“Books are like seeds. They can lie dormant for centuries and then flower in the most unpromising soil.” (Carl Sagan); “Nothing ever dies on the Internet.” (anon.); “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile.” (Madison Ave. [m]adman). My posts amalgamate these three philosophical elements into one novel experience; they champion critical thinking, human dignity / equality, levelheaded / even-handed / liberty-based governance and solid environmental stewardship. C’mon in!
In Greek mythology the Hydra was a serpent-like, multi-headed beast. Were
a warrior to cut off 1 of its heads, it would, instantly, regenerate 2 in its place.
Heracles knew he would need his nephew Iolaus’ help to emerge triumphant.
In American mythology, a headstrong “commander” takes on a multi-headed,
regenerative beast a.k.a. the Terrorist. With too many heads to contend with,
sans a latter-day Iolaus, he could be in over his head; and emerge defeated.
Lackluster lone wolf leaders, who only kill the terrorist bigshot of the moment, merely attack terrorism’s symptoms. To cure the disease, itself, will require a consortium of altruistic visionary leaders, who’ll foster the innate human spirt of industriousness, self-respect and self-reliance to rescue our world’s needy from poverty. Terrorist recruiters’ salespitches will soon fall on deaf ears when hungry tummies and minds are fed and sated with decent food and thoughts.
“I know more about ISIS than the generals do, believe me.” ~ Donald J. Trump
Oh really? While I could never claim to be a military genius, it’s safe to say that…
Even I know more about ISIS than Donald J. Trump, believe me.
Granted, this post’s discussion will be limited to my general knowledge re the War on Terror’s Rule #1… namely…
One must never throw allies under the bus. However, that’s exactly what the Trumpster is doing.
The 4 – 1 – 1:
• American and Kurdish forces have both been fighting against ISIS within Syria.
• The Kurds have played a major role in helping America defeat ISIS.
• Trump is now pulling U.S. troops out of Syria.
• That will facilitate Turkish prez Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s invasion of Syria.
• With no American protection, the Turks will slaughter the Kurds.
• Trump’s decision to aid and abet Turkey will also aid and abet ISIS.
• With a resurgence of ISIS… well… need anyone say more?
So, what might motivate this sudden change in Trumpian foreign policy? Hmm… might a “little” quid pro quo be in play? Perhaps Erdoğan was able to shovel up some fake dirt on Joe Biden?
Hey, seeing how the Don has been shaking down nations, spanning our entire globe, why would Turkey be an exception?
This time around, our musical get-together doesn’t require much of a set up at all. In fact, my above headline says it all.
Simply scroll down, click away and, while listening, be sure to remember all the good people we lost or who got wounded on this day, sixteen years ago… all their surviving families and dear friends… all the victims who live on, forever physically scarred, challenged and disabled.
Remember, too, all who’ve met similar fates while fighting on the side of good during the subsequent wars on terror… as well as all the innocent bystanders residing in the vicinity of those battlefields.
And never forget that the ongoing, more recent terrorist attacks, still spread like raging cancers all over our world and are no less damaging and deadly.
On this 16th anniversary of 9/11, America’s darkest day in recent history, it would’ve been far too easy for this blogger to extensively lambaste America’s alleged ruler of that era… fault him for ignorantly or indolently or intentionally failing to heed a key intelligence briefing… one which would’ve provided him five full weeks to try to thwart that terrorist attack.
That squandered opportunity resulted in nearly 3,000 dead and over 6,000 injured on 9/11, itself, and, subsequently enabled war profiteers to make a killing (both figurative and literal) once the U.S. got entangled in two, ill-conceived, unwarranted wars. By some accounts both endless, never to be won battles, to date, have slaughtered 1,000,000 innocent souls… while bleeding humanity and the U.S. treasury dry. In other words…
All we have to show for the war on terror are filled coffins and emptied coffers.
Now, if you think my three above paragraphs are too strong and too long, you should’ve seen my three-pager word document, re this same subject matter, which never hit the www on this day!
