Speech
In a free society, for the most part, people have the right to say what they want to say. However, while what is being said is beyond your control, you have control over your response. Use this power wisely.
Author: Glenn Hansen
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CIA
Under the cover of US President Donald Trump’s Administration’s size reduction of the federal government strategy of “offering” (demanding) widespread buyouts or face being fired, this “offer” has just been extended to the CIA. What does this really mean as it relates to everyday Americans?
First of all, there are going to be a significant number of former CIA employees with classified information and an axe to grind against the United States. Not a good situation for the country.
Secondly, and more importantly, this will allow Trump and his Administration to replace the fired CIA employees with people who are true blue Trump loyalists. They will potentially be spying on EVERY American as Trump continues to march to his coronation as “King of America.” If you’re in his way, you will be dealt with and you won’t like it.
The erosion of EVERY American’s freedom is at stake. Time to wake up and realize what Trump and his minions, under the cover of cost reduction, are trying to accomplish. Once America loses its freedoms, it’s highly likely you will never get them back in your life time. The CIA will be part of Trump’s “Secret Police.” Only 32% of Americans voted for Trump. If you’re part of the 68% who did not vote for him, are you ready to give up your American freedoms? I’m sure that some of the 32% who voted for him don’t support this either.
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Boo
Boo hoo. Poor State Farm Insurance has had to pay out over US1 billion dollars to the devastated fire victims in southern California and has requested an interim rate hike, saying they are in a dire financial emergency. In their own way, insurance companies are a lot like banks. You pay them high prices year after year for your coverage, complete with annual rate hikes. Then, when they have to actually pay out, and they cannot find a way to deny coverage, they immediately cry for financial help, meaning instant higher premiums.
Paying out, of course, cuts into their bottom line. Like banks, they are happy to take your money as long as they can make lots of money. Good luck trying to get a bank loan if you unexpectedly lose your job. With insurance, claims cut into profits and that is not acceptable, so, everyone pays more, or, they will just stop insuring people. Like so much of our financial system, which we are brainwashed to accept from birth, it is totally rigged in favour of the moneychangers. Insurance companies really are not your good neighbour when you look at them up close.
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Dumb
Over the weekend, in a Wall Street Journal editorial, Trump’s tariffs on Canada and Mexico were referred to as being “The dumbest trade war in history” in the headline. Then, on Monday, with this editorial, the stock market losing ground quickly and overall uncertainty in the U.S. economy, Trump paused the tariffs, supposedly after talking to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo about actions regarding these countries’ enhancement of border security. Stay tuned.
And, speaking of dumb, Trump ordered the release of 2.2 BILLION gallons of water from reservoirs in California to send to fire stricken southern California, an action for which he greatly praised himself for, of course. Only one problem, the water was totally separate from the Los Angeles county water system and therefore could NOT reach the Los Angeles area. It was dumped for nothing wasting valuable water needed for the dry summer season in California.
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Nazis
If you are a Canadian or Mexican, here is one way to look at the United States versus Canada and Mexico. I ran the numbers. In the 2024 US election, there were 242,300,000 total number of people who could vote. In the election, Kamala Harris got 75,000,000 votes or 31% of total eligible voters. Donald Trump got 77,300,000 votes or 32% of total eligible voters (hardly a landslide victory). Of all eligible voters, 90,000,000 people did not vote which is 37% of total eligible voters.
One of the first courses of action taken by Canada and Mexico should to be to immediately and aggressively in every way possible tell the American people that they are heading toward Nazism because of less than one third of the population. Canada and Mexico should hammer this point home now in all forms of media, be it social media, television, newspapers etc. around the world, but, in particular to Americans. I believe that clearly delivering this message would be a great start to defending Canada and Mexico. I think a large majority of Americans do not agree with being Nazis, and America being America, would not want to have their freedoms violated in a Nazi controlled country. This is an actual strategy for you, Canada and Mexico, as opposed to just worrying, complaining or screaming in a panic.
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Fake Friends
You see them chatting in the hallway
They say hello and ask “how’s your day”
Sometimes they want to stop and talk
Get some good gossip they can walk
You think you know someone
Next thing you know you’re done
You’re done
Fake friends say they care but they don’t
Fake friends say they’ll help but they won’t
Fake friends only care ‘bout themselves
They don’t see anybody else no no no no
They don’t see anybody else
Constant complaining is what they do
Give them a million, the bills aren’t new
Do them a good turn, means nothing
Nothing always becomes something
You think you know someone
Next thing you know you’re done
You’re done
Fake friends say they care but they don’t
Fake friends say they’ll help but they won’t
Fake friends only care ‘bout themselves
They don’t see anybody else no no no no
They don’t see anybody else no no no no
They don’t see anybody else
Fake friends
Everywhere
They don’t care
No no no no
Lyrical poetry by GS Hansen copyright SOCAN
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Lending
Banks and the Bible. What does the Bible say about lending money? Banks propagate an image of “being there for you” and “they care about you.” Banks are there for you, but, only if you have money. Banks don’t care about you, they care about money…your money, and how much can they make off your back.
