tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89417295839687252072024-03-19T01:46:57.834-07:00Man of HopeThis blog will be an advocate for compassion, curiosity and human survival. When these elements of human nature are being denied, wholly, severally or individually, less than positive human traits are the outcome. It is my wish and hope that my reasonings on a variety of subjects will provide the readers of this blog with personal and public insights. My only motive is to provide a forum for advancing enlightenment. Carl Clark.Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.comBlogger5524125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-1992154382559082382024-03-18T09:18:00.000-07:002024-03-18T09:25:05.252-07:00(#5524) Winding down my time in California<p> California is where I have lived most of my life and for me that was a remarkable turn of luck. None of us knows where we will be born in life so having the exceptional luck to be birthed in a part of the world where my philosophical center is and the environment that has climate and natural beauty that is most stellar is exceptional. I will never forget my growing and formative years here and then my later years of maturity that have spanned more that 45 years of my life. Yet there is more to the world than my great home state. As a young person I appreciated that California was a moderate to hot climate with bodies of water nearly everywhere I turned.<br /> I am no longer a young person capable of being enthralled and physically able to withstand the demands of youth that California has historically catered. I am off to another region of our great nation that has cooler climes that I cherish and a slower pace of activity that suits my enduring evolving life existence. It had been my hope to relocate to the upper northwest for many years since I had lived in the Seattle area for nearly 18 years. I am at a stage in life where I enjoy the rain and snow of winter and the soft rains otherwise dispersed throughout the year. Seattle offers that and I am ready for it. It just so happens that a life changing event occurred and I am ready and willing to embrace that life changing effect.<br /> So in short order I will pulling up my stakes and moving where I not only will be happy to experience the weather but also a new chapter in my life that has another person involved in it. But more about that aspect later. Today I focus on the winding down time here as I sort, pack, load, and unload what things in life I have acquired to settle me in here. My new beginning will require much less that I have now and that is what new beginnings may offer. Life has taught me that the things I acquired in the past are not being utilized as I had hoped so they must be passed on to others whose time is just beginning. My dream of moving back up north is about to happen and for that I am eternally humbled.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-66641318433682871562024-03-17T06:05:00.000-07:002024-03-17T06:13:49.181-07:00(#5523) If you want to stop trump you must first stop putin!<p> They are inexorably linked. Both trump and putin are two heads of the same body with putin being the driver of their deviousness. You could see it in their body language when they were photographed together during trump's time in our presidency. As well with the assumptions that putin has many incriminating items to coerce trump to do his bidding. Which nicely explains why trump is against sending US aid to Ukraine to help keep Ukrainian democracy alive. That trump is doing putin's bidding is unquestionable through instructing his sycophant johnson the current majority republican speaker of the House from bringing the, already passed in the Senate by a 70-29 margin, aid bill for Ukraine to a floor vote.<br /> With trump wanting to divest from NATO is a clear sign that putin is his compatriot, not democracy. So when we stop putin the need for trump by putin will cease and trump himself will wither from the lack of need and the loss of protection his friend putin tries to scare the world with. With putin gone the force behind trump will end as well. We the many of us suspect that trump has much of his financing from Russia through many different sources so when the tyrant putin is relieved of his control is when the money faucet to trump will dry up. Without money and the bravado of a putin in his corner the simpleton trump will no longer have his kremlin talking points and will further fade into absurdity.<br /> By supporting the US aid to Ukraine you are also supporting the diminution of putin and by extension the support he spreads around the world in the form of anti democracy propaganda, chaos, and brutality. If you think of putin as the head of the snake you begin to realize that neutralizing the head will destroy the body. The defeat in Ukraine of putin will effectively put an end to putin's and the kremlin's machinations in America and around the world and force those who are his allies to crawl back into the dark recesses they deserve to dwell within. We need real strong pro democracy leaders in this world and for that to happen we need to stop the forces that are trying to end democracy like what putin did to Navalny in Russia.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-71086120650110900962024-03-16T05:47:00.000-07:002024-03-16T05:47:30.859-07:00(#5522) The discharge petition is all that will get past the obstructionist republicans in the House<p> If you haven't already guessed by the stalled action on behalf of the extreme republican leader of the House, the Senate bill that passed that chamber by a vote of 70-29 will not get a house vote, So what is to be done in the face of the stalling and untruths the current speaker of the House keeps forwarding? The discharge petition is what can be done. It has some time frame issues to it and will require a handful of republicans to vote for it but as it stands now it is the only hope for Ukraine aid to be approved before Ukrainian democracy dies from republican intransigence from the brutal and cruel Russian invasion of Ukraine.<br /> The discharge petition will allow 218 congresspeople of both parties to sign a document that allows them the maneuver of putting the aid bill on the House floor for a vote. Under regular order the speaker of the House brings whatever bill to the floor he decides is to be voted on and this current one, johnson a republican, is not doing so because he is fully engaged into what trump wants and trump wants putin to succeed in destroying democracy in Ukraine. So getting through the procedures of the House to form this petition into a ripe usage of it takes some legislative calendar days and right now those days are being utilized.<br /> There is this one step of getting aid to Ukraine and it must be taken. It is a rare and unusual way to bypass the speaker of the House and it is rarely used but the crucial nature of this aid getting to Ukraine before Russia takes full advantage of its not being available to Ukraine makes it a necessity of huge importance. You must ask yourself why would the republican party align with a dictator like the tyrant putin of Russia over the democracy striving nation of Ukraine? If you can come up with an answer that justifies the republican stance then you are an amazing person because logic as it is does not support the republican position nor does their hypocrisy when asked about it.