Incarceration and State-Mandated Family Abandonment In seeking to be an "ordered society" have we created a malignant disorder by knocking the props out from under aging Americans? What about the children? And let's ask the rhetorical questions. Do laws which reinforce desperation instead of offering redemption crush the human spirit? And does a penal system which inflicts excessive incarceration and probationary periods serve the greater needs of society or the rapacious financial needs of a system which is dependent on constant flow into and out of its facilities? If the crimes are non-violent and of a self-inflicted nature is mercy the greater master? And does ruthlessness ever really teach a lesson? Our prisons are systems. They are not institutions. Institutions are for societal health and homeostasis. Systems are about controlling and/or maintaining a chaotic set of conditions beneficial to its custodians. Th...
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Good News, Bad News Our "Breaking News" is that CentCom has taken out of commission two IRGC boats which were dropping mines. https://nypost.com/2026/05/25/world-news/us-launches-self-defense-strikes-in-southern-iran-centcom-says/ The "Breaking News" from the bad guys is that they have destroyed three MQ-9 Reaper drones today. This is being reported on multiple sites. If true - the Iranian air defenses and ability to respond to threat seem to be in good working order. I am not viewing wreckage, but the sites I look at tend to be fairly reliable.
Read Everything, Research Everything This news saddened me. I have always admired Nicholas Kristoff for his passion. https://freebeacon.com/media/new-blow-to-new-york-times-gaza-rape-report-key-source-gets-caught-quietly-removing-terrorists-names-from-list-of-slain-palestinian-journalists/ That being said: Read everything and research everything to the best of your ability. This reminder is also for me. If I peddle disinformation or misinformation (which is a cross-pollinating process and not necessarily done with deliberation) let me know. I will set the record straight. I will apologize. As for my journalism - the biggest stories never make the page. They involve confidentiality. And if it involves national security - I will enter chain of command to report the narrative. That is understood at the beginning point of any dialogue. If it involves a man seated across from me offering granular details of the successful assassinat...
"Leaks" President Trump upset a well-understood tension; a balancing act - when attacking Tehran. Iran, in turn, put the hurt on the Sunni side of the house and we were unable to protect our Gulf allies. Years ago I wrote a brief "Rise as One Man: Islam in the 21st Century". (2007?) The phrase "Rise as One Man" is from the covenant of Madinah. I was mocked for my predictive analysis. But essentially, if the Sunni side of the house and the Shi'a side were smart enough to lay down their differences - there would be Hell to pay for the rest of us. Who is laughing now? When you manage to piss off everyone in the region - you end up with a movement away from Assabiyya. This concept was discussed in the Farewell Sermon of Prophet Muhammad. So I am looking a "leaks" tonight. Now even if what is copied below is just happy clap, I tend to take it seriously. We are damn well going to be marginalized in the Middle East. ...
After Opis President Trump desperately seeks an Opis banquet of reconciliation. The Gulf States will be seated around him within the inner circle, as opposed to the Macedonians. They were brought to heel in his first term with the Abraham Accords. This normalization was absolutely necessary. But the Iranians will still congregate within the outer ring of the banquet hall this time. And actually, that is where they will stay. There will be no forward movement. And there is no damn way Tehran will offer up her treasures to America. As to whether during the original banquet Alexander the Great lifted his voice to god and laid claim to being descended from Zeus is open for discussion. https://www.pothos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3214?t=3214 But having stylized the first half of his current term in office as Alexander the Great, President Trump now presents as a mediator in the world, and both a fatherly figure and Antipater. I do not consider ...
Nasire Best A paranoid schizophrenic left with reliance on his imagination for survival. And another reckless action spurred by mental illness. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15844059/White-House-shooting-suspect-Nasir-Best.html Nasire Best thought he was Jesus Christ. This is classic delusion with religious overtones. As a nursing student, I did a clinical rotation on the locked unit at Parkland Memorial Hospital. The nurses station had bulletproof glass. Our guests really were quite dangerous. I came across a client who told me, "You can call me 'God' or you can call me 'pickle'." The latter was more appropriate; albeit we could not get the right pickling combination to control his delusions and racing thoughts. Later, working in a locked psychiatric unit, I care for the Virgin Mary. sigh I provided nursing support for a Goddess who called herself "Fire Starter". She would start imaginary fires and stamp t...
Wishful Thinking: Bangladesh In Bangladesh, a 700 kilo water buffalo named "Donald Trump" is a viral sensation. Eid al-Adha is nearly here. The sacrifice of this animal for the festival will be a proxy death event for our United States President. The animal will retain his notoriety for about three more days. And then his throat will be slit. The name of Allah will be invoked over the beast as it is slaughtered. We assist Bangladesh. Apparently, gratitude is lacking in some quarters. Maybe we need to dial down our aid? Either that, or let's buy "Donald Trump" and deny individuals the chance to rejoice over the "death" of our POTUS. https://bd.usembassy.gov/