 Image created by Joseph Olejak using nano banana On September 5, 2025, Hegseth said changing the name of the Defense Department to the Department of War was part of his campaign to spread a “warrior ethos” at the Pentagon. The rebranding, he said, was part of “restoring intentionality to the use of force…. We’re going to go on offense, not just on defense. Maximum lethality, not tepid legality, violent effect, not politically correct."
And, by jingo, a year later, this is where we are -- mired down in yet another Middle East war with no end in sight. Maybe it's time for the American people to go on the offense too? And support maximum rationality, not idiotic stupidity, vociferous damnation, not political cooperation. Maybe it's time to stop feeding a dysfunctional system? I've heard from friends over the last many weeks urging me to get into politics or support a better candidate, etc etc. Saying in effect we just need better people and better policies. More people need to get out and vote. My answer is NO and here's why. The system is broken. A better tire on a car with two broken axles and no engine is pointless. A cabal of two political parties suckling at the teat of corporate money is the club in charge ... and guess what ... you ain't in it. No matter how much noise you make, how many letters you write, or how many small dollar donations you make to candidates promising change ... the system that is baked in place is designed on purpose (through supreme court rulings) to fail the people. . They have everything they need to keep going EXCEPT ONE VERY IMPORTANT THING ... the consent of the governed. What if no one showed up? CONSENT COMES FROM VOTING ... if there are no votes there is no mandate ... if there is no mandate they are illegitimate. Political power is rooted in three things: economic power, military power & the consent of the governed. Every system that had military and economic power without the consent of the governed has failed. In March I wrote that the way to undermine corrupt political systems is to make them irrelevant. When I said become a dropout I meant stop engaging in actions that deliver crumbs. Herod and Pilot were occupiers. Christ delivered the Sermon on the Mount and he delivered the goods too! Now insert Democrat and Republican in that story line and you can see clearly that the only way to bring sanity to governance is to step outside the system. Build something new. And by dropout I don't mean being a "do-nothing" or a person who doesn't care. DO SOMETHING AND CARE DEEPLY ... just do it hyper local. We need to create our own islands of sanity and we need to do it in a way where we can look each other in the eye, know one another, trust one another and, if necessary, hold one another accountable. Politics is a spiritual practice. Our Quaker principle of non-cooperation with war, whether it is military war, economic war or political war, is that of conscientious objection. We choose not to be soldiers, pawns, or be used through having our tax dollars conscripted to support violence and corruption. I also think about our Quaker committee process and how we operate as a "corporate" body where all voices are heard, where we listen for the sense of the meeting by engaging in the practice of stillness and discernment. Peaceful non-cooperation can easily be extended to participation (voting) in a system of governance that is fully corrupted and unworkable. And please understand that I am not commenting on the process of voting itself or the integrity of voting machines. That's the window dressing. I am referring to the corrupt two party system in all of its manifestations. Christianity has, since its inception, been a disruptive religion. Now more than ever we need to put our actions where our values are by putting our life force and energy into hyper local initiatives that build community and improve our lives. ~ Joseph Olejak
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 Image created with nano banana by Joseph Olejak using the prompts "human divine evolution" Ever since the dawn of the computer age there has been a technological movement to advance the idea that one day artificial intelligence will be smarter than humans and by definition two things will likely emerge in that dystopian future:
