Migrants to America are certainly relevant for the money market, but that does not make them economic enterprises. The import of religious or political ideas for economic institutions does not thereby transform these ideas into economic factors: the question concerns their “economic relevance.” A struggle for the means of political rule is taking place in America between Democrats and Republicans, each attempting to appropriate the financial and military means that in feudal society were relatively dispersed. California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, is trying to usurp power from President Trump. However, national units are historical ultimates that can be integrated into more comprehensive and harmonious wholes. If Democrats take power, at best, there will be strong socialist nation-states energetically exploiting weaker states. The nation and national interests are controlled by the President, and at the same time, this constitutes America’s ultimate value. For Democrats, capitalism is irrational; this irrationality of capitalism results from a contradiction between the rational technological advances of the productive forces and the fetters of private property, private profit, and unmanaged market competition. For Republicans, on the other hand, modern capitalism is not “irrational”; indeed, its institutions appear to them to be the very embodiment of rationality. As a type of bureaucracy, the large corporations are rivaled only by the state bureaucracy in promoting rational efficiency, continuity of operation, speed, precision, and calculation of results. And all this goes on within institutions that are rationally managed, and in which combined and specialized functions occupy the center of attention. #RandolphHarris 1 of 31
The whole structure is dynamic, and by its anonymity compels modern man to become a specialized expert, a “professional” man qualified for the accomplishment of a special career within pre-scheduled channels. Man is thus prepared for his absorption in the clattering process of the bureaucratic machinery. For Republicans, there is nothing attractive in socialism, and it is not even a possibility. In their eyes, socialism would merely reincorporate into the economic order an institution that was abolished by the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and became the 13th Amendment to the United States of America’s Constitution in 1865. While Republicans do not deny that there is a class struggle in America, they do not see it as the central dynamic of this nation. Further, socialization of the means of production would merely subject autonomous economic life to the bureaucratic management of the state. The state would indeed become total, and would be a shackle upon the liberal individual, and socialism would thus lead to a further serfdom. The achievements of bourgeois capitalism are wiping out archaic survivals, the idiocy of rule life, and various spooks of the mind. Republicans deplore Democrats and see them as a routine creature, lacking in heroism, human spontaneity, and inventiveness: “The Puritan willed to be the vocational man that we have to be.” The principle of rationalization is the most general element in the Republicans’ philosophy of history. The urge towards such a comprehensive and meaningful interpretation of the universe is ascribed to groups of intellectuals, religious prophets and teachers, self-actualized Christians and philosophers, jurists, experimental artists, and students. #RandolphHarris 2 of 31
“Rationalization,” socially and historically differentiated, thus comes to have a variety of meanings. In this sense, it is a masterful contribution to the sociology of knowledge. Man is in a period of enlightenment. His philosophy has construed man’s history as a unilinear progress towards moral perfection or cumulative technological rationalization. In this, there is a more concise notation and establishment of the well-tempered scale; harmonious tonal music and the standardization of the quartet of woodwinds and string instruments are the core of the symphony orchestra. These are seen as progressive rationalizations. This process of rationalization is punctured, however, by certain discontinuities of history. Hardened institutional fabrics may thus disintegrate, and routine forms of life prove insufficient for mastering a growing state of tension, stress, or suffering. This is where we need to introduce a balancing conception for bureaucracy: the concept of charisma. Charisma, meaning literally “gift of grace.” We need leaders who are followed by those who are in distress and who need to follow the leader because they believe him to be extraordinarily qualified. The founders of world religions and the prophets, as well as military and political heroes, are the archetypes of the charismatic leader. Miracles and revelations, heroic feats of valor, and baffling success are characteristic marks of their stature. Failure is their ruin. Although social dynamics result from many social forces, we nevertheless place great emphasis on the rise of charismatic leaders in the Republican Party. #RandolphHarris 3 of 31
Republican movements are enthusiastic, and in such extraordinary enthusiasms, class and status barriers sometimes give way to fraternization and exuberant community sentiments. Charismatic heroes and prophets are thus viewed as truly revolutionary forces in history. Bureaucracy and other institutions, especially those of the household, are seen as routines of workaday life; charisma is welcomed in all institutional routines, those of tradition and those subject to rational management. This holds for the economic order. Stefan George, as well as Jeremiah, Napoleon, as well as Jesus Christ, a raving berserk warrior of Arabia, as well as the founder of Mormonism—all these are typified as charismatic leaders, for they have in common the fact that people obey them because of faith in their personally extraordinary qualities. A genuinely charismatic situation is direct and interpersonal. In contrast to the everyday life of institutions, with the personalized and spontaneous nature of charismatic leadership, one may readily discern the spiritual gifts as an exercise from God. Many Christians believe these gifts are signs of miracles and continue to call them “charismatic.” Early Latter-day Saints, believing in the Book of Mormon message that the “day of miracles” had not ceased, were charismatic: they sought for and expressed the gifts of the Spirit in a variety of ways. However, the Saints soon learned that not all charismatic displays came from God. The Lord also clarified that those ordained to “watch over the Church” would have the gift to discern whether the exercise of certain gifts was from God. Church leaders continued to counsel with each other and the Saints about the purpose and proper use of spiritual gifts. #RandolphHarris 4 of 31
The charismatic leader is in continuity with the concept of “genius” as it was applied since the Renaissance to artistic and intellectual leaders. This applies not only to men of ideas but ideal men. There arise from time to time men who bear to the moral condition of their age much the same relations as men of genius bear to its intellectual condition. They anticipate the moral standard of a later age, cast abroad conceptions of disinterested virtue, of philanthropy, or of self-denial that seem to have no relation to the spirit of their time, inculcate duties, and suggest motives of action that appear to most men altogether chimerical. Yet the magnetism of their perfections tells powerfully upon their contemporaries. An enthusiasm is kindled, a group of adherents is formed, and many are emancipated from the moral condition of their age. Yet the full effects of such a movement are but transient. The first enthusiasm dies away, surrounding circumstances with conceptions that are alien to its nature, dislocated, and distorted, till its first features have almost disappeared. The moral teaching, being unsuited to the time, becomes inoperative until its appropriate civilization has dawned, or at most it faintly and imperfectly filters through an accumulation of strict and rigid doctrines, and thus accelerates in some measure the arrival of the condition it requires. We are interested in the genius as an extraordinary man who transcends the bounds of everyday routines; and in this, we mean the routinization of charisma. #RandolphHarris 5 of 31
