Viet Nam - an epilogue...

"Wow - lease we forget. And we all do. The best and brightest of us 40 to 50 years ago that either voluntarily or otherwise, went far away to protect freedom." 

Wow - lease we forget. And we all do. The best and brightest of us 40 to 50 years ago that either voluntarily or otherwise, went far away to protect freedom. But that was so yesterday. The history books are portraying these brave souls as ones who were nothing but dopers, draft dodgers, or losers. And that is so far from the truth it is not even funny.

I have addressed this before when I have talked about the forgotten vets among us. But this this a different part of the forgotten. It is the quality of some of the young men who served back then. Even if a young man went to college right after high school, maintained a 2S deferment (for being a student), once that young man graduated, there went the 2S. And then many either enlisted or were drafted.

How do I know that? When I was going to Navy cryptography school in 1969, a sizable portion of my class who were enlisted, had college degrees. Many had degrees more complex than the officers they served under. I had only a year and a half of college before I enlisted. With that, I was one of the least educated men in my class.

Most all of us in my cryptography class knew of young men who went to Viet Nam. Many of those did time in Viet Nam were also educated and of good character. In Viet Nam, our brave young men became involved in our first asymmetrical war. In other words, it was often hard to know who exactly the enemy was. The soldiers were also exposed to an enemy which had nothing to do with being shot at. I am talking about Agent Orange. Many became sick when they came home. Some died. The toll this highly toxic herbicide took on our brave troops remains incalculable, even to this day.

I have said this many times before. I honor all veterans. Every conflict, hot or cold. Maybe it is my age, maybe it is because I lived during that time. Viet Nam was a turning point in our country. It was a turning point with our military.

Viet Nam impacted a young Army officer named Colin Powell. That young officer went on to become the head of the Army by 1991. He lead the strategy for the first Gulf War. He came up with the now famous Powell Doctrine. Win with overwhelming force. Where did that strategy come from? Powell's experience in Viet Nam. Seeing how a politically driven, incremental war was fought. That did not work well with warfare in the 60's and 70's. General Powell definitely learned that history, and in the Gulf War led our troops to a total victory in about 100 hours.

Viet Nam vets. Many do not want anything any more special than other vets have. That is except for one thing. They don't want to be forgotten. And I will add this part also - they don't want to be marginalized. How Viet Nam was fought, the hazards they faced on a daily basis was not of their choosing or design. They just went over there and did what they had to do, with the best of their ability. 

I honor their service. Their bravery, Their sacrifice. Many now are gone, but not forgotten by myself and others. They were good men, fine men. For whom do the bells toll? For thee brave brothers, for thee.

Nick and the Mayor

"Nick did not see it the same way the St. Paul Mayor saw it. Nick thinks those charges should end up right where they belong - with the protesters."

The police finally went in and took care of the drifters who were illegally shutting down Summit Avenue. The ones involved in this never ending protest. I have been quite frankly amazed on how long this illegal protest has been allowed to continue. But now it is over, and the next one is already planned. But the overtime from the St. Paul police for the month of July has just been tallied. It is a whopping $1.5 million dollars!

When I first heard that, my heart went out to the citizens of St. Paul. In these days of tight budgets, why should they have to pick up this most unnecessary expense? Then the Lefty Mayor of St. Paul was asked about this expense. His response? He would try and get either the state or maybe even the feds to pick up this expense. Huh? But why not - after all, most Democrats think that money which resides in the state or the fed is "free money" to be used for "whatever".

Well guess what? Elk River has a House Representative up in 30 A who does not see it that way. And that would be Republican Nick Zerwas. Nick thinks those charges should end up right where they belong - with the protesters. So he is authoring a bill to address this issue. When I heard about Nick's bill (after listening to the Mayor), this simple thought came to mind. What a clear example of how different Democrats and Republicans think.

In other words, many of us were raised by parents who taught us that actions have consequences. And that is the way that Nick thinks. How do I know that? Because Nick is a family friend and I know him well. The Mayor, whom I do not know, let the cat out of the bag when all he wanted to was just shift those costs. Like most Democrats, the Mayor must believe in the land of "free money". Just ask the Democrats and statists on the Met Council. They are also very familiar with the land of "free money". They are always trying to figure out how to get Washington to pay for more of their choo-choo trains.

It will be interesting to see where Nick's bill ends up. I think it will pass out of the House. The Senate, not so sure. And our goofy Governor? No chance. Remember - our mumbling Governor has sided with the protesters and against the police since the get go. So even though Nick is on the side of the angels on this issue, I am afraid the Senate and Governor will bury this fine effort.

Thank you Representative Zerwas, for being brave enough to bring this to light. Elk River, as well as Minnesota, are lucky to have you in St. Paul.

One Enchanted Evening...

"According to the weather guessers, this weekend is going to be nothing less than marvelous. We are going to go to bed with that cool Canadian air drifting in, and early tomorrow morning we will awake to one of my wife's fine egg dishes."

Okay. I have taken back everything bad I said about Minnesota this past winter or so. Tonight is (dare I say it?), absolutely supreme! Yes, this is why so many of us put up with the abuse, the taxes, the never ending winter, the Democrats, you name it - to live here. And nights like tonight, most of us simply love it.

