President Kamala Harris (oh no!)

"The good news is that we do not live in that universe. In our universe, Donald Trump saved us from economic slavery that Biden left us with. The bad news is if the multiverse is real, President Harris could exist in at least one of those universes. If that is true, I can hear that kackle and a giggle from here..."     

There are some scientists who believe in the multiverse theory. That would be instead of a single universe, we would be living in a realm of countless universes. And as the theory progresses, each universe would look similar to the others, except different things would have different outcomes. For example, the 2024 election would have had President Kamala Harris in at least one of those universes. And this morning, we will explore what that universe might look like.

What would that world look like? First off, the southern border would still be wide open. Illegals, drugs, gangs, terrorists, you name it - would continue to come pouring in. All unfettered, unchecked. DHS Mayorkas was kept on for the administration following President Biden. Why? In the eyes of the Democrats, Mayorkas was doing a fantastic job.

Gas would be over $5/gal nationwide - in California, closer to $10/gal. President Harris has continued on with many of the Biden energy policies. Shuttering coal mines and abrogating drilling leases for starters. Natural gas has become all but illegal in most states, and the electric grid is strapped from running on mostly renewables. Brownouts and blackouts are as common as afternoon thunderstorms. The mandate for everybody to drive an EV has stuck and charging stations are few and far between. The United States, while sitting on a caldera of oil, is headed back to the 1800s with Obama/Biden/Harris energy policies.

More and more police departments are being defunded. Another hangover from Biden. Police nationwide are being replaced with Anger Management Specialists and Violence Disrupters. In most cities crime is so rampant that normal citizens refuse to go out at night. Some fear even the daytime. Money to fund the FBI and ATF has been redirected to fund more agents for the IRS. Why? With the mandatory minimum tax now being 40%, tax cheating is endemic. The IRS (if they catch and convict you) will have you put away for 20 years for even the smallest of errors or omissions on your tax forms.

Finally, President Harris, (who gets along famously with the socialists in Canada and Europe), has suspended the requirement that NATO self-fund their militaries. We will take care of it. In fact, all tariffs on all goods we ship to them are now suspended. We will continue to pay Euro tariffs, but they will not pay any to us. President Harris has a motto - "Uncle Sugar, first, last and always!" She is so popular in Europe, there are statues of her in just about every country. And her former motto of "lead from behind" has been replaced with "MASLA - Make America Stay Last Always". 

The good news is that we do not live in that universe. In our universe, Donald Trump saved us from the economic slavery that Biden left us with. The bad news is if the multiverse is real, President Harris could exist in at least one of those universes. If that is true, I can hear that kackle and a giggle from here...     

Our sequence of events - sadly...

"With three carriers, dozens of support ships, and our Air Force in the area, we should be able to finish this job long before the 4th of July. We should have free transit through the Strait by the middle of June. But to make all of this happen, we really do need to unleash our dogs of war. No halfway measures. We need to go all out."

I think many of us have figured it out so far. The sequence of events which have led us to this temporary spike in prices (especially with gasoline). Ready? Here it goes: Hezbollah, who hates Israel, continues to lob missiles at them from Lebanon. Israel, who has no time for any more of this crap, retaliates with air strikes. Iran, who is the father of the proxy Hezbollah, accuses the US and Israel of breaking the peace, and stalls the talks for a lasting peace. Then nothing happens, and the Strait of Hormuz stays closed. With the Strait closed, inflation ticks up and gasoline prices stay high.

Meanwhile, our feckless Democrats have passed a war powers resolution (with the help of a handful of RINOs). What does that mean? Time is up, for the president. If this bill became law, we would have to pull our forces out of the area. Of course, in order for this bill to become law, President Trump would need to sign it. That will happen on the 12th of Never. Thus, the beat goes on. The sequence of events leading up to higher gas prices stays intact.

Where does all this leave us? Kind of in a box canyon. To leave Iran before the job is done would be a fool's errand. If we left, Iran would work like crazy to get back what was lost in the bombing. They would be more committed than ever to build a nuclear bomb(s). And then, all that time, treasure and blood spilt during this war would be for naught. 

