IT'S THE FRUIT, STUPID!

  Oh, where is Joan Rivers when you need her? Where is the frank and honest talk we need? Where is the civil discourse, even with an opponent? Sadly, all these have gone down the tubes, down the drain, somewhere, and no one seems to be able to find and retrieve them. So, can we talk?

First up is the next crazed, unbelievable statement, assertion, hot off the press, made by Trump. Hence our title - it's the fruit, stupid. Made in 2016, I wonder if people had known about it, would they have voted for Trump. Oy, think what could have been avoided. Think of the mood of the country painted a different color, one of optimism, justice, equality, sanity, most manifestly sanity, and hope. Joan Rivers where were you?

"Trump seemed to be fairly concerned that he could be killed by someone throwing a piece of fruit at him (via Vanity Fair). His fear of fruit dates back to his 2016 campaign ..., attending one of his infamous rallies, "If you see someone getting ready to throw a tomato, just knock the crap out of them, would you?" "... he claimed his team had warned him about potentially being pelted with fruit that day. According to Vanity Fair, he said, "You get hit with fruit, it's -- no, it's very violent stuff. We were on alert for that," adding, ''It's worse than tomato, it's other things also. But tomato, when they start doing that stuff, it's very dangerous. There was an alert out that day."

Uh huh! That is the man whom people continue to back, to put themselves in legal and financial jeopardy. This man, the enemy of the fruitman~!~ Manifestly not normal. And yet, coming  on the inside lane is the new, certainly not better and improved, Ron DeSantis, who thinks he could certainly outtrump Trump. For sure, certainly, an excellent possibility as he models himself after the dictator Orban, from Hungary. Punish free speech when you disagree with it and never mind the awful consequences for millions of people. Fie on you, Ron tells Mickey Mouse. Fie on all of you LGBTQ+ people, for he has convinced too many of the deluded brain challenged GOP members of the State Legislatures, that to say Gay (sshhhh) is to permit molestation. Is it not about time that we put that criminal nonsense to bed? Gay is not synonymous with criminal. DeSantis needs to get his head out of his rear and understand that this is the 21st century, not the Middle Ages. What is next? Burning witches at the stake?

Seems farfetched? Not so, when that unbelievably , dangerously missing half a brain Greene gets on her high horse and rides off to moron land, proudly prattling all along the way. Not satisfied with her "marshall" law and prior moronic statements, she has now taken on the Catholic Church, evidently being run by Satan. Yup. Did you know that? Wonder if Pope Francis knows that? Perhaps he can take her on as an assistant, chief of the Satan Search Department, and hence, improve our country by doing so. Hmmm. anyone wish to suggest that improvement for our body politic? Maybe take a bag of fruit with you in case she, or Trump, show up. Always be prepared.

Need more characters who deserve that 'deadly' bag of fruit, the ones with seeds especially dangerous? Well, have I got a few prime candidates for you. First up is Hawley who openly encouraged and supported the rebels on Jan. 6, engaged in the planning and hoped for result - the overturning of the election, the destruction of the democracy of this country. Send him his mirrored image, a fist raised, though this time in opposition to the violent mob members. Then open that fist and let her rip! Aim those tomatoes. Aim those cucumbers and asparagus. Go for it! Joan River's talk morphed into action! Not too bad.

Aha! Think we have run out of idiots? Not for a long while. But I will take pity on you, my readers, and only mention one or two more. The rest, simply pick up a paper or tune into any show, TV or online. There you can sate your need to check out the rich crop of the fruit fearful of our government.

Boebert, Greene (yet again), and Cawthorne, that gun toting idiot, joined with 14 other know nothings, and voted against supporting Moldova in its integrity, independence and democracy. No shock there, for they have yet to express any disapproval of any action or statement of Putin. A total of 17 people of our government, a democracy, refusing to support another democratic state. Wow! We sure can feel secure that they have our back, are on our six! I believe we are running out of fruit at this point. Hmmph! Another shortage. Oh dear!

Can we talk? Must we find another Joan Rivers, candid, open, unafraid to speak her mind? Why cannot we internalize a bit of her, gather up some fruit, perhaps those left at end of day, picked through and soft, and give these idiots a bit of what they need. A putting them in their places. 

Prison anyone?

Have a good day.  

I am going fruit shopping a bit later on today.

FROM THE DEPTHS

   "Walking all alone in the museum of the shadow of death, I heard more than the voices from the films and interviews. I heard haunting voices from our past. Six million voices, screaming to be heard, begging to be remembered. Voices of children, women, rabbis, poets, teachers, scientists, mothers and fathers. Voices of fear, terror, confusion and anguish. I heard them crying out to God — “Mima’amakim K’ratikha Hashem — Out of the Depths, I call upon You, God.”

How does one recover stability or hope or dreams of a future after walking through Yad Vashem, the world's largest memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, seeing, no - feeling - every blow, every tear, the stink of fear, of poison gas, deafened by every scream sounding silently, forever, within these halls. It is a most frightening, 'must see' for everyone. Why? In the midst of all the 'exhibits' one realizes that the Holocaust, the Shoah, is not over. Despite the slogan of "Never Again", it is starting up, gaining momentum anew. The warning signs, the awful attacks, the threats, Dear G-d - again? Again?!

It is not to G-d that we must turn, but to the humans who think these damned thoughts, who feel the hatred which blisters their souls, that harden their hearts much as the heart of Pharaoh hardened, unable to hear the truth, unwilling to do so - and reaped the 'reward' he earned and deserved. Rather it is to ourselves and all others that we must question: "How can you do these things? How can it be justified? How can you inflict these conditions on people? How can you kill, beat, torture, whip, burn, kill all day long and then return to your home, pet your dog and hug your child? It is not human!! Yet it surely was.

  I must confess that this is a most difficult posting to write. While possessing much knowledge of the Holocaust, its cost in human life, its loss of humanity, it was one thing to vaguely know that I had family killed, butchered, gassed, burnt, shot into ravines, marched to death. It is another to know the names, to hear stories, to attach a personal note into the awful mess. The pilgrimage we had taken, draining as it was, now had distinct human faces and names attached, personalizing it, easier to visualize than a great number like 6,000,000.

Little did I know when I began genealogical research, trying to trace my Bubbie's lost family, that I would actually find some alive, miraculously surviving, some even unaware of other branches which had survived. Nieces, nephews, cousins of my Bubbie. The joy, the immediate kinship felt was overpowering. The detailed information, the intimate vignettes painted by my newfound family twisted my very guts, broke me in so many ways. To know which sister was shot to death. Which was gassed along with a child. Who died in the Death march - more than one. The awful death of my great grandmother, undeserved, cruel, inhumane!!! The family dead in the ghetto at Lviv. And they joined together in my heart, in my soul, with the family of my father, the hundreds slain, dropped into an abyss like trash. My cousin the partisan shot. And my Zayde. No wonder he never spoke of his family left behind. The sorrow would crack, break, anyone. Over two hundred found once I found, once I traced his name in Europe, one more syllable than here in America.

Yes, my blood was spilled, and my heart was broken. My fear of the future grew exponentially. When I read in the papers, online, that there is a 43 year high in assaults against Jews in New York. When I read that this surge is merely a part of a nationwide trend, a trend that has grown in violence. When even the reluctant police and authorities are forced to admit these attacks were hate driven. Well, then I shiver in my shoes.

There are signs of hope. The March of the Living today, the thousands of kids there, along with grandparents, great-grandparents, adult children, survivors, and a group of 103 Arab-Israeli kids, there is hope. When I see the  demonization of Israel by Right and Left wings alike, the fear grows. Always a target for the haters, the noncontributors  to society but rather the destroyers of society, of humanity.

    Where does it end? When does it end? A Holocaust - from the Greek language meaning a huge burning. Shoah, the Hebrew word for an unimaginable catastrophe. Hate at its most vicious. Humans treated as less than garbage. Ordinary people buying into this campaign of hatred, this obscene murder, ignoring the sights, the sounds, the stink, of burning bodies at the place right across the road. The sight of emaciated, walking skeletons being forced to march for kilometers to factories where they were worked to death. Volkswagen. Mercedes Benz. Siemens. Krupp. Name any big German company of today, and there you will find the slave labor of the Jews. No one saw. No one cared. Evidently, for ask the people; they will tell you no one knew anything. No one was a Nazi. No one benefitted from the looting of Jewish homes and businesses. No one stole any artwork. No one slammed a baby's head against a wall or speared it on a bayonet - in front of the mother - and then laughed. No one. Yet, apparently there was a someone, many someones, were there not?

