Cuba - a missed opportunity

"Soon, we will have Russian warships steaming into Cuba to send a message to Joe Biden. The message? If the US wants to escalate the Ukrainian war by sending in ATACAMS missiles and F-16 fighters, Russia can also escalate by sending in warships to our back yard. Look familiar? Kind of like the Cuban Missile Crisis? This is another way Joe Biden is bringing us inches within WW III."

Fact: I have always wanted to visit Cuba. I came close a few years back, when a cruise ship I was on needed to change course a bit to avoid a large storm. We ended up skirting around the side of Cuba. I was amazed at how large Cuba was. It seemed to go on forever. But here is the case at hand. This island nation, which sits a mere 90 miles from Key West, is still considered "unfriendly" towards the US. They are unfriendly towards us, and we are unfriendly towards them. Not much has changed since the Cuban revolution of 1963.

Some "way back" history for a minute. Barack Obama (when he was President) thought it was time to thaw some relationship issues with Cuba. Some were for it, some not. My congressman and friend, Tom Emmer - was for it. Only, Emmer wanted to hit the trade issue hard. He and a Democrat Rep from Florida co-sponsored a bill called the Cuba Trade Act of 2015. Some conservatives thought that Emmer had sold out. Especially after going to Cuba with Obama and Senator Amy. But Emmer was looking at the bigger picture - a much bigger picture.

I had a few words with Tom Emmer during that time period. I knew that Emmer had not sold out - there was something else at play here. Emmer told me he was a bit steamed that Obama was the first to try and break the thaw with Cuba. Emmer thought this should have been a Republican thing to bring Cuba out of the Communist stone ages, and into the world of trade and prosperity. Tom Emmer saw no reason why a neighbor, 90 miles away, could not be a good trading partner - maybe even a friend at some time. Through trade, Emmer wanted a better life for the Cuban citizens. The only thing which stood in the way was Raul Castro. Once a dictator, always a dictator.

Anyhow, the support was not there. Obama left office, and President Trump reversed many of the things Obama had set in motion via executive orders. That would include cruise ship port stops and direct flights. Things went back to the age-old status, of being neighbors but not neighborly.

BUT - Cuba still has ties with Russia. Our missed opportunity was after the Iron Curtain fell, and Russia was on its knees, we could have courted Cuba (the right way). Convinced the Castro regime (using lucrative trade opportunities) that it was time to join the modern era. Be a trading partner with the US. That is what Emmer wanted - a "win-win" scenario with Cuba. But that was then, and this is now.

Soon, we will have Russian warships steaming into Cuba to send a message to Joe Biden. The message? If the US wants to escalate the Ukrainian war by sending in ATACAMS missiles and F-16 fighters, Russia can also escalate by sending in warships to our back yard. Look familiar? Kind of like the Cuban Missile Crisis? This is another way Joe Biden is bringing us inches within WW III.

A postscript to this story. Back when it seemed possible that Emmer's Cuban idea might even work, I told Tom I would believe it only when he and I could smoke a LEGAL Cuban cigar in my back yard. So far, I am still waiting. And now with Vladimir Putin playing Mr. Goodbar with Cuba once again, that wait might be a long, long time. 

    

As Joe speaks, the nation shutters...

"The only thing which is amazing, is Biden is still as close to Trump in the polls as he is. Trump should be smoking Biden by 30 points. Why? The thought of having four more years of Biden, sinking deeper and deeper into dementia, is a something which should keep all of us up at night."

Right now, we are in the most dangerous period of the Biden presidency. How so? When he is overseas and becomes untethered from many of his handlers. That is when Joe's gaffe machine goes into overdrive. For a solemn event like the 80th anniversary of D-Day, I too, shudder to think what Joe could come up with. He would lean into a hot mic, teleprompter turning, and then launch into a cacophony of muttering and yelling. 

Then all of a sudden, teleprompter be damned as Joe goes off-script - "It is here, on the south of Spain, that the United States working with the Germans, managed to defeat France and get a toehold into Europe. If not for the gallant fighting of some of our finest, the allies, working with the Axis Powers, might have lost World War I." Too much? Too absurd? Have you heard Joe as of late? His mumbling is getting worse, and his "GET OFF MY LAWN" yelling is way out of control. And he drifts - badly. In the giddy and twisting mind of Joe Biden, most anything can come out of his mouth these days.

