On this page I’ll include a list of links to other web sites that I enjoy. I may also include an explanation of what I like about the site.

For example, here’s a link to a site that I look at every day:
Click on the link to read my book “Human Survival”:
http://digitalconsciousness.com/Human Survival/book.phtml

Hearn H. J., Instructor
Humayun Khan, Student

COMPARE AND CONTRAST THE WORLD VIEW OF THE WIND RIVER SHOSHONE AND THE ZUNI

     The historical Shoshone were nomadic people who traveled over a wide range of the Western States.  They occupied parts of Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Utah from the great basin to the plains, into parts of Colorado and Wyoming.

     Life in the great basin was fraught with hardships, as it was quite difficult to find food, water, and shelter from the elements.  The Shoshone mostly ate berries, roots, and pine nuts, rabbit, antelope, and buffalo meat depending on where they were traveling at the time.  Shoshone clothing changed with the seasons, ranging from a simple breechcloth held on by a belt fastened around the waist for the men and aprons for the women to rabbit fur pants and jackets.  Larger animal hides were used as capes and coverings. 

     The Shoshone did not own much in terms of belongings, and did not trade with others until they acquired horses in the 1700’s.  The ownership of horses served to differentiate the rich from the poor.  But those who owned horses usually did as a result of theft, as the Shoshones would often conduct raids on other tribes to steal their horses.

     Because of this less than virtuous practice, the Shoshone had many enemies, but none so fierce as the Crow and the Pocatello tribes, whose path they normally avoided crossing.  Not that this prevented them from injury, as the Shoshone were practitioners of Sutteeism, the act of self-immolation.  Their spiritual leader was the medicine man, who was thought of as a prophet with magical powers.

     The Wind River Indian Reservation is shared by the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapho tribes of Native Americans in the central western portion of the U.S. state of Wyoming.  It is the seventh largest Indian reservation by area in the United States, encompassing a land area of 3,473.272 Sq. Miles, encompassing just over one-third of Fremont County, and over one-fifth of Hot Springs County.  The reservation is located in the Wind River Basin, and is surrounded by the Wind River Mountain Range, Owl Creek Mountains and the Absaroka Mountains.  The largest town is Riverton.  Headquarters are at Fort Washakie, which is also home to the Shoshone Rose Casino in Wyoming.

     The Wind River Reservation is the resting place for two famous members of the Shoshone Tribe: Chief Washakie and Sacajewea, the young woman who helped guide the Lewis and Clark expedition through Shoshone lands in 1804.  Sacajewea has been honored recently on the new dollar coin being minted in Denver and Philadelphia.  Chief Washakie will be honored this year with a statue in the U.S. Capitol.

     The Wind River Indian Reservation is one of Wyoming’s great historical, cultural, and natural treasures. It was established in 1868. It is known for brutal crime, widespread drug use, and legal disposal of toxic waste.

 The Zuni traditionally speak the Zuni language a language that no known relationship to any other Native American language. Linguists believe that the Zuni have maintained the integrity of their language for at least 7,000 years. The Zuni have, however borrowed a number of words from Keresan, Hopi, and Pima pertaining to religion and religious observances. The Zuni continue to practice with its regular ceremonies and dances, and an independent and unique belief system. The Zuni were and are a traditional people who live by irrigated agriculture and raising livestock. Their success as a desert agri-economy is due to careful management and conservation of resources, as well as a complex system of community support. Many Zuni also rely on the sale of traditional arts and crafts. Some Zuni still believe in the old style pueblos, while others live in modern flat-roofed houses made from adobe and concrete block. Their location is relatively isolated, but they respectful tourists.

     By 1650, there were only 6 Zuni villages.  The Zunis were self sufficient villages in the mid-19^th century, but faced raiding by the Apaches, Navahos, and Plains Indians.  Their reservation was officially recognized by the United States Federal Government in 1877.  Gradually the Zuni farmed less and turned to sheep and cattle heading as a means of economic development.

     Some of the major contrasts between the Shoshone tribes and the Zunis would be that the Shoshones were basically nomadic, while the Zunis remained relatively stationary.  The Shoshone at least originally were food hunters and thieves, while the Zuni were essentially agricultural.  The Shoshone relied on medicine men while the Zuni featured dances and ceremonial activities.  The Shoshones inhabited the more northwestern U.S. while the Zuni preferred the southwestern U.S.  The Zuni were generally more peaceful than surrounding tribes.  Apparently today the Shoshone Reservation has a reputation for crime, drug use and illegal disposal of toxic waste.

WARREN HARDING AND DONALD TRUMP

Cronies, tariffs and sex scandals: Warren Harding was a lot like a certain someone we knowHarding had other similarities to Donald Trump. He persuaded Congress to pass tax cuts that helped bankroll the Roaring ’20s. The Revenue Act of 1921 reduced the marginal tax rate on the rich from 73% to 58% and the capital gains tax to 12.5%. It also eliminated the excess profits tax that was enacted to help finance World War I. On a percentage basis, these cuts were much larger than Trump’s. Two subsequent acts lowered the top tax rate all the way down to 25%.

On the trade front, Harding pushed for higher tariffs. He espoused “scientific” tariffs that would prohibit foreigners from selling goods at prices below U.S. production costs. The Emergency Tariff of 1921 slapped high tariffs on imported corn, wheat, sugar, wool and other agricultural products. The Fordney-McCumber Tariff of 1922 raised levies even higher. These actions cut imports dramatically and sparked a predictable trade war. France raised its tariffs on American cars from 45% to 100%. Spain, Germany and Italy also hiked their rates.

Although he promised to appoint the most qualified people to his administration, he surrounded himself with business cronies and relatives.

