Bronze Sculpture, “The Myth of Sisyphus” by Emile Gregoire (1871-1948)
By Doug “Uncola” Lynn via TheBurningPlatform.com
Entropy is the general trend of the universe toward death and disorder.
—James R. Newman (1907–1966), Mathematician and Math Historian
Everything degrades over time without exception. Of course there are diverging regenerations within time’s decay but all is fleeting and cannot last. Just as the laws of thermodynamics universally define, a system will exist in a particular state and may cycle through varying states, but in the end, it will return to the equilibrium, or stasis, of inert uniformity. Life is a like a rotating heat engine of sorts, catapulting energy over the cold fabric of space-time as the lexicon of Physics continuously hold singular meaning in our daily existence: laws, work, heat, constant pressure, and cycles. Yet, sadly, total efficiency is achieved in theory only; this is because entropy precludes perfection within the confines of time.
No matter how far or fast you can run, or how much you can bench-press right now, in the end, you’re dead; either through physical decomposition or violence. Either way, as Jim Morrison of the rock group The Doors would say: no one here gets out alive. Furthermore, and in the meantime, the weeds will strive to overtake your garden, the roads where you live will continue to crumble, your food will spoil, your cars and houses will require ceaseless maintenance until they eventually collapse; and societies will never stop revolutions trending toward totalitarianism.
Since time immemorial cycles have come and gone. Wisdom knows where the proverbial hands are on the allegorical clock. Do you know what time it is?
Anyone with any sense understands America, as founded under the United States Constitution, no longer exists. The decline, which began in earnest at the beginning of the twentieth-century, accelerated exponentially decade after decade as the seeds of fractional reserve banking and Cultural Marxism yielded their wicked fruit. In the new century it was the Patriot Act and political correctness that killed the Fourth and First Amendments, respectively. And by the time Barack Obama and the political left were done fundamentally transforming America via the Cloward-Piven advancement of the welfare state, Norman Rockwell’s America, like Elvis, had exited the proverbial building.
In a peaceful populist uprising, Donald Trump was elected in the 2016 Presidential Election. Trump won while being financially outspent by a ratio of 9 to 1, against an entrenched political establishment, in spite of a hostile corporate media, and while losing the popular vote. Thus began one of the biggest frauds ever foisted upon the American people: the phony Russian election hacking narrative. This scheme looked to be a last ditch effort by the elite globalists, the military industrial complex, and the political establishment, to neutralize Donald Trump and his Basket of Deplorables.
Whether the Never Trumpers believe they are morally justified to oppose Trump because he did not win the majority vote; whether they fear what they consider to be his racist immigration and trade platforms; or whether they simply dislike him personally; a significant percentage of the American body politic are embracing the Russian election hacking lie in order to remove a constitutionally elected president. This is no small thing.
Thanks to WikiLeaks we knew the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had created software entitled UMBRAGE and MARBLE to fake digital “fingerprints” from countries including Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. Also, according to a January 12, 2017 report in the New York Times, we knew of president Obama’s unprecedented actions:
In its final days, the Obama administration has expanded the power of the National Security Agency to share globally intercepted personal communications with the government’s 16 other intelligence agencies before applying privacy protections.
The new rules significantly relax longstanding limits on what the N.S.A. may do with the information gathered by its most powerful surveillance operations, which are largely unregulated by American wiretapping laws. These include collecting satellite transmissions, phone calls and emails that cross network switches abroad, and messages between people abroad that cross domestic network switches
On April 3, 2017, we learned from both Bloomberg and Fox News that Obama’s former National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, was the culprit who feloniously “unmasked” the identity of those within President Donald Trump’s Administration for the purposes of political expediency, while under the guise of foreign surveillance.
Yes, through the efforts of former President Obama, high-ranking members of his administration, and a gullibility of Americans desiring to believe what they wanted to be true, chaos ensued all throughout the early months of 2017 within the Trump administration. Michael T. Flynn was forced to resign as National Security Advisor and Trump’s new Attorney General was made to recuse himself from the Russian investigation.
Then, on May 9, 2017, President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey. In both Trump’s personal letter to Comey and the statement from the Office of the Press Secretary, it was Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, and Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein, who were cited as recommending Comey’s dismissal.
One week later, and in response to Jeff Session’s recusing himself from the Russia investigation, Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller as special counsel to investigate the matter, referencing regulation 28 CFR 600.1 which stated:
The Attorney General, or in cases in which the Attorney General is recused, the Acting Attorney General, will appoint a Special Counsel when he or she determines that criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted and –
(a) That investigation or prosecution of that person or matter by a United States Attorney’s Office or litigating Division of the Department of Justice would present a conflict of interest for the Department or other extraordinary circumstances; and
(b) That under the circumstances, it would be in the public interest to appoint an outside Special Counsel to assume responsibility for the matter
Except there was a problem. Deputy Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein, determined that a ‘criminal investigation’ of a ‘matter’ was ‘warranted‘ – but Russia’s alleged tampering in the 2016 presidential campaign was never a criminal investigation. It was a counterintelligence investigation. This means Robert Mueller charged four individuals for process crimes (Paul Manafort, Richard Gates, George Papadopoulos, and most recently, Michael Flynn) in an unconstitutional investigation.
Furthermore, in a Justice Department memo, Rosenstein even admitted no crime had been committed:
In my capacity as acting Attorney General, I determined that it is in the public interest for me to exercise my authority and appoint a Special Counsel to assume responsibility for this matter,” said Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein. “My decision is not a finding that crimes have been committed or that any prosecution is warranted.
