We had a veterans day gathering in my prison. It was the usual flag salutin’, god praisin’, country-musical propaganda, but I felt that it was my duty to go… and, during an open mic, speak candid blasphemy to about a 100 grizzled veterans. You see I believe the Real unpatriotic disrespect to veterans is the …
The Desert War-Gods: Israel and Palestine
One of the greatest friends of my life was an Israeli Defense Forces veteran who turned to hospice work after her rather disastrous tour. She was an irrepressible, exuberant, Mary-Poppins-like personality who was relentless in her passion to raise the spirit of everyone she met. She was killed by the Islamic State in 2016 doing …
Fear – Free
As of former veteran and martial arts instructor, I used to take the time to sit away from windows in restaurants in case of snipers, with my back to a corner, in case of attack, and keeping track of customers coming and going in case of an ambush, but then I came to prison and …
Multi-faceted Worlds
What we Believe dictates what we Do, and what we repeatedly Do defines who we Are. Our Beliefs, therefore, determine who we become; however, Beliefs are not static and for that matter neither are people. People are constantly shifting, changing, and growing- sometimes for the better, sometimes not but often back and forth again. It …
Chains-Free: No Gods- No Masters
An abstraction is initially a tool for human understanding; an abstraction that people have come to worship is a god. I have read the Torah, New Testament, and Quran, front to back in their entirety and without the obfuscation of outside interpretations or “apologetics”. As far as I can see, the Abrahamic god of the …
No Tribalism: Free Personhood
People make a lot of excuses for their families, they make a lot of excuses for their tribes, and they make a lot of excuses for their traditions. People who make these excuses for their arbitrarily assigned groups, most of which they never chose themselves, are often at the expense of all reason and at …
Elon Musk is in a Simulation
Mr. Musk has done a lot of good for the world; he was an idealist trying to make things better. I suspect his more recent destructive, self-destructive, and just plain pointless and trollish behavior can be explained by the fact that he genuinely believes that the universe is one big computer simulation. When he mentioned …
Multi-Spections
Multi-Spections is the intentional perspective taking of multiple points of view in order to form a better understanding of a more holistic reality. It takes more than one perspective to understand the world. While some beliefs are utterly unverifiable and/or contradictory, most (while not all the time) can provide valuable insight into the holistic yet …
The Earthlings (a poem)
I wish to step Out on to soil Beyond all of this Turmoil. Into a Place That in its span Has never known The touch of Man. I would kneel there If i could, As a supplicant And brood- With my Attention Worship ground Run my hand 'Long every mound Upon the grass And bark, …
Abortion, Adoption, and Autonomy
I had a conversation with a fellow prisoner about a woman’s Right to Choose. He confided that he once had a child violently aborted against his objections and was therefore strongly against the procedure. Now, I do not know exactly what a “really violent abortion” entails, but it sounds bloody terrible, and I really do …
Enchained Empirical Ethicist 