Daniel J. Arthur’s Journal

Sometimes when I dream a conversation replays from the previous day. This was one of those nights. I really didn’t know if I was awake and remembering or still sleeping in a dream. But, the old man had a lot to say.

“You guys have to carry the flag. There is no telling what the voting and non-voting public will decide. We can’t leave our future to chance. These Republican a’hooks are willing to sell their soul three and four times to get a few more votes in a district with an electoral college vote on the line in a close call state. Lie, lie, lie they will. Even the clergy and pastors are upside down in many cases,” Jake told us with urgency as he nursed a light beer at the head of table, while the rest of us ate our take out food.

We remained mostly quiet as he continued to remind us, “They have so much money they get from the unscrupulous billionaires that want more tax cuts and more loopholes and market failures to exploit. They are desperate to continue robbing us blind. And, they, like their sex crazed idol in Russia, want to continue to exploit a weaker and weaker middle class. Your misery, their gain. No matter that it is a race to the bottom, as they believe they can build little bits of heaven in their estates. Who cares what’s on the outside?”

We ate a little more in silence. We were quite tired from a day at our keyboards with a few more hours to go for most of us.

Jerry, the smallest among us, sitting straight across from Jake said, “We know all that Jake or we wouldn’t be here. What is it you would have us do? I mean, more than we are now? We know the Republicans are fake except for their desire for more money and power for the benefit of a few – true fascists – king wannabes.”

“We’ve got to go deeper,” Jake went on, “in addition to trying to protect the free world from the cyber wars as we have, we need to become more proactive and bold in defeating the lovers of money and power.” Jake started pulling and twisting his well trimmed though ample gray beard like he did when he was in the middle of his thinking out loud.

“We need to become more robust than cybersecurity technicians. We need to start using our skill to counterattack and just plain old attack these enemies of the free world. And, we need to develop our own sophisticated weapons, special forces teams and agents to take the attack to these goons,” Jake paused his manly, deep voice and sipped some more of his beer, we were still eating. “We can’t leave this to chance. Our families and friends and just every innocent person on the planet. This exploitation of Earth and everything on it has got to stop.”

Now I am awake. I was next to Purdy in bed, and I realized I was no longer in a dream state. I was remembering more about what Jake was telling us. I could see him clearly though my eyes were still closed as I remained still so as not to disturb Purdy. He has a handsome older, light skinned black man. He had told me he was 80. He looked much younger, but certainly more mature than the crew. He reminded us of the threat from the Kremlin within the Republican Party as he said it was hijacked by the Kremlin with the help of the oligarchs who operated with impunity and cash worldwide. They were the special forces of the Kremlin and CCP and other irrational enemies of democracy. He couldn’t stand that these leaders were at the top of the human trafficking food chain, enabled by the likes of top GOP officials.

Jake of course covered all the shady behaviors of the various Republican leaders, including the volume of lies. Any serious lie should be unacceptable and retracted, yet they just keep lying terrible lies with no substance for us as voters. What he hates the most is the amount of scare tactics to get the elderly so afraid when they don’t need to be. There are no decent or reasonable policies, just hate and scare tactics. All the big money to get more power and money with no real benefits for the voters – only less and worse.

I drifted back to sleep to awaken to Purdy’s alarm. She quickly turned it off, and rolled back into bed with her body against mine. We had a little bit of time enjoying pleasuring each other, and after exhausting the good feelings we both got going for the day.

Purdy was a little older than me and planned to spend her day chasing a shuttle at the club with her friends. She was pretty, pretty fit and a little shorter than me. I enjoyed her, especially when she was enjoying whatever she was doing. She had a good heart and a good family. I was in awe of their stability – financially and life plan-wise. They kept things going and seemed worry free.

My family was a different entity altogether. Unlike hers, a recent family of immigrants from a country turning towards authoritarianism, my family was part of the American dream for many, many years, but had become very much nuclear – divided and conquered by the decades of firehose of falsehood from the Kremlin driven right wing in more recent times. They didn’t seem to understand how to be a real family. We had been driven apart by the various personality cults that the right wing fascists had been knitting together over and over again. Nonsense seemed to prevail, and division was driven home by the right. There wasn’t an unquestioned loyalty to family.

It seemed I was the only one that understood what had been happening for decades in the United States. People were marginalized, and families lost their connections and support. It just wasn’t there. Many people became lost and drifted into a kind of path to eventual bankruptcy of funds and spirit. The glue that bound Purdy’s family had been lost resulting in an erosion of everything. The wealthy Republicans would pick over the bones and build bigger and bigger estates, but not really have love. You can’t have love if it is not for everyone.

