There is hope for Great Britian!

"A nuclear Iran would be a nightmare. The IRGC has shown its strips and spots many times. They are bad news. They will try to bully the region using their nukes as cudgels. No, NATO needed to, and still needs to, back the US in bringing a lasting peace to the Middle East. That is what friends and allies are for."

I will admit it. I was willing and able to write off one of our longest held allies. Why? The UK of today compared to the UK I did business with thirty years ago, are not nearly the same. In fact, the recent pictures I have seen of London, look nothing like the London of yesteryear. What happened?

First off, unfettered immigration. A loss of British culture to be replaced of something very strange, at times very evil. Plus, there was this slide towards a more Euro form of socialism. All that became too much, too much, too much for their former besties across the pond. And then when Keir Starmer rejected our request to use Diego Garcia to land and refuel our bombers at in support of the Iran War - that was the last straw.

But wait - there is hope for the citizens of Great Britian after all! It seems there is a ground swell of revised patriotism with many on them. So much so, many have taken to the streets with their Union Jacks in hand. It is as if the light bulb can come back on. Their beloved London started looking like something from a faraway land, with far away customs. That plus they did not like the way their Prime Minister was treating a close ally. But what about the King? How does he feel? Not the same as the Prime Minister. The King is still on very good terms with the US of A.

Great Britian is not the only Euro nation which is waking up to find their good-hearted immigration system has turned into a bit of an invasion. The problem, however, is once the doors are left wide open, and immigration becomes unfettered, it is a hard thing to turn around without much social discord. I mean, just look at our country. The social unrest in Minneapolis alone last winter was bad. And it is not over yet. 

Going forward, we need a strong NATO. That includes you, Canada. We all need to pay our dues (to what we all agreed to) and have each other's backs in time or turmoil. What the US is doing with Iran will make the region (including Europe) safer for everybody. A nuclear Iran would be a nightmare. The IRGC has shown its strips and spots many times. They are bad news. They will try to bully the region using their nukes as cudgels. No, NATO needed to, and still needs to, back the US in bringing a lasting peace to the Middle East. That is what friends and allies are for.

I enjoyed my time in the UK. I liked the people; I liked the culture. I sure hope the good folks in and around London can restore their previous balance. Right now, London is a mess. I would not go back there right now for any reason. I will, however, wish them the best. The people in the UK deserve so much better than what they have right now.        

Our expanding menu...

 

"What should our legacy be? For some of us, planting mustard seeds. Doing something which will outlast us. Something which matters. Why? At the end of the day, sometimes there is more than just the end of the day. There is legacy. And eternal legacy matters the most of all."

Relax folks - this post has nothing to do with food. It does, however, have everything to do with the term "menu". Like in a menu, there are several choices to choose from. Or in the case of life, the menu of things that can go wrong with you. You don't get to choose from the menu - the menu chooses for you. And that is the terrible irony - or as some put it, "this is that thing called life." 

The irony of life's menu is no matter how well you eat, how well you live, how much you exercise, or even how often you go to church - a routine doctor's wellness visit can turn into a life changing event. Diseases on the menu which you may have never heard of, can become an unwelcomed guest into your life. And some things which can go askew in your health, can be fixed by some of our almost mystical doctors who practice medicine in Minnesota. And there are other things on the menu, that all the skill in the world cannot yet touch. Life changing, and yes, in some cases, life ending.

An old adage that the old timers would use from time to time was this - "Life - nobody gets out of here alive." True words. The life expectancy in this country is still 76 years old. For those in my graduating class, those words do not ring hollow. Everybody in the class of "67" is either 76 or 77 years old. Or as we would say in the Navy - "we are in the zone".

Why bring up such a morbid subject on an early spring day? Because many of us are aging. As a real good pastor friend of mine told me recently, "We are in that season of life". Which season? The final season. Now many of us are thinking back on what we have done in our lives, maybe what we should have done differently, or done better. But most important - what we can do that counts with the days we have left. Why? Each year, every year, that menu get longer with more items on it. And more and more of the items are not good.

Since we can't go back into our pasts and correct mistake we might have made, and we can't go into the future since our future is not promised to us, all we can do is live for each day. Make each day count. What should our legacy be? For some of us, planting mustard seeds along our path. We could be doing something which will outlast us. Something which matters. Why? At the end of the day, sometimes there is more than just the end of the day. There is legacy. And eternal legacy is what matters most of all.

Come on India! Time to get engaged!

 

"By the same token, I don't want my kids nor grandies to have to put up with theocratic nut balls in Persia anymore. No nukes for Iran. Period. Finish the job Mr. President. If it gets messy, it will get messy. We are bigger, badder and tougher than Iran. Finish the job." 

Guess what happened a few days ago in the Strait of Hormuz? A ship was sunk. Not just any ship, a ship belonging to India. Wait - I thought both India and Iran were members of BRICS. They are. It is an economic tie rather than a military tie. That being said, it would be similar to the United States sinking another NATO vessel in the Strait. What did India do to retaliate? Nothing. Nada.

