Have we become ungovernable?

"Please don't tell me we need a 'healer' to fix ourselves. We thought electing the first mixed race president would do the trick. A 'bring us together' moment. We were dead wrong."

Last night I listened to a young man who had some ancestral ties to Eisenhower. He talked about how Eisenhower got into politics. To people who knew IKE, whether he became a Republican, or a Democrat was a crap shoot. Why is that? Back in the day, there was very little difference (unlike today) between the two parties. As we know from history, IKE became a Republican and picked Nixon to be his Veep. 

To quote the Bible, the difference today between the two parties is as "far as the east is from the west". It has been a slow yet gradual separation. But right now, the difference between the two parties is absolute. What do they agree on? Very little or anything. In other words, we might have crossed the Rubicon where we have become ungovernable.

Yesterday, I watched a bit of the House proceedings where the fate of Mayorkas (DHS Secretary) was being decided. It was the usual "he said, she said" type of argument in the House chambers. There was zero consensus on any point. It was red vs blue all the time. To the Democrats, Mayorkas is a saint, to the Republicans, Mayorkas is a villain. To the Republicans, Mayorkas is not following our laws, to the Democrats, the issue on the border is the fault of Congress for not giving Biden enough resources. BTW - for Biden's first two years, the Democrats controlled Congress. But who cares about the facts?

What about the election coming up in November? If somehow Biden would win again, many citizens would go nuts. Like really nuts. Many would not abide with the outcome. They have had it with grandpa. By the same token, should Donald Trump win, the Trump haters would also go nuts. They would refuse to be governed by such a hated man.

Even if a third-party person was in the mix, it would be the longest of long shots for that person to win. No, it will be either Trump or Biden. And whomever it is, that person will preside over a totally divided nation. Hate will have replaced brotherly love. Ungovernable will have replaced governable. Our country will continue to be a mess.

If Trump wins and the country's vitals look even better than the first time he was POTUS, the left will not accept him. Why? To the left he is worse than Satan, regardless of how well everybody is doing.

One might wonder if this is true. Like, how divided are we right now? Here is a perfect example. The showdown in Texas. Twenty-five of the state's AGs are siding with Texas. The other twenty-five are siding with Biden. 50-50, once again. No agreement, no consensus. Just spitting over the wall.

Please don't tell me we need a "healer" to fix ourselves. We thought electing the first mixed race president would do the trick. A "bring us together" moment. We were dead wrong.

Obama was the president who lit the first match. And then we had Trump, and then we had Biden, and now we have chaos. 

 

   

Meanwhile, back on the home front...

"The internal security which started under G.W. Bush, and then was strengthened by Donald Trump - has been dismantled by Obama and Biden. We are not only sitting ducks overseas, but also sitting ducks in our own homeland."

It really does seem that wars are raging all around us right now. Will we be able to stay out of them? Unlikely. When we have troops spread all over the place, and with the bad guys seeming to proliferate like rabbits, the chance of having some of our troops killed or wounded goes up substantially. Like it or not, the United States, and those who represent this country in uniform - are targets for baddies. What happened the other day, losing three brave heroes on an obscure US post on the border of Lebanon and Syria, reflects that reality.

Going into February of 2024, where does that leave us? First off, it leaves us with a country which is brimming with millions of uninvited, illegals who may or may not want to do harm to this great nation. What are the odds that even a small fraction of the six million illegals that Biden let into this country want to do us harm? I would say good to excellent. And then what Uncle Joe? We have wars raging all over the globe (it seems like), Taiwan is a tinderbox, South Korea has a nut ball living to their north, and we may be primed and loaded for another 9/11 type attack.

Dare I bring this up as a reminder? We not only have two dead SEALS since the Hamas attacks, three dead soldiers, dozens of wounded (many with TBIs), but we also have thirty dead Americans who were killed in the Hamas attack. And some taken hostage. Where is the outrage for that? That is the deadest attack we have had since 9/11. But - we have seen many of our useful idiots out protesting AGAINST Israel instead of Hamas. Why? Fools have rushed in. But our citizens grieving for the thirty dead souls, many who were mutilated? Nil heard, nary a word. 

Right after the October attack, Bibi Netanyahu said ANY PERSON from Hamas who was in the least way involved with this attack - was a dead man walking. Refreshing words from a leader. Kind of like the words we would like to hear from our leader (if we had one). Instead, we get "Don't", followed up by no action. Saying we will "respond in the time and place of our choosing", is like saying it will be on the 12th of never. Meanwhile, our SOS said yesterday, he has never seen the world look more dangerous. That being said, what a wonderful time to let into our country, six million plus unknowns from all over the globe. Well played, Uncle Joe!

The internal security which started under G.W. Bush, and then was strengthened by Donald Trump - has been dismantled by Obama and Biden. We are not only sitting ducks overseas, but also sitting ducks in our own homeland. Why? Because Biden's war is against the climate, white supremacists, and MAGA members. The real bad guys in this world can just skate. Or we will give them skads of money, like we did to Iran. 

By the way, it is not just Blinken who said the danger in the world was palpable right now. Our FBI chief also said he had never "seen so many blinking red lights" as right now. What say you, all you "soft targets"? Feeling good? Feeling safe? Our president's main job is to keep the country safe. Instead, we have grandpa, telling stories how he "beat the hell out of that racist Corn Pop behind the high school gym". Meanwhile, Rome continues to burn... 

  

Obama's Nuke

"Our dangerous world is getting more dangerous. Instead of having a lion in our White House, we have a kitten. By the time Donald Trump gets sworn in next January, our world might be unfixable. And it all started with Obama's nuke."    

I don't even need to go "way back" for this one. Only back to the days of "Barry" Obama. The America wrecker. Obama, Biden and Kerry, better known as the naivety brothers, decided the best way to control Iran was to trust them. Trust them? This bunch of thieves? This cauldron of terror in the Middle East? Sure - why not. This whole thing of "trust but verify" of Reagan's, was so very yesterday. Now we were going to have an agreement with Iran called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action JCPOA). We will give Iran over $100B NOT to build a nuke. Boy, were we ever suckers on that one. 

