BUZKASHI
Song Kul. Kyrgyzstan. Here, 10,000 feet high along the shores of Lake Song Kul, Kyrgyz nomads play buzkashi, where men on horseback fight with whips, fists, elbows over a goat carcass (simulated for us in a heavy canvas bag) weighing some 40 pounds. There are no rules. Whoever gets the carcass to the goal line and drops it into the circle there, scores.
This ancient game has been played for thousands of years by the nomads of Mongolia, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. The nomads who encamp at Song Kul are playing fiercely but actually having a lot of fun – laughter abounds. After the game, we had a cup of kumiss, slightly alcoholic fermented mare’s milk, with them. An experience never to be forgotten. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #281 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
WELCOME TO THE WAR DEPARTMENT BECAUSE THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE IS OVER
[On Sept. 30, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered an address at Marine Corps Base Quantico to an unprecedented gathering of hundreds of admirals, generals, and senior military leaders. This is the transcript in full. This is a turning point in America’s modern military history. TTP feels strongly that TTPers should consider reading it entire. The video of SecWar Hegseth’s 6,000 word/45 minute speech is here.]
Mr. Chairman, the Joint Chiefs, generals, admirals, commanders, officers, senior enlisted, NCOs, enlisted and every member of our American military, good morning. Good morning, and welcome to the War Department, because the era of the Department of Defense is over.
You see, the motto of my first platoon was, “Those who long for peace must prepare for war.” This is, of course, not a new idea. This crowd knows that. The origin dates to the fourth century Rome and has been repeated ever since, including by our first commander-in-chief, George Washington, the first leader of the War Department. It captures a simple yet profound truth; to ensure peace, we must prepare for war.
From this moment forward, the only mission of the newly restored Department of War is this: warfighting, preparing for war and preparing to win, unrelenting and uncompromising in that pursuit. Not because we want war. No one here wants war. But it’s because we love peace. We love peace for our fellow citizens. They deserve peace, and they rightfully expect us to deliver it.
Our number one job, of course, is to be strong so that we can prevent war in the first place. The President talks about it all the time. It’s called “peace through strength,” and as history teaches us, the only people who actually deserve peace are those who are willing to wage war to defend it.
That’s why pacifism is so naïve and dangerous. It ignores human nature and it ignores human history. Either you protect your people and your sovereignty, or you will be subservient to something or someone. It’s a truth as old as time. And since waging war is so costly in blood and treasure, we owe our republic a military that will win any war we choose, or any war that is thrust upon us. Should our enemies choose foolishly to challenge us, they will be crushed by the violence, precision, and ferocity of the War Department.
In other words, to our enemies, FAFO. If necessary, our troops can translate that for you.
COMEY IS INDICTED BUT HIS REAL CRIMES REMAIN UNTOUCHED
We have no idea whether the current DOJ indictments will lead to a conviction of James Comey, namely that he authorized FBI subordinates to leak to the media and then lied about it, obstructing Congress in the process.
It may come down to the word of Comey, a known fabricator, against the testimony of his former subordinate, Andrew McCabe, an admitted liar. Take your pick.
We know, however, that Comey is not facing a Trumpian $500 million in potential fines, nor 93 indictments, nor the scrutiny of five different local, state, and federal prosecutors. Nor, like some of the J6 arrested, will he be sent to solitary confinement to await a trial in a year or two or be charged with “illegal parading.”
We also know of the crimes or unethical conduct for which James Comey is not currently being indicted or investigated. Here’s a baker’s dozen of them.
THE MOST ANCIENT SYMBOL OF REVERENCE FOR EXISTENCE
I found this religious decoration on the outer wall of an old mosque in the three-thousand year-old Silk Road oasis city of Bukhara. I’ve seen it in many places throughout the world, such as ancient ruins of India and Rome. Yet this is far older – it was carved onto mammoth ivory by Ice Age hunters in Ukraine 12,000 years ago.
From time immemorial has it represented eternity, prosperity, the centeredness of all that is. Why? Look up into the sky on a clear dark night. All people have studied the heavens for eons. You could always know where you were by finding North, for the two front stars of what we call the Big Dipper point to it – always.
The Greeks called it Mega Arktikos, the Great Bear – why we call Far North the Arctic today. The ancients saw the Bear every year rotating around Celestial North – now occupied by Polaris, the North Star – through all four seasons, while all the stars in the sky circled around it every night. What do you see in this depiction of that seasonal rotation?
Yes, a Swastika -- Sanskrit for “the goodness of existence.” The most heinous perversion of symbolic art in world history was to take the symbol for the goodness of existence used by people for a dozen millennia – and still revered by Buddhists, Hindus, Moslems and many others to this day – and twist it into a symbol of horrific evil. It’s an informative lesson of history. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #225 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
TRUMP’S GAZA PLAN IS THE BEST CHANCE TO END THIS WAR
The Trump plan represents the best hope so far for ending the war in Gaza, giving some prospect of normality and prosperity for the people of Gaza and of developing a sustainable peace in the wider Middle East.
