So, tRump got us into this war with Iran on falsehoods and is now whining because the NATO countries won’t help him protect the Strait of Hormuz. And his buddy in Israel is bombing the hell out of residential areas of Lebanon, killing civilians much like he did in Gaza.
Both world leaders got elected partly on their promises to the people of their country to take care of them. Solve domestic problems. Fix the infrastructure so people have safe roads and bridges. Improve the economy. Bring down prices.
I could go on and on about the promises made but not kept.
While things here at home are not great, some of the worst fallout from the war for the United States is how much respect we have lost and alliances have been broken – hopefully not forever. It would be especially tragic if we were never able to repair the rift between the U.S. and Canada. We were, and could always be, stronger together against any threat that came our way.
The impact on the countries where bombs are falling is obviously much worse than anything we are experiencing. People being killed. Families torn apart. Homes destroyed. Power lost. Food and water scarce.
I could go on and on here, too, but would only be repeating what is being reported and shared on social media.
Somebody shared a post on Twitter saying that once this current U.S. administration is gone, that things will return to normal.
Will it? Will we ever know what normal is anymore?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the shit storm happening all over the world starts dragging me down, I know I can count on my friend Slim Randles to ease the tension with a bit of wit and wisdom. Since we are all experiencing weird weather patterns right now, I thought this piece was particularly timely. Enjoy…
We knew it was coming when Bert came into the Mule Barn truck stop the other day. He took his usual stool at the philosophy counter and world dilemma think tank, where he reigns as Cutting Edge Technology Advisor to the board of directors.
It was that glint in his eye that gave it away.
“Hi Bert.”
“Hi Doc. Say, isn’t this a beautiful day? It’s 32 out there.”
“Doesn’t seem that cold,” said Steve, our resident cowboy, who tends to look at everything from the back of a horse.
“Oh, not 32 degrees, dear friend …”
Dear friend? We’re in for it.
“… but 32 inches of mercury in the barometer. Winds are calm. Sun is shining. No chance of snow.”
“You have a barometer?”
“Oh yeah. You can’t always depend on the TV weather guy, you know. You see, it’s not just where the barometer is that tells you what the weather’s like, but it’s where it is now in relation to where it was before. That’s what they call the trend.”
“Heard that word before,” said Doc.
“It’s scientific. Got a book about it the other day. Maizie picked it up at the library. You see, to the layman, the world outside looks kinda nice, doesn’t it? Sunshine, no wind. Looks like a beautiful day. But to the expert … to the meteorologist … that’s just the start. Oh yes. He’ll look outside at the beautiful weather, but he realizes it’s simply a precursor to the weather we’ll have tomorrow. He’ll know, you see, from how the mercury is responding in the glass … we call the barometer a glass … what kind of weather to expect tomorrow. That’s what sets us apart from other people.”
“Because you read a book?”
“ … And I have my weather station … yes.”
“So what kinda weather is coming tomorrow, Bert?”
“Oh … ‘bout like today.”
“So the barometer told you that?”
Bert looked a little sheepish. “I didn’t have time to figure it out. Heard it on the news.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brought to you by “I Honked My Horse But The Tree Didn’t Hear,” coming as soon as I can find the right publisher.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out all of Slim’s award-winning books at his Goodreads Page and in better bookstores and bunkhouses throughout the free world.
All of the posts here are from his syndicated column, Home Country that is read in hundreds of newspapers across the country. I am always happy to have him share his wit and wisdom here.
Slim Randles is a veteran newspaperman, hunting guide, cowboy and dog musher. He was a feature writer and columnist for The Anchorage Daily News for 10 years and guided hunters in the Alaska Range and the Talkeetna Mountains. A resident of New Mexico now for more than 30 years, Randles is the prize-winning author of a dozen books, and is host of two podcasts and a television program.