Denying the truth does not make the truth disappear. The survivors are driven to tell the story, before they all die. They need to combat the deniers, those angry, hateful and hate filled people who wish only to recreate that world again. We must do this, for if not we are all lost.

 Again, I state the clear and absolute truth - hatred knows no bounds and when the books are burnt, the hatred abounds and grows. There will inevitably be people burning and when one group is done, well, there are always more victims to be had. Why? Because no one will call out. No one will oppose. No one will understand, until too late, that the damage to themselves has been done and more awaits.

Read the words of a liberator of a camp, the name unimportant, for its conditions were mirrored in all the other camps, death camps, slave labor camps, factories, ghettoes, wherever there was a "need", an "opportunity" to embrace hate, to become a murderer. To be less than human.

   "... was unique in its vile treatment of human beings. Nothing like it had happened before in the history of mankind. The victims of this infamous behavior had been reduced to a condition of subhuman existence, and there we were ... trying to save those who could still be saved and to allay the sea of suffering and the depths of agony."

The haunting sound of the kaddish, the prayer said in mourning, will echo endlessly over the killing grounds of Europe, the blood of the slaughtered Jewish people soaking the lands.

      I ask - why? I ask you and you and you and all of us- what can be done to end this horrific cycle right now. Now! Enough. No more. Still, the fear in me grows. Yes, it can happen here. We have seen the signs, the precursors. I have. So have many others. The main question - Have you? And what do you feel about it?

Yitgadal, veyitkadesh, shemay rabbah... 

 

 

TRUTH, JUSTICE, THE AMERICAN WAY?

  It's a fact. Truth. One can never find a superhero when one is needed, oh so needed. Remember those days of yore when our heroes were so easily identified, found reassuringly in every comic book? Every comic strip in the newspapers? Aways able to somehow pull it all together, no matter the difficulties, and truth, justice, the American way, were more than words. It was a mantra of a generation or two. Or the illusion of it was the mantra, but it was there. 

There remained a sense of altruism. Peace Corps. Teach for America. So many causes which readily found eager participants. Kennedy inspired an entire generation to participate in the running and improvement of this country, to aspire to public service to give, rather than just take. When he and then his brother, RFK, were shot and killed so violently and publicly, the rot began. And here we are. Seeking, searching, desperately needing, a true hero, one seeking, representing, truth, justice and the American Way. Or at the very least, allowing us to maintain a convincing facade of it.

Unfortunately, today, the running of this country has been allowed to fall into a conglomerate of the greedy and selfish, ignorant, deluded, misled, and simply just 'wrong' people. There is a growing miasma of stink around this group, yet here they are, still shouting filth, still maintaining that lies light the road before us, all the while ignoring the sulphury odor of Hell spreading throughout the globe. The forecast? Grows grimmer and grimmer.

How have we allowed, how has it come to be, that those running this country are the ones who escaped from the asylum? Greene, with her ignorance - "Marshall law" indeed. Try martial, moron! Cawthorne and his disreputable reputation, to put it mildly, flouting laws all the while, and again, tries to carry a loaded gun through security at an airport. Mcarthy, joined with the likes of Greene and others who openly defy the courts, refuse subpoenas, or when pushed to the wall, they all claim they "do not recall" or it was the fault of their aides who posted those terrible things", or the videos, the recordings, were all spliced, faked, and their noses rival Pinocchio's at his very worst!

We grow closer and closer to an apocalyptic world, a variation of a Mad Max movie. Only this world will be real. Terribly, awfully, horribly real. One of the most frightening things for me is when I see my words, my fears, my predictions, begin to appear via the words of others, those who know, who are or have been in positions to indeed know the awful truth of our present reality and what the future reality will be unless we do something! Why do we prognosticate? Why do we maintain this quicksand, nourishing it, even as it swallows us along with all the hopes and dreams we had. Where indeed, is that superhero? We so desperately are in need of one, any which one, but the skies remain empty of salvation.

Nope, the rescue falls upon our own shoulders. We must realize that, accept the blame and begin to root it out, smother the sources of nourishment of the oh so wrong reality, and dig deep down within our deepest depths and find the courage, the energy the acceptance of truth, as truth, and act. Forcefully. Powerfully. Deny these criminals, these traitors, these cowards, their moment in the sun. Let them feel the true weight and power and justice of the law. Quickly. Time is growing short for rescue.

Heed the words of Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

"If this is left to stand, if there is no answer to this aggression, if Russia gets away with this cost-free, then so goes the so-called international order,"

"And if that happens, then we're entering into an era of seriously increased instability." ... that there is "much greater than Ukraine" at stake in Russia's invasion —which has already left thousands dead and forced millions to flee.

"What's at stake is the security of Europe," adding that Russia's invasion "is the greatest challenge to the security of Europe since the end of World War II."

Read them again and understand the import of those words. Truly absorb, internalize that meaning. Know, feel, the threat not only to Europe, bad enough, but to us, America. There are no longer any true boundaries. We are all interconnected to a degree such that it is just about impossible to ever remain aloof from the rest of the world. Where is that hero? Must we import Zelensky?

Need more convincing? Read these words of Gerard Baker, an editor at large at the Wall Street Journal.

"... many prominent Republicans and major donors don’t actually believe Trump’s election lies and would love for him to “go quietly away.”

“It is a desire expressed as fervently in private as it is assiduously and dexterously avoided in public,” said Baker, 

"Republicans worry Trump leading the presidential ticket in 2024 will be a “lose-lose” situation and the GOP is “is too important a political institution to continue to be a vehicle for this grand deception,” 

“Will someone speak that truth at least?” Baker concluded.

"nuff said? Will someone actually be honest, bold enough in that mess called the GOP and speak the truth? Finally? At last? Be a man, a woman, and do the right thing? Then all we require is action and correction. And courage. And a return to the perhaps naive mantra of - 

Truth.  Justice. The American Way.

CONTRAST - OR MAYBE NOT

   Right or wrong, the assumption is that we have always stood up for equal rights within this country, citizen or not. We have pushed for equal rights within the populations of the world. Failure often occurred, though the drive remained in enough people, in a sufficient amount within the body politic, that the impetus was there. It continues to evolve, though with some terrible backwards movement. Those enabled to vote moved from only white men of a certain age and with an amount of property to all, poor, all ethnicities and religions, all genders. Unfortunately, there remain challenges to that idea, that status quo, by those wishing to turn back the clock. They do all they can, up to and including violence to attain that goal.

What is interesting though is how they maintain a "frenzied silence" when called to task. That phrase was initially stated by a grieving Russian father denied the truth about his son's status - dead, alive, or missing. A son who served on the Moskva, the ship sunk by Ukrainian forces. He deemed it an "indifferent frenzied silence". It is the failure of a government to uphold the truth, to inform the nation of the truth, whatever it is. Failure to do so will eventually rebound, and the silencers will face the wrath of the people.

Rather sadly, we have had an entire contingent of the body politic busily engaging in the same silence - at least about the truth. For lies, one had merely to find a Trump Central. The false information, the disinformation, was there for the taking. Whatever strange conspiracies could be ginned up - well, there they were. And the outgrowth was horrendous, of great harm to this country of ours.

Once upon a time an alarming group of politicians in high places in government decided that it was time to change, to rearrange, our government, morphing it from a democracy to a dictatorship, possibly a monarchy, of the Trumpian dynasty. They boasted and bragged and planned, in secret emails, in frenzied talk of overturning the process of transfer of power, of maintaining office, even of killing those who opposed them. To the point of threatening Vice-President Pence. His murder to take place along with Pelosi in the courtyard on hastily constructed gallows. The twisted desires, wishes, and threats, all right there. Too many refused to read those words, hear those threats, feel the danger growing so close that it actually is a WOW! That is how close we came to losing our republic. The truth is emerging from the filth in which it is buried, and the frenzied silence of the criminals, the traitors, will serve them no good.

All the obfuscations, All the lies. All the claims of "I don't recall". All the attempts to deny the truth to the nation. All will be for naught. The investigation of 9 months is revealing more and more of the horrific truth of that day, Jan. 6. It has revealed that this plan was not of the moment, but rather planned, ever since the loss on Election Day. So many involved Senators and Representatives, members of the Secret Service and others. Pence, too often a loyal ally and servant to the cause of Trump, somehow finally realized the truth. Right in the face as the resounding threats to his life and the attempt by Trump loyalists to remove him from the scene. Thus presenting an image of an overthrown, cashing it in American government. Even as they prepared a cavalcade of about twenty busses  to transport members of Congress. To enhance that picture of a government defeated, abandoned by its members. The end of the United States of America.

