Far from the madding crowd

"This very inhospitable venue of downtown is where the Border Patrol and ICE agents need to do their work. How they are treated by the populace is beyond embarrassment. It should be an embarrassment to both the mayors of the Twin Cities as well as the faux governor - but it is not. They act as agitators rather than ambassadors."

No, this is not a book report or analysis on the Thomas Hardy book titled Far from the Madding Crowd. This is a thought I had this morning during my morning musings. Again, about the dichotomy of this state in which we live.

First off, most folks I know of (not all, but the vast majority), can't live far enough away from the Twin Cities. Why? To some, or maybe many, the Twin Cities has developed a stench of anarchy and corruption. For a patriot or citizen to venture into downtown these days, it is truly a "stranger in a strange land" experience. Thus, people of my ilk try to stay "far from the madding crowd". 

On the other hand, there are some who are still attracted to the entropy and dysfunction of the downtown experience. Especially those who have a criminal or undocumented (or both) status. There, because of this weird and unlawful thing called "sanctuary", people who don't want to be found can blend in with the woodwork. Plus, with the very large percentage of latter-day hippies who also reside downtown, they can find allies in the struggle. It all works very well until it does not.

This very inhospitable venue of downtown is where the Border Patrol and ICE agents need to do their work. How they are treated by the populace is beyond embarrassment. It should be an embarrassment to both the mayors of the Twin Cities as well as the faux governor - but it is not. They act as agitators rather than ambassadors. They help paint a face on the Twin Cities as being a throwback to the wild, wild west rather than a showboat to the good life. Time and time again, pundits on national TV scratch their heads about this prairie outpost. Like, what in the world happened here? Cities once so vibrant and fun have become "no go zones".

I saw an interesting article on a business channel about how hard it has been for Target Corporation to slowly leave the Twin Cities. Why? This where Target was born. Where it grew up. Target loved the Twin Cities, and the Twin Cities loved Target. But in 2020, the Floyd crowd burned down a cornerstone Target store. The stores that were left have been invaded by organized thieves. It is with great regret that Target realized it cannot live here anymore. Why? The Twin Cities are no longer the Twin Cities of Mary Tyler Moore.

One pundit from a national news station said Minneapolis in particular will never be the same again. It is becoming hollowed out. Given over to the anarchists and latter-day hippie crowd. Some think it will burn again. Why? Who knows.

The exodus from the state continues. The exodus out of the Twin Cities is about over. Those who can leave - have left. Those who want to stay - will stay. Those who like to hide from the law - love the Twin Cities. It offers safe harbor. Enough said. 

Our rudderless ship

"This ship was rudderless in 2020 and remains rudderless today. Electing Amy as our next governor will ensure it stays rudderless well into the future. Welcome to modern day Minneapolis - or as some call it - 'Minnehopeless'."  

Where are we going? What are we doing? Is this our destiny? To hate each other to the point of death? Minneapolis, when you are looking for somebody to blame for all this mayhem, you need do no more than look at in the mirror. Why? Being a sanctuary city. A sanctuary state. Minnesota has become an immovable force because of that reason. But so is the federal government. The immigration laws which were passed by Congress and signed into law, does not recognize sanctuary anything. Thus, in Minnesota right now, specifically in Minneapolis, you have an unstoppable force hitting an unmovable force - head on.

There are two very important things which are missing right now in Minneapolis. Leadership, and more importantly - God. The leadership thing has been a bug-a-boo in Minnesota politics for a couple of decades now. We elect posers and not leaders. People who can be bought and sold. People who for political and PC reasons, turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to theft and graft. What happens when the leadership positions are vacant? Minneapolis, as well as Minnesota in general - become a rudderless ship.

But the absence of God in Minneapolis has been growing for a while now. Spiritual warfare has become the order of the day. Whenever I see pastors participating in the mayhem in Minneapolis, they miss an opportunity to teach an important biblical lesson. Peace. What we see within the riots right now is NOT peace. There is hatred on a grand scale. Love? Maybe - it might be hidden someplace.

