Imagine a world, where Russia acted civilized...

"Nukes. Putin has nukes and his trigger finger is really starting to itch. I think he would love to plant one of his Satan Missiles in downtown Brussels. Just to send a message to NATO that as tough as they think they are, Russia is tougher."

Every day, I worry about what Russia is going to do next. Specifically, what Putin is going to do next. Right now, Vladimir Putin is an island in a sea of humanity. Nobody likes him; nobody trusts him. He is a monster. History will judge him for what he is - a monster who kills for joy. A war criminal. What he has done to Ukraine for no reason whatsoever, is a major breech of humanity. He actually is giving Hitler a run for his money in cruelty and dispassion.

I really thought, after the fall of Berlin and then the breakup of the Soviet empire, the world was going to get a break from the Russian Bear. If there was a break, it was short and not that sweet. The Communist thing which has infected Russia ever since 1917, is a hard bug to beat. It did not take long for Russia to rid itself from reformers and then get back to a KGB hardened dictator. As soon as Putin slipped back into the corridors of power in Russia, I knew the bad old days were about to return.

Here is what frightens me about Putin - he knows no boundaries. To him, this war on Ukraine is not just a war for territory, it is a war to fix an injustice of history. Ukraine belongs under Russia's thumb, and by golly, Putin will kill every Ukrainian man, woman and child to make it so. Even though the Ukrainian Army has performed a miracle turn around, going from farmers and accountants into an asymmetrical fighting machine, Putin can't be bothered with them anymore. He can't beat them, so he is on to the scourge of mankind - the genocide of civilians.

But despite how poorly the Ukrainian War is going for Putin, he has a scratch which needs to be itched. And this scratch (in Putin's opinion), is another accident of history which needs to be corrected. NATO. That pain in Putin's side which gets worse for him every year. And the lack of respect for Putin and Russia by NATO is jaw dropping (for Putin). To think that Ukraine has fought Putin to a draw, just think what an unleashed NATO could do to Russia. But there is a hitch to that brave thinking.

Nukes. Putin has nukes and his trigger finger is really starting to itch. I think he would love to plant one of his Satan Missiles in downtown Brussels. Just to send a message to NATO that as tough as they think they are, Russia is tougher. Or maybe Putin wants to take out London. Or Paris. Or Rome. Or all of them. Until the world can rid itself of Putin and his nukes, scenarios showing a nuclear future for Europe are vivid and realistic. 

That is why Putin is so dangerous. What he can do, and what he might do. Without nukes, Putin is a paper tiger. With nukes, Putin can end the world.    

A day like no other....

 

"But today if a day to remember. We remember the heroes of 9/11, both living and dead. We honor them. Many of us still remember our solemn promise - WE WILL NEVER FORGET! Unfortunately, some have forgotten. Some no longer honor our heroes. May the number of those people be forever small, and as time goes on, even smaller. Our 9/11 heroes deserve so much better."

As we go through life, there are certain milestone events which shape us. Sometimes change us. But whatever they are, many if not most of us, remember exactly what we were doing at the time of the event, where we were, and the aftermath. For example, I remember when John Kennedy was shot. Even though I was in Jr, High School, I remember it clearly. My folks for their entire lives, remember Pearl Harbor. Where they were, what they were doing. And most if not all, of the folks reading this blog article, remember 9/11 like it was yesterday. But it was not yesterday. It was twenty-five years ago today. 

My story from twenty-five years ago is not that special. No different from many of us. I got up, got dressed and headed off to work in downtown Minneapolis. I was working at IBM, and IBM had American Express as a client. As I pulled in the parking lot across from the American Express building, I turned the car off and just looked out at the morning sky with wonder. This was going to be one of those "10 out of 10" days for weather. The sky was azure blue and nary a cloud was in sight. I was just turning the radio in the car off to head into work, when the first news flash came across. Some plane had hit the World Trade Center.

My first thought as I was walking into the building was if New York was having weather like we were having, how could some small plane not be paying attention and then fly into a building that size? When I got into my office, I turned on my radio. That is when the gravity of the situation hit me. It was not a small plane hitting a large building - it was a commercial air liner. Then my phone rang. It was my daughter calling from college. "Dad, what is going on? I am watching the news, and it showed an airliner hitting the WTC." 

Then the second plane hit, and all of a sudden. I had a dozen people in my office glued to my radio. One of my co-workers who knew I was retired Navy asked me what I thought was going on. I was stunned and really had no idea what was happening. It did say this - "We might be at war, and this is an attack." Shortly thereafter, we were all sent home, as were most other businesses downtown. 

Many people became heroes that day. Some of those heroes never made it home. Many of us when we arrived home that day, immediately turned on the TV. But a sense of foreboding was in the air. Was the attack over, or was something else, maybe even more sinister in the offing? Most of us were just numb - this was like a bad dream. A nightmare. 

What did we learn from 9/11? The same thing we learned from Pearl Harbor. We need to be prepared. Expect the unexpected. Did anything good come out of 9/11? We learned that our homeland was a sitting duck. So, we promulgated the Department of Homeland Security. An organization which can keep us safer and more prepared. 

But today is a day to remember. We remember the heroes of 9/11, both living and dead. We honor them. Many of us still remember our solemn promise - WE WILL NEVER FORGET! Unfortunately, some have forgotten. Some no longer honor our heroes. May the number of those people be forever small, and as time goes on, even smaller. Our 9/11 heroes deserve so much better.

If war came to the Falkland's, could we side with Argentina?

"What do I think the message would be from Trump to both the UK and Argentina? Make a deal. Have the military stand down. More war cannot and will not be tolerated. That is it. That is as far as I think our involvement in the Falkland Islands dispute will go. Trump sees bigger fish in the sea." 

Are we on the verge of another war? No, not the "rubbing the wrong way" that Turkey and Israel are doing to each other over Syria. I am talking about the Falkland Islands. That Argentina might end up invading these islands and planting the Argentine flag on them. Kicking the Brits out, as they say. Wait a minute! Have we not already seen this movie? Argentina tried this before, and the Brits kicked back - hard!

Things change over time. Javier Melei and Donald Trump have somewhat of a bromance going on. It is no secret that during the recent tenure of Kier Starmer, our relationship with the Brits has soured quite a bit. Seems like the recent revelation the US has had about unchecked immigration, and DEI, was not on the same path as the Brits were on. As such, the relationship between the US and our closest Euro ally became very strained. And the once great and powerful United Kingdom, is now only a shadow of the stature it once enjoyed.

