Not Fool Enough

I'll never be your follower
Will never be so blind
MAGA hats and Trump flags
Will never in all time be mine

Let Breitbart, Fox, and Newsmax
Shout your praises out
Let them march behind you
I'm not fool enough to go that route

 
To Resist Donald

I joined the resistance today
Trump
Donald Trump
We oppose him
We fight to preserve the nation
Against the coming of 
Donald
Donald Trump

Our is the chant of the patriot
Ours is the cause of the free
He reaches out
To grasp the country from us
To control
To reign

We tell him no
We tell him
We are the resistance
And our freedom is something
You cannot have

 

The Image of America

He brings out the worst
This would-be president
This president from the past
He brings out the worst in America
Goodness gets overpassed

Bombastic
Prideful
And arrogant
Are traits he gives to us
And right at home are "patriots"
Who only like to cuss

He brings out the worst in America
He treats immigrants as mice
He treats them all as enemies
He treats them all as lice

He muzzles up to dictators
Putin
Xi
And Jong-Un
And you have to wonder if we will follow
If he's elected soon

I do not care
I do not like
That Trump should soon become
The image of America
If we to him succumb

Do We have the Courage to Stand up for Biden?

    If we don't stand up for that which is good, we will lose it. Biden? Joe  Biden? For three years now we've watched him. He has shown to be a good, honorable man. Do we have the courage to stand behind him in the face of the unjust criticism? Do we question the rumors against him? Or do we just buy in and go along with the crowd?
   What is right is right, regardless how unpopular. Though all our friends stand against him, though those in our community debase him, can we shed our fears and support him?
   We've seen him taken to the rack. They would draw and quarter him, if they could. Do we stand idly on the sidelines, indifferent. "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing."
   A wise adage. In the matter of Biden, we should heed the warning. 

We Should Push Trump to be Evaluated

 
  There was a time Donald Trump was pressured to release his tax record. Now it is time for us to push him to get evaluated by a psychologist. We, as voters, have the right to know if he is clinically mentally ill. Let him sit down with a mental health practitioner not of his own choosing, and let it be determined if he is.
   From the start,  many mental health professionals have suggested he is mentally ill. Those stories haven't been front-and-center in the news, but they have been covered. One can use the Internet to call up the symptoms of a psychopath and check down all the listings and come to the reasonable conclusion he is a psychopath, or at least a sociopath (a sociopath is much the same, only not as severe).
  If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it's a duck, goes the saying.
  But some mental health professionals say Trump cannot be diagnosed from a distance. You would need to sit him down and delve deeper. You would need to evaluate him through close personal observation. You would need to look at his medical, family and personal histories. 
   So, let's do that. We are preparing to sit him in the most important chair in the nation -- the chair of the presidency. Let's first sit him in a psychiatrist's chair. If it appears he might be deranged, we need to know? Come sit on the coach for a minute, Mr. Trump. We need to have a talk.
   There was a time Trump supporters laughed off suggestions he is mentally ill, mockingly projecting it back to his critics and referring to it as Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS).
   Well, what if he is deranged?

 

MMGA

I hear you loud and clear
Donald Trump
And I think I know just what you're saying
Make America Great Again?
When you say that, I think you're just a playing

You stayed in office all of four years
And then they kicked you out
But while you were there as president
You were considered great,
Of that, there ain't no doubt

Now you want to return to power
And you want to resume your reign
And what your motto really means
Is Make Me Great Again

'The Greatest Psychiatric Emergency in the History of the United States'

 
    So, let's you and I diagnose Donald Trump right here and now to determine if he is a sociopath or psychopath. One mental health expert came out -- again -- warning us Trump is at least a sociopath, if not a psychopath. (They are much the same, though the psychopath carries the characteristics to a deeper level.)

   Dr. John Gartner, he's the guy warning us. You might remember in 2017 he collected signatures from 25,000 mental health professionals and everyday people who certified that Trump was certifiably mentally ill. The signatories on that petition increased to 41,000 by the time it was sent to Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's office. While, yes, everyday people surely must have made up the greater portion of those signing the document, it is significant that a host of mental health professionals signed it.
   At the time, Gartner said Trump represents "the greatest psychiatric emergency in the history of the United States."
   Gartner says Trump is sinking into dementia. He notes the substitution of non-words that sound much like the real words they are replacing is something that is not seen until the patient is entering into the moderate to severe stage of Alzheimer's. Gartner notes that with Trump, beneficiaries becomes "benefishes," Renovations becomes "renoversch," privotal becomes "pivobal," Obama becomes "Obamna," missiles becomes "mishiz," Christmas becomes "Crissus," and bipartisan becomes "bipars."
    But, we said you and I are going to evaluate this Mr. Trump to determine if he is a sociopath/psychopath. So, let's lay aside Gartner's citations on his slipping into Alzheimer's, open up a source that lists the symptoms of a sociopath, and see for ourselves if Trump presents "the greatest psychiatric emergency in the history of the United States." Turn to a website called choosingtherapy.com if you want to follow along.
   1.) Hunger for power and dominance. Isn't that trait obvious to us?
   2.) They are caught telling lies, exaggerating, distorting the facts, and misrepresenting the truth. When caught, they use denial and project the fault to others (projecting it Biden and gang, in this case).
   3.) They are ruthless in pursuit of their goals.
   4.) They are more inclined to be racist and sexist, and are hostile towards others, including towards certain portions of society at large. 
   5.) They are easily angered.
   6.) They are impulsive and rash.
   7.) They charm their listeners. They are highly persuasive people who get people to like them, believe in them, agree with them, and help them. Forgive, but that is Trump and his followers to a T. 
   8.) They have a broken moral compass and show little regret.
   9.) They have a difficult time bonding with others, usually not having a lot of real close friends.
  10.) They are manipulative. 
  11.) They have a sense of entitlement and feel they should be exempt from the rules. In this case, think of Trump's insisting he is entitled to presidential immunity. That's a classic case. 
  12.) They are social deviants, including being lawbreakers. How many criminal counts has Trump been charged with? Did we say 91?
  13.) They are cheap thrill seekers, even when it puts themselves or others in jeopardy. Trump has said many outrageous things that could be seen as thrill-seeking. He has said he would be a dictator the first day. He has said he would not stand in Putin's way if he punished other NATO nations. He has said he could kill someone in broad daylight and people would still love him. The cheap thrill of saying something outrageous is completely part of who Trump is.
  14.) They attempt to gain advantage from the misfortune of others. On this one, perhaps many of you will disagree, but I cannot help but thing of the misfortunes of the migrants.
  15.) They can be cool, callous and emotionally absent about things others are emotionally charged about. When Alexei Navalny died, the world was upset. Trump, though, was busier using the event to suggest his own life was being mistreated than he was at expressing concern for Navalny or calling for sanctions against Putin and Russia.
   Well, there you have it. I didn't skip an item. To me, Trump fits the mold on all 15 counts. You can elect this guy if you want. But my thought is that if you do, this will be just what Gartner warned us against. It will be the greatest psychiatric emergency in the history of all the presidents we have had. Facts speak, and there are the facts, but they don't speak to those who won't listen.
   Please, listen, please. For the sake of America, please listen. 

They Vote with Their Feet, and the U.S. Remains Number One

 
   They vote with their feet, you know. If you were to ask the people of the world what is the greatest nation of all, who would they pick?
   The U.S., of course. Using the vote-with-your-feet method, we see that U.S. attracted 1,048,000 immigrants in 2022, way more than the 641,100 who moved to Germany and the 521,200 who selected the United Kingdom.
   Make America Great Again? Judging by this poll, America remains the greatest country. It hasn't slipped. The feet have shuffled, the votes are in, and the people of the world continue to pick the U.S. as the most-sought, most-preferred nation in the world.
   I don't think this is going to go over big with Donald Trump, but what the heck.

A Bow to Benjamin Netanyahu

  Sit right back down. Class is not over. Just because you graduated years ago does not mean you can quit learning. When learning comes to an end only with some pretentious degree, perhaps we have only pretended to be learning. Flame on, learn on.
   Today's lesson is centered on one Benjamin Netanyahu. With what is going on in Israel and Gaza is becomes very crucial for us to understand this man. We are going to examine his quotes, for the quotes of a person reveal much about who they are. They are insights into the soul.
  But first, let us present some very, very interesting material on this man. Good background material, aye.
   In his office in Jerusalem, there's an ancient seal, a signet ring of a Jewish official from the time of the Bible. Found right next to the Western Wall, it dates back 2,700 years, even to the time of King Hezekiah. The name of the Jewish official inscribed on the ring in Hebrew? Netanyahu.
  Now, to be fair, we must point out that the family name was changed from Mileikowsky to Netanyahu by Benjamin's father. That's also an interesting tidbit for you, in and of itself. 
   Which reminds me, Netanyahu once changed his own name. He went by Ben Nitai there for a while, to make it easier for Americans to pronounce his name.
   Yes, he once lived here in America. Did you not know that? Perhaps he was even a U.S. citizen. He even graduated from an American high school. And, he graduated from an American university, no less than the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  He once worked in America as an economics consultant for Boston Consulting Group.
  Moving back to Israel, he founded an anti-terror institute, the Yonatan Netanyahu Anti-Terror Institute.
  He once was a member of the Sayeret Matkal, an elite special forces unit.
  His brother was killed while in that unit, killed while on a rescue mission that freed more than 100 Israeli hostages. 
  He was once Israel's ambassador to the United Nations.
  He speaks four languages, Hebrew, English, French and Spanish.
  He was the first prime minister elected directly by popular vote.
  He is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history.
  Now, every human has his flaws, and so do many of the greatest leaders. Netanyahu's later life has been marked by charges of corruption, fraud, breach of trust, and bribes. He has been accused of passing laws to protect him from such charges and shield him from investigations. Guilty? Innocent? I don't know; I have been inclined to believe some of the accusations.
   This, too, is interesting: In 2015, he was roundly criticized for suggesting that the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, a Palestinian Arab nationalist named Haj Amin al-Husseini, gave Hitler the idea for the holocaust. Such a claim prompted some to call that claim by Netanyahu to be a form of Holocaust denial.
   And now for the quotes:

"The truth is that if Israel were to put down its arms there would be no more Israel. If the Arabs were to put down their arms there would be no more war." -- Benjamin Netanyahu

"The only peace that can endure is a peace that can be defended." -- Benjamin Netanyahu

"Peace is purchased from strength. It's not purchased from weakness or unilateral retreats." -- Benjamin Netanyahu

"Saving lives is more important than preserving the quality of life. Quality of life is always amenable to improvement. Death is permanent." -- Benjamin Netanyahu

I don't want a peace process; I want a peace result." -- Benjamin Netanyahu

"The idea of imposing peace from outside doesn't work." -- Benjamin Netanyahu

"History has shown us time and again that what is right is not what is popular." -- Benjamin Netanyahu

"If diplomacy has any chance to work, it must be coupled with a credible military threat." -- Benjamin Netanyahu

"We are using missile defense to protect our civilians, and they're using their civilians to protect their missiles." -- Benjamin Netanyahu

"The Nazis believed in a master race. The militant Islamists believe in a master faith." -- Benjamin Netanyahu

"Leaders must see reality as it is, not as it ought to be." -- Benjamin Netanyahu

  

 

Calm Down; Accusations Against Chinese Lack Substance

 
   Suddenly, it is the Chinese. In all of 2021, only 450 were encountered at our southern border. But now, an explosion. An astounding 37,000 Chinese migrants were encountered in fiscal 2023. And the figures are only surging higher. Since October when the 2024 fiscal year began, 20,000 more have crossed the line between Mexico and the U.S.
   Eyebrows of concern are raising. Is this safe, considering that China is an enemy to the U.S.? Are these foreign operatives sneaking in? A good chunk of them are of military age. Isn't that a concern? And, in the same news stories about the flood of Chinese migrants, comes an update on fentanyl being seized at the border, 7,000 pounds so far in fiscal 2024.
   Calm down. While it is always good to look for foreign spies who might be coming to America, merely the fact that it is necessary to look doesn't mean they are actually spies or terrorists. 
   Calm down. Maybe start by learning what is causing the explosions. There is no shortage of reasons.
1.) The Chinese economy has collapsed. Unemployment is at peak highs.
2.) The Chinese fear the COVID restrictions in their homeland. They want to escape them.
3.) Trump policies restricting entry have been rolled back.
4.) China has reopened its borders to allow people to leave.
5.) Visas allowing Chinese to come that way have plummeted, so the people are coming via the southern border, instead.
6.) A route, path of entry has been developed. Many fly to Ecuador, since that nation does not require an entry visa. Then they make their way northward to the U.S.
7.) The Chinese version of Tiktok basically provides a tutorial, a how-to, step-by-step guide.
8.) Their odds of being granted asylum when they arrive at the border are much higher than those of migrants from South America. Those from China are granted asylum at a 58 percent rate. Compare that to the 10 percent rate for those from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. We can wonder why that is, but it is, the same.
   So, are these foreign operatives? Are they terrorists? It's an easy charge that chills their entry. But are they? Are they terrorists? Lacking figures of how many have been found on terrorist lists, it is a little bit of jumping to conclusions to suggest they are either spies or terrorists. If China is planting terrorists and spies in the U.S., wouldn't it send them in the more traditional way, coming legally on visas? An arduous journey from Ecuador all the way north seems the hard way of going about it. 
   What about them being of military age? Ages 16-24 is perhaps the highest demographic bracket for unemployment in China, so it follows that that age bracket is so highly represented. And what are we implying by noting they are of military age, anyway? Are we expecting they will band together, take up arms when they get here, and be marshaled together as a war machine? I wonder where they will get the tanks and missiles they will need. These are predominantly poor people; many simply cannot afford the tanks and missiles they will need. But I guess China could slip them some money. That's the plan, right?
   Finally, what of the 7,000 pounds of fentanyl that has been confiscated? Well, we need to ask where it was confiscated. Was it found on these immigrants who are turning themselves in at the border, or was it found in trucks and vehicles caught at the entry points? Or was it found on those who are not presenting themselves at the border as these Chinese are, but rather are sneaking in with hopes of not being apprehended? And where is this fentanyl coming from? From Mexican sources, not Chinese? It is a great scare tactic to bring up the fentanyl. All you have to do it just mention it. But is there any reason to tie it to these Chinese immigrants?
   Be fair to these Chinese. Let them come if the accusations against them don't stick -- and right now, those accusations appear to be red herrings.

Negotiate to Get the Arab Nations to Accept Their Own

 
  "The only alternative to war is peace and the only road to peace is negotiations," said Golda Meir when she was Israel's prime minister.

