IT'S ONLY WORDS 4B

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 IT'S ONLY WORDS 4B There is a thought exercise, atleast I hope that is all it is. You are offered a million dollars, but somewhere, someone gets killed the moment you accept the money. Don't answer it, either way. Most of like to believe that we are "moral", that our "faith" will not allow to take the money, or some such thing, but are even being honest? Probably not. Unless one is a "saint", and I know few. We like to feel good, even pretending to be good makes us happy. What if you have kids that are hungry, grandma needs cancer treatment, the house needs a roof, your son needs money for college, and you don't know the person that will be killed anyway. You'll never know. Choice becomes easier then, morals and values be damned. Many of us make such choices, just as consequential, without a 2d thought. Without batting an eye. It is all about feeling good for ourselves, who cares. Most of us will say that we are honest, compassionate, kind etc. It may not be true but it does make us feel good about ourselves. Also that it is more "socially acceptable". We like to be "socially acceptable, and we feign to fit the norms. And that facade can be maintained for a long time, a very long time indeed. (THINK ON IT A WHILE) M. N. R. 01 FEBRUARY 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 12A

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 12A To say that we are free, to internalize the idea without any questions or deliberations can give a false sense of self, a false sense of security that in fact does not exist. We willfully deny the facts, any evidence to the contrary, we believe what we believe, right or wrong, damn if we will change our minds. I have spent years, decades, pointing out the falsehoods that we believe in yet not many "converts". Not many. It is basic mathematical fact that 10 million is not the same as five hundred million let alone a few billion. But everyone is convinced that if one has a million or two or ten they are in the same league as one with a few billion. Democracy certainly hurts. It hurts when you are not paying attention. Of late I have heard a new refrain, billionaires can't be bribed, they can't be corrupted. Maybe true. But the billionaires can and do corrupt the government, corrupt the system that we call democracy ( freedoms). If one is paying attention I'll ask this. If spending on ( welfare, social security, education, the VA) you name it, is causing deficits, then why doesn't spending on space exploration, electric car subsidies, and subsidies chip plants and nuclear plants don't cause deficits to go up? The poor do need help, the poor that worked all their lives for meager wages, and those that still do, need more help from the government than the billionaires with money in their pockets. But I digress. Ten days into the new presidency, I have not heard a word about anything that will "directly" help the average American, not one. Cutting Medicaid, Social security, VA, education funding cuts, what will directly improve the life of the average citizen? How? What are we so happy about? Please say it. What are all those billionaires doing in DC then? How are the helping improve the lives of the average American , that is living "paycheck to paycheck" if not literally "hand to mouth". I am all for tariffs, all for running the illegals out, all for drill baby drill, but how will any of it provide healthcare for the elderly and the disabled, feed the hungry kids, take care of the sick relatives, and so much other stuff, if not then we are/ will be just another 3rd world country. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 31 JANUARY 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 11B

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 11B Yes, there are great problems with the government programs, SNAP, Medicaid, FEMA, and more. Day 5 of the 47th presidency, what do you like so far, love? Trump has signed a 100 EOs. How much better for the life of the average American. Just like in accounting, there are two sides to every ledger, so it is with the ledger of our lives. I was talking to a friend, no oath or a commitment changes the person, change must come in attitude and acts, a baptism doesn't make one moral, we all know that, the renewal of a person must be shown in acts. Four days is not a very long time. We have to be patient, to make any judgments at the moment is wrong. Things that concern me, though, "digital currency," what is it? How does it work? Where can you use it? Of course, it sounds like fun. It keeps going up (apparently). You need vast amounts of energy and millions in computer power to keep "mining". Tons of money being burnt to keep the game going, so how is not a game to control the population ( in the long run). One (a rich guy, a corporation) could have their own digital token that can only be spent at their approved locations, like even a casino chip. Why are the banks pushing it? How about "sovereign currencies"? In many movies and books that future has been predicted, Men in Black, Minority Report, Code 44, cities controlled by governments or corporations, where all the amenities are available for people that follow the rules, without the borders it is dog eat dog world. Within these places every step, every movement is monitored. Is that the future? Probably, our "elite" are already planning the cities of the future. We are not going into the future we are backing up. Just some random thoughts I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 24 JANUARY 2025

