Hitting (and kicking) below the belt

"If Iran and the Arab states in the Persian Gulf start to hit each other's oil and gas infrastructure, it will soon get to be 'Katy bar the door.' It would not only be hitting each other below the belt (so to speak), but also it would be Iran's version of 'scorched Earth'." 

Okay - I will say it. Iran is a mess right now. They remind me of a spoiled child who could not get his or her way, lashing out at everybody. And when I say lashing out at everybody, that includes everyone on Planet Earth who needs the oil and gas which come from the Persian Gulf. Why would they try an alienate a large part of the world. Especially with nations who have not done Iran any harm. Because they are losing the war and losing it badly. Since they can't get at us, they will get at many others instead. Why? Blame this war on us.

So, what is Iran doing which is typical of "hitting below the belt"? The same thing that Russia has done to Ukraine in that war. Targeting energy resources. Turning winter weather into a tool of war, by not allowing civilians the ability to warm themselves. It is barbaric and inhumane.

What Iran is doing right now is not as deadly as what Russia is doing to Ukraine, but it is causing oil and gas to be either more expensive, scarcer, or both. Why is this happening? The escalation ladder. Israel grew tired of Iran constantly launching ballistic missiles (many topped with cluster bombs) and drones at their civilian areas. 

It all started when Israel wanted to send Iran a message by targeting their main natural gas field. This was supposed to be "off limits" per Donald Trump, as when the regime is finally driven out of Iran and the people take their country back, they will need oil resources for usage and trade. But the damage was done, and Iran retaliated by hitting the South Pars Mega Field in the UAE. It hosts the largest liquefied natural gas facility in the world. Why hit UAE? Because they are close, and more importantly, because they have a relationship with us.

If Iran and the Arab states in the Persian Gulf start to hit each other's oil and gas infrastructure, it will soon get to be "Katy bar the door." It would not only be hitting each other below the belt (so to speak), but also it would be Iran's version of "scorched Earth". Oil and gas are the essential elements of every nation's life blood in that area. For Iran to lash out like this is beyond being a fool's errand - it is economic suicide.

The problem is this - we have no clue who is running Iran right now. Heck, it could be the Persian version of Joe Biden's autopen. But until Iran is vanquished and peace once again returns to the Middle East, much, much damage could be done. The regime in Iran is deserving of all the punishment Israel (and us) could dish out to them. But the innocent Iranian people are not deserving of any of our punishment. Nor are the innocent Arabs in neighboring countries deserving of any punishment coming from Iran. 

Unfortunately, our main carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, needed to leave the fight and go in for repairs. Battle damage? Nope - creature comforts like backed up toilets and not enough suitable racks for sailors to use. It got to the point where the Ford had to leave the fight to get these items fixed. But with or without the Ford, the fight goes on. And the sooner Iran surrenders to Israel and the US, the better it will be for all. 

The current worthlessness of NATO

 

"We have asked very little (let me repeat that - very little) out of NATO for this war. As usual, the US is doing most of the heavy lifting. That is, the US AND Israel are doing the heavy lifting. All NATO can do is whimper and bitch. Like, whose side are they on?"

Some might think I am about to go on a major rant about how our NATO "buddies" stood us up over Iran. They are supposed to be a band of brothers, united against all terroristic and war like regimes worldwide. NATO was supposed to "stand in the gap", ever since the UN became feckless and useless. Sure, NATO underfunded itself, but after "Daddy" Trump twisted a few ears during his first term, many bellied up to the bar. Some however - did not. I could write three pages this morning about how much NATO has let us down over policing the Strait of Hormuz by Iran. I could, but I won't. I would rather talk about something which NATO has done which is far more disappointing.

Greenland. What NATO is doing to the US over Greenland is beyond the pale. Although a very parsimonious show of force, some in NATO sent some troops to Greenland - just in case Donald Trump was going to invade this cherished land and take it by force. What a joke! That was NEVER in the cards for us to do that! However, for reasons of security for the US as well as Europe, the US wants a larger presence in Greenland. We also want more of a military presence to deter any and all "adventurisms" by Russia or China. Why? The arctic is where it is at baby! Greenland would offer a HUGE front door for either Russia or China to waltz right in any become unwanted neighbors. 

