Playing without a coach...

 

 

 

"It is tough when the other side has a coach who is determined to win, and our side has no leadership..."

Watching the news this morning was both enlightening and tough at the same time. It was tough as the world continues to be a mess and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. It was enlightening as I heard some very good pearls of wisdom.

The subject discussed was the Russian Bear, and the loss of Flight MA 17. More specifically, what are we going to do about it. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that Moscow may not have given the order to fire the missile (probably fired from a Russian BUK system), but their fingerprints were on it. One military expert yesterday stated that this system is so complex, most Russian technicians take two years of training to become proficient on it.

Since the Russians have already whisked away the plane's black boxes, we will have to use other forensic evidence to further build evidence to implicate the guilty parties. I have no doubt that we will. Once that happens and Russia is found guilty as sin, what is next? That question was asked of a military expert on the news this morning. His answer - nothing. Why? His words -"We have no coach".

Before BHO became the "leader of the free world", liberty loving peoples of the world could look to us for guidance, leadership and help. No more. Not one country in the Euro Zone is going to stand alone against the Russian Bear. Most countries have seen the hand writing on the wall. They have seen how we act, how we follow up on our threats. In other words, instead of "having their backs", we are playing golf, fighting with Republicans, or fund raising. No leadership, no coach.

One of the commentators asked a very simple question - with a different leader, what could we do? The answer has been addressed by many (including myself) before. First: Inform the Euro Zone that we will be their natural gas supplier from now on. Period. We will meet or beat what they were paying to the Russians. Second: By executive order, initiate additional LNG facilities at ports in the United States. We will need them as we will now be a world leader in natural gas exports. Third: Show the world we mean business on all our energy reserves. Authorize the Keystone Pipeline, open up additional public land (on shore and offshore) for drilling, and build more up to date refineries. Finally, build the missile shield in Poland. Canceling this project was a big, big mistake.

Ronald Reagan never had to raise his voice when addressing the Soviets. His words were measured and firm. Most of all, the Soviets were smart enough to know this man meant business. He was a leader, a coach, and a friend to freedom loving peoples world wide. If he were alive and healthy today, and our president, it would be very interesting to see how Putin would react to him. I dare say this - Putin, like his predecessors, respects strength. The Bear would be back in his cage, like they were in the 80's and 90's, behaving much, much better. 

Standing by, once again...

 

 

"This is very interesting. Kind of like watching a movie that I am not in..."

"Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. Where in the world do I start? I was just having a discussion with a friend of mine about how it seems as bad as every week has become, the following week gets even worse. The past two days I have written about some local politics issues. During those two days, I had my topic for today all picked out. It was hard for me to wait to write it, as it was going to be smoking hot. However, as most know by now, everything has been superseded by the events of yesterday. That topic will have to wait for another day.

Before I begin, first let me take an aside. A long time friend of mine is doing something (in my opinion) very risky. He is gambling just about everything to buy an asset. When I asked him why he was doing this, he replied, "It will be my legacy for my kids". However do so, he is going to have to default on his mortgage - in other words, become a deadbeat. Here is a man, who has been responsible his entire life. Now in his twilight years, he is throwing it all away, just to buy this asset. What he fails to understand is this - his legacy is not what he leaves for his children, his legacy is how he is lives his life. And part of how he lives his life is how he honors his commitments.

The reason I bring this up is only for analogy. Yesterday, when all hell was breaking loose in Gaza as well as over the Ukraine, President Bystander was doing the two things he does best - nothing and fundraising. Most everyone I listed to in the media, be they conservative, moderate and even liberal, took a shot at POTUS for going to New York to attend a couple of fund raisers. It was the same M.O. he did after Benghazi (Las Vegas fund raisers) and the border crisis (Texas fund raisers).

So what does this have to do with my long time friend and the asset he is sacrificing everything to buy? Simple. The purpose of the fund raisers is to garner cash to ensure the Democrats hold on to the Senate this November. That way (in the President's mind), he has a better chance to hammer home the rest of his agenda, thereby solidifying his "legacy". However, that is a fool's errand. His legacy is being written right now - how he handles an ever changing and increasingly dangerous world. And his legacy right now is looking much worse than "Carter-ville".

