(#5174) Busy day tomorrow

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

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

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

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

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

(#5171) Finally the retribution for trump's crimes

      Yesterday was a significant day. Since nixon, no president had been under so much criminal scrutiny for his behavior before, during, and after his appointed presidency. That nixon escaped criminal trials was only because gerald ford, nixon's appointed successor, pardoned him. There will be no pardon from Joe Biden on behalf of trump and that is the correct stance. No one should have a get out of jail free card when it comes to the rule of law. If we are not a democracy then say so because a democracy demands that all are treated equally when it comes to the laws we live by.
     The current crime trump has been indicted for is a state crime therefore no federal official can pardon trump anyway. He will have to abide by the laws of New York and face his accuser. One Tuesday it is said that trump will turn himself in and be booked for an arraignment. I have no doubt he will be able to post bail and await his trial in freedom. Yet the trial will take place and as I surely suspect no plea deal will be emerging, given trump's evasive attitude from the beginning. It is fair to say that he deserves his day in court to argue his innocence against the evidence the New York Attorney General has accumulated.
     The problem for trump is that the evidence is surely quite convincing and at this stage few could doubt that trump will be found guilty. However the presumption of innocence is assumed and only the evidence will be allowed to convince the jurors that trump is guilty. However, given the wrangling of trump against these charges it would appear even he knows he is going to be found guilty. His behavior has been that of a guilty man and all that is left is the process of proving it beyond a reasonable doubt. Once that occurs the interesting part will be the sentencing and how much time he will have to do under New York's sentencing guidelines.

(#5170) Taking the day to just feel how I feel

      Thursdays are a day off for me these days so in lieu of doing anything, since really nothing is pressing, I am just going to see how I feel. So far, after getting up early, I feel tired and it isn't even 8 in the morning yet. But to just feel the tiredness is not enough. I want to know how deeply tired I am because there are different types of tiredness. Bone tired I know. That is when you could just lay down anywhere and immediately fall asleep. Sore tired is another type. It is when you have exhausted your muscles to the point of pain. That is another type of tired that would knock me right out once I laid down. What I am feeling is neither of those. Instead it is a deep inner tiredness that doesn't necessarily require me to fall asleep quickly.
     What it is though is the kind of tired that needs weeks if not months of rest to overcome. I think it is the kind of tired that I have been building up over years that is finally starting to creep into my every waking moment. I am full up with tiredness and need to relax and rest for a long period of time to get myself back to feeling energized again. I don't know how I can ever relax and rest for a month or two given my constant responsibilities. Yet I do know the cure. So maybe I need to get a little bit of rest where possible and quit creating more opportunities for me to remain tired. My health is the most important thing for me to manage at the moment so it should be a really high priority for me.
     Yet that is not how I am wired. I need to be doing things. I am no procrastinator nor slackard. I have a mind that is constantly humming along and it needs its body to follow through with it. So my dilemma is easily understood. Find a way to convince my mind that resting my body is more important for a time than anything else. This has been an important writing for me today in that it helps me put into clarity the concept that rest is healthy and necessary when it is sorely needed. I can always do things later that I push myself to do and that is okay. I suppose I am of an age now where the production I get out of myself is less important than the time I really need to just sit back and relax. Today I will try to put into place this very concept of getting my mind to help my body get back to a more energized state of being.

(#5169) Democrats solve problems, while republicans encourage problems!

      There is no other way to say this. Calling it what it is, is the only way we can all know what is going on. From guns to high food and energy prices, we democrats are the only party that is working to solve the problems that are causing enormous pain and suffering to our society. We are getting little to no help with trying to find solutions from the republican party. The reason is is that the republicans are not concerned about the deaths of our children from school shootings when weighed against the right to own a killing machine like an AR15. The republican party has taken the side with of the profiteers when they can and do manipulate the market. It seems that the only reason republicans exist is to help the wealthy profit off of the misery of the working middle poor class.
     How they manipulate their lifelong voters into a blind spot that keeps them is some power is beyond me. I know that many republican voters have been loyal to the brand for generations but the difference here is that the republican brand has been devalued while not being affected by voter loyalty. It speaks to an ignorance of cause and effect. Conservatism was a somewhat valid position when it applied itself to budgets and spending. However, conservatism has branched out into social society to work to not deregulate "morality" laws but to regulate them as if they are sacred. By morality laws I mean strict adherence to compulsory acceptance by all. Well morality laws are not natural nor universal.
     I expect that lifestyle issues that many conservative voters hold dearly are the driving force of their insistence at remaining republican voters. Instead of accepting all for their own personal choices of lifestyle the republican party is now holding that only a belief system example of holiness can endure to be our national lifestyle. Forcing round pegs into square holes is the republican philosophy and it is not going over very well with the democratic ideals, logical/common sense crowd. Again, republicans are not problem solvers instead they are problem creators. They need to live and let live as their rule and then join the rest of us and tackle the real problems lacking equity, fairness, justice and equality of opportunity.

(#5168) Into my fourth week back in the workforce

     I am sitting here on a day off as I now reflect back at my fourth week of work. I have gotten past the deer in the headlights phase of trying to understand the basics of what I am tasked to do. I pretty much know my basics now and am into the more nuanced learning of other aspects of how we operate as a company. I work for U-Haul as a transfer driver. That means I take trucks and trailers from one location and move them to another. Not just for having a wide selection of choices for customers but to rotate trucks and trailers in and out for preventative maintenance and repair. I operate out of the preventative maintenance and repair hub.
     So I start my day transferring vehicles and trailers back into operation while bring back vehicles and trailers that need inspections. It is busy work and it is important work. Many of the mechanics at the hub are employed to do these checks and repairs so each time I bring in another vehicle or trailer men keep working. We are all vital in the scheme of keeping vehicles and trailers safe but also in keeping a livelihood available as well. But I see my role as more than just a spoke in the wheel. I also deliver parts to the various auto and body repair outlets that handle specialized work and to our venders who lease the trucks for us. So I am not just transferring vehicles and trailers I am also delivering parts as needed.
     Figuring out the process for how to complete each task was a little tough at the beginning since I was thrust into production with just a minimum amount of training. Yet trial by fire has always been a good teacher for me and respecting those I have to ask advice from is the key. I feel like I am part of the team at U-Haul now because of the need for me to learn and how quickly I picked up the advice several have given me. It is good to say hello to my coworkers when our paths cross so that they know I am approachable and friendly. It is because I keep my good attitude intact. The reason for that is the work is honest and productive. I wouldn't have imagined that social aspect was so important at first but now it is a big part of why I am happy back out in the workforce.
     

(#5167) I am excited for our future

      Despite the murkiness of trump and putin in the world the future after they are removed from society looks bright and democratic. The days of the tyrants are winding down on a world stage scale and although there may be smaller pockets of tyrannical rule even those will begin to fade. The battle for the soul of the world is being played out in Ukraine right now and the good guys in the white hats are kicking the asses of the bad guys in black hats! The main reason is that freedom from oppression is a good thing, Liberty to live as a free human being is a good thing. Having the ability to chose one's own destiny is a good thing. All of these things can be had under a democratic society.
     They cannot be had under tyranny. Which is why tyranny is losing. For there are many more who would fight and die like our grandfathers and grandmothers did in the past to protect democracy. Enlightened thinking is here to stay and no amount of fearmongering will stop our manifest destiny to conquer not only the old ways of earthly thinking but the new challenges of outer space. Technology is here to stay and as such so are innovation and creativity. Only under democracy can enlightenment foster growth and improvement to our maturing societies. Our future is at hand and those who are being born now will help carry that future into an amazing world view existence.
     The diversity we are merging toward will give us such a vision of panoramic sight that our new innovations and creativity will blow the minds of those of us who will live long enough to see. There is no stopping our progress of evolution into a mighty species who can and will eventually steward the nature of our Universe. We are an amazing species who have just begun on the trail of our possibilities. So those who lack the courage to help bring about our development out of some misguided allegiance to fear will not be able to derail what is coming from the many more of us. This battle for our souls is being fought right now and those who fight alongside me to keep our souls free from oppression are my friends and family forever!

