In recent times we have seen young people occupy Wall Street, Trump supporters occupy the Capitol, Black Lives Matter occupy the streets, Democratic and Republican members of Congress occupy opposition hearings and procedures, Russia occupy the Crimea, Iraq occupy Kuwait, America occupy Iraq and Afghanistan, anti-mask and anti-vaxers occupy school board meetings, pro-life and pro-choice protesters occupy state houses, and much more.

None of this is particularly new. Mob rule was both the origin of the American Revolution and ending it was part of the hope of the Constitution. In the wake of the mob rule known as Shay's Rebellion, which took place in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787, it was recognized that the Articles of Confederation were not enough to keep our nation unified. The Constitution was ratified in 1789, so the response by government and the citizenry was swift to put a hopeful end to mob rule.

The Civil War was a resurgence of mob rule, and highlights the unfortunate fact that the Constitution was also unable to unify the country and create a stable, unified and prosperous society. The Union prevailed but so did mob rule. Political, racist, religious and economic bigotry endured in a melting pot of animosity. Mobs continue to form to protect or destroy the legacy of the Confederacy. The battles by unions for workers rights led to attacks by owners like Rockefeller at the Ludlow Massacre in 1914. Separate but equal was no solution for bigotry, as the 1921 massacre in Tulsa of Black Wall Street demonstrates. Lynchings, nooses and choke-holds all echo Thomas Paine's complaint of royalty standing on the neck of man. The privileged are keen to maintain their privileges. Mobs get tangled in hate and fear, hypocrisy and legalisms, so that no oxygen reaches the brain.

Power corrupts those in power, but also those who want power. The generation gap fuels mob rule perpetually worldwide. Self-righteousness blossoms while actual righteousness withers. People choose to be divided. People choose to be full of hate. People choose to be afraid and manipulated by fear. This site is a single person's attempt to change the course of history, to light a candle in the darkness. A nation will never be better than its inhabitants. If we are not lifting each other up, and building bridges, then we only have ourselves to blame.

Regardless of your opinions, you will likely find some challenging ideas here. I have been called barking mad, crazy, an idiot and ignorant. You may have the some of the same reactions. I cannot control you, but as Paine said, "Time makes more converts than reason."

I have adopted and later discarded hundreds of positions. I can easily be wrong about anything I say, but two wrongs don't make a right. Disagreeing with me does not make you correct. There are an infinite number of wrong answers to any equation. Test, test, test! And simplify. The truth will set us free, if we are willing to do the work to find it. You are here. That's a good sign.