Another chilly morning in my valley. It’s clear, clear, clear. Down to 5c/40f overnight. Tho the sun is bright and shining there is little warmth therein. The dogs all stay curled under their tails, waiting for the air to warm up before they venture out into the day.
Ive been watching the RNC Conference in Milwaukee. It’s been a long, star studded event. I heard one commentator say that this wasn’t your usual, country club style RNC conference of the past. I very much enjoyed watching the crowd jump and dance and shake and have a good time. It was more of a celebration than a conference.
I saw and felt many moments that were “electric”. Whoever stage-managed the show did a great job. Makes me wonder if the magic-makers of Hollywood jumped ship to create such a spectacle.
The end result was pretty much a 100% win… everyone was happy, in agreement, united, ready to move forward. I believe much of what we are seeing is unprecedented. A political party that is all on one page, all behind the one candidate, all carrying the load.
The other side of the political coin is, of course, the confused mess the DNC appears to be in.
I was listening to one commentator complain about DJT’s speech. It was too long, it was too boring, too much about him… When in comparison to Prez Joe, who cant really navigate the world without assistance… I see more and more DNC heavy weights calling for Joe to step down. We see many stars of the Left, even Richard Branson, giving Joe friendly advice.
We hear the same stupid refrain of “… if Trump wins Im moving to Canada…” from the taking heads that bleat and whine. The “end of democracy” refrain is getting old, stale, over used. An anti-Trump agenda, an Orange Man Bad platform… a foundation of negativity will not be enough, or so I think.
As an evergreen Pro-Rasslign fan I gotta end with a pict of one of the greatest of the big ring…
Sunny and cold here in QLD. The skies are a Simpson’s blue with puffy white clouds. A brisk arctic wind cuts and bites.
I, like many commentators, am watching the RNC Convention in Wisconsin.
I am quite impressed with the unity I see within the Delegation(s). Folks may not understand that the folks on the floor represent the state level “Electors” that eventually “elect” the President. And to me it looks like folks are pretty much getting along.
Five people have been arrested near the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee since Sunday evening. For officials, it’s a sign that the increased security – strengthened in the aftermath of the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump over the weekend – is working as intended.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said the first day of the RNC was “a calm day,” with only three arrests made near the convention center. The other two arrests occurred Sunday evening in the lead up to the RNC.
So it’s a positive event being well managed after a terrible assassination attempt… ??? Golly, like the Blues winning the 2024 State of Origin… kinda disappointing. I was expecting more drama.
But there’s still time. I won’t get too far ahead of myself…
I shall comment per DJT’s pick for VP… Fucking Brilliant!
I didn’t know much about DJV, but what I have learned I like. He’s a no bullshit exMarine that was raised poor by his grandmama… What’s not to like? Time will tell, eh?
Weather here in QLD is chilly. Not cold. Cold is anything below freezing. And we dont really see freezing temps here, so it’s just chilly. Contrary to what all these QLDers believe. Most folks here do not really know cold…
IOWA gets cold… I know cold. Its just very chilly here… down to 5c/ 40f.
Very much like a suspense filled thriller… The Day Of The Jackal, maybe… a lot has been and is going on behind and in front of the scenes we see replayed on and on and on…
Can you say “fucking lucky”…
Love him or hate him, it’s a sad state of affairs when the rhetoric and vitriol rises to the point of bullets in the air.
On October 14, 1912, former saloonkeeper John Schrank (1876–1943) attempted to assassinate former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt while he was campaigning for the presidency in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Schrank’s bullet lodged in Roosevelt’s chest after penetrating Roosevelt’s steel eyeglass case and passing through a 50 page thick (single-folded) copy of his speech titled “Progressive Cause Greater Than Any Individual”, which he was carrying in his jacket pocket. Schrank was immediately disarmed and captured; he might have been lynched had Roosevelt not shouted for Schrank to remain unharmed. Roosevelt assured the crowd he was all right, then ordered police to take charge of Schrank and to make sure no violence was done to him.
Many, many questions require honest attention… why was this allowed to happen, did the Secret Service screw up, was this a deep, dark secretive plot, or a simple lone wolf situation…
????
If one looks clearly we see that DJT has been harassed, pursued, demonised, drug through several courts… There has been high level “false-flag” campaigns that were aimed at “taking DJT out”, politically. Noting specifically the Russia hoax, which has been proven to be a paid-for-ploy by the DNC/ Clinton campaign. Many negatively aimed resources have been thrown in DJT’s direction. It is not unreasonable in my mind to think the same forces that have been gunning for DTJ for years now, decide to actually point a gun at him and pull the trigger. What options do they have? Play fair? it is politics…
They sure as shit have tried everything else, no? Are we really surprised by what has transpired?
