Cactus Flower Cup

 

Scout's Rest Ranch In North Platte, Nebraska

 North Platte Nebraska is home to Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park, the site developed by Buffalo Bill Cody and partners as a working ranch and farm about 140 years ago. It is located just a short 10 minute drive from the heart of North Platte, and heck, if you're in North Platte you might as well pay a visit - it's worth the while.

 

Dogmatic Illusions & Papier-Mâché Saints

Alice sat down to a delicious bowl of sugar coated ladybugs

The breakfast of introverted agitators, and decidedly good for you too

Meanwhile the large Calico cat had to be satisfied with scrounging up grubs

Looking under rocks and logs in the cool morning fog

Lafayette R.H. stood naked in the doorway wolfing down a handful of drugs

His pants and socks and silk underwear warming in the oven

Music blasting from the radio filtered through the hardiest of earplugs

While God whistled in the garden as he posed for his official portrait

The feckless Austro-Hungarian artist sat cross-legged on a bed of Persian rugs

While the ladies of the Theosophists society debated Man's existence

Over the walls twisted vines draped, filled with birds and entangled thugs

Sacrificed at the altar of Koot Hoomi in order to bring peace to all 

Rudolf and Helena toasted to one another's health with half-filled coffee mugs

Secretly laughing as the Pope stubbed his toe on the lava rock walk

How To Become A Respected Expert On Instances Of Extraterrestrials Visiting The Planet Earth

   Humans are an odd lot, which is an incontrovertible, indisputable truth.

   And millions of us odd humans believe that aliens flying around in what were once called UFO's and have now been re-labeled as UAP's (much like water pipes became hydro conduits) have either landed intentionally or crash landed on earth, or have buzzed through earth's atmosphere on an interstellar joyride, which is not an incontrovertible, indisputable truth.

   Yesterday, a congressional hearing (under the auspices of the House Committee On Oversight And Accountability) was convened at huuuuggggeee cost to the taxpayers of these here United States in order to allow testimony from a number of U.S. citizens who are claiming that they have witnessed UAP's with their very own eyes. What made the testimony of a few of those U.S. citizens notable was that three of them were formerly United States Military aviators, fighter pilots to be specific.

   Most prominent amongst the former fighter pilots was former USAF Major David Grusch, who has filed a whistle blower complaint alleging in his capacity as an intelligence officer working for the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency he has read reports/heard from "multiple esteemed and credentialed current and former military and Intelligence Community individuals that the U.S. Government is operating with secrecy - above Congressional oversight - with regards to UAPs"

   In layman's terms, Major Grusch stated "I heard it from a friend who heard from a guy he worked with that his late Uncle was part of a hush-hush government project that is covering up aliens from space coming to earth!"

   If my analysis of his statement seems to be a tad too sarcastic or irreverent to you, no apologies, for that is essentially what he is saying. 

   Decide for yourself  - you can read his opening speech here: https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Dave_G_HOC_Speech_FINAL_For_Trans.pdf

   I'll admit when I first heard his speech my reaction was that he sounded very intelligent and very credible.

   Then I sourced a copy of his speech on the internet and read and reread and critically analyzed the statements he made in the speech/testimony and ended up with a lot of questions.

   My first question of course was, "What is the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency?"

   Short explanation: A U.S. agency that analyzes photos (from satellites? drones? cell phones?) and other sources of information regarding the earth and it's features, naturally occurring or otherwise. 

   Here, see for yourself: https://www.nga.mil/

   Why would a U.S. agency that studies photos of the earth be considered an Intelligence Agency? Your first clue is the domain name - in this case, .mil.

   My guess is the NGIA is engaged in analyzing satellite photos in a search for military assets, or the location of secret nuclear or chemical weapon repositories - the usual activities of a military intelligence agency.

   I would also further a second guess that the people who are employed by that agency are very, very, nay, extremely OPSEC and COMSEC conscious.

  OPSEC stands for Operational Security, COMSEC stands for Communications Security. Happy now?

   Why would I make such guesses? Well, like Major Grusch I was a member of the USAF (though I hardly served as gallantly or in such a vital capacity - I was a lowly E-4 at the height of my career, my primary AFSC being Graphics and my secondary AFSC being Search and Recovery. While neither of those jobs suggest that OPSEC or COMSEC would have much importance or bearing on my career, it most certainly did, just as it does for each and every individual serving in the military of whatever country they are citizens/subjects of.

   Worldwide, military organizations are secretive - there is a global level of paranoia among the military class - loose lips sink ships and all that.

   So when I heard Major Grusch state that he was rebuffed in his attempts to gain access to secret files/evidence he thought existed - simply to satisfy his curiosity - I chuckled a little. 

