Climate change, all over again

"But - if Elon Musk thinks we can make Mars livable, we certainly can make our country livable. But part of the livable thing might be moving out of the desert southwest, and back up north."

Fact # 1 - Our climate is changing. Fact # 2 - The climate is always changing. Fact # 3 - Some climate change may be due to mankind - or not. Fact # 4 - The climate is bigger than all of us. Not much we can do about it.

What does all this mean? Hold on to your hats. Global warming? Not quite. We are still in an ice age (according to geologists) and will be another fifty million years to go. To really get technical, our current ice age is called the Quaternary and has been defined by alternating periods of glaciation and interglacial warming. 

Those nutballs, like Joe Biden, who think we can alter this mega system of climate, are fools. Here is the part to come to grips with. Since we can't stop the climate from changing, we need to be smart about what to do about it. For example, if you have read the national news as of late, you will know the mother of all heat waves is getting ready to settle in over Arizona, New Mexico, and California. This might be the way things will be for years to come. What does this mean?  The allure of the desert southwest for snowbirds from the north might be coming to a screaming end - and soon.

We need to be smarter about our water. We get a whole bunch of rain in our country. Unfortunately, it does not fall in even amounts. Some areas are soaked, and other areas are drier than a bone. Having a smart way to divert that excess water to areas that need it seems to make sense to me. Relying on winter snows in the Rockies to feed the Colorado River with enough water to quench the thirst of the desert southwest - is no longer working well.

Climatologists believe the coming heat wave will take matters from bad to worse in the desert southwest. With Death Valley already seeing 126 degrees and Phoenix expecting 120 degrees, it will be beyond a scorcher. It will be deadly, especially to the elderly. I don't care if it is dry heat or not. Years ago, I went to Tucson in the summer while on business travel. It was brutal, just being outside when the temperature was 103 in the shade. I can't imagine what 120 would feel like.

Here is the bottom line for Biden and his cronies. With the coming heat which we will need to endure every summer, we will need energy and lots of it. The windmill thing will not be enough. The solar panels will not be enough. We will need nuclear, gas, coal, you name it. We will need it all. And one more thing Biden - wake up and smell the coffee. We can't make climate change better; we can't make it worse. Stop ruining our economy to fight this phantom beast. China and India are not worried about this - nor should we be.

Speaking of climate - other than being a bit dry this year, the temperatures are amazing. Most days are good days to get outside and enjoy this wonderful place we live in. But - if Elon Musk thinks we can make Mars livable, we certainly can make our country livable. But part of the livable thing might be moving out of the desert southwest, and back up north. Just saying...            

Kicking sand in our collective faces

"What is my point in all this blather this morning? When America is weak, and has a weak President, we get sand kicked in our collective faces. We have a President who does know if it is Tuesday or Thursday. He is slow to respond to everything." 

Some say we have devolved into being a "paper tiger". Others say that is an insult to paper and/or a tiger. Should I say it? We broadcast weakness all over the world. Our President, as well as his inner circle, is made up of quite a few Obama rejects. In other words, the "lead from behind" crew is alive and well and living in the Biden Administration. It was reported last week that Joe Biden's approval rating is as low as Jimmy Carter's was at this point in his first term. I was shocked. I did not think it was that high.

Want a case in point? Yesterday, we had another provocation with Russian fighter jets. Trying to harass or possibly down an unarmed drone over Syria. Our administration did warn Russia about the provocations demonstrated on the day before. We used the strongest possible language. We told Russia their pilots were using "unprofessional" behavior by harassing our drones. If Russia does not like it, a stronger letter will follow! I bet Vladimir is shaking in his boots! Meanwhile, Russia continues to kick sand in our faces. 

