Oh Tom, we thought we knew you...

"The BPOU then has a convention, each candidate states why he or she would be the best for the job. A vote is taken, and who ever has the highest vote count wins the endorsement."

Off the reservation. Turncoat. Benedict Arnold. And liar. I have heard all of these names used to describe our sitting House Representative. It is so sad. Tom Hackbarth has had such a good career in the Minnesota House. But like anything else, there is an Alpha and an Omega. A beginning and an end. After 22 years, Tom has reached the end. He lost the endorsement of the same people who have endorsed Tom in the past. This year, our BPOU chose Cal Bahr to be the person to run against any Democrat challenger.

Here is what is supposed to happen. People who would like to serve as a citizen legislature would offer his or her service to the BPOU. The BPOU then has a convention, and each candidate states why he or she would be the best for the job. A vote is taken, and who ever has the highest vote count wins the endorsement. The losing candidate(s) then shakes hands with the winner, and pledges support to the winner in the general election. It is as simple as that.

For reasons few (if any) understand, Tom has gone back on his word to support Cal Bahr. Not only will Tom not support Cal, he is ignoring the endorsement process. He is going to run against Cal in the August primary. For that intention alone, a letter of "no confidence" was written to Tom Hackbarth by his home BPOU. In other words, Tom has been disowned by the very people who put him in office. 

I supported Cal Bahr in this year's BPOU convention for some very good reasons. First, I don't care who it is, 22 years in the Minnesota House is TOO LONG! We are not careerists, we are citizen legislatures. This position is not an entitlement - it is meant for someone to serve few terms, and then turn if over to someone else to serve. 

Next, I have long been impressed by the grasp of our state constitution that Cal has. For those who have not yet met Cal, let me just say this - he is one smart cookie. Cal does not flaunt his knowledge, but when you talk to him, it does not take long for that knowledge to become apparent.  

Finally, Cal is more conservative than Tom. Not opinion, the LEA (Legislative Evaluation Assembly of Minnesota) scores bear this out. Tom's scores have been slipping the past few years. For example, Tom's score in 2015 was in the mid-40's.  That is terrible. To win the day, to bring Minnesota back from the brink, we need our Representatives and Senators to have scores in the 70's and 80's. 

For those of us who pay attention, we know low LEA scores only mean one thing - that person is becoming part of the "Minnesota Machine". And this "machine" is made up of nothing but careerists and statists.

I am sorry Tom's career had to end this way. A stranger in his own land. Should he win the primary, the victory will be very hollow. He will from now on, be looked upon as a pariah by his own BPOU. There is no amount of damage control Tom can do to undo what has been done.

He can however, do the right thing and drop out of the race. Throw his support behind Cal Bahr. Be part of the team. If he did that, at least to a degree, he would once again be the Tom we thought we knew.   

Take us with you, Texas!

"Sure they were a sovereign state for almost 10 years until they were annexed by the growing and fledgling United States. Sure they have an independent streak a mile wide."

As most of us know, some in Texas have believed for years that should they ever decide to do so, they can secede from the Union. It makes for good print and that is about it. Sure they were a sovereign state for almost 10 years until they were annexed by the growing and fledgling United States. Sure they have an independent streak a mile wide. And yes if it were not for Alaska, Texas would be looked at as our largest state.

This morning in the editorial section of the paper, some knucklehead wrote a letter admonishing those in Texas who long to be independent. He painted a picture of gloom and doom where the ex-patriots who live there would no longer be able to collect Social Security or Medicare. They would have to supply their own defense (against truculent neighbors like Mexico). That the immigration problem would have to be fixed by them, with no help (like there is any) from the federal government.

Then to add insult to injury, this editorial writer said that NASA would completely pull out of Texas and move back to Florida. Plus, all the oil wells could just sit idle as we would now be getting all our oil from our new friends up in North Dakota. Finally, when the Mexicans invade and take back what they believe is rightfully theirs, the Texans better get used to speaking Spanish.

