The title is a curious military cliche that ricocheted through my consciousness as I sipped my morning coffee.
So I said to my self – self I said, this would make a dandy title for your next article.
Who am I to argue with myself?
I’d lose anyway…
Son of a gun – I was right!
“It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” ~ Mark Twain
Continue reading
So they show that what Isaiah said about them is true: ‘You people will listen and listen, but you will not understand. You will look and look, but you will not really see. Yes, the minds of these people are now closed. They have ears, but they don’t listen. They have eyes, but they refuse to see. If their minds were not closed, they might see with their eyes; they might hear with their ears; they might understand with their minds. Then they might turn back to me and be healed.’ But God has blessed you. You understand what you see with your eyes. And you understand what you hear with your ears. I can assure you, many prophets and godly people wanted to see what you now see. But they did not see it. And many prophets and godly people wanted to hear what you now hear. But they did not hear it. Continue reading
It’s early Thursday morning. I finished my morning tomato juice as I scanned the media feeds. I discovered some interesting opinion pieces (Op-eds) as I wade through the usual intellectual pablum that passes for insight.
Three cups of coffee in, and I’m amazed that the Op-eds are so consistently aligned along party lines. But why would I expect anything other than divisive rhetoric from a system broken by partisan politics?
Yes, America is dead…
We are not the country our founders intended. We’re not even the country our grandparents and parents fought to preserve. We are the country that lied to us about our interests in Korea, Viet Nam, Iraquistan, Ukraine, and all the wars started by the Military Industrial Congressional Complex.
We’ve crossed the Rubicon. Continue reading
Around 150 BC, Cato, the grumpy Roman senator, ended every speech, no matter what the topic (grain allotments for the plebs, plans for a new aqueduct, whatever), with the injunction –
“Ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam”
· translated: “And another thing, I think that Carthage ought to be destroyed.”
That refrain has come down to us as a lapidary which is defined as or characterized by an exactitude and extreme refinement that suggests gem cutting a three-word imperative.
“Carthago delenda est” ~ (“Carthage must be destroyed.”) Continue reading
All kind of quiet on the western front – at least the neighborhood is finally quiet.
Saturday night, a significant thunderstorm dumped just under 2 inches of rain in 45 minutes. I was awake writing my last article. The streets flooded, and the downpour moved a tremendous amount of debris into the cul de sac where I live. Some of the rocks were too big to drive over. Let’s just say that living in a hillside community has advantages and disadvantages.
The neighborhood was a hive of activity for the past couple of days. The sound of gas-powered chainsaws, chippers, and power blowers shattered the quiet like an attack of pissed-off dirt bikers.
I hate power blowers. Their purpose is to move things from one place to another, usually from your yard to the neighbors. They shred the quiet with an obnoxious drone. They belch two-cycle exhaust – a combination of gasoline and oil – into the air, leaving a heady aroma of fumes hanging in the humidity. The funk lingers like cheap perfume after a cocktail party. Continue reading
No, I’m not going to touch abortion, even though I have some definite opinions. This article concerns decisions that directly and indirectly cause the death of over 170,000 American Citizens, untold numbers of immigrants, and cost undisclosed billions of tax dollars to support a political agenda.
Yes, this is about America’s open border policy.
It’s early in the morning, and I’m enjoying my first of many cups of coffee. The incessant political driveling to place blame has nearly depleted my give-a-shit.
I’m worn out.
I suppose if I want good news, I should ignore the media feeds. Continue reading
The media feeds are like a combat zone full of mines, tripwires, and pitfalls. I’m constantly setting off something as I stravage along.
Hey buddy, wanna buy a bridge? Continue reading
I am invisible.
Leaving the restaurant this morning, I was walking out when a person with whom I made eye contact continued to try to walk through me without a word or a sound. He tried to walk through me as if I didn’t exist.
Leaving the car park at the local CVS, two cars nearly backed into me as I carefully proceeded through the lot toward the exit. They were backing out and on their cellphones. Neither driver noticed me. I am invisible even in my car. Continue reading
My usual Saturday morning involves a cup of coffee or three. A leisurely scan of the Media Info Feeds (MIFs). And some contemplation on the alleged news as I awaken to the chaos. A noticeable lack of integrity in the morning’s observation haunted me as I read several articles. My disappointment with our lack of moral direction has been with me for some time, but today was especially bitter. We’ve crossed the line from unacceptable to “you’ve got to be shitting me!”
Deceit and dishonesty supplant American virtue, erasing the line dividing principle and ambiguity. I wonder, did we stagger into this quagmire alone, or did someone lead us over this cliff? Who’s holding the reigns?
Our moral deficiency is crucial because it impacts everything America espoused, especially our example as a world leader. We effectively transitioned from a symbol of liberty to a shining example of how to ruin a country.
Funny, here’s another misnomer – world leader.
Who’s leading who? Continue reading
Misrepresentation is the act or state of being represented incorrectly, improperly, falsely, or unsatisfactorily.
In most cases, it is an intentional misstatement of or the avoidance of facts to support or strengthen an agenda or plan.