Unfortunately for Trump campers, enough sense returned to enough people and they refused to abandon ship. Pence stated it in six little words. "I won't get in the car". We all must not get in that car. We must understand down to the tiniest bone in our body, that Trump is a peril to this country. The sooner prosecuted the better. For the world. For us.

Is there a contrast between what is real and what is wished for? Is there a contrast between our government and that of Russia? Not enough, not nearly enough at all. We had better hitch up our proverbial pants and get to work to save this nation. The only way to save the world. Urgent beyond any other time that we can recall. Not now, but yesterday. And tomorrow. And tomorrow. And all the tomorrows to follow. 

CRITICAL AND DEFINING

  Strange feeling this morning as I found myself agreeing with the words of a GOP member, one whose name I even recognized. He spoke of his possible challenge to Trump in the next election because "this is too critical a time for our nation and it’s a defining moment" . Wait! Hold it! Was that possibly a breath of fresh air? Could it be that at least some of the GOP actually has had moments of sanity returning to them? What a wonder that would be . What a wonderful trend could be started here, though I must state that I certainly have my doubts. But maybe.....

Asa Hutchinson is basically presenting himself as the candidate of a better future for all of America. ALL. Wow!!! Smell that fresh air entering the political arena. Be still my heart. Read his words.

   "he wanted to lead the GOP in a 'new direction.'

'To me the Republican Party has to be talking about future ideas and the direction of our country, the strength of America,' 

'I think we have to be talking about ideas and not the past and I think my voice is helpful to those candidates who want to look to the future.'

 Hutchinson said he was working to 'showcase the ideas that work and that we can be problem-solving and not just creating chaos."

What a wonderful collection of words and proposals he lays out before our wondering eyes, our stunned brains. Could it be? Could it really be that this dangerously confused and befuddled world actually contains people of sanity, capable of withstanding the lure, the cult of Trump, even as that cult goes deeper and deeper, into that mire and   muck of dishonesty, treason, greed and hopelessness as our future?

Today we will find out whether or not there remain honest judges who will call the facts as they are and where they lead. Will Trump be found guilt of contempt of court for his  " not full compliance, or any degree of compliance, but simply more delay and obfuscation,"? Will we finally, at last, get somewhere in this ridiculously and foolishly slow progress of a case against him? It would certainly be about time. Time that has elapsed, allowing his cult to proceed, to grow, much to the detriment of the world in general and us in particular. Jaime Raskin says he relates to the extremists in this cult as suggested by a cult deprogrammer - with "warmth and affection " so that they can remember what life was like pre cult! Oh, yay, indeed. 

Trump's catastrophic administration has led directly and indirectly, in any which way, to the current state of the globe. Putin, thinking, knowing, he can do as he wishes (and he is correct), for simply look at Ukraine and all the threats that Putin has used to keep timely and enough aid out of the arena. He has enabled Armenia to try to enter Azerbaijan and commit sabotage. He has split the world, created economic chaos, enabled Le Pen in France to move the dial, to allow extremist right wing viewpoints to appear as mainstream policy and appropriate topic for debate. No yay here! None indeed, for I feel the return of the ghastly winds of mortal prejudice and extreme plans of genocide chilling my back and my heart.

We have entered headlong into a world where truth is no longer an endangered species, but rather one destined to certain death. We continue to think we can fool ourselves and all the peoples of the world all the time. Lincoln warned us against that foolish thinking, but we evidently never internalized that thought. We continue to state that "Ukraine is winning" -until it most obviously is not. Tens of thousands of dead, more thousands missing, more thousands grievously wounded, men, woman, children alike subject to being the objects of warfare as it is unleashed upon them, cities pulverized into nonexistence, and a horrific return to a genocidal policy by Russia against its own brother Slavs in Ukraine.

Yes, this is certainly a most critical, existential turning point in the lives and future of humankind. We can still pull back from the brink, only, only, if we return to sanity, reject the returning ugliness of hopeless beliefs and political behavior, and turn to the truth, only the truth in the future. Only truth can lead the way to a better future. Lies do not allow us to face the threats incumbent upon us to indeed rectify in full.

Critical and defining, confused and befuddled. Adjectives of great truth and warning.

Let us indeed heed them and act upon that warning.

SANDBOXES

  Do you recall the sandboxes we used to play in, especially the huge ones found in city playgrounds? There we exercised our imagination, our building skills, our patience and cooperation as we all worked together planning a highway system or city or castle complex. 

The fun the water added to it as rivers and canals came into being, magically and wonderfully. So proud we were, that sometimes we even dragged parents out of the houses to admire our project. In the summer, if we became too dirty, well soon enough the sprinklers were on and there we were, all clean and refreshed. So simple was life. So enjoyable. So innocent. No one cared if one was wearing named clothing or whatever. We were all too poor to notice - and who knew we were poor? We were rich - in friends, in fun, in free play time. In short, we were allowed to be kids, to have fun as kids, to live and breathe freely and to grow into adults who understood the importance of cooperation and civility.

Today's kids are bombarded with scheduled activities, so many, so much, so many hours, that kid time is a vanishing idea. No one climbs monkey bars - too dangerous. No one plays in sandboxes, now deemed unsanitary and anyway, who wants to get dirty? Sprinklers are a dying species, and who cares anyway as texting all day long is the done thing, or following strange people, texting even if the friend is right beside us. Truly, there is a major difference in so many ways from today's child to yesterday's. Not necessarily for the better.

The entitlement of kids these days are reflected in the entitled thinking of too many adults. Shout and scream rather than work, do the hard stuff and reap the rewards. Feel pride in oneself and one's accomplishments. Work together, work with others, exchange opinions rather than shouting them down. Respect the rights of others, know that all are deserving of equal rights. Open hearts and souls, expand the mind, care for those in need, and continue to live the words of Emma Lazarus on the Lady of the Harbor. Truly love this country and what it should stand for, what it means to the world. Where has it all gone?

A character in a novel said that truth, justice and forgiveness are synonyms for love. Think about it. How do we feel about those traits? Do we respect and follow their signposts along the highways and byways of life? Do we truly pay the dues of patriotism and loyalty to our country, or do we ignore it, step on it, do the treasonous deed because it benefits us monetarily or power wise? Where are our standards? Where, for that matter, is our shame?

Unfortunately, much of the shame and dirt of this country has become a basic part of the GOP and its adherents. Any of those within who buck the awful extremism within the Party, who dare to think for themselves, who dare to recognize truth, are isolated and attacked. Those who turned traitor to the rules and laws of the country now deny their hidden cooperation in planning a coup, in suborning others to fight, to invade, to overturn the legal results of an election. Senators. Representatives. Senior aides to the president. The President's children. The President himself. All engaged in treason. All are traitors to this country, to their oaths to serve this country, not themselves. All knew, even encouraged violence, murder even, on the opposition. Shameful. Disgraceful. And certainly deserving of severe punishment. Jonson. Greene. Boebert. Hawley. Cawthorne. Gohmert. Perry. Meadows. Junior. Eric. The President  himself. Even Generals, a most frightening thought. Picture the army of this nation in the streets, nabbing, shooting, harming, destroying. Our very own domestic invasion.

It is time for us, the nation, as a whole, to pick themselves up and give ourselves a great big shake. Time to realize the truth of the situation, where we are and in how much peril we are and will remain until we change. We may have no more community sandboxes, but we can remember the lessons of our childhood, the good feeling when we pledged at opening hour of school, of singing the patriotic songs with gusto, knowing every word, of pride in our roles as Americans. Pride as we realized errors and worked o correct them.

Today we must hang our heads in shame. We are giving aid now to a besieged country too little, too late. We extol their bravery, but essentially have left them alone to undergo the worst brutality exhibited in Europe since the end of WWII. We allow others to fight as our proxies, even as we know, if we do not stand up for what we should, there will be consequences. Sandbox or not, perhaps we can create new ones, relearn the values of old, the acceptance of correction, rather than a turn to the past and its inequities. Perhaps. Maybe. Not hopeful.

REALLY NOW?!

 I simply do not know whether to laugh or cry as I scroll through the morning news, reading up on the fallacies and frailties of the human race. I do not know whether to trust in the small signs of sanity or become desperate as I look into the ugly possibilities that these actions foretell. What to do? What to think? Where to run? Can we indeed even run anywhere? Somewhere? More likely - nowhere.