Just so there’s no misunderstanding… I totally despise all terrorists especially ISIS, al Qaida, the Nazi Party and the Ku Klux Klan. However, we can never expect conventional wars to ever combat and conquer any of these deplorable insane, intracranial ideologies. Indeed, terrorism’s specific latitude and longitude cannot be found on any world map, which makes the boots on the ground approach obsolete… which makes a damned fool out of any leader, who’d ever declare a war on terror.
The best way to thwart terrorism is to end nutritional and intellectual starvation wherever it’s found in our world… to see that everyone makes full use of their God given (or if you’d prefer) their innate talents… to not stand in the way of every industrious individual’s progress. When nearly everyone has a purpose in life… feels fully contented with their lot in life… it will become nearly impossible for any terrorist recruiter’s sales pitch to ever gain any traction.
True, that’s a tall order to fill and will take considerable time and effort… but that’s true of all worthwhile endeavors. And the sooner we, as a society wise up, the better.
My greetings to all of my WordPress blogging colleagues, followers and visitors! If you’re just here to hear the music, scroll down and start clicking away… these four selections will amply communicate my intended sentiments, which I’ll now further expand on… i.e., should you choose to read onward…
Initially, I found it tough to set the proper mood for this installment of our monthly musical get-together. I had to scuttle my original “hot fun in the summertime” theme… deeming it insensitive and inappropriate in the wake of all the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey… considering how life may never fully return to normal for the millions of flooded out, uprooted survivors in Texas. My heartfelt condolences to folks who lost loved ones and hopes that you, who have survived, can restore your lives as much as possible and can find happiness again.
I’d have to ditto my mood barometer reading regarding all who were recently maimed and slaughtered during the eerily similar, vehicular ISIS terrorist attacks against Barcelona and Cambrils, Spain AND Nazis / Klansmen terrorist assaults against Charlottesville, Virginia. My wholehearted condolences to the all the good people who lost their loved ones and best wishes that the surviving victims recover speedily and as completely as possible. Hopefully, someday soon, happiness will be yours once more.
As if those meteorological and ideological storms weren’t bad enough, already, we, of good conscience, have also been deeply in mourning over the loss of the American presidency. And by saying “presidency” I’m referring to the monumental, leadership vacuum that’s been sucking the air out of the Oval Office… sucking the life force out of my homeland and our global community… all perpetrated by an ethically barren, morally bankrupt, avaricious and vicious, Orwellian, stick-figure figurehead.
In times of trouble, a nation’s citizenry should be able to count on their leader for a comforting pep talk… an FDR-esque, folksy fireside chat as it were… but… alas… long sigh…
Folks, it’s downright depressing and disgusting to observe the cannibalistic, parasitical, so-called prez…
Feeding off the post-hurricane apocalypse’s human suffering… just to sate his voracious narcissistic hungers… just to erect a smokescreen to enshroud his nefarious, fascist political agenda.
Feasting off the ISIS terrorist attacks in Spain just because that’ll wrongfully validate his flat-out hatred of all Muslims1. It is stunning how… practically in the same breath… he lavishes praise upon un-american [sic] Nazis and Klansmen… sucking up to them just so they’ll help reelect him in 2020.
Net effect, the so-called prez, has wildly emboldened these domestic terrorists. Left unchecked, these co-conspirators… the pathetic “prez” and his deplorable pals… will violently subvert all that the real America stands for. We’re likely witnessing the rebirth of Nazi Germany.
So what the hell does that make the so-called prez? An Adolf Hitler / David Duke hybrid? Did some nefarious, eager beaver recombinant DNA scientist mutate him? Did a psychotic psychosurgeon lobotomize / reprogram him? Or was he “merely” born and/or reared that way? Whatever the cause of his mental illness/illnesses, we can only wish him a speedy, complete and permanent recovery. In this modern medical era, no one should be condemned to live out one’s life bouncing off the rubberized walls… be they real or hallucinated.
The real America’s survival… indeed the survival of the whole world… depends on a sane presidency and sound minded leaders elsewhere, too. How else could we ever hope to see our global population live in harmony?