Yet, strangely enough, Mueller’s investigation has shed light on Hillary Clinton’s, Barack Obama’s, and Robert Mueller’s, potentially treasonous involvement regarding the Uranium One sale of America’s Uranium deposits to Russia (also reported in the mainstream media years ago). What did America receive in return for this deal? Anything?
Additionally, the investigation discovered that the Clinton Campaign and the Democratic National Committee financed the fake Russian “Golden Shower” Dossier on Trump.
Furthermore, it has been revealed that DNC chairperson, Donna Brazile, not only illicitly provided Hillary Clinton presidential debate questions, but later wrote a book entitled “Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House“ which described Hillary’s actual election hacking in the Democratic Party Primary race against then candidate Bernie Sanders.
To paraphrase James Comey’s recent Tweet: Selective justice rolling down like waters and unrighteousness like ever-flowing streams.
So, onward marches Mueller to an inevitable outcome which could, potentially, rock the remnant of America back to its foundational equilibrium. Perhaps Mueller is a tool of the political establishment seeking to remove Trump. It could be Trump is playing six-level chess and using Mueller to drain the swamp. Or, maybe Trump is a Manchurian-style reality star performing the leading role in America’s demise.
Regardless, the end of the cycle has begun.
In Greek mythology it was Sisyphus who was made to roll a large rock up a hill, only to see it roll back over him, in an endless, eternal cycle. Homer, in the Iliad and the Odyssey, wrote about Sisyphus as did Ovid, the Roman poet. But it was Socrates who, in Plato’s Apology, hoped to meet Sisyphus in the after-life and question him who is wise and who thinks he is when he is not.
Many endeavors hopeless and endless have come to be known as Sisyphean.
In our current cycle, the rock has reached the hilltop and another revolution will descend. This time, in America, it was the political leftists, one-world globalists, and establishment politicians, who misused the power of government to serve their own agenda against the will of the American people; the citizens who voted in good faith and in accordance with the last vestiges of the U.S. Constitution. Like Sisyphus, they will start again.
I reprise:
Yup, the “Quickening” gets more exciting/out-of-control daily and at some not-yet-known triggering inflection point/critical mass moment, entropy will no longer be forestalled/denied. Ya’ll best be getting the HELLo away from those “coasters”, “citYzens”, nuke plants and GROUNDed on a portion of inland, elevated, RURAL, arable, UN-encumbered/UN-addressed county dirt. Get GATHERed, GUNned, GARDENed, PROVISIONed and . . . S-I-M-P-L-I-F-I-E-D! The “Blessings from the Beginning” are revealed and thereby accessible to the faithfully repentING/REDEEMed/GATHERing RemnantS, fulfilled in daily fellowship of collaborative PRODUCTIVE enterprise and the opportunity to assist/gather other repentING in greater need. And as such . . . relieved, humbled and thankful for sight of One’s salvation BEFORE having – unknowingly – “run out One’s clock”. Hoo-wah!
Heads Up Everyone!
Marshall Law Coming!
http://www.silverbearcafe.com/private/12.17/martiallaw.html
Normally we think in terms of the media taking the Presidency off-message. However, for the first time in our lifetime we have a Presidency that is actually adept at keeping the media off message. How’s that for a paradigm shift.
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2017/12/06/strategic-omnidirectional-maga-winning-is-ongoing/#more-143095
DT Report Card
Here is a year-end list of what President Trump has accomplished. In itself, it is a great list of winning, but read carefully. This year was well spent setting the battlefield for the real winning to come.
0: Not one of the president’s wins, but still needs to be mentioned. The house and senate are controlled by republicans. Democrats can’t simply vote themselves more money.
1: After spending around a billion dollars, Hillary still loses. Democrats get nothing for their money.
2: Hillary and Bill close down the Clinton Global Initiative money laundering operation.
3: Sessions closed the slush fund in the DOJ where companies were pressured to “contribute” to left wing causes.
4: Pres. Trump appoints MAGA cabinet member Mulvaney to head CFPB, another money laundering operation for the democrats.
5: Dr. Ben Carson announces yet another slush fund at HUD and will get control of those finances.
6: T-REX empties out the State Department.
7. President Trump backs out of the Paris Accords, which is a green slush fund for politically connected left wing NGOs and companies.
8. Mohammed bin Salman commences purge of corrupt Saudi officials, including many who buy influence here. (McCain voted yes on tax cuts after Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal was arrested )
9. AG Sessions puts emphasis on human smuggling, reportedly a source of income for the deep state.
10. AG Sessions puts emphasis on rounding up MS-13 gang members, who are reported to work with deep state in drug operations.
11. Drug plants in Afghanistan destroyed (run by deep state?)
12. Prominent democrat bundlers announce they are no longer contributing towards democrats, or have become pariahs as they get swept up in Hollywood’s sexual harassment wave (Weinstien)
13. Broadcast networks which have broadcast NFL games (and constantly bashed the president) are estimated to lose $900 million this year due to the drop in NFL ratings. Probably $300 million would be due to President Trump’s tweets.
“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
This has been a death by a thousand cuts for the democrats and deep state. They have steadily lost power and influence, whereas President Trump, nearly alone in D.C. at his inauguration, gains strength every day. For all the fantastic winning so far, it is just a prelude to the wins to come over a ever weaker opposition.
Quit reading after number zero. The most profligate spending in U.S. history prior to Obama was during the W years.
Let me know when Trump announces a balanced budget, a ban on deficit spending, or a plan to slash spending and start paying down the debt.
I’ll wait…
No sweat. The Generals are in charge.
