No peace - ever - in the caldron of Iran

"Just like with the scorpion, war and death are in the nature of people like the IRGC, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. Remember - they still refer to us as the Great Satan and Israel as the Little Satan. Enough said. Finish the job, Mr. President."

How is the cease fire going? Better question is how long did it last? Maybe not even a day. As much as Donald Trump would love to see peace in that very troubled area of the world, the lure of peace might live in the land of "never happen". And anybody who thinks that Iran is innocent with the crapola that Hezbollah is doing to Israel right now, needs to be drug tested. No - Iran continues to be the puppet master, and Iran's proxies continue to do their Iran's bidding.

Another thing which is driving me crazy about this "deal" is the amnesia that the Iranian negotiators seem to have about the constructs of the agreement. Might I just say this is a harbinger of things to come? Already we are hearing overtures that after the sixty days of negotiations, Iran wants to charge a toll for going through the Strait. Along with Oman. And where in the world did that come? We would never agree to that! Never!

When my dad was still alive, he would often tell me that trying to find peace in the Middle East was a fool's errand. They have been fighting for centuries and will continue to do so for centuries yet to come. What then, is the solution? Victory. Total and absolute victory. Finish the job Mr. President. You are dealing with a den of vipers right now. Let Israel finish off Hezbollah. They need to, as Hezbollah will NEVER stop attacking Israel. Then we need to finish off the IRGC. Finish them in the same manner we finished off the Nazis in WWII. 

Any while the United States and Israel are finishing the unfinished business, we need our partners to keep the Strait open. There are many countries who rely on an open Strait more than we do, so get in the game. We have everything in place right now to finish this job. Maybe even send in the Marines to take Kharg Island. I think even the strictest skeptic can now see that Iran is just toying with us. Stalling for time.

I am reminded of that fable about the turtle and the scorpion. One day there was a violent rainstorm and the rainwater soon turned into floodwater. The turtle saw the scorpion, who was about to drown, and offered the scorpion a ride to safety by climbing on his back. The turtle told the scorpion, "I know we are not friends, and you could kill me, but working together we can both get to safety". About halfway across the swollen floodwater, the scorpion stung the turtle. As the turtle started to die, he asked the scorpion why he did that. Now they both were going to die. The scorpion responded, "I can't help it. It is in my nature to do so."

Just like with the scorpion, war and death are in the nature of people like the IRGC, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. Remember - they still refer to us as the Great Satan and Israel as the Little Satan. Enough said. Finish the job, Mr. President.      

Hey time! Please slow down a bit!

 

"What is the lesson I try to remember every summer? Live each day, every day, like it is special. Don't waste one minute of any summer day. Sounds good, but it never happens. Why? Life takes over. The highways and byways of life always seem to trump our plans and speed up our days."

Yesterday was June 1st. Or was it Memorial Day weekend? Seems that way, does it not? Now here we are, getting ready for Summer Solstice on June 21st. And then what? In the words of an old talk radio show - summer is over. Why? The days start to get shorter. The days start to get shorter and begin their march to December 21st - Winter Solstice. You know - cold, snow, ice and ick.

What is my point? Time. As the old joke goes, time is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes. Today, my wife and I have a meeting to go to. And then to the grocery store for some provisions. Wait - we were just at the grocery store - I remember it like it was yesterday. But it was not yesterday - it was a week ago. What happened during this past week? I don't remember, as now it seems like it was a blur. 

I am reminded of that old saying - what is the shortest distance between two points - a Minnesota summer. Boy, it that is not the truth! And don't look now, but in a couple of weeks it will be our big 250th national birthday party. That will be fun, and up at the RV part will be a favorite for the kiddos - the golf cart parade. We get to deck out our trusty old golf cart in all kinds of patriotic stuff. Weather permitting, that should be a good day.

What else is happening this weekend? Father's Day for one thing. The day we honor or dads, alive or gone. And for the first time in a long time, Father's Day lands on our anniversary. A real two-for day. Speaking of time flying by, I remember our wedding day quite clearly. A mega-storm had torn up the town on the 20th of June 1974. Power out all over the place. But the show must go on. We got married the next day, on June 21st, 52 years ago. Where has the time gone? Two kids, then two grandies, and our two careers done. All in a blur of time going by. 