Now before some might give a collective "so what", here is the "so what". It is what is happening in the other hand (as the magicians would say). Donald Trump has been forging much stronger bonds with many of the countries in South America. The strongest alliance right now seems to be with Argentina. The case that Argentine is making for getting the Falkland Islands back seems to be sound to our current administration. Then the question begs to be asked - if push comes to shove, and war breaks on in the Falkland Islands, what is our posture? Turn the other cheek and show a blind eye and a deaf ear? Get involved (under the covers) by giving Argentina some aid? Or, respecting the long-term relationship we have had with the UK, and asking Milei to stand down.

It is interesting to see how the power shift has changed in the Euro Zone over the past few years. Who is ascending and who has become a "free rider" (or duffer) to NATO. Poland and Finland are rock solid and very strong right now. They have their eyes set on Russia and never blink. Sweden and Norway are also strong, but Finland is the cornerstone up by the arctic for NATO. 

France is still ballsy in how they treat Russia. Are they strong enough to make a difference? Maybe. Italy is the country to watch out for. Giorgia Meloni wants to make Italy stronger - much stronger in the near future. The UK is weak and not getting much stronger. Sure, the UK (like France) has some nukes - but besides that, as the saying goes, the UK is all hat and no cowboy. A war with the Falkland Islands might leave the UK fighting this war all by themselves.  Article 5 of the NATO charter might go unnoticed and ignored if fighting does break out. Why? For NATO, the Falkland Islands are nothing more than a distraction. The real threat remains to be Russia. And the war in Ukraine once again reminded Europe what a threat Russia can be.

What do I think the message would be from Trump to both the UK and Argentina? Make a deal. Have the military stand down. More war cannot and will not be tolerated. That is it. That is as far as I think our involvement in the Falkland Islands dispute will go. Trump sees bigger fish in the sea. Like the "Donroe Doctrine" which is starting to show signs of really working out well. Do we like Argentina? Right now, we love them. And what is there not to love?

   

On this issue - the government gets a solid "F"

 

"I am not trying to be a conspiracy nut on this issue but come on! We were promised better than this. This is not transparency. Not to quote an old and tired movie line, but we really can handle the truth. Our skies are sacrosanct - if we have somebody or something flying unimpeded through our skies, we need to know. Come on President Trump - show your hand."   

Recently, the History Channel had an hour-long program called "Are they watching us"? For one solid hour, the show highlighted UFOs - not just something that somebody said they saw - it was all photographic evidence. And why is this important? Once again, our government has lied to us. Even with tons of photographic evidence now available (much of it clear as a bell - not grainy like in the old days) our federal government still has not told us what they are. Really? Even though the eyewitness tally has grown into the millions worldwide.

Of particular interest has been the sighting in Pentyrch, which is located in Wales. In 2016, a giant pyramid appeared in the sky. It was seen by the entire town of Pentyrch. When I say this thing was a giant, it really was. Some police estimated it to be over 1,000 feet long on each side. The mass was enormous - and yet, it floated around without making a sound. Some say a smaller pyramid detached from it and was shot down by the military. Wreckage, and maybe some bodies of someone (or something) were recovered. The giant pyramid then vanished into nothingness, and things in Pentyrch went back to semi-normal. 

The Pheonix lights in 1997, the intrusion over Washington in 1952, the "Tic Tac" crafts seen by the US Navy on many occasions - and we don't know what they are? I am going to call BS on that one! Yes, my former son-in-law and I saw a floating triangle coming up out of a river about two decades ago. We were interviewed by MUFON. During the interview, the man from MUFON said he gets dozens upon dozens of credible reports of sightings in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. What are these things which people keep seeing? Why won't the government tell us the truth? 

Some think one of the crafts which has been spotted frequently is a TR-3B or also known as the Black Manta. The rumor has it the reason it is so fast and so quiet, is we have discovered how to use anti-gravity as a power source. 

 

If this is true or not is above my pay grade. However, (again) it is about time for our government to come clean on this issue. What is it? We have seen photographs of this craft. If it is not ours, whose is it? What is it? If it is ours, and truly uses some kind of anti-gravity system, we need to know.

I am not trying to be a conspiracy nut on this issue but come on! We were promised better than this. This is not transparency. Not to quote an old and tired movie line, but we really can handle the truth. Our skies are sacrosanct - if we have somebody or something flying unimpeded through our skies, we need to know. Come on President Trump - show your hand.   

Our (very expensive) trains to nowhere...

 

"As a veteran of somebody who has worked downtown when I was with IBM, I could not be happier to see that concrete jungle suffer a slow death. Everything was a hassle - nothing was cheap, nor nothing was easy. The cobweb of LRT tracks in downtown just added to the dystopian atmosphere. I am happy to be done with that chapter in my life. Now I just want to be done with paying for the trains headed into that dying city."     

At one point in time, the city planners and the Met Council in the Twin Cities had inhaled some Pixie Dust, and their vision became obscured with fantasies of riding a sleek new railroad car to work every morning. Between the Pixie Dust and the Kool Aid, the idea of riding in a train to work rather than rush hour traffic, got derailed. How so? The double-edged sword of Covid mixed in with the lawlessness of the Floyd aftermath and the ongoing "War on ICE", has left the Twin Cities with lots and lots of empty office buildings. So then - why have all these new and unfinished LRT sinkholes terminating in downtown? What gives? Who is behind this nonsense?

Don't look now, but the long (and I mean long) awaited Southwest LRT (Green Line). is finally almost done. WAY over budget and very late to the party, it should be up and running in 2027. At an unbelievable cost of just shy of $3B dollars. And who will ride it? Somali youth trying to get down to the Mall of America. Who else? Good question. Since few people work downtown anymore, is the Green Line going to go the same route as the Northstar Line? If the truth be known, the Northstar Line is still in operation - only not in Minnesota. It now runs down in Texas. What a waste of MN taxpayer dollars!

And now that the Blue Line is still a long way away from being done, some of the big spenders in MN state government are actually getting cold feet on this project. Why? With the huge overruns on the Green Line, that was only small potatoes compared to what the projected bill will be for the Blue Line. Like maybe $3.6B dollars to build another train to nowhere. And now there is a very rare kerfuffle by the different big spenders in state government. Like - who pays for this choo-choo train which nobody will ride. 

