This is not the poetry below, it is Buddist Monks praying.

Buddist Words of Kindness in repect of the Korean Monks influence

I realize there are many Christian Koreans in this world and the USA. This is simply a tribute to Korean Monks.

This is what should be done (click here)

By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech.
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all things be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born,
May all things be at ease!

If sex addiction...

 ...causes depression, then treat the depression.

Depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain, not the soul.

“The Centerfold” was been a healthy mainstay of sexuality for American men. Feminists will hate me for saying it is okay to objectify women. Take it or leave it, the Playboy ideology worked well for the American man. Playboys had their “taste” in women, blond, brunette or redhead among other characteristics. It was a brew of sexuality that most modern men enjoyed while they attended church on Sunday to ask forgiveness to protect the soul. 

I once had a man state to me, “Well, what do you think Sunday mornings are for if not to forgive everything that happened Saturday night.”

My sons grew up as playboys, but, my father did not. When he complained about my free wheeling sons I simply stated, “Well, that is easy for you to say, you are married to one of the sexiest women in town.” It never failed that a smile would come to his face.

In The NY Times article...

 ...Samuel Perry is correct in this case. Long was definitely conflicted in regard to his sexually. But, he while conflicted, was faced with rejection of the one place he called home by people he depended on for emotional support.

Evangelism is an extreme in that it demands perfection to its demands according to their interpretation of the New Testament. It causes not peace of mind in following God’s teaching, but, conflict that leads to mental health problems. Those mental health issues within the practice of the faith is more pervasive than other faiths.

In the case with Long, he was conflicted and faced a failure of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. He was not prepared for the real world and was either unable or unwilling to turn to society in general for food, shelter and a way forward. He had no support other than his religion and God’s love was his highest priority, feared not just for his soul, but, his new reality. His soul won the fight and he desperately needed to end his conflict.

What I want to know is where did he find the abrupt personality path that lead to dispassionate killing to resolve his conflict to save his soul? That did not happen in an instant. Moving dispassionately to kill is a learned skill and not an abrupt, hysterical reaction. Logic won over chaos in his emotional mind. Who taught him that?

First day of spring is determined by the movement of the sun's rays to the northern hemisphere.

In 2021, the spring equinox occurs on Saturday, March 20. This event marks the astronomical first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.

While people see the longer days as part of the first day of spring, other species are more about their instincts and temperature change. Due to the climate crisis the flyways are busy at different times of the year now, with migration shifting because of the warmer climate sooner.

September 25, 2020

By Brooke Bateman

The last few decades (click here) have seen an advancing onset of spring as temperatures have warmed due to climate change. Early spring may seem like something to revel in, but for natural ecosystems it can wreak havoc. Given the rapid pace of climate change, long established relationships can unravel, leading to mismatches in species phenology- the timing of seasonal and cyclic component of a species life. This phenomena can be seen with bird migration; millions of birds  are migrating earlier as temperatures have warmed. Some species like the Black-throated Blue Warbler are migrating nearly a week earlier than they did 50 years ago. However, not all species are able to adapt as rapidly as others, subsequently leaving them a step behind during the integral breeding time. This can be as simple as birds like the Broad-tailed Hummingbird missing out on a key food resource needed for breeding, or as bizarre as birds turning into zombie-like killers to defend limited resources....

October 10, 2018

By Doyle Rice

Currently, the Violet-Green Swallow (click here) is one of the most threatened species due to the climate because they are a desert species and the climate is making their habitat far warmer than normal. This temperature increase is stressing most desert species.

About two-thirds of America's birds (click here) will be threatened with extinction if global warming rises by 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100, according to a report released Thursday from the National Audubon Society, a bird-focused conservation group.

“A lot of people paid attention to last month’s report that North America has lost nearly a third of its birds," said David Yarnold, CEO and president of Audubon. "This new data pivots forward and imagines an even more frightening future. It's a bird emergency."

About 389 out of 604 species are at risk of extinction from climate change. A few of the imperiled species include state birds such as Minnesota's common loon, New Jersey's goldfinch and California's quail.