That plea for harmony is from where I now take my musical cue… set the tone for this month’s BlogCast.
Folks, I find the negativity of what I just blogged… to say the least… disturbing. What else can I conclude than negative leaders bring out the worst in me, indeed, in every like-minded, warmhearted, ethical patriot who truly gives a damn? And that has got to change… starting with the legal, orderly and peaceable ouster of such negative entities.
But, until the day that becomes reality… I believe the following music will provide an ear and eye opening… a mind expanding and mood elevating experience.
Accompanying only my sparse, supplemental commentary, I’ll now let the songwriters’ and singers’ sentiments speak for themselves.
Ray Stevens ~ Everything Is Beautiful
Admittedly, I would’ve preferred this track’s religious undercurrents to have been more inclusive of faiths other than Christianity… but… when we consider the less globalized era in which this song was first composed and recorded, would not genuine believers of all religious stripes be forgiving? Additionally, I sincerely believe one can also be agnostic and still be fully capable of concurring with the overall message of unity. Oh, btw, you can also give a listen to an alternate track featuring a duet performed by Ray Stevens and another of this month’s BlogCast featured artists, Glen Campbell.
The New Seekers ~ I’d Love To Teach The World To Sing
Many decades ago a slightly, lyrically modified, abridged version of this song became the soundtrack to a Coca Cola™ commercial, which you can view here.
Glen Campbell ~ Try A Little Kindness
I joyfully rediscovered this track just one week ago upon purchasing the late Mr. Campbell’s greatest hits CD… after finding it while grocery shopping at my local supermarket superstore. I first heard Campbell perform on the late Sixties era, “Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” TV show… a program with a distinctly, politically progressive POV… from where I derived own liberal attitude. Campbell died just a few short weeks ago on August 8, 2017. You can access a video tribute.
Peter, Paul & Mary ~ Weave Me The Sunshine
Peter Yarrow will now introduce this BlogCast finale… thusly…
“‘Weave Me The Sunshine’ became a very big hit in South Africa and in Brazil and ultimately of course it’s a song that has found it’s way into many churches and synagogues.”
About all I could possibly add, here, (as is true with nearly all folk music) it’s nearly impossible not to sing along with this upbeat and uplifting tune. And I recommend that we all add our voices… sing it loudly… sing it proudly… trump all of those negative vibes. Let us all spread outward its unifying, harmonizing message (indeed, the messages from all four of these songs) to all four corners of our world.
Thank you for listening on this day. If you LIKE what you heard, click back here
for my next BlogCast on Sunday, October 1, 2017.
Past programs are archived in my BlogCast and music categories.
1 We, who still can and do think clearly, fully realize that ISIS has mutilated and muddied true Islam and now exploits it just to justify their deadly, bloody attacks.
Preface: My tardiness in posting my heartfelt sentiments is based solely upon my uncertainty that any mere words appearing here, on my indescribably obscure website, can make any real difference to anyone anywhere. Nevertheless… and better late than never… here goes…
In our world besieged by relentless, horrifically devastating, manmade ideological and meteorological storms, I’m certain of only three things…
Any direct attack that deprives even one kindly, innocent human soul of sweet freedom and/or precious life is an indirect assault against multiple billions of decent people… worldwide.
We (potential victims all), who really do give a damn about humanity’s survival, would appear to be powerless in bringing about the necessary changes that could diminish / end those abovementioned disasters in the foreseeable future.
Last but not least… be your attacker a freakish hurricane, tornado, rain/snow/ice/fire storm or drought… be your assailants Klansmen, Nazis, ISIS or a pseudo president traitor… I extend my profound sorrow and sympathy to each and every stressed out, suffering survivor AND my best wishes for a speedy recovery to the fullest extent that is medically, humanly and economically possible. My heartfelt condolences go out to all the good, heartbroken people whose family members, loved ones, dear friends and close acquaintances have perished.
Let’s examine #45’s America first mindset in his own words…
“I’m going to spend less money on people overseas and more money on people back home.”
