Issue 326 Native American Representation May 1, 2014

Did you know that Native Americans are not truly represented in the United States by the U.S. Congress?  In fact they have what is known as observer status (for Reservations only) where they are allowed to voice their opinion, but not vote on any issues related to the Federal government and its dealings.  But what if there was a solution to this little issue.  I have an idea, so let's talk about it.

Simple Idea:  In the same way that districts are made for Congressional Representatives in the House, we can include the native populations of these Reservations (which act almost like independent States but on a limited scale) in Congressional Districts for purposes of representation.   This will allow for Congressional Representatives to speak on behalf of the Native American Community as per the fact that these Native Americans will be allowed to vote for their own Congressmen.  This thus eliminates the need for an observer for the members of the Native American tribes but at the same time empowering them with actual voting power.

Issues: The main issue that may result from this is some Reservations have very tiny populations.  As such, placing them in the same district as a Congressmen who represents a city, or large swath of non-native Americans can result in the voice of these peoples being drowned out.  Therefore, there can be only one solution to this problem, ensure that they either have their own independent representative or are paired up with an equally small or smaller of non-native Americans in their district.  This thus solves that problem.

Issue 2:  Another issue is that those Native Americans who hold observer status may not want to give up their power or the Federal Bureaucracy that governs over Native American land as they may see their authority being diminished. This may not be an actual issue though as those already electing native tribesmen to hold observer status or are appointed may be put into the role of Congressional representative in the first place.  In addition, the bodies in government that govern Native American land will not disappear but are more likely to be used as a power base to gain additional advantages for the Native American communities in Reservations.  So plenty of payoffs and power brokering to go around.  

Issue 3:  There is one very big negative to this however.  The Native tribes may feel a loss of independence if this is done.  Fact of the matter is that once power is handed to a Congressional Representative (where the Natives Tribesmen's Representative is outnumbered) to represent the Native Americans it may result in a loss of independence which they scarcely have in the first place.  At current, depending on the State or Territory that the Tribal Reservation is in, there are restrictions on if they can build Casinos or other facilities.  Therefore, in my opinion, I believe that the States and the Federal Government may be trying to absorb the smaller Reservations so as to gain access to the tax revenue that can be gained from tourism, gambling and other enterprises that exist on the Reservations.  So a legitimate Congressional Representative may aid in protecting against this, but if the Natives choose poorly, they may get a Representative that will go along with shrinking the Reservations and their independence.

Solving Issue 3:  In my opinion, the suggestion I make for this idea can be replicated at the State legislative level.  This will inhibit any power and land grabs by State and Federal Governments as there will be Representation in both bodies to ensure that voting mostly goes in favor of the Native American populace. Keep in mind that States must voluntarily give up power and territory to create and maintain these Reservations, so having Representatives in Federal and State law making bodies will serve well in keeping things in the best interest of the original American populace.

Conclusion:  So what do you think?  Native American will finally get legitimate representation in Congress if this idea is carried out.  Will it be beneficial, or negative to the Natives of our country remains to be determined for we cannot predict how this change will impact the overall American community?  So for now it is just a thought experiment.  Hope you enjoyed the article. 

Issue 325 Debate April 30, 2014

Argumentation and debate are skills that can keep the mind sharp and allow you to hold a well informed and informative conversation.  Here today I am going to explain why it is important to debate people and do it in a fun way.

Debate itself:  Some think debate is all about winning against your opponent and defeating them.  This is not always the case.  Debate itself is a discussion that follows a conversation while holding to a specific topic.  So you can be discussing economics, the final four in a sports contest or more and it can be considered a debate or even a form of argumentation.  In fact you are allowed to agree and disagree in a debate as it is nothing more than a form of discussion. Thus it can be fun and interesting and you will not even realize you are doing it.

It's important:  The reason it is important is due to how information is being transferred from one person to another.  When I was in political science class, they always said that things must be discussed so that the sea of lies will give way to the final truth.  In a debate the truth can arise from these forms of discussion.  As such this form of information transfer is essential to acquiring and advancing knowledge.  