I made my way out of bed and tried to get ready for the day. I was part of what I will call the Special Ops Secret Hackers (SOSH), but my real job was actually cybersecurity for Dale Willingham’s investment group that specializes in creating tech startups in the Seattle area. Dale lets me do whatever the heck I want, as long as his information technology systems – at work and personal, do not get hacked. SOSH is where I spend all my time as it is wherever I want to be. The SOSH group likes to meet above the Anchor Bar and Grill on Lake Washington where we have a very sophisticated Internet connection.

Today I want to do research on what we can do to protect the people without violating any laws or getting on the wrong side of any administration. We obviously cannot do what Jake suggested, but maybe there are aspects of his ideas that we can implement or innovate off of. The best place to do my research is in the library, so I will go there and be very much able to cover my tracks as research can be masked quite easily in such a place.

Also, the library is well located in downtown Kirkland on the eastside – meaning east of Lake Washington, which pretty much borders Seattle on its western shore the entire length of this beautiful natural lake. The very functional, modern library is about two blocks from the SOSH connection site, and it is on the Kirkland Transit Center with public parking. We can come and go very easily with numerous restaurants, coffee houses and bars to meet up at.

Thrown away (as unedited – preview)

By Daniel J Arthur

Copyright © 2024 by Daniel A Jones

You can never know how to be
When you walk this way and that
You need to learn some things
That’s why we have schools, elders

How will you walk in beauty
If you be just doing what occurs
Not having knowledge greater
Than just flipping a coin, yes or no

You listen to your parents
Whether they be traditional or not
You listen to those you respect
Even though you do your verify

We go to many schools, too
We have teachers and coaches
We have assistants and others
We learn to not repeat mistakes

But, much more do we get to know
We find out how to walk in beauty
It’s not easy to do right away
We may make mistakes, try not

Try to do things very well
We do our very best to live and tell
The more we learn and verify
The more we help others to get by

So, learn to love to learn you can
We are hungry for good information
We watch carefully for our spark
We want to help others to love love

It’s a long process I know
We must try to walk to really grow
Many people will help, others not
We will do our best to help a lot

Enjoy one another by being cool
Cool is trying to learn so much
That we walk in love and people
Know that we walk in beauty, see?

October 4, 2024
Daniel J Arthur

Don’t be
Sending people out to kill
Because you want a power thrill
Why live wickedly?

No one wants your stuff
They want your people to thrive
You turn it all into a dive
Your evil have been enough

Those that think it’s okay
They say it’s just a play
They are guilty, too
Not at all like the Pooh

Don’t be guilty
We need no atrocity
Get back to basic ways
We hope peace stays

We want to live
We love to give
Let us learn more
We want no gore

Everyone needs knowledge
We can use it in our climate pledge
Everyone needs to be
In a place where they can see

We can leave crap alone
Put in no more to bone
Let the world to thrive
Help all to feel alive

Sign off with
Love love

July 10, 2024
Daniel J Arthur

Toby was resting in a nice tree in a nice neighborhood on a cool day in the Sonoran Desert winter near Phoenix. Toby was with his new mate Marsh. They had recently met as mockingbird’s do while growing and feeding after leaving their nests a few months before. Marsh had a very ordinary childhood with little stress and fear. Her parents were experienced parents with a very good nesting site that had proven to be pretty perfect and lucky for nurturing young birds.

Marsh liked hearing Toby’s story about growing up in a more chaotic situation. “Toby, can you tell me about growing up again?” she sang.

Toby enjoyed singing out his story, so he replied with his best sounding tweet. He hopped and flew over to a different nearby tree, so he wouldn’t sound too loud when he sang at full volume. Then he began his story song:

“I was born on a stormy day in the early spring. It was a lovely day at dawn when I first emerged from my shell to greet my parents, when all of a sudden a great wind blew into our home and started a great sorrow for my father and I. I didn’t know much at the time, but somehow I managed to get my toes locked around a strong stick in the nest. The wind was lifting and whipping me up, down and sideways. Everything was dark and fuzzy for a minute or two with just the sound of the awful wind.”

Toby shifted his position on his branch, looked over to see if Marsh was still on hers. He started singing again, “As the wind subsided my mother and father began frantically diving down into what I learned later was a pool, a swimming pool. My sister’s egg, she was partially hatched, had fallen from the nest into the pool. My parents tweeted their fears and tried to get the egg before it filled with water and sank with my sister to the bottom. My father dove heroically to my sister’s egg and tried to pull it up, but it slipped from his grasp when another gust of wind hit. My mother dove again and went into the water to try to grab sister from the shell, and another gust hit her pushing deep into the water.”

