SHELTER IN PLACE

 That is the term used when one is lost or in some kind of precarious situation, and the best advice is to remain in place so that rescuers knw where you are, rather than trying to chase you down. It was the term and advice of choice of the Charge d'Affaires, who, along within a group of brave Embassy personnel, is remaining at the airport, trying to rescue all Americans caught up in that obscene disaster, along with Afghanis who worked with Americans, now in great danger from a group of backwards, cruel men. Shelter in place till contacted. Hard and harsh.

How does one do that when there are thousands of crazed men toting guns, axes, swords, riding on armored vehicles, shouting Death to America - and there you are, an American or a 'friendly'. No idea. It takes a strong self control to override the natural impulse to run, hide, get the hell away. That is the same strength of control that we all need in this crazed world of ours, and  yet so few actually have that ability or desire to do so.

And no wonder. We have been asked by too many liars to believe their words. We have been caught too many times with our pants around our ankles. We have been told to do as told, believe the words spewing forth from forked tongues, and why? "Because I said so." Well, all these dudes and dudettes who follow and support this policy are, thankfully, not my parents. I do not have to accept as final, the statement, "because I said so."

Yet so many, too many,  once sensible, independent thinkers have fallen into that trap, and trudge along in the muck of that path all because they believe that phrase. "It has ben proven" I am told that the Jan. 6 insurrection was not really so. Not quite sure how and when that occurred as all proof points heavily, beyond all deniability, of deeds and actions, shouting and the threat, the invasion of our Capitol, the denial of truths, told to fight hard by the defeated Trump. Deaths of officers, the injuries - but nope, these deluded souls maintain the view of Trump et al who now refuse to do the right thing - no surprise there - and deny truths once again, ever and always. Shelter in place, the nation is told. How? Is there even any shelter available?

The answer to that question is increasingly negative. Where to go when the nation is burning, literally and figuratively? Where to go when we are being chased out of home and hearth, by raging, uncontrollable fires due greatly through climate change driven by mankind. If that were not enough, then evicted due to lack of income over the past two years, and now, overcome by inertia and apathy, do not go out to get the myriad jobs going begging. Sensible? No. Infuriating? Yes. But how do we overcome this? Do we tell the kids of these parents to shelter in place as they go hungry or live in the streets or some dangerous inadequate shelter? Shelter in place?

George and Laura Bush are developing true skills of a diplomat. Without laying blame or discussing politics, they go straight to the human side, always present, after a war is decided, one way or another. "Our hearts are heavy" he states, speaking of the human tragedy here. He is so correct. War is a losing equation, no matter what side of the equal sign you are. Your dead and wounded grow in number. Billions spent on armament that often ends up with the enemy rather than on urgent needs. Even a righteous victor loses, even in victory, even in the necessity of going to war.

Tucker Carlson shouts his stupid head off, feeding the devastating fires of xenophobia. Trump marches around shouting how he really won, how Biden is at fault, disremembering how he was the one who signed the treaty with the Taliban, legitimizing them, agreeing to pull out American forces. He did that. Not Biden. Biden was left with the short end of the stick as Afghanistan collapsed. Now battered women will have to 'shelter in place', but there is no place where they can do that in a once again totally benighted country, falling back into savage policies and attitudes. Shelter in place as one is stoned, beheaded, limbs cut off? How? Where?

So Trump hotels are now mandating masks. Hmmpf! Graham tries to convince Biden that the knife in Biden's back was not really placed there by Graham, and even if so, well, I still am your friend, right, Joe, and never you mind about the hatchet job I pulled on your son. I really did not put all my efforts into it, only doing so to appease Trump. But we are still friends. Huh!

The world is ever more enshrouded by the fires raging all over the world, from Turkey to Greece, to America and Canada, in Europe. Or they are burning up under record temperatures, the hottest July EVER. Shelter in place? Where? No fires, but drought has ensued or terrible flooding? Shelter in place? Where? How? For how long? Whence shall come our rescue? Is anybody coming? Rescue?

Folks, if we do not rebuild our shelters, we will have failed history. Failed our kids. Failed our ancestors. Failed in the mandate given to mankind by G-d. Destroyed the gift given to us. We have destroyed so much of our shelters whilst we were within and did not leave much remaining for viable rebuilding. What man hath wrought.

Shelter in place. Now go find one. We children of the fifties remember the useless drills of our schooldays, told to hide under our old wooden desks, shelter, supposedly, from nuclear bombs. Hmmpf again. 

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