Plus, one of the things Joe's parents should have taught him when he was a youth, is once you say something stupid or cruel, that bell cannot be un-rung. For example, when Joe referred to the Prince of Saudi Arabia as a "pariah", do you think the Saudis ever forgot that slap in the face? Of course not. That is why the Saudis want to increase the cost of gasoline before the election. They want Biden GONE. 

And then just recently, when Biden accused Bibi of making the Gaza War last longer for political gain, was a jaw dropper and a head shaker at the same time. First off, you don't stab your best friend in the Middle East in the back - even if it were true. BUT IT IS NOT TRUE! For Biden however, who cares? Just fire for effect. Again, that bell cannot be un-rung. 

But how is Biden's relationship with Putin? Now that Biden has called Putin a thug and a killer. Even with all of that, Putin would LOVE to see Biden get re-elected. Why? An empty suit is easy for him to deal with. Trump on the other hand, is a wild card for Putin. And just to show Biden how much Putin loves and respects Biden, Putin is conducting military exercises in the Caribbean. Gosh, we have not seen that since - the Cuban Missile Crisis. World War III has never looked closer.

Joe "the gaffe machine" Biden. You just can't make this stuff up. The only thing which is amazing, is Biden is still as close to Trump in the polls as he is. Trump should be smoking Biden by 30 points. Why? The thought of having four more years of Biden, sinking deeper and deeper into dementia, is a something which should keep all of us up at night. 

So, which way is up then?

"Perplexed right now? As to which way is up? It is hard to be lied to and gaslighted for years and know what the score is. All I know is this - our country is a mess right now, led by a guy who seems to slip more and more every day into a deeper state of confusion." 

Ready for the world's biggest understatement? Our southern border is a mess. We have all been victim to the mother of all gaslighting on this issue, ever since Slow Joe took command of the DHS. That is, Slow Joe and his #1 henchman - Mayorkas. Even though the numbers belie this point, Biden and Mayorkas keep telling us the border is secure. They said they have fixed the mess that Trump left them. Huh? 

Yesterday Biden had an opportunity to face the cameras and roll out his new executive order on the border. Seems he has had somewhat of a change of heart. So much so, this new executive order looks quite a bit like the Senate version of the border bill, which most normal people hated. Why hate it? It did nothing to fix the problem. HR2 which still sits gathering dust, fixed most of the problem. But Biden, and certainly not Schumer, wanted anything to do with that bill.

As goofy as yesterday was with the mass confusion concerning the border issue, the real plum was at the same time Biden was pitching his "new plan", FBI Director Wray was addressing a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the danger this country is now in. The "warning lights are flashing red" all over the place. Wray said he has never seen the threat level higher. We are primed and ready for a jihadist attack by a group like ISIS-K at any time now. An attack like Russia recently suffered.

I think what Wray was trying to say but did not want to stir the pot too much, was groups like ISIS-K could just waltz over the southern border and then go dark. Become a "sleeper cell" just waiting for the right time to strike. And that is where the danger is right now. 

At the same time Wray was in front of a Senate subcommittee, and Biden was pitching his latest nonsense, AG Garland was in front of a House Judiciary Committee trying not to sound too much like a DNC trope. Chairman Jordan and others wanted Garland to explain why we now have two systems of justice in our country. One for Hunter Biden, and the other for Donald Trump. Of course, he denied this accusation. I would have also asked Garland about the southern border. If he would agree with his subordinate Wray that we were in deep do-do right now, or with his boss the President, that everything is sunshine and candy.

Perplexed right now? As to which way is up? It is hard to be lied to and gaslighted for years and know what the score is. All I know is this - our country is a mess right now, led by a guy who seems to slip more and more every day into a deeper state of confusion. If you are nervous right now about the future, that is a good thing. Until we get "normal" back in our country, we should all be very nervous.   

The most consequential day ever?

 

"Was D-Day the most consequential day ever? Many think so. All I know is this - from what I have read, from what I have learned, the young men who took part in that historic invasion eighty years ago - were the very bravest. What we have today, where we are today, is due in large part to these young and very brave patriots. We cannot thank them enough."   

Some know this. Others don't. It pains me to say this, but some don't even care. In two days, we will celebrate the 80th anniversary of D-Day. As war is always a messy business, D-Day was one of the messiest. But it was vitally important. To land at Normandy, to establish a beachhead so more allied troops could breach the shores of Europe, was going to be tough and bloody. And risky. There were NO guarantees the weather or the intelligence would hold up. Rather than just a very bloody victory for the allies, it could have turned into a Waterloo.

