The Madness which saved us all

"The big deterrent of MAD is fear. Plain and simple. Unless you have a suicide wish, you really want no part of a nuclear exchange. But how do you deal with people who have no fear because they just don't care if they live or die?" 

Okay this is not about madness. Or is it? It really is about MAD. And for you younger folks, MAD is what kept the "madness" at bay. This is going to take some explanation.

I am a retired Cold Warrior. There are a bunch of us out there, although sadly, some have already left us. The Cold War started shortly after World War II. Frankly, even as allies during World War II, the United States and Russia did not have much time for each other. Then once our common enemy was vanquished, we could set our sights on each other.

Things worked out okay until 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Both the United States and Russia had been building up their nuclear stock piles. For those who did not live through it, historians will tell you we can within a whisker of World War III. I was 12 at the time, and scared to death.

It was a lessons learned for all parties. Both sides tacitly agreed that an all out nuclear war between the two countries was unwinnable. It would be the end of both country's future. It would mean Mutually Assured Destruction. Thus, the concept of MAD was born. And that concept of MAD worked pretty darn good until the Soviet Union fell apart at the end of 1991. 

That brings us to today. The chess board looks much different than it used to. First off, Russia is still around, overflowing with nukes, and being led by a guy who just might think that a nuclear war is winnable. China still has about 250 nukes, but is much less of a Red Dragon today and much more of a manufacturing and trading colossus. After that, the chess board gets really ugly.

The big deterrent of MAD is fear. Plain and simple. Unless you have a suicide wish, you really want no part of a nuclear exchange. But how do you deal with people who have no fear because they just don't care if they live or die? How do you deal with an Islamic State, run by a fanatic who believes his people will be martyred in a nuclear war? And how do you deal with a country like North Korea, who with a handful of nukes thinks he can whip the US with over 7,000 nukes? 

The answer should be simple. You never let counties like Pakistan, Iran or North Korea get a nuke in the first place. But you can't un-ring a bell. Or put the toothpaste back into the tube.

With North Korea, our options are very limited right now. Only China can keep this almost boiling situation from getting much hotter and boiling over. If we are forced to, we might have to unleash our "Dogs of War" on the Korea People. Not our choice to do so. But we can't have an unstable regime, with some nukes at the ready, with more being developed, plus an ICBM delivery system on the way, threatening us every other day with a nuclear strike. After a while, we reach our saturation point.

How is this going to play out? Unknown. It was reported today that we have two additional carrier task forces headed to the Korean Peninsula. That is a butt load of fire power. Here is the good news. We have "war gamed" North Korea for decades. The Pentagon (with Jim Mattis at the helm) have a plan how to beat these guys.

Here is the bad news. If it goes nuclear, the damage to South Korea, Japan, or even Hawaii could be extreme. Our only hope would be that our ABM system is as stout and developed as advertised.

Now the irony. We have no beef with the North Korean people. On the contrary, we want to set them free. Free to live like their brothers and sisters in South Korea. And Iran - we once were allies. The Iranian people also need to be set free. It is only the rulers of North Korea and Iran that we take umbrage with.

Are we close to war right now? My opinion - maybe. What I am telling friends and family is to keep one ear on the radio. Plus - (and please don't think I am a Chicken Little), have one month's supply of food and water in the house. Why? Chance favors a prepared mind. 

  

Not your tip, Governor!

"Not too long ago, whenever I would see or hear the expression, 'Taxation is theft', I thought it was a bit cliched. But no longer."

Yesterday, we went out to a nice restaurant for Easter brunch. We had the whole family with. We all ate our fill, and soon it was time to pay the bill and then carry on with our day. The bill came to $125. I am a very generous tipper, so I was going to tip our waitress $25. I gave our waitress two one hundred dollar bills. The $50 I was getting back was going to be my spending money for the rest of the month. 

After quite a long period of time, the waitress did not come back with my money. I finally flagged her down and asked where my change was. She informed me the owner of the restaurant decided to keep it. He has some renovations he needs to do this summer, plus he wants to give money away to those who did not have much. But I told her, "That is my money!" Not any longer she said - it now belongs to the restaurant.

Yesterday on Easter Sunday, the clowns on the paper's editorial board decided to pen a non-Easter type of message. It was what the state should do with our rather large surplus. Oh, they had all kinds of ideas. Spend, spend, spend, spend.

One more time - when ever there is a surplus, it means we overpaid our taxes. Just like in my made up restaurant story, we have paid our bill in full. Now would like our change back. The Governor, just like the owner of the restaurant, thinks he is entitled to our money. And he is not. For him to keep it, is theft, pure theft. 

