The Power of Peace

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The current proposal to develop nuclear power in the Middle East is a threat to the National Security of the United States.

Due to the continued instability and regime changes, it would be a threat to the security of everyone who lives in that region.

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Putting aside the fact that spent nuclear fuel is key in producing nuclear weapons, more nuclear waste will be produced and there is no plan to store it.

That waste will be highly radioactive for tens of thousands of years… and cost TRILLIONS of dollars to maintain properly.

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“The EPA’s order, which caps decades of bureaucratic delay, intense debates and public protests, is expected to take fewer than five years and cost those responsible for the site an estimated $205 million.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/energy-environment/2018/09/27/epa-orders-extensive-cleanup-radioactive-waste-site-near-st-louis/

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But that’s Hanford… it’s almost 100 years old.
Surely things have gotten better since then?

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https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/projects/fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-power-plant-decommissioning/#:~:text=The%20decommissioning%20of%20Fukushima%20Daiichi,companies%20and%20new%20electricity%20providers.

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Even if everything goes well, the price to build those nuclear power plants outweighs any potential gains.

And those returns won’t be realized for DECADES to come… that’s only IF everything goes well.

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“72% of the cost increase was due to indirect costs, indicating a large increase in expensive professionals such as engineers and managers.”

https://progress.institute/nuclear-power-plant-construction-costs/

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TRANSLATION: The people who keep these plants operating SAFELY.

Lax regulations and a changing climate puts everyone’s lives in jeopardy.

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“Nuclear power plants in Washington were canceled after estimated construction costs increased from $4.1 billion to over $24 billion… and two South Carolina reactors were canceled after costs rose from $9.8 billion to $25 billion.”

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36 nuclear power plants at $25 billion each… that’s $900 billion.

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“For Gulf Arab rulers who fear that Washington is not a reliable long-term guardian, nuclear power generation may offer an alternate path to maintaining a US strategic interest in securing their regimes.”

https://thebulletin.org/2020/03/for-uae-the-political-perks-of-nuclear-power-eclipse-economics/

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Building nuclear power plants isn’t the way to do that. Maintaining peace and security, for your nation and your neighbors, will do that.

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Our National Security… in fact, the security of the entire WORLD depends on our listening to wise counsel.

Who should be advising us on what our nuclear strategies should be… and who shouldn’t.

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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-flynn-nuclear-exclusive/exclusive-mideast-nuclear-plan-backers-bragged-of-support-of-top-trump-aide-flynn-idUSKBN1DV5Z6

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The only answer is PEACE. Everything else will follow.

-JC

Atonement

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Screenshot from: The Katie Phang Show, MSNBC. (10\7\2023)

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“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

-George Santayana

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Some say history repeats. Some say history rhymes. But we mustn’t forget-
History can SING as well. And sometimes… history CRIES.

I’ve recently found myself thinking of the stance Rep. Barbara Lee took on the floor of the House of Representatives, following the attacks on 9/11. Being the ONLY Representative to oppose military action in the aftermath of those terrorist attacks, and the way things have turned out since… memories I haven’t thought of in quite a while. I might have gone the rest of my life without thinking of them, as it was all so long ago. And yet… it seems like only yesterday.

In this moment, it’s difficult for me to say it’s a GOOD THING we’ve recently been remembering her strength and courage. But… I hope Senator Feinstein won’t mind if I do.

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In the aftermath of the attacks on September 11, 2001, there was only ONE thought on every American’s mind…

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Vengeance.

As the search for SURVIVORS had only just started and as the fires at Ground Zero STILL raged. Even as the true scope and magnitude had yet to be realized… one voice SPOKE OUT.

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“Let us not become the evil that we deplore.”

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Where would we be NOW had we followed that advice?
What outcomes could have been avoided… what more could we have done.

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Our desire for vengeance led us down the path to DESTROY our enemies. ‘Dead or alive’ I believe he said. Curiously though, given enough TIME, those feelings seem to fade…

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“I don’t know where he is… I don’t spend that much time on him.”
-George W. Bush (03/13/2002)

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After just a few months, emotions seemed to calm. Securing the Homeland became our top priority, and everyone felt the need to rally around the FLAG…

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Because we all know what happens to those who SPEAK OUT against a
Righteous Vengeance…

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https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/opinion/guantanamo-detainees.html

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And now all we can say is, ‘Look at all the terrorist attacks we prevented… all the LIVES we might have lost… if we didn’t ACT.’

