Dear Democratic Party (callers) . . .

 I'm frustrated by the vapidness of the many political phone calls, texts and emails I receive everyday.  One after another, basic boilerplate donation pitch, too often with a shrill attention grabbing headline. Precious little interest in anyone's interests, beyond what can you donate, envelop licking, being sent door to door with Pollyannaish literature.  Can't do that stuff anymore, but I do have something to offer.  

Democrats need to get better informed and engaged - that means using every resource available, and that should include starting a Online Democratic Party Discussion Forum where people can share their ideas and network, educate, nurture enthusiasm, engage your grassroots.  If we aren't changing minds we are losing.  

I'm writing this post so that I have a URL to share with future texts and such.

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Democratic Party Online Discussion Forum

Googling, “Why are Democrats losing voters?” reveals that voters who care are feeling so disenfranchised by the Democratic Party that they are turning off in droves. 

This, during a year that should have every Democracy loving American energized and looking for how they can best participate in the coming election, it’s frightening.

After all, more than anything this election will be about the future of open and fair elections in the USA. Beyond that, it’s going to be a national referendum between the importance of honesty and truth in America’s public dialogue vs. a descent into anger driven anarchy. No exaggeration, simply pay attention to how the Republican Party has been engaging in every imaginable dirty trick to stymie future election participation and voting legitimacy.

Successful politicians require strong, informed, proactive support at their backs if they are to lead, yet the DNC seems to be doing little to nurture that sort of buy-in from their grassroots. Why?

Diary, 12/25/2019 - Rhetorical Jujutsu, case in point.

If we are not changing minds we are losing!

11)  Confront Trash Talk with Rhetorical Jujutsu
Contrarians depend on personal attacks to distract the discussion from their bankrupt “science”.  Learn to recognize the game, turn it to your favor, be prepared to point out the juvenility of the tactic, while forcing the discussion back to the real world facts your contrarian opponent wants to avoid.

This impeachment process, especially the part where +40% of Americans are simply harding up their passionate support for Trump who clearly believes he's above all laws and ethics, by getting ever passion, if disconnected, from the real world facts by the day.  

Has honesty, dignity, respect for evidence and laws and professional standards of ethics and enlighten-self-interest all been trashed by people who've convinced themselves they have God in their back pockets?   

Worst and genuinely painful is witnessing the continued ineptness of Democratic communication efforts with their own grassroots supporters, let alone their inability to directly confront Republican deception and bullying.  

Democrats haven't explained anything in a way that offers regular voters some rhetorical ammunition when confronted with the Republican's onslaught of ruthless deception and scorched earth attitudes towards others. 

It feels like an all-hands-on-deck situation, but Democrats don't seem to get it.  What I write is uncomfortable, so it's ignored.  I'm told to make it feel nicer.  I say, Democrats need to do better than peddling old bromides.

Since one of my bitches is that Democrats keep talking past Republican bullies when we need to be stopping them in their lying tracks, long enough to educate onlookers, by shoving GOP lies right back down their disingenuous throats with clarifications and explanations.  Succinctly enunciate and clarify arguments in a way that resonates with people.

Here I share an example of what I mean when I suggest talking AT them, rather than past them, as our Democratic politicians do all too well. This has to do with a semi-local issue, but that's beside the point.  I'm simply sharing some food for thought.  

Oh and if any of this is resonating with some editor or agent or writing coach or political staffer type out there, someone who appreciates the potential of what I'm trying to do here.  Please, I need some help.  Might you have any to offer?

"Red’s a billionaire and We Are The People. Down to brass tacks."  

Dennis points to ANILCA and cries foul on behalf of Mr. McCombs,  

“There is a law that says the USFS has to grant access to inholdings.”   

Is that a fact?  There’s another side to this story that's worth listening to, particularly if you want to understand the unrelenting opposition to the notion of bulldozing a Village at Wolf Creek into Alberta Park. ...

f) Considering the Missing Key to Stephen Gould’s “Nonoverlapping Magisteria”

... and this one was the climax of my journey.  Doesn't matter much that few seem to get it or care, this one is my gem.  The culmination of my heroic introspective journey.  See, I was a genuine dharma bum, as a young man I threw myself to experiencing life and the road, the wind and my own wits.  Been able to walk in many shoes for a distance, known many beautiful people and have enjoyed many wonderful discussions, seen many ups and downs.  Back in those 70s, 80s our country wasn't so scared and angry.  Being of poor but healthy honest stock people hired me, so I had opportunities to work many diverse jobs and live many experiences over the succeeding decades.    Considering the odds I've had a great ride.  

