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.  

Oh Canada - again!?!

"We need to get back to the art of the deal, and not have other countries think we are trying to execute the art of the steal. One other rule of negotiations I learned. Never negotiate over the phone. Way too easy to say no. We need Trump and Carney to meet face to face and hammer this thing out. Egos need to be checked at the door, and a reasonable deal needs to be struck. The American people, the Canadian people, expect no less."

I got my big break as a negotiator because of one very important thing - I knew how to get along with the person sitting on the other side of the table. Now that does not mean that things were always love and kisses - the person on the other side of the table knew where his bread was buttered, and so did I. But my big break happened when just the opposite happened of getting along with the other side.

I was one of a few contract types who was working on the company's largest contract. The contract I really wanted to work on was being handled by one of the groups more senior and experienced administrators. But this man was a bit of a hothead. He was at the customer's facility in a very important negotiation. Things got heated, and then our company's representative blew his cool. Told the customer he was going to break his arm off and then feed it to him. And just like that, I was called into the boss's office and told I was getting that contract. Why? I knew how to get along with people. And thus started my real career.

Why bring this up? Canada. Donald Trump. Mark Carney. We really don't need another war right now, even if it is only a tariff war. Canada is our biggest trading partner. Of any country on this planet, the USA and Canada are the closest alike. Getting along with Canada should be as easy as getting out of bed in the morning. But it is not. Where does the blame lie for not getting the trade deal done? With Donald Trump? With Mark Carney? With both? With neither? 

There are two major lessons I learned as a negotiator. First, a "no deal" is better than a bad deal. That being said, lesson number two was a deadlock in a negotiation was a failