The One Discussion Missing In The Elliot Rodgers Saga?

Yes, everyone is talking about the Santa Barbara Massacre and the young man behind it, who ended up killing himself.
His name was Elliot Rodgers.
Mr. Rodgers was clearly one very, very troubled young man. He pretty much hated himself and took that out on the women that he claimed rejected him when he believed himself to be God's gift to the fair sex.
Mr. Rodgers said so himself in a rambling, 140 page "manifesto". And if that was not enough, he went on You Tube to talk about the "Day Of Retribution" in which Mr. Rodgers essentially lays out his case as to why his deluded delusions have to take place.
I will admit that I have not and will not read the "manifesto" nor watched any of the videos he uploaded. If you choose to, I have linked them for your perusal.
There have been a lot of reasons bandied about as to why it happened. Misogyny. Bad family background. Parents divorced. Spoiled brat. And many more.
One thing that is missing in the conversation is this.
What was Elliot Rodgers' relationship with God?
From all that I have tried to read on the internets, it appears that Mr. Rodgers did not have a relationship with a monotheistic God. Nor of the gods of Eastern religions such as Buddhism or Hinduism.
He was a young man that did not have a relationship with God.
I am not saying that a relationship with God, particularly in the Christian sense and idea, would have absolutely stopped Mr. Rodgers from carrying out his evil act. And make no mistake. It was evil.

But all the secular therapy did not help. His parents did not help by attempting to spoil him to probably ease his pain. Yes, they knew Mr. Rodgers was probably going to do something and alerted the police in Isla Vista, California. But the police seemed to not be exactly overly concerned and did a minimal welfare check on Mr. Rodgers.
I want to focus on the God aspect of this saga.
I hate to give it any credit that appears to be giving any publicity one way or the other, but there is no choice. We can not have the conversation without discussing the event.
From all that I have read on and about Mr. Rodgers, he was thoroughly obsessed with and about himself. Me, me, me. I. I. I. You get the idea.
For the sake of discussion, I will stipulate that God is the general Christian understanding and write about it from that perspective.
Having a relationship with God, through accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, has been the most wonderful period of my life. As I near 50 years on God's green earth, I became a card-carrying Christian when I was 27 years old. Having that relationship has seen me through some rough patches in my life. In fact, it is why I have not consumed adult beverage in 22 years. Yeah, I know, a big revelation. But I am only writing about it to show that because I asked God in my life in a bad time, my life turned around.
Now, back to Mr. Rodgers.
From all accounts that I have read, Mr. Rodgers did not have a relationship with God nor did his parents, who divorced when he was still a child. In fact, according to The Blaze, Mr. Rodgers resented his father, a Hollywood director, Peter Rodgers, for producing a movie about God called Oh My God. Peter Rodgers basically hawked their home to make it and young Mr. Rodgers was none to pleased about it and wrote this in his infamous "manifesto":

“If only my failure of a father had made better decisions with his directing career instead wasting his money on that stupid documentary.”

