Follow The Immunity - 4

Blow it or blow it ...

I. Scope

This series is about the ghostlike phenomena brought about by a wind of change.

I say "a" wind of change, because it is "a" wind of change that becomes "the" wind of change.

The change I am talking about in this case, today, is the metamorphosis from good government to corrupt government (Follow The Immunity, 2, 3).

What is it that precedes the institutionalization of corruption to the point that it infects an entire government, to eventually bring about the decline of a nation or a civilization?

Several things.

II. Today

Today, I want to look at this dynamic from "the other side of the tracks" so to speak.

But, to tease the flow I will first say that around the edges it is a systemic camouflage, a conflation of perceptions to the point that immunity swallows up accountability (When Accountability Is A Plague, 2, 3, 4).

But more than that, it is as subtle as the dynamics of aging swallowing up youthfulness at an invisible speed.

Or as undetectable as a retrovirus hijacking or avoiding an immune system:

"Retroviruses leave a clear trail of their evolutionary history: They borrow a host cell’s enzymes to copy their single strand of genetic material and hide it within the host cell’s DNA. When the cell does get around to copying its own code, it mistakenly copies the virus’ imposter genes, too. Eventually, the viruses burst from the cell, sometimes killing it, but not always. Every now and then, viruses will insert their genetic code into sex cell DNA, and, in these cases where the extra code isn’t fatal, it can be passed down through generations of animals. Some of our own immune system, it turns out, has been shaped by genes from retroviruses."

(Nature). It is a situation where all hands must be on deck if we are to avoid the new corruption posing as "the new normal."

The most important thing of all in the detection of these dynamics is that, as applied to nations or civilizations, the antidote is common sense.

Groups, societies, nations, and civilizations that lose their common sense will lose much more:

"In the Study Toynbee examined the rise and fall of 26 civilizations in the course of human history, and he concluded that they rose by responding successfully to challenges under the leadership of creative minorities composed of elite leaders. Civilizations declined when their leaders stopped responding creatively, and the civilizations then sank owing to the sins of nationalism, militarism, and the tyranny of a despotic minority. Unlike Spengler in his The Decline of the West, Toynbee did not regard the death of a civilization as inevitable, for it may or may not continue to respond to successive challenges. Unlike Karl Marx, he saw history as shaped by spiritual, not economic forces" ...

(Hypothesis: The Cultural Amygdala - 5, quoting Toynbee). A 'minority' in this sense is not a racial concept, it is a cognitive concept (how we think).

If the broad-based social foundation (the public) loses its ability to detect social pathogens ("when their leaders stopped responding creatively") there will be an onslaught of activity directed at spreading corruption.

In all 26 civilizations that Toynbee studied, corruption was a fatal attraction which swallowed them up over a span of time.

III. Notice Anything Strange in Government That Seems Incurable?

For whatever reason, there are some graphic examples in nature that detail the dynamics we are focusing on today:

Is propaganda only something that humans do?

For the purposes of this post, we will define propaganda as anything that deceives others.

That is, anything that advocates or nurtures a false sense of reality in others so as to lead a victim or victims into any behavioral pattern that is believed to be real, but in fact is actually unreal.

Additionally, we will expand that meaning to include activity in the environment, the ecosystem of the entire Earth.

This is not being done to denigrate the "natural" world around us, rather it is being done to show that many activities that take place deep within that realm we call nature are behaviors that are not "good," in the sense of Ecocosmology, so we need not define them as "good."

Most microbial life is helpful to other life, only about 1% being pathogenic or harmful to humans, who are composed mostly of microbial cells.

Our first example of propaganda usage is about Sacculina, a parasite:

When a female Sacculina is implanted in a male crab it will interfere with the crab's hormonal balance. This sterilizes it and changes the bodily layout of the crab to resemble that of a female crab ... The female Sacculina has even been known to cause the male crabs to perform mating gestures typical of female crabs ... The natural ability of regrowing a severed claw that is commonly used for defense purposes is lost after the infestation of Sacculina. Although all energy otherwise expended on reproduction is directed to the Sacculina, the crab develops a nurturing behavior typical of a female crab... The male Sacculina looks for a female Sacculina adult on the underside ... then implants himself ... and starts fertilizing ... The crab ... then cares for the eggs as if they were its own, having been rendered infertile by the parasite.