And DJT still walks and talks, and now has a lot of iconic images being shown and reshown by everyone, every channel, every talking head…
I smile when I hear the pundits and talking heads carry on about how DJT brought this on himself. That his negative rhetoric and nasty nature has indeed drawn a bullseye on his back. Its DJT’s fault…
Right, sure, its DJT that is to blame for all the negativity and bloody rhetoric… No one else would stoop so low, be so vile…
Interesting times for an ol fart, arm chair commentator…
I am always and all ways looking for curiosity in life. Something that makes me wonder ponder, think and sometimes research. Our world is filled with curiosities.
Recently I had puppies arrive in my kennels.
Below is my young friend Michelle with Siko. Both are great pups…
Something very special about puppies. Something spiritual, natural, clean, good, fun, loving…
Over the past 10 weeks I have been busy with the pups. The first 2 weeks are the busiest. Mortality rates are high in big-dog litters. My bitches are all one their first litter, the most dangerous when breeding.
This is my first litter in a multi-year planned programme to breed a great pups for each of my grandkids. My dogs are all 3 years old. I’ll take it easy but expect many more litters from my kennel.
It is a long term gig.
The curiosity I find is this:
I write maybe 25000 words of commentary annually. I comment on the weather, the world, politics, motorcycles, cars, speed limits, wood work, hell raising fun, and much more. I’m not on any schedule, aiming for a post a week. Failing abysmally, consistently.
I generally get a handful of hits on my commentary. Im not out doing anything great and glorious with my words. I just write, comment, share. It’s not a popularity contest, but it is nice when someone enjoys my words. Much of my writing is little more than a diary of thoughts, actions, deeds. I write for me…
With the puppy posts I get hundreds of hits. Tells me folks are more interested in my puppies than my words.
This is why I have taken to calling it Puppy Porn…
This article, some may think, is about the upcoming US Presidential election, and Donald Trump. By posting anything about/ with Trump in it, I get hassled with claims that I am a Trump supporter.
This article is about the power supply/ availability/ cost in the USA – and world wide… The point for me is simple… We need power, readily available, abundant, cost effective power to do anything in our modern world. But the FACT that energy/ electricity/ power is scarcer, in greater demand, more costly NOW than in the past 100+ years… Just when we should have a handle on power creation and distribution… we end up in 3rd world style power crisis situation – world wide.
Traditionally – as production increases to meet demand, as demand increases, costs across the board should drop. More volume means a huge advantage to end outputs. Aus holds huge reserves of low surfer/ low emissions coal. Huge reserves in gas and uranium. But we sell it all, ban the use locally and watch as power prices drive industry off shore.
Not an uncommon story. The gist of this article is that China may be the only place with enough “capacity” to “fuel” the next stage of tech development.
Abundant, cost effective, and continuous “power” moves mankind forward. Anything less = reverse of circumstances/ life style.
Or such are my thoughts on this Sunday of sunshine, chilled breezes and blood sports…
What the old song that goes… “it’s raining again….”? Let me check… An old SuperTramp song… been a while…
Because it is raining Im not out mowing.
And I watch as the Verdict for the Evil Orange Man is pending.
As the Crooked-Left attack the Crooked-Orange-Dude, using the full might and power of the Corrupted DNC, with the support and blessing of the Corrupted WhiteHouse, under the watch of the Corrupted Department of Judgement…
As factions shiver to not wet themselves, as pundits on all sides rant and rave, as those-who-agree smile with glee and say “gotcha”…
I honestly ask if there is any aspect of it all that is not Corrupted?
In this instance I find : corruption UK /kəˈrʌpʃn/ noun (mass noun) 1. dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power
In an effort to preempt the stampede of euphoria that shall follow a conviction I offer a few words of restraint…
The entire circus, the farce that has been this NYC trial, is designed to get a conviction that will not “stick”, that will be overturned by an appeals court.
Judge Merchant has tailored it all to have a short legal half-life.
A conviction at any cost has always been the articulated aim.
There shall be a frenzy of celebration soon.
Reminiscent of the footage we saw as Gaddafi was beaten to death in the Streets of Sirte?
By being part of such a dishonourable deed, all and everyone become tainted, Corrupted.
Sad days for the voice of reason and The Blind Lady holding the scales…
Lastly… Dr Jill Biden counsels us all to prepare for the battle between Good and Evil…
A chilly Sunday morn here. Early temps about 10c/50f. It starts warming up as the sun peaks over the eastern ridges. As the day warms the valley fills with a thick vapour. Now, at 830am, there remains thin wisps hovering in trees and over the little pond. Very nice scenery. Very nice spot to wake up…
I woke this morn about 4am. My aging bladder does not cooperate any more so these early morn wake-ups are a way of life. Slide out of the nice warm bed, step onto the cold floor boards, shiver in a waking manner. Pump the bilges…
It was bright moonlight at 4am. I looked twice to see if Id left a light on in the kennels. The moonlight was casting shadows. I was not sure if it was my fault, or a happy effect of morning moon beams.