And if you read the link, Peter Rodgers did have a bug in his rear end about organized religion.
Peter saw negativity and thus Elliot was even more negative about religion.
Yet it appeared that thousands of dollars were spent with psychiatrists, psychologists and therapists and he Elliot only got worse. Because Peter saw nothing good about organized religion.
But think about this for a moment.
What if dad was open to the possibility of Elliot going to church? Being involved with a good youth group and a good youth pastor? What if instead of throwing away money on doctors and drugs, Elliot could have had a chance to make a connection in that church? In that youth group? Or with a good youth pastor?
Let's face it, Elliot Rodgers had a lot of problems and one of them was something that almost all American high school males do through at some point in their life.
Alienation.
The issue for Elliot is that he was in the throws of puberty and, to be blunt, a horny guy. Yet he did not connect with the fairer sex. I guess that he thought his background would make the gals just fall over each other to be with him. And have sex. Sex was constantly on his mind. Again, most American high school males have that as well. puberty and alienation are a toxic combo.
So how would God fit into this picture?
Because God takes us as we are. Broken. Confused. Scared. Wanting answers. Once a person wants a relationship with God, as a Christian, they can accept Jesus. And that combined with studying the Holy Bible and being able to share openly, people in the same boat (and there are many) could have helped him have better worth of himself. And had he had better worth of self, his rather bizarre outlook about girls, then women, and sex might have not gotten worse. It might not have gotten to the point that he would write a 140 page "manifesto" and make You Tube videos essentially telling the world what he was going to do.
My thought is what harm would that have done? It might, and I do stress might, have been better than head shrinkers and drugs. And it might have also been a help that his parents or one of his parents was active in church as well. It would show as it usually does that they are trying to be good, God-fearing people trying to do the right thing. And especially with their children. At the very least, the parents, especially Peter, should not have been so negative about religion. There are so many positive aspects of religion. Even people raised in the church as my friend and fellow blogger Social Extinction, who turn against God and do not believe in him do at least gleam something from all those years in Roman Catholic catechism. At some level there is the knowledge of right and wrong that Mr. Social Extinction knows and believes in and that had to come from his faith.
And organized religion does teach right from wrong.
It teaches that we are all a child of God. We were created in God's image. And God gave us in the Old Testament the Ten Commandments. The best guide there is to life. But of course, even now, we rebel against that. When Jesus Christ came, he did not come to change the law as he noted. But he added another layer to the law:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment”

And that, that was not enough for there is one more command that Jesus taught:

“And the second [commandment] is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets”

So with that in mind, I just can't help but think that if Elliot had a church relationship and people that were peers he could speak with, how different his life might have been.
Understand that Elliot was raised, intentionally or unintentionally, with a very certain sense of entitlement. That sense of entitlement made Elliot the clear narcissist that he became.
What religion teaches is that there should not be a sense of entitlement and how worship of one's self is a form of evil. And there is no doubt that evil penetrated Elliot's soul and heart.
Now I make this disclaimer, but do not say that it is not possible a different, positive outcome could have happened.
It is very possible that Elliot was so messed up, even a relationship with God might have not changed the course of events. He still may have felt entitled. He may have still been the narcissist that he turned out to be.
But I do not think so.
This saga shows to me that the more we shove God out on the sidelines, to be something vague and out there and not to be shared with all, we will only face more of these situations, not less.
The Elliot Rodgers' saga shows that we need to have God in our lives and open more than ever.

The Pope, Rush Limbaugh And The Great Economic Debate

In this season of Advent, it appears that Pope Francis has strayed into controversy regarding a papal letter called Evangelii Gadium (The Joy of the Gospel) and his view on capitalism and consumerism.
Why it seems controversial enough that radio talker Rush Limbaugh weighed in on the letter and well he didn't like it.
And this link is to the whole 224 page letter from Pope Francis. Trust me, no one has read the whole letter. But the pages that seem to have evoked controversy are pages 52-75 and also pages 186-216.
From what I can tell in reading this is that Pope Francis thinks that what we call capitalism is somehow an economy of exclusion. A point is made about a homeless woman dying from exposure and a two-point loss in the stock market on the same day. What makes for the bigger story? The Pope believes that the stock market loss would be more spoken about than the homeless woman. Actually, the homeless woman dying to exposure would be the direct result of the evils of capitalism according to the leftywhore media. So both would get publicity in the American media.
Before that, however, the Pope insinuates that because a homeless woman died that a capitalist economy kills people.
I cannot disagree more.
That is a broad-brush example. Even in the most communistic nation still left on earth, there are homeless people and yes they die on the street as a direct result of the harsh, socialist economy of their land. There are forced labor camps in which people die every day. Just ask refugees from North Korea.
The Pope actually believes that capitalism in the West and especially the United States is so rampant that there is this survival of the fittest and that it has left the vast majority in the dust.
No, what has happened and has been happening for a long time is crony capitalism that does pick winners and losers and has kept the economy in the doldrums for a long time. Especially in the United States.
And as the letter goes on, I have to admit at a level it makes me think that this part of the letter is straight from the Democrat National Committee. This is the following direct from the letter:

 In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world. This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting. To sustain a lifestyle which excludes others, or to sustain enthusiasm for that selfish ideal, a globalization of indifference has developed. Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own. The culture of prosperity deadens us; we are thrilled if the market offers us something new to purchase. In the meantime all those lives stunted for lack of opportunity seem a mere spectacle; they fail to move us.

While I can agree with some of this, the Pope does not realize that there has not been a real free market. A market-based economy is not the same as a free market. The use of "trickle down" is clearly a condemnation of the economic system known as capitalism. It even implies that it does not bring people economically upward but that no one who supports a market and or free market economy is somehow Snidely Whiplash. In fact and indeed there are many who prosper in this economic system and do freely give back to those less fortunate. And not through taxes but in supporting charity and programs, some religious and some secular, to help those help themselves to bring themselves up economically. Just as the government cannot do all, the church and other charitable organizations cannot do it all alone. And even the Pope realizes this. As pointed out in this rebuttal from Roman Catholic priest, Fr. John Truguilo, Jr., in the letter the Pope makes the case that welfare should be a temporary situation and not what it has become for many, a way of life:

Welfare projects, which meet certain urgent needs, should be considered merely temporary responses.

That is directly from the Pope's letter. 
It is on that where there is disagreement in the United States especially about the overall role of government and whether or not it can or solve what is referred to as inequality. 
Now here is where Rush Limbaugh comes in. 
Rush spent time on last Wednesday's show discussing this letter. And needless to say that Rush did not like all that he read. 
His disagreements are by and large respectful and mostly correct. However, I agree with Fr. Trugilo that Rush did make a mistake about one aspect of his critique.
This is what Rush said:

"Pope Francis attacked unfettered capitalism as 'a new tyranny' and beseeched global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality, in a document on Tuesday setting out a platform for his papacy and calling for a renewal of the Catholic Church. ... In it, Francis went further than previous comments criticizing the global economic system, attacking the 'idolatry of money.'"

Now what the Pope said is that unfettered consumerism is a  new tyranny. 
And on that, consumerism for the sake of want is not a good thing when it does make any individual feel less than human if he or she does not have the latest, greatest new thing like whatever. 
Actually, I do have an example that to me shows a certain desperation that is disturbing.
While many if not most Americans celebrated Thanksgiving there were way too many people getting caught up in stores that were opening on Thanksgiving evening to get a start on the Christmas shopping season. 
In this article there are some, IMHO, losers that started to camp out on Tuesday to be the first in line for whatever perceived bargain or bargains that they can get. 
Here is the comments of Thomas Carlos Dudley:

“I like camping out; to me, it brings more excitement,” Dudley said. “I’m the type of guy who always tries to get a better deal. I do most of my Christmas shopping ... (on Black Friday).”

Dude, its not all about some bargain that you have to wait three frickin days for.
I think that this is what disturbs the Pope and also myself.
But where I would differ is that look, while we are bombarded by ads online, print, radio and television about Thanksgiving and Black Friday specials, one can and should practice something called restraint if you do not want to get caught up in all the hoopla.
There is a fine line between capitalism and consumerism. Sometimes, no most of the time, we on all sides cannot seem to separate the two and they should be.
That is the fault of all of us.
Parents have given up teaching their children the kind of values that would be back the kind of consumerism that drive people like Mr. Dudley to wait in line, in tent, for three days to maybe get some unbelievable bargain on whatever electronic product? You know, it maybe there in the afternoon as in the morning. Really, it could.
The message should be that capitalism is really a good economic system. Consumerism is not because it creates an immorality that debases capitalism.
We all need to know the difference before we make any critiques on both.
Pope Francis and Rush Limbaugh both got it right and wrong. But the Pope, good a man as he is, is a man. He is not above criticism and Rush did so, a little off, but very respectfully.
We can have a great economic debate which is always worthwhile but I just wished that we call could get some of it right before we get into such a debate.

