If you look around , there are people who are trying . There are good people trying to get our attention , trying to talk to us , trying to reason and appeal to our better selves . ( continued ...)

Like all the businesses and profiteers that make up the industrial war complex , you can take that to the bank . We live in a world turned upside down . Can we somehow turn it right side up ?

We all bleed red .

A political pundit recently stated “ Innocent people always get killed in war .” As if were just something we had to accept . Since October 7th , 2023 , over 34,000 people have been killed in Gaza , only 8,000 dead were soldiers . 1,200 Israelis have died in the same time span , approximately 450 of the dead were Israeli soldiers . That ’ s 26,750 non-military lives . Isn ’ t it time to just stop ?

War is simple . It is the complete breakdown of logic and reason , and the firm belief that all human beings are not created equal . It ' s a strange thing , but in all the ethnic cleansing , all the bomb blasts and leveled cities I have ever seen images of , the only color of blood I have ever seen is red .

Shamefully , nothing .

Let ’ s move in closer : What would you or I do if someone hurt or killed someone we loved ? Would we want revenge ? I sure would . What if a foreign government that saw us as the enemy ? What if our own government did ? Nations , including our great nation for which I served , have hurt and killed millions of innocent women and children for generations in wars fought for nothing more than oil , economic control , resources , land grabs , oh – and “ freedom .” What would we do ? What should we do ? What have we done ?

One child — not murdered . One peaceful , non-threatening human life spared . What would you or I do if we took a walk down our street and along the way we witnessed a child being harmed ?

Really ? Can anything anyone say to defend the slaughter of innocent men , women , and children matter ? At the end of the day , we need to solve for one .

We have been led into war after war by pathological liars and eugenicists . People who have nothing at stake and no regard for human life propagandize us into wars that on the surface seem to make sense until you realize we ’ ve been duped once again . Rebel or Yankee , Atheist or Theist , Russian or Ukrainian , Hebrew , Zionist , Christian , or Muslim . Does it really matter if all wars start because new weapons need to be built , bought , and tested , and all wars end with the genocide of countless innocent men , women , and children ? “ Yeah but …”

It must be true if it ’ s on the news .

It ' s been said that we get the government we deserve . If apathy and indifference have anything to do with it , I ’ d say that statement is as true now as it ever has been . We deserve it now because we put up with it . Not long ago we shook our fists at our television screens because the ploiticians locked us up , locked our families and children up , and ruined our communities and small businesses by shutting down our economy . Now we stand by as they allow hundreds of thousands of children to go missing , never to be found . Where do those children end up ? Why do we never hear about it on the legacy media channels ? Simply , it doesn ’ t fit the narrative . But where can we find real news when we ' ve allowed most independent news sources to be silenced , canceled , or discredited while drinking mainstream propaganda — pick your flavor — from a firehose .

The people ’ s voices are rarely heard , and worse , We the People have forgotten how to use them . Electeds only represent those who voted for them . Politicians at every level make decisions based on what will get them re-elected instead of what is right , fair , and just . Politicians are pawns in the game and little more than hollowed-out carcasses that may have once housed a soul .

How is it that in a country that stands for freedom , more people are behind bars per capita than most countries in the world ? Whyis justice served rarely justice deserved ? Liberty is at the core of our founding documents . Yet , freedom is something else entirely . Some walk free from the most heinous crimes committed due to our social economic standing , or the political connections we have . For others , finding justice of any kind is a fluke , a fantasy , a shell game never to be won .

The most inconvenient truth is the one that has the power to change our opinions , our mindset , our framework . We see and hear our favorite manufactured perspectives on the evening news and talk shows , all formatted to divide and conquer us through propaganda , half-truths , and full-blown lies . Our favorite podcasts are recommended by artificial algorithms based on our current listening choices . We parrot talking points because we ’ re too busy , too important , or too lazy to be bogged down with facts . We are too rushed to engage in our own independent research and too entertained to care . We engage in arguments to win , not to learn or solve problems . We buy into the party line time and time again , when we know full well that yes , there is a party , but we weren ’ t invited .

so far away we cannot see , we live in a world turned upside down . The simple yet profound art of listening to one another is something we dread , haven ’ t the time for , and tantrumoniously avoid at all costs . Ego drives the bus , and all students of life , both the good and the bad ones , jockey for the best seat , the one next to their cronies and clicks , while avoiding the seats next to “ those other people .”

“ The world is upside down ; it ’ s going to take a lot of hands to turn it right side up .” — Leymah Gbowee gmhtoday . com gmhTODAY Magazine : Go . Make history ... SUMMER 2024 55