Month: January 2016

The Bundy’s, The BLM, and The Facts

Posted on by Helena

I would like to start by saying that the current media are being rather slothful in their reporting.  It doesn’t take much sleuthing to look up the history and facts that support what is real – and what is media hype or agenda:

The controversy regarding Federal Land ownership has a way of spiking and dying, spiking and dying – and it would appear we are in the midst of a spike. Today it is estimated that 28% of the US, or 640 million acres, is owned by the Federal Government.

While the terminology is subject to legal interpretation there are some clearcut areas. Federal lands are held in trust for mostly ‘preservation’.   A GOOD cause indeed!  That means conservation and sound land management are the primary factors. While disposal of federal lands is sometimes raised as a budgetary issue, there has been little change in the contiguous states of the western half of the nation where upwards of 61% of any given state may be ‘federally owned’. While it’s easy to understand the National Park Service, given they maintain the land for public enjoyment, there are other not so easy to accept agencies. The most controversial being “The Bureau of Land Management”, or BLM.

The BLM was formed in 1946 and presently holds approximately 247.3 million acres, 99.9% is located in just 11 states. Backlog maintenance of BLM land is estimated to be between .67 and .82 billion dollars. As of FY 2013, the total backlog maintenance for all federal lands was estimated as high as $22.19 billion. The annual BLM government funded budget for 2016 is $1.2 billion. This would indicate that tackling the backlog maintenance is a virtual impossibility given its value is nearly equal to an entire years budget.

In addition to the government funding, the BLM 2016 budget projects it will collect $681 million in other revenue, including $8.7 million in grazing fees. Given they have 18,000 grazing permits (according to their website), that would amount to an average of $483 per permit per year. So if the Bundy’s owed back fees for twenty years, and they were about average, the actual ‘value’ of their fees would amount to $9,660. A far cry from the $1.1 million the BLM and mainstream media outlets decry as blasphemous!  One site indicates that the Bundy’s currently have 900 cattle (unverified). According to the BLM – 1 cow and 1 calf = 1 unit at $1.35 – the 2014 fee value. Extrapolating the numbers is an educated guess based on past increases.  I don’t want to spend the time as it is not worth the effort.

What made Bundy suddenly decide to stop paying the grazing fees?

Well, in 1993, the Fish and Wildlife extension of the Federal Land Management program determined that the Desert Tortoise was a newly protective species, and it resided on the land that Bundy used for grazing. As a result, Bundy was being told he would have to reduce his cattle size to accommodate this turtle. And he became incensed. As a result, the BLM siphoned off his water use and closed down his access. Most of the ranchers simply folded and left, their rights gone, their land confiscated, and their livelihood lost. Without rights their land had no value. Without value they were destitute.

No one at the BLM has actually produced an invoice that delineates how the $1.1 million is derived – neither to Bundy or to the media. Perhaps because it would be a bit embarrassing to admit that all this energy, all this angst and publicity and punishment and strife is because they really want $10,000. And the rest is gravy. Unfortunately, we don’t know for sure, because the BLM is unwilling to provide the evidence of the fees, but given the simple math of 18,000 to $8.7 million, it is a relatively good educated guess that the range of true debt is about $10,000+.

And Bundy is fighting a principle.

Whether we like the man or not. Whether he is a racial bigot or not, should not be the point! The point is – principle – and Truth.

It should be noted that grazing fees represent a declining revenue for the BLM as more and more ranchers are denied grazing rights. In fact since just 2013, the fees are down nearly 30%! At the same time fees for Drilling, Administrative processing of grazing fees, and onshore oil and gas inspection fees and “other”, their third largest source of public revenue,have all gone from -0- or low numbers to a substantial portion of their total public revenue. In fact just since 2015, the projection increase of these sources alone represent about 18.6% increase. The other two incremental increases in sources include 1) sale of public lands and 2) earnings on investments.

Who have they sold lands to?

