The Wellstone funeral - redux

"But leave to the great divider Obama, to mix in a message of voter suppression at this Lewis event yesterday. What does voter suppression have to do with anything at a funeral. Nothing - unless you are a hack like Obama is."

Who in Minnesota could forget it. The Paul Wellstone funeral from October 2002. A sudden plane crash, and lives lost in northern Minnesota. Paul Wellstone had gained some national fame in the Democratic Party. A "prairie populist" (as some referred to him), Wellstone knew how to fire up a crowd. I had flown back and forth to Washington many times with Paul Wellstone. Putting politics aside, I kind of liked him.

Anyhow, to put a damper on Paul Wellstone's life, was the shameful politicking which took place at his funeral. It was anything but a normal funeral - it was a political pep rally. It was so bad, that even some of the lefties on the news were complaining about it. I never thought I would see anything like it ever again. That is - until yesterday - at the John Lewis funeral.

And guess who really stirred the pot yesterday? Our old friend, Barack H. Obama. Our 44th President, who really lit the match which has caused our blazing fires today. Our 44th President, who proudly proclaimed that "America is no longer a Christian nation." After seeing parts of yesterday's funeral, I tend to agree with him.

At these Democrat funerals, can't we just have a normal pastor (NOT Sharpton!), some liturgy, a message of hope and salvation, and then dismissal? Why do the Democrats always have to turn these things into some kind of secular humanism, highly partisan blow fest? I mean really - you never see that at a Republican funeral. Don't believe me? Check out the video tape of the McCain funeral, or the Bush (41) funeral. They actually looked like funerals.

But leave to the great divider Obama, to mix in a message of voter suppression at this Lewis event yesterday. What does voter suppression have to do with anything at a funeral. Nothing - unless you are a hack like Obama is. Any chance this phony has to pour some gas on the fire, he will do so. And then one might wonder why this country is in such a mess. Thanks again Barry, or whatever your real name is.

Well onward and upward. The next funeral will be for Herman Cain. Mr. Cain, a true man of God, will have a funeral which will look like a funeral. Count on it. Or maybe there will be no funeral. Most folks who have died as of late, don't get the chance for a public funeral. That is, unless you are a Democrat power player. Then the rules change.     

  

And now goggles? WTF?

"Need to run to WalMart, with mask on (mandatory), so I can buy some goggles to wear around town. I will need them when I go rouge once again, and we have our grandson over tonight and tomorrow."

Goggles. Now it will be goggles as well as a mask. Says who? Says our own Wizard of Oz - Dr. Fauci. Why? This very tiny virus can enter out body through our eyes (so says he), so we not only need a mask to keep our snot in, but goggles to keep the virus out. Will this madness ever end???

Plus - we are now jumping from mandatory masks in Minnesota, to a school plan which will be so complicated, you will need a math degree to figure it out. But enough of that for now. I don't want to step on today's 2 pm presser.

One of my social media friends, who is not really that political, had an interesting point. The death rate in Minnesota (he is a native), needs to be explored more. With 1,600 people dying to date, compared to our state's population, that is 1/3 of one percent fatality rate from COVID. His point was simply this - we shut this place down, threw thousands out of work, for a fatality rate of 1/3 of one percent. Plus - most of those deaths have been in long term care facilities.

For example, yesterday, nine people died from COVID - 19 in Minnesota (so we were told). Of those 9 deaths, 7 happened in long term care facilities. One of the nine, who did not die in a long term care facility, was in the 70 - 100 age group. The other one was in the 50 - 59 age group.

All those numbers, the 1,600 deaths, are assuming we are now counting fatalities correctly. No more co-morbidity numbers, mucking things up. Also, numbers can become skewed easily. For example, there is a big spike in Sherburne County. All over the county? Nope - maybe just the reformatory in St. Cloud. The same holds true for counties with meat packing plants. High numbers, but mostly centered around the plants.

Interesting - the Surgeon General (Jerome Adams) was interviewed on the radio yesterday. He did not say boo about goggles. However, he did say something interesting (and I hope it is true). If Minnesota would wear masks when inside, stay social distanced from others, and frequently wash our hands - Minnesota could open wide up. Everything.

Yesterday we had a contractor in to discuss some potential kitchen work we are looking at. He was wearing a mask. He reminded us, wearing as mask protects us. Interesting. Masks in our home.

Anyhow, also this week, there was an article in the local paper chiding grandparents from seeing their grandies. In fact, those who did see their grandies were considered "rogue". Dr. Osterholm was interviewed in this article. Osterholm lives locally, is 67 years old, and has five grandies. He has seen them only twice since March. And when he did see them, he stayed at least six feet away from them. When I read that, I thought the good doctor is sure not "rogue" like many of the rest of us - but that is very odd indeed.

Have to cut this short. Need to run to WalMart, with mask on (mandatory), so I can buy some goggles to wear around town. I will need them when I go rouge once again, and we have our grandson over tonight and tomorrow.

And you did not think the weirdness of this year could get any weirder. Stay tuned bucko - lots of twists and turns left on this ride. 

Education? Clear as mud

"Those who were hoping for a summer where things start returning to normal, need to keep hoping. Things are still far from returning to where they were. So where are we then? We are knee deep in a change that few if any, saw coming."

If you are a parent with school age kids, I feel for you. If you are a young person going to college, ditto what I just said. The status of most schools this upcoming school year is as clear as mud. The Minneapolis School District just announced what they will be doing this upcoming school year. I tried to understand how parents would prepare for it, but I got lost in the weeds. Start out distance learning, in November maybe go to a hybrid of distance and in-school learning, or depending on the virus, maybe back to distance learning. It is enough drive one crazy!

In today's USA Today, there is an article about colleges. This big, robust push to have normal classes this fall, is starting to peter out. Like in some colleges, it is back to looking at a computer while sitting at home. There goes the college experience. Then the question begs to be asked - how much should it cost to attend college using only online services? Can't be the same as in class instruction. Can debt riddled colleges afford to offer such an inexpensive alternative? Are we reaching the point of total change?

This is about to get even crazier. Besides college kids looking for discounted tuition because of using only online services, there are more and more taxpayers who want a refund on their property taxes. Like, why are they paying to maintain schools which are not in use? What is even more bizarre, there are many schools in our district which are going through big expansions. Big construction projects. Look for that to be another hot button issue when the schools come looking for more money.

Not to jump topics, but I have been hearing news reports that colleges, universities and public schools, are not the only places with empty buildings. In downtown New York City, many skyscrapers are so empty right now, the place is looking like a ghost town during rush hour. Between the lawlessness of the heathens, the economic downturn, and people working from home due to the virus, many buildings sit with tons of vacancies.