1. Humans will have to merge with computers to remain a viable species 2. Technocracy (as opposed to Democracy) will be the political framework. I call this future dystopian because it is a future without love, compassion and feeling. It is a future based on zeros and ones and is a cold hearted rational approach. For example, computers may determine one day that there are too many humans to safely inhabit the planet. Or that humans are a parasite on planet Earth. The logical conclusion of that is extermination. One could easily imagine an extermination plan – we’ve witnessed it before with industrial scale, but now try to grok what it would look like under technocracy. And carried out by robots where there is no appeal to humanity. Too crazy? Outrageous? Not really. Computer targeting “solutions” without a human in the loop are already a part of Pentagon protocols. A girls school with 180 souls was bombed in Iran as part of Trump trying to control Iran. Oops? Not our fault. The computer made the decision. Hegseth, head of the so-called Dept of War, declared that there will be no limits on what the pentagon can do with AI. Like it or not we are now in a technological race with machines for our very survival. Futurists debate whether there will be a split between mandatory fusion with machines or merely biological upgrades … OR … whether “regular” humans will become obsolescent. There’s three lousy choices. FYI Neuralink, an American tech company, is already working on a brain-chip interface. We are in a very dangerous place. Ray Kurzweil, in his book The Singularity Is Nearer, predicts that by 2030 brain-computer interfaces will allow people to plug their neocortex directly into the cloud. A terrifying thought. Who knows what computer bug might get uploaded into your brain. That virus won’t be DNA or RNA but a source code chosen by someone else and it could have you thinking thoughts that are not your own and acting on ideas planted there by Meta or Musk or Gates or ABC. If you thought FOX NEWS was programming people this is on a whole other level. So what is the REAL Singularity? As a Christ-Based Quaker, I’d say that singularity has to do with our ability to merge with the spirit of Christ. If you find that language offensive or can’t relate, just put in the Spirit of love. Either way it relates to a merger of a different kind and has these characteristics: 1. It is based on freedom 2. It is based on love 3. It is based on connection with and feeling for other humans 4. It puts logic second and humanity first 5. It creates space for diversity of thought and diversity of action. The real singularity grows out of quiet, discernment and connection to both spirit and each other. It is based on that intangible spiritual nature of humanity. The part that so many of us are disconnected from. The odd thing is that it is so easy to connect. No special techniques required. The spirit of creation, of God, is all around us and imbues the living world with fantastic creativity. Open your eyes. One only has to look! Observation is the fastest way to God. Goethe, for example, did not view God and Nature as two separate entities. He fused the terms Gott-natur (God and Nature) to describe this singularity. And … are we not nature? Not a part of it, but nature itself; that is fully integrated and a part of the whole? This sacred wholeness is what Goethe called the “garment of God” or the direct expression of the living God. Where does sacred observation lead? · To wholeness vs separation · To integration vs. fragmentation · To abundance and bounty vs scarcity I woke up this morning and saw a gaggle of turkeys with their little pullets in tow walking across the lawn and then they came upon two rabbits also having their breakfast of clover and no one ran – there was enough of everything for everyone. This is the thinking we must adopt to survive because the AI models are based on limitation and not-enough. Human-Christ Singularity / Human-Love Singularity offers so much more. Take a look around!!! ~ Joseph Olejak  Image from Meta AI at the prompt of Joseph Olejak I was at the resistance & resilience conference at Powell House this past weekend and here’s what I’m noticing…
The world is a carnival. Or maybe a casino; where the gamblers and the dealers (you can insert Congress, the Judiciary and the Executive branch here) bet on everything. In 1540 it was the time being "in the flesh" before Lent. Carne is Latin for meat. Lent was a time of fasting and return to spiritual matters. A song comes to mind by Natalie Merchant which I think captures perfectly our present political climate — CARNIVAL https://youtu.be/VQ_Wqtnlv4U?si=1-DUYxXbMPhVyCZ5 The lyrics Have I been blind, have I been lost Inside myself and my own mind Hypnotized, mesmerized by what my eyes have seen Have I been wrong, have I been wise To shut my eyes and play along Hypnotized, paralyzed by what my eyes have found By what my eyes have seen What they have seen? As I look back on the circus, the carnival and the chaos of the last 10 years I am in a state of wonder— what’s it all for? Of course, that environment is ripe for bait & switch, swindling and graft & corruption. Haven’t we been hypnotized by it? Dazzled by the spectacle? In my way of thinking it might be time to walk out of the circus tent. Lending our time, attention & energy to anything that lacks integrity is not only a waste of time, but it is also a theft from a future that holds more promise. The circus grabs our attention but steals our spiritual focus away from the things that Spirit is calling us to do. WHAT IS THAT WORK?
