Walkabout Thoughts #29

 Writing notes My thoughts, Stream of consciousness, rough and ready, while walking off long Covid and listening to podcasts…(1/14/23)

Weather for the day… 45 and some cool, looking ground fog and broken clouds in the sky or a blue moon. Looks cool.

Podcast for the day Pod Save America, "The House that MAGA Built", episode

Instagram post for the day

So I’m getting busy starting a new company with a couple of others. And I am listening to politics right now and again? It’s a mess (politics) and I’m getting really bored with it. And I got other things to worry about that are more specific to me and right now more important. There’s nothing fun or funny about starting up a company, but it can be rewarding. There’s a lot of growing pains we’re working through. It’s also reminding me why I left the corporate IT life. On the other hand, it means I have a lot of experience for doing this, and I had learned more than I ever realized. Because thinking of the three of us, I’m the one with the most big corporation experience at (near) the top level, in both IT and business. I’ve worked on some top-tier IT teams around the Pacific Northwest including US West Technologies (a fascinating place to work at their Bellevue offices), and some other companies. Companies that were no nonsense and you could lose your position if you didn't live up to standards, and rightly so.

So, on politics, since the podcast I'm listening to is referring to it… Republicans ran on a ticket of no platform other than hating Democrats and blaming Joe Biden for inflation. So their first order of business would be to do something about inflation. Right? What do they do? They voted down the desperately needed, greater funding for the IRS to reclaim more taxes for us, basically from the wealthy who find too many loopholes or outright fraud. Which means the IRS the burden again falls on us, the citizens, who don’t make that much to be so overtaxed and depended upon. GET the taxes from the wealthy and corporate who have the extra money to PAY taxes and PAY those taxes. Stop ripping US off! Look, I don’t make $1 million a year, do you? Or $10 million, or $1 billion? Those guys are now going to continue to get away with Screwing with their tax returns and unpatriotically, basically, steal our tax money. Their fair share. But House Republicans can now run around saying they defunded the IRS. Which apparently a few are. No, seriously. They are. Here’s the thing. It’s stupid. It’ll never pass the Senate. The president will never sign it into law. So what are they doing? Again, obstructing, subverting, twisting our government into being more dysfunctional. Why do they always want to throttle the government from what it’s supposed to be doing? They’re also against big government and yet they do things that requires bigger government. Like the whole thing about going against women’s rights. Stripping away civil rights. Things that requires more government. Unbelievable. And stupid.

As far as my not paying so much attention to politics now, hopefully. Whereas before I was watching news daily, hour by hour. When Trump was criminal POTUS45 and watching for very good reason. At any moment, he could have ended this country. Which he tried to do, failed in a coup and insurrection. Now it’s gonna take forever for justice to finally crack down on him and his. Republicans in the House in power now are going to have a bunch more of their famous, infamouse, kangaroo court "investigations" as they’ve done before with "Hillary‘s emails" and Benghazi and whatever other bullshit they could and can dream up. So no, these things were something that had to be watched moment by moment. Although now Ukraine, requires observation. Taiwan. But this is good timing for me, because I feel I can really devote my time to building this company. For now.

Something on the arts: I watched the latest episode of "Echo 3" on Apple plus. Man, I was not pleased with that ending, if that’s the ending episode. I don’t remember. I’m not sure how many episodes it has. My thoughts on the last episode? Not the ending I was hoping for. I don’t want to say much about it. But in a way a pretty realistic show. Things don’t turn out the way you expect in reality. War is very realistic when you get in the middle of it. You simply can’t foretell what will come, once you throw certain things in the process. And in that sense, I do like the show.

Since the Republicans seem to be following a MAGA agenda and extreme toxic right wing agenda, we desperately need truth and media laws again. We’ve got to get a handle on media lies in all or any media. In social media. It’s mostly on the right where the damage is being done to democracy in this country. But we also have to get a handle, as Europe has been trying to do, on social media and citizens as citizen journalists and reporters. There’s free speech, and then there’s misinformation that becomes misinformation to citizens when they do not vet that information, which journalists do (as best they can but at least they try). When citizens repeat it, parrot it in a force multiply of deploying it. That shit has got to stop. At least it needs to be reigned in and I would argue... ASAP. Sooner!

I think we’ve been discovering that massive media companies shouldn’t be owned by one person. They need to be accountable to truth, if not to government to the people through regulation. Somebody like Elon Musk shouldn’t be able to affect such a vast platform as his Twitter does. Rupert Murdoch shouldn’t have been able over decades to finally bring America to its knees and nearly find it destroyed through an insurrection by a criminal, POTUS45. Empower humankind, not forces against it. Technology is just a sophisticated machine. We’ve gotten to a point in this post information age (I would argue) that machines have gone beyond simple mechanisms, to multiplying criminal efforts to effectuate social concerns in directions most of us just don’t want to go.

Let’s remember, Marjorie Taylor Greene said if her and Steve Bannon were actually running the insurrection, they would’ve had guns and won. That’s an actual member of Congress, who was cut off from any power by House Dems, that is now under Republican House control and who will now be given power, as a member of Congress, having espoused sedition, insurrection, and in doing so offering aide and comfort to our domestic enemies, which is treason. And she’s still a member of Congress. And she’s not the only one…

POTUS45: over 30,000 lies told during his presidency.
US Representative and Republican Party mascot, George Santos: “Hold my beer.”

Why aren't they getting rid of George Santos? Who should not be in Congress. Even Republicans are complaining and refusing to work with him from his home district and state. Consider this and this is important. If Republicans had full control of the House and didn’t need George Santos? He’d be out of there in a second. But because they need his vote so desperately, they’re hanging onto him with tooth and nail. Tells you everything you need to know about the situation. He should be gone. But the Republicans in the House are ethically corrupt, and it’s all about them. Somewhat about their Party but has nothing to do with American citizens. Except for their base and they are MAGA. Yes, be afraid. But apparently no one can hear you scream… In the House of Representatives or in this Republican Congress.

President Biden: "Compare me to the alternative not the Almighty." And so of course Republicans compare him to the Almighty and then what are they comparing people like Trump to? The Alternative. Double standard? You judge.

The majority of the Republican base, the majority of the MAGA base, are uneducated white males who are against breaking Social Security and Medicare. While Republican leadership simply doesn’t give a shit. Because they just think it's a good idea.

Podcast: "Navigator" poll from last Thursday morning: ranked the least popular items of the Republican Party agenda at this point, and at the top of that their wanting to end Medicare & Social Security. Only 11% of their voters support it. NO one wants that!

Apparently, Kevin McCarthy conceded to the insurrection caucus. I mean the freedom caucus of ending federal taxing, for instead a huge sales tax increase. Oh, and abolishing the IRS. Which no one needs.

Apparently, Chris Murphy told Punchbowl this week, that because of the last week's debacle, Kevin McCarthy has to manufacture some new wins. And that’s never good.

Remember how in 2012 Kevin McCarthy said that Obamacare failed and Republicans are going to give us a very accessible healthcare system? We’ll? Still waiting. Like we’re waiting for Trump to give up his tax returns. Which we finally had to take.

I haven’t done anything but sit around and over the holidays, eat kind of incorrectly for fun. Haven’t been drinking alcohol because of long Covid and now working on starting this new company. Weather is been really crummy. So while I needed to be walking 5 miles every other day to counteract somewhat my long Covid, I haven't been. Today I only will do 3 miles. Because I've been so inactive. I could do four but, whenever I push it, which I would be doing in this case, it’s then harder to concentrate and work until like the next day. Today I need to go home and work on the company.

OK, this podcast from last Thursday. They’re mentioning Merrick Garland appointed a special counsel about the docs found at Pres. Biden's office and home. Since this is obviously not about the  same thing as Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago debacle, no special council was needed here...except for because of whiny insurrectionist types and MAGA. Merrick Garland would’ve made a great SCOTUS Justice, but we needed somebody more bold as Attorney General. That being said, he may well do a good job in the end of this, but we need bold moves, and we need this Trump/Republican divisiveness to end. Like bad children who need to be corrected, for this to stop. All we’re doing in going a bout things in this way is egging it all on. I don’t think Trump needed a special counsel either, but I could grant that. Garland has got to protect the DOJ and the FBI. Sure. But sometimes when you protect something you allow other things to fester and or coddle that bad mindset and position. So I really think Garland should’ve been on SCOTUS and we needed somebody a little more savvy, while there’s few who are in the kind of crap that Trump and Steve Bannon, in these massive lies and MAGA/QAnon issues and all this "tail wagging the dog" version of thus vastly broken Republican Party.

New conservative conspiracy theory: Obama setting up Biden to allow Gavin Newsom to become president. First of all the degree of disloyalty that invokes is mere projection by Republicans used to the disloyalty of their own and their own greed guiding them. I’m sorry, but it's just more projection from Republican's unethical behaviors, onto people who just aren’t their kind of people. Not that you could ever convince them of that.

Here’s what I would say about this whole classified documents and personal residences issue. What it says to me is we need better examination/monitoring as people leave office and maybe they need to be going through their things more completely, so this doesn’t happen again. Seems to me that checking in and out docs, needs to be worked out better. When you take your classified document and then you’re going to leave office, a month before you’re leaving alarms need to go off. And everything made accountable before you leave office. This is all just bullshit. Trump's a special case because those are criminal actions overtly, and quite very obviously.

Classified documents at Biden's places: Docs found by Biden's people. Docs were turned over to a national archives who didn’t even know they were missing and that’s another issue.

Biden's actions: His people offered any further help necessary, needed, required or requested.
Trump's actions:

• Intentionally took a "shitload" of documents
• He was given multiple requests to return them
• At one point purposely moved them to avoid them being found
• Had attorney's falsely testify there were no more docs & had all been returned when he knew they weren't
• Trump was so obstinate about returning docs the FBI had to show up unannounced to get them
• After the FBI did that Trump lied and said the FBI planted docs on him
• He then claims he declassified the docs, with his mind, something so dishonest no attorney of his would testify about under oath or in court
• And then he repeatedly attacked the FBI and all the people investigating him

So, which of those things did Biden also do? NONE. So in that sense they are not similar at ALL! If Trump had simply turn them all over and offered any others feel being handled just as gentle as MAGA thinks Biden is being handled now. And that’s really the issue. Trump didn't do anything like that. He acted as he always has... like a mob boss.

