The Laughing Wolf – Page 55 – Commentary, Punditry, and More

Quiet Day So Far

I try to stay off social media and such as much as I can on Sundays. Yesterday I took that a step further by unplugging, setting up a chair out back, pulling out a book, and spending a few hours reading and watching the clouds. Temps were wonderful compared to be heat and humidity earlier in the week. Gentle breeeze just made it all that much better.

I’m catching up on events a bit, but am also having to stay on top of the PT/Insurance issue. Meet with the doc early tomorrow, then maybe PT, will see.

Meantime, hope you all have a good week. More posts soon.

Odd Fragment

Something dislodged this and I wanted to write it down. Not sure it means anything, but for years I had this same dream/vision of my death. Think I first had it around the 7th or 8th grade.

A team of us are in the back of a C-130, ramp down, which I don’t think I had seen at that point in my life. We are low, and watching the evergreens below covered with snow flash by. So low, none of us has a reserve. Our job is to land, go over the mountain, and extract a biological (person) on the other side. Rescue? Didn’t matter. Somehow, I know I survive the jump, but don’t survive the mission.

Funny how the dreams of our youth do and don’t work out. I think I do have at least one more jump in me, but that reality forked off long ago.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Some Thoughts On Theology

Over on Twitter, someone reposted the anti-Catholic rantings of a special type of evangelical. One who is convinced they know the full and real truth, are not hesitating to share it, and fully into judging others and the faith of others. Any disagreement gets the old “read the Bible” (you pagan bleep that is going to burn, burn, burn). It generally is useless to engage such ignorant bigotry, and just mute them. Why it is pointless is a bit long and complex for Twitter, so you get to suffer through it.

I hope that I am remembering all correctly, as some of the information goes back decades and the lightning strike sort of scrambled things a bit. For anyone new, I was hit by lightning, they think all my memories are still in there but the root directory is corrupted, and some things are jumbled up. I also need to note that I am not a theologian, just someone who has been interested in the origins and more of the Bible and scripture since a child. I would also note that I was born and raised a Methodist, left said church in high school after a preacher refused to visit my dying grandmother as she had no money to leave the church; joined the Episcopal Church; then wandered a bit spiritually; and am currently a lapsed Catholic for all that I try my best to maintain the faith. Part of the reason for the lapse is personal and none of anyone’s business (other than a priest), and part has to do with the current Pope. I’m actually working towards not being lapsed, but it is an ongoing process. I’ve done comparative religion studies in high school, when I earned the God and Country award, and in college. I’m a sinner who struggles every day to do right and live up to my faith.

Let’s start with the Bible. In fact, let’s go back quite a ways and look at the language of the Bible. Different parts were written at different times, but at the time of Christ everything had been put into Aramaic as it was the language of the learned in that region and time, and the New Testament was again written in Aramaic. From there, scripture was translated into Greek, which was the language of the learned in the larger world. Only later was it translated into Latin.

Now, based on conversations with someone who’s goal as a priest was to study those ancient writings and was learning both Greek and Aramaic, the fun part was translating the Greek. The Greek language, at least of that time, was contextual which means the words around the word you were translating determined what it meant. For example, one word could mean brother, step-brother, brother from another mother, band-of-brothers type brother, or I think one other type of relation. Get the context wrong, and you get a technically correct translation that isn’t accurate.

So, you have chances for error when translating from the original source into Aramaic. You have chances for error when translating from Aramaic into Greek. You have a boatload more chances translating from Greek into everything else, and even today you can get debate that devolves towards fist fight by those trying to do so today. Don’t laugh, read the real accounts of some of the early councils and the fact that several of the fathers of the Church did indeed get into fist fights over theological points. This was long before the schism between Catholicism and Orthodox, and well before Martin Luther came onto the scene.

Translating into English, no matter the source but Greek made for the most fun, was yet another chance for error. I seem to recall a tale of a deliberate error of translation to curry favor with King James when he had scholars produce what is now known as the King James bible. Hate to say it, but things like that can happen. Even updating the English text to current usage is potentially problematic. I still remember when a new modern version of the Bible came out (Living Bible?) that had some rather interesting updates. Think that’s the best way to put it. My personal take is the more modern and hip you go, the less likely it is to be accurate or even theologically sound.

Now, which version and in which language are your reading the Bible? I mean the Catholic Bible has the books still in it that Martin Luther threw out. Some sects of Christianity still include the Apocrypha that all mainstream Christianity leaves out. I will note that to better understand Catholic theology, you really need to read the books of the Bible that Martin Luther threw out. Within that, you still have a heap of different versions (NAB, New Standard, King James, etc.) and each has a slightly different take on things for all that the key point remains the same.