Entropy Rules. And Entropy is a bitch.
I always thought that Entropy Rules would make a good T shirt.
And “Entropy’s Child” would be a great name for a spacecraft.
And the Constitution was never really meant to be anything more than a holding action against the inevitable degradation that always befalls democracies (or by extension, republics). The founders would probably be surprised that it lasted as long as it did.
Excellent post Uncola! Chip
From Wikipedia: “The second law is concerned with the direction of natural processes.[3] It asserts that a natural process runs only in one sense, and is not reversible. For example, heat always flows spontaneously from hotter to colder bodies, and never the reverse, unless external work is performed on the system. Its modern definition is in terms of entropy.[4][5]”
The only thing that can be altered is the ‘rate’ of decay. For example Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore are experiencing a higher rates of decay that other cities.
Uncola,
“Furthermore, and in the meantime, the weeds will strive to overtake your garden, the roads where you live will continue to crumble, your food will spoil, your cars and houses will require ceaseless maintenance until they eventually collapse; and societies will never stop revolutions trending toward totalitarianism.”
If entropy is the law of the universe, and totalitarianism is by definition an attempt to impose order, doesn’t entropy work against that attempt? Could the end result of any coming revolutions be disorder, regardless of the intent of the revolutionaries?
Robert,
I understand your point but since the dawn of time, the natural state of societies have been totalitarian with few exceptions. Yet, like thermodynamic “Heat Engines”, some societal revolutions combusted to deliver enough disorder for folks to pursue knowledge as well as enjoy liberty and the free market for a time; and often regardless of the intent of the revolutionaries. Later examples might include the European Renaissance, Protestant Reformation, the Industrial Revolution, the American Experiment, and the early days of the internet (ironically, the mathematician James R. Newman who is quoted above coined the term “google”).
After reading Xrugger’s most excellent Whither The Sceptered Isle piece yesterday, I wanted to write about America’s book-end experience across the Atlantic and explore any differences. I determined our paths diverged with the people and by what remained of the U.S. Constitution.
Thank you for posting this essay on SLL. As always, I am honored.
But also since the dawn of time governments have failed, without exception, except for ones currently in existence, which I would argue are all in the process of failing. Governments cannot exempt themselves from entropy, much as they’d like to.
Perhaps they have been declared too large to fail. Or Irreplaceable.
I think that totalitarianism is a latter stage of the decline from a free, self-determining populace toward a full entropic collapse of a civilization.
I see no contradiction in the premise. Whether the leftist/globalists bring us there by concerted efforts and willful destruction of individual rights, or the Trumpeteers mistakenly push for a military or enforced response by govt entities to cleanse the corruption that has wormed its way in, the outcome would most likely be the same–Power To The Government totally.
“the intent of the revolutionaries?”
Most would die for even for 100 years, while striving for 1000 years.
circles and lights
decay feeds growth
I wrote a lengthy response that got lost somewhere in interwebs purgatory…i will try to recover what i can.
I hold that the rise and fall of empire is a completely human construct and therefore does not directly follow physics (particularly the Second Law of Thermodynamics) -while still operating within its bounds. The better model is that of Joseph Tainter in the ‘Collapse of Complex Societies.’ As systems grow they become more attractive for people to join, so more people join and then it becomes even more attractive, and so on. This is the very definition of a positive feedback loop which causes exponential growth–Empire is born. Ultimately, however, there become diminishing returns on this complexity and the need for energy and other resources grows exponentially as well. Meanwhile, the bureaucratic life-cycle (we’ve all seen the chart, right?) eats the heart of the Empire’s real productivity (sound familiar?) On the way down, a new positive feedback loop occurs where first only a few dribs and drabs abandon the system, but as they do so, the system becomes less attractive, so more leave, and so on. This positive feedback loop causes the exponential collapse.
This is cyclical and driven purely by human nature and therefore not strictly in tune with the very rational processes of physics.
Now, the interesting thing to me is that the most noble (and very irrational from a Darwinian sense) aspects of human nature (love, self-sacrifice, forgiveness) never really die and neither does the notion of liberty and self-determination.
Technology is, of course, a game changer and new to this cycle. Perhaps, it will allow the Totalitarians and Tyrants among us to finally establish a perfect, permanent state of absolute rule ala 1984. Or perhaps, it only means we have built the Tower of Babel much, much higher than the first time around and it’s collapse will bring us lower than ever before. I can only believe the second, because, as this article so clearly depicts, NOTHING lasts forever.
In any case, we are here for only a brief time and after that the sun will go nova in a few billion years and the universe itself will be cold and dark some billions or trillions after that. Que sera sera.
For now, all that each of us can do is enjoy our time in said sun, remember to smell the roses from time to time and keep our powder dry.
Every now and then, the good articles aside, somebody throws up something that we troglodytes were unaware of. We have an opportunity to learn as well as be assaulted by alternative opinions. I love the alternative opinions, but this from Drud is most likely an important thing to know.
Download the pdf and read it. Thanks Drud.
Good post, by the way. It will go up on SLL tonight.
Keep piggybacking. You just can’t help yourself, can you? Never have I seen such self promotion on any other website. You never stop. Gore the Whore …. pompous self aggrandizing asshole.
Stucky
How am I piggybacking and self-promoting? Nobody who reads this article on TBP is going to read it again on SLL. I have told 3 people, Jim Quinn, Doug Lynn, and Francis Marion, that I reposted their articles. I’ve known them for several years, they are part of the TBP community, and it’s meant as a compliment. If I posted one of your articles I’d announce it on TBP. I gain nothing from these posts on TBP other than that I’ve publicly recognized good writing and thought enough of it to post it on my site. If it bothers you that much, though, I’ll just send Jim, Doug, and Francis personal emails when I post their stuff. I didn’t think such posts on TBP would get me vitriolic, cheap-shot name calling.