According to the government, sales were closed to: GHR Holding LLC, DR Horton, Dariush Hamani, Vision Commercial LLC, Nevada West Partners 5, LLC, Greystone Nevada LLC, Ramak Roohani, American West Development, Khusrow Roohani, Ronald Camacho, and Kimberly LLC. The BLM was asking about $60 million for the properties and settled for $32.6 million. A loss of 46% of ask.

Still, the focus is on Bundy and his $10,000.

And who are these buyers?

Google found NO result for Dariush Hamani – a Nigerian name. GHR Holdings, LLC is a Florida based company with Steven Hall as its officer, Vision Commercial, LLC does not exist on Google, Nevada West Partners 5 LLC has no existence on Google, Greystone Nevada may be connected to Lennar, but this is not verified as little to no information is available, Roohani is an individual who apparently was simply adding to his already vibrant estate, American West Development is a company with a median sized complaint list at the BBB, Ronald Camacho has a number of unidentifiable name possibilities …, and Kimberly, LLC is not per se listed although there is a ‘Kimberly Group, LLC’ which may or may not be affiliated.

So… transparency would be the veil with which the BLM reigns. Information requires research. And while the mainstream would like to report on the top tier of others research – or non-research, when the facts are pushed to paper, it is not always as ‘reported’.

What we do know is that the BLM and EPA have pushed their governance and control beyond the limits of judicial and governmental law. What we do know is that there is a problem of transparency and control. What we do know is that the Federal Government has a history of over-reaching it’s empirical law and its legal tenants. And within this over-reach, we need to be – aware, take heed, and learn all the facts, before condemning and pointing a log of a finger! Amen.

California Gas Leak – State of Emergency

Posted on by Helena

The gas leak in southern California has emit the equivalent of 700 million gallons of gasoline/carbon/methane into the atmosphere since October – nearly 3 months ago. The average car uses about 580 gallons of gas per year. In a 3 month period that would equate to about 165 gallons. The 700 million would thus equate to an additional 4,242,400 cars worth of carbon emissions. That would be the equivalent of 112% of the entire population (including children) of LA which stands at roughly 3.8 million!

And Governor Jerry Brown, a climate activist, is just now declaring a state of emergency and wants it fixed? What about 3 months ago! What about last month when the EDF showed aerial photos of the damage? What amount over the last six to eight weeks since residents began reporting illnesses governor? How much pollution has occurred as a direct result? I’ll bet it’s a lot more than those VW’s that are subject to enormous fines and lawsuits.

The proposal to fix the leak is complicated. It involves an attempt to mask the odors that have been released by attempting to vaporize them in a contained flammable operation, and to disperse the methane that hovers in the atmosphere, and ultimately to clamp the leak by drilling down over 8000 feet.

The utility company, SoCal Gas, claims that the odor in the methane is a result of an additive. That additive is used purposefully to help detect gas leaks. It is called Mercaptan. According to OSHA, at very high concentrations it is extremely toxic and affects the central nervous system. In November 2014, at a DuPont facility in Texas, the accidental death of 4 people and the hospitalization of a fifth was a direct result of exposure to Mercaptan.

According to the Utility company, exposure to this additive is harmless. But that would not be exactly truthful:

Ocular exposures:

Methyl mercaptan is an eye and mucous membrane irritant.  It may cause moderate conjunctivitis and diplopia.

Dermal exposures:

Exposure may result in redness, irritation and swelling.  Frostbite injury can occur from dermal exposure to liquid methyl mercaptan. 

Inhalation exposures:

Symptoms may include fever, cough, dyspnea, tightness and burning in the chest, dizziness, headache, loss of sense of smell, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Inhalation may cause CNS depression, respiratory irritation, respiratory paralysis, pulmonary edema, tremors and seizures. It may also cause liver and kidney damage, tachycardia and hypertension Methemoglobinemia and severe hemolytic anemia with hematuria and protenuria have been reported in a patient with G-6-PD deficiency.

Studies on exposure to Mercaptan have all been limited to a very small time frame – 4 minutes to one hour. Prolonged exposure, as in 3 months and counting, has not been assessed. The symptoms presented above were all attributable to this much smaller exposure period.

