Checking in....

Well, obviously I'm not blogging regularly.
I'm not doing much of anything on social media.
I'm not writing much either.
I have been reading online, mainly news.
I have watched some videos online, mainly news.
I read from an actual book this week, turned the pages and all. It felt good.

And here I sit looking at this screen wondering what to share, if anything.

[Carol pauses to think of something short to share.]

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The past few weeks I've watched quite a few ISIL propaganda videos, including all the videos by John Cantlie (the British hostage) and the beheading videos. I couldn't watch the actual beheadings; I had to close my eyes during that part of one of the videos. I also read up on Jihadist "John" and the other "Beatles."

My responses have been...
...unspeakable and unbelievable horror.
...anger and fight.
...anxiety and fear.
...the videos accomplish ISIL's goal of fear propagation.
...this shit is scary. Not only the beheadings, but the professional videos as well. The propaganda videos may be more scary than the beheadings themselves. The material is presented in such a professional manner as if to give the subject matter some sort of respectability. The one video, that contains the beheading of 15 to 18 Syrian soldiers, with its music and slow motion and film shots, paints the scenario as an art form. As the viewer watches the scene leading up to and after the beheadings, the scene doesn't feel real; but rather, comes across like a depiction of a novel or barbarism from past times. It seems staged...like there would have been rehearsals to get such good footage. But the stage is real life, real time, with real men being led like sheep to slaughter.
...I agree with France that we should call these thugs Daesh instead of ISIS or ISIL.
 ...I think Daesh exaggerates their numbers and power. That doesn't mean that we should ignore them. Hitler started small.
...Daesh is repeating what mankind has done for millennia...murdering in the name of a so-called greater cause.
...Worst case scenario: the Borg assimilates. Not all would comply; some would die. Some would go into hiding. Eventually, the Borg would implode or be overthrown. History repeats itself.

I don't want to promote any Daesh videos, so any readers will have to do their own google searches.

***

Well, I didn't plan to write about that stuff.

My health isn't well right now. My next spinal injections are on January 5, if I can make it that long. 'Til then, I'm managing the best I can.

To life and breath...and star shine....