(#5081) Fresh start to a new year

     Today is the end of a tumultuous year that was/is a mixed bag of positives and negatives. Politically we democrats lost the House but held the Senate. They, the pundits, keep saying that America wants divided government but that is a lie. What the republicans did in many states was to gerrymander districts so that they could steal House seats and was why the republicans narrowly won the house. Without gerrymandering the House would still be under democratic control. But the key takeaway here from the last election is that overall republicans are a mess and are starting to being seen as a mess.
     Economically The devastating effects of the Covid infections are slowly unwinding and our supply lines are getting back to somewhat normal operations. We are also able to get out into the public square more frequently albeit still with some preventative Covid precautions. Our workforce is working its way back and spending is calming down on essential items. Unemployment is way down and the cost of living increases, because of reactionary inflation overreaches, are tailing off and prices are starting to drop, namely fuel costs for example. There is much work left to be done in our economy but it is at least going in the correct direction.
     As to our society, the damage done by an over zealous right wing supreme court is still lingering and may still have some deplorable outcomes in the new future. I am worried somewhat that the newly elected majority of republicans in the House will be unable to coalesce around protecting rights that the out of touch right wing majority on the supreme court is eager to deny. Yet that is still questionable. The putin led invasion of Ukraine is going badly for Russia and that is good because nowhere in the world should any tyrant be having success against freedom loving peoples. All in all this coming year is going to be less a disaster thanks to strong democratic voting turnout and good people who occupy those democratic seats.

(#5080) 6,020 dead Russian soldiers in Ukraine over the last 10 days

      As you can easily tell, over 600 Russian soldiers are dying per day over the last 10 days. It is just incredible to me that the Russian people are letting this happen to their sons. 105,250 dead Russian soldiers since last February 24th. Can you even imagine the toll this is taking on the Russian society? I can't and yet it will be another mass slaughter of Russian soldiers for the foreseeable future because putin and his kremlin allies are so full of themselves to think that they can sustain this and still win the invasion of Ukraine. This to me is the greatest mass slaughter of one's own soldiers I could have imagined happening.
     Surely there were despots in previous centuries that ordered their fighting men into the hopeless fire of death to sate their own egos on a similar scale but to be witnessing it now is incredibly horrific given the means and modes of information available in an enlightened world. Yet the few varied pockets of tyrannical rule in the world are proving to be just as callous as their long forgotten infamous predecessors. In times like this I am a stalwart hard man who will fight to protect the better and best of who we are but even I am shocked at the level of condescension that putin has for his fellow countrymen. How many more young Russian soldiers will be killed in Ukraine before putin is stopped? Will he sacrifice his whole country?
     The Russian people need to be more than they are showing. They have long held a pride in themselves that is now being exposed as folly. They are willingly letting their tyrant ruler destroy their lives for the sake of putin's ego. The Ukrainian people are not going anywhere yet the Russian people seem to think they deserve Ukraine. One of these things will not happen and as it now stands the Russian people are the real losers. Not only are they going to lose in trying to capture Ukraine but they are going to lose even more in blood. A whole generation of Russian men is being wiped off the face of the Earth and the fathers and mothers of those young men don't seem to care. How sad for the Russian society but at this point there is no remorse coming from them.

(#5079) The rain is here for awhile :)

      This morning is a real fine morning because of the rain. We here in the capitol city of Sacramento California, have been like most cities in California, in drought like conditions for what is arguably like a decade. So sitting here early in the morning listening to the medium to heavy rain hit the flat roof of my house is exquisite. Last spring I had a new TPO roof material replace the old patch work tar roof on my house and it is working beautifully. I also was fortunate to have all the leaves come off my trees and during the last lull in rain, got them all raked up and ready for binning. So the rain this morning, which is supposed to last for about a week is nothing but relaxing for me without much worry.
     What is even better than the rain hitting my roof is the snow that will be coming down in the higher elevations. We so need our snow pack to increase because that snow this spring will melt and fill our reservoirs and upper lakes. This drought has been squeezing our water supply but now it will have a bit of pressure released from that squeeze. Heavy rains that are forecast are here and just sitting back and watching the rain come down is more than entertainment it is a lifeblood infusion. This is the type of rain I remember as a younger person growing up here in Sacramento and that we have at least one year where we have this again is refreshing.
     So many of the recent years have been devoid of rain for the late fall and winter period. Not this year as we are now worried a bit about flooding more than drought at the moment. But the flooding will be minimal if at all so really this altogether is truly positive. America needs California to be a successful in growing fruits, nuts, and vegetables for America's needs and the worlds. We are a tech savvy state but we need our farmers and cities to get behind policies that are efficient and smart water management investment. We all need the water so becoming enlightened in our approach to water will equate the water to a more precious hierarchy and allow us to revel when the rain and snow is coming down hard and for longer periods.

(#5078) Ukrainians and Americans are in tune

      There is no perfect society with a perfect population. Nor is there an ally that is perfectly aligned. Yet with Ukraine and America their is a harmonic balance that is seamless. We both see protecting democracy the one principle worth dying for. We Americans have a long history of giving our lives for a greater good, exemplified by Nathan Hale in our Revolutionary War, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." In that stirring pronouncement at his hanging by the British for being an American spy, Hale typifies a spirit that cannot be tempered. The Ukrainian army is of that same spirit.  A relentless push to stop an invasion whose purpose is to eliminate Ukraine from the map.
     Since the outset of this putin invasion that has shown the worst of the diseased nature coming from the kremlin, Ukraine has not blinked an eye. That was symbolized by the brave Ukraine guardsmen on Snake Island who now famously told Russia to go fuck itself. Such was the effect at that time at the beginning of the invasion that the Russian warship actually withdrew after it had demanded that the guardsmen surrender. That fighting spirit to sacrifice ones own life for an ideal that is greater than themselves is what we are seeing from Ukraine everyday. Know this though, the United States is a partner in this that is not visible to the world. We are more than allies we are Ukraine as well.
     The rest of the world though is seeing the magnificent defense and offense that Ukraine is forcing on Russia and even the rest of the world can see Russia is about to lose in Ukraine. Because the Russian army is no match for the spirit of the Ukrainian army. Often demoralized and under equipped, Russian soldiers are not fighting for anything noble, Instead they are forced to fight against a superior force and cannot but help to know they are not long for this world. Yet their alternatives are to be forced to fight or be branded as traitors. It is sad that the Russian people cannot stop their dictator from killing them but that is the difference between living in a democracy and living under a dictator. Democracies inspire, while tyrants demoralize!

(#5077) I won't be posting on facebook for the next 30 days

      I won't be posting on facebook for at least the next 30 days according to the message I have been given by them. I reposted a comment on another persons page that was this. "Kyiv sending message to PUTIN we are bombing your military bases & Engels air base ….. we can hit MOSCOW soon". I can see how this may be seen as a threat to someone or someplace yet in the context of war it is not something to be censored. Yet facebook cannot distinguish between a war time post and a peace time post. I had a previous run in with facebook about the issue of the word b o m b but it seems that I didn't remember that. so here I am gratingly irritated that facebook continues to censor without redress.
     If I were a politician I would be after facebook to reorganize it's censoring algorithm and employ more people to mitigate appeals. I have to be able to speak the truth of things without having to tippy toe around "words" that are within the bounds of describing wartime actions. That facebook is making a real attempt to stifle free speech with little care as to how they do it is bothersome and unconstitutional in my viewpoint. I have no intent to harm or invoke such only to relay information that is relevant to our current events. To shut ones eyes to reality because of a fear of something else is to undermine solutions and creative thought.
     This post is my rant about the 30 day suspension and although I could care less about not being on facebook in this moment it is important to stand up against them for being careless at best or outright dastardly at worst. I will over the next 30 days look into other platforms for my discussions and if I find an outlet that is convenient and less unappreciative of my search for truth and voicing it within bounds of the context of it then I will move to a better place than facebook.

(#5076) More pressure on putin

      The Ukrainian forces are not relenting. They are on the attack and may soon find themselves with a retaking of Kreminna and holding the line at Bakhmut. With a Ukrainian victory in Kreminna the likelihood that Ukraine will then pivot north to reacquire a large swath of land seems logical. Especially if Russia takes a pause as expressed in this video link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZgeGBnq4bg. What all of this says to date is that Russia is in trouble as their failed attempt to retake Bakhmut indicates. They don't have the resources to resupply their efforts to plan offensives so their default position for now is to manage their coming losses.
     As the invasion continues to lose land that putin had secured in 2014, the pressure mounts on his ability to convince his kremlin allies he is the tyrant for the job. Yet tyrants who do not win at war are not suffered for long. However putin seems to have some stranglehold on the dangerous dissent that could plan his ouster. But near nothing is 100% so we shall see. Ukraine on the other hand is bolstered by the supplies it is getting and the morale of her troops who seem to have that invincible characteristic embedded into the DNA. They push on without missing a beat and seem to have the greater will when it comes to this murderous invasion by putin.
     Again, watch this short video to get the gist of what is happening in real time and the possibilities that may occur, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZgeGBnq4bg. Ukraine is ready to put the Russian invasion on its heels and with some good fortune and relentless force Ukraine may be ready to deliver a knockout punch to putin and his lackeys in the kremlin. The sooner this hard Ukrainian military push is accomplished the sooner Ukraine can return to its national consolidation and rebuilding. Kicking the Russians out of all of Ukraine is not that unreasonable to hope for when they are mighty in their advance toward all their historic borders with Russia.