Those who were hoping for a summer where things start returning to normal, need to keep hoping. Things are still far from returning to where they were. So where are we then? We are knee deep in a change that few if any, saw coming. How this will end is anyone's guess. With this upcoming school year, like many other things today, we need to be patient and nimble. Why? We have no choice.  

On the cusp...

"What could happen next would be beyond belief. Asymmetrical and guerrilla forces coming out of the woodwork, in many of our big blue cities."

Anyone else listen to the shameless Democrats grill AG Barr today? If I were a card carrying Democrat, I would burn my membership card this afternoon before I had dinner. These people are beyond shameless, they are...sorry - I can't say. This is still a family friendly site. Many times on our way home from Lake Pepin this afternoon, I told my wife if any of these morons talked like that to me, the "bleep" button would have been pushed more than once.

The Democrats were so insistent on making political points, they missed the real point. They missed what these hearings should have been about. They should not about this "false flag" issue called "white supremacists". They should not be about the AG trying to shelter the President, like "Wing Man" Holder did to Obama. They should have been about the real enemies of the state, upping their game against the cops. The asymmetrical army coalition of Antifa and BLM. 

Shocked? Don't be. The weapons of war used again our police forces, have become almost battlefield ready. Mortars, IEDs, fireworks, lasers, frozen cans, rocks, and so forth - aimed at cops who have been using only pepper spray, tear gas, and maybe some rubber bullets.

We are inches away from somebody on the other side deciding to use real bullets from a real side arm, or long gun. When that happens, the police, who are heavily armed, will respond in kind. It will make the Kent State shootings of May 1970, look like a walk in the park. And that is when then the grandstanding by the left, will start in earnest.

"AG Barr! You allowed your storm troopers to shoot innocent protesters, who were only trying to exercise their First Amendment rights!" "No ma'am", Barr would respond. "These were bad actors, trying to kill our police, so they could burn and destroy our federal buildings." The astonished Democrat would then respond, "No, no, you Trump lackey! You just wanted our innocent kids killed by your hired guns!" 

What could happen next would be beyond belief. Asymmetrical and guerrilla forces coming out of the woodwork in many of our big blue cities. Using money which came from the grand "puppet master", to buy weapons of war. This could be the big battle. The 2020 Democrat version of Gettysburg. Lawless thugs and rioters, going up against agents of law - the police forces. How would it end? Like Gettysburg did. The battlefield (streets), littered with blood and bodies. American against American. But in the end, the Union would prevail.

Democrats, be careful for what you wish for. Remember, there are more of us (law and order types), than you (anarchists). A hot war, would not end well for the county - it would really not end well for you. I mean, lasers are great - but no match for an M-16 in the hands of a professional. Think about it.        

D = D + D + D

"This once proud party of FDR and JFK, is now the party of nitwits and senile old men. If you align with the Democrats these days, take a long look in the mirror. You might not like what you see."

Oh boy! A math test! An equation to figure out! Not really. It is really very simple. It defines today's Democrat Party to a "T". Here are the "D" definitions: Democrats = Disrespect + Destruction + Death. Sound a bit like grandstanding? Like histrionics? Maybe we should take a deeper dive.

Disrespect - Today's Democrats really do have very little time for authority. That has become evident in how they treat our police forces, how they treat our President, how they treat our flag, our National Anthem, our history. They disrespect our Constitution, and our laws which emanate from it. The worst disrespect however, is how they treat our God. They boo God at gatherings. They have kicked God out of schools. They have eliminated God from their platform. No, when it comes to disrespect, these secular humanists respect very little - other than themselves. 

Destruction - Democrats have quickly morphed from the "loyal opposition", into enemies of the state. They "burn, destroy, kill and maim, and they don't care to know your name." With the tacit approval of big blue city mayors, they are laying waste to America's cities. Last night was the 61st night in a row of plundering Portland.

Everything is fair game. Private businesses, state buildings, federal buildings, private residences. When the George Floyd riot in Minneapolis burned out of control for four nights, and Mayor Frey and Governor Walz were playing with their fiddles while it happened, the national fuse was lit. Mutts, thugs and butt heads, from all over the country, saw just how easy this would be. A bunch of overgrown kids were able to kick the cops out of their Third Precinct Headquarters, and then lay waste to it. By the time it was over, the smoldering ruin looked nothing like what the Third Precinct once was.

Today, this group of misfits are going after the private residences of public officials. Not only to vandalize, but also to threaten. They want to make it so uncomfortable for people to serve, they will quit. Nobody will want to run for any office. They want to erase our history by destroying everything in our heritage. Nothing is off limits for these "new heathens". They are the enemy of the state, our cancer, our disgrace, all rolled into one disgusting pool of slime. They barely resemble what was once humanity.

Death - Saved the worst for last. Democrats have long been known as the Party of Death for their love affair with abortions. What is odd to many clear thinking Americans, is the fact that Margret Sanger was the founder of Planned Parent hood. As Sanger was a disciple of eugenics, Planned Parenthood her tool to rid the country of black folk. The irony is to this day, is 85% to 90% of black folk are still monolithic voters for the Democrat Party. The party which has abortion as its cornerstone virtue. Black folk may only be 13% of the population, but black abortions are 36% of all babies aborted. According to the CDC, abortion kills more black people in America than HIV, diabetes, homicide, cancer, heart disease, accidents - combined. What say you, BLM?

There are probably other "D" words which can describe today's Democrat Party. Sad. This once proud party of FDR and JFK, is now the party of nitwits and senile old men. If you align with the Democrats these days, take a long look in the mirror. You might not like what you see.

  

    

  

End of summer, and...?

"Someone asked the other day, how my summer has been going. I answered in one word - 'weird'. The person nodded this head and replied, 'I hear you. Ours also'."

August starts this weekend. When our kids were young, August was always the month to start getting ready. Ready? For? Labor Day weekend. The upcoming school year. Back to school specials were everywhere. My teacher wife was getting ready for her school year, and the days were finally starting to get cooler (sort of). Mixed in with the excitement of the new school year, was the summers last big hurrah - the Minnesota State Fair. But that was then, this is now.

This COVID everything year will be quite a bit different for a lot of reasons. First off - there will be no last big hurrah of the summer. No county fair, no state fair, no game fair, no anything fair. Boo hiss! Many of us in this state, look forward to that final summer event - the Minnesota State Fair. Every year, it is judged to be one of the finest fairs in the country. Not this year. 