Here are the facts as I see them - slightly different than the editorial letter. First like I said before, it ain't going to happen. But just for the sake of discussion, we will pretend it did. We would not "throw Texas overboard" if they left the Union. We would recognize them as sovereign, and have excellent treaty obligations with them. You know, just like we do with every other country (sans Cuba) in our neighborhood.

Next, we would trade with them. They would still be pumping oil, and we would still be buying it. The Americans who live there, or who move there, would be able to collect Social Security and have some kind of Medicare benefits. Just like American citizens now who choose to retire outside of the country. 

Why does this issue keep coming up about Texas? For the single reason why so many people love this state. After almost eight years of Obama, most of us just sit around and grumble about the growing socialization of our great country. Not Texas - they often are leading the charge to take on this rouge Administration.

Plus, the Texans are fiercely independent. Always have been. And that draws people to that state like a light attracts moths at night.

What I will say to our brothers and sisters who live in Texas - keep up the good work. You are a pain in the ass to Washington, and that is how we like it. You continue to set the bar high for the rest of us. Showing us a good example. Showing us a fierce independence that we have not seen for a country now for over 200 years.

I will close with this. Should decided to leave us Texas, remember one thing. Please take us with you! 

As American as apple pie

"It was like being in a Norman Rockwell painting brought to life. I did not see one tear, not one grumpy face." 

Today was a first for me. My lovely bride agreed to walk in a parade with me. I have done a couple times in years past, but for my wife this will be her first. It really was an easy ask for both of us. The man we walked for is not only a friend, but also a staunch Conservative. Plus, his designated spot on the parade route was right in front of our Congressman's spot. I wore the shirt of one, and carried a sign for the other. 

The town which hosted the parade is about a half hour from where we live. A really nice little town, sitting on a fairly large recreational lake. And this town knows how to do a 4th of July parade! Everyone was decked out in either something patriotic, or summer (very) casual clothes. Families, singles, retired folks, you name it. They all came for one thing - to celebrate this Independence Day with hundreds upon hundreds of other Americans.

As we walked the parade route, I was really taken with one thought. It does not get more Americana than this. It was like being in a Norman Rockwell painting brought to life. I did not see one tear, not one grumpy face. No harsh words, so sour moods. Everyone seemed to be ebullient and cheerful. Even though I am not as chipper as I once was on long walks such as this, I still loved every minute of it.

I also thought about watching the news yesterday. Seeing the carnage in Baghdad and Bangladesh. How in this country we are blessed with (for the most part), peace. How we have such bountiful blessings. Seeing the corn fields on the way home was such a delight. The corn and soy beans look simply wonderful. Food to feed our nation as well as many needy folks throughout the world. And we help feed the needy for one reason alone - it is the right thing to do. As a people, that is what we are all about.

One final thought I had during the parade. Like most of us, I love this country with a deep, abiding love. We have all been so richly blessed to live here. To be Americans. To truly live the dream.

When the President tells us he does not understand American Exceptionalism, I would invite him to walk a parade like we did today. To see what we saw. To hear what we heard. To feel what we felt.

This American experiment which started a scant 240 years ago, really turned out to be quite something. And yes Mr. President, it turned out to be quite something exceptional. Very, very exceptional.   

Grilling on the 4th of July

"Hillary on the other hand, broke the rules by a couple thousand times. Then she tried to cover it up."

Here it is. The weekend where there seems to be more grilling than any other time during the year. And some of the grilling is not done on the Weber. No, yesterday our "presumptive" Democratic candidate was grilled by the FBI. What did they talk about during this 3 1/2 session? One can only imagine.

What is it like to be grilled by the FBI? Of this I have some experience. I have been grilled by them (twice). I have told this story before. Right before I left one company I was working at to take a job with another, the Feds were investigating an allegation of defective pricing in a negotiation I was in charge of. To make a long story short, this parleyed into a charge of violating the False Claims Act. And that brought the Feds into the equation.

