Bad Math

"Hopefully Pete Hegseth and his new Navy Secretary can get this thing going. We need ships and need them now. History is not going to wait for us. We need to restock our ammo supply and build more ships. And no more fuzzy math please! From now on, we need math which makes sense."   

Okay - it is time this morning to do some math. The United States, with the best Navy in the world, is slipping. Why? It needs ships and needs them fast. China is galloping way ahead of us right now in navy shipbuilding. Okay - many of their ships are crap, but numbers do count. What are we doing to catch up? Peddling as fast as we can. Currently, this once great shipbuilding country, can only produce five to ten ships a year - and that is both military and commercial. Sad!

Here is where the fuzzy math comes in. As I said, we can produce less than a dozen ships per year. Why? Two reasons really - first, we seem to have lost the recipe on how to build good ships fast. Second, due to outsourcing and globalization, we have given up much of our skills and facilities to build ships. But South Korea? Different story. That country is the king of shipbuilding these days. How so? They build 155 ships per year (military and commercial). Little South Korea, a country which is much smaller than the US, a country which is still technically at war with North Korea, leaves us in the dust when it comes to building good quality ships - and lots of them.

Why not have South Korea build ships for us? We have a fly in the ointment with that solution. For reasons which totally escape me, Congress has passed a law (10 USA 8679) which prohibits a foreign country from manufacturing Navy ships outside of CONUS. Huh? What sense does that make, when we can only manufacture five to ten a year? No sense whatsoever. Currently, we are working to have that law nullified or amended so South Korea can set up shop in this country, or have ships built in South Korea.

Meanwhile, the shipbuilding blitz continues on in China. Now here is the good news. There is actually a world power who is in deeper weeds than we are for building new ships. Russia. In fact, their Black Sea fleet has taken quite a beating from Ukraine during this needless Russian war. So much so, that ships which have been damaged or sunk are now almost irreplaceable. Why? Many were built during the Soviet era, when shipbuilding in Russia flourished. Now - not so much.

Hopefully Pete Hegseth and his new Navy Secretary can get this thing going. We need ships and need them now. History is not going to wait for us. We need to restock our ammo supply and build more ships. And no more fuzzy math please! From now on, we need math which makes sense.   

    

The stench of hate

 

"Welcome to our new world. The Untied States of America. The United has become the untied thanks to the enemies within. Those who like socialism, will love what is on our horizon. Those who hate socialism and communism better buckle up. The smooth part of the ride is about over."    

Have you heard about Senator Chris Murphy? He hates Donald Trump. How much? So much, he is cheering for Iran in the current war. By his speech, he is against the country he represents and is for the country of blood thirsty terrorists. Wait - Murphy took an oath, right? Sure did. But he does not care. His visceral and unfettered hatred towards Donald Trump and all Republicans is so deep and wide, he will throw his own country under the bus just to score political points. He is a piece of work.

How is it possible to have this much hate in your heart? Some of the things Democrats say are jaw dropping awful. I remember when Rush Limbaugh died years ago, he was so despised by the left, that many posted on Twitter, "Rest in piss Rush". Do any of these Democrats go to church? Have they ever learned about forgiveness? About compassion? Where at one time there was just a stench of hate in the air, now everything is vile and odoriferous. But that is what hatred does. It takes what was pure and good and turns it into decaying garbage.

Some on the left will say there is hatred on our side also. True, there is. But here is the difference - we hate what Democrats do to the country, and Democrats hate Republicans for who they are. For example, Alan Dershowitz just announced he was changing parties to become a Republican. This lifelong Democrat was for years, a darling of the left. But he could not take the anti-Israel posture the left has adopted. Now that he has switched parties, the hate will come pouring in. Rather than trying to fix what might have caused Dershowitz to switch parties, they will show hate to Dershowitz instead. 

This country will never heal until the secularists on the left learn how to soften their hearts. As the decay of hate continues to rot our country, all the good things will be eclipsed by the stench and specter of hatred. What does that mean for going forward? After the redistricting vote of Virginia which happened yesterday, it is almost looking like a slam dunk that the Democrats will retake the House. What does that mean for the country? Impeachment votes, log jams, nothing getting done. You know - we have all seen this movie before. 

Welcome to our new world. The Untied States of America. The United has become the untied thanks to the enemies within. Those who like socialism, will love what is on our horizon. Those who hate socialism and communism better buckle up. The smooth part of the ride is about over.    

The saga/mystery of our missing or dead scientists

"In any event, this issue seems to have legs right now, and the news cycle is not even close to giving up on it. It might be like the Nancy Guthrie case where it seems like it would never be solved. Or it could be a blockbuster. Whatever, this is a good one to stay tuned in on."

We have a real "who done it" on our hands. Some of our best and brightest scientists, many of whom have NASA or (dare I say it) UAP connections have gone missing or are dead. And because of those UAP connections, when this issue first came up, there was a lack of seriousness about it. Almost frivolity. But as time went on, the seriousness came back into the picture. Why? Because many of the eleven who are dead or missing were working on some real cutting-edge stuff. And now it has the attention of the FBI and President Trump himself.

