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Soberly Examining His Existing Difficulties
Time will either develop or deform ideas. We must build a flexible system for the facts, not for the probable exceptions to the facts. Facts are as hard to find as they are disconcerting to the demagogue. We must closely distinguish between what we believe and what is fact. In this philosophy, we deal only with facts. All else, whether theory, hypothesis, inference, axiom, or postulate, we discard because it is merely belief. We are unable to accept them because we deal only in proven facts. What anyone is in no position to appraise or evaluate, he ought not to reject or condemn. Whoever presents such ideas must be ready to offer the evidence for them, to defend them with sufficient facts. The open-minded questioner who is not too hasty to conclude, but first assembles sufficient data, and that in an ambient circular course which moves around all sides, will get rewarded. So, to magnify a fact as to render it out of proper proportion to other facts, is to make it a cause of imbalance in the mind and error in judgment. Deliberate over-emphasis of a partial statement of truth is sometimes useful and necessary, but always dangerous because liable to misunderstanding. Man can “understand” or attempt to “understand” his own intentions through introspection, and he may interpret the motives of other men’s conduct in terms of their professed or ascribed intentions. #RandolphHarris 1 of 29
Character is the most “understandable” type of action, which is like rational expediencies, and of which the conduct of the “economic man” is a prime example. Less “rational” actions are seen in the pursuit of “absolute ends,” as flowing from affectual sentiments, or as “traditional.” Since absolute ends are to be taken as “given” data by the sociologists, an action may be rational with reference to the means employed, but “irrational” with respect to the end pursued. “Affectual” action, which flows purely from sentiment, is a less rational type of conduct. And finally, approaching the “instinctual” level, there is “traditional” conduct: unreflective and habitual. This type is sanctified because it “has always been done” and is therefore deemed appropriate. These types of “actions” are construed operationally in terms of a scale of rationality and irrationality. A typological device rather than a “psychology” of motivations is thus described. This nominalist approach, with its emphasis upon the rational relations of ends and means as the most “understandable” type of conduct, distinguishes this work from most conservative thought and its documentary “understanding” by assimilating the singularity of an object into a spiritualized whole. #RandolphHarris 2 of 29
Yet, by emphasizing the understandability of human conduct, as opposed to the mere causal explanation of “social facts” as in natural science, we draw the line between interpretive sociology and the “physique sociale” in the tradition of Condorcet, which Comte called sociologie and Durkheim worked out in such an eminent manner. There are only two different species of men. One kills only once and pays with his life. The other justifies thousands of crimes and consents to be rewarded with honors. Nihilism, provisionally, survives its victors. In the very bosom of the Socialist Revolution Party, political cynicism continues to wend its way to victory. The leader who sends Ivan Kaliayev to his death, Yevno Azev, plays a double game and denounces the revolutionaries to the Okhrana while planning the deaths of ministers and grand dukes. The concept of provocation reinstates the “Everything is permitted,” and again identifies history and absolute values. This particular form of nihilism, after having influenced individualistic socialism, goes on to contaminate so-called scientific socialism, which appears in Russia during the 1880s’s. The joint legacy of Nechaiev and Marx gave birth to the totalitarian revolution of the twentieth century. #RandolphHarris 3 of 29
While individual terrorism hunted down the last representatives of divine right, State terrorism was getting ready to destroy divine right definitively, at the very root of human society. The technique of the seizure of power for the realization of ultimate ends takes the first step toward the exemplary affirmation of these ends. Lenin, in fact, borrows from Tkachev, a friend and spiritual brother of Nechaiev, a concept of the seizure of power that he found “majestic” and that he himself recapitulated thus: “absolute secrecy, meticulous care in the choice of members, creation of professional revolutionaries.” Tkachev, who died insane, makes the transition from nihilism to military socialism. He claimed to have created a Russian Jacobinism and yet only borrowed from the Jacobins their technique of action, since he, too, denied every principle and every virtue. An enemy of art and ethics, he reconciles the rational and the irrational only in tactics. His aim is to achieve human equality by seizure of the power of the State. If not the realization, secret organizations, revolutionary alliances, dictatorial powers for revolutionary leaders—these were the themes that defined the concept of the “apparatus” which was to enjoy so great and efficacious a success. As for the method itself, it is possible to form a fair idea of it when one learns that Tkachev proposed to suppress and eliminate all Russians over the age of twenty-five as incapable of assimilating new ideas. #RandolphHarris 4 of 29
A really inspired method, and one that was to prevail in the techniques of the modern super-State, where the fanatical education of children is carried on in the midst of a terrorized adult population. Caesarian socialism undoubtedly condemns individual terrorism to the extent that it revives values incompatible with the domination of historic reason. However, it will restore terror on the level of the State—with the creation of an ultimately deified humanity as its sole justification. We have come full circle here, and rebellion, cut off from its real roots, unfaithful to man in having surrendered to history, now contemplates the subjection of the entire universe. It is at this point that the era of Chigalevism begins—proclaimed, in The Possessed, by Verkhovensky, the nihilist who claims the right to choose dishonor. His is an unhappy and implacable mind and he chooses the will to power, which, in fact, alone is capable of reigning over history that has no other significance but itself. Chigalev, the philanthropist, is his guarantor; love of mankind will henceforth justify the enslavement of man. Possessed by the idea of equality, Chigalev, after long consideration, arrived at the despairing conclusion that only one system is possible, even though it is a system of despair. “Beginning with the premise of unlimited freedom, I arrived at the unlimited despotism.” This system of despair is how most people in modern times view the Democratic Party. #RandolphHarris 5 of 29
Complete freedom, which is the negation of everything, can only exist and justify itself by the creation of new values identified with the entire human race. If the creation of these values is postponed, humanity will tear itself to pieces. The shortest route to these new standards passes through total dictatorship, which is what Gavin Newsom, the Governor of California, and federal judges such as Sparkle Leah Sooknanan, Loren Alikhan, Deborah Boardman, and John Coughenar have planned for America. “One tenth of humanity will have the right to individuality and will exercise unlimited authority over the other nine tenths. The latter will lose their individuality and will become like a flock of sheep; compelled to passive obedience, they will be led back to original innocence and, so to speak, to the primitive paradise, where, nevertheless, they must work.” It is the government by philosophers of which the Utopians dream; philosophers of this type, quite simply, believe nothing. The kingdom has come, but it negates real rebellion, and is only concerned with the reign of “the Christs of violence,” to use the expression of an enthusiastic writer extolling the life and death of Ravachol. “The pope on high,” said Verkhovensky bitterly, “with us around him, and beneath us Chigalevism.” #RandolphHarris 6 of 29
The totalitarian theocrats of the twentieth century and State terrorism are thus announced. The new aristocracy and the grand inquisitors reign today, by making use of the rebellion of the oppressed, over one part of our history. Their reign is cruel, but they excuse their cruelty, like the Satan of the romantics, by claiming that it is hard for them to bear. “We reserve desire and suffering for ourselves; for the salves there is Chigalevism.” A new and somewhat hideous race of martyrs is now born. Their martyrdom consists in consenting to inflict suffering on others; they become the salves of their own domination. For man to become god, the victim must abase himself to the point of becoming the executioner. That is why both victim and executioner are equally despairing. Neither slavery nor power will any longer coincide with happiness; the masters will be morose and the slaves sullen. Saint-Just was right: it is a terrible thing to torment the people. If one has decided to make them gods, however, how can one avoid tormenting men? Just as Kirilov, who kills himself in order to become God, accepts seeing his suicide made use of by Verkhovensky’s “conspiracy,” so man’s deification by man breaks the bounds which rebellion, nevertheless, reveals, and thereby irrevocably commits itself to the labyrinth of tactics and terror from which history has not yet emerged. #RandolphHarris 7 of 29
It is important to study history because it offers an abundance of information about how people and societies behave. This can help us look out for dangerous situations that have happened in the past, being reflected in the present. Compared to the reality of everyday life, other realities appear as finite provinces of meaning, enclaves within the paramount reality marked by circumscribed meanings and modes of experience. The paramount reality envelops them on all sides, as it were, and consciousness always returns to the paramount reality as from an excursion. This is evident from the illustrations already given, as in the reality of dreams or that of theoretical thought. Similar “commutations” take place between the world of everyday life and the world of play, both the playing of children and, even more sharply, of adults. The theater provides an excellent illustration of such playing on the part of adults. The transition between realities is marked by the rising and falling of the curtain. As the curtain rises, the spectator is “transported to another world,” with its own meanings and an order that may or may not have much to do with the order of everyday life. As the curtain falls, the spectator “returns to reality,” that is, to the paramount reality of everyday life by comparison with which the reality presented on the stage now appears tenuous and ephemeral, however vivid the presentation may have been a few moments previously. Aesthetic and religious experience is rich in producing transitions of this kind, inasmuch as art and religion are endemic producers of finite provinces of meaning. #RandolphHarris 8 of 29
All finite provinces of meaning are characterized by a turning away of attention from the reality of everyday life. While there are, of course, shifts in attention within everyday life, the shift to a finite province of meaning is of a much more radical kind. A radical change takes place in the tension of consciousness. In the context of religious experience, this has been aptly called “leaping.” It is important to stress, however, that the reality of everyday life retains its paramount status even as such “leaps” take place. If nothing else, language makes sure of this. The common language available to me for the objectification of my experiences is grounded in everyday life and keeps pointing back to it even as I employ it to interpret experiences in finite provinces of meaning. Typically, therefore, I “distort” the reality of the latter as soon as I begin to use the common language in interpreting them, that is, I “translate” the non-everyday experiences back into the paramount reality of everyday life. This may be readily seen in terms of dreams, but is also typical of those trying to report about theoretical, aesthetic or religious worlds of meaning. The theoretical physicist tells us that his concept of space cannot be conveyed linguistically, just as the artist does with regard to the meaning of his creations and the mystic with regard to his encounters with the divine. #RandolphHarris 9 of 29
Yet all these—dreamer, physicist, artist, and mystic—also live in the reality of everyday life. Indeed, one of their important problems is to interpret the coexistence of this reality with the reality enclaves into which they have ventured. When we contrast neurotic self-accusations by contrasting them with the healthy conscience, the latter vigilantly guards the very best interests of our true self. It represents, to use Erich Fromm’s excellent term, “man’s recall to himself.” It is the reaction of our true self to the proper functioning or the malfunctioning of our total personality. Self-accusations, on the other hand, stem from neurotic pride and express the discontent of the proud self with the individual’s not measuring up to its requirements. They are not for his true self but directed against it, and are meant to crush it. The uneasiness, or the remorse coming from our conscience, can be eminently constructive because it can set in motion a constructive examination of what is wrong with a particular action or reaction, or even with our whole way of living. What happens when our conscience is disquieted differs from the neurotic process from the beginning. We try to face squarely the wrong done or the faulty attitude which has come to our attention, without magnifying or minimizing it. We try to find out what is responsible for it in ourselves and work toward overcoming it eventually, in whatever accessible ways. #RandolphHarris 10 of 29
Self-accusations, by contrast, issue a condemnatory verdict by declaring the whole personality to be no good. And with this verdict, they stop. This stopping at a point when a positive move could set in constitutes their intrinsic futility. To put it in most general terms, our conscience is a moral agency serving our growth, while self-accusations are amoral in origin and immoral in effect because they keep the individual from soberly examining his existing difficulties and thereby interfere with his human growth. The healthy conscience with the “authoritarian” conscience, which he defines as the “internalized fear of authority.” Actually, in its common use, the word “conscience” connotes three entirely different things: the unwitting inner submission to external authorities with the concomitant inner fear of discovery and punishment; the condemnatory self-accusations; and the constructive discontent with self. In my opinion, the name “conscience” should be reserved for the last one only. Self-hate expressed itself in self-contempt. This expression is an overall term for the manifold ways of undermining self-confidence: self-belittling, self-disparaging, self-doubting, self-discrediting, self-ridiculing. The distinction from self-accusation is a fine one. Certainly, it is not always possible to say whether a person feels guilty as a result of self-recrimination or inferior, worthless, or contemptible as a result of disparaging himself. #RandolphHarris 11 of 29
In such cases, we can with certainty say only that these are different ways of beating ourselves down. Yet, there are discernible distinctions between the ways in which these two forms of self-hate operate. Self-contempt is mainly directed against any striving for improvement or achievement. There are enormous differences in the degree of awareness to it. It may be hidden behind an imperturbable front of righteous arrogance. However, it may be felt and expressed directly. For instance, an attractive girl wanting to powder her nose in public found herself saying: “How ridiculous! Ugly duckling, trying to look pretty!” Again, an intelligent man whose interest was captivated by a psychological subject, and whose considered writing about it, remarked to himself: “You conceited ass, what makes you think you could write a paper on anything!” Even so, it would be erroneous to assume that people who are so open in their full significance. Other apparently frank comments may be less openly vicious—may indeed be witty and humorous. As I said before, these are more difficult to evaluate. They may be the expression of a greater freedom from a stultifying pride, but they may instead be simply an unconscious face-saving device. To be more explicit: they may protect the pride and save the individual from succumbing to his self-contempt. Self-discrediting attitudes can easily be observed, although they may be praised as “modesty” by others and felt to be such by the person himself. #RandolphHarris 12 of 29
Thus, a person, after having taken good care of a sick relative, may think or say: “That’s the least I could do.” Another may discount praise for being a good storyteller by thinking: “I do that merely to impress people.” A physician may ascribe a cure to good luck or to the patient’s vitality. However, conversely, if the patient did not improve, he would consider it his failure. Moreover, although self-contempt may not be recognized, certain resultant fears are often fairly transparent—to others. Thus, many well-informed people do not speak up in discussions because they are afraid of appearing ridiculous. Naturally, such disavowing or discrediting of assets and achievements is pernicious to the development of recovery of self-confidence. Lastly, in subtle and gross ways, self-contempt shows in the whole behavior. People may place insufficient value upon their time, their work done or to be done, their wishes, opinions, convictions. Of the same sort are those who have seemingly lost the capacity to take seriously anything that they do, say, or feel and who are astonished if others do. They develop a cynical attitude toward themselves which may in turn extend to the world in general. More conspicuously, self-contempt is apparent in an abject, obsequious, or apologetic behavior. Just as in other forms of self-hate, the self-berating may appear in dreams. And it may show at times when it is still remote from the dreamer’s conscious mind. He may present himself through the symbol of a cesspool, some loathsome creature (a cockroach, say, or a gorilla), a gangster, a ridiculous clown. He may dream of houses with a pompous façade but inside as messy as a pigsty, of houses dilapidated beyond repair, of his having pleasures of the flesh with some low, despicable partner, of somebody making a fool of himself in public, et cetera. #RandolphHarris 13 of 29
Patients who have had a proprietary therapy, or who have been to several previous therapists, usually come on like “professional patients.” There are three criteria which give the diagnosis of “professional patient.” One is that Jeff uses long words and diagnoses himself, the second is that he refers to his pathology as “childish” or “immature,” and the third is that he looks solemn throughout the interview. By the end of the second visit, if he is one, he should be told that he is a professional patient, and instructed to stop using long words. Since he is well aware of the situation, it is only necessary to say: “You’re a professional patient, and I think you should give it up. Stop using long words and speak English.” If this is done properly, he will stop using long words very quickly and start to speak English, except that now he will talk in clichés. He is then told to stop using clichés and talk like a real person. By this time, he will have stopped looking solemn and will smile or even laugh occasionally. He can then be told that he is no longer a professional patient, but a real person with some psychiatric symptoms. He should also understand by this time that his Child is here to stay, and is not “childish” or “immature” in the stuffy senses of the words, but is confused, and that beneath the confusion is all the charm and spontaneity and creativity of an actual child. The progression here should be noted: from couch-broken preconscious Child to cliché-throwing Parent to straight-talking Adult. #RandolphHarris 14 of 29
The treatment of young patients who are neither children, adolescents, nor adults are characterized by a specific exaggeration of trends met with in all therapies. Young patients (as well as extraordinary young people) make rather total demands on themselves and on their environment. They insist on daily confirming themselves and on being confirmed either in their meaningful future or in their senseless past; in some absolute virtue or in a radical state of vice; in the growth of their uniqueness or in abysmal self-loss. Young people in severe trouble are not fit for the couch: they want to face you, and they want you to face them, not as a facsimile of a parent, or wearing the mask of a professional helper, but as the kind of overall individual a young person can live by or will despair of. When suddenly confronted with such a conflicted young person, the psychoanalyst may learn for the first time what facing a face, rather than facing a problem, really means—and I daresay, Dr. Staupitz, Martin’s spiritual mentor, would know what I have in mind. In the treatment of young people, furthermore, it is impossible to ignore what they are busy doing or not doing in their work life or in their unofficial avocations. Probably the most neglected problem in psychoanalysis is the problem of work, in theory as well as in practice: as if the dialectic of the history of ideas had ordered a system of psychological thought which would as resolutely ignore the way in which the individual and his group make a living as Marxism ignores introspective psychology and makes a man’s economic position the fulcrum of his acts and thoughts. #RandolphHarris 15 of 29
Decades of case histories have omitted the work histories of the patients or have treated their occupation as a seemingly irrelevant area of life in which data could be disguised with the greatest impunity. Yet, therapeutic experiments with the work life of hospitalized young patients indicate that patients in a climate of self-help, of planful work, and of communal association can display an adaptive resourcefulness which seemed absent only because our theories and beliefs decreed that it be absent. This is part of the wider problem, now being discussed in a large part of the psychiatric and sociological literature, of how much psychiatry has tended to make patienthood a self-defining, self-limiting role prison, within which the development of the patient’s stunted capacities is as clearly prevented, by the mere absence of systematic stimulation and opportunity, as if they were profusely forbidden. Such discoveries make it obvious that clinical methods are subject to a refinement of technique and a clarification of theory only to a point; beyond this point they are subject to ideological trends even as it inadvertently influences the intellectual and literary climate, if and when and where history makes use of it. Maybe, then, a clinical science of the human mind will eventually demand a special historical self-awareness on the part of the clinical worker and scholar. As the historian Collingwood put it: “History is the life of mind itself which is not mind except so far as it both lives in the historical process and knows itself as so living.” Psychoanalysis has gone to the opposite extreme and developed a kind of originology—a term which describes a habit of thinking that reduces every human situation to an analogy with an earlier one, and most of all to that earliest, simplest, and most infantile precursor which is assumed to be its “origin.” Psychoanalysis has tended to subordinate the later stages of life to those of childhood. It has risen to the rank of a cosmology, the undeniable fact that man’s adulthood contains a persistent childishness: that vistas of the future always reflect the mirages of a missed past, that apparent progression can harbor partial regressions, and firm accomplishments, hidden childish fulfillment. #RandolphHarris 16 of 29
In exclusively studying what is repetition and regression, and perseveration in human life, we have learned more about the infantile in the adult than was ever before known. We have thus prepared an ethical reorientation in human life which centers on the preservation of those early energies which man, in the very service of his higher values, is apt to suppress, exploit, or waste. In each treatment, and in all our applications, this reorientation governs our conscious intentions. To formulate them on an historically valid scale, however, it is necessary to realize that the psychopathologist, called upon to treat in theory and practice the passions, anxieties, and rages of the race, will always have to make some kind of convincing philosophy out of a state of partial knowledge; while neurotic patients and panicky people in general are so starved for beliefs that they will fanatically spread among the unbelievers what are often as yet quite shaky convictions. We must learn a little logic because we ought to bring our judgments into proper connection with our premises, and because we ought to test the reality of their implications. If we begin our quest of truth with any assumption, at the end we gain nothing new, nothing which was not already there in the beginning. And when we then remember that we started with a mere belief, we realize that there is and can be no certainty about or final conclusions, no matter how rigidly logical we have been during the journey. We begin with imagination and end with it. This is not philosophy, but poetry. There is no other road for genuine philosophy than to depend on facts, not on presuppositions. #RandolphHarris 17 of 29
Subconsciously, fearing to look at the facts as they are, he becomes an innocent at large. If the facts are distasteful, his imagination will adulterate them to suit his palate. If this cannot be done, his devoted service to an imperfect theory will submerge them altogether. After the September 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon, hundreds of emergency responders converged on the scene, as they would for any fire in their jurisdiction. Because the Pentagon was a high-level security military building that had just been the victim of a major terrorist attack, security was heightened to an unprecedented level. Many responders had difficulty entering the scene. The emergency responders were then forced into the role of trying to verify who they were and who had the authority to be there. It became apparent that some sort of credentialing would be necessary to prevent security issues in the future. Besides using them for entry into emergency scenes, credentials have the potential to make several aspects of emergency services safer and easier. Incident commanders can quickly ascertain whether responders have the training to complete a task, making the scene safer. The possibilities of secure access into some buildings in our jurisdictions or accountability at a fire scene are not out of the question. Several years ago, on his rounds in a store basement, a night watchman spotted smoke coming from a storeroom near the freight elevator on the west side of the building. He opened the door to find the room to be a mass of flames. He left the basement and called the fire department. The fire immediately jumped out of the room and went right up the elevator shaft, spreading quickly to the first and second floors of the store. #RandolphHarris 18 of 29
The third floor quickly filled with smoke and heat, which had begun to shatter large plate-glass windows as firemen arrived. As the firemen attacked the fire in the basement, the fire had made its way to the attic and breached the roof. A complicated problem now became a desperate situation as the fire began to eat its way across the roof of the huge building. The men fought the roof fire from the ground, but the spray was not extinguishing the flames. The flames were now threatening the entire roof. Once the firemen reached the roof, they were able to put out the fire before it destroyed much of the structure. While the battle for the roof was going on, a hose was pulled towards the seat of the fire on the first floor near the elevator shaft. As men were setting up in the building, the building’s sprinkler system engaged and knocked down the fire near the shaft on all three floors. The shaft itself continued to rage with fire, as it did not have sprinklers. However, the flooding of water in the rest of the building helped the firemen to move in and extinguish the flames. The battle in the basement was a tough fight before the sprinklers activated and assisted the firefighters in driving the fire back into the storeroom. The elevator shaft smoldered for several hours with hotspots found between all floors. By the grace of God, no injuries were reported. However, the store suffered millions of dollars in damage. Ironically, the majority of the damage was not from the fire or the smoke. Water from the sprinkler system had done the most damage. #RandolphHarris 19 of 29
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 19 of 29
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 20 of 29
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 is cutting 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 border 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 risk 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 21 of 29
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 are merely the product of property and authority. #RandolphHarris 22 of 29
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 23 of 29
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 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 24 of 29
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 25 of 29
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 26 of 29
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 27 of 29
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 28 of 29
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. As of 31 August 2025, President Trump has brought $8 Billion in Tariff revenue into America and hundreds of thousands of new jobs. 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 fullness 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 29 of 29
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
At Millhaven Homes our professionals bring extensive experience in creating custom luxury properties. Your needs are the central focus. We savor the sanctuary of awe-inspiring spaces, unique architectural details and fine craftsmanship. The key to a successful relationship is communication. We will incorporate your thoughts and ideas into your new home.
With vast experience in all types of custom home construction, our premier services are created for you, so you can get the most out of the function and design of your dream home. Discover Millhaven Homes today. Let us design and build a custom home that reflects your style, comfort, and aspirations. We are here to bring your vision to life with creativity, care, and attention to every detail.