(#5166) It is not natural to be racist

      All evidence to the contrary, innocence is natural not racism. When we first start out in life all of life is a wonderment. Nothing about racism, or also for that matter misogyny, is fearful or negative. We inculcate our young toward racist attributes. We even learn our lessons wrong from our own experiences. I had been done in by both paradigms through peer pressure and ignorant understandings. But I rose above such nonsense since neither has the blessing of logic. As a logical human being, I am able to categorize my knowledge into either camp of truth or fallacy. Even when emotion is in the mix.
     As to racism, as a child I was shielded from other races for various reasons, none of which I could control. But as I got older and more able to control my movements and decisions, I found that people of color are no different than me and in many cases were socially better than me. Because I didn't start from a racist attitude, I started with an innocence that gave everyone the chance to show themselves to me first before any relegation to a predetermined judgement. As I learned to be a better human being from my interracial relations, I could easily see that racism is a man made phenomenon and not a natural occurring event. We have to choose to become racist not actually become one through some physical/biological metamorphosis.
     Being afraid of what we don't understand is natural, but not moving past that fear is a choice that too many make because they don't know how or even want to try. But not moving past fear is a symptom of ignorance and failure. Our experiences too often help us to form our early prejudices whether valid or not but our experiences are from the moment not from an overall perspective. Our little worlds are not the know all of everything. They are just a moment in time where the emotion and pent up anger of being discounted as human beings takes form. Once we see the bigger picture our ability to analyze our experiences with a wider scope allows us to see the logic of human understanding from all perspectives. As such we can conclude that racism is not based upon any fact, instead it is based upon our own failure to hold ourselves to account to be better human beings.

(#5165) putins and trumps begone!

      There is no more room on our planet for these two. Well maybe a small square room for each to languish in for what is left of the rest of their days on Earth. No more should they be allowed to travel about causing the kind of grave mayhem they are so inclined to create. I feel dirty even talking about either of them but until they are no more a threat to any living life then I must roll up my sleeves and do that dirty work of haranguing them with all my effort. I know there are others who would step into their shoes and do their worst deeds to us given a chance but we must set the example now with ending the reign of terror each of these two with a harsh response.
     There is no rehabilitating either of these two so only retribution remains as a punishment so let that be the formula for all who would follow their example. The harm each of these two inhumane dead men walking have caused can never be measured back to them in an equal amount. Shame on us for letting them continue their murderous intent for many years without putting an end to it sooner. But later is what we have and later must be now. As to their meted punishment there can only be two to choose from. An end to their lives on Earth or confinement to a cell until they naturally perish. I will accept either in this case.
     Justice must be served to these two if our society is to remain valid. No excuse is available to either of these two to justify their numerous grave deeds. Their decisions to harm at will must never be met with indifference or fear. Both have flaunted the rule of law in order to benefit themselves at the expense of our civilization. If our manifest destiny of moving into our future with enlightenment is ever going to materialize then people like putin and trump need to never be allowed to lead. They are toxic to our cultures and only live to be parasites on our body politics.

(#5164) Ukraine is getting stronger and Russia is getting weaker!

      What point in time will Ukraine become a stronger military foe than Russia? That is my question because with the successes Ukraine is having compared to the defeats Russia is suffering the tipping point is nearly even square now. Russia had a massive military personnel and equipment advantage back in February 2022 so them attacking and invading Ukraine from a military standpoint seemed to be a task that was without much difficulty. Yet it isn't just military strength that prevails in struggles to survive as Ukraine has shown. It is the will to live and fight when the odds are long against the weaker opponent.
     More than a year later the proof of the underdog in the battle is proved as Ukraine has girded itself against the Russians internally within Ukraine and outwardly in the world. The west has supplied Ukraine with enough munitions and equipment to stave off the Russian invasion and now the west is helping Ukraine push the Russian horde out of Ukraine altogether. The steely nerve and fighting will of the Ukrainian citizenry has been a marvel to behold given the reality of what is happening there. The life and death struggle Ukraine is exemplifying has been a rallying cry for all who would defend democracy.
     Even here in the States we see the influence of the Ukrainian resolve to defend democracy spill out into our own political landscape. Those republicans who still side with putin to end Ukrainian democracy are finding that their own little coup here is being rebuffed and demolished through the rule of law. The insurrectionists of January 6, 2020 are being held to account and the political instigators of it are close to being indicted. Democracy is winning where it is being attacked and that my friends that is how it should be. Democracy includes all of it's citizens in the struggle of life whereas the putin's and trump's of the world want to be tyrants over all. All of us are democracy and only a few are tyrants. We democracy loving souls will stop the tyrants wherever they raise their demented attempts to rule!

(#5163) Always do things correctly

      A very important lesson I have learned is that by doing things right, you rarely will have to go backwards to make them right. In other words when you do a task correctly it is done and then the next task is available for you. No matter what the tasks are, in your work life or in your personal life. When we try to take shortcuts to save time or energy we more often than not find that we missed something important and then have to redo the task in order to make it correct. But in redoing we often find the moment has passed and no amount of doing the task correctly a second time will make it as correct than having done it correct the first opportunity.
     For me lessons are often trial and error as much as I wish that was not the case. I sometimes find that logical thinking helps me avoid some trial and error lessons but certainly not enough of the time. In many cases however there is no way of being logical about something without having all the facts or cultural understandings. So for the most part many of us are stuck with trial and error as our teacher. The thing with trial and error is that once a task has been found to be correct, it should always be done the correct way in order to fulfill the task at its premium. When we are not loyal to doing things the correct way once we learn the correct way is when we get into a whole bunch of trouble.
     I find life much more relaxing and confident when I do things correct regardless of the temptations to "save" time through shortcuts. The task may take me longer to do by doing it correctly but in doing it correctly I can never be challenged as to my process. Especially when tasks are complex any missed step along the way could pose foundational errors to the end result. In business you find that there is a method to the creation of process. That process has been calculated to reach certain achievements within a time frame and when that time frame is lengthened due to backtracking, where backtracking was unnecessary, due to shortcutting then we find business being altered to a lesser goal. Keeping to the formula of doing things correct will only enhance the operation, not diminish it.

(#5162) Russia is losing more than a 1,000 troops a day due to death and injury

     I don't know about you but it seems to me that losing that many troops over a period of time is going to decimate the Russian invasion. Not only is Russia losing so many troops per day but they are the elite troops. What will Russia backfill their ranks with? New conscripts going up against the elite troops that Ukraine is burgeoning with? As the promised western weapons are arriving earlier than expected, and the massive losses Russia is experiencing, the tide of this invasion is about to turn. Ukraine has for the most part been holding holding ground against constant Russian assaults since last October. If Russia could not gain ground on Ukraine when they still had a lot of troops then to expect them to gain ground now after suffering so many losses is ludicrous.
     Yet that is the modus operandi of the Russian strategy. Throw all their troops into battle, experience heavy losses and then do the same again. It won't be long before Russia is saddled with the stark reality that they don't have enough troops to keep their invasion going. Meanwhile as Ukraine keeps solid in their defensive positions and building up for their spring offensive, the momentum is all on the side of the Ukrainians. It won't be long before the Ukrainians advance into current Russian held Ukrainian territory and find themselves mowing down what little opposition is left on the bedraggled Russian side.
     The end is near now as Russia is closing in on nearly 170,000 dead troops with few who are able to replace those in experience and knowledge. Within a few weeks the Ukrainian counter offensive will begin and the Russian army such as it is now will have little to offer in resistance. It serves them right for all the arrogance the Russian military brass has shown toward Ukraine. There will be no stopping Ukrainian determination to reclaim all their territory back from Russia and dispel the occupiers from their land. A new day is coming in Europe and for that we can be grateful to the Ukrainian people, its leadership and western resolve to stop putin and his demented tyranny dead in its tracks.

(#5161) No alternative universe for trump or putin

      Try as they may to live in an alternative reality, actual reality is coming for both trump and putin. The rule of law is not as toothless as it has shown itself to be over the last several decades when it comes to lawbreakers who are thought to be above the law. No society on Earth can survive if they claim to be democratic but only punish the most vulnerable. The process of justice may be slow but it is eventual as we are finding. I am not claiming that justice is here, I am claiming that justice is ongoing and if it hits today, tomorrow or next week it is coming. Whether for trump or putin the time is short on their life cards for being free.
     To exist in society there are rules of law that we all contract to obey. To not obey is to challenge society itself. There cannot be a defense for willful breaking of laws. The sense that some have of deserving more than others for no other reason than they are arrogant is not to be bourn! Such is the case with trump and putin. The sooner these two are tried and convicted of their proven actions of criminality the sooner we as a world society of human beings can return to more productive actions of growth. Having to spend time on containing the boundaries of civilized behavior is important but no more important than positive reinforcement and advancing all of our opportunities to exist in a better world.
     If today produces a result that justifies the rule of law then good for all of us. If it doesn't happen today then another day will suffice. Reality is where we all live whether we want an alternative reality to be our home. I want my own alternative reality but in that one I have super powers and can fly. I am no luster of what is not mine, I want a utopia that has everyone smiling because they are happy. Some of us know what a true alternative reality is to our souls and others not so much. Regardless we only have reality to live in and making it the best reality is something we can all do. We start by making sure all are living in it and not some fantasy where they think they are the masters of us!
     

