The War Horse

(3 minute read)

            I wrote a story about a warhorse a few decades ago back in ’92.  As I watch and read about what’s going on in Ukraine this updated version of the story is about Ukraine and the valor that they have and are showing in the war Putin’s Russia forced upon them. 

I believe that their cause is righteous and that they will take their beloved Ukraine back from the occupier. 

I dedicate this story to them.

 The War Horse

By Keith Thomas ©

            The war horse was a magnificent steed and had seen many glorious battles with his knight.  His strength and stamina were beyond compare.  In full battle dress the horse was a beautiful and awesome sight.

            There had been many campaigns over the years.  They had exacted a toll from the loyal animal but always the call to battle with his knight had been answered.  Once again they were called to fight an evil foe with familiar ways of battle.

            Their outnumbered army had been forced to the edge of a clearing.  As the warriors turned about to make their stand again, they noticed a warhorse whose valiant knight had been unseated in the confusion of battle.  The warhorse turned with them to face the field that had taken his knight.  Wounded and losing strength the horse started back into the fray.  The enemy pursuers came to a halt as the lone horse thundered out to meet them, battle ribbons streaming from his empty saddle, without wavering or hesitant steps.  The horse carried the burden of his armor with years of experience.  He had one last mission to carry out with his strong heart.  He crashed into the line of waiting fighters, momentum alone carrying him through.  The enemy raced around him, their lances stinging like so many bees.

            The reason for the war horse’s charge was unclear to the foe because they could see no purpose to such foolhardy action from such a noble and war-wise veteran.  Finally, the great horse made it to where his knight had fallen.  There he halted.  As his tormentors circled he used all he had to fight with, his body, to charge into them, taking whatever injury they would give to him in his quest to defeat as many of his foe as he could.  At last the war horse could stand no longer and fell beside his loved one.  The war horse knew that his knight would have done the same and he could do no less.  They shared a warrior’s peace together.

            There was a quiet upon the field.  Silence was the recognition such unwavering dedication and valiance would have.  Their reward was the final field of battle. 

            Off the field at the edge of the clearing where they had stopped the warriors bore witness to the final moments of their heroes.  First one and then another cast off their old and heavy armor.  Then they lightened their mounts of the same.  The field now called them back as well.

            Then they too thundered onto the field, knowing they would not leave again.  Injured and tired but with spirits strong they rushed to the place where their companions had fallen.  That was the only goal left for their lives.  They embraced the battle one more time.  They found the warhorse and his knight together where they had fallen.  Inscribed on the knight's tattered shield was written, "Never forget us.  Carry our spirit with you."

Free for all

 

(5 minute read)

            Bonne journée.

Another excellent day!  Started off the morning with coffee and a little Irish Cream in it.  Well, perhaps more than a little.  It’s one of those socially acceptable drinks to have in the morning, like mimosas.  Drink a beer in the morning and people will give you side eye for having a drinking problem.  Go figure.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast once for our anniversary. Part of the package was a bottle of bubbly.  Not being big drinkers, we shared it the next morning with the other guests in the guise of mimosas.  We hadn’t been on the days’ adventures very long when we realized we were hammered.  Looking back we realized that we were the only ones that drank mimosas.  What a couple of cheap drunks.  Fortunately we were walking.

I’m not all that happy with today’s post but that’s the way it is sometimes.

            Agnosco diem.

Historically has it ever worked out well for a cult and their leader?

Here comes de judge!

            With the midterms a couple of weeks away it’s going to get downright weird at times.  Social media is going to be inundated with misinformation.  Inundated.  Way back on February 23, 2020 I posted about how to go about checking to see if information is factual.  It was titled “Are you interested in being truthful?”  Social media has taught us that millions of people aren’t really interested in the truth any more than they’re interested in preserving our democracy.