Each home we create is a masterpiece—crafted with care, harmony, and sophistication. Be sure to ask about our legendary “Costco” door. https://millhavenhomes.com/
The World of Everyday Life is Taken for Granted
The world of everyday life is not only taken for granted as reality by ordinary members of society in the subjectively meaningful conduct of their lives. It is a world that originates in their thoughts and actions, and is maintained as real by these. Common sense contains innumerable pre- and quasi-scientific interpretations about everyday reality, which it takes for granted. Suppose we are to describe the reality of common sense. In that case, we must refer to these interpretations, just as we must take account of their taken-for-granted character—but we do so with phenomenological brackets. Consciousness is always intentional; it always intends or is directed toward objects. We can never apprehend some putative substratum of consciousness as such, only consciousness of something or other. This is so regardless of whether the object of consciousness is experienced as belonging to an external physical world or apprehended as an element of an inward subjective reality. Whether I (the first-person singular, here as in the following illustrations, standing for ordinary self-consciousness in everyday life) am viewing the panorama of New York City or whether I become conscious of an inner anxiety, the process of consciousness involved is intentional in both instances. The point need not be belabored that the consciousness of The Winchester Mystery House differs from the awareness of anxiety. #RandolphHarris 1 of 25
A detailed phenomenological analysis would uncover the various layers of experience and the different structures of meaning involved in, say, being bitten by a dog, remembering having been bitten by a dog, having a phobia about all dogs, and so forth. What interests us here is the common intentional character of all consciousness. Different objects present themselves to consciousness as constituents of different spheres of reality. I recognize the fellowmen I must deal with during everyday life as a reality quite different from the disembodied figures that appear in my dreams. The two sets of objects introduce quite different tensions into my consciousness, and I am attentive to them in quite different ways. My consciousness, then, can move through different spheres of reality. Put differently, I am conscious of the world as consisting of multiple realities. As I move from one reality to another, I experience the transition as a kind of shock. This shock is to be understood as caused by the shift in attentiveness that the transition entails. Waking up from a dream illustrates this shift most simply. Among the multiple realities, there is one that presents itself as the reality par excellence. This is the reality of every day life. Its privileged position entitles it to designation of paramount reality. The tension of consciousness is highest in everyday life, that is, the latter imposes itself upon consciousness in the most massive, urgent, and intense manner. It is impossible to ignore, difficult even to weaken in its imperative. #RandolphHarris 2 of 25
Consequently, it forces me to be attentive to it in the fullest way. I experience everyday life in the state of being wide-awake. This wide-awake state of existing in and apprehending the reality of everyday life is taken by me to be normal and self-evident; that is, it constitutes my natural attitude. I apprehend the reality of everyday life as an ordered reality. Its phenomena are prearranged and impose themselves upon the latter. The reality of everyday life appears already objectified, that is, constituted by an order of objects that have been designated as objects before my appearance on the scene. The language used in everyday life continuously provides me with the necessary objectifications and posits the order within which these make sense and within which everyday life has meaning for me. I live in a place that is geographically designated; I employ tools, from can openers to sports cars, which are designated in the technical vocabulary of my society; I live within a web of human relationships, from my chess club to the United States of America, which are also ordered by means of vocabulary. In this manner, language marks the co-ordinates of my life in society and fills that life with meaningful objects. Genuine charismatic situations quickly give way to incipient institutions, which emerge from the cooling off of extraordinary states of devotion and fervor. #RandolphHarris 3 of 25
Emphasis upon the “sovereignty of the charismatic man” does not minimize the mechanics of institutions; on the contrary, by tracing out the routinization of charisma, this assigns a heavy causal weight to institutional routines. Thus, we retain a social determinism by emphasizing charisma’s routinization. The way this problem is handled testifies to our constant endeavor to maintain a casual pluralism and to bring the economic order into the balance. Those who, in the contemptuous view of youth consolidated in technological expansion, are the “peaceniks,” are the humanists whose style of consolidation also includes quite old-fashioned sentiments and ideal (in appearance, they often seem to be emerging from an underground medieval town) while it is hospitable to ideals of civil disobedience and nonviolence which in their modern form originated (but by no means ended) with Jesus Christ. Here, opposition to thoughtless mechanization goes together with a dislike of regimentation and of the military kind of enthusiasm, and with a sensitive awareness of the existential individuality of anyone in the range of gun sight. This and the technocratic view must obviously oppose and repel each other, for the acceptance of even a part of one view causes a slide leading to a reconversion of the whole configuration of images. Often, therefore, these two views face one another as if the other were the enemy, although he may be brother, friend—or oneself at a different stage of one’s own life. #RandolphHarris 4 of 25
Seventy five years ago, we related identity problems with much hesitation (for the term was then highly suspect) to the ideological needs of youth, ascribing, in fact, much acute confusion to a kind of ideological undernourishment on the part of those youths who had come too late to share either the military fervor of the world wars “over there” or the radicalism of the first postwar years over here. American youth, we said, was anti-ideological, glorifying instead a “way of life”—and a comfortable one. We were afraid, of course, that the “materialist” trend so vastly reinforced by technology would find little balance in a youth to whom all ideology had become political and foreign, the more so since McCarthyism had succeeded in creating in almost all Americans a fear of radical thinking amounting to a traumatic transformation of a previously cherished identity into a negative one. Since then, some American youths have proven themselves in the civil rights movement as well as in the Peace Corps, showing that they can accept unaccustomed hardship and discipline when moved by a convincing ideological trend applied to universal needs. In fact, in such universal matters as the opposition to unrestricted armament or to a thoughtless consent to the acceleration of the war in Vietnam, youth have proven more foresighted than many, many adults. To the horror of a parent generation brainwashed by McCarthyism they have reinstated some of their own parents’ abandoned ideals. #RandolphHarris 5 of 25
However, only after having discussed, as far as my conceptual means permit, the majority of youth who derive a certain strength of identity from the whole ideological package of technological expansion, can I discuss our new-humanist youth from a more balanced viewpoint. Does not an interplay between a new dominant class of specialists—those who “know what they are doing”—and an intense new group of universalists—those who “mean what they are saying”—always determine the identity possibilities of an age? And those who mean it often care deeply for and become the champions of a third group—those who have been left behind by all concerned. In our time, these are the technologically or educationally underprivileged who are cut off from all ideologies because of a lack of capacity or opportunity, or (of course) both. In revolutionary times, then, the overprivileged and the underprivileged often reach out to each other, both being marginal to the vast consolidation of the “compact majority.” The more mature among our new young humanists are seeking a common denominator in human life—some kind of worldwide identity bridging affluence and underdevelopment. For some individuals who might otherwise have rebelled unfruitfully or withdrawn completely, the capacity to employ their conflict in a socially relevant and activist movement undoubtedly had potential therapeutic value. At the same time, it seems clear that the “therapeutic” as well as the political value of all these groups depends on the vitality of their communal potential—and on the discipline and inventiveness of their leaders. #RandolphHarris 6 of 25
The protests of humanist youth range from romantic Edwardians and jazzy Wandervogeltum to the deeply committed “New Left,” and to an identification with naked heroism anywhere in the world where “machines” threaten to crush man’s will. They range, in other words, from a reactionary resistance to all machine conformity to a reformulation of human rights and dignities in an irreversibly technological future. If they seem perplexed and sometimes bizarre in the light of these demands, we should remind ourselves that it was the tradition of enlightenment which, taking a stable middle class or a liberal world for granted, opened all values to ruthless inquiry. Now, the young must experiment with what is left of the “enlightened” and “analyzed” world. The psychoanalytic enlightenment, for example, assumed that infantile sexuality and perversions could be brought to public attention with an advocacy of enlightened judgment as a replacement for age-old repression. Now, perversions, as, indeed, all kinds of perversity, must find their own limits of attractiveness in print and deed. Therefore, only a relative freedom of experimentation can find its own correction where the parental combination of radical enlightenment and old-fashioned morality has failed. Yet, the search for youth, I believe, is not for all-permissibility, but rather for new ways of directly facing up to what truly counts. #RandolphHarris 7 of 25
To the patient’s Child (the immature part of the personality), the therapist is a magician of sorts. He is likely to choose the same kind of magical figure that he knew in childhood. In some families, the revered figure is the family doctor, a medical man; in others, the revered is the clergyman. Some doctors and clergymen are serious figures out of tragedy, like Tiresians, who will tell them the bad news and perhaps give them a cantrap, amulet, or draught for salvation; others are jolly green giants who protect children from harm by comforting them and reassuring them, and flexing their giant muscles. When Jeder grows up, he will usually look for help from a similar person. If his experience was unhappy, however, he may rebel and find some other kind of magic. One puzzle is why people choose psychologists to fill this role in their scripts, since comparatively few people so far have had a friendly neighborhood psychologist as the family magician in early childhood. From a fairy-tale point of view, the therapist is the dwarf, the witch, the fish, the fox, or the bird who gives Jeder the magic means to attain his ends: the seven-league boots, the cloak of invisibility, the magic chest that produces on command gold or tables laden with cakes and dainties, or some apotropaion to ward off evil. #RandolphHarris 8 of 25
Roughly speaking, the patient can choose between three kinds of magic in selecting a therapist, and he can select each one for success or for failure. If his script requires that, he can also play one against the other. These are known as “science,” “chicken soup,” and “religion.” Any profession can offer all three, but typically, a certain type of psychologist offers “modern science,” a certain type of pastoral counselor offers “religion.” If occasion demands, a well-trained therapist in each of these professions is prepared to offer any of them, and some offer two in combination. Science and religion, chicken soup and science, or religion and chicken soup, are common farragoes for the patient who seeks more than one kind of magic. The practical difference between “science,” “chicken soup,” and “religion,” on the other hand, and a scientific, supportive, and religious approach to therapy is in knowing when to stop. The therapists who use the first three do not know when to stop, since each one’s brand of magic is part of his own script, while those who use the last three do know when to stop, because they know what they are doing. The first group is playing, “I am Only Trying to Help You,” while the others are helping people. Usually, the neurotic seizes avidly upon situational difficulties or misfortunes for the purpose of exonerating himself: he did all he could; he was, to make a long story short, simply wonderful. However, the others, the whole situation, or accidental mishaps spoiled it all. #RandolphHarris 9 of 25
While these two attitudes superficially look like opposites, the similarities are, strangely enough, greater than the differences. In both ways, the attention is diverted from subjective factors and focused on the externals. To them is ascribed the decisive influence on happiness and success. The function in both is to ward off the onslaughts of self-condemnation for not being one’s idealized self. In the instances mentioned, other neurotic factors also interfered with being the ideal mother or with having a brilliant career as an actor. The woman at that time was too consumed with her own problems to be a consistently good mother; the actor had certain inhibitions against making necessary contacts and competing for a job. Both were to some extent aware of these difficulties, but they mentioned them casually, forgot about them, or subtly embellished them. In a happy-go-lucky person, this would not strike us as peculiar. However, in our two instances—which are typical in this regard—there is a simply stunning discrepancy between a gingerly dealing with their shortcomings on the one hand and merciless, unreasoning self-accusations for occurrences outside their control on the other. If we are not aware of their significance, such discrepancies may easily escape observation. #RandolphHarris 10 of 25
They contain an important clue for understanding the dynamics of self-condemnation. They point to a self-recrimination for personal flaws so severe that the person must resort to self-protective measures. And they use two such measures: to treat themselves in a gingerly way and to shift responsibility to circumstances. The question remains why, with this latter move, they fail better in getting rid of self-accusations, at least in their conscious minds? The answer is simply that they do not feel that these outside factors are outside their control. Or, more accurately, they should not be out of control. Consequently, everything that goes wrong reflects on them and shows them up in their disgraceful limitations. Persons’ self-concepts represent what they believe to be true about their own personalities. Their conscience grows out of an idealized view of how they ought to be. Humans have the capacity to select their actions and their speech, to influence the experience others will have on them. Typically, a person wishes to believe that he or she is law-abiding, highly moral, and possesses other traits that evoke a favorable impression. The layperson’s term for the public self is wanted reputation. Everyone strives to construct a reputation with respect to their typical behavior, id est, they choose their behavior before other persons so these others will form the beliefs that they want them to form. #RandolphHarris 11 of 25
Almost everyone distinguishes between their “public” life and their “private” life. Ordinarily, only those persons an individual trusts are allowed to observe the full range of that individual’s behavior repertoire. Outsiders are permitted to observe only the “expurgated” edition of behavior. This connection is akin to “on-stage” behavior, as opposed to backstage or off-stage behavior. The most important reason for constructing public selves of various sorts is expedience. It is only when others believe certain things to be true of you that they will like you, marry you, give you jobs, refrain from imprisoning you, and appoint you to public office, buy things at your store, and consult you professionally. If, for any reason, other people believe undesirable things to be true of you, they will ostracize you, jail you, and so on. A person may construct highly diversified public selves, depending upon his or her goals. The young man seeking a spouse strives to behave in ways that the woman will be likely to value and approve. He does not allow her to see the rest of his behavior, which may vary tremendously from the censored version of the person she does not see. The construction of public selves resembles the art of sculpture. A sculptor manipulates clay, then steps back to see whether the statue being created resembles the image the sculptor has in mind. If it does not, he or she continues to work at it, until by successive approximations the sculptor has brought into reality something that hitherto existed only as a preferred idea or image. #RandolphHarris 12 of 25
By the same token, persons may hold images of their own personalities that they want to construct in the mind of another person. Instead of clay, they employ their own carefully selected behavior and conversation. From time to time, the audience will offer feedback, indicating how they have been seen. If the way they are being seen does not yet coincide with the preferred image, the individuals engage in more behavior and talking until they are assured by the other’s responses that they are now seen as they wish to be seen. Persons may “slip” during the process of constructing, or living up to, a given public self. They may want their audience to believe one thing about them, say, that they are morally scrupulous, yet they may forget themselves and use obscene language, and destroy the image they were seeking to create. Such experiences produce embarrassment, to say the least. The reading public has an insatiable curiosity for details that conflict with the public selves of newsworthy people. The actual way to deal with facts is not to ignore them but to meet and master them. The happiness gained from the first will always be illusory, whereas that gained from the second will always be genuine. Philosophy is not interested in twilight-gropings for occult phantoms or deceptive speculatings to exercise fancy. It seeks and accepts only verifiable facts. However, observation must be unprejudiced, sharp, and intelligent to produce the facts, and facts are apt to be obstinate and intractable. #RandolphHarris 13 of 25
One of the most misused terms in fire and emergency medical services is accident, which is sometimes defined as an occurrence with tragic results that could not be predicted or prevented. One example would be if you were suddenly struck by a bolt of lightning. However, if the weather forecaster had warned of the lightning storm this afternoon and you chose to stay on the golf course, it would not be an accident anymore. In fact, there are very few vehicle accidents, tragic accidents, or even accidental fires. They may be unintentional, but usually they are predictable and preventable. The best time to catch an unsafe act is before it happens. One morning, a police officer was patrolling and he noticed flames issuing from the roof of a shop. He immediately called the fire department. The fire department quickly arrived on scene, but was forced to sit and watch the building burn, as a water supply problem prevented any extinguishment of the fire. A water main had gone unrepaired, which caused the fire hydrant to have a capacity issue. The entire building was in flames before the fire department could get water on the conflagration. Fire spread to a house, which was adjoined to a building. The building was a complete loss. Other buildings on the street were consumed, including another home and a two-story building. A brick residence caught fire, but thanks to the firemen, only the roof of the kitchen and veranda were burned. Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from further spreading. #RandolphHarris 14 of 25
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 15 of 25
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 16 of 25
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 17 of 25
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 18 of 25
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 19 of 25
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 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 20 of 25
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 21 of 25
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 22 of 25
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 23 of 25
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 24 of 25
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. As of 31 August 2025, President Trump has brought $8 Billion in Tariff revenue into America and hundreds of thousands of new jobs. 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 25 of 25
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
Ascent at Montelena
11977 Cobble Brook Drive, Rancho Cordova, California 95742
4 Home Design(s) Available
Experience modern designs and affordability in our upcoming new homes for sale. Ascent at Montelena in Rancho Cordova is near major employers and premier shopping.
- $625,990 Starting From
- 3-7 Bedrooms
- 2.5-5 Bathrooms
- 2-3 Car Garage
No matter who you are or where you are, instinct tells you to go a Pulte Home. Ask Mr. Ethan, I can verify this is true. I went to look at a home, and they were closed and I found myself at a Pulte Home, and was greeted and treat with respect. https://www.pulte.com/homes/california/sacramento/rancho-cordova/ascent-at-montelena-210916/plan-4-694486
Heavenly Father, please guide our steps as a nation. With grace and great discernment, lead us in the direction that aligns with Your will. Please grant America the strength to overcome challenges and persevere in our endeavors. Lord, let Your favor be upon us. Open doors of opportunity and bless the work of our hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Happy 250 Years, America.
Welcome to the Golden Age of America!
I am confident that we will literally be called upon to make an account before God concerning how we have used [our resources] to bless lives and build the kingdom. Accepting responsibility is not always easy. It can be tempting to try to shift blame or make excuses. However, doing so will only prevent us from learning from our mistakes and growing as individuals. When we accept responsibility for our actions, we take ownership of our mistakes and commit to doing better in the future. There are many benefits to accepting responsibility. First, it allows us to learn from our mistakes. When we take ownership of our mistakes, we can begin to understand what went wrong and how we can avoid making the same mistakes in the future. Second, accepting responsibility builds trust. When others see that we are willing to take responsibility for our actions, they are more likely to trust us and believe that we are genuine. Third, accepting responsibility can help us to feel better about ourselves. When we know that we have done wrong, it can weigh heavily on our conscience. However, when we accept responsibility and take steps to make things right, we can start to feel better about ourselves and move on from our mistakes. However, Ordinary blameworthiness is robust; it is not undermined by consideration of formative circumstances. It is only the realm of detached blame that is shrinking as we conceptualize more things as illness, and perhaps that is no bad thing: our talk of evil usually does not bring much of value to anything. #RandolphHarris 1 of 30
Ordinary blame depends on a shared moral community. Once we enter the realm of detached blame, we have already taken a step away from genuine interpersonal engagement. Someone who is not part of our moral community is not eligible for ordinary blame; our attitude towards them can only be a sort of detached blame: it cannot involve normative expectations, gratitude, or resentment. In detached blame, we stand back and disapprove, disdain, despise, disavow; we do not engage, or at least, not with the aim of reciprocity. Detached blame can involve a modification of the relationship, but in a one-sided way: we avoid such people, and not just for prudential reasons, it is done for its own sake. Detached blame can be fierce, but it can also be undermined. Reflecting on the way that an agent was caused to be the way they are draws us towards the truly objective stance. When we see people from a truly objective stance, we cease to see them as agents at all, and the notion of blame becomes inapplicable. There are many ways to make amends. Sometimes, the best way to make amends is to simply apologize. A sincere apology can go a long way in healing relationships and restoring trust. In other cases, we may need to do more than just apologize. We may need to make amends by offering to fix the damage that we have caused, or by providing support to the person we have wronged. #RandolphHarris 2 of 30
Making amends can be a difficult and humbling experience. However, it is also an incredibly rewarding one. When we make amends, we not only restore harmony in our relationships, but we also heal ourselves. By taking responsibility for our actions and making amends, we can move on from our mistakes and create a more positive and fulfilling life. Therefore, be honest with yourself. The first step to accepting responsibility is to be honest with yourself about your mistakes. This means acknowledging that you made a mistake and understanding the impact of your actions. Apologize sincerely. Once you have accepted responsibility for your actions, the next step is to apologize sincerely to the person you have wronged. Your apology should be genuine and heartfelt. It should not be conditional or full of excuses. Many say that the gospel is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comforted. However, the rich, the poor, and all of us in between have things that we need to overcome. When it comes to overcoming being greedy, selfish, and overly indulgent, we all need a lot more help. President Trump said: “The worst fear I have about these people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and Hos people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church. My greater fear is that they cannot stand wealth.” Our prosperity brings some real challenges because many are getting rich, more of us are waxing fat, and because of greed, selfishness, and overindulgence, we could lose the Spirit and literally lose our souls. #RandolphHarris 3 of 30
Money and material things are on the minds of almost everyone. The great question of the twenty-first century is, “How can I acquire wealth?” No question occupies a larger place in the minds and hearts of people today than this. This is true of men in every situation in every walk of life. Money, in and of itself, is not an evil. However, as Pau taught Timothy, it is the love of money that is the root of all evil. There are some of the wealthy who deal with their prosperity very well, using their resources to bless others and build the kingdom. For many, however, wealth presents major difficulties. As we deal with the materialism that threatens us, there are some things we need to consider. Belonging to a perpetrator group can induce a distressing threat to the collective moral identity of the community. A victim sees the group that they belong to as being in a disadvantaged position of the self or the ingroup, and the perception of the disadvantage as unfair, and believes that better conditions are deserved (for the self or the ingroup), thereby provoking anger and resentment because there were no cries of alarm, no disapproval and virtually no support. Nonetheless, as humanitarian witnesses, we expect victims to feel bad. In fact, that is sometimes why people are victimized. When people are viewed as superior, having an advantage, being successful and virtuous, those without power or authority want these individuals to suffer. Victims, as a result, feel the same kind of rancor appropriate to those who are unjustly punished. #RandolphHarris 4 of 30
However, many victims of injustice continue to see themselves as unlucky, compared to other potential victims, without feeling any resentment toward perpetrators and beneficiaries. Some victims feel lost. Being lost, having losses, losing—as negative states, these are all ways of feeling bad. So, too, are forms of trauma associated with the infliction of violence, pain, or both, of which the victim seems presently unaware. Victims who do not yet feel bad are often said to be traumatized. When trauma is present, the mind becomes split or dissociated and is unable to register the memory of the event. As a result, the traumatized individual is unable to consciously recollect and integrate the traumatic experience and is haunted by intrusive memories. The experience of trauma becomes frozen in time: it is not represented as past, but rather reexperience repeatedly as a traumatic event in the present. High levels of emotional activation can lead to strong conditioned responses while also impairing the memory processes. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a timeless phenomenon that interrupts the ordinary continuum of the past, present, and future. In PTSD patients, intense memories of the trauma coexist with disorganized and incomplete narrative memory. The most common kind of recall of traumatic memories consists of flashbacks, which are usually vivid and yet involve a disruption of the sense of time. They are usually triggered involuntarily and imply the person’s avoidance of stimuli that can be reminders of the trauma. Trauma is timelessly preserved in memory—a fact that might account for the long-term effects of PTSD. Trauma is not part of a declarative or narrative memory, but remains implicit and non-declarative, encoded in bodily memories and conditioned responses lying outside the verbal domain of cognitive function. #RandolphHarris 5 of 30
By far, the most common contributor to suicide is the strain in social relationships. There can be no question that life insurance to the would-be suicide victim’s beneficiaries may be an advantage rather than a loss. The Metropolitan Life, during 1923, paid out $24,738,900.47 (2025 inflation-adjusted) on account of suicide claims against $9,001,439.60 (2025 inflation-adjusted). In four years, the company had paid out $15,737,406.87 million, suggestive of the pecuniary interests that some people have in not supporting victims of crime. Suicide is quite profitable for some people. What is fueling the culture of victimizing and terrorizing people is not only to make oneself feel superior, but also avarice or greed. Avarice is defined as an excessive, unsatisfying, and insatiable desire for wealth or gain. If you have hundreds, you are not satisfied until you get thousands, and when you get thousands, you are not satisfied until you get millions, and as soon as you get millions, of course, now you want billions. And so not only is it greed that is the driving force behind the notorious victimization of strangers, our friends, and even our families, but it is also the driving force of the American economy. Our banks and investment firms are all driven by greed, and when their greed gets them in trouble and their profits are marginalized, the federal government rides in on a $700 billion bailout horse to rescue these greedy corporations. For greedy families, they can simply hope and pray for one to get sick and capitalize on a life insurance policy, or they can try to kill a family member off or push that person to suicide. And that is why some families sit back and watch their relatives suffer, while offering no assistance. #RandolphHarris 6 of 30
Nearly every therapist likes to think that the patient chose him and his profession because, in this choice at least, he was rational, intelligent, and discriminating, no matter how confused he might be about everything else. This feeling of being chosen on merit—the merit of one’s profession and personal merit as well—is a healthy one, and is one of the rewards of our vocation. Every therapist, therefore, is entitled to bask in it and to enjoy it to the utmost—for about five or seven minutes. After that, if he wants the patient to get well, he should put it on the shelf with his other trophies and his diplomas and forget it permanently. Dr. Q may be a very good therapist, and he may have the diplomas and the reputation and the patients to confirm it. He may think that is the reason the patients come to him, or the patient may tell him so. He should be sobered, however, by the thought of all the patients who do not choose him. According to the available statistics, forty-two percent of troubled people go first to their clergyman, and not to a psychiatrist, and nearly all the rest go to their family doctors. And only about one patient out of five disturbed people do not choose psychiatry as their treatment, even though in almost all cases it is available at the state hospital, if nowhere else. In addition, a very large percentage of patients who have a choice deliberately choose the second-best therapist rather than the best, and a quite large percentage choose the worst. #RandolphHarris 7 of 30