(#5160) Try he might to save himself, putin is done for

      The latest little face saving trip to Crimea is not going to affect the outcome of this invasion putin started and is losing in Ukraine. Acting like he is a statesman is funny on so many levels, especially since the International Criminal Court in the Hague has issued an arrest warrant for him. He has abducted Ukrainian children in violation of international law. He can be tried in absentia if he refuses to recognize the validity of the court. Which will happen since he has already said he doesn't recognize the court's authority. What this means though is that all the countries that do recognize the International criminal Court as legitimate he will be able to be arrested if he sets one foot in their territories.
     So in 123 nations putin is not going to be able to travel. Which makes life tough for a criminal leader of a nation not to be able to travel. The countries he can travel to are not as civilized as the 123 so his options for statesmanship are very limited. So are his options for hiding. He is a marked man and putin knows it now. His invasion has been pushed back and stalled all across the front lines. He is facing a challenge from the leader of the wagner mercenary group who would happily replace him if given or he takes the opportunity. Such is the life as a tyrant, there are no rules of law that govern to protect his position other than strong arm tactics.
     If those in the kremlin finally decide they have had enough of losing an invasion then putin will find himself devoid of any sufficient backing to keep his position. he will also find that his life is worth very little to those who have feared him in the past. His options are to win in Ukraine and preserve his status, which doesn't look likely at all. Or lose in Ukraine and then let the chips fall where they may. He may find a way to escape Russia with all his massive ill gotten gains but that seems even less likely than him winning in Ukraine. The choices putin has at the moment are not good ones and all that is keeping him in power is teetering on defeat in Ukraine. The end is soon for putin and for that I welcome it!

(#5159) A hodgepodge for this Sunday

      The first thing I want to talk about is the weather here in Sacramento. It is raining pretty good right now and will be for the next 24 hours or so. This week on into next week the rain will continue intermittently. It has been many years since we here in Sacramento have seen rain like this. I am very happy for it. The next thing on my mind is the surprise trip putin made to Crimea. As most of you know I am all for the end of putin however it is achieved. So an opportunity to spoil his day yesterday was missed and for that I am saddened. Because the math here is real simple. If putin is removed the rest of the world becomes a safer place, especially for Ukrainian citizens.
     Now back to another tyrant. The probability of a trump arrest seems like it could occur or just be smoke and mirrors from trump. The rumors, and for the most part, rumors from trump himself, says that the District Attorney in Manhattan, New York will indict him for crimes committed in New York concerning his payment to a prostitute. I take all of this with a wary eye of doubt because trump is already calling for an uprising and is fund raising off of it. Take this story for what it is, another scheme by trump to recharge his troops and refill his bank accounts. Yet, if true, since it is not being denied by the Manhattan DA, then all the more power to the rule of law and holding all to account.
     My last thought is on the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. Russia's putin, for the last several months, has been trying to take Bakhmut at what seems like all costs. They have failed miserably and have lost so many troops and armaments that it seems insane that they are so stubborn about conquering Bakhmut. Insanity though does help describe the idea that Russia would invade Ukraine to begin with. The power hungry putin is deranged in the thought that the Russian empire needs to be restored by conquering Ukraine and other countries in the region. So let the Russians continue to try to take Bakhmut and keep expending their troops and munitions without success. I have felt for a while that Bakhmut will be putin's Waterloo and it seems nothing has changed my mind on that.

(#5158) Nearly 165,000 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine

      The senselessness of it all. The tyrant putin wanted to stop democracy from happening in a neighboring country and killing off the youth of his nation is now the price that is being paid. For what? The end of democracy in Ukraine is not happening but the deaths of young Russian men continues. It still makes no sense to me that the Russian people would put up with this insanity. I have already been extremely disappointed in the Russian people for not stopping the ego of putin much earlier and would never have guessed that they would align themselves with him. Why wouldn't any group of people support democracy where every person has a vote in how they live their lives?
     Are the Russian people so devoid of thought that they need a psychopath to think for them? Do they understand that their children are being used as cannon fodder for basically nothing? I don't get it. No matter how anyone tries to explain it the idea that throwing lives away in massive numbers is worth the ego of a brutish non empathetic person makes no sense. No sense at all! So are the Russian people worth being saved? Are they a value at all to an enlightened society? Because that I don't know why they are so ignorant to education and knowledge doesn't necessarily mean that they won't be in the future. Because I don't know why they continue to give their children to a murderer for him to dispose of chasing a fantasy doesn't mean that they won't eventually rise up and find their courage.
     Like the Huns of old, Maybe the putin loving Russian people need to be depleted so that a new more thoughtful strain of Russian ancestry can emerge. If they choose to follow putin down the path of death then so be it. Much like those who refuse to accept science and logic, there is little left for the rest of us to convince them of their wrongheaded ways. It is a sad thing I just said but each day more Russian troops are dying for nothing noble or precious. So if they must allow themselves to go head first into the abyss then I cannot stop them. It won't be much longer before a breakthrough happens in this hellish Russian invasion of Ukraine to stop the madness, but in the meantime the world watches with disgust and disappointment in the putin loving Russian people.

(#5157) We are not an experiment, we are an evolved species!

      Evolution. What does it actually mean? "the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth."-Oxford Dictionary. I look at our species this way. There are many other species' on our planet that have adapted to living an ongoing existence through time. We are no different. I can't say what our earlier forms were before our recorded history but suffice it to say we were genetically similar. Since given the properties of evolution our growth into our current being has stemmed from a contiguous simpler genetic code. Time and environment have helped to shape us into a more Earthly friendly species.
     Logic dictates to me that there was no magic wand that poofed our forms out of the ether. Chemical properties of our Universe are a better, more scientific basis for understanding how we became this complexity of molecules that have "evolved" into rational beings. We have had roughly 4.6 billion years of Earthly existence to mature into who we are now. I don't hold to belief systems as a rule as to me it is a simple mans way of dealing with reality. Sure belief systems can be honestly adhered to make a life out of but I am a progressive thinker not one to give up thinking for myself. Reality is our foundation and from what we can glean from it is what I believe, not what is irreality.
     I know in my bones that I am capable of so much more yet my life is too short to be able to achieve. Our species is constantly adapting even if in small ways but over long time periods those changes are profound. If I could glimpse the future like I can study the past I would see the timeline of human evolvement and it would be logically understood. Because all we have is our understanding of knowledge. There is no other formula that incorporates our existence into space and time. Logic and science are our building blocks from which to create and grow. We reason, we analyze, and then we conclude. This formula is how we master our surroundings and advance our own physical properties.

(#5156) Modern technology is taking over our workplace and that is a good thing

      Being out in the workforce again even though part time, I see that modern tech has evolved to make work simpler and much more efficient. It seems a lot is done on our smart phones to access data and create spanning trees to efficiency. Letting the Internet be our base, the struggle to understand is made much easier. All you have to do is want to learn the fundamentals and the rest is computerized for us to accomplish. Nothing will ever in our lifetimes replace the human activity needed to fill in the blanks between modern tech but the processes are clear. All we need to do is show up and perform according to understandable logic.
     Yes, logic will always be the guiding rule. We are not ever going to be a perfect society but we damn well are striving for that. Whether the motive is enrichment or humanitarian, technology is a tool that is forever going to be the wave of the future. So all future educational programs for our schools should have technology at the core of it. Those who refuse to involve themselves in technological advances will find themselves more and more ostracized from economic and social circles. The more our younger generations are involved in understanding current technology the greater the chance that they will not only improve existing technology but create new and exciting forms of technology.
     As we humans keep devising more intelligent forms of technology the less we will have to fill in the blanks between the forms of process. There are some human interactions that must be kept however the more manual back breaking work of the past will eventually be phased out. This is good for our species not to have to sacrifice health and safety for the right to exist. In the past we, as a species, had to fend with whatever was available in a rather stone age and industrial revolution era. Yet, we are past that mindset and with logical and scientific evolution we are now capable of living our lives with much more gusto and less pain and suffering. Modern technology is taking us there and we would be wise to let it.

(#5155) putin is pretending he can still win in Ukraine

      The daily losses in every region of the front in Ukraine remind us that putin is fighting a lost cause. He is losing up to and about 1000 troops every day and his supply of troops has been diminished by over 160,000 dead and likely the same amount injured since he started this invasion. His latest attempt to recruit about 400,000 civilians to join his military seems so desperate for a man who bragged that he could take Ukraine easily. Well there is nothing simple about what he started including his massive war crimes list. This invasion by putin was not as he planned and instead showed the world what tremendous people the Ukrainians are.
     Within the next few weeks or even sooner there should be a Ukrainian offensive that will likely bum rush what is left of Russian troops out of Ukraine. I expect this with the momentum the Ukrainians are showing and the utter failure of Russia to fight with intelligence instead of brute force. The motivation of the Russian military is nothing more than to survive. They know that they are not valued and are expendable in putins army. I kind of chuckled to myself when I saw that putin was trying to get 400,000 new recruits because most Russians by now understand that their lives are worth nothing in putins deranged sense of national pride.
     It has been over a year now and all the momentum is on the Ukrainian side. The sooner this invasion is destroyed and those in the kremlin held to account on the world stage the better for all the world and especially the Ukrainian people who have been devastated by the sheer madness putin has subjected them to experience. The days of the tyrant are over and the rest of the world who has not been on the side of the Ukrainians will no doubt be made to feel the pain of their unconscionable decision. It is my hope also that Ukraine can start it's counter offensive very soon so that the kremlin can finally understand that either they change their political direction or it will be changed for them.