I tend to “sit” in the early hours of the morn. Like my aging bladder, my well worn and much damaged skeleton gets sore, creaks and groans if I sleep too much. So rather than go back to bed, during these early morn wake-ups, I wrap in a big afghan-blanket my Mother “hooked” for me, and travel the back roads of my mind…
The house here in the valley is a big, old monstrosity. Hallow as an empty caldron. High ceilinged, huge windowed, and very much open to the environment. When I first started visiting the Land of Aus I was baffled why houses here were not/ were seldom heated. My early years of visiting in “Winter” saw me thinking I was freezing. And I was. Flying in from the Tropics, from 30c/90f temps to what an Iowan would consider a “balmy”, 10c/50f was not easy. I was seldom prepared. Never really had the right clothes to wear.
But, as we know, becoming acclimatised takes time but makes a huge difference. Just like folks traveling from Iowa in winter to the Tropics, the drastic changes are at times harsh, even severe. But once you live through an Iowa winter, from woe to go, you find that, in February, after 3 months of subzero temps with deadly windchill, Its kinda warm when you get a “nice” sunny 0c/32f day.
So I sit most mornings.
Sitting comes to me from the eastern/ Zen side of my experiences. I won’t go as far as calling it “meditation”, but I learned to “sit” decades ago. Meditation can be work. Sitting is a pleasure.
When I “sit” I concentrate, think about my breathing. I clear my sinus passages, use my lungs to their capacity, hold my spine straight, and simply go through my lists. Walk through my recent experiences, exercise my memory, dose, dream, write, ruminate and travel far, wide and fast.
I know I am not doing it right when I find my head sagging, my breathing turn into snoring. I end up with a stiff neck if I dont wake up, adjust, come back to conscience sitting.
So I sit… Im in a room that is all windows. What a may be called a “Sun Room”. The Britts would call it a “Solarium”. Iowans would call it a “Porch”.
So I sit… I listen to the world around me… the birds, my dogs, the deer, the wind, the weather. The old house talking, telling tales and complaining. My house complains a lot.
It is a great place to “Sit”…
Me, in my Granny-blanket, as I write and ruminate.
Funny thing, as I write this, a second round of vapours drop into the valley. There is a ghostly, spiritual sense that comes with the wisps of vapour refilling the bowl that is the valley…
It’s warming up. Im going to have to get set work done. No bloodsport this Sunday.
I promised my 13yrold friend, MShelly, gourmet hot dogs today.
MShell is BigG’s daughter. They come out quite regularly to enjoy the farm, and let me feed them. BigG isn’t the world’s best cook. A single Dad, I think he tends to do what most modern dads do, order out. So when they come I like to feed them very good food.
Years ago MShell commented that her favourite food, her very best most enjoyable meal was “Mike’s Gourmet HotDogs”.
Thats one sure way to get Mike to cook for you. He revels in compliments.
We are being manipulated. The prestidigitators are doing a great job.
I doubt very much that Biden knows what day it is, let alone what he is saying (or eating), and, no it’s not about age. It’s about ability. He appears to be inept.
And we know well that any elected “leader” is not really leading. They are the front-man doing the bidding of those who got him elected. All great “leaders” have great machines behind them.
I believe the Democratic Party fucked up badly by doing dumb deals post-Obama era… The Party decided who should be elected. The thought they knew better… The Clintons at that time owned the DNC, were calling the shots and… They fucked Bernie, who took it in exchange for a seat at the “monied-table”. I also believe that the Trump phenomenon was part and parcel a scheme to get Hillary elected and so to continue the shady days of Obama and unfettered control and lies and farce and deceit to a high level. Put in a clown and madam assassin will win handily.
They fucked up badly. The then Republican machine fucked up too by playing too many games… gotta sign a pledge to vote for the candidate that won the primary… Then RNC head, Reince Priebus, did not like Trump, tried to play hard and got outclassed. Later became his puppy.
I am still perplexed how Trump won the nomination (and the election) but I fear it is not the “cheating” as many believe (noting all sides cheat when ever they can) but rather Trump touched enough minds to pull it off. Not a resounding victory, agreed, but he got elected against all odds. Maybe by being the “heal”, the bad guy. The guy everyone loved to hate, but talked about all the time.
And he very much pissed everyone off. On both sides. And got unlimited free publicity.
And he is still around. Trump is news. Trump is entertainment.
Question for you… Did Harvey Weinstein get a fair trail? Of course not. And such the appeals court has had their say on the matter. Is Weinstein a despicable terrible person? YES! Does he deserve a fair trial? Yes!
Same with Trump. The powers that be are tossing a lot of resources at him. He is no doubt a despicable, terrible person (in my books) but he deserves a fair shake.
And I do not think he is getting one.
Do you? Or, like so many folks I know, do you think it’s OK to use crooked means to “fix” him, because he is crooked?
Bad logic in my books.
While some folks see it for what it is, dirty pool.
Funny you mention Grassley… I kinda knew him… I was around when he fist campaigned for Congress in 1975… he was a very good candidate, said the right things, appeared to be human. Then disappeared into Washington for the next 50 years. Ended up with a seat at the almost Elite’s table.
