Torture Report Released Today

      A report detailing Americas torture of detainees~first ordered by ex-vice president Dick Cheney-makes me increasingly determined to never to pay more taxes than absolutely necessary to the... assholes...who run our government. Money is power to them and the only recourse is to deny them any of mine. Fortunately I have maintained a modest standard of living for most of my life, so in monetary terms I have not been complicit with the utter corruption and sub standard thinking of politicians and many in corporate power. None of them represent me. That is, I would never have spent trillions on war while allowing our infrastructure, health care system, education system and other more worthwhile causes to decline for lack of resources. The choices those people are making-weapons and vengeance and torture-are equating us with those over whom we claim moral superiority, and it has become big business to promote and sustain the status quo. But do not call me naive. I am quite familiar with the dark side of people.
    To me, it always comes down to individual choice, and the CIA guys who were literally in tears as they witnessed the sadistic things they were doing should have had the courage- the Soul- to walk away from a job that so compromised their own and Americas dignity; when you ignore what is right and good you become the enemy you fear and despise, which makes rationalization of your actions- both at the time you  and in hindsight- inadequate.
     As for ISIS retaliating for the release of the report, two thoughts: 1) They already claim God as their main reason for killing, so details of American abuses can simply reinforce their resolve.2) If America Is ultimately held accountable for what it has done...so what? Isn't that what we teach our children?
     POSTSCRIPT:  The immediate response of ISIS to the torture report was to release a new video of themselves throwing a gay man off of a roof and then stoning him to death. So that's the mentality of the guys we are dealing with..( A good book detailing the rise of the group is "Black Flags- The Rise of ISIS" by Joby Warrick. It tells the long history of the present predicament, and the convoluted and complicated situation in the middle east, never mind the simplistic sound bites this nation prefers.) Despite American mistakes I still assume that we were torturing people with good intentions-if such a paradoxical thing is possible-and I suppose in their minds the ISIS guys genuinely believe they are right in trying to create a Islamic state. The profound differences reside in the 'ideals' of Islamic extremism and the ideals of democracy. Even our slave owning founding fathers debated the hypocrisy of the "all men are created equal" part and we eventually lost 500,000 mostly young men trying to achieve the ideals in our constitution.

Early Winter, etc.

Winter has come early this year, and most of the nation seems to have been affected. I attribute it to the polar ice cap melting and affecting air flows,resulting in what meteorologists call an "omega block" but I really don't have a clue. In other news, the FBI reports 1.16 million violent crimes in 2013, the lowest number since 1978, which illustrates that the paranoia in the media is exaggerated spin. I was very much alive in 1978, and had hitchhiked across the country in 1977 without incident, so even back then crime was not a major problem. Rather, as always it is prevalent in certain areas and neighborhoods, and that is where our attention should be focused.

Change of Consciousness

     Beth's daughter Kim was married back in October to longtime boyfriend Rich, and the future looks long and bright- Congrats to them!
     Beth and I sat on the porch handing out candy on Halloween, and that's what the kids were greeted by...Judging by the turnout I think everyone had a good time and went away amused, despite some drizzle...
     As for raising consciousness, I've decided that beginning this election and henceforth I shall vote exclusively for women regardless of party affiliation. Politics in this nation does not need a change of people, rather a change of consciousness, and only by giving women power will we adopt a more inclusive, socially compassionate outlook. Yes, there are good and bad people of either sex but being male I am quite aware of the masculine ego and the old boys club. Until we get a majority of women-with their biologically different perspective-into both governments and corporations, I do not think this country will move forward. What you observe in government and public policy is what men running things have sunk to, so it's time to think outside the box. Females outnumber males in the United State and outnumber them in higher education, so it's not a moment too soon for them to assume their fair share of everything.

Long Time

With some surprise I see that it's been three months since I've written here...but after thirty five years of journal I've genuinely gotten to a point of thinking that there is not much left to say that is not repetitive. I have no need to micro analyze life anymore. At the end of the walk I recall thinking that words seemed pointless and ineffectual compared to action, and there was already far too much babble on the airwaves and in business and government. During the past few months Beth and I have done additional work around the house, visited my kids to the east, taken numerous walks and bike rides, and earned the money that makes it possible. I've watched Iraq fall apart and shake my head at the incompetence of the men who made the decisions that wasted so many lives and dollars. Not their own lives and dollars of course, which made it so easy for them. But the dog is sleeping peacefully on the chair, and I'd rather soothe myself in it's innocence than grow bitter over the failings of human beings. Probably the best books I've read lately have been about the Beatles and Robert E. Lee, and presently I'm reading a tour guide about the southwest, where Beth and I plan to visit when we have the freedom-in about two years I think. In the meantime we'll do shorter trips around here, including to West Virginia where her daughter Kim will be marrying her fiancee Rich in October.
POSTSCRIPT:  If the atrocities of the ISIS army are to be believed,(..and I am quite aware of America's role in creating this mess, going at least as far back as disbanding the Iraqi army in 2003, of whom some members make up this current crop of 'terrorists'~remember the 'playing cards' most wanted list?) I guess they have to be compared to the Nazis,and the Khmer Rouge, and all the other ignorant barbarians humanity has had to suffer over our collective history. It was only 154 years ago that we fought a civil war to end slavery, which of course did nothing to stop bigotry and hate in the minds of many people, so these guys are just the latest expression of the darkest side of human nature. In the name of God no less, which is a perversion of the loving spirit and proof of their profound ignorance. As I always try to do when confronted with such closed minds, I preserve my inner sympathy and love while doing everything necessary to protect the innocent from such people. That means killing them if there is no alternative, but without bitter judgement, rather as a necessity like building a shelter against a tornado or shooting an attacking lion. I truly believe that as individuals we have to refrain from hateful, vengeful reactions against the hate and anger we encounter, for that only drags us down and affects our own inner peace. Meanwhile the Ebola virus and global warming and other potentially devastating threats to humanity are in our awareness, so it is incumbent upon us to choose our battles wisely, and respond appropriately. I'm not convinced that anything matters so much as preserving love and humility in the way we treat one another, for I think that we are ultimately judged by the empathy and compassion we share ~ if only in self affecting ways.