(#5154) Thankful I can have a relaxing day today, unlike Ukrainians!

      Today is a day off for me from my part time job as a transfer driver for UHaul. I am a 67 year old man who is not in the best of health so after a full day of work I feel it. I work 3 days a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So with this being Tuesday I am sitting here at my home desk writing this blog with some humility. Unlike with the Ukrainian people who are in the fight of their lives everyday for the past 13 months or so. I will get up and cook a big breakfast for those in my house so we can have a nice meal and watch the heavy rain come down.
     My muscles are sore because it isn't just driving that I must do during my workday it is moving trailers around and hitching and unhitching some of these big trailers to the trucks I am simultaneously moving. So a trailer on the back of a moving van keeps me busy not only physically but mentally. But even that work is nothing in comparison to the angst and physical nature of defending oneself from imminent danger. Which is why each day I am calling for the removal of putin and his acolytes in the kremlin so an honest man like Alexei Navalny can take over the leadership of Russia and guide it back into the civilized community of nations.
     Each and every day the Ukrainian people must wake to the realization that they have no day off to relax and enjoy the subtle nature of everyday surroundings. There is no mindless sunbathing or outdoor sports to play. They are in an intense situation where any rest is considered crucial to staying alive. I am not that rare a human being who believes no one person like putin should be allowed to scare and murder people to satisfy an ego driven mania. So today from thousands of miles away from Ukraine I am allowed to rehabilitate my body today in preparation for another workday tomorrow. Unlike Ukrainians who are in a non stop frenzy to save their own lives and the lives of their children.

(#5153) Russia is losing so many soldiers that an offensive this spring from them is now in doubt

     Russia's strategy of taking Bakhmut so their offensive this spring can have a real springboard is being disrupted by the casualties they are experiencing around that attempted capture of Bakhmut. In trying to take Bakhmut the Russians are gambling that they won't run out of troops in the attempt. But so far they are taking massive casualties to their troops and equipment. Every day there appears to be close to a 1000 deaths, not including injuries, to their troops. Already Russia has lost nearly 160,000 troops due to the invasion of Ukraine so now the question is does Russia have enough manpower to even attempt an offensive this spring.
     If Russia can quickly take Bakhmut then the likelihood of them advancing an offensive this spring becomes a real possibility, Yet if they don't take Bakhmut quickly or at all then the end of the Russian occupation of Ukraine becomes a real possibility. You can see why Russia needs to take Bakhmut soon or the invasion and occupation of Ukraine will not be able to be sustained. Most of the elite Russian troops and elite wagner support troops have been eliminated already so trying to fight on with less experienced troops against a confident and experienced fighting military like Ukraine will not go well for Russia.
     For their part Ukraine has decided that holding Bakhmut is their best battleplan. Keeping Russian forces pinned down outside the town is working and although there is a lot of street fighting within the east of the town the rest is still a Ukrainian stronghold. By killing off the Russian troops in the kamikaze like attacks they attempt, Ukraine is bleeding out the Russian forces needed for it's coming offensive. So while the Russians are not taking Bakhmut they are also dwindling in preparedness for the now in doubt spring offensive. The strategy to stay and hold Bakhmut is looking to be a very calculated smart one for Ukraine and very well could be the turning point toward the end of the Russian occupation of Ukraine.

(#5152) Adopt a pet dog or cat from the pounds

      Over the last year or so I have seen many wandering dogs and cats outside. I often go to my neighborhood page and see posts about animals who are straying with no one looking for them. I assume, and it is an assumption only but likely I think, that many of these animals have been set loose because their previous owners could not afford to keep them. I think that may be true because I have seen the price of food and medicine for pets increase quite a bit since Covid. It breaks my heart to see these animals as strays but what can be done to help them other than capturing them and sending them to the county or city pounds. The pounds these days are at capacity so unless people who can afford pets adopt the already impounded animals we will have a bunch of animals dying without anyone to care for them.
     I already have 4 adopted animals under my care despite straining my limited budget. Yet I wouldn't give one of them up no matter what. So if people out there would adopt some of these dogs and cats who have no home it would be great and give the rest of us a break from the constant heartache of knowing these little animals have no future. I cannot tell you how much a pet makes a difference in my life. I would be much less a human without my little companions constantly hanging with me. They need me and show that with happiness and love. We as a society need to do more to make sure that the costs of animal care and maintenance is within more budgets to accept.
     Every family should have at least one pet. Every retired person should have at least one pet. Every young person who can manage it should have a pet. All of us need to allow a pet into our lives when we can so that we have a constant reminder of what life is all about. There is nothing in the world like having a pet that shows its love back for the care we provide. My animals often come to me just to be up against me as a hug. Happiness is not easy to find but with a pet happiness is suddenly all around. Quality of life should be a priority for all of us and having a pet will make life much more bearable and satisfying all the while giving the pet a chance to have a life free from despair.

(#5151) We need all democracies to stand up for democray!

      The republican party is being buoyed by authoritarian countries so we democrats need to be buoyed by democracy loving countries. If republican are not held to account for their support by tyrants then we democrats shouldn't be held to account through support of our democratic partners. In essence if the rules are changed to benefit one political party here then the other party can also use the same tactics. Because when advantages are only allowed for the rule changing party then their form of authoritarianism is already under way. So we democrats need our allies to help us win elections just like the allies of republicans do. The only difference then would be who these allies are.
     The republicans would have as allies the dictators of the world like Russia, North Korea, Iran and we democrats would have as allies nations like Canada, England, and France. I would imagine that we democrats would be able to sway voters much more convincingly toward self governance than the republicans who want to rule over everybody. When more people are making arguments for democracy the better the message will be understood by the time the voting has begun. Again, republicans are always trying to change the rules of law on elections so I say if they are not held to account on those rule changes then we should employ the same rule changes.
     We democrats must stay up with and then out ahead of any attempt of republicans to dishonestly abscond with our elections. They are already ahead on gerrymandering congressional districts that favor them holding more districts through racially disadvantageous, and political party, line drawing of district maps. They are already ahead on state laws that give republicans easier access to the ballot while making it difficult for democrats to enjoy the same experience. So if republicans are allowed to use outside interference in our elections then we democrats must also use the same tactic. My theory is that if it isn't being held into account as against the law then we democrats should use the tactic to our advantage.

(#5150) Russia is imploding

      With Russia dictator putin and his strongman wagner leader prigzohin now at each others throats, the failed fate of the Russian invasion is now cemented. With these two main figures in the invasion now looking to end each other the focus of fighting a murderous campaign is disassembled. Who knows what the Russians will do next to try and take Ukraine? When putin is out to destroy the wagners and prigzohin wanting to be the leader of Russia, the conclusion to this drama will take place before much more can be done to keep engaged in the war crime laden invasion of Ukraine by these two petty excuses for men.
     I for one was expecting the Russians to get beat on the battlefield because of the amazing Ukrainian determination to win at all costs. I was not expecting the egos of putin and prigzohin to also be a battlefield where the victor annihilates the other. It is sweet music to my ears to here of this internal struggle just as a major Ukrainian offensive is in the offing. Russia has done little to extract territory back from Ukraine since last years retreat. So with no real offensive in sight from Russia and their mounting losses piling up the idea that Russia can mount its own offensive seems irrational.
     However the struggle for the leadership in Russia plays out, the overall Russian strength to conquer will never be the same. Ukraine has taken care of that each and every day of the last little over a year. As to putin and prigzohin, one of them will meet his deserved fate sooner than the other but make no mistake, both will see their lasts days with fear. Tyranny is like that. When one is a tyrant one must always have to be looking over their shoulders to see who might be coming up behind them ready to claim their own tyrannical mantle. Hopefully these 2 murderous thugs will give the world a break and find a way to end themselves together. wouldn't that be a nice result!