(Wikipedia). Can there be any stronger deceit or propaganda than to deceive a male into thinking it is a biologically functioning female, robbing that male of reality?

Let's take a quick look at two other examples, beginning first with the protozoa Toxoplasma gondii:

If you take a lab rat who is 5,000 generations into being a lab rat, since the ancestor actually ran around in the real world, and you put some cat urine in one corner of their cage, they're going to move to the other side. Completely innate, hard-wired reaction to the smell of cats, the cat pheromones. But take a Toxo-infected rodent, and they're no longer afraid of the smell of cats. In fact they become attracted to it. The most damn amazing thing you can ever see, Toxo knows how to make cat urine smell attractive to rats. And rats go and check it out and that rat is now much more likely to wind up in the cat's stomach.

(Hypothesis: Microbes Generate Toxins of Power). The acts of propaganda also take place in order to deceive plant species:

Phytopathogens can manipulate plant hormone signaling to access nutrients and counteract defense responses. Pseudomonas syringae produces coronatine, a toxin that mimics the plant hormone jasmonic acid isoleucine and promotes opening of stomata for bacterial entry, bacterial growth in the apoplast, systemic susceptibility, and disease symptoms. We examined the mechanisms underlying coronatine-mediated virulence and show that coronatine activates three homologous NAC transcription factor (TF) genes, ANAC019, ANAC055, and ANAC072, through direct activity of the TF, MYC2. Genetic characterization of NAC TF mutants demonstrates that these TFs mediate coronatine-induced stomatal reopening and bacterial propagation in both local and systemic tissues by inhibiting the accumulation of the key plant immune signal salicylic acid (SA). These NAC TFs exert this inhibitory effect by repressing ICS1 and activating BSMT1, genes involved in SA biosynthesis and metabolism, respectively. Thus, a signaling cascade by which coronatine confers its multiple virulence activities has been elucidated.

(Cell - Host & Microbe). This is akin to war practices in the days of castles, with draw bridges and moats, in the sense that sometimes enemies would dress up like knights of that castle, then rushing toward the castle would give a secret signal that deceived the guards into lowering the draw bridge, allowing the adversary into the castle to wreak havoc.

What has been illustrated is that propaganda does not exist only in the human realm, and therefore brings the definition of "natural" to the table.

That debate takes place in both politics and law sometimes, so that what is "natural" ends up being defined as "anything that happens in nature."

(On The Origin of Propaganda). These are examples of radical changes caused by an entity intruding into a space where it does not belong.

You have noticed that there are a lot of people, both domestic and foreign, who are observing strange government behavior in the USA (here are a few out of hundreds):

Alarmed by Trump, Obama alums launch campaigns of their own

Former intelligence officers alarmed by Trump's briefing readout

US intelligence officials sound the alarm on the Trumps' FBI attacks

Leaks Suggest Trump's Own Team Is Alarmed By His Conduct

Former DOJ Official John Carlin: Flynn-Russia Controversy Is

Presence of Russian photographer in Oval Office raises alarms

To the five former presidents: You can lead us to safety

Can It Happen Here?

Obama White House Official: 'Alarming' for Trump to Lie

When we see strange things happening to a democracy, together with a growing sense that nothing is being done about it, and together with it spreading to the point government becomes paralyzed, we need to speak up and become a part of the nation's immune system.

IV. Back To Immunity

Our system of government is many things, but one of the (if not the) most important historical aspects is that no person is above the law.

What that means is that we hold government officials accountable for corrupt behavior.

Sometimes the importance of that is lost, so let's review its significance:

"Accountability is the missing conceptual link in the current debate over how best to advance democracy. Democracy affirms the need to justify decisions made by citizens and their representatives: it is a system that connects the values of the individual with the decisions of the collective. The preferences of citizens revealed by fair elections (representation) or organized and definitive discussion (deliberation) are the starting points of democratic legitimacy.
...
A clearly defined accountability system is crucial to any system of representative democracy because citizens, through their vote, legitimize or give authority to leaders to act."