   I mean, c'mon dude, you do not need to be a Major to know what "Need to Know", means, and you don't need to be a Major to know that the U.S. Military is going to limit access to information even to people at the highest levels due to past experiences with people at the highest levels becoming blabbermouths, and not the whistle blower kind of blabbermouths either, the reveal-valuable-military-info or get-valuable-intelligent-assets-killed kind of blabbermouths.

   See Peter Debbins, David Henry Barnett, William Kampiles, Clyde Lee Conrad, Aldrich Ames, Robert Hanssen, John Anthony Walker (and his son Michael), Lona Cohen, Ronald Humphrey, Jonathan Pollard, Ana Montes, David Sheldon Boone, etc., etc., 

   All of the above were respected, intelligent, admirable-in-their-duties types who turned traitor.

   And don't give me any of that "but Major Grusch was a decorated USAF officer and a fighter pilot!", bullpuckey. I've known quite a few former US military (USAF and otherwise) officers and more than my share of fighter pilots, and while ninety to ninety five percent of them were incredible humans who operated at the highest levels, about five to ten percent of them just knew how to play the game right or knew how to fly jets well enough to pass muster.

   Fighter pilots are notoriously foolhardy, BTW, goading each other into joining the 410 club and buzzing the homes of family and friends for the thrill of it.

   See former pilots (some military, some not) Major Richard Harwood Pearce, Major Daniel Duggan, Steven John Lalas, Captain Phillip Tyler Seldon, Captain Craig Button, Andrew Aycock, Commander Duke Cunningham, etc. 

   But I'm digressing mainly because being skeptical of any persons claim of seeing UFOs/UAPs requires falling down an impossibly deep rabbit hole full of sworn-on-a-stack-of-bibles testimony from UFO/UAP enthusiasts who all seem to share an insane level of passionate belief that not only are UFOs/UAPs real, they are not "unidentified" at all, they are for real real, and the government is hiding the truth from us! (like, rivals the religious fervor of 16th century English Puritans level of passionate belief).

   Which I just do not have time for.

   So instead of being skeptical of Major Grusch's claims (or the claims of any of his like-minded believers) anymore, I'm just going to list the ways and means that will allow you to become, like them, a respected expert of the existence of extraterrestrials who have visited the planet earth.

   The first thing you absolutely must do somewhat goes without mentioning, but of course I must mention it. 

   Right out of the gate you must first accuse the government of covering up the evidence. I can guarantee you without the slightest hesitation that accusing the government of a cover-up, no matter which government you live under, be it the U.S.A., Canada, Peru, Kazakhstan, or even New Zealand, you will soon have followers who will swear that you are absolutely, 100% correct in your assertion(s).

   Second, align yourself with like-minded individuals who have already gained some measure of notoriety with claims of alien visitation to Earth. Especially helpful to your cause will be developing relationships with successful people who have lots of money to further your cause such as Robert Bigelow, John B. Alexander, Linda Moulton Howe, Dan Aykroyd, Luis Elizondo, Jerome Clark, and maybe Joe Rogan.

   Third, ignore the need for critical thinking or that old chestnut "extraordinary claims demand extraordinary proof." Always assert that you know what you saw/heard/read/were told, etc., is the truth.

   Fourth, ignore generally accepted scientific reasons for the improbability of your beliefs such as the incredible astronomical distances involved, the Drake Equation (N= R fp ne fl fi fc L), the unbelievable hostility of outer space as an environment (yeah, yeah, Star Trek and other television shows and movies make it look relatively safe to travel through space, but it is, in actual fact, not), and the lack of one single shred of the aforementioned incontrovertible and indisputable evidence.

   Fifth, disregard critics and any of those annoying "debunkers" as either close-minded, ignorant truth-deniers or government stooges.

   Sixth, throw statistical probabilities out the window. Just because the human race is the only known life form (on a planet teaming with millions of other life forms) that has developed the technology to record it's history, travel through the air without the aide of naturally occurring wings or other flight-allowing bodily growths/functions, and created the technology to destroy itself many times over with a horrific combined nuclear arsenal, doesn't mean that on some other planet a bazillion miles away (and quite possibly further still) another even more developed species similar to the human race (though with bigger heads and smaller bodies) somehow developed an obsession with visiting our small blue marble in order to mutilate cows, anal rape select individuals, and tease fighter pilots with their superior aircraft maneuverability. 

   Seven, and this is a biggie, publish. Publish or perish, that's not just a rule of academic survival, it's the law of the extraterrestrial-visitors-to-earth-belief jungle.

   And finally the eighth and final rule of becoming a member of the extraterrestrial visitations to earth club (expert level) is just believe, for the sake of believing. 

   Because the truth is out there.

