(#5201) Ukraine is about to end the occupation of Russia on it's soil

      I know I have said this previously and no doubt the Ukrainian counter offensive has already begun albeit slowly. But the ramping up of attacking behind the Russian front at their munitions and fuel supplies as well as their barracked troops the Ukrainians are preparing a counter attack that will have less firepower coming from Russians. Which makes sense that you want to weaken the Russian ability to defend their occupied space and less likely to inflict too many casualties on the advancing Ukrainian forces. This well thought out Ukrainian counter offensive is coming together in this current moment and likely will begin full scale attacking within days or a week or maybe 2.
     I know the Ukrainian forces are a lot like our forces were before DD in World War 2. Chomping at the bit to get to ending the Russian occupation of all lands historically Ukrainian. The time is set for the weather and munition accumulation to show the fighting spirit of the proud Ukrainian people. Those assets that are embedded within the occupied lands are ready as well to trigger their upheaval of the occupying Russian forces. So not only will Ukraine be attacking from without the occupied Russian sphere but within it as well. Like the French resistance, the Ukrainian resistance is primed for similar results.
     Those of us on the outside of this counter offensive are hoping for a quick and decisive victory for Ukraine and making sure that the occupied land reclaimed by Ukraine will not again fall into a murderous dictator's lap. Solidifying the Ukrainian borders with Ukrainian protectors is absolute and the idea that Russia will ever again set foot on Ukrainian soil without Ukrainian permission will be the rule. The amazing people of Ukraine deserve their country back from the war mongers in Russia and those same war mongers will need to be held to account after Ukraine finishes it's counter offensive and reestablishes itself as a whole sovereign state.

(5200) I am not chasing money, I am trying to help as many as I can

      My life is very busy and that is a good thing. I am of an age where the idea of chasing money for some future consideration has passed quite a long time ago but what hasn't passed is the need to help others will I am still alive. A purpose developed over a lifetime of learning and knowing is deep within me. I don't care about myself much except to keep going forward in some kind of healthy way. Just enough for me to be able to function and produce when I have that opportunity. Gone are the days of trying to impress anyone. I only want to impress myself through accomplishing my goals when they are in front of me.
     Money has no account in it. Sure we all need money for our existence but I am no greedy selfish asshole who has to con everyone else out of their resources. I only want enough from my efforts not to fall behind on my own personal simple obligations. If that is my reality then I can focus more of my time toward making sure others are not neglected or suffering. Wanting to help other people may seem to others as being weak but believe me it is not. It is powerful strength. My inner peace is dependent upon my outer actions so being a good steward to all I can is exactly what I need for my own sense of well being.
     For those who do not understand this then hopefully the lessons in life will get you to this point I am at and then you will see that nothing about wealth accumulation without noble purpose is living a good life. I am not here to just become wealthy. I am not here to just exist. I am here to have a full experience with other amazing human beings given half a chance to have had the start in life I had as meager as that was for me. Yet so many are starting out life much worse than my own experience. It is my heart that overrules my mind on these things and that is what makes me tick as a person. Yet I will fight like a Tasmanian devil to protect and defend my right to choose to care for others more so than for money.

(#5199) Russians still destroying civilians in Ukraine

     Last night once again Russia has been bombing civilian targets in order to force Ukrainian citizens to turn on their own leaders. Russia figures that by torturing civilians with casualties and death from the sky they can take Ukrainian citizens to the breaking point. This will not occur despite this despicable Russian strategy. The Ukrainian people will not be forced to back down from their desire and need to reclaim their sovereignty and land back from Russia. The Geneva Convention on the rules of engagement in military conflicts has Russia as a signatory, "In 1954, the USSR ratified the Geneva Conventions. After its dissolution, Russia declared itself the legal successor of the Soviets and, therefore, recognized itself as a party to international treaties signed by the USSR."
     Russia has since withdrawn from some rules of war and is actively attacking civilians and civilian targets. Russia may see itself as free from the rules of engagement however the rest of the world for the most part do not and are making accounts of Russia's crimes against humanity and the rule of law. If ever a rogue nation state existed it does now in Russia. Not only are they the aggressors but they threaten nuclear war if they don't get their way. Hostage taking will not work for Russia and the sooner the leadership of Russia is arrested or eliminated the better for world order and peace.
     We here in the west who are trying to decide just how much firepower we should allocate to Ukraine must be mindful that civilians casualties are mounting in Ukraine with over 40,000 deaths attributed to putin and his cabal of ghouls in the kremlin. The sooner this invasion attempt by Russia is ended the sooner the world will rebuild into a stronger entity. We in the west must stop thinking in terms of what if as a default and go on the offensive ourselves to end the slaughter of innocents on a daily basis by Russia in Ukraine. History is watching and we the defenders of democracy must show our strength by ending this over a year long tragedy in Ukraine.

(#5198) Nuclear fusion is happening

      Fusing two Hydrogen atoms together, in order to create more energy from the energy that was used to fuse the atoms has been achieved. The difference between fusion and fission is that fusion does not leave radioactive waste whereas fission does. Fusion leaves as a byproduct Helium which is a non toxic and inert atom, unlike fission which also produces carbon dioxide and other harmful gases. Fission is a dirty process whereas fusion is a clean one. The breakthrough in December 2022 at Livermore Laboratories has cleared a hurdle that was an often thought an impossible imperative to accomplish if fusion was to become viable as an energy source.
     Now that we know how to create more energy from less energy we need to design and manufacture processes that will eventually become commercialized. How many years or decades that creativity of design and manufacturing innovations takes to bring about a fully clean energy society is now our challenge. The optimistic opinion on this new evolution of rubber hitting the road is a power plant coming into our power grid within the next 15 to 20 years. I think that given the exciting news of this nuclear fusion breakthrough that many more researchers will be applying themselves to this field of study and move that time scale along maybe even sooner.
     What is for certain now is that we know that nuclear fusing of Hydrogen atoms works and that was the initial breakthrough that needed to happen. We are now there and the rest of it is just now building the components necessary to make the fusing of Hydrogen atoms much more simplified. Lasers will need to be part of the process so anything to come along at first toward commercialization will have to be on a larger scale. Although given enough time the scale might be smaller if we can design a process that miniaturizes the equational components without detracting from the energy output. All this to say that an amazing thing happened in December 2022 and the concepts of our energy production will be forever changed because of it.

