Facts or Narrative?

 Russai is continuing a tactic that has been used by many tyrants and wannabe tyrants over the years, lying to their people.  I suppose some might argue they aren't the ones lying, a Russian sympathizer for example, but the concept that the Nazis of Ukraine were at fault flies in the face of some logic.  The fighting is taking place in the Ukraine, not Russia, so I guess they committed reverse aggression.

You would like to think that people would wise up to the lying, but hard to criticize them who live in a country where the media is controlled by the ruling party when here with free press, so many believe similar lies. Some here seem to work hard to believe and make no attempt to find the truth.

Something I have noticed is we assume perfect knowledge by the people we don't support. This allows us to say they are lying when they simply don't know things.  

Up until the Russians actually invaded, there was some uncertainty about whether they would so the impact on energy prices was debatable.  Once they did and we applied sanctions, the impact became apparent.  You could easily argue that the impact has been greatly mitigated by the administration's actions but in our current political environment, all that is emphasized is how bad the impact was.

All we see generally is biased reporting, not factual stuff.  

The facts are not important to the narrative.

Help People do the Right Thing

 In everything we do we should have both short term and long-term goals.  Ideally the short-term ones support the long-term ones, but not always.  For example, we have a long-term goal of eliminating carbon-based energy sources and replacing them with renewable ones.  However, replacing high carbon sources with lower ones might be a good short-term goal.

In that respect we can't be opposed to certain actions which serve as stop gate measures.  We also need to be aware that in order to make any progress we need to have the support of the majority of the people and hopefully all of them.

This can be a long crusade.  Look at how long it took to get the message out on cigarettes.  I don't think it's fully out even now.  People still smoke even though it has become expensive and clearly a known danger.  Stopping can be hard and similarly transitioning from oil based to renewable is also hard.  

One of the issues relates to our capitalistic system.  The Government does not want to influence or benefit particular companies.  This makes scammer seem as legitimate as everyone else.  Should the Government pick winners and losers?  No, but it can create standards and identify those who violate them.

Buyer beware is one of our fundamentals.  Some have trouble being aware.  We can make that easier.

Cruel Nature?

 I used to have an office that looked out on a seldom used railroad spur.  In the winter the trees lining the spur was home to birds who would cluster together for I assume warmth.  Every morning quite a few of them lay dead on the ground under the trees. 

I don't know if someone cleaned them up or if they provided food to other animals.  I worked late enough to see them return for the night nosily as they jostled for a spot.  It clearly was a life-or-death matter although I read that the ones who died probably were malnourished.

I guess the ones who had trouble finding enough food had two problems.  They weren't strong enough to get a good spot where the warmth of the flock would help them and they couldn't withstand the cold being undernourished.

It seems cruel but the flock seemed to survive and when it became time to breed the weak had been weeded out.  Nature isn't cruel but it is pragmatic.  Your existence is not guaranteed, you have to fight for it. 

I never researched what type of birds these were but I'm pretty sure if I went to that office (it might not exist) the flock would still be flourishing.  

Nature made it stronger each year.

Disagree, but Don't Hate

 People have had to deal with disasters in their personal lives. The loss of a job, a serious illness or unexpected death can be devastating.  There are some support systems but only to a certain extent.  None of this is new and the one thing we know is that people will cope the best they can.

It does seem to me that somehow, we have many people who can't deal with even minor setbacks, at least in the scheme of things.  I was looking at pictures from Ukraine, a pretty modern country where the invaders apparently somewhat randomly shot people in Bucha.  These were men and women who had normal lives.  The pictures are gruesome in and of themselves but the ones where I guess relatives or neighbors were trying to identify the dead struck me the most.

Sometimes after a terrible accident or natural disaster we see similar images, but this seems totally random and particularly callous.  It made me wonder how we would react to similar carnage in this country.  Based on the current level of rhetoric, I don't think it is so impossible.

It's time to stop repeating or believing hate.  Americans who disagree with you on an issue are just as American as you are.  I don't personally support people having abortions, but I don't consider them murderers.  I'm not sure how we can dictate to one person that they lose control of their own body ever.

Still those who have an opposing view are not evil.  We just disagree.

Increase Production?

If you consider the Republican efforts, if any, to control inflation, it is basically to punish workers and reward big corporations who are profiting from the situation.