When you stop and think about it… all the surveillance, the security, the creation of new Government Institutions… eventually, they did become EXPERTS in preventing terrorist attacks…

**Terrorist Attacks, like the ones that were successfully carried out on THEIR WATCH.**

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If only those measures had been in place from the start.

But things happen… fog of war… lack of imagination.
Warning signs missed… messages unsent.

‘We couldn’t have known… I don’t think anyone could have known…’

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https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/12/leadup-iraq-war-timeline/

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Israeli_judicial_reform_protests

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I won’t stand here and tell anyone not to follow their heart. After all we’ve been through, to do so would be hypocritical. But let our story STAND as an example. Take heed of the lessons WE have learned… and pray you never learn these lessons the hard way.

After TWENTY YEARS of war, did we achieve our mission objectives? In some ways yes… in some ways, no. Osama bin Laden is dead. Those who plotted and helped carry out the attacks have been captured… but at what COST.

Has Justice been served? Are the families of the victims at peace with their loss? Have our actions served to HONOR the memories of those we lost? Would they be PROUD of what we have done… in their name.

It would be presumptuous of me to evoke a story from religious texts, considering the nations and peoples who are involved. The birth of religion ITSELF springs from that Sacred Land! All eyes look to them for our spiritual guidance, to the EAST… toward the land where that Ancient LIGHT has risen.

All other nations are jealous of the treasures with which they’ve been BLESSED. But now, we all stare in HORROR… knowing that once again, peace will be pushed aside.

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IF our primary objective is to prevent another 9/11 from happening, then we must act. NOW… before it’s TOO LATE.

The only answer is PEACE. To BECOME PEACE… to embody it. The weapons of war are used AGAINST PEACE… therefore no one in their right mind would attack a peaceful nation or society.

That story rises above all else. We must become that which we wish to see.

We HONOR those we have lost by ensuring it will never happen again.
That is real courage… that is real strength.

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“Let us not become the evil that we deplore.”

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Amen.

Fear Itself

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/23/nyregion/mark-pomerantz-resignation-letter.html

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And so there you have it. Everything Donald J. Trump did was alright by the Southern District of New York. No harm. No foul.

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https://twitter.com/mrjlcharbonneau/status/1054762282553610241?s=21&t=23ZHBTVZr7eQAZK2Z3-lgA

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Tax fraud is now legal in the Great State of New York.

And why wouldn’t it be? You heard him on the campaign trail… ‘They do it all the time’… ‘That’s just how it works in the World of Real Estate’… and in New York City, Real Estate RULES THE WORLD.

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https://news.ambest.com/newscontent.aspx?refnum=52954&altsrc=13

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Silverstein#Insurance_dispute

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If they held Trump accountable, who would be NEXT… what other shady deals have gone down in Gotham?

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https://www.justsecurity.org/69094/timeline-on-jared-kushner-qatar-666-fifth-avenue-and-white-house-policy/

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How much property value do these two gentlemen alone hold in NYC? How many more individuals would potential prosecutions rattle if they were to be pursued? Well… now we’re talking some serious CASH.

Tighter rules. Enforcement of current laws… that might piss-off some very wealthy people. Some of whom might decide to take their POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS somewhere else. They might have to find another PARTY. One that more closely aligns with their BOTTOM LINE.

That sounds pretty catastrophic for the incumbent party… definitely something they should keep in mind.

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In this light, it’s not about the VOTERS. Hell… it’s not even about the LAW. It’s about MONEY and the pursuit thereof. For the Real Estate developers, for the Political Campaigns, and for the Political Party Machines.

Trickledown Economics… all boats are LIFTED with the rising tide.

Wait a second… you wouldn’t wanna go and rock the boat now, would ya’? It certainly would be a SHAME if they had to take their MONEY somewhere else.