I'm a bonafide student of the University of Life you could say.  Among my early professors were a parade of enthusiastic research librarians before the days of personal computers.   Next to living, there was keeping up on science news and proactively researching things that interested me and since understanding myself and the entire Earth and her story interested me, it's been a busy life.  I dare say I've been attentive to every day, good and bad.  These days I'd label myself an Earth Centrist and I've accumulated some deep understanding.  Here I was finally able to summarize it in a way that feels complete and that opens whole new vistas for me.  I fancy this my U of L Master's Thesis.    ;- )

(Evening Jan 1, 2019:  Spent many hours today reviewing this 6 post collection and making final changes, then more final adjustments, plus adding some closing observations at the end of this piece.  I do believe this annotated collection is now finished.   

Happy New Year to you and best wishes, cc.)

   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

    

The Missing Key to Stephen Gould’s

“Nonoverlapping Magisteria”

“… missing was a much more fundamental division crying out for recognition.  Specifically,                                        

the magisteria of Physical Reality vs the magisteria of our Human Mindscape. …”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

    

The increasingly shrill and disconnected from physical reality attacks on science by faith-based organizations and individuals has me thinking about an essay evolutionary biologist and historian of science Stephen J. Gould wrote some twenty years ago in an attempt to address the tension between scientific truths and religious truths.

His solution was the notion of “Non-overlapping Magisteria” which delineated two teaching “authorities” (magisterium), the “magisteria of science” and the “magisteria of religion.” It wasn’t his original idea, rather a continuation of a centuries old dialogue between scientists and the Catholic Church that I don’t have the space to get into.

In any event, Gould concluded there should be no conflict because each realm has its’ own domain of “teaching authority.” Since these “magisteria” do not overlap, they cannot contradict each other and should be able to exist in mutual respect.

When it first came out

8/7 Truth of Physical Reality vs Truth of our Human Mindscape

Completing the following essay is what inspired me to put together the 7/7 collection in the previous posts (having no jobs for that week helped).  It's been an exercise in distilling my lessons from a decade of active participation in the online climate science 'debate' and a half century of learning about Earth, evolution, geophysics, and her people through science and paying attention to unfolding of events.

I have been disheartened by the general apathy, but given that first and foremost this has been a self-study effort for me and that I have acquired a deeper understanding of our living creation than most, well that brings its own satisfaction.  Substance over facade and all that.  I wanted to peer inside the mind of the faith-shackled and get down into the mud pit of their malicious right wing attacks on rationality, climate science, physical facts in order to better understand their game.  It's up to others to decide if I succeeded.  With that, here's my favorite essay to finish out this particular effort.

   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

    

The Missing Key to Stephen Gould’s

“Nonoverlapping Magisteria”

“… missing was a much more fundamental division crying out for recognition.  Specifically,                                        

the magisteria of Physical Reality vs the magisteria of our Human Mindscape. …”

© Peter Miesler, August 21, 2018

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

    

The increasingly shrill and disconnected from physical reality attacks on science by faith-based organizations and individuals has me thinking about an essay evolutionary biologist and historian of science Stephen J. Gould wrote some twenty years ago in an attempt to address the tension between scientific truths and religious truths.

His solution was the notion of “Non-overlapping Magisteria” which delineated two teaching “authorities” (magisterium), the “magisteria of science” and the “magisteria of religion.” It wasn’t his original idea, rather a continuation of a centuries old dialogue between scientists and the Catholic Church that I don’t have the space to get into.

In any event, Gould concluded there should be no conflict because each realm has its’ own domain of “teaching authority.” Since these “magisteria” do not overlap, they cannot contradict each other and should be able to exist in mutual respect.

When it first came out

Missing Key to Stephen Gould’s “Nonoverlapping Magisteria”

   _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

    

The Missing Key to Stephen Gould’s

“Nonoverlapping Magisteria”

“… missing was a much more fundamental division crying out for recognition.  Specifically,                                        

the magisteria of Physical Reality vs the magisteria of our Human Mindscape. …”

© Peter Miesler, August 21, 2018

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

    

The increasingly shrill and disconnected from physical reality attacks on science by faith-based organizations and individuals has me thinking about an essay evolutionary biologist and historian of science Stephen J. Gould wrote some twenty years ago in an attempt to address the tension between scientific truths and religious truths.