Mind set:  For one, people just don't spontaneously want to have a discussion on world politics, sports and other serious topics.  Thus, some of these conversations are left for when the mood is good and proper. However you are never limited to serious topics.  People will always want to discuss the topics they are most interested in and usually they want to reply to any arguments you will make with their own.  As such being armed with actual facts and the ability to know how people came to those conclusions in the first place are key to continuing the debate and ascertaining the truth (this is part of the fun and can be enjoyable).  It is important to remember that in a debate there is usually no winners or losers as the two (or more) having the discussion are usually on their own without an audience.  So you should not try to win against your company, but dig deeper into their knowledge to gain more for yourself even if your side may in fact be wrong.  It is ok to be on the wrong side and it is ok to ask questions. A real debate is all about the gathering and sifting through knowledge.  This acquiring of knowledge is what makes debate and conversation satisfying and because of this any form of discussion can be exhilarating and satisfying.

Conclusion:  Debate is a good thing.  It gives us a window into other people’s thoughts, ideas and knowledge which can enhance our own.  So continue to have conversations on various topics for you have nothing to lose and only plenty to gain.  

Issue 324 Non-athletic Olympics April 29, 2014

Many of us watch the Olympics.  It is fun and enjoyable to see athletes from around the world compete in various games which show off their physic, stamina and will power.  There is even the para-Olympics for those with physical disabilities and another for mental disorders which inspire us to rise above our own situations.  But there is a group of people left out.  A set of athletes whose mind is more powerful than their bodies.  Thus I call for a non-athletic Olympics that celebrates strategy, ingenuity, and mental skill.

Concept:  This non-athletic Olympics will host all sorts of games and contests that exercise the mind and demonstrate skill in some form or fashion.  Contests will range from traditional to out of the box with new games and contests being included so long as they meet the criteria of being skill based and require some form of ingenuity.  So let us look at the types of games that can be included.

Games:  So traditional games like chess and checkers along with their variants will be included.  So you can have traditional chess, 3D chess, shogi, Chinese Chess and circular chess all being played.  They can even have gimmick types where certain rules are added or subtracted or swapped to test the skills of the players and their ability to adapt mentally to the changes in the game. Card games like poker, Black Jack and rummy will be included as each requires a certain level of skill and strategy.  Again, rules can be swapped, or added or subtracted to test the players’ skill with these card games.  Other card games like the variants that use Hanafuda cards which are popular in Asian countries can be included too.  Basically, the non-athletic Olympics can also serve as a means to introduce other games from around the world to the world stage to entice people to play them.

Online Games and other popular games:  Online strategy games will also be included that are all about seizing and holding territory. So Star Craft, Allies and Axis and others can be used to test another dimension of skill for these players.  On the other hand, card games like Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Vanguard compete for supremacy as the number one collectible card games in the world. So the top collectible games (probably the top 10) will compete as well with variety being added as time goes on due to new cards continuously being made which keeps the games interesting.

Contests:  Even contests like cooking with grill offs, pie contests, and cooking contests like Food networks Chopped (give chefs three random ingredients that are required to be used) and Cut throat Kitchen (where you can sabotage opponents in various ways) will be added.  Quiz types like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune can also be added for other forms of out of the box thinking.  In this case testing knowledge and problem solving skills.  Art contests will work too, with different styles such as architectural, mosaic, musical, written and more included as well. In this case the art, music and written contests will be limited to the duration of the non-athletic Olympics where artists will have to create their works in a specified period of time. So you can have poetry, and short story contests alongside musicians creating musical scores and all these to a certain theme for each particular contest.  There can even be fun contests where we can revive the bards of old which will combine the skills of musicians and story tellers wrapped into one. 

Requirements to compete:  There will be no age limits, or need for any restrictions based on disabilities.  Reason is due to it all being about skill and not athletics.  Thus no need for unintended discrimination.  What will be required is that you must win (or place) in a specified number of contests in the three and a half years leading up to this form of Olympics.  This number will be specified based on type of game being played.  Also, more than one entry per country will be allowed.  So it may be possible to have a thousand players for a single game with half or more being eliminated each day. So it comes down to not just national glory but personal glory as well.

Conclusion:  Here in this form of Olympics, we celebrate the skill and mental discipline, creativity and more in this world championship that will be held every four years.  Also, this can act as an exhibition show for new games, forms of art and music to entice people into trying them and giving them a chance at national fame (so long as they fit the theme that is). Is it not time we stop celebrating just the athletes and their impressive bodies and celebrate the mind as well.     