Cheers! Sláinte!

Walking Thoughts #28

My thoughts, Stream of consciousness, rough and ready, while walking off long Covid and listening to podcasts…

 
Weather for the day… 35°, and foggy.

Podcast for the day is In The Bubble with Andy Slavitt, episode: "Presenting: This Day In Esoteric Political History"

Second podcast (see below) Lovett or Leave It! with Jon Lovett, episode "Holiday Grift Guide":

Lovett Or Leave cozies up in front of the roaring fire we’ve hurled 2022’s desiccated hull into during this, our last show of 2022. Mike Lindell (James Adomian) stops by with pillows for all the good little boys and girls of the RNC. Jena Friedman and Atsuko Okatsuka pull up a chair to your family’s holiday drama. Elon Musk (James Adomian) tries his hand at stand-up and spoiler alert: the audience is wrong. Lovett provides a personalized gift guy for the right-wing whack jobs in your life, and we end by putting our grateful well-wishes in the Thank Bank. Happy Holidays, everybody, and see you in 2023!Instagram post for the day

Comment from the podcast, "Twitter is now the circular firing party for things that don’t go your way."

I'd just like to mention that I think I’ve always been a “liberal“. I’m also, oddly enough, against things like Fascism. So if you wanna call me, "Antifa", then what the fuck? It strikes me as bizarre, anti-patriotic, anti-American and anti-democratic, those who rail against Antifa, who want to attack “Black Lives Matter“ types, at any cost. First, they can't seem to understand that Antifa is against Fascism. Although MAGA seems to be pretty pro-autocratic with Trump is their leader. Though I think he’s starting to dissolve in his own spit and mire. Also, liberal doesn’t seem to mean what people think as it’s defined as:

"Willing to respect or accept behavior or opinions different from one's own; open to new ideas. Also, relating to or denoting a political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, and free enterprise."

So of course, MAGA hates liberals and always wants to "own the libs" as idiotic as that is.

Liberal like entitlement doesn’t mean "overly" or "too much" or "give me free stuff". Liberal means democratic. Entitlement refers to things you’re absolutely entitled to... because they’re yours. Like Social Security which you paid into. There’s no freebies involved. It’s like, if you go to a store and buy some groceries. You’re fucking entitled to those groceries. You paid for them. But if you got tax breaks, if you’re wealthy or a multinational corporation who Republicans always strive for tax breaks for, which you haven’t earned or paid for... those are the entitlements MAGA in talking about by there definitions which are 180° of reversed from reality. It's strange. Upside down. Backward. Stupid.

I got to say walking in the fog, see you Instagram post for the day at the beginning of my walk, feels like at 35°, and flash frozen or something.

[It's later, I'm editing this at home, after a shower. End of the movie on Apple+, "On the Rocks" is on and the husband is apparently trying to impress his wife, working too hard, leaving her to believe he's not interested in her anymore. I made a similar mistake in my last divorce (yes, last...) only in another way entirely. Screwing up the relationship. Oh, and she was crazy. No, really. Still is. ]

I have to agree with what someone said, I can’t remember who it was, but this reference to Trump's "Team normal/Team crazy" crap when he was ridiculously POTUS45, at the end there, in trying to suborn a coup and an insurrection… was actually "Team Crazy/Team Criminal". Just sayin'...

Since blatantly telling lies by a Republican seems to be their platform for election anymore (see Donald Trump, see George Santos, see too many of the insurrectionist Republicans in Congress), perhaps Democrats, for a while, going forward, should start every speech, every comment with a lie, one that people want to hear, to bring them to the party, and then immediately turn around and say none of that’s true. Then go on with the truth. I know it sounds weird. But when you’re fighting old Soviet disinformation tactics by an out-of-control, seditionist Republican Party one needs to fight dirty. If not as ethically as possible. Somebody’s gotta be the Party of Ethics and it sure as hell isn’t gonna be a conservative based party.

Has there really been no governors on Fox News lately? Is that true?

The 2012 Republican "autopsy" failed, even though it was accurate. But Republicans decided instead, "No, we Want to follow a failing course, because we can garner power in that way. It’s a short term view, but somehow we'll make it work!" So how’s it working out for you? I’ll tell you, people like Tucker Carlson, who are the extreme end of this crap, why are they so very popular on Russian State TV. And if that doesn’t tell you everything you need to know about those types, what country do you think you live in? Because it isn't, America.

Yes, I’m on Mastodon. I tried to get on Post, but they're being an asshole about it. So I’m still utilizing Twitter, which I’ve been on over a decade. Sad to see what Elon Musk has done to that, not to mention Tesla. But some of my tweets from today pretty much laid out where we should be headed and we’re not headed. Like:

Tweet:

Why is Putin still breathing?

Why is Donald Trump still walking free (still breathing)?

Why is Louis DeJoy STILL Fucking Postmaster General?

Why is SCOTUS still polluted with toxic conservatives?

Why is Xi free to Putinesque (propagandize) his people into war?

Tweet:

Xi in China is prepping his people toward war.

We've got to make them aware & against war.

Like citizen flyers/posters in Russian for "free sugar" but a QR code going to Radio Free Europe & Radio Liberty, which are mostly video news & social media, anti-Putin, & pro Reality.

Tweet:

It's time for the end of Putin, end of Trump, end of the Republican Party. End of the nightmares governing any of humanity. End of Kim Jong Un family. End of Xi in China.

End Humanity's nightmares where you find them.

Yeah, I think you get the point...

To be painfully clear about how screwed up we are… The question is not , "DID Donald Trump break the law as POTUS45." He obviously did. The question is, "How is his execution to be brought on legally and executed quickly?" Because that’s what needs to be done to begin the return of the Republican Party to American politics and end toxic conservatism in being an ignorant and self-defeating, Putin supported disinformation campaign, an active measure against America and western democracies.

Now the podcast is agreeing with me in that what Republicans are doing is not sustainable. What they’re doing is always what is better in the short term. For immediate profit. Autocratic, which should worry people. Autocracy is anti-democracy. And for those in America, who like a "strongman" character, who like autocrats, well they're (again) in the wrong fucking country. If it’s true that 60% of the world are under autocratic rule, feel free to go there. The more autocratic nations there are, the more important these fewer democracies become. How do they not see that? How do they not understand balance is important? How do they not understand that our three branches of government need to balance each other out and monitor one another? How do they not understand that currently that’s not been happening and things have been force skewed toward the undemocratic? How do they justify the people not having a say in government, after decades of their railing against government, how is that a good idea? The Republican Party doesn’t appear anymore to be a conservative party, but a party of illogic, bordering on insanity. Unless you understand, they are anti-democracy.

My, Trump talking conservative, crazy older brother, and I don’t know how he got that way... and he doesn’t know how I got this way... when we both have probably always been the way we are, still calls President Biden, "sleepy Joe". How is that not "sheep bleating"? In repeating what Trump says, how is that not parroting Trump? How is that not cultist? How do you not see Joe Biden, who rides bicycles, has more energy than fat old stupid Donald Trump? The Republican one trick pony for evil? Where is the critical thinking? Where is the accurate information on the Right? Where is the American patriotism? Why have they subverted "patriot" to mean, "patriot for our international enemies"? Remember the MAGA T-shirt that said, "I’d rather be with a Russian then with Biden"? How do you not see Trump was never a good idea? How do you not see Putin was never a good idea? I’ve been saying since the year 2000 Putin as a leader, as ex-KGB… how was that ever a good idea for the Russian people, or the world? How do so many people not see any of this?

Yes, Democrats try to be progressive because what do they say about a sitting shark dies? They’re forward-looking and sometimes too far forward, but they mean well. Republicans are generally backward looking, into too far backward. Because if standing still kills a society, what does going backward do? Well, you can follow the pattern there, right? Because if you can’t, well "concrete thinking" won’t get you anywhere useful. Although it will get you there somewhere, useful for somebody, just not you, not for US. Somebody, like corporations, anti-union, multinational corporations, international enemies of democracy and America. I mean pick your fight, but apparently a third of this country doesn’t understand who they’re fighting for and it ain't them, and it sure as hell ain't us.

I’ve heard this repeatedly, that Americans and actually humanity, tend to make their best choices just as they’re about to go over a cliff, to their death. You know, a little proactivity could avoid that necessity? Could we stop doing that and not do that anymore? When you have a scientist in 1968, who wrote a book called The Population Bomb, who warned us that at 3 1/2 billion people, we’ve hit our max with what the earth can handle, for our lifestyle, worldwide. And now it's over 8 billion and we’ve exceeded that limit, by more than double. Why can’t we react appropriately to that? In all these decades since? What is WRONG with us?

So, I guess for something positive... enough politics for a second… Today is the signing of contracts for our new movie streaming network that we’re setting up. I have to get something ironed out as far as a contract, or something, for my efforts and compensation. Which there aren’t any right now and I’ve already been doing work the past few weeks. I think that’ll be OK, but this will be the first time I started working on something, like I said, weeks ago, without a contract already in place. I spent years as a contractor at some pretty high levels in IT thoughout the 90s, until I got a permanent job that I retired from and there on a high-level IT team, on the front line. So this is right up my alley. As far as the work I’ll be doing on the platform, I was a platform administrator, a software engineer, a networking server administrator, webmaster, a senior technical writer, and a bunch of other stuff. I have high hopes for this project and it’ll be fun to be able to let you know what it is, because I’m not allowed to say yet, until we go live. Wish us luck! We’re trying really hard as Indie filmmakers to set up a fun network of movies in a niche that will hopefully address some who are not being addressed. One thing we’re interested in is with Amazon prime having dumped a bunch of indie film maker's projects. Finding a place for their films is hard. And we're as well looking to handle much higher quality films, also. People need to understand that some "B" and even some "C" movies are better in some ways than some A-list films. The production values are low because they don’t have the money. But the stories, and sometimes the acting, or the directing, or whatever, there’s can be some value in these. And giving a place for these kinds of things does help to make things better overall. "Rising tide raises all ships." But Hollywood and others, needs competition and people need to open their minds a bit. We’re gonna be offering some free stuff too, viewing wise. Anyway, just know that we really do have the best of intentions and that's it's not just all about making money as the end all be all of things.