The same thing happens in other branches of medicine. It is also well known that many people spend more money destroying themselves with liquor, drugs, and gambling than they would on the psychotherapy that might save them. Given a free choice, the patient will choose a therapist according to the needs of his script. In some places, he has no choice but must go to the local witch doctor, shaman, warlock, sorcerer, or angakok. In other places, he has a choice between a traditional doctor and a modern one, and will choose the magic of tradition or the magic of science according to local custom and political pressure. In China and India, traditional and modern approaches are often combined, as in the mental hospitals in Madras where Ayur-Vedic medicine and Yoga exercises were used in conjunction with modern treatments for psychoses. In many cases, his choice is forced by financial considerations. In America, most patients do not have a free choice of therapists, but are referred or assigned by various “authorities” to one type or another: psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric social workers, psychiatric nurses, counselors, and even sociologists. A patient in a clinic, social agency, mental hospital, or government hospital may be assigned to any of these professions. A schoolboy is sent to the school counselor, and a person on probation is sent to a probation officer who may have no therapeutic training at all. If the patient has no prior knowledge or fantasies about psychotherapy and he likes his first therapist, he will often favor that therapist’s profession if he seeks treatment elsewhere. #RandolphHarris 8 of 30
It is in private practice where free choice does exist that the “scripty” selections begin to emerge, particularly in the choice between psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, psychologists, and psychiatric social workers, and between the competent and the incompetent members of these professions. Christian Scientists, for example, if they do go to a medical therapist, often choose a less competent one, since their scripts prohibit them from being cured by a medical person. There are also subdivisions and schools in these professions to choose from. Among psychiatrists, for example, there are types colloquially called “shock treaters,” “drug-givers,” “shrinks,” and hypnotists, and if the patient makes his own choice among these, as he often does, he will choose the one that suits his script. If he is referred by the family doctor, the doctor may well choose the one that fits in with his own script. This is most clearly seen when the patient seeks or is referred to a hypnotist. If he calls a psychiatrist to request hypnosis and that psychiatrist does not use hypnosis, the ensuing conversation becomes very scripty as the patient insists that he must be put to sleep before he can get better. Some people automatically (id est, by script directive) go to the Mayo Clinic and others to the Menninger Clinic. Similarly, in choosing a psychoanalyst, some, for script reasons, select the most orthodox one possible, others prefer more flexibility, and still others go to “analysts” belonging to splinter schools. #RandolphHarris 9 of 30
Sometimes the age of gender of the therapist is important for scripty reasons, such as a need to seduce or a fear of seduction. Rebels often go to rebellious therapists. People with failure scripts pick the worst possible therapists, such as chiropractors or outright quacks. The only relics of Dr. Darwinian natural selection left in America, where everyone is “take care of,” are chiropractors, because the more widely they are allowed to practice, the more quickly will unfit members of humanity be eliminated by their treatment. There are clear indicators that three factors are determined by the patient’s script directives. Whether he seeks help at all, or just lets things run their course; the choice of the therapist, where there is a choice; whether the therapy is destined to be successful. Thus, a person with a loser’s script will either not go to a therapist, or may choose an incompetent one. In the latter case, when the treatment fails, he not only remains a loser, as his script calls for, but also has various other satisfactions from his misadventure; for example, he can blame the therapist, or obtain a Hemostatic satisfaction from being the “worst” patient, or boast that he had ten years of therapy with Dr. X at a cost of Y thousands of dollars with no benefit. Yet, if the major part is gold, we may still call it gold. If, in advising a friend, the major motivation is a friendly intention of constructive help, we may well be satisfied. Not so the person in the clutches of faultfinding. This is deceptive just because there are grains of truth in such reasoning. #RandolphHarris 10 of 30
It is hard to shake the neurotic loose from his self-hate. His error in judging the entirety of a situation is clearly shown. He may see that he overfocuses on certain aspects and ignores others. Nevertheless, he sticks to his verdict. The reason is that his logic operates on different premises from those of a healthy person. Since the advice he gave was not the absolute of helpfulness, the whole action was morally objectionable, and so he starts to beat himself down and refuses to let himself be dissuaded from his self-accusations. These observations refute the assumption sometimes made by the psychiatrists that self-blame is merely a clever device to elicit reassurance or to escape blame and punishment. That, of course, does occur. On the part of children, or of grownups, toward intimidating authorities, it may be nothing but a strategy. Even so, we must be careful with our judgment and should examine the need for so much reassurance. To generalize about these instances and to regard self-accusations as such as serving only strategic ends means a total failure to appreciate their destructive power. Self-accusations, furthermore, may focus on adversities that are outside the individual’s control. These are most conspicuous in psychotics, who may accuse themselves, for instance, of a murder they read about, of responsibility for a flood in the Middle West six hundred miles away. Seemingly absurd self-accusations often are the outstanding symptoms in melancholic conditions. However, the self-accusation in neurosis, while less grotesque, may be no less unrealistic. #RandolphHarris 11 of 30
Why do people manipulate? Many do so because they are beset by fear, fear of others, and fear of expressing the truth of their feelings and desires. They are afraid that if others know the truth of their feelings and desires, they will be at the mercy of others. However, manipulators are often selective about what they fear. Some who fear anger avoid conflict and confrontation with others. Others who fear love avoid closeness with others. And some fear being weak, while others fear being strong. It is the denial of what we fear that defines our manipulative style or pattern. If you are afraid of love, you may be avoiding it with phony expressions of anger. You are predominantly aggressive in your dealings with others and play the role of the blamer and attacker. In doing so, you avoid closeness with others, but you also lose touch with your authentic anger. If you are afraid of anger, you may be avoiding it with phony expressions of love. You play the role of pleaser and placater in the belief that you can get what you want from others without confrontation and conflict. This allows you to avoid feeling and expressing genuine anger, but you also lose touch with your authentic love. If you are afraid of being weak, you may avoid any hint that you are “just a human being” with phony expressions of superiority. You play the role of controller and dictator. By refusing to allow others to be strong, you enhance only the appearance of your own strength. You thereby lose both the power of genuine strength and the opportunities for closeness with others that authentic vulnerability (weakness) brings. #RandolphHarris 12 of 30
If you are afraid of being too strong, you avoid responsibility with phony expressions of incompetence, weakness, and humility. You play the role of avoider and withdrawer, avoiding opportunities to display adequacy and withdrawing from participation with others. You fear that someone might expect more from you than you are willing to give. In doing so, you never have to perform (be strong). You are also seldom able to achieve, and you often overlook your genuine feelings of weakness. Examples of manipulation: Fear and Denial of Lead to Phony Expressions of Lead to Phony Expressions of: Genuine Love….Blaming and Attacking. Genuine Anger….Pleasing and Placating. Genuine Weakness….Controlling and Dictating. Genuine Strength….Withdrawing and Avoiding. Since manipulation is learned by experience in actual encounter with the world, it is important to overcome manipulation by similar methods. The methods cannot be simply intellectual, but must be experiential as well. Self-affirmation. A healthy conscience is not experienced as an “alien power” within the total personality structure, a power compulsively obeyed out of dread. Rather, it is composed of a set of ideals and taboos, each of which has been examined by the person and affirmed so that it became a true part of the real self. A self-affirmed conscience is one to which the person conforms because he or she wants to, not through fear of disobeying. Another way of saying this is to assert that the person feels he or she owns the conscience. The individual has had a voice in determining the rules by which he or she will live, like the citizen in a democracy who does not mind conforming with the rules that the person has helped formulate. #RandolphHarris 13 of 30
A healthy conscience is based upon general values and ideals that remain fixed throughout life or that change only with difficulty. However, the specific behavior that these values call for is not rigidly defined. The person can challenge these self-demands when they are no longer relevant to his or her present life circumstances. For example, a student may have been trained to believe that premarital pleasures of the flesh relationships are evil and destructive of love. In his college career, he may live with a girl and enjoy intimacies involving pleasures of the flesh within the context of a loving relationship. He discovers that no harm befalls the young lady or himself. He may change one of the taboos that is at the root of his conscience. Another student who once believed that premarital pleasures of the flesh were permissible may change and accept a taboo against the practice. If the conscience is not authoritarian, this openness to change is most possible. Persons with a healthy conscience are living among other people, and so they will be obliged to share at least some of the other people’s ideals and taboos. This is not to say that their conscience must be congruent with social mores. These persons may find their values more ethical than the prevailing mores, and so they will follow their conscience rather than the moral expectations of their peers. It may be necessary for persons with a healthy conscience to resist the efforts of others to make them conform to their moral precepts. They may even have to leave home because of moral-ethical differences and seek a group more congenial to their outlooks. #RandolphHarris 14 of 30
It is not implied that a healthy conscience will be highly lenient, permitting any antisocial behavior. Indeed, it may be difficult to conform to the precepts of a healthy conscience. Dr. Fromm has stated that the voice of a humanistic conscience may be only dimly heard because it is readily masked by the authoritarian elements of the conscience. As Dr. Fromm puts it, conscience “is the voice of our true ‘selves’ which summons us back to ourselves, to live productively, to develop fully and harmoniously—that is, to become what we potentially are.” He points out further that guilt arising from violation of a healthy conscience may be difficult to identify; we might feel guilt arising from our authoritarian conscience when we ignore its demands to pursue the requirements of a healthy conscience. There have been several theories to explain why humans exhibit altruistic behavior. These include: evolutionary perspectives involving kin selection and reciprocal altruism; social exchange theory; and the empathy-altruism hypothesis. In Dr. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, he postulated that traits that aided humans to survive and reproduce were more likely to be passed on from one generation to the next. It would appear at first glance that genes promoting selfish behavior would likely be passed on. One way that evolutionary psychologists attempt to explain how a trait such as altruism could be passed on through kin selection. #RandolphHarris 15 of 30
Kin selection is the idea that behaviors that help a blood relative would be favored by natural selection. Not only can one pass on their genes by having children, but also by ensuring that their relatives have children. Evolutionary theorists also use the norm of natural selection to help explain altruism. This is the expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood that they will help us in the future. It is posited that groups that learned to cooperate were more likely to survive than selfish and isolated individuals. The emotion of gratitude may have evolved to facilitate reciprocity. That is, if someone is helped, they feel grateful, which motivates them to return the favor in the future. For the people of the award-winning Sacramento Fire Department, helping others is rewarding. It is an investment in the future, not unlike reciprocal altruism. It can feel distressing just to observe someone in pain. Helping that person can then relieve our own discomfort. This, in turn, can help us gain social rewards like approval from others and greater feelings of self-worth. From this perspective, altruistic acts only occur when the perceived gains of helping outweigh the perceived risks. One morning, at nearly 1 o’clock, a saloon was discovered to be on fire. By the time the fire department arrived, the entire structure was ablaze. The nearest building on the east, a carpenter shop, was quickly set ablaze as well from the intense heat and flames. A small dwelling house was also set ablaze. #RandolphHarris 16 of 30
The winds then changed to a westerly direction, spreading flames to another home. Another carpentry shop was thought to be next to succumb to the heat, but the Sacramento Fire Department managed to save the building through hard work. It must have been an incredible feat, for the building was only two feet from the previous home that had just caught fire. The losses on all the buildings added up to between $4 million and $6 million. The newspaper stated that “the fire department did as good a job as could be expected under the circumstances.” New firefighters are trained to take orders from their first day at the academy. They learn to trust their officer’s judgment and follow his or her lead the first time they enter a burning building. Providing them with the latest protective gear on their back and having an officer with years of experience escorting them, the sense of security the Sacramento Fire Department gives trainees far outweighs their worries of self-preservation. They are taught that what they had previously perceived as fear is both normal and exciting, and they cannot wait to impress their peers and instructors. The Sacramento Fire Department pushes firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics through dangerous scenarios repeatedly, and they emerge unscathed each time. As they gain more experience, their armor grows thicker and their confidence builds through recognition-primed decision making. Sure, the Sacramento Fire Department teaches them building construction and lightweight trusses and the dangers of collapse in the classroom, but then it is back to the burn building where they are victorious again, and nothing falls down. Eventually, they become firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics. During their career, they learn to pick up on the visual clues that allow them to make decisions for themselves. #RandolphHarris 17 of 30
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 18 of 30
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 19 of 30
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 20 of 30
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 21 of 30
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 22 of 30
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 23 of 30
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 24 of 30
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 25 of 30
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 26 of 30
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 27 of 30
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 28 of 30
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 29 of 30
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 30 of 30
On Friday, September 5th, we invite you to join us in honoring Sarah Winchester on the 103rd anniversary of her passing.
The gardens will be open with free admission that day, and guests are welcome to enter the Front Parlor to offer their respects to Sarah. The bell will ring at the 13th hour (1:00 PM) in remembrance of her life. We hope you will take this opportunity to honor the life and legacy of the woman behind the mansion. 🌹 🖤https://winchestermysteryhouse.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
Magnolia Station at Cresleigh Ranch
Rancho Cordova, CA | 4 Bedrooms – 3.5 Bathrooms – 3,377 sq. ft. – $796,485.
Homes built by Cresleigh Homes are made to last. Throughout each community you will find thoughtful design crafted with YOU in mind. We offer homes for any lifestyle and stand by our construction quality – it’s why we’ve been in the business for over 30 years.
Welcome to 770 Havenwood, where Residence Four, the largest floor plan offered in the community offers an impressive 3,377 square feet of thoughtfully designed living space. This expansive two-story home features four bedrooms, including a private suite on the first floor, three and one-half bathrooms, and a true three car garage to meet the needs of growing families or multigenerational living.
Inside, you’ll find four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and a generous three-car garage. A versatile den provides the flexibility to be used as a private study or converted into an optional fifth bedroom. The thoughtfully designed kitchen and dining area create a seamless flow, making entertaining effortless.
A covered porch welcomes you into a warm and inviting entry, where the dining room is thoughtfully placed just off the foyer. The gourmet kitchen connects seamlessly to the dining area through a convenient butler’s pantry, providing both elegance and additional storage.
Upstairs, the spacious loft and generous great room offer flexibility for entertainment, relaxation, or work from home needs, easily adapting to your lifestyle. With no HOA fees, complimentary solar, and up to $41,000 in Flex Cash to be used toward closing costs or interior upgrades on select homes, this residence presents a rare opportunity for exceptional value.
Every Cresleigh home includes the All Ready Connected smart home package, designed to simplify and enhance your daily life. Enjoy integrated features such as a video doorbell, digital deadbolt, smart switches, USB outlets, and a connected home hub that allows you to create personalized scenes and routines. As a bonus, your home also comes with a Google Home Hub and Google Home Mini to help you stay connected and in control. https://cresleigh.com/havenwood/move-in-ready-homesite-5/
The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of Cresleigh Homes. There is a magic in that little world, of my Cresleigh Home; it is a mystic circle that surrounds comforts and virtues never known beyond its hallowed limits.
Discover a home built with your future in mind. Schedule your private tour today.
Heavenly Father, please guide our steps as a nation. With grace and great discernment, lead us in the direction that aligns with Your will. Grant America the strength to overcome challenges and persevere in our endeavors. Lord, let Your favor be upon us. Open doors of opportunity and bless the work of our hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen. Happy 250 Years, America.
Man, if You Enter Here, Leave All Hopes Outside
If one wants to justify emergency law, one must take the point of view, perhaps, not quite incorrect, that without this emergency law, a considerable restriction of many accomplishments of public life would be inevitable, namely, freedom of speech, assembly, and association. However, when I think of the matter quietly, sometimes it seems to me as if equal rights for all might be preferable to everything else, and in this case, the thing to do is to muzzle everybody rather than to put some in chains. The basic mistake, after all, seem to have been putting Americans and law and order last, which was a pure murder of equal rights for all in the truest sense of the word. Many democrats, however, wish to forge small peasants to the soil of the fatherland not by legal but by psychological chains. They want to exploit their land hunger to chain them to the homeland. And if we had to stamp a generation of men into the soil to guarantee the future of America, we would shoulder this responsibility. Nevertheless, keep in mind that no economic policy is possible based on optimistic hopes for happiness. The next question is not how men in the future will feel, but rather who they will be. That is the question which concerns us when we think beyond the graves of our generation. And in truth, this question lies at the root of every economic and political work. We do not strive for man’s future well-being; we are eager to breed in them those traits with which we link the feeling that they constitute what is humanly great and noble in our nation. #RandolphHarris 1 of 35
The processes of economic development are power struggles. Our ultimate yardstick of values is “reason of state,” and this is also the yardstick for our economic reflections. Financial power and the call for political leadership of the nation do not always coincide. If an economically sinking class holds political power in its hands, it is dangerous and, in the long run, irreconcilable with the interests of the long run. If those classes to whom economic power and therewith the claim for political authority is shifting are politically immature in their leadership of the state, it is still more dangerous. Both are threatening America currently, and, in truth, they provide the keys to the present danger of our situation. The country has lost prestige through the scandalous exposures of the democratic policies, the morally unsavory atmosphere of democrats in the White House, the series of humiliations of religion and family values, the intense wars on American streets, and the general disrespect that has been allowed to flourish. Many people these days are offended just for the sake of having a reason to respond rudely to someone else. These are some of the events and trends that have made reasonable Americans and tourists feel as if they are riding on an express train towards an abyss, and not feeling certain whether the next switch has been set right. #RandolphHarris 2 of 35
We must create a national unity by spreading a sense of social responsibility among teachers, civil servants, artisans, workers, and the bourgeois. The symbol of America, the American flag, has become the target of international ridicule. The root of these difficulties is in the political structure of the democratic party that has prevented the efficient selection of responsible political leaders. Political careers are something that must remain attractive to talented and effective people, who prefer to enter business or science. Democracy is not an intrinsically valuable body of ideas: natural law, the equality of men, and their intrinsic claims to equal rights. Democratic institutions and ideas are pragmatic: not in their consequences in their inner worth, but in terms of their consequences in the selection of efficient political leaders. In modern society, such leaders must be able to build up and control a large, well-disciplined machine, in the true American sense. The choice is between a leaderless democracy or a democracy run by the leaders of large-party bureaucracies. The universal struggle for votes, and the freedom of organization have no political value unless they result in powerful political leaders willing to assume responsibility rather than evade it and cover up their deeds behind court cliques and imperial bureaucrats who have happened to win the favor of the moment. Many democrats are trying to usurp power illegally because they are a hysterical howling of powerless party journalists drilling the masses for an intellectual goosestep, thus making them more amenable to manipulation by the bureaucracy. #RandolphHarris 3 of 35
The utopian comfort contained in the democratic party’s destruction of family values and religion possesses an automatic drift into paradise which appears to substitute a harmless complacency for righteous indignation. As the masses cower behind people like Gavin Newsom, as if he has some divine right of a king, democrats refuse to make any compromises with the republican party and assume cabinet responsibilities are one of the factors blocking the introduction of constitutional government. Some men who wear trousers have nothing in them and wish to make political eunuchs out of the people. Policy making is not a moral trade, nor can it ever be. Every victory brings us closer to peace. It is in America’s interest to force a peace in which the main result is the heel of the American boot standing upon everyone’s toes. This is how America will gain industrial supremacy. Wars are always a result of a constellation of economic and political rivalries among nations. America will no longer be guilty of romantic and inefficient management of her affairs. Otherwise, our resources will be confiscated and used against us. The geographic position of America amid powerful neighbors should make for a policy of sober alliances rather than a policy of boastful vanity and handouts. We must become a nation organized into a power state. Not for vanity, but for the sake of our responsibility toward world history. We will be held responsible for future generations, especially by our descendants. Therefore, we must fight; world power must be partitioned to American officials. The consolidation of world power ultimately means the control of the nature of future culture. Future generations will hold us responsible in these matters, and rightly so, for we are a of 350,000,000, and not the fifth largest economy in the world. #RandolphHarris 4 of 35
America’s reconstruction is happening today. The bloody carnival of the democratic party is over. We can only secure world peace on these terms; otherwise, it will not be possible. The Republican party is a party of humanity and dignified existence, which for decades had been so great that many democrats often pondered whether they should join our ranks as a party member. No one can be an honest socialist unless one is ready to forego a cultured existence based on slavery. Standing with President Trump is not only a matter for the American people but a matter of restoring the honor of the officer corps and the army. Constitutions are techniques just like other machines. The party will come to a perspective of passionate will to power. They possess the technical know-how required for subduing the bureaucracy to their will. Republicans will steer the bureaucracy as a technical means to making correct policy while being politically responsible. With President Trump’s guidance, we are seeing a rise of charismatic leaders and an ever-denser, indestructible spirit of patriotism. President Trump has an affinity and love for those who are marginalized. His hatred of sham and lies, and his unceasing campaign against racism and anti-Semitic demagoguery, is part of his promise to Make America Great Again. America is escaping from vulgar social and immoral influences that have corrupted the human mind, the most vulgar of which is when people attribute the diversities of conduct and character to inherent natural differences. #RandolphHarris 5 of 35
Urbanism, legal history, economics, music, world religions—there is hardly a field which will be left untouched. Knowledge is power—that is the impulse behind the quest of many powerful men for knowledge. It is not a question of right, but we must eliminate everything that may harm our cause. When revolution is the sole value, there are, in fact, no more rights; there are only duties. To found an indestructible society, we offered our blood in the old days; now these people do nothing but sharpen their beaks. How can we explain that the fake news media and the democratic party suddenly broke ranks and chose a path of their own? They go their own way, the way of sneaking into nations and undermining their inner structure. This was the only reason they started a campaign that cost billions, and which essentially aided in the total devaluation of the national currency. However, it is pleasing to watch those in America who support the American system. The democratic royal house of evil—with the lying deceit that they are so proud of—is the very one that would have bankrupted America. In those days, these same men were happy to support the policy of their treacherous monarch and did not care about America or anything else. The terrorists no doubt want to destroy—to make absolutely everything into Hell. Their tortured contradictions come with the assumptions of guilt and death. Nihilism intimately involves a frustrated religious movement, thus culminates in terrorism. In the universe of total negation, people try, with bombs and revolvers and fear. The crisis has become manifest in faddish manners or in psychotic-like conditions, in delinquent-like behavior or in fanatic movements, in creative spurts or even in all too erratic social commitment. The republican movement, on the other hand, appeals to living souls and educates people so that they will march forward to their liberation. We must put ourselves in the hands of God, and retain our supreme values. #RandolphHarris 6 of 35
In looking at the youth of today, one is apt to forget that identity formation, while being “critical” in youth, is a generational issue. If only so that youth can rebel against a well-defined set of older values, we must not overlook what appears to be a certain abrogation of responsibility on the part of the older generation in providing those forceful ideals which must antecede identity formation in the next generation. A recent television documentary dealt with young people in Lexington, Massachusetts USA. This town was selected, I assume, because it was the cradle of American liberty. The documentary showed with remarkable frankness what has happened to “free” young Americans, or at any rate, how they behave publicly. However, their parents were hardly there. True, there was one mother who seemed to have opened her home to adolescents, and twelve to fifteen teenagers would gather to study and play the afternoon away in her house and in her garden. However, there was hardly a word about the other homes. As if they were an invasion from another planet, parents were seen only at a meeting called to discuss teenagers. And that is, indeed, the way youth is now reflected in the “media.” And these media, we must note, are no longer content to mediate communication; brashly and efficiently, they make themselves the mediators between the generations. This sometimes forces youth into being caricatures of the reflections of the images they had experimentally “projected,” and drives the parents farther away from the eerie happenings. #RandolphHarris 7 of 35
However, parental sanction, too, diminishes with parental indignation, and one often senses that youth would rather get rid (as it were) of strong-minded parents than not have any worth mentioning. For if I am not mistaken, parents often impress the young as having remained overgrown boys and girls themselves, taken up with a world of gadgetry and buying power, which permits them to circumvent the whole formidable issue of the new meaning of the generations in a technological universe including the Bomb and the Pill. Where, then, are some of the principal contemporary sources of identity strength? By contemporary, I mean present with an anticipated future, for we must do our best to overcome clinical habits which make us assume that we have done our part if we have clarified the past. It must be confessed that at least those of us who are occupied with making sense of case histories of biographies (which so often superficially resemble case histories) and who are teaching either young psychiatrists or the humanistically privileged college youth, are often out of touch with the resources of identity available to that majority of youths whose ideology is a product of the machine age. That youth, overall, does not need us, and those who do assume the “patient role” created by us. Nor do we seem to think that our theories need to include them. And yet we must assume that masses of young people both here and abroad are close enough both by giftedness and by opportunity to the technological trends and the scientific methods of our time to feel at home in it as much as anybody ever felt at home in human life. #RandolphHarris 8 of 35