So, what does the Bible have to say about this subject? There are numerous passages that make it clear if you lend someone money, do not charge interest. There are even passages that say you should lend money without an expectation of getting paid back. Furthermore, for a long time, European Christians were allowed to make loans, but, they could not charge interest. Even the Koran forbids this: you cannot lend money with the expectation of benefitting in some way. Wealth must be accrued through legitimate work, trade and investments.
Our banks obviously do not abide by these passages. Not only do they charge exorbitant interest rates (check out the interest rate on your credit cards, or, realize when buying a home with a mortgage that you will actually pay 2.5 times the actual value of the home); they pay out ridiculously low interest rates on savings accounts and other investment offerings.
You should also note that if everyone wanted to withdraw their money out of a banking institution at the same time, banks do not have anywhere near enough funds to pay out everyone, even though it’s your money. Comforting, right?
I’ve said this before and I will say it again: banks, at best, are immoral and unethical. Can you trust banks? Look at what Wells Fargo fraudulently did in creating bogus accounts at the expense of customers, or, that TD Bank in the United States pled guilty to money laundering and paid a penalty of US1.8 billion dollars to settle the case. Yet, we are brainwashed from birth that banks are our friend. They are not. They want to make money, lots and lots of money, far beyond reasonable amounts. Some things are truly and knowingly rigged. Our banking system is one of those entities.
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Overwhelmed
In looking at the world news reporting today, it was so full of highly toxic human activities, it was overwhelming in terms of what to write about. I was going to write about one or two specific events, but, I couldn’t. Unfortunately, there was just too much to choose from. Instead, I turned on some music and wrote this post.
We’re supposed to be the smartest life form on the planet, but, really, we are the dumbest, cruelest, most self-destructive beings. I cannot fathom why we do the things we do. I understand why we do what we do, but still, why? We can have peace. We can love. We can care. We can help others. Yet, as a species, we don’t and won’t.
Don’t get me wrong, there are many truly wonderful human beings on the planet and I am grateful for this. From this, I derive hope, so I refuse to give up on humanity. I will continue to try and make a positive difference, even though my voice is miniscule, smaller than a speck of sand in the Universe.
Don’t give up on hope. Change is always possible. Remember, tomorrow is a new day. It could be worse than today, or, it could be better than today. How you look at life is your choice. Choose not to be overwhelmed.
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Ukraine
The war in Ukraine seems to often get “lost” in the news by other stories led by the situation in the Middle East. In this forgotten European war, Russia seems to be slowly, but, surely enveloping the critical eastern Ukrainian city and major supply hub, Pokrovsk. With the United States no longer contributing much needed dollars to Ukraine in its war effort, Ukraine is more vulnerable than ever. Unless western Europe/NATO increases its support, the possibility of Ukraine actually losing the war looms larger than ever.
There is a significant price Europe will pay if Ukraine loses this war. It would mark the beginning of a new era of Russian expansionism westward. Other smaller European countries adjacent to Ukraine would fall like dominos and then…? The United States will not go unscathed either. Russian expansionism in western Europe will adversely impact America’s global trade in a now less stable world. For those with a loftier perspective, this would be the loss of a democracy. It appears that Putin may be right in his assessment that he can outlast the west in the war in Ukraine.
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Pain
Pharmaceutical prescription pain treatments have not evolved for over 20 years for moderate to severe types of pain, with opioids the major prescribed medicine. In the United States, a new FDA approved drug , suzetrigine, trade named “Journavx”, by Vertex Pharmaceuticals has the promise of providing major pain relief without the addictive nature of opioids. This is a significant advance in pain relief medicine and potentially signals a huge cultural change for the better.
“Journavx” works by blocking nerve pain signals throughout the body, whereas, opioids work by dulling the sensation of pain within the brain. The societal reverberation is significant, as the new drug is said not to be addictive, which would eliminate the need for addictive opioids. Time will tell just how effective “Journavx” really is in reducing moderate to major pain, and while it seems to be non-addictive, we will see whether this is the case over the long term. However, this breakthrough holds the promise of being the safer, new answer to pain relief.
The World According to Glissando 