Prepping

I am sure you have heard this term before, prepping. It is a catchall term used for being prepared for whatever may come that disrupts our normal lives. As we deal with the war in Ukraine and the extreme weather events that seem to be more frequent and, well, extreme, I thought it might be of the moment to look at this idea. I work with someone who has been stockpiling food in preparation for some kind of disaster. And I will tell you that some of that stuff is really unpalatable. But the basic idea of being prepared is important.

I ran across a couple of videos on YouTube about prepping. One was by a farmer in the United States who was warning about a food crisis in the making. With the danger of drought in the southwest and flooding in other areas of the country we are seeing farmers pressed to get crops to market. Many ranchers in Texas are selling off cattle because they cannot feed them. In my state of Minnesota we are also seeing drought conditions. That, coupled with high temperatures, make for challenging conditions to keep crops healthy.

This video comes from the U.S. This is climate change. It is here and she is right, we need to prepare as best we can. You may want to read some of the comments, as she has people from other countries commenting on their own situations. There are some conspiracy theorists among them, just ignore them. But listen to the others. They show the global depth of what is happening.

This second video actually comes from Sweden. I ran across it by accident, possibly because of the types of search I was doing. But it is prepping of a different nature. In this case they are preparing for a possible invasion by Russia. Their time frame for what is needed to be stockpiled is much less than in the first video, but nonetheless they are preparing for the worst. It appears they have been doing so for years.

From where I am I don't fear an invasion by Russia. But I am concerned, as you know from previous posts, about climate change. But climate change and the invasion of Ukraine are inexorably linked. Putin has not only murdered thousands of innocent people, destroyed the economy of a country, and blocked needed food for the world, he has diverted critical resources at a time when those resources should be focused on global climate change. His legacy will not be one of greatness but one of complete and utter waste and stupidity.

Our Sacred Honor

It is July 4^th today. I used to look at this holiday with pride, understanding that many who came before me had fought and died for a liberty in my country that so many other people can only hope to achieve. Sadly, I have come to wonder if many in my country are now letting that slip away.

We now have people who follow a venal, self-serving man in the person of Donald Trump. We have a slow waning of the protections of individual rights, starting with the rights of women, in the overturning of Roe v Wade. This by a Supreme Court that is packed with politically motivated justices who have shown they were willing to lie about their stances on “settled law' in order to be approved as a Justice for the Supreme Court.

All of this has been at the machinations of politicians like Mitch McConnell who are willing to put their own political agenda before the will and well-being of the American people. They have even been called out by one of their own, Liz Cheney.

Here are a few clips of her commentary:

At the Reagan Library, on the danger that Donald Trump poses to our democracy:

At the Jan. 6^th Commission hearings, on witness tampering:

At the Jan, 6^th Commission hearings, on dishonor:

Even as we celebrate this July 4^th the Supreme Court is contemplating taking up a case that will decide who has the power of election oversight, the state courts or the state legislature. The majority of state legislatures are controlled by Republicans.

Election Rules Oversight

We are watching our civil rights and liberties being slowly eroded by a party controlled by a demagogue.

Contrast this to words from our Declaration of Independence:

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. “

I fear that the type of people who wrote that Declaration are no longer living here in the United States.  I wonder, do we value our liberty as much as the Ukrainians value theirs?  Are we willing to stand up and be heard this November and in 2024?  

A Prison of Nations

In my wanderings through comments sections attached to Ukraine war news I have come across two things that I think need to be addressed and so I am putting both in a post. The first is a belief and the second is a question. They are very much related.

I think like most Americans I have not really understood the make up of the Russian Federation. I found this rather informative video on some of the Republics that are part of it. If you read through the comments you may notice that I stole my title from one. Take a few minutes to view it, it is not long.

So that brings me to the belief that I keep running across. That is that there is no difference between the war in Iraq initiated by the US and the war in Ukraine initiated by Vladimir Putin. There is no doubt that war in and of itself brings death, injuries, destruction and ruined lives for so many. But there is one type of war that is so profoundly destructive that it destroys a people. That is the war of conquest to acquire territory, which in the process erases the identity of those who live there. When the United States invaded Iraq its purpose was not to make that country part of the United States. It never intended to erase Iraq's identity or its sovereignty. We never forced anyone in Iraq to acquire a US passport or to become a citizen of the US. That, however, is what Russia is doing to Ukraine. As far as Vladimir Putin is concerned Ukraine as a country doesn't exist, it is part of Russia.

