The Sky Doesn't Look Right

 

Go ahead, look up, does the sky look right to you? where I am, in North Carolina, the sky has changed somehow. It could be just dust from forest fires or dust from the Sahara. Whatever the reason, it no longer looks the same old Carolina blue. It seems to have an almost metallic edge to it. Thunderstorms are as much a part of summer as lightning bugs, July 4th and humid days. Yet, this year, they too feel different. More lightning, more thunder and it sure seems like a lot more rain. Maybe these are nothing more than strange vibes I'm collecting while I grow older. It could also be Mother Nature's way of trying to tell us something. Wildfires in California, flooding in Texas and derechos moving across the plains are by no means anything new. Somehow, this year's events feel different. Rather than facing this new challenge, our government is deciding to stick its head in the sand.

I'm sure climate change will just go away if we outlaw some words. We can also cut out reports that point to climate change and delete the agencies who study it. Problem solved! Maybe we can make a new word for such inconveniences, yeah, we can call it WOKE science! Hey, we cannot have forest fires if we just cut them all down. Besides, the woods can be creepy anyway. Do flood victims really need more than thoughts and prayers? They should learn how to rebuild with their bootstraps or something. Remember, your sacrifice is something the billionaires will certainly appreciate on the way to and from the bank. Yes, the Democrats’ response to climate change was pretty anemic. They would at least acknowledge it but then due next to nothing about it, clinging to the status quo like a priceless religious artifact. The fascists who run our government now,  knowingly or not, have decided to accelerate the process of climate change. They cling to dirty old forms of energy, fringy, outdated economic theories and a lust for a past that never really was. They are pushing us into uncharted territory rapidly and out of control.

The refugee situation around the world is desperate enough as it is. What's going to happen when millions upon millions of climate refugees are added to the mix? I have little faith those who cannot see beyond their own short-term bottom line will have anything close to a viable solution. Storms and fires will get worse and worse and more and more of planet Earth will become unlivable due to heat. By the time the “it's not my problem until it affects me” crowd gets the message, it will be way too late. It's too late already to stop climate change but hopefully we can mitigate the worst of it.

This is not a call for unconditional surrender. I'm still hopeful the Green Revolution in energy will still happen and we can dial back our demand for useless consumer goods. What the current regime doesn't understand is Green Energy is more efficient and cheaper than the dirty old fossil fuel energy it is replacing. They can slow down the transition but will not be able to stop it. In slowing it down, they will only cause more needless suffering and deaths. The big question is how bad are we going to let it get? There is a point of no return where we will not be able to undo the damage. We can ill afford any more mistakes. This is the ultimate challenge of our lifetime.

Good News 7.17.2025

 

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Kick the Can!

If you think one bombing Mission from the good old USA did Iran's nuclear ambitions and efforts, I have a bridge for sale I'd like to talk to you about. It's best to always view initial assessments with healthy skepticism. rather than obliterating anything, at best we have slowed their efforts a year or so possibly even less. The Iranians and the Israelis will continue to be at each other's throats for the foreseeable future. I don't trust anything I hear from the government of either Nation. Both the Iranian people and the Israeli people deserve better. Hey, and for the record I don't trust anything my own government says either. Our getting involved will be just another footnote in this long and ongoing conflict. I feel we resolved nothing.

For the moment, both parties have hit the pause button. This may last a few weeks, a few months or maybe even a year but rest assured hostilities will be resumed at some point. Iran has been weakened militarily and their proxy groups have also taken a lot of severe hits. Still, the Mad Mullahs are in charge and they will not quit. On the other side, Netanyahu needs the wars to continue to be a distraction from his own shortcomings.  Simply put, neither side has any incentive to work toward real peace. On top of that, we have a clueless Administration  in Washington D.C.

Trump and his goons seem to have about a fourth grade level understanding of geopolitics. If anything, our strike has only encouraged the Iranians to move beyond ambiguity and seek out nuclear weapons as soon as possible. This could easily kick off a regional wide nuclear arms race. The more nuclear armed states there are, the likelihood of nuclear conflict increases. The outcome would be devastating and anything but predictable. Both Iran and Israel are on a dangerous path. I think a better direction will require leadership changes in both countries.

Good News 7.10.2025

 

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A Somber Fourth Part II

 

Right now, the bad guys are winning. They have the presidency, the Congress And the Supreme Court. They also have a fatal flaw, the delusion that they can dictate reality. Climate change does not give a fuck about your feelings. Sure, go ahead and outlaw words, cut funding for the study of the climate and by all means run from so-called green energy! I hope it makes you feel better! Nonetheless, hurricanes, tornadoes, storms  and wildfires are only going to get stronger and stronger. Better cut disaster relief too, too woke. The flooding disaster down in Texas over the last days is only a taste of what's coming our way. International relations is another area where your feelings and opinions don't matter.

