I Am Me After All: But It's Still Not Personal

"We" recently announced that Joseph Duncan (me) would use first person plural pronouns as a way of emphasizing the fact that this blog is not about him (me). But, upon further reflection, I (Joseph Duncan) have come to realize that doing so severely detracts from another perhaps even more important aspect that this blog must also portray. And that is the fact that it expresses the thoughts, feelings, and experiences (memories) of someone (me) who society in general has labeled a "monster" and condemned to death for doing exactly what any human being would do and in fact does do all the time (hint: express their feelings the only way they know how).

So, I will go back to using the first-person singular form in said interest. But, this blog is still not about me! It is about all of us as human beings, and about how we interact and function together in such a way that no one can be said to be "innocent" of anything anyone else does (i.e. it makes no sense to blame each other for what we all do!). Only by embracing the "monster" within ourselves (or, more specifically, our ignorance and fears) instead of projecting our feelings onto someone else (like me) will we be able to end the madness that lead me and so many others to do the terrible things we do to each other.

This blog is my attempt to illustrate and communicate the madness that lead to my particular "crimes", by expressing my own most intimate (often "insane") thoughts, feelings, and memories. But, this is not a ploy for sympathy or recognition of any kind (I have never done interviews for the professional media outlets in order to avoid publicity and the inevitable slanting of "packaged" information that sickens so many minds!). I am merely making the information available, in the hopes that someday someone might actually realize that the "answer" is right "here", inside of us all, by perhaps recognizing themselves within these (blog) pages, as a few already have and do, but there needs to be many more before the "tipping point" is reached, and the world in general "wakes up" and becomes truly "conscious" for the first time! Of course I don't pretend or think this blog will bring about that "tipping point", but I do hope to help if even in the smallest way, because our very existence as human beings depends on it!

So, from now on I will be me and represent myself within these pages as I always have before. I will go back to saying "me" and not "we", even though this blog is about "us", and not "I"; for as I AM, so are YOU!

[J.D. Feb. 12, 2018] 

The Nassar Farce

On the popular media T.V. show 20/20 they spent an entire hour supposedly informing Americans about the «monster» who molested hundreds if not thousands of young girls and women in his professional occupation as a gymnastics doctor. I choked down as much of this «popular» emotional crap as I could just to see if they make any mention at all of the pleasure and orgasms that these girls must have experienced during their «abuse»... unless they themselves are not human and don't respond naturally to being «touched» sexually.

Guess what? They not only failed to make any mention of such facts, but they spent nearly the entire hour emphasizing and repeating how much «pain and suffering» the doctor caused. And yet every bit of that pain comes from the socially programmed attitudes toward what he did, not what he actually did!

He never physically injured anyone. He never toyed with anyone's emotions. All he did was to pleasure himself by pleasuring the girls. And if they simply admitted to the pleasure (instead of referring to it as «shame», as they are taught to), then they'd still appreciate what he did, as they say they did before they «found out» (were taught) they had been «abused». And then instead of millions being spent in the process of legally and socially condemning Dr. Larry Nassar, the money and public scrutiny could have been directed toward helping the tens of thousands of children who die every day in this world from truly horrible conditions that are so stupidly simple to fix and prevent, and yet ignored in favor of «sex scandals».

But it seems America loves its «shameful» sex-stories, and the System loves using its «authority» (money and power) to indulge such ignorant and self-righteous gratifications, as it long has. In the past, people would be just as morally «offended» by witches, or heathens, or hippies, or homosexuals. And, in every case, the «victims» and «survivors» were lined up to tearfully testify about how «evil» and «monstrous» the culprit is, who took away their «dignity» or «childhood», or some other impossible-to-define intangible loss.

And if you think, «Of course a monster will rationalize away another monster's behavior», then you're the one being monstrous. By failing to see and acknowledge the simple truths that could set this world free, and end the suffering, you supporting deception that enslaves us, and causes – not only your own pain and misery (even as you blame others) – but allows the suffering to continue for millions more, including the needless «suffering» of all of Nassar's deluded «victims».