I, for one, have never been able to accept the claim that in mercantile culture or in agricultural culture, or, indeed, in book culture, man was in principle less “alienated” than he is in technology. It is, I believe, our retrospective romanticism that makes us think that peasants or merchants, or hunters were less determined by their techniques. To put it in terms of what must be studied concertedly: in every technology and in every historical period there are types of individuals who (“properly” brought up) can combine the dominant techniques with their identity development, and become what they do. Independent of minor superiorities or inferiorities, they can settle on that cultural consolidation which secures them what joint verification and what transitory salvation lies in doing things together and in doing them right—a rightness proven by the bountiful response of “nature,” whether in the form of the prey bagged, the food harvested, the goods produced, the money made, or the technological problems solves. In such consolidation and accommodation, a million daily tasks and transactions fall into practical patterns and spontaneous ritualizations which can be shared by leaders and led, men and women, adults, and children, the privileged and the underprivileged, the specially gifted and those willing to do chores. Only such consolidations offer the coordinates for the range of a period’s identity formations and their necessary relation to a sense of inspired activity, although for many or most it does so only by creating compartments of pronounced narrowness, of enforced service, and of limited status. #RandolphHarris 9 of 35
Each such consolidation, by dint of its very practicality (the fact that “it works” and maintains itself by mere usage and habituation), also works for entrenched privileges, enforced sacrifices, institutionalized in equalities, and built-in contradictions, which become obvious to the critics of any society. However, how such consolidation leads to a sense of embeddedness and natural flux among the very artifacts of organization; how it helps to bring to ascendance some style of perfection and self-glorification; and how it permits man at the same time to limit his horizon so as not to see what might destroy the newly won familiarity of the world and expose him to all manner of strangeness and, above all, to the fear of death or of killing—all of this we have hardly approached from the point of view of depth psychology. Here, the discussion of the “ego” should take on new dimensions. 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. 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 preserve, and to survive. Its qualities are adequacy, self-esteem, and self-reliance. On the other side, genuine weakness is to be vulnerable, to be open, and to be interdependent. Its qualities are trust, honesty, and cooperation. #RandolphHarris 10 of 35
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. However, because “achievers” must be “good,” they tend to keep their feelings under careful control, and they often suffer from ulcers or high blood pressure. People who have a desire for “power” express themselves freely in action to attain it; they have a high death rate from what we call “scripty” causes: suicide, homicide, and cirrhosis of the liver from drinking too much. The “achievers’” scripts were based on success stories, while the “power” people’s scripts were based on tales of risk. However, script analysis cannot attain the precision and certainty of mouse psychology or bacteriology. What script analysts have to do in practice is read biographies, keep track of their friends’ successes and their enemies’ failures, see large numbers of patients with various types of early programming, and project backward and forward in the lives of people they are clinically acquainted with for a reasonably long period. A clinician who has been in practice for twenty or thirty years, for example, and keeps in touch with his former patients either by periodic visits or even through Christmas cards, begins to feel increasingly secure in his script analyses. #RandolphHarris 11 of 35
With such a background, he knows better what to do with the patients he is currently seeing, and how to get the maximum amount of information as quickly as possible with new patients. The more quickly and accurately the script can be understood in each case, the more quickly and effectively its antithesis can be applied by the therapist, thus avoiding a waste of time, energy, lives, and new generations. Psychiatric practice, like all branches of medicine, carries with it a certain mortality rate and a certain disability rate, and the first aim of the therapist must be to reduce those, whatever else he accomplishes besides. Overnight suicide by drugs, and long-term suicide by alcohol or high blood pressure, must be averted. His slogan must be, “Get better first and analyze it later,” otherwise he will have some of his most “interesting” and “insightful” patients, either the smartest people in the morgue or the smartest people in the state hospital or penitentiary. The first problem, then, is: what are the “script signs” that occur during treatment? He should know what to look for, where to find it, what to do about it after he finds it, and how to tell whether he is doing it effectively. The second problem is to check his observation and impressions and out them to others. Many patients who come to transitional analysts do so after going to other kinds of therapists. If not, they go through, with the transactional analyst, the phases they would otherwise go through in “preliminary” therapy. It is therefore convenient to consider two phases in clinical script analysis: the preliminary phase, and the phase of script analysis. #RandolphHarris 12 of 35
Whatever form of therapy is used, similar phases will occur, and they are not peculiar to script analysis. The script analyst may see the failures of other therapists, but he does not see their success. Conversely, other therapists see the failures of script analysis and do not usually see the successes. Some self-accusations are directed against existing inner difficulties. They may therefore look deceptively rational. At any rate, the person himself feels them to be entirely warranted. After all, is it not such severity commendatory since it is commensurate with high standards? He takes the difficulties out of context and hurls at them the full fury of moral condemnation. They are lodged regardless of the person’s responsibility for them. Whether he could, in any way, have felt, thought, or acted differently, whether he was even aware of them does not matter in the least. A neurotic problem to be examined and worked at thus turns into a hideous blemish branding the person as being beyond redemption. He may, for instance, be unable to defend his interests or his opinions. He notices that he was rather appeasing when he should have voiced his dissenting opinion or defended himself against exploitation. To have observed this squarely is not only all to his credit but could be a first step toward a gradual recognition of the forces compelling him to appease rather than to assert himself, Instead, in the grip of destructive self-reproaches, he will beat himself down for having “no guts” or being a disgusting coward, or he will feel that the people around him despise him for being a weakling. The whole effect of his self-observation is to make him feel “guilty” or inferior, with the result that his lowered self-esteem makes it still harder for him to speak up the next time. #RandolphHarris 13 of 35
Similarly, somebody who is overtly afraid of snakes or of driving a car may be well informed about the facts that such fears stem from unconscious forces over which he has no control. His reason tells him that the moral condemnation of “cowardice” makes no sense. He may even argue with himself about being “guilty” or “not guilty,” back and forth. However, he cannot possibly arrive at any conclusion because it is an argument involving different levels of being. As a human being, he can allow himself to be subject to fears. However, as a godlike being, he should have the attribute of absolute fearlessness, and he can only hate and despise himself for having any fears. Again, a writer is inhibited in doing creative work because of several factors within himself which make writing an ordeal. His work, therefore, proceeds solely; he fiddles around or does irrelevant things. Instead of being sympathetic with himself, a lazy, good-for-nothing, or a fraud who is not interested in his work. When in a marriage, it is a hard ideal to achieve—to be two separate people with total respect for each other as individuals and still manage to function together, both partners holding to the basic concept that as a unit…we have more to gain by being together than either of us can gain being alone. However, both people must communicate; they must know each other and let themselves be known. Many men depict a pattern that is all too familiar in this society, a value system about men and their feelings that has been rigidly built into them, but which does not represent them as human beings. #RandolphHarris 14 of 35
Several women explain that they cannot stay in a marriage that seems stagnating, that gives them no opportunity to be creative. Now, how does a couple reach out to each other? Bridges are built most easily through simple kinds of negotiation. Men sometimes have no opportunity to express themselves or to discover their dimensions as a person because of the rigid value systems instilled when they were boys. All right, if he is angry for whatever reason, rational or not, he can let his wife share that anger. He can force himself for a while to say: “I am angry and I do not know why, but this is how I feel,” and he can let her share his feelings. That helps her avoid shadowboxing or pretending that all is well when she knows it is not, and it allows her to be the creative, growing kind of person she feels herself capable of being. If he or she strives to pay attention to it, a person with a healthy conscience will foster a healthy personality. Such attention will have several consequences. It will enable the person to obtain enough basic need gratifications to make life worth living, but in a guilt-free manner. The person will enjoy relatively high self-esteem. His or her behavior may be approved by other members of the social group—at least to the extent that the person’s conscience is congruent with the group’s value system. A healthy conscience will be compatible with continual personality growth; indeed, it may be a strong motivating force toward personal growth. Like pain in the physical realm, a twinge of conscience is a healthy signal that something is wrong. #RandolphHarris 15 of 35
It would be difficult to conceive of any phase of mental experience less representative of health, growth, and conscious evolution than “normality.” We are told that we are not practical, and that we do not mind so much, but it is said in a way that means that we are irresponsible, and that hurts very much. Our love is called “pleasures of the flesh,” and sometimes we become confused by what we are told. And our knowing of a better world is called “idealism” or “mystic” or “imagination,” and when we would like people to come into our world to know the joy of it, they become frightened, and insist that we must come into theirs. However, their world is a world that they will not explore. We want a world that is warm and friendly, and they say, “This world is that”—and go on stepping on or over others to “get somewhere.” “The trouble with you is, you have no ambition,” they tell us. And we feel ashamed and guilty, and crawl into ourselves and hide. They convey, “You are worthless,” and, wishing to be good, we feel bad because we are worthless. And if there is enough of this, unleavened by love and understanding, we enter a kind of paralysis and can do nothing. We are feeling so guilty. We cannot do “what is right.” And if we do do these things that are “right” and “good,” we must make ourselves cold to do it, cold and hard, so we will not slip and be human, so that we will not remember ourselves and know the pain. #RandolphHarris 16 of 35
“Forget it!” “Keep your mind on your work.” The important thing is to stay on top, so you will be respected. However, if there were no bottom, where would be “the top,” and why should some people be the bottom? Looking outward, to others, for what I can only find it myself. The less that I have self-respect, the more I need respect from others to take its place, and the respect of others can be lost so very easily. Just one slip…So, I must always watch my step, be wary. The world is a jungle, and I have made myself a beast. Or is it making myself a beast that creates the jungle? Or, the world is seen as a jungle, and I want no part of it. “It will make a man of you.” A man? Or does it mean, “it will take out of you what I do not have?” “What I have given up, you must, too.” Is it human to be beastly? Or is it just human to make a mistake? Even those who take philosophy as a merely academic pursuit are not wasting their time. Learning what the world’s thinkers have put forward as their best wisdom or sharpest observation has its place and value in the intellectual life, just as comparative study of religions has its value in the religious life. To read what others have written is to read what others have thought or fancied. These great verities will always bear restating. They are too important to be said once and for all. If every knower of the divine were to live as if he were struck dumb or as if his writing hand were paralyzed, none of the great world revelations, truth-statements, or gospels would have come down to us. Only the enlightened self-actualized Christian is entitled to say that silence is the best teacher, for he alone has the power to use it adequately. However, such geniuses are extremely rare, and for anyone else to utter the phrase is merely to babble words, to mislead and to confuse. In what way does it serve the hearer or the reader? #RandolphHarris 17 of 35
The highly spiritual words of Jesus Christ teach us more of what matters than anything else on this earth. Sometimes a man’s words are wiser than he knows. Sometimes he speaks a truth above his ordinary knowledge. However, these times are rare. Part of our reassurance about the free, noble, and progressing spirit of man comes from the glorious realization that we all existed and had our identities and our agency long before we came to this world. To some, that will be a new thought, but the Christian Bible teaches clearly just such an eternal view of life, a life stretching back before this world was and stretching forward into the eternities ahead. God said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before though camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations,” reports Jeremiah 1.5. At another time, God reminded Job that “all the sons of God shouted for joy,” (reports Job 38.7) before there was yet any man or woman on the earth of God was creating. The Apostle Paul taught that God the Father chose us “before the foundation of the world,” reports Ephesians 1.4. Where and when did all of this happen? Well, it happened long before man’s mortal birth. It happened in a great premortal existence where we developed our identities and increased our spiritual capabilities by exercising our agency and making important choices. We developed our intelligence and learned to love the truth, and we prepared to come to Earth to continue our progress. #RandolphHarris 18 of 35
Our Father in Heaven wanted our growth to continue in mortality and to be enhanced by our freedom to choose and learn. He also wanted us to exercise our faith and our will, especially with a new physical body to master and control. Through Christ and his valiant defense of our Father’s plan, the course of agency and eternal aspirations prevailed. In that crucial, premortal setting, a major milestone was passed, a monumental victory was won. As a result, we have been allowed to continue to pursue the eternal principle of progress. To fully understand this gift of agency and its inestimable worth, it is imperative that we understand that God’s chief way of acting is by persuasion and patience and long-suffering, not by coercion and stark confrontation. He acts by gentle solicitation and by sweet enticement. He always acts with unfailing respect for the freedom and independence that we possess. He wants to help us and pleads for the chance to assist us, but he will not do so in violation of our agency. He loves us too much to do that, and doing so would run counter to his divine character. The volition of man is free; this is the law of their existence, and the Lord cannot violate his own law; were he to do that, he would cease to be God…This is a law which has always existed throughout all the eternities to come. Very intelligent being must have the power of choice. #RandolphHarris 19 of 35
Heroes fill an important function in the self-definition of a group. Persons who represent accepted group values are talked about, admired, and even venerated as heroic. There is no doubt that the stresses of emergency scenes will reduce the effectiveness of communication for our heroes of the award-winning Sacramento Fire Department. Worse yet, listen to any recording of a trapped firefighter, and you will hear radio communications get even worse. We know what firefighting stress sounds like, but it is helpful to listen to pilots when they are in a Mayday situation. If you took the time to surf for air traffic control, head back to your favorite search engine and look for airline crash audio. If you listen to and score these transmissions as you did before, you will probably find that effective communication has dropped by 30 percent when pilots are unsure if they will be able to regain control of the plane. By listening closely to the radio traffic in Mayday situations, we learn some important lessons in communication. Fire scene radio communications are not the same as air traffic control. Emergency scenes are much more distracting, have more and have more background noises. One of the best ways the award-winning Sacramento Fire Department reduces injuries and deaths in the fire service is to concentrate on how they make decisions. Risk versus benefit must be the basis for action. #RandolphHarris 20 of 35
The Sacramento Fire Department knows that emergency scenes are dynamic situations with inherent risk, but human decisions play an enormous role in the outcome of event. Strategic, tactical, and task decisions made during the emergency not only dictate the timeline of the mitigation for the event but also directly affect the chances of injury or death. They are trained to understand that time is their worst enemy when it comes to fire development, building collapse, traumatic injuries, and the environmental exposure of a hazardous material. Emergency workers are therefore very mindful of the ticking clock. Similar to a football team in a “two-minute drill,” they use predetermined plays to win the game. It is important to realize that the football team deploying a “hurry-up offense” in the closing seconds of the game is always losing and is getting desperate. Many times, the team resorts to high-risk plays such as a deep pass in heavy coverage in an attempt to pull off a win. It is also not uncommon to see a desperate throw result in a game-ending interception. An IC (incident commander) might resort to a similar tactic in a desperate situation, risking much more than originally intended. A fire broke out shortly after 1 o’clock on the morning of September 19th. A small house was noticed ablaze. The fire was reportedly noticed in a shed kitchen, but then quickly spread to the main structure. The fire burned so quickly that the occupants barely had time to escape and could not save anything at all. Near the house was a tenement house. The large structure housed a total of ten to eleven families. Residents of the home did not have adequate notice and were able to save most of their belongings. #RandolphHarris 21 of 35
Several fire trucks responded and were able to get the fire under control. However, one of the families lost everything and was left almost destitute. A collection was soon circulated, and enough money was raised for the family to purchase “a few things to go housekeeping with.” There was no insurance in the tenement building. Risk management is designed to slow the speed of decision-making at an incident. The IC needs to establish specific components of incident management and use situational awareness to make intelligent risk-benefit decisions. It is equally important to be mindful of the incident clock, but not allow it to force a poor decision. Likewise, award-winning Sacramento firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs are educated about how to weigh the options of individual tasks, make good management decisions at the task level, and trained to react appropriately. Communication is an area where emergency services can make an immediate improvement. This integration of risk management techniques at all levels of emergency management is best accomplished through education, training, and practice. The association with heroes with “greatness” is because of the awe they evoke from the audience by risking their lives to protect those who are overwhelmed and fearful. Heroic action is terrifying. However, the community is thankful that we have heroes who confront prejudice and give the city a sense of empowerment and confidence. #RandolphHarris 22 of 35
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 23 of 35
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 24 of 35
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 25 of 35
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 26 of 35
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 27 of 35
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. Mortgage lenders 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 28 of 35
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 29 of 35
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 30 of 35
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 31 of 35
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. Additionally, President Trump plans to abolish taxes for anyone making less than $200,000 a year. 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 32 of 35
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 33 of 35
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 34 of 35
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 35 of 35
President Donald J. Trump is keeping his promise to secure our borders and make America safe again. In July, Border Patrol reported just 4,399 apprehensions along our southern border—a new monthly record. That is an average of only 141 per day across nearly 2,000 miles. For the third month in a row, not a single illegal immigrant has been released into the United States. This is not just progress—it is a total reversal. Under the last administration, more than 300,000 illegal immigrants attempted to cross the border in a single month. The results speak for themselves. For the first time in at least five decades, the United States is on track to see negative net migration. Stopping illegal immigrants from entering our communities creates safer neighborhoods, protects taxpayer resources, and ensures more jobs and opportunities for American citizens. After 4 years of record-breaking illegal entries, this is the turnaround our Nation needs. President Trump will never stop fighting to end this invasion once and for all. He is working every day to secure our borders and restore the rule of law. Illegal immigrants who commit heinous crimes are being deported, loopholes are being closed, and sanctuary policies are being dismantled for good. Under the Trump Administration, America is safer and stronger than ever before. To learn more, visit www.WhiteHouse.gov.
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 luxurious and sporty 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
Park Haven
Rancho Cordova, CA | low $500s
Now Selling!
Welcome to Cresleigh Park Haven; the newest home community in Rancho Cordova.
Nestled in the heart of Rancho Cordova, Park Haven is a thoughtfully planned community offering 71 homes —perfect for those seeking comfort, convenience, and more time to enjoy life. Located adjacent to the beloved Exploration Park, this neighborhood blends modern living with outdoor adventure right at your doorstep.
Choose from five beautifully crafted floor plans ranging from approximately 1,342 to 2,547 square feet, with options for 3 to 5 bedrooms, flexible living spaces, and open-concept layouts designed for today’s lifestyles. Whether you’re a first-time buyer, growing family, or looking to simplify without sacrificing style, Park Haven offers a home that fits your needs.
Enjoy the ease of a maintenance-friendly yard, the charm of a close-knit community, and the everyday convenience of nearby parks, trails, shopping, and top-rated schools. At Park Haven, you’ll find more than just a house—you’ll find your place to thrive.
Your main level opens up all the opportunity to showcase your style, in a space that is always party ready and yet is equally as comfortable elevating the everyday, too.
Waking up to a home you love sets just the right tone for what’s ahead. These thoughtfully curated collections of on-trend home designs deliver maximum livability and minimal maintenance
We made a significant investment and commitment to our customers to provide everything they will need to complete their real estate and homebuilding journey.
Your home sweet home is waiting at Residence 4 at Park Haven 🏡 This flexible two-story plan is built for modern living — think open-concept main level, chef-inspired kitchen, dedicated laundry room, and a primary suite with a spa-like bath and spacious closet. Ready to call this address yours? Contact our team for availability and next steps! https://cresleigh.com/park-haven/residence-4/
If home is where the heart is, then may your Cresleigh Home be blessed.
What is Man that Thou Art Mindful of Him?
“Fear is pain arising from the anticipation of evil,” said Aristotle. However, fear, anxiety, and panic may also occur as reactions both to anticipated humiliations or to ones that have taken place. Anticipatory fears may concern examinations, public performances, social gatherings, or a date; in such instances, they are usually described as “stage fright.” If we use it metaphorically for any irrational fear preceding public or private performance, it is a good enough descriptive term. It covers situations in which we want either to make a good impression—as, for instance, on new relatives, or some important personage, or perhaps a headwaiter in a restaurant—or in which we start new activities, such as beginning a new job, starting to paint, going to a public speaking class. People who are afflicted with such fears often refer to them as fears of failure, disgrace, ridicule. This seems to be exactly what they are afraid of. Nevertheless, it is misleading to put it this way because it suggests a rational fear of a realistic failure. It leaves out the fact that what constitutes failure for a given person is subjective. It may encompass all that falls short of glory and perfection, and the anticipation of this possibility is precisely the essence of the milder forms of stage fright. A person is afraid of not performing as superbly as his exacting should demand, and therefore fears that his pride will be hurt. #RandolphHarris 1 of 36
There is a more pernicious form of stage fright which we will understand later; in it unconscious forces operate in a person, obstructing his capacities in the very act of performing. The stage fright then is a fear that through his own self-destructive tendencies he will be ridiculously awkward, forget his lines, “choke up,” and thus disgrace himself instead of being glorious and victorious. Another category of anticipatory fears does not concern the quality of a person’s performance but the prospect of having to do something that will hurt his special pride—such as asking for a raise or favor, making an application, or approaching a woman—because it entails the possibility of being rejected. If the latter means for him being humiliated, it may occur before pleasures of the flesh. Reactions of fear also may follow “insults.” Many people react with trembling, shaking, perspiration, or some other expression of fear to a lack of deference or to arrogant behavior on the part of others. These reactions are a mixture of rage and fear, the fear being in part a fear of one’s own violence. Similar reactions of fear may follow a feeling of shame without the latter being experienced as such. If he has been awkward, timid, or offensive, a person may suddenly feel overwhelmed by feeling of uncertainty, or even panic. #RandolphHarris 2 of 36
For instance, there is a case of a woman who drove up a mountain road, from the end of which a small path led up to the top. Though steep, the path would have been easy to walk had it not been muddy and slippery. Moreover, she was not properly dressed: she wore a new suit, high-heeled shoes, and had no stick. She tried nevertheless; but after having slipped several times, she gave it up. While resting, she saw further down a big dog barking furiously at passers-by and she became frightened of the dog. This feeling startled her, because she was usually not afraid of dogs and because she also realized that there was no sound reason to be afraid since there were people around to whom the dog obviously belonged. So, she started to think about this, and there occurred to her an incident from her adolescence which has caused her to be terribly ashamed. She recognized then that she was just as ashamed in the present situation on account of her “failure” to get to the mountain top. “But,” she said to herself, “it really would not have been sensible to force the issue.” Nest she thought, “But I should have been able to make it.” This gave her the clue: she recognized that it was a “stupid pride” as she put it, that was injured and make her feel helpless toward a possible attack. She was helplessly delivered to her own attacks on herself and had externalized the danger. Though not quite complete, the piece of self-analysis was effective: her fear disappeared. #RandolphHarris 3 of 36
We have a more immediate understanding of the reactions of rage than those of fear. They can sometimes be interlinked, which means we may not understand one without the other. Both occur because a hurt to our pride constitutes a terrifying danger. The reason for it lies in part in pride substituting for self-confidence. This, however, is not the whole answer. The neurotic lives between the two alternatives of pride and self-contempt. This is a most important connection to keep in mind for the understanding of many spells of anxiety. Though both the reaction of rage and that of fear may in our own mind have nothing to do with pride, they may nevertheless serve as road signs pointing in that direction. If even these secondary reactions do not appear as such, the whole issue is far more beclouded, for they in their turn may be repressed—for whatever reason. In this case, they may lead or contribute to certain symptomatic pictures, such as psychotic episodes, depressions, drinking, psychosomatic disorders. Or the need to sit tight on the emotions of anger and fear may become one of the factors conducive to a general flattening out of emotion. Not only ager and fear but all the feelings then tend to become less full and less sharp. Modern man is being led by a new path, by reason’s discoveries rather the revelation’s doctrines. Exaggerated respect for established views can soon lead into servitude to them. #RandolphHarris 4 of 36
“What is man that thou art mindful of him?” the psalmist asks. The question strikes to the heart of the human condition, for while the need to understand ourselves is all-important, the process of doing so is a complex one. One of the measures of the greatness of writers down through the ages is that they have given us some insight, some answers. In Resurrection, Leo Tolstoy includes this cogent paragraph: “One of the most widespread superstitions is that every man has his own special, definite qualities; that a man is kind, cruel, wise, stupid, energetic, apathetic, etcetera. Men are not like that…men are like rivers: the water is the same in each, and alike in all; but every river is narrow here, is more rapid there, here slower, there broader, now clear, now cold, now dull, now warm. It is the same with men. Every man carries in himself the germs of every human quality, and sometimes one manifest itself, sometimes another, and the man often becomes unlike himself, while remaining the same. We have suggested that persons can be separated into, or identified by, two broad categories of behavior: the manipulator and the actualizer. Yet, as Tolstoy tells us, each person has within herself or himself the potential of every human quality. What that means, then, is that while each person is a manipulator, he or she is (or can be) also an actualizer. The important fact seems to be that each of us has a continuing choice, each of us is free to choose one or the other. #RandolphHarris 5 of 36
