Preemptive Strike Against Iran

Tanya Photo, 2008

Preemptive Strike Against Iran?

It seems to me that some sort of preemptive strike against Iran is presently being seriously contemplated.

The American build-up of fairly mobile troops in Afghanistan—nearer to the country of Iran and more easily deployable to that country in case of a military emergency in the area—seems to me to be the most visible part of the possible future strike.

It is a pity that the leadership of Iran continues to more or less ignore the international community's attempt to deny it atomic weapons—as it continues to harass Israel with threats to destroy it completely by first attacking Tel Aviv with missiles—if I understand the rhetoric of the Iranian leadership as reported by the news media.

These dire threats by the leadership of Iran, mere saber-rattling as they may be, set the people of Israel—and the rest of the world's teeth on edge, since an atomic war against Israel would most likely ignite world war three—which, as has been said for years—no one would or could win.

In a very rare show of unified political purpose, Russia and China have joined the USA and other European and Asian nations in asking Iran for restraint.

If the leadership of Iran continues down their present path—I believe the international community will act against them with a preemptive strike.

I do not believe the present leadership of Iran will act in the direction of peace—but will continue in what seems to me to be their present suicidal direction.

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No Oil. No War

Tomasito photo, 2009

Peak oil?

I have to admit I laughed when I read in the newspaper that one of our generals complained that if there was no more oil--"We couldn't wage war."

I guess that is the up-side of the end of oil!

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Peak Oil

Highway to Nowhere. (Tomasito photo 2009)

I feel it is a safe prediction to say that the above photo of a bit of defunct highway is just a forerunner of many such images in the near future.

The sea of oil burned daily in commuting and running errands cannot continue forever.

Be as prepared as we can be for the Big Change coming.

Best wishes.


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Right to Work

Downtown LA. (Thomas photo 2009)

The Right to Work

We live in a country which celebrates several "rights" and "freedoms"--and that is good.

There is another item which I would also like to add to our list of "inalienable" rights: the right to work.

President Roosevelt was in favor of this idea long ago--but it is a notion that has not found a champion in many years.

It seems to me that a good government in the "world of today" would recognize that if a person has no paid work--that person cannot survive.

This is the simplest and most obvious economic fact.

And since there is no other entity to provide this stabilizing cash flow--our political system should make sure that everyone who wants to work could have a job which would pay well enough to live with some comfort.

In my opinion, the Right to Work is more basic to a composed, healthy and honest society than the right to medical care which is being argued today with such heat.

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Job Security

Cogs in the Big Machine. (Thomas photo 2009)

It seems to me that job security is as important as medical care.

I would like to see it argued with as much enthusiasm as is the current debate on medical care.

I think it should be possible for the government to offer paid work available for all Americans-- some simple, non technological and easy to learn work--with a wage high enough to allow for a comfortable, secure life.

This would take care of the homeless people and much of the stress and crime we experience now.

All solutions are temporary, of course, but the problems are too--and the problem of "no work" is one problem which has been around too long.

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Grand Evening

Evening on Grand Avenue, Escondido, CA (Tanya photo, 2009)

We were down on Grand Avenue last week to take in the opening of the Art Riot exhibition at the Municipal Gallery.

Though there are many empty storefronts on old Grand Avenue, the area is clean and neat as you can see--the weather now (mid-September) is perfect and the strolling is very fine.

The photo was taken about ten blocks from our hilltop apartment.

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Cousin Joe Departs

Mount Lassen. (Tanya photo 2008)

Cousin Joe Calvin Clayton Junior made his departure from his body recently.

If I remember the family history right--cousin Joe Calvin Junior, as we called him, was just about my age which is always a thought provoking coincidence--I think.

Our paths hadn't crossed in years, but I remember him vividly as a ten-year old kid living in easy walking distance of the tidal flats of mythical San Diego which, both flats and town, have vanished so very completely that even in my memory's imagination I can hardly recall them.

But ten-year-old Joe is always easy to remember.

He was loaded with charm-- with bushy blond hair and a pug nose and a sort of suntanned ten-year-old athletic build which I admired--and a very California Beach Kid grown up style--for example he called girl's breasts "Knockers" which I thought was VERY fast!

I was just an Albuquerque, New Mexico boy--years behind California Cousin Joe!

We spent some very good times together during summer vacations in those days!

Grandpa Clayton, Mom's dad, with some other adults, took Cousin Joe and my brother Joe and I with him on a great adventure to Northern California--we planned to spend a week at a real gold mine owned by a friend of Grandpa's somewhere in the northern mountains but that turned out to be a pretty dry and dusty place so we went on to Emerald Bay on Lake Tahoe and camped out there for a week.

Kid bliss!

Early one morning Brother Joe said we three kids could probably hike to the snow, which we had seen on the mountaintops as we arrived, and get back to the campground by lunch--so off we went.

There was a sort of a trail part of the way and when it ran out we continued cross country and uphill for a long time. Me, the least heroic of the three musketeers, started complaining that I was hungry and that we had walked quite enough, but brother Joe insisted that the snow couldn't be much further and cousin Joe agreed that it couldn't be much farther--and on and on we hiked.

We came to a beautiful little lake of delicious cold water and from there we could see the snow on a rocky slope on the far side of the lake and on up the mountain.

To go back after seeing the tantalizing snow patch far above us would simply not do--so we scrambled around the lake and struggled up the sharp rocks of the mountainside. Brother Joe (the young naturalist of the group) found some dark stones which contained garnet crystals, he said, which was a big thrill for him--and he explained to us how rare they were and how lucky we were to actually find them!

And we reached the snow--dirty and much the worst for wear late in the summer as it was--but it WAS real frozen snow in the middle of summer!

But it was long past lunch time--in fact evening was drawing on--and even Brother Joe started thinking that we might be missed back at Grandpa's camp--so we began hurrying back down the mountain.

There was a subtle noise in the bushes above us and we suddenly remembered that there were bears in these mountains--and we began to run--first easily and then as fear prodded us--to run for our lives!

When we came panting and gasping back into camp, Grandpa and the adults of our party were so happy to see us that they didn't scold us much--but just told us to "always tell them first where we were going before we started out".

And besides, a park ranger had told the adults that just the week before, a fisherman HAD been attacked by a bear in the same area where we took our hike.

The next morning, Grandpa had us lead him back to the little alpine lake-- where he tried his luck with the trout--and I think I even remember him catching one or two--at least that's the way I would like the story to end...

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Well remembered, Cousin Joe!

Oh, so well remembered.

You will be missed--but you will live in our happy memories until we too are dust in the fields.

Cousin Tom

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