(#5197) Senitmental morning

      I am in a mood this morning. Somewhat deep mood of nostalgia and emotional remembrance. What triggered this was a few songs I listened to and posted this morning on my Facebook account. Music has always been like that for me. I hear a song from my past and all of a sudden I feel different inside with a perspective to match. One of the brilliant creations of our species is music. More than anything for me, now at my older age, are the memories the music invokes in me. I hear some melodic lyrics and then parts of my past life jump into the forefront of my mind. My memories are always in me but not always accessible. Music is the catalyst that brings my memories to life much more often than anything else.
     I still have other triggers that bring back memories but music by far brings out the most diverse memories I have. Stuff I hadn't thought about in any particularly important way suddenly become awe inspiring or regretful in profound ways. Which tells me that my memories are full of emotional ties to things that are deep and complex. I don't show my emotions often but I am not devoid of them. Few see how I feel like most of us do when we don't want to show ourselves as vulnerable. But we are all vulnerable and for me the music triggers those emotional memories. Just like this morning.
     My life is flying by and I am okay with how time is doing that to me. Yet when a trigger occurs and memories flood in I am also glad for that. I have lived a life that was/is full of compassion and curiosity so I have little to regret but what I do regret are the relationships I didn't foster with more care. I know nothing is simple and I trust my decision making for the most part but often my logic will override my heart and leave me a bit less happy. Such is my life and if that is my greatest regret then join the crowd Carl because more than not we are all pretty much guilty of that. Yet my life is mine and being hard on myself is my way of reminding myself I can be better at this life stuff.

(#5196) The republicans foster hatred, while democrats look to eliminate hatred!

      The current republican plan for hatred is to either ignore it or foster it. That is a fact and every policy that republicans are either supporting or denying is directly related to keeping hatred growing or not diminishing. We democrats on the other hand see hatred as a problem that has a solution. By letting people be who they are they have less inner hatred of themselves for living lies they disdain. Because when people start to like who they themselves are they are less inclined to dislike or hate others who are only trying to do the same. Inner hatred transferred to outer hatred is linked in keeping the cycle of hatred fresh and renewed.
     The simplicity of the republican strategy of divide and conquer is as old as time itself it seems. Turning one group of Americans against another is the go to default position of republican politics. They cannot see that all Americans deserve rights and freedoms they can only see for themselves. They have taken the position that what they think is more important as a rule for you, then what you think should be a rule for you. If only they would work on their own lives and be good examples of how to live then maybe the rest of us can figure out our own lives without republicans trying to put limits and boundaries on the rest of us.
     But no. The republican party is all about hatred now and they cannot see their way clear to knock that shit off! Life is too short to have to be such assholes to everyone who is not like them. They somehow missed the melting pot concept of America and how all of us have had centuries now to incorporate differences in our combining cultures into our own unique social environment. None of us is better than another based upon race, sex, or creed. We democrats want to allow for each of us to have an opportunity to discover our inner happiness so that we can share that into our outer relationships. When we are happy with who we each are is when we will be happy with all those around us who are also being happy with who they are. It is that simple!

(#5195) 2 important things need to change in California

      I know that 2 is not enough things that need to change here in California but in my immediate consideration 2 would be great if they did change. First is gas prices. Those high prices at the pump make life much more miserable for those of us who have little to spend on increased gas prices. The second thing is for Dianne Feinstein to resign from the senate and be replaced by a younger more energetic democrat. If these 2 things could find their way into being then we here in California would be noticeably happier. I want to go places more often but paying for high gas prices has been a burden. But with new legislation signed last month in California, the end of high prices should be coming. https://www.gov.ca.gov/2023/03/28/governor-newsom-signs-gas-price-gouging-law-california-took-on-big-oil-and-won/.
     The other big event that should happen very soon is the resignation of Dianne Feinstein from the US Senate. She is suffering from shingles and as an 89 year old she is in a position to end her career even if she hadn't been afflicted with shingles. What makes it tough for democrats right now is that Dianne is not able to be at her committee chair on the now evenly split Judiciary Committee and her absence has left democrats unable to move along judicial choices to our federal benches. She won't be coming back soon so the reality of a backlog of Biden judicial appointees being stalled because republicans will not aid the Biden administration select and appoint federal judges.
     So it is imperative that Dianne finally come to the conclusion that her career is finally over. She has been a stalwart public servant and should now leave in the best of traditions that not only help her political party the democrats but also allows her the full throated congratulations she richly deserves. The only thing that could muck up both attributable outcomes would be for Dianne to resist her resignation and not see the best path forward for her, her political party, and her nation. I believe she will get there and the sooner the better for all of us.
     
