Patently Pathetic Pusillanimous Petulant Putin

 Hi,

So this week we shift gears from the pretend fight against imaginary oppression involving the "Bouncy House Snowflakes" to the very real fight Unkranians have on their hands. The very real invasion by Putin. 

I don't say by Russia, on purpose, because the more we are finding out, the more we see that the majority of his own citizens are very much against this tyrannical move.  

You know the old saying that 'money is the root of all evil'? 

I don't think it's the money per se, I think it's the greed for the power money brings that is the true root.

Just having money doesn't, in and of itself make you evil, it's how you obtain it and later use the power it affords that dictates whether or not you are. 

Power gluttons are impossible to satisfy.

Putin, Trump, and the others like them, perpetually want more... and more... and more. 

They are bullies. They are cowards. They are emotionally crippled. They are empty. They are broken. They are impotent, either emotionally, physically, or both. They are pathetic. 

They lack the intellect and integrity to negotiate in any real way, the petulance with which they move through the world, palpable. 

They demand.

They demand loyalty. They demand blind obedience. They demand cooperation. They demand accountability for everyone but themselves. They demand indulgence of their delusions of grandeur.

They do all of this as long as they are allowed. 

They do this until...

Until protests like the one depicted in the above photo. A photo of Russian citizens protesting Putin's aggression against Ukraine, marching in St. Petersburg. Doing so, knowing full well what the consequences could be. 

A real protest... in a country that is a real autocracy. Protesting an aggression against a country whose citizens are at a very real risk of losing their actual freedoms. 

As it sits, the majority of the world is standing with Ukraine. Other than people like Tucker Carlson, his buddies, Trump and his bootlickers, that is. 

They do this until...

Until the rest of the world stands up and says enough. Until the world refuses to give in to threats. Until those who oppose these tyrants get louder than those who support them. 

Defenders of democracy need to get louder. We need to quit taking our democracies for granted. We need to quit assuming that good will always win over evil. It won't. Not by itself.

Democracy needs to be vigorously defended. Loudly defended. Relentlessly defended. Vehemently defended. It needs to be defended without fail.

We can't afford to get lazy about it. Obviously. Trump becoming president was a warning shot. Putin pulling this crap is a flesh wound.  "Freedom convoys" wherein organizers write plans to overthrow a duly elected government to replace it whatever their craziness dictates, show the willingness of the eagerly, tragically, misinformed minions.

Complacency will be the end of democracy. We can't let that happen. On any level.

That's why accountability is so important. For everyone from Putin and Trump to those who organized and participated in the blocking of highways, borders, and occupation of Ottawa. 

Too many lives have already been lost at the hands of Putin. People are fleeing from their homes to seek safety. They are hiding underground after running with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Children are, once again, at the mercy of adult stupidity. A child was born, thankfully without complication in a subway that is acting as a makeshift bomb shelter. 

For what?

So Putin can feel like some sort of conqueror? So he can try to satisfy his unquenchable thirst for power? 

Putin has two daughters. Do you suppose they are hiding in a subway without provisions, without comfort, without knowing where their loved ones are?

Somehow, I doubt it. 

We need to get louder. Relentlessly. 

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Until next time...

We stand arm in arm with those fleeing and fighting for their lives.

We need to do more to help, real help, 'ammunition not a ride.'

We stand with those who are staying to fight Putin and his greed.

We stand with Ukraine, we have to give them what they need.

May Putin soon be sent home with his tail between his legs.

May he face all repercussions, harshly, no matter how he begs. 

And he will.

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A Couple Things...

 

Hi!

So, this "protest" has been going on for three weeks now.

I've been watching live feeds that are being recorded by the 'freedom fighters', I've been watching live news broadcasts, I've been watching from every angle available to me. 

A couple things...

Most of the people supporting and participating in this occupation live in some kind of delusional state wherein they really thought that them showing up and bogarting our Capitol city would result in the entirety of the country caving in to their demands. They thought they could stomp their feet long enough and loud enough that our democracy would just step aside and let them appoint some sort of leader and take over our country. 

They really thought that was a logical outcome. For real. 

Their definition of  "truth" is interesting.

Apparently "truth" means holding misinformation and insane conspiracy theories in the same regard as actual facts. Like they are somehow equal. 

"Truth" means giving the same credence to self-proclaimed "experts" with little education and even less experience in epidemiology as you do to lifelong immunologists. 

Their "freedom" is apparently way more important than yours, mine, or that of anyone else. 

They decided to occupy our Capitol city under the guise of fighting for freedom. 

First, none of your freedoms have ever been taken away. 

Nobody forced you to get vaccinated. That has been, and will always be your choice. Nobody forced you to wear a mask. That was a choice. 

These choices carry consequences. You might not like them, the consequences, but they are the result of the choices you make. 

Any legitimate hesitations you've had about masks or vaccines have been laid to rest by real-world data. With the emphasis on the word "real." 

So many that are involved in this craziness have been, and continue to be, willingly and tragically misinformed.

Some brought small children, and kept them in the mix, blatantly at times, even after police started enforcing the law, and walking them back.

But I digress. "Freedom"

So I heard many times from occupiers that they were fighting for the freedoms of 'all' Canadians.

Okay, cool.

So what about the freedom of the citizens of Ottawa? Occupiers made it impossible for stores, restaurants, and other places of business to remain open because of their brutal disregard for civility.

What about the freedom of the people who live in the neighbourhood you've taken hostage? The constant noise not letting them sleep, their children sleep, and in one case cause their autistic children undeserved distress?

