Tag Archives: USA

15

Oct. ’23

Consequences

Everything and I really mean everything have consequences. Whatever you say, whatever you do, whatever you see, whatever you feel, whatever you taste, whatever you hear have consequences. Most people never think about it, but the consequences are like playing chess. One move (thing) leads to another and, to make the correct decision (move) you must think two or more moves ahead to outwit your opponent, and, at the same time, try to know what your opponent will do. Here is just a couple that is in today’s news.

               Hamas attacked Israel. They have very strong religious beliefs, a strong remembrance of things that happened to them hundreds of years ago (or longer), but they cannot remember the fierce fighters that they attacked. They also must not remember what happened in the six-day war. Now there will be dire consequences and, I believe, they will be at the wrong end of the war. Unfortunately, the Palestinians are caught in the middle. Hamas will feel the consequences.

               I know, what about the Palestinians? Their religious beliefs with Hamas are the same therefore they endured living with them. They knew what Hamas was doing but did not do a thing nor say anything. Unfortunately, if they are willing to be human shields then the consequences have come with more on the way.

               The ex-President Trump moved the American Embassy and separated the USA from most of the world pacts while being closer than close friends with countries that were normally called enemies. Comfort and secrets were given, and consequences ensued. He did not have anything good to say about anyone that did not butter up to him except for our enemy countries. Now consequences are ensuing (for the world and his personal life).

               Then there is Representative Tuberville. He is still holding the military promotions hostage, but his fellow Republicans can stop it. They will not do it although it is hurting the military, making the military slightly weaker, and making the military slightly vulnerable. Our enemies are watching, planning, and waiting. What secrets do they know? There will be consequences.

               While I am on the subject of a congressional member, I must write about the vacant Speaker of the House position. This, from the beginning until now, is the doing of the Republican party. Not a thing can be accomplished in the House of Representatives until a new Speaker takes the position. The old Speaker owed too many people too many things. Evidentially he could not play chess and he suffered the consequences. Because the vacancy occurred, consequences will ensue, and most will not be pretty.

               I can’t play chess; however, I can imagine many things that are developing and none of them are pretty. I am thinking about the war, Congress, the upcoming elections, and the blowback I will get for this blog. I am only calling it as I see it and there is much more that I haven’t written. As I said at the beginning of this blog, everything has a consequence, whether good or bad, the consequences will be felt and must be delt with. There is so much to write about and each and everything is partnered with a consequence. Be careful with what you do and say, mostly, because the resulting consequence will come back to bite you.

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18

Sep. ’22

The Borinqueneers

I just returned from a week in Puerto Rico, just ahead of the hurricane/tropical storm. My wife and I go there often and have been to most of the other major islands. However, after watching a segment of history about Puerto Rico on a morning talk show, I thought about I have never heard about Puerto Rican military people when I was in the military nor read about them in history books. It was as if, like Black military people and Native Americans, they never existed. I did some research, and it did not take long to find a lot of information.

               Like Black people, Hispanic people volunteered for military service and was delegated to segregated units. During WWI they formed the 65th Infantry Regiment and served as the U.S. military’s last segregated unit composed primarily of Hispanic Soldiers. This have echoes of Black soldiers in the military. These soldiers are known as Borinqueneers.

               There is a short piece in the history pages that I found, and it say ‘shortly after Puerto Rico became part of the United States in 1898, a regiment of Puerto Rican Soldiers was formed, and they served our nation bravely ever since. In World War I, they defended the homeland and patrolled the Panama Canal Zone. In World War II, they fought in Europe. In Korea, they fought in mud and snow. They are the 65th Infantry Regime, U.S. Army. They are also known as Borinqueneers’. The nickname ‘Borinqueneers’ originated from the Borinquen – one of the native Taino Indian names for the island of Puerto Rico.

