GAME TIME?

  There are a limited number of timeouts allowed in a game. That is the rule, and it is followed. No debates. Just is. Thus, the question arises as to what happened to the rules of discourse, of governance, of responsibility, of owed loyalty to one's country and to history. We have lost all that, flushed it down the toilet of today's politics, a sewer growing by leaps and bounds. Is it not time to call this game on account of rule breaking beyond repair or acceptance? Where are the referees - or are they an extinct species?

Calling the true violations of the game requires bravery and adherence to the truth. It requires a strength of character which seems to be glaringly absent among the so-called leaders of the day; in fact, they might actually be playing for the other team even as they represent themselves as team members of ours. They are not. In fact, they are probably the largest collection of manifestly dangerous threats to democracy within this country and indeed the world at large. Worse, we have enabled this state of being and will reap the tears that follow unless we act, unless we show, act, upon the belief that this game must be called. Time has run out. Righteous penalties have been ignored, or discarded, consequences of rule breaking missing, empowering others to follow the same dirty trail. That sewer line leads directly to where we stand, ever deeper in the muck and filth, until .... when?

Actually, the when is ... now. Like it or not, the facts are the facts. Ignoring them, playing blind and deaf to them does not change the status and its imminent open appearance in the face of politics today. In truth, it really is already here.

How, you ask? When, you ask? Look around. We underwent the awful divisive presidency of Trump, a man who is now being called out by a judge that “it is more likely than not that President Trump and Dr. Eastman dishonestly conspired t obstruct the Joint Session of Congress on January 6, 2021.”     Yet here he is, still considered a leader. Outrageous!!! A leader of what? A leader in the decision to take down this country from the inside, to delude enough people into believing that the Kool-Aid remains pure, not harmful at all - and they drink, hearty quaffs of it, enabling the poison to remain a constant in their minds, brains and souls. They believe the lies, the distortions of truth, the facts that are being exhumed, uncovered from the muck in which they were buried, to avoid disclosure of the facts, of the very imminent danger they were, and most importantly, remain, to the integrity of this nation.

Instead of facing reality head-on we attempt to fool ourselves. Even as the evidence mounts. Two openly Fascist members of the GOP were told, belatedly, that they should not have spoken nor joined a white power extremist conference. I kid you not. It amounted to a tsk, tsk, of little value even as they were told that should the GOP win control of the House, well, they are in like Flynn. However, when yet another creep of the GOP stands up and for some unknown reason, perhaps the foolish braying and boasting of the immature asses to be found within the present-day perversion of Lincoln's Republican party, speaks out about corrupt, dissolute members of this twisted sister of a Party - he is called out. Why the difference? In my opinion, because while the second is most probably true, the party members do not like being called out for that. However, the first indiscretions merely reveal the truth a tad too early; hence the damage is not too severe. Many of 'the base' actually are supportive of that extremist  group in the first place!

We are in a bad way here in this country of ours, embattled, conflicted, whether we openly acknowledge it or not. Call it by whatever term you wish - autocracy vs. democracy, good vs. evil, party vs. party, it does not make a whit of difference to the facts and the consequences dependent upon our behavior, the depth of our belief in this country and what it represents. Do we support a man and his followers, many of whom now admit their 'sins', allow him influential voice within his terrified party, or do we finally stand up and out and call out the true nakedness of this man, bare his soul to the light of day, deny the growing power of the darkness that is falling upon us? A dangerous darkness which we have enabled, even ignored, much to our detriment.

Supposed college break students are arrested and 75 firearms are confiscated. An almost 8-hour gap in the records of Trump's Jan. 6 day. Smell the rot yet, the conspiracy of attempted silence, the effort to continue to hide the truth?  Or wholeheartedly buy into its philosophy? 18 minutes of Nixon are nothing in comparison, yet we allow Jan. 6 to go mostly unaccounted for. 

We are told that "everyone's waiting for Putin to die". While that might be true, waiting is not the name of the game here. The people of Russia whom we are told "are not Putin" must take responsibility, admit the truth. They have sacrificed all in the name of the wealth and power game, fallen prey to the greed within, enabling this man, in 20 years, to consolidate his power and immerse them in a most violent, murderous, criminal war. Again and again. Russia will reap the just desserts, we hope, though  cold comfort that is to Ukraine  mourning its dead, including hundreds of children, the pulverization of its entire stock of structures, the devastation and  destruction rained upon its civilians, their abodes and places of work. A violation of every code and yet, consequences of any meaningful result? Doubtful at this point. 

Even as we hear people state that he has 'lost' the war, a manifestly ridiculous statement. He is there, killing his enemies, highlighting the weaknesses and fears of a supposedly united opposition, content to allow the blood to flow in Ukraine, for it is not theirs. He is solidifying his devouring of yet two more regions of Ukraine, not content with the theft of Crimea, or the dissolution of Chechnya, nor the helpings he took from Georgia and Moldova. Nor will he stop and why would he? In fact, he has won. At what cost? He does not care a whit. And in his book - why should he?

How do we delineate clearly what we are facing? Simply look at the list of those nations who refused or abstained to confirm the UN's resolution against Russia.  "North Korea, Eritrea, Syria, Russia and Russia’s close ally Belarus.

Among the nations that abstained were Iraq, Iran, India, Pakistan, and China." Not that it caried any true weight, but the value statement implicit within was rejected by states who themselves need condemnation for their own egregious violations against the people of their own nations, in fact anyone who gets in their way. They could care less. The same with Russia. No change in sight.

I believe game time is over, for quite some time already. We need to understand that and what it means to us and our descendants, to our country and its future. We need to, but will we? I begin to despair more than hope. Not a healthy situation for all of us. The sooner we recognize the impossibility of standing by and staying neutral in this conflict, the better we will be. Truth is harsh at times but that does not excuse ignoring it, refusing to address it. The game is in overtime, the pressure is on. This is a game for keeps, not to be 'refought' the next weekend afternoon. In fact, the weekend is almost at a close. Perhaps this blog today might have been better named 'Beat the Clock'. 

T  I  C  K - T  O  C  K   T  I  C  K -  T  O  C  K

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED

 I slept late, way overslept my usual morning awakening between 2AM-3AM. You would be surprised at  the amount of work one can get through during the early morning hours. No phone calls, or emails, errands or anything other than what one needs to do at that moment. Bliss indeed. In fact, if I ever, rarely, sleep till 4AM, I feel I have lost the day; it has gotten away from me. And so many things need to get done!

Whomever told me that retirement meant boredom, or a desperate need to 'structure' the day, is or was, a fool. I am wondering when those days of peace and rest come into existence. The time to read the myriad books on my must-read list and all those I add from recommendations. The time to do my woodwork, to venture into extensions of my painting -and who the hell ever thought I would be doing those activities! Ever. The strange paths of life indeed. Funny, ain't it.

Weird is also the name of the game of world affairs. Who would have thought that we would have a President, a former one anyway, vulnerable to charges of various felonies, in all fields of life, and worse, as a traitor to this country, seeking to overturn election results, aiming to be installed as a leader for life right here in the what would have been the former democratic nation of the USA. And all the people around him, all those now publishing  books which state  how they really knew he was deranged, then why did they stay on? Why? Because they thought he would succeed, he would have his crazed mobs, and they would ride his coattails to power and wealth. Hmmm, guess they were wrong , at least for now. As for the near future - not so sure as the entire world is now in a battle between autocracy and evil, and democracy and if not good, then most emphatically trying to be so much of the time.

Last night, at an ABBA concert, with a truly compatriot band to the real ABBA, not Americans faking it, it was awesome. There was a great mood in the theater, performers and audience syncing in mood and comradery, Then, during one of the talking minutes between songs, Ukraine came up, and how they have set up a charity donation site specifically for the children. The audience burst forth in spontaneous, thunderous applause. Interesting to see and hear and understand the mood of America on this issue.