  With the Gazans backed up to Egypt's border, hopeless and in some cases resigned to death, it is time for negotiations.
  With Egypt.
  With Jordan.
  With Syria.
  With Iraq and Iran.
  And with every other Arab nation.
  But, I speak not of what you think. It is time to tell the Arab nations that they must accept every Gazan who willingly wants to leave Gaza. The Arab nations have resisted letting their own move to their countries, wanting instead to maintain a presence in Israel. But, what if there are those in Gaza who want to leave?
  They should be allowed to.
  The Jordanians, the Egyptians, and all the other Arabians should accept the Gazans, should allow them, should welcome them, should be happy to get them out of harm's way. If they want to leave, why should their own kin stand in their way?
  The U.N., the United States, and all the free world should be pressing the Arab countries. These are the negotiations that need to take place.
   Israel? It should be stepping forward, offering to bus or fly any Gazan who wants to leave. All you need is for a nation to be willing to accept you, it should tell the Gazans.
  There is another quote from Golda Meir worth mentioning. "A man who does not hate war is not fully human," she said. The cost of war is humanity, itself. Golda would not the Gazans to die. She would negotiate. 
 

Save the Gazans by Moving Them to Other Parts of Israel

 

Would seem there is an easy solution in Gaza, a way to save the masses while clearing the land so you can bomb the land three times over to kill every Hamas. (Pardon if that sounds harsh, but my understanding is that you do want every Hamas  relegated to death.)

Yes, there is a way -- and it's simple enough.

Move the Gazans to another part of Israel. No, I didn't say herd them like you've been doing. I didn't say just tell them they have to go somewhere else and let them figure it out. Help them. Bring in the moving vans. Pack them. Give them a ride. If they've already lost all their possessions (who did that to them -- or did they ever have many personal possessions?), that simplifies it. Get them all bus tickets and send them on their way.
But, be waiting for them when they get to the other end. You aren't just going to dump them there with no home, no place to go, no way to survive. So, you say, it is going to be difficult to come up with lodging for so many? After all, what are there -- a million and a half? Two million? Maybe that helps you understand the tragedy they've faced in Gaza, as you've herded them from one end of the land to the other without thought for their food and shelter.

Now, where did you say you will put them? The West Bank? That certainly is an option. Or do you want to place them somewhere else? Find any place within Israel -- any place you like. Remember, you don't need to provide permanent lodging, not if you are eventually going to let them move back to Gaza.

You can ask the neighboring countries if they will take them. We already know the answer to that. Unless they change their minds, the answer is no. Egypt as we speak is clamoring against the prospects the Gazans could end up there. It is threatening you with consequences if you allow that.

Now, the fair question of whether the Hamas will pose as civilians. We did say you want to wipe them out, didn't we? And, how will that be possible if they slip into the costume of the civilians and escape? 

Hmm.

It does bring up the question of whether you are also set on killing the Gazans, themselves. If you can't tell the civilians and the Hamas apart, is there the temptation to kill every last one that appears to have a chance of being a being or becoming a Hamas. Children grow up, sometimes becoming Hamas. Mothers give birth to those who could grow up and become Hamas. Do you already want them all -- children and women included -- dead? Genocide, is it? 

Simply answered, you've said that is not your goal. Did you mean it?

Interview them. Use your intelligence sources to find lists of Hamas soldiers. Go with the bright thought that if you don't mistreat them like you are now, they won't need to grow up to be Hamas. Heap love on them. Your fellow humanity deserves that much regardless whether it is smart to play to their favor.

   

We Should Care for Both Sides of Humanity in this Crisis

 

I say 13,600 children were killed.
You say, release the hostages.
Did those kids have the hostages?

I say two mothers are killed every hour.
You say, release the hostages.
Did those mothers have the hostages?

I say doctors were killed.
You say release the hostages.
Did those doctors have the hostages?

I say a record number of aid workers
and journalists were killed.
You say, release the hostages.
Did they have the hostages?

I say schools, hospitals, airplanes and
refugee camps were bombed.
You say, release the hostages.
Did this destruction bring the hostages home?

Don't know who wrote the above poem, but it states it well. We should be concerned about the death and destruction that are raining down on Gaza's civilians. Yes, we want the hostages released. Of course. Big time. But we also want the lives of the Gaza citizens spared.

When we post things such as this, we draw criticism from those who say we are pro-Hamas, and anti-Isreal. Can we not cry for justice for the Gazans without being accused this way? Caring for both sides of humanity in this crisis is not wrong. It is, instead, the only way to be humane.

We cannot dismiss the tragedy by saying Hamas hides behind the civilians, using them as human shields. Yes, that makes it difficult to get at the Hamas, but it does not justify us shooting straight through a civilian in order to take out the Hamas behind him.

I do not know that I favor a ceasefire. It just gives Hamas a chance to regather themselves. Fight on, Israel, but spare the civilians. If there were a six-week ceasefire, and then Israel resumed killing the civilians in the same fashion, what good would that do?

Bless the Gazans. Pray for them. They are part of humanity. Do not allow the innocent to be slaughtered in the name of pursuing the wicked. Let us have feelings in our hearts for these people, the Gazans.

Rumors of His Death are Greatly Exaggerated

 

   You can only hang Trump so many times before he should be dead. Impeach him, twice if you like. Hit him with 91 charges. Rip so much money out of his bank account with court-imposed penalties that it seems he should be rendered penniless. Yet, he's not dying. He laughs at the noose around his neck and pulls it off. He jumps out of the electric chair. Bullets bounce off him if you try to execute him that way. 
   Think you've killed him and sent him to the land of ghosts. "Rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated," he will reply.