If I were in charge of this mess, what would I do? I would first put Iran on notice that we are not playing this game anymore. They have 72 hours to agree to our terms. If no agreement is reached, I would unleash Israel on Lebanon to root out Hezbollah, and I would instruct our forces to "finish the job". If it is war Iran wants, we will give it to them as well as Hezbollah. If it is peace they want, they have 72 hours to agree to our terms. And - this is the important part - the 72 hours is cast in concrete. They will be no more extensions.

With three carriers, dozens of support ships, and our Air Force in the area, we should be able to finish this job long before the 4th of July. We should have free transit through the Strait by the middle of June. But to make all of this happen, we really do need to unleash our dogs of war. No halfway measures. We need to go all out. Same way with Israel. Finish off Hezbollah. Finish off Hamas. Finish off the Houthis. And we will finish off the IRGC. 

We are tired of this stork dance Mr. President. The "perfect deal" you have been waiting for with Iran might be a bridge too far. These guys are snakes, sir. You gave them every chance in the world. Now it is our turn. Finish the job. 

 

How about - unimpeachable elections?

"Will the minions be satisfied if Lisa prevails in the primary? I believe not! The Kendall Qualls followers will think he got robbed. What about the Adam Schwarze crowd? If Michele Trafoya comes out on top? Same thing. The seeds are now sown for much discord in MNGOP. Discord? When is the last time there was discord in MNGOP? Try, yesterday..."   

Don't look now, but the DOJ is still finding suspicious stuff from the 2020 election. Not that it matters, but it might have. But what is the point? The point is simply this. We need election integrity from our general elections all the way down to our endorsement process. Why? Once the people lose faith and confidence that ALL of our elections are unimpeachable, our system of governance will be questioned. And once that happens, the wheels might start to fall off our ship of state.

Somebody the other day brought up a very valid point. With the amount of fraud which has been found in Minnesota to date (and this state is simply oozing with fraud), what makes you think there was no fraud (also) in our voting system? Like illegals voting. Like dead people voting (a fav among Dems). Voting in more than one state. Voting more than once. Voting with fake credentials. The list goes on and on and on.

Do I blame Lisa Demuth for going to the primary? Not the way the clicker voting turned out. Wait a second Bird! Are you alleging fraud or cheating in the MNGOP convention? Nope - but the seeds of doubt were sown. Michele Trafoya is a different story. I think this was her plan all along. But back to Lisa. If we had an unimpeachable vote and voting process, I really do think that Lisa would have abided by the endorsement process. That is only my view from this perch, and I may be 100% wrong.

During the 2020 general elections, there was so much wrong, or appeared to be wrong, it shook the belief system of many a voter. How in the world could Joe Biden, who ran a nothing burger campaign, have amassed such a large number of votes? Now, I am not going to go back and relitigate that election - it would serve no purpose. But I will say this - it stunk. Anybody who said there were no oddities was either lying or very insular.

Will the minions be satisfied if Lisa prevails in the primary? I believe not! The Kendall Qualls followers will think he got robbed. What about the Adam Schwarze crowd? If Michele Trafoya comes out on top? Same thing. The seeds are now sown for much discord in MNGOP. Discord? When is the last time there was discord in MNGOP? Try, yesterday...   

 

Was this the death of our endorsement process in MN?

"At one time, when the endorsing conventions were over, it was time to rally around the flag. At one time. But those days might be over. Now the time to rally around the flag might be after the primary is over. After the primary, over is finally over. That is, unless a vanquished foe decides to run as an independent in the general election. And the beat goes on..."      

I am a veteran of Minnesota politics. I was state delegate three years in a row. I was tightly involved both times Jeff Johnson ran for governor. I voted as a delegate - way more than once. I was a fan, a devotee of the endorsement process. I considered it to be an honor to represent my BPOU in the voting process. But those days are over for me. I decided to step aside to let some of the younger folks also taste this honor. I am still interested, and as many know, I do my part now via the Very Angry Bird Blog.