Do you understand collateral damage? We’ve all heard the phrase in the movies and thrown about flippantly in conversation, but do you know what it is? Are you aware that it defines incidental damage for an activity? And do you ever think that adhering to the principle of the Seven Ps would eliminate this problem? Continue reading
“It means a person refuses to see something in plain view because of preconceived notions of what this something should look like.”BTW… It was a terrible film.
When you look around you, what do you see?
Do you see a country on the right track, or do you see an impending disaster?
Does this make sense to you? Continue reading
Have I learned from my great-great grandfather?
My life of late has been a blur of appointments and disappointments centered on infirmities and my questionable decisions to fix or repair self-inflicted and age-related damages.
If I’d known I would live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself… Not really… I’d do the same stupid shit that caused much of this.
At twenty years old, I was indestructible and lived that delusion. At seventy, I’m paying the price for my cavalier attitude. I can only imagine what the next twenty years will bring.
How interesting that my youth so closely parallels America. At least I’ve learned my lesson, some of them anyway. Continue reading
A jumble of incongruities brought about by media noise and nonsense fragmented last night’s sleep. On the surface, it seems innocuous, but I’m perplexed by an annoying undercurrent that defies naming.
“There’s something happening here.
What it is ain’t exactly clear…”
I read the news today; oh, boy, about the latest spate of new mandates, revised government positions, and fresh allegations of government malfeasance. WTFO? Continue reading
Another sleepless night in a continuum of sleepless nights awash with absurd dreams – It’s early morning. There’s no stopping the torrent of thoughts careening through my mind, so I don’t even try. It’s all a perplexing tangle of knowledge and fear. The enigmatic reports of my overall health and the myriad things left to chance create a vexing presurgery dilemma.
One incessant, persistent thought – You don’t know The Shape I’m In.
You may quantify my physical well-being.
You may estimate my overall health on some scale.
You might even judge me as physically unfit.
What about the other part of me?
What about my mind?
I keep returning to Hippocrates’ assertion that the person and the illness are inextricably joined. He understood that health is holistic – meaning that where the mind goes, the body follows. Recent research proves that mindset has a powerful impact on our health. So says a 2021 study by Stanford University.
Funny, the shape I’m in is coincident with our society and republic. It’s all part and parcel of my uneasiness; as Hippocrates extols the link between patient and illness, I am linked to America – by choice. Continue reading
Another play on words?
Yes, Virginia, there is miss-education.
There was no contest, no interview, and no talent show. Like all the tiny Gen y and z larvae, Miss Education won the trophy for just showing up.
Confused?
So are our children.
Let’s begin with disclosure.
You should all know by now that I am a married man and am best defined as an Objectivist-Libertarian; my religious learnings are mine but decidedly conservative. I find unusual sexual proclivities like homosexuality personally objectionable. While I don’t care about what happens between consenting partners, I am vehemently opposed to exposing any non-adult to what I consider deviant tendencies. Continue reading
Prologue
Titles are introductory pitches that coax you to discover the writer’s intent buried in their text. The idea for this series occurred to me after reading several articles and opinions in an internet information feed. It’s apparent to me that America has no direction. We appear lost in a world of bigger, better, faster efficiency – The Wilderness. We’re at the mercy of our own devices.
We have more but appreciate it less. Which makes us want even more. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.
We need direction. Continue reading
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” ~ Albert Einstein
“Two things are infinite. The universe and human stupidity. … and I’m not sure about the universe.”
“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without saying anything.”
“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”
How long will we make the same mistakes with our government before realizing that our approach is not working? That where we are right now, where we’re going is in the wrong direction.
America, what else do you need to see, to realize that we are being bamboozled? Continue reading
I’ve been on this rock circling the sun more than 25,880 times.
I’ve been to war.
I’ve been wounded emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
I’ve loved and lost.
I’ve seen death, and I’ve witnessed the miracle of birth.
I’ve made mistakes, but I’d like to think I’ve learned from them.
I have very few regrets.
My view is from ground level. ~ Cogito, ergo sum. What?
Are you so high up on your mountain that you can’t see through the clouds?
So high up that details are indistinguishable, and the landscape looks like a multi-colored cut-pile carpet?
Are we pieces on the chessboard of your soaring aspirations? Continue reading
In 1966 an experimental musician named Frank Zappa recorded Freak Out, the first of many albums. This recording contains a cut called – The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet. It’s here – if you dare sample it. Like I said – experimental.
The recording (below) has nothing to do with this post, except I realized a variation of the title would make an excellent post when I awoke this morning. Only a few old-fart musicians will appreciate the simile.
Another Cold War is just what America needs right now… Continue reading
Many, many years ago, I dated a Cajun woman, a fiery green-eyed red-head with an astounding skill to turn a colloquial phrase.
Maybe it was the translation from Creole French to English and the idiomatic nuances involved. It’s a subtlety I’ve noticed when the verb precedes the subject in other languages.
It initially sounded backward, but then, I never misunderstood or lost the intent. I derived today’s title from her comment when referring to the past.
She’d say – “it used to was.”
I appreciate the expressive economy in this style of phrasing. There is no confusion between the insect or the state of existence.
I’ve co-opted this phrase to mean – Has Been, as in, “a used to was.” Continue reading