Since I took a brief aside from the podcast here… Regarding my ongoing long Covid issue. Last night I felt like my long Covid had ratcheted down to a new lower level, maybe. My body wasn’t reacting to things I was eating as it was before. Over reacting poorly. But I’m still having trouble sleeping, taking vitamin D to counteract the lack of sun and melatonin. I don’t like taking melatonin, but I took one last night so I could get some sleep for today. And I woke up feeling a little touch of long Covid again. Which I really don’t need to feel. Ever again. Anyway, I do still feel it a bit. Though I’m at the trailing end of long Covid, going on nine months now. First time I had it in 2020 I noticed after eight months, it started trailing off and my lungs started to feel normal. Then at 14 months I felt it was over. But then I couldn’t tell, when I would feel it over that next year, if I was catching something but my body was fighting it off successfully or if it was long Covid recycling back a little again, once in a while. There’s so much we don’t know, still. But then, I covered a lot of this in my book “Suffering Long Covid”.

From podcast: remember 2016, and all the Republicans on stage and how Trump kept hanging on, like herpes? And how people kept saying it wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t, and he shouldn’t have access to votes, ever again.

Remember how we used to hear how political parties and candidates, political leadership was paying too much attention to polling? And then they started this crap about "we have to follow what our voters want", which sounds good, but as we’re seeing, it’s really fucking dangerous. I noticed something in the word, "leadership". The word "leader" is actually in there and those in leadership should look that up. And yeah, you can push it and say the word "ship" is in there too, and when it’s sinking, I don't know, DO something to keep it from doing that? But not at all or any cost, and certainly not at all or any cost to any or all others, just not you, merely to keep yourself in power and profit and in office (unofficial GOP motto). Republicans need to start respecting people like Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney, and those candidates who stand up for ethics in America and not just follow Trump puppets heading to the end of that "cliff". How many cliffs are involved in our politics anymore?

Why was Trump flushing documents down the toilet? Why was Mark Meadows burning documents in the fireplace after meetings which appear to have been involved with the insurrection? When you say "what’s the big deal?" The big deal is that everything in the White House belongs to the people and you can’t just burn it. If you do wanna burn it you can’t, but you have to get permission, even if it IS yours, or the president's, even if it's not the People's. But you can’t just burn stuff. Good God... review Watergate!

Well, I’m now at mile 2 1/2 miles and the podcast is over. That was a short one.

OK so second podcast for the day, "Lovett or Leave It"...

So apparently each of the guys from Pod Save America that I listen to have their own podcast. And this is apparently the gay version. One wonders why gay versions of things are so sexually oriented? When you do that as heterosexual, you’re considered immature or perverse. I don’t really care either way. I suppose some of it is just they’re willing to say things others won’t. And we need that. And there’s some really great journalists who are gay who will stand up, say things. Maybe because they’re used to having to do that in their own lives. Then once they come out, they've fucking had it with hiding. We all need to have fucking had it with hiding. The insurrection happened because police were afraid of looking bad because, although they don’t seem to have a problem with beating on Black Lives Matter protesters, they were worried about beating white MAGA protesters or something. So yeah, had all of those people been gay, and I do mean the police… What do you wanna bet the insurrection wouldn’t have happened?

I’ll say this about open sexuality. Having been born in 1955. I spent my entire life being more progressive than normal and more open about things, although quiet about some things. Personally, I pushed my limits, but I also respected the fact that it didn’t work that way for others. Because others were mostly all like that, incapable of being flexible and relaxed and open. But it appears in the past, I don’t know, 10 years or so, maybe 20, perhaps I wasn’t paying attention to this while raising two kids, it appears that the openness about sexuality and such things has surpassed me. Giving an example. Not sexual. In the 60s and 70s I did some interesting things as a kid. Things other kids didn't do. I would tell people stories about myself and would even damn them down. I would leave out things I thought were cool about things, because people wouldn’t believe me. And people still didn’t believe me. Now a lot of those things other people have done or are doing and it’s more normal and it’s on TikTok or Instagram or something. Now I’m boring, while at one time I was unique and more fascinating. So maybe the things I fought for quietly and pushed for, have finally come to be, and our society has opened up. Yeah, we still have conservatives and Republicans who react to what they think is toxic, sadly, in a toxic way, making themselves the enemy, as they fight what they think is the enemy. I tell you, we’ve been through paradigm shifts over time, every so often. The 60s was one. We’ve definitely had a few. But we usually had time to have a breather between them. What we’re seeing now, since the information age hit, after it had a few years to get itself on its feet...we’re now getting hit with multiple paradigm shifts and because of all the information worldwide that we’re getting instantly, we’re getting hit with paradigm shifts from different cultures, too. Since were multicultural, those people live here too, yeah, it’s making us a bit schizophrenic. But we also have a strong form of government, if we'd just let it exist. Breathe. I will be OK, you will be OK. I suspect will all be OK. But it’s gonna hurt. People are gonna die. All we can do? Minimize the pain and the damage and the death. Oh yeah, and we’re fighting all this on an international scale. But, there’s a way I’ve looked at things like this, all my life, and it helped me get through. And that was this. "I will either die or succeed." If we die, what’s the matter? If we don’t, we have to make it succeed. When you consider that the toxic conservatives, the MAGA, the crazy Republicans, are really only a third of us, and that is diminishing, but it’s not reality, and as I said it is diminishing. And has my "vicious dying animal syndrome".  Which is, as things are dying. Religion or conservatism (which I’ve never liked) or this version of MAGA/Republicanism, they each will lash out and bite and attack and try to harm anything around as it too slowly dies. We need to segregate it off and help it die faster, turn off the oxygen, strangle it if we have to. Problem is we have to do it legally and as some of them are criminals, they have no rules or boundaries to follow. And as "dying animals" are, they don’t care, they just want to damage because they’re hurt. You can have compassion toward them, but you also can have compassion via euthanasia when necessary, and when it’s the right thing to do.

So all Americans deserve respect and a place in America. But not MAGA if you’re working against America! Yes, that includes gay people and yes, that includes trans who all have a place. They are people who are generally more patriotic than MAGA , and from what I’ve seen, in the past three decades, Republicans, Republican leaders, while I should say I’ve met many patriotic Republican voters. I’ve also met a lot of confused MAGA types who think they’re patriotic. But functionally speaking they’re working more for Putin, not Biden. And even IF you don't like Biden, you really should be more for HIM, than Putin. Ya know? I mean, really.

I have to remember to add a new chapter for graphics in my new companion book for my film, "Pvt. Ravel’s Bolero".

So fake Santa/fake Mike Lindel pillow guy, in the Lovett podcast, just said that "the voting machines are so rigged at the next RNC chairman gonna be Hillary Clinton."

So Lovett says the TLC channel released trailers on their new show "MILF Island" with a twist. And then you year one of the mothers when they arrive wherever, say, "What the fuck?" And I thought, OK, what the fuck? So I figured, it’s got to be eight mothers and eight of their sons, as love interests, mix-and-matched. As then Lovett says, "It’s got to be eight mothers and eight other sons. Right?" Bingo. And then he says, "OK, so what else could it be?" And then says it's like a "30 Rock" skit for an episode. It’s ridiculous. It’s a stupid joke that they turned into a show.

About small dogs. Uh, No.

So "Rudy Giuliani" My Pillow company flip-flops for $79.95 actually exist. WTF? Use the code “Rudy“ for a discount at $49.95?

The old movie "The Exterminating Angel" is about people who can’t leave a party (I have to check this out...Oh! it's a Luis Buñuel film! I wonder if I saw it decades ago then?)? Here I thought he was talking about "Russian Doll "on Netflix. I love that show. And Natasha Lyonne, let’s face it.

Before I left home for my walk today I read somewhere that people who leave without saying goodbye‘s save three days a year. So does that mean the "Irish goodbye" is in now? Well, I’m part Irish, and I guess more Scottish, and a little Welsh, among other things, including a bunch of Slovak, on my mom side. I’ve done that "just sort of fadeaway" thing and then I’m not there anymore. But admittedly, in my later years, I’ve tried to be more stand up and just take time to seek people out and say goodbye. I mean I always say thank you, I’m always appreciative. But if you get to where you feel like you’re not there and people don’t seem to know you’re there, then maybe it's time to leave and if you were to say goodbye, and no one notices...well? Leave.

So don’t you sometimes want to do a DNA check of anti-Semites just to find out if they’re part Jewish? Because I sure as hell have wanted to take white Christian nationalists and check their DNA for African DNA. Which has actually happened a bunch of times now. And they did have African DNA. 

OK then. Four miles walked today. On to, I don't know, something else the rest of the day...

Cheers! Slainte!

Walking Thoughts #27

My thoughts, Stream of consciousness, rough and ready, while walking off long Covid and listening to podcasts…(My walk was yesterday, I'm editing this and posting it today on New Years Day)

Happy New Year 2023!

I just received an email from the Indie Filmmakers Awards in California. I received an email from FilmFreeway.com yesterday indicating I'd won for my submission of my antiwar historical documentary and filmic poem, "Pvt. Ravel's Bolero". But the email today from the awards festival indicated my award not for just the film, but as director! My first director award! I had submitted to a Dublin festival for best Director but only got Semi-Finalist for the film (I had a great time in Ireland in 2015, by the way). 

Weather for the day… 45° and overcast

Podcast for the day The Problem with John Stewart, episode with Mark Cuban, Maria Ressa & Julia Ioffe Join Our 2022 WrapUpFestPalooza

Instagram post for the day

Maria Ressa on the MIT study, finding that lies travel six times faster than truth on social media (Specifically, Twitter). Also, how toxic conservatives been hampered on Twitter for saying stupid shit and outright lies and hate speech as a first amendment issue until Musk bought Twitter, when it’s suddenly becomes a private company where Elon can do whatever he wants according to conservatives because now they can speak and spew their nonsense.

