The age of Zohran Mamdani - the "anti" John Galt

 

"But who is John Galt? I don't want to imitate nor emulate all of Galt's beliefs or traits. But I do side with John Galt and John Adams when it comes to the natural right of private property. That is my red line. When socialists try to cross that line, that is when we part ways." 

There is a saying going around for the few sane people who still live in New York - "If you think AOC is bad, just wait until you find out about Zohran Mamdani." This guy, who is the new mayor of New York City, has gone from "poser" to a real "kingmaker". How so? Mamdani "wannabes" are popping up all over the country - and winning. In fact, three more just appeared on the scene in NY, and with the blessing of Zohran, they all won.

If this trend continues, Atlas in not only going to shrug, but he will also tip over. With all the virtues that John Galt had in Ayn Rand's famous book Atlas Shrugged, Zohran Mamdani is the antithesis of John Galt. Whereas Galt had believed in the moral right to live for oneself, Mamdani is all about the collective. That is - with one exception. If you have been successful in your business dealings, and have made some serious money, you are the new enemy of the state.

And we can't forget John Adams, on what he thought about private property. What has been earned by the sweat of one's own brow, having one's own private property - that is a sacred right. It is worth fighting for, and sometimes worth dying for. Mamdani on the other hand, believes having "too much" should be determined by the collective, and that "excess" should be taken away from the individual who owned it.

How in the world did we get here? Hold on, because the ride might get a bit rough. Like many of us have, I have worked for companies or organizations with a CEO. I have seen published the compensation packages that many CEOs receive. Some make more money in a year than us ordinary folks make in a lifetime. I often wondered, what would somebody do with all that money? Where would you spend it? Doing what? 

But here is the difference between me and Mamdani type socialists. Where I can look at a statistic about how rich some CEOs are, and wonder what they do with all that money, socialists look at that same metric and believe part (or most) of that money should be theirs. Then what? Confiscation, and then maybe revolution. In short, nothing good happens once the loony left starts to lust after somebody's money and wealth. That truly, is when Atlas shrugs, and then tips over, and finally kicked to the curb.

By now, we know who Mamdani and his little socialist buddies are. They are the trendy posers who think (maybe they don't think) that up is down and down is up. Other people's money is bad, taking it for the collective is good. But who is John Galt? I don't want to imitate nor emulate all of Galt's beliefs or traits. But I do side with John Galt and John Adams when it comes to the natural right of private property. That is my red line. When socialists try to cross that line, that is when we part ways. 

 

 

How safe are we today? Really safe?

"What did I learn from this rather unique assignment from decades ago? We are only as safe as our protection allows. If we are naive about bad guys trying to ruin a day, that is when they could strike. The question then remains - how safe are we today? Are we really safe? Or are we just naive? Interesting questions to ponder."

This sting that the FBI conducted to nab some real baddies who wanted to perpetrate a terror attack on the MMA fight by the White House a week or so ago, is a tale which might be only half told to date. Some things have been leaked out on the internet which might either be true or false. If they are false, it is typical for the internet to spin yarns instead of fact. However, if there is a modicum of truth in what has been leaked, we came very close to a real 9/11 type of Armageddon.

The FBI is trying to keep a tight lid on this thing, as according to rumors, there are still dozens of co-conspirators left to find and detain. But here is the thing which is the scariest to me - the aftermath of the drone attack. In other words, this group of treasonous anarchists were going to let loose with drones with explosives on them. Once the explosives started going off, besides the bedlam and carnage they would have caused, terrified people would have tried to escape into makeshift "killing fields". There, snipers would have tried to pick some of the guests off with long guns. Where is the world does ideas like this come from?

The old saying in the intel or law enforcement agencies still rings true today. We need to get it right 100% of the time, whereas the baddies only need to get it right just once. For the MMA event, we got it right again. If we had gotten it wrong, it would have been just like a 9/11 all over again.

But think about this just for a minute. This was a hard target. We were prepared for some kind of malice to occur. And yet with all that preparation, the plan came close to working. Most of us live in the land of soft targets. Schools, churches, community events. If somebody, or some group with evil malice in their hearts decides to take a run at a soft target, what is there to stop them. 

Years ago, as a young Lieutenant in the Navy Reserve, I did a two-week assignment up at a crypto base in northern Maine. I was asked to think like a terrorist and come up with as many ways possible to attack or dismantle the base. It is a very interesting assignment as I got to work with some local LEOs as well as some of the "alphabet agencies" who has assets in the area. The only problem I had with this assignment was keeping it short. Some of the possible ways to cause havoc never made it into my final report.