(#5075) No holiday in Ukraine

      Many in the world are taking time today to celebrate whatever their faith and beliefs dictate. However in Ukraine the taking of time to celebrate is tempered with an armed push to remove an invader from their country. There is no peace in Ukraine today. Good people being bombed and shot at is their reality not sitting around a tree in the safety of gift giving excitement. In Ukraine the urgent need for shelter, power, water, and food is what most hope for not some fancy car or new pair of the latest shoes. Not being a target of an ego driven tyrant whom has solidified his place in the notorious hall of shame, is there wish. Seeing their children go without is not their dream for their present and future.
     But what they can expect is to fight. Fight with all their hearts and minds to maintain their democracy and show the world that no one, not putin, nor any tyrant, can remove their pride in being self governing Ukrainians! It is hard for me to sit here in the comfort of my home and feel the daily Ukrainian pain. It is hard for me to sit here in my home and enjoy peace when peace is being denied by a Russian tyrant and his cabal in the kremlin. Even too large a part of the Russian people are to blame for siding with their tyrannical leader. So this christmas morning while the world is practicing a day of giving to each other I find that less impressive when innocent lives are being taken in Ukraine.
     Some try to tell me that I should just enjoy the holiday despite the troubles of the world. But I am not one to disassociate realities. All things occur in the present at the same time so trying to ignore one reality in favor of another is not logical. Until we stop the tyrants from waging wars we will never know peace. So fighting against tyranny is our duty! If we shirk our duty then we shirk our ethics and principles. There can be no pride in our way of life if we cannot stand for the best of who we are and fight to maintain that virtue. No holiday in Ukraine today but they are fighting to have one next year.
     

(#5074) Joe Biden is unequivocally the world leader!

     Watching what President Biden has done domestically over these past 2 years with the slimmest majorities in the House and Senate has been a welcome surprise. He has forged alliances with republicans where possible and herded his own party to pass most of his legislation. Domestically, he brought us out of the Covid pandemic with little residue to harm us. Most of us are now inoculated thanks to President Biden. We were also helped along financially through government stimulus payments that helped bridge the gap in our interrupted economy. We also saw student loan relief for millions of Americans.
     The expansion of health care and the child tax credits were at the time crucial to many millions whom at the time would otherwise have fallen even harder from the effects of a halted economy. Joe Biden has stepped up to help where he could short of republicans and two democrats in Congress holding him back. But another paradigm where Joe has lead without doubt is the situation that arose when putin, unprovoked, attacked Ukraine. He also set China straight on the fate of the island nation of Taiwan that sits about 100 miles of the coast of China. Taiwan's sovereignty will be protected from Chinese thoughts of expansion there.
     As to Ukraine, Joe Biden has been steadfast and unrelenting in defending and protecting Ukraine short of American troops on the ground and some highly sophisticated weaponry that has yet to be agreed to being delivered to Ukraine. Joe has been walking a tightrope in that respect as he does not want putin's murderous invasion to spill over into a likely world war. So far so good and with the fighting spirit exemplified in the most excellent way by Ukrainian armed forces a victory over putin is now becoming the consensus for Ukraine. Driving putin and his demoralized forces back into Russia may well be achieved in the next few months. Thanks to Joe Biden and his take no bullshit approach from anyone.

(#5073) Science brings me to life!

      I am laughing to myself thinking about how dull my life would be if I just ignored all that associates with science. I am a being of compassion and curiosity and although my emotions are important my real zest and thirst for life emanates from my need to know. Know all that I am able to process in my antiquated computer like mind. My memory is still good although not as quick to recall as when I was a younger man. As to the consistency of my recall it is still well enough. For those who have given up on learning new and exciting things I can only say how sorry I am that you would stop living in the here and now and have given into slipping toward the past as a safe harbor.
     Fear is to be respected but only as a caution. Not as the impetus to stop living while you are still breathing. I am no wise man nor some version of a foreteller, but I do know what life is like for me. It is an immense and vast opportunity to know the why of what existence is. I will have plenty of time to understand not being alive once that occurs. If possible I will approach not being alive the same way as I do while I am actually alive. Until then existence for me is a journey of evolving into all that is possible within this existence. No truth can be dispelled because it is inconvenient or abuts against any chosen hoped for imagining I may wish for.
     I am most alive when all my bodily sensors are activated and that can only happen when my current state of knowing is enhanced. The breakthrough in nuclear fusion, the pictures from Mars, The Internet, these are all examples of mind blowing paradigms that have occurred in my lifetime and now rock the hell out of my core. See how that works? Activating the life of our cores is the key to living alive instead of giving into the slow process of our neutered demise. Inertia to exist and grow must never leave our personal operating systems. We are the master biological probes that cannot be found anywhere else in the universe. Each of us is an amazing individual of mystery and development. How we choose to exist is more important than anything else within time and space.

(#5072) Zelenskyy and his speech

      The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, yesterday spoke in front of a bipartisan, bicameral gathering in the House of Representatives last evening. For me it was emotional as I have been a fierce advocate of his since his first run ins with the disgraced ex American president trump. Since then he has only done more to raise my esteem for him. He is an inspiration to all the civilized world for his representation of the spirit of Ukrainian defiance in the face of overwhelming invasive Russian atrocities. He was speaking to the world from that forum last night in our nation's capital. There was no mincing of words in letting us know that the horror of reality today rests on the shoulders of putin.
     In doing so he evoked our own struggle for independence and defense of democracy throughout the last 246 years. President Zelenskyy reminded us last night of our victory at Saratoga, New York in 1777 in the Revolutionary War and how that one battle turned the tide toward American democracy. Then he reminded us of the 1944 Battle of the Bulge in Belgium, and how that epic defense in the Ardennes Forest during a very cold winter turned back the last attempt by hitler to win World War II. Like what Ukraine is doing now in the cold winter fighting in and around the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in the Donetsk (Oblast=region). The parallel is eerily similar and with that similarity President Zelenskyy drove home the bond that both our nations share.
     For those of us who are a bit OCD it was somewhat hard listening to a man speak in a less than perfect English language. but as it is not his native tongue he will be excused for any minor errors. Because the gist of his speech was its power. The defense of democracy against the cruelty of a tyrant. These themes are not new to we Americans and resonate with clarity. Our own history of having fought and dying for them, even on foreign soils, is well documented. President Zelenskyy was able to highlight the courage of the Ukrainian people during this most atrocious time while also pleading with us to continue helping them stave off the murderous putin. He also thanked us for what we have already done. A balanced speech of heroic accomplishments that we both share.

(#5071) Ukraine Ukraine Ukraine!

      Tomorrow at this time I will be writing about how more than 100,000 young Russian troops have died in Ukraine. As of today the number is 99,740. Since more than 400 Russian troops have been by average dying every day for the last several weeks it is most likely that tomorrows numbers will push the overall beyond 100,000. Think about that number for a moment. Filling up the Rose Bowl with 100,000 young men and then realizing that they are not alive any more is surreal. All because putin the tyrant wants to control the world. If you think about the "only" 58,200 American troops who died in Vietnam over an 8 year period, you begin to see how callous putin is toward his own people.
     These Russian troop deaths are as of today been done in 300 days. In 300 days about 334 Russian troops have died per day on average. I don't know if the Russian society can keep up this pace of sacrificing their young generation for much longer. I mean a whole Russian generation is losing its ability to continue the cycle of births that Russians need to keep their society intact. Not only that the young work force that is being slaughtered through putin's egomaniacal invasion will hamper Russia in its economy and in its evolvement to fresh and new ideas. What putin is doing is not only harming the Ukrainian society but it is devastating the Russian one as well.
     I hear that putin is trying to conscript another 200 thousand plus army to continue the attack on the sovereign nation of Ukraine. After tomorrow the losses will continue for Russia and then what will be left of young men in Russia? Ukraine is never going to buckle to putin and putin is dead set against withdrawing and admitting defeat. So more young Russians will die and more harm will come to the Russian society on so many levels. The only way for this madness of putins to stop is for those around him to stop him. Otherwise the next 100,000 dead young Russian soldiers will be on their way to early graves.