I believe the majority of Ukrainians beg to differ. That leads me to the question I have seen posed in comments sections. What would victory mean for Ukraine? The implication is that if they were to force Russia to withdraw there would be such a large loss of life and infrastructure that the fight would not have been worth it. Especially if Russia were to use a tactical nuclear weapon. The answer to this question is actually quite simple. Victory for Ukrainians means keeping their identity. Lives cannot be brought back, but the future can be made possible for future generations.

The vision of Putin is one of empire. He will use any means to make his vision come true. We have seen his use of energy to blackmail Europe. We see the same in his theft of Ukraine's grain and his blockade of Ukraine's ports, at the expense of the poorer countries in the world, to try to force the West to lift sanctions.

The person who called the Russian Federation a prison of nations was spot on. Does the world really want to become vassal states of Putin's Russia?

Slava Ukraini!

We Remember

For those who fought for our freedom.  They will always be in our hearts.

Victory Day – A Cautionary Tale

It seems that Vladimir Putin is intent on a rather large display on May 9^th, Victory Day. This is the day that Nazi Germany surrendered after their defeat in World War II. This is the day the Soviet forces took control of Berlin. There is no disputing the fact that the people of Russia fought bravely and sacrificed a great deal in World War II, against a foe that was intent on world domination.

But, and this is where a word of caution comes in, Vladimir Putin would seem to have everyone believe that the victory over Nazi Germany was the Soviet Union's alone. It was not. It was the combined efforts of many countries, including the United States. And it included Lend Lease. Yes, you may have heard about this as it has recently been in the news regarding Ukraine. But it was first thought of during the early stages of the war in Europe against Germany. A war that we were not yet involved in. In order to help those countries who were at war with Germany the United States agreed to lend/lease military equipment and other things to those countries, which included the Soviet Union. It was pivotal to the course of that war.

Lend Lease and the Soviet Union 

So on this Victory Day it might serve the Russian people well to understand that now that help is being provided to Ukraine to try to repel a murderous aggressor, the Russian Federation, that has invaded their land. Vladimir Putin has lied for the reason of Russia's invasion and he has been working tooth and nail to keep that secret. And he is lying if he says that the Soviet Union alone won WWII.

A video summary of WWII Lend Lease:

The Senate, and later the House, passes Lend Lease for Ukraine in 2022.

This time Russia is not on the side of right, but Germany is.

Slava Ukraini

Truth in A Grave

It is Easter Sunday today. So many people are congregating in their places of worship, celebrating rebirth. It is supposed to be a season of hope. Yet it is pain and tragedy that stalks the Earth.

In Ukraine we are seeing the destruction of a country and its people. Cities have been bombed to rubble and innocent people killed. One man has used his propaganda machine to lie to the people of Russia and many believe the lies he has fed them.

Borodyanka, Ukraine:

What appears to be instructions given to Russian soldiers by their superiors.  It looks like they have tightened viewing on this video due to content. You will have to click on the link and provide your age if you want to listen to it.  Or just go directly to YouTube.

Mariupol, Ukraine:

Mariupol again and the Russian military:

“Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there.” Clarence W. Hall

Sláva Ukrayíni ― Слава Україні: Героям слава!

 There comes a time when we arrive at a crossroads in history. The path we choose will affect all of us for generations to come. It is our responsibility to those who come after to recognize such a time.

We have been seeing the horrible scenes playing out in Ukraine at the hands of the Russian invaders. As they have pulled out of some areas in Ukraine they leave behind the evidence of what can only be described as war crimes. The city of Bucha is scattered with bodies, some with their hands tied behind their backs. They are uncovering mass graves. While we have seen the destruction to infrastructure, this is the first time we have really seen the butchery that the Russians dealt in. This is not just about the destruction of a country, but the destruction of a people.

It is time for us to remember the words of one of our former Presidents.

“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from this earth.” Abraham Lincoln

I stand with the people of Ukraine and all of those who fight for their freedom.