One of the pundits I listened to last night brought up an excellent point (once again). His words: "Either the President just does not care anymore (about his job), or he is putting on the appearance that he does not care." Wow! Does that nail it. Prior to the fundraisers yesterday, he mentioned the shoot down of the Malaysian airliner for 40 seconds and then was back to cracking jokes. All these world crisis issues are too him are mere distractions from what he likes to do.

To quote an old saying, "this guy is a piece of work". I really don't know if we or the world can survive for another 916 days of his presidency. Yes, that is the actual number - 916 days. We are like a plane flying with no pilot. Even a bad pilot is better than no pilot. Our State Department did however, tell the IDF (Israel) to be careful for civilians while in Gaza. I don't remember the State Department ever telling Hamas not to aim their rockets at civilian targets in Israel. Another example of our a very confused and conflicted foreign policy run by, and explained by, children and idiots.

So happy Friday folks. Rome continues to burn and the fire spreads. We continue to reap what we have sown. Those who gambled everything on "Hope and Change" are only getting 50% of what they mortgaged their future (and ours) on. There is no hope, however the changes (all bad), just keep on a coming...

The Marty Mystery

 

 

 

 

"Unlike Scott, I have met Marty, talked to him more than once, and Marty had the courtesy to come to the endorsing convention..."

First a bit of disclosure. I like Marty Seifert. He is a nice man. Not a perfect man, but a nice man. In addition, he has had experience in both the public and private sector. He has a great family. That being said, I am disappointed in him that he has not thrown his support behind the endorsed candidate for governor.

Down in Rochester, I was on Team Thompson from the get-go. I had my green shirt on and even helped inside the campaign team room. When it became obvious after a few ballots the numbers were not with him, Dave Thompson gracefully and eloquently conceded. He then pledged his support to the soon to be endorsed candidate, Jeff Johnson.

When the time came for Marty to do the same, he did not. He withdrew from the race and then released his supporters. I was not there when it happened, so the following is antidotal. I was told he did not release them to support Jeff, rather he released them to leave the convention. By doing so, it could have put the entire endorsing process in jeopardy as the numbers would not have been there to conclude endorsement. Fortunately they were, and by the end of the day, we had Jeff Johnson as our endorsed candidate.

I understand not all are fans of the endorsing process. Some believe we should go directly to primary and skip this meaningless step. My feeling is different. We have a process in this state, in our party. It starts with the precinct caucus night (anyone can come), then the BPOU endorsing convention, then the CD endorsing convention, and finally the state endorsing convention. Much time, effort and money is spent to get us to that point. Once we have the endorsed candidate, we need to be "team players" and get behind the winner.

I wish nothing but the best for Marty in his future endeavors. He is a talented man and will do good things for our state. I do however, worry that Marty may have hurt himself (even in the short term) by how things played out in Rochester. I have said before, taking on a sitting governor, which will use the Minnesota DFL machine, is not going to be an easy task. It will take unity and a strong team. A fractured team will most likely result in four more years of Dayton.

My plea to Marty, Kurt and Scott is simple - let us please do the right thing for the people of this state. A term only lasts four years. If Jeff cannot deliver on what was promised, there will be another day. This day however, belongs to Jeff Johnson.

The Scott Problem?

 

 

"There is often a price to pay when you snub party loyalists at their big dance..."

Before I get into the meat of this article, let me first make two points: 1) I have never met Scott Honour. I would have liked to, but he decided to skip the Rochester endorsing convention. He might be the nicest man in the world or otherwise, I just don't know. 2) What I have to say I will do gently, as not to violate the 11th commandment. I think Scott is a Republican, but I don't know for sure, as he has never run for any office before.