What did I learn from this rather unique assignment from decades ago? We are only as safe as our protection allows. If we are naive about bad guys trying to ruin a day, that is when they could strike. The question then remains - how safe are we today? Are we really safe? Or are we just naive? Interesting questions to ponder.  

Beware of the rising socialist army in America!

 

"Even though NYC seems like the land of wine and roses right now, the hard times are coming. The bad times are coming. The poorer times are coming. Why? Money is fungible and people are mobile. Enough said."  

For those of you who love NYC, get ready to kiss it good-bye. The financial capital of the United States (some would say the world), is slowly becoming morphed into another coastal "la-la land". How? Why? What??? Yes, the home turf of one of the companies I worked at (IBM) is becoming bluer than IBM itself. And if you are following Goldman Sacs, you will see a trickle of employees and money which is relocating to Texas, Florida and beyond. Why? They heeded Lady Thatcher's words about socialism.

The only good thing (in my book) which came out of yesterday's NY primary, was Dan Goldman lost his seat. In my book, Goldman was not one of the good guys. He was a thorn in the side of getting the president's agenda done. But as wacked out as Goodman is, the guy who replaced him (Brad Lander) is really nutso. How much so? He was highly supported by fellow nut balls like Mamdani, Sanders and others. Net result? If you hated New York before, if you thought New York had gone off the rails with previous mayors, you have not seen anything yet.

Then we have a real oddity. Darializa Avila Chevalier. This is a woman who says when she gets her hands dirty, she likes to wipe the dirt off of them with an American flag. Just as a point of clarification, this woman will now be running to the US Congress in November's general election. So, between her, Brad Lander, and Claire Valdez are going to try and change the landscape in New York and beyond. Did I mention these three are anti-Israel? And did I mention that New York has the second highest concentration of Jewish folks right behind Israel? How is this all going to work out?

People thought this were strange when so many supported a former New Yorker named Bernie Sanders. And so many more in the Big Apple supported the biggest poser in the region named Zohran Mamdani. NYC had come a long way since Bill de Blasio - a long way down. Some might ask when there are so many sharp people on Wall Street, how in the world could NYC keep electing nitwits. Beats me.

Even though NYC seems like the land of wine and roses right now, the hard times are coming. The bad times are coming. The poorer times are coming. Why? Money is fungible and people are mobile. Enough said.  

Are unelected lower court judges the problem?

"The next time you vote, and on the back side of the ballot are dozens of judges listed. Many are running unopposed. Most of us just check a box to be done with it. But it is many of these judges which are the problem. I know, I know - what is the alternative? Not voting at all. Then all it would take is one vote for a judge and he, she or they are in."

How in the world can we elect a president, who wins the popular vote as well as the electoral vote, and then have some unelected activist judge derail his wishes? I have never in my adult life seen so many things stopped or derailed as I have seen with this president. As much as this frustrates the president, it really is getting very old very fast with his base. An because they are unelected, and the Democrats would NEVER thing of impeaching one of these imposters, we are stuck with their goofball decisions.

This ruling the other day really took the cake. If anybody needs to have a judicial scrubbing down, it is Walz and Ellison. But for this woman from Trinidad to kill the investigations by the DOJ because of politics? What about the rule of law woman? Now the DOJ will need to escalate (again). What a waste of time and money. And for what? Some left wing rant? 

I am more convinced than ever that our lower courts are the real problem in our country. They have way, way too much power. And many times, that is power unchecked. The only recourse is to go up the escalation ladder. Again, that wastes time and money. Meanwhile in Minnesota, the arsonists who lit the match escape justice. In fact, the mutts who were protesting to the point of rioting, were lauded by some left-wing organization. They even had hats made up which said, "Make America like Minneapolis". You have got to be kidding me!

The next time you vote, and on the back side of the ballot are dozens of judges listed. Many are running unopposed. Most of us just check a box to be done with it. But it is many of these judges which are the problem. I know, I know - what is the alternative? Not voting at all. Then all it would take is one vote for a judge and he, she or they are in.

Some are saying that these lower court judges are the real enemy of the state. I am not there as yet, but I might be getting there. They certainly don't do the state any good. Now that is for sure.

And a fond good-bye to a not so good PM

 

"Who will be the next PM of the UK? I sure hope that person is from the Conservative Party. I suppose there is no way to re-animate Lady Thatcher. Now THAT is the kind of leader the UK needs."

