Dr. Jack Wheeler
AESCHYLUS AND AMERICA
[Ereyesterday, July 20, was the 55th anniversary of humanity’s single greatest achievement. This Monday’s Archive was originally published on August 31, 2004, and is acutely relevant to today. This is a lengthy essay, which may be more easily read by clicking on the green Print button in the top right corner and printing a hard copy. It is a summation of my thoughts on America’s recent history and the choice America faces this November as it did twenty years ago.
It has the following sections: Aeschylus and Homer – Aeschylus and Neal Armstrong – Getting Drunk – Getting Sober – The Evil Eye – Terrorism As a Pathology of Envy – Liberalism As Fear of the Evil Eye – The Masochism of Liberals – The Pathology of Liberal Anti-Patriots – Aeschylus and America. Enjoy!]
TTP, August 31, 2004: Excerpt
Aeschylus and Neal Armstrong
On July 20, 1969, as I sat with a group of friends around a television in Honolulu, Hawaii, watching with awe a human being place his foot on the moon, I commented, "Neal Armstrong will be the most famous man of the 20th century." Obviously I turned out be very wrong.
America’s landing a man on the moon is the single greatest accomplishment in the history of the human race. It was an act of the purest Homeric fearless optimism. And yet after it, America — like Aeschylus and Ancient Athens –-- had a failure of nerve. Landing a man on the moon was epic heroism on a scale far beyond anything to which any other culture on earth could aspire.
It was a pinnacle that left the rest of the human race too far below. Landing a man on the moon, like the defeat of the Persians, was too unbelievably astonishing. It was a feat that placed Americans too far beyond the rest of humanity. The primordial anxiety that the gods would punish us for our succeeding too much caused us to give up. [And we have been giving up ever since, with the exception of Ronald Reagan, Bush after 9/11, and now, Donald Trump.]
LAND OF THE THUNDER DRAGON
You’ve seen a TTP Glimpse of the Tiger’s Nest, Taktsang Monastery in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. Now’s your opportunity to experience it for real.
Bhutan is a country as close to the Shangri-La of James Hilton’s 1933 classic “Lost Horizon” as you’ll find on earth today. Smaller than West Virginia, hidden between Tibet and the crest of the Himalayas to the steamy jungles of India, Bhutan is known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon. Independent for centuries and never colonized, Bhutan is a magic place that is spectacularly unique.
Experiencing Bhutan is a true adventure. Quite frankly, Bhutan is as fabulously exotic as our world gets. At the same time, no other country is as serenely peaceful as Bhutan, no people more contented and cheerful as the Bhutanese, no land more welcoming and hospitable.
Bhutan’s culture is a unique mix of the ancient Himalayan animism called Bön and Tibetan Tantric Buddhism. The Bhutanese are renowned for being among the happiest people on our planet. They love to laugh, sing, dance, and play – and you’ll be invited to join them. Bhutanese happiness is infectious. One very good reason we TTPers will have a happy time of our lives on our Bhutan adventure this coming November. Read on for more info and cool photos.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – WASHINGTON POST, APRIL 16, 1986
This is the story on me in WaPo that chronicled my creation and implementation of The Reagan Doctrine and established my reputation in DC. The WaPo writer was very gracious and genuinely interested in my story. He told it straight and accurately quoted the people in the Reagan White House with whom I worked. I had no idea, though, that the story would be so large, spread across the front page of the Style section and continuing for another full page.
Unfortunately, you need get behind the WaPo paywall to read the entire article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/04/16/jack-wheelers-adventures-with-the-freedom-fighters/7869872b-a5db-4acf-9ed9-7bc14dac9e9e/. . (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #301, photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HALF-FULL REPORT 07/19/24
Easy to believe an Act of Providence saved his life for the sake of America, isn’t it? The slightest turn of the head at the very last fraction of a second was the difference between life and death by a few millimeters:
Glenn Beaton expressed the consequence many have noticed:
“(At) the Convention, Trump seemed different. He seemed more calm, more at peace. Fire no longer spews from his mouth. Rather, a radiance shines from his eyes. He’s becoming a leader. Not the “FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!” type, although those were his words as his fists pounded the air when he rose from the stage floor last Saturday afternoon.
That was then, when he’d been cowardly ambushed by another messed-up product of our messed-up culture. Trump’s defiance and fight were the natural and right reaction. But bravado now is unnecessary and unhelpful. Now, he knows he’s been tasked with something big, and so do the people. Now, he and they know that he’s fully capable of performing this task. Now, he and they know his orange head has a purpose more noble than being exploded by a bullet, and more graceful than spouting inflammatory rhetoric.
