I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
KingMidget's Ramblings
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While I’m Here
Posted by on March 25, 2022
I’ve been pondering writing this post for a week now. It’s a troublesome subject because I don’t want to minimize the real tragedy that is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But … that said …
While we spent last week in Death Valley, we would occasionally listen to CNN on satellite radio while driving around. During one such session, a CNN anchor was interviewing a woman who was a city official in one of the Ukrainian cities under intense bombardment. At one point, as she ran through a laundry list of horrible things that had occurred to her city, she mentioned that the Russians had already used chemical weapons there.
There was no follow-up by the anchor on that. A local government official accused the Russians of already using chemical weapons in Ukraine and there was no follow-up either right then or anywhere else at any time. We are still talking about “if” Russia uses chemical weapons. And it just leaves me scratching my head about this “war.”
This may be the first social media war. (By the way, I hate calling it a war, because it really is an invasion of one country by another, totally unjustified and horrible, but “war” is just easier to use.) The two sides are using social media, warts and all, to push their cases and their causes. What we get for the most part on the news channels are reporters and various talking heads breathlessly reporting on what is happening, with very few actual images of what actually is happening. The same videos over and over and over again and then, on social media, you can see shaky videos and pictures from personal smart phones of this and that. A number of those images from early on were demonstrated to be completely untrue and unrelated to Ukraine.
And a local government official claims the use of chemical weapons and nobody stops and says, “Wait a minute?! What did you just say?!” It just went off into space and … disappeared.
There is always a fog to war, and the propaganda campaigns are frequently just as important as the military campaigns, but it feels to me that the propaganda with this one, from both sides, has risen to a point where I just don’t really know what is going on or who I can trust to present a credible view of what is going on.
All that said, it’s pretty clear that Russia is solely responsible for the tragedies that are occurring in Ukraine, for the loss of life, for the destroyed cities, and for anything else that happens as a result of their invasion. I just don’t know that any of us actually know just how bad or how real any of this actually is because the propaganda masters are in rare form.
KingMidget's Ramblings 
I have been hesitant on commenting on any of it – simply because, yes, one country invaded another, but neither side is without their own challenges of corruption/propaganda, decisions made and how they have run their countries for the supposed benefit of the citizens that live within their borders – – it’s hard for me to forget the news stories/etc. on issues raised within Ukranian borders for years, leading up to this, that is overall, a similar, general humanitarian laundry list they now say the invaders are invoking upon them – but then, I’m not there, I don’t live there nor do I know the truth of any of it – before or now – invasion and war is never pretty for the daily citizens and soldiers of either side – in any conflict – as I so often think of the high price being paid by a citizen, in either country – in BOTH countries – that I figure, I personally have a lot in common with – a wife, mother, sister, grandmother, worker, common citizen – and while the Dogs of Wars bark and Leaders world wide flex muscles and play chess with empire pieces and resources, etc., at the end of the day? It’s the everyday folks, on both sides, my heart goes out to – over and over and over – news media/think tanks/op-ed people? Meh – they, too, have their own agendas to follow – for their own reasons – yes, this is how damn cynical AND broken hearted I am over it – meanwhile? I don’t understand the deep fear and freak out folks are having over nuclear war possibilities – it’s been built and available for use by many countries, in mutually assured destruction, for ever so long – nobody will win that war, not ultimately – ever – and yet, many express their deep fears over it, as if something is brand new ‘possibilitiy’ rather than something that has been either actively or through silent consent, been supported for nearly 100 years – by many citizens, in many countries –
The latest news today is that there is more evidence of Russian atrocities. Of civilians with their hands tied behind their backs and shots to the back of their heads and locals buried hundreds of these victims in mass graves and, unfortunately, I wonder … is that really what happened? I have no faith in the news anymore. Far too many examples of misleading reporting or outright dishonest reporting. And, as you say, plenty of history on both sides of a willingness to abuse people and twist facts to serve their propaganda.
I feel for the people who are living through this and Putin is ultimately 110% responsible, but that doesn’t change the unease I feel about what we are being fed by the propaganda masters.
I have grave misgivings over what each side is reporting/saying but even more, what some leadership, in our own country, are saying, which is often just one line as an aside and quickly swept away by the swell of ‘support Ukraine’ messages, fears over what will Putin do, what will other world leaders do, will this just create an opportunity for China to do…(this or that) etc.
I think, most often the lines that I read that I latch on to and think, why aren’t we hearing more about that?? Are the ones by top military personnel in our country, here and there, saying, “it’s hard to know, truly, what casualties are” – – “satellite photos indicate such and such but we don’t have instant, perfect knowledge of what is happening, right now” – funny, we’ve all be led to believe for our safety/security, our communications tech and ability to see all over the world, moment by moment, for our own wars/our own soldiers, our own intetlligence is latest greatest/known – but increasingly, it seems that while news feeds and shares of social media ‘posts from front line’ streams out a never ending feed of ‘what’s happening’ top folks who supposedly have access to ‘knowing, for sure’ are strangely quiet, or prevaricate? hem-haw around? I don’t know – but from the very beginning, of this whole thing, there have been very disquieting moments to me/my mind as so many seem swept up, instantly and full of conviction, for Ukraine support – many, that to my knowledge, probably didn’t know much or any of recent or long ago history, before this happened – it bothers me on many levels more, than JUST the conflict being waged between Russia and Ukraine – levels that concern me far deeper, and hit closer to home for me, personally, than fears of nuclear war, even really, skitter over the surface of my being – I think others are feeling this too – not that you hear much/read much about it – in all the usual places you can usually find such questioning voices – so, I’m just waiting and seeing – 😀
Yep … everything is being swept under the “support Ukraine” message without any investigation, analysis, or retrospection.
Isn’t it weird that in this time when, with the internet and social media offering so many avenues for information, we end up feeling like we are being more misled than ever before?
About 11 or 12 years ago (I only surmise, because I know I heard it while listening to some college course that was available for free, as long as internet kept up with streaming, when I was first recovering from my stroke) that today, we have quick access to more information than in anytime of recorded history of humans and yet, this access is not helping us to be wiser, smarter or more productive – I still think of that – every time I see promotions/newsletters on tech improvements, new tools, read the news, scroll through Face book feed, listen to podcasts, etc. Now? Hearing increasing chatter about cryptocurrency, virtual neighborhoods, and neural chip so we can read each other’s thoughts/communicate with out words (Elon Musk) and ya know what? I just chuckle to myself, shake my head and think, “Lord, please let me be done and die before that stuff trucks out as ‘required’ for all humans – I really don’t think I can survive witnessing what can of worms and mess those ‘improvements’ will actually deliver to us – ” – 😀
I want nothing to do with whatever technological advances are coming our way. That shack in the woods is looking better an better.