Hunters with white palms in a Kodachrome forest

 

Ryan 

Hunters with white palms in a Kodachrome forest

Anthropomorphism

Recently I posted pictures of a hunt on Face Book with very mixed reviews. Seems okay to show a hunter in camouflage blending into speckled and dappled woods, but quite another to point up prey as they lay on the forest floor. Looking at a downed deer with a bullet-hole sets some on edge, and gazing at me skinning it sends others into emotional turmoil. 

There seems some very misplaced modern sensibilities going on in the minds of some men and women today, that cannot fully grasp the gravity of our forgotten American heritage, so important just a generation ago. It also indicates why there are certain American men and women who will never give up their guns. It is not just the Constitution, but something ingrained into the very fabric of what we are as men. It is considered a viable part of Liberty, and a God- given right that cannot be denied. So profound is this need, many men would die to keep it...

No disrespect, but there were some who called hunting "a barbaric practice," and others referring to my particular kill as "Bambi." Surely, they had to be joking. Could it be that we have among us people who identify with a childhood cartoon personality, with human characteristics? Have we "advanced" to the point were animals are considered higher, or equal to men on the food chain? I'm sure some vegetarian pacifist celibates have come to that conclusion, and a frightful notion for a traditionalist. Some of these folks, of the same cut and jib, are advocating that our American Constitution is a "fluid" document, and needs to change as attitudes change, and this seems most dangerous... Tradition comes from the school of hard knocks, hard won, and many times a survival technique. Change for the sake of change? How did the last eight years fair? Remember, once lost, it is very difficult to get it back...

Anthropomorphism is the word that describes the assumption that human emotions and intellect are in animals, and Hollywood has thoroughly tapped into that sentiment. Though we should have empathy and respect animals, we should not saddle them with our own human characteristics. What primarily separates us from them is our unique frontal lobe's higher consciousness, something they emphatically do not possess. Emotions and survival instinct should not be confused with intellect, and that brings us to another definition, finely embedded into our physic... personification.  This is the related attribution of human form and characteristics, using abstract concepts such as nations, emotions and natural forces like seasons and the weather, to give credence of our reality. We should teach this to our children, while they are watching cartoons, or playing violent video games that revel in killing, for the sake of killing...

To be honest, this trait is found in each and every one of us at one time or another, as we try to define, and ascribe  meaning to the world around us. We have, however,  been taught a lot of things we have come to question as adults, and some are seen to be little more than lies and  fallacies. 

Just recently my two oldest grandchildren found that there was no Easter Bunny, Santa, or tooth fairy. After the initial shock, one even questioned the existence of God, and that is a normal response. We have a great gift called the intellect, and that ability gives us a reasoning mind, consciousness. And so, we need to take pause and question just what reality we have been taught as truth, before being so judgmental. Before we take a stance for gun control; before we change a tradition; before we legislate away what just a few years back was a survival technique, we should take a long look and consider just what might be lost...  

"Both have ancient roots as storytelling and artistic devices, and most cultures have traditional fables with anthropomorphized animals as characters. People have also routinely attributed human emotions and behavioral traits to wild as well as domestic animals."

 Ken

From camera to rifle... and back again

Animals are indeed complex. The elephant, dog, whale, and dolphin for instance, and all endangered species... should not be hunted. Some predators should also be in question too, and given quarter in the wild, like the bear, large cats, and most all monkeys, unless it is necessary in a well-managed game reserve, or, of course, if you are threatened. This may at first glance seem insensitive, but we need to consider and understand our modern circumstances, in relation to our historical past.

I am relatively new at hunting. Before my son-in-law introduced me to the sport about fifteen years ago... my hunting was done entirely with a Minolta camera. For the majority of my woodland experiences, trophies were defined to photos of early evening and mornings of burnt orange and deep blue through the trees. I used a Macro for mushrooms, a zoom lens for a bird, normal lenses for a football game, and a wide angle for family gatherings. I found modern hunting just as specialized, just as complicated in its study and learning. A consideration for depth of field in necessary for an artful photographic capture, and knowing and practicing with your gun and its many various accessories, insures a well orchestrated hunt. 

