Thank you for 40,000!

 

 

 

 

 

 

On September 10th, 1014, the Very Angry Bird hit the magic number of 40,000 views! The next stop - 50,000! Stay tuned - much to tell in the near future!

 

 

All creatures great and small

 

 

"How can a creature so large at over 40 tons, be so docile and so loving?"

As my wife and I have aged, our appreciation for most creatures who walk, swim or fly over this Earth keeps increasing. Don't get me wrong - we have always been animal lovers. As we have aged, we continue to recognize the importance and stewardship of practicing our God given dominion over all creatures.

For the past few years, we have had all sorts of wildlife invade our backyard. Since we have lived here over 30 years, we would have expected the reverse to take place. In other words, more civilization equals less animals. However, for some reason it is not so. We have deer, coyote, wild turkeys, red fox and grey fox. We can sit in our porch and look out at what we call our outdoor zoo. In the winter, I feed them all if the harshness of winter threatens them - if a normal winter, I let nature take it's course. 

Our male turkey (my wife named "Tim") has been with us now for over a year. He started coming around when he was just a "Jake" with an older turkey, which we assumed was his dad. When the older turkey stopped coming around, we thought he might have been "poached" or hunted by fox or coyotes. We cared for him, and he has been with us ever since.

We have estimated the weight of Tim to be about 18 pounds. Big for a bird, but not so much for a turkey. As much as we care for Tim, we also care for numerous hummingbirds. Their weight is much, much less than 18 pounds. So if a deer who weighs over 100 pounds, a turkey weighs 18 pounds, or a hummingbird usually weighs less than an ounce. Regardless of size or weight, we care for them all. They delight us with their presence in every season, particularly in the winter.

However, as docile as some of our backyard friends are, this past couple of weeks we saw gentle giants who were much larger than what we have in our backyard. We saw humpback whales, who easily go over 40 tons. We did not see, but some people have, blue whales who weigh almost 100 tons. Like humpbacks, these kind and gentle creatures eat krill and some herring. They are of no threat to mankind.

So the next time you are our enjoying the flora or fauna from where ever you live, remember this - the Good Lord has given us dominion over all that we see. It is for us to enjoy. My advice on animals is simple this - 1) care for the animals you have and 2) if you have not yet seen a whale up close, put it on you "bucket list". We can learn much more about whales than they learn about us. 

  

My time as a terrorist...

 

 

"Right in middle of God's Country, was a base designed to keep us safe from evil..."

In my active duty life, I was stationed at the Naval Security Group Activity (NSGA), Winter Harbor, Maine. It was a great tour after just after coming home from Okinawa. I was discharged from there in January 1973 and then returned to civilian life. It was there that a young, very attractive, very funny and smart young lady, who stole my heart. We were married the following year in June. I have been with her, and loved her dearly, ever since.

After a couple years of married life and graduating from the University, I decided to go back into the Navy. I enlisted in the Naval Reserve and shortly thereafter was commissioned as a "boot" Ensign. Instead of the long tours I was used to, as a reservist my training was mostly done at the reserve center with at least one yearly two week training at an active duty command.

Towards the end of my tenure as a Lieutenant, I returned to Winter Harbor for a two week tour. Once I arrived, the Commanding Officer called me into his office. He was getting ready to undergo a physical security audit. He was nervous about the outcome. He asked me to do something I had never done before. He wanted me to put my civilian clothes on and act like a terrorist. Find the vulnerabilities of the station, and see what I could do to exploit them, and take the station "off air".

When I got back to the BOQ (Bachelor Officers Quarters) I had to sit down and think for a while. This really was not my cup of tea. My area of expertise was much different than this. In fact, I knew nothing about it. I was a "good guy", not a "bad guy". However after thinking about it, I took it as a challenge. I had no expectations of how this would turn out. In fact, I thought it might even be fun.

I had the chance to work with the Maine State Patrol, the local town police, the local sheriff, and base security. I came up with a plan, and then a plan "B". It did not take me long to assess the vulnerabilities of the base. My basic plan involved the shortest and easiest path to take the base down. I figured out how to cripple operations - not just for a short time, but a very long time.

