A day made just for mothers

 

"Serving and honoring mothers on this day is special and important. It was not until I was stationed overseas that I realized how much I missed my mom. How much she did for me. How much she supported and elevated me."

My mother had a love/hate relationship with Mother's Day. She would hate it when her birthday (early in May), would land on the same day as Mother's Day. Two of her favorite days becoming one. For mom, it was like having a birthday on December 25th. What she hated almost as much, was fishing opener. When it happened on Mother's Day. When I would sneak away on this hallowed day for fisherman and try to make it back before the sun set on Sunday, so I could wish my mom a happy Mother's Day. Let's just say she was not a fan of opener.

But most of the time, I was able to take my wife, our kids, my dad, and most importantly - my mom out for a Mother's Day brunch. That she dearly loved. My dad - always would put up kind of a tepid argument with me. "You really should not have to take out son. I can pay for my own. This is Mother's Day, and not my day." We had that same discussion every year - and every year he lost the argument. I would conclude it by saying, "This is your freebee dad, it is my pleasure to treat the family today. We will do something just for you next month on Father's Day".

When my mother was alive, Mother's Day gave me the chance to honor her and my wife on the same day. I never got tired of it. When my dad passed, it became even more important to me to honor my mom and to dote over her on that day. After my mother passed a few years later, my kids were old enough (and established enough) to take their mother out for that special day. I became what I always teased my own dad about - a freeloader on Mother's Day. The joy of being with my family on special days such as this, helped to mollify the hole in my heart from missing my folks.

Today my eldest daughter has made reservations late morning at a local venue which serves a Mother's Day brunch. I will be with my bride, my two kids and two grandies. I will be a wonderful day. Serving and honoring mothers on this day is special and important. It was not until I was stationed overseas that I realized how much I missed my mom. How much she did for me. How much she supported and elevated me. 

I was blessed my mom made it to almost 97. My wife and I were with her most every week in her final years. My mom was content and happy where she lived in her final days. She passed one evening, with an aide holding her hand.

I got the call that mom was leaving, but I got to the residence too late - too late for that final good-bye and I love you. They gave me some time with mom alone in her room. I held her hand and told her she had finished the race strong and done it well. And now - now she lives with Jesus, and I will see her again. Happy Mother's Day mom. I miss you, and I love you. 

From bulletproof to bullet ridden...

"Some of my friends have died much too young. That is when it hit me. The season of being bulletproof is ending for most of us, and the season of becoming 'bullet ridden' with different aliments has started. In other words, the 'menu' of things that go wrong with you expands each and every year."

Every generation goes through it. Now it is our turn. The "Boomers". Those of us who grew up in the sixties. Did crazy stuff. Had fun. Drove fast muscle cars. But - in spite of all that, we always had our eyes on the prize. After high school, learn a good trade. Or went to college to get four (or even more) years of advanced schooling. And to think the entire time we were doing all of that, most of us felt as if we were bulletproof. Invincible. Could do it all, and our good health was something we always took for granted.

Many of us went through life after our schooling or trade learning was complete. Many got married; most bought a house; some had kids. Just like that, we became what our parents were when we were younger. In our 30's and 40's, still bulletproof, although many of us were developing some "kinks in the armor".

Then came the 50's. I was in my late 50's when I discovered I had my first real problem. While putting my shoes on before work one morning, it felt like somebody had stuffed tissues in the toe of one of my shoes. But there was no tissue. That was the start of my first real life disease. I had peripheral neuropathy. It was a disease with no cure. As my doctor said, it would not kill me but slowly disable me. With that, my "bulletproof" demeanor went out the window.

Into my 60's, I retired. I had a good career, so I had no complaints. Since I was still in my bulletproof stage for most of my career, I had many opportunities to do exciting things. But now that I was retired, I started to notice some of my contemporaries were also getting some kind of sickness, injury or disease. Some even died - much too young. That is when it hit me. The season of being bulletproof is ending for most of us, and the season of becoming "bullet ridden" with different aliments has started. In other words, the "menu" of things that go wrong with you expands each and every year.