I penned a few days ago that both the DFL and MNGOP conventions left much to be desired. In fact, the MNGOP was so screwed up using the "clickers" for voting, this convention might have been the last for endorsing candidates. As much as I fought the idea of going directly to a primary a few years back, if might now be time to modify my thinking. Why? Possible shenanigans during the "clicker" voting. Please note I used the word "possible". But also, the word "trust" went out the window long before Kandall Qualls got the nod after dark on Saturday night. 

Some are saying that Qualls will have a tough time beating Amy for one reason only. Name recognition. Other are saying the same thing about Schwarze having problems beating either Flanigan or Craig. Name recognition. Truthfully - I am in the same camp. I think both Qualls and Schwarze are qualified and quality men. But who are they? That is the question many voters will ask. And truthfully, there are many voters out there who not political geeks in either political party. They are just ordinary, underinformed voters who vote for a name they recognize.

Where does that leave us this year? We are headed for a wide-open primary. Many think the only Republican who has a snowball's chance at the open senate seat is Michele Trafoya. I know, I know. Michele flunks many of the MNGOP "purity tests". But that will be a "so what" if Michele can steal that seat away from the Democrats. Is it possible that Adam could win that seat? Sure - anything is possible. But maybe not probable.

At one time, when the endorsing conventions were over, it was time to rally around the flag. At one time. But those days might be over. Now the time to rally around the flag might be after the primary is over. After the primary, over is finally over. That is, unless a vanquished foe decides to run as an independent in the general election. And the beat goes on...      

Pausing for peace; stalling for war

"The IRGC is slippery - they have been for many decades. Bottom line? Getting them to comply with promises or agreements might turn into a shell game of sorts."

Those who have ever negotiated for a living or taken a negotiation class, have heard this infamous axiom -the most, and some of the very important movements come right at the very end of a negotiation. I will confess when I first heard that, I thought it was some kind of lore or fiction. That is, I thought that until it happened to me - more than once. Now, it does not happen every time, but in my case, it seemed to happen when it really counted.

I am not only frustrated by the negotiations with Iran, I am also (in a weird kind of way), fascinated by the process. I know what Trump and team are trying to do. Wait until the right deal is scribed on paper and then try and implement it. I also (don't know but believe I know) what the Iran team is doing. It is something they have done before many times and are very good at it. Stall. Stall. And stall again. While they are stalling, work their shadow fleet, reconstitute their drones and missiles, and prepare to act like this war never happened.

The doubter in me thinks that this entire negotiation stage production might just be a "stork dance". Meaning what? Lots of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Even if an agreement is signed, and the Strait is opened up to normal traffic, how long will this fragile peace last? Will the peace also involve Lebanon, or will that dust up be the trip wire which ends the master agreement? There are so many things which could go wrong with an agreement which is signed by the snakes from Iran, that I would be amazed if it lasted a year. Maybe even a month.

What is the good part about this "pause" in the action? We are watching Iran like a hawk right now. It has slowed down or stopped any work to procure and/or enrich uranium. But Iran is a big country with lots of hiding places. Most of which we know about, but maybe not all of them. I hate the idea of having boots on the ground, but I also need to face some hard facts. Even though our intel is very good, having eyes and ears on the ground is even better. The IRGC is slippery - they have been for many decades. Bottom line? Getting them to comply with promises or agreements might turn into a shell game of sorts.

Meanwhile, not to bitch about first world problems, I filled up my truck this weekend. Almost $100. Because of the ill will in negotiations that the Iranians are showing, this might be the case for the rest of the summer. I have said this in a recent post - finish the job Mr. President. The IRGC only understands force, and lying has become an art form to them. They are playing us sir. Sorry to say, but I believe it to be true.

 

The convention debacle

"Next up of interest, will be the primary. Hopefully, MNGOP breaks the mold and sticks totally by endorsed candidates. Then on to the general election. I hold little hope to turn this graft filled state red. Why? Most of the minions vote like fools. Prove it? Mark Dayton followed by Tim Walz. I rest my case."     

