The war has been going on for 2 months now....

 

I find it hard to believe that after 2 months, the Orange Monster is claiming that the war (oops, police action, according to government doublespeak) is over.  Doesn't the GOP understand that the war isn't over until Iran agrees that it's over?

Lately, I'm finding the Iranian propaganda videos to contain more truth than what is coming out of the regime in power in Washington.  No one of sound mind believes what the monster is saying.  Yet, the GOP is enabling his irrational actions.  Americans have been both wounded and killed in a war that is resulting in hobbling the world's economy for the sake of Israel and its war criminal prime minister.  But then, war criminals have an interest in sticking together, lest they are held accountable by their citizenry.

What have we gained from this war?  Higher gas prices, and likely disruptions in the food supply caused by a lack of fertilizer impacting this year's crops in the field.  Without our normal supply of grains, we will also see shortages of meat, as farmers will not be able to support the herds of cattle, pigs and chickens we depend on for animal protein.  It's only a matter of time.  

So, what can we look forward to this year?  I see rats leaving the ship - the same people who enabled the monster to gain power are cutting off their support as his ratings tank.  They see the need to keep the attention of their audience, and the only way to do so is to reflect something more resembling the reality their audience is experiencing.  

If the GOP wants even a small chance of staying in power, it must find an acceptable off ramp for the Orange Monster to "gracefully" leave office and keep his illicit gains.  But will they do so?  Right now, no one is able to get the monster to see anything that resembles an objective reality.  The monster lives in a bubble of his own creation, and more weaknesses in that bubble are showing up every day.  His mental and physical health is failing, and it's only a matter of time that someone has to act.

But back to the war....

We will likely see a real deal cut behind the scenes, where the monster gets to claim victory, but no one will believe him.  Iran will get control of the Strait of Hormuz, as the US will not be able to block Iran with America's obsolete technology. Israel will be a riskier place to be, as the war they started couldn't bring down the Iranian regime.  The whole mess saddens me, as what would be my children's generation will be paying for this war long after I'm gone.

At these prices, I might as well buy premium

 

This is the posted price of gas at a Southern California filling station.  You'll note that there is not much difference in the prices of the three grades of gas.  And I expect prices to go even higher before they peak.

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The war between Russia and Ukraine is hurting people the world over.  Ukrainians are getting killed, Russians are suffering due to economic sanctions imposed by the West.  And the West is hurting because of its over dependence on Russian resources. I am constantly reminded of a line repeated often in the movie The Dead Don't Die - "This is not going to end well."  The joke is that Adam Driver's character has been able to read the whole script (unlike Bill Murray), and he already knows the ending to the film they are acting in.  Sadly, what's happening in Ukraine is not going to end well, and it is not a joke.  Nor is the financial inflation which is being made worse by material shortages resulting from this war.

When I first started feeling comfortable going out as Marian, I used to drive all over the place, not worrying about the price of gas.  Now, I am concerned about the price of gas, and for the electricity that will power my air conditioners this summer. I'm no longer concerned about having new frocks to wear on a cruise.  Instead, I'm more concerned that the people I work with will be able to pay their bills.  We've only seen the tip of the iceberg, and high gas prices are only the beginning.

There are many people who advocate for America to be directly involved in this war.  That would be a mistake.  The last thing we need is for two nuclear powers to be officially "at war" with each other.  It is better that we and the Russians participate in a "Phony War", such as America did between 1939 and 1941.  The powers that be understood the need to switch over to military production.  But our government had to officially stay neutral until Germany or Japan declared war on us.  We were able to supply the UK with munitions, and circumvent rules of neutrality by allowing the UK to pickup warplanes they owned, but which we couldn't ship outside the US.  (We parked the planes at the border for the British to pull them safely into Canada without American assistance.)  This is the type of tactic we need to use to avoid starting World War 3.

Right now, I'm almost glad that my relationship with XGFJ ended when it did.  The cost of driving to her place would be excessive with today's gas prices.  Hopefully, she's getting "cheaper" gas where she lives than I am.  But that isn't much of a comfort these days.  Tonight, I paid $4.29/gal for gas.  A few miles away, the price has broken the $5.00 barrier.  Yet, it is already much worse in some areas.  In Gorda, CA, the price of gas has broken the $7.50 barrier. Soon, America will be paying European prices for gas - and we won't know how to cope.

As for me, I'm going to hunker down and hope for the best.  Hopefully, that best will happen soon.