            In the upcoming election there will be lots of close votes.  The Trump Republican Party (TRP) has already indicated that they believe that there will be fraud in the midterms and have been staging lawyers to be ready to file challenges over their unfounded beliefs.[1]  Republicans contested results in Republican primaries controlled by Republicans.[2]  It’s almost poetic that the miniscule fraud that was done in the 2020 election was committed by Republicans.[3]

            Democrats are going to find themselves backed into a corner when faced with losing close votes in elections that they lost.  They’re going to have to go to court.  Even if they don’t Republicans will have continued to undermine our democracy both home and abroad.

It’s what they do.

Chicken or egg?

            Democracy or economy?  Democracy or abortion?  Democracy or Authoritarian rule?  Democracy or any issue?  The economy is once again turning out to be the top issue.  NOT abortion.  Saving democracy is way down the line when it comes to people’s priorities.  Does that make any sense?

            Look at life in authoritarian regimes.  The war in Ukraine has also taught the world that Russians don’t have a lot of the things that we take for granted.  Rushists are looting appliances and personal items out of homes.  They’re stealing from stores.  Intercepted calls have shown the people back home asking for them to steal particular items. 

The standard of living in authoritarian ruled countries like Russia, North Korea, China, Venezuela, Cuba, countries throughout the world is less than ours.[4]  European countries dominate the top ten when it comes to standard of living. 

            So why do I bring this up?  Having a better standard of living and the opportunity to improve the standard of living for others has a better chance of success in a healthy vibrant democracy.  Remember.  The TRP says that our nation is the best and then maintain the opposite.  Democrats say it too.  So yes, Democracy should be the top priority in my estimation if we want to sustain what we have. 

Democracy should come first.

Home stretch

            It’s always hard for me to believe that we can get to this point in an election and there are millions of people saying that they still aren’t sure how they’re going to vote.  As I have stated previously, I don’t believe that the majority of “undecideds” are in reality undecided.  They’re breaking in the direction that they were always going to break.

            The news is full of Republicans saying that they are leaving the Republican Party and that the party is no longer the party that it was.  Their previously prominent leadership position is what makes them newsworthy.  If what they are saying is true we wouldn’t be seeing the tight races that we’re seeing.  The majority of the TRP is what the majority of Republicans always aspired to be. 

Anti-democracy.

Place holders

            In previous elections before the TRP era traits like having a good character, integrity, being somewhat intelligent, and being pro-democracy were important.  In the 2022 elections not so much.  The candidates are simply going to be party place holders whether they are Democrat or Republican is all that matters.  They will vote party lines well, except for those that place their getting reelected first. 

            Trump Republicans want the freedom to say whatever they want and base laws upon the fictions that they have created.  They’re for “law and order” and want to fight crime unless guns are involved.  Like Trump they want to be able to sue anyone that criticizes them and win in court with laws that they create.  They want lies taught as the truth.  They want teachers to teach their lies or be punished.  They want the government to have control over people’s bodies.  They’re just starting with women.  The people that condemned hundreds of thousands to die in the pandemic with their policies want the power to do that codified. 

I also covered the TRP agenda < here > and < here >.  Theirs isn’t a complicated agenda. 

It’s whatever their Orange Jesus wants.

---

[1] https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-contest-midterm-elections-politico-trump-poll-workers

[2] https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/politics/2022/06/23/greenville-county-republican-party-overturns-primary-election/7710909001/

[3] https://www.politicususa.com/2021/10/25/the-2020-voter-fraud-has-been-found-and-it-was-committed-by-republicans.html

[4] https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/standard-of-living-by-country

Counter intelligence

 

(.25 minute to read)

            Too much depressing stuff going on in the world.  For some reason an old poem that I posted long ago popped up on social media that somehow seems appropriate. I like the imagery.  So I think that’s all that I’m going to post this time.  Agnosco diem

Counter intelligence

By Keith Thomas

 

The cup sliding across the counter

Is a masterpiece of sound

Where none is needed.

It’s like a small sentence spoken

to kill

a heavy heavy silence that hangs

at the end of a pallid evening too long.

How much small talk would it take

to overcome the unforgiving light

in a worn hard floored place

where time moves like the sound

of an old ticking clock winding down

Aiding and abetting

 

(3 minute read)

            First of all thanks for dropping by. 

