jacob news

I�ve noticed that the majority of my recent articles have pertained to a certain controversial figure in our society right now: Donald Trump. And as I thought about it, the average reader of this blog probably has heard plenty about Mr. Trump and that�s probably the last thing they want to read about. This man has single-handedly overwhelmed every facet of our lives with his bizarre presence, so I decided that I�m not going to let his actions dictate my writing. In this way I can both protest him and give you, the reader, a break from the constant circus of his presidency. Now, I�m not going to act like he does not exist. If something comes up in his presidency that demands me to write about it, I will not hesitate. But we all need a break from this routine of eccentricity and take a look at what else is going on in the world.             It was at this point in the writing process where I feverishly picked up my phone and began lo...

This is a conceptual post. I attempt to explain "the Outside", an abstract concept that I find useful in modeling the world. The Outside is not a single thing, but rather Inside/Outside is a pattern that frequently appears in human society. The world of human values is a tiny island in an ocean of darkness. That darkness is The Outside. It is a place of complexity, illegibility, and indifference. It is not actively hostile to humans, but it is a wild and dangerous place. Humans build institutions to keep the Outside out. But somebody has to man the walls. And sometimes the Outside leaks in. Service on the walls makes a person cold and hard. The defender learns objective reasoning, logic, effective violence, tolerance for ambiguity, toughness, and competence. These are the virtues needed to wring human values from a world of chaos. The oldest human institution is probably the family. Within a family, parents create an illusion of safety for children. Food, shelter, and materi...

Earlier this week, Oklahoma State Representative James Humphrey introduced a bill to the House Public Health Committee of Oklahoma that would require women seeking abortions to get consent from the father of the fetus to be approved. Humphrey defended the bill saying that this wasn�t introduced to prevent abortions saying, �This is about making men responsible for their part in the birthing process and in the entire process.�             Now besides the almost comical misogyny inherent in HB1441, it�s also unconstitutional. The implementation of this bill would directly challenge the Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade by criminalizing abortion. But that doesn�t stop lawmakers from testing the limits of their power. Since the Roe v. Wade decision, multiple state legislatures have attempted and some have succeeded in passing bills that restrict abortions. The most successful being SB5 passed by the Texas State Senate in 2013 that ad...

I don�t do endorsements very often mostly because I feel that when you endorse someone or something then it paints a picture that you condone everything that this person or organization has ever done. I do not like the idea of doing that, so I only endorse something that I trust and with the confidence that my praise will not backfire in the future.             With that said, Special Snowflake seeks to strengthen existing organizations and create awareness by selling clothing to tell the Trump Administration that we will resist oppression. The organization also donates profit made from the shirts to causes aimed at strengthening the positions of oppressed people, as well as building a community of activists by helping them find ways to donate their time.             Personally, I see potential with this organization and I hope that as they develop that they can begin to devel...