But the back to school issue will be the biggest change. This week the Governor is going to make his announcement on how we will do back to school this upcoming year. Rumor has it, he will punt. He will defer to the individual school districts. That could be a mess. Many parents are ready to "let it rip" - sort of. In class learning from a real teacher. However, even "in class" learning will be different. Face masks, eating your own lunch at your desk, no recess, few if any sports, no theater productions, and so forth. Social distancing, constant cleaning, daily temperature checks. Sounds like fun - NOT.

But - and here is the big but. Education Minnesota wants nothing to do with any face to face time with your little darlings. They are afraid of catching the virus from them. So as a union, and a very powerful one at that, they are strongly advocating another school year of "distance learning". In other words parents - you got the ball. While you are at work, your child will be sitting in his or her bedroom, looking at a computer screen all day. What could possibly go wrong with that?

Of all the things we learned from our COVID shortened school year last year, was "distance learning" was for the most part useless. Didn't work. It worked to a degree for the secondary students, but the primary kids? Not well at all. Then why do it again, if it did not work well? Hint: With Democrats holding so many positions of power state wide, whatever Education Minnesota wants, Education Minnesota gets. 

So that is it. Summer is coming to an end, and besides being no fair(s), there is also a huge uncertainty about the upcoming school year. Anything else to share? Only that the medical gurus are already warning us this flu season will be a whopper. With COVID still around, throwing the common flu into the mix will be bad news. Oh - and I have heard there won't be much of a Halloween this October. 

Someone asked the other day, how my summer has been going. I answered in one word - "weird". The person nodded this head and replied, "I hear you. Ours also". All indications are this weirdness will continue into the fall. Welcome to the world of COVID in Minnesota. 

And who pays?

"What is happening now in so many of our big blue cities is the opposite of "broken windows" policing. It is simply permissible rioting." 

Back in the 1980's, when I worked for a large Minnesota based company in Bloomington, I was part of a product team which did a lot of entertaining. Lunches, dinners and so forth. All to get deals made with domestic and foreign customers. A standing joke when the bill came, was who is going to pay? Marketing? Program Management? Or yours truly in Contract Management. It was kind of a game, as ultimately the company paid. However, on those rare occasions I got stuck with the bill, my boss (who I liked a lot, but was tighter than bark on a tree), would chide me about learning to negotiate better. 

Why bring that up? It was an example of the old axiom - somebody has to pay. I have been thinking about that quite a bit this year. Not so much with the cost associated with the virus, but the growing costs associated with the damages caused by the rioting mutts and butt-heads. 

The illustration I used for this article is of the US Bank Stadium. Defaced. I own part of that stadium. If you live here, you own part of that stadium. We did not have a choice, but we now all own part of it. Who is going to pay to have all that crap cleaned up? It better not be us!

Think of Chicago. Each year, every year, it is a shooting gallery. This year, the numbers are staggering. Even higher than last year, which was horrible. About 2,000 people have been shot, 400 of them fatally. The 1,600 who were shot and lived, probably had huge medical bills. Who paid them? That number is probably in the millions of dollars. Should the taxpayers pay? Like with anything else in life, somebody has to pay. Somebody has to pick up the tab.

Portland is on the cusp of sixty straight nights of violence, looting and burning. The mutts who are causing this carnage are indiscriminate. They don't care if what they burn is a private business, a state building, or a federal building. The ineffective Mayor of Portland, a lifelong Socialist Democrat, is fine with what he calls "peaceful protests". Who should pick up the tab? Why Donald Trump of course! These riots (peaceful protests), are after all, his fault!

Many of the business owners in Minneapolis are still waiting for someone to bail them out. Pay the tab, so they can resume business. The city and state leaders are asking both the state and federal government to pay the bill. Taxpayers however, are turning a jaundiced eye to those requests. Just like the signs you might find in an antique shop, "you break it, you own it", taxpayers want the mutts to pay for the damage they caused.

My feeling is this - these protests (while spreading), are about to cross a Rubicon of a different sort. The violence has escalated to a point right now, we are very close to exchanging lethal gunfire. The rioters are big talkers when they say, "we will fire back". When the professional federal police and US Marshals are forced to fire their weapons in anger into the crowd, the other side will not fare well. Who will I blame? The Mayors and city leaders. Each and every one of them are as guilty of omission as they would be of commission. #FACT.

I give the President quite a bit of credit for being as measured as he as been so far. I don't know if I would have been, if I were in his spot. What is happening now in so many of our big blue cities is the opposite of "broken windows" policing. It is simply permissible rioting. Permissible, because the clueless morons who have been elected to govern, cannot see it as such. The prism they are looking through, shows only a bunch of kids, peacefully demonstrating against the country's past sins. In reality, these mobsters are highly organized, well funded enemies of the state. Their only goal is the destruction of our government, and our way of life.

Who pays? If we continue to let this carnage continue, the bill will be too high for anyone to pay. Then the bad guys win. Think about that. Especially if you live in one of our big blue cities.   

   

Biden's America

"By the time the clueless minions who voted for Biden realize they made the mistake of a lifetime - it will be too late. The die will have been cast."

What will the future hold? Good question, but right now, we are getting a sneak peek of what it might look like if Joe Biden becomes President. And that WILL happen, if people who should vote for the re-election of the President, decide to sit this next election out.

Charlie Cook of the Cook Report, has some bad news for the faithful. He is now predicting a Democrat "tsunami" this November. Like what does that mean? It means Ms. Nancy stays at Speaker, Chuckie will be the Senate Leader, and Sleepy Joe will be our President. Many believe that will be the end of our Union as we know it. 

Even though many of the Democrat Mayors of our burning cities love to blame President Trump, this mayhem and carnage will continue under a President Biden. It will continue in spades. There will be no "stopper" like we have with President Trump. It will be "let her rip" in our cities. Burn or destroy anything and everything which will offend, of has offended, anyone at anytime. The monuments, the statues, the buildings, the anything, which might be offensive - will go. Our history will be re-written or liquidated. Biden, along with a willing Congress, will go though our history, our culture, like a wildfire.

Biden and his Congress will erase the southern border. They will legalize all illegals. They will abolish ICE and our Border Patrol. They will grant benefits for all - even if they just snuck into the country yesterday. They will release thousands of felons, and give them the right to vote. Their goal will be to make so many people dependent Democrat voters, it will be generations (if at all), before we have another adult in the White House. Biden will pack the Supreme Court with enough jurists to ensure our Constitutional laws become nothing more than jelly. 

Our Second Amendment will come under a blistering attack from this new government. Guns will be deemed to be unnecessary and therefore illegal. Guns will be confiscated from law abiding citizens, and only the outlaws will have weapons. How is that possible? Simple. In Biden's America, there will be no more cops. Most will have either been neutered, de-funded, or both.