To prepare the report – "Survival by Degrees: Bird Species on the Brink" – Audubon scientists studied 604 North American bird species using 140 million bird records, including observational data from bird lovers and field biologists across the U.S., Canada and Mexico....

One of the profound reasons the Endangered and Threatened Species classification started was to monitor Earth's life support. If other species were failing it would indicate a concern for the human condition. It is proving to be true. The Polar Bear is threatened and the lower 48 are now experiencing year-round upheavals in weather due to the climate crisis.

President Joe Biden fell three times going up the stairs to Air Force 1.

Those are steep stairs and there are many of them. I can imagine an old injury can bother an older American at an inopportune time. 

There are other ways on that jet. President Biden should feel free to use them. 

FDR didn’t worry about going up stairs and looking young and tough. He was respected for his age and wisdom.

America loves President Biden and if he needs to end the matcho act on the stairs to his jet, I imagine most Americans will feel good about it.

Georgia has the death penalty.

It bothers me there was a confession before Long had a lawyer assigned to his case. I think the judge has to be very cautious. Long needs psychiatric evaluation. It has to be determined that he understood what he was doing when he killed and understood the brevity of his actions at the time and when he confessed.

I do not believe in the death penalty. I think it makes a very poor statement about the country. 

This case is heinous for the sheer numbers of people killed. It is also a sensitive group of people that lost their lives. They were women and an American minority. There is every reason to believe the prosecution will seek the death penalty.

What bothers me most about this case and the case of Dylan Roof is the young age they decided they had a mission more important than life itself. I doubt when they killed they thought they would be caught.

The problem in the USA, including many other young men that killed including Kyle Rittenhouse, is that these young men could have been indoctrinated to kill. I realize that may not be the case with Long.

The problem as I see it, is the predatory methods of organized hate groups. Families are losing their sons to a derelict subculture that has been allowed to exist for far too long in the USA. There are more young men in their later teens and early twenties ready to kill for a purpose outside the USA definition of it’s society. 

We are struggling to erase racism in the USA because of unnecessary deaths of citizens at the hand of those that do not believe minorities should be a part of the USA. Let me make this clear, there is a subculture in the USA that turns our young men into killers. At a young age, these boys learn hate outside the influence of their families and grow to carry out killing for strange reasons. Hating skin color is a very strange and foreign reason to commit murder in the USA.

Long is 21 years old. He is joined by a growing number of young men, unafraid of the power of a gun, and killing without a second thought. These young men are removed from appreciating humanity and the beauty and value of life itself.

The USA has a problem with dispassionate killing in some young men. Dylan Roof sat among his victims before he killed dispassionately and simply walked away from his acts. Long sat in his car for an hour before he dispassionately walked out of the spa where he too killed and simply drove away to kill again. What are they meditating before they kill and who taught them that skill?

I am not surprised Robert Aaron Long is an evangelical looking to rid life of sexual imagery. Rather than growing into an adult body with a healthy outlook on life, they develop a necrosis about sex. It is ridiculous. 

We live in a society that offers young people guidance in sex education classes and where birth control is considered a normal method of balancing normal human sexuality with the joys of parenthood.

The evangelicals need to get over themselves.

Having sexual neurosis is not exclusive of racism. Both can exist.

How many American young men and women were using birth control by the age of 17, even if just a condom? Raise your hands. Wow, look at that half the country knows where it’s at.

Snyder should just plead guilty before some real charges are finally leveled against him.

Of course, Snyder's lawyers are going to appeal. I think the State of Michigan is still picking up the tab for the lawyers, right? Why not appeal?

Last week I discussed the little-known antiquated Michigan law that allows a one-person grand jury. All this requires some degree of investigation to find out why the case against Snyder wasn't appropriately pled before a jury of 16 or more people. Perhaps, the state will once again look into the outcomes of the one-person grand jury and rethink the charges against Snyder. There is no reason to undo the current misdemeanors, but, there is sufficient reason to bring in a new grand jury to examine the real reasons why Snyder is charged and add to his crimes.