Instead of (as Steven Covey would say) NATO trying to "seek to understand", they have rather treated the US, the country who saved most NATO nations twice during two world wars, like we are Russians or Mongols. Trump has been very clear on why we want a bigger footprint in Greenland. We want to extend our Golden Dome up into Greenland for maximum early warning in case of a missile attack. ALL would benefit from that. We also want to help mine the hard to get at rare earth minerals and oil in Greenland. The natives who live on Greenland would benefit greatly from the riches we could extract from that frozen soil. But NATO? To them, this deal that US wants to strike with Greenland and Denmark is next to radioactive. Who needs enemies when you have friends like NATO?

Here is the irony. Many speculated that one of the reasons that Putin wanted war with Ukraine was one of the side effects of that conflict would be a weakening of NATO. That never happened. However, the war to keep Iran from becoming a nuclear terrorist is dividing NATO. We have asked very little (let me repeat that - very little) out of NATO for this war. As usual, the US is doing most of the heavy lifting. That is, the US AND Israel are doing the heavy lifting. All NATO can do is whimper and bitch. Like, whose side are they on?

Between the Iran war and Greenland, I have about had it with this bunch of statists and socialists. No wonder Biden got along so well with NATO - he was cut from the same stock. 

And speaking of which, half of our government is also cut from that same stock as NATO. In these turbulent days when we need strong men and resolute women, half of our Congress still does not fully know what a man is or what a woman is. But that is a rant for another day.

No deal or a big deal?

"War of choice or no choice? My vote is for the later. To forge a lasting peace, this had to be done. Is it worth spending some of our blood and treasure? Compared to a future nuclear attack, I would say yes. But everybody needs to make up their own minds on this one."  

Much has been made by the left on this war with Iran. Some are even calling it "Trump's War". Why? They claim it is a war of choice and not of our national security. If that were the case, everything about this war would be a "no deal". A "tail wagging the dog" type of war. But if it is true, that Iran has 440 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium (by Iran's own admission), and if that is indeed enough to finish refining to have enough for 11 or 12 nuclear bombs, then this war is indeed a "big deal".

It has long been suspected that Iran has other facilities similar to Fordow. Why? Total redundancy. A plan "B" incase plan "A" becomes inoperable. The smart folks who understand this entire uranium business know that 60% enriched is only a hop, skip and a jump away from being absolute weapons grade uranium. As I have said before, all they need is one bomb on a hypersonic missile, and then Iran thinks they would be in the "club".

There is no doubt in my mind that if Kamala Harris had won the election, Fordow would be humming right along by now. Sometime this year, Iran would announce its entry into the nuclear club. They already have ballistic missiles which can reach Isreal and most of Europe. They are not that far away from having a missile with enough legs to reach our homeland. And just like that, we have another North Korea.

Trump is doing what should have been done years ago. This disease in Iran has gotten worse every year. It is like a decaying tooth, where the decay gets deeper and more serious every year. Because we had to wait until Trump's second term, this war is a lot tougher than it should be. And if we could have had some of our Euro bedwetters join us, the load would have been lighter. But it is what it is, and Trump will take care of it. Even if it costs him his poll numbers.

War of choice or no choice? My vote is for the later. To forge a lasting peace, this had to be done. Is it worth spending some of our blood and treasure? Compared to a future nuclear attack, I would say yes. But everybody needs to make up their own minds on this one.  

How will it all end?

"How will it all end? When will it all end? This will sound trite, but I will say it anyway - when the last bad guy (terrorist) is dead or locked away forever. Plus - all uranium is accounted for, and the ability to process more uranium is forever gone. That is it - no more to the story. Other than one more thing - Iran could end up being one of those dreaded 'forever wars'. Just saying..."    

This weekend, a representative of the ruling class in Iran was on a CBS show. He admitted that Iran is in possession of 440 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium. That was admitting to what is the worst kept secret in the world. When asked where it was, he responded by saying, "it is buried". Ergo, that is the problem. 440 kilograms of uranium is enough to make almost a dozen nukes. All it would take is one bomb, sitting on top of one Iranian missile, and a "miss" by the Iron Dome, and it is game over. Isreal would respond by vaporizing Iran. What does all this mean? It will not be finished, the war will not be over, until the US or Israel is in possession of that enriched uranium.