What is the lesson I try to remember every summer? Live each day, every day, like it is special. Don't waste one minute of any summer day. Sounds good, but it never happens. Why? Life takes over. The highways and byways of life always seem to trump our plans and speed up the days. Next thing we know, it is the state fair, followed by schools starting. And then summer is basically over. The RV Park starts to shut down, and the first hint of fall is in the air. 

Jim Croce sang a song many years ago called Time in a bottle. I would love to have some of this June weather trapped in a bottle so I could open it in December or January. But we can't. We just need to live every day for what it is. And most every day has some kind of blessing in it, no matter what the weather is.

 

If it is so bad, why did he sign?

"Now for the last question. What about the final agreement which will take all of sixty days to complete? We have seen the way Iran negotiates. We have seen the way Iran lies. We have seen the way Iran cheats. Is it possible to still catch lightening in a bottle during these final negotiations? Maybe - or are we seeing another North Korea all over again."    

The MOU. The Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States. It has been a while since such an important document had been under such scrutiny. Everybody seems to have some kind of "take" or opinion on this document and what it stands for. Not surprising I guess, I also have an opinion. And my opinion goes back some years.

Here is the question - did Donald Trump, Mr. "Art of the Deal", catch lightening in a bottle, or did he "TACO" out? I have an opinion it might not be either of those two. Why? I can see similarities between how he handled the North Korean issue with Kim Jong Um during his first term, and he is now dealing with Iran. Part of being a "man of peace" is having a better vision for the future - be it with North Korea or Iran. 

With North Korea, a country who has hated us for decades, Trump tried to show Kim that his "Hermit Kingdom" did not need to be so. They have everything they needed to be a vibrant country just like South Korea. The nukes that Kim had would do him no good - only possibly lead to the destruction of his country. As much as Trump tried to turn this ship around, show Kim a better tomorrow, the "Hermit Kingdom" wanted none of that, and thus remains as it has been since the 1950's.

With Iran, as much as Trump wanted regime change, it was not in the cards. However, for Israel it was. The IRGC is like a cancer, has been since the 1970's. It is similar to what the Nazis were to Germany. Whereas the allies went into Europe to capture or kill any Nazi they could find (to ensure with the exception of Operation Paperclip, the Nazi cancer was eliminated), Trump has made the decision to let the IRGC remain in power. Why? Getting rid of them, like we did with the Nazis during World War II, would cost way too much of our blood and treasure. However, if we had been able to rid Iran of the IRGC, and have normal Iranians govern their country, Iran might have changed. Peace might have really and truly come back to the shire.

But here is the rub in my book. So long as we are dealing with the IRGC, we are dealing with snakes. Remember? To them, we are nothing than the "Great Satan". And our friend and ally Israel? In the eyes of the IRGC, Israel has no right to exist. None. And by the way - where is the agreement between Israel and Iran? Isreal continues to live at ground zero, well within missile range Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis.

Why did the man who always looks for the best deal, sign a document which (on the surface), appears to be lacking? (My opinion) - It is because of us and the rest of the civilized world. We did not understand what a choke hold it would be should the Strait of Hormuz be shut down. Gasoline, fertilizer for the farmers, and products which take oil to manufacture - all more expensive. Iran put their boot on the Strait, and we cried uncle. Having expensive gasoline in the summertime was a "first world problem" which we (and Europe) could stand no longer.

Now for the last question. What about the final agreement which will take all of sixty days to complete? We have seen the way Iran negotiates. We have seen the way Iran lies. We have seen the way Iran cheats. Is it possible to still catch lightening in a bottle during these final negotiations? Maybe - or are we seeing another North Korea all over again. I guess we will know in about sixty days.    

 

Minnesota blues

"As a lifelong Minnesotan, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. When this state was good, it was really good. When it was bad (like during the Floyd incident), it was REALLY bad. And now that it is ugly, it is unbearable. The state I once loved, I can barely stand anymore." 

The hyper red meat conservative rag, WCCO (that was a joke), did a deep dive on how our beloved state of Minnesota is doing. Coming from WCCO anything, one would expect every metric would have come up covered with wine and roses. But no - it was a rare moment of truth. WCCO laid bare just how crappy this state has been doing since 2020. I got a copy of this from a friend, so of course I had to copy and paste to my FB account.