Zuckerberg with Facebook was Rupert Murdoch 2.0 where now Elon Musk with Twitter is Zuckerberg 2.0.

We need some new laws for social media. There’s no doubt about that. We need to protect human beings, not just America. Twitter is global, so Elon Musk has this global social media power through Twitter. That has to stop with our making Elon Musk the very last one allowed to do that. It needs to be run by some kind of a board who are accountable to someone. Like in Europe, who had seen this ahead of time has done way better than America in moderating this kind of stuff.

If Trump was President, he would be hitting on Elon Musk to be head of the FCC. What do we think the ramifications of that would be? Not good.

John Stewart: you can be good at Twitter, or you can be profitable, but you can’t be both.

Mark Cuban on podcast: I might invest in Twitter depending on its valuation but not right now. Post News, I would have invested in it but they’re evaluation of $250 million was too high. Mastodon, it was too hard to use in its too many servers and just too confusing. I like Post better. Mark also said about Elon buying Twitter, don’t give him too much credit for all the stuff he says, in the political angles. He’s just another rich guy who got a new toy he’s playing with it. How just wants to have his voice heard but he wants profits.

Maria said Twitter in the Philippines is far better than Facebook or YouTube, certainly in allowing her some protections. And in the Philippines, Facebook is essentially, their social media.

Elon is providing Internet for Ukraine, but last month he raised the prices by 25%.

Elon should be charging Russia for Internet access for Ukraine, as long as the Russian are within and attacking Ukraine.

Fatalism has somewhat taken over in America, especially for conservatives & autocrats. In Russia, the propaganda is so much that same thing, happening there. People don’t know what to believe in Russia or who to listen to so they just shut down and go "well government? Do whatever you want. I don't matter, and can't." This is not something that happens by accident.

As far as the Russians, noticing that their men dying in Ukraine, for apparently no good reasons, as Julia points out on the podcast, remember that they’re not Americans. They don't expect life to be a get better, they're Russians. who have centuries of basically being serfs, forever abused by the elites.

Julia tell the Russian joke to explain the Russian mentality: A bunch of Russians are standing in a pool sewage with it up to their noses. One of them raises his head up looks around and says, Hey let’s organize and get out of this shit. Someone else says, Hey stop making waves!

Considering how much faster, lies travel, and how companies can make money off of it on social media, look at the Republican party with people like Trump or George Santos ...lies aren’t sticking anymore. They can say whatever they want, getting what they want (elected), profit from it and yet, still stay in office? Again. Who is STILL Postmaster General right now? Louis DeJoy. How many Supreme Court Justices do we have who should never have been allowed on the Supreme Court? At least four conservatives. That, is not good.

I'd just like to mention yet again that I started telling everyone I knew back in the 90s that I was seeing the Republican Party using old Soviet KGB disinformation tactics and techniques. It was blaringly obvious to me. I was attuned to noticing whenever the Russians did something like that. Then suddenly I started to notice a change in the GOP and realized, they were doing the same things. They’ve only gotten better at it over the years and expanded it. I would almost argue now that it’s coming back around to beginning to destroy them. Because it’s never been a last forever this kind of thing. KGN only used it for short term efforts that were then supported by other things or actions executed in the short term. The GOP has been relying on it now for decades. Just as autocracies sooner or later cave in on themselves, so too will the GOP. And should they take over America? That version just won't last.

As Maria’s pointing out now, why are some of us now in America electing a illiberal leaders? That makes absolutely no sense at all. But that’s not just America, as she points out 60% of the world is under autocratic rule. And if this keeps happening…well?

Corporations and governments are now doing exactly what we’ve been doing for decades to our earth. We take the wealth out, and we let the worst happen, we allow parts of the world to die for it, because of it. We now seek politicians, who are taking wealth out for themselves and their kind, and their supporters... and I don’t mean citizens or voters. I mean, lobbyists and corporations, dark money and letting their/our citizenry die, sometimes, literally. It can’t be avoided to say that Donald Trump allowed hundreds of thousands of Americans die because of his purposeful befuddled COVID-19 Response. There is no making excuses and saying that he got the vaccine out. That’s absurd. Just because the vaccine got out under Trump has nothing to do with what he did before, or after that point.

We have to ask ourselves as Americans how much responsibility do we bear for the war on drugs destroying families and citizens, for decades. And then a two decade plus war on terror help spin up some of the autocracies in the world, adding to an autocratic movement around the world.

Julia said in 2015 Putin helped in Syria by bombing the shit out of them to generate in part all the many refugees to flee the country, which help lead to Brexit and other issues in Europe. A force multiplier situation.

To my VA doctor. I want to thank you as I’ve said before, for helping me through this year. Especially from the end of March when I caught COVID the last time, until our last email, for all the support and sometimes just listening or not reacting poorly to my emails. I did want to mention one thing, that my dentist noticed a dark spot on my lip which in researching it, I’m assuming could be nothing. And also, although 2022 wasn’t the worst year of my life, it was certainly the scariest from this last bout of Covid and long Covid. Which I’m at the trailing end of and which could drag on for more months or (I’m hoping not), beyond to March of 2023. Since I’ve read some doctors saying it seems to last about two years for many and the last time I caught it, it lasted about 14 months. I felt because I can, I should, and so I did write a book on long covid and the experience. I just wanted you to know that and share that with you. I titled it, “Suffering, Long Covid“ and published it end of October. Anyway, happy new year and here’s hoping the VA has all the funding it needs so you guys aren’t so overworked anymore, and that Covid or whatever the next pandemic might be, won’t be.
Also, to help me get through the end of my last long Covid in early 2022 I had created/produced out a filmic poem, antiwar historical documentary titled, “Pvt. Ravel's Bolero“. It’s been winning a lot of awards and I just won another one in California today, for best director of an experimental short film. Anyway…
Cheers! Sláinte!

Maria says here that Russian military doctrine, according to KGB head, Yuri Andropov said disnformation is like cocaine, it's OK to consume once or twice, but if you taken in a steady diet of it you become a changed person. Welcome to Russia. Welcome to America.

Mark Cuban: And it’s all gonna get worse.

Mark also says those who control what goes into AI's like ChatGBT, or DaVinci version 3.5, they will control a lot as it can be Weaponized.

The first murder in history put us on the path to "Godhead", but it took social constructs of government and laws to reign that in. We can now design babies using CRISPR, but government regulations worldwide won't allow it.

The first murder was supposed to be when Cain killed Abel. He got kicked out of town because God didn’t like a human broaching the realm of Godness. Except that wasn’t the first murder. Because Cain then went to the land of Nod, married some woman whose brother had killed somebody (my personal Biblical history) and so they felt an affinity over that and that’s how they got together.

Mark Cuban pointin st where there’s no transparency there’s crime. So how about if you run for public office your tax returns are immediately examined. Yes, we'll have to pay more for the IRS. Get over yourself. I was thinking, do that with the president and whoever is a candidate. And then I thought, Congress, too. And then I thought, governors too, because they’re the "presidents" of their state. And then it occurred to me, if transparency helps to illuminate crime and abuse, then if you want into public office you'd better be honest and we'd better see your tax returns.

Paraphrasing Donald Trump: "Yes, I gave politicians money because they would do what I say." That’s proving both politicians he paid and Trump himself, are corrupt. He went on to say because he knew how corrupt they are, voters should elect him to fix all this. And so MAGA, elected a corrupt person. Or as we used to put it, a fox/wolf was set to oversee the chicken coop/flock of sheep. Dumb.

Regarding Congress and insider trading? I've said this many times. If you’re gonna be in Congress, you have to eliminate your portfolio or convert it to like an IRA/401(k) set up just for Congress. Or maybe better, set one up for all government employees which helps to demystify it. And make it more egalitarian.

Mark: it takes a few frauds to burst a bubble. Financially speaking. So now that a few of these things have rolled over in crypto, that’ll get looked at and probably fixed. But we don’t have the same thing for government. 

How many of those frauds have happened? Because it’s been happening all through history, so it's become normalized. No one ever really thinks about it. Just fix it. But instead, it’s more like, "Oh look he’s having a massive heart attack and a compound fracture. He’s bleeding all over the place. Here’s a Band-Aid."

Word for the day from Mark Cuban: duopoly. Referring to our two-party system in America. Which he said is why he likes the ranked choice voting. Which I’ve been liking a lot too since I first heard of it only a year or two back.

I know people get confused between sociopath and psychopath. The way I view it is there are many sociopaths. A lot of them are drawn to leadership and a lot of them are actually harmless. But they don’t have the same need to follow the rules as most of us. When you add narcissism into that (see, Donald Trump), it’s like adding an octane booster into the crazy cocktail. A psychopath is within the group of sociopath and more acute/dangerous. He went to sociopath university and became a graduate Summa Cum Laude. And that’s amongst their cohort, their group of their peers. And that could be people in their social circle, there physical location, or economic/ political stratum, worldwide.

There are people who can’t differentiate faces. In some cases, it’s a pathology. For most of us who have that issue at all, we’re just not that good at like picking people out of a lineup, say. Artists are much better at it than most people. We’re seeing that today with too many people who can’t differentiate fact from fiction. That’s achieved through many routes. The problem today is that some of that is achieved through selective ignorance, and choosing what pleasures them. Until they finally can’t see fact because they're so estranged from it. Maybe the primary way to explain Donald Trump getting elected. Obviously that’s also all been magnified through foreign entities, who are our enemies (and domestic enemies) who are simply profiteers, toxic capitalists and toxic politicos.

Many of the people who seem to get the furthest in America, merely say American patriotic things, and then do the opposite. Thank you for that comment, Julia.

