The old country Methodist left church one Sunday grumbling, “That pastor’s quit preachin’ and gone to meddlin’!”
Pope Leo’s Message “Let Us Walk Together in Love, Searching Always for Peace”
That old phrase, circulated in some form among Baptist and Methodist circles, captures those inevitable days when the pastor crosses the line and steps out of the preformatted box that the church member had conceived for their pastor and “gone to meddlin”! The scenes below capture the recent actions actions of political powers to force the church into the role as actor for the state versus the church as prophetic voice to the state.
JD Vance’s words to the Pope, “Be careful,” captures the “stay in your lane” warning that the Vicar of Christ has gone to meddlin’. The sermons are wonderful up to the point the pastor overturned the tables of the moneychangers. The pastor’s perceived job is to sprinkle holy water on the business shenanigans of the church members and “Give me a little blessing!,” like an ordained “rabbit’s foot.”
The Discomfort of Meddlin’
During my first pastorate, it was not uncommon to see people smoking in a hospital. One day I visited St. Joseph’s hospital, where a church member lay critically ill. As I approached in the hallway, I observed that a family member was smoking, who immediately hid the lit cigarette in a cupped hand by his waist. But what he could not hide was the curl of smoke that rose and curled around his ears. Rather than comfort him and put him at ease about his curling smoke, I recognized there is power in the discomfort of meddlin’.
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" - Romans 12:2.
In watching the body count rise, along with the risk of WWIII in the U.S.'s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, I offer this concept of an asphalt-lined subsurface oil and gas canal and corridor. The asphalt based tunnel overcomes steel pipeline engineering problems by using an oil based product (asphalt) to move oil in a subterranean canal, along with the increased security and capacity exceeding that of supertankers.
Title:Subterranean Hydrostatic Oil Transport (SHOT): A Segmented Subsurface Canal and Energy Corridor Bypass of the Strait of Hormuz Inventor: James Butler Classification: Strategic Energy Infrastructure Concept
1. Executive Summary
The SHOT system proposes a segmented, subterranean oil canal integrated within a broader multi-energy transport corridor. Designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz, the system enables secure, high-volume movement of crude oil while simultaneously supporting natural gas and LNG transport within a single underground excavation.
Rather than relying on high-pressure pipelines alone, SHOT operates as a low-pressure, high-volume hydraulic system for oil, combined with independently controlled pipeline systems for gas and LNG.
The result is a layered energy corridor that consolidates multiple transport modes into one hardened, subsurface infrastructure.
2. Concept Overview: Subsurface Canal + Energy Corridor
SHOT is a hybrid system combining:
A segmented oil canal (primary transport layer)
Parallel pipeline systems (gas and LNG)
Shared structural and access infrastructure
The tunnel functions as:
A subterranean energy corridor, not a single-purpose conduit
Key characteristics:
Segmented, controllable oil flow
Independent thermal and pressure environments for each energy stream
Centralized maintenance and monitoring access
3. Proposed Route: Fujairah–Musandam Corridor
Length: ~32 km
Depth: 200–300 meters
Route: Persian Gulf (Al Raafah region, UAE) → Fujairah (Gulf of Oman)
Geological Basis
Stable rock formations suitable for large-diameter tunneling
Proven capacity for deep, unlined or partially lined structures
Strategic Outcome
Eliminates reliance on maritime chokepoints
Establishes a fixed, sovereign, multi-energy export route
4. Technical Framework
A. Segmented Canal Structure (Oil Transport Layer)
The oil transport system operates as a controlled, segmented subsurface canal:
The SHOT system evolves into a multi-layered energy transport corridor, integrating oil, gas, and LNG within a single excavation while maintaining independent operating conditions.