What is the future of trains in the Twin Cities? Will they be replaced by Waymo auto cars? Tesla self-driving cars? More at home employment? Many of us who do not live nor work in the downtown area, have zero desire to ride these trains to anyplace. All that money the taxpayers have spent on all these trains, are now just a sunk cost. All this infrastructure will be a monument to pea poor planning by a bunch of unelected bureaucrats.

As a veteran of somebody who has worked downtown when I was with IBM, I could not be happier to see that concrete jungle called Minneapolis suffer a slow death. Everything was a hassle - nothing was cheap, nor nothing was easy. The cobweb of LRT tracks just added to the dystopian atmosphere. I am happy to be done with that chapter in my life. Now I just want to be done with paying for the trains headed into that dying city.     

The benefits of war?

"What is our next move to counter drone swarms while we rapidly replenish our missile stockpile? The Navy's HELIOS laser system. It is just finishing field testing and could be deployed fleet wide in the very near future. And how exactly will they work in a true combat scenario? Good question - we might need to wait until the next war to find out. Until then, we will continue to learn as fast as we can." 

A different slant this morning. The 1969 song by Edwin Starr, War - What is it good for, have most of us nodding our head in agreement. War is a scourge. War is expensive. War is deadly. But in the case of the Iranian War, there is also an upside to that conflict. Experience. How do deal with the new global tool of warfare called drone swarms and AI. What our carriers are learning coupled with Aegis destroyers by their sides - is invaluable.

But have we learned enough? Not even close. But what we have learned has been hot lined back to the smart planners in the Pentagon to be assisted by DARPA. But that is what war is. A giant game of chess. Every move needs to be countered. We learn, they learn. Success in battle is being able to stay one step ahead of the other guys. And do date, we have done that very well. 

I worked on the Aegis program starting back in the late 1970's. To me, the more I learned about how this marvel of technology protected the fleet, seemed more like magic. And then in the 1990's I worked with on the Vertical Lauch Systems - (back then) a state-of-the-art weapon system which was hard wired into the Aegis battle system. I was amazed back then, and I am still amazed today. 

But the Aegis weapon system was not made to counter drone swarms. Now we are talking about an entirely new type of warfare. We have known about saturation attacks for years - mostly from missile volleys fired by Soviet Backfire bombers. But back then, that was all high tech and predictable. Drone swarms are not. They can come out of anywhere, from any direction, and overload even the most sophisticated detection system. And to keep taking out a $25k drone with a million-dollar missile is a fool's errand. But we are learning and learning fast.

What is our next move to counter drone swarms while we rapidly replenish our missile stockpile? The Navy's HELIOS laser system. It is just finishing field testing and could be deployed fleet wide in the very near future. And how exactly will they work in a true combat scenario? Good question - we might need to wait until the next war to find out. Until then, we will continue to learn as fast as we can. 

  

Why is Iran telling us to "bunker up" before winter?

"According to some of the weather guessers, we might have an early winter this year. Like maybe starting late next month. September is a great time to prep for the dark days ahead. Even without this dire or faux warning from Iran, September is a great month to prep for the dark and cold days ahead."

Does Iran know something we don't know? Recently, they have sent out pressers telling Americans to stockpile food, water and some kind of heat before the dark and cold days of winter. Now truthfully, in a very unsettled world, having enough survival items to last for at least a month in the wintertime is sage advice. But coming from an enemy? Are they trying to send a message that they have cyber technology which could turn our lights (and heat) off for a prolonged period this winter. It is odd to hear that coming from an enemy who wants us dead.

But before we lose too much sleep over what Iran could do to our power grid, I am reminded of General Jack Keane's words from many months ago. "Should another nation ever attack our energy grid, we will retaliate with our own cyber-attack - and our cyber warfare will bring eye watering results to any enemy". Hopefully Iran knows that. As bad as things are over there right now, we could make them a whole lot worse if they screw with our grid. 

That being said, it is good common sense to have at least one gallon of water per person, per day in your bunker. I know, I know - water takes up a lot of room. But remember this - we can go without oxygen for only a few minutes. We can go without potable water for less than a week. Food? We can last for many days without food - but not forever. Most survivalists suggest enough food and water to last at least a month, and firewood (or something) to last even longer.

The thing that keeps some of our federal cops up at night is worry about "sleeper cells" from Iran who are currently in our country. What kind of harm they could do to us. If there are indeed cells who are lying dormant in our country, we need to find them, dig them out, and get rid of them. It is best not to interfere with any federal LEOs as they are doing their jobs. Yes, even ICE is trying to keep us safe from hidden bad guys.

According to some of the weather guessers, we might have an early winter this year. Like maybe starting late next month. September is a great time to prep for the dark days ahead. Even without this dire or faux warning from Iran, September is a great month to prep for the dark and cold days ahead.

   

The 1982 Falkland Islands war - redux?

"As if we did not have enough going on in the world right now. Ukraine is still not at peace; Russia is threatening NATO left and right; Iran is still a problem for us and Israel. All in all, the world is a mess, and throwing the Falklands back into the mix will not help anyone. But before we give up and just let another war happen, look for Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to earn a bunch more frequent flier miles going to and from the world's newest trouble spot."     

Yes, I am old enough to remember this somewhat obscure war in the very south of South America. A group of islands called the Falkland Islands, all of a sudden became a hot spot in the world. They belonged to the UK (for some old treaty reason), but they sat right off the coast of Argentina. What is the best way to settle a dispute about contested land? Go to war, of course. For the next 74 days, a war which was never declared, was fought between the UK and Argentina.

As the saying goes, today, there is a new sheriff in town. That is, there is a new person in charge of Argentina. His name is Javier Milei, and he thinks the Falklands should be a part of his country, not England. The fact that England has dominion over the Falklands goes back into ancient history - like in the 1800's. But that was then and this is now.

What besides the location of the Falklands would be of interest to Argentina right now? For starters, a giant deep sea oil reserve called the Sea Lion Field. This is big enough to make a difference to both countries. Thus, the Sabre rattling has started once again. During the first war, the famed Exocet Anti-Ship Missile was used for the first time in anger. By Argentina against a British ship. The results were catastrophic for that ship. But the advent of that Exocet missile marked the change of sea warfare as we know it. 