Some of my friends who have left this state, have asked me why I still live here. It is after all, a very tax unfriendly state to seniors. It also was also unfriendly to veterans until one of our very wise and astute state senators managed to get the retirement pay for veterans excluded from state tax. How did he do that? He (and others), had to "hide it" in a spending bill to get it signed. If they had put it in the tax bill (where it belonged), it would still be in la-la land.

According to the weather guessers, this weekend is going to be nothing less than marvelous. We are going to go to bed with that cool Canadian air drifting in, and early tomorrow morning we will awake to one of my wife's fine egg dishes. Then it is to work putting on the finishing touches getting ready for Monday's big event we are hosting. Once that is done, we are all (including the Cash man), going to get buckled up and go out to see the progress on their lot. Rumor has it the 600' driveway has been cleared and the hole has been dug. 

Back to this evening. I asked my wife if there were any way to bottle this up. To save it for the months we really need it. No sadly, there is not. It is here for us to enjoy in the moment. The only thing which will send us inside is not the impending darkness, it is the Minnesota blood suckers. It mosquitoes did not exist, I could sleep outside in just my lawn chair.

Well that is it. Nothing political, just a shout out to the state I was hatched in. Again, the reason I still live here is I think this is a state worth saving. Should I ever feel otherwise, I will sadly leave here. But for right now, this evening, I am loving this place!

Game On?

"POWERFUL FORCES! Boy is this a throwback term to what the Clintons used to talk about when they sullied the White House the first time."

Okay, the nausea event is finally over. And the message was delivered by the Democrats, loud and clear. Everything is hunky dory except for one thing. (Can I have some scary music before I continue?) POWERFUL FORCES are on the lose - and they are trying to tear us apart!. But - (now triumphant music) WE ARE NOT AFRAID!!!! My response to both of these idiotic statements follow.

POWERFUL FORCES! Boy is this a throwback term to what the Clintons would talk about when they sullied the White House the first time. What exactly are POWERFUL FORCES? Is it the Illuminati? The Rothschild Family? The Majestic 12? Aliens? The vast Right Wing conspiracy? Nope. None of the above I am afraid. It is those rascally Republicans. Those hate mongers. Those obstructionists. 

The only way to get rid of these POWERFUL FORCES is to vote 100% Democratic for everyone and every position. It became very clear that the Democrats hate Republicans much worse than any Islamic Terrorist. So if the Democrats can just get rid of divided government, they can really go to town. Kind of like the first two years of Barry. They were able to pass the  Not Affordable Care Act (NACA) with no Republicans. And that is working out very well, thank you (NOT!).

Now on to the WE ARE NOT AFRAID. Sorry folks - we should be. First off, we should be very afraid what this cancer called debt is doing to our economy. It is like hidden rust which slowly destroys your car. By the time you notice it - too late. Under Hillary, the debt will climb faster than it did under Obama. Why? Thanks to Hillary trying to be like "Bernie light", most everything will be free. How do we pay for it? Put it on the card. Our debt will be $20 trillion with Hillary going in, and $30 trillion (if we last that long) when she and Bill finish sullying the White House the second time. 

How about ISIL? Under Hillary, we will just give them a huge group hug. After all, it is America's fault why they hate us. We have such an evil past! To show support, the first thing that President Clinton (No. 2) will do is mandate that every car have a "Coexist" bumper sticker. And then we will cut all ties with Israel until they give 95% of their land to the Palestinians. Finally, it you can't beat them, join them. President Clinton (No. 2) will appoint new justices to the Supreme Court who only believe in sharia law. 

What about those "thug" cops the Democrats keep talking about? Well, Hillary will show the nation we are NOT AFRAID of them either! We will make them like Bobbies. Instead of guns, they will carry only billy clubs. Not to worry that another cop was ambushed and killed in San Diego last night. The Democrats however, don't care too much about that. Do blue lives matter to them? Not much.

So now that we have taken the "presumptive" off of both our major candidates, let's have game on! No doubt Hillary will get a "bump" from the love fest this week. Many will have been so intoxicated by the glitz, they overlooked the facts. What are the facts? Stay tuned. The Bird will be addressing them ad nauseam over the next few months. 

Absolute Power

"Well a funny thing happens when you have been warming the same seat for 22 years. You make friends, Crony friends."

Wow! This campaign season, albeit young, has taught me quite a bit. Like the difference between idealism and reality. In other words, let me say it like it is. Once you are in, you are in. How you vote, how long you have been in, mean very little. In fact (this one might be hard to believe), up in HD 31B which is one of the reddest of the red House Districts, we have a big problem. Statists and careerists are in the area out door knocking for the one who the BPOU decided not to endorse. The one who's time is up.

Well a funny thing happens when you have been warming the same seat for 22 years. You acquire friends, crony friends. Friends who will forget about the basic principles that sent them to St. Paul in the first place. Too Cryptic? Okay, I will make this more blunt. Tom Hackbarth, who has nesting in his seat for 22 years, was voted out by his BPOU earlier this year. Rather than bowing out gracefully and supporting the endorsed winner (CAL BAHR), Hackbarth is taking this race to the primary.

Ready for this? This is the most painful part. Tom Hackbarth, after losing the endorsement, has been resurrected by the power elite. And who is that? To start with, the most powerful Republican in the state - the Speaker of the House. Plus (and this is also a big one), he has the House Majority Leader out door knocking in our area - not hers!  

