Is Nuclear War Immanent?

Back in the day at the tender age of eight, was the first time witnessing the power and absolute destruction of the atomic bomb. I remember it was a documentary about WWII and how the US almost “single-highhandedly” won the war. It was late in the evening and I should have been in bed, but my father let me stay up and watch the program because he thought it would be “educational.” It was not so much educational but terrifying; these images caused nightmares for many years. Around that same year, second or third grade, our teacher showed us similar documentaries about the Atom Bomb. We were told that the Soviet Union, a godless communist country, could bomb the US at any time; thus, we had 'nuke drills,' diving under our desks to protect us from the blast. This was insane, of course, because a nuclear blast can take out an entire city in a matter of seconds. Although this time was at the height of the Cold War, and in 1962 the US and Russia came close to mutual extinction on the shores of Cuba; I know now these documentaries and “nuke drills.” to be propaganda but also a genuine possibility.

During that era, in our predominately middle-class white suburb, we were taught that the “other,” that is, anybody different to the US, was a potential enemy. Russia and China were our real enemies, and any politics hinting at socialism was deemed profoundly evil. The Communist regimes of Russia and China threatened our basic democratic freedoms and needed to be stopped and ultimately destroyed. Like many of us, we went along with the “hate” because we didn't know anything else.

During the '80s, Russia continued to be a threat, but a new Russian president named Gorbachev introduced paradigm-changing political reforms he called Glasnost and Perestroika. Gorbachev wanted to open the Soviet Union (Russia) to the west in an effort of “openness.” These initiatives led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and many solid nuclear disarmament treaties between the two nations. We were told that Communism had failed, the US had won the Cold War, and a new era of peace would prevail. The time period during the '90s saw Russia experience extreme economic hardships due to the influence of western capitalism, thus creating a wide chasm between the rich and poor. On a positive note, the threat “Nuclear War ” for the planet dropped significantly; however, in the last 10 years at least, this threat has risen in leaps and bounds.

Why has the threat of nuclear war become so prevalent in the 21^st century?

Since September 11, 2001, the US has been on a planetary rampage of war and dominance. Over the last 20 years, the US and its allies have been bombing sovereign nations daily. Apart from the millions of deaths across the globe, trillions upon trillions of dollars have been spent on war. Indeed, wars that have not been formally declared but the battles and bombings continue based on the whims of presidents and the orders of the “permanent government.” Now we're prepping up for war with Russia.

When I think about the $billions of weapons given to Ukraine by the US during the Trump regime. and before with Obama and Biden, pushed Ukraine against its closest sister, Russia, my blood began to boil. Imagine if the Russians were selling weapons to Mexico, creating a right -wing government intent on dominating the US.? There's no doubt there would be an absolute war on the Mexican border. This is exactly what the US is doing in Ukraine. But when one digs a little deeper in the Ukraine debacle sees that the majority of weapons are going to Neo-Nazis. We know this because, in regions of the country that has been taken over by these creeps, they fly the flag of the swastika. This is unacceptable and disturbing.

Excuse the cliche, but what is the US thinking by 'poking the bear'? Does the US desire a full-fledged war with Russia? Our world is run by psychopaths and wealthy despots, so what's to stop them from starting a nuclear war?

I wouldn't be surprised if these elite twits start dropping nukes to then run and hide in their luxurious bunkers. The US is playing a dangerous game, and war is not the wish for most people on the planet. For who does an all-out nuclear war benefit? Only the wealthy few at the top, and that's pretty much it...and this is disgusting.

If you grew up during the Cold War; you know that a nuclear holocaust was a genuine possibility. The Dogs of War appeared to back off from this devastating end-game. However, observing the US's unrelenting thirst for power and dominance over the last 20 years pushing a few buttons and totally destroying the planet is not out of the question.

These warmongers need to be placed in padded cells and guarded before they destroy the world.

To answer the question: Is Nuclear War imminent? I really hope not, but at the rate, the US is going with their diabolical sanctions and continued bombing around the planet, it is a possible outcome for the planet. And God helps us.