This got my attention when I heard what one of the scientists was working on when she died or went missing. It was straight out of science fiction. She was working on something to manipulate gravity. I will bet that had Issac Newton turning over in his grave! I mean, how in the world can you manipulate gravity? That is one of those absolute laws of physics (so I was taught). Is this something other scientists are working on? If it is, that is a big WOW!

In all seriousness, if you want to dissuade some young folks from going into advanced research on the sciences, knowing that you could die or be disappeared would lead you to do something else with your life. However, to stay competitive and cutting edge, we need to have as many of our sharp young folks as possible be in the game. Doing research. Leading the pack. 

Some have speculated that since we started to bomb Iran and killed many of their nuclear scientists, this might be retribution by the same. If that is the case, I am sure Kash Patel and his FBI agents will get to the bottom of this. Knowing that under Joe Biden we had four years of unfettered entry by anyone and everyone from wherever, we could have some very bad apples in our mix. Like, sleeper cells from Iran. 

In any event, this issue seems to have legs right now, and the news cycle is not even close to giving up on it. It might be like the Nancy Guthrie case where it seems like it would never be solved. Or it could be a blockbuster. Whatever, this is a good one to stay tuned in on.

 

Buy American, be American, love America

"I thought one of Donald Trump's better ideas was to practice reciprocal tariffs. That would make so, so very much sense. Nobody gets ripped off. Fair and square. The way we have done trading in the past has not worked out well for us. Globalism. We save money but end up losing jobs and national security." 

So many things which plague our society today are really not that hard to fix. Many people have accused Donald Trump of searching for simple solutions to complex problems, but in reality, President Trump might practice Occam's Razor type of thinking. I get it. Years ago, this type of thinking used to be called the KISS method - Keep It Simple Stupid (or Silly).

Long before Donald Trump came on the scene, I thought MAGA type thoughts. I have bought American whenever I could. I support Americans making stuff for Americans - even though the differential in wages might make the product(s) cost more. I have loved this country ever since I can remember. Served it in the United States Navy for 21 years. I was proud to do it. 

Regardless of what SCOTUS has ruled, I am with the president on his tariff policy to balance out our imbalanced trade issue. Trump was right - we have been getting ripped off for years. It is sad to note that some of the countries which have ripped us off the most have been fellow NATO countries. Canada has been particularly bad at it. But neither Trudeau nor Carney have been fair traders with us. And Starmer from the UK? Please - don't get me started.

I thought one of Donald Trump's better ideas was to practice reciprocal tariffs. That would make so, so very much sense. Nobody gets ripped off. Fair and square. The way we have done trading in the past has not worked out well for us. Globalism. We save money but end up losing jobs and national security. No, Americans making stuff for America. Reciprocal tariffs. If a foreign country wants to make product in America - no tariffs of that product. Every American who loves this country should support these commonsense ideas. But many have not.

One other idea which (as an American) I really like. Denaturization. For people who come here from different places, get naturalized, and then do bad things. They should lose their citizenship and be deported. Be gone. Out of here. Living in this country is a privilege, not a right. It really is as simple as that.

  

How to skin a snake

 

"Here is the bottom line - Iran is a defeated country. They have no military, and no money. The play they are making right now is doing nothing but angering the US. As bad as we have whipped these guys already, we have more bullets left in our guns."

Those who have been around government for a while, and have not been drinking their bathwater, know all about Iran. They are snakes - not the people, but the IRGC goons who are running the joint. Not to be trusted needs to be repeated a hundred times or so in this post. Why do I say that? They lie like rugs - Persian rugs. This is why Donald Trump has chosen to keep the blockade of Iran going until they PTSOP (put this s**t on paper). It is fine and all that, that some of the "dealmakers" having their heads going north and south in agreement talks. But until those agreements are memorialized in legal documents, it is just all talk.

One of the things that Iran agreed to do was to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, NEVER to close it again. That empty promise lasted a day or two. Now it is closed again, and Europe is in a panic as they are running out of jet fuel. Why did Iran close the Strait? Because we still have the ports in Iran closed down. We could open them tomorrow, if Iran would sign an agreement listing all of our demands. Short of that, instead of taking two steps forward. we have taken one step backwards instead.

These guys in Iran really are snakes. Almost impossible to get nailed down. They talk out of both sides of their mouths and lie constantly. Here is a piece of unsolicited advice I would like to offer up to them. Donald Trump is not one to screw with. Nor is Rubo, Hegseth, or "Raising" Cain. If Iran keeps up with the FAFO, we will take out Kharg Island and do it before dinner. No regrets, no hesitation. Right now, the future of Iran going forward is in the hands of these snakes. The smart money would be to pay attention, and get the work done. Failure to do so will usher in some very, very bad days.

This entire episode has been interesting to watch. I am always fascinated to see where the chips are on the table in any confrontation. Here is the bottom line - Iran is a defeated country. They have no military, and no money. The play they are making right now is doing nothing but angering the US. As bad as we have whipped these guys already, we have more bullets left in our guns. Keep screwing around and they will see more shock and awe.

