(#5506) I was reminded again of why I write this daily blog

      Most of my life it has been me as my own sounding board. Which is fine because I try very hard to be objective about what it is I am trying to draw for logical conclusions. But be that as it may be I am not another perspective for myself to compare and contrast. I have someone in my life now that is interested enough in who I am to want to talk to me about the deeper meanings of what has grown and matured inside me. My behavior is one way of learning about who I am but there is another. It is in how I describe the important things I express passion about. Where my passion derives it's energy and perseverance. In other words what makes me tick like a clock.
     I was gifted with her reading back to me some of my very earliest blog posts and her reaction to them. Listening to her read my words back to me was an insight that I could not get by listening to myself read the very same words. Her inflections and pauses were beyond anything I had considered in how I wrote the words. For my ear, the way she read my words kindled in me the very essence of my intent in writing them. I am a very fortunate man at this time in my life because I had thought that a time for me to find a person in my life had probably passed me by. I did not give up but I am also not naive. Yet it seems that not giving up is a value that cannot have a enough of a benefit attached to it.
     The bottom line is that I write this blog because I have emotion and logic inside me that needs an outlet for expression. I am no genius nor have the biggest heart, but I do have a measure of both that might be of some value to some reader somewhere about a few subjects. Like the philosopher Rene Descartes concluded, "I think, therefore I am", which is something that has some purpose in life beyond just a place in time and space. Who I am inside me is who I am trying as hard as I can to be outside me. I want more than anything to reflect back the better and best of what it is that makes me part of the human race. I know my value within me is a positive thing and being courageous enough to live it and admit it is a destiny worthy of being strong and humbled enough to show.

(#5505) The republicans still playing games with Ukraine aid

     A bit of news yesterday after the meeting summoned by President Biden of the four leaders in Congress. The obstructionist Speaker of the House has said that the aid to Ukraine will be voted on in time. Parsing this comment of his allows for the idea that he does plan for a vote to take place but he is hedging that with the phrase, in time. What does that mean and is it a near time or a far off time. We don't know yet but we must assume that him even mentioning this about the aid is more akin to near than far off. With the another bill that need to be fashioned like the funds to keep the government operating coming due it would be fair to think that the aid may be part of that legislative process.
     I know that republicans hope to use the Ukraine aid as a wedge to force democrats to concede other points that are not associated with the Ukraine aid and as long as they feel they can force democrats to concede policies they will not let the Ukraine aid up for a vote. The republican party is keeping aid from Ukraine as blackmail if one was to call it out appropriately in order to satisfy their own extreme agenda. The idea that Joe Biden will give the fascist putin helping republicans rewards for their behavior is a long stretch so we wait to see what other pressures may be applied. Joe Biden has to force the republicans to honor the promises made to Ukraine of which now the unkept promises are devastating to Ukraine.
     For me the foreign aid legislation must be part of any deal democrats make with republicans on keeping the government operating. The government funding bill needs to be passed before March 1, to keep the first stage of the government shutdown from occurring. The onus is on the House republicans as they control America's purse strings so highlighting that fact is the first step toward making the republicans do their job of offering legislation that democrats are willing to accept. No one wants the blame for failure at this juncture so making sure that those who are initially responsible to make the deals necessary for agreement need to do just that!

(#5504) Do you get that putin must be stopped in Ukraine?

      The republican party is playing politics with our democracy and that is not in question. What remains in question is whether the republican voter is playing along with them. They are the wild card here. Do the republican voters get that our democracy along with other foreign democracies are at great risk in this moment in time? Will they rise up like the Russian people should rise up and demand that their rights and freedoms be protected? I would have thought as just a normal person that everyone would be for protecting rights and freedoms but with the way republicans are keeping our democracy at risk the idea that some are anti democracy is now a fact.
     I expect there are republican voters who will follow the republican brand right into the slaughterhouse if that is where they lead them. Yet I suspect that many will not do the ridiculous and follow blindly if that entails the loss of their way of life. Like with the Russian people and the loss of over 410,000 thousand young Russian men in Ukraine, the republican voters need a wake up call to remind them that their ignoring of what is happening around them is not sustainable to their interests. There is a lot of propaganda out there that would deny any harm they may experience but the lies of propaganda can only survive if the populace chooses to be ignorant.
     With all the evidence that is getting past the propaganda I would hope that both the Russian people and the republican voter would begin to see the duplicity of putin and republican politicians. There is an honor and duty to protecting democracy that cannot be assuaged by false narratives and deceptive measures. Our core beliefs in a way of life that protects the best of what humans can be is what is now under threat. People like putin and his cohort trump are not what we need in our world as leaders or even opposition voices. They sow discord and death as acceptable means to remain in power and that is what we all should see instead of the propaganda of their words.

(#5503) There must be some breakthrough on the Ukraine aid this week!

      My full attention this week will be on the effort of President Joe Biden to move obstructionist republicans in the House toward an agreement to put the Ukraine aid bill up for a vote. I don't know what Joe Biden will have to do to get these otherworldly republican congressional creatures to be responsible to doing the correct thing for America and the world but Joe must find a way to reverse their obstinance to protecting democracy. We the voters will do our job come November 5th 2024. However Ukraine does not have the luxury of holding out until our next election if they don't want to waste blood and treasure unnecessarily. 
     Several work arounds are underway to advance the bipartisan Senate bill that includes the Ukraine funding. When the Senate bill actually gets a vote it will pass with a large majority in the House but the current House leadership is balking at putting the bill up for a vote because trump demands they don't. He wants to hurt Joe Biden any way he can and by stopping the Ukraine aid he is attempting to make Biden look like a bad steward of our democracy. I suppose trump thinks the rest of us live in a vacuum and do not see his underhanded attempts to destroy good people while trying to make himself look good. Despite all that the congressional republicans are under severe pressure to ignore trump and do the correct thing.
     Whatever powers of reasoning and persuasion President Biden can muster must be employed now so as to put the perspective into the House republican leadership that there will be a heavy cost for further aid delay. There is no cost benefit analysis that can favor the House republican leadership when push comes to shove. So I expect that Joe Biden will be ready and able to move the aid bill along for a vote this week. The sooner the better and today would be wonderful if things fell into place like in a united effort to thwart the tyrant putin against a wonderfully brave Ukrainian society. All Americans can be proud if this aid bill gets a quick vote in the House and then Joe Biden will sign it into law and the munitions to the Ukrainian people can continue to help them push putin out of Ukraine!