The people of Flint deserve sincere justice. This is so racist in it's entire course there has to be a reconvening of a proper grand jury to render additional charges to Snyder. He was the impetus to the crimes that occurred in Flint. He was the one that covered everything up when the federal EPA wrote HIM and demanded something be done about the water quality. There is a good chance the federal system can look into the EPA's efforts and the willful disregard by Snyder and bring their own charges. It should be brought to the attention of the federal EPA's attention with requests for additional charges against the former governor.

March 18, 2021
By Ed White

Detroit - A judge on Thursday(click here) rejected a request to dismiss misdemeanor charges against a former Michigan governor in the Flint water scandal.

Lawyers for Rick Snyder said he worked in Ingham County, not Genesee County, so the indictment from a one-person grand jury was returned in the wrong place....

The crimes occurred in Genesee County. All of a sudden the charges have to be filed in the defendant's county of residency? If that is the case every other criminal case ever brought in the USA should be dismissed. I guess the lawyers have to try. The proper jurisdiction is Genesee County. Now, if the lawyers are concerned about a biased jury, the trial could possibly be brought elsewhere, like Detroit.

...But Judge William Crawford II said prosecutors have flexibility about where to pursue a case.

If the former Republican governor goes to trial, a jury will be asked to determine if charges of willful neglect of duty occurred in the boundaries of Flint and Genesee County, Crawford said.

The attorney general's office has “intimate knowledge” of what the investigation revealed and where, the judge said.

“The state Legislature does not want strict adherence to territorial boundaries applied to nebulous concepts of venue," especially if it could "impede justice,” Crawford said....

Since when does a legislative body weigh in on a criminal trial? This entire episode with Snyder and the Republican Michigan State legislature is a crime. Maybe the members of the legislature that acted to destroy the referendum by the people in an open and free election should be tried. It might be a good idea to look at that as well. A State hearing about the disregarded referendum will never happen, so maybe the State Attorney General needs to look into the ethical and criminal statutes to determine if members of the Michigan legislature acted to CAUSE greater harm to the people of the state, including Flint by destroying the referendum voted on by the people to end the Emergency Manager law.

...Snyder's attorneys plan to appeal. It's the first of what will be many aggressive challenges to an unprecedented case against a sitting or former Michigan governor for alleged acts while in office....

I really believe this episode of "citizens endangerment and death" is a human rights violation committed by people that legislate laws and those that carry them out. There must be a way to hold all involved responsible.

The Plutocrats are dictating our democracy.

The cost of filibustering? OMG. The reason the filibuster is nothing but hot air is that when a filibuster MUST be through speaking and debating Senators, it removes them from raising money full time. That is also why the Senate is always asking for a quorum call. Everyone is in their offices raising money. They aren't governing.

President Biden after leaving the Vice Presidency stated as a private citizen, he was making money he never saw before. Why? Because he was more interested in doing his job, then begging for campaign donations. It is true. President Biden never dreamed of being a billionaire, he wanted to protect the country and it's constitution. He never made vast money UNTIL HE LEFT OFFICE, not during.

March 19, 2021
By Jonathan R. Siegel

...According to this theory, (click here) there are two reasons filibusters have metastasized from an occasional problem into a constant catastrophe. First, in earlier times, senators shared a social understanding that filibusters should be reserved for matters of critical importance, whereas today the Senate minority routinely filibusters everything it doesn’t like. Second, in earlier times, filibustering senators had to work hard to filibuster, whereas today they have it too easy. And while everyone agrees that not much can be done about the first point in this hyperpartisan era, some people think a lot could be done by attacking the second.

Starting in the 1970s, Senate rules created a “dual-tracking system” under which filibusters didn’t have to involve constantly debating a bill on the Senate floor. Such debate ate up too much floor time, so bills that were being filibustered were instead shunted off to a separate track. This had the advantage of allowing the Senate to work on something else while the majority tried to win enough votes to end the filibuster, but it also reduced the cost of filibustering, thereby making it more common. If filibustering senators didn’t actually have to hold the floor and debate (which in addition to being physically taxing left them less time to do other things, including raising money), then they’d be more likely to filibuster, leading to the never-ending filibuster jam the Senate is in now....

