Caught Cheating...

"Sorry Mr. Brady...Cheating is cheating, even if it is only 1% cheating"....

Years ago, I was responsible for all Vertical Launching System (VLS) contracts at a local company I worked for. We had a strange business relationship with another company from the East Coast. On some things we competed, and on other things we were teamed. Strange bedfellows for sure.

Putting business aside, the man who was in charge of the VLS program at the other company and I became famously good friends. He was as tough as nails and was hated as well as feared by many folks at my company. However, we became close right off the bat. So close, we would socialize together outside of business. In fact, so close I stayed at his house on occasion and he stayed at mine. Now throw in the mix our Washington customer. He too, was a very good friend of both of us. He too, was at my house many times to socialize when he was in town on business. It was a perfect cocktail for everyone to spill their guts and disclose company secrets.

In all the years we worked together, that never happened. Not once. Not even close. Not even where someone might have said, "We probably should not be talking about this". No, we all knew where the line in the sand was, and had great fun together anyhow. In fact one day my friend from the other company was visiting our plant for a review concerning something we were teamed on. However, we were also competing on another program. I forgot I had our bid strategy sitting on my desk, as I was reviewing it earlier. When my friend asked to use my office to call back to his office, I willingly agreed. When he was on the phone, out of the corner of his eye, he saw my proprietary bid document. While still on the phone, he reached out and turned it over without looking at it. He knew what it was. But that is trust. That is integrity.

So as far as Tom Brady is concerned, who really cares about the PSI on footballs. The Pats were tough and the Colts were cold on that playoff day. Brady would have been superb, regardless of what the PSI was. But it was the principle that mattered. Whether it is deflating balls or videotaping other teams practice facilities, trust and honor matters. You see, amongst thieves there is no honor. Just like my friend from another company could have read my document out of the corner of his eye, he knew that was wrong. He wanted to beat our company fair and square. 

So is cheating really that wrong? Whether it be at work, in a relationship, at school, or in sports - it is called "cheating" for a reason. Take your four game suspension Tom, and come back a different man. You can easily afford it. There is still time in your career for redemption. And at the end of the day Tom, that is all which really matters.

California water - too little, too late...

 

 

"Is it possible to have this much water and still be thirsty?"

We have been reading quite a bit as of late about the dire straights California is in. That is, unless you are one of the rich and famous. Those folks appear to be doing quite well (thank you) in the midst of one of the longest droughts California has experienced in modern times. But guess what? It is not just California. They are just the first up. Many other states have water problems in their future.
 

 As far as water is concerned, it is time to separate fact from fiction. First off as we all learned in high school, the surface of this planet is mostly water. 71% to be exact, with over 95% of that being sea water. As it currently exists, this huge amount of water is unusable to humans. However for decades now, we have had the technology to change sea water into fresh water, and then fresh water into potable water. Simply put, baring a catastrophic event of a biblical magnitude, the Earth should never run out of water.

I have addressed the state of our aquifers before. Like any other resource, there is a beginning and an end. The aquifers do regenerate, however the rate of replenishment is nowhere near the rate of depletion. Until we come to grips with this problem, we will continue to see shallow wells running dry, lakes shrinking, and massive sink holes appearing. This is a problem which does not need to happen. Even the "City of Lakes" has aquifers which are starting to shrink.

With the desert southwest, did I mention the word "desert"? They have been living on borrowed time and a whole lot of luck. The sources of renewable water in the southwest are very limited - when those sources do not produce, and the growth rate continues to be over 3%, well, we can all do the math.

However, right next to the desert southwest is the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other. We will soon find out that fresh water is a commodity with a value similar to gold or oil. Without fresh water, a country has very limited potential and opportunity. With abundant fresh water, which can also be turned into potable water, a country has the opportunity to thrive.

My belief is in the near future we will see many initiatives to conserve and find new sources of water. There is no easy of cheap way out. In fact in California, we are way, way too late to this party. Because of inexcusable procrastination with coming up with a more permanent water solution, California has a very tough road ahead.
 

Water, like oil, is abundant in America. We have three shores that border oceans. We can have enough water to never, ever worry about the effects of drought on our food supply again. We have enough water to populate the desert southwest to our heart's content. All it takes for this to happen is national will. We have the knowhow, we just need the will.

 

We need to keep our eye on California and learn from their mistakes. From their procrastination. It is not too late for other states who are not on the cusp. Those who are on he cusp, buckle up. Tough times a coming.  

And if the lone wolf strikes...

 

 

 

"Will the next attack be a lone wolf? Maybe not - wolves are much more effective when they pack..."

I have been having many thoughts as of late about our "homeland security". In other words, how secure are we really? Even our head of DHS said this weekend that "a lone wolf terrorist could strike at any minute." Huh? I thought after 9/11 we were told the attack happened because our government suffered from a "lack of imagination". A lack of imagination on how to thwart an attack such as that. After the attack, we were suppose to have done a "lessons learned" and become a safer country. Now I am not so sure.