If push comes to shove again between England and Argentina, it puts us in a very precarious position. Why? England is a NATO friend. But Argentina is part of our hemisphere, and our current administration has been working very hard on peace, tranquility and prosperity for all who live in this hemisphere. If war, declared or undeclared, breaks out - what do we do? Who do we support? In 1982, we had no problem with supporting our friends from the UK. Our relationship with Argentina was only so-so. Now however, it is different. It would be a friend fighting a friend. 

As if we did not have enough going on in the world right now. Ukraine is still not at peace; Russia is threatening NATO left and right; Iran is still a problem for us and Israel. All in all, the world is a mess, and throwing the Falklands back into the mix will not help anyone. But before we give up and just let another war happen, look for Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to earn a bunch more frequent flier miles going to and from, the world's newest trouble spot.     

 

Welcome to the trap...

 

"What is our path to more normalcy once again? Peace in the shire? Much lower gas prices? No shortages of fertilizer. If I knew that path, I would be shouting it from the highest mountain top. But I don't know that path. The scary part is I don't think our government knows that path either. Thus, here we sit - caught in a trap." 

Read an interesting article by CNN online. About how we have stumbled into a trip to nowhere. How so? Iran. We are starting to lose the vision on what winning will look like. So far, we have hit 10,000 targets in Iran - some more than once. We have sunk ships, disarmed mines, destroyed oil infrastructure, and so forth. And yet, the IRGC keeps on coming. Keeps on going. The drones and missiles keep on flying, mostly towards innocent ships in the Strait. 

Israel is in no better shape. Their chances of a decisive victory over Hezbollah are looking less and less likely. Dare I use this word from the past which is what both the US and Isreal are now facing going forward? We are mired down in battles of attrition. Who is going to blink first. Who can withstand the most pain. With both the IRGC and Hezbollah, reality has morphed into a game of Whack A Mole. We throw tons of ordnance on targets in Iran and Lebanon, and then a head pops up and says - "Still here!" 

Maybe that old saying is correct. An air campaign, no matter how effective, cannot win the day. You need to follow up an ariel pounding by having boots on the ground. Israel might have the stomach for that in Lebanon using the IDF, but there is absolutely zero stomach for that in the US. Why? It is blood and guts, smash mouth battle. Up close and personal fighting. All of a sudden, the Iranian War will have morphed from a video game to "no {blank} for real" fighting. Trump knows that as soon as he pulls the trigger on that kind of a war, the slim majority who approves of this war will vanish faster than snowbanks in July. 

Where does that leave us? Maybe we are caught in a trap. Unknowingly, and unwise - we have stumbled into another one of those Middle Eastern traps. And now, we are up against one of those dreaded forced choices. We can leave. Call it a day. Leave Iran to rebuild itself. Or we can stay. Keep pounding away with our aircraft and cruise missiles (until they run out). Or we can change the nature of the war by going all in. Kinetic fighting to the max. House to house, cave to cave. Shades of Viet Nam all over again.

So where does that leave us? As long as we are stuck with refineries which can mostly only process oil from outside of the USA, we will be subject to the vicissitudes of this Rubic's Cube type of oil pricing. In other words, even though Donald Trump has led us to a major supplier of oil, we are still caught in the same trap as other countries who are trying to get oil through the Strait. Until we can find harmony with our oil and the way we refine oil here in the states - disruptions in supply (via the Strait) will cause our gasoline prices to be "Biden-Ish". 

What is our path to more normalcy once again? Peace in the shire? Much lower gas prices? No shortages of fertilizer. If I knew that path, I would be shouting it from the highest mountain top. But I don't know that path. The scary part is I don't think our government knows that path either. Thus, here we sit - caught in a trap. 

  

What exactly is - Trump's fault?

"Before the torches and the pitchforks come out from the screaming mob, please remember this - the last thing Trump wanted to screw up his remake of the Biden economy was a forever war. But he needed to fix this cancer in the Middle East. Why? If Iran had made it to having a nuke, then other Arab countries in the area would have one also (for deterrence). But Iran wanted to use theirs. Why? Israel. Exterminate Israel. Trump (justifiably) was not going to let that happen. Nor should any of us - not now, not ever."   

Oh my! Diesel fuel is at an all-time high this morning. That is a huge burden for our farmers to carry. It will make the cost of many things go up - especially the items which need to be hauled by a common carrier truck, powered by diesel fuel. And why is that? Why is the price for a gallon of gas still around $4.00? Whose fault is that? Donald Trump's fault? According to many in the MSM, it is. According to many in the Democrat Party, they also ditto that feeling. But before we pull a Judge Roy Bean on Donald Trump, let's first dive a bit deeper.

Many, including myself, blame the war in Iran for this temporary runup in prices. To shut down the Strait of Hormuz was always a war strategy of the IRGC. Why? To have the American people put pressure on the Trump Administration that this was not worth it. And to a certain extent, they were right. They shut down the Strait, and the press as well as many American citizens who are getting squeezed by higher prices - bellyached. So, is this Trump's fault? Did he start this war? No - Iran started it almost 50 years ago. And now they are (were) inches away from developing a nuclear bomb with a valid delivery system. Donald Trump did not start this war - but he is sure trying to end it.

What are we learning? We can pound the IRGC back into the Stone Ages, and they still never give up. They have decades of entrenched and hidden enclaves in which to hide missile and drone launchers. That is all it takes to fire on a commercial ship or two trying to make it through the Strait. As soon as one gets hit, the rest of the shipping traffic slows to a crawl. Instead of over 100 ships a day going through the Strait, there are days we are lucky just to get four or five ships safely through. 

What are we doing to end this thing (other than a "cut and run")? Scott Bessent, our Treasury Secretary, has the economic tunicate squeezed around the financial neck of the IRGC about as tight as tight can be. Is that working? Seems to be - but for total success, this is going to take some time. Even though the Iranian economic is in tatters right now, and the IRGC should be crying "Uncle" - they won't give up. They just keep firing missiles and drones at innocent ships.

What else is Trump doing? Besides having an economic blockade on Iran via its seaports, the new motto is "a ship for a ship". Every time a commercial ship is hit by an Iranian missile or drone, we will take one of their commercial ships out. This will allow us to squeeze them even harder. Many "Hawks" (I am one of them), wanted Trump just to keep bombing the IRGC until we ran out of bombs. No pauses, no ceasefires, no negotiations, no MOU documents, nothing. Just bombs and bombs and bombs. That seems to be the only language the IRGC understands. Period.

