Just Another Political Post

One thing that I've observed is that people are people. Customs and cultures may differ a bit, but what is consistent no matter where you are is complaining about politicians and weather. I remember an election in Peru years ago where the standard joke about choosing between the presidential candidates was like a choice between AIDS and cancer. Six months ago when it became apparent that the coming November election would feature Biden and Trump I told some friends that it would be like choosing between Bud Abbot and Lou Costello. At the time I thought that my comment was humorous. I don't see it that way anymore. I truly believe that Abbot or Costello would have been a better president than Biden or Trump. 

Joe Biden has lots of political experience. With the Democratic Party agenda. There's no need for me to enumerate on what that agenda is. My biggest complaints about Biden are his mishandling of the border problem, which is now much more that just a border issue as it is affecting the entire country economically and culturally. I also disagree with the position the US and some allies have taken on Ukraine. The endless dollars and equipment being poured into Ukraine isn't going to change the inevitable outcome of that war. Ukraine can't defeat Russia. It will either be completely overrun or will have to give up territory to survive. 

My viewpoint on the war is considered extreme. Russia has been a pain in the world's butt for over a century. That condition is not going to end. Putin is determined to see the reresection of the USSR. What I would liked to have happened is that on the day that Russian troops crossed into Ukraine, the United States and any NATO allies in a position to join us would have hit the Russian troops with everything we have excepting nuclear weapons. I believe Putin would have backed off, and in case he didn't we hit him in his own territory. Sure, it would have been risky but we're going to have to fight Russia someday so why not do it when they invaded another country? 

Realistically, the chances of our NATO allies fighting along side of the USA is a pipe dream. NATO, like the United Nations is a paper tiger. All that either organization is good for is considering resolutions or sanctions, neither of which have enforcement mechanisms. NATO has maybe four member countries who might join us in confronting Russia. The other countries are members only for protection from the US if they are attacked. Look at the following information.

The bar graph says it all. The US and Turkey are NATO's military force. And if it came to combat with Russia, Turkey would sit on the sidelines, leaving the US to do the fighting. On the other side, Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and Belarus would be analogous to the "Axis powers" of WW11. Not looking good in my opinion. Especially if Biden or Trump are at the helm. 

I don't have this conversation with many people, especially when I express my view on Trump. Doing that in the past has caused me to lose some friends, which I regret. When I leave the house these days I wear my 'Barry Goldwater in 64' campaign button. I think that it is a more subtle way of saying that I don't approve of either candidate.  

Some weeks ago I found myself fantasizing. In my fantasy I magically appeared on television worldwide, interrupting the reality and cooking and game shows that contribute so much to society's advancement. My appearance was in the guise of Abraham Lincoln. I told the viewers (my words were translated to every known language) that I was disappointed with humanity, and was going to take some unilateral action myself. First, I imprisoned Putin and his colleagues in a newly constructed prison in the Sahara desert. Then I removed all Russian military from Ukraine, and announced that Russia would pay  for the cost of rebuilding Ukraine. Next I removed all military equipment from Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. Not even a slingshot would remain. Those actions were just for starters. We have other problems.

The reason we have illegal drugs in this country is not the suppliers. It's the users. I couldn't  think of a way to stop the users, so what I did was have the skin and clothing of anyone manufacturing, distributing or selling illegal drugs turn a bright red. Hopefully there will be enough non-red people to jail and shame the reds. Next I tackled the internet hackers, scammers and trolls. Their skin I turned to bright green. The skin of corrupt government employees, politicians, cops and business people I gifted with bright yellow. I probably would have gone farther but Maribel called me to lunch. The whole point is that there are a lot of bad people on this planet, and by identifying them it might change their behavior. It may be that the reds, greens and yellows would outnumber the normal skins. That wouldn't surprise me. If that is the case, I would hit the reset everything button.

Oh...I almost forgot the border problem. This is how I see it. Anyone who is in this country (or any country)  illegally would immediately disappear and reappear in their own country. Makes no difference if they've been here twenty years and raised a family here. They know they are illegal and must face the consequences.  

As for unfinished business, I still don't know what to do about Trump and the far right folks. In my view they are the source of turmoil in this country. Given their attitudes, they would regard a skin color change as a badge of courage. 

Seeing the Real Peru

Sometimes in conversations the subject of foreign travel comes up. If I mention that I lived in Peru for nine years, the usual response is something like, "I've never been there but would like to see it." Occasionally someone will say that they have visited Peru, and add that Peru is a beautiful country. When I ask them where they visited, the typical reply is Lima, Machu Picchu, Cusco and Arequipa. I ignore the urge to tell them that they haven't seen Peru; that the locals who descend on them, especially the women dressed in native costumes and holding those cute little lambs, are not representative of 90% of Peru. What they and the hundreds of artisan kiosks represent are "un pueblo para turistas." And that's okay. Like everyone else in this world they are just trying to make a few bucks.

In my previous post I mentioned that the rock I was writing about came from the Chinchipe River near the village of Zapotal. Zapotal and hundreds of small villages like it located in northern Peru's costal desert and mountains are the real Peru. I seriously doubt if a tourist, or even a missionary has ever been to Zapotal. It is not an adventure for the faint-hearted.

The journey begins at Chiclayo, the normal departure point. A bus is the usual transportation, taking six hours on winding roads in the Andes Mountains to reach the city of Jaen (pronounced hi-een). In Jaen there are men with cars who make their living by taking people to outlying villages. This part of the trip is an adventure. 

The Chinchipe River must be crossed. The problem is that there are no bridges, so sometime in the past some ingenious people devised a way to cross the river. By using a series of cables attached to each other and ultimately to winches on shore, people, cars and even trucks are barged across the river.  

There are other, smaller rivers to cross. This is done by simply driving through them, but first stopping to cover the car's engine to the degree possible, because the river water  reaches about one-third of the way up the car doors.

After what seems like an eternity the village of Zapotal appears. The population of maybe 300 people are farmers. Their produce is transported to Jaen via the same route described above.

The Chinchipe River, which is milky colored with a fairly swift current is a focal point of the village. The villagers wash laundry and bathe in it, get their cooking water from it, and use it to cool off during the heat of the day.

You won't find gaily dressed women holding lambs, or kiosks selling everything under the sun, or tourist restaurants and night-life lounges. These are people who work hard from sun up to sun down just to get by. They are mostly content with their lives.

If you've been to Zapotal or a village like it, you've seen the real Peru.

View of Another World

 NASA has released some spectacular photos of the cosmos taken by the James Webb Space Telescope. The purpose of the photos is primarily scientific...to provide information to physicists to better understand the origin, composition and extent of the universe. For the general public the photos offer the opportunity to be awed both by the sheer beauty and configuration of the celestial objects, but as detailed as the Webb photos are, they still don't get us close enough to see and appreciate the intricate patterns and innate beauty of other planets. 

Still, there are other worlds much closer to home to examine and marvel at, if one has the ability to exercise their imagine and to appreciate nature's wonders. Take a moment to examine the photos below of 'another world.' No...take more than a moment to look in detail at each segment of each photo (don't forget to click on them). If you can open up your mind, you may find yourself feeling this world worthy of appreciation, and asking yourself how such a world could have been created.

 The above photos of 'another world' are of a rock found in the Chinchipe River near the village of Zapotal, Peru. 

I have spent hours looking at the rock through a magnifying glass and still find features and patterns that I missed on previous occasions. Very recently these photos and a description of the rock were sent to the geology department of a university in North Carolina for examination. Hopefully they will be able to shed some light as to how the rock and its unique designs were created.