Some elements of inflation are external to this country, but others are not.   For example, American oil companies could reopen closed wells and increase the supply.  They say they are too expensive, but they have a good economic reason not to.  If a barrel of oil is selling for say $70 and it costs $40 to produce it you get a profits of $30 for each barrel.  If the price goes to $100 you are making $70 a barrel.  Say you produce a million barrels that's 70 million dollars.  Suppose you can double the production and drive the price of oil down to $70.   The new production drives the cost of production to $50 (these are the more expensive wells) only make 20 a barrel and at 2 million barrels you make $40 million dollars.  

Oil executives know that $70 million is more than $40 million so why open up those wells.  Since these same oil companies have bought up most of the available leases, expect no help from them.  In fairness they couldn't justify it to their shareholders.

Supreme Court

 There is some dispute about whether the Supreme Court has become more political.  Let's be realistic. It has.  Until a few years ago Supreme Court Justices could be filibustered.  Then we had the situation where the Republican senate refused to even hear arguments about Obama's nominee.  They knew by any standard he was an acceptable candidate and that they might not be able to filibuster his nomination if it got that far.    

Under Trump they dropped any pretense and dropped the filibuster capability.  Now the filibuster prevented proposing nominees so unacceptable to the other side that you could get 60 votes.  This led to rhe politicization of the court as nominees could be clearly partisan.  

Still, it isn't required that they be.  The latest nominee has all the qualifications and moderate opinions that should have led to a smooth confirmation.  Only 3 Republicans voted for her and they are trying to present her as a radical.  Her confirmation is historic and the fact that Republicans walked out while she wa being applauded is more a reflection of their closed mindedness than her.

More Representative Government

 If you frequent social media or watch some shows which pretend to be news you are probably familiar with accusations about (liberals/conservatives) trying to ruin this country.  These accusations are generally based on taking a position attributed to some and ascribing it to all.

Both sides have their share of hotheads and crazies, but what they say or do is not the official policy of either party, unless of course it is.  We have a lot of media people who like to pretend it is. 

Even worse, our primary system allows people with extreme views to become the official party nominee.  Unfortunately, too many Americans don't pay enough attention and vote based on name recognition or media exposure.

Even worse is that primary participation is so low and hardly reflects the will of the majority.

More honesty and better representation are the goals and we are not that close.  

Technology and Scams

 One of the problems we face as modern people is how complicated the world is and our inability to keep up.  Many things seem the same, and some, are but too many have become complex.  Thiis has created a divide between the techs and the others.  Take banking, something most of us have had to use over the years.  I know people who don't trust electronic transactions and still do everything in person, although some have been forced to use ATMs by the banks.  So, some of those have been fitted with interceptor readers that act real but steal your info and money. 

This is hardly the most sophisticated scam but it is aimed at those who do things in person.  I know people who have almost been scammed, or maybe they were.  Scammers like to prey on people's good nature and desire to help.  I guarantee you that the current situation in Ukraine has given rise to many scams designed to take advantage of your desire to help.

In fact the two aspects that make us susceptible is the desire to help others and greed.  The best defense i to forget about being polite or helping strangers via online solicitations.  If you want to help somebody, don't click on an e-mail link, find a reputable site yourself.  

Supreme Court Nominee

 It seems likely that we are soon going to have our first Black Female Supreme court justice.  The committee that reviewed her went totally partisan in their vote.  While the Republicans on the committee used various reasons, it comes down to her being nominated by a Democratic President, the fact that she has some liberal opinions and the fact that she is Black.

Since she is replacing a long serving liberal justice, her being liberal does not change the court balance so when you see liars talking about her vote could have swung past decisions that were decided by one vote, it isn't likely since she is likely to vote the same way the person she is replacing would have.  It shows how contemptuous Republicans are of their base.  

They have already declared, sight unseen, that they will block any future Biden nominees.  For all those who regret the loss of bipartisanship, if we ever had any, this is a clear indicator of why.

Facing Reality

 Life is unpredictable.  Sometimes we think we can predict it, but it tends to surprise us.  Not long ago, common knowledge was that if Russia decided to invade Ukraine, they would overrun it.  Now clearly that didn't happen.  In fact, I was reading about how Putin thought the Ukrainians would welcome him with flowers.  If you surround yourself with "Yes Men" you are living in a bubble.  That works until you leave the bubble.

We see a lot of that in this country now.  It seems different to me now but maybe I was just naive when I was young.  Studies show that most people live with people who share their views.  I don't mean that they live among other Americans who share fundamental values, rather they live with partisans who believe things that are controversial.

Believing that there is one or more organizations rigging elections, but which can't be found despite queries and audits, is like believing in Yeti or Aliens.  Simply put, if 99% of the evidence points to one conclusion but you hang onto the 1% that might be inconclusive, you have a problem.