One final thing which I think to be addressed. Something that Donald Trump talks about all the time. Cronyism. Trust me - I can tell an idiot from a poser. CALVIN BAHR is one of the most qualified candidates I have ever met. To use an old statement, Cal is "wicked smart"! And many of the "established" reps and senators are afraid to support Cal. It is like Cal is toxic. Why? The system. The crony system. They don't want someone as Constitutionally smart as Cal is. They don't want to "rock the boat". In other words - they want a "good old boy".

Here is a news flash. Many of us want someone to go to Washington and kick over some tables. We also want this crap (and that is the most PC word I can use), OVER in St. Paul. The slime, the sleaze, the lobbyists.

For example, if I were friends of an established rep or senator from another district, I would NEVER be out door knocking for someone who was not endorsed. NEVER! I believe too much in the established process. The one which we all signed up to follow.

Most of us had parents who told us the same thing while growing up - actions have consequences. Elected people who are advocating for counterfeit candidates rather than endorsed candidates, should have real consequences. If CAL BAHR loses because of this outside interference from our own party, I will say this. Home may be where the heart is, but it will not be where the support is. And I will work tirelessly to oust any power monger who violates this most sacred trust.

There you have it. A perfect example of the age old axiom which we should all live by. Absolute power corrupts and power corrupts absolutely. Happens every time where power goes unchecked. And trust me - we, the people, are watching.  

The unfixable machine

"News flash which most of us already know. It is not about how much money is spent."

Once again, we just received our yearly news about how we are just not improving on our education scores. How we still have the "achievement gap". And that "gap" is staying stagnant.

Our top notch head of the state Department of Education (not to be confused with that other waste of space, the federal Department of Education) is clueless on why improvements have not come. Me? It think it is the money. After all, we are only spending a quarter of our state budget on K-12 education. Maybe we should spend half. Or three quarters. Or we can really be brave and spend one and a half times our budget on K-12.

News flash which most of us already know. It is not about how much money is spent. The analogy I always use about our nation's education program is this. Imagine having some kind of machine which was made incorrectly. And because of that, it would never run the right way. No matter how much money you put into it for maintenance every year, it would never run correctly. However, you have been told over and over, to have the machine run the right way, it needs to be rebuilt. Rebuilt the right way. Then it would give you the results you want at a fraction of the cost. 

It is also not a matter of having high speed internet in the classroom. It is not a matter of every student having an I-Pad. It is not having classrooms with only 12 students in them. It is about ATTITUDE. When I went through K-12, we did not have fancy electronic gizmos. All we had were books and a teacher. And because we were "boomers", our class size was enormous - like between 30 and 35 kids. 

Here is the weird thing about when I went through school. With all those "obstacles" against us, most of us still learned. Why? OUR PARENTS told us it was important. If we did not learn, we would not succeed in life. It was IMPORTANT that we become contributing members of society. Today? Not so much. Especially in many of the inner cities. Learning is met with a huge "meh". Many of the homes are dysfunctional, so the kids don't get the "talk" like we did. And THAT is a big part of the problem.

HOWEVER, that part of the problem does not have to be the unfixable part. It is our government education which is the problem. It is the unholy alliance with the NEA on a federal level and Education Minnesota on a state level. The Department of Educations (state and federal) along with the Teacher's Union have created this Frankenstein's Monster. And the only way to kill the monster is to get rid of the three entities which created it.

I have seen private schools in the heart of the city get amazing results from all types of kids at a fraction of the price we spend on government education. And the results some private schools obtain are not just marginally better, they are astronomically better that government schools.

I want the unfixable machine scrapped for two reasons. First as taxpayers, we are getting hosed - big time. We are paying top dollar for lousy results. Second and more importantly, we are selling our kids short. We are creating young adults who are not equipped to compete in world markets. Trust me, every year that will become more and more important. Some kids are getting out of school are not equipped to do the most mundane of tasks - anywhere and under any condition.

This election season when the door knocker come around, be sure to ask what his or her view is on public education. Then have your facts ready if you get a status quo, la-la answer. I have my list of questions all ready to go. Knocking on my door will either be a pleasurable experience or a very painful one. If it is painful, I am sorry. Our future is just too important to screw around any longer.   

Donald Trump's the media once again

"And as for the MSM, one sage word of advice. Learn to understand when you have been played. And Donald played you big time on this one."   

I am going to say what many said during the Republican debates and primaries. Donald Trump is nothing less than a genius in how to play the media. He really is. And he knows he is. He would often brag about how little he would spend on his campaign compared to the other candidates (in particular Jeb!). Somehow, through his bluster and brashness, Donald Trump was able to suck all the oxygen out of the air each and every day. Translation: rather than paying for media, he was able to get the media to cover him for free.

I personally don't think Trump either loves or hates the media. Like a businessman, he looks at the media as nothing more than a tool. As a manager, he looks at the media as something to be managed. And manage them he does.

That comment he made yesterday about the Russians put me in a real LOL moment. It is not often I have a guffaw moment instead of a chuckle. Trump's request to the Russians to release the 30,000 hacked emails was one of those moments. The only ones who could have thought that more amusing than I were the Russians themselves.

Getting back just for a second on how Donald plays the media. Smack dab in the middle of the DNC Convention, that one snarky comment by Trump garnered him front page headlines in the Star Tribune this morning. I know, I know - hard to believe. 