The history of cultures, civilizations, and technologies is the history of such consolidations, while it is only in periods of marked transition that the innovators appear: those too privileged in outlook to remain bound to the prevailing system; too honest or too conflicted not to see the simple truths of existence hidden behind the complexity of daily “necessities”; and too full of pity to overlook “the poor” who have been left out. As therapists and ideologists, we understand the uppermost and the lowest fringe better because of our therapeutic ideology. Thus, we often take for granted the vast middle which, for reasons of its own, maintains us. Yet, insofar as we aspire to contribute to “normal psychology,” we must learn to understand cultural and technological consolidation, for it, ever again, inhabits the earth. And always with it comes a new definition of adulthood, without which any question of identity is a self-indulgent luxury. The problem of adulthood is how to take care of those to whom one finds oneself committed as one emerges from the identity period, and to whom one now owes their identity. Another question is what the “typical” adult of any era’s consolidation is able and willing to renounce for himself and demand of others, for the sake of a style of cultural balance and, perhaps, perfection. Judging from the way of Sokrates, the philosopher, in his Apologia, exposed the fabric of Athenian consolidation, it was probably not only for himself that, at the very end, he pronounced death to be the only cure for the condition of living. #RandolphHarris 6 of 31
Dr. Freud revealed for the mercantile and early industrial period what havoc the hypocritical morality was wreaking, not only in his era, but in all human history. In doing so, he founded what Philipp Rieff has described as the therapeutic orientation, which goes far beyond the clinical cure of isolated symptoms. However, we cannot know what technological conformity does to man unless we know what it does for him. The ubiquitous increase in mere number, of course, at first transforms many erstwhile problems of quality into matters of mere quantitative management. If the majority of young people, therefore, can go along with their parents in a kind of fraternal identification, it is because they jointly leave it to technology and science to carry the burden of providing a self-perpetuating and self-accelerating way of life. This would make it plausible that the young are even expected to develop new values-as-you-go. However, the fact is that the values associated with indefinite progress, just because it strains orientation as well as imagination, are often tied to unbelievably old-fashioned ideas. Thus, technological expansion can be seen as the due reward of generations of hard-working Americans. No need is felt to limit expansionist ideals, as long as—together with technical discipline—old-fashioned decencies and existing political machineries survive, with all their hometown oratory. #RandolphHarris 7 of 31
There is always hope (a hope which has become an important part of an implicit American ideology) regarding any possible built-in evil in the very nature of supermachines, appropriate brakes and corrections will be invented in the nick of time, without any undue investment of strenuous new principles. And while they “work,” the supermachines organization, and associations provide a sufficiently “great,” or at any rate adjustable, identity for all those who feel actively engaged in and by them. Thus, also, that major part of the youth which sees no reason to oppose the United States of America’s global war on terrorism, which started in 2001, is animated by a combination of world-war patriotism, anticommunism, obedience to the draft and military discipline, and finally by the unshakable solidarity, the highest feeling among men, which comes from having renounced the same pleasures, facing the same dangers, and having to obey the same obnoxious orders. However, there is a new element in all this which comes from the technological ideology and makes a soldier an expert whose armament is mechanized and whose fidelity is an almost impersonal technical compliance with a policy or strategy which puts a certain target into the range of one of the admirable weapons at hand. No doubt certain “character structures” fit such a world view better than others, and yet, overall, each generation is prepared to participate in several consolidated attitudes in one lifetime. #RandolphHarris 8 of 31
However, a new ethics catches up with progress; one senses the danger that the danger that limits of technological expansion and national assertion may not be determined by known facts and ethical considerations or, in short, by a certainty of identity, but by a willful and playful testing of the range and the limit of the supermachinery which thus takes over much of man’s conscience. This could become affluent slavery for all involved, and this seems to be what the new “humanist” youth is trying to stop by putting its existence “on the line” and insisting on a modicum of a self-sustaining quality of life. However, the men of 1905, tortured by contradictions, really did give birth, by their very negation and death, to a value that will henceforth be imperative, which they brought to light in the belief that they were only announcing its advent. They ostensibly placed, above themselves and their executioners, that supreme and painful good which we have already found at the origins of rebellion. “How can we speak of terrorist activity without taking part in it?” exclaims the student Kaliayev. His companions, united ever since 1903, in the Organization for Combat of the Socialist Revolutionary Party, under the direction of Aze and later of Boris Savinkov, all live up to the standard of this admirable statement. They are men of the highest principles: the last in the history of rebellion, to refuse no part of their drama. If their loves were dedicated to the terror, “if they had faith in it,” as Pokotilov says, they never ceased to be torn asunder by it. #RandolphHarris 9 of 31
History offers few examples of fanatics who have suffered from scruples, even in action. However, the men of 1905 were always prey to doubts. The greatest homage we can pay them is to say that we would not be able, in 2026, to ask them one question that they had not already asked and that, in their life or by their death, they had not partially answered. They quickly passed into the realms of history, however. When Kaliayev, for example, in 1903, decided to take part with Savinkov in terrorist activity, he was twenty-six years old. Two years later, the “Poet,” as he was called, was hanged. It was a short career. However, to anyone who examines with a little feeling the history of that period, Kaliayev, in his breathtaking career, displays the most significant aspect of terrorism. Sazonov, Schweitzer, Pokptilov, Voinarosvsky, and most of the other anarchists likewise burst upon the scene of Russian history and poised there for a moment, dedicated to destruction, as the swift and unforgettable witness to an increasingly agonized protest. Almost all are atheists. “I remember,” wrote Boris Voinarovsky, who died in throwing a bomb at Admiral Dubassov, “that even before going to high school I preached atheism to one of my childhood friends. Only one question embarrassed me. Where did my ideas come from? For I had not the least conception of eternity.” Kaliayev himself believed in God. A few moments before an attempted assassination, which failed, Savinkov saw him in the street, standing in front of an ikon, holding the bomb in one hand, and making the sign of the cross with the other. However, he repudiated religion. In his cell, before his execution, he refused its consolations. #RandolphHarris 10 of 31