     

(#5194) Slow day in my head

      Over the last several days I have been through a bit of busy so my mind this morning is nothing to brag about. I just want to go lay back down and fall asleep for many hours. I won't be able to because the busy I have been in the last few days isn't over yet. But maybe a couple of hours after this post is written it may have some sleep for me as a reward. We will see. I still don't know what this post is about but eventually I will. lol. I suppose it is just getting things done and taking care of what is needed. I have pulled out of myself some reserve energy that I didn't think I had but beyond that welcome surprise a cost is waiting to be paid.
     Thus the sleep. It is good though to see I have gone beyond what I thought were limitations so much so that I am rethinking my work schedule. I believe I will try to go back to full time employment given the right opportunity. I enjoy working since I restarted working part time so I expect that trend of liking being out amongst the working class will continue. For now though I will stay with the part time work and wait for the correct opportunity for me to appear. I find I am really editing a lot of this blog post as I am writing it which does firmly tell me that my brain is barely engaged. That sleep I was talking about earlier really is becoming more of a demand than a request.
     I expect the end of the busy that I have been in will be done with today sometime so that is good because tomorrow I am back to work. Maybe next week I can have a restful weekend to make up for this one. I won't hold my breath though because you know how it is when it rains it pours, well at least for me that metaphor is appropriate. Anyway I am nearly done with this last paragraph so I am feeling rejuvenated having made this much progress toward laying my head down on my pillow and closing my eyes with nothing to do but breathe and sleep.

(#5193) Always moving forward

      I think about my youth and how I looked at life. I could procrastinate at a lot of things just so I could do other less meaningful things. It is an absurd look back for me in many respects. Not all the time of course but enough of the time so as to remind me it actually happened. I wasn't alone either. We who grew up together in each other's vicinities knew full well that not doing what we needed to do when we could skate out of it was our normal. Of course we at that time in our lives had no idea that what we were skirting was more important than what we ended up doing instead.
     I was soon relieved of that thinking once I became more mature and realized that everything was in an order to make our lives less complicated and more efficient. There is no escaping society and what society needs from us to be part of it. Society has a contract we indirectly agree to if we want to live a life within it. So skating out of responsibilities, quickly negates many opportunities we hope to employ. Taking short cuts or not even doing anything I have found is not the answer to much I need. So it is with me for quite some time now and later in life much more so, to do all that demands my attention.
     For me it has been a process of slowly learning to slowly knowing that everything has its place and I need to be part of that everything. One step in front of the other no matter what the task or inconvenience as it were. Most of my moving forward lately is either not going backward or more clearly staying even. But that is okay since it is not like that all the time. I suppose the tougher cycle of living is having its way and I need to be there to endure it. I don't complain I just do. I don't know exactly why I care since I am at the latter years of my life but somehow I know it is important that I never give up. This is my life and I want to be at least in some constant control of it whenever I can regardless the event or responsibility.

(#5192) The Ukrainian counter offensive is imminent

      Whether a feint or not the counter offensive Ukraine has been planning for many months has either just started or is faking starting. Unsure yet at this point in time. But the activity at the front in the North, East, and South in Ukraine has increased significantly and at least one Ukrainian official has told the press that the much anticipated counter offensive has started. It would be great if all the pieces are in place for the counter attack despite the leak of preparations by Ukraine to oust Russia from Ukrainian soil. Russia is at a weak stage at the moment with such heavy losses over the last several months in the Bakhmut area.
     The wagner group has been decimated and is not much of a deterrence going forward. Russia has lost to death over 185,000 troops with likely as many injured. Russia is weak right now with their battlefield armaments are devastated as well. The western supplies have been coming into Ukraine pretty much non stop over the last few months so all signs point to the counter offensive being either imminent or already started. We the public don't know the shape of the counter offensive but we can expect that it will involve moving troops forward in many areas of contestation on the front. For me the likelihood of Ukraine using an attack to get to Mariupal in order to recapture Crimea makes a lot of sense.
     Whatever form the Ukrainian counter offensive takes the sooner it is underway and attacking the sooner we will see Russians fleeing from their indefensible positions. The Russian army as of now is a paper tiger and with real angry fighting soldiers from Ukraine intent on reclaiming their nation the Russians are going to be routed! Now that is just my opinion but take into account the lack of supplies and the cavalier way putin and the kremlin throw away the lives of their soldiers it would and should not be a surprise to see the Russian army fold and retreat back to their borders.
     

(#5191) The king is dead long live the king

      And so it goes with each generation leading the way for all of us. All my parents are now gone so what is left are the children they bore. It was unthinkable when my paternal father Jim died when I was 6 years old. I couldn't fathom that occurrence at that age but I was in shock and desperately lonely for several months. But as a child I was able to move on and regain focus on my own life however traumatic the event of losing my father. It was about a year later that my mother remarried and had more than 60 years of marriage with Bill. I consider Bill my father because he was actually in my life for the vast majority of it.
     When my mother Joanne died last year I was of an age where the shock of it was minimal. I don't think I have yet fully come to terms with her passing but I do miss her and appreciate the time I got to have with a loving strong woman like her. Last night when Bill passed it was almost conceivable since the time last October when mom passed dad has been like a shell of himself. He had been afflicted with diabetes and this year it caught up to him. An infection that could not be abated had taken over his primary functions to the point where there was no real hope of defeating it. With mom passing, dad sort of lost his way and never found himself again.
     The bond those two shared was so long and deep that it wasn't difficult to understand that the one wouldn't live long without the other. So it is now with the offspring of those two that are now the heads of many families. 8 children were raised by Bill and Joanne and their families which are numerous and diverse. It is up to us to be the ones who carry the wisdom and understanding going forward so as to share our lives in ways that round out the offspring of us. A new generation of family leaders is now upon us and what we do with that is our responsibility to steward.

