Calling Evil Good, And Good Evil (American Revelation XVII, Thirteen.)

Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and the overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this ancient Holy Land, the House of Abraham, Muhammad, and all the other Prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors...

You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have always been a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth.

During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass, and slept in the same bed (or on the same rug) -- while praying to the same God -- with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the actions and in the deeds of the "white" Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan, and Ghana. We were truly all the same (brothers) -- because their belief in one God had removed the "white" from their minds, the 'white' from their behavior, and the 'white' from their attitude. I could see from this, that perhaps if white Americans could accept the Oneness of God, then perhaps, too, they could accept in reality the Oneness of Man -- and cease to measure, and hinder, and harm others in terms of their "differences" in color.

With racism plaguing America like an incurable cancer, the so-called "Christian" white American heart should be more receptive to a proven solution to such a destructive problem. Perhaps it could be in time to save America from imminent disaster -- the same destruction brought upon Germany by racism that eventually destroyed the Germans themselves.

They asked me what about the Hajj had impressed me the most. . . . I said, "The brotherhood! The people of all races, color, from all over the world coming together as one! It has proved to me the power of the One God. . . . All ate as one, and slept as one. Everything about the pilgrimage atmosphere accented the Oneness of Man under One God. 

~Malcolm X, Letter following the Hajj.

...

A Rock, A River, A Tree

Hosts to species long since departed,
Marked the mastodon,
The dinosaur, who left dried tokens
Of their sojourn here
On our planet floor,
Any broad alarm of their hastening doom
Is lost in the gloom of dust and ages.

But today, the Rock cries out to us, clearly, forcefully,
Come, you may stand upon my
Back and face your distant destiny,
But seek no haven in my shadow,
I will give you no hiding place down here.

[...]

~Maya Angelou, On The Pulse Of Morning.

I keep seeing stuff like this.

Republicans keep trying to say that Kamala Harris is somehow "Not Black" as if that's anybody's decision to make. On the one hand it's not really her choice to make, because at the time when she was born, being a biracial person with partial Black heritage, White people were going to consider her "Black" no matter what. Initially, that choice was made for her by others. 

But over time, in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's Blackness became something to be proud of, not only in that the accomplishments of Black people were recognized or education made all people aware of their history. It's not even that to some extent Black folks won the PR battle against the racists (To the point where pretty much most people get that racism is wrong thus forcing the racists to dog-whistle and dance around with their bullshit.) 

No, it's not even that. By like 1989 some White kids in my little Northern Michigan town were dressing like rappers and listening to rap and R&B and shit. By 1992 when I graduated from high school, it was everybody.

It's that Black Culture itself became a medium for everybody (And Black folks were fine with that.) As a result, MC Hammer and Michael Jordan and those who followed them got further in breaking down certain barriers than Malcolm X or MLK Jr. ever did. 

Whether that's right or wrong, I'm not sure is for me to say. 

But let me tell you what I do know; If a legacy group like Boyz-2-Men plays at a place like the casino that I used to work in, that night there's gonna be a freaking mega-shit-ton of Gen X White Women messing the place up. Same goes for the White Dudes when it's some aging rapper, and yes, you'll even see a MAGA hat or two in the crowd (and no one will care.)

And along with everybody else picking up aspects of Black culture and vernacular, Black people began to Love their Blackness and began to adopt an expansive ideal of it, meaning that any part-Black multiracial person could take part in Black identity if they wanted to...they turned exclusion into solidarity and strength and fought their way into other spaces anyway and that was not the future the racists wanted.

But there's more to it, than even that.

Hell, on January 20th of 1993, I was off work from my shitty factory job (Seriously it was bad enough that I was then seriously considering a career in the military, which my family mostly opposed) for a couple extra days because of a sprained wrist from work, when I watched Bill Clinton's inauguration live on CNN and listened to Maya Angelou recite the poem "On The Pulse Of Morning." 

I liked it well enough that when my Mom and I went to Petoskey the next weekend and I saw the poem in book form at the then-new Maclean & Eakin bookstore downtown for $11, I picked up a copy.