(#5149) We see putin has lost yet his arrogance won't allow him to see it

      With the overnight massive missile strike all over Ukraine we see that putin is more angry than smart. He just shot off a bunch of missiles at non military targets which only inspires the Ukrainians to fight harder for their national heritage. Now putin who is short munitions already just wasted a lot more by not using his missiles for strategic purposes. Instead he used his missiles in anger and looked to kill civilians. More war crimes committed by putin however I don't think putin cares. He thinks he will win this invasion of Ukraine and not be admonished for it. However he will lose this invasion of Ukraine and if he doesn't bite the dust he will be tried and convicted in a war crimes tribunal.
     The powers that be that prop up putin are hoping putin can hold out until the 2024 US elections. They are working to elect a republican who will do their bidding and undermine Ukrainian support. However that long game concept is very dicey as Ukraine will not wait until then to end this illegal invasion by Russia. Ukraine will be coming for all it's land and within the next few months may well achieve that goal. With putin wasting his munitions on non military targets Ukraine is not. Ukraine is strategic in how they deploy their missiles and are very successful at hitting Russian troop concentrations and Russian weapon and fuel depots. As well they seem to be able to hit Russian military command and control centers with high efficiency.
     The arrogance of putin allows him to aim his missiles at civilians as a way to express his anger at losing his invasion in Ukraine. He thought the invasion would be a cake walk with practically no fatalities. Yet one year and some into the failed invasion putin has actually lost territory in Ukraine previously acquired through strong arm tactics in 2014. So from the height of his power on February 24, 2022 to now where he is in constant danger of being ended and or overthrown, his die is cast. There is no recovering from this. He may think he has an escape hatch in Ukraine but he does not because his advantages have all been taken from him. There is no path to victory for putin and he will never see that.

(#5148) My first day back at work

      No matter the tasks I needed to perform the energy was there to tackle them. Then I got home and began to feel how much using that energy sapped me of my strength. A nearly full day of work did a good number on me. But after a good night of sleep I am ready to go at it again. Learning so many different tasks and forgetting most of them is where I am at. But after one day I didn't do any harm and actually got some things accomplished so there is that. :) However today there will be more expected of me and surely I will end up with a mixed bag of successes. I won't fail but I won't be quick to accomplish either on several tasks.
     But that is to be expected from a new hire and as long as I keep improving things will be fine and much easier for me going forward. Getting through this first week and gaining some knowledge as to how things are done is my highest priority. It will take me more than a few weeks to get most of the tasks down but I know I will be fine. This isn't rocket science, but it isn't mindless either. There are procedures at about every turn and those procedures are the learning curve for me. Everything besides the driving seems to be of an automated nature so keeping up with technology is going to be my greatest hurdle. Yet I am up enough to get a good start so now it is just applying the technology to all the tasks I attempt.
     I am only going to try to do 20 hours a week for the near future and see how it affects my body and mind. The work is mentally tiring after the first day but I think that has to do with learning new ways of keeping track of inventory. Once it becomes more second nature the stress of my mind will taper off and I can start to enjoy the work with a bit of confidence. I am not there yet but the sooner I do get there the better for my health. The physical part of this job is less demanding but staying constantly aware while on the road is never to be underestimated. Most of these vehicles that I am transporting are bigger than normal so considerations on the road is mandatory. On to day 2.

(#5147) It looks like Bakhmut is where all the fighting is playing out

      The besieged Ukrainian city of Bakhmut is where all the fighting is generally aimed. Whether Ukraine can continue to hold the city is the question. It seems odd to think that Ukraine can hold off Russia from taking Bakhmut given the force that Russia is laying out there everyday. Yet the Ukrainians are not giving in despite incremental territorial gains there from Russia over the last month. What Russia has been doing is throwing soldiers in a bull rush at Ukrainian defenses hoping to overrun the Ukrainian defensive positions. Yet the Russian effort has only succeeded in killing off Russian soldiers in masse.
    Yet again yesterday another over 1000 Russian soldiers died because of the Russian strategy of using its soldiers as cannon fodder. Nearly 155,000 Russian soldiers are dead and with Russia unable to change its strategy expect many more tens of thousands to follow. Russia is running out of armaments so not protecting their charging soldiers is a death sentence. Soon Russia will be running out of soldiers as well and then what? I expect that the internal fighting among the Russian military hierarchy will eventually lead to a withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukraine. Either voluntarily or through individual acts of self preservation. Either way Ukraine is on the precipice of ending this invasion with a victory over the Russian occupiers by making its stand at Bakhmut.
     It is Bakhmut that is becoming the Russian Waterloo. Where the end of the hoped for conquest of an invaded nation occurs. Ukraine keeps adjusting their defensive positions in order to protect their troops by giving inch by inch to Russian invaders while Russia keeps heading head first into those defenses. As Ukraine slowly moves backwards the Russians are tricked into thinking they are gaining all the while their losses keep becoming insurmountable. As Ukraine defends at Bakhmut, they are also building up for their offensive which may come very soon. All of this does not bode well for Russia. They are losing military pieces and manpower at alarming rates while Ukraine gets stronger and much more primed to overrun Russian positions in Ukraine and beyond into Russian territory.

(#5146) New adventure today

      I am going to go see about acquiring a part time job today. Necessity requires it. The prices of things have made my little budget untenable. So now I get to go see how I can supplement it with a part time job. I am nearer to 68 than when I became 67 so the part time job cannot be so strenuous as to cause me undue medical distress. So fortune has favored me with an opportunity to sit on my butt and drive from point A to point B. Moving vehicles around to different locations as needs require. A nephew of mine is looking for someone like me to fulfill this position since he is in position to do some hiring.
     So off I go to orientation this morning. I know things have changed as to working requirements within the last decade but I am confident that I will fit right in with this new position. I can still drive very well and I am conscientious about completing work duties. I don't necessarily like to drive but given there are fewer positions available to people my age coming back into the workforce I will do what needs to be done. It will give me a chance to learn the newer vehicle operations since my vehicle is still a 2002 model. I spent the majority of my work career as a new and refurbishing construction orientated person so outside of working in some pencil pushing construction staffing, or supervisory job, my options are limited.
     As to how I feel about this I am okay with it. I need some extra income and the part time nature of the position leaves me with options down the road. I may try later to move to full time or not. But this much I know, I cannot go back to production work that demands physical stresses that my body will not let me do. The spirit is willing but the body is less able to cope. I know my limitations so today I will see how this might work out. As an optimist I am ready to tackle it and as a realist I know that the tackling of it must be within the bounds of my medical needs. Between the 2 expectations I am currently operating under It would seem to me to be likely I am back in the workforce, albeit part time.

(#5145) We human beings are an incredible species

      It has been a little while since the last time I laid out what it is to be a human being. Several decades ago it occurred to me that our species had two main traits. That of curiosity and compassion. In other words we wonder and we care. Well not all human beings are ordered this way as some within our species are wired differently, especially those who are have psychopathy issues. But the vast majority of us are within the spectrum that has curiosity and compassion at the center of our lives. Those two traits help us to imagine and love. Fulfilling our basic needs for purpose in life. Yet, in the denial either/or of these two traits, more nefarious lesser traits emerge. Which explains why some folks have uncharacteristically cruel behaviors outside the spectrum of curiosity and compassion.
     We as human beings are also a physical species. We are not invincible, yet we are adaptable to most all Earthly terrain. We have not mastered outer space as of yet but we are making advances that would allow us into that enormous unexplored vacuum. As individual beings we have a mind that is much like a computer. We register information, analyze it, and then conclude as best as possible an outcome. The complexity of our memories, both long and short term is breathtaking. Time and space have nothing on us as we are able to think in ways that incorporate new logical information with historical knowledge. Again, it is our curiosity that informs our minds and our compassion that brings that home to the rest of us.
     Much like all species' we take care of our "family" of humans for the most part. We are still learning that we are all the same in the important ways and soon in time we will all get there. Our care for each other is still dominant and will win out over the lesser traits that have negatively manifested themselves over the history of our species. We are stronger together as a group that can imagine possibilities and create from those imaginings. I often think of us as probes. We take in information and return logic from it. As a difference from probes though we are also caring. We have the chance to be the most amazing species to have ever filled time and space. It is ours to claim if we can keep from turning in on ourselves instead of staying turned out toward our uninhibited destiny.
     

(#5144) I feel like Dr. Doolittle

      I have 4 little characters as my wards. 2 dogs and 2 cats. They individually are much different than any of the others but the one thing they seem to have in common is me. I guess I have made myself the center of their universes and they revolve around me constantly. From the one being as clingy as possible and on the other extreme one barely stays within 10 feet of me. However though, they are all close enough much of the time that one would think they might like being around me. I am well satisfied with that outcome because each of them is particularly special to me.
     I have been at home most of the time since I don't like going out anywhere too often. I almost could say I don't like going out at all. However I must and do. Now it seems with inflation eating into my operating budget, such as it is, I may well be going out more often to a part time job. I wish I didn't have to but rising costs are really putting a pinch on my ability to cover all the bills and food without much left for emergency items that seem to crop up every month or so. I know my little wards will not like the fact of me leaving during the day if that is what occurs but I must do what is needed to keep us all safe and together.
     My little wards came to me from desperate situations and giving them the safety and comfort of a forever home is now my number one domestic priority. From the dog pound, from the streets, from 2 being given away to me. Their little lives had been unsettled before me and now that they have all been with me from the latest one at least a couple of years. They seem to be adjusted to each other and me. There isn't much I can do in this world to make the world better other than right here at home with my charges. I try to give good advice as to how we humans should exist but that too often falls on deaf ears. So be it. But with my wards I can and do the things they need to live a life without fear and with bountiful love and safe harbor.