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-76463347815356722942024-03-15T07:34:00.000-07:002024-03-15T07:34:12.291-07:00(#5521) Women's rights are on the ballot come November, never forget!<p> The day when the republican party finally got their desire of turning women into second class citizens was the day that many women began to understand that the republican party is an evil to them. I have known this about them for over 50 years but now we have many more who get it that the republican party is a scourge to democracy and the principles of freedom and human rights for all of our species. With the destruction of Roe v. Wade the republicans proved without a doubt that they do not consider women intellectually nor with enough common sense to control the function of their own bodies. That only republican men should be able to decide for them what they can or can't do with their own anatomy.<br /> I don't know what else must happen for all good people of honor and respect to realize that the scope of republicanism is to deny liberties and justice that are the hallmark of a civilized society. The republican party has laid bare it's core agenda and if you think that women's rights are the only thing under attack here you are not quite informed yet. People of color nor the poor who are not psychopathic/sociopathic have little to hope of protection nor gain from the republican party. Instead they are marginalized and diluted through republican voter repression actions and gerrymandering engineered through a nefarious republican strategy.<br /> Democracy itself is under siege like in Ukraine where republicans are not allowing help for them to fend off the dictator putin. If any example of anti democracy can be given it is in democracy being destroyed in Ukraine and republicans turning their back to it. So to sum this all up is to say that the republican party has literally shown itself to be undermining democracy, free will, and the hopes and dreams of all of us to pursue our own happiness. The dream of our foreparents when creating our democracy was one where freedom of choice and freedom not to choose was actually written into the first amendment to our constitution. The republican party would abolish that right and many others that restrict republicans from controlling all of us!</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-71837710360161409382024-03-14T06:02:00.000-07:002024-03-14T06:02:55.290-07:00(#5520) Our generation has failed us but can yet redeem itself<p> When I was young my generation walked on the moon. We brought about great social change. We even started on inventing the ease of usage of creative and innovative technology to convenience. The hope and promise of our generation was poisoned however by three events that left us without the leadership we so desperately needed. Both John and Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King were all three assassinated in their prime before they could shape our generation into a mighty progressive force. Instead we were rudderless and lost our focus on the amazing that we had yet to inject into our society.<br /> That is no excuse even though the anti democratic forces within our society worked hard to destroy enlightened democracy in favor of their controlled one. Despite their best efforts we should have been able to thwart their attempts had we just remained objective and rational. Yet we didn't and many of our generation joined those forces of disruptions to our democracy with the vigor of our earlier rebellion against the establishment as we knew it. Without our three great leaders we were ripe for taking over by those who have no heart for freedom and democracy. Their only goal is to always divide and conquer and unfortunately with my generation they were ultimately successful.<br /> Without our leaders we lost our courage and foresight to a better world. We instead of boldly living an honorable life succumbed to some of our worst natures and turned our heads away from being human. Nothing much is wasted like a soul who does not exemplify the characteristics of a wise and just evolution. What my generation should have done is make sure those who stole our leaders from us were found out and fittingly disciplined. We then should have all risen up as leaders to carry on the work of John, Martin, and Robert. We can still do that at this late point in our time but it must be now when the effect will be felt for centuries not just years or decades!</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-58068880509101404582024-03-13T06:16:00.000-07:002024-03-13T06:16:41.537-07:00(#5519) President Biden will find a way to help Ukraine in the short term<p> The republicans in the House of Representatives have been very good at helping Russia and putin attempt to defeat Ukraine by stalling the aid bill for Ukraine. However, despite the turncoat actions of republicans against helping Ukraine keep their democracy from the tyrant putin, Joe Biden is finding ways to help Ukraine in the meantime. He just released 300 million in aid to Ukraine that was left over from the last allotment of aid for Ukraine and now he is about to release between 2 and 4 billion more from the defense department budget. That aid from the Defense Department does not need Congressional approval so republicans in the House cannot stop it.<br /> Why republicans are so intent on helping a tyrant like putin is beyond the bounds of normalcy. It is as if they have decided that equality and justice are just for a few and not for all. Well Joe Biden is not like republicans and instead he honors the commitment of over 248 years of American independence to make our democracy a more perfect product. The will of Joe is greater than the obstruction of republicans and for that we should all be humbly grateful for his perseverance. The European Union found a way to get past their putin loving obstacles and Joe Biden is doing something similar although not as robust.<br /> In the history of the world great change came about through great sacrifice and what the Ukrainian people are doing now qualifies as such. The Russians on the other hand are being held at bay by their own ineptitude and incompetence. They have been losing close to 1000 troops a day for many weeks now and have lost over 426,000 troops since February 24, 2022. Now with the unrest in Russia starting to hurt the Russian economy and bringing home alarming safety and security issues, pressure is building. Russia is not only being destroyed in Ukraine but at home as well. How much longer putin will remain in charge may well be a question with an answer to come sooner than later.