Nonfiction – Page 4 – education and deconstruction.com

Different Jokes – BONUS POST

Please note: The word “Featured” on the left side above cannot be removed. NO post in this blog is sponsored.

To all you comedians out there, thank you for getting us through this difficult presidency. Here’s a little song that explains the American entertainment situation.

DIFFERENT JOKES

sung to the tune of the TV theme song (the original) “Diff’rent Strokes” with apologies to whomever the rights may concern.

Well, Americans won’t-long apPROVE, of elitists and-a-prez who’s dumb.

When the Right screws the poor, they screw everyone.

Trump acts like a slumlord, he’s a man of means. He’s mocked as a buffoon, while there are serious scenes.

But we’ve got, different jokes, it takes, different jokes, it takes, different jokes, to move the world.

The United States has an exceptional story. Entertainers are always in your face.

The internet and idiot box, cause brain rot. So what? They cheer us. They give us hope. It’s an infinite space.

And together we’ll start over.

It takes, different jokes, it takes, different jokes, it takes, different jokes to move the world.

My World – BONUS POST

Please note: The word “Featured” on the left side above, was entered by WordPress, and cannot be removed. NO post in this blog is sponsored.

As is well known, AI software is the conduit through which Trump’s shenanigans are conveyed. His handlers let him be chief spokesman so that HE alone gets blamed for all the nation’s problems. BUT Trump has dementia, so anonymous bad actors are actually to blame! They carry out his alleged orders to besmirch his name forever in the history books.

This will continue until Trump has irreversible cessation of vital body functions.

Infuriatingly for many people, not much will change even after that, because mostly rich white men will still rule the United States; they have been doing so since the country’s founding.

The media network FOX will continue to try to “put lipstick on this pig.” Here’s what AI is singing on Trump’s behalf.

MY WORLD

sung to the tune of “My Girl” with apologies to Smokey Robinson, The Temptations and to whomever else the rights may concern.

I hear LIBerals-whine, in this prosperous day.

When you’re on my side, I keep our foes at bay.

I rest and play, and I always get my way.

My world, my world, my world, doubling down in my world. MY world.

I’ve got so much money, Bibi envies me.

I get to stay on top because no one wants anarchy.

Well, I rest and play, and I always get my way. My world, my world, my world. Doubling down in my world. My world.

I always need honeys, and fortune and fame. I’ve made all the riches lately, one man can claim.

Well, I rest and play, and I always get my way. My world, my world, my world. Doubling down in my world. My world.

I’m superior to JFK in my world. I’ve always won every game in my world. Doubling down, doubling down. My world, woo, my world. That’s all anyone can talk about is my world…

On My Watch

[Please note: The word “Featured” on the left side above was NOT inserted by this blogger, but apparently was inserted by WordPress, and it cannot be removed. NO post in this blog is sponsored.]

The Book of the Week is “On My Watch, Leading NATO in a Time of War” by Jens Stoltenberg, with Per Anders Madsen, published in 2025. This hodgepodge of a volume alternated in describing snippets of world history from all different centuries, and the major military conflicts of the world from the 2010’s onward.

The Norwegian author served as secretary general of NATO for ten years, beginning in October 2014. There is always controversy over which group– the EU or NATO– should militarily aid a NATO member that is attacked. And since its inception, NATO has had its intrigue and James Bond wannabes. “At the end of September [2021] we expelled eight Russians who were accredited as diplomats to NATO, but who in reality were active intelligence agents.” Periodically, NATO nations hold summits. Attendees of the 2021 London summit discussed a ten-year plan in connection with climate change, infrastructure, cyber-threats and China.

In early 2020, the Trump administration struck a deal with the Taliban behind closed doors, without other NATO members present. All American soldiers (after 40 years of CIA-shenanigans), and NATO troops (after twenty years of ups and downs) were to leave Afghanistan by the end of April 2021, subject to the following conditions to which the Taliban agreed (nod-nod, wink-wink):

draft a new Constitution for Afghanistan;
have the Taliban’s soldiers join the regular Afghan military;
stop launching terrorist attacks;
sever its alliance with al-Qaeda.

By summer 2020, Trump had changed his mind, and wanted all American troops out of Afghanistan as soon as possible. He thought that promising to “bring our boys home” would help him get reelected president in 2020.

For a different reason, the author’s colleague agreed that withdrawing all troops was a wise move. From an economic standpoint, throwing bad money after bad money was stupid, and the participating nations should have cut their losses long before then.