India has a navy and a respectable one at that. Not as big as China's but still large. One might ask why India does not send a few ships over to the Strait to unclog that mess. To protect their own shipping. Good question. The same question should be asked of China, who has the world's largest navy right now. A little help, please. After all, most of China's oil comes thru the Strait. 

Meanwhile, as the world waits, Iran has really messed things up in the Strait. How to fix it? Get Iran to agree to no nukes ever. They do that, the congestion in the Strait goes away. But what if they don't agree to that demand? What if they never do? The status quo right now is not good. Some in this country don't want any more war with Iran. Some are turning a blind eye to the dangers of a nuclear Iran. Meanwhile, the price of gas at the pump is almost confiscatory. Some are saying we should pull our troops out of the area and take a laissez-faire attitude towards Iran and its nuclear desires. Then gas can go back to normal.

Here is another twist to the issue, and countries who use the Strait should sit up and take notice. I read something recently which said the IRGC likes being in control of the Strait. Charging a toll in order to use it. Countries they don't like would be refused passage and those they do like could pass (for of course, a fee). The money raised could be used to build up their military and defenses again. It would be like the war never happened.

I guess I fall in the "finish the job" camp rather than the "tuck and run" crowd. I don't like these high gas prices better than anybody else. It cost me almost $100 to fill up my truck the other day. Ouch! By the same token, I don't want my kids nor grandies to have to put up with theocratic nut balls in Persia anymore. No nukes for Iran. Period. Finish the job Mr. President. If it gets messy, it will get messy. We are bigger, badder and tougher than Iran. Finish the job. 

    

China - was it worth it?

"Ever wonder why so many things (weapons in particular) look like ours? Coincidence? Maybe, but probably not. The Chinese are excellent in stealing our IP. This unfettered theft has cost us billions. We know for a fact they do it - even though they deny it. Trust, yet verify? With these guys trust is a four-letter word and not a five-letter word. I studied them for years while in the Navy. As Yoda would say - I trust them not!"

One of the best things which came out of the China delegation last week, was the offer and acceptance for President Xi to visit the White House in late September. Why was that important? Besides the detente issue, it would be a great chance for Trump to hold Xi's feet to the fire on any new trade agreements which were made. No offense to China, but their track record on walking the walk after talking the talk needs some improvement.

One of the things I felt for sure would be a slam dunk agreement on, was China sending part of their new and massive navy over to the Strait of Hormuz to help "unclog the drain". China, who imports most of their oil via the Strait seems to have the most to lose by having a dysfunctional Strait. But nope - no deal on that front. China did agree to buy more of our oil, but we will see if that agreement sticks.

How is the trust level with China these days? You mean, the China which flew a spy balloon over the entire United States when Biden was president? Here was where a picture was worth a thousand words. Every single person who received ANY small gift or token from the Chinese, had to surrender such prior to getting on board Air Force One on the ride home. The message? We trust you as far as we can throw you China. We know they would plant a bug on AF One if they had the chance.

The farmers in the Midwest are particularly interested to see how this new soybean deal is going to work out. Why? The Midwest farmers don't want to be left at the alter again (so to speak), if China reneges on buying our soybeans. We grow a high-quality soybean, and it would so very nice to have access to that huge Chinese market. But as we know, politics and geo-political issues can ruin the best laid plans.

Ever wonder why so many things (weapons in particular) look like ours? Coincidence? Maybe, but probably not. The Chinese are excellent in stealing our IP. This unfettered theft has cost us billions. We know for a fact they do it - even though they deny it. Trust, yet verify? With these guys trust is a four-letter word and not a five-letter word. I studied them for years while in the Navy. As Yoda would say - "I trust them not!"

  

 

(More) chaos at the Capital

 

"Truthfully - what is happening in St. Paul right now is not a good look for this state. And oh, how we need a good look from time to time. Why? Because right now, our governor, our obscene new state flag, our city government all are painted with the same blue brush."

Well, this is it. The weekend of sine die. Or as they would say in the cartoon world - "That's all folks". Were there some good things which came out of this session. I guess maybe. Like some temporary tax relieve on property taxes and wheelage taxes. Unlike Trump who wanted to make our tax relief permanent so we could count on it from year to year, the best this group could cobble together was "temporary".

What did I really want to see? A no nonsense, bipartisan bill giving us a fraud commission with some real teeth in it. But no - the Democrats were much more interested in neutering ICE. Not the mutts downtown who were causing all the mayhem - only ICE. And then out of the clear blue sky, the gun grabbers reappeared. And somehow, they got a nasty unconstitutional bill passed in the Senate (by only one vote). 

All of a sudden, the good, the bad and the ugly which happened during the session has been eclipsed by this silly bill. And here is where the confusion set in. The Speaker said she would bring a school safety bill up for a vote should the Senate pass one. However - the provisions for a school safety bill had nothing to do with gun grabbing. Nada. But the Democrats, who love to take the guns away from law abiding citizens, cobbled some language into this school safety bill which made it unacceptable to the Speaker.

So, then what? The Democrats, who always love to put on a good show, started to swear and yell at the Republicans. Some threats were (allegedly) made. A sit in protest developed. Thus, for the final weekend of the session, we are going to get theater instead of legislation. Oh, joy.

