It isn’t easy to be an American. The sometimes contentious proceedings in 1787 that eventually yielded our Constitution were behind closed doors (and windows). But the people were very much interested. When the prolonged debate concluded and Benjamin Franklin walked out of the Philadelphia State House he was asked by Mrs. Elizabeth Powel: “Well, Doctor, […]

Weather suited news, both were grim and gray, Wars dragged on, famine and cholera loom, Gray cloaks hug green giants, we approach a new day, Nuclear tension, are we approaching doom? The morning warms, the trees shed their gray cloaks, But the dire news did not get much better, Politicians shift blame, but problems are […]

Editor’s Note: A trusted group of landed Latin American’s has arrived at Refuge Farm to commence work on the new screened-in front porch. There will be cheerful chaos over the next few weeks around the front Fire Ring, new steel roofing and the joy of summer construction. A Supreme Court in controversy about the nature […]

Over the past four months everyone has become an expert on the failings of the Russian army, air force and navy. In particular, it is well known that Russian equipment is junk, their leadership is nearly worthless, the troops don’t get enough training and the morale is so bad that whole units refuse to fight. […]

Accidents don’t just happen, God isn’t to be blamed, You made a bad decision, No matter how it’s named. No one told you to spend money, That bills would come due is known, And governments are no smarter, Wars don’t start on their own. Printing presses don’t print money, Politicians ordered it done, Everyone knew […]

Thick and hot, it clings to me, I am wrapped up in her arms, Not a single creature stirs, I am smothered in her charms. Lilies, daffodils, azaleas, Already bloomed, petals disappear, Fertile land, green, lush, Saucy, sultry Summer is here. Just the faintest insect buzz, Else the silence is most complete, Not the merest […]

In a recent article, former National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster commented that: The longer the United States operates under the delusion that restraint will appease authoritarian regimes that have made their hostile intentions abundantly clear, Russia and China will become bolder and the risk of a catastrophic war—which Ukraine was the prelude for—will only grow. […]

The idea of using a crisis to make decisions that would otherwise never be allowed is not new. Kings and pharaohs and emperors of all stripes have been doing such things for millennia. Some have gone so far as to generate crises in order to provide the opportunity to “solve the crisis” and in solving […]

My Muse walked the dogs this morning… ’Tis my own heavenly chorus, Must be a hundred birds chirping away, As I walk the dogs at sunrise, These little angels welcome the new day. Busy little hummingbirds humming, As they dart from flower to flower, The most remarkable aviators, I marvel at their skill and power. […]

Editor’s Note: Arrias steps away from Ukraine today…a brilliant sunny one tinged with memory for those who gave their all… – Vic DoD’s Augean Stables If you have been keeping up with current events you will know that there is a war going on in Europe, a big, ugly, high-end war with one of America’s […]