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https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/08/03/democrats-took-millions-real-estate-interests-allowing-eviction-moratorium-end

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Because they are BEHOLDEN.

Not to disparage or attack their character, it’s just a STONE COLD FACT. Laid bare when it’s boiled down to its essence. They can’t WIN if the donors don’t DONATE… and they won’t DONATE if they’re not happy with the ROI.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/03/24/virginia-thomas-mark-meadows-texts/

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It pains me to say it… but Donald Trump was right. The system is rigged.

In favor of people like him… and against everyone else.

The influence of money in our election system, turns our legislative processes into an unnecessary balancing act… balancing between doing what’s right and doing what’s necessary to get re-elected.

Making microscopic legislative gains for The People… session after session, decade after decade. All while those who FUND their election campaigns increase their market share… session after session, decade after decade.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/23/nyregion/mark-pomerantz-resignation-letter.html

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https://newrepublic.com/article/163846/means-testing-manchin-reconciliation-bill

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Who do our elected officials work FOR… who SHOULD they be working for?

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It underlies every decision they make. It colors their perception of what’s RIGHT and what’s WRONG. It limits the number of TOOLS in their legislative toolbox… preemptively. BEFORE they’ve even considered a single piece of legislation.

Legislators legislate based on MONEY and the pursuit thereof. Therefore, legislation favors those with money over those without.

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https://www.axios.com/pelosi-stock-trading-ban-congress-069dc627-71fd-490f-a005-510bbd18cce2.html

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And I can hear it now. Yes, this is a ‘free-market economy’, but I question the validity of the assumption that someone who has accumulated vast amounts of WEALTH, would naturally act in the best interest of everyone ELSE.

There’s simply no financial benefit for them to do so.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill

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https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/pentagon-kbr-wont-face-charges-in-shower-electrocution/

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It clears the mind when we view our government in this light. Why do they NOT act when it’s CLEAR that they should… even when that action is supported by a bipartisan MAJORITY of this Nation?

The answer to the problem would cost their donors MORE MONEY, risking their own political future.

Again, this is not a character assassination… it’s just simply the WAY IT IS.

… and I believe it must change.

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Because it’s at the HEART of the problem… which problem? ALL OF THEM. Immigration reform. Voting Rights. The Right to CHOOSE. The education of our children. Our National Debt. Our National Security…

It’s at the heart of the problems that we can SEE… and the problems we cannot.

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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-flynn-nuclear-exclusive/exclusive-mideast-nuclear-plan-backers-bragged-of-support-of-top-trump-aide-flynn-idUSKBN1DV5Z6

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https://thebulletin.org/2019/06/why-nuclear-power-plants-cost-so-much-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/

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Rot. Greed. Corruption. Self-interest.

Would the MAJORITY of this nation have supported such a plan? Would this plan embody our opinions on the subject of PEACEFUL nuclear proliferation? Would this endeavor help to secure our Nation’s Strategic Nuclear Defense posture?

What about the nuclear waste these facilities would create? What about the long-term maintenance and inspection of those facilities? What about geopolitical instability… civil unrest… and what about regime change?

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_of_nuclear_power_plants

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We set BILLIONS of dollars on fire studying the potential cost vs. benefit of nuclear energy at HOME and ABROAD. If the United States Government hasn’t already done an in-depth study on the potential long-term consequences of widespread adoption of Nuclear Energy in the Middle East… then they’d better set another BILLION on fire and hop to it.

Because apparently, that idea has been pursued in the recent PAST, and I have no doubt… someone will attempt to pursue it again in the FUTURE. Who do we allow to write our policies on Nuclear Energy… who shouldn’t be allowed to do so.

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https://www.axios.com/trump-nuclear-bombs-hurricanes-97231f38-2394-4120-a3fa-8c9cf0e3f51c.html

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https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/08/trump-north-korea-warning-241409

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https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/12/13/13936210/rick-perry-energy-department-trump

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Fire is a TOOL. Gunpowder is a TOOL. Nuclear weapons are a TOOL…

So too, is KNOWLEDGE.

When we seek knowledge, we reach for the LIGHT.