Oh, but the story gets worse. Taxing Timmy (now known also as "Tampon Timmy") just found out his approval rating in MN is in the toilet. For the first time in his long (overstayed) visit to the governor's house, his approval is under 40%. In a state loaded with Democrats! In fact, WCCO blamed the failure of MN not only on the Commies which were elected in 2023, but also Walz, who was part of the doomsday "trifecta". 

Then to make matters worse, the Somali fraud flag which the DFL has been parading around, is as popular as a root canal with many Minnesotans. And that number includes some Democrats. Wait what? The trifecta was unpopular, Walz is unpopular, and now that wonderful, beautiful fraud flag is also unpopular? Oh, what a world!

BTW - one of the metrics that WCCO talked about was the drop in our population of 48,000 folks since 2020. Could that possibly be a harbinger of the crappy tax situation, and the dangerous place the TC have turned out to be? Why else would be have a drop that big from "the best place in the world to live". Maybe it is not the best place. Maybe it is not even average anymore.

As a lifelong Minnesotan, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly. When this state was good, it was really good. When it was bad (like during the Floyd incident), it was REALLY bad. And now that it is ugly, it is unbearable. The state I once loved, I can barely stand anymore. This state, which at one time, was loaded with my kind of folks, is now that way no longer. How bad is it now? I feel like a stranger in a strange land - a very strange land.

  

 

Is the G7 still of any value to anybody?

 

If Mark Carney were smart (and that is questionable), he would do a Mea culpa to Donald Trump and get the Canada/USA relationship back on track. Right now, Canada is an orphan. And a lonely one at that. Carney needs to start running Canada the way Alberta is being run. That would fix things in a hurry. 

Today starts the three days of talks with the G7 crowd. Any why? It depends on who you ask. Some wanted Zelenskyy there so the four-year-old Ukrainian war could be discussed. Like maybe peace talks with Russia? Sorry - Putin is not a peacenik. Even though he has been getting his butt handed to him in the eastern part of Ukraine, he still wants war. And because he cannot beat the Ukrainian Army, he is unleashing his wrath on civilians. And the liberals in this country think that Bebe Netanyahu is the international criminal. Putin is a thousand times worse, and the left never mentions his name.

Most of the G7 members are also members of NATO. Even the host country (France). Trump has already made his feeling known about the non-support he recently received from this Euro band of reloaders. What did they do to help vanquish this international criminal (Iran)? Zip. Nada. In fact, Starmer would not even allow us to use Diego Garca for our bombers. But they so want to keep supplying Ukraine with weapons to prolong that war. Trump got a peace deal with Iran. How about a peace deal in Ukraine, European leaders? The carnage in that war has been appalling. 

When I look at who is at this summit, here are my favorites - Sanae Takaichi of Japan, and Giorgia Meloni of Italy. Starmer of the UK, Carney of Canada, Marcron of France, and Merz of Germany are only so-so (or worse). The odd thing is that most of the attendees want to get a better understanding of the peace deal with Iran. Why? They showed little to no interest or support when the fighting was tough. All they could do is bitch and moan. We took Iran out as a favor to EVERYBODY - not just us and Israel.

In any event, most of Europe still has a huge refugee and illegal immigration problem they are trying to work through. We have addressed ours, and it is currently being remedied by our Homeland Security folks.

And by the way, now that the world has seen what a monster that Putin is, let's get those Greenland talks going again. That would be a good topic of discussion. Why? Having our Golden Dome of protection in Greenland, would help Europe as much as us. The Euro portion of the G7 as well as NATO, need to wake up and smell the coffee. This is still and dangerous world with dangerous men trying to spread death and destruction. Japan is doing their part (times 10), and we need Europe to come out of their slumber and get ready. Really ready. Our ask for Greenland is small potatoes in the scheme of things. 

If Mark Carney were smart (and that is questionable), he would do a Mea culpa to Donald Trump and get the Canada/USA relationship back on track. Right now, Canada is an orphan. And a lonely one at that. Carney needs to start running Canada the way Alberta is being run. That would fix things in a hurry. 

    

Sometimes, we are SOOO stoopid!

"If you have friends or relatives who live in Las Vegas, Pheonix or Tucson, don't be afraid to ask them some tough questions. Why? If they don't see the brick wall ahead when they are driving 100mph, maybe you should tell them. Tell them not to believe all the BS about data centers, tell them to learn the facts."

