Bury the Hatchet.

So 
Russia. 
Ukraine.



My position. 

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

― Sun Tzu, The Art of War

Vlad. 
Forgive the familiarity. 
But I see you. 


Have you ever heard the tale of Beowulf?


See. 
I Know how Russian history was kept.  
I learned the technique myself. 
It's a memory trick.  
Much the same as an actor uses to memorize their lines. 
Except for the old Russian historians?
They were livings texts.  
Entire histories of events, people, places, stories, legends.  
The entire Russian history was spoken.  

So when the Russian people starved.  
They didn't just lose their loved ones. 
They lost their culture, their history, their identity.  
So imagine being a young Russina man.  
Living that history. 
Living through the starvations. 
Living through the austerity. 
Living through harsh Russian winters.  

Then the Americans promise grocery stores and the stars. 
But instead you get Levi's and Michael Jackson tapes. 

So, as sanctions tighten.  
So do belts. 
As desperation set's in. 
So do compromises. 
To your morals. 
To your Ethics. 
But still fighting to feed the people. 

I've argued with people from around the world over this point when the initial Ukrainian invasion happened. 

I said it was so you could secure fishing and trade lanes to operate freely within the region and not have to rely on outside trade to keep Russia stable. 
Some claim you're a madman on a murderous rampage.

Me. 
I'm hoping it's the former and not the latter. 

So here's the deal. 
I want to send the bombs to the moon. 
All of em man. 
Mine, yours, everybodies. 
The people of China aren't going to make a move until we settle things.   

So tell me what you need. 
Not what you want.  
What you need. 
What your people need. 

My offer in exchange for sending all those fucking things to the moon is, well, a seat at the table. 
It's all I can offer.  

A friend asked me a long time ago "What do you bring to the table."  and I said "I bring the table." 
He didn't like that answer.  
However, as I filled his glass and offered him a plate?
He still didn't agree on my answer but he thought about it.

To get there?
We draw up the agreement.  

"The Moon Shot" agreement. 
drop all that nuclear material on the moon to be used for power plants and anything else we need to make one big ass telescope and a new international station. 

On the moon.

And when we do it maybe make one or two of those fucking things pop out in space for the hell of it. 
Because 'murica
 (que eagle screech) 
Assuming the scientist give us the green light that we won't be leaving a radiation cloud that's going to contaminate the atmosphere or some other ecological disaster. 

So.  
We draw up the paper work.  
Make sure there will always be food and medical aid available to your people.
And that your People have access to trade lanes and agricultural lands so they can maintain self sufficiency.

We'll meet in Washington. 
You bring the Vodka I'll bring the Cigars. 
We'll drink and smoke while our people make sure it's all on the up and up. 
Not shady clauses or bullshit. 
Hell, I want to try to get the whole thing on a single piece of paper. 
In triplicate. 
In Russian, English, and Lantin.  
We'll have the North Korean government and the French Governments verify the documents.  
We'll sign it. 

Oh yeah.  
The fun part.

Bring an Axe. 

After we sign.

I want you to bury that motherfucker in whatever desk is in the Oval office when we get there.  
Split that goddamn thing in half if you can.  

Then we'll go back to our respective jobs. 

I'll invite all the other world leaders to bring their axes (or appropriate wood cutting implement) to sign the papers and leave their mark.  
Then when everybody's' signed I'll put a Marines saber in the chair and turn the whole white house over to the National Archives so it can be made into a museum.
  
Apologies to the American People.  
But I just don't think it's appropriate that one of the seats of world power sits in a plantation house. 
I'm hoping they'll let me move it to Kansas City. 
It's in the middle of the country, borders two states and has all the infrastructure needed. 
And by doing that it frees up DC to become it's own state.  
The argument there has always been "well they don't need to be a state because the white house is there." 
But all that isn't my call. 
That's up to Congress and the voters.

Letting you into the oval office with an axe and a bottle of vodka, then offering you a cigar is my decision.
Just to warn you though man, those cigars will be marijuana.
It's a religious thing.
 I can tell you about it while we wait if you'd like but I don't really publicize it. 

And hopefully.  
Before you or I die.  
We see a flag from every nation of the world on the moon, right next to the foot prints of the people that carried them there. 

So Ukraine

Not going to stop supporting them with Humanitarian aid.  
That's where I draw the line. 
I'll leave it to the UN for final judgments on borders and particulars of what trade lanes and to lift sanctions. 
But no one will stop me from feeding hungry people and getting medicine to the sick. 

Please don't test me on that point. 

Balls in your court. 

I hope it's a fancy axe. 

Oh

 I hate Valentines day. 
Imagine growing up when and where I did. 
Around the people I did. 

