MEDITATIONS!

LIFE IS A GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, IF YOU DON'T CONNECT ALL THE DOTS OR DON'T CONNECT THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER YOU NEVER GET THE PICTURE MEDITATIONS! MEDITATIONS! Lately I have posted two quotes, one about the "flight of Minerva" from Hegel, which is a "meditation" on hindsight, and the other from Ayn Rand about "ignoring reality and still suffering its consequences". We are a brave nation, no doubt, "rugged individualism", "Manifest Destiny" are no longer just theoretical concepts, they have become part of the "personality" for so many of us that we find it difficult to separate ourselves from these ideals. We, therefore, only concern ourselves with thoughts and plans aboutourselves, and not the future of the nation or humanity. This is not to criticize any one personally but the population at large. As being an "individualist" has its own drawbacks. Especially when the policy makers pander to these feelings and "separate us" from the rest. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON PLEASE FOLLOW M. N. R. 13 MARCH 2025

HISTORY IN CONTEXT N1

LIFE IS A GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, IF YOU DON'T CONNECT ALL THE DOTS OR DON'T CONNECT THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER YOU NEVER GET THE PICTURE HISTORY IN CONTEXT N1 Over time, I have argued against many of our policies, local, state and national. As most policies restrict our rights and freedoms, and sell us to the highest bidder. Our politicians, once elected, no longer work for us, the average citizen, but their buyers ( donors). We haven't had a free and fair election since 1980, maybe even before then. Too much influence of big money has skewed the outcome in favor of the super rich. Although I was a hippie growing up, with all that went with the label, I have been a reader, and I read everything. I didn't get my GED till I was 24, but the earned a Bachelors in business and a Master's in Psychology. I also studied Philosophy and followed politics, keeping up with most of what has been happening in the world. The incident in the White house today was shameful indeed. As America today talks about "going it alone" it belies the reality that we can not be the "world leader" and "isolationist" both at the same time. We cannot be the strongest country in the world ( with 180 bases in 55 countries) and also demand that the nations where our bases are located in pay us for being there. We cannot strong arm and subjugate our " allies". At some point people of the world will realize that we only wish to "extort" and "support", that we are literally running a "protection racket". We have been, but not so brazen about it. We have benefited from our alliances also. Trade with EU, Canada and Mexico, even China and Russia has provided us with a higher standard of living than otherwise. We have investments in these countries and we profit from those investments. Every time some in another country buys something on Amazon, watches a show on Netflix, gets an Uber, gets accommodations through Air B&B, an American corporation makes money, an American Billionaire gets richer. We can't say we don't need those countries, they may need us more than we need them, but for how long. China has been moving away for a while, BRICS are a reality, China and EU can get closer, Russia and China already are. Someone said, we have 330 million Americans, the other 8 billion live elsewhere, we can't afford to alienate every one.. Ukraine war was coming, we worked on it since 1990, look back on the history of our obsession with Ukraine. ( atleast read what I said in my reports), we wanted their resources and also wanted a place on the Russian doorsteps. Maybe Ukraine did invade Russia, ( it in fact didn't). Weeks before the invasion I had posted "DON'T POKE THE BEAR", but Biden couldn't resist the itch. Even if just for the fact that he believed that Putin and Trump were too close. Biden and many Americans have always thought that Russia was equal to USSR, even though Russia had become a Capitalist country, so much so, that I had written in 2003 that the Communists became Capitalist because "corruption is legal in Capitalism". (Nothing funny about this). I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 01 MARCH 2025