 

Paul Auster - The Brooklyn Follies - Review

Nathan is a retired life insurance salesman who has lung cancer that has gone into remission. Recently divorced, the assets split amicably, he decides to go back to his roots and live the rest of his life in Brooklyn. He rents a flat in his old neighborhood and slowly settles into what seems to be a quiet retirement. Nathan has also started to write a book of sorts, "The Book of Human Folly," an account of every blunder, embarrassment, idiocy, and inane act he has committed and experienced throughout his long life. These tales of life's absurdities are also about other people, revealing the pure folly of the human condition. For the most part, the narrative centers on Nathan's nephew, Tom, a failed academic who has given up on life, where they coincidentally meet in Brooklyn and grow to be good friends. This short summary may appear boring, a book about normal people living mundane lives, but that's what makes this novel so good, the mundane becomes the miraculous, the ordinary the extraordinary.

Paul Auster is arguably one of the greatest living American writers working today. Reading his novels is a captivating journey into the extraordinary, a glimpse at possibilities, an opportunity to view the world from a different perspective. In some cases, one changes and sees life differently, sometimes for the better.

I'll never forget my first Auster novel, "A New York Trilogy," becoming totally submerged in a world so alien, so odd, and so fascinating that it was astounding to discover an author with such talent and erudition. This writer had something special happening; thus, I read everything I could get my hands on: "Moon Palace," "The Music of Chance," "Leviathan," and "Mr.Vertigo," which happens to be one of the most original tales to come out in the last twenty-five years. "The Brooklyn Follies" had me enthralled from the first chapter, wanting to know more about these characters, their talents, loves, and mishaps, coming to a conclusion that we are by and large a strange species, and at the bottom, it is our need for companionship, love if you will, that gets us into trouble but also keeps us struggling, at times making life worth living, and sometimes a living hell.

Nathan is at worst a cynic, although a man who really wants to do the right thing, help his apathetic nephew, reconnect with his only daughter, innocently flirt with the married waitress at his lunchtime haunt (which has dire consequences) and write about the human condition. Nathan is everyman, a good soul, and has grown not to take life too seriously, which he has discovered comes with age.

This is a compelling novel about ordinary people with dreams and aspirations, disappointments and triumphs, embarrassments, and success, depicting the modern human condition with all its craziness, stupidity, and humor.

An excellent novel.

Why is Julian Assange off the Radar?

Since the Biden regime has taken power (aside from more censorship), the protests for Julian Assange's release from Belmarsh prison in the UK have all but disappeared on social media and journals across the world. Understandably, the call for President Trump to pardon Assange once he left office was a worldwide shout to the establishment. Not surprisingly, Trump pardoned war criminals and corrupt politicians rather than freeing an Australian journalist from illegal detention. There are a few voices online and elsewhere continuing the fight, but this is a mere drop in the ocean compared to 2020. I believe there are a few reasons for this silence.

Indeed MSM is on the side of the establishment, pushing the smear campaigns and propaganda about the journalist/ publisher. Considering what is at stake here, as far as freedom of the press is concerned, one cannot really call these pundits “journalists,” but more so stenographers for the Military-Industrial Complex.

I believe it was around late 2019-20 that the argument forwarded by the establishment press was that Julian Assange is not a “real.” journalist. This nonsense saturated social media and childish articles in the mainstream press. For example, battles on Twitter were hot during this time and bordered on the insane in some cases. All that this latest smear campaign against Assange accomplished was outing a few pundits as frauds or at least compromised by their benefactors. However, though ridiculous this “Assange is not a journalist” argument blatantly is, it kept Assange in the international conversation. It seems that now no one is talking about the man while he continues to rot in a high-security prison for exposing the war crimes and corruption of governments.

It is certainly difficult to keep one's eye on the ball when it comes to the real issues as there is so much distraction.