(#5070) 3 lives saved at different times in my life

     The first life I saved was in the town Twenty Nine Palms. I was sitting at the bar in the enlisted men's club on the military base on a Saturday morning having an early cocktail when a bunch of my fellow Marines came into the bar and urged me to head back out into town. They said one of our friends was going to commit suicide because he got a Dear John letter and it broke him up bad. So I told the bartender to keep my drink for when I got back. So off we went into town and when we got there they all stood back and pointed where he was through the front door. I went in and he was at the end of the hall with a M-16 pointed under his chin. I spent a few minutes coming closer to him while talking him down from doing what he was trying to do. He did eventually give me the rifle and then I was taken back to my barstool to finish my drink. None of us mentioned this to anyone in authority.
     The second one was when I was walking home in Sacramento late at night on Marconi Avenue approaching Watt Avenue. I heard a man screaming to "stop her, she's trying to commit suicide" several times. I looked over and a woman was running diagonally from my path toward the fast traffic on Marconi. So I immediately took off to cut off her path. I was in a full sprint when I tackled her on the sidewalk not 5 feet from a lane of traffic. She was somewhat hysterical but I held onto her until she stopped struggling. I told the guy who caught up to us to stay back because she was screaming for him to stay back. He did and by then the police, who must have been near or called showed up and told me to keep on going and they would handle things. I left and felt somewhat dismissed without even being able to tell them what had just happened.
     The third time was in the Arizona desert at the Lakeshore project at the Hecla Mine on the Pima Reservation. I was on my initial third day of a 7 day rotation. I was deep in the mine about 1 mile under ground. I was working with a sledge hammer breaking up boulders so that they could slip through the heavy metal grates to fall down toward the crusher at the bottom of the mine. An unexpected nearby explosion happened and since I was down there alone in my area I didn't know what happened. Until an old miner came rushing past me and motioned me to follow him to search for a trapped miner. Down the shaft we went until I stopped at one of several undercuts and began digging with my fingers until to my shock I discover the bottom of a boot. I dug ferociously until I and by then several other miners helped me free the trapped miner. He was badly injured but did recover.

(#5069) Last day of High School 1973 and two pranks

      So last day of high school at Norte Del Rio in Sacramento, I was the only one in Mr. Thomas's science class because it was an off period for him. So I take the skeleton out of the display case and put it in Mr. Thomas's chair at his desk. I also take his windbreaker that was on the back of the chair and put it on the skeleton. For the final finish I waited until I could see Mr. Thomas walking down the hall toward his classroom before lighting a Marlboro red cigarette in the skeleton's clinched teeth. I quickly shifted myself out of the window but not before Mr. Thomas called my name as I slid out. I slowly walked back around to the front door of the classroom where Mr. Thomas was waiting to give me an admonishment lets call it. So he then marched me down to the principals office where he was going to tell the principal to hold my graduation. On the way there though I was really worried so I pleaded with Mr. Thomas while truly explaining that it was just a respectful prank on my part albeit disrespectful prank as he explained he viewed it. About halfway there he stopped and actually laughed and said get out of here with a smile. he pranked me right back didn't he? All throughout my schooling from Kindergarten on I had great teachers. They were not my friends but they were kind and friendly. They didn't treat any of us different nor did they treat us as special. The whole of my life has been centered on what and how I was taught both by my teachers and my parents. I was a lucky soul to have had people as teachers who not only cared about what they were teaching but in how they successfully got the gist of the lessons out to the vast majority of us.

(#5068) Remembering my Mom this morning

      A particular life lesson I learned from Joanne Hall my Mom was to never pull the trigger on a gun when it was aimed at someone. Even toy guns. So when I was 16 and feeling high from partying with a classmate of mine on a weekend we had a pistol in his house playing around with it. It was loaded but we removed the clip as it was an old German luger type pistol. What we discovered afterward was that just because the clip is removed a round is still in the chamber. Talk about learning something the hard way.
     Well I had the pistol in my hand and aimed it at my friend Carl's head while he was laying on the couch. I put it up close to his head within a foot or so and almost pulled the trigger. But I remembered in that moment my Mom saying don't! So I didn't. Well Carl, same name as mine, took the pistol from me and I went to sit 20 feet or so away at the end of the hallway where the house phone was and called our friend Patricia to see if she knew where any parties were. Sitting there against the wall on the floor talking to Pat, Carl did aim the pistol at my head but he didn't have my Mom's warning not to pull the trigger pop up into his head.
     Well Carl was not a bad shot it seems as he only missed above my head by about 2 inches. So Mom saved me from a manslaughter charge and again I was lucky not to be dead or maimed badly because Carl was not a great shot. All within about 2 or 3 minutes. A life lesson that was crucial to that 16 year old me. That memory of my Mom intervening in my life when she wasn't even there is probably the most clear example of just how much she influenced my life. I wasn't a bad kid back then but circumstances were somewhat out of my control. Mom saved me from a totally different confined life that was a hairbreadth away from happening.

(#5067) My phone protocol

      I am just fine not hearing my phone ring but when I do if I don't know the number I don't answer it. If there is a voicemail left then good because I will listen to that but if not then what likely will happen is I will block the number from calling me again. In this day and age of marketing and donation solicitation I have no tolerance for unsolicited approaches. My phone to me is for my personal use and emergencies for the most part. Like I just said though, if I get a message from someone who needs to speak to me about something related to me then I will return the call or if a past acquaintance wants to reenter my life then that may be worthy of returning a call depending upon the message.
     But with so much marketing and solicitation going on I have no seconds of my life to waste on them. I give where I can and shop as needed. I don't need to be prompted into opening my already slim wallet for others who don't know my personal economic limitations. Sometimes there are emergencies that I need to address but at my choosing and not on some others timing. It is rare to have someone other than anyone I know contact me about an emergency but it does happen and even more rare since it hasn't happened that an emergency so time sensitive won't allow me to hear a voicemail first before returning a call.
     I suppose I am trying to say that not every phone call has to be answered. Nor does every phone call need to be returned. I don't set my stock in life waiting for phone calls. I am too busy otherwise and my limited time left is valuable. I am not one to chit chat as a necessity. Honestly I don't care what happens in the day to day lives of others but I do care about them being able to function in life to do what they want. Our own pursuit of happiness isn't contingent on whether we answer the phone but instead on whether we are happy in our pursuit. I don't answer my phone if I don't know the number and that makes me happy. :)

(#5056) Application of real time nuclear fusion energy will take time

      I am 67 years old now and if by some luck of the draw I survive to 90 years old I may be able to see a public demonstration of fusion energy in my home. That is the approximate time frame prospect of moving from the successful test to prove nuclear fusion can work to a working infrastructure that can accommodate it. Such is the case with new technologies. They require a lot of trial and errors in order to refine themselves into every day paradigms. I am still excited that the initial test to prove greater clean energy can be created from lesser clean energy has succeeded but I know that starting from the foundation up takes time to build an effective usable model.
     However, the response the scientific community will have on this subject should multiply exponentially and with the world now as excited as we are at the prospect of advancing from this first step is cataclysmic. Maybe within the next 10 to 15 years we will see real world applications. Like the scientist at the coming out announcement stated, they are hiring! Which means that young minds now have a subject of immense curiosity to focus their careers on. That is what it will take for a generational advancement on this technology to rapidly come about. I stated at learning of the first nuclear fusion test that this is the greatest scientific achievement of my lifetime. And that is saying a lot.
     The ability to create more clean energy from less clean energy is astounding. For me it is almost an impossibility that has now become possible. As much a physical law to be broken and can now be redefined. I know the concept has always been available to witness every time we see a new sunrise and feel its warmth but to actually emulate that process is evolutionary. First to our societies here on earth the ability to clean our planet is paramount but not any less significant is what it will allow us to do in outer space. Being able to power our explorations with propulsion and maintenance advancements is as well doable. https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/nuclear-technology-set-to-propel-and-power-future-space-missions-iaea-panel-says.

(#5065) The daily trudge

      This is how many see life. Not very inspiring when starting the day off is somewhat a downer. Yet pushing or being pulled ahead is the only way I know how to get out of the trudge. When I was younger even then I felt the weight of life on my shoulders but at least I had my youth with the vigor and hubris that provided to dream big dreams for my life. Now that I am older it is harder to motivate myself without much of a future left to live. So how do I do it? I look beyond the trudge and remember that many of my contemporaries are not here any longer. I figure I am lucky to still draw breath. I move beyond the trudge by default I guess. I will take it.
     There are so many who have pretty much given up on living with a hope that it is sad and demoralizing. Not for me. I still feel the weight of the the world but not as an incumbrance but as a duty. Even if it makes life hard the living of life needs to go on. We get to be alive only one time in this existence so taking every minute it offers and being a force for the better and best is the only path to take. This may sound somewhat optimistically philosophical and in general it is part of it but not the gist of it. I am a person who accepts reality for all its positives and negatives. I don't steer my life away from the good and bad of it. I accept it and will work hard within it to not only survive but to thrive.
     So trudge or not the attitude I bring into my daily life exceeds the gravitational and emotional forces pulling me down. We live a long life and in that living we make relationships that are important to us. When time takes those relationships from us we often may become so full of despair we forget that life is not our choice, it was given to us with the hard truth of limited time and space. When we keep seeing the overall picture we can get past our heartbreaks and disappointments to continue to live with a purpose and a zeal. My daily trudge is only temporary when it hits because I remember that I am not done living out all my opportunities.00