His solution was the notion of “Non-overlapping Magisteria” which delineated two teaching “authorities” (magisterium), the “magisteria of science” and the “magisteria of religion.” It wasn’t his original idea, rather a continuation of a centuries old dialogue between scientists and the Catholic Church that I don’t have the space to get into.

In any event, Gould concluded there should be no conflict because each realm has its’ own domain of “teaching authority.” Since these “magisteria” do not overlap, they cannot contradict each other and should be able to exist in mutual respect.

When it first came out

Kristin Mink on GOP's Civility Double Standard

Given the Trump Administration Fire Hose of atrocities, this is already old news, still it belongs in this collection dedicated to provoking some deeper thought about what we are doing to ourselves and how we Children of the Intellectual Enlightenment will confront the attack on Democracy, our way of governing and rational thinking that is currently underway.

Teacher Who Confronted Pruitt Responds To Calls For Civility 

The Beat With Ari Melber

Published by MSNBC on Jul 3, 2018

Teacher Kristin Mink, who confronted Trump EPA Chief Scott Pruitt in a restaurant over his mounting scandals and asked him to resign, joins The Beat. Ari asks Mink to defends her actions,

At 6:00 Kristin Mink responds:  

Let me say this first is that I think that this whole debate about civility is a waste of time.  I wish that that the left would stop talking about it because civility is not the issue here!  

You have people who are speaking up there's no violence involved you know this is literally people voicing what it is they care about, to the people whose salaries they pay.  

Right, so if they want to then turn that conversation away from the issues and to, oh it's not the right time, it's not the right place, you're not doing your job.  If you're doing your job properly as a civil servant you want to hear from the people who are paying your taxes.  You want to hear from the people who you're supposed to be supporting and taking care of.

( note - Keep in mind Pruitt’s many secret meetings with powerful industry leaders, all the while evading and stonewalling the public; and our press (USA’s Fourth Estate); and science, as much as possible.  Then there’s Pruitt’s Kremlin level passion for secrecy.  Why did he need all that secrecy? We know, so that he could vandalize the E.P.A. out of sight.  

Our environment is more than an externality!

This ME FIRST cult  proudly despises environmental protections because it cuts into profits.  Collectively they are so myopic as to believe our society lives by profits alone - never appreciating that it’s a healthy environment that provides our life support systems along with all we hold near and dear. 

E.P.A. was created to protect the common health - but now it’s been given over to a gang for whom profits are more important that people or honesty or ethics. )

Kristin Mink continues:  So the issue here is not civility and the whole idea obviously this shouldn't even need to be said but the whole idea of talking about civility is ridiculous considering who we have as our president who has done so many things that are outside the box of civility and kindness and goodness.

It's ridiculous to even spend time on this, you know and I know that.  Representative Maxine Waters you know made some comments about this and that some people on the Left have not been supportive of her.  I think that’s ridiculous.

We should not be spending time nitpicking people who want to criticize others for simply speaking out about what they believe in and I thinkthat it's my it's my right (and duty) as a citizen, it’s my responsibility as a mother and the same thing goes for everybody else in America. …

notes 4/14/18 - Of Hope - and evangelical patriarchy's victimization complex.

As they say, in the end it’s like the blink of an eye.  

It’s done and I’m feeling good about it.  500 fliers, I stuck to my resolution and engaged with nearly 400 people, actually more, I’m not counting declines.  

Though I kept them to a minimum since I was targeting a specific audience, young, intelligent, serious looking like they were here for business.  Of course, scientific method loving people was there in my introduction and that sorted 'em out in a hurry, with over three thousand people I wasn't planning on wasting copies, or time, I was looking for the chorus and pretty much found them.  ;-) . 

Walking around scanning the crowd, you could say profiling.  In fact, I did say it, it was a good ice breaker.   Not that everyone was chronologically young, many were rather flattered to hear they made my liberal cut, exuding youthful vibes goes a long ways.    ;- )

Dare say I swept up a number self identified scientists, cool people, love the hard eye, yet willing ear, then some nice discussions.  Experiences like those lets me know that I'm not totally bonkers and that I best keep doing whatever it is I'm doing.  (Guess that's what 'bliss' - of the Joseph Campbell variety - is all about, no other options if one's going to be honest with oneself.)  