An addendum: I forgot to include Hardscrabble Farmer and Holly O. in the list of TBP authors I’ve featured on SLL.
I think Stuck just needs to kill another Racoon to relieve his stress. I want all the contributors to use TBP to help their own websites. It’s one big happy dysfunctional family where we can call each other names and still be friends.
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He’s off his meds this morning.
Meds are too expensive. How about you relieve some of my stress? For example …. Blow me.
LOL
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HF
I appreciate you sending a short gif of yourself.
Couple things surprised me. You’re younger than I imagined. And I didn’t you’re retarded.
The cheap shot is YOUR self promotion.
Obviously, people aren’t going to read an article a second time. Duh! Then why why announce you’re posting it on your website? Because you meant it as “a compliment”?
Bullshit! You can fool some people some of the time, said Abe. You could simply compliment by saying so here. But noooo, you gotta throw in your website hoping you get more eyeballs! And you’re a damned LIAR if you pretend otherwise. You, and now that Andrea chick.
You know, I probably would give a rat’s ass if you were simply honest about it. “Yeah, Stucky, I’d like to attract more readers to my blog, now fuck off.” But, no, you have to shower me with your butt hurt bullshit. Coward.
Fortunately for you, Admin does not mind, so I probably won’t bring it up again, … even though you’ll do it again, and even though you are getting on my last nerve.
Robert,
It’s ok. We appreciate your comments. This is a great conversation though so if you guys don’t mind I’m going to post this entire thread over at Your Daily Dose of Raccoon.
https://dailyraccoons.tumblr.com
Good job everyone!
READ STRAIGHT LINE LOGIC. SAY GREAT THINGS ABOUT STRAIGHT LINE LOGIC. SAY GREAT THINGS ABOUT THE ARTICLES I WRITE FOR STRAIGHT LINE LOGIC. TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW ABOUT STRAIGHT LINE LOGIC. CLICK STRAIGHT LINE LOGIC REPEATEDLY SO IT GETS MORE ADVERTISING CREDITS. BUY THE THREE NOVELS BY ROBERT GORE PROMOTED ON STRAIGHT LINE LOGIC. STRAIGHT LINE LOGIC. STRAIGHT LINE LOGIC. STRAIGHT LINE LOGIC.
Now that’s self-promotion. I hope I have gotten on your first nerve, your last nerve, and every nerve in between.
It is quite easy to see how you were a lawyer and bond trader, two rather dishonorable professions, where deception/lying/bullshitting is key to success. Congrats.
Case in point, your above attempt at deflecting. You try to make fun of the very thing it is that you actually DO!! That is, getting as many people to your blog as possible. But, hey, if you EXAGGERATE it, maybe people won’t notice?? Riiight.
You are truly the most dishonest person posting here. Ever. At least Andrea is in-your-face about her self-promotion.
You could simply say – “Yeah, since I make my living by writing, I mention my website from time to time hoping to get more readers.” Such a simple truth. One that’s understandable. A little bit of honesty from you, and that would have been the end of it!!
But, no!! You double down. You keep insisting that you have no such motive. That you’re just doing so out of the goodness of your heart, to show appreciation. Anything but saying you need/want/like more hits to your website. Wow. Wow!!
You should take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror today and ask yourself why you’re spending so much energy being deceptive with us, and yourself.
That you are able to; 1) fool so many here with your lying, and/or 2) have people not give a damn that you are a liar is, well, an astounding feat on your part. So much for the power of INTJs to discern. You should run for Congress. They’re filled with people just like you.
Stucky,
The first time your brought this up I acknowledged self-promotion when I put up ads for my books with my articles. I’m not sure, but I might have done the same with the website mentions, although they don’t really strike me as in the same class as the book ads. The one is self-promotion, the latter is meant as a compliment and mentions the website that’s mentioned at the beginning of every article I post. I’m proud of my website and if mentioning it by name, either when I post articles or comments, is self-promotion, so be it. I’ll continue to promote myself that way on TBP and on other sites where I am posted (I alway insist on attribution to me and my website when asked) or on which I comment (my usually commenting name on other sites is straightlinelogic, although TBP and another site are the only sites on which I consistently comment).
Andrea (On-dray-uh) is a dude’s name in Italy.
I’m pretty sure the other blog spammer is a dude.
Stucky apologizing:
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Just remember everyone, we are all one happy family:
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That made me laugh. It ought to make Stucky laugh as well. If it doesn’t, well, then he can just bend himself all out of shape and kiss his own damn ass.
The Greeks are really a pack of wiseacres aren’t they? I bumped into Prometheus and Epimetheus the other day when reviewing the mythical (cosmogonic) origins of Theory versus Practice.
Really? You want to start some shit with me also? Today, of all days? I’ll ignore your above comment about me kissing my own ass. Perhaps you thought it was funny.
I won’t ignore future insults. If you want a shitfest, I’ll give you a shitfest. You won’t like the results, believe me.
” believe me”
I do (do do) believe you. When I was on camera safari in Kenya the best photo I took was of a lion going do do. When the big lion poops, you should look out as it will be looking for his next meal pretty soon.
Stucky, you are all wound up over this one, eh?
If by your comment “this one” (below) you mean that Bag Of Lies, Robert Gore, then yes, I’m wound up.
