Travel to Iran: Ripe For The Picking

I recently returned from having spent 12 nights and 13 days in Iran.

That makes me an authority  on the subject since so few living Americans have ever done so.
I could sit down with Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, and at least 98 if not 100% of congress and explain why and how things are as they are.

Many would not want to believe me because they have a great deal of vested power in their political positions they want to protect and have villainized Iran to the point of wanting war with them.

There is a strong undercurrent of hate in this country that is focused on religions other than Christian as being evil. Some of the politicians use this hatred as a focusing point to hold power. Hitler used the Jews the same way. He was said to have said something to the effect that had he not had the Jews he would have had to invent them.

This hatred, along with a double dose of ignorance, effects and affects itself in our foreign policy.
We get a lot of hatred in return. Hatred is an emotion, not a cognitive process.

In psychology there is a phenomenon known as the Karpman Triangle and this triangle consists of three parts. One is the Persecutor one is the Victim and one is the Rescuer.  A persecutor does not have to be a person, it can be a place or a thing but we need one for there to be a victim.

Now that we have a victim we need a rescuer. That is the weakest position to be in, the one with most consequences to pay.

Games don't have to be bad, but political games wind up that way, unless.....

A rule of the game is that games are played out of a state of awareness. People are unaware that they are in these games. A state of awareness in necessary to save yourself from the cruel game.

What goes on with Iran vs the western world goes back 2000 years before the United States with all its exceptionalism existed.

Religion plays a major role in all our lives whether we like it or not. The United States was founded on freedom of religion and also freedom from religion.

When i was a child in Sunday school i found myself stumped on how god could change Lott's wife to a pillar of salt for looking over her shoulder, yet in the alter above was a sign that said "God is Love".  This conundrum helped to free me from religious dogma and the bias, prejudice and arrogance that so often accompany it.

Everyone knows the bible and the koran were written by men, not by an unseen being. A human being wrote it and the bible is full metaphors and analogies. It is too difficult to think about mortality when everlasting life is the desire. Is it not possible that we came from eternity and we will return there?

Therefore religion is a powerful force in our society and our politics.

Politics, by the way, were first. The religions came along later and each had to blend in to gain strength in the established culture. And gradually it has come to theocracies in some places.

This is the world today, the game that is being played uses countries as players, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iran the U.S. and assorted Allies.

You can only see all this if you step out of the game. Take your emotions out of it an become an observer.

There is no reason for Iran to like us, yet they do. We overthrew their democratically elected government in 1952 and installed a dictator, the Shah. A despot. A deal cut with the petroleum industry in both the U.K. and U.S. and our leaders, Eisenhower and Churchill.

We supported Iraq's invasion of Iran in 1980. We attacked out of trumped up fear and greed their neighbors both to the West and East, Iraq and Afghanistan and threaten Iran with war if they build a nuclear weapon to defend themselves.

Iran has signed a nuclear treaty with China, Russia, England, Germany, the European Union and the United States. Our current presidential choice is between people who want to tear it up or want to keep it. A simple decision if you are not eaten up with hate and fear, they are emotions and religion is emotional.

Hate and fear are what a lot of our politicians preach. Part of their gospel to sway the flock toward their vote for salvation, all under the banner of god.

Can you imagine an atheist getting a fair shake if running for office? I cannot.

Stop being afraid, stop being angry, they are emotions, not cognitive processes, and we become able to step out of the game and observe what is going on without the emotion.

It is time to step out of the game, use our heads and seek a lasting peace with Iran, the people there desire it, the Ayatollah will ultimately listen to the will of the people, in the meanwhile we need to give him reason to believe peace is possible. Peace with Iran is a low hanging fruit, we need to pick it.

We're the Sea Bees of the Navy

Today is an anniversary date. I guess everyday is, of a sort, but this one is special for me.
On April 1, 1945 the United States armed forces began the invasion of Okinawa.
Okinawa was the last major obstacle in the Pacific sweep of American forces in their battle against the Empire of Japan.
This was the largest amphibious invasion in the history of the world (Most folks think the Omaha beach D-Day invasion of France was the biggest, it was super big and also ran by the Sea Bees but Okinawa was the biggest). Okinawa was to be the staging point for the American invasion of the Japanese homeland. In Japan the population was being readied to fight to the death against the American invaders.
A giant armada of ships, planes and personnel gathered off shore and the logistics of the plan was to be handled by a newly organized unit of the navy called the Construction Battalions, or C.B.'s for short and Sea Bees for insignia. They had to get all those supplies of ammunition, food, medical supplies, and equipment to build airstrips, etc. ashore, right?