COVID 19 is definitely not a distraction, though politicizing the pandemic most certainly is one. The US presidential election, “stop the steal,” and the attack on the capitol was certainly a distraction, though a sure sign that not all is well in la-la land.

Personally, not a day goes by that I do not have a thought for Julian Assange languishing in a UK prison. What is so unacceptable is that his imprisonment is illegal. The UK government, along with the US government though claiming to be beacons of democracy for the world, is imprisoning a journalist for telling the truth. These are the actions of a totalitarian regime, not a democracy.

What will it take to get Julian Assange out of prison and thereby ensuring our democratic press freedoms? Remaining quiet about Assange's imprisonment, forgetting about this egregious crime against freedom of the press and an individual's basic civil rights as a human being, most certainly will not change anything.

We must ignore the boot-licking press and their corrupt masters and keep Assange at the forefront of the international conversation. To do otherwise is to be foolish and deadly for our basic liberties now and in the future.

Assange must remain on the radar. 

Ishiguro – Klara and the Sun – Review

 

The notion of Artificial Intelligence or the AF (artificial friend) is explored in Ishiguro's latest novel, Klara and the Sun. Through the eyes of Klara (AF), we see the world, her wishes, dreams, and developing relationships with her new owner, family, and friends. This is an unusual novel, in so far as it delves into the questions of what it means to be human and what it means to actually Love.

We begin the tale at the AF shop amongst other AF's on display to be sold. Klara and her fellow AF, Rosie, are standing side by side at the store's back. Occasionally the Manager moves Klara to the front window on a striped couch to gain a better opportunity to be seen and hopefully purchased. It is here we see the outside world through Klara's eyes. The crosswalk where many people cross the road, and the many taxis that fill her vision.

Klara has the innocence of a child though the intelligence or potential intelligence of an adult. What sets Klara apart from the other AF's is her keen observational abilities and her unrelenting curiosity about the behavior and motivations of the human's around her.

Finally one day while Klara and Rosie are positioned in the front window, Klara observes a woman and a little girl get out of a taxi. While the woman speaks to another human, the little girl approaches the window and asks Klara questions through the glass. All Klara can do is smile and nod her head, but a bond is created between them on their first meeting. From that day, Klara wants to be the AF to the little girl who we come to know as Josie. After a few mishaps and challenges, Josie and her mother buy Klara, and she is shipped to their home in the country. It's at this point we discover that the little girl is suffering from a serious illness.

What I found striking about Klara was her deep-seated sensitivity and overall kindness. This AF always thinks about other people's feelings, whether AI or human, above her own. One may argue this AF is programmed that way, but as mentioned, this AF is unique. Although it is her job to be the friend of her owner Josie, Klara takes this friendship to its limits to ensure a positive survival for the child and everyone around her.

As you would expect the Sun is a major character in this tale. Because the AF's are solar-powered, the sun is a source of life for them, and as Klara realizes, the sun is a source of life for all living things. This is a key theme throughout the novel.

The questions of what it means to be human have been explored in many novels in the past. For example, Phillip K. Dick's, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, and Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, can loosely fit into this category. But Ishiguro takes this notion a step further by illustrating that true love, sacrifice for another, and the layered depths of the human heart are the things that truly make us human.

Once turning the last page, I didn't know whether to be sad, hopeful or both, yet the images, thoughts, and feelings of the tale remained with me for many days afterward.

Amor Towles – Rules of Civility -Review

Reminiscent of the plays by Noel Coward, Rules of Civility is a literary jaunt in 1930's Manhattan. Our narrator, Kate Kontent, the daughter of Russian immigrants, born in Brooklyn, and living in New York City works for a Law Firms typing pool, residing in a woman's boarding house, and frequents jazz clubs, and out-of-the-way bars.

Kate is an unusual young woman, seemingly centered for her age, intelligent, and a card-carrying bibliophile, she meets a handsome banker in a hole-in-the-wall jazz dive. Kate's roommate and best friend, Eve, is a typical Midwestern girl, who also is centered, forthright, blond, and very pretty. In the beginning, both women vie for Tinker's (Theodore Gray)) affections, when a drastic twist of fate occurs, changing the trajectory of all their lives.