I remember as a youth seeing a cartoon in the paper called Family Circus. In one episode, a grandmother was giving her young grandchild some sage wisdom. "When I was young and had a pain, it was like a shooting star. It would shine for a short time and then go away. Now I have an entire galaxy of stars which always stay lit." Meaning what? As this grandmother had aged, her number of aches and pains went from one or two into many. As I start to approach 80, I fully understand what she meant.

This morning we are going to the funeral of a good friend who died at 90. From the stories he told, he too, had a youth of doing some wild and crazy things. He also went through a bulletproof season in his life. But towards the end, life became hard for him. But no longer. A man of deep, deep faith, he now lives with Jesus. And his body? He now has his new, heavenly body. One which will never wear out. How do I know? It is God's promise to us who believe.  

Negotiation woes...

"Donald Trump said what we did yesterday was just a love tap to these guys, a small retaliation for firing on our ships. It might be time to change that love tap into a swift kick in the pants to really get their attention. The clock is ticking and it is time for us to control the clock." 

Back in the day, when I worked (and yes, in the very early days, I even wore a suit), I did quite of bit of negotiating. I negotiated when I was with Sperry Univac, Control Date Aerospace Division, FMC (which became BAE), and IBM. Mostly the government, but also foreign governments and other companies. One thing I was taught early in my career, was when negotiating with a new customer, make sure the person you are negotiating with has the authority. In other words, check his (or her) warrant.

Why is that important? See what is going on with Iran right now? It is a real game of "who's on first". As we continue to negotiate with whom we thought were the legal and authorized members of this "shape shifter" government, three of our destroyers came under fire yesterday by (you guessed it) members of this "shape shifter" government who may or may not be in control. 

Truthfully, even if our team asked to see a warrant from the ones who are sitting at the table negotiating right now, it probably would not be worth the paper it was printed on. Since we have heard the "new" leader took quite a beating from one of our bombing strikes and is in need of a new leg and some skin grafts - we have no clue who is calling the shots (so to speak). I am starting to think General Keane might be right. Don't trust these guys, they might be playing us, so finish the job.

Where do we go from here? Continue this charade? Let the Strait be closed down most of the summer? We must have half our fleet on site right now, and Iran basically has nothing except some "fast boats" its remaining drones and missiles. The IDF is locked and loaded, the Arabs want this thing over with, so let's get on with it. 

Donald Trump said what we did yesterday was just a love tap to these guys, a retaliation for firing on our ships. It might be time to change that love tap into a swift kick in the pants to really get their attention. The clock is ticking and it is time for us to control the clock. 

Why our love affair with Europe is waning...

 

"For America to be great, to stay great, we need to keep the MAGA movement going. The death of MAGA will be the death of liberty in this great country of ours. Newsome and company will bring about irreversible changes in our government that not even a future 'Trump like' president would be able to fix."      

Make America Great Again. MAGA. Oh my gosh! Does that ever drive the globalists crazy! Both in this country as well as Europe. Why? Globalism was working just fine for them, thank you. It ended up with us having record trade deficits and getting the short end of the stick with tariffs paid.

But then along comes this businessman from New York, who had a better idea. And it was (is) still a better idea. Make more stuff here. What has been offshored, reshore. And one of his best ideas was reciprocal tariffs. The tariff thing did not work out as it need congressional approval. And the Trump haters in Congress took it to SCOTUS, so they killed it. They killed it, even though it was good for America.

My biggest fear going forward is twofold. First, the Republicans lose the midterms. Should that happen, the socialists in both the House and Senate are going to unravel as much of Trump's gains as they can. Trump will be impeached (again), and America will start to slide back into the Biden slumber. Even though Trump will still have his veto power, the MAGA era will not be the same during the second half of the president's term.

Second - and this is really horrifying - I saw a straw poll with Newsome beating Vance in 2028. Should Newsome win, this slicked down and paler version of Obama will take this country into a place it has never been before. With a friendly Congress, Newsome will turn American into a large California. $8/gal gasoline for the nation - not just California. We will have autocratic regulations coming out the wazoo, and globalism will return with bells and whistles. Just like in Russia when past leaders were "liquidated", every mention, every trace of Donald Trump as POTUS 45 or POTUS 47 will be erased. 