I have often times wondered what it would have been like to be in that armada, headed for the northern coast of France. Some of the young men on the assault crafts were barely old enough to shave. They knew their chances of making through this historic battle unscathed were slim. But they also knew one thing - to beat this menace, which was a threat to the entire world, meant that some might have to die. Some might have to get wounded. It was going to be a hell that no one man could comprehend.

Point of personal history. I had a much older cousin when I was growing up. He fought in World War II. He took part in D-Day. He was one of the small group of paratroopers who landed in Holland instead of Normandy. As a young boy, I never talked to him about his war experience. I did hear about it from my dad. My cousin was captured by the Nazis in Holland after he landed. Instead of killing him, they tortured him to get information. They did awful things to him, including pulling out his toenails.

Historians have often contemplated what would have happened if the invasion at Normandy had failed. Would Germany have won the war? Many think the war would have gone on longer, but Germany still would have lost. Others think with a longer war, the atomic bomb might have been a factor in Europe. The allies (US) would have had one, and the Germans were close to figuring out how to build one. But all this conjecture is just that. D-Day succeeded, and the allies went on to win the war in Europe.

Was D-Day the most consequential day ever? Many think so. All I know is this - from what I have read, from what I have learned, the young men who took part in that historic invasion eighty years ago - were the very bravest. What we have today, where we are today, is due in large part to those young and very brave patriots. We cannot thank them enough.   

"A bad deal is worse than no deal"

"Bibi said not to worry - Israel can handle this. The fact Biden has stabbed him in the back more than once, was the real story. Israel cannot trust America as an ally until we get a normal president once again. In these most dangerous times, having a flip-flopper in charge of our country is a non-starter. I am sorry Bibi - November cannot come soon enough for us either."     

Back in the day, when I was on different negotiation teams, my first boss always had a rock-solid expression. "Remember - a bad deal is worse than no deal at all". Why bring this up when I have been retired for so long? I thought about this "Biden deal", which Biden and Blinken are trying to shove down the Israeli's throats. Just from what I have heard of this deal, it must have been put together by the "pie in the sky" committee. What a joke. No wonder Bibi thought it was a no go.

Ever since the American Muslims (and their progressive sympathizers) have figured out a way to live in Biden's head rent free, "flip-flop" Biden has now become very anti-Israel. It seems this 81-year-old brain has forgotten the horrors of October 7th. But many of the rest of us have not. And Bibi's first inclination of destroying Hamas, still seems to be the right course.

By the way - not to get petty, but has anyone else noticed that "proof of life" seems to be missing from the hostage's release? The only thing we ever hear about the hostage situation is when another three or so are found dead. Based on the treatment that the Israeli citizens received from Hamas on October 7th, I would no doubt there are none left surviving. Plus - if I were negotiating the deal, NOTHING else would happen until ALL hostages were accounted for - dead or alive.

Another thing - the fact that Hamas got so giddy about this Biden proposal should tell us something. Like, it was a very good deal for them, and a rotten deal for Israel. Also, going into a six week "cease fire" is almost laughable. Why? Israel and Hamas were in a cease fire when the October 7th attack happened. Fool me once...

War is ugly. War has collateral damage, even though the IDF has been as careful as they can be and still accomplish their mission. Biden is punching under his weight on this one, and is in way, way over his head. Blinken has been of zero help. None. 

Bibi said not to worry - Israel can handle this. The fact Biden has stabbed him in the back more than once, was the real story. Israel cannot trust America as an ally until we get a normal president once again. In these most dangerous times, having a flip-flopper in charge of our country is a non-starter. I am sorry Bibi - November cannot come soon enough for us either.     

Trump Country!

"Want to see the real America? Want to see Trump country? Just hop in your car, fill it up with expensive gasoline, take a drive. Note to the socialists and progressives - you may be the squeaky wheel, but we are still here."

My wife and I traveled north to our RV this past week. It is set up time, after the long winter's nap for the "hut". We would have had it set up earlier, but the constant "faucet" that Mother Nature has been turning on has held us back a bit. In any event, it is now ready, and the drive up north is most enjoyable.

Enjoyable for many reasons, one of which is the political tone once you get north of the 94 beltways. How so? When you get out where hard working Americans produce our food, the color is red and red again. Ladies and gentlemen - this is Trump country!

With the election over 150 days away, that has not stopped many patriots from putting up Trump signs and banners. To be fair, we did see some Biden bumper stickers and signage also, but the invective contained in each was not appropriate to repeat in my family friendly blog. Many "FJB" and so forth. But the Trump signage was all over the place. Proud people, proudly proclaiming their support for the man who will fix this mess that Biden has made.