His old opponents in the Republican Party have gathered round him. He has the endorsement of virtually all of them and many who are new to the Party – from Silicon Valley moguls, to one of the world’s richest men, to each of his vanquished rivals, to an ever-increasing share of Black America, to most Hispanic Americans. What they see is what I see: A quiet confidence, an unexpected patience, a deep resolve to complete – or at least resume – a task much bigger than he.
Trump is no longer a man, you see, but a movement. A mission. We’re witnessing something historic.”
Many of the RNC Convention speeches were inspiring and remarkable, but even more so was Trump’s last night – 92 minutes straight of dragon energy, eloquent and profoundly moving. Watch at your convenience the full video here, read the full transcript here.
But before we discuss where we go from here, there’s something I have to get off my chest.
POPEYE’S VILLAGE
Ever see the 1980 movie Popeye starring Robin Williams? It takes place in the seaside town of Sweethaven – and you’re looking at it. The film set was built in a cove on the northern end of the island of Malta in the Mediterranean just for the movie.
It’s now been transformed into a Disney-type fun park for kids and families. Not what you expect to find in an island famous for ancient temples older than the pyramids, massive medieval fortresses that were scenes of battles that saved Western Civilization, magnificently ornate Renaissance cathedrals, gorgeous beaches and breathtaking scenery. But here it is, with shows, rides, and play houses filled with children laughing and exploring. One more reason to love Malta. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #147 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE TEMPLE OF ULU WATU
Built 1,000 years ago on the edge of a cliff hundreds of feet above the sea on the island of Bali, the sacred temple of Ulu Watu is one of the holiest places of worship for the Balinese people. They have retained their unique form of Balinese Hinduism for millennia that incorporates their original animism, ancestor worship, and reverence for Buddhist saints or Bodhisattva. This has resulted in a spiritual warmth and gentle friendliness matched by few other places on earth. It is little wonder so many who come here consider Bali to be a worldly paradise. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #108 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE PILLARS OF HERCULES
On either side of the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar there are two small mountains known since great antiquity as the Pillars of Hercules. The pillar on the northern, European side is the famous Rock of Gibraltar. That on the southern, African side is Mount Abyla, Phoenician for “lofty mountain.”
The legend for the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Romans was that Hercules pushed the two pillars apart to join the Mediterranean with the Atlantic. We think today of Hercules as a comic-book bodybuilder, while the truth is opposite. The entire ancient Mediterranean world very seriously worshipped him. For the Phoenicians, he was Melqart, King of the Earth. For the Greeks, he was Heracles, Divine Protector of Mankind. He was the same for the Romans, who pronounced his name as Hercules.
The Phoenician trading port of Abyla has a history of 3,000 years, from Phoenician to Carthaginian to Roman to Byzantine to Christian Visigoths to Islamic Berbers to Portuguese – and since 1668 to Spain, which continues to govern it today as the Spanish Autonomous City of Ceuta on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco.
Ceuta is a charming European city with beautiful beaches, open air cafés with great sangria, very relaxed and pleasant. It is here you find the statue of Hercules separating his Pillars commemorating the legend pictured above. Easy to get to with high-speed ferries from Algeciras near Gibraltar, Ceuta is definitely worth your while to experience. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #137 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE VOODOO MARKET OF TOGO
The Akodessawa Fetish Market in Lomé, Togo has to be seen to be believed. Here on display is a vast array of animal parts -- heads, skulls, bones, horns, skins et al – for sale to the adherents of Togo’s official religion of Voodoo. They are used to communicate with and pray to the huge variety of spirits and deities they believe in.
What you see here is a very small fraction of the market – there are thousands of animal parts here from entire elephant skulls to small mummified rodents. Behind the displays are stalls where voodoo priests cater to devotees for healing potions or being an interlocutor to the spirits. This is not sticking pins in dolls of enemies. The people of Togo and neighboring Benin believe deeply in their religion. Togo in West Africa is the size of New Jersey and has over 130 fetish markets in the country, with the largest here. This is an experience you never forget.
(Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #273 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
GAME OVER
No Archive today – overtaken by the astonishing events of last Saturday afternoon (7/13) and since. The purpose here is to make one simple result of those events:
It’s Game Over. For FJB’s or any other Dem’s presidential candidacy. For the woke scumbags who run the FJB White House. For the Dem woketards in the House & Senate. For the woke media. For DEI hires in government and business (epitomized now by the head of security for Pepsi Cola in charge of the Secret Service). For the entire agenda of the Hate America Left to destroy our country.
