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What is Insurrection?

 by Michael Corthell First of all what is insurrection against the United States government?  ''Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.'' 18 U.S. Code § 2383 re: Rebellion or insurrection We have now witnessed the President of the United States, more than 100 Republican members of the House of Representatives, and 14 Republican Senators attempt an unsuccessful coup d’etat against American democracy. The president directly incited the seditious act of insurrection. The 114 members of Congress attempted to overthrow a lawful, secure election trying to disenfranchise millions of Americans. Will anyone be held accountable criminally? They must be, in order to reassure the American people

The Last Tweet

 I want to state very clearly that yesterday's attempt to disrupt our nation's constitutional process was an act of insurrection - an assault on our constitutional republic - an act of treason.  And just to be very clear and preserve the ugly history of the Trump presidency I post this, a tweet by Donald Trump that was removed by the management of Twitter just before they locked the president's account: ''These are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously & viciously stripped away from great patriots who have been badly & unfairly treated for so long. Go home with love & in peace. Remember this day forever!''  - Donald J. Trump, January 6, 2021

Ethical Loyalty

  One of the standout quotes in American history concerning loyalty v. ethics came from the James Comey when President Trump asked Comey for loyalty: “He then said, ‘I need loyalty.’ I replied, ‘You will always get honesty from me.’ He paused and then said, ‘That’s what I want, honest loyalty.’ I paused, and then said, ‘You will get that from me.’ As I wrote in the memo I created immediately after the dinner, it is possible we understood the phrase ‘honest loyalty’ differently, but I decided it wouldn’t be productive to push it further.” The former FBI director made it clear in his statement and during his questioning before the Senate that he did not, nor did he intend, to give Trump the loyalty he wanted.

Looking for a “Burning of the Reichstag” Moment

  by Michael Corthell “Burning of the Reichstag” refers to a momentous event that serves as a pretext for the declaration of a state of emergency and martial law (the suspension of civil rights) – like the Reichstag incident by Hitler in February 1933. Is this what we should be fearful of today, two weeks before the inauguration of Joe Biden? It's a strong 'maybe' and here is why I say maybe. While vigilance over our democratic values is never misplaced, the difficulty with anticipating the transformation of the Trump presidency into a dictatorship is that we have to disregard the true nature of his administration. Trumpism is not tyranny in disguise, led by a clown, it is clownish narcissism in the guise of a tyrant. Trump had no interest in either taking over the world or in subjugating America’s citizens. He wanted to hold onto power so that he could go on flooding us with his bullshit to further enhance his brand. But, he may now feel that he must stay in power, becaus

Integrity: Doing The Right Thing(even when no one is looking)

by Michael Corthell What is the right thing to do? That is a very difficult thing to know sometimes. But whatever that right way to go is, it should always be our own decision. You need to own it. Good people know that genuine, true, integrity is doing the right thing even if  no one is going to know that you did the right thing.  Looking good is not better than doing good. And bragging cheapens the goods. Be a leader who does the right thing regardless of popularity and which way the wind is blowing. “It’s not hard to do the right thing; in fact it’s easy. What’s hard is knowing what the right thing to do is. Once you know that, and believe it, doing the right thing is easy.” — Ben Kingsley in the ''The Confession.'' Doing the right thing involves decision. Sometimes, there is no good or ideal decision, we have to choose the better of two that are either painful, or seemingly wrong. A good person will not do the wrong thing just to be lik

About Cult Behavior

''Play on their fears and they'll follow you anywhere'' Cult movements are usually defined as a group that tends to manipulate, exploit, and control its members. Specific factors in cult behavior are said to include manipulative and authoritarian mind control over members, communal and totalistic organization, aggressive proselytizing, systematic programs of indoctrination such as mass gatherings or rallies. There are thousands of cults in America today, some harmless and some that can be very dangerous. A cult is a group or movement held together by a shared commitment to a charismatic leader or ideology . It has a belief system that has the answers to all of life’s questions and offers a special solution to be gained only by following the leader’s rules. It requires a high level of commitment from at least some of the members.