My hope is that we are now entering the period of backlash where we've seen enough of the circus. Where we are really ready to see it pack up and leave town and roll up our sleeves and get down to the real work (not the performative politics) of building a lasting intergenerational society that is far more than something purely transactional. A time where we turn our hearts and minds toward each other and do the most powerful thing we can do ... face one another and ignore the fire breathers. ~ Joseph It is with profound sadness that I mourn the transition of Merry Lathrop. Few people practice the art of goodness the way she did. Solene Grace said "Whenever there was a need around her she tended to it -- that was Merry Lathrop." And I can attest from personal experience this is true.
During OPJ meetings she was fond of saying that she "didn't have a spiritual bone in her" but you could have fooled me! Every word and deed that I saw was consistent with the Quaker testimony of truth and integrity. And I could always count on Merry to never mince her words and do it in such a kind way that I was often swayed by her arguments. We served together on the Outreach, Peace and Justice committee for many years -- since 2009 to be exact. I have to say that she was a constant and gentle presence. A person you could count on. And that was demonstrated in so many ways. Merry took people into her home who needed a place to land and traveled far and wide to share nuclear non-proliferation. Peace and justice were in her DNA. No matter where she was in the world, peace and justice were present. I'm reminded of the poem by Mary Oliver, When Death Comes When it's over, I don't want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real. I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument. I don't want to end up simply having visited this world The full poem here: https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/poetry-180/all-poems/item/poetry-180-102/when-death-comes/ Merry led a full life. A life full of contribution. Definitely not a visitor. Please continue to hold her in the light these next few days and also Don, her loving partner of 75 years.  Léon Bonnat, La Lutte de Jacob (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel), 1876 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:L%C3%A9on_Bonnat,_La_Lutte_de_Jacob_%28Jacob_Wrestling_with_the_Angel%29,_1876,_NGA_86066.jpg This question was posed to me by a friend. I never imagined an angel would want anything from humans. Why? Were they not assigned by God to be our protectors, benefactors and guides? What duty, if ;any , do we have to them?
As usual, I turned to the good book to see what I could discover. Of course I knew about the first angel to visit humans in the Garden -- Lucifer, angel of light and a fallen angel, tempts humans with the apple from the tree of knowledge. A story of pride and prejudice against the authority of God. But what did Lucifer want? Genesis tells us to separate them from God and usurp their dominion over the earth. They were fooled and they were cast out. Later in Genesis Jacob wrestles with an angel desperate to receive a blessing before seeing his brother Esau. The angel injures him leaving him with a permanent limp as a reminder of his faith in God. What did this angel want? To true up Jacob to his faith? True him up to himself? There are many other instances of angelic encounters (about a dozen or so) but the one that really speaks to me is Lucifer tempting Christ when he was in the desert for 40 days. Tempting him with food, and power and asking him to test God. We know that Christ is not tempted. What did Lucifer want this time? He wanted Christ to abandon his mission of salvation and worship Lucifer instead. So what do the angels want? The fallen angels want power for sure, but if we pull back the lens even farther we could say that the angels are asking humans to discern for themselves what is good and right and just by having them check in with themselves.
Could the Angels be asking this of us? Why not? We are down here on earth really making a mess of things. A little discernment would go a long way. ~ Joseph Olejak  GRAPHIC CREDIT from the US Dept of Defense The logo was presented by Jack Shanahan of project maven and was worked on by senior level officials When I consider the ways my country has deeply offended my spiritual values I think back to the firebombing of Dresden, the dropping of the atomic weapon on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, getting in a "war" in Vietnam under false pretenses (Gulf of Tonkin lie), attacking Iraq under false pretenses (the Colin Powell yellow cake uranium lie) and the idiotic notion that we could defeat Afghanistan (a country nicknamed the graveyard of empires -- Britain, Russia and now the US are on that list). And then there is the war with Iran (or is it an excursion, a skirmish, or a love tap).
