Close to the edge...

 

"We have a Commander-in-Chief who frequently does not know what day it is. That is not strength - that is weakness. That weakness puts us ever closer to the edge. Once that edge is breached, there is no going back. Why do I keep harping on this? Because nothing is changing." 

Reading the news behind the news is a bid spooky these days. It seems things in this land called America are not all sunshine and roses. But most of us already know that. Is there some good news? Always. For example, four Israeli hostages were freed. Not negotiated for - freed using the power and might of the IDF. And if I may add - some intel support from the USA. Somehow the IDF pulled this off. Of course there were some collateral damages. Since Hamas like to use human shields, somewhere between 100 and 200 Gaza civilians (and/or Hamas fighters) were also killed.

Meanwhile, as the fight goes on in Gaza, the rebels in this country continue to protest against Israel. Not against Hamas, but against Israel. This is crazy. Normals in this country do not understand these protests, and most of Israel do not understand them either. But the war goes on.

Also, next week is the week. That is when the Russian Navy is making a return trip to Cuba. Make no mistake - this has nothing to do with Cuba, and everything to do with Joe Biden. Putin knows that Biden is easily spooked, so having a re-run of the Cuban Missile Crisis might jolt Biden out of supplying more arms to Ukraine. Why? Right now, the ATACAMS missiles are causing great havoc with the Russians. As far as Putin is concerned, these weapons have put America in the middle of this fight. 

Just think of what would happen if Putin decided to launch a conventional missile from Cuba towards Norfolk, VA. Something like an ATACAMS missile. Hypothetical? Not really. Putin has hinted as such. Like, maybe Russia could attack targets in the west by firing missiles from another country. Would an attack such as this put us closer to the edge? Or over the edge? Listening to the bluster coming out of many NATO countries as well as Russia and China, the term "nuclear war" is being bantered around like it was nothing more than a soccer game. Not everyone's death sentence, but a soccer game.

Ronald Reagan always preached the concept of "peace through strength". Right now, we are doing almost the opposite. The world's bad guys can smell fear and weakness. Joe Biden set the table for those twin aromas during our retreat from Afghanistan. Many military experts who have the courage to speak out, are still saying the same thing - Afghanistan was the cluster of all clusters. 

We have a Commander-in-Chief who frequently does not know what day it is. That is not strength - that is weakness. That weakness puts us ever closer to the edge. Once that edge is breached, there is no going back. Why do I keep harping on this? Because nothing is changing. Our leaders are skipping along this path to nowhere. They seem to be oblivious to the danger we are all in. Even Macron of France, has talked about French troops joining the fray in Ukraine. This is madness.

Are we living in the end of days? Sometimes it seems as such. Are these the 'birth pangs" which signify the return of Christ? More and more are thinking it might be. In any event, have a wonderful Sunday. And if you go to church this morning, pray for our country. Pray for our world. We need it now more than ever.   

The Bernstein (who) BEARLY (ever tells the truth)

"Liars, liars, pants on fires. Look into the camera with a straight face and lie like a rug. What I wonder every time I hear this guy interviewed, is who really believes him? Is there such a person in this country who is that gullible? If so, I would like to meet that person (or persons). I have some bridges to sell which are located in the desert."  

I am going to confess something this early Saturday morning. There is one person more than any other who resides in Biden's inner circle whom I cannot tolerate listening too. Why? Gaslighting and lying, just about 100% of the time. Even when confronted with immutable facts, this person will dispute them. Tell you the facts are wrong. And who is this circus clown who has been given so much power within our government? Jared Bernstein. Chair of Biden's Economic Advisors. 

This guy is a piece of work. He has been asked many times by many different pundits WHY Biden constantly torts the truth by saying the inflation rate was over 9% when he took office, and Biden and company have whittled it down to just over 3%. But when Bernstein is confronted with factual history, that the inflation rate was just under 2% when Biden took office, here is the Bernstein Bear retort - "What the President meant to say, was all the metrics were there for inflation to immediately go to 9%". Wait - what? Huh? 

And then Bernstein will argue the point until the cows come home. And when he grows tired of that sophism, he will change the subject - "Well, if you look at the other G7 countries, our inflation is in line with what theirs is and was". My response? Who gives a rip? We are talking about the gold standard country - ours. The fact that Biden juiced up the inflation rate by spending scads of money we don't have, is the reason inflation went from just under 2% to just over 9%, at its worse.

Then came the real whopper. When Bernstein was asked about sunsetting the Trump tax cuts, the lies came in waves. "Mr. Bernstein - President Biden said he would not raise the taxes on anyone making under $400,000 a year. Yet when Trumps's tax cut sunset at the end of next year (and if Biden is still president), families making under $400,000 will pay $1,500 more in taxes." With that, Bernstein chuckled and said, "Let me explain this to you." I could not wait to hear this one.

"Of course, the president is going to be true to his word. The Trump tax cuts will expire, and those making over $400,000 will help the nation's growing debt problem. Those making under $400,000 will be exempt from paying a nickel more in taxes." HUH? Explain please. "President Biden will work with Congress to ensure proper legislation is passed to exempt those making under $400,000 from maying additional taxes." My response - what color is the sky in the world you are living in Mr. Bernstein. That will NEVER happen, and EVERYONE is going to get soaked paying more taxes. This is voodoo economics at its worst. 

Liars, liars, pants on fires. Look into the camera with a straight face and lie like a rug. What I wonder every time I hear this guy interviewed, is who really believes him? Is there such a person in this country who is that gullible? If so, I would like to meet that person (or persons). I have some bridges to sell which are located in the desert.  

  

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.