Well, it was finally our turn. My wife and I have finally been blessed with the most recent scourge created by the corrupt bureaucrats in our worlds governments. That's right we have been 4 years without COVID but it has finally caught up to us. I predicted during the initial onset, and the world wide hype, that eventually everyone would get it and that one day it would be a regular occurrence like the flu. Seems like that's what it has morphed into today. It is however a very bad version of the flu.

 

   While I have been down on my back, I have had plenty of time to ponder the state of our modern world, where evil goes unpunished and good is hunted down and persecuted. I have to wonder if our world will ever wake up. I doubt it will. Look at the events that have lead up to this affliction. If I can believe the reports, funding for gain of function research was halted by the United States Nation Institute of Health (NIH) in 2014. In December of 2017 that ban on funding was lifted by the NIH. We then began to send US taxpayer (or perhaps it was just US printed) dollars to foreign countries to conduct this research. Those countries included one our leaders have told us is a bad actor, with evil intent as it relates to us. Then a modified, new virus gets released on the world causing untold death and misery. Let's be clear. This tragic event was funded by you and I through the United States Institute of Health (Health is kind of a oxymoron in that name now). Those who made the decisions that resulted in the deaths of millions and untold suffering instead of being punished were rewarded with millions of dollars and continue to benefit in the form of pensions and other related incomes. In addition to their incompetence in fomenting this event, they then did everything in their power to hide the truth once it occurred. The facts recently brought to light through painstaking efforts have revealed that they did everything to cover up their contributions, miss-characterize the nature of the research they funded, and thwart the investigation into the origin of the virus. The results were world wide death, sickness, economic devastation, and the development of a lack of trust in world governments, the pharmaceutical industry, and even, to some extent, the scientific and medical professions.

     It is frustrating to watch highly paid government bureaucrats stonewalling investigators, lying, and selectively forgetting what transpired; to watch misdemeanor offenders spending time in prison, while those who facilitated the deaths of the most vulnerable in our world deny their involvement, deny the truth and live lives fat on the deaths of millions. What has our world come to? I watch as our politicians, who decry the constitutions value, ignore its precepts, take jurisdiction where its not given and relegate their constitutional legislative responsibilities to non-elected bureaucrats. Will we as a society, one day, wake up before its too late? We can't control other world leaders but we can control ours if we choose to. Imagine if we stopped using taxpayer money to fund questionable research, special interest projects, and even world wide conflict. Imagine what could happen if we used our funding to focus on peace, promoting prosperity, and unity in our nation and the world. Imagine if we handcuffed covert agencies who foment discord in our nation and around the world. Imagine if we could use our resources for good and if the world could be convinced to do the same. All the problems that plague the world. now could be resolved. What a dream; no more war, famine or poverty. Unfortunately, it is only a dream. Evil, greed, hatred and the desire for power are too strongly ingrained in many of us, including many of our leaders. I fear we are destined to repeat the evils which have transpired in the past. As long as there is no accountability things will not change. Hang on, I bet COVID is just the first of many evil events to come.

 

Here we go again, making political hay out of a tragedy, a tragedy that likely could have been averted. We blame an inanimate object and not the perpetrator, nor the societal change that has spawned an increase in violence and a lack of concern for human life. Having lost a son, I know well the heart break being endured by the families of those killed in this heinous crime. I grieve for them and know that their pain will be ever present. Blaming a non-thinking, non-acting object will not enhance our safety or stop the increase in violence we are seeing. Blaming the gun is the easy way out and fails to address the root cause what is happening in our society. Unfortunately looking at the root causes would make us face the fact that many of us and our government have embraced programs and values that have degraded our respect for human life and brought many in our society to see violence as a means to an end that is acceptable. So lets look at some of the root causes.