At about the same instant I learned my rifle, I also held a Digital camera for the first time, and there is no turning back for either. Now my Nikon and Browning 7 MAG are inseparable, a symbiotic relationship that gives me great fulfillment, and yet, for dissimilar reasons.

Something happened to me the first time I picked up a camera in the wild. I was hiking with Navy buddies on a little island off the Philippine coast called Grande, back in 1969. On a West Pacific tour aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, some opted for a few days of R and R away from the smoke-filled Olongapoo bars of Subic Bay. Sad to say, but very few chose the good clean fun of scuba and hiking. With wild jungles galore, and voted the third best scuba destination in the world, those days made grand memories for those with an adventure spirit.

My friend Gary carried a Pentex camera. He let me handle it with a new macro lens, and I turned it upon a praying mantis sitting on a leaf. It was amazing to see his entire head come into focus, and fill the frame. "Snap!" And as I took my first Kodachrome slide, I was hooked, and have been now for almost fifty years.

Something similar happened when I shot my first buck. I knew it was the one I had been waiting for, an elusive ten-point my son-in-law had photographed with a night camera the previous season.

Though it was a heart/lung shot, it thundered headlong into the piney Louisiana thicket, disappearing into the evening shadows. I remember what went through my head before I took that shot to this very day. I wanted it clean, not only for the Buck, but I knew that what I did, the quality of my next move, would be remembered by all.

I also remember the apprehension of having to wait the prescribed half hour before tracking it. You learn a lot about yourself as a hunter, and some of what you have inside are  rather embarrassing to admit. You see, I just couldn't wait. I texted my son-in-law the news, and though he reminded me that going after the deer might make him run further, I could not stop myself from immediately going.  In two minutes, I was at the site searching for signs, and with a sigh of relief saw a lot of blood. The bullet had gone clean through, and I hoped by the amount that my aim was true. I started taking pictures too...

Deer have an adrenaline rush so powerful they can run a hundred yard dash with a damaged heart, and no oxygen. I know this sounds untrue, but I have seen this many times. Adrenalin overrides pain just as shock does. A seasoned hunter might laugh at such simplistic reminisces, but like that first picture, or a first kiss, it takes something rather powerful to impress an older guy like me.

I was told emphatically that wounded deer are dangerous, and have attacked and even killed an unwary hunter following a blood trail. They can come quickly, virtually invisible in dense thicket, and use their hoofs as formidable weapons. And with this in the back or my mind, and my rifle off-safety, I cautiously tracked the blood trail... 

In the quiet of evening, alone in my thoughts, with the woods colored and cool from fall, something deep and commanding took hold. I cannot truly describe it. It was something that welled up, a well-being perhaps, something I see in Gunner, my bird dog, who is bread to point, to track, and retrieve... and without a doubt, men have that inside too. I'm sure not all men, but hunter gatherers, who became farmers, is in my DNA, just like Gunner's hunting ability.

Blood, from a minuscule dot on a single blade of grass I searched on hands and knees. There, my heart leaped as I saw deep red splashes on the trunk of a tree; it rekindled in me something ancient, seemingly primal, and surely long suppressed, innate. It brought out a primeval mode of thought some men are breed to be, and at the very core of what it means to be a surviving human being. There are some people who consciously attempt to suppress this, for a variety of well meaning reasons, but not very long ago their ancestors waited patiently for their hunters to return carrying a week's supply of protein on their backs. 

It was a good feeling to see that my shot was textbook, and as I stood in the dry autumn grass appraising him, my heart thudded in my chest. I felt alive, and connected to this world in a way I had never felt before. Surely, that feeling is no litmus test for masculinity; it takes all kinds to make  our society... but there is, in my book of life, a test of what it means to be a man, and that is wrapped up in a concept called responsibility. Many young men and women today have not been taught that... 

My responsible ancestors...