Impromptu Globeville Trailer Park

    Most major (and some minor) cities in the U.S. of A. have an impromptu trailer park or two, usually situated in a commercial / warehouse district, or maybe near the railyards, such as can be found in the Globeville area of Denver.

   Some of the residents of these impromptu trailer parks are living life as "Travelers", and are usually just passing through. There are some though who are more permanent residents, people doing the best they can, just scrimping by in the boomtown, and the trailer/motorhome that they call home beats the hell out of a tent, or worse.

Requirements For Getting Along With The Embroiled Billions

 Living in a world 

Where everyone want's you to do right

Would be alright 

If only

Everyone would stop insisting 

That you only do right

The way they want you to do right

Learn that not this

Burn this not that

Ignore that not this

Cherish this not that

Build that not this

Destroy this not that

Eat that not this

Drink this not that

Save that not this

Trash this not that

Embrace that not this

Refuse this not that 

Read that not this

Write this not that

Erase that not this

Watch this not that 

Praise that not this 

Condemn this not that

Touch that not this

Feel this not that 

Do that not this 

Hate this not that 

Love that not this

Sneer at this not that

Laugh at that not at this

Oppose this not that 

Care for that not for this 

Shame this not that 

Revere that not this

Dare this not that

Fear that not this

Dream this not that

Smash that not this

Pray to this not to that

Hope for that not for this

Look at this not at that

Wear that not this

Work for this not for that

End that not this 

Start this not that

Listen to that not this

Take this not that

Give that not this

Push this not that

Deny that not this

Allow this not that 

Tolerate that not this

Forbid this not that

Try that not this

Think this not that

...ad infinitum

A Remarkable If Not Extraordinary Sight

 

Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show Diorama At Fort Cody, North Platte, Nebraska

 

   If you happen to be driving along east-west U.S. Interstate 80 and are anywhere near the smack-dab center of the United States, might I suggest a visit to the Fort Cody Trading Post, which is just off the Interstate on the north side of exit 177 for the small Nebraska burg of North Platte.

   The North Platte Historic Preservation Commission might argue that there are a helluva lot more significant and interesting places to visit in North Platte, and they are most likely correct in that assertion, but the Fort Cody Trading post, while filled to overflowing with trinkets and tacky 1950's television western style kitsch, is also home to the wonderful hand-carved diorama of Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West show created by whittler's Ernie and Virginia Palmquist around 80 years ago.

   Ernie Palmquist was a swing/jazz band conductor in the decades prior to WWII, and a successful one at that. His band released a million-selling hit in the thirties (the pop standard "Music Goes 'Round and 'Round" - look it up on YouTube, you'll recognize it) and traveled all over the country entertaining fans.

   Virginia Palmquist was an acrobatic dancer who was featured in several Big Bands of the Swing era, most notably with Eddie Cantor's ("most notably" means I can't find any other info on bands she performed with).

   While traveling with his band, Ernie picked up whittling as a means to burn off nervous energy, and began creating circus figures during the band's down time (the band toured extensively, and recorded a number of 78s, but evidently there was a lot of down time).

   Ernie and Virginia married sometime prior to 1946 (I state this because by 1968 they had three sons, the oldest of which was a 22-year old Marine serving in Vietnam - I have no idea when they were actually married). Virginia started whittling along with Ernie after initially devoting her time to the creation of circus tents and painting of the figurines - this according to the same article that mentions their sons.

   Ernie's first carvings being circus performers and animals gradually lead to the creation of entire miniature circuses. According to the above mentioned article, that included a 50,000 piece Barnum & Baily circus replica that took 23 years to finish. Virginia Palmquist stated she had created at least 14 Big Top tents (Virginia sewed all the tents).

   According to legend (and my ten minute search on Google), Ernie saw Buffalo Bills Wild West extravaganza when he was a youngster and never forgot the spectacle, which was what lead to the diorama that is now on display at Fort Cody.

   

   This diorama is truly a wonder of Folk Art and is a joy to behold. 

Signs O' The Times

 

Dandelion's In The Heat

It's hot, and it just might get hotter

              Someone set the sun on high and forgot to turn it off

It's hot, and it just might be time to take a shower under the coldest water

              Colder than the A/C, cold enough to chill even the Farmer's daughter

Ninety-Five was the mid-day high, ninety-two if you had some shade

              Cat sprawled out on the porch like an antique tiger rug

Every dog in the neighborhood too hot to even pretend to be dismayed

              Hard to make a play when enduring the sun's tirade

Dandelion's in the field drying out before noon

             Like the desiccated victims of an army of spiders

Blowheads falling short of freedom as their shriveled stalks swoon

             Splayed out in the grass like downed weather balloons

              

Lovely Morning On The Prairie