Can We Adults Leave Halloween Alone?!

As an adult with no children at home, I am more or less ambivalent to Halloween except when adults get involved and screw it up for all children.
I do believe that Halloween is really for children. It has truly evolved into a day that adults seem to want to revert to being a kid for one day. OK, fine. But at heart it is something where kids can dress up and go around the neighborhood and collect candy and or other treats from neighbors. And even have a party, maybe at school, and have some fun. Adults that partake in such frivolity as well.
But understand that Halloween does have religious roots as well as pagan roots. So yes, both can lay claim to the day and it is one of the reasons that it is so misunderstood by many.
And that is where we adults come in.
In a strange way, lefty lets-not-offend-anyone types and religious social conservatives had their problems with Halloween.
A digression.
The costume trend began in the United States in particular in the mid-19th century when a wave on German, Irish and Scots came to the United States. Most of those immigrants were Roman Catholic. To the Protestant, Halloween was pretty much a no-no. The Puritans were strongly opposed to celebrating the holiday. But the RCs changed that. And children and adults going around the neighborhood asking the now familiar phrase, Trick or treat. And there is even some religious value in dressing up in some, frightening costumes that pokes fun at the Devil.
Sooo, now we are treated to this from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Yes, there are a whole list of "offensive" costumes.
And what are said "offensive" costumes?
Well, according to this at The Washington Times, here are some of them:

"Geishas, ‘squaws,’ or stereotypical, such as cowboys and Indians."

And if you look at this from the UofC website, you see four photos with sad looking people. Sad that someone would dress up in costume mocking their culture. And they even throw in a. . I can't believe it. . . a White male. One that should not be mocked for maybe being, a hick. White Trash.
Ooh boy!
Grow a frickin spine you whinny losers!
Remember, dressing up in costume is meant to be something one is not. So what if a White guy dresses up as a stereotyped Asian brainiac? A Black gal dressing up as some White Trash gal? Hey, I think it would be cool to have a Black gal dress up as Miley Cyrus. Nothing says White Trash more than Miley! Really you overly sensitive college folks, can you free yourself from victimhood and let loose just one day or night of the year?
Apparently not.
Oh, but you Social Conservatives are fuddy-duddies too.
Because of your perception of Halloween as something along the lines of Satan's birthday, many public institutions no longer refer to the day as Halloween.
No, no, no.
Now it is referred to as a "Fall festival" or something along those lines.
And yes, in many cases the costumes are out. Because they maybe Satanic you know! But pumpkins, hey they are cool.
Again, look at the origins of Halloween. It is BOTH pagan and religious.
I assure all concerned that dressing up in hokey costumes and having fun is not against the Devil or the politically correct agenda.
Once again, the adults screw up and perfectly fine day for children and in turn everyone else.
Can we adults please give Halloween back to the kiddies? Please?
And if we adults want to partake or not, don't infringe on others by falsehoods as being offensive or demeaning to religion.
Is it too much to ask?

