To gerrymander— to manipulate or adapt to one’s advantage;

Cheat— a deception for profit to yourself.

From The Denver Post— Opinion Page, October 23, 2011—

“…Given the pace of debate on [the] measure… Hearty debate and policy crafted with bipartisan input is what we’d like to see, and what we suspect most Americans would prefer.

We hope that happens. The public would be well- served by more detailed discussions of the policies in this… legislation and less gamesmanship geared toward scoring political points.” 

 The gamesmanship of the Tea- Partiers and the Republican Organ as it appears in today’s American world seemingly gives the impression of brinkmanship, rather than cohesion for the people’s good.

Why all the Brinkmanship— for the moneyed and luxury- classes of financiers and bankers, oil producers and coal transporters and of course the multi- national grocers? Who left them in charge and why is dissent so unwelcome by them? Are the rich now afraid of the poor?

Why at the expense of the middle and lower- classes of Americans? Why?

On another note less divisive— the weather here is changing again. The past three days have been— the proverbial “warm before the storm”. Look at the weather report for the near future. BTW— Indian summer here has been simply a delightful interlude in the coming on of the cooler times.

Went over to Guanella— over the week end and let Ellie swim in the Georgetown Water Supply. This is her favorite walk to— and then swim— for the stick, regime. The air was crisp and the wind was lessened in the afternoon— however bank on it kids— the wind will be with us at that elevation in the near future. There is an invigoration that comes to one’s metabolism at 8600 feet and above when working the body.

100 9839 Bluff, UT March 2009

October 13, 2011
10:26:00, hours MDT

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-10-13/implications-alleged-iranian-assassination-plot


... Guest Host: Susan Page


When the interest concerning the fossil fuel extraction activity in this area of the planet finally wanes; will we be so one-point focused like we are presently? Seems absurd considering the present center of attention on the method of this consumer driven way of life the powers that be- desire us all to consummate.

me

October 5, 2011, Lakewood, CO

09:21:23, hours MDT

...continued hiker’s meditation…

Today is my Grandfather’s birthday— 1898

Some folks in Consumer- mode bicker. These folks argue, dispute and quarrel emotionally over events, circumstances and happenstances that are largely beyond their control— or they tell themselves so. This emotional quarreling they engage in with others is at once detrimental and seemingly non- harmful, however it tells the story of the malcontented- the groaners that seemingly need to make their emotional touchstones obvious and this permeates the social air as much as a fresh load of mule- crap would do— in your living- room.

What is the way in, one might think as a result of being bombarded with this Culture’s message? The way in to what- some would extract.

The Way- In… the way in to what? Could it be the way inside to the intuitive knowing that is the real freedom from the ego- in essence freeing the mind from itself?

Bombarded with the messages that they are not enough, but should they buy the pontificated- upon object, lotion, potion or service then… and only then will they be enough, or pretty enough or handsome enough or desirable enough or will look just right for the American Way!

Is this message false?

Does this message produce fear in the citizens of this American Consumer- culture? Buy this and you will be safe! Was this not the last Administration’s message to us all and by extension the rest of the folks on the planet with us? Trust us!! [they proselytized and coddled us with.] Trust the military has our safety answers. Do you feel any safer now that your mortgages have paid the bill on the military adventuring over the last 10 years? Those of you who were told to leave your homes and lost those mortgages- do you feel safer? Does the current widget you purchased make your day a few months down the road when it loses its luster?

What of the bickering? Is this what is left to do…BICKER about this and that and relive the past and remain stuck in old ways, stuck still in the negativity of this pattern?
Here is a meditation for your inspection to reflect upon as an avenue- away from the bickering crowd. Does this make a bit of sense to you? Your ideas are welcomed, thanks--
 me

Day 91

Meditations from the Mat, Rolf Gates and Katrina Kenison

“The unconscious wants truth. It ceases to speak to those who want something else more than truth.”

Adrienne Rich

“Self- study is an aspect of the practice of truthfulness. Any serious attempt at truthfulness requires us to listen deeply to the promptings of our heart. The truth is usually quite simple, but expressing it is another matter. As I bring higher levels of honesty to my everyday interactions, I am struck by the need to sift through layers of illusion, blame, fear, and manipulation to get at what I really need to say in a given moment.

“The good news is that truth is music to the soul. There is no end to the soul’s ability to bask in the presence of the truth. Millions of people in twelve- step programs sit around in church basements by the hour, listening to one another talk about themselves. It may sound boring, but in fact it is captivating, because people in those rooms are telling the truth. It is captivating because spending time in the presence of others who are telling the truth inspires us to do the same.

