Another Ride Around the Sun

Another year, a bit of a rambling rant...

Well, here I am a year later. Not everyone made it, just how it goes. Birthdays are no longer about parties, birthday cake (don't need the extra calories, fat grams or tooth decay) or even presents (do I need an iPad or a nicer TV? Nah.). Birthdays are good days to reflect on where we've been in the last year and where we want to go in the coming year. I feel neither guilt from the past or worry for the future. So what about the past? And what's next? 

I feel a little better both physically and mentally. Want to feel better and save money? Eat less. Eat out less often. Replace screen time with cooking. Pay attention to what you put in your body. Okay, enough preaching. I'll eat cake and drink beer again, just not too much, hopefully. Over-all the covid blues are fading in the mirror and history books. It was not the first pandemic, nor will it be the last. Next time, tell 'em Obama wants you to NOT get vaccinated! I doubt we'll have the good, common sense to not politicize something as simple and straight forward as a vaccine. The powers that be need to take politicization into account when creating a response to the next pandemic or disaster. So what else? 

Biden will probably never recover from the debacle of our Afghan pull-out. It does not matter that Trump made that deal or a 100,000 got out for a shot at a better life. Yes, too many were indeed left behind. Please tell me, oh great generals behind the screens and keyboards, what specifically what you would have done differently? Send in our great grandchildren and their kids? Simply steal the vast mineral wealth? I'm all ears. It was a shit-show from the get go with no good ending possible (except all the contractors, middle men and security goons who got rich).        

Now the freedom crowd is crying about high gas prices and inflation. Suddenly, they want government action! No, no, no- this is the Capitalism you love so much at it's finest. Let the market sort it out. The energy giants are laughing their collective asses off while banking your money. Spell it with me now--- R-E-C-O-R-D   P-R-O-F-I-T-S. That's not a bug, it's a feature. Production's down and demand is up, simple supply and demand. The lack of even basic understanding of economics is astounding! Look, it runs in cycles and this will pass. 

The world looks on as Russia slowly tries to grind Ukraine into dust. Russia has gone from respected power to a pariah state almost over night. A pariah state with the world's largest supply of strategic and tactical nukes must be dealt with carefully but dealt with none the less. Keyboard generals, tell me what else Biden can do? Just keep fighting Ukraine, you cannot lose. 

Our epidemic of mass shootings continues unabated. The knee jerk reaction is take away the guns. While that's a nice thought, it's not happening anytime soon. Can we return to a time when guns were just guns and not symbols of toxic masculinity, right-wing hate and pretend bad-ass Cosplay? Can we stop making mass murders instantly famous? Can we hold parents / guardians of minors who commit man murder criminally accountable? Can we reimagine schools as more than pre-jail for prisons and the corporate workplace? Can we rebuild our mental healthcare system (one that does not lead to bankruptcy)? And yes, bring back the assault weapons ban. Given long enough, it will have an impact. Vote out the lunatics that like guns (gun lobby money) more than safe theaters, schools, churches, bars and restaurants. 

Yes, we are going through a period of rapid change with no plan, no known destination totally in the dark. I'll share what my Dad told me decades ago, "Freedom means freedom to fail also. We're free to totally fuck up." We can also help bend the arc towards justice. It is never too late.              

  

July 4, 2022 thoughts...

 

And it is July 4th again! What's going on? 

There's high gas prices and inflation. The economy runs in cycles. This too shall pass. No, the president does not have a magic gas price controller in the upper right drawer of the desk in the Oval Office. Oil rises and falls no matter what flavor occupies the White House. Gas prices are the freedom of capitalism it's finest! Remember kids, corporations are BOUND BY LAW to maximize shareholder profits, FULL STOP. They don't give a shit about working people, the environment, national boarders or you! Here's a novel idea, look it up! Let me help you. These companies are raking in huge amounts of profit. Oil production is kept low to facilitate higher profits, simple supply and demand. Russia is out of business (for the most part), thus no more oil from them. That means even less oil. So isn't inflation Biden's fault? 

Over-all the economy does better under Democrats than Republicans. I think Biden inherited a shit-show from The Donald. The Donald's massive tax cuts for our richest, an unnecessary trade war with China and a totally inept and pathetic response to Covid-19 only accelerates the looming recession the entire world is facing. Still, it's not all the Donald's fault. Yes friends, there are others living outside the USA. In a global economy, dependent on trade, things going on past our borders affect us. Labor costs are rising, the pandemic caused disruptions are still going on and Russia decided this was the ideal time to start a massive war. All wars end and the age of fossil fuels is winding down. The end of fossil fuels will be messy. No one will give up the cash-cow until they have to. I'm agnostic on electric cars. They also depend on scarce resources. We're going to have to radically change how we live to keep the Earth livable but that's for another time... 

What else? 

We are reaping the rewards of McConnell's radical Supreme Court. Throw it all back to the states. Abortion rights, going. EPA's power to regulate, gone. Gay rights are next. Funny how 9 unelected, politically appointed for life, non-accountable people have so much say in our daily lives. Why do they have that much power? Who do they answer to? No one! That's really Democratic! I think Biden is too much a traditionalist to pack the court to regain balance or to consider alternative legal interpretations. Only 9 get to have the final say in a vast legal system for 320 million! Sounds batshit to me. But here we are. Still, as my grandmother used to say, "nothing lasts." How much damage will be done in the mean time?               

There's more; guns / mass shootings, racism, a collapsing, for profit, healthcare system, sentient AI and so on but that's for another time. 

Remember the arc towards a more just future happens only if we make it so.   

   

Readings 6.11.2022 Wrong Answers

 

American Fascism Isn't Going Away

Jesus, endless war, and the rise of American fascism

US Neoliberal Fascism

America is now in fascism’s legal phase

 

Gun Violence as a Symptom

 

The recent mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas is about as horrific as it gets. It was far from the first school shooting and will certainly not be the last. Once again we find ourselves in the same situation as every mass shooting; profound sadness and shock, blaming guns, poor security / police response, lots of hot air about gun control vs. Second Amendment and at the end of the day nothing changes. I think we are far beyond effective gun control measures. That ship sailed fifty or sixty years ago. The problem is only a symptom of something much bigger.    