               One interesting fact is that two hundred Hispanic women joined the military and was given the job as code talkers, just like the Native Americans. Now that I have a taste of Hispanic history, I will delve more into it because I know there is much more to discover. Like all the other ethnic groups of people, the Hispanics have done well in many things for the United States including doing better than average in the military. Also, like other ethnic groups in the military, the Hispanics were short changed when it came to receiving medals. When ex-President Obama was in office, he gave out a record twenty-four Medal of Honor at one award ceremony.

               Although Puerto Rico is a possession of the USA, they have trouble getting USA support when there is a disaster, need of an influx of money for infrastructure upgrades, and so forth. I really love that island and would love to live there if the hurricanes would skip the place. The island is usually in the path of most hurricanes that leave the coast of Africa. And, while I was there, the news said there were earthquakes on the east coast of the island. I didn’t feel them.

               I invite all of you to join me and dig deeper into Hispanic history (music also), especially the Borinqueneers. These people are as interesting as the Tuskegee Airmen and others. Mexico is not the only place for Hispanics, but most people only think of Mexico and southward as the only Hispanics. Duh, not so. Look at Puerto Rico and other places. Huum, I have to do more traveling. By the way, HAPPY HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH!!

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24

Apr. ’22

Global Warming

Earth is our home. A home we all must care for because there is nowhere else to go. Call it global warming or climate change, it’s all the same to me. Weather is changing and the change is like it have done for millions of years. Most of it is Mother Nature doing her thing but some of it is manmade. Humans are causing much of the destruction of many things which causes Mother Nature to rebel.

               There are many people that do not believe nor understand this and there is nothing I can do to convince them. Back in the day things were different. I grew up with wood and coal stoves for heating and cooking. Only the rich had oil or gas for heat and cooking. However, I do not remember any warnings/alerts for smog or bad air. There is plenty of them today and it will get worse long before it gets better. We used and reused things and when it could no longer be used, we made it or attempted to make it usable for other things.

               Those that do not believe in worsening weather must walk around with their eyes, ears, and nose closed. It is all around us and will not go away. The ice is melting at both poles. The fire season is getting earlier and earlier. More and more animals are becoming extinct because of the destruction of their habitat. Each year is getting hotter. There are earthquakes, tsunamis, heat alerts, haboobs (of which I thought was for the deserts of Africa, Arabia, India, etc. but is frequent in our southwestern states), floods, droughts, and volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, tornadoes, (just to name a few things).

               Congress, on the other hand, will not pass legislation to correct what we can and the ones that have passed is so weak it just as well not be there. Not only must the USA get with realizing the danger, but the world must also come together and attempt to fix this problem together. America has its hands tied because the congressmen are looking for something for themselves. If they can not find a value in it for themselves or their party, they will vote against anything and everything.

               As I thought about this article, I thought about what the world was doing to contribute to this problem. One problem jumped out at me and that is the Amazon. That area supplies the earth with so much, like filtering the air, exotic animals, exotic plants that have provided new medicines and other things, and so much more that I do not even know about. Yet slowly the Amazon is being cleared for crops, housing, and other things. Tribal people and animals are finding their living area is getting smaller as well as smoke from the burning forest is irritating.

               So, don’t believe in global warming but this is the only world we know to live in. The earth, every so often, make changes. We cannot stop the changes, but we can stop the portion that is man caused. The starting point is to stop denying climate change/global warming. The rest of it is to go back to being green and doing what we can about the amount of trash we accumulate (Like all that plastic), etc. We must all do our part while we stop fighting each other about this. Global warming is real.

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09

Jan. ’22

Our Government

Does our government do everything it is supposed to do? No. Both sides are fighting each other. When one side say ‘yes’, the other side say ‘no’, and vice versa. Does our government provide everything it is supposed to provide? No. Again, when one side try to provide what it can and propose a bill to do it, the other side is against it simply (as I see it) because they did not propose it and will not receive the credit for it. Even when their constituents benefit from the proposed bill, they are against it.