(#5143) Russia needs to be punished

      The bully here is Russia. So anyone who sides with Russia in the invasion of Ukraine has a serious lack of judgement. Unless of course anyone is a wannabe tyrant. much like trump and musk who seem to believe that tyranny is better than democracy. The conmen and wealthy of the world probably would find tyranny greater than democracy because it is easier to control people as property than as free human beings. Most conmen and wealthy are more psychotic than not so a lack of empathy is their foundation. Believing in democracy goes against their world view, which brings us back to Russia. With the tyrant putin wanting to destroy the Ukrainian culture, the fault for fighting back is not on the Ukrainians but on the Russians.
     Ukraine did not instigate anything with Russia. They just want to govern their nation according to democratic rule. That has nothing to do with putin and his plans for Russia, it is just that the ego of putin cannot allow a former soviet satellite nation like Ukraine to be self governing. So putin invades Ukraine because he wants to not because Ukraine attacked Russia. So if I hear of anyone who would blame Ukraine for fighting back against Russian aggression then I know I am listening to an idiot or a psychopath. There are some who think that fighting back against an invasion is wrong. Well I can tell you this much, if you don't defend yourself  when attacked then who is to stop anyone from taking all from you, including your life?
     So what must happen going forward is a real hard punishment on Russia for its provocative act against Ukraine. There cannot be any wishy washy confrontation here on the part of Ukraine because their lives are at stake. So those who are not Ukrainians and are blaming Ukraine for fighting back you are the worst of what is a human being. People who have little regard for honor or principle are prone to being unable to find the courage to stand up to bullies and would rather shirk that and live in fear. Well the Ukrainian people are not without honor and principle so those who are not Ukrainian need to understand that fighting for ones life is the most honorable thing Ukrainians can do.

(#5142) More than 150,000 dead Russian soldiers in Ukraine

      It is obvious that putin is a weak sniveling less than human being. He continues to throw Russian troops into the death grinder that is now Ukraine. For any foreign person coming to Ukraine with the intent to kill and maim the only end result for them is their blood soaking into the soil and their lifeless bodies being hauled away into some hole in the ground. More than 10,000 tanks and armored personnel carriers have also been destroyed or captured. The idea that putin will get that he is a madman chasing after the unattainable is now thoroughly dead. Like the troops he keeps sending into the meat grinding defenses of Ukraine, putin will slowly bleed his country out of it's future.
     I don't know how many more Russian soldiers will have to die in Ukraine before the kremlin understands that there is no victory in Ukraine. Ukraine is a death zone for Russia yet they still cannot see that. It is unfortunate that the young Russian lives already lost are for nothing but to continue is beyond macabre! But continue putin will because he has staked his life on a victory in Ukraine. How much longer the powers that be in the kremlin allow for putin to fail to succeed is now beyond logic. They, like putin, hope for a victory but unlike putin, they didn't stake their lives on it.
     Russia's putin is done on the world stage. The only thing we are waiting for is the end since the result is now settled. Russian imperialism has been found wanting. It will die with this disastrous invasion of Ukraine. What Russia looks like after the dust settles is a bit unclear but I would not be surprised if Russia breaks up into regional powers that eventually become nations of their own. What Ukraine has done to the arrogant putin is bring about the reordering of the world toward democracy. A feat that I could not have imagined when putin put his troops on the Ukrainian border a little over a year ago. The Ukrainian fighting spirit along with weapons from the west have effectively put Russia and China on notice that imperialism is dead as a strategy!

(#5141) Ferreting out the colluders in the US who are helping putin avoid sanctions

      It is a well known fact that many republican politicians in the US are admirers of the putin regime. If it is found out that they are helping putin skirt national/international sanctions against Russian products and or are facilitating any armaments to Russia then they must be held to account. This is serious business with Ukrainians dying every day as a result of putin's actions in Ukraine. If any American is caught helping Russia kill innocents then they are colluding and aiding a terrorist state destabilize not only Ukraine but the world at large. Collaboration with an enemy is punishable so we who are the stewards of our democracy must hold to account any and all who are caught profiting off of the misery in Ukraine.
     As the republican party has shown they would attempt an insurrection to get their way despite the voters not backing them. They have an agenda that they want to implement and nothing democracy dictates will stop them. So to think they would help putin move his oil around the globe is not a stretch of the imagination at all. Because for one thing they admire putin because he is a dictator. The republican party has moved so far to the right that now fascism is their growing middle of the road political philosophy. No longer are republicans devoted to one person one vote. Instead they are moving back to the pre civil war days when only people of property could vote and those who were not white property owners were considered more like property that free human beings.
     So do we Americans have the will to uproot our instigators of fascist revolution or will we let them slowly turn our democracy into an autocracy with a brutishly cruel tyrant as the leader? Are we Americans so devoid of character any more that we would let people of color become less than citizens again? Will we Americans once again make women a lesser form of human being? The America I live in now is at a crossroads! We either stand on the shoulders of our foreparents and represent the gift of democracy they fought and died for or do we step aside because we have no courage left and let the scoundrels of the world degrade and denigrate the rights we have attained toward a more perfect union.
     

(#5140) Give Ukraine what it needs short of nuclear weapons

      Let me be perfectly clear here. The Ukrainian military is doing the world a favor right now. Sure they are fighting for the right to self determination and preservation of their country. But they are also fighting to stop putin from advancing further into a larger scale war. Ukrainians have made it clear from the outset that if the western nations would only supply weapons and munitions, the Ukrainian forces would fight and defeat the Russians right there in Ukraine. If Ukraine is not successful in stopping Russia from over running its borders then the Russian horde will be further emboldened to cross into Poland, Moldova, Finland, Sweden etc... and other European countries as Russia wants to begin by consolidating the whole of Europe into its egoistic sphere.
     So stopping putin now in Ukraine is the single greatest event that we in the west need to accomplish. The only way that Ukraine can stop Russia is for we in the west to give Ukraine the modern weapons and munitions they need to not only defend against Russian attacks but to move offensively against Russian military targets outside of Ukraine. Russia has stockpiled weapons and troops just beyond the Ukrainian borders in order to have them ready to attack inside Ukraine at a moments notice. Well Ukraine needs to be able to destroy those military targets in Russia that are a direct threat to Ukrainian sovereignty.
     So giving Ukraine a full compliment of strategic conventional weapons is in the interest of Ukraine and as well the interest of all freedom loving nations on our planet. From tanks to planes to missiles, the greater good is achieved under the scenario of Ukraine being a trusted partner in the dissolution of the Russian plan to dominate the world. As a trusted partner we have to supply Ukraine without apprehension nor doubt. Ukraine needs the modern warfare armaments in order to defeat the larger army of Russia. There cannot be any doubt now that putin is not interested in peace. He is committing war crimes every day so does not want a world after he is done that would hold him to account for his atrocities. Give Ukraine everything they need under the heading of conventional weapons.

(#5139) Enjoying the rain

      All this week the rain has been coming down in a somewhat steady fashion. Which is good by the way so as to not flood my backyard. The intervals between rain have been enough so as to allow the creek to rid itself of the rainfall pretty quickly and then be ready for the next deluge of rain. I kind of like it this way even if I didn't have to worry about flooding. I can get outside and do my daily chores without the rain intervening in my work. It is also good for the ground outside so as to allow it to absorb the rain without it washing off into the creek area.
     It has also been briskly cold, near freezing but not quite. I like the feel of the cold on my face but not too much. It always reminds me of summer when I yearn for such a feeling. I don't get out and do much anymore since I really don't like leaving home unless it is necessary. So the rain is my entertainment for now and I am enjoying the effect and feel of it. Yes, I do go out into it just to have it get me slightly wet. It is nature watering it's greenery and for that I am well happy. The snow pack up in the mountains must be getting really deep and I expect the ski slopes this year will do a robust business. More so though the spring melt off will do wonders for increasing water levels for our reservoirs and lakes.
     The drought is still with us but this years rain will go a ways toward alleviating some of the worst effects of the drought after several years of little rain. I can hear the rain coming down on my flat roof with a good amount of force so right now the rain is pouring down and somehow that reassures me. I had a new roofing material put on this house last year so the previous leaks from years gone by are now all sealed up. In fact where the swamp cooler, yes swamp cooler, was on top of the house over the hallway was removed and where that vent hole was is now a skylight. So I can now see the rain hitting the skylight. Lots to do at this old house still but for now just sitting back and letting the rain soothe my soul is good enough.