Over the course of four decades, alpha males with hubris syndrome couldn’t face the reality that Afghanistan’s people consist of numerous tribes who have been fighting one another for hundreds of years and their vendettas are not going to stop anytime soon. Afghans are insular, and so would reject outsiders’ (the EU, UN or NATO) coming in to supervise the leadership of their territory.

On a larger scale, countries of the world have their shifting alliances and hostilities. The Ukraine war which began in 2022 had China, North Korea and Iran supplying military resources to Russia, while NATO supplied weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.

Read the book to learn much more about the author’s take on, and how he dealt with delicate diplomatic situations.

I Have You, Maine – BONUS POST

As the United States heads for an economy of Jimmy Carter’s administration, it’s midterms time again. Candidates from all different states have all different brands. The ones who profess to be religious, must be careful not to engage in tax evasion in connection with their religion, while candidates who are fixtures in their states must not be complacent. U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) is one of the latter. Here’s what she should sing.

I HAVE YOU, MAINE

sung to the tune of “I Got You Babe” with apologies to the Estate of Sonny Bono, Cher and to whomever else the rights may concern.

Platner’s got skeletONS, he’s gone low, said he had PTSD, SOME time ago.

Well, I don’t know if all that’s true, but you have me, and Maine, I have you.

Maine, I have you, Maine. I have you, Maine.

They say I’ve got a liberal bent, but I patiently listen to YOUR every lament.

Well, so the earth’s getting hot. I’m keeping Maine, a cool vacation spot.

Maine, I have you, Maine. I have you, Maine.

I’m mature, in compromi-SING. Serving you well, is my thing. And when I can, I make policy sound. And when it’s time to vote, I’m always around.

There are good reasons I’ve been here so long. With your help, we can keep Maine going strong.

So keep my perfect attendance in mind.

I fear neither bullies not haters. I’m in my prime.

Maine, I have you, Maine. I have you, Maine.

To my constituents, I lend a hand. I’m egalitarian, you understand.

We see so much hypocrisy. I want us to keep democracy.

I help you sleep at night. I honestly do what I think is right.

I have you, I won’t let go. I keep fighting for you, you know.

I have you, Maine.

I have you, Maine…

Dead Center

The Book of the Week is “Dead Center, In Defense of Common Sense” by Joe Manchin, published in 2025.

Born in 1947, Manchin grew up in West Virginia. He was elected governor of West Virginia in 2004. In January 2005, he privatized the state’s workers compensation system, because the system was an extreme financial burden to the state budget.

At that, the unions feared they would lose their benefits. The plaintiffs’ lawyers got mad as hell because the system had been a gravy train for them. Some workers did have legitimate claims because West Virginia’s economy is based on drilling for and mining of natural resources and the major resource– coal– is an extremely dangerous business.

Manchin levied a tax on coal to pay down West Virginia’s crushing debt load. He was a straight shooter. He wrote that he tried to add other kinds of revenue-generators such as tourism, infrastructure and small businesses, to the state’s economy.

Manchin came around to agreeing that term-limits for elected officials, including Congress members, would be good for the country. A limit of two terms would force a public servant to take quick actions in their first term to get reelected, and then, if they want a legacy, they’ll have to continue to try to help their constituents.

If, however, as seems to be the case with career politicians– their motives for getting elected to office are simply power-hunger and greed. If they’re limited to two terms, they’ll accelerate their patronage piggishness and profiteering in their first term, and get complacent in their second term (if they get one) because they know they’ll be long gone when it hits the fan.

Moreover, “It is an iron law of politics: Stopping stuff is always more popular than compromising to get things done.” Read the book to learn what Manchin actually got done; as someone who truly cared about his constituents and voted pursuant to his conscience, he was willing to compromise.

I’ve Done Nothing Wrong – BONUS POST

See this blog’s post “King of the Club” to understand how most U.S. Congress members misbehave. The U.S. Congress members who haven’t been complaining about the corruption of the U.S. government all along, but are suddenly grandstanding on ethics now, are all phonies!

They are jealous that they haven’t gotten away with everything Trump has ducked punishment for. In his dementia, Trump continues to spout insensitive, inflammatory nonsense– which the media is provocatively reporting, to get ratings. Here’s what Trump is singing, and has always sung.

I’VE DONE NOTHING WRONG

sung to the tune of “I Write the Songs” with apologies to Barry Manilow and to whomever else the rights may concern.

I’ll be your leader forever, and I’ve done the very best job.

I put the terms and deals together. I am super-rich, and I’ve done nothing wrong.

I’ve done nothing wrong and I make whole-world peace.