The "Can Do" people.
I was a 9 year old street kid in a small town in Kansas, Independence to be exact. A kid with an older and younger brother and a Mother all faithfully waiting for our Father and husband to return from the war. Last we had seen of Dad was when we put him on a train for the West coast. He was in full dress uniform and we were some proud. We had no idea where he was going beyond there, it was all secret. Loose lips sink ships.
I remember the day well, I also remember being gut afraid we would never see him again, but that was each our private secret.
Little did we know that he was among that armada of ships and men, just waiting to storm the beach along with thousands of other patriots.
And storm it they did and conquer they did as 82 days later enemy resistance ended. You don't know that you don't know Jack.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Okinawa
The Greatest Generation is what Tom Brokaw called them.
I am a product of that greatest generation and i am sick to tears of the belly aching, whining, stupid politicians and their ignoratnt followers who are in a constant stir about how terrible things are in my country.
This is the greatest country on the face of the earth, and when a politician lies and panders to his base that our country is not great or only a shadow of our past greatness, he or she can go straight to hell.
The constant lies and distortions of politicians that scream "be afraid, be very afraid, but stand behind me, i will protect you if you only vote for me" is repulsive. These people are not patriots, they are fear mongers, they are traitors. Traitors to the tradition of "Can Do" the Greatest Generation established.
So let me wrap it up with this: If all anyone can do is complain about our country, leave it. Go to someplace they think better and take their third rate politicians and negative crap with them.
America is already great.
Thank you my Sea Bee Dad, and thanks to all the others who gave whatever was necessary to make this great country what it is, a country where even low life lying politicians and pseudo patriots are free to speak their minds, even if they are dead wrong.

I'm Baaaaack And I Have Stuff to Tell You

Sorry to be so long but a lot has gone on and there is a lot to catch up on.

Since we usually carry on in a political bent sort of way and most of us are quite full of hearing about Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, i did not want to be redundant.

As usual the best Republican candidate (Kasich) no longer has a mathematical chance of garnering enough delegates before the convention in Cleveland so let's just skip on to the Dems.

But i need to talk about Bernie and Hillary as one of them is going to be our next president and we need to make an informed decision as who to pick.

There is no doubt both are the best qualified of the 4. Trump has very few qualifications outside of being over 35 and a natural born U.S. citizen (glad to get the citizen thing out of the way first thing).
As far as Cruz goes, he can get only radical right wing Republicans to vote for him, those who would not vote for Jesus if he came down from the cross and declared himself a Democrat, which of course would be his party of choice.

Everyone know why they hate Cruz immediately? Because it saves time.

Over most of the last three decades we have had a belly full of conspiracy theories about Hillary. That she was a criminal in the Whitewater investigation, yet she was exonerated. It was insinuated that she was responsible for the death of one of Bill's staff that committed suicide. That was totally debunked. Then the issue about Benghazi which has been cleared by a Republican committee itself, even though the balance of the Republicans choose to ignore the findings. And now the e-mail issue which has been under the microscope by the F.B.I. for some time and no decision yet.

But why bother, the shrill voices of the right have no kind word for a single soul that does not subscribe to their desire to kill social programs for the population.

Then we have Bernie. Steadfast, resolute.

Do you hear anyone else telling you "the system is rigged"? That is the truth. Wall street and the
You heard about the Carrier Air Conditioning factory that is closing and moving 1,400 jobs to Mexico didn't you? Be aware that is because Wall Street has profit numbers they have assigned to Carrier and they don't give a hoot that our jobs are moving out of country, they are promoting it, for profit.

So when you hear of how Wall Street invests in America, don't you believe it, it is exactly what they want you to think and Bernie is the only one telling you who the real villains are.

Get out and promote his cause, because it is your cause.

If you don't know that, you don't know Jack. And Jack is back.