The glorification of violence in our world is as common as a sunrise. We watch movies, television, hear music and use other media that highlights violence and glorifies those who commit it. Those who create our entertainment present us with repeated acts of violence in ever increasing volume and graphic detail. They then are some of the first to decry the need to blame the object when some miscreant acts out on what he or she has been watching for thousands of hours. They insist on the importance of disarming the public while they are protected by men with the very weapons they vilify. It seems as though Hollywood has run out of ideas. Any socially redeeming programming is either a remake of someone's old idea, or is so infused with political undertones designed to influence us to their set of values, that many of us find them offensive. With no fresh ideas, their plot then becomes a hail of bullets, explosions, four letter words, or sexual acts. Then they wonder why some in society act out. Maybe its because it's encouraged by images glorifying violence and portraying the perpetrators as fashionable, attractive heroes. Maybe it's because for hours on end the miscreant has been killing human like images, or watching them be killed, to the point that he or she becomes desensitized and life losses its value. Maybe we need to begin to look at what we are showing our children and quit providing them with visions that demonstrate the rewards they can earn using violence. But wait that would take someone in our entertainment and gaming industries to have a unique idea that would teach respect for human life and simple positive values. Maybe we should turn those images off in our homes and quit supporting those who are turning us toward violence.

The decline of respect for life in general is also a significant contributor. In a society where it is common place to allow the taking of the life of an innocent child in one circumstance and then claiming wrong doing in another is confusing at best. Life is either precious or it is not. Each year we allow the killing of thousands of babies in the womb in respect to the will of the mother and somehow think that it does not have an impact on societies view of the importance of human life. We now, in may areas, allow the killing up to and including at birth because of a woman's right to choose. We ignore the fact that she had a choice, in most incidences, to refrain from having unprotected sex, or to use protection before another life was involved in her decision. In today's world with the availability of modern contraceptives it is hard to see how an abortion can be justified when all that is needed is to choose to prevent the pregnancy before its inception. I find it interesting that many of those who vocally object to the killing of animals and would hang those who abuse them, find it easy to allow the killing of a human heart beat in, and now sometimes outside of, the womb. I find it hard to understand how you can decry violence and embrace abortion, and think that it sends no mixed message to those in our society who struggle with questionable values.

In our society we have drifted to a position where one is no longer responsible for his or her behavior. We see this repeatedly as those who commit acts of violence which result in their death are glorified, in spite of the fact that had they not been violent they would still be alive. We see those who violate our laws released back into society without consequences. We even witness criminal behaviors in the highest levels of government as our politicians enrich themselves and their families, using their positions to sell influence for profit, without consequences. I watched as one judge lectured an offender telling her he would not tolerate her illegal behavior, and he fined her two thousand dollars. She was leading a gang selling meth which had been netting thirty thousand dollars a week in sales in a small community. His sentence was not a deterrent and she was back in court within weeks. I have seen federal and local prosecutors refuse to prosecute or enhance prosecution of violent offenders in possession of firearms, and plea bargains which release gun offenders without consequences sufficient enough to have any deterrent affect. In spite of these situations many would have you believe that the solution is to take guns away from everyone, an act which will have little or no affect on those in our society who ignore our laws on a regular basis. To do this would only leave all of us at the mercy of those who have no respect for the law and no mercy for those who do. Could it be that holding one responsible for their criminal acts and removing them from society, might send a message to those inclined to commit violence. In our current environment we are sending the opposite message. If you fight with police, you are not the problem, police are, and if you are hurt or killed then you are the victim and you and your family are enriched because of your violent resistance to the enforcement of the very laws which keep us safe. When a public authority commits crime they should be punished, but that punishment should come after the same due process afforded others in our communities. No one should be tried in the press or the court of public opinion before all the facts are known. When we villainize those who are empowered to protect us, we welcome violence into our communities.

Our society is headed down the same path taken by so many societies before us. The values which made our country great have been replaced by the same hedonistic values which have destroyed many past cultures. Money is the primary driver in our country. Instead of asking what can I contribute to our society we ask, What am I owed? What do I get? The basic values historically accepted by Judaeo-Christian cultures have been set aside, and even blacklisted today. Thou shalt not steal, or kill, or commit adultery, or lie are looked upon as obsolete suggestions rather than commandments. Love they neighbor has been replaced by what can I get from my neighbor. Respect for authority, love of family, commitment to each other, have all been replaced by selfishness, arrogance and self importance. These changes have been influenced by many in high positions of government, entertainment, sports and even in our educational institutions. Until we recognize that moral values are an important part of a thriving society we are destined to continue to suffer the wages of moral decline.