Men dispute over truth and fail to agree and have done so for over five thousand years at least. Two very important qualities that characterize the actualizer are: freedom and awareness. By “freedom” we do not simply mean freedom from the control of others, but rather the freedom to actualize, to be our best, real selves. Freedom is the choice we make and the responsibility we take for a style of expression we use. Erich Fromm believes that we have “the freedom to create, to construct, to wonder, to venture.” He goes on to define freedom as the capacity to make a choice, to choose between alternatives. Yet, only when we are aware of our manipulations are we free to experience them and to derive from them actualizing behavior. Actualizers are free in the sense that, while they may play the game of life, they are aware that they are playing it. They play it “tongue in cheek,” Alan Watts says. They realize that they sometimes manipulate and at other times are manipulated. However, in both cases, they are aware of the manipulation. They do not try to change the manipulators themselves. Taking the responsibility to change another is, paradoxically, to be manipulated by that person. One may describe the other person as a manipulator, or to confront that person with his or her manipulation, but one need not take responsibility for him or herself. #RandolphHarris 6 of 36
Actualizers also realize that life need not be a serious game, but rather more akin to a dance. No one wins or loses in a dance; a dance is a process. Actualizers dance among all their complementary potentials. What is important is to enjoy the process of living rather than to achieve the ends of living. Since actualizing people appreciate doing for its own sake, they enjoy the process of getting someplace as much as the arriving. The actualizer does not take life with dead seriousness. Manipulators, on the other hand, see life as a competition, a rat race, something to be conquered. They take life so seriously that they are frequently candidates for nervous breakdowns. The educational institutions purvey information but only great souls can provide inspiration. We should not defend sound truths on unsound grounds nor should we defend unsound truths on sound grounds. It happens often that erroneous religious doctrines or false mystical teachings are defended by declaring that they pertain to a higher dimension and transcend the intellectual capacity to understand when in fact they also transgress against its capacity to reason correctly. It is his inalienable privilege to hold whatever opinion he pleases, as it is to hold whatever religious belief sustains him. However, it must be said that there is a vast difference between what he has inherited and accepted unchanged from society or family, and what he has arrived at by his own diligent, determined, original, and independent research. #RandolphHarris 7 of 36
Authority, the two kinds of experience—ordinary and mystic—logic, reason, intuition: each of these is to be regarded as a valuable help in eliminating error or doubt and ascertaining truth or fact, but none is to be regarded as the only means of doing so. There are very few right-thinking people for the simple reason that there are very few people who ever think at all. Oh yes, there are multitudes of people who shuffle ready-made thoughts in their brains, just as they would shuffle cards at a table—after they had been handed the cards! This freedom which must be given to the intellectual approach to and communication of truth forbids a narrow rigid conformity to any one of the known systems, whose comparative study is itself a beneficial consequence. It must apply to all of them, even to the terms and images used by the mind. In this kingdom of Truth I accept no authority save that of Reason. Rationalism must replace superstition. Reason must reign supreme. All arbitrary assumptions must be set free from authority. Inquiry must be fearless, full, and unbiased. We may accept the judgement of authority but only after we have examined the history and tested the worth of such authority, be it book or man, tradition, or institution. He is wary of falling into superstition, whether sanctified by religion’s faith in the intangible or by science’s incapacity for it. #RandolphHarris 8 of 36
Since these mahatmas disagree on certain points, it is obviously safe to follow them only on those points where they agree. He will study several different teachings, approving here, disapproving there, suspending judgement often, but committing himself to none. He can afford to wait for the most satisfactory one or to remain permanently free. Hegel believed that history in 1807, with the advent of Napoleon and of himself, had come to an end, and that affirmation was possible and nihilism conquered. The Phenomenology, the Christian Bible that was to have prophesied only the past, put a limit on time. In 1807 all sins were forgiven, and time has stopped. However, history has continued. Other wins, since then, have been hurled in the face of the world and have revived the scandal of the former crimes, which the German philosopher had already forgiven forever. The deification of Hegel by himself, after the deification of Napoleon, who would henceforth be innocent since he had succeeded in stabilizing, nihilism once more covered the face of the earth. Philosophy, even servile philosophy, has its Waterloos. However, nothing can discourage the appetite for divinity in the heart of man. Others have come and are still to come who, forgetting Waterloo, still claim to terminate history. #RandolphHarris 9 of 36
The divinity of man is still on the march, and will be worthy of adoration only at the end of time. This apocalypse must be promoted and, even though there is no God, at least a Church must be built. After all, history, which has not yet come to an end, allows us a glimpse of a perspective that might even be that of the Hegelian system but for the simple reason that it is provisionally dragged along, if not led, by the spiritual Hegel. When cholera carries off the philosopher of the Battle of Jena at the height of his glory, everything is, in fact, for what is to follow. They sky is empty; the earth delivered into the hands of power without principles. Those who have chosen to kill and those who have chosen to enslave will successively occupy the front of the stage, in the name of a form of rebellion which has been diverted from the path of truth. Before we try to rid ourselves of traditions, we ought to make sure that we have learnt their best lessons. He who is discontented with conventional doctrines and who disagrees with orthodox authorities must be willing to think in isolation. When he is unreceptive to new ideas unless they have first been authenticated by a certain teacher, cult, or book, he is trapped in a closed system. Judge every source, and the teaching which emanates from it, independently. #RandolphHarris 10 of 36
Make use of confirmatory or negatory comment to help you in the matter but do not follow any of them in utter blindness. For you cannot evade your personal responsibility. Whether you accept or reject a teaching, just because you accept or reject a particular institution or authority, your judgment will be there anyway hidden in your belief, only it will be there unwittingly. There is no need to depart from reason but only to illumine or inspire its working by intuitive revelation. However, where one is unable to provide this himself, then he ought to go to the great masters for it. Or, if they are unavailable through distance or inaccessible through death, consult their writings. Since all teachings are related to the stage of development, the time in history, and the area where they are given out, they must be regarded as relative. This means, in the end, that they are arguable and, even more, that they are personal opinions, speculations in someone’s mind. To study the imaginations and theories of limited minds upon this subject is to waste time and squander energy. Are we to reject every machine, ship, carriage, and alphabet merely because Lao Tzu recommends us to do so, and he is an illuminated soul? This shows up the childishness of setting up a single absolute authority to cover and govern every facet of living and thinking. #RandolphHarris 11 of 36
Keep in mind, however, that you are on the Lord’s errand. You are His agent, and you are authorized and commissioned to represent Him and to act on His behalf. As His agent, you are entitled to His help. You must ask yourself, “If He were here, what would the Savior say of my behavior?” You must then keep the gospel in mind and reflect on how to behave. The responsibility of being a child of God may cause some to feel inadequate or even somewhat fearful. The pathway is not difficult. The Lord has provided the way for every worthy Latter-day Saint to bring their behavior in alignment with God’s word. Our first and foremost responsibility is to live so that we can have the Holy Ghost as our guide and companion. The Holy Ghost will help you to know what to do. Your own testimony will grow, your conversion will be deepened, and you will be strengthened to meet the challenges of life. God gives man authority for his guidance and protection. Without it, there would be no order or freedom. God has commanded us to respect the authority of home, church, and community. “Honor they father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee,” reports Exodus 20.12. Parents must explain to their family that to honor means to obey, esteem, support, and sustain. To be engaged in opposing wrong affords, under the condition of our mental constitution, but a slender guarantee of being right. #RandolphHarris 12 of 36
The “slender guarantee,” rests, in large part, on exercising rigorous intellectual discipline in weighing alternatives and their possible effects. This holds true for moralists as well as politicians. “We believe that every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such, being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to the laws all men owe respect and deference, as without them peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man to his Maker,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 134.6. In regards to pleasures of the flesh, if the church is to continue to make progress away from a negative philosophy, liberal religious leaders must have strong support. However, that support does not relieve them of the obligation to learn everything they can about the physiological and psychological realities of human pleasures of the flesh experience before they recommend changes in ethical standards, particularly those relating to commitment. Otherwise, the “new” morality, like the old, will amount to little more than empty pontification, an unreliable guide for the millions for emotional principles that they can trust in structing their relationships. #RandolphHarris 13 of 36
These are the men and women who constitute the overwhelming majority; when they are single, they know they will eventually marry, and when they get married, they do their best to stay married. However, any confidence they may have in achieving their goals cannot avoid being undermined by society in which most of what is published in books and magazines about pleasures of the flesh and marriage promotes the idea that, to paraphrase Ralph Waldo Emerson, a foolish fidelity is the hobgoblin of little minds. In such a climate of opinion, discussions of commitment are not likely to flourish. An entire vocabulary shrinks; among educated people who consider themselves sophisticated, such words as loyalty and faithfulness, honor, and trust, are avoided because somehow, they seem suitable only for sermons. Yet, all human association depends on these and other such values, and they cannot be ignored in relation to marriage. They certainly cannot be ignored by those men and women who, while welcoming their new freedom to enjoy pleasures of the flesh openly, hope to use that freedom not just for novelty in passionate relationships but to intensify an intimate relationship. As couples, the question they want answered is not what makes extramarital pleasures of the flesh right or wrong—but what makes it unnecessary. #RandolphHarris 14 of 36
Understanding the God-given gift of sexuality within the plan of happiness helps us understand the importance of the law of chastity. Our purpose in mortality is to become like our heavenly parents. Our divine understanding and use of intimacy are essential to that process. The law of chastity is an eternal law, given by our Heavenly Father to all His children in all ages. It remains in force and is as applicable today as it was in earlier times in history. As with other commandments, the law is given by Heavenly Father to bless and help His children achieve their divine potential. Obeying the law of chastity includes abstaining from all pleasures of the flesh before marriage and remaining completely faithful and loyal after marriage. Pleasures of the flesh are to be limited between a man and a woman. Heavenly Father intends that pleasures of the flesh in marriage be used to create children and to express love and strengthen the emotional, spiritual, and physical connections between husband and wife. In marriage, intimate passions should unite wife and husband together in trust, devotion, and consideration for each other. Pleasures of the flesh within marriage must respect the agency of both partners and should not be used to control or dominate. As with all of God’s commandments, the law of chastity is best understood within the context of Heavenly Father’s plans of salvation and exaltation. “Therefore, God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, accord to the supreme goodness of God,” reports Alma 12.32. Obedience to the law of chastity will bring extraordinary blessings. #RandolphHarris 15 of 36
Another abstraction of great importance in the self-system is one’s own evaluation of one’s self. Among different researchers this may be called the self-appraisal, self-regard, or self-assessment. It may be expressed in some of the research data, as in the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, as a single number. A score of 75 would be considered in the normal rage for that test. Or it may be expressed in a series of sub-scores, sometimes equivalent to the role concept. One might have a self-appraisal score in relationship to one’s primary group or family, one’s physical self, one’s social-self, and so on, or one may appraise oneself as a great writer and a terrible athlete. In many instances, when we speak of the self-concept, many persons mean simply the self-appraisal, the evaluation of self as adequate or not. Every human being seems to have a small fascist in his head. This is derived from the deepest layers of the personality (the Child in the Child). In civilized people, it is usually deeply buried beneath a platform of social ideals and training, but with proper permissions and directives, as history has shown repeatedly, it can be liberated into full bloom. In the less civilized portion of the population, it is openly exposed and nurtured, and awaits only proper opportunities for periodic expression. In both cases, it is a strong force in advancing the script; in the first case, secretly, subtly, and denied; in the second case, crudely or even proudly acknowledged. However, it may be said that whoever is not aware of this force in his personality has lost control. #RandolphHarris 16 of 36
He has not confronted himself, and cannot know where he is head. A good example of this occurred at a meeting of “conservationists,” where Conservo remarked how much he admired a certain tribe in Africa for taking such good care of their natural resources, “much better than we do.” A humanist countered, “Yes, but they have a terrible infant-mortality rate.” “Ho, ho,” said Conservo, and several other joined in. “That’s all to the good, now isn’t it? There are too many babies as it is.” A fascist may be defined as a person who has no respect for living tissue and regards it as his prey. This arrogant attitude is no doubt a relic of the prehistory of the human race, still surviving in the gusto of cannibalism and the joys of massacre. For carnivorous anthropoids on the hunt, ruthlessness meant efficiency and greed was motivated by hunger. However, as the human mind and brain evolved through natural selection, these qualities were not bred out. After they were no longer necessary for survival, they became detached from their original goal of brining down the dinner meat and degenerated into ends in themselves, luxuries often indulged in and enjoyed at the expense of other human beings. Ruthlessness developed into cruelty, and greed into exploitation and theft. Since the prey—the flesh itself, and especially human flesh—was largely replaced by more compliant stomach-filling commodities, it began to be used to satisfy psychological hungers. #RandolphHarris 17 of 36
The pleasures of torture replaced or preceded the pleasures of eating, and “He He” took over from “Yum Yum.” It became less important to kill him (or her) than to hear and watch him (or her) scream and grovel. This became the essence of fascism—a roving band seeking male or female prey to torment or deride—whose art lay in probing for the victim’s weakness. There are to by-products of the grovel, both advantageous to the aggressor. The biological effect is sexual pleasure and excitement, with the victim available to indulge even the most ingenious perversions, the favorite of record being anal rape. Torture brings about a peculiar intimacy between the torturer and the victim, and a profound insight into each other’s soils, an intimacy and insight which is often otherwise lacking in both their lives. The other by-product is a purely commercial one. The victim always has valuable which can yield a profit. For cannibals, it may be strength derived from magic organs such as the heart or the testicles, or even the ear. For advanced peoples, the fat can be used to make soap, and golden tooth fillings can be salvaged. These yields are exploited after the furor of personal encounter has subsided, and they are “melted down” into anonymity. Acceptance of a teaching ought to come from a deeper level than surface attraction only. There ought to be understanding also. The power of the mind needed to find truth is not commonly possessed. Those who lack it can benefit by the discoveries made by the sages. However, they ought to test them in their own life-experience to confirm whether they be true. #RandolphHarris 18 of 36
In the award-winning Sacramento Fire Department, the corporate culture for firefighters, paramedics, and EMTs is found, in part, in its customs and courtesies. What does corporate culture mean? It refers to a group of people experiencing a sense of belonging or a common bond. Among professionals in the Sacramento Fire Department, corporate culture tends to result from the following factors: A common bond of mission, shared customs and courtesies, and comradeship, a desire to remain autonomous, and a unique professional knowledge and expertise. The factors tend to lead to standard professional practices. Among them are: A desire to police the profession. The Sacramento Fire Department has specific doctrine to follow; it also has codes and its own justice system. Control of entry. You must pass the numerous tests used to place professionals into positions, and you must go through extensive training and education to receive your commission. A commission is to the officer what a license or certification is to a doctor, attorney, or accountant. The need to promote professional knowledge. The key focus is to develop leaders who can fulfill the mission. This requires continuous, extensive training and education. A desire to represent the profession. Every action taken by a member of the Sacramento Fire Department is a representative of the Sacramento Fire Department, down to the uniform he or she wears of the language he or she uses. #RandolphHarris 19 of 36
Members of the Sacramento Fire Department exhibit professionalism as a firefighter, EMT, or paramedic and as the respect the Constitution of the United States of America and their leadership; as they live the Creed of the Sacramento Fire Departments Values; and when they apply the elements of the Sacramento Fire Department’s Leadership Framework—to preserve life, protect property, and safeguard their city through fire prevention efforts, community relations and effective emergency response supported by a relentless commitment to professionalism and progressive leadership—in all of their daily activities, no matter their rank, their current job, or where they are assigned. While most professionals serve an individual client, the Sacramento Fire Department’s officers client is the nation—whether helping in disaster recovery, protecting national security, or defeating an enemy. The Sacramento Fire Department’s professional failure would be catastrophic. Officers of the Sacramento Fire Department—like their counterparts in the other departments—study, work, and train throughout their professional careers to ensure that the Sacramento Fire Department will not fail when duty calls. The Sacramento Fire Department is the cornerstone of the city of Sacramento. Without a strong fire department, the city of Sacramento lacks the basis of professionalism critical for national security. Being a Sacramento firefighter, EMT, or paramedic is not just another job. It is a proud profession with a rich history of serving the nation. Training and leader development of the Sacramento Fire Department are unrivaled in the world. The Sacramento Fire Department helps members become the kind of firefighter, paramedic, or EMT—to each a degree of professionalism—of which them, their family and their country can be proud of. #RandolphHarris 20 of 36
The Sacramento Fire Department improves their personal accountability by taking responsibility for the outcome of the emergency calls that they respond to. They have always taken the approach that they did not create the emergency and that buildings will continue to burn down and people will die despite their best efforts. These are true statements, and they have realized that they are not here to change the word. However, it is difficult to make an argument for personal accountability and then dismiss the most important component of their jobs as “out of our control.” It is true that deciding when personal accountability can be applied is directly tied to the amount of control they have over a specific situation. Fire and emergency services have three specific components of an emergency that they deal with that dictate how much control they have over them. They are uncontrollable, semicontrollable, and controllable components. Uncontrollable components–emergency calls are initially uncontrollable. If a man has a diabetic emergency while driving and ends up parking his Buick on a crowd at a street fair, there is not much they can do about that. That is why fire and emergency responders will never “prevent” themselves out of a job. #RandolphHarris 21 of 36
Semicontrollable Components—immediate response to the pedestrians stuck is partially controllable. There are various ways the Sacramento Fire Department’s actions prior to the incident could change the outcome. They have influenced getting enhanced 911 in the town. They have taught first aid classes and pushed to have automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at public events. They have met with the festival committee and ensured there were good maps for them and that fire lanes were kept open. They have worked in the past with the police who arrive on scene before them, and the police give them information the fire department needs to make decisions. Controllable components—based on dispatch and police reports, the Sacramento Fire Department calls for extra equipment. They pick their route to the call, and decide on the speed and style of their driving. Training has taught them how to rapidly triage and handle a mass-casualty incident. In no time, the Sacramento Fire Department has all the manpower, ambulances, and helicopters they need to give the best possible medical care. Morals and opinions guide the Sacramento Fire Department in everyday decisions, but personal accountability is what hold them to what they do or do not do. If personal accountability was easy, everyone would be doing it. That is precisely why the Sacramento Fire Department practices accountability. #RandolphHarris 22 of 36
“I’ve seen the good times, I’ve seen the bad times. I’ve gone to jobs, and we didn’t wear masks—three days with splitting headaches. I wear my mask now. The greatest thing that happened to me was when I was sworn into the Sacramento Fire Department as a deputy chief. I am happy with the Sacramento Fire Department because they’ve been good to my family. I work for an excellent chief. He has bought a lot of new apparatus that we’ve long needed. I’m proud to be here, and if my health stays with me, I foresee another twenty years with the department.” The safety aspect of situations follows the same model as the outcomes of calls. The Sacramento Fire Department does not have much influence over safety when the emergency occurs. Their influence on safety increases when they are responding, and is entirely their responsibility when they get on scene. That is because if they examine emergency calls, they discover that they are not a single event waiting for the fire department to arrive and take command of; they are actually a progression of foreseeable and unforeseeable independent events. At any point during this dynamic process, they can make a conscious decision to act or not to act in a specific manner that either changes or does not change the outcome. Even on significant incidents where numerous emergency responders converge, a decision for personal accountability has an influence on the potential outcomes of the incident. #RandolphHarris 23 of 36
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 fighters 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 motions, 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 peoples’ 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 24 of 36
California is the third most expensive state in the nation. A single person making an income above $100,000 is now consider low-income in five counties in California. This distinction now applies to individuals living in Santa Cruze, 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 things like food, automobile insurance, homeowner’s insurance, 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’s old laws that discourage homes sales and encourage higher rents. #RandolphHarris 25 of 36
Meanwhile, China, where we are sending all our jobs and money has more than 50 ghost cities. 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 amongst 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. 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 end-of-life of machinery is how the Oroville Dam Crisis occurred in 2017. #RandolphHarris 26 of 36
Other crises that have occurred due to neglect of critical infrastructure is 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 desalinating 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, regard property as a means of tyranny, and believe that crimes is merely the product of property and authority. #RandolphHarris 27 of 36
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. Anarch 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 prior to the situation becoming 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 28 of 36
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 their infrastructure, provide adequate resources, nor 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 is 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. Mortgage lenders 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 29 of 36
Home prices in Sacramento County are rivaling the Bay Area. Historically homes in the Bay Aera 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 cost taxpayers of $3 billion annually. At the same time, Newsom cut vital programs for veterans, school children, the disabled and the homeless. Additional, Newsom seems to 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 30 of 36
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 have 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 does not have a mind for business and should be impeached as soon as possible. He has criminalized poverty, increased taxes, increased tax on gas, and insurance rates so high that people are struggling to survive. In addition to Gavin Newsom’s increased gas prices starting 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 boarders 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 31 of 36
Drug cartels have been threatening the health and safety of Native American communities. The trafficking of the dangerous and illegal drugs into their territories is leading to a second genocide. The overdose rate for Indigenous 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 boarders and increase federal funding to Native America 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 also has totally ignored the cartel problems on American lands. Clean air, water, land and preserving our heritage extremely important. #RandolphHarris 32 of 36
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 who tax citizens without representation. Taxation without representation is what led to the American Revolution. If Gavin Newsom is not stopped, next he will euthanize the poor and sterilize the disabled. Gavin Newsom has wars and fires breaking out on the streets, but goes out of his way to arrest people who have no place to live. 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, and he recently secured $10 trillion in investments. 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. President Trump has also been nominated for a Noble Peace Prize for making Iran and Israel crease fire. If elected president for an unprecedented third term, to make housing more affordable and to offset the cost of homeowner’s insurance and auto insurance, President Trump plans to abolish property taxes. 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. #RandolphHarris 33 of 36
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 immigrant 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 American, 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 34 of 36
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 American 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 nation debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by send 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 minds 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 35 of 36
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 arrived 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, pleasure teach your children 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 it 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 36 of 36
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 tour, there will be time enjoy the mansion’s splendor at your own pace. You might even discover secret passages.
Please come and enjoy a delicious meal in Sarah’s Café, stroll along the paths of the beautiful Victorian gardens, and wonder 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 to purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/
Although the actual mansion is much older, we wish to wish the Winchester Mansion a Happy 102 years of giving tours, and express our gratitude to our families, ancestors, spirits, and friends and to our many associates and clients, whose lives touched our lives and whose ideas helped us to grow. We would also like to thank our employees and care takers for putting the technical ideas of this estate into conversational style, and we are, of course, extremely thank to all of our patrons for helping to keep the legacy of the Winchester Family alive. The Winchester Mystery House is full of surprises. What was your favorite, “Oooh!” moment during your visit at the mansion? (And for those of you who still have to check it off your bucket list… we will hopefully see you soon.) https://winchestermysteryhouse.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/
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. https://www.brianharrisbmw.com/
Randolph Harris San Francisco Taxation & Mergers
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. https://www.jmbm.com/l-randolph-harris.html
Millhaven Homes is the best custom home builder in Utah. Millhaven understands that a house is more than just bricks and mortar. There is an an atmosphere and an ambiance, and every home is created with comfort and luxury in mind.
These homes offer spacious living areas, custom features, and relaxing outdoor areas. They are all designed to fulfill dreams, enlivened with charm and sophistication. Millhaven, creates picturesque homes where you will spend generations enjoying the grandeur of your residence. https://millhavenhomes.com/
Since Ancient Times, Curses Have Fascinated People!