I've written on guns before (here) and things have only worsened. With our national legislature in the pocket of gun makers, gun sellers and a plethora of other like-minded lunatics, we cannot get even minimal reforms, much less anything approaching a solution(s). It is a much deeper problem than high capacity magazines, AR-15's or no limits on ammo. You see, it's too late for bans and other "you cannot have that" solutions. There are more guns than people here. And no, the government cannot "take your guns." It is logistically impossible. The point is, guns are not going away. I think real solutions are only possible by doing something Americans hate, looking in the mirror. Let's start to peel the onion of gun violence.

Our "winner take all" society is sick, very sick. How else to explain Sandy Hook and nothing changes afterward? Some in the gun crowd scream mental health! Are they wrong? Sure, I'd say if one shoots up a school, church or grocery store, they have some severe mental health issues. Let's go deeper. Why? Remember we gutted mental healthcare back in the '80's. It's hard to get care for mental wellbeing. Good luck paying for it in this healthcare system! And then there's the stigma. Good luck finding work afterward. "But we cannot afford it!" So screams the Party of Deregulation and tax cuts for the rich. Let's dig deeper.       

What can cause the mental illness that leads to mass shootings and other violent crimes? Well, we basically have to reform ourselves from top to bottom. The crushing effects of late stage casino capitalism come into play. Here's a link for a deep dive. Basically, if you're poor, it's your own damn fault. If you fail and you are rich enough, Uncle Sam will not let you fall. The economy is rigged like a casino that cannot lose money (Donald Trump not withstanding). We live surrounded by debit traps of all sorts; credit card debit, medical debit, car loan debit, mortgage debit, student loan debit, rent, utilities and so on and on. Yes, there are jobs but many pay too little to even afford necessities much less give some breathing room. We are not dying of starvation but the cheap food comes with new costs all their own- feeling like shit all the time and poor long term health outcomes like heart disease and diabetes. So far our response to these things has only made the situation far worse and more dangerous. Come along- we got more digging to do. 

Instead of making changes to reduce suffering, the powers that be have only doubled down to keep the rigged game going. No job? No future? No hope? Lonely? Sad? Depressed? It's the blacks' fault! It's the Chineses' fault! It's the Mexicans' fault! It's the Muslims' fault! It's the liberals' fault! They are stealing your country. You must FIGHT back! Get your guns while you still can (They want to take those too!).  Guns make you powerful. Guns make you a man. Don't be weak! Arm up and FIGHT back. Don't be weak. These dangerous sentiments resonate with hopeless and powerless people being crushed under the weight of American Capitalism. Add to all of this our ever increasing isolation. Gone are the union meetings, neighborhood activities, many clubs and associations that used to bring different people together. Mass shootings are only one symptom. We also see more suicides and other "Deaths of Despair."

Mixing guns with fascism, toxic masculinity and Christian extremism is proving to be deadly. The culture has grown so toxic mass shootings are just another Wednesday afternoon. They are American as Baseball, apple pie and napalm. So how do we reverse course? Can we? We start by bringing people together. Find stuff / create stuff to get involved in! For Fuck's sake turn off the computer, put down the tablet or phone, give the social media a break! Do stuff with people. Don't leave people out. Rebuild a sense of community. Alone time in echo chambers feeds bad things. To the gun bros- stop fetishizing firearms! Have fun at the range. Learn and teach how to hunt safely. Guns are tools, not status symbols. Yes, gun violence is fixable. Real solutions will take time. So can we? We have too.                    

Readings 5.23.22 Climate Change Consequences Already Here

 

Hate to break it to you on a Monday but the effects of climate change are here. 

The Southwest’s Drought and Fires Are a Window to Our Climate Change Future

Fire season in US Southwest is early and intense

Utah's Great Salt Lake Expected to Hit Record Low Levels Again This Year (PHOTOS)

New Zealand faces major sea rise ‘much sooner than we thought’

This April, More Places In India Saw 45+ Temperatures In A Decade

Climate Change and Global Warming- NASA

What does climate change and trees have in common? 

The best time to plant a tree or start working on climate change was decades ago. The next best time is today. 

 

The Pejorative of "Mainstream" Media

 

I often see both left and right using "mainstream" media in a pejorative sense. Oh, that's just the mainstream media not telling the whole story or only what "they" want you to hear. I've been guilty of this as well. Here's the thing- all media is created by human beings. All human beings have bad days, bias of one form or another and different prejudices. Everyone has an axe to grind. Sometimes it's more obvious than others. I too, as a consumer of news / media, have the same issues. We are programmed to think we are one of the good guys and we think what good people should think. Others are wrong, operating in bad faith or worse yet seek to actually harm us. Who is paying for the news coverage? So what can be done? Where can we get good, accurate information? What do we we do with this information? 

1. Who's paying the bill? 

Where does the organization get its money from? Advertisers! Great, who are they? Political parties or government sponsoring what I'm looking at? Foundations or large corporations kicking in something? None of these have to be dealbreakers. The content can still be useful and valuable. Still, knowing why something was created is important. 

I think the next two questions have the same answer. 

2. So what can be done?

3. Where we can we get good accurate information? 

Look as many places as possible and pay attention to how each source tells about the same event. What narratives / stories are they pushing and why? I think being well and truly informed takes a good deal of work. Time is a precious resource. We get into the habit of using a few go to (trusted?) sources for news and can easily end up in an information silo. Take the time to learn more. It is important.         

4. What do we do with this information?

If you think it is good share it! The internet is full of half-truths, big and small lies and outright government / corporate propaganda. This is a small way to change things for the better. Too many want us to stop asking questions, trying to distract with shiny things and fake outrage. 