He was one of “those times” where I learned something by being wrong. I thought Chuck was decent guy. A good rep for Iowa… that was a long time ago.
Politics… It’s 90% smoke and mirrors, and 100% deceit and criminality.
Am I wrong in thinking that these modern day “protests” lack substance and meaning. I fear that the majority of those screaming and crying are wienies.. wanna-be hot dogs that cant…
So, I get another comm from my old buddy, DB. He sent me a link to this…
Read the article if you wish. I found it to be a waste of my time…
So, my response to DB…
Yes, the dumb shit back and forth game… its called politics…
My way of looking at things demands I a) look for something positive where I can, and b) dont call names and be petty when I discuss others… Its called being a Centrist… I look for good. I look for facts. I weight my findings and make my own conclusions. This type of “rag” reporting was better when Hunter S was in the game.
And, as I look (from the outside in) to the US stage I see little to be positive about and my childish nature wants to call pretty much everyone a dumbshit, a shit eating mega (not maga) dumbshit…
I have been ruminating on this of late. When I mow I get to think a lot. For a few months we’ve been rained on too hard (call it glow ball warming) to get any mowing done so I have not been able to access my therapy called mowing. But this past week I have managed to do maybe 5hours of mowing (still about 10 hours behind catching up- and its raining today) and have some good threads of thought going…
The US is a Two Party system. Sure, there are greens and independents and others, but none will ever really be able to create a viable challenge to the system that “IS”.
The SYSTEM is owned, controlled, manipulated by ELITES.
The ELITES are controlled and manipulated by faceless folks that pull the strings, make things happen, reap the rewards therein.
Of course the Industrial Military underground is a huge player, puppeteer, king maker and breaker.
Who are these Elite? I claim that if we know a name, say Barak Obama, we miss the point in that BO is just a puppet that has climbed high. He has a puppet Master, make no doubt about it.
The Clintons are wanna bes. The Bushes are old family “kling-ons”. The British Royalty are way up there, as are the Rothschilds and other European aristos. But the Elite are the Wizards behind the curtain we never see through.
And, my point herein, All the petty politicians, right, left, red, blue or orange, all work for the same folks.
There aint a puppet master for the right, and one for the left. There is one, playing the prestidigitation game of “Look Over Here”…
And, pointedly to your meme…
Biden is a cadaver. He cant maintain for very long or very well without what we used to call “mother’s little helper”… ie: Drugs.
So of course not. Biden did not order the FBI to do anything. He is not in control at all. He is the saddest puppet of them all.
Noting well, there can be no doubt at all the Administration of the day (going back maybe 10 years) has certainly researched how they could take the Scary Orange dude Out. They just have not found a way, yet.
A drizzly, wet, damp, chilly, Saturday morn on this side of the planet. The dogs are all still curled up in their own personal heat bundles. The deer are outside the window lazing in the luxurious grass. It’s been so wet, the ground is so soggy that I have only mowed 5 hours since late February. Plenty of luxurious grass for the deer to enjoy.
I am lucky enough to be able to call three nations “home”.
I have a US passport, a Solomon Islands passport, and an Aussie golden ticket. As a serial emigrant I might, just, maybe, see things differently from the average old fart.
I raise this because: a) The Solomon Islands just held their national elections. And, b) The US is moving quickly towards their next election. This means I get to give an honest, informed comparison between two important, emotional, democratic practices – in practice.
1st: This kinda says it all… https://www.solomonstarnews.com/nationwide-liquor-ban-lift/. “DC Vaevaso said since the election of the Prime Minister was successful and peaceful, we decided to lift the liquor ban so that those who have licensed liquor shops continue with their business.”
Basically the sale of liquor has been banned for the duration of the election process. We are speaking of the islands and we know that when we party we fight, and that all elections are a party, so to forestall the fights we cancel the party. All parties. Period.
Very democratic, I agree. But, knowing the Solomons I understand that the Police are woefully unprepared for mass misbehaving, so taking the factor of the booze out of the equation gives them a chance. And we managed to hold the elections and convene a new Parliament without much trouble.
Job well done.
In the USofA we see the countdown to the November election amidst a whole hell of a lot of confusion, anger, lawlessness, angst, and emotion.
Sure, not as old as some, but old enough… I was the product of 4 older siblings. As the middle of 9 natural born children to a traditional (sorta) catholic family, the elder siblings always cared for the younger. From about 1967 onwards, I was the mascot of my elder sister’s crew of young, beautiful, learning, living adults. Noting well that I had 4 younger siblings, My eldest sister was often allowed out and free – IF – she “take Mike along”.
By 1970, at age 13, I wore a cast off army duffle coat covered with political pins and buttons, and a pair of jungle worn army boots (both direct from Viet Nam), which Id acquired from returning young combatants that were members of my sisters group of friends. They came back with such cool stuff. I was a young pack-rat, collecting all that was cast off.
