Randolph Harris II International

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If there is a Fog, the Monsters Can’t See Me!

Domestic burglary is a huge societal problem, and one of the most frequently occurring crimes. In the United States of America, 1.1 million domestic burglaries are reported to the police each year. To give a sense of community dysfunction associated with the problem of domestic burglary, the very commonly reported issue is theft of goods and money from the family home or mailbox, which may be used buy drugs. And, sometimes, it is not always by a family member; the theft could be perpetrated by one’s neighbor, or even a stranger. There is, of course, the inconvenience of the theft to consider, but the damage is far greater than can be measured in material terms. Domestic burglary victimization is a traumatic experience, because most people consider their home as an extension of the self and a place where the self is protected against others. Intrusions to such a highly valued place are therefore regarded as attacks to both one’s personhood and one’s safety and privacy, and may render victims at risk of psychological distress. Some of the victims develop trauma-related disorders or mood or anxiety disorders, which may put them at risk of social, financial, economic, and physical health problems. The monetary costs of these burglaries (exempli gratia, due to damaged properties and stolen goods, police investigations, and victim services) are enormous. For example, the total monetary costs of domestic burglary have been estimated to amount to more than $9 billion a year in the United States of America (which comes down to $2,675) per burglarized house. #RandolphHarris 1 of 32

To mitigate crime victims’ psychological distress, they must receive adequate support services. To ensure that they have access to such services, police officers and other professionals working with crime victims should screen them for factors shown to be related to the experience or development of psychological distress. Drug users in the general population are more likely than nonusers to commit crimes. Another dimension of drug-related crime is that 25 percent of State prison inmates and 20 percent of convicted jail inmates reported committing their offenses to get money to buy drugs. Offenders convicted of robbery, burglary, and larceny/theft were most likely to commit their offense to obtain money to buy drugs. Many chronic drug abusers—the individuals we commonly regard as addicts—often simultaneously suffer from a serious mental disorder. Drug treatment and medical professionals call this condition a co-occurring disorder or a dual diagnosis. Chronic drug abuse is the habitual abuse of licit or illicit drugs to the extent that the abuse substantially injures a person’s health or substantially interferes with his or her social or economic functioning. Furthermore, any person who has lost the power of self-control over the use of drugs is considered a chronic drug user. Chronic drug abuse may occur in conjunction with any mental illness identified in the American Psychiatric Association (DSM-IV). Some common serious mental disorders associated with chronic drug abuse include schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, manic depression, attention deficit hype disorder (ADHD), generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. #RandolphHarris 2 of 32

Co-occurring disorders are very common. Approximately 6 million adults met the criteria for both serious mental illness and substance dependence or abuse in the past year. Some people suffering from serious mental disorders (often undiagnosed ones) take drugs to alleviate their symptoms—a practice known as self-medicating. According to the American Psychiatric Association, individuals with schizophrenia sometimes use substances such as marijuana to mitigate the disorder’s negative symptoms (depression, apathy, and social withdrawal), to combat auditory hallucinations and paranoid delusions, or to lessen the adverse effects of their medication, which can include depression and restlessness. In other cases, mental disorders are caused by drug abuse. For example, MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as ecstasy) produces long-term deficits in serotonin function in the brain, leading to mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Chronic drug abuse by adolescents during formative years is a particular concern because it can interfere with normal socialization and cognitive development and thus frequently contributes to the development of mental disorders. However, chronic drug abusers who suffer from mental illness, and especially whether treating both conditions simultaneously leads to better recovery. Currently, the two conditions are often treated separately or without regard to each other. As a result, many individuals with co-occurring disorders are sent back and forth between substance abuse and mental health treatment settings. #RandolphHarris 3 of 32

Although one cannot always distinguish neatly between alienation from the actual self and that from the real self, the loss of self is sickness unto death; it is despair—despair at not being conscious of having a self, or despair at not being willing to be ourselves. However, it is a despair which does not clamor or scream. People go on living as if they were still in immediate contact with this alive center. Any other loss—that of a job, say, or a leg—arouses far more concern. Patients coming for consultation complain about headaches, sexual disturbances, inhibitions in work, or other symptoms; as a rule, they do not complain about having lost touch with the core of their psychic existence. There are many forces, including drugs, responsible for the alienation from self. It is in part the consequences of the whole neurotic development, especially of all that is compulsive in neurosis. Of all that implies, “I am driven instead of being the driver.” It does not matter in this context what the particular compulsive factors are—whether they operate in relation to others (compliance, vindictiveness, detachment, et cetera) or in relation to self, as in self-idealization. They very compulsive character of these drives inevitably deprives the person of his full autonomy and spontaneity. As soon as, for instance, his need to be liked by everybody becomes compulsive, the genuineness of his feelings diminishes; so does his power to discriminate. As soon as he is driven to do a piece of work for the sake of glory, his spontaneous interest in the work itself decreases. Conflicting compulsive drives, in addition, impair his integration, his faculty to decide and give direction. Last but not least, the neurotic pseudo-solutions, though representing attempts at integration, also deprive him of autonomy because they have become a compulsive way of living. #RandolphHarris 4 of 32

It does not matter, in this context, what the particular compulsive factors are—whether they operate in relation to others (compliance, vindictiveness, detachment, et cetera) or in the relation to self, as in self-idealization. The very compulsive character of these drives inevitably deprives the person of his full autonomy and spontaneity. As soon as, for instance, his need to be liked by everybody becomes compulsive, the genuineness of his feelings diminishes; so does his power to discriminate. As soon as he is driven to do a piece of work for the sake of glory, his spontaneous interest in the work itself decreases. Conflicting compulsive drives, in addition, impair his integration, his faculty to decide and give direction. Last but not least, the neurotic pseudo-solutions, though representing attempts at integration, also deprive him of autonomy because they become a compulsive way of living. Secondly, the alienation is furthered through process, likewise compulsive, which can be described as active moves away from the real self. The whole drive for glory is such a move, particularly through the neurotic’s determination to mold himself into something he is not. He feels what he should feel, wishes what he should wish, like what he should like. In other words, the tyranny of the should drives him frantically to be something different from what he is or could be. And in this imagination, he is different—so different, indeed, that his real self fades and pales still more. #RandolphHarris 5 of 32

Neurotic claims, in terms of self, mean the abandoning of the reservoir of spontaneous energies. Instead of making his own efforts, for instance, with regard to, human relations, the neurotic insists that others should adjust to him. Instead of putting himself into his work, he feels entitled to having it done for him. Instead of making his own decisions, he insists that others should be responsible for him. Therefore, his constrictive energies lie fallow, and he actually is less and less a determining factor in his own life. Neurotic pride removes him a step further from himself. Since he now becomes ashamed of what he actually is—of his feelings, resources, activities—he actively withdraws his interest from himself. The whole process of externalization is another active moving away from his self, actual and real. It is astonishing, by the way, how closely this process coincides with Dr. Kierkegaard’s “despair of not wanting to be oneself.” Finally, there are active moves against the real self, as expressed in self-hates. With the real self in exile, so to speak, one becomes a condemned convict, despised and threatened with destruction. The idea of being oneself even becomes loathsome and terrifying. The terror sometimes appears undisguised, as one patient felt it when thinking: “This is me.” This appeared at a time when the neat distinction she had made between “me” and “my neurosis” started to crumble. As a protection against this terror, the neurotic “makes himself disappear.” He has an unconscious interest in not having a clear perception of himself—in making himself, as it were, deaf, dumb, and blind. #RandolphHarris 6 of 32

Not only does he blur the truth about himself, but he has a vested interest in doing so—a process which blunts his sensitiveness to what is true and what is false not only inside but also outside himself. He has an interest in maintaining his haziness, although he may consciously suffer under it. One patient, for instance, in his associations often used the monsters of the Beowulf legend, who emerged at night from the lake, to symbolize his self-hate. And one he said: “If there is a fog, the monsters can’t see me.” The result of all these moves is an alienation from self. When we use this term, we must be aware that it focuses on only one aspect of the phenomenon. What is expressed accurately is the subjective feeling of the neurotic of being removed from himself. He may realize in analysis that all the intelligent things he has said about himself were, in reality, disconnected from him and his life, that they concerned some fellow with whom he had little if anything to do, and the findings about whom were interesting but did not apply to his life. In fact, this analytic experience leads us straight into the core of the problem. For we must keep in mind that the patient does not talk about weather or television: he talks about his most intimate personal life experiences. Yet, they have lost their personal meaning. And, just as he may talk about himself without “being in it,” so he may work, be with friends, take a walk, or sleep with a woman without being in it. #RandolphHarris 7 of 32

His relation to himself has become impersonal; so has his relation to his whole life. If the word “depersonalization” did not already have a specific psychiatric meaning, it would be a good term for what alienation from self essentially is: it is a depersonalizing, and therefore a devitalizing process. The alienation from self does not show as directly and blatantly as its significance would suggest, except (speaking of neuroses only) in the state of depersonalization, feelings of unreality, or amnesia. While these conditions are temporary, they can occur only in person who are estranged from themselves anyhow. The factors precipitating the feelings of unreality are usually severe injuries to pride together with an acute increase of self-contempt, exceeding what is tolerable for the particular person. Conversely, when—with or without therapy—these acute conditions subside, his alienation from self is not thereby essentially changed. It is merely again restrained within such limits that he can function without conspicuous disorientation. Otherwise, the trained observer would be able to perceive certain general symptoms pointing to an existing alienation from self, such as deadness of the eyes, an aura of impersonality, an automatonlike behavior. For the analyst, it is a source of never-ending astonishment how comparatively well a person can function with the core of himself not participating. Let us consider a problem from another region. A woman from the Middle West, rather unusually feminine and sensitive, uses a visit with relatives in the East to consult a psychoanalyst concerning a general feeling of affective constriction and an all-pervasive mild anxiety. #RandolphHarris 8 of 32

During an exploratory analysis, she seems almost lifeless. After some weeks, she occasionally produces a sudden flood of associations, all concerning horrid impressions of pleasures of the flesh or death. Many of these memories emerge not from unconscious depths, but from an isolated corner of her consciousness where all those frightening matters were boarded off which on occasion had broken through the orderly factualness of the upper-middle-class surroundings of her childhood. This isolation of life segments is similar to that met with in compulsive neurotics anywhere. In this case, it was part of a sanctioned way of life, an ethos, which in our patient had become truly uncomfortable only at a time when she was being courted by a European and was trying to envisage life in a cosmopolitan atmosphere. She felt attracted but at the same time inhibited; her imagination was vividly provoked but restrained by anxiety. Her bowels reflected this conflict with disturbing alternations between constipation and diarrhea. The final impression gained was one of a general inhibition rather than of a basic impoverishment of imagination in matters either dealing with pleasures of the flesh or social. The patient’s dreams gradually reveled a hidden source of untapped freedom. While she still seemed pained and lifeless in her free associations, her dream life became humorous and imaginative in an almost autonomous way. She dreamed of entering a quiet church congregation in a flaming red dress and of throwing stones through respectable windows (which would be a major felony and probably ban her from being hired for most jobs after a lengthy prison sentence). However, her most colorful dreams put her into Civil War days—on the Confederate side. #RandolphHarris 9 of 32

The climax was a dream in which she sat on a toilet, set off by low partitions in the middle of a tremendous ballroom, and waved to elegantly dressed couples of Confederate officers and southern ladies who swirled around her to the sounds of powerful brass. These dreams helped to unearth and highlight an isolated part of her childhood, namely, the gentle warmth awarded her by her grandfather, a Confederate veteran whose world was a fairy tale of the past. However, for all its formalism, the grandfather’s patriarchal masculinity and gentle affection had been experienced through the child’s hungry senses and had proved more immediately reassuring to her searching ego than either her father’s or mother’s promises of standardized success. With the grandfather’s death, the patient’s affects went dead because they were part of an abortive ego-identity formation which failed to receive nourishment either in the form of affection or of social rewards. The psychoanalytic treatment of women with a prominent identity element of the southern lady (an identity which pervades more than one class or race) seems complicated by special resistances. To be sure, our patients are usually dislodged southerners, their ladyhood a defense, almost a symptom. Their wish for treatment finds its limits in three ideas which are all connected with the particular provisions in southern culture for safeguarding caste and race identity by imposing the prototype of the lady on the small girl. #RandolphHarris 10 of 32

There is, first, a pseudoparanoid suspicion that life is a series of critical tests in which vicious gossips attempt to stack up minor weaknesses and blemishes against the southern woman toward an inexorable final judgment, namely, to be—or not to be—a lady. Second, there is the all-pervading conviction that men, if not restrained by the formalities of a tacitly approved double standard which grants them lesser and darker sex objects at the price of overt respect for ladies, will prove to be no gentlemen and that they will at very least try to blacken the lady’s name and with it her claim to a socially superior husband and the prospect of having her children marry upward. However, there is also the equally ambivalent implication that any man who does not proceed to shed his gentleman’s inhibitions when the opportunity of sexual conquest offers itself is a weakling who only deserves to be mercilessly provoked. The usual feelings of guilt and inferiority thus all exists within the co-ordinates of a life plan dominated by the conscious hope for higher social status, and made morbid by its ambivalent counterpart, the hidden hope for the man who will dissolve the woman’s need to be a lady in a moment of reckless passion. In all this, there is a basic inability to conceive of any area in life where the standards and the words of a man and a woman could honestly coincide and be lifted above a certain primeval antagonism. Needless to say, such unconscious standards cause severe suffering in sincere and enlightened women, but only the verbalization of these internalized stereotypes, concomitantly with the analysis of the patient’s transfer to the analyst of her whole conflictful imagery of men, makes psychoanalysis possible. #RandolphHarris 11 of 32

Psychoanalysts, of course, are consulted primarily by those who cannot stand the tension between alternatives, contrasts, and polarities which governs the American style of today: the unceasing necessity to remain tentative in order to be free for bigger and better opportunities. In their transferences and in their resistances, patients repeat abortive attempts at synchronizing fast-changing and sharply contrasting remnants of national, regional, and class identities during critical stages of their childhoods. The analyst is woven into the patient’s unconscious life plan. Especially if he is European-born, and compared with the patient’s more homogeneous ancestors, or he is resisted as the brainy enemy of a potentially successful American identity, he is idealized. The patient, however, can gain the courage to face the discontinuities of life in this country and the polarities of its struggle for an economic and cultural identity not as an imposed hostile reality, but as a potential promise for a more universal human identity. This, as we have seen, finds its limits where individuals were either fundamentally impoverished in their childhood sensuality or are stalled by the “system” in their freedom to use opportunities. Why did Pythagoras put mathematics among the necessary preliminary disciplines for the study of philosophy? Here was part of the way to counteract man’s natural materialism. It trained him to think abstractly, to hold pure ideas whose exactitude and truthfulness were indisputable. And he supported the teaching by pointing to the fact that the universe was founded on a number. Finally, the higher use of mathematics was as an assistant in symbolizing metaphysical principles. #RandolphHarris 12 of 32

When we begin to operate with abstract concepts in the practical world, we begin to know their true worth. Except as an intellectual exercise, I would discourage abstract speculation upon which so many intellectuals have frittered away their time, as our medieval theologians frittered theirs. We seek truth for various reasons. One is because is possesses a certitude that gives us anchorage and rest. Mathematics is fortunate in having been able to invent a language of symbols and signs which is adequate to the most exacting demands of precision. The connotation of each sign is definite. It derives a fixed meaning from the common universe of discourse which is implicit as the background of both speaker and hearer. The mathematician must give every symbol he uses a clear meaning in his own mind as well as to those who are to read his symbols. Therefore, he is compelled to provide a common medium of understanding about which there can be no two opinions. Mathematics is thus placed in a position of superiority in reference to language and rigorous reasoning when compared to other subjects. It provides perfect instruments for the expression of an idea. The meaning of the arithmetical minus sign is forever invariable and forever precise. The man who has thought well about thinking itself may put forward more clever ideas in a single hour than others do in a single week. The brain of the intellectual man multiplies thoughts, but the brain of the self-actualized Christian subtracts and reduces them. #RandolphHarris 13 of 32

Thinking in terms of mental images is a valuable faculty, but thinking in words alone is not less valuable. Both are needed to the balanced person. The value assigned to the symbol X must be strictly adhered to throughout the series of equations, and, being predetermined, no confusion concerning what it stands for can ever arise. However, when we turn to words, we find them to be imperfect, elastic, and indeterminate. When we deal with mathematical symbols, we expect and find a determinate meaning has been assigned to them, but when we deal with words, we cannot always expect and often fail to find any fixed meaning at all. The ordinary man who is used to dealing only with concrete things his eyes can see and his hands can touch, quite pardonably feels, when he is asked to deal with abstract conceptions, that he is at once out of his depth. When one does not know his Real Self, that is, his own deepest being, it is of little avail to ponder on difficult questions of an intellectual nature. The symmetry of the universe’s patterns appears best in the figure of a circle. The ability to think abstractly and metaphysically is not a waste of time as so many scientists, activists, and practical men of the world think. On the contrary, it is needed as a counterbalance to the ability to think concretely. So long as a man gets all his ideas from experiences gained through the body alone, so long may he pardonably accept the belief in materialism. However, as soon as he begins to get them from thinking alone—and the difference can not be properly grasped until he has practiced prayer sufficiently and successfully—so soon will he see the falsity of this belief. #RandolphHarris 14 of 32

There was a body named Jeff, and he was one of four children, none of whom had permission to succeed. The parents were both a little dishonest in socially acceptable ways, and the children each carried this tendency a little further. One day, Jeff told about his troubles at university. He was falling behind in his work, so he had paid a ghost writer in advance to do his thesis. The group listened with interest as he described his negotiations with this man, and told how the ghost writer had also undertaken to write theses for some of Jeff’s friends, all of whom had paid in advance. The other members asked questions here and there, until finally Jeff came to the point. The writer had absconded to Europe, taking all the money, he had collected, and without leaving any theses behind. At this, the group broke into uproarious laughter in which Jeff joined. The others said they thought the story was funny for two reasons: first, the way Jeff told it, as though he expected them to laugh, and would be disappointed if they did not; and second, because it was the sort of thing they expected, or perhaps even hoped, would happen to Jeff because of the complicated way he went about doing things instead of carrying out his obligations in a straightforward, honest way. They all knew that Jeff was supposed to fail, and it was amusing to see how much effort he put into it. They joined in Jeff’s laughter the same way the crowd had joined in Jeff’s when they first heard. Later, they would all be depressed about it, Jeff most of all. His laugh said, “Ha, ha, ha mother, you always loved me when I failed, and here I go again.” #RandolphHarris 15 of 32

The Adult in the Child, the Professor, has had the task from earliest years of keeping mother contented so that she will stay with him and protect him. If she likes him and expresses the liking with a smile, he feels safe even when he is actually in trouble or even in dire peril of death. In normal mothering, mother’s Parent and Child both like kids. So when mother smiles, both her Parent and her Child are pleased with her offspring, and things will proceed smoothly between them. In other cases, mother’s Parent smiles at her son because she is supposed to, while her Child is angry at him. He can get on the good side of her Child, and get a smile that way, by behavior which her Parent might disapprove of. For example, by demonstrating that he is “bad,” he may get a Child smile because he has proven that he is not-O.K., and that pleases the Child in mother—what we have previously called “the witch mother.” Both script and anti-script can be considered attempts to evoke mother’s smile: the anti-script for the approving smile of mother’s (and father’s) Parent, the script for the smile of mother’s Child, who enjoys the baby’s pain or discomfiture. The gallows laugh, then, occurs when Jeff “finds himself” with the rope around his neck, and his Child says: “I did not really want to end up this way: How did I get here?” Then Mother (in his head) smiles, and he realizes that she has conned him into it. He then has the choice of either going crazy, killing her, himself, or laughing. At such moments, he may envy the brother who chose instead to go to the mental hospital, or the sister who elected to kill herself, but he is not ready for either of those—yet. (Suicide or Crisis Lifeline call or text 988. A counselor is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the help is free.) #RandolphHarris 16 of 32

The gallows laugh or the gallows smile occurs after a special kind of stimulus and response called the “gallows transaction.” A typical example is an alcoholic who has not had a drink for six months, as everyone in the group knows. Then one day, he comes in and lets the others talk for a while. When they have gotten all their troubles off their chests, so that he has the stage to himself, he says: “Guess what happened over the weekend?” One look at his slightly smiling face and they know what happened. They get ready to smile, too. One of them sets up the gallows transaction by asking: “What happened?” “Well, I took one drink and then another, and the next thing I knew”—by this time he is laughing and so are they—“I went on a three-day bender.” In the case of the Alcoholic, when the audience is told about last week’s bender while the audience (including, perhaps, the therapist) beams with delight. The smile of the Children in the audience parallels and reinforces the smile of the witch mother or ogre who is pleased when people obey the injunction (“Don’t think—drink), and in effect tightens the noose around their necks. The gallows laugh (which results from a gallows transaction) means that if the patient laughs while recounting a misfortune, and particularly if the other group members join in the laughter, that misfortune is part of the catastrophe of the patient’s script. When the people around him laugh, they reinforce the payoff, hasten his doom, and prevent him from getting well. In this way, the parental come-on is brought to fruition, ha ha. Semantics deals with those subtleties of language which escape the notice of uneducated people and are ignored by those who shrink a little labour. #RandolphHarris 17 of 32

Technology should be viewed as a vital layer of protection, but it does have its limitations, and we should not become overreliant on technology because some time in the near future, America could be without power, without Interent and no GPS, so people will have to park their cars like their parents did, they may have to use maps to find locations, and they may have to go to the library to do research with physical books. Therefore, it is still a good idea to learn how to use a compass, drive a car with a manual transmission, and learn how to drive without technology assistance. However, for most of us, it is hard to imagine a time when emergency vehicles responded to emergencies and had no communication with dispatch or other apparatus once en route to an incident. Technology will continue to be an asset to emergency services, adding safety and providing more effective operations. Although it should be welcome, we must continue to insist on rigorous testing and consider the applications to emergency services. The new technology must be trained on and used in conjunction with the other tools we must provide an effective system. Clinicians are even in the process of testing technology to scan the brain to see what mental impairments human beings have. While that is welcoming, critics worry it could lead to “mental profiling.” Based on brain scans, the government could track people who are at high risk of committing violent crimes without knowing or having due process, and take them into custody. Few words invoke more fear than the word investigation. We never want to be a suspect in a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)  investigative and intelligence process,  an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigation, a murder investigation, or a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) investigation. #RandolphHarris 18 of 32

Humans have natural defense mechanisms that resist being probed, examined, or scrutinized by any authority that has the power to discipline, sanction, or even confiscate aspects of our lives. The fear that is that an investigation could conclude with the allocation of blame for something we did or were a part of. Although it is true that a component of investigations is to find fault where faults exist, it is not limited to liability. Another valuable component is to search for and identify the actions and contributing factors that allowed an event to occur. By identifying these aspects, actions can be taken to prevent future occurrences. Take, for instance, a firefighter who falls from an extension ladder at a structural fire. Although seriously injured, he survives the fall. Which of the following is a thorough investigation likely to lead to: Disciplinary action for the incident commander and the firefighter holding the ladder? Liability for the ladder manufacturer, resulting in a lawsuit? Recommendations to eliminate contributing factors in order to prevent a similar incident? Obviously, the last choice is the most probable. Fault and culpable liability are always possible, but recommendations and changes in policy are almost guaranteed. Initiative 9 calls for the thorough investigation of all injuries, deaths, and near-misses in an effort to reduce the chances of the next one. As a result, specific components of an effective system include reporting, investigating, evaluating, and implementing changes. The award-winning Sacramento Fire and Emergency Services have several individual components in place, yet continue to work toward linking information into one effective system. #RandolphHarris 19 of 32

Little do Fire Chief’s know at the time, but they are often witnesses to many large fires in their career. Some are massive and dangerous. On one occasion, there was a blaze in September in response to the report of smoke coming out of the front of a mid-rise apartment building. As the four firemen stretch a hose into the basement of the building, little did they know that they were beginning a fight that would last 40 hours and would send eight people to the hospital with injuries before it was declared out. The men worked their way slowly towards the seat of the fire near the front of the building. After nearly two hours in the intense heat and blinding smoke, a fireman collapsed to the floor and was dragged outside. The decision was then made to leave the basement as it was discovered that the fire had spread along the rafters into the building next door. The entire fire department had arrived by that time and lines were being stretched around the building to try and contain the rapidly spreading blaze. Around 2.30 a.m., an explosion rocked the building. Two firemen were operating a hose just inside the front doors of the building when the explosion occurred. They were blown 15 feet out into the street as the front of the building was destroyed by the blast. In the rear alley, Fire Chief and Police Chief were spraying water into a basement window. Fire Chief was knocked to the ground, but the Police Chief was not as fortunate. He was blown across the alley and through a window at a neighboring house. Both men were treated for minor injuries but remained at the scene. One of the other firemen in the explosion at the front of the building was taken to the hospital with burns on his face, eyes and nose and the other fireman was treated for minor burns but stayed at the scene as well. #RandolphHarris 20 of 32

Both buildings had now become a mass of flames and looked to engulf the entire block. Nine streams were deployed to try to contain the fire. Apparatuses fought the fire from the roofs of the buildings and the blaze was kept to the two affected buildings. The fire raged until the floors collapsed into the basement around 7 a.m. Around the same time, another firefighter collapsed, giving in to smoke inhalation and exposure. As he was being helped into an ambulance, an EMT also collapsed and was taken to the hospital. That firefighter spent the rest of the weekend in the hospital with burns and an infected throat from the smoke. He was x-rayed and it was discovered that he had broken several bones in his back. He wore a back brace for months afterward. An additional firefighter spent the night in the hospital due to smoke inhalation. Three other firefighters were treated for minor burns and released. The collapse of the floors was the beginning of the end of the fire. Several containers of cooking grease in the kitchen and propane tanks continued to feed the flames in the basement until Sunday morning, when the fire was finally declared out, 40 hours after the first alarm was sent into the department. The Fire Captain later said that the fire was one of the worst in the city’s history. The estimated losses later added up to $15 million. The two buildings were completely destroyed. Other businesses and homes on the same block reported heavy smoke damage and heavy losses from smoke and water after the fire. An investigation revealed that the buildings were not up to code. One had indoor hallways with open-air windows with no glass to the outside, which gave the fire fuel to rage out of control. High-rise buildings with indoor hallways and windows without glass can be a violation of specific fire codes and regulations. The fire department was also undermanned and short on firefighting equipment. The fire departments were badly in need of more aerial trucks and other equipment. #RandolphHarris 21 of 32

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 22 of 32

California is the third most expensive state in the nation. In 37 percent of counties, a family of four living on a six-figure income is now considered low-income. 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. 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. 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 a month or $88,724.00 annually, and that typically means two to four people in the home are working and contributing to the mortgage. Home prices in Sacramento County are rivaling the Bay Area, and in some cases, homes in the Bay Area are more affordable. 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, when state workers should be receiving a 25 percent wage increase instead. #RandolphHarris 23 of 32

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. The crisis is caused by nearly half a century-old laws that discourage home sales and encourage higher rents. The incompetence in California is very easy to see. From 2018 to 2023, California received $24 billion, which they used to fund 30 homeless and housing programs. These programs created 100,000 units. That is an average cost of $240,000 per unit. In comparison, Roger Lucas, owner of Grand Castle, LLC, spent $50 million to build The Grand Castle, which is a 522-unit residential apartment community in Grandville, Michigan. The community includes studios, 1 bedroom, 2 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms, and even a multi-level penthouse. Rents generally range from $1,000 to $2,500. The community is a 23.6-acre site. It features 750 covered parking spaces, a clubhouse, a resort-style swimming pool, and was built over a period of 12 to 18 months. The average cost was about $95,785.45 per unit, which is $144,214.55 less per unit than California spent. California also has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 5.4 percent, while the national average is 4.5 percent. As people are seeing their bills skyrocket, and minimum wage has increased to $20 an hour, people on Social Security retirement are really bearing the burden with the checks the typically equate to $5-$7 an hour. Furthermore, while Americans are struggling to find and afford housing, Gavin Newsom, Democrat governor of California, signed two bills into law on February 7, 2025, to protect illegal immigrants. Bills SBX 1 1: Budget Act of 2024, and SBX 1 2: Budget Act of 2024, allocates $50 million to protect illegal immigrants from deportation. Governor Gavin Newsom also 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. 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. #RandolphHarris 24 of 32

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 where housing has been overdeveloped to the point that these places are uninhabited. 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.  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 25 of 32

Additionally, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom seems to be uneducated about economics. Newsom has spent $300 million to try to stop proposition 50. Proposition 50 would replace the maps drawn by the state’s independent commission with districts drawn by legislators solely to gain or protect Democratic seats. Newsom only cares about the environment when his policies allow him to raise taxes and restrict freedoms. To further highlight this illustration of incompetence by Governor Gavin Newsom, 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 feces, 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, and by 2030, Mexico plans to dump one hundred and twenty million gallons of sewage a day into Imperial Beach. Other crises that have occurred due to neglect of critical infrastructure such as the 2025 Palisades fire. Southern California ran out of water because Newsom is totally neglecting the state and the American people. And while the fire departments in California are critically understaffed and underfunded, Governor Newsom vetoed firefighter pay raise. The Palisades fire cost $275 billion, which is money that could have been used to insure the State of California had the resources it needed. Furthermore, when Southern California is located next to an ocean, Newsom should have invested in desalination plants to help with the water shortage in California. The water in the ocean 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 26 of 32

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. Additionally, Japan exported 1.4 million cars to the United States of America, but only imported 16,000 American-built automobiles. However, Japan imported approximately 143 thousand motor vehicles from the European Union. This is why President Trump created tariffs. We need to balance the trade deficit that America faces with other nations so we are not taken advantage of and so America can go bank to being a creditor nation, instead of borrowing money for other countries. Each year, President Trump is bringing $400 Billion in Tariff revenue into America and hundreds of thousands of new jobs. With this money, America is paying down debt, and with a portion of it, President  Trump plans to send Americans a stimulus check anywhere in the range of $1,000 to $2,000. However, if President Trump’s Tariffs are deemed illegal by the Supreme Court, taxpayers will have to pay back trillions and trillions of dollars. As we literally and /or figuratively see gangs, federal judges, and Governor Gavin Newsom fighting with federal law enforcement and President Trump– states and cities refusing to honor federal laws. Politicians are also showing an utter disregard for the Constitution of the United States of America, and anarchy is becoming increasingly common. #RandolphHarris 27 of 32

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. 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 28 of 32

Drug cartels have been threatening the health and safety of Native American communities. The trafficking of dangerous and illegal drugs into their territories is leading to a second genocide. The overdose rate for Indigenous people is 42 percent higher than the national average. A recent bust on Montana’s Blackfeet Nation’s Tribal Reservation resulted in the seizure of more than 700,000 fentanyl pills, which was the largest bust in Montana history. Recently, the Blackfeet Nation had to declare a state of emergency after facing 17 overdoses in just one week. There are only 6.8 million Native Americans left in the world, which is 2 percent of the American population. We should be doing more to protect these proud and honorable people; they should not want for anything. People rush and give away resources to illegal immigrants, but totally disregard the Indigenous people of this land, as their race silently fades away into extinction. We must secure our borders and increase federal funding to Native American tribes so we can save this precious population. Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom has given billions of taxpayer dollars away to illegal immigrants and protected them from law enforcement, while arresting law-abiding Americans because they cannot afford to pay rent or mortgage, and the homeless shelters are unsafe, overcrowded, and have restrictions on who is allowed inside. He has also totally ignored the cartel problems on American lands. Clean air, water, land, and preserving our heritage are extremely important. We cannot just allow criminals to kill off the people who are native to this land and do nothing about it. Wars have been started over governments that tax citizens without representation. Taxation without representation is what led to the American Revolution. #RandolphHarris 29 of 32

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 30 of 32

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. Under President Trump’s administration, he has make America a priority. President Trump has closed the southern border, illegal crossings have fallen to an all time low, and are 90 percent lower than under the previous administration. Since President Trump’s crack down on crime, violent crimes in Washington D.C. have dropped by approximately 80 percent. He has stopped thousands of pounds of drugs from entering America and killing citizens. And since President Trump took office, investments in America have increased by trillions of dollars in U.S.A. manufacturing, production, and innovation. 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. #RandolphHarris 31 of 32

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. 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. Therefore, remember to take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. 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 32 of 32

The Winchester Mystery House

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. And then one day, a hearse came tearing through the gates, and in that hearse was a coffin, some believed it contained Mrs. Winchester.

According to legend, when Sarah Lockwood Pardee (Winchester) married William Wirt Winchester in 1862, she enjoyed a life of extravagant luxury. William Winchester, President of the Winchester repeating rifle, became a very wealthy man through the sale of his guns, and the couple were among the elite New England society.

However, in 1866, the death of their infant daughter drove Mrs. Sarah Winchester into a deep depression from which many thought she would never emerged. Several years later, she lost her husband to tuberculosis, and her grief was overwhelming. Mrs. Winchester sought the counsel of a Boston medium to reach her beloved dead family members. The medium told the grieving widow that she was cursed and demons straight from hades had sought revenge by ending the lives of her beloved husband and darling baby girl.

She also told Mrs. Winchester they would kill her too, unless she moved out West and built a great house for the spirits. In addition, Mrs. Winchester was told construction on the house must never end in order to appease the spirits and keep her alive, perhaps even give her eternal life. Mrs. Winchester followed the medium’s suggestions, and in 1886, she moved to the Santa Clara valley just outside San Jose, where she bought an 18-room farmhouse and property to build her mansion. At its peak, the Mansion once stood 9-stories tall and had as many as 600-rooms. Today, the stately mansion is 4-storys, and over 100,000 square feet.

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. Come and see what secrets this so-called, “Winchester Mystery House” may hold. 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 that lead to hidden chambers within the mansion. These chambers served as safe places for valuables, precious documents, and as private sanctuaries for Mrs. Winchester, and allowed her to move stealthily throughout her home. At one time, there were even secret tunnels that extended beyond the mansion, leading to nearby Victorian houses that were also on the property, and other structures, creating a network of escape routes or hidden pathways.