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-33172537720486921282024-03-12T07:51:00.000-07:002024-03-12T07:55:49.590-07:00(#5518) The republican party has failed democracy<p> Each day that goes by without the Ukraine aid bill coming up for a vote in the House of Representatives is another day brave Ukrainian defenders of democracy will die. This cannot be understated. The republican party says they want to preserve life but their actions are the opposite. They know that democracy is in peril with the Russian invasion of Ukraine yet they ignore this and refuse to help Ukraine defend it's democracy. I am not playing at words here I am just saying the truth of consequences. When the act is proven to be detrimental then the explanation of it is worthy of being exposed.<br /> The republican party is failing democracy and no other explanation will ever conceal their choice to further putin and his tyrannical ambitions against democracy. So however those republican voters are able to hold their noses at the stench of decay that is the republican party is beyond me. I am a free spirit because democracy gives me that so voting for any republican anywhere would be against the freedom of my soul to exist. I know this and would never jeopardise my love for democracy because of some misplaced loyalty to some political party or some carnival barker representing them. I am not some novice or greenhorn available to be confused through any bias or prejudice into believing that democracy would ever be a worse thing over something based in brutality and fear.<br /> Actions are in motion by a small contingent within the republican party to allow a vote to come to the House floor on the Ukraine aid. One action will require the republican slim majority and it's speaker to be bypassed by a majority of representatives, 218, to force a vote. This process has been in play for a week or two now and will ripen at the beginning of April. It won't be easy to accomplish but given the stakes in Ukraine nothing here about getting to a vote is harder than fighting for your life against a murderer who is intent on eliminating your very existence. It will always be a stain on our national view as a world leader in protecting democracy but we will get there despite the wrong side being chosen by the yellow bellied republican party.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-4200777713662447152024-03-11T09:19:00.000-07:002024-03-11T09:19:13.358-07:00(#5517) Gearing up for the move over the next two weeks Today will start my packing up what I want to start my life with. It is happening and no matter how nostalgic I get over the next few weeks my present and future are moving toward a new beginning. I am getting married to Judy and together we are about to start our lives not here in California. I will miss my birth state but not the hot weather. I need a more moderate climate and that is where I am heading. So packing up what I want with me is going to be a chore of sorts but not so much as it might otherwise be. I expect that the things I have surrounded myself with were more for convenience than necessity. So much will be left and few things will survive my keeping.<br /> I have always been personally frugal so there is not much that has a sentimental value to me other than the normal ties to the past in pictures and some items. The rest I have accumulated here will stay with the house and become a utility for those who are to manage my home until another decision is made concerning the future of my home. For the near foreseeable future though the packing will be less although thorough. I must go through everything in order to get a clear picture of what I really want and what really needs to stay. All of this is a bit conflicting as it should be. I am uprooting myself for one last adventure. But know this I am ready and happy to be doing it. However there are still emotions that have to be experienced and dealt with.<br /> If anything I am a comprehensive man who knows that all of my moments in time need my attention to the fullest and what I am doing now to set the stage for my departure will occupy me in full. Every inch of space needs my view so that there is nothing forgotten or misplaced. My life in my new place will be a wonderful gift for me and the countdown to that time is being anxiously awaited. I find that I am keenly aware of all that I view here because that viewing will be the memories I hold within me. I have put a lot of time and effort into this home and all that it has become. Nothing about actually leaving is going to be exciting but it is necessary as an outcome for something even more breathtakingly beautiful.Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-50215629504307267702024-03-10T08:20:00.000-07:002024-03-10T08:20:45.061-07:00(#5516) A third world war is ripening!<p> Let me be perfectly clear. No third world war need to be had. It will only come about through ignorance, obstinance, and selfishness. Yet it seems that all three of these negative otherworldly characteristics are much in vogue in the current iteration of republican political circles. For the most part however there is much in the way of this scenario of foolishness and greed. Yet not enough to stop the current momentum that is being actuated by some who should know better. We have somehow gotten to appointed leaders who would rather gamble on a world war then not. As incredible as that seems our reality is proving it true.<br /> For months many of us have been boldly exclaiming that if we don't do the right thing by honoring our national commitment to helping Ukraine stop the mad rush of the tyrant putin at Ukraine's doorstep the whole of Europe will become involved in stopping the madness of putin further into central and western Europe. With that NATO will be activated and all the world will have troops in Europe fighting to protect the alliances and treaties negotiated since the end of world war two. A third world war will not be the same as the land war of world war two. It will involve sophisticated weaponry that will hit all cities from any country. no one will be safe from a third world war anywhere on our planet!<br /> All of what I have just expressed could be avoided simply by letting the brave Ukrainians stop the putin rush at the border of Ukraine and Russia. But not until the republicans in the House find both their courage and sense to allow a vote on the Ukraine aid we all need to keep putin within his own borders. If ever there was a simple turning point that could be activated to prevent world wide despair and misery this is it. The history books will either herald the defeat of Russia at the Ukrainian border or they will lament the lunacy that the House republicans caused through a third world war. There is still time for republicans in the House to do their duty to democracy and the world but that time is quickly running short...</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-64956331327066196772024-03-09T07:31:00.000-08:002024-03-09T07:31:03.452-08:00(#5515) After yesterday's international tribute to women<p> The response from the republican party is for women to go back to being property of men. Yes, that is what I get from what I know about the republican obstruction of equal rights for women by men. The old saw about women being "barefoot and pregnant" is a pleasing thought to those mostly republican men but also a surprising amount of republican women as well. These republicans only have an individualism for themselves; not for women who would threaten their ideal of control and consequence. The hypocrisy of republicans celebrating democracy and women is nothing short of deliberate absurdity.