I thought myself pretty cool. I thought my sister’s group of friends to be amazing. Smart, informed, articulate, passionate.
I attended protests of many sorts. I helped make posters and banners. My sister was the artist of the group and we were always going someplace to make some cool banner that would be hung from abridge, or a dozen “wave in your face” posters saying “The War is A Crime”, “End the Killing of Babies”… I one point I /we had a Viet flag (no idea now if it was north or south) we’d fly it out the window of the old dodge van. We thought we were cool!
So, as a kid, I puppy-like followed my elder peers, chanted slogans, stood in lines, sang Dylan songs…
What did we know?
Some of the young people around me knew quite a bit. Some had experienced first hand the horrors that were the Viet Nam Conflict. (It was never declared. A WAR)
We knew people, friends, family and friends to others that either did not return or returned in a box. As time went on many developed disorders stemming from their experiences. Some never really recovered from their experiences. The Viet Nam conflict was real, tangible, alive and meaningful. But what did we KNOW?
Of course, as a kid, as a child, I could only understand so much.
I got to be around young men that were patriotic and had “enlisted” so they could “serve”.
I got to be around young men that were unwilling to be drafted and had “skipped off to Canada” so they would not “serve”.
I dont recall any acrimony towards either side of the decision – to serve or not – but rather got to be a spectator as a young generation grew into maturity, forming their own opinions and views, divergent and at times dangerous to that of the established system.
Kent State was a shocker. I remember it.
There was outrage, there was despair, there was fear…
So, I wonder today, as I sit in my retirement hideaway, watching the world, commenting as need be… I wonder, were we any smarter?
Any smarter than the youthful militants we see today at campuses and at rallies and protests all round the world…
Tuesday morn, a repeat of Monday morn. Up early, ready to get shit done. Ive got a couple guys hauling blacktop road base, laying it on my mile long driveway. Last did the drive (in recycled concrete) 5 years ago and after 2 major flooding events I need to redo it. 7am on the dot, they should be showing up soon. Here they come…
The road looks great:
I repeat… I see things in 2 basic lights… rhetorical or reasonable. My definition of rhetorical is simply “persuasive speech”. Reasonable is what is says, “something that is reasonable or makes sense”.
If I hear rhetoric my main thought is that I’m being sold something, convinced of something. If you say that a Ford is better than a Chevy Id have to research, study and decide for myself. If you say Red is better than Blue, again I have to assess it all. I dont simply buy what I am being sold. I am far too much of a skeptic, and a cynic. I need to test drive everything…
I know it is a simplistic view but then I am a simple sorta guy.
I also believe in “prestidigitation”… The old “look over here” stuff that has been around forever.
The trans/ abortion/ et al BS is nothing but diversion from the main. I agree with you there but… not many clever folks around to figure it out. Not enough folks thinking about enough to make a difference anywhere. Folks all too busy supporting their “teams”… noting strongly that all sides of the political spectrum work for the same masters. Everyone that gets a chance wants to be part of the Elite class, and as such, will say and do what is required to gain entry.
And to disagree, dissent from the group-thought can be dangerous. If you stand up for what you believe to be true, stand up against the “main”, you have every chance of being cancelled.
Covid was a great example of herd mentality, group think and the punishments that come from dissenting.
No I do not, never did, never will support disengaging… Being disengaged means you eventually get taken over. Beaten up. Arse fucked. Not guud.
I believe in strength. I believe in clear communication. I believe that any elected “Leader” that stands up for ideals or for the non-rhetorical is going to disappear. You got to sing the song of the herd, or else…
The power-political scene is a snake pit. If you are warm blooded, you end up getting bitten.
Dont get me wrong, I am no pussy. I still walk armed through life. Like yer stick, or my steel toe boots… Im prepared to not go down without a fight. If I disagree, I verbally and respectfully state why I think you are full of shit. It do not make me many friends.
In January 1981, in Manohuki village, Makira, as a trainee PCV, I got in a group discussion with my fellow trainees… I stated that I did not vote in the 1980 election because I thought all the candidates were Bozo-The-Clowns. Why should I waste my vote? I wanted a candidate that I could support, not one that convinced me or my peer group of x, y, or z…
It was a messy argument. Me v 9 peers. I was unpatriotic, I shouldn’t be allowed to be a PCV. I had to vote. It was my responsibility to vote…. I have still not changed my thinking of 40 years past… I want a candidate that I can support, not a paper-cut-out of a rhetorical machine driven by unseen forces. And now I live in the Land of Aus where voting is required. This means that at the age of 66 I popped my voting cherry.
I do see weakness, a lack of stomach for the debate, the arguments, the fights… I do see weakness…
Why is “the West” capitulating so readily to the forces that we know are less than tru and good, and might even be evil. Is a constant state of aggression required? Is sending billions upon billions worth of “arms” to Ukraine or Israel (and the others) really the best option. Or is it all simply an effort of make the Elite more powerful? Wealthier, more in control of all and everything. And push the average citizen, the tax paying citizen deeper and deeper into a no-wriggle-room submission hold.