Yesterday, there was a big article in the home town newspaper about Scott. The purpose of the article was to introduce Scott to the public. It talked about his Minnesota roots, his family, his move to California, and then his return home. It was all fine and dandy until it discussed his career. Because Scott is such an unknown, I had no idea what he did for a living. I do know he became fabulously wealthy from it. He retired from his firm at the ripe old age of 45 with enough money in the bank to buy a $15M home on Lake Minnetonka.

If Scott were running as a Democrat, what he did for a living would be a huge target for me. You see, Scott was not a job creator like other Republican candidates I have talked to. According to the article in the paper, Scott was a job eliminator. The part of the article which bothered me defined his company as follows:
 
The company specialized in buying companies and then finding efficiencies through layoffs, plant closings and other reductions, sometimes resulting in bankruptcy.

It said that one of the areas that Scott specialized in was the Defense sector. Since I worked in that sector for 25 years, I am fully aware of the pain and suffering downsizing caused many fellow workers. Many of the people who were laid off had trouble making their mortgage payment, much less buying a new mansion on the big lake to the west.

In the last election, the Democrats simply hammered poor old Mitt Romney for being "rich and out of touch". To Mitt's credit, he created companies which created jobs. To his detriment, he also acquired companies that after streamlining, cost jobs. Overall however, Mitt created more jobs than he eliminated. In addition, Mitt had government executive experience as the former Governor of Massachusetts.

My biggest fear about Scott Honour (should he win the August 12th primary) is simply this - he will become a caricature of an ancient stereotype of the Republican Party. Even though our current Governor leaves Scott in the dust with his family money (worth over $1B), because of the way presents himself, most state lemmings don't look at him as being rich. Scott's wealth, along with his lack of government experience, and his career record, could make him a huge target. That would dilute any valid message Scott was trying to deliver.

Hopefully, I was able to make my point without excoriating Scott or besmirching his character. That is not my aim. In addition, it is not my intent to violate the eleventh commandment. My advice to Scott's campaign staff would be simple - stand by to address these issues. They will probably not come up before the primary, but should Scott be victorious in August, you can bet your bottom dollar they will be front and center in the November general election.

The first wheel is getting very loose...

 

 

"I don't understand how he is going to drive this thing when there are no longer any wheels..."

Just when you think you have seen it all, just when you think you have seen the worst of it, the man behind the wheel of our country manages to sink us a bit deeper. This week is basically a continuation of last week. No better, and a very good chance to get worse.

Just a minor recap:

• The shooting war is about to get very serious between Hamas and Israel. An Egypt sponsored cease fire was agreed to by Israel and rejected by Hamas. Instead of the cease fire, Hamas answered with another 60 rockets over Israel. Consequently, Israel has been forced to put up a 9th battery for the Iron Dome. This is very dangerous and our President is a total bystander rather than a peacemaker.
• Yesterday, Jim Santelli of CNBC fame got into a shouting match with someone while on the Chicago Trading Floor. Bottom line - Mr. Santelli (who is very smart), said we are going straight into financial ruin as we continue to print too much money. That was yesterday. Today, Janet Yellen announced the Fed would continue with more of the same. Same what? Printing more money of course!
• Jeff Sessions today sent a letter to everyone in Congress stating he heard the President will shortly use Executive Authority to legalize millions of illegals. Sessions believes this will gravely hurt, maybe ruin the country if Obama does this. He might be right.
• The CDC is now concerned we might end up with a disease we are not prepared for as illegals from Central America continue to be moved through the country. A man in Colorado has just been diagnosed with the worst possible type of Plague (yes, you heard right). Once Pandora's Box is opened and incurable diseases are released, we will really have trouble.
• Of course, with all that is going on, the worst AG in our nation's history said again we have a race problem in this country. In fact, that is the reason these so called "Patriots" want to take the country back - they are racists. Has nothing to do with the trashing of the Constitution of course - it is all race. Well, I am one of those "Patriots", and taking our country back has NOTHING to do with race!

Well that is it, and it is only Monday afternoon. The week is young. Keep your eyes on Israel. If Hamas does not cease and desist soon, I am afraid this could set the Middle East on fire. And when that happens, the Caliphate could spread very quickly and become almost unstoppable.