Naturally, taken at face value, a plan to allocate more money, domestically, sounds like a sound idea. HOWEVER to not simultaneously help folks, abroad, is (figuratively and literally speaking) devastatingly nearsighted.
If #45 successfully convinces… correction… cons his likeminded, myopic, avarice driven, sociopathic, unconscionable, congressional cronies and, in tandem, they implement his proposed hatchet job on the federal budget… well…
Their mean-spiritedness… their downRight heartlessness would involve the hasty reversal of time-honored, common sense, altruistic U.S. foreign policy resulting in severely slashed humanitarian aid to the victims of both manmade and natural disasters all over our world.
More to the point… the United Nations is categorizing the combined “living” conditions within Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen as the worst humanitarian crisis since WW-II.
In his own words, UN Under Secretary General Stephen O’Brien told the UN Security Council that $4.4 billion is desperately needed…
“Otherwise, many people will predictably die from hunger, livelihoods will be lost and political gains that have been hard-won over the last few years will be reversed. Without collective and coordinated global efforts, people will simply starve to death. Many more will suffer and die from disease. Children stunted and out of school. Livelihoods, futures and hope will be lost.”
Folks, let’s consider the trillions of bucks being hoarded by America’s high rollers. To them, 4.4 billion bucks is akin to the pocket change you and I lose between our sofa cushions. In other words, they’d never miss it were the UN to “find” it.
Of course, for the greedy, doing “the right thing” nearly always has a wicked, political connotation… rarely a philanthropic one… and… to get back to my blog title… there IS a hidden “cost” of ill-conceived, ill-willed, ill-timed tightfistedness.
What are the hidden consequences?
Well… while #45 and his gang are sadistically getting off on all the human suffering they’re inflicting… it’s highly likely that ISIS and al Qaeda, the very terrorist organizations who they’ve been incessantly, aggressively goading and verbally attacking, will step in to do what America’s alleged leader will be flat-out refusing to do… feed the hungry.
What could happen next?
Well… it’s a certainty that, within the terrorist recruiters’ mess halls, they’ll also be serving up a second course… a verbal crash course to indoctrinate their grateful recipients. They’ll inform their trainees how tightfisted #45 would rather be throwing punches at them than extending a helping hand.
Worse yet, in the same breath, they’ll be incorrectly characterizing him as speaking for all Americans, which, of course, is far, Far, FAR from the truth. And once these recruits start believing that, all of #45’s interminable, insufferable, disingenuous boasting that he’s making America safe will be rendered meaningless… more so than it already is.
What could happen next?
Energized by #45’s hatred, terrorist cells will become more deeply entrenched… they’ll proliferate and metastasize like malignant cancer cells within our global society… and they’ll promptly lash out against the heartless, vile, evil which #45 represents. At that juncture, it’d be next to impossible for America to ever shed #45’s ugly image.
What could happen next?
#45’s trumped up contention about the terrorist threat will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. His own reprehensible rhetoric will cause an unbreakable vicious cycle of attacks / counterattacks… a no-win tragedy that needn’t have ever happened, had he demonstrated compassion towards our world’s needy.
What could happen next?
#45 and all of his big biz / big government bastards… his nasty, greedy, war profiteering, cohorts, while hunkered down in the total security of their lead lined, underground bunkers (which can double as their counting houses), will “get off” on their ill-gotten wealth while American victims will be suffering physically and fiscally amidst the rubble of hundreds of ground zeroes, nationwide… while average Jane and Joe Americans will be drowning in the hemorrhaging, splattered red blood and red ink of #45’s failed foreign policy of avariciousness and isolationism.
What could happen next?
In theory… in time… we might even be talking about the birth of a superpower terrorist nation… a united super cell comprised of all the nation-states, which #45 deprived of humanitarian aid.
What could happen next?
As much as we, who embrace the concepts of peaceful coexistence and extending a helping hand to the needy, loathe just about everything #45 stands for… well…
In #45’s own words…
“If we have nuclear weapons why can’t we use them?”