I believe we are well past the point of returning to a realm of reasonableness… And, a you say, the world has been “dumbed-down”. Almost and maybe to the point of being incapable.
Your discussion on history is understandable but… Im not a team member. I dont have to blame it all on Raygun, or Clinton, or any of the others. No one is at fault because the electorate was duped by the Elite to think all the wars since WW2 were true and good and honourable. Vote for me… I’ll lower your electric bill… I’ll cancel you student debt… I’ll give you free day care… I’ll buy you a bag of rice… Noting elections in Solomons just done, where indeed a bag of rice buys a vote.
And who actually pays for all this… of course it is the tax paying citizen.
I have no doubt that post WW2 saw the develoement of the deep, militarily focused industrial state. This “apparatus” is now entrenched world wide. It pretty much rules everything from behind the curtains. All the elected dipshits are simply puppets. The “system” has developed around the political where entrenched “public servants” push the paper, play the stage hands to the master puppeteers/ magicians… whom we never see…
Who is this cohort? Where do they live? How do we identify them?
Why is a guy like Soros playing god? And there are many others like Soros.
In my opinion, if you can name them, they aint really the top list Elite.
Of course the likes of John Kerry, Obama, Trump, and others want to gain access to the club. The likes of the Bush family and the Kennedys have been board members for generations. But, they aint the top. Epstein was a pip for the few foolish Elite (like royalty dips) but he wasn’t even a big player. Thats why he (and Maxwell) were so easily expendable.
It takes more than being a billionaire to gain access.
So, no, I dont think we disengage.
In all honestly I dont have a solution or a plan for “fixing” anything.
Monday morning here. A chilly morn. Sunrise 630am or so. Im up early because I sweat too much in bed. Too cold outside for just a sheet, too hot under the covers with blankets. That elusive “Goldielocks” position…
The “western world” have become too pussified, too coddled, too “me” oriented. An individual’s feeling and needs and wants win over public need or even common sense.
I’ll give you one… here in the Land of Aus, specifically in CBD Melbourne… too many junkies, too many needles around. It is/ was a problem. So they invest several Mil$ for an injection room… a safe place with clean needles where addicts can shoot up…. Lets all pat each other on the back for being such good kind humans… now… junkies have taken over that area of the CBD… people are not safe “there”, business is faltering, citizens unhappy…
All of this, mind you, happens in a land where heroin (and other addictive narcotics) remain illegal.
So its illegal to use drugs but we’ll build you a nice safe place to safely break the law….
I do not fucking get it.
And, this small story, can be an analogy of the pussified world we walk…
Europe, England (which is not Europe), Canada, Aus, NZ… all have adopted a self diminishing attitude toward the “outside world”.
By self diminishing I mean this: We appease that which is destroying us by bartering it into the shadows… like the Magnificent Seven… “… they always leave a little for us. They never take all of it…”
We codify society, make laws, hold legislative meetings – at a huge cost to the public coffers… then we ignore or own laws in order to appease some sect, group, body or cohort… and that costs money too.
I just wrote this over the weekend when I heard Hervey Weinstein’s east-coast conviction was sent back for a retrial…
Sunday morn on this side of the planet. I wake to hear the sabres rattling… I hear that Iran has sent war-heads towards Israel.
The word is this: “…drones and missiles launched from Iran are heading toward Israel…”.
Not good, me thinks.
Not good for a number of reasons…
Israel has nukes. This is what I get when I do a quick check: Israel is also generally understood to have nuclear weapons, but does not acknowledge it, maintaining a policy of deliberate ambiguity. Israel is estimated to possess somewhere between 75 and 400 nuclear warheads. (Wikipedia)
Does Iran have nukes, yet?
Is this the beginning of “the big-one”? (A big-one)
Not good, me thinks.
I am still perplexed by the very quick and vehement victimisation of “Palestine”. The numerous, emotional rallies and protests, complete with chants of death and burning and gratuitous destruction. People in the streets calling for the freedom of Palestine. Death to the Jews, Death to the USA…
In my world Violence Begets Violence… Not good me thinks…
Like in the old days when someone in my family got racially slurred, I always told my tribe that the folks making the slurs were ignorant, uneducated, inexperienced, AND WRONG. Standing up against them was not required because by “standing up” we’d be “stepping down” to their level. I always counselled my young (an older) tribal members to retain your dignity, walk through the noise and bullshit, hold your head high – AND – if it got physical; be the first, be the fiercest, and be the baddest.
I very seldom condone starting a fight but I have always been known as one who would not just walk away, or limp away. I stand up for me and mine and protect what I have very viciously. I have raised my tribe understanding that sometimes you dont get to just walk away.
The sticks I make for my elder friends, family and tribal members are always and all ways designed as weapons. I consider weapons a positive.
I have walked through life armed for a long, long time. Ive been shot at, stabbed, beaten with blunt objects, won some, lost many, and have survived. And, importantly, learned from my experiences….