Is Minneapolis salvageable? Maybe - with a complete reclama. How so? Clean out city government from the mayor downward. Get rid of the very odd and dysfunctional city council. Start over with people of good moral character. People who know how to lead. People that honor God. People who know how to work WITH (and not against) the federal government. Until that happens, expect more of the same.

On the news this weekend, some of the pundits are saying the only thing which is not turning these riots into Floyd type riots is the January cold. Let that sink in for a minute. The Floyd riots were over five years ago. Have we not learned anything in five years? No - we have not. We have re-elected the same people who broke the state five years ago. The same people who let it burn down. 

This ship was rudderless in 2020 and remains rudderless today. Electing Amy as our next governor will ensure it stays rudderless well into the future. Welcome to modern day Minneapolis - or as some call it - "Minnehopeless".  

  

Protecting the "fearfully and wonderfully made"

 

"I am hoping in my lifetime I can see the end to the scourge of abortion. Besides ending an innocent life, many times the aftermath for the woman who had the abortion is not smooth."

Yesterday was the 53rd annual Right to Life march in Washington, DC. It was cold outside, but not as cold as it was the day before in Minnesota, when we had our Right to Life march. So, why do this? Why be out in the cold just for some unborn babies? As Charlie Kirk had told young people many times over, "Get married and have babies." Oh yes - and go to church. 

But even more important than what Charlie said is what Scripture teaches us. We are "image bearers" of God Almighty. We are "fearfully and wonderfully made". Or - as the bumper sticker said from many years ago, "God don't make junk". No, God does not make junk. Each person, every person, is made in the image of the Almighty, and has VALUE. 

I am hoping in my lifetime I can see the end to the scourge of abortion. Besides ending an innocent life, many times the aftermath for the woman who had the abortion is not smooth. In fact, my wife and I have heard stories from women who had abortions when they were younger. Many of these stories were filled grief and regret. The joy of children were replaced with tears of regret and sadness.

It saddens me that this country cannot come together on the sanctity of life. It saddens me when I hear some Catholic women, who go to Mass every week, still believe that abortion is okay and a woman's choice. Kind of like going to the doctor and getting a tumor removed. But the vast majority of Catholic folks I know are staunch in their defense for the unborn. I wish that all Christians could be as strong in the defense of the unborn. Why? Abortion has never been as much of a legal issue as it is a moral one. Going to church, studying Scripture is a great way to understand just how moral this issue really is. 

To all who marched in the bitter cold the past few days - thank you. You are doing the work of the angels. If you know somebody who had an abortion years ago, be especially kind to that person. She might be harboring an inner pain that many of us cannot understand. 

   

Victory in Greenland! And not even a Pyrrhic one at that!

"Sometimes to get somebodies attention you need to apply the back of the hand instead of a constant hand up. Time to grow up Europe and put on the big boy pants. Try joining Trump's Board of Peace instead of always needed to be put in the time out room because of your constant whining."

I will admit it. I was lost and confused as to what was going on with Greenland. I knew Trump had a plan, and after Donald Trump has been on the scene as long as he has, I thought I could figure it out. I was dead wrong. His plan all along was not to own all of Greenland, but to control parts of it. Why? (And this was the part which escaped me) - the Golden Dome. Control just enough of Greenland, so we can build our Golden Dome, and have access to more of the treasure trove of Rare Earth minerals which are buried under all that ice. And as an added feature - keep Russia and China out of there.

One of the pundits on Fox was asked about the aftermath of this Greenland "dust up" with Europe. He chuckled and had the following statement - "Much of Europe is looking for something which can put out hair fire. Once again, Trump ran circles around everybody." Europe was so nervous that Trump was going to invade Greenland (and take it by force), they actually sent a dozen troops to Greenland to protect it from us. I know, I know - that was a knee slapper.

Any aftermath? Any long-term hurts which need to heal? Not really. Here are the facts. A hypersonic missile launched from Russia could hit Washington in less than a half hour from launch. That same missile would be over Greenland eleven minutes after launch. Having the Golden Dome in place, would really help the US and Canada in the event of a rogue launch. Having a stout missile defense based in Alaska and Greenland would protect our northern exposure. Truthfully? Europe should do something similar. For them, the enemy is truly at the gates.