Yes, There Really Are Two Californias

As I wrote earlier, the family took a trip to Yosemite National Park this past week. And we drove from RVFTLC headquarters to Yosemite.
The route that we took put us in the heart of Red California, the Central Valley and such cities as Bakersfield and Fresno and a lot of small towns and villages in between. As noted here, Bakersfield is one of the most conservative large cites in California. And while Fresno does have more registered Democrats, it too is relatively conservative.
And the counties that Yosemite are in, Madera, Mariposa and of Tuolumne are some of the most solidly conservative in the state. And, unfortunately some of the smallest in population.
But it is stark to realize that this part of California is around.
Even though I live in California, I live in such a liberal area that I may even forget that there is this part of the state until actually visiting there.
It is not just in politics that I note the differences.
Mrs. RVFTLC made a serious observation as we were travelling California state route 99 on our way to Fresno.
That there were very, very few high-end luxury cars on the road with us.
And she was spot on.
We hardly saw a BMer. A Mercedes. A Lexus. An Audi. An Infiniti.
You get the idea.
Once I realized this, I felt at home. It seems like almost everyone in the big cities around here has one of the aforementioned cars. But in the Central Valley and the Mother Lode, most people are practical. And it shows in what they drive.
But it is not just in what they drive as much as a totally different attitude in the people. I mean, they are genuinely friendly.
An example is that we made a pit-stop in the city of Mariposa. We found a Burger King, did our business. But we did not purchase anything. And usually we do. But the gentleman at the counter did not scold us for using the rest room. He said "Thank you and  have a good day." If that happened here in Pasadena, it would be a near crime of the century. But here we were, total strangers in a very small town and not treated like criminals, but as people that might actually come back someday.
And in general, people smiled, said hello. And it was infectious enough to make your humble yet cynical blogger to smile right back and give a hello.
And the other aspect that is one that really made me think how different this part of California is that this area so depends on agriculture. It is the back bone of this region. It is literally the bread-basket of not just the United States but the world. And these kind of place are naturally more down-to-earth than those of us in the big cities.
But culturally, one huge difference between here and there.
Religion.
It is very clear that in this region, God is alive and well. There are churches everywhere. Even in the smallest towns there is at least a Roman Catholic church and a couple of Protestant churches. In larger towns and cities there are Jewish and Islamic places of worship. And it appears that all get along well. Because while they may nor agree on theology, they agree that practicing their faith is important and should not and can not be trampled on.
Yes, when one travels around California, it is clear that there are two distinct states. The state of Los Angeles, the Bay Area. And the state of the Central Valley and the Mother Lode. And they could not be more poles apart in almost every way.
It is a microcosm of the United States in general.
And it gives me hope that some of the positives of the Central Valley and Mother Lode can creep into life here in deep Blue California. For we can use a lot of it.

If You Thought People Don't Have Manners, What Happend To The Ten Commandments?

I start off this post with the Decalogue, also known as the Ten Commandments. It is from Exodus 20: 1-17:

1 And God spake all these words, saying,
2 ¶ I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 ¶ Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 ¶ Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5 thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
6 and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
7 ¶ Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
8 ¶ Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
9 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work:
10 but the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
11 for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
12 ¶ Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13 ¶ Thou shalt not kill.
14 ¶ Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 ¶ Thou shalt not steal.
16 ¶ Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
17 ¶ Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's.
To me, these are very much a huge bulwark of not just the Jewish faith (as it is in the Old Testament, but of the Christian faith. Even in the Great Commandment in Matthew 22: 36-40, Jesus Christ himself says that to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy mind; and to love thy neighbor as thyself hangs all the law and the prophets.
The Law.
What is the Law?
To the Christian, it is the Ten Commandments.
What has me even thinking about this is twofold.
One, Mrs. RVFTLC and I are taking a very serious class at our church called Education For Ministry. It is a mini-seminary put out by the University of the South, an Episcopal college in Tennessee.
Now, The Episcopal Church is way screwed up in many ways, but not in offering this course. It has made me think and understand a lot more about my Christian journey and faith.
And then I came across this post by my heathen friend, An Unmarried Man, about the Ten Commandants. It is HIS version as he sees it. But none the less, it was thought provoking.
Why should we care about the Ten Commandments? I mean, we break them, oh probably about 10 times a day almost everyone, right?
Well, I will refer you to the catechism in the Book of Common Prayer:

The Ten Commandments

Q. What are the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments are the laws given to Moses
and the people of Israel.
Q. What do we learn from these commandments?
A. We learn two things: our duty to God, and our duty to
our neighbors.
Q. What is our duty to God?
A. Our duty is to believe and trust in God;
I To love and obey God and to bring others to
know him;
II To put nothing in the place of God;
III To show God respect in thought, word, and
deed;
IV And to set aside regular times for worship,
prayer, and the study of God’s ways.
Q. What is our duty to our neighbors?
A. Our duty to our neighbors is to love them as ourselves,
and to do to other people as we wish them to do to us;
V To love, honor, and help our parents and
family; to honor those in authority, and to meet
their just demands;
VI To show respect for the life God has given us; to
work and pray for peace; to bear no malice,
prejudice, or hatred in our hearts; and to be
kind to all the creatures of God;
VII To use all our bodily desires as God intended;
VIII To be honest and fair in our dealings; to seek
justice, freedom, and the necessities of life for all
people; and to use our talents and possessions
as ones who must answer for them to God;
IX To speak the truth, and not to mislead others by
our silence;
X To resist temptations to envy, greed, and
jealousy; to rejoice in other people’s gifts and
graces; and to do our duty for the love of God,
who has called us into fellowship with him.
Q. What is the purpose of the Ten Commandments?
A. The Ten Commandments were given to define our
relationship with God and our neighbors.
Q. Since we do not fully obey them, are they useful at all?
A. Since we do not fully obey them, we see more clearly our
sin and our need for redemption.

I prefer the version in the last real prayer book, the 1928 Book of Common Prayer,
but the last question above is most important.
Because if we do not know the commandments, how do we know what our sinful nature is and how do we seek the repentance from Almighty God?
At the very least, they are the guide which we should strive to live our lives.
But where have they gone?
Well, in the United States, it is clear that the War Against Religion in general and the War Against Christianity in particular, the Ten Commandments have been a major casualty.
The atheists, the Anti-Christians have done their best to make the Ten Commandments nothing more than some ancient stuff that needs to be eliminated from the modern world. Timeless as the teaching is, in today's secularized world, we do not need ANY guidance from God as to what is good, right and just. Nope. Science and so-called rationality is superior to this.
In my Christian denomination, the Ten Commandments can be said at the beginning of any celebration of the Holy Communion. At my parish, we are lucky to hear them read during Lent.
It is as if it is something that we can not hear and or take in today's world.
Yet we need them more than ever.
Look at what is under assault today.
Take the rejection of God Himself. Many people have just decided God is not great. That the wiles of the world are much better. Yet many of these people are unhappy or never satisfied.
What is the Graven Image today? How about the worship of celebrity? Of of politicians? Or of sports figures? Yep, we can do a lot of that yet take little time to worship God and Jesus.
Taking the Lord's name in vain is but to be expected nowadays. Even by people that are to me good and decent Christians. But if you do not make a mind to remember NOT to take the Lord's name in vain, well look at what happens?
The Sabbath Day? What stinking Sabbath Day? Sunday? Everything is open. Nothing is closed any more. In someways, Sunday is becoming but another day rather than the day to rest, relax and to make the time to worship God.
Honoring out parents?! WTF?! Yeah, I write such an acronym because we are making it an art form to not honor our parents. There are countless examples that are multiple posts. But we are doing what we can to diss out parents.
We seem to kill with ease.
Adultery seems to be as equal as marriage.
Stealing? Ahh, well that is done and totally justified no matter what.
Bearing false witness against one's neighbor? Again, done to save one's hide with great regularity.
Coveting what is not ours? Well, not to get overly political here, but that is Occupy Wall Street. Socialism, Fascism, Nazism, Communism. All believe in taking away someones perceived wealth and give it to those that covet it. No matter what. Although it does not say anywhere in the Ten Commandments, one can be rewarded through hard work. But again, that is a political discussion rather than one of faith.
Now, more than ever, we need the Ten Commandments to be emblazoned in our hearts and minds. We need to not be ashamed in knowing them, saying them and doing to the best ability to live them. Imperfect creatures that we are.
And where can we start.
By reading and knowing what the Ten Commandments are.