               Around the world, other governments are going through the same thing. Politics gets in the way of progress for any society, and everybody lose. Here in the USA, things are getting worst and, as far as I can see, I do not see a light at the end of this long tunnel. Maybe it is still dark outside, and I can not tell it is the end of the tunnel. Or, maybe, there are more obstacles to jump over, and those obstacles are blocking the light at the end of the tunnel.

               The midterm elections are upon us, and it is assumed that Republicans will retake the government. It seems that the in-power party lose during the midterm election because the populace is angry that the in-power party have not moved fast enough to give them what they voted for. They do not care that the in-power party have been hamstrung from approving the bills they proposed to give the people what they want. They do not listen to the rhetoric, the untruths, from the other side. All that is known is they are not getting what they want, and they want to make them pay. They do not care that there are many things that they have gotten, all they see is they do not have their pet want.

               Politics is messed-up and is rife with politicians saying untruths, giving the runaround, and many other things that will make their side look good and the other side look bad. They will not tell you that the other side did something good nor will they vote a positive for a bill from the other side no matter that it is good for their constituents and/or it will help the world. They also have a ‘what is in it for me’ type of thinking. Most politicians are in politics because it will make them rich or richer.

               Yes, politics is messed up, but it is the only democratic thing we have for now. Personally, I do not want a dictatorship nor anything close to it. But, who or what do we have or put into place to watch the present government, keep them truthful and (here is the big one) dole out fair punishment for wrong doings? Everyone, including the populace, are for themselves and ‘be damned’ anyone else. There is not a thing in this world that is perfect but at least we can try and at least look out for our fellow man as we lookout for ourselves. By doing that, maybe we can have a better government.

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26

Dec. ’21

CRT

Within the past five years CRT (Critical Race Theory) have heated up to a high boil. The reason being is the people that want a change, not going back to covering the past but do what the past did, are coming out of the woodwork in droves. I am not an expert on CRT, but I will attempt to explain as best I can, in a short version and without the large words that is in the official explanation.

               CRT started when the Civil Rights Bill and the Voting Rights Bill passed. Before that time people of color (Black, Brown, Red, Yellow, etc.) were hindered in everything that they did. They did not have the right to live the life that the White person was living. When the bills passed, they did not want people of color reminded about what they used to do to them.

               When the last President took office, they felt emboldened to come out of the woodwork since they had their own man in the highest office, a Congressional majority, a judicial majority, and a governmental majority in the states. They felt they could do and say whatever without consequences and those few consequences that happened would bring minor punishment, if at all.

               By spreading false statements about CRT and that CRT is taught in schools they hope to stop anyone from remembering the past therefore insuring keeping a majority for themselves because the people would believe it is taught in schools, it is bad, and vote the other side out. With the help of print news, radio, television, and whatever is on the internet locks their agenda in place for them to use at will. Never mind the fact that CRT is NOT taught in schools K to 12. Never mind the fact that CRT is only taught in universities for law students. They know when statements are said enough times, over and over again, most people will believe them and unwittingly be on their side to help them. They know people will not research CRT for themselves but will rely on them doing the research and telling them what is found.

               When the people wake-up and see what is happening, it may be too late. It may be too late now; I do not know. Turning the clock back to yonder days will be a bad thing. Look at Afghanistan, they were beginning to move into the modern era until we left. The regime that took over went back to the, I would say, dark ages and their economy is falling like a rock. People will starve this winter and be like nomads in a baren land. We were once the greatest country, but we are also falling fast and I do not see the end of the tunnel.

               The USA is not the only country that is going through this CRT dilemma. I can name about ten, maybe more, that are following the USA’s footsteps and their economy is shaky also. CRT is not the problem because when you do not remember the past (Not selected parts of the past), you are doomed to repeat the same mistakes. We will then be in the same boat as Afghanistan.  