“Father shrieked and tried to grab her, but his toes couldn’t reach her as she went down. Moments later Mother and sister were lifeless in the pool. I was alone shivering in the nest. Father started singing a sorrowful sound, knowing mother and sister were lost.”

Toby imitated the sorrowful sound, like a long haunting note that finally faded out. “I was very afraid,” Toby started singing his story again, “and was very hungry. I started chirping hoping to get something in my belly. Hunger took over from my sorrow at that moment. A few moments later, my father landed next to the fragmented nest, gave me a beakful of food, and started mending the nest. It needed to be strong enough to keep me safe he sang.

I didn’t really know what happened at that time. I was just hatched. I knew something was missing. I knew I had lost something. Father would come to the nest to ensure I was safe and comfortable, giving me food from time to time as I chirped loudly from my hunger. When I was full and sleeping, father would fly off trying to bring back my mother and sister. I would wake to him singing short songs asking her to return. Toby needs you he sang. I need you he sang. I’m sorry about Tina he sang.

I couldn’t see out of the nest at the time, but father told me later that he could see Tina and mother in the pool, floating on the surface as the egg was down at the bottom. Father was able to remove Tina’s lifeless body and put her at rest in an empty nest nearby. He could not lift my mother. So, her body floated in the pool.

Later that day a man came out of the big cave next to the pool, called a house by people, and looked around the water. Father said the man did this often after a wind, and would clean out the leaves and flowers that had fallen in with a big stick with a kind of nest at the end. Father said the man spotted my mother, and stopped cleaning plainly horrified to find her floating there.

The man looked around, he could hear my father’s sound of sorrow mixed with hope she would just wake up. The man, moving carefully and gently, got his big stick and nestled mother’s lifeless body into the nest. He found some bags and carefully put her in one inside another before putting her in a giant container behind my tree. Father had hoped to have her in the tree next to sister, but he didn’t know how to tell the respectful man. The man knew nothing of me my father was sure, though it is possible he heard my cries when hungry. He wouldn’t know my cricket and human talking sounds were me, nor would he recognize my car sounds.”

Toby again hopped and flew to another branch after a quick peek over at Marsh, still restfully perched on her branch listening. Marsh let out a little tweet of sorrow as the story made her sad as usual at this point.

“Days went by with father tending to my every need, the man would come out to clean the pool and put things in the container, sometimes making a fire with strange smells. Father said it was some kind of cooking that people did on a grill.

I grew and grew learning to sing a little and listened to my father sing me many stories, sometimes about losing my mother and sister. But, generally we were happy and father was proud that I was growing. He sang about how handsome and strong I had become. He would sing about my dark head, lighter breast and white stripes on my wings.

Then, one day,” Toby’s song became more shrill, “another man came in yard and started cutting branches with a very loud and dangerous stick that roared as he cut. He came right at me in my tree and father told be to duck down low as he had seen these thunder sticks before. The man came and cut and cut and cut with the loud roaring stick. I ducked lower and lower in my tree, which had leaves and branches all the way to the ground, and finally the man stopped cutting and the stick was silent. My beating heart could slow down again as I was very quiet. The man was picking up sticks and putting them in a container, using another quiet stick to gather them.

Then, just as I felt safe, the man left and returned quickly with another loud round, fat stick that blew a horrific wind. I thought I would be blown away into the pool to drown. Father and I were frantic, but father tweeted for me to hold fast with my toes and stay in the middle of the remaining branches. The other, more respectful light haired man came out and was motioning for the other dark haired man to stop. The dark haired man did stop, but then stuck his stick in the pool to make big waves with the horribly load wind. The light haired man tried to stop him again, and the dark haired man finally moved away. I was safe again.

My father and I thought of the light haired man as our protector. He would occasionally come out to clean and put things in the alley container, called a community refuse container or kind of garbage can I learned, and he would listen to my father and me sing, sing a little himself, and nod when my father made his sound of sorrow.”

Toby shifted branches again and Marsh tweeted her encouragement for him to continue. Toby started singing again, “I continued to grow and grow with father providing me with everything I needed. We had great love for one another and our tremendous loss made our love even stronger. Father would sing many songs about mother, she was his great love and how they worked lovingly together. I could never get enough of his beautiful stories.

The sun would rise and set many, many times as father continued to provide me with best care. The days were getting longer, more sun and hotter. In fact, it was hotter than father had ever known. I heard that it is now called climate change causing global warming, likely why the great wind had disrupted our lives so cruelly in early spring – more violent storms were becoming the norm. My father was having a difficult time keeping me hydrated as water was difficult to share.