I see mainstream media as a good starting point. I know there are biases. That's a part of it. Still don't like "mainstream" media? Well, do the homework and dig deeper. Network news to documentaries like Frontline and on to international perspectives is a path to deeper understanding. This is not full-proof but better than just a scan of headlines on your smartphone. Freedom is not free. It takes work.    

Abortion from where I sit

 

I'm not interested in starting arguments, debates or general internet outrage. That said, I'm willing to share my view. 

First, as a dude, I have no say. It's not for me to decide. Such a decision is between a woman, her doctor and God if she so chooses. Funny, the party of "small government" wants to intrude on this space.   

Passing laws and restrictions will not make abortions go away. It will only drive them underground, making them more dangerous the poorer you are. The wealthy will only have to spend more going to another state / country to have one. Has outlawing drugs worked? Did outlawing booze back in the day work? Robbery and killing are also against the law. Simply watch a little local news to see how effective laws are at stopping those. Driving abortion into the shadows only makes a difficult situation worse and will get people killed. 

Abortions can be greatly reduced (almost eliminated) pretty easy. Let's have real comprehensive, fact based sex education. Let's have accessible birth control. Maybe even real support for new moms with little means. But the party of "small government" has no interest in solving problems or actual governing. But that's a rant for another time...       

Social Media

There is no going back. Social media will be with us for the foreseeable future, only a giant well-aimed meteor, nuclear war or exponential climate change will put an end to it. No, this is not a rambling bashing all the baggage social media brings. There's plenty of that already. Let's consider a few things here as of this writing in May 2022. The pace of change is astonishing. It is what we make of it. Social media is there to make money, full stop. 

We have come a long way from email and the chatrooms full of surprises of the '90's. Now, it is possible to video chat with people across the world in real time. Anyone can create or comment on news (as I comment often in this space). Creators may or may not be telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It's easy to get sucked into information bubbles or silos of our own creation (with a little help from over friendly algorithms). The future only looks stranger as we will soon don goggles, headphones and who knows what (smellivision??) on our way to becoming a strange sort of pod people living in a virtual make-believe world. Who knows, in small doses, it could be fun! It could be great for education. It could even be highly spiritual. There are plenty of dark paths opening up as well. This changing technology, like any tool, is not evil in itself. It is how we use it; enslavement, enlightenment or something unknown to us now?

So what do I want from things like Facebook and LinkedIn? They are good ways to keep in touch, learn new things and places to share ideas. They can be great tools for job searching (something I'm not doing now) and more fun things like cat pictures, gardening / flowers and truck pictures it that's your thing. Hell, I don't really mind the targeted ads. Something I'm interested in, I may check it out. I don't expect social media to replace having a few beers with friends, roadtripping or simply being outside on a warm, sunny day. As of right now, I don't see plunging into the shining world of virtual reality. It creeps me out. Maybe I'll change my mind one day. Don't knock it 'till you try it? Maybe later? 

But what you or I want is only a part of the picture. The people who own social media can talk all they want about bringing the world together, freedom of speech or other lofty goals but we live in a Capitalist system where only money matters. They are in it for the money. Anytime those wonderful goals go against creating profits; profits will win out every time. Freedom of speech is cool and all until the lawsuits start to add up. Some kids get bullied to the point of suicide? Just business. Creating millions of addicts? Think of the ad revenue! Skewing elections, disinformation silos and hate speech? How about unlimited growth and record profits! "Show me the motivation and I'll show you the result." When money is the motivator, bad things can happen. 

"Be the change you want to see." Social media is what we make it. Post factual, positive and uplifting stuff. Leave the on line arguments behind for in person dialogue. Too many are more interested in "winning" than learning something new. Don't be afraid to use disconnect, block and unfriend features. Make your social media experience educational, informative and fun! Manage your account(s) accordingly.   

     

          

Readings 5.14.22 Social Media

 

Web 3.0 To Change The Landscape Of Social Media And Online Content

WEEKEND READS: WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA IS DOING TO US

How to Find Support If Social Media Is Hurting Your Mental Health

Meta's VR Worlds are Growing Fast, with Usage Climbing Above 300k Monthly Actives

...And a book

Think Before You like

I'll be sharing my own thoughts on this soon! 

That Money, Money!!

 

Maybe money is not the root of every problem. However, when looking for root causes after peeling back all the layers of the onion, there you will often find money as the source. We humans have been accumulating stuff for thousands of years and somewhere along the way it was decided, "he who has the most stuff wins!" Stuff includes power, money and things. And greed was born. Here we are in 2022 facing the fallout from all that greed. 

- A crumbling healthcare system in the USA? A bloated and greedy health insurance system along with evil pharmaceutical giants who will gladly let people die if there's an ounce of profit in it. I think Evil is an appropriate word here.

- A political system of the people, by the people, for the people morphed into a system of the rich, by the rich, for the rich. Rule of law, human rights and opportunity for all be damned. Hint, hint- a billionaire on a non-life supporting world is not all it's cracked up to be. 

- A war in Ukraine started by a delusional Russian leader with complete disregard for human suffering. Our Evil arms industry is happy to keep the fighting going for as long as possible to keep the dollars flowing in. Peace is the last thing these evil bastards want! True of wars everywhere.

- Literally a dying planet (that we ALL live on) cannot begin to slow down our collective greed. You see, it's not just fossil fuel companies with black hearts. It is us. We cannot even imagine a world without cars, comfortable homes, jet travel, limitless spectacle, food brought in from across the globe and all the other trappings of "modern" life. I'm as guilty as anyone. We would have to have a complete paradigm shift in how we live to have a reasonable hope of turning the tide. That's the easy way. Nature will fix it. That's the hard way. Remember friends, the Earth does not need us. We need it. 

So... what to do? Leave the game to the extent you can. Drive less. Only take what you need. Love each other and grow a garden. Be the example...        

Russian Adventures

 

Russian war crimes in Ukraine are not much of a surprise given their recent history elsewhere. They are little more than an over-armed mob. Here is some reading material for background.  

