(#6021) One thing that has survived the test of time in my mind is the music I grew up with

      I was born in 1955 when rock and roll was just finding its footing in American culture. Bill Haley and Chuck Berry were leading the way. By the time I was able to functionally appreciate music I was 7 or 8 when I heard the Beatles for the first time and as you can imagine I was swept up in their unique look and sound. I was young but I had a bit of a head start as my stepfather joined a country and western band at around the same time so for our region here in Sacramento in the early 60's country music was everywhere. I am not one who was a fan of country music but of course like all genre's there were a few songs that I enjoyed.
     But when the Beatles exploded on the scene I was drawn to rock music with a fervor. The explosion of rock music all over the world. especially Great Britain and here in the States overwhelmed me with the variety of music that encapsulated my soul to the point of addiction. I loved rock and roll and although some country rock intersected into my new mainstream listening like Lynyrd Skybyrd's Free Bird and Creedence Clearwater Revival's Fortunate Son. The bulk of my listening came from listening to the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, The Byrds, The Doors, Grateful Dead, etc...
     There is music enough from having been listened to by me to fill a large book. That is how popular Rock and Roll became in my lifetime. With each generation from the 50's on to even today. The waves of vibrations from Rock and Roll seem to have a most gratifying effect on my entirety. I have listened to other forms of music and appreciate the complexity of their creation but for me Rock and Roll is the form I feel thoroughly within me. It isn't just the feel I have within me it is the memory of these songs. It is amazing how much I can remember the melodies, the lyrics and the emotions at the time I first heard them. A trigger if you will of something about life I can remember that is both mesmerizing and satisfying.

(#6020) Russia's summer offensive has been a mirage

      Last winter, all the hype from Russia was about their upcoming summer offensive that has not really been evidenced. The bluster from putin and his acolytes was this big offensive that would drive Ukraine further back into the core of their nation. What we have seen instead is a concerted effort by Ukraine to defend its territory while undermining the logistics of Russia so much so that Russia cannot find a gap to march through in the Ukrainian front lines. As well the depletion of armaments that Russia is experiencing has made any march through Ukrainian lines near impossible. With few Russian tanks and troop carriers left to employ, Russia has had to use vehicular equipment that are either outdated or for civilian travel.
     Along with the armaments depletion, Russia cannot figure out how to combat the drones that Ukraine employs to destroy their every advance. With Ukraine now steadily attacking deep into Russian territory and destroying war equipment making factories, rear command centers, sensitive complex technology complexes, and fuel supply storages and manufacturing, Russia is in a deep hurt just to maintain their current status quo. Russia has lost well over 1 million troops so far and daily is losing a thousand or more. Through sanctions, Russia's economy is also continuing to constrict. I keep expecting the Russian people to break out of their slumber and demand a halt to all this madness putin is putting them through.
     Slowly but surely the countries bordering the Russian state are starting to pull back from Russian influence because they see the way Ukraine and its allies are not allowing Russia to dominate them like in the past. Russia wasted its military stockpiles over the last 3 years trying to bull rush Ukraine and was stopped. Now Russia has dwindled armaments and no real way to resupply them. The end of this madness in Ukraine is starting to shift from being solely a burden on Ukraine and its allies to now being a fear of Russia. As it should be on the aggressor who thought they could destroy another nation because their leader putin was full of himself!

(#6019) I've gotten 19 straight years so far of being sober by doing it one day at a time

      I thought about writing about my years of being addicted to alcohol but it wasn't a normal typical addiction to alcohol itself. It was the culture for me. I liked fitting in to the groups that enjoyed booze as a way of socializing. Sure, the taste of some of the drinks will always lure me because like anything we do in a repetitive way becomes desirable after a while. But for me it was the excitement of being part of moments where the inhibitions were relaxed and the bit of crazy became normal. At least at first it was that. Then as I got older it became more like remembering those moments of excitement sitting on a barstool or in a group somewhere convenient.
     What I am most glad about is that I now see what I was doing beck then as a crutch for my life. I cannot take any of it back but I can learn from it and move forward now without it holding me back. I really don't miss the feeling afterward of the physical wretchedness and I don't miss wondering how I could have spent my hard earned money so quickly. Alcohol was a tool I used to begin my life and by the time I was older I was reversed into the tool alcohol used. Fortunately for me I figured out that I needed to change from my behavior that was so ingrained in my character. It wasn't easy nor done on the first attempt. Yet I got there 19 years ago and for that I am one of the lucky ones.
     The AA slogan of One Day At A Time is not just a strategy it is more than that. It is a lifestyle that not only affects my sobriety but it also affects all other areas of my life. Everything I do and plan for must be done one day at a time. In other words do things correctly and you won't have to go back to fix anything. You cannot rush through life trying to do everything all at once but you can step forward smartly in the direction you want to go with resolve. Then the next stop and so on. It is amazing to those of us who are living this way that we have figured out not only how to stay sober but how to live our lives in the best of ways we are able. Good things happen to good people when good people do good things. One day at a time. :)