We Wait to See if Israel Will Evacuate Civilians

    We wait for the Israelis, wait to see if they will evacuate the civilians before unleashing a ground assault on Rafah. The world at large pleas, begs Israel to not go through with such an attack. Civilians will be slaughtered, comes the warning.
   Reminder: Israel has said it will evacuate them.
   Another thing we await: More understanding as to how Hamas built a tunnel underneath the UN office in the Gaza strip, complete with electricity and communication lines running to the UN office above. Israel revealed that discovery even as the UN Relief and Works Agency was scrambling to investigate charges that Hamas agents are on the UNRWA employment rolls. Did they infiltrate the UN? Or did the UN let them in fully knowing they were Hamas operatives?
   Those two embarrassments -- the tunnel and the operatives -- are causing no small amount of grief and judgement. "The UN has been exposed as an active and agreeable partner of Hamas," writes Alan Joseph Bauer in an opinion piece in Townhall. And, Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., has filed legislation to end U.S. funding of the UNRWA. We cannot and should not fund terrorism, Steube argues.
   So, what is not waiting is judgement. Some are bringing down the axe on the UN before the matter has been fully investigated. Was the UNRWA aware of the tunnel? The UN says it wasn't. "Sure," Bauer replies, "and I can sell you the Brooklyn Bridge."
   Investigate the accusations against the UN. Charge the CIA with that assignment. But, there are those of us who are not quick to believe such UN organizations are of the devil. A week ago, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrated its partnership with the UN's World Food Program. Yes, the UNRWA and the UNWFP are apparently separate entities, so perhaps one could be evil and the other not. But, there is reason to believe both do good works. If the UNRWA was infiltrated, does that mean we defund it? Have foreign agents ever infiltrated any U.S. agencies? And, did we defund those agencies or just clean out the operatives? Be careful with yanking the funding. If those agencies are doing good, help them. Don't destroy them.
   As for Israel ground attack on Rafah, the world is watching. If there is a bloodbath of civilians, this will not go down good. If the Israelis do not evacuate the civilians as promised, yes, we should have a problem with that. 
 

Alejandro Mayorkas Impeached Over a Difference of Opinion

 High crimes and misdemeanors? Is that what the Constitution calls for if someone is to be impeached? Alejandro Mayorkas didn't do anything other than having a different opinion. Does that qualify as a high crime or misdemeanor? 
   Are we going to start impeaching anyone who has a different opinion than us?

The Khan Yunis Massacre of 1956

 Hatred sometimes comes with an invitation. Imagine if you, too, would hate the Israelis, if you witnessed family members being rounded up and massacred. 
   It was way back in 1956. It received little international attention. To this day, when the Palestinian people recount the history of Israel's subjecting them to the sword, the Khan Yunis massacre goes unrecounted, lost in the dark shadow of time. But, those who were affected, and the generations that have followed, have not forgotten
  "They planted hatred in our hearts," said a man who was 9-years old at the time. He grew up to become a Hamas leader. Should we wonder at what  prompted him to join Hamas? Should we wonder what sparked his hatred of Israel?
   The people of Khan Yunis did not so quickly submit themselves to Israel when the Israelis rolled into town in 1956. Some (even if it were perhaps few) bore arms. Think of America, where people bear arms in defense of their freedom. Khan Yunis was a Palestinian town. Israel was coming to take that freedom away.
   It may have been token resistance, but it was greater than what Gaza City had offered. Gaza City was spared from such a massacre, but not Khan Yunis.
   It will be hard to determine how many of the people were registered soldiers in the Palestinian army and how many were merely citizens protecting their city same as you and I might do if a foreign force invaded.
   To the Israelis, all were Palestinian soldiers -- all of them -- every male age 16 to 50. The townspeople awoke the morning of Nov. 3 to the call for them, if they were age 15 to 50, to surrender themselves. We must assume the loudspeaker announcements made no mention of what would happen if they did turn themselves in. The men were taken to a public square, lined up in a row, and executed, shot in the back of their heads. Then, the soldiers combed the city, laying waste any who might have escaped the town square massacre. An Israeli soldier turned journalist recalled walking through the alleyways of the city, seeing bloody corpses, some with their heads shattered. He threw up. "I couldn't get used to the sight of human slaughterhouse," he said. 
   We need not become anti-Israel when we hear stories such as this. We need not take sides with Hamas. But, what becomes of our sense of justice? Do we have anything in our hearts that cries out for the Gazans? Do we come to realize just a little why the citizens of Gaza choose to side against Israel?

Would We Deny Children and Old-Timers Special Care on a Trek?

    If we were on a trek, and children and old folks were among the travelers, would we think it so wrong if an effort were organized to help the children, to help the old-timers?
   "Oh, no, you can't do that," someone from the camp calls out. "Everyone must be equal. We don't single out one group for aid. We help them all. If we are to help those in need, we cannot do it by designating groups that are to receive help. That is not fair."
   This is how it seems to me we are reacting to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. We establish programs to help at-risk groups and someone comes along and objects, saying the DEI programs, themselves, are exclusive.
   At-risk groups deserve a focus. Why would we deny them? Would we tell children and old folks they do not deserve any special attention if we were on a trek and they were falling behind?