However, while these acts violated international law and the rules of war, and basic human dignity, the place we are heading is far darker. A few years back Leigh Strimbeck shared a one woman play at the Meeting house about the emotional toll it took on drone pilots (operating from cubicles in the Nevada desert) to kill from afar. At the time many Quakers felt this was a kind of killing that was far too easy. More like a video game than actual warfare. Where we are going is the elimination of the messy work of killing. is the world of AI directed autonomous weapons. And yes, you guessed it, Uncle Sam is at the forefront of it. It's called Project Maven. AKA Algorithmic Warfare Cross Functional Team and abbreviated AWCFT Project Maven is a United States Department of Defense initiative launched in 2017 to accelerate the adoption of machine learning and data integration across U.S. military intelligence workflows, specifically in intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance as well as in geospatial intelligence. (now you know why we have a 5th branch of the military aka Space Force) It initially focused on applying computer vision for processing images and videos for intelligence purposes. Currently, the program operates under the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and encompasses multiple applications across the Department of Defense spanning military operation targeting support, data integration and visualization for analysts, and training machine learning models on labeled datasets of military assets and infrastructure. It integrates data from drones, satellites, and other sensors to flag potential targets, present findings to human analysts, and relay their decisions to operational systems. The program originated under Deputy Secretary Robert O. Work after he raised concerns about China's advances in defense applications of artificial intelligence. Project leaders, Colonel Drew Cukor, USMC, and Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan, framed the program as human-in-the-loop decision support inside the Department of Defense rather than as an autonomous weapons platform. The notion of a "human in the loop" is a lie. Sec of Defense Hegseth as recently designated Anthropic a "supply chain risk" because the company would not agree to allow their AI, Claude, to be used for so called "unrestricted use" which is another way of saying the technology specifically targets the removal of corporate guardrails that prevent AI from being used in fully autonomous lethal operations—essentially systems that can "kill without a human in the loop". And what, do you ask, is all this AI going to cost? Estimates range from 1 billion to 1.3 billion. And who is getting that money? Amazon web services, Google, Open AI, Palentir, Microsoft, SpaceX, and Anduril plus a bunch of others you've never heard of (on purpose). There are many who seem to think that AI will be a benevolent force for good in the world. To that I say we have a Nobel Peace Prize that is funded on the backs of millions of souls killed by dynamite. One person is chosen for a peace prize at the same time many thousands are killed. There is an argument to be made for human control over this stuff, but realistically it won't happen. The US is now in a digital arms race with other countries. And while Iran's autonomous drones are slow and can be shot down by US fighter pilots, that will not be the case for long. WE NEED AN INTERNATIONAL MORATORIUM ON AUTONOMOUS LETHAL DRONES YESTERDAY STEPS YOU CAN TAKE NOW:
The other consideration we have to think about is that these weapons will eventually make their way into US policing. Consider S.W.A.T teams and the use of military hardware in their operations. We already have Flock Surveillance Cameras in Troy, Valatie, Philmont and Hudson. That State Trooper behind you is using a plate reader and knows everything about the car and the driver before the lights go on. But even given all the intrusive, invasive and wholly unconstitutional work of Project Maven (and out local towns) ... at least the robots are cute ): ~Joseph Olejak  Photo credit Solene Grace In Romans 13:8-10, Paul teaches that loving one's neighbor is the fulfillment of the law, as true love acts in the best interest of others and does no harm. By loving others, a person naturally fulfills the core requirements of God’s law, such as the Sermon on the Mount, which can be summarized as loving one's neighbor as oneself.