Before the torches and the pitchforks come out from the screaming mob, please remember this - the last thing Trump wanted to screw up his remake of the Biden economy was a forever war. But he needed to fix this cancer in the Middle East. Why? If Iran had made it to having a nuke, then other Arab countries in the area would have one also (for deterrence). But Iran wanted to use theirs. Why? Israel. Exterminate Israel. Trump (justifiably) was not going to let that happen. Nor should any of us - not now, not ever.   

  

Is the Storm Shadow going to be the match which lights the fire in Europe?

"Our biggest hope for Russia is Putin gets retired, one way or another. So long as he has a finger on the 'red button', Europe remains in danger. I have said this before, if not for his nukes, NATO could take care of Russia during a weekend. But he does have nukes. And so long as Putin is willing to use his nukes to serve his purpose, we need to keep sleeping with one eye open."

   

Vladimir Putin, who has a knack for miscalculation, might be getting ready to stumble into the biggest miscalculation of his life. He is still considering attacking the UK. A NATO country. Why is he still thinking about doing that foolish thing? Because the UK (with the blessing of France), is not only going to supply more Storm Shadow missiles to Ukraine, BUT the UK is also going to give them the drawing package for the SCALP missiles to boot. For Russia, this might mean war - a wider war. A war which could easily develop into WWIII before anybody knows it.

Here is my biggest fear on how this could develop from nothing into something into everything in almost a wink of the eye. Even if Putin used ballistic missiles with conventional warheads and did considerable damage to London, that hothead who leads France (Macron) might respond to Russia with a nuke. Or even if it was only conventional missiles, Putin might respond to France with a nuke. And then we will have traveled down that slippery slope in a blink of an eye. 

We will stay on the brink of a wider war so long as Putin stays in power and certain countries in NATO are willing to risk it all just to give Putin a black eye. I thought from the jump that the UK selling Storm Shadows to Ukraine was a high-risk maneuver. And then to give Ukraine the data package on how to make their version of the SCALP missile - that was just frosting on the cake. At any time, Putin could exchange making threats for making war.

I am not trying to be a panic merchant when I say this, but when smaller hot wars are raging (like Iran and Ukraine), it is just a hop, skip and a jump to a bigger war. It is like leaving a smoldering cigarette in the forest. It does not mean a forest fire will start, but it sure increases the odds that it will.

Our biggest hope for Russia is Putin gets retired, one way or another. So long as he has a finger on the "red button", Europe remains in danger. I have said this before, if not for his nukes, NATO could take care of Russia during a weekend. But he does have nukes. And so long as Putin is willing to use his nukes to serve his purpose, we need to keep sleeping with one eye open.   

For the Strib, ICE is never nice

 

"What is wrong with the Twin Cities these days? They never used to be like this. They have gone from Ozzie and Harriet to The Munsters. I guess a better question would be what is right with the Twin Cities. The answer would be short and not too sweet. What is right with the Twin Cities today? Not much. Not much at all."

I am not a fan of the hometown newspaper. Have not been for years. It is yellow journalism. It makes no effort to hide its bias. But why? Simple answer - the population of the Twin Cities (proper) loves the kind of gruel that the Strib puts out. And what is the passion of the minions who live in Minneapolis and St. Paul? ICE. Anything and everything which can be made up and printed about ICE. And what does the chattering class in the Twin Cities not give a wit about? Fraud. Instead of fraud being looked upon as vile as a four-letter word, fraud in the Strib has become a "so what" topic.

For those of us who have been paying attention, ICE has been offered a very raw deal while operating in the Twin Cities. Operation Metro Surge became very difficult for any genuine law enforcement officers, local or federal, who were trying to uphold the law. Let me put this in as simple of terms that I can: The Twin Cities in general, treated ICE agents like crap. Period. Why? That is the question. All ICE was trying to do was uphold the immigration laws that Congress passed.

In response, the city unleashed their lawless thugs on them. Night after night. Doxxing. Fireworks. RESIST BS. Is there a reason that Texas not agree to send an ICE agent back to the Twin Cities for prosecution? A couple of reasons: 1) Keith Ellison, who has zero standing with law enforcement, and 2) The reputation the Twin Cities has for railroading cops. Texas did the right thing. ICE will investigate this agent, and if he stepped out of line, he will be punished. If, however, he did not, it is back to work for him.

Back to fraud. That has become a taboo term in many of the local press outlets. And truthfully, here is how I feel about fraud in the Twin Cities. Any Democrat who can even spell fraud should be disqualified from running for anything, anywhere. In most normal cities, the arsonist who started the fire don't get re-elected. But this is Minnesota, land of the fruits and the nuts. Ellison will probably get re-elected. Flanigan will get elected. Hotdish Amy will get elected. All of them are suspect for how much they knew about the years of fraud under their watch. And the local paper? It is ICE or nothing.

What is wrong with the Twin Cities these days? They never used to be like this. They have gone from Ozzie and Harriet to The Munsters. I guess a better question would be what is right with the Twin Cities. The answer would be short and not too sweet. What is right with the Twin Cities today? Not much. Not much at all.

 

 

From Russia with NO love...

"The other day I penned an article about some of the wonderful inventions and innovations which will soon make our lives better. But all that will be for naught, should Putin do something very stupid or foolish. There is no glory about being known as the Horseman riding on the Red Horse. There is no valor about being known as the man with no compassion nor love in his heart. I just hope Putin learns that before it is too late."  

I wonder what it would be like to be Vladimir Putin these days. First and foremost, just about everybody in the world hates him - including many in his country. Why is that? Basically, for the same reason that Hitler was so reviled in WWII. Hitler (and Putin) were (are) war criminals. Plus - neither Hitler nor Putin gave a wit about throwing young men to the wolves. Making cannon fodder out of them. And now Putin is getting ready to conscript a half million more young Russians to be led into a slaughter.

Why in the world, when the Russians may not be losing in Ukraine, but the facts show they might be - send in more young Russians to die over there? Probably for the same reason he is considering an attack on either the Balkans, the UK - or both. A question which begs to be asked - to what end? What is there to gain by killing more civilians in Ukraine or innocent people in NATO countries? Hitler could have been asked the same questions. Why? And to what gain? 

