Now we learn that ole Joe has it within the power of the Presidency to confer a blanket pardon to all illegal aliens, which is in effect amnesty. This would mean no criminal charges could be levied against any who had crossed the US border illegally. What it does not mean, though, is citizenship. But what becomes very fuzzy is the question of deportation of any illegal border crossers. I think, though, such an act would mean suicide for the Democrat Party. But one never knows what ole demented Joe will do.
Now, too, we have the insanity possibly coming out of the US Senate. Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Mitch McConnell have unveiled a 370 page “Border” bill in the Senate. It is expected to be brought to the floor of the Senate for a vote on Wednesday, 2/7. This bill is a $118 billion package that “overhauls” the asylum system at the border and at the same time gives massive military aid to Israel and Ukraine. It would send $60 billion to Ukraine and $14 billion to Israel. Oh… and more….. It would provide millions to the US defense industry, $5 billion to Asia-Pacific allies, and humanitarian aid to civilians in Ukraine and Gaza. What else could be thrown in? Maybe a new house for Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell! So, we shall see what Republicans vote in favor of this monstrosity of a bill. Of course, old Joe is urging Congress to pass this bill immediately. No surprise.
Fortunately, the indication from the House of Representatives is the Senate Bill is “dead upon arrival”. This message has come from House Speaker Mike Johnson and the House Majority Leader Steve Scalise. The expectation is the Senate Bill will not even be brought to the House floor for a vote. The House will vote on a separate aid package of $17.6 billion of military aid for Israel.
The truth: the USA is broke. The racking up of national debt continues unabated. This is not sustainable. The USA needs to entrench at home. Both the southern and northern borders need to be secured against any illegal immigration. There should be no allowance for amnesty for a time. The only immigration allowed should be legal and only for skills that benefit this country. Otherwise, close the borders.
We are in the fight for survival both internally and externally. Time to become “fortress America”.
The Turtle
There is one more spirit animal to add: the Turtle. The turtle has been with me decades longer than both the Osprey and the Sturgeon. It has been with me as long as I can remember. Even when a newspaper executive and publisher at the Kokomo (IN) Tribune, the turtle was an image on my memo pads. It was on every note I sent to others. I have several framed photos of turtles close by on the wall in my bedroom still.
Some things to think about: My wife is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa (Anishinaabe) Indians. Her great grandmother was a shaman and healer; what I see in my wife as well. We travel this life together.
In the teachings of the Anishinaabee, there was a time long ago when the Creator saw that the Beings on Mother Earth were living in great turmoil and fighting amongst each other. Creator decided to send a great flood to wash away the evil and cleanse Mother Earth for a new beginning. After the flood, the surviving animals searched for many days for land to begin again. The legend goes the Muskrat swam to great depths under the water and brought up a handful of soil. The great Snapping Turtle offered its shell as the carrying place for the soil and Turtle Island was created. Then the Creator sent Anishinaabe ancestors from the stars to live in this new land on Turtle Island. Members of this clan tend to be determined, loyal, and goal oriented. And maybe most of all, they revere and honor their connection with the Earth, Water, and Stars.
Celtic mystics as well tell us that the Turtle stands guard over the entrance to the world of the Fey, a parallel Plane to ours. This creates an intimate connection with magic and other realms normally just beyond our awareness. The Celtic shamans used Turtle energy to help keep them grounded when traveling between the Planes. My ancestry includes that of the Celts.
For both the Anishinaabee and the Celts, it is a sacred duty to care for our animal brothers and sisters and take care of our environment, Mother Earth. Somewhere along the way, most of mankind has forgotten this.
Turtles tend to be slow, careful, and calculated in what they do. When danger confronts them, they have protection inside their shell until the danger passes.
So, the Turtle is the third Spirit Animal I hope will help guide my path forward. What could be better: Turtle, Osprey, and Sturgeon.
Why the Osprey….. & Sturgeon
When thinking about the possibility of beginning Substack writing in addition to continuing my WordPress Blog, almost immediately the Osprey came to mind. The art I have used as the logo was by an artist I knew named Don Gabbert from Minnesota. I have kept this art of the Osprey close for over 30 years. It is precious to me.