It is so easy to vilify one guy (such as the current occupant of the white house) and everybody chants and gets their blood up while waving signs, but then what? When does the real work begin? People must understand that the real problem is not one opportunistic parasite who has figured out how to game the system and hoodwink millions of people, but that we are in the end stage of empire where greed and solipsism are the real kings. It's not one man or one party or a group of oligarchs. It's that a majority of humans have forgotten that human connections and the deep ties of community are the real malady we face. MAGA, Trumpianism, The death cult of war, The Democratic party failing to stand up for basic rights and all forms of "othering" are merely a symptom of a much deeper spiritual malady related to Paul's word to the Romans. We see absolutely crazy stuff and think: "Wow, look at that technology" when we really should be thinking "Interesting how the Oligarchs have dazzled us with shiny objects and succeeded in separating us from one another." A few examples:
The point is Christ did not advocate for participation in any of it. For him the Romans that occupied Palestine and the Ecclesiastical government of the Pharisees was total rubbish. He advocated for spiritual transformation over religious or political reform. He knew politics was the business of "strange bedfellows" He was a drop out. And what a great example of how to drop out and create something beautiful. The greatest way to undermine corrupt political systems is the make them irrelevant.
The love of God in us and working through us is our salvation ~ Joseph Olejak  Image generated by Meta AI We Quakers have a peace testimony that dates back to the Declaration of 1660 and which reads as follows:
The 1660 Declaration of "harmless and innocent people of God, called Quakers" was a pivotal document presented to King Charles II to distance Quakers from violent political plots and affirm their unwavering commitment to nonviolence, or the Peace Testimony. It famously declared the refusal to use "outward weapons" for any reason, establishing the foundation of Quaker pacifism. In the news this week we heard from the head of the newly named Dept of War "War, in this context and in pursuit of peace, is necessary,” Hegseth said, “which is why each day, on bended knee, we continue to appeal to heaven. To Almighty God’s providence, to watch over and give special skill and confidence to our leaders and to our warriors. To those warriors, who this nation prays for every single day, I hear from all of you out there, who pray for them every day, stay on bended knee, and pray for them. I continue to say to them, Godspeed, may the Lord bless you and keep you, and keep going.” Let me just say that the notion of "Almighty God's Providence" shining down on one group and not another is absolute rubbish. To invoke the name of God to send death and destruction to a particular group is 100% anathema to the teachings of Christ. It is the same lie that has always be promulgated; namely the redemptive power of destruction or peace through war. The truth is war begets war begets more war and ad infinitum. We must remember that this military operation in Iran is (as they always are) a death cult for the accumulation of land and treasure. Americans will be asked to sacrifice their sons and daughters on the altar of this cult. And 13 already have. They will be told it is for GOD AND COUNTRY as the commander in chief wears his golf cap to the tarmac as the dead are removed from a C130. It is for the oligarchs. (always was and always will be) George Fox, the founder of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), is most famous for his "Quaker "Peace Testimony". He consistently argued that war and strife arise from "lusts" and a "fallen" human state, but can be overcome by living in the "Light" and "Spirit of Christ". In the words of Christ: His teachings on peace emphasize that it is not merely the absence of conflict but a divine, internal state of wholeness (Shalom) that enables reconciliation with others. Unlike the "temporary lull in chaos" often provided by worldly solutions, the peace of Christ is described as a gift that transcends external circumstances. In the Spirit of Christ, Let us focus on Peace. ~ Joseph OLejak  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero#/media/File:Statue_of_Nero.jpg There weren't any violins in the 1st century. However, most contemporary sources describe Nero as tyrannical, self-indulgent, and debauched. The historian Tacitus claims the Roman people thought him compulsive and corrupt. Suetonius tells that many Romans believed the Great Fire of Rome was instigated by Nero to clear land for his planned "Golden House".
