Birddroppings December 30, 2021

Venting a bit on a Thursday morning

I wrote yesterday and was going to be lazy today to get ready for the holiday. Lately, I had a doctor’s appointment and a rapid test, and I did test negative for COVID-19 again for the fourth time, which relieved my asthma has been acting up a bit. Last night and this morning, I read several alarming posts on various friend’s pages. I followed links, leading to paramilitary groups discussing declaring civil war. Another older link was supposedly about former President Obama forcing Trump into declaring Marshall Law in December with no information, just a title, and graphic. This link led to another about how the white race would be gone in twenty-five years. I read all the comments about our President being a communist and socialist, and my response is, neither socio-economic system is even closely being approached in this country. Then I watched Look Up, a satire about politics and science and greed, last night.

We are in super overdrive capitalism here in the US; greed rules above all else. We have the highest stock market and the most significant difference between the wealthy and the rest of us ever in the history of our country. The great income difference is what Marx saw and wrote about as he pondered communism. However, our government and both parties continue the process that maintains that the elite few tend to govern. Oil companies, defense contractors, pharmaceuticals, insurance, and banking are booming in profits. That’s not communism and or socialism. The recent election is a good example. With the balance of power changing, much of the budget being suggested by the current ruling party impacts the very people who voted them in cutting social security, tax credits, child care deductions, etc. These are all in the suggested budget of various members of congress and the senate.

Better yet, a desire to privatize Social Security and let an insurance company run it. Kind of like health insurance, where the top five health insurance carrier’s CEOs are paid more than 15 million a year each plus bonuses. Taking away from any group of people is not socialism and or communism. I was told recently we are losing our freedoms, and I asked which ones. Our freedom to not buy health insurance, for example, was the reply. I offered to cure yourself or pay your bills when you are sick. They asked, you mean you would let me die? And I said no, you let yourself die. The worst post of the day was our highest turnout in years. Almost 160 million people voted, and on black Friday, virtually that many went shopping. That speaks to me more than the idiotic posts and blogs about communism and socialism and civil war. As long as we get what we want, we don’t care about anybody else. So I will borrow from Christian scripture.

Matthew 19:16 Just then, a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” 19:17 “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only good One. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” 19:18 “Which ones?” he inquired. Jesus replied, ” ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19:19 honor your father and mother,’ c and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’” 19:20 “All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?” 19:21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 19:22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad because he had great wealth. 19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 19:24 Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of God.” NIV

I am not one to use scripture often, but those spouting all the innuendoes mentioned in various blogs above use scripture. We could debate what this passage means since it is framed by an ancient Hebrew commonly used expression for something difficult, a camel through the eye of a needle, but I look more at the excess in our world and specifically in our country. No one cares about the environment, starving children, or a few other things other than making a buck. The XL pipeline is a great example. A few years back, a massive group of Koch industries employees, 35,000, promoted it through phone calls and conversation. Koch Industries owns 1.5 million acres of tar sands in Alberta. The pipeline is not carrying oil to benefit us here in the US, and it is already in plans to go to Asia, predominantly China.

The tar sands have been out of the news due to the cost of production and cheap world oil. Gas prices in the US will not be impacted, and why should they in a world of supply and demand price is based on who will pay the most we are bidding when we have paid over 4.00 a gallon with Chinese willing to pay more. Granted, currently, our gasoline is going down again, and the US is exporting more oil and refined oil products than any time in the history of our oil industry. The revolution that needs to occur is not one of military/militia/vigilante/gangs but people who care about others. Interesting note tar sands oil is losing money if oil is under 80.00 a barrel now and the pipeline is unnecessary.

“Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.” Mahatma Gandhi

Please keep all in harm’s way on your mind and your hearts and always give thanks namaste.

My friends, I do not say this lightly,

Mitakuye Oyasin 

(We are all related)

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