If per some off-chance you are one of those people who have been convinced that you are a «victim of sexual abuse» because someone «touched you inappropriately», and you think this post must be B.S. because you «know» your pain is real in the most palpable sense, then stop for a moment and consider this: Yes, your emotional pain is real, but it is based on a lie. The lie has been illustrated many times here in the Fifth Nail blog, and more importantly throughout history by many writers and teachers far more adept for the job of illustrating such deception (it's basically a classic «Emperor's Robes» deception). But, just because your emotions are based on a lie does not make them «fake» or «not real». They are real, and it's really sad that you have been deceived to feel the way you do. And it's never easy to stop feeling the kind of pain you must feel, even after you accept that you have been deceived into feeling them. But it is infinitely harder still to accept the truth, especially after you have «invested» so much of your life in feeling the way you do; like a «victim» (or «survivor», if you prefer). And yet, that's exactly what you must do if you want to stop being a part of the problem, and help to stop others from going through the hellish nightmare of suffering you have been through. You must stop being a «victim» (and/or a «survivor»), and you must become honest instead. It is the only way to stop, not only your own suffering, but the unnecessary pain and suffering of the world! You must learn that we are all «perpetrators» of the madness; there are no «victims» or «monsters», except those that we imagine, and create those that we imagine, and create within ourselves.

Of course we are talking about forgiveness here. Not Christian forgiveness, where you «forgive» someone after judging them in the «wrong». That is just an excuse to judge someone, and is the opposite of real forgiveness. True forgiveness is simply letting go of your judgment, and letting go of the lies that are the bases of all the unnecessary pain and suffering. True forgiveness is the absence of judgment. It sees only human beings and not «victims» and «monsters» (or «right» and«wrong», or «good» and «bad»). True forgiveness is not an unsubstantial gift you give (that makes you «right» and someone else «wrong»). True forgiveness is a cure. It is a cure for our madness – the insanity of judgment that inflicts our world. And it is the only cure.

The only cure for crime is love.
Everything else is just more crime.
- Joseph Duncan*



* These words were found written in large letters on the dining room mirror of Duncan's apartment after he absconded from Fargo in 2005 – just weeks before he murdered the Groene family and kidnapped the children. His landlords photographed the mirror and later handed the photos over to the F.B.I., who used the photo as «evidence» in court to illustrate «premeditation».

Will The Real Perverts Please Stand Up!

We realize (sadly) that most people these days are so blinded by social, state, and religious propaganda that they could never see, much less admit, the obvious truths that blogs like this one have to offer, even though these same truths offer liberation from the very «sickness» that the social, state, and religious «authorities» perpetually rail against, even as they systematically propagate the same.

The «System» (social, state, and religious authority) seeks to maintain control over people's minds by using deception and lies to conceal the truths that would otherwise set them free. It promises «freedom», «peace», and «eternal salvation», and yet propagates control, conflict, and perpetual suffering as a means of sustaining its own authority and fill its coffers.

Here we offer you one clear example, and if you are brave enough to consider this truth, and investigate for yourself its validity (don't take our word for it), then perhaps the glimpse of the hidden and glorious reality that the System seeks to indefinitely suppress (because it threatens its «authority» directly) will encourage you to find out what other truths are being hidden from you.

Most so-called «victims» of consensual adult-child sex are at some point forced to admit that they liked it. This truth creates an unresolvable conflict within them. But, the conflict only arises because of an unsubstantiated lie that they have invariably been coerced into accepting as «basic truth» even though it is not true at all. This falsehood can be easily discerned as a lie by a simple and honest look at history, facts, and other available evidence. Albeit these facts and evidence are systematically suppressed, contradicted, and distorted by those with a vested interest against them, but they are still out there, still available to those who seek the truth, and still indisputable in the final analysis.

The lie that the System wants us to believe is that consensual adult-child sex is «unnatural», «unhealthy», and «harmful» to the child. So-called «victims» are literally brainwashed into believing that they have been harmed. They are told what they should feel, think, and even remember about the «bad thing» that happened to them. If you have ever seen a video of the classic «first interview» of a «child victim of sexual abuse», then you've seen this happening.

The «specially trained expert» will usually begin with statements like, «I know what you have been through was very terrible...» and «I know this is extremely hard for you to talk about...» etc. etc.. These statements are supposedly to make the child feel «safe» and «understood». But, what if the child has not been harmed? What if the child did not even realize anything «bad» even happened?

These «first interviews» are effectively just a first indoctrination that teaches the child what she must learn in order to maintain the sympathy and acceptance of the adults around her: it teaches her that she is/was a «victim». And it teaches her how she is expected to feel (as a victim), and think (likewise). Of course the interviewer is «specially trained» to not «plant memories» about what actually happened. But, by making statements like, «I know being touched like that made you feel really bad...» after she admits she was «touched», only teaches the child what she should remember feeling when it happened.