Sound familiar? The phrase "fiddling while Rome burns" is a common idiom used to criticize leaders for occupying themselves with trivial matters or being ineffectual during a major crisis. We are living that reality now. In Need to Know, David Rothkopf today called out the madness of the fact world trade and global security is being shattered by a single man. “Not since Adolf Hitler blew his brains out in a bunker beneath the garden of the German Reich Chancellery on April 30, 1945, have the lives of so many people around the world been so buffeted by the psychosis of a single man.” Why has Trump launched a war against Iran on a whim, attacked other countries, and upended world trade, Rothkopf asked. “Because he’s insane. Because he’s venal. Because he’s a malignant narcissist. Because he’s a sociopath. Because he has a fragile ego. Because those around him exacerbate and play to those traits to advance their own interests. Because CEOs and investors do likewise to fill their coffers. Because to some people, whether he is insane or malevolent or repugnant or not matters less than whether his actions will feather their nests, increase their power. “Because they, the billionaires…play their games and the consequences for the little people down below, the consequences for us, hardly matter a whit.” Quakers tend to be serious people. We have compassion and make room for mistakes, but we also have very little patience for liars, grifters and vacuous self-absorbed people who relish hurting others. Each time I look at the catastrophes playing out in the world I play a little game with myself and try to imagine what things would be like if I applied a Quaker value to the situation. So, let's play:
Here is one last Quaker value ... SERVICE ... (AKA ACTION) In WWI Quakers manned the ambulance corp. In our context today it may mean putting on your boots and getting out into the streets and doing what is necessary to hang on to our way of life. Let us not be fooled and let us not forget that even Christ went into the temple and tossed out the money changers! ~ Joseph Olejak  Meta AI at the prompts of the author Heather Cox Richardson, in her blog Letters From An American, has cited "Alison Durkee of Forbes magazine today that Trump’s military strikes in Iran have already cost U.S. taxpayers more than $1 billion. The three F-15E Eagle jets lost to friendly fire on Sunday cost $90 million each. Transporting troops, ships, and aircraft to the Middle East cost about $630 million. Missiles and weapons systems are also expensive—a drone is about $35,000, and a Tomahawk missile costs millions—and the two aircraft carriers in the region together cost at least $13 million a day. And then there are the costs of operating aircraft, and so on."
If Americans want to know why their infrastructure is failing, why the cost of electricity is through the roof, why we don't offer our young people free college, and why healthcare is a luxury and not a right --- THIS IS YOUR ANSWER. Billions for the military and crumbs for everything else. People should be highly offended by this and not just because of the gross expenditure of money, but also because of the wanton destruction of human life. The Quaker peace testimony is based not only on the teachings of Christ to love thy neighbor, but also is rooted in non-coercion (Phillip Gulley). Coercion, in its many forms, is the root of violence. "Do what I want you to do or else!" People are manipulated with every manner of coercion from threats of violence to violence itself. We have normalized it. We accept it. We have enshrined it. What? Enshrined it? Surely not? Who has the right to fine, tax, imprison and kill -- all enforced with the threat of violence or actual violence? And able to do these things with immunity from consequence? Yes, the state. Enshrined in law. Americans have given a monopoly on the right to use violence to the state. And when we see it in action (whether it be suffocating George Floyd with a policeman's knee, Shooting non-violent protesters in Minn, or starting foreign wars) we are shocked. What we need to understand is that the rot runs deep in human culture. It is not an American phenomenon. It lies just below the surface in all of us. So what is the antidote to coercion and violence? To answer this just imagine the last conversation you were engaged in. The one where you were just waiting for an opening in the dialog to put your 2 cents in. That kind of communication, a discussion (a dis-cut-tion), where there is zero listening, a lack of consideration, and no discernment of what is going on. This is the root of coercion. It starts there and escalates. Witness the recent so-called "diplomacy" with Iran. Two sides sit down at a table to work out differences in foreign policy and one side has half its navy amassed in the Mediterranean and Red Sea threatening to unleash an "epic fury" if they don't get what they want. Is that diplomacy? Sounds like coercion to me! Expectant listening is the practice of having no agenda. No demands. It is the kind of listening that leads to discovery. Something that surprises you. Something that might actually have you change your mind. Something you could hear that might alter what you were "absolutely sure of." Expectant waiting is not merely psychological sovereignty over knee jerk reactions, but at its best is two (or many) gathered as one willing and open to discover what can arise from nothing. ~ Joseph Olejak |
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