(#6018) Enlightenment will persist despite the weakest of us

      It is somewhat startling for me to call the fascist haters weak but that is exactly what they are! Their fear of the future keeps them in a present represented by the past. The reasoning is like the axiom of "better the devil I know than the one I don't know". Which really helps explain a lot about why so many are not out in front of their fear. Instead they hide behind it as a safety default. The many more of us are not inclined that way and instead we are founded by our curiosity, boldness, and adventure. Because the many more of us know that life isn't something that needs to be feared but instead something that needs to be explored.
     The clue here is that life is finite. We all live and die within a short space of time. So embracing life with a gusto is far more appealing than quivering in a hideout with nothing but time escaping from our lives. All this explanation to underscore my statement that enlightenment is here to stay regardless of the chaotic efforts of some who actually use enlightenment to try to end it. As an observer of this current human phenomenon I am chuckling and sad at the same time because the illogic of it all is so simple. Fear is the factor that is scrambling our destinies and we cannot admit it because we are not allowed to admit we are afraid.
     There is no rule saying we can't admit we are afraid but it is something that immature manhood abhors and defying the myth of manhood is too much for us to allow. Childish is my description. I am a man who is bold in his life and not one to shrink from adventure. Yet even I am afraid sometimes of the unknown. But that little fear is nothing in comparison to my curiosity about what I don't know. So despite a fear I move forward because life is all about discovery. We should all be ready to live a life that is not going to last relatively very long in a way that cherishes what we are becoming and how we overcome our own fears to experience the bounty of what existence offers.

(#6017) If I could do magic

      Not the kind of magic that is sleight of hand and misdirection. The kind of magic that defies the rules of logic and physics. I live in a reality along with many who are at our wits end as to how to stop the speeding descent into the destruction of our once admired modern society. If I could do magic is a phrase I use to move beyond what is rationally plausible and into a realm where with the flick of my wrist the nature of time and space become my servant. Where I can change all that is possible into a serene and beautiful paradigm that has all of us within its spell. Nothing but what we hope for and nothing of the wrong we are currently being oppressed with.
     Life will always have its challenges and hardships, that is the nature of life. But to change how we have to live and cope as it is now is my quest. Instead of like at this moment where we are not seeking enlightened solutions to all our problems we are instead blamed for them and then cursed for existing in a world where we are all gifted of life. The illogic of our current reality is based on greed, brutality, and vice. It sickens me that we are under such a cloud of unethical defiance. It also sickens me that there seems to be an essence of conjuring that is powerful and unrelenting. Thus my desire to do magic to break the pied pipers spell of blind obedience.
     If I could do magic I would be to erase all time from just before the JFK assassination. I have tried to think of what I would do with magical powers and this is my humble solution. The great hope of our America was in the hands of a man who had personal shortcomings but not in his loyalty to democracy. He honorably saw what we all were capable of and touted that as his vision for all of us. For me the rot of our nation had all come about under dick nixon and has only expanded since then. I am so tired of us having to live under fear when we were born under the courage it took to create the greatest melting pot of champions the world will ever witness.

(#6016) We humans are emotional, biological, computing, physical entities.

      We humans are amazing. We are physically agile and able to accomplish many tasks within our individual and collective efforts. We have strength and dexterity to manipulate most all things upon our planet to resource the nature of Earth toward biological survivability. As well we are all computers who are also able to rationalize the necessity of our survival with a modest wisdom. We are growing in that area and are not the finished product yet as knowledge is being added at increasing rates. Yet what we do know helps us to strategize out destinies with some efficiency.
     We are not mechanical nor artificial intelligence we are much more. Our biology allows us to be more malleable to circumstances that are ever changing and our human intelligence is not only capable of discerning options for every problem that fits our own unique situations but together they allow us the freedom to exist as our own being. I like to think of us as biological beings who are not done yet creating our own opportunities. Unlike those tools that are built for specific tasks, we are born into existence, then nurtured to adulthood in order to create even more innovative and dynamic tools for our usage. We humans are the heart, mind, and soul of all that is about us in this existence.
     What separates us from the tools we build is our emotion. Considering that care and curiosity are prioritized within our species, along with the nature of our physical being plus our intellect, completes our mastery of this known existence. We can debate that philosophically as to mastery, but without logical evidence to the contrary I will side with us as the masters of this existence until proven otherwise. That is how much I am enamored of our species. The biological history we find through anthropology does not sway me in my choice. The outer limits of space and time are not convincing to change my mind. So, the conclusion that we humans are the most amazing species in this existence is still for me rock solid.

(#6015) Creativity and innovation are here to stay regardless of the last remnants of Neanderthals

      There is a mindset here in America and surely around the world where the destiny of humankind isn't enlightenment but instead confusion. The brutes of our leadership have shown that they are not interested in moving into our shared future with research and information gathering. They instead want us to be unsure about most everything so that what they do right before our eyes is unnoticed. How we got to this point is a discussion that needs to be had but in the meantime we are being systematically devolved back into beings who are not capable of intelligent and logical conclusions.
     This benefits those who have the resources to exist without outside knowledge because they control those who do have knowledge. Their gain is everyone else's loss. They the Neanderthals will work diligently to keep it that way. However, they are up against we post modern humans who do not ascribe to their chaos nor their diversions. We see what they are about because as Neanderthals their thinking is simple and obvious. Neanderthals are not complex, so ascribing genius to them is a delusion. I know I use the description Neanderthal somewhat metaphorically but also somewhat not metaphorically. The point is they are not difficult to understand.
     The other point besides them being simple is that the Neanderthals, I am referring to republican leadership and supporters, are against modernity. They like simplicity and the use of force and power to maintain it. They want to subjugate all life in their sphere and do not want to share that experience. They don't want democracy because democracy promotes equality, justice, liberty, and fairness. They want the rights of humans only for themselves and that defies democratic principles. All this to say though is that despite the Neanderthal gains they will lose out to enlightenment. Too many are too invested in intelligence to let knuckle dragging brutes change the amazing destiny of advancing humanity.