Tunnel Zoning Structure
Lower Zone (Primary Flow Layer)
Segmented oil canal
Asphalt-lined invert
Low-pressure, high-volume crude flow
Upper and Side Zones (Independent Transport Systems)
LNG Transport:
Vacuum-insulated or double-wall cryogenic pipelines
Mounted along tunnel walls or ceiling
Fully isolated from ambient tunnel conditions
Natural Gas Pipelines:
Standard high-pressure gas transmission lines
Parallel routing within the tunnel
Electrical and Control Systems:
Power distribution for pumps and monitoring systems
Sensor networks for pressure, temperature, and flow
Communications and automation infrastructure
System Characteristics
Each energy stream operates in a separate controlled environment
Thermal isolation prevents LNG boil-off and material stress
Shared tunnel reduces total excavation cost per transport mode
Centralized access improves maintenance and monitoring
Result
One tunnel, multiple energy streams, each operating independently within a unified structural corridor
6. Flow Dynamics and Propulsion
Oil velocity: ~1.5–2.0 m/s
Flow regime: controlled turbulent flow
Movement maintained by distributed axial pump stations
Gas and LNG systems:
Operate independently under standard pipeline principles
Do not interact with canal flow dynamics
7. Construction Approach
Tunnel Specifications
Diameter: 12–14 meters (expandable depending on corridor density)
Multi-use configuration (flow, pipelines, access)
Excavation
Hard Rock Double Shield TBMs
Daily advance: ~10–20 meters
Integrated Build Sequence
Tunnel excavation
Structural stabilization
Asphalt invert installation
Installation of pipeline mounts and supports
Integration of pumps, gates, and control systems
8. Operational Characteristics
Metric
Traditional Pipeline
SHOT Energy Corridor
Transport Modes
Single (oil or gas)
Multi-energy (oil, gas, LNG)
Flow Type (Oil)
High-pressure sealed
Low-pressure segmented
Capacity (Oil)
1.5–5M bpd
5–12M bpd (scalable)
LNG Capability
Separate infrastructure
Integrated insulated pipelines
Vulnerability
Surface exposure
Deep underground
Maintenance
External access
Internal segmented access
Longevity
30–40 years
75–100+ years
9. Strategic Advantages
Chokepoint bypass: Eliminates reliance on Strait of Hormuz
Infrastructure consolidation: Multiple energy streams in one corridor
Security: Deep underground placement reduces exposure
Scalability: Additional pipelines or parallel tunnels can expand capacity
Efficiency: Shared excavation lowers marginal cost per system
10. Key Engineering Considerations
Oil flow requires continuous monitoring and control
LNG systems require strict thermal isolation and containment
Structural layout must prevent cross-system interference
Maintenance strategy depends on segmented isolation and automation
Initial deployment may prioritize oil, with gas/LNG added in phases
11. Conclusion
The SHOT system, expanded into a subterranean energy corridor, represents a shift from single-purpose infrastructure toward integrated, multi-modal energy transport.
By combining a segmented oil canal with independent gas and LNG pipelines in a shared underground environment, the system provides a secure, scalable, and strategically resilient alternative to surface-based transport routes.
While technically complex and capital-intensive, the concept leverages established engineering methods arranged in a novel configuration to address long-term energy transport challenges.
Secure and Scalable Energy Corridor
Attribution
The conceptual framework of the Subterranean Hydrostatic Oil Transport (SHOT) system and its evolution into a multi-energy corridor is credited to James Butler.
The Pretti Good Immigration Decency Act: Reimagining immigration with humanity, justice, and mercy for a better future.
The Pretti Good Immigration Decency Act asks only this: that a nation powerful enough to enforce the law be human enough to honor it.
The Pretti Good Immigration Decency Act
The Backstory
Two peaceful Minnesota protesters of ICE tactics are shot dead by ICE: Renee Good and Alex Pretti. A nation reels under the grief as their expression of First Amendment was met with a fatal response by the hand of government. There would not be enough space to contain the emotions and arguments of this national loss. Rather, today we will plant something beautiful that would capture their spirit and provide a path forward by creating a humane and decent Immigration process.
Grief Upon Grief
Then with the death of Pretti and Good came the revelation of children taken by ICE and used as bait to capture the parents. While ICE and its associated agencies denied this, their objections were drowned out by the wails of children and adults in detention. The wails, rather than hyperbole, came from direct testimony of U.S. Citizens detained then released after being wrongly snatched and held in ICE facilities due to their skin color or accent. These citizens observed that inhumane treatment began before the arrest, with physical assaults and handcuffs biting the wrists. ICE guards turned stone deaf to phone, water, and bathroom requests for hours as inmates languished in crowded cells, and when a toilet became available the degradation of voiding in public view added insult to human misery.
Then like a dark score for a B-rated horror flick, behind the incessant howls of misery the citizens reported hearing the guards laughing and joking as they became blind to the very misery they created. Down the chain of command came orders to treat fellow humans no better than a heap of discarded fast food bags and scraps. And, most chilling were the cries of children which floated through the dark air registers of these centers, like kittens drowning in a ditch, with grief too young to know they may never see their parents again.
The Death of Goodwill
The Public Perceived ICE Used Children, like Liam Conejo Ramos pictured here, as bait to capture Parents. While ICE denies this, their habitual lies record has dissolved public trust. Beyond eroding trust, these tactics devastated the goodwill of the U.S. government and replaced with with the visceral wrath of a mother stripped of her newborn infant — a catastrophic miscalculation.