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11

Oct. ’20

Russia, Oh Russia

The other day I read an article that talked about Putin and Russia. I had forgotten about Russia because I was detracted by this pandemic. But I really have not forgotten about Russia because our President love him so much and is trying to be just like him. If you look at what is happening in Russia and what is happening in the USA and you will see little difference. The only real difference is Putin have been in office an exceedingly long time and I do not see him leaving office anytime soon. Our President want to be in office an exceptionally long time also, but he is old. I heard a whisper that he wants his son to take over like what happened in North Korea.

               Russia not only have a bad case of COVID that is still spreading but Putin himself is still governing from his bunker via teleconferencing. Remember, our President started to do this when the marches started. Humm! Russia have troops spread out in a few outlying countries because of uprisings and other things. They are trying to cope but is slowly losing their hold. Therefore, because of these things and a few more, Putin’s approval rating have dropped with only the seniors holding him up. As here, the younger generation is massing against him, not only in Russia but in Russian controlled provinces too.

               Putin’s opposition is trying hard suppressing of the vote and is making headway. That is why there is a rash of opposition murder and harassment. The administration has attempted voter suppression everywhere and now the supporters have attempted kidnapping which would have ended in murder, according to news reports. What we have that Russia do not have is armed militia marching with the blessing of our President and his cult-like followers/enablers.

               Like here in the USA, Russia’s economy is tanking, thanks to the pandemic, and the end is not in sight. More people that have money to burn are going bankrupt and that is an unheard-of thing in Russia. Normally people with money is closely tied to the Kremlin and they can continue to steal more money from many sources. Putin himself is sweating this because it may go back to the old days of bread lines.

               Our President loves Putin and if he is allowed another term and then do what his love is doing, we will be in bread lines also (are the food give-away lines the same?). We are already hated by everyone around the world and when we cannot do anything for ourselves, they will pounce, and the USA will be no more. One thing I can say, both Russia and the USA is being overwhelmed with COVID because of their actions/inactions. Both countries have conflicts outside the country. Both countries have a President that is disliked (Putin’s approval rating has dropped dramatically). And, both countries have a President that is attempting to get rid of the opposition.

               Russia and the USA have never been more alike than now. Us Americans have a better chance to correct our situation than Russia because you can get away with murder in Russia but have a good chance of getting caught in the USA. Our one and only way to begin to correct our situation is to vote. Do not think things will work out and you are not needed. VOTE! Vote and give all of us a chance to get back to normalcy. It will not if you do not VOTE and vote in-person and early if you can. Only trust the mail if there is no other way around it. Either way, VOTE.   

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06

Jun. ’20

Marching Again

A lot have been going on since the death of George Floyd and I want to insert my input. I have witnessed and felt racism all my life, including the present time. So, people have said on television that this have been going on for four hundred years. Yes, in the United States that is true, but this have been going on for thousands of years. Black people, all over the world, have been harassed and killed by White people as far back as written history will show.
Moving to more recent times, I find a correlation between Civil Rights marches and the most recent ones. However, the difference between the two is huge. Foremost are the marches/demonstrations being peaceful and well organized in the era of Civil Rights. I took part in the fight for our Civil Rights and can attest to that fact. In my area of marching we did not walk in a mass, unorganized group, we marched single file on the sidewalk and talking was not allowed. Yet, we were met by police with night sticks, snarling dogs, electric cow prodders and the fire department with fire hoses. We walked from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’, obeying all pedestrian laws and we were beaten, bitten, shocked, tear gassed and hosed down from high pressure hoses. I still have the memories and marks to prove it.
Another huge factor that is evident, is that most of the marchers, then and now, are young people that are leading the way. It is not that older/senior people are simply standing by, hoping this will go away, but most can not endure the walking and survive the outcome they may meet. The older generation can not withstand the gas or beatings.
There is a big difference between yesterday and today. Today, there are factions that want to conjure a sense of unrest. These groups want peaceful demonstrations to look bad for them to say Blacks are wrong and should be beaten and killed every chance that is afforded them. They have their own hateful agenda which is shouted from the White House and is echoed through whichever separatist group will listen and act. These groups jump in and out of the marching crowds causing damage and, at the same time, trying to stay hidden. Those Black people that are looting are taking advantage of this simply because they are at the bottom of the social ladder and is in want. Yes, they are wrong, however, they did not start it either.
There have always been Black and White and, as I have said in my blogs, history repeats itself and always will. It is better today than it was yesterday, it is just the circumstances that have changed. No matter how peaceful Black people are, there will always be White people that stir the pot and cause unrest. Black people try to work with White people although there is that under the table group that is resisting. In case you have forgotten, we had a Black President and an untold number of people vowed to resist everything he was trying to do, no matter if it was good or bad. Even today, the things he accomplished are being dismantled, including nationwide medical care. On many issues, he never had a chance. Oil trying to work with water. I pray for the USA.