Our military will be gutted (again). China and Russia will be allowed to travel the globe unfettered, causing mischief and mayhem where ever and when ever. Reparations will become a reality, and people who had nothing to do with slavery, will pay people who may or may not have been descendants of slaves - billions of dollars. As our national debt approaches $30T, our dollar will not be worth spit, nor our credit either. 

People with money will flee this country, looking for any safe haven to live and work in. America will be nothing more than a confiscatory trap for anyone with any wealth. As we continue our slide from capitalism into socialism, making the better mousetrap, will be replaced by equal outcomes for everyone. Guaranteed national income will become law, and working for a living will become an option. We will be like the Titanic, right before it broke in half and sunk.

Sorry if this sounds bleak, but I tend to take people at their word. I have heard the promises of Biden, Pelosi and Schumer. They will become the new Axis Power, and the citizens will be like living in Europe in the 1930's - ready to be plundered. Remember - if the Cook scenario happens, THERE WILL BE NO STOPPERS. We won't have Donald Trump anymore to put on the brakes. We will have Sleepy Joe at the wheel, with his foot on the accelerator. By the time the clueless minions who voted for Biden realize they made the mistake of a lifetime - it will be too late. The die will have been cast.

  

 

The DEATH - of America's pastime

"I am not just picking on MLB. The same will go for the Vikings this fall, the Wolves, the Wild, or even that soccer team. You disrespect the country, the flag, the anthem - we are done. They can pander all they want to whomever they want - it just won't be to me." 

I am mourning the loss of a friend today. A lifetime friend. A lifetime friend who decided to go rogue, and commit a form of suicide. Yes, I am talking about the Minnesota Twins. This is the team I have followed since 1961, when I was 11 years old. I would listen to the games, lying in my bed, through an earpiece coming out of my transistor radio. Most of the games were on WCCO radio, AM 830. I knew the names of the players by heart, their positions, and even some stats. I knew who the announcers were. Ray Scott, Hal Scott, Herb Carnell. The Twins were part of the American pastime. I sure know they were part of my pastime.

But that all came to a crashing end this COVID - 19 shortened season. My love affair with the Twins came to an end. Why? They joined "pander-fest" with most of the other MLB teams. They decided that paying homage to Black Lives Matter, was more important than our flag or anthem. In short, they disrespected our flag, our country, our heritage, and the history of baseball. Abner Doubleday must be spinning in his grave.

I am not the only one who felt jilted yesterday. Thousands of other citizens and patriots, shed a tear when their favorite team "sold out" in the season openers. It is a damn good thing no crowds were present to see this mess. The cut-outs and the fake crowd noise don't boo. Many of the real fans would have. Fair minded citizens and patriots know that black lives matter as much as any other life does. The organization of Black Lives Matter however, is not as honest and pure. Don't believe me? Read up on it.

Could I have tolerated a moment of silence before or after the anthem was played? A moment to recognize some of the past injustices in our country? Maybe. But I for one think the good this country has done has far out measured any bad. Truth. America is not a perfect country, but a very good country indeed. So good in fact, if people don't want to live here, the door is open to leave. That includes all those millionaire baseball players who were kneeling to disrespect this country, who made them millionaires.

It is going to take a whole lot of mea culpas by MLB to get me back as a fan. President Trump told the truth when he said he would not watch a game where the players disrespected our flag and/or anthem. Many of us agree with him. If enough people get fed up with this bunch of overpaid crybabies, maybe there will be few too few left to pay their inflated salaries. Maybe that is the karma which will cover MLB like a blanket, snuffing out the flame of their one time success.

I am not just picking on MLB. The same will go for the Vikings this fall, the Wolves, the Wild, or even that soccer team. You disrespect the country, the flag, the anthem - we are done. They can pander all they want to whomever they want - it just won't be to me. 

    

Teacher's Pet

"This is all part of the BIG agenda. The Soros agenda. The socialist agenda. Welcome to experiencing 1984, while living in the year 2020."

Oh boy. I wonder who did not see this one coming. As we get closer to "witching hour" (that be the day the state needs to rule on how we do school in the 2020-21 school year), the natives are getting restless. The natives? What natives? The parents? Yes, they would sure like to know what the story is starting right after Labor Day. But they are not driving the train on this issue. Nor is the Governor. It is Education Minnesota. The teacher's union. And boy, are they strong! And powerful! And controlling! Well, controlling only if you are a Democrat.

Today, there is a huge rally in front of the Governor's mansion. Education Minnesota is going to let their voices be heard. One would think that teachers, would be holding a rally so they could teach, right? Yes, in a common sense world. But the world of the teacher union. They don't dwell in common sense. They will be having a rally NOT to teach next school year. They want to continue "distance learning", even though it was a failure last school year. They could however, be convinced to do regular in class teaching - if the Governor would pour zillions more dollars into the school budgets.

Where does that leave the parents? In nowhere land. Do they shop for clothes for the new school year? Do they buy dozens of face masks that the kids can wear if they are in school? School lunches? Or, do they buy nothing, as the kids will again be sitting at home all day, in front of a computer screen.

What will the Governor do? Silly question! He will do EXACTLY what Education Minnesota tells him to do. He is nothing more than a puppet on a string, and Education Minnesota controls the string. He is teacher's pet. Heck, he taught school for a while. We was a member of Education Minnesota. There is not one speck of daylight between Walz and the teacher's union. 

It is not just this state where the teacher unions are calling the shots. In some states, the teacher unions are saying they will not go back in the classrooms until the police in that state are defunded. Huh? What does that have to do with education? Nothing - but who cares. This is all part of the BIG agenda. The Soros agenda. The socialist agenda. Welcome to experiencing 1984, while living in the year 2020.

Stay tuned folks. This school issue is going to be a make or break issue for many parents in Minnesota and beyond. Will our Governor do the right thing? Of course he will. That is, if you belong to Education Minnesota. If you are just a common citizen with kids in school, this next school year might really suck for you - as well as for your kids. 

Protect the Blue!

"If the mutts and misfits ever tried to pull their kind of crap up in this neck of the woods - well, let's just say it would not end well for them."   

You might wonder why 600 officers in the NYPD have put in for retirement this year. Or, why a couple hundred in the MPD are filing claims of PTSD, resulting from the George Floyd mayhem and riots. I think it is the same in many big blue cities right now. It is one thing, to not have the backing of the Mayor and city leaders, it is quite another to allow our men and women in blue to become the targets and punching bags for the mutts and misfits.

A couple of snippets of what has happened as of late. In Chicago, a mob of traitors and enemies of the state, decided to topple a statue of Columbus. The police were there, and formed a barricade around the statue to protect it. The crowd, who was well funded and organized, started throwing frozen bottles of water, feces, rocks, and firecrackers at the officers. Many in the crowd had umbrellas opened up, so the identities of the perps could be concealed. Many officers were injured. One got hit in the eye with something, and may have permanent eye damage.