And now Rare Earth minerals. We cannot be the world's leader in AI, the makers of the best weapons, and march forward into the next decade, unless we have an adequate supply of ALL Rare Earth metals. Greenland has them all. Easy to get to? Not a bit. Some are buried under hundreds of feet of ice. But we have the technology in how to get to them - without making a wreck out of the landscape. Not to take advantage of mining in Greenland and allowing China to take them over - would be a fool's errand.

Some of my friends on the left are concerned that Donald has treated Europe unfairly. "This is not how friends treat friends!". To that I say get over it. We saved Europe twice in two world wars and still supply 60% (or better) of their defense. Sometimes to get somebodies attention you need to apply the back of the hand instead of a constant hand up. Time to grow up Europe and put on the big boy pants. Try joining Trump's Board of Peace instead of always needed to be put in the time out room because of your constant whining. 

Minnesota's monolithic power

 

"Today, the Veep will be visiting this forlorn state. He will be briefed by the very few Republicans who remain here. Will the mutts try and demonstrate against the Veep? For sure. What will they be demonstrating about? Maybe it will be a cry for help. Maybe some of them know we are in deep, deep trouble. Or, maybe demonstrating and rioting is all they know how to do."     

Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely - so spoke Lord Acton in 1887. Was Lord Acton just blowing bubbles, or did he speak truth? To look a bit deeper into this, one need only look at the mismanaged State of Minnesota. Minnesota, a young wannabe state who wants to be like even more corrupt larger states like California, New York and Illinois. To get there in a hurry, Minnesota decided the shortest distance to make this list of disreputable notables, was to keep one party in control for years and years and years. But which party? The most corrupt party would be the key. And that key is spelled D-F-L.

Amiee Bock was being interviewed from whatever confines she occupies right now. The interviewer asked if it was possible for this massive fraud to continue without the office of the Governor or the office of the AG knowing about it. (Her words) - "The office of the Governor as well as the office of the Attorney General would have had knowledge of the fraud." Period. No more needs to be said. The rats are now turning on each other. And what are we left with? Fraud of biblical proportions.

As if the spotlight was not bright enough shining on this once great state due to billions in Somali fraud, Minnesota's monolithic government also decided it would be cool (like the big guys) to become a sanctuary state. Thanks to Joe Biden, another member of the corrupt Democrat Party, our national borders were left wide open and millions of undocumented illegals flooded the zone. Many perched in the sanctuary city of Minneapolis. After the Floyd debacle, when every leftwing nut job thought this was a good place to burn down, Minneapolis has no trouble attracting a large and unruly band of rioters. Since the feckless local LEOs are under orders not to hand over illegals to ICE, ICE needs to go into the guts of the city and root them out. Then the mayhem really started. Now the national spotlight shining on Minnesota is as bright as the sun. And that is not good.

Here is the irony of this Little House on the Prairie state - as corrupt and widespread as the fraud is, as riot torn as the streets in the inner city are, we will continue to elect the same corrupt Democrats who landed us here in the first place. Rather than cleaning house and getting rid of every single one of them - the minions in the Twin Cities will keep electing more. Why? Has the cold frozen their brains and warped their common sense? Or are they just that stupid?

Today, the Veep will be visiting this forlorn state. He will be briefed by the very few Republicans who remain here. Will the mutts try and demonstrate against the Veep? For sure. What will they be demonstrating about? Maybe it will be a cry for help. Maybe some of them know we are in deep, deep trouble. Or, maybe demonstrating and rioting is all they know how to do.     

The irony of "ICE Out Friday"

"We will get beyond Friday. It will start to eventually warm up. All the 'working class heroes' who are out in the streets, throwing invectives at our LEOs, will either eventually give up or be in jail. The national news stations will tire of reporting on the mutts of Minnesota day after day after day. Will peace ever return to our shire? Who knows..." 

The clarion call has gone out from the loony left. Those who think ICE is an enemy rather than just a law enforcement agency of the federal government, wants the Twin Cities shut down this coming Friday. No work, no school, no shopping, no fun. However, here is the ironic twist to this story, and I will tell it early in the post. This coming Friday will be (potentially) the coldest day in a decade. As such, the "cold weather rule" might be in effect for all state schools. That will take care of the "no school" part of the Friday plan.