(#5138) My world is dominated by Ukraine

      There is nothing more important to me right now than the defense of Ukraine. President Biden seems to have things under control here in America as to the insurrectionist republican party so I am not as much focused on that at the moment. Although that could change with some good news. But otherwise the situation with Ukraine and it's fight to exist on our planet as a sovereign nation is the greatest single need for our future. The necessity of defeating the Russian invasion is paramount because the kremlin aggression would not end with Ukraine. All the previous Soviet era bloc nations would become the next target of the madmen in the kremlin.
     Just so you know, I do not capitalize nouns of people and places that I abhor. It is my little protest to the rules of grammar against them specifically. Which should verify my current disdain for all things putin. I do capitalize Russia because it is not all the Russian people who are as rabid as their leaders although it is a close call with me. Anyway, back to the main subject of this post. I have several sources that I connect with each day to give me updates on the action and possible strategy the invading horde of putins try to put on Ukraine. Not all of it is dead on but enough of it is close so that a picture of the overall strategy has formed.
     Russia would retake all of Europe given the opportunity that they thought could be available. Yet their strategy to do so in February of 2022 has not materialized. They thought Ukraine would roll over for them. Not so as it turned out yet the strategy to dominate the world is not stopped by Ukrainian obstruction. We in the west should know that Russian aggression against the world is their appetite and nothing will suppress the kremlins insatiable appetite except a resounding defeat. It is why no negotiating for a peace will ever stick. The kremlin has already broken many peace treaties after using them to bolster their forces. Russia must be defeated in Ukraine if our world is ever going to be free for human rights and individual liberty.

(#5137) Authoritarianism is slavery!

      For those of you who are rooting for putin to conquer and destroy the Ukrainian culture you are an advocate of slavery! Because controlling other people's lives under authoritarianism is the same as making people slaves. Take from people their right to choose, their right to talk, their right to even pursue their own happiness and you have enslaved them to a life that is not freely chosen by them. Authoritarianism is control just the same way slavery was control. People are not property yet authoritarianism is just another form of making people property. Where the choice to come and leave is not allowed because a tyrant won't let it be so.
     We Americans live under democracy and as such may choose the life we wish to live. We are not beholden to anyone unless we choose that through written or oral contract. For those who are not allowed to choose their futures of their own free accord the tyrants and slave masters roam freely. The worst of our human natures is the outcome that allows for slavery and tyrants. So our worst natures must never be allowed to foment into the lives of our citizenry. There are many elements of the current republican party that are past primed for being tyrants and slave masters. They would take from all of us the equality that our principles demand in exchange for some illogical racist misogynist word candy.
     This is why the republican party here in America must be defeated and diminished so that the remnants of it's authoritarianism is laid dead and buried. Same with Ukraine and the effects of Russia's war criminal putin. The invasion by Russia into Ukraine must be stopped and Russians sent backwards toward their own borders and the instigators in the kremlin need to be brought out into the public square where they are adjudged for their many heinous crimes. As we abolished slavery here in American law the intent of slavery still needs to be purged from the hearts of dastardly men and women. As well we need to kill and bury the intent of tyrants who would be authoritarians who demand to rule a world of slaves at their feet.
     
   

(#5136) The end is near for putin and his failed invasion of Ukraine

      The pro democracy western countries have had it with putin and his bullshit threats and lies! The weapons will be coming to Ukraine that Ukraine can then use to actually push Russia back from Ukraine's original borders. Apparently the brain trust of the world has figured out that putin is full of bluster as to threatening nuclear attacks to the point that having built up a larger nuclear arsenal to counter anything putin can do they are now comfortable with supplying Ukraine the smart conventional weapons it actually needs. No more is the west to be cautioned by putin the wanna be bully. Ukraine will win against this murderous invasion of Russia and the time to end this murderous decadent folly of putin is now.
     A major offensive is being planned by Ukraine for the spring but don't be surprised if Ukraine does something earlier. The Russians for their part tried to do their offensive over the last few weeks but were stymied by superior Ukrainian combat forces and the brain trust of the Ukrainian military command. Russia is on the verge of having lost 150,000 troops in total within a few days so their competency in planning and instituting their strategy has been a miserable failure. As the weapons pour into Ukraine from many different countries the Ukrainian defense is buttressed significantly while the Russians are scrounging for troops throughout their limited empire even to sending in convicts as front line troops.
     How much longer will putin hold out before the rats in the kremlin turn on him as the scapegoat so as to extricate themselves out of what they well may perceive as war criminal defendants. Because when this failed invasion is finally put to rest there will be an accounting and those Russians who are still advocating to extend the invasion will be the first to have to answer to the coming war tribunal. Where does putin end up? I don't know or if he even has a chance to live beyond this ego driven disaster he led. But for certain putin will either be tried or he will have been removed permanently from a life of existence by either falling out of a high rise window or too much polonium tea.

(#5135) Getting some rain today

      Over the last several years we here in Sacramento California have had very little rain during the winters. So very little that this year looks like a deluge comparatively. So today when the rain hits later in the day I will be especially pleased to go outside and let some of it soak into me. It is cold out still this being February and all but still I want to pay tribute to the rain by enjoying it. It won't be long before the sun dominates our climate here and temperatures hover in the 100 degree range. So this time especially since it is not as common as before I am going to bask in the rain for however long it lasts. We are still in a drought condition here but each time it rains with some force we move a little further away from the perpetually dry conditions.
     I lived up north in Seattle and Fairbanks for 20 years so I am well accustomed to rainy and snowy weather. Being a born and mostly raised Sacramentan I am well aware of our hot climate. When I was younger I loved the hot because it allowed me to go out into the area to our watering holes for fun and refreshment. But now that I am older the hot is not my favorite anymore. The rain is my favorite and the snow is there as well. Given a choice of living in the hot or rainy I know would I choose the rainy. If I could relocate to the Seattle area I would but circumstances around my property keep me here for the time being. Once things have evolved here though I will likely look to relocate.
     In the meantime however when the rain hits this afternoon I will be extra happy for it to splash down here where it is needed. For me it is not only needed but appreciated. I can sit and just watch as it washes down through the air to hit the ground. Entertainment of sorts for me anyway. I am not easily entertained by simplicity but when it comes to rain I am all in. I used to think that climate change would make rain here nearly impossible anymore but with this wet rainy season upon us I am heartened that climate change has not destroyed our weather patterns completely. With a green energy plan being implemented maybe we might just escape the intentionally delinquent stewardship of our planet.

(#5134) China and Russia are no match for the US and European Union

      It is quite obvious that China and Russia are flailing in their attempt to be bullies on the national stage. Neither has the moral high ground nor the wherewithal to bully their way over the top of the rest of us. Instead they are searching around the edges to find a crease in the defense of democracy to undermine our commitment to it. They will fail of course because when it comes to resolve the western nations are not to be fooled with. Most all understand this however the Chinese and Russians are slow learners. Just like all other slow learners they will be taught harshly the simple message they should have paid attention to when the lesson was first taught.
     Ukraine will continue to teach Russia that no matter how badly the putins of the world want to dominate, putin and xi will only learn the disappointment of it. The Chinese have mainly stayed out of the limelight but we all know they support the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that China has designs on Taiwan that are similar to Russia and it's wont to expand beyond its own borders. Both are in need of being scolded beyond words and if they don't figure that out the reckoning gets much more painful. Time will tell but at minimum Russia is first up for the woodshed treatment because like spoiled children the brutes in the kremlin think they are infallible.
     A reworking of how the world order plays out is happening and the world will find out that the democracies of the world will be our future and the tyrants like putin and xi will find out that their days are quickly becoming numbered. There is no path forward for them and they are struggling with that very concept now. Which is why there is so much bluster from them. They still think they can bluff us but what they don't get either is that we don't care about their threats. Because nothing they can do will save them in the end. No matter what they will be finished as world leaders and the only unknown at the moment is what will their situation be when the dust has settled on this current idiocy of theirs.

