The HEART of the Argument

The system we now have in place no longer works for the American People… but then again, maybe it never did. It was just the closest approximation to what the people wanted as we could conceive. And it has worked surprisingly well… just so long as The People aren’t hopelessly DIVIDED.

And that’s the BEAUTY of the experiment. I’m not just speculating… I have PROOF that it works. Actual evidence… our SHARED HISTORY.

But you heard President Biden… this is how it’s supposed to work. Compromise. Bipartisanship… just like it’s always been. C’mon man! What are you trying to do here, rock the BOAT?

He’s fighting to keep America the way it’s always been. Just like it was back in HIS day… when he was a Senator.

I think maybe he’s missing the POINT.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html

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… or maybe an OLD DOG can change his SPOTS.

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https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/6/20/18677998/joe-biden-1994-crime-bill-law-mass-incarceration

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The Soul of America must look quite different, when seen through the fence of a Gated Community.

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If you go and dissect it… get it down to the HEART of the argument… you find that nugget of TRUTH upon which the entire idea was formed. The SAND inside the PEARL. Seen through the “eyes” of the bivalve… it’s that irritant it was trying to isolate all along.

Best as I can tell, most of us are RIGHT about 66% of the time. That other 33% or so… we are straight up WRONG. I can call it out just as anyone can. Hell… we do it all the time. We watch “NEWS” shows that constantly highlight when everyone ELSE is stuck in that 33% range.

BUT… like a wise man once said- You never know when YOUR TIME in the barrel will come.

I might be paraphrasing, but I do not mean to downplay or belittle the threat. On this point, every American Citizen seems to be in agreement. The threat is most certainly REAL. Unfortunately, 33% of us don’t seem to know where that threat is coming from.

Insanity begets insanity… but what’s worse, is insanity left UNADDRESSED. Disease undetected. We must diagnose it before we begin to treat it.

We must HEAL the wound, or it will lead to our demise.

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mar-a-lago-search-fbi-threat-law-enforcement/

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The fundamental FLAW in any argument based on the premise that our Federal Law Enforcement Officers are a bunch of Jackbooted Thugs, is just that… FLAWED. You can’t have it BOTH WAYS.

“Lock Her UP!” would require the FBI.
“Investigate Hunter’s LAPTOP!” requires an ongoing INVESTIGATION.
Donald J. Trump held Nuclear Secrets at Mar-a-Lago…

Now, here’s my question… why do we keep letting all these CRIMINALS run for Our Highest Office?

The person at the TOP says a lot about the Political Organization that STANDS behind them.

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They don’t get there by themselves.
They have a whole lot of HELP from the Leadership of their POLITICAL PARTY…

**Regardless of what The People want.**

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https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/11/14/16640082/donna-brazile-warren-bernie-sanders-democratic-primary-rigged

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/08/us/politics/bernie-sanders-drops-out.html

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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/04/21/wait-bernie-might-run-in-2024-00027036

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Are there no other VIABLE options left in the Democratic Party or is THE PARTY unwilling to listen to its MEMBERS… the VOTERS of their Party.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/how-iowa-caucuses-fell-apart-tarnished-vote-n1140346

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Which leaves us in a precarious spot… because the choices on the ballot are now ‘DAMNED IF YOU DO’ vs. ‘DAMNED IF YOU DON’T’.

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https://www.reuters.com/world/us/republican-party-withdraws-us-commission-presidential-debates-2022-04-14/

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Congratulations! Now we get 90 minutes of Joe Biden debating himself during the Presidential Debates in 2024.

… that should be a hoot.

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https://nypost.com/2022/04/14/biden-shakes-hands-with-thin-air-after-north-carolina-speech/

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For the majority of my adult life our Nation has been at WAR. For twenty years we fought in TWO COUNTRIES, seeking vengeance against those who had done us harm. Under the leadership of FOUR different Administrations.

My fellow Americans… did that military endeavor make us SAFER than we were before?