How about Iran? In the Straits of Hormuz? Capturing an oil tanker right under our noses. Did we kick some Iranian butt? Nope. For the Iranians to capture another country's vessel at sea in international waters, is piracy. Iran needs to be dealt with harshly. Wait a minute! Is this not the country that Biden wanted to get the JCPOA going again with Iran? The one where Obama gave the Iranians "pallets full of cash"? The one in which Trump killed the JCPOA right after he got into office? Are we serious? Do we want to dance with the devil once again? I think not!

Our citizens have been advised not to travel to China. Why not? The Chi Coms might arrest Americans and toss them in prison. It has happened before and could happen again. And this is our "valued" trading partner that Yellen is trying to seduce right now? Really? We need to de-couple from China, like yesterday. Why we are even talking with them, bowing down to them, is a mystery to many of us. Trump was right. We need to bring as much stuff back to America as quickly as possible.

What is my point in all this blather this morning? When America is weak, and has a weak President, we get sand kicked in our collective faces. We have a President who does know if it is Tuesday or Thursday. He is slow to respond to everything. His kid is still a crackhead and living in the West Wing. Meanwhile, Russia, China, and Iran are making us look like fools. Who is next? The North Koreans? Probably.

 

 

Time to get that big stick ready...

"Soon, either the Russians, the Chi Coms, or the Iranians will take this an inch too far. And then the United States (God willing), will respond in kind. Respond just short of some kind of provocation. Use the F-22 Fighters for the purpose for which they were built." 

Okay. Teddy is no longer around. But his will, his guts, and his determination remain with us. He was quite the leader. Ronald Reagan was kind of like him. Peace through strength. He took our military from almost third world to something which would make the Soviets shiver at night. How many Soviets did Reagan have to kill in eight years to keep the peace? Either zero or close to zero. Teddy had to kill some folks in the Spanish American War as one of the Rough Riders. But after the sinking of the Maine, the Spanish American War was a war and not a provocation.

Flash forward to today. The Russians are kicking dirt in our collective faces over Syria. Why? Beats me. We are sending drones after ISIS (also Russia's Enemy), and Russia is hassling our drones. Huh? Whatever happened to "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." I guess Russia missed that part of our history lesson. Russia is going after our unarmed drones in Syria. Brave move. But for some reason, unknown to anyone right now, Biden has also sent over a squadron of F-22 Raptors. The Russians have NOTHING which can compete with these bad boys.

Now, I am not a warmonger. That might come as a shock to some. But I have studied the Russians and the Chi Coms for decades. How many decades? About 5. Enough to know how these two countries operate. The Russians may not be a part of the Soviet Union anymore, and the Chi Coms may still be the Chi Coms, but I know how they think. And I know what they respect. 

Respect? What do they respect? The "big stick". With our current regime, it has nothing to do with the "big stick". Sure, we can send F-22 Raptors over to Syria or even close to Ukraine - but the Russians don't flinch, because they know we will do NOTHING. Our new motto should be "Mumble a lot and Carry a Twig". Seriously! The kind of crap the Russians are pulling on us as of late. And what do we do? Write them a nasty letter.

Soon, either the Russians, the Chi Coms, or the Iranians will take this an inch too far. And then the United States (God willing), will respond in kind. Respond just short of some kind of provocation. Use the F-22 Fighters for the purpose for which they were built. 

We are close to the final countdown on the clock of time. Soon, the battle for good vs. evil will happen all over the world. Read the Holy Bible if you don't believe it. But remember this - time is not your friend. Time to get out the big stick. Time to use our F-22 fighters. Time to be prepared.    

 

Our town without pity (or many fathers)

"Do you want to drive into downtown Minneapolis at night? Get car-jacked? Robbed? Shot at with fireworks? Shot at with a gun? Sucker punched and a victim of a 'beat down'?"

It is summertime. How are things going in our fine City of Lakes? Right now, the city leaders are on a high, since the so-called "Pride Month" was such a smash hit. And to top it all off, having TS here for the "Swifties" was wonderful! Now we have the "Taste of Minnesota" going on, and everyone seems to be on a sugar high. Are we all going to start to move back into Minneapolis now? Is it safe and sound? Not hardly.