In any event, the FBI pulled me downtown and tried to "sweat" something out of me by stress questioning. Even thought there was no basis for this allegation, after about an hour of stress questioning, you start to question if you really are innocent or guilty of anything. In fact, the first time they questioned me was before the company had "lawyered" me up. It was very scary and painful. The second time the FBI questioned me, I was in the room with both my lawyers, and the questioning became far less stressful.

Here is the main difference between my grilling and the one that Hillary took yesterday. First, I did nothing wrong. Every charge was dismissed against me, my co-workers and the company I worked at. Hillary on the other hand, broke the rules by a couple thousand times. Then she tried to cover it up. And the frosting on the cake was having her husband, a former President, meet in a private meeting with the Attorney General.

I remember clearly the Watergate era. I remember when the noose was starting to tighten around the President. Even though his fingerprints were not on the issue, the appearance of wrong doing became clearer all the time. And the "offense" of Watergate was like stealing an apple as compared to "Servergate", which is like robbing a bank. Recent polls have shown the majority of people in this country think that Hillary is untrustworthy. Like there is something slimy and smarmy with the entire Clinton family.

If Hillary becomes our next President, we will for sure have become a rogue nation. We will be led by a person who is not only untrustworthy, but also believes there are two sets of rules in this country. 

Ruled by the elite once again. It will be King George III all over again. Welcome to the new royalty. Where the new Golden Rule is "those with the gold, rule".     

Hot time in the old town tonight!

"Even on normal days, the City of Chicago has averaged 15 shootings a day! Not a month, not a week, but a day!" 

Who among us has not sang that song? Mostly by a campfire when roasting s'mores or hot dogs. We knew the song about Mrs. O'Leary's cow. How poor old Mrs. O'Leary left a lantern in the barn by the cow. The cow kicked it over, and BAM! There started the great Chicago fire. Anyway, so says the urban legend. 

But this article is not about a cow. It is not about Mrs. O'Leary. It is however, about Chicago. And also about Chicago having a hot time tonight. Not from fire, but gun fire. It has gotten so bad in Chicago, that the police chief is already dreading this Independence Day festivities. Even on normal days, the City of Chicago has averaged 15 shootings a day! Not a month, not a week, but a day!

How have gotten to this point? Where the Chief of Police has all but given up? Where living in certain areas of Chicago is many times more dangerous than living in one of our overseas combat zones? And don't talk to me about gun control - Chicago has some of the toughest gun laws in the nation. Even if guns were illegal in every state, the Chicago outlaws would continue to find black market guns. Why? They are outlaws. Meaning, outlaws live outside the law. 

I continue to find it interesting that our President (as well as his minions) continue to harp on gun control rather than a terrorist attack in Orlando. Even with all that hot air, nary a word is ever said about the President's home town of Chicago. For the first six months of this year, 301 people have been shot to death just in Chicago. As bad as Orlando was, only 49 people were killed by a terrorist gun fire. Again, nary a peep about the carnage in the Windy City.

What are the people in Chicago supposed to do this weekend? Stay home and in a bunker? Go outside to celebrate and risk getting shot? The irony is if city leaders (like Rahm the sharp elbow man) were not so wrapped up in PC dogma, the police could fix most of this. But you have to let cops be cops. Even if at times it means over policing. Like stop and frisk.

The old saying is, if you find yourself in a ditch, stop driving in the same direction. In other words, to fix Chicago, a new direction must be found. It is not more gun control - it is violence control. Get tough on hoodlums and thugs. Protect the innocent. Failure to act will just result in more of the same - and a death count at the end of the year approaching 700 citizens of Chicago.  

Attack of the drones!

"If we take one part aeronautical technology, add in two parts of miniaturization, and then maybe a dash of nanotechnology, you get a very small drone."

Let me see. If we take one part aeronautical technology, add two parts of miniaturization, and then maybe a dash of nanotechnology, you get a very small drone. Some scientists and futurists have predicted that in a few short years, drone technology will yield drones the size of insects. Right now, we have some drones slightly larger than a quarter.