There will be all manner of pathetic whimperings to uselessly prevent this. What will end them quickly would be a full-throated demand by speaker after speaker at the RNC Convention starting today (7/15) that FJB personally, along with innumerable Dem politicians, their media propagandists, and brainless “celebrities” apologize to President Trump for creating the hate that made the assassination attempt upon him possible if not inevitable.
FJB must be made to personally apologize and take responsibility for the consequences of this:
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – CLIMBING MOUNT OLYMPUS
August, 1971. Here is where the Ancient Greeks believed their 12 Olympian Gods lived, on the summit of the highest peak of Olympus – Mytikas at 9,571ft/2,918m. There are 52 jagged prominences of Olympus, but if you want to commune with Zeus, Apollo, Aphrodite, Athena and the rest, this is where you go.
It takes just two days: morning drive from Athens (4 hrs) to Litochoro, then the roadhead at Priona (2,500ft). Afternoon hike of some 3 hours through pretty pine forests to the comfortable Spilios Agapitos refuge (6,700ft) for dinner and a bunk bed overnight. You’re up at dawn for a strenuous but not technical climb up to Skala peak at 9,400ft. In my photo, you’re looking at Mytikas from Skala. It’s a Class B rock scramble – no ropes or gear, but this shouldn’t be your first mountain rodeo. Be careful!
I was by myself at the Mytikas summit and no selfies in those days, so I said my greetings to the gods, and I was back down at the refuge by lunchtime. You’ll be back at the Plaka below the Acropolis in Athens for ouzo and dinner. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #45 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HALF-FULL REPORT 07/12/24
Put another way, this is what we’re up against:
The Democrats’ invasion of illegal alien vampires sucking the blood of taxpayers with Democrat-sponsored welfare like food stamps, free housing, cash payments on and on. All for the purpose of millions of illegals casting illegal votes to keep their Deep State in power. Here’s what you can personally do about it.
Lots more in this HFR so jump on in.
THE CHRISTIAN CATHEDRAL OF A COUNTRY THAT DOESN’T EXIST
Banja Luka, Srpska. You may never have of this country, the Republic of Srpska, that takes up half the size and 40% of the population of the Balkan country of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The entire country was conquered and ruled for centuries by the Islamic Ottoman Empire, thus after the Ottomans fell in WWI and Yugoslavia broke apart after the Soviet Union fell, those Bosnians who retained adherence to Christianity through those centuries of Islamic occupation found themselves greatly outnumbered by those who had converted to Islam (“Bosniaks”). So they (Bosnian Serbs) formed their own country which remains unrecognized by every other country on the planet.
They rebuilt their beautiful Cathedral of Christ the Savior – destroyed in WWII and never allowed rebuilding by Communist Yugoslavia – in their capital of Banja Luka. You can see how gorgeous the interior is from the photo. The whole country is beautiful with its lakes, forests, rivers, vineyards, sprinkled with old castles and charming villages. The people of Srpska are proud of what they have achieved and now simply want to live in peace with their neighbors. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #300, photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE SPIRAL CHURCH OF UVEA
Halfway between Samoa and Fiji in the South Pacific lies the French Territory of Wallis and Futuna. It’s so hard to reach I had to charter a King Air private plane to get here in 2016. The capital is Mata-Utu on Wallis Island which the native Polynesian islanders call Uvea. French missionaries arrived at Uvea in 1837 to convert the islanders to Roman Catholic Christianity. They were Marist Brothers, a branch of the Society of Mary. Today, 99% of the native islanders are Catholic.
The spiral church you see, Église du Sacré-Coeur (Church of the Sacred Heart) was built in the early 1900s out of hand-cut volcanic rocks. The interior is spectacular, and if you look high up on the fourth tier you’ll see a figure in an opening. That’s a statue of Jesus with arms outstretched in welcome to all who worship here. The islanders consider themselves French citizens with representation in both the French Senate and National Assembly in Paris. At the same time they consider themselves ruled by their own king – the King of Uvea (Wallis) and the King of Sigave (Futuna), which the French government recognizes. This is a peaceful, friendly, interesting place. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #299, photo ©Jack Wheeler)
A SULTAN’S ARABIA
Nakhal Castle, Oman. If you want to see an ultra-rich Arab sheikdom with exotically designed skyscrapers, you go to Qatar or Dubai. But if you want a more genuine Arabia of Sultan’s palaces, of forts and castles perched on rocky crags, of traditional villages tucked away in mountain fastnesses, of rock pools and grottoes gushing with spring water hidden in secret valleys, a place out of Arabian Nights rather than one of garish ostentatiousness – then you come here to the Sultanate of Oman.