(When Accountability Is A Plague). Use it or lose it.

V. Conclusion

Corruption must not be allowed to convince us that accountability is the disease rather than it being the cure.

The next post in this series is here, the previous post in this series is here.

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Pole Dancing In The Lab - 2

Fig. 1

This series began last year at about this time of year.

That, as it turns out, is not a good time to be doing pole dancing in the lab.

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Evidently some scientifically challenged denialists ("Pornocopians") had created, out of thin air, a concept which they call "climate porn."

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

Dredd Blog has been fingered by the Pornocopians as a mover and shaker of the climate porn world.

In a book written by an Oil-Qaeda operative, Dredd Blog gender metaphors  were seen as code red climate porn (Oil-Qaeda & MOMCOM Conspire To Commit Depraved-Heart Murder- 6).

Anyway, just to let them know that I understand, in the first post I wrote:

"Global warming science deniers call depictions of scientific reality "porn" for some lack of reason.

Evidently, the Alabama governor who just resigned and was arrested was looking at Dredd Blog sea-ice graphs with an assistant.

He and his top assistant suddenly lost all control to the point that he and she irresistibly pulled off their clothes and porned out while viewing those porny Dredd Blog sea-ice graphs, which his wife had warned him about (Wife Revenge).

The Alabama legislature is said to be hurrying a bill to protect their next governor from such titillating science porn found on Dredd Blog.

Yep, the 'Bama Holy Rollers are banishing any and all such science porn from their kingdom like N. Carolina did (Will This Float Your Boat - 3)."

(Pole Dancing In The Lab). So, I give fair warning to any denier who reads Dredd Blog.

I urge them to be careful so that they will not get too involved with today's graphs, because they are just as spot on as the last ones were.

The ones that drove the governor and his assistant over the edge of the beautifully-flat Earth (Once Upon A Time In The West - 2).

Sad.

Now that those who are too sexy for their shirts have been warned, let's contemplate this year's graphs.

They tell the same story that last year's graphs did, which is that the polar sea ice is diminishing.

For the Arctic, the ice loss has been a record year, surpassing the record set in 2012.

The years 2017 and 2018 have significantly broken the minimum sea ice extent record once held by the year 2012.

The graph at Fig. 1 shows both the Southern sea ice (Antarctica) and the Northern sea ice (Arctic) on one graph.

The graph at Fig. 2 focuses exclusively on Antarctica, while the graph at Fig. 3 focuses exclusively on the Arctic sea ice.

The final graph of history-only records, Fig. 4, shows both Arctic and Antarctic sea ice conditions for 2018, up until April 17.

And the porniest graph of all Fig. 5, has the audacity to project when the first sea-ice free summer will take place in the Arctic, and blush, it also projects when the first sea-ice free winter will take place ... (Watching The Arctic Die, 2, 3, 4).

The previous post in this series is here.

The Shapeshifters of Bullshitistan - 14

Dr. Whoitt's Tardie

In this episode of the Shape Shifters of Bullshitistan we take a look at a member who is not getting enough press to drown out The Don, so The Don continues to praise his work.

That member is Dr. Whoitt (pronounced "doctor who it"), who Alt-Morphed from his previous worm form into an Alt-BlunderFly.

He is a shapeshifter from the Alt-Dalek cult who has surreptitiously infiltrated the Earthvironment Protection Agency (EPA).

One thing that the invading Alt-Daleks do not understand is law.

The Alt-Dalek in Chief put it this way: "if I do anything, that makes it legal ... including preventing the vast global warming hoax by appointing the newly morphed Dr. Whoitt."

Following that directive, Dr. Whoitt has Alt-managed to please The Don by utterly ignoring the number of hoax deaths caused by the air pollution poison hoax:

"The World Health Organization estimates that 4.6 million people die each year from causes directly attributable to air pollution.

Many of these mortalities are attributable to indoor air pollution.

Dr. Whoitt

Worldwide more deaths per year are linked to air pollution than to automobile accidents.

Research published in 2005 suggests that 310,000 Europeans die from air pollution annually.