<br /> The republican party plays at a public persona of agreeable acts and behaviors while their private work to undermine and destroy the fabric of equality and democracy for women continues unabated. We who are fighting as advocates for improving the lives of women are relentless in our attempts to restore Roe V. Wade that was recently abolished by the republican majority on the supreme court. Just getting back to where we were nearly two years ago is our aim and this election in November will dictate the degree to which we can reverse the hatred republicans have for the equal rights of women.<br /> Enlightenment has been a tremendous hallmark accomplishment in our ability to reason, analyse, and conclude but it seems that there is much more room to improve on the whole of our populations evolving toward this next evolutionary step for our species. Many of us are here and ready to move beyond the bounds of ignorance yet we are stymied in our yearning for more by those who would see intelligence as a negative. Their reasoning is to stabilize humans as a tool for their agendas not for the growth of our own unique abilities into something even more magnificent. When we all have equal rights the concept of controlling us as a commodity is beyond their control as it should be!</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-2374575526394961222024-03-08T05:50:00.000-08:002024-03-08T05:50:48.289-08:00(#5514) Let the blue wave landslide begin<p> As a rule lately I am not watching anything that has a republican obstructionist to democracy in it. So I had to get my information about President Joe Biden's State of the Union address from other trusted sources. From what I consistently heard is that Joe did not fail to deliver a strong speech that highlighted the failures of the republican party against his own victories. These moments are generally considered pivotal when in a general election campaign so the fact of Joe's success last night will pivot directly into a positive boost of his status among voters.<br /> Let me be clear here though. Joe has a base that is so anti trump that even if Joe had a less than stellar night he would still be the favorite to win the election against the miserable person trump. But that he did have a very good night is welcome as the extra positive force will allow for his coattails to help bring in a few more congressional and state victories otherwise uncertain. Popularity is like that. If the head of the party candidate is doing well and is much admired and respected then those who run with him down ballot will be benefitted by his positive vibes through more party line voting.<br /> From what I can gather this morning the extra democratic party vibes will be in full supply as the republican party has now been exposed nationally as an incompetent choice come November 5th. Many have questioned whether Joe had the stamina and mental acuity to continue as President for another 4 years but as has been reported from last night Joe is still keen and aware of the consequences of his utility to all of us in this most dangerous moment. Without Joe as the figurehead of democracy to thwart off the tyrants and despots of the world we could have been much more vulnerable to such nefarious characters. Our blue wave got a lift last night and should be ready to overwhelm the anti democratic republican party as we get to the election time.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-43489401644220385422024-03-07T07:38:00.000-08:002024-03-07T07:38:25.234-08:00(#5513) Living life should be inspiring!<p> I have so many memories of waking to a new day and looking forward to what the day would bring. To me that was inspiring. I still have those days where the thought of what may come is foremost in my mind. Not because I am worried about my next meal or my life because others want to cause harm to me. But about how fortunate I am to be in a society that affords me peace in enough ways as to comfort me. I look around me at the lives of others as best I can see them and realize that inspiration is not just visible but it is felt. I am not here in existence to realize my purpose based upon what others do. I am here in this existence to forge what I want as inspiring out to others.<br /> This I know as a fact. When I am selfless the world becomes a better place for me and those who are in my presence. Not only am I inspired by my own sacrifices I am allowing others to see that inspiration manifest toward their own lives. Not all see selfless acts as inspiring but there are many that do. Inspiration is a feeling that has a powerful yearning to it. An enthusiasm that cannot be replicated in nature other than experienced. Once aroused by inspiration the attractive property of it is a beautiful thing and serves to remind us humans of our possibilities. We get a sense of something, we imagine, we create. The process of inspiration is one of the separating dynamics between all of life and what we human beings have evolved into.<br /> If you want to naturally release the types of chemical processes in your body that make you overjoyed and euphoric then become inspired. Through inspiration we find what is possible for us personally and as well generally for all of us. Inspiration puts a smile on our faces and allows us to know we are alive doing important things. Through inspiration we find what is remarkable about each other and glory in those attributes. Being inspired is what I hope to achieve throughout my life with an emphasis on a continuity of it. Life is too short for all the chaos and nonsense of irrelevancy. We all need to become inspired about whatever it is that lifts our heads in bright shining ways.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-68686813468231692452024-03-06T06:09:00.000-08:002024-03-06T06:37:19.285-08:00(#5512) I hope proposition 1 here in California passes!<p> The votes are in and the counting is taking place. As of now Prop 1 is leading by more than 34 thousand votes with approximately 49% of the vote tabulated. For me the task of reinstituting mental health facilities that were destroyed by republicans and ronald reagan around 40 years ago would go a long way toward addressing homelessness and provide humanitarian approaches to the wayward currently roaming our state's streets. Those who oppose this proposition are arguing from positions that are not working and need to be enhanced to a level that has medical treatment enshrined in its application.<br /> A redesign is called for here to actually work to solve our homeless crisis that is vastly undeserved. We have for the most part a community of folks who are addicted to various drugs and alcohols as a way of life and anything that moves toward addiction prevention and care is a positive step in the correct direction. Others who are outside the bounds of normalcy need to be treated with a diagnosis and the medication to help them control their out of control actions. We have too many people on our streets that have lost sight of reality and spend too much of their time living in an imaginary world of confusion. If you don't see these folks like I do as a transfer driver in my community then you are not aware of your surroundings.