(#5190) I keep finding the good I want to live

      I know for a fact, unless you are a psychopath/sociopath, that you want to be a good person. But just wanting to be a good person isn't enough. You have to force yourself to stay away from things that would deviate you from the good in your life. The shiny tinkling objects that would be like the call of the sirens from children's fairy tales. You have to proactively seek out the good and then fit it into how you live. So that when your day is done you can look back and say that you have put another day of your life into the lived a good life column.
     The good is out there you just have to keep your focus on that on not be distracted by laziness or the allure of the not good. I have my purpose in life and it is what founds my every waking moment. Sure I am human and prone to making mistakes but those mistakes I make are not intentional. Instead they are from unsure and inaccurate knowledge. Once I see I have made a mistake I work hard to correct it. Going forward in life should be the goal of all of us but sometimes we need to go backward to make correct a wrong. Keeping mistakes to a minimum is always my goal because doing good and living in good is what I want.
     As I am in direct knowledge of having suffered through loss of family and friends I know there is little time left for those of us who have already lived a long life. Death comes for us all and when it does I don't want to feel that I wasn't alive doing what I felt was most important. Living one day of goodness after another. Now goodness takes several forms and recognizing that is essential to navigating the complexity of our society. Honesty, fairness, truth, caring, plus much more, are all part of being good. My mind and heart are on the same wavelength because both are integral to how I understand goodness. As long as I live that is how I will function.

(#5189) Religion is personal and should be quiet

      The holding of a belief system is normal for many folks. What is not normal is those same folks trying to bring down their religion onto the heads of the rest of us. I hold what I believe, not factually know, inside me because for one thing it is a guess and for another new information is changing what I think may be happening or did happen. For those of you out there who think that their religion is fact I can only say that you are deluding yourself because no religion ever forwarded on this planet has ever been proven factual. Just so you know as well there are about 4000 religions worldwide subjectively contained within 5 major groups. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Judaism.
     For anyone to say that their religion, although possibly popular, is the one and only religion is so far removed from fact that it is dangerous. There is no proof of any religion being factual so anyone who goes a step further and says that their religion is not only factual but the only religion is borderline tyrannical. We live in a democracy here in America where all beliefs are protected as well as those of us who have no belief. We atheists cannot force our non religion upon anyone nor can the religious impose their beliefs on anyone. So making sure our politics have no religious test within the laws we create is absolute. Laws must protect everyone regardless of race, sex, or religion.
     I say religion should be quiet because unless asked about it there should be no unwanted discussion. If the religious wish to speak about religion among themselves that is fine. But when they come down to our political arenas and attach their dogma to our laws then that is being loud. Our laws need to be free of religious coercion. Our laws need to be adopted with all in mind without the constructs of particular religious agendas. Keeping this clause in the first amendment to our national constitution is vital. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise." Live and let live as it were. If we are not a free people who can choose our right to believe in a religion or to not believe in a religion then we are not a democracy and should quit claiming we are!

(#5188) My daily struggle

      Life is hard enough for me to do the things I need to do and still I know that with all that done there is still more I need to do. It is exasperating to me. I am pretty good at doing what absolutely needs being done and that is about as good as it gets. Yet there is more to be done. Then throw in the extra that others want me to do for them and it really gets unsettling for me. I don't mind doing something for someone once in awhile but as an ongoing theme that gets old real fast. Especially when people are too lazy to do for themselves. I don't like enabling anyone because it wears me out and doesn't help the enabled.
     But I find myself stuck in a bit of a loop for now and it is tiring. I get less sleep and more anxiety for my troubles which doesn't do anything positive for my mental or physical well being. I have to be a bit harsh in the future and not let myself be drawn into the mind games others like to play when they are pretending to be victims. They need to be responsible for their own selves and not such childish creatures. I am not the answer to their problems, they are and the sooner they realize that then the sooner we all can enjoy our lives without the extra duty of carry loads that are not ours. Again, I am okay with doing some things periodically to help when I see the help is needed. But the utility of victimization is a non starter with me.
     I will get through it all because I don't stand for fools playing fools. I will force some to fend for themselves when all it takes is them apply some effort. My heart is getting harder when it comes to these types of people and that is natural I do believe. I wouldn't mind it as much if the help I give was reciprocated in some way but it rarely is. I am a single human being who does not have any responsibility for any other soul as I have never been married nor had any children. So my legal and moral duties to any other soul is limited. I am not a hard person by nature and am willing to be helpful but not to be used in such a way. Anyway, struggle I do with those who try to skirt what they can do for themselves.

(#5187) I will never stop supporting Ukraine and ending Russia as it currently exists

      I may be a broken record for the foreseeable future but our democracy here in America is indirectly/directly tied to a Ukrainian victory over Russia. When Ukraine defeats Russia, our democracy becomes stronger. We will have shown the world that tyranny cannot survive the will of people to have freedom and the liberty to choose their own government. This invasion by Russia to end Ukraine as an entity was an intentional attempt to lay waste, with genocidal ambition, the very existence of a people. The arrogance of putin and the kremlin has been exposed and rebuffed in a very forceful way. The Ukrainian people are a mighty people who are not afraid of fighting for their freedom.
     The difference between a Russian victory over Ukraine and not the other way around is a death knell to democracy as we know it. If the tyrant in Russia is able to destroy Ukraine he will not stop there. The rest of Europe will be in play for invasion and that would likely bring about nuclear war. So stopping the Russian horde now is the simplest way of protecting and advancing democracy while also diminishing or ending tyranny in Europe/Asia. China would be the last large tyrannical nation on the planet and their time is coming I do believe for a crushing defeat should they choose to rebel against the rest of the democracy loving planet Earth.
     So until the victory of Ukraine over Russia has been officially decided I will not relent in being a fierce supporter and reporter of Ukrainian efforts. My page on facebook and my blog will be full of Ukrainian news of note. I fight daily to keep our democracy alive and well, and occasionally stick my toe into the muck of the republican shithole pile that they pass along as news to their illogical followers. Not so much though because the shithole news the republicans thrive on can only sour my happy and that I won't allow. Others have taken up the mantle of slamming the republicans and I do support them 100%. But for me Ukraine is the epicenter of saving democracy and with it saving our own democracy here in America.