For hundreds of thousands of years, possibly a million, men and women have hunted for survival. Groups of men left their families and sought game in cooperative packs, along with their partner, the dog. When they returned home it was a celebration... not only for their safe return, but the sustenance that insured survival for his family and tribe. 

Early American Colonial hunters, who were my ancestors, formed their hunting ability from native Indians and learned respect for both prey and themselves, bordering on reverence. Some even prayed over the downed animal, thanking both it and God for its life, and most hunters I know do this today.

The tools have changed, but what we have inside still burns true for the hunt. It was forged, hardwired in our psyche by the realization that skills and expertise, our collective cooperation, our impetus, brought life to those who depended on us. Hunting was borne of responsibility, the romantic in me thinks... where love is forged. Those who can not grasp his concept, are societies' victims. 

Those adventurous exploits, both success and failure, were told around the home-fire so long ago that a good part of that communication were simple hand gestures. No matter what race we are today, the inside of our hands are a reflective white. The palm of every human can be seen brightly in starlight, moon, and the flickering flash of firelight. Our hands were accents marks for the joyful and sometimes heartbreaking stories they told. It was a tradition that endured for 99 percent of our existence on earth, and should not be so easily discarded. The backstrap is the most tender and tasty part of the deer, and every culture around the world gave the hunter that as thanks. And yet, as we can witness today... that meat is given by the men to the women and children, a true display of Love. 

Men recorded thier exploits deep in caves to outlast his fragile life, with artful renderings of multicolored powdered minerals, and those same needs and expressions are at the heart of the modern hunter today. This is why I take pictures. 

 Ken

The modern hunter

Putting a mount above his fire-place records the best of his experiences. It represents the efficiency in his choice of weapons, the patience and persistence it took to achieve his goal, the solidarity and patience of long hours, the company he kept, the dreams and memories he alone have made, but also something far more profound and obscure. It indicates a degree of modern men, with a measure of our ancestors, and this revelation cannot be denied.

The modern hunter sits in a painted aluminum tree-stand dressed in state of the art camouflage from head to foot, accented by an invisible orange safety vest over thermal underwear, washed and prepared not to smell. 

Several chemical heat packs are in his pockets and boots... Night-vision binoculars... a high-powered lightweight composite rifle with full-metal-jacket ammunition... a directional, battery-powered LED flash-light... a telephone/computer on vibrate... clean water in a plastic bottle... a realistic animal-call... a satellite GPS to find his way home... multi-varieties of pheromone sent-spray that doubles as a insect repellent... pin-point range finders for accurate distance... are standard, and reasonably priced. He can record his experience with an HD 26.0 maga-pixel Sony HANDICAM 1080, mounted next to his scope that can see as well as a hawk.  

While in his blind, he can  check stocks... text his friends in a nearby stand... research the name of any bird he sees... be warned in a change of weather...  play a game... and a myriad of other mind-occupying functions the modern mind demands. He can wear a hearing protector that can rival even that of his dog, who he still watches for directions... still sitting at his feet.

His trophy-mount will be done by a professional, amazingly life-like, or a simple Euro-mount as requested by his wife.

His kill is not processed by tribal women any more, but packaged for his freezer from steaks to smoked-sausage, hermetically sealed by a hunter's slaughter-house to last years. An obsidian-glass, or flint knife is no longer required to peal leather, as his clothes are mostly synthetic, instilled with odorless multi-colored dyes in computer generated patterns that camouflage for every season.

No longer is he required to freeze-dry strips of meat on racks of saplings for weeks for winter storage, and tanning using the animal's brain is a method no longer feasible but for the most primitive societies. Precious salt is in abundance now, with hardly a thought of its rarity and extreme health benefits, lacking just two generations ago... and fresh water can be kept cool in a double walled thermos. Today he has  infusion drinks, vitamin and salt enriched, tasty fruit and nut bars wrapped in a healthy synthetic plastic made from oil. If he feels sick or weak, he can pull out an energy drink, and take an aspirin...