When all the facts are not offered in an attempt to dispel fear, there is a chance that people will not seek the help they need which could lead to even greater physical distress. Of the 6500 residents that have asked for assistance in relocating until this toxic plume is contained, only 2200 have been afforded that protection. The mere fact that this event is now described as a state of emergency indicates the severity and the longer the residents are subjected to the toxicity, the more harm that can occur.

NYE Sexual Assaults – Merkel – are you lying…

Posted on by Helena

Which is it Germany? Which statistics and facts are manipulated and which are real? How to create Fake numbers:

According to reports issued by the German government, crime statistics are flat and decreasing, including sexual crimes. In fact, everything is really, really good… But then there are other reports, reports of a massive wave of spiking crimes in Berlin, Cologne, and Duisburg. A confidential police report reveals that 38000 refugees were accused of crimes in 2014, but they were not prosecuted and therefore are not counted in the formal statistics. The crimes were trashed and the criminals given reprieve to commit more.  And those are just the ones reported.

A number of German districts are controlled by Arab gangs. Police refuse to venture in these neighborhoods because they are fearful for their lives. The gangs typically create their own form of rule and punishment and if the government or police get involved, witnesses are eliminated, disappear, or simply beat up. It’s a form of ‘discouragement’. And it perpetuates the vision of a happy Germany with low crime. But it is a lie.

Stories abound but the German government quashes them, makes no arrests and makes no report of an incident at all. Merkel explains that she doesn’t want to unduly instigate fear in her constituency… she wants them to pretend that they are safe when in fact they aren’t.  Reality?  Merkel has completely lost control of Germany!  And in so doing she has basically stated that rape and sexual assault on women is open territory.  While they use the phrase “some crime does go unreported” as justification for their low stat counts, what they don’t say is that they are the ones NOT doing the reporting!

The massive NYE attacks in Cologne were only the tip of the iceberg. In Germany, similar attacks occurred in Hamburg, Freiberg, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Bielefeld, Berlin and Stuttgart – NINE separate cities. In these attacks if the women did not submit to the sexual advances they and their male partners were savagely beaten. In one incident, a firecracker was put down a womans hood falling down her sweatshirt she suffered severe burning  that will leave lifetime scaring.  But these reports are being censored. Why?

Because Merkel would have to admit that you can not assimilate savagery into society… And so, she has sold out her people for the sake of protecting Muslims.

But it wasn’t even just Germany. The coordinated attacks against women also took place in Austria, Sweden, Finland, Switzerland and Norway as well. What caused the police and government to retract their censorship? Posts went viral on social media with graphic pictures and victim reports. Without social media, the mainstream press and the police under the jurisdiction of Merkel would have completed squashed the incidents as nothing more than ‘hooliganism’.  Do you think these reports will be accounted for in the criminal statistics for Germany?

I don’t either.

The reports all detail that the incidents were mob oriented, with twenty to a hundred Arab men attacking a small group of two to five women. Hardly a situation where the women can simply say, “No”, or block the attacker with an arm, as the esteemed mayor of Cologne, Henrietta Reker, so callously stated. Her solution? Fire the Police Chief.

A part of the issue is that Europe is accepting unaccompanied minors as refugees. They have no skills, no parents, no job, and are given social benefits for ‘life’. Bored, without morals, without ethics, they are allowed to do as they please, and the law is ordered to ‘stand down’ when Muslims are involved. The mainstream press are told to quash the news. And the world is fed a massive coverup and lie. While Merkel and her cabinet mull whether to drop barriers that disallow deportation of immigrants who have committed a crime, the obvious issue is that – they don’t convict them – so it is a non-sequitur.

And while Merkel continues to go before the media and claim that the ‘Cologne” incident will not go unpunished, she refrains from mentioning the Berlin incident, the Hamburg incident, the Frieberg incident…etc… As though they never took place. More and more she would seem to hold to the ideology of Hillary, Obama and Biden – deny, deny and deny until they forget.

Cautious news agencies across Europe are telling women and girls not to go out at night alone – at all.  That’s the solution.  The criminals continue to take over larger swathes without restriction, lawlessness is allowed a blind eye and even embraced.  This is the new Europe!