My decade of “civil-wars” in the Solomons were tense. What do you do when the other guy(s) have guns… answer is simple, you do what they want. I learned to create dialogue and to hold my hand out, aiming to shake a hand, and hold onto it. Its hard to shoot your gun if I hold onto one of your hands.
Anymore it’s my steel toed work boots. As long as I am shod, I am armed and dangerous. As I age the heavy boots are getting more cumbersome, but I cant stop being armed. I carry a nice ball-bat style flash-light in my truck. Handy, light, close n readily available. A nifty little bone cracker. When I am on a bike I have the option of using my helmet as a weapon. I have been in a bit of trouble on the roads in the USA. Alone, on the highways of Norther-Cali, obviously looking vulnerable… I had a knife that day.
The knife I used would be illegal here in Aus.
I dont really see the sense in carrying a gun. Too easy to be un-done for the wrong reasons but, my point is this… if you cant defend yourself you’re probably going to lose something… And, very simply, if you cant defend yourself or what you possess, be prepared to negotiate your way out. Capitulate, or Lose.
In my mind, from what I see, hear, understand, read, and know through the study of History… Israel has every right to defend itself.
Period.
I am consistently surprised by the “collective” lack of History in these (and most all) matters… recent history has seen numerous situations of war, strife, instability, death, mayhem, destruction, displacement and more…
The old Yugoslavian State fell into a decade of self-destruction. Lebanon used to be known as the Alps of the Middle East, was cosmopolitan and coool. Afghanistan had a reputation of being an amazing place to visit. The pyramids, the wonders of Mecca, Katmandu, Khartoum, Istanbul, even Tehran, in its day…
As a young “would-be” bodhisattva these were the places I dreamed of visiting. A backpack, a couple thick books, a stout stick and, in those youthful days, the world was your class room. A lot to learn, to see, to experience.
But the world has changed. People have changed. I fear the general population has become timid, meek, mild, afraid of their own shadows.
So we have Iran attacking Israel; in a loud voice, with fanfare and drumming… I note an Iranian press release through the United Nations… Cant find the quote but it was basically saying to the US to stay out of the way… Or Else…
So… I preach the word of WOOD… WOOD not WAR…
These two sticks are my first attempts to embellish with antler… left we have “Barb”, right we have “Tri-Glide”… Im very pleased with both of these sticks.
“Peregrination”…
On a lighter note… Through covid my collection of motorcycles and cars sat dormant. I am slowly bringing things back to life. Here is the amazing and bizarre Test 3D…
All registered and road ready for Mendoza to enjoy… a Tru-Exotic Motorcycle. (He says its real, real fast)… My old legs dont like the “fit” anymore.
Winter entangles chilly tentacles around my Land of Aus home. A damp mist fills the air. The herd of deer that wander my valley are near by, making a lot of noise. Seasonal migration of birds offers a lot of noisy feathered friends vying for food and attention. We have had a lot of rain in the past weeks, the ground is soggy.
I woke feeling fine. Being Easter Monday, I have nowhere to go and nothing to do. Everything is closed. If I am super ambitious today (and it aint started yet) I’ll give my dog kennels a good cleaning.
So I wake, wrap in a “granny blanket” and start my day by checking my mail…
At my age I am kinda getting used to those “out of the blue” communications that bear the bad, sad news of a ol’ Compadre’s passing on to The Big Beyond… today is one of those days…
Ode to Mary Pat Lawlor…
Mary Pat, known to all as M.P., first noisily walked into my life in the late 1980s. She arrived in Solomons Islands as a Peace Corps Vol, was posted to the magical and mythical land of Gizo, and forever became a member of The Universal Family.
MP was noisy, brash, frantic, fun, vivacious and genuine.
I have so, so many MP tales…
We were diving buddies, drinking buddies, dancing partners, and friends.
We worked together on a couple Peace Corps training programs. We did the Verehue and Mondo programs, both of which were big, intense programs that saw 30+ new PCVs get introduced to what would be the best (or worse) 2yrs of their lives. Training programs lasted 4months or more. MP and I worked hard and had a lot of fun on both of these. We did two programs back to back. Basically a year of each of our lives dedicated to helping these new, would be Volunteers, prepare for the greatest 2years of their lives.
MP was very Irish. Her folks both emigrated from the Emerald Island, and as such, my very Irish buddy, Pat Purcell, and MP were a proper pair. Their sense of unruly humour, their slang and innuendo were very similar. They could team up and make you laugh stupidly at nothing for hours.
I was an experienced diver when Pat and MP showed up in Gizo. As they did their diving course I was a stand-by. In those days any chance to blow bubbles was good, so as Pat and MP did their training dives with the instructor, I tagged along.
One such dive, I almost drowned…
The exercise of that dive was to be in 10feet of water, dive down, take your gear off, surface, then duck-dive down to put your gear.