The need for secrecy compelled them to live in solitude. They did not know, except perhaps in the abstract, the profound joy experienced by the man of action in contact with a large section of humanity. However, the bond that untied them replaced every other attachment in their minds. “Chivalry!” writes Sazonov, and comments on it thus: “Our chivalry was permeated with such a degree of feeling that the word brother in one way conveyed with sufficient clarity the essence of our relations with one another.” From prison, Sazonov writes to his friends: “For my part, the indispensable condition of happiness is to keep forever the knowledge of my perfect solidarity with you.” As for Voinarovsky, he confesses that to a woman he loved who wished to detain him, he made the following remark, which he recognized as “slightly comic” but which, according to him, proves his state of mind: “I should curse you if I arrived late for my comrades.” This little group of men and women, lost among the Russian masses, bound only to one another, chose the role of executioner, to which they were in no way destined. They lived in the same paradox, combining in themselves respect for human life in general and contempt for their own lives—to the point of nostalgia for the supreme sacrifice. For Dora Brilliant, the anarchist program was of no importance; terrorist action was primarily embellished by the sacrifice it demanded from the terrorist. #RandolphHarris 11 of 31
“But,” says Savinkov, “terror weighed on her like a cross.” Kaliayev himself is ready to sacrifice his life at any moment. “Even better than that, he passionately desired to make this sacrifice.” During the preparations for the attempts on Plehve, he started his intention of throwing himself under the horses’ hoofs and perishing with the Minister. With Voinarovsky also the desire for sacrifice coincides with the attraction of death. After his arrest, he writes to his parents: “How many times during my adolescence the idea came to me to kill myself!” At the same time, these executioners who risked their own lives so completely, made attempts on the lives of others only after the most scrupulous examination of conscience. The first attempt on the Grand Duke Sergei failed because Kaliayev, with the full approval of his comrades, refused to kill the children who were riding in the Grand Duke’s carriage. Of Rachel Louriee, another terrorist, Savinkov writes: “She had faith in terrorist action, she considered it an honor and a duty to take part in it, but blood upset her no less than it did Dora.” The same Savinkov was opposed to an attempt on Admiral Dubassov in the Peter-Moscow express because “if there were the least mistake, the explosion could take place in the car and kill strangers.” Later Savinkov, “in the name of terrorist conscience,” will deny with indignation having made a child of sixteen take part in an attempted assassination. #RandolphHarris 12 of 31
At the moment of escaping from a Czarist prison, he decides to shoot any officers who might attempt to prevent his flight, but to kill himself rather than turn his revolver on an ordinary soldier. It is the same with Voinarovksy, who does not hesitate to kill men, but who confesses that he has never hunted, “finding the occupation barbarous,” and who declares in his turn: “If Dubassov is accompanied by his wife, I shall not throw the bomb.” Such a degree of self-abnegation, accompanied by such profound consideration for the lives of others, allows the supposition that these fastidious assassins lived out the rebel destiny in its most contradictory form. It is possible to believe that they, too, while recognizing the inevitability of violence, nevertheless, admitted to themselves that it is unjustifiable. Necessary and inexcusable—that is how murder appeared to them. Mediocre minds, confronted with this terrible problem, can take refuge by ignoring one of the terms of the dilemma. They are content, in the name of formal principles, to find all direct violence inexcusable and then to sanction that diffuse form of violence which takes place on the scale of world history. Or they will console themselves, in the name of history, with the thought that violence is necessary, and will add murder to murder, to the point of making of history nothing but a continuous violation of everything in man which protests injustice. This defines the two aspects of contemporary nihilism: the bourgeois and the revolutionary. However, the extremists, with whom we are concerned, forgot nothing. From their earliest days, they were incapable of justifying what they nevertheless found necessary, and conceived the idea of offering themselves as a justification and of replying by personal sacrifice to the question they asked themselves. For them, as for all rebels before them, murder is identified with suicide. A life is paid for by another life, and from these two sacrifices springs the promise of value. #RandolphHarris 13 of 31
Kaliayev, Voinarovsky, and the others believed in the equal value of human lives. Therefore, they do not value any idea above human life, though they kill for the sake of ideas. They live on the plane of their idea. They justify it, finally, by incarnating it to the point of death. We are again confronted with a concept of rebellion which, if not religious, is at least metaphysical. Other men to come, consumed with the same devouring faith as these, will find their methods sentimental and refuse to admit that any one life is the equivalent of any other. Even if they call it history, they will then put an abstract idea above human life, to which they have submitted in advance, and to which they will also decide, quite arbitrarily, to submit everyone else. The problem of rebellion will no longer be resolved by arithmetic, but by estimating probabilities. Confronted with the possibility that the idea may be realized in the future, human life can be everything or nothing. The greater the faith that the estimator places in this final realization, the less the value of human life. At the ultimate limit, it is no longer worth anything at all. Strength and weakness are extreme opposites—or so they seem. Yet, life experience demonstrates the paradoxical nature of the polarity that in weakness is strength and in strength is weakness. This polarity is like two sides of the same coin: Slice a coin in half, and each slice still has both sides. #RandolphHarris 14 of 31
Controlling and dictating manipulators, however, denying this reality, futilely try to divide and conquer their weakness, destroying in the process their genuine strength. Genuine strength, on one side, is to endure, to persevere, and to survive. Its qualities are adequacy, self-esteem, and self-reliance. On the other side, a genuine weakness is to be vulnerable, to be open-minded, and to be interdependent. Its qualities are trust, honesty, and cooperation. Inordinately fearful of helplessness, hurt, and humiliation, manipulators try to recreate themselves into invulnerable fortresses, totally self-contained. Never certain of their success, however, they try to disarm others, negating the power in everyone else. Not trusting others, they cannot acknowledge or tolerate strength in anyone but themselves. Self-accusations are taken as being a bluff or a fraud. They are not always directly thrust at self for some concrete matter. More often, a neurotic person feels a resulting vague uneasiness on his score—doubts which are not attached to anything and are dormant at times, and at others consciously tormenting. Sometimes he becomes aware only of the fear with which he reacts to his self-accusation, the fear of being found out: if people knew him better, they would see that he was no good. At the next performance, his incompetence will show. People will realize that he merely managed to show off, with no solid knowledge behind his “front.” Again, what exactly might be “found out” at closer contact, or in any test situation, remains vague. This self-reproach too, however, is not plucked from thin air. It refers to the total of existing unconscious pretenses—pretenses of love, of fairness, of interest, of knowledge, of modesty. And the frequency of this self-accusation corresponds to the frequency of pretense in each neurosis. Its destructive nature shows that it is merely producing feelings of guilt and fear rather than contributing to a constructive search for existing unconscious pretenses. #RandolphHarris 15 of 31