The filibuster is an unseemly rule of the US Senate. There is nothing honorable about the filibuster. Sure it is clever and even sexy, but, governing should never be about being clever, it should be about being honest.

No one is governing. Filibusters? Fund raising while in session? All these measures are slimy and define a US Senate that is easily manipulated by money. The most dramatic of recent years is Moscow Mitch and his immediate change in vote as soon as a Russian Oligarch offered to build a steel rolling plant in Kentucky to help with jobs. That is quid pro quo and McConnell got away with it.

These are priorities of wealthy Senators seeking greater wealth and will do so at any cost. The two new Georgia Senators won because President Biden asked the voters of Georgia to help with his agenda to instill profound change in this country while ending the SARS-C0V-2 pandemic in the USA. Yes, that is true. But there is also another reason.

David Purdue and Kelly Loeffler are knee deep in securities scandals.

David Purdue decides not to run for US Senate in 2022 (click here).

Purdue was a wealhty man looking to be wealthier while in the US Senate and using the information he had before him, secret or not, to attain that goal. Those governing in the federal government have used their power and office to become wealthy and wealthier. That is not REMOTELY why the American people vote and vote for people they believe to be honest and willing to bring about the laws they believe will improve their lives.

October 22, 2020
By Brian Clark and Tala Hadavi

Four U.S. senators (click here) were accused in March of using insider information about the coronavirus pandemic to profit in the stock market.

A couple of months later, the investigations into Sens. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., Dianna Feinstein, D-Calif., and James Inhofe, R-Okla., were closed. Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., stepped down as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee amid the allegations.

Until the 2008 financial crisis, lawmakers were under few restrictions, and the public wasn’t able to find out much about lawmakers’ investments. In 2012, the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act was passed to clean up Washington. But recent events have yet again thrust the issue to the forefront....

Kelly Loeffler is beleived to be worth over a half billion US. (click here) and at the time the wealthiest elected legislator in the Congress.

The filibuster, talking or otherwise, will do nothing but obstruct very important and needed reforms in the USA government. This is ridiculous. The people in the USA need their civil rights returned and some furthered to become citizens and voters themselves. It is long overdue as well as all the other highly important issues before this Congress. If the Democrats fail the people this time again, they may never see a majority again to do what needs to be done.

The Democrats have an opporunity with Joe Biden as President to carry out an aggressive agenda that will make them heroes. They cannot fail us and if affection of a Senate rule that turns the USA majority in elections into disenfrancised, then it will be a world lost and out of reach to most Americans. People will suffer without this agenda passed and safely instituted.

I think the Democrats know what they have to do, but, are too attached to the romance of the powerful Senate to get out of their own way.

...The problem is that, under the Senate’s current rules, all-night talking filibusters would just end up imposing more costs on the majority senators than the minority senators. If the Democrats want to steer around the filibuster, they’re going to have to embrace actual change to the rules. There are good reasons to think hard before abolishing the filibuster altogether, but it would at least work. Bringing back talking filibusters would not.

Congratulations to Secretary Xavier Becerra.

March 18, 2021
By Eli Stokols

Washington - Xavier Becerra was narrowly confirmed (click here) as the Health and Human Services secretary on Thursday on a near party-line vote.

The Senate voted 50-49 in favor of Becerra, who will be the first Latino to lead the agency. The vote also made him President Biden’s 20th appointee confirmed by the equally divided Senate. He resigned later Thursday as attorney general of California.

All Democrats backed his nomination, while Republicans were nearly united in opposition, with many pointing to his past comments and record as attorney general of having led more than 150 Democratic legal challenges to Trump administration policies....

The Republicans didn't like him because Secretary Becerra believes in confidentially between a doctor and the woman seeking health care.

A cool one million US dollars was spent to defeat Secretary Becerra in his confirmation. A million dollars is a lot to pass up for Republicans. The opposition was willing to spend that kind of money to defeat an HHS Secretary, then Republicans were opposed as well.

So who opposed the nomination? A good guess is the healthcare insurance sector. Secretary Becerra backs "Medicare for All."