(#5186) How we spend our days

      Whether we think of it like this or not, in reality it is just true. We have so many days to be alive and how we spend those days should be a priority for all of us. I try to spend my days being happy and working to make life better. Those are things I can control for the most part and that is enough for me. I don't need the magical or the power to change myself into things I am not. I am just a simple human being living in an existence where time and space are limited. What happens to me after I am no more doesn't concern me. What does concern me is what time I have left to live and learn in this existence.
     Our planet is a bit unforgiving while also being fruitful. We can survive on this planet with all its myriad life forms if we apply the logic and knowledge we have accumulated over our species' time of recording such things. We are also a creative species who are able to adapt to technologies and innovations in various ways. So living on this planet should not be too difficult for all of us if we would just think of life as a gift that all of us should share. Reality is the key and keeping reality within logic and common sense should not be that difficult either. Yet we have too many who will not work to know things of fact and truth and instead they would know things that only supplement their own selfish world view.
     Getting the illogic out of our thinking is not impossible yet it seems quite daunting to devise a way to do it. We are the magnificent human being race so nothing should be beyond us given the amazing abilities we possess. In time, it is my hope that enough people will finally come into the knowledge that being happy and helping our society become something that we can all be proud of will come to pass. Living the time we have within the space that exists in a positive way should be our goal and working toward that goal starts each and every moment we live. Some of us are ready to start being who we are as an intelligent enlightened species and are just working toward helping the rest of us to catch up and join us.
     

(#5185) Give Ukraine everything they need to end the Russian empire!

      This is an absolute turning point in the history of our world. The end of the oppressive Russian empire would herald in a new beginning for so many countries that are currently under the thumb of Russia. Even more so the end of Russian aggression around the world would harken in democratic values to not only Russia but to those countries sitting on the fence as to what to do with their societies. Authoritarianism and tyranny are being exposed for the cruelty and brutality they administer in their  demented paradigms. With a decisive Ukrainian victory, the ambition of psychopaths to lead our nations will diminish.
    The people of Ukraine and the countries that would benefit from the end of the Russian empire would immediately feel the rush of freedom and hope. They would be relieved of lifetimes of inhumane burdens and fears. With the help of the European Union, democratic aligned countries, and NATO, the former Russian empire, in time, may well come to know the benefits to them with the collapse of tyranny. They also would be able to redefine their origins as free people's beholden to only themselves as to their futures. Coming into the family of democratic nations would be easy and welcomed.
     Our existence here in time and space is ready for planet Earth to experience egalitarian hope. With the end of the monster of the north, the Russian horde, A whole swath of nations will be able to know what a fresh breath of air really feels like. They will be able to live with the hope that they too may be able to create their own destinies. No one should live under oppression and the end of the Russian empire will give so many millions of folks that liberty. All of us are tired of fighting for freedom in one form or another. Making the Russian empire go away will go a long way toward proving that freedom and opportunity are not just for the arrogant psychopaths of the world and give many a respite well deserved. As for the rest of us the fight is not done.

(#5184) Not easy writing a blog post everyday for over 14 years

      There are some days when no matter what I cannot find a subject to write about. Not that there aren't subjects out there to write about but nothing that has grabbed my passion. It is me that is not working to capacity, not my ability to be passionate. It is like I get writers block and very little can penetrate my dulled mind. I suppose I am just being human and realizing that I fail more than I succeed. It's okay with me because it is real. Obviously I can work to change that up and I do but there are times when all of life just seems so scrambled to me. My focus and concentration suffer on days like today so maybe I need more rest.
     I won't be getting any today however as I have tasks to perform and appointments to set up. This morning is a lot like spinning my wheels and wasting time doing nothing and is kind of grating on my expectations for myself. I suppose also talking about it helps me in some way to break through the writing block I am in and sets me up for moving forward beyond it. When that will be is hopefully soon and although this post is moving right along there is little of any substance in it. However, my mind is starting to race on other subjects now and even they are beginning to rise above the fog.
     If I knew then what I know know about blogging everyday at minimum 250 words on a subject I would likely have stuck to a weekly blog or more instead of an everyday blog. Yet that is not what I ended up doing so it is incumbent upon me to pick up the pace of my learning and thoughts so that I am not wasting my time or any who reads these. One really fascinating thing I get out of posting everyday though is that I feel like I am involved in living in a way that only reinforces that fact. I am not just another human being along for the ride I am one who is observing and reporting on that ride. Anyway, have a great day everyone!

(#5183) To endure beyond the known end

      I can only imagine what it is like to die. I suspect that it is the end of everything that I am. Yet I don't know that. So being of a logical mind and heart I keep my opinion to myself and will just have to wait like everyone else to factually know what is next after death. I say actually know in a general way since if it is the end of all who I am I won't know anything after my death. But if I am still surviving as a soul in some other plane of existence then I hope to be able to carry over my memories from this existence. My memories are important to me because they detail what happened in this plane of existence.
     Not all memories are vital but the ones where I felt and lived a connection to others would be my most precious. Keeping those who were in my life and are now gone is what I hope to do in the afterlife. I don't give good odds that we exist beyond death but long odds are better than no odds. I think of it as riding through time and space with close friends and family that are of the same mindset as myself. I would never want that connection to end even after death. I do want it all I suppose but regardless it is what I want. If sheer force of will is any indication then I may have a chance.
     I know each of us are unique in our personalities and behaviors but we are all human so the likelihood that we all share a similar force of will is probable. I don't think my drive to live beyond death is uncommon among us all. I do know that in this existence the time frame for our existence is mighty short so it makes me wonder if not doubt that death is the end. I don't know but I am not persuaded by the current insufficient evidence. Surely our bodies end and that is indisputable. Without our bodies it makes no sense for us to continue to exist in this existence which is why another existence after we leave this one may exist where bodies are not needed and souls may. Either way I hope to find what I am looking for if another existence appears after this one.