As to the article, no! It was a fine piece. I didn’t quite understand why entropy needed to be part of it, except in the most common overall meaning of the word. But, uncola, explained it further. It’s no big deal. I get his drift.
I was more wound up with you telling me to kiss my own ass. Shocking, I tell you.
It was my attempt to play on a phrase… pull your head out of your ass becoming bend over and kiss your own. I thought it had merit.
I think I discovered what is bugging Stuck. I found this image of this lost, orphaned baby raccoon at the local grocery store, where people post images of lost dogs and stray cats.
Stucky, you killed a MOTHER raccoon, didn’t you? Did you orphan a nest of baby raccoons?
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Wow, you make even me seem like less of a pervo-prick.
The bravado afforded a tiny dick man behind the protection of the internet.
(((Weinstein.))) Hmmm
I may have a tiny dick. But, at least I’m not a fucken Joo boy with a tiny dick. May you wind up in the same place as a pizza.
There is a duality in man that perpetuates this inexorable movement from independence and liberty towards collectivism and totalitarianism and back again. We are at our very core individuals who live within the confines of our own lives and experiences so that we perpetually resist the herd instinct, but because of the duration of time between birth and maturity it is impossible to do it alone- without the assistance, guidance and restrictions imposed by our family, tribe, nation and race. The struggle manifests itself as if it were between ideologies and political systems when the reality is that we are really in a deeper, lifelong conflict with ourselves. No man, regardless of his strength, identity our individual gifts and talents wants to live a life of solitude. Belonging is intrinsic to our existence and it fulfills our deepest need to feel secure and accepted. On the flip side our unique circumstances make complete surrender to the herd an onerous task for even the most compliant because each of us is unique and is destined to follow a singular path where no matter how deeply we surrender ourselves we will never be fully known. The revolution, therefore, is both eternal and internal. Order is imposed on chaos (The State) and eventually the order becomes a prison from which the individual must escape to reassert their identity (Liberty) and ironically place themselves in existential isolation from the world. The State cannot suffer the individual and the free man cannot survive the Collective.
From the standpoint of a closed system it is the only way we can live in equilibrium, for every thing that lives, another thing must give it’s life. For every movement forward there must be a swing back into balance.
The physics of existence.
This was one of your best pieces, exceptionally well written and beautifully structured, mille grazia.
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HSF – This post is the beginning of a great piece btw.
Uncola,
This is what real journalism looks like. It won’t make you popular but it will move people one way or the other. It deserves to be read far and wide.
“The State cannot suffer the individual and the free man cannot survive the Collective.” Brilliant and pithy.
The only tiny qualm (and it is tiny indeed) with the post in general is that I tend to separate humans from nature and physics. But we’ve been on this merry-go-round before, have we not? So I’ll leave it at this: these cycles transcend us as individuals and from that perspective a Fourth Turning, a Collapse of Empire, an upheaving social upheaval is no different from a supernova 10 million light years away…far beyond our control, all we can really do is observe and prepare.
Vapid BS – the “natural state” is not chaotic and the socio/politico/economic ordering of society is not governed by the laws of physics. I refer you to “Human Action” – Ludwig von Mises.
“…the socio/politico/economic ordering of society is not governed by the laws of physics.”
Of course it is. Everything is. Human action is natural, we’re part of this thing, not independent of it.
I don’t know von Mises well enough to understand the “Human Action” reference but I’ll look it up see if he changes my mind.
I think he was calling my post vapid BS.
No – Uncola’s post.
HSF – To “dumb it down”: “S/P/E ordering of society” is not governed by Newtonian physics.
Ok…now we’re getting somewhere. I find it interesting that our speculation that the universe is an ENTIRELY rational place rests upon the foundation that Newtonian physics works. It works every time without fail and describes almost all processes and actions on our little blue sphere perfectly. However, once we get down to the the really small or out to the the really big Newtonian physics fails utterly.
The biggest point of our ignorance, IMO, revolves around time. Time is so fundamental to our lives. It drives everything in our existence. We define it based upon our unique circumstances (Earth’s rotational period and orbital period)…but a broader definition is the thing that denotes change (clearly time is critical to the Second Law). But, when we get down to the quantum mechanical or out to the relativistic everything we know about this foundational building block falls apart (de-simultinaety of events, time contraction/expansion, temporal loops, etc.) For all our knowledge we understand so little about existence.
Every single one of us are made of atoms spinning in the void like invisible frisbees in the air. We are held together by what? For A.R.W. to claim it’s not governed by Newtonian physics is absurd.
The fundamental forces. Well understood and defined mathematically, but what causes them is pure mystery. Rectifying the fundamental forces is what grand unified theory is all about. The tiny (Quantum mechanics/ electromagnetic and nuclear forces) must sum to the intermediate (Newtonian mechanics) which must in turn sum to the giant (relativity/ gravity)…at least it must in a purely rational cosmos.
All good students must have an open mind. Otherwise, little Werner Heisenberg will get sent to the Uncertainty Principle’s office for Standard Deviation.
I’m sorry DRUD, I couldn’t resist.
Never said that..you read that yourself. You equate irrational with chaotic and they are not the same thing from a physics standpoint. And, of course, you assume that when I say not directly inline with physics that I believe we transcend physics. Not a logical interpretation. Our ability to regret the past and plan for the future, coupled with our self awareness, makes us different from any other natural system ever observed. Case in point, the dinosaurs ruled the earth for 150 million years, but never created complex hierarchical systems. Why? The fundamental truth of physics did not change, so what did?