Sometimes I feel like I got fucked, family-wise. On the other hand, I had two dad’s, my birth father, who didn’t seem to want anything to do with me, and my stepfather, who really didn’t seem to like me, who made my childhood kind of a hell. Who when mom told us she was marrying him, I was five years old and said, "NO, I don't like him!" And rightly so. But she was pregnant so... And I had half a mother, who in the last half of her life, my life, made life hell her my siblings and I (and her). But in the first half of my life, she was almost like two mothers worth of mother. Who loved us a lot. My own two grown kids I dearly love and they love me very much. I made sure of that. I didn't want my kids growing up disliking their parents as I had. It didn't work out so well for either of their mothers however, who didn't pay that kind of attention to raising them. So maybe that makes up for all of it, having kids who love me. What I mean about feeling like I got screwed, family-wise, was that I grew up watching those early 60s family TV shows where everything was perfect and mom worked around the house wearing a nice dress and pearls and nobody got divorced. while I grew up in a family where my siblings were all half siblings, we all had different dads and my parent's relationship sucked. Life. Can't live with it sometimes, surely can't live with out it.

Somehow, I ended up with a bunch of 10% off coupons from Safeway for getting my vaccinations this year. I’ve gotten a few between Covid shots/boosters and other things and so today was the last day of the year. I finally used one of those coupons for 10% off for fun stuff for New Year’s weekend. I was standing there looking at a couple of those coupons at the self checkout, so...I just left them there for whomever else comes by after me... so here, have 10% off!

Here’s a question, asking for a friend… Is murder justified if you buy through the mail a signed author copy of a book and it has one of those fucking stickers on it that says "author signed" copy that you can’t get off the front cover? I mean that’s justified... right? May this new year have no "author signed" book stickers on them!

Cheers! Sláinte!

Walkabout Thoughts #26

Standard header: "My thoughts, Stream of consciousness, rough and ready, while walking off long Covid and listening to podcasts…"

Weather for the day… 40° and very scattered clouds and other nice cool day for a walkabout. Also, air quality today is a rather pleasant 13 on the index.

Podcast for the day John Heilman, Helen Highwater podcast an episode with Kara Swisher

Instagram post for the day, not a post I made during my walk as is usual. But a year oddly compressed (from previous 2022 posts) into the last quarter of it. "Enough of Covid and bad times. 2023? Bring it on!" (No! Really, I'm kidding, please, 2023 take it fucking easy on US!) Covered is the Sausage Fest 2022 (annual rock BBQ in Port Orchard at Jack Moriarity's dad's house, cartoonist Pat Moriarity). It was a Kiss tribute and memorial for the late Patrick Haggerty of Lavender Country

Yeah, I know it’s been a while since my last, "Walkabout Thought". But I've been enjoying the Christmas season. TV is a wasteland if not for the streaming channels. I took a break, but I’m still working on my companion book to my film, "Pvt. Ravel‘s Bolero". And I just submitted to Bob Zimmerman who is doing an Oral History of Tower Records, that he really needs to include our friend, Mark. Although Mark managed Tower Video stores, he and I both worked at Records, which is where we met. He was there for a while when I started next-door at Tower Posters, when I started college in 1980 after separating from the Air Force. Mark's a great guy, who would never ask for the recognition, and much like me, believe it or not, prefers not to get recognition. Though we both enjoy it when it happens. Might as well, right? My fault was in trying to work in a field now, in entertainment, where you really need to promote yourself. Which took me a good 10 years to get used to doing, though I still kind of despise it. As I’ve always said since my first tiny, brush with fame at Western Washington University, "Give me Fortune, you can keep the fame." Fame, is a pain. Unless you're narcissistically leaning. That's not a bad thing, only if you take it to the extremes.

So, I queried him about getting a piece done for our old friend:
-------------

"Hi, just wondering if some piece of history will show up about my old roommate, Mark. You know him, right? I thought if I laid it out, it might make sense, him being a part of the history.

"We lived up on Queen Anne at the end, when he managed Mercer St Tower Video and I was a supervisor. I was supposed to be asst mgr but the new manager of Tacoma video wouldn't let me go for a while (I guess because she knew I knew how to run the store better than she did, at least someone said that). I finally got her to let me move to Seattle when I began living in my car behind the store, because I was paying for an apt in Seattle with Mark, but living in Tacoma. By time she let me go, he had a new asst mgr.

Mother Love Bone, Jeff on right

Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam was there at Seattle Video (he was playing in Green River then, later Mother Love Bone). When he decided to leave one day, he told me, "I want to finally get serious about music. I don't know if I'll make it or not, but I'm going to give it a serious try." I took over his job as media buyer (blank VHS & cables, peripherals). I told him that day, "Of anyone at these stores here who I think could make it, I believe you could do it." He looked down for a minute, then said, "Thanks, I really appreciate that." He was the nicest guy. And I was never so right about anyone in my life. I see that in one other guy now... Jack Moriarity. And I told him so, too this year.

Mark opened the 38th St. Tacoma Tower Video replacing the old Posters Store where I first worked when I started college, and after separating from the USAF. I'd gone to apply at Records one day, nervously talking to some woman next door in front of Posters. She helped me relax and we talked. Then offered me a job at Posters. I said I wanted to work at Records. She asked me, "So do you want a job, or hope to get a job?" She seemed nice, so I took it. 

I ended up later moving next door to Records where Marked managed the cassette section and I worked under him. We got to be friends. I worked under managers Kevin and Tony and then one other for a short time. After getting my AA degree, I left for Western Washington U. in Bellingham, for a while. I got my degree in psych, minored in writing/screenwriting. Though I retired eventually from IT work in 2015, I'm now published, producing my own films, founded an annual film festival with a friend (Gorst Underground Film Festival with Kelly Hughes), and now setting up a new streaming movie network. I have won awards with my films, as with my new WWI antiwar, filmic poem/ documentary "Pvt. Ravel's Bolero". As I was about to graduate, Mark said if I ever needed a job, come on back, as he was opening a new video store. So I ended up returning to Tower and joined the new Tacoma Video store. It was weird working in the same space as Posters. So many memories. Eventually we moved to run the Seattle Mercer St  Tower Video. 

I mention all this because Mark used to open new stores with Russ Solomon (Washington DC store, story comes to mind), and he has some interesting stories about all that. He'd return home from these trips and share some interesting stories in our apartment, as we sat having drinks and talking. Which was why I thought maybe, he should be a part of a history too? Maybe not. I just thought I should mention it. No need to mention me whatsoever, I just wanted to give you some context of my relationship here. Anyway. Love your stories. Cheers!

-------------

Now, back to...whatever this is...

I'll include below a text my oldest son sent me today, below. And a link to my youngest son's new coverage and rather glossy local magazine article about them and their spouse's, pretty damn amazing drag performance art team and costume makers.

Here’s something I can address. Kara on the podcast is talking about the Joe Rogan incident regarding his using a certain N-word. I went to Lincoln High School in Tacoma, a graduate of 1973. A school that I believed at the time was half Black. I looked up the numbers recently and it appears it was more like a third Black. Located on 37th  and G St. I lived south of there around 50th and Park Avenue. But a lot of these kids, Black and White were from downtown Tacoma. The Highland Hills area, though I don’t know if the school district went that far. But it was an area as a kid, I was warned to stay away from because of race riots. Largely a Black community. Where any of the Black kids I had interactions with, interpersonal ones, not just seeing them in the hallways, I had good relationships with. So typical, the "asshole" you get to know, turns out not to be one. I was not raised racist, although my stepfather was. My mother wouldn’t put up with it. She was very accepting and a little nuts. I see two versions of my mom, the one I loved as a kid who was funny and crazy and loved us intensely, but very fairly. She’d stand up for you unless she thought you were wrong. And the mom I knew as an adult with drug and mental/emotional problems. When her friend's two sons came out as gay? She was right there, standing up for them, and would even go party with them. One of owned part of Tugs gay bar in Seattle. And she go there and party sometimes with her girlfriend who she knew since they lived across from one another in an apartment building in the late 40s, both with their first kids. My older brother and her girl friend's daughter, who's younger brother would one day own part of that bar. Not the same with my stepdad. So anyway, to the point... Joe Rogan used to use the N-word on his radio show, radio or streaming, or whatever, until he finally got "woke" about it. Look "woke" is not a bad word." Wokeism" however Includes the extremist and ridiculous. But anyone who says it woke is bad, or stupid, or whatever is like saying "I’m not racist" when you probably are. While some have may say something racist, and yet maybe they aren’t racist. Binary thinking can easily get one into trouble. Still, a lot of the anti-woke types are indeed fucking racist and ignorant, and too trivial for their own good.