Why do I say the media has been played? When the hacker Guccifer was asked about hacking Hillary's illegal State Department server, Guccifer was not kind in his answer. To paraphrase his words, he said "It was simple." And now that the original Guccifer is out of the picture, a new Guccifer has arrived on the scene. He calls himself (or herself) Guccifer 2.0. And Guccifer 2.0 claims to be the one who hacked the DNC server.

The bottom line is this - I don't care who hacked Hillary's illegal server nor the DNC server. The point is this - if it was Guccifer, Guccifer 2.0, Wikileaks, some computer nerd eating cheese puffs while living in his mother's basement, or the Russians. If you have mail you don't want read by others, don't put it on unsecured servers!!!! Period!

Finally, this. Whomever (if anyone) has copies of the hacked 30,000 Hillary emails, please release them. The DNC release cost Debbie "Blabbermouth" her job. Maybe the release of some of the 30,000 Hillary emails will cost Hillary her shot for the White House.

And as for the MSM, one sage word of advice. Learn to understand when you have been played. And Donald played you big time on this one.   

The hurt which will not go away...

"For those around my age, this story needs no prelude. We all lived it."

I am going to take a break from politics this afternoon. And talk about something which is near and dear to my heart. I want to talk about our veterans. Even though I think ALL our country's veteran are special and in need of special care or attention, I would like to focus in on the Viet Nam Era veterans. In particular, the war fighters from that era.

For those around my age, this story needs no prelude. We all lived it. Back then, we had things to deal with things such as the Selective Service, the draft, 2S deferments, 1A - (ready to go status), Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos, the Cold War and so on. And how returning veterans were treated back then defies description. It was beyond horrible. It was shameful and disgusting.

Back then, I was not a war fighter. Not that I objected, the Navy wanted me to do something different. They wanted me as a "spook" (Intel) instead. While stationed in the WestPac (Western Pacific), my mission was tactical (support the war fighters in Viet Nam), and well as strategic, keeping an eye on the awakening Dragon. From there, I went to the most northeastern part of CONUS. At that site, I was to keep an eye on the Bear (be a part of the Cold War) for the rest of my time. And that was a very busy two years!

My youngest daughter works with some of the war fighters, as well as the support folks from that era, who are not doing so well. Some might say damaged. Damaged due in part (this is my opinion) by the lethargy of our population and government to welcome these people home. Mostly however, many of these brave folks were damaged by the silent disease nobody acknowledged back then - PTSD. 

The war fighters from that era have been treated just as bad as the support people, and then some. All that crap they faced when coming home after facing what they did while serving overseas. Plus (and this is a big one), the war planners back then were all politicians. People who could not fight a war if it bit them in the butt. 

Viet Nam could have been a war we could have easily won. Instead we came home with our tails between our legs. If our war fighters could have just been war fighters, they could have saved Viet Nam from the carnage they had to suffer through after we left.

Most of us know this. When you see a vet, thank that person. Regardless of what he or she did in the service of our country, they deserve it. If you see a vet from the Viet Nam era, welcome that person home - even if it is 45 or 50 years late. Then if you come across a war fighter from the Viet Nam era, ask permission, and then please hug that person. That person deserves that and so much more.

Folks, Viet Nam was our first "sixties war" fought by brave men and women - and directed by the politically elite. Thank God our current conflicts are different. People, both men and women, are welcomed home with open arms (by the majority of us).

We need to do more. This is the hurt which will not go away. And that hurt should be shared by all of us. Let us not let the forgotten stay forgotten.

An Historic Achievement!!!

"Last night in the City of Brotherly Love, you could really feel the love! And what is there not to love? For me, I loved the hypocrisy. And even more than that, I loved how the hypnotized throngs paid homage to this phony."

What a night last night! I was simply glued to the TV! History was made for the first time! The roll call was made, the numbers tallied. And then it happened - history. For the first time in American history, as the nominee of a major political party, we are going to have a (wait for it)... yet to be, or should have been, indicted felon. Now that is some history we can crow about!

Last night in the City of Brotherly Love, you could really feel the love! And what is there not to love? For me, I loved the hypocrisy. And even more than that, I loved how the hypnotized throngs paid homage to this phony. How some wept, other's hugged, and the rest mostly cheered. After all, this woman is a survivor. She made it through the Benghazi hearings and those spineless Republicans did not lay a glove on her. Not because she was not guilty. It was because she is a (wait for it)....woman. And the Republicans did not want to be accused of being sexist, misogynist, bullies (again).

Truthfully, this woman defies description. If she was a man, I would say she has huge cojones to get away with some of the shenanigans she has. To show up and give a speech on income inequality while wearing a $12,000 jacket was one of my favorites. Or always talking about how there are "two Americas", one for the well healed, and the other for the rest of us. Well Hillary, you and Bill have become very well healed thanks to the United States taxpayers!

The bulk of the Hillary supporters in the arena last night have definitely been blinded by the light. How in the world could they not see this woman for what she is?  And it does not take a PhD in Thinkology to see through this paper thin veneer. First off, she is a stone cold liar. Not an embellisher, not an fibber, not a teller of tall tales - she flat out lies.

Next, she is a hypocrite of gargantuan proportions. She can give a speech railing against the evils of Wall Street. And yet they are some of her biggest donors. The same goes for Hollywood. The well healed in Hollywood are as phony as the movies they make. They fit in very nicely with the Clinton machine.  