Omanis are a polyglot people from all over Arabia, Persia, and India who’ve lived here for millennia, creating a cosmopolitan trading society that adheres to its traditional culture. There are fabulous hotels with great bars, concerts by the Omani Philharmonic Orchestra, and once outside the capital of Muscat, an Arabian wonderland so exotic it seems out of a movie. We'll be here again. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #119 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE ISLAND OF SARK
There are five Channel Islands in the English Channel. Best known are Guernsey and Jersey. Least visited is Alderney, along with tiny Herm. Most fascinating is Sark, Europe’s only remaining feudal fiefdom. No motor vehicles are allowed, excepting a few farmers’ small tractors. The governor and chief constable is called the Seneschal. He rides to his office on his bicycle.
It’s an ancient office with a tradition of many centuries. When I was there in 2010, it was held by Reginald Guille, a very friendly fellow as all Sarkese are. We rode our bikes around the island, even along La Coupée, the connecting path along the razor sharp high isthmus connecting two parts of the island – it’s pictured above.
There are gorgeous pocket beaches here, and beautiful natural swimming pools. Flower gardens are everywhere, the island could not be safer, cleaner, calmer, and more exquisitely charming. A few days here will do wonders for you. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #131 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
AMERICA’S CURSE
[This Monday’s Archive was originally published on July 9, 2003, 21 years ago almost to the day. The war that the Mexican government and ruling elite that this article warned about then has become unimaginably worse, with Obrador – yes, the article warns about him too – in power since 2018 and forming an alliance with Chicom China to destroy America via illegal invasion and drug smuggling. Yet upon reflection today, we must recognize that America’s Curse is not Mexico, but Woke Left Americans who want their own country destroyed. It is they who enable Obrador and the Chicoms to succeed in their war against us.]
TTP, July 9, 2003
In a talk entitled "The Map of the Future" I gave last week in Dallas, I discussed which countries throughout the world were or could become the greatest threats to America's national security. At the top of the list, more dangerous than Iran or North Korea or China, I placed Mexico.
The bottomless inferiority complex that Mexico feels towards America is summed up in an old saying known to all Mexicans as "Mexico's Curse," the lament that their country is "So far from God, so close to the United States."
The truth, however, is the reverse. Today, Americans lament "America's Curse," that their country is so close to Mexico.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY: BRANDON AT THE TAJ
August 1993, Taj Mahal, Agra, India. I took my son Brandon here for his 10th birthday. Here is one supremely happy boy. One of the greatest gifts you can give your children or grandchildren is to take them on a great adventure, to explore the world with them. And it is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself. It is a bonding experience that will last all of your life and theirs. Never pass up the opportunity, search for the opportunity instead. This is life-enrichment at its best. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #272 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THEO HOLIDAY WHEELER WISHES ALL TTPERS A HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND!
Happy Fourth Weekend from the Youngest TTPer at 9 months old to all TTPers young and old. Have fun celebrating America’s Birthday! Theo, Jack and Rebel’s grandson.
OUR FOUNDERS
On this July Fourth, it is only appropriate to pay homage to America’s most revered and beloved founders, George Washington, the Father of our country, and Thomas Jefferson, the Author of our Declaration of Independence. It may seem a puzzle to some that Washington’s signature is not on it. That’s because, as Commander of the Continental Army, he was defending New York City from British attack. A copy of the DI was sent to him by express rider on order by John Hancock, which Washington read to his troops on July 9.
It’s best not to think of their reaction to seeing America right now, as that’s too depressing. Instead, we need to summon within ourselves what we can of their courage, genius, and integrity to place America on a path of which they would be proud. May they inspire us all. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #270 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
NO NAKED HOMES IN MADEIRA
Funchal, Madeira. On the Portuguese island of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean, there is a common expression: “A home without flowers is like a naked person without clothes.” Here is an example, one of many thousands. The Portuguese explorers discovered Madeira in 1419. It was uninhabited at the time and always had been, no human being had ever been there before. Over the seven centuries since, an enormous variety of plants from all over the world were brought here and flourished in the eternal spring weather and volcanic soil. Every fruit, vegetable, tree, bush, flower easily grows here, a botanist’s paradise. And a paradise for the people who live here, who love to beautify their homes and towns with gorgeous gardens everywhere. Come with Rebel and me to see for yourself. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #298, photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HEAVEN ON HERM
Belvoir Beach, Herm, Channel Islands. Could there be a more idyllic lunch—grilled lobster, fresh garden salad, chilled Chardonnay – here on Herm, the smallest of the five main Channel Islands. There’s Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, Alderney – and tiny Herm. Less than one square mile, but overflowing with charm and hospitality – from the Victorian White House Hotel to the Mermaid Pub to lobsters at Belvoir Beach. Coming here is a true escape from the worries of the world. At Herm they are a long ways away. Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #177 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE GOLDEN THRONE OF KING TUT
Now on display in National Museum of Egypt in Cairo, the 3,340 year-old artistic masterpiece of Pharoah Tutankhamun and his wife Ankhesenamun portrayed on facing back of the king’s throne chair was discovered by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922.