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25

Apr. ’20

Think Of Others

All my life I have tried to be compassionate toward others and think how I would feel if someone would do this or that toward me. There are people that feel the same way, however, there are those that think only of themselves and not of others until it concerns them or a member of their family. Normally, these people are affiliated with a sect or movement that have the same mind set.

I understand the demonstrations for reopening the cities and states that are closed because of the COVID-19 virus. I understand that businesses are hurting because they cannot operate. I understand that people want to work because they live from paycheck to paycheck and they have bills to pay and need food on the table. I also understand the local and state governments that have closed most facilities in order to attempt to stop the virus and deaths.

I am not going to try to explain what the federal government is doing because, as they have said, they do not believe the data or science and the states are on their own. I do not want to be too quick to take the chance of living or dying by getting back to normal too soon. I have fought in Viet Nam and a few other small conflicts and have survived. I have also been through isolation while performing my military duties and have survived. Some of the military duties were much worse than the stay-at-home rule that is in force today.

While researching the forces behind these demonstrations I have found they are funded and condoned by the GOP and their big money donors. Extreme illness or death is not a good tradeoff for financial gain. The push behind reopening everything is political. Good financial business gives the GOP a good standing for the upcoming elections, or so they think.

While watching the news on television I heard more than one interviewed demonstrator say they did not care about other people, they only wanted to go where they wanted to go and have fun. They even said that the other people had to take care of themselves because they will do whatever they wanted to do. They are not responsible for whatever will happen to others.

So, in a nutshell, we are all in this together. Not only the USA but the world. With the virus spreading, travel is out of the question. With the spreading virus, state-to-state travel is dangerous. With the spread of the virus everyone is still in danger of falling ill and dying. I was a city police officer and have seen people disregard a restriction because they wanted to have their way. They were the first one to call for help when things went wrong and wanted people to risk their life to save them.

I wonder what these demonstrators would say if they were denied care, when they fall ill from the virus, when they disregard the safe distance rule and the stay-at-home rule. They should not have their cake and eat it too. If they disregard all rules and do whatever they want to do, should a life be at risk to save them?

DO NOT INGEST ANY TYPE OF DISINFECTANT FOR ANY REASON. The life you save maybe your own!

 

