Keep it Simple, Stupid

Richard Salbato 7-11-07

When I was designing automation machines (robots), I went to up-state New York to add a feeding system to one of their assembly machines. They were by far the best engineering team I have ever met with. Their systems were amazing, fast, reliable, and if you look closely, very simple. If there were ten ways to do something they would always take the simplest way to do it. In fact, they had one sign on every wall of every room in the huge building: KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID.

In fact, that is what Einstein said about himself. He said that he reduced everything he thought about to simple terms. Truth is simple and takes few words, whereas error is complicated and requires a lot of words and good salesmanship. Error is often accepted simply because it is expedient and always offers the easy way out of any controversy.

Truth is not easy but it is simple. Truth, even simple truth, requires some basic knowledge about the subject. There is only one type of person that simply aggravates me to the bone and that is someone who has an absolute opinion about something they know nothing about. These people (those who do not investigate), who base their ideas and opinions on nothing but what they want to believe without facts, are the reason for this Newsletter. I was going to call this “Random Thoughts”.

War or No War

Let me give an example. If you think about war, first you need to know the history of the war; then, you need to know the options people may have had regarding it. Then reduce this information to its simplest form. Think about it in relationship to your own family, town or neighborhood. If you see your neighbor attacked by a group of radicals and kill all the men, rap the women and children and take over the house, what do you think? Not my problem? Not my business? Your house is next.

Face it, we are not only our brother’s keepers, we have to be for our own protection. Being a pacifist is the most stupid thing I have ever heard out of anyone’s mouth. Peace, which is what Christ wanted for all of us, requires us to protect ourselves and others, others all over the world. Can we say we have peace, when our neighbor is being attacked? Can we say we have peace when over a thousand Catholics all over the world are martyred each year simply because they are Catholic? Can we even say we are good Catholics when we allow a million and a half Africans to die in ethnic cleansing?

Now, let us think about the Iraq war and what started it. We were attacked by Moslems every three years all over the world for over 70 years, embassies, military bases, ships in the Mediterranean, allies in England, Spain, France, etc. Our Allie, Saudi Arabia, has stopped 180 attempts to attack them since the Second World War. Saddam Hussein of Iraq used chemical weapons to kill tens of thousands of his own people. He went to war with Iran and used chemical weapons. He attacked Kuwait without provocation and destroyed all their oil wells. He intended to go from there to Saudi Arabia, and take over the oil fields. President Bush Sr. pushed him out of Kuwait but did not finish the job. Then we were attacked for the second time at the Twin Towers on 9-11 and the CIA traced the attack to a radical Moslem group started in Egypt but now protected in three countries, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, and supported by China, North Korea and Russia. Bush took the war to the enemy in Afghanistan and Iraq, and even now threatens Iran with war.

This is and was the right thing to do, and because of this we have not had another 9-11 in America, and no weapons of mass distruction here or anywhere else in the world. So why is 75% of the world against the war in Iraq? The biggest reason is that 75% of the western world knows nothing about news or even short history and do not care. They listen to hip hop music in their cars, watch movies at home and drown their brains in scotch or drugs. They have absolute opinions about things they know nothing about. The second reason that 75% of the world is against the Iraq war is that President Bush is a very poor salesman for the war. His enemies keep saying over and over that the reason for the war was weapons of mass distruction and they were never found.

First of all, that was not the reason and everyone knows it. It was oil. Half the oil of the world comes from Iraq, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, and Iraq was on the brink of stopping all that oil, which would not only have bankrupted the entire Western World but could have crippled our armies which run on oil.

We also know that Iraq had weapons of mass distruction and that they got them from Russia and used them before the war. We also know that Russia sneaked them out of Iraq through Syria as we prepared for the war. Everyone in Washington knows this, so why are we not saying it? Keep it simple, stupid.

What if we come out publicly and show what we know, that Russia took out the weapons of mass distruction that they put into Iraq? Now we separate all potential ties with Russia, who has millions of atom bombs that they could give to Moslem countries and maybe have already.

The reasons for the 9-11 attacks on America can be traced back to the stupid deals that President Carter did with Iran. But this is just the mistakes of America and not the real cause. We have been in war with Islam since the Eighth Century when Mohammed declared war on the rest of the world. We forget that Moslems took over all the Middle East and wiped out all Arabs, Jews and Christians in the area. We forget that they invaded Turkey and pushed out the Christians. We forget that they invaded Italy and all the Eastern European Countries all the way to Poland. We forget that they invaded Spain and Portugal all the way to the Northern Mountains of Spain and held them for 800 years. We have never not been in war with Moslems except for the short period of time between World War I a and World War II, when England, France, and Spain occupied the Middle East. This occupation was the only peace in the Middle East since Mohammed, a 1300 year war.