In a sharp contrast, a healthy conscience can be reflected upon. The person can formulate its component taboos, ideals, and ethical precepts in words. This accessibility to consciousness is important for the resolution of moral conflicts. If a person is faced with a decision, it can be made along moral lines much more readily when the person’s ideals can be clearly stated. When I say that a healthy conscience is conscious, I do not mean the person is always thinking about his or her moral standards. Most of the time, the healthy conscience will be unconscious; the person will conform to the conscience automatically. However, when the person does not feel guilt, he or she will be able to determine what aspects of the conscience have been violated; and when some conflict must be resolved, the person will make the relevant moral aspects explicit, so that the decision will be made after due consideration of the moral issues at stake. The gospel of Jesus Christ cannot be any philosophy without the advanced forms of prayer which have been called ultraspiritual. The Spirit is guided by the light of reason alone, and admirably, so far as it goes, but that is not far enough. This is because all the thinking in the world will, in the end, only yields a conclusion, which is another thought. However, there is such a thing as the “Metaphysics of Truth,” which is reasoning—disciplined, chastened, and checked by the highest possible mystic experience. A beginner may certainly aid his search for knowledge through wide reading and, possibly, through attendance at suitable lectures. #RandolphHarris 16 of 31
Some very fine works have been written by philosophers and prophets of all ages. These writings may bring into his life a little emotional inspiration, intellectual guidance, and the power of will to help his struggle through the years of long and unavoidable endeavour, and they can, to that extent, act the part of a teacher and guide. If put under the proper restricting limits—erudition, education, and even scholarship offer a useful contribution. At last, he can meet with an expression of truth that has a recognizable face. Each time we read such truths, it comes with liberating freshness and becomes a stimulant to aspirations. The degree of its power to help us is conditioned only by its writer’s ability to catch its heart and convey his perception. It is better to look twice at some assertions. Sometimes it is wiser to look beneath the words themselves and scrutinize the character of the writer himself. The final realization of truth is not found in any documents however sacred and however worthy of men’s highest regard they are held to be. Just as the man who stands on the summit of a Himalayan Mountain does not need the testimony of an altitude meter to tell him that he really has ascended to a loftier level than that of the plains, so the man who enters his spiritual being does not need reason’s proof, someone else’s say-so, or scripture’s test to tell him so. There are many who read through such writings only to fasten on those paragraphs which agree with their own belief. #RandolphHarris 17 of 31
Hero narratives test the circumstances under which societies are willing to tolerate, even condone, transgressions of accepted norms. For instance, heroic actions frequently involve violence (committing suffering or preventing violence). Since violence is not normally condoned as a form of social interaction, such violence needs to be legitimized by presenting an ethically defensible motivation for the use of violence, such as defending innocent persons. More than just presenting the hero as the center of attention, typical hero narratives also use various forms of intensification through suspense, communication of increased danger, or heightened antagonism. The classic hero moves from departure through initiation, trials, transformation, and return. The journey narrative often includes an adventure narrative which increases suspense: the incursion of contingency in ordinary life and the hero’s strategies in mastering such incursions in the borderlands of civilization, combining heroism with masculinity and frequently also devotion to the nation state. Throughout the history of the award-winning Sacramento Fire Department, tradition has been the backbone of their operations. The paramilitary style that they have learned as rookies has proven itself repeatedly at countless emergencies. They have become experts at it, and it has proven its worth. Like military operations, successful firefighting relies on quick decisions and a coordinated attack. This type of success is not possible through group discussions or team meetings: it is only effective with swift actions and multiple resources. #RandolphHarris 18 of 31
Additionally, the Sacramento Fire Department adds unparalleled protective equipment that can withstand the harsh environment of fire. Protecting of protecting the firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs from their surroundings, they work in harms way to accomplish their missions. As with the Titanic, the reason they are great is the very reason for their demise: “We are told to expect the iceberg, but not to fear or question it. We will work alongside the iceberg but feel that it cannot hurt us. The iceberg is simply no match for the engineering and knowledge that humans have developed, and we will be fine.” This “no fear” starts very early in their careers. Much like icebergs to ship, emergencies pose real hazards to responders. They are expected to reduce the risk as much as is feasible, but their task is to ultimately save lives and property and then stabilize an incident. Some incidents exceed the capabilities of first-arriving units, but safe actions build the foundation for effective actions and, ultimately, a positive incident outcome. “Shortly after midnight, a major blaze broke out in a building on Broadway. Mr. X was the night watchman of the building. As he was cleaning, he noticed the smoke and immediately sounded the alarm. The building was very quickly engulfed in flames. The structure was built in 1869 and was built of wood, about 100 feet by 50 feet. Fortunately, it was roofed with an iron roof, which inhibited sparks from showering the entire neighborhood. After the iron roof collapsed, all danger was considered past. The loss in the plant was confined to the main building thanks to hard work. #RandolphHarris 19 of 31