 

If Your Time is Short, Lengthen Your Stride

 

    Retirement is but an invitation to become busier than you've ever been. Never make the mistake of retiring just because you "retire." This is your chance to chase your dreams and aspirations. When you were in school, you had to go to school. When you were employed, you had to go to work. Now, finally you are free. Don't let this chance pass you by. Don't choose just to exist and wait for death to come. Crunch everything you can into the short space between retirement and death. Don't waste away in entertainment. Television is for those who are younger; you have dreams to pursue.
   If your time is short, it is time to lengthen your stride.

Long Ago, there was the Age of Civility; Now we have the Age of Ridicule

 

If you respect freedom of speech, why ridicule those who practice it?

In the 2020s, we have fully arrived at the Age of Ridicule, a day when demeaning each other seems to be the only form of political discussion we know, a day when you don't need to offer reason, and can reject the other person's words simply by telling them to quit listening to the main stream media.

Attack the other person, call them an idiot (or worse). No need to be civil, because this is not the Age of Civility; it is the Age of Ridicule. Personal attacks rule where reason once was required.

"I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it," is the famous quote falsely attributed to Voltaire (his biographer, Evelyn Beatrice Hall, actually coined the quote). Many a soldier has gone to war, knowing they might die defending the freedoms of others, including the freedom of speech.

When they come home, are they proud to be able to say that they fought for the right of others to be idiots? Do they turn to someone whose political beliefs are different than theirs and say, "I fought for your right to be an idiot. I fought so you could maintain your ignorance and stupidity."

With freedom, comes responsibility. But too often, it is freedom alone that is practiced, not responsibility. We are free to trash others, condemn them, ridicule them, and despise and hate them -- so we do. That's our freedom; that's our right.

But we disabuse the First Amendment in doing so. We take that which is good and convert it into a tool for evil. We take no thought that we are being hurtful. Since when is calling another person an imbecile hurtful? we ask. No, I'm just calling a spade a spade, we say. If you don't want to be a stupid, idiotic imbecile, quit acting like one. That's on you, you derelict SO_.

The Age of Reason has given way to the Age of Mocking, the Age of Civility to the Age of Ridicule. We are not a better nation for this. The decline of a nation comes from its loss of morals.

The soldiers and patriots who respect America, respect its values. They respect each other. All God's children have worth, and they treat each other that way. If you respect freedom of speech, you don't disrespect those who practice it.

Does that Star-Spangled Banner Still Wave? It Does

"I Miss the America I Grew Up In!!!" states a meme that comes across Facebook. I pause. I am aware of the efforts to stir up discontent in our land. So, I offer a reply. 

"Yes, but I am still grateful for the America we have, that I live in now. I am grateful for the comforts, the joys, the peace from war on this soil that so much of he world does not enjoy. I am grateful I can worship as I please, and utter my thoughts as I will. I am grateful I do not live in a country where the government divides me from my family, or dictates the job I will have. I am grateful for America, the one that we have. Does that star-spangled banner still wave? It does."

Our Hearts Go Out for the Gazans

 

  Our hearts can only go out for the Gazans, as news spread today that Israel is preparing an assault on Rafah, the southern-most of the five sections of the Gaza Strip. The Gazans have been driven by the Israelis southwards, and now feel penned in, cornered, no where to go.
   "There is a sense of growing anxiety, growing panic in Rafah, because basically people have no idea where to go," said the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA.
   The Gazans are among the most-persecuted people on earth. So far, the wrath of war has brought death to an estimate 27,000 of them. These are civilians. These are people who have to clear Israeli checkpoints to go from one section of Gaza to another. Women have been known to lose their newborns because they were held up at the checkpoints as they traveled from one section to another to get to the hospital.
   Do you want to say Israel has to have those checkpoints -- that it is the only way to catch the Hamas who are posing as civilians? When you have a pregnant woman trying to get to the hospital, make a quick check and let her through.
   The people forced to pass through these checkpoints are subjected to humiliating body searches. 
   Gazans have been known to have been executed without having a trial to determine if they were guilty.
   They are starved. "Every single person in Gaza is now hungry, and people have just 1.5 to 2 liters of unsafe water per day to meet all their needs," said the charity ActionAid. Some, it said, have been reduced to eating grass.
   What do we say -- Israel would never do these things; these things are being made up?
   What do we say -- the Israelis are God's children; I support Israel?
   Do we leave it at that? Or do we say, The Gazans are also God's children. God cares about everyone. All are his children.
   Do we say, Wrong is wrong, and right is right. We stand with Israel, but this time we stand with Gaza.  

Migrants are Individuals, and Should be Judged as Individuals

 

    Crime is the criminal, not the immigrant who comes in peace. When a crime is committed, it is committed only by the perpetuator of the crime. To lump everyone who crosses the border as terrorists, criminals and drug cartel associates is wrong. Blame the one who commits the crime and let the others go free.
    Don't blame the immigrant who crosses the border for the crimes of the one who crossed just ahead of him.
  Trump onced banned anyone from coming to our shores from an Arab nation. The courts overruled him, saying, No, we don't do it that way. The court was right. America is a land that knows you convict individuals, but not their neighbors. It knows the difference between a person and a society. 
   Do we? As we consider what is going on at the border, do we know the difference between a person and a group of people. Do we judge the many by the one? Do we fault the many because of the few?