The 11th in the 6th

 

 

"As a young man, I had two heroes in my life - my Dad and President Reagan..."

To date, history has been very kind to the Gipper. And it should be. The man who turned around the "Carter malaise economy", the man who ended the cold war, the man who kept the world in check, the man who changed our country for the better. He showed us what "Morning in America" really meant. Many invoke the name of President Reagan, but as the saying goes, "most fall short" in matching his grace, style and acumen.

However, a legacy of his which I hold dearly is the "Eleventh Commandment". Simply put, it states "Thou shall not speak ill of another Republican". Wise words from a very wise man. And these were not just empty words to President Reagan - they were his credo. And how are we doing with his Eleventh Commandment in 2014, specifically in CD 6? Well, the Gipper might be spinning in his grave.

One of my favorite sayings goes, "Tack is telling someone to go to hell and then have that person look forward to the trip." The Gipper had another skill when he debated someone inside or outside his party. He could tell someone they were full of crap by using gentle language often dashed with his sense of humor. True, he was more gentle with those in his own party as compared to the opposition. However, he showed kindness and decorum to all Americans. Enemies of this country, not so much. They saw Reagan's teeth and muscle.

I have seen cruel and vile things said about some candidates in certain races, particularly in the race for CD 6. I really don't mind when people talk or write about one candidate's strengths or ideas over another. I completely turn off when I hear rumors, innuendos, half truths, or ancient mistakes of a candidate's youth. One candidate in the race is trying to follow the Reagan commandment, almost to a "T'". In fact, that candidate has told the staff should they say one unkind or tawdry thing about any other Republican candidate, they will be fired immediately.

My request to fellow Conservatives or Republicans is simple - focus on the issues and how to fill this open position with a Constitutional Conservative. Now that the endorsement process is over, ALL FIRE should be focused on the DFL endorsed candidate. And that includes those on social media who consider themselves Conservatives. We have good people running this year - extraordinarily good people. Not only good, but very nice human beings. Our bench strength is very strong - maybe the strongest in years. Let us remember the wise counsel left to us by the Gipper and fight the Democrats on their turf, not ours. Our battle cry remains simple - Victory in November!

Is your past in the past?

 

 

 

"One of our former pastors would always remind people that everyone has a past..."

From the Disney movie Frozen, most everyone with small children has heard the theme song "Let it Go" over and over and over again. It is a catchy tune, and did very well at the last Academy Awards. Within that song lies my favorite line. When one of the main characters, Elsa the Snow Queen, takes off her old crown and throws it to the wind, she sings "the past is in the past!"

So what do we do with our past? A few years ago, a friend asked me if I would ever consider running for public office. My answer was a quick "no". I said I have a number of skeletons in my closet, mostly from youthful missteps. Now truthfully, today I am a pretty good boy. I have had a top secret clearance for years, a spotless criminal record, and only one minor infraction in fifty years of driving. That being said, if someone dug deep enough in my past, I KNOW they would find things I would not be proud of.

People of faith know that God does not want us to be poisoned by our past. When we sin (as we all do) God wants us to ask for forgiveness, atone, and then move on. In fact, one of my favorite verses from the Holy Bible is John 1, verses 8 and 9: 

 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. However, if we confess our sins, He who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness…

If we screw up, confess it, learn from it, and then it is over. Period. The past will then be in the past. I asked our pastor once how God can forget all the bad things we have done, after we have broken His heart, over and over again. My pastor responded, "God does not forget - He just choses not to remember."

Our job therefore is twofold. First, not be a victim of our past. Learn and grow, and then move on. Next, we need to understand that EVERYONE has a past. For all of us, there are elements in the past that are regrettable and hopefully forgettable. It is not right, nor scriptural, to remind people of the less than honorable parts of their past.

Someone once said, "The past is behind us, the future in not yet here, so we live in the present. And the present has been name as such, since it is just that - a gift." All of us would be better off if we remembered that thought - and then truly let our past be in the past.