What happens if we pull out of Iraq as most Americans want us to do? First there will be a union of Iran, Iraq and Syria. Look at a map. They will unify it with treaties and then attack Saudi Arabia. By then they will control half the oil of the world. If we can even launch a war then without 50% of our oil supply, we will have a major war. If we choose to just take our loses and appease the peace-nicks, who will probably be in power by then (Carterites), then this federation will take over Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Palestine and finally Jerusalem.

By then, with a crashed economy and gas prices at $10.00 a gallon, if the Americans still want to put their heads in the sand, they deserve what will come next. History repeats itself, because people will not be bothered until it hits their own house. Hitler could have been stopped easily when he first invaded his neighbors but we looked the other way because he had not invaded us. We looked the other way and that caused World War III. Only Pearl Harbor (when they invaded us) brought us into a war that we should have gotten into years earlier. The same will happen this time. In 1300 years Moslems have not changed their militant philosophy to take over the world and they will not change tomorrow.

Think about the Knights Templar (now called the Knights of St. John), who controlled Jerusalem but the kings of the world would not come to their aid when attacked. They moved to Acre and held off 100,000 Moslems for over a year with only 800 knights. Then they moved to the island of Rhodes but were pushed off that island. The knights had moved to Malta - and were threatened once more. The Siege of Malta in 1565 by hundreds of ships from the Muslim Ottoman Empire held 40,000 well-trained soldiers. The Knights were 600 strong behind the walls of a Castle in Malta. No one came to their aid and yet the outcome of this battle would determine the course of history and the survival of Christianity, even Rome itself.

The Knights won that battle and 30,000 Muslims were killed, even without the help of the Christian peace-nick Kings and Lords of Europe who put their heads in the sand. Now we American Catholics are doing it again.

Declaration of Independence

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, and that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States … And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Now, keep it simple, stupid. This country was founded on belief in God and relies on His protection for its existence. Why then are 50% of our people wanting all mentioning of God removed from governments and government property? There is no such thing in the American Constitution saying “Separation of Church or State” except that we are not a Theocracy, favoring one religion over another.

First Obligation of the Federal Government

What then is the first obligation of the Federal Government since we are a federation of State governments? In the beginning, the Federal Government had only three obligations, Protection of the federation of states from foreign powers, foreign treaties, and interstate conflicts. The first obligation of this Federal Government is the protection of the States. That means that the primary expenditure of the Federal Government should be the army. The second is infrastructure that cannot be done by the states: roads, the electric grid, natural gas, water rights, etc. The last is foreign treaties and negotiations with other countries. All other rights should be with the states: school, medical, social, etc.

Now, keep it simple, stupid. What percentage of the Federal Government expenditure is given to protection of our country? In 1960, a time of peace in the world, the United States Government spent 6% of its GNP on the Military, 3.5% on Education, and 2% on Health – Federal Monies. In the 90s under Clinton we went from 19 military divisions to what we have now, only 10 divisions. By the year 2007 our Federal Spending on the Military dropped to 3.5% of GNP and Education rose to 5% and Health rose to 5%. Now keeping it simple, since the Federal Government has no right to be involved in Education and Health, which belongs to the states, why do they have three times the budget of the military? Since most of the money for schools and health come from States, how do we spend three times as much money on Health and Education than we do on the Military?

Laws that govern uniform education rules do not require money. Laws that govern and regulate safe food and drugs crossing state lines take little money. But our military is still using 50 year old C-5 transport planes to fight a world war that will not end and we give them 3.5% of our income. It was President Ronald Reagan’s simple increase in our Military Budget that ended the cold war with Russia They could not keep up with us. Why would the greatest economy in the history of the world have a man-power shortage in the military and as a result be afraid of stretching out military too far?

Breaking the Law

Keep it simple, stupid. What is the big deal about having an Immigration Policy? Why make it so difficult? First and foremost it is against the law of our country and the law of God to violate a just law and the sovereignty of a country.

There are two kinds of people who come to America illegally: those who come for jobs and those who come for crimes (drugs, terrorism, gangs).