IT'S ONLY WORDS 4A

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 IT'S ONLY WORDS 4A I am not surprised, it's been colder than anytime I can remember, well not actually colder, though the cold spell has lasted longer, a whole week of temperatures in the low teens at night and daytime not breaking 40, it way south in Alabama, eight inches snow? Who could even remember, it was over a hundred years ago. People are always surprised to see healthy people in their 80s and 90s even. Something we all look forward to, but life is fragile, we forget about all those in their much younger days that we buried, all those that sick in bed or worse disabled. We like to see the brighter side of things. Yes, I have been to many funeral of those much younger than myself. Even babies, it saddens me when so many of us forget the realities. Then there are those that are luckier than many if not most, we blame the people for their failures, not noticing that these struggled just as hard as others. Only to fail, taking chances, working day and night. Yet we blame them. It makes us feel better about ourselves. Family background, lack of community support, bad debts, cheating by clients, bad help, lack of "connections", Family duties l, can make one fail as well, not just lack of trying, but we need to feel superior. What are our values anyway, what is the "source code"? If claim to have a "source code" then name it, show us what it says and where? I don't wish ill on anyone, I hope one finds there way before too late. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 23 JANUARY 2025

IT'S ONLY WORDS 3B

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 IT'S ONLY WORDS 3B A cold night in South Alabama, not so unusual really for January and February. What is unusual is that they are predicting 3-4 inches of snow tomorrow, I haven't seen that much snow here in my 46 years here. Forty years ago, exactly, it was also cold, I was in Giessen, FRG for Reforger 85, "Central Guardian", I was stationed in Germany, part of V Corps, TOC, outside temperatures well below freezing (-20s), we had heat, plenty of heat, nights would drop into even more, I slept in the barracks, life was so easy back then. Clock says the world is about to change, world is always changing, I don't have any particular feelings, no apprehensions, no joy, " I am just watching the wheels go round" , John Lennon said, then he died. He wasn't even expecting to. Surely people have different feelings, good and bad, glee and fears. Doesn't matter, we all get disappointed, "don't expect anything and you won't be disappointed", so far its been a good life, and I am the downhill ride now. Changes don't come from outside, we have to manage expectations, the more one knows and understands, the better off they are. Don't confuse your feelings for reality, how many of us end up in bad relationships, and that is so personal, if we can be wrong about those, then! How smart are we anyway. Slow down, there is much more that we don't know, remember I talked about " unknown unknowns", well Rumsfled did, anyway. We have time, left or right, it is not about anyone's feelings or preferences, put your country first. It is not about you and I, it is about our children and grandchildren. And maybe even the future of the world. Reforger actually didn't start till the 21st, but we were" in the field" ready. I even earned am MSM for my part. It is way too cold for Alabama, we are not used to driving in the snow here. If your wheels are spinning, take your foot of the gas, tap the brakes, a good lesson to remember anytime. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON. M. N. R. 20 JANUARY 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 11A