I have ranted about this before. We the people, have forgotten how to govern. How to practice good governance. Our forgetfulness has infected the federal level, the state level, and also the local level. Truthfully - what is happening in St. Paul right now is not a good look for this state. And oh, how we need a good look from time to time. Why? Because right now, our governor, our obscene new state flag, our city government all are painted with the same blue brush. And that blue brush is called fraud. Unfettered fraud, committed mostly by the "newcomers".

   

Market metrics

"Love him or not, Donald Trump has changed our economy. He is changing the world. Actually, he is restoring a world order which has been absent for many decades. His tariffs would have worked quite well for this country. But I guess pointy headed and liberal lower court judges knew better. SMH..."

Holy smokes! Did you see the DJIA yesterday? Over 50,000 once again. Wait - why? Are we not teetering on the edge of a recession (or worse)? Because of that silly war with Iran and having the Strait of Hormuz blocked? Maybe some countries might be on the verge, but not ours. Sure, our gas prices are temporarily through the roof. And steaks still cost an arm and a leg. But many of the other economic metrics are looking very good. What does that mean? Compared to prior days of gas shortages, this time we have a surplus. We are in good shape.

But why then, did the market go up yesterday? Hope. This time we are hoping that China keeps their word on what was promised. For example, for the home folks here in Minnesota, China promised to buy more soybeans. That would be huge, as some of NATO members are not buying much of anything we are making or growing. And by the way - a note to Canada and some northwestern Euro NATO countries - stop the pout and get back to the way things were in the past. While some NATO countries are drowning in socialism and Islamic mania, the United States is in great shape.

The question begs now to be asked - why are we being dissed by the global elites in Europe? Is it just Donald Trump? Actually, it is. Unlike Joe Biden and Obama who invited Europe to walk all over us, Donald Trump does something quite interesting. He holds people and countries accountable. He was warned Europe about unfettered immigration. They blew him off. And now some Euro nations have a big, big problem. And Trump was relentless in shaming NATO for not paying their agreed to share of their dues. For some nations, that worked. For others, they pouted.

I have said in the past and it bears repeating. Our three biggest (and by far and away, not the only) allies are Israel, Japan and Poland. I would bet the house on any of them to have our backs every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Many of the other NATO states have grown to be soft and tepid. Is it possible for our friendships to once again renew? Sure, but it is up to them. They need to get their immigration and economic house in order first.

Love him or not, Donald Trump has changed our economy. He is changing the world. Actually, he is restoring a world order which has been absent for many decades. His tariffs would have worked quite well for this country. But I guess pointy headed and liberal lower court judges knew better. SMH...

 

A man of peace; A man of war

 

"What would I like to see once we fix the Iran problem. Finish some unfinished business from Trump's first term. What is that? North Korea. This would be a major win for Donald Trump if he could fix the Hermit Kingdom. There was a relationship for a brief period of time between Trump and Kim Jong-um. I will never forget their meeting at the Korean DMZ." 

As President Trump Arrived in China yesterday, he indeed looked much more like the President of the Board of Peace than the War Hawk we have recently seen deal with Iran. Truthfully, I like this president much more. He is comfortable in his own skin when it comes to making new and exciting deals. His War Hawk image is not as smooth. Probably because it goes against his grain. He has bent over backwards trying to get Iran to accept a mutually good deal. Because of Iran's refusal to deal at the table, when this China summit is over, the War Hawk president might need to re-appear.

I watched the state dinner than President Xi put on for the US delegation this morning. It was quite the shindig. And the toasts? It was like both countries were long lost friends rather than advisories or competitors. Now to be fair, Donald Trump has said for years that he and Xi are friends. Maybe they are. And in any relationship, trust is paramount to making a good deal. And to show that trust was in the offing, Trump brought the best and brightest CEOs with him. Are they ready to be a part of any deals to be made? Absolutely!

Tomorrow, when Air Force One takes off, there will be a strong afterglow of friendship and success. But then it is back to reality. What is waiting in the wings? His two biggest obstacles to peace and tranquility. Iran, and Congressional Democrats. As much as I hate to see my brother and sisters in arms go back into harm's way, it might be time to unzip the velvet off the brick. Enough of messing around with the time wasters who reside within this IRGC. Time to unleash the dogs of war. The innocent citizens who live in Iran are still getting executed by the scoundrels who are in control of Iran. Time to fix this mess. 

What would I like to see once we fix the Iran problem. Finish some unfinished business from Trump's first term. What is that? North Korea. This would be a major win for Donald Trump if he could fix the Hermit Kingdom. There was a relationship for a brief period of time between Trump and Kim Jong-um. I will never forget their meeting at the Korean DMZ. That was historic, really historic. Time to finish that unfinished business.

Love him or not, Donald Trump has been excellent in forging new and important relationships. And yes, some old relationships (like Canada and some Euro countries), need to have a kick in the rear-end to wake them up. Nothing personal - friends just don't let friends turn socialist nor become Islamic.

"Make new friends, but keep the old, as some are silver and the others are gold." Wise words, except when some of our old friends have gone from gold to fool's gold. Too harsh? Sorry.