At the bottom of the Osprey is a saying written by Don. It says, “It’s Our Earth, Too!” That saying really says it all. We are only one of God’s marvelous creatures that call Earth home. Yet, we are the creature that seems to be destroying it.
The Osprey is a raptor: a hunter. Its primary source of food is fish that it catches by diving from air into the water below; something no other raptor can do. Its sight is phenomenal to be able to see fish in water from very high perches above. Its flight is precise. Its goal clear. Ospreys symbolize new beginnings, healing, and cooperation with nature.
And fish…. Almost all of my graduate work at Purdue involved water environments and fish. My doctorate focused on the evolution of Acipencers: the Sturgeon. The sturgeon are estimated to not have changed for millions of years. They are some of the oldest fish species on Earth. I see them as the “Wise Ones”. In Native American mythology, the sturgeon is often seen as a symbol of strength, resilience, and perseverance. In Celtic mythology, the sturgeon was associated with wisdom and knowledge.
So, together, it is my hope that the spirit of both the Osprey and the Sturgeon will guide my way forward.
Peoples Osprey
Times change and new opportunities emerge. Substack is new to me, but it sure seems to be a path for me to be able to write what I want when I want. In eons past, I was able to write articles and columns for the Kokomo (IN) Tribune at will. You see, I was part of the family that owned that newspaper. I was either in top management or the CEO/Publisher of this then a 34,000 daily newspaper having about 185 employees and over 300 newspaper carriers. All employees were considered family. Together, we were designated the top newspaper in the USA for penetration (subscribers) of its market for 9 of 10 years running; and second the one odd year. On top of that, we were leaders in new technology in the industry. Times have changed since then…. and not for the good. Many communities now are news deserts without a local newspaper.
I do write a blog and have for many years: kentblacklidge.com. I will continue to post on it, but I have become rather erratic in posting. I know why. I no longer have and have not had the decision authority for decades about what goes into the Kokomo Tribune. Since my family sold the KT, this newspaper has passed through two group owners. It is now owned by a group (CNHI) that editorially is way too far left politically for me. The Managing Editor has published columns I have written from time to time, but I have given up that route. It felt constrained. In recent times, when the KT prints a column with which I disagree strongly, I typically will email the columnist directly. Again, constraint given no one else reads/knows my thoughts and writing directly has resulted in fewer blog posts. Not a good reason, but true.
On a national and state level, I write representatives directly. I intend to continue this but at the same time will post any letters to Substack and my blog. I have things to say even if no one else gives a damn about my opinions.
My interests are wide. I have indicated in Substack I would be particularly interested in politics, government, science, and the environment. These interests are not limited to local issues. They would include local, state, and national matters. And what credentials do I have to write about these areas: four degrees from Purdue University which are a BS Industrial Management, MS Conservation, MS Aquatic toxicology, and a Ph.D. in genetics. Those plus over 20 years in newspaper journalism.
In my opinion, honest and open communications between people is the glue that holds communities and countries together. The major media, print and electronic, in the USA have failed. They largely have become propaganda tools of the political left. It is up to us, individuals, to restore the integrity of news offered to the public. We must. I intend to do my part. The Peoples Osprey on Substack is open.
Kent Blacklidge Ph.D.
(kentblacklidge.com and peoplesosprey.substack.com)
The Value of Silence
“We Indians know about silence. We are not afraid of it. In fact, for us, silence is more powerful than words. Our elders were trained in the ways of silence, and they handed over this knowledge to us. Observe, listen, and then act, they would tell us. That was the manner of living.
With you, it is just the opposite. You learn by talking. You reward the children that talk the most at school. In your parties, you all try to talk at the same time. In your work, you are always having meetings in which everybody interrupts everybody and all talk five, ten or a hundred times. And you call that ‘solving a problem’.
When you are in a room and there is silence, you get nervous. You must fill the space with sounds. So you talk compulsorily, even before you know what you are going to say.