In Portland, where rioting (with the blessings and permission of the Mayor), continues night after night, the police do what they can to keep the lid on. But the mutts and misfits have figured out a new weapon to use against the police. Lasers. They are purposely aiming lasers at the eyes of the police. So far this month, three officers have sustained eye damage from the lasers. Some might have permanent eye damage.

This is like a one act play from the Theater of the Absurd. Mayors and city leaders, doing what they can to neuter and defund THEIR police forces. Citizens, unable to get prompt responses on frantic 911 calls, as the police are stretched thin, as well as being under constant attack. These days, many cops in these big blue cities, get up in the morning and do some very deep soul searching. This chosen profession, which they trained hard to obtain, has changed. This profession, which they went into not to get rich, but rather to protect and serve, has turned into a nightmare.

Some learned person on one of the cable shows recently, put the blame for this social entropy squarely on the shoulders of the Mayors. "They should all be recalled!", he said. Yes they should. If they are that stupid, clueless or cunning, that they would allow unfettered looting and burning of their cities, they deserve no quarter. I would not only recall them, but also put them on trial as an accomplice those who caused the damage. 

Just a final note to those misguided nitwits who think a world without cops would be a utopia. Take a look around. Look at just about any large, blue city right now. They look like a dystopian version of a warped reality. This is just a sneak peek on how things will look in a world without cops.

By the way, the vast majority of us still love our cops. We believe they are like Ivory Soap - 99% pure. The 1% which is not pure, is usually taken care of by the system. Where I live, our Sheriff's Deputies fit the bill nicely. They do a great job of protecting and serving this community. And - we always have their sixes. If the mutts and misfits ever tried to pull their kind of crap up in this neck of the woods - well, let's just say it would not end well for them.   

"Stop the world - I want to get off"

"To move forward as a country, we don't necessarily have to be on the same page, but for sure in the same chapter. If you feel differently than this, then you are invited to stop the world and get off. We don't want, nor need your help."

"Stop the world - I want to get off" is a Broadway Musical (also a movie) from the late sixties. I did not see it, but have heard the musical score. In my book? Anthony Newley could have done better. In any event, I thought about that title the other day. Just like that, in the young year of 2020, our nation is going bonkers. It is like many of our citizens have hit the overload button with a combination of the pandemic, the social unrest, the history revisionists, the everything abnormal. In other words, this world as it exists right now, is too tough, to weird, to live in. "Stop the world - I want to get off!"

This pandemic will eventually run its course. Not only our country, but also the world. Even though the United States has been hit particularly hard hit by this virus, we are getting smarter on how to treat this thing every day. New medical treatments, new ways to treat the very sick, progress on new vaccines, and so forth. In Minnesota, our daily death toll has only hit double digits twice in the past month - and those two days the count was 10 and 13. 

But I am not nearly as concerned about this pandemic as I am about what is happening to social fabric of our country. Politics has eclipsed all forms of common sense. How so? Many big blue city mayors would rather have their cities burn, than have help from a Republican President. In fact, they look at the infusion of federal troops to help protect federal buildings as  more of a threat than the misfits and mutts who are torching and looting everything. Meanwhile, in Chicago yesterday, 15 people were shot while attending a funeral. At least 60 shots were fired. Shocked? Not in Chicago. In that town having 15 people shot, is called a Monday.

Now I am going to say something which will sound like a huge "Duh". The majority of us are fine. We may not like this pandemic, but we are finding ways to navigate through it. We are not in the cities demonstrating, rioting, looting, and burning. We are not toppling statues and spray painting graffiti. We are the vast majority in this country. But the loud and obnoxious minority, along with the apathetic voters who elected nitwits to be mayors and city leaders, have made parts of our country look and act unlivable. We need to fix that, and fast.

Earlier this year, before the our nation "went into the ditch", I penned more than one article about the wonderful things which are coming this decade. How great the new "roaring twenties" are going to be. We are on the cusp of some truly amazing things. Life was good, and getting better all the time. Looking back from today, that seems like decades ago, rather than mere months. 

Bottom line? I don't want the world to stop. I don't want to get off. I still believe great things are coming. I want to keep working on making our nation a more perfect union. I want to see the prosperity of this nation be the tide which "lifts all ships" worldwide. I am proud of the fact, we feed so many hungry people worldwide. I love the fact to so many in the world still see America as the "shining city on the hill". I want that to continue.

I don't want to destroy our history, I want to learn from it. I want an end to this social entropy, before it blots our country in the same manner the Civil War did. What am I saying? Those who hate this country, are invited to leave. Those who love this country, are encouraged to stay.

We have toughed out difficult and bleak times before. We can do it again. But we can't do it if we are constantly at each other's throats. To move forward as a country, we don't necessarily have to be on the same page, but for sure in the same chapter. If you feel differently than this, then you are invited to stop the world and get off. We don't want, nor need your help.   

 

  

The dualism of Thomas Jefferson

"If our youth were taught true American history in school today, they might not be destroying statues of him. They might understand that he was this - not a perfect man, but a very good man indeed."    

Thomas Jefferson. Our third President, and without a doubt, one of our most influential founding fathers. He did so many great things for this country, his position on Mount Rushmore has been earned many times over. But he was a very complicated man. One one hand, he abhorred slavery. Called it a "hideous blot". One the other hand, through inheritance and purchases, over the course of his life Thomas Jefferson "owned" 600 human beings. In other words, they were his slaves.

How conflicted was he on slavery? Big time. While serving as our Minister to France in the late 1700's, Jefferson constructed the genesis for the Northwest Ordinance. This document addressed the Northwest Territory (what was to become Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, and part of Minnesota) and how it would be treated, should any part of this territory become states. The purpose was to ensure any future states which would come out of the Northwest Territory (or any other territory), would have the same rights as the original 13 states. But here comes the clinker. He also wanted included in this document, that slavery would not be legal in our territories. Wow! From a slave owner!

But this story gets better. Jefferson also believed that even though he owned many slaves, slavery should be made illegal in all of the United States. He wanted that language included also. But he knew it would take time. So he wanted to give the Union until the year 1800 to rid itself of slavery. AND - this came very, very close to passing. It only failed by one vote.

When I was reading up on this slavery issue, a thought came to mind. I knew someone years ago who was hopelessly addicted to smoking. One day he said to me, "I wish the government would make cigarettes illegal. Then I would have have no choice but to quit." Maybe that is the way it was with Jefferson. He had slaves, but hated slavery. If it were made illegal, he could stop owning slaves. But he was a deeply complicated man. In fact, as the principal author of our Declaration of Independence, many credit him with penning the phrase "all men are created equal".