Life is funny, sometimes good funny and other times not, in the directions it nudges us onto. Yesterday a friend mentioned batik and after she left I delved into the YouTube universe and it looks really cool. Think after I complete the projects I am working on  now, I might just take a stab at it. Will see. Maybe. Could be. Who knows?

Funny is not always funny. Every time there was or unfortunately, still are, terrorist attacks in Israel, more civilians dead, or the little baby Border Cops doing their national service, many Druze among them, killed in the line of duty, we always called immediately, checking on family that might have been there. Or they connected first with us. Funny now, how when B'nei Brak was mentioned, we had to call as we have found missing relatives there, descendants of a mother and father slaughtered violently, cruelly, during the Holocaust, even as these two boys were able to hide out and live through it. Now we have found each other in a serendipitous series of on line searches. There I was, calling to find out if all of them were fine. And they were. Thankfully. But as for the families of those slain, well, life is changed, much for the worse, this 'funny' thing happening on a normal evening, perpetrated by a crazed illegal worker, racing around on a motorcycle, shooting any and all in sight. Why? Who the hell knows.

This anger, this urge to kill, is fostered by a world gone mad. Why are they so anti Israel in the UN? Because it is a respectable way of indulging in antisemitism, the truth under it all. It is a way of garnering praise from a deluded world, a specific decision to ignore the truth and push a lie. Much more convenient to wreaking havoc on Israel, even as Israel does its best to help at disasters, accept refugees, Jewish or not, but definitely there for those in need of shelter from a world seeking to harm them because they are Jewish. That annoys people. 

So, the false accusation of apartheid. I invite all to take a walk and check this 'apartheid' out. So....Arabs working in all the pharmacies, even being the majority in that arena. There are tons and tons of Arab doctors, nurses, all kinds of positions in the hospitals and medical clinics. And all these Arabs and all the Jews, mix, serve each other, accept each other, better, in fact, than we do here when a 'different' doctor enters the room. 

As for housing, well go see the enormous palaces being built by Arab patriarchs. See how there are Arabs in formerly Jewish areas only, but the world does not see that. It does not want to see that. Not the homes, not the medical mixings, not the social gatherings, not the integration in all areas of society. Nope. Does not serve their purpose. Funny, ain't it? Not really. And look, another group of Arab women walking safely, excitedly, as they cruise the malls and shopping streets of Israel. Apartheid my a##!

Anyway, funny how oversleeping leads to other thoughts and rearrangements in the schedule of the day. Funny, for who knows the potential outcomes that arise because of this one little thing taking place? Who knows? That is the 'funny' part of life, funny good we hope.

DOES IT EVER, EVER END?

  So tired, so very tired, discouraged, frightened, by what is a vicious trope of hatred, of evil, with malice aforethought, and afterthought, never, ever ending, never disappearing with no possibility of return. Always, there remains a buyer in the showroom of hate; always, it serves as a convenient go to excuse for violence, for scapegoating.  

Anti-Semitism. Seemingly a harmless naming of an 'ancient' line of 'misbehavior', always carefully separated by its modern mouthpieces from their actions, calling it by other names which are exactly the same. Does it really matter if one calls it a "global conspiracy" if all know that the word Jewish was left out, but roars in reality. Does it matter if it is called anti-Zionism, when in reality it is anti-Semitism, clear and plain as day?

In the play The Rothschilds, Hal Linden plays the role of a most successful head of a family which climbed the ladder of success, despite all the obstacles, who realizes that it all means nothing. His most plaintive and touching song, a song of the eternal yearning of all Jewish people, touches the soul, as it bares the deepest desire to know that in my - your - own lifetime 

I want to see my sons enjoy the fruits of peace

While I'm still here I want to know beyond a doubt
That no one can lock us in or lock us out

In my own lifetime I want to see our efforts blessed
Yes in my own lifetime I want to see the walls come down

Well, folks, here it is again. Evidently the Rothschilds are responsible for the Theory of Evolution. They "paid" Darwin to come up with that theory, all the better to expand the idea of "A New World Order", a 'global conspiracy', funded by ...well, no words need to be stated to know who is the target here. In addition, that dangerous moron, a font of filth and hate, Rep. Greene, has already added to the putrid stew by stating that the terrible California forest fires were started by a Jewish funded giant laser in space! Funny? Yes, in a very sad way, that an official within our government, one who unfortunately has like minded buddies among the rest, can state that openly, push yet again, the terrible outcomes that result along the way, multiplied by those who actually believe this tripe and act accordingly. 

The latest ones were, of, let's see.... Aha! The Holocaust comes easily to mind, that nearly successful attempt to eradicate the Jewish people from the face of this earth. Even today, so many decades later, we are first reaching the level of the population of Jews before WWII. Sadly, I kid you not. And still there are those who simultaneously deny the Holocaust even as they push for its renewal.

   Meyer Rothschilds then adds "Then I'll rest." That rest, so yearned for, so desired, for millenniums, continues to remain out of reach. Will it ever be there, within touching distance? My humble opinion and evaluation say a resounding NO!!! Never. Ever. Not in "my own lifetime'" nor that of my children, grandchildren and on down the line - if the earth even remains inhabitable. If not, perhaps then it might stop.! Maybe. I have my doubts. It is that tenacious in clinging to vicious life.

You deny, say it is gone, well, tell the people of Israel who have been fighting against those who would see this state destroyed, its haven for Jews in danger. In the meanwhile, in countries around the world, Jews are targeted, killed in schoolyards, in synagogues, in stores, anywhere they live. One is justified to feel a tad, just a tad, frightened, you think!! For how much longer? When can we rest?

Certainly, if up to the UN we can never rest.     Among all the nations of the UN, all the openly violators of human rights, murdering all those they deem useless or inimical to their plans, are ignored. Who gets a focus? Guess who. The only nation to have a perpetual body committed to an 'investigation' of the crimes of Israel. Guess the refusal to lay down and bare our throats does not sit well in the hearts, minds, and dark souls, of too many all around the international forum. Here is the gist of a petition sent to the UN by a bipartisan group of 68 legislators of the USA. Bipartisan. Says something, does it not, in this increasingly deranged state of partisanship.

“We write to urge you to prioritize reversing the UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) discriminatory and unwarranted treatment of Israel by leading a multinational effort in the Council and in the UN to end the permanent Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the Israeli Palestinian conflict,”.  

They went on to state that the commission will not only focus on actions Israel took to defend its citizens, but also "have a carte blanche mandate in perpetuity to examine any period in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

 In other words, forever and a day is the time this predictable 'investigation' can remain in existence! My question now is why were there not more signatures on that petition? Why were the members of the House not asked to join with like - minded Senators for a stronger, more inclusive petition? Answer that yourself. Not difficult at all.

In the meanwhile, in that awful war of Russia vs. Ukraine, actually democracy vs. autocracy, the vicious crimes of Russia are tsked, tsked but nothing happens. Even as Ukraine, ironically so, now claims as Ukrainian offspring, the descendants of Jews who fled that territory, fleeing some of the worst pogroms ever! One hopes that this will not be repeated, though there is still, a strong vein of anti-Semitism running through the population, and mark my words, Zelensky, as a Jew, and the Jewish oligarchs, never mind those who are not, will eventually be accused of this this entire vicious crime. Mark my words. Unfortunately.

In my own lifetime. A pipe dream. Still. When will we ever be able to rest, to be free of the state of  watchfulness we must maintain? When? When?

 

 

"AN ISLAND OF HOPE"

  So stated a refugee from Ukraine about her sanctuary in Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe. This poor country threatened by Russia, has provided wonderful safety for these refugees even as they ponder their own safety in the coming days, weeks, even years. They, too, need an island of hope, real or verbal, but there - stated and ready to be enforced. With reassurances in place.

Islands of hope also come with honesty, a trait sorely lacking these days. What we have instead are lies, more lies, yet more and larger, outrageous lies, and wimping out on our obligations to ourselves and the rest of the world. 