And Europe. How can we forget Europe. Soon after Newsome is crowned, he and his "first partner" will visit Starmer in the UK and have a love fest. Finally, Starmer will have a buddy again in America that will match weaknesses with him! And then up to Canada, where Carney will be so happy, he might just kiss Newsome on the lips. Back to sky high tariffs on dairy products. Back to the days of "Uncle Sugar". It will be a wonderful day in Ottawa when the new POTUS comes back into the fold.

The problem is with Trump being "liquidated" by the Socialist Democrats, is this - all the good things (and there have been many good things) that Trump did will be buried in gallons of white out and erasers. It will be like Trump never existed. That the nation went from Obama to Biden and then to Newsome, with no Trump. MAGA will go back to just being some jumbled-up letters. Our borders will be wide open again, to illegals, gangs, drugs, traffickers, and terrorists. 

For America to be great, to stay great, we need to keep the MAGA movement going. The death of MAGA will be the death of liberty in this great country of ours. Newsome and company will bring about irreversible changes in our government that not even a future "Trump like" president would be able to fix. Then it will be over.     

Will HCMC go under?

"When I look at the governor of this state, the mayors of the Twin Cities, and the city council thereof, it is not wonder why we have allowed this huge metro area to crash and burn. Maybe next time around, elect some Republicans with business experience. That is, if there are any left in the Twin Cities." 

When I think of all the crapola which is wrong with Minneapolis right now, one the flagship issues is how in the world, the general hospital of the city, a main trauma center, HCMC - could be taking on water and getting ready to sink. One might ask, how in the world could this happen? For a hospital this size to be carrying the size of debt that it is (~$36M). Sure, part of HCMC's woes are due to non-payments by UCare (another mess in MN), but still, what a fix HCMC is in right now. 

Some are saying the real reason for the mismanagement of this huge hospital are the DNC picks to run the place. Okay, no more slamming Democrats. Just because many have never worked for a place which must balance its books is hitting below the belt. Then again, maybe where it is situated in the city. Right next to Cedar Riverside, the epicenter of fraud in MN. Maybe too many services given out for zero dollars is also the problem. 

Here is the long and the short of it. Should the MN House and Senate fail to come up with some kind of common-sense bailout (and the clock is ticking), and the HCMC ship slips under the waves, the repercussions will be huge. Minneapolis will have lost its one and only general hospital for the first time in forever. But - the idea of raising the Hennepin County sales tax by 1/2 of one percent is facing some headwinds. Why? No budget associated with this gift. No budget = limited success. 

All I have to say (from an outstate perspective) is WELL DONE again, Minneapolis. This once fine city has been hollowed out to be nothing more than a national laughingstock. But the people who live in Minneapolis might not be laughing soon. Besides the massive fraud, the crime, the lack of governance, losing HCMC might just be the frosting on the cake for this "City of Leaks".

When I look at the governor of this state, the mayors of the Twin Cities, and the city council thereof, it is not wonder why we have allowed this huge metro area to crash and burn. Maybe next time around, elect some Republicans with business experience. That is, if there are any left in the Twin Cities. 

 

Sick of Iran yet???

"During his first term, Trump reduced General Soleimani to rubble. What was left of the General could have fit into an ash tray. Time to revisit that playbook. Our teammates, the IDF are gassed up, ready and waiting for our 'go sign'. They know the job is not yet done. They are right. Time to put our battle boots on and end this thing. Why? We are all of us, so sick of Iran. They can cooperate with us, or have their major cities start looking like Gaza."  

Am I sick of Iran yet? Gosh, that is a question that could have been asked of me anytime during the last 47 years. I am sick of the Mullahs, the IRGC, the Quds Force, Kharg Island, the Strait of Hormuz and on and on and on. Ever since the "revolution" in the late 1970's, I have had zero time for this country. Then over the years, Iran has operated with impunity throughout the Middle East, causing all kinds of death and destruction. I am tired of our good friend and ally (Israel) being called Little Satan. I am even more tired of my country being called the Big Satan. I am so done with this.