A point of pride for Democratic lawmakers is the immigration background of Secretary Becerra. Both his parents are Mexican immigrants that met in the USA. Secretary Becerra was born in the USA, but, has an intimate knowledge of the difficulties migrants face for their healthcare. I am confident he will do a remarkable job as HHS Secretary.

There are no terms for a debate. Putin is trying to build up his political support in Russia.

2nd COVID-2 vaccine went without a hitch.

But. I reported my previous episode of fatigue and rapid heart rate and the thing the doctor (Yes, a doctor. - Local public health clinic is handling vaccine administration and record keeping. Good idea to consolidate records for any unusual reactions.) asked was whether I took a blood pressure medication.

I hadn’t taken the Losartan I usually take when I took the 2nd vaccine. I figured it out, but, here sat the doctor asking me a question and validating my own conclusions. 

I told her I take a daily blood pressure medication every morning. She stated there was probably an interaction with the two medications and caused a systemic reaction. I never told her I figured it out. That would have lead to a more extensive conversation neither of us had time for. She made me wait for a half hour before I was allowed to go on my way.

I was administered the vaccine at 10:30 am yesterday and the only reaction I have is a sore vaccination site. I expected at least that considering this was the second invasion of “Moderna” mRNA.

It is my conclusion based on experience the mRNA, while a very successful immunity thus far, initiated an immune response through an invasion of a foreign body. The genetically engineered foreign body that triggered the response is wrapped in friendly fluids to the human body unless allergic to any of the transport media.

That immune response will cause vasodilation and will drop the blood pressure. This probably didn’t show up in any trials of the two mRNA vaccines, but, will show up on a broader distribution size of a population. 

I LIKE THIS VACCINE A LOT.

Don’t get me wrong.

This is an incredible break through in medical science. Imagine being able to translate this technology into vaccines for Ebola, Zika and every other nasty disease out there. We can worry a little less about weird Chinese Wet Markets.

But, I still haven’t taken the Losartan yet. I have a home blood pressure cuff and am testing a couple times a day. I will return to daily routines when the injection site is back to normal unless my pressure starts to creep up.

I am not a youngster. The older person might be a careful study for medical research. The mRNA vaccines will become more common place and the “shock like” reaction that starts the immune response needs to be perfected by physicians. People will need to be educated as to their medication regime WITH and AT THE TIME of the injections. No physician I know will tell a patient to suspend blood pressure medication for a shot in the arm.

SARS-CoV-2 is not the flu. The mRNA vaccines ARE MEDICAL PROCEDURES not just a vaccination.

I feel fine and expect to stay that way.

One more thing. I was told it would take two weeks for full immunity. Being with friends and family in small groups and without a mask is okay after the two weeks. But, being fully immune can be a danger to others that are not. How? The nose. In two weeks I will not know if the virus has made its way to my nose. If I cough, sneeze, talk or simply breath close to other people not immune I can pass on the virus while I am well.

BE A GREAT PERSON and continue to wear masks, social distance, practice excellent hand hygiene and don’t touch the face without first excellent hand hygiene.

GET VACCINATED and TRUST THE SCIENCE.

I carry a card now with the type of vaccine and lot numbers as well as the dates of each vaccination. I just added it to my standard medical information in my wallet. The same information is in me electrical health record. I like carrying the card in case “the net” fails.

The comments that are made as if "oops" just being a doofus are no longer acceptable.

Any eighth-grader knows that when speaking publically at a microphone there is a proper way to address basically complete strangers as information is provided. The officer is it Capt. Jay Baker, should be placed on leave while the comments are investigated. There are anti-American people in law enforcement and this may be another one. 

Has law enforcement come to the conclusion Robert Aaron Long is a White Supremacist/Nationalist? Because it is getting to be routine to see a twenty-something white man pick up a gun and start shooting minorities in this country. 

We know there is probably an endless supply of young twenty-somethings in the USA ready to kill for "the cause" of White Supremacy/Nationalist or whatever one wants to call it. The White Supremacist/Nationalists are and have actively recruited older boys at the age of puberty, age 12, 13, 14, or older. Then when they are twenty-something and estranged from a society where a young man would get a job and be anxious to support himself to win over the girl of his dreams, they become violent and ready to kill. 