(#5064) Russian soldiers are dying at increasing rates in Ukraine

      Since December 11th, 2,260 Russian soldiers have been killed in Ukraine. So for the last four days, starting December 11th with 320 Russian soldiers dying. Then December 12th with 620 dying and then December 13th with 500 dying and now today, with 740 dying a pattern of deaths equaling 565 on average over four days is occurring. The total deaths of Russian soldiers in the Ukrainian invasion by Russia is now at 96,000 dead Russian soldiers. It is unfathomable to many of us that Mother Russia is allowing it's youth to be destroyed all for the propagandist ego of it's current tyrant putin.
     At this rate the death toll of Russian soldiers will be over 100,000 in less than 10 days time. Can you picture a mass column of young Russian soldiers obliterated from life because putin has an ego larger than their right to exist? Ukraine posed no threat to Russia and had even bent over backwards to appease Russia. But instead of being respectful of Ukrainian sovereignty putin wanted to destroy them for not wanting to become subservient to Russian hegemonic ambitions. Nearly 100,000 dead Russian young men. A whole generation of Russian lives that will now never have a chance to pursue any happiness.
     All because an ego riddled tyrant could not stop his addiction to power. Sounds eerily similar to the want-to-be-tyrant here in the USA. But in the case of Russia's tyrant, the fodder of young men is/are continuing to being heaped upon the altar of death for his pleasure. Russia has made the mistake of testing the resolve of Ukraine, that was their first mistake. The second and ongoing mistake Russia made was not cutting their losses and stopping the death march for their dwindling youth population. Now, not only will Ukraine wrest further away from the Russian grip but other regions in Europe will be emboldened to follow Ukraine's lead. How many more Russian youth must be liquidated before the ego of putin has evaporated?

(#5063) Nuclear fusion is becoming a reality

      I cannot tell you how happy I was to see that a breakthrough in nuclear fusion occurred just recently. Today it was announced by Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm that a necessary ground breaking achievement of gaining more energy from a lesser amount of energy. The implications of this first step of creating power is enormous. The first and foremost positive is that we may well be on our way within a decade of having a nuclear fusion reactors capable of powering our clean energy needs. There is much to be done with creating structures that capture this new breakthrough but the hard work to get a workable process going is now paramount among scientific minds.
     I have said this here in my past blog posts that we humans are an amazing species. We are able to gather information, analyze that information, reason that information and then conclude some logic from it. Our minds are like data processing centers and as such have allowed us to emulate our minds and create computers with memory links. our physical abilities have also been translated into operational mechanical and yes biological machinery that increases our capacity of force and magnitude. We are not to be discounted in this Universe as anything less than stellar. Our human condition is a magnificent one and with the step out into nuclear fusion we will again show existence that we are not insignificant.
     Science and logic with common sense has been our enlightened hallmark paradigm. We don't always get it correct the first time but we do bend toward the better and best of what we discover. The possibility now of changing our climate back to a healthy one is immeasurable. From clean air and water to ease of function and space travel. The unlimited possibilities are now within reach of our species. What may be lacking now in curiosity and educational advancement will now begin to change. We have a brilliant future to advance because nuclear fusion will change everything for the better. If you are not as motivated as I am I understand but know this, with nuclear fusion, our minds will for the good never be the same.

(#5062) The final push

      Now is the time to end the putin invasion of Ukraine. The Russians on the battlefield are demoralized and unprepared for cold weather fighting. With nearly 100,000 Russian troops liquidated so far the newly resupplied Russian troops are often undersupplied and ill trained to stand up to the fighting spirit displayed by the much more prepared Ukrainian forces. The sanctions by the west are starting to hit the Russian economy as well so the unrest inside Russia is growing. There are also devastating military targeted strikes by Ukraine and the Russian opposition to putin inside Russia that is starting to take a toll on the resources of Russia's tyrant putin.
     The western nations who are allied with Ukraine are now seeing the advantage of letting Ukraine bravely and courageously defend itself from a stronger position. Giving Ukraine the necessary armaments to take the attack to the invaders is not only logical but necessary in order to stop the indiscriminate death putin is reining down on that part of the world. Waring is an awful thing but putin decided that he wanted to exterminate the Ukrainian people from the face of the Earth so it is by no means a stretch of the imagination that Ukraine would want to make putin know that such an extreme decision on the part of putin must be met and exceeded with like force.
     Which means that Ukraine must now become the aggressor and take the battle to the insulated war mongers in the kremlin. There is no other way to end this madness of putin since no one inside the Russian hierarchy has the courage to stop putin from his ego driven death march on Ukraine. We in the west must be allies in the true sense of the word with Ukraine and let them fight without them having one hand tied behind their backs. Ukraine is in dire need of air capabilities that would turn this invasion of putin into a rout of putin. We must give Ukraine the needed capabilities to do just that without hesitancy. Ukraine deserves our best and we in the west need to step it up and give it to them!

(#5061) Ukraine must strike Russia hard!

      This invasion by putin has been like a slow trickle of death and to stop it the Ukrainians must hit Russia hard where it counts. Unlike Russia, Ukraine doesn't need to be a war criminal nation and hit Russian civilians. Instead Ukraine can concentrate their hard hit on hard targets of the Russian military complex. Taking out the command and control stations within Russia are viable objects and the sooner that occurs the sooner we get to the point where something has to be done. I am not worried about putin threatening nuclear war. Because threats are just tactics. If putin were to use nukes he wouldn't threaten, he would just fire away.
     So putting the powers that be in a vise is the obvious solution to this murderous invasion by putin. Making the psycho putin put up or shut up should be the strategy. Letting his invasion drag out over many months is needless and a callous cowardly strategy. Put all the chips in and make this madness end. I know that the fear of nuclear war is in the back of everyone's mind but the hell with that fear. Face the current reality like bold warriors and make the upstart fool putin pay for his crimes! We cannot influence how putin will react to our defending the sovereignty of Ukraine, all we can do is control our part and that part is to make putin pay hard!
     Whatever it takes to reimagine how this invasion is being defended must be implemented. The world needs to see how democracy is defended and how the criminals are punished. That putin has given us this test is on us not him! Go after Russia like it needs to be conquered because that is exactly what they are doing to Ukraine. There are no half measures that will work when dealing with a selfish despicable tyrant. It is all or nothing. So make the move to punish Russia hard and then follow that up with more punishing Russia hard until they cry uncle because they will not resort to putin's threats. But in the chance that they did the world would end Russia and then recover from any damage the tyrant may inflict.

(#5060) We are not just boomers, we are now the boomer/orphans

      Most all of us are now orphans. It dawned upon me several weeks after my last biological parent died. Now some of us were lucky in a sense to have a step parent. That would be me so I am still not technically an orphan since my step father of 60 years is still alive and kicking. Yet for most others like me, literally, we have lost are parents to time and space. Those of us who encompass the boomer generation are not babies anymore we are who are parents were. There is no more crying on the shoulder of our elders like most of us have done so being the parent instead of the child is not any option anymore.
     I know this must come across as a bit callous and insensitive yet reality is just that. It takes no course change in its conclusion. We are for the most part orphans at an older age and regardless it is still stings. I wish my parents were still here but time and space is not something we can manipulate. So for all of us it is time to start acting like the adults in the room and be the caretaker of our younger ones. I have no children of my own but that doesn't change my responsibility to make every child's life better where I can. We boomer/orphans must be an example of what is good in life and not what is wrong with life. We are in the last stage of our being existential so leaving this world better than when we came to it is our manifest destiny.
     Then joys and pains we have appreciated and endured in our lifetimes are our foundation for deciding how to be a better person going forward. I have had some successes that made me an optimist while I have had many failures that taught me to do things differently. I, like most of us, have formed a bit of a wisdom about what is good in life and what isn't. So steering the young toward the good in life requires us to see life and our society in a different light. We all need to have the concept of what could have helped us in life that we can now advocate for. We need freedom of opportunity for all and equality for all and that is still not what we have today. So there is a starting point. Now just find your niche where you can advocate for things that improve instead of diminish you boomer/orphans.

(#5059) Arizona's sinema sucker punches democrats

      The evolution of kyrsten sinema into a corporatist is complete however she could go further and even caucus with republicans. Yet she has stated that she won't. She has also stated she wants to keep her committee assignments with democrats. The thing is can we believe her? She started out as a valuable democratic member and then quickly morphed into a plaything for mitch mcconnell. just after securing the 51st senate seat a few days ago sinema plays this card to now make it a bit tougher for democrats to count on her vote. Registering now as an independent she will still vote for a majority of the democratic agenda but her switching parties does make it more difficult for democrats to hold her seat in 2024.
     She has been a bit of a social butterfly on the senate floor and now she is freed to do even more of that. Giving republican senators more attention than they deserve. It is just horrible that her unprincipled move is at a time when all things important to keeping our democracy alive is critical. She is selfish and dishonorable. I say that because the voters in Arizona believed she would be true to her word on progressive issues. Chief among them was protecting voting rights. Her absurd protection of a rights denying filibuster rule in the senate was the last straw for me and highlighted the need for her to be contested in the democratic primary in 2024.
     Well sinema has taken that likely primary challenge off the board for now as she won't be on any democratic candidate list in Arizona. If she does run for another term as an independent she will likely still lose but siphon off enough votes to damage a democratic victory, thus handing the republicans her seat. She has been a thorn in the side of her constituents and her democratic colleagues on the senate floor. What she has actually become is a corporatist who sees the world through financial gain for herself and the wealthy. Much like republicans so I suppose her not going full bore and committing to caucus with republicans is a bit of a silver lining, to date, but how can we ever trust her tomorrow? Boo on her!