Wait a minute! It must be safer to be downtown on the Fourth of July now since the Stone Arch Bridge was closed! Remember last year? The Stone Arch Bridge was the epicenter for all the mutts to shoot fireworks at each other (plus the cops). Here is the problem in a nutshell. The mutts, the fatherless young kids who are feral at night, just moved their location. Instead of causing mayhem on the Stone Arch Bridge, they moved over to Lake Calhoun. And there, the chaos continued.

Many of the people arrested or detained on the Fourth of July were kids. Kids? What were they doing out at night? Where did they get the fireworks? The guns? Is anybody in charge around here? When I was a kid (meaning under 18), most of our two-parent households kept a keen eye on us. The chances of us being out marauding and rioting at night were slim to none - and Slim just died. Today, however, with our plethora of dysfunctional (or non-existent) homes in Minneapolis, it is anything goes. And the police? They are target number one, to receive a face full of dangerous fireworks. 

We can dance around this issue like we have for decades now or face it full-on. Minneapolis, with its cadre of feral youth running wild, is nothing more than a training ground for future felons. However, since our Soros-funded DAs will not throw the book at these young thugs, they just sink deeper into the depravity of crime. Left untreated or unhealed, these young thugs have the strong possibility of either a jail cell or a pine box in their future.

Minneapolis. The city of Mary Tyler Moore. The City of Lakes. The Mill City. All good titles from yesteryear. Now it is our town without pity. Do you want to drive into downtown Minneapolis at night? Get car-jacked? Robbed? Shot at with fireworks? Shot at with a gun? Sucker punched and a victim of a "beat down"?

No thanks. I will stay in the outer "burbs" where we have some law and order. Is it perfect out here? No, but it is close. 

    

Bring on summer, part 2.0

"The second half of summer is now here. What are we focused on? More up north time. Minnesota sweet corn. Viking training camp. And the best of the best - the Minnesota State Fair."

Okay. I will be the downer this morning. Independence Day is now over. Summer Solstice is now over. Memorial Day is now over. We have gone from flood to drought, all in a matter of a few months. Now comes the Dog Days. And summer, 2.0.

The second half of summer is now here. What are we focused on? More up north time. Minnesota sweet corn. Viking training camp. And the best of the best - the Minnesota State Fair.

Soon, the schools will be back in session. Summer will be waning, and the dreaded "s" word might be heard for the first time - usually in the Western Rockies. Maybe if we are lucky, the early season snows will also blanket the Canadian Rockies. Why? To put out those dang fires. What takes the wind out of your sail (so to speak), on a beautiful summer day? Having an air quality index of over one hundred. If not from ozone, the AQI being over one hundred is usually from smoke. "Stay indoors - don't exert yourself". Wow - happy summer! 

This weekend, we did some RV camping by the St. Croix. After having an abnormally long hot and dry spell, the skies opened two days in a row. Lightening, wind, hail, heavy rain - it looked a lot like summer! For two mornings in a row, we woke up to damp grass and the air so crisp and clean, it was a pleasure to breathe. 

We are home for a short respite, and then on the road again. I was once again reminded of a gentleman from England I worked with when I was overseas. One day while having morning tea (I had coffee, thank you), he told me how much he envied us Yanks. Why? When he takes a summer "holiday", he flies across the pond and visits America. As soon as he lands, he rents a car and just drives. Where to? It did not matter. The point was he had the freedom to drive as far as he wanted to go. See sights he had only read about as a child.

One day, he looked me squarely in the eye and said, "Do you Yanks realize just how lucky you are? That you have this wonderful country to explore each day?" Yes, my British friend, we do realize how lucky we are. Lucky, and blessed to live here. 

 

The Afghan whisper...

"It may not help his dismal ratings, but the right thing for Joe Biden to do is go in front of the cameras and not lie for a change. Tell the truth. Tell the nation that he, and he alone, is responsible for the Afghanistan retreat." 