I’ve done nothing wrong and my miracles never cease.

I’m proud to say I made young girls cry.

I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong.

My name lies deep in MAGA, and I’ll forever be in America’s soul.

Now you’ll look out through my eyes. We’re great again, because I’ve been bold.

I’ve done nothing wrong and I make whole-world peace.

I’ve done nothing wrong and my miracles never cease.

I’m proud to say I made young girls cry.

I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong.

My court cases make me rant, but I get along great with Vance.

Democrats talk cock-and-bull, so you should boo.

Money is my life. Who cares about my wife?

It’s for me. It’s for me. It’s for me. It’s for me.

So exonerate me, speedily!

I’ve done nothing wrong and I make whole-world peace.

I’ve done nothing wrong and my miracles never cease.

I’m proud to say I made young girls cry.

I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong.

I’ve done nothing wrong and I make whole-world peace.

I’ve done nothing wrong and my miracles never cease.

I’m proud to say I made young girls cry.

I’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve done nothing wrong.

I am perfect, and I’ve done nothing wrong.

Never on Sunday – BONUS POST

When American playwright Arthur Miller visited China (a one-Party state) in 1978, he commented, “…the Party is the people and cannot oppress itself, and therefore there is no need for lawyers or the Western idea of a separate body of professionals to protect the innocent.”

In these interesting times, the U.S. has shifted to the extreme end of the spectrum– a large number of guilty people have been protected. Societal breakdown is occurring because white-collar criminality has become the new normal. Unlike in 1974, in 2026: The United States Supreme Court is corrupt. The “Nixon” figure (Trump) hasn’t been shamed into resigning, and his cronies aren’t kicking him out.

The only punishment Trump has ever received for crimes in his lifetime has been fining. Neither job loss nor jail time. Fining is hardly a deterrent to bad behavior for someone of his ilk.

So it will take decades longer than it did fifty years ago– to right the ship this time.

In the meantime, Democrats should start to practice what they preach. When they regain sufficient power, they need to get their regulatory game on. It is likely that in 2028, the American people will elect another saintly president like Jimmy Carter, because they are sick of the sinner Donald Trump, who considers himself a saint. The macho men who wish they could get away with what Trump did, are now blaming him for their own personal problems, because he broke his campaign promises.

In connection therewith, this is what U.S. senatorial candidate James Talarico (D-TX) is singing to his opponent Ken Paxton (R-TX).

ON SUNDAY

sung to the tune of “Never on Sunday” with apologies to The Chordettes and to whomever else the rights may concern.

We saw your felony on money-day, on money-day, on money-day, which wasn’t very good.

And we saw your bribery on Tuesday, on Tuesday, on Tuesday, as we knew we would.

And we saw you bailed out on Wednesday, on Thursday, your unfaithfulness on Saturday, no less.

But I won’t oppose-you on Sunday, on Sunday, on Sunday, ’cause that’s my day of rest.

All my days, as you might have guessed, I love thy neighbor, and my day of rest.

I’m anti-billionaire, in my democracy quest.

I’m a Ron Howard-lookalike, in this political contest.

I’m staying moral on a school day, a holiday, a Wednesday, whichever day you choose.

We saw your greedy play, in your heyday, on a payday, and that’s what I refuse.

You were bailed out on a bleak day, a dark day, a weak day, at GOP’s behest.

I won’t oppose you on a Sunday, a Sunday, the one day, I need a little rest.

You were bailed out on a bleak day, a dark day, a weak day, at GOP’s behest.

I won’t oppose you on a Sunday, a Sunday, the one day, I need a little rest.

The Conscience of A Liberal

The Book of the Week is “The Conscience of A Liberal, Reclaiming the Compassionate Agenda” by Paul Wellstone, published in 2001. This career memoir humbly recounted the author’s triumphs and setbacks in community organizing and changing the world.

Wellstone, an idealist, and Democrat from Minnesota, got elected the first time he ran for the U.S. Senate in 1990. He explained that his proposal for a single-payer national healthcare system, would eliminate health insurance companies altogether– so of course the insurance industry lobbied against it.

Wellstone described how crucial the early weeks of pregnancy are for the lifelong health of the child. After about three weeks of gestation, the child’s “neural tube” begins to form. Epilepsy, mental retardation, autism or schizophrenia can result if these cells are damaged in any way by what the mother ingests, inhales, or any illness or injury she suffers. So coverage earmarked for maternal care in a healthcare bill might be a good idea.