"Let's go play smear the queer!" 
"Okay!  What's that!" 
"It's where you give the queer the ball and try to tackle them"
"What's a queer?"
"Here you start! Better run!"

But ya know what. 
I bounced back up every time. 
Had fun with it. 
Learned to take the hits. 

I don't want other children to have to live like that. 

And no matter how many cards were in that shoe box. 

To send the card I wanted would be a death sentence. 

That's not hyperbole. 

I had a gun to my head more than once. 

Never gave them the satisfaction.  

Stay safe out there. 

Moonwalker

 Han Shot First. 

We'll get to that in a second. 

I'm one of those Disney adults.  
Unapologetic about it.  

But let's clarify. 
It's more the ideals of Disney than the reality of it. 

The reality. 
Walt Disney was, as far as I know, an antisemite. 
In the 30's.

Let that sink in.

Having trouble verifying that right now because of the two finger point. 

What's the two finger point you ask?  
In all those photos around the park? 
Walt Disney talking to people and giving instructions to builders. 
Pointing. 
When Walt was alive there were cigarettes between those fingers.

I've been to Disney world twice and Disney land once. 
I hated it. 
My inner child was so elated. 
In constant awe. 

The designer in me was taking notes, constantly trying to peek under the hood to see how the sausage was made. 

My adult self, knowing the things I know and the eyes of an investigator used to reviewing combat and police reports. 

What Disney was not, was a racist. 

An antisemite that wasn't a racist?  

Ignorant about other races sure. 
But ignorance isn't hate. 
He hired black animators and designers to build what would become Disney as it is, because he recognized his own ignorance and wanted to remedy it. 
Did he ever take that stance with his feelings on the Jewish community?  
I Dunno. 
Did he smoke?



Here's the thing. 

People talk about phones, and screen time, and all that nonsense rotting away kids brains. 
Brother: 
You are so wrong and that's going to be your downfall. 
Those smart phones? 

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096256/

67 Man. 

Those kids you think their brains are rotting out. 
Dude.  
They're smarter than you are.  
They're smarter than I am. 

Imagine.
You're a kid born post 2000. 
Your entire life is living in a surveillance state.  
Constantly recorded, always a microphone or a camera in your face or your pocket. 
Brain rot is literally anti-propaganda.  
Probably one of the most brilliant things in human history.  
While all these people that lived through the McCarthy era and the Ragin administrations war on "urban cesspools" or whatever way he was framing it at the time are looking at memes and things for deeper meaning. 
Thinking that because it's mostly just Dadaist absurdism there's nothing of value in it.

It's not the the kids don't get it, or understand, or aren't aware of what's going on. 
They just don't trust you. 

What the hell do you mean "Anti-propaganda?" you ask yourself. 
67 bruv. 
there is no deeper meaning and that's the deeper meaning. 
"Hello Fellow kids" 
"67" says the kids.
"67" says the fascist. 
"Skibbidy toilet" says the kids.
"Is that the new password?" says the fascist.
"67" says the kid. 

They won't talk to you. 

"Name Rank and Serial Number"
"67"
"Your Friend already talked."
"Skibbidy Toilet"
"Exactly, we know all about Skibbidy Toilet"
"67"

How do I know this? 
They talk to me.
That's how I know they're smarter than...most everybody. 
 
And that's what happens when you grow up in a surveillance state. 

So Han Shot first. 
Why is that important? 

By John Paul Filo, who was a journalism student at Kent State University at the time - © 1970 Valley News-Dispatch, immediate source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=193415

So. 
Han solo. 
Resistance leader, sitting in a bar waiting for a Jedi in a post Clone Wars galaxy. 

Han Shot First. 

Greedo was probably just a shmuck cashing a pay check. 
But Han shot first because he knew Greedo and who's check Greedo was cashing. 

I'll give it to Lucas. 
If he hadn't have edited that scene we never would have been able to have this conversation.

Am I saying that's what happened in the above photo. 
No.  
This is a well documented historical moment. 
This is the opposite of Han shooting first.  
This is photo is what it looks like when Greedo shoots first. 

Stay Safe

13 years later.

 Been playing Destiny since 2014. 
Following it since the original e3 announcement.   
Over 8000 hours across both games and all of the platforms I played it on.
So how does it rate compared to that mission statement made?  

First. 

Let's look at the game it's self. 

An MMO styled shooting game.  
Similar to warframe but built buy a studio that had some of the most incredible gunplay in gaming.  
I'm not saying realistic or anything like that.  
I'm saying feels natural, snappy, accurate, and dependable. 
My question when playing Destiny was never "why is the gameplay so sloppy" when I'm failing in  match it was "Why are these people so good?"   "damn I'm missing my shots all over the place. 

