[a comment today - 5 September - at Veterans Today. The subject was the U.S.S. Liberty, unofficially rechristened the U.S.S. Rachel Corrie. The article was by Gordon Duff, VT senior editor]
Thanks for this story, VT and Gordon.
I worry sometimes about the memory skills and attention span of the average American.
If the state of Israel ever wants anything from the U.S, we should tell them: "Until the state of Israel apologizes to the American people for, at a minimum: the so-called Lavon Affair; the attack on and attempted sinking of the U.S.S. Liberty; their role, by commission or omission, in the suicide bombing attack on the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut; and their role, by commission or omission, in the particularly heinous attack, on American soil, on 9/ll, we have nothing to say to them. Once they have apologized for these matters in particular, we will talk with them."
And hopefully, not with the Kazars amongst them. There are plenty of younger Israelis who are of a higher consciousness than those criminals, that we can make common cause with. And tempus fugit. The Middle East is still a powder keg.
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And speaking of memory skills and attention spans: Coming back home from the beach this early evening, I was approaching to cross the pathway there - for skaters/bikers/joggers & simple pedestrians that runs from the beach directly down from Long Beach City itself far into the direction of Alamitos Bay - when a young boy was just coming by with an elderly gentleman, to my left. I waited for them before crossing on over - the way was clear from the other direction - when the old man stopped in his tracks, and simply stood there. I waited; he 'waited'. The young boy with him, with infinite patience, just stood with him, looking at him; trying to fathom what was going on in his mind, as the old man was, obviously, trying to do the same thing himself. I crossed on over, and went on my way; and looked back from the landing a few steps up on the set of stairs that I was taking back to the street level. They were still there.
Two things came to me. One: much admiration for the young boy, for his patience with his elderly charge. And two: much anger again in my life, for this affliction to our elders that we call Alzheimer's. I'm an elder, too; and there but for the grace etc. But that isn't what 'does it' to and for me. What does it to me, is a) 'the system' of health care in our 'modern' western society; and b) how stupid we are, in letting this terrible affliction go on, and on, and on. Apparently thinking that 'they' - that wondrous body of people we call 'the experts' - are doing all they can, to find a cure for it.
They aren't.
They are in thrall to 'the system'; which runs on the profit motive, which runs on the concept that the sicker the people are, the healthier the economy is.
More years ago than I care to remember now I came across information about the role of a deficiency in one of the B vitamins, known as folic acid, in the unhealthy elevation of levels of a substance called homocysteine, that has an association with Alzheimer's. There is also a link with aluminum, deposited in the beta-amyloid plaques in the brain associated with this affliction. When I quoted chapter and verse of the articles and studies I had come across on these two leads to the Alzheimer's Society of the UK, where I was living at the time, I got 'the treatment': Thank you for your letter of, we're doing all that we can in financing promising research [in drug therapy], thank you for your past support of our work, Sincerely. I mention 'past work,' because I finally gave up on that public charity, and left them to their pharmaceutical choices for research. As in other areas, MS and arthritis and I can't recall how many other areas crying for research monies - for drug research. Not prevention. No money in that.
I won't get carried away; as I might well, if I continue much longer on this subject. I'll just say: Comes the Revolution…
Because it will.
Oh, it will.
And the profit motive will be out on its ear. And true research, and treatment, will start taking place, in all manner of areas afflicting humanity today.
Healthwise. And every other wise.
And I sit here. in my comfortable space, and I wonder how long it took that patient young boy, earlier this evening, to help that old man get his brain back in gear, and figure out what he was supposed to be doing, and where he was, and where he was going……
And I would like to run back and say to him, stalled on his path:
Old Man: You are going where we are all going.
Up.
Each at our own speed.
And some will definitely take longer than others.
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