Here is one more point to ponder. If that one vote never happened, and in the late 1700's a resolution was passed to end slavery in the Union by 1800, would we still have fought a Civil War? I guess we will never know. But we do know this - before he became our third President, and during his term as President, Thomas Jefferson did a LOT of good things for this country. An immeasurable amount of good things. But - he also owned slaves.

Does Thomas Jefferson deserve his place of honor on Mount Rushmore? Does he deserve to have numerous statues built in his likeness? Was he a saint or a sinner? Maybe a bit of both. Maybe Jefferson was a flawed man. A good man, but with some flaws. We could say that about many of our nation's heroes and leaders. 

We owe a lot to Thomas Jefferson. That is my feeling, and the feeling of many others. If our youth were taught true American history in school today, they might not be destroying statues of him. They might understand that he was this - not a perfect man, but a very good man indeed. And a very important architect of our early Union.   

Against all enemies, foreign and domestic

"Wake up America! We are losing our cities. Not to protesters, but to well organized, well orchestrated, well funded mobs."

Those who have served this county in the Armed Forces, have all taken the oath. The center point of that oath is "to protect our country, from all enemies, foreign and domestic". And we did. But that protection was always tilted towards foreign threats. Now - the shoe is on the other foot. We have domestic terrorists, who are out to ruin, and destroy our country. They are enemies of the state. They are enemies of this country. They are enemies of everyone who took the oath.

ICYMI - this country is a mess right now. Not all of it - just certain cities. And no, I will not rant again about our big blue cities being ground zero for these misfits and traitors. Well, maybe a little. We are coming up on sixty days now - SIXTY DAYS - where these lawless thugs roam the streets of Portland and Seattle, burning, looting, and destroying what they can. What are the city leaders doing to stop them? Nada. They are however (especially Portland's limp wrist Mayor) bitching about the President sending in federal troops to protect government property.

This past weekend, the city of Chicago was once again a shooting gallery. 58 people shot and wounded, and 9 people shot dead. Again, deadlier to live in that city than any of our war zones. What is the Mayor of Chicago (Beetlejuice) doing about it? Nothing, except blaming guns and the President. I know - these stats for Chicago are not newsworthy, as they are the same every weekend. But - because they are the same every weekend, that SHOULD make them newsworthy.

In New York City, the shootings and mayhem continue. Much worse than last year at this time. Most in the know, blame de Blasio. This past weekend, some thugs were shooting off firecrackers and fireworks by some small children. A mother, age 33, went out and asked the thugs to go elsewhere to shoot off their fireworks, away from the kids. One thug pulling out a gun, and shot this young mother 8 times. She died from her wounds.

Ever get the feeling we are starting to lose our country? To lawlessness, socialists, anarchists and thugs? What is the response of the big blue city leaders? More cops? Cracking down with "broken window" policing? Na - their response to it is laissez faire governance. In other words, sitting on their fat ass and doing nothing. Well, not really nothing. Many cities, including the once fine city of Minneapolis, have voted to partially or totally defund their cops. Makes perfect sense right? More crimes = less cops. In what universe does that make sense? Not the one I live in.

Here is a warning. The President understands this, but many blue Mayors and blue Governors do not. Police forces are here for a reason. They protect and serve. If they are neutered by city leaders cutting their funding, there are other law enforcement resources which are not dependent on city or state funding. Yes, I am taking about patriots and citizens. Sick to death of what they have been seeing for the past two months. Many patriots have taken the oath. The oath which has no expiration date.

Wake up America! We are losing our cities. Not to protesters, but to well organized, well orchestrated, well funded mobs. Made up of traitors and enemies of the state. Now they are in the northwest - soon they could be in the mid-west. They are not ruining this country by doing a big push, they are doing it incrementally - bit by bit. Be aware folks. Remember the boiling frog story - we could be the frogs.  

 

 

Honest Reparations

"Our country, to be a more perfect union, needs to be the land of equal opportunity for all citizens. To me, that is what we should focus on. Going forward, ensuring everyone has equal opportunity should continue to be our quest. Not equal outcomes."

Reparations. The word which keeps popping up all the time. Just when you think it has run its course - there it is again. And the price tag keeps going up. Now, you can hear about trillions owed. Okay - I will bite. Owed by whom, to whom? For example, my ancestors were all immigrants. Post Civil War immigrants. They came from Norway, Sweden, Germany and Holland. Oh, and one came from Scotland also. My point being? None of them were slave owners in Colonial or pre-Civil War America. So then - how much should I owe in reparations? Probably, zero.

I know, I know. Very narrow of you Bird! Maybe, but here is my point. To do reparations the right way, proper damages would need to be determined. "Then year dollars" escalated to today's dollars. And we would need plaintiffs and defendants. In other words, proof that someone living here today, truly had ancestors who owned slaves in America. It is not just good enough that someone lived in Colonial America, that person would have had to also owned slaves.

In addition, not all black folk who live here today are descendants of slaves (in America). Some are, and some are not. Paying reparations to someone who has no roots in slavery, who was not a slave, nor someone who owned a slave, is foolish. Paying reparations to someone whose ancestor was a slave, and was financially wronged by someone who has a descendant here today, now we can talk.

Here is the problem. History is replete with miscarriages of justice. The plundering of the Huns, the Vikings, the Axis Powers during World War II, and so forth. How about 9/11? Should we go after ever person of Middle Eastern decent for compensation? Or the CCP flu? That is costing this country a mint. Go after every person of Chinese decent for compensation? Where does it all stop?

Most clear thinking Americans think that slavery is a blot on our history. We know why it happened, and how it happened. We also know that slave trading was common back in those days. Young America was a minor league player in slave trading compared to many countries back then. But we did play. And that was wrong. No person should ever "own" another person. But we can't go back and unmake our history. America is what it is today because much of what we have done to get here is simply great. But some was not. We do have some warts and bruises along with our greatness.

Honest reparations will probably never happen. Why? It lives in the land of "too hard to prove, and too expensive to do." Like I said, we can't go back and remake our history. But we can learn from it. We will NEVER travel that path again.

Our country, to be a more perfect union, needs to be the land of equal opportunity for all citizens. To me, that is what we should focus on. Going forward, ensuring everyone has equal opportunity should continue to be our quest. Not equal outcomes.

    

And - wither Bettlejuice?

"The good people of Chicago need to come to their senses and do a house cleaning. Get rid of 'Bettlejuice', and all her cronies in city hall. Might as well get rid of that lousy Governor while they are at it."