My father wanted me to leave the nest. I didn’t understand why. It was where I was happy and comfortable. Why would I ever want to leave? It was home. Father became a bit more urgent about the need for me to leave. He tried to show me how to fly like him. I thought he was magnificent, but how could I ever be able to fly through the air like him? He was amazing how he could go here and there with ease. He could hop, jump, flap, glide and soar with the greatest of balance and beauty. I was in awe of my father. But, I was getting thirsty and father said I would need to fly and leave my home. I was not willing.

The next day was hotter and by the end of the day I was more than thirsty. I was weakened by my thirst. I could barely move and not sing as I was dry. Father left to get some clean water. I was alone. All of a sudden the light haired man showed up again. He had been gone for days. He was moving a big green snake over to some trees. I jumped down from my tree to the side of the pool, looking into the water hoping to get some water. It was too far for me to reach from the edge, but I wanted to jump in to have some water.

The light haired man saw me, and waved his hands gently. He said (I imitated his words), “Stop handsome little bird!” I could tell he didn’t want be to jump down from the edge into the pool. I was very thirsty. Suddenly the man went to get his green snake from the other trees, and he put it near mine. There was a huge amount of water flowing out of this green thing – a hose. He waved at me gently and said to come get some. I wasn’t sure at first, but I noticed that this must be water flowing near me, and I went over as the man backed away for my comfort.

I drank and drank and drank the water. Finally I looked up and saw the man on the other side of the pool waving his arms in an unusual way. It was like he was telling me to flap my wings, to fly. He did this for several minutes and then he came over again. I was not afraid. I was feeling better, and this man had helped make that happen. He moved the hose again to make the water form a puddle. I kept drinking as I could remembering the man and my father trying to get me to fly.

The man left me there after making the water go away. I was no longer thirsty and quite satisfied. I was alone with my thoughts. My father came back and I sang to him about getting water and thinking about flying. My father was so excited that he sang and flew from tree to tree. I hopped up into my tree and started flapping my wings to move from branch to branch. I went farther and farther with my father singing me along.

Finally, I flew from my tree to another. It was amazing! My father joined me and we flew to yet another tree. And, then I understood that I was free from my nest, and we left the next morning. That’s when I found you my beautiful Marsh. I found you as we drank and ate our way around the desert gardens, singing always as we went.

I love you Marsh.”

Marsh sang, “I long you,” right back.

by Daniel J Arthur

June 26, 2024
Copyright © 2024, Daniel A Jones, All rights reserved

They just afraid of you
They just afraid of you
You ain’t nothing but a disease
You think you scary, but just a tease

You are really obese in the face
There is nothing about it just disgrace
People have issues, that’s okay
People give issues is no way

It’s just normal to be so afraid
People have issues, that’s okay
It doesn’t help you to get paid
People give issues is no way

How to be something I dare
Harming and sharing your issues
That is not something to compare
Helping to heal and grow, no tissues

Crying you hear is not for you
They gave up trying to be afraid
They figure you always use the loo
They know you get nothing when you paid

You can be a ditz with no improve
Maybe you afraid you have no offer
Others will come later in the groove
They like roll the eyes at no good proffer

They just afraid of you
They just afraid of you
You ain’t nothing but latest disease
You think you scary, but just a tease

Advice doesn’t come from those afraid
It will always lead to all dismayed
You need someone who is brave
You don’t need another close knave

I can help you to turn your tale
I can help you even in the mail
You need someone who is brave
You don’t need another loyal knave

No one is afraid of you now
You are like the latest storm
Nature has insurance for one like you
We know that some are not norm

There is a way
I know the way
The day is so very long
It doesn’t need to be wrong

Love them all
Love love

Daniel J Arthur
June 20, 2024

Do you not get it?
The instruction book is a bit yellow
It was written here and there
It was made official by officials

What was the before testament?
Why is there a new one?
Are we not still representing creation?
We must keep moving forward

Certainly I am not saying stuff it
There is much to learn
I am not saying to hell with it
I am saying not to worry about that

You need to be upstanding
You need to be caring and kind
You need to be protective
Try not to get out of line

The is no reason to be hateful
If people are not doing harm
Their choice of mate is of no mind
So long as they are caring and kind

I can point out weakness in books
What I write may or may not stay
We all are signed up for life
Why not make it the best possible?