On another topic, Wellstone voted against president Clinton’s welfare-to-work bill in June 1996. The senator spoke with multitudes of his constituents who were on welfare. If they were required to work, especially if they headed a single-parent household, they would actually become poorer, because, given the kind of low-level job they could get– the total food, housing and healthcare benefits they would lose– would likely exceed their wages. And they would have to pay for childcare. Or additional education.

Such is the situation for culturally-disadvantaged people stuck in the poverty cycle in America. Factor in social ills such as addiction, domestic violence, poor health, etc., that people in higher economic strata are better able to afford to deal with– and the problems of those “working poor” actually multiply, because one thing leads to another.

For the above reasons, many Democrats felt Clinton was siding with the cold, heartless Republicans. Moreover, unsurprisingly, at the book’s writing, the United States was dead last in the rankings of 26 top industrialized nations in “protecting children against gun violence.”

Wellstone wrote that during the 1993-1994 election year, one of his fellow senators cast several votes against his conscience with the goal of getting reelected. He lost the election anyway. Wellstone himself claimed he usually resisted peer pressure.

Wellstone made suggestions of how the government could reverse its greedy ways. One he hoped more state governments would implement, was to allow an option of state candidates to run “clean money” campaigns. At the book’s writing, Massachusetts, Arizona, Maine and Vermont let candidates opt to spend campaign dollars they received from only a publicly financed fund; rather than from private donors who expected a quid pro quo, and nowadays, almost always get it, thanks to campaign finance laws that resemble Swiss cheese, what with loopholes.

As is well known, representative democracy in the United States has become a combination greedfest / power trip. Ordinary Americans (ones who have no powerful political connections), in order to change laws, can’t afford to:

pay for trips for senators and congresspeople;
donate millions of dollars to candidates to get quid pro quos;
have lawyers at the ready if they’re called out on any illegal behavior;
hire lobbyists.

Wellstone did say BOTH PARTIES were to blame for this mess.

Read the book to learn much more about the occasions in which Wellstone formed coalitions with his opposition in order to try to pass legislation, how they horse-traded to get their pork, or block laws they didn’t want passed.

I Watch Fox – BONUS POST

As is well known, the integrity of the United States is in decline, due to human-rights violations and corruption. Outing perpetrators by naming names might deter American officials from lying, cheating and stealing in the future. A few current perpetrators with conflicts (stock profiteers) include:

Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA)
Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX)
Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK)
Rep. Lisa McClain (R-MI)
Rep Joseph Gottheimer (D-NJ)
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

Google seems to be anti-Irish on those Republicans. Anyway, the manipulation of behavioral economics for evil, requires that there be messengers to help the ringleader / strongman acquire power and stay in power. Fox-TV personalities such as Sean Hannity, Greg Gutfeld and Jesse Watters fit the bill. While “paying their dues” they themselves must behave like strongmen– making high-powered contacts with whom they exchange favors throughout their careers.

In connection therewith, this Bertrand Russell quote cannot be repeated enough:

“There is something feeble and a little contemptible about a man who cannot face the perils of life without the help of comfortable myths. Almost inevitably some part of him is aware that they are myths and that he believes them only because they are comforting. But he dare not face this thought! Moreover, since he is aware, however dimly, that his opinions are not rational, he becomes furious when they are disputed.”

American leaders can’t admit to themselves how much they’re damaging our democracy. See this blog’s post, “In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz” to note the similarities between the Congo’s kleptocracy of 1997 and the United States’ kleptocracy of 2026.

Here’s a song about it– what Trump is singing.

I WATCH FOX AND TROLL ALL NIGHT

sung to the tune of “Rock and Roll All Night” with apologies to KISS and to whomever else the rights may concern.

A Google search of “KISS songs” omits this song in the search-results because it’s a bad influence on America’s youths.

I’ll never SHOW you everything I’ve got. I keep on ranting about getting shot.

I drive liberals wild. My record’s amazing.

I am the one who makes the world spin. My party’s just begun to win, win, win.

I drive liberals wild. My record’s amazing.

They keep on pouting. They keep on pouting.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

I know you know I’m your prez for all time.

We’re great again, and I’m in my prime.

I drive liberals wild. My record’s amazing.

I’ll never SHOW you everything I’ve got.

I am great, and it’s quite a lot, and I drive liberals wild. My record’s amazing.

They keep on pouting. They keep on pouting.

I watch Fox and troll all night, and profit every day.

$ $ $

American playwright Arthur Miller wrote that there was uncertainty as to whether the United States could recover from the Great Depression which was plaguing the country when he was in his teens. In those days, though, Americans blamed themselves for their own personal problems.