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/

Why Choose Harris?

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/

Brian Harris BMW

With its top ranking in Consumer Reports’ Auto Brand Report Card and consistent market share growth, BMW, The Ultimate Driving Experience, 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

Cresleigh Homes

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 neighborhood of 71 homes designed for comfort, convenience, and connection. Adjacent to Exploration Park, it offers the perfect blend of modern living and outdoor adventure right at your doorstep.

Choose from five floor plans ranging from 1,342 to 2,547 square feet, with options for 3 to 5 bedrooms, flexible spaces, and open layouts tailored to today’s lifestyles. Whether you are a first-time buyer, a growing family, or looking to simplify without giving up style, there is a home here for you.

Select homes include 100 percent owned solar at no extra cost, providing lasting savings, energy efficiency, and the confidence of ownership.

With maintenance friendly yards, nearby shopping and dining, and access to top rated schools, Park Haven is more than just a place to live. It is a place to thrive. https://cresleigh.com/park-haven/

Every house where love abides and friendship is a guest is surely a Cresleigh Home. https://cresleigh.com/park-haven/residence-4/

“Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it.” -President Abraham Lincoln

America is a nation founded on godly principles, by God-fearing men. As a nation, we have convinced ourselves of our uniqueness with concepts such as Manifest Destiny and American exceptionalism. Manifest destiny was the imperialist belief in the 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand from sea to shining sea.

American exceptionalism, idea that the United States of America is a unique and even morally superior country for historical, ideological, or religious reasons. As a nation we appear favored and blessed by the Lord with success and prosperity unparalleled in human history.

America has a lot of amazing things – its beautiful natural scenery, vibrant cities, unique culture, and some of the world’s most iconic landmarks — it us no wonder many choose to make America their home.

The Last Enemy that Shall be Destroyed is Death!

After one has learned how to listen, he must learn what to listen for.  From the psychiatric point of view, there are four basic vocal signals: sounds, accents, voices, and vocabulary. The commonest breathing sounds and their usual meanings are as follows: coughs (nobody loves me), sighs (if only), yawns (buzz off), grunts (you said it), and sobs (you got me); and various kinds of laughs such as jollies, chuckles, snickers, and titters. The three most important types of laughs, known colloquially as Ho Ho, Ha Ha, and He He, will be discussed further on. Culture has very little to do with scripts. There are winners and losers in every layer of society and in every country, and they go about fulfilling their destinies in much the same way all over the world. To further highlight this situation, the prevalence of mental illness in any large group of people is pretty much the same all over, and there are suicides everywhere. As the late Tupac said in the lyrics of his song, “So Many Tears,” “I’m suicidal, so don’t stand near me. My every move is a calculated step to bring me closer to embrace an early death. Now there’s nothin’ left.” Every large group in the world also has its leaders and its rich men. Nevertheless, foreign accents do have some meaning for the script analyst. First, they make possible educated guesses about early Parental precepts, and that is where culture does come in: “Do as you are told,” in Germany, “Be quiet,” in France, and “Do not be naughty,” in Britain. #RandolphHarris 1 of 31

Secondly, accents indicate the flexibility of the script. A German who has been in this country for twenty years and still speaks with a thick accent probably has a less flexible life plan than a Dane who speaks good American after only two years. Thirdly, if the therapist can speak that language, the script is written in the native language of the Child, and script analysis is swifter and more effective. A foreigner living out his script in America is the equivalent of putting on Hamlet in Japanese in the Kabuki theater. If the critic does not have the original at hand, a great deal is going to be lost or misunderstood. Particularly if they are affected, native accents are also informative. A man who speaks with a Brooklyn accent but throws in a few Boston or Broadway broad a’s clearly shows the influence of a hero or a parental person he is carrying around in his head.  Even if the patient denies it, that person must be tracked down, because his influence is probably widespread. “She passed a remok, or I should say an epigram,” or “We left oily, but did not get to the game until hof time,” clearly indicates a splint in the Parental directives. Each patient has at least three different voices, Parent, Adult, and Child. He may keep one, or even two of them carefully hidden for a long time, but they will slip out sooner or later. Usually, a careful listener can hear at least two of them in any fifteen minutes. #RandolphHarris 2 of 31

The patient may say a whole Parental paragraph with only one Child whine, or a whole Adult paragraph with only one Parental scold, but an alert listener will pick up the key phrase. Other patients change voices from one sentence to another, or even use two or three voices in a single sentence. Each of the voices reveals something about the script. A Parental voice, speaking to another person, uses Parental slogans and precepts, and duplicates what the father or mother would have said in the same situation: “Does everybody not?” “Look who is talking,” “You have got to keep your mind occupied,” “Why do you not try harder?,” “You cannot trust anybody.” An unanswering Adult voice usually means that the Child is being suppressed by Parental command in favor of some humorless pedantic pattern, perhaps loaded with a few “official” or anal jokes. This indicates that the Child will therefore find devious ways of expression or periodically explode, giving rise to the nonadaptive behavior and waste of energy which makes a loser. The Child voice indicates the script role: “Cute Kid,” “Little Old Me,” “Clinging Whine,” for example. Thus, the parental voice tells the counterscript, The Adult voice gives the pattern, and the Child voice takes the script role. Each ego state may also have its own vocabulary. Parental words, such as “bad,” “stupid,” “coward,” and “ridiculous,” tell what Jeder is most afraid of being, and tries hardest to avoid. #RandolphHarris 3 of 31

A persistent Adult technical vocabulary may be simply a way of avoiding people, as is common in engineering, aviation, and finance, under a script directive of “Do great things but do not get involved personally.” The Adult “helpnik” vocabularies (PTA, psychology, psychoanalysis, social science) may be used in an intellectual Rite of Spring, where the victim’s dismembered psyche is left scattered over the floor on the theory that he will eventually join himself together and be more fertile afterward. The storyline of this script reads: “I will tear you apart, and remember I am only trying to help you. However, you will have to put yourself together, since nobody else can do it for you.” Sometimes the patient is his own favorite Ritual victim. The Child vocabulary may be the obscene words of revolt, the clichés of compliance, or the sweet phrases of charming innocence. A typical triad often found in the same person is Parental marshmallow-throwing, Adult dissection, and Child obscenity. To further highlight this illustration: “We all have our ups and downs; I think you are handling it beautifully. Of course, you must split off your autonomous ego from your identification with your mother. After all, it is a harsh world.” This script comes right out of Dante’s Inferno: “How to keep smiling while reading a textbook when you are up to your neck in sewage.” #RandolphHarris 4 of 31

Adjectives and abstract nouns are name-calling. The correct response to a person who says that he suffers from “passive dependency” or that he is “an insecure sociopath” is “What names did your parents call you when you were little?” Action euphemisms such as “aggressive expression” or “pleasures of the flesh,” should be eliminated by asking, “What did you call that when you were little?” “Expressive aggression” is a pure artifact and means that Pat has gone to a modern dance class or been wrestled by a Gestalt therapist, while being involved in “pleasures of the flesh” means that he attends meetings of the Sexual Freedom League.” Adverbs are a little more intimate. Thus, “I sometimes feel sexual excitement” is over there in the vague distance, while “I sometimes get sexually excited” is over here. The precise psychological significance of adverbs, however, remains to be clarified. Pronouns, verbs, and concrete nouns are the most real parts of speech, and “tell it like it is.” Telling it like it is may mean that the patient is ready to get well. Thus, a woman who is afraid of the pleasures of the flesh often stresses adjectives and abstract nouns: “I had a satisfactory sexual experience.” Later, she may emphasize pronouns and verbs: “We really turned on.” One woman went to the hospital the first time to have “an obstetrical experience.” The second time, she went to have a baby. Patients “express hostility against authority figures.” When they become real people, they just swear or tear up the papers. #RandolphHarris 5 of 31

On the therapist’s side, the one who reports: “We initiated the interview by exchanging beneficial greetings. The patient then related that he had expressed hostility by performing an act of physical aggression against his wife,” is having a harder time than the one who says: “The patient said Hello and told me that he hit his wife.” In one case, the therapist maintained that a boy “attended a residential school setting in the private area,” while the boy said that he merely “went to boarding school.” The most important single word in script language is the particle “but,” which means “According to my script, I do not have permission to do that.” Real people say: “I will,” or “I will not,” or “I won,” or “I lost,” while “I will but…” “I will not but…” “I won but…” or “I lost but…” are all scripty. Various women live in worlds populated by wolves, beasts, charmers, cats, creeps, suckers, and pricks, and their menfolk see them as dishes, b*tches, grooves, chicks, foxes, chicks, broads, whores, and some other unpleasant terms. All these are script words which emerge in the course of conversation on group treatment. The script scenes are usually centered around one or other room of the house: the nursery, the bathroom, the kitchen, the living room, and the bedroom, and these are located in such expressions “plenty to drink,” “all that crap,” “a regular fest,” “all those people,” and “sock it to them.” #RandolphHarris 6 of 31

Each of these rooms has its own vocabulary, and the person stuck in any of these chambers will use the appropriate expressions over and over. Equally common is the workroom, signified by “Get your kiester over there.” Closely allied to script words are metaphors. Thus, Mary had two different and separate vocabularies of metaphors. In one, she was all at sea, could not fathom anything, could hardly keep her head above water, had stormy days, and waves of feelings. At other times, life was a feast, she could eat her words, she had lots of goodies, or she might feel sour or bitter because that was the way the cookie crumbled. She married a sailor and complained of obesity. When she felt at sea, all her lingo was maritime, and when she was overeating, it was culinary. Thus, she fell from the ocean to the kitchen and back again, and the therapist’s problem was to get her feet on the ground. Metaphors are an extension of the script scene, and a change in metaphors means a change of scene. In her case, the stormy waters turned out to be a sea of anger. Some people must go through certain rituals or make certain gestures before they begin to talk, in order to protect themselves or apologize for speaking. These rituals are addressed to their Parents. Abelard, to further highlight this illustration, always slid his hands under his belt before he began to talk. It was evident that he was protecting his testicles from some inner assailant who was scheduled to attack him when he was off guard because he was speaking to somebody, so he always took care of that danger before he ventured to speak. #RandolphHarris 7 of 31

To tell people the simple, if subtle, truth is to provoke them to partisan wrath. To such unintelligent objections, we may well answer with old Dr. Johnson, “I have found you a reason, sir—I am not bound to find you an understanding.” These people possess a remarkable talent for finding out difficulty in what is perfectly plain. They complain about our arguments because, in brief, the latter have been directed to a higher intellectual level than that of a boy of ten. Argument can be refined, dignified, and courteous and still remain argument. However, the crude and immature think it necessary to express themselves by abuse and vilification in order to prove their points! The pompous pedantry of some academic circles is not less unbalanced than the illiterate inarticulateness of those who scorn them. These lopsided characters who make intellect their sole judge, guide, and support have imprisoned themselves in it and refuse to leave their jail. Are they not foolish? They use their minds only to deal with matters and to answer questions arising from their personal desires and social situations, only for the private satisfaction of their earthly interests. A higher use of it makes no appeal. We must not only renounce such an unsatisfactory doctrine, but also denounce it. In the new loyalty to a narrower view of truth, they abandon the High, the Holy, the Beautiful, and the Refined. The practical benefits of their education are plain, but why become a dwarf to get them? #RandolphHarris 8 of 31

They are imprisoned by their own illusory concepts, and unless something or someone from outside comes to release them, they will continue to be captive, limited, and unnecessarily lost in illusions. The meaning of a word or phrase may be multiple, which is why translations vary, why interpretations are disputed, and why statements in bureaucratic jargon leave some persons uncertain and others unclear. Hence, lawyers are hired, teachers of semantics arise, and sects flourish. However, turn to numbers and one knows precisely what one is dealing with. They fulfill their function without debate. No mist arises. So Pythagoras can boldly assert: “The universe is founded upon numbers.” The power of abstract thought has characterized the best class of minds since time immemorial. Joseph de Maistre refutes Jacobinism and Calvinism, two doctrines which summed up for him, “everything bad that has been thought for centuries,” in the name of a Christian philosophy of history. To counter schisms and heresies, he wanted to re-create “the robe without a seam” of a really catholic Church. His aim—and this can be seen at the period of his Masonic adventures—is the universal Christian city. Maistre dreams of the protoplatic Adam, or the Universal Man, of Fabre d’Olivet, who will be the rallying-point of individual souls, and the Adam Kadmon of the cabalists, who preceded the Fall and who must now be brought to life again. When the Church has reclaimed the world, she will endow this first and last Adam with a body. #RandolphHarris 9 of 31

In the Soirees in St. Petersburg there is a mass of formulas on this subject which bear a striking resemblance to the Messianic formulas of Hegal and Marx. In both the terrestrial and the celestial Jerusalem that Maistre imagines, “all the inhabitants pervaded by the same spirit will pervade one another and will reflect one another’s happiness.” Maistre does not go so far as to deny personal survival after death; he only dreams of having been annihilated, there will be no more passion nor self-interest,” and where “man will be reunited with himself when his double standard will be obliterated and his two centers unified.” In the city of absolute knowledge, where the eyes of the mind and the eyes of the body became as one, Hegel also reconciled contradictions. However, Maistre’s vision again coincides with that of Marx, who proclaims “the end of the quarrel between essence and existence, between freedom and necessity.” Evil, for Maistre, is nothing but the destruction of unity. However, humanity must rediscover its unity on earth as in heaven. By what means? Maistre who is an ancient regime reactionary, is less explicit on this point than Marx. Meanwhile, he was waiting for a great religious revolution of which 1789 was only the “appalling preface.” He quotes Saint John, who asks that we make truth, which is exactly the program of the modern revolutionary mind, and Saint Paul, who announces that “the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” Humanity marches, by way of crimes, violence, and death, toward this final consummation, which will justify everything. The earth for Maistre is nothing but “an immense altar on which all the living must be sacrificed, without end, without limit, without respite, until the end of time, until the extinction of evil, until the death of death. His fatalism, however, is active as well as passive. “Man must act as if he were capable of all things and resign himself as if he were capable of nothing.” We find in Marx the same sort of creative fatalism. Maistre undoubtedly justifies the established order. #RandolphHarris 10 of 31

In dreams, we are closer to the reality of ourselves. And this dream in particular seemed to emerge from a great depth, and to present a profound and square insight into the danger of the dreamer’s particular self-destructiveness. The reaction of pity for self, in this instance as in many others, was at that time not constructive: it did not move her to do anything in her own behalf. Only when the hopelessness and the intensity of self-contempt abates, can the unconstructive self-pity turn into a constructive sympathy with self. And this indeed is a forward move of great significance for anybody in the clutches of self-hate. It goes with a beginning feeling for his real self and a beginning wish for inner salvation. The reaction to the deteriorating process can also be stark terror. And, considering the formidable danger of self-destructiveness, this reaction is completely adequate as long as one continues to feel a helpless prey to these merciless forces. In dreams and associations, they may appear in many succinct symbols, such as a homicidal maniac, Dracula, monsters, a white whale, or ghosts. This terror is the nucleus of many fears otherwise inexplicable, such as the fear of the unknown and of the dangerous depth of the sea; the fear of ghosts; of anything mysterious; of any destructive process within the body, such as poison, worms, cancer. It is a part of the terror many patients feel toward anything that is unconscious, and, therefore, mysterious. It may be the center of panic without an apparent reason. #RandolphHarris 11 of 31

If it were always present and alive, it would be impossible for anybody to love with such a terror. He must and does find ways to assuage it. Surveying self-hate and its ravaging force, we cannot help but see in it a great tragedy, perhaps the greatest tragedy of the human mind. Man in reaching out for the Infinite and Absolute also starts destroying himself. When he makes a pact with the devil, who promises him glory, he must go to hell—to hell within himself. Dr. Darwin dealt with man’s biological origins. His achievement, and his sin, was a theory that made man a part of nature. To accomplish this, and only for this, he was able to put his neurosis aside. Dr. Freud, however, had to “appoint his own neurosis that angel who was to be wrestled with and not to be let go, until he would bless the observer.” Dr. Freud’s wrestling with the angel who was to be wrestled with and not to be let go, until he would bless the observer.” Dr. Freud’s wrestling with the angel was his working through of his own father complex which at first had led him astray in his search for the origins of the neuroses in childhood. Once he understood his own relationship to his father, he could establish the existence of the universal father image in man, break through to the mother image as well, and finally arrive at the Oediups complex, the formulation of which made him one of the most controversial figures in the history of ideas. In The Interpretation of Dreams, Dr. Freud gave psychoanalysis its orientation as the study of unconscious motivation in the normal as well as the pathological, in society as well as the individual. At the same time, he freed his own creativity by self-analysis and was able to combine strict observation with disciplined intuition and literary craftsmanship. #RandolphHarris 12 of 31

Language, which may be defined here as a system of vocal signs, is the most important sign system of human society. Its foundation is, of course, in the intrinsic capacity of the human organism for vocal expressivity, but we can begin to speak of language only when vocal expressions have become capable of detachment from the immediate “here and now” of subjective states. If I snarl, grunt, howl, or hiss, although these vocal expressions are capable of becoming linguistic insofar as they are integrated into an objectively available sign system, it is not yet language. The common objectivations of everyday life are maintained primarily by linguistic signification. Everyday life is, above all, life with and by means of the language I share with my fellowmen. An understanding of language is thus essential for any understanding of the reality of everyday life. Language has its origins in the face-to-face situation, but can be readily detached from it. This is not only because I can shout in the dark or across a distance, speak on the telephone or via the radio, or convey linguistic signification by means of writing (the latter constituting, as it were, a sign system of the second degree). The detachment of language lies much more basically in its capacity to communicate meanings that are not direct expressions of subjectivity “here and now.” It shares this capacity with other sign systems, but its immense variety and complexity make it much more readily detachable from the face-to-face situation, including matters I never have and never will experience directly. #RandolphHarris 13 of 31

In this way, language is capable of becoming the objective repository of vast accumulations of meaning and experience, which it can then preserve in time and transmit to following generations. The mechanisms of defense might just as legitimately be called mechanisms for increasing self-alienation or methods of evading growth, for such are their consequences. They are modes of behavior undertaken by a person with a relatively weak ego when a threat to the self-structure arises. If they are effective, they reduce anxiety and guilt, but whenever the defenses are themselves weakened, threat is again experienced, for its causes continue to be operative. A defense is like a drug; it must be kept operative if it is to reduce discomfort. However, a defense, like a drug, does not remove the conditions responsible for the pain and discomfort. What are the major patterns of defensive behavior and how may they be recognized? The individual can seldom recognize his or her own defensiveness, except under special conditions. The observer may be able to infer, from certain signs, the nature of the defense, the consequences of the defense, and the aspects of the real self that are being defended against. Repression is the most basic defense. It consists in actively excluding from awareness any thought, feeling, memory, or wish that would threaten the self-structure. Dr. Freud introduced the concept of repression to explain some phenomena that he regularly observed in his efforts to treat neurotic patients. He found that his patients displayed resistance to the injunction that they say everything that came to mind. #RandolphHarris 14 of 31

Dr. Freud used the term resistance to describe any deviation from unselected, uncensored talking. The term repression was invoked to explain the efforts of the person to avoid not merely speaking about embarrassing topics, but even thinking about these topics. Repression manifests itself by the omission in a person’s speech, emotion, and behavior repertoire of responses that might ordinarily be expected under given circumstances. To further highlight this illustration, if a person has been deeply insulted by someone and displays no overt signs of hostility, the hypothesis can be entertained that the person has repressed these feelings. It should not be assumed that because some thought, feeling, or need has been repressed, it simply fades out of existence altogether. Rather, what appears to occur is that the repressed feelings and tensions continue to operate as unconscious determiners of behavior because the causes of these feelings persist in life itself. The represser may betray many signs of the repressed feelings to a keen observer—in dreams, accidents, slips of the tongue, and so on. Repression also manifests itself as chronic tensing of various muscle groupings. If a person has repressed rage, yet lives continuously among the people who provoke it, that person may chronically display tension in the muscles of the jaw, the neck, and the shoulders. When a set of muscles has relaxed, in response to the therapist’s manipulations, the patient would express rage, or tears, and convulsions sobbing; moreover, the patient might then recall with vividness some childhood events related to the original repression. #RandolphHarris 15 of 31

An important indicator of repression is a refusal by the person to examine and consider any other motives for a given action than the one he or she presently admits. Thus, a parent may spank his or her children quite severely, may forget their birthdays, never spend time with them at enjoyable activity, and continually scold them. An observer may gather the impression that such behavior expresses hatred and dislike for the children and asks the parent why he or she treats the children so. The parent says, “Because I love them, and I am trying not to spoil them. I am trying to raise them right.” If the observer asks, “Could it be that you do not like your children?” the parent might become quite indignant and refuse to explore the possibility that this might be true. This person is repressing hostility to the children. For the parent to admit disliking the children might threaten his or her self-structure to a profound degree. Another important indicator of repression is selective recall of the past. In relating aspects of the past, much may be omitted from the account. If the observer knows what has been omitted, he or she may confront the person with these details, only to have the person deny that the events occurred. It is as if this person had a vested interest in forgetting these details, in order to preserve the present concept of self. Many experimental studies have shown how our recall and our forgetting are determined to a high degree by the need to maintain self-esteem and to preserve the present self-concept. #RandolphHarris 16 of 31

Many experimental studies have shown how our recall and our forgetting are determined to a high degree by the need to maintain self-esteem and to preserve the present self-concept. In principle, a person can repress any aspect of the real self, whether it is socially desirable or socially reprehensible. Thus, a person may repress antisocial sexual urges and hostility but may also repress feelings of attraction, his or her own intellect, and strength and resources if these aspects of the real self imply some threat to the self-structure. The authoritarian character who exaggerates personal weakness and the strength of the hero or boss is repressing his or her own powers and ascribing them (projecting them) to the authority figure in question. Dr. Fromm has detailed this point in his discussion of authoritarianism in everyday life and even in religion; he has suggested that the image of an all-powerful God, in contrast with weak, powerless humans, rests on our repression of our own powers and the ascription of these very powers to the deity. Repression is quite an unstable mechanism, calling as it does for unremitting (but unconscious) effort from the person. Whenever there is any reduction in the energy devoted to repression, there is likely to be a breakthrough of the repressed aspects of the real self. When this occurs, the person may be incredibly threatened by feelings and impulses that he did not know he possessed. #RandolphHarris 17 of 31

The feelings may be so intense that he explodes into uncontrolled activity—for instance, sexual or hostile violence. Probably many of the sex and homicide crimes which one reads about in the papers (“Nobody would have expected him to do that, he was always so nice, so moral”) illustrate the breakthrough of repressed feelings and impulses. When a person is fatigued, or ill, he may be overwhelmed with fantasies, feelings, and impulses that are shocking to him and to those who know him. Although repression is usually involuntary and unconscious, it can be conscious and deliberate. Every reader will recall occasions when they have had thoughts that were fully conscious, but quite repugnant. On those occasions, they may have striven to get rid of the unwanted thoughts by just putting them out of my mind or by trying to change the subject of thinking, in order to think of more pleasant things. Such efforts, if successful, may be called voluntary and conscious repression. They are analogous with the conversation between two persons; when an unpleasant subject comes up, the person who finds it is unpleasant will ask that the subject be changed, or else may skillfully guide the conversation so that the dangerous topics are avoided. Typically, few venture to do more than peep beyond the portals, for they are unable to bear the hard strain of prolonged philosophical thinking. However noble they may be morally or however abstract they may be metaphysically, it is not by living in the ideas in his mind that a man can ever live in his true self. Somewhere in his field of consciousness, all thinking must be transcended if he is ever to do this. The logic of your thinking must be as universally valid as mathematics. Nobody can cheat mathematics. #RandolphHarris 18 of 31

It is not difficult to prevent or abort a heroic act. Sometimes this results from the confluence of situational circumstances; sometimes it is a calculated effort motivated by selfish factors. It apparently may also occur through the mere acknowledgement that the person has done something laudatory. Given society’s continued need for heroes, we need to know how to better protect heroism against these influences. The award-winning Sacramento Fire Department heroes are celebrated and remembered by the community based on their exceptional and dramatic performance in critical situations. At approximately 2.45 on a hot, sunny afternoon, a small fire was discovered in a pile of wrapping paper near the rear of a store. An employee spotted the fire near the wrapping counter and called for a manager nearby. He began to fight the rapidly expanding blaze, while another employee ran to the basement for water. By the time he returned, the manager had already called the fire department, was fruitlessly battling the flames that had spread to the nearby elevator shaft and were spreading rapidly to the second floor. Several employees fled to the front of the store to escape the now roaring fire that was being fed by a current of air from the outside through the open doors at both the front and rear of the store. As they reached the front door, the fire had created a tremendous draft into the store that it sucked the doors shut, catching the manager’s foot and trapping a few other employees inside the store. The employees struggled with the doors for a few seconds but managed to escape just as the firefighters arrived. “The door was shut when I reached it,” said one employee later. “It was all I could do to pull it open, so strong was the pressure…neither of us could have stood it a minute longer in the building.” #RandolphHarris 19 of 31

The fire department arrived just as the occupants were leaving the building. The Fire Chief immediately ordered three hydrants tapped, and the fight to contain the fire began. As the firemen deployed five streams around the building, the blaze vented itself by shattering all of the windows and shooting through the roof. Despite the intense heat, the Fire Chief led several men with a lead hose into the building, but little progress was made, and they pulled back as the roof and upper floors were about to collapse. Although there was little or no wind, the danger to surrounding buildings was incredible due to the flying embers and the extreme radiant heat from the store. As the heat shattered the front windows, the large plate glass windows in the building directly across the street cracked, but they did not shatter, and the fire did not gain entrance to the building. The flying sparks and embers wreaked havoc on other businesses. The first fire was extinguished quickly, but another building received considerable damage to the second floor and roof. Eventually, the roof collapsed in the store that initially caught fire. There were three firemen injured during the blaze, but none were seriously. The Fire Chief had a cut on his stomach, but remained on the scene until the fire was out. By chance, the Assistant Fire Chief was traveling through the street on an outing with his wife when he spotted the fire and offered his assistance. After the fire was under control, he was water-soaked, and his new suit was ruined from the heat. #RandolphHarris 20 of 31

If you see a fire truck stopped in the street without the lights on, be very careful. Sometimes there is an emergency, and you should not pass the fire truck. It might be a good idea to safely turn around and go another way because if you hit someone and they happen to die, you could be charged with manslaughter. Sometimes fire firefighters are getting back into their vehicle, and if you pass the apparatus, you may collide with a firefighter who is on foot. Also, be sure to look at their signals; sometimes emergency vehicles are in motion, albeit slowly, and drivers try to pass them, and this could lead to a dangerous situation. Also, if you are in an intersection when you see an emergency vehicle, continue through the intersection. Drive to the right as soon as it is safe and stop. Obey any direction, order, or signal given by a law enforcement officer or a firefighter. Even if they conflict with existing signs, signals, or laws, follow their orders. When their siren or flashing lights are on, it is against the law to follow within 300 feet of any fire engine, law enforcement vehicle, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle. If you drive to the scene of a fire, collision, or other disaster, you can be arrested. When you do this, you are getting in the way of firefighters, ambulance crews, or other rescue and emergency personnel. The concept of professional courage does not always mean being as tough as nails, either. It also suggests a willingness to listen to other people’s problems, to go to bat for them in a tough situation, and it means knowing just how far they can go. It also means being willing to tell the boss when he or she is wrong. #RandolphHarris 21 of 31

California is the third most expensive state in the nation. In 37 percent of counties, a family of four living on a six-figure income is now considered low-income. 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. 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. 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 a month or $88,724.00 annually, and that typically means two to four people in the home are working and contributing to the mortgage. Home prices in Sacramento County are rivaling the Bay Area, and in some cases, homes in the Bay Area are more affordable. 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, when state workers should be receiving a 25 percent wage increase instead. #RandolphHarris 22 of 31

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. The crisis is caused by nearly half a century-old laws that discourage home sales and encourage higher rents. The incompetence in California is very easy to see. From 2018 to 2023, California received $24 billion, which they used to fund 30 homeless and housing programs. These programs created 100,000 units. That is an average cost of $240,000 per unit. In comparison, Roger Lucas, owner of Grand Castle, LLC, spent $50 million to build The Grand Castle, which is a 522-unit residential apartment community in Grandville, Michigan. The community includes studios, 1 bedroom, 2 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms, and even a multi-level penthouse. Rents generally range from $1,000 to $2,500. The community is a 23.6-acre site. It features 750 covered parking spaces, a clubhouse, a resort-style swimming pool, and was built over a period of 12 to 18 months. The average cost was about $95,785.45 per unit, which is $144,214.55 less per unit than California spent. California also has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 5.4 percent, while the national average is 4.5 percent. As people are seeing their bills skyrocket, and minimum wage has increased to $20 an hour, people on Social Security retirement are really bearing the burden with the checks the typically equate to $5-$7 an hour. Furthermore, while Americans are struggling to find and afford housing, Gavin Newsom, Democrat governor of California, signed two bills into law on February 7, 2025, to protect illegal immigrants. Bills SBX 1 1: Budget Act of 2024, and SBX 1 2: Budget Act of 2024, allocates $50 million to protect illegal immigrants from deportation. Governor Gavin Newsom also 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. 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. #RandolphHarris 23 of 31

Meanwhile, China, where we are sending all our jobs and money, has more than 50 ghost cities, with 65 million vacant homes. Ghost cities are regions where housing has been overdeveloped to the point that these places are uninhabited. 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.  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 24 of 31

Additionally, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom seems to be uneducated about economics. Newsom has spent $300 million to try to stop proposition 50. Proposition 50 would replace the maps drawn by the state’s independent commission with districts drawn by legislators solely to gain or protect Democratic seats. Newsom only cares about the environment when his policies allow him to raise taxes and restrict freedoms. To further highlight this illustration of incompetence by Governor Gavin Newsom, 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 feces, 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, and by 2030, Mexico plans to dump one hundred and twenty million gallons of sewage a day into Imperial Beach. Other crises that have occurred due to neglect of critical infrastructure such as the 2025 Palisades fire. Southern California ran out of water because Newsom is totally neglecting the state and the American people. And while the fire departments in California are critically understaffed and underfunded, Governor Newsom vetoed firefighter pay raise. The Palisades fire cost $275 billion, which is money that could have been used to insure the State of California had the resources it needed. Furthermore, when Southern California is located next to an ocean, Newsom should have invested in desalination plants to help with the water shortage in California. The water in the ocean 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 25 of 31

America needs an approach to eliminate safety vulnerabilities in American cities. There needs to be a road map by the end of 2025, outlining a prioritized approach to eliminate crisis situations in America. There is enough money to send aid to foreign nations, but the American government does not have enough money to care for its infrastructure, provide adequate resources, or end the affordable housing crisis. Nor is there enough money to fund other national critical functions (NCFs). These bad practices of putting America and Americans last are considered exceptionally risky, particularly to national security, national economic security, and national public health and safety. In 2024, Americans spent $100 billion on Japanese cars. As a result, the American automobile trade deficit with Japan was $39 billion. Additionally, Japan exported 1.4 million cars to the United States of America, but only imported 16,000 American-built automobiles. However, Japan imported approximately 143 thousand motor vehicles from the European Union. This is why President Trump created tariffs. We need to balance the trade deficit that America faces with other nations so we are not taken advantage of and so America can go bank to being a creditor nation, instead of borrowing money for other countries. Each year, President Trump is bringing $400 Billion in Tariff revenue into America and hundreds of thousands of new jobs. With this money, America is paying down debt, and with a portion of it, President  Trump plans to send Americans a stimulus check anywhere in the range of $1,000 to $2,000. However, if President Trump’s Tariffs are deemed illegal by the Supreme Court, taxpayers will have to pay back trillions and trillions of dollars. As we literally and /or figuratively see gangs, federal judges, and Governor Gavin Newsom fighting with federal law enforcement and President Trump– states and cities refusing to honor federal laws. Politicians are also showing an utter disregard for the Constitution of the United States of America, and anarchy is becoming increasingly common. #RandolphHarris 26 of 31

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. 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 31

Drug cartels have been threatening the health and safety of Native American communities. The trafficking of dangerous and illegal drugs into their territories is leading to a second genocide. The overdose rate for Indigenous people is 42 percent higher than the national average. A recent bust on Montana’s Blackfeet Nation’s Tribal Reservation resulted in the seizure of more than 700,000 fentanyl pills, which was the largest bust in Montana history. Recently, the Blackfeet Nation had to declare a state of emergency after facing 17 overdoses in just one week. There are only 6.8 million Native Americans left in the world, which is 2 percent of the American population. We should be doing more to protect these proud and honorable people; they should not want for anything. People rush and give away resources to illegal immigrants, but totally disregard the Indigenous people of this land, as their race silently fades away into extinction. We must secure our borders and increase federal funding to Native American tribes so we can save this precious population. Meanwhile, Gavin Newsom has given billions of taxpayer dollars away to illegal immigrants and protected them from law enforcement, while arresting law-abiding Americans because they cannot afford to pay rent or mortgage, and the homeless shelters are unsafe, overcrowded, and have restrictions on who is allowed inside. He has also totally ignored the cartel problems on American lands. Clean air, water, land, and preserving our heritage are extremely important. We cannot just allow criminals to kill off the people who are native to this land and do nothing about it. Wars have been started over governments that tax citizens without representation. Taxation without representation is what led to the American Revolution. #RandolphHarris 28 of 31

Much like the land crisis in Las Vegas, we could also run out of land to farm and will not be able to grow or cultivate our own food. We can protect American farmland and support American farmers by buying American made beef, poultry, dairy, and produce. Also, country of origin labeling is very important so Americans can know where their food is coming from and can support American farmers and ranchers. As money flows, it influences further investment. Save the land that sustains us by protecting American farmland. Once the land is built on, we lose it forever.  And in the future, there may be food wars. Also, to ensure that we have farmland and buildable land for future use, we need to start limiting the number of people allowed to immigrate to America. Perhaps with the immigrants we do allow into America, there needs to be a diversity program to make sure we have a population that equally represents all races of people. If Americans continue to spend money on American products, then more need to be made to keep up the inventory. When investors notice these goods are selling, it gives them the confidence to pour more money into that local business. It shows that people want these goods made in America and pressures investors to keep these goods and services in America. The jobs stay here, the business stays in America, wages naturally increase, and more money is invested to keep up with demand. This reduces the burden on the taxpayer. When you support American businesses, that money stays in our economy and can help to reduce the national debt. The government creates debt by borrowing from businesses in the private sector or from foreign countries. It also increases the national debt by spending more than it gains in tax revenue in a fiscal year. #RandolphHarris 29 of 31

When people shop locally, more tax money stays in the economy and goes to the government. This way, it keeps more money in our national economy and keeps more jobs located in America which also sends more taxes to the government, which can again help to reduce the national debt. When you buy foreign goods, these companies usually have lighter tax loads or exemptions, meaning less money for the national debt, plus you are helping to strengthen these foreign nations by sending more money overseas. Buying American-made products is also better for the environment and helps to reduce the carbon footprint because these products do not have to travel nearly as far. Furthermore, American companies and manufacturers are held to much higher standards on pollution. American companies must be more careful about air, land, and water pollution and have proper ways to dispose of waste. Under President Trump’s administration, he has make America a priority. President Trump has closed the southern border, illegal crossings have fallen to an all time low, and are 90 percent lower than under the previous administration. Since President Trump’s crack down on crime, violent crimes in Washington D.C. have dropped by approximately 80 percent. He has stopped thousands of pounds of drugs from entering America and killing citizens. And since President Trump took office, investments in America have increased by trillions of dollars in U.S.A. manufacturing, production, and innovation. 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. #RandolphHarris 30 of 31

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. 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. Therefore, remember to take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. Also, to make sure they have all the resources required, please donate to the Sacramento Fire Department to help improve our national security. “Oh, thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand between their loved home and the war’s desolation! Blest with victory and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause is just, and this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust.’ And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” #RandolphHarris 31 of 31

The Winchester Mystery House

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. And then one day, a hearse came tearing through the gates, and in that hearse was a coffin, some believed it contained Mrs. Winchester.