We are gearing up for another game of Tariff chicken. It's the USA versus the world SmackDown made for a TV reality show! There's only one small problem. This is not how the world works. Great deals are complicated, messy and time-consuming. A trade deal is not something you do in 3 days. Depending on the countries at the table, a trade agreement can take months to years to complete. An on again off again threat of tariffs will not speed this process up magically. Economic relations are complicated enough and you know what, so are alliances. Being the big bully seldom works out well  in international relations. If you think the Iran situation is over, I'd like to talk to you about my bridge in Arizona that's for sale! At best, we've delayed their program a few months with the more likely outcome being that we've only accelerated it. The issue has to be resolved at the negotiating table. We are just not up for a military takeover and an occupation of Iran. It took us far longer than 12 days to get here and these problems will not be solved by a 12-day conflict (which by the way can we start at any time). This may be immaterial compared to how crazy things can get here at home.

Call me naive but I never thought I would see masked cops throwing people into unmarked vans and taking them away to who knows where. We can either have a due process for all or due process for none, we can't have both. With their recent massive funding increase, I only see this getting worse. Don't worry, it is only a matter of time before they come for you and me as well. Some think we can fix this mess when the next set of elections rolls around. But before that happens there is a more fundamental question we need to ask, will the totalitarians allow elections at all? We might be doomed anyway but this would indeed be the last nail in the coffin of American democracy. If we go down, so would much of the rest of the world. Let's don't let that happen!

I can think of nothing more patriotic than attending a protest this past July 4th. There will be many more to come along with boycotts and hopefully a nationwide general strike. In short, we are going to have to become ungovernable. If we want to be free we must be willing to take personal risks. We can ill afford  the old limousine liberals who talk a good game but run away at the first sign of real trouble. The struggle is going to be real and likely even bloody but the alternative is… Unthinkable. Let's see where we are next July 4th.

A Somber Fourth Part I

 

Well, that was a somber Fourth of July unlike any other. The so-called big beautiful bill passed which basically cut an already bare bones social safety net to ribbons Just so the wealthiest could have a massive tax cut. Were billionaires really out there clamoring for tax cuts? Perhaps there still are a few people living under rocks who still buy the long debunked theory of trickle-down economics. It's really not hard, demand is what creates jobs, not generous billionaires! That's bad enough but  there is another part to this bill, possibly even more sinister and terrifying. That would be the massive increase in funding for ICE, or Trump's Gestapo. Masked gunman are literally ripping people off the streets and throwing them into for-profit, so-called, detention centers (soon to be concentration camps) without due process. The notion of extraordinary rendition has been revived for others, including American citizens All without any form of due process. What the righties don't seem to understand is what's done the least of us can be done to any of us. It's only a matter of time. Say or do something the regime doesn't agree with and bam! you're on a plane to who knows where. The only thing you can be sure of is that it will be very dark. Totalitarians need scapegoats, isolation, fear and misery to thrive.

American Totalitarianism is different from what we found in the last century.  Sure, there's still the scapegoating, a rising secret police force, a desire to erase history  along with a heavy dose of faux patriotism. We've added a few very American twists.  Hitler and Mussolini were many things but neither can compare to the outright graft and corruption of one Donald J. Golden Visa cards, golden cell phones, murky crypto deals  and rapidly expanding for profit prisons just scratch the surface. Our current regime and their enablers allow mass protests  because they feel they can ignore them. Our Free Press  is mostly neutered by the mere threat of lawsuits. The same is true for many of our most esteemed learning institutions. In both cases, there are exceptions. One last uniquely American twist on totalitarianism is merchandising! Yes, you can buy hats and t-shirts blazed with the name of your favorite concentration camp! Hey, we cannot forget our trillion dollar military and its global reach. How bad will it get?  I think that's up to us, each of us. Last year, we failed to prevent a totalitarian takeover of our government. That ship has sailed already. Our courts failed, Our media failed. The last line of defense, the voters, also failed. If you sat this election out for whatever reason, a part of this mess is on you. Here is the take away- history doesn't stop. Yes, we are in a bad place but remember all storms pass. 

One day this regime will be gone. Then we will have to ask ourselves what do we want to replace it? Will we allow this nightmare to evolve into something even more scary and dangerous? Clearly, there are a number of Americans who are apparently fine with being ruled rather than represented. Then there's the group that believes as long as it is not happening to me, it is not a problem. There will always be some people who view some lives more important than others. The number of people who like rulers, the not my problem crowd and those who don't see all lives having equal value are a minority. If we fail to regain our vigilance, active civic engagement and concern for others, then it truly is game over. The Trump regime will only be the start of something much more dark and destructive. When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. Trump will not be around for long and we cannot let this be the first totalitarian state with a viable successor.  

To be continued…

Good News USA 7.4.2025

 

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