Like it or not, there are nations who are held to a higher, perhaps double standard. That is the way it is, and I know of no way to change that, to filter more fair play policy into the equation. It just is. Like it or not, the nations caught up in that problem must deal with it, play the game accordingly and stand tall, as role models for other nations, as guardians of democracy in our present war of protection and life for democracy and hopefully, an end to autocracy, at least for the moment.

Large hopes, big dreams, heavy responsibilities that no one asked for, and yet, there it is. Who are these nations? The USA and Israel. I already hear the naysayers decrying that statement. Those two nations are criminal, overzealous in their actions of protection of civilians and troops, in their reactions to attacks to their security, and in fact, apparently do everything wrong. 

That, my friends, is a statement that is all wet, soaked through with the blood of their citizens , spilled within and without the borders of these nations. And yet, despite all the whining, the accusations, and yes, even the mistakes these nations make, these same two nations are the ones prospering, the ones the rest of the world turns to. To advance the status of peace, of negotiations, as  big players in world politics, and will not be deterred from their responsibilities. No matter the cost. When these two nations give in to the criticism, bad things happen and we are seeing that right now.

Why did Putin think that this was a most opportune time to invade Ukraine, sure that he would get away with it all. Why not, for so he has done every damned time he invades a country? Because of four years of Trump, of six years of ever worsening enemy like oppositional partisanship between the two major political parties of America. Because of its growing weaknesses, of bare spots in their strength, internal and external, as loyalty to country and its values is turned on its very confused head. A perfect time to do something wrong, when the presumed opposition is weak, to its very core. Hence Putin and hence the growing attacks on Israelis, murderous attacks with exactly that in mind. Hence ISIS attempting to inflict more harm  upon the world, to disrupt the growing alliances between Arab nations and Israel. No islands of hope for the world must be left if they are to succeed.

That is what we are facing as residents on this endangered planet of ours. The planet has aged. Terribly so. Existentially so. Exponentially so. We  have contributed to that and do more harm with  criminal invasions by Putin and other autocrats. With the chemicals and smoke spewed into the air. With threats of more, worse to come. Even as the  blood of the people soaks into the ground beneath.

For the continued existence and yes, growth, of these islands of hope, we must stand strong. We must be honest, brutally so. Biden spoke that way yesterday, whatever the spin, I believe he spoke from his heart. He is a most decent man and cannot tolerate the egregious acts of violence perpetrated on innocent people, as nations are violated, as the world continues to spin on an ever more tortured and challenged axis. That axle is strained, close to its maximum ability to retain an even keel. Biden spoke the truth. "The truth will set you free" is how it goes and to that, the corollary - and keep the world spinning properly. 

Instead of whispering and pointing and oh, such shock, perhaps the nations of the world need to say - Yes!!! Perhaps the citizens of Russia need to step up to the plate rather than fleeing the country. Force him out. They have done so before. Why not again? Why not take heart from Biden, just as the Berlin Wall was taken down by the brave statement of Reagan to Gorbachev - "Tear down the Wall" and so it was. Honesty, if not the best and not infallible, sure comes the closest to it.

So, Israel will continue to resist attacks upon its borders and the murder of its people. Been there, done that, to the tune of millions, and more millions throughout the ages. No more. And if it takes some harsh measures to insure that, the world can scream all it wants. There it is. There it will remain. Until, as Golda Meir said, "Until the Arabs learn to love their children more than they hate us." No more free for all, no more free passes to kill Jews.

Furthermore, no more free passes to upset the world order, so much so, that the world itself is in existential, real, actual, life - threatening danger and most perilous future. These will not be the Perils of Pauline, so beautifully resolved at end of each segment. These will be perils of such reach and range that the world will never ever return to what it was. The reality will be awful, cataclysmic, catastrophic to the nth degree. If it even survives at all in some kind of livable conditions.

That is the world we bequeath to our children and grandchildren, to theirs, if we do not stand up to tyranny and tyrants, call their bluff before they, in even more criminal, world destroying acts and crooked paths, destroy the world through their own actions and misdeeds and/or inflict tyranny upon the entire globe. 

That would be on us. That would be on countries who neglected to pay their dues. That would be on those who refuse to challenge the evil that indeed exists in this battered world of ours. That requires us to reimagine this world, this planet, as one big, no island, but rather a globe of hope and peace, of freedom and responsible government, responsive   to the needs of its citizens, to maintain a true democracy staffed by honest, sincere public servants, as we recognize the humanity of all.

Wonder if my island - no - globe - of hope and peace will ever exist. No Blue Fairies out there to sprinkle us with that fairy magical dust, are there? Guess we will all have to do the heavy lifting. The consequences are there and clear.

FORGET THE COOKIES!

  If only it were the case of the crumbling cookies, we could sweep up, wash up, and bake anew if necessary. However, the crumbling of a different matter, of the world, is far more serious. Today, look around, take a good long serious one. The world is crumbling. The world order is no more. At least a modicum of civility even within the battlefield, is gone. Ripped to shreds, civilians being bombed - on purpose, the main targets of a most criminal battle waged by Russia. Russia, who has violated and continues to violate the territorial integrity of nation after nation, gobbling them up like the pieces of the crumbling cookie. However, these pieces have blood dripping from them. With no end in sight.

The nations of the world ignore the pleas of the embattled country - close the sky- please. Silence. Silence. Silence. It seems we are willing to give over some equipment, though not as much as promised, but serious help that would make a serious dent, complement the heroic stands of the Ukrainian people- not a wisp in sight.

No, we stand back, telegraphing our fear of a nuclear war, one that the deranged man, Putin, will pull off no matter what we do - if he feels like it. Even as we tease him, mouth statements that could just as well ignite his fury. When Biden says Putin has to go, do we think Putin will ignore it, this threat to his power, his insanely driving desire for Power? NO, nothing will other than a full-scale drubbing by the nations of the world. 

 Add to that the power of the people of Russia who can overturn their corrupt, oppressive government, just as they have done before, only this time follow up with the care necessary to maintain it. That will require the return of all those Russian refugees who have voted with their feet once the war began, left the Russia turning them into captives of a repressive, nasty government run by a crazed dictator.

But think not that Russia is the only one out there. We have corrupt GOP members who are into bitter partisanship, willing, able and apparently desiring to crumble the government of this country. There is no sense of country, only Party. There is no decency, only shouting, insults, lies, mis and dis information purposely being dispensed, and crazed media and government people spreading the false Russian side of this criminal war.

We have Americans who wish to split this country into pieces, getting their own share of the cookie pieces. They push for limitations of access, ability, and right to vote. They encourage violent chants, disregard the law, and desire deeply a violent culture of guns, guns and more guns. They are caught red handed committing crimes, and then deny with all their might. I have almost given up on seeing that bastard Trump family forced to pay the piper, but maybe, just maybe, with his two older sons and himself, testifying under oath, there will be some kind of payback. I hope! I do so hope!!

Think not that these dangerous Morons are the only problem we have, the only threat we have to our founding ideas. The 3-branch government, with its checks and balances, has been threatened, almost to the point of disintegration. The Supreme Court has become a basket of 'partisanshippers' with only nastiness and repressive measures utmost on their mind. Three of them even pushed for a decision making the armed forces subject to Congressional authority, overturning the concept of the President as Commander in chief. What have we wrought? What have we allowed? Yes, we.

Are we going to allow Clarence Thomas to remain on the bench, cohort of his evil rebel of a wife, who conspired to overthrow the legal government of this nation? Are we going to allow him to actually decide on Jan. 6 court cases, with his wife so deeply involved? We need to take the big steps, the hard steps, if we are going to salvage what remains of America. My America, the one to which I can pledge allegiance, not the one facing destruction through negligence and violence, through treason - among the highest in the land.