How about the "no shopping" part of the plan? As for my wife and myself, there is NO WAY we are setting one foot outside the house on Friday. With wind chills estimated to be - 40 F degrees or colder, I have already decided I will cuddle up to my fireplace a good part of that most frigid day. However, just so you don't think I have suited up and am playing for the other side, should the weather have been normal for this time of year, my wife and I would have been out and about, spending money on something.

Here is where I would draw the line. If I was still working, there is no way I would waste a day of vacation staying home. I would have put my big boy pants on (only if they had sherpa lining) and made it into the office. Probably would not have gone out to lunch, but I would have made it there and back on Friday.

Now for the tough love part of this post. What a bunch of crap this is! ICE, which has been personified to be something truculent and nasty, is really only a bunch of federal cops taking bad guys off the street. Are people really being terrified? Only if they have cause to be terrified. Is this racist to ask people to carry their ID with them when they are out of the house? If it is racist, then my dad was one. Why? He insisted (for safety reasons), that when I was out of the house, I had my wallet with me. A few bucks and most importantly - my ID. 

We will get beyond Friday. It will start to eventually warm up. All the "working class heroes" who are out in the streets, throwing invectives at our LEOs, will either eventually give up or be in jail. The national news stations will tire of reporting on the mutts of Minnesota day after day after day. Will peace ever return to our shire? Who knows... 

 

Toxic Minnesota

"Just a reminder to those who forgot why ICE is here right now. 1) ICE is a legal LEO organization, which has been around since 2003. 2) Minnesota, under DFL control, decided it would be smart to become a sanctuary state, and defy federal immigration law. 3) Biden/Harris illegally let in up to 20 million undocumented, unfettered illegals during their term in the WH. Mix all of that up, and what do you get? A toxic cocktail." 

I still listen to Bill O'Reilly. Have for years. Now he has a YouTube offering which I watch. Bill, being the dogged reporter he is, tries to follow the hottest news stories. As such, it should come to no surprise to anyone, that he is all over the Minnesota story. And he is not very kind to our NorthStar State. In fact (his words), Bill does not think Minnesota will ever be the same again. Just like we still wear the scars from the aftermath of the Floyd riots, the anti-ICE and fraud issues will run very deep withing this state. Like - maybe forever.

O'Reilly said not too long ago, he would vacation in Minnesota quite often. Up at Rainy Lake by the border. As much as he enjoyed it, he is done coming here. Too toxic. Can't say I blame him. He is probably not the only person who has been scared off by the nonsense which Minnesota seems to attract. Will anybody want to come here? Maybe more troublemakers. This is like a candy store for those who want to harm, disrupt or steal. We might become like the Devil's Island of the upper Midwest.

The AG of Minnesota, himself a Muslim, said yesterday he sees nothing wrong with people barnstorming churches in session. (His words) - "It is a free speech issue to go into any church and protest." See what I mean? This is an example of the current leadership in this failed state. And on Friday, many protesters want to have a "black out day". No work, no shopping, no school, no anything. Who will that hurt? Maybe just the innocent. Just like disrupting a church service also only hurts the innocents.

I can't wait until the Minnesota legislature gets back into session. It should be a melee. Will Minnesota be allowed to investigate its own fraud? I doubt it. It will have to be the US DOJ doing it. What will our local lawmakers do? Not much, except fight and bicker. The toxicity of this state has seeped into every nook and cranny. Even the state capital. ESPECIALLY, the governor's mansion.

Just a reminder to those who forgot why ICE is here right now. 1) ICE is a legal LEO organization, which has been around since 2003. 2) Minnesota, under DFL control, decided it would be smart to become a sanctuary state, and defy federal immigration law. 3) Biden/Harris illegally let in up to 20 million undocumented, unfettered illegals during their term in the WH. Mix all of that up, and what do you get? A toxic cocktail. 

For those responsible for this mayhem and a messy mess, congratulations. Mission accomplished. We have now been called toxic by somebody who at one time loved to vacation here. I think I finally figured out what the DFL stands for - D (emocrat) F (raud) and chaos that cause normal people to L (eave).