three hundred four

 Ready or not.....

I have been walking seven miles, lost a little weight and doing yoga stretching. I see a chiropractor next week to evaluate my lower back. I want to know if I have a skeletal issue, muscular or I'm just getting old. 

My back hurts when I get up in the morning then settles down after a half an hour. My new knee has little limitations and feels like a normal knee. The biggest issue about it is in my head.

New prescription glasses, a small low risk cancer removed from my chin and next the dentist.

My BP is under control and my last physical went well. I'm about as prepared as I can be except for conditioning.

It is raining today but the next phase is about to begin.....

three hundred three

Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn

"We know they are lying, 

they know they are lying, 

they know we know they are lying, 

but they are still lying." 

He was a Russian novelist and one of the most famous dissidents. Solzhenitsyn was an outspoken critic of communism, in particular propaganda state media and the Gulag system.

He was born into a religious family active in protesting the Soviet Anti Religious campaign in the 1920's. In spite of his religious upbringing he became an atheist and Marxist-Leninist.

Gradually he became a philosophically minded Christian because of his families experience in the Soviet prison system and camps. 

During World War II he served in the Red Army. He was arrested by Stalin's secret police SMERSH for criticizing Joseph Stalin (a joke about his mustache) in a private letter. He was sentenced to eight long years of hard labor in a Siberian Gulag.

Eventually Premier Nikita Khrushchev came to power and he was released. During his years of imprisonment he fully embraced Christianity. He began to write several books critical of the Communist system. 

This was tolerated until Khrushchev was removed from power when Solzhenitsyn was stripped of his citizenship and sent into exile in West Germany.

He then moved his family to the United States, continued to write and speak on college campuses where he was still welcome. 

I do not believe he would be welcome today because of his criticism of  Marxism and support for Christianity. Sad how things have changed.

His books are a tough read but there are plenty of his speeches on line. It is disturbing how pertinent his observations of the Soviet system and the use of propaganda are today. 

He speaks bluntly about our ignorance and naivety. Today I'm sure he would have long ago lost his social media rights because of his thoughts and opinions about government corruption, media lies, the need for faith and exercising freedom......Hmmmmm sound familiar?

This guy was a brave bad ass, he spoke his mind to power and was willing to pay the price. He did not yield to threats, imprisonment and physical punishments. 

He warned us in order to keep what we have we need to understand it,  embrace it and defend it. He was not an optimistic feel good motivational speaker, he was frank, honest and blunt. This is a trait I admire, no bull shit truth backed up with a track record.

After his years of speaking to Americans he said that he didn't think the majority of Americans understand what they have and how easy it is to lose. 

These are some hard truths, I myself intend to prove him wrong.

Nothing to do with bicycles today. Just a rainy day of reading. 

three hundred two

 GOOD vs BAD

if it were only that simple.

There was a time you could tell the good guys from the bad guys, black or white hat, law enforcement or criminal, soldier or terrorist, preacher or drug lord and nun or prostitute. I know there are bad cops, soldiers, preachers and nuns but today if you watch entertainment media these are usually the bad guys.

I'll agree the old good vs bad plots get predictable and in a way boring. In the rebellious 60's the bad guys started to win and the good guys started losing. At first it was an interesting twist but eventually it became even more predictable. 

Today American flags are symbols of hate, preachers are perverts, being a virgin is a laugh line, Santa Claus is a serial killer, war veterans are deranged and police officers are all corrupt.

This began in movies and television and soon oozed into news opinion. Virtue is not expected or valued, in fact it is mocked as old fashioned or conservative. 

I've noticed popular shows like Breaking Bad, Ray Donavan, Dexter and Deadwood have added a new twist. There are no good guys, everyone is compromised. Half way through we realize we are rooting for the hero of the story but they are a drug dealer, murderer or thief.

DEADWOOD

RAY DONAVAN 

DEXTER

BREAKING BAD

Over the decades the value of virtue or any sense of shame have been eroded. It is more then a sense of right and wrong, it is the idea that right and wrong no longer matters.

Diverting responsibility, a sense of entitlement, justified envy and the right to feed our cravings is deemed normal. Once these basic principles have been devalued we drift further towards tyranny or anarchy. 

The bar has been lowered by a double standard justus system, corrupt government, bias media and a move away from the acknowledgment of God.

This has not only effected the individual but it has effected us as a free nation. It is assumed that all of our leaders are tarnished and the few that are practicing virtue are mocked or discounted. We have lost our heroes, at least the virtuous ones.

John Adams was one of the signers of the Constitution. He had a couple quotes I have found insightful.

The turmoil around the world and domestically can become overwhelming. It is not only electing virtuous leaders, passing responsible bills, fairly enforcing laws, reasonable regulation, wise military actions or having informed elections that will right the ship, it is the hearts of the people. 

I may sound old-fashioned or naive but an acknowledgment of God and a sense of virtue must be restored before it is too late. I see a pendulum swing in our country. 