Congress tried to pass a “comprehensive” bill that no one bothered to read and no one could understand. Those who understood it knew it could not work. What is the big problem? For those who come for jobs we simply need a tamper-proof Job ID Card with a Bar-Code. This can be scanned into a data base to see if the person is who he claims to be and if he is a citizen or not. If not, he does not get a job, not a job moving lawns, cleaning houses, or working the fields.

Breaking this law, for the illegal or the one hiring him, must have a penalty because without enforcing the law, the law is worthless. For people looking for jobs we do not need a border fence because if they cannot get a job without coming here legally they will not come.

We do need a fence, however, for those who come here for drugs, terror, or gang membership. A fence is simple and cheep considering the price of crime. An earth-grader plows and clears a 30 foot wide space; an 8 foot fence is placed on both sides of the 30 foot wide space. Cameras are placed every 100 yards in this space with censors to show any movement. The border patrol only has to respond to the movement.

However, those caught must be put in jail and not sent back right away – 6 months minimum. This is already being done in one Texas area and those crossing the border went from 20,000 per month to 20 per month.

Now what about Catholic Bishops and priests who are harboring the illegals and using God as their excuse? The Catholic Church, both Benedict XVI and John Paul II, has advocated better laws and justice for immigrants but not illegal immigrants. The Church never advocates breaking the law.

If I went to confession and said that I allowed someone under age to drink in my home, the priest would consider this a sin against a just law of the state and therefore a law against God, who tells us to obey the laws of the state that do not overstep the laws of God. Condoning a violation of the law, even enabling it, is a sin.

Some priests and bishops advocate sin by hiding and protecting illegal immigrants because it is expedient to fill their diminishing congregations. The most vocal of these Bishops just lost a 666,000,000 dollar law suit for violating another law of the state and the Church.

Immigration yes, we need it because of the diminishing birth rate even within the Catholic Church but never can you make good come from evil. You can never sin so that good can come from it. “I let my kids drink so that they will like me.” Like me is good, but to like me because I let them sin is not.

More on a National ID card

Keep it simple, stupid. Do you know that someone can come to your home with false IDs, from SSI cards, Credit Cards, Bank Cards and all under the name of someone who has died many years before? He can buy your home with a false mortgage and then take out a second mortgage and run off with hundreds of thousands of dollars of your money and there is nothing you can do about it. Why? Do you know that your Credit Card number can be used on the internet to buy thousands of dollars of merchandise without even knowing your name or code number? Why? Do you know that there are criminals out there with 10 or 15 Passports and as many different names, mostly from dead Americans? Why? Do you know that an illegal can vote in many states without an ID? Why? Yesterday I heard of a man who applied for a job with a Plumbing Company. He could not speak English at all. He had no ID at all. Yet, he had 4 years experience with another American Plumbing Company. How is this possible? How do they write checks? How do they pay tax?

The reason for this from a government point of view is all the privacy laws, but this is garbage. When it comes to honest people I can find out everything about anyone on the internet right now including their bank statements and credit reports. What I cannot find is the people who use false identifications. For our own safety and security we need to know who is who and where they are at all times. No one should be able (as it is now) to get a job as a doctor, with false College degrees forged on the open market with ease. A simple national data base could solve all these immigration and crime problems. No ID should be without a National Bar code data base, SSI, Credit Cards, Driver’s Licenses and Death Certificates.

Obedience to Authority

Keep it simple, stupid. Why would Catholics think it is OK to harbor those who break the law? Why not? These same Catholics do not obey the Holy Father on almost anything. They stretch their own ideas of truth and call it the “Spirit of Vatican II” but now we know the thinking and desires of the Holy Father on the sacraments.

Do you think these same people will consider the “Spirit of Pope Benedict XVI”? He wants the old music returned to the Liturgy, and the old architecture returned, and the reverence restored even to the Novus Ordo. Do you think we will lean to his will?

We have had 70 years now of thinking that our conscience is the rule of law and therefore we have thrown out obedience to the laws of the state, the laws of the Church and even obedience to our parents and bosses. It is the age of self rule for the good of the self and not the good of the many.

It’s Oil, Stupid

Can we leave Iraq right now? No! If we do, Iran and Syria will take over that country and soon after Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Then they will control all the economies of the world. We will always be in war in that part of the world until we get rid of our dependence on Oil. If I was president I would have a Manhattan Project, like done for the Atomic Bomb and have us off Oil in just one year. Keep it simple, stupid.