It is said that primitive hunters were more at one with nature, and that their secret activities are mostly lost. This may very well be true, but the reality of a modern hunter is his virtual control of nature, something our ancestors could not effectively do. In other words, modern hunters try not only to acclimate with nature, but to control it as well. Our ancestors would be proud of our accomplishments, and quickly utilize every tool available. That is the way of men.

On the wall next to my fire place is my ten-point Euro-mount, and I show the experience to my family on a HD flat-screen 3-D TV . On my gas pit I am smoking a roast from my latest hunt, and will invite all of my hunting buddies to retell and embellish our stories, just as former hunters did so many years ago. Even with our far-advanced verbal skills, hand gestures are still used to accent.

Oh, the irony...

It is indeed ironic, but hunters do more than anyone, including Government mandate or agency to safeguard ecology. It is in their best interest to save and restore wetlands, forests, and natural habitats, and all can benefit from his savvy knowledge. On private and public lands alike, hunters are in partnership with research ecologists and government agencies who use variable sciences to maintain a balanced nature and an uncontaminated wildlife habitat for the enjoyment of every kind of outdoors-man, from bird-watcher to mountain climber. And yet, each year, for a wide variety of reasons, hunters grow less and less. We are indeed an endangered species, as humanity forgets his heritage.

Author's note: The vision of Whit Gibons, of the University of Florida, is of note. He wrote years ago about the needed involvement of hunters in maintaining our forests. He wrote: "Why is hunting good for the environment?" I found it a good source of information of that time, because times are rapidly changing, and recognized that he had an overt premonition of what is happening today.

 Gunner

He stated:

"Of course, what makes a "good" forest for a hunter may be different from what other groups consider a "good" environment, and compromises must be made to accommodate all of them. Nonetheless, the time has come when hunters must become involved in partnerships with other groups who have an equally fervent interest in maintaining healthy habitats of forests, streams, and small wetlands. The time has also come when these other groups must look to the hunting community for what they can contribute to environmental prosperity." -Whit Gibons

From my diary, 2008 

"As the sun moves glinting through the trees, the day slowly slants by shadows that lengthen in deep purple and pink tones. Through the dazzle of autumn leaves I see all manner of small animals going about their business... the rabbit on the field... the squirrel chattering above my head...  clouds of black birds flying in unison on a perfect blue sky... the music of the wind in the pines... and the smells, sight and sounds of life fills me... 

As the night falls all too soon, from blue to gold and burnt orange, the songs of birds give way to locusts, and then crickets... and as on cue, an acorn falls to awakens us from these hypnotic suggestions... the night settles in around us moist and cool on our shoulders.... 

We are reluctantly nudged to climb down from our precarious tree-perch... the way we do most nights at the end of a day of hunting, empty-handed, but filled with awe." -Diary of Ken LaRive 2008

 Peek-a-boo!

Finding Truth in Situational Ethics

Finding Truth in Situational Ethics

 

Truth, in the beholder's eye

I have spent most of my adult life trying to find Truth in a world which mostly abhors it. Agendas rule our finite Earth and the finite minds of men as well, and are artificially made by selfish designs and myopic natures without a moral standard. Long ago I felt it necessary to attempt a withdrawal from the ideas that motivate men blindly. I wrote in my diary thirty years ago: I search for Truth in metaphorical dust devils and the sand storms of men’s vast wastelands. Never have I felt more alone." From about 22 to 32 yoa, I wore both the crucifix and the Star of David around my neck as I studied diligently for a semblance of Truth. I knew little, and cared nothing about politics, but I had an undying need and a faith too, that truth existed. I thought then, as I do now, that that is our primary goal as a human being, and anyone or any thing that got in the way can only be considered an enemy, to me, and my humanity. 

For years I went from one to another thought in miserable desperation, but always with hope, of course, but always found that when something was studied thoroughly, when the concept was looked at closely, it was mostly smoke and mirrors that propped them up. Physicists today will readily admit to the complexity and ambiguity of what seems evident by paradigms, where speculation by hypothesis is the actual science, exceptions to every universal law is the excepted rule. It is known that an observable Truth changes by the method it is observed! That seemed evident, and my first truth. 