(#6014) Pursue your happiness but do no harm!

      Understand this please! There are things in this world that are not worthy of intentionally or unintentionally doing harm to others. So to violate the do no harm axiom is to violate one's morality and/or ethics. How can that be pursuing happiness? If harm is the logical outcome of one's pursuit of happiness then that is not happiness, that is self gratification. We have many among us who are pleasing themselves at the expense of harming others. That cannot be allowed and should not continue under any circumstance. Our species is troubled with impulses and desires that are not reasoned out with logical cause and effect.
     Many of us have had to overcome impulses to act as wild animals when our urges and impulses were being discovered. We overcame them because more than wild animals we are civilized and intelligent enough to know that our natures have evolved beyond the origins of our species. Where once we were in a constant survival mode thus savages to each other we are now brothers and sisters within a society that is enlightened and forward thinking. We are not our ancestors nor should we be. We are not still Neanderthals nor the later Cro-Magnons generally. We are a more modern human form differing in the evolution of our priorities.
     What was once considered a necessity is now not allowed. We are not those from our early origins, we are the amazing byproduct of them. We have a clearer and more panoramic view of life and the destinies it presents. Our own personal happiness is tied up with the happiness of every other soul living in our existence. For those who would believe that they are a better form of life than anyone else is seriously in a bad mental health way. It is past time that we honor every human being with protecting their inalienable right to pursue their happiness with causing or being harmed. It really is that simple if we would just adjudicate our laws equally.

(#6013) The narcissism of trump is helping Ukraine

      I actually didn't see this coming. My perception of trump was that although an ego driven tyrant by nature he was always beholden to putin as his, for a better word, daddy. If putin needed something from trump it would surely follow from trump. But it seems the child trump has revolted against his daddy putin. Now trump has let his ego fly above the subservience of putin and he is now hoping to undercut his previous putin cowering stance. Has trump matured into his narcissism so much so that he no longer relies on putin for guidance? It appears so since trump is now in favor of arming Ukraine to help them stave off putin.
     This turn of events is a real help to Ukraine as the European Union (EU) was and is stretching their resources mightily to keep Ukraine from folding in on itself. Thus the turnaround by trump is a very positive event and is coming at a critical juncture as Russia is also stretched thin by it's massive losses in Ukraine so far. More than a million soldiers wounded or dead. More armaments destroyed than could be imagined. Russia is at a critical stage itself and with Ukraine rebolstered the onus is now on putin to survive his murderous and nation destroying mission. Yes, not only is putin not winning in Ukraine but at home he is ever closer to being taken down by his own countrymen.
     So many bad things are happening in America because of trump but this one thing that means so much to the world at large, trump seems to be helpful. Even if it is because he is becoming more deranged in his ego. Silver lining if you will. Yet there will be a cost eventually and for that I do not look forward to paying. In the meantime however, trump is now helping Ukraine hopefully defeat Russia's invasion and for that we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Never would I have guessed that narcissism would be a good thing but in this exclusive one instance it appears to be so.

(#6012) At the six month point with trump

      There is hope for optimism that we will survive trump. I say this because after 6 months we are not without our democracy, yet. Many thousands of people are in jeopardy because of his intolerant policies but we as a nation are not in the cemetery. He has tried his most devastating agendas and they are being rebutted at a surprisingly constant rate. So my personal fear that he would get his allies to follow him blindly is not happening. Let me be clear here though, I couldn't even believe that he was elected, and according to released numbers, in a majority way. I still think there was voting manipulation but that is gut instinct given all the facts and the character of trump and musk leading up to election day.
     Regardless of his legitimacy, we are where we are. So stopping his mad dash to crumble our democracy has been the focus of mine and others since the day after he was elected. We, the new coalition building, are doing well enough to say that trump may well not be able to accomplish his dream of ruling America like a king. The courts and now many previously aligned with trump politicians are joining with the largest group of opposition in we the people. The sense of the mood of our nation is that there is a lot of buyers remorse with trump and it is wonderful in that it is badly needed.
     I make no illusions about the trouble we are in with trump. His nonstop menacing of everything that is good about democracy is not to be taken lightly. He is at the heart of his soul a relentless achiever who will do whatever he has to in order to bring about his, and I mean his, vision of the world. We who are the others who also inhabit this world are not partners with him in his vision, only resources to be used and discarded. But I am somewhat hopeful that after half a year he has not accomplished his takeover with great success. he had the majority in the House, Senate, and on the Supreme Court and yet he is still floundering about because in the end he is not as human as many of his now awakening supporters believed he was.