I should make clear that there are a number of new translations into various languages that are quite good. The key is, they all are translating from the Aramaic, and the scholars are cross-checking each other as they go. It’s a way to cut down on the mistakes, because we are human and mistakes are sort of what we do best.

So, when someone screams “Read the Bible” I know up front they are not a serious person and are not making a serious effort at discourse or conversion. Frankly, it’s a Christian version of virtue signalling. They are also missing several key points to Christianity in my opinion. Clearly they jumped over the whole place not limits on the Lord thy God, judge not, motes in eyes, and such. They seem to have missed that they are not God, and that God is not bound by their rules on what he can or can’t do, and how he can or can’t do things. They are being extremely legalistic, and are also denying Grace exists. Just as there is no Grace, no forgiveness in the SJW clique, there is no forgiveness or Grace in the this type of argument. There is no love in this approach either. It is not my place to judge others; however, it is a duty to help those struggling with love and compassion. It may seem that I am judging this person and those like them, but I see this more as a bit of tough love.

Because, the real key point they are missing is that we are all Christians, no matter what “flavor” of Christianity we choose. We disagree with each other on different points, but we all accept that Christ was born to die for our sins, and that his death on the cross purchased for us eternal life. I think it may have been Reverend Key, an outstanding Methodist preacher and theologian, who first pointed this out to myself and others. Then again, he was also (I think) the person who taught me about the Miracle of Transubstantiation, and how Catholics and others believe in it.

This argument also misses that God is Love, and that God is both omniscient and omnipotent. Which is a state we really can’t grasp all that well. So, we use scripture and the parables taught by Jesus, we use direct revelation (the Commandments), and the guidance God offers us everyday to get a very imperfect and limited grasp of both God and the rules by which we should live. It’s also why we have miracles, as God can and does take a very direct hand in our lives on occasion. I’m living proof of that as I should have died more than once in this life, including when I was hit by lightning a couple of years ago. There were several aspects of that which add up to a miracle, an every day miracle if you will, but still a miracle. So, no, God who sees all of time and space at once is not sitting on a throne watching and waiting to see any imperfection as a reason to cackle and smite — it’s people who do that.

For God is Grace and forgiveness, not picky legalistic gotchas. So much so, that he gave his only begotten son to die on the Cross for us.

I’m also reminded of something a priest said to my RCIA class. A wise or good priest will never tell you where they think the recently deceased is going, even if they have suspicions. For with even the worst sinner, we can’t know if God did reach out with a miracle to let them change their minds and accept Christ in that last second of life. Again, we are not God and he is not bound by our rules and understandings. Nor do I think that since I now have problems with remembering and saying a number of common prayers (stupid lightning) that such will send me to Sheol, aka Hell. Part of Love is Compassion, and not only do I think that God is far more compassionate than we realize, I think he is not going to hold our worldly infirmities against us.

I view the legalistic clique in much the way I regard prosperity gospel. Not highly. And, all of the above is why I think it is usually useless to engage those doing this type of virtue signal. Because it is about the virtue signal, and not conversion or theology.

As for some of the specific points that troubled the person on Twitter, I’d like to take a moment to address some of them. Especially as some of them were things that may have bothered me when I started the process to join the Church. Never mind that some of the ornate and such still can offend parts of my Methodist soul…

A lot of ignorance and bigotry focuses around Mary, the mother of Jesus. Those that hate her, or hate that she is highly regarded within the Catholic Church, appear to subscribe to what I call the Empty Vessel concept. In short, they see Mary as an empty vessel, a rent-a-womb if you will, who had no further role in Christianity than that. They deny her agency if you will. Instead of a 13-year-old girl who bravely agreed to carry the Son of God (think stoning and other things that could have happened to a pregnant female not yet married), and made a conscious informed choice to do so, they see her as an empty-headed piece of meat. As for future role, you might want to go back and re-read the Wedding. When she asks Jesus to perform the miracle of the wine, there is an exchange where he asks is she sure as she knows where it will lead. To the Cross. Depending on translation, her reply is along the lines of ‘it is time.’ She was there at the foot of the Cross as he suffered and died. Far from an empty vessel.

Bit of an aside, but relevant: The book of Luke is the only book that talks about the childhood of Jesus. There is reason to believe that the author interviewed Mary before her death. Reread that book, and think about the tales only a mother would tell. Puts a little different light on it.