According to legend, when Sarah Lockwood Pardee (Winchester) married William Wirt Winchester in 1862, she enjoyed a life of extravagant luxury. William Winchester, President of the Winchester repeating rifle, became a very wealthy man through the sale of his guns, and the couple were among the elite New England society.

However, in 1866, the death of their infant daughter drove Mrs. Sarah Winchester into a deep depression from which many thought she would never emerged. Several years later, she lost her husband to tuberculosis, and her grief was overwhelming. Mrs. Winchester sought the counsel of a Boston medium to reach her beloved dead family members. The medium told the grieving widow that she was cursed and demons straight from hades had sought revenge by ending the lives of her beloved husband and darling baby girl.

She also told Mrs. Winchester they would kill her too, unless she moved out West and built a great house for the spirits. In addition, Mrs. Winchester was told construction on the house must never end in order to appease the spirits and keep her alive, perhaps even give her eternal life. Mrs. Winchester followed the medium’s suggestions, and in 1886, she moved to the Santa Clara valley just outside San Jose, where she bought an 18-room farmhouse and property to build her mansion. At its peak, the Mansion once stood 9-stories tall and had as many as 600-rooms. Today, the stately mansion is 4-storys, and over 100,000 square feet.

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. Come and see what secrets this so-called, “Winchester Mystery House” may hold. 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 that lead to hidden chambers within the mansion. These chambers served as safe places for valuables, precious documents, and as private sanctuaries for Mrs. Winchester, and allowed her to move stealthily throughout her home. At one time, there were even secret tunnels that extended beyond the mansion, leading to nearby Victorian houses that were also on the property, and other structures, creating a network of escape routes or hidden pathways.

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/

Why Choose Harris?

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/

Brian Harris BMW

With its top ranking in Consumer Reports’ Auto Brand Report Card and consistent market share growth, BMW, The Ultimate Driving Experience, has demonstrated its ability to produce high-performing, reliable vehicles that meet consumer demands. BMW stands out due to its focus on driving dynamics and engineering excellence. While other luxury brands prioritize comfort and opulence, BMW is known for creating cars that are fun to drive and offer a unique connection between the driver and the machine. This is why BMW is known as The Ultimate Driving Machine. https://www.brianharrisbmw.com/

Randolph Harris San Francisco Taxation & Mergers

Building strong and lasting client relationships is crucial for a successful legal career. Many lawyers mistakenly believe that mastering legal skills alone ensures success, but law is fundamentally a service industry—our job is to solve problems through the time we sell. To build long-term relationships, attorneys must focus on three core elements: knowing their clients, understanding how their legal issues fit into a larger context, and consistently delivering exceptional service.

Randy advises clients with regard to business transition, taxable and tax-deferred mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructuring, integrated tax planning, federal and state tax controversy resolution, and real estate transactions. Trust is the cornerstone of any client relationship. Ultimately, my clients feel they are in capable hands with someone who genuinely understands their problems and goals. https://www.jmbm.com/l-randolph-harris.html

Millhaven Homes

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. 

Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. Whether you are considering building a dream home or simply fascinated by architectural marvels, Millhaven Homes is the builder for you.

“Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, can not long retain it.” -President Abraham Lincoln

America is a nation founded on godly principles, by God-fearing men. As a nation, we have convinced ourselves of our uniqueness with concepts such as Manifest Destiny and American exceptionalism. Manifest destiny was the imperialist belief in the 19th-century United States that American settlers were destined to expand from sea to shining sea.

American exceptionalism, idea that the United States of America is a unique and even morally superior country for historical, ideological, or religious reasons. As a nation we appear favored and blessed by the Lord with success and prosperity unparalleled in human history.

America has a lot of amazing things – its beautiful natural scenery, vibrant cities, unique culture, and some of the world’s most iconic landmarks — it us no wonder many choose to make America their home.

Our Cover Was Blown on the Plane from Cairo to Beirut

Youth have a right to expect that we will help the organization of this world in cooperation and goodwill so that tens of millions of them will never in the future have to pay the price of a grim disaster. However, all spheres—intellectual, psychic, political, economic, religious—to some extent follow the developments of their own. The increasingly unshatterable prestige of prophecy in general has rested upon those few cases that were terribly impressive for the prophet’s contemporaries, and in which the prophets by their success were unexpectedly in the right. Ideas, selected and reinterpreted from the original doctrine, do gain an affinity with the interests of certain members of special strata; if they do not gain such an affinity, they are abandoned. Thus, by distinguishing the phases of the personal and charismatic origin of ideas and their routinization and social impact, we can consider several complications, which are reflected in changing shades of meaning. Both the ideas and their publics are seen as independent; by a selective process, elements in both find their affinities. Modern capitalism in its early stages requires a specific type of personality. This personality type, in turn, is psychologically constructed because of a set of ideas that unwittingly led to the development of those specific personality traits useful in capitalist conduct. #RandolphHarris 1 of 28

Dr. Freud has shown that sexuality begins with birth, and he has also given us tools for demonstrating the fact that social life begins with everyone’s beginnings. Child training seems to be integrated with a well-defined economic system. The method by which a group’s basic ways of organizing experience, or what we may call group identity, is transmitted to the infant’s early bodily experiences and, through them, to the beginnings of his ego. As a child develops, they learn that we live in a world of machines, far from remaining an extension of the body, destined to be whole human organizations that are extensions of machinery; magic serves as intermediate links only, and childhood becomes a separate segment of life with its own folklore. The expansiveness of civilization, together with its stratification and specialization, demanded that children base their ego models on shifting, sectional, and contradictory prototypes. To be “one who can walk” becomes one of the many steps in child development which, through the coincidence of physical mastery and cultural meaning, of functional pleasure and social recognition, contributes to a realistic self-esteem. #RandolphHarris 2 of 28

This self-esteem gradually grows into a conviction that the ego is capable of integrating effective steps toward a tangible collective future, that it is developing into a well-organized ego within a social reality. This sense is called ego identity. The conscious feeling of having a personal identity is based on two simultaneous observations: the perception of the selfsameness and continuity of one’s existence in time and space, and the perception of the fact that others recognize one’s sameness and continuity. Ego identity, then, is the awareness of the fact that there is a self-sameness and continuity to the ego’s synthesizing methods, the style of one’s individuality, and this style coincides with the sameness and continuity of one’s meaning for significant others in the immediate community. For each individual, there is a characteristic posture, gesture, mannerism, tic, or symptom which signifies that he is living “in his script,” or has “gone into” his script. As long as people display “script signals,” one is adjusting to life, but still may be making progress. As an individual progresses in life, he may be less miserable, or happier, living in his script world, and this will be confirmed by his dreams, his outside experience, and his attitude toward authority figures and the other members of the group. #RandolphHarris 3 of 28

The script signal is usually first perceived intuitively by those he knows well (preconsciously, not unconsciously). The script is what permits people to behave in certain ways. Some people may feel more comfortable laughing, and they may do this with great vigor and enjoyment at every opportunity, but may not have permission to speak. If addressed, one may go through a complicated, sluggish routine before answering. Then, will slowly show maturity and present a cohesive thought. Because his prohibition against talking is so severe, an individual may display signs that he is uncomfortable speaking by trying to protect part of his body that he feels is in jeopardy. And, that is why some people never speak, unless someone has given them permission to by asking him a question. As long as this script signal is present, he will not be free to talk spontaneously, nor to decide other matters that are bothering him. A more common and similar script signal occurs among women, and may also be perceived intuitively for a long time before it comes into full awareness. Some women sit relaxed until a subject comes up that involves pleasures of the flesh, and then they not only cross their knees, but wind the upper instep around the lower ankle, often simultaneously crossing their arms over their chests and sometimes also leaning forward. This posture forms a triple or quadruple protection against a violation which exists only in their script worlds and not in the real world of the group. #RandolphHarris 4 of 28

Other script signs are blinking, tongue-chewing, jaw-clamping, sniffing, hand-writing, ring-turning, and foot-tapping. Posture and carriage are also revealing. The tilt of the head in “Martyr” and “Waif” scripts is one of the commonest script signals. The script signal is always a reaction to some Parental directive. In most neuroses, there are disturbances which constitute valid reasons for discontent with the functioning of the mind. A fear of being aggressive may hamper critical thinking; a general reluctance to commit oneself may render it difficult to arrive at an opinion. The compelling need to appear omniscient may interfere with the capacity to learn. General tendencies to becloud personal issues may also befog the clarity of thinking; just as people blind themselves to their inner conflicts, they may be oblivious to other sorts of contradictions. They may be too fascinated in the glory to be achieved to be sufficiently interested in the work they are doing.  I remember a time when I thought that such actual difficulties accounted fully for the feeling of stupidity; when I hoped to be helpful in saying something like: “Your intelligence is perfectly in order—but what about your interests, your courage; what about all that has to go into your capacity to work?” Of course, to work at all these factors are necessary. However, one is not interested in freeing oneself to use his intelligence in his life; what one is interested in is the absolute intelligence of the “master mind.” #RandolphHarris 5 of 28

What I did not recognize, at the time, was the power of the self-devaluating process, which sometimes reaches gigantic proportions. Even people who have attained genuine intellectual achievements may prefer to insist on considering themselves stupid than to avow their aspirations, since at any cost they must avoid the danger of ridicule. And in quiet despair, they accept this verdict, rejecting all evidence or assurance to the contrary. The self-belittling process disturbs the active pursuit of any interest to a varying degree. A neurotic succumbing to self-contempt may feel so discouraged that it does not occur to him that he could change a tire, speak a foreign language, or talk in public. Or he may start some activity but give it up at the first difficulty that arises. Or he may become frightened before or at public performances (stage fright). Again, as in regard to vulnerability, both pride and self-contempt operate to engender these inhibitions and fears. They result from a dilemma caused by needs for a sweeping acclaim on the one hand and active self-disgracing or self-defeating forces on the other. When, despite all these difficulties, a piece of work is finished, well done, and well received, the self-disparagement does not end. “Anybody could have achieved the same thing with so much work put in”; the one passage that did not come out to perfection in a piano recital looms large: “this time I got by, but the next will be a debacle.” A failure, on the other hand, calls forth the full force of self-contempt, and this discouraging far beyond its actual significance. #RandolphHarris 6 of 28

When a person is acting without taking responsibility for choosing the action, life is then lived automatically. Thus, the person may evade conflict and the necessity to make decisions by following an inflexible moral code. The authoritarian character never chooses, seeking the leader’s wishes and expectations and conforming with them, like a soldier getting orders from a superior officer. The other-directed person likewise does not choose actions, but instead acts as he or she believes peers would wish. In none of these cases do the persons realize that they are free to choose their actions in every situation they encounter. They can change their actions at will, though at times it may be difficult. Human beings are free, and hence responsible for their actions and the consequences. However, as the existential philosophers point out, awareness of such freedom and its accompanying responsibility may be terrifying: it is certainly common for people to wish to “escape from freedom.” Dr. Erich Fromm’s book of that title is a classic and should be read for the insight into the human situation that it affords. Authentic being, or being one’s real self, means that the person explores the opportunities and challenges afforded by each situation and then chooses a response that expresses his other true values, needs, feelings, and commitments. An authentic person is less predictable than an inauthentic, self-alienated person, because each life situation, each problem, each encounter with a person is experienced as new, with different invitations and demands issuing from it. #RandolphHarris 7 of 28

However, such authenticity is only possible when the person has not repressed entire dimensions of experiencing, but is, instead, in steady contact with the real self. It takes courage to be real in this sense, because one’s own experiencing often gives rise to fright and sometimes disgust. Moreover, such authenticity requires a person to face decisions time and time again, with the awareness that the outcomes of his or her life are the person’s own responsibility, not the responsibility of parents, superior officers, or public pressure. Authentic decision-making of this nature is most likely to be started by a person after somehow realizing, with intensity, the fact that he or she will die someday. An encounter with death functions as an invitation for many people to live more decisively, more intensively, and more authentically. Authentic being is a sign of a healthy personality, and it is the means of achieving healthy personality growth. When persons are authentic, they not only acknowledge the truth of their feelings, needs, and wishes, but they are capable of revealing their true being to the other people with whom they have personal relationships. We humans can lie to one another, aiming to be seen by others as a person we know we are not. We also have the capacity for entering into true dialogue with our fellows, disclosing what we think, feel, and are planning, without reserve. #RandolphHarris 8 of 28

Obviously, such transparency exposes a person to real danger, because to be that open with others means to be without defenses. If persons can disclose themselves honestly and spontaneously to others, the interests of a healthy personality are served. People are more likely to be cautious than to be excessively open, with the result that they are relatively safe, but lonely and misunderstood by others. It may seem paradoxical, but a person comes to know their real self, and becomes able to introspect honestly, as a consequence of the spontaneous disclosure of self to another person. The individual who has a trusted friend or relative to whom he or she can express thoughts, feelings, and opinions honestly is in a better position to learn the real self than the one who has never undergone this experience, because by revealing the self to another, the person is also revealing the self to himself or herself. The act of stating one’s experience to another, making oneself known, permits one to “get outside oneself” and see oneself. This process of self-discovery through making one-self known to another is facilitated if the other person reflects back what he or she has heard you say. This reflection or restatement, like a mirror, then permits you to compare your words with your experience as you feel it directly and immediately. The capacity to be a transparent self in one’s personal relationships is a sign of a healthy personality. #RandolphHarris 9 of 28

It follows that relations with others in the face-to-face situation are highly flexible. Put negatively, it is comparatively difficult to impose rigid patterns upon face-to-face interaction. Whatever patterns are introduced will be continuously modified through the exceedingly variegated and subtle interchange of subjective meanings that goes on. For instance, I may view the other as someone inherently unfriendly to me and act toward him within a pattern of “unfriendly relations” as understood by me. In the face-to-face situation, however, the other may confront me with attitudes and acts that contradict this pattern, perhaps up to a point where I am led to abandon the pattern as inapplicable and to view him as friendly. In other words, the pattern cannot sustain the massive evidence of the other’s subjectivity that is available to me in the face-to-face situation. By contrast, it is much easier for me to ignore such evidence as long as I do not encounter the other face-to-face. Even in such a relatively “close” relation as may be maintained by correspondence, I can more successfully dismiss the other’s protestations of friendship as not actually representing his expressivity. It is, to be sure, possible for me to misinterpret the other’s meanings even in the face-to-face situation, as it is possible for him “hypocritically” to hide his meanings. All the same, both misinterpretation and “hypocrisy” are more difficult to sustain in face-to-face interaction than in less “close” forms of social relations. #RandolphHarris 10 of 28

On the other hand, I apprehend the other by means of typificatory schemes even in the face-to-face situation, although these schemes are more “vulnerable” to his interference than in “remoter” forms of interaction. Put differently, while it is comparatively difficult to impose rigid patterns on face-to-face interaction, even it is patterned from the beginning if it takes place within the routines of everyday life. (We can leave aside for later consideration cases of interaction between complete strangers who have no common background of everyday life.) The reality of everyday life contains typificatory schemes in terms of which others are apprehended and “dealt with” in face-to-face encounters. Thus, I apprehend the other as “a man,” “a European,” “a buyer,” “a jovial type,” and so on. All these typifications ongoingly affect my interaction with him as, say, I decide to show him a good time on the town before trying to sell him my product. Our face-to-face interaction will be patterned by these typifications as long as they do not become problematic through interference on his part. Thus, he may come up with evidence that, although “a man,” “a European,” and “a buyer,” he is also a self-righteous moralist, and that what appeared first as joviality is actually an expression of contempt for Americans in general and American salesmen in particular. At this point, of course, my typificatory scheme will have to be modified, and the evening planned differently in accordance with this modification. Unless thus challenged, though, the typifications will hold until further notice and will determine my actions in the situation. #RandolphHarris 11 of 28

The typificatory schemes entering into face-to-face situations are, of course, reciprocal. The other also apprehends me in a typified way—as “a man,” “an American,” “A salesman,” “an ingratiating fellow,” and so on. The other’s typifications are as susceptible to my interference as mine are to his. In other words, the two typificatory schemes enter into an ongoing “negotiation” in the face-to-face situation. In everyday life, such “negotiation” is itself likely to be prearranged in a typical manner—as in the typical bargaining process between buyers and salesmen. Thus, most of the time, my encounters with others in everyday life are typical in a double sense—I apprehend the other as a type and I interact with him in a situation that is itself typical. He who examines and enquires will necessarily become the foe of hollow, meaningless formulae. It is better to submit these statements to rational weighing in the scales on one’s independent judgment rather than to accept credulously or dismiss wildly. Without the slightest training in the science of evidence, people airily deliver themselves of judgments that will not stand expert dissection for five minutes. Metaphors do not make arguments: they merely illustrate them. Fling up the coin of their rhetoric and when it comes down on the ground of test, you will know it to be base. Psychology endeavors to establish what is demonstrably true in human behavior, including such behavior as expresses what to human beings feels true. #RandolphHarris 12 of 28

The fact that each new vital focus of psychoanalytical research inadvertently leads to a new implied value system obliges us to ask ourselves whether or not we mean what we seem to be saying. It obligates us, as well as our critics, to differentiate psychoanalysis from psychoanalysis, and to realize that ours is not only a profession recognized among professions, but also a system of thought subject to fashionable manipulation by molders of public opinion. Our very success suggests that our partisanship be judicial. Religion, on the other hand, elaborates on what feels profoundly true even though it is not demonstrable: it translates into significant words, images, and codes the exceeding darkness which surrounds man’s existence, and the light which pervades it beyond all desert or comprehension. In some periods of his history, and in some phases of his life cycle, man needs (until we invent something better) a new ideological orientation as surely and as sorely as he must have air and food. Sometimes revolution has nothing to do with liberation, justice, and inspiration: it is the death of freedom, the triumph of violence, and the enslavement of the mind. Fascism is an act of contempt, in fact. Inversely, every form of contempt, if it intervenes in politics, prepares the way for, or establishes, Fascism. Fascism cannot be anything else but an expression of contempt without denying itself. Junger drew the conclusion, from his own principles, that it was better to be criminal than bourgeois. #RandolphHarris 13 of 28

Mr. Hitler, who on this occasion, is endowed with more coherence, knew that to be either one or the other was a matter of complete indifference, from the moment that one ceased to believe in anything but success. Thus, he authorized himself to be both criminal and bourgeois at the same time. “Fact is all,” said Mr. Mussolini. And Mr. Hitler added: “When  the race is in danger of being oppressed…the question of legality plays only a secondary role.” Moreover, in that the race must always be menaced in order to exist, there is never any legality. “I am ready to sign anything, to agree to anything…As far as I am concerned, I am capable, in complete good faith, of signing treaties today and of dispassionately tearing them up tomorrow if the future of the German people is at stake.” Before he declared war, moreover, Mr. Hitler made the statement to his generals that no one was going to ask the victor if he had told the truth or not. The leitmotiv of Goring’s defense at the Nuremberg trials returned time and again to this theme: “The victor will always be the judge, and the vanquished will always be the accused.” That is a point that can certainly be argued. However, then it is hard to understand Mr. Rosenberg when he said during the Nuremberg trials that he had not foreseen that the Nazi myth would lead to murder. When the English prosecuting attorney observes that “from Mein Kampf the road led straight to the gas chambers at Maidenek,” he touches on the real subject of the trial, that of the historic responsibilities of Western nihilism and the only one which, nevertheless, was not really discussed at Nuremberg, for reasons only too evident. A trial cannot be conducted by announcing the general culpability of a civilization. Only the actual deeds which, at least, stank in the nostrils of the entire world were brought to judgment. #RandolphHarris 14 of 28

It follows that in cultural contexts where the beliefs in the supernatural powers of the ancestors are widespread, the departure of an individual might involve not only rituals aimed at separating the deceased from the realm of the living (funerary rituals), but also specific ritual actions aimed at transmuting the deceased into an ancestor (ancestralization), by transforming the latter into a preternatural being capable of affecting everyday life of the living. Among them, the most famous is certainly the so-called double burial studied by Hertz (1905-1906). If not even from the primeval form of religion, ancestor worship has been for a long time considered as a characteristic feature of archaic society. Spencer, in particular, considered the awe aroused by the deceased forebears and their potential vengeful attitude against transgressors as the main cause which led to the observance of the religious rites and, therefore, morality. Several studies have shown that the beliefs and practices concerning the interactions between the living and the dead are among the most spread ones around the world. Some scholars have even postulated that “ancestor worship” may be considered as a “universal phenomenon” and that certain religious phenomena, such as the cult of the saints or the concept of God as a “Father,” might be understood as forms of “metaphorical ancestors.” “Untamed religious activities,” which also include the beliefs and practices concerning ghosts and ancestors, are a kind of religious phenomena that occur in human minds by virtue of natural selection and are not only particularly resilient but also show a certain tendency in being recreated from scratch in diverse cultural contexts throughout human history. #RandolphHarris 15 of 28

If heroes arise through an interaction of personality traits tending toward altruistic behavior and a situation demanding a risk to self for the benefit of others, then heroes and heroines are archetypal in that they emanate and embody an immediate, recognizable pattern. Humans know when they see one. Researchers have used archetypal heroes to address many societal issues, including mental disorders, youth development, bullying in schools, and leadership development in organizations. The archetypal hero is a powerful metaphor that can be applied in many settings, including schools, teen and youth development, family systems, psychotherapy, leadership, management, and firefighting. The archetypal hero is a model of how to map the human condition and convey patterns to navigate life’s difficulties. Seeing life as a heroine’s journey gives emotional stability with a structure. The archetypal hero is a metaphor of hope and a guidebook with markers for gaining a perspective that allows resiliency in the face of adversity. It gives a purpose of seeing life’s journey as right action to transform toward wholeness and be of service to others through this mysterious journey called life. The award-winning Sacramento Fire Department is full of classic heroes. They are wealthy and of high reputation, and respectable persons. One summer, shortly before midnight, several calls poured into the fire department as several neighbors of a shop reported a fire. The fire stations responded to the scene in a short time, only to find the fire shooting through the roof and the flames endangering nearby buildings and homes. The blaze, fed by a stiff wind, quickly destroyed the main shops and set fire to several piles of lumber situated throughout the yards. A nearby home caught fire several times from the heat, but was quickly extinguished with only minor damage to the roof and siding. A factory located just to the south, suffered broken windows, smoke and water damage, but the damage was mostly minor. #RandolphHarris 16 of 28

The firemen remained on the scene until 6:30 a.m., watering down hot spots as the first major fire in the area was declared struck out at that time. Few words invoke more fear than the word investigation. We never want to be involved in an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigation, a murder investigation, or a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) investigation. Humans have natural defense mechanisms that resist being probed, examined, or scrutinized by any authority that has the power to discipline, sanction, or confiscate aspects of our life. The fear is that an investigation could conclude with the allocation of blame for something we did or were part of. Although a component of investigations indeed is to find fault where fault exists, it is not limited to liability. Another valuable component is to search for and identify the actions and contributing factors that allowed an event to occur. By identifying these aspects, actions can be taken to prevent future occurrences. Take, for instance, a firefighter who falls from an extension ladder at a structural fire. Although seriously injured, he survives the fall. Which of the following is a thorough investigation likely to lead to? Disciplinary action for the incident commander and the firefighter holding the ladder, or liability for the ladder manufacturer, resulting in a lawsuit, or recommendations to eliminate contributing factors in order to prevent a similar incident? Obviously, the last choice is the most probable. Fault and culpable liability are always possible, but recommendations and changes in policy are almost guaranteed. Initiative 9 calls for the thorough investigation of all injuries, deaths, and near-misses in an effort to reduce the chances of the next one. As a result, specific components of an effective system include reporting, investigating, evaluating, and implementing changes. Fire and emergency services have several individual components in place, yet continue to work toward linking information into one effective system. #RandolphHarris 17 of 28

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 28

California is the third most expensive state in the nation. In 37 percent of counties, a family of four living on a six-figure income is now considered low-income. 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. 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. 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 a month or $88,724.00 annually, and that typically means two to four people in the home are working and contributing to the mortgage. Home prices in Sacramento County are rivaling the Bay Area, and in some cases, homes in the Bay Area are more affordable. 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, when state workers should be receiving a 25 percent wage increase instead. #RandolphHarris 19 of 28

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. The crisis is caused by nearly half a century-old laws that discourage home sales and encourage higher rents. The incompetence in California is very easy to see. From 2018 to 2023, California received $24 billion, which they used to fund 30 homeless and housing programs. These programs created 100,000 units. That is an average cost of $240,000 per unit. In comparison, Roger Lucas, owner of Grand Castle, LLC, spent $50 million to build The Grand Castle, which is a 522-unit residential apartment community in Grandville, Michigan. The community includes studios, 1 bedroom, 2 bedrooms, 3 bedrooms, and even a multi-level penthouse. Rents generally range from $1,000 to $2,500. The community is a 23.6-acre site. It features 750 covered parking spaces, a clubhouse, a resort-style swimming pool, and was built over a period of 12 to 18 months. The average cost was about $95,785.45 per unit, which is $144,214.55 less per unit than California spent. California also has the highest unemployment rate in the country at 5.4 percent, while the national average is 4.1 percent. While Americans are struggling to find and afford housing, Gavin Newsom, Democrat governor of California, signed two bills into law on February 7, 2025, to protect illegal immigrants. Bills SBX 1 1: Budget Act of 2024, and SBX 1 2: Budget Act of 2024, allocates $50 million to protect illegal immigrants from deportation. Governor Gavin Newsom also 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. 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. #RandolphHarris 20 of 28

 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 where housing has been overdeveloped to the point that these places are uninhabited. 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.  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 28

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 of incompetence by Governor Gavin Newsom, 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. 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. #RandolphHarris 22 of 28

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. Additionally, Japan exported 1.4 million cars to the United States of America, but only imported 16,000 American-built automobiles. However, Japan imported approximately 143 thousand motor vehicles from the European Union. This is why President Trump created tariffs. We need to balance the trade deficit that America faces with other nations so we are not taken advantage of and so America can go bank to being a creditor nation, instead of borrowing money for other countries. As of 31 August 2025, President Trump has brought $142 Billion in Tariff revenue into America and hundreds of thousands of new jobs. However, if President Trump’s Tariffs are deemed illegal by the Supreme Court, taxpayers will have to pay back trillions and trillions of dollars. As we literally and /or figuratively see gangs, federal judges, and Governor Gavin Newsom fighting with federal law enforcement and President Trump– states and cities refusing to honor federal laws. Politicians are also showing an utter disregard for the Constitution of the United States of America, and anarchy is becoming increasingly common. #RandolphHarris 23 of 28

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. 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 24 of 28

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 25 of 28

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 26 of 28

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. Under President Trump’s administration, he has make America a priority. President Trump has closed the southern border, illegal crossings have fallen to an all time low, and are 90 percent lower than under the previous administration. Since President Trump’s crack down on crime, violent crimes in Washington D.C. have dropped by approximately percent. And since President Trump took office, investments in America have increased by trillions of dollars in U.S.A. manufacturing, production, and innovation. 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. #RandolphHarris 27 of 28

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. 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. Therefore, remember to take your education seriously so that you will be successful in life and make your family proud. 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 28 of 28

The Winchester Mystery House

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/

Why Choose Harris?

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/

Brian Harris BMW

With its top ranking in Consumer Reports’ Auto Brand Report Card and consistent market share growth, BMW, The Ultimate Driving Experience, has demonstrated its ability to produce high-performing, reliable vehicles that meet consumer demands. BMW stands out due to its focus on driving dynamics and engineering excellence. While other luxury brands prioritize comfort and opulence, BMW is known for creating cars that are fun to drive and offer a unique connection between the driver and the machine. This is why BMW is known as the Ultimate Driving Machine. https://www.brianharrisbmw.com/

Randolph Harris San Francisco Taxation & Mergers

Building strong and lasting client relationships is crucial for a successful legal career. Many lawyers mistakenly believe that mastering legal skills alone ensures success, but law is fundamentally a service industry—our job is to solve problems through the time we sell. To build long-term relationships, attorneys must focus on three core elements: knowing their clients, understanding how their legal issues fit into a larger context, and consistently delivering exceptional service.