“Because of the southwesterly breeze, a house situated just north of the building caught flame. The home was destroyed. The furniture of the home was removed, but in such a battered and broken condition, it was mostly all a loss. The loss of the home was estimated at around $900,000.00, most of which was covered by insurance. The person who lived next door, his house also caught fire as well and required an evacuation of the premises. Firefighters explained that, ‘copious floods of water from fire hoses prevented the flying sparks from gaining a hold on the dry roof, and the owner is very thankful he got off with only a scorching.’ The fire department was quick to respond to the scene. When the engine arrived, the heat was so intense that bystanders stopped in their tracks. According to the fire chief, ‘it seemed for a few moments as if the bystanders would get well scorched, but the trembling audience were quickly evacuated. We also were beginning to get scorched by the intense heat.’ But the fire department was on hand and in a good time and though the building was beyond help when we arrived, it was generally conceded that we performed a good service in saving other buildings in the vicinity. The loss of the building was nearly two million dollars. There was no insurance on the building. The only part of it left standing was the brick chimney. Another great loss was the 25 sets of carpenter’s tools that would have to be replaced at nearly $5,000.00 per set. Nearly 40 men who worked there were thrown temporarily out of work.” Fire training continues to become safer but people often wonder, “How do you know if the porch is going to collapse on you? Is your lieutenant aware of what just happened? How do you address your concerns to him?” #RandolphHarris 20 of 31
If you see a fire truck stopped in the street without the lights on, be very careful. Sometimes there is an emergency, and you should not pass the fire truck. It might be a good idea to safely turn around and go another way because if you hit someone and they happen to die, you could be charged with manslaughter. Sometimes fire firefighters are getting back into their vehicle, and if you pass the apparatus, you may collide with a firefighter who is on foot. Also, be sure to look at their signals; sometimes emergency vehicles are in motion, albeit slowly, and drivers try to pass them, and this could lead to a dangerous situation. Also, if you are in an intersection when you see an emergency vehicle, continue through the intersection. Drive to the right as soon as it is safe and stop. Obey any direction, order, or signal given by a law enforcement officer or a firefighter. Even if they conflict with existing signs, signals, or laws, follow their orders. When their siren or flashing lights are on, it is against the law to follow within 300 feet of any fire engine, law enforcement vehicle, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle. If you drive to the scene of a fire, collision, or other disaster, you can be arrested. When you do this, you are getting in the way of firefighters, ambulance crews, or other rescue and emergency personnel. The concept of professional courage does not always mean being as tough as nails, either. It also suggests a willingness to listen to other people’s problems, to go to bat for them in a tough situation, and it means knowing just how far they can go. It also means being willing to tell the boss when he or she is wrong. #RandolphHarris 21 of 31
California is the third most expensive state in the nation. A single person making an income above $100,000 is now considered low-income in five counties in California. This distinction now applies to individuals living in Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco, and Marin counties. In 37 percent of counties, a family of four living on a six-figure income is now considered low-income. In fact, Governor Gavin Newsom of Democratic controlled California, brags about being the world’s “fifth largest economy,” but it also facing a $12 billion deficit, looking to cut $747 million for state worker’s pay, pushing to keep medical insurance for illegal immigrants, but wants to cut medical for anyone who has assets over $2,000 and the state has the largest homeless population in the nation. If they are all officially counted, California has approximately 4 million homeless people. The highest home prices in the nation, the highest taxes, and the most unfriendly business regulations known to man. The average home price in California is nearly $1,000,000.00 USD, while the average salary is $96,036.00, meaning that most Californians cannot even afford to buy a home. California is having an affordability crisis. In 2025, many people in California saw their bills increase by an estimated $500 a month. This includes items such as food, automobile insurance, homeowners’ insurance, and electricity. In fact, more than 3 million people in California are facing household hardship, and more than 300,000 of them are facing eviction soon. This comes at a time when California is having a shortage of affordable housing. This is caused by nearly half a century-old laws that discourage home sales and encourage higher rents. #RandolphHarris 22 of 31
Meanwhile, China, where we are sending all our jobs and money, has more than 50 ghost cities, with 65 million vacant homes. Ghost cities are regions will housing has been overdeveloped to the point that these places are uninhabited. Because California is so hostile towards people and businesses, more than 360 companies have fled the state since 2020. Businesses like Chevron, SpaceX, Oracle, and Hewlett-Packard are among the names on that list. Also, more than 500,000 people a year are abandoning California because it is too expensive to live in, Gavin Newsom has criminalized homelessness and actually started arresting people without homes, crime is out of control, and they are losing their jobs due to companies relocating. More than 100 companies have announced layoffs in California for 2025. Intel is cutting 15,000 jobs, PayPal 2,500, and Meta has terminated 4,000 employees. California also has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 5.4 percent, while the national average is 4.1 percent. The California crisis created by Democrats is driving up home prices and mortgages, and rents all over the nation and the world, making living unaffordable for all, and advocates say the crisis is far from over. Accordingly, California has more than 3.5 million illegal immigrants. Having the Southern American boarder open and not having American farmland protected, not producing beef, poultry, fish, fruit, produce and dairy in America, and without American goods and services being our number one manufactured and selling items, America has created a dangerous and significantly elevated risks to national security, national economic security, and national public health. Some people may believe that these claims are overstated, but by not routinely monitoring Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CEVs) or other security-relevant alerts, such as the end-of-life of machinery is how the Oroville Dam Crisis occurred in 2017. #RandolphHarris 23 of 31
Other crises that have occurred due to neglect of critical infrastructure are the 2025 Palisades fires because Southern California ran out of water, when they are located next to an ocean and they could have simply created desalination plants to help with the water shortage. The water is so plentiful that it is currently eroding land and causing homes to fall into the sea. Desalination has been identified as one technology that will help solve California’s water scarcity problem. Desalination is a cost-effective technology that can transform an abundance of salt water into a reliable supply of potable, fresh water, which is a great way to fight climate change and have enough water for our region’s water requirements. Ras Al Khair, Saudi Arabia, is producing 1,036,000 meters (273,682,192) per day of desalinated water. As we see gangs fighting with federal law enforcement, states and cities refusing to honor federal laws, and politicians showing an utter disregard for the Constitution of the United States of America, anarchy is becoming increasingly common. Anarchism is a cluster of doctrines and attitudes centered on the belief that government is both harmful and unnecessary. Derived from the Greek root anarchos, meaning “without authority,” anarchism, anarchist, and anarchy are used to express both approval and disapproval. The anarchist denies man-made laws, regards property as a means of tyranny, and believes that crimes is merely the product of property and authority. #RandolphHarris 24 of 31