“To practice this aspect of self- study, examine the level of truthfulness in your workplace, family and friendships. How much time do you spend in the presence of people who are telling the truth? How much do you spend with people who are not? What is it like when you hear the truth? What is it like when you do not? What fears keep you from being honest? Is it true that like attracts like? Does honesty beget honesty?”

Above was the meditation for your inspection to reflect upon— as an avenue away from the bickering crowd. Does this make a bit of sense to you? Your ideas are welcomed, thanks—

September 30th 2011 Sobering- up

September 30, 2011, Lakewood, CO

12:24:29, hours MDT

...continued hiker’s meditation…

Remember that Sobering- up is, yes, about the elimination for the crushing need and dependencies for drugs, alcohol and exciting risky addictive behaviors …and… that as TIME goes on, we mature some and take on our own opinions about ourselves and the world which may not jive with those around us. After awhile, after maturing… we sense the ridiculousness of the need to be approved of by others and by contrast, learn to conduct ourselves in a manner that intuitively is the way of the Pathway or Spirit of the Heart. We then allow the pieces to fall as they may. Do you sense this as well…? I wonder?

This Pathway with Heart can not be denied nor can it be explained away by the newly sobering up kids on the block. It takes what it takes because—> It takes what IT TAKES. See? Simple shit.


Remember to keep it simple and allow yourself to experience the full range of living on the planet. Anyone who thinks they know better for you and what you SHOULD be doing… well… give it a try and experience the FIT. If the shoe fits then wear it. Experience the FIT. Some things FIT and then lose their luster, RIGHT? And some things FIT and FIT for a very long time, RIGHT? And then some things FIT temporarily and then poof, we lose the FIT for that— behavior, circumstance or event and by no means of our own— it is removed from us and then we feel loss and have to grieve it away, Correct?

September 29, 2011, Lakewood, CO

14:32:00, hours MDT

...continued hiker’s meditation…

See below excerpt from today’s Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/29/bank-of-america-debit-card-fee_n_987304.html?view=print&comm_ref=false [website accessed today, September 29, 2011, by author]






EDITION: U.S.

CA Canada US United States UK United Kingdom

September 29, 2011

Bank Of America Plans To Charge Monthly $5 Debit Card Usage Fee

Bank of America will charge customers $5 per month to use their debit card starting in early 2012, according to Dow Jones Newswires.


The fee will apply to customers who use their debit card to make any purchases during the month, but won't apply to those who only use it for ATM transactions, according to the report. Debit card use is on the rise, according to Digital Transactions. Signature debit card transactions jumped by almost 10 percent between April 2010 and April 2011, the website reported.


The Bank of America charge is the latest in a slew of fees big banks are adding to checking accounts and debit cards. JPMorgan Chase tested charging a $5 ATM fee for non-network customers in Illinois in July, a plan they ultimately abandoned. Citigroup announced earlier this month that it would charge customers a $10 monthly fee if their account had a balance below $1,500


The added fees are an effort to generate revenue that bank officials expect they will lose as a result of recent regulations -- passed through the Dodd-Frank Act -- that curb overdraft and other fees, according to the Detroit Free Press.


A banking industry group told the Free Press in May that creating or charging fees is one of the few ways banks can recoup revenue lost through through the new rules. One of these laws, a Federal Reserve regulation that poffering a debit card have changed," Bank of America spokeswoman Anne Pace told Reuters Thursday. uts a cap on debit-card swipe fees, will take effect next month, according to Bloomberg. 
    
"The economics of offering a debit card have changed," Bank of America spokeswoman Anne Pace told Reuters Thursday.
                                                                                                                   **********************************


—> Looks like “they” are going to jam it in to the hilt. Was not the billion dollar bail-out enough?

On a better note: things here are alright.

Spoke with a friend last night and just before on the phone regarding her quandary— should she lie to her boss about an employment interview today?




She recognizes her fear of losing her job on account of circumstances whereby she is not confident about her position there and thought it best to lie a little and say something like her mom is in the hospital and she needs to leave early.


I reminded her about the Spiritual Energy and the Pathway with Heart and that lies only come out of fearfulness and not one’s greater good.


She seemed to understand— however she did not give a sense of buy-in.


This disappoints me in her and gives me pause about trying to rescue her from herself.


She has been in the habit of acting out of emotions and does at times seem to have emotional emergencies which overwhelm her. I must remember that she is on her own path and although I do care about the pathway and her on this path —- there is little to do unless she has buy- in. Correct?


The Bank of America deal is out of our control and stick it to us they may. I remember long ago about coming to clean up the Insides of me and having faith that insecurities will leave me and that lying only serves to separate me and isolate me from those that tell the truth and live with the outcomes.




Living with the results of the truth telling is a better way for me to remain of sober mind/ body and spirit. I no longer am bought in to what other’s think about me and my living, as my friend here is still in the throes of.