Would we seek to re-elect those leaders who got us into that mess in the first place? Would we seek to elevate the advisors who were in the room when those decisions were being made? Imagine if we did… what result would we see?

Even now, as we can point to overwhelming evidence that shows their strategies were ill-informed, would they choose to avoid those mistakes in a future endeavor… or would they just stick to their same old WAYS?

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/02/18/biden-afghanistan-military-power/

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https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/10/poland-fighter-jet-deal-ukraine-russia-00016038

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/ukraines-soldiers-rockets-drones-are-running-low-boots-t-shirts-rcna43902

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C’mon man, that’s Joe Biden we’re talking about here! We ALL know who he is… that’s what got him elected in the FIRST PLACE.

We can’t have it BOTH WAYS. Either we want things to CHANGE, or we want things to remain the SAME. Why would we think a second term would be any different than the FIRST? So far, it’s going exactly as it did the last time he spent 8 YEARS in the Oval Office.

He stood by President Obama’s side and advised him on every issue, including Afghanistan. Their leadership created the situation unfolding on the ground in Ukraine TODAY… a situation that began on their watch, in the SPRING of 2014.

Why would we expect anything different?
Why would we expect anything to CHANGE?

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Familiarity and nostalgia may bring comfort… but we need to step outside our comfort zone if we want things to genuinely change.

If we choose to do nothing, then it will be our fault as well…
As if WE were the ones storming OUR CAPITOL.

To be SILENT is to be COMPLICIT in Her demise.

-JC

Do Unto Others

Wipe the haze off your political lens… clear away the condensation on that cold mirror… can you now see yourself in their eyes? Try walking a kilometer in their shoes.

What would we do, if millions of Americans became refugees overnight. Too far fetched to see that HERE? Well… it seems REAL WARS can now be started based on LIES, so why not consider an alternative scenario. One that takes place right now, along side this overheated geopolitical situation…

What’s the PLAN if Yellowstone goes off.

What happens when MILLIONS of Americans are forced to leave their LIVES behind because their land is now TOXIC. Unable to drive because machines break down due to ASH. Unable to be rescued because of the SAME. Carrying with them only what fits in a BACKPACK… forced to leave in order to avoid the oncoming volcanic winter.

Overnight, Mexico has a refugee crisis at their Northern Border. Millions of Americans… millions of Canadians… all pushing SOUTH, to find safety and a chance to secure a new HOME.

Let us pray they show us COMPASSION in our hour of greatest need… and forgive us for the level of compassion we’ve shown them in recent years.

And let us say that they DO open their arms and welcome their neighbors from the north… RIGHT NOW, Mexico is not part of NATO. They could face potential pressure to BLOCK the flow of refugees, up to and including a military response. It could be seen as giving aid and comfort to a geopolitical adversary, or it could be seen by some as a ‘False Flag’. A covert-op…

‘Those aren’t refugees, they’re Special Forces. Undercover military officers, hiding amongst the women and children.‘

How much economic PAIN could Russia inflict on Mexico? If that’s not enough, how much economic pain could Russia’s FRIENDS inflict on Mexico? How long could they withstand an economic battle with our geopolitical foes before they’re forced to SHUT DOWN their border to us… leaving us trapped in a hellish landscape of fallout and despair. ALONE.

They’re not a member of NATO, just an ally. Mexico can CHOOSE to do as it wants; especially in a situation like that… when the economic outlook of the United States of America would look pretty stark.

Contractually speaking, what obligations do they have… besides taking care of their own citizens? What obligations would the European Union have to give Mexico support? What of NATO… ‘Mexico is not a member of the organization. There’s nothing we can do.‘

Well… I guess we’re just shit outta luck.

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Being an Eagle Scout, preparedness is in my blood. I can’t help but run scenarios in my head, considering what actions I would take… in situations like those, faced by families fleeing violence in Ukraine.