Even when a handful of these men are arrested, they are subsequently released, no charges filed, the statistics look good on paper, and the crimes are perpetuated.   Hush – don’t let the world know the Truth…in Europe Law has no value.

UN Refugee Resettlement – Numbers Don’t Add

Posted on by Helena

US Refugee Resettlement Program makes BIG BUCKS! There are nine government contractors who are authorized to help assimilate Muslims into the communities where they are relocated. Some of these contractors do not appear to actually do anything other than redistribute the money to other affiliates while collecting lucrative salaries for this redistribution arrangement.

The Hebrew Immigration Aid Society is one of the Big Nine. Their income was a mere $31 million. There cost for payroll and management services amounted to about $14 million representing about 45% of expenses. Occupancy was $2.2 million, travel was $3.2 million and office expenses were another $2.2 million. Most of their grants go to Jewish refugee programs…hmmm.

While the majority of the funding for the resettlement programs comes from the US government, a handful of private donors include: Patricia Bauman Foundation, Ford Foundation, Gill Foundation, Open Society Institute Foundation (Soros), Public Welfare Foundation, NEO Philanthropy, New World Foundation, Unbound Philanthropy, Tides Foundation, Vanguard Charitable Endowment, Reynolds, and Arca Foundation. Many of these are intertwined and can find there way back to Soros and even Clinton…It would appear that the refugee push is nearly 100% a liberal or Progressive Democrat initiative forged to create a new and  most lucrative business profile – Refugee Resettlement.

It’s estimated that each refugee costs about $65,000 to $70,000 to resettle in the US, that does not include medical care and welfare entitlements after their arrival, it includes airfare and charitable assistance through the nine programs we fund as taxpayers.

The organization which would appear to receive the greatest amount from our esteemed government is the International Rescue Committee, headed by a former member of the UK Parliament, David Miliband, whose annual compensation (not including benefits) is $600,000. Boasting an annual revenue of $562 million, payroll amounts to $211 million, travel and conferences about $36 million, ‘Other’ unidentified expenses are a healthy $10 million, and Occupancy and Office are about $38.5 million. The majority of its grants and support go to Sub-Sahara Africa which does not include Syria, Iraq, Myanmar or Nepal where the majority of refugees originate. Odd.

According to the Resettlement Support Center of Africa, the majority of Sub-Saharan refugees looking for US entrance come from Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and the DRC. According to a report issued by the RSC, it is recommended that ‘psycho-social’ support will be necessary in order for these people to assimilate. Problems encountered include;   they are not educated even at a basic elementary level, many are illiterate, they have no skills, they have little to no English language capabilities, and their culture is vastly different with respect to women and children, ie rape and beatings are acceptable.

While we ignore and attempt to stifle the fact that rape and child abuse in refugee settlement camps is rampant, we can only begin to see what happens to non-Muslim women subjected to their different ‘cultural’ ideologies. Germany is not alone in this, rapes in Norway, Denmark and The Netherlands have spiked as well. Who is protecting these women and children? Obviously NOT the governments, instead they attempt to claim the old school vulgar notion that these women and children asked for it or were simply too ignorant to get away from it. An incredibly dispassionate view of – life!

I am reminded of the atrocities of rape committed by Muslims under the command of US and Canadian military personnel. Our Leaders allowed the violence to perpetuate telling soldiers to ignore the atrocities under the justification that ‘it’s a cultural thing’ – raping and sodomy of young boys…, setting women on fire…, beating children senseless with sticks…, burying women alive… It’s ‘cultural’.

~In Norway 3 Muslims brutally raped a 14 year old girl orally and anally – 1 got 344 hours community service, the other two were sentences to 10 and 17 months in jail.

~In Oslo, 100% of violent rapes are committed by Muslim immigrants, 50% of all rapes are committed by Muslim immigrants

~Sweden has dubious honor of being the rape capital of all Europe. Of the cases that go to court, 70% are rejected

~An 18 year girl in France was abducted and raped by 3 Muslims for two hours – arrested, one of the youth stated that all French are sons of whores.