Despite what many think, Catholics don’t worship Mary as God. One of the better explanations came from a priest who pointed out that a lot of it is like a child picking out the “good” parent when they’ve done something wrong. Keep in mind that for all his life, Jesus was a good Jewish boy who loved his mother and would do almost anything for her. As such, we turn to her for intercession, a form of ‘Mom, I screwed up and did something bad, would you help me with your Son’ type thing. We pray to God, but we also will ask Mary to help us do it right and get our request through. The theological points can get complex, but Mary, being born free of original sin and being the mother of Jesus, serves as an intermediary to humanity. Someone pointing the way to her Son. The Way, the Truth, and the Light.

It is much the same for the saints. Short form: all saints are in heaven, and we ask them to help us get our prayers right and to remind us of what they did so we can do the same. They provide an extra voice for our prayers if you will, and can act as an advocate for us before the Throne.

As for Jesus having brothers, you might want to go back up near the top and the discussion of Greek. You might also want to consider that Jesus may have had stepbrothers as Mary might not have been the first wife of Joseph, who was much older than her. Catholic theology holds that she was chaste throughout her life. There’s not a lot in scripture about Joseph, including his history or even when he died. Food for thought.

As a final note, if you are so inclined, please say a prayer for that person on Twitter and all like her. In fact, say it for all of us, that we all open our eyes to God and his love, and that we hear, see, and feel his guidance and love for us. That we have love and patience with one another, and lead others to Faith by our actions.

Final aside: I rarely pray for specific outcomes on anything, especially myself. I’ve found over the years that I’m far better off leaving outcomes to God, as those tend to be far better than what I would have prayed for. Things are always better if we leave them in God’s hands.

Homemade Mayo And Corned Beef

Monday morning, I did my usual of asking if anything important happened on Twitter since I try to take Sundays off from social media. Snarksalot popped up to let me know she had posted her easy mayo recipe.

Intrigued, I decided to give it a try. Into the jar went one egg, 1t of salt, 1t mustard powder, pinch of chipotle, 3T of lemon juice, and 1.25 cups of olive oil. I use olive oil and avocado oil for almost everything since they are on the lifestyle (only partly a diet). In went the immersion blender, and in less than a minute I had rich and delicious mayo.

Me being me, I immediately made a second container of chili-lime mayo. Another jar, one egg, 1T Tajin, pinch of cumin, 3T lime juice, and 1.25 cups of olive oil. Less than a minute later, done. It is tasty, but next time I will be adding 1t hot smoked paprika and probably 1t of chipotle.

This is going to save me some grocery money. I’ve been getting a keto/keto friendly mayo and chili-lime mayo for a while now. To be honest, mostly the chili-lime as I have started using it as a regular condiment with a number of foods. Problem is, it is quite expensive and only gotten more so the last few years. Checking back into my source for bulk regular (not EV) olive oil as I see more mayo in my life. Healthy mayo with no additives, preservatives, and the like, and a much lower price point.

I began to wonder how the chili-lime mayo would do with corned beef. It being early, I decided to find out with breakfast. I got a slab of the corned beef I cooked up last week out of the freezer, got it thawed and warmed up, put some cheese on it, covered with some of the chili-lime mayo, and dropped two sunny-side up eggs on top and managed not to break the yolks (I like them hot and thick, not solid).

Short version: it worked very well with the corned beef. For dinner I might still go with a good mustard, but this was quite tasty and good. Definitely a good match for breakfast or even a brunch.

Meantime, I’ve been enjoying both. Even made some dilled mayo to go with some canned asparagus that came my way. That was a real (and expensive) treat growing up, and still rates as a comfort food because of that. Yep, it was good.

My thanks to Snarksalot for sharing this! Hope you enjoy it too.

The Death Of Pringles

23 June. 23 August. Kinda hard to miss the message. Whether it was a S-300 enema or something onboard, the top leadership of Wagner and the group responsible for their part of the “coup” are dead. Surovikin has been dismissed and may have been detained. There are some other rumblings that seem to suggest more is going on behind the scenes.

I do find the timing interesting, in that I would have either expected it sooner or around next June. Wagner was/is a key piece of operations in the Middle East and more importantly, Africa. The latter is extremely important to the Kremlin (resources and blocking Western counter-terrorism activities and influence) and many of the relationships with various countries were built on personal interactions and relationships with Utkin and Pringles.