<br /> More than forty years of neglect from the republican destruction of mental health hospitals has gotten us to this point. So once again it is taking democrats to clean up messes in our society that republicans create and then blame democrats for not fixing. Do you get why I despise the republican party with such a furor! They are the creators of problems in our world and are very good at deflecting that nature of theirs onto others for blame. Bringing this Prop 1 home with a yes vote will go a very long way toward solving another dilemma that is crushing to behold and hard to tackle but we democrats are about the working middle poor class so when republicans work to harm us we democrats find ways to change that.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-75801541191052800862024-03-05T07:01:00.000-08:002024-03-05T07:01:57.210-08:00(#5511) Tyranny advances while republicans dither<p> Rome burns while Nero fiddles. We have all heard this phrase at one time or another in our lives. The idea seems absurd and totally disconnected from reality yet that is exactly what is happening to Ukrainians as their country burns while republicans turn their backs to them. All republicans in the house have to do is allow a vote on a bill that passed the Senate with a vast bipartisan majority. President Biden said he would sign the bill immediately after the House passes it. But no, the republicans in the House prefer to do nothing while tyranny rages on! I don't know who needs to hear this but if you care at all about free will and the rights attributed to free will then you will be shocked to learn that republicans aren't that concerned about freedom and liberty as rights.<br /> The republican Party is willing to let democracy die in Ukraine in order to consolidate power here in America. They are not leaders these republicans, they are followers! Who is it that they follow? None other than the disgraced failed trump and his deranged view of liking our enemies over our allies. I don't get that as a rational human being but I do understand that it must be stopped and regular order returned to our societies. Democracy is the crucible of which our values are formed and refined. Without democracy we are left with strongmen who would dictate to all of us who we are to be and how we are to function in their mastery over us.<br /> I perceive a crossroad where we here in America must decide what is to be done with the obstruction and chaos of what republicanism has become. They are no longer a functioning respected party of ideals and compassions exemplified by democratic values. Instead they are in disarray. Their core values are not of the melting pot ideal that formed our nation. They have allowed for themselves to be arbiters of others while not offering examples worthy of being heralded. We democrats, who are fighting to protect and defend life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all, will need to rise up and become a mighty force that can vanquish the world's despots and the republicans who otherwise support them.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-55531896989882347472024-03-04T07:43:00.000-08:002024-03-04T07:43:57.536-08:00(#5510) Building a lasting relationship<p> Okay, so I am new at this. That being said I am well aware that being alone like I have been is not going to remain the same. I am now thinking like a man who considers another in an equal and respectful way. I am somewhat used to that anyway in that I generally try to treat everyone equally with respect. But this is more personal. I am now closing in on a happily desired contract that in principle joins two of us in one goal, to keep and hold each other through all things we do. Knowing this as the priority helps me to navigate all the moments that follow.<br /> I know it won't be that easy but for the most part it will be. There are going to come times where our lifestyles and inculcations will clash and I fully expect that clash to be significant but I also believe we will be able to resolve any uncertainty or difference with compromise and understanding. The idea here for me is that we are about to embark upon a relationship that will form a new way of living for both of us. I am ready for that although I may balk at times for a moment I will always come back to a solution we both find comfortable enough.<br /> There is nothing about how we live our lives that is even remotely a game changer for me. I also suspect that the feeling is mutual so both of us are starting from a place that has a tremendous chance to be wonderful for both of us. We both are so like minded to start with and that is the threaded foundation of our relationship. We have both gotten to this like minded place through our own individual experiences and caring outlook. So now the rest that we are going to build upon that foundation is found in our staying in the moment and appreciating each other with love and respect. It is not easy learning how to make a relationship a beautiful thing but with both of us being a bit wiser and mature we have a greater chance of succeeding because our relationship is built upon much more than the love we have for each other.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-45147615172018253062024-03-03T06:13:00.000-08:002024-03-03T06:13:07.772-08:00(#5509) The Russian people need to rise up and throw putin and his kremlin bootlickers out!<p> With the murder of Alexei Navalny, and yes it was a calculated murder, putin has put himself at a disadvantage now. His lust for vengeance against Alexei for being more popular than him will likely cost him his power. The failed Ukrainian invasion to date is the background and the outlandish murder of Navalny is the trigger. What we are likely to see in the Russian federation is more boldness from those who have traditionally been oppressed by the tyrant putin and his stormtrooping kremlin acolytes. These folks who are always at the short end of the stick with putin see the opportunity to create havoc and unrest while the majority of putin's forces are still struggling and dying in Ukraine.<br /> For two years now the Ukrainian invasion has gone on after putin originally announced that the invasion would be done in a week. Russian soldiers, instead of being welcomed as saviors have died in Ukraine to the tune of over 415,000 and counting. These unsustainable losses are filtering back to the families of these dead soldiers and their state of mind cannot be satisfied with evasive rhetoric supplied by putin's propaganda machine. With sanctions and world disfavor at their doorsteps the ordinary Russian citizen has felt being a world pariah in many ways. This is because putin has told them the lies needed to start the Ukrainian invasion but those lies are being exposed with the daily Russian deaths and lack of proof of progress on putin's narrative.