White people love to discuss. They don’t even allow the other person to finish a sentence. They always interrupt. For us Indians, this looks like bad manners or even stupidity. If you start talking, I’m not going to interrupt you. I will listen. Maybe I’ll stop listening if I don’t like what you are saying, but I won’t interrupt you.
When you finish speaking, I’ll make up my mind about what you said, but I will not tell you I don’t agree unless it is important. Otherwise, I’ll just keep quiet and I’ll go away. You have told me all I need to know. There is no more to be said. But this is not enough for the majority of white people.
People should regard their words as seeds. They should sow them, and then allow them to grow in silence. Our elders taught us that the earth is always talking to us, but we should keep silent in order to hear her.
There are many voices besides ours. Many voices…”
-Ella Deloria
Stay Healthy!
I have held on to this one for a long time. Ole Joe is telling us to stay healthy. In helping us to do so, he hired a new health secretary……. a man who believes he is a woman. He was Richard Lavine who was married and had two children (wait ’til you see them). He decided to become a woman with a new name: Rachael Lavine. In the process, old Joe fired a very qualified black secretary. Here you go…….
Lavine has a family. Thought you should see them as well……….
Does this make you a bit sick to your stomach??? Rachael is supposed to be telling us how to be healthy. He/She is obese as are his children. Don’t know about the dog in his/her arm. Give me a damn break. This is yet one more of ole Joe Biden’s marvelous decisions.
Joe and about all of the top of his administration really should be in jail. They are both crooked and incompetent or trying to make this country communist. They are taking the country down the tube. I am not sure the USA will survive until January 2025. That is in question. I just pray the military stays strong, reasonably independent, and ready to defend from foreign incursions. We already have millions and millions of military age males illegally in the country. What is the hell do you think they are doing. Working? Yep.
Christmas
Christmas is a time for celebration, reflection, and honoring the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a time for lights and decorations as reminders of the many blessings we have received.
Each year, Marcia devotes untold hours with the most beautiful Christmas creations in our home. This is a picture of one end of our living/dining room. Photos do not do it justice, really. The creation you see is spectacular. To see it is uplifting in this time of real darkness in our country.
And below you see a photo of what I call our “Angel Corner”. It is an antique marble top table in our foyer. All who enter will see it and we both pass by it every time we walk from our bedroom wing to the main rooms of our home. This table display and another in the foyer are, too, reminders of Christmas and the spiritual time it really is. Angels watch over us.
Marcia and I are so grateful for each other. We are, indeed, soul mates. Our walk together on this earth now as husband and wife has now been more than 37 years, but we really found each other close to a half century ago.
We wish you all a very Happy Christmas. We wish you many, many Blessings in the days that come. We ask that you pray for our country, the United States of America, as we all pass through these very, very dark days ahead.
Mark
Mark’s birthday is today, December 9th. Today he would have been 57 years old. Mark died much too early on March 18th, 2023. We can only trust this was time for him to end his path on earth.
Mark lead a complicated life. At birth, he almost died from a blood issue due to antibodies from his mother attacking his blood cells. As it would have it, I was not able to donate blood for him due to an incompatible antigen in my blood. A fireman stepped in and volunteered blood that saved Mark’s life.
Mark was the youngest and fourth in the line of children in the family. He struggled at school early on due to what was much later diagnosed as dyslexia, maybe triggered by his blood issue at birth. No one really knows for sure. He overcame this challenge and graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in retail management; quite an accomplishment.
After college, he first worked for Kokomo Opalescent Glass Company, a then partly family owned business. Later he became the sales manager for a floral container manufacturer. Finally, Mark became interested in real estate, first as a broker. Within a few years, he made the decision he wanted to pursue becoming a real estate appraiser. This required more academic study and being mentored by a licensed appraiser for at least two years. He was successful in navigating all of this.
In 2000, he, with his father by his side, opened a new business: Blacklidge Appraisals. He continued this business to the time of his death. Blacklidge Appraisals was very successful and became one of the dominate appraisal companies in the area market.