September 28, 2011, Lakewood, CO

11:02:44, hours MDT
...continued hiker’s meditation…

OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Going Green but Getting Nowhere
By GERNOT WAGNER

Published: September 7, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/08/opinion/going-green-but-getting-nowhere.html?_r=3&src=tp&smid=fb-share



"YOU reduce, reuse and recycle. You turn down plastic and paper. You avoid out-of-season grapes. You do all the right things.

Good.






Just know that it won’t save the tuna, protect the rain forest or stop global warming. The changes necessary are so large and profound that they are beyond the reach of individual action.


You refuse the plastic bag at the register, believing this one gesture somehow makes a difference, and then carry your takeout meal back to your car for a carbon-emitting trip home.


Say you’re willing to make real sacrifices. Sell your car. Forsake your air-conditioner in the summer, turn down the heat in the winter. Try to become no-impact man. You would, in Americans would continue to emit an average of 20 tons of carbon dioxide a year; Europeans, about 10 tons.


What about going bigger? You are the pope with a billion followers, and let’s say all of them take your advice to heart. If all Catholics decreased their emissions to zero overnight, the planet would surely notice, but pollution would still be rising. Of course, a billion people, whether they’re Catholic or adherents of any other religion or creed, will do no such thing. Two weeks of silence in a Buddhist yoga retreat in the Himalayas with your BlackBerry checked at the door? Sure. An entire life voluntarily lived off the grid?


No thanks.


And that focuses only on those who can decrease their emissions. When your average is 20 tons per year, going down to 18 tons is as easy as taking a staycation. But if you are among the four billion on the planet who each emit one ton a year, you have nowhere to go but up.


Leading scientific groups and most climate scientists say we need to decrease global annual greenhouse gas emissions by at least half of current levels by 2050 and much further by the end of the century. And that will still mean rising temperatures and sea levels for generations.


So why bother recycling or riding your bike to the store? Because we all want to do something, anything. Call it “action bias.” But, sadly, individual action does not work. It distracts us from the need for collective action, and it doesn’t add up to enough. Self-interest, not self-sacrifice, is what induces noticeable change. Only the right economic policies will enable us as individuals to be guided by self-interest and still do the right thing for the planet.


Every ton of carbon dioxide pollution causes around $20 of damage to economies, ecosystems and human health. That sum times 20 implies $400 worth of damage per American per year. That’s not damage you’re going to do in the distant future; that’s damage each of us is doing right now. Who pays for it?


We pay as a society. My cross-country flight adds fractions of a penny to everyone else’s cost. That knowledge leads some of us to voluntarily chip in a few bucks to “offset” our emissions. But none of these payments motivate anyone to fly less. It doesn’t lead airlines to switch to more fuel-efficient planes or routes. If anything, airlines by now use voluntary offsets as a marketing ploy to make green-conscious passengers feel better. The result is planetary socialism at its worst: we all pay the price because individuals don’t.


It won’t change until a regulatory system compels us to pay our fair share to limit pollution accordingly. Limit, of course, is code for “cap and trade,” the system that helped phase out lead in gasoline in the 1980s, slashed acid rain pollution in the 1990s and is now bringing entire fisheries back from the brink. “Cap and trade” for carbon is beginning to decrease carbon pollution in Europe, and similar models are slated to do the same from California to China.


Alas, this approach has been declared dead in Washington, ironically by self-styled free-marketers. Another solution, a carbon tax, is also off the table because, well, it’s a tax.


Never mind that markets are truly free only when everyone pays the full price for his or her actions. Anything else is socialism. The reality is that we cannot overcome the global threats posed by greenhouse gases without speaking the ultimate inconvenient truth: getting people excited about making individual environmental sacrifices is doomed to fail.


High school science tells us that global warming is real. And economics teaches us that humanity must have the right incentives if it is to stop this terrible trend.


Don’t stop recycling. Don’t stop buying local. But add mastering some basic economics to your to-do list. Our future will be largely determined by our ability to admit the need to end planetary socialism. That’s the most fundamental of economics lessons and one any serious environmentalist ought to heed.


Gernot Wagner is an economist at the Environmental Defense Fund and the author of the forthcoming “But Will the Planet Notice?”


A version of this op-ed appeared in print on September 8, 2011, on page A29 of the New York edition with the headline: Going Green but Getting Nowhere.

*************************************************************************************************************

Well?


Your thoughts?


Why are we still thinking in our minds that bringing in that Whole Foods plastic sack to the Whole Foods outlet is really saving anything?

How were we so mislead?
Are they [we] still ASLEEP at the switch?


The op-ed piece seems to talk- up the realities of our consumer- culture and its misguided choices.