Inanimate objects are not the problem in our culture. Instead a lack of moral values, a lack of accountability, a lack of respect for life and a societal change which has embraced violence, profanity and other uncivilized behaviors has prompted the changes we are seeing today. It is unfortunate that we will likely continue to blame the availability of guns as the problem. Our current debate will continue to focus on gun control. The powers in government, the elite in our society and those who would like to see us disarmed for political or surreptitious reasons will continue to guide the focus of the discussion away from the true reasons for our current problems with societal violence. Until we stop and face the root causes of our current situation, and work to correct them, we are destined to continue down the path taken by cultures before us and continued violence, social decline and eventual destruction lie ahead for us and our children.

 

The Race of the Rats

I look across, and see him there, he seems a lot like me.

Dropped in the maze of life, are we, to see who first will be.

I scramble forward, down the hall and quickly turn a right,

But as I sprint, ahead with haste, I find a dreadful sight.

A wall before, impedes my path. I’ve found around this bend,

What every rat here, views with fear, the fatal maze dead end.

I turn and run, retrace my steps, a right, a left and then,

Inside I scream, as up ahead, my path, it’s blocked again.

I spin and sprint, but as I do, my thinking tells me that,

No matter how I finish here, I’ll still remain a rat.

So maybe I should slow my pace. I’d probably reach my goal,

And as I did, I’d see the view and own a rested soul.

But somehow, I can’t pull the plug. I scurry, race and run,

As if inspired by fears unease, beneath my mind’s own gun.

And so I’ll finish life’s long race in harried, haggard form,

Because for rats, it’s just the pace, that seems to be the norm.

P. F. Kuhlmann

16, February 1997

 

A Shadow ‘Cross Our Land

Our world was full of light and truth, of joy and children’s smiles,

And then it breached our borders fair with stench, grotesque and vile.

In first our cities tall and strong, where scrapers reached the sky,

A wave of darkness pressed along which would our metal try.

It crept along suburban lanes where families played in peace.

Until their joy was turned to fear, as parent’s trials increased.

It’s moved across the deserts low, passed o’er our mountains grand.

It threatens every girl and boy, each woman, every man.

It turns men’s hearts as cold as stone, makes foes of cherished friends.

As mothers, dads, our youth and mates fall to it’s wicked trends.

It creeps along a solid front, which closes on our time.

Producing naught of helpful gain, promoting filth and crime.

It’s time to stand against it’s wrath. We must press on the fight

If we intend to make a stand as beacons in the night.

If we, at heart, still hold the good, of what our lives stood for,

We must in strength refuse to give when darkness fronts our door.

We must unite our beacons bright and light the shadow’s front.

Reach out to clutch the many souls for whom the shadow hunts.

We must, the saved, their beams enhance and add them to the fray,

So others wandering lost inside can see to find their way.

And though it may appear at times our battle may be lost,

We must with sword, concern, and truth, fight on at any cost.

For if we stop to rest awhile, though weary is our band,

Each moment which we’re from the fight, the shadow crosses land.

The land which we hold near our hearts, for which brave men have died,

Will be entombed in evils black, affecting all inside.

So stand for good with strength and pride in hopes that those who see,

Will join the battle, full of zeal, and fight to keep us free.

Free from the shadow’s drugs and hate, from evil’s gripping hold.

Until as was in early days we stand upright and bold.

Until we push the shadow back and fill our land with light.

Renewed in strength, America, reflecting all that’s right.

P. F. Kuhlmann

23, March 1997

 

Living In the Interface

The view from outside my window for the past several days has been dull, hazy and gray. Everyone in our family has a dry throat and several have a coughs. For the second year in a row we have been subjected to the smoke being belched into the air by uncontrolled Wildfires burning in the great state of California and this year in Oregon too.

We live in a rural valley where the wind blows regularly and the air was clear. The night sky, once dotted with thousands of stars and a view of the Milky Way is now a nondescript canvas of dark gray. The view is not my concern.