Who were the guilty parties in us giving away the store to Iran? Obama (President), Biden (Veep), Kerry (SOS), and Moriz (Sec of Energy). Under their leadership, they got us into the JCPOA, and Iran really went to town. We trusted them to adhere to the agreement. We trusted them NOT to use the money we gave them not to spend it on terror. What did Iran do? Laughed all the way to the bank. They spread terror. They worked on developing a nuke. What did Obama do about it? Nothing. He was too busy wrecking our country.

Flash forward to today. An Iran expert was on the news last night talking about the ill-fated JCPOA (By the way, Trump killed it when he got into office). The damage to our misplaced trust had already been done. This expert says Iran is now weeks away from their first nuke. By the end of the year, Iran could have six nukes. Thanks to Obama, by the end of 2024, we will have a nuclear Iran.

By the way, Saudi Arabia has said in the past that should Iran ever get a nuke, they will get one also. And then maybe UAE. In other words, Obama's nuke is going to change everything over in the Middle East. And if we are going to teach Iran a lesson for the troops they killed and injured, we had better hurry.

By the way, one of the first things Biden wanted to do when he became POTUS was start up the JCPOA again. WHAT??? Give Iran some money which was being held due to Iran's bad behavior. Biden thought we should "trust" Iran once again. So, we released the $6B we were holding. Not too long after that happened, Iran's proxies in Gaza (Hamas), attacked Israel and butchered over 1,000 innocents. Coincidence? Maybe - or maybe not.

To me, Iran is more dangerous than China, Russia and the Norks combined. Iran looks at the United States as the "great Satan". Iran wants to destroy Israel. Wipe them off the face of the Earth. If Biden had a pair, he would unleash the dogs of war on Iran - NOW. Before they have a nuke. Teach them a lesson they would NEVER forget. Or, like Obama, we could just write them an angry letter, and forget about them killing our people. 

Our dangerous world is getting more dangerous. Instead of having a lion in our White House, we have a kitten. By the time Donald Trump gets sworn in next January, our world might be unfixable. And it all started with Obama's nuke.    

   

"They only had to get it right - one time"

"More on this tomorrow as more news unfolds. Note to POTUS 44 and POTUS 46 - appeasement with slimeballs does not work. We were had. We gave Iran billions to behave themselves. What do we get in return? Three more US coffins coming into Dover."

Iranian Proxies. Who would have believed they are going to pull this great nation into another war? Maybe another endless war. Since the Hamas slaughter of innocents in Israel, Iranian Proxies have launched over 150 attacks on our bases in the Middle East. That is besides all the missile and drone launches at international shipping in the Red Sea. The old tried and true expression in the defense of our country is, "We need to get it right 100% of the time. The bad guys only need to get it right once." And last night - they did.

Right now, it is the fog of war getting in the way of good information. We do know this from reliable news reporting - 3 dead and two dozen or so injured. What is reported and not confirmed, is this attack happened at night, hitting the sleeping quarters. But like I said, I don't know if that is accurate as yet. But it really does not matter where these deaths and injuries happened. Iran is responsible, and they need to pay. 

The question being asked over and over again on the news this late morning when the news broke was "where do we go from here"? Hit Iran hard, and hit them now? Wait 72 hours to let ensure we have the right solution? It MUST be something powerful and effective. To give them another "pin prick" will only embolden them more. If it were me calling the shots? I would start out with a salvo of our state-of-the-art land attack missiles headed for an Iranian port. If Iran hit us back, I would show them what the IKE is capable of. What Super Hornets looks like when angry. 

More on this tomorrow as more news unfolds. Note to POTUS 44 and POTUS 46 - appeasement with slimeballs does not work. We were had. We gave Iran billions to behave themselves. What do we get in return? Three more US coffins coming into Dover. We tried the carrot with these guys - time to use the stick. And I mean the big stick.  

As the nation rises against the tyrant...

"To put an exclamation point on this issue, the patriotic truckers have now joined the fray. Fix your gaze on Texas. In other words, WE THE PEOPLE are tired of all this bs." 

Wow! Who would have ever imagined it? I guess when you throw everything possible against the wall to see what sticks, sooner or later the crowd will go crazy. And this crowd (the citizens of the United States), have just about had it with the tyrant (Joe Biden). NO MORE! The cry has gone up from the House of Representatives, from half the nation's governors, and now from the "Army of God" trucker convoy. What is happening in Texas might just be the next Alamo.

What is all the fuss about? Nothing really, except our Commander-in-Chief, along with his head of Homeland Security, allowing an invasion of our country. Only this invasion is not clandestine - it is happening live in in color, right in front of our shocked faces. Every time our liar in chief or his puppet Mayorkas is asked about the sovereignty of our border, Mayorkas will smirk and say our border is locked down "tighter than a drum". Well, guess what tyrant? It is now game over.

This revolt against the tyrant all started with one man. One man who got tired of all the talking. One man who knew our Constitution and the rights which came with it. That man is Governor Greg Abott. This patriot, confined to a wheelchair, has the heart and soul of a lion. He was the one, unlike that squish who is the governor of Arizona, who said "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH"! He put buoys in the Rio Grande, and razor wire on the banks of Texas. And every time he did something to protect the state of Texas, the tyrant would sue him in federal court. 

This time however, when the tyrant wanted all the razor wire removed, Governor Abott said "no way". The tyrant said that he had the law on his side. Abott said he had the Constitution on his side. Many of the red states governors knew Greg Abott was right. And this flood of illegals was infecting ALL states, border or not. Now half the country is against the tyrant on this issue. Twenty-five states, willing and able to send down troops and more razor wire to Texas. 

To put an exclamation point on this issue, the patriotic truckers have now joined the fray. Do you want to see what a real insurrection looks like tyrant? Just fix your gaze on Texas. In other words, WE THE PEOPLE are tired of all your bs. Your green energy crap, which is being shoved down our throats. Your wars. Your inflation. You are dividing our nation by race, creed and income. WE THE PEOPLE are making our stand in Texas.

How is this going to end? Will the tyrant back down and agree to protect and defend our country? Stay tuned. As I said before, history is being made. It is unfolding right in front of our eyes. WE THE PEOPLE grew tired of King George. We are also going tired of Joe Biden.      