Bless Israel, but not for its Faults

   These are the times that try men's souls, Thomas Paine once said. Tell me, was he speaking of war? Was he speaking of Gaza? Was he speaking of Israel? Was he speaking of soldiers who sacrifice all that is true, all that is noble in a lust to equal their enemy's depravity. Was he, perhaps, referring to the collective soul of one of the world's greatest nations -- maybe even the greatest -- being cast into the depths of shame?
   I am a lover of Israel, a believer that it is chosen of God. But that does not mean I cannot see vices where there should be virtue. You sell your soul when you justify your wrongs. Israel justifies its war atrocities. You buy an illusion for the price of regret. Israel supposes it is doing right. But, is it? Will it come to regret its war crimes?
   Bless Israel. But bless it not for its faults.

Great Day for Trump, but not so Much for Democracy

   Though you might not, I wonder at these things. I wonder at how they show Donald Trump is knifing out his opposition and solidifying his power to rule the United States.
   You might have noticed there was primary election in Nevada this past day. Trump wasn't even on the ballot. Didn't need to be. The party pulled a switcheroo this year, opting to nominate their candidate through party caucuses -- where political maneuvering has greater influence -- rather than through a primary election.
   So, there's that. But read on.
   In Utah, the party also opted out of a presidential primary, choosing to go with the convention process (once again, notice that leaves political hucksters with greater leverage) instead.
   Another significant news story this past day? Ronna McDaniel, after falling out of favor with Trump, is stepping down as chairperson of the Republican National Committee. And, among the reasons Trump pressured McDaniel out? She had had the RNC go ahead with debates, even though Trump chose not to participate in them and didn't want them, at all, since they just gave voice to and showcased his opponents.
   And, we have heard much, read much, about how the Trump machine has pressured and persuaded other Republican politicians to endorse him. The word "coalescing," has been used in those stories. The Washington establishment "coalesced" around Trump. 
   And, don't forget that there was a movement to name Trump the presumptive nominee, watering down the relevance of even holding primaries all across the nation. That movement pulled up short only when an outcry against it rose up.
   Grab as much power for loyal party insiders as you can. Rip it away the the common voters. Silence the opposition by blocking out debates. It was a great day for Trump, if you don't like democracy.

   

These are the Gazans; What are We?

 These are the Gazans: a people largely made up of those who were kicked out -- expelled -- from Israel when Israel declared its independence in 1948. About 80 percent of the roughly 2 million people living in Gaza are considered refugees, as a home has still not been found for them, despite it being more than 75 years since Israel evicted them.
   Evicted them for what? For been Palestinians? For being Muslims or Arabs? For not being Jews? Is that racist?
   These are the Gazans: A people unwelcome in Syria, Jordan and Egypt. Why? For one thing, those neighboring countries want them to remained staked out where they are in order to maintain a foothold in the land of Israel. Gazans have no blood brothers, at least none who will have them. 
   These are the Gazans: A people governed not by just one, but by three sets of rulers. When the Fatah government in Ramallah split with the Hamas government, both continued  to claim control, though it is the Hamas that are really their hands-on rulers. Then, there are the Israelis. Though they do not govern Gaza, per se, their hand remains over them.
   These are the Gazans: A people being driven from one end of their little country to another, displaced from northern Gaza to the southern end of the land. They were driven in the '40s, and they are being driven now.
   These are the Gazans: A people who are subjected to being human shields by Hamas, their rulers.
   And, these are the Gazans: A people being slaughtered. Of the 2 million, an estimate 27,365 have been killed in the war, a war that possibly could stretch on for months and who knows if it will become even more brutal. They are a people who some argue should be exterminated. A Gazan is but a Hamas. They are one and the same, goes the arguement. Kill them.
   These are a people many of which exist in refugee camps, not real homes. They are a people who have been deprived of fuel, water, and food by the Israelis. How many of them are in the hospitals? I could not determine, but I read how 13 of the 35 hospitals have been rendered only partially functioning. A third of the homes of the Gazans have been destroyed or damaged. No less than 390 educational buildings have been destroyed or damaged, and no less than 221 places of worship.
   Pawns in a war, prisoners in their own country -- a country that really is not even a country, but an occupied territory.
   If we have not compassion for this people, if our hearts are not drawn out for them, what are we? Our indifference towards them speaks not of our Christianity, but of our laying aside the principles of Christianity. If we will not beg, sue, plead and petition for their welfare, what are we?

 

   

Abbott's Army

    Failure to secure the border from an invasion? When the destitute from other nations are turned away for being terrorists, that is the crime. They come begging for mercy, and we greet them with razor wire. They drown in the Rio Grande because Texas officials refuse to allow border agents to save them, and we file a lawsuit to maintain the right to drown more of them. What has become of our nation? Does it remain a Christian nation?