You'll note that in these interviews the «expert» will never ask, «Did it feel good?» or «Did you like it when he touched you like that?» That would go against everything he was «specially trained» to do. Namely it would go against the lie that he is there to instill and propagate. Of course, to the «trained» interviewer, it is not a «lie» at all, it is a fundamental truth. He believes he is dealing with a «traumatized victim of child sexual abuse», and that's what he is tasked with establishing through the interview... it is quite literally what he is «trained» and paid to do!

And so the child, regardless of the truth of her experience, must either learn that she was harmed, and that what happened to her was «bad»; or she will literally be declared «dysfunctional» (and of course this will be «blamed» on the «abuse» as well). If she is old enough (or mature enough) to realize that nothing «bad» really happened to her, and brave enough (or bold enough) to insist on what she knows to be true (to point out the emperor's nakedness), then she will be declared «delusional», or a victim of the offender's lies and manipulation.

And thus the lies are instilled, primarily because they directly promote the System's authority (to supposedly «protect children from harm»). But in order to do this the System has a clear and heavily vested interest in establishing the «harm» that it supposedly protects children from.

So, what is the truth? According to the facts of history and genuine scientific study (not the pseudo-science of «criminal justice» and the like, which only invents and selectively uses data in order to further propagate its lies. Children are in fact just as «sexual» as any adult. They exhibit clear sexual interest and arousal almost as soon as they are born.

According to Michel Foucault (a highly respected contemporary philosopher), a huge amount of effort has been exerted by those in «power» over the last two-hundred years or so to directly suppress and deny juvenile sexuality, and the primary result has been the «sexualization» of children (the opposite effect of what was purportedly intended). Essentially, what Foucault is saying is that it was the System that turned children into sexual objects, not the so-called «perverts» that «prey on children». And it did so as a means of asserting and strengthening its own «authority» (power and control).

In his book, The History of Sexuality - Volume One: An Introduction, Foucault explains how the concept of «sexual perversion» was invented and then used by the System to invoke fear and disgust in order to promote its authority. You should read this book if you are interested in truth at all (and the real history of so-called «sexuality»). But, it is not the only book you should read. There are many others that will tell you what the popular media never will; books like, We Were Not Abused! (by: David Riegel), and, Harmful To Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children From Sex (by: Judith Levine), just for starters. Foucault says the real «perversion» has been the way we have been taught to think of normal sexual behavior as «perverted» in contemporary society. The real «perverts are the ones shouting «pervert!» and the real «perversion» is only believing what we are told to believe.

The Ignorance of Condemnation

Duncan did what he did, the rape and murder of five children plus the murder of two adults and a teen who were "in his way", because he condemned society for condemning him to 20 years in prison (which he served entirely) all because he made a boy two years younger than himself when he was 16 suck his dick at gun-point. And now society condemns Duncan to death, three times no less. And so the age-old cycle of condemnation continues. And if you are so ignorant to think, as the System would have you think, that the condemnation --- and the cycle of crime that goes hand-in-hand with it --- will be finalized upon Duncan's death at the hands of the state (and in the name of society) then you clearly have not thought about what is going on directly in front of your eyes, and you have no doubt chosen to let the System tell you instead what it wants you to think: that "justice is being served".

Of course those who see and think for themselves will realize there is no so-called justice in nature, at least nothing resembling justice as the "law" and present authorities of this world define it. You see instead that what is really happening is no more than the continuation of the cycle of condemnation that leads directly to more crime, more child rape, and more murder; all so the System can continue to perpetuate its own authority and existence.

All this is well-known, of course (to those who choose to see and think for themselves). It has been written about, and documented; even studied and "proven" to be the case, all while the "blind sheep" still refuse to see only what they are told to see, and think only what they are told to think. They think that the "message" that gets sent to others like Duncan who have not yet been caught is, "Stop! Or you will be condemned like him!" But the real message that gets sent is, "No matter what you do, you will be condemned!"