<br /> We are starting to see some cracks in the silence and cowering that the Russian people heretofore have exemplified. There are protests in Russia as well as insurgency practices that are becoming known. The longer Russia struggles in Ukraine the worst the lives of ordinary Russians become. There is now another mobilization that putin is trying to put together to get more of his countrymen killed. The underbelly of putin's and the kremlin's rot is becoming known and how long it takes for the populace of Russia to finally say this is enough is currently measuring time. With every internal Russian sabotage and regional armed rebellion the festering dissatisfaction grows. We can only hope for the sake of Ukraine and the good people inside Russia that the time measurement is short and the action following is swift in its delivery and just in its conclusion.<br /></p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-18490705413342553072024-03-02T07:27:00.000-08:002024-03-02T07:27:38.671-08:00(#5508) Our manifest destiny is in outer space! There are those who are living on this spaceship we call Earth and they don't want to understand the significance of our journey through space. They instead want to look up into the sky and settle for the atmosphere as our boundary. They seem to have no regard for the fact that our planet is actually traveling through space. Which is why understanding space is so significant and actually an imperative. We have the enlightenment in the form of knowledge and logic to acquire more information about the vast unknown outer boundary above our atmosphere.<br /> But those who are not clear on why they don't like enlightenment other than to voice that they don't care about anything other than what is in their own personal safety and comfort. These types of folks are fooling themselves if they think of our planet as some kind of sanctuary immune to the forces of time and space. We are not some fantastical place where life and existence are guaranteed. We are instead just a planet within billions of solar type systems that make up the outer space that I am mentioning. To better understand our world and the role our human being species plays in it we must know what we currently don't know.<br /> Being bold about learning and discovering has been a hallmark of our species since our beginning. We have to know things because our curiosity demands it. We won't know things unless we gird up our courage and venture toward that learning. Our human being species is an amazing one that has so much capacity for adapting to any situation that needs us to accomplish whatever we face. All of we humans are basically the same, we care and we wonder. So to think we won't go out into outer space as a rule is ludicrous, full of fear, and not worthy of who we are. We get beyond our own planet by applying the knowledge we already have with the knowledge we are currently envisioning and developing. Off we go to space my fellow human being travelers!Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-18483611196358233592024-03-01T07:02:00.000-08:002024-03-01T07:02:19.342-08:00(#5507) We must save Russia by defeating putin in Ukraine!<p> There is one chance only to bring about a free Russian society and that is done by defeating putin in Ukraine. Already putin has killed nearly 415,000 of his Russian federation countrymen so that putin may become the world's dictator. He has no soul to answer to his conscience so he just destroys what he can in order to rule all that he can see. His ending is necessary for our world to become progressive toward democracy. That putin would destroy democracy and install himself as lord of all is unquestioned. The only question remaining to be answered is will we let him?<br /> I know I won't but what say you? All of us or at least a large majority of us must side with stopping putin the tyrant from forcing his brutal and cruel agenda upon all our heads. We are reminded today what putin is like as the widow of Alexei Navalny lays her husbands battered and beaten body to rest. To putin, Alexei Navalny had to die because he wanted democracy and was more popular than putin and putin cannot stand democracy nor to be upstaged by anyone, moreso a countryman. Especially if putin can destroy him with impunity. The example today is but just one of many that can be counted from everyday that putin has reigned with brutality in Russia. The former KGB chief putin is in his element as one who cares nothing for the lives of others.<br /> So stopping putin is not just a Russian necessity but it is a worldwide necessity. He, putin, is a tyrant who would more happily destroy as opposed to build a better world. Russia is eager within its population to rise up from the putin coup to their fledgling democracy several decades ago and reform itself toward democratic ideals. To get back to that stage for Russia to become a positive influence on the world the cancer of putin must be severed from the Russian host. Russia has the desire to be a good standing member of our world order but it must find its way away form the evil that putin has collared them with. We in the west have one job today and that is to support Ukraine in every way so that they can justifiably end the reign of terror putin is applying to their sovereignty and democratic ideals.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-78853100869667261212024-02-29T05:51:00.000-08:002024-03-01T04:44:54.187-08:00(#5506) I was reminded again of why I write this daily blog<p> Most of my life it has been me as my own sounding board. Which is fine because I try very hard to be objective about what it is I am trying to draw for logical conclusions. But be that as it may be I am not another perspective for myself to compare and contrast. I have someone in my life now that is interested enough in who I am to want to talk to me about the deeper meanings of what has grown and matured inside me. My behavior is one way of learning about who I am but there is another. It is in how I describe the important things I express passion about. Where my passion derives it's energy and perseverance. In other words what makes me tick like a clock.<br /> I was gifted with her reading back to me some of my very earliest blog posts and her reaction to them. Listening to her read my words back to me was an insight that I could not get by listening to myself read the very same words. Her inflections and pauses were beyond anything I had considered in how I wrote the words. For my ear, the way she read my words kindled in me the very essence of my intent in writing them. I am a very fortunate man at this time in my life because I had thought that a time for me to find a person in my life had probably passed me by. I did not give up but I am also not naive. Yet it seems that not giving up is a value that cannot have a enough of a benefit attached to it.