I've had that book for 31 years now, although it's on my Mom's bookshelf at her house. 

Along the way I was curious enough to ask around (Serving with Black people made it easy!) or look stuff up and find out things like that "No hiding place down here" is a line form an old Spiritual. A majority of this was before Google or Wikipedia and yes, for much of that time...including during my service in the Air Force...I was a conservative Republican.

It is impossible to be more white-bread than me now, much less when I was 19, and probably hard to find a place more "White" than Northern Michigan was in 1993. But...

Yes, there was a time when being a Republican meant you could be something other than a bigot. (And for what it's worth, in 1993 this was a Blue district in Congress.)

And now Republicans wanna try to say that Kamala Harris isn't Black enough and that Tim Walz isn't White enough, and furthermore that Tim Walz is a bad guy for making sure kids got fed at school?? They're mad...because they don't get to define who everybody else is and they can't just arbitrarily make everybody else miserable...including school kids??

Fuck all that, and fuck Republicans for becoming that. It's absolute bullshit!

Republicans let themselves be defined by dudes like Donald Trump, with malice aforethought

I think they thought they were gonna get something for it. I mean, I think they thought they were playing some kind of power game...I don't think they thought they were gonna lose.

In fact, they thought they were gonna get the Power.

But Trump sure ended up with all the Power...at least over Republicans.

Now they're mad because what they got was to be seen as racist, ridiculous, and weird. I mean, hell, Republicans are mad because Donald Trump walks around mad, scowling, like he just ate a bowl of lemons for breakfast every damn day! It's not just that Trump is an idiot...he's an angry, miserable idiot. 

So now they've moved the goalposts and simply want everybody to have to be miserable like they are. They can never be happy...because then they would have something that their New Orange God doesn't.

Hell, these motherfuckers are still madder than shit that Joe Biden quit...and isn't that what they wanted??

Well, sooner or later when you make a deal with the Devil, he's going to get your soul....and you're going to have to pay up. Also, the terms are subject to infinite renegotiation, because he's the Devil, and you're not. Trump has taken over the Republican Party so completely that there's basically nobody and nothing else left, and he's stolen all the money. 

Instead of being the Lords and Ladies, Republicans are the serfs in Trump's field that they thought everybody else was gonna have to be.

Republicans are broke, fighting among themselves, miserable, seen as creepy and weird outcasts and religious kooks...and all Trump had to do to get them to give up everything they had before and had ever claimed to be or to believe...was let them be the worst possible versions of themselves. 

And everybody who wouldn't do that has either already left or is picking up and leaving, or quitting.

And Republicans thought making each and every one of the decisions that led to this point was funny, oh yes, they did. They were gonna "Own The Libs" hard core, whatever the fuck they thought all that meant.

And they gave up their souls to do it, and it's still not working.

These same assholes supported Russia, when Russia helped Trump and later when they invaded Ukraine, for basically the same dumb reasons.

And over 2 years later Ukraine is still hanging on, even though the battle-lines don't move in either direction very often. We're redefining how we plan to fight wars based on the lessons that this war is teaching us. Meanwhile the Russians are down to just constantly chucking meat into the grinder (as a former NCO, this horrifies me, you go out in the field as a team and you're supposed to be responsible for your people!) and it's impossible to overstate how much the Republicans would rather see the Russians win and eradicate the Ukrainians than see the Ukrainians survive, much less win.

Because basically every Russian I've seen interviewed since this whole mess started is a miserable bastard, apparently on purpose. And of course, modern Republicans like that and want to emulate it.

Reagan Wept.

Republicans have basically become the same people that the Bible says would call Evil good, and Good evil, in the End Times. That's why I use the term "American Revelation" in the first place.

Anything but America, anything but freedom

And they did it for Donald Trump, of all fucking people.

Just...stop...and think about that for a second.

You either believe in freedom or you don't.

If you want a better country, you have to be a better citizen.