It all comes down to choice, which is a seriously fucked-up concept speaking from a physics point of view–a causal paradox. We only ignore the absurd nature of conscious thought because we do it all the time.
Water cannot choose to flow uphill anymore than a tree can choose when to drop its fruit…but a human being can choose to, as the old joke goes, strip naked and run through a cactus patch for no other reason than “it seemed to be a good idea at the time.” All the while NEVER defying the laws of physics…irrational AND chaotic, but not supernatural.
No, A.R.Wassem did, that was who I was responding to.
Way too confusing thread drift for my feeble mind today, better go move some more carbon.
And the hands on a clock are not proverbial and the clock itself cannot be allegorical. Jeez Louise people. It is not a physics equation. It is a comparative think piece. Lighten the fuck up.
That was me above.
Oh. Thanks for clearing that up.
And I can accept it as that. I am expounding here for my own benefit and only only one small concept. My purpose is not in any way to impugn this excellent article.
Does anyone ever stop and consider the fact that we have a fractional reserve system and a FED is because, by 1913, there was simply nothing left to steal from the Native Americans. Once there lands, culture, and most of their lives were taken at gunpoint by us, well then, we started devouring each other and the planet itself. The results are what you see today, death on a broad scale, and very soon physical composition will most definitely be replaced by violence. As Scripture says, “It is appointed once to die, and then the Judgement.” Christ forgive us for what we did, are doing, and will continue to do until there is not a mist of fog, a droplet of dew, or a wisp of breathe to mark our passing. thanks
The cycle has not begun as it never ceases…..but open ended questions that cannot be answered – maybe aren’t meant to answered – are too close to nihilism for me. Beautifully written though.
“and societies will never stop revolutions trending toward totalitarianism”
Wrong.. Societies always revolve toward anarchy under the laws of Entropy. Other than that, no arguments..
muck
A lot of us took exception to those 9 words and nothing else it seems.
If one contemplates entropy and the organizing principles of the universe, they are on the path toward understanding God.
Sounds nice, but about as meaningless as a Hallmark card.
Its a spectrum, Rdawg — from drooling to Hallmark cards to serious questions to philosophical essays to enlightenment. I can see where YOU stepped off the train of thought! LOL
Look back through history and count the number of tolitarian societies with those that were anarchist. Do the math and then write back which is the entropic state. Anarchy demands tolitarianism for societies to survive.
Uncola,
I enjoyed reading your article. And, I will read it twice more
to glean what one inevitably misses with only one read. Further,
I agree with your take on the ruin and destruction of our country.
The government has grown so large and layered that misfits are
able to steal at will. The very system is structured/layered to make
much of the bureaucracy opaque/operates in secrecy. Is there any
part of our system operating in an honest open way?
I wonder about one of your statements. Hillary C “won the popular
vote.” It is my understanding the Obama people enacted computer
systems that allowed electronic votes to be altered. Monies (and
votes) intended for Sanders were stolen. Perhaps pockets of people
in some cities did vote overwhelmingly for HC, but I do not believe
she in fact garnered a majority of the people’s vote. Rigging of the
voting machines doesn’t count as a win.
Thanks to you, and the others at TBP, and hoping everyone can
at least enjoy some good times with family and friends. Seasons
Greetings to all.
Suzanna
Hillary won by over 2 million votes
https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php
That field goal she scored was worth 3 points. The touchdown Trump scored was worth seven. You can take the repugnian electoral college win shove it up yer ass… It will help your butthurt. While your at it you can also suck on a bucket of diseased donkeys dicks…. I mean this is TBP!
The CUNT lost anon. Deal with it!
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I will have you know that is the Donkey I used for my Jackass Whisperer Meme. I’ve got a copy of it around here somewhere… of course PHOTOBUCKET is holding all my original image links hostage.
Bastards.
Hillary didn’t win shit. You may want to familiarize yourself with the Electoral College, and why we use that system.
Oh, and if you factor in the probable fraud, she got fewer votes as well.
Yes, and more than 4 million beaners voted for her illegally in SoCal alone.
Smile it’s the Kali Yuga !
Understanding ,
I am really beginning to enjoy your articles.No matter how bad things may appear there is hope.Never under estimate the white Anglo-Saxons of This Republic.Keep up the writing my friend.I would like to meet you and the others on this site .If not in this life hopefully the next.BB
Stucky’s shit slinging aside, has anyone ever given any thought as to why Sisyphus didn’t just pop a bird to Zeus and tell him to push his own damned rock up that hill? “Hey Sissy, I command you to push that rock.” “Hey lord high asswipe. Stuff that rock up your huge ass.” What is the worst that Zeus can do to him? Blast him into oblivion? Better than pushing a rock.
Oh and good call Suzanna.
Rob, the worst Zeus could have done is torment him without mercy before he blasted him to oblivion. Therein lies the problem, which is why we should never give up our arms.
For that matter, why did any of those Titans stay there performing their meaningless tasks? What was Zeus gonna do?
Well Mag’s it was probably because they were all made up by the ruling elite to keep the deplorables in line. Just like today.
Zeus could torture him FOREVER in a burning hell. Hey, that kinda sounds like the “loving” God portrayed in the “good book”.
Given enough time, everything corrects to its best self. The mom raises her third better, with less effort than the first. The serial killer, kills more efficiently by number ten. Entropy may explain one’s physical end, but doesn’t take into account the quality between the beginning and the end. Plants and animals thrive in their chosen environment, one benefits the other. Only man fouls his nest and destroys every thing he touches in his search for meaning. My neighbors show me the content of their bulging wallets and grin. In their minds they have reached the top. Some days even the sun does not bring me light or warmth. Man is so ignorantly proud, so devoid of doubt. Fuck me, fuck you, fuck us.