 Thomas, female version, calls for "the release of the Kraken" - go all out to suborn treason and overthrow the election.

One suffering Ukrainian refugee says, "G-d has left us...I am afraid." Well, so am I; so we should all be.

I leave you with the words, the very prescient words, of William Butler Yeats, in "The Second Coming".

"Turning and turning in the widening gyre

The falcon cannot hear the falconer;

Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world."

"JACKASSERY"

  New term for me, but certainly a most apt term for the behavior of the GOP Senators at the Jackson hearings. They belittled and shamed a dignified woman, indeed asked her for a definition of woman as a qualifying question and answer to be confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice. They ranted and raved re nonsense, re records of decisions  similar to those of Republican appointed judges. They lied, they besmirched reputations, and did not appreciate her correct response that categories which depend upon Congress are not in her purview; hence, she would refrain from commenting. They shouted, insulted,  interrupted, violated every rule of civilized behavior and discourse, and, of course, a la Cruz, made sure to  check if their latest outrageous statement garnered any Twitter response. Tantrums galore.

This phoniness is contagious and has affected the entire world. Super lies are the currency of politics today. Information meant to delude and/or feed into false beliefs are #1 in campaign politics. Presumed  leaders are arrogant in their faith that they can pull that proverbial wool over the eyes of all, have them trained to ignore the truth of their eyes. Putin has the arrogant belief that he can kill, imprison, destroy at will, lie to the people of Russia, even as they notice the possibly 15,000 caskets coming home to be buried, and  the wounded veterans of war, many just teens, damaged for life, in a fight that should never have been nor allowed to be continued, nor allowed to run rampant due to fears and inaction, wrong actions, by the natural enemies of a Russia gone rogue.

But on the nations of the world march, into muck and mire. Into quicksand that threatens to swallow the earth in its entirety. A nation pleads for sister nations to stop the slaughter and all they get is sympathy and some arms, but for this, the people must remember to sacrifice their all, to fight, an ant against a giant, to defend, win back, conquered territory. Alone. Despite all the horror of the human situation. As their families are forced to flee or remain in horrendous danger, unable to flee from the pulverized cities and towns, as they suffer under the massive war crimes of Putin and his supporters. Even as history tells us that appeasement and sacrifice of others to the greedy appetite of villains  does not work. It does not stop the juggernaut of the bandits of the world. They are simply fortified in their plans and thoughts, in their desires and the paths by which they achieve them. Shame on us all.

Back in the USA we allow open haters, extremists to remain in office. They are ignorant of their own major Founding Fathers documents, misattributing  citations to the wrong incorrect documents. They are traitors to the system, to us, the people. When a Supreme Court Justice, an alleged sexual pervert, has a wife who encouraged illegal overturning of election results, why is he still there, on the bench, not even condemning his wife, nor distancing himself from her outrageous behavior? Why? Because, as the song goes, he's "a believer". 

Tulsi Gabbard, a fine shill for Russia has the nerve to state her contrarian views, hurt her own nation!! What the hell is going on here? What have we done? Whom have we elected? Perhaps the very ones we have earned by our own willful oblivion, blind-sighted behavior and attitudes. While we remained in balloons of our own making, the rest of the world moved on, and the whole mess simply grew, like Topsy in Uncle Tom's Cabin. There are no vacuums here on earth unless they are of our own making. They do not stop the rest of existence, nor does it pay homage to that balloon. In fact, they take every advantage against that balloon, soak, in its benefits for them.

Russia has engaged in brinksmanship for quite some time already. Over and over again they target innocent pawns of their foreign policy, lock them up for years on trumped up charges, imprison them in remote, harsh penal camps, where they sicken unto death. The most recent victims - Trevor Reed. Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, a world renowned athlete - all for the sake of playing a sick game of one upmanship. To the great harm of these individuals. The response to a question as to the condition of these captive, or how Brittney is bearing up, why she was not allowed to be visited by a lawyer, by an Embassy official - the answer was "as fine as can be expected" and "time will tell". 

Really? Pretty inadequate statements. Definitely underwhelming to an extreme. We have lost our dignity, our strength, and have become the plaything of demonstrably evil nations and/or their evil leaders.

Time will tell indeed. In Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Broadway production, there was a showstopper song: "This is the Moment". Dr. Jekyll thought it was all to the good, but learned otherwise, though he denied it far too long and too strongly. Well, this is our moment, Will we meet it? Will we hit the challenge on the nose, or will we fall below, found wanting? Either choice is fraught with danger, rife with damage of soul. This is the moment indeed. There has been more than enough 'jackassery' behavior in our Senate. Might we not reject it and convince our legislators to grow the hell up, refute that toddler behavior, and do the job right?!!

 Now is the time. Time has already taught us that. We simply need to learn to tell time better. Quickly. The right way.

THE RULES OF IT ALL

 One of the first things a child learns when beginning to socialize is that one must know the rules of the moment and more important - follow them. That is the be all and end all of childhood integration within society. In addition, it is upon the newcomer to find out the rules and learn how to follow them. Failure to do so often resulted or led to tense unsuccessful moments, some of which remained as painful memories.

One would think that as adults, many of us with those painful moments when our social sense failed us, we would use those memories, the understandings gained, to guide our conduct as adults, to at least try to set an example for others. It is the concept that one leads by in fact, leading, showing the correct path, no matter the difficulties and obstacles on that path as one tries to abide by the rules. It is upon the adult to reject the tempting thought to be a vicious little kindergartener mad at the world, all because he failed to learn, internalize, and heed the rules

Roam through history and see how almost every autocrat indulged in displays of temper tantrums capable of rivaling the most expert Terrible Two kid around. We have had many of those would be rulers in American history, but it was only when Trump, that deranged, limited in intelligence man was elected and he indeed set the rules - lower than anyone else ever had. In fact, the only rule in his rulebook was that one had to kowtow to Trump, the Life Ruler wannabe, or else face his wrath. One would be subjected to nasty little childish rhymes and ungrammatically written diatribes which made no sense at all as the words tripped over themselves and the lies spilled out, over the top and under any standard of decency.

Unfortunately, a huge segment of our presumed 'leaders' on Capitol Hill played Following the Leader with great enthusiasm, freed of societal civilized limits, free to return to the days of tantrums, only this time, adult tantrums. Ever so satisfying to indulge oneself that way. Ever so harmful to America. Unfortunately so, and the resultant damage has cascaded into the miserable  dangerous state of affairs of our country and the world today. 

Trump's perversive behavior gave permission to Putin to indulge in his own vicious behavior, public tantrums, enforced, 'enhanced'' by his powers to place any opponent into awful captivity for who knows how long. At Putin's pleasure - or displeasure. 

No rules here and that has led to a mammoth proportion of the present world, bereft of rules, no  rules to follow other than the ones made up on the spot. The capricious whims, the selfish tantrums and demands of children unsocialized in human behavior became the norm of the supposed adults in charge. Every time one thinks that the bottom has been reached and there is no way other than up, well, we find ourselves so erroneous in our thinking, in our hopes for a better, more hospitable world, for adults to be adults. To put aside their dangerous asocial behavior. Nope. Never. Ever.

It all went downhill. Take a gander at the hearings for Jackson's confirmation as a Justice of the Supreme Court. Nothing holds those good ole boys down. Nope. They do not stay down on the ranch; they shout, they storm out, they ignore the rules of the game. Rules in place for the benefit of America, the country and its residents they presumably took an oath to serve. Nope again. These people, these asocial children, indulge themselves, gain media coverage for this misbehavior as our country slides further down into that evidently bottomless pit. 

And the world? Simple. Putin invades a sovereign country. Why? Simply because. Remember that question - answer sequence? Here it is in its most dangerous format. Make war. Distract the rumbling and grumbling citizens, so inimical to a positive future for the autocrat in charge. Go out and kill; better yet, make it simple, take the children out, along with mothers, with grandparents, with the ill, those unable to flee. Make war on the helpless and be sure those who would fight are weaker than you. Fair fights? Never heard of them.

