- Ernest Holmes
April 4, 2025
The January 2025 Los Angeles County fires went through five cities in L.A. County: Altadena, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Malibu, and in the City of Los Angeles, there were fires in the Hollywood Hills and Pacific Palisades.
Los Angeles County and each of the affected cities are working to recover. With all this tragedy and grief, some of the r-wings have tried to spread the lie that it was all because of Mayor Karen Bass, the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles.
If you ever hear someone trying to spread this lie, just politely tell them there were five cities involved. Five cities, five mayors.
This was an unpredicted natural disaster. The dry air from the desert Santa Ana Winds got up to a hundred miles an hour like a hurricane, but without the rain. The officials in the County and cities worked together as much as possible.
Also, despite what the propaganda says, Los Angeles had enough water on hand. The problem was using all the fire hydrants at the same time. They lost pressure.
It's also a big lie that it did any good to release all the water from lakes in Central California. Those lakes are about 270 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Brainiacs.
Trump and Vance Berate Zelensky
February 28, 2025
My Senator Mark Kelly was on TV minutes after Trump and Vance berated Volodymyr Zelensky in the White House in front of the cameras. It made me feel ashamed tp be am American. Right when that happened, Senator Kelly went on TV to condemn Trump and Vance. I called Senator Kelly's office to thank him for his courage to speak out. After that, I received a letter from his office that goes into more detail.
Dear Nori,
Thank you for contacting me about Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. As a former Navy pilot, combat veteran and retired NASA astronaut, it is an honor to continue my service to our country representing Arizona in the United States Senate. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts on the issues facing our state and our country. Hearing from Arizonans helps me better serve our state, and I hope you will continue to share your perspective and suggestions.
After months of amassing Russian military troops along its shared border with Ukraine, on February 21, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin falsely claimed the independence of the Donestk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine and ordered troops into those areas. Russian troops have since further invaded Ukraine, resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians, and have targeted non-military infrastructure that supports public health and basic necessities. Since the beginning of the war, millions of Ukrainians have sought safety in neighboring countries. Putin's invasion of Ukraine is unprovoked, illegal, and needlessly cruel. And he must be held accountable. As Arizona's senator, I have been working to impose maximum costs on Putin and his backers, while getting Ukraine the military assistance it needs to defend its homeland and the humanitarian assistance to support those fleeing the war. That's why I delivered a speech on the Senate floor illustrating the effectiveness of U.S. military aid to Ukraine up to this point in the conflict, and urging my colleagues in the Senate and House to continue working together to pass additional support against Russia's illegal invasion. As Ukraine continues their counteroffensive, we must work quickly to get Ukraine more of the weapons and support they need to beat Putin. Because make no mistake, that's what this is about: whether Vladimir Putin comes out the other side of this emboldened or defeated.
Although Ukraine is not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it is an important partner to the U.S. and other NATO allies. Safeguarding the principles of sovereignty and respect for human rights in Eastern Europe and around the world is a central component of protecting the U.S' strategic interests.
Through my role on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), I have brought my experience as a former Navy combat pilot to Congress as we work to deliver security assistance to Ukraine. Since Russia's further illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the U.S. has committed unprecedented security and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, including more than $75 billion in emergency military, security, and humanitarian funding assistance for Ukraine and countries impacted by the invasion, including people suffering from hunger due to food supply disruptions caused by the war. I have voted for funding for Ukraine each time the Senate has considered funding bills. And each time, these bills have garnered bipartisan support in the Senate.
On April 23, 2023, I voted to pass the Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024, H.R. 815, which included an additional $67.3 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations for urgent humanitarian and security needs in Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and our partners in the Indo-Pacific region. Specifically, H.R. 815 included $48.4 billion of supplemental funding to Ukraine. These resources will provide humanitarian, economic, and military assistance, and support sanctions enforcement. I was proud to vote for H.R. 815, which the Senate passed with a bipartisan vote of 79 to 18 on April 23, 2024 The bill was signed into law on April 24, 2024.