Randy advises clients with regard to business transition, taxable and tax-deferred mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructuring, integrated tax planning, federal and state tax controversy resolution, and real estate transactions. Trust is the cornerstone of any client relationship. Ultimately, my clients feel they are in capable hands with someone who genuinely understands their problems and goals. https://www.jmbm.com/l-randolph-harris.html

Millhaven Homes

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/

Mother, I Would Rather Do it My Own Way

People’s beliefs about themselves—their self-conceptions—play a central role in their psychological experiences and can be powerful determinants of their thoughts, feelings, and actions. Self-concepts are important considerations in domains as diverse as social perception, self-evaluation, interpersonal relationships, decision making, and even consumer behavior. The characteristics of specific self-aspects, including the associated traits and their importance, determine the ease of activating them and the consequences of that activation. While the cognitive mechanisms behind these phenomena are quite simple, the implications are far-reaching: A person’s currently active self-aspect shapes what they remember, how they judge others, and how easily they can focus on current tasks or goals. Of course, these self-aspects exist within the broader network of the individual’s self-concept, and the overall organization of the self-concept (id est, self-complexity) is similarly influential. With identity, we deal with a process “located” in the core of the individual and yet also in the core of his communal culture, a process which establishes, in fact, the identity of those two identities. #RandolphHarris 1 of 17

 If we should now pause and state a few minimum requirements for fathoming the complexity of identity, we should have to begin by saying something like thus (and let us take our time in saying it): in psychological terms, identity formation employs a process of simultaneous reflection and observation, a process taking place on all levels of mental functioning, by which the individual judges himself in the light of what be perceives to be the way in which others judge him in comparison to themselves and to a typology significant to them; while he judges their way of judging him in the light of how he perceives himself in comparison to them and to them and to types that have become relevant to him. This process is, luckily, and necessarily, for the most part, unconscious except where inner conditions and outer circumstances combine to aggravate a painful, or elated, “identity-consciousness.” Furthermore, the process described is always changing and developing: at its best, it is a process of increasing differentiation, and it becomes ever more inclusive as the individual grows aware of a widening circle of others significant to him, from the maternal person to “mankind.” The process “begins” somewhere in the first true “meeting” of mother and baby as two people who can touch and recognize each other, and it does not “end” until a man’s power of mutual affirmation wanes. #RandolphHarris 2 of 17

As pointed out, however, the process has its normative crisis in adolescence, and is in many ways determined by what went before and determines much that follows. And finally, in discussing identity, as we now see, we cannot separate personal growth and communal change, nor can we separate the identity crisis in individual life and contemporary crises in historical development, because the two help to define each other and are truly relative to each other. The whole interplay between the psychological and the social, the developmental and the historical, for which identity formation is of prototypal significance, could be conceptualized only as a kind of psychosocial relativity. A weighty matter then: certainly, mere “roles” played interchangeably, mere self-conscious “appearances,” or mere strenuous “postures” cannot possibly be the real thing, although they may be dominant aspects of what today is called the “search for identity.” Given all of this, it would be wrong to let some terms—such as self-conception, self-imagery, or self-esteem, on the other hand, and role ambiguity, role conflict, or role loss, on the other—take over the area to be studied, although teamwork methods are, now, the best approach in this general area. #RandolphHarris 3 of 17

What these approaches as yet lack, however, is a theory of human development which attempts to come closer to something by finding out wherefrom and whereto it develops. For identity is never “established” as an “achievement” in the form of a personality armor, or of anything static and unchangeable. The traditional psychoanalytic method, on the other hand, cannot quite grasp identity because it has not developed terms to conceptualize the environment. Certain habits of psychoanalytic theorizing, habits of designating the environment as “outer world” or “object world,” cannot take account of the environment as a pervasive actuality. The German ethologist introduced the word “Umwelt” to denote not merely an environment which surrounds you, but which is also in you. And indeed, from the point of view of development, “former” environments are forever in us; and since we live in a continuous process of making the present “former” we never—not even as a newborn—meet any environment as a person who never had an environment. One methodological precondition, then, for grasping identity would be a psychoanalysis sophisticated enough to include the environment; the other would be a social psychology which is psychoanalytically sophisticated; together, they would institute a new field which would have to create its own historical sophistication. #RandolphHarris 4 of 17

In the meantime, we can only try to see where a historical instance or a bit of normative development, a fragment of case history, or an event in a biography becomes clearer when something like identity development is assumed to exist. And, of course, it helps to note down in detail what and why and how an item seems to become clearer. What about the awareness of self-hate? What is expressed in Hamlet, Richard III is not restricted to clear-sighted knowledge of the agonies of human sols. During longer or shorter intervals, many people experience self-hate or self-contempt as such. They may have flashing feelings of, “I hate myself,” or “I despise myself”; they may be furious at themselves. However, such alive experiencing of self-hate occurs only in periods of distress and is forgotten as the distress subsides. As a rule, the question does not arise whether such feelings—or thoughts—are more than a temporary response to a “failure,” a “stupidity,” a feeling of wrong done, or a realization of some psychic handicap. Hence, there is no awareness of the subversive and lasting operation of self-hate. Regarding that form of self-hate which is expressed in self-accusation, the range of differences in awareness is too wide to allow for any general statement. Those neurotics who have entrenched themselves in a shell of self-righteousness have so silenced all self-accusations that nothing reaches awareness. Opposed to these are the self-effacing types who frankly express self-reproaches and guilt feelings, or betray the existence of such feelings by their flagrantly apologetic or defensive behavior. Such individual differences in awareness are significant indeed. #RandolphHarris 5 of 17

However, the awareness does not justify the conclusion that the self-effacing types are aware of self-hate; because even those neurotics who are aware of self-recriminations are aware neither of their intensity nor of their destructive nature. They are also unaware of their intrinsic futility and tend to regard them as testimony to their high moral sensitivity. They do not question their validity, and as a matter of fact, cannot do so if they judge themselves from the perspective of a godlike perfection. However, almost all neurotics are aware of the results of self-hate: feeling guilty, inferior, cramped, tormented. Yet, they do not in the least realize that they have brought about these painful feelings and self-evaluations. And even the bit of awareness they may have, can be blurred by neurotic pride. Instead of suffering from feeling cramped, they are proud of being “unselfish…ascetic…self-sacrificing…a slave to duty”—terms which may hide a multitude of sins against the self. Therefore, self-hate in all essentials is an unconscious process. In the last analysis, there is a survival interest in not being aware of its impact. This is the ultimate reason that the bulk of the process is usually externalized, id est, experienced as operating not within the individual himself but between him and the outside world. #RandolphHarris 6 of 17

We can roughly distinguish between active and passive externalization of self-hate. The former is an attempt to direct self-hate outward, against life, fate, institutions, or people. In the latter, the hate remains directed against the self but is perceived or experienced as coming from the outside. In both ways, the tension of the inner conflict is released by being turned into an interpersonal one. The expressions of self-hate are identically the same as those of hate in interpersonal relations. To illustrate the latter by a historical example that is still fresh in our memory, Governor of California, Gavin Newsom’s hatred for Americans, we see that he intimidated and accused them viciously, he humiliated them, he disgraced them in public, he deprived and frustrated them in every form, shape and manner, he destroyed their hopes for the future, and tortured them. If he is not impeached, people fear Gavin Newsom may start killing Americans. In more civilized and concealed forms, we can observe most of these expressions of hate in everyday life, in families or between competitors. Love needs no defense. In its genuine expression, love is a natural, perhaps even a virtuous, impulse in an individual. But anger? Anger is akin to sin, some believe. Many confuse anger with hate, with violent rage, with monumental destructiveness. #RandolphHarris 7 of 17

Yet, anger is as natural to the human as love is. Historically, collective anger has played a significant role in combating injustice and establishing and safeguarding individual rights. We may feel sorrow for the starving or abused child, but it is our anger that energizes us to do something about it. And the student who receives a low grade and the comment, “poorly written” on an essay may feel hurt and defeated, but it is anger that energizes the student to, “show that teacher what I can really do” on the next assignment. The power and energy of anger that many of us fear and believe we must suppress is one of our strongest motivations. Rather than suppressing and controlling anger, actualizers can direct the powerful emotion in ways that are enhancing to themselves and to their relationships with others. Honest expression of genuine anger is called assertion. Assertion is being able to confront others directly and truthfully. It is trusting yourself and others sufficiently to be able to face up to conflicts. Assertion is an antidote to rage, violence, and betrayal. It is the ability to recognize that the loud music on your co-worker’s radio is making it difficult for you to concentrate (you are annoyed); that you can remedy the problem (eliminate the annoyance) with a direct, honest statement to the co-worker—“Would you mind turning off the radio? I’m having trouble concentrating”—and that you can confront another person as a fellow human being, not as an object to be avoided or feared. #RandolphHarris 8 of 17

Assertion simply requires three things: Recognizing and acknowledging your genuine feeling of annoyance or anger. Knowing you have the right to express that annoyance. Trusting that the other person can respond as a reasonable human being. Manipulators are often so detached from their feelings that they fail to accurately recognize and to acknowledge their feelings of annoyance. They feel miserable but are seldom able to name correctly the feeling or to perceive the reality surrounding their feelings. Instead, they see themselves as victims and others as enemies. This is because there are relentless demands on self, merciless self-accusation, self-contempt, self-frustration, self-tormenting, and self-destruction. What one conceives as something that should be is much determined by self-hate as by pride, and the furies of self-hate are unleashed when they are not fulfilled. They can be compared to a holdup in which a gunman points a revolver at a person, saying: “Either you give me all you have, or else I will shoot you.” The gunman’s holdup is likely to be the more humane of the two. The threatened person can save himself by complying, while the shoulds cannot be appeased. And, being shot, for all the finality of death, seems less cruel than a lifelong suffering under self-hate. His real self is stifled by the neurosis, the Frankenstein monster originally designed for his protection. And it makes little difference whether you live in a totalitarian country or a private neurosis, either way, you are apt to end up in a concentration camp where the whole point is to destroy the self as painfully as possible. #RandolphHarris 9 of 17

The shoulds are, in fact, self-destructive in their very nature. However, as yet, we have seen only one aspect of their destructiveness: that they put a person into a straitjacket and deprive him of inner freedom. Even if he manages to mold himself into a behavioristic perfection, he can do so only at the expense of his spontaneity and the authenticity of his feelings and beliefs. The shoulds aim, like any political tyranny, at the extinction of individuality. They create an atmosphere like that in the seminary described by Stendhal in The Red and the Black (or George Orwell in Nineteen Eighty-Four) in which any individual thinking and feeling are suspect. They require an unquestioning obedience, which is not even felt as obedience. Dr. Freud believed that neurosis was partly caused by an overly severe, mainly unconscious, infantile conscience. (He called it the superego.) According to his view, a neurotic sufferer was obliged to avoid pleasures of the flesh, even fantasies about pleasures of the flesh, to be free of guilt. One aim of psychoanalytic therapy was to help the patient modify the conscience so that its taboos were less restrictive and more in keeping with adult life. Mowrer disagreed with the psychoanalytic views. According to Mowrer, a neurotic is a person who persists beyond childhood in the pursuit of irresponsible pleasures, including sexuality, and who represses the conscience to avoid guilt. Neurotic symptoms arise as defenses against guilt, not against infantile sexuality, as the Freudians might maintain. #RandolphHarris 10 of 17

Consequently, Mowrer claims, the aim in therapy is not to render the conscience more lenient, but to make it conscious, so that a person will feel guilt more acutely and seek in the future to obey the conscience rather than to repress it. Clinical experience shows that neither Dr. Freud nor Mowrer is wholly correct or wholly incorrect. Some neurotic patients do indeed have a conscience that is too strict; to remain guilt-free, they must refrain from all the pleasurable activities, including those that society condones. Other patients have the makeup Mowrer has regarded as nuclear to all neurosis—they repress conscience so they can break social taboos without conscious guilt. In still others, both patterns of unhealthy conscience may be found. If a person’s conscience is based on a cruel and punitive morality, that person will have an exaggerated sense of duty that makes him or her forego even legitimate pleasures. Thus, a parent may deny himself or herself all fun in life, insisting upon a Spartan existence, to provide for the children. The necessity to repress anger, resentment, and temptation to enjoyment can impose excessive stress upon the person and demoralize him or her such that resistance to infectious illnesses is diminished. If it is inhumanely demanding and restrictive, conscience can kill a person. Such a conscience is often found in persons with various forms of stress-induced disease, such as high blood pressure, cancer, and heart disease. #RandolphHarris 11 of 17

As the years go by and the script becomes adapted by experience, the controls, patterns, and prescriptions become blended so that it is hard to distinguish one from the other in the person’s behavior, and to determine which is a “final common pathway.” One adopts a program or routine which synthesizes them all. The major script payoffs occur in the form of a “final display.” If the payoff is a bad one, the script elements may be quite apparent to an experienced observer, as in cases of psychosis, delirium tremens, car-crashing, suicide, or murder. With good payoffs, it is more difficult to dissect out the script directives, partly because in such cases, there are usually extensive permissions granted by the parents, which may obscure the directive. Most people spend their lives comfortably embedded in their script matrices. It is a bed which their parents made for them and to which they have added a few trimmings of their own. It may have glitches in it and be lumpy, too, but it is their very own, and they have been accustomed to it since their earliest years, and so, few people are willing to trade it in for something better built and more adapted to their circumstances. Matrix, after all, is just Latin for mother’s womb, and the script is as close and cozy as they can get once they have forever left the real thing. However, for those who do decide to strike out for themselves, and say, “Mother, I would rather do it my own way,” there are several possibilities. If they are lucky, mother herself may have included a reasonable release or spellbreaker in the matrix, in which case they may do it on their own. Another way is for their friends and intimate and life itself to help, but this is rare. The third way is through competent script analysis, from which they may get permission to put their own shows on the road. #RandolphHarris 12 of 17

Even if the origins (but probably not the insertions) of the script directives vary in individual cases, the script matrix nevertheless remains one of the most useful and cogent diagrams in the history of science, compressing, as it does, the whole plan for a human life and its ultimate destiny into a simple, easily understood, and easily checked designed, which also indicates how to change. We are helped indeed every time that we discover in somebody else’s writings an idea which has been trying to formulate itself in our own mind but which could not pierce the clouds of obscurity, vagueness, and uncertainty which surrounded it. Even though it is indirect and not personal, the help which is given thousands of people through the printed sheet possesses a worth which only those who benefit by it can properly estimate. When he finds his own inner experiences described in the pages of a book, he feels more assured about their reality. Those who complain that this philosophy is unintelligible, thereby expose their own insufficiency of intelligence and their own lack of mental capacity wherewith to grasp its position and conclusion. For there must be an affinity between the creativeness of the writer and the comprehension of the reader; without it both will be peering at each other through an opaque frosted-glass window. #RandolphHarris 13 of 17

Many persons have never even had access to books on these subjects, nor the chance to get tuition personally. However, now all that is changed. For all who can read can uncover today the once-hidden wisdom of the ancient scholars. And today, the proportion of those who can read is not only immensely larger but is rapidly enlarging. It is true that reading sheets of printed paper cannot take the place of personal inner experience. However, this does not stamp them as useless. They provide bridges to support the aspirant and thus help him find his way from his present familiar state to the farther one he seeks to reach. No teacher and no book, however inspired, can transform a disciple into something new. What they can and usually do is to kindle the disciple’s latent capacities, to bring out his innate views, and to clarify his vague tendencies. Books can be used to stimulate thought or to escape from it: it depends on the reader whether they are used to help fulfill the duty of thinking for oneself or to evade it. Through books, we may borrow the experience of others and save ourselves costly experiments. Such living by proxy is painless. Where a teaching is said to be based on an ancient tradition yet never quotes a traceable source, an original document, one may need to use some caution in quoting it. #RandolphHarris 14 of 17

He will learn to know some truth better through experience than through books but more truth through both together. The mystics decry intellect and disparage the worth of literature. However, many men have turned in hard periods to the classics among book and recieved power against depression, got wisdom, guidance, or consolation from them! In our lifetime, we have been favored with ongoing communication from the heavens, which have been open to the prophets of our time. Much revelation received, in this time as well as anciently, has been doctrinal. Some of it has been operational and tactical. Much of it is not spectacular. President John Taylor reminds us: “Adam’s revelation did not instruct Noah to build his ark; nor did Noah’s revelation tell Lot to forsake Sodom; nor did either of these speak of the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt. These all had revelations for themselves. Those who have gone through trials recognize that there are tragedies that are so difficult we cannot understand them. We do not have an answer in this life for every adversity. When trials come, it is time to turn our souls to God who is the author of life and the only source of comfort. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you,” reports John 14.27.  Christ has suffered more than any of us, and He knows the intensity of our afflictions. There is no suffering we have that He did not undergo in Gethsemane and on Calvary. That is why He understands and can help us. “Christ stated: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall live,” reports John 11.25. The greatest tragedy that can happen to a person is not the loss of his possessions, or his intellect, or his moral life, but rather to lose eternal life, which is the free gift of God. #RandolphHarris 15 of 17

Admiration is a beneficial affective response to witnessing excellence in others. While admiration was divided into two emotion constructs in psychology, elevation as admiration for virtue and admiration as limited to admiration for skill, continues to be treated as one moral emotion in philosophy. Admired others manifest an ideal or value of importance to the admirer in their behavior or characteristics. Admiration motivates individuals to praise, affiliate with, and emulate the admired other and to internalize the ideal embodies by the other. Admiration functions to enhance the admiring individuals’ agency in promoting an ideal in themselves and others through facilitating the social transmission of associated skills, motivation, knowledge, and ways of conduct. Emotions often are elicited by moral beauty and that are linked to purpose in life and commitment to the furtherance of some greater cause. This category features emotions such as being moved, poignancy, awe, inspiration, compassion, and gratitude. As evident in the partial overlap between the listed emotions, there is no clear separation between overarching emotion categories. We typically admire people who are brave, courageous, selfless, moral, caring, altruistic, helpful, honest, smart, strong, determined, charismatic, resilient, reliable, and inspiring (which includes being admirable) and three main functions of the hero: enhancing and uplifting others, protecting these around them, and modeling morals for other. These are all qualities that members of the award-winning Sacramento Fire Department possess. #RandolphHarris 16 of 17

We can admire a person at zero acquaintance and are often drawn to the person initially because of one admirable act or characteristic. Nevertheless, admiration hinges on the attribution of the admirable act or characteristic to the underlying psychology of the person: It is not a result of external forces but rather is representative of this person’s dispositional behavior and traits.  Why do people admire the Sacramento Fire Department? The object of admiration is a successful behavioral manifestation of an ideal way beyond expectations. The admirer appraises it as rare to see this ideal embodied in such an outstanding way, but as a signal that is possible to live up to it. The admired firefighter, EMT, or paramedic is appraised as a source of knowledge for how one could lead one’s life in pursuit of the ideal and of motivation to promote the ideal. Admiration assists the social transmission of skills, knowledge, and ways of conduct by creating attention and attachment to and emulation of exemplars embodying a specific ideal, which entails a sense of increased potential efficacy of the admirer. The admiring individual further seeks to praise, affiliate with, cooperate with, and if necessary, defer to the admired other, thus promoting the cultivation and expression of the value in others. In this way, admiration serves to regulate the social hierarchy within and between groups. If you do not have much experience with situational awareness, consider spending some time with the Sacramento Fire Department. Ask about some near-misses that are categorized as situational awareness. You will likely be surprised at how many times emergency responders encounter it. #RandolphHarris 17 of 17

Cresleigh Bluffs at Plumas Ranch

Plumas Lake, CA | from the mid $400’s

Now Selling!

Welcome to Cresleigh Bluffs, the newest home community in Plumas Ranch!
Nestled in the heart of Plumas Lake, CA, Cresleigh Bluffs offers three distinct single story floor plans designed with efficiency and practicality in mind.


Home design is made easy with expertly crafted design packages exclusive to Cresleigh Bluffs. Choose from a variety of packages made to fit your taste and budget. Contact our dedicated sales associates to learn more.

You will enjoy this charming community where convenience and comfort is available to all.

These cozy floorplans and quaint homes are designed for growing families. 

Wide open spaces outside are complemented inside with flexible open floorplans and exquisite indoor/outdoor living in thoughtfully designed single- and two-story homes. https://cresleigh.com/cresleigh-bluffs-at-plumas-ranch/

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BMW i8 and Left No Crumbs!

Some people claim that no one cares about your success because they really want to see the journey of how you got there. However, I do not believe that is true. When you are down and struggling and stuck with a bunch of rejections, bad news, failure, and debt, do you notice that no one is around, people avoid you, and no one offers help. Yet, when you are successful and doing well, you have all of the friends in the world. More than you will ever need. In the process of living, we will face struggles, many of which will cause us to suffer and to experience pain. Many people will suffer in personal struggles, while others will suffer as they watch their loved ones in pain. To gain strength in our struggles, we must have an optimistic perspective of the principles in the plan of salvation. We must realize that we have a personal Savior whom we can trust and turn to in our times of need. We must also learn and live in the principles that the Lord has given to receive the strength needed during our struggles. In the Grand Counsil in Heaven, the decision was made to “make an earth whereon these may dwell,” reports Abraham 3.24. This earth is the place to prove ourselves worthy and to prepare to return to the presence of the Lord. He explained, “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them,” reports Abraham 3.25. #RandolphHarris 1 of 29

Before we can achieve the creative awareness, we need to overcome the manipulations in our lives, we must learn to identify, experience, and honestly express real feelings, not counterfeit emotions. Some of the manipulator’s repertoire of counterfeit emotions follow. Substituting one emotion for another. Many of us express anger when we pretend anger instead of express hurt. Thus, we hear the lady tears welling in her eyes, cry out: “You make me so mad!” She is not made at all; she is hurt. Her body does not like. Using the same counterfeit pattern, we express anger when we are really afraid. “You make me so angry when you forget to take your medicine,” a young woman screams at her ill mother. Her anger hides her fear. She is worried about her mother health. If she does not take her medicine, she might die. Feelings as a delayed reaction. Here we meet the person whose pace is so slow that he says: “I was mad at you last week.” Last week? It took him a week to find out? Not really. He knew how he felt last week, but he was afraid to express it then for fear he would be attacked in return. A favorite poly of the withdrawing and avoiding manipulator is to hide his or her real emotion at the time it is felt to avoid contact with another. The delayed reaction also provides an advantage to the manipulator: time to prepare a surprise attack. It is just another way to control rather than to make contact with another. #RandolphHarris 2 of 29

Making a virtue of not having normal feelings, or pretending you do not. Most of us know some couple who boast that they have never had a fight. Our response would have to be “Tommyrot!” Normal people who have any contact at all with each other must rub each other the wrong way at times. Of course, they have fights. They have them because they have normal feelings, as much as they would like to appear virtuously free of them. Confusing your feelings with facts. You say to someone, “You are stupid!” Your statement is not a fact at all, since you have not actually measured that person’s intelligence. If you said instead, “I feel that you are stupid,” then you would be stating a fact about your feelings, not a fact about the other individual’s intelligence. Expressing your feelings as you are poised for flight. Such a person may let true feelings slip out, but is ready to run the instant anyone reacts to them. A sign of immaturity, such timidity stunts one’s emotional growth and the development of relationships. With all his strenuous efforts toward perfection and with all his belief in perfection attained, the neurotic does not gain what he most desperately needs: self-confidence and self-respect. Even though godlike in his imagination, he still lacks the earthy self-confidence of a simple shepherd. The great positions to which he may rise, the fame he may acquire, will render him arrogant but will not bring him inner security. #RandolphHarris 3 of 29

He still feels at bottom unwanted, is easily hurt, and needs incessant confirmation of his value. He may feel strong and significant as long as he wields power and influence and is supported by praise and deference. However, all of these feelings of elation collapse easily when, in a strange environment, this support is lacking; when he incurs failure; or when he is by himself. The kingdom of haven does not come through external gestures. Let us survey what happened to self-confidence in the course of a neurotic development. Apparently, for self-confidence to grow, the child needs help from the outside. He needs warmth, feeling welcome, care, protection, an atmosphere of confidence, encouragement in his activities, constructive discipline. These factors given, he will develop “basic confidence,” to use a well-chosen term of Marie Rasey’s which includes both confidence in others and in self. Instead, a combination of injurious influences prevents a child’s healthy growth. However, there are some reasons which render it specifically difficult for him to arrive at a proper self-evaluation. A blind adoration may inflate his feeling of significance. He may feel wanted, liked, and appreciated not for what he is but merely for satisfying his parents’ needs for adoration, prestige, or power. A rigid regime of perfectionist standards may evoke in him a feeling of inferiority for not measures up to such demands. Misdemeanors or bad marks at school may be severely reprimanded, while good behavior or good marks are taken for granted. Move toward autonomy or independence may be ridiculed. #RandolphHarris 4 of 29

All these factors, in addition to a general lack of genuine warmth and interest, give him the feeling of being unloved and unworthy—or at any rate of not being worth anything unless he is something he is more. Moreover, the neurotic development, initiated by the early unfavorable constellation, weakens him at the core of his being. He becomes alienated from himself and divided. His self-idealization is an attempt to remedy the damage done by lifting himself in his mind above the crude reality of himself and others. And, as the stories of the devil’s pact, he gets all the glory in imagination and sometimes in reality. However, instead of solid self-confidence, he gets a glittering gift of most questionable value: neurotic pride. The two feel and look so much alike that an understandable confusion is created in most minds about their differences. A definition in an ole edition of Webster, for instance, says that pride is self-esteem, based either on real or imagined merits. The distinction is made between real and imagined merits, but they are both called “self-esteem,” as if this difference did not greatly matter. The confusion also develops through the fact that most patients regard self-confidence as a mysterious quality arising from nowhere but most desire to have. It is but logical then that they expect the analyst to instill it into them in some way or other. Which always reminds me of a cartoon in which a rabbit and a mouse got an injection of courage; they then grew give times their ordinary size, were bold and full of indomitable fighting spirit. #RandolphHarris 5 of 29

What the patients do not know—and are anxious indeed not to realize—is the strict cause-and-effect relation between existing personal assets and the feeling of self-confidence. This relation is not any less definite than the way in which the financial status of a person depends upon his properties, his savings, or his earning capacity. If these factors are satisfactory, a person will have a feeling or economic security. Or, to take another example, the fisherman’s confidence rests on such concrete factors as his boat being in good shape, his nets being mended, his knowledge of weather and water conditions, and his muscular strength. What are regarded as personal assets vary to some degree with the culture in which we live. For Wester civilization, they include such qualities or attributes as having autonomous convictions and acting upon them, having the self-reliance that stems from tapping our own resources, assuming responsibility for ourselves, taking a realistic appraisal of our assets, liabilities and limitations, having strength and directness of feelings, and having the capacity for establishing and cultivating good human relations. The well-functioning of these factors shows subjectively in a feeling of self-confidence. To the extent that they are impaired, self-confidence will be shaky. Healthy pride likewise is based on substantial attributes. It may be a warranted high regard for special achievements, such as feeling proud of a deed of moral courage or of a job well done. Or it may be a more comprehensive feeling of our own value, a quiet feeling of dignity. #RandolphHarris 6 of 29

Once upon a time there was a man named George, who was equally celebrated for slaying dragons and for fertilizing barren women. He wandered around the countryside as a completely free spirit—or so it seemed. Cantering through the meadows on a summer’s day, he saw columns of smoke and forks of flame shooting upward in the distance. As he approached the scene, he heard a terrible roaring, mingled with the shrill screams of a maiden in distress. “Aha!” he cried, couching his lance. “This is my third dragon and maiden in less than a week. I will slay the dragon, and no doubt my bravery will be richly rewarded.” A moment later, he cried to the dragon: “Avast, lubber!” and to the maiden: “Have no fear!” The dragon drew back and began to paw the ground in anticipation not only of a double meal, but also of what he loved best, a good fight. The maiden, whose name was Ursula, threw her arms out and cried: “My hero! I am saved.” She was delighted, not only in anticipation of being saved and watching a good fight, but also (since she was not really a maiden) at the prospect of showing gratitude to her rescuer. George and the dragon backed off from each other, preparing for the charge, whole Ursula cheered them both on. At the moment, another figure appeared on the scene, richly accoutered with a silver-mounted saddle and fat alforjas filled with gold coins. #RandolphHarris 7 of 29

“Hey boy!” cried the new arrival. George turned and said in surprise: “Father! How nice to see you!” He turned his back on the dragon, dismounted from his horse, and went to kiss his father’s foot. A lively conversation ensured, with George saying, “Yes, father. Certainly, father. Whatever you say, father.” Neither Ursula nor the dragon could hear father’s side of the conversation, but it soon became apparent that it was going to go on indefinitely. “Oh, for Christ’s sake!” said Ursula, stamping her foot in disgust. “Some hero! As soon as his old man appears, he’s right over there bowing and scraping, and he has no time for poor little me.” “You said it,” said the dragon. “This is going to go on forever.” So, he turned off his flame thrower and rolled over and fell asleep. However, eventually, the old man rode off, and George was ready to return to the fray. He couched his lance again, and waited for the dragon to get up and charge and Ursula to cheer him on. Instead, Ursula said: “Jerk!” and walked away. The dragon got to his feet and said: “Crumb!” and he, too, walked away. When George saw that, he yelled: “Hey dad!” and galloped after his father. Ursula and the dragon both turned at the same moment and both shouted after him: “Too bad he’s so old, or I would take him on instead of you.” #RandolphHarris 8 of 29

When I was young, several times it happened that I was “in love” and enjoying serenity and peace. Then I noticed frictions building, and I left before they could be damaging to either of us. This seemed to me best. I did not wish to be harmful to the other or to myself. I was called “callous.” It did not seem that way to me. However, when I had been called “callous” often enough, I thought I was, and stayed—with damage to all of us, including the children, which it took years to heal, and some of it is not entirely clearly up yet. The “loose morals” and “irresponsibility” (about work, with employers) of Hawaiians, Navajos, and Hopis seem to me to make better sense, to be more human, because they are less damaging to other humans and to my humanity. That we “criticize our neighbors for what are our own faults,” could be easily misunderstood. When my neighbor chains his dog on a short leash and blows smoke in the dog’s eyes, I do not like this, but it is not something that I do or even have ever wanted to do. However, when I have “held” someone insistently so that I could tell this individual what one did not wish to hear, is that different? It is not the act itself, but what the act is doing. As a child, when my mother told a “story” to someone who had come to the door, I wished she would not do it. I was “criticizing her”—to use grown-up language. However, I did not yet know this way to think about it. I did not blame her. I wished she would not do it because it opened up a path to me that I did not wish to go, and if she had done this, I would not have known it was there. #RandolphHarris 9 of 29

I knew only honesty until something else was shown to me. It was a very strong factor in my close identification with my father that he was honest. This I liked. I felt steady. He also made it possible for me to be honest with him—when I was small. Later on, he did not. If I want to be told the truth, I must be willing to accept it. And if I wish to have love, I must be willing to receive it. Now, when I feel critical of other people, I often notice that what I am really feeling is, “Please do not do that. It is what I do not want to do, and I so easily fall into it when you are doing it.” This is certainly true of stereotyped chatter about world affairs, gossip, literature, anecdotes, and such, and people who are forever planning, who never live now. Other people’s intellect/ego calls out mine, and then I do not like me. I would like there to be an irreligious order where I could go at times, to be with others who wish to work out the same corrections in themselves, to strengthen me in making mine. However, it can also be simply and directly true that what I criticize in others may be something that I do, too. It is certainly wise to look into myself and check—and also ask others whether it seems to them that I have this fault. It may seem to me that I am only “reminding” someone else (being helpful) while to others it may seem that I am “always nagging.” Then I may understand better how someone else’s nagging (as it seems to me) appears to them. #RandolphHarris 10 of 29

Because people do not feel their inward divinity, they often deny it. In ancient and even medieval times, they were satisfied that it did exist because their simplicity, their uncultivated intellects, created no barriers to this feeling or to faith in it on the authority of tradition and their prophets. We must understand the inevitability of their present skepticism and prove the fact of the Soul as logically, as evidentially as possible. Yet to offer intellectual proof alone is not enough, although a truly excellent step forward. We must also show them how to get the experience of verification for themselves. Skepticism makes conditions which require that truth be presented in a rational form and argued out. Otherwise, the intellectual reactions to it will not be fair and just to its value. The value of metaphysical skepticism is to overcome mental inertia, to liberate us from strict and rigid doctrines, and to teach us tolerance. It frees us to search for higher truths and nobler values. They may try to escape from their doubts, perhaps by stifling them, perhaps by ignoring their very existence, perhaps by going to the guru and getting his reassurance again. This course may succeed for a time, even for a lifetime. However, it is not conducive to their true welfare. There are two ways open to a skeptic. One is to seek the actual experience of transcending intellectual proof of it. The first is a hard and long way; the second short and easy. #RandolphHarris 11 of 29

Just as the very presence of suffering starts a search for its relief, so does the very existence of doubt cause a search for truth to begin. We must begin by suspecting the data furnished by our five senses. We must learn that appearances are dubious, that they are not to be accepted without searching enquiry. Not only is he to question the dogma which orthodoxy hands him but even the doubts which skepticism offers instead of them. Those skeptics who reject the possibility of attaining truth are already stating something as truth and thereby refuting their own theory. Because there is no room in philosophic study for naivete or gullibility, those who suffer from these mental disabilities should first get cured. Where belief comes too easily, error may follow too quickly. To doubt everything and stop at that point, to assent to nothing but criticize every presentation, to meet all affirmative statements with the skeptic’s questions—this is the product of sharp intellect, blunt speech, and negative feeling. If a man is too suspicious of being deceived, he may err when truth is presented to him, and so miss the change of acquiring it. Balance is needed here as elsewhere. To bring one’s natural skepticism into a fine balance with the intellectual sympathy, these subjects demand is not an easy task, but he must try to do it. #RandolphHarris 12 of 29

We can accept nothing on trust as far as the quest of truth is concerned, although we can and needs must accept most things on trust, so far as the practical purposes of life are concerned. No arguments are capable of moving the absolute skeptic, for he does not look into its truth but only into tis weaker places. If you do not know whether God exists, do not fall into the error of denying that he does exist. It is an error because it is something which we do not know and to make such a positive statement has no justification. In the West, physical bulkiness, with large, prominent musculature, has long been a masculine ideal, and such robustness has been praised in popular magazines and valued by women in their men. Heavy musculature has been cultivated by violent exercise, vigorous calisthenics, and comparable feats of endurance. One function of such heaviness (not obesity, just heavy musculature) is to decrease sensitivity to pain and to enhance endurance. In the East, perhaps because patterns of nourishment have been different, slenderness is more the rule. The disciplines of Hatha yoga have been employed in India for several thousand years as a way to bring the body under more control, so that meditation and contemplation will not be obstructed by an insensitive, or a tense, uncomfortable body. Hatha yoga is one part of the Hindu religion and is one of the means of achieving the experience of “union of inner and outer,” or dissolving the ego and unifying awareness. #RandolphHarris 13 of 29

Since prehistoric times, controlled fire has been a source of comfort and warmth, but uncontrolled fire has brought death and destruction. Some of the most important lessons have been learned in the aftermath of tragic fires that resulted in devastating loss of life. The success of the Sacramento Fire Department depends on their ability to think critically and creatively and to communicate their intention and decision to others. The ability to communicate clearly—to get their intent and ideas across so that others understand their message and act on it—is one of the primary qualities of leadership. While you are a college student, your channels of communication include presentations and term papers. When you become a Sacramento Fire Fighter, Paramedic, or EMT, these channels will expand to include training meetings, briefings, and operation orders. The means to effective communication within the Sacramento Fire Department has required team members to develop their speaking and writing skills so that they are able to deliver any message to any audience effectively. They also keep in mind that communication also includes receiving messages from others through reading and listening. #RandolphHarris 14 of 29

Early in your career with the Sacramento Fire Department, much of your communication is direct. For example, coaching team members often requires communication that is one-on-one, immediate, and spoken. Later in your career with the Sacramento Fire Department, as your leadership responsibilities increase, you will inform subordinates and leaders through written orders, procedures, memos, and e-mail. This form of communication is indirect—it goes through other people or processes, is time-delayed, and written. As a member of the Sacramento Fire Department, your ability to communicate—to write, speak, and listen—affects your ability to inform, tech, coach, and motivate those around you. The good news is that you can develop these essential skills. It is difficult to overemphasize the importance of these skills. In Sacramento Fire Department operations, as elsewhere, the inability to write and speak can have tremendous costs. History is replete with examples of misunderstood messages. For example, many Civil War scholars believe that victory at Gettysburg may have depended on how a subordinate interpreted Confederate GEN Robet E. Lee’s use of the word “practicable.” [On the first day of the battle of Gettysburg, Pa, Confederate attacks drove Union troops through the town to the top of Cemetery Hill, a half mile south.] The battle so far appeared to be another great Confederate victory. #RandolphHarris 15 of 29