The globalization of the economy and its present mess is only one part of the situation. We are globalized in cause and effect, in outrageous behavior apparently contagious, particularly in those awful would - be heads of governments. One autocrat rushes to wage war where there should be none and the natural enemy, shall we say, stands back, telegraphs hesitancy to act. Consequently, that vicious autocrat merrily rolls along, killing, maiming, threatening, for he is sure of nothing  falling down upon him.

Sanction his country? Well, he has plenty hidden away, maybe even under his mattress! Sanction his friends? He has none, so why the hell does he, would he, should he, care? He does not. Most emphatically so. Threaten him with charges of war crimes? Ha!! Try to get him into court or enforce the penalties. Never happen. Never. And if there are too many efforts to be comfortable, well, he will simply threaten to pull out a handy- dandy pocket nuclear bomb and have a bit of fun, just a good old boy playing with his toys as he sulks because no one wants to play with him. Hey, maybe we can send him a few of our asocial children. Quite a list, a bountiful crop. Start with Cruz, add Graham to the stew, sprinkle in Tucker Carlson, Ron Jonson, the weak chinned McConnell, the fascist Hawley, a good conversationalist for Putin, and well, we are so blessed with a plethora of these children, are we not. We can even set up a friend of the month, until perhaps our own Wanna-Be's, like DeSantis and Rubio, or Scott, or some of those crazed women on the Hill, from both sides will learn their lesson! Perhaps they will then learn to be adults, to match their mental behavior  with their chronological age.

A pipe dream? Maybe? But a gal can hope. Even if hopelessly hoping at the present rate.

When? Perhaps never? Or perhaps too late. Hmm, what if we all had a tantrum, on Election Day, all the better to bollix their fascistic plans to deny the ability to vote to so many. It's a plan! In language they understand. Gotta' grow up sometime, don't we all!  There are rules after all, are there not?

STARE DECISIS

 "Stand by things decided." That is the meaning and the import of that term. In actuality it is the use of precedent to make a legal decision, meant to stabilize a justice system, to build a lasting foundation beneath a society. It is there to fight corruption and wild claims in the courts, with precedent used to hew to a recognizable and orderly system of justice.

That is all to the good - if used to keep that society on a level keel wherein legality and morality match, sync smoothly. However, when legality and precedent are used to regress, maintain, or introduce manifestly morally wrong states of status quo, then stare decisis must be bypassed. It is not meant to immure society in a decidedly immoral bent, but rather to keep the legal morality and societal morality together. 

There are many examples where stare decisis was used improperly, blatantly immoral, and yet, based on that recognized and accepted principle of "let it stand". Nazi Germany. The USA and the Dred Scott decision. Russia under all its ruling governments for the most part and especially now, under that twisted Putin. Precedent must not be used to regress a society, to justify injustice, to separate the legally correct from the morally correct. A society that hews the wrong way is a society meant to collapse, to be denied, to be a pariah among the societies of the world.

What happens when the principle of stare decisis goes wrong? We then have a growing accumulation of openly declared fascists sitting in the highest seats of the land. We have Senators and Representatives who collude with rebels in an attempted coup d'état. We have a Party which backs a most demented, immoral President ever, cowering in fear before him, no different than any Russian doing the same re Putin. None at all. Their goal is clear, their biases revealed to all who would know the truth rather than ignore it. Extremists. Taylor Greene and Boebert. Tlaib and Omar. Jonson and Cruz. Gosar and Cotton. Blatant opportunists. McConnell, Graham and Manchin, so highly impressed by the man in his mirror. 

We have so gone wrong, this country of ours, this society of ours. We have neglected our responsibilities as individuals, for it is the people who must rule society, not the power seekers. When society goes off the path, it must be brought back. When that does not happen, well, simply look around. 

America lost its role in the world precisely at a time when it is so necessary. We have had to come from behind in the latest world crisis and there is serious doubt as to whether we can make up the difference. In fact, it is already lost in the deaths, the targeting of civilians, the carpet bombings of cities, with emphasis on hospitals, shelters, children's location. It is brutal. It is wrong. It is challenging to a world which refuses to openly face off with a bully, call his bluff, in actuality empowering him, giving him the fuel he needs, to gain the power he craves.

The tears of all should be pouring down the cheeks of all humanity. We have left a nation alone to fight off a giant led by a man with no moral brakes, a man who is now facing a growing unease in his own country: a flood of people voting with their feet as they run, rush, from Russia before they are again locked in. This is the time to strike, to lend support to those who need it. This is the time. NOW. If we miss the moment, we lose it all. 

Close your eyes and imagine being woken up tomorrow morning with the thunder of planes, with the shriek of missiles and shells, with the screams of your mortally wounded children, with the groans and open terror of your aged parents. Think! That is what took place between Feb.23 and Feb. 24 in Ukraine, a sovereign nation, invaded by a madman and all his dupes, human pawns in a deadly game of chess. An existential 'game' to determine life and death.

A brave opponent of Putin, as he is sentenced to yet nine more years for daring to stand up to Putin, says, "I want to say: the best support for me and other political prisoners is not sympathy and kind words, but actions.

"Any activity against the deceitful and thievish Putin's regime. Any opposition to these war criminals."

A Jewish community official from New Jersey went to Warsaw to help refugees, says, "There's this whole sequence of being a refugee, that if you don't see it, you wouldn't believe it. I've never seen something like that in my life,"

Even as a survivor of four brutal concentration  camps is killed, murdered by Putin, fallen victim to another madman. Even as the official spoke of his own mother who also had been a refugee.

"She ran for her life. In 1939, she left a family of 12 or 13 behind in the middle of the night never saw them again. [She] had nothing really positive to say and now, here I am back in, in sort of her hometown, and I'm witnessing the ingathering and the opposite of sort of what happened in 1939 and 1940, and I think we as Americans have a responsibility to support, encourage that and try and end this conflict as soon as possible,"

When will we realize this? When will we finally understand that stare decisis here works in our favor if used properly. We need to deny one precedent of the empowering of a mad bully and six years of war. Another precedent, when the nations of the world united and took on the job that needed to be done, well, was, is, the correct precedent. It is a just and moral precedent. War crimes and war criminals, blatant, for all the world to see, and where the hell are we? We have ceded our moral right, our courage, our 'Americaness', if such a word exists. We must eschew the oh so wrong, dangerous, inimical to survival precedent of appeasement.

 Hitler/Putin. Same difference. 

 Death and havoc. 

 Blatant large scale on purpose war crimes.

 Crimes against humanity.

 The pulverization of a sovereign nation.

 In every which way one can imagine.

February 23 - February 24 - is that waiting for us? 

 Action/inaction - ???????????????

CHOICES WHERE THERE ARE NONE

  No one gets through life without making difficult, even life changing choices. Some are economic, some familial, some even existential in reach. Today, the entire globe is involved in making a difficult choice. There are several causations of the current situation, but the two main causes are the barbaric, war crime act of invasion of Ukraine and the deliberate targeting of civilians as well as the indecisive, weak, not nearly enough reactions to that situation. Shilly - shallying never does the trick.

Now the nations of the world are faced with a Hobson's choice. That is when there seems to be a free choice, but in reality, there is no viable alternative or when there are two equally awful choices and one must be chosen - or it will, in fact, be chosen for them. Now to add to the witch's brew, we dump in shovelfuls of Hobbesian choice and situation, when there is "unrestrained, uncivilized barbaric competition", a situation where there is no true victory, as the sweetness of that win comes with a massive infusion of bitterness and blood. Ukraine - meet the world. World, meet Ukraine.