(#5502) Defeating Russia in Ukraine is an imperative!

      There is no greater task to conclude than to end the world domination aspirations of putin and his Russian cohorts! None! So the republican party holding up aid that would greatly help do just that is a betrayal to our ally Ukraine and also to the manifest destiny our nation has in protecting and promoting democracies around the world. I cannot think of a less democratic thing to do than to sit and refuse to help someone fighting for their lives at the hands of a brutal and cruel dictator. The callousness it takes to be a republican right now is well below the normalcy of any decent human trait!
     Some think that I spend too much time on issues around Ukraine instead of issues with our own sabotaged government. Yet I say they are both linked. With the lack of support shown by too many republicans it becomes clear that they would rather see democracy fail in Ukraine than to help Ukraine preserve it. That goes to the heart of our elections here. If republicans are willing to let democracy die anywhere in the world what would they be likely to do when our own democracy is in the balance? Especially since the republican party is the one jeopardizing our democracy through inequality and unfairness.
     If you plan to vote for a republican in any office in our nation then you are complicit in the demise of democracy both at home and abroad. How does it feel to have enjoyed democratic values all your life and then to work to take those rights away from others? Are you an American patriot to democracy or are you an American who would betray those values as your culminating life work? Those that are fine with Ukraine not receiving aid are part of the cabal that is eliminating them every day they are not receiving the promised aid. Not only is it an abomination letting brave Ukrainian soldiers and civilians die, but now we Americans are seen as a threat to democracy that our allies have used to improve their societies. Here is the moral of this post. Vote for every democrat on your ballot and end the hellscape that republicanism is bending towards!

(#5501) How much longer will the cruel brutality of russia be allowed to continue?

      The mark of a civilized world is the behavior it's inhabitants display. Where the dialogue of what is positive to be attained is foremost and continual in the minds of we human beings on the planet Earth. That is what I expect of us as an enlightened species whose amazing possibilities need to be the rule and not the exception. We humans are the most remarkable species on this planet and as such with our evolution into a creative and innovative paradigm our first step toward our future is understanding that every living soul must have basic uniform rights to exist and be free with liberty.
     How we pursue our happiness within the framework of do no harm allows us all equality and is the only path forward that works to keep peace. Peace is a destination that we must all strive toward. It is not given it is earned through the steadfast defense of all that it represents. We cannot shirk our duty to peace if we want peace as our foundation. There are those who are in our societies that do not want for all they want only for themselves and a few others. So they gain power and then disrupt peace in order to create chaos and fear. Why do they do this? The simple answer is that they want our society of enlightenment and freedom to change to something more sinister and oppressive that would allow them even greater control of not only society but of the lives who live within it.
     What is happening today on the start of the third year of the invasion of Ukraine by putin, the kremlin in Moscow, with the acquiescence of the majority of the Russian people is an example of the worst of what we humans do. The invaders from Russia are casting aside the sovereignty of a legitimate country that was and still is implementing democracy and inflicting on them humiliation, depravity, and war crimes not seen since the days of nazism. The enlightenment of our planet is being destroyed by the warmonger putin who is currently being supported by too many who would help him to remove the rights and freedoms we wish for all. If we who cherish rights for all do not find a way to stop this then it won't be stopped and then the real pain for all in the world, not just Ukrainians now, will begin!
     

(#5500) Another milestone post

     As I reach these milestone posts, 5500 this time, I reflect back to when I started doing these blog posts and why. I think I have given pretty much the same answers for my motivations over the years but the descriptions do vary at times. This may be one of those times. I generally say that I wanted a forum to be heard and that is always true. But it is also a lifeline into reality for me. I write about what is bothering me or exciting me. I am not much of a closed book. So being that way I feel the need to share my thoughts in ways that are sometimes remarkable but more traditionally average and presenting nothing extraordinary.
     Presenting the ordinary is what I do best it seems but I try to find ways for others to see that although ordinary the ideas are certainly important. How we prioritize our concerns and hopes for the present and future. I always seem to bring up that we are a species that is much focused on our own situations within society. Which I as well am prone to be a lot of the time. However there is another part of us that needs focus as well and that is how we live within our own manufactured living frameworks. How our emotions and thoughts are intertwined with all around us and need to be expressed in ways that allow us to feel apart of each other in our society of human beings and other living species'.
     We are all not separate islands within a chain of islands. We are instead pieces of the same world, locked together, much like infinite pieces fitting together to make an existential jigsaw puzzle. The sooner we are in harmony with a concept of togetherness the sooner we will all find that life is more joyful and happy to pursue than presently only for some. I suppose I have given this same message many times and in many different ways, yet it is a message that is more forgotten than remembered. If our leaders are not promoting harmony and togetherness then they should never be allowed to be our leaders. Those of us who remain steadfast in this approach implore the rest to join us to make our reality the better and best of its possibilities.

(#5499) Courage not fear!