This is the message, the only message, that a system without real power and natural authority can send. It is not the message "they" claim, and it will never be. By condemning Duncan, those who support the System and believe its lies only condemn themselves, and their children, to more death and more crime. Duncan himself has offered proof of this. When he was in prison still, for doing only what had been done to him (i.e. forcing a younger child to have sex with him) as he had learned, a "child killer" was executed at the very prison where Duncan was incarcerated (Walla Walla State Penitentiary). The "message" that Duncan received was loud and clear to him, as he himself has stated many times. The "message" that rang in Duncan's mind was that no matter what he did after he got out of prison, he would be condemned in one way or another. And to Duncan, as with most previously "condemned" criminals, death was preferable to such perpetual condemnation, isolation, and rejection.

And to anyone who prefers death over the life that the System offers, the System itself becomes the "enemy", an "evil monster" that threatens and destroys everything worth living for. And so to this person hurting the System is not just justified, it is "justice", as defined by the System itself (i.e. "punishment" and "retribution").

It this becomes clear, to the independent thinker, that condemnation --- any condemnation --- is its own punishment. By condemning anyone we only condemn ourselves. This is ancient wisdom that can be found explicitly written in all great books of wisdom throughout history, from the most ancient religious scriptures to the most contemporary and modern philosophical treatise. And yet the vast majority of people in our world continue to let those in power convince them that the exact opposite is true, that condemnation (i.e. punishment and retribution) is the path to peace, prosperity, and so-called "justice". Of course it is really only a circular path, in fact a spiraling path of destruction, pain, and suffering... as all the ancient texts tell us, not to mention common sense, if we just listen to it instead of "them".

There is a way out, one that is also well documented throughout history and proven through modern study. I call it "True Forgiveness" (as opposed to "Christian forgiveness", which has perverted the ancient scriptures it claims to be based on and turned the concept of "forgiveness" into just another form of judgment and condemnation, as has been explained elsewhere in this blog many times). True Forgiveness doesn't judge (it is the absence of judgment) and therefore cannot condemn. True Forgiveness breaks the cycle of condemnation exactly as Duncan did when he Forgave society, and returned wit the last child he had intended to kill, and surrendered himself to the very social system he once condemned. He has striven ever since to be no more than a witness of the truth (what he has called, "The Living Truth"), as this very blog testifies. He no longer judges those who judge him, nor condemns those who condemn. He merely observes how they condemn themselves, which he intimately understands as he himself once condemned himself and still suffers the consequences.

He now accepts the consequences of the condemnation he once imposed and believed he was entitled to. And in fact, by the very social standards that were once used to judge and condemn him as a child (teenager), he WAS entitled. Duncan "deserved" so-called "justice" as much as any so-called "victim", just as nearly all so-called "criminals" so notoriously claim.

But, Duncan found a way out. He discovered within himself the true meaning of forgiveness. Not as a word, but a concept that has been described with many words and in many languages in nearly all cultures, and then entombed within religious texts and dogma by those who realize its power, but not its meaning. They seek to exploit the power of forgiveness, and the power of God (the unified source of everything that is), by making themselves "guardians" and "watchers" of a truth that needs neither. They convince themselves that they serve God, and hence the Truth, by inventing lies and stories, and reasons to condemn in His (or Her) "Holy Name".

But the last thing the Truth needs is a lie to defend it. The only thing the Truth needs is to be revealed, or "exposed" as we like to say here on the Fifth Nail: Exposed. And all that requires is the desire to be honest, with oneself especially. It does not require an education, nor any book to tell you what It is. The truth is all around you. You experience it perpetually. You cannot in fact escape it, no matter how much "they" say you can (or will "someday" if you believe what "they" tell you to believe). It is simple, and beautiful, and only painful when it shines through our delusions and tears them away. If we let go (of the lie) then the pain soon ends (depending on how deep it goes into your "soul", which is the unconscious mind... and the part of you that even scientists like Carl Jung realized connects us all in a very literal and "real" sense!), and the truth becomes a soothing salve one could call "True Salvation".

Thus, "God's Truth" is not some religious or esoteric knowledge that you must dedicate your life to understanding. It is a simple and immediately accessible fundamental part of our experience, right now, staring us in the face, waiting for us to recognize what it is, WHO it is, and who it has always been: us! All of us! Forgiveness is not just a gift, it is a cure... for everything, and for everyone. A painful cure, yes. But it is the only real cure we have. And the sooner we all realize this together, the less pain we will have to endure!

The Gull of a Baby Raper

What is gull? Gull is the sense of power and control that a person gets when they overpower something within themselves that they might otherwise fear. I mean, think about it. Am I right? If I am right, then the key to understanding so-called "pedophiles", or almost any "criminal", is to understand where they get the gull to have sex with children. And to do that, we must take a closer look at the definition of "gull", and try to understand where it comes from, because without gull, nobody would dare harm a child.