(#6011) trump is failing in his attempt for a coup of democracy

      When I was quickly convinced of the trump victory last November I knew we were done as a democracy. His first term was a learning curve for him and I expected him to have his plan for the takeover of our democracy well in hand. What I didn't expect was the hesitation of his supporters. I knew what he was about but it seems his supporters didn't fully grasp his intentions. So instead of his plan to undermine democracy he is getting pushback from not only we freedom seeking Americans but his allies as well. He has shown them his intent now and they are not pleased by it.
     I have no sympathy for them, when the best and brightest of us told them over and over again he was a conman. They chose to ignore us and instead voted him in as our president. He was much pleased by that and has figured he could just force his pathway ahead without much opposition. There has always been one thing trump never calculates when he goes inside his head for direction. We the people are never part of his conclusions. He wants the world his way and nothing about what we want is part of his analysis. He reasons that he is the greatest human being ever and as such we should all bow our heads and bend our knees to whatever he desires.
     Well we the people are not pawns for him to move about. We are all strong and worthy of being our own masters. He is finding that his dream of being a lifelong king who is allowed to do whatever he wants is not going to happen. Thus the lashing out at many of his allies for not falling in line with his demands. The rest of us who did see who he was were never going to fall in line and so now with us and many more of his allies rebutting him he is awash in confusion and anger. He is emotionally charged with reclaiming his supposed supremacy with no regard for his personal health. He will find out soon enough that despite his delusions of grandeur he is mortal and his time in this existence is severally ticktocking away.

(#6010) Existence belongs to all of us so knock it off!

      You want a purpose in life? Well this is it. Make yourself a factor in it. What do you believe is good and correct? Do that with a gusto and resolve. We, all of us, cannot sit this out and wait for someone to choose to be like who we are and fight our battles for us! We each have to do whatever it takes to make known to all that we belong here in existence just as much as anyone else! None of us is born here with a dispensation for advantage and privilege. Yes, I am talking about the wannabe special folks who think their shit doesn't stink! It is so tiring and disheartening to see some folks live like they are greater than others!
     Each and every one of us needs to stay in our own lane. Which means we must remove those who are infringing on our lanes. That is the guideline. Stay in your own lane and make that lane as special as you can while you exist. If you can help others who want your help then adjust your lane to an adjacent one next to those who need your help but stay in your own lane always! We all deserve that respect of living inside our own lanes. There should be no argument here because it is the most intelligently human way to exist. No human owns existence unless we other humans allow it. If we do then we are depriving ourselves of our unique opportunities to control our own destiny!
     Allowing anyone to hijack our thinking and actions is beneath the amazing qualities we humans are endowed with. Our species is not cattle to be rounded up and used for the pleasure of others. Our human species is not some utility that is resourced to only exist so others can manipulate their responsibilities through. We are all individual beings with the same possibilities of magnificence. None of us is a tool for others to command. We need to understand that as we fill in the moments of our lives they have to be moments that swell us up with pride and honor. Stay in your lane and never let anyone impede your progress forward into time and space.

(#6009) Communist China is against democracy in Ukraine

      The only way Russia can keep fighting in Ukraine is because China supports Russia annihilating Ukraine. Because if democracy were to prevail in Ukraine it would, in China's mind, threaten their brutal government and the power they hold over their citizen's heads. Like Russia, the Chinese administration is an authoritarian one. Communism has become synonymous with authoritarianism. The power brokers in China are just like the power brokers in Moscow. They only want to decide the world's fate by themselves. For now China will back Russia because democracy is a greater priority to defeat and the enemy of my enemy is my friend once again proves valuable for both Russia and China.
     So the Ukrainians are not only fighting to stay alive from the Russian assaults on their sovereignty but they are also being attacked through more subtle ways by China. If China were not allied with Russia they would currently being attacking Russia in areas where both have geographic disputes. Russia is very weakened by its invasion in Ukraine. China could easily recapture disputed territory right now if it wasn't aligned with Russia. China needs Russia right now to keep fighting the Ukrainians and their desire for democracy. Both Russia and China know that if Ukraine succeeds in staving off Russia and recapturing its own territory the chances that both Russia and China survive as tyrannies is much diminished.
     We also see China has given North Korea the go ahead to help Russia with armaments and troops. That could not happen without China's approval. Eventually China wants Taiwan and the only way it can finesse that happening is if Russia defeats democracy in Ukraine. So many countries are in play because of this invasive attack by Russia in Ukraine. The Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia would fall next if Ukraine is defeated with the Nordic countries of Finland, Norway, and Sweden next in line for attack by Russia. So much is at stake in keeping Ukraine secure and its demand to keep its democracy. Don't be fooled by China, they want Russia to succeed!

(#6008) What elixir is keeping trump alive?

      It seems to me that trump is being held together by something. I know we all need medications or treatments at times in our lives to help us recover from maladies and injuries. We also need medications to keep us alive from the processes of aging. With trump and his known behavior, it is simple to assume he is suffering from some debilitating diseases due to his appearance. They seem to be piling up as the obvious unnatural clues present themselves. First off he has bone spurs, lol. Okay, I couldn't help making a joke out of that. He wears lifts in his shoes that tilt him forwards when standing.
     After several photos this last week revealed his necessary utility of an adult diaper it is safe to assume he has lost control of his bowel movements. What that is diagnosed as is not my area of expertise but suffice it to say it does not bode well for him. Then yesterday a photo of his ankles revealed swelling that he is unable to hide. Again, the knowing of what that entails could be a long list of unfortunate possibilities. His face is also of some concern. He had been applying some kind of cream or spray on his face to give it shall we say a more colorful hue. But around the edges of his face the true color or lack thereof is exposed showing a whiteness that doesn't look healthy.
     All this to say that whatever he is medicating on to keep him disturbing our lives daily is freaky in that for him to act somewhat normal, that being an overstatement, he has to be doing something that is masking, not treating his obvious symptoms. How much longer he is able to stay ahead of the health issues that are coming his way is what I am curious about. Does he have some hope from some crackpot to keep him alive beyond his due date? Is he playing with genomics through stem cells to elongate his life? I just wonder if some one or group of whacky doctors are experimenting in ways not authorized to try to extend the life of a man focused solely on becoming less mortal and increasingly powerful.

