I believe there is a list. Charlie was on it.

Viral images of a grand classical arch and a twisted modernist one reveal the unbridgeable divide between leaders who celebrate America’s heritage and those who seem determined to replace it with something cold, crooked, and alien.

The contrast could not be clearer or more deliberate. On one side stands towering marble, golden eagles, and inscriptions evoking “One Nation Under God.” On the other, a bent, leaning metal structure that looks like a giant wire hanger or a failed piece of iron work. One lifts the spirit. The other drains it.

One draws from the classical traditions that built the great monuments of Washington. The other embraces the brutalist and deconstructivist styles that have produced so many unloved public buildings in recent decades.

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, set to open its doors this month, has long been criticized for its looming tower and heavy, fortress-like forms.

It has been described as a “Tower of Doom,” an eyesore that clashes with its surroundings and burdens taxpayers while delivering questionable public value.

From Zerohedge …

It seems Western Civilization has given up on the good, the true, and the beautiful.

We’ve hit another doldrums phase of international conflicts, as Trump’s promises to end both the Ukraine and Iranian war have fallen flat, with all hope now lost.

NYT managed to get a bead on this development, noting that both the Russians and Iranians have essentially “tired” of Trump’s wiles and the US’s tricks in general, preferring to take their chances in war than continue the pointless bad-faith negotiations with a deceitful and decrepit American regime:

The authors note that virtually all Trump’s “peace” initiatives have flunked and floundered, including the Gaza ‘Board of Peace’ which was just revealed as essentially being bankrupt, with not a single monetary pledge or active initiative:

More and more experts have remarked on the “limits of American power”, which have been oh-so blatantly revealed of late. But this is not simply military power, it is soft power, political influence, and even everything in between. America has simply lost its time-honored credibility because its appointed agents of persuasion—i.e. biliously bad-will billionaire bagmen—have increasingly been a most shoddy and reprehensible lot; you’re only as good as your global representatives.

Part of the reason for the collapse of global trust is the continued egregiousness with which US leadership openly lies and ignores the legitimate concerns and demands of its negotiating rivals. Everyone has grown exhausted with Trump’s daily issue of statements which are rank insults to the intelligence of any respectable observer.

Continue reading Simplicius …

Perhaps our mother country is finally waking up?

There was once a very wise old man who traveled about – hills, mountains, valleys, and plains, all about – from one village to the next. He was tall and gaunt, had a patch over one eye, wore a floppy hat, and a long dark cloak that came down to his ankles. His beard was long and white. His boots were scuffed and worn from the many miles he had traversed and he carried a long hiking staff with a carved figure on the end. He had learned many things through his travels, by experience and reading, trial and error, and living long. He led a solitary life and one could say that he sacrificed himself to himself to gain wisdom.
One day as he traveled the open plain, he happened upon a sheep pen with a young boy guarding the gate. Being tired and thirsty, he asked the lad for water and permission to sit and rest a while. The boy was intrigued by the look and bearing of the old man and obliged the old man’s request. The old man took a seat on a bench near the gate and accepted a gourd of water the boy handed him.

The boy was not used to anyone being about as he tended the flock since the sheep pen was so far from his village. Travelers were rare as was the opportunity to visit and talk with anyone other than the sheep. As the man drank the cool water the boy studied him. At length the boy asked what had happened to the old man’s eye that he should wear a patch over it. The old man just smiled and said, “Sometimes one has to sacrifice something to gain wisdom. It may be time in study, danger in a pilgrimage, or discomfort in a vision quest.” At this last the old man chuckled to himself.

As the boy continued to study the old man the old man asked, “So, boy, how long have you been tending your sheep?” The boy answered, “A few years, is all.” The old man asked, “Does tending the flock bore you? With no one to talk to and nothing to do but watch the sheep, what do you think about?” The boy considered for a while and then answered, “Well … I wonder … sometimes … if what they tell me is true.” The old man responded, “Who are the they of whom you speak?” “My parents, the other villagers, the priest … everybody,” he replied. “So what is it they tell you, boy?” the old man asked. “They say that our religion is the only true one, that all the others are evil and bad,” answered the boy.

The old man considered that for a bit and then said to the boy, “I see you have a fine flock of sheep in your pen. Are the sheep in your pen different than the sheep in the pen in the next village?” “Yes,” the boy replied, “these sheep are fatter and white in color. The ones in the next village are black, and because the forage there is sparse they are leaner.” “Is that so,” said the old man. “And which sheep, then, are better?” The boy said, “I’m not sure. I’ve not actually been to the pens in the other village, so I don’t really know. I know of their color and such from what my father told me.”

The old man then said to the boy, “Imagine your village as a sheep pen … a sheep pen of your religion … and you are a lamb in it. You want to know if what the other sheep in your pen tell you is true. So tell me, what religion, then, would the sheep in an Israeli sheep pen be?” “Oh, they would be Jewish,” answered the boy. “And those in India?” asked the old man. “That’s easy,” said the boy. “They would be Hindu.” “All right. What of America and Iraq and Thailand,” asked the old man. “America is mostly Christian, Iraq is Muslim, but I don’t know about Thailand,” responded the boy. “Well, you are correct about America and Iraq. Thailand is Buddhist,” said the old man. “And each of the sheep in those separate pens believe they have the one true religion, yes?” The boy nodded his agreement.

