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L i k e U s ! ! !

SHOOT TO KILL

Rioting, arson, looting, and mayhem have taken over Democrat-run city after city across America.  There was one Democrat who knew just what to do – Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago.

Confronted with anarchic violence in the wake of Martin Luther King’s assassination in April, 1968, Daley issued the above directive to all Chicago police officers:  they were to “shoot to kill” those perpetrators.  The violence ended in less than 48 hours.

In 1968, it was the Black Panthers conducting the violence.  Today it is BLM/Antifa.  Imagine how our current fascist thugs would fare under Richard Daley.

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TANTRIC BHUTAN

tantric-bhutanThe most fabulously exotic country on earth is the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan.  The Bhutanese religion of Tantric Buddhism is here exemplified by a prayer hall wall painting of Yab-Yum – the physical union of Compassion and Wisdom.  Male compassion is personified as the deity Samvara with a blue body, multiple faces and arms.  He embraces his consort of female wisdom Vajra-varahi.

It is important to understand that Yab-Yum is considered a sacred act as a path to Enlightenment.  It is just one example of how Bhutan may stretch our comfort zone to learn ancient ways and practices, giving us a broader perspective on our humanity.  For an in-depth understanding of Bhutan’s extraordinary culture, consider joining our Wheeler Expedition to the Land of the Thunder Dragon this November. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #16 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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HOW TO AVOID THE LIFE CYCLE AND DEATH SPIRAL OF A REPUBLIC

The Fall of Rome by Thomas Cole, 1836
The Fall of Rome by Thomas Cole, 1836

To understand the extraordinary events in America today, it is helpful to look at the ancient wisdom of Greece and Rome. As the wise historian Thucydides said, “If we forget the errors of the past, we are doomed to repeat them.”

The ancient Greco-Roman historian Polybius (200-118 B.C.) developed a theory of the “lifecycle” of a republic. Like a human being, a republic is born, is young, matures, grows old, and dies.

Ironically, the virtues of an early republic—hard work, honesty, courage, frugality, morality—lead to the great wealth and power which then contribute to its decline.

Imperial regimes become proud and arrogant, depraved, foolish, self-indulgent, and unethical. Sound familiar?

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THE TRUMP MANTRA FOR 2020: MAKE AMERICA NORMAL AGAIN

manaWe could be discussing headline-grabbing issues, such as the Black Lives Matter riots in Chicago (where looting now equals reparations), schoolteachers refusing to teach while demanding pay, or any other Leftist retreat from reality.  But frankly, I'm bored.

I have had it up to here and beyond with the Leftists' dystopian flights from reality.  I want normal life back again, and I think a lot of other people do, too.  Therefore, I'd like to propose a new Trump/Pence campaign slogan, or mantra if you will:

MANA! Make America Normal Again

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SLOVENIA’S VINTGAR GORGE

vintgar-gorgeIn a hidden corner of Europe, the Radovna River pours off the Julian Alps to carve out the Vintgar Gorge with crystal clear water. A mile-long walkway with towering limestone cliffs on either side is your access.

Nearby is the gorgeous Lake Bled, with Bled Castle suspended atop a shoreline cliff.  The medieval village of Piran, built on a spit of land projecting into the Adriatic Sea and encircled by a white sand beach is a short drive away.  Ljubljana is one of Europe’s most utterly charming capital cities.

Most people have only heard of Slovenia as the birthplace of First Lady Melania Trump, but those who have been here understand it is one of the most entrancing countries on the European continent – pristine beauty, spotless environment, friendly and hospitable people, safe and very well-run.  Whenever your next visit to Europe may be, try to include a few days or week or so here.  You’ll never run out of fascinating things to do.  A stroll through the Vintgar Gorge is an example out of so many.  (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #19 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE LOST CITY OF DJADO

city-of-djadoIn the remotest center of the Sahara Desert lies an unknown, unexcavated mysterious lost city known as Djado.  No one knows who built it or when.  Lying on the ancient Roman trade route from the Saharan salt mines of Fachi and Bilma to the Mediterranean, the Djado oasis flourished for a thousand years (the 1st Millennium AD), but has been forgotten and abandoned for many centuries.

The only people who live near Djado in the vast desert wasteland where Algeria, Libya, Chad, and Niger come together, are the wandering Toubu nomads with no permanent settlements.  It is an indescribable experience to explore such a wondrous lost city right out of an Indiana Jones movie that you have all to yourself.    (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #17, photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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HALF-FULL REPORT 08/07/20

hidin-bidenLet’s talk about the Four Stages of Drunkenness.

Every drunk guy at a bar starts at the first stage by suddenly believing I’m handsome!  After another couple of drinks he’s convinced I’m rich!  More booze and he realizes I’m bulletproof!  The final fourth stage is the revelation I’m invisible!  After which others at the bar prove he isn’t by treating him to a knuckle sandwich.

Our Democrat political, social, business, and media elite are just like that guy – drunk at the bar of fascist power.  From Hidin’ Biden in his basement to blue state mayors and governors to Libtard celebrities in super-wealthy enclaves – they are sure of their invisibility to the BLM/Antifa terrorists they’re rooting for to destroy America.