The coup in Niger was not just Russian backed, but was backed and apparently assisted and encouraged by the Wagner Group. How much assistance and guarantees of future assistance were made by the men on the plane? What does their loss mean for the coup and efforts to overturn it?

The pivot of Wagner to Africa and the Middle East after the “coup” made a lot of sense. It put them where they could do the most good and it got them (mostly) out of the war with Ukraine. Which is why I figured any retribution would wait for a year or so, until certain goals were accomplished. Between that and internal Russian politics previously discussed, I thought it would be longer. Which suggests that something has changed in Africa in regards Wagner and Russian influence operations, and/or something has changed the political calculus in Moscow.

Pringles was a member of the “St. Petersburg Mafia” that took over Russia after the fall. Quick aside, if you aren’t familiar with the tension (sometimes warfare) between the Moscow faction/leadership and the St. Petersburg faction/leadership, it really is fascinating and goes back almost to the day of St. Petersburg’s founding. It still exists and is very much in play today. Despite all the media and PR, Pringles was not a senior member of the group and despite his friendship with Vladimir he was as close to being the lowest ranking member as possible. As someone put it on Twitter, he was a vassal to a vassal.

Unless I’m mistaken, he is also the first member of that mafia to experience the tender ministrations of 29155. Again, message. There are several layers to the message, this one being no one is safe. Toe the line, or else.

I’ve gotten the impression that the silent backers of the “coup” are still not all identified, though a lot of people are looking for them for a variety of reasons. I’ve also begun to suspect that some messages from Pringles to Vladimir may not have been passed along. I think he was genuinely surprised when Vladimir took it as an attack on him, rather than an effort to remove those who were misleading and botching the war on Ukraine per Pringles.

If he thought that his friendship with Vladimir, and the Kremlin need for Wagner, would save him and the others, he was mistaken and not paying attention. Once Vladimir feels someone has betrayed him, particularly in public, no amount of new information, apologies, etc. help. You are dead and quite often in ways as creatively nasty as possible.

There are unconfirmed reports that Pringles regular pilot was not onboard and may have been involved. Patsy? Also, it may be that none of the regular crew was onboard. If the crew was essentially a pickup from an FBO, they would be the only ones for which I would feel sorry.

There is more to come, and I expect 29155 to be busy in the days ahead as payback continues. There are some interesting fault lines in both the Russian Federation, and in the political structure around Vladimir, starting to show. The times may be about to get even more interesting for those in the Kremlin.

PT/Recovery Update

First up, thank you all for the prayers, donations, and encouragement. It means a lot and has made a difference. Right now, I have almost everything at home that we are using at the physical therapy center. The one thing I haven’t yet found are one-pound weights, but need to go to a real sporting good store for such I suspect. The one big thing I don’t have is a hand bike, and the local Y has that.

There was a question about the gym, and it is the local YMCA as they offer varying rates. Given all I don’t quite get it for free but at a pretty good rate. Of course I want it less yet, but I can’t kick at the fee, especially with all I get. For all I think the YMCA has gone woke, it’s still the best option for me at this time.

We’ve hit the point where I am about out of PT sessions with the insurance company. The company provides a set amount per calendar year, and we are about to hit that. So, therapy has sent paperwork to the doc, who may have already signed and sent it back so therapy can ask for more sessions. Technically I have unlimited therapy sessions; but, the insurance company doles them out and has to approve based on improvement, etc. The way things actually operate, they can deny me any more for the right and deny me any for the other shoulder when it is done, if it is done in this calendar year. It’s a familiar dance for the doc and the therapy center, but prayers and good wishes appreciated so I can keep improving. It’s not that I anticipate trouble, as the insurance has been VERY good to me so far, but I want to stack the deck a bit just in case.

As for improvement, I really didn’t anticipate doing this well at this time, and with so little pain and discomfort most days. I wish some of the recovery from the lightning strike could move this quick. We are pushing towards regaining full range of motion, with the exception of hands behind the back. Because of the reverse replacement, that is always going to have limitations. Outside of that, I’m making good progress and efforts to strengthen and build the muscle base around the shoulder is underway. We’ve actually had some issues bumping into points where I had lost range of motion well before the surgery, but are pushing past them.

Part of me is almost scared to admit how well things are going in certain areas. Not because of superstition, but concern that the bureaucrats might see it and say ‘he’s doing good, he doesn’t need any more PT.’ The doc, therapist, and I all want to get as close to 100 percent as we can, and for all I can do now that I couldn’t before, there is still a ways to go. In fact, as much as I want to do the left shoulder NOW I can easily see it being December or later depending on continued PT to be sure I can do everything needed with the right arm. I want to do things right, and will take the time needed for that.