I had a basic pitch thought out and it held up fairly well through a couple hundred variations.  I was reassured at how many people engaged my intro question with stories and outlooks of their own, before returning back to the flier I was holding in my hand.

Would like to write about it sometime, but not tonight (nor this morning, I'm going home.) 

___________________________________________________

There is this last item, ironically in light of various discussions centered on evangelical amorality, hypocrisy and their blind-sidedness, after returning to my room, Dartagnan at Kos pointed me to this timely, illuminating opinion piece. 

I never thought about evangelical patriarchy quite this way.  Hessinger and Tobey wrote a column that's like a good hypothesis - it clears up a lot riddles.  As for my title, today at the Convention I saw the hope, the following describes the problem.  I’m quoting the first few paragraphs to get your interest, please read the full column, bet you'll find it time well spent.

President Trump gets a 17% ‘Stormy Daniels bump’ with evangelicals

By Guest Columnist/cleveland.com  | Posted Apr 11, 2018

Rodney Hessinger is a history professor at John Carroll University.  Kristen Tobey is an assistant professor of religion and the social sciences at John Carroll University.

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- The most recent Pew polls suggest that President Donald Trump hasn't just held his support amongst white evangelicals but actually has grown his support since the Stormy Daniels story took hold.

Intellectually Confronting Faith-Based thinking and Dogma Driven Deceptions - ColoradoDemocraticAssembly 2018

I'm at my fourth Colorado Democratic Assembly and I've always been a pamphleteer.  Not the easiest for a private shy sort of guy.  So I've been rather passive, offering my pages and ready for dialogue but not stepping forward to engage people.  Time passes, we learn more with every day and this year I've promised myself to step it up a little and reach out to people to introduce the topic and establish an interest before offering my flier.

Had a little practice during the short district assembly this evening.  At first looking at the 350+ District 3 delegates it seemed the crowd of the usual old folks, and not that many young faces.  But, then I started spotting them.  Not in the numbers I had hoped.  Then I heard a couple powerful speeches by young speakers.  Followed by a few good conversations,
as in 'yippy, they get it.'  I realized their small number way under-represented the energy and substance and power they possess.

It was fun.  I'm feeling a little better already and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.  Here's side one, a lifetime's distillation.  I'll share side two tomorrow, now I'm going to bed, it's late and tomorrow will be a long busy day.

The Memes Courier

    Colorado Democratic Assembly -  April 13, 2018  

      

Intellectually Confronting Faith-Based thinking and Dogma Driven Deceptions.

The opposing sides: Children of the Intellectual Enlightenment vs Faith-based dogmatism spearheaded by the evangelical movement (driven by wannabe oligarchs).  Winning at the polls is only half our challenge when well over a third of our country fully supports this amoral president and his white supremest bullying and his attacks upon our government and democratic institutions.  

Beyond winning in the 2018 elections, we need to nurture a massive grassroots movement of informed and engaged voters who are willing to confront faith-based delusional thinking on an individual level, while also standing behind those we elect to make sure they get their jobs done.

Faith-based thinking demands a rejection of serious science along with hostility towards learning from down to Earth evidence.  This attitude is enabled and reinforced by a constant flow of contrived high pitched fear-mongering and paranoid machinations towards “the other” be it different people or ideas.

Why have we allowed their religion and God a free pass?

The Bannon, Mercers, Cambridge Analytica Collection - Weaponizing Propaganda

Here's a collection of articles that examine Steven Bannon's partnership with Robert Leroy Mercer and Rebekah Mercer the billionaires with an extremist, and rather absolutist, and quite self-interested plan for America.  Fed by raging resentment at our Democracy, and the notion that We The People hold rights and powers which allow us and our governmental agencies to restraint their ravenous, often destructrive, appetites.
The Cambridge Analytica is but one example of the amoral underhandedness these people will gleefully resort to.  Following the list, I share interesting quotes.

2018 (21)

Cloak and Data: The Real Story Behind Cambridge Analytica’s Rise and Fall

          By Andy Kroll

How Steve Bannon used Cambridge Analytica to further his alt-right vision for America

          By Curt Devine, Donie O'Sullivan and Drew Griffin, CNN

Wisconsin GOP operative Mark Block details Cambridge Analytica meeting on yacht

          By Mary Spicuzza and Daniel Bice, Milwaukee

Cambridge Analytica chief executive set up "fake office" in Cambridge

          ByTara Cox

Cambridge Analytica had “foreign agents” working on the 2014 GOP midterms

          By David Gilbert

New details emerge about Steve Bannon's ties to Cambridge Analytica

          By Brennan Weiss  

'Race Realism': How Steve Bannon, Cambridge Analytica modernized white supremacy to elect Trump.