Electees and selectees, who hold down big government positions, must be truthful at all times. NO EXCEPTIONS! Whenever they get busted for telling flat out lies, their big boss MUST promptly bark out his trademark catchphrase, “YOU’RE FIRED!” To not do so causes the snarling, top dog to appear as guilty and corrupt as his obsequious subordinates.
Lies of omission are no better.
Often, obfuscation of the truth involves self-serving political expedience… better known as selective amnesia. Cutting through the euphemistic bullcrap, under these circumstances, what we’re actually eye witnessing are the big boss’s rat-like cronies scurrying and scampering around in CYA mode. These downright deplorables… these brazenly lying bastards are prioritizing paycheck over patriotism… career over country… and as such, MUST BE denied their cushy government positions, as well.
Other times, tiptoeing around the truth involves genuine forgetfulness. But even if such lapses of memory are not motivated by malice… even if these instances are isolated and rare… this is still reason for deep concern.
Considering how… as I type this… as you read this… tyrants (e.g. puppeteer Putin) and terrorists (e.g. ISIS / al Qaeda) are relentlessly plotting to dominate and devastate our world, we cannot afford anything less than picture perfect integrity and mental clarity from big government big shots… from the tippy top downward… all along the chain of command.
While it’s OK for forgetful people to be employed… their job descriptions had better not involve life or death decisions… where cloudy thinking could jeopardize the survival of democratic nations and freedom loving people everywhere.
In keeping with his campaign promise, #45 is now chomping at the bit to break ground on his $8 – $12 BILLION wall along the southern U.S. border… and to (somehow) force Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to pony up.
Well, as we already know, there’ll be no such payment… which all leaves #45 in a bit of a quandary. Or does it?
Has he forgotten about the furniture within his Manhattan palace? And, no, I’m not suggesting he sell it off.
All he need do is check between the living room sofa cushions for those BILLION$… what he’d consider chump change. It’s bound to be hiding there.
Of course he had better dig a bit deeper because it’d appear that his guesstimate has been way too conservative. The more realistic price tag attached to his wall could easily fall within the 40 BILLION BUCK range… so says one expert, Konstantin Kakaes.
Another predicament? Maybe not.
Obviously, it’d be a YUGE [sic] stretch, but, it’d behoove #45 to behave a bit more like #35 (a.k.a. John F. Kennedy)… to deep six this wall… to understand that waging and winning a war on poverty is a far more productive, permanent project… to accept that this would all take more time and patience… but it’d be well worth it!
The best part of this… it’d require finding “only” 30 of those 40 billion bucks and then utilizing it to feed ALL 870 Million of our world’s undernourished and starving people (btw, be sure to read Leen Abdallah’s Blog).
No fooling… for $30 billion no one would go hungry for ONE FULL YEAR!
Yes, at first #45 would need to assume the role of Santa Claus. But, as his “elves” would be delivering this humanitarian aid, they’d also be building the foundation of good will, worldwide. What’s imperative here is the fed recipients would need to be fully aware that the U.S. is their benefactor. After all, it goes against basic human nature, to “bite” the hand that feeds you.
At that point it’d be time for the U.S. to build on two astute and timeless sayings…
“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.”
-and-
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”
In subsequent years, #45’s helpers, if doing their jobs properly, would be instilling a strong work ethic within their “fisher folk” along with the accompanying feelings of satisfaction one generally gets upon reflecting upon a job well done at the end of each workday.
Eventually, criminal activity… and in some instances even terrorist activity… would be on the wane… if for no other reason than honest work gives everyone purpose… prevents idle hands and minds. Not to make light of this but folks would be yawning too damned much to even listen to devilish recruiters (e.g. ISIS).
Yes, stronger, happier humans make for stronger happier homelands.
Ultimately, be it at America’s coastlines or borders, the folks attempting to enter would be friendly tourists… not illegally entering foes. For those who chose to emigrate, with nothing to fear about them, Americans could always welcome them with open hearts, minds and arms.
However, for potential émigrés, it’d would likely be a tough choice to make since their homelands would be just as attractive as America… maybe even more so… after all…
CommonSenseTom 