It has also completely turned the tables on Hamas. With Israel and Arab countries on board, the ball is now entirely in Hamas’s court and their response will show the world what many of us have long known: it is not Israel that has kept this war going but Hamas. War or peace is in their hands as it has been from the start.
We will have to see which path they take. But if anything, now is the time not just for Arab countries but for Western nations to step up to the mark. Those that are in a position to do so need to pile the pressure on to Hamas and give them no quarter. We need to hear no more encouragement of Hamas, no more rewarding them by recognizing a Palestinian state and no more unjust lashing out against Israel.
Instead Hamas need to be forced to understand they are isolated and no longer have any friends. If that kind of action had been taken from the beginning we might have been where we are long before now with many lives saved.
MAKING SENSE OF GOLD
Welcome to a regular person's guide to physical precious metals.
Gold isn’t just for the wealthy—learn how investing in physical gold can protect your savings, hedge against inflation, and add stability to your portfolio.
Picture this: You're looking at your savings account or recent inheritance, wondering if there's a better way to protect its value over time. Or maybe you're watching your retirement account fluctuate with each market swing, thinking about ways to add some stability to your financial future.
Perhaps you've heard about investing in gold but figured it was only for Wall Street experts or the ultra-wealthy.
The truth is, investing in physical gold is more accessible than most people realize. While it might seem intimidating at first, it's actually a straightforward way to diversify your savings beyond traditional stocks and bonds.
NEW AMERICA VS OLD AMERICA
[This Monday’s Archive was originally published in TTP on February 26, 2009, just over one month after Obama’s 1st inauguration. Today, we are witnessing Trump’s 2nd presidency creating a New America replacing the Old. How it got old is explained by applying the cross-link theory of aging to politics.]
TTP February 26, 2009
What do tanned leather, old hard bread, brittle windshield wipers, cracked plastic lawn furniture, wrinkled skin, and hardened arteries have in common? The molecules in each have been cross-linked, unnecessary chemical bonds or links formed between them.
Put one hand on top of the other and notice how easy you can move your eight fingers in tandem. Now interlock your fingers, making them a lot harder to move. They are "cross-linked."
As you grow older, your body becomes stiffer, less elastic, less agile, and your skin gets more wrinkled. This is due to cross-linking on a molecular level caused by free radical and glycation metabolic processes, or sunlight.
Cross-links hold our structural tissues in a rigid and inflexible relation to each other. Cross-linked arteries are hard, inflexible, and can no longer normally pulse the blood pumped from the heart. The formation of beta-amyloid protein clumps in the brain, thought to be the cause of Alzheimer’s, is a cross-linking process.
Now let’s transfer this from molecules in an organism to people in a society or "body politic."
STRANGLER FIG
Christmas Island, Indian Ocean, Australia. This huge banyan tree no longer exists. It’s been slowly strangled to death for up to a century.
Seeds of fig vines were deposited by bird droppings in the upper branches of the tree, which sprouted and began to grow downward along the tree trunk, sucking nutrients from the tree along the way. Slowly year after year, they coil and wrap around the entire trunk to the ground, literally strangling the tree out of existence until all that’s left are the huge enveloping fig vines. It’s hollow inside – look carefully above the ground roots and you’ll see a shaft of vertical light.
I’ve seen a good many Strangler Figs in the rain forests of Central Africa and the Amazon – but the ones here on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean are the most spectacular. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #280 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
FLASHBACK FRIDAY: RIDING A YAK AT RANGDUM
Rangdum Gompa, Zanskar, August 1993. Ever ridden a yak? Brandon did when was 10 at the Rangdum Tibetan Monastery or Gompa atop a small hill at 13,225 feet high in an extremely remote region of the Himalayas in India called Zanskar. It was part of our Indian Tibet expedition which will be repeating soon – and this time Brandon will be leading the expedition. I’ll just be along for the ride. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #161 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
LOGO UPDATE! DEMOCRAT DONKEY NOW CARRYING SNIPER RIFLE
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In an update to make the party's longtime insignia more accurate in reflecting its modern platform and constituency, Democrats unveiled a new logo featuring a donkey holding a sniper rifle.
Following a rash of violent crimes perpetrated by members of the political left, the Democrat Party held a closed-door meeting that determined adding a sniper rifle to the logo would best depict what the party stands for and who it represents.
"It's the perfect illustration of what our party stands for," said Ken Martin, head of the Democrat National Committee. "Everyone has known the donkey as the Democrat mascot for decades, but we felt that it no longer conveyed the message of who we are as a party. Giving the donkey a sniper rifle gives us a harder edge while letting everyone know what our party stands for in 2025."
Prominent Democrats believe the updated logo would make the party's agenda clearer to voters. "When you're running political campaigns, it's important to make your message as clear as possible," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. "We're the party of threats, violence, and murder, so it's only right for our logo to accurately reflect that. There's also a ‘Vote for us, or else' vibe to it, which is perfect."
At publishing time, Democrats had made the logo even more modern and inclusive for its current supporters by revealing that the sniper rifle-carrying donkey depicted was actually a male donkey that underwent gender reassignment surgery so it could pretend to be a female donkey.
~ Babylon Bee reporting.