We were off lovely Olosana Island. A nice sandy bottomed reef, warm water, a gentle current…
When attempting to leave your SCUBA gear on the bottom of the ocean, leave it behind, aiming to return to retrieve… well, a bit of fore thought is required… neither Pat or MP used much fore thought…
Neither Pat nor MP were fore thoughtful enough to leave their gear in such a state as to be easy to retrieve. The exercise demanded you dive down, put all your Gear on, and surface… Both my diving buddies made several attempts. They’d dive down, start grasping at their gear, run out of air, and resurface. Time and again.
I had vented my buoyancy device and was lying on the sandy bottom watching the antics. It was hilarious… MP (who was a great swimmer) was getting very angry at herself… I could see her frustration. Pat was a long, loose boned guy and was getting in MPs way. Knees and elbows kicking and stirring up the bottom. I was lying there laughing, and laughing…
Laughing through a scuba regulator is possible. I have laughed, spit and puked through my regulator. What’s so hard about laughing one might ask… If you dont regulate your deep in-breaths, between convulsive laughs, you suck water. And I did.
I still have a comedic image in my head of Pat and MP that day.
So, on this drizzly Monday morning in Queensland, I think of MP… and Pat, and Ken, and Ron, and Paul… and many more of my old Gizo tribal family who have now passed on…
Weather here is turning for that blustery, autumn, chill. Those chilly mornings where the house is too open, too windy, and the nice warm bed to too nice to get out of. Didn’t rise to almost 7am this morn.
I recently wrote about Prez Joe’s comments about the middle class and the Unions that “built the middle class”.
Today I am hearing that the inevitable has happened/ is happening…
I’ll try to lay it out in what I feel is a logical format…
Where are we?
For varying reasons, most of which are wrong or flawed… The borders of the USA have been compromised. Have been compromised for a long time. In recent years the border has basically been “OPEN”, with many political operatives, including Prez Joe, loudly telling the world to “come, we’ll take care of you, you are welcome”.
I have written on this before… I have been unable to find accurate numbers for the total number of humans that have crossed the border, in say, 5 years. Some say 6million, some say 15million. If its 6million it is equal to the entire population of Missouri, if its 15million it is more than Pennsylvania or Illinois.
It is a farce to think that such a diluting of society shall not have drastic effects. It must.
So, the southern border to the US is compromised, out of control. Resulting in millions of people simply arriving, being, wanting, needing… What is the cost? In dollars and in the damage done to the fabric of society?
The inevitable… the result is occurring as we speak… Large numbers of folks are simply here, the standard “Law n Order” we are used to is overwhelmed, inadequate, has been gutted, demoralised and is now fundamentally ineffective, incapable of dealing with the situation.
When an illegal entrant or a group of illegal entrants arrives in a nice middle class neighbourhood or suburb, they are able to take over. They know they have not been stopped yet, so why worry… Take what you want, do what you want. They can’t stop you.
We find now that neighbourhoods are being taken over, houses are being taken over. The laws (soft laws known as squatters rights) of many localities make it very difficult for a property owner to evict a Tennant. Effectively means the Owner loses control of their property. And the wealth represented there in.
I hear some bleeding hearts try to rationalise it all but…
Here’s one for you… A Pork processing plant in Perry Iowa is closing after 61 years. 1200 people lose their jobs. In a small community where there aint a whole bunch of jobs. Rumours say that other plants, in more illegal entrant friendly States than Iowa, are being prepared for the influx of eager, cheap labour.
I readily agree that not all the illegal entrants are criminals. But some are.
Some just want a better life. They will work for little, survive on little, in order to build a life. It’s a classic emigrant’s tale. And an employee that wants a union wage with unions benefits is more costly than an emigrant (legal or illegal) that will work for much less.
In my opinion, the middle class homes of 1200 citizens in Perry, Iowa have just been irrevocably changed. The middle class life of Perry, Iowa is going to irrevocably change. For the better?
Makes me wonder, is this punishment the conservative voters in Perry Iowa receive for voting conservative?
I would think that yes, there is some premeditated political demographic prestidigitation taking place.
I know folks will say Im just a grumpy old white man. What do I know… Im a racist, Im a capitalist pig…
And I am, but I am also a double dipping emigrant. Twice in my life I have legally LEGALLY emigrated. And I’m proud of this fact. I believe I know more about emigration and emigrating than the average bear in the woods….
Oh, and yea, my whole family is racist… here we are…
When I was a kid we used to talk about being a “Hot Dog”… doing wheelies on your bike, jumping things on the mini-bike, jumping off cliffs into some remote quarry… all were dare-devil stunts that made you a Hot Dog.
Those failed attempts that hurt, drew blood, made others hoot n holler with laughter made you a Wienie.
Not quite a Hot Dog.
As I sit in my old fart chair watching the world turn, watching the world burn… I sure as shit see a lot of wienies. A lot of failed attempts at being a Hot Dog…
I was looking for a good example of a modern day Hot Dog and found this…
The Native Iowan 
thoughts and opinions