This One Corporate Expression Separates Us From Pre-War NAZI Germany
The Pretti Good Immigration Decency Roadmap
Rather than leave the reader with, “Isn’t this awful;” The remainder of this blog will discuss the re-creation of the U.S. Immigration system. This is not a finished law, but a field of decency. A place where truth, justice, and mercy can grow, and where leaders are invited to add more, not less. The Pretti Good Immigration Decency Act asks only this: that a nation powerful enough to enforce the law be human enough to honor it. Here, decency is the currency, mercy has standing, and justice is allowed to take root.
This is not a finished law, but a field of decency. A place where truth, justice, and mercy can grow, and where leaders are invited to add more, not less. The Pretti Good Immigration Decency Act asks only this: that a nation powerful enough to enforce the law be human enough to honor it. Here, decency is the currency, mercy has standing, and justice is allowed to take root. — JPB
1. A Sliding Equity Model: Rooted in time, contribution, and belonging
Core Principle
Time lived in community creates equity. Not abstract worth. Lived equity. Built through work, care, taxes, schools, churches, neighborhoods, and showing up.
This roadmap does not erase the law. It teaches the law to recognize human investment.
2. The Sliding Equity Scale
Tier I: New Roots
0–2 years in the U.S.
Recognition
Presence acknowledged without criminalization
Protection from arbitrary detention and transfer
Guarantees
Attorney representation
Medical care
Open communication with family and counsel
No torture, no private prison warehousing with certified humane conditions
Pathways
Work authorization
Tax ID access
Community orientation and legal literacy
The goal here is stability, not punishment. No one builds well while falling.
Tier II: Growing Roots
2–5 years
Recognition
Documented contribution begins to count
Community presence matters
Qualifying Contributions
Tax filings
Employment or caregiving
School enrollment of children
Faith, nonprofit, or volunteer engagement
Protections
No interstate rendition
Nonpunitive supervision instead of detention
Local citizen and clergy review boards for enforcement actions
The law begins to say: we see you here.
Tier III: Deep Roots
5–10 years
Recognition
Presumption of community membership
Removal requires heightened justification
Qualifying Contributions
Consistent tax history
Stable employment or business activity
Social network verification (employers, neighbors, clergy, educators)
Benefits
Expedited legal status
Work mobility
Family unity protections
Immigration court deference to time served in community
At this stage, removal is no longer neutral. It is a civic harm.
Tier IV: Anchored Roots
10+ years
Recognition
Equity threshold reached
Deportation treated as extraordinary measure
Presumptions
Right to remain
Right to adjust status
Right to due process equal in gravity to criminal proceedings
Pathways
Permanent residency
Citizenship eligibility
Full labor and civic protections
At this point, the question shifts from Why should you stay? to How could we justify tearing this apart?
Guardrails of Decency (Apply at All Tiers)
Honored immigration courts
Independent citizen and clergy review boards
No private prison profit incentives
Certified humane treatment from arrest, detention, and removal
Nonpunitive alternatives to detention
Medical and mental health care
Open communication with family
Absolute ban on torture and coercion
Truth, justice, mercy as governing standards
What This Roadmap Does Quietly but Powerfully
Rewards contribution without demanding perfection
Replaces fear with predictability
Aligns law enforcement with community stability
Turns time and care into recognized civic assets
Makes cruelty inefficient and decency administrable
This is not open borders. It is open accounting of human investment.
Drinking the Chalice of Legislative Hemlock
Legal. Orderly. Deadly.
The reader may think this blog is a nice or a Pollyanna dream that only affects murderers and rapists who crept into the U.S. The truth, as stated above, affects not only noncriminal immigrants but U.S. citizens. The video and revision of the ICE funding bill below show the present Administration’s attempt to maintain a chokehold on deporting citizens. While “If we deport a citizen, they can contest it in court” sounds reasonable, has anyone priced attorney retention and timeline while you have been renditioned to a domestic or foreign torture prison? Presently we see citizens unlawfully detained as a tactic of political hazing. So this article is not a dream, rather a wake up call for a sleeping nation. And once this present administration is removed, we will spend decades sweeping the roots their legislative hemlock from our political house.
Legislative Hemlock
Presently we see citizens unlawfully detained as a tactic of political hazing. So this article is not a dream, rather a wake up call for a sleeping nation. And once this present administration is removed, we will spend decades sweeping the roots their legislative hemlock from our political house.
JPB
The Andy Griffith Show: The Last Day Otis Locked Himself Up
When the beloved Andy Griffith Show went from black-and-white to color, Andy Griffith asked that Otis, the town drunk who locked himself in Andy’s cell, be recast from drunk to sober because he felt that being drunk was not a life sentence. So, after locking himself in jail that last time, Otis left behind his drunk self and became the town ice cream man. In real life, Otis did not drink.