First off, I am not so sure our next attack will come from a "lone wolf". I think the planning for this has been going on much too long. I think we have sleeper cells in place, some maybe within our state. I think the Islamists have been using our semi-open borders for years to set up an organization. I also believe the FBI knows much, much more than they are letting on to. In short, I think we are in danger.

My biggest fear will be if we have a series of soft target attacks by Islamists. What will the public do if they think the government cannot (or will not) protect them? Will there be a vigilante type response? In World War II to protect everyone, FDR decided to use internment camps to relocate thousands of citizens of Japanese heritage. Never mind these people might have been the most loyal to this country you could find. They were still locked up in a gulag type surrounding.

Today, a recent poll showed over 50% of Republicans think Obama is a Muslim sympathizer. I dare say in the early 1940's, very few if anyone thought FDR was a Axis sympathizer. And that is where we have the rub. If patriots think that President Obama will let a few of these attacks pass due his beliefs, armed patriots will not. And then we will have real trouble.

I continue to be amazed and befuddled by the nonchalant attitude we have taken towards Islamists. Those who profess to what us dead. Islamists who cut of the heads of Christians and videotape it for all to see. Islamists who stomp little innocent babies to death in the streets of the Middle east. Islamists who burn people alive. Who bury people alive. Who torture and maim. Yes, we have managed to stick those stories in the news somewhere between the stock market and soccer. Why we do it that way is beyond me.

Today, the bad guys threatened some kind of cyber terror attack against the United States early this afternoon. It may have happened, or may not. All I know is this - we have to be right 100% of the time to stop them. They need only be right once. And when the "once" happens, it will change everything for ever more.

A tuition freeze and other free stuff

 

 

"Sorry Goldie - we have seen through this flimsy façade also..."

My, oh my. We really have become "useful idiots", have we not?. We fall for everything and often times stand for nothing. Today in the paper our newly minted Lieutenant Governor inked a letter to the masses. And in this letter, she extolled the virtue of higher education for everybody. How that will make the state better. Really?

It seems that our Lieutenant Governor is flummoxed as to why the House Republicans are balking at a two year tuition freeze for 300,000 students at MnSCU as well as the University of Minnesota. With student debt going through the roof and costs continuing to climb, what is wrong with these troglodyte Republicans? Is there no heart beating in those empty chests?

First off, even though most (if not all) reading this already know a tuition freeze does not mean the out of control costs in our college and university system are frozen. They are not. This is only a cost shifting gimmick. Rather than have the students absorb these out of control costs, the taxpayers will. And the band will continue to play. Costs will rise, and the product will stay the same. Blah, blah, blah.

If we had a Governor with a pair, and the House and Senate in this state controlled by CONSERVATIVES (not RINOs), it would be fun to get into the knickers of every state college or university. I dare say there is at least 20% of fat (maybe much more) that could be trimmed. We could have a better product for a whole lot less money if we ran our colleges and university like a BUSINESS rather than like a government gravy train.

Do I think it is a good investment to have a two, four or six year degree? Many times, yes. However, there are many degrees today which are not worth the paper they are printed on. There should be no help for people who want those degrees. Many of the STEM degrees are still needed. IT, business, engineering and so on. Right now we have way too many young people with worthless degrees working at Starbucks while trying to pay off monster debts.

So Ms. Smith, if we really want to help our young people, can we please give them something which will not add to our debt? And that something is the truth. If they can't figure it out for themselves, maybe we can step in to help. A four year degree in Anthropology from Carlton College is as worthless as a screen door on a submarine. That degree serves nobody. Not the student, not the state, not the nation. If a student wants to major in something that will benefit our state by adding to its intellectual brain power to allow us to invent, invest, hire and build more, then maybe then we can talk.

I will finish with a "spoiler alert". There is no free tuition, there is no free stuff, there is no free lunch and there is no Santa Clause. There! I said it!   

Footprints in the sand...

 

 

"We may never pass this way again..."

Seals and Croft 

It is true that we may never pass this way again. This may be our one stop on this voyage called life. And what are we to do with it? What impact can or will we leave? What kind of legacy will be left behind? What kind of footsteps will we leave in the sand? Even though footprints will soon be eroded by nature, they are still there, albeit for a fleeting moment. Time enough for the rest of us, the ones who remain, to follow them, to learn from them.

In the past few months, my wife has lost her Father. I have lost my Mother. Both losses were tough, no matter what the age. Both parents lived a full life, as they died in their 90's.

Recently, we have also seen one of our good friends lose a son. A family member lose a father. Both of those left much too early.

With each passing, I am reminded of John Donne, and what he said in his famous poem No Man is an Island:

Any man's death diminishes me,

Because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom the bells toll;

It tolls for thee...

 

As we know, death is an equal opportunity provider. None of us escape. We are born, we die. Between those two events is this thing called life. After birth, life is nothing more than a blank slate. As my son-in-law would say, an empty canvas. There are no footprints in the sand as yet. And yet as the first footprint appears, one's legacy begins. How will that person will impact others and society? How will that person will be impacted by others. Will that person live a rich life, or a shallow life? And how will that person be remembered long after footprints fade and once again return to just sand.

