Motes For the Longest Day of the Week

Break open the piggy bank: At the present, $29,000,000,000,000.00 dollars is the National Debt. To pay the existing debt, you would need to bank one dollar, every second, of every minute, of every day since Jan 1, 1181 AD.

They never forget their way home: After a 18-month-long journey, a herd of wandering elephants in China appear to be heading home. The 14 Asian elephants, down from 16 that began the trek, have made an 807-mile journey and now appear to be headed toward a protected habitat in southwest China. The elephants left the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, a nature reserve, near the city of Pu’er in March of 2020 and have been walking since. The herd still has 125 miles to go before returning home. The Chinese Government has cleared the way, sometimes urged the herd so they would pass towns. Nobody knows why they started their “walk about”.

Justice delayed is justice denied: An accused Nazi Guard, 100 years old, will go to trial in a German court. He is charged with 3,518 counts of “Accessory to Murder”. He is accused of being a member of the Nazi SS  at the Sachsenhausen Camp between 1942-1945. On one hand I say, “he’s 100 years old. WTH?” But I have to stand with the trial as justice has no time limit. A man must be prepared to answer of his actions, no matter how long it takes.

Justice?: In another trial, Hamid Noury, 60, has been in custody in Sweden for almost two years and is accused of having played a leading role in the killing of political prisoners executed on government orders at the Gohardasht prison in Karaj, Iran, in 1988. Under Swedish law, courts can try Swedish citizens and other nationals for crimes against international law committed abroad. President Ebrahim Raisi, who was inaugurated last week and who is under U.S. sanctions,  when asked about the allegations, told reporters after his election in June that he had defended national security and human rights. Ebrahmin Raisi is also known as the “Butcher of Tehran.” I’m confused at how Sweden has jurisdiction over an Iranian citizen who committed “crimes” in another country..

 Injustice: For over 200 years, the Gurkha’s have been part of the British army. They follow the same rules, regulations and often are the “point of the spear”. Sons follow fathers, who followed their father, and selection is hard and tough. It wasn’t until 2009, all retired Gurkhas won the right to live in the UK.  The major difference was the Gurkha Pension Scheme (GPS) was based on Indian Army rates for those with at least 15 years’ service. The government says it was designed for retirement in Nepal, where the cost of living is significantly lower than in the UK. It was not based on their actual service. A retired Gurkha receives a pension was only £47 a month, where a British veteran gets over £800 a month. Gurkha veterans are on hunger strike outside Downing Street for better and equal pay and benefits. I make no secret of my respect for the Gurkha soldier. This is wrong. This should be taken care of ASAP.

Overworked: President Joe Biden’s vacation plans, like those of so many Americans during this national summer of uncertainty, keep changing. He’s been “working” now for 217 days and needs a vacation?

Major strange: The first full trailer for the new Nicolas Cage movie Prisoners of the Ghostland is here and it features a bold proclamation from the star himself. In the trailer, Cage is quoted as saying Ghostland is “The wildest movie I’ve ever made.” Considering Cage made “Drive Angry”, “Ghost Rider” and “City of Angels”, Prisoners has got be way out there.

It never changes: The Pentagon announced Thursday it will deploy three infantry battalions, or roughly 3,000 troops, to assist with the reduction of American civilians at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, and the evacuation of Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants from the country.

Saigon, 1975. Or Kabul 2021 ?

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