The story is about New York's wealthy elite, following Kate and Eve's immersion and rise in that gilded world.

Although Eve remains true to her middle-class sensibilities, she views this elite world with almost a cheeky disdain. Whereas our protagonist, Kate, comes from an immigrant working-class background, though she adapts or fits right into this lofty existence of doorman-fronted upscale apartments, expensive restaurants, and exclusive gatherings, as she appears to be one of them. At the same time, however, she is a woman true to herself.

Curiously, at the center of the tale is Young Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation. There are 110 rules written by the young first president to follow when engaging with society or “polite society. For example:

10^th When you Sit down, Keep your Feet firm and Even, without putting one on the other or Crossing them

17^th Be no Flatterer, neither Play with any that delights not to be Play'd Withal.

22^nd Shew not yourself glad at the Misfortune of another though he were your enemy.

This is a “Manners maketh the Man”  guide to being a gentleman in polite society, and its use and application in the novel becomes clear much further in the book.

The only reason I came to this novel is Towel's most recent text, A Gentleman in Moscow, was such a great pleasure to read. One has to admit that Rules of Civility is a much different text, though it includes the charm, wit, and stylish prose expected of a first-rate novel.

Recommended for a quiet Sunday afternoon. 

Withdrawing from Afghanistan on 20th Anniversary of 9/11

 

When the Biden administration announced that Afghanistan's troop withdrawal target to be on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. I didn't know whether to laugh, puke, or both. I mean, really, is there some irony here that I'm missing? Originally the excuse to invade the country was to track down Osama bin Laden and Al Quida to respond to 9/11. Bin Laden was never found, and once the military arrived, they couldn't tell the difference between their allies and the enemy. The Taliban became the enemy, and the US and their allies have been fighting them for 20 years without any result whatsoever. In fact, per reports, the Taliban currently run over 80% of Afghanistan, so what was the point of being there the last 2 decades? Five reasons: war strategy, oil, minerals, opium, and feeding the weapon manufacturers...that's it.

The United States and their allies have been on a killing spree for 2 decades, murdering and maiming the indigenous people of Afghanistan, all for the above said reasons. This has gone way beyond a joke and has reached pure psychopathy.

What is disappointing and obvious for the US government; the Trump administration signed a document with the Taliban to withdraw troops this May 2021. Now the Biden administration moves the target ahead to commemorate the birthday of one of the most egregious acts of terrorism seen in my lifetime. Who do these political ass-holes think they're kidding? To quote a well-known line: “Something is rotten in the State of Denmark.” The stinking rot is the military and the permanent government, which call all the shots regarding American foreign policy.

Understanding the number of lies told us by our governments since Operation Desert Storm, and the “fight against terrorism” including the second Iraq war, my view that there will be a substantial withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan is highly unlikely. The best I see is the withdrawal of 'government troops,' only to be replaced by mercenary organizations to continue profits for the War Machine. There is a vast wealth of minerals, oil, and opium in Afghanistan. The military Industrial Complex relinquishing control of this wealth is again, highly unlikely, if not a fully-fledged fantasy.

As long as we continue to buy into the lies and propaganda that our governments spew daily through our mainstream media, these wars will remain perpetual and the death and destruction of humanity for profit will become the mainstay of our culture.

I really don't know how these sociopaths in government believe they can get away with targeting the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan on the 20^th anniversary of 9/11. At best, this is a joke, believing that we as a people are illiterate-stupid; more accurately, they're rubbing our noses in it and laughing all the way to the bank.

PS.

War has changed. While these ignorant and corrupt politicians spout cliched "talking points," the empire's intentions will never be over. Again the "rules" have changed. 

America's War machine will not Stop!