The nations of NATO and most of the world have clearly telegraphed their opposition to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, though along with that was a clearly delineated second message. That was the one which told Putin, in no uncertain terms, to just go ahead, do his 'best', as he does his worst, for these nations would never oppose him in acts of tangible resistance. Nope, the fear of that choice - possible nuclear war and its unthinkable aftermath, - paralyzed the allies. They substituted things - yes, needed things - but no real commitment in terms of life and death.

No sane person wants to see war. Certainly, the oldest generation alive remembers war in its brutal reality - the hunger that never went away, the lack of any true assurance of survival, certainly not in a hospitable world. The fear for the children and grandchildren who have grown up soft, for how will they cope? This fear highlights the Hobson's choice we have: do we allow that fear, that possibility, to force us into a corner? What is the other choice? To live in slavery, in fear of knocks on the door at 3 AM? To have no hope of a future of any meaning? To regress to a time in history when the world was aboil, only this time the weapons are far more deadly and too many heads of government and their supporting parties are infested with a virus of madness, of insanity and selfishness, so uncaring that billions of lives lost mean nothing to them at all? Not if it opposes their desires and demands.

How does one choose? I have no practical experience of such monumental proportion, but still, choices, difficult, as seemingly impossible as they appear, must be made. What are the values with which we choose to live? What do we value the most? Will we be brave enough, resilient enough, to withstand the challenges we face, the awful once unthinkable possibilities, no matter the choice, for it is a Hobson's decision in a  Hobbesian situation. Damned on all sides.

The current situation, with literally millions fleeing a devastated country, where they are the targets of the bombs, and shells, cannot continue unabated. Yet it will do exactly that until the point of no return is reached. Ukraine will be a pile of rubble beneath which are the bodies of women, children, the elderly. The stench of those bodies and the stench of a failed humanity and its leaders will overwhelm the world. And the world? 

Well, the world is now facing a Middle Ages situation, where rampant hunger is the reality, not in one or two countries, but in all - and yes, here in America too. There is no escape from this tangled web of interdependence and toppling dominoes. Like it or not, that is the world today, a global economy, a mutual interdependence and we are shattering it as we speak. All day. Every day. Since February 24th. With no end in sight, and the possibility of turning it around fading every day, more and more.

Exacerbating the whole situation is the rot within and without this beleaguered country of ours. We have allowed lies to become the currency of the day. We have accepted traitors as our leaders, elected them, knowingly, even approvingly, to office. We have chosen rabid hatreds and extremist religion over temperance and brotherhood and acceptance of all. We have elevated damning behavior to an art and we are suffering, will continue to suffer, the inevitable consequences of this mess of ours. Frankly, at this point, I see no open, available, doors, windows, cubbyholes, any openings whatsoever to salvation.

To be honest, I have no real clue as to the decision I would make were I in a leadership position. Would I have the courage of my convictions? Would I be able to sentence billions to disastrous lives, incomparable to anything they have ever known? Would I be the cause of the extinction of mankind, the Sixth Extinction we are hearing of more and more? Thankfully, I am not there, never want to be either, and yet, there we all are. Like it or not, it is a fact, a brutal reality.

For now, I will read carefully, will follow the suggestions of experts - amass extra cash, available for quick withdrawal from a nearby bank. Try to buy at least some of the most endangered products, perhaps freezing some perishables. It is overwhelming, this situation. Truthfully, I believe there is nothing, no actions, that can truly alleviate the possible awful future we face no matter the untenable, unthinkable, yet there it is - decision and choice.

It is summed up in the closing sentences of an essay in yesterday's NYTimes, written by Thomas Friedman.

"If Putin's plans...all fail...I fear that he would be a cornered animal and he could opt for plan D - launching either chemical weapons or the first nuclear bomb since Nagasaki. That is a hard sentence to write and an even worse one to contemplate. But to ignore it as a possibility would be naive in the extreme."

Now chew on that. We have brought this upon ourselves. We elected and got the leaders we deserved, have we not? Now - the mess. The existential mess. The one that will end all wars for sure - unless enough people survive and live to fight again - this time for the most elementary basics of life, and with stones and sharpened spears. So much for the mighty Ozymandias and his believers. So much for us.

WHY? BECAUSE.

  We all have heard that sequence of question and answer many times during our lifetime. We said it, and we heard it. No matter how one might vehemently dislike that answer, there it was and usually, it was the end of any discussion. Like it or not. Why? Because. Next topic.

Yesterday I heard a positive use of that question-answer. One character, Anna, was asked why she could trust her sister, Elsa, not to harm her, and in fact, only doing what she thought was right and protective of her little sister. It went: Why can you trust her? Answer: "Because - she's my sister." That struck a tone in my head and heart, because I, too, have a sister, a big sister, an older sister - though I must always be careful to say she is 4 1/2 years older and not five. Not if I value my life!! But Anna's answer was true. One can most often depend upon a sister to "have your back" or "take your six" or some version of that - said or unsaid, implicit or explicit. It does not matter. Why? Because she's my sister. I am blessed for that.

Unfortunately, too many people try to usurp that relationship and spout sibling relationships with those they are trying to destroy, rather than welcome, into a family. You might be wondering now where exactly am I coming from. Well, if you have not identified those sisters, Elsa and Anna, they are the two princesses of Frozen. Why the hell am I interweaving a 'child's' production with serious adult discussion? Well, because. Because too many think that Disney productions are meant only for children and parents or grandparents. They have seriously missed the boat. 

First, let me state that the production at the Broward Center was magnificent. Just what we all needed. The settings and scenery on stage were beyond belief. Not a penny was spared, and the reaction of the audience was one of awe and spontaneous applause, gasps from children and adults. More important, one can hope that the lessons, the morals, if you will, were caught, taught, learned and internalized.

"You can't give in to fear. You can't live in fear."

Does that ring a bell? Think of today's scenario. Think of the going on five weeks scenario in Ukraine where one deranged man has the entire world cowering in fear, allowing that fear to possess them, influence their decisions and  inaction. Yes, inaction, or pitifully weak actions. 

Because we have telegraphed our fear too often to Putin, he has been empowered by us to go forward - or is it backwards, actually - and crush the independent nation of Ukraine under the heels of his armed forces. Even from space, the beautiful blue marble of the astronauts is now displaying the vast difference in Ukraine before and after the invasion. The lights have dimmed - and that is both in actual lighting and in the light of a properly functioning humanity. The people of Ukraine are now living in a hell of long - term duration, for this will not end soon. This behavior of all involved  has long term consequences. Liberty and integrity of people and nations - gone, trampled, left behind in the dust, in the bloody mud and tracks left by tanks.

Why? Because. We have made it clear to Putin that we are living in fear lest he push that proverbial button; hence, on he goes. Crush Ukraine, claiming he is rescuing his 'sisters and brothers', and on to his other 'sibling' surrounding nations. Finish off Georgia, Moldova, onwards to the three Baltic Republics and then, oh take your choice, for the world is his oyster and we are the ones who have served it to him. NATO? Non-NATO? It will not make a whit of difference, for we have allowed a partial view of the past to overwhelm us, to induce a state of paralytic fear, whilst we forget the other 'past' - that of the dangerous policy of appeasement and inaction. "The past is in the past' is sung out with fervor. We need to take that to heart. We live in a fragile world, its existence relying on a fraying tether. We must choose what we take with us from that past and what we consign to "the past is in the past", rather than allowing it to paralyze us, and achieve exactly that which we wished to avoid.

By the way, it appeared that the only way by which the evil prince could be stopped, not run rampant over Arendale was to give him a lesson in the language he understood - force. Anna punched him one and there was silence. Then one child's voice rang out as the applause began. "Way to go, Anna". Yes, way to go, out of the mouths of our children. Bullies understand power. They speak that language. They use and abuse that power, that violence, crippling the opposition, particularly when it telegraphs its paralytic state. 