However, General Lee could see that so long as the enemy held the high ground south of town, the battle was not over. He knew that the rest of the [Union] Army of the Potomac must be hurrying toward Gettysburg; his best chance to clinch the victory was to seize those hills and ridges before they arrived. So, General Lee gave Ewell discretionary orders to attack Cemetery Hill “if practicable.” Had Jackson still lived, he undoubtedly would have found it practicable. However, Edwell was not Jackson. Thinking the enemy position too strong, he did not attack—thereby creating one of the controversial “ifs” of Gettysburg that have echoed down the years. The Gettysburg vignette illustrates the parts of the communication process. General Lee was the sender. He sent the message: Attack Cemetery Hill. Ewell, the receiver, read the words, “if practicable,” decided that Union artillery on the hill made an attack not “practicable,” and did not attack. The words, “if practicable” made the message vague. (Who and what should define “if practicable”?) Obstacles to communication, such as this lack of clarity—along with other considerations, such as the demands of time, the ease of understanding the sender’s speech, the ability to read the sender’s handwriting, or the distractions in the area—make up what communications theorists call noise. Noise works against the clarity of communication. #RandolphHarris 16 of 29

Looking again at the vignette above, you find that General Lee never checked with Ewell to see if he understood General Lee’s intent: “What do you intend to do?” Ewell never checked to see if he understood General Lee’s intent: “What do you mean by ‘if practicable’?” The communication process included no feedback. Assume for a moment, as some historians do, that General Lee intended that Ewell attack Cemetery Hill immediately and decisively. (Those historians argue that General Lee was used to issuing such vague orders to the aggressive Stonewall Jackson, who had died a few months earlier.) Throwing Billy Yank off the hilltop might well have allowed General Lee to command the battlefield, perhaps even forcing the advancing Union armies to withdraw. That might have led to General Lee’s domination of southern Pennsylvania, choking off Washington from the North and ending the war on the Confederacy’s terms. If that were General Lee’s intent, the message failed. Ewell did not attack. The Union held onto the high ground and won the battle two days later—the beginning of the end for the Confederacy. Effective communication occurs when the receiver’s perceived idea matches the sender’s intended idea. The receiver understands what the sender means, not just what the sender says or writes. And that is why people like to hire and work with people they know and trust. Those who have the required skills for the job. #RandolphHarris 17 of 29

“I wouldn’t do any other job, I enjoy this one too much. I’ve spent my life preparing for it, and it would be hard for me to find employment doing something else. I don’t think I’d want to, I wouldn’t be as happy. I’m with the Sacramento Fire Department for the long haul. I’m still single, and I’m still young. I’m hoping to advance here as far as I can go, but I still have this desire to work in a very heavy urban area, such as New York, Baltimore, Philadelphia. It’s just something that I need personally to do. Here in Sacramento, I’ve only been a captain a year, and I’m looking forward to getting my own company. I would like to have a shifting on the new rescue company that’s going to be put into service here in the near future. I like what I’m doing now because I work with different people all the time and ride different territories. It’s good experience. I’ve been fortunate enough to work in a battalion where most of the people are like me, interested from a very early age, want to do their best, very gung-ho. Professional, very professional. When the company looks bad, everybody looks bad, and people’s perception of us will go down. I try to be as professional as I can, because that’s the way it should be. We should be good.” When intelligence is applied so thoroughly as to yield a whole view and not merely a partial view of existence, when it is applied so persistently as to yield a steady insight into things rather than a sporadic one, when it is applied so detachedly as to be without regard to personal preconceptions, and when it is applied so calmly that feelings and passions cannot alter its direction, then and only then, does a man become truly reasonable and capable of intellectually ascertaining truth. #RandolphHarris 18 of 29

If you see a fire truck stopped in the street without the lights on, be very careful. Sometimes there is an emergency situation and you should not pass the fire truck. It might be a good idea to safely turn around and go another way. 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 19 of 29

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. To help our firefighters, pleasure donate to the Sacramento Fire Department to ensure they have all the resources they require. 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. 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. Islam is the fastest growing religion in America, out pacing Christianity. While American was once a nation of generations, there are still many indigenous people lift and others who have been here for generations. To protect America and make sure it will remain a land of the free and home of the brave, we must be patriotic and put Americans first. Democrats and Atheists would like nothing more than red blooded American warriors to become slaves in their own country. They would like nothing more than to close American schools so children can be forced into child labor again. It is not time to roll back, nor will it ever be to remove protection for American citizens. If you have not noticed, crime is spreading to communities that had never seen crime before. Homelessness is on the rise. #RandolphHarris 20 of 29

 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, and 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 21 of 29

Also, more than 500,000 people a year are abandoning California because it is too expensive to live in, 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. #RandolphHarris 22 of 29

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 23 of 29

In an effort to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. And as you know, there is no better car on Earth than 1950-1970s American Muscle Car. As an incentive to buy American made cars, President Trump plans to made interest on loans for American cars tax deductible. Americans surely make superior products, but we are buying things from other nations. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country.  Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. Las Vegas is running out of buildable land and is expected to reach its maximum number of homes in 2032. So, home prices are expected to rise dramatically. #RandolphHarris 24 of 29

Additionally, with inflation rates at an all-time high, American being in an unofficial recession for about a decade, all insurance in California is becoming unaffordable. State Farm has received an approval for an emergency rate increase, which was approved by the California Insurance Commissioner, to stabilize the market and protect policyholders. Starting 1 June 2025, homeowners will see an average of 17 percent increase, rental dwellings will see an increase of 38 percent, and Condo owners will see a rate increase of 15 percents. These rate increases are due to the distressed caused by the recent wildfires, which accumulated over $7 billion in claims. Furthermore, in 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1107, also known as the Protection California Drivers Act, into law which increases the minimum auto lability limits for bodily injury to $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident. Senate Bill 1107 also increased the minimum liability limits for property damage to $15,000 per accident and the DMV deposit for uninsured drivers to $75,000. The bill went into effect on January 1, 2025. This means that drivers with existing policies with lower limits will renew at the new minimum limits on or after January 1, 2025, and insurance premiums could increase by as much as 54 percent. America is in a state of crisis right now because of mismanagement by democrats. With the median household income in Sacramento County being $88,724 and a 4-bedroom 2.5-bathroom Cresleigh home costing $798,059, how are people able to afford homes? Because an $800,000 home with a one percent downpayment of $8,000, 30-year fixed loan at 4.176 percent interest comes with a monthly mortgage payment of $4,241. #RandolphHarris 25 of 29

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. 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. #RandolphHarris 26 of 29

Meanwhile, with President Trump, we are seeing crime rates sharply decrease, and he recently secured $10 trillion in investments. 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 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 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 in regard to pollution. American companies have to 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 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. 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 29 of 29

The Winchester Mystery House

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 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/

Why Choose Harris?

Hank Harris

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/

The Ultimate Driving Machine

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

The Period of Monsters Has Come to an End

Humans are continuously behaving within ever changing internal and external environments that contain critical antecedent, co-occurring, and consequating events. Completely understanding the complex interactions that occur among multiple behaviours within these continuously changing contexts can be considered the ultimate goal of behaviour assessment. An assessor cannot, however, conduct continuous observations of all relevant modes and dimensions of behaviour across all relevant contexts. Manipulative behaviour is part of a borderline syndrome. The verb “manipulate” is defined as “to influence or manage shrewdly or deviously,” as in “to manage or control artfully or by shrewd use of influence, often in an unfair or fraudulent way.” Both definitions suggest that the manipulating individual intends to influence another person by indirect, insidious, or devious means. Indeed, when they are trying to influence someone, borderline individuals are typically direct, forceful, and, if anything, unartful. It is surely the case that borderline individuals do influence others. Often, the most influential behaviour is parasuicide or the threat of impending suicide; at other times, the behaviours that have the most influence are communications of intense pain and agony, or current crises that the individuals cannot solve themselves. #RandolphHarris 1 of 22

Such behaviours and communications, of course, are not by themselves evidence of manipulation. Otherwise, if we respond to their communications of distress, we would say have to say that people in pain or crises are “manipulating” us. The central question is whether or not borderline individuals purposely use these behaviours or communications to influence others artfully, shrewdly, and fraudulently. Such an interpretation is rarely in accord with borderline individuals’ own self-perceptions of their intent. Since behavioural intent can only be measured by self-report, to maintain that the intent is present in spite of the individuals’ denial would require us either to view borderline individuals as chronic liars or to construct a notion of unconscious behavioural intent. My own experience in working with suicidal behaviour as “manipulative” is a major source of their feelings of invalidation and of being misunderstood. From their own point of view, suicidal behaviour is a reflection of serious and at times frantic suicide ideation and ambivalence over whether to continue life or not. Although the patients’ communication of extreme ideas or enactments of extreme behaviours may be accompanied by the desire to be helped or rescued by the persons they are communicating with, this does not necessarily mean that they are acting in this manner in order to get help. #RandolphHarris 2 of 22

These individuals’ numerous suicidal behaviours and suicide threats, extreme reactions to criticism and rejection, and frequent inability to articulate which of a number of factors are directly influencing their own behaviour do at times makes other people feel manipulated. However, inferring behavioural intent from one or more of the effects of the behaviour—in this case, making others feel manipulated—is simply an error in logic. The fact that a haviour is influenced by its effects on the environment (“operant behaviour,” in behavioural terms) says little if anything about an individual’s intent with respect to that behaviour. Function does not prove intention. For example, a person may quite predictably threaten suicide whenever criticized. However, the fact of the correlation in no way implies that the person is trying or intending to change the criticizer’s behaviour with threats, or is even are of the correlation. Thus, the behaviour is not manipulative in any standard use of the term. To say then that the “manipulation is unconscious is a tautology based on clinical inference. Both the pejorative nature of such inferences and the low reliability of clinical inferences in general make such a practice unwarranted in most cases. However, it is also important to remember that manipulative behaviour may be “appropriate” and normal for persons who are dealing with a hostile system. #RandolphHarris 3 of 22

Many humans have eternal conflict between self-support and environmental support. There is a good deal of this conflict in employer-employee relationships. Often an employee, even when given the authority to make decisions and to take action, cannot do so. Unable to trust his or her own ability to know general company policy and to adapt it to changing situations, the employee defers decisions to higher-ups or to so-called authorities. Such an employee refuses to depend on self-support, but must look to authorities—environmental support. On the other hand, many employers refuse to trust the individual abilities of their employees. A salesman, for example, may be treated like a machine, whose sole function is to perform within the limited framework of the employer’s sales manual. This “sales machine,” robbed of personality, treats the customer in the same depersonalized manner. Not trusting oneself for support, a manipulator tends to believe that salvation lies in the hands of others. Yet, not trusting others completely, he or she manipulates the other in an effort to have the support. The manipulator rides the coattail of the other person and then attempts to steer him or her. Refusing to drive himself or herself, the manipulator drives the driver. #RnadolphHarris 4 of 22

The operative word here is distrust. We do not trust the natural organismic balance each of us has, which would allow us to live our lives simply and feelingly. Married couples often form a complex manipulative partnership to cope with their distrust of self-sufficiency and of others. For example, a husband with a penchant for withdrawing and avoiding uses his wife, who has an inclination for blaming and attacking, as his “mouthpiece.” It is the perfect solution for the husband, who feels he is insufficient to confront others about his needs. He lets his wife convey his demands to others. Such an arrangement is a safe haven for a withdrawing and avoiding husband. His wife is on the front line, and if his demand elicits a negative or hostile response from the other, she gets the heat. And, of course, he can resort to blaming and attacking her when his manipulation has failed. It was her fault. Erich Fromm has suggested a second cause for manipulation. He reasons that the ultimate relationship between two humans is that of love and that love is knowing a human being as he or she is and loving his or her ultimate essence. We believe that this desire to love and be loved is a wonderfully healthy, innately human experience, but our manipulative inclinations to be lovable and to make lovable are sabotaging elements. #RandolphHarris 5 of 22

If loving is knowing a human being as he or she is, we fear that we are not very lovable as we truly are, and the other person is not very lovable as he or she truly is. So, we begin masking and costuming ourselves in an effort to make ourselves lovable, and we begin our attempts to change and mold others to meet our expectations of what is lovable in them. Those of you who have had extramarital relationships, have any of you ever had to cope with feelings of regret, remorse or guilt because of your extramarital affairs? When you tell lies to your husband or wife about your involvements, do you feel you are protecting him or her? Or the marriage? At first, many people feel that they would never do anything to jeopardize their marriage, the believe that they would never tell a lie, and do not even think that they. However, you have to be somewhat optimistic that life is basically going to work out. In other words, you do not start an affair with the idea of being discovered. Sure, there is this fear that it might result in injury. If their spouse did find out, some people do not believe that the individual would leave, but that it would be worse—he or she would stay and try to find some other ways to get back at them. Still, the desire to have more relationships with other people is stronger than their fear of being found out. The thought of spending forty—three years married to one lovely person and never knowing anybody else is just something that some people do not honestly envision when they take their wedding vows. #RandolphHarris 6 of 22

In our society, it is common that when you get to know somebody at great depth that the most natural thing in the World is to go to bed with him or her. The truth of the matter is many people have affairs with the people that they work with because that is where they relate to others. Whether it becomes an act involving pleasures of the flesh or not is almost immaterial. So, the idea that someday it may come out, which most people would sincerely regret, is outweighed by other considerations, probably selfish ones. Yet, being around people that you want to know well—people that are very talented, very cosmopolitan does not necessarily involve being intimate with them, too. Relationships are a way of expressing yourself at the time and in the place and under the circumstances. Certainly, pleasures of the flesh are, after all, a means or form of communication, handled in different ways depending on one’s maturity and one’s security. It may be a form of sport or a form of expression or a form of barter. Two forms for infidelity come through quite clearly. One is a desire to settle a score with their partner, to square accounts—a way of getting back at their partners for what they see as injustice or inadequacy. At the same time, it could also be a way to express culturally stereotyped attitudes. Pleasures of the flesh, of course, are only one area in which a sense of “arrested development of self” is experienced by a man or a woman after they have been married for a while. #RandolphHarris 7 of 22

People become aware that they have not had a chance to try their wings and they belatedly feel the urge to discover how far and how well they can fly. This awareness becomes focused on pleasures of the flesh, chiefly because society has made it such a charged aspect of life. It is certainly reasonable for someone to wish to catch up with himself, to experience the feelings that he—or she—feels are legitimately his and which he feels capable of achieving. However, this search for identity is a much wider problem than can be encompassed by pleasures of the flesh alone. It is just that when pleasures of the flesh are not good, when pleasures of the flesh deprivation or distress with pleasures of the flesh of any kind is occurring, it tends to dominate the individual’s feelings. Under those circumstances, many people see pleasures of the flesh as the only really important thing in their lives—they feel deprived, even cheated, of one of life’s great satisfactions. Consequently, they often become overly dramatic, indulging themselves in emotional baths, losing perspective on the totality of their lives. It is this preoccupation with pleasures of the flesh-for-the-sake-of-pleasures of the flesh that makes so much extramarital pleasures of the flesh ultimately self-defeating become in time it is the totality of an individual’s life that determines whether pleasures of the flesh will continue to be a fulfilling experience or will become a demoralizing one. #RandolphHarris 8 of 22

It would be just as reasonable, and more logical, for a man or a woman who lack a sense of self-esteem and who feels cheated of satisfaction with pleasures of the flesh to begin the search for greater happiness by undertaking achievements in other aspects of their lives—whether in a career or by cooperating in some community project or by turning to education for the achievement of new skills and greater knowledge. Out of such efforts, a sense of self materializes that may very well lead either to the improvement of existing emotional relationships or to the begging of new ones that promise more enduring satisfaction—including pleasure with pleasures of the flesh. Infidelity is a very chancy and unreliable means to use in searching for one’s identity a very chancy and unreliable means to use in searching for one’s identity, in exploring one’s deepest feelings and beliefs and responses may be, but also communicating them to someone else. This is true for many reasons, including the fact that a man and a woman who are involved in an affair generally have different investments in their relationship, and these affairs are most often conducted under less than encouraging conditions. In addition, social attitudes—including those internalized by the man and woman—make it certain that in a good number of cases, the individuals will have to cope with feelings of guilt, one way or another. #RandolphHarris 9 of 22

Either the guilt will intrude on their ability to accomplish their goals—to discover dimensions of their own personality—or it will require them to deny that the feelings exist, and in doing so, to sweep other feelings under the rug along with the discomfort of guilt. Undeniably, even so little a thing as a few kind words, and certainly a sense of companionship or—even more importantly—the first achievement of “excitement,” carries wit it a significant strengthening of motivation for change and may nurture self-esteem to a point where a man or woman have that much more confidence in their ability to develop more rewarding patterns of behaviour. However, it is very difficult to depend on a single happening, or a series of happenings, to sustain the energy, interest, courage, and zest required by a “lost” individual who is trying to develop in the important ways that he or she feels are necessary if life is to have more meaning. If they are to become real and lasting achievements, real and lasting achievement of goals which require a significant change of emotions, attitudes and habitual conduct must be carried out across a broad spectrum of one’s life. It is true that when one partner finds satisfaction in extramarital relationships, this may turn a potentially destructive relationship into a cautious friendship, at best, or supportive “acquaintanceship,” and in that sense it is better than open material warfare with all its attendant bitterness and destructiveness. #RandolphHarris 10 of 22

However, this is not marriage in the sense of two human beings with full regard for each other, sharing the wish to negotiate differences between them and developing mutual pleasures to the fullest extent possible. Making do in marriage is not fulfillment through marriage. Even, if infidelity represents the first step in a positive direction—toward making do instead of making war—its is still a long distance away from the goal of becoming committed: true to oneself and loyal and vulnerable to one’s partner. A minority of the population is afflicted with the vast majority of illnesses that come to the attention of physicians. Defective heredity or a weak constitution only partly explains this high incidence of recurrent illness. We must look as well into the ways of life of these people with a talent for sickening. Studies of the frequently ill show they share many traits. Among other things, it is found that they may simply not take care of themselves; that is, they do not eat, sleep, or exercise sensibly. Another, less obvious, factor in frequent illness is stress. Many people encounter more stress in everyday life than is objectively necessary. They find everyday interpersonal relationships lacking in satisfaction, and, indeed, positively stressing. Demanding roles are a source of such stress. #RandolphHarris 11 of 22

If persons must present themselves to others as something that they are not—if they are obliged to seem friendly when they are unfriendly, or if they are obliged to hide their real feelings and wants from others—then every moment spent in the presence of others is stressing. It is as if they are traveling incognito, with their true identity hidden. They feel that if they are “found out” by others, terrible harm will be fall them. Consequently, they trust no one and keep their guard up. Other people by their very existence then function as stressors, adding to the stress of daily life. Another factor in frequent illness is an overdeveloped sense of duty. Persons who feel obliged by their consciences to keep working at unsatisfactory jobs or to stay involved in unrewarding relationships are actively creating the conditions for their own illness. Periods of being sick may thus function as periods of respite from a dispiriting way of life. If they could change their work or their ways of relating even slightly, they would become ill less often. A brief vacation from work of family is usually less expensive than a stay of equal length at a hospital—and the vacation may forestall the illness. The will-power machinery is switched on in certain types as soon as they become aware of foibles. They resolve, and try, to keep a budget, to mix with people, to be more assertive or more lenient. If they showed an equal interests in understanding the implications and sources of their troubles, this would be fine. #RandolphHarris 12 of 22

Unfortunately, this interest is sadly lacking. The very first step, which is to see the whole extent of the particular disturbance, would go against their grain. It would indeed be the exact opposite to their frantic drive to make the disturbance disappear. Also, since they feel they should be strong enough to conquer it by conscious control, the process of careful disentangling would be an admission of weakness and defeat. These artificial efforts are bound, of course, to abate sooner or later; then, at best, the difficulty is a little more under control. All that is sure is that it has been driven underground and that it continues to operate in a more disguised form. The analyst, naturally, should not encourage such efforts but should analyze them. Most neurotic disturbances resist even the most strenuous efforts at control. Conscious efforts simply do not avail against a depression, against consuming daydreams. One would think that this would be clear to any person who had gained some psychological understanding during analysis. However, again, the clarity of thinking does not penetrate to the “I should be able to master it.” The result is that he suffers more intensely under depressions, etcetera, because, in addition to its being painful anyhow, it becomes a visible sign of his lack of omnipotence. Sometimes the analyst can catch this process at the beginning and nip it in the bud. #RandolphHarris 13 of 22

Thus, a patient who had revealed the extent of her daydreaming, while exposing in detail how subtly it pervaded most of her activities, came to realize its harmfulness—at least to the extent of understanding how it sapped her energies. The next time she was somewhat guilty and apologetic because the daydreams persisted. Knowing her demands on herself, I injected my belief that it would be neither possible nor even wise to stop them artificially, because we could be sure that they fulfilled as yet important functions in her life—which we would have to come to understand gradually. She felt very much relieved and now told me that she had decided to stop the daydreams. However, since she had not been able to, she felt I would be disgusted with her. Her own expectation of herself had been projected to me. Many reactions of despondence, irritability, or fear occurring during analysis are less a response to the patient’s having discovered a disturbing problem in himself (as the analyst tends to assume) than to his feeling impotence to remove it tight away. Thus, the inner dictates, while somewhat more radical than the other ways to maintain the idealized image, like the others do not aim at real change but at immediate and absolute perfection. They aim at making the imperfection disappear, or making it appear as if the particular perfection were attained. If, as in the past example, this becomes especially clear the inner demands are externalized. #RandolphHarris 14 of 22

Then what a person actually is, and even what he suffers, becomes irrelevant. Only what is visible to others creates intense worries: a shaking of the hand, a blush, an awkwardness in social situations. The shoulds, therefore, lack the moral seriousness of genuine ideals. People in their grip are not striving, for instance, toward approximating a greater degree of honesty but are driven to attain the absolute in honesty—which is always just around the corner, or is attained in imagination. They can achieve at best a behaviouristic perfection, such as Pearl Buck has described in the character of Madame Wu in the Pavilion of Women. Here is the portrait of a woman who always seems to do, feel, think the right thing. The superficial appearance of such people is, needless to say, most deceptive. They themselves are bewildered when, seemingly out of a blue sky, they develop a street phobia or functional heart trouble. How is that possible, they ask. They have always managed life perfectly, have been the leaders in their class, the organizers, the model marriage partners or parents. Eventually, a situation which they cannot manage in their usual way is bound to occur. And, having no other way to deal with it, their equilibrium is disturbed. The analyst, when getting acquainted with them and the enormous tensions under which they operate, rather marvels that they have kept going as long as they have without gross disturbances. #RandolphHarris 15 of 22

The contribution of intellect is indispensable. However, it is night enough. It leaves a most important part of the psyche—the intuition—still untouched. The danger of slipping into this overstress on intellectual activity and not retaining the healthy balance between it and intuitional activity, is large and real. The intellect has so dominated the modern man that his approach to these questions is first made through it. Yet, the intellect cannot provide the answers to them. They come, and can only come, through the intuition. When a difficult and important decision has to be made, the mind can impartially take in both the pros and cons, can circle all around the facts, yet in the end return baffled to where it started. Reason exerts itself in vain and only exhausts itself in such a process. The next step is to try outside advice, authority, or, if one can, intuition. The intellect may be convinced and confess to the truth but the faculty which actually recognizes it is the intuition. It is the latter’s light failing upon, and passing through, the intellect which really certifies an idea to be true. Semantic analysis and reasoned reflection help to uncover the lesser errors, the little illusions. The intellect cannot go beyond its own limitations, however; a higher faculty, insight, is needed to uncover the larger errors, the major illusions. The intellectual knowledge of the Truth is merely its shadow and not the Truth itself. #RandolphHarris 16 of 22

The Truth is a higher state of awareness which leads you out of a little personal and physically materialistic everyday life into a new World of being—the World of your higher self which transcends these things. It is a real experience and not a mere speculation. It beings with it the peace which passeth understanding of which Saint Paul spoke, frees you from anxieties, fears, and all other negative ideas. It reveals to you that God, in the sense of a Universal Intelligence and Universal Power, is actually the basis of all existence. A religion that executes its obsolete sovereign must now establish the power of its new sovereign; it closes the churches, and this leads to an endeavour to build a temple. The blood of the gods, which for a second bespatters the confessors of Louis XVI, announces a new baptism. Joseph de Maistre qualified the Revolution as satanic. We can see why and in what sense. Michelet, however, was closer to the truth when he called it a purgatory. An era blindly embarks down this tunnel on an attempt to discover a new illumination, a new happiness, and the face of the real God. However, what will this new god be? Let us ask Saint-Just once more. The year 1789 does not yet affirm the divinity of man, but the divinity of the people, to the degree in which the will of the people coincides with the will of nature and of reason. If the general will is freely expressed, it can only be the universal expression of reason. If the people are free, they are infallible. #RandolphHarris 17 of 22

Once the King is dead, and the chains of the old despotism thrown off, the people are going to express what, at all times and in all places, is, has been, and will be the truth. They are the oracle that must be consulted to know what the eternal order of the World demands. Voc populi, vox naturae. Eternal principles govern our conduct: Truth, Justice, finally Reason. There we have the new God. The Supreme Being, whom cohorts of young girls come to adore at the Feast of Reason, is only the ancient god disembodied, peremptorily deprived of any connection with the Earth, and launched like a balloon into a Heaven empty of all transcendent principles. Deprived of all his representatives, of any intercessor, the god of the lawyers and philosophers only has the value of a demonstration. He is not very strong, in fact, and we can see why Rousseau, who preached tolerance, thought that atheists should be condemned to death. To ensure the adoration of a theorem for any length of time, faith is not enough; a police force is needed as well. However, that will only come later. In 1793, the new faith is still intact, and it will suffice, to take Saint-Just’s word, to govern according to the dictates of reason. The art of ruling, according to him, has produced only monsters because, before his time, no one wished to govern according to nature. The period of monsters has come to an end with the termination of the period of violence. #RandolphHarris 18 of 22

“The human heart advances from nature to violence, from violence to morality. Morality is, therefore, only nature finally restored after centuries of alienation. Man only has to be given law, “in accord with nature and with his heart,” and he will cease to be unhappy and corrupt. Universal suffrage, the foundation of the new laws, must inevitably lead to a universal morality. “Our aim is to create an order of things which establishes a universal tendency toward good.” Spiritual self-realization is the main thing. Study of the teachings concerning cosmical evolution and the psychical evolution of man are but intellectual accessories—things we may or may not take on our journey, as we like. That part of man which reasons and speculates—mortal mind—is not the part which can discover and verify the existence of God. We are not necessarily helped or hindered on the divine path by taking up the lore of science or by becoming versed in the ways of sophistry. Once we live out our spiritual life in the heart, the rest sinks to second place. What the Overself really is defines adequate statement. For reason falters and fails before its mysterious Void. It dares not claim a capacity beyond what it actually possesses. Thus, the mystery of the World is the mystery of a soluble riddle hidden within an insoluble enigma. Nevertheless, we need not despair. For even if metaphysics is unable to explore this mysterious territory, it is at least able to point out its location. That is a definite gain. However, what is not all. What reason cannot do can yet be done by the faculty which towers transcendently above it—insight. #RandolphHarris 19 of 22

Safety officers, in one form or another, have been present in the American work force for a long time. Some of the first safety officers came out of the fire service. As safety officers, the Sacramento Fire Department and EMTs make it a priority to stay in shape. Practicing the basic exercise principles is crucial for you to develop an effective fitness-training program. The principles of exercise apply to everyone at all levels of physical training, from the Olympic champion to the weekend golfer. They apply especially to fitness training for military personnel because having standard fitness principles across the organization saves time, energy, resources—and prevents injury. If you recall the P-R-O-V-R-B-S acronym, you can easily remember the basic principles of exercise: Progression—The intensity and duration of exercise must gradually increase to improve your fitness level. A good guideline for improvement is a 10 percent gain at specified intervals. Regularity—To achieve affective training, you should schedule workouts in each of the first four fitness components at least three times a week. Regularity is also key in resting, sleeping, and following a good diet. Overload—The workload of each exercise session must exceed the normal demands placed on your body to bring about a training effect. You have often heard this expressed as “No pain, no gain.” A fitness training, such as your instructor in the Sacramento Fire Department, can help you learn to tell the difference between pain that results from an optimum level of overload and pain that indicates potential injury. Variety—Changing activities reduces the boredom and increases your motivation to progress. Recovery—You should follow a hard day of training for a given component of fitness by an easier training or rest day for that component. This helps your body recover. Another way to promote recovery is to alternate the muscle groups you exercise every other day, especially when training for strength and muscle endurance. Balance—To be effective, a fitness program should address all the fitness components, since overemphasizing any one of them may detract from the others. Specificity—You gear training toward specific goals. For example, if their training emphasizes running drills and techniques, members of the Sacramento Fire Department become better runners. Although swimming is great exercise, it will not improve a two-mile-run time as much as a coordinated running program does. #RandolphHarris 20 of 22

The Sacramento Fire Department has been using safety officers for over a century. The most common injuries for all fire service activities are strains, sprains, and muscle pain, followed by cuts, lacerations, and bruises. Considering only fireground injuries (and those that are consider moderate to severe) strains and sprains are still the most common injury type, followed by thermal burns. Generally speaking, the community image of a member of the Sacramento Fire Department and EMTs are ones of a protector or hero. Likewise, the firefighting profession is often included on my “most dangerous” top 10 lists. Historically, firefighters and EMTs have worn these images with a certain pride or swagger. More recently, the image fails to realistically depict the effect that a firefighter injury or death has on the humans involved. “Here at the Sacramento Fire Department seldom, we seldom curse when talking about the job, because the profession brings out the best in people. We have those noble ideals, and noble ideals are hard to envision when you are in the gutter. We have a purpose in life, and when we start talking about that, I think we watch our language. When we start talking about other things, then maybe we revert to more normal levels of tough talk. We love risk taking as firefighters. That attracts a lot of us. We are a nation of risk takers, who do not believe in absolute safety. Perhaps it’s in our genes from those Europeans who chose to leave an old, established life and embark on a new one at great risk. It shows up in the entrepreneurial spirit we see in our country today. I think firefighters mature on the job and realize that the reality is different from the image. #RandolphHarris 21 of 22

To help save lives and keep the community safe, 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. 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. To help our firefighters, pleasure donate to the Sacramento Fire Department to ensure they have all the resources they require. 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 22 of 22

The Winchester Mystery House

Never has there been a building so talked about. You will find The Winchester Mystery House in what was once the countryside known as “Winchester Valley,” where it has left past guests feeling a little spooked passing through certain rooms. It is well known for its reputation of being the world’s most haunted location. Do you fear the dark? Does the idea of the supernatural scare you? Do you sometimes anticipate the worst that can happen to you? Do you shiver when you read about victims of violent crime and think “that could have been me?” Does life seem insane? When you walk through the twisting hallways of The Winchester Mansion, are you apprehensive about what might be around the next corner? While standing at the door-to-nowhere, have you ever worried that life may have no meaning? Are you anxious that the next day might be your last? Do your days sometimes seem irremediably gloomy? Are you afraid of dying? We have examined your case thoroughly and think you will find the antidote for your condition at The Winchester Mystery House. A daily dose of horror is just the tonic you need. If fortifies the spirit with bracing jolts of terror. It inoculates the soul against fears that hound us all. It quickens the reflexes against life’s inhospitable surprises and tempers the imagination with thoughts unthinkable. Here you will find madmen in a variety of shapes and sizes who will help make things seem more rational. Feeling a bit self-absorbed? There is nothing like a tale of Mrs. Winchester’s hauntings to give you the right perspective.

The Winchester Estate dates back to the late 19th century, and it has a history that is packed full of legends and stories of spirits. The guided post-sunset walk takes visitors through the history of the mansion, while also offering a chance to spot some of the more well-known Winchester ghosts. There are stories of a little girl playing in the hallways and tugging at bedcovers at night and a woman in white who crosses the courtyard and passes through the walls. Lightening in colours no one can name sear across the infinite and multihued sky in jagged shards the size of which no one can conceive. Alien winds scream their impossible being in warring cacophony of notes no one can ever believe at volumes none can bear. And when the winds pick up on the fourth floor of the mansion, they make an eerie whining noise. It sounds as if everything around you is screaming. Right before a quick scratching sound, then something flares. A small spot of light glides like a firefly toward you. Another flare, then a dull yellow flow. A thin man has been said to step into the light. “Found some others out there,” is all he says before disappearing before your very eyes, and then everything is absolute darkness. Outside, the winds are said to kick up; it screams across the night. Well, maybe it is the wind. We all know the story of The Winchester Mansion.

The carpenters, who worked day and night for 36 years to build the mansion, that was once nine stories high, containing as many as 600 rooms. They knew the area was dense in spiritual energy. The hallways often possessed a great river of shadows. As these men felt a moan rising from a core of solid fear, they were so afraid that they would stand frozen for the space of one deep, shuddering breath. It was believed even the objects they could see were enemies, because they were keeping secrets. They knew, but were not telling. The cold quiet of The Winchester Mansion was a familiar song. Often, Mrs. Winchester’s guests would crough down, huddling against the floor, until help arrived. The mansion is situated over the crossing of two Ley Lines. In these areas, the veneer between the physical and spirit realms is thinner and much more permeable. This permeability and natural energy allow entities to manifest much more readily than in a normal location. Any thought or action in these areas, whether positive or negative has a much stronger and more focused effect. In the case of The Winchester Mansion decades of compounded suffering, negativity and strong emotional experiences have left a marked effect on the atmosphere in and around the mansion.

Some tour guides have heard chanting coming from outside the mansion and have heard their names being called. Others have reported seeing a woman hovering in the mansion. Many who have seen Mrs. Winchester claimed that she was “supernaturally beautiful, her skin glistens, and there’s a kind of light in her eyes that you can’t look away from.” Although her journals are sometimes vague, Mrs. Winchester experienced bizarre poltergeist activity during construction. She mentions to a friend the incredible amount of poltergeist activity that occurred during the time spent building the front of the mansion. One night, when darkness fell, the mansion was filled with eerie music like nothing Mrs. Winchester had ever heard before. Creatures from her maddest nightmares filled into the Grand Ball Room in some kind of funeral procession. She watched from the hallway, terrified of being seen yet unable to turn away. The very last thing she saw was her maid at the end of the procession, following the creatures off into the darkness. Later that night, Mrs. Winchester watched the shadows of leaves on the wall and drifted into a peaceful, safe, sleep, happy that the nuisance of her waking hours was gone. The very next day, on September 5, 1922, construction efforts were suddenly stopped when the ladders several carpenters were working from were pushed away from the wall, forcing them to jump several stories. Moments later, it was discovered that Mrs. Winchester had passed away in her sleep.