One more thing I am sick to death of. The lying, the cheating, the delaying. We have tried throughout previous administrations to deal with these guys in a fair and honest way. All they have done is take advantage of our good and trusting nature. Then when we had Kerry, Obama and Biden dealing with Iran, they took advantage of their naivete and robbed us blind. They even snookered Biden into given them pallets full of cash. Why? As a reward for negotiating in good faith. Meanwhile, behind the curtains, Iran continued to enrich uranium to weapons grade. 

I appreciate that Donald Trump has given these guys every chance in the books to comply with our demands. I also appreciate the stellar job our Armed Forces has done in dismantling Iran's military. But here is the problem - all the patience in the world, offered towards the IRGC, has only allowed Iran to play us further. Instead of looking like a Crusader, Donald Trump is starting to look like Joe Biden. But Trump can turn that around. Go into the Strait and kick butt and take names. Give the IRGC the back of our hand (so to speak). We have tried the carrot and the stick approach. Time to take the gloves off, put the carrot away, and end this thing. Now.

During his first term, Trump reduced General Soleimani to rubble. What was left of the General could have fit into an ash tray. Time to revisit that playbook. Our teammates, the IDF are gassed up, ready and waiting for our "go sign". They know the job is not yet done. They are right. Time to put our battle boots on and end this thing. Why? We are all of us, so sick of Iran. They can cooperate with us, or have their major cities start looking like Gaza.  

What is this "wealth tax", and why it is so un-American

"I think we are going to make our 250th birthday as it is only two months away. However, anything beyond that might be iffy. Why? With the socialists gaining power, our "first world" status has a shaky future. If everybody was poor, like in Cuba, the 'eat the rich' crowd would be much happier. As for the people of wealth who are wealthy no longer - not so much."   

At what point in time, did making money become evil? So much so, that today, many young folks, which a head full of mush, hate the rich. Asked if most of them could define rich, they would respond with something like, "You know - having a lot of money." News flash to our undereducated young ones - on a world scale, just about every citizen of this great country is "rich".

One might wonder then, how do some people acquire wealth? Some inherit it. Some work very hard and watch their pennies. And some invent a "better mousetrap". That's it. It is the last group, the ones who "build a better mousetrap" which makes America as great as it is. So, to punish this group, by demonizing them, and taking their wealth which was their reward for taking a risk, is really like punishing America. 

What is all this "Eat the rich" crap? Instead of looking up to people who have either worked hard for their money or took a gamble by inventing a thing or process, the chattering class would rather hate them. When I was dating my wife many, many years ago, a relative of hers, who had socialist tendencies, came to my attention. When I asked him why he felt he didn't need to work, and the government should pay him for writing poetry under a tree, he did not have a cogent response for me. Whereas at one time he was a "one off" type of person, today there are legions just like him. Get paid for doing nothing. Take the money from the rich to pay for it.

Bernie Sanders, Liz Warren, Zohran Mamdani and Katie Wilson are all socialists who have been ELECTED to public office by clueless minions. They not only want to tax the income of the wealthy (using confiscatory rates), but they also want to tax their acquired wealth. Why? It is not fair that one should have more than another. Hello? Can you spell Communism? 

Somehow, somewhere, the train has left the tracks in how we educate our kids. We have allowed ideologues and weirdos to put all kinds of crap into our kid's noggins. If you own a house and have a cabin up north - get ready. The "fairness brigade" will be coming after you for more money. If you have more than one car, you are a target. And - if you have money in the bank, 401K, IRA, or just plain savings which is six figures or more, you are a prime target for the new undereducated Robin Hoods.

I think we are going to make our 250th birthday as it is only two months away. However, anything beyond that might be iffy. Why? With the socialists gaining power, our "first world" status has a shaky future. If everybody was poor, like in Cuba, the "eat the rich" crowd would be much happier. As for the people of wealth who are wealthy no longer - not so much.