I was stunned beyond words when I first saw it in 1971, and every time I’ve seen it since, I’m shocked into the same state of awe. It’s not simply the sheer beauty of the blue lapis lazuli, the red carnelian, the silver and the solid gold plate, nor the breathtaking skill of artistry. It’s that the scene is so profoundly, so touchingly human. As she gently rubs oil on to his arms, they are looking into each other’s eyes with the tenderness of love.
This is not some God-King high and mighty ruler and haughty Queen far above their lowly subjects, but a very human man and wife in love. This golden throne speaks to us from 33 centuries ago that back then people were people like us. Our connection to history is our common humanity. I hope someday you will be able to see the Golden Throne of King Tut in Cairo, and be in awe of it for yourself. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #168 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE LEFT’S STILLICIDAL STRATEGY TO DESTROY AMERICA
[This Monday’s Archive was published on July 29, 2016, before Trump’s election. After 4 years of Trump’s finger in America’s dam, the floodgates of Left insanity were opened wider than ever resulting in the political and moral cesspool of America today. Here, eight years ago, is an explanation of the Left’s strategy to create this.]
TTP, July 29, 2016
Let me introduce a new word into your vocabulary, a word that encapsulates the Left’s strategy to demolish every institution of American culture and the traditional values of American society.
The word is stillicide. The dictionary definition has nothing to do with politics, nor does it refer to some form of killing like suicide, genocide, homicide et al. It refers rather to a physical process derived from the Latin stillicidium: stilla, drops, plus cidium, a declension of cadere, to fall.
Stillicide, stilliciduous, stillicidal thus refer to “a continual dripping of water falling in drops.”
How about that for a light bulb going on in your head?
It sure explains, just to take one example, why race relations in America have gotten worse, far worse, after Zero’s election in 2008.
Why have Zero and his minions in the media done everything they could to divide us on race instead of uniting us, culminating today in the fascist thuggery of Only Black Lives Matter and the murder epidemic of white cops?
Because the hideous secret hidden in every Leftie soul is….
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – SLEEPING IN AN IGLOO
April 1990. When our oldest son Brandon was six years old, I took him with me to the North Pole. It was my 14th expedition there, and as always, we stopped to visit friends at Canada’s northernmost community, the Inuit hunting village of Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island. Brandon thought it would be cool to sleep in an igloo, which the Inuit do only when they’re hunting seals or walrus far out on the ice.
So the villagers happily complied, showing him how they built one, carving out blocks of wind-blown snow, shaping and placing them in an inward-sloped spiral with one block on top, and packing snow as mortar between the blocks. When it was bedtime – still daylight with 24-hour sunshine by April – they lined the inside with caribou skins, which shed like crazy with hairs everywhere but sure are warm. Snuggled into our arctic down sleeping bags, we slept like stones.
It was an experience both of us will never forget. Never pass up an opportunity to have an adventure with your kids they’ll always remember. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #50 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HALF-FULL-REPORT 06/28/24
Last night (6/27), observed the NY Post, We Just Witnessed the End of Joe Biden’s Presidency. Here’s just one example of why out of so many. And note PDJT’s off-the-cuff ROTFLMAO funny put down responding to FJB’s lunatic claim the Border Patrol endorsed him: “By the way, the Border Patrol endorsed me not you… Brandon, just speak to them…” (Watch)
It was not, however, just how awful FJB was that has the Dems in panic. It was how good Trump was, gone was the intemperate shouting firebrand, replaced by presidential demeanor who never lost his cool. Watch CNN’s John King explain there is a growing chorus of Dem leaders’ demand that Biden step out and let the August DNC Convention select another candidate: (Watch_
All in all, a massive win for Trump and America last night. And that’s far, far from all. Wait ‘till you read about The Errol Flynn Supreme Court. This has been an incredible week. Let’s go!