Not Republican or Democrat, left or right, liberal or conservative, pro or con, man or woman but a turning back to the basic foundation of freedom and liberty, virtue. Virtue is a yielding to our conscience to  do the right thing when no one is looking. 

I'm just a guy on a bicycle but observing the people of this amazing country over the miles has taught me not to discount the love for freedom and liberty of it's people. I do not lose hope because I have met the American people.

Most organizations or movements are pulled along by a very small percentage of the people involved. Our country was established and founded by a very small minority at first. It is always possible for things to change no matter where it begins. It is already beginning in the hearts of virtuous people who yearn to remain free, it is contagious.

With this and with God's blessing tomorrow will be a brighter day. 

three hundred one

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

If you have read my blog you know I'm not a fan of todays media. I'm also disappointed when people blindly settle for whatever a media outlet says and regards it as the definitive truth. 

Our media in America has a constitutionally protected charge to be our critical eyes and ears on government. They claim to do in-depth investigation and research. They claim to bring us the most current and accurate information. 

They claim to witness wars, natural disasters, catastrophic accidents, crime and scandals, but it has been revealed that they sometimes never leave the office. This is all to be without bias, agenda or omission. 

1950's DRAGNET Sargent Joe Friday

The days of the trusted news anchor with great hair, reading the days events into our living rooms are over. My parents believed every word these trusted individuals said but history has revealed that even they had clear biases. 

Today the new version of these overpaid beautiful people have revealed their biases and at times a complete lack of ethics. They don't even try to hide it because most think the consumer is unable to hold the correct opinion so they shape what we hear "for our own good".

One reason for this is the corporate nature of news outlets. Being paid millions by a large corporation demands loyalty to the interests of that corporation, it may not be an official agreement it is just human nature. 

If you desire success, a luxurious lifestyle and enjoy being one of the cool kids more power to you but claiming your first interest is integrity and truth is the height of hypocrisy. 

Jet to your summer homes, give yourselves awards, live in your bubble but don't underestimate the average consumer. 

The world wide web isn't the Wild West as it was in the beginning. There are powers trying to control the flow of information but the Genie is out of the bottle. With a little effort and a desire to find information the truth is still out there.

There are always idealistic tech savvy truth tellers willing to risk persecution to report the truth. Over time some will be corrupted by fame, money and power, some will yield to pressure and go away but a few will endure and stay devoted to the truth no matter the sacrifice. That too is human nature.

The key is the curiosity and willingness of the consumer. We have the tools, we have access and an endless amount of information. The key is developing the ability to discern what the truth really is.

It is easier to blindly trust a few sources but I suggest trust no-one, not even me. Many sources may have reliable information but most have an agenda that ranges from a slight slant to out right lies.

Omission is the most deceptive because their defense is we didn't lie we just didn't report on it. This is the most commonly practiced tactic today. If a news outlet does report on it it can be characterized as a fringe conspiracy. Facts aren't up to a popular vote.  

I trust a few principles. I believe the truth will hold up under scrutiny. Test everything, beat it up and challenge it, if it is true it will hold up. If not you will know it is not true.

Read everything, find those side stories that only a few are reporting. If they are attacking a person or organization for their bias, intelligence or character, perhaps they don't want you to hear what they have to say.

Is the argument fact based or emotional? Avoid the so called self proclaimed "fact checking" organizations, they are all corrupted. Be your own fact checker. Read the bill, speech, hearing, interview, report, study or video. You are your best "fact checker".

 Avoid the silly school yard adolescent name calling nonsense it is always a distraction. 

If they are all talking about it look for the things they aren't talking about. The media can be like a slight of hand magician, they use the art of distraction to hide things they don't want you to see.

First you need to ask yourself the question, do I want to know what is actually true or do I want to settle for my truth or what I want to be true. 

No matter what they say there is not a color wheel of truths, truth is truth. I may not like it but whatever it is I want to know.  

I know, this is a bicycle blog. I have been distracted lately with world and national events. When I get frustrated and overwhelmed I find a quiet place and focus on the amazing people I have met along the way.

They were average Americans doing the deal everyday, building something, raising a family, defending the innocent and enforcing the laws. They haul our goods, build our cars, clean our messes and prepare our food. They deserve the truth.

Unfortunately the unwashed are considered incapable of grasping the wisdom they are offering. If it were just a matter of arrogance that is fine but some want to control, subjugate and suppress with the use of propaganda. Then they wonder why we don't trust them. 

I do not think this will change but we can change how we consume news and shape our own opinions.

I was once told to have an opinion but make sure it's my own opinion not someone else's.

Okay, I'm finished with my rant. The weather is changing in Oregon. I have been walking seven miles per day. I'm losing weight, stretching and loosening up my muscles and joints. Mostly I'm trying to ignore my aches and pains and push forward trying not to feel 70. The next couple of weeks the bicycle is coming out and a full on slog to get my bicycle mojo back begins.