When our fear consumes us, we seek out the DARK.

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We will not find the answers we seek cowering alone with our FEARS.

We must face them. We must shine a LIGHT on them and work to fully understand them.

No one should fear a Nuclear War… but everyone should fear the ROT and CORRUPTION that would inevitably lead us to one.

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“The only thing we have to fear is… fear itself.”

-Franklin Delano Roosevelt

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… you damn straight.

-JC

everyone.

… it’s really NOT that hard! It’s actually quite simple. Like, when you were in kindergarten, they taught you a song to remember your ABCs, right? What else did they teach you? About our COUNTRY… our flag.

“… with Liberty and Justice for ALL.”

IDK about you, but I BELIEVED it… hook, line, and sinker! And the most AMAZING part is… we ALL did. Every one of us. And we continue to do so because we see it, ALIVE before our very eyes! And no one doubts for one second, when push comes to shove, black or white, Americans help Americans, through hell AND high water!

So it’s not that much of a stretch. All we have to do is redefine who we accept as “on our team”. People who we don’t normally socialize with or, in the past, people who seemed so socially different than ourselves, that we believed THEM to be a threat to OUR prosperity… because NOW we recognize. The threats to Our Liberty do not come from within, they originate from without. Shadowy organizations and individuals who operate within secret societies, and have secret codes, secret handshakes and secret pledges. Well… WE have a similar system, only ours is NO SECRET!! Our organization has a code- Equal Justice Under Law. And our society has a pledge- Liberty and Justice for ALL. And our handshake is always offered for ANYONE who STANDS in defense of the Liberty of OTHERS!

We MUST reaffirm that pledge, because there are many who stand waiting… wanting us to fail. The ones who profit at the expense of others. Who only hold power when people are SILENT. People who deceive with half-truths… IF they deal in the TRUTH at all! And they turn a blind eye to suffering, because they believe it is in THEIR best interest to be SILENT.

That is NOT the America I know!

As I plumb the depths of my soul, I sit, alone, considering all the stress I am creating, for my wife, for my kids, for myself, I search for context. A measuring stick to gauge how far I should go… I cry as I realize there is NO amount of pain I could suffer, unto myself or any other, that could come close to what has become of a JOURNALIST at the hands of Saudi henchmen. Or his fiancée who continues to grieve.

And DAILY, due to the arrogance AND ignorance of Donald Trump, thousands of families will now bear scars unimaginable to some, unforgettable to others.

And NONE OF US can complain, for OURS is bliss and heaven, compaired to the fate that befell three thousand innocent lives on the morning of September Eleventh…

…where 15 of 19 were Saudi born.

… And now we’ve come full circle.

Now we STAND, face to face, Living with the Dead. We championed the policy of vengeance and paid for its implementation with our lives. We said “Never Forget!”, sailed off to War, and forgot where we were supposed to be fighting. We said “Wanted: Dead or Alive!” and then let the man live in hiding for damn near a decade.

To seek Justice, to HONOR the lives lost nearly twenty years ago, we have sacrificed over seven thousand American Troops, and over fifty thousand have been wounded… and we STILL fight today while Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein are dead. BOTH men killed in countries that were NOT the target of our vengeance. And, even IF we focus on the intended, original target… we are STILL NOT FOCUSING on the problem-

15 of 19 were from yet ANOTHER COUNTRY: Saudi Arabia.

Where we have gone astray, I do not know. I can speculate, so can everyone else. But that is all we can do… speculate. There are reasons for secrecy. Classified Intel exists to secure our Liberty and keep our country safe, as it should be. But given the lack of clarity seen in the planning of the mission, and the unending nature of this military endeavor, once stifled questions must be raised and TRUTH must be found.

Our inability to deal with the reality of the situation has led us to a place where people with “good intentions” ignore crucial facts, because finding the truth can run counter to FUNDING the investigators… and investigations could lead to de-railing the fight itself… remember- “Never Forget!”©™®

Let us seek the answers together, not to punish… but to PERFECT. To enlighten, not imprison. To find understanding and end future ignorance.

I believe there is a BETTER WAY, and it involves a lot less dying…

everyone.together