RANDOM PSYCHOLOGY 165A

LIFE IS A GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, IF YOU DON'T CONNECT ALL THE DOTS OR DON'T CONNECT THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER YOU NEVER GET THE PICTURE RANDOM PSYCHOLOGY 165A BEING PROGRAMMED I received my Master's in Psychology back 1990, at 38. Kinda slow you may say, but when I joined the Army, I only had an eighth grade education. I was hippie, a hitch hiker, I drove a cab, worked as a street light technician, and even a janitor, I had learned many skills that I had learned over the years, they got me work to keep me from starving, keep me in money, wherever and whenever. I did also enjoy reading, I read anything and everything. I am old now, I do still drive and am able to look after myself, but I do get short of breath, I don't do hard work anymore, luckily I don't have to. Even though I have even done plumbing and flooring in my time. I have done many different things, real estate, land, rental property, I have made a decent living and provided a comfortable living for my family, even put all three of my children through college without debt. If you have noticed, I have worked many jobs( even as a part time psychologist). Working two jobs and managing rentals, doing my own repair work. Not shy, nothing was beneath me, nothing too high either. We get locked into what we can or cannot do. What we are allowed to do or not allowed to do. Sometimes it just happens, we don't even notice, we don't even know that we have been programmed. We all get programmed. Most of us do anyway. Couples that have married a long time, will have similar habits, same preferences even if they had been quite/ completely different at the start. Subtle programming works best. People don't realize what is happening, they will say that it has always been there idea. Not something new, I have discussed this many times before. Most people think of programming as being sent to a "school" or being drugged or even tortured. It is not so. Whether you watch your favorite program on TV or YouTube, you only read certain books, subscribe to certain programs, listen to your favorite music, you are being programmed, by YOU! I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 26 FEBRUARY 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 15A

LIFE IS A GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, IF YOU DON'T CONNECT ALL THE DOTS OR DON'T CONNECT THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER YOU NEVER GET THE PICTURE READING THE TEA LEAVES 15A It is difficult to predict what comes next, what the future holds, not just for myself and my kin, not for the country, not for the humanity itself. NOTHING, it doesn't matter really, at almost 73, I have a shorter future than my past. We don't like to worry, we are told so, as if it is being programmed, we are programmed, aren't we, by our culture, our customs, cliques, society and some will even say education, as is the education agenda itself is not established by society. I don't predict the future, I just think about it lot, as if my thoughts matter or as if my posting those thoughts will change anything, any minds. We are cursed, or blessed to be individualistic. Oscar Wilde explained it so, ( thusly?). "Society exists only as a mental concept, in the real world there are only individuals". That is so true, don't you think? When we talk about the people of another state, country, race or whatever matrix we choose, our idea of society narrows, our idea of humanity changes, charity, care, compassion, mercy, love, forgiveness, all the qualities we think that we have go out the window. Today as we talk about "firings", "layoffs", reduction in benefits, elimination of basic Healthcare for hundreds of thousands, possibly more we laugh and brush away any thoughts of our "moral values", our care for our elderly, or those who are not as well off as we are. Our idea of society, is weak indeed. And those the are above us are ready and willing to exploit our "moral dogma" or maybe a lack there of, but who am I to judge, the goodbook tells me not to. Where do I find my moral compass. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 20 FEBRUARY 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 14B

LIFE IS A GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, IF YOU DON'T CONNECT ALL THE DOTS OR DON'T CONNECT THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER YOU NEVER GET THE PICTURE READING THE TEA LEAVES 14B I repeat myself! "It is not personal, it is strictly business", said Michael Corleone. So right. A few days ago I had said, if we talk about annexing Canada and buying Greenland, then Russia will take Ukraine and China will take Taiwan. It is just business. When the Ukraine invasion came about, I said we probably were not interested and will let Ukraine go, but then, Biden started sending weapons, lots of weapons, Ukraine also had a lot of potential, rare minerals and a lot of crops. I noted. Also we had invested a lot in Ukraine, as I brought up the overthrow of their elected government, our support of NeoNazis there since 2011, another project of Obama mind you! Ukraine had potential, IMF and World Bank stepped up to back their loans. Yes the money spent in Ukraine is loans backed by aforementioned. And it also created jobs here, Biden said so. We sent older equipment, older weapons, older ammo and made new stuff to replace it. Arms manufacturers were happy, bankers too, Ukrainians did the dying, and half or so of their population left. Whether Putin takes all of the country or just the eastern part. Ukraine will owe hundreds of billions, probably more than the mail order brides can send back home. And of course Blackrock and Carlyle group (I have shares in both) will get contracts. It is strictly business! Zelensky will be coming to Miami or go to Tel Aviv, who cares? He has millions, if not billions, not bad for street comedian turned actor, he put on a great show for the same people that use to "eliminate" his kin. Like Biden always said, ANYWAY! I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 14 MARCH 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 14A

