Tiny socks, tiny shoes...

"If you have a soft heart, please don't read this this. If you love justice and freedom, please do..."

I don't know his name. I don't know the name of his family. Their names are listed somewhere in the many news stories about this tragedy. Two young boys, brothers, died fleeing the most unimaginable terror possible. And how they died was just as bad as the terror they were trying to escape. I have wept over this story since reading it. I am weeping as I write this post. It is hard, every so hard to put this on paper. But it must. This story must be told even if some of the facts are still unknown.

I can almost imagine how this all happened. Christians living in Syria could feel the noose growing tighter and tighter from the butchers in the Islamic State. "Leave or die" or "convert or die" was their mantra. Life was becoming increasingly hard and dangerous in this land once known as Syria. Thousands had already died. Thousands more had fled to parts unknown. The options to where Syrian refugees could go were very limited. To everyone's unpleasant surprise, the welcome mat for Syrian Christians in many countries had been pulled away - only to be replaced by closed immigration and borders.

I could imagine this young family getting up in the middle of the night. An escape plan had been hatched. They had procured passage on a barely seaworthy craft to make it across the Mediterranean and into the Euro Zone. There they should be safe. They would land on a Greek Island and from there try to book passage to Canada where they had relatives.

As they prepared to leave, the kids were dressed. Barely older than toddlers, the mother dressed them for their journey. One boy was three and his brother was five. Small sized shirts and shorts followed by tiny socks and tiny shoes put on tiny feet. It was going to be a long and a hard journey, and the parents wanted to make sure the kids had on the the right kind of clothes.

During the voyage across the Mediterranean, something happened. Be it weather, be it the terrible condition of the boat, or a combination of the two. Something terrible happened and people started going over the side. As the father tried to protect his family, his two boys were swept overboard. It was the last time the mother or father would see them alive.

The tragedy of this story is simply this - it did not have to end this way. First off, this protracted genocide is nothing more than a repeat of the World War II Holocaust. And just like in World War II, many are turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to what is happening in the Middle East. If the feckless United Nations or the United States had gone into Syria and Iraq and put and end to this bloodshed, the boys in this family might still be alive. But when their continual calls went out for help, they went unanswered.

But the frosting on the cake was this - we have done nothing, absolutely nothing to help these poor people escape this hell on earth. Not only have we done nothing, but the Muslim influence in our current Administration keeps us from accepting any CHRISTIANS Syrian refugees. This is the most amazing and horrible things I have ever seen my country do.

So there we have it. A gruesome picture of a dead boy, barely three years old. Died trying to escape death. This most innocent boy, dead, lying on a beach far from his home. Lying on a beach dressed the way this parents dressed him at the start of their journey. Dressed in that small shirt, small shorts, tiny socks and tiny shoes. 

May God have mercy on both those young brothers. And may God forgive us for our benign neglect. 
    

President Trump?

"Would he do well as President? He would do one heck of a lot better job than the current one..."

Some people think having Donald Trump as our next President would spell disaster. Others think he would bring about needed change. In the paper this morning, some pundit said having Trump as our President would be a classic case of the "Peter Principal". I disagree. We have already seen that with the current guy.

In addition, some believe "The Donald" is now in his 23rd minute of his 15 minutes of fame. They don't understand his staying power. Why the electorate has not yet figured him out. Here is the bottom line as I see it - his message, his persona, resonates with a great many people. Frustrated people. Really, really mad people. People that have had enough. There are some "experts" who say he will never make it because he has zero political experience. Others say that is his main draw.

I was thinking about the past the other day. In the final debate with BHO during the 2012 Presidential election, Mitt had the President on the ropes. Mitt, being the Mr. Nice Guy that he is, decided to let the President off the ropes. Oh, and he had him on the ropes. Ready for the kill shot. But Mitt backed off. In fact, he even offered the President a helping hand. If Mr. Trump had been in that debate instead of Governor Romney, there would have been nothing left of the President but mince meat. Trump would have dissected and vivisected the President. Trump would have delivered a kill shot times ten.