      We humans all have a purpose in life. That being like John Stuart Mill so simply put as "do no harm". If we all start from the position of doing no harm we can be certainly assured that no intentional harm will ever exist. Yet we have those in society that do not heed this simple truth of not doing harm. So when they deem it their duty to do harm we who see this harm must respond. We cannot defeat harm without force. I have tried in vain to stop as an example the harm causing bully with kindness, intelligence and compassion but if anything it encourageous the bully to be even more a bully. So force is the only option left to stop harm.
     In the example of the bully too many of us know that being courageous and standing up to the bully is very difficult and at times impossible. In my own young battle against a bully I often found myself frozen with fear and unable to respond in any admirable way. In time though I realized that being frozen with fear was not going to solve my problem of being bullied. I was forced to understand that the bullying would not stop until I stood up to the bully. Which was what I did at that early age. After that the bully stopped bullying me and even stopped being a bully in general. We both learned from our physical altercation, me that courage is a good thing and him that bullying was a bad thing.
     That lesson has always stood with me despite my own frailties. Standing up to the bully not only helps the bullied but it also becomes a lesson for the bully to learn that harm to others is not a good thing when harm to them is the answer back. What is happening in Ukraine now with putin and his kremlin bullies trying to harm the Ukrainians and others must be stopped and it won't be through kindness, intelligence and compassion. It will be stopped by courage and standing up to the bully. Ukraine has shown that courage in such an admirable way that we could all learn from their outstanding example of how to deal with a bully. Now all we in the civilized world need to do is support the courage that Ukraine is showing against the bully putin and back them with all our heart, mind, and soul.

(#5498) The republicans and putin must be stopped!

      That this is obvious is of no doubt. With putin murdering Ukrainians daily the need to stop him is overwhelmingly undoubtable. The need to stop republicans is as well as they keep funds from going to Ukraine that would mightily aid in stopping putin. Now you may be puzzled as to why the republican party would want to keep from stopping putin and his ego driven mad rush to control the world. It has to do with both putin and republicans living in the alternative reality where they want power more than they want democracy. Both could have chosen to support democracy and shape policies that benefit all of our societies but neither is dong that. Instead they want to make new rules like tyrants that only support their way of thinking.
     They both disrespect all of our peoples who do not think like them. They are not defenders of freedom and rights for all. So for our American democracy to continue to become more perfect we must stop republicans here in America. All we have to do here is to vote them out of office and let those who choose to improve life for all lead the way. In Russia there is not that choice of fair voting so the fight against Russia is in Ukraine where putin has laid his entire existence on the line. A defeat in Ukraine would spell the end of putin and his cronies in the kremlin. So stopping putin in Ukraine will require we here in America to get the aid package to Ukraine where the bravest soldiers on the planet can put that bravery to effective use.
     The alternative to defeating putin and republicans is a world where tyranny becomes the end game for the greedy and brutish among our species. The end of democracy as a fair and just concept will go into the waste bin and the emergence of forced thought and torture will become our new way of being governed. We have seen what happens to dissent in Russia and already trump has let it be known that he loves that aspect of control. Silencing dissent is what tyrants do and for us to allow such a thing to occur when we already have fought and died for democracy would be a just deserve to us as a punishment for not standing up to the bullies and continually knocking them onto their asses!

(#5497) Do you believe in democracy?

      Never in my lifetime had it even occurred to me to question whether democracy should be ours and the world's most inclusive form of government. There is no other form of government with the same rights and freedoms that democracy extends. So why would anyone not protect, defend and encourage democracy the world over? I cannot think of one good reason but I can think of some bad ones. Like some people who are sociopathic in behavior and would like nothing more than to treat some people as property instead of as free human beings.
     We had a war about this called the Civil War and those who fought to protect their human property were defeated by those who knew that people were not property. Those same folks on the losing side of the people as property issue have descendents who would reverse the loss incurred during the Civil War and refight it by destroying our democracy and installing an authoritarian form of government much like what putin is doing in Russia. Which would explain why they are opposed to sending Ukraine aid to fight against Russian aggression on Ukrainian soil.
     I am one who is full stop in on science and logic as a means of interpreting our existence. So seeing how democracy allows for growth within it to make a more perfect union I am well satisfied with its utilization. For those who don't see democracy as their way forward then they should tell us why and how they see our form of government operating. Nothing logical can come from any explanation nor vision they may provide that would surpass or equal the brilliance of democracy. So that is probably why they don't announce their thoughts and vision because it is rather a dark one and would not allow for many to eagerly enjoin!

(#5496) We all have to decide how much indiscriminate murdering we are willing to take!

      The destroyer of lives putin is doing all he can to keep up his mission in life and soon enough this question will have to be answered. How much indiscriminate murdering will we take before we decide we have had enough? Will it be before many more innocent brave folks have to die trying to defend against his horror? Or will it be later after a whole creed of folks perish from the face of the Earth? It seems to me that sooner is the answer but I am not in charge of all of us to decide for us because if I was I would stop the madman from Moscow yesterday. My reasoning is simple. Because no one should be allowed to brutalize and destroy another human being with no consequence to themselves.
     Is it just me being overly sensitive to wanting to protect life from harm when it is being destroyed? I find that death that is intentional and unwanted is proof enough for me to react in a way that will not accept it. Is it just me that feels the need to protect those who are truly victims of another's wanton out of control ego? Maybe there is something wrong with how I think? Maybe I am not callous enough to dismiss the death of those who are trying to be free and live in liberty. I must be missing something in my behavior and character that doesn't allow me to feel the pain of injustice and abuse.
     I must need to apologize then for not being the emotionless man that some seem to think we all need to be when it comes to destroying life for the sake of whatever our whims are. From what I can tell I need to find it within me to smother kindness and hope so that I can fulfill some fantasy that has no other basis in reality other than my own rapacious limited scope perception. Somehow if I want to fit in I must stop advocating for the weaker among us and start advocating for the powerful to fulfill their dreams at my and others' expense. Or, perhaps I need to keep my own value systems of honor and noble principles of living in a world where we are all special and worthy of more than being someone else's dark reality.