As we have done - for a long time already, beginning with the first incursion of Russian troops into Afghanistan, into Chechnya, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine and the list will go on - and not merrily. We are reaping the rotten fruits of a corrupt Republican Trump presidency, a fragmented and leaning fascistic GOP which refused aid to Ukraine not so long ago. Remember that, McCarthy and McConnell? Furthermore, our fearful present state, which we have made so clear, has given permission to Putin to go on, free as a bird to kill civilians by the thousands, pulverize the infrastructure of a nation so as to make it unlivable, make war on children and women fleeing with them as one throws out the elderly remaining behind.

We have not internalized the lesson of Frozen. We must unfreeze. We must understand that the key to survival is not necessarily the frozen brain, but rather the frozen heart, that heart which must be restarted, reinforced with the proper attitudes and understanding - that we are one upon this planet, all of us. War on one is war on all. Attacks on one is attacks on all. If not then, then in the near future. Certainly so. We have learned that in harshly taught lessons. We must leave that past in the past and gin up our courage, our brave hearts, our empathy with others and do the right thing. Challenge the bully, for his gang will turn on him the moment we show strength, the moment they sense his weakness. The  All Powerful will collapse inward. However, if we do not strike at the right moment, then we are lost. So very lost. And our GPS and our Waze will prove inadequate to the task.

Thankfully not within the play, is that which has cost me many hours of sleep. I predicted it would arise. And it has, in whisperings and ever growing louder vile statements and accusations re the "Jew" Zelensky, re the emphasis on the Jewish oligarchs, patently ignoring those who are not. Now the latest - From a Houthi-Yemeni leader - who portray themselves as the underdog in a war with Saudi Arabia -and a pox on both their houses! Here is his bit of 'wisdom' - from a past that is not so past, seemingly never to be. "I think that what happened to Ukraine is the result of evil doing of the Jews. This is proof that when a Jew is the leader of a country, it results in war."

And there we go!! Hell awaits.

I am tired. I looked around at the audience yesterday and thought of the people of Ukraine on Feb. 23. It only took the first shelling to change the world for them. How quickly could it turn on us -and will it? How would we react, broken as we are as a nation? Not optimistic, folks, not at all. I am tired. So very tired.

LOAD 200

  Today I learned yet another new term, a concept of which I would have rather left unlearned, unknown, forever not part of my lexicon. Yet there it is. Yet another term emerging from this body and soul bruising war, this so unequally matched opponents.

Load 200. A term of the Ukrainian army signifying military deaths. Deaths in huge numbers. A term which now is applicable to the entire country, for all its citizens are part of an army, heaved shockingly, suddenly, into a war of vicious invasion and brave resistance. A brutal war of proxies, of substance, whose outcome will determine the future of mankind. A war between two opposing philosophies - democracy vs. autocracy. The two cannot coexist. It is a costly lesson we are learning.

 The conscripts of Russia, poorly trained, betrayed by their own government, fight against those representing the better side of humanity. These people bleed for us. Make no mistake about that. They bleed for humanity. They bleed for hope for a vital, uplifting future of mankind. All the while we stand by, sending in 'things', watching the blood flow, cowering in fear of a bully, refusing to face facts. Facts of historical verity. Facts which should remind us that never has appeasement and fear won the day. 

No bully is satisfied, always looking for more. For more territory. For more power. And that power is wielded with cruelty beyond words, with retrogression to barbaric times - a level which long ago should have been banished from the face of this earth. Apparently, humanity is a slow learner, has not internalized this lesson and here we are again. 

New and terrible weapons are raining down upon the citizens of Ukraine. A new and terrible warfare but not really new. A tried-and-true policy - scorched earth - imposed upon innocents in an invasion that is one massive crime against humanity, a giant ugly ball of war crimes. A war which will never end; the bully has the world cowering in fear, shivering, lest he ramp up the war - which he will do, no matter whether we openly join in the war or not. Putin's hunger for more, for territory, for subjugated nations, is unsatiable yet we are blind to that fact. Willingly, uselessly, tragically so.

We think he will stop at borders. Why? Borders have never stopped him before. His reincarnation of the tactics of Hitler, his piecemeal invasions and annexations of the territory of other nations, open violations of territorial integrity have been ongoing for many, many years. And why not? No one has stopped him. Never has the Western World put its collective foot down nor drawn a line whose crossing was a definite no - no. So why stop, when the opposition appears to be a balloon of leaky hot air, incompetent, unwilling to call out the bully, ever seeking the false peace, the peace that is not. 

And so, the people, the entire population of Ukraine bleed for us. We stand by the wayside, engaging in rhetoric - of no value, for it is followed by nothing. Putin's artillery reaches closer and closer to the borders of NATO countries, knowing deep within his blackened soul and heart that NATO will continue to do nothing, will come up with 'treaties' of cowardice, of acquiescence, and another domino country falls, prey to the ever growing, ever crueler claw of tyranny.

This is a war whose main strategy is 'suffocation', intimidation, attrition, as Ukraine empties out, the elderly, the children, the sick and wounded, the trapped, left behind, treated as armed soldiers. Indeed, the citizens of Ukraine are brave, beyond all expectations. Supposed to have acknowledged their 'cousinship' with the Russian people, Ukraine has chosen to deny the cousinship, and defy his forceful intrusion to their family. 

The thinking of the nations of the world is outmoded. We need to have come up with better strategies, ones that actually mean something, are actual realities rather than weak whimperings of nothingness. The country is being reduced to rubble. Beneath that rubble are thousands of trapped human beings. Every hour adds more to that tragic sum. Street to street fighting, bloody, costly, is ongoing, piece by piece, yard by yard, as the juggernaut of Russia continues, mowing down all in its path, impelled forward of its own weight.

Left out there in the open, the elephant of gigantic proportions that we are all ignoring, is whether we will allow this country - and all the countries to follow - to be subsumed into the growing darkness that is Russia under Putin. Will we allow another curtain to be drawn closed, lose all the progress made since the fall of the Soviet Union, kowtow to the autocrats who care naught for anyone other than themselves?

Humanity is at a crossroad. Which path will we choose? Either choice means conflict. Either means a challenge to a hopeful future. Either will demand great sacrifice. Either means a recognition of the fact, of the truth - WWIII has already begun. Whether it will progress to the next, formerly unthinkable level- nuclear weapons engaged - is up in the air. However, the man is deranged enough to employ their use no matter the choice we make. We need to recognize that and plan and act accordingly. There is no other way. There will be no forestalling the costs of future battlefields, for one way or another, a choice will be made and paid for, even as we pay for the debts incurred and accrued by poor leaders of the past - and present.

"Of course, it's terrible that's what's happening," said the 24-year-old from Moscow. "I feel really bad for everyone. I think that's why sport have to be example, we have to be united, we need to be outside politic, to show an example at least inside of sport."

So states a tennis player, dangerously so. There is no standing outside. There is no neutrality. This is a red line moment for humanity. We are all inside, not outside. We all share the same limited planet and what one does, affects all. One way or another. Inevitably so.

It is a point of no return. The presumed leader of the free world, this country of ours, is in the midst of its own precarious conflict. We have open traitors within the government. We have profound silence on the part of those who should condemn these traitors. We have open hatred and bigotry, white nationalists galore, preening in all their ugliness. We have mass shootings every day it seems. We have blatant attempts and legislation which threatens us all with voting limitations, with impediments to actual practice of democracy. We have those who wish to impose restrictions on our own bodies.  We have lost our own way, so how can we lead others properly?

 I have no answers to these questions, no cure for the situations that plague us and threaten our very existence, certainly as free people. I hope and pray that there are others with the answers, or at least have enough courage and wisdom to formulate them, to apply them, to stand up for all mankind. Finally. I hope. Barely.

"USEFUL IDIOTS"

  This phrase is used to describe the Russian stooges who are well placed in our government. For the most part, they are the same useless idiots who challenge any forward movement, oppose Biden and all Democratic programs blindly, in lock step. Unfortunately, this has become the modus operandi for all GOP members, even if they seemingly disagree with some of the Party rhetoric. When push comes to shove, voting, these "idiots" vote against the needs of the people, indulging the madman, Trump, who continues to hold the reins of control over them.  In their minds, what is left of them, this is the path of their own particular Zen.

