hope

The Murky Future

There are five types of dictatorships in the world. Military, Monarchy, Personal (one man has all the power), Single Party and Hybrid. In 2024, there are about 60 countries around the world that would qualify as being ruled by dictators or authoritarian regimes. Most of these are in Africa, followed by the Middle East and Asia with one or two scattered around other continents. An oligarchy is where a country is governed by a few powerful people. Russia and China are the most obvious examples. The United States is considered an oligarchy by some but is mostly known as a constitutional democracy or a democratic republic. Today there are about 23 full democracies, and the rest are variations. 

The World Population Review describes the impact of an oligarchy on its people as:

“When oligarchy governments become more self-serving, they typically become more authoritative and take on controlling, sometimes even oppressive or exploitative governmental policies. Income inequality tends to increase as wealth is funneled towards rulers instead of those in the working class. The middle class shrinks as the rich get richer and the poor grow poorer. Additionally, a soured oligarchy tends to inhibit economic growth and creative agility due to a ruling class focused on maintaining the status quo, typically at the expense of actions that would benefit the middle and lower classes. Lastly, an oligarchy can result in puppet leaders—weak politicians who present as strong leaders, but are in fact mere figureheads controlled by the oligarchs who funded their election campaigns.“

Think on that for a moment.

The difference between oligarchies/dictatorships and “democracies”:  Freedom. Civil Rights. Respect for human life. When I lived in Russia I came to understand the fundamental differences between the USA (and the West) and Russia. Today the gap between the USA and Russia is closing. People in Russia live in fear. They have to fight just to get through the day. Anything they say against the government or what the government is doing could land them in jail. And if their neighbor is acting up, they will turn them in without a thought. It is them or me. Always. If you have nothing, you have nothing to lose. There is no respect for fellow man. There is no freedom to speak out, to tell the truth. Hate and fear rule.

So how to stay positive? How to go on? Fear is creeping in. I knew the orange one would win this election because I could see it in my neighbors. I could see it all around me. People hating people. Fear. Social media is so full of conspiracy theories that no matter what you believe or what “side” you are on, there is a conspiracy theory for you. 

The orange one is a felon. He should be locked up. He sees women as objects. He is a racist. He lies. He has dementia. His only love is power. And revenge. He is insecure. He could become a dictator and probably start a war, or many wars. Yet, people flock to him. They love him. They voted for him. What does that say about the country? About the people? I knew he would win. It was right in front of my eyes. All around me. His short comings were okay with this followers  because he was able to instill fear in them. He identified an enemy for them to fear. The immigrants. Those people who come across the border and kill and rape and steal. Steal jobs. We have to arm ourselves against them. We have to do something about it. He will be our savior. He will take good care of us. He will get rid of all those horrible people we fear. One woman told a reporter “He will keep us safe”.

It is really pretty simple. 

If you just believe what you are told and don’t check the facts or the details, you can be easily railroaded. There are many, many people in Russia who still love Stalin. What a great guy, right?

Nothing I say will change anybody’s mind. We just have to let it play out.

Good luck!

Week in Review

Happy Bastille Day (yesterday)! The French stormed the Bastille on July 14, 1789. It was the spark that started the French Revolution. Ten years later it ended in a coup with Napoleon at the helm as “First Consul”. They were able to end feudalism, kill their king, come up with the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, draft a new constitution, but in the end they could not agree on how to rule and those in power fought between themselves to the point where the military stepped in. Napoleon went on to conquer most of Europe. Today Bastille Day is celebrated in France and around the world as National Festival Day to symbolize harmony. I find that a little confusing but hey, it’s an excuse to each yummy French food.

I watched the first couple of episodes about Patagonia on CNN this week – “Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World”. What I have seen so far is animal conservation. They are concentrating on species native to the land who are being threatened by the changing environment and humans in general. It is good to know that there are a lot of people out there doing good things to help our planet. I don’t think we hear enough about those things. It is a six part series. You can learn more about it here.

The new version of Jane Austin’s “Persuasion” just came out on Netflix. It did not get a favorable review in the New York Times so I am a bit mixed about it. I will probably watch it since it is one of my favorites. My favorite version is the one from 1997 with Fiona Shaw, Amanda Root, and Ciaran Hinds.

In the news – arrrgghhh. Seems like so many horrible things are happening right now it is hard to take it in. I lived in Russia during both of the Chechen wars and the one thing I remember vividly was the mass killings of civilians and children. What is happening in Ukraine is nothing new.

I made a pretty good casserole last night. The prep was a bit time consuming but it came out yummy.

Chicken Pesto Casserole

Boil 3 medium russet potatoes for about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Two chicken breasts, cubed (I cut them up and cooked them with some shallots and garlic, basil, tarragon, and a little bit of chili powder)
I made a pesto with about a cup of frozen spinach, half cup of sun dried tomatoes, and a small jar of artichoke hearts. (Whizzed in the food processor)
Then I made a white sauce with salt, pepper, basil, tarragon, a little garlic powder. (2 tbsp. butter, 2 tbsp flour, 2 cups milk.)

I added the pesto into the white sauce to combine.
I peeled and thinly sliced the potatoes.

I greased a pyrex baking dish with avocado oil and placed a layer of potatoes in the bottom. Then covered the potatoes with half the pesto mixture, then all the chicken, then another layer of pesto, and topped it off with a mixture of cheeses (about a cup). I used parmesan and a Mexican mix.

Throw it in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 35 minutes. I made everything but the white sauce the day before.

I’m heading to Duluth and a spot right on Lake Superior next week. I’ll let you know how it goes.