(#5058) As trump is going down so must putin

      The day of ending trump's control is closer and closer and with it his ally in crimes putin is closing in on his deserves. Here in the USA we are not trying to put a bullet between trumps eyes but instead are working the courts to hold him accountable for his offences against our society. Not so in putin's case. That putin started a genocidal invasion and has been killing innocent Ukrainians at the daily rate of a mass murderer, you can understand the willingness of the Ukrainian forces to shoot back at putin with a deadly accuracy. However putin is stopped, the Ukrainians must stop putin by any means necessary to end the indiscriminate deaths of their own citizens. There is no court to try and convict putin while he is waging war so his demise is the only current alternative.
     Both of these two infamous characters are a scourge to our planet in tandem so their silencing is the only rational solution to conclude. We know as a scientific fact that when the body is attacked by a rogue element it must be addressed if the body is to survive. Same with the body politic, when a diseased rogue element is unleashed it must be reigned in to keep the body politic healthy. Our body politic in the US and in Europe is currently being infected by a diseased element so bringing on a solution as quickly as possible will allow our body politics to regain strength and operate less dangerously for too many innocent violated folks.
     Each era of our human history has these types who disrupt and harm with impunity unless we stop them. How we stop them is open for discussion but the actual stopping of them is not. There cannot be peace and opportunity when too many of us are under duress and grave threat. So with that in common both trump and putin have trod a path for themselves that requires both of them to be removed somehow so as to alleviate the rest of us from their power. The rest of us cannot endure their unending onslaught of ego driven psychosis nor should we. We the people in the US and Europe are not wilting flowers who shy away from doing the hard work of making a better world. We just need to get it done so that the better and best of us can lead us out of this current abhorrent reality.

(#5057) Raphael Warnock wins Georgia Senate special election

     As of this writing the Senate race in Georgia has gone to Raphael Warnock. The upside down of this race going to democrats is a sweet victory for those of us who want sanity in our political process. I say upside down because the state held offices in Georgia were not close for the republicans who won them. Which makes me wonder how this democratic victory was achieved. Simply put the republican candidate did not inspire the same level of commitment from the republicans in Georgia. Because when republicans in Georgia come out to vote they are still the majority block.
     But what I can glean from this dynamic is that although republicans did well enough to hold their state offices in the 2022 midterm election, they were not inspired enough to win this national race. Their national candidate had been less than stellar which opened the door for democrats, together with independents, to win this race. I think what is happening is that although Georgia is still more red than blue it is shading less so. In fact I expect by either the next cycle or the one just after that Georgia will begin showing its hue closer to blue than red. There were many blue voters in red counties that defied expectations and buttressed Senator Warnock's vote tally in the larger cities.
     To me the republican party is declining and although they won the state offices in Georgia by somewhat comfortable margins they are not inspiring new voters to their cause. The last of the die hard republican voters are beginning to becoming outnumbered by new younger voters who are more in tune with democratic policies than the division that republicans are narrating. For me this is the continuation of the blue wave that I have been sensing since the 2018 midterm. This last race of the 2022 election cycle has gone to democrats and it was accomplished in a still red state. Next years races in New Jersey and Virginia will go a long way toward exposing the momentum of our blue wave continuation heading into the 2024 presidential election.

(#5056) The sentimentality of our pasts

      A thought occurs to me about how I have lived my life with the notion of trying to explain it. The thought is jumbled because I cannot put myself into any consistent pattern that would allow for easy understanding. I have made mistakes and I have had successes. But to define my path is not easy for me. I am for the most part a good person by nature. I like to smile and share laughs. So in many senses I am an optimist. Even when the dark days of "what the fuck is happening around me" I still find a way to see the silver lining. I suppose I have an enduring spirit that will not quit easily. I am not perfect but surely I try to be much better than worse.
     The trouble with my thoughts at times is that they are not on a timeline that is simple. They jump around from different eras of my past. Like they try to categorize themselves with like memories from different eras of my life instead of staying in the same time frame. I often think of myself as a data processing organic being with probes to accumulate knowledge, a heart to care, and a mind to reason, analyze, and conclude with. But my computer like brain is not a consistent one, not faulty per se, but not altogether wired for brilliance. I do have moments but far and few between. Yet I seem to be able to remember and understand my actions and the consequences of them well enough.
     I also suppose that I am only having this reflective moment because I am getting older and nostalgia is dominating my present. I wish I could remember better all the actions of my life but when I can't I can rest assured that most of them were honorable and principled. But not all because when I was first starting out my life I was dependent and addicted to activities and events that were beyond my ability to control. I made my youthful mistakes and learned from them. Since those formative years my life is much less tumultuous and chaotic. Over time, good character and respect for others have been my companions and for that I and those who are in my life are grateful.

(#5055) Big day tomorrow

      As mail in ballots continue to come into the Georgia elections office the amount of early voters keeps increasing. This mornings totals overall so far are 1,868,127 early ballots collected. Around 1,500 mail in ballots have so far been rejected for some reason. Those rejected ballots are not part of the 1,868,127. In the just completed midterm election, more than 2.5 million votes were cast in the early voting session. With nearly 4 times as many days for early voting in the general election this special election performed exceptionally well. I still expect nearly 2 million voters to come out tomorrow on election day so the overall total from the midterm and this special election should be about the same turnout.
     Even if this special election turnout is significantly smaller it is safer to assume that there will be fewer republican voters casting ballots. For many reasons aa I have already covered in recent previous posts. The vote totals for Senator Warnock, the democrat, should be about the same. Still though nothing can be taken for granted. Even typing this post about what I think will occur tomorrow is being a bit naive about what could happen if we democrats take our foot off the pedal. We need to keep going full speed ahead until the last of the ballots have been accepted. From previous experience like in 2016, we know what happens when the electorate assumes who will win and doesn't bother to vote.
     The narratives have been set and the choices are being made. Although I still think this race should be an overwhelming victory for Senator Warnock the reality of just how illogical the republican voting block is makes for a more difficult outcome. Never in our American history has a major political party in our society embraced authoritarianism and racism like the current republican one. I am ashamed and angered by the direction the republican party has taken but it seems there are enough of those who will not see the truth of it and continue to support them even to their own disadvantage. I used to feel great about my generation but nowadays it is all I can do to keep from being disgusted with them.

(#5054) trump proved my point about too many republicans wanting to destroy democracy

      I have been saying for years that the republican party is about destroying democracy, one person one vote. That trump came out and said what he said about disqualifying our democracy so that he could retake power proves it. The republican party is not about preserving democracy because they know they cannot win the hearts and minds of our electorate. So their plan is and has been to tweak democracy around the edges to give them the most advantage through gerrymandering, dark money, and voter suppression tactics. Well that has not gone as well as they would have liked so now they through trump are calling for a do over on the 2020 election to the point where the results of that election are thrown out and trump is installed as president.
     I don't know how you justify that desire of his but there is no other conclusion than to realize it is a coup against our democracy. That trump already tried a coup during the certification process on January 6th 2021 is well established. So as to his next move to disband our democracy and make himself ruler through another form of a coup is easy to follow and without doubt. The republican party is still beholden to trump despite their protestations to the contrary. They still will not wholly disavow him as his perceived power is to big an obstacle for their own unprincipled lives. So behind him they still cower and what trump does is affirmed through implication since very few of them say not!
     The republican party is dying an ignoble death and trump is the leading cause of it. He didn't infect republicans with their core disease but he has brought it to the forefront for all to see it in its hideous form. The republican party needs to be exposed to the light of day so as to purify it. If not the putridity of republicanism will infect all those around it and make America not only a scourge but a target for those who would cleanse the Earth of vile and cancerous effects. We Americans have but one choice in the near future and that is to stop the republican march toward authoritarianism and make sure no tyrannical republican ever gets his foot in the door to destroy our democracy for their own pleasure.