 "I'm all done with everything.... Too much war, that's what I've seen. Too much war! Too much hatred. Too many lies told. And too much bloody pain."

So states a man caught up in despair, a character in a novel which strongly lays out the consequences of war for all of us, civilians and armed forces alike, the desperate measures people take in order to support a cause inherently evil personified. The dreadful casualties arising from the battles to insure democracy, justice, and a better life, or a hope for a better life as a viable option.

 Yes, even as we know that there are some battles which must be fought, some wars that must take place in our confused and confusing world, there is a desperate need to find other ways. Wars never ever stop shedding more seeds of hatred, more disagreements evidently having no other manner in which to settle things other than more war. And more war. And more deaths. And yet even more weapons. And more death. And the problems never ever seem to be solved. Ever. Never.

Worse than anything is the tiredness and desperation of the soul. This is to what the character is referring, the tiredness of a person's soul which never seems to be reengaged. This pessimism, these damaging blows to the soul has been shown now to become part of the genome of the survivors of war and its cruelties, a most terrible inheritance to our future and the future of our children. Yet another facet of the evils of warfare.

Without doubt, there will be someone who cites a war which needed to be fought. Yes, there are such wars, wars of mitzvah, a must, according to the Bible. However, there are places, times, in the leadup to war that could have been the turning point at which outlaw nations could have been turned back, not appeased, but rather a severe enough 'spanking' that would force them to mend their ways, to know that these evil paths have led them to this point. Saving their potential victims, saving the lives of so many thousands, millions. Certainly, a much better option.

The evil slaughter in Ukraine, the horrid sights of yet more mass graves, of civilians shot down, blindfolded, hands tied, the women, the children, the confused and bereft aged parents mourning their children. The permanent ugliness which eats away at the next generation and here we are again.  

How did we get here? Simple. We refused to stand behind our promises, our words, our debts owed to the peoples of the world. We enabled, even cheered on open traitors within our very government. These traitors are beginning to be forced to court, but even now it is again, too little, too late. The damage has been done to the body politic of the state, a deep gash into its most vital organs. 

Nor is this condition peculiar only here in the USA. It is found in so many other countries. Three years after the Syrian war is ostensibly over, there remain thousands unaccounted for, more mass graves being uncovered. Seventy-four years after the establishment of the State of Israel, a state which would have strongly altered the mathematical picture of WWII and the slaughter rained upon Jews and other 'enemies' of the fascist state. 

Years after a proud Ukraine established a viable democracy, despite the damage done to its genome by the USSR, Russia has once again raised its ugly, greedy head, reached out with its bloody hands, and here we are. Again. Once more the horrid sights, the awful results of war parading, challenging us. A challenge which we have never ever met properly, with good timing, with emphasis, and backup. Such that the enemies at the gate would know, for sure, that we meant what we said; hence, back down! And they would.

We have all failed each other. There remains bitterness and bloodshed among our nations. Rohingya. Hazara. Jews, always and forever. Moslems in Hindu countries and Moslems as oppressors where they reign. Uighurs. The list never ends, does it? 

Desperation among frightened people, running for shelter, turned away, separated from their children, or children who have been entrusted to them, to bring them to safety. Once again here, again, we are doing just that, shoving Ukrainian kids, along with Central American kids, into cold, ugly cells, sleeping crowded together, on hard floors, with an aluminum blanket for warmth. It is not right!!!

In the "Jewish Songbook" there are many, many songs and prayers put to music which speak, sing, longingly, of peace, of regret of war, of hope for no more wars, for children being able to play without fear. One of the simplest, yet most profound verses put to music, sung almost every Friday night or at Saturday meals, is this: 

"Hinei matov ooh ma'naim, shevet achim gam yachad."

"How good and pleasant it is when we sit, as brothers, together."

'Halevai' - if only. 

PS. There hopefully will be another posting tonite and a tad late one on Sunday.

WHAT''S IN A NAME; WHAT'S IN A NUMBER?

  It is dizzying, the cause of much eye crossing and broken teeth! Names which are unpronounceable to the English tongue. Numbers that stand for what, exactly? Global leaders throwing around numbers and names, threats, and warnings, and the result is ... So much confusion. So much anger. So much fear. So many potentialities and realities of dangers that fill the atmosphere. For those people who have finally come to understand the interweaving of the entire world, well, what is sleep? Hamlet's desperate plea to sleep, perchance to dream, echoes in the minds and hearts of many.

Yesterday I spent a wonderful day at Disney. Crowded with holiday vacationing families, it was amazingly refreshing to hear not one argument, not one angry word when human traffic jams took place. Wheelchairs, scooters, of all sizes, along with countless numbers of strollers and wagons and all were polite, smiling and forgiving. Amazing.

We watched the interactions of people on long lines. We thoroughly enjoyed the unbelievable Disney magic, checking out old favorite attractions, finding new and improved ones, the technology way over the top! Much appreciated. We sang our way along in A Small World and laughed and sang, thoroughly enjoyed the gently twisted version of Frozen on stage. Escaping the enemy via a transport and a fun escape route, only to find ourselves facing of a troop of menacing, white armor-clad Stormtroopers. Whew! Made it out in one piece.

However, a huge however, there was a blot on the day and a guilt feeling in me. How did we enjoy ourselves so heartily, nosh on our kosher for Passover stashes, shop the souvenirs, all the while there were thousands, millions, of people in dire straits? Children just like the two babies in their parents' arms, just like the elderly couple accompanying their grandchildren, just like us, being slaughtered, warned to flee for their lives. Warned as to their almost definite fate if they remain - death by execution by Russian troops so ordered, brutality that goes way, way into the world of war crimes, of genocide. Of total horror.

Yes, we must be able to compartmentalize if we are to maintain any kind of sanity. However, how can it be that we remain blind to the lesson of the Small World ride? It is indeed. Doubts? Open a paper, surf the net, browse a bookstore's offerings, and know, simply know that this war, this criminal invasion, has reached the deepest depths of depravity and is digging down to more. Check the cracks in the global economy, the fears of hunger and starvation in faraway countries who have no apparent stake in this conflict.

Yet they do. We do. We can engross ourselves in our own bread and circuses which deny the reality, but that ugly reality is there, menacing, frightening. What is a "special operation"? What is a border? What do the signed alliances actually mean? Is there a limit to tolerated criminal activity by an outlaw, brutal nation? And the reaction to it?

78. What meaning is contained within that seemingly innocent number? It is 78 battalions of between 800 and 1,000 men per battalion. Along with the armaments, tanks, trucks, armored vehicles, the dreadful weapons that we have created, the more harmful the better. Ugly. Grossly inimical to life and humanity. A behavior that we should have long ago outgrown, learned to talk with each other, truly hear and listen, understand grievances, heal differences without resort to war and violence. All that remains a pipe dream, a failed vision of the United Nations so rife with all that has gone wrong with humanity.

5 million. 10 million. "Liberated states". Out of home, out of country. Out of their lives, literal and figurative. We have already learned the inability of humans to assimilate these kinds of numbers; hence we drill down. We find the family violated in its entirety. We watch the parent bury the baby, once the recipient of their love, their dreams. We imagine the cities of ours emptied, pulverized, echoing spaces reeking of blood and death. We imagine the unimaginable, ourselves in the same situation. Bereft of family, bereft of anything that we recognized. A Stone Age existence in a modern world. A world which once again has resorted to violence and inadequate response.

Nor can we look for relief from this ugly picture as we turn to our very own country. We have not yet realized the true potentiality of what awaits us round the corner if we do not straighten up and fly right. The violence is here. The mass shootings grow in numbers, almost eliciting a small "again" and moving on. We refuse to institute a rational gun control. We enabled, even approved the treason of a sitting President along with his evil and deluded henchmen and the danger remains. The peril grows each day that we refuse to speak the truth and act on it. We punish the stupid slobs who listened to exhortations of the leader to "fight like hell". All the while the big dudes go unpunished, evading justice, demeaning justice and fair play, encouraging yet more treasonous, outrageous thinking and behavior. Nor are the suggested possibilities of future leaders encouraging. DeSantis? Cruz? Rubio? Hawley? Greene? And the awful list can go on. And on. And on.

Our democracy is in a perilous situation, worse than at any time before, and yes, that includes the first Civil War. Just as we are actually in the early stages of WWIII, we are in the not so early stages of a Civil War II, only the casualties will be far greater. The permanent damage to any hopes for humanity to grow, to mature, to seek true democracy and rights for all, to live in peace, to be able to walk down a street at twilight, take an early morning run through the park, ride in your car, on a bus or train, attend an event -without fear of death finding you. In today's American world, in the world of global existence - simply a pipedream unachieved, growing ever dimmer. 