          Opinion - Will Bunch - phillynews.com

Mueller examining Cambridge Analytica, Trump campaign ties

          By Jonathan Lemire | The Associated Press

Steve Bannon’s surprising opinion about Cambridge Analytica

          Steven Rosenfield, Alternet | Opinion

THE SECRET HISTORY OF STEVE BANNON AND ALEXANDER NIX, EXPLAINED

          By Isobel Thompson

Trump accidentally touts key role of Cambridge Analytica in 2016 campaign

          By Aaron Rupar

Russiagate Has Reached Steve Bannon’s Doorstep

          by Nancy LeTourneau

Cambridge Analytica's Psy-Ops Warriors

          By Bob Dreyfuss

Wisconsin GOP operative Mark Block helped link Steve Bannon, Cambridge Analytica

          Daniel Bice and Mary Spicuzza, Milwaukee

The Daily Devil’s Dictionary: “Culture,” Cambridge Analytica and Steve Bannon

          By   Peter Isackson

Bannon oversaw Cambridge Analytica’s collection of Facebook data, according to former employee

          By Craig Timberg, Karla Adam and Michael Kranish

Steve Bannon Directly Oversaw Cambridge Analytica’s Theft of 50M Facebook Users’ Data

          By: Katelyn Kivel

Is Steve Bannon Trump’s Link to Putin and the European Far Right?

          By Bob Dreyfuss

I made Steve Bannon’s psychological warfare tool’: meet the data war whistleblower

          By Carole Cadwalladr

Cambridge Analytica, the shady data firm that, might be a key Trump-Russia link, explained

          By Sean Illing

Bannon, Lewandowski to Testify in Russia Probe Behind Closed Doors

          By Billy House

2017 (17)

How Robert and Rebekah Mercer Bought a Huge Stake in ‘Populism’

          By Todd Gitlin 

Why is the Trump Campaign Lying About the Data Firm It Paid Millions?

          By Judy Molland

Trump campaign is abruptly trying to distance itself from data firm it paid millions. Here’s why.

          By Casey Michel

WHAT DID CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA REALLY DO FOR TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN?

          By Issie Lapowsky

Steve Bannon’s already murky Middle East ties deepen

          By Anita Kumar and Ben Wieder | McClatchy Washington Bureau

Russia Probe Now Investigating Cambridge Analytica, Trump’s ‘Psychographic’ Data Gurus

          By Betsy Woodruff | Spencer Ackerman

Steve Bannon is deeply tied to the Mercer empire. 60 Minutes didn't ask him a single question about it.

          By Julie Alderman & Matt Gertz 

‘Reclaim New York’: Mercer-funded, Bannon-guided campaign sows distrust of local government

          By Victor Feldman

The Bizarre Billionaire that Backed Bannon and Made Trump President

          TRNN Documentary

Steve Bannon has a shadow press office. It may violate federal law.

          By Christina Wilkie  |  The Center for Public Integrity

Connecting Cambridge Analytica, Mercers, Steve Bannon, Nigel Farage, Donald Trump And Russia

          By Gronda Morin

Bannon “Crapping Diamonds” As House Calls Campaign Digital Director To Testify In Russia Probe 

          By Ursula Faw

Steve Bannon misreports $2 million debt in financial disclosure

          By Christina Wilkie |Chris Zubak-Skees

Cambridge Analytica: Psychological manipulation for Brexit and Trump?

          By S. Nova

Secret document reveals shady ties between Trump megadonor Robert Mercer, Steve Bannon and Brexit

          By Travis Gettys  and Carole Cadwalladr.

The Mercers  - The blow It Up Billionaires

          By Vicky Ward

The Rise of the Weaponized AI Propaganda Machine

          By Berit Anderson and Brett Horvath

2016 (4)

Trump used sophisticated propaganda to win US election

          By Ríán Tuathal Derrig

How the Trump-Bannon Alliance Took Shape

          By Rebecca Berg   |   RCP Staff

Robert Mercer’s Trade of the Century

          By Michelle Celarier 

Steve Bannon’s data firm in talks for lucrative White House contracts

          By Rachael Revesz New York