If there is something that I can do NOW… to prepare… and possibly make the difference. Help save someone else’s LIFE… then why wouldn’t I ACT?

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/28/i-havent-told-my-granny-ukraines-student-molotov-cocktail-makers

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What country is that? What country does that SOUND like. Where is that again… because that sounds awesome.

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https://www.foxnews.com/auto/nascar-richard-childress-donate-1-million-rounds-ammo-ukraine

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That sounds like someone I want on MY TEAM. Who wouldn’t want to do everything they could…

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https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2022/03/07/white-house-dod-lower-expectations-of-polish-warplanes-for-ukraine/

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And so now… here we are. CHAINED. The living, side-by-side with the dead. Walking around in a world that no longer EXISTS. Strictly adhering to RULES written by dead men.

Their rules have produced the situation we find ourselves IN. And now we dust off the SAME old playbooks, in order to prevent more of the SAME… expecting different results. But is that really the case? What outcome do they HOPE for… because right now that’s all we’re sending them.

**That and a boatload of CASH.**

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Once upon a time there was this guy named Osama. He didn’t like what the Russians were doing in Afghanistan about as much as us. So, we thought it was a good idea to FUND a bunch of his buddies, seeing as how they were already there on the ground. So we set up a way for them to access BILLIONS of dollars.

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

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But not directly, of course. What happens if things go SOUTH like it did with the Bay of Pigs? What if it’s seen as an escalatory step?

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Plausible Deniability. We didn’t FUND those groups and organizations, we found a responsible, third-party to take care of distributing those funds for us…

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You know… Pakistan.

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https://www.history.com/news/bin-laden-compound-abbottabad-belongings

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There is no rhyme or reason to any of this. We’ve seen this SHOW before… it’s been in syndication since the 1960’s. It’s the same tired plotlines and the same exaggerated outcomes, but now it’s all IN REAL LIFE. The SHOW never ends…

It’s just too damn PROFITABLE.

New season. New cast. Same shit. Different DAY. Thankfully… we don’t have to keep buying it. We can make a CHOICE. We can make a CHANGE. And we should act NOW… before it’s too late.

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https://www.voanews.com/a/is-russia-using-its-syria-playbook-for-invasion-of-ukraine-/6469061.html

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How many times must we make the same mistakes before we get it RIGHT? We can’t solve all our problems by just throwing a bunch of MONEY at it… it will still be there. Watching. WAITING. Until the funding runs DRY. During the next Administration. When the next set of aged Senators retire. When the institutional memory of their actions fades, and the ignorance of YOUTH blossoms… like Cherry Trees in the spring.

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No one wants a Nuclear War.

Not us.

Not them.

The only death and destruction those bombs now bring is that of INACTION. Born out of FEAR.

Our fear… of an act, that will never come.

It has been Mutually Assured.

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That’s the gift we’ve been given. Secured through decades of diplomatic service on BOTH SIDES of the Iron Curtain. It’s the ONE THING we all agree upon…

LIFE should survive.

Let us start there… and HONOR the work that has already been done.

-JC

The End of an Era

President Biden has now laid out in some detail, what the consequences will be if Vladimir Putin decides to invade Ukraine. He has done so on multiple occasions. And now… he believes President Putin has made a CHOICE.

Vladimir Putin has decided to bring about an end to the Post-Cold War Era and disregard all the progress we have made. He has concluded that the ‘Cold’ aspect of the Cold War was insufficient. As he sees it, there remain some issues that cannot be resolved without force. In his eyes… he sees no choice but to act unilaterally.

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So let us bid farewell, to the diplomatic understanding we’ve established between our two nations, over the course of these last 30 years. To the interdependence we’ve created and the scientific advancements we’ve realized, as well as the shared economic prosperity that comes from a PEACEFUL competition between two technologically advanced nations.

As President Biden said… this is the path Vladimir Putin has CHOSEN to pursue.