2021: It's Really Time to Smarten Up

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was one of the most respected scientists who ever lived. A theoretical physicist and philosopher of science, Einstein developed the special and general theories of relativity, applying the latter to map out the large-scale structure of the universe.  He is most well-known for developing what is perhaps the most famous equation of all time: the mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc2. Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.  Later in life, he was a staunch supporter of American civil rights and an activist against the dangers of nuclear weapons. Full Bio

Preparing for Success

by Michael Corthell A woodsman was once asked, “What would you do if you had just five minutes to chop down a tree?” He answered, “I would spend the first three minutes sharpening my axe.” ____________ You have to prepare for success by preparing yourself for success . Before success arrives in your life, you should devote yourself to preparing the way for it. Polish your skills and strengthen your body so that you can do your job and enjoy success when it comes. Strengthen your mind and spirit so they are ready to face the challenges that accompany a truly successful life. If you are not ready when opportunity knocks, you will be unable to open the door. And it may not knock again. Success will come to you when you consciously decided where your path should begin and where you wanted it to end. If you're still trying to convince yourself of your own worth, how can you possibly persuade your employer, or your customers and clients that you have top notch ski

The American Experiment: From Reason to TREASON

  Some words are just foul wind.  And some are simply treason. ''In certain matters of law and justice the people have the final say'' While seditious conspiracy is generally defined as conduct or language inciting rebellion against the authority of a state, treason is the more-serious offense of actively levying war against the United States or giving aid to its enemies. Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or rebellion against, established authority. Sedition may include any commotion, though not aimed at direct and open violence against the laws. Seditious words in writing are seditious libel. A seditionist is one who engages in or promotes the interest of sedition. Because sedition is overt, it is typically not considered a subversive act, and the overt acts that may be prosecutable under sedition

Liberty's Impermanence

  American democracy is now under full attack. World history tells us that constitutional, democratic republics with a system of checks and balances and a rule of law are usually just temporary. We maybe about to see just how temporary our American democracy is in the coming days leading up to the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden. Democracy depends on the will of one group of leaders to transfer power peacefully to another. By showing us that they refuse to do so, the members of the “Sedition Caucus,” as a group of Republican senators are being called on social media, they are proving that they are unworthy of elected office. Part of the process to destroy any democracy is the erosion of trust in democratic institutions. Once a majority of the public feels that their institutions are corrupt or dysfunctional, there will be no need to defend them. We can see that is just what is happening now. Have faith in our republic and our democratic institutions.  Stand up and speak up

About blind loyalty

  "Loyalty is only a virtue if the person or cause is good". Defining Blind Loyalty Blind loyalty involves being loyal to a person or cause despite the damage the person or cause does to himself or herself or others. Excusing bad behavior in the name of protecting allegiance to another seems honorable at first, but is ultimately dangerous as silence is a form of collusion. Many people feel torn between retaining loyalty to a cause or group and risking rejection or ostracism or personal attack by outing misconduct.  Blind loyalty involves a form of cognitive dissonance where a person sees evidence of a problem or bad behavior and then turns a blind eye to the truth in favor of keeping a positive image of the person or cause. Knowing in your gut that something is wrong, and yet acting as if everything is fine. The classic example is a battered woman who protects her partner when police arrive in answer to a domestic violence call. Think of priests covering for sexual abuse amon

About motivation

If you are motivated, you learn better and remember more of what you study. But the  rewards may not benefit learning if the subject is not interesting. Therefore, if a subject brings pleasure to the learner it is more easily absorbed and retained. Think about your favorite teachers in school. We're they fun and energizing? Make learning fun.   

Truth Telling

 But how do we practice good truth telling? How do we develop our capacity to speak our truth with kindness, with love, and with authenticity?  There are many things we can do to make this happen. Here are three of them: 1) Stop managing other people's feelings . It's arrogant, manipulative, and somewhat foolish to think that we have the ability to manage other people's emotions. Many of us use this as an excuse to not really speak our truth - we don't want to hurt people. We can be mindful of other people's feelings so we don't end up being intentionally mean and hurtful, but when we let go of taking care of their feeling in a euphemistic and condescending way, it frees us up to be have truly adult conversations. 2) Be real, not right - it's not a contest. This is a big deal when it comes to speaking the truth. When we focus on winning or being right at all costs, we no longer tap into our heart of hearts, the place where real truth comes from. When we