 

The burden of a responsible man

Justifications based on faith is one thing, but embracing the ideologies of another, seemingly more enlightened, be it an institution, IE,  an Imam, Preacher or Priest..., always failed me. With time and effort I always found a flaw, and it opened up a cornucopia of others below the surface... I found the teachings of Jesus flawed too, evidently perverted by the agendas of men, and that was the most horrible to a Catholic who spent 12 years in Catholic school, with faith and Christian Ideology as my foundation and reason for being.

So, where is Truth found?

It is found in a place deep inside, a place that some may call heart, or soul, or mind, but it is the blend of intellect and spirit perfectly balanced. Sorry to say, I have not yet met anyone who could show me... I saw a glimmer of it in my years in India, but I must admit my ability was lacking, my mind too convoluted, too noisy, and that onion my guru tried so energetically tried to explain to me in the middle of the night, alluded me.  Let me say one thing: I see it as a gift from God, His grace, and might be considered His Voice. I thought then that I had found a universal law, and it was explained to me that what we project out to the world comes to us in like kind... that a primary gift from Almighty God is an answer to every question, in like kind... Ask an empowering question, and you will receive the answer in the same manner given... 

To some there is a little tickling that whispers, and to others it is a great shout, but it abides in all of us, by the hand of God who dwells in us, each and every one. God looks into our hearts, but also looks from it... In that way you have a chance to view the world from His eyes, by the use of a another very special gift called free will.... 

The decision must be yours... 

When one decides that he wants to be good, to be righteous, it isn’t something that can be put aside and picked up in a more opportune time. It is a decision where there is no turning back, because once you know what it is, the True element that makes us righteous, turning away from it is surely both spiritual and intellectual suicide. It may seem a hard thing to do, being good, especially when it seems the whole world is mostly blind to it. It isn’t hard at all, though some institutions want you to think so. Some institutions want to put themselves between you and what is rightfully and inherently yours... it is a gift from God. 

Surely, you may say, there are elements of good in everyone, but I tell you, it mostly unfolds without intent, and then what some might think is a righteous act is nothing more than the culmination of ego and self gratification, a clear misunderstanding of what is good and bad, right and wrong. An example of this is a description of True Love, call Agape. It is a selfless love. It means that your Love can not be compromised, and is freely given without a need for recognition or payment. When you see a person who uses a good deed to promote himself, the point of Agape Love escapes him. 

Illusion, and the reality...

I like the Hindu concept of Maya. It seems that illusion is what predominantly motivates men, most men, and habits taught at mother’s knee is the primary inspiration, gratification, and justification that pushes and pulls us throughout our lives. To undo one of these so-called strings, or hooks, might seem a major effort has to be made. This is not true. In fact it is the easiest of all tasks! You need nothing but the realization of the concept of Agape Love. It is the volition to embrace it that may seem hard, but try the concept once, and nothing will give more gratification... it will become a hook of your own design!

When you do, all answers will come in like kind. At a crossroad you will easily make a decision, and its light will fill you with Joy. You will kneel to nothing, fear nothing, stand on your own two feet, and be responsible for your own self. Responsible, what a concept, and so you are free, truly free, at one... and not at odds with the True nature that holds everything together, God’s will.

I learned of this Ultimate Love first hand from a Catholic Jesuit Priest at Loyola who had me write a paper on Situational Ethics. I read the paper, three pages long, to the class at his request. I broke down three times, and could hardly finish it. It moved me; it filled me with such turmoil. Just the day before I had beaten up a man on a public service bus for blowing smoke in my face, his answer to my asking him to put his cigarette out. So fed up with his brand of attitude, people actually cheered as I escorted him through the front doors. I actually thought my bruised knuckles a badge of honor...What a blind reaction! Yes, I see that now. Surely I could have thought of something more enlightened, but my knee-jerk reaction came to me without thought, a place where most violent acts originate. I can’t find that paper today, though it might be buried in one of my many stacks of books, but it is etched in my heart as the only Truth this life has ever offered me. A Truth that is the rock to build a life... the life of a good man... a man in control of his actions.