There are no longer doofus remarks at news conferences. The facts and only the facts, please. No opinions are necessary. The American people can understand the facts and don't need to be misled to have sympathy for a man that has been groomed to be a killer.

The parents aren't responsible for these murders because the killer was put out of the house. They probably were scared of him anyway. He was going to kill. Sooner or later he was going to exactly what he did. It happened too quickly after he was put out of the home where he was welcome for many years. The killer stands accused and that is all that needs to be understood. We decided a while ago that killers weren't the important people in the facts the victims and the people they left behind are important. No comments of sympathy to a man that murdered multiple Asian people.

Something was wrong with this young man and his relationship with his family because his car had a tracker on it (click here). There needs to be an investigation that encompasses the Captain and why parents were tracking a 21-year-old.

March 18, 2021
By Wilborn P. Noble, III

The spokesman for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office (click here) faces calls to resign after he categorized the Atlanta spa shooting suspect’s actions as “a really bad day.”

That comment has elicited criticism from civil rights activists wary of law enforcement amid rising violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in this country.

During Wednesday’s press conference, Capt. Jay Baker said Robert Aaron Long, 21, was “kind of at the end of his rope” when he allegedly opened fire inside three spas in Atlanta and Cherokee County on Tuesday....

Former Rep. Dennis Kucinich

 In “Harpers,” April 2021, page 2 under “Letters,” “A Modest Proposal.”

...By aligning monetary and fiscal policy, we can protect our national sovereignty, rebuild our economy, payoff the national debt, reduce (prevent eliminate) national deficits, and guarantee that the dollar remains a stable currency....

His description is a long term structural policy that Democrats should consider and lead to that goal.

Great Lakes

I observed 2 foot swells on Lake Michigan from high winds at the air-surface interface. The water is cobalt blue. Toward evening a greenish tint among the blue water. Plenty of white caps. NO FLOODING! Plenty of sea spray from crashing waves on the shoreline, but, absolutely no flooding.

Magnificent!

The Army Corp. is Magnificent!

Twenty years is an entire generation.

If the USA military can't secure a country away from terrorists in twenty years then it can't be done. One last peace conference with a president that believes in peace might be a long shot, but, the USA has to prepare for a country that doesn't care about it's people and that is Afghanistan. 

It was a wasteland when the USA retaliated after September 11, 2001. Since that point, there has been nothing but instability. Maybe they like it that way.

The allies have left and the USA just keeps believing in the impossible. Don't know why. China will probably mine the mountains and that means the USA military is protecting the Chinese. I don't think so. It is time to come home. Don't leave any military equipment behind. If it belongs to the USA it comes home, too.

The USA military will have to create a surveillance program to understand any mounting assault by terrorists as well as soldiers. Pakistan and the Haqqini Network (click here) are as much a problem as the Taliban and Deash (click here). Is Pakistan at the peace table, too? No, Pakistan invested in the Taliban by reconstituting their numbers. Pakistan will have to ensure their country is safe, too. Is the Haqqini Network at the peace tables? The entire 20 years have been mishandled since Bush prioritized Iraq. The USA needs to take their military munitions and equipment and leave.

The drug lords in South America are still viable and the poppy kings of Afghanistan are no different. Plot a solution and leave. The USA was successful with a no-fly zone in Iraq for a long time. Why is Afghanistan any different?

There needs to be a regional solution in place that monitors any build-up of arms. The terrorist networks are known to us and Europe has as much at stake as any other Western democracy. Monitoring terrorists is already established by the USA. If the UN can't bring about a peaceful solution then it can't be done. There is a reason Moscow is hosting the talks and it is to expand its influence. We all know what that leads to. There aren't many partners of peace at that table. Time to leave.

18 March 2021

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (click here) has appointed veteran French diplomat Jean Arnault as his personal envoy on Afghanistan and regional issues.

The appointment comes a day before Russia, China, the United States, Pakistan, a delegation of top Afghan officials and opposition leaders, and Taliban negotiators meet in Moscow in an attempt to revive deadlocked peace talks....