(#5182) Nearly 13,000 Russian troops and associates per month have died in Ukraine because of putin

      It is insane to me that putin has survived this long and is still sending young Russian men to their deaths. What kind of society in Russia would allow the massacre of their youth for the ego of a psychopathic leader? As each day continues to roll along I have less and less sympathy for anyone in Russia outside a few who are relentless in their attempt to reorder their society toward democracy. The rest of them can just kiss my ass for being such fools and willing participants in the senseless murder of their own citizens.
     It has been nearly a full 14 months since the decayed mind of putin started his death march of young Russian men into Ukraine and that brings to nearly 180,000 the current death toll. With a population in Russia before the invasion of 41,000,000, well over 2% of the Russian population has been killed in Ukraine. The worst part of these statistics is that it is the youth who are doing the dying. What will become of the next generation of Russians if most of their youth are being offered up as cannon fodder? The old men in the kremlin aren't dying for their decision to invade a peaceful country, it is the youth who are and that is tragic!
     If at this point the Russian people who are left in their society are not going to rebel against their leaders then they can fuck off to death as well. I have no emotion over this as all emotion has left me as it concerns the continuous murder of young people. Enough of this Russian people. End the reign of your leaders and bring yourselves into the world of nations that respect life and democracy. Do the work that needs to be done to make it happen. There cannot be any fear left in you since all your fears have been realized for over a year now. Take that dull and hardened after fear and make it into a weapon that cannot be denied and apply it against your craven leaders in a way that ends their rule now!

(#5181) Double triple checking myself

      Some of the mistakes I am making at work are my own fault. Not because I don't know but because I get in a hurry and once in a while forget where I am at in my process. like forgetting I put a key to a vehicle in my pocket and then getting rushed at something else and then forgetting I had the key in my pocket while spending a few minutes looking for the key. Fortunately I put my hand in that pocket and surprisingly found the key before compounding my initial mistake. I really beat myself up over things like that so no one said anything to me but they sure could have and I would have no defense.
     Making sure the trailers are hitch latched and lights are working on them before leaving any yard is also a must and so far I have done really well at that. The actual driving seems to be second nature to me and backing up a truck with a trailer attached at the back has not yet become a problem. I do guard against situations that would put me into a quagmire so there is that. I expect my experience pays off in those situations. I have also found that guessing how much gas in a vehicle I have to drive from point A to point B when the gas gauge is low seems to be a plus as I have had a couple of close ones go my way. Being smart and safe on the road is the biggest concern any of us drivers have, so far so good.
     I find this morning I am still excited about going to work so this part time job is still a very good plus for me. If I have to work at least I should like it and that I do. I get up very early in the morning and make sure that I am completely ready to go to work. Even getting to work a little early so I can do some things before clocking in that are more administrative than anything else. There are good people whom I work with at the repair shop and store. So saying good morning and having a conversation or two before work helps me to get my day started right. As well I find out any news that I should be aware of since policies and practices are always being improved upon. Have a good day everyone.

(#5180) Just another day for me

      No religion gets anything from me. I expect others don't feel the same and that is okay with me. I control me and that is it. So today I will out back mowing the growth on my backyard. It looks kind of like grass but it is much less grass and more different green stuff. Anyway it is getting tall again and makes it harder for me to find the landmines our animals deposit daily upon it. So down goes the taller green stuff and I will get a good workout from it. Who needs to go to a gym and exercise when the maintenance of my backyard works my ass hard to keep clean and nice looking.
     I have to modify my work at my age because I feel the effect of my accomplishments for several days which makes the work I have to go to tomorrow that much harder to complete. So easy does it today and for the most part I won't get it all done today either. I have to stretch the jobs required over several days so as not to tax my system. When I was younger I could work all day and into the night while feeling little effect of it the next day. Not so anymore so easy does it like I said. I will get on the riding lawnmower today and cut most of the green stuff that way and then push the battery operated mower to clean up the worst of the spots that I cannot get from the riding mower.
     That will be it for today so that on Tuesday, my next day off from work, I can get my battery operated weed eater out and finish off the many edges. I had already done the front yard last week so it is good for another few weeks. After that is done today I can then get cleaned up and relax for the rest of the day. Anyway as I sit here that is my plan. It will take me another 5 minutes or so to finish this blog post and post it then it is back outside into the backyard to open up the garage to get at my yard cutting tools. Life is really pretty simple for me and keeping it that way for now is my favorite thing to do. Have a good day today whatever you are doing and make sure it makes you happy when you decide what that is.

(#5179) 2024 election must be a landslide for democrats

      The only way the insurrectionist republican party can be removed from office is to vote for every democrat on your ballot. Whether local, state, or federal, democrats must be voted in instead of republicans. It isn't far fetched to know that the republican party is more concerned with helping Russia, destroying democracy, reestablishing Jim Crow, and abolishing the 19th Amendment. Given these planks of the republican party it would be natural to know that they are out of step with the majority of Americans and the majority of the world.
     All democrats, not most but all, must vote for all democrats on their ballots. All independents must do the same and even some fair minded republicans need to follow suit. There is no time left on the clock for a pass or for not paying attention. The republican party is now and has been for a while the anti democratic party. They want to stop being egalitarians because their belief systems are not revered under democracy. They want to "cull" out of the herd of human beings any of them that they cannot control. They want to end equality for women because they believe that women should be subservient to men. They also believe that the wealthy should dominate the rest of us in all walks of life.
     If you believe I am embellishing the faults of the republican party then you are not paying attention. They gerrymander districts so that their white voters have more clout politically over black voters. That is racism, not one person one vote. They want to regulate the bodies of women while allowing guns to be widespread and easily available to any and all. They want to see putin take over Europe because he wants it. There is no room left for democracy in the republican party because they don't see themselves as equal to anyone. Instead they think themselves superior to any and all who are not them. Being a republican today is to be a turncoat to democracy and individual rights. Who would want a republican world where only the privileged can decide their own fate?