We are doing a bit with very light weights, as noted before. Max is five pounds for now, but we have moved into using the bands for some rowing and related exercises. Landlord is even letting me mount an eye-bolt in the joists to do band work out in the common area of the basement. Got to do that in a few. Never expected to see changes in definition of the arms just using five pounds, but with enough reps…

At the gym, things are moving along. I start each session with 35 minutes on an arc/ascent trainer. Haven’t kicked up the difficulty yet, but am trying to kick up the pace. Goal is ten minute miles and then take it up to the next resistance level. Then, maybe take it up to 45 minutes. With the heart meds, hard to get the pulse up but the cardiologist (who is very happy with how I’m doing things and the progress) warned me that normal target zone was not likely to happen. Her suggested zone is working well.

My cool down from that is to do the hand bike just as I do at PT. Then, I switch to the e-machines for back extension, abs, leg press, leg curl, and leg extension. I do two runs through the machines per session. Then head over to the hip abduction/adduction machine which is real weights and not e-machine. Hoping the doc will let me add in an additional machine or two at the appointment next week. Once done with that, I do my arm stretches then move into the free weight area to do my shrugs, rolls, and such with a five pound weight, then move into the other PT exercises. By then I’m wiped and head home to use cold pack or heat as needed. I try to do the pulley work and isometrics before going to the gym.

I hadn’t realized how much I had missed working out. It is frustrating not to be able to work on the chest because of the shoulders, but that will come. My goals right now are improving cardio and endurance; core and abs; getting rid of the flab; and, toning what didn’t get too flabby. Making progress.

Thank you for all your help with this. I can’t say thanks enough, and hope you know how much it is appreciated.

Cholula Tequila & Lime Review

A while back, Cholula hot sauce launched a new “special” hot sauce, Tequila and Lime. At the time, they asked how you would use it in a brunch and I put together what I thought was a decent entry. And I waited, and waited, and waited for anyone in Indianapolis to stock it. As far as I can check, no one ever did.

So, recently, I broke down and ordered it online. There were a couple of places i looked that had decent recommendations. One admitted they were out. The other appeared to indicate they had it, so I ordered from them. It wasn’t immediately, but they got in touch and admitted that they didn’t have it. Got my money back and did something I haven’t done for more than three years: order from Amazon. Decided to get more than one bottle, which was lucky as the packing was crappy (one bottle not even given a token cover of bubble wrap) and the mailer (not box) had apparently had a rough trip. Down one bottle at the start (broken), and Amazon said too bad, no replacement and no refund. Let’s see if I can avoid using them for six years at least this time…

That adventure aside, I immediately tasted the product. While the hot sauce blend is the base, you also immediately get the bright notes of the tequila on the upper side of the palate for a well-balanced taste. Yes, it does go well with eggs, and I’m experimenting a bit with different dishes and uses.

Above, I added a bit to a classic margarita (Cointreau, lime juice, silver tequila, pinch of black Hawaiian salt). A tasty add that didn’t overwhelm the drink. I really want to try it in a Bloody Mary and in a Bloody Maria.

I used a bit this morning with a corned beef dish (likely another post) and it went very well with it. After tasting it however, I think I should revise my brunch menu a bit. Thinking buffet brunch here.

Scrambled eggs, of course, with some of the sauce on top or a bottle there for people to decide how much to add. Soft-boiled eggs (do the health nazis even allow these any more?) open, and a dash blended into each egg, with a shot of reposado on the side. Eggs Benedict two different ways: a more traditional version that incorporates the hot sauce into the hollandaise, using concha (a Mexican sweet bread) as the base; and, the other using a Mexican corn bread base, covered with chorizo with the hot sauce added on top, cheese, egg, and the special hollandaise. Chicken and waffles with the chicken marinated in the hot sauce for at least 8 hours, longer if possible, then dredged and fried, and served with a tequila-agave nectar reduction in place of syrup or gravy; though, one should allow the guests an option of pan gravy from the frying with both hot sauce and some silver tequila blended in. For those wanting more lunch, some form of barbacoa incorporating the hot sauce, and maybe a nice white-fish ceviche with hot sauce as well. For drinks, Bloody Mary, Bloody Maria, hot traditional margarita, and a hot fruity margarita. Not really into the latter, so would need to research.