As for immigration, Harding championed the Per Centum Act of 1921 that had been vetoed by his predecessor, Woodrow Wilson. That legislation had the effect of reducing the flow of immigrants to the U.S. from 800,000 in 1920 to only 300,000 in 1922.

On the global stage, Harding was a champion of “America First” and opposed our entry into the League of Nations.

Harding even suffered from some of the same managerial failings as Trump. Although he promised to appoint the most qualified people to his administration, he surrounded himself with business cronies and relatives. His attorney general, Harry Daugherty, was impeached for self-dealing and corruption. His brother-in-law, the superintendent of federal prisons, faced similar accusations. His director of the Veterans Bureau, Charles Forbes, was later convicted of defrauding the government and sent to prison. His legal counsel, Charles Cramer, was accused of corruption and committed suicide in 1923. His campaign manager resigned from the U.S. Shipping Board after selling surplus government-owned ships for pennies on the dollar to friends. And, most famously, his Interior secretary, Albert Fall, orchestrated the Teapot Dome scandal and is the only sitting Cabinet member to have been sent to prison.

These and other scandals reflected Harding’s preference for hiring on the basis of personal relationships rather than ability.

And last, but far from least, of the similarities to Trump: Harding’s philandering. He had a 15-year affair with a friend’s wife, Carrie Phillips, that reached into his White House years, and an intense affair with Nan Britton, which began in a New York hotel room and continued in a White House cloakroom. He paid both women to keep silent about their affairs. The Republican National Committee paid Carrie Phillips $5,000 a month to keep quiet on top of an initial gift of more than $20,000. Nan Britton got a lot less. But she gave birth to a daughter, whom Harding supported with $500 a month (often hand-delivered by the Secret Service), plus extra cash when they got together.

Harding adamantly denied ever having those affairs. He also denied fathering Nan Britton’s child. All his political associates stuck to that story. But after his death, those associates stopped making payments to Nan Britton and her daughter. So Nan wrote a book (“The President’s Daughter”) that bared all the sordid details of their long relationship. Still, Harding’s family and associates claimed her story was fake news and vehemently rejected her allegations. It wasn’t until 2015, 90 years later, that DNA tests proved Harding had lied about his paternity.

Harding died on Aug. 2, 1923. Tabloids at the time suggested that his wife, Florence, might have poisoned him in retribution for his philandering. But historians have suggested he more likely succumbed to a heart attack.

Historians consistently rate Harding as one of the worst U.S. presidents and often speculate that he would have been impeached had he lived longer. In what might be taken as a cautionary tale for President Trump, President Harding expressed frustration about the scandals that enveloped his administration: “I have no trouble with my enemies. I can take care of my enemies all right. But my damn friends, my god-damned friends … they’re the ones who keep me walking the floor nights.”

Brad Schiller is an emeritus professor of economics at American University and the author of “The Economy Today.”

As for immigration, Harding championed the Per Centum Act of 1921 that had been vetoed by his predecessor, Woodrow Wilson. That legislation had the effect of reducing the flow of immigrants to the U.S. from 800,000 in 1920 to only 300,000 in 1922.

On the global stage, Harding was a champion of “America First” and opposed our entry into the League of Nations.

Harding even suffered from some of the same managerial failings as Trump. Although he promised to appoint the most qualified people to his administration, he surrounded himself with business cronies and relatives. His attorney general, Harry Daugherty, was impeached for self-dealing and corruption. His brother-in-law, the superintendent of federal prisons, faced similar accusations. His director of the Veterans Bureau, Charles Forbes, was later convicted of defrauding the government and sent to prison. His legal counsel, Charles Cramer, was accused of corruption and committed suicide in 1923. His campaign manager resigned from the U.S. Shipping Board after selling surplus government-owned ships for pennies on the dollar to friends. And, most famously, his Interior secretary, Albert Fall, orchestrated the Teapot Dome scandal and is the only sitting Cabinet member to have been sent to prison.

These and other scandals reflected Harding’s preference for hiring on the basis of personal relationships rather than ability.

And last, but far from least, of the similarities to Trump: Harding’s philandering. He had a 15-year affair with a friend’s wife, Carrie Phillips, that reached into his White House years, and an intense affair with Nan Britton, which began in a New York hotel room and continued in a White House cloakroom. He paid both women to keep silent about their affairs. The Republican National Committee paid Carrie Phillips $5,000 a month to keep quiet on top of an initial gift of more than $20,000. Nan Britton got a lot less. But she gave birth to a daughter, whom Harding supported with $500 a month (often hand-delivered by the Secret Service), plus extra cash when they got together.

Harding adamantly denied ever having those affairs. He also denied fathering Nan Britton’s child. All his political associates stuck to that story. But after his death, those associates stopped making payments to Nan Britton and her daughter. So Nan wrote a book (“The President’s Daughter”) that bared all the sordid details of their long relationship. Still, Harding’s family and associates claimed her story was fake news and vehemently rejected her allegations. It wasn’t until 2015, 90 years later, that DNA tests proved Harding had lied about his paternity.

Harding died on Aug. 2, 1923. Tabloids at the time suggested that his wife, Florence, might have poisoned him in retribution for his philandering. But historians have suggested he more likely succumbed to a heart attack.

Historians consistently rate Harding as one of the worst U.S. presidents and often speculate that he would have been impeached had he lived longer. In what might be taken as a cautionary tale for President Trump, President Harding expressed frustration about the scandals that enveloped his administration: “I have no trouble with my enemies. I can take care of my enemies all right. But my damn friends, my god-damned friends … they’re the ones who keep me walking the floor nights.”

Brad Schiller is an emeritus professor of economics at American University and the author of “The Economy Today.”