I have also continued to meet with foreign leaders, including Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, to assess current needs and identify ways the U.S. can continue to support our European partners in countering Russian aggression. In April 2023, I traveled to Ukraine to meet with President Zelenskyy and Ukrainian leaders to discuss a variety of topics, including military readiness, energy security, accountability in the use of foreign assistance, and rebuilding Ukraine. In September 2023, I traveled to Poland and Ukraine for the second time , where I met with senior U.S. military leaders and traveled outside of Kyiv to hear from Ukrainian commanders and visit military facilities. I saw how the support of the United States and our allies is being deployed, maintained, and accounted for. I also spoke to Deputy Prime Minister Kubrakov and Ukrainian commanders, pilots, and soldiers about the ongoing counteroffensive and the current situation on the battlefield. I am focused on continuing to get Ukraine more of the weapons systems that are proving effective and can be quickly deployed on the battlefield. That's why I've advocated for the transfer of F-16s to Ukraine to counter Russian air superiority since the early days of the invasion, and why I support DoD's decision to train Ukrainian pilots and maintainers on the F-16 at Morris National Guard Base in Tucson, Arizona. We have to make sure we continue to give Ukraine the weapons and weapon systems they need to be successful. We cannot let Putin win. It's also important we ensure U.S. entities are protected from Russian misbehavior, which is why I have joined bipartisan calls to the Administration to ensure they are preparing our infrastructure systems and communities to secure themselves against potential cyberattacks.
In addition to meeting with foreign leaders, I traveled to Europe and Asia on a nine-day congressional delegation where I met with Ukrainian refugees, American troops, and U.S. military leadership in Poland and Germany. My office continues to meet with Ukrainian advocates and Ukrainian Arizona constituents to hear their concerns about the ongoing war in Ukraine and Russian war crimes, as well as how Congress can continue to support the people of Ukraine in the face of continued Russia's aggression.
Russia's hostile actions are a blatant violation of Ukrainian independence and international law, and we must show resolve in supporting Ukraine's freedom. That's why, in addition to military and humanitarian aid, I have continuously pushed for maximum sanctions on Putin and the Russian government, as well as Russian oligarchs and their families, Russian economic institutions, and Russian industries like oil and gas. I successfully urged President Biden to remove many Russian banks from the SWIFT international financial messaging system and to sanction Putin directly. Before the war, in January of 2022, I voted in favor of sanctions related to the Nordstream 2 pipeline that was built to bring Russian natural gas to Europe. I am an original cosponsor of S.Res. 546, a resolution to condemn alleged war crimes committed by the Russian Federation, which passed the Senate unanimously on March 15, 2022.
I also joined Senator Manchin (D-WV) and Senator Murkowski (R-AK) to introduce the bipartisan Ban Russian Energy Imports Act, S. 3757, to prohibit imports of Russian energy products. The United States shouldn't be fueling Vladimir Putin's illegal war. On March 8, 2022, President Biden announced the U.S. would ban Russian oil, gas, and coal imports. I'm glad that President Biden listened to our calls to ban Russian oil imports. Alongside this effort, I successfully pushed President Biden to take immediate steps to bring down energy prices for Americans by authorizing coordinated releases of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. On April 7, 2022, I voted to pass legislation that ends normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, renews the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, and bans imports of Russian energy products such as oil, gas, and coal.
As Russia's illegal and increasingly devastating invasion of Ukraine continues, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate are united in support of Ukraine, and we will continue working to provide the military and humanitarian assistance needed. I am thinking daily of the Ukrainian people, who want nothing but peace, yet are now under attack and in a war for their homeland. I have supported and will continue to support providing Ukraine with weapons and equipment to defend themselves against further Russian invasion, and will continue working with my colleagues, both Republicans and Democrats, and the Administration to defend Ukrainian sovereignty, punish Putin and his backers, and take steps to strengthen our energy independence.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this issue, and I hope you will continue to contact my office with any future comments or questions. I'm committed to being transparent and accountable with all Arizonans, which is why I release my official Senate schedule at kelly.senate.gov. There you can also sign up for my newsletter, receive assistance with a federal agency and learn more about my work as Arizona's senator.
Sincerely,
Mark Kelly
United States Senator
Fourth Week Since Cold Inauguration
February 12, 2025
We want to get active, and that's good, but I also want to suggest honest good resistance we can do from home.
We are all sad and that's a rational response to what's going on. These people are destroying everything they touch. It's repulsive and immature, like children. It is also true, so majorities of people are sad together. When you are with people, don't try to cover up your sadness. If you need to say something, say it. If it's inappropriate, like at work where you are paid to work, hold it for later.
The best place to air your concerns is with like-minded friends.
