The thin line between natural and man-made military disasters

The Monday Musings!

Nobody asked me but...

***This past weekend, North Florida was on high alert for severe late winter weather and, per usual, a number of panicking Florida residents scrambled to stock up on all of the food, supplies, and gas that they could cull before hunkering down. 

I did no such thing; I suppose that over 42 years of living in this region led me to conclude (accurately) that there would be some some rain, winds, and cold air, but as a survivor of multiple Category 3 and 4 hurricanes (and one minor tornado) in times gone by, that nothing that mother nature could dial up was worth losing much sleep over—so I lost none!

Ukraine

But I did take a moment to reflect upon how in those ages past, that stocking supplies, boarding up windows, and preparing to be battered by fierce winds and rain hardly compares to that which people in Ukraine, Yemen, and other war torn areas have experienced in recent months due to warfare.

Category 5 Hurricane Michael devastated Florida’s Panhandle (near Panama City) in 2018.

I realize that even should the worst happen here in Florida and a Category 5 storm tears down my home this summer, that insurance will kick in and rebuild the same over time; war refugees have no such assurances and that struck me as profoundly disheartening as I prayed for the masses of refugees in Europe and the Middle East all weekend long...

***Nearly three weeks into his invasion of Ukraine, Russian Dicator Vladimir Putin has shown little restraint in achieving his nefarious military ends. 

Babi Yar (above) was the site of a mass Nazi execution of Jews during the Holocaust; Russian missiles struck near the gravesite that’s marked with a Menorah Memorial during the first week of its invasion of Ukraine

From Russian missiles blasting near the Holocaust Memorial at Babi Yar in the first week, to Russian missiles shelling an Islamic mosque that was sheltering women and children this past week, to reports that Putin is preparing to use chemical and biological weapons to aid in his fight, it is clear that the little dictator has no scruples as he expends billions of Russian rubles to further his imperial aims. 

Russian missiles hit a Mosque in Southern Ukraine last week

I cannot put on my Hobbstradamus hat and predict when this quagmire will end; lest we forget my erroneous prediction that the war would never even begin! 

But as the images from Ukraine grow more dire, and calls for further Western intervention grow louder, I've found myself actually reviewing the old 80's era lessons on "surviving a nuclear holocaust," ones that included "stay inside and stay tuned” (transistor radio), and I've concluded that even with working missile defense systems, that should World War III erupt in the weeks ahead, that America WILL struggle!

I mean, we haven't had enough hospital beds, masks, and ventilators to combat Covid-19 since 2020, so how on Earth would millions of Americans suffering from severe burns and radiation sickness from the nuclear fallout get treated? 

When the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945, while thousands of civilians were instantly vaporized by the initial blast, many thousands more died in the months that followed from severe burns and cancers caused by the bomb's radioactive fallout.

Indeed, it would be a massive mess...

***Speaking of Covid-19, former President Barack Obama has become the latest famous politician to contract the virus. 

In a statement issued via Twitter yesterday, Obama said, "I just tested positive for COVID. I’ve had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise."

The former president added that his symptoms were mild due to his vaccination status, and that Americans should continue to get vaccinated despite the fact that Covid infection numbers "are going down."

The Hobbservation Point wishes the former POTUS good a speedy recovery. 

***Circling back to Ukraine, heroic Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is scheduled to address a joint session of Congress this coming Wednesday morning in a speech that will be delivered virtually. 

While Zelesnky has been adamant that the West establish a "No-Fly Zone" in recent weeks, the fear of touching off World War III has kept most Democrats and Republicans at bay as far as direct American military intervention. 

Ukraine has withstood horrific air attacks from the Russian military for nearly three weeks…

Still, Zelesnky's speech could move the needle towards a more aggressive American response amid worries that Russia very well could capture Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, within the next few weeks and with it, facilitate the establishment of a puppet government that's loyal to the Kremlin.

Stay tuned...

***I am not a huge tennis fan, but I know enough about the sport (and life) to know that perhaps it is time for young star Naomi Osaka, 24, to take a lengthy sabbatical to protect her mental health!

A tearful Naomi Osaka

This past weekend, a heckler at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, repeatedly yelled, "Naomi, you suck," and a despondent Ms. Osaka later said, "I don't know why, but it went into my head, and it got replayed a lot."

Yes, it is unfortunate that some jackasses get their fulfilment from heckling and harassing public figures, and this particular event reminded me of an incident that Deion "Primetime" Sanders experienced during his first year playing for the Atlanta Falcons in 1989. 

When "Prime" had a particularly tough game where he was burned for a touchdown and fumbled a punt return, a reporter asked him afterwards, "hey Deion, there were lots of fans displeased by your performance out there today; how did it feel to get booed like that?" Deion, steadily getting dressed and never even looking at the reporter, replied "those booing fans have to get up in the morning and drive to their miserable jobs and go home to their miserable lives; while I'll probably wake up in the morning, drive to my bank, and count my money…"

Deion “Primetime” Sanders circa ‘89

Now, most folks lack the ability to put heckling fans in their place like Prime did back in '89 (or how Ol' Hobbs would in 2022). But Ms. Osaka's family does have the ability to say "enough" and allow her to take all the time that she needs to feel better!

I wish Osaka and her family well towards that end...

***So, I am no fan of the Kardashian family, and I have always marveled that the scions of a C-list social climber (Momma Kris Kardashian Jenner) and Robert Kardashian, a lawyer who was only on the O.J. Simpson legal "Dream Team" because he was the Juice's best friend, have become billionaires primarily due to daughter Kim making a sex tape 20 years ago with an R&B singer (Ray-J) who is best known as R&B star singer Brandy's baby brother, and because they all have used spray tans and plastic surgeries to make themselves look Black-ish while building a media and products "empire" that has incorporated the Black experience without their ever having experienced being Black in America!

Well, last week, Kim Kardashian, the recently divorced wife of entertainment mogul Kanye West, was interviewed by Variety and dropped the following condescending commentary to the millions of women (many of whom are Black) who follow her: “I have the best advice for women in business. Get your f*cking asses up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days."

Kim Kardashian's “riches” began the moment her sex tape with then boyfriend Ray-J (above) sold like wildfire in the early 2000's

Isn't it "rich" that a woman whose riches derive from sleeping her way to fame and fortune, now has the unmitigated gall to act like hard work in school or the corporate world took her to the top?

Famed lawyer F. Lee Bailey (left) and Johnnie L. Cochran (right), along with Barry Scheck (not pictured), put in the lion’s share of the work that won O.J. Simoson’s acquittal. According to multiple post trial reports, Bobby Kardashian (between Bailey and Simpson), sat at the table most days just to keep O.J. happy.

What's worse is to see people, especially Black people, defending her indefensible comments by suggesting "she's right" or “Kim's a marketing genius" when the truth is that she is a white woman who wants Black rhythm—but none of our collective Black blues!

What’s really sad is that our society places far too much emphasis on deluding ourselves into believing that the uber wealthy of all races have some secrets to success that if we all just hushed and listened, that perhaps we, too, could grow rich and equally successful! A mindset, I conclude, that has been—and remains—a bunch of bullsh*t!

Thank you for subscribing to the Hobbservation Point—have a great week!