She is also incompetent. She did not do diddly as Secretary of State. Well, she flew around quite a bit. And as First Lady, her main job was covering up her husband's dalliances. Her email scandal should have landed her in prison. Most other people would not have fared so well. But Hillary got away with it. If she was just an ordinary Jane Doe, and had this email crap in her background, she would NEVER EVER receive another clearance. But if morons vote her into the White House, she will have the highest clearance in the land.

One of the motto's in the DNC event is "Love Trumps Hate". The message of course, is directed at the Republicans. Donald Trump hates many, while Hillary Clinton loves everyone.

Well Hillary does indeed love. She loves money. She loves power. And most off all, she loves herself. Historic achievement? Not a bit. She is a classic fail.  

The year of enlightenment

"That is except for one thing - both sides have seen crony capitalism and government corruption up close and personal."

So far, this has been a year like no other in my lifetime. Seriously. It is like the light has gone off for many, regardless of which side of the aisle they reside on. What is interesting is this - as the progressives drifts further off into la-la land, and the conservatives become more Constitution centric, the two sides are looking as similar as night and day. That is except for one thing - both sides have seen crony capitalism and government corruption up close and personal.

I am now going to give Donald Trump some props. He called it out early in the process. Some thought he was just being a crybaby. But he was not. He saw the system for what it is. Rigged. Corrupt. And that is on our side. The Democratic side is even worse. But it took some leaked emails for the Bernie Sanders side of the Democratic Party even longer to realize this. And what the emails showed were the warts, sores and everything else which haunts the upper echelons of the DNC. 

Truthfully, when after Hillary had the votes and became "presumptive", that is the first time Trump invited the Bernie supporters to join him. Not because his positions and Bernie's were similar - they are not. He invited them because he was the only one left who could go to Washington and fix what is broken. To throw a rock into the bee's nest. To kick over the tables. You pick the axiom. You know what I mean.

My feeling is this. This year has been a pivotal year in our politics. More and more people are paying attention. People who think they have fair knowledge of our system (myself included), have found out just how much they don't know. Yes, I am talking about the soft underbelly. The sleaze. The corruption. The greased skid into being a lobbyist. Not to be crude, but the K-Street bullshit. 

And by the way. Please don't think this corruption stops at K-Street. It then travels almost 1,000 miles and heads for St. Paul. Yes, our beloved state capital is also suffering from the same terminal disease. And more and more people are seeing the jig is up. No more playing to the stupid. The jig is up.

Where do we go from here? At breakfast this morning, a good friend said sometime to find consensus, you need to only look for a square inch on the table to start with. Amen. This might be our square inch. Let us build on this. This could be the beginning of our "Year of Enlightenment". Stay tuned...   

Peeling the skin off...

"So the word on the street was during this convention, the puppet masters were going to 'peel the skin off of Donald Trump.' Oops! It seems that the skin might be coming off of Debbie and Hillary instead."

Since we have our grandson living with us, we are into watching the same types of little children's videos he likes. One of them is called Frozen Fever. He likes it quite a bit (even though he has seen it a hundred times or so) and my wife really like one line in the song. It goes (if I may paraphrase), "we are somewhere between chaos and hullabaloo!" 

Well, all I can say is this - timing is everything. For example, every beating heart who has a smidgen of honesty know that Hillary Clinton is firmly entangled in the DNCC. And as most of us know, Hillary and Debbie WS are like blood brothers - I mean blood sisters. So the word on the street was during this convention, the puppet masters were going to "peel the skin off of Donald Trump". Oops! It seems that the skin might be coming off of Debbie and Hillary instead.

Then those emails. Why and who did that?? It was so unfair to have then released right before the big show! So the first thing the puppet masters did was blame the Russians. Why? Putin is scared to death of Hillary and he knows he can "roll" Donald Trump. Well here is a news flash. It was not the Russians. It was Wikileaks backed by Anonymous. Did they release those to help Trump? Not a bit. I don't think Wikileaks has any time for Trump either. They did it to expose the deep seated corruption in our government. And it is not over yet - not by a long shot.

Now I don't know much about the organizations who are releasing the emails. But I do know this much. They are non-partisan. They hate our system. They think it is corrupt. The only strength the anarchists have, their best weapon by far, is the internet. To steal embarrassing secrets and then expose those secrets at the most opportune time. Now we are talking about some real damage. 

So what do we know? We know the Republican convention was a mess due mostly to themselves. The Democrats needed a bit of help however. They needed a push from Wikileaks. And they got it. Now anonymous and Wikileaks can smell blood in the water. Time for the (as swimmers say), the finishing kick. The Hillary emails which Guccifer hacked. And now the skin is really going to start to be peeled off.

How is this going to end up? Unknown at this time. It will depend who has the strongest will. If it will be the DNCC to "protect its own", or the iconoclasts who want to "kick over the tables in Washington." After last night, the DNCC is really trying to circle the wagons - protect the queen. My guess? She is on thin ice right now, and one more dump of damning emails could put her under water. We can only hope!

A witch's brew...

"My mind started to wander. I was going to say the entire night was nothing more than a witch's brew of liberal nonsense, but that is an insult to witches."

I tried, I really tried. My wife asked me if I was going to watch all of night one of the DNC Convention. I told her I really did not want to, but there might be a cornucopia of good stuff to write about for this week. I failed. I could not watch that phony Michelle (my bell). And then when the Native American Elizabeth Warren came on, I could only make it through half at best. I wanted to barf.