~5 Muslims from Eritrea were arrested for gang raping a woman in Israel

How will we assimilate ‘that’ culture into our society?

According to UNHCR, in 2014 they submitted the files of 103,890 individuals for resettlement; 12% female – 88% male, they are from Syria, Myanmar, DRC and Iraq. In addition, 73,000 were actually resettled from Turkey, Lebanon, Thailand, Kenya, Malaysia and Nepal. That means no Syrians, Afghans or Iraqis or Yemenis or Somalis went through the UN assimilation process in 2014…at all. In addition, ALL training and integration for resettlement is under the auspices of the new country – the UN does not provide this assistance.

Odd… that’s not what Obama and the White House are saying…

While it is true that refugee resettlement is not knew, it used to be called “Alien Reintegration”, at least in New Mexico it was. A friend and I accidentally drove through a restricted site years ago. Suddenly, the dry dusty agriculture gave way to a picturesque forest, bunnies, flowers and a bubbling stream. “You Are Entering An Alien Reintegration Zone” was our first clue we had messed up! Signs abounded warning against picking up random hitchhikers. We were the only car anywhere in sight and it was eerie! Suddenly four or five helicopters were buzzing all around, sirens wailed and police vehicles zoomed past. “An Alien Got Loose!” I screamed. And while we laughed, we were scared.

In 2014, according to the US government, we took in 69,986 refugees from the Middle East and Africa. So if the UN only sent out to the ’28 countries in the world that have agreed to accept refugees’, 73,000 – that would mean we accepted 96% of all approved resettlement refugees… But wait – according to Eurostat, Europe accepted 104,000 refugees in 2014. Someone is obviously not very good at math.

But that’s what the White House says...cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye kind of promise.

Obama Cries – And the World Laughs

Posted on by Helena

So what is worse, our lying politicians, or our acceptance of our lying politicians?

Because you can certainly bank on the fact that they bank on your apathy.

They bank on your inability to research the Truth.

They bank on the ideal that most, even the supposed learned Republicans, can be swayed by the media.

Hence, even though we state that we don’t trust so-and-so, even though we say, they are a pathological liar, even though we laugh at their flippant and crass and entertaining exploitations, sometimes, we benignly accept what they say when it involves a supposed wicked axis. Why?

Because we believe that this wicked axis is what will ultimately join us as one – in the fight against a common evil. But they have defined the evil. They have created the evil. Still, we are culled, we are schmoozed, like an abused wife.

Obama cried. Really?   He put the menthol on his finger, touched the corner beneath his eye and suddenly tears appeared…  Exactly how many Presidents of the US have cried in front of their public? As best I can find the answer is – two. Personally, it gives me the creeps. Personally, I don’t want my nation leader – crying. He can do what he wants in private, but publicly, have control, have strength, have resilience, have anger! But don’t cry.

Again this speaks to what makes a Great President? Crying in public? Being a comic on late night talk shows? Revelling in your past cocaine dealing?  Hosting Hollywood events? Being endorsed by Hollywood? ICKY-POOH! I think NOT!

I want character. I want a man who has values and strength and a focus that is maybe one or two targeted topics. I want a man whose values are so sharp that we would never ever question his authenticity or his honor. I want a man who is as close to perfect as can be reasonably expected! After all – He is asking to BE the Leader! He is not asking to be a McDonalds worker!

Perfection is and should be a part and parcel of the ‘job description’!

We have become so apathetic, we feel sorry for a football player having a bad day. They aren’t allowed to have a bad day when they are making $20 million per year! SORRY! Not acceptable. A President of the US is not allowed to cry because he is feeling emotional, sorry! Bad Day – Not Accepted.

If we wanted an emotional president we would elect Cher. If we wanted a bad day football player we would pay – well, me.

I could show you what a bad football player really looks like…

So Obama, I’m sure Russia and Iran and China and Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, and Israel and Venezuela all were shaking their respective heads the moment you cried on national television, not because anyone believed you, not because they felt you truly exhibited compassion, but because they all realized the extent to which you have allowed Hollywood to become your agenda, your face. HOW Incredibly Icky.