I would first pass a law making it mandatory that every gas station in America have at least one Natural Gas pump and one 85% Ethanol. We have no shortage of Natural Gas and any car can run on it with a simple $150 change to the car. Iran has done this already.

No matter how much Ethanol we produce, it will not get to the gas stations as long as they are owned by the Oil Companies unless Congress mandates this right now. Once these pumps are installed, the gas stations will find a way to get the Natural Gas and Ethanol. Right now the largest supply of Ethanol gas stations in any state is only 10% and most states are 1% or less. Washington DC just got their very first Ethanol gas pump.

When I see every station with Ethanol pumps I will switch to a high-bred car or an Ethanol car right now. But until I know I can get the gas no matter where I go, I am not going to change from Fossil Fuel and no one else will either.

With a Manhattan Project type of program to produce Ethanol, we could up our supply to 30% in one year.

Now let us think about what does not make the news at all. We get 30% of our foreign oil from Canada, who takes it from Oil Shale. Why is that so important? In Colorado, and the four surrounding states, we have the largest deposits of Fossil Fuel in the world, even larger than Saudi Arabia. It is in Oil Shale, like Canada, but that is no big deal.

All it takes to separate the oil from the shale is steam pumped down into the ground and then draw out the oil. Canada and China do this, why can’t we? It’s simple, the oil companies have no control of this and lobby congress to keep this quiet.

In less than two years, 30% Natural Gas, 30% Ethanol and 30% Oil from Oil Shale. Better than this is that the three types of fuel will compete with each other for the best share of the market and the prices will go down to below $2.00. Our balance of payments will be in the plus side, we will become an exporter of fuel and technology, and our enemy will not have our money to fight against us.

The Minimum Wage

Keep it simple, stupid. What about the National Minimum Wage? To me this is a great thing, I think. But I have been watching some old black and white movies and note that most middle class people in those days had live in house-keepers or nannies. These were almost always people from poor countries or uneducated street people. They got free room and board, often complete families, but very little cash per month. Today, only the very, very rich can afford house-keepers, private drivers or live in gardeners. I still believe in the minimum wage but room and board should be a deduction from that price. Want to help immigrants and at the same time help woman who work? Want to help children who come home to an empty house because both their parents work? Change that law.

China and Russia

Is China a military threat to the world? Think about this. In a few years because of their one child policy, china will have over 300,000,000 people over the age of 65 years and no retirement programs. China does not have a future water supply. China has a One Trillion Dollar GDP or $1,000 Dollars per person with four times as many people as the USA. The United States has a Ten Trillion Dollar GDP or $38,000 Dollars per person or ten times that of China. Russia has a $252 Million Dollar GDP or $2,000 Dollars per person. The European Union all together equals America’s GDP but is only $28,000 per person. China is only a threat from their contaminated foods shipped to America. Russia is only a threat to Europe because of Europe’s dependence on their oil and gas. Our only real enemy is non-governments and governments who support them. The USA produces 38% of the world’s GDP with less than 5% of the world’s population. We are very productive.

Some other stupid things I think about

Since the average height of Americans is 6 inches more than 50 years ago, why are tables, counter-tops, laves and sinks the same height as they were 100 years ago?

Why are kneelers in Church so close to the pew in front that you cannot lean forward at all? The priest’s kneelers are 8 inches back from the arm rest but the kneelers in the pews are one inch away.

Why do Catholics think worship is not important?

Want to save Social Security? Have more babies.

Why do people get drunk or take drugs? Because they do not like their own company.

Truth, real truth, looses friends.

For me, only death is important. Everything else is just preparation for death.

What happened to politeness?

What happened to dignity?

The National Council of Catholic Bishops of America has absolutely no authority whatsoever. Catholic is not national.

The English translation of the Latin Novus Ordo done by the NCCB is a joke.

What happened to “calm”? I know some great saints, even mystics. Sometimes I think about these people and wonder what it is that I can see different about these saints compared to others. After much reflection I know that it is a very evident calmness even when things are going badly. This calmness and peacefulness comes from knowing that nothing is really important on this earth except doing what God asks us to do.

A UFO would take thousands of light years to get here from the nearest star.

There is no new Matter being created. All Matter remains the same. There is no new Energy being created. All Energy remains the same. Matter and Energy are going from order to disorder. What starts, stops. What does that mean?

Why do people not want to know all that they can know?

Why do we waste all that we have – time?

Give me your stupid thoughts.