 

Compared to twenty years ago, the number of antiwar groups and those voices for peace has dwindled to perhaps a handful. Why has this number dropped to such a disturbing number? Is it a “generational thing" where those born after 1990 simply don't care? We have been lied to about war for well over 40 years. Indeed the lies and unrelenting propaganda concerning America and their allies excuses for war is overwhelming. The US is currently at war in 7 countries, possibly more, and now that the Biden regime has come to power, it appears that Ukraine, supplied with $billions for weapons (a Neo-Nazi opposition; yes, the US is giving $ to Nazis) to battle with Russia is about to escalate, pulling American troops into the picture, and pushing both countries (US and Russia) into a Nuclear War.

Those less informed about Geopolitics will respond with: “No way, that will never happen. Our leaders are too smart to launch into a nuclear war”? Well, the incompetence of governments overall has certainly revealed itself since the beginning of COVID 19. It has almost become a cliche, but most Western governments don't care about the people and are only concerned about re-election and pleasing their corporate donors. The war budget in the US is three times the amount of any other country on the planet. In Australia, $ is being spent on nuclear submarines and missile launchers for “defense,” while economic stimulus for infrastructure and other necessities for people is promoted verbally but devoid of action. Isn't it interesting that there is always $ for war?

I find it fascinating that no matter what government, left or right, is voted into power, wars worldwide continue unabated. This tells me that our governments are not really calling the shots regarding foreign policy and war. It certainly appears that way, but why hasn't there been a leader, at least during my generation, that has opposed war and actively fought against it? I really can't think of a single one. Perhaps when Kennedy wanted to pull troops out of Vietnam, but hey, the man was taken out before he could do anything about it. No, there has not been a world leader in my lifetime that promoted peace around the globe. Ever.

America and its allies have been dropping bombs on innocent people for a very long time. And there is a reason for that.

At the risk of repeating myself, the US, and many of their allies make huge profits from war. Indeed, the common working man never sees a cent of these war profits - because it is made by the few at the top of the food chain. These politicians, corporations, and oligarchs don't give a shit about humanity because their main concern is profit for themselves. This is a hard cold fact and, for some, difficult to swallow. But that's the game. And anything else that the MSM or your leader tells you about war. You can 99.9% bet it's a down-right lie.

Now that Ukraine is heating up against Russia, it will only be a matter of time before there will be American and allied troops on the ground. As Russia and the US have more nukes pointed at each other than any other nuclear country, Nuclear War is the logical next step.

Don't let these blood-thirsty psychopaths destroy the planet for their profits and power. Because at the rate we're going, it will only be a matter of time.

Murakami – Norwegian Wood – Review

The novel is the one that dragged Haruki Murakami from a six-figure readership into international stardom. Norwegian Wood has been viewed by many die-hard Murakami fans as a straightforward love story that doesn't have the “magical realism” of his other novels. This may be true; however, this novel is a sensitive and moving tale of young adult relationships, Japanese culture, and mental illness.

Our narrator is the teenage Toku Watanabe, friends with a beautiful girl, Naoko, and her boyfriend, Kazuki. All three have a particularly close bond, when out of the blue, Kazuki commits suicide, causing emotional trauma for our narrator and, more so, Naoko. Watanabe has always been in love with Naoko, but Watanabe realizes that his love is an unrequited one even at the beginning of the tale. Naoko will only truly love Kazuki, which after his suicide, creates an emotional breakdown that eventually lands her in a retreat in the mountains. Our protagonist is there to help put her back together again.

After reading a few Murakami non-fiction texts, one can see the author in the main character. Although there's a bit of the writer in all their creative works, we can read about Murakami's university years, his intense love for literature and music in its many forms freely expressed in this story. What I found interesting was how the author decided on the novel's title. “Norwegian Wood” is the title of the famous acoustic song by The Beatles.

Before setting-off to read the novel, I re-listened to the famous tune. Only a third way through the text, it dawned on me that Murakami had built an entire novel around the lyrics of the song:

I once had a girl
Or should I say she once had me
She showed me her room
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?