THE LION ROCK OF SIGIRIYA
Rising 600 feet above the jungles of central Ceylon (Sri Lanka) is a gigantic rock column revered for millennia as Sigiriya – Lion Rock from Sanskrit. It’s flat on top, used over centuries as a Buddhist monastery and a fortress by kings. In 480, King Kashyapa had the image of a lion carved into the rock as the entrance gate to his fortress-palace on top. All that’s left are the lion’s paws that you see.
It was a risky climb via stone stairs carved into the rock getting to the top. Today there’s a much safer wooden staircase. It’s a pilgrimage site for Sri Lankans where they get to celebrate their history and enjoy the gorgeous view on top. It’s a marvelous experience for you to participate in. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #158 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE AVATAR MOUNTAINS
The gigantic forest-covered stone pillars of Zhangjiajie in a remote region of Hunan are so famous for being a featured location in the Avatar movie they’ve been renamed the Avatar Mountains. You can take a cable car through them to view them from above. Hard to get to and certainly worth it. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #269 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
MONTEZUMA’S CASTLE
When American explorers came upon this extraordinary cliff dwelling in 1860s Arizona, they dubbed it “Montezuma’s Castle” on a whim. The Aztec ruler had nothing to do with it, of course. The Anasazi people built a number of these marvelous structures in the Southwest, high up on cliffs above a river that seasonally flooded.
For hundreds of years the Anasazi flourished, skilled agriculturalists and brilliant at constructing vast irrigation systems. Yet it all came to naught with a devastating megadrought with no rain for many decades, culminating in the collapse of the Anasazi culture and abandonment of their cliff dwellings by the early 1500s.
Another lesson that it is nature that control’s the Earth’s climate, not us. You’ll find Montezuma’s Castle above Beaver Creek south of Sedona. It’s a marvel not to be missed. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #194 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE LESHAN GIANT BUDDHA
Carved out of a cliff face of red sandstone on the edge of the Tibetan Plateau over 1,200 years ago by Buddhist monks, the 233 ft-high Leshan Giant Buddha is the largest and tallest stone Buddha statue in the world.
I took this picture from a boat on the river that runs past it. As you can see by Buddhist pilgrims working their way down the stone steps on the side and in front carrying umbrellas, it’s raining. Rain is so frequent here that a sophisticated drainage system was incorporated into the statue when it was built. It is still in working order. Behind the Buddha’s head, between his two ears, and scattered throughout his body, there are several hidden gutters and channels carrying out the rainwater that have kept the inner areas dry and prevented the Buddha from eroding since the 8th century.
Knowing this adds to the wonder of beholding this extraordinary achievement. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #268 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE CHINESE GLASS HOUSE
[This Monday's Archive was first written on April 14, 2005. To this day, the Chicoms are organizing anti-Japan protests and demonstrations. This coming July 8, as it does annually, they will commemorate the “Chinese War of Resistance to Japanese Aggression” during WWII. That would be a good time for current Japan PM Fumio Kishida to republish his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi’s 2005 letter to then-Chicom leader Wen Jiabao quoted in full below. Updated from him to Chairman Xi.]
TTP, April 14, 2005
His Excellency Wen Jiabao Premier, State Council, People’s Republic of China Beijing PRC
Dear Premier Wen,
It is understandable that many Chinese remain angry at the crimes committed by Japanese soldiers in China prior to and during World War II. It is further understandable that their anger would be inflamed by a textbook refusing to acknowledge this history.
It is, however, not useful to attempt to instill in Japanese today a sense of guilt over actions committed not by them but by their forefathers, not by their democratic government but by a militaristic regime of the past. The Japanese feel quite strongly that the generation who committed crimes against humanity paid for them in full at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Further, since the end of the war, Japan has enjoyed a democratic government instead of suffering under a totalitarian dictatorship. Japanese have had freedom for almost six decades: freedom to assemble, freedom of the press, freedom of speech, and all other freedoms taken for granted in normal modern democracies.
Thus I must ask you, Premier Wen: how many of these freedoms do the people of China enjoy? The answer, quite frankly is: none. The government of Japan was once a dictatorship and is no longer. The government of China still is.
I, along with many of my fellow Japanese citizens, must admit to being astounded at your admonishing us to “take responsibility for history,” and to engage in “deep and profound reflection” on our history. Astounded because you pretend not to see how much this advice applies to you and the Communist Party of China.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – YOUNGEST PERSON EVER AT THE NORTH POLE
April 22, 1990. This is my son Brandon, age six, happily atop a small pressure ridge of sea-ice at 90 North Latitude, the geographic North Pole. I started leading expeditions to 90N in 1978. This was my 12th, and the best weather there we’d ever had. A glorious day at the very top of our planet, and a glorious memory for both father and son.