Sure there was the odd cheater, connection issues on my side, server side, or opponents side that would make a play seem, on my screen like it should have popped off but instead I'm wondering how I got one tapped.  
But he, rural internet isn't really as "high speed" in the way people think.  
Sure you might have a high download or upload speed.  
But that doesn't stop the ping and connection interruptions 'caused by something as little as a bird deciding to sit in the receiver. 
For instance.  
Most fiber connections going from player to server have a ping around 15 up to 30ish. (milliseconds.) 
Where as a rural connection you'll be entering in the 40's range on a good connection, closer to 60/70 on average.   
If you're on an overseas server you're looking at minimum 100 typically. 

So...anyway.  

The game: 
I was back and forth on it.  
I'd say the best period of the game was from Shadow keep to Final Shape.  
Regular narrative updates that made the grind worth it. 
Massive community events that got the player base engaged.
Team activities. 
Multiple ways to organically interact with other players. 
 
Up until the Final Shape. 

So if you stop there then yes.  
Everything promised at e3 back in 2013 
Tons of fun, with as much or as little interaction with other players as you wanted but still seeing them running around doing their own thing. 

After Final shape.  
No patrol zones in any of the new content.  
Adventure Zones/locations sure.  
But not Patrol zones, which is what this game unique from other shooters. 
Patrol zones were/are public locations for exploring, working on quests, testing builds, and meeting other players by stumbling across each other or coming together for a public event then returning to what ever you were working on. 

I want to be clear on something.  
Final shape and all of the narrative content that dropped around it. 
 Even Edge of fate. 
Was top tier story tellling and game design.  
For a co-op/single player game. 

A co-op game and an MMO are not the same thing.   
Co-op games are single player games that let someone join you for the journey.  
MMO's are large communities of people.  
It's like the difference between watching a movie at home v.s. going to a theater with a crowd. 
Meeting new people, playing with different people from day to day, week to week, month to month.  
Where as co-op games are just you and your buddies, but mostly just you as the player doing your own thing. 

So, being a solo player all of the reasons I was playing Destiny.  
the community, the organic ways of interacting with people just poof gone.  
It felt like the community was just...removed. 

Sure you can match make in pvp or que for what ever the focus activity is and have enough people to do what ever it is. But you can do that in literally any other multiplayer game. 

Then there were the technical issues.  
Sure when you first launch content for a community after testing it in a closed environment there will be issues that need fixed because of unanticipated player actions. 
But in the story content? 
That's feels focused on single player interactions? 
I got soft locked out of the end game content on Edge of fate. 
Kind of.  
Because of such poor UI design after helping someone finish the campaign on their play through I couldn't return to the world tier to progress.  
Preventing me from putting together an effective build for the Raids and things. 
Then, come to find out, at the time the only way to put together useful gear required grinding....Single player activities.  
Where as previously I'd jump around, gambit, crucible, raids, patrol zones, seasonal activities.  
And by the time I played through the differnt stuff each week I had equipment capable of participating effectively in raids and high tier content.  
So I stopped playing until the next DLC drop. 
Because they got rid of the weekly narrative content I had no reason to play. 
I couldn't organically meet other people in current content.  I would be forced to running the same 10 minute single player mission for hours on end to get the equipment I needed to get back into high tier content.
When I left I was ranked in the to 2% of raiders for full clears. 
Not checkpoints. 
No exploits (well, mostly, I didn't have control in other peoples raid teams but I usually left when I realized what was happening) 

Think about that for a second. 

Then I was like "Well I paid for the year in advance, might as well check out Renegades" 
And I got actually soft locked in the first mission.  
Couldn't progress past the first missions 1st check point because of a glitch. 
the only reason I passed it is because a couple of people ran it with me and were able to pull me past the glitch.  
I hadn't touched it since then. 
Until today. 
Hopped in and gilded my gambit title. 
Took about 5 hours give or take. 
I was mostly just curious if there was still people in the que or not. 
Then realized that I really missed this unique game mode that hasn't been duplicated in another game (or not that I'm aware of) and gilded the title. 
Then I was like "Should I uninstall?" 
Am I going to play this game again? 

I might finish the Renegades campaign but....it's the Renegades campaign.  
It's Star Wars.  
I love star wars. 
I love Destiny. 
But with what they did in Renegades it feels like they gave up Destiny's identity. 
From what I've played it's a cool star wars adaptation but...just...ugh. 
but I'll end up playing through the campaign because it's still some of the best gunplay in gaming right now with a top tier narrative team backing up. 
But why did they give up the Destiny identity to turn it into star wars?  
Even if the campaign makes narritive sense the framing of it...feels like just a cheep cash grab. 