It is a well-known and studied fact that very few "sex crimes" are motivated primarily by sexual desire. The real desire the "criminal" responds to in almost every case, even pedophiles, is the desire for power and control. When I was on the Riverside Sheriff's turbo-prop being transported from California back to Federal custody (death row) in Indiana, the deputies flying me engaged me in a long conversation over the plane's intercom system. They used the intercom (headphones and speakers) so they could hear and covertly record everything I said. And I knew they were recording; it was only obvious, but I didn't care. What bothered me more was that they didn't listen to what I was telling them. They only heard what they wanted to hear, and ignored the rest. They ignored the main point of what I took more than two hours trying to tell them: where I got the gull to kidnap, rape, and kill children.

All they heard was me telling them that I enjoyed raping babies (under a year old). I know that's all they heard because that was the only part that got played in court from the tape they made at my "competency" hearing several months later. But that wasn't what I told them at all. I told them that I have had fantasies of raping infants since my arrest. But, I emphasized over and over that the only reason I had these fantasies was because they gave me a sense of power and control, not over the child, but over society, and over the system, who "dared me" to have such fantasies by accusing me and shaming me for doing so.

I was attempting to explain to the deputies how our culture creates the necessary social structure and motivations that give a "rapist" like me the gull to do (and/or fantasize) what they do. I got "power" and control" over the fear of shame that the deputies themselves actively invoked with their "disgust" and "hate" for what I did (and/or fantasized). I told them that the only reason I fantasized about raping small babies after my arrest was because it gave me a sense of power and control over the fear that they themselves wanted me to feel, and spent their careers trying to make people like me feel, because they thought they could control people like me by using fear. That's the very premise of our Western "criminal justice" system: make criminals fear getting caught so they won't commit crimes.

But, the only thing fear does is create a desire, and indeed a "need", to overcome the object/source of the fear. It creates the need for gull. And it neatly divides society into two "classes": those who invoke fear (the "bullies") and those who resist it (the "criminals").

Of course nobody is a pure "bully" or pure "criminal". This dynamic interplays in all sorts of ways on all sorts of levels. My fantasies of raping small babies was just a natural reaction to the unique circumstances that my arrest and consequent "legal proceedings" created for me. I was predisposed to these fantasies, as a means of overcoming the fear of shame and humiliation invoked by our "system", because I had clearly resorted to similar gull already (by raping young children) as a means of obtaining power and control over my fear, the very fear that "society" sought to control me with. But the rapes, which I thought gave me control over the source of my fear, only created fear within other people, that they in turn sought to gain control over by invoking yet more fear and hatred. It is a cycle of fear and ignorance that serves only to exacerbate the very circumstances that both sides are trying desperately to alleviate.

That means that the gull of a baby raper essentially (and critically to the understanding necessary in order for us to break free from the cycle, as I tried to do by refusing to kill my last victim and turn myself in) comes from the same place the gull of the police, prosecutors, judges, correctional officers, etc. comes from. It comes from our need to gain power and control over what we fear. Take away the fear, and the gull vanishes with it.

I have no sexual desires for babies at all. And I freely admit, without shame (I refuse to be ashamed of something I know to be natural), that young children are very "sexy". Anthropologists theorize that human children are "sexy" in order to solicit care and protection from adults that might otherwise abandon them. This theory actually explains a lot, including our current cultural hyper-revulsion to child-sex, which is a classic "guilt reaction" to otherwise completely natural feelings, like the sexual attraction between grown people of the same sex (so-called "homosexuality"). But my baby-rape fantasies are not "natural" in the sense that they serve no functional purpose other than creating an illusion (or delusion) of power and control over the fear that others imagine give them power and control over me. The truth is that we can never control anything or anyone but ourselves with fear. Fear creates an illusion of control over others, but like my baby rape fantasies, it is never more than an illusion (or delusion) of control.

So what do you hear? Do you hear some "sicko" admitting that he likes to rape babies? Or do you hear a sorely wounded and beaten man pleading for the madness to end? What you hear will determine our future, and the future of numerous "innocent" children.. So listen carefully, and hear wisely!