(#5053) Over 1.8 million early voters in Georgia senate runoff

      The momentum from early voters is alive and well in this special election for the last Senate seat. I see any early vote as a more likely democratic one than republican one especially in such large numbers. Over 3.9 million voters cast ballots in the just completed Senate race in Georgia. So having 1.8 million votes already received by the Georgia election committee, foretells a total by the end of election day on December 6th of a similar November 8th voting electorate. It would not surprise me if 2 million or more Georgians vote on Tuesday December 6th. If so then the race is going to be tight but not too tight for several reasons. With both candidates the only ones on the ballot, a lack of interest by republicans will not draw as many votes for the republican candidate because of his trumpian stances.
     On the other hand the democrat will continue to draw his same voters from the just completed general midterm election. Because nothing has changed as to the desire to have him win this seat. Unlike with the republican who is a flawed man who was helped along by other republican candidates on the ballot on November 8th. On his own he doesn't inspire the same commitment of republican voters to put a lot of effort into his attempt to win this seat. As well the impetus to win the Senate is gone so the motivation to spend ones time giving to a man who will do little to change the outcome of the Senate majority is tempered.
     The republican candidate is not an example of someone who inspires others to be like him unless you consider his football efforts. Otherwise politically he is naive and misinformed at best. His devotion to trump is also a problem for him as trump has alienated the republican establishment in Georgia. He is also a mightily flawed human being with his life in general. Often negating his own message with his own actual lifestyle. As to the democrat he is a man of faith, which to many is a positive and he actually lives his life within that paradigm. He is also a man of integrity who is not afraid to speak truth to power. I don't usually try to give a prediction on close races like this one but in my mind the democrat should prevail in a way that upsets the close prediction expectation.

(#5052) Covid is under control, jobs are increasing, and gas prices going down

      This months jobs report was on par with the recovery President Biden initiated back when he became president. There is no comparison to the way our national economy has been operating since the end of the appointed trump. Instead of massive deaths caused by delays to combat Covid when trump was in charge, Covid is now under control except in those areas where trump supporters refuse to get vaccinated. If the foolish wish to continue to follow the advice of a conman then who are we to stop them after we have tried logic and common sense to protect them? The economy had lost 2,876,000 jobs under the entirety of the trump administration.
     President Biden on the other hand has added over 10 million new jobs in his first less than 2 years. The contrast couldn't be more clear in how President Biden used a strategy to put folks to work instead of the trump model to give tax breaks to the wealthy. As to the price of gas per gallon being Joe Biden fault let us remember that in 2020, trump made a deal with Saudi Arabia to cut the output of oil. So that started the price increases globally. Since the end of trump's term the price of gasoline had increased. Then the invasion of Ukraine by the tyrant putin put another strain on global petroleum availability. So to blame President Biden for the actions of trump and putin is seriously messed up!
     With jobs still increasing, despite inflation cutting measures by the Federal Reserve, and wage increases continuing, with gas prices still going down the future of our economy is brightening by the day. We are surely not there yet but the correct path forward is being taken. What will republicans do next to sabotage our economy I am not sure but we are not unaware of their motives to do so. They want an unsettled economy in the USA so that they have something to run on in 2024. Otherwise their messaging will only be about racist, misogynist division. President Biden is doing his best despite the less than patriotic help he is getting from too large a majority of republicans!

(#5051) December starting off as a wet one

      It was December 1st at 4:30 in the morning when I first heard the patter of rain on my houses roof. I am usually awake at about that time trying and failing to decide to sleep an extra hour. But instead after hearing that round of rain hitting the roof I got excited and quickly made my way up and at em. Rain for me is a salve to my soul. It lifts me up and makes me smile. I have been a Californian for the largest chunk of my life so I am well aware of our consistent desperate drought conditions. So any inkling of rain is a celebration within me that is not often comparable with much else these days.
     When I was young I loved the springs, summers, and falls for the hot weather and sunshine they afforded us here. I was often out being adventurous and always had a dark tan to show for my efforts. I am older now and have swung 180° toward loving the cold and consistent rain. As I said I spent much of my life here in California but some of my life up in Seattle and Fairbanks. So I got used to cold rainy, snowy days and came to appreciate their effects. Now that I am currently well situated back in my hometown of Sacramento, I yearn for those days of rain/snow, wind and cool temperatures. So this morning now for the last hour and a half the rain has been coming down and the night sky is keeping the temperature down.
     I know the world isn't about me but every now and then something I desire in a general way does come around. Such as these next several days of rainy weather. Over the last few days I anticipated this rain and got outside to clean up the last of the fallen leaves and organized my yard for the coming deluge of rain. I can stay inside now and only need to go outside to do daily necessary chores instead of hurried up forgotten tasks which always need to be done when rain is coming. No doubt as the temperatures are close to freezing here the mountain ranges will be getting supplied with many feet of snow. Good things happen here in California when the rain comes and the snow accumulates. Here is to a healthy storm of some lengthy duration. :)
     

(#5050) The importance of winning this Georgia special runoff Senate election

     As we are now halfway into the early voting for this Senate seat, it is obvious that the Georgia voters are well tuned to its importance. Early voting so far is very high with about 12% of eligible voters in Georgia having already turned in their early ballots. That is more than 833 thousand of the total 7 million eligible voters. It suggests that the turnout for this one seat election may well be on par with the turnout from the general election just concluded. If that is the case then it gives us democrats hope that Senator Warnock will be reelected. The smaller the turnout the better for republicans and their chances of retaking the seat. The larger the turnout increases democratic chances for holding the seat.
     When we get to the end of early voting at the end of this week we will at least see what trends are discernable. As to the importance of this senate seat it is in the number of democratic seats in the senate that will make things more or less likely to happen. We democrats currently have 50 senate seats and adding this one in makes for 51. We democrats also have 2 senators who often enough buck the policies and processes of democratic wishes but not always in tandem. With an extra senate seat we may be able to negate one disapproving senator while keeping the other intact. As well with a win in this special runoff election we democrats will keep our blue wave election momentum alive.
     That importance will show up in special elections that invariably occur to replace sitting house members who for many reasons cannot fulfill their 2 year terms. The importance will also be felt in next years 2 state elections in Virginia and New Jersey. Retaking the state houses in Virginia and holding seats in New Jersey will go a long way toward defining the narrative for the presidential election in 2024. But it all hinges on the holding of this democratic senate seat in Georgia. So this early vote enthusiasm is welcomed with open arms and for now portends good karma for a democratic hold. We shall see but I like how things are progressing with the Georgia electorate.

(#5049) Good Juju, democrats will lead from the minority in the House

      The dust has pretty much settled from the 2022 midterm election. All in all the story of this election is the lack of much gain from republicans despite their overwhelming advantage gained through congressional district gerrymandering. They will have the majority in the House of Representatives but not a large majority like they had thought. The ability of democratic voters to thwart the advantage republicans had built into our political structuring speaks volumes about the wrong direction republicans would take our society. They are still the party of the wild west with no sheriff to interfere.
     So nothing much will get done in the House once republicans take control on January 3rd. It will be worth watching whether the republicans in the House decide to blow up our democracy by not funding critical programs and government entities. We shall see since they have no agenda to be servants of the people. They only serve the wealthy and keeping democracy intact is not their foundational strategy. I know that with democrats keeping the Senate the republican damage will be limited. They couldn't pull of a gerrymandering effect in Senate races so their success in the House is their only undermining democracy accomplishment.
     With President Joe Biden and Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer leading the way the republicans may well be muted from doing much to destroy our democracy. There are ways around the worst of the republicans who are in the House and it wouldn't surprise me if a faction of republican House members work with democrats to keep government functioning over the next 2 years. As it stands now there are 213 democrats in the House and with 5 more moderate republicans agreeing with democrats on critical funding for government the concept of republicans uniting to make our democracy crumble is less likely than more likely.

(#5048) Special election for Senate in Georgia

      Over the past weekend Georgia voters began voting for their next Senator in this special runoff election. Somewhere near 200 thousand voters have cast their early vote runoff election ballots already. Nearly 4 million voters voted earlier this month in the general election but I don't expect that total to be reached in this special election. There are about 7 million eligible voters in Georgia. It would be nice if every state would vote at or above the 90% threshold but our nation has a problem prioritizing voting for too many not convincing reasons. However, the likelihood of maybe 3.5 million voting here in this special election is to me expected.
     The election is on December 6th of next month so there is still plenty of time for voters to surprise us with a heavy turnout in the early voting period. However as I understand it, this week including Monday through Friday, will be available for early voting. There will be no voting after that until the election day of December 6th. So getting the early vote out this week will be the most crucial strategy for democrats if we want to keep our Senator Warnock in office. There is one wildcard here and that is the appeal of the republican candidate. Or should I say the lack of appeal. Other republicans overall in the just completed general midterm election drew far more votes than this senatorial republican candidate.
     Which to me makes it logical that fewer republicans will turn out to vote for a person they didn't vote for 3 weeks ago. With the senate majority already decided another reason not to vote for the republican base is a factor. So not only will there be fewer republican voters showing up to vote they are not motivated to do so with no reward of a majority in the senate. For we democrats the real impetus to vote is that we would negate one of the 2 senate democrats who have been obstacles at times to the Biden agenda. I would expect that the more motivated to vote would be democrats since we have an honorable candidate and the opposing candidate cannot be seen as such.