My mind started to wander. I was going to say the entire night was nothing more than a witch's brew of liberal nonsense, but that is an insult to witches. From Corey Booker screaming into the mic sweating like a stuck pig, to even Bernie towards the end telling us everything we would now be getting for free. It was bad - real bad. However tonight will be even worse. Tonight they go after our police forces.

Yesterday in France, Islamic Terrorists stormed a church and beheaded a priest. This is huge, huge news. ISIS, ISIL, or Dash (whatever) has told the world they want to bring the war to Europe and the USA. With the terror attacks in France, Germany and elsewhere, it looks like they are good to their word. By the way - no mention by the whiners last night about our growing war on terror. The carnage now taking place in Europe. It seems the real enemies of this country are Donald Trump and air conditioning. 

Just before I had to change the channel when Warren was speaking, my mind drifted back to last last week. Right after the RNC Convention was over, and before the 20,000 email dump. I was listening to a pundit talk about how important it was during the DNC Convention for Hillary to really squelch her trust deficit. Since a large part of the country thinks she is a sleaze bag, she needed to fix that - and quickly.

Well shut my mouth! Thank you Wikileaks! Now Hillary's trust deficit is larger than the Grand Canyon. And rather than be concerned about the dirty, rotten to the bone corruption which infests the DNC/Hillary Camp, what is the issue? The Russians. They did it! They leaked these damning emails just to undermine our political system! However, only idiots would take that seriously. Most of us know the real issue. The not yet indicted felon, Hillary Clinton.

Here is my take in a nutshell if you are a kool aide drinking Lefty. Cops - bad. War on terror - so yesterday. Free stuff - fantastic. Taxes - never enough. National Debt - myth. Crooked Hillary - AWESOME!  No wonder the Democrats have a jackass for their national symbol.

The Democrat Iconoclast

"In a different way, Bernie also wanted to go "into the Washington system" and kick over some tables. To fix some of the corruption."

Rumor (well it is more than rumor) has it that Bernie really sold his soul when he backed Hillary Clinton. I have said since the get-go of the campaign season, there was NOTHING in common between Sanders and Clinton. And I mean NOTHING. Actually, even though Bernie would never admit this, he has more in common with Donald Trump than he does with Hillary Clinton.

In a different way, Bernie also wanted to go "into the Washington system" and kick over some tables. To fix some of the corruption. He does not like the way his adopted party (that be the Democratic Party, since Bernie is a socialist) has turned out. Seems that Ms. Clinton, like many other establishment Democrats, have become very cozy with Wall Street. Not only Wall Street, but the big money in Hollywood also. So much for the "little guy".

Bernie also suspected the system might be rigged during the primaries. Okay - I will use the not so delicate words that Bernie did not. He got screwed royally. He started to suspect that Hillary's BFF (Debbie WS) might be behind some of these shenanigans. But he still hung in there. And the pressure started to build. "Bernie, for the good of the party, you need to suspend! Endorse the inevitable one, Hillary. Don't worry, she will adopt some of your pet rocks in return for your favor." So Bernie finally acquiesced. 

This weekend, when the Wikileaks emails showed up, I was wondering if Bernie thought he might have been had. I sure do. This does not mean I agree with any of Bernie's policy's - I do not. But he is a darn sight more honest than Hillary. Plus, I would also be seething right now if I was a Bernie supporter. And I would be looking for someone who may have different policies than I like, but had vowed to go into Washington with both guns blazing. Hint: That would not be Hillary.

So I am sorry Bernie. Time for you to go now. It is too bad however - we need more people who are iconoclasts. This go along, come along cadre of crony capitalists on both sides of the aisle has got to stop. Ted Cruz would have been an excellent iconoclast. We can only hope that Donald Trump stays true to his word and he is one also. 

One more thing before I close. Another main stream Republican penned a letter to the editor this morning expressing (in his opinion) why Hillary would make a better President than Trump. Again, this is the problem. The virus has spread deep in that town, and has hit both sides of the aisle. The R's and D's are wearing different uniforms, yet are playing on the same side of the field. And that field is called corruption. Of course main stream Republicans want Hillary - she is one of them.

Looking forward, I will say this. These next four years are going to reshape our country one way or another. If Hillary wins, the ship is really going to hit the sand with the "little guy". The social unrest will be off the charts. Only this time much the unrest will be coming from the Right. From the patriots. From the makers.

Buckle up. These next four years truly will be ones "which will try men's souls." 

A Fractured Vessel

"I have some very good friends who went to Cleveland. Some were for Ted Cruz, a few were for others, and the rest were for Donald Trump."

We as a nation are far from being monolithic. We are far from being homogeneous. And truthfully - we are now far from looking like a patchwork quilt. What do we look like right now? A mess. Not just any mess - a hot mess. 

Why do I say that? I have some very good friends who went to Cleveland. Some were for Ted Cruz, a few were for others, and the rest were for Donald Trump. I have said this many times. I was a Ted Cruz guy until he suspended. Yes, I do wish he was there at the end. But he was not. It then became painfully real to me. A vote will end up being between Hillary or Donald Trump. There is not a third way out. But that is just my opinion.

So whenever I post something like that, my friends who are in the "Never Trump" camp, have been all over me. Reality (as I see it), is a vote for Trump might be enough to derail the Hillary express. A vote for anyone else but Trump, might just be a vote for Hillary. 