Likewise, being an immigrant need not be a life sentence where the stranger in our midst must drag himself before the court of degradation and be stripped of what dignity may still remain. Like Otis, the immigrant can be transformed in living color, bringing joy and stability to our towns in the family of America.
The Pretti Good Immigration Decency Act: A citizen and clergy review board, respect for community, honor of Immigration courts, attorney representation, no interstate rendition, sliding scale of justice for years in U.S., private prison reform, nonpunitive incarceration, no torture, open communication for detainees, medical care, truth, justice mercy.
In Living Color,
JPB
"I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Matthew 25:35).
Empower employees! Discover the ‘American Ownership Amendment’ to end oligarch rule & build a future of shared prosperity.
“Employees to Take Control: ‘American Ownership Amendment’ Could End Oligarch Rule!”
Wealth hoarded, power concentrated – soon to be a thing of the past.
Congress, get ready. Coming to a Congressional Hall Near You
“An American worker will no longer serve as today’s pocket change of the privileged, but as partners in a tomorrow.” – JPB
Spark of Innovation
This concept ignited while watching U.S. billionaires, in plain daylight, hurl millions of dollars at lobbyists to feather their interests, as the American worker, sleeping in a Corolla behind a Walmart, is told to make do with a $3 chicken breast and a single stalk of broccoli.
A second spark came from an unlikely place. Gregor Mendel, an Austrian monk known as the father of genetics, transformed science in the 1850s by patiently studying pea plants. Through disciplined selection, he revealed how new traits emerge, not by chaos, but by design.
Applying Mendel’s insight to economics, the attached patent-ready concept cultivates a new breed of American enterprise: a publicly traded corporation that is majority employee-owned, while fully preserving the entrepreneur’s role, incentives, and capacity for innovation.
What follows is both a mathematical proof and a practical model.
This economic pea plant is designed to feed America’s future in an AI-emergent world.
— James P. Butler Pastor, Theologian, & Inventor 🌱
T=Mi²
Title: Mass Economic Multiplier via Employee Ownership (T = Wi²)
Abstract:
A system and method to optimize national economic growth and innovation by granting employees ownership stakes in the enterprises they help build. The invention establishes a mathematical framework for predicting and amplifying economic impact via inflation-matched employee investment, defined as T = Wi², where T represents the mass economic multiplier, W represents worker earnings, and i² represents inflation-matched investment squared. By applying this model, enterprises achieve sustainable productivity, equitable wealth distribution, and enhanced AI-driven operational efficiency.
Employees to Take Control: ‘American Ownership Amendment’ Could End Oligarch Rule!
Wealth hoarded, power concentrated – soon to be a thing of the past. Congress, get ready.
An American worker will no longer serve as today’s pocket change of the privileged, but as partners in a tomorrow.
T=Mi² Math Proof: Mass Economic Multiplier via Employee
JPB
Claims:
A method of granting proportional equity to employees based on tenure and earnings, linked to a national inflation index.
A system that calculates the mass economic multiplier (T) using T = Wi² for individual firms, aggregates for regional/national impact, and forecasts GDP and innovation growth.
A predictive algorithm integrating worker ownership, investment scaling, and AI optimization for decision-making in corporate governance.
A model ensuring entrepreneurship is preserved while preventing economic capture by external lobbying interests.
Description of Drawings:
The infographic visualizes the framework: heroic employees at the foreground, T = Wi² formula centrally displayed, and GDP, innovation, wealth, and inequality outcomes projected as measurable effects.
Novelty & Advantages:
Transforms traditional corporate governance into a worker-centered model.
Creates AI-ready economic data loops for optimization of enterprise value and societal benefit.
Demonstrates a scalable, measurable multiplier effect for national economic planning.
From the careful pairing of capital and work, a new economic trait appears: the entrepreneur-employee.
-James P Butler, Pastor, Theologian, & Inventor
Conclusion
Yes. The absence of Σ(Wᵢ²) quietly destroyed enormous value.
For over a century, most of the U.S. economy has been run on an addition–subtraction employment model:
Add workers → add output
Cut workers → cut costs
Replace workers → reset experience to zero
Mathematically, this treats labor as: Σ Wᵢ, while owners treated their own capital investments as compounding exponentially.
The Result: Linear. Disposable. Forgetful.
That choice had consequences.
