From Russia With Love

Good evening slash good morning readers. I had some awesome Applewood Smoked Double-Cut Bacon Served with spicy fresh corn salsa and two tasty brewed beverages along with a side of adult conversation for dinner tonight. It was all thoroughly enjoyed. Strangely, or not, we did not talk politics that much. One of the topics dabbled in it a bit. It was on the arrogance of the modern science community officially or unofficially led by NDT and his show Cosmos which I mostly like. But most of the conversation was about all of our lives, and that is how it needs to be sometimes. After heading to bed very early due to the effect of the food and drink, I awoke and was not able to fall asleep again. This led me to some bed iPhone surfing. I have discovered that I use Facebook for much of my quick news headlines. I follow most all of the MSM or LSM outlets and that leads me to many of the articles I read during the day, and night. I might need to do another post sometime refreshing my readers where I get my news and information. And maybe get some feedback on where they get theirs, besides the infrequent The Orthodox American Blog. I truly hope this is not the only place you get your information from. Anyway, this one caught my eye and got me out of bed to write this post.

“Do you remember the joke: ‘Whatever Russians make, they always end up with a Kalashnikov?’ I get an impression that whatever Americans touch they always end up with Libya or Iraq,” 

That was a quote from Putin speaking at an event in Tver Russia yesterday. Here is the full article.

What are the kids calling it these days? Burn? Dis? Am I dating myself? Do I care? Either way, ouch.

Putin has clearly brought Russia back to the super power status, shedding the title of former super power. He is pretty much going to do what he wants, and I doubt any fake lines in the sand or sanctions or Article 51 is going to do anything to stop that. I could be wrong, but if America had no appetite to go into Syria two years ago, we will have even less of an appetite to go to war with Russia in Ukraine. Furthermore no other country or group going to go up against Russia and Putin. But the House and Senate elections are in full swing, and the Presidential race will soon start up and you just never know what people who want to control you will say to get you to vote for them. I sense many Hawks will present as Doves and vice versa.

I am sure I am not the first amateur thinker to say this, but these sure are interesting times we live in. I wonder if there ever was an uninteresting or boring time to live in? If you pay attention at all, I don't think that is possible. Have a great long weekend, those who have one. Some of us don't. Not that I'm complaining or anything.

Peace

Nun

I wanted to make sure my blog was still here and hadn't been taken over by squatters. It hadn't.

This was going to be a one sentence post, a photo and a link. It ended up a bit longer and more. I can never just KISS. Damn.

There of course is so much to write about. I choose to think and to talk to people about most of this stuff lately, and I have been busy. I am enjoying talking to one of my IS2s. She is taking an online course in international relations and I am helping her form ideas and outlines for her assignments.

There is "locally" this thing down in Ferguson MO. It is sad, as all killing and death is. But it is more than just another killing. It is exposing (bringing to light to the millions who have not been paying attention for the past decade or so) the massive militarization of our domestic law enforcement. But I am not here to talk about that subject today. I don't feel like doing that kind of damage to my mental and physical health today.

There is what is going on in Israel and Gaza to talk about. I am more ignorant that I would like to admit on the subject. I would love to think of it as self defense, but I know it is much more complicated than that. I am sure it would be very simple if it was the US against say Rhode Island, and Rhode Island only had Muslims in it and they were shooting rockets at Massachusetts. I am sure not so many Leftys would be defending RI when there beach front property on the Cape was being blown up or if sky scrapers in Boston where falling. But since its over there, and the Palestinians are the minority now and not he Israelite, the Leftys go with the newly oppressed if they are wrong or right.

There is what is going on in Africa. Hell that is like its own blog. Between Ebola and kidnapping and the always shitty affairs in the HOA. Africa's stock is not going up. China has a crush on it. Well, it's resources, but it could not care less about the humans. That is not really "breaking news."

So what am I going to talk about, or write about, or simply point out. I am going to point out one little thing that is going on in Iraq and that is the blitzkrieg of ISIS or ISIL or what ever the name of the week is. They are bad. That is not news. They are growing, and fast. That is kind of news. Obama is for some reason having to do what he said he wouldn't do in Syria and that is bomb one group of people to save another group of people. There is much read about the differences, of Syria and Iraq. In this case I see very little. What ever. What I want to point out is the specific targeting of Christians in Iraq. There is all sorts of stuff floating around the web about convert or die, die anyway. Pay or die. Die even if you pay. Convert or leave or die. Or die even if you leave. What ever you have read, it is true. Some bad dudes, who happen to be Muslim, are killing other dudes who are Christians

Ok, now, I know some of you think I am Christian. I think I have written on this before that I was raised Catholic, but don't identify myself as one of them, and have not for at least 20 years now. I consider myself human and seek the wisdom in all religions as well as the wisdom in no religion. I am a student of all regions. At least the major ones, and some minor ones. Sometimes that is the original texts. Sometimes it is news and blogs. Sometimes it is the wiki page. Sometimes it is talking to other humans. I know a little about a lot of religions. I find myself siding with Christians both world wide and in the US. I do think that Christians are persecuted around the world as many religions are in many places. I would say that south America, which is a whole bunch Christian is not persecuted per say, but there are many other shitty things about that continent and the plight of most people there. I also think that Christians, even though they are the biggest religious group in our country, are persecuted to some degree in the US as well. Atheists are kicking Christians out of all sorts of places. Town greens where mangers are (or used to be set up at Christmas). Schools, meetings, sports, ANYTHING. Anywhere that has even a whiff of the Christian god or Jesus, some atheist is freaking out and is trying to give them the boot. They want nothing in the place of something. Which brings up another point.

Atheism is a religion. Atheists are mad. Atheists are confused about the issue of the "separation of church and state." It is not a thing. It is a line or a concept from a obscure letter from one of our presidents, a good one, to a church in Connecticut. That is all. A line in a letter. What the Constitution does say is:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Lets focus on the "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech..." part. It says nothing about not being able to pray at a football game. And it shouldn't because football had not been invented when the Constitution was written. Long story short, allowing something is not the same as a law establishing a religion. This, like all the original amendments, has over the years, been perverted. What ever, I have gone off on a serious tangent here.

Back to the point. Israel is protecting itself and dealing with a old situation and Jews are killing Muslims. There are also Muslims killing or trying to kill Jews, but that is little reported. In Iraq, you have Muslims killing Christians, and very few care. At least not the same ones who fakely care about the Jews killing the Muslims. Well, I have noticed some of my Facebook friends have changed their profile pics to what I Googled as "a J looking Arabic letter." Well this is what I found out.

The thing that looks like a "J" is really the 14th letter in the Arabic alphabet. You can read the link below. I'm not going to get all into explaining some stuff I know jack about and someone else has already written about. Anyways, it is to show solidarity with the Christians that being killed and raped and beaten and run out of their homes in Iraq. I would say I stand with those people. I stand with anyone who is being really persecuted. Am I biased? Maybe. Am I a Christian sympathizer? Maybe. Am I a Christian apologist? Maybe. Do I care what I am labeled by most people? No.

Mosul Christians: And Then There Were Nun

Read and listen to what is going on in Iraq. If you are going to speak up for the Muslims being killed by Jews you should be speaking up for the Christians being killed by Muslims. If not, you're either confused, a hypocrite, ignorant or a little bit of all three of those. Most Americans can be put into one or most of those categories. Of course, I'm not talking about my readership. Y'all wicked smart.

So there you have it. Now you know. If you didn't know. Read the post. Read some other stuff. Pay attention. Or as always, don't. Ignorance is easy and common. Kind of like writing a blog.

Aloha