One of my social media friends (who I respect), told me a vote for either Trump or Hillary was the same "bite out of the same turd sandwich." Okay - I took that advise on board. Then on Friday when we were driving home from up north, we listened to Beck right before Rush came on. Beck's take - Hillary's a crook, and Trump is a phony megalomaniac. Okay - to both those sage inputs I have the same question. What are we going to do in November? PLEASE don't tell me it does not matter, because it does!

So here is what we have going into Philadelphia. The Bernie supporters are feeling screwed. The Hillary supporters have more troubles than Carter's has pills. The Trump supporters are somewhat threadbare right now. The Cruz supporters are feeling dejected. And the Gary Johnson supports are feeling like they should feel - very small. All in all, who is going to govern this mess? And how can they govern this mess?

I have said this before. Whomever is our next President has to clean up the mess Obama has left us. And it is a big mess. Hillary has pledged to be "more of the same". That is bad news. Donald Trump has said he would like to "kick the tables over in Washington and make some changes." And he might.

Here is the problem in a nutshell. Be it the Republicans, the Democrats (or the "others"), this country is ripe for a change. And just to be clear - if we want to change our Constitution, it will not be easy. To do so, will involve many people from many states. So if we can't pull that magic off - sticking with our original Constitution is what we will need to do. And that is not that bad of an idea.

Whoever takes over this great country will inherit the same thing. A fractured vessel. It will be tough, no matter who wins. I would like to say it will be easy, but it will not. That is unless we can figure out how to once again be a patchwork quilt instead of a fractured vessel. The last guy left us more fractured - let us hope the next man or woman can pull us back together without bankrupting us.

Pandemonium in Phildelphia

"And then, to make matters worse, you have caused Debbie 'blabber mouth' (thanks Rush), to be persona non gratta for the event!" 

Oh my, oh my, oh my! What has happened in just a few short days? The Democrats were going to teach the Republicans how to have a civil and orderly convention. It was going to be a piece of cake. After all, the Republicans decided to display their dirty laundry and then show all their warts on top of it all. No, it was all but done.

Dang you Wikileaks! Why did you have to be the proverbial turd in the punch bowl? Why did you have to release 20,000 hacked e-mails right before the DNCC big dance? And then, to make matters worse, you have caused Debbie "blabber mouth" (thanks Rush), to be persona non gratta for the event! 

Well Monday cannot come soon enough for the DNCC puppet masters. What else can go wrong? After a very fragile truce with "The Burn", all of a sudden the e-mails hit. You know, the ones showing that Debbie and the team were out to rig the election. What? You mean Trump is right? The system is rigged? Boy oh boy. Seeing just a few of those hacked e-mails sure made Trump's case. In fact, Donny boy might have just picked up a butt load of Bernie supporters.

Look - it is no secret, none what so ever, that Debbie and Hillary are BFFs. Have been for a long time. And Debbie really, really wanted Hillary to be the chosen one. But that dang old guy Bernie started taking way too many votes. So the fix had to go in. And those e-mails show just how clearly the puppet masters gamed the system. 

It is going to be fun to watch this thing unfold next week. The host (or hostess) of the event is suppose to be the chairperson of the party. Reince was the host last week. Who is the host going to be the host or hostess this week? Debbie will be hiding under a desk somewhere, hoping against hope she does not get canned. Me? I think she will be canned. Right after the convention.

By the way, rumor has it that Wikileaks still has many more DNCC emails that can be released. The rumor mill also says Wikileaks has some of Secretary Clinton's personal emails which were hacked. You know, the ones which have NOT been released to Congress. It is funny how Wikileaks has gone from being a pain in the butt to many of us to now being a beacon of light.

So thank you Debbie, for being such an idiot. Normally the party in power gets the last convention as that one can be the most impactful in voter's minds. And this one will be impactful for sure. Just not in the way the DNCC had planned it. 

Car Toppers and Pull Behinds

"Many people who drive up to Duluth don't want to just park there. Some do, maybe a slight few, but most I believe wish to keep heading north on Highway 53, or northeast on Highway 61."

Interesting drive coming home yesterday. We were one the roads that Bob Dylan made famous - Highway 61. Or putting that in other terms, it is the "only girl in town" from Duluth to the Canadian border. And what did we see on that road? A whole lot of cars and trucks with toppers and/or pulling some kind of trailer and/or a boat. 

Many people would read this and say, "So what? That is about as interesting as seeing the sun rise in the east!" Well here is why it is interesting. And I have addressed this before. Many people who drive up to Duluth don't want to just park there. Some do, maybe a few, but many I believe wish to keep heading north on Highway 53, or northeast on Highway 61. 

Now it is no secret that the Democrats would love to take over the leadership of the Anoka County Board. Why? Because our Board (yes, I live in that fine county), is a HUGE roadblock to getting support to build the NLX. And just as a reminder, the NLX stands for the Northern Lights Express. The train up to Duluth with only a few strategic stops on the way up there. Or shall we call it what it really is - the "casino train".

Dang those stalwarts on the Anoka County Board for seeing this boondoggle for what it is! Dang them for being good stewards of our tax money. And then let's heap praises on our state Democrats who once again are showing us their cards (so to speak). They are nothing more than puppets - stooges, of the slimy special interests, and lobbyists who infest St. Paul and Washington.

