Month: September 2024

The Venezuela that my aunt was from was a prosperous nation. But by 2017, the creeping, unconstrained far-left policies and decisions had led to the socialist hellscape described above.

The human catastrophe in Venezuela is unspeakable. Record hyperinflation, shortages of basic goods, unemployment, environmental destruction, high child mortality, malnutrition, disease, poverty, rampant crime, and political corruption. Since June 2024, mass emigration has created a refugee crisis of almost 8 million people fleeing the country for neighboring South American countries and the US. Credit reporting agencies declared Venezuela to be in default with its debt payments.

The rapidly deteriorating human rights situation has spread to the US southern border.

Dashing all hopes for reform, the results of this July’s elections were overturned by President Nicholas Maduro.

The key economic and political events that shaped the current crisis are a warning to the US, where the perennial promise of more handouts without long-term consequence rears its head every election season. In Venezuela, it was the incremental changes that slowly boiled the proverbial frog unaware of its doom.

There’s an interesting phenomenon that takes place in both progressive and more conservative or mainstream administrations. Anthony Blinken is typical of both types. Neo-liberal foreign policy has brought war to various parts of the globe.

This is true even for hope and change Barack Obama. I was impressed that Obama oversaw the raid that killed Bin Laden, but it just showed that no matter the government the neo-liberal officials kowtow to an aggressive foreign policy. The Trump administration may have decreased our involvement in wars. But if Trump is re-elected, all eyes will turn to the new admin’s direction.

Is the Trump foreign policy different? Not so sure. But I can still hope for a policy that will present an alternative to neo-liberal aggression.

I recently saw this piece on the CCP’s approval for Musk. Transhumanism aside, Musk also favors Beijing. His sometime conservative supporters, at the Babylon Bee, for instance, like to present him as a free speech advocate. Fine. But his hypocrisy is rank.

The tech industry has a history with ignoring China’s human rights abuses while getting their products or components made in China. “Team Humanity”? Complexity of the issue?

Money talks, values walk.

“I know people in Washington who would unplug your life support to charge their cellphones.”
-John Kennedy, Republican Senator, Louisiana

Saw Deadpool and Wolverine this weekend. I was hoping for more of a tie-in with the old movies, but it was really a cursing and violence bonanza. A young employee said it was his favorite movie.

So yet again, I feel old.

A lot of friends have children. Today I also learned that a friend of mine in his 50s is getting married. I quipped, “there is a God.”

I had a young man I met at church last year sometime who said incredulously, “you still want to have a relationship?” Youth is wasted on the young.

Where does resignation to your age begin?

Sometimes the best thing someone can do when in disagreement with friends is to point out the experience with other friends on the subject. “I’ve always had good experiences with others on this.” The words of a true friend are nothing but salve. There is a universe of kindness, the tongue dripping with honey.