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 11A When I look back at my younger days, I see that I've made promises that I didn't mean to keep. That is part of being young and foolish, I now tell myself. Then I made myself a promise that I will always try to keep my word, my oath of service or my wedding wows, a real estate transaction, a credit card debt, whatever, I have kept my word, I have paid my debts. I've been lucky too. In two months I will have been married 39 years, I have lived in the same house for 37 years. My vehicles are all (3) paid for, my credit card balances are paid off every month. It is good policy to keep your word, to be honest, it earns respect, so they say. Some may say it is a moral obligation, but what if you have no morals? And who cares anyway if you don't. We have been taught "moral relativism" for fifty years or more, lying is a part of doing business, part of making a sale, and aren't we a "consumer society", we want to buy, want to buy whatever it is that is on sale, and everything is on sale and for sale. Lying is just good business. We leave ourselves open to scams, to falsehoods, false promises, we lose the ability to discern. We don't know and we no longer care. We no longer care, what it true? What is real? What is a lie? What is fake? What is "GOOD"? It saddens me, at a personal level, I don't know why though. My wife and kids will tell you, ( they hate me for this), I didn't like Operah, or Maury, I pointed out flaws in science fiction, I hate reality TV. It is how they have programmed us though. Not only, political discourse has nothing "political" about it, talking over eachother, bickering over nothing, name calling, bullying, has all seeped into our daily lives , ever wonder what has gone wrong with our society, we have been programmed, it has been a "psyop". You didn't even notice. I knew it 40 years ago, the programming had started. The world is about to change/ end, who knows, who cares, it is late in the day, it is early in the morning. I don't know where I am going with this, maybe you'll leave a comment. And do leave a comment, like/follow the page, join the conversation. Thank you. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 19 JANUARY 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 10B

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 10B I promised myself that I'll write. 12:43 0n the 18th, is a as good a time as any, my mind is clear, clean actually, there is some frustration that I feel, don't know why, it's not important, probably. Economics is easy, especially if you have never really studied it, really studied, not just read a couple of books, or someone else's theory. Because if you don't it is easy to be fooled or swayed by someone, even to your own detriment. I had said long time ago that "economics is not a science and politics is not a religion", yet somehow we allow ourselves to be fooled, used that is. To really understand how any economic theory will pan out, we must also have a knowledge of accounting, how the numbers on a ledger work, if not, there is no hope, no way to understand any economic theory, to understand a spending proposal, to work out a budget, personal or national. We have all seen the results of the Reagan tax cuts and every tax cut since, we are down to playing charades. Scratching our collective behinds as to how everything keeps going wrong with the budgets, the deficits, the spending. We keep hoping that the right or the kept will fix the problem, while both of them are sellouts. Maybe I'll repost (again) my blog post from 2007, how economy is designed to fail us all, except for the super rich. We keep hoping that something will work, while we keep drinking the poisonous potions offered by the left and the right. Three trillion dollar wars of W, trillions more for Obama's Wallstreet bailouts, zero percent interest rates, trillions more for pandemic relief, tax cuts of W, tax cuts of Trump 1, but the working class is poor, middle class is struggling to make ends meet, gold is up 10 times since 2000, Stock markets are roaring, billionaires are making billions and the elderly don't know how to buy medicine and keep the lights on at the same time. Life is good! We are the greatest country ever. We can buy Greenland and invade Panama, that will solve the homelessness crisis, and lower the rents to boot. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON ALMOST 60 HOURS TO GO M. N. R. 18 JANUARY 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 10A

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 10A Nothing new, ever, under the sun. History is slow to change, time moves slowly, and if you agree, then it is your own fault. Earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, change lives suddenly, and they do occur suddenly and lives are changed, fortunes too, sometimes forever. And then there are wars and revolutions too. We, in America, are not concerned, we haven't had a war, on our land, in forever, revolution was 250 years ago, civil war over 150 years ago, even the great depression is a century old memory, a few left of those that actually lived through it, as a child then. We are used to having things go smoothly, no wonder that we are, almost, childish in our expectations, dreams and fantasies. Forgive me for pointing it out. Years ago, I mentioned ( compared) our thinking to that of Don Quixote, but you have to know the story. It is not just some high school dropout with three kids that has very high expectations, it is also some part time worker at a minimum wage job, a small contractor or business owner that has great plans. Success sure is easy, but you have to have the knowledge, determination and luck too. Like I have said, if everyone could be "great" or a multimillionaire, we wouldn't be talking about great people and the multimillionaires, would we now! Like it or not, ready or not, in about three days, and a few hours, the world will change, doesn't matter who you are, where you are, (in the great scheme of things), your life will change, it may be sudden for some, and slowly for many more, but it will not be the same, not for a very long time, most of us are in for a shock. Good or bad, you probably don't have any idea. We all agree that things ( actions, policies) have consequences, but most of us don't know all the consequences, to paraphrase the great Donald Rumsfeld, "there are unknown unknowns"! And there is the rub. So let's talk about some unknown unknowns soon. What do you expect? Please comment, post your opinions, remember there are two sides to every coin. Join the conversation. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 17 JANUARY 2025