But that was yesterday, and we now need to address today. This election. In my heart, I still don't think Mr. Trump is going to be the Republican nominee. However, even if he is not, he had done a HUGE favor for the Republican Party. He has moved the bar. Changed the playing field. Shown a group of politicians how to act like strategists. How to "man up" (except for a very few that already knew how - including Carly). 

So bring on the next debate at the Reagan Library. September 16th can not come soon enough. I like Jake Tapper. I think he will do a good job. We shall see the day after the debate how Mr. Trump fared. Methinks the entire field, including Carly are going play topple the leader. Gang tackle Mr. Trump. But - that will be an "iron sharpening iron" event for everyone.

Bottom line - it is all good. Our bench is deep and getting better all the time. We will be ready for the other side this time around. Trust me, we will!  

The 1% Solution

"Someone asked me a while ago if I would do it again. My response - in a heartbeat I would..."

I have been reading as of late the small number of people in our country willing (or fit) to serve. When I say serve, I mean serve in our military. Any branch. How small is the number? Somewhere between .5 and 1%. Some say it is as high as 7%, but I could not find facts on that number.

I am a vet. Not a Viet Nam vet, a Viet Nam Era vet. I am proud I was able to serve during that era as well as during the first Gulf War era. I never looked at my service as being a burden. To me it was an honor. I did it for 21 years in both the Navy and Naval Reserve. I worked with other sailors, Marines, Air Force, Army and Canadian Forces. Once in a while I even interfaced with the Coast Guard.

I am proud of each and every person who has served. No matter the time frame. No matter the service. However (due to my age and experience), I am the most proud of the brave men and women to went to Southeast Asia to fight in a very tough war. Against an enemy who for the first time in our nation's history, was often hidden and ill-defined. Yes, I am talking about Viet Nam, and the 2.7 million Americans who served there in uniform from 1964 to 1975. And I am talking about the 58,148 who never came home. And the over 75,000 who left that war severely disabled. 

A few weeks ago, my wife and I stopped for lunch at a Culver's restaurant. We sat next to a table that had two gentlemen about my age, both in wheel chairs. One was missing a leg. Both were Marines. I knew that as they had Marine stickers on their wheel chairs. Someone had bought them lunch. It was the right thing to do. When their meal was over, they both thanked the man who bought their lunch. The man responded by saying, "No - thank you. For without Marines like you, we would not have our freedom." Bingo. I could not have said that better. Two vets, most probably wounded in Viet Nam, getting a "thank you" and a meal from a citizen in a grateful nation.

Many young men died during the Viet Nam War. Most of us know of or know at least one of them. Over half of the Americans killed during the Viet Nam War were under 21 years old. Just kids. Just kids, yet heroes. Each and every one of them. They fought for something more precious than the most precious mineral on Earth - they fought for someone's freedom. So people halfway around the world could experience freedom and liberty such as we do. And in doing so, they made the ultimate sacrifice.

A personal note if I may. Our sheriff was part of the 1% solution. In many respects he still is as once a Marine, always a Marine. And now both of his kids are Marines. He could not be prouder - nor could I be for both he and his wife.

So to the 1% solution, I say thank you. You are indeed special men and women. You live at the tip of the spear. You guard us and protect us in a world which is growing ever more dangerous with incredible evil. As for the rest of us - the 99%, thank you for "having our sixes".

Our military - on watch, ever vigilant, always needed, constantly appreciated. It has been like that for generations and remains like that today.   

History made

"Would someone please call the clown car? The passengers are ready to depart..."

History was made yesterday. And it probably was not the good kind of history. After significant arm twisting, bribery, extortion, and unlimited political promises, our President secured the 34th vote in the Senate. Oh, happy day! We now have a veto proof minority! And the Iran nuke deal, the worst deal since Neville Chamberlain, is now set to go through.

Some might say "so what?" We had our finest minds (sarcasm) working on this deal. Well here is the "so what?" from my perch. This is a treaty. Period. The fact it is being floated through Congress (uncontested) as an "agreement", has left me as well as many others flummoxed. 