Keir Starmer. Gone as of today. He was the British form of a United States Democrat. In other words, not really in control of the UK. In the short time he was in charge, the percentage of Muslims in the UK exceeded 6%. But the percentage of Muslims in London, the once very proper and lily-white capital of England - grew to 15%. And London now has a Muslim mayor. Huh? I have been to London years ago - I can't even believe that fact.

England, like most of Europe is changing. No more steady hands on the ship of state. To start with, more secular. Keir Starmer himself is avowed atheist. The entire UK is more socialist. Perhaps that is the reason why Trump and Starmer have had their moments - and not good moments at that. And how does the Mayor of London and Donald Trump get along? Not well - not well, indeed.

Did every member or the UK Labour Party become a problem for the US to work with? Absolutely not. The ten-year term of Tony Blair led to a wonderful relationship between Blair and G.W. Bush. Life was much different back then. Muslim immigration was not the issue it is today, trade issues were minimal, and the military bond between the US and the UK was very strong. Well then, what happened with Starmer? Donald Trump called him out for what was happening to the UK. That was all it took. Was Trump right to do so? Have you seen the UK as of late? It is a mess.

Why didn't the British help us with Iran? Ready for this one? Britian has no operational Navy right now. The once great British fleet now has only 62 ships, and of that total, only 19% are seaworthy. That is terrible. They can do very little to help us do anything. And then to pour salt in the wound, Starmer would not let us use the landing strip at Diego Garca for our bombers. Our best and longest friend in Europe. Stabbed us in the back. It is good that Starmer resigned. Trump said he would remember that snub for a long time to come.

Who will be the next PM of the UK? I sure hope that person is from the Conservative Party. I suppose there is no way to re-animate Lady Thatcher. Now THAT is the kind of leader the UK needs. Get their defense posture back in shape, make peace with Trump on trade, and fix the growing Muslim problem. But we will see. Maybe that train has left the station (so to speak), and we will be stuck with Keir Starmer imitators from now on. 

Just an afterthought. I love the UK. Love London. The good folks of the UK need to elect a new leader who will take back London the way that Trump took back Washington. You know - "make the UK great again" type of person. Or at the least, "make London livable again." Now there is a good start. 

Our future is coming, good or bad it is almost here

 

"Will the future be exciting? Probably, yes. Will we have newer and better products available? Should have. Will we have some people that will be "left in the ditch" as the some of the newer technologies replaces them? That will be our challenge. How to make these new technologies a plus up and not a negative."

Many think that Elon Musk is the only "kingmaker" we have for the direction of our future tech in this country. He is not, but he is certainly the person who seems to be in the lead of a great many things. As far as innovators are concerned, this country seems to be doing quite well right now. Palmer Lucky (co-founder of Anduril Industries) has caught the eye of many people. His vision of an autonomous defense shield for America is awesome and smart. And Palmer is really still a kid - kind of like Elon Musk was just a few short years ago.

The thing which fascinates so many about Elon Musk, is his ability to turn his dreams into reality. He is a shining example of an innovator who constantly searches to the "better mousetrap". For example, one of his dreams is to have factories making products using better cost-effective methods and near perfect automation. His "Guinea Pig" (so to speak) to develop this dream? Using his own factories. And most of his new automation will be a combination of his AI and humanoid robots (Optimus, Gen III).

Besides the way his Optimus humanoid robots will turn factory life around, Elon also wants them affordable enough so that people, should they want one in the house, can make life simpler. How so? Many of the routine and mundane jobs can be done by Optimus instead of us. But there is a cost to us with having a machine which can do many of the things we can do. It will be nice at home to have a machine ready to weed the garden or do the dishes. But it will not be as nice when that machine can do everything we can do at our job. Since humans are a big part of the cost of goods sold, having something cheaper, more dependable, and using near perfect precision will be tough for us to compete with.

As we sit at the midpoint of 2026, many futurists are saying that 2027 is the year we will really start seeing this change to more workplace and domestic automation. But are we ready for it? By the end of this decade (only 4 1/2 years to go), some are saying that much of our world will look and act nothing like we have seen before. In fact, some of the changes will be so fast and so stark, they will be dizzying to many. The allure of these shiny new pennies (as to speak) might be replaced with a new type of depression. Like - what is my worth now, and how to I fit into this brave new world?

Will the future be exciting? Probably, yes. Will we have newer and better products available? Should have. Will we have some people that will be "left in the ditch" as the some of the newer technologies replaces them? That will be our challenge. How to make these new technologies a plus up and not a negative.

How will be know how to do that? We will need to know soon enough, as the future is coming faster than most can imagine. As fast as the speed of change.  

  

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.