"Mene, mene, tekal, oopharsin" 

Such was written on the wall of the palace of a once mighty king. 

"You have been found wanting, the accounting taken."

 The future was not looking too good.

Perhaps we need to take our own accounting, heed the results and reform accordingly. How many warnings do we get?

"CHICKENSHIT"

 That is the term used by a political analyst in the midst of trying to understand why Trump has not yet been hauled into court and exposed as the piece of trash that he is. This man, who told his deluded mob to "fight like hell" and urged them to go to the Capitol, have fun. This man who lied through his teeth more frequently than breathing. This man who cheated on his every tax return, on applications for loans, on the value of his holdings, the amount of debt that he owed. This man, THE ringleader of the insurrection, and there he is enjoying the fresh air, the golfing, the idiot son who posted armed bunnies for an Easter posting along with a dumb caption. This man, who should be in jail. So why is he not there, peering out between bars of iron, or the one window in the door to his cell? 

Aha! That is where the term comes in. The analyst claims that the prosecuting authorities are chickenshit, playing chickenshit politics, afraid of what happens if they lose? Will someone take revenge on them? And should they win, will there be violence in the country. What if they cannot meet the high bar of proof? Well, my answer is - get some ......Life is about chances and if we let this man get away with his treason, then what message are we sending to the public at large? What lesson are we teaching the kids? What are we saying about ourselves? How do we even have the nerve to look at ourselves in the mirror and remember the advice  to "start with the man in the mirror" when we talk about change, improvement, bettering the world, contributing to society in a positive, constructive manner?

But that descriptive title word does not stop at our internal politics and level of morality. Not at all. It happens to describe the international politics of the past decade and continuing into today and the future. Who the hell knows. Try predicting the future; you will immediately run into a wall. A wall built of lack of trust, lack of care, lack of courage; a lack of follow through. The loser in this pathetic game of life? US. The little people. Those who wonder just what these supposed leaders are actually made of. Do they have any steel within themselves? Do they stand by their principles? Do they even have any principles? Do they have a core or do they collapse with any side blow of life, soft or hard?

Every day, every damned day and every damned night I read about Ukraine. I watch the videos. I cringe at the demolition of this country, pulverized by an outlaw nation, determined to destroy the country to the very last piece of anything - human or inanimate. And we do nothing. Nothing! Defensive weapons work for a while, but the lessons of war teach that offense is the only thing that works. Deter and push back. Else we are reliving, recreating, the humongous stupidity of the trench warfare of WWI, the War to End ALL Wars - and did not do so, manifestly not. In fact, it led to WWII, the Cold War and the War in Ukraine, a war that could be the last war of democracy.

Putin and his acolytes, the monsters they all are, have learned their lesson well. Simply suggest the unthinkable and the enemy will give ground and cower, appease to the last degree. Keep that up, in fact, up it a tad more and they will be exactly where he wished them to be. He, in turn, will be free to murder, to rape, to destroy, to war upon civilians all in the name of getting that outlet to the sea, a desire of every Russian ruler, crazed with that desire.

I stand humbly before those brave, doomed fighters in Mariupol. They are the heroes of a today's Thermopylae. They are shining examples of courage, of loyalty, of patriotism, of giving one's all to an idea, to a reality for which they fight, for the democracy which they guard. Whatever the past was, we can, must, remember it, but we also must move forward, support these brave people, these kids, these parents, these elderly, the butcher, the teacher, the cleaner, the doctors, whomever! It is our obligation as human beings. It is our obligation as Americans, as a country which is supposed to epitomize democracy.

I cannot write anymore. I have said my piece for today. Would that we could eliminate these hateful moments, these wars, these jealousies, these desires that are so selfish, their attainment utmost in the minds of obsessed people who care for naught other than themselves and their wants and desires. Time we changed the world. Are we too late for that? Do not ask me that today.

WHENCE HENCE?

  Most people plan their lives, from everyday scheduling and career expectations to vacations and long-term happenings and various way stations along the road. Nations try to do the same, for a smooth path with no surprises is certainly best for the economy and vigor of that nation. Unfortunately, life does not always honor our requests and wishes, neither for individuals nor nations.

Certainly, the nations of the world expect violence somewhere on this planet, usually in faraway places where it seems to be endemic. Tragic, but not such a part of their lives, so they read, tsk, tsk and go about their business, according to their master plans No one, other than some prescient being, knew that there would definitely be an incursion into Ukraine by Russia. Not that Russia has not done that already, but Ukraine seemed somehow different, immune from such a violent act. 

Suddenly plans were discarded, of little use or value in the new reality of war. The real world changed, morphed into a world of nightmares and death, for individuals and nations alike. Original plans shredded, people had to cobble together new ones, vague ones, if and maybe plans, while nations suddenly found themselves standing on red lines and challenges, never thinking that this would ever truly be a reality, only a strategy for war exercises between friendly nations.

Feb. 24 to April 15 or 16, whenever this is posted, nowhere before in anybody's plans, a war of Goliath vs, David was approaching a second month anniversary, with no end in sight. Even the villain was shocked, unprepared for the vigorous, to the last man fighting of the Ukrainian people, armed forces and civilians alike. 

Nations, shocked, stood there mute, unable to make a move, could think of no rational, acceptable plan, yet they must. Gradually, they began to speak up, to send arms, but lost much of the battle by their open emphasis on their fear of a Putin gone amok, telegraphing him virtual free rein to go ahead and do whatever his evil mind conjured.

"Shock and awe" the wrong way. The world was shocked at the slaughter, at the on purpose open goal of killing off the citizens, the civilians hunkered down in basements, in public buildings as their homes were destroyed. Freezing, no aid permitted through, hungry and thirsty, they were shot as they walked to find food or get a breath of fresh air or check on a relative or friend. Slaughtered, with no rhyme, no reason, other than the glaring obvious one - the destruction of Ukraine down to the last brick and the last itty-bitty baby.

The unthinkable plan, the one which had negated, shredded, all others, became unbelievably clear, unbelievably difficult to accept. Not again. "No more" had been the motto. The motto of the people Ukrainians of the previous generation had tried to annihilate, for centuries - the Jewish nation. The pictures in the mind grew alike in reality. Mass graves. Indiscriminatory shooting. Torture. Imprisonment and death, Disappearances. Family slaughters. Mercenaries renowned for their brutality and blood lust. Woman abused. Children - gone.

The word which had been avoided, genocide, became closer, clearer to the observer, perhaps not on the same scale, on the same ''Grand" level, but still and all - a genocide, as Putin's filthy plans, revenge even, was to destroy this nation which had refused to accept its fate without challenge.

Nations now had to draw up their own new plans. Danger inched, ran, galloped, closer and closer to  them. The tiny republics and larger countries feared for their futures, the plans they had set in motion. NATO nations knew they could not stand silent, nor soothe their souls by sending antiquated arms, nor enough to counter a powerful Russia. Better and more arms, ammunitions, missiles and training,  equipment began to pour in - but was that enough?  Would  the world stand by and allow this, much as they allowed former genocides? The Jews. Tutsis, Uighurs, in Myanmar, in Yemen, wherever and all over? Had we not learned better yet, internalized wrong from right?

As corruption invaded, infected, all governments and political apparatus in the world, fewer knew of the right, of the principled, of the things that civilized nations should automatically know. We became better aware of the intertwining lines  connecting nations, the impossibility to remain neutral and unconcerned, aloof from the consequences of global actions. The trust in leaders was withdrawn or given to those who would rule over them, as the kings of old.

We now have a choice. Do we stand for the right, the principled, the honest, or do we go along, terrified of those who would enslave us, wrest all rights from us, suck the very juices of life from within us, to the point of no return? We have seen those efforts all over the world as the evil are emboldened by the weaknesses, cracks and fissures of those who should be opposing them and their plans. Even right here in America, which suffered a bout under a demented traitor eager to maintain power and the corrupt aide-de-camps who enabled him, all the better to serve their own greedy needs.

Whence, hence, do we go? What do we take with us on that journey? How do we plan yet also be prepared to change those plans if necessary? How and when will we find that sense again, that innate knowledge of what is right and what is wrong, what simply cannot be tolerated. If there is nothing we hold dear and unimpeachable, then there is nothing, no depth, no heights of evil and neglect that will not be attained.