  

Stupid is as stupid does

"We have GOT to rid of these morons ruining our country. Vote every single Democrat out of office this November. Every Democrat, right down to the dog catcher. I have never seen a group of people more intent to destroy the very country they live in. We need the adults back in charge, and we need that now! November cannot come fast enough."

When I was growing up, I was told that calling someone stupid was impolite. Not a nice thing to do. Once we had kids, we told our kids the same thing. So, I am sorry in advance (or not sorry), that I need to use that word to describe some of the America haters in our administration. But they keep doing the STUPIDEST things, over and over and over again!

The Biden administration, the same fun bunch who is letting in millions of undocumented people over our southern border, the same bunch who is pushing us all into electric cars when we are NO WHERE ready to drive nor sustain them, the same group which wants to take away your gas stove, is now "pausing" the development of twelve new, highly efficient liquid natural gas facilities. 

The United States has a boatload of natural gas. How much? It is estimated that we have almost 3,000 trillion cubic feet of it. With today's consumption, and even exporting some of it to friendly neighbors, we have enough natural gas to last between 50 years (low side) to 100 years (high side). Even if it is only 50 years, that is plenty enough time to develop more than one NEW source of energy. 

Back to the stupid-os who are running (ruining) our country. We are not the only country who has natural gas. By crippling our natural gas industry for export purposes, we are taking some of the cleanest product available off the market. That will be replaced by other countries, who have a much "dirtier" product to sell. But who cares? Logic has NOTHING to do with this decision (as usual).

Not all stupidity lies in our administration (although there is quite a bit here). Some is also resident in Davos. This year, some moron suggested we get rid of coffee. It is a "climate killer". Want to go deeper? Human breath is also bad for Gaia. It has carbon in it. In fact, some breath is worse than others. Woman's breath has more carbon in it than men's breath. And people in Africa have more carbon in their breath than people from other countries. I wonder about cows. We know their farts are bad. Breath also? See what I mean about no limit to this climate stupidity? 

We have GOT to rid of these morons ruining our country. Vote every single Democrat out of office this November. Every Democrat, right down to the dog catcher. I have never seen a group of people more intent to destroy the very country they live in. We need the adults back in charge, and we need that now! November cannot come fast enough.

Cookbook for a civil war 2.0

"Here we are again. It has been almost two hundred years since the last time we had this kind of split. State against state, American against American. One binding Constitution, either being ignored by the federal government, or grossly misinterpreted."

This border thing. How did it start? Hatred, visceral hatred for Donald Trump. If Trump had let everyone in during his four-year term, Biden would have locked this place down tighter than a drum as soon as he was sworn in. Not even a cockroach would be able to get in. Anything Trump did, Biden did the opposite. PLUS - Biden's base really wanted about 10 million more illegals in this country to become dependable blue voters. So, that is how it started. Hatred and greed. And now we are on the cusp of a civil war because of it. 

Texas has become ground zero for the "Showdown at the OK Corral". Right down by Eagle Pass, located on the southern border. The question is simply this - does Texas have the right to declare an "invasion", even though the federal government has not? Does Texas have the right to keep illegals out of their state? Did the Supreme Court rule correctly? Or was this a miss? More questions than answers. Right now, this illegal immigration issue has exploded into a major Constitutional argument. So much so, 25 states (mostly red), are aligned with Texas. The squishy blue states have stayed loyal to the tyrant. 

Here we are again. It has been almost two hundred years since the last time we had this kind of split. State against state, American against American. One binding Constitution, either being ignored by the federal government, or grossly misinterpreted. Will the federal government federalize the national guard units for all the 25 states who are standing against Biden right now? Who will back down? Will there be blood in the streets? When Biden opened up our borders three years ago, he really did open up Pandora's Box.

This was bound to happen. If Arizona had a normal governor, AZ would be standing arm in arm with Texas. All AZ has done so far is spend a bill to Biden. Big deal. Biden will never pay it. BUT, when you ask why 25 states, most of which are not located on the border, are part of this standoff, the answer is really quite simple. With millions upon millions of illegals flooding into our country, and then being bused or flown all over the place, every state has become a border state. Even in our little corner of Minnesota, we have illegals all over the place. Do I think Biden was wrong in doing this? More than wrong - he is a traitor and should be tried as one. 

How is this going to work out? Who is going to win? Will there be any winners? Stay tuned to this one folks. History is being made. No matter how it turns out, history is being made. Just pray it does not end in bloodshed.   

  

Kaliningrad and the caged rat

"Where will the next fire break out? Yemen? Iran? Lebanon? Ukraine? China? North Korea? Kaliningrad? It seems the menu for military problems grows larger and more dangerous all this time. Time to tell Uncle Joe to wake up. Climate change is not our enemy."

By the way, if you don't think that Europe is still a tinderbox, think again. There are so many things happening right now in the next phase of the Ukraine War, as well as the redefinition of NATO, just about anything can happen. And happen quickly.

At the end of World War II, when the spoils of war were divided up in Europe, a chunk of Germany was given to Russia. At that time, the Soviet Union was forming, and this piece fit in nicely. That is, until the Soviet Union was no more. Now the province of Kaliningrad, is an orphan. Still owned by Russia, but now surrounded by the NATO countries of Lithuania and Poland. Kaliningrad is much more a part of Europe than it is a part of Russia. And therein lies the rub.

The capital city of Kaliningrad is Kaliningrad. Before the WWII ended, the city was German and known by the name Konigsberg. Prior to that, in the 15th century, it was Polish and known by the name Krolewiec. Poland wants to rename Kaliningrad, Krolewiec. This act is making Putin furious. The tension between Poland and Russia was palpable before this renaming - now it is off the charts.

Is Poland afraid of Russia? Not anymore. Poland has built up their military to such a level, they now have the strongest military in Europe. So much so, they might not even need Article 5 (collective defense) of the NATO agreement to beat back the Russians. What does Putin think about this? He is seething. Could Kaliningrad be a flash point in Europe as tender as Ukraine is? Absolutely. 

One might ask, what is the difference between Russia trying to take back Ukraine, and Poland trying to take back Kaliningrad? Good question. I don't see a hair's width of difference. But Putin would be quick to remind everyone that he has nukes and Poland does not. Other than that, Putin's army is all show and little go. 

