Taxonomy

All living things have been organized rather loosely into a 7-entry taxonomy according to, in many cases, just appearance:

5 kingdoms — How they obtain their food

36 phylums (pjyla)  — Similar physical characteristics ... suggest similar ancestry

About 87 classes — Even more similar physical characteristics

Large number of orders —  Still more similar physical characteristics ... may have common ancestry

Very large number of families — Large number of physical characteristics ... have certain adaptive traits and may not have a common ancestry

Even larger number of genuses (geni) — The generic name for an organism ... always first used term. Each genus has only a few members

Varying number of species within geni — Determined by the ability to breed within species

See: Soft Schools Writeup for more on each of these categories.

Since we have now substantial DNA evidence on all organisms, I hope sometime soon that this taxonomy is recast along more solid scientific lines. I am actually surprised it hasn’t happened already.

Jollies

"Jollies" is an interesting word. It can be quite innocent and Yule-like ... or it can refer to sexual pleasures of almost unlimited appetite. We have recently seen a number of famous people exposed for how they get their jollies. Bill Cosby immediately comes to mind ... but then there is Charlie Sheen ... Eliot Spitzer ... of course, Bill Clinton and his procurer, Jeffery Epstein (see: Breitbart Story) ... his former aide, Dick Morris ... Anthony Weiner (the husband of Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton's amanuensis) ... perhaps Huma herself with her boss ... Barack Obummer (see: Gay Abandon) ... the list goes on and on and on. In fact one can, without compunction, surmise that virtually every human being, from Catholic priest to Muslim Imam ... from philosopher to poet ... from bricklayer to Boy Scout leader ... all have or have had unique ways of getting their jollies.

The question then becomes ... what types and manners of jollydom are acceptable to our civilized society? Clearly, in our lifetimes, the bounds  for satisfying ones' jolly appetites have been greatly relaxed and expanded to levels unimagined by our Puritan founders.  A short jaunt on some of the Internet porn sites will demonstrate this range of jollydom ... and likely curl your hair. I don't suppose I can here go through the taxonomy (interesting word) of these practices, but I think I can safely say that any such act that damages someone else physically or mentally should be conscripted ... this means involving innocent children, harm to one or more parties (even if desired), and, in my opinion, any activity that disrupts the public's sensibilities (such as public sex in a gay pride parade.)

Call me a prude if you wish ... but just don't deny me my jollies.

Lies

If you tell a lie often enough, it becomes the truth. -- Joseph Goebbels paraphrased


There seems to this observer to be more lies told these days than I can remember. And so, to honor this meme, I have, as is my habit, decided to offer up a taxonomy of this mendacity:

Fibs -- "No, I didn't eat the rest of the Oreo cookies."

White Lies -- "No dear, that pants suit doesn't make you look hippy."

Lawyerly Lies -- "I didn't have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky, not a single time." ("Actually, I had sex with her multiple times.")

Political Lies -- "Under the Affordable Care Act, if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor."

Self-serving Lies -- "I am 1/8 Cherokee Indian."

Popular Delusions -- "Carbon dioxide is a pollutant gas."

Propaganda -- "This agreement will prevent Iran from getting the atomic bomb."

Whoppers -- "This hamburger only has 125 calories."