At the end of the tour, I presented my report to the CO and his staff. To say the results were jaw dropping was an understatement. As someone who had never done this before, I came up with ways to neutralize this very important station. It was not hard - in fact, it was as easy as pie.

The "take away" is as simple as this. If I as a "good guy" with no experience, can take down a base this size in slightly over a week, imagine what real terrorists could do to our grid, our nuke plants, or soft targets. If the enemy is now at our gates, we need to be prepared. If the enemy is within our gates, we need to be ready to fight. Keeping our heads in the sand will only lead to bad outcomes. 

Denali or McKinley?

 

 

"In Alaska, when you hear 'The Mountain is out!', you know it will be a good day!"

With all the important issues facing the country right now, it is good to know that Congress is going to face it's toughest decision this year.  That is right - once again, Congress will have to decide on what "The Mountain" is going to be called.

Many of us "flatlanders" are unaware of this issue. Trust me, in Alaska, it is a huge issue. Hey - it is only a mountain, right? Not really. It is one of, if not THE, most impressive mountains in the world. How impressive you might ask? The base sits at an elevation of 1,000 feet. The peak is slightly over 20,000 feet. That is a 19,000 foot incline. Mt. Everest on the other hand, sits on a elevation of 14,000 feet and rises to 29,000 feet. That is a 15,000 foot incline. McKinley is so big, if it sat on the North Shore of Minnesota, you could see it from the Twin Cities.

The native Indian people in Alaska named the mountain many, many years ago. They called it Denali, which means "the high one". However, the newest inhabitants to Alaska (us) decided to let politics into the equation. My history might be a bit rough on this, so bear with me.

Just prior to the McKinley Administration, it was decided to back our dollars with a precious metal. It was a toss up between gold and silver. A gold prospector in Alaska renamed Mt. Denali to Mt. McKinley in honor of presidential candidate McKinley. McKinley, who had affection for this huge and wild land, made gold the standard after becoming President. In 1917, when the National Parks Act was signed into law by President Wilson, McKinley became the official (and legal) name for "The Mountain" and park it sits on.

To all this crapola which goes on in Washington, the Alaskans say "Balderdash"! People in Alaska want the mountain to retain it's original name. However to do so, will take an act of Congress. No big deal for the locals - they will still call it Denali. Even though the park has since been renamed Denali, it did not appease the locals.

So, it will come up once again in Congress. All this hub bub for the gold standard which lasted until all of 1933. The naming debate goes on today. The locals could care less what the outcome is. To them, their towering majesty is known only by Denali or "The Mountain".

"The Mountain" itself cares not about the names that man gives it. It simply stands, and on good days, will show itself in all it's wonder and splendor. For that we are all of us, grateful. Thousands of years after we are no longer here, "The Mountain" will be. The name may change, but "The Mountain" will not. And of that, we are sure.

And where are the kids?

 

 

"The 'open border fans' are very happy we are accepting anyone, at any age, in any condition, who can make it here..."

In our new world of constantly changing events, it is easy to lose track of things. For example, before I went on vacation, we had thousands of kids massing on our southern border. You know, kids from Central America who mysteriously came up here sans Mom or Dad. Somehow, they even made it all the way through Mexico, even though the border security getting INTO Mexico is much stronger than getting OUT OF Mexico.

Our "transparent" federal government, who has somehow become very clandestine over the past few years, is tight lipped about where these thousands of kids have gone. They have been relocated throughout the country, to be financially cared for by state and local governments. The cost? Some estimate the cost in 2014 alone will be close to $1B. Rather than trying to reunite these kids with their parents, we are actively trying to get them into schools and ESL programs.