Issue 323 Machine soul experiment April 28, 2014

Can machines have a soul?  Is it possible that God can give a machine a soul?  I have recently begun pondering that question after a few science channel documentaries.  So I devised a small experiment.  I do not know if it would work, nor if it will actually prove that a machine can have a soul.  However, it is a start and I hope you my readers may improve upon it better than I can.

Step 1:  Step one of the process to this experiment is have a computer or an automaton that is capable of learning knowledge and replicating human emotion.  Essentially a computerized baby.  Teach it in the same way that you would a normal child.  Replicate the bodily functions such as eating and more so as to make it as close to human as possible.  It is all about creating a human replica.

Step 2:  Once the computer baby has reached some form of adult hood, let it loose outside of the lab.  Let it work as an employee and give it access to any and all information it desires.  As computer programming and the learning and emotional replication programs develop and become better, upgrade the robot child.  The more advanced the robot in respect to replicating human emotion and being human the better.  

Final step:  At the age of 100, the robot child will have certain parts of itself turned off.  Its emotion, parts of its memory and more.  Each time you turn off a specific part of the robot, you will look to see if it reacts a specific way, such as the emotion fear, regret, anger etc.  See if it is capable of thinking independently and having its own decision making process.  If when certain parts of the machine are turned off, see if the robot retains emotion regardless of them being shut off, or regains certain memories despite them being closed off.  All this is to see if the robot is like us, a human despite replicating the damage that a normal person may face if physically or mentally damaged.  This may prove that the robot has a soul.  I am not sure if that qualifies as a soul, but I can only base the conclusions based on the dissertations of Descartes and his conclusion "I think therefore I am." 

Conclusion:  So what do you think?  An experiment that lasts a literal lifetime.  But that I believe is what it will take for an automaton to get close enough to being human for the experiment to be a success.  And no, the robot will not be shut down once the experiment is over.  That is because the experiment will not end.  It will continue to be left alive and every 25 years after that the experiment will be done again to see if any changes occur.  We may get the conclusion that machines cannot have a soul, or we may conclude they do.  It is about the experiment to see if the soul even exists and how time affects it.  Thus this experiment.  Enjoy pondering if a machine has a soul or not, I know I am excited to maybe one day find out.

Issue 232 Priced out? April 28, 2014

I'm am not talking about people in this case, but goods.  How does government restrict our choices?  By taxing something into oblivion.

What is priced out:  Currently tobacco products and Guns are the two main things that people are being priced out of buying.  Cigarettes, my father’s vice, cost $10 a pack or more depending on the brand.  However, without taxes they may be as low as a single dollar.  Guns cost thousands of dollars because the government taxes them in order deter us from owning things they don't want us to own.  It is why certain drugs cost more when bought behind the counter at a pharmacy rather than over the counter on the shelves.  Gambling is taxed and survives only due to how much money it rakes in.  This is how the government works.  Food, clothing, and more are taxed at varying levels to deter and steer people to buy certain things.

Works for some and not others:  The psychology is that people think based on how much money they own.  They limit themselves to within reason so that they can buy the things they need the most based on priorities.  It only does not work when people’s priorities and wants outweigh the fiscal hurdles they must overcome.  It comes family and the means to support them first and all else second.  Vices and wants play second fiddle unless those priorities align with the primary priority.  A gun is bought for defense and food in many parts of America, with any secondary benefit being bragging rights and fun.  Vices like gambling and smoking are for relaxation and fun for all need an escape. Thus while our choices become limited, people still overcome the obstacles that government puts before them.   

Conclusion:  I do not agree with this unequal taxation of goods, let alone selectively making people victims.  Sure we overcome, and sure we can adapt, but adaption is not what should be done.  In fact, resisting adaption to the government’s whims is more important.  The reason is because obeying government is the last thing that should be done.  We have our needs that need to be accomplished first and foremost.  The government does not know what is needed by the individual and that is why we should not obey.  Basic laws against murder, theft and assault are needed, but the picking and choosing of what is best for us is not.  Thus, I call for all of you to call for the equal taxation of goods and services within the country.  This will allow all goods and services to compete and thus enable us to make the choices on what we want to buy based on our own financial wants and needs, not the government’s desires. 