So, it was worth the adventure to get and I see a number of uses for it. Won’t be my everyday as I want to make what I have last, but it will get regular use. If you are into tasty hot sauces (and not just heat), recommended.

Elon and Twitter

Yes, I’ve got some thoughts, but my last few headlines have been about thoughts so wanted to do something different. Fact is, I was on a panel with Elon about space commercialization years ago. It was not a pleasant experience because of Elon.

Elon is intelligent, how much so a subject of some debate and discussion. What I will say about him is that he seems get engineering and R&D on a level that few others do. Is he Kelly Johnson reborn? No, different type of genius and one who is smart enough to hire modern Kelly Johnsons and — mostly — listen to them on critical issues. I’ve heard over the years, however, that he can have a tendency to get so wrapped up in his concepts/plans that he doesn’t listen, not unless reality hits him hard with a cold douche.

Whether it’s because he’s spectrum or something else, he is not a people person. He doesn’t always get others, or seem to realize that disagreement does not automatically equate to enemy action. Or that less than 1,000 percent enthusiasm for project doesn’t mean you are against it. I think I said a while back that Elon was his own worst enemy when it comes to turning those who could or should be his allies into enemies. For some reason, he seems driven to do that, to be an ahole for no good or discernible reason.

That panel was a case in point. I was the NASA rep, working with the Space Product Development program, and simply because I (a mere contractor) was representing NASA, I was the enemy. That he saw NASA as the enemy at the time was not unfounded in many respects; but, the way he handled it set commercialization efforts back. Frankly, he was a rude, boorish, and nasty POS that night. Some of his comments apparently didn’t go over well in parts of NASA. As for me, what I witnessed along with things heard over the years (water cooler RUMINT), I would not want to work for him though I would love to work at a couple of his companies.

Fact is, before I got hit by lightning, I would have loved to work for Space X because they are doing, not talking. So long as it was down a few layers from the top so I was insulated from the storms that seem to hit Elon from time to time. He’s got a lot of good people working for him, and I would have loved to work with them. I think that right now they are the best shot we have at getting off this mudball and creating a permanent human presence throughout the solar system. I think that important and needed, especially as we seem determined to go the path of endless wars and escalation of same. Earth is the cradle of humanity, and it would be a shame if we became a case of crib death writ large.

I bring this up because over the weekend, Elon had one of his patented tantrums on Twitter (X, whatever) over removing the block feature. Elon wants to do it, and the peasants just don’t understand his grand plan and how this will make things better. He started blocking people who disagreed with the idea, told major accounts to delete themselves because they disagreed, and thought it was all funny. I thought it was fun (and funny) to block him so I may not be on Twitter much longer. We’ll see. The interesting thing is that with X/Twitter, the world gets to see the behavior on a large scale.

As for the block feature, I think it flat out stupid to remove it. First, various app stores (on which X depends) have rules that would seem to say no to this. Second, there are serious safety concerns for people who block because of domestic, terroristic, and other threats. I actually did try to point out the latter to Elon and others at X, don’t think it went anywhere. To my mind, it’s a liability issue with a capital L and a lot of dollar signs attached. Third, it’s my timeline and I like having the ability to block bots and others who do not have my best interest at heart.

I made the decision a while back to hang on and see what happens on/with Twitter/X. I don’t like a lot of what I see going on lately, but then again I’m not a multi-business billionaire with a track record of (mostly) success. I’m not part of the flounce brigade that every time he’s made a change has flounced to other pastures in protest (and mostly come immediately back). I’m going to let things play out for now, as Twitter is still the best platform for getting breaking news and intel.

I would love to see it more a true free speech platform, at least within what is allowed by our government, the EU, and others who hate free speech. I would like to have no filters, or at least visible filters and options, and curate who I follow, how, and why. Elon seems to want to make it a garden of nice, or at least nice as he sees it. Having survived the destruction of the blogosphere when we were tempted into the warm walled gardens of Facebook and other social media, which rapidly turned into thought prisons, I don’t trust promises of gardens that, really, trust us, this time are going to be nice and free.

Meantime, understand Elon is not your friend, a savior, or anything else other than a flawed human like the rest of us. He is an erratic genius, where it’s not the genius that is erratic but his behavior. I want to be fair and note that I have heard that he is not having a tantrum/being an ahole, he’s actually nice and even fun to be around. I’ve just never personally seen that side of him.

Because of him, a lot of good things are happening. To my mind, it’s worth dealing with the ahole component to get the good things. Not necessarily pleasant, but until some real competition comes along, he’s pretty much the only game in town on several fronts. When there are other realistic options, I will review and revise as warranted. If he goes completely off the rails in regards Twitter/X, I will leave with little fuss or muss. Meantime, I’m just going to sit back, watch, and probably shake my head a lot.