Where will the next fire break out? Yemen? Iran? Lebanon? Ukraine? China? North Korea? Kaliningrad? It seems the menu for military problems grows larger and more dangerous all this time. Time to tell Uncle Joe to wake up. Climate change is not our enemy. Who is? Just look around the globe. We need to get prepared.     

Welcome to the neighborhood, Mr. Phillips!

"Donald Trump was able to do that. That is why over 80 million people in this country want him back in power. No more Obamas. No more Bidens. Let's make America great again. Dean Phillips - watch and learn."   

Who would have thunk it? Dean Phillips? Giving it all up to be a non-descript presidential candidate? He made two surprise announcements in his political career. First - that he was running for president, even though HIS party had an endorsed candidate (that would be Uncle Joe). The second (which was smart), was to say he was not running for another term for his congressional seat. Why was that smart? Because after challenging the king of his party, he is now burnt toast in MN.

What do I think of our new pal Dean? I never met him, never talked to him. I do, however, know of his voting record. 100% voting with Biden. So how is Dean different than Biden? Younger, more gregarious. Other than that, Dean and Joe were cut from the same mold. But that does not matter now. Dean is an orphan. Looking for a new party. Like maybe - "No Labels"? The spoiler party which could help sink the Democrats this year?

Have you heard Dean's stump speech? What would he do to heal America? No? Me neither. His stump speech is "Vote for me, because I am not old, and I am not afraid to talk to the other guys." Other than that Dean is an empty suit. But here is some free advice for Dean. Listen to Donald Trump. Trump said the other day to a crowd, "New Hampshire. Did you know you have some of the highest heating bills in the country? When I get back into the White House, I will fix that. How? We will drill baby, drill!" That is it. That is all Trump had to say. And the crowd went wild!

Biden's motto of "Build back better", turned out to be just a sack of fecal matter. There was no "there, there". All Biden has done is spend like crazy, so much so that we have inflation once again, and higher interest rates. He no more knew how to handle our economy than I would know how to fly a rocket ship. Dean would be the same way. A trust fund baby, he has no clue about the bottom line. Trump, however, lives the bottom line. He understands money and how it works. He understands our economy and how to make it grow. Biden, as he has aged, only understands nap time.

What is Dean's future, now that he has laid waste to his path back to the DFL in MN? Well, he now has some national name recognition. Big deal. If he wants to make a splash, he needs to come up with some big shebang of an idea. How to make things better. Not just for Wall Street, but for Main Street also.

Donald Trump was able to do that. That is why over 80 million people in this country want him back in power. No more Obamas. No more Bidens. Let's make America great again. Dean Phillips - watch and learn.   

 

A $2M solution for a $20K problem

"Anyhow - back to today. The VLS is a winner, and I would not trade it. That being said, we now live in a new world, loaded with cheap, throw away missiles and drones. We need a different solution to protect our ships, and we need it fast."

Okay. As a retired Navy guy, I am going to vent for just a bit. Like, what are we doing? I think it is good that we have a presence in the Red Sea protecting ours (and others) international shipping, but at what cost? Post Navy, I worked on the AEGIS and VLS weapon system for the Navy. A great system. Almost foolproof. But very costly. Whenever one of those mutts in Yemen fires a drone at a ship, we take it out with a SM2 missile from the VLS system. Good kill rate. Like I said very accurate. So, what is the problem?

Cost and supply - that is what the problem is. Each suicide drone cost about $20K and is paid for by Iran. Each SM2 missile needed to knock these drones out of the sky cost the US taxpayer about $2M. Plus, the supply chain of these cheapo drones seems to go on forever. The supply chain for our SM2 missiles is finite. When we start running short on missiles, then what?

When Ronald Reagan became president, our Navy was a mess. Reagan pledged to build our Navy up to a fleet of 600 ships - and he did. But ever since Reagan, our Navy has started to attrit. Every year, the number of ships we have - goes down. Currently, we are just under 300 ships - and many aging. If we stay tied up in the Red Sea, and then if China makes a play for Taiwan, we will be in trouble.

Here is an example of some of the strange planning the Navy has done as of late. Besides sinking billions into ships like the Zumwalt Destroyer and the Littoral Ship class (neither do not perform well), how they came up with the idea to build the Virginia class submarines is a head scratcher. How so?

To replace the Los Angles attack sub, the Navy came up with the finest sub EVER. It was the Seawolf. The Navy was going to build twenty-nine Seawolf submarines, until they saw the bill. Each Seawolf would cost $5B. Ouch! The Navy then cut the Seawolf class back to only three subs and looked for a different solution. Enter the Virginia class. Cheaper than the Seawolf ($2.5B each), but not nearly as good.

What would I have done? Since the Seawolf cost twice as much as the Virginia class yet was twice as good (almost like science fiction good), cut the Seawolf production from twenty-nine down to fifteen. Whereas the Seawolf was a quiet as a whisper, the Virginia is as quiet as a dry cough. I would have stuck with quality over quantity.

Anyhow - back to today. The VLS is a winner, and I would not trade it. That being said, we now live in a new world, loaded with cheap, throw away missiles and drones. We need a different solution to protect our ships, and we need it fast. We need more modern weapons (the AEGIS/VLS was built to fight the Soviets in the Cold War), and we need more ships. We need frigates, more destroyers and so forth. We are okay on carriers but need to speed up the production on the Ford class.

We need a strong and modern Navy. A strong Navy keeps us safe. We need more money for ships, for modernization of weapons, and better pay to attract better sailors. Right now, we can't attract nor retain enough quality people.

War is on the horizon folks. The Middle East is about to explode. No Joe Biden - climate change is not our biggest enemy. Wake up and smell the coffee sir. We need to get prepared for a wider war and do it fast!    

What in the world happened to the DHS?

The question asked is, what in the world happened to the DHS? Biden happened to it. Mayorkas happened to it. Generations from now (if we are still here), when the history books are written about the death of this organization, few will believe it. They will not believe WE WERE THAT STUPID!     

I have been thinking about this one for a while now, and today seemed like a good day to pen it. It was the 11th of September in the year 2001. G.W. Bush was still a young president, trying to find his way through the halls of power. We all know what happened that day. The sucker punch from the Muslim extremists. It changed us. It changed everything - forever. 