Here is the thing about sending hundreds of thousands of new recruits to the front line in Ukraine. They will be coming up against battle hardened Ukrainians who have zero problem in killing invading Russians. The Ukrainians have set up "kill boxes" all over the front line, and "battles" between Russia and Ukraine become just target practice for the Ukrainian regulars. The only Ukrainian blood the Russians can draw, is when they continuously target civilian areas at night. A coward's way to fight? Seems that way.

There is no exit ramp for Putin to take right now. His only way out is either the same way Hitler left power, or to surrender to the Hauge. To continue to slaughter innocents in Ukraine, as well as starting a new war with NATO, is just a blood quest by the world's most blood thirsty man. But things could get worse. Rumors have it that Putin is still considering using tactical nukes in Ukraine. For the first time since WWII, nukes will be used in anger in a combat zone. What will come out of that move should Putin take it? Maybe (probably) WWIII.

The other day I penned an article about some of the wonderful inventions and innovations which will soon make our lives better. But all that will be for naught, should Putin do something very stupid or foolish. There is no glory about being known as the Horseman riding on the Red Horse. There is no valor about being known as the man with no compassion nor love in his heart. I just hope Putin learns that before it is too late.  

Innovators and inventors

"Look for many new and exciting things in 2027 and 2028. Donald Trump again committed to having "boots on the ground" on the Moon before his term is up. Meanwhile, inventors will keep on inventing, and innovators will keep on innovating. If we can keep Putin from blowing everybody and everything up, we have a rosy future to look forward to!"

It is widely known that the USA has some of the greatest innovators in the world. And the person who is at the head of that austere group of innovators is Elon Musk. Our innovators don't invent many things - however they have the vision and the ability to take what has already been invented and make it better - in Elon's case, much better. But as all that innovation is happening, there is a whole lot of inventing going on also. And for some reason, Japan and China seem to be in the news quite a bit about new things which are cooking.

One of the new things which is just starting to make its debut in Japan is real 3-D. That will include your TV, your ATM, your just about everything. This is not happening by accident - there has been hours, months, years of research going into this new technology. But now that they have it and is finding new ways to be of service to mankind, it is totally fascinating! Stay tuned on this one - I am sure there is much more to come in 2027. BTW - it is also used on some billboard advertising in Tokyo.

Next up will be your new replacement for your microwave. Yes, our microwave, which has served us well, is on the way out. What will replace it (again), is not just appearing by accident. It is the culmination of years and years of dogged research. But now they have it, and soon you will see it for sale in the USA. It will cook your food better, faster and safer. It is not just a little bit better than the traditional microwave which served millions of warmed up meals for millions of people - it will be a new revolution in cooking. Buck up, because your traditional microwave is about to go the way of the Dodo Bird.

 

Back to our innovators for a minute. Today, using a Falcon Heavy from SpaceX, is going to launch the Nancy Grace Roman space telescope. Why is this important? First off, Elon Musk has breathed new life into our space program. For a guy who is not a rocket scientist, he sure plays one very well! His Falcon Heavy, which has proven to be very reliable, is going to take this new space telescope to its new home in the heavens. Oh yes - and this Nancy Grace Roman space telescope is quite an improvement over the magic we have already used in creating new space telescopes. We may not have invented the rocket or the space telescopes, but we sure knew how to make them better.

Look for many new and exciting things in 2027 and 2028. Donald Trump again committed to having "boots on the ground" on the Moon before his term is up. Meanwhile, inventors will keep on inventing, and innovators will keep on innovating. If we can keep Putin from blowing everybody and everything up, we have a rosy future to look forward to!

In the midst of a potential war - a giant oil boom!

 

"The so called Donroe Doctrine might just be the best thing which has happened to this country in many a year. And not just this country, but also countries that we deal with. Again, the key to the next two years will be keeping the socialists out of Congress. That is our job - let Trump and company do the rest."  

Meanwhile, as everyone's gaze and attention are focused on Ukraine, NATO, and Iran, many good things are going on behind the curtain (so to speak). First off, our liberation of Venezuela is about to pay some huge dividends. Donald Trump, who some swear is part oil man, has slowly but surely changed the culture in Venezuela so all can live a better life. In a country as rich in oil as Venezuela is, has seemed like a crime that socialism had ruined all that wealth for so many. President Trump had a better idea. Free the people, privatize many of the wells so true oilmen could maximize production and then split the oil tax with the Venezuelan population. Rather than the oil revenues being zero sum and squandered, the US will get some and the people of Venezuela will get billions. This is called a win-win deal.

Who is watching this deal with keen interest? Alberta. Why? They are sitting on one of the largest oil fields in the world, and what is being pumped out of the ground is being squandered by Quebec. Very little is being returned to the citizens of Alberta. And THAT is why many in Alberta want out. They want to become part of US. Why? Carney is a socialist who has zero idea of fairness. Donald Trump on the other hand, will make the citizens of Alberta wealthy.

A part of this entire Rubic's Cube of what is going on outside of Europe, Iran and Russia - is Cuba. Cuba, who has been caught in a socialist time warp from the 1950's, is ready for a change. As soon as we took the Venezuelan oil needle out of Cuba's collective arm, everything (as little as it was) in Cuba - came to a halt. We do not want to invade Cuba an effect regime change - we want Cuba to come to us and ask for help. Ask for help in being a part of the league of nations (so to speak). Personally, I would love to have Cuba as a trading partner and a vacation destination. Everybody would win. It would be wonderful. 

Those who think that Trump is myopic and can only focus on Iran right now, need to take a closer look. Much is happening here, and much of it is very good. As soon as we can get the baddies away from the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices will settle down, and our true economy will shine through. If we can keep the socialists out of Congress, the next two years of Trump could be his best two years. 

The so called Donroe Doctrine might just be the best thing which has happened to this country in many a year. And not just this country, but also countries that we deal with. Again, the key to the next two years will be keeping the socialists out of Congress. That is our job - let Trump and company do the rest.  

Why is NATO on high alert?

 

"What will this next week bring? Will cooler heads prevail, or will we move one step closer to the edge? After the carnage left over from WW II, I can't imagine any nation having the stomach for another Euro wide war. But then there is Putin." 

Why in the world is NATO on high alert? Maybe the highest alert they have been on in decades. Why? A short answer - Russia. After what has happened with Ukraine, where with no provocation Russia decided to attack and conquer Ukraine, NATO has zero trust in Russia. The fact that some intel has picked up that Russia wants to take a run at NATO, is enough to send the alert levels at NATO sky high. Is this a whole lot of nothing to get all worked up about, or is this possibly the start of World War III?