IT'S ONLY WORDS 3A

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 IT'S ONLY WORDS 3A It's been a slow day, again, maybe it wasn't the day, but me, I've been slow. I like cold compared to "hot", anything over 85f , but now on blood thinners for 13 years, cold is starting to get to me too, and it rained today. That is neither here nor there, life goes on, till it doesn't. Some people believe that one day we all must answer for what we do in this life, if one really believes thar, then how does one prepare themself? Could you? Could I? Honestly? Forgiveness is not granted, it is earned, or so we are led to believe. Hopefully we earn it, each day, by our acts. But I am not "preaching", not me. Religion is totally a personal matter, so says the #Constitution, only a Communist society will control or even impose a particular dogma.( so says the Communist manifesto) Sometimes we feel smart though, it is all we know, all we know is facts, we know, everyone we know agrees, light was always white until Newton invented the rainbow. Things have been going downhill since. And the earth used to be the center of the universe. There are things more important to me. More than lower grocery prices, more than drilling for more oil, more than deporting all the illegals, yes sounds crazy doesn't it! I think about the future of my grandchildren, five and two. We are told we need to have more babies, but at almost 73, I think I am out of the running. But why do we need to have more children? AI promises to make many jobs/ professions obsolete. Lawyers, pharmacists, engineers, clerks, and more. Robots will be replacing many others, welders, mechanics, brick layers even farmers. So what will people do? And who will provide for these people that we are supposed to produce. Our "rich", bankers and corporations already are not willing to pay a living wage, don't want to provide healthcare, don't want to feed the hungry or house the homeless. So what's the plan? Is there even a plan, have you ever wondered? Share your thoughts, share what you know, I am willing to learn. COMMENT! I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 13 JANUARY 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 9B

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 9B Well ofcourse, it is that time of the morning again. That means it is past any reasonable bed time. I have never been the one to go to bed early. Not in my teens, not in my twenties. Up until year and half ago, when I retired, it meant a four or five hours of sleep a night, in my 20s to my mid fifties that meant 2-4 hours. Not so bad now, I get 6-7, I am good. So we will take Greenland, and Panama, we will take Canada and Mexico. Maybe UK, they owe that to us for ruling us unfairly a couple of centuries ago. Things don't always work out the way we like, this will be a some kind of consolation prize that way. It was probably six weeks before the election when I made some predictions. Trump will win the election, I had said. The markets show a Trump win. Media disagreed, pundits disagreed, but I don't have a reputation so I didn't care, wrong, so what. I also said that the inflation will be up, that the interest rates will not come down, the deficits will not come down, the federal debt will keep growing. Food prices will probably double over the next three years. ( You may want to copy this and shove it in my face when this does not happen). Not that we were deliberately lied to. Atleast now we have Musk in charge. He is good for a couple of great policy ideas, but he is focused elsewhere, like on things he doesn't know about. The British monarch can not dissolve the parliament. And like it or not, American and German public do not support actual (known) Nazis, not openly anyway. So he has got us in a pickle. Maybe he has brilliant ideas about fighting California fires, you think? Or the rich people should be required to have private fire fighters, like their private security guards and private police units, just thinking. Anyway, what do you think will happen with inflation and the food prices? Or you are focused on invading Greenland and Panama. What are you thinking about? Let's talk. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 10 JANUARY 2025