(#5178) I suspect that today will be our last rainy day in Sacramento for some time

      It has been raining consistently for the last several early morning hours and is expected to keep on raining throughout the day. I am really happy about that because the next rain we will see here is likely not to come for some time. As hot as it gets in this area I will soon miss any of the inconveniences that rain causes. Because hot is hot and an artificial cooling off will be our next inconvenience for the next many months. I am working part time again outside so the heat that is coming is going to be very uncomfortable. Plus the sun exposure on my skin will also become a bother.
     I will protect my skin as best as possible from the rays of the sun but the heat is something that I will be less able to protect against. When I was young I loved the heat here in my area but now that I am older I much prefer cooler climates. For one, the rain promotes green growth that is hard to find here in Sacramento during the late spring, summer and early fall. After having spent nearly 20 years living up in the northern Seattle area I came to enjoy the greenery year round. With all that plant growth the available oxygen levels were also appreciated. The colorful scenery and its beauty is inspirational as opposed to the brown and heat that I will be experiencing that is so much less inspiring.
     I love my hometown but not the heat in this stage of my life. That rather contradicts popular belief among my age group as many head to warmer climes during the cooler months. I am the opposite as I could live in cooler climes for the rest of my life. I will work to endure my current fate but always at the back of my mind is the idea that some day I may be able to relocate back up north and finish out my years. However it turns out for me I will endure and find the best of whatever my world dictates. It is good to be alive and thinking about choices I may be able to make if it were up to me as so many are not in a position to even contemplate another reality.

(#5177) Feeling good about the positive direction of our politics

      The elections of 2018 propelled us toward the positive election of Joe Biden in 2020. Since then our politics have been on a really solid trajectory. We had a bit of a bump in 2022 when we temporarily barely lost the House but other than that anomaly we are building toward a more democratic leading political future. We will regain the House and keep the Senate in 2024 because Joe Biden will lead us there. It was unimaginable to me that Joe Biden would the real strength personified about our country. With the crushing defeat of the republican party Tuesday in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election the die is cast toward a strong turnout for democrats in the 2024 presidential election.
     As has been known for most of my life, when democrats turn out to vote we win. Simply put we are engaged while the republican party is in chaos and apathetic. Which is exactly how it should be given the ideals of each party. No more can the republican party hide it's nature to harm the working middle poor class nor it's love for harms that afflict our society. We democrats have stood tall on the side of truth, justice, equity and equal opportunity. We democrats have a goal of inclusion and fairness intertwined throughout our policies. We democrats are the future of our nation and the world. We stand firmly behind our policies and make no excuses for wanting the best we can deliver for all.
     I cannot reiterate just how important that Wisconsin Supreme Court election was and the difference in the vote tally. The democrat had more than 200,000 votes more than the republican. The media pundits were calling this race close but when the voters came out to vote it wasn't close at all. Which brings us back to turnout. When we democrats vote we win, it is as simple as that. This conclusion is a harbinger of things to come. We democrats are poised to take back from republicans seats of power since they are not good stewards of our democracy. They have shown their lack of care for our rule of law and our history of protecting democracy, not harming it. Yes, I feel good about our future under democratic politicians.

(#5176) Good day yesterday

      With the ascension of Finland into NATO yesterday, which shares over 1,000 kilometers of border with Russia, Europe will be much more secure in their struggle to defend against any Russian aggression. That putin thought he could weaken NATO with his invasion of Ukraine we see the exact opposite happening. What putin didn't realize is that Zelenskyy's Ukraine was not to be bullied and Joe Biden's America was not to be played. Of Course all the other countries that stood behind Ukraine in Europe and elsewhere in the world were full of the same resolve. So yesterday when Finland's flag was raised in Brussels Belgium at NATO headquarters, a strengthening of opposition to Russia, not a weakening, came to fruition.
     Then there was the perp walk of sorts for the former appointed president of the United States. Private citizen trump was arraigned and booked on 34 felony counts of falsifying business accounts. His indictment came last week so the much anticipated accounting he is about to go through has really been years in the making. But yesterday was a sort of positive stamp on the idea that everyone is to be held to the same rule of law processes. We are not there yet but it is beginning and those who do violate the law, regardless of station in life, have to be made an example of so no other would dare think they are above the law.
     Yesterday was also a good day in Wisconsin. The election of Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court gives liberals on the court the majority. With that being said the tide against abortion rights and fair elections has now been reversed, at least in Wisconsin. Protecting abortion rights in Wisconsin will now be the majority opinion as well will be creating new and fair voting maps within the state. I also expect that rights stripped from the democratic governor there will be reversed as well where possible. One less reported on aspect of yesterday's vote is the turnout and support given to the liberal victor. Nearly 1,900,000 voters turned out to vote and more than 200,000 of them voted for the liberal above the conservative. Good omen heading into the 2024 presidential election.
     