As we buried our dead and cleaned up the mess from the rubble caused by the collapse of the twin towers, the reality sunk in. We were not ready. We got caught fat, dumb and happy, with our pants down (so to speak). The nation responded with a fix - a solution which could help prevent this from EVER happening again. We created a Department of Homeland Security, with Tom Ridge as our first Secretary of Homeland Security. 

But that was then, and this is now. Twenty years after 9/11, President Joe Biden decided to turn the Department of Homeland Security upside down. Instead of keeping Americans safe, he wanted it to be a "DEI" arm of his fecal government. Biden appointed a squish named Alejandro Mayorkas to ruin (not run) this most important department. 

It seems like it is steeped in irony, maybe comical in a very twisted way, that this department which was started to make sure mutts like the ones who brought down our twin towers, could not sneak into our country again. Yes, that is the way it started. But Biden, due to his visceral hatred of Donald Trump, wanted to be "Mr. Opposite" once again. Biden did not give a tinker's dam that letting in everyone from everywhere coming over our southern border could endanger the country. Nope - Biden bought into the DNC plan to have so many illegals come into the country, we would have no other way out - but to give them amnesty. And once they had amnesty, they would be loyal Democrat voters forever. 

Meanwhile, we now have millions of illegals roaming all over our country. Could some have truculent plans with dire consequences? Absolutely. But Uncle Joe does not care. He is using the one organization which was created to make us safer, to put us all in great danger. Even the junior senator from Pennsylvania (Fetterman) agrees we are now in needless danger. But who cares? The greater good is getting more blue votes. 

The question asked is, what in the world happened to the DHS? Biden happened to it. Mayorkas happened to it. Generations from now (if we are still here), when the history books are written about the death of this organization, few will believe it. They will not believe WE WERE THAT STUPID!     

The EV's bump in the road

"Meanwhile, the Biden government, which is loaded with eggheads who have never worked in the business world, will continue to push good money after bad. We have one more year of these buffoons ruining our car industry. It might be a very tough year indeed."   

Our third child was very bright and had a bright future. He was so smart, with so much potential, we decided to have him skip high school and go directly into college. In college, we found out that he was not yet ready for prime time. Many, many problems. So, we pulled him out, and enrolled him in high school. If he was to have a future, he needed to develop the natural and normal way. Pushing him "ahead of his headlights", did not work well. Okay - this is fiction. But I am using it to make a point.

This is going to hurt some of you for me to say this, but it must be said. Both Biden and Kerry are morons. They have been pushing EVs "ahead of their headlights" since 2020. They did not take into consideration the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) on these things. They did not correctly plan out the charging stations, to ensure 1) they worked in all sorts of weather, and 2) there were enough of them. Oh - one more thing. They did not ensure we had enough electricity in our grid to charge all these EVs during prime charging times. And that is just the start of the issues.

EVs have a host of problems right now, not the least of these being the battery issue. I have said for a long time now, after working with batteries during the final leg of my career, finding the proper battery technology will be the golden fleece to an electric future. Right now, we don't have it. Our current batteries are big, heavy, and expensive. Plus, many elements are sourced from China. We recently found out that in very cold weather (during the recent East Coast cold spell), battery life between charging can go down 30 to 40 percent. And the charging stations (if you can find one), can freeze up. Where does that leave the EV owner? Stuck and cold.

Hertz Rental Car Company recently announced they are getting rid of a big portion of their EV fleet. Why? First off, customers don't want to rent them. Secondly, they are very expensive for Hertz to maintain. And therein lies the rub. It is not only Hertz - it is the entire industry. Until these fixes are done, until new battery technology is developed, EVs are "driving ahead of their headlights". And it is costing the auto industry billions.

Some people might say "so what?", it serves the carmakers right. It serves Biden and Kerry right. But the poor folk who have stock in the car companies, either in the US or Europe, might get a rude surprise shortly. Because of trying to fit a round peg in a square hole with the EV, car companies are bleeding money. There is a news story on this issue on the business channels most every day. 

The Toyota Chairman (Akio Toyoda) who recently stepped down as chairman, is having an "I told you moment" on how the EV is being developed. Toyoda is not averse to having new technologies to replace the ICE, but the EV alone is not the answer. Toyoda is high on hybrids first, and then maybe a fuel cell solution. Will the EV fit into the mix? Probably at some time. But right now, going from ICE to only EV technology - was a bad play.

Meanwhile, the Biden government, who is loaded with eggheads who have never worked in the business world, will continue to push good money after bad. We have one more year of these buffoons ruining our car industry. It might be a very tough year indeed.   

 

Times, they are a changing...

The times they are a changing. Car. College. House. Spouse. Kids. Or not. I am not saying that all young folk live with their folks, have no car, eat Cheetos and play video games. But I will say this - the percentage of young folks for have a 'failure to launch' is much, much higher than it was when I was young. My wife and I have seen this over and over again. It mystifies us.

The year - 1967. I graduated from high school and grew up living in a house which was literally feet from the Minneapolis border. What was life like back then? Well, we were in another endless war (Viet Nam), which was a huge roadblock in our life planning. Many young men went in the service right out of high school, thanks in large part to the draft. Some went to Viet Nam, some served in support of the war effort in Viet Nam, and some served in other places. Unfortunately, some never came home, and some came home wounded and different.

With high school over, and the service behind us, what did most young men want? School or training. A CAR! Getting a place to live. Finding a wife. Having kids. Why do all these things? We patterned after our parents - that would be the World War II generation, better known as the "Greatest Generation". It was the right thing to do. 

Life went on for me. Graduated from high school. Went in the Navy. Went to the University once out of the Navy. Found a lovely woman and got married. Got a job. Bought a house. Had kids. What does all that spell? The American dream. Living the dream. Living the adventures which were a part of that dream.

Today, what do young people want? Some want the same things that I did. However - many do not. There was an article on the news recently about how many kids have no interest in driving nor owning a car. WHAT? That was HUGE when I was a teenager. The ultimate freedom - having your own car. 

What is even stranger, is how many young ones could give a hoot about having a job. Making money. Their parent's house has now turned into a generational household. The young person just needs a bedroom to crash in and play his video games. Working? For what? 