Even though the exact location of the uranium is not known, the best guess is it lies in one of the four hidden tunnels under Iran's Pickaxe Mountain. And that is a big problem, as the four tunnels are 100 meters underground, which are deeper than the area in Fordow which we successfully eliminated during Midnight Hammer. Why is that? Our best "bunker buster" cannot go that deep. Especially through granite rock and reinforced concrete. And if we cannot be 100% positive of taking this uranium out by air, what is the next best option? Boots on the ground. And that could be high risk and bloody.

Meanwhile, thanks to decades of neglect in lassoing in Iran's missile program, Iran still has missiles and drones a plenty to fire off towards Israel. Because they are spread all over this large country, it seems they can keep this up for quite a while. Plus, with a stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, oil dependent nations worldwide are on pins and needles. It seems now that just like in Desert Storm, a "coalition of the willing" would really help. While most of the world sits on its hands, the US and Israel are doing all the heavy lifting (again). We could use the help and might of dozens of friendly nations. The more that help, the quicker this could be resolved.

BTW - Israel is getting ready to launch a ground war in Lebanon. Why? Hezbollah is still active and a threat. If I were living is Beirut, I would be remembering what happened to Gaza when the terrorists took over. Gaza now lies in ruins, and the same could be in the offing for Beirut. But maybe what it takes to eliminate Hamas or Hezbollah - grind their hiding places into dust. Who suffers? The innocents. But the terrorists never gave a whit about them to start with. Just collateral damage. 

How will it all end? When will it all end? This will sound trite, but I will say it anyway - when the last bad guy (terrorist) is dead or locked away forever. Plus - all uranium is accounted for, and the ability to process more uranium is forever gone. That is it - no more to the story. Other than one more thing - Iran could end up being one of those dreaded "forever wars". Just saying...     

Time to admit it was a silly mistake

 

"Some of the Republicans running for governor want to immediately upon winning, reinstate the original "racist" flag. How about Amy? What will her position be? Probably mandate it be state law to fly the goofy looking new flag on every flagpole. Why would she do something to foolish, so divisive? Because she is cut from the same piece of wood that Dayton and Walz are."

The new Minnesota flag. Or as many call it, our Somali flag. Or our Tim Walz flag. For more and more citizens and patriots in outstate Minnesota, this flag is about as popular as a root canal. About as pleasing as nail on the chalkboard. In fact, more and more cities are voting to fly the original Minnesota flag. Driving around the countryside, it is common to see many private flag poles flying the stars and bars and then beneath it, the original Minnesota flag. The Somali flag? Mostly in the Twin Cities. They seem to love it there.

This flag, like many other unpopular items, was pushed through the approval cycle during the last DFL trifecta. Many thought it was to pay homage to the DFL overlords - the Somali community. Timmy Walz loves this flag. Wears it on his label all the time. Truthfully? Walz looks like an ambassador to Somalia when he wears that thing. There is nothing nice nor meaningful about this new flag - it is butt ugly.

What was the purpose of having this new flag? The bedwetters in the Legislature said it was time to retire the "racist" flag that we have had forever. Really? My thought was it was meant to further divide us. And anybody who says there is no resemblance at all to the Somali flag is either crazy or a liar. It is just a symbol of what a joke this state has become. A fraud infested, PC loving, socialist joke.

Some of the Republicans running for governor want to immediately upon winning, reinstate the original "racist" flag. How about Amy? What will her position be? Probably mandate a state law to fly the goofy looking new flag on every flagpole. Why would she do something to foolish, so divisive? Because she is cut from the same piece of wood that Dayton and Walz are. Having Amy would be more of the same - only worse.

My daughter has the original state flag and the American flag flying proudly from her flagpole. How about you, Bird? Do you have one? Nope - and the reason is I gave my flagpole to my daughter. We will be selling this house in the next few years, and I wanted that very fine flagpole to have a more permanent spot in the family. It is as simple as that.  

Return to Kharg Island?

