finally watched it....

 have had the James Foley documentary from Netflix sitting on my bedside table for several months now.  i have dreaded watching it.  the first notation on it did give me some relief though.  it stated that the video of his killing would not be shown.  i have never watched it and would prefer not to.

 can't imagine the anguish his family went through as that played over and over on screens and the last moments of him alive were flashed on news shows and papers no doubt every where they turned. 

 they did a really good job i think speaking of their brother, their son, their friend, their co-worker and their co-captive. 

 he was a free lance journalist, he worked in war zones.  he got captured by a horrible group of terrorists who we still fight against. we didn't know them then but this event...we knew them after.  what a horrific group they are. 

 he and the others held were tortured, beaten.  he was held for over two years i think.  our nation does not negotiate with terrorists so he was not released.  i suspect the fact that he was a US citizen didn't help. 

 his family tries to move forward but they have guilt and anguish over what they did or didn't do.  that they didn't fight harder to prevent him from returning to war zones after he'd already been held captive in Libya.  Syria was worse though. they really had no idea how much worse.

 many journalists give their lives to see the truth is brought to light. 

 sadly, our current iitoo maligns our journalists every chance he gets.  even more sadly, so many of his followers seem to raise their voices in the chant, "fake news".  they believe his nonsense. 

 despite this journalists loss of life in such a horrific way, they refuse to believe them, degrade them at his beckoning.

 they are our eyes, our ears into what is happening.  he is trying to put a mask over what is happening in our own nation and it's beyond frustrating to see the journalists/media pushed down.  maligned.  i can only hope it makes them more emboldened to seek the truth and to have the facts lined up. 

 still the fools that follow this fake leader will not believe, will never believe.  like those who believed for years that the horror committed under Hitler were all lies.  i remember my mom worked with such a woman . she was from Germany but declared it never happened, she saw nothing so it never happened.  easier to live with the lie than admit the truth. 

 i suspect it's easier to live with the lies of this iitoo than admit the truth as well.  it can be stopped before we get to the worst that could happen.  i try not to go there...take it one day at a time, hope the "fake" media/the "fake" journalists are the ones to drop the truth bomb so huge it will be impossible to believe it's a lie. 

 these pictures are from a little trek to Valdez by the way.  loved this ice filled lake.  a boat would be nice to get to the other side, i didn't have one this day though.  perhaps I'll take the tour another day.  i hear there may be a doggy day care in Valdez.

 we need to respect and honor the work that good, hardworking journalists do.  the risks they take.

 he was from a strong Catholic family it appeared, though he was the one kid who just couldn't/wouldn't settle down. he was a free spirit.  he tried to fit in the box we are supposed to tuck ourselves into, but he never could it seemed. 

 from all accounts he was pretty amazing.  always smiling and had an amazing ability to rise above the pain and suffering.  he morphed himself into the Muslim way of praying 5 times a day.  he decided it didn't matter how you prayed.  religion was more like language i think is how one of his co-captors put it.  to him you could say i love you in many languages but it still meant the same thing. religion is in your heart.  his faith was strong. 

 they had interviews with many of those who were held with him and also with friends who were also free spirits braving the world of freelance journalism in war zones.

 before we scream fake news we should remember those who have put themselves in harms way to bring us information.  to show the suffering of others, to show needs of others.  to remind us that we are not alone on this earth, that the suffering of others and the lives of others are connected to ours.

 they sat in their prison, beaten, while we just went about out day. 

 in times like these we need truth and justice and honesty.  we need those who write and who are willing to brave the scary parts on this earth to bring the truth, to make us fight for others and see beyond our lives.  they bring the truth of all sides if we can just do our job and make sure that we are looking for well sourced and researched news rather than one liner bull. 

 people who sit behind computers and make up stories can do so with great speed, they do not need any sources or any research, they only create crap.  too often people share or like a headline, never bothering to read beyond that.  respect those who study and ask the questions and care enough to get it right.  check your sources.  don't post crap..look at the web address of what you are reading, does it sound like crap, are there a few letters off that you might not notice at first glance. 

 ignore comments that are outlandish, they are probably bots.  the more attention you give them the more their comments show up.  if nothing else, just post social stuff on social media when you can.  try to avoid getting sucked into the politics.  it isn't easy, but we would all rather see pets and kids and laugh.  we have the power to take back social media. 

 if something sounds too crazy to be true it may be...well there are admittedly some insane iitoo stuff that is true sadly.  like what the hell is he doing arguing with a widow who just lost her love....?  for sure that madman has a borderline personality along with some narcissistic rage. I've met some borderline folks...he so fits it.  so manipulative, lies, people are amazing until he turns on them. 