Look to Leaders who actually have character. Look to Leaders who actually have our nationalism at heart. Look to Leaders who want us to more than thrive! Look to Leaders who see America as the BEST. Because if you look to Leaders that want us dead, you will get what you paid for.

Cyber Warfare – The New World War

Posted on by Helena

Cyber Security Attacks are the mainstay – they come from every nation in the WORLD! It would appear that even the smallest, most obscure countries are cited as having cyber warfare capabilities. Attacks are fairly common on individuals, on identity theft, on governments and the military. Electrical grids are also a fairly common target, but this past Christmas was the first time that the attack on a grid was successful. It happened in Ukraine, and the malmare took out 3 towers and shut down electricity to 700,000 residences.

While the intention was for the attack to occur during the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebrations, apparently the hackers didn’t know that Ukraine celebrates Orthodox Christmas on January 7th. This would indicate the hackers were not informed of Ukrainian customs, ie Orthodox Christianity.

Security ‘experts’ love to point fingers as to who is the Hacking Team, when even in some of the more unsophisticated instances the source could not be determined. Speculations are rampant and usually refer to whomever is the latest craze of bad guy. There was never any evidence to support the Sony hack coming from North Korea, but they are a bad guy and so the US accepted the accusation as proof positive.

I imagine the hackers get quite a laugh at the schoolkid routines, ‘who’s on first’ type of deductive reasoning.

There is a hacking tool readily available online that allows the user to hack an auto’s controlboard. It costs $25. This is something anyone can utilize.  And most likely have.

For years, individuals in Ukraine were hacking into hundreds of US companies giving them insider information for Wall Street trades. They made over $100 million, it took an informant to get the US onboard despite a trail of cyber attacks, and four of the men involved have still not been found.  That is not – good.

It’s a schoolyard bullying tactic of you hack me and I hack you back times 10. The US hacks and nothing, Germany, France, UK, China, Russia, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ukraine, EVERYONE has joined the party. So what can a country do? It can upgrade its poor systems and hire the best of the best to mitigate and try to be one step ahead at the very least. But everything we do, everything we own, everything that comprises our daily life is now governed by computers vulnerable to hackers.

Russia claims that the slippery slope of cyber warfare included 57 million attacks it suffered last year. Government officials are banned from using Google and WhatsApp as a result and Russia has begun the process of creating its own parallel networks to operate alongside the public internet in order to safeguard from attacks levied from ‘abroad’. This will serve to enhance security while allowing global connectivity.

The US still lives within a punitive instead of solution based reaction. Sanctions against countries appear to our deterrent, which of course, has absolutely no effect whatsoever because a) we don’t know who is really doing the hacking and b) the countries just don’t care anymore – sanctions are primitive at best.

While we threatened China and we threatened Russia and we threatened North Korea, we didn’t threaten anyone else. Why?   Have our threats resulted in a lessening of attacks?  Not even close!

When we know that cyber warfare is very real and very threatening, why don’t we acknowledge that it can come from within our allies, ourselves, our coups, and beyond? What good is sanctioning? It attempts to define an evil and thus give us a source of hatred, but it doesn’t – solve the problem!

It’s the same logic we use when looking at inserting Muslims into assimilation within the US. While we say that not letting them in will only give them the impetus to join ISIS, we fail to understand that isn’t a good deterrent…  as in promise you won’t behead us and we’ll let you live off welfare forever.

Our logic has and is failing miserably.

How is it that we, the greatest economy in the world, are failing at cyber warefare? For one thing, we didn’t anticipate, we saw the threat as small, and we underestimated its potential. Trying to catch up to our competitors when they are far advanced in their IT capabilities is much like chasing a flood with one sandbag. It might deter one or two drops, but the damn – she is a flooding!

In the meantime – pointing fingers and slapping on sanctions is like swatting a dinosaur with a flyswatter. Ain’t going to happen.