Not too long ago, whenever I would see or hear the expression, "Taxation is theft", I thought it was a bit cliched. But no longer. This is our money we are entrusting to the government. There is hardly a week which goes by where we don't get a story about some kind of fraud, waste or abuse in Washington or St. Paul. A good portion of our hard earned money is being taken from us, and then wasted. Then to add insult to injury, if we overpaid, the government wants to steal that amount. Theft, pure theft.

To show just how clueless our statists in St. Paul have become. last week the Revenue Commissioner threatened us by saying tax refunds could be "delayed". You know, because of the nasty old Republicans who are cutting some wasteful spending. So now statists like the Revenue Commissioner are going to take it out on those of us who overpaid our taxes. Theft, pure theft.

We need a good, strong, fiscally prudent Governor in 2018. And that person is not coming from the DFL - trust me on that one. Soon a candidate will come forward who will shine brighter than all the others. A Governor who will work with the Minnesota House and Senate to "rightsize" our taxes to ensure we are paying for efficient, competitive government. All we have today is a Governor who wastes our money on bloated taxes used to fund a largess, statist government.

No Governor Dayton, you may not "keep the change". And there is no tip either. Give me my money back, or it will just be theft, pure and simple. With you sir, taxation is theft! 

Agape, once again on Easter

"When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, He responded with (if I may paraphrase), to love God first, with all your heart, mind and soul. And then to love others, as yourself." 

I have addressed this most unusual term before. This word of Greek origin, Agape, describes a type of love which is indescribable. Now what in the world does that mean? It means a love with no boundaries and no conditions. It is a type of love which mankind does not really understand as it goes against our human nature. Our love, always seems to have boundaries and conditions of some kind.

Easter has always been the most perfect example of God's agape love for us. He sent his only Son to Earth, become man, and live among us. Rather than being treating his like the Messiah, He was doubted, ridiculed, mistreated, tortured, and then killed in the most cruel fashion. And God allowed that to happen - because of this fierce love He has for each of us. Most, if not all, marvel yet do not understand that kind of love.

Now comes the tough part for us with agape love. When Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment, He responded with (if I may paraphrase), to love God first, with all your heart, mind and soul. And then to love others, as yourself. After Easter, when Jesus was resurrected, He told us to take His message to all corners of the Earth. Yes, the greatest commandment is a vital part of that message. This became the Great Commission.

Agape. When God tells us He loves each and every one of us, He is talking about the deserving and the undeserving. Yes, he is talking about the unlovable as well as lovable. To take the message to all corners of the globe means North Korea, Syria, Iran, you name the hot spot. Yes, God is asking us to spread the message of His love even into countries where the simple mention of His name or the sign of the cross is a death sentence.

Truthfully, most of us will not practice the extremes of the Great Commission by being missionaries in a far off land. But we can try to fine tune our love at home. We can witness constantly that we belong to God. And most of the witnessing can be done by how we treat each other. By loving the unlovable as well as the lovable. Doing small things, as well as things not so small. Maybe even a smile, a greeting, holding a door, or letting an unkind word go unsaid. 

I am going to close this thought by telling a story about a young man I served with on Okinawa. His name was Jody. One of the nicest and kindest people I have ever met. Deep in his faith, Jody never proselytized. He just lived his faith each and every day. He had an inner peace and joy which shined like a beacon within him. Jody loved his God, and he loved God's people. Jody really understood - he got it. 

This Easter, every Easter, I think of agape love. Even though it is something we may never achieve, it is something to which we can all aspire. The Easter story is agape love. God's agape love which gave us all, hope eternal.    

    

Government Tithing

"Render to God which is God's, and render to Caesar which is Caesar's. Just make sure Caesar does not take too much..."

The Very Angry Bird

from years past...

Here it is. Right in the middle of the holiest weekend of the year. The greedy hand of the government asking for more, more and then more again. Of what? Of our money. And who is to blame for this? The IRS? To a degree, yes. But they are just the puppets dancing on the end of the string. The real puppet masters who are responsible for the largess of government, which results in our sky high taxes, is our friendly Congress. Yes, the folks that "we the people", put there.

It all started with the Revenue Act of 1861. Money was needed to fund the Civil War, so in comes the income tax. Then over the years, there were many subsequent revisions, additions, subtractions to tax laws. But in the opinion of many, the one which hurt taxpayers the most, the one which still today leaves a mark today, is the Current Tax Payment Act of 1943. This re-introduced the requirement to withhold taxes from our paychecks.