(#6007) Not only do the correct thing but be on the correct side of history!

      I know it is hard to believe but when the mask of fear is stripped off the those who hide behind them the real person isn't a monster. Now of course there are a few exceptions but most people who do wrong things are doing them because they are angrily afraid. Their fear is so overwhelming that they cannot adjust to do what is correct no matter the logic. Once we understand this we can then peel back their masks by helping them overcome their fear. We don't do that by beating them or haranguing them with cutting words, we instead explain that all humans are uniquely the same and give examples where the melting pot ideal is flourishing.
     Easily said hard to do I know, but logic dictates that the only way to reach those who are afraid is to alleviate their fear through real life examples. No more metaphors nor generalized scenarios, real life examples where all of us and or many of us, have come together for a common purpose of goodness. What we know of our historical and individual pasts is often an impediment to creating a more welcoming present and future but knowing that should at least give us some hope that we can move forward without dragging the worst of our pasts with us. Every new day for me is part of my story and it should be for all of us. We can change how we each approach our present and future.
     I have no doubt we are all tired of pain and suffering whether real or remembered. The present gives us an opportunity to turn from our anger from fear. That defense mechanism of anger is most always triggered by fear. What we fear is what we don't know. I know I was afraid of new people in my life because I didn't know who they were or what they would do. I soon found out that they were as cautious about learning about me as I was about them. After a while I knew they were like me and the barriers of caution and fear began to fade and relationships of trust and friendship ensued. Once we get to the place where knowing is more prevalent than not knowing is when we throw fear away and enjoy the spirited adventure of life that it is supposed to represent.

(#6006) The worst of humanity lies in the hearts of men!

      Our boys are being taught to become men but what is that? I know as a man now what anger and frustration are but I also know why I am angry and frustrated. It is because I am not perfect. I expect myself to be perfect but we all know no one is perfect. As I came to accept my imperfections I also looked around me and saw others who were like me. We who understood the limitations of humanity are the ones who are trying to improve society so that it is less angry and frustrating. We don't limit ourselves by who is aligned with us as we choose to align with all who would help us make life easier and more enjoyable.
     We enlightened men who are introspective about existence and its amazing opportunities are bounded by a vision where all life is appreciated. We accept that we are just temporary visitors in existence and charge ourselves with the task of leaving existence in a better place than we when arrived in it. Often many wonder what their purpose is in existence. I know I did in my earlier past because not knowing why I was here as a human on this planet nagged me relentlessly. I finally overcame the question to make myself look at it another way. What can I do in existence that honors the good in life and is noble at its core? I found that answer in making my little world better around me.
     As a full grown and older man I learned that being a good person and helping others be a good person is what makes life better in my time here in existence. I focus on what is right in front of me and move through that with the clarity of a wise man. I am no great person.. Yet I am not unworthy nor an impediment to others finding happiness in their life. We are all shapes and forms both men and women and as such are who we are. None of us chose our appearance. We are the product of evolutionary birth with all of us having the extraordinary ability to reason, analyze, and conclude. We all think therefore we all exist as the saying goes. Each of us has the ability to make life better and that is our own truly remarkable purpose.

(#6005) With trump making it harder to pay the bills what do we do?

      I am a month short of 70 and already still on payroll 2 days a week. I suspect that I will have to up that 2 days to 3 or more sometime soon. I had already hoped to go to 1 day a week because of the wear on my old frame but that is not even feasible under this current chaos. Let me be clear here. I have worked in very hard labor intensive industries most of my life from residential/commercial framing crews to underground copper mining in the heat of Arizona to logging in the great northwest. I have always been willing to do the hardest parts of the production without batting an eye. But there was a price for my hubris.
     My body is not the same as it was back in my prime. I hurt everywhere now from the wear and tear of going above and beyond the required. Sure, maybe that was my fault for thinking I could do anything but I usually did as a routine so blame me for my physical condition now but when I was producing it was mostly out of fear that I had to be better or I wouldn't be able to keep my needed job. So I pushed the limits of my physicality to the upper limits. Again, after all these decades a cost has come due. I am still fit enough to manage my current work state but honestly I know I cannot go on for too much longer. Yet I most likely won't be able to slow down and instead must speed up.
     I think it is a travesty that we who are past our prime and have added value to our society are now being asked to do more when we are less able because the republicans want to give more to the wealthy. But that isn't the worst of it is it! The trumps of the world want more than to take our golden years from us they want our democracy as well. I do know this, I will do whatever I have to until I cannot do anymore to stop the trumps of the world and secure our democracy and what should be respect for our seniors. Until you are old, you have little idea how much every action of living has some little or big ache or pain attached to it. So our charge is to let you know so that when your time comes for being aged you won't be caught out like we aged are right now!