What about the freedom of the press? I watched as journalists trying to do their job and cover what was going on, be attacked, spit on, called Nazis, liars and traitors. 

What about the freedom of the 95% of the country that doesn't appreciate you costing our country in trade, reputation, peace, and whatever it will cost to shut you down and clean up your mess?

This was, by no definition, a peaceful protest. Sure you had hot tubs, bouncy castles, and DJ's. Sure, YOU gleaned some twisted sense of fun at the expense of everyone else. You tried to portray this as some sort of block party with a purpose.

It wasn't.

This was a pathetic, failed coup attempt organized by racist grifters under the guise of a tantrum over pandemic protections. 

That's it. 

So some of you are now going to cry about how you were 'mistreated' by police.

You were given endless opportunities to leave, it's been your choice to stay.

Again, choices have consequences, and nowhere is it ever promised that you will enjoy those consequences. 

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Until next time...

May we get past this, and once again show the world who we REALLY are.

May we find a way to be us again, we can't keep doing this, it's too hard.

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Her Hand, Holding His, For Us All...

 Hi.

This week, I'm taking a break from the big picture. This week, we say goodbye to Uncle Bob. 

I wish everyone, every single person on the planet, through the course of their lifetime, could experience someone like Uncle Bob.

A sweeter soul, you'll never find. The uncle to an overwhelming number of nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and nephews, even some double greats, always ready with a smile, and a "Hey, Turkey."

A quiet guy, loved by soooooo many. 

Bob was special. Never in a hurry, always having time to help in any way he could, always ready to chat, and always ready to take the side of an underdog. He grew up in a time in which his uniqueness wasn't always appreciated as it should have been. This made him resilient and contributed to a strength the rest of us can only wish for. 

My memories of Uncle Bob come from when I still lived at home and he still lived with Grandma and Grandpa. When he was at the house, you could usually find him in the basement, either reading a Louis L'Amour novel, or playing pool. He was always willing to show you how to play, and was more than patient, at least until you became good enough to win the odd game.

Bob carried within him, such a profound gentleness, especially for those he deemed in need of protection. An amazing spirit with so much to teach everyone around him. I regret that when I lived near, when the opportunities were most abundant, I was too young, too oblivious, to understand and appreciate what a precious resource he was.

He navigated through his life under the protective wings of Grandma and Grandpa, and when they became unable to do so, his siblings. A life made as big as possible. Sadly, his final years were pretty tough,  having to deal with a lot of discomfort, loss, and pain, but still able to muster a smile. 

Thankfully and gratefully, he didn't have to do any of that alone.

In his final moments, his hand was held by his baby sister, someone who loved him dearly. My hope is that she, and he, could feel the love for him, coming from so many, flowing through her fingers, washing over him, as he breathed his last breaths. Her hand, holding his, for all of us. 

I hope he really understood just how much he was loved and will be missed.

Now, he's at peace. No more discomfort, no more pain. No more doctors. No more people fussing. 

Now, he's free.

The impact Uncle Bob had on each of us will be different. Each of us will have our own memories, our own lessons, our own experiences.

My plan is to revisit some of my favourites, sit with them a minute, and, with any luck, glean the lessons I was too young to appreciate when they happened. 

We love you Uncle Bob. Rest in blissful peace. You earned it. 

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Until next time...

May everything you ever dreamed of be laid at your feet.

May everything be easy, without even a hint of struggle, your bliss, complete.

May you now know, if you didn't before, just how much you were loved and will be missed.

May you ride off into one of the famed sunsets you loved to read about, the hero, writing your own plot twist. 

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You Don't Get To Claim Victory In A War You Refused To Fight...

 

Hi!

What these 'freedom fighters' fail to realize...

This whole time, and I do mean this WHOLE time, this has not been a war of 

Us vs. them

The government vs. them

The science vs. them

Some crazy notion of some "one world order' crap vs. them.

No, this whole entire time the real war has been

Humanity vs. Pandemic

That's it. The rest has been a shit storm of noise and masterful manipulation.

The restrictions WILL be lifted. Because that has been the plan the entire time. They were never meant to be permanent, they were just one of the weapons we had in our arsenal to fight against this Pandemic.

They WILL be lifted... when the science says it's safe to do so.

No amount of convoys and protests change the facts. We slack off too soon, our health care system takes a hit. That's been proven over and over when restrictions have been relaxed too soon in the past. 

It's a balancing act, for sure, and no matter what you do, a faction of people are going to be pissed. 

We all want to go back to life as we knew it.

We ALL do. We are ALL tired, frustrated, anxious, and fed up.

But, if we jump the gun, we'll set ourselves back, and NOBODY wants that.

So, yes, we are close. The restrictions will be lifted, likely slowly, and not all at once, but lifted... soon.

The lift won't have anything to do with convoys, protests, harassment of health care workers, or screaming at other front-line workers about mask mandates.

No, we did this. We made it so this can happen. Those of us who did drive-by holidays, wore masks without complaint, kept our distance, sacrificed time with loved ones, got vaccinated, and all the other things. 

While you've been busy screaming into the abyss, and abusing grocery clerks, we've been out here doing the hard things, what needed to be done. 

You're welcome. 

You don't get to claim victory in a war you refused to fight. 

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Until next time...

May we get to the end of this in one piece.

May the victims of the occupation get peace.

May those who harass, insult, and assault, take a breath, and really look at what they're doing.

May those who are being held hostage by this insanity get their lives back, released from what's brewing.

May those who somehow believe that their rights trump all others and laws, to them simply don't apply,

May they come to understand the reality of what they are doing, your freedom is NOT more important than mine. 

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