Sweeden has sent some troops and Gripen fighter jets to Finland to bolster up their very long border with Russia. Poland, who was scheduled to receive some F-35 fighter jets later this year, received them early this week. Why? 5th generation jets will be handy for Poland to have if push comes to shove with Russia. And this week, Russia sank a commercial vessel in NATO waters. Why do that? Why keep sending drones over NATO airspace? Could it be that Putin is sending a signal? Itching for a fight? We are coming for you NATO. 

I have said this before. If Russian did not have nukes, they would be the thinnest of all paper tigers. But they do have nukes. Thousands of them. Then to really help stir the pot from NATO, Macron of France (who cannot stand Putin), told the press a few days ago just how weak of a leader Putin is. As you can see, all the ingredients are in this cauldron called Europe for a nasty confrontation. And the problem with today's warfare, is it can go from a single bullet being fired to an exchange of nuclear missiles in a jiffy. Start - finish - over - really over.

What about the United States? Even though some forces have been drawn down from NATO (mostly Germany at this point), the US still has tens of thousands of troops spread all over Europe. However, should things become hotter with this dispute between Russia and NATO, I would look for some augmentation back to some select areas of Europe. Like Poland. We do have a joint base in Poland, and having our best and brightest over there in times of trouble might be a wise move.

What will this next week bring? Will cooler heads prevail, or will we move one step closer to the edge? After the carnage left over from WW II, I can't imagine any nation having the stomach for another Euro wide war. But then there is Putin. The man with nothing to lose right now. The man who still feels he will be a part of Russian history by making Russia great again. Good luck with that one Vladimir. The only part of human history you might take part in - is the final chapter.

And now - a National Emergency on our power grid...

 

"Why in 2026 are we just addressing this threat? Good question. Good to ask your political candidates when they ring your doorbell. Hint: When the answers come (if they do), have your BS filter cleaned out. Otherwise, it can get very full, very fast."

I am telling you - there is no time to not pay attention to what is happening in the world today. If you blink, you might miss something. But what happened on August 26th is far from being a "nothing burger" - in fact, it is something I have clamoring about long before I had a blog. The question many on the left might be asking now, has nothing to do with the price of tea in China. Their question (or accusation) would be that this entire thing is a canard. There is no threat. Trump just made this up to take the whole Epstein spotlight off of himself. Anybody who thinks that twisted thought, could not be more wrong. The threat is real. The danger is real. 

I do, however, have one question. Since we have known since the 1980s that our grid was a mess and therefore quite vulnerable, what the {blank} took so long? Some energy experts are saying that with our current grid, should we have a failure due to natural or unnatural causes, it could take as long as 18 months to repair. News flash - if that is the case, by the time the 18 months was up and we had a new grid, many of us would be dead. Not having power for water, heat and so forth, can be very fatal.

Finally, somebody in our Energy Department has woken up to the fact that getting important components from China to power our very fragile energy grid is a fool's errand. Why? Here comes the immutable truth - China is not our friend. Have not been since 1949. If they could take us out by foiling our energy grid, that would cause many in Mainland China to do a happy dance. They could neutralize us without firing one shot. 

Is this too little, too late? I sure hope not. I thought the avalanche of new data centers alone would cause us to rethink our grid. But no - it is malware that could be hiding in thousands of Chinese components in our power grid. If time is not of the essence, we can do a deep clean on our entire grid and get rid of anything foreign which could be suspect. It will take time; it will take money. But if we get it done on time, it will be so, so worth it.

Back in the day, I have been through training on what an EMP could do to our country. It is too horrible to even consider. Like I said earlier, we have known about EMPs and the fragility of our power grid for decades. Why in 2026 are we just addressing this threat? Good question. Good to ask your political candidates when they ring your doorbell. Hint: When the answers come (if they do), have your BS filter cleaned out. Otherwise, it can get very full, very fast. 

 

Has NATO already joined the battle for Ukraine?

"The question remains to be answered - has NATO already joined this war. I guess my short answer would be yes. Could Ukraine have won this war against a vastly superior opponent without the help of NATO? Probably not. The best thing for Russia to do right now is withdraw and then sue for peace. And Putin? Send him to the Hauge for trial. He deserves no less."  

I will say this much for Macron of France as well as the new government in the UK - they know a bully when they see one. And of course, that bully in the Euro Zone right now is none other than "blood thirsty" Putin. What has Putin done so far which has been right and honorable in the war on (with) Ukraine? Nada. Zip. What has he done wrong so far? Invaded a sovereign country with no provocation from Ukraine. Targeted civilians in true war criminal fashion. Has Putin been on the side of the angels by doing so? If you look at what Russia has lost so far in blood and treasure, it does not seem so. Short of Putin using a tactical nuke on Ukraine, Ukraine just might win this war.

What has really got Putin's jaw put out of place has been the generous help that Ukraine is getting from NATO (including us). And of all the money and items that Ukraine has received from NATO, the two items which are really ticking Putin off the most, is receiving the classified manufacturing drawings from France and the UK on how to build the Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles. With this knowledge in hand on how to build missiles which can reach deep into Russia, the good citizens of Moscow are no longer observers to this war - they are now participants.

Russia has told NATO countries many times that if they are supplying weaponry to Ukraine for use against Russia, they are no longer neutral observers - they are participants. As such, Putin has threatened the UK and France with a direct attack by Russia. By now, all this bluster from Putin has been written off as just that. NATO, which is many times stronger than Ukraine (who is winning the war against Russia), does not seem very nonplussed by Russian threats. In fact, the big, bad boogie man of Europe, is just vapor over substance. Even shaking his nukes at NATO does not seem to bring much of a response.

One would have thought that after going through the torture than Russia went through under Hitler in WW II, there would have been more sympathy and empathy for Ukraine. Nope - not a drop. Rather than learning from the heinous things the Nazis did in WW II to Russia, Putin decided to do more of the same. War criminal stuff. Sorry to say this, but whatever punishment is dished out to Russia by Ukraine, is all deserved. It is that reaping what you sow thing.

The question remains to be answered - has NATO already joined this war. I guess my short answer would be yes. Could Ukraine have won this war against a vastly superior opponent without the help of NATO? Probably not. The best thing for Russia to do right now is withdraw and then sue for peace. And Putin? Send him to the Hauge for trial. He deserves no less.  