(#5495) Our mindless American society

      Do you ever get the feeling that no matter what the atrocity we Americans just keep going on as if nothing really important has just happened? I get that feeling all the time now. The years of the mass shootings even at children's schools has done little to dent the psyche we Americans have hidden behind a very thick wall. This hiding ourselves from dangers is not sustainable and will lead to our downfall as a nation. We are not separated from the world nor from our own country's borders. We cannot nor must not exclude ourselves from the consequences of our whole environment.
     We have problems here that need all of us to work together toward solutions. We have to find our way out of our protective shells so that the real world situations in our own backyard begin to resemble solutions instead of being ignored. Even our foreign policy of promoting democracies around the world is being neglected to the detriment of our own safety and security. As individuals, we have lost the form of a bold person who is excited about the future and what that may become. We are more like caricatures of what we think we are as humans without having to actually be human. We have lost our sense of instinctual living and the reasoning that comes with being logical.
     Not good things are taking place on our watch as the greatest and strongest form of government on the planet yet we shirk those things and continue on like all is okay. We have lost our identity as human beings to be replaced with an illusion of privilege and advantage. We are far less noble than we think we are because we have forgotten that honorable principles require sacrifice. We want for ourselves yet not for all to have even a small fraction of what we carelessly keep with no utility. The pompousness of our character's will lead to only one outcome and that will not be what we thought it to be. If we don't find our way back to being real honorable people then our time in this existence as leaders will be short.

(#5494) Will the Russian people now realize they are being duped by putin?

      I know how nationalism works. Being for your country is a no brainer. It is like what we have here in America on a lesser scale with republicans. Core republican supporters cannot be convinced to look at their party as lesser despite a mountain of evidence that shows they are lesser. The cognitive dissonance that takes hold is so much more stronger than logic. Same with nations. The Russian people think that through their information services that they are the ones who are deciding the agenda and policies of their nation when in fact they are not. Same with republicans here.
     But in the history of our great nations and traditional political party's there are moments in time that can galvanize our populaces to an awakening that proves to be the undoing of those who had been working to confuse us. That moment started yesterday for putin in Russia. A hard cold slap in the face of the Russian people was the news that Alexei Navalny had died in prison. He had been previously poisoned by putin stooges and then placed in prison on politically motivated charges. His death at the age of 47 is not in line with how the Russian high command indicated and his body not being released to his family has further caused the putin fault line of distrust to widen.
     Alexei Navalny recorded a video of what he wanted his countrymen to do upon his coming death as he surely knew that putin and his brutal kremlin allies were not the kind of people to tolerate dissent. I can somewhat imagine the pain of losing such a great man of vision for what the Russian state could be instead of what it currently is now. Will this be enough for the Russian people for finally say enough along with over 400,000 of their countrymen dead in Ukraine? I don't know but these things need to be reconciled and now is the time to do it. Russia still has a pathway to peace but the leadership of Russia is not going to be part of that, so change must come from within. That momentum is built from shock and anger so hopefully too many young Russians dying and one such as Alexei Navalny being killed will make the Russian people rise up and reclaim their dignity and honor.

(#5493) I am seething about the despicable republican party!

      It is reported by Russian authorities that Alexei Navalny has died in a Russian prison. His crime for being in a Russian prison was to try to run in an election against putin the tyrant! Alexei Navalny represented the hope for a better Russia and now he is reported as dead. It is like for me when President Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated because they represented a bright hope future here in America. Whenever someone or something good tries to take place in our societies there seems that the worst of our examples of human beings comes out and takes that good away.
     My heart is breaking this morning at this news and at the same time has filled me with a determination that is as strong as the hardest metal. I will never relent to the evil and worst that some would wreak upon us. The hope for a brighter day will not leave my soul and will always be my guiding light. There is a battle for the soul of our species and if you are not sure about that then I am afraid you have already been defeated. So I suggest you do this as a way of learning if you are. Are your favorite politicians promoting democracy? Are they promoting the right for all who are eligible to vote? Are they fighting to elevate women above being classified as property? Are they fighting to preserve the dignity of all human beings instead of just some?
     If you can honestly answer any of these questions within your own self then you will be able to understand that the forces of oppression are out there and pretending to be normal and friendly. Yet they are not! The soul of our species is being hijacked by a few privileged neanderthals who think they know better than those who have accepted that logic, facts, and reasoning have a greater perspective in finding the truth than their own ego's. We the public had better wake up and look around us at those who say they are what they are not. When the republican party says that we are in a national security crisis and then promptly call for a House recess you cannot ignore the hypocrisy and the wanton disregard for your ability to see their duplicity!

(#5492) It is hard to be happy when Ukraine is suffering

      I have much to be grateful for in my life and just the thought of what is going on recently with me is enough to bring a smile to my face. Then I am quickly brought back to reality with the lack of Ukraine aid from what should have been a no brainer republican party ally. Well it is hard to consider the republican party an ally of Ukraine as Ukrainians fight to the death for their chance of creating their own democracy. Let me say that again this way. As Ukraine is being attacked daily on all its fronts from the tyrant putin who would destroy Ukraine as a sovereign nation, republicans do nothing to help Ukraine thwart off the constant ravages that Russia utilizes.
     So instead of standing up to help Ukraine defend its democracy, republicans are sitting down and turning their heads so that they can ignore the death that is now coming to the bravest fighting force for democracy the world has seen since we Americans in the second world war. What our great grandparents and grandparents did last century to defeat the fascists like putin was magnificent and heralded several generations of growth toward democratic values. Well the republican party is no longer on the side of helping democracy flourish and instead they are preparing to help destroy democracy by denying promised US aid to Ukraine.
     Because this aid is now questionable in helping Ukraine fight back the onslaught of fascism that is coming out of Russia the Ukrainians are about to be overwhelmed because they are not of the same resources that Russia has been able to secure. The dictators of the world are helping putin spread fascism because they know that democracy hurts them. The republican party has no excuse for what it is doing to destroy democracy other than to side with fascism. This is indeed a very dark chapter in the history of America and it is the republican party that is coloring it so.

