Are All Men Created Equal?

From the best biology we know: the acquisition of traits (phenotype) is both a product of nature (genotype) and nurture.   Is it racist to say that we should not expect a cat to do calculus?  Is it racist to say a mouse may never be able to write a book?  These are rhetorical questions, but as a bottom line I would say it is good to not expect complete uniformity of ability in all of Hashem’s created beings, which of course does not dictate license for bigotry.

G-d does not harbor excess in His creation.  When something exists, it is supposed to be that way because Hashem has ordained for it to be as such.  Thus, it is such that while I won’t deny anyone, even a different species of animal or a computer (maybe someday), proper education if aptitude is demonstrated, there does come a time when we should realize that it is cruel to hold onto expectations that the problem of dumbness be alleviated merely by endless hard work.  Rather, we should give credit and encouragement where it is due.

Should we expect a human to run as fast as a cheetah?  Should we expect humans to regularly give birth to as many offspring as mice?  Some of our greatest strengths may be in our inherent differences because created species, nations, and beings are not meant to be completely alike.

A New War to Wage – Obesity at Epidemic Proportions

It used to be that people died in battle. It is still that way.  However, the forms are changing.  Now, people are becoming more likely to die from overeating, such that we must wage war again, this time with a silent killer, obesity.

Obese bellies should be considered as having similarity to the unwanted tattoos the Nazis forced on the Jews during the Holocaust.  Obesity is not just killing, but it is maiming its victims.  The morbidity of obesity increases daily, and if it not stopped somehow, it may claim more lives than the Holocaust did.

Sales of Decadent Sugary Foods Isn't Sustainable

Recently, I encountered the stats that within a generation’s time 1 in 3 Americans will have diabetes, and that consequently life expectancy will likely plummet.  This diabetes threat is real.  It could happen, especially given the prevalence of foods with added sugar at the average American grocery store.  

Greedy capitalists have placed faith in idols.  They have no fear, for as Judaism puts it, “They say God does not avenge.”  They are fearlessly profiting by getting us hooked on added sugar, where sugar should be regarded as a dangerous drug.

We don’t want to sustain capitalism's greed.  It is flawed and outdated, and it must pass.  Transition to the new system probably won’t be easy.  This will likely present difficult times at first, which may be likened to birthing pains, where the end result will be an awesome and wonderful creation.

In There an Answer for the Problem of Racist Police Officers?

Africans are most likely correct in their acertation that racism is common, even among the police.  The system is in fact in need of change, and that starts with changing the attitudes of citizens to respect public officials.

The needed changes are deeper than simple racism.  This is an issue that goes straight to the core of ethical values necessary for the functional living of American citizens.  Too often teens and even children have fallen into prejudice against the police as a direct consequence of tolerance for hip hop culture.  Hip hop culture attitude tact is a great offender because it does not tolerate ways that will ever result in respect for police officers, but instead degrades the fabric of society for what rappers see as truth.  I remember the songs from grade school, like "Fuck the Police," by N.W.A. or 911 is a joke by Public Enemy.  Those types of attitudes improve nothing, and quite contrarily ruin the idea of respect crucial for a positive perspective of police.

For there to be improvement, hip hop culture must change its attitude toward police by viewing officers who work such jobs as of caliber as most of us view doctors.  We as Americans need better leadership that fosters respect among our youth.  We all know what sells, so people sell it.  That is capitalism in a nutshell.  I suggest making capitalism smarter through censorship.  If the USA is to get beyond this, we need to stop selling millions of dollars and copies of anti-law enforcement media paraphernalia.  In order to improve our condition merely rioting, protesting, and/or complaining is not going to cut it.  It will take legislation, and giving up some freedom through permission of censorship.  The situation with the police will not get better unless we as a society act to make the job of being a police officer a more respectable position.  What I mean is rather than protesting or rioting against the police or the criminal justice system, we should be encouraging and fostering respect of public officials, such that respectable people will find these jobs more desirable.  Then, respect for the police will come more naturally because racism won't be tolerated.                                                                                       

 from CNN: 

There is a startling racial divide in America between how whites and nonwhites view police and the criminal justice system, according to a CNN / ORC poll released today. 

More than half of white Americans - 57% - think none or almost none of the police in their area are prejudiced against blacks. Just one quarter of nonwhite Americans feel the same way.

The survey, which was mostly conducted before the shooting of NYPD officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos in New York on Saturday, found similar results on perceptions of the justice system as a whole. While 41% of Americans say the criminal justice system treats blacks fairly, far more whites - 50% - see equity. Among nonwhites, that figure drops to just 21%. Two-thirds of nonwhites said that the criminal justice system favors whites over blacks.

Letter to Congress about Turbines and Renewable Energy

Dear Representative Bill Keating,

Our state should focus on tidal energy instead of wind energy.  Tidal energy has the potential to provide far more energy than wind energy.  Just as we have wind turbines, so to could we have tidal turbines underwater cranking from the ebb and flow of the tides, producing massive amounts of power.  If we used screening/netting to keep them out, this would not endanger creatures such as marine mammals and fish.

Sincerely,

Craig Hamilton

On Fracking, Freemarkets & Environmental Danger: A Letter

We only get one planet.  It is up to us, as humans, the one species that has both done the most ecological damage, but is also capable of better stewardship, to take care of it.

Please, I implore Congress that fracking is not in our best interest.  Fracking is damaging to the environment.  It is not just peoples' imaginations getting the best of them.  The future is in renewable energy.  That is where we should put our money.

There is no amount of regulation that can make fracking safe!  It is time to stop this practice.

What good is free market capitalism if it precludes our ability to enjoy the environmental sanctity?

God bless,

Craig Hamilton

The Playground, and The CIA's Use of Torture for Interrogations

The belief that ‘boys will be boys’ is exceedingly dangerous in adults. It is an attitude that starts in childhood, and that if it goes uncorrected, it is very dangerous, such as what we have here. It is time we taught our children how to play, rather than let them engage by themselves without guidance. This is a preventative measure.

My wife is going to pull my son out of public school in favor of homeschooling for precisely this reason; that the playground is going unfettered. Children might have the imagination required for play, but too often guardians have made excuses for boys dangerously saying, “Boys will be boys.” Without correction, that attitude is sometimes carried into adulthood, and I think that is what happened here.