Uncola – To base either psychological, sociological or political theory on a supposed correspondence between theoretical physics and human history is laughable. As far as “entropy” itself is concerned a more comprehensive definition would be “the tendency of the energy of a closed system, including that of the universe itself, to become less available to do work with the passage of time”. Note that two key words in the definition are “tendency” and “closed” – neither of which, I would argue, are applicable to the particular “states” of human societies at any particular points in time. Unfortunately, in you case, apparently, a little knowledge is dangerous.
Full Moon.
Not fair AR. He was not using it in that way. He used it as an introduction to his real contention and then dropped the analogy. I think that is a fair use of the concept of entropy. Since none of us here are rocket scientists perhaps it would be best not to lean on the proper use of the term entropy. Save that discussion for a Physics Blog. They have lots of fun with it.
A.R. – Perhaps the physics was inserted into the piece more as a portrayal of perceptive processing; as opposed to a proof, per se. All that was written will fade, everything eaten turns to shit, and the City of Angels now burns. Entropy is death. Long may it live.
I’m gonna be honest here, uncola, because I think that’s the way you operate.
You could have done without the entire entropy intro/foreplay. Sure, everything degrades over time.
With the hard sciences it’s pretty easy to know WHY, for example, the sun will wind down to become cold dead star. The variables are limited, the science is known.
You just can’t say that about literally anything regarding human interactions; whether politics, economics, sociology, or anything else. Too many variables, thousands millions or billions depending how you look at it, some or many not even known, or defined, or even definable. We may not even know what we don’t know.
In other words, WHY America is in decline, and will die (in its current form) is unknown, and unknowable. There could be one reason, or ten thousand. Everyone is an expert. But, two thousand years after the Roman Empire collapsed, we still don’t really know why, do we?
By way of just one quick example. You say our decline “began in earnest at the beginning of the twentieth-century”. First, that’s vague. What actual year did it begin? And if we go the science route … give me the month and day as well. What does “earnest” mean? Do you mean in economic terms? Political? Social? All of them? What about what you left out … maybe some foreign “earnest” thing happened that really started it all? Why not the end of the 19th century? You get the drift.
Now there’s discussion here about entropy! Pffft. As if that’s what the article is about. It’s about how America is drifting into collapse. Hey, something along those lines would have been a good title.
That’s right … if Maggie can pop a hemorrhoid about my titles, I can do likewise. Your title sounds like a Science Textbook. It’s boring as shit. That’s just my fucking opinion, which means shit, so don’t bust a nut over it.
Imagine a team of archaeologists living three thousand years in the future. They work at digging out the remains of an ancient civilization on the Eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, a region that its ancient inhabitants called “Syria.” They find clear evidence that the Syrian civilization collapsed in correspondence of a series of disasters: a severe drought, a civil war, the destruction of cities by fire, foreign invaders, a reduction in population, and more. The evidence for these events is clear, but what exactly caused them? Our future archaeologists are baffled; they suspect that there is a single reason for this coalescence of disasters, but they can’t find proof of what it could have been. One of them proposes that it had to do with the fact the ancient Syrians were extracting something from underground and using it as a source of energy. But, without reliable data on the production trends, they cannot prove that oil depletion was the basic cause of the Syrian collapse.
Something similar is happening today to the archaeologists who try to understand the reasons of the collapse of the Mediterranean civilization of the end of the second millennium BCE; the end of the Bronze Age. We have archaeological evidence of a brilliant and thriving civilization: palaces, works of art, commerce, metallurgy, and more. But we have also evidence that this civilization met a violent end: there are traces of fires destroying palaces and cities, there is evidence of droughts and famine, and some of the people living in the region, the Hittites for instance, disappeared forever from history. But what caused the collapse? That’s a very difficult question.
http://cassandralegacy.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-fall-of-mediterranean-society.html
Hey Stuck,
I appreciate your honesty, and overall perspectives, as always. In some ways, this was a continuation of my last “equality” essay; especially the reduction to the mean, law being diminished, and Comey’s stupid tweet on justice. Therefore, my thought process on this one (and after reading Xrugger’s piece on Britain) began with this:
Some say Rome died a death by a thousand cuts inflicted by the loss of morality. Others say it was the rise of Christianity that killed the Roman empire and that’s why we name our children John and Paul and our dogs Nero and Caesar.
Regardless, these days, I tend to think in terms of light and dark.
As for the exact date early in the twentieth century, I was thinking it was December 23, 1913, but didn’t believe it was apropos to this piece.
EDIT: Death by fire or moral decline: when staring down the road to nowhere, what difference does it make?
In physics terms–where often common terms are used in specific mathematical ways (stress and strain being an example)–entropy is the measurable property which describes the Second Law of Thermodynamics. There is no Law of Entropy.
Now, “Everything degrades over time without exception.” What could be more counter-Darwinian. Evolution requires that species continually improve themselves over time to better ensure their survival. How is this not a direct contradiction to the Second Law? And if it is, how can both exist within the same structure of physics? God? or just things we don’t understand?
What do you get if you cross an elephant and a rhinoceros?
From the article: “Life is a like a rotating heat engine of sorts, catapulting energy over the cold fabric of space-time”
…. a donkey.
and there is no contradiction with second law. Photosynthesis works to agregate enengy. Life works, most of the time in opposition to entropy. That is until the primal urge to rape, loot and destroy overtakes common sense.
Evolution says nothing like “species are required to continually improve themselves over time.”