(#5491) Ukraine aid

      The House of Representatives has now gotten the bill passed by a large majority of Senators authorizing Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan aid to help them secure their democracies. The House is in a current holding pattern on the aid bill as the extremists in the House from the republican party are hoping to ignore the aid bill as unnecessary. They are being led by the extremist voice of their leader trump. What is still possible though is that the majority of republicans may find a way to compromise within their own caucus to allow the vote and then weather the storm from their extremist faction.
     The verdict is still not in yet on whether the bill from the Senate to support foreign aid will be voted on in the House. Let me be clear here on this subject of the vote itself. If the bill is put up for a vote, it will pass with republican votes to spare. The only doubt in all of this is whether the House leadership will overcome the threats from trump and his cabal in the House to allow the vote to even take place, All that is at stake is the freedom of democracy and its growth in the world at large. If we here in America cannot find it within ourselves, the cradle of democracy, to support the growth and nurture of democracy then democracy will not grow and instead will wither from non care.
     I have been railing at republicans for well over 3 months now to stop obstructing on this vital aid that will give Ukraine the tools it needs to fight with their citizens to maintain and grow their democracy. If we here in america fail to help Ukraine then the possibility of Russia defeating Ukraine gets more likely. In that case expect Russia to fortify previous Ukrainian defense lines as offensive lines aimed at moving into Europe. When NATO countries are attacked the United States will respond in kind with all weapons in its arsenal. Just know that aiding Ukraine now is a prevention of much more costly expenses and losses of life that the cure of stopping Russia post Ukraine will demand. Aid Ukraine now republicans and do what you should have done more than 3 months ago!

(#5490) The power of thought

      We human beings have an incredible feature to our existence. We can think like no other known species to us. The domination of our surroundings is totally justified because of our ability to think. We create and innovate at such alarming speeds that what was the usual practice of our normality is in a constant upgrading motion. The upgrading can become dizzying with the motion of change that is everywhere. Yet our minds adapt when we consider the benefits of change in balance with the cost associated. All of this requires thinking which we do regardless of our motivations.
     As our sciences and the logic to comprehend them further themselves into the fabric of our desires. We can imagine the present and future that build upon the best of our pasts. We can think about the vastness of time and space that is beyond our planet and how that exploration and discovery may be achieved. Our thoughts about things that are current and hoped for in our home here on Earth find their genesis in our ability to rationalize our thoughts to actuate behaviors and situational undertakings. Rene Descartes postulated that "since he could think, therefore he existed"; thus disproving any doubt of his own existence since he was the one who would be doing any doubting.
     The power of thought is an absolute limitless feature of an evolved mind that has its home in the human being experience. We humans alone are able to imagine through our thoughts possibilities that no other species can recreate in substantive form. Without thought we humans are like the lesser species who cannot change their surroundings to fit their needs. We humans can do so and in that doing are able to evolve toward greater desires through our imaginations. Every human being on this planet is capable of one or more amazing interpretations of what our existence allows us to build. When we are all in step with our own possibilities then the real magic of thought will soar to a level never yet even imagined.

(#5489) Russian deaths keep mounting in Ukraine

      The number of deaths reported by Ukraine of Russian soldiers that have been killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine since February 2022 is now at 395,990. The number will exceed 400,000 by the end of this week. I cannot imagine how the parents of these Russian soldiers are dealing with the loss of life at such a devastating rate. These young Russian men are no more and as such will never have had a chance to have families of their own. The whole of Russian society has now a gaping hole in it of this generation. I cannot fathom for the life of me why the Russian people would allow such a travesty as this to continue.
     I often hear that the Russian people are sick and tired of this war that putin and the kremlin are waging against their cousins in Ukraine but to not see some effort to stop this insanity I am left with the thought that the Russian people have resigned their lives to live for putin instead of the other way around. How this one callous man, putin, can command such obedience from what I always thought of the Russian people as independently rugged has been reduced to fearful and afraid. The Russian people are sacrificing their youth for nothing as putin will never take Ukraine. So why don't they stop him from killing more of their children?
     I could live another 100 years and still be baffled by the Russian people and their non care for their children's lives. The coming number of 400,000 dead Russian soldiers is a number that is beyond reason and logic. Are lives so devalued in Russia that now the much younger child adults must be liquidated for the state purpose of gaining nothing? I don't know the formula for ending the putin/kremlin cabal but I know that it must happen if Russia is to survive it's own implosion. Somewhere someone has to make a stand and along with all the rest of civilized Russia put an end to the worst episode of human self destruction I have ever seen or would expect to see. Somehow this fiasco that Russia is causing in ending the lives of it's youngsters must end now!