Military Heritage – An Honor

Posted on by Helena

I come from a military family. It is a heritage that we honor and respect. My father, my brother, grandfather, great grandfather and so on, date back to the Army. And it was considered one of the greatest legacies a man could have! No one questioned, backs straightened, eyes became more focused when you said you were of the military. And then it changed.

I remember my brother telling of being pummeled by tomatoes and fruits when he landed in the US after serving in Vietnam. The humiliation and confusion must have been intense. And then he talked about Kent State and bra-less women, and The Beatles, and a changed value system and society that had sprung up and morphed into something alien or foreign while he was gone. This new society was what greeted him when he had spent his days in war, in battle, in a fruitless mask of deception and death. You Have To Believe! Or you have nothing left. Foreign. Hostile. And entitled, they breathed fire!

When my dad served, I remember it was – different. We were living in East Berlin. There were parties galore. Most of the parties were considered ‘Spook Parties’ in that they drafted people from the UK, Australia, France, New Zealand, Russia, Germany, Austria, there was no country exempt. And they had a party. Everyone pretended they didn’t know that the other person was a ‘spook’ and yet they all knew. Because ‘everyone’ was. It was really an excuse for a party – and it was an era where parties were routine – biweekly, quadweekly… We would perch ourselves on the stairway when they had their parties. The loud and raucous laughter was energetic and fun, it was filled with gaeity and I was mesmerized. It was like watching grand balls from the Sound of Music, except that these were  much more raucous parties in the sixties.

We had a train at our beck and call. When my father needed to be somewhere and we were for some reason required to attend, a train would be called to transport us to our destination. We were the only occupants. And we were kids, subject to the craziness of mental deficiencies attributable to goofy youth. The train easily became a house of horrors as my brothers would lock me in the bunkbed, abandon me in a remote area, lock me in a closet, all in fun of course. Ha-ha. NOT. But the train was pretty neat nonetheless.

Germany from the eyes of a child was magical. I remember the Ice Capades where I was allowed to drink wine and I danced on my fathers feet before the wood floor rolled away to reveal the ice rink. I remember skiing with him in the Zugspitze and being absolutely terrified. I remember my first and last party that was crashed by every delinquent this side of the Mississippi. And I remember my first best friend in which my father was instrumental in the introduction. My riding lessons. My finishing school in Paris.

He retired the rank of Major General – two star. And should have gone further except it was when the military succumbed to politics. And everything changed. Poof.

My dad had a humorous streak in him so he would attend these soires dressed in his finest tux, replete with top-hat, cape, and walking stick. It was the mask. The play. And I guess he rather enjoyed it. The walking stick was actually his crop from when he was in the Cavalry. Which he also used as a pointer when giving lectures. So you see it had three purposes, a frugal society where we recycle without even understanding that is what we are doing.

The honor our society feels towards its military has shifted tremendously. It’s not a good thing. In fact, it is that very pride and embrace that we lack, that might be – our ultimate downfall.

For without pride, we have hatred.

I look at the military today and the pride and truth doesn’t seem to exist. There is so much condescension, so much shrugging shoulders, whatever, they are just like every other corrupt organization, they have no honor – and it is NOT the fault of the men who serve – it is the fault of the men who RULE. They have failed us as human souls. And they have failed as Leaders.

How sad.

MY father may have been a General, but he ruled like a Chinese warrior, with quiet and tact and a plot for success. And it worked. The corruption hit before he retired. But when it hit, you could see it in his demeanor. He lost respect. He lost desire. He lost loyalty. Still, he retired and immersed himself in the private sector hoping and believing that in this focus – he could make a difference, he could win. The military had died for him. The loyalty had been sold. And that was probably the largest division one could make in the “Brotherhood”.

But his faith and patriotism lived high and large! Because it wasn’t about the individual faults and fault lines, it was about the fundamental ideals – and those were and are the fall back that makes this country Great!

Bottom line? It isn’t about our faulty leaders, it is about the ideals and fundamentals that comprise the human experience in the US and define what and who we are. It is about a belief in something bigger and more cohesive, something of value and honor, that we aspire toward each and every day.