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https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/partners_us_russian_cooperation_in_human_spaceflight.pdf

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Our choices have consequences, every one of us. Our LEADERS are no exception. Whether elected by the VOTE of the people or NOT… they too, can be removed from their positions. Either by TIME or by the people… eventually, that time comes for us ALL.

A war of CHOICE only hastens the arrival of that day.

The consequences of their actions are felt by the people they leave behind after their descent. They linger, long after the conflict has ended, and they are never forgotten… no matter how much TIME has passed.

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https://www.amnestyusa.org/reports/canada-urged-to-arrest-and-prosecute-george-w-bush/

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We know what becomes of Leaders who support a war of CHOICE… a war started based on LIES. A Master Class on deception was presented to the American People in the lead up to the War in Iraq, and for a time it worked. We believed our President when he said there was a threat.

But The People of the United States of America soundly REJECTED the idea of supporting a war of CHOICE just two election cycles later. Senator Hillary Clinton voted FOR the invasion… Senator Obama did NOT.

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https://www.politico.com/story/2008/01/obama-beats-hillary-over-head-with-iraq-008248

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The People reaffirmed that position in 2016.

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Twenty years later we can see where they LIED, and we can state with CONVICTION— the American People will not support a war of CHOICE… and we will not support those who do.

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Let our story STAND as a cautionary tale for those who would CHOOSE war over diplomacy. Did the United States achieve any of our initial objectives? Have we secured more LAND or more RESOURCES? On the contrary. Our War on Terror has decidedly produced the opposite effect… for those who started the war, and for The People who continue to PAY for it.

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Our standing on the World Stage… tarnished. Our authority on issues of World Peace and National Security… diminished. Because we were blinded by patriotism and a manipulated sense of duty, we forgot the reason we were already at war. We were supposed to be fighting a group of ideologically radicalized individuals who attacked us without provocation.

For their own self-interest. For their own warped sense of reality.

Our Leaders ignored that lesson and chose to engage in a war of vengeance, a war of convenience… a war of CHOICE. And now, twenty years later… those SCARS are forever part of the fabric that makes up our society. Decisions made by FORMER Leaders that will continue to shape our future… long after their TIME has come and gone.

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War, whether justified or not, brings with it unintended consequences. The vulgarity and the brutality on full display, will ironically highlight the HUMANITY of those involved in the conflict. In the wake of Blitzkrieg or Shock-and-Awe lies devastation. Lives shattered and infrastructure destroyed.

What comes AFTER those fires are extinguished will shine brightly, contrasted against the haze sparked by the aggressors. Schools leveled; children left hungry. Diaspora… overwhelming loss and need. Even if those images are restricted, in time the World will learn of those actions. In time… everyone will be able to SEE.

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http://thememoryhole2.org/blog/the-military-coffin-photos-1

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Those images can touch the souls of every person… regardless of race, color, or creed. They can strengthen the resolve of those who stand opposed to the aggressors, and they can inspire CHANGE on a global scale.

For out of the ashes will grow HOPE. Out of necessity… to ensure it can never happen again.

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After the conclusion of WWII, African Americans who served abroad as Free Men, came home to a Jim Crow segregated South. Twenty years later, those who fought for Liberty abroad, joined in the fight for the same thing HERE… and they secured their Right to Vote.

Women, who had stepped up to fill the void in our workforce as our G.I.’s went off to war, felt slighted when they were sent ‘back to the kitchen’ as our soldiers came home. But Liberty, once seen cannot be forgotten. Liberation was the cause they took up in the wake of aggression… a fight, that continues to this day.

Let there be NO DOUBT. Vladimir Putin’s war of CHOICE will produce the same. It will be the catalyst of change, both at HOME and ABROAD… and our WORLD will never be the same.

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-04/russia-captures-no-2-rank-among-foreign-oil-suppliers-to-u-s

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All that stands between us and the ash-heap of history… is our WORD. Our BOND. The principals for which we continue to STAND. Where is it written that we should COWER in the face of aggression, for FEAR of what may come?