(#5488) Getting on a plane this morning

      I am going back up north for a few days to spend time with a woman I have gotten to know pretty well. it seems that this older man has gotten lucky in the sense of meeting someone who is like minded and as happy as he always aspires to be. I know this week is Valentine's week and the implication is obvious but still time to get to know each other is upon us and luckily an opportunity to see how we get along further is about to begin in person, again. One thing I have figured out is that when an opportunity for a special change in life is available it would be foolish to let it pass without an effort to see what could be possible.
     I feel not unlike a young person again inside and that is quite remarkable since these kinds of feelings have long since passed me by. But apparently not completely. I have spent my entire life being alone so to speak and now we shall see if that will change for me. I do look forward to the possibility and am excited to see if I can be someone worthy of another's love. All things are possible when we stay in the now moment and let ourselves trust our intuitions and logic. Nothing in this world is perfect, so neither is any expectation I may have but I do know that if a bond is to be shared then the little things in life matter just as much as the big things.
     So getting on that plane this early morning is a first step toward that moment when I get to try to be a worthy man who has the same hope for this special woman. It is curious how life can be so ordinary one moment and then extraordinary the next. These last few months have been of the extraordinary variety and for that I am fortunate that I was ready for the happening to occur. The moments of our lives are what matter and finding some happiness should be the pursuit of all of us. Whether fighting to get freedom for people or fighting to find happiness for ourselves, the goal is the same, Never quit and always hope. Here is to a safe plane ride and a welcoming from a woman who I will be very happy to see.

(#5487) American Ukrainian aid is coming...

      I know this is just my opinion but I can now feel it. Previously republicans were being so obstinate about the aid that I could not get a gauge on how or if the aid would be delivered. Now, with all the pressures adding to a breaking of ranks within the republican party I can feel the momentum turning toward delivering the aid through legislation. 17 republican Senators have broken free from the trump induced coma and are now working to get the Ukrainian aid through the Senate. That is the first step. Next comes the House and it's fealty to trump's objection to Ukrainian aid.
     With some Congressional republican representatives in Kyiv right now proclaiming they will get aid to Ukraine I can almost feel a bit settled that the House will vote on the Senate bill when it comes to them sometime next week and push it through despite the trump effect. When I rail against the current form of republicanism it is because most of them have forsaken democracy. Yet not all and we only need a handful of republicans to vote with every democrat to get the bill passed in the House. Once that happens Joe Biden will sign that bill into law and the funds may immediately be released to secure the armaments that Ukraine needs to stop putin and his quest to dominate the world and end democracy.
     Ukraine has been holding on in order for the funds to arrive so that they can stop rationing their defensive and offensive capabilities. This aid along with the newly approved EU aid will make Ukraine a powerful force against the weakened Russian military. That putin is stopped in Ukraine is the only logical step for ending the madman putin and his war criminal ways. The republican party is finally finding out that stalling aid to Ukraine will only make the world worse in the next few years and the aid now is a small price to pay when the future circumstances will be a lot more costly and even grave. I feel the aid is coming and Ukrainian soldiers will not die needlessly because unfortunately republicans are slow to feel their unnecessary loss of life.

(#5486) Election season is upon us

      I just mailed off my primary ballot here in California and like you may have already surmised I voted for every democrat on the ballot. What we here in California have already learned is that the republican party cannot be trusted with our democracy. They would serve themselves long before serving all of us. They do not see our democracy as one person one vote, instead they see it as a privileged system that only they get to participate in. It is obvious by the way they take rights away from all of us, especially women, when the overwhelming majority of us want women to be equal partners with we men in our society. They also draw congressional maps to purposely marginalize people of color.
     What we here in California have done is give democrats super majorities in our state government and then let the more conservative members of our democrats be a counter to our more progressively liberal members. It seems to work very well and we don't miss having the republican party as a serious voice in our state's future. I have been saying this for many years now, we don't need the out of touch republican party to be able to debate and logically argue the details of what we the majority know is the foundation of our principles within our democracy. We have serious enough representatives who listen to our constituencies and then create policies for enacting new evolving and informed laws.
     Now if the rest of the country in certain areas of our nation would look to California and see how well we work to provide solutions to problems instead of providing a diminution of rights as a solution then the pursuit of all our happinesses would be enhanced and more likely to be achieved. We here in California and the rest of the west coast for that matter got this way because we are thinkers and learners. We don't live in the past with failed concepts that are contrary to democratic foundations. We believe all should be part of the fabric of our country, a true melting pot that is responsible for getting us here to the most diverse nation on the planet. Holding unto that inclusive destiny and giving each soul a chance to be the greatest person to walk our planet is surely not asking too much!

(#5485) President Joe Biden will not give up on Ukraine!

      The republican party can mess with our democracy and the world's democraices but one thing is clear President Joe Biden is relentless in his pursuit to overcome their bad faith. He had promised Ukraine that the United States would stand with them in their struggle to fight back against the tyrant dictator putin. Knowing this the republican party is working instead to make Joe look bad instead of standing by our allies. The strategy of making someone look bad if that were even achievable in this case is to help a political party like republicans gain an advantage come November is the worst kind of leadership that we could ever vote to lead us.
     Meanwhile the brave Ukrainian people are put under much more pressure on their front lines because they don't have the help that republicans are playing politics with. You can be assured that young men and women are dying in Ukraine as a direct link to the republicans stalling needed munitions. When the political games of the republican party are weighed against the deaths that they are causing it should sicken everyone who has any love for the human race. The republicans are not on the front line avoiding the bullets and missiles that would end them, no but brave democracy loving folks are. The history of this time will not be forgotten and writers all over the world are condemning what the republican party are doing.
     Another bill to aid Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan is coming in front of the Senate without a border provision attached to it. We will see how republicans respond to this attempt by democrats to help democracy survive. It is shameful that we here in America are the problem with protecting and expanding democracy as the world's most precious form of government. The republican voters don't seem to be able to make the connection that all they have is due to democracy being our form of government. Without democracy they would be much worse off like the people who must live under dictatorial rule. If that isn't enough to shake them out of their illogical stupor and vote against "burn the house down republicans" then we here in America are not bound to do great things for our children and their children.