Forgiveness

...There seems to be a bit of confusion in the world regarding the nature of forgiveness, and the crucial difference between the word forgiveness and the word 'condone.' Just as one must never equate the word religion with the word 'God', so one must beware of assuming that forgiving someone for a real or imagined slight is the same as condoning that slight. Forgiveness is foremost a requirement for emotional healing of oneself, and has nothing to do with the perpetrator of the supposed transgression. . We are all self responsible for the emotional choices we make and all of those choices are self affecting. Forgiveness in each of us comes from a place of humility and unconditional love and acceptance. It is a relinquishing of blame and anger and victim hood, to be replaced by inner peace and love-and trusting that it is better to live in joy than bitterness.  That does not mean that we agree with the supposed transgression, only that we choose not to live in the past and let it negatively affect our present and future. Personally, I have found that safely and fully expressing whatever sorrow or anger one feels at the time of the injury-which might take months or years-is far better than suppressing it, for eventually the emotional bucket empties, and one moves on in life stronger and wiser.

Artists

Kenny has been on spring break for the past week, and out of town for most of that time-to the occasional frustration of Beth and myself...He missed eye and doctor appointments through negligence while having fun with his friends...But he walked in a few minutes ago and grabbed a quick shower, then sat in the kitchen chair surrounded by his college stuff and played a song on his guitar as he waited for a friend to pick him up for one last hour of freedom before heading back to school. I was in the living room reading a book when he began to sing, and spontaneous tears came to my eyes as I listened to his voice. I could not help admonishing myself for my impatience with his lack of practical thought as the notes reminded me that music is his gift and I must never forget that. So I said a prayer that he may find his way in a world that has little room for artists and dreamers, regardless of how talented they may be. I suspect that as he matures, and struggles to nurture his creative spark while earning a living, Kenny will decide to get really serious about his music, at which point his unique gifts will be unleashed. 

Chelsea

Chelsea had a haircut yesterday...Is this the same dog? Yep!

Still Winter

As much of the country can attest to, winter is still in full effect, and around here we have had snow on the ground much of the time since before Thanksgiving. The weather channel just reported that Syracuse, NY has not seen a day of full sun since October... yet in Warren I've noticed that we have had more sunny days,  so it's been a cold season but not particularly unpleasant to my senses. Above we see Beth and I on a hike in the woods a few miles from home and also the Conewango river, which still shows extensive ice. The long term forecast is for above freezing temperatures, so I think spring is finally beginning to arrive..!?

Ramblings

              The first pic shows the cold snap that has affected the country this past week..The dashboard thermometer read -8 yesterday morning the 7th, so the Subaru was a little sluggish starting. A gas pipe at the humane society(where I work part time) froze and the kennels had no heat all morning, but fortunately all the animals were wearing fur coats, ha,ha...
              The second pic is is a quote from Pope Francis, who in my opinion is the first pope with genuine wisdom in the past twenty years. I recall a pope during the 90's saying something like ' Catholicism is the only way to  God' which is such ignorant drivel that it is no wonder the flock started abandoning the faith in droves...I think the new guy will go a long way towards establishing the true meaning of love and compassion that has slipped from many religions.
POSTSCRIPT: February 12:   -9F in town this morning with people in the mountain valleys reporting -19F and -23F  respectively, which makes last night the coldest of the winter. The high will be 25F however and the ten day forecast predicts a few above freezing temperatures next week. It seems like the entire nation has been affected and overseas England is reporting the worst floods in 250 years...definitely extremes of weather happening...However...The 2014 World Almanac states that only 15 of both the highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded in the U.S. have occurred since 1990. All the other record highs and lows by state were recorded prior to then. That means that 85 of the 100 most extreme high and low temperatures in each of the 50 states occurred before 1990, which offers some perspective on global warming.