Getting to my story...I can only remember using the N-word once. And probably a good introduction, that a lot of white people should’ve gone through. I was never around Black kids or families, or people growing up. In junior high we had one Black kid. Nice guy. Cut to the 10th grade, starting is a Sophomore at Lincoln high school, and suddenly Black people where everywhere. It was culture shock. But it wasn't about them per se. It was about learning to navigate high school and a new group of people from basically another culture. And at that time in 1970 Black people with attitude seemed to be everywhere. They had a good reason to be pissed off. I just didn’t understand it. What are you pissed off about? Why are you pissed off at me? I didn’t do anything to you! I was 14! What the hell did I know? There were random run-ins with the occasional black guy who was posturing for his friends, mostly. But high school was scary at first. Regardless. Anyway, further back, the summer before seventh grade. I had gone to Summer camp at Camp Don Bosco, which was a Catholic summer camp for a week or two. It was run by priests, and those who were working toward being a priest. I saw and experienced as a kid absolutely no Bad experiences from any priest, or all through my life. I was shocked about all the child abuse in the Catholic Church when I got older. It just wasn't my experience. Abuse, yes, sexual, no. I could tell you stories about the Sisters at Holy Rosary school... I went to eighth grade at a Catholic school. Long story there. I was raised by an old-school Slovak Catholic mother and church, where I was eventually head altarboy. I spent years after studying Catholicism, Christianity, and other religions, trying to find what I felt was the truth. I ended up an agnostic and then an atheist and settled on my own style of Buddhism. So that summer, before seventh grade, my parents were broke and didn’t have money for my Catholic summer camp. I was heartbroken. Which was funny because that first week of that first summer camp I thought I would die or something. Missing home. I would say the camp was like a Cadillac of summer camps. Well in my experience. We didn’t polo ponies. But I got sent instead that final summer of my summer camp experiences, to I think it was a YMCA inner-city summer camp. Yeah with some of those kids I’d latter go to high school with, probably. Some of them were white trash kids, I saw some of those as criminals in the making. Though the counselors were good people I’ll give them that. We were in a circle one day in the middle of camp playing with a ball. Passing it around. I almost caught it and then did as another kid went for it. A Black kid. So this black kid came over to me, and for no reason, grabbed it from me and really had no right to do. It pissed me off. It was wrong. I felt slighted. Having had no experience with a black kid before, I thought quickly, in a split second... what’s the worst thing I could call this kid? Yeah, it was that word. And it had the desired effect. He almost dropped the ball in shock. You could see it in his face. He put the ball under his left arm, walked up to me and punched me in the face. Knocking me down. I think he hit me several times. And I was the one that got sent to my cabin. I was pissed. I said, but he hit ME, he took the ball!" They said, "But you provoked it." HE provoked it in taking the ball, grabbing it, ripping it out of my hands (HE really WAS in the wrong). They said, "We don't talk that way here." OK, that seemed, I guess, justified. Apparently that was a worse word than I'd realized. I still didn’t understand. I would eventually get it, but not until a year or two later. But I pretty much learned at that moment, that’s not a word you say to Black people. So when I got to high school, I actually got along good with everybody in it. Except for a few run ends with guys who were just posturing or being assholes, and I won’t go into that. I'll just leave it at, I went to school armed for a while, but not with a gun. Probably like a lot of kids, with a knife or two, or at least something. But I never had a need for any of them. I just needed to feel more secure. A sharp "comfort blanket".  The one kid that actually jumped me in high school, was a white kid. And I almost killed him. It took a security guard to pull us apart. But a lot of kids didn’t realize, especially in that eighth grade Catholic class full of white kids and one black girl, if I remember correctly. I had started fighting tournaments in karate in fifth grade. Our sensei was the guy who put on the biggest tournament in the area and first or second biggest on the West Coast beginning in 1966 and so on. Sensei Steve Armstrong. He eventually because head of Isshinryu Karate as a red belt. After Tatsuo Shimabuku died. Ironic that the most fights I had in K-12 was in Catholic eighth grade class. By time I got to high school after that I had a reputation of "don’t fuck with this kid". Something the kids from 8th grade spread by those who went to to public school as I had. Some went to preparatory school. Mom asked if I wanted to go. To what? An all boys school? Hell no. So about half the kids who  would have messed with me in high school, didn’t and most of the other half were Black and didn’t know me. I can think of two times where more than one black kid picked me up and threw me up against the wall. Once was these two tall basketball player looking guys, who just wanted some firecrackers they heard I had... that  whole story resolved in a pretty entertaining way (long story). The other time was in gym class locker room when five Black kids came in because one thought I had flipped him off across the cafeteria, which scared the crap out of me, and all the other white guys in the locker room, who not only all moved away, but left me alone there. I convinced the kid that I liked him, I had no reason to flipped him off, and I wouldn't have. And I I said he knew me that I didn't bother anybody, which was true. I could see him become confused and then he recounted. Good old Tyler… The lesson here? Well, there’s certain words we should leave to that culture to abuse. 

Moving on...

So apparently people’s lives are so meaningless they have to cast themselves as heroes in their own mythic quest to achieve success in something. They make up myths and conspiracies, and self-radicalize. They go online and find others through synchronicity and zeitgeist, who have come up with similar conspiracies, and they feel joined and emboldened. They talk about it, and they rant and brag, and they create a loop or a spiral, and feed it energy until it drags them along with it. So that for maybe the first time in their lives, or in a very long time, they feel self-actualized. Yeah, not how you go about self-actualization.

The podcast today has a good discussion about media personalities and media companies and how they avoid responsibility for what they’re doing. Which also gets them back around to things like Twitter and their hands off, "Oh, we didn’t do it" approach.

 I’ve got a little stock in Tesla, maybe sadly. I know it’s dropping like a rock so I shared an interesting meme today with Elon, and then said something like "Fuck you very much Elon" regarding Tesla. Like he’ll ever see it or comment on it. But he needs to quit playing with Twitter like it’s his own toy as he’s affecting all of us and get back to his job as CEO of Tesla. I do hope the board removes him soon because it’s surely headed that way.

By the way, I’ve known this since 2016 maybe, and it's becoming more apparent to everyone. It sucks seeing things ahead of time, before most other people. I’ve been going through that most of all my life. And yes, I can prove that. But as apparent as it is now, for most critically thinking people, and aside from them also including Trump and his lawyers, who have never admitted it publicly (but know), that...Trump is fucked. 

The only question now is will DOJ and our government act appropriately? I would and have argued that appropriate punishment  for Donald Trump would be capital punishment. And that’s about the only thing that’ll really work. Life sentences for his inner circle and others who need to lose their public office seats, forever. Including governors who supported him, etc.

I like that Kara on the podcast says there’s a whole "aggrievement economy" of people like Joe Rogan and Donald Trump, etc. who like finger-pointing and blaming others and shout out whistle calls of "cancel culture", etc. So their fans can all go, "Oh poor  them", or something. Uh huh. Hundred million dollar contract, Joe Rogan. Whatever. Yeah, just listen to the podcast. 

Joe Rogan, another one. When he was on "News Radio" I loved his dumb character and I liked him for a long time after that, because of that. Then I saw him on UFC and I thought, that was all pretty cool. Then he'd say some weird things once in a while, he got his podcast whenever that was, and I heard some other questionable things. Not a fan of that now. Never been a fan of the other big shock jock, Howard Stern. Never quite got it. Basically, not into that shock jock crap. Which is what and where Donald Trump belongs on an AM radio somewhere, just a' spewing and a' salivating. Dance fat old monkey, dance!

Regarding my kids. I have one younger trans son and my first born older son. Both in their 30s now. I love my kids, dearly. When they were very young I used to say, "As long as they're healthy, happy, not dead or in prison, I'm happy." My job was to raise them to one day be adults, be critical thinkers and have a positive and productive outlook on life. I always accepted them for who they are or would be, as my mom was with us kids. We turned out pretty good. Mostly. My job was to teach them the basics in life, take their natural abilities and show them how to make the best of them and life. Not prejudge them or hate them for being themselves. I pity kids who have parents who do that. That's not loving your kids. That's loving your religion or you beliefs over your offspring and family. It's bizarre and cruel.

So... my eldest son texted me today regarding a long running discussion on, "God". The "Great Architect". I'll share that here. After my walk today he called and we talked more. Basically, we're on agreement with all this. Yes, I'm writing this now...later, at home. 

First, my youngest's and spouse got a very cool write up in a local glossy mag, "Strait Up!" on their performance duo. They're amazing, helping others, they are very talented, creative and people are starting to notice. Whenever they perform they seem to be the top act there. I'd like to see them get more attention, nationally, or internationally. And they are, in their protected social media. But it's problematic, because of trouble makers who refuse to mind their own business and feel they need to insert their ugliness into the lives of others, doing them no harm. 

Being a little circumspect here all because of right wingnuts, Christian nationalist types and anti-LGBTQ+ types. You may have heard of the troubles in our Olympic Peninsula & Port Townsend area because imported radical anti-American, anti non-binary types moved in to protest and intimidate. The issues with unconstitutional militia types up here are problematic and incidents you won't hear much about. But the intimidation here is ongoing. Stopping people in their cars or on the streets to harrass them, along with "soft" intimidation, and so on. 

Americans are Americans. "Mind your own business." "Live and let live." "The pursuit of Happiness." Remember all that? America? Or are too many of these people too young having grown up during our 20+ years of wars and tribalism, Fox News, and attempts to insert toxic religious beliefs into our secularly intended government?

My kid

The Spouse

Now from my oldest son:

"Ok, bam. That's what I was looking for. This is my logic about atheism. The way they put this is perfect. The absence of evidence is not evidence if absence. I love it. Basically if I were Vulcan I would say this logic would disprove the accuracy of atheism. To be truly scientific We'd need proof that is unattainable." 

See graphic he's referencing, below. From IFL Science:

My reply, while I'm walking:

"Yeah, it's a good way to put it. But my argument to you has always been that there isn't an absence of evidence ( in atheism) and it took me graduating from two colleges and getting a university degree before I fully understood and accepted what I came to believe. It required the interdisciplinary studies of humankind, archaeology and anthropology, psychology, and sociology, and when you put that all together, it becomes extremely clear that the concept of God in organized religion is bullshit and made up. And as we've discussed, the concept of other than God is where you get agnosticism. No one should use the term "God" and that's why the Freemasons don't. Unless you're referring to the organized religious "God". Because that who owns that word. So as we've discussed before, I would still argue, there is no "God". Because that refers to an organized religion and when people refer to anything else, it's a usually loosely used and essentially incorrect reference. Again, it's why the Freemasons used "Great Architect", which actually if you think about it makes more sense. Their "G" can be used by members as "God" if one is so disposed, or better as "Great Architect". Because if you seen all of Star Trek, you know very well and how easily an alien being could be seen as God or a Bic lighter in 1 million BC seen as magic and therefore you are God. And so that's why I refuse to use the word "God" and why atheism is actually correct. But not as you point out, for most people who are just guessing about it. Because for me in college, it took years of pre-college work surveying religions, talking to a lot of people and then getting into the hard-core studies and discussing with professors. Before I came to a Gestalt about it. The problem with organized religion is it has rules and those rules never cover everything and so people are harmed, abused, murdered, slaughtered, or genocided."

OK, and that's it for that, and for today!

Got in only 2 miles today because I was only going to do 3 and quickly realized I was wearing the wrong shoes. I had swapped out my sneakers for winter boots when the snow was here the other day and not thinking today, I put on the boots without thick socks and my toes are killing me now. So rather than get blisters, thought I'd replace them at home. Then do another 2 miles. But then I realized, 2 miles is good for today. 

Cheers! Slainte!

Wishing a 2022 Merry Christmas to all & for all others a Happy Holiday Season

  Many happier and bountiful 

Christmases and Holidays for you and your loved ones,

and for all sharing our entire planet!