Those on our side who have been paying attention to this mess, know what the difference is. And it is huge. Obama and Kerry knew that if this thing was tagged as a treaty, it did not stand a snowball's chance of passing. But the fix was in early. By making this an agreement, Obama knew Congress would not approve it. They would (and will) reject it. He will then veto their rejection and Congress needs 2/3 to override. With the Halfling from Maryland being the 34th vote, this deal is now safe for the Administration - and deadly for the Israelis.

Oh, as an aside, a few years ago Gwen Ifill from PBS was moderating a debate. There was grave concern about her bias. "Oh no," the debate organizers said. "Gwen is a professional and knows how to keep her opinions to herself." Really? Yesterday right after the Halfling succumbed to all the bribe money and political pressure, Ifill sent out a tweet. "Take that Bibi!" Ifill again showed what she really is and always has been - a DNC hack now working for PBS.

What can Congress do? Quite a bit actually. That is, if they had the political courage. This deal is so very important to derail, we can't wait until our next President abrogates it. Congress should strip away funding from ALL the President's pet projects immediately. Congress holds the purse. They always have. We really need our House of Representatives to quit acting like spectators and start acting like participants. And Mr. Speaker - get your poop in a group and start acting like the #3 man in our government. 

After Labor Day the team comes back to Washington. It has been a long (heavy on the word long) summer vacation. We will see what happens. If the will of the people will be followed. Will be listened to. Who cares if most citizens still don't want ObamaCare? Who cares if most citizens (who pay attention), think Dodd Frank is a waste of time and money? And who cares if most people surveyed (other than the kool aid drinkers) think this is Iran deal is one of the worst deals in the history of mankind?

I am going to close this with one statement I have made many times before. It is one that please, please we all need to remember going into 2016. Elections have consequences. Period. Enough said.  

A world gone mad...

"Is the system being overwhelmed right now? It sure seems that way to more and more people..."

Last night I attended a Tea Party Patriot meeting. The main topic of discussion was voter fraud with an emphasis on felon voting. There was an avalanche of information to absorb. Much bigger problem than I thought it was. My eyes were opened to many things I was unaware of. How the other side is gaming the system to get more felon (Democratic) votes. How some on our side, with proper intentions in their hearts, may have become duped by this issue.

On the way home, I was thinking about all I had learned. Mostly, how much I don't know about this issue. That is when it hit me (again). We are being bombarded with country changing issues all the time. Constantly. It is 24 X 7 and then some. The abuses by the IRS (still a problem), Social Security solvency, state tax on Social Security, a still broken VA system, cops being shot by thugs, ISIL going on a killing spree and not being stopped, out of control illegal immigration, body part sales from criminal abortions, and on and on and on.

Then I thought about a book I read decades ago by Alvin Toffler called Future Shock. That we were coming into a time of too much everything. Too many choices, too much information, too much selection, and now too many issues. I thought about a conversation I had at the fair with a gentlemen about my age. He told me he was "checking out". There was just too much that needed fixing. And everyday it seemed like there was something else. He thought the country was gone. It is a lost cause. He said for the sake of his sanity, he just is not going to "receive" any more.

There are many today who think this is a part of a grand strategy by the man in the White House. To really effect the "fundamental change" he wants for America, he needed to overwhelm the system. It is a classic Cloward-Piven play. Overwhelm the system so things start to fail. Then replace the our system of government with a massive socialist welfare state. 

Well I am not going to check out. I, like many of our veterans, am an oath keeper. Many of us are not part of the Oath Keepers organization, but we still remember the oath we all took with no expiration date. We will protect and defend our Constitution. And we will start by making sure we can elect a President in 2016 who believes in that oath. Who believes in our Constitution. Who believes in this county. Who understands the true meaning of American Exceptionalism.

What saddens me almost as much as what has happened to our country is this - how so many good people can be blind to what is going on. How so many have been duped. How so many good Republicans have gone to St. Paul or Washington and changed. Many have had the kool-aid. Not just a little kool-aid, gallons of it. 

"We the people" own this country. Not George Soros, not some lefties from academia, not foreign interests. Ownership today remains with "we the people". And "we the people" need to get ready for the fight of our lives. And we need to be prepared.