She asked me to stay
And she told me to sit anywhere
So I looked around
And I noticed there wasn't a chair

I sat on a rug, biding my time
Drinking her wine
We talked until two and then she said
"It's time for bed."

She told me she worked
In the morning, and started to laugh
I told her I didn't
And crawled off to sleep in the bath

And when I awoke, I was alone
This bird had flown
So I lit a fire
Isn't it good Norwegian wood?

For this reader, the similarities between the novel's subject and specifically its tone in the popular Beatles song, is undeniable. Despite the fact I grew up liking this song, now to hear it again, sparks images of the book's characters, especially Naoko. And this is not a bad thing at all.

More impressive still is Murakami's ability to describe mental illness in such a careful and sensitive manner. Those who have experienced depression in its many forms will appreciate the author's descriptions and gentle prose.

It is obvious why Norwegian Wood catapulted Murakami to worldwide status.

A wonderful novel.

 

Greed, Corruption & War

The top corporations' in the US and around the globe pay little tax. Banks and big businesses have politicians securely in their back pockets. The tax laws for the rich are lobbied hard in the halls of power. More absurd, however, is that many corporations have received a tax rebate without paying any money to the government. One adds the US government, the Federal Reserve, giving big banks and Wall Street trillions (yes with a T) printing $ with a push of a button. Is it any wonder that poverty in many developed countries has risen significantly, particularly since COVID 19? The distribution of wealth around the planet is way off-kilter, and it's designed that way. These facts come down to nothing less than pure greed.

Corruption in governments' is nothing new and has been around for thousands of years. When one studies history, the Roman Empire, for example,  can see the gradual disintegration of that empire. I must say, people have been writing erudite books on this subject for the last century. But all agree there are a few underlying factors that caused the Roman decline: corruption in government, oligarchic-greed, and the overextension of militarism/war in the country's desire to rule the world. War costs money. The US of Corporations has a canny strategy to keep the war machine running: taxpayer $ and the manufacturing of the weapons of war to sell to allies or enemies depending on the time's political climate. Western governments are spending billions of $ on “defense,” when in fact, they're creating enemies by causing havoc and spreading viable propaganda. The US and its allies are simulating the fall of the Roman Empire almost to the letter.

Greed, corruption, and perpetual war.

A quote from a leading anti-war journalist:

If you only oppose imperialist warmongering against capitalist countries because you are a capitalist, then guess what? You're a dick. Same if you only oppose imperialist warmongering against communist countries because you're a communist. It's not okay to murder anyone, asshole. Caitlin Johnstone.

The imperialistic actions of the US government and their allies since the Vietnam War, at least, is based on False Flags and unrelenting propaganda. War is not a “team sport” where one side roots for their team and heckles the opposing one. War is about the murder of innocents for the sole gain of the few oligarchs at the top who finance it. Anything else they tell you is lies and excuses to expand the empire. It's not about “democracy and freedom” for other countries allegedly under horrific dictatorships – this is about resources and control. And if anyone in this day and age, after so many wars and dirty wars over the decades, believes this “democracy and freedom” crap is a dick and a fully-fledged ass hole, or they're a simple run-of-the-mill psychopath.

The US requires an enemy to exist because their economy is based on war. That's why war is perpetual because it feeds off itself like putrid cancer.

When I see the brutal sanctions on Syria, for example, where the US is literally starving the common people out of existence, and the many blockades preventing vital medicine for their sick and elderly, all for the ownership of the oil of this sovereign nation, makes me want to puke and bow my head in shame.

 When the US of Corporations is willing to slaughter millions of people for their own gain that only benefits the few wealthy at the top of the food chain; we have, as human beings, a big fucking problem.

The US empire is falling.

When you whittle it all down it comes to the absolute greed of the few, the crystal clear corruption in our government, and perpetual war that will eventually end our civilization. This is no exaggeration, but a simple fact.

This is a time like no other; it's time to become fully aware of these realities and fight back in any way that we can.

It's a life or death situation.