What is Love?

The other day I was watching a man on television who was giving his last statement before being electrocuted. He killed his girlfriend and her lover when he caught them in the act. He said: “I didn’t know I loved her so much.”

When one understands the concept of Agape Love... The selfless Love that Jesus Christ originally taught, nothing in this life has more positive power or influence. When one leaves the flower, but picks up the cigarette butt or discarded can, with no one the wiser, without payment or the need of recognition, content in the good and with nothing in return but the act itself, you are indeed a righteous man.

But Jesus isn’t the only one to have realized this concept, it is found in all major religions, and has been taught even in the oldest written book, the Rig Vita. Men pervert these core original concepts, and use it to control the masses of people too lazy or stupid to do their own homework. They accept the teachings of men with blind-faith, and to me the greatest tragedy of all is slavery of the spirit. Slavery of my body is a reality, as my body is finite and made to break, but slavery of the spirit? What could be worse? A blind spirit built to last!

So I have taken the time again to write to you with the hope of clarifying why I take the stands that I do. I just don’t see Jesus with an AK-47, bombs wrapped around breasts, or retaliation with a Harrier Jet on a street of innocent bystanders. If Jesus came back to this world, he would most likely cry all of the time ...so much anguish, so much pain, fear, so much lost hope and desperation in the hearts of men. Who could have more empathy then the very creator? Note: To accept Jesus to be both God and man is not accepted by a large number of men, and admittedly, I have not found Jesus in the historical record, thought the Romans were copious historians, especially when it can to law records... But I look around, and I see a creative hand in everything... and the last thing I want in me is a fear of God. I have a limited IQ, that is a given, and I live in what can only be described as an insane asylum. Sounds too harsh? Look around?

I lose patience with myself sometimes. I wish that I was able to project what I feel accurately to paper and in my photography, and that also has been a life-long challenge.

So when I make a choice in this life, from hugging my grandchildren to opening the door for a stranger, I try to make decisions based on the concept of Situational Ethic’s Agape Love. I don’t always do it, I’m human, but when I do it seems most evident, and Truth, for a time, is mine to hold. That is where I find the most Joy.

Love and peace,
Ken

Israel thumbs their nose at the world in defiance of international law.

Israel thumbs their nose at the world in defiance of international law.

Ask this man what he thinks of settlements.

Authors note: Few American men would ever admit to being afraid. We try to be stoic in the face of danger, clear-headed, decisive, and in control of the situation.  And yet, there are times when it seems the entire world is conspiring against us, and we realize we have lost our grip. A motor-cycle wreck, a loved one getting sick, war, a down-turn in the economy, seem to be completely out of our control. That feeling found in the pit of our stomachs, that cold sweat, weak legs, and a mind-fog akin to panic, is, fortunately, a rarity. It is so profound, however, that we can never forget it. That feeling will follow most men to the grave, no matter what is tried from drugs to therapy.

We also have, what I will describe as, a low-grade fear. It is of a kind that settles into the folds of our lives, that, after a time, seems to be normal.  It is not. That is the kind of fear that slowly morphs into anger... resentment... bitterness... and with time, hostility. Fear strangles hope, Love, dreams, and taints the very value of Joy.  This is what I feel when I even say the word, "Zionism." It is the name of our master, whether we believe it or not.  That ideal, of everlasting war and domination, is fed with my tax dollars, the same as Obama Care's abortion, or the Progressive Marxism that has us all by the throat....