Direct causes of air pollution related deaths include aggravated asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, lung and heart diseases, and respiratory allergies."

(Science Daily). He declared from inside The Tardie that he will chemically kill people with Alt-NoRegs until Syria withdraws from the Paris Accord.

In reality, Dr. Whoitt has ignored law while embracing Alt-Law, hoping that it will change American law.

The law which used to be:

Based on respected scientific opinion that a well-documented rise in global temperatures and attendant climatological and environmental changes have resulted from a significant increase in the atmospheric concentration of “greenhouse gases,” a group of private organizations petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to begin regulating the emissions of four such gases, including carbon dioxide, under §202(a)(1) of the Clean Air Act, which requires that the EPA “shall by regulation prescribe . . . standards applicable to the emission of any air pollutant from any class . . . of new motor vehicles . . . which in [the EPA Administrator’s] judgment cause[s], or contribute[s] to, air pollution . . . reasonably . . . anticipated to endanger public health or welfare,” 42 U. S. C. §7521(a)(1). The Act defines “air pollutant” to include “any air pollution agent . . . , including any physical, chemical . . . substance . . . emitted into . . . the ambient air.” §7602(g). EPA ultimately denied the petition, reasoning that (1) the Act does not authorize it to issue mandatory regulations to address global climate change, and (2) even if it had the authority to set greenhouse gas emission standards, it would have been unwise to do so at that time because a causal link between greenhouse gases and the increase in global surface air temperatures was not unequivocally established.
...
Massachusetts and other state and local governments, sought review in the D. C. Circuit [... which held...] that the EPA Administrator properly exercised his discretion in denying the rulemaking petition.
...
[Supreme Court Conclusion:] The judgment of the Court of Appeals is reversed, and the case is remanded for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

(Global Warming Induced Climate Change Is A Matter of Law, citing the U.S. Supreme Court case: Massachusetts v. EPA, 127 S. Ct. 1438, emphasis added).

The Don has threatened to Alt-Fire anyone opposing Dr. Whoitt, including those who say he should not have purchased The Tardie for about a measly $43 grand without asking (Dr. Whoitt’s $43,000 Tardie Violated Laws).

Further, sayeth The Don: "it is well known that The Tardie is essential for communicating with Pootie Poot, Jaina, and Dubyer, so as to proceed through the Alt-Dalek cult phases of egg, larva, pupa and adult egghead, larvaginer, pootie poot, and Alt-Dolt."

Thus, the Alt-Dalek controlled Congress of Scammer Equality has started the process of awarding Dr. Whoitt with the Peddle To Thuh metal of honor.

Since hearing that news, Dr. Whoitt has begun every Alt-Timerz meeting at EPA with the Alt-Dalek mantra "Alt-Hail Alt-Science."

The next post in this series is here, the previous post in this series is here.

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Oil-Qaeda & MOMCOM Conspire To Commit Depraved-Heart Murder- 6

Fig. 1 White Gold Cover Up

I. Background

The minions of Oil-Qaeda have been sent out on missions for over a century now.

Their means and methods have changed over the decades, but the thrust of their propaganda has been narrow and simple.

They want us to think that dirty oil is white and pure, and above all, it is the savior of the world.

Their message is that Oilah Akbar! brought us out of the dark ages and into the light with its economic (and sometimes militant) might.

It would seem that Dredd Blog has raised "their" eyebrows from time to time sufficiently enough to receive an honorable mention from time to time in the books written by those minions; such as in Author Michael C. Lynch's Oil-Qaeda praising work of fiction (Fig. 1) that makes Dredd Blog even more well known than it otherwise would have been:

"Dredd Blog's long-time characterization of the exercise of power in Western Civilization with the Dredd Blog caricature of 'MOMCOM' (Military Oil Media Complex). Why we gave up the old notion of 'MIC' (Military Industrial Complex), as explained in the Dredd Blog post 'MOMCOM: Mean Welfare Queen,' is because it is so yesterday, it is so 1950's reality." ²⁹

(see Fig. 2 for the link). I have to say that Mr. Lynch either has a good staff of researchers, or is one himself, to have fixed upon the Dredd Blog series about MOMCOM (your boss should be proud, Michael).