The times they are a changing. Car. College. House. Spouse. Kids. Or not. I am not saying that all young folk live with their folks, have no car, eat Cheetos and play video games. But I will say this - the percentage of young folks for have a "failure to launch" is much, much higher than it was when I was young. My wife and I have seen this over and over again. It mystifies us.

I feel badly for young folks who kind of give up on life before it even starts. As the saying goes, the adventure is the journey, not the destination. My generation had the journey - and all the adventures and stories which went with it. Many young folks are doing themselves a disservice today by sitting out the journey. And by the time they realize it, it might just be too late.    

Learning to drive - or not

"What will AI do too just about everything? It will be like pouring nitro in with your gasoline. Hang on tightly, because the future is coming fast, and will be changing everything equally as fast."    

I have a grandkid in the third grade. He will be 16 in 7 years - old enough to drive. I might have some bad news (or good news, depending on how he takes it) for him. He might never get the chance to drive. Why? AI is really starting to take hold in the autonomous car industry. Some cars already have a "cruise control" on the steering wheel, for limited hands-off driving. Many trucking companies are getting ready to cut loose with totally automated trucks. One of the pizza joints has an automated delivery truck. 

With the advances in AI, and the number of players in this new industry, change, big change, will be happening sooner rather than later. So then, how exactly will things progress? And where are we right now? Let's see if we can make some sense out of this new technology.

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has come up with different levels of automation for these soon to come, self-driving cars. For the most part, we are still at SAE Level 0. That means we have nothing - except us to drive our cars.

However, I have seen the first evidence of SAE Level 1 cars. That is where under the right conditions (perfect weather, light traffic and a straight highway), you can take your hands off the wheel and let the car drive itself. BUT - you need to be at the ready to take over. This level is nothing more than "dipping your toe in the water."

SAE Level 2, which I think will be here very shortly. This is where you allow the car some more latitude. However, the car will instantly warn you if it thinks some kind of traffic or danger is ahead. That way, the driver can instantly take over total control of the car again. 

SAE Level 3 driving - now we are getting someplace. This is also called "conditional driving". But once again, for the driver begin to relax, would be in traffic conditions which are just about perfect. But it is a step up from Level 2.

SAE Level 4 - now we are in the big leagues. Cars are driverless. Some have access to the wheel and pedals, others do not. Experts consider this level to be auto-driving cars with training wheels. 

SAE Level 5 - this is the "golden fleece". This is the big prize. When we get to this level, a car will be able to drive by itself, in any location, in any traffic, in any weather. Humans will be passengers - not drivers. How close is this level? Depends. Some truck companies are ready to be at this level now. My guess is, with how fast AI is developing, shortly after 2025, seeing driverless cars will be more common than uncommon.

For those who think this technology is going too fast, consider this. Ten years ago, seeing a rocket booster separate from the rocket, and guide itself into a self-landing on the launch pad, would look like magic. Either magic or some kind of visual effect. Yesterday, there was another launch using a SpaceX rocket. Six minutes or so into the flight, the booster separated, and flawlessly self-landed back on the launch pad. Even though very difficult to master, it looked routine and easy-peasy. 

What will AI do too just about everything? It will be like pouring nitro in with your gasoline. Hang on tightly, because the future is coming fast, and will be changing everything equally as fast.    

Waiting on South Carolina

"Sick of politics already? Too bad. It is just getting started. From now until November, there will be a steady crescendo of political ads on TV." 

The next "big" primary is New Hampshire. It is next Tuesday, and is a "mixed" primary - meaning, you can vote as either a Republican or Democrat. Whereas the Iowa Caucus was for 40 Republican delegates, the New Hampshire primary is for about half of that (Republican). But for some reason, this tiny state up by Maine is known for picking winners. Maybe not this year. Maybe the next real bellwether state will be South Carolina.

The South Carolina primary is not until late February and is for 50 delegates. But it is an important state. It is the state which changed the fortunes of Joe Biden last time around. It is the home state of Nikki Haley. It is the home state of Tim Scott and Lindsey Graham. It is home state of Trey Gowdy. In other words, this state has gravitas. And (as a personal note) - I think it is one of the most beautiful states in the union.

South Carolina will be the next big shebang until March 5th, which will be Super Tuesday. That is the day which will tell quite a bit about the race. Should Trump take New Hampshire and South Carolina, this race will be all over by the crying. That is the time the other two should drop out and coalesce behind Donald Trump. Focus on the bad guy (Joe Biden). 

Should Donald Trump be in the lead from South Carolina onward, I am wondering if the campaigning will look the same as four years ago. Trump, having monster rallies, and Biden, having rallies which look like funerals. The biggest gas in the gut that Republicans have from last time around, is the difference in the rallies. How in the world, could Biden have won, with having puny and insignificant rallies like he had? 

Sick of politics already? Too bad. It is just getting started. From now until November, there will be a steady crescendo of political ads on TV. Only this time, there will be constant reminders that the current president is a real loser. The economy, the border, the endless wars, our energy, his overreach - will be played over and over again, just like a loud drumbeat. Trump will be portrayed as a renegade. An insurrectionist. A Democracy killer. Blah, blah, blah. 

Well, as Uncle Joe always says, I need to "put a lid" on this one. More politics later. The low hanging fruit will be there for months. Until then, happy Thursday!

  

A simple word about atoms...

"In Shakespear's Hamlet, one of the more famous lines was, 'There are more things in Heaven and Earth Horatio/ Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' In other words - how does this all work? And why does it work?" 

Okay. Please don't ask me why I have ventured down this rabbit hole. But I have. I think maybe one of the reasons, is I have been reading or watching stories about some of our newer materials development. Or newer computer chips. Or just about any other type of nanotechnology. To work on these developments, sometimes with material not much thicker than a single atom - blows me away. Why? A single gold atom for example, is 1/100,000th as thick as a human hair. Now that is tiny-small! 

But here is the thing which really blows me away about any atom in our universe. The why and the how. What keeps the protons and neutrons attached to each other? And what keeps the electrons, spinning away, without flying away? 

Here is what I mean about being a mind-blowing study. Bohr's Law. For a simple hydrogen atom, if you could magnify the atom where the nucleus would be the size of a basketball, and if the electron was also the same size (proportionally), it would be two miles away from its nucleus while spinning! That is a lot of space between the nucleus and the electron! But all atoms are like that. Lots of space between elements while keeping thing together. And yet, with all that space, most solids are still pretty solid.