Why would this obscure act from 1943 rile so many so much? Because it is insidious and stealthy. It has been said by folks smarter than I, our taxes would not be nearly as high if every month we just had to write out a tax check to the government. This would make the entire process of taxation up close and real. As it is now, we have been programmed to live on a fraction of what we really make.

I am not against taxes - trust me I am not. We do need a functioning government, and it takes revenue to keep it running. I am however, in favor of rightsizing our government. I am a simple man, so here is my simple solution. Tithe. The church has advocated this for centuries. First fruits. The first ten percent should go to the Lord. My feeling is the government should not get more than the Lord. So the next 10% would go to Caesar (the government). 

In my very simple mind, things would work very well in our country if we did the 10/10/10 type of giving. Out of every dollar earned, 10 cents to the government, 10 cents to your church, and then 10 cents to a bonafide charity (or charities) of your choice. That would leave 70 cents out of every dollar to live on.

When I did my brief stint in the church business, we did a "what if" exercise once to see the ramifications if everyone in the large church I worked at decided to tithe. The answer was mind blowing. The coffers would be simply overflowing. The amount of mission work, both at home and abroad would at least triple. Church debt would be all but eliminated. It truly would be a good thing.

I am guessing the same would be true for most charities. The money woes of the past would be over. The amount of good they could do, the amount of people they could serve, would be jaw dropping. Everyone would win.

Then the government. Getting the government to live within its "tithe". Every year taxes would be "easy peasy". Like falling off a log. No deductions - just 10 cents out of every dollar earned. The tax code would be one page long. The income tax form also would be one page long. 

Is there a catch in this? You bet - there is always a catch. When you file your one page tax form at the end of the year, you would need to show proof that you did in fact give 10% to the church and 10% to a bonafide charity. Any what if you chose not to? Then that money would go to the government. Why? Because right now the government is involved in many areas which should be taken care of by the churches and charities. If the churches and charities cannot get the funding they need, then the government will have to do it.

I know, I know. Many will read this and think I am either an idiot or a dreamer. I will choose dreamer, thank you. Even though this would never happen in "realville", it is fun to imagine it.      

Makers and Breakers

"We might have to pay a steep price for letting North Korea getting as far out of line as they have. But the time is now. I take President Trump at his word. One way or the other, the North Korean problem will be 'fixed'."

One of my very conservative friends always tells me that our country is made up of Makers and Takers. The Makers are those who produce; the Takers are those who chose not too. I will take that one step further.

In this world right now, we have people who are the true Makers. That would the people (or nations) who are trying to advance our civilization through better medicine, better technology, and better living conditions. That is the good news.

And now the bad news. We also have people in this world I will refer to as the Breakers. I think we all know about whom I speak. They are the ones who would choose to burn everything down. To kill anyone and everyone who worships differently than they do. The ones who instead of trying to develop new abundant, affordable and clean energy, would rather set off EMP bombs to put parts of the planet back into the dark ages.

For the life of me, I don't understand the Breakers. Not a bit. The entire world benefits once we find a cure for cancer. The entire world benefits due to our advances in agriculture. The entire world benefits from better and fairer commerce and trade deals.

But Breakers would rather nuke a country which every year feeds a large part of the world. They would poison the soil with radioactivity so nothing can be grown there for generations. And why? What possible reason? What possible gain?

Today, which is Good Friday, instead of focusing 100% of the significance of the day, we must keep one eye on what is happening on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea, which is dirt poor, could really benefit from the fruits of the Makers.

However, North Korea is currently being run by one of the worst Breakers in the world. And he is just crazy enough to try and really "break" another country by using his nukes. And if it is a country we are aligned with, the United States will be dragged into it. The United States would then would be forced to take a hiatus from being a Makers. Instead the United States would a Breaker, as instrument of destruction, as it completely destroys the country of North Korea.

We cannot advance as a civilized people so long as Breakers live among us. Our only hope in exploring space, curing diseases, fighting hunger, and enhancing everyone's quality of life, is for all of us to become Makers.

My preference would be the countries or individuals who are currently Breakers would see the light, and change their ways. But that is a Pollyanna viewpoint. I know many never will.

Our new President has said many times he inherited a "mess". Part of the mess is that we have let the Breakers in the world run wild and proliferate for the last decade. President Trump has also said that he will not turn this mess over to his successor. In other words, one way or the other, he is going to fix it. And by fixing it, he might have to end it.

What does that mean? Buckle up, and bunker up. We might have to pay a steep price for letting North Korea, Syria and Iran get as far out of line as they have. But the time is now. I take President Trump at his word. One way or the other, the North Korean problem will be "fixed", and soon.   