The Post Soviet Wars Part I In-depth readings. 

The War in Ukraine is Just the Beginning 

Facing Resistance in Ukraine, Putin Turns to a Familiar Playbook: Bombing Civilians and thereby creating hatred's that could last decades. 

20 years of Putin in power: A timeline 

War Crimes in Chechnya and the Response of the West

Band of Brothers: The Wagner Group and the Russian State Background on Russia's "Peacekeepers."

*** Pointing out American War Crimes does not excuse Russian War Crimes***

The Will and Chris Show! Thought Flash

 

Never thought you would see something like this on this blog? Me neither... These two guys are not exactly "unpeople." But there are lessons here. Our two tier justice system is on display. If you or I whop somebody upside the head in front of cops, we are getting a ride downtown and will have to explain our actions to a magistrate. If these were two poor African-American men in a parking lot acting like this in front of the cops, who knows how or where it ends. They are famous and wealthy. Shortly after the above picture, Will simply goes back to his seat. Yes, if you think somebody is making fun of a loved one, you want to slap the shit out of them. But you don't. There are other ways to handle it. There's already much written about this. I like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's take.     

Fog of War

So we find ourselves a month into the war in Ukraine. Russia has faltered badly on the battlefield (both ground and air) and in the propaganda war. Look at the two leaders Zelenskyy and Putin. Ask yourself who would you rather have a beer with; Putin alone at an absurdly long table or Zelenskyy in a tee shirt surrounded by his troops? I know who I'd rather meet. It's the guy who will never ever have to buy a drink again if he survives the conflict. Putin appears pale, ashen and isolated (not to mention old). Lost in an imaginary world, detached from reality he vilifies and blames others for problems he, himself, had created. Sounds like an ex-president here. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy may look tired but he is 100% engaged with the numerous problems he faces. While he attracts volunteers from the world over, Putin is deploying mercies and attracting sanctions. It is hard to beat others on their own land fighting for their property, families and neighbors. We have seen this over and over.  

I guess Putin's age is catching up. He lost his patience and did something rash. He ordered an invasion his military was simply not up to. They don't have enough troops to subdue much less occupy the country. All Putin had to do was look at US wars since 9/11. We crushed Saddam's forces and easily removed the Taliban from power. But still effectively lost both wars to effective, indigenous insurgencies. All they had to do was keep fighting until we decided to just go home. 8 trillion and 900,000+ dead earned us two failed states. loss of any moral high ground we may have has right after 9/11 and less freedom (and security) here at home. Putin could have reviewed his own nation's experience in Afghanistan. It looked somewhat similar to ours. Futility. I cannot help but cringe a little every time an American crows about "rule of law." Now it is Russia's turn.

Instead of actual support on the world stage, the best Russia can get is a few countries abstaining on a vote of condemnation and even fewer voting against. The once vaunted Russian military looks more like a bad clown show the longer this goes on. Russia will soon have to shut down their oil and gas fields because there are very few remaining buyers. Western companies are leaving in droves (a few still hanging around for now) along with Russian citizens who have the means to get out. Yeah, Putin has always been a strong gangster type of ruler but he's made a career ending miscalculation.What companies will return as long as he's still in power? When will the best and brightest ever return? After he's gone, depending on who's next. Other places have gas an oil. New supplies will be developed and sold. Nobody will want to do business in Putin's Russia. He can no longer hide his brutality, criminality and baseless lies.            

There is no way to know how or when this war ends. That's the "fog of war." Leaders fail to learn wars are easy as hell to start but almost impossible to end on the terms they want. Here on 3.24.20222, there seems little chance this ends well for either Russia or Ukraine. It will take years to undo Putin's damage. Russia's economy is getting smashed and her military looks like an over-armed mob, not a professional fighting force. Ukraine will come out of this a different country than on 2.23.2022. The best case is rebuilding stronger that will take time. That's not easy. The worse case, she falls into a failed state complete with heavily armed warlords and lawlessness. We must not let that happen. Let's work for a better Ukraine after the war.    

Readings 3.9.22 The Monster lurking behind COVID and War

 

CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS

Climate change is hitting the planet faster than scientists originally thought

Will Climate Change melt the Winter Olympics?

Weather whiplash dominated U.S. winter 2021-2022

Climate Change a Critical Challenge for DOD

Maybe Covid is winding down, maybe not. Putin's new war is yet another stressor on the world stage. There's no way to tell how that's going to go. These two are way overshadowed by climate change. It's a silent tsunami growing more powerful by the day that will be THE story of this century. Learn more at https://climate.nasa.gov.

 

Homegrown Gun Nuts!

So our homegrown gun nuts are trying to argue Ukraine is a good example of why everyone should have guns. It seems their skills in history are about as good as their skills in modern geopolitics or actual modern warfare. They continue to dwell in a fantasy land created by decades of Hollywood movies, TV shows and non-reality based politicians. Only in this place can high schoolers go up against armies equipped with helicopter gunships and survive. But the debunked "good guy with a gun" myth dies hard. I'm sorry if this is news to you but an AR-15 is little use against an outdated T-72. The best way to fight off an invasion is not start wars in the first place. If the other country still attacks, make them have to cross an ocean or two through the world's largest navy and most powerful airfare. If you are landlocked with a bad neighbor on the border, get world opinion on your side, watch money, weapons and volunteers poor in while the bad neighbor is bled white. The Ukrainians are on the right side of history. Russia is not. 

Ukraine will win sooner or later. It's only a matter of how many losses Russia will take. The sooner they figure this out, the better. Cluster bombs in cities will only harden resistance and draw more world-wide condemnation. The keys for Ukraine are her bravery, training and world-wide support. Gun nuts, this is not a movie but real suffering and death. We can Monday morning quarterback all day but that does little to help people on the ground. Donald Trump or more guns were never the answer. Hell, the Donald wanted to get rid of NATO. More guns alone are also almost as useless.      