The local news reports “As of noon time on Monday, The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) says Davis and Carbon Counties are listed as unhealthy for sensitive groups and Salt Lake, Tooele, Uintah, and Cache Counties have moderate air quality.The DEQ says folks with asthma or heart disease are advised to limit time outside.”Most of the smaller Utah counties, like ours, do not have monitors so UDEQ's warnings rarely list us as problematic. While we have in fact been under a blanket of smoke for weeks, and were in a similar situation last summer. Their warning misses those with emphysema, allergies and other conditions that can be immediately affected by increased particulates in the atmosphere. While I am concerned about those with immediate impacts, that is not my only concern.

The Federal Government owns overly large tracts of land in the west. Those tracts have been mismanaged for decades and even now the BLM and Forest Service would rather spend millions fighting wildfires than invest those funds in mitigating fire in our forests. States like California would rather we spend millions fighting wildland fire, while they gain millions in tax money and handouts, bowing to developers high density plans in unsuitable areas. They are slow to adopt and enforce wildland codes that prohibit construction in the interface, or enforce codes which require adequate safe space between the wildlands and buildings, or adopt and enforce building set backs to limit fire spread between structures. The result each year is hundreds of homes being burned to the ground.

Yes we are in a drought. I have lived in drought conditions more often than not since I moved west. During times of drought wildland mitigation becomes even more urgent. In our area it is not uncommon to see prescribed burns as a means of managing wildfire. These may
work to an extent, but at what price for those forced to endure the multiple days of smoky skies that attend such activity ? There are other ways.

In the 1950's as our government tested nuclear weapons in the Nevada desert. Southern Utah citizens watched unaware and uninformed by their government of the hazards. Soldiers stood in the desert to experience the affect, oblivious to what the future would hold for them and their posterity. Decades later thousands began to show the affects of those tests, even though their government lead them to believe they were safe. My greatest fear is this; what affect will inhaling all this smoke have on my grandchildren? Are they destined to be the next down winder generation ? I am sure the powers that be would tell me that is not a concern even as they tout man caused global warming as a threat and prohibit cigarette smoking in public establishments.

We need a study, conducted by someone other than, and not funded by, our government. How much particulate and CO2 are put in the air by our uncontrolled forest burns ? How much does it contribute to man made global warming ? How safe are our children living under the gray cloud of Federal Forest mismanagement ? What are the likely long term results of exposing western children to the volumes of smoke being generated each year ? Without answers the future of our western children and their families remains in doubt.

 

A rich man stood atop a hill

And looked across his land,

He sat inside his mansion grand

And judged all at his hand.

For all his earthly wants and needs

Were more than satisfied,

Except he had no family here,

No friends, no kids, no bride.

Well if you did compare my wealth

With all he could display,

I think that from a worldly view

You’d find to your dismay,

That I could not produce the total

Cash or land or jewels,

To match the many valued things

o’er which the rich man rules.

But I don’t measure what I have

By standards set by men.

And I would not trade mine for his

Or even his times ten.

‘Cause I have comforts in this life

Which can’t be bought or sold,

They’re treasures which I’ll take from earth

And will forever hold.

They are my loving parents

and the family I have known,

The wife who warms me night and day

And children small and grown.

The memories of times I’ve had,

There’s no way you can tell,

Just how much They’ve enriched my soul

Their warmth you can not quell.

The many blessings I’ve received

In life I can not count.

There’s no way with earths worldly goods

Their value you’ll surmount.

I can’t express my thanks enough

To God high up above,

For all the spirits sent on earth

That share with me their love.

So though he may have millions

With his jewels, his land and gold

I don’t think I would trade him, not

For all his wealth untold.

For when my time is over

And I answer to God’s call,

I know I’ll find that here on earth

I’m richest of them all.

P. F. Kuhlmann

Everyone needs something to provide a guide in their life.  Some call those guides, Mission Statements.  Here's Mine.  It is my daily reminder of what should be important throughout my day.

My Prayer

The wisdom to discern my path is not all that I ask,

let strength of purpose lead me on 'till I complete my task.

Help me to see another's needs, to aid each time I can,

to learn to question only deeds and not condemn the man.

Suppress my tongue, alert my ears another's song to hear.

Teach me to lead with patience long and not compel with fear.

If men offend me by their acts, help me their good to see,

so if in turn I make mistakes, they'll suffer long with me.  

I pray Dear Lord, I'll live content until this battle's done.

Then I and those I knew in life would join Thee and Thy Son.