The good people of outstate Minnesota are not stupid. Nor are they sleepwalking. They know what has just happened in a courtroom in New York Is about as un-American as you can get. They also are consumers like the rest of us. And the farmers use plenty of fuel on their cropland. They know how much things have gone up under "Build, back better" and "Bidenomics". In other words, they won't be played for fools. They love this country and hate tyranny. I guess that makes them patriots.

One Democrat from Minnesota (Dean Phillips), who seems to have a lick of sense, wants Governor Hochul to pardon Donald Trump of any state of New York charges. Why? Phillips can look over the landscape and see reality. When the Democrats go after Donald Trump, they lionize him further. Another Democrat has suggested that Biden pardon Trump - for the same reason. But neither is likely to happen. 

If you ever look at a political map of the United States, what is happening in outstate Minnesota is more common than not. Getting outside the failure factories called big, blue cities, and you will see the real America. And in the real America, that is where the patriots live. The lovers of liberty and freedom. The haters of tyranny.

Want to see the real America? Want to see Trump country? Just hop in your car, fill it up with expensive gasoline, take a drive. Note to the socialists and progressives - you may be the squeaky wheel, but we are still here. We still believe in the real America, the Constitution, and the God of the Bible. And we are many - many and growing.  

The breaking point

"Democrats will have no interest living under a President Donald Trump. And conservatives in no way want another destructive term of Joe Biden. On November 5th, once the ballots are counted, one side is going to be elated while the other side will be hated."

I am afraid it has come to this. We are now approaching it and going 100 miles an hour. It is only 157 days away. That will very possibly be our "D-Day". The day the United States of America becomes totally ungovernable. It could be the breaking point for this once great nation. Why do I say that? Differences of opinions have now become battle cries. Hills to die on. There is no way that the normal people in this country will put up with four more years of a dystopian Biden. By the same token, there is no way the seething Trump haters will put up with another term of Donald Trump. 

I really thought the 2000 election would be the straw which broke the camel's back. Remember? It was the "hanging chads" election. The election which needed to have the Supreme Court come in and act as referees. Then after it was over, and GW Bush was declared winner, the ALGORE minions refused to accept the outcome. "SELECTED, NOT ELECTED!", was their war cry. Somehow, the nation managed to limp into 2001, where the table was set for 9/11. And then after the horrors of 9/11, for a short and graceful period of time, this fractured nation became one again. But not for long.

Enough good will remained, that in 2004, when Bush ran against John Kerry, the election was not razor thin like it was in 2000. That was a blessing for our country, as I don't know if we could have survived another postmortem with political hacks looking at chads on voting cards with magnifying glasses. But did the country accept Bush as their president? By then, the good vibes that filled the country post 9/11 were all but gone. Bush was now the enemy of the left. Even though Bush was not a conservative, he was still vilified and scorned by the left - and a disappointment to the right.

After Bush, the Republicans had no bench to speak of. The Democrats put up a socialist named Obama, who was going to heal this nation's lingering racial strife. Republicans ran McCain and Romney in 2008 and 2012. This mixed-race junior senator from Illionois stomped both of them. And then the trouble started. The country could see what Obama's real agenda was. Obama was going to remake our country, in his own image. Brotherhood was replaced by tribalism. The conservatives hated what was happening to the country. They went crazy and vowed "never again".

But the socialists and progressives had a better idea. After Obama's second term, forget Biden and have Hillary be our first female president. Brilliant! Except Hillary had baggage. And the Republicans, not to get trounced again like they did under McCain and Romney, nominated an outsider named Donald J. Trump. Trump culled the Republican field and became the torch bearer. And then Trump did the unthinkable - he beat the unsinkable Hillary Clinton. And for that, Trump became public enemy number one. For whom? For Democrats, socialists, globalists, progressives and the media. 

Now after that short history lesson, you can see what I mean about the approaching breaking point. America has become two countries living within the same borders. The people in this country are as different from each other as night and day. Black and white. Good and evil. 

Democrats have no interest living under a second term of President Donald Trump. And conservatives in no way want another destructive term of Joe Biden. On November 5th, once the ballots are counted, one side is going to be elated while the other side will be hated.

What will be the solution? The outcome? I guess we will have to wait until November 6th to find out. Will America survive? Or will lawfare rule the day. Stay tuned.