What a mess. Both the DFL and MNGOP conventions were held this past weekend. The DFL was a nothing burger, as it was just the same set of jokers, some in different positions. The only drama which could have been worth the price of admission, would have been if Angie Craig had "manned up" and attended the convention to try and score the endorsement. But no - she deferred to the primary, where for the Democrats, it will be more good money after bad.

Now if the Republicans were smart and not wussies like they have been in the past, they would tattoo this entire fraud mess on Ellison (why he was endorsed is a mystery for the ages), Flanigan (she and Walz are two peas in a pod), and Amy (impossible for her to be clean on the fraud thing). In my way of thinking, with the clown car the DFL has put together to run (ruin) this state, it is a treasure trove of opportunity to expose them. But the modus operandi of Republicans is "go gentle, be gentle". Hey MNGOP - how about no more Mr. (or Mrs.) Nice Guy?

Then there is the Republicans. What a [blank} show! First off, I really question the choice for the GOP to run for senate. Why? He kind of came out of left field. Meaning? Name recognition. My choice was Michele Trafoya. Why? I may differ with her on some of her positions, but I thought she was the most electable. Again, name recognition. Some might say, "But Bird - are you going soft on your convictions?" Nope - but a wise person once told me, you can't govern if you don't win. The Republicans have left many highly qualified people sitting on the bench as they were un-electable in this state. 

Mr. Qualls. Nice man, nice resume, man of God. But is he electable? Is he too nice? Will he be able to go toe to toe with Amy and call her out on her {blank}? Why was my choice, Lisa? She had experience in the arena. She was the Speaker of the House. She held the line on the unconstitutional gun grabber bill. And - name recognition. And not that this should matter (but it does to Democrats), Lisa is a black woman. That was a whole lot of checks in her favor in my book. I know, I know - Kendall is a black man. And that counts also. But I keep going back to name recognition.

Next up of interest, will be the primary. Hopefully, MNGOP breaks the mold and sticks totally by endorsed candidates. Then on to the general election. I hold little hope to turn this graft filled state red. Why? Most of the minions vote like fools. Prove it? Mark Dayton followed by Tim Walz. I rest my case.     

Coming in June - The great disclosure, or the grand deception?

"Will I see the Stephen Spielberg film next month? Maybe - when it becomes free on streaming. Will I believe it? No more than I believed ET or Close Encounters.  But when the grand deception comes, things will look nothing like a movie with special effects. Things will look as real as they can get. Why? Because a lie shined up to look like truth, is still a lie."  

Oh boy - this will be one for the ages. Spielberg's movie breaks on June 12th. Many think it will be the precursor the total disclosure. You know, the golden nugget. Total disclosure of aliens. No more fuzzy pictures or antidotal evidence of ET. Now it is predicted that the government will tell all and show all. Crashed crafts, dead non-human bodies. And when that happens, it will be the greatest discovery ever. It will shake our belief systems down to their very foundations. Why? Not only will it show we are not alone, but we will also know that "others" in the universe are far superior to us.

Or not. More and more Christians are starting to think that the greatest event since the birth of Christ might be part of eschatology - study of the end times. As such, 2,000 years ago, Christ warned his followers of the great deception which will come right before his return. But why use the UFO/UAP thing as the great deception? To shake people's faith. To sow doubt. To cause confusion. 

Many think that these "beings" are not aliens from another planet. They are really fallen angels which have taken on the form of "beings". All part of the deception. But many would not believe these "beings" were evil. They were in fact, from another planet or another dimension.

Taking a step back to think about this, could anything these days be more convincing or distracting? Could anything shake many people of weak faith than total disclosure? Maybe an alien ship landing at the White House? 

I believe we are heading into some very unsettling days. People who are not firmly planted in their Christian faith will be vulnerable. Some will think that crafts which have been spotted in the skies are the true "Chariots of the gods". Like I said - very unsettling times are coming.

Will I see the Stephen Spielberg film next month? Maybe - when it becomes free on streaming. Will I believe it? No more than I believed ET or Close Encounters.  But when the grand deception comes, things will look nothing like a movie with special effects. Things will look as real as they can get. Why? Because a lie shined up to look like truth, is still a lie.