Now comes the conspiracy portion (as if the first part was not) of this article. As we have heard by now, there is a new and scary kid on the block. It is called Human Enterovirus 68. Some might ask where it came from. Others might wonder why it is only hitting selected states. Are these the states which absorbed some of these kids, many of whom are sick? I don't know the answer to that. I do know that this new virus, of which there is no vaccine, has sickened over 1,000 kids in the Midwest. Some have been hospitalized and a couple came close to death. Did this disease come across our porous border with these kids, or is it just another one of those coincidences.

Tomorrow, the President is going to address the nation on his plan for ISIS (or ISIL as some call them). Many are waiting with baited breath for this long awaited strategy. Based on past performance, my hopes are not very high. It would be nice in the same presser if he also told us what the long term strategy is for these kids. Rather than the same old tired script of blaming the Republicans for not passing "comprehensive" immigration reform, tell us the truth this time.

Meanwhile, our hometown newspaper told us how to avoid this disease. Wash your hands frequently, use sanitizers, and stay home if you feel sick. Wow - that sounds just like flu season to me. Meanwhile, until we finally hear the truth from our Administration, assume the worst and hope for the best. That is the only thing we can do right now.

Is the enemy at the gate?

 

 

 

"I fear we might have let our PC become our undoing..."

It seems I cannot leave for two weeks without everything going to hell in a hand basket. However, living in our new world of Cloward and Piven, I should not be too shocked. That being said, with all that happened domestically and internationally, the thing that stopped me in my tracks was the second locally grown terrorist who was killed fighting for ISIS.

While on the ship, I got up early to watch Fox News (yes, they did have Fox onboard!) My wife was still asleep and when the news came on, I almost fell out of my chair! A Fox News reporter was standing in front of my wife's high school in New Hope. This little known, nondescript high school is now famous (or infamous) for having two local terrorists who fought and died for ISIS attend there.

As usual, I think the onion needs to be peeled back on this one. How does that happen? Why here? It seems that terrorists have about 100 people fighting for them that hold United States passports. In Europe it is worse - the number might be closer to 500. If we can forget "PC" for a minute and focus on facts, there are some mosques in both the United States and Europe that are used not only for worship, but also recruiting. They are a fertile ground for young men who have become disillusioned with Western culture, politics and lifestyle.

I believe the biggest fear the government has right now (and is not disclosing to us) is the enemy is at the gate. Not only at the gate, but maybe inside the perimeter. Seasoned, locally grown terrorists, holding United States passports, may have returned home. And for what purpose? My belief is they have been trained for soft targets. I believe that both Al Qaeda and ISIS would like to follow up the 9/11 event with something even more spectacular. However, I also believe some can cause extreme mayhem doing something smaller against soft targets.

As we were coming in for a landing yesterday, I was thinking about how easy it would be for a terrorist to smuggle in a Stinger type missile across our very porous and under patrolled southern border. A missile with a range of a few thousand feet could be fired from many locations close to the airport. The results of such an attack would be catastrophic to say the least.

What about an attack on the MOA when it is full of people? Using automatic weapons and RPGs, dozens, maybe hundreds of innocents could be killed or wounded. All it would take is a committed terrorist(s), a few weapons, no fear of death, and a hateful heart. Sporting venues, shopping areas, and places of worship could all be on their radar.

We all know about the "black helicopters" buzzing around the Twin Cities recently. Very secret, very clandestine. Not even the Minneapolis Council knew anything about them. Why were they here? Training for something urban that could be in the planning? I have no idea, but it sure makes my spider senses tingle.

It is time to wake up folks. With some people, certain radical religions are more important that country or assimilation. With many it is not, but with some it is. The Lone Wolf might be roaming our streets and ready to hunt. The enemy might be at or inside the gate. We might be in much more trouble than we can imagine. We might not be at war with them, but they sure are with us.  

The Bird is back from the Arctic!

Hi folks. I am back after flying north to recharge my batteries. Was it cold up there on the 65th parallel? Well, I about froze my tail feathers off! However, I am back and have much to get off my chest. Even though I was without my usual sources of news, I found enough to know that much went on the two weeks I was gone. In any event, my first rant is almost done and should be on the site today. It was good to be gone for a while, but it is sure good to be home also!