However, the anarchist would argue that their denial of constitutions and governments leads not to “no justice” but to the real justice inherent in the free development of human sociality—the natural inclination, when unfettered by laws, to live according to the principles and practice of mutual aid. Anarchism is also a form of treason. Treason, the crime of betraying a nation or a sovereign by acts considered dangerous to security. In English law, treason includes the levying of war against the government and the giving of aid and comfort to the monarch’s enemies. In the United States of America, treason was defined restrictively by the framers of the Constitution. Treason against the United States of America “shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them aid and comfort,” which is something that many politicians are currently guilty of. The American government should know all exploitable vulnerabilities and fix them before the situation becomes a crisis. Failure to take such mitigating actions is dangerous and significantly elevates risk to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. The American government must understand that significant time and resources must be invested in America. They must also encourage corporations to plan for both mitigating safety vulnerabilities in the short term and eliminating them in the long term. For instance, a company might begin by reaching out to the federal, state, or local government and requesting tax incentives to provide security to dangerous communities, to help the government repair bridges and potholes. #RandolphHarris 25 of 31
America needs an approach to eliminate safety vulnerabilities in American cities. There needs to be a road map by the end of 2025, outlining a prioritized approach to eliminate crisis situations in America. There is enough money to send aid to foreign nations, but the American government does not have enough money to care for its infrastructure, provide adequate resources, or end the affordable housing crisis. Nor is there enough money to fund other national critical functions (NCFs). These bad practices of putting America and Americans last are considered exceptionally risky, particularly to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. In 2024, Americans spent $100 billion on Japanese cars. As a result, the American automobile trade deficit with Japan was $39 billion. The maximum percentage of your gross income that you should earmark for a monthly mortgage payment is calculated at 28 percent, and no more than 36 percent of your gross income to all debts, including mortgage. If you take 28 percent of the median household income per home in Sacramento County, homeowners can only afford a mortgage of $2,070.23 per month. And if you take 36 percent of their gross income to all debts, including mortgage, they should be devoting no more than $2,661.72 a month to these debts. The Mortgage lenders at Cresleigh Homes must be using some kind of sorcery to get buyers into these expensive homes. To afford one of these homes using traditional guidelines, a household would need to gross $11,280.24 per month or $135,362.88 per year, but the median household in Sacramento County is grossing $7,393.67 or $88,724.00, and that typically means two to four people in the home are working and contributing to the mortgage. #RandolphHarris 26 of 31
Home prices in Sacramento County are rivaling the Bay Area. Historically, homes in the Bay Area have been more expensive because they have higher-paying jobs, a larger population, and the Bay Area is a tourist destination. Contributing to the housing affordability crisis is Gavin Newsom, who has been lavishing illegal immigrants with taxpayer-funded resources and cash aid. The State of California has a budget deficit of $12 billion because Governor Gavin Newsom granted 700,000 illegal immigrants free health care, which costs taxpayers $3 billion annually. At the same time, Newsom cut vital programs for veterans, school children, the disabled, and the homeless. Additionally, Newsom seems to be uneducated about economics and is proposing to fast-track his plan to build a $20 billion water tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, which would eliminate environmental reviews and limit avenues for legal challenges. Gavin Newsom only cares about the environment when his policies allow him to raise taxes and restrict freedoms. To further highlight this illustration, Mexico has been causing one of America’s worst environmental disasters. Fifty million gallons a day of industrial chemicals, untreated sewage, and trash flow from Tijuana, Mexico, into southern San Diego County daily. This toxic waste has been turning up on Imperial Beach and is causing the miles of white sands to become polluted and the ocean breeze to smell of poop, which has been sickening residents and wildlife and costing San Diego millions in the form of lost tourism and health problems. The problem has been going on for more than a century. #RandolphHarris 27 of 31
However, Mexico’s pollution of California has become a severe public health crisis as the population of Tijuana has drastically increased in recent years, and the waste treatment plants are no longer usable. Some of the beaches in San Diego have been closed for more than three years, and evidence suggests that even breathing the air may be harmful, as toxic particles in the water can become airborne. Yet, even though Gavin Newsom has been governor for six years, he has not rushed into action to stop this very preventable environmental disaster. Why? Because he is not getting kickbacks from China and Mexico, not being gifted mansions and cars, and he cannot tax the struggling California taxpayers to clean up this mess. Simply, it is not profitable for him. Gavin Newsom has been a total tyrant with no regard for taxpayers and no mind for business, and he should be impeached as soon as possible. He has criminalized poverty, increased taxes, increased taxes on gas, and insurance rates so high that people are struggling to survive. In addition to Gavin Newsom’s increased gas prices starting on 1 July 2025, the war between Iran and Israel is going to further exacerbate the prices of gas and cause more inflation and economic hardship for people in California. While everyone is making war over America and who belongs here and who she belongs to, so many people forget about the people who are Indigenous to this land. Open borders have allowed hundreds of thousands of cartel operatives to infiltrate reservations across the United States of America and use the isolated lands as havens to traffic fentanyl pills and other drugs into the country without protection from federal authorities. #RandolphHarris 28 of 31
Drug cartels have been threatening the health and safety of Native American communities. The trafficking of dangerous and illegal drugs into their territories is leading to a second genocide. The overdose rate for Indigenous people is 42 percent higher than the national average. A recent bust on Montana’s Blackfeet Nation’s Tribal Reservation resulted in the seizure of more than 700,000 fentanyl pills, which was the largest bust in Montana history. Recently, the Blackfeet Nation had to declare a state of emergency after facing 17 overdoses in just one week. There are only 6.8 million Native Americans left in the world, which is 2 percent of the American population. We should be doing more to protect these proud and honorable people; they should not want for anything. People rush and give away resources to illegal immigrants, but totally disregard the Indigenous people of this land, as their race silently fades away into extinction. We must secure our borders and increase federal funding to Native American tribes so we can save this precious population. Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom has given billions of taxpayer dollars away to illegal immigrants and protected them from law enforcement, while arresting law-abiding Americans because they cannot afford to pay rent or mortgage, and the homeless shelters are unsafe, overcrowded, and have restrictions on who is allowed inside. He has also totally ignored the cartel problems on American lands. Clean air, water, land, and preserving our heritage are extremely important. We cannot just allow criminals to kill off the people who are native to this land and do nothing about it. Wars have been started over governments that tax citizens without representation. Taxation without representation is what led to the American Revolution.#RandolphHarris 29 of 31