 

"Will Kharg Island be the lynch pin on which this war will be decided? Maybe. During the Eight Year War between Iran and Iraq, Kharg Island took a beating. But now it is back and acting like the oil distribution center that it was built to be. We want Kharg Island functioning normally. Why? When the good guys take over Iran, they will need the commerce. But to win this war, we might have to kill Kharg Island once again. Stay tuned..." 

Oh boy - now we have done it. Kharg Island which is sacrosanct or almost holy to the country of Iran, was bombed yesterday - by US. We took out every single square inch of the island which could be used for military purposes. But the oil terminals? We left those alone - for now. This was the clearest possible message that Donald Trump could send to the IRGC, who are now running the country. Keep the Strait of Hormuz open, or we will lay waste to the oil terminals on Kharg Island. Then the oil markets worldwide will be turned upside-down.

Closing, or even threatening to mine, the Strait of Hormuz is world terrorism on a grand scale. For us, a nation which us awash in oil and gas, it is a few more cents per gallon at the pump. For nations who depend on over 50% of their oil from the Middle East (and needing to transit oil through the Strait of Hormuz), this will be catastrophic. And it is not only oil, but also badly needed fertilizer. Anything which can perturbate normal transits through the Strait is deadly serious. So serious that Donald Trump would decimate Kharg Island just to get the attention of the Iranians. 

Currently, ships from many nations are stacked up like cordwood in the Persian Gulf. Why? They don't want to get mined or droned. The United States is working feverishly to neutralize as many Iranian threats as possible. But all it would take is one ship, hit by something which would damage it so severely, that it would sink. That would really gum things up - for a long time. Thus, Iran is playing one of the few cards it has left. Threaten chaos in the Persian Gulf, especially by the Strait. 

How is the war going, one might ask? Except for the loss of six brave Americans in the KC-135 plane crash this week, the war is going fine. The loss of one American (in my book) is one too many. But this is war. And with the number of assets we have in the area, many of whom are doing some very dangerous tasks, it is almost a miracle we have not had more dead and wounded. The fact we have not is a tip of the hat to Hegseth and his team on how they have trained and trained and trained again for combat of all types. 

Will Kharg Island be the lynch pin on which this war will be decided? Maybe. During the Eight Year War between Iran and Iraq, Kharg Island took a beating. But now it is back and acting like the oil distribution center that it was built to be. We want Kharg Island functioning normally. Why? When the good guys take over Iran, they will need the commerce. But to win this war, we might have to kill Kharg Island once again. Stay tuned... 

 

Snow what! (or) What snow?

"What am I going to do if it is horrible outside tomorrow? I will skip church and do my taxes. What will I do it is only sound and fury with little to no snow? Go to church and then do my taxes. What? No prepping? Nope - I (like many of us), have seen this movie before. Lots and lots and lots of times."

For those who have lived in this part of the country most of their lives (and are old enough), remember the Halloween Blizzard of 1991. Was it predicted? Yes, snow was predicted. But was a mega-storm predicted? Nope. Imagine the shock and awe on most of our faces when the Saturday after Halloween, we were all caught in a giant snow globe. Even though it was decades ago, folks are still talking about it. Yes, everybody has a story about that day.

That is one side of the equation. On the other side are what are known as phantom storms. Some weather guesser will get up in front of the camera, sweating and panting, and talk about the incoming "storm of the century". Everybody, with the great, late Halloween Blizzard still fresh in their minds, will go the grocery store, the liquor store, the gas station - and get all bunkered up to be hunkered down. Then the storm hits, and something happened to all the moisture it was supposed to bring. We end up with 2 - 4 inches of fluffy snow and most of us looked like we were fooled again. 

The storm which is going to hit tonight and paralyze us tomorrow is being called by the local fish wrap newspaper - historic. My take? That is the kiss of death. Meaning what? Maybe another phantom storm. Or - we could be surprised that the weather guessers might have one right for a change. I guess by this time tomorrow, we all will be ready to decide if it is weather guesser blather or another snowmageddon. 

What am I going to do if it is horrible outside tomorrow? I will skip church and do my taxes. What will I do it is only sound and fury with little to no snow? Go to church and then do my taxes. What? No prepping? Nope - I (like many of us), have seen this movie before. Lots and lots and lots of times.