In Shakespear's Hamlet, one of the more famous lines was, "There are more things in Heaven and Earth Horatio/ Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." In other words - how does this all work? And why does it work? To me, what holds atoms together is more of a "spooky science" (sorry Albert), than gravity or quantum computing is. But atoms are held together by an invisible force. And many atoms together build molecules. And many molecules build matter. Build us. Build our world. Build the universe.

For those who are not believers - sorry (or not sorry) about what comes next. This unseen force, call it what you want, is a product of the intelligent design of our universe. On other words, the Hand of God. To me, all of these unseen forces that keep the universe together, are just part of the fingerprints of the Almighty. We can try to explain it away by using science and secular terms, but at the end of the day - it is God. 

If you have some extra time in the near future, take a peek down this rabbit hole called "atoms". To me, it is way fascinating. So small, and yet, they hold everything together. And atoms have been here, since the beginning of time, and will be here until the end of the age.      

A walkout on the boss!

"How did Reagan handle the air traffic controllers when they were acting up? He fired them. Would Biden have done that? Not in a million years."      

I will say one good thing about Joe Biden. On second thought, there is no one good thing. Never mind. Did you hear what is happening today? Only in Biden's America can this happen. There is going to be a mass walkout of government workers. People who are "on the clock". They are going to walk out to express their extreme displeasure in Joe Biden. You know, "Genocide Joe" as they call him. HOW DARE HE, side with Israel! So, they are going to walk out, to teach Uncle Joe a thing or three! 

Wait - what? They can't do that! They are employees (albeit government), and they could or should get fired if they walk out. Guess what? In Biden's America, people on the left don't get fired. They don't get prosecuted. Oh really? Prove it! Remember the great insurrection of 2020 (that would be our REAL insurrection)? After the Floyd incident? How many landed in court? How many landed in prison? How many even got a slap on the wrist? Nada. Nada. Nada. I rest my case.

Yesterday, Uncle Joe served in a food shelf. For MLK Day. Good on him. Even though he believes in BHO more so than MLK, good on him. Today, it will be back to castigating Trump. Since Trump won big last night, Biden will become more and more desperate. The Biden-omics thing has fallen flat. Even one of his former aides told Biden that. Wars are breaking out all over the place. The country is being overrun by illegals. But Biden will try and make this to be Trump's fault. That is fine. Biden is helping to set the table for a historic landslide in November. Please Joe - keep comparing your dismal record to Donald Trump's record.

Back to today. The question begs to be asked, why in the world, especially those tied in with this administration, side with Hamas instead of Israel? I mean, don't most of the Jews vote blue most of the time? Yep - and therein lies the roots of Biden's conundrum. How can Biden be pro-Israel to placate this Jewish lobby, and also pro-Hamas, to satisfy the mutts in his party? This is what happens when you have no moral fiber. When you change every viewpoint you have, depending on the which way the wind blows.

How did Reagan handle the air traffic controllers when they were acting up? He fired them. Would Biden have done that? Not in a million years.      

Ready for the coronation

"Trump's second term should be quite something - especially if he has a friendly Congress. His learning should be quite short, as he already has the recipe on how to fix things. Things will become so much better, so fast, it will expose Biden for what a train wreck he really was." 

Okay - I will say it. So long as Donald Trump retains the type of lead he has over the rest of the pack, what a waste of time and money these primaries and caucus nights are. Some say that the race for # 2 is worth the effort and expense. Others (like me), think that maybe the race is to really see who could take a cabinet post. I will say this - baring an unforeseen health issue, or a HUGE gaffe, from which there is no recovery, Donald Trump is a slam dunk to get the nomination. And unless Biden can perform a miracle, on the scale of the Miracle of Lourdes, he is toast. Too much bad water under the bridge, as you can't run from your record.

In fact, I am so certain that we will have Donald Trump 2.0 as our next president, I have a new motto for him. Not that I minded "Make America Great Again", as it rang true. But based on what Biden has done to the country, how about "Put America Back Again". What the Trump loyalists really want, is America looking the way it did under Trump 1.0. That is all. Biden took all the goodness in what Trump had done and trashed it. He left America looking like a car wreck on the side of the road.

David Axelrod is a guy I never agreed with. But I did respect his thinking (albeit wrong). He is ringing the alarm bell about Joe Biden, and how he is setting things up for a Trump win. Plus - he is really worried about all these lawsuits against Trump. Instead of destroying Trump, they are simply lionizing him. Trump's base has never been prouder of Donald Trump. Trump has shown just by doing nothing, just how corrupt our DOJ is. Plus - what a worthless appointment, and partisan hack that Merrick Garland is.

Donald Trump was asked in a town hall meeting if he would seek retribution once sworn it. His answer was simple and to the point. "I won't have time for retribution. I will be too busy putting America back the way it was." Then Trump stopped and pondered for a second - "My success rebuilding America will be my retribution." Well said Mr. Trump - well said!

Trump's second term should be quite something - especially if he has a friendly Congress. His learning should be quite short, as he already has the recipe on how to fix things. Things will become so much better, so fast, it will expose Biden for what a train wreck he really was. 

Many are ready for the coronation. I am ready for the coronation. I am so over Barack Obama. I am so over Joe Biden. I just want Trump to "Put America Back Again".     

The Golden Ratio

"It is a wonderful world, and a wonderful life. One of our pastors referred to most back yards as God's living room. Why that term? Nature abounds, right outside the window. Some of God's creatures, great and small can be seen out a living room window. We can see and enjoy nature, with that mysterious Golden Ratio, being the building block for much of it." 

The Golden Ratio. Or better-known part of the Fibonacci sequence, is seen all over nature. Both in the great and small, this Golden Ratio seems to appear. Why is that? It is almost as if there was some kind of a great designer when the universe was created. Do you mean like God? Exactly. It is one of the best examples of God's handywork in creation.

The ratio of 1 to 1.618 seems to pop up all over the place. We can even see it in art and architecture. But mostly we see it in nature. From the smallest of small to the largest galaxies. How does it happen? Why is the ratio always 1 to 1.618? Why not 1 to 2.5? Why not 1 to just about anything? Good questions with no good answers - except one. Intelligent design. 