[J.D. May 6, 2017]

Notes: Just in case it is not clear above, I should note that my "baby rape" fantasy was not a consciously invoked fantasy that I engaged for the conscious purpose of "power and control" over my fear. Instead it was a fantasy that seemed to "appear" on its own accord, as most of my fantasies do, especially lately as I have given up all attempts to control my fantasies at all. My fantasies live and breathe all on their own. While I can exercise short-term "immediate" control over them --- as anyone can --- over time, they always have their way, so I don't bother with trying to control them anymore, instead I simply try to understand them; which is what this blog post is about --- understanding, not controlling. True "control" comes through understanding, and understanding alone; the illusion of control comes from trying to control something without understanding, such as by using fear, or force. That's why the "Criminal Justice" system will never work --- much to the joy of those who profit off of it (who are the same people who make the laws and promote the fear and ignorance based "solution" - as unconsciously as I promote my own "baby rape" fantasies, but for the exact same reasons: It gives them a false sense of power and control over the perceived source of their fear 😰).

On the "Inherent Value" of Human Life

To say that human life is valuable is the same as claiming that the form (body) we inhabit is more valuable than the one who inhabits that form. It takes away from the value of the inhabitant and diminishes the importance of faith and understanding (a.k.a. "love") in lieu of fear and ignorance ("hate").

Life itself is the only thing of value in this world or in the entire universe. "Human life" is not special at all. In fact, aside from the beauty that exists within human life, as it exists within all forms of life, nothing can be said about human life forms other than the fact that, as species, we exhibit all of the characteristics of a destructive organism, which we ourselves commonly refer to as a "disease".

Like cancer cells, we consume resources far beyond our needs. We ignore internal and external "signals" that would normally keep us in balance with our environment. We grow and reproduce with little to no concern for the "body" (world) we belong to, taking resources from it as our "right", and forming tumors that we call "cities" all over the planet. When time-lapse photos from space of urban growth are analyzed, they exhibit the exact same patterns found in only one other known life form: cancer! (This is very obvious even if you just visually compare urban growth pictures to pictures of cancer tumors.)

But, we refuse to see the obvious truth, because we only see ourselves in the human form, and thus see "value" only in that form.

We think being "alive" means being "human". And we completely fail to see beyond the bubble world of our humanness. This is too bad. Because, if we don't "wake up" from this delusion, if somehow the bubble doesn't burst before it's too late, then there will be another mass extinction, and all "inherently valuable human life" will be lost forever. And life itself will move on without us!

[J.D. March 22, 2017]

 

Death Is No Consequence

In the United States we still kill people as a "punishment". But death, when properly understood (rationally and not emotionally), is not even a consequence, much less a punishment.

Everyone dies sooner or later. And, whether you are alive for ten years, or a hundred years, it makes no difference whatsoever once you are dead. Dead is Dead, and it is only your irrational fear of death that makes it seem like a suiting punishment for really "bad" people, like me.

Of course, I don't think I'm a "bad" person. In fact, I know I'm not a "bad" person. But, the fact that society has labelled me, and people like me, "bad", sheds an interesting and telling light into the mind and psyche of the society we live in and for the vast majority of the people who make up that society.

At its core, the death penalty isn't really about "punishment" at all, and it only pretends to be about justice". But it is easy to see past these "masks of sanity" by simply considering the basic beliefs that are necessary in order to kill anyone. And the most basic of all beliefs necessary in order to take, or advocate taking, another person's life is the belief that your own life is for some reason more valuable than theirs. There is no way around this basic belief if you think you have the "right" to kill, for any reason.

And the reason itself is irrelevant. It doesn't matter if your reason is echoed by a consensus of a hundred million voice in your nation, or just one insane voice in your head. The reason we kill is no more than an excuse for making ourselves feel more important than the person we are killing.

That's why killing in the name of "Justice" is no better than killing in the name of "Revenge", or "Love", or "Lust". These are all false reasons (not really reasons at all, but merely excuses) and hence, false "gods" whose names we invoke in order to justify our feelings and our desires. Humans have been thus sacrificing other humans throughout history for exactly these same "reasons". We recognize the insanity of it through our history, and yet fail to see that we haven't changed one bit. Only the excuses (our "gods") have changed, but the killing continues. And while death is no consequence for the dead, killing has the worst consequences of all for the living, regardless of what gods names we invoke, or excuses we invent. You'd think that if we learned just one thing from the course of human history it would be this one blaring truth.

[J.D. November 28, 2016]