There is much wisdom in a place
Where people gather to be
Some of it is very helpful
But some is in the wrong key

If you are to be a leader
One that does that well
Superstition is not a keeper
Doing loving things tolls the bell

Let’s add to the body of knowledge
Let’s be decent and reasonable
Don’t stand out on a weak ledge
Help others to be more capable

Love one another
I’m here for that
I’m here for you, too
Love love.

Daniel J Arthur
May 26, 2024

Swim to the arms of others

Some of you are in the cellar
You are not always hiding from the wind
Sometimes it’s more like Ms. Keller
Lots of people blind in the end

People I know have a problem
They might just know they are okay
I cannot imagine the stress they are under
The pain and suffering need to go away

Rainie is playing the piano
Nefertiti is showing her paintings
This is the world all a glow
People having their own findings

I will hope and pray you are all better
I know that we need to be feeling joy

Daville is helping people to turn around
Jaypee is shining his light on a path
We need them all to feel very sound
It is time to guide away from wrath

It can seem like there are many problems
Find a way to help relieve the pressure
Don’t worry too much about their emblems
Even the meek can reduce the fever

Enlightenment will come to the darkness
Suffering will be relieved before long
Help the people know what they need
Don’t be afraid to be truthfully wrong

I will hope and pray you are way better
I know that you need to be feeling joy

Let the piano make a joyful noise
Let the show be full of beauty
We should want that for all girls and boys
Everything is not about just booty

We can share love with one another
We can agree to be different
May your way not be a bother
May your sharing love be gem mint

We try to stop what is bleeding
We should avoid making more holes
All people everywhere are needing
Try to see there are many good roles

I will hope and pray you are way better
I know that you need to be feeling joy

Love love one another

May 13, 2024
Daniel J Arthur

We are all around you

We are here and there
We are out and about
You should always know
You will see us high and low

What are we you might ask?
We are just like you unmasked
You will see us maybe as disabled
You should know its different abled

We might look like we don’t know
We, at least some, might be so
You can be a little more patient
You must guess acts be latent

Putin has CTE covered in Botox
Drumpf has no good for you
A much different disease
He doesn’t care to please

Where does this all go?
What does this all say?
We might look like we don’t know
We, at least some, might be so

We live to be freer
We no need fascist prisons
We encourage all to breath
We value what you have to share

We know freedom
We may not have it
We are all interdependent
Vote for a decent president

Some might get a little cranky
The pain of frustration is telling
Sharing us your love is lovely
It is much better than yelling

We are here and there
We are out and about
You should always know
You will see us high and low

What are we you might ask?
We are just like you unmasked
You will see us maybe as disabled
You should know its different abled

We are here and there
We are out and about
You should always know
You will see us high and low

What are we you might ask?
We are just like you unmasked
You will see us maybe as disabled
You should know its different abled

We know freedom
We may not have it
We are all interdependent
Vote for a decent and kind president

Love love
Love love

March 13, 2024
Daniel J Arthur

We really win by doing, if it is positive
We really win by doing, if we help all live
To be is more than not to be with love
To be is more than not to be in love

Where are we going?
What do we do?
We are good doing our work
We do ours to be part of the win

Can we make things better?
Sure we can be part of that
We can vote for decent
We can choose reasonable

We really win by doing, if it is positive
We really win by doing, if we help all live
To be is more than not to be with love
To be is more than not to be in love

Where are we going?
What do we do?
Can we make things better?
Sure we can be part of that

We are good doing our work
We do ours to be part of the win
We can vote for decent
We can choose reasonable

Love love
Love love
Yeah yeah
Yeah yeah

We really win by doing, if it is positive
We really win by doing, if we help all live
To be is more than not to be with love
To be is more than not to be in love

We can vote for decent
We can choose reasonable

February 19, 2024
Daniel J Arthur

Do you know what you want
Only some of you let me know
When I know I will be there
The best that I can show

There are so many blessings
So many good places we can go
We are fortunate for those
When added those gifts will grow

Many people find too much distress
They don’t ask to have such
Such just finds its way to them
I want them to enjoy what they can

I will try to be there for them
Maybe it can be felt as blessings
Love is what I wish them to know
Even in distress they are in love

Why won’t people ask of me
Even those I already know
I only have gifts to give
I’m not limited in giving them

There are so many blessings
There are too many kinds of stress
I only have gifts to give
Even in distress there is love

If you hide your thoughts from me
I cannot read your mind much
I ask that you share with me
I can better respond to such

You may continue to hide or run
You may find more distress
I ask that you share with me
I can help you to bless

Look my way no matter the idea
I will do more to try
Tough or easy might it be
I will try to do more than try

Daniel J Arthur
January 9, 2024

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