#AncientTexan

The Mystery of Being Where You Are Loved Sometimes she asks me As we share a bottle of wine Or after making love Are you thinking of her? I nod, never anything more. She asks, How do you feel? Sad, I often answer. And then I say But it’s not fair And ask her How do you feel? It doesn’t alter my life’s story, she said tonight Later as she sleeps beside me I wonder How’s the one in this bed with us...

American Sanctions in Cuba and Venezuela are resulting in people dying.  Our actions are killing people, i.e., we are killing people.  Is that okay?  Are we more righteous than Russia or China because we don't use guns directly?

Sometimes doing what is right requires doing the illegal.  A network to distribute the "pill" is a lot easier than getting women to clinics.  Getting women to clinics should be used for those the pill is not an option, but the pill could do the heavy lifting just like it did in Mexico.

When you stub your toe on the bedpost, you can get mad about the resulting pain.  But, pain as we know is a way for nature to say "don't do that, it is bad for you." Inflation is a result of many things we have done over the last decade: Thinking we could get something for nothing (deficit spending) Printing money Bullying Russia Into War Discouraging investment in fossil fuels Bantering Oil...

Thomas Piketty’s plan for reducing wealth inequality is discussed.  It would work if only the elite would hand over the keys of the kingdom to the common man.  But, that is not likely.  Or perhaps, the poor will vote for the rich to give all their money to the poor.  Of course, we do not have the will to pass such legislation from either side ... the elites are just fine with h...

Per capita gun deaths in California are 70% lower than the U.S. average.   How did they accomplish this?  Should it change your opinion on gun control?   Are you one of the few open-minded humans that the results in California will change how you think about gun control? If not, don't waste your time on this podcast.

What is the elephant in the room when we talk about America being great?

No Uber this morning I was running 45 minutes early But still too rushed to finish An excellent cup of coffee Sitting on my deck five stories high While writing a poem. Instead, I sit canceled By three Uber drivers Watching small cars on my phone on a bench at the side of the road. A man walking four corgies No leashes except a treat or two. Three of the four corgies Stay close to him Eager for a...

Just a simple update on my life and the world.  Of course, my bias impacts my view of what is happening in the world.  I am not sure your world will be any richer if you listen, but I feel better saying it.   Thanks for the few of you that listen ... have a good day my friends, Namaste, 

Elijah, sometimes heroes walk the earth near you.  Uncle Floyd was a hero that walked among humans and near me that I did not see at the time.  Perhaps some heroes are near you. Namaste Grandda

What makes something fair?  Perhaps it has to do with the story you tell about it?

Instead of cranking up the battle between pro-choice and pro-life, shouldn't both sides be more focused on the needs of the mother and the children.  Childcare seems one of the most pressing needs.   Can not both sides unite and focus on childcare, etc.?

When people are afraid to speak up and contest decisions, is that the same as curtailing freedom of speech?  What are consequences of people being afraid to speak up?

What has Germany done to move away from Green?

What is fracking?  Is it good or bad?  Should we share the knowhow?

My wife is off to a retreat. I'm not invited. Is this sexist?

Only rich countries with established energy sources can afford to go green.   If a country doesn't have an established supply of low cost energy, then they are not rich enough to go green.   So how do we help poor countries go green?  Help them get energy like natural gas so they can develop their economies and eventually afford to go green.  That does not seem to be what...

Putin and Xi are suffering from not hearing the truth from those around them.   The world is suffering from a lack of truth getting to these two autocratic rulers.  How does the freedom of speech insure more truth is in circulation.   How do laws that limit the freedom of speech impact our future? 

Elijah, grandson Called to be great From beyond the grave of mine Decades after the blue ink And biological memory ticks to the beat. Each story shall be told After appropriately rewritten and retold Of times when young A life lesson did I learn Or not, or not, more often not learned. Before I started school I roamed the desserts around my home And hung out with new friends like Diaz, Lopez, Sanch...

Green in My BackYard, Gimby, is the philosophy that we must take the responsibility to execute the transition to Green Technology and the resulting strains on the environment resulting from new raw materials required.  Going green requires a whole new list of raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, magnesium, rare earths, silicon, and copper.  These metals require mining and exten...

copper and magnesium smelters, mines, chemical processing, lithium mines, nuclear plants, plutonium plants, steel plants, concrete, silicon electric arc furnaces ...  How do we build the Green New Deal?   From where does it come? Do we just order one new Green Deal from China and put it on the boat? Are we willing to be responsible that the green new deal is built and sourced respon...

Love, sweet love is the way the refrain goes.  But what comes before love?  How do we build it?

Grandpa’s Tears Such a surreal moment The blood has dried The smell of gunpowder gone But his soul lingers in the air And still, we wait for his voice Calling out Elijah, I’m home. I'm the ancient grandpa Only able to listen, not much more My own life and my limitations Brought in clear focus. No way to take away my daughter’s pain Or to fill the empty bottle his father left On the nightstand next...

Someone said to me this week that nuclear weapons were almost as bad as global warming.   You have to be kidding me ... maybe they needed to be sitting under the study desks in grade school when we had nuclear bomb drills.  Yes, the drills were stupid, about as stupid as thinking global warming and nuclear weapons are about the same.   Have we learned nothing about Putin over t...

There was some personal tragedy in my world this week.