Funny how sobering it is when their invisibility gets a knuckle sandwich of reality.  Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan was pro-terrorists until they went after her own home.

So enjoy this delightful story of ereyesterday (8/05) from America’s worst-governed city: Crime Soars in NYC’s Wealthy Upper East Side as Democrats Move to Defund Police.

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THE SUMMER OF CULTURAL SUICIDE

Ratings Crash for NBA, MLB After Protest-Filled Debuts
Ratings Crash for NBA, MLB After Protest-Filled Debuts

Cultural suicide used to be a popular diagnosis of why things suddenly just quit.

Historians such as Oswald Spengler and Arnold Toynbee cited social cannibalism to explain why once-successful states, institutions, and cultures simply died off.

Their common explanation was that the arrogance of success ensures lethal consequences. Once elites became pampered and arrogant, they feel exempt from their ancestors’ respect for moral and spiritual laws  — such as the need for thrift, moderation, and transcendence.

Take professional sports.

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RUNWAY ABLE

runway-ableIt is a profoundly somber experience to stand here on this abandoned weed-strewn airstrip.  For this is Runway Able on Tinian Island in the Northern Marianas, where 75 years ago today, on August 6, 1945, a B-29 nicknamed Enola Gay piloted by Capt. Paul Tibbets took off with Little Boy in its bomb bay bound for Hiroshima – and three days later on August 9, a B-29 nicknamed Bockscar piloted by Maj. Charles Sweeney flew off with Fat Boy in its bomb bay headed for Nagasaki.

This lost bit of tarmac is the most consequential airstrip on earth.  Be prepared for a deep complex of swirling emotions if you ever stand here yourself. (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #14 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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WHY VOTE BY MAIL IS WORSE FOR BIDEN THAN TRUMP

“Held: Because it is evident that any recount seeking to meet 3 U. S. C. § 5's December 12 "safe-harbor" date would be unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause, the Florida Supreme Court's judgment ordering manual recounts is reversed.” – SCOTUS Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000)
The Democrats are obviously committed to using the COVID-19 pandemic as the latest pretext for achieving their longtime goal of widespread voting by mail [aka “cheat-by-mail”]. They may, however, end up outsmarting themselves.

Democrats are so invested in their revisionist history concerning Bush v. Gore that they have forgotten why SCOTUS actually stopped the Florida recounts on December 12, 2000. That was the “safe harbor” date after which the state’s electors may not have been counted.

The Dems have actually laid a trap for themselves.  Here’s why.

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IS JOE BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN COMMITTING POLITICAL SUICIDE?

whos-whereJoe Biden and the Democrat Party may have seriously hobbled their election prospects in November by refusing to send out staff and volunteers to campaign door-to-door, building the essential “ground game” that helps win elections.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) claim to have volunteers and staff knocking on 1 million doors a week across America.

The Biden campaign and the Democrat National Committee (DNC) claim that they are not committing political suicide but merely adapting to the coronavirus pandemic (what’s the difference?). They told Politico that they can compensate for the lack of in-person canvassing with phone calls, texts, digital organizing, and virtual meet-ups with voters. Right.

The Trump campaign appears to have taken the exact opposite approach.

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THE SANDS OF THE TAKLA MAKAN

takla-makanWhen Marco Polo crossed the Tien Shan mountains and reached the Silk Road oasis of Kashgar in 1273, he faced an enormous desert of endless dunes called the Takla Makan, meaning “You go in, you don’t come out.”  To avoid this fate, the Silk Road at Kashgar splits in two – above to the north of the dreaded sand sea via the oases of Aksu and Turfan, and underneath to the south via the oases of Yarkand, Khotan, Charchan and Charklik.  The two routes came together beyond Lop Nor, the eastern extension of the Takla Makan, at the oasis of Dunhuang.

His father Niccolo and uncle Maffeo had earlier taken the northern route to first meet Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan, but now with Marco they took the southern route.  They traveled in caravans of two-humped Bactrian camels, often crossing dunes on the edge – just like the photo you see.  In 2008, I retraced Polo’s route along the southern route – part of it by motorized hang glider. He would be fascinated, I’m sure, to see what a camel caravan looks like from the air! (Glimpses of Our Breathtaking World #13 photo ©Jack Wheeler)

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THE NEW OLD OBAMA

cartoon-obamaIn his latest incarnation as president emeritus and corporate multimillionaire community activist, we are reminded of the earlier Barack Obama of “get in their face,” “take a gun to a knife fight,” and “punish our enemies” vintage.

From time to time, Obama ventures from his hilltop, seaside, $12 million “you didn’t build that” Martha’s Vineyard Estate or his tony Washington, D.C. $8 million “spread the wealth” mansion to lecture the nation on all of its racist sins, past and present.

Obama has always been blind and deaf to the irony of himself. When the truth is finally known, the nation will learn that the Obama Administration was one of the most corrupt in history.  But for now, he is in our face again.  Why?

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