Whence, hence are we going? Will we choose correctly, or will we allow, via neglect and apathy, for outright evil to win, to conquer it all. Then, there will be no need for plans, no wondering whence, hence do we go?   

QUESTIONS AND MUSINGS

  

As we begin the last frantic hours before the onset of the holiday of Passover, one needs a distraction to insure one's continuing sanity. Physical action and demands need a counterpart in mental activity - mind and hands busy. The cooking. The cleaning. The welcoming and preparation for lots of guests and family. The fatigue that falls like a fog over every Jewish woman preparing for this holiday. Once the Israelites were enslaved to Pharaoh and now the women are enslaved to the needs of this holiday. Sounds terrible, does it not, but the truth is that we all miraculously recover and join in, talking, discussing, singing, reading and eating and eating and a bit more eating. No maltreated slaves here. Another miracle? We do it all over again the second night! Yup. I kid you not.

Why do we do this? Well, for those who follow the laws and strictures of the Torah, it is mandated to do so. The Rabbis through the generations added a second night as it was impossible to know exactly when the proper day was, hence, two days to insure the whole deal. Bet no one ever asked any women about that whole deal! They would have figured out a better deal, for sure. 

As for others who are not as strict, this holiday is a time of thought and celebration. We became a nation, not a collection of slaves. We carried the bones of Joseph to the land to which he longed to return, a Zionist to his very bones. 

We saw the goodness of G-d as the Israelites were spared the consequences of the Ten Plagues, their first born not succumbing to the Angel of Death. In fact, the English name became Pass-over, for that is what is presumed to have happened. How were their homes recognized? There was a sign on the door jambs, from the blood of the sacrifice to G-d. Ironic indeed as signs were used during the following millennia to mark the Jews, to segregate them, to persecute them, to subject them to harm, to mayhem and murder. Yet through it all, they survived and even thrived. The Star of David mandated by the Nazis is the same Star of David so proudly a symbol of the State of Israel and for Jews all over the world and known as the Jewish star, Magen David. 

Today I heard of an ancient name that was part of this holiday. It is a commemoration of compassion, another meaning to the word of the Bible; Pa- sach, as several verses of this chapter of the Torah has it written.  Compassion. The compassion of G-d who did not harm his People, despite their own doubts and wickedness, despite their whining at every difficulty and their challenging G-d as to why they were so maltreated. Kind of the same complaints they could and would make over the centuries, chased from pillar to post, threatened by all, and killed at any excuse, with great joy. 

From this we learn that the holiday of Passover, in addition to the holiday of freedom. to be responsible for themselves, not the master, other than G-d, is also the holiday for the seasons, that Spring returns. New growth, new life, new hope. But we also learn that compassion is a must, as an integral part in every Jewish heart and soul, the same compassion and forgiveness given to Israel.

This holiday of Passover is so venerated, so beloved, that even within the murderous confines of the ghettos, in the horror of the concentration and death camps, despite all that, the holiday of Passover was celebrated as best they could.

While slaving myself around the house and the shopping and the cleaning and the cooking, I thought. I wondered at the horrors that Jews have suffered throughout the ages. I wondered why all that blood and death, the rapes and the maiming. I wondered. Yet somehow, I knew that hidden in depths which I could not fully understand, there is a plan, and we say, "Gam Zoo le-tova. Even this is for the good. There is rhyme and reason even if we cannot internalize it fully. 

Perhaps if we all had a deeper, compassion for all of this earth, we would all be the better for it. The world would be the better for it. And Ukraine entered the picture. Are we not required to have compassion for them, rather than leave them out there, hanging, sacrificing themselves for democracy as well as their independence as a nation? But make no mistake about it. They are the front line in this battle which affects all the nations of the world. We must have compassion and gratitude, share the light of Passover in its ancient meaning laced well with compassion and understanding. We must never leave our fellow human beings alone, forsaken and lost. Finally, we must have hope, that life will return, and the land will refresh itself. That is Passover.

Please note that tomorrow and Sunday there will be no new blog posting due to the holiday. You are more than welcome to take advantage and read entries you were not able to before. 

Enjoy your holiday.

WHAT REALLY MATTERS

  Thousands of soldiers have died.

  Many soldiers, veteran and conscripts are refusing to fight in Ukraine.

Russia is suffocating under a heavy blanket of censorship and lack of communication with the   outside world.

Brutality is the name of the game in Ukrainian cities under Russian occupation with rampant slaughter of civilians of all ages.

Currently, mercenaries known for their brutality, their use of women as sex slaves, are entering the fray, boding no good for the people of Ukraine.

Putin is disregarding heavy losses and a kink in his plans, focused solely on satisfying his greed and lust for more, for a Russan Empire. With him as the Tsar of it all.

How does one battle against one who disregards all of his frustrated plans and madly, insanely, pursues his murderous and manifestly criminal "military operation".

These are the current statements that define the tragedy of Ukraine. The question is now if the world will grow cold to the constant noise, the horrors exposed and for its own sake hop on any train or bus of thoughts going anywhere else, other than Ukraine. Already Germany is holding back - on verbal and monetary support as well as on shipping armored trucks to the Ukranian forces.

Apparently, we humans have a terribly short span of attention, always gravitating to the other issues of their lives, anything but the very utmost of horror. People feel hopeless and helpless, unable to truly effect any change in an awful situation. Hence, they turn to greener pastures where perhaps they make a visible difference and a warm feeling inside. We must recognize the truth: unpleasantness does not go away with wishful thinking. Rather, it only goes away with hard work, serious work, frustrating, often seemingly hopeless when it comes to a solution -yet on we must endeavor.

Tomorrow nite is the first seder, a commemorative meal celebrating freedom gained, no more enslaved, and an Exodus from where they were persecuted to a former home to their people until circumstances forced them out. It took a great deal of anxiousness and courage to get to that point. It was not a request looked upon favorably by the Pharaoh. It happened. A holiday with a theme of freedom, of attention to reality, and was celebrated under the worst circumstances, took place even in the ghettos and killing grounds of Europe. Throughout the ages, under Nazi abuse and terror. It is that important.

Would that we all appreciate the lives we have, the privileges and rights we take for granted. The same rights that too many desire to take away from others, right here in our own country.

Think about it. Think about how wonderful it is that here, even in our shredded situation, we can celebrate Passover, Easter and Ramadan and expect no violence.  Would that the rest of the world had the same luck.

Happy holiday to all. May we all recognize the place of G-d within our lives and strive to improve ourselves. Perhaps then we would have no more Ukraine anymore.

SAD SACKS ANIMATED

  Remember Sad Sack and Sarge? The constant miscommunication and passive resistance that flowed through the daily cartoons and comic books?  We would laugh and even shake our heads knowingly, relating our own histories of Sad Sack encounters in life. Well, today we are living in a world of comics come to life, Sad Sack only one of them, albeit a significant one at that.

 Miscommunication has pervaded the world. We simply do not make ourselves clear, using incorrect wording or mumbling, hiding the truth beneath the words. Funny, if not so sad. We refuse to communicate with each other in civil discourse, and use shouts, defiance, and clear resistance to heeding and understanding, reading between the lines that has always been a significant part of diplomacy and politics at all levels. In short, we have become the Sad Sacks come to life.

The ensuing results are not funny by any means. Still, when one reads the paper or listens to the news, laughter is often an immediate reaction. Then come the groans as the truth is fully understood and then the search for convenient laying on of the blame for the most definitely not so funny situation. Sad Sacks we all are, yet blind to it we remain.

For two years, Trump ran a most crazed campaign. The reaction to it was amazement that such a creature was running, no less gathering support. He was ridiculous, embarrassing even, via his daily rants and his pathetic appearances at the debate. He won the presidency! Unbelievable, yet there it was. We forgot or refused to read between the lines,  remained deaf to the imminent danger he posed, represented and indeed fostered with every breath he took. Nothing was sacred. Loyalty? Bah, humbug! Responsibility to constituents? Say what? Truth? A vastly overrated phenomenon. Sanity? Nah, not when the doors of the lunatic asylum opened and allowed the inmates out and indeed, they began to run the country. 

We moved from a semi-comical Sad Sack to a depressed and horrifying come to life Arkham of the Batman world, the insane asylum that tore shreds through the life of Gotham and its citizens. The humor of the situation quickly faded as the truth and danger of it all became clearer, despite all attempts to downplay or deny its existence or its causes. On we muddled, digging ourselves and the world into deeper holes, rather than creating a ladder to climb out. Sad Sacks indeed.