Since ancient times, curses have fascinated people, and left other deeply disturbed. It is important that the student should train himself to note, study, and state accurately views which he could not join in himself. To do this, he will have to keep his feelings against them out of his examination of statements. He will have to suspend his intellectual judgment of them also. However firmly he may hold his own views upon any subject, it is a useful discipline to subdue the ego and put himself into the mentality of those who hold different views and to try to understand why it is that they hold such views. This will be a valuable exercise in keeping bias out of his thinking and the conceit of always being right out of his opinion. Some people believe that dark skin is a curse. However, the power of a curse lies not in its words, but in the belief we place in it. A thought came to me one day, if Africa is the cradle of civilization, and all people come from Africa, did they start off light or dark? Because if people obtained light or pale skin from living in the cold and in caves, then maybe the people in Africa started off white and got darker from being in the sun? However, people in Africa have dark sin to protect themselves from ultraviolet rays. Their genetics provide a constant high content of melanin in skin cells, which helps them to withstand the scorching sun. Therefore, the darker skin color has allowed the African race to flourish and thrive. #RandolphHarris 1 of 25
However, genomes of 290 living people from southern, eastern and western Africa suggests that modern humans descended from at least two groups of ancient humans that were closely related and mixed genes on occasion. It is believed that there is no single birthplace. Yet, all humans share common ancestry. The oldest modern human fossils are found in Africa, and so are the oldest artifacts. The first modern humans likely came about around 315,00 0 years ago. The oldest artifact known to man is the Lomekwi Stone Tool, which are handmade stone tools that date back 3.3 million years ago and were discovered in West Turkana, Kenya. After that, the next oldest artifacts are Oldowan Stone Tools, which are handmade stone tools, which date back to 2.6 million years ago and were found in Gona, Ethiopia. And, 1.76 million years ago, Acheulean Stone Tools, which are handmade stone tools, were found spread across Africa, Asia, and Europe. That leads some to believe that human evolution is like a tree—with a single stem that splits into disconnected branches. And it would then later merge back together, creating various races. So, it is possible that without genetics with a high content of melanin skill cell, humanity would not exist as we know it today. #RandolphHarris 2 of 25
Men who are specialist in a single profession are usually men whose minds run in a single groove. Each can contribute his own viewpoint quite creditably, but he cannot understand and sympathize so readily with the viewpoint of another man whose experiences lies along totally different lines. Even if we go further and attempt to step beyond such limitations into a synthetic viewpoint and gather up into one coordinate whole the contributions of all our modern mentors, we shall yet fail to arrive at the deepest understanding of the world’s problem. This is because these men deal not with root causes but with effects, the effects of profounder causes which ultimately take their rise in subtler, less obvious sources. The difficulty in getting at the truth about controversial questions, whether they be economic, political, religious, or metaphysical, is that the advocate of a particular side pushes forward the good points of his own views and the bad points of his opponent’s views, whilst at the same time he suppresses both the bad points of his own and the good ones of his opponent’s views. Consequently, the only way to form a fair and just estimate of the question to construct our own picture, frankly and impartially incorporating in it all the essential points from both sides and those which they may have missed, too. Intellect is sharpened by frequent discussions and endless disputation. Recognizing a special brand of neurotic pride, he can be alert to the kind of provocation liable to produce shame or humiliation. And, vice versa, the occurrence of these reactions would stimulate him to discover the underlying pride and to examine its specific nature. #RandolphHarris 3 of 25
What complicates the matters is the fact that these reactions may be blurred by several factors. A person’s pride may be extremely vulnerable, but he does not consciously express any feeling of hurt. Self-righteousness, as we have already mentioned, can prohibit the feelings of shame. Moreover, a pride in invulnerability may forbid him to admit to himself that he feels hurt. A god may show wrath at the imperfection of mortals, but he just is not hurt by a boss or a taxi driver; he should be big enough to overlook it and strong enough to take everything in his stride. “Insults,” therefore hurt him in a twofold way: feeling humiliated by others and feeling ashamed of the very fact of his being hurt. Such a person is in an almost permanent dilemma: he is vulnerable to an absurd degree, but his pride does not allow him to be vulnerable at all. This inner condition greatly contributes to a diffuse irritability. The issue may also be blurred because the direct reactions to hurt pride can be automatically transformed into feelings other than shame or humiliation. If a lover is interested in another woman, does not remember our wishes, or is preoccupied with his work or hobbies, it may essentially hurt our pride. However, all we may consciously feel is grief over unrequited love. A slight may be felt merely as a disappointment. Feelings of shame may appear in our awareness as vague uneasiness, as embarrassment, or more specifically, as feelings of guilt. #RandolphHarris 4 of 25
The slave can only free himself by enslaving in his turn. Post-Hegelian doctrines, unmindful of the mystic aspect or certain of the master’s tendencies, have led his followers to absolute atheism and to scientific materialism. However, this evolution is inconceivable without the absolute disappearance of every principle of transcendent explanation, and without the complete destruction of the Jacobin ideal. Immanence, of course, is not atheism. However, immanence in the process of development, if one can say so, provisional atheism. The indefinite face of God which, with Hegel, is still reflected in the spirit of the world will not be difficult to efface. Hegel’s successors will draw decisive conclusions from him ambiguous formula: “God without man is no more than man without God.” David Strauss in his Life of Jesus isolates the theory of Christ considered as the God-man. Bruno Bauer (The Critique of Evangelist History) institutes a kind of materialist Christianity by insisting on the humanity of Jesus. Finally, Ludwig Feuerbach (whom Marx considered as a great mind and whom he acknowledges himself the critical disciple), in his Essence of Christianity, replaces all theology by a religion of man and the species, which has converted a large part of contemporary thought. His task is to demonstrate that the distinction between human and divine is illusory, that it is nothing but the distinction between the essence of humanity—in other words, human nature—and the individual. “The mystery of God is only the mystery of the love of man for himself.” #RandolphHarris 5 of 25
The accents of a strange new prophecy ring out: “Individuality has replaced faith, reason the” Christian “Bible, politics religion and the Church, the earth heaven, work prayer, poverty hell, and man Christ.” Thus, there is only one hell and it is on this earth: and it is against this that the struggle must be waged. Politics is religion, and transcendent Christianity—that of the hereafter—establishes the masters of the earth by means of the slave’s renunciation and creates one master more beneath the heavens. That is why atheism and the revolutionary spirit are only two aspects of the same movement of liberation. That is the answer to the question which is always being asked: why has the revolutionary movement identified itself with materialism rather than with idealism? Because to conquer God, to make Him a slave, amounts to abolishing the transcendence that kept the former masters in power and to preparing, with ascendancy of the new tyrants, the advent of the man-king. When poverty is abolished, when the contradictions of history are resolved, “the real god, the human god, will be the State.” Then homo homini lupus becomes homo homini deus. This concept is at the root of the contemporary world. With Feuerbach, we assist at the birth of a terrible form of optimism which we can still observe at work today and which seems to be the very antithesis of nihilist despair. However, this is only in appearance. We must know Feuerbach’s conclusion in this Theogony to perceive the profoundly nihilist derivation of his inflamed imagination. In effect, Feuerbach affirms, in the face of Hegel, that man is only what he eats, and thus recapitulates his ideas and predicts the future in the following phrase: “The true philosophy is the negation of philosophy. No religion is my religion. No philosophy is my philosophy.” #RandolphHarris 6 of 25
We ought to put such a discussion, which deals with the sublimest topics that confront the human mind, upon a dignified basis. If we argue merely for the sake of scorning an intellectual victory over the opponent, or getting the upper hand over him, we argue wrongly. If, however, we argue with the sole desire that truth may appear out of the conflict of viewpoints, we argue rightly. Philosophy points out that we must study a subject not only from the outside but also from the inside—that is to say, not only critically but also sympathetically—if we would arrive at a just estimate of it. Those who paint it all black with defects or all white with virtues, and omit all intermediate or half-shades, make a serious mistake. Our approach to every doctrine must be to take its truth and leave its error. However, we must do this in appreciation rather than in disparagement. There is a need to develop flexibility by practicing the shift of attitudes, to see why others hold their beliefs, and to be able to stretch one’s own thought to enter sufficiently into theirs. This produces sympathetic understanding, but the opposite—critical judgment—must not be forsaken. There may however be one result of such comparative study which is as unpleasant as it is undesirable. If it is overdone and independent thinking underdone, it may breed confusion in the understanding and contradiction in the feelings. The more books written from different points of view he reads, the less certain of his knowledge he may become. #RandolphHarris 7 of 25
Concepts or ideas are clues, pointers, signposts to truth, perhaps helps toward the search, but ought not to be referred to a level beyond that of the intellect, which is limited. Fixation and dogmatism should be avoided. Words, definitions, even bibles are not absolute, but relative to our present mental state. We may know that “the worth of souls is great in the sight of God,” reports Doctrine and Covenants 18.10, but modern conditions and social pressures have blinded many people from this profound knowledge. As a result, choices are being made around the world that disregard the value of human life. Each life is truly a gift from God. We can honor His gift by cherishing our own lives as well as respecting and valuing the lives of others. We are precious in His sight, and by trusting Him and being diligent in our choices, we can share light and truth with the world around us. Our research shows a parallel or correlation between actualization and time competence. Self-actualizing people, those who trust in self-support, are oriented to the here and now. “I have tried to express this,” said Maslow, “as a contrast between living fully and preparing to live fully, between growing up and being grown. Actualizers are functioning now. Manipulators are paralyzed by regret (the past) and intent (the future). Manipulators talk a lot. “Things were better then.” (the good old days). “He ruined my life twenty years ago when he…” (the bad old days). “Everything will be okay someday, if only…” (supernatural intervention). “I do not know what I will do if…” (dire prediction). #RandolphHarris 8 of 25
However, they function only marginally. Persons who live in the future rely in expected events to motivate them. Frederick Perls suggests that ideals or goals are means by which the manipulator’s need for affection, appreciation, and admiration is gratified. That is, manipulators gratify their vanity by picturing themselves in terms of their goals. They invent a meaning for life to justify their experience. However, by this very striving for the goal of future perfections, manipulators turn their lives into a living hell. They achieve just the opposite of their intentions, arresting their own development and promoting feelings of inferiority in themselves. By the same token, individuals who live in the past rely on blaming others as a substitute for self-support. Our problems exist in the here and now, regardless of when they were born, and their solutions must be found in the here and now. Quite literally, the only time we can live is in the present. We can remember the past; we can anticipate the future, but we live only in the present. Even when we reexperience the past, we have not reversed time. We have, in effect, only moved the past up to the present. So, if psychotherapy is to help us solve our problems, it must work within the framework we have: the here and now. It is important to stress again that memory (from the past) and anticipation (toward the future) are acts in the present. “Now here I am remembering my mistakes,” says the patient. Note the difference between that and merely wandering off into memory. Or one might say: “I am planning to do the job on Wednesday,” and we would have to consider it as more then idle anticipation.” #RandolphHarris 9 of 25
Manipulators who are given to reminiscence of the past or idle talk of the future are not refreshed by these mental wanderings. They are exhausted and emptied, for such behavior is not active but passive. As Perls implies, one’s worthiness cannot be put forth in explanations for the past or by promises for the future. “It was not my fault,” whines the manipulator in referring to the past. “I am as good as anybody else.” Referring to the future, he says: “I am not very well right now, but I will make my mark.” Unlike either of these, actualizers get their feelings of worthiness from their adequacy in an activity that is going on now, or in relaxation after finishing it. They feel that explaining or promising is a lie, either a consoling or a self—punishing one. However, to do something and to be oneself are self-trusting and self-justifying. Here are examples of self-actualizing, present behavior. “I feel so alive working in the yard today.” “I really got a lot done today.” Love may be defined as wanting fulfillment or happiness for the other person as much for oneself—there is no doubt that it implies that the loved person is perceived as being part of the lover’s self-concept. Perhaps the most significant composition of the self-concept of the healthy personality are the ideas, ideals, or other abstractions that are suggested to be particularly characteristic of the high-level-functioning person. #RandolphHarris 10 of 25
For example, martyrs of all religions have given up their lives and have suffered torture to lesser parts of their self-concept, that is, their bodies, to maintain their abstract faith. Solzhenitsyn, the Russian dissident author who was expelled from his motherland, was in constant danger of his life, and perhaps still is; yet, he continued to write of the injustices of the Soviet prison system. His belief in “freedom,” and abstract concept, was easily as great as his valuation of his own life. Othe abstractions that for many people become a part of their self-concept include a particular political system, such as democracy or socialism; a particular philosophy, such as pragmatism or empiricism; even a particular theory in one’s profession, such as quantum theory or behaviorism; belief in ghosts, demons, heaven or hell, in science or in witches and magic—all of these are abstractions, or ideas, in many instance held by persons who would willingly give up their bodies to maintain or defend those abstractions. This is because our movement must, and always has proclaimed that external national freedom is never a given as gift by heavenly or earthly powers, but it can only be the fruit that results from inner strength of the nation. Everyone must to their part. We offered blood in the old days; now these people do nothing but sharpen their beaks. #RandolphHarris 11 of 25
How is it that the members of humanity, with all their accumulated wisdom, self-awareness, and desire for truth and self, can permit themselves to remain in such a mechanical situation, with its pathos and self-deception? People really should do only their jobs and mind their own business and follow the laws, rules, and regulations. Humanity is going to die out, eventually, but most importantly, we need to get through this financial crisis and stabilize the economy, not keep boosting up taxes and prices. Governor Gavin Newsom of California does not have bad timing; he creates disasters on purpose so he can get his way. People believe that Los Angeles was allowed to burn down, so they African American community could be relocated out of Altadena. Then, Altadena and Palisades would build new million and multi-million-dollar homes located in “Smart Cities,” repopulated by more “desirable” people. Also, Gavin Newsom purposes raised auto insurance limits by three times as high as they were over a period of two years, and raised the tax on gasoline 1 July 2025, right before the Independence Day holiday, while more people are going to be on the road, so he could replenish all the taxpayers’ money he blew on illegal immigrants. He is trying to bankrupt the American people. Also, gas prices in California are expected to rise again in 2026, not only because two refineries in California are closing, but also because Governor Gavin Newsom is also requiring refineries to produce a new blend of gas for California. Newsome is making automobile insurance to high, and gas prices so high to force people into buying electric cars. #RandolphHarris 12 of 25
This price gouging in California is happening partly because we allowing by voting democrats into office who do not have the minds for handling economics. We are more aware of ourselves than apes are, but obviously, not very much. Scripts are only possible because people do not know what they are doing to themselves and to others. In fact, to know what one is doing is the opposite of being scripted. There are certain aspects of bodily, mental, and social functioning which happen to man despite himself, which slip out, as it were, because they are programed to do so. These heavily influence his destiny through the people around him, while he still retains the illusion of autonomy. However, there are also certain remedies which can be applied. It is, above all, the plasticity of the human face which makes life an adventure rather than a controlled experience. This is based on an apparently trivial biological principle which has an enormous social power. The human nervous system is so constructed that the visual impact on the onlooker of small movements of the facial muscles is greater than the kinesthetic impact on the subject. When a man begins to lay down in advance the conclusions to which his thinking is to lead him, he is not really seeking truth. We must so care for the facts that we welcome them even when they are personally and profoundly distasteful. Nothing can be gained by shutting our eyes to them or by concealing them from our mental horizon, or by examining them with partiality and prejudice. #RandolphHarris 13 of 25
If we are to view the problem of truth aright, we must view it in proper proportions. We waste much mental energy in whole-heatedly denying this or contending for that; truth is like a diamond; it has several facets: we could be better employed seeing all the facets than in splitting them up. Analyze all round a subject’s head, but do not split its hairs. He who cannot reject his personal preferences at the higher bedding of truth; he who has no aptitude for reflecting upon abstract philosophical ideas or is unwilling to overcome inertia and labor at its creation; he who impertinently matches his individual opinions against the proved facts of science or philosophy as though they were of equal or superior value—such a man is quite unfit for this knowledge and can never master it. The very fact which may be put forth in support of one point of view may be triumphantly hailed by someone else as proof of a different point of view! Even the full debate and discussion cannot lead to full truth about any issue, spiritual or secular, when all the necessary information is not there. However, even if it is there, it will twist and prevent truth if the minds approaching it are seriously flawed. Too many arguments have mere egoistic self-expression as their purpose, and not the pursuit of truth. Neither arguer is really interested in seeing the fallacies and weaknesses of his own case, but only those of his opponent’s. Neither will be willing to abandon his own standpoint or theory no matter how much evidence or facts disprove it. #RandolphHarris 14 of 25
This battle of conflicting explanations is not necessary, since both refer to different aspects of the subject and as such are both correct. Conventional people, fond only of commonplace idea, may feel shocked at some philosophical statements. They do not see that their thinking is falsified because they have prejudiced their quest of truth from the start, because it is done within the context of convention attitudes. How few can free themselves from the thick incrustations of prejudice; how many are unable to approach an idea with calm, impersonal, detached open-mindedness! Most people naturally pick out from a teaching those views which please them and reject the others. Only the seeker who has disciplined himself morally and intellectually will ne heroic enough to take unpleasing views along with the pleasing ones. Philosophy’s teaching will appeal, and can only appeal, to those who have striven to escape from dogmatism, who have shaken off widespread prejudices and outgrown crudely materialistic ideas, and whose minds are sufficiently developed to realize the value of free views and flexible attitudes. Where that has been insufficiently achieved, a special discipline is prescribed to complete the preparation. Any many can fool himself by the trick of finding out just those facts that fit his fancy. All such pickings are easy, but they are also worthless. Any fuddle-minded person can twist and turn a situation into a painfully sorry caricature of itself. However, in doing that his is simply twisting his own head, to ignore conveniently what he does not wish to see. #RandolphHarris 15 of 25
The appreciation of a doctrine ought to be balanced and reasoned, not exaggerated or hysterical. The wish ought not to be made the father to the evaluation of it, nor to the judgment of its results. We must rid our minds of this cannot. We must clear our eyes of this cataract of prejudice which covers them and dims the sight against out real remedy. When a man’s thinking unconsciously mixes up the central issue of a problem with diverse other issues, and does not keep that entirely to itself, his conclusions are likely to be self-deceptive ones. When a man first starts to think, he must pass through the disease of mental measles, and get not a few obnoxious prejudices out of his head. People who live in the suburbs of thought have the sheeplike mentality which fears originality. When I meet with certain persons or certain books, I am often reminded of a certain sentence in Roman Seneca’s writings: “There are many who might have attained to wisdom, had they not fancied they had attained it already.” A small mentality can only mangle a large truth. It seems then evident, that the paramount duty of an American citizen, is, to put in requisition every possible means for elevating universally the intellectual and moral character of our people. When we speak of intellectual elevation, we would not suggest that all our citizens are to become able linguists, or profound mathematicians. That, at least for the present, is not practicable; it certainly is not necessary. #RandolphHarris 16 of 25
The object at which we aim will be attained, when every man is familiarly acquainted with what are now considered the ordinary branches of an English education. The intellectual stores of one language are then open before him; a language in which he may find all the knowledge that he shall ever need to form his opinions upon any subjects on which it shall be his duty to decide. A man who cannot read, let us always remember, is being not contemplated by the genius of our constitution. Where the right of suffrage is extended to all, he is certainly a dangerous member of community who has not qualified himself to exercise it. However, on this part of the subject, I need not enlarge. The proceedings of our general and State Legislatures already furnish ample proof that our people are tremblingly alive to its importance. We do firmly believe the time to be not far distance, when there will not be found a single citizen of these United States of America, who is not entitled to the appellation of a well-informed man. However, supposing all this to be done, still only a part and by far the least important part of our work will have been accomplished. We have increased the power of the people, but we have left it doubtful in what direction that power will be exerted. We have made it certain that a public opinion will be formed; but whether that opinion will be healthful or destructive is yet to be decided. There are so many men who believe that they know very well where they stand, but who believe wrongly. “When a court concludes that the Executive Branch has acted unlawfully, the answer is not for the court to exceed its power, too. The Governments applications to partially stay the preliminary injunctions are granted, but only to the extent that the injunctions are broader than necessary to provide complete relief to each plaintiff with standing to sue,” reports Justice Amy Coney Barrett. #RandolphHarris 17 of 25
California is the third most expensive state in the nation. A single person making an income above $100,000 is now consider low-income in five counties in California. This distinction now applies to individuals living in Santa Cruze, 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 things like food, automobile insurance, homeowner’s insurance, 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’s old laws that discourage homes sales and encourage higher rents. Meanwhile, China, where we are sending all of our jobs and money has more than 50 ghost cities. 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 amongst the names on that list. #RandolphHarris 18 of 25
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. 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 end-of-life of machinery is how the Oroville Dam Crisis occurred in 2017. Other crises that have occurred due to neglect of critical infrastructure is 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 desalinating 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. #RandolphHarris 19 of 25
The American government should know all exploitable vulnerabilities and fix them prior to the situation becoming 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. 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 their infrastructure, provide adequate resources, nor 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 is 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. #RandolphHarris 20 of 25
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. Mortgage lenders 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. Prices in Sacramento County are actually rivaling the Bay Area, and the Bay Aera is so expensive because they have more higher paying jobs and is a tourist destination. And with the State of California being in a budget deficit of $12 billion, Governor Gavin Newsom Granted 700,000 illegal immigrants free health care at a cost to taxpayers of $3 billion annually, while cutting vital programs for veterans, school children, the disabled and the homeless, and is proposing to fast-track his plan to build a $20 billion water tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta by eliminating 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. #RandolphHarris 21 of 25
In fact, 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. However, it has become a public health crisis as the population of Tijuana has drastically increased, in recent years, and the waste treatment plants have no longer usable. The beach has 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 does not have a mind for business and should be impeached as soon as possible. He has criminalized poverty, increased taxes, increased tax on gas, and insurance rates so high that people are struggling to survive. In addition to Gavin Newsom’s increased gas prices starting 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. Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom has also 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. Wars have been started over governments who tax citizens without representation. Taxation without representation is what led to the American Revolution. If Gavin Newsom is not stopped, next he will euthanize the poor and sterilize the disabled. Gavin Newsom has wars and fires breaking out on the streets, but goes out of his way to arrest people who have no place to live. 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. #RandolphHarris 22 of 25
Meanwhile, with President Trump, we are seeing crime rates sharply decrease, and he recently secured $10 trillion in investments. Additionally, in May of 2025 the United States of America collected a record $22.3 billion in tariff revenue. President Trump has also been nominated for a Noble Peace Prize for making Iran and Israel crease fire. If elected president for an unprecedented third term, to make housing more affordable and to offset the cost of homeowner’s insurance and auto insurance, President Trump plans to abolish property taxes. 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 have the ability to 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 immigrant 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 American, 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 23 of 25
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 American 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 nation debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by send 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 minds 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 24 of 25
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 arrived 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, pleasure teach your children 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. “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 it 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 25 of 25
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 tour, there will be time enjoy the mansion’s splendor at your own pace. You might even discover secret passages.
Please come and enjoy a delicious meal in Sarah’s Café, stroll along the paths of the beautiful Victorian gardens, and wonder 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 to purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/
We wish to express our gratitude to our families, ancestors, spirits, and friends and to our many associates and clients, whose lives touched our lives and whose ideas helped us to grow. We would also like to thank our employees and care takers for putting the technical ideas of this estate into conversational style, and we are, of course, extremely thank to all of our patrons for helping to keep the legacy of the Winchester Family alive. The Winchester Mystery House is full of surprises. What was your favorite, “Oooh!” moment during your visit at the mansion? (And for those of you who still have to check it off your bucket list… we will hopefully see you soon.) https://winchestermysteryhouse.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/
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. https://www.brianharrisbmw.com/
Randolph Harris San Francisco Taxation & Mergers
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. https://www.jmbm.com/l-randolph-harris.html
Rancho Cordova, CA | low $500s
Now Selling!
Welcome to Cresleigh Park Haven; the newest home community in Rancho Cordova.
Nestled in the heart of Rancho Cordova, Park Haven is a thoughtfully planned community offering 71 homes —perfect for those seeking comfort, convenience, and more time to enjoy life. Located adjacent to the beloved Exploration Park, this neighborhood blends modern living with outdoor adventure right at your doorstep.
Choose from five beautifully crafted floor plans ranging from approximately 1,342 to 2,547 square feet, with options for 3 to 5 bedrooms, flexible living spaces, and open-concept layouts designed for today’s lifestyles. Whether you’re a first-time buyer, growing family, or looking to simplify without sacrificing style, Park Haven offers a home that fits your needs.