Anyways..
I love the game but I can't recommend it to new players. 
There's next to no way for them to meet experienced players organically.  
The only in game option now being an lfg system that has notoriously toxic gate keepers because the end game content is almost entirely lfg unless you have a team. 

Which I don't.  
Not going to get into that drama right now but I will say this. 
Feather Light. 

Anyways. 
Stay Safe.  
Just needed to get these feelings out. 

After all this blog is just kinda the crap that runs through my head so much that I need to put out into the world to so I can sleep. 
Usually. 

What would you dooOOoo for a...

 Let's talk about it?  

What's the plan? 

First. 
Let's recognize the history. 

After 1945 the United nations, lead by the U.S. redrew maps and borders. 

Nothing disputable in that statement.  

Since then. 
Border disputes have kept regions in a perpetual state of war. 

Again. 
Nothing disputable in that statement.  

So here's the Plan. 

Meet with Palestinian leaders in Gaza with a ceasefire agreement. 
Yeah, I know.  
The service will he be shitting their pants on this one.  
But Hey.
It's time to put the big girl panties on. 

My proposal. 

Ask Egypt to offer portions of eastern Sinai to the Palestinian people as their national home, then draw the northern border South of Jerusalem. 

The reason for this is so that the Egyptian people that stay in the area can help the Palestinian people learn to live a life where they're not constantly under threat. 

Gaza would be rebuilt as a living Museum to everything that happened there and act as the new seat of the United Nations.  

I am absolutely heart broken to admit that the U.S. has lost the right to be host to the international community as it's leader in peace time negotiations and I'm hoping this will be one step in earning that privilege again. 

The re-construction project would be a global one. 
A healing one. 
A mourning one. 

If. 

Big If.
 
All of it is successful and plays out the way I hope.   
I'd argue Hong Kong and Hatti be the next to places to host the U.N.  
Then, if the U.S. still on the strait and narrow re-open New York and then the final location...no idea. 
Portugal Maybe? 

Why multiple places? 

So that they are accessible. 
so that refugees in a region have a place they can go, air their grievances, and be directed to a place that will offer them asylum if necessary. 

So that the international court isn't in the hands of a singular location or country. 

That's what I meant by swinging my dick. 
Using the beat stick that is U.S. foreign policy to see some good come out of the past 100 years. 

Some will argue that I"m a bleeding heart liberal that doesn't understand what it takes to govern. 
Some will argue that I"m a faciest trying to install infrastructure to take over the world. 
Others will argue that I'm a socialist or communist and make them the dirtiest versions of the word they can think of. 

Truth is. 
I'm just an old Rumbler Tired of seeing people get hurt and not receiving justice. 
Not revenge. 
Not retaliation. 

True Justice. 
A healing Justice. 
One that recognizes the harms done and repairs them.  
Not heal.  
there's not healing from a lot of this.  
just learning how to live with the old wounds and being careful not to make new ones. 

Any good career soldier will tell you one thing. 
Their goal: Is to work themselves out of a job. 
Not win wars. 
Not kill bad guys. 
Not to drop bombs. 

But to not be needed. 

To be able to go home and know they did everything they could to keep the people they care about safe.  

The Afghanistan withdraw wasn't a mistake. 
Afghanistan could never heal with a U.S. military presence there.
A bandaid that needed ripped off. 
And I'm sorry as hell to all of the service members that lived through it and felt like they failed in their mission.  

You didn't fail. 
The mission is not over. 
Ya'll just need rest and recovery time so we can get back out there and do the good work after the bullets and bombs stop flying. 
I'm talking about service. 
I'm talking about helping rebuild, helping when mother nature turns nasty, and just being good neighbors.

Ya know. 

Making good on the promise all those chocolate bars made.  

Stay Safe

Counting Coup

How would I handle voting? 
By Mail.  
Most efficient sorters in the world postal carriers. 

According to that strange little document called the constitution, with it's precursor the bill of rights, anyone on U.S. Soil is given all of the same rights under the law as a citizen. 

That's just the fact's Jack.  

The only wiggle room on that is if you think that some people aren't people.  
Which, last I checked. 
The institution of Slavery was banned under international law. 
So. 
People are People. 