Step one - get informed. Step two - get involved. Step three - educate our low information friends and neighbors. Step Four (and this is a big one) - expose the lies being told by the other side. Most on our side have always been on the side of truth. The truth will always set us free. It will set our nation free. We all need to free the truth from the avalanche of lies which are now try to bury it.     

Know your representatives

"To win the next battle, the next election, we need to be smarter than the person on the other side. And that starts with knowing who represents us..."

I was going to address this earlier but became distracted by the moron march on Saturday outside our state fairgrounds. First a confession - I recently (in the past few years) really got religion. By that I mean I found out what which CD I was in, which SD I was in, which precinct I was in, and so forth. I did know who my US Senators were and my Congressman was, but that was about it. Trust me - I am much, much better now.

I have two points to make. First is about our overall lack of knowledge in knowing our representation. This is not to throw stones, as I have already said I have been just as bad if not worse. Before the fair and during by booth duty at the fair, I was amazed when talking to some folks. I was amazed how little they knew about their representation. Some did not even know who their Congressman was.

What I found the most interesting was this - many people were very upset about their state taxes. And yet they did not know which party their representatives belonged to. That is the one thing which really blew me away. The lesson was this - we do all of us, need to get smarter with our national, state and local politics. And when I say local, I mean down to our city council, county board and school boards.

My second point. If someone asks you which Metropolitan Council District you live in, and who your representative is, and if you don't know the answer, wear that like a badge of honor. This fiat organization, which wields so much power and authority, has no ELECTED representatives. Of course you would not know anything about the Met Council - nor should you. There are no elections, no campaigning, no nothing. 

I found out my Met Council District is #9. My unelected, unaccountable representative is Mr. Reynoso. I have never met him. I have never heard from him. I know nothing about him except he is a big union guy. And yet he represents my city and many others in Anoka County. For a country who started out by being fed up with taxation without representation, it is amazing how we have come to this. 

Well, the Met Council fight is a fight for another day. And it will be. This year we have bigger fish to fry. I will close by saying this - to win the war, to win the next election, we need to be smarter than the other guy. And that starts with knowing who our reps are. If your neighbors don't know either, help them out. Trust me - they will thank you for it.

What is up with glaciers?

"They are magnificent to see. A wonder to hear as they cleave. And today a source of great debate..."

Well our Panic Merchant in Chief is spending a few days up in our most wondrous state. To enjoy the view. Like my wife and I did last year? No. He is up there to scare the hell out of the the locals - including the Inuits. Why not? He has given this same speech all over the place. The speech about those reprobates who are drive SUVs and use electricity from coal burning power plants. They are killing us all!

The main source of his talking point this week will be the glaciers. How we are melting them. How the glaciers are the "canary in the coal mine" for global warming. Sounds good. That is, except for one thing. In Alaska, there are around 100,000 glaciers. Yes - that is a fact. Only a few hundred have been named. They are everywhere. Are they shrinking? Maybe. But who really cares? Looking at glaciers from a epoch standpoint, the Earth has had glaciers come and go many times. Many of the current glaciers are left over from the Pleistocene Period. Some are from the most current "mini ice age" 1,000 years ago. And some have been around just about forever.

So what are the facts about glaciers? First off, they do contain a whale of a lot of water. A bit over 2% of all the Earth's water is locked up in those magnificent ice flows. That is more than what is in all combined aquifers. Next, glaciers do come and go. Right now the Earth's glaciers are in a receding phase. About 90% are shrinking, and 10% are growing. If it were the other way around, we would have other issues to deal with - like another ice age starting.

One of the things I found fascinating while in Alaska last year was the purity of glacial streams. Or should I say the lack of purity. Glaciers are unforgiving mega ice cubes. As they come down the mountain side, they pick up all kinds of crap - including silt. So when this water hits the streams, it turns it into somewhat of a milky brew. In my naive world, I pictured glacial water looking like water in a Hamms Beer commercial. I was wrong. 

So Mr. President, enjoy your trip up to this most beautiful state. I know we sure did. Oh, and about those glaciers you are looking at, consider this. There is a very good chance that not only will your kids enjoy them as adults, but also your grand kids. So please stop trying to scare the locals. Do some whale watching while up there and enjoy the show. Hey - we are paying for this trip, so make it count.