Grief is another thing we feel. It reminds me of the fires that swept through Los Angeles County in January.
Another negative side effect of the events taking place, it can really take us down. Is it frightening - yes. But we have to look at it, feel the grief, tamp down the anger, realize this is real and we must stand up to it.
So how do we stand up to it?
You can start at home. Say you look up at the TV and there's new news that is extremely jarring and unwanted. Something like that can trigger a frightened, angry, mood, or it can make us feel depressed and helpless. This is what the fascists want - they want us to be terrified. And these are professional terrorists we're dealing with.
To resist the depression, we need to practice how to get back on our feet. Some people like to take a walk, maybe get out in nature, or gardening. Or there's music, books, movies, and other ways to get ourselves into a better mood. Moods are a consequence of the concerns we think about the most. So we can learn how to rise up as soon as possible and feel comfortable in our own skin again.
Even if these people have the best plan ever invented to overthrow the American government, that doesn't mean we have to surrender our love and good feelings to the dark dystopian conspiracy.
If you stay strong and find a way to elevate your mood when this gets to you, then you can help the people you meet. If you are present in the moment, instead of lost in anxiety, your strength can spread. Courage is contagious and we all need to spread courage instead of validating fear. It is scary, but maybe we can get our country back.
The dark conspiracy people like to break things and cause pain. It's hard to imagine, but they are broken adults, children in adult bodies.
We cannot blame ourselves for any of this. That's another tactic, their propaganda tries to blame others, or groups as the problem, or they blame women, or whatever. Tell your children they are not to blame for any of this.
We are the extras in this show. We didn't write the script. This is coming from the greedy and dark minds of people who worked apparently very hard to have this attack on our government ready to go on inauguration day.
But there is one more thing about staying strong, not bowing to the fear. If we remain sad but calm, and feel empathy for others, we may be able to deprogram the orange man's cult followers when they see what's really going on.
The latest poll suggested the orange man has only 47% support now.
For now the cult followers are not allowed to know all that is going on. The media holes where they get their news, they only know about the "good side" of what's happening. The anchors play the part of saintly pundits who know everything about everything. So they just don't need to read or watch any other news.
The orange man's cult followers are deprived of the truth. So this is a psychological war where knowing the truth would make them back away from the cult and stop supporting the orange one.
Most people eventually leave their cults. One thing that can really help is when a cult follower sees articles about what their guru has been doing, or what has happened in the cult organization.
Once somebody realized they have been deceived and used, they leave the cult and try to catch up on what they missed about their cult leader. Doing research like this can often convince ex-cult members they will never want to go back.
You may notice friends who seem depressed because their guiding light (the orange man) is not who they thought he was. Or they may feel guilty they voted for him, and can't take it anymore. If you are still on friendly terms, they open up to you for advice. Then you can gradually explain what happened. But be careful because they might also get defensive. In a cult, they teach followers to be defensive. It's "us and them."
If we get control over our fear and negative moods, we can be there for friends and relatives we love. Some may never come back to us, but the truth can set us free.
The Morning After
January 21, 2025
Last night I acknowledged that these people are trying to pull a fascist takeover of America. I felt scared when I woke up today, but when the sun came up I felt better. We need to be resilient and reach out to help people who are suffering.
Prepare to Feel Strong
January 19, 2025
I'm sure we all know about Dr. Timothy Snyder and his book, "On Tyranny," where he explains how we get through this together. As a reminder, I'm enclosing the table of contents below. If you need a refresher, you can get the paperback for $8, the e-book for $10, and the audio book for $8 narrated by the author. Amazon.com
I also found an editorial by Sharon Presley I posted on my website about five years ago. She mentions Prof. Snyder, which is how it came up in my search. I'm glad it did! Her editorial builds on Prof. Snyder's work, including introspective guidance to learn to resist. Read here: surrealist.org
Here's a nourishing statement from Robert Reich: robertreich.substack.com
Deepest sympathies and respect for Los Angeles County.
Stay on Track in 2025
November 8, 2024
A few weeks ago my predictions article for the Sedonal Journal of Emergence came out. I've written a predictions article for them every year and it's tricky because the deadline is in September, before any scheduled elections. However, I think my predictions article is responsive to the way the election turned out and what we are facing.
To get through this and hopefully land in a better place soon, here are my predictions for 2025: Stay on Track in 2025.
pray for peace index