(#5047) We on whole are not who we think we are

      Unfortunately, the majority of us still find our path on the one with superstition and naivete. Our need for religion to save us and the way we fall for any old conman/woman who comes down the pike is still too ingrained into who we are. Instead of us being free thinking knowledgeable citizens we are captured by the most improbable and non scary scenarios. Yesterday I posted about the harsh reality of real life and the need to conquer it as an evolvement of our species but not through fantasy or by disregarding facts. As general rule, trying to make easy every thing hard is comforting but seldom possible. So forcing ourselves to accept an illogical safe harbor paradigm is only delaying our power to become greater than the harshness of reality that won't go away until we overcome our fears.
     I had thought that we were in an age of enlightenment but it would appear after many decades of not much proof that we are still beholden to our happily ending fairy tales. I don't want to get on a religion rant but instead would rather focus on the underlying reason for the need to salve our intellectual vacuum with a sense of illogical reasoning. Taking the easy path is so enticing especially when the harder path of truth requires a level of acceptance that is both hard and painful. But like much of life the hard and painful are just obstacles to be overcome on our journey to forging a reality that doesn't need the fantastical as a psychological dealing tool.
     When we quit on ourselves and our understanding of our existence is when we fall back on the old ways of dealing with reality. We would rather accept the unreal ease of superstition and myth than the hard work of getting to the answer to the question why. It has been shown that those who like shortcuts more than doing things correctly ultimately end up going nowhere while the doing things correctly group find themselves ahead. Life is too short to be wasting on the going nowhere paradigm while falling further behind the evolutionary scale. There is much more to discuss on this subject that involves economics as well but not enough time to dissect it. Just know this, Capitalism does not substitute for intelligence as should be obvious by now.

(#5046) Religion as a cudgel

      I would like to think that religion in its varying forms is foundational to all things good and great. Yet my understanding of religion belies that. What religion has been shown to be is more to do with control and boxing in people who otherwise would find different choices. Religion is now the great boogeyman of our time. Just there to scare and intimidate those who are not educated enough to know that myths and superstitions are not factual in reality. What is a cudgel? It is a weapon to strike fear into those who would otherwise feel its painful effect. A stick to herd the masses into a formation that is only relevant to the stick holder.
     Let me be absolutely clear here. There is no god nor a heaven and hell but that doesn't stop about half the world believing it anyway. I get it. Why would anyone not want to believe the fairy tale of eternal life? I mean come on, who doesn't want to live forever in perfection? Well even I wouldn't mind that. Yet I know it is not reality. It is a way to convince so many that doing what they are told is a pathway toward that rich reward. For me I would rather not live the entirety of my life being shown an illusion as my destiny. I would rather live my life in the confines of what is actually real. But I get that many don't. It is hard knowing that this world we live only a short time in is all there is.
     But the point is that if we don't except reality as our way forward we will likely not find answers to evolving into a species that deals with reality, with reality. Our future as a species is being threatened because are too afraid to let go of the religion pacifier. Again, I get it. Fear and trembling over a world without a benevolent god is hard to imagine. Yet that is exactly what our world is. So why not just let go of the binky and start making a life that has value without the shackles of superstition. I have spent the entirety of my life asking the question why? But in the meantime I have come to realize that we humans are born with two perfect traits, wonder and care. I wonder about everything and care about the same.

(#5045) Voting should be mandatory with incentives for voting and penalties for not voting!

      Of the 20 million eligible voters here in California only about 10 million turned out to vote in the November 8th election. It was a midterm election so no president choice to make but the many other offices on the ballot here were crucial in an attempt to keep the majority in the House of Representatives under democratic control. As the margin that republicans appear to have won is clear now the turning of a few more seats back into democratic control would have made this outcome of republican control much less certain. New York also had a hand in not doing what it could have to secure a democratic majority but we here in California surely dropped the ball a bit too much for me.
     Why we democrats fail at the most simple way to protect our democracy is astounding to me. About 10 million here didn't bother to vote when voting in California is simple and easy to do. Besides the ease of voting the critical matter of protecting our democracy didn't seem to be enough motivation for those 10 million to even expend the little energy needed to vote. I am at a crossroads here trying to figure out what it is that makes us specifically here in California and folks in other states so disengaged from participating in our own welfare? Are we so disillusioned by it all or are we so indifferent to the lies and falsehoods republicans spew daily that we just don't care?
     To me it speaks of a disorder of priorities. When the very existence of our species under democratic rule is being threatened and that isn't enough to motivate most all of us to vote then what else will do it? I don't know except maybe paying our citizenry to vote and penalizing them if the don't vote. Something has to change to make sure all eligible voters vote. Under capitalism which seems to be the motivation for everything else it would be logical to make incentives and penalties for the act of voting/not voting. We don't seem to be able to appeal to our nobler instincts of patriotism to democracy as a solution so why not give the carrot and stick a try. Regardless of how one votes, voting should be mandatory!

(#5044) Ukraine slowly taking back its territory

      With the liberation of the key city of Kherson, Ukraine is poised to cross from the north side of the Dnipro River and begin recapturing Crimea, The southern edge of the Dnipro river is currently held by the Russian invading forces. They will not be able to withstand the forces that are about to confront them so retreating further back into Crimea seems their logical strategy. The cities of Mariupol and Melitopol will still need to be liberated but after that the end game for the Ukrainian retaking of their Crimean territory will begin shortly. Whether Russia stays and fights a losing battle to keep Crimea or they simply further retreat out of Crimea is still unknown but the future of Crimea will be under Ukrainian control.
     In the front in the Luhansk and Donetsk region the armed forces of Ukraine are slowly inching forward liberating towns and villages. The Russians have dug in and are trying to mount counter offensives but are being rebuffed at every turn. Russia has resupplied this region with some of the best fighters they have left. Which is beginning to show that the last battle for Ukraine will not be in Crimea, although Crimea is a crucial territory of Ukraine that Russian national pride is built upon; but instead the Luhansk and Donetsk region will be where putin puts his last stand on Ukrainian territory. The problem with that is the morale of the Russian people and fighters is heavily invested in keeping Crimea.
     All in all this invasion by putin is coming around to haunt him to the point that his own replacement is obviously imminent to all but him and his buddies in the kremlin. The Ukrainian people with western help have proven too much for the ill equipped putin and his arrogant psyche. As Russia continues to bomb necessary Ukrainian civilian power structures the will of the Ukrainian people has only become more resolved to defeat putin and his invaders to the last dying breath. If putin thought that the Ukrainian people would cry uncle and surrender to his war crimes inhumanity he has only deluded himself and likely ended his existence in the Russian hierarchy.

(#5043) I know my limitations

      My personal journey through my life has been one of learning new things almost by the hour. Yet sometimes it takes doing something many times over to finally understand that time waits for no one. This comes to my physical being at this point in my life compared to my younger days when life was still mostly ahead of me. I know that life is not guaranteed to anyone but when you are young you do think that way when peace is more prevalent than war. The thing is that lately for sure I have found the physical boundaries I must exist within if I am to continue to live. I have pushed myself at rates more indicative of me being in my forties than now me being in my later 60's. Which has begun to ring some alarm bells in my health.
     I have no doubt that all who reach a certain age hit this metaphorical wall and then must tell themselves that habits and desires must be tempered to whatever degree is appropriate. I am in the midst of that defining bubble. If I am truly being honest though I have to say that I have been preparing for this over the last decade. Especially with my home needing so much work done before I am not able to do the labor myself. I have decades of professional building experiences behind me so knowing how to do what needs to be done here is not in question, but me actually being able to do the work is. So I have gotten most all of the rough work done and now it is just the finishing aspect of it.
     I am expecting to be able to do less over a longer period of time to finish and that is okay. I feel like I have gotten all I could out of myself before the winnowing down of my physical schedule. When I look out over my property and see how far I have come over the last 10 years I am a bit satisfied. For me who didn't have much money this whole adventure has been purposeful. If I had what I needed I could have gotten this all done in months not many years. Yet that wasn't my reality so I did what I needed to do. Now I am sitting here reflecting on my accomplishments and feeling okay about my progress. I want to travel a bit soon but there is still a little that needs my care and that is what I will do.
     

(#5042) A diagnosis; not enough humility in the world

     The arrogance that is impervious to humility is just rampant enough to make life miserable for most of us. Those who put in the hard work of learning and being taught difficult concepts and realities most often become the most humble. Why? Because the vastness and differing arrays of knowledge and information overwhelms our senses and makes us realize that we are not much of anything when in context of all things. We learn quickly that we are not much of anything at all and thus humbled to be in the presence of existence. I myself am constantly awed by the latest discoveries and intellectual advancements.
     I am no Einstein nor Socrates but I am in a constant state of wanting to know as much as I can understand. Which makes me humble because others throughout time have given us knowledge that I myself alone would never have been able to ascertain without their ability to conclude. There are some simple logical concepts I could have formulated myself but once the logic gets into the complexity I am just a deer in the headlights kind of being. I know my limitations and that is why I see humility as lacking in the world. There are more who are like me and not even at my simple level who think that they know it all. Which is why arrogance is the dominating attitude instead of humility.
     Their arrogance is based upon fallacies, not logic, but they don't distinguish that from the narrative that fits their world view. Many even know this yet will not change because of some advantage they have with their fallacies. Those would be the conmen/women who selfishly exist in their false world. They have no care to be logically honorable in their standing as long as their illogical standing is validated by those who would benefit them. Too many have given up on reality as the only view of life. It is easier for them to live in a dishonest reality so that they can benefit some way from it when the alternative of actual reality is too hard for their minds to consider.