     

(#5175) Absolutely no time for me on the trump circus

      Today is all about the Wisconsin Supreme Court seat being voted on today. Also the Ukrainian counteroffensive watch is on my mind. Nothing about the trump crap interests me at this point. An arraignment is just the beginning and it will be the sentencing that will perk my interest at that time. So here is to a liberal being elected to Wisconsin's court to make a liberal majority and protect abortion rights, which trump's parents should have done when little their little turncoat was conceived. The voting has begun in Wisconsin and the turnout so far is expected to be high.
     It is good that there is a lot of attention on this race as the outcome will effect critical policies that will determine among them voting and abortion rights. It is difficult to get early vote turnout and mail in voting totals this early but hopefully in a few hours we will be getting some idea as to how large the voter turnout is going to be. For me the higher the turnout the better the chance that the liberal candidate will prevail. It is critical that she does prevail so that years of republican anti democratic policies can be overturned and citizens made whole again.
     As with Wisconsin for me, Ukraine will be closely watched. At any moment or day now the Ukrainians could begin their much anticipated spring counteroffensive. For me the beginning of the end of putin in Ukraine is contingent upon the thrust of this impending counteroffensive. The sooner the start of it the sooner the end of the invasion of Ukraine by putin. As well the sooner the dissolution of Russia and the new strategy to deal with a weakened Russia. I will be busy doing chores around the house today but Wisconsin and Ukraine will be on my mind. Nothing else matters for me like the superficial coverage of the national news here of the turncoat trump and his hundreds of crimes!

(#5174) Busy day tomorrow

      Not a busy day for me tomorrow unless I get called into work because someone didn't show up but instead in two or more different ways. The first being the election tomorrow in Wisconsin with the ideological bend of the state supreme court up for grabs. The judge who retired was the 4th conservative vote on a 7 member panel. Now with the court currently evenly deadlocked the vote tomorrow will give Wisconsinites either a continued conservative majority or a newly formed liberal majority. The current odds are that the liberal will win a close race and her winning would do wonders for Wisconsin and it's fight to bring equality and equity to their state processes.
     The other thing to watch for tomorrow is the trump indictment in New York. Tomorrow is supposed to be the day when trump surrenders himself to authorities there for an arraignment. Whether he is perp walked into court in handcuffs is not likely but worth watching if it happens. He will be able to post bail and not have to go directly to jail but the whole spectacle of the process will be riveting for many. Understandably since he has skated out of so many law breaking scenarios it is finally time that he is caught with no way out. I know I will likely be tuned in to watch his display of ignorance tomorrow or maybe not. I can't stand to look or listen to him so we will see.
     So besides the Wisconsin Supreme Court vote on Tuesday and the perp walk of the criminally afflicted trump on the same day; I am also hoping to hear about some offensive action by Ukraine in the east of their country. The Russians have pretty much wasted most of their munitions and would be sitting ducks for Ukraine to steamroll them right out of Ukraine. The weather had turned bad several days ago which has somewhat stalled the imminent Ukrainian offensive but the timing is still right to take the fight to Russia and move beyond just defending. All told tomorrow should be an interesting day and looking forward to it is one of the few pleasures I hope to experience.

(#5173) Intelligence is sexy, ignorance not so much!

      It is rare these days to come across an intelligent republican woman so I find that most women who I do cross paths with who are intelligent are very appealing to me. Because caring about others is sexy. Because wanting a clean world is sexy. Because fighting for equal rights is so very sexy. Attraction is not something I can put a finger on the why of it but it does seem to happen to me around intelligent women. Sex isn't the same with a woman who doesn't care about anything but herself. It is like a punishment in many ways and for me won't be happening just because of a sex drive that needs to be fulfilled.
     Now granted I am older and have already experienced the effects of having sex with women who weren't intelligent because I was a horn dog and didn't have my priorities in order. But in those occasions I always came away from the experiences feeling dirty somehow. Like I let my self be used because I didn't want to control my own urges and instead settled for the convenient and available. Life is like that for me in a lot of ways because trial and error seems to be my preferred method of learning. Well at least in my early formative years. But as I have gotten older the light from within a woman that reflects her intelligence allows me to see her whole self in a much more desirable way.
     Funny how that works. You can take a beauty queen for what she looks like on the outside but once she opens her mouth and exposes detrimental thoughts her beauty vanishes before my eyes. Or you can take a simple plain looking woman and she opens her mouth and exposes her uplifting thoughts her beauty immediately becomes apparent. That my friends is cause and effect. Intelligence is an attractive quality and no amount of faking it will survive even remedial scrutiny. I for one am waiting for some intelligent woman to grace my life with the same insight for me that I am looking for in her. Good luck to all of us!

(#5172) Until Ukraine is free from Russia, little else matters to me!

      I know it is the start of baseball season. I know that basketball and hockey are winding down toward their playoffs. I know that college hoops for the men and women are close to crowning a national champion. But none of this matters much to me. There was a time when sports at this time of the year superseded everything else in my life but those halcyon days are long gone. No longer do I dream of what could be for my favorite college football team as they go through their official spring practices. Instead I wait to hear about when the next offensive by Ukraine will end up driving the Russian horde out of Ukraine.
     You may well ask me why the change in me? Simply put as an answer is that our democracy here in America is indirectly affected in such a profound way that if Ukraine is not successful, the idea that we will have another spring season of sports to enjoy will be vastly eroded. The sense of peace time will no longer prevail as Russia, if successful in Ukraine, will draw NATO into a larger conflict that will bring we Americans into a land war in Europe once again. A third world war will be triggered with Russia and China likely as the leading foes for us to combat.
     It is not easy to put at the back of my mind the senseless murder of Ukrainians while cheering on some game that has only a social value. I am not so callous as to care less about real life and death scenarios while rooting for a sports team. The ending of putin and Russia's march through Europe has to be prioritized and if we don't lift our heads from our own amusements then we will find that others will physically lift our heads with bad intent. Saving our democracy is greater than any sports team outcome. This should be a no brainer yet it seems that too many of us are so narrowly focused on our own existence that we fail to see what is happening right before our eyes to all of us.