“You asked me how you know if what you have been taught in your sheep pen is correct and true, and I’ll answer your question with another question … how do you know the sheep in those other sheep pens are not true?” asked the old man. “How do you know that they’re evil and bad?” The boy thought about this for a long time. He struggled to come up with an answer. He had expected the old man to just give him one, but now he had to ponder. At length he tentatively responded, “I guess … I guess … maybe … I need to leave my sheep pen and visit the others?” “Very well,” said the old man. “How will that help you answer your question?” Again the boy thought long and hard. These things were so difficult for him to puzzle out. Finally he said, “I think I should ask them what they believe and why. I think I should live with them for a while so I can experience their ways. I think I should try to learn everything I can about them and their faith.”

The old man took another sip of the water, stood up and stretched. “So now, he said, “you have your answer. You must be open to everything. You must question everything. You must put your biases and prejudices away and consider the facts as you find them. You must form your judgment by way of rational, skeptical, and unbiased analysis and evaluation. In the end you may find that your villagers are correct, or you may find them in error, but you must do the work to find the answer. The boy thought about this and quickly saw the wisdom in it. As the old man picked up his staff and turned to leave the boy asked him one final question. “Sir, what sheep pen did you decide was the correct one. Which one did you choose?” The wise old man smiled and said, “None of them. I found one that’s just right for me and few others.” “How can that be,” asked the boy. “Aren’t you afraid people will think you daft, perhaps even shun you?” The old man’s smile grew even wider as he answered, “What little courage must a man have to allow others to tell him what to believe and what is true. How sad to allow oneself to be a slave to the masses. A man must do his best to learn the truth of things in a world filled with falsehood and illusions. No one else can do that for him.” And with that, the wise old man thanked the boy for the water, turned, adjusted his cloak, and continued his travels across the plain.

That night, after the sheep were secured in their pen, the boy left his village.

From Wikipedia: Truth is conformity to reality or fact. It contrasts with falsity or misrepresentation that fails to align with the world. Truth is typically treated as a property of truthbearers, such as sentences, propositions, or beliefs that describe things as they are.

It’s been said that we each have our own truth. However, that conflicts with the definition of truth. It would be better said that we each have our own opinions or beliefs of what the truth is, and how do we arrive at that? It would seem that one’s place of birth (environment), one’s experiences, the degree of study or lack of study, influence of one’s peers and family, prejudices and biases, and other trusted sources of information all converge to produce those opinions and beliefs. One could say we’re born into many of our beliefs.

The problem arises when one refuses to acknowledge that their opinions and beliefs might be erroneous. When one refuses to consider conflicting information and evidence with an open mind, such a one will inevitably respond to such conflicting evidence and information, the challenge to their opinions and beliefs, in anger and with ad hominem attacks on the messenger rather than offering evidence and data to the contrary; reasonable and amicable debate. Such a one would be demonstrating their ignorance. Anyone who doubts this need only read the comments section of any social media platform, substack, or podcast.

From Merriam Webster: Ignorance is the state or fact of being ignorant : lack of knowledge, education, or awareness.

I will freely admit to being ignorant. I know little of advanced physics, brain surgery, complicated math, so when I declare someone to be ignorant, it’s not a pejorative. It’s simply recognizing that they lack knowledge, education, or awareness of the matter in question. On the other hand, I know a great deal about geo-politics, history, and religion. I’ve gained knowledge and education and I am continuously aware of developments of additional evidence, data, and information in those fields. While imperfect, my beliefs and understandings are based on extensive study. I’m a skeptic. I question truth claims and don’t allow my pride or prejudice to keep me from changing my mind based on additional data, evidence, and verifiable information.

From Wikipedia: Critical thinking is the process of analyzing available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to reach sound conclusions or informed choices. It involves recognizing underlying assumptions, providing justifications for ideas and actions, evaluating these justifications through comparisons with varying perspectives, and assessing their rationality and potential consequences. The goal of critical thinking is to form a judgment through the application of rational, skeptical, and unbiased analyses and evaluations.

People who fail to think critically are typically locked into beliefs and opinions that are untrue or only partially true. Never-the-less, they will adamantly defend those opinions and beliefs with angry attacks against anyone who doubts them rather than consider that it’s possible they could be in error.

I’ll raise my hand and admit I’ve been guilty of this in the past. We all have. But show me new evidence, new data, a better argument … I’ll change my mind. Will you?

Most of you reading this have been here long enough to know that my focus is largely preparedness, with the understanding that the other authors on this site are all talking about what is coming, not just myself.

Consider the price of food. If you want to control a population, you control the food. Are you growing your own? Even a little?

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO GROW FOOD?

It’s not as easy as you think. The challenges of gardening include everything from seasonal conditions, ups and downs of the weather, and other growing challenges including everything from soil-borne organisms to predatory pests. Gardening is so much more than putting seeds in the soil and adding water.

If you’re not doing this already, why not? Watch this video. Watch (or at least listen to) the entire thing. The globalists want 15 minute cities. If you cannot sustain yourself, you will end up in one. Perhaps you’re okay with that. If so, just skip the video and forget about creating a future for yourself and your family.

I’ll say it this way. Unless you can feed yourself, and be substantially self-supporting, you will have to rely on government to sustain you. Let me be more clear. You will have to rely on communism to sustain you.

Good luck with that.