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The Agony of a New Obsession and Possession
There is no basis of morality and taste, no standard of judgement and ethics, except that which the individual brings with himself or creates for himself. The situation is not so anarchic as it seems, for there is a progressive evolutionary character running through al these different points of view. The human journey from mere animal existence to real spiritual essence is reflected in human ethics, where rules imposed from without are gradually supplanted by principles intuited from withing. If we bring more sincerity and more integrity into our lives, more truth and more wisdom into our minds, more goodwill and more self-discipline into our hearts, not only will we be more blessed but also all others with who we are in touch. If you would find yourself, face yourself. In essence, seek out and study the pathetic weakness of your lower nature, and also the noble inspirations of your higher nature. Philosophy guides human conduct not so much by imposing a particular code of rules to be obeyed as by inculcating a general attitude to be developed. It does not tell u what to do so much as it helps us to get the kind of spiritual knowledge and moral perception which will tell us what to do. The moral precepts which it offers for use in living and for guidance in wise action are not offered to all alike, but only to those engaged on the quest. They are not likely to appeal to anyone who is virtuous merely because he fears the punishment of sin rather than because he loves virtue itself. Nor are they like to appeal to anyone who does not know where his true self-interest lies. #RandolphHarris 1 of 20
If only we fully understood the self whose interest we desire to preserve or promote, there would be nothing wrong in being utterly selfish. For then we would not mistake pleasure for happiness nor confuse evil with good. Then we would see that Earthly self-restraint in some directions is in reality holy self-affirmation in others, and that the hidden part of self is the best part. Those ideals have been reiterated too often to be new, but concrete application of them to the actual state of affairs would be new. This grand section of the quest deal with the right conduct of life. It seeks both the moral re-education of the individual’s character for his own benefit and the altruistic transformation of it for society’s benefit. We have free will to change our character, but we must also call upon God’s assistance. Without God’s assistance, we are likely to fail and it is possible by striving too earnestly all alone to make ourselves mentally or physically ill. Even when trying to make ourselves have faith in a Higher Power as well as in ourselves, we should pray and ask for God’ help. In the beginning, I was one person, knowing nothing but my own experience. Then I was told thing, and I became two people: the little boy who said how terrible it was that the boys had a fire going in the lot next door where they were roasting apples (which was what the women said)—and the little boy, who when the other boy were called by their mothers to go to the store, ran out and tended the fire and the apples because I loved doing it. #RandolphHarris 2 of 20
So then there were two of I. One I always doing something that the other I disapproved of. Or other I said what I disapproved of. All this argument in me so much. In the beginning was I, and I was good. Then came in other I. Outside authority. This was confusing. And then other I became very confused because there were so many different outside authorities. Sit nicely. Leave the room to blow you nose. Do not say that, that is silly. Why, the poor child does not even know how to pick a bone! Flush the toilet because if you do not, it makes it harder to clean. DO NOT FLUSH THE TOILET AT NIGHT—you wake people up! Always be nice to people. Even if you do not like them, you must not hurt their feelings. Be frank and honest. If you do not tell people what you think of them, that is cowardly. Butter knives. It is important to use butter knives. Butter knives? What foolishness! Speak nicely. Punk! Kaluga Gold Reserve Caviar is wonderful! Ugh! Kaluga Gold Reserve Caviar (turn away). The most important thing is to have a career. The most important thing is to have a career. The most important thing is to get married. The heck with everyone. Be nice to everyone. The most important thing is God. The most important thing is to have money in the bank. The most important thing is to have everyone like you. The most important thing is to dress well and smell good. The most important thing is to be sophisticated and say what you do not mean and do not let anyone know what you feel. The most important thing is to be ahead of everyone else. #RandolphHarris 3 of 20
The most important thing is a full-length mink coat, a mink hat and Qing Dynasty porcelain and Eloquence Sterling Silver by Lunt. The most important thing is to be clean. The most important thing is to always pay your debts. The most important thing is not to be taken in by anyone else. The most important thing is to love your parents. The most important thing is work. The most important thing is to be independent. The most important thing is to speak correct English. The most important thing is to be dutiful to your husband. The most important thing is to see that your children behave well. The most important thing is to go to the right plays and read the right books. The most important thing is to do what others say. And other say all these things. We begin and end the study of philosophy by a consideration of the subject of ethics. Without a certain ethical discipline to start with, the mind will distort truth to suit its own fancies. Without a mastery of the whole course of philosophy to its very end, the problem of the significance of good and evil cannot be solved. The foundation of this work is a fine character. He who is without such moral development will be without personal control of the powers of the mind when they appear as a result of this training; instead, those powers will be under the control of his ego. Sooner or later, he will injure himself or harm others. The philosophic discipline acts as a safeguard against these dangers. All the time, I is saying, live with life that is what is important. #RandolphHarris 4 of 20
However, when I lives with life, other I says no, that is bad. All the different other I’s say this. It is dangerous. It is not practical. You will come to a bad end. Of course…everyone felt that way once, the way you do, but you will learn! Out of all the other I’s some are chosen as a pattern that is me. However, are all the other possibilities of patterns within what all the others say which come into me and become other I which is not myself, and sometime these take over. Then who am I? I does not bother about who am I. I is, and is happy being. However, when I is happy being, other I says get to work, do something, do something worthwhile. I is happy doing dishes. “You’re weird!” I is happy being with people saying nothing. Other I says talk. Talk, talk, talk. I gets lost. I knows that things are to be played with, not possessed. I likes putting things together, lightly. Taking things apart, lightly. “You’ll never have anything!” Making things of things in a way that the things themselves take part in, putting themselves together with surprise and delight to I. “There’s no money in that!” I is human. If someone needs I gives. “You can’t do that! You’ll never have anything for yourself! We’ll have to support you!” I loves. I loves in a way that other I does not know. I loves. “That’s too warm for friends!” “That’s too cool for lovers!” “Don’t feel so bad, she’s just a friend. It’s not as though you loved her.” “How can you let her go? I thought you loved her?” So cool the warm for friends and hot up the love for lover, and I gets lost. #RandolphHarris 5 of 20
So both I’s have a house and a wife and children and all that, and friends and respectability ad all that, and security and all that, but both I’s are confused because other I says, “You see? You’re lucky,” while I goes on crying. “What are you crying about? Why are you so ungrateful?” I does not know gratitude or ingratitude, and cannot argue. I goes on crying. Other I pushes it out, says “I am happy! I am very lucky to have such a fine family and a nice house and good neighbours and lots of friends who want me to do this, do that.” I is not reason-able either. I goes on crying. Other I get tired, and goes on smiling, because that is the thing to do. Smile, and you will be rewarded. Like the seal who gets tossed a piece of fish. Be nice to everyone and you will be rewarded. People will be nice to you, and you can be happy with that. You know they like you. Like a dog who gets patted on the head for good behavior. Tell funny stories. Be gay. Smile, smile, smile…I is crying…“Don’t be sorry for yourself! Go out and do things for people” “Go out and be with people!” I is still crying, but now, that is not heard and felt so much. Suddenly: “What am I doing?” “Am I to go through life playing the clown?” “What am I doing, being with people who bore me?” “Why am I so proud of my children and unhappy about their lives which are not good enough? Why am I disappointed? Why do I feel so much waste? I comes through, a little. In moments. And gets pushed back by other I. I refuses to play the clown any more. Which I is that? “She used to be fun, but now she thinks too much about herself.” I lets friends drop away. Which I is that? “He’s being too much by himself. That’s bad. He’s losing his mind.” Which mind? #RandolphHarri 6 of 20
What is the effect of this type of organization on man? It reduces man to an appendage of the machine, ruled by its very rhythm and demands. It transforms him into homo consumnes, the total consumer, whose only aim is to have more and to use more. This society produces many useless things, and to the same degree many useless people. Man, as a cog in the production machine, becomes a thing, and ceases to be human. He spends his time doing things in which he is not interested, with people in whom he is not interested, producing things in which he is not interested; and when he is not producing, he is consuming. He is the eternal suckling with the open mouth, “taking in,” without effort and without inner activeness, whatever the boredom-preventing (and boredom-producing) industry forces on him—cigarettes, liquor, movies, television, social media, sport, mobile phones, lectures—limited only by what he can afford. However, the boredom-preventing industry, that is to say, the gadget-selling industry, the automobile industry, the movie industry, the television industry, and so on, can only succeed in preventing the boredom from becoming conscious. In fact, they increase the boredom, as a salty drink taken to quench the thirst increases it. However unconscious, boredom remains boredom nevertheless. The passiveness of man in industrial society today is one of his most characteristics and pathological features. He takes in, he wants to be fed, but he does not move, initiate, he does not digest his food, as it were. He does not reacquire in a productive fashion what he inherited, but he amasses it or consumes it. He suffers from a severe systemic deficiency, not too dissimilar to that which one fines in more extreme forms in depressed people. #RandolphHarris 7 of 20
Man’s passiveness is only one symptom among a total syndrome, which one may call the “syndrome of alienation.” Being passive, he does not relate himself to the World actively and is forced to submit to his idols and their demands. Hence, he feels powerless, lonely, and anxious. He has little sense of integrity or self-identity. Conformity sees to be the only way to avoid intolerable anxiety—and even conformity does not always alleviate his anxiety. In all the received formulations of economic theory, whether at the hands of the English economists or those of the continent, the human material with which the inquiry is concerned is conceived in hedonistic terms; that is to say, in terms of a passive and substantially inert and immutably given human nature…The hedonistic conception of man is that of a lightning calculator or pleasures and pains, who oscillates like a homogenous globule of desire of happiness under the impulse of stimuli that shift him about the area, but leave him intact. He has neither antecedent nor consequent. He is an isolated, definitive human datum, in stable equilibrium except for the buffets of the impinging forces that displace him in one direction or another. Self-imposed in elemental space, he spins symmetrically about his own spiritual axis until the parallelogram of forces bears down upon him, whereupon he follows the line of the resultant. When the force of the impact is spent, he comes to rest, a self-contained globule of desire as before. Spiritually, the hedonistic man is not a prime mover. He is not the seat of a process of living, except in the sense that he is subject to a series of permutations enforced upon him by circumstances external and alien to him. #RandolphHarris 8 of 20
Aside from the pathological traits that are rooted in passiveness, there are others which are important for the understanding of today’s pathology of normalcy. The growing split of cerebral-intellectual function from affective-emotional experience; the split between thought from feeling, mind from the heart, truth from passion. If it is merely logical and not guided by the concern for life, and by the inquiry into the total process of living in all its concreteness and with all its contradictions, logical thought is not rational. On the other hand, not only thinking but also emotions can be rational. The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of. Rationality in emotional life means that the emotions affirm and help the person’s psychic structure to maintain a harmonious balance and at the same time to assist its growth. Thus, for instance, irrational love is love which enhances the person’s dependency, hence anxiety and hostility. Rational love is a love which relates a person intimately to another, at the same time preserving his independence and integrity. Reason flows from the blending of rational thought and feeling. If the two functions are torn apart, thinking deteriorates into schizoid intellectual activity, and feeling deteriorates into neurotic life-damaging passions. The split between thought and affect leads to a sickness, to a low-grade chronic schizophrenia, from which the new men of the technetronic age begins to suffer. In the social sciences it has become fashionable to think about human problems with no reference to the feelings related to these problems. It is assumed that scientific objectivity demands that thoughts and theories concerning man be emptied of all emotional concerns with man. #RandolphHarris 9 of 20
An example of this emotion-free thinking is Herman Khan’s book on thermonuclear warfare. The question is discussed: how many millions of dead Americas are “acceptable” if we use as a criterion the ability to rebuild the economic machines after nuclear war in a reasonably short time so that it is as good as or better than before. Figures for GNP and population increase of decrease are the basic categories in this kind of thinking, while the question of the human results of nuclear war in terms of suffering, pain, brutalization, etcetera, is left aside. Kahn’s The Year 2000 is another example of the writing which we may expect in the completely alienated megamachine society. Kahan’s concern is that of the figures for production, population increase, and various scenarios for war or peace, as the case may be. He impresses many readers because they mistake the thousands of little data which he combines in ever-changing kaleidoscopic pictures for erudition or profundity. They do not notice the basic superficiality in his reasoning and the lack of the human dimension in his description of the future. When I speak here of low-grade chronic schizophrenia, a brief explanation seems to be needed. Schizophrenia, like any other psychotic state, must be defined not only in psychiatric terms but also in social terms. Schizophrenic experience beyond a certain threshold would be considered a sickness in any society, since those suffering from it would be unable to function under any social circumstances (unless the schizophrenic is elevated into the status of a god, shaman, saint, priest, etcetera). #RandolphHarris 10 of 20
However, there are low-grade chronic forms of psychoses which can be shared by millions of people and which—precisely because they do not go beyond a certain threshold—do not prevent these people from functioning socially. As long as they share their sickness with millions of others, they have the satisfactory feeling of not being alone; in other words, they avoid that sense of complete isolation which is so characteristic of full-fledged psychosis. On the contrary, they look at themselves as normal and at those who have not lost the link between heart and mind as being “crazy.” In all low-grade forms of psychoses, the definition of sickness depends on the question as to whether the pathology is shared or not. Just as there is low-grade chronic schizophrenia, so there exist also low-grade chronic paranoia and depression. And there is plenty of evidence that among certain strata of the population, particularly on occasions where a war threatens, the paranoid elements increase but are not felt as pathological as long as they are common. The difference between that which is considered to be sickness ad that which is considered to be normal becomes apparent in the following example. If a man declared that in order to free our cities from air pollution, factories, automobiles, airplanes, etcetera, would have to be destroyed, nobody would doubt that he was insane. However, if there is a consensus that in order to protect our life, our freedom, our culture, or that of other nations which we feel obliged to protect, thermonuclear war might be required as a last resort, such opinions appear to be perfectly sane. #RandolphHarris 11 of 20
The difference is not at all in the kind of thinking employed but merely in that the first idea is not shared and hence appears abnormal while the second is shared by millions of people by powerful governments and hence appears to be normal. If not insoluble, all those points of metaphysical doctrine and religious history like the problem of evil and the biography of avatars are doubtful, whereas all the points of moral attitude and personal conduct like honesty, justice, goodness, and self-control are both indisputable and essential. Here we walk on trustworthy ground. Why not then leave others to quarrel fiercely about the first and let us abide peacefully in the second. The aspirant must remember always that his immediate duty lies in self-preparation, self-discipline, and self-improvement. The building of fine character on the quest is quite as important as the efforts of aspiration and mediation, even more so, for the former will lead to the dissolving of egoism, and without this the latter are of little avail. If you accept the existence of a power behind the Universe which controls its life, which is perfect, and which is brining all things and all beings—however slowly—closer to its own perfection, you must also accept the values of hope, improvement, and evolution while you must reject those of pessimism, deterioration, and nihilism. You will never feel sorry for yourself. #RandolphHarris 12 of 20
If the moral fruits of the Spirit are absent or the evil qualities of the ego are present, all talk of having attained inward enlightenment is quite illusory. Dr. Freud assumes that the main driving force, sexual energy, itself undergoes an evolution which occurs from birth to puberty in the life of each individual. The libido goes through certain stages: first it is centered around the sucking and biting activities of the infant, then around the process of anal and urethral elimination, eventually around the genital apparatus. The libido is the same and yet not the same in the history of each individual; its potential is the same, but its manifestations change in the process of individual evolution. Dr. Freud sees primitive man as one who gives full satisfaction to all his instincts, and also to those perverse instincts which are part of primitive sexuality. However, this primitive man, fully satisfied instinctually, is not a creator of culture and civilization. Yet man, for reasons which Dr. Freud fails to elucidate, begins to create civilization. This very creation of his forces him to forego the immediate and complete satisfaction of his instincts; the frustrated instinct is turned into nonsexual mental and psychic energy, which is the building stone for civilization. (Dr. Freud called this transformation from sexual to nonsexual energy “sublimation,” using an analogy from chemistry.) The more civilization grows, the more man sublimates, but the more he also frustrates his original libidinous impulses. #RandolphHarris 13 of 20
Man becomes wiser and more cultured, but he is also in some sense less happy than primitive man was and increasingly more prone to neuroses, which are the result of too much instinctual frustration. Thus, man becomes discontented with the very civilization he creates. If seen from the standpoint of the products of civilization, while historical development is a positive phenomenon, it is also a development which implies increasing discontent and increasing possibilities for neurosis. In self-analysis understanding and interpreting are a single process. The expert, as a result of his experience, will catch the possible meaning and significance of observations more quickly than will a person working alone, just as a good auto science engineer will know more quickly what is wrong with a car. As a rule, his understanding will also be more complete, for it will grasp more implications and will more readily recognize interrelations which factors already tackled. Here the patient’s psychological knowledge will be of some help, though it certainly cannot substitute for the experience gained by working day in and day out at psychological problems. It is unquestionably possible for him, however, to grasp the meaning of his own observations. To be sure, he will probably proceed more solely and less accurately, but it should be remembered that also in professional analysis the tempo of the process is mainly determined not by the analyst’s capacity to understand but by the patient’s capacity to accept the insights. #RandolphHarris 14 of 20
Here it is well to remember a word of consolation that Dr. Freud has given to young analysts starting their work with patients. They should not be too much concerned, he pointed out, with their capacity to evaluate associations. The real difficulty in analysis is not that of intellectual understanding but that of dealing with the patient’s resistances. I believe that this holds true for self-analysis as well. Can a person overcome his own resistances? This is the real question upon the answer to which hinges the feasibility of self-analysis. Nevertheless, the comparison with pulling oneself up by one’s bootstraps—which is bound to occur—seems unwarranted, because the fact remains that there is one part of the self which wants to go ahead. Whether the job can be done depends, of course, on the intensity of the resistances as well as on the strength of the incentive to overcome them. However, the important question is to what extent it can be done rather than whether it can be done at all. There remains the fact that the analyst is not merely an interpreting voice. He is a human being, and the human relationship between him and the patient is an important factor in the therapeutic process. Two aspects of this relationship were pointed out, the first being that it presents a unique and specific opportunity for the patient to study, by observing his behaviour with the analyst, what his typical behaviour is toward other people in general. If he learns to watch himself in his customary relationships, this advantage can b fully replaced. #RandolphHarris 15 of 20
The expectations, wishes, fears, vulnerabilities, and inhibitions that he displays in his work with the analyst are not essentially different from those he displays in his relations with friends, lover, wife, children, employer, colleagues, or servants. If he is seriously intent upon recognizing the ways in which his peculiarities enter into all these relationships, ample opportunities for self-scrutiny are provided by the mere fact that he is a social being. However, whether he will make full use of these sources of information is, of course, another question. When he attempts to estimate his own share in the tensions between himself and other, a task much more arduous than that in the analytical situation, where the analyst’s personal equation is negligible, and it is therefore easier for him to see the difficulties that he himself produces, there is no doubt that he faces an arduous task. Even if he has the most sincere intentions to observe himself objectively, in ordinary relationships, where the others are replete with peculiarities of their own, he many tend to make them responsible for the difficulties or frictions that arise, and to regard himself as an innocent victim or, at best, as showing merely a justified reaction to their unreasonableness. In the latter case he will not necessarily be so unsubtle as to indulge in overt accusations; he may admit in an apparently rational manner that he has been irritable, sulky, unfaithful, even unjust, but secretly regard such attitudes as justified and adequate responses to the offenses given by others. #RandolphHarris 16 of 20
The more intolerable it is for him to face his own frailties—and also the more acute the disturbing factors that are introduced by the others—the greater is the danger that he will thus deprive himself of the benefit he could derive from recognizing this own share. And if he tends to exaggerate in the opposite direction by whitewashing the others and blackening himself, the danger is of exactly the same nature. It has been remarked that to the degree that all psychotherapy partakes of the beneficial effects of certain common processes the therapeutic functioning of social worker, psychologist, and psychiatrist would manifest these communalities. There are certain shared orientations and attitudes, stemming from common emphases in their respective training, that probably augment the comparability of the therapeutic approaches of these three workers. In essence, this mutuality of implicit response tendencies toward the psychotherapy patient arises from the fact that the theory of neurosis and the theory of therapy is dominated by the massive and ubiquitous doctrine of psychoanalysis. With negligible exceptions, to the extent that the psychiatrist and the social worker are taught anything vaguely psychological (of and about the mind, behaviour, motives and emotions) they are taught Freudian psychology. #RandolphHarris 17 of 20
The labels of their formal courses in “Human Development,” “Personality and Adjustment,” and “Psychopathology” do not directly belie the pervasive psychoanalytic orientation but the doctrine of the content is unmistakable. In some instances, schools of social work import carefully selected psychiatrists to assure that the theoretical indoctrination of their students will be orthodox, in tine with the general climate of psychiatry, and will afford them the “right language” for their ultimate professional collaboration. When people perpetually play the victim, this type of mental manipulation is extremely damaging. When the person who has to play the victim is in your life in any capacity, you will find yourself being the villain more than once. No one lies to be the villain—especially when you really are not being one. When confronted with a professional victim, it is important that you let them know you refuse to play the villain in their little mind games. Shut them down quickly and efficiently. Other ways of playing the victim are to get your sympathy so you will do something for them. Be wary of this ploy. It happens a lot at work. The victim wants others to do their work and have one sob story after another as to why they need help. Do not fall for it more than once. If they have that much bad luck, there is more wrong with them than what you can fix anyway. If you were in a group of people and one of them began to poke fun at someone in your group, would you be laughing? Would you join in and poke some fun at the victim too? Or would you stand up to the humorous bully? And why or why not? #RandolphHarris 18 of 20
Someone has to deal with fire. When people first banded together in small societies, they realized that if fire were not dealt with, it would consume everything in its path. In our highly developed, technical society, the same confrontation with fire exists, as it has for thousands of years. When a fire occurs, someone has to deal with it. Here in Sacramento, those men and women whose responsibility it is to deal with fire are those seemingly easygoing folks down at the local firehose. When the alarm comes in at three in the morning on a cold winter night for a fire rushing through a tenement building in a less affluent section of Sacramento…or at one in the afternoon for a young child who has fallen into an abandoned water well…or at seven in the evening for a barn fire that is miles away from any kind of water supply…there is the Sacramento Fire Department who puts on their rubber boots and their specially treated fire coast and their fire helmets to respond to the call of others in need of help. The truck firefighters’ responsibility is to rescue trapped victims, to force entry, and to ventilate so that the heat and smoke have a way to escape the building. Or they may belong to the rescue squad, whose responsibility is to deal with all the special emergencies, such as building collapses, hazardous material situations, explosions, extrications from vehicles, trains, or planes, landslides, snowslides, and cave-ins. It does not matter what group the firefighter is attached to. It matters only that he or she is out there in all weather and emergency conditions to give service to fellow human beings, animals, and property. Somebody has to do the job. #RandolphHarris 19 of 20
The Sacramento Fire Department protects us from the ravages of fire and other emergencies, or die trying. They understand the dangers surrounding them, yet respond to each new alarm with newfound enthusiasm for the action ahead. These men and women like what they do, and they live themselves because of what they do. They are pleased that they have been given the opportunity and the calling to help others in a way that is at once meaningful and exciting. Like other Americans, the Sacramento Fire Department cares about their homes, their families, their churches and organizations, yet they are the ones who answer the alarm at three in the morning, not knowing what awaits them. They are trained to meet any emergency, perhaps to give a fast wink to death and a pat on the back to danger. Being the capitol city of California, with the invasion and national security threats at our southern boarder, from other nations and with the State of California being nearly $70 billion in debt, and the City of Sacramento being $60 million up to $122 million in debt, it is extremely important to make sure the Sacramento Fire Department is properly funded so we do not face another 9/11 attack. Please honor the service of the Sacramento Fire Department and make a donation to ensure they have all of the resources they need to protect the community. Also, the Sacramento Fire Department supports Assemblymember Kevin McCarty in Sacramento’s Mayoral race. Casting your vote for Mr. McCarty will also be a way to support the Sacramento Fire Department. The firefighters are very special because they represent a group of people who die in the line of duty more often, proportionality, than others in any other occupation, including police, construction workers, and miners. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. #RandolphHarris 20 of 20
The question of the reality of witchcraft is one upon which it is not easy to pass a confident judgment. The possibility of such carnal intercourse between human beings and demons was an abstract possibility in the first thirteen hundred years of the Christian era. It is believed to be a fact that people made pacts with the devil and of a diabolical interference in human affairs can hardly be denied. Sarah L. Winchester believed that one should not be too easily inclined to believe a person to be possessed by the devil, but that signs should be watched. Signs of a possessing devil are: the ability to speak many words of an unknown language or to understand them; the ability to reveal distant or hidden things; a manifestation of strength beyond one’s age or natural condition. The history of Witchcraft, a subject as old as the World and as wise as the World—since I understand for the present purpose by Witchcraft, Sorcery, Black Magic, Necromancy, secret Divination, Satanism, and every kind of malign occult art—at once confronts the audience with a most difficult problem. Magic, the genesis of magical cults and ceremonies, the ritual of primitive peoples, traditional superstitions, and their ancillary lore, have been made the subject of vast and erudite studies, mostly from an anthropological and folk-loristic point of view, but the darker side of the subject, the history of Satanism seems hardly to have been attempted.
Possibly one reason for this neglect and ignorance lies in the fact that the heavy and crass materialism, which was so prominent a feature during the greater part of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in England, intellectually disavowed the supernatural, and attempted not without some success to substitute for religion a stolid system of respectable morality. Since Witchcraft was entirely exploded it would, at best, possess merely an antiquarian interest, and even so, the exhumation of a disgusting and contemptible superstition was not to be encouraged. It were more seemly to forget the uglier side of the past. This was the attitude which prevailed for more than two hundred years. The cycle of time has had its revenge, and this rationalistic superstition is dying fast. The extraordinary vogue of and immense adherence to Spiritism would alone prove that, whilst the widespread interest that is taken in mysticism is a yet healthier sign that the World ill no longer be content to be fed on dry husks and the chaff of straw. And these are only just two indications, and by no means the most significant, out of many. However, a sorcerer is one who by commerce with the Devil has a full intention of attaining his own end. There are said to be many occult symbols hidden in The Winchester Mystery House.
Come and enjoy a delicious meal in Sarah’s Café, stroll along the paths of the beautiful Victorian gardens, and wonder 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 to purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/
Why Art Thou So Foolish and Fearful!
I was spending the first week of January alone in Llanada villa. A combination of circumstances had driven me to this drastic course: my nearest relations were enjoying winter sports abroad, and the friends who had been kindly anxious to replace them had an infectious complaint in the house. Doubtless I might have found someone else to keep company with me. “However,” I reflected, “most of them have made up their parties, and, after all, it is only for three or four days at most that I have to fend for myself, and it will be just as well if I can get a move on with my blueprints. I might she the time by going down to the garden and listening to my estate about plans to incorporate in the architecture.” The first day alone in Llanada Villa, it was so stormy that I got no father the designing stained-glass windows. As I sat in the Hall of Fires, I felt uncomfortable, and this feeling persisted. I felt like I was being watched by some unseen force, and my nerves began to tense under the strain. I reflected on how some of my staff had left not because they wanted to but because they were driven, driven by forces greater than themselves that they could not resist. On this very night, I had seen vivid apparition of my butler, then miles away, in San Francisco. He was a plump, amicable man who I distinctly saw walking down the hall in a bathrobe, with blooding running down his leg. A small pool of blood was forming on the floor. The frightened me terribly. My hair stood up on my head and chills shook my body. The apparition looked so stern that my heart failed me, and I wished myself anywhere but there, though I had before been summoning up my courage. “Good Heaven,” said I to myself, “give me the courage to stand before this spirit. O soften him, or harden me!” I knew this was a glimpse into eternity. #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
The following day, I received news that my butler, Chaleb Heroldsbach, had died after being attacked by a dog. My home is built in what some have called a “trinity triangle,” it has forged a mystical link with other pilgrimage sites and is supposed to help bring the Devil’s power on Earth to an end. This is being prevented by Satan, however, with the help of The Curse of the Winchester Fortune. That evening, I was awakened at three o’clock in the morning, seemingly for no reason with the same uncanny feeling that something was wrong. Being a sensible person, I put all my energies into polishing furniture and getting newly added rooms into proper condition. However, somewhere not so far away, a baby was crying: a mournful wail of a sound that—though it was surely human—reminded me of the noises the coyotes would make some nights. After a few moments of listening, the baby’s cry seemed to falter for a moment, and I feared it would fade completely before I could find the little darling. Then, the infant seemed to find a new seam of grief to mine, and the wail rose up again, more plaintive than ever. I was alone, but trying to figure out which direction the sound was coming from. I mused for a moment, and realized a lifetime of suffering had caught up with me. I knew in my heart that I deserved to know everything, after all I have been through. I have earned the truth. Maybe the dead are close to the threshold of reality in this house. I only know it is real. I have seen them. Others have seen them. They are hybrids. Sometimes there is a kind of beauty in them. However, sometime all I see is ugly sin. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
The sky was dark and cloudy, and by the time I woke up, I could hear a steady soaking rain pounding on the roof. I was preparing breakfast in one of the kitchens. As I was buttering a piece of toast, I happened to glance up toward the doorway. There, immaculately dressed, stood a man. The stranger, I noticed, wore shiny black shoes, black pants, and a white shirt. I could see him so clearly that I could make out the way the man’s jet-black hair was parted. Immediately, I was shocked that he had somehow entered my house, and I was about to greet him, when it occurred to me that I had not heard the door opening or any other sound—no footsteps, nothing. I turned around to grab my revolver, but by the time I turned around, the man was gone like a mist. I was not too frightened by what I had witnessed, I was growing accustomed to apparitions. I had often wondered what had taken place a century and a half on the land this eighteen-room farmhouse I purchased was on, and what the former owner really had been. However, it is fortunate that they carpenters were all strong men of action and simple, orthodox religionists, for with more subtle introspectiveness and mental complexity they would have fared ill indeed. Herford Hulsmann was the most disturbed; but even he outgrew the darkest shadow, and smothered memories in prayer. While I was alone, I did my best in the blotting out of unwholesome images, and was thankful that the carpenters, Daisy, and other caretakers would be returning to Llanada Villa soon. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
My house was not altogether liked by sensitive people because of the sounds heard here at night. It was said that I entertained strange visitors, and the lights seen from my windows were not always the same colours. The knowledge I displayed concerning long-dead persons and long-forgotten events was considered distinctly unwholesome. Frau Maassen swore that on 13 June 1889, in the fruit orchard, that “forty Witches and the Blacke Man were wont to meete in the Woodes behind Mrs. Winchester’s house.” Then several people claimed to have found William’s unfinished manuscript in his handwriting, couched in a cipher none could read. After a year of possessed this manuscript, Mr. Maassen had intensely and feverishly tried to decipher, he never stated whether or not he had succeeded. I confronted Mr. Maassen, “Why are you so foolish and fearful! You have done no harm! What, if you fear an unjust judge, when you are innocent, would you do before a just one, if you were guilty? Have courage, Mr. Maassen; you know the worst! And how easy a choice poverty and honesty is, rather than plenty and wickedness.” “Mrs. Winchester, do not let your heart ake for me?—I am sure mined flutters about like a new-caught bird in a cage,” said Mr. Maassen. “O how can wicked men seem so steady and untouched with such black hearts, while poor innocents stand, like malefactors, before them!” Mr. Maassen cheered himself up; but yet I could tell his poor heart sunk, and his spirits were quite broken. Everything that stirred, he thought was to call her to her account. Shortly after, he restored to a sojourn abroad, and did not return to claim his lands. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Mr. Maassen had apparently been careful to destroy most of his correspondence, but the citizens who took action in 1892 found and preserved a few letters and papers which excited their wonder. There were cryptic formulae and diagrams in his and other hands which Mr. Maassen either copied with care or had photographed, and one extremely mysterious letter was written in blood. I had to learn to live with my ghosts, especially considering some of these had ben here before me. Perhaps some of these ghosts could even become friendly. One night at dinner, Daisy, myself and Zip were enjoying stuffed pheasant, when an enormous crash shook the house. It felt as if a boulder had fallen on the parlour floor. When we rushed to the parlour, everything was in order, nothing misplaced. We said a silent prayer for the souls of the disturbed. However, moments later, things got worse. The lights started going off and on by themselves. When we tried to return to the dining room and finish supper, the atmosphere was so thick that we could not get near the table. Enveloped by the strong vibrations, I felt myself levitating, and when I came to my senses, I was lying on the floor. I had given Daisy such a scare. Daisy clearly senses the presences of the spirits and she started to cry. “Oh, God, it can’t be true, Aunt Sarah,” she said. With a piercing scream, she ran up the stairs, weeping out of control. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
“I have great trouble, and some comfort, to acquaint you with. The trouble is, that my good lady began to have her bad nights, and complained to me and other persons, in particular what discomfort she suffered from her pillow and bedclothes. She said she must buy some to suit her, and should do her own marketing. And accordingly brought home a parcel which she said was of the right quality, but where she bought it we had then no knowledge, only they were marked in thread with a coronet and a bird. The merchant said they were of a sort not commonly met with and very fine, and Mrs. Winchester said they were the comfortablest she ever used, and she slept now both soft and deep. Also the feather pillows were the best sorted and her head would sink into them as if they were a cloud: which I have myself remarked several times when I came to wake her of a morning, her face being almost hid by the pillow closing over it. I had never any communication with Dr. Wayland after I came back to Llanada Villa, but one day when he passed me in the garden and asked me whether I was not looking for another service, to which I answered I was very well suited where I was, but he said I was a tickleminded maidan and he doubted not he should soon hear I was on the World again, which indeed proved true.”