Somebody asked me a while ago if I ever got tired of writing about Chicago. Yes, I do. I get tired of writing about how bad Chicago has become. Why? I really do like and miss the "old" Chicago. The one which used to be known as "Second City". It had glamour and glitz, but not the haughtiness of the "First City" - New York. It was mid-west all the way. Da Bears, the Cubbies, and the home some of the best pizza and sausage on this planet.

While at IBM, when I worked as a member of the Chicago team, I loved going there. Landing at O'Hare? Not so much. But once downtown, it was a delight. We all learned the safe places to venture, and the not so safe places. The safe places heavily outnumbered the not so safe places. But that was then, and this is now. Chicago has devolved into a mass of blue city mayhem. According to the Epoch Times, there have been 500 more shootings this year over last year at this time - and last year was horrible. The residents of Chicago have always elected some oddballs to govern them, but this latest crew, including Lorie "Bettlejuice" Lightfoot, takes the cake.

In case you have not heard, last night in Chicago (besides the usual black on black carnage which happens every weekend), all hell was breaking out. A mob of misfits, decided it was their civic, yet unlawful duty, to take out a statue of Columbus. As most of us know by now, taking down any statue, or desecrating any monument, is a huge no-no. Heavy jail time awaits those who try. But this band of misfits did not give a whit. As they were trying to take it down, the police intervened. 

What happened next was beyond terrible. As the police were tying to protect and defend, this unruly mob decided it was okay to hurt the police. Rocks and fireworks were thrown at the police as they stood firm to protect this statue. Many cops were injured. And where was the Mayor? I don't know - where is the Mayor on any weekend when her town is burning down? She is worse for Chicago than Mrs. O'Leary's cow.

No, in the mind of "Bettlejuice", every problem that Chicago has right now, is the fault of President Trump. Yesterday, she took off after the President's press secretary, calling her a "Karen". Please don't ask me what that means. I do know it you live on the wacky left side of the street, "Karen" is supposed to mean something not good.

Oh yes - besides blaming Trump for all the violence and chaos in Chicago, she also blames guns. However, when any cop is asked what the cause of all today's problems are, all fingers point to city hall - particularly, Mayor "Bettlejuice". 

The good people of Chicago need to come to their senses and do a house cleaning. Get rid of "Bettlejuice", and all her cronies in city hall. Might as well get rid of that lousy Governor while they are at it. The people in Illinois, the people in Cook County, the people in Chicago deserve so much better.

So do the rest of us. We, America, want our "Second City" back. We sure the hell don't need another Detroit - or worse.   

Our dissolution of trust

"Trust is not given - it is earned. That is how it once was. Today, you can lose trust in someone just because of what was reported of Facebook or Twitter. Sad." 

With all the changes which this country has been going through as late, to me, the most disturbing is the dissolution of trust. Things we at one time believed to be sacrosanct in their veracity, we no longer believe. For example, the CDC, once looked upon as a paradigm of truth and clarity, is now looked up with suspicion. Even by the White House. Why? Data. Is the data being cooked a bit, or is it pure? Are there other agendas going on, or not. Is the CDC in cahoots with the WHO and/or the ChiComs, or not. I am not saying it is or is not trustworthy - I am saying to many, the CDC is not as trustworthy as it once was.

And what about the poll numbers for Donald Trump? Can we believe even a smidge of those numbers? One thing the media and many of the pollsters are not, is TRUTHFUL! Makes you want to pull your hair out!

How about something more down to earth? Like on the streets, every day. Our police forces. Don't worry - most of us "normals" still trust the cops. We know the vast majority of them still protect and serve. But today, many youth, many minorities, and the most disturbing - many big blue mayors - do not. Yes, that is true. Many big blue mayors, like the biggest one of all (Bill de Blasio), can't stand their cops. In fact - cops are so suspect, so despised, in so many big blue cities, their funding is being slashed or eliminated. And because of that, the police don't trust their city leaders. Not a bit. Not worth a wit.

How about Washington? How many still trust our politicians? Hands? None, I can see. Well, this one is okay not to trust. There is precious little many politicians have done to engender our trust. The fact that many a senator or congressperson has gone to Washington poor, and left quite wealthy, is a main reason why they are as popular as a tooth ache. Congress does not trust the President, and he does not trust them. The Senate does not trust the House, and visa versa. With lack of trust goes the lack of respect. Enough said.

How about more local? The governors? Want an example of lack of trust? The Governor of New York. Cuomo the Great. The one who put thousands of vulnerable older adults into hotbeds of COVID. That would be the long term care facilities. Any wonder why almost 23,000 folks died in New York City alone? It was the tag team of Cuomo and de Blasio that made NYC the hot zone of the world for COVID. Why these guys are not brought up on some kind of charges, is beyond me. Trust? I would trust Attila the Hun more than I would trust many  Democrat governors.

How about right here in good old Minnesota? Land of Minnesota nice. Governor "no balls" Walz. Mayor Jacob "Frey Baby". And don't get me started on that Star Wars bar crowd, better known as the Minneapolis City Council. I don't trust any of those clowns. And neither does the federal government. That is one of the reason why the funding request, sent by Walz, was turned down. Trust these clowns to do the right thing? NEVER!

I have said this for years. Many years. I would a hundred times rather have someone tell me they did not like me, than they don't trust me. Yes, trust is that important to me. I know full trust is earned - that being said, I also give someone the benefit of the doubt when I meet them. In other words, I give them more than just a modicum of trust, but not yet my full trust. That still needs to be earned.

Trust is not given - it is earned. That is how it once was. Today, you can lose trust in someone just because of what was reported of Facebook or Twitter. Sad. How can this nation heal? Once we start trusting each other again. Once we start earning each others trust again. Living up to that trust. Trust me - that is the truth. 

The COVID Enigma

"We are far from learning everything we need to know about this virus. Like, the latest suspicious culprit might be air conditioning. And inside air. Communal rest rooms."

I don't know about you all, but my head is spinning. This COVID thing is so hard to understand, and the "facts" are so hard to trust. Is it a canard, or is it an apocalyptic plague. Is it a little of both, or is it neither. In 2017, Dr. Michael Osterholm wrote a book (Deadliest Enemy: Our War Against Germs) about past pandemics and if we are prepared for the next one. The script for this one, could not have been more clearly drawn. Osterholm has impeccable credentials and a sterling reputation. When he speaks, most people listen. 

My annual visit to my skin doctor this week was not quite as illuminating as listening to Dr. Osterholm. However, like Osterholm, my skin doc is a U of M medical school graduate, and is still tied in with the medical school community. His beliefs from what he as learned about COVID are these - it is real, there is no stopping it now, and China is to blame. What he meant by saying there is no stopping it now, is it is going to be with us for a while. Sometimes in waves, sometimes in lulls. But it is here.