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

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Every word I’ve ever seen written on the subject, demands that we STAND STRONG and do everything within our power to avoid war… whatever the COST might be. Our ACTIONS in this moment will determine the future of the Post-War Era… so too, will our INACTION.

We cannot control the actions of others; we can only control the actions of ourselves. And one day… we will be judged based on those actions.

A war of CHOICE only hastens the arrival of that day.

-JC

One of Ten

I drove up to Fort Leavenworth today… as I do whenever I’m in need of CONTEXT.

I rarely walk the rows of our most recently fallen service members as I don’t want to disturb grieving families, so I make a commitment to HONOR the memories of soldiers who most likely… no longer have someone around to remember their name.

As I read the stones, in my mind I say the names and ranks, in HONOR of their service. Some stones still “speak” and give a flash of LIFE… a unique characteristic, a nickname, a eulogy. A rebellious salute to the end of a life STAINED by WAR, made by an aged VETERAN who’s SPIRIT remained untarnished by the evils brought with it.

A majority are marked with the Cross of Christ, so the stones marked with a Star of David or the Star and Crescent reveal even more depth, and some stones mark the resting place of TWO souls…

The WOMEN who stood behind those heroes in LIFE, chose to rest beside them in death.

The oldest military grave at Fort Leavenworth Cemetery is that of Captain James Allen, who died in 1846, when our President was James K. Polk… 174 YEARS AGO.

Representatives from the Civil War, the Spanish-American War, WWI… fighting for the United States of America on HORSEBACK. Thousands of BRAVE men and women who’ve dedicated their lives to our Nation, over the course of CENTURIES…

The bitter wind blows through the oaks, rustling the crisp brown leaves and the clock chimes at the top of the hour. The sound echoes off the hillside, the SILENCE echoes throughout TIME.

I am humbled to think ‘WHAT CAUSE could rally so many people to give ALL of themselves, to ensure its continued existence… and could there ever be another seen as its EQUAL?’

As I pass the obelisk and crest the hill, the view of markers standing at attention rolls down and across the valley, and the scenery starts to change… WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Iraq… Mounds of DIRT. Freshly laid flowers. THEN, just grass. A sprawling hillside with a couple saplings, the green contrasting sharply with its marble edging…

… I now know where I stand.

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U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)

Length: 1092 feet (332.8 m)
Beam: 252 feet (76.8 m)
2 Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors, generating 194 megawatts
Speed: 30+ knots
Range: UNLIMITED
Ship’s company: 3,200
Air wing: 2,480 carrying 90 aircraft

… and this is only one of TEN. This is the culmination of over 230 years of scientific achievement, born of our CAUSE, our dedication to Equal Justice Under Law.

But the “Big Stick” is only a HOLLOW SHELL without the men and women who makeup her LIFEBLOOD, without whom she does not SAIL.

I do not say these things to boast. I do not say this to intimidate. I am simply stating a FACT, bringing CLARITY to a situation we’ve ALL seen before.

Our Experience must guide us now.

Let us not speak of escalation, when we KNOW where that path LEADS. At the end of that road, we know what fate LIES.

FIRST it’s a tanker, then it’s a refinery. Then it’s a military DRONE. Now, LIVES. First its US, then it’s THEM… once upon a time it was the Gulf of Tonkin. And before THAT, it was the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and MANY years before… REVOLUTIONARIES. Dressed in a FALSE FLAG, wearing the clothes of NATIVES… drunkenly throwing TEA into a harbor…

We know where the path of escalation LEADS. A cost, measured in LIVES.

What GOOD is Experience if we do not LEARN from it? What will become of our collective KNOWLEDGE if we do not SHARE IT?

“The only winning move is: not to play.”

In so far as it is within my power… I will work toward ensuring that Kansas Hillside, stays forever GREEN.

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