Some Thoughts On Maui And Emergency Management

The disaster on Maui has been years in the making, and has nothing to do with climate change. It has everything to do with incompetence in our elites and power seeking in politics. Emergency Management is not immune to this unfortunately, and I think is headed for a very bad place.

From the start, let me say that I’ve never had to manage a major disaster. For that, I do sincerely give thanks. My first real career job was at a military R&D center, where the office I worked in was part of emergency operations. Got to know the Emergency Management team, and learned a lot working with them. They helped me get our office ready for emergencies with “crash kits” distributed to team members and things we might need electronically stored in multiple places for access at need.

The driver for this was a mishap at the center one night that almost knocked me out of bed ten miles away. A phone call to security resulted in my making a very fast trip in to base, a search for the one crash kit available at the time, and later realizing at the ops center that it needed upgrading and updating. Hadn’t been a priority for my boss at the time, and afterwards I was told to make it happen and do it right as the big bosses were now watching. Amidst all the attaboys for what I did, got a quiet “oh shit” from said Boss who felt that while what I had done had indeed gotten us a lot of attaboys, good exposure, and made the office look good, that it had made him look bad… Ah well, that’s life. Meantime, I became our point person on the incident and recovery efforts.

So, I got earmarked as “that guy” you sent to classes, workshops, and meetings on disaster preparedness and emergency management. That continued in several jobs, and when I served a (sadly abbreviated) hitch in the Indiana Guard Reserve (State Guard, not National) I had fun with a lot of the disaster preparedness/response and emergency management component. Like many, I earned my basic Military Emergency Management Systems (MEMS) badge, part of which included doing all the coursework for becoming an On Scene Commander. Doing the shadowing, practicums, and other to get the advanced MEMS and actually serve as an On Scene Commander was cut short by my aborted embed to Afghanistan and then moving out of state.

To say I have mixed emotions about the FEMA emergency management system is a bit of an understatement. It is very top-down, buttoned up, by-the-numbers where initiative is not really appreciated. When I semi-self deployed all those years ago (Sir, I can’t tell you to come in but…), all but my boss applauded. Today, it would have me sent home and quite possibly up for discipline if not charges. Nothing gets done without the approval and/or order of the On-Scene Commander. Anyone attempting to render aid or do pretty much anything to help those in the declared area that are not fully under the control of Emergency Management will be run off or arrested. I thought at the time there was a lot of “we are the experts and in charge” to the system, and I’ve heard it’s gotten worse.

Thing is, I can understand some of the stated reason for such control. Some of it even makes sense in an active situation, at least to some extent. You don’t want something done to make things worse, or to have people go into areas where they or others could get hurt or killed. That said, it only works if the people in charge are competent, in communication, and on the ball. There are some good people in DP and Emergency Management. They do amazing things. Then, there are others who are not.

I can’t write what I would like to write about the apparent situation with Maui (and Hawai’i) DP/EM. I need to start by saying that years back, Hawai’i DP/EM was on the ball. They had plans and preparations, backups to the backups to the backups, and they practiced and drilled to check and double check. Don’t know if anyone that I might have known is still there, but it sure appears that none of the old school was present in the Maui office. You had a director with no DP/EM experience, and who was proud he didn’t sound the sirens that could have saved lives. You have someone over water who feels it should be revered and worshiped, not used. The failure to activate the sirens and the failure to release the water in a timely manner directly resulted in more than 100 deaths, possibly hundreds. Frankly, they should both already be decorating lamposts as this is far beyond tar, feathers, and a rail.

Nor did it happen by accident. Hate to say it, but at this level, leadership and operations are a political matter. These people didn’t earn the positions; rather, they had to be appointed or otherwise selected through a political process. How else would one get a “leader” who had no background or experience in DP/EM?

Want to know why the official response to the fire is getting so many complaints? EM is the bottleneck, and X, Y, and Z must be done though A, B, and C are needed and available. Bring the Feds into the mix, and it’s like adding concrete to the trickle. Add politics and incompetence to that mix, and, it’s a good thing the Citizens are responding. They see or are told M needs N at O right now, and they get N and take it O without the drama or approvals. Centralized control may be the best option as the disaster is occurring. May. A distributed network is far more responsive and effective in the aftermath.