As I was raised a Christian, I realized early on that there were fundamental elements, standards, and without them the whole framework of what it meant would break... Love seemed the most essential part. but not just any love, but a selfless Love called Agape...and  I didn't find that in the Old Testament. The teachings of Jesus were found in the New Testament, and today many so called Christians have forgotten that... Other profound revelations I found in the New Testament was, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." "Love your neighbors as yourself." "He who is without guilt cast the first stone." "Judge not and you will not be judged." and "He who lives by the sword will die by it." That last quote was told to Peter in the garden, by Jesus, as he started to draw his sword  to protect Jesus from being taken by the Romans. So I made a conscious decision... to practice His teachings.

And so, my entire life, I have tried to live up to these precepts. I look back now and think it was the primary reason I got along with nearly everyone, as we drilled for oil all around the world. I gave them respect, and low and behold, I got it back! I think Love works that way too! If someone Loves you, truly Loves you, you can't do them harm. It is the universal law of cause and effect, also explained in the Bible as the seed you plant, you will sow.

These feelings well up in me when I think of Israel, a land full of good people, found in the middle of a land full of good people... and yet, there are monsters there. Monsters that have been so damaged by fear, the horrors of constant war and the blood of innocence, they are no longer considered sane. They have lost their land, their Liberty, dreams, safety, and their loved ones, and they can never be whole again. No matter if they get an apology, the ability to start again  is not enough. What they have lost is too profound, and it goes like a rusty knife into their very soul, and vengeance, as taught in the Koran and Old Testament, seems to be the only path.  They have lost the veritable qualities, the essence of what it means to be a human being, because both sides do not have the teachings of Jesus in their hearts, and can never forgive.

Those kinds of people, and the people who created them, fills me with a dread I cannot contain. It spills over into my life as a fear I have no control to overcome... and when I see that one side continually provokes, with superior weapons paid for by my country, I see that my destiny, the destiny of my country, and that of my children, no longer belong to me. I am sick to death of that feeling. I'm tired of war since 1948, and I want to get off of this speeding train that will self destruct, with everything I hold dear as well... I do not want to die for a standard I do not hold as truth, and I'm tired, tired, tired, of being lied to, as another World War looms. 

A friend who kills my friends...

Israel is again taking center stage in world journalism, but just a curtsy from our own so-called media. American media bias toward the Zionist Regime is well known throughout the world, and that is a topic all its own. Americans have no idea what is going on in Palestine, and that seems to be their plan. The problem is. with Israeli incursion into lands not their own, dominated by superior fire power, and Palestinians', who have no cohesive and uniting rule of law, or a viable means of defense, seeks justice and vengeance by the tactics of homemade rockets, and rocks.

As Zionism continues to justify imperialism, thumbing their nose at both Europe and their biggest benefactor, The United States, peace negotiations remain at a stand-still. America is even convinced that dissolving the UN is in America's best interests, at least that is what the Zionist Media tells us. If any challenge that, they are slammed with the label of anti-Semitism... and what could be worse? Better to be silent. Better to join in... But how does a moral thinking man justify the latest roadblock to any peace initiate, the 1,600 new housing units going up in the illegal settlement of Ramat Shlomo, or the 1500 burned to death by illegal sulfur bombs in one afternoon. Did you see the charred bodies of children lined up on the street, taken from the burned out shell of their school? Nothing mentioned in our Zionist controlled media. Nothing mentioned of how ignited sulfur kills, very much like napalm, and why it is banned in war by the UN and International Law. Oh, but we do hate the UN, and Zionists do hate law.

The Palestinians (and the UN) demand these settlements stop, and the press release by Vice-President Joe Biden quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can be found on the forth page, section two, of a Zionist-owned newspaper... Joe Biden said that Netanyahu: "...announced this morning that he (Netanyahu) is putting in place a process to prevent this sort of occurrence, and who clarified that the beginning of actual construction would likely take several years." And this has indeed materialized... How can any peace be reached? It can't, because it is designed to fail.

This statement astounds the world as it completely ignores the fact that these settlements are illegal. 

Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator had this to say:"The statement is unacceptable because it talks about an error in timing and not the error in substance, which is the continuation of settlements that must stop."