Cheers! Sláinte!

Walkabout Thoughts #25

 Weather for the day… 35 overcast nice cool day for a walkabout

Short one today. Blame, Kelly. 

Podcast for the day Intelligence Matters episode with "Former CIA Chief Operating Officer on his Career at the CIA". Very interesting. 

Not quite as interesting (nearly) as the podcast I listened to the other day. Pod Save the World episode with "Brittney Griner is Home (with Jen Psaki)" Fascinating episode (both were). The latter thoroughly explaining the reality of why we should want Joe Biden for another term if he's willing to go for it. I was on the line going either way. Now, just for it. Why? Listen to the episode. 

Instagram post for the day from last Friday night when I shot film for a benefit Drag show for anti racism for #JCARF. 

None shot as usual during my walk, oddly enough because Kelly called and we talked for 2 hours about the new streaming movie channel we're building, as I walked.

Yesterday I watched a new series on Netflix, "The Recruit". I like it. It was a lot of fun about the CIA. Nearly cartoonish (or stereotypical) sensibility of working at/for the CIA at some times (making fun of it), extremely accurate at others (and oddly enough in the making fun of it part). Ebert called it "Dull". No idea who the actors are (Some (one) I remember from, for instance, "Orphan Black"). I look forward to a season two.

I’ve been writing my companion book for my filmic poem, and historical documentary, "Pvt. Ravel‘s Bolero". But mostly I have been working on the new streaming movie channel, getting it up and running. 

In the book I had hit a section about "combined forces" in war and I was trying to remember the three types of intelligence in HUMINT (Human Intelligence), SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) and one that for the life of me I couldn’t remember all week, and couldn’t find references to it online either. But just remembered it, ELINT. Electronics Intelligence. Now they have it broken down in more parts and differently. From the book.

"As well as integrating the five distinct modern intelligence disciplines: CI (counterintelligence), HUMINT (Human Intelligence), IMINT (Imagery Intelligence), MASINT (Measures and Signature Intelligence), and SIGINT (Signals Intelligence)."

It was about here that Kelly called and we started talking about the streaming movie network. We were kicking around ideas about format and genres and how other streamers work and are set up. We got off topic a few times. 

Mostly I can't talk about what we were talking about. So, sorry about that. But it will be more obvious next month.

Today finally, I got in five miles. Last two few walks were only four. I had a good time yesterday. Big glass of wine with lunch, some food all day that would have left me ill today from long covid but nope. Feeling pretty good. Also noticed yesterday that I don't have to take Benadryl so much. If I can ignore any blood pressure issues, they fade after 20-39 minutes rather than causing me grief. I always try to stop taking meds as soon as is reasonable and useful. And that's all in my book on long covid. Of course I'm sharing a link to it...

Cheers! Slainte!

Walkabout Thoughts #24

My thoughts, Stream of consciousness, rough and ready, while walking off long Covid and listening to podcasts…(12/14/22)

 

Weather for the day… 42 overcast nice cool day for a walkabout

Podcast for the day Janes episode on "Using OSINT to understand geoeconomic statecraft." With Brigadier General, USAF (retired) Gwyn Armfield.

Instagram post for the day

So today I don’t feel like walking at all. But I am. Finally received the new magnets that I put on my new front gate to hold it shut in the wind. Hope it works because when trying to locate them on the gate, where they should go, they snapped together and pinched my little finger, painfully cracking the skin open. They did come with a warning, saying be careful, and I was but… Be careful.

Before I left home, I was watching Amanpour and Company and they had on Sharon Horgan (known for the show, "Catastrophe") the creator of the Irish comedy drama “Bad Sisters“. I do like my Irish comedies/shows. Like the old restaurant series “Raw“. Or Love/Hate, the crime drama. Oh, and I don’t know if this counts but, "Black Books" (Dylan Moran), a kind of funny dark sitcom. Love that show. I actually watched it in Dublin and maybe in Belfast when I was there in 2015, killing some time at my Airbnb one night, when I wasn’t off doing something. But I highly recommend “Bad Sisters“. I also just started “Katla“ on Netflix about creepy mysterious things happening around a spewing volcano. Three episodes in so far and it’s pretty entertaining.

Here’s a thing about exercising with long Covid, obviously when you can and you’re capable of it. I know that once I started exercising the long Covid was less prevalent and when I don’t exercise, it's more. But on days like today when I really don’t feel like getting any exercise, I think because of the long Covid, then I really need to do it. Because if I can make it through, I know I will feel so much better the rest of the day and days. It’s worth struggling through the misery of getting out there to do it, and doing it. And I’ve seen before that usually by mile three, I guess endorphins kick in and I start feeling better anyway.

Add Trump trading cards to blog

From Tweet of Guy Inchair:

"In this festive season, please enjoy this curated assortment of MAGA outraged responses to the Major Announcement." MAGA be pissed...hit his Twitter link above for more.

Also...this, and this...

Sure, maybe not this, but it would be right on Trump's brand of crime things

So currently Trump is giving away as he has before a chance for dinner with... Donald Trump. He has never followed through with that before. But this time he should have said Nick Fuentes was one of those "winners". Lost opportunities.

Finally, on Trump, this... "MAGA rioter 'can't believe' he's going to jail for Trump after watching trading card stunt."

What if all of this extremism today, especially this MAGA bullshit, all has to do with our not raising our kids to have enough patience in life and desire to put it in the hard effort, to do the hard jobs, to change things? Instead of just switching the dial, or wasting time and taxpayers' money to build (poor concepts) from scratch? Rather than fix our democracy they prefer to trash it to get rid of our Constitution and our democracy (which aren't just THEIRS) and replace it with an autocracy. All because they weren't taught as kids to have grown into having mature patience to take the time to put in some sweat and effort to make things better, rather than just blame others for how bad it all is. When many times it's not even bad or that bad, but they've been indoctrinated to believe it is. That's Republicanism today.

Republican methodology is make an enemy out of what was nothing, or a mere slight into a fright. Attack them, attempt to pass a law, or executive order to end or cripple, whomever, or whatever the selected perceived enemy may be. Even if courts knock it down as unconstitutional, or illegal. Or not within your executive or legislative powers you have chosen...you are  showing that you are an enemy of your electorate's manufactured (by you) enemy.

Now in the Janes podcast they’re talking about where there used to be a few professional sources, and maybe some journalists, even in newspapers, or later radio and TV, now we’ve got like 5 billion people who are sharing information. Like the woman in Ukraine, who shot video of Russians, moving to a certain location, outing what they were trying to be quiet about. But Armfield's talking about triangulating information and selecting good sources from bad, and disinformation and misinformation from Actual information. And so in that sense. This is a good episode for... good grief, especially MAGA type to listen to. If only we could get out of this mindset of how information and truth seem to be for sale profit and instead, see people to raise our kids with ethics, and be willing to sacrifice for reality, for truth, decency and honesty. Rather than warp those things to fit your ideology or for profit. Let’s face it, if your religion is bullshit, stop working reality so it will make your beliefs work. If something doesn't, it doesn't. Just be honest about it.

2 in X 13/16 in X 3/8 in Channel Magnet-Rectangular Cup Magnet W/2 Countersunk Holes $8.99 ea. Estimated Pull Force: over 60 lbs

2 in X 13/16 in X 3/8 in Channel Magnet-Rectangular

Cup Magnet W/2 Countersunk Holes $8.99 ea.

Estimated Pull Force: over 60 lbs

About the magnets I got and put on my gate… I don’t understand why they don’t have a paired couple instead of just cheaply, throwing them all onto the brackets the same way. So when you want to use two together, as  one has to go to one way as it’s meant to be screwed down, the other has to go the opposite way...as you can see in the photo. It’s really annoying.

So off the Janes topic, I was thinking about this toxic MAGA conservative anti-democracy NONSENSE we’re going through and how, I would argue, it goes back to Newt Gingrich in the early 90s and his shenanigans on C-SPAN. But at least it goes back to the election of Donald Trump in 2016. I was wondering, this is going to pass, so how long is it gonna take? When you go back to the last time this stuff happened in the 30s and 40s and you can reference Rachel Maddow’s “Ultra“ podcast. And so we’re probably looking at this... although times have changed and it could go faster, cause everything does now… you could figure 10 or 15 years. The first time we went through this insurrection and working with a foreign country, Russia this time, Germany last time, you could figure we're now more than halfway, or approaching halfway to this being over. We don’t just have to hold accountable and punish Trump and all his enablers and helpers and those involved. And we should purge Congress and the courts of those people. But the mindset and ill philosophy of the toxic capitalist, toxic conservative also needs to be washed out enough to be ineffective, and then that and those looked upon, as many of those types now... look at their worst consideration of minorities.

So I went outside this morning and broke down some cardboard boxes and put them in the recycling bin. I came back inside and sat down. My heart was pounding like I’d run a quarter mile. OK maybe not even that far, but at least a block. And that’s the long Covid. I sat there thinking about going for my walk today, and was thinking, naw... But it calmed down. I took half a Benadryl which helps, especially if it’s a histamine related issue, or some kind of allergy reaction. Other than that, I thought, maybe. And I got to a point where I felt normal, so here I am just rounding my first mile and a half. Do. Not do. But do more.

The general on the Janes podcast is saying when he was still active service and they were using open source, he was asking the guys that work on that if they can put a trust meter on it... like green, yellow red... or, one through five. He said that was a very nascent thing. It’s kind of what we need nowadays. Although I did get threatened by Facebook the other day when I posted a screenshot of what Trump had said on his social media site, which was utter nonsense. I was discussing that on my Facebook post. And they tagged me and said "this is incorrect information." No kidding! They said if I kept doing that they'd rate my posts lower so others would see them less. Good grief. They meant the screenshot of Trump's ignorant comments of disinformation. Not paying any attention to the fact that I was using the Trump statement to verify what I was saying. So yeah, this is pretty problematic. We really have to get this under control. Think about it. If starting right this second, everything that went out was 100% true, this country would change on a dime. I know it would be messy and there'd be a lot of pissed off people. And it would probably wipe religions off the face of the nation. But hey, I’m willing to sacrifice for the others. At least it might make religions, more honest, and functional. I mean, if we could just get greed and profit out of mega churches alone? Big step forward.