This ratio, called Phi (uses the symbol φ), is even seen in the human body. How so? Measure the tip of a person's head to the floor. Then the person's belly button to the floor, and guess what? You get a ratio of 1 to 1.618. Snowflakes, bee colonies and so forth - you can see evidence of this Golden Ratio. But that is as far as I am going with this. Why? It is a math thing, and to go deeper down this rabbit hole, goes beyond my ability to understand or explain. But many of math brainiacs surely understand this. All I can do is just wonder why it exists.

There is an old saying, that if you want to see evidence of God, just look around. God's fingerprints are all over creation. Another example? Just look at the magnificent art which goes into many of the colorings and markings of birds and animals. The "artwork" of this creation many times is jaw dropping. We can blame this kind of stuff on aliens or accidents of nature - or we can accept that these things are products of intelligent design, by the greatest of all designers.

It is a wonderful world, and a wonderful life. One of our pastors referred to most back yards as God's living room. Why that term? Nature abounds, right outside the window. Some of God's creatures, great and small can be seen out a living room window. We can see and enjoy nature, with that mysterious Golden Ratio, being a building block for much of it. 

Someday, we will probably understand all these things which are so beautiful, yet mysterious to us. But for right now, they are simply ours to enjoy. 

    

And when is it treason?

"Just look around folks - the United States is a garden of soft targets for someone who wishes to do us harm. Our president, our DHS Secretary and our Defense Secretary, all took oaths to protect and defend us. To intestinally not do so, goes way beyond dereliction of duty. It is treason."

This morning on the news, was an economic snapshot of where our economy is right now, compared to three years ago (when Biden took the oath). Interesting to say the least. We are paying a third more for our food, a third more for our energy, and a fifth more for our housing. That is huge. These are prices which likely will not go down - ever. Plus, they are still going up, as evidenced by last month's inflation report. This has been a mismanagement of our economy in the highest degree. But it is not treason.

I have been hearing more and more retired generals speak out about our nation's security. Not just retired generals, but many local sheriffs and border patrol agents. They are worried, even scared. This worry meter seems to have peaked ever since the Gaza War. Why? Our southern border. The fact our southern border is wide open, and we deport practically nobody who sneaks across, and we have hundreds of thousands of "got aways", represents a clear and present danger to our country. So much so, that whoever is responsible for this mismanagement of our borders, should be guilty of treason.

This "catch and release" bs is just that - bs. People turn themselves in after crossing the border and are then given a court date to adjudicate their status. Most are pleading that they need amnesty, due to dangerous conditions in their country. But here is the truth as we know it so far - 90% of them will not qualify and need to be sent home. AND - those are only the ones who we know of (not the "got aways"). PLUS - when their court dates (which are months in the future) roll around for those who turned themselves in, these illegals are long gone - living in the shadows of our country. 

As we continue to bomb Yemen, as we continue to supply Israel with weapons to fight Hamas and Hezbollah, and as we continue to supply arms to Ukraine to fight Russia - we are inviting a sucker punch and an uppercut from any terrorist who snuck into our country.

Just look around folks - the United States is a garden of soft targets for someone who wishes to do us harm. Our president, our DHS Secretary and our Defense Secretary, all took oaths to protect and defend us. To intentionally not do so, goes way beyond dereliction of duty. It is treason.

Years ago, there was a book out called, none dare call it treason. Well, I will call this treason. There is no other name for putting this country in needless and terminal danger. Biden will not only go down in history as our worst president, but also our most dangerous.  

   

Swatting ants

"How will this end up? Will we be sucked into another war? As bad as war is, it looks inevitable that we will need to take care of Iran. And we need to do it before they finish the development of their first nuke. Time is not our friend. Get busy Mr. President. Time to destroy the nest."      

Last night, we finally did it. We let loose with some of our F-18 fire power on the bad guys. The goat herders from Yemen, the Houthis, had gone too far. Like way too far. Besides unleashing drones and crude missiles at our troops stationed in Syria and Iraq, they have been sending more robust missiles at international shipping in the Red Sea. Plus - they have targeted our Navy ships. So, we finally responded.

In true Joe Biden and Tony Blinken fashion, we gave the goat herders plenty of advanced warning that we were coming. So much so, not only could the baddies scatter, but they could also hide and reposition their launchers. With this combined attack, led by the Americans and the British, we only took out five Houthis. The rest will live to fight again. They will no doubt be firing off more missiles before the weekend is over.

Let me explain this to our President, as he seems to have trouble understanding. Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis are all proxies of Iran. Iran, the country Obama and Biden were romancing when Obama was president, is being romanced again by Biden and Blinken. Note to the Biden administration - the leadership of Iran are bad people. The proxies they hire to do their dirty work in Israel, or in the Red Sea - are also bad people. They eschew peace. They want war. They want to drive the United States out of the region. They want Israel destroyed.

And this group of goat herders are playing us like a fiddle right now. They are launching thousands of dollars' worth of drones and missiles at shipping in the Red Sea, and we are knocking down these drones and missiles with millions of dollars' worth of our defensive missiles. If this keeps up, we will either need more ships in the area, all bristling with missiles, or the ships we have on station will run short on missiles. Meanwhile, with all the money Biden has sent to Iran in the past three years, the supply line running from Iran to Yemen is doing just fine. 

There is an old saying, if you poke a hornet's nest, you will get stung. However, if you destroy the nest, the hornet problem will be over. We need to destroy the nest. Can we do it? Easy. There is thinking by many today, that most of our problems in the world today could be taken care of by letting 300 fully trained Marines, go into an area and just be Marines. And that is if we want to do things on the ground. If we want to use air assets, we have more than enough in the area. We have the best fighter jets in the world. F-18 Super Hornets, F-35 Lightnings, F-22 Raptors, and even a B-52 or two. If we wanted to, we could turn Yemen into a sheet of glass. But that is not the way our very timid president operates. Joe the appeaser, would rather swat at ants. The problem is this - the ant hill has an almost endless supply of ants. 

How will this end up? Will we be sucked into another war? As bad as war is, it looks inevitable that we will need to take care of Iran. And we need to do it before they finish the development of their first nuke. Time is not our friend. Get busy Mr. President. Time to destroy the nest.