Fig. 2 Excerpt from Michael C. Lynch's Book

Dredd Blog does receive a wide array of readers from many of the diverse realms of business, education, government and the like as shown at the Who Reads Dredd Blog tab (which hasn't been updated for years; maybe I should get around to adding an "authors section" then add author Michael C. Lynch to the list).

II. MOMCOM On Dredd Blog

The gist of the MOMCOM feature on Dredd Blog is founded in psychology that has in the past been neither a left wing or a right wing political football:

"Psychologists tell us that we transfer the notion of authority from parents to other authority figures.

Parents provide their children with security.

Have you heard the government mention that the number one function of government is to provide you with security?

If we analyse this at a fundamental level, not leaving out the obvious, we can see the direction this is going.

First, lets look at the government's meaning of "security", and where that leads.

George Lakoff, a student of Noam Chomsky at one time, has propounded theories that much of our thinking is metaphorical in nature:

"But our conceptual system is not something we are normally aware of. in most of the little things we do every day, we simply think and act more or less automatically along certain lines. Just what these lines are is by no means obvious. One way to find out is by looking at language. Since communication is based on the same conceptual system that we use in thinking and acting, language is an important source of evidence for what that system is like.

Primarily on the basis of linguistic evidence, we have found that most of our ordinary conceptual system is metaphorical in nature."

(The Literary Link). In recent years "security" is a word linked to a metaphorical structure attached to military matters."

(In Loco Parentis & Parens Patriae). The government as parent metaphor is widely considered by social scientists to be valid:

A NAZI Family?

"The photo to the [right] is a photo of a family in the NAZI governed Germany of long ago.

Have you ever noticed how many "family" words are associated with the concept of "nation" in literature, politics, and government?

A quick check of a few relevant metaphors (forefathers, father of the constitution, Uncle Sam, motherland, fatherland, homeland, father of the nation, founding fathers, mother of the nation, family of nations, etc.) makes me want to look at perhaps the key source-metaphor for this notion:"

"... a common metaphor, shared by conservatives and liberals alike -- the Nation-as-Family metaphor, in which the nation is seen as a family, the government as a parent and the citizens as children ..."

"(The Nation-as-Family Metaphor). To expand upon this concept a bit, consider these comments:

"It’s no accident that our political beliefs are structured by our idealizations of the family. Our earliest experience with being governed is in our families. Our parents “govern” us: They protect us, tell us what we can and cannot do, make sure we have enough money and supplies, educate us,
and have us do our part in running the house.

So it is not at all surprising that many nations are metaphorically seen in terms of families: Mother Russia, Mother India, the Fatherland. In America, we have founding fathers, Daughters of the American Revolution, Uncle Sam, and we send our collective sons and daughters to war. In George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984, the voice of the totalitarian state was called Big Brother.

As George Lakoff discussed at length in his 1996 book, Moral Politics, this metaphorical understanding of the nation-as-family directly informs our political worldview. Directly, but not consciously. As with other aspects of framing, the use of this metaphor lies below the level of consciousness."

(The Nation As Family, PDF). It is important to remember the part of the concept indicating that "the use of this metaphor lies below the level of consciousness", because in this post today we are going to try to take a look at part of that iceberg we can see, which is not only conscious, but is also attached to the bulk that is not conscious."

(Security: Familyland, Fatherland, or Homeland?). Thus, the 'MOM' in MOMCOM is a valid metaphorical reference.

And with regard to the 'O' in MOMCOM, note that she has told her offspring:

"The 5th Fleet together with troops are in the Middle East where there is lots of oil.

The 4th Fleet has been reactivated [cf. Navy Reestablishes U.S. 4th Fleet] after 58 years of being moth balled, and has been sent to Central / South America where there is also lots of oil.

A website of the federal government tells us:

"Oil is the lifeblood of America’s economy."

(Department of Energy [they removed it, so here is The Wayback Machine copy of that page: Department of Energy]). Which is the same thing as saying you are economically dead without your blood, your oil.

The struggle for economic life then, would be the struggle for oil would it not?

Bush II put it in the cowboy language during a state of the union address to congress, saying that "America is addicted to oil".