One of my political fantasies...

"Liberals will continue to trip through life, unhappy, uneducated, and sometimes, uncivilized. I remember years ago, somebody I worked with giving me this nugget - 'Conservatives are mostly happy, joyful and usually content, whereas liberals are most always unhappy and never content.'"

Sometimes I might have too much time on my hands. I have fantasies - political fantasies. One of my favorites goes as follows: Democrats have taken over the Congress and White House in 2028 (okay, now it is a nightmare). A very unpopular (with normal people) bill was passed and signed into law. Some liberal Karen came up to me and said, "See! It is our turn now! What do you think about that?" My response was simple - "I don't understand. I did not vote for that bill." The Karen then about blows a gasket, "You (blank), (blank) idiot! You could not vote for it as you are not in Congress!" My response was calm and measured. "Sure, I could vote for it. You have told me many times we live in a democracy. And in a democracy, everybody votes for everything." With that, the Karen screamed at me, pulled out some of her pink hair, and called me a flurry of unmentionable names. 

Why is that a fantasy? Why not money, trips, or anything else? Because this is Exhibit "A" on why this country is so divided. Even though most were educated in the same manner, using the same textbooks, for some reason, progressives think we live in a democracy. Not just a few of them - most all of them. When I remind folks on the left, we do not live in a democracy, but rather a federal constitutional republic, their eyes glaze over, and they either walk away or change the subject.

Once in a while, somebody will ask me to prove it. That in itself, is a weird question. We are federal, as we have a separation of powers between the federal government and the states. We are constitutional as we have a constitution which defines who has what powers and the limitations thereof. And we are a republic, as we elect people to vote on issues as they represent the folks who voted them into office. In other words, our form of government looks NOTHING like a democracy. 

Then I had this odd and disturbing thought - do we even teach civics in schools anymore? And if it is taught, is it taught by a Karen with pink hair who has his or her own opinion on how things should be instead of how they are? Every time I hear a younger person talk about our democracy, it is like nails on the chalkboard. I gave up trying to correct them years ago, as it was like pouring water into a pail full of holes. I think of that old saying - "Stupid is as stupid does." Or that old Ron White adage - "You can't cure stupid."

Liberals will continue to trip through life, unhappy, uneducated, and sometimes, uncivilized. I remember years ago, somebody I worked with giving me this nugget - "Conservatives are mostly happy, joyful and usually content, whereas liberals are most always unhappy and never content." My impression over the years, is that statement is more truth than fiction. If some unhappy liberal would like to take umbrage with what I just penned, the floor is yours. 

  

   

Is Europe playing with fire?

"We can only hope and pray that cooler heads prevail in Russia. This war was a huge mistake as Russia underestimated the tenacity and ingenuity of the Ukrainian people. But they did, and this war is going nowhere. But so long as Russia has nukes and the will to use them, the world is in danger. How much danger? Ten thousand times worse than an asteroid."  

I know, I know. Right now, it is all eyes on Iran. But what about the Ukraine War? Some think that war was so yesterday. And by the way, this war over the country of Ukraine, which was supposed to only take a few weeks with very few casualties, has turned out to be anything but. For some reason, that few can understand, Putin has decided to "pour good money after bad" by throwing everything possible at the war in order to pull out some kind of victory. But Putin does have his limits. He has said so much in the past. He has vowed not to use his nuclear weapons - unless Russia is losing the war.

Some countries in Europe have decided to poke the bear. In other words, they are supplying some state-of-the-art weaponry to Ukraine which is tilting the war even more in Ukraine's favor. Rather than just calling it a day and withdrawing his troops out of Ukraine, Putin is still sacrificing tens of thousands of young men into this meat grinder in eastern Ukraine. Now Europe is supplying weapons which can strike deep into Russia - so deep, they can take out Russia's air defenses.

Even though Russia is getting "their butts handed to them" by staunch Ukrainian fighters, we all need to remember one immutable fact. There is no country in the world which has more nukes than Russia. Here is the problem - Putin knows if he stops the war and withdraws, he is cooked. The powers that be in Russia will "disappear him". But if he keeps on going, he further degrades his once powerful army. Right now, this is an unwinnable war for Russia. Will Putin lash out with tactical nukes in Ukraine, and maybe some more powerful nukes towards offending countries in Europe? We all hope not. What about us? Could we be a target also?

I have zero concern over the war in Iran. It will turn out fine for us as well as the innocent folks who live under this brutal theocracy. But this war over Ukraine could still be the match which lights the world on fire. Putin is like a cornered animal right now, and this cornered animal has teeth and fangs. One nuke, going off anywhere in the Euro zone, changes everything. 

We can only hope and pray that cooler heads prevail in Russia. This war was a huge mistake as Russia underestimated the tenacity and ingenuity of the Ukrainian people. But they did, and this war is going nowhere. But so long as Russia has nukes and the will to use them, the world is in danger. How much danger? Ten thousand times worse than an asteroid.