LIFE IS A GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, IF YOU DON'T CONNECT ALL THE DOTS OR DON'T CONNECT THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER YOU NEVER GET THE PICTURE READING THE TEA LEAVES 14A I am a procrastinator. Just so you know, I have always known this, I like working under pressure, I guess, and when you delay the inevitable, you get that pressure going. Never mind! I also like to think about what I an going to say first. I go around all day, thinking things over, even arranging sentences and arguing and re-arguing my points. Almost visualizing a discussion, a presentation, as it were. The thing about writing a commentary is not just knowing about an "anecdote", but also knowing the background information, or atleast remembering enough pertinent information to do some research on it. We don't exist in a vacuum, in a bubble, and we also have a history. So everything is connected, for every "fact" there is a reason, there are facts behind the scenes that make those things make sense. Yes, even fraud, waste and abuse. When the news about the USAID broke, I was there to say that USAID was a front for the CIA, atleast the two have a similar mission. There are many, even right here, that will say that the CIA is out of control, that it is gone rogue, and you are probably right. But the CIA is also what makes the USA the greatest country ever! Yes, I said that. The CIA with all its clandestine activities keeps the US safe, keeps it prosperous, even if it is by bribery, blackmail, extortion and even murder, revolution and overthrow of "legitimate governments", and USAID helps do the same. ( somehow it is all connected to Ukraine also) I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 11 FEBRUARY 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 13Ba

LIFE IS A GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, IF YOU DON'T CONNECT ALL THE DOTS OR DON'T CONNECT THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER YOU NEVER GET THE PICTURE READING THE TEA LEAVES 13Ba I mentioned two things last night. But why? At my age (almost 73), I am no longer impressed by the loud noises, not only that I no longer listen to loud music, but having been on tank gunnery ranges, listening to gunfire, being in helicopters, working on generators, on diesel engines, and such (not to mention speeches. Political and otherwise and the talk radio too), I am not impressed by noise or its source. I like to see the results, most of the time, I am not disappointed, I don't expect any. So it is in real life too. Many long years ago, I mentioned, I am not a fan of anyone, I don't idolize anyone, I don't worship anyone. You are free to disagree. When the music stops, and get off the "merry go round", nothing will have changed. Yes someone may lose there job, some may lose their healthcare, foodstamps and such, but the system will remain, it will only be more corrupt. What we forget in our unbounded excitement is, that there are tens of thousands of contractors, and millions of other "hangers-ons" that will not disappear, the Hydras will survive, be it Boeing, Raytheon, Blackrock, Frontier Resources Group or any other mercenary outfit. Even if we do away with the CIA and USAID, the FBI, then Palantir, Google and Musk’s own AI and robotics companies will do the surveillance work, (of no limits on domestic spying). There is no reason to believe that the government will save money, no such thing. Privatization only works for those that have the capital, you can take your 250k IRA and pound dirt. Children are easily impressed, a clown, a simple magic trick, a balloon popping can make them happy, a peek a boo, with eyes partially open is AMAZING. But such is life I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 07 FEBRUARY 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 13A

LIFE IS A GAME OF CONNECT THE DOTS, IF YOU DON'T CONNECT ALL THE DOTS OR DON'T CONNECT THEM IN THE RIGHT ORDER YOU NEVER GET THE PICTURE READING THE TEA LEAVES 13A It is late again, as usual, actually it is earlier than my normal. It snowed here, in South South Alabama, the 21st, 8 inches here at the house, couple of frozen pipes and usual stuff. Followed by my first case of covid and a secondary chest infection, haven't been the same since, but I am getting better and I will get over this too. When I was younger, much younger, even younger than that, stereo systems were new and even the modest speakers were expensive, but one could turn up the volume high as it would go, and get out of the "real world", even better if you had a smoke. I am telling on myself. Didn't matter if the music was scratchy, or the beat was off, the lyrics( if you could even make out the lyrics) didn't make much sense, but you could shut yourself off from the "world", hear only what you wanted to hear, nothing else mattered, not the truth of yourself or the facts of life or how the "other half lived". Which brings me to another thought exercise, you know, the Theseus's paradox. ( you can Google it for more). Change for the sake of change can be destructive. Yet destruction without a clear plan for reconstruction is even worse, you wouldn't want to destroy a home without a plan of what will go in it place, how it will be built, and what you will have on the "other side". And that is only part of it. As in the paradox of ship of Theseus, as we change the parts of the ship, plank by plank, board by board and all, at what point it is still the "original ship"? What is the plan, where are we going, what happens when we get there? I have questions. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 07 FEBRUARY 2025