Mr. Hasen, one of Mrs. Winchester’s foremen, had written about his tools getting moved to the far corners of the room when his back was turned. Mr. Hansen was left staring in disbelief at a kaleidoscope World of shifting, flickering lights, a surfaceless void with an unimaginably distant vanishing point near which huge amorphous shapes twisted and withered in a constant fury of becoming. He had seen a hint that the matter that made up the forms of this World which everyone accepted as solid and separate was in fact all one and that only probability kept everything as it was and kept our reality apart from a multiverse of others. A solitary bead of sweat formed high on his brow and trailed a meandering pattern down his cheek and through the stubble that lay below. Although the sky was clear, the moon was but a crescent; its weak glow lit only a corner of the night ceiling. Through the darkness, beyond the curtain of trees. The mansion’s cry intruded upon his thoughts. Its shrillness disturbing him from his rapture. lost in a spell of Llanada Villa, Mr. Hansen walked slowly through the mansion. Climbing the stairs, he heard a hoarse voice whisper, “And what do you dream?” He had a moment to think, to realize, that he had never felt this way before, then the emanations flooded him, carrying him away on waves of darkness. He gave in weakly to the sensations that swept over him. As the mansion cried out again, its cry pierced the night, resounding like the cry of a thousand lost souls. That night, he went to his cold bed and dreamt of men with furlined capes and armor who became fearsome beast and tore through lines of their enemies.

Although they were paid three times the going rate, provided with medical care, subsidized groceries, and lived in Victorian cottages that were once on the estate, carpenters employed by Mrs. Winchester frequently suddenly left and did not come back, never giving a reason to their departure. However, it is suspected that the vast distances in the mansion had something to so with it. These carpenters would sometimes come to work to unfamiliar walls. After working for three hours with panic on his back, every minute having seemed like an hour, one man said, “I had been through a Hell of distance and time, indeed–and the Hell is still with me.” Wandering to the window and parting the drapes, he found it to be very late. He still felt disoriented, adrift, and threatened, but he sensed that he could he was free. With his pounding heart, he walked out into the dark mansion. There were no other carpenters present, and few caretakers. Others might be afraid of ghost, but the panic had taken care of that. If you already felt menaced for no reason, then the real dangers held no terror for you. He walked for many miles, past more rooms, libraries, and long closed rooms. Then he noticed a young woman walking on the other side of the mansion. Without thinking twice, he crossed over and joined her. They stopped, and he poured out his heart, his nameless fear. She held his hands. They agreed to meet again. However, he was left once more alone on a large room, wondering if it had been real. So he cut over to the hallway and started back. The mansion rest of the mansion was deserted, too, his steps echoing hollowly on the mahogany floor. It was dark, and only the light from the windows was visible. He could hear more than see. The panic had gotten stronger again, and he needed to return to the security, if marginal, of his home.

Gradually, he became aware of a man walking about a hundred feet behind. He himself stopped and pretended to look out the window. He wanted the man to pass him. However, the man stopped when he reached him, then went down some steps to the third floor. The man smiled, opened a bag, and offered him some Brandy. He went down and accepted. When he woke up, he was lying on his stomach, which felt warm and wet. There was no pain. However, when he tried to get up, he found that he could not. So, he crawled up the steps into the ballroom on the 4th floor. The crawling went all right, at first. However, then he became weaker. And he grew conscious of the thin red trail he was leaving behind him. The panic, suddenly and forever, was gone. It had indeed been replaced, expunged, by the reality. All that was left was a certain sadness. The mansion that has survived such a long history, is a marvel to see in person. Today, it stands four stories high, and has an estimated 160 rooms, of which 110 are open for tour. There has been some restoration over the years and ongoing maintenance. Come inside the mansion to see the priceless architecture and learn of its history. The guided tours are exquisitely led by a well prepared and enthusiastic team, who make sure that you and all guests are entertained by the great stories. 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. Even if you do not believe ghost stories, you might still get goosebumps passing through the most infamous basement.  Enjoy panoramic views and discover quirky features such as secret staircases, doors that open to nowhere, stairs to the ceiling, hidden trapdoors, and other unusual features.

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 Choose Harris?

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/

The Ultimate Driving Machine

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/

There are None so Blind than those Who Will Not See

People have a way of throwing their toxic behaviour in our way and sometimes this comes along with their toxicity. When something goes wrong in the neighbourhood, something gets vandalized, stolen, or broken into, the default answer is always, “Some kids did it.” However, it is time to reevaluate that negative stereotype because it is not always boys and girls that are doing bad things. There is this one community, where most of the people are in their 60s and 70s, some in their 50s and some even younger, and usually when there is a disturbance, something gets broken, stolen, vandalized or there is a loud party or a fight, someone doing drugs or harassing someone else it is usually an adult in their 60s or older. I have never in my life seen such a large group of immature people. The thing with children is you can usually modify their behaviour. You can threaten them with a time out, you can punish them, or you can put them on medication and their behaviour usually improves. However, with senior citizens, some of them are thugs and gangbangers and when they do something bad or get in an altercation with someone a fraction of their age, they pretend to be a weak and disabled senior citizen who can do no harm and sometimes this act works. While there are some senior citizens who are weak and cannot defend themselves, there are others who are stronger than a 20-year-old man in shape. #RandolphHarris 1 of 23

The modern human is a manipulator. She is the computer sales person, talking us into buying more “essential” extras than we could use in a lifetime, understand how to use in two, or pay for in three. He is the “responsible” parent, repeating the negative criticisms he heard as a child from his parents for the “benefit” of his own children. He is the minister, preaching in platitudes lest he offend important parishioners. The realtor assures us that a particular piece of property will make our dreams come true. The teenager assures his parents that the party planned in their home will not include booze or marijuana and that they should plan to spend the entire evening out. And even the aging parent embraces illness as a tool to manipulate the special attentions of busy sons and daughters. The manipulator is legion. The manipulator is all of us, consciously or unconsciously enjoying all the phony tricks learned between cradle and grave. In the process, we reduce ourselves and those around us into things to be controlled. Not all of our manipulating is evil, of course. Some of it appears necessary in the competitive area of earning a living. Much, however, is harmful since it masks real self-defeating tendencies that can explore into shattered lives, broken marriages, and ruined careers. #RandolphHarris 2 of 23

Manipulation, we believe, is the “social sin” that separates us from one another in our marriages, alienates us from others at our jobs, and leaves us limping through life, handicap with distorted selves. The twenty-first century has brought a deeper psychological understanding of the process by which the modern manipulator has developed a personality resistant to growth and change. We know, for example, that manipulators lack the capacity to enjoy themselves, to use their knowledge, and to achieve a sense of aliveness and satisfaction. The manipulator’s understanding of human nature becomes rigid; it focuses on the drive to control. To one degree or another this is true of most everyone—you, us, the couple down the block, co-workers, friends, relatives. Even toddling infants soon learn to drool or coo or cry with a vengeance on cue to get what they want—now! Little wonder then that the teenager, who is the most modern of modern people, feeling that life owes him or her a living and loving, refusing to meet life’s challenge, astutely picks up subtle tactics of control and seduction. Teenagers find models everywhere: in real life, in movies, on television. Some tactics they learn from father, who stereotypically plays the controlling parent because he has a secret need for “omnipotence”; some from mother, who stereotypically manipulates with guilt-provoking statements to keep the individual “tied to her apron strings.” #RandolphHarris 3 of 23

Manipulations are so much a part of our everyday life that the unskilled observer notices only the most blatant. They are like the birds that are all about us in the natural World. Do we actually identify or describe them? Manipulation can be harmful to people. Unhealthy patterns can develop in any relationship. Recognizing them can uncover abuse or stop it before it starts. If a frustration is unfair or if, on the basis of neurotic claims, it is felt unfair only then does hostility arise. And it has then the specific characteristic of indignation, or of feeling abused. The misfortune, or the injury, done then appears magnified to sometimes ludicrous proportions. If one feels abused by another person, that person suddenly becomes untrustworthy, nasty, cruel, contemptible—id est, this indignation drastically influences our judgment of others. Here is one source for neurotic suspiciousness. Here is also a reason, and an important one, for many neurotic people being so insecure in their estimates of others and for their turning so easily from a beneficial friendly attitude to one of total condemnation. If I may oversimplify, the acute reaction of anger, or even rage, may take one of three different courses. It may be suppressed hostility—appear in psychosomatic symptoms: fatigue, migraine, stomach upsets, et cetera. On the other hand, it may be freely expressed, or at least fully felt. #RandolphHarris 4 of 23

In this case the less the anger is warranted in fact, the more one will have to exaggerate the wrong done; one will then inadvertently build up a case against the offender that looks logic tight. The more openly vindictive a person is, for whatever reason, the more prone will he be to take vengeance. The more openly arrogant he is, the surer will he be that such vengeance is the doling out of justice. The third kind of reaction is to plunge into misery and self-pity. The individual then feels extremely hurt or abused, and may become despondent. “How can they do this to me!” he feels. Suffering in these cases becomes the medium to express reproaches. It is easier to observe these reactions in others than in oneself, for the very reason that the conviction of righteousness inhibits self-examination. It is in our real interest, however, to examine our own reactions when we become preoccupied with a wrong done to us, or when we begin to ponder the hateful qualities of somebody, or when we feel the impulse to get back at others. We must then scrutinize the question of whether our reaction is in any reasonable proportion to the wrong done. And if with honest scrutiny we find a disproportion, we must search for hidden claims. Provided we are willing and able to relinquish some of our needs for special prerogatives, and provided we are familiar with the special forms of our suppressed hostility may take it is not too difficult to recognize an acute reaction to an individual frustration and to discover the particular claim behind it. #RandolphHarris 5 of 23

Having seen the claims in one or two instances does not mean, however, that we are rid of all of them. We usually have overcome only those which were especially conspicuous and absurd. The process is reminiscent of a tapeworm cure in which parts of the worm eliminated. However, it will regenerate and keep sapping our strength until the head is removed. This means that we can relinquish our claims only to the extent to which we overcome the whole search for glory and all that it entails. However, unlike a tapeworm cure, in the process of coming back to ourselves every step counts. There is this young lady who was brought up in Brooklyn in a puritanical background, and she managed to be a virgin when she finished art school and came to Manhattan. She was an unbelievable 19. Then she met her husband. He was a lawyer. And they enjoyed pleasures of the flesh together. She really loved it. However, very soon, she could not accept being married to one man. She bragged about how marvelous her husband was, but she did not really love him, and found her series of extramarital relationships much more wonderful. All of these new men are marvelous to her. After 23 years of marriage to this one man, she will always love him, but she changed and cannot be with him anymore. #RandolphHarris 6 of 23

Her husband’s career as a lawyer is his number one priority and refuses to have pleasures of the flesh with her. Even on vacations, he denies her and she feels that he is sick. There is an indication that this woman equates love with money because when her husband refused to pay for therapy any long, it made her believe that he is unstable, even though he has had a steady career as a brilliant lawyer.  She admits that he is brilliant and that she loves to live with him. Some sense of her self-esteem is dependent upon being free of the customary rules that apply in most people’s lives. This is clearly a marriage of convenience. Most men in these situations are aware that the wives are unfaithful. Particularly, if these men are intelligent and educated, their tendency is to be secretly relieved that their wives find ways of gratifying their pleasures of the flesh outside their marriage. These men share attitudes with wives of previous generations, who accepted as a fact their husbands’ extramarital affairs but insisted that those affairs be kept discreet. Sure, awareness is not always conscious, of course, and it can best be described as self-deception. It represents a human being’s efforts to keep his feelings in some kind of emotional equilibrium. As long as such an individual derives genuine satisfactions from being married, he—or she—is a living illustration of the old adage that there are none so blind as those who will not see. #RandolphHarris 7 of 23

I think it is the proper function of one’s intellect to be practical, to enable one to get around and do things in the service of one’s self and others. The error comes in when one’s intellect makes the first decision, which it sees as its possessions. The original meaning of “sin” is to “miss the mark” and it seems to me that this is the way in which many people miss it. When one moves through the center of the snowflake pattern—the bull’s eye–one has the feeling of hitting the mark. When a man’s intellect acts in the service of himself (which includes others), rather than itself, everything comes out well—with ups and downs but still the total is good in every respect. Sometimes a man does not wish that he had done other than he had. There are no regrets. Intellect or false-ego has not interfered with him. His troubles are take-able—acceptable, not more than he can bear. In fact, without clinging to them, it feels good to go through them, and as though without them something would be missing—like the seasons, which occur even in Hawaii. “Always” scripts follow Arachne, who dared to challenge the Goddess Minerva in needlework, and as a punishment was turned into a spider and condemned to spend all her time spinning webs. Such scripts come from spiteful parents, who say: “If that is what you want to do, then you can just spend the rest of your life doing it.” #RandolphHarris 8 of 23

“Until” or “Before” scripts follow the story of Jason, who was told that he could not become a king before he had performed certain tasks. In due time, he got his reward and lived for ten years in happiness. Hercules had a similar script: he could not become a god until he had first been a slave for twelve years. “After” scripts come from Damocles. Damocles was allowed to enjoy the happiness of being a king, until he noticed that a sword was hanging over his head, suspended by a single horsehair. The motor of “After” scripts is “You can enjoy yourself for a while, but after that your troubles begin.” “Over and Over” scripts are Sisyphus. He was condemned to roll a heavy stone up a hill, and just as he was about to reach the top the stone rolled back and he had to start over again. This is the classical “Almost Made It” script, with one “If only” after another. The “Open-Ended” script is the nonwinner or “Pie In The Sky” scenario, and follows the story of Philemon and Baucis, who were turned into laurel trees as a reward for their good deeds. Old people who have carried out their Parental instructions do not know what to do next after it is all over, and spend the rest of their lives like vegetables, or gossiping like leaves rustling in the wind. This is the fate of many a mother whose children have grown up and scattered, and of retired men who have put in their thirty years of work according to the company regulations and their parents’ instructions. #RandolphHarris 9 of 23

“Senior Citizens” communities are filled with couples who have completed their scripts and do not know how to structure their time while waiting for the Promised Land where people who have treated their employees decently can drive their big black cars slowly down the left-hand lane without being honked at by a bunch of ill-bred people in their hot rods. “Was pretty feisty myself as a youth,” says Dad, “but nowadays.” And Mom adds: “You would not believe what they…And we have always paid our…” Skinniness. Just as we deplore being above average weight in our society, so do we pity the “skinny” person. If suitable food is available, chronic underweight resulting from undernourishment is a fairly simple malady to remedy. However, many persons are thin in spite of a sizable caloric intake. There are usually reasons for inability to put on weight, for example, overactive thyroid glands or a finicky appetite; but these may derive from more basic psychological causes. An intensive personality diagnosis may disclose many unhealthy personality traits in the chronically thin person. In such instances, psychotherapy may produce as a side effect a desirable increase in weight. Sometimes simply changing the amount of exercise that the person takes will suffice to stimulate appetite and promote a desirable gain in weight. #RandolphHarris 10 of 23

There is a simplicity which is too much like stupidity to be worth cultivating. Neither tries to take in the other party’s case but each presents only his own. Neither is willing to listen or believe the other side has any case at all. So reason never really gets a chance, only ego-centered self-interest. Each is far removed from any real wish to find the truth as it really is, objectively. To limit one’s ideas to those of the environment in which he happens to be born is a common fault. Many aspirants fail to realize that they move mostly in the realm of their own personal ideas, and not necessarily in the realm of utter truth. The intellect is endlessly curious, ever wanting to know; this is why its activity is hard to still. Intellectual acumen is useful on this quest, but alone it is quite insufficient If thoughts and ideas are removed, what is left of the intellect? If not the aggregate of all these mental activities, what is it? A doctrine comes into being through theorizing by intellect or activity by feeling, that is, it is an opinion or a belief. An item of knowledge, for example scientific knowledge, is neither. The intellect has to receive truth before it can be satisfied. And, if it is to be acceptable, it requires that truth to be presented by giving reasons and using logic. The work of the intellect in tracing causes to effects, in analyzing situations and substances, in forming theories and making studies, and even in synthesizing the results of all these operation is still a limited one. #RandolphHarris 11 of 23

In the 19th Century the British Empire performed extraordinary feats of genetic transportation—squirting sperm-egg cargoes throughout the globe. By moving their dom-species domesticated adult Protestants from Scotland to Ireland, they ruthlessly compressed the barbarian teenager Catholic-feudal culture of the Emerald Isle. Faced with loos of the land Catholic gene pools were forced to migrate. Each Irish family selected its most intelligent, mobile, adaptable, attractive member to send “across the water.” This occurred one of the most successful genetic experiments in planetary history. America was flooded with sperm-egg units carefully selected for mobility-nobility. The first generation of Irish migrants threw railroads across the continent. The second generation, which blossomed after World War II, produced the first Irish-American generation of philosopher-scientists. The brilliant, innovative Irish servants who emerged in the mid-20th Century replaced the Jewish intellectuals. Before that Jewish intellectuals carried the neurogenetic signal. Since Jewish people were born out-castes, they were able to transcend hive limits and fabricate new realities. After World War II, Jewish culture became hive establishment and the role of genetic exploration fell to the Irish. The American Celts were prepared perfectly to play the role of Evolution Agents because of their intellectual history. #RandolphHarris 12 of 23

In premigration Ireland, the active intellectual person was forced into rebellion. The only educational choices for smart, young Irishmen were the alien, Rome-oriented feudal priesthood or the academies of the enemy Protestants. Young Irish woman had no educational avenues open to them. Irish brains were thus encouraged to be anti-hive. From this out-caste position, they were able to create new post-hive realities. Different sites for different rites. Kings were put to death long before January 21, 1793, and before the regicides of the nineteenth century. However, Ravaillac, Damiens, and their followers were interested in attacking the person, not the principle, of the king. They wanted another kind and that was all. It never occurred to them that the throne could remain empty forever. 1789 is the starting-point of modern times, because the men of that period wished, among other things, to overthrow the principle of divine right and to introduce to the historical scene the forces of negation and rebellion in the previous centuries. Thus, they added to traditional tyrannicide the concept of calculated decided. The so-called freethinkers, the philosophers and jurists, served as levers for this revolution. The kings themselves collaborated in this by allowing political power gradually to encroach on religious power, thus threatening the very principle of their legitimacy. #RandolphHarris 13 of 23

In order for such an undertaking to enter into the realms of possibility and to be considered legitimate, it was first necessary for the Church, whose infinite responsibility it is, to place itself on the side of the masters by compromising with the executioner—a step that developed into the Inquisition and was perpetuated by complicity with the temporal powers. Michelete is quite correct in wanting to recognize only two outstanding characters in the revolutionary saga: Christianity and the French Revolution. In fact, for him, 1789 is explained by the struggle between divine grace and justice. Although Michelete shared the taste for all-embracing abstractions with his intemperate period, he saw that this taste was one of the profound cases of the revolutionary crisis.  Even if the monarchy of the ancient regime was not always arbitrary in its manner of governing, it was undoubtedly arbitrary in principle. It was founded on divine right, which means that its legitimacy could never been questioned. Its legitimacy often was questioned, however, in particular by various parliaments. However, those who exercised it considered and presented it as an axiom. Louis XIV, as is well known, rigidly adhered to the principle of divine right. Bossuet gave him considerable help in this direction by saying to the kings of France: “You are gods.” The king, in one of his aspects, is the divine emissary in charge of human affairs and therefore of the administration of justice. Like God Himself, he is the last recourse of the victims of misery and injustice. #RandolphHarris 14 of 23

Climate and culture describe the environment in which you lead. Climate refers to the environment of units and organizations, primarily those shaped by organizational and direct leaders. Culture refers to the environment of the Sacramento Fire Department as an institution and of major elements or communities within it. The Sacramento Fire Department and EMTs take care of people and maximize their performance by influencing their organizations climate. Climate is how members feel about the organization and comes from shared perceptions and attitudes about the unit’s daily functions. These things have a great impact on their motivation and the trust they feel for their team and their leaders. Climate is generally a short-term experience, depending on a network of the personalities in a small organization. The climates change as people come and go. When a firefighter says, “My last captain was pretty good, but this new one is great,” the firefighter is pinpointing one of the many elements that affect an organization’s climate. Culture is longer lasting and more complex set of shared expectations than climate. While climate is a reflection about how people think and feel about their organization right now, culture consists of the shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterize the larger institution over time. It is deeply rooted in long-helped beliefs, customs, and practices. The Sacramento Fire Department established a climate consistent with the culture of firefighters and EMTs as an enduring institution. You must also use the culture to let your people know they are part of something bigger than just themselves, that they have responsibilities not only to the people around them but also to those who have gone before and those who will come after. #RandolphHarris 15 of 23

“Our organization has gone through a tremendous change. We’ve come a long way from the old methods. We are training close to forty hours a month. And, also, now we’re a class one fire district in Sacramento County. A fireman joined our fire service three years ago. He was really turned the department around. Not only did the money help, but from his twenty years’ experience, he’s been able to give us education, to teach us how to fight fires correctly. He’s been tremendous. There’s a lot to be done. If you get called to a house fire at two or three in the morning and you’re there for three or four hours. What’s so hard about the American society’s view of firefighters is, when something has happened, whether it’s a small or large disaster, they expect you to be there. You should be there, it’s your job, why ain’t you there? And you see very little in the way of gratitude. But it still does us good to know that we’ve been able to go in there and accomplish something and save somebody’s house or save their lives in a vehicle accident, it does me a world of good just knowing I’ve been able to help somebody like that. One thing about the United States, there are many people who really care. If they didn’t care, I don’t believe you’d have such a great crew in the ambulance service or firefighting service, and all the other people who volunteer in hospitals and other services. There are always going to be people who want to help others. #RandolphHarris 16 of 23

“We have a lot of problems with our budget shortfalls. We have political problems. That’s the business aspect of it. As for the fire suppression side of it, the firegrounds run real well. We’ve been very fortunate as far as injuries on the job are concerned. In the six years I’ve been around, the only injury we’ve have was when a firefighter jumped off the back of a pumper a little early and broke his kneecaps on the tailboard of the truck. No really severe burns or major medical problems.  We have had two DOAs at fires and maybe ten more at major accidents. But in the fire service itself, we’ve been really fortunate. Everybody’s goal is to work together. Before the big plane crash, we had a smaller one, a commuter plane in which nine people were killed. It was the first time I had seen anything like that. “Let no one mistake intellectual understanding for the wholeness of knowing, rather let it be to him a spur and a help to reach deeper within himself to the Overself in full surrender. The situation may be summed up thus: If the activity of thinking is directed towards external objects and inspired by the desire to attain or retain them, in binds a man to his spiritual ignorance. If, however, it is directed towards God or his divine soul and inspired by the desired to attain it, then it leads him to spiritual intuitions. To understand intellectually is good but to glimpse intuitively is better. Best of all is not merely to look at truth but to enter into it. #RandolphHarris 17 of 23

One thing we witness all the time during emergency situations is people ignoring the sirens of fire trucks and ambulances. Often times, people even try to outrun the emergency vehicles and this can create dangerous situations. Citizens, remember to give the right-of-way to any law enforcement vehicle, fire engine, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle using a siren and red lights. Failure to pull over may result in a ticket. Drive to the right edge of the road and stop until the emergency vehicles(s) have passed. When approaching a stationary emergency vehicle with flashing emergency signal lights (hazard lights), move over and slow down. 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. Moral courage is the willingness to stand firm on values, principles, and convictions. It enables you to stand up for what you believe is right, regardless of the consequences. #RandolphHarris 18 of 23

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. 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. 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. #RandolphHarris 19 of 23

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 23

In an effort to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. And as you know, there is no better car on Earth than 1950-1970s American Muscle Car. As an incentive to buy American made cars, President Trump plans to made interest on loans for American cars tax deductible. Americans surely make superior products, but we are buying things from other nations. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country.  Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. Las Vegas is running out of buildable land and is expected to reach its maximum number of homes in 2032. So, home prices are expected to rise dramatically. #RandolphHarris 21 of 23

Additionally, State Farm did ask the California Department of Insurance if they could raise homeowner insurance rates by 22 percent, but this request was denied. However, in 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 1107, also known as the Protection California Drivers Act, into law which increases the minimum auto lability limits for bodily injury to $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident. Senate Bill 1107 also increased the minimum liability limits for property damage to $15,000 per accident and the DMV deposit for uninsured drivers to $75,000. The bill went into effect on January 1, 2025. This means that drivers with existing policies with lower limits will renew at the new minimum limits on or after January 1, 2025, and insurance premiums could increase by as much as 54 percent. America is in a state of crisis right now because of mismanagement by democrats. If elected 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. #RandolphHarris 22 of 23

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. 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 in regard to pollution. American companies have to 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. 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. 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 23 of 23

The Winchester Mystery House

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 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 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/

The Theme of the Devil’s Pact Begins to Emerge

Imagination is a way to escape reality and fulfill unconscious desires. The role imagination plays in the search for glory may show unmistakably and directly in daydreams. In the teenager, they may have a frankly grandiose character. It is a way to bridge the gap between imagination and reality. There is for instance the college boy who, although timid and withdrawn, has daydreams about being the greatest athlete, or genius, or Don Juan. There are also in later years people like Paris Hilton, who almost constantly indulge in dreams of romantic expression, of a mystic perfection, or of a mysterious saintliness. Sometimes these take the form of imaginary conversations in which others are impressed or put to shame. Others, more complicated in their structure, deal with shameful or noble suffering through being exposed to cruelty and degradation. Frequently daydreams are not elaborate stories but, rather, play a fantastic accompaniment to the daily routine. When tending her children, playing the piano, or combing her hair, a woman may for instance see herself in much the way a tender mothers, a rapturous pianist, or an alluring beauty would be presented in the movies. In some cases, such daydreams show clearly that a person may, like Paris Hilton, constantly live in two World. Again, in others equally engaged in the search for glory daydreams are so scarce and abortive that they may say in all subjective honesty that they have no fantasy life. Needless to say, they are mistaken. Even if they only worry about possible mishaps that might be fall them, it is after all their imagination that conjures up such contingencies. #RandolphHarris 1 of 23

However, daydreams, while important and revealing when they occur, are not the most injurious work of imagination. For a person is mostly aware of that fact that he is daydreaming, id est, imagining things which have not occurred or are not likely to occur in the way he is experiencing them in fantasy. At least it is not too difficult for him to become aware of the existence and the unrealistic character of the daydreams. The more injurious work of imagination concerns the subtle and comprehensive distortions of reality which he is not aware of fabricating. The idealized self is not completed in a single act of creation: once produced, it needs continuing attention. For its actualization the person must put in an incessant labour by way of falsifying reality. He must turn his needs into virtues or into more than justified expectations. He must turn his intentions to be honest or considerate into the fact of being honest or considerate. The bright ideas he has for a paper make him a great scholar. His potentialities turn into factual achievements. Knowing the “right” moral values make him a virtuous person—often, indeed, a kind of moral genius. And of course, his imagination must work overtime to discard all the disturbing evidence to the contrary. Imagination also operates in changing the neurotic’s beliefs. He needs to believe that others are wonderful or vicious-and lo! there they are in a parade of benevolent or dangerous people. It also changes his feelings. He needs to feel invulnerable—and behold! His imagination has sufficient power to brush off pain and suffering. He needs to have deep feelings—confidence, sympathy, love, suffering: his feelings of sympathy, suffering, and the rest are magnified. #RandolphHarris 2 of 23

The perception of the distortions of inner and outer reality which imagination can bring about when put to the service of the search for glory leaves us with an uneasy question. Where does the flight of the neurotic’s imagination end? He does not after all lose his sense of reality altogether; where then is the border line separating him from the psychotic? If there is any border line with respect to feats of imagination, it certainly is hazy. We can only say that the psychotic tends to regard the process in his mind more exclusively as they only reality that counts, while the neurotic—for whatever reasons—retains a fair interest in the outside World and his place in it and has therefore a fair gross orientation in it. Nevertheless, while he may stay sufficiently on the ground to function in a way not obviously disturbed, there is no limit to the heights to which his imagination can soar. It is in fact the most striking characteristic of the search for glory that it goes into the fantastic, into the realm of unlimited possibilities. All of the drives for glory have in common the reaching out for greater knowledge, wisdom, virtue, or powers than are given to human beings; they all aim at the absolute, the unlimited, the infinite. Nothing short of absolute fearlessness, mastery, or saintliness has any appeal for the neurotic obsessed with the drive for glory. He is therefore the antithesis of the truly religious man. #RandolphHarris 3 of 23

For the latter, only to God are all things possible; the neurotic’s version is: nothing is impossible to me. His will power should have magic proportions, his reasoning be infallible, his foresight flawless, his knowledge all encompassing. The theme of the devil’s pact begins to emerge. The neurotic is the Prince Lestat who is not satisfied with knowing a great deal, but has to know everything. This soaring into the unlimited is determined by the power of the needs behind the drive for glory. The needs for the absolute and the ultimate are so stringent that they override the checks which usually prevent our imagination from detaching itself from actuality. For his well-functioning, man needs both the vision of possibilities, the perspective of infinitude, and the realization of limitations, of necessities, of the concrete. If a man’s thinking and feeling are primarily focused upon the infinite and the vision of possibilities, he loses his sense for the concrete, for the hear and now. He loses his capacity for living in the moment. He is no longer capable of submitting to the necessities in himself, “to what may be called one’s limit.” He loses his sight of what is actually necessary for achieving something. “Every little possibility even would require some time to become actuality.” His thinking may become too abstract. His knowledge may become “a kind of inhuman knowing for the production of which man’s self is squandered, pretty much as men were squandered for the building of the Pyramids.” His feelings for others may evaporate into an “abstract sentimentality for humanity.” #RandolphHarris 4 of 23

If, on the other hand, a man does not see beyond the narrow horizon of the concrete, the necessary, the finite, he becomes “narrow-minded and mean-spirited.” It is not, then, a question of either-or, but of both, if there is to be growth. The recognition of limitations, laws, and necessities serves as a check against being carried away into the infinite, and against the mere “floundering in possibilities.” The checks on imagination are malfunctioning in the search for glory. This does not mean a general incapacity to see necessities and abide by them. A special direction in the further neurotic development may make many people feel safer to restrict their lives, and they may then tend to regard the possibility of being carried away into the fantastic as a danger to be avoided. They may close their minds to anything that to them looks fantastic, be averse to abstract thinking, and overanxiously cling to what is visible, tangible, concrete, or immediately useful. However, while the conscious attitude toward these matters varies, every neurotic at bottom is loath to recognize limitations to what he expects of himself and believes it possible to attain. His need to actualize his idealized image is so imperative that he must shove aside the checks as irrelevant or nonexistent. There are over one million people locked up in mental hospitals because they cannot shut up about the crime. One thing is clear in my years with these people—the more mentally ill they are, the more they are caught in egocentricity, selfishness, and uselessness. #RandolphHarris 5 of 23

In mental hospitals, there are many relics of people with vaunted selfhood even though their World is riddles with strange influences. The more vaunted, the more riddled. It is apparent to us, but not to the mentally ills, that this diseased World is representative of them since the disease walks where they walk. They contend that it occurs only in the hospital, but when they visited a large city, there is this same monstrous business going on. It is the same thing whether we say they are diseased or their World is diseased. The two are really one. In ordinary social intercourse with others, or in the more intense experience of group psychotherapy, there is a manifest difference between the person who must explain and must defend their view from the person who enjoys and easily accepts the Worlds of other persons. The first is a bore, a difficult person, one who rouses anger or needs to be treated carefully. The second is an easier, more likeable person. In group psychotherapy one often sees the clever professional or layman who must tell, must be right, must interpret what the other person really means. A less obnoxious egotism is the one who is very concerned what to say, how a thing will be taken, whether he is understood or appreciated. These people are painfully trapped in the evaluations of others because they are so concerned for themselves. In my own little World, it has become clear to me that I am of use to others insofar as I am not concerned for my reputation. I have seen brilliant intuitive insights come out of me when I was only aware of the other person. #RandolphHarris 6 of 23

I have also seen miserable failure when I was out to prove that I was clever. I look for pride in me, and if it is there, I had best be silent. In both therapy and social relations, there is an almost mystic beauty when my self vanishes and the style, nuances of bodily movement, voice inflection and concerns of the other person fill the whole stage. I am liked best when I am not. For most of my young life, I had been told it was not okay to display anger. Thus, the journey from manipulation to mastery is not a neat, two-dimensional, passionate, random, helter-skelter journey, with our emotions swinging from one polarity to another, from love to dependency to weakness to criticalness—often many times in a matter of minutes. Exactly how the process takes place should not concern you, unless you are a therapist. All you need to be concerned with is that the process does work—and you can use it to improve the quality of your life, the dynamism of your relationships. What therapy does is start a person on the road to mastery. It starts them looking at their internal conflicts. The process of dealing with polarities goes on through life—at all times and on all fronts. Those who follow spiritual ideals will have to take their stand. Nonviolence is a good. Violence is an evil. However, in the compulsory choice between violent defense against violent aggression or passive submission to such aggression, it is often the lesser of the two evils. For the first may bring the aggressor to suffer the consequences of his crime whereas the second may condone it. The first may re-educate him to abandon his evil ways whereas the second may encourage him in them. #RandolphHarris 7 of 23