Amateurs in combat are really good at one thing and one thing only- getting themselves killed. Owning an AR-15 does not make you into a Green Beret or Navy Seal or an effective guerrilla fighter. To be one of those takes YEARS of training and practice. If Russia defeats Ukraine's army, they will then be stuck in a never ending nightmare of a guerrilla war. The resistance will harden, train and grow in effectiveness. Not because of the Hollywood fantasy of American gun owners rather, hard work, the ability to be resupplied and being cohesive enough to be effective. How much are you willing to lose, Russia? 

FYI-

Ukraine traded in nukes they controlled for a promise from Russia to never invade. So much for that idea. Want to not be invaded, have nukes. Ask Israel. Ask North Korea Russia or anyone else in the nuclear club.     

 

War in Yemen

There's another war going into it's 8th year, the war in Yemen. It's a civil war as well as a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. With little US / western economic, security or political interest the conflict simmers away from the media spotlight. Yet ongoing death and suffering effects millions of the poorest people on the planet. Here's an overview. It is not a story that fits into a soundbite news segment. The roots date back to the US invasion of Iraq. The Houthis (backed by Iran) are fighting the Yemeni government (backed by Saudi Arabia and even the US). Over the years the US has launched nearly 400 air strikes and conducted special forces raids on "terrorists." Both sides have committed war crimes. It is an ugly mess of a war that also runs the risk of spreading in a critical region of the world.       

With the so-called "leadership" not even in Yemen, there is less incentive to actually resolve the conflict peacefully. Proxy wars are a grim business. Saudi Arabia versus Iran, neither a beacon of human rights much less, freedom. There seems to be no end in sight and with little attention from the rest of the world this seems unlikely to change anytime soon. So please check out the links above and here is a good view from the ground in Yemen. 

To learn more about ongoing conflicts around the world, check out Global Conflict Tracker / Council on Foreign Relations. 

Russian Invasion

Some ramblings...

Why, Russia? Why? I cannot see whatever Putin sees. Ukraine is not a threat and a ways off from NATO consideration. Even as a NATO member, Ukraine is not a threat to a nation with over 6,000+ nukes. Nah, it's not about that, never was. Putin cannot stand having a growing democracy on his southern border. A nation run by autocrats and oligarchs sucks. (Please take notes America.) Russians seeing happy people in a land of basic freedoms and growing opportunities might begin to ask their own government uncomfortable questions. So in Putin's mind turning Russia into a pariah state shunned by everyone but China is worth clinging to power. Remember the tighter you hold on, the faster power slips away. Unleashing a war, with all the unknown unknowns, is a very risky bet indeed. 

Wars take on a life of their own and no one can control the outcome (USA- Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and countless other small missteps and miss-adventures). Whoever. told Putin the Ukrainians would simply roll over and surrender lied to him. Whoever said it would weaken NATO also lied. And whoever told Putin Biden would give him a pass, like our oligarch, Trump, also lied. Oh, about the Donald. 

If Trump had successfully stolen the 2020 election, this invasion would have happened before now. If I may borrow from LBJ, Putin had Trump's pecker in his pocket. Shady business deals, Trump being simply star-struck by Putin or a gaggle of whores; Putin has something on Trump and thus control of Trump. Let's not forget Trump wanted the US out of NATO and never ever challenged Putin on anything. The average 8th Grader has more understanding of geopolitics than the Donald. So to say Trump would have stopped this invasion is... laughable. Trump's gone now, get over it. 

Now Biden has to find an endgame short of thermonuclear war. It is very early in the conflict but it looks like there will be no quick victory for Russia. The Russians can ill afford we we Americans call a quagmire. It may cost Putin his bleak, klepto regime. Who knows what horrors await afterward. The longer this goes on, the more costly the recovery will be for all of us. The longer it goes on, the higher the risk of it spreading. And putting your nuclear forces on "HIGH ALEART" only makes you look weaker, Putin. Your new friends, the Chinese, are not impressed so far.       

Help Ukraine

Thoughts and Prayers you say? 

Well, I thought about it and we need to be the answer to someone's prayers. Here's how YOU can help.

UN Crisis Relief

United Help Ukraine

Nova Ukraine 

Doctors Without Borders

The Kyiv Independent News. 

There are many more ways to help. These are just a few. I'll keep this page up. 

 

Readings 2.23.22 Conflicts Around The World

The big conflict sucking all the oxygen out of the news-scape is Russia-Ukraine. Click the link for an explainer. Once the media fixates on something, any other news falls by the wayside. The US will not get directly involved in this one. Fighting a nuclear armed power is never a good idea, especially one with over 6,000 nukes. 

What conflicts are we not talking about (as much anyway)?

The On-going war in Syria? 

Libya?

Afghanistan? 

Iraq?

Somalia? 

And threats of war.

Iran- Israel 

India- Pakistan 

China- Taiwan 

North and South Korea

United States- anybody we don't like. We're always up for a new war.  

Knowing that many of these potential conflicts involve nuclear armed powers, we would do well to keep them in mind. A regional nuclear war, deadly enough in it's own right, can quickly escalate beyond control. All of these tensions warrant attention and work towards resolutions.   

   

2.22.22 Thought Flash

2'sDAY!!!!!!!

Yeah, I like the cool date today. I'm a simple creature.   

But we are far short of the ultimate 2's day, 2/22/2222. I doubt there will be anything like blogs and social media then. You see, we are busy slowly cooking ourselves to death in a frothy broth of industrial waste, water poisoning / pollution and blissful ignorance. It will be a roaring boil by then. Our legacy will be faded plastic stuff, a few glass bottles and a constellation of dead satellites orbiting a baked dustbowl of a planet run by cockroaches and ants...  

HUMANITY, PROVE ME WRONG!!!  

Fouling the Water

 

"Why clean the bird-bath? They're so dumb, they shit in their own water." 

Well well, looks like we need to look at ourselves. We are doing our level best to trash all the oceans in record time... Here have a few reads. 