(#5133) Literal war in Ukraine while figurative war here in the US

      The bullets are flying in Ukraine as they work hard to fend off the Russian horde. While here in the US we Americans are fighting against the lies and omissions of truth by the right wing political party called republicans. The war in Ukraine is obviously much more grave at the moment but the war against lying words here is just as problematic, albeit not as immediately dangerous. But dangerous it is when the lies spread to the unbeknown and unchecking of facts hot heads! People like rupert murdoch is quite comfortable with telling lies so that he can make a buck. Meanwhile the effect of his lies are killing innocents!
     Much like the Russian horde pushed to invade a sovereign country under the guise of a lie. The similarities are stark and remind us that the corrupting lies coming from "fox not news" are the foundation for the deadly angst and mayhem that is spreading across our nation. When reagan dismantled the fairness in broadcasting act the door was opened for lies to become part of our reporting. Too many take the word of reporting on television and radio as truth because they assume that lies are not permitted to air on our public communications. Unfortunately that is not true.
     The problem with the assumption that lies are not allowed to be spread by national media is that the lies being fed by too many right wing broadcasting organizations are taken as fact and then acted upon with extreme prejudice aimed at the subject of the lies. An accountability is now under way in one such instance involving "fox not news" that will financially wound rupert murdoch and his organization. Telling lies in public for profit should never be allowed and every time it happens the liar needs to be held to account. The damage is done as soon as the lie is told so no amount of justice will change that but making liars pay for the lies they tell will surely be decreased when a punishing penalty for telling harmful lies is sentenced upon the guilty.

(#5132) Destroying our democracy is no laughing matter!

      I cannot be more ashamed and embarrassed for our nation because of the treachery to destroy our democracy committed by republicans. Nothing they do will ever erase what they attempted and are still attempting to do. Who the hell do they think they are? They are not going to get anything from me and if I had my way they would all be paying a heavy price in prison! Why our justice system is so inept at the moment in rounding these traitors to democracy up is beyond me. If I as a regular person would have done what they did I would already be rotting in some ill forsaken prison. So why aren't they?
     I suspect that politics has a lot to do with it but I say the hell with politics because the rule of law supersedes any fudging of the facts here. There cannot be any compromise when it comes to preserving our democracy. There cannot be any slap on the wrist for committing one of the most heinous of crimes of trying to forcibly break our social contract with each other. Our fore fathers and mothers installed our democracy as a protest to the tyranny of autocracy and monarchy. Our way of government has been slowly but surely working its way toward full rights for everyone. We are not there yet but the momentum is on our side. Yet there are those who don't want full participation in our democracy of all and are seriously trying to usurp our constitution.
     These would be those who command the republican party and their ill informed voters. Through untrue news outlets and a rallying cry of hatred for those who are not like them. They persist to not only overthrow our elected government but to install a form of government similar to the putin led Russia. When the appointed president trump wooed the tyrants of the world as exalted leaders he effectively made known that the rights of all citizens under democracy were not going to be protected under his watch. Had not Joe Biden defeated trump in the 2020 election and staved off an attempt to overthrow that election we would likely right now be saddled with an autocratic trump who had no plans of ever leaving the presidency. How anyone can still defend and vote for republicans are as bad as the republican party leaders who want to destroy democracy!

(#5131) No sympathy for Russia

      When this invasion by putin started I was on the side of the Russian people who were being forced to accept the invasion in the initial stages. But as this invasion is about to reach one year I am not sorry at all for the people of Russia. They have had all year to stop putin from murdering their sons and fathers but they don't seem to care. Nearly 143,000 young Russian men have died so far and for what? Practically nothing! Well except Russia getting their asses handed to them by a superior culture of Ukrainians. It is good to learn that you are not what you portrayed yourself so as to learn a lesson. However Russia and its ego driven tyrant ruler have no such logic to fall back on.
     They just keep doing what doesn't work while the blood and treasure of Russia continues to disintegrate on Ukrainian soil. This coming February 24th, the actual one year marking of time since Russia invaded Ukraine, will not provide a victory of sorts for Russia by taking a major city like Bakhmut. But what it will do is mark the death of around 150,000 Russians soldiers! Parade that at the red square putin! Yet his people continue to keep the war going by not protesting in such numbers as to stop putin from destroying their nation. Because that is exactly what the conclusion will be with Ukraine. The Ukrainian people know that nothing short of military victory will make Russia leave it's land.
     As it stands now any offensive from Russia before the rainy season begins in about 4 weeks will not happen. There has been too little progress at the front and too many personnel losses for Russia to stage a massive surge. Instead they are just barely creeping forward in increments that cost them dearly with Russian lives and armaments. For Ukraine's part they are in such a good position with their defenses at the front that the continual stockpiling of forces and weapons only makes them stronger and ready for whatever Russia may throw at them. If Ukraine is able to take Kreminna in the next several weeks they themselves may be poised to do an offensive that will surely end the invasion in the next several months. We will see.

(#5130) Trying to get a rule change on the increased flow of water in the creek behind my home

      I have been in touch with the Sacramento City Mayor's office about getting some relief from water overflow from the creek behind my house. My neighbors and I are experiencing flooding in our yards just short of coming into our homes. My home was with a few inches of having water in my den just 16 months ago. While at the fence that borders the creek, 125 feet in total in my backyard, the water level was 2 feet above ground. There is a rule in the governing of creek dredging and widening protocols that prevent the city from operating such an option. No area beyond a 100 foot distance from a man made facility or structure can be dredged nor widened in our creek.
     This rule is well over several decades old and does not include an option for flexibility in it's guidelines. Much more water has been directed to Arcade Creek over the decades because land has been covered with asphalt and cement which increases water runoff instead of ground storage. Much of this has happened on the eastern side of our Sacramento county which does supply a significant amount of rain runoff to Arcade creek than in previous decades. My concern with the city is that a rule that is becoming long outdated still is the controlling factor in whether my home is flooded or not. This isn't about insurance by the way this is about preventing the need for an effect after the fact.
     Smart design of rules that not only protect wildlife in the creek area but also protect homeowners who through no fault of their own are increasingly at risk of being inundated with unchecked over flow water that is not sanitary and is destructive. 16 months ago our city had 5.5 inches of rain in one 24 hour period. This nearly brought the water into my home while still completely covering by as much as 2 feet all my land behind my home. Meanwhile that late evening a power outage took place with power lines lying in that deep pool of water that was my backyard. As grave as that could have been it does amplify the need to keep our creek from overflowing into our yards and homes through efficient and modern rule changes that flex with unique circumstances.

(#5129) Relationship advice: Only like minded need apply

      I am no relationship guru so there are a few disclaimers here. First each of us is different in many varied ways so the advice I may want to give may not be correct for you. Second I have never been married nor in a long term relationship in my life. But putting those two paradigms aside, what I have learned is that in the few relationships I did have albeit no more than 2 years for any of them, the key to lasting that long was our shared like mindedness. By that I mean we were of the same heart on politics. We were allies in the fight to change injustice to justice and treated everyone fairly regardless of race or gender.
     Even that wasn't enough to keep me with the few women who were in my life but it was needed for us to even begin. I do take full responsibility for my part in the failure of all the relationships I have had over the years but at least the relationships didn't end because we fought over whether we should be allies in the political arena. As I see it if you are supportive of republican concepts that are currently being displayed then you are not even an option for me to be a partner. Because hurting people with policies is not attractive nor endearing. Especially when the current republican party is for insurrection and hatred of those who are not them.
     The current republican party just displayed an insurrection on our American capitol. They are currently taking away women's hard fought rights. They are trying to stop Americans of color from voting. They are working to end the only lifeline seniors have to support themselves by gutting Social Security and taking away health care by ending Medicare and Medicaid. The republican party supporters would never have a shot of being in a relationship with me. Now let me be clear, many would not want to anyway. But from my perspective none would ever have a chance when the decision is mine. I would like to find a partner in this world but be assured, it will never be one who isn't likeminded.

(#5128) The stories told in our music

      I cannot even imagine what life would have been like without the music of my generation. The sounds that rocked the world as we knew it. Sure sports were good to follow on radio and television but there has been nothing to me like the music of our generation. Blasting it loud and often was our motto. The groove we felt and still feel in our soul is incomparable. To this day we can get lost in the lyrics and instrumentations that were brilliantly combined through an eye for entertaining and informing. The music of our generation was mainly a protest to the state of affairs we found ourselves in. Improving our lot while hammering it home with the sounds of our time was and still is a priority for us.
     The poets of our day were not writers of single lines combined on paper for books that get dusty on the shelves. No, our poetry was placed on the musical sheets for combining with melodic composition into magnificently powerful sounds. The kind of sounds that ripped far and deep into our bone marrow and the words that stung us with their truth and clarity. The music of our time could stop us in our tracks and force us to reconsider all that existence offers. Our priorities were and still are shaped by the message and sound from some of the most influential artists of our time. I cannot image who I would be without the panoramic view our music exposed.
     Like the Allegory of the Cave in The Republic by Plato. Having not so much our eyes opened but our ears. The metaphors abound in our music. It isn't just the simple lines of words and their meanings but the bigger picture they also incorporate. Our music was and is the most prolific lesson of experiences and paradigms to absorb into who we are and will ever be. There is more to life than music but with no music in our lives we are so much less amazing and complete. The power of our music has changed our society from acceptance and subservience to protest and leadership. We drew unimaginable breath from the words and melodies of our time and shaped our lives accordingly.