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29

Mar. ’20

Lessons Learned

I remember, years ago when my daughter was in high school, she was having a problem with her schoolwork. I sat down with her to help as much as I could. I soon realized she never applied what had been taught but was applying what is being taught at the present time. I instructed her to go back and study earlier lessons. She told me she would not see that again therefore it was a waste of time to rehash old lessons. She said it was better to move on and forget it.
I believe we are at the same mindset today. We have forgotten lessons of the past, lessons that were attempted to be taught but all is forgotten. Learning from the past seems to be a forgotten art and when the old scenario comes along again it’s like seeing something new. It’s not new, it’s just not remembered. Most things considered new is not new but is in a different format and not recognized.
Everything that the Obama administration, through hard work and struggles put together, the Trump administration have undone or is attempting to undo or have forgotten it was ever done. The Obama administration had run a couple of exercises to see how a pandemic is spread, with the focus on finding the holes in trying to stop such a thing and if the USA was ready for a pandemic. It was in the works to fix the holes and make sure we were ready for the next pandemic. The incoming Trump administration joined in the last exercise the Obama administration ran and valuable lessons were learned.
After the Trump administration began operating the government, President Trump began to take apart everything that the Obama administration put together, good or bad, it was dismantled. Later, the Trump administration members, that were a part of the last pandemic exercise ran by the Obama administration, were either eventually fired or resigned. Lessons learned were now gone. The people ousted either didn’t pass on past information or the information was disregarded.
Now, in the wake of the newest pandemic, we are told that the government did not know a pandemic could hit us like this. However, this was practiced during the previous exercises. The holes in the system were recognized but were never completely fixed. The department for the pandemic response was dismantled by President Trump. Lessons learned were forgotten. Response to a pandemic was a thing for Obama, not Trump.
We should never forget our past, good or bad. It may, someday, visit us again. If we don’t remember the lesson learned, we will waste time learning the lesson anew. Lying about not knowing does not do any good but to hamper and hurt what is attempting to be done. We should let the experts say what needs to be done without politics getting in the way. When there is a political agenda, there is chaos and misinformation. When there are briefings with very little information, it is better not to have the briefing.
As of now, the states are doing more for the people than the federal government. The states seem to have learned the lessons from the exercises and their pandemic teams stayed in place and have responded. They never forgot the lessons of the past and is applying those lessons to deal with the new problem, all politics aside
NO AMOUNT OF EVIDENCE WILL EVER CONVINCE AN IDIOT. – Mark Twain

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26

Oct. ’19

Ethnic Cleansing

We have had ethnic cleansing not too long ago and it is happening now. What is ethnic cleansing? It’s the elimination of an unwanted ethnic group or groups from a society, as by genocide or forced emigration. Those of you that remember ancient history, recent history and today’s history will agree ethnic cleansing has been happening forever. And, yes, America (the original colonies and beyond) have committed ethnic cleansing many times. Our hands are not clean, they have much blood on them.

The seed was planted with the settlements in New England and Jamestown, Virginia. The English settled here (they were not invited), in order to escape King George and to setup a government without a king. To have the land to do this, the Native Americans had to be moved from land that the settlers wanted and needed. If the Native Americans would not move, they were annihilated. Even after the first thanksgiving, thanking and loving the Native American for saving them from the winter and showing them how to survive, the settlers eventually turned on them.

The same thing has happened from the beginning of time until now and will happen somewhere in the future. It’s hard to swallow, however, it happens time and time again. It’s not right but it happens. It can be prevented and should be prevented anytime there is a chance of it happening.

Most of the time the reasoning behind it’s happening is the want of land, hatred of an ethnic group because of an ancient argument that is not remembered or want of a potential wealth that the other may have. Sometimes it’s a religious reason (their religion is not like ours, etc.). This is effectual all over the world, perpetrated by many key countries and some small entities (gangs such as MS-13 in South America). To really see this, a person does not need to look far. Just have open eyes and ears before denying it could not happen, forcing the mind to realize that it is happening. All that is needed to keep this from happening is a soul and a moral aptitude, something our present American administration don’t seem to have. Congress is not doing anything about this except giving it some lip service.

Say you do not like this and doing something about it is two different things. Anyone can say how much they dislike a situation and do nothing to correct it. But, actively working toward correcting the situation as fast as possible is completely different than what is happening now. I have a feeling that we are not aware of something that is going on behind the scene. I have this gnawing feeling that it is something that will make all of us cringe.

The deed is done, and the USA have failed once again. As a retired military person, I know the American contingent is holding their heads down and is mad as hell having to follow the orders given them. It is a hard pill to swallow to be part of ethnic cleansing. This is one more thing that I do not like, and I will remember it for the rest of my life. And, the thing that make this even worst is there are those that willingly go along with this. When and where is the last straw?

 

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