READING THE TEA LEAVES 9A

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 9A I've been slow(er). Actually started to write on the 2d and got distracted. Not by events in my personal life, but the world around me, the neighborhood, town, state, world. Why not? I am retired, my kids are out of the house, I have few things of any import. Do you also watch the world events? Obsessively? Like I do. I watch the world. It is hard to admit that life is meaningless and without value. Yes it means a lot to you as a person, to your loved ones, maybe even your friends and colleagues, but in the "greater" scheme of things you, I or anyone else, NO! If it really did then those in power would care. They don't. Look around you, how many "important" people die, yet the world goes on, and it will just go on, till it doesn't. Sad to think that way, but that's the it is, it always has been, it always will. The Kings, presidents, philosophers, the scientists, business leaders, all die, have died, will die. What's the point of all this. Bear with me. We live in a democracy, we have freedom, we have rights, really? How? We are watching a puppet show, and we don't know who the puppeteers are, we don't even care. The puppeteers don't want us to know, they don't want us to revolt. And we are comfortable. Because we like it this way. We are told that we like/want it this way. I have used the example of " The Matrix", and I have used the example of "Inception", but we are living the reality of " Truman show". For the past 50 years, we have been programmed as predicted in "1984" but we still believe our "betters". Left, right or center we are constantly being programmed, and we willingly take our "Soma". We have confusing aims. How is it that no matter what side we are on, what direction we take, we end up at the same dead-end? Ask yourself, I need answers. I WILL WRITE MORE SOON M. N. R. 06 JANUARY 2025

IT'S ONLY WORDS 2A

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 IT'S ONLY WORDS 2A HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE AND IF YOU HAVE JOINED RECENTLY, WELCOME AND THANK YOU, PLEASE SHARE THE PAGE, POSTS, WHATEVER! I used to write almost daily, been lazier than usual recently. Over the last 18 years of blogging, I have written some 3000 posts, (articles, dissertations, or diatribes). I have written on politics, the economy, psychology, culture, education, healthcare, death, and more. I even wrote about immigration, euthanasia, law enforcement, and yes prostitution. So I am probably not shy. Many, if not most of us, are not "confrontational" in the ordinary course of our daily lives, but the internet makes us feel freeer. It also makes us able to lie, to insult to even dehumanize others without the fear of consequences. Maybe I fit that category myself. But I do keep it honest. If you and / or someone else are in a discussion, best to keep it civil and to provide evidence to back up the claim. Also, like grown-ups, we should accept the factual evidence if provided. If I make a statement, I always make sure that I have the background knowledge and information. Even when I share a post, I try my best to make sure it is truthful, some are pure parody or satire, hoping we are all adults and discerning. Meanwhile, I'll keep posting, and hope you will stay a while. Keep me on my toes. Stay blessed M. N. R. 04 JANUARY 2025

IT IS JUST A STATISTIC!

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 IT IS JUST A STATISTIC! End of the year statistics released by Mapping Police Violence, a non-profit research group that has been tracking police killings in the US since 2013, found that police in the United States killed over 1,250 people in 2024. This grim figure marks the deadliest year ever recorded by the organization, which tracks police killings by government records and news reports. Police killings have risen at a steady pace over the last decade in the United States, from just over 1,000 in 2014, to over 1,200 in each of the last two years. Overall the research group found that there were only 13 days in 2024 in which police did not kill someone. On average, Mapping Police Violence found that someone in the US succumbs to police violence roughly every 7 hours. While the vast majority of those deaths were the results of police shootings, cops also deployed tasers, batons and their vehicles with deadly force. Notably only 31 percent of police killings, 387 people, began with an alleged violent crime taking place. On the other hand, 18 percent of those killed by police—over 200 people—were killed after being pulled over for an alleged traffic violation or after police were called to conduct a welfare check. Another 8 percent were killed in situations in which the victim was not alleged to have committed any crime, while 17 percent were killed in situations in which police alleged the victims were perpetrating “other non-violent offenses.