(#6004) The Duped States of America

      The republican voting states own this! The rest of us are stuck like we are just children in the back seat of the speeding out of control car. California is such an economic powerhouse while being anti trump that trump sees his only recourse to making California submit to him by destroying people's lives that help fuel California's economy. His ICE buildup isn't about finding criminals and removing them this is about trump creating a private army to destroy the California economic base. We here in California have always been a teeming agricultural region. Yet the hard work of the farming culture is too much for those who are not accustomed to the physical rigor of the work.
     This is why we have a traveling migrant community here that moves along the west coast to help not only plant the seeds but to pick the harvest. We need our migrants and they need the work. It is a win/win situation that not only feeds our nation and beyond but adds to our economic might. The trump people cannot have that for us. Instead, under the guise of deporting criminals trump is disrupting the farming community here in California by raiding working farms that are in their seasonal cycle of harvesting. The cruelty it takes to rip migrant families apart for no other reason than to stick it to California is mentally deranged.
     I don't know how but it must all stop! Whatever means necessary to end the carnage to decent people trying to do good things. I am absolutely disgusted with the republican party for not correcting their self induced insanity themselves. After yesterday's inhumane raid at a Southern California farm the realization that trump is a vindictive dictatorial despot is undeniable. That trump is favoring right wing voting states and punishing left wing voting states is as un-American as it gets. When you add in the fact that trump is deserting Democracy around the globe to instead hang out with tyrants is proof of his treachery to democracy. This bitter reality is not going to stop until the stopping of trump actually occurs.

(#6003) The republican majority on the Supreme Court are diluting our democracy

      The rule of law is what keeps the vibrancy of our nation upbeat. Through the rule of law we are given parameters to move within to fulfill our own destinies. The rule of law is what keeps our democratic principles of equality, liberty, freedom, fairness, and justice functioning as a priority. Without the rule of law the guardrails come off and the chaos begins. Our American society needs stability to function for all of us. We are bonded by geography and a heritage that demands for all us the rights of human beings. We stand tall and have many opportunities when the rule of law works for all of us.
     However, we are saddled with a despicable president, a weakened and cowering Congress and even a incomprehensible republican majority Supreme Court that is either ignorant to their oaths to protect the Constitution or are in collusion with the despicable one. I can only surmise as to the cause of our Supreme court being so loose with precedent and common sense but it seems to me that when you try to bend the law to fit a perspective you are aware of your actions and intent. This majority republican Supreme Court is taking the evolving promise of America and undercutting it to allow for privilege and advantage to supersede the equity of fairness and justice.
     The republican majority Supreme Court members are allowing for the diminution of equality, liberty, freedom, fairness, and justice, for purposes that are not lofty nor even commendable. Our Supreme Court, once a gold standard of wisdom, has now due to the republican majority on the Supreme Court, become the lap dog of an idea that has no honor. The pride I felt as an American in our political institutions and their charge to protect and defend democratic principles is now becoming a fleeting memory. We can reclaim our manifest destiny to lead human existence into a promising future for all life but we need to do it before the time comes when it is beyond our ability to achieve. With all three branches of government currently failing us the only way forward is we the people!

(#6002) At this point we just need to survive trump!

      The hope for America is to survive trump and then reestablish our democracy with more secure guardrails. We have to have laws that are unbreakable so that no one can circumvent them as a strategy. Not all laws are the same in our current application so that must never be allowed to happen again. Some and even many laws should have wiggle room as to sentencing but none should have any allowance for dismissal or ignoring of charges. When the evidence indicates a crime then an adjudication must follow. 
Guilt will be either proved or not but the process must be applied.
     That is the challenge we face once we are past the ugliness and disruption to our democracy by trump. As trump is the main figure to what our American democracy is facing he does have allies who helped him. Those also must be held to account when the end of trump begins. The one person one vote concept must also be prioritized above all concepts to influence our elections. Election engineering through money needs to stop. We have to consider public funding of elections so that only honest visionary candidates are put forward to lead us. No more should money buy elections like we have seen way too much over these last many decades.
     But none of this will change while trump is still fumbling about trying to figure out how he can remain in office forever. He won't be able to based on his mortality but he cannot serve another term in the presidency unless again he disobeys the law and forces his will over the top of ours. He is not a healthy candidate I suspect so he does have that uncertainty as to his eventual demise to calculate. However his health holds out we the people cannot and must not allow him to continue with his above the law mentality. We have three and a half years left of his rule so surviving him will not be easy but we know if we keep resisting he will uncomfortably find out he cannot order us to accept him.

(#6001) We democrats need to vote early

      I have a problem believing the voting machines are safe from being manipulated. I think the early paper ballot is the way to go so that we are not at the mercy of tech. that could be manipulated. I take a picture of my finished ballot along with the number on the ballot. It is my record of what that numbered ballot should look like. A sort of evidentiary fallback. We all must have some way to believe our votes are being counted properly when in this day and age too many have shown their untrustworthiness. I am one who in the back of my mind is still suspicious of how trump could have won all 7 swing states when he was polling so poorly prior to the vote.
     I won't go into conspiracies here but I am wary of how to make sure my vote is counted as I marked it and not how someone else could change it if they were able. Better safe than sorry kind of deal. If I have a recording of my ballot, it's number, and the choices I made then if and when it needed to be challenged I would have proof of its authenticity. We all need to have some kind of assurance that our votes are being tabulated as they truly are. I am not an election expert but I am cautious. I just want the true will of the people through our votes to be counted correctly, even if it means me losing to another majority desire.
     What I don't want is cheating to create a different outcome than a true majority cast vote. The beauty of democracy is that when the majority make known their desire our country is guided by that. Not the whim or intentional strategy of those who won't work with the majority to nuance any policy they may disagree with. The give and take between majority opinion and minority opinion is how we move forward as a nation. Depriving us of the very foundation of democracy creates an erosion that is not the will of the people. Those who would take our majority expressed will and supplant it with their own is what I am most concerned about and why not only my vote, but each of our votes, must be protected as it was truly cast.