 if news isn't covered on the other major sources, be suspicious.  get off of Fox...they are the worst!  sorry for fox lovers, they are the worst.  it's watered down bull.  the others may be overly dramatic at times, but fox just doesn't even cover stuff.  they are so far up the iitoo arse it's insane.  take a break from it, a long break.  i promise you it will look ridiculous after you've been away for awhile.

 something about a journalist being beheaded that gets me fired up about this.  i just find it despicable that so many have written off journalism because of this fool and his administration.  they are still out there.  still digging for the truth.  still taking photographs of amazing things and terrifying things.  still using their skills with words and photography and video to bring truth. 

 we need truth, now more than ever.  we are in a fog of lies.  we are becoming immune to them.  we must keep up, we must support those who will break down the wall of untruths that have taken hold of our nation 

 there are none so blind as those who refuse to see.  guess it resembles the bible verse...Jeremiah 5:21 "hear now this, o foolish people, and without understanding, which have eyes, and see not: which have ears and hear not"  the rest of the saying is the most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know. 

 as of 2016 stats...couldn't find much more recent.  there were 51 journalists still held as hostages...there were another nearly 350 detained journalists.  China, Turkey, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Yemen, Iraq and many other nations. according to that article as of July 2016 John Cantile who was kidnapped with Foley was still being used in propaganda video's, he was thin. they have him writing for them.  some question Stockholm Syndrome. it seems he is still out there.  did he watch the beheading of his friend?   is he doing what he feels he must do to stay alive?  not many answers to that.  we may never know.  he's been held since 2012 though.  that can do a lot to a mind.

 before you trash journalism and journalists...think of James Foley, think of the others held, the others killed.  think of those who attempt to share news in their brutal regimes and are never heard from again.  news, true news is a brave and noble profession.  we need them.  you should not so easily look away and scream "fake news".  do not follow the drone of the iitoo who wants you to not believe their stories, who attempts to distract his followers by screaming "fake news" at anything that he wishes his follows to not see. 

 it's a trick, don't be fooled.  he is ultimately a salesman.  he is a trickster.  he will do anything to make you look at the shiny coin he is pulling from behind your ear...he wants you to not look at the news.  he wants you to not see the truth.  for once the truth is out, the emperor will be found to have no clothes. 

 was wishing i was in one of those kayaks out there.  so beautiful . seemed a good resting place for Blossom and Rio Catalina...(and Baby Huey, his ashes get mixed in with theirs)  Butch is there in spirit as well.

 we had a lovely Monday walk.  more cloudy today. 

 saw some bizarre clouds the other day. they were multicolored. i think i posted them yesterday. they are apparently an optical illusion of sorts.  called a fire rainbow or the scientific name would be a circumhorizontal arc?  i think i got that right.

 did buy tires.  they are in the back of the car. hopefully, they don't get stolen before i put them on.  the crime is for sure up in Anchorage. gets tempting to move some place more rural at some point.  really become a hermit. 

 ran into a friend at the tire store.  we both lost our friend Val.  funny that we never run in to each other and yet today we did.  we had a really nice chat.  so that was nice. 

 fun to see the pups in the water with those big ice bergs.

 in the silt...paw prints. 

 so a busy-ish day. 

 happy i finally watched the movie.  i think i feared details.  it was heavy with his family.  i think he had 3-4 brothers and a sister. they went through hell the first time he was captured in Libya.  they couldn't believe he returned to Syria.  i guess that sort of thing gets in your blood.  one of the journalist friends of his seemed to be back out there. feeling these stories need to be told.  and they do. 

 the terminus of the glacier. 

 i am for sure not brave enough to traipse through a war zone.  I'm happy some are. 

  i am in no way ignoring those who serve in the military and fight these terrorists at great risk.  i had just watched this movie tonight. 

 this is what is on my mind right now.  it was intense just to watch this documentary.  I'd recommend it. 

 more flowers.  they are all gone now.  the leaves have fallen and the snow is here.  the seasons change so fast.  the darkness if coming sooner and the sun rises later.

 it's what i love about this place.  from week to week the scenery totally is changing. 

 the world is a wonder.  we have the choice to embrace our earth or close our eyes to the forces working against it.  we have the same choice with truth.  i pray the truth sets us all free at some point.

grateful for:  A.  those who seek truth and share it via photography, video and the written word.  those who put their lives at risk for truth  B. the journalists who have died seeking justice, writing for change, who bravely shout the truth despite the risks  c.  that we still have the freedoms in this nation for the press to be a check and a balance on our government.