(#5484) Put more pressure on House and Senate republicans to pass the border bill!

      If you are a republican voter and are concerned about all the hype you are inundated with then make sure to call your republican leaders and tell them to pass this bill! The only thing that will make republicans change from their fealty to trump is to have their fealty reversed back to you where it belongs. That trump is calling the shots on a subject so volatile to regular republican voters so he can use it as a wedge issue in the coming election for himself is as selfish as it sounds. If trump wanted to help solve the border problem then he would be supporting this legislation that pours resources into the implementation of border security.
     Yet that is not what trump wants. Instead he wants the border to get worse so that he can claim democrats can't fix the problem and he can. Except he has an opportunity to support it now and won't and even worse is getting needed politicians in his republican party to vote down the passage of the bill. Much like when nixon sabotaged the 1968 peace treaty President Johnson tried to conclude with Vietnam so nixon could use the war continuing as an issue in his next election. This type of gamesmanship with life and death issues is beneath contempt and should never be allowed a reward for its nefarious nature. The attached Ukraine aid in the border bill is already stalled from last year and if stalled further more brave Ukrainians will die!
     If republican voters don't come out and tell their representatives to vote for improving the border then what will they tell the representatives to do for them? Now is the time for action so hopefully republican voters will straighten out their representatives or tell them there will be consequences for not getting done the policies they are most concerned about. If republicans tank the border bill how does trump spin that to make it look like democrats tanked the border bill? I am no pundit nor a political junkie but how the blame could be shifted when we all know trump told the republicans to vote the bill down is beyond me. The republicans are in a quandary because if they vote the bill down they own the fact of that despite what trump may think!

(#5483) The republican party will pay for their making women less than equal and abandoning Ukraine!

      The concerted effort of republicans to get conservative justices on the Supreme Court so they could overturn the law of Roe v. Wade is still fresh in the minds of those of us who saw that as a step backwards for democracy. it was actually more than step backwards it was a not so hidden attempt by republicans to destroy our democracy through devaluing women. The proof is not hard to discern if you would just look at it. With republicans adamant stance of denying promised aid to Ukraine the fledgling democracy in Kyiv is now more uncertain to survive. The republican party knows this yet would act like it isn't that important.
     I cannot stress how devastating the lack of aid to Ukraine is on the brave folks who are fighting with all they have to protect their democracy. So for republicans to turn their backs on Ukraine when the time to help them is at a most critical junction is beyond logically explained. There is no logic that can justify the republican position of uncaring. They are hopeful to let ukraine wither to the forces of the tyrant putin in exchange for what I cannot tell yet but it does not entail keeping our democracy here at home. By denying women the right to control their own bodies republicans have made it clear they do not want democracy for all of us and instead only want privilege for themselves.
     Those of us who see republicans unraveling our own democracy and backstabbing Ukraine's democracy see this happening in real time and we are more than alarmed, we are outraged! Our fellow Americans are not doing what is necessary to keep these anti democracy forces from controlling our governments. The republican party has ceded control of its base to a minority of people who are ready and willing to destroy our constitutional rights of one person one vote. The reason is simple. They refuse to be governed by a majority that they have biased and prejudicial feelings about. The republican party is mostly caucasian and they have it in their unwell minds that those of other races and nationalities are not worthy of being equal to them. For the rest of us we have only one choice left and that is to vote for every democrat on our ballots in this most crucial election cycle.

(#5482) I am having an odd day today

     For those that know me I am mostly all about current world and national events relating to at the moment Ukraine and their defense from the tyrant putin and our own American elections. But not so today. I have been listening to some music from my youth that is still capturing my vibrations like they did when I was at their first hearing so many decades ago. It is phenomenal that I haven't changed in that regard. The power and majesty of my generational music is alive and well within me. I am no expert on the music of today and that is a regret of mine not to be more up to date on current vibes. Yet the vibes I still get from those songs of my youth are all it seems I need for today.
     It is like I am mesmerized and cannot pull away from the amazing sounds and performances that are like old friends inside my head. I am not trying to recapture my youth or anything like that I am just remembering the perfect harmony of my soul and how well that made me feel. It is worthy to capture that feeling of something beyond the daily emotions that I like to feel about what our world is doing. I suppose it is me taking a break from the moment of the present to feel the past in a way that has a cathartic healing about it. I also suppose that is my only way of understanding why it draws me in and won't let me go.
     It may be different how I am going about my day and that is okay. It reminds me of why I fight so hard for democracy because democracy allows me these opportunities to be different once in a while without feeling guilty of not always forging ahead with some concept that is less personal. I guess it was a day for me to take care of myself the best way I know by immersing myself into a vibration centered genre where my soul is singing to the beat of the music along with my vocal chords. Tomorrow I expect that things will be different here and for that I look forward to but for today I am all about the music of my generation and how it makes me rise above the static of silence.