Today the world is not on the brink of a WWIII, as despite all attempts to deny it, we are in the early days of it. Day 17 of the vicious, war crime invasion of one integral country by another. The invader was not a shock, for he has done this over the past almost two decades, as he ate up sections of countries - Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, for like the mad toddler he is, Putin knew, simply knew into his very bones, that what he wanted he could take- and did. 

Why? Because the West was weak. No trusted  alliances any more as the President of the USA actually expressed admiration for him. Along with insults and alienation of former allies. The President at the time of Crimea did not react in a strong enough manner, thus confirming to Putin what he knew and on he went and here we are. And here we stand, rotating on our thumbs, refusing to see the forest for the trees. Committing almost critically blind and stupid acts by trusting to appeasement once again. Hitler is laughing in his grave, vindicated, as his worst enemy, a rival to his viciousness, actually became a proponent and practitioner of his theories of life and politics, both home and abroad. We have certainly moved far, far down the road, ever more distant from the comical misunderstandings of Sad Sack and Sarge.

Is it possible for us to "unlaugh" it all, to turn back the clock? Well, the dead are dead, the slaughtered are slaughtered. The increasingly vicious tactics of Russia show no sign of abating, even the very opposite of that. But we can take a deep breath and do what must be done. We cannot continue half-assed tactics, sending in weaponry, but limiting it, not enough nor advanced enough for Ukraine to overcome the huge imbalance it has with its foe. We apparently have not yet learned and internalized the proper path of politics in dealing with Putin. We have squandered opportunity after opportunity to encourage his downfall. We have shown weakness  in our dealings with him and other practitioners of autocracy, of cruelty, of mass imprisonments, of oppression and denial of rights for the citizens of the countries they head.

Here I insert a comment in response to those who have said that I am a warmonger. No, I am most emphatically not such a person. I have seen the effects of war upon Israel and its citizens. I have  seen the damage eternal via anti-Semitism, no matter its disguise. I know that Israel must fight, and will again and again, but do I hate that? Do I not sit through those wars anguishing over the deaths, the destruction, the fate of friends and family? Yes, I do. As for this country, I have grandchildren of draftable age and for sure, I never wish to see them in combat. G-d forbid! 

 What do I wish for?

Simple. A strong and clear response to invasions, planned actions to unbalance the world. I want us to learn the lessons of the past before we repeat them with a different outcome. If WWIII continues, in the same way with weak alliances refusing to truly stand up to that bully, then WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones, from the caves into which we have been driven.

It is always better to negotiate from a position of strength. Currently, we remain in that position, but we are going to lose that advantage if we allow this absolute abomination to continue without a full commitment to stop it in its tracks. We need to make it clear to Putin that no, he cannot grab land to rebuild a former Russian Empire. Those days are gone. We need, all of us, to realize the true danger of the situation and all, concurrently, take a step back from the brink. Along with that step back, we need to make it distinctly very clear to Putin, that he is denied any further expansion moves. The integrity of other countries must be recognized, not violated. And we must, absolutely must, punish those responsible for this abomination of 17 days duration. The slaughter must stop. 

Will we? Can we? When the political leadership of so many countries are rife, riddled, with corruption, with obviously tormented souls, with those who seek out evil, push for it, who are openly treasonous, traitors to their native country? Scandal after scandal rocks the world leadership. If they cannot police themselves, rid themselves of practitioners of crimes and offenses, then are they capable of standing up to a person such as Putin, who knows to his very last cell what he wants and how to get it, how to take advantage of opponents weakened within their own societies?

These are existential questions that cannot be avoided any longer. The very future, short and long term, depends on our answers - or lack thereof. So many urgent problems must be addressed - now - and these violations, these wars, this greed for more and more - must be called to a halt. Punishments must be forthcoming, responsibilities laid at the feet of those guilty. Included in that must be our own country which apparently is finding it impossible to do just that. The inability to see things through to the end, despite the disclosures flooding the airwaves, the desperation to keep it all buried is crippling the world, blocking it from addressing those issues which will indeed be a cancel culture activity. There will be no society as such and culture will be a concept of the past as we are reduced to a struggle for life with a bare minimum of any, or none at all, of survival. The cause of it all? Us. Sad Sacks no longer, but rather serious offenders of truth, of fair play, of understanding of the inherent dangers to us if we continue on this rock-strewn road we have chosen.

It seems so clear to me. We all have a stake in this. We all will be affected by tragedy of environment, of food shortages, of necessities of change that must be in effect - now. We all live on this globe with no other place to hide, other than deep underground if that is even possible. No, we must address our problems now, yesterday even, and not wait until tomorrow, whenever we allow that day to arrive. Sad Sacks? No, not very funny.

A symbol of the stupidity that we have allowed? The three major religions - Moslem, Christian and Jewish, all have major holidays of great meaning coming up - together, all three of them. Instead of thinking, stressing the commonalities, the shared hopes and dreams, we insist on emphasizing the danger of it all, the almost expected, even urged for violence to validate their prognostications. What an unbalanced sad sack of a world. As for Sarge-he is refusing to re-up. Smart dude! But that is only in the comics. We, none of us, can afford to resign from the world. We all must do our part or even more. No other way. No other path. None. At all.

THE DANCE OF MEPHISTOPHELES

  Well, despite the fact that we cannot see any Lolas here, Mephistopheles is definitely having a high old-time dancing with glee. Every morning and every night he takes account of his dealings, his wins and losses columns. Lo and behold - his assets are well into the black. And he dances. And he laughs. A nasty laugh. One that represents his wins over those annoying, pesky, conceited humans who think they know it all. Oh, yes, but they are now paying their dues for the centuries of their greed and hubris!

Okay. We can argue all day and well into the night for countless days, whether such a creature exists. What we cannot deny is the fact there is a palpable Evil that does exist, and mankind has definitely wallowed in that murky ocean of evil. Over the millennia we have outdone ourselves. Worse, so much of it has been done in the name of 'good', even as we pursued Evil.

When a religious leader agrees to support wickedness, there is Evil. When members of a religion agree, and participate, well, that is called an Inquisition. Call it by any name you wish. When evil is done in the name of G-d and religion, or the manner of belief and worship, well, there we go again. Worst of all, it never seems to have an end.

Evil reminds us that religion is not the only culprit in the game. Secular leaders are equally as guilty for they are the ones using religion callously, coldly, and add to it the power and might of their armies and weapons. The old confer, demand the status quo remain in place, for it favors their well being and prosperity. To do that, the young are sent into battle, men and women. Nor does it stop there, for when desperation reigns, all are sacrificed in that maw of greed and cold calculation as to how to maintain this oh so beneficial world of theirs. Then they simply add in the 'scorched earth' policy, destroying all in front and behind, material and people, old and young, mostly in the deepest manifestation and practice of Evil - demoralizing, as inhumane and shocking as possible.

Listen carefully, siphon out the strange sound beneath it all, and there you have it. The evil giggles and victory stomps of Mephistopheles. By any name - Satan, Devil, Horned One, Beelzebub, Ashmedai - it does not matter. Why? Because that Evil lives within ourselves. WE welcomed it, made a home for it, all in the name of more. More possessions More land. More power. And more. The reasons, the excuse, the accusations never run out. 

Some of those excuses are ridiculous and so sad, but relevant. Greene says it was "only a riot" and besides, it only happened "one time" so enough. Well, there ya' go again. Excuse the rampant evil present on Jan. 6 as mobs rampaged through the halls of our government, had legislators huddling in hiding places, afraid for their lives, all the while the conspirators among them had their moments of glee, even revealing themselves that day and afterwards in their mistaken thinking, that Evil won. No, it did not, for we have finally woken up. No, not 'woke', but woken. Up from our snooze where went unheard the sounds of hearts breaking, of children's stomachs growling in hunger, the sobs of parents as they could not provide for their families, hopes gurgling down the drain as positive movement forward of the next generation grew dim behind them. 

All the while the wealth accumulated, massed in the hands of the few. All over the world. The yachts, the mammoth and multiple houses, the conspicuous consumption even as others were denied even the minimum, and more. Evil loved it. People have grown restless and resentful. They are then called Nazis, as the creeps and servants of Evil conflate things which should never be conflated. All the better to fool the masses and keep the game going in their favor. The demented, well, they are having a blast as their dementia is cheered on by the deluded, though in a moment of hope, we see the crowds diminishing. However, the new slate of hopeful candidates is not any better, perhaps even worse in their zeal and adoption of venomous bigotry, hatred and most egregious, outrageous lies.