Right now the United States is awash in drones. By February of this year, there were 325,000 people who registered drones. And each one of those people could have more than one drone. And that does not count folks (for whatever reason) decided not to register their drones. Yes, that could include terrorists.

Speaking of unsettling events concerning drones, last month it was disclosed there were drone overflights on the Savanna River Nuclear Site in South Carolina. Right through restricted air space. Was this just curiosity seekers? Kids trying out a new toy? Or terrorists looking for vulnerabilities on the site. And like most nuclear sites, there is a butt load of spent fuel rods stored there (because our government will not proceed with the permanent storage site at Yucca Mountain). 

Drone technology is like the genie who escaped the bottle. Ain't no getting it back in that bottle now. As we know, military drones have been around for a while. Our government has boasted our drones (using Hellfire missiles), have taken a couple thousand enemy fighters off the battlefield. Drones of all sizes are used for reconnaissance. 

It does not take a professional science fiction writer to imagine what tomorrow could look like. Battlefields could have millions of drones, some as small as a mosquito. These could not only be used for reconnaissance, they could also be carriers of Anthrax, VX, or some other deadly chemical or bio agent. 

Drones are with us from now on. They will be part of our landscape (literally). There will continue to be more rules and regulations on how, when and where to operate them. And they will continue to get smaller with Go Pro and smaller yet camera technology. 

It is a brave new world. Intrusiveness will be becoming more and more of an issue. It you are shy, keep your blinds shut. On second thought - don't bother. The miniature drones will be able to peek inside the cracks in the blinds.  

A South Dakota 4th of July!

"There is a sense of freedom, of independence in that state. To me, crossing the border between Minnesota and South Dakota was like going from the mid west into the wild west." 

I have great memories as a kid. I was blessed to grow up in a loving family that on occasion would do some very wacky things. And one of the wackiest things we would do is venture over to South Dakota every year right before the 4th of July. The reason? I sure hope the statue of limitations has expired on this one. My dad, somewhat of a pyromaniac, would load up on black cats, sparklers, bottle rockets, and even some major aerial artillery. 

So every year, we would pack up the family car and head west to South Dakota. At least once, sometime twice a year. As a young boy, I thought South Dakota was just about the neatest place on Earth. As a grown man, I still do. There is a sense of freedom, of independence in that state. To me, crossing the border between Minnesota and South Dakota was like going from the mid-west into the wild west.

I look at South Dakota today as ask what is not to love? First off, you can buy just about any firework or firecracker which is legal in the United States. Next, you don't have to dawdle when you drive through the state to pick up your fireworks. Why? They recently raised the speed limit to 80 mph on many major highways. And if you want to live there as a retired sort, guess what? No state income tax! That includes Social Security!

Back to my boyhood for a moment. One year on our annual trip to buy fireworks, my dad decided to buy the mother of all rockets. It was huge, and I am sure it cost my dad a mint. But, he bought it and we were going to set that sucker off on the 4th of July. 

On the 4th, just before we left to go see the fireworks put on by the city, my dad decided this was the moment. We lived across the street from a rather large parkway (Victory Memorial Drive) and we decided to shoot that rocket up so many people could see the marvelous display of pyrotechnics. My dad had made a launching platform out of some scrap lumber and he rested it against an old trike on our driveway. 

Finally the moment had come. My dad lit the fuse and we all gathered to watch. As the fuse burned, the launching platform started to move. All of a sudden, it was pointed almost level with the ground. Then in a blaze, the rocket took off - just a hair above ground level. As it headed across the parkway, it went right in front of a moving car, just missing it before it exploded in all its glory. It think the driver of that car still has some PTSD to this day! 

Anyhow, just writing about this has me tempted to hop in the truck today and head west. Just for old times sake. Get some firecrackers, some fireworks, come home and be a law breaker. But since we have our very young grandson living with us now, that fantasy might just have to remain a fantasy for the time being.