In the Robb Elementary School mass shooting of 19 children in Uvalde, Texas, we had on display the true nature of SWAT units, those Special Weapons and Tactics cops trained to take on the most dangerous of criminals and terrorists, but who are always thinking first of their own safety. The SWAT squad got …
A bird with my name on it
I lay down on the couch on a hot afternoon And got lost in the thought That this old world needs a make-over. Right then I had a vision: I saw Spirit reshaping everything. Whole populations were melting back into clay. I focused my vision like a microscope And saw amazing things: The fern became …
Rhubarb and the revolution followed by a comment
I stepped outside this morning and Bam! I smelled the smell of green life! (Of course it is more than a smell, But a spirit and a spell.) For a few moments The green was breathing for me. Don’t worry about breathing. Just stand here, I’ll take care of the rest. My wife asks me …
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The US Nuked Two Cities in WWII and Has Threatened to Use Them Often Since Then
During this war in Ukraine, much had been written about how Russia and President Vladimir Putin have “broken the nuclear taboo” or “could break the nuclear taboo” by threatening or actually using “small” tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine. The threats have indeed been made, and they could potentially be more than bluffs. But …
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Two realities
Bodies were lying for weeks in the streets. We couldn’t bury dead people. We tried not to watch them. It was more important to save our minds. Burying the dead equalled being killed. The shelling was non-stop. We all stayed in the basement. We cooked food on a fire. We lived off what we could …
War Secretary Austin Comes Clean: US Wants a Long War in Ukraine, Not a Quick Peace
We’ve moved into crazy town, with President Biden, who cannot get Congress or even his own Democratic Congressional caucus to back continued aid to families with children through the expanded child tax credit, now asking Congress to provide another $20 billion in military aid to Ukraine (part of a $33-(billion aid package to the …
Those were the days!: What was the cold war like? (followed by some thoughts)
What was the Cold War like? It was like falling asleep To the moaning of a phantom train Barreling through our dreams, And when we woke up It was like a cavern Where we could peer straight into hell. It was like living in an insane asylum Administered by maniacs That we would vote for, …
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Defending Ukraine’s Draft Dodgers
Back in 2015, when I was driving from Kuopio Finland up to the country’s far north to write an article on global warming and how it was affecting the Sami indigenous people of Lappland, I found myself offering rides to a number of Ukrainian young people, mostly male, or males accompanied by …
Why Hasn’t the US Been Kicked off the UN Human Rights Council?
The United Nations General Assembly voted 93-24 with 58 abstentions to drop the Russian Federation from membership on the UN Human Rights Council, based on allegations and grisly videos and photos appearing to show execution-style slayings of civilians in Ukraine by Russian troops. While there are calls for independent investigations into those allegations, the …
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Time for Democrats to Stand and Deliver or Admit They Want to Lose Power
The outlook for Democrats in Washington and in statehouses across the country in 2022 and in the next presidential election in 2024 range between dismal and disastrous. The party, infested by neo-liberals who want more military spending, more wars, less regulation, “market solutions” to problems like health care and a decent, secure retirement for all …
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