If Gavin Newsom is not stopped, next he will euthanize the poor and sterilize the disabled. Under Governor Gavin Newsom, California has the highest car theft rate in the United States of America. Violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs, and homeless people have overtaken cities. Wars and fires are breaking out on the streets. This monster is unfit to be governor and must never be allowed to be President of America! Stop Gavin Newsom now! Save California and impeach this unreasonable man. Meanwhile, with President Trump, we are seeing crime rates sharply decrease. He is restoring law and order, starting in Washington D.C., and he just signed the “HALT Fentanyl Act” into law, which permanently classifies the narcotic as a “Schedule I drug” under the “Controlled Substances Act.” Also, President Trump recently secured $10 trillion in investments for the United States of America. Additionally, in May of 2025, the United States of America collected a record $100 billion in tariff revenue, and that number will increase to $300 billion by the end of 2025. Also, President Trump has just sealed a $550 billion deal with Japan. This means Japan will invest $550 billion in the United States of America. Furthermore, President Trump has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for making Iran and Israel cease fire. As you can see, President Trump is creating solutions and remediating problems to protect America and the American people, while Governor of California, Gavin Newsom, is making life hard on American citizens and causing economic hardship, and totally ignoring Mexico’s polluting beaches in San Diego. If elected president for an unprecedented third term, to make housing more affordable and to offset the cost of homeowners’ insurance and auto insurance, President Trump plans to abolish property taxes. #RandolphHarris 28 of 31
Much like the land crisis in Las Vegas, we could also run out of land to farm and will not be able to grow or cultivate our own food. We can protect American farmland and support American farmers by buying American made beef, poultry, dairy, and produce. Also, country of origin labeling is very important so Americans can know where their food is coming from and can support American farmers and ranchers. As money flows, it influences further investment. Save the land that sustains us by protecting American farmland. Once the land is built on, we lose it forever. And in the future, there may be food wars. Also, to ensure that we have farmland and buildable land for future use, we need to start limiting the number of people allowed to immigrate to America. Perhaps with the immigrants we do allow into America, there needs to be a diversity program to make sure we have a population that equally represents all races of people. If Americans continue to spend money on American products, then more need to be made to keep up the inventory. When investors notice these goods are selling, it gives them the confidence to pour more money into that local business. It shows that people want these goods made in America and pressures investors to keep these goods and services in America. The jobs stay here, the business stays in America, wages naturally increase, and more money is invested to keep up with demand. This reduces the burden on the taxpayer. When you support American businesses, that money stays in our economy and can help to reduce the national debt. The government creates debt by borrowing from businesses in the private sector or from foreign countries. It also increases the national debt by spending more than it gains in tax revenue in a fiscal year. #RandolphHarris 29 of 31
When people shop locally, more tax money stays in the economy and goes to the government. This way, it keeps more money in our national economy and keeps more jobs located in America which also sends more taxes to the government, which can again help to reduce the national debt. When you buy foreign goods, these companies usually have lighter tax loads or exemptions, meaning less money for the national debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by sending more money overseas. Buying American-made products is also better for the environment and helps to reduce the carbon footprint because these products do not have to travel nearly as far. Furthermore, American companies and manufacturers are held to much higher standards on pollution. American companies must be more careful about air, land, and water pollution and have proper ways to dispose of waste. Moreover, please remember to respect law and order and treat your elders with the utmost dignity and kindness possible. And take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. It is inborn in the human mind to wish to know. If this begins with the endless surface questions of a child’s curiosity, if it continues into deeper questions of a scientist’s probing investigation, it cannot and does not stop there. For the higher part of the mind will eventually come into unfoldment, that union of abstract reflective thought with mystical intuition, which is true intelligence, which needs and sees a view of the whole of things. And so, the knowing faculty enters the realm of philosophy. #RandolphHarris 30 of 31
As you can see, President Donald Trump and his pledge to “Make America Great Again” is exactly what America needs to save the country and the American people. And yes, diversity is important, so you can see why it is also important to preserve blonde hair and blue eyes, as the people with these characteristics are becoming a minority in America. We must think before we can understand the soul’s existence; we must understand before we can realize it. The earliest beginnings of thought, as apart from instinct, when it was itself still but a lurking tendency, belong far back in primeval time. The human intellect as we find it today, so rich and developed an instrument for the consciousness of the ego, did not arrive at this fulness without a series of graduated stages. We have had plenty of scientific thinking, business thinking, and political thinking long enough, but we have had very little inspired thinking. That is the world’s need. The intellect is cradled in selfishness but runs the evolutionary track into reason, where it will one day finish at the winning-post of selflessness. As a reminder, parents, please teach your children to love America and be patriotic citizens, and to buy goods and services made in America. It is also important to respect law and order and treat your elders with respect. Also, to make sure they have all the resources required, please donate to the Sacramento Fire Department to help improve our national security. “Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand between their loved home and the war’s desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause is just, and this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’ And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” #RandolphHarris 31 of 31
According to locals, over a century ago, the land that houses The Winchester Mansion had been vacant forever. Then, sometime in the early afternoon of Saturday, March 13, 1886, Sheriff Angel Camilio began getting reports that a massive castle made of wood had suddenly appeared. Gables rose, towers peaked into the sky as the mansion mushroomed into a labyrinth overnight.