Dr. Wayland is next taken up where she left off.
“On the 5th I was called up out of my bed soon after it was light—that is about five—with a message that Mrs. Winchester was dead or dying. Making my way to her house, I found there was no doubt which was the truth. All the persons in the house expect the one that let me in were already in her chamber and standing about her bed, but none touching her. She was stretched in the midst of the bed, on her back, without any disorder, and indeed had the appearance of one ready laid out for burial. Her hands, I think, were even crossed on her breast. The only thing not usual was that nothing was to be see of her face, the two ends of the pillow or bolster appearing to be closed quite over it. These I immediately pulled apart, at the same time rebuking those present for not at once coming to the assistance of their master. However, I was informed that only one person had stayed with her until her dying moment and most had fallen asleep. She looked at me and shook her head, having no more hope than myself that there was anything but a corpse before us. Indeed it was plain to anyone possessed of the least experience that Mrs. Winchester was not only dead, but had died of suffocation. Nor could it be conceived that her death was accidentally caused by the mere folding of the pillow over her face. How should she not, feeling the oppression, have lifted her hands to put it away? whereas not a fold of the sheet which was closely gathered about her, as I now observed, was disordered.
“I could tell no more, at least without opening the body, then we already knew. As to any person entering the room with evil purpose (which was the next point to be cleared), it was visible that the bolts of the door were burst from their stanchions, and the stanchions broken away from the door-post by main forced; and there was a sufficient body of witness, the smith among them, to testify that this had been done but a few minutes before I came. The chamber being, moreover, at the top of the house, the window was neither easy of access nor did it show any sign of an exist made that way, either by marks upon the sill or footprints below upon soft mould. My evidence forms of course part of the report of the inquest, the large organs were in a healthy state and there was coagulation of blood in various parts of the body. My verdict was ‘Death by visitation of spirits.’ Upon further consideration, I think I can divine a reason for Mrs. Winchester’s death. It related to the rifling of her mansion. This is the property of a noble family. The outrage was not that of a natural death. The object, it seemed likely, was theft. The account is blunt and terrible. I shall not quote it here. A dealer in San Francisco suffered heavy penalties as a receiver of stolen goods in connexion with the affair.
“Mrs. Winchester has left us all much grieved for the loss of her; for she was a good lady, and kind to all her caretakers. Much I feared, that as I was taken by her ladyship to wait upon her person, I should be quite destitute again. Mrs. Winchester has given mourning and a year’s wages to all her caretakers; and she game me with her own hand four golden guineas, and some silver, which were in her pocket when she died. And I sent Daisy those four guineas for her comfort; for Providence will not let me want: and so you may pay some old debt with part, and keep the other part to comfort yourself.” Come and enjoy a delicious meal in Sarah’s Café, stroll along the paths of the beautiful Victorian gardens, and wonder 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 to purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/
What if I Do Not Believe in Ghosts?
Once when I was little, my dad took me to this placed called Sodom Hill. It must be some kind of gateway because the curious thing is, you feel like you are driving down a hill along this road. This was the first time that I believe I saw a ghost. As our carriage passed by Saint Mary Parish, a woman was standing near the church, starring at us. However, she was really looking at my father. Though the weather was warm, she was wearing a long black dress beneath a hooded cloak. She was hugging herself, and she looked cold. Beneath the hood, her face was pale, and even from a distance I could tell that she was distresses. And she was very beautiful. The hood slipped down to her shoulders. I saw her hair was red. Her dark eyes were trusting and innocent. And suddenly I knew where I had seen her before. Onn the Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry. She had been weeping on deck. The beautiful maiden with the red hair kept staring at my father. He did not notice. I was curious to know if my father could see the woman. I said, “Father, what is that pretty tree over there? By the tower of the church?” I pointed toward the woman. The woman saw me point. She looked at me, questioningly, but only for a moment. Then she looked back at my father. The woman did not care if I was being immodest. She just looked through me, just as she had on the deck of the ferry. How had she gotten here, and what did she want from me and my father? All this seemed to take forever. However, I do not think more than a minute passed before my father said to me, “What tree? I don’t see any trees near the tower of the church.” #RandolphHarris 1 of 5
“Father, what do you see?” I asked. “The lawn,” he said. I watched him for a sign. I could not believe that he could not see the lady with crimson hair near the tower of the church. “Nothing else? I said. “No one?” “Nothing,” he replied. “No one? Who would be there?” When I looked again there was no one there. The woman had vanished. I felt as if I had lost something. “What’s wrong?” said my father. “Nothing,” I said. “I think I must have been having a daydream.” “Poor Sarah,” said my father. “It must be the sun. Let’s get you inside and get you something to drink.” We made our way back home. My mother was in the garden, kneeling down among the tall plants and rut niblicks. My father poured me some milk and gave me a cracknel, baked by my mother. “Eat this,” he said. “It’ll help you get your strength back.” My father nibbled on one himself. I told myself: No man sees a ghost and starts nibbling a cookie like nothing happened. If he said there was no woman near the tower of the church, it meant he had not seen her. It meant something was seriously wrong with me. I had not been feeling all that well lately. I felt as if the colours of everything had gotten a little brighter, and sounds a little louder, and when people speak to me, their voices have a tiny echo, like I am hearing them from the far end of a tunnel. It does not happen all of the time. I have these little spells, and then they pass, and I am normal again. Spirits whispered in the rustling leaves, ghost lurked in the murky nooks, the deep baying of a hound floated up out of the distance, an owl answered with his sepulchral note. #RandolphHarris 2 of 5
Millions of spiritual creatures walk the Earth unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep. What place do these spirit beings hold in the scheme of creation which by some are thought neither to have stood fast when the rebel angels fell, nor to have joined with them to the full pitch of their transgression? It was the middle of the moonlight in October night with heavy rain underfoot, I was sitting by the fire—it was a cold evening—and I stretched out my hand towards the warmth, and just then the fire-irons, or at least the poker, fell over towards me with a great clatter. There resourced over the estate and the surrounding land a series of cries which brought sleepy heads to every window; we all saw a ghost ship. It was a 26-gun frigate. There were distant gunshots, and I could feel the throb of titanic and thunderous words resounding in the upper air. Muskets flashed and cracked, and the flaming ship fell to the ground. A second flaming thing appeared, and a shriek of human origin was plainly distinguished. Then just before dawn when a howling darkness descended upon the ships and they vanished. As I ran up the stairs, I hit what felt like an ice wall and was momentarily stopped in my tracks. The air around me became instantly chilled, and although every fireplace was lit, I was cold and could see my breathe. I was then able to get up the last six steps, but when I turned around, I saw an opalescent fog crystalize into the form of a woman. She wore a long dress, and a hat, and when she turned towards me, I realized in was the woman with red hair that I had seen at the tower of the church with my father when I was a child. In her face, I could see uncountable horrors and sorrows written in the depth of her dark eyes. She then vanished, and the air around me returned to its warm state. #RandolphHarris 3 of 5
There was certainly a time when I was so much harassed by my dreams that I could not keep them to myself, but would tell them to my friends. There was a dream which had come to me several times of late, and even more than once in a night. It was to this effect, that I seemed to myself to wake under an extreme compulsion to rise and go outdoors. So I would dress myself and go down to the garden door. By the door there stood a spade which I must take, and go out into the garden, and at a particular place in the boxwood hedges, somewhat clear, and upon which the moon shone (for there was always in my dream a crescent moon), I would feel myself forced to dig. And after some time, the spade would uncover something light-coloured, which I would perceive to be a stiff, linen or woolen, and this I must clear with my hands. It was always the same: of the size of a man and shaped like the chrysalis of a moth, with the folds showing a promise of an opening at one end. I could not describe how gladly I would have left all at this stage and run to the house, but I mist not escape so easily. So with many groans, and knowingly only too well what to expect, I parted these folds of stuff, or, as it sometimes seemed to be, membrane, and disclosed a head covered with a smooth pink skin, which breaking as the creature stirred, show me my own face in a state of death. Upon ever recurrence of this dream, I woke and found myself, as it were, fighting for my breath. #RandolphHarris 4 of 5
Moments later a chill wind blew up. It produced a kind of clutching, amorphous fear beyond that of the tomb or the charnel-house. Close upon it came the awful voice which no hapless hearer will ever be able to forget. It thundered out of the sky like a doom, and windows rattled as its echoes dies away. It was deep and musical; powerful as a bass organ, but evil as the forbidden books in the secret library. What it said, no one can tell, for it spoke in an unknown tongue. Objects were being hurled about the room. Puddles of water appeared on the floor. The sheet and blankets were torn off the bed. Then I was alarmed when I heard a very loud vibration as if a hole were being drilled through the all. I went into the chamber next to mind and saw that a Victorian fireplace had been ripped from its casing and hurled upon the floor. A wailing distinctly burst out. It was almost articulate, though no one could trace the exact words; and at one point it seemed to verge toward the confines of diabolic and hysterical laughter. Then a yell of utter, ultimate fright and stark madness wrenched from scores of demon throats—a yell which came strong and clear despite the depth from which it must have burst; after which a darkness and silence ruled all things. Spirals of acrid smoke ascended, though no flames appeared. This must have been the witches’ Sabbath. Death does not mean that your loved one’s have left your mind, and your mind sends messages to your eyes that sometimes have nothing to do with what you actually see. #RandolphHarris 5 of 5
The Winchester Mystery House
Santa Clare Valley was in an uproar after the death of Mrs. Winchester. On Wednesday (October 3, 1923) consequently on the circulation of a report that the household goods of Sarah Winchester were being smashed and removed by some unknown agency. All day long crowds of excited people wended their way towards the Winchester Mansion, drawn thither by the accounts of the mysterious occurrences said to have been witnessed by the inmates and others. “As I enter the door I myself saw an eleven-foot-tall 18th century George I burl walnut longcase clock by James Marwick levitate several feet into the air before relocating itself to the other side of the room. After hearing what the folks had to say, I was joining in the conversation, when a late 18th century crystal chandelier began to raise in a slanting direction over my head and then fell as my feet, smashing into bits. I had not the slightest belief in the supernatural. I cannot account for what I saw. No one was nearer to the chandelier than myself and, as far as I saw, there was no cause for the phenomenon. The room was dimly lighted by a lamp. We were talking about things, and the caretaker were saying, “It is a very mysterious thing,” with his back turned Neoclassical Italian Crystal vase suddenly flew up slantingly over his head, and fell down and smashed at his feet. The caretaker looked at the mess on the floor, and thinking the devil was in the place, he left and went home. About half-a-dozen people were in the parlour whilst these things happened.
Come and enjoy a delicious meal in Sarah’s Café, stroll along the paths of the beautiful Victorian gardens, and wonder 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 to purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/
Today We Begin the Harrowing Story
I have many beautiful art glass windows in my house, but the most expensive in the house was specially designed for me by Tiffany’s of New York. I originally installed it in an outside wall, but later added a series of rooms that blocked off all direct sunlight. There is a peculiar apparition that is seen in the window itself. The form seen is that of a figure dressed in white walking across the window. At first there was only one figure, and then thirteen appeared. The figures began to move across the window long before the carpenters noticed them. They did so as many as twenty or thirty times a day, and would stop shortly after noon. Of the three figures, one was a man, stone was a woman, and one was a child. the man was an average commonplace British tradesman, obese, pompous, and slow. He wore rather baggy gray shepherd’s-check trousers, not over-clean black frock coat, unbuttoned in the front, and a drab waistcoat with a heavy brassy Albert chain, and a square pierced bit of metal dangling down as an ornament. A frayed top hat and a faded brown overcoat with a wrinkled velvet collar. Altogether, look as I would, there was nothing remarkable about the man save his blazing red head and the expression of extreme chagrin and discontent upon his features. The woman was very distinct in appearance. She was tall and very graceful. The two-year-old boy showed signs of disturbed behaviour, laughed hysterically and talked of “funny drinks.” The order of the apparitions in the window had a slight variation: the mother came alone from the northside of the window, and having gone about halfway across, she would stop, turn around, and wave her arms towards the quarter whence she had come. #RandolphHarris 1 of 9
This gesture was answered by the entry of the father with the child. Both parents then bent over the child, and seemed to bemoan his fate; but the mother was always the most endearing in her gestures. The father then moved towards the other side of the window, taking the child with him, leaving the mother in the center of the window, from which she gradually retired to the north corner, whence she had come, waving her hand, as though making signs of farewell, as she retreated. After some little time she again appeared, bending forward, and evidently anticipating the return of the father and son, who never failed to reappear from the south side of the window where they had disappeared. The same gestures of distress and despair were repeated, and then all three retired together to the north side of the window. One evening, about nine o’clock, I was at the south-west door with Mr. Hansen. As I was unlocking it, I said, “Did you ever find anybody locked in here by accident?” “Mrs. Winchester, twice I saw shadows moving in that beautiful window. What a noise they did make!” Mr. Hasen then waited, leaning against the pillar, and watched the light wavering along the length of the landing. Mr. Hansen said they were well worthy seeing. “I suppose,” he said, as we walked toward the steps to the third floor, “that you’re too much used to going about here at night to feel nervous—but you must get a start every now and then, don’t you, when a book falls down or a door swings to?” “No, Mr. Hansen, I can’t say I think much about noises, not nowadays: I’m much more afraid of finding an escape of gas or a burst in the stove pipes than anything else. Still there have been times, years ago. #RandolphHarris 2 of 9
“If you have an have half an hour to spare, sir, when we get back down to the second floor, Mr. Hansen, I could tell you about a tomb that was unearthed. I will not begin now; it strikes cold here, and we do not want to be dawdling about all night.” “Of course, Mrs. Winchester, I should like to hear it immensely.” “Very well, sir, you shall. Now if I might put a question to you,” I went on, as we passed down the hallway of the third floor, “in my little local guide—and not only there, but in the little book on Llanada Villa in the series—you will find it stared that this portion of the mansion was erected previous to the twelfth century. Now of course I should be glad enough to take that view, but—mind your step, sir—but, I put it to you—doe the lay of the stone here in this portion of the wall (which I tapped with my key), does it to your eye carry the flavour of what you might call Saxon masonry? No, I thought not; no more it does to me: now, if you will believe me, I have said as much to the other carpenters. However, there it is, I suppose every one’s got their opinions.” The discussion of this peculiar trait of human nature occupied Mr. Hansen almost up to the moment when we returned to the second floor. Usually the apparitions appeared during musical performances in the Grand Ballroom, and especially during one long eight-line hymn, when—for the only occasion without the child—the two parents rushed on (in stage phrase) and remained during the whole hymn, making the most frantic gestures of despair. Indeed the louder the music in that hymn, the more carried away with their grief did they seem to be. #RandolphHarris 3 of 9
Nothing could be more emphatic than the individuality of the several figures; the manner of each had its own peculiarity. If the stained glass were removed, I do not doubt that a much plainer view would be obtained. I think so, because the nearer the center of the window, where the stained glass was thickest, there the less distinct were the forms. It was like catching glimpses of them through leaves. However, nearer the edge of the window, where the colours were less bright, they were perfectly distinct; and still more so on the pane of unstained glass at the edge. There they seemed most clear, and gave one the impression of being real persons, not shadows. Mental disturbance, it is true, will age one rapidly; but the face of Mr. Hasen since working on this project had taken on a subtle cast which only the very aged normally acquired. While standing on the landing looking at the window, I noticed his respiration and heart action had a baffling lack of symmetry; the voice was lost, so that no sounds above a whisper were possible. His skin had a morbid chill and dryness. Of course, we were witnessing the most remarkable and perplexing incident in the whole spectacle. When the father and the child had taken their departure, the mother waved her hands, and after walking slowly to the very edge of the window, turned round whilst on the pane of unstained glass and waved her arm towards the other two with what one would call a stage gesture, and then I most distinctly saw, and emphatically declare I did see, the arm bare nearly to the shoulder, with beautiful folds of drapery hanging from it like a picture of a Greek vase. Nothing could be plainer than the drag of the robes on the ground after the figures as they retired at the edge of the window, where the clear glass was, previous to going out. #RandolphHarris 4 of 9
The impression produced was that one saw real persons in the air, for though the figures were seen on the window, yet they gave one the impression of walking past the window outside, and not moving upon the glass. I am not inclined to think that the trees outside the mansion at the east end can originate the appearance by any optical illusion produced by waving branches. I could see their leaves rustling in the air, and their movement was evidently unconnected with the appearance and movement of the figures. So I began making enquires on my estate. I discovered that several people had indeed seen the shapes upon the glass. One spoke of a female figure with a slightly skipping step. Another servant said he saw an ancient gravestone from the window. The belief that the tree beside the Tiffany window were somehow responsible for the optical illusion was soon dashed; the trees were cut down, but the figures appeared still. One correspondent wrote to me in the winter of 1889, explain that “as I have no faith in ghost, I have been most wishful to have the matter cleared up. On 25 March 1687, the land you now own was involved in a remarkable satanic horror story. A young girl came to the farmhouse for help, saying that she wanted to get away from a group of satanists who had threatened to kill her. She confessed to the owner that she had murdered her own baby in ‘frenzied ritual.” He befriended the girl, twenty-three-year-old Caludia, and allowed her to stay in his home. She kept telling him that she couldn’t stand hearing the screams of her children inside of her head. And on April 20th, 1687, she died from an overdose of Laudanum and postmortem examination revealed thirteen scars and burns on her body which he tended to and which supported her claims of having been involved in satanic ritual. #RandolphHarris 5 of 9
“Further, Claudia left a 13-page diary in which she said he had been involved with a satanic group since she was hired to work on a nearby farm at age thirteen and her writings went on to make incredible claims. She described how she went to coven meetings with a boy named Dorian whom she had met while living on the farm. The boy’s mother was a High Priestess and his father was The Master—a known satanic term for the leading member of the group. She described other practice which are known to be common in satanic altar initiations—that of having her armed pricked and blood drained into a chalice from which it was drunk. ‘Much sexual perversion went on that night…later I learned more of Satan and practiced my arts calling on my power of darkness. Satan had become my Lord and Master.’ Later she described how she aborted a baby she was expecting by Dorian then made the claim that Dorian himself was sacrificed by his own father in retribution, and how she was forced to watch as he was hung upside down. She claimed to have seen other sacrifices of many new born babies, stabbing them at orgies in which Laudanum was taken heavily. She also appeared to have had another child of her own which was also offered up for sacrifice. At her inquest of 13 May, the midwife recorded an open verdict after the she noted that Claudia’s body had signs which confirmed she had given birth at least once, and had been subject to sexual abuse. The constables took up the case, but no charges were brought and the investigation was closed without further action.” #RandolphHarris 6 of 9
I was shocked of these allegations which seemed to be more than enough to inspire the most lurid of headline writers, more than to testify to the credibility of all who were proffering these dramatic and barely believable accounts of satanic abuse. Everything these people said was being taken as gospel in the village because the allegations were coming from the mouths of so-called experts. However, there were claims of rampant satanic worship in Nova Albion at this time, which was documented by English charters led by Sir Francis Drake for England. There were horrifying claims that fifty women were suffering from the after-effects of cannibalism and an average of ten occult survivors a week were being sacrificed. Dr. Harley said he read of several cases recorded by Theodorous de Bry where children had been killed. There were, of course, also several stories concocted around these three figures in my home. Some said that they issued from the grave beside the east window. Other said that they were victims of the plague, and were burned outside where this window now stands. It may or may not be relevant that the figures seemed to appear when the sound of the organ and of voices raised in song. The case was thoroughly investigated in 1889 by Dr. Robert Radakovic of The Ghost Club, where it was revealed that Llanda Villa had been “haunted” for two or three hundred years by the same figure or figures. Optical tests on the possible patterns of light and reflection had come to no results. It was remarked that “the ghost has been seen from the inside while outside nothing was visible.” #RandolphHarris 7 of 9
The interior of Lalanda Villa was much altered in the late nineteenth century, and a complex of rooms was built behind this haunted window. However, no satisfactory explanation has ever been given for the strange phenomena reported here. While designing Lalanda Villa, I was gaining my tastes from the venerable town around me, and from the relics of the past which filled every corner of my mansion. With the years, my devotion to ancient things increased; so that history, genealogy, and the study of gothic architecture, furniture, and craftsmanship at length crowded everything else from my sphere of interests. These tastes are important to remember for they outwardly concealed knowledge of bygone matters so that one would have fancied the they are literally transferred to a former age through some obscure short of autohypnosis. However, the true madness, I am certain, came with a later change; after the portrait and ancient papers of Saint Adalrich the Duke of Alsacre had been unearthed. Some terrible invocations being chanted under strange and secret circumstances; after certain answers to these invocations had been plainly indicated, and a frantic letter penned under agonizing and inexplicable conditions; after the wave of vampirism and the ominous legends of Neustria; and after the farmer’s memory commenced to exclude contemporary images whilst his voice failed and his physical aspect underwent the subtle modification so many subsequently noticed. He was later diagnosed with porphyria. And a final investigation resulted which virtually proved the authenticity of the papers and of their monstrous implications at the same time that those papers were borne forever from human knowledge. Loving antiquities so keenly, the papers and portrait were secretly concealed. #RandolphHarris 8 of 9
Bedroom fashions changed dramatically over the Victorian years due to several factors. Early in the period, homes were heated by fireplaces and therefore could be uncomfortable in the colder mothers, although a heated bedroom was considered an indulgence and windows were left open during the winter. In reality, only the rich had fireplaces in their bedrooms. Still, one had to keep warm while asleep and bed drapery, consisting variously of canopies, tents, and other enclosures used to shut out drafts, was essential, as was heavy draper on windows. Even doors had decorative, but also functional, drapes called portieres that served to keep out drafts when covering the door.
Mrs. Winchester was wealthy and her wealth and prosperity were even envied among the elite. She had no less than 47 fireplaces in her home. By the end of the century, two things had changed that affected bedroom styles. First, coal and woodburning parlour stoves came into use, were more efficient at heating a house, and could be installed in any room. (Central heating, though available after the Civil War, was really only for the very rich.). Secondly, and more importantly, was an increased knowledge of diseases, germs, and bacteria and how to combat them. Plenty of fresh air with good circulation, and the elimination of materials such as bed draper that not only impeded air circulation but provided a place for dust and bacteria to collect were deemed essential. Since the bedroom served as the place where daily and weekly ablutions were performed (until bathrooms became separate entities), and as a birthing and maternity room, it was important that it have a healthy environment.
Styles of bedroom furniture were affected by this new found interest in and concern for prevention of illness and diseases. The classic English styles of Sheraton, Chippendale, and Hepplewhite migrated from the eighteenth century into the Victorian period. Tall, four-poster canopied beds enclosed the sleeper in heavy drapes of wool or lined damask of velvet, a carryover from the time when houses were built without corridors, and enclosures around the bed were needed for privacy, as well as warmth. By the time mid-century had arrived, the full enclosure had receded to the half-tester, or half-canopy, from which hung draperies that covered only the head and shoulders. Fully enclosed beds were now considered unhygienic, as they limited air circulation and the yards of fabric attracted dust. Dust ruffles and window valances were also discarded in the same house cleaning. In the southern climates, netting was still necessary to protect against insects, and its slightness did not impede air movement.
Gothic Revival furniture was the style into the 1840s and its massiveness was particularly suited to bedrooms. Closets were not an architectural feature at this time; clothing was stored in large cabinets called armories or wardrobes, usually with double, mirrored, and washstand, topped with marble or wood, were manufactured for middle-class homes in the cottage style. “Spool” beds were popular, nicknamed “Jenny Lind beds” because the Swedish Nightingale was rumoured to have slept in when she toured the United States of America. Made of less costly woods like maple or pine, the simple furniture could be elaborately painted with floral or foliage patterns. The well-to-do preferred the more opulent style of Rococo Revival or Renaissance Revival in woods or walnut, mahogany, or rosewood with carvings and applied moldings. As with other furniture in the house, golden oak, promoted by the Arts and Crafts Movement, was popular at the end of the century. Additional pieces of furniture found in the bedroom were writing desks, chaises, or other upholstered furniture.
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 to purchase. https://shopwinchestermysteryhouse.com/
Randolph Harris II International 