If fortune favors you with the opportunity, have grand adventures with your children or grandchildren when they are young. They will treasure the memories so much they will someday tell their grandchildren about them. Life is short, carpe diem. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #104 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HALF-FULL REPORT 06/21/24
Welcome to the Summer Solstice and the Inversion of Reality HFR!
Today, June 21, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere – and the shortest, or Winter Solstice, in the Southern. On June 21st, the ancient Incas of Peru held their most sacred ritual of the year at Machu Picchu’s Intihuatana – Hitching Post of the Sun – where the priests would magically lasso and tie the Sun God Inti to the post to ensure it would not die but be reborn so the days would start getting longer again.
First time I was here was in 1960, spending a week by myself exploring it. Many of you have been here yourself. Roping in the Sun made sense, I thought, as from time immemorial everyone “knew” the Sun went around the Earth.
But it doesn’t, reality is the other way around. Denying the reality that the Earth goes around the Sun today would be like, say, a man denying the reality of his not having an XX chromosome and not having ovaries can still get pregnant and have babies because he’s somehow a “woman.”
In fact, the entire Democrat agenda is based on the overt denial of reality no less wacko than someone in America today asserting that the Sun revolves around the Earth. FJB is in full command of his senses, “sharper than a tack.” There is no illegal immigration problem, our southern border is well protected. Bidenomics is reducing inflation, not increasing it. The greatest threat to mankind and the greatest national security threat to America is man-made Climate Change. On and unrelentingly on, a non-stop ubiquitous Inversion of Reality.
MONGOL NOMADS ARE OBLIVIOUS TO US
These Mongol nomads in the vast grasslands of central Mongolia milking their goats have a way of life unchanged for centuries. All of our concerns, worries and fears that plague us are totally irrelevant to them. They don’t know about them and wouldn’t care if they did.
Spending time with people such as these gives you an invaluably broader perspective of life on our planet. Our concerns, the issues that dominate our headline news, suddenly seem more parochial and far less important. An evening drinking kumiss (Mongol beer, fermented mare’s milk) in their yurts, telling stories, laughing at jokes – you realize how easy it is to relate to them through the core humanity we all have in our souls.
Exploring Mongolia in this way is a priceless adventure. We’ll be there again next year, in the summer of 2025. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #9 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET TOO CLOSE TO A 6,000 POUND ELEPHANT SEAL
The Antarctic island of South Georgia is one of the most extraordinary places on earth. Square miles of king penguin rookeries, thousands of fur seals, hundreds of gigantic elephant seals amidst a backdrop of massive glaciers and snow-capped mountains.
All of the animals here have no fear of you whatever and ignore your presence – except if you make the mistake of getting too close to a bull elephant seal for his comfort. It’s a mistake I made as you can see. Luckily, with several tons of blubber to carry, this fellow can’t move as fast as me, so I hightailed it quickly. That satisfied him, and all was soon back to placidly normal again. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #62 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
LAKE BLED
First Lady Melania Trump would instantly recognize Lake Bled, for it is considered the most beautiful place in her home country of Slovenia. It’s a glacial lake up in the Julian Alps near the border with Austria. The small lush island you see has been a pilgrimage site for millennia – first to the Temple of Ziva, the Slovene goddess of love and fertility, then until now to the Church of the Mother of God. For all that time, Slovene couples came here to get married.
There are 99 steps from the rowboat landing to the church, and from ancient times to today, the tradition is that for a happy and long-lasting marriage, the groom must carry his bride up all 99 steps while she must remain silent while he does.
Lake Bled is a place of deep serenity and joyous calm. Come here to experience both. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #178 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
THE OLD MAN OF STORR
Enter “The Old Man of Storr” in Wikipedia, and it wants to talk about the steep rocky face of the mountain in the background called “The Storr.” Google or Duckduckgo the images and you’ll get all these photos of rocky pinnacles and spires. So where’s the Old Man? It’s the most famous feature on Scotland’s Isle of Skye, yet you never see the Old Man himself. Well, here he is.
Look at the three sections of rocks in the foreground. They form a man sleeping on his back. In the first section on the left, you can see in order his forehead, eyebrows, large nose, both lips open snoring, and chin. In the third section on the right, you see his feet with his toes sticking up. In the middle section – well, now we know why he’s embarrassingly renowned, for there is the Old Man’s manhood standing tall and proud.
