First, they talked about the bacteria in your gut and what it does. Most people, including me, thought it merely helps digest food. That’s true, but it does a lot more than merely aiding digestion, including the creation of vitamins, amino acids, and interaction with your immune system.  We learned there is no common gut bacteria, that every individual has their own complex set of trillions of bacteria in their guts. I think  you should research this fascinating subject because it has immense potential for treating serous health issues in the future. For example, scientists are looking at the possibilities of:

• Transferring bacteria from a thin person to an obese individual
• Transferring bacteria from a healthy person to a sick individual

After establishing the above, they analyzed adding probiotics to a variety of foods, which is very common today. What impact does it have or doesn’t have on your health? Probiotics are a hot commodity, as they are added to a variety of foods, including baby food. 60 Minutes spoke with the leading experts in the field and a research team from Israel. They learned that probiotics are a fascinating area of research, but at this point in time, very little is known about them and/or how they work. They concluded that adding probiotics to food has no known advantages, and it’s possible, it could be somewhat harmful. But nobody has any proof that it helps or hurts in any way because so much about probiotics is still an unknown. More long-term studies are needed. But they do know that any health benefit statements you read on a package are not true. This includes adding probiotics to baby food.

The Israeli study was fascinating because they were trying to ascertain exactly what probiotics, added to food, does when they make it to your gut. Guess what they learned? They couldn’t answer the question one way or the other because they learned that probiotics added to food never makes it to its intended destination in your gut. They thought adding probiotics to your body would have some kind of impact, but they learned it just passes through your system. In sum, it doesn’t have a positive or negative impact, it has no impact.  That was fascinating because very often scientists with a pre-conceived outcome miraculously prove what they believed all along. In this case, the results contradicted what they expected to find. However, the scientists still believe there’s tremendous potential in studying the complex world of probiotics and gut bacteria.

There was one other area they briefly talked about and that were the many claims of individuals who believed adding probiotics to their food proved to be beneficial. The scientists attributed that belief to the infamous “Placebo Effect”.

You Believe in this God?

The incredibly hypocrisy and lack of logic in the world of religion is mind boggling. Remember, believers tell us God has such immense power that we can’t even begin to imagine how powerful God is. Please keep that in mind as I make some comments which prove, if there is a God, you should never place any trust or faith in that deity.

• How can any Jewish person believe in God?
• How can black people believe in God?
• How can Catholics believe in their God?

What was this all-powerful God doing while more than 6 million Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis during WW II? What was this all-powerful God doing when thousands of black people became slaves of people who were allegedly God fearing? You know those slave owners had their bibles out on Sunday at their church services while enslaving other human beings and killing native Americans.

And Catholics? You believe in God as hundreds or thousands of priests around the world sexually assaulted young boys while your God did nothing. Why does your all-powerful God allow that?  Is that the kind of God you want to worship?

Every day in America, young girls are kidnapped, sexually assaulted, murdered, and brutalized by psychopaths. What do the families of these young girls do when they learn their daughter or sister was kidnapped? That’s right, they pray to God for her safe return. Really? Where was your all powerful God when she was kidnapped, sexually abused, and her body mutilated by the psychopath?  After they find out the gruesome news of what actually happened to their daughters or sisters, they pray to that same God who did nothing while she was in the process of being brutalized. Then they say something in their prayers, such as we’ll be together again in heaven? Really? Where is this place you call heaven?

The above are examples of the incredible hypocrisy and total lack of logic in the world of religion. It even shows up in what we normally perceive as harmless events.  When a player scores a touchdown, he often looks up in the sky (where else would God be located?) and expresses his thanks. Are you kidding? You’re telling me there’s an immense power called God, with all the major events going on in the world, God is watching a football game, using that immense power to ensure you and/or your team wins? Unbelievable!

Americans believe God has incredible power, but they never hold God accountable for the never ending horrible things which happen in our world. Oh no! They blame something called the devil or man.  You’re telling me that man and the devil have more power than God? In sum, God has the perfect scam going. God receives the credit for everything good that happens on our planet, but is never held accountable for the never ending negatives which destroy or end our lives. And you want to believe in a God who doesn’t use that immense power for good?

In every American trial, the prosecution introduces evidence and then calls witnesses to corroborate their evidence. What did the Republican Party members of the Senate do? They did not allow the prosecution to introduce evidence or call witnesses. That was not democracy in action, it was something you would see in a third world banana republic dictatorship.

That was a terrifying moment in American history. It illustrated the fact that the Republican Party is now a dictatorship.

In light of the above, the Democrats must do everything possible to ensure a Democrat wins the election. And we know what the strategy is, appeal to those who voted for Obama, but switched to Trump in 2016. They must also attract Independents like me, and those traditional Republicans who can’t stand Trump, but want somebody with centrist values.  Here’s the common sense translation. The Democrats have to win the Rust Belt swing states they lost like PA. Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio. In order to attract those blue collar voters and Independents, the Democrats must present them with someone who appeals to middle America. That means they must present blue collar workers with a mainstream candidate who understands them and supports/represents their value system. 

But if you watched the first 2 Democratic Primary debates, it was a horror show. That is, unless you’re a Trump supporter, then you were thrilled with what you saw and heard. Instead of attacking  a very vulnerable Trump on a wide array of issues, they instead went after Joe Biden and President Obama. Are you insane? If that wasn’t bad enough, they

• spent a significant amount of time debating 40 year old school busing issues
• told blue collar workers we’re going to take away the private health insurance which they worked so hard to obtain
• Then, Bernie Sanders and company presented a plan to provide FREE, LIFETIME health insurance to illegal immigrants

If the Democratic candidates think the ridiculous approach outlined above will appeal to mainstream, middle America, they really are stupid. In addition, Bernie Sanders, and possibly Elizabeth Warren, must drop out of the race. Bernie’s candidacy is a major gift to Donald Trump and Republicans. Since Bernie’s ego is enormous, he will stay in the race. And when he doesn’t get the nomination, you can bet a significant number of Bernie supporters will do what they did in 2016, they will stay home.. And as we learned in 2016, every vote counts in the swing states. The Dems cannot afford to lose any votes in those crucial elections.

Although I like and admire Elizabeth Warren, she also needs to go. Then the rest of the candidates can and should concentrate on exposing the lies, bigotry, and illegal actions of Donald Trump. And while they’re attacking Trump, they need to present middle America with centrist polices which appeal to the majority of Americans.