This November when you go into vote, remember this. We are a free people. We love our freedom. We don't want to be me managed. The Anoka County Board at one time was made up of people who thought we needed to be managed. But now they are gone and we have true freedom lovers who know how to work a budget and then provide excellent services with the tax money we entrusted to them. 

Here is the bottom line. If we want to drive to Duluth, we will drive. If we want to pull our trailer with us, we will. If we want to keep going up to Grand Marias, or the Iron Range, we will do that also. What we DON'T want to do is to pay for some stupid "casino train" which is nothing more than a payback to some special interest. Our Anoka County Board protects us from that kind of corruption.

If you live in Anoka Country, make sure in November we all vote to keep our Board the way it is now. I have seen how it was in the past, and trust me, we don't want to go back that way!

The system IS rigged (and then some)!!

"The other reason, is they believe the system is rigged. The deck is stacked. And it is all because Washington and St. Paul are broken."

I heard something on one of the news channels when we were on the North Shore. It had to do with Millennials. Why they are so "meh". There were two reasons the pundits had come up with. Many are convinced they will not have it as good as their parents have had it. (By the way, many parents are also starting to believe this). The other reason, is they believe the system is rigged. The deck is stacked. And it is all because Washington and St. Paul are broken.

Normally I would blow off such hyperbole as this. But I am starting to believe it myself. Washington and St. Paul have been taken over by con men (and women). Just like in the Ghost busters movies, it is like both towns have been "slimed" with something unholy and toxic.

Catching up on the local news since I was gone this week, I saw an interesting article about our favorite choo-choo train. That be the Southwest LRT. Or using other terms, the train we will all pay for (a lot!) and very few will ride. Anyhow, the news story is despite the fact the state did not pony up the $100+ million to unlock all that "free" money from Washington, Washington is going to release that money anyway. Huh? What the what?

Let's replay the bidding just for a minute. During the last session, Governor Mumbles changed his mind towards the end. At that time, the funding for the SWLRT became his pet rock. And he told us over and over and over again, if those stingy Republicans did not release the funding, the "FREE" money from the Feds would not come. And not only Mumbles, but most of the Loony Left repeated that lie to the local population.

Next week you will have a chance to hear (I will plagiarize this term from Governor Pence if that is okay) the Secretary of Status Quo promise more of the same. More and more sleaze dumped on Washington. She is a person who does NOT believe the fix is in. Why? She lives by the fix. It has made her and her man fabulously wealthy while the rest of us just suck out.

You may love Donald Trump, you may hate him. You may believe him, or disbelieve him. However if there is the most remote chance that he would go to Washington and "kick over the tables", I am all in. This crap has got to stop! The people have a voice too! In fact, the people's voice should be all that matters. 

I have said this before. Half of the people are angry right now. In fact it is seething anger. The makers have had it, while the takers just want more of the same. If we get more of the same with a Clinton in the White House, I fear for our great country. I fear for what might happen. We need to fix Washington and St. Paul while they are still fixable. Otherwise America will just end up as a footnote in the history books. 

Now - ours to lose...

"Again, I am a realist. This election would be a lot easier if Trump had not said some strange and often insulting things to other candidates."

Despite some hiccups, the convention actually turned out better than I thought it would. No protests to speak of, no major walk outs, and some very dynamite speeches. I am not going to put lipstick on a pig however - this entire primary season was a mess. Some very hurtful and regrettable things were said. So much so, the repercussions of a couple of them might have caused Ted Cruz to fall on his sword during his convention speech.

Love him or not, Trump is now our guy. We can wallow in the past, relive some of the "ouch" moments of the campaign, or we can move out smartly and help this guy win. Again, I am a realist. This election would be a lot easier if Trump had not said some strange and often insulting things to other candidates. The hurt remained so strong, the Governor of Ohio would not even set foot in the arena during the convention. Shameful.

But now comes the hard part. We need to forgive. And try to forget. It we continue to live in the past, to never let go of the hurts and missteps of the campaign, we will go down in flames. We will lose. After November, our ship of state will be captained by Hillary Clinton. And the list we have now will soon turn into a capsize. 

I don't think many my the brothers and sisters, who refuse to support Donald Trump, realize just how bad a Clinton Presidency would be for our country. It might allow our country to drift into some sort of civil war. And I am not kidding when I say that. The anger is seething right now in America. Freedom loving people are NOT going to put up with another anti-constitutional monarchy for 4 to 8 years. They will not. I will not.

Next week we will get a glimpse of just what the Democrats have in mind for our future. Most of what they propose will be taken directly out of la-la land. Free everything, open borders, co-exist with the people trying to kill us, and a war on our police forces. Plus (as Brit Hume said last night), Democrats will spend four days trying to rip the skin off of Donald Trump.

Here is the nut of the story. This election, which is important beyond comprehension, is ours to win - or ours to lose. You see we too, can peel the skin off of their candidate. And there is quite a bit of skin and warts to peel off. She is THE most flawed candidate in Democratic history. More flawed than Lyndon Johnson. Way, way more. 

We will lose however, if we continue to fight each other. If we continue to treat Trump like he has leprosy. On the other hand, we can take him at his word. He just might "kick the tables over" in Washington. Fix what has been broken for decades. And that is what I am banking on. And that is why this November, I am pulling the lever for Donald J. Trump.