 

A mystery trip to Russia

"This is one to stay very close to. Something bigger than normal is up, and it could (say again - could) be very serious. I know from the days when I had a high-level clearance in the Navy, what the press was reporting, and what was really going on were not similar at all. Just know that is probably the same today. We know only a fraction of what is really happening."   

Back in the day, before the Soviet Union broke up, there was a horrible incident between the Soviet military and a civilian aircraft. KAL flight 007, from New York to Seoul (via Anchorage). Towards the end of the flight, the aircraft accidentally strayed over Soviet airspace. Rather than acting like a civilized nation and escort the plane back into international airspace, the Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 shot this civilian aircraft out of the sky. All on board were killed. The real Russia showed its hand. I was not surprised. I knew from my time in the Navy one immutable fact - you can never trust a Russian. Never, ever.

Earlier this week, a Globemaster C-17 (including a mobile SCIF), took off on a secret mission to Moscow to have an emergency meeting with Russian leadership. On board the plane was John Ratcliffe, our CIA Director. A message was sent to Ukraine asking them to stop any missile or drone attacks on Russia while Ratcliffe was in country. The Globemaster landed, a very brief meeting was held, and then Radcliffe and team left for home. Who Ratcliffe met with, what the subject was, and was there any resolution - are all unanswered questions.

Not only do we have unanswered questions, but the entire mystery also concerning this flight to Moscow has got the rumor mill buzzing. As it appears right now, the leading candidates for what would have our CIA Director fly halfway around the world for a very brief meeting with Russia are the following:

Theory One - Our intel has picked up chatter that because Russia is doing poorly in Ukraine right now, and might actually lose the war, Putin is considering using tactical nukes in Ukraine. Ratcliffe went to warn Putin not to do it - or else. 

Theory Two - Our intel has picked up that Russia has supplied a nuke for Iran to use against us or Israel. Ratcliffe went to warn Russia to retrieve that nuke, as if Iran used it against us or Israel - it would mean a war which nobody wants.

Theory Three - This is the one which appears to have the most legs. Russia is so upset with certain NATO countries that missiles like the Storm Shadow, are being sent to Ukraine to be used against Russia. These missiles (a product of the UK and France), are very accurate and have enough range to strike deep into Russia. Our intel has picked up chatter that Russia is getting ready to expand the Ukraine War into certain NATO countries. If that happened, Article 5 of the NATO Agreement would take over, and the entire Euro Zone would be at war. Ratcliffe went to warn Putin should that happen - we would also be involved.

Theory Four - We have no clue. It would be something else which really mattered.

For a while yesterday, there was not a peep on any of the news channels about this trip. To find out about it, you needed to dig deep into non-traditional news sources. Today however, is a different matter. This mystery is being talked about everywhere. Could I see either the Iranian War or the Ukraine War spreading? Absolutely. Could I see China getting involved with Russia? Again - yes. 

This is one to stay very close to. Something bigger than normal is up, and it could (say again - could) be very serious. I know from the days when I had a high-level clearance in the Navy, what the press was reporting, and what was really going on were not similar at all. Just know that is probably the same today. We know only a fraction of what is really happening.   

Why is Russia itching for another fight?

"Will this be the end of Russia? Probably not - but it might be the end of Putin. Putin, who decided to take on history, might find out that history will not be kind to him. Nor should it be. With blood dripping from his fingers, Putin has nothing to offer the world. Not - one - thing."

Rule One - in today's world, very few international things happen by accident. Most drip with intentionality. When Russia has some drones or cruise missiles which just so happen to stray over borders into NATO land, that is no accident. For Russia to say otherwise is BS all in capitals. Then why in the world, after getting his butt handed to him by Ukraine, would Putin desire another fight? Especially with a much stronger organization like NATO? Pure and simple - Putin is a megalomaniac. Just like Hitler, Putin is a megalomaniac. 

First the battle over Ukraine. ICYMI, Putin is about to lose control over Crimea. Remember Crimea? The part of Ukraine which Putin illegally annexed during the Barry Obama administration? Why bring up Obama? Because we did NOTHING to stop Putin from this brazen example of adventurism. But that was 2014. Today, because Russia has grown weaker and Ukraine stronger, Ukraine stands ready to right this wrong from 2014. And after Crimea goes back to Ukraine, the Donbas Region of Ukraine will be next to return to Ukraine. Plus, if Russia is not careful, Ukraine might end up taking part of Russia.

But NATO - that is something different to Putin. First and foremost, Putin hates NATO and everything it stands for. The Soviet Union should have NEVER lost to NATO in the first place. Whereas getting Ukraine back in the Russian fold was just something which needed to be done, giving NATO a black eye (or worse), is something which is long overdue. And Poland, that pesky nation of Poland - they should be the first to go. What to the Poles think about that? Bring it on, Putin. The animosity Putin has for Poland is only eclipsed by the unbridled hatred that Poland has for Russia.

Here is the truth as I see it from my perch. When big, bad Russia decided to invade Ukraine and make short work of this neighboring country, Russia made one huge error. They showed the world they are a paper tiger. But they are a paper tiger with nukes. If Russia did not have nukes, they would be nothing more than a nothing burger. Besides the pain, injury, death and cost this war has meant to Ukraine, one thing positive did come out of it. They became a modern-day version of The Mouse that Roared. In less than five years, Ukraine has gone from a bunch of farmers and accountants, to one of the premier drone manufacturers in the world. And with those drones, they are kicking Russia's butt each day, every day. 

If Russia does take a swing at NATO, the first thing which will probably happen is Russia will lose Kaliningrad. That is a cold hard fact. Kaliningrad sits on a perch right now which is precarious at best. But there is another huge problem for Putin. His country is starting to hate him for what he has done to Russia during this war with Ukraine. It was bad enough when tens of thousands of Russia's young men were dying in Ukraine, but now the war has come home to Russia. Ukraine can reach deep into Russia. To muster any stomach by the Russian people to put up with a war with NATO might be a bridge too far for Putin. Plus, unlike Ukraine, NATO also has nukes.

Will this be the end of Russia? Probably not - but it might be the end of Putin. Putin, who decided to take on history, might find out that history will not be kind to him. Nor should it be. With blood dripping from his fingers, Putin has nothing to offer the world. Not - one - thing.