Greene. Boebert. Scott. Jonson. Jordan. And the list goes on, almost to the very last one of the GOP bloc. Worse is the gross inhumanity that has emerged from the swamp of their broken brains. They deny the Russian invasion. They downplay the dreadful scenes of horror that Ukrainians face every day as they are deliberately targeted by the Russians. The land is destroyed, the fields of grain needed to feed the world are destroyed, and the battle is declared against the elderly, the women, the children, those who cannot or will not leave the country. The world gasps with horror and revulsion, shouts words of condemnation, applies sanctions, even send in - late - arms and systems for defense, but it is not enough. Simply not enough. Not nearly enough.

Russia - specifically Putin, needs to see action. He needs to see the steel behind the verbiage. Send a bunch of troops battle ready, trained, equipped, to one of the NATO states nearby. Say nothing; just do it. The mere threat emanating from their presence will say a whole lot more than the words now being bandied about, the false tears at the immense crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Russian army countess times a day. This is the same Russia that poisoned the children and parents held captive by Chechen rebels, their go to method to end the siege. These are the people these "useful idiots" are defending, praising, declaring innocent. Even as the Russian juggernaut continues to roll out against the Ukrainians.  Brave. Courageous. Amazing. These are the words that can describe the resistance to the invasion of their country, but they are too tiny to win on the field and will most probably, due to the thunderous silence of the world, need to resort to insurgency for years to come before they can recover their country -if ever.

Several weeks ago, there were 31 Republicans who voted, ranted and raved, in rabid opposition to the proposed bill by the Democrats, to send over massive aid to the Ukrainians. Oh, they shouted the ceilings down, rattled the distant rooms of heaven. Now, they're demanding more aid, that "Biden needs to do more for Ukraine." Idiots. Hypocrites. And in the case of too many - traitors. Ominously, there are reports of Russian warships sailing close to the disputed Kiril Islands, on the path to Ukraine. Filled with artillery, more soldiers for amphibious landings, trucks, tanks, massive reinforcement in all aspects of battle, All the better to kill Ukrainians they are "rescuing". 

Putin's demands for an end to the war? So simple. So fair. Not. Ukraine needs to be neutral. Translated that means to cleave to the Russian hegemony, be independent in name only. They are not to join NATO or any alliance. They are to preserve the Russian language. They are to disarm, all the better to keep them down. The last, most absurd one, demanded of a Jewish president? To "deNazify" the country. All the while, his 'useful idiots", those deep grained hypocrites, those traitors to America, are rah rah from the wayside.

Nor should we think that this would be the be all and end all, for Russia would continue on its path to resurrect that Russian Empire. Why not? The world did not stop him before, so why would they do so now? The national and territorial integrity of all those countries would be violated, thrown down in the dust, trampled upon, and another curtain would fall over the countries of Eastern Europe - and who knows where it ends.

Hypocrisy is evidently contagious as it is rampant throughout the world. The UN chief tsks - tsks over Israel flying its drones over Lebanon and Iraq, trying to defend itself from those who would see it destroyed, its Jewish population sent to join the millions of European Jewry slaughtered during the Holocaust. Even as he admits that Hezbollah has been receiving arms in gross amounts, with one goal in sight. 

Nor is this country immune to major bouts of hypocrisy. Watch the talking heads, former members of the Trump administration, the cause of so many of the world's problems today. Watch them admit how they knew how dangerous Trump was in his demented state of mind. Watch them say how they regret their service and would never do it again. Watch them hype their books. Hypocrites all.  Accomplices to his imposed disasters on this country and the world in general. Hypocrites who enabled a revolution, who weakened this country, divided this country, so deeply, that it is to wonder if it will ever heal. Hypocrisy in action.

These "useful idiots" are worse than that. They are dangerous to us. They are dangerous to world peace. They are matches lit, ready to blow up smaller conflicts into conflagrations that will burn the world, consume it, lock, stock, and barrel.

So now what, folks? Whence do we go from here?

Wish I knew. Wish I felt more belief and had more faith in our apparent leaders. Or their opposition waiting to take over - and do worse!

Meanwhile, there was another bill to be passed to aid Ukraine and there were 8 who voted against, including the same names - Gaetz, Massie, Greene and Boebert. When do we say enough is enough - to these traitors and to massacre in Ukraine, warring on civilians on purpose with deadly aims.

DISGUISES

     Today is a day of disguise. Thousands of people who are not Irish will 'wear the green' - as if they were. In addition, today is also the Jewish holiday of Purim, so aptly fitting in with the times today.

Purim is a day of joyousness, a day when gifts are exchanged, when charity is both received and dispensed, and when everyone dresses up in costumes, some of which definitely are cutting edge imagined getups. That includes the adults as well as the children, for all participate in it.

Purim is the day that was supposed to be the end of Jews in Persia under the King Xerxes. His main adviser, Haman, hated the Jews, his generation's prescient Hitler, yet another one trying to destroy us - and failing. Only through the courage of Queen Esther were the Jews of the kingdom given permission to fight back. Yes, fight back, for otherwise to resist their inevitable death was a deep criminal offense - against the King!

So, we fought. And fought. And the little guys beat the big bad dudes and thus we celebrate. We celebrate our survival. We celebrate the brave act of Esther. We celebrate the aid of the Lord Above who guided our arms in combat. And we rejoiced in our survival, foiling yet another mad scheme to exterminate us. Many more to follow!

Back to the Irish. Hundreds of years later the Irish remain separated in two republics, one dominant Catholic and the other Protestant. The anger, the hatred continues even though there was a peace agreement. The urge within many to unite - reunite- the two parts runs deep within Irish hearts and souls. I really do not know enough to come down on one side or the other. What I do know is that we can all understand the need within to be one with our brothers and sisters. To live in independent countries. To be free.

And here comes Ukraine, the tiny country against the mammoth Russian forces. Impelled by deep feelings, to remain independent, not another puppet of Putin. The desire to defend their country, a vibrant democracy, thriving, modern, and at peace - or that is until Russia comes along and swallows up yet another piece of their pie.

Surprise!! At great cost the Ukrainians have brought the juggernaut of the invading army to a halt. Volunteers and militia beat off a Russian battalion, forcing their retreat. The Russians have turned to massive criminal acts in deliberately targeting civilian targets. The death toll is huge, and definitely will climb. The Ukrainians forge on, burying, mourning their dead, but saving their energies so as to help others in the same or worse situations, try to live on, flee the country for safety - and even come back to fight. The only other country I know that had its citizens do that was Israel, when during the 1967 War and the Yom Kippur War, thousands of Israelis abroad filed into ElAl lanes to return home.

The urge to defend one's home, to be independent and safe in one's own bed is deep. It runs strong in the human hearts and souls. It is a need, an itch, that needs attention and scratching if we are to achieve and be our best. Hence - the pleasant merging of Paddy's Day and the Jewish holiday of Purim. Each requires a certain mode of dress, but nothing can hide that vein of courage, of bravery, despite all hardships forced upon the people. The people will survive, live to fight that day and the next and the next to infinity.

It is incumbent upon us, the onlookers to not remain only 'looky-loos', but to insist that our governments stand where they need to stand. If we keep our boots off that ground, then we must make up for that with all that these brave people need to survive. If we Jews can overlook the horrendous history of the past between Ukrainians and Jews, then certainly the rest of the world can see them now as fighters for independence, as proxy saviors of democracy in its fight against autocracy. Today it is Ukraine and tomorrow?

Not if we stand together. Not if we gather our courage to 'the sticking point'. Not if we know that beneath the fun dress and costumes, there are deep impulses, deep needs that must be addressed and met.

So Happy St. Patrick's Day and Happy Purim.