(#5481) Currently there are 219 House republicans and 213 House democrats

      Three House republicans are no longer in Congress, Santos, McCarthy and Johnson. So of the 222 originally elected republicans in 2022, 219 is what is left. We democrats secured 213 seats in the House in 2022 and are about to add another on February 13 if all goes well. If we democrats do fill the seat of the ousted Santos then the House membership will be 219 to 214. The other 2 special elections for McCarthy and Johnson's seats will begin on March 19. Pending the outcome of those races which appear to be republican strongholds the tally should be 221 for republicans and 214 for democrats. A 7 seat advantage but only if less than four republicans defect to vote with democrats. If the four do vote with democrats then democrats will have a majority of the vote with a 218-217 slim advantage.
     The importance of this is simple. The republicans have been caustic representatives in the House ready to burn the place down to placate their presidential frontrunner, criminal trump. So if just four sane republicans out of the 221 vote with democrats to replace the current maga speaker, the minority party for now would take control of the House speakership and control the agenda. It is a bit of a longshot but given the magnitude of the responsibilities that house republicans are currently ignoring it is not that far out of the realm of possibility. There are rumors of already signaled talks.
     I know this may sound a bit much to expect but the ability of four republicans joining democrats in order to bring some order back to the House does make a lot of sense. I would expect those four republicans or more for that matter to demand some rules that do not allow the democrats to do as they please but would instead narrow the scope to agreeable legislation that would not burn the four republicans for their patriotic attempt to keep our government from being destroyed by maga republicans. I may well be fantasizing here but in this day and age where the republican party is in league with dictators and willing to default on our democracy, thinking outside the box for solutions is as American as it gets so let's do it when the time comes!

(#5480) The best things in life are freely given

      It doesn't matter what it is. If you freely give of the better and best of who you are then you improve yourself and those who receive your gift. Happiness is one of the the greatest gifts to receive but you cannot have happiness unless you are prepared to share it. Most everything that is good in life needs to be shared. I have tried and mostly failed at living without happiness and it is not recommended. There is no spontaneous joy nor contentment without being part of something greater than ourselves. We cannot force happiness upon ourselves so we instead must allow for happiness to find us and that requires action beyond our own wants and needs.
     I have recently found happiness and it is because I ventured out to allow myself to be vulnerable. I didn't know what I would find but that is the beauty of the unknown, everything is still possible. In a large portion of my life I had been going about some things incorrectly. I learned that rediscovering myself from my years of trial and error brought me back to the basic person I have always been. Life can be like that to most of us. It tries to shape us into what society needs and doesn't offer enough room for us to remain who we really are. So finding ourselves again and then balancing life to accommodate who we are with what a remarkable society needs us to be should be the goal of all of us.
     It is an example for me to portray that after over 68 years I have found a happiness that has eluded me my whole life. I am so ready to be part of that happiness that it does direct my every move now. Soon I will be in place for my happiness to grow and as it should be in the correct time for it to happen. I didn't force any of this except to take a chance. Not a really desperate nor dangerous chance just one where I felt good enough to try and come what may. It seems that the universe has my back on this one and that is a fit well done. I say that because the alignment of so many things are continuing to fall into place like it was meant to be.

(#5479) A majority of Americans will never vote for trump!

      Of this I am absolutely clear about. We Americans may well be a confused lot with the propaganda going around by sources unworthy of attention. But there is one absolute that is not assailable. That being that trump is never going to be elected to our presidency again. The only way he got in the first time in 2016 was a fluke because he lost by nearly 3 million votes to Hillary Clinton, but squeaked out an electoral college appointment and the last time he lost against Joe Biden in 2020 by more than 7 million votes. There was no electoral college saving of trump that year.
     The electoral college paradigm really needs to go and hopefully after a blue wave tsunami vote this 2024 election we will have the votes to finally end this paternal obstruction to democracy. We all know now the importance of winning the electoral college vote so it is now baked into our consciences as a rule. So not only making sure that the popular vote is secured but also the electoral college vote is as well. We democrats have that now and will never again be caught off guard like in the 2016 election when the complacency on our part allowed trump to sneak into the presidency. So what our strategy has been is to heavily promote the truth of things so that all can at least find the information about the candidates if they are inclined to do so.
     By highlighting the vile nature of trump through his multitude of indictments and investigations we give the information that is worth knowing in making a selection. What is even more valuable is we use trump's own words to sentence him. His self congratulatory stance for championing the destruction of women's rights by eliminating Roe v. Wade is truly his undoing. His buddying up to the dictators of the world is another undoing he will rue. He is truly an obscene figure and those who are Independent voters will mostly not only not vote for him but will campaign to vote for Joe Biden instead. That trump is even thinking about continuing his presidential campaign in the face of the majority opposition to him is also an indicator of just how out of touch he is with normalcy and a conscience concerning the rule of law.

(#5478) The European Union has come through for Ukraine!

      Earlier today the European Union and its 27 members voted unanimously to allocate 50 billion in funding to Ukraine over the next 4 years. What this will do specifically is add stability to Ukraine and its weapons procurements. Knowing that the EU is set to provide the aid for several years helps Ukraine decide how best to allocate the funds toward their repulsion of Russia's invasion. not only for short term planning but more complex long term planning. What we have seen as an analogy in Ukraine's battle to protect its sovereign territory is akin to Ukraine playing chess while Russia is still playing checkers.
     The difference is like night and day as to how each is strategizing their moves. Russia keeps sending their troops into battle head long without the proper military ancillary support. What are crudely called "meat waves" where Russian infantry are formed into large groups and told to attack what is all to clear a near impossible to defeat target. The killing fields are pretty much being used daily by Ukraine to end the lives of about a thousand Russian troops per day with over 386,000 dead Russian soldiers already. Yet putin and the kremlin persist because their imaginations on how to fight this invasion they thought would be a cakewalk is not going like they supposed and they have little regard for their troops.
     Russia is still working off of the playbook of world war 2 scenarios whereas Ukraine is inventing present and future type tactical schemes that are more than a match for the overwhelming Russian built in advantages of larger forces and more equipment. With the newly added support today from the European Union now available Ukraine may go about their defenses against the Russian infantry attacks even more confident that Ukrainian defenses will be unassailable. As to the offensive capabilities of Ukraine, striking at the heart of Russia, within Russia, and its supply and demand facilities to make the kremlin, putin, and the Russian general public know that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is not going to go well for them, only increases in effectiveness.