 

So on this day, this Mother's Day, I think about footprints. How mothers affect our lives. How my Mother affected my life. How my wife's Mother affected her life. How as a mother, my wife has impacted both our girls. The footprints in the sand run deep in many families. I know they do in ours.

 

So as this day dawns, so does the next opportunity to leave another footprint in the sand. It is a good day to do so, as we may never pass this way again...

 

 

Can we please just have the truth?

 

 

"If the enemy is already here, and if we don't know where all of them are, we are indeed in danger..."

Yesterday was an interesting day. In fact, the entire week has been interesting. However, nothing was more interesting than this morning's national news. The subject - ISIL. The location - probably here. The problem - huge. The other problem - our government is not telling us just how big of a problem it is right now.

The man who was on the morning news is a recently retired military officer. Being recently retired, he still has fresh connections to the Pentagon. He told the viewing audience something that should have been startling to all. But the lack of veracity which infects this Administration has caused many of us to become skeptical or tone deaf to what is being reported. In other words, we have come to expect occluded facts such that they give us.

This week we put our domestic bases on the highest alert they have been on since the 10th anniversary of 9/11. The retired military man on the news show said there is good reason for it. Unlike what the Director of the FBI told us this week, there are currently a thousand or more ISIL operatives in this country. Plus, this is what the Administration will NEVER tell us - many have come across our very porous southern border.

For just for the moment, I will discount what this retired military officer said. I will put it aside as bluster or embellishment. I will instead believe what ISIL told us earlier this week. That they only had 71 trained fighters in 15 states just waiting to do more Texas style attacks. That would be bad enough. In fact, that would be terrible. But if the officer was right, and we have over 1,000 of these bad guys to worry about, we are in deep, deep trouble.

One more thing as I try to connect the dots. First, as a retired military officer myself who carried a high clearance, I do know what is disclosed to the public is only a fraction of what is known. Second - Jade Helm. What if Jade Helm is not an exercise, but a troop movement to stem the tide of this incursion? The troops associated with Jade Helm are mostly all special forces. If the incursion point is truly the southern border, Jade Helm is headed in the right direction.

I don't know what the answer is. I do know this - we want the truth. Not political gobbledy gook, the unvarnished truth. If we are in danger, tell us. If there are some precautions the public needs to take, tell us. My biggest fear is this - if the government cannot protect us, and there is an ISIL attack on soft targets, the public will defend itself. And that would get messy real fast. There could be collateral damage to innocents. It would be the wild, wild west all over again.

Stay turned to this one folks. There seems to be enough smoke in the air where there has to be some kind of fire... 

Pressure cookers and trains

 

 

"All the ingredients are there for a Molotov cocktail on wheels..."

Now I am not one to be overly paranoid, but I do know how to do math. In other words, I know how to add things up. What has happened so far in this month of May has been unsettling. It all may be a coincidence. Or not.

Let us replay the bidding:

Texas cartoon contest - On Monday, two gunmen were killed in Garland, Texas after attempting a mass shooting at a cartoon contest. The two men who were killed, who were professed home grown Islamists, had ties to ISIL. This all by itself should send a chill up everyone's spine. In our country, even though home grown, we had ISIL motivated killers.

Both terrorists had automatic weapons and body armor. These Islamists were set to make more bloody terrorism history. However one cop, armed only with his service weapon, took both the terrorists down before they could kill anyone. The cop was a hero not to mention one hell of a shot.

And how did ISIL respond to this? ISIL said they have 71 soldiers in 15 states ready to carry out more Garland style attacks. In addition, they threatened to kill the cartoon contest organizer "right on her home soil".

North Dakota oil train derailment - Earlier this week yet another oil train derailed and caught fire. What makes this one particularly interesting is this was some of the "new" oil which has been treated to make it safer. Prior to treatment, the North Dakota Bakken Field oil had a very high gas content. So high, it was almost as volatile as gasoline. It was thought by taking more of the gas out of the oil, it would be less volatile. I guess not that much as 6 of the derailed cars still caught fire.

Pressure cooker by railroad bridge - One of the local television stations reported yesterday that a pressure cooker was found by a railroad bridge in St. Paul. Now most of us remember that after the Boston Marathon terror attack, it does not take a rocket scientist to make a bomb out of a pressure cooker. It is reported the recipe to do so is on the internet. The pressure cooker was empty, but the police still handled it like a bomb. Was it a dry run? A false flag for something more sinister? Or just a coincidence.

When I add things up, I really don't like the answer. The Twin Cities have turned out more than their fair share of Islamic terrorists. We have numerous oil trains rumbling through populated areas of the twin towns every day. I believe this area could be a target rich environment for someone with a nefarious heart.

We can only hope and pray that our FBI and law enforcement is on top of any developing threat. I don't like the way this summer is starting out. I am worried about the growing number of home grown terrorists. And I am really worried about the naïve nature of many of the Euphorians who live on the Twin Cities. We may not want to be at war with Islamic terrorists, but they sure want to be at war with us.