Go to the post office, fill out your ballot, wait in line. 
Hand in your ballot with your right thumb print inked on the back. 
If you don't have a right thumb print, offer a different sort of print and the postal clerk will note the change. 
If you're not able to go to the post office for some reason request a postal clerk through the official usps website and one will be by within 24 hours to collect your ballot and offer you an ink pad. 
And yes, prisoners would get to vote. 
Pretty sure they're not going to be running between voting locations and stuffing ballots. 
Only reason a prisoner wouldn't get a vote is if they were in prison for voter fraud or 1st degree murder. 
Punishment fitting the crime and all. 
How would they make informed decisions in prison? 

PBS - in common areas
NPR - in their cells

Prisoners or not they're still citizens and/or residing on u.s. soil. 

Oh yeah.  
I'll be using some of the Presidential discretionary spending to fund public media until we can hammer out an appropriate "Jouranl districts"?   dunno still working on the name. 
Like a school or Library district.  
Making sure that underfunded districts have the ability to provide news and emergency warnings/reports to their residents. 
Publicly funded, independently verified.  
With a journalism board similar to a doctors licensing board. 
Not for editorial oversight.  
But for holding erroneous reporting accountable.  

The post services only job will be to count ballots, verify there are no duplicated prints in counting for what ever the ballot measure is. 
 
Then deliver those ballots to the offices One week before the election to begin counting of the specific votes on what measure. 

Post offices job in all of it would simply be to count and deliver to the election offices minus the thumb print.
So, two envelops and the ballot.  
Might seem wasteful, but it verifies the vote count and respects voter anonymity. 
Because. 
Your vote, is your secret. 
I don't care what's on your ballot. 
That's your decision. 
Like a prayer. 


You know. 
To make sure dead people aren't voting or whatever. 

Then, if a Citizen is out of the country for a vote they can go to a U.S. post office where ever they are (assuming they were permitted by the local government) provide the "appropriate documentation" to prove citizen ship, then the postal service takes it from there. 

How does that all work on the postal side? 

Take ballot, take print.  
Scan print, green goes in the box,
Red means there's a duplicate print in the system.  
Verify time and location of original print, use the usps delivery maps to verify the person giving the print couldn't travel between the two locations within fastest possible travel options.
If still Red then apologize and ask for the next person in line. 
They may go to their local elections office to dispute if they wish. 

Ballots are then delivered to the local post office for counting and delivery for Election/Special Measure varication no sooner than one week in advance. 

Don't mess with the Post Master General.  
Might look like some nerd sitting in the corner perfectly organizing their stamp collection. 
But you know the Postal Inspectors case closure rate is in the 80% to 90% range? 
Think about that. 

I'd handle Census data the same way. 
But with a questionnaire that they may decline with zero explanation given. 
Because census data is supposed to be a head and resource count so emergency services can be properly funded and deployed. 
Not what ever political football some racist jack ass is trying to use it for. 

Oh yeah! 
Did I show you guys my new ambulance and fire truck designs!?!?!

Dude. 
"If I ruled the world" 
Postal carriers would be able to walk across a battlefield and be so respected both sides would stop and wait for them to pass before carrying on with any nonsense. 

So that's the three pronged battle plan. 
Ensure safe, fair, and constitutional elections. 
Fund Libraries, schools, hospitals, and news outlets at a federal level to maintain disaster readiness. 
And stay the hell out of peoples personal medical decisions. 

See you in Class

Alrighty kids. 
You're in debt. 
From going to school.  

Something that's judicially enforced until you turn into an adult or receive an exemption. 
And, if you want to be able to apply for better jobs you need that degree right?  
Not get a better job, apply.  
See, you need that piece of paper to even be considered. 
Unless you've got a backdoor propped open by nepotism of course. 

Up until the 80's 
You could go to school, essentially, tuition fee.  
A part time job flipping burgers a couple nights a week would afforded you enough to pay for your school debts and to support yourself. 

So what changed?  

Literally? 

Ronald Ragan.  

As governor he created the precedent for college tuition prices and the foundations for the current "College Loan" system.  

So this guy, 
Ragan, becomes president.  
And uses those foundations and precedent to force these college tuitions changes at a national level. 

Simple as that. 

The reason?  

Ronald Ragan was a well known racist and classist.  
Not a question.
Not a inflation of offhand comments.  
Not an accusation. 

A verifiable fact in the public record. 

Ragan's belief was that Poor and PoC shouldn't be educated. 
that educating them was dangerous. 
The decision was made and supported on the belief that the poor and non white should be kept uneducated and unable to support themselves financially.  

Again.  
This is all Public record.  
No redacted reports, or rumor, or hearsay. 

Public.
Record.

With this in mind. 

My solution? 

Make the company's pay back the debt. 
All of it.  
A one time tax. 
Followed by an educational tax that will go directly to colleges and trade schools to pay educators and keep their facilities up and running. 

The powers that be won't meet me in court because they know I'll win.