   I call it Abbott's Army, and it is an army taking on the United States. Gov. Abbott would have us believe he is but a patriot protecting our borders. He cites Article IV, Section 4 as giving him the right to lead an insurrection. Article IV, Section 4 says it is the obligation of the United States to protect the nation from invasion, but it does not say that if the federal government does not do it, Texas can. Nor is this an invasion to begin with. The people come looking for jobs, to join family, and to escape intolerable conditions in their home countries. They are hardly an invading military force. I would guess more of them carry Bibles than carry guns. 
It is sad that Utah's governor has signed on with this rebellion. It is not the immigrants who are rising up against the United States, but Abbott and his followers, Abbott's Army.

Depravity is not Just on the Side of Hamas: Israel is Depraved as Well

    Some things will never be right. Some things can never be justified. Will we look at what Israeli soldiers are doing and suppose their conduct falls anywhere near the realm of human decency?
   Will we hear of detainees stripped naked as a form of sexual humiliation, their hands and feet bound, and they are stomped on and beaten with rifle butts -- will we hear of that and look the other way?
   Can we look away? Can we say that's all fine?
   Will we hear of Hamas soldiers surrendering, putting their weapons down, and getting on the ground, waving a piece of white clothing to represent a white flag, only to be massacred by Israeli gunfire -- will we hear of that and look the other way?
   Can we look away? Can we say it is fine? 
   Depravity is not only on the side of Hamas, it is on the side of Israel. I know not what else to call such acts, but depravity. Let us cry out in shame against Israel; Let us cry out in shame against our good friend, Israel.
  You don't just say they are your friends, and let the matter go. You don't just say they are God's children. If they are God's children, let them grow up and act like it. They lack the innocence of children, and they lack the innocence of God's children.

Say No to Israel's Immoral War Tactics

  Say no to Israel, this time. Yes, we remain friends and remain supporters of that nation. But we do not support much of the way that country is conducting itself in its current wall. Not at all. War crimes. Violations of international law. No, we will not stand with those things. The slaughter of civilians has well been classified as genocide.
    We say no to that. We're putting away our checkbooks. Morality does not end for the sake of friendship. 
    

With the Words of Adams as My Cue, Remove Parties from the Ballot

    We should take them off the ballot. No, I'm not talking about Trump. I'm speaking of political parties. And my reason for wanting them off the ballot? I found this quote from John Adams and it gives me the courage to say what I am saying.
  "There is nothing I dread so much as the division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our constitution."
   If our second president didn't approve of political parties, neither do I.
   So, remove them from the ballot. List the candidates running for office, but make no mention of their political parties. Let the candidates stand on their own merits; not on a system the founding fathers didn't approve of.
   Or, at least, a system some of the founding fathers didn't approve of. Ever heard of George Washington? He wasn't at all fond of parties. No, not at all. He spent a good part of his farewell address warning against them. He said he was warning us "in the most solemn manner." He said his were "the warnings of a parting friend."
   We tossed Washington's warning aside, and haven't given much thought to the matter ever since.
   Washington leaned on the wisdom of his vice president for counsel, so I don't know which of them was first at coming up with the dislike of political parties. But, they were lockstep in their belief.
   Some may speak of the two-party system as if it is a wise way to run our nation. Some might cherish it as wisdom imparted by the founding fathers, themselves. Those who so believe are wrong in their appraisals. It is the contrary that is true.
   America should be a land of individuals, not parties. And its ballots should not accommodate the vice of parties.
   Don't take my word for it, but listen to Adams and Washington. 

We Look into the Eyes of a Beggar and See the Face of a Terrorist

The flood of migrants is creating chaos. In a couple instances, the entry ports have been shut down in order to shift border officers to those just showing up unannounced and without paperwork. In other words, the vehicle traffic has been suspended because of the need to deal with those swimming across the Rio Grande, or where ever. The ironic thing about that is that such action stops the cartels from getting drugs into the U.S. through that port. We shut down the ports of entry -- not considering that that is where there is the greater threat of illegal drugs coming in -- in order to process the migrants who have wandered across the desert and who are accused of being the source of illegal drugs. Do we really think the cartels are so foolish that they would load a migrant with drugs knowing that they are going to turn themselves in at the border, or get caught at the border, and all the drugs confiscated? That would be directing your drugs right into the mouth of the capture. There were 300,000 encounters with migrants last month. If the cartels are loading their drugs on the migrants, that would be 300,000 chances of catching a drug smuggler. How many news accounts have you seen about drugs being seized from migrants? Of those 300,000 encounters, how many involved illegal drugs being seized? Did we see so much as one story of drugs being seized? No, I do not think that is a prime way drugs are entering our country. There are many ways illegal drugs are smuggled -- airplanes, underground tunnels, and vehicular traffic among them. They hide drugs in semi trailers, and underneath floorboards of cars. So, when we close border ports, that stops the drug flow through that drug port. Then we rush our border agents over to the Rio Grande, saying we have to concentrate there because they are bringing in illegal drugs. There is irony in that. These migrants are the poor of the world. They want to escape the poverty and conditions of the countries they come from. They aspire to be Americans. And how do we react? We look into the eyes of a beggar and see the face of a terrorist.