March 17, 2021
By Eric Schmitt

Washington - President Biden said it would be “tough” to meet a May 1 deadline (click here) to withdraw all remaining U.S. troops from Afghanistan, publicly indicating for the first time that he could extend the American troop presence there.

Mr. Biden, in an interview with ABC News that aired on Wednesday, said he was consulting with allies on the pace and scope of the drawdown, and added that if the deadline were to be extended, it would not be by “a lot longer.”

The United States has about 1,000 more troops in Afghanistan than the 2,500 it has disclosed, The New York Times reported on Sunday. That has further complicated the current debate at the White House over whether to abide by a deal, struck last year by the Trump administration and the Taliban, that calls for removing the remaining American forces by May 1....

March 17, 2021

By Alex Ward

President Joe Biden (click here) has a big, looming decision to make by May 1: Whether or not to withdraw all 2,500 US troops from Afghanistan and end America’s 20-year war in the country.

Biden, very broadly, has two paths to choose from. He can abide by former President Donald Trump’s deal with the Taliban, which would require all American service members to leave Afghanistan by that deadline. Or Biden can extend the US military mission, either unilaterally or by negotiating an extension with the Taliban, as a way to pressure the Taliban to strike a peace deal with the Afghan government.

Both options are fraught with risk. Experts warn that ending America’s presence will almost certainly lead the Taliban to take over the country, including the capital city of Kabul. Staying, though, will invite the insurgent group to restart killing American personnel in the country, adding to the over 2,300 US personnel who have already been killed in Afghanistan since the war began in 2001.

There’s simply no overarching consensus on which is the best course of action, underscoring just how difficult Biden’s decision — expected in a few weeks — will be....

Warren Kenneth Paxton , Jr. is waging war with President Biden.

He should care about Texans and the rule of law more than he cares about vengeful assaults against President Biden's agenda for saving the country, it's economy and the rule of law.

The Biden Justice Department owes it to the people of Texas to follow up on the charges Paxton faces.

He can't stop himself from committing crimes. He has little conscience if any at all. He keeps playing political games and worse with the power of the State of Texas Attorney General.

On July 28, 2015, a state grand jury indicted Paxton on three criminal charges: two counts of securities fraud (a first-degree felony) and one count of failing to register with state securities regulators (a third-degree felony).

Eight witnesses to the crime and ethics violations can't be wrong. He is a second state attorney general that does not deserve the power or the confidence of the people. Kentucky is the other.

November 11, 2021
By Emma Platoff

When news broke last month (click here) that top aides to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had accused him of bribery and abuse of office, many in the Texas political scene were shocked but not surprised.

In a mutiny without precedent, eight of Paxton’s most senior aides told law enforcement they believed Paxton broke the law by using the agency to serve the interests of a political donor, Nate Paul. Media reports and documents have now shown four times when Paxton used his office in a way that appeared to benefit the struggling Austin real estate magnate.

Paxton’s reaction was anything but cowed: He shot back at the “rogue employees,” called their allegations false and, just over a month later, has fired four of the whistleblowers. While the nature of the attorney general’s relationship with Paul remains unclear, Paul revealed last week in a deposition that he had employed a woman at Paxton’s recommendation. Paul said it was not a favor to Paxton. But the woman had been involved in an extramarital affair with Paxton, according to two sources who said they learned of it directly from the attorney general in 2018....

Ever since President Biden has taken office he has filed lawsuit after lawsuit, including suing Twitter for taking his buddy's account away from him. You know the one, the guy that inspired the insurrection and then denied it. The one that lied to all those people to push them past the point of no return. Well, Paxton is another that can't be trusted.

My understanding is that Paxton has again filed another lawsuit against the Restoration Act to prevent monies from coming into Texas. That is ridiculous. The attorney generals from the other states are upset about the "no tax reduction" clause in the bill. I can understand why the clause is there because these are monies for a particular purpose in restoring essential services and administering vaccines, not balancing the state budget.

I am not a lawyer, but, it is my suspicion the states that need those funds to return to a normal balance in their treasuries, return essential services, and continue to provide vaccines should file a countersuit against the states that are playing politics. It is one thing to complain about State Rights in regard to taxes, however, the federal government is the final authority on that, but, to simply say a state cannot accept those funds is punitive and a sincere assault against the well-being of the American people. A global pandemic effects us all.