<br /> The bottom line is that I write this blog because I have emotion and logic inside me that needs an outlet for expression. I am no genius nor have the biggest heart, but I do have a measure of both that might be of some value to some reader somewhere about a few subjects. Like the philosopher Rene Descartes concluded, "I think, therefore I am", which is something that has some purpose in life beyond just a place in time and space. Who I am inside me is who I am trying as hard as I can to be outside me. I want more than anything to reflect back the better and best of what it is that makes me part of the human race. I know my value within me is a positive thing and being courageous enough to live it and admit it is a destiny worthy of being strong and humbled enough to show.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-26722088801629228412024-02-28T06:08:00.000-08:002024-02-28T06:08:53.211-08:00(#5505) The republicans still playing games with Ukraine aid A bit of news yesterday after the meeting summoned by President Biden of the four leaders in Congress. The obstructionist Speaker of the House has said that the aid to Ukraine will be voted on in time. Parsing this comment of his allows for the idea that he does plan for a vote to take place but he is hedging that with the phrase, in time. What does that mean and is it a near time or a far off time. We don't know yet but we must assume that him even mentioning this about the aid is more akin to near than far off. With the another bill that need to be fashioned like the funds to keep the government operating coming due it would be fair to think that the aid may be part of that legislative process.<br /> I know that republicans hope to use the Ukraine aid as a wedge to force democrats to concede other points that are not associated with the Ukraine aid and as long as they feel they can force democrats to concede policies they will not let the Ukraine aid up for a vote. The republican party is keeping aid from Ukraine as blackmail if one was to call it out appropriately in order to satisfy their own extreme agenda. The idea that Joe Biden will give the fascist putin helping republicans rewards for their behavior is a long stretch so we wait to see what other pressures may be applied. Joe Biden has to force the republicans to honor the promises made to Ukraine of which now the unkept promises are devastating to Ukraine.<br /> For me the foreign aid legislation must be part of any deal democrats make with republicans on keeping the government operating. The government funding bill needs to be passed before March 1, to keep the first stage of the government shutdown from occurring. The onus is on the House republicans as they control America's purse strings so highlighting that fact is the first step toward making the republicans do their job of offering legislation that democrats are willing to accept. No one wants the blame for failure at this juncture so making sure that those who are initially responsible to make the deals necessary for agreement need to do just that!Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-42447298582657352702024-02-27T08:16:00.000-08:002024-02-27T08:16:39.845-08:00(#5504) Do you get that putin must be stopped in Ukraine?<p> The republican party is playing politics with our democracy and that is not in question. What remains in question is whether the republican voter is playing along with them. They are the wild card here. Do the republican voters get that our democracy along with other foreign democracies are at great risk in this moment in time? Will they rise up like the Russian people should rise up and demand that their rights and freedoms be protected? I would have thought as just a normal person that everyone would be for protecting rights and freedoms but with the way republicans are keeping our democracy at risk the idea that some are anti democracy is now a fact.<br /> I expect there are republican voters who will follow the republican brand right into the slaughterhouse if that is where they lead them. Yet I suspect that many will not do the ridiculous and follow blindly if that entails the loss of their way of life. Like with the Russian people and the loss of over 410,000 thousand young Russian men in Ukraine, the republican voters need a wake up call to remind them that their ignoring of what is happening around them is not sustainable to their interests. There is a lot of propaganda out there that would deny any harm they may experience but the lies of propaganda can only survive if the populace chooses to be ignorant.<br /> With all the evidence that is getting past the propaganda I would hope that both the Russian people and the republican voter would begin to see the duplicity of putin and republican politicians. There is an honor and duty to protecting democracy that cannot be assuaged by false narratives and deceptive measures. Our core beliefs in a way of life that protects the best of what humans can be is what is now under threat. People like putin and his cohort trump are not what we need in our world as leaders or even opposition voices. They sow discord and death as acceptable means to remain in power and that is what we all should see instead of the propaganda of their words.</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-63791661459028272402024-02-26T07:58:00.000-08:002024-02-26T07:58:58.721-08:00(#5503) There must be some breakthrough on the Ukraine aid this week!<p> My full attention this week will be on the effort of President Joe Biden to move obstructionist republicans in the House toward an agreement to put the Ukraine aid bill up for a vote. I don't know what Joe Biden will have to do to get these otherworldly republican congressional creatures to be responsible to doing the correct thing for America and the world but Joe must find a way to reverse their obstinance to protecting democracy. We the voters will do our job come November 5th 2024. However Ukraine does not have the luxury of holding out until our next election if they don't want to waste blood and treasure unnecessarily. <br /> Several work arounds are underway to advance the bipartisan Senate bill that includes the Ukraine funding. When the Senate bill actually gets a vote it will pass with a large majority in the House but the current House leadership is balking at putting the bill up for a vote because trump demands they don't. He wants to hurt Joe Biden any way he can and by stopping the Ukraine aid he is attempting to make Biden look like a bad steward of our democracy. I suppose trump thinks the rest of us live in a vacuum and do not see his underhanded attempts to destroy good people while trying to make himself look good. Despite all that the congressional republicans are under severe pressure to ignore trump and do the correct thing.<br /> Whatever powers of reasoning and persuasion President Biden can muster must be employed now so as to put the perspective into the House republican leadership that there will be a heavy cost for further aid delay. There is no cost benefit analysis that can favor the House republican leadership when push comes to shove. So I expect that Joe Biden will be ready and able to move the aid bill along for a vote this week. The sooner the better and today would be wonderful if things fell into place like in a united effort to thwart the tyrant putin against a wonderfully brave Ukrainian society. All Americans can be proud if this aid bill gets a quick vote in the House and then Joe Biden will sign it into law and the munitions to the Ukrainian people can continue to help them push putin out of Ukraine!