What it says is that species adapt to environmental pressures, that’s it. Lots of species of insects and fish (sharks) have remained essentially unchanged for millions of years because they have adapted so well to their environmental niche.
Also the Second Law of Thermodynamics is often misapplied to life on Earth. The Second Law refers to closed systems, where energy and matter can neither enter or leave the system. We happen to have a rather massive amount of energy entering our system at all times. It’s called the Sun.
Agree with all answers but not wholly satisfied with either. Ultimately my question is who or what is driving the boat of existence? Elephino, but that is thhe question that occupies my mind.
I always heard the joke thusly: “What do you get when you cross a hippo, elephant, and rhino?”
“Hell-if-I-know”
I have it on very good authority that my version is correct: I heard it on an episode of “Growing Pains.”
I will have you know that I do not pop hemorrhoids at your titles. However, I will agree this one made me want to yawn.
When I had my last “procedure” I had all polyps and tags removed. Clean as a whistle.
America (and everywhere else) is in decline because it is running out of: energy, raw materials, clean water, clean food, fish, trees which perform air-cleaning and hydrological services, pollution sinks, etc. Hardly “unknown” or “unknowable”, unless you listen to economists or politicians.
The problem with political and religious ideologies is that they are unreceptive to reality.
“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” -Philip K. Dick
The problem with capitalism is that it requires infinite growth on a finite planet. Since we have surpassed (in the aggregate) the Limits to Growth, interest rates *should* be negative, because no enterprise can truly be remunerative in its extraction any longer (hence the scramble toward financial scams like bitcoin). The End of Growth breaks finance, and the ongoing global extinction event breaks all the current human narratives.
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Interesting. I have never, ever heard a definition of capitalism that stated a “requirement” for infinite growth on a finite planet.
Silly me. I thought it meant private ownership of the means of production and profit in a free market.
Got any other strawmen?
This is an excellent discussion of Black Ops and the Murrah Building Bombing 1995. Just the sort of thing to get Stucky’s head out of his arse, so he can rant and rail about the conspiracy theorists in Oklahoma.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2235&v=euw7Lh6XrxM
I’m out of here until admin gets rid of stucky the pompous, over bearing twat. There are other sites just as good without all the name calling and insults. Adios amigos.
Said the racist white guy spouting a spanish salutation. This place is fucking confusing.
annnnnnnnnnd he’s gone…
Now you done it ya big galoot! I guess he weren’t feelin’ the luv, Stuchenmeister!
Geeze for a racist he is a bit of a snowflake. Namecalling is the best part of being here! Where else can a dumb ass like me called names by a Injun in Oz and a Farmer in New England.
This place is the best dang place in this werld! Here’s hoping that ole whitey stays away as advertized…
Please don’t go!!!
Look, I got some really bad news yesterday. You can’t imagine.
So, ii lost my cool. I apologize. I’ll never be mean again. In fact, if you want, I’ll banish myself.
Let him go Stucky. He won’t be missed. But you are a huge ASSet. Thin skinned douchebags can go take a hike.
Damn. I forgot to share what the news was.
Your wife said she’s gonna start charging me five bucks for blowjobs.
Terrible. Just terrible.
There. All better. We have returned to stasis.
DON’T LET THE DOOR SMACK YOU IN THE ASS ON OUR WAY OUT!…………or do…….either way, we don’t care about you thin skinned pussies.
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The Eagle has landed. Am planning pancakes for breakfast.
Pancakes with syrup. Maple syrup.
Jeezus Krist maggie, just pick up the phone and call HSF and ask where your fucking syrup is………… He’s either ignoring your comments or simply not seeing them.
I’m surprised Stucky didn’t go full mental on you for cluttering posts with your innuendo and advertising for the deliciousness of HSF’s syrup.
+1000 on the syrup.
But I think she may have been saying that the fabled liquid had finally arrived.
Right you are Rdawg. I missed that.
I was picturing Maggie twitchin’ and twerkin’ like a ghetto rat heroin addict jonsin’ for another hit.
I’m only reading about a third of the posts on TBP lately a fewer comments but it seems like every Maggie comment I read features her begging for more syrup.
She’s probably passed out on her kitchen floor now from the sugar rush so maybe she won’t see that I flipped her shit!
Needed to add that I’m not her down voter as I don’t play the thumbsey game. I don’t want her thinking it was me and kicking my ass for that too!
“it seems like every Maggie comment I read features her begging for more syrup.”
Roger that. She do get repetitive at times. For example, did you know:
– Maggie was in the USAF AWACS program?
– She and her husband, Nick, left the military industrial complex for the charms of rural life?
– She has a son majoring in Comp Sci?
– She raises rabbits?
– She hunts deer?
– She has lost weight recently?
– She has (or had) some big fuckin’ white dogs she’s really fond of?
– She took journalism classes?
– She has large breasts, and nice auburn hair?
– She is fond of Stephanie Shepard, and secretly wishes Stephanie would marry her son?
– She goes for daily walks with an elderly neighbor?
– She lives in a log cabin?
Nice lady. I probably know more about her than most of my family members.
That’s about it. Except I am not quite up to speed on Bitcoin.
Me either. I have been following it since it was about $100. I could never bring myself to buy any. Fuck.
Could have paid off my house.
It is my attempts to be subtle when drinking wine and using the laptop.
Racistwhiteguy is a big baby.
I’m making hiccup noises I’m laughing so hard. Stubb that was funny shit.
Said it before but it bears repeating. Threads like THIS are why I come here everyday. Excellent, thought provoking post and glittering (for the most part) repartee.
Love it.