For over a century, most of the U.S. economy has been run on an addition–subtraction employment model: Add workers → add output Cut workers → cut costs Replace workers → reset experience to zero Mathematically, this treats labor as: Σ Wᵢ, while owners treated their capital investments compounding exponentially. The Result: Linear. Disposable. Forgetful.
JPB
What America never captured
When firms fail to structure ownership, retention, and incentives so that:
Total impact = Σ(Wᵢ²)
… they lose:
Compounded skill accumulation
Long-term institutional knowledge
Innovation spillovers
Trust-based efficiency
Intergenerational productivity
Each time a trained worker leaves, the system doesn’t just lose Wᵢ. It loses years of squared growth that never happened.
That missing curve is the real cost … scaled into the trillions
Consider this over decades:
Millions of workers
High turnover
Suppressed wages
Minimal ownership
Short-term shareholder pressure
Each worker’s potential multiplier is flattened into a line.
When you integrate that lost curvature across:
50+ years
Entire industries
Multiple generations
You don’t get billions lost. You get structural underperformance measured in trillions.
Not because workers failed. Because the math of the system was wrong.
Discover how Evangelical focus on an earthly kingdom paved the way for the Antichrist. A provocative, original look at history’s unexpected turns.
How Evangelical Hunger for an Earthy Kingdom Opened the Door to the Antichrist
Not a title I wanted or expected to write but one that crawled from the wet ink of history born and demanded, “Write these words!” An original and not currently held by any U.S. publisher. Coming soon to ChristiansNeedtoKnow.com.
In the slums of the megacity stretching from Dallas through Fort Worth to Plano sits the Trump Memorial Landfill, where vicious ICE, AI-enhanced guard dogs protect recyclables from human pilfering. Nearby, humanoid AI units recharge alongside the landfill’s few remaining human workers at the “Java & Jolt Café.”
Tonight, The Unity Alliance hosts “Democracy Hologram Night,” honoring those who freed America from abusive leaders who sold immigrants for profit, invaded nations for oil, and ordered the shooting of U.S. citizens armed only with whistles.
Tonight as well, The Covenant of Shared Sovereignty gathers to celebrate its founding belief: a cooperative order linking nations, citizens, and AI as equal partners, grounded in reciprocal obligation rather than coercive power, where none is permitted to dominate the other.
WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND THE PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING PHOTO OF THE YOUNG WOMAN CRYING OUT IN HORROR OVER THE DYING BODY OF ONE OF THE STUDENTS? (From Kent.Edu)
A photograph of Mary Vecchio, a 14-year-old runaway, screaming over the body of Jeffery Miller appeared on the front pages of newspapers and magazines throughout the country, and the photographer, John Filo, was to win a Pulitzer Prize for the picture. The photo has taken on a life and importance of its own. This analysis looks at the photo, the photographer, and the impact of the photo.
The Mary Vecchio picture shows her on one knee screaming over Jeffrey Miller’s body. Mary told one of us that she was calling for help because she felt she could do nothing (Personal Interview, 4/4/94). Miller is lying on the tarmac of the Prentice Hall parking lot. One student is standing near the Miller body closer than Vecchio. Four students are seen in the immediate background.
John Filo, a Kent State photography major in 1970, continues to work as a professional newspaper photographer and editor. He was near the Prentice Hall parking lot when the Guard fired. He saw bullets hitting the ground, but he did not take cover because he thought the bullets were blanks. Of course, blanks cannot hit the ground.
The May 4 shootings at Kent State need to be remembered for several reasons. First, the shootings have come to symbolize a great American tragedy which occurred at the height of the Vietnam War era, a period in which the nation found itself deeply divided both politically and culturally. The poignant picture of Mary Vecchio kneeling in agony over Jeffrey Miller’s body, for example, will remain forever
as a reminder of the day when the Vietnam War came home to America. If the Kent State shootings will continue to be such a powerful symbol, then it is certainly important that Americans have a realistic view of the facts associated with this event. Second, May 4 at Kent State and the Vietnam War era remain controversial even today, and the need for healing continues to exist. Healing will not occur if events are either forgotten or distorted, and hence it is important to continue to search for the truth behind the events of May 4 at Kent State. Third, and most importantly, May 4 at Kent State should be remembered in order that we can learn from the mistakes of the past. The Guardsmen in their signed statement at the end of the civil trials recognized that better ways have to be found to deal with these types of confrontations. This has probably already occurred in numerous situations where law enforcement officials have issued a caution to their troops to be careful because “we don’t want another Kent State.” Insofar as this has happened, lessons have been learned, and the deaths of four young Kent State students have not been in vain.
First they burn "The Handmaid's Tale" — then you live "The Handmaid's Tale." -JPB