            We received some much-needed rain on Tuesday.  According to our rain gauge we got 3.25 inches.  It won’t be enough to end the drought we’ve been in but it will sure help.  The lake was getting pretty low. 

The rains in Ukraine will be slowing the war down.  Is that good or bad?  Their incredible soldiers can use a rest.  Those of us with roofs should really appreciate them. 

            Agnosco diem.

The Putin wings

            As I have mentioned previously in “A time such as this,” “the call” and “Nuclear winter” we are already engaged in World War 3.

            There has been a lot of talk of the Putin wing of the Trump Republican party.  Justifiably so.  Well, not to be outdone, the Democrats also have a Putin wing.  The “progressives” of the Democratic party wanted President Biden to start negotiating directly with the Russians over Ukraine.[1]  (They have since reversed their position.[2])  The damage has already been done.  BTW Putin only negotiates if he wins.

I can’t begin to express how outrageous this is.  It would have been like England negotiating directly with Hitler over the fate of France during WWII and not including France.  Putin, like Hitler, started this WAR.  Calling it anything else buys into his “Special Military Operation” garbage.

            I bring up Hitler because prior to our entry into WWII there were Nazi sympathizers along with isolationists and appeasers that thought we should stay out of the war in Europe.[3]  Fortunately, they weren’t successful, or we’d all be speaking Nazi now.  Eventually it became obvious to the majority of people that Hitler had no intention of stopping his aggression against other nations.  The people of the United States of America became focused on achieving one objective. 

Defeating evil.

Crossing lines

            Men like Putin give no thought to the hundreds of thousands of lives that they destroy and the millions of people that they force undeserved hardship upon.  There are too many Putins and Kim Jong Uns in the world.  There are too many like Trump that admire their works and envy their power.  Trump loves him some dictators.[4]  His comments about his love affair with Kim Jong Un are disgusting as well as flat out creepy.[5] 

            Ukraine is bearing the brunt of Putin’s war.  They stopped him.  They have and are paying an incredible price for defending their homeland.  Their courage and accomplishments are inspiration to freedom-loving people everywhere. 

Just as we joined with our allies in WWII in standing up to Hitler we should stand up to Putin as well.  NATO is holding strong.  Sending them military equipment and humanitarian aid is the least we can do.  The Trump Republicans and right-wing media are all in a fabricated dither worrying about our dwindling military stockpiles.[6]  Are Canada or Mexico getting ready to attack us? 

The Biden administration is worried about crossing lines and escalating the war.  Putin suffers from no such constraints and continually escalates.  If he succeeds in conquering Ukraine will they still be worried about escalation when he goes after the next country?  A blackmailer never stops.

Evil doesn’t recognize lines.

Tied up

            Ukraine has an incredible army of men and women on the field.  They prove daily what they are capable of accomplishing.  Give them what they need to win!  We need to send Ukraine EVERYTHING!  Send them planes!  Send them tanks!  Send them long range weapons!  We either want them to win or we don’t.  It serves the interests of maintaining a world free of dictators and wannabe dictators.  It serves our interests.

I’m going to finish up with the words of a Ukrainian soldier:

“If Hitler had been stopped in Poland or Czechoslovakia, there would have been no France, Britain, Africa, the USSR, millions of victims, etc. Now we stop the crazy dictator at the very beginning.

So, help us defeat him.”[7]

 

---

[1] https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3702113-progressives-urge-biden-to-push-harder-for-ukraine-peace-talks/

[2] https://www.foxnews.com/politics/progressive-democrats-withdraw-ukraine-letter-caused-uproar-urging-peace-negotiations

[3] https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/american-nazism-and-madison-square-garden

[4] Loving Kim:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV6mVmAVQU4

[5] Meidas Touch:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAoyrB0ymOo

[6] https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-signals-slowdown-high-end-munitions-deliveries-ukraine

[7] https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/an-exclusive-view-of-the-zaporizhzhia-offensive/ar-AA13mO4u?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=1a02a476122645b2974fb4fcc8246eaf