(6000) Another milestone marker

      If you look at my first several hundred blog posts when I started out you will see that I was struggling a bit to write everyday. I had topics for the most part but not a confident writing style. But in the over 16 years of daily writing I have found my way into a style that is not only confident but expansive. My early days were short posts of a couple of paragraphs at most. now I an easily writing more than 300 words a day. I was never thinking of writing as a product of my daily life but I was thinking about how I could express myself beyond my own mind. I am no genius nor a talented creative creature. However I do know what I am and that to me is a value worth sharing.
     Self introspection is a lost attribute and we all suffer because we as a whole are lost as to who we really are. I write about compassion and curiosity with an element of survival as our natural instincts. Our species is no less than this unless we choose not to be. It really is our choice to deny ourselves our inner most directions. I will always choose my nature over denying it. It is my nature and that is special to me. For those who would trade their natures for some accolade, glamour, or gold I feel bad for not only you but for those you influence with your unnatural desires. Writing about how we interact and even more so how we should interact is the purpose of this blog.
     So now I will be entering my 6,000th blog post and it is something to me to accomplish because I never would have guessed this was going to be something that endured in my life. So many times I wanted to just stop the daily ritual and release myself from the obligation. But what happened every time was that I felt inside me a loss even when just thinking about stopping. I humorously like to say that it is my self described OCD that keeps me writing but it is more than that. This blog has become like an old silent friend that allows me to unburden my mind for a bit every day. For that I am a better person and knowing that will keep me writing most likely until the day I cannot write anymore.

(#5999) If trump had been a real man he could have changed things for the better

      How any person could allow themselves to be such an awful hateful person is beyond me. I know he isn't very bright at all but he should still have a heart within him. But he doesn't. What he could of done is stand up for democracy around the world instead of sucking up to the cruelest of leaders in the world. That part still boggles my mind that he cannot see he is doing the opposite of what a great president would do! Instead of towering over the worst of what humanity has to tolerate he is absorbed into it. His own ego is so out of whack that he thinks that by controlling what is good so he can destroy it makes him some kind of strongman hero.
     He could also have brought to heel the wealthy in our nation that are so far beyond the rule of law all the rest of us are obligated to observe. We do our duty to the rule of law because we know that living in a society is incumbent upon structure that keeps us safe and secure. So like he showed he could do with republican representatives in the House and Senate, he could have done the same with the wealthy, force them to accept honorable ideas for our future. I am not saying it is correct what he did but since he can why not do it for good? If the wealthy would just pay their fair share amount that would hardly make them blink an eye then the cuts to all the necessary programs for keeping our society from brutal reality wouldn't be necessary.
     In his first term in the very early days before he showed us that he is more a dictator than a statesman, I held out some hope that he would turn from his campaign rhetoric and administer fairness and justice. Well my hope was dashed within a week and has been dashed ever since. What will happen is that he will become the most hated president in modern times and likely of all time. He isn't done yet taking things apart and breaking them when they served a good and positive purpose. Also with him there is no pause in his destruction. He got his bill that will harm the working middle poor class and give more breaks to the wealthy, so now we just wait for the next debacle.. It is impossible for him to do good so it seems and that is on him. He made his bed as to his legacy and when the time comes he will sleep in it with nothing good for his eternity.

(#5998) The republican party has never been about benevolent government

      We are seeing the results of today's republican party and its centuries old agenda to only cater to those who are well off. They have been reluctant and outright against any national framework that unites all citizens regardless of race, gender, religion, and political affiliation. They are not what one would correctly describe as uniters. Instead they have a self absorbed condition that will conditionally only allow a coming together under arbitrary factors. In contrast we democrats do not make conditions for our uniting. In fact we even include republicans without conditions that republicans use against us.
     I am not a religious person but I will use examples from their texts that make it clear who we democrats are or who republicans aren't. We democrats are akin to the good Samaritan who reaches out a hand to help the stranger. Not like republicans who would scoff at the stranger while turning away from any plight of theirs. The republican reasoning is illogical in that they think one should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps even though republicans didn't pull themselves up without any help. We democrats are clear that helping anyone better themselves betters all of us. We all need or needed help to get where we are and that is just truth.
     The trump presidency has been all about limiting and curtailing great progress over the centuries of our society toward fairness and equality. The rule of law is being adjusted to allow for criminality in some situations involving the wealthy, famous, and powerful. That is not blind justice that is visible injustice. The role of our representatives is being bullied to the point where we are unsure of the actual threats made to force public office holders minds from objective considerations to coerced results. We are living in a perilous time where free thinking and benevolence are being cornered by forces within the republican party. These republican forces see their ultimate dream of crushing the heart of America with prejudicial satisfaction about to come to fruition.