Much has been said and printed as of late about the unprecedented proliferation of data centers. All to stay ahead of the Chinese in the race for AI supremacy. The good news is these data centers are going up fast, and with little scrutiny. The bad news is many are going up where there is a dearth of power and/or water. Rather than approach this problem with eyes wide open, we have decided to race forward with eyes wide shut. And the most egregious example of this lack of planning, has been to make Pheonix, AZ the next super hub for water thirsty and energy hungry data centers.

Wait - since we are in a foot race against China, they must have the save issues. And they do. But rather than tripping along the path to major problems, they have come up with a clever idea. They want to submerge data centers off their coast. Why? Unlimited water for cooling. Energy to run the data centers would still be an issue, but at least they could cross water for cooling off the problem list.

In fact, it is not just Pheonix which has a water problem. The entire desert southwest has a huge problem which is not getting any better. What are we doing about that severe shortage of water for this growing area of the country? Not much, not much at all. What should we have done years ago? Desalination plants for a starter. With the Colorado River going dry, and the aquafers also running out of water, there really is no plan "B" right now. If Lake Meade recedes to a level called "dead pool", property values in many of the larger cities in the desert southwest will be worth pennies on the dollar. And the hundreds of billions of dollars to build all those data centers there? Gone with the wind.

Here is the bottom line - data centers are not new. We have been building them and using them for years. But now with the advent of AI, and the application of AI chips to just about everything, everywhere - we can't build data centers big enough nor fast enough. But without proper planning on how to inject a huge data center into a community without causing brown outs, black outs, or sky-high energy costs, data center(s) will become very unpopular very quickly.

If you have friends or relatives who live in Las Vegas, Pheonix or Tucson, don't be afraid to ask them some tough questions. Why? If they don't see the brick wall ahead when they are driving 100mph, maybe you should tell them. Tell them not to believe all the BS about data centers, tell them to learn the facts. And the first fact to learn, is sustainability. Why? Without sustainability, we have nothing. And as the old west settlers learned over 100 years ago, water is life. Without water, there is no life.

 

His signature achievement(s)

"I know that Donald Trump wanted this agreement signed on his birthday today. It would be a great present for a great president. But knowing Iran, just to stick it to him, they will drag their feet into later on in the week. But once the MOU is signed, we can bring our boys and girls home, out of harm's way in the Persian Gulf. And that - will be present to all of us."  

Don't look now, but our birthday boy president (Happy 80th birthday, Mr. President!) is on the cusp of cementing his second term signature achievement. Okay, okay - I know. He has done quite a bit, so why is this Iran agreement a signature achievement? Because of the magnitude of the agreement, it is my opinion that this accomplishment will stand head and shoulders above all the rest. 

I have said this since Donald Trump's first term. When he was POTUS 45, I though the most impactful thing he did was the Abraham Accord. That along with moving our Israeli embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel - was huge. But the Abraham Accord was the first brick in the foundation that the rest of a new Middle East peace agreement could be built on.

Part of the overall agreement in the Iran deal is to further solidify friendly Arab nations into the Abraham Accord. I believe this was the plan all along, but once Iran started to lob missiles at neighboring nations for no reason what-so-ever, the path to more signatures on the Abraham Agreement got quite a bit smoother. The world should probably thank the IRGC of Iran for showing what kind of backstabbing cowards they really are. Not the kind of folks who should ever get their hands on a nuclear bomb.

Even though this massive deal with Iran is now inches away from a signature, Iran still is playing with us. Until the deal is signed, the Strait remains (technically) closed. Once the MOU is signed, then the sixty-day clock starts. That is when all the fine points of getting the uranium out of Iran is memorialized. Once that happens, we life many of the economy chocking sanctions we have had on Iran. But what if Iran cheats as they always have done before? Then as Wyatt Earp once said, "I am coming back, and bringing hell with me". 

I know that Donald Trump wanted this agreement signed on his birthday today. It would be a great present for a great president. But knowing Iran, just to stick it to him, they will drag their feet into later on in the week. But once the MOU is signed, we can bring our boys and girls home, out of harm's way in the Persian Gulf. And that - will be present to all of us.