   

Spring Birds

 April is the month that we start to expect Spring weather.  Yes, March can have nice days but once we get past April Fool's Day our expectations rise.  Certainly, the activity of the birds is timely as I imagine nest building is well underway.  Not sure about egg laying but I'm sure appropriate measures are underway.

I keep reading articles about how some birds are expanding their ranges north as the area warms up.  I generally see the same type of birds that I've always seen.  The most exotic are the cardinals who have nested in my backyard since I moved here.  I don't know how long cardinals live so I'm sure these aren't the original ones, but most likely their descendants.  

The most exotic bird was a small parrot that we actually captured one year thinking it was an escaped pet.  We lured it food and it seemed tame.  We never found anyone looking for a lost Parrot, so we adopted Baby and he was part of our family for a number of years.  Apparently, we have parrots now, but they were first noticed in 2013.  We found baby before that, but he has a family resemblance but more colorful.

Baby

Wild

Any Good News IsAttacked

 If you look at anything, pretty much, there will be areas that didn't go perfectly.  Take the Biden Presidency.  His agenda did not get passed in its entirety.  Some of his campaign promises haven't happened at least not yet.  Still, he has a string of accomplishments that far exceed the last occupant.

He has gotten us out of Afghanistan.  Yes, the exit and images on T.V. weren't great but a terrorist attack at any time is messy.  Those images don't change the fact that our involvement in a 20-year war is now over.

The economy is going gangbusters.  That's a significant accomplishment but the downside is that supply can't fully keep up with demand, especially regarding oil.  Sow we have inflation which is likely to ease as supply catches up.  Other items have manufacturing and supply issues as much manufacturing here and abroad have trouble gearing up.  The good news is that jobs are plentiful, and wages are increasing.  In our current culture, every silver cloud has a black lining.  Inflation is indeed transitory, but the transitory period is still with us.  

We have reforged our alliances in Europe and present a United front to the Russian aggression.  It seems to be paying off and while we are not losing soldiers, we do have a bit of an economic cost.  Once again, the success of the Ukrainians is the silver cloud, loss of Russian oil is the black lining.

The passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill is a monumental accomplishment.  It will have a long beneficial impact on this country.

Immigration is an issue that is not going to be solved.  It is being handled better but as it becomes more desirable here it will increase.  

The Pandemic is not gone but it is mostly contained for now.  We may simply have to live with it, but those who refuse to take precautions will live with a more serious version.  We know how to mitigate the danger, but some won't.  

Voting rights is problematic and the Supreme Court is more radical than it was.  Reforming it is unlikely.

The next election is probably not going to be the solution but it's not too late to rally the base.  Otherwise we may have two years of deadlock.

Party Affiliation

 One of the trends in this country is that party registrations are down while independent registration is up.  This is something of a misleading stat, since generally speaking independents don't have a candidate to vote for.  Maybe they should.

Most States make party affiliation the easiest way to get listed on the ballot.  The requirement to get listed varies but generally it requires petitions signed by a significant number of citizens and meeting filing deadlines. Some states make it easier than others but ultimately the two "major" parties get the top spots on the ballot.

We are living in a time when the differences between the parties seem greater than ever.  Not as much in actual policies as in animosity.  In many areas people are being told how democrats are socialists who kill babies.  This exceeds the argument about abortion.   

As far as policy goes, the Republicans object to the policies that they accuse Democrats of having.  In some cases, some democrats may actually support some of those policies but generally most don't.  Most Democrats are moderate in their views, just like most Republicans.

Still the hatred exists and is fed by rabid media. 

Political Lies

 Some of the things people are willing to believe are simply unbelievable.  In the Ohio Senate race one of the candidates apparently thinks the census reported that more people voted then were registered to vote, thereby proving election fraud.  No such report exists, the census didn't make that claim and the facts show nothing close to that.  Most of the other Republican candidates still support the idea that the last Presential election was stolen, trying to get endorsed.

This is not the most blatant lie currently, although it is close.  The accusations fired at our Supreme Court nominee were mostly based on nothing except a desire to get sound bites.  A certain number of Americans will believe them anyway.

Free Speech is one of our great freedoms but seeing it get abused like this makes you wonder if we need stronger libel and slander laws.  Free Speech protects the speakers right to say what he wants, but does it protect him from answering for his lies?

Reform in this area is unlikely, we have too many impediments to progress.

Lying is very important to some politicians.

Living Throughout History

 I was reding a forum today where a question was asked about the Middle Ages being depressing.  It wasn't except when it was.  This answer applies to all periods and all people everywhere.