This teaches us that having a strong sense of morality and ethic, of compassion and leadership can be the cornerstone of a perfect society. If we let it. But what is it that rules our decisions? Is it ethic? Or is it self demonic?

The question has no answer. It has millions of answers. It is non-answerable. And thus, allows us to persevere, to hope, to attain that which we truly believe is perfection. For without that – we really have – nothing.

And it all goes – poof…

Sunni Shi’a Riff – Next World War?

Posted on by Helena

An unprecedented influx of Muslim refugees precedes a widening rift between Shi’a and Sunni states in the Middle East.

It’s hard not to think the timing was orchestrated.  What did the Sauds think the reaction would be after they brutally executed-beheaded a Shi’a holy man? Did they really think there would be no repercussion? I don’t think anyone is that stupid… and the only viable alternative to stupid is – ‘orchestrated’.

What would be the purpose if it was orchestrated?

Certainly it puts all of Europe on a very high alert as their Muslim population of both sects has risen exponentially. While the last actual population census was done in 2010 and estimated the total European contingent to be in excess of 44 million, the last five years we have seen unprecedented exodus from the Middle East and Africa into Europe. But more surprising is that upwards of 62% of all Muslims reside in Asia, the Middle East only accounts for about 20%, and Africa about 15%.

Pakistan and Indonesia account for the largest Shi’a populations. How they will respond to this division will determine whether this riff explodes.

That being said, if the Middle East were to implode into an all out sectarian war, what side would we take? What would happen to the ‘other’ side’s civilian population in foreign countries? Would the violence extend worldwide as Shunnis took to fighting Shi’a – everywhere?

Worldwide, the Sunni population is approximately 80% and the Shi’a about 20%. However, in the US, the Sunni population is 56%, a large disproportionate percentage despite our brackish affiliation with Saudi Arabia and Sunnis.

Iran in a Nutshell: The last time Iran was a world power was in the early 18th century.  Prior to that their empire reigned in the 7th century when they were ruled by the Sasanians whose language was Aramaic and religion was a mixture of Babylonian, Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist. This Empire was defeated by Islam in a war that began in 633 and eventually ended in about 651 AD.  The surviving Sasonian’s converted to Islam or fled to other countries, but were always considered inferior, of a lesser quality. Conquered by the Mongols and later the Tamirs, it was not until the fifteen hundreds that Safavids rose to form the Safavid Empire of Iran before being defeated in 1722.

They were later conquered by Russia, the Ottoman Empire and finally the British in the early 1900’s who sought their oil. In 1941 the Soviets, British and Commonwealth nations invaded Iran for the purpose of confiscating their oil. In 1946, the Soviets were expelled by the British and Commonwealthers who then revoked their portion of the oil and continued their reign over the country.

In 1953, the US and UK organized a coup to depose the Prime Minister of Iran, Musaddeq, executed the Foreign Minister, and propped up the Shah. The 1979 Revolution returned Iran to its Shi’a roots, nationalized the oil from the British and US, and returned the country to it’s fundamental religious societal economy.

And while the media continues to pummel us with the ‘threat of Iran terrorism’, let’s not forget that al-Qaeda, ISIS, al-Nusra, Hamas, The Muslim Brotherhood, and al-Shabaab are all Sunni… The terrorist organization that is Shi’a is the militant group known as Hezbollah.

Formed by Iran clerics in 1982, Hezbollah was created to battle the Israeli occupation of south Lebanon. Since then, their military aggression has grown, and their warring targets include Israel and the Saudi Arabia.  Their main focus is feeling oppressed as a minority.  The European Union, New Zealand and the UK do not classify Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Their ideology desires the end of Israel as they see Zionism as a conspiracy for a One World Order and supreme domination.

So what would a complete implosion of war between Shi’as and Sunnis look like? Given the mass amounts of weapons sold over the course of the last decade by the US, Europe, and Russia – the countries most prolific include; Turkey, UAE, India, Afghanistan, China and of course – Saudi Arabia which took the world’s lead in 2014. Iran is not even making the list.

Paying attention to the details instead of the media propaganda is now a necessity. Who are friends? Who are foes? And who can we Trust?