</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-52349155985968917452024-02-25T06:44:00.000-08:002024-02-25T06:44:35.057-08:00(#5502) Defeating Russia in Ukraine is an imperative!<p> There is no greater task to conclude than to end the world domination aspirations of putin and his Russian cohorts! None! So the republican party holding up aid that would greatly help do just that is a betrayal to our ally Ukraine and also to the manifest destiny our nation has in protecting and promoting democracies around the world. I cannot think of a less democratic thing to do than to sit and refuse to help someone fighting for their lives at the hands of a brutal and cruel dictator. The callousness it takes to be a republican right now is well below the normalcy of any decent human trait!<br /> Some think that I spend too much time on issues around Ukraine instead of issues with our own sabotaged government. Yet I say they are both linked. With the lack of support shown by too many republicans it becomes clear that they would rather see democracy fail in Ukraine than to help Ukraine preserve it. That goes to the heart of our elections here. If republicans are willing to let democracy die anywhere in the world what would they be likely to do when our own democracy is in the balance? Especially since the republican party is the one jeopardizing our democracy through inequality and unfairness.<br /> If you plan to vote for a republican in any office in our nation then you are complicit in the demise of democracy both at home and abroad. How does it feel to have enjoyed democratic values all your life and then to work to take those rights away from others? Are you an American patriot to democracy or are you an American who would betray those values as your culminating life work? Those that are fine with Ukraine not receiving aid are part of the cabal that is eliminating them every day they are not receiving the promised aid. Not only is it an abomination letting brave Ukrainian soldiers and civilians die, but now we Americans are seen as a threat to democracy that our allies have used to improve their societies. Here is the moral of this post. Vote for every democrat on your ballot and end the hellscape that republicanism is bending towards!</p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-17407155335714787382024-02-24T05:23:00.000-08:002024-02-24T05:29:58.084-08:00(#5501) How much longer will the cruel brutality of russia be allowed to continue?<p> The mark of a civilized world is the behavior it's inhabitants display. Where the dialogue of what is positive to be attained is foremost and continual in the minds of we human beings on the planet Earth. That is what I expect of us as an enlightened species whose amazing possibilities need to be the rule and not the exception. We humans are the most remarkable species on this planet and as such with our evolution into a creative and innovative paradigm our first step toward our future is understanding that every living soul must have basic uniform rights to exist and be free with liberty. <br /> How we pursue our happiness within the framework of do no harm allows us all equality and is the only path forward that works to keep peace. Peace is a destination that we must all strive toward. It is not given it is earned through the steadfast defense of all that it represents. We cannot shirk our duty to peace if we want peace as our foundation. There are those who are in our societies that do not want for all they want only for themselves and a few others. So they gain power and then disrupt peace in order to create chaos and fear. Why do they do this? The simple answer is that they want our society of enlightenment and freedom to change to something more sinister and oppressive that would allow them even greater control of not only society but of the lives who live within it.<br /> What is happening today on the start of the third year of the invasion of Ukraine by putin, the kremlin in Moscow, with the acquiescence of the majority of the Russian people is an example of the worst of what we humans do. The invaders from Russia are casting aside the sovereignty of a legitimate country that was and still is implementing democracy and inflicting on them humiliation, depravity, and war crimes not seen since the days of nazism. The enlightenment of our planet is being destroyed by the warmonger putin who is currently being supported by too many who would help him to remove the rights and freedoms we wish for all. If we who cherish rights for all do not find a way to stop this then it won't be stopped and then the real pain for all in the world, not just Ukrainians now, will begin!<br /> </p>Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8941729583968725207.post-52094898711472178922024-02-23T04:21:00.000-08:002024-02-23T04:21:35.992-08:00(#5500) Another milestone post As I reach these milestone posts, 5500 this time, I reflect back to when I started doing these blog posts and why. I think I have given pretty much the same answers for my motivations over the years but the descriptions do vary at times. This may be one of those times. I generally say that I wanted a forum to be heard and that is always true. But it is also a lifeline into reality for me. I write about what is bothering me or exciting me. I am not much of a closed book. So being that way I feel the need to share my thoughts in ways that are sometimes remarkable but more traditionally average and presenting nothing extraordinary.<br /> Presenting the ordinary is what I do best it seems but I try to find ways for others to see that although ordinary the ideas are certainly important. How we prioritize our concerns and hopes for the present and future. I always seem to bring up that we are a species that is much focused on our own situations within society. Which I as well am prone to be a lot of the time. However there is another part of us that needs focus as well and that is how we live within our own manufactured living frameworks. How our emotions and thoughts are intertwined with all around us and need to be expressed in ways that allow us to feel apart of each other in our society of human beings and other living species'.<br /> We are all not separate islands within a chain of islands. We are instead pieces of the same world, locked together, much like infinite pieces fitting together to make an existential jigsaw puzzle. The sooner we are in harmony with a concept of togetherness the sooner we will all find that life is more joyful and happy to pursue than presently only for some. I suppose I have given this same message many times and in many different ways, yet it is a message that is more forgotten than remembered. If our leaders are not promoting harmony and togetherness then they should never be allowed to be our leaders. Those of us who remain steadfast in this approach implore the rest to join us to make our reality the better and best of its possibilities.Man of Hopehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08665669101359411974noreply@blogger.com0