There are savage creatures, moral monsters and insane animals who look like men but have only partially risen into the human species in their passage from the lower ones. Having human faces and limbs, digestive and sense organs, is not enough to render them worthy of human classification. With a wise mercy, which need not be stretched too far but must not be stretched too little, we must temper natural desire to punish the violent criminal adequately. The pacifist who believes that his attitude will affect the war-makers and alter their attitude is as irrational as the sparrow who appeals to the hawk for his life to be spared. However, pacifism has a far sounder basis than this weak one. The adherence to nonviolence is not a sign of ignorable weakness but rather of noble wisdom. The folly of war cannot be reconciled with the dictates of reason. To use violent means for the defense of nonviolent ideals can only lead to the loss of those ideals. To use violent means for the defense of nonviolent ideals can only lead to the loss of this ideals. What is conquered by violence must be maintained by violence. Every form of totality is restrictive. Surrealism is not concerned with action, but with asceticism and spiritual experience. The profound originality of the movement is the restoration of the sacred and the conquest of unity, which make surrealism so invaluable for a consideration of the problem of rebellion. Surrealism—the fusion of a dream and of reality, the sublimation of the old contradiction between the ideal and the real. We know the surrealist solution: concrete irrationality, objective risk. #RandolphHarris 8 of 23

Poetry is the conquest, the only possible conquest, of the “supreme position.” A certain position of the mind from where life and death, the real and the imaginary, the past and the future…cease to be perceived in a contradictory sense. What is this supreme position that should mark the “colossal abortion of the Hegelian system”? It is the search for the summit-abyss, familiar to the mystics. Actually, it is the mysticism without God which demonstrates and quenches the rebel’s thirst for the absolute. The essential enemy of surrealism is rationalism. Should we dissolve contradictions in the fires of love and desire and demolish the walls of death? Magic rites, primitive or naïve civilization, alchemy, the language of flowers, fire, or sleepless nights, are so many miraculous stages on the way to unity and the philosophers’ stone. Vitality on old age depends on three factors: constitutional robustness; physical health; type of script. The onset of old age is determined by the same three factors. Thus, some people are vital at eighty and others start vegetating at forty. Constitutional robustness is a force majeure, that is, it cannot be changed by Parental programing. Physical disability is sometimes a force majeure, and sometimes a script payoff. In the “Cripple” Script it is both. The crippling itself may occur because of unavoidable physical illness, but it is welcomed because it is part of the script and fulfills mother’s injunction to end up disabled. #RandolpHarris 9 of 23

This occurs occasionally in cases of poliomyelitis in young adults, where the man in the wheel chair says: “When I knew I had polio I almost welcomed it, as though I had been waiting for something like that.” If his script called for him to be a cripple, and Nature did not help him out, he might have crashed a car. Nature’s solution is simpler to deal with. Older people may similarly welcome a stroke or a coronary occlusion, but for a different reason: not because it is part of the script, but because it relieves them of the compulsion to carry on with their script strivings. For the Child in them, these catastrophes become “Wooden Leg” or “Wooden Heart,” so that they can say to the Parent in their heads: “Even you cannot expect a man with a Wooden Leg or a Wooden Heart to carry on your witch’s curse.” Faced with a blood clot in Jeder’s brain or heart, only the most ruthless parent does not concede defeat. If a disability occurs early in life, it may fit very well into a mother’s script, or may throw it off completely. If it fits, the child will be raised as a professional cripple, sometimes with the help of outside organizations devoted to helping Crippled Children (as long as they stay cripped) or Children with Intellectual Disabilities (as long as they have an intellectual disability). (If the child recovers, the drag is due to the fact that the government subsidy usually stops.) In such cases, the mother learns to “face it,” and teaches the child to do likewise. #RandolphHarris 10 of 23

If it does not fit the mother’s script, however, she does not learn to face it. She keeps trying, and the child learns to do likewise, so that he ends up as a one-legged jitterbug, a clubfooted broad-jumper, or a brain-damaged orthopedic specialist (all these examples exist or have existed in real life). The Crippled Children’s organization and the Mentally Ill organization pitch in here, too, and are delighted if one of their proteges makes it (with outside help). If the mother’s script does not call for a physically or mentally disabled child, and the disability is so severe that it is necessarily permanent, then her life becomes a script-frustrated tragedy. If her script does call for a disabled child, and the disability is borderline, and possibly remediable, then the child’s life becomes an unnecessary, script-inflicted tragedy. Now to return to old age. If they have “Open-Ended” Scripts, even people with robust constitutions and no physical disabilities (or only minor or hypochondriacal ones) can begin to vegetate at an early age. These are commonly people living on pensions. The Parental precept is: “Work hard, and do not take any chances,” and the payoff is “After that, give up.” Once Jeder has put in his twenty or thirty years, and Santa Claus has come and given him his retirement banquet and gold watch, he does not know what to do. He is accustomed to following his script directives, but now they are exhausted, and he has no further programing in his head. Therefore, he is content to sit and wait until something turns up: Death, for instance. #RandolphHarris 11 of 23

This raises an interesting question. What do you do after Santa Clause comes? With an “Until” Script, he comes down the chimney and brings a Freedom Certificate. Jeder has fulfilled the requirements of his script, is freed of the curse by the antiscript, and is now at liberty to do what he always wanted to do since he was a little boy. However, going his own way is full of dangers, as many Greek myths attest. While he is free of his witch parent, he is also unprotected, and can easily come to grief. This is shown in fairy tales as well. A curse gives protection as well as trial and tribulation. The same witch that laid on the curse sees that the victim continues to live while he is under it. Thus, Sleeping Beauty was protected by the briar forest for a hundred years. However, the moment she woke up, and could tell the witch to buzz off, her troubles began. A handy situation is to have a double script: an “Until” Script from one parent and an “After” Script from the other. In the commonest case this reads “You cannot be free until you have raised three children” (from mother), and “After you are free you will become creative” (from father). Thus, in the first half of her life Zoe is controlled and protected by her mother and in the second half by her father. In the case of a man, the double-script directive may be the same as above, but the control and protection are reversed: Father during the first phase and Mother during the second. #RandolphHarris 12 of 23

The vegetating age are divided into three classes, and in this country the insignia are financial. Those with losers’ scripts live alone in rooming houses or rundown hotels, and are called old men and old women. Those with nonwinning scripts own and live in small houses where they are free to develop their idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, so that they are known as old characters. Those with winning scripts live in retirement homes run by financial promoters, and are called Senior Citizens, or Mr. and Mrs. Taxpayer, which is how they sign their Letters to the Editor. The cure for the scriptless age is permission, but they seldom use it. There are thousands of older men living in small rooms in every large city, each of them wishing there was someone to cook for him, talk to him, and listen to him. At the same time, there are thousands of older women living under the same circumstances, wishing they had someone to cook for, talk to, and listen to. Even if the twain do happen to meet, they rarely take advantage of it, each preferring to remain in his or her familiar drab surroundings hunched over a glass or a TV set, or sitting with folded hands, waiting for a riskless, sinless death. Those were mother’s directives when they were little, and these are the directives they are following seventy or eight years later. They never took chances before, beyond a small bet at the racetrack of the stadium, so why should they jeopardize everything now? The script has vanished by its own fulfillment, but the old slogan lingers on, and when death comes, they will greet him gladly. And on the front of the tombstone, they will carve: “Gone to rest with his forebears,” and on the back it will say: “I lived a good life, and never took any chances.”. #RandolphHarris 13 of 23

They say that in this century, children will be grown in bottles, according to specifications laid down by the state and the parents, and there they will be genetically programed However, everybody is already raised in a bottle according to specifications laid down by the state and his parents, and there he is script-programed. Script-programing is easier to shake off than genetic programing, but few people exercise the privilege. For the ones who do, there can be a more inspiring tombstone. Nearly all pious epitaphs, translated into Martian, come out “Raised in a bottle, and stayed there, too.” And so they stand, row after row of crosses and other symbols in the graveyard, all with the same motto. Only here and there is a surprise: “Raised in a bottle—but I jumped out.” Many people refuse to do that, even when there is no cork. Genetic history, as opposed to political history, is a record of those moments when a successful gene pool migrates in response to swarming pressures when the hive castes out its future probes. The migrating waves produce the highest peaks of civilization, of culture, of hive philosophy and of art and science. Civilization began in the East. Shuttling up and down the spinal column from Suez to China. The great pyramids of Egypt remind us that long ago women and men looked at the stars and built enormous highways aloft. Inside the pyramids, they assembled all the instruments and comforts needed in a post-terrestrial life. The Egyptian gene pool evolved rapidly and prematurely because they had temporarily solved the four terrestrial survival problems—security, political autonomy, technological predominance and a national sociosexual mythos. The Nile Valley geography produced this early genetic probe into the future. #RandolphHarris 14 of 23

If you are not intelligent about your leadership, the best training in the World cannot make you an effective, respected leader. An intelligent firefighter or EMT is one who is mentally agile, sound in judgement, innovative, tactful, and knowledgeable. Intelligent action will get you through many difficult situations. The Sacramento Fire Department’s intelligence draws on their mental tendencies and resources, shaping their conceptual abilities. These conceptional abilities enable them to exercise sound judgement about their duties and responsibilities even before they implement their concepts and plans. They help the firefighters and EMTs think creatively and reason analytically, critically, ethically, and with cultural sensitivity. Conceptual abilities enable them to consider unintended consequences. The Sacramento Fire Department always thinks through what they expect to occur as a result of a decision. Some decisions may set off a chain of events, so they must attempt to anticipate the second- and third-order effects of their actions. The conceptual components affecting the Sacramento Fire Department’s intelligence include: Mental agility, judgement, innovation, interpersonal tact, and domain knowledge. “I met my wife in 1995, but we didn’t get married until 2000. One of the first things that got us acquainted was when I found out that she went to the same oral surgeon that I did. It wasn’t just broken teeth, I had shattered my upper jaw, I busted it in a million pieces, and I was all wired up. We didn’t meet in the doctor’s office, but once we started talking, you known when you first meet somebody, you have to have something to talk about. She had some problems and went to the same doctor, so we started talking about different ordeals. That’s what we talked about. #RandolphHarris 15 of 23

“I was crazy about the fire department, and she knew before we were married that she was going to be second to the fire department. She doesn’t tell me she worried about the dangers, but when there are firemen’s funerals on TV, she says, ‘Please don’t ever do that to me.’ I tell her I’m real careful. I am aggressive, but I’m careful. She knew about the dangers early on. We were just about to get married, we were getting ready for the pictures and the parties and all that stuff, when we had a fire in the high school library. I was on the hose with this other guy. We crawled in. You know you can take the heat before you crack the line. This guy put the nozzle on a narrow fog. If it had been me, I would have put it on a straight stream, because that stuff turns around and the steam comes right back. I was behind him, and the man behind the line takes a rose beating than the man on the nozzle, because they hit the ceiling.  Everything was hot. It burned this guy and myself. So the big worry of everybody at the wedding was whether I was going to look like a wreck in my wedding pictures. I had these Dumbo ears. When the blisters went down, I still had a lot of scars, but it wasn’t so bad. But it was a big concern to her. How was I going to look? We have one, child, a two-year-old boy. He better get all the education that he can, because I think that we’re looking at two-class society—the people that have the education and the wealth, and the people that don’t have anything. I don’t know where the firefighters are going to fit in, but if firefighters don’t continue to increase their skills—and we’re heading in the right direction—in areas like hazardous materials and emergency medical, we could easily end up down there with the huddled masses #RandolphHarris 16 of 23

“My wife knows that the fire department is giving me something no one can give me, including herself. She knows it is giving me a sense of satisfaction and a sense of personal worth. You see some joker win a million-dollar lottery on TV, I don’t need that. I want to be comfortable, and I want to be secure. My wife knows it. If I ever lost this job or became crippled, I don’t know what I could do. I would have to go to a psychiatrist and have him tell me that I am worth a damn as a human being, and try to get me interested in something else. But I would have a heck of a time, and my wife realizes that.” All members of the Sacramento Fire Department are loyal, dedicated to duty, respectful, selfless, honourable, possess a great deal of integrity and display personal courage in the face of danger and adversity. You can save lives by making a donation to the Sacramento Fire Department. The proud members of the Sacramento Fire Department are committed to providing the highest quality and highest level of courteous and responsive services to the residents, businesses, and visitors of Sacramento. This is accomplished by implementing comprehensive strategies and training in fire prevention, fire suppression, emergency medical services, and all risk mitigation, including human-caused and natural disasters, emergency preparedness, emergency services and community-based fire services. The Sacramento Fire Department physical requirements for the firefighters and EMTs state that you must be medically and physically fit, and able to pass the Occupational Physical Assessment Test. #RandolphHarris 17 of 23

 Therefore, physical and mental toughness are just the basic requirements. You achieve excellence when you habitually show discipline and commitment to the department’s values. Individuals and organizations pursue excellence to improve. Citizens, remember to give the right-of-way to any law enforcement vehicle, fire engine, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle using a siren and red lights. Failure to pull over may result in a ticket. Drive to the right edge of the road and stop until the emergency vehicles(s) have passed. When approaching a stationary emergency vehicle with flashing emergency signal lights (hazard lights), move over and slow down. 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. Moral courage is the willingness to stand firm on values, principles, and convictions. It enables you to stand up for what you believe is right, regardless of the consequences. #RandolphHarris 18 of 23

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. 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. 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. #RandolphHarris 19 of 23

 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 23

In an effort to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. And as you know, there is no better car on Earth than 1950-1970s American Muscle Car. Americans make sure superior product, but we are buying things from other nations. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country.  Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. Las Vegas is running out of buildable land and is expected to reach its maximum number of homes in 2032. So, home prices are expected to rise dramatically. #RandolphHarris 21 of 23

Additionally, State Farm is asking the California Department of Insurance if they can raise homeowner insurance rates by 22 percent. If election for an unprecedented third term, to make housing more affordable and offset the cost of homeowner’s 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. #RandolphHarris 22 of 23

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. 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 in regard to pollution. American companies have to 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. 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. 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 23 of 23

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The Drama Triangle

As neatly as we may try to package our ideas about people, the fact is, people do not fit into neat little packages. A human being is a constantly changing bundle of thoughts, fears, emotions, values, hunches, impressions, judgments, hopes and insights, all tumbling over one another with lightening speed, in no particular order and with no apparent purpose. Yet to understand this jumble, we must first pick it apart and then try to blend it all back together in a coherent whole. This process of picking apart/blending together (or isolation/integration) is as necessary to the living of our lives as it is to the understanding of psychology. Sooner or later, we must gather together our mind-boggling bundle of thoughts, feat, et cetera, and use it as something to operate from. Integrating is a crucial step. It occurs in that most vital of all places, your core. It takes in all you have learned and all you know intuitively. It is the equivalent of master. Integration involves first recognizing the differences between the master and the manipulator, and then allowing the master to take over—effortlessly. The result will be not necessarily a victory for the master or a defeat for the manipulator, but merely an armistice in our own little internal civil wars. Insights come slowly, fitfully, over many months, and in many therapy sessions. Once an insight or a breakthrough is achieved, it is common for the person to return to his or her old pattern of manipulation again and again before developing a new, more productive, pattern. #RandolphHarris 1 of 26

Developing eternal values will help us become all our Heavenly Father wants us to be. In contrast, crime is considered destructive and expensive because it not only directly harms victims through physical injury, property damage, and financial loss, but also creates significant indirect costs for society, including the need for extensive law enforcement, court systems, and incarceration, as well as the negative impacts on community safety, economic productivity, and quality of life for residents due to fear of crime. In a piece of literature called, The Man Who Watched the Train Go By, we have a conscientious clerk, subdued in his home life and in his office, apparently never thinking of anything but doing his duty. Through the discovery of the fraudulent maneuvers of his boss, with the resultant bankruptcy of the firm, his scale of values crashes. The artificial distinction between superior beings, to whom everything is allowed, and inferior ones like himself, to whom only the narrow path of correct behaviour is permitted, crumbles. He too, he realizes, could be “great” and “free.” He could have a mistress, even the very glamorous mistress of his boss. And his pride is by now so inflated that when he actually approaches her, and is rejected, he strangles her. Sought by the police, he is at times afraid, but his main incentive is to defeat the police triumphantly. Even in his attempted suicide this is the chief motivating force. #RandolphHarris 2 of 26

Much more frequently the drive toward a vindictive triumph is hidden. Indeed, because of its destructive nature, it is the most hidden element in the search for glory. It may be that only a rather frantic ambition will be apparent. In analysis alone are we able to see that the driving power behind it is the need to defeat and humiliate others by rising above them. The less harmful need for superiority can, as it were, absorbs the more destructive compulsion. This allows a person to act out his need, and yet feel righteous about it. It is of course important to recognize the specific features of the individual trends involved in the search for glory, because it is always the specific constellation that must be analyzed. However, we can understand neither the nature nor the impact of these trends unless we see them as parts of a coherent entity. Alfred Adler was the first psychoanalyst to see it as a comprehensive phenomenon, and to point out its crucial significance in neurosis. There are various solid proofs that the search for glory is a comprehensive and coherent entity. In the first place, all the individual trends described above regularly occur together in one person. Of course, one or another element may so predominate as to make us speak loosely of, say, an ambitious person, or of a dreamer. However, that does not mean that the dominance of one element indicates the absence of others. #RandolphHarris 3 of 26

The ambitious person will have his grandiose image of himself too; the dreamer will want realistic supremacy, even though the latter factor may be apparent only in the way in which his pride is offended by the success of others. Furthermore, all the individual trends involved are so closely related that the prevailing trend may change during the lifetime of a given person. He may turn from glamorous daydreams to being the perfect father and employer, and again to being the greatest at intimate passions of all times. Lately, they all have in common two general characteristics, both understandable from the genesis and the functions of the whole phenomenon: their compulsive nature and their imaginative character. Both have been mentioned, but it is desirable to have a completer and more succinct picture of their meaning. Their compulsive nature stems from the fact that the self-idealization (and the whole search for glory developing as its sequel) is a neurotic solution. When we call a drive compulsive, we mean the opposite of spontaneous wishes or strivings. The latter are an expression of the real self; the former are determined by the inner necessities of the neurotic structure. The individual must abide by them regardless of his real wishes, feelings, or interests lest he incur anxiety, feel torn by conflicts, be overwhelmed by guilt feelings, feel rejected by others, et cetera. #RandolphHarris 4 of 26

In other words, the difference between spontaneous and compulsive is one between “I want” and “I must in order to avoid some danger.” Although the individual may consciously feel his ambition or his standards of perfection to be what he wants to attain, he is actually driven to attain it. The need for glory has him in its clutches. Since he himself is unaware of the difference between wanting and being driven, we must establish criteria for a distinction between the two. The most decisive one is the fact that he is driven on the road to glory with an utter disregard for himself, for his best interests. (I remember, for example, an ambitious girl, aged ten, who thought she would rather be blind than not become the first in her class.) We have reason to wonder whether more human lives—literally and figuratively—are not sacrificed on the altar of glory then for any other reason. John Gabriel Borkman died when he started to doubt the validity and the possibility of realizing his grandiose mission. Here a truly tragic element enters into the picture. If we sacrifice ourselves for a cause which we, and most healthy people, can realistically find constructive in terms of its value to human beings, that is certainly tragic, but also meaningful. If we fritter away our lives enslaved to the phantom of glory for reasons unknown to ourselves, that assumes the unrelieved proportion of tragic waste—the more so, the more valuable these lives potentially are. #RandolphHarris 5 of 26

Ego and l’atutre moi can be seen as one or split into two. Often ego overlooks the wild utterances of its other side. Worse yet, it may fight against them. All psychopathology seems of this nature. What is not accepted as truly one’s own returns to plague one as a psychic or psychosomatic symptom. It becomes a thorn in the side made thorny by one’s rejection of it. Schizophrenia is an example of the revolution of l’autre moi. It musters force and descends on hapless ego, buffeting it with hallucinations and misperceptions so that vaunted ego can hardly find the rea World anymore. The chronic schizophrenic is a sad and comic picture of a tiny ego claiming victory while all the while pronouncing the very words of l’autre moi. One schizophrenic aptly saw a giant beast wearing pants like a man, having in its long snout-jaw a tiny man which it endlessly tossed around, neither spitting man out into the World nor swallowing him in death. Such a monster I can appreciate and respect. This was an accurate picture of this man’s state—a hapless victim of a monster. This is the end result of the long road of the little ego that cannot meet or learn from its other side. The servant who shares in the wealth of his master enjoys peace. The ego self is a small segment of self, merely the self of public places in a World that is mostly private. #RandolphHarris 6 of 26

If ego and l’autre moi are seen as one, then the conception of self is enlarged. In spite of extensive training to express one’s self in a language, one would need to accept an inner native ability and predilection for representing one’s state in another primal and even archaic language. In this older language, endless images of the World or phrases of the World language are used to faithfully represent one’s state. Here the difficulty lies. Can I speak a language not taught me, a rich language, faithfully showing myself even when I am relatively lost and ignorant? And how can I do this effortlessly? To do this one has to let go of a conventional picture of the self to permit this effortless, wiser one to stand forth. Were I a primitive, I might pray to the inner one, seeking its guidance in signs. However, as a psychologist, I stand in awesome respect for its richness and its spontaneous wisdom. It is appropriate perhaps simply to notice, describe and respect what lies beyond the bounds of struggling ego. Gabriel Marcel describes a mystery as what transcends the data given us. Is the innermost faculty a symbolic mirror which can but represent? Since it lies at the threshold of what we know ourselves to be, and it implies more than can be understood, this faculty deserves respect. There is much more than could be said, some of it requiring many images and dreams to substantiate. One is that this inner self seems to have different values from the ego. #RandolphHarris 7 of 26

What these inner values are cannot be described easily though they seem to involve inner truth, inner worth, and inner uses that transcend ordinary values in the World. Certainly, the inner can be more critical of ourselves and our motives than we are inclined to be. The pursuit of nonviolence in the international field is like the pursuit of politico-economic utopia—a dream. It is laudably idealistic but, unfortunately, it is also ill-founded. The pacifism which preaches a total and absolute nonviolence, applicable all the time and in all situations, fails to recognize what is written all over the universe—the law of opposites. It is their balance which holds all things in the World, all creatures in Nature, together. In human life their conflict breeds violence, and their recession, peace. War can change its form, can lose its brutality, can be lifted to a higher level altogether where words displace weapons, and this will certainly happen. However, war at worst friction at best, will not disappear so long as the ego in man with its negative emotions is his ruler. The common attitude which thoughtlessly proclaims that everything on one side of a case is good and everything on the other is bad, cannot be adopted by a philosopher. For it is dictated by the unconscious complexes of egoism. It brushes aside what is unpleasing or unselfish. It is not honestly concerned, as he is, with truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. #RandolphHarris 8 of 26

 A wise student, therefore, will not accept the demand to choose between two extremes. He will take something from each but tie himself to neither. The part of a fanatic who forces all questions into an “either-or” steel frame is not for him. These sharp divisions into two opposite camps are uncalled for. There is a third alternative which not only combines their own best features but also rises superior to them both. Philosophy seeks this higher view as the outcome of its refusal to take a partisan one, for partisan views contain truth but, because they are too prejudiced or too exaggerated or too one-sided, they also contain untruth. Thus, he will never make the common and harmful error of confusing sentimentality with spirituality. The propagation of the doctrine of pacifist nonviolence as a universal ethic arises out of such an error. Pacifism is a dream. The only practical rule is to meet force with force, to deal firmly when you are dealing with ruthless men, and to renounce the use of violence only when you are dealing with nonviolent men. So it is that while mystical ethics lend themselves to conscientious objections to war, such an attitude is defective from the philosophic standpoint. The philosophic student must be guided by the ideal of service and should not hesitate about the form of service whether it be soldiering or otherwise. Nevertheless, it is necessary to be tolerant and respect the inner voice of others. #RandolphHarris 9 of 26

Certainly, the surrealists wanted to profess materialism. “We are pleased to recognize as one of the prime causes of the muntin non board the battleship Potemkin that terrible piece of meat.” However, there is not with them, as with the Marxists, a feeling of friendship, even intellectual, for that piece of meat. Putrid meat typifies only the real World, which in fact gives birth to revolt, but against itself. It explains nothing, even though it justifies everything. Revolution, for the surrealists, was not an end to be realized day by day, in action, but an absolute and consolatory myth. It was “the real life, like love,” of which Eluard spoke, who at that time had no idea that his friend Kalandra would die of that sort of life. They wanted the “communism of genius,” not the other form of Communism. These peculiar Marxists declared themselves in rebellion against history and extolled the heroic individual. “History is governed by laws, which are conditioned by the cowardice of individuals.” Andre Breton wanted revolution and love together—and they are incompatible. Revolution consists in loving a man who does not yet exist. If he really loves, however, he who loves a living being can only consent to die for the sake of the being he loves. In reality, revolution for Andre Breton was only a particular aspect of rebellion, while for Marxists and, in general, for all political persuasion, only the contrary is true. #RandolphHarris 10 of 26

Mr. Breton was not trying to create, by action, the promised land that was supposed to crown history. One of the fundamental theses of surrealism is, in fact, that there is no salvation. The advantage of revolution was not that it gives mankind happiness, “abominable material comfort.” On the contrary, according to Mr. Breton, it should purify and illuminate man’s tragic condition. World revolution and the terrible sacrifices it implies would only bring one advantage: “preventing the completely artificial precariousness of the social condition from screening the real precariousness of the human condition.” Quite simply, for Mr. Breton, this form of progress was excessive. One might as well say that revolution should be enrolled in the service of the inner asceticism by which individual men can transfigure reality into the supernatural, “the brilliant revenge of man’s imagination.” With Andre Breton, the supernatural holds the same place as the rational does with Hegel. Thus, it would be impossible to imagine a more complete antithesis to the political philosophy of Marxism. The lengthy hesitations of those whom Artaud called the Amiels or revolutions are easily explained. The surrealists were more different from Marx than were reactionaries like Joseph de Maistre, for example. The reactionaries made use of the tragedy of existence to reject revolution—in other words, to preserve a historical situation. The Marxists made us of it to justify revolution—in other words, to preserve a historical situation. Both make use of the human tragedy to further their pragmatic ends. However, Mr. Breton made use of the revolution to consummate the tragedy and, in spite of the tile of his magazine, made use of the revolution to further the surrealist adventure. #RandolphHarris 11 of 26

Evolutionary agent Werner von Braun was born of a noble family in Silesian Germany. Members of predom castes born to aristocratic gene pools at times of technological advance are unusually free to attain stage thirteen Me-generation Self-indulgence and stage fourteen self-actualized status and this choose—id est, are allowed to follow DNA intuitions—to select their robot-role. Von Braun’s mother, another Evolutionary Agent, encouraged her son to study the stars. “For my confirmation,” confided von Braun, “I got a telescope. My mother thought this would make the best gift.” According to biographer Shirley Thomas, “Through this hobby, he happened upon an article in an astronomy magazine that crystallized the patterns his life should take. He relates, ‘I don’t remember the name of the magazine or the author, but the article described an imaginary voyage to the moon. It filled me with a romantic urge. Interplanetary travel! Here was a task worth dedicating one’s life to! Not just to stare through a telescope at the moon and the planets but to soar through the heavens and actually explore the mysterious universe. I new how Columbus had felt.” Reflect on this amazing statement. This preadolescent larval understood how an Evolutionary Agent, who lived 450 years before him, felt about his genetic task. Columbus was clear about his destiny, his obligation to the species. However, the significance of his genetic clarity is, of course, lost upon most biographers. That the young von Braun responded to the genetic imperative behind the Columbus mission is comforting evidence that pre-programmed nervous systems can be activated in preadolescence to extraordinary futique missions. #RandolphHarris 12 of 26

During the period if maturity, the dramatic nature of the script is brought into full flower. Drama in life, as in the theater, is based on “switches,” and these switches have been neatly summarized by Stephen Karpman in a simple diagram her calls “The Drama Triangle.” Each hero in a drama or in life (the protagonists) starts off in one of the three main roles: Rescuer, Persecutor, or Victim, with the other principal player (the antagonist) in one of the other roles. When the crisis occurs, the two players move around the triangle, thus switching roles. One of the commonest switches occurs in divorce. During the marriage, for example, the husband is the persecutor and the wife plays the part of the victim. Once the divorce complaint is filed, these roles are reversed: the wife becomes the persecutor, and the husband the victim, while his lawyer and her lawyer play the part of competing rescuers. In fact, all struggles in life are struggles to move around the triangle in accordance with the demands of the script. Thus, the criminal persecutes his victims; the victim then files a complaint, and becomes the plaintiff or persecutor with the criminal now the victim. If he is caught, the police also become his persecutors. He then hires a professional rescuer, a lawyer, who persecutes the policeman. In an interrupted rape, there is a race around the triangle. The criminal who is persecuting the girl or boy victim becomes the victim of the rescuing police man. The criminal’s lawyer tries to rescue him by persecuting the girl or boy victim and the policeman as well. #RandolphHarris 13 of 26

Fairy tales, treated as dramas, show the exact feature of the drama triangle. Little Red Riding Hood, for example, is a victim of the persecuting wolf until the hunter rescues her, when she suddenly becomes the persecutor, putting stones in the belly of the now victimized wolf. Minor roles in script drama are the Connection and the Patsy, who are available to all three of the main characters. The Connection is the person who supplies what is needed for the switch, usually for a price, and is fully aware of his role: the man who sells liquor, drugs, influence, or guns. A gun, for example, often called an “equalizer,” turns a coward (victim) into a braggart (persecutor), or switches the defensive into the offensive. The Patsy is there to be conned into preventing the switch, or speeding it up. The classical Patsies are juries, and the most poignant are mothers who pay to keep their sons out of jail. Sometimes the Patsy is passive and merely acts as bait for the switch, like Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother. Mr. Karpman has many interesting variables in his fully developed theory, besides role switches. These include space switches (private-public, open-closed, near-far) which preceded, cause, or follow role switches, and script velocity (number of roles switches in a given unit of time). Thus, his thinking reaches far beyond the original roles as described for the game of “Alcoholic,” and brings fascinating insight into numerous aspects of life, psychotherapy, and the theater. Marriages can sometimes also seem like a drama triangle, as mentioned above. What a great many men and women must learn is that they cannot achieve the pleasures they both want until they realize that the most effective relationship is one where a couple views each other as equals. #RandolphHarris 14 of 26

This deceptively simple truth points to one of the most valuable contributions a woman can make to a man’s ability to function effectively, from which she, of course, benefits. The liberated woman learns, among other things, the importance of being free, as men have always been free, to express openly the full range of her intimate excitement and involvement—the delight of wanting and being wanted, being intimate, seeing and being seen, hearing words and uttering them of fragrances and textures, silences and sounds. Her spontaneous feelings, spontaneously communicated, stimulate her partner and heighten his tension, impelling him to act on his own impulses. Whatever she gives him returns to her and whatever he gives her comes back to him. More than half the pleasures of the experience of intimate passions depends on a partner’s response. If there is virtually no reaction at all, or at best passive acceptance, the emotional current steadily weakens and eventually flickers and goes dead. In too many marriages the wife may never say no but never really says yes—and then is puzzled later in life that when she does to bed, her husband stays up to watch television. However, even when saying yes—and meaning it—is not the answer. Active participation does not consist of merely initiating matters which the man is then expected to complete. The woman who wholeheartedly commits herself as an equal in a union of pleasures of the flesh is involved in continuous response to her husband’s changing needs and desires, as he is involved in hers. #RandolphHarris 15 of 26

Like him, she values freshness and variety and from time to time willingly experiments with the many modes of arousal as an expression of her personality and mood of the moment, not as an artificial contrivance to resuscitate flagging desire. The responsiveness of both partners is based on their mutual acceptance as vulnerable human beings with unique needs, expectations and capabilities. The wife does not assume that her husband wants what all men are supposed to want. Sensitive to what he says or reveals without words, she responds to his actual feelings at a specific moment—and she counts on him to do the same for her. Emotional needs, which vary with the mood, time and place, are not labeled “masculine” and “feminine.” If he enjoys it when she manifests a strong urge for pleasures of the flesh, that is fine; and if—as inevitably happens at times—their needs are not complementary, they will gently make their way to the best solution they can negotiate, not as representatives of two different genders but as two separate partners united by a mutual concern. Together they succeed or together they fail in the encounter of pleasures of the flesh, sharing the responsibility for failure, whether it is reflected in his performance or hers. While conclusive proof is still lacking, there are firm grounds for believing that the female who esteems herself as something more than a collector’s item, who has a beneficial appreciation of her biological nature and enters into pleasures of the flesh as a free and equal partner—and who is as responsive to her partner’s needs as she wants him to be to hers—will do more to eliminate male fears of functional failure than all the therapy in the World. #RandolphHarris 16 of 26

One way for persons to rid themselves of the body is to pretend to be somebody else. In so doing, they are “in” neither their actions nor their bodies. If they can obliterate the experience of the body, this pretense is abetted. Such obliteration is carried out through repression of unwelcome somatic experience. Persons will repress any dimensions of their experience that terrify them, or that have led to unbearable pain. Thus, when parents observe children masturbating, they may punish them severely. To avoid future pain, the children may repress all pleasurably body experience. It is as if they have divested themselves of their genitalia to avoid rejections by parents who cannot love a child with urges for pleasures of the flesh. Chronic repression of body experience must manifest itself in some way. Subjectively, repression of bodily experience is experienced as no experience, as a “hole” or an absence in the person’s experience of being. Thus, one person complained, “I feel numb, like a robot.” Objectively, somatic repression manifests itself as character structure, or muscular armour—a peculiar configuration of muscular tonus and flaccidity, which results in a person’s characteristic bodily posture, style of movement, and tone of voice. Somatic repression has profound effects upon autonomic functions of the body, such as breathing, elimination, circulation, and rest. #RandolphHarris 17 of 26