My concern is if there are no states making claims in opposition of Paxton and the courts will only see one side of any constitutionality. It should be made clear to any court the need for those funds to the states and cities. I believe it will be necessary to stand strong against otherwise weighted courts.

The states in need of the funds are not all blue states either. US Senator Rick Scott told Ron DeSantis to refuse the money. DeSantis stated Florida needs those monies and he would accept the help.

So, when it comes right down to it, some of this may be political grandstanding. I think governors will reflect on the needs of the state and the ability of that state to recover and serve the people.

One more thing:

The Federal Reserve came out stating there will be no increases in the interest rates at least until the end of 2023. The reason is to recover the job rate in the country. They also don't see inflation taking over either. The worst it will get will be seen in 2023 at about 2 percent. The frenzy on the political right-wing is a lie.

I heard about the slaughter of Asian Americans today.

My sincerest sympathies to all the families and friends that are mourning tonight. 

The arrest and subsequent justice of hate crimes that are to follow are correct. But, the losses will never go away. The hate in this country has to stop and the path of equality has to rule in the USA.

Happy St. Patrick's Day 

Happy St. Patrick's Day to President Joe Biden

President Biden, (click here) who has a particular affection for Ireland, spoke virtually with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin from the White House on Wednesday.

I am Irish. The third generation in the USA. Our family, which is sizeable has done well. I would like all people in the USA to find happiness and prosperity, too. I think this is an important year. It is time we take measures to bring the Equal Rights Amendment to fruition. I would love to see that happen in my lifetime. It is hard to believe it hasn't. This has been a struggle since the 1960s. It is time the Amendment was passed to ensure equality.

March 17, 2021
By Maureen Groppe

Washington - The House (click here) voted largely along party lines Wednesday to remove the expired deadline for ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment for women, despite the Justice Department's view that such a move is not possible.

The resolution, which must also be approved by the Senate, says the amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever it's been ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. That happened last year.

But the 222 to 204House vote came decades after the seven-year ratification deadline set by Congress as well as a three-year extension approved when the amendment was coming close to passage in the 1970s....

"With President Biden and Vice President Harris at the helm, this will finally be the year we ratify the ERA to the Constitution,” said California Rep. Jackie Speier, co-chair of the Democratic Women’s Caucus and author of the resolution....

There is a lot of work to be done this year. It requires all 50 Democratic Senators and most probably the President of the Senate Kamal Harris to all the change that needs to be carried out.

Justice Reform

Voting Rights

Immigration 

Climate Crisis 

The Equal Rights Act

It is a big agenda, but, it is big because of the obstruction/oppression of the Republicans in the Senate. These issues have stagnated for decades and the country looks pieced together because of it.

President Obama was brilliant and made the best of a very hostile Mitch McConnell. I don't know how in good conscience any Democratic legislator can look the other way at more obstruction when reform and new laws need to go into effect. 

We have been given a second chance to get this done. Under President Obama, we saw the Affordable Care Act to become law. It took a year and in the final 60 vote majority of the Senate, not one Republican voted to secure the needed changes for the country. Not one. Even after a year of debate and back and forth. In the end, it was the commerce of the bill that passed it by 51 votes.

It is time for the US House and US Senate to do what is right for the country. The Republicans are unable and unwilling to do what is necessary. We have decades to prove it.

We have learned how bizarre the Republican Party has become with leadership that carried out an insurrection and a US Senate unable and unwilling to carry out the impeachment from the US House, not once but twice. The Democrats will not be ridiculed for carrying out the promises they made over those decades. They need to have confidence and faith to realize the magnificent outcome of the legislative agenda now facing them. They will be heroes.

I was thrilled when I heard President Biden is rethinking the Senate filibuster. He was a proud Senator for a long time and President of the Senate for eight years. He knows the obstruction all to well. I am hoping he will provide the way forward for the US Senate Democrats, the country has never needed them more.

It is time. It is long over due.