IS CREATED BY A GOVERNMENT THAT SETS A PRIORITY ON CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS.

LOOK FOR THIS TO BE CONTINUED IN A FUTURE POST.

WORTHWHILE OR WORTHLESS- A CONSUMER GUIDE TO AVOIDING SCAMS AND SCOUNDRELS. MORE HEALTH SCAMS- WATCH OUT FOR THE SIGNS OF BAD SCIENCE, AND FRAUD. PT 1.

In Other Posts on the Website, I have Discussed some of the more Intellectually Vacuous Programming offered over the Air by Regular Commercial and Cable Television Stations.

Therefore, It would seem Reasonable to expect that some Commercials and Ads would also follow the same pattern of Irrational Thought, with Dubious Claims made without any Proper Evaluation or Research to back up any claims made.

With that in Mind, are there certain Characteristics that we can look for that might indicate the Value of the Information being provided, and if it can be Trusted?

First some Terms you may come across, and if Their Use in Advertising is of any Real Value;

ALL- NATURAL-  Is Often Used to Promote Certain Remedies and Foods, to Promote Trust and Quality. However, it is Essentially Meaningless, for it says nothing about the Effectiveness, Value, and Possible Side Affects of the Product Being Referred to.

ORGANIC-  Is an Advertisers Dream, because it has Become the Role Model for a Category of Foods that has Captured the General Publics Imagination as Wonder Products, that Justify the Additional Cost to the Consumer. So Does Organic Live up to the Hype?

ORGANIC FOODS CONTAIN MORE VITAMINS AND NUTRIENTS THAN THE LESS COSTLY OPTIONS.- No, They are Chemically Identical.  In Other Words, an Organic Head of Lettuce has the same Nutritional Value as its Inorganic Option.

ORGANIC FOODS ARE FRESHER.-  Maybe in a Few Isolated Cases, but the Vast Majority of Organic Foods are placed on the Shelves in the same time period as Their Non- Organic Counterparts.

ORGANIC FOODS ARE LOCALLY GROWN-  Again, Perhaps this is True in a Few Cases, but Nearly All Organic Foods are Grown and Transported by the same Corporations that Provide and Supply the Less Expensive Alternatives.

We'll get back to ORGANIC FOODS IN THE FUTURE.

CLEANSE-  Another Marketing Term that attempts to Convince the Public that They Need to "CLEANSE" Their Body, Blood, or Colon etc., with a SPECIAL PRODUCT CREATED FOR THAT PURPOSE.  Guess What? Your Body Does That for you. These Products Offer Nothing in the Way of Actual Medicinal Value, and seek to Solve Problems that don't exist.

Date-  2/23/2015.

WHAT A SHAME- A look at the low points in the modern media. HUMILIATION TELEVISION; IT DOESN'T GET ANY LOWER THAN THIS. PT 6.

In part 5, we examined the "Save me from myself '' type of program as if everything was real and true to life. The incompetence, laziness, selfishness etc. were all present. This, of course, justifies the crude and boorish behavior of the tough but lovable host.

However, what if much, if not all of what is aired is complete fiction? 

Suppose a few minor problems are blown up out of proportion, and the conflict present in the business is the creation of staff writers and producers.  What would this mean?

I find it hard to believe that any successful Restaurant, Bar, Hotel, would risk a solid and hard earned reputation by pretending to be a location run by Buffoons and staffed by the Shiftless.  

However, what if the business is on the fence, straddling the bottom line of profit or loss.  The location is up against tough competition, and ownership can not figure a way to stand apart.  The employees are competent and loyal, with no real need for additional training.  The menu is given proper attention by the Chef and Kitchen staff.  The Decor is evaluated, with an eye to being trendy and up to date.  All these things may be true, but success has been elusive. Advertising has not resulted in an increase of customer traffic, and the continued existence of the concern is in jeopardy.

Suddenly, an offer becomes available that may turn things around, and comes at no

cost financially.

However, there is a catch... 

(Look for PT 7 in a future posting.)