Take a 'walk' around the globe. The Sudan disaster. Ethiopia and Eritrea forever at it. The fear of the innocent farmers and their families. The desperation of the mothers as their children shrink to nothing and die. Children soldiers. Girls and women as sex slaves, considered fair booty. The 'advanced' warfare in Ukraine. The callousness of Putin as he callously throws conscripts into the place of death, purges his opponents, institutes a return of the fear of yesteryear's dictators. The war crimes of brutal soldiers, now including mercenaries and a general known for brutalizing treatment of civilians. 

The overwhelming numbers of refugees fleeing violence and hopelessness within their homeland. The refusal of the leaders of the world to come up with a fair plan to assimilate those refugees, to grow the richer for their contributions, as refugees have done over the centuries. But no! Instead, we push hatred of them, insisting they are doing something that never happened before, even as we ignore the fact that as we research our ancestors - Whoa! They, too, were refugees. And here we are.

I claim no magical, mystical power of solutions to seemingly impossible problems. What I do claim is the ability to see and acknowledge the wrong, the simply wrong, that exists in our world. I, you, all of us, are not pure in this battle of good vs. evil. We have all slipped at least a time or two, come down on the wrong side of the fight. However, it is different when that conduct becomes habitual, the milieu in which we live and accept. That acceptance leads to callousness and the Evil that besets us. 

It is upon us to vote in the right people. Not those who vow vengeance. Not those who claim wins when they lost. We lost too in their attempts to shatter the best system of government yet invented and practiced. We need to make the message clear to all who presume to lead. You asked for it, we need to tell them and now you have it. So do the hard work and no, you will not be loved nor appreciated for it, not now. However, 100 years from now, when there remains a viable, thriving life here, as the environment was positively tackled, as hard decisions were made and enforced, as the society rebounded in fresh new ways, thoughts and inventions, as wealth was more fairly adjusted, as people were taken care of, as hope flourished - well, then you will be recognized as heroes of the day.

Fail us in that, and you fail an entire civilization. Fail in your duties in the knowledge that you, as a true leader, are not there to be beloved, but to save this world from ourselves. We cannot continue to be the land, the world, which eats its own inhabitants. We simply cannot persist in the ways of the past, for to do so is to deny the future. War, hatred, greed, they all must go. How? Way, way, above my pay grade. But not yours.

Let us all do our best to vanquish that image and reality of the victorious dance of Mephistopheles. We must. Otherwise, he wins. We lose.

Simple as that.

"THESE ARE THE TIMES

 that try men's souls." And I would certainly amend that statement, (electrifying in is effect on the quest for independence by those upstart colonies,) by adding women, for certainly today women are a huge factor in the temperature and turbulence of the times. Certainly, they had a major role in the American Revolution simply by virtue of running the homes as they were left behind, served as spies, even soldiers, and influenced many a man in the right direction. Not to forget Betsy Ross who, according to legend, made that flag we now salute as it waves over the land. That flag so abused by insurrectionists, shockingly including the sitting President at that time, our times. These times, our times.

We are in as important a moment today as we were way back in 1776. Certainly, the souls of men and women of today have been tried, are being tried.  Most unfortunately, too many have been found wanting, lacking, in moral fiber and plain old good common sense. Even the basic step of loyalty to country above all else - not party, not foreign meddlers, not one's pockets greedily swallowing up funds, and certainly not to a head of a cult. A cult headed by a manifestly obviously demented man with no morals at all, no empathy, no sympathy, not an honest bone, sinew, thought, or brain cell within.

What have we done? What have we not done? What do we tell our grandchildren when they ask us where we were, as individuals and as country, during this Ukraine abomination? What do we say when we are shown mass graves, huge numbers of obvious civilians tossed in, barely covered up, shot, tortured, tongues cut out, violently raped women, and their children, tossed in as waste needing to be taken out? Where were we? Where are we? Is it    enough? Is materiel an adequate substitute for actual boots on the ground, or even the full arming of Ukraine forces so they can powerfully combat the invading Russian forces? What have we done? What are we doing? Is it enough to stand up to the scrutiny of historians?

The Ukrainians are waging yeoman efforts in defending their homeland, a mouse that roared, taking on that huge elephant that arrives at our doorsteps every morning, that bloodies our screens at night. Commentator after commentator, analyst after analyst, tell us, warn us, that what is going on here is more than the deaths of civilians, as horrid, as criminal as that is. More than an invasion, more than yet another demented, cruel man imposing his will, his greed, his lust for power upon others. For that is not all it is, though for sure, that is more than enough.

 No. What we are doing here, and coming up sorely lacking, is defending the globe, involved in a war that will determine the future of humankind. Do we support, demand, democracy, true to its definition and intent, or do we support autocracy, dictatorships, the nullification of all rights for all, in all its ugliness and repression, oppression? That includes the false democracy that so imperils the existence, the continuation, of true democracy right here in America. 

We must cease, immediately, our efforts to convince ourselves and others that our state of being, our state of the union, which is our country, is most definitely in a raging cascade of danger, of betrayal of our ethics, betrayal of the people, all in the name of a fractured man and his greedy, violent, deluded, shameful and ashamed backers. There is no justification any longer as the facts come pouring out from their mass grave, as even his own daughter reveals the truth, as the texts of the traitor, following in his father's footsteps, Junior, tell all in an ever-uglier accounting. What have we done? What are we doing? What are we not doing?

When I see those vivid pictures and videos of the uncovering of the mass graves left behind by the Russians. When I see and hear the results of their ever-present cruelty as soldiers, I shudder. My racial memories flood my brain with images of the mass graves of 80 years ago. Civilians, dead in a Holocaust of Bullets, men, women, children, young and old, dead - or buried alive - victims of a viciousness that is now being duplicated by Russian troops under the instigation of Putin and supporters.

I read of the same old terror now overwhelming Russia. Informers, turning in your neighbor, your relatives, for nonsupport of this war. Mass arrests and imprisonments under false pretenses. Early morning ominous bam! bam! on the door as it crashes open, the room, the very air, sucked out and up by these threatening, crazed masked invaders. The return to mercenaries with no control over them at all, back to the Middle Ages, in more ways than one. The shame growing in all of us, as we try to turn our eyes and minds away from those barbaric scenes. What have we done? What are we doing? What more must we do now?

I do not claim to be the final arbiter of the mess of today. I do not claim to have all the answers, even any answers. What I do claim is the moral high ground, where there are many, but not enough. We who stand there KNOW that there is much more that can be done, even if there are no boots on the ground. If we are going to have others, substitutes, fight our battles for us, a la the rich who bought stand-ins for them during the Civil War drafts, then the very least we can do is arm them properly, give them a fair chance, even an overwhelming chance to kick those invaders out, rebuild their country, mourn their material and personal losses, even if forever, and save democracy for us, even as we wimp out and shirk our responsibilities, the very real moral imperative which should lie heavy upon the shoulders of all who value democracy.

What can we do? We must clean house here in our own backyards - local, state and national. We are infested by criminals, by greedy power and money hungry critters, even, crazed individuals. Cawthorne. Greene. Hawley. Graham. Jonson. Herschel Walker. Trump. On and on. Clean house. Indict, convict and imprison. Show the world, and ourselves, that we continue to be true to our burden of history, to defend democracy here and in the world at large. That we recognize our humanitarian duty to the oppressed, to the victims of those who care naught for anything other than themselves.

At least I can tell my grandchildren that I spoke out and up. Even as little as it does, at least I did that. I cannot take a gun, carry a shoulder rocket, or navigate a tank and certainly am not a pilot. But I can speak up. That is the very least I can do. And I can vote. People, the very thought of a DeSantis as the head of the pack of howling GOP members, should send a shiver down your spine. The man is manifestly nuts, tilting way, way, too much to the side of repression. One person's loss of rights will march on, and your rights are next. If we can control one person's health decisions, then yours are also at risk. Talk of a "cold war' with a neighboring state?! The man is dangerous! A presidency under him, a GOP dominated Congress and state legislatures - dear Lord in heaven! Just think what that would mean, nationally, globally and personally. Do not delude yourself. Face the facts as they are, not as others twist them to be.

These are indeed the times that try the souls of men and women, that stress their mettle, and uncover the truth beneath. Will history find us wanting? Will these years when we have seemingly lost operational control of the country and its governing apparatus, prove to be the harbingers of a very bad future? The answers are growing ever clearer, ever more distinct.

What have we done? What must we do? What must we not do? What will be? 

That is totally up to us and whether we can hitch our pants up high enough to be and do what we must, or if we prove lacking. Connect the dots.