BTW, anyone willing to take a bet on the lead-up to this? I’m very much reminded of California not all that long ago. Power company forced to spend money on things important to the politicians, not on maintenance and fire prevention. Add in “environmental” regulations that not only did not do what they were supposed to do, but built up the materials that fuel the fires… I will make a cash bet right now that the same thing happened in Maui.

Years ago, it was pointed out by some smart people that if you let natural fires happen and burn, you got a lot less damage and healthier forests. It was tried, it worked, and certain people and groups pitched a fit. So, back to the old way. What happened? Far worse fires with lots more damage. When it comes to areas around people, clear the hazards, keep it maintained, and don’t be stupid. But, all too often, you can’t clear that brush or other hazard, that’s the habitat of the dodderingmealticket. What happens? Disaster.

I’m told that in Maui, which has fires every year, the locals had warned the government that something needed to be done. That the wet spring led to an overabundance of grass and such, and that it needed to be cleared. Nothing was done. Not then, not when it got dry. Not even when they knew the winds were coming. Willing to bet that if anyone had tried to do anything, the government would have prevented it. Now the government is talking about buying up all that prime land. Any bets on how fast it ends up in the hands of the politicians developer pals and donors? Yeah, I am a bit cynical…

I hope all those responsible for this preventable disaster are held accountable. Don’t expect it, but still hope. It’s up to the people to publicize and mock. No, it won’t do a thing to stop them after the fact. It’s not about them. It’s about those looking at this. It’s about making clear to them, particularly the younger, that this behavior is not acceptable and carries a high price. Pour encourager les autres.

In days of old, I would list some groups that did good work helping people after disasters here. Increasingly, I’m hearing, the feds are working hard to keep groups out (at least on the mainland) unless they agree to all the rules and regulations and to be controlled by the government. Not all are playing ball, and I’m not going to list them here. I don’t want to put a target on their back. I will say, research and pick your choices well. There’s a lot of scams, and a lot of roadblocks. Find the ones that aren’t scams and go around the roadblocks. Look for those in the distributed networks who are getting the right things done at the right time in the right place. Those are who you want and need to support.

Your Thoughts Invited

Two quick things before I head to the gym for workout and “home” PT. I really would appreciate your thoughts on two separate things.

First, I think I mentioned that I had been considering getting a guitar to see if I could learn to play it. Someone had suggested it as a form of physical therapy, but it’s really not. That said, it could help test to determine if I can learn a complex new skill after the lightning strike despite memory and other issues.

I put it off a while back simply because I couldn’t justify it in the budget. Missed out on a sweet Ibanez that was on sale used, but just not in the budget. Oh, and I was shocked to find out how few used guitars are available. Still looking and hoping that maybe enough comes in through the tip jar to go for it. There is a nice Ibanez acoustic-electric available for a bit over $300, and I’m keeping an eye out for used. Want to go with the acoustic-electric as the thinner profile is easier on me post surgery.

To be honest, it’s a crapshoot. Positive is that if I can learn, it gives hope in other areas while giving me something fun and entertaining to do. If I can’t, well, I can at least torture the cats and maybe the landlord with my efforts. Not what I want, but I can sorta make it into a win. What are your thoughts on this?

Second, and this is way too soon, thoughts on an option a realtor suggested to me for the move. I still have to get the other shoulder replaced and recover, and that may take a while. For all I would like to get it done here soon, the right arm has to be recovered a bit more before we can do the left I suspect. How long that will take is a good question.

The option was to buy or rent an RV and use it to explore in the area where I want to move. The idea is, park the RV for a month in a general area, and explore on foot and by vehicle to get to know the area and look at options. Want to check out another area? Drive there, park for another month, and lather, rinse, repeat.

Question for you: does anyone know of any low-cost options for getting or renting an RV? I think it a good idea, but also am having to consider that the car is not doing well and replacing it is going to be a challenge. If it does hold on, and I’m not another year out from moving, any ideas on this or other options for exploring?

Yes, still looking primarily at Arizona, but also checking to see options in west or north Texas. My original thoughts of being a lone wolf out by myself isn’t going to work. Probably need to be close to/around more people, would be nice if they were good people. Near decent medical wouldn’t hurt. So, looking hard at Benson area, though it might be fun to check out Winslow or even Flagstaff. After all, a girl in a flatbed Ford might stop for me… If you get that, you might remember Pat Paulsen.

If anyone has any suggestions for a good way to get me out West, explore a bit, and find the right situation for me, please sing out. I just want to get my stuff out of storage and have a place of my own again one day soon.