(#5041) Stop being judgmental of other people!

      Okay, I get it that you want your lifestyle to be as plain and simple as possible. So that you can feel comfortable. But others don't want that simple comfortable lifestyle when they have other aspirations and desires. Let them be who they are as they let you be who you are. Real simple here folks. Live and let live is not that hard to incorporate into your lives. You don't need to be an asshole about what someone else chooses as their happiness. It is ignorant and intolerant to be judgmental when your own life is not a picture of perfectness. I have found that being who I am is just as important as you being who you are. Figure it out and move on with your life without being a pissant!
     If you haven't already figured it out that life is real damn short then figure that out too. Because it is and making trouble for folks with the little time we all have is several degrees below what the fuck! If your fear is that other people are different from you then grow up and quit acting like an immature spoiled brat! Because here is a clue, everyone is different no matter how hard they may try to be the same. So enjoy your life with a clear conscience. What others do is what they do and what you do is what you do. There is no right and wrong here only variation. So if you don't like something then stop it! You are no better or worse than anyone else!
     As long as no one else is trying to make you be who you aren't then be happy. Or if someone else is trying to make you who you are not then tell them to fuck off and look to their own lives. No one likes a bully who thinks his/her way is the only way. Life in this existence is not that way. There are no absolutes in this existence that has danger, chaos, and mortality in its resume. We all make the best of what there is in reality so keep your mind on your own evolution as a young person to hopefully older one. Same as everyone else should be doing in their lives. Just stop judging people over how they live or by whatever physical characteristic they are recognizable as. Just stop it dammit!

(#5040) Living day to day is the only way

      It happens every morning so far. I open my eyes and realize that I get another day. I take nothing for granted anymore. I used to take things for granted a lot when I was younger. But life has shown me that my cavalier attitude toward being in existence was foolish and immature. Now I entitled this particular blog post as day to day being the only way but as well I try to plan ahead with the future in mind. But each day has is its own reward and the care that needs to be taken is what it is all about. I guess the easiest way to explain this is that I live in the present moment much of the time and don't allow myself to move from the present time in my head.
     I do not worry about things I have no control over although I fight like a grizzly bear to protect and defend honor and respect noble paradigms. Still though these are in the present and that is where I and a lot of us live. What that does for me is allow me to present myself to the world as a blank slate. I don't bring the past or some hoped for future into my present and that allows me to be objective and balanced. It is as if I am able to see all sides of everything all at once. There is no mystery or confusion to being in the present. It is where we all are in the moment so no amount of trying to deny reality will ever change that.
     I have had days when good things happened and I stayed even keeled. I have had days when bad things happened and again I stayed even keeled. I am a passionate man but knowing how to control that passion is a hard fought victory for me and being in the moment has been the key. That bit of wisdom that I now possess is incredibly important. The reason being is that all things revolve around how I react and not react. Having the ability to discern that judgement with clarity is amazing and lucky I am for learning it. The latter half of my life has been an evolution from my beginnings. I am not the same person by a whole lot. It is because I allowed myself to learn from mistakes, and the corrections taken, while working toward evolving to the better and best I can be.

(#5039) My firewood

      Early this year in January a tree cutting service cut down an old Oak tree in the creek area right behind my property. I lobbied hard for the city not to cut the tree as it was a home to many birds and squirrels. But the tree was growing on the side bank of the creek and some of its roots were exposed. Meaning that if a strong enough wind came blowing it could come down into the power lines. The decision was made to be on the safe side and so down the tree came. I watched each of the 3 days that the tree cutting crew worked. I gave them access to my backyard for them to have an easier time of accomplishing their work. Because I have a man gate to the creek from my backyard.
     So the city representative and the cutting crew decided to let me have the wood from the cutting to do with as I pleased. Well they cut up all the long sections they took down into manageable rounds and the ones they could lift tossed over the creek fence into my backyard. The larger rounds from the base of the trunk were too heavy so they left them near the fence. I was able to go through the gate and split the big rounds into smaller pie like slices so that I could get them into the wheelbarrow to bring them to my back driveway for splitting. It took me a couple of weeks to get all the big rounds left out in the creek area cut into smaller slices and transported but I did get that done.
     Then, off and on, over the course of the year up until this morning I have been slowly splitting the rest of the rounds into overall 2 cords of firewood. I am about to finish the job of splitting and stacking today. I don't burn firewood myself but others around here do so I figured I could make a little money from all that heavy work I am about to finish. I went through a few hatchets, axes, mauls, and sledge hammers plus a small chain saw but the work was healthy and rough which reminded me of my youth, as a logger, miner, and residential/industrial wood and metal framer. I think I have sold them as of tomorrow and the wages I earned will be less than 50 cents an hour for all my efforts. Not much profit but the work was a pleasure.
     

(#5038) My inner motivations

      I guess this post will be about me. I rarely do this but it seems I am today. I have not been able to come up with anything interesting to write about so by default here I am. lol. I really am not that interesting as a person. I get up in the early morning and go about my chores for the my animals and the House. It is only then that I can sometimes think about doing something for myself. In that little bit of information is a world of knowledge about me. I am not considered even by my own self to be a priority. Although lately some physical uncertainties have caught my attention. I am no longer able to labor like I had been used to doing my whole life. Well not as efficiently and as long.
     It is that age has caught up with me and my inner workings are displaying signs that I need to slow down or I will be slowed down or shut down. I do take this serious and have taken steps to get some sort of analysis or prognosis for my future strategies for living. However, I am not concerned too much as I can still do my normal chores without signals to stop. It is the outside yard chores and moving and pushing heavy things that seem to trigger a faintness that is happening all too often. Yet I can stave the faint off. I just need to sit and or kneel for a moment and then I can continue albeit in a much more deliberately slow manner.
     Aside from that though the rest of my day is about how I can improve the conditions around me for others to experience and understand. I have spent the best part of my youth doing the things too many wait to do for retirement. I understood that being alive and vibrant when you are young is much more intelligent than waiting to do when our age has brought us down too many notches. So what is important to me now is what happens to society and the people and animals in it. Persuading the unaware that keeping our existence in an evolving dynamic way is far preferable to maintaining a system that has more flaws than ingenuity.

(#5037) Gerrymandering by republicans almost failed them

      If the republican party had not so egregiously gerrymandered their states into majority rule with less voters we would be talking about how democrats held and added to their house majority. The worst of what we humans do to democracy is evident in how republicans manipulate districts in order to "win" them. Still though, we democrats voted heavily and many independents with us. Almost to the point of negating the gerrymandering republicans so callously implemented. Had it not been for unfairly drawn congressional districts to favor republicans the outcome would be much different this morning.
     Not all the voting is done yet but it appears that the republicans have retaken the House by at least one House seat. We democrats had a 4 seat lead coming into the midterm election so the gain by republicans from their 2020 gerrymandering strategy was very minimal. However that small gain is enough to most likely propel them into the leadership of the House. Through devious manipulations the republican party and their insurrectionist caucus are now third in line to the presidency. They also control whether any legislation will get done for the next 2 years. With Joe Biden as president we may be able to get a minimum of legislation done but not much more than that.
     It is my hope that the rest of the House seats still being contested will turn out to be democratic wins or at least most of them. Keeping the margin razor thin in the House could well turn any unforeseen House seat opening by republicans into a crucial special election that could change the majority of the house during the next 2 years. The disarray coming from republicans will not become resolved overnight so as it stands the next 2 years in the House will be traumatic and chaotic for all who are involved. The best thing that could happen is that the House return to democratic control as soon as possible so that the work on our American democratic agenda may continue.

(#5036) 2024 will be a great election cycle for Democrats

     If the republicans take the House there will be little that is accomplished in our federal government. With a stall in needed legislation on the horizon with republican control of the House the blame for it will fall on republicans who will hold up necessary legislation as blackmail so that they can tear down Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. No one will be happy about that and of course the culprit republicans will be exposed. Of course this scenario is worst case and yet it is stated as the republican intent even before the 2022 election.
     The other factor here is that the Senate will be a bit of a hard task for democrats to hold after the 2024 election given normal circumstances. 23 of the 33 seats in the Senate up for election in 2024 will be democratic ones. In some states where the outcome is in real doubt. But again, the republicans, if they get enough seats in the coming days to reclaim the majority in the House, will through their obstruction, provide a salve for what could have been a rough battle in 2024. Instead of a tough democratic election in the Senate in 2024, the republicans will make it much more palatable for independents to vote for democrats in those tough senate races.
     2024 is also a presidential election and will bring the full force of the democratic party out to vote. So with a possible 2 years of obstructing and generally nasty actions by House republicans, the idea that a blue wave election will be in effect for 2024 is more likely than not. Now I hope we hold the House this year by any margin and then we will be in an even better position for 2024 because legislation will pass that will be historic. But given the alternative we democrats will be in the drivers seat regardless of which way the House goes on January 3, 2023.