Today I woke up made something to eat and considered the weather.  I would like to cut back some dead brush around the property but whether I do not that or not depends on the potential rain and how I feel later.  This is not much different than what people have done throughout history except when they were caught up in larger events.

We look at history and focus on the events that might have changed a monarch or led to a war.  Meanwhile in the thousands of years of our history, once individuals ended up in an agrarian life, it generally was about the same everywhere for everyone except when you were caught up in unusual events.  

People tend to focus on what is normal.  Yes, they might be in the way of invading armies or Viking (fill in the raider of your choice) raids but those were a horrible and rare event.  When they were over people picked up the pieces and went about their life.

Our view of the middle ages or even the dark ages is distorted by events that impacted some people horribly but weren't as much of a factor as we think  

Mostly they got up, did the work that needed to be done and hopefully had an uneventful work filled day.

It's what many aspire to today.

Spring Is a Gift

 My backyard is full of birds much of the year but in the spring I have the most.  Right outside my kitchen window is a tree in bloom that attracts feeding birds.  I'm not sure if they eat the blooms or insects attracted to the blooms but there's enough traffic to suggest the food supply is fairly plentiful and constant.

When you see them up close you can see how they are related to how dinosaurs are depicted.  No one ever actually saw  dinosaur, if you exclude birds.  Still our scientists have rendered depictions and recovered fossils giving us a good idea of what they looked like.

Think about how long life has existed on this planet?  Every year, whatever life was here the solar energy and the soil nutrients provided food for all life here.  It has varied and the food chains have chainged but it still continues to provide,

For much of its history humankind did not exist.  We seem to be trying to eliminate us again.  Take care of the earth and we can last as long as the birds have.  

Or not.

Peasantry Reborn!

 Let's be as clear as possible about the future envisioned by the Republican party, the deserving people have good jobs, nice homes and everyone else works for them and struggles to survive with no backup Government programs.

They may envision multiple levels of need but the image they hold to is that of the London described by Charles Dickens where the poor were forced to work for almost nothing while well off Britons lived well.

They seldom say it out loud although recently Republican Senator Rick Scott published the plans and while he outlines an agenda to tax ordinary Americans and eliminate social programs, he continues to lie about it. 

Even radical right media can read and he can't count of the fact that a majority of Americans don't normally read the news.

Understand that the vast majority of us are relegated in their minds to the "working" classs, fully dependent on our employers.  

It allows the right people to live the good life and we get whatever trickles down.

Progress Will Win

 Change is the one thing we can be certain of.  The world's climate has changed pretty dramatically within human history.  It was the receding of the last Ice age that coincided with the spread of homo sapiens and the decline of Neanderthals. 

Were they related?  Well, it seems like they should be but I don't know if we actually know.  They clearly coexisted for some period of time and while looking back at the history would indicate a fairly quick transition, it still would have lasted a fair number of lifetimes.

During any transition period, you have the new mixing with the old.  The old will inevitably give way to the new but they might try to fight back.  We see that today in America and with some success.  However the wave of change will eventually wash them out of the way and a better more fair America will emerge.

Just might be delayed.

Compete for?

 Winston Churchill reportedly said that Democracy s the worst form of Government except for all the others we have tried.

Democracy, by its definition. serves the will of the majority and leaves the minority unhappy.  Now this is not completely true since even the losers in our form can have significant representation and influence

Our system allows the minority to impede legislation and bring progress to a standstill. The other wasy to look at that is that it doesn't allow reckless proposals to pass.

The most common outcome we suffer through is a reaction to the last winners of dissatisfaction.  This leads to a change in the majority.  This generally doesn't fix the issues.

It has led both parties to focus on winning, which is normal.  However what are they winning?   

Oil Capitalism.

 The price of gas is high dues to a whole lot of factors, but hardly any related to Government policies.  Oil companies got devastated when the pandemic hit as demand dropped along with prices, devaluing the inventory.  Further the oil they were producing cost more to produce then they could sell it for.

Oil company took a hit on their bottom line and their stock price.  While consumers liked the prices that resulted, it wasn't the price that could sustain the oil company profits.

When the pandemic eased and demand shot up there wasn't enough supply, so prices increased. This is basic economics. This should be self-correcting as oil companies increase production but after getting burnt and unwilling to risk more shutdowns the wells lay idle.  What they were already producing was demanding premium prices and starting up more wells wasn't going to help they're bottom line.

It's not price gouging it is simple economics and profit margins.  where more wells would lead to reduce profits on curent supply.  

That's Capitalism!