There was a lot less scapegoating, litigiousness, and self-absorbed attention whoredom than now. Only white men had a sense of entitlement then.

So, how can the United States recover from its latest bout of capitalist excesses?

Well, there but for the grace of science and cooperation was the United States able to recover from the Great Depression, to become the powerhouse it became. Science has:

fueled vaccines, drugs and quantum leaps in medicine;
helped create the atomic bomb that curtailed the Second World War;
helped win the Space Race against the Soviets;
fueled Silicon Valley’s innovations.

So, the United States must reverse the anti-science, anti-intellectual, divisive agenda of the Republicans.

The Dark Pattern

WARNING: LONG POST

The Book of the Week is “The Dark Pattern, The Hidden Dynamics of Corporate Scandals” by Guido Palazzo and Ulrich Hoffrage, published in 2025. In this hodgepodge of a volume, the authors listed the various goings-on that inevitably lead to a scandal at a big-name corporation. They cite several real-life examples such as Theranos, Boeing and Uber.

Although the authors have European names and do college-level teaching in Switzerland, this book covered American companies and reflected the American mentality. It is difficult, if not impossible to fact-check propaganda spouted by American companies because they manipulate the media.

Prior to the scandal, the media crow about how the CEO is doing a great job in enriching the company’s shareholders. Leadership (that is toxic and heading for trouble but the public doesn’t know it) is enhancing shareholder value (yay!). Until it isn’t. After breaking news of the scandal, the media pile on about the company’s seamy underbelly that led to the failure.

Scandals erupt again and again due to human nature– fear and greed are the two major motivators that cause most of the trouble in the world. Moral failure gradually occurs on a colossal scale throughout the organization, because if it really were only a “few bad apples” there wouldn’t be a scandal. Here’s how it happens.

A large number of employees are eventually brainwashed into rationalizing away their bad behavior, through:

ethical shift (baby steps which gradually take one down an unethical path, until matters come to a head; breaking one taboo makes it easier to break more of them);
pluralistic ignorance (getting influenced by how others react in an unclear situation);
evaluation apprehension (fear of getting publicly judged for speaking up);
bystander effect (not reporting bad behavior because one thinks others will do it);
euphemistic labeling;
what-about-ism;
minimizing, ignoring or misconstruing the consequences;
dehumanizing the victims to make it easier to harm them.

The human resources department covers the employer’s legal ass by establishing an “ethics hotline” for employees. It is a joke because employees are reporting the bad behavior of their bosses to the very perpetrators of that bad behavior! The bosses will be vengeful– harassing those employees, shutting them up, or firing them.

When interdepartmental rivalry within the company is taken to the extreme, one of two things happen: the company has a scandal, or a group of workers will leave to form a company that competes against their former employer.

The usual cliches apply: The fish rots from the head down; if the truth makes you angry, you’re living a lie; and just another case of the fox guarding the henhouse.

Anger from perceived unfairness will lead to additional vicious office-gossip, and an even more hostile work environment.

Excessive greed led to: 346 deaths in two plane crashes in 2018 and 2019; attendant trauma, lawsuits, hearings; a few heads’ rolling; an attempt to move on, so as to forget all that unpleasantness. Never mind learning from it.

Such was the case with Boeing, whose CEO James McNerney, made approximately $290 million between 2001 and 2016.

Boeing was aware of its software bugs in its plane mechanics. It was cutting costs to the bone in the name of profit. It deemed training pilots in a simulator or in the actual upgraded plane, too expensive.

Boeing also forgot to tell the FAA about that issue. The understaffed, underfunded FAA (a federal agency which is supposed to regulate airline safety) changed its language and became besties with Boeing. “By 2018, Boeing already certified a stunning 96% of their own work [doing the FAA’s job.]”

Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos was a spellbinder, and became a cult leader. She was able to fund her pipe dream because her family and friends were wealthy. The social networks of the wealthy, trust one another even when they lack direct knowledge of a technical subject, such as medicine or investing (like with Bernie Madoff), so they throw their money at the opportunity, blinded by greed.

Uber slapped the new name “gig economy” on an old idea, but became successful because the concept was ready for the technology of the times. The problem was, Uber’s purely libertarian culture got it into legal trouble. A corporate culture of pure libertarianism means zero-sum, cut-throat competition. One independent-contractor’s gain means another’s loss.

After the fact, there is: displacement of responsibility and blaming the victim.

Read the book to learn additional lingo of psychology describing more details of the above, and about other corporate scandals.