Did you hear the latest on our Afghanistan retreat? No? Probably because they dropped it on the weekend of the Fourth of July. When the news cycle is at an ebb low. But it was reported by the State Department. And they took the blame (sort of), for the biggest mucking fess that our military has had in an exceptionally long time. No wait - that is the wrong way of putting it. The military did not mess up - it was the Biden Administration. All those wet behind-the-ears preppies who don't know a dit from a DUH! 

Between the embarrassment and carnage of losing thirteen of our brave troops at the end of the pullout, as well as all the "woke bs" which is being pushed in the service these days, our all-volunteer service is starting to take on water. What do I mean? None of our recruiting goals are being met. Should this continue, our professional volunteer service will be back in the days of conscription. Been there, done that. Those were NOT good days.

Where do we go from here? We can't un-ring the ugly bell which was rung when we retreated from Afghanistan. We can't bring our brave men and women who did that day back to life. We can, however, vote out Biden and his band of misfits. The heritage we have in our armed forces is way too good, to have it sullied by a reject from the Viet Nam era. And John Kerry is just as bad. This is our leadership right now? Good flipping grief!

It may not help his dismal ratings, but the right thing for Joe Biden to do is go in front of the cameras and not lie for a change. Tell the truth. Tell the nation that he, and he alone, is responsible for the Afghanistan retreat. That would at least be a start to some healing. But to continue to lie about what happened - serves no purpose.

Russia's military is being cut down to size due to the war in Ukraine. Our military is being reduced in manpower due to leadership issues from the top. Meanwhile, China's military is not being attired by a needless war or Joe Biden. China is going to come out of this the big winner, and the Pentagon will be left scratching its collective head wondering what just happened.  

 

Hating on SCOTUS

"If you want to hate on this court, go ahead. You are still not getting your student loan forgiven. If you are pissed off at the size of your loan for your worthless degree, go sue your former college. They are as much at fault as you are."

"It's not a normal court", muttered the Commander-in-Chief of these great United States. And that was BEFORE the Supreme Court took the wind out of the ill-conceived student loan forgiveness fiasco. But no worries, Slow Joe got up in front of the mics and cameras and said, "This fight is not over yet. Stay tuned, as I have my equally ill-equipped Education Secretary working on how to sidestep the court." (my words included).

Even though, ever since this half-baked idea was hatched, legal experts have been saying this is unconstitutional, millions of youngins with sky-high student loan balances have been anxiously waiting for their loans to go away. Were these kids hoodwinked by Joe Biden? Were they lied to? Were they used as pawns in an effort to garner more votes? I think we all know the answer to those questions. 

So where do little Jonny and little Jenny go from here? All of a sudden, based on the sophism they have been receiving from the lefties, they now believe that having your debts paid by Uncle Sam is a RIGHT. Kind of like abortion has been redefined as being a RIGHT. Oh, how our Founders would be rolling over in their graves right now! 

But that court! That damnable court! Oh, how the lefties now hate it! All because of that Donald Trump having the luck and the temerity to appoint THREE new jurists! And all Biden could do is nominate a black woman (Biden's words), with an unpronounceable first name. What is her job on the court so far? Argue with, and criticize Justice Thomas for not understanding black people. 

Can we reflect just for a minute, and thank Mitch McConnell one more time for putting the kibosh of having Merrick Garland nominated for the Ginsburg seat on the court? On her deathbed, Ginsburg is reported to have said, "Don't let Trump fill my seat". The irony is this - if she had decided to retire early in Obama's term, Garland could have been nominated, and probably confirmed. Think for a minute how whacked out this court would be if that had happened!

If you want to hate on this court, go ahead. You are still not getting your student loan forgiven. If you are pissed off at the size of your loan for your worthless degree, go sue your former college. They are as much at fault as you are. But the taxpayers? We had no fault in this and should not pay one thin dime to rectify it. And with that ladies and gentlemen, this court is adjourned.