The frustrations with Israel's inability to seriously promote peace in the Middle East is once again becoming the main topic of European conversation from Copenhagen to Tel Aviv. The veiled threats between Iran and Israel is getting more press than the floundering EU economy, and the real fear of an escalation in violence could lead to another World War. Recently, as we have taken a rare look at Progressive Emails, we are being pressed into another cold war with Russia... 

More than half a million Jews now live in more than 100 settlements built since 1967 when Israel occupied both the West Bank and East Jerusalem, all under the military protection of advanced weaponry, paid for by US dollars.

Though Israel has defended this land occupation in several ways, from biblical justifications, population growth, and security reasons, the world continues to rake Israel with demands and sanctions to pull back. The main premise is that their actions are illegal under international law, from over-kill retaliatory responses in densely populated areas, the intentional inhibition of economic Palestinian growth by their hand, and human rights violations that some say border on genocide. This inflames the worse kind of hatred...  It stimulates a violence that runs so deep, young girls will strap bombs under their cloths, and blow themselves up along with innocent bystanders, to prove a point. A point never shown to us here in America. This kind of hatred, when the nurturing nature of women is suspended, is not normal in our human world. What is stimulating it? This hatred is created, and could bring us to WW3, and few will even question why. A hatred is being created in our Zionist media that is so profound... it will stir Christians to die for the profits of a Zionist-owned war machine, and a Zionist banking cartel who finance both sides. I say, enough of this madness! 

An analysis by the well known and respected journalist Paul Wood with BBC News gave his take on the situation back in 2010, and little has changed. What he said has come to pass: "Mr Biden was careful to praise Mr Netanyahu's statement that a mechanism would be put in place to make sure future announcements of such building did not come at sensitive moments during the peace process. And he emphasized that building would not take place at Ramat Shlomo for several years."

It seems that the White House had decided to try to avoid another damaging and protracted tussle with the Israeli prime minister about settlements. After all, Israel came out on top in the last test of wills - agreeing to something far less than the total settlement freeze that Washington and the Palestinians had been demanding.

The particular formula put forward by Israel for Ramat Shlomo - and seemingly accepted by the US - still leaves the Palestinians in a very difficult position."

Author's note: While we fight among ourselves, and designed economies continually flounder, international banking cartels are salivating on the side-lines waiting to produce more weapons, distribute them, and to then pick up the pieces for pennies on the dollar. This Zionist Banking conglomerate cares nothing for collateral damage, just so that the fight occurs,  profits made, and power is maintained. They promote both sides because they finance both sides, and no matter who wins or loses, they will make a return, a black bottom line. They will suck any county dry, and if they oppose, destroy with a crippling debt. Look at us, don't you see it? A debt that can never be paid...

If you want both peace and accountability we must first address just what strings are being pulled, and they must be substantial, as this cartel is said to control more than one half of all of the assets of the world. They can print money out of thin air, and we are not allowed to even question where it went... This One World Order originates from banker boardrooms, resonating to the boardrooms of mega-international-war-based-corporations, and the cost of it all is put on the back of our children's future, as debt slaves. We are being played... Four months before Obama took office we were at 6 trillion in debt, and today 19.5 trillion... and all of it sanctioned by the Federal Reserve and our own US Congress.,, both bypassing our Constitution, Bill of Rights, and are unaccountable to Law, both Constitutional and International. They are indeed, above all law, and so powerful they can not only control our minds, but our very future as well. They are winning, and most all Americans are helping them...

We the People no longer exist, even though Trump is said to be our champion. So controlled and dominated, we have not been allowed to even look into Fort Knox in over 55 years, and few care. Yes, it is the lack of caring that fills me with the most dread, and I'm tired of that.... I'm tired of watching helplessly as our country is betrayed...

Don't look at the fires being lit, but the entity holding the match. We are being dismantled, and we continue to kiss the feet of those who enslave us. It is my greatest hope that Donald Trump can cut the chains that bind us... but at this point, we can't even say our master's name out loud.  We have another chance, and without a doubt, in the 11th hour, it will be our last...

 Truth... from good Christians and Jews.