The house’s sudden manifestation had been both disconcerting and fascinating to the community. Some felt dark curses flowing from the estate, and things moving around in the darkness. Others saw a fairytale castle glimmering in the spring sunlight. Perhaps this is why there are no records of construction, no blueprints, and no permits filed with the county. Come and see what secrets this so-called, “Winchester Mystery House” may hold.
Experience an unforgettable journey back to the time of kings and queens with this entry ticket for The Winchester Mansion in Santa Clara, California, which was the residence of Heiress Sarah L. Winchester. Take advantage of this fascinating experience. After the tour, there will be time to enjoy the mansion’s splendor at your own pace. You might even discover secret passages.
Please come and enjoy a delicious meal at Sarah’s Café, stroll along the paths of the beautiful Victorian gardens, which once spanned 740 acres, all the way down to Stevens Creek Boulevard; wander through the miles of hallways in the world’s most mysterious mansion.
For further information about tours, including group tours, weddings, school events, birthday party packages, facility rentals, and special events please visit the website: https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/
Please visit the online giftshop, and purchase a gift for friends and relatives as well as a special memento of The Winchester Mystery House. A variety of souvenirs and gifts are available for purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/
Harris Plumbing, Heating, Air, & Electric has been in business for 30 years. How many businesses can say that? We take pride in everything we do – no matter how big or small the service call might be. We’re here to help your home be as safe and comfortable as possible for you and your family. We take that responsibility very seriously as a company. Harris will ensure you have the information you need to decide what to do next, whatever your home is facing. We’ll perform a diagnosis and detail what issues are present before starting any work. This gives you a personalized quote and service plan specific to your home’s needs, not some random quote based on the best guess. The only way we can do our best work is to make sure we handle the issues at hand. https://www.callharrisnow.com/about-us/
Ah, yes. The BMW 3 Series. Happy 50th birthday to the most iconic BMW ever! It is really hard to decide on a BMW model. However, the 3 series is a favorite of everyone. All the upper-class suburban families had one in the 1980s and 1990s; everyone from teenagers and housewives to executives and diplomats. Now that they are larger in size, but still sporty and luxurious, the audience has grown tremendously. These are very stylish and reliable cars, which is why BMW continues to dominate the luxury car space.
With its top ranking in Consumer Reports’ Auto Brand Report Card and consistent market share growth, BMW has demonstrated its ability to produce high-performing, reliable vehicles that meet consumer demands. BMW stands out due to its focus on driving dynamics and engineering excellence. While other luxury brands prioritize comfort and opulence, BMW is known for creating cars that are fun to drive and offer a unique connection between the driver and the machine. This is why BMW is known as the Ultimate Driving Machine. https://www.brianharrisbmw.com/
Randolph Harris San Francisco Taxation & Mergers
Building strong and lasting client relationships is crucial for a successful legal career. Many lawyers mistakenly believe that mastering legal skills alone ensures success, but law is fundamentally a service industry—our job is to solve problems through the time we sell. To build long-term relationships, attorneys must focus on three core elements: knowing their clients, understanding how their legal issues fit into a larger context, and consistently delivering exceptional service.
Randy advises clients with regard to business transition, taxable and tax-deferred mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructuring, integrated tax planning, federal and state tax controversy resolution, and real estate transactions. Trust is the cornerstone of any client relationship. Ultimately, my clients feel they are in capable hands with someone who genuinely understands their problems and goals. https://www.jmbm.com/l-randolph-harris.html
Millhaven Homes luxury construction is our specialty. We are second to none in our ability to sacred places of hidden wishes that our clients desire. We believe that building your custom home or undertaking a major remodeling project should be an exciting and rewarding experience. Through our fully transparent process, you remain in control of every detail, from custom design selections to sustainable building materials and smart home technology integration.
When it comes to your custom luxury home and the place you live, the details matter. As the builder and developer behind some of the most distinguished homes and communities in Utah, we blend unmatched expertise in crafting luxury homes with a comprehensive, proven approach that covers every detail—down to those you may not have even considered.
Millhaven Homes wants you to be proud of your home for generations to come. That is why we make sure our homes are as handsome on the outside as they are on the inside. A home is much more than a structure – it is an enclave that captures and treasures the important moments, the unforgettable celebrations, and the unexpected joys that encompass a beautiful, successful life.
Our commitment to simplifying the luxury home building journey is reflected in our ability to understand the importance of the details that make your custom home a true reflection of your lifestyle and aspirations. Millhaven Homes offers design and build services for luxury homes in various styles and locations throughout Utah.
We utilize high-performance building techniques and the latest technology to achieve unmatched home quality, efficiency, and aesthetic value. See Millhaven’s portfolio of projects, services, development, and contact information. Be sure to ask about our legendary “Costco Door.” https://millhavenhomes.com/portfolio/
Randolph Harris II International 