Back to Dr. Osterholm for a minute. Even though his book came out in 2017, he has been sounding the clarion call for action since 2005 - maybe even earlier. "We are not prepared for what will surely come", he would say. He has studied the Spanish Flu pandemic closely. He has studied AIDS, H1N1, MERS, SARS, you name it. To have a new variant of the COVID virus unleashed on the planet was all but inevitable. His complaint, was the unwillingness of governments (especially ours), to prepare for it.

But now it is here, and I have never seen any event where there is more confusion, data shaping, and half truths. We have knee jerked, and knee jerked again in response to it. Some folks have blown this thing off as much to do about nothing. Others are saying it is as real as a heart attack, and if you get it, you could be big time sick. Maybe hospitalized. Maybe hospitalized in an ICU. Maybe worse.

It does seem however, that every day we learn something new about COVID - 19. We also know how much we did not know when this thing first hit. And to validate what Dr. Osterholm has been warning us about - we were nowhere near prepared for it. And again, according to Osterholm, we are only in the second inning of a nine inning game.

Someone told me that COVID was the turd in our punch bowl which never seems to go away. Amen to that one. It affects and/or spoils just about everything we do on a daily basis. However, one way or another, this thing will finally end. Will it still be with us in a less than virulent state in the future? Time will tell. Until that happens, our behavior will resemble something like Group-think. Large space bubbles, mandatory masks in certain venues, super cleaning just about everything, and daily temperature checks. 

We are far from learning every important item we need to know about this virus. Like, the latest suspicious culprit might be air conditioning. And/or inside air. Communal rest rooms. Huggers and  hand shakers will continue to mourn their past greeting practices. The rest of us? Many of us will continue to be perplexed and frustrated by the enigma of COVID - 19. It is after all, the turd in our punch bowl. 

 

The Isolated States of America

"Don't shake hands, don't hug, stay six feet away from each other, and stay the heck out of our state. That is our new welcome mat. Treat each other like they are radioactive, and if they arrive at state border, treat them like they are lepers." 

Back in the day, when I was working with a business partner in the midlands of the UK, one of the engineers I worked with, often commented about America. "You know, you chaps have it so good over there. Here, we live on a very large island. Soon, we can drive, but soon we run out of road, and come to an ocean. Whenever I have some extra time while visiting in America, I rent a car and just drive. From state to state, where no visa is required when you cross a state line."

I thought about my old English friend the other day. When New York added Minnesota to its list of "stay away" states. Whereas, if someone wanted to travel from Minnesota to New York (please, don't ask why), New York now requires a two week self quarantine when you arrive there. Why? Cuomo thinks people from Minnesota are dirty and infected. Like they are not?

There are many states right now, I have no desire to visit. States which are (or have been), hot spots. And Cuomo has some REAL STONES to put us on his isolation list. For a while, New York City was THE HOT SPOT OF THE WORLD! Like New York City proper has had almost 23,000 deaths, and the entire state of Minnesota has had just over 1,500. So, stuff it New York! Nobody wants to visit your high tax, highly infected state anyhow!

Here we are, still a bit hunkered down. Delta airlines just reported their recovery from last spring's dearth of airline travel, is started to fizzle. Translation: Nobody wants to go fly anywhere, especially in the straight jacket discomfort that airlines now offer. How about driving then? Well, if you drive to another state, you need to be concerned about the hotel accommodations. How well have they cleaned your room? Sanitized? How about places to eat? Are they open? 

Just this other day, I read an article saying if you need to do some personal business, the worst place to do it is in a public restroom with many stalls. Turns out, that is a very good breeding ground for germs and viruses. So when you are traveling, overnights may be a problem, eating may be a problem, and even pooping may be a problem. What does that leave? Stay-cations. Having a chance to spend even more time at home. AHHHHH!!!!!

In any event, our United States of America has now become the Isolated States of America. Don't shake hands, don't hug, stay six feet away from each other, and stay the heck out of our state. That is our new welcome mat. Treat each other like they are radioactive, and if they arrive at state border, treat them like they are lepers. 

Have to go now. I have a full day planned of staying put. My wife have traded in our "traveler" moniker for a new one - "home bodies". We have become our parents.    

The coming war on God

"In this war on God, there is no middle ground. It is not whose side God is on; it is this - are we on God's side?"

The coming war Bird? Don't you mean the war which is already here? I guess it is. The first shot was fired when God was booed by the Democrats at their convention. Or, when the Democrats wanted God to be taken out of their platform. But that was kind of a cold war. Just words (although, those words really meant something bad). Now the war has turned hot. Burning St John's Episcopal Church next to the White House was a huge escalation. Then just a few days ago, burning a statue of the Virgin Mary.

One might think these unspeakable acts were done by Muslims. Radical Muslims who hate the cross and the people who follow the cross. I almost wish it were. It would make things so much easier to explain. But this besmirchment of our God, as well as setting fire to His house, and His statues, is done by citizens of this country. Citizens who have turned their backs on God. Why? These are true anarchists. No law. No rules. No authority. That is why they hate this country, our Constitution, and most importantly, why they hate our God.

In this war on God, there is no middle ground. It is not whose side God is on; it is this - are we on God's side? That will be the battlefield. Will our actions be dictated by the Principalities of Darkness, or the Divine Will of God Almighty? By the way - this battle is not new. It has been going on since the war in Heaven. The war in which Satan, along with his angels were expelled from Heaven. And because Satan has already been defeated (but not destroyed), he will come after God's children. I am not making this up. It is right in the Bible, in the Book of Revelation.

This is not a time for God's people, or God's church to take a back seat. Not the time just to be an observer. This is the time to recognize there is a war going on. Good vs. evil. This is a time we need to put on the Armor of God, and be ready for this raging battle. And this battle will get worse. What we have seen right now could just be a harbinger of things to come. If the people of God just give up and give in to the secular humanists and the anarchists, I shudder to think of what comes next. In other words, this is a battle we CANNOT lose.

For too long now, many decided to abide with a tepid faith in Christianity. We can abide that way no longer. We need to be involved. We need to be resolute. Most of all, we need to be faithful in the Word. To know the battle for what it is, we must always know this is not about man vs. man. It goes much deeper than that. For someone to burn a church, which is the Bride of Christ, is evil beyond understanding. It is a spiritual evil, of which this country, this world cannot, nor should not, endure. 

Our commission as a Christian country is to practice the Great Commission. Those are our marching orders. If evil, which is now igniting this war on God, gets in the way of that Great Commission, then that evil must be vanquished.