(The Fleets & Terrorism Follow The Oil). The DNA shines right through, if you know what I mean (A Closer Look At MOMCOM's DNA, 2, 3, 4, 5).

III. The Embryo

One might wonder how 'MOM' came to be, so let's take out the family album and have a look-see:

"John Davison Rockefeller (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company and aggressively ran it until he officially retired in 1897. Standard Oil began as an Ohio partnership formed by John D. Rockefeller, his brother William Rockefeller, Henry Flagler, Jabez Bostwick, chemist Samuel Andrews, and a silent partner, Stephen V. Harkness. As kerosene and gasoline grew in importance, Rockefeller's wealth soared, and he became the world's richest man and the first American worth more than a billion dollars. Adjusting for inflation, he is often regarded as the richest person in history."

(A History of Oil Addiction - 2). But there was a dark side to the family tree that many might say is just old-timey history:

"John D. Rockefeller, in his 1909 Random Reminiscences of Men and Events, recalled, 'One of our greatest helpers has been the State Department. Our ambassadors and ministers and consuls have aided to push our way into new markets in the utmost corners of the world.' But he left out a key explanation for the government's interest. Standard Oil was the biggest U.S. company, putting a hundred ships to sea, buying and selling oil in Latin America, Germany, and the Far East. It also operated a global intelligence system. 'By 1885,' according to one historian, 'seventy percent of the Standard's business was overseas and it had its own network of agents through the world, and its own espionage service, to forestall the initiatives of rival companies or governments.'"

(The Private Empire's Social Media Hit Squads). Author Michael C. Lynch is a member of the modern form of "a global intelligence system ... and ... network of agents ... and its own espionage service, to forestall the initiatives of rival companies or governments" (see also Oil Industry Braces for Trial on Rights Abuses, and Oilfluenza, Affluenza, and Disgorgement, 2, 3).

IV. The Current Behavioral Phase

The oft-quoted phrase "history repeats itself" can be applied here with the Oil-Qaeda victory in the recent national election:

"So, in today's episode let's cover T-Rex, the guy from the tradition 'I am not an American company.' (The Private Empire's Social Media Hit Squads).

Recently T-Rex forgot to put on his camouflage package, and therefore went alt-pro shape-shifter out in alt-right public view:

"Secretary of State [T-Rex] is skipping a NATO meeting, but he is planning to travel to Russia next month. His travel schedule is raising alarms in Europe." - NPR
...
"[T-Rex's] decision to miss his first NATO meeting but visit Russia a week later plunged his department into damage control, frustrated allies and left analysts scratching their heads at an administration that once again is rubbing Europe the wrong way and raising questions about its commitment to its Western allies." - CNN
...
"America’s newly-installed secretary of state [T-Rex] is to skip his first Nato meeting, it has been announced, and will instead greet the president of China and then travel to Russia." - Telegraph

The media's consternation is misplaced due primarily to a dearth of knowledge of the history of Oil-Qaeda, so let's just briefly go through it from recent on back into the more distant past:

"Speaking from the Black Sea resort town of Sochi, Russian President Vladmir Putin lauded ExxonMobil [Humble Oil-Qaeda, 2], calling the company Russia’s 'old and reliable [dirty oil] partner.'"

(Deepwater Horizon Keeps On Killing & Drilling - 3). That took place several years ago in 2014.

(The Shapeshifters of Bullshitistan - 5). That other saying "the more things change the more they remain the same" comes to mind.

V. Conclusion

I have only scratched the surface concerning MOMCOM coverage on Dredd Blog, so if you want to read more about that subject go to the Series Posts tab and look under the heading 'MOMCOM' (there are several such headings).

In closing, I want to compliment author Michael C. Lynch for a piece of his book title "The Coming Oil Flood" because it is quite true (Greenland & Antarctica Invade The United States, 2, 3, 4; Why Sea Level Rise May Be The Greatest Threat To Civilization, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Two hundred feet of sea level is quite a flood, and yes, it is an oil flood in the sense that burning dirty oil is what will have caused it.

The next post in this series is here, the previous post in this series is here.

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The MOMCOM anthem ...

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