Biden Drops Out
Gilbert vs. The Declaration of Independence
In 9th grade civics class, I memorized the opening sentence of the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Now, 70 years later, I believe this “self-evident” idea is complete nonsense .
#1 All men… Not women. Not people of color. Not poor white people. White, land-owning men are created equal. Remember that Thomas Jefferson (one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence) owned 600 enslaved people.
#2 No, we are not created equal. We are born with wildly differing DNA. IQs range all over the map. Some are born with physical and mental deficits. Some are born way “above average.” Today, your hope in life is determined by what zip code you are born into. That sure as hell ain’t equal.
#3 No, there is no creator. This may be the worst fantasy of all. They are not “endowed by their creator.” Rights are guaranteed to us by humans that create our form of government.
So, the other day, the ghost of Thomas Jefferson came into my office, “OK, mister smart guy, let’s see you write a better opening sentence.” This is what I gave to Mr. Jefferson:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created unequal, and because of that they need a strong centralized government with institutions designed to give them a fair shot so they may enjoy Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Scratching his head, the ghost said, “Hmmm, wish I’d talked to you before we wrote those famous words. I like your changes. Well done.” Then he sat down, lit up a cigarette and asked if I had a beer. We had a great exchange of ideas for several hours.
He said, “I’m very worried that Trump and his Project 2025 will wipe away all that I and the rest of the Founding Fathers labored so hard to create. If Trump has his way, you are going to revert to a monarchy. Jesus, Rick, don’t you people get it?”
I explained that Mr. Biden just exited the race which revitalized the dems chances. Jefferson then added, “Good to hear. You know your republic is very fragile as Ben Franklin was saying, ‘If you can keep it.’”
Jefferson took a final drag on his cigarette, chugged down the last of his Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and turned to me on his way out, “And, Jesus Christ, Rick, repeal that stupid Second Amendment. That was our biggest mistake. Machine guns? Are fucking kidding me?”
“Oh, one more thing, Rick. Tell Kamala Harris to stop giggling all the time. She undercuts her message. Your democracy hangs in the balance. Ciao, Baby.”
And he was gone.
My Eyeball
Corneal Transplant?
My left eye is failing. For a year, I’ve been getting shots in my eye to slow this deterioration. First diagnosis was macular degeneration. Then, attention has been on my cornea. It has gotten so bad, I can’t even read the top letters on the eye chart. I may be a candidate for a corneal transplant. I’ll keep you posted.
So what did I do? Ordered an eyeball from Amazon. Here’s the story…
My eyeball
Here is the problem
My retina
My cornea
Corneal transplant here
Perfect Amigo. Reminds me about the play/movie 1776 is so much bullshit. We’re issuing a document about freedom and keeping ownership of other human beings. That act alone has doomed our country from the beginning. And then we have Trump’s motto “Make America Great Again.” When were we ever great?
Loved your article and I believe that Kamala should continue her laugh as that is human. Good luck with eyeball!!!!
Hi rick….i always appreciate greatly your thoughts, insights, photos, your way-of-being….fearless and sincere….bravo!
There are also some alternative ways to think and feel about the specifics of your comments on our Declaration of Independence….here are some of mine.
As you did, I learned early in life concepts and intentions that formed our Nation’s attempts to form a new government
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Addressing the Declaration of Independence I have always been deeply inspired by it….the concepts it offers, the beautiful poetic way it is written. Let me scroll down and suggest some alternative ways to assimilate it….
Gilbert vs. The Declaration of Independence
In 9th grade civics class, I memorized the opening sentence of the Declaration of Independence:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Now, 70 years later, I believe this “self-evident” idea is complete nonsense .
‘self-evident’ can be considered as a subjective term, one expressing the beliefs of those that wrote and endorsed it….it is not science, rather a poetically chosen affirmation of what they aspire to….by the way, the entire Declaration of Independence is what they aspire to, not what is….
#1 All men… Not women. Not people of color. Not poor white people. White, land-owning men are created equal. Remember that Thomas Jefferson (one of the authors of the Declaration of Independence) owned 600 enslaved people.
‘All men’ is a reflection of the language of their time, and times before them….of course today we might just phrase it as “All people”, or “Everyone”….also, they were people of their times, and what they aspired to was not in reference to what was….it was what they ‘aspired’ to be….
#2 No, we are not created equal. We are born with wildly differing DNA. IQs range all over the map. Some are born with physical and mental deficits. Some are born way “above average.” Today, your hope in life is determined by what zip code you are born into. That sure as hell ain’t equal.
Certainly not to be taken literally….”Before the law’ we are all equal” would be the way I like to interpret this…..once again subjectivity rules, poetic phrasing….
#3 No, there is no creator. This may be the worst fantasy of all. They are not “endowed by their creator.” Rights are guaranteed to us by humans that create our form of government.
There is no science that proves or disproves the existence of a ‘Creator’…..i believe there is a spiritual essence that exists in our universe, be it in the life force in all creatures, the concepts of ‘good and evil’….it is expressed in divergent ways by various religions (which are heavily tainted by human interpretations), but beyond all that there is a built in searching for meaning in our species that is undeniable….i like to believe that behind our instinctive longing to understand being alive there is a sense that a higher consciousness exists and we long to know it, to be a part of it…..
Our minds are tricky….minds want answers that can be relied on, formulas always true….our minds are great tools, minds took us to the moon, but also our minds can also get in the way of instinctual knowing….there is an elusive aspect to being alive that just is, and often there are not easy answers that our minds accept readily….to fill those blanks are the purposes of ‘beliefs, faith’….
There may well be more than one reality…..
For example: “in your heart you already know”, Rumi…..
For many, poetic expressions like Rumi’s ring a bell deep inside of us….it is not science, but it has an instinctive resonance, we feel it’s truth….it does not need to be explained, proved, formalized…it rings a bell within us….
life has many layers, some too complex for us to understand, some to simple to accept…..so be it…..
Rick — I love your creative take on the Declaration of Independence and thanks for transcribing your interview with Tom Jefferson! Look at the wonderful discussion you are stirring. I’m grateful for Jim Hunolt’s well crafted response!
Thanks, Rick. Thought provoking as usual. Now, I just looked at my hotmail address, which I now almost never use, and realize I’ve been misssing some of your articles I will leave my now email address in the requested spot Many thanks.