I should direct you with that last comment to my newest sci fi novel: “Anthology of Evil II Volume II The Unwritten“ where one universe in the book go through the "Religion Wars". Followed by the "Science Wars". Where science wins out. And yes, I do lean bit on the problems about science in that book. But really, it’s not so much about science but it’s application that's problematic at times. How humans affect it through politics, profit and tribalism. That’s a problem with humans. You can’t get away from some of our foibles. Because the things that protect us most within us, that are inherent in us, also can takes us to the extremes. Which we find pleasant to do and it leads us to things like this MAGA nonsense we're ensconced with today and this ridiculous surge of autocracy around the world. Because when democracies have issues with economy, people look elsewhere rather than looking inward and fixing what they have. Because the lazy and conservative and immature prefer to break things, then start all over again. Rather than do the long, hard work of fixing things. Kind of why we have so much divorce, too.

We need to stop electing sociopaths to high office. We also need to stop ascribing that condition to those who aren’t, so they can be removed and replaced them with… Fucking sociopaths. I tell ya.

Interesting. The general in the podcast is saying here he once gave a threat assessment to a steel eyed killer commando type who was going to go on a mission and he wanted him to basically dumb the threat level down because he just wanted to hear it’s good so he could go. But he told him, "I’m gonna give you the actual threat level assessment as detailed as it is, and you’re gonna have to make up your own mind what to do about it. And if you want to lose an aircraft or whatever on this, that’s on you. But you need to hear the actual assessment." And how true that is with our government and voters today. He is said that they worked it out, and after that, they had a really good relationship. But he didn’t cave to power. He stood up to it speaking truth to power and power accepted it. As often they will. It’s the really sick bastards like  the Donald Trump's of the world who are the problem. And the Vladimir Putin’s of the world.

General  has a good point about reality and accuracy. Special ops have got to be able to depend on their Intel. Their lives depend on it. It’s the same thing with our politics as voters and citizens. The problem is too many don’t see it that way. They think they’re putting in the effort and they’re not at all. If everyone who voted for Donald Trump had put in the actual effort about him before voting in 2016, he would’ve never gotten a vote. Or at least he would’ve gotten third-party level votes. There’s always gonna be some mentally deranged, social, psycho, political, deranged types out there and those who just want to spew chaos. Which is very much the Trump and Putin playbook as well as most autocrats. At least in trying to gain total control.

So I get it, America voted in Trump because they want change, because they thought they were fighting corruption. How do you fight corruption by putting somebody corrupt in place, well, that’s another issue. And if you look, you could see how corrupt Trump was, like forever. Which doesn’t make sense in the hypocrisy running rampant and the logic that's lacking in it. That’s MAGA's  contention about Trump in 2016, 2020. How did they justify voting for those they voted for now? Like Herschel Walker? You don’t vote for bad candidates. PERIOD. You don’t blindly vote for your party or your tribe when they’re doing bad, when they’re offering you bad candidates. I swear, young grade school kids can do better in voting for classmates in class "office". I guess because they have a better sense of right and wrong.

I know one could pick apart a lot of what I said above about politics, etc. But that would be getting into nuances. MAGA doesn’t do nuance. And so when they delve into the nuances, they try and pick apart Democrats, liberals, progressives, it’s disingenuous, and leaping forms of logic. It’s going from whatever pole they can, sweeping as far out as they can to prove their point only to be right. To win. So dumb. You only want to win when you're right. We don’t do that just to be right. We settle on a solid foundation based in a solid foundation and verified facts and make logical decisions from that, bringing in needed human elements and considerations. Don't forget the humans. We don’t just say... this is my ideology so this is what we’re gonna do. If you die, meh.

An absence of doubt, is an absence of clarity. Absolute faith eliminates absolute clarity.

Now, the general on the podcast is referring to the 80s movie "Wargames" with their WOPR, saying that we’re finally there when we have machines making decisions. We’ve always got to have humans involved. He also references to a general they both know, who in receiving an intelligence briefing from an expert would fire him on the spot if the intel was poor, and replace them with his lower Corporals, because they just knew that shit better.

“Delegate down to the lowest competent level,” the general.

The general, again: "It’s dystopian or Orwellian that people carry around 24/7 a device which feeds unknown collectors, and pay for the opportunity." He added that, "the end doesn’t justify the means. Because it starts disestablishing your society. It's trading convenience for privacy (security)." And after all, it leads to some form of MAGA.

I just noticed this, long Covid-wise. I’m starting my 4th mile, and my heart isn't beating really hard or even noticeably. When I started this walk months ago, I could make it maybe a half mile, and I’d have to sit and let my system calm down because my heart would be beating so hard. Ha! There’s some fireplace again burning wood. I do love the smell of wood burning in a fireplace. Not when it affects my long covid though. But when I moved to Suquamish, a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island from Seattle then when you just get off Bainbridge Island there is Suquamish and the Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort, and just passed that, Kiana Lodge where David Lynch shot the corpse scene of Laura Palmer in his first Twin Peaks series. I actually got a picture of it on my Instagram. But when we moved into that house on a couple acres in the woods, there was 11 big piles of timber and waste wood. My oldest son and I, he was in seventh grade when we moved there, spent the next five years working on those piles of wood. I wanted to give him something to control in his life so I gave him control of the wood. We cut the wood together and stacked it in cords, but he owned it and he had to make sure the fireplace was always stocked with wood. And for five years we heated the house just with firewood. By the end of that five years we’d reclaimed all the lawn and moved some into the forest (there was still lots of forest). I was living there with my two kids and had been divorced for three years. But I was then making enough money where we could easily afford the electric heat, which was pretty expensive. We couldn’t afford it when we moved in. So we were pretty happy about the wood. I don’t think we burned wood anymore after that. It was such a luxury to just have the heat happen. And pay a few hundred bucks a month for it in the winter. But no more dealing with the wood, or keeping the fire going, stoking it every night, getting it going again in the morning, stoking it to last until we got home in the afternoon, or the smoke and ash issues. 

Janes: you can’t take open source Intel and interpret it and expect your view through your society to be accurate to where you’re going to apply it. If you understand that, then it’s much more functional. This is much and the same as what happened with MAGA. You could look at their social media and Fox News, etc. as open source, although a lot of that is disinformation. Some of it is misinformation But the end result leans wrong. Even when it’s right, they take that and try to apply it to their opposition (most of the rest of America) and the results they get from it are as we've seen. Manufactured nightmares. It's too frequently thoroughly inadequate and inaccurate. That's then taken by conservative leaders, social media and "news" and used to inflame them even more. Then you add in a president like Trump in office and you get a January 6 insurrection. And autocratic attempts still now, to do really dumb things like end democracy in America and end our US Constitution. Unbelievable. They use the Constitution to support their beliefs until that was so dysfunctional, finally somebody said, "Screw it! Let’s just throw it out and say it was not legit to make the Constitution when they made it. Therefore, this country doesn’t exist and we’re going to remake it how we want it." It’s dangerous rhetorical lies and pretty immature. 'We keep losing because we're stupid, so we'll just take over.' Uh huh...

So finishing my last 1/2 mile length, and...I’m gonna stop today at 4 miles. I believe I can do 5. But I’m gonna stop for today because of the next two days. I don’t wanna overdo it and then not feel good and not get to see my friends tomorrow, or my kid perform on Friday.

A "kid" by the way, who is my youngest and 30 years old and a great on stage performer with their spouse. And they're bright and funny and smart and talented and people that MAGA seems to want to take rights away from, and some of them, want to kill them at their performance, Friday. It’s ridiculous, that it's now important they have armed security to protect them from these dumbass fucking unConstitutional militia types and this moronic MAGA breed of idiocy. It’s internationally embarrassing. that a minority and a really pleasant group of people who some look down upon just because they’re different. And they go against anachronistic religious nonsense. Horror fantasy theistic cosplayers. How troglodyte is that? Aren’t they just.

Mao’s cultural revolution in China sought to: kill the educated, the doctors, the intellects the scientists, the elite. I get them, abusive elites, wanting to kill elites and wealthy who are abusive. But the others? That set China back 50 years.
Hitler: kill the Jews, kill the gays, kill the blacks.

 Goddamn, if that doesn’t sound like MAGA today. And Trump. Who doesn't have to come out and say it. We see their actions, hear their dog whistle racism, sedition. And by we, I mean our majority decent citizens. None of this crap MAGA porn affects me directly. I’ve got all the privileges in being white, male, raised Catholic leaning atheist/ Buddhist (with my own form of it and not what you might know of it or most might think of it...Buddhism that is), I'm retired, a veteran, so I pretty much check all the boxes. Still, it embarrasses me to see others like me who are all MAGA crazy because they are so ill informed and cherry picking beliefs (as religious types also do). Especially the smart MAGA ones he should (and do) know better. But they fell down that disinformation propaganda rabbit hole.
Even if I didn’t have a kid who fits any of this, I still as an American see it affecting other Americans. That counts. MAGA holds the American citizen in contempt...if they don't fit their paradigm of the few who should be citizen. One citizen does NOT have the right to kill or abuse another citizen. That needs to stop. I guess I just have my idea of what America should be. Freedom, the pursuit of happiness, live and let live. Mind your fucking own business. Keep your religion to yourself. It should be private, personal. Separation of church and state. Productive and not toxic capitalism. Which is why we created monopoly laws so long ago. Very nice if we would use them more often. Competition to better products and services and keep prices lower.  Truth, honesty,  decency. All that Boy Scout stuff. What happened to all that? Look. It’s pretty easy to understand what went wrong: toxic capitalism, toxic corporate thinking... infected everything. Schools were set up for that in the 19th century. "Cooperate thought" infected our government long ago and now even our churches/religion (Thanks, mega churches & evangelicalism). Republicans wanting everything to be for profit. Some things require government not private ownership. Anyway...

Yay! OK, back on my home block now. Got my 4 miles in and I’m done for the day. Feeling pretty good. Much better anyway. Well, all the best.

Cheers! Slainte!