Marked loved the fast lane. Early in his life this was through bicycle racing. Then came a trail motorcycle…. a time in a race car training sponsored by his grandfather Richard Blacklidge….. and finally racing of jet skis. This racing was with a close friend who, together, traveled the loop of jet ski competitions. Mark and his friend were both good at racing.
His “cottage” at Lake Freeman allowed Mark to continue with the water sports. He loved time there particularly with his two daughters as they grew up. His daughters were his joy. Mark loved life generally and enjoyed time with friends and family.
I must say something though about Mark’s issues with alcohol. This challenge started really as early as high school. He was never able to conquer this addiction. It remained his nemesis and was the source of many heartaches for him and his family, immediate and extended. Hopefully, lessons can be and were learned from his struggles.
I write this as Mark’s father. I loved and love him deeply. We had many, many good times over the years from the time he was born. I am guessing I spent more time with him over his lifetime than with any of my other three children. We were close. I really miss the good times and I miss just the presence of Mark in this life.
Thanksgiving 2023
Marcia and I are grateful for the many blessings we have received in our lives. Yes, we would have some things be different than they are, but life goes on. We cannot decide what others choose. We trust God.
So, we enjoyed together, the two of us, the preparation of our Thanksgiving dinner. Marcia was the wonderful, loving chef that prepared many of her family’s traditional dishes. And to boot, we had apple pie as desert. The food was presented on Blacklidge family China and bowls and served with Blacklidge Sterling Silver tableware. We felt the presence of ancestors from both sides of our family. They shared with us the time together.
At the same time, we pray for our country and the world. We pray for protection and blessings for those we dearly love.
Now we move on to the Christmas season and recognition of the birth of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Guide.
Humans
“It took most of human history for our population to reach 1 billion—and just over 200 years to reach 8 billion. But growth has begun slowing, as women have fewer babies on average. When will our global population peak? And how can we minimize our impact on Earth’s resources, even as we approach 10 billion?” American Museum of Natural History
Now demographers are predicting human population on planet Earth will peak at about 10 billion. That is when birth rates and death rates are predicted to equalize. The big question is whether planet Earth can survive at this level of human beings. In his book, 10 Billion, Dr. Stephen Emmott, who is the head of Computational Research at MicroSoft Research, does not think so.
Emmott summarizes his conclusions on the last two pages of his book. “The biggest and most important experiment on Earth is the one we’re all conducting, right now, on Earth itself. Only an idiot would deny that there is a limit to how many people our Earth can support. The question is, is it seven billion (our current population [which is now 8 billion]) ten billion, or twenty-eight billion? I think we have already gone past it (at 7 billion). Well past it.”
“We could change the situation we are now in. Probably not by technologizing our way out of it, but by radically changing our behavior. But there is no sign that his is happening or about to happen. I think it’s going to be business as usual for us. As a scientist, what to I think about our current situation? Science is essentially organized skepticism. I spend my life trying to prove my work wrong or look for alternative explanations for my results. I hope I’m wrong. But the science points to my not being wrong. “
“As I said at the beginning, we can rightly call the situation we’re in an unprecedented emergency. We urgently need to do — and I mean actually do — something radical to avert a global catastrophe. But I don’t think we will. I think we’re fucked.”
The two most populated countries on Earth are China and India. Chinese population is estimated at a little over 1.4 billion. India’s population is also at a little over 1.4 billion. In comparison, USA population is about 332 million. The continent of Africa population is a little over 1.2 billion and growing. All ten countries with the highest birth rates are African with those in the Middle East being not far behind along with some in South America. And take a look at living conditions in most of those countries. Many at poverty levels.
What happens then? Population number pressure in one area results in pressure to migrate to areas of lower population and higher standards of living. We are seeing this worldwide which is causing major disruptions to countries and cultures. Look at Europe and the USA now. It is happening. The hordes are moving. And unless there is back pressure, it will continue.
Until we face head on the fact that Earth cannot support an ever increasing human population — or even the current population level — the planet is headed for biological collapse. The wisest decision is to find ways to gradually decrease human numbers and consumption levels and natural resource use over time, but no one appears to really take this seriously. Unfortunately, Dr. Stephen Emmott may be right…… “Fucked”.