Ask any Scottish friend of yours if he knows why the Old Man of Storr on Skye is so-named. Then send this to him. He’ll no doubt say, “Well, laddie, this calls for a wee dram or two for us to properly toast the Old Man!” (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #297, photo ©Jack Wheeler)
A BOUNTY ON COYOTES
[This Monday’s Archive was published on May 23, 2006. A bounty on human coyote smugglers of illegals into the US is obviously needed now more than ever – and not just Sheriff Arpaio’s methods described below. Sniper teams tracking them down so they end up like the photo above would be helpful, es verdad?
TTP, May 23, 2006
If you Google "coyote hunting," you'll get 2,790,000 hits. It's a popular sport among outdoorsmen, and a necessary one. As one hunter puts it:
"Coyote populations across the country are exploding and taking an unprecedented toll on wildlife. Zero predator control by state and federal agencies and low fur prices have kept trapping to a minimum, hence predator populations are booming. The opportunity to add some prime coyote pelts to your trophy collection and reduce the predator pressure on the local game and bird populations have never been better."
Coyotes are pests, varmints, hated not only by cattle and sheep ranchers, but by anyone with a regard for all the wildlife they kill. In many states, they can be shot on sight with no permit required in a year-round open season. Ed Boggess, Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources fish and wildlife policy chief explains:
"Coyotes are an unprotected species and can be taken at any time of year, in any quantity, by almost any methods."It's time this perspective is applied to human coyotes - for "coyote" is what smugglers of illegal aliens from Mexico into the US are called.
FLASHBACK FRIDAY – RETRACING HANNIBAL OVER THE ALPS WITH ELEPHANTS
September 1979 – my Hannibal Expedition took two elephants over the same pass Hannibal used in 218 BC across the Alps to attack Rome. There is only one pass that fits the contemporary descriptions of both Greek historian Polybius and Roman historian Livy: The Col du Clapier on what is now the French-Italian border.
Unrecognized as Hannibal’s Pass in 1979, it is still a roadless trail today crossed only on foot or mountain bike. But since our expedition, there are now signs proclaiming it La Route d’Hannibal, and even a life-size statue of an elephant at the French village of Bramans where the track over the pass begins.
The photo you see is us climbing high above Bramans (I’m the one in front with the red backpack). It took us five days to carefully guide our elephants (from an Italian circus) over Clapier and down to the Italian village of Susa. First time in 2,197 years and never repeated 41 years since.
Hannibal’s crossing the Alps with elephants is one of the most epic events of world history. To retrace it yourself with elephants is to make that famous history a part of your life in the most uniquely powerful way. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #15 photo ©Jack Wheeler)
HALF-FULL REPORT 06/14/24
As FJB sinks ever more rapidly into full-blown senility, here’s yet another revelation driving Dems into apoplectic panic. Yesterday (6/13): Trump Makes Stunning Inroads with Young Voters, Not Seen in 24 Years.
In 2016, Hillary won the 18-34 vote by 16 points, Biden in 2020 by 24 points over Trump. Polls released this week shows he’s even or slightly ahead. It’s the same with other critical demos the Dems can’t win without, Blacks and Hispanics.
Everything the Dems try to ruin Trump like their orgy of lawfare makes him stronger. Everything they do to prop Biden up makes him weaker. Worse, they have no alternative. It’s not that the Dems have a thin bench of possible presidential candidates – it’s that they have no bench at all.
Get ready for great fun HFR. Seriously informative too. And it has quite possibly the funniest joke you’ve heard in a long while. Here we go!
MAYA RUINS AND STAR WARS
This is Temple IV at the ancient Mayan capital of Tikal, now in northern Guatemala. It was from the top of Temple IV that the shot in the original 1977 Star Wars movie was filmed of the Millennium Falcon landing (at 44 seconds) near jungle temples (Temples II and III) at the Rebel Base on the moon of Yavin 4.
Built in 740 AD, at 230 feet it is the tallest pre-Columbian structure in all the Americas. While Tikal’s earliest buildings date to the 4th century BC, it was from 300 to 800 AD that Tikal flourished as one of the Mayan Empires most powerful kingdoms.
Then decline set in, with drought, deforestation, overpopulation, and constant warfare with rival kingdoms. With Tikal abandoned by the end of the 900s, it remained covered by rainforest jungle for over a thousand years. American archaeologists began excavations in the 1950s. Today with its major temples restored, Tikal is the most impressive example you can visit of Mayan civilization. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #118 Photo ©Jack Wheeler)