Easter starts tonight

"A billboard I would pass by about 40 years ago in North Minneapolis had a very simple message - 'Easter is forever'."

Whoa! Hold on big fella! You are off by a few days! Not really. Let me explain. The church we attend is very large - the 11th largest in the nation. The campus we attend which is close to our home, is bursting at the seams with worshipers. So much so, that the Easter services are spread across four days. One service on Thursday, two on Friday, three on Saturday and two on Sunday. And each service is expected to be full.

But for many in the Catholic and Protestant faiths, Easter also starts tonight for a different reason. It is Maundy Thursday. It is the night of the Last Supper, which is the genius of Holy Communion. It was also the night which one of Christ's own, betrayed him. It was the start of mankind putting the Son of God, this Son of Man, to death in the most cruel fashion.

When Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss on the cheek in return for a few pieces of silver, did Jesus hate Judas? No. God does not hate, He loves. All Jesus asked Judas was this - "Must you betray me with a kiss?" Jesus knew what was ahead. He knew this was part of God's plan. But Jesus was born man. The torture and death with awaited in a less than a day were are going to be as painful and real as they would be to any human.

Like I said - the events we celebrate and remember tonight are the start of Easter. A billboard I would pass by about 40 years ago in North Minneapolis had a very simple message - "Easter is forever". No matter what happens in our world, nothing will "undo" the Easter story. This event, this savior of all mankind, happened over 2,000 years ago. And the message today is as relevant as the message was when it all started.

Somebody asked me a few years ago, "so what is the message?" I simply replied "hope". No matter what you have done in your life, God will not love you any less. And no matter how much good you will do until before die, God will not love you more. God's love is agape - a term humans cannot understand. Why? Our humanness makes our love conditional. God's is not. All we need to do is accept God's most special gift.

If you have not been to church in a while, and decide to come back this weekend, remember two things - First, churches are hospitals for sinners, not temples for the pious. Most folks in that church have walked very rocky roads also. Second (and this is the most important one) - even if you think you have been as evil at Attila the Hun, in God's eye's, you are still His. He wants you back.

Am I excited about Easter? Absolutely! For without Easter, we have nothing. No hope, no future. The tough day comes tomorrow - but we will get through it. We have to. Because after the darkness come the dawn - comes the resurrection.  

  

Evolution of a revolution

"What do I think Putin wanted? A third term of Obama. Under Obama, Putin was allowed to run wild in the world."

I might have told this story before. When I first met my wife and we were dating, I had a very foolish habit I picked up in the Navy. I smoked. I also drove a 1973 orange Super Beetle VW, which I had bought new for about $2k. Anyhow, it had a manual transmission (on the floor), so when I was driving, many times I could not free up my hands to light a cigarette.

My wife who did not smoke, would take one out of my pack, put in her mouth, light it, and then pass it over to me. Wow - what a woman! She did that while dating, after I proposed to her, and right up until our wedding. Then on the second night of our honeymoon, she told me how much smoke bothered her in the bedroom. Then the kitchen. Then the living room. Soon, I was relegated to the garage and driveway. What was happening? We were evolving into our new reality.

Yes, there is a point to this story. Donald Trump is now evolving in his role as President. With the "before marriage Donald" (prior to inauguration), we saw the Steve Bannon, tip over the tables, burn it down, drain the swamp candidate. Then he put his hand on the Bible. The "after marriage Donald", got his "scare the pants off of you" security briefing from his national security advisers. It is them when President Trump started to emerge.

The week, Putin said Russia's relationship with the United States is terrible under President Trump. Of course, Putin didn't want Hillary Clinton either. What do I think Putin wanted? A third term of Obama. Under Obama, Putin was allowed to run wild in the world. President Trump however, will "call Putin our on his s**t". And Rex Tillerson is no John Kerry. Tillerson is a very plain speaking, resolute man. He also clearly, puts the Russians on notice.

Slowly but surely, cabinet positions are starting to fill out. The inner circle in the West Wing is settling down. The "bomb throwers" are still there, but not allowed to handle pyrotechnics anymore. The National Security Team under General McMasters is really starting to take shape. General Mattis is everything we hoped he would be.

Recently in an interview, President Trump was asked if he thought he was changing since being sworn in. Surprisingly, he said he was. He had no idea of the magnitude of the "life and death" aspects the Presidency entailed. The "let's make a deal world" which Trump is so good at, turns out to be only a small part of what the President's job description is.

It will interesting to watch this evolution of our President continue. What will be the next stage? I have no clue. I do know this however - those who thought Donald Trump was just a "stooge" for the Kremlin are not saying much right now. Me thinks they are re-thinking that position - and fast.