Issue 321 Banning Words!? April 24, 2014

Sounds nuts right?  Banning words?  The height of ridiculousness.  But that is what some of these people in Hollywood are attempting with their idealistic friends.  Let's go over why this is just plain dumb.

Will not work:  For one you have to have everyone agree to ban the word in the first place.  And you know what, that is never going to happen.  Curse words, racial slurs and more despite being frowned upon are still said by both polite society and those who seek to harm.  They continue to use these words to express their feelings, and even alter the words meaning based on the situation.  For instance "f--k yea" is different from 

"f--k you" (notice I didn't actually right the word because even I find it stupid to say).  Words are malleable and thus subject to change and meaning.  Context is also highly important as well.  The only time a word is no longer spoken is because a different word has replaced it.  

Insults:  What the Hollywood people want to ban is the word "bossy" because apparently they feel it is insulting to women.  Fact is, you better be prepared to be called worse.  People will not stop using the word bossy for it is a descriptor of an individual who is, well for lack of a better word, "bossy".  Try banning the word stupid, idiot, and so on.  It will not work.  If we could ban all the insulting words then it probably would have been done by now (with no words left for us to speak for that matter).  Insulting words do not and will not disappear, they simply change.  These sensibilities on wanting to ban such words are naive.  Words cannot be banned as much as the word poor, homeless, handicapped and so forth will fade in and out as insults and descriptors.  People saying ban this or that because of some emotional connection or displeasure with a word will not solve anyone's problem.

How to really handle insulting words: Talk to the hand. I don't care.  Give them the cold shoulder.  Or just ignore it.  Words can hurt, that we can all agree with, but some are worth getting pissed off at more than others.  The reason you should react this way is because you diffuse its power over you.  Sure people will still talk behind your back and poke fun at you.  But you know what, unless it is constructive criticism, then you should just ignore it.

Conclusion:  Forget banning words.  It is a waste of your time as those words will only be abandoned in time or their meanings changed as time goes on.  This is how the language works, it alters and changes with time.  Focus more on your future and family than this waste of time. 

Issue 320 Bad Racial Profiling April 23, 2014

As promised, I will discuss the dangers of racial profiling.  It can and has been abused.

Racism:  The most typical form of abuse is harassment.  The police officer may be a legit racist or just looking to get be rid of some boredom.  So harassing the individual with the excuse of following the law is tempting for such individuals as they feel they can be protected by the law themselves.  

Mishandled:  If the data is misinterpreted (a failing of all forms of statistical data) or old (in which it no longer applies) it ends up hurting a community rather than helping them.  Basically, it could cause police to stop and frisk individuals who have nothing to do with criminality more often which hurts the trust between the police and the community at large.  As such, all the data must be kept up to date at all times.

Targeting:  Some leaders in a police organization may use the racial profiling and other techniques to harass a particular group or an individual.  Very similar to how the racist cop targets individuals under the guise of the law, but in this case a particular individual or group is targeted at the expense of the others caught in this crossfire.  So an officer who does not like the Muslims in his community (who are predominately black) may be targeted at the expense of the rest of the black community in the area.  An individual of a particular race would also be targeted in the same fashion.  It is very sad when officers of the law sink this low, especially as they will usually have to be complicit in the act.

(Note: I simply chose the most convenient and easily recognized example)

Government tyranny:  The final most basic is when government targets a specific group for political attack.  This can be immigrants, people of a specific ethnic community or just a general group.  The profiling will be used in a disinformation campaign to paint the group of individuals as criminals, violent and worse so as to isolate them from the larger populace.  This allows the government to essentially do what they please with these individuals without fear of the populace speaking out.  The best examples of this are in America when the government removed Native Americans from their land, and in Nazi Germany when the Nazi's launched a disinformation campaign against the Jews to make them into the "enemy within".

Conclusion:  This is a basic list and description on how racial profiling can be abused.  Obviously the government and individuals must be watched so as to protect the people from government and bad officers going out of control and carrying out such horrendous acts.  So this issue will serve as a template on what to look for when individuals in power seek to harm others of a different race, color or creed.