(#5997) Every answer to a problem requires some kind of sacrifice

      For those of us who are floundering around wondering how we get out of this mess there is a solution that requires sacrifice. We just have to be honest with ourselves and remain logical. Logic is where the answer is no matter the strategy. It may be a good strategy where the minimalist of sacrifices is endured or it is a strategy where great sacrifice is inevitable. Either way the floundering about must end. Every one of us has to think outside the box and outside our daily routines in order to imagine a solution that is real and lasting. We can only do what we can do but that do must have an end game. It cannot be a fancy with no steps involved. It has to be a firm commitment to a strategy that leads to reversing the current unsettling.
     The many of us have sat back and used our great traditions to protect us from having to make or state an opinion. Well that has not worked as planned. Instead our silence and deferred thinking has allowed for a difficulty to pressure us into ways of living that are not aligned with pursuits of happiness. Quick note here, pursuit of happiness is mostly about love but not always. We see now how our society is being shaped to imagine a world view that is less about liberty, freedom, and justice at the cost of enlightenment and the evolution of innovation. Much more is the identity of our species being reigned in from unlimited to fettered and blinded.
     If we think that we are not going to have to participate in our own saving then we are being foolish. There is no knight in shining armor nor justice league that is itching to save us from our own stupidity. There is only us and now that we are all coming to the same conclusion that a change of reality is absolutely necessary we  each need to consider our response. As the time keeps ticking away on our sensibilities we have not the luxury of procrastination. We need to get our purpose figured out as to our part in the creating a new paradigm where we the people are the subject of considerations not the fodder.

(#5996) No Nathan Hale's in the republican party

      Over the last several days we Americans and the world that is watching has witnessed the cowardice that is absolute in republican federal public offices. The Congress of the US is led by republicans, which consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. In both chambers the trump big bullshit bill was forced down their throats and they took it like the weaklings they are. It wasn't literally forced down their throats but the threats and intimidation coming from trump proved to be too much for such non brave republicans. They cowered to the threats and intimidation to give the most cruel president "elected" in my lifetime another opportunity to punish we the people.
     I know that there is no shame in voting your conscience but there is shame when you vote against your conscience and better judgement. That is what happened over the last several days. Some in the republican party gave some indication that they would stand on principle but as is most always the case with republicans, in this case mere hours, they fold and give in to their fears. Nathan Hale did not give into his fears even though the noose was around his neck. I have always voted against republicans because to me they were not truthful in their convictions nor policy agendas. They are all a bit of conman/woman. They show you what you would like and then take from you something that makes your life harder.
     I was born just after Dwight D. Eisenhower, a republican, was starting in his second term. He would be the exception to today's republican members in that he was not a conman trying to beat we the people down. But every republican president since has been the ally of the wealthy and the foe of the working middle poor class. When I saw all the hope the last several days that the bullshit trump bill would be defeated I knew that although hope is good, it is misplaced when you are banking on republicans finding their courage. There is no honor in the republican party just waffling for a short time to gain sympathy. In the end this soul crushing bullshit bill is going to be the law of the land and until we actually stop voting for republicans the worst is still yet to come.

(#5995) This too shall pass...

      Even if trumps burn our democratic republic to the ground it will survive. I know this because despite all the despair and demoralization, we know that chaos cannot rule indefinitely. There are too many of us who will not let the carnage of trumps prevail into infinity. There will come a correction and when it hits it will be decisive. Apparently we Americans didn't learn from our own history during the Civil War so we have to have another ripping apart of our country to remind us that the rights of man/woman extend to all not just to some. That equality, freedom, liberty, and justice are total and not open to compromise within the rule of law.
     But for now we must endure the cracks in our foundations of society in order to appreciate the advances we had previously made. It would have been much easier if we had just remembered, but that isn't how this is playing out. We also have found that we need to have laws that do not have allowances for those who are in public office. The rule of law must and should always remain beyond the manipulation of those who would abuse it. We are in this current situation because Supreme Court justices have lied under oath as well as Congressional representatives. The executive is the master liar and yet he is not held to any account for his betrayals of assurances and unethical hidden agendas.
     When our lawmakers are forced to face the law when they break the law without impunity, is when we will start to see what true democracy looks like. Not this current unrest that is only represented by threats of coercion and duress. My logic here is that the sooner we the people decide to stop being part of this charade of normalcy the quicker we get to stopping this self implosion. Because there will be no other outcome. We will either coalesce around each other to confront until we succeed or we continue to play along hoping all will get better on its own or someone else will do our duty for us. Like from the movie Shawshank Redemption, "get busy living or get busy dying".

(#5994) The republican party doesn't live from their heart!

      If you want to know the difference between democrats and republicans it is real easy. We democrats want all of us to have an opportunity for happiness whereas republicans are only concerned with themselves. The republicans truly are about only their opportunities and nothing about others is there stand. While we democrats understand that all of us being happy is how life should be. We democrats live from our hearts while republicans oppress their emotions. They have gotten so good at oppressing their emotions that republicans are clueless now as to why we democrats even care. Being inhuman has taught them that being human is a detriment.
     I can venture guesses as to what is the purpose of a human being based upon our natures. For me, we are compassionate and curious. To deny one of those natures is to become something inhuman. The republicans say that they care about some people but not all people. Well that is the problem. How can one disassociate from all human beings just to placate their biases and prejudices? That may be some kind of control in their minds but it is not observant nor logical. We as humans did not create our existence. So for us to think we can make our existence different from what it is can only be described as a mental failing or a diseased soul.
     The best way to describe what is now an embarrassment is to call it what it is. The republican party is filled with broken people. For whatever reason they have abdicated their ability to reason, analyze, and conclude. Instead they fall back on the tarnished defaults of hatred and abuse. As for we democrats it is in our soul to care. Not just for those who look like us or whom we can dominate, but for all. Because we understand the simple concepts of diversity and respect. We didn't create this existence either but instead of forcing our path forward with all its malignancies like republicans do, we instead accept reality as it is and move forward to better it for all of us.