Wilhelm Reich was adept at looking at a naked body and “reading” from it what impulses a person was repressing, and what kinds of conflicts the person likely had with parents. There is no magic in this. If persons have been obliged to live dutiful, unpleasurable lives, and dare not experience, much less express, their rage and resentment, then they must hold the rage in. If you will clench your teeth, tighten your neck, pinch your buttocks tightly together, and then look in the mirror, you will improve your ability to empathize with others who are repressed. A person who has repressed his or her sense of vitality may inhibit the vitality of another person who, before the encounter, felt “full of beans and juices,” very much alive. On making contact with the unembodied one, the individual begins to feel diminished in vitality and zest for life. T is the faculty of reason which differentiates human beings from all Nature’s other creatures. It is this which sets man beyond the animals. However, reason untouched by the finer promptings of the heart, and unillumined by the sublimer intuitions of the mind, degenerates easily into selfish, cunning, and degrades instead of dignifying man. It may be they find it too hard to make the crossing from the older way of thinking to what is demanded of them by the new knowledge: a willingness to accept paradox. For otherwise, they get only a half-truth. Reason gradually becomes paramount as man develops through life after life. #RandolphHarris #RandolphHarris 18 of 26

Unit readiness in the Sacramento Fire Department begins with physically fit firefighters and EMT’s because emergencies drain people physically, mentally, and emotionally. Physical fitness, while crucial for success in the fire department, is important for all members of the team. Physically git people feel more competent and confident, handle stress better, work longer and harder, and recover faster. These attributes provide valuable payoffs in any environment. The physical demand of the job, prolonged hours, and continuous operations can erode more than your body. Physical fitness and adequate rests support mental functioning and emotional stability, both essential for sound leadership. You must be prepared for deprivation. It is difficult to maintain a high level of fitness during fast-paced, demanding operations. If you are not physically fit, your mental and emotional fitness will suffer as well. Sacramento firefighters and EMT’s operate in difficult terrain, extreme climates, and at high altitudes, and this requires extensive physical preconditioning. Once you are in the area of operations, you must make every effort to sustain physical readiness. Preparedness for operational missions is the primary focus of the Sacramento Fire Department’s physical fitness program. Fitness programs that merely emphasize top scores on the Fire Department Fitness Test do not prepare firefighters for the strenuous demands of firefighting and rescue. As forward-looking leaders, the Sacramento Fire Department has developed a balanced physical fitness program that enables fire fighters and EMT’s to execute the department’s mission-essential task last. #RandolphHarris 19 of 26

Ultimately, the Sacramento Fire Department’s physical fitness requirements have a significant impact on the team’s personal performance and health. Since their decisions affect their organization’s response times and performance, health and safety, it is an ethical as well as a practical imperative to remain health and fit. “I got married after I got into the fire department. I met my wide when we were both in college. We have one child, a baby girl, two months old. My wife doesn’t like me being in the fire department, and since I got hurt, she is really kind of scared. But she knows that it’s what I want to do. I’m sure she wouldn’t want our girl to be a firefighter when she grows up. I’d just like her, the baby, to do what she wants to do. When my wife had our first child at the hospital, I went in there and helped deliver it. It was a lot of fun, and I assisted. I was trained in Lamaze classes. I was there with our second child also. It’s a tremendous feeling to be there, bringing a new individual into the World. They teach in Lamaze class that it creates a bonding effect between you and the mother, and you and the child. I believe that 100 percent. My kids are real special. And as you grow up as an individual yourself, you see mistakes that you made, and you want to make sure that your child doesn’t make those same mistakes. You want to the best for your children. They are too young to have an interest in the fire service. My little boy’s only seven. They like going to the station. I just want them to grow up happy, to live a good life and live long, and be happy in what they do. Material things aren’t important. It would be nice if Nicholas became a firefighter. #RandolphHarris 20 of 26

The Sacramento Fire Department is older than the City of Sacramento. Today, 5 February 2025, the Sacramento Fire Department is celebrating their 175th birthday. This is a very important milestone. Understanding the expectations and applying the attributes and competencies prepares the Sacramento Fire Department for situations they are likely to encounter. Fire fighters who gain expertise through operational assignments, institutional learning, and self-development will be versatile enough to adapt to most situations and grow into greater responsibilities. All members of the Sacramento Fire Department are loyal, dedicated to duty, respectful, selfless, honourable, possess a great deal of integrity and display personal courage in the face of danger and adversity. You can save lives by making a donation to the Sacramento Fire Department. The proud members of the Sacramento Fire Department are committed to providing the highest quality and highest level of courteous and responsive services to the residents, businesses, and visitors of Sacramento. This is accomplished by implementing comprehensive strategies and training in fire prevention, fire suppression, emergency medical services, and all risk mitigation, including human-caused and natural disasters, emergency preparedness, emergency services and community-based fire services. The Sacramento Fire Department physical requirements for the firefighters and EMTs state that you must be medically and physically fit, and able to pass the Occupational Physical Assessment Test. Therefore, physical and mental toughness are just the basic requirements. You achieve excellence when you habitually show discipline and commitment to the department’s values. Individuals and organizations pursue excellence to improve. #RandolphHarris 21 of 26

Citizens, remember to give the right-of-way to any law enforcement vehicle, fire engine, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle using a siren and red lights. Failure to pull over may result in a ticket. Drive to the right edge of the road and stop until the emergency vehicles(s) have passed. When approaching a stationary emergency vehicle with flashing emergency signal lights (hazard lights), move over and slow down. 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. Moral courage is the willingness to stand firm on values, principles, and convictions. It enables you to stand up for what you believe is right, regardless of the consequences.  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 22 of 26

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. 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. 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 23 of 26

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. In an effort to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. And as you know, there is no better car on Earth than 1950-1970s American Muscle Car. Americans make sure superior product, but we are buying things from other nations. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country.  Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. #RandolphHarris 24 of 26

With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. Las Vegas is running out of buildable land and is expected to reach its maximum number of homes in 2032. So, home prices are expected to rise dramatically. 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. 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. #RandolphHarris  25 of 26

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 in regard to pollution. American companies have to 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. 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. 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 26 of 26

The Winchester Mystery House

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.)

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 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/

Public Attitudes Influence Private Relationships

A relationship takes time to develop. When we have meaningful relations with them, our ability to care for others is increased. Look for opportunities to maintain contact. Studies show that letting people know you care is essential to healthy relationships. Visit often with those you care about. In healthy human relationships, the moves toward, against, or away from others are not mutually exclusive. The ability to want and to give affection, or to give in; the ability to fight, and the ability to keep to oneself—these are complementary capacities necessary for good human relations. However, in the child who feels himself on precarious ground because of his basic anxiety, these moves become extreme and rigid. Affection, for instance, becomes clinging; compliance becomes appeasement. Similarly, he is driven to rebel or to keep aloof, without reference to his real feelings and regardless of the inappropriateness of his attitude in a particular situation. The degree of blindness and rigidity in his attitudes is in proportion to the intensity of the basic anxiety lurking within him. Since under these conditions the child is driven not only in one of these directions, but in all of them, he develops fundamentally contradictory attitudes toward others. The three moves toward, against, and away from others therefore constitute a conflict, his basic conflict with others. In time, he tries to solve it by making one of these moves consistently predominant—tries to make his prevailing attitude one of compliance, or aggressive, or aloofness. #RandolphHarris 1 of 24

This first attempt at solving neurotic conflicts is by no means superficial. On the contrary, it has a determining influence upon the further course his neurotic development takes. Not does it exclusively concern attitudes toward others; inevitably, it entails certain changes in the whole personality. According to his main direction, the child also develops certain appropriate needs, sensitivities, inhibitions, and the beginnings of moral values. The predominately complying child, for instance, tends not only to subordinate himself to others and to lean on them, but also tries to be unselfish and good. Similarly, the aggressive child starts to place value on strength and on the capacity to endure and to fight. However, the integrating effect of this first solution is not as firm or comprehensive as in the neurotic solutions. In one girl, for instance, complaint trends had become predominant. They showed in a blind adoration of certain authoritative figures, in tendencies to please and appease, in a timidity about expressing her own wishes, and in sporadic attempts to sacrifice. At the age of eight, she placed some of her toys in the street for some less affluent child to find, without telling anybody about it. At the age of eleven, she tried in her childish way for a kind of mystic surrender in prayer. There were fantasies of being punished by teachers on whom she had a crush. However, up to the age of nineteen, she also could easily fall in with plans evolved by others to take revenge on some teacher; while mostly being like a little lamb, she did occasionally take the lead in rebellious activities at school. And, when disappointed in the minister of her church, she switched from a seeming religious devotion to a temporary cynicism. #RandolphHarris 2 of 24

The reasons for the looseness of integration achieved—of which this illustration is typical—lie partly in the immaturity of the growing individual and partly in the fact that the early solutions aims chiefly at a unification of relations with others. There is therefore room, and indeed a need, for firmer integration. The particulars of the unfavourable environmental conditions are different in each case, as are those of the course the development takes, and its outcome. However, it always impairs the inner strength and coherence of the individual, and thereby always generates certain vital needs for remedying the resulting deficiencies. Although these are closely interwoven, we can distinguish the following aspects: Despite his early attempts at solving his conflicts with others, the individual is still divided and needs a firmer and more comprehensive integration. For many reasons, he has not had the chance to develop real self-confidence: his inner strength has been sapped by his having to be on the defensive, by his being divided, by the way in which his early “solution” initiated a one-side development, thereby making large areas of his personality unavailable for constructive uses. Hence, he desperately needs self-confidence, or a substitute for it. He does not feel weakened in a vacuum, but feels specifically less substantial, less well equipped for life than others. If he had a sense of belonging, his feeling inferior to others would not be so serious a limitation. However, living in a competitive society, and feeling at bottom—as he does—isolated and hostile, he can only develop an urgent need to life himself above others. #RandolphHarris 3 of 24

In our case studying involving Nick, one of his problems was that he wanted all his relationships to consist of core-to-core contact. He expected people, in the normal course of dealing with him, to express their deepest feelings of love—often in situations which where such expression was inappropriate. When people did not contact him core-to-core, he took it as evidence that they did not love him. Based on his early training, Nick believed that not being loved was tantamount to being killed. At the same time, he was constantly exaggerating his own feelings of love when dealing with others. Often, he could not refuse to do favours for casual acquaintances. Deep down, he welcomed the opportunity to do the favours—no matter how inconvenient—because in doing them, he would build up a “love debt.” To Nick’s type of manipulator, a “love dept” works like this: “Just to show you what a nice guy I am and how much I love you, I will do you this favour. However, when I ask you for a favour, I expect you to pay me back—whether you want to or not.” When I asked Nick to do the bust, I suspected that he would interpret everyone’s reaction as a core-to-core contact. He did this, and everything was fine as long as people were saying, “The statue is good.” Nick was translating that as, “You did a good job. You are a good boy, Nick. I love you.” However, when people started saying things like, “The brow is too heavy,” Nick translated it as, “You did a bad job. You are a bad boy. I do not love you.” Naturally, the people in the group were making only peripheral contact. They were not talking about him; they were talking about his work. #RandolphHarris 4 of 24

Nick’s problem with criticism is a common one. Most people take criticism personally—that is, they assume that what other people say about their work is a criticism of them as human beings. They mistake peripheral contact for core-to-core contact. In real life, a comment about someone’s work is usually peripheral. Work is something a person does; it is not who he is. A comment about someone’s work can be core-to-core contact, however. Example: “Nick, I see you really express yourself in your work. It is great that you are able to do that.” A comment can also be critical and be core-to-core. Example: “I see a lot of ugliness in your work. This ugliness is an outgrowth of how ugly you are as a person.” Both of these examples are meant to be evaluations of the person as well as the work. Viewed as such, both are considerably “heavier” than a peripheral remark about some aspect of the work. There is another kind of problem with the rhythm of people relating that is the opposite of Nick’s. It occurs with people who never permit-core-to-core contact. In the extreme, someone who does this would be a schizophrenic—more or less permanently withdraw. For most people, the rhythm of relating naturally flows from withdrawal to peripheral contact to core-to-core, back to peripheral and withdrawal, over and over in random patterns. This is the rhythm of life. Disruptions in relationships occur when the rhythm is disrupted. Divorce, for example, often results when one spouse refuses either core contact or withdrawal by the other spouse. #RandolphHarris 5 of 24

 A wife who refuses to allow her husband’s withdrawal might make a comment like, “If you loved me, you would not want to go out with the boys.” A husband who refuses core-to-core contact might say, “Quit asking me to tell you, ‘I love you,’ all the time. It is not manly.”  As a result, many woman have a double-standard residual—a reflection of the traditional view of the woman’s role, with the culture assigning her the responsibility of meeting the man’s needs…Today we are in transition, and we will have to assume that a young couple does not want to live in accord with that traditional standard. However, can they really make progress towards gender equality without undermining the relationship of pleasures of the flesh itself? The increasing acceptance of American women as independent persons is an irreversible process. And the final outcome seems clear: women will join men as full partners. This prospect evokes uneasiness and even anxiety in many people, women as well as men. Change is never more unsettling than when it raises questions about fundamental matters that have always been taken for granted. And few matters seem less open to question than the nature of sexual identity and the importance of differences between the genders. Both women and men are thus understandably disturbed to find themselves confronted with the possibility of much of what they believe about the female gender may be inaccurate or untrue. The new outlook introduced a disconcerting and troubling element into their World. #RandolphHarris 6 of 24

Such alarm is groundless, based for the most part on confusion and misconceptions that need clarification. Not all aspects of the problem can be dealt with in this limited space, but several important considerations can be raised as a contribution to the dialogue now going on between women and men all over the World. A primary and rather obvious distinction must first be made. The common basis on which men and women cooperate in society at large is not the same as the unique basis on which a specific couple coexist in private. The two Worlds are separate realms of experience with radically different requirements for success—performance at work, fulfillment at home—and they involve different risks and rewards. For any woman determined to develop her independence beyond traditional lines, there is no possibility of weighing the consequences without taking into account whether the steps she takes will influence the life she leads in public or in private. The Liberation Movement possesses a different significance in each of these Worlds. To overlook this distinction is to blur the meaning of the movement and to transform any discussion of the matter into a futile debate. Both Worlds, of course, do interact. If she were in the usual subordinate position at work, dominated by males, a self-assured woman who works on a basis of equality with male colleagues, for example, is likely to find it easier to establish a personal relationship with a man based on mutual needs. This highly complex crossover effect—from public to private life—deserves further careful study. All that can be noted now is that public attitudes influence private relationships. #RandolphHarris 7 of 24

There are relatively consistent difference between what can be identified as ego consciousness and l’autre moi. Ego anticipates its acts and appears to choose them. They have an immediate meaning to ego. In contrast l’autre moi seems unanticipated, surprising, and the choosing is not apparent. To ego it is more or less alien. What ego does has immediate meaning to itself. The acts of l’autre moi appear meaningless or difficult to translate into usable meaning. The majority of people in the World discard messages of l’ature moi as useless, unimportant (how many study their dreams?), or even non-existent. Meaning to l’ature moi exists in itself. Ego acts in a temporal landscape with past and future. Within the view of l’autre moi there is timelessness. Everything is now. Now is the whole scope of things. Ego has a single identity. I am Lestat De Lioncourt. L’autre moi can be said to either have no identity or all identities. The two seem to be the same. Though invisible in itself, it can represent itself in all things. Ego sees itself as an agent in an independent real World. L’autre moi is itself its own agent-World. From the viewpoint of l’autre moi all Worlds are representations of itself. Ego must search for what is true and carefully check on it. L’autre moi represents truth instantly and without effort. After years of work with people’s dreams I have far more respect for the unfailing accuracy of dreams than I have for what people say of themselves. All considered, it seems l’autre moi is wiser than ego. There are two aspects of the other me that are difficult to see from ego’s limited view. L’autre moi sees the World as representative of itself. #RandolphHarris 8 of 24

In dreams, friend may be used as examples of one’s own traits. The same is true of houses, cats, et cetera. From the side view, all things are examples of aspects of this large self. I have received many humorous comments from l’ature moi when awakening, where the World was taken as its representation. For instance, I once heard someone say, “here is a mondo (problem in the Zen sense) for you.” In the next instant I was awake looking at the problem, the Word itself. The real World is the unsolved problem presented to me. L’autre moi also uses time itself as its representation. It is as though it uses time as one might use the sequence of a drama to illustrate the character of a person. Its aim seems to be to portray its nature with a time sequence as a device to do this. Its time-transcending quality seems to permit the occasional appearance of precognition. It is as though the past, present, and future were all one to it. An urgent appeal to the absent life is reinforced by a total rejection of the present World, as Breton’s arrogant statement indicates: “Incapable of accepting the fate assigned to me, my highest perceptions outraged by this denial of justice, I refrain from adapting my existence to the ridiculous conditions of existence here below.” The mind, according to Breton, can find no point of rest either in this life or beyond it. Surrealism wants to find a solution to this endless anxiety. It is “a cry of the mind which turns against itself and finally takes the desperate decision to throw off its bonds.” It protests against death and “the laughable duration” or a precarious condition. #RandolphHarris 9 of 24

This, surrealism places itself at the mercy of impatience. It exists in a condition of wounded frenzy: at once inflexible and self-righteous, with the consequent implication of a moral philosophy. Surrealism, the gospel of chaos, found itself compelled, from its very inception, to create an order. However, at first it only dreamed of destruction—by poetry, to begin with—on the plane of imprecation, and later by the use of actual weapons. The trial of the real World has become, by logical development, the trial of creation. Surrealist irreligion is methodical and rational. At first it established itself on the idea of the absolute non-culpability of man, to whom one should render “all the power that he has been capable of putting into the word God.” As in every history of rebellion, this idea of absolute non-culpability, springing from despair, was little by little transformed into a mania for punishment. The surrealist, while simultaneously exalting human innocence, believed that they could exalt murder and suicide. They spoke of suicide as a solution and Crevel, who considered this solution “the most probable, just, and definitive,” killed himself, as did Rigaut and Vache. Later Aragon was to condemn the “babblers about suicide.” Nevertheless, the fact remains that to extol annihilation, without personal involvement, is not a very honourable course. On this point surrealism has retained, from the “litterature” it despised, the most facile excuses and has justified Rigaud’s staggering remark: “You are all poets, and I myself am on the side of death.” #RandolphHarris 10 of 24

The materialists resists evil from a selfish standpoint and with angry or hateful feeling, the mystic practises nonresistance to the point of martyrdom the philosopher resists evil but from the standpoint of common welfare and in a spirit of calm, impersonal duty. Sir Arthur Bryant: “Christ’s injunction to the angry and revengeful to turn the other cheek was addressed to the individual, seeking by forbearance to render unto God, for his soul’s sake, the things that are God’s, and not to the rulers of society. Christ never….bade his followers to turn someone else’s cheek to the lawless and aggressor.” He who would trust to the goodness of human nature at its present stage of evolution may meet with justification in some instances but with disappointment in many more. The primary and justifiable use of destructive weapons should be for self-defense. When however, through greed or fondness for fighting, they are turned to offensive and aggressive uses, he who thus violates ethical laws, will, sooner or later, have to pay the wages of sin. This is equally true of individual gangsters as of imperialistic militarists. When the bloodshed and horrors of fighting have to be experienced by the one of the Quest, let him steel his nerves and toughen his feelings by sheer effort of willpower. Let him console himself in the knowledge that it is only a temporary affair and will have to come to an end, at which time he can then live the kind of life he wants to live. #RandolphHarris 11 of 24

Such a state of affairs, although a terrible business, underlines Jesus Christ’s teachings about the ever presence of suffering and the consequent necessity of finding an inner refuge from it. Whatever happens, he must try to keep his moral outlook undegraded by outside pressures. Good character is the foundation of a worthwhile life, spiritually and materially. In the 16th century, the Old World faced the challenging opportunity of colonizing a vast and rich New World. Two psychosocial systems—the Anglo-Celtic and the Mediterranean-set up civilizations in North America and South America respectively. The Anglo-Celtic psychosocial model is based upon individualism. It emphasizes democratic rule, open communication, free mobility, plurality of lifestyle, personal growth, tolerance of difference, encouragement of invention, competition, experimentation, creativity, decentralization, private enterprise, free market exchange, and distrust of military authority. The Mediterranean psychosocial model is derived from Eastern and Middle-Eastern philosophies. It emphasizes subordination of the individual to authoritarian hive-rues; restriction of communication—censorship; restriction of movement, controlled uniformity of lifestyle; discouragement of personal growth; rigid maintenance of herd-tradition; state monopoly; distrust of the inventive experimental approach; glorification of military control; centralization; enterprise; obedience to bureaucracy; and suppression of differences. #RandolphHarris 12 of 24

The difference between the neuropolitics of the two experiments provide interesting perspectives for anticipating what will happen in the future as the limitless riches of post-terrestrial space attract Old World social competition. A brief examination of the evolution of these two social models in South and North America provides instructive suggestions for the future of space colonization. The technological and economic solutions necessary for permanent and highly profitable High Orbital Mini-Earths—H.O.M.E.S.—must be adequately worked out. The future of post-terrestrial Plan-It colonization depends on resolving software issues, including mobilization of public opinion supporting free migration, democratic access to available resources, political and cultural control, and psychosocial models and metaphours to guide life in the new custom-made Worlds. Plan-it colonies in high orbit provide a ecological vacuum in which human caste differences can blossom. The best way to avoid the emergence of civil-service bureaucracies, military dictatorships, class struggles, centralized monopolies, impositions of standardized life-styles—the South Americanization of space—is to reexamine the specific factors that led to the success of the North American model. Emphasis on individuality, the open invitation to migrants from every continent, and free communication made the emergence of a United States of America possible. It is equally important to review the mistakes made by the North American pioneers. #RandolphHarris 13 of 24

The prospect of space settlement gracefully harnesses the imagination of freedom loving people throughout the planet. Many hope to recall, renew, reinvigorate and repeat the successful aspects of the Jeffersonian-Edisonian model. Among these factors are the frontier expansive spirit, the independent, self-actualized western hero-heroine, the small gene pool group seeking to live out a new vision, adventure and calculated risk, the genetic imperative, and the melting-pot open-society mystique. The rugged individual has tremendous allure. Maturity can be defined in four different ways. Trial by law. A person is mature when he is mentally competent and has reached the age of twenty-one. According to Hebrew law, a boy becomes a man when he reaches the age of thirteen. Trial by Parental prejudice. A person is mature when he does things my way, and immature if he does them his way. Trial by initiation. A person is mature when he has passed certain tests. In primitive societies these tests are tough and traditional. In industrial countries, he gets his maturity certificate when he passes his driving test. In special cases, he may be given psychological tests and his maturity or immaturity is then certified by the psychologist. Trial by living. For the script analyst, maturity is tested by external events. The tests begin when the person is about to come out of a supervised and sheltered environment and the World moves in on him on its own terms. They start in the senior year of college, the final year of apprenticeship, at promotion or parole time, at the end of the honeymoon, or whenever the first opportunity offers itself in open competition or cooperation from script failure or success. #RandolphHarris 14 of 24

From this point of view, the common success and failures in life depend on parental permissions. Jeder does or does not have permission to graduate from college, complete his apprenticeship, stay married, stop drinking, get promoted or elected or paroled, stay out of the mental hospital, or get well if he goes to a psychiatrist. Through grade school and high school and the early years of college, it is possible to survive failures and even juvenile hall and reform school, especially in this country where minors are often given another chance. Nevertheless, there is a small number of suicides, homicides, and addictions among adolescents, and a larger number of optional car crashes and psychoses. In less lenient countries, a failure to matriculate into college, or a criminal record, are for real, and once such mark is enough to se the individual’s course for the rest of his life. For the most part, however, early failures are rehearsals rather than final performances, and playing for keeps does not begin until the twenties. Hardly anyone experience fullest range of emotions of which humans are capable. Not only does one’s culture impose limits upon the experience and expression of emotion; one’s own family will also influence which emotions are aroused and which will be expressed. Because the expression of emotion is so important to both the quality of life and to health, it is important to reflect upon your own emotional habits. What situations provoke you to anger, for example? And to fear or anxiety? Both fear and anger can enrich life and foster growth, but irrational fears and rage can destroy the quality of existence. #RandolphHarris 15 of 24

If you are chronically in a fury about everything—if everyone’s behaviour seems imperfect, if their appearance angers you, if the slightest deviation from your view of perfection puts you into an ill-concealed rage—then your life might ne enhanced if you could alter your expectations in reasonable ways. You would seek help to achieve better use of your emotional life. If you are “running scared,” it is possible that you view yourself as weaker and more helpless than is warranted; you might be able to challenge yourself to face those situations you dread and discover that you can cope. Can you express your emotions without guilt or anxiety, and without being destructive to self and others? One of the most wholesome guarantors of healthy and joie de vivre is the freedom to express your feelings. If you are chronically suppressed and emotionally inhibited, it may be worthwhile to “let go” a little, to test whether it is really so dangerous to laugh, cry, become angry, or tender and affectionate. If available and properly led, encounter groups can provide persons with the opportunity to explore their possibilities for experiencing and expressing their genuine feelings. Falsifying emotion can be a pernicious influence upon your life. Let the other people in your life know your authentic feelings toward them, especially those with whom you have a personal relationship (as opposed to a more formal role relationship.) To be emotionally dishonest is to set the stage for estrangement from others and for self-alienation. #RandolphHarris 16 of 24

Furthermore, your sensitivity to others’ emotions and your receptivity to their feelings, no matter how different from your own, can help your friends and those about you to grow and “become.” Can you show understanding and acceptance of emotions that are strong and even sudden in their expression, or do such expression frighten you and in turn discourage your friends from expressing themselves authentically? In dealing with temporary, short-term explosions of feeling, such as in temper tantrums, can you wait them out sympathetically, showing understanding of the person’s degree of upset—and yet not reward the child (or adult for that matter) by giving into what he or she wants just to gain quiet? One of the characteristics of good friendships and of good parenting is the freedom of the persons concerned to fully trust each other to express emotionality honestly and openly, especially when the emotional expression is not a particularly pretty one. At the same time, sharing another’s joys and delights also facilitates depth in friendships and in parent-child relationships. Nonviolence is, and always has been, desperately needed by the World. However, it must be applied sensibly and understood wisely. For, ill-placed or false, it will encourage crime, condoning it rather than deterring men from it. This is something we frequently see in Sacramento, California. Criminals in professional positions like to harass and target people and break the law and try to set the victim up to take their fall. Because so many of these professional criminals are connected, they often get others to back them up and send them their enforcers. Even when things go wrong, when you take full responsibility for your decisions and actions, you display moral courage. Moral courage also expresses itself as candor. Candor means being frank, honest, and sincere with others. It requires steering clear of bas, prejudice, or malice even when it is uncomfortable or may seem better to keep quiet. #RandolphHarris 17 of 24

Trust relationships between you and your teammates rely on candor. Without it, your team members will not know if they have met the standard and you will not know what is going on in their organization. When planning and deciding an operation, try to envision the impact on firefighters, EMTs, and the public. The ability to see something from another person’s point of view, to identify with and enter into another person’s feelings and emotions, enables you to better care for everyone you work with. As a competent and empathetic leader, you take care of others by giving them the training, equipment, and all the support they need to keep them alive during an emergency situation and accomplish the mission. During a fire and difficult operations, you share the hardships with your people to gauge if their plans and decisions are realistic. As a competent and empathic leader, you also recognize the need to provide your team members with reasonable comforts and rest periods to maintain good morale and mission effectiveness. When a unit or organization suffers injuries or death, you can help ease the trauma and suffering in the Sacramento Fire Department to restore full readiness as quickly as possible. Empathy also includes nourishing a close relationship between the fire department, EMTs, and the families of those who work with the Sacramento Fire Department. To build a strong and ready force, you must promote self-sufficient and healthy families. Empathy for families includes allowing your crew recovery time from difficult missions, protecting leave periods, permitting critical appointments, as well as supporting events that allow information exchange and family team-building. #RandolphHarris 18 of 24

The requirement for leader empathy in the Sacramento Fire Department extend beyond the firehouse. Within the larger operational environment, leader empathy may be helpful when dealing with local populations and victims. “I never pushed it with my two sons. They knew that I was involved, and it was always around them. I have one son who thought it was interesting, but never chose to get involved, which is perfectly okay. There is no reason why he should. I have another son who did choose to get involved. He became a volunteer and served on the rescue squad, became a firefighter and an EMT. He is now a professional ski patrolman. I think that it’s one of those things that people have to do for themselves, you can’t inflict it upon anybody else. There has to be a tremendous desire to want to do it.” The Sacramento Fire Department is older than the City of Sacramento. On 5 February 2025, the Sacramento Fire Department will be celebrating their 175th birthday. This is a very important milestone. Understanding the expectations and applying the attributes and competencies prepares the Sacramento Fire Department for situations they are likely to encounter. Fire fighters who gain expertise through operational assignments, institutional learning, and self-development will be versatile enough to adapt to most situations and grow into greater responsibilities. All members of the Sacramento Fire Department are loyal, dedicated to duty, respectful, selfless, honourable, possess a great deal of integrity and display personal courage in the face of danger and adversity. You can save lives by making a donation to the Sacramento Fire Department. The proud members of the Sacramento Fire Department are committed to providing the highest quality and highest level of courteous and responsive services to the residents, businesses, and visitors of Sacramento. This is accomplished by implementing comprehensive strategies and training in fire prevention, fire suppression, emergency medical services, and all risk mitigation, including human-caused and natural disasters, emergency preparedness, emergency services and community-based fire services. The Sacramento Fire Department physical requirements for the firefighters and EMTs state that you must be medically and physically fit, and able to pass the Occupational Physical Assessment Test. Therefore, physical and mental toughness are just the basic requirements. You achieve excellence when you habitually show discipline and commitment to the department’s values. Individuals and organizations pursue excellence to improve. #RandolphHarris 19 of 24

Citizens, remember to give the right-of-way to any law enforcement vehicle, fire engine, ambulance, or other emergency vehicle using a siren and red lights. Failure to pull over may result in a ticket. Drive to the right edge of the road and stop until the emergency vehicles(s) have passed. When approaching a stationary emergency vehicle with flashing emergency signal lights (hazard lights), move over and slow down. 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. Moral courage is the willingness to stand firm on values, principles, and convictions. It enables you to stand up for what you believe is right, regardless of the consequences.  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 20 of 24

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. 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. 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 21 of 24

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 healthy and safety. In 2024, Americans spent $100 billion on Japanese cars. In an effort to help America pull through the massive national deficit, please buy American made cars. American made cars used to be the envy of the World and because American car brands are offering a wide range of options, from family SUVs to electric vehicles and luxury sedans, we are now seeing a resurging interest. American made cars are equal or superior to those made overseas. The Chevrolet Trax, for instance, is a well-designed, fuel efficient, and safe SUV. And as you know, there is no better car on Earth than 1950-1970s American Muscle Car. Americans make sure superior product, but we are buying things from other nations. American food imports have risen by 300 percent since 1999. American farmland declined by nearly 20 million acres between 2017 and 2022. As of 2022, there were 880.1 million acres of land dedicated to farming, compared to 900.1 million in 2017. The data shows there are now little more than 1.9 million farms in the country.  Americans and American corporations spent $136 billion on food and beverages from other countries. It is a national security risk to lose American Farms and farmers. If there is a war, and most of our meat, produce, poultry, dairy, and fruit is coming from foreign counties, we stand the risk of starving. #RandolphHarris 22 of 24

With war breaking out all over the World, in these uncertain times, it is very important to bring American farms back. Las Vegas is running out of buildable land and is expected to reach its maximum number of homes in 2032. So, home prices are expected to rise dramatically. 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. 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. #RandolphHarris 23 of 24

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 in regard to pollution. American companies have to 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. 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. 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 24 of 24

Ventris Place

Laguna Park, CA | From the Mid 500’s

Now Selling!

Welcome to the New Fabulous Forties! This intimate enclave of 37 homesites with available one- and two-story floorplans is the place to be in Sacramento. Waking up to a home you love sets just the right tone for what is ahead. Ventris Place offers beautifully designed homes. Danville, Residence 4, has 3 to 4 bedrooms and a loft across 1,846 square feet of living space.

Danville gives two levels, each one with its own defining purpose to create exactly what you need and want in the moment. Your home will flex with you, whether you need to invite work or play right into your comfort zone. There are also nooks that conjure up a visionary escape, welcoming you to lounge or create for the perfect work love balance. A main level with sweeping, open spaces and down to earth textures and tones, is designed with all the luxury details and faraway feels, much like the extended Laguna Park neighbourhood it occupies.

Organically designed to pull the outdoors and the indoors out, you can dine alfresco right of your gourmet kitchen or make the night bright, sitting on your side yard, for an entirely fresh perspective. A setting that is as cool as it is calm, elegant, and ready for the way you want to live. You will enjoy this home for generations to come.

Just a few steps from your door and located in the Elk Grove School District, enjoy the features of the 22 acres North Laguna Creek Park, which includes paved paths, tennis courts, a basketball court, playgrounds, picnic areas, ball fields and 119-acre Wildlife Area and Interpretive Trail.

Your new home is within walking distance to Cosumnes River College and Regal RA Laguna Village and 24-Hour Fitness Laguna Sport Gym. Also, in close proximity to Kaiser Medical Centers, Winco Foods, Shell and Chevron gas stations, Walmart, and highway 99. This is the perfect community for those who are on the go, or just want to enjoy life at a slower place. The convenience is uniquely charming. https://nextgenerationcapital.us/new-homes-elk-grove-ventris-place/

Wishing you lots of love and happiness in your new home. #VentrisPlace

The Ultimate Driving Machine

BMW has also made its mark in pop culture. The brand has been featured in countless movies, TV shows, and songs, often as a symbol of luxury, power, and success. For example, in the James Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies,” Bond drives a BMW 750iL equipped with all sorts of high-tech gadgets, showcasing the brand’s blend of performance and innovation. https://www.brianharrisbmw.com/

Harris Plumbing, Heating, Air, & Electric

Make it your New Year’s Resolution to take care of your home so it can take care of you! Harris offers a Happy Home Club with membership-only benefits. Have peace of mind and more free time when you know Harris is there to offer quick whole-home solutions. Let us keep your home comfortable the whole year! harrisplumbingheatingairelectric.vista.page

A Harris Home is a Happy Home.

For the Best Prices in Town! https://bmw.niello.com/