Now, we have candidates who are setting the tone; Kamala Harris is the serving Vice President, former Senator, Attorney General, Prosecutor. Tim Walz is the Governor of Minnesota, former House Rep. and retired Army National Guard Command Sergeant Major, and a former educator. He's the guy who originated the ongoing, successful "Weird" line of attack against Republicans.

I was a Sergeant in security forces. Let's put it this way; You can have shitty officers but good NCO's and the unit will function, the job will get done. If you have shitty NCO's things will be a soup sandwich no matter how good the officers are. That's the value of people like Tim Walz.

Officers, even the LT's who are supposed to be leading from the front, are the Idea People. It's the job of the Sergeants to take the plan and turn it into a successful action. In the Air Force, it's the Airmen and Sergeants who are the ones that make things work, same principle holds everywhere else, too.

Another note on Mr. Walz; I have a lot of family in Minnesota and thus, I speak fluent Minnesotan. When a person from there says something is "Weird" what they're saying it "Oh for the love of GOD, Holy SHIT what did I just see?!?!?"

Which is exactly what Republicans deserve. So yeah, I'd vote for Tim Walz for President in a hot second. 

Let's do this!

Слава Україна

No one is more professional than I. I am a Noncommissioned Officer: a leader of people. I am proud of the Noncommissioned Officer corps and will, at all times, conduct myself so as to bring credit upon it. I will not use my grade or position to attain profit or safety.

So, what does this mean to me as an NCO? What this means is, I as an NCO will continually seek to better myself by going to my career schooling and absorbing what I learn from my senior NCO's, it means that I will lead to the best of my abilities and treat all soldiers with respect, courteousness and fairness.

Competence is my watchword. I will strive to remain tactically and technically proficient. I will always be aware of my role as a Noncommissioned Officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities and display professionalism at all times. I will strive to know my people and use their skills to the maximum degree possible. I will always place their needs above my own and will communicate with my supervisor and my people and never leave them uninformed

So, what does this mean to me as an NCO? It means that I will do my best to be proficient in my assigned jobs and learn from past tasks, it means that I will stay cognizant of my role as an NCO and fulfill my duties to the best of my abilities and take pride in what I do, no matter how others portray my accomplishments. It means that I know my soldiers and know how to use them in a manner that promotes the units needs. It means that I will take care of my soldiers fairly and mentor them to become better soldiers and would not ask them to do something I wouldn't do or have not done before. It means to me that I will keep my soldiers and senior NCO'S informed and they will keep me informed of changes and any information that pertains to me.

I will exert every effort and risk any ridicule to successfully accomplish my assigned duties. I will not look at a person and see any race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, or national origin, for I will only see the person; nor will I ever show prejudice or bias. I will lead by example and will resort to disciplinary action only when necessary.

SO, what does this mean to me as an NCO? It means I will take pride in my assigned duties and accomplish them to the best of my abilities. It means to me that I see that person not by race, creed, color, religion, sex, age, or origin but as an individual. It means I will treat all soldiers fairly, equally without malice or without bias. It means to me that I will lead by example and only resort to disciplinary action when appropriate It means to me that I will also give positive counseling when soldiers go above their responsibilities.

I will carry out the orders of my superiors to the best of ability and will always obey the decisions of my superiors. I will give all officers my maximum support to ensure mission accomplishments. I will earn their respect, obey their orders, and establish a high degree of integrity with them. I will exercise initiative in the absence of orders and will make decisive and accurate decisions. I will never compromise my integrity, nor my moral courage. I will not forget that I am a Professional, a Leader, but above all a Noncommissioned Officer. ~Non-Commissioned Officer's Creed (United States Air Force version.) 

NOTE: This was replaced in 2007 by the Airman's Creed.

Here

"The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride." ~Volodymyr Zelenskyy, allegedly 25 February 2022, Associated Press

Twelve

If we lose freedom here, there is no place to escape to. This is the last stand on Earth. And this idea that government is beholden to the people, that it has no other source of power except to sovereign people, is still the newest and most unique idea in all the long history of man's relation to man. This is the issue of this election. Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves. ~Ronald Reagan