Plastic pollution in oceans growing dramatically, WWF warns 

Extreme heat and plastic pollution push oceans to brink

Research reveals 45,000 marine species are at risk due to climate change, pollution

How chemical pollution is suffocating the sea

You get the idea. We are treating the oceans as a giant waste-water treatment facility. The only problem is we are overloading it. What happens when oceans can no longer support life, cannot absorb all the extra carbon we are adding and the great currents stop or change course? I think it is safe to say nothing good. Sooner or later, there will be a cost. How bad does it have to get for us to take action? Ocean pollution is related to climate change, another problem we try to wish away. The longer we put off real solutions, the worse the suffering will be. Pretty simple. 

The good news is it's not too late to make better decisions on our own behalf as well as life on earth.      

Food

 

Ah yes, the family farm! Just those magic words can fill your head full of images of dad up before dawn to milk the cows, mom and the kids up early to head out to the fields, feed the animals and maybe work on the barn. It is not an easy life but fulfilling, working through the seasons, being available 24/7/365 to deal with any emergency that sooner or later comes up. Yes, here in America, farmers are high up on the hero pole alongside veterans, police, paramedics and firefighters of course. Running for office, just add some serene family farm scenes to attract the "family values" and "hard work pays off" crowd. He / she supports farmers, they gotta be good. Farming also makes for great corporate branding (and greenwashing) as well. Who doesn't like "fresh from the farm" ingredients? Sounds good, right? I've only known one farmer, Don. 

Yes, Don was a hard worker taking care of cows, hogs, chickens and maybe a few crops here and there. He also worked as a truck driver and could build just about anything. Don was one dude you wanted around after the apocalypse to rebuild and even thrive. Oh, and he never raised his voice or lost his cool. So yeah, I think he deserves to be thought of as a uniquely American kind of hero. If other farmers are at all like Don they to deserve the unique status. The problem is cats like Don are getting harder and harder to find as time goes on. They are being replaced by big agribusiness. We hang on to the cool imagery via the marketing yahoos selling this or that candidate, juice brand, chain stores or food brand. For good or bad, family farms are slipping into the mythological past.            

So just where does our food come from? Please let me introduce Big Ag! Family farming is not dead but it is worth noting many families have traded in the over-alls and know-how gained through experience for coats, ties and business degrees. Farming is no longer an art mastered by working within nature to produce quality, safe and tasty food for a given community. It is now a complex system of producing commodities to be sold all over the globe with as little input from Mother Nature as possible thank you very much! What's a little industrial farm waste or some people getting crushed when there is money to be made this quarter? Animals abused? People living as modern day slaves? Towns being depopulated? But all that money... Nature cares not.

When we have cut down all the trees, ruined the soil and poisoned the water; then we will realize the real value of money. Yup, the whole circus grinds to a halt. Even the fun stuff will be gone; no more beach trips, skiing, cookouts or music. We leave behind a mostly dead world waiting to be swallowed by a dying sun. That's just bleak... We can do better! Learn to grow your own food. You can grow a lot indoors even. You can become just a little less dependent on the grocery store. Go to your local farmers market. Support food growers in / near your community. Meet cool people like Don. Pay attention to what's going on in your community and hold the local politicians accountable. Why stop there? Hold the national politicians accountable. Learn more! Do more! Let's fix it! 

Unto Caesar

 

Some things belong to the state and state only. When I use the term "state" I mean government. The government's role is to maintain the status quo along with the existing power structure. In theory democracies can bring about change by the vote. That's becoming less so here in the USA with the passage of time as both parties become more and more right leaning. The Democrats are so far right, the Republicans have gone off the scale abandoning conservative values for an authoritarian cult. The Democrats with a few exceptions, are also paid for by the Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE) titans along with energy conglomerations and defense contractors. So they usually talk a good game while actually doing little about everyday issues like healthcare, income inequality and climate change. They are bought and paid for in order to keep the status quo going as long as possible. Will they fuck up so bad that the authoritarian party uses the tools of democracy to retake power? Then what happens to the status quo? 

If you follow the money, the Republicans are not getting the same corporate support they are accustom too. I think some of the powerful business types are a little nervous when it comes to transitioning to an authoritarian system of one party rule. For one, they don't like change. It is also less stable in the long run. When the strong man dies, a power vacuum ensues with an unclear outcome. Business does not like instability. At least a few business types, like Mark Cuban, understand the growing instability caused by increasing income inequality. I think some see the Democrats as doing a better job of keeping the game going. Will that be enough? Of course real change always comes from the bottom but it is not easy or a given.     

If I say I recognize no higher authority than my local occupy assembly, militia group or fringe church, the government will sigh with disinterest. "Whatever, just remember to pay up on April 15th." It's cool and all unless you decide to try and take over state functions. They really don't like that idea at all. Even if it is trying to do something that's good, positive and helpful, like free food for homeless people, they will pass laws against it. Just ask the Black Panthers. When feeding kids is wrong, do we really want to be right?  

It may be okay to set up a neighborhood watch but an independent police force? Nope. Police are tools of the state there to enforce the status quo. They protect and serve those in power.  The police are allowed to use violence and you are not. You cannot detain, try or jail people. Those are state functions. Now companies are encroaching on state functions like running prisons with disastrous results. Pay rates based on how many cells are full is just asking for corruption and does nothing to reduce crime. Companies creeping into military roles is also problematic. Are we going to privatize war? 

Well, we tried a little in both Afghanistan and Iraq. KBR, Blackwater, Custer Battles cashed in becoming synonymous with war profiteering, corruption and murder. It is not a good idea to combine war fighting and profit. The military (along with foreign policy) should belong to the state. Otherwise, there are too many legal gray zones. Some may think they can operate without any legal constraint at all. Somehow, I don't feel like we learned anything. We will continue misuse the profit motive in and for war fighting. 

Some things must belong to the state. Ideally, the state should belong to us- all of us. Government of the people, by the people and for the people can work. We need more choice than center-right and extreme-right. It's not much of a choice but a path to more choice is shorter from center right.         

What is Missing in the News?

 

Remember opportunity cost from economics 101? No? It's not too complicated. By writing this blog now, I cannot go for a walk, drive or read a book at the same time. So while we hear all about the latest covid news, Ukraine, January 6th, jobs and inflation what are we not hearing about? Well, here's one interesting list to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. "For profit" news is bad enough about limiting the discourse. They're an additional two problems as well, media consolidation and removal of the Fairness Doctrine.  Here's a little experiment you can do right the comfort and relative safety of your own couch.

 Channel surf the national news and watch how they all basically cover the same "big" stories of the day. You can also observe each one's particular slant on the event as well. For added entertainment, repeat the exercise but with the "local" news. With six corporations owning 90% of news outlets, we have only the illusion of choice. Less competition, less alternative views and most importantly, less questioning are the result. These companies also have a huge online presence as well. The internet can be a good source of information if you know where to look. Here's a pretty good list. How can you avoid falling down the rabbit hole of propaganda, false news and extreme bias? 

Here a few tools you can use.     

Not Real News

FactCheck.org

And for more information SpotFakeNews.

I like to look beyond US news outlets to see what the rest of the world is talking about. BBC, Al Jazeera and Asia Times are three I like to check out. It can be a way to see what our own media is not covering. If a story seems off or slanted, se what other sources have to say. No source can be 100% objective but some may get closer than others.   

Civil War 2.0? Not so fast...

 

The great hot air machine has been in over-drive telling us how divided we are. While I think there may a scattering of nut job sponsored acts of political violence ahead, the idea of full-blown civil war is very remote in my opinion. Here's a good article to help explain why. Allow me to add a few of my own reasons. People are too busy just trying to stay afloat in this strange economy of socialism for the rich and casino capitalism for the rest of us. We are too old and out of shape for the rigors of war. It is one thing to go play dress up make believe in front of a Starbucks as this veteran tells us while real war is something very different. The Republican base is aging out ie dying. Yeah, that old dude was a badass in the Vietnam war fifty or so years ago. How long can he last being hunted not by Charlie but Apache Gunships with night vision? He knows the answer, not long. On the left is the mythical boogie-man, Antifa. Antifa simply means “anti-fascist.” It is more of an idea than an organization with meetings, trainings and news letters. If you want to learn more, look here. They are not completely innocent but hardly rise to a "side" in a new civil war. Our demographics are also off for an internal large-scale conflict. 

There needs to large scale unemployment among young, educated and uneducated alike. By high, I mean like greater than 20%. It got close to that during the Great Recession but fell pretty fast according to this graphic. In addition there has to be a pervasive feeling of hopelessness. While there is a feeling of the system being heavily rigged for the rich, we are still pretty far from third world levels of unemployment, corruption and scarcity. For the time being, we  still have a social safety net with things like food stamps, unemployment, disability and medicaid. They help take the edge of desperation. Have a place to stay and something to eat you're less likely to take up arms and or become a political terrorist. Mom and Dad's basement or your old room is preferable to a foxhole in the middle of the woods hoping the police don't show up and that helicopter in the distance does not start getting closer. The back woods are also a far cry from hamburger row, microwave pizza and two liter sugary drinks. Our youth get most of their calories via junk food. Youth mental health is another unresolved issue that is getting worse. Civil War 2.0 is not a good idea for improving mental health outcomes. I think there is something else also. We are just too busy. 

The unemployment rate keeps falling despite the great resignation. People are not quitting work, they are finding new jobs or creating their own jobs. House mortgage payments, car payments, credit card payments and student loans are not going away because you want to go fight the other "side." Most people want to pay off their loans, even the student debit. Student loan forgiveness might be nice but that's not happening anytime soon. Until then pay up or be hounded to the grave by Uncle Sam. Now add to the bill pile a few kids. They need to eat, hopefully more than just junk food. They got kid stuff to do like football, baseball practice, dance classes and piano lessons. You, the adult, has to help make that happen. Becoming a full time militia member may not be the best notion for an improved family life. There's are more variables; the US military, and the rest of the world. 

Every member of the military takes an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. They don't take oaths to generals or presidents. They are taught to NOT follow unconstitutional orders. This includes state national guard units as well. Guard units don't follow illegal orders. Here's a related example. So you want to start a rebellion or insurrection? Good luck with that going against the US military. Ask Uday and Qusay how that worked out. Such a conflict would not happen in a vacuum. How will our neighbors both north and south react? What about NATO? Are China and Russia just going to watch? Nobody wants a huge nuclear armed power destabilized. The whole notion of civil war 2.0 is an oversimplification of a myriad of complex and interconnected problems. 

Yes, the problem of massive and still growing income inequality is legitimate cause for concern. It is unsustainable and never ends well. Our crumbling, overpriced healthcare delivery system is another worry. What good is great healthcare if people cannot afford it? Our government no longer responds to the needs and wants of the people. They jump at any chance to further the interests of the donor class or the military industrial complex. The media seldom tells us the news. Instead, they chase ratings and advertising dollars leaving us less informed too often simply scapegoating another group for very real problems. One our political parties has become a cult only offering tax cuts for the rich, deregulation and NO to anything else. The other political party simply forgets average workers, minorities or anyone else who cannot write a good six figure donation check. On top of these, there's the creeping specter of climate change. I have no doubt you can add to this list. All of these problems are solvable by making better decisions but none are going away fast. Talk of civil wars, revolutions and civil strife might help ratings but do little to nothing to resolve real-world issues facing us. That's going to take informed citizens each doing their part to co-create  a more just world.            

Change, The Future, Me and You!

 

A different kind of post for today! This is a bit of a ramble but hopefully you find something useful.  

Somebody, smarter than I, said something like "The only thing that stays the same is change itself." Things in life are always changing and evolving. Don't like where you are or how things are going? You have two choices, do something different or do nothing. Even if you decide to do nothing, change will still come given enough time. The problem with just hanging around is the change may not be what you want. But if you truly don't know what to do, it can be best to simply stop and let change come to you. Slow down and or stop and let the path forward open up on it's own. "When you don't know what to do, do nothing." Here's the thing, we always have a choice. No matter the size of a challenge or situation, we are free in how we react to it. People often fear change because it ties in with the unknown. Some look backwards.

We like the good old days because we know what happens. Our minds are naturally programmed to suppress or forget bad  memories like a few wins at the card table make us forget all the lost hands. "I sure am good at cards!" I tell myself while in truth, I suck at card games. So it goes when we remember so-called golden ages be they '50's, 60's or 70's. I guess in the near future we will learn to love the 80's and 90's! The times are the same. There's always good and bad most often mixed in together. Our minds, still working the same, will weed out many of the bad memories giving rise to shifting time frames for "The Good Old Days." I don't know about you, but I'm more interested in what happens in the future. If you want me to follow you, tell me how bright the future can be and how we are going to make it happen! Yeah, sure the 70's were cool and all but that does not mean I want to return to disco and leisure suits! I'm content listening to old music, remembering my good times while exploring new music and looking forward. No, today's music does not suck! Ask around, find new places / ways to find stuff to listen to and try new genres; I'm sure you can find plenty of sweet new sounds to soak in. The wheels are going to keep turning, time only goes one way. 

There is no way back to the simpler good old days. I deify you to tell me a leader who wanted their society to go back in time and turned out to be the good guy / gal. Let's look for leaders (be leaders) who want to accomplish big things (think Kennedy's moon commitment). Let's find people / be people who want more out of life than fame, cash and power. Let's find / be those who want the future to be more just. It will never be perfect. I'm not sure what that is or even looks like. I just know we can do better, must do better.

On the macro scale the whole world is rapidly changing. How and who different nations align with are evolving, the so-called war on terror is shifting to competition with Russia and China and the world is growing more interconnected and interdependent than ever before. The challenge of climate change can bring us more together or play a major part in breaking up the international system as we know it. I'm sure it will do some of both. That does not mean we should all run for the hills with seeds, tools and guns. Not yet anyway. Remember today's radical idea will be tomorrow's norm. It's only a matter of time before gas powered cars and clear cut industrial farming are things of the past. They too, like the racism and conformity of the 50's, will be forgotten when the 20's become the good old days of the future. A better future cannot create itself. There are indeed plenty of challenges and dangers ahead. 

I can only speak for myself on a micro level. I'm letting the change come to me. I'm not being totally still while riding out the pandemic. I simply want to do and be a little better than yesterday so when the big changes do come, I'll be ready. I read, write and exercise almost every day. I want to stay optimistic and even more important, teachable. I know I don't have all the right answers but hopefully, I can ask some of the right questions. Some I'll try to answer here on this blog. What about you? What do you do to stay positive and work for a better future?      

  

           

Thought Flash 1.31.2022

 Those wanting to ban and or burn books have never been history's good guys... Never. 

Some banned book examples.

Pending War in Ukraine?

 

So President Putin's thinking of invading Ukraine? Might shore up some poll numbers, create a buffer against NATO and maybe, if he's really lucky, make Russia great again! He's a smart dude and should know well wars are easy to start while ending them the way you want is a whole other matter. Russia invades and Ukraine's armed forces simply melt away into the countryside. Then Russia faces a pretty well-armed insurgency for as long as they hang around. Everyone's favorite uncle, Uncle Sam, will be happy to help the insurgency. Does Russia want Afghanistan 2.0? Ukraine would be different in ways even the best strategists cannot foresee. Wars take on a life of their own and rarely, if ever, end the way leaders want them too. Most often, they just lay the groundwork for the next war.   

If a leader has a justifiable, achievable and clear goal, military solutions can sometimes seem to work. Consider Gulf War I. Get Iraq out of Kuwait. That's a simple one sentence goal. The US wrapped up the ground war in a matter of days. Iraq was out of Kuwait but things did not end well. Saddam was able to absorb the defeat yet hang on to power via brutal and bloody crackdowns. An undeclared air war dragged on for years and years. And then we had a second Gulf War to get rid of Saddam (and his invisible WMD program) but left Iraq pretty much a failed state giving rise to Al Qaeda in Iraq and ISIS. And President Putin seems to think another war may be a good idea? Invading another country just to make them a buffer is simply unjust. Creating a failed state right on your own door-step is quite a long way from having a close ally to fight against another military alliance. There is no clear way around the first two problems. And the goal of an invasion is unclear. What can President Putin expect? 

Pretty much world condemnation will befall Russia if they go ahead with an invasion. The list not on the condemnation bandwagon is short, very short. China? North Korea? Cuba? And Putin's new pet country, Belarus perhaps. Almost everyone else likes the idea of nations having autonomy and using a global legal framework to peacefully resolve conflicts. I know the USA has a bad track record of unjust wars as well. I've criticized them aplenty for their many shortcomings and I'm sure I will again in the near future. This is about one country headed by a strongman-type taking by force of arms a weaker country simply because they / he can if the world lets this happen. I'm not a sanctions fan but I'm sure they will hurt Russia more than anyone else. I'm not a fan because it will hurt average Russian people more than those making the poor decisions at the top. It can lead to destabilization and possibly a much bigger mess not far down the road. A shiny, new war, state violence and repression are not paths to stability.     

If Putin and Russia want Ukraine as another partner to face NATO, then make them a better deal. Maybe the Russians could withdraw their forces occupying Crimea, hook Ukraine up with some cheaper oil and natural gas and throw in some better weapons for Ukraine's military? Use diplomatic means to get them on your side and avoid a costly and unpredictable war.   

Readings 1.29.22 Costs of War

 

Costs of War

OVER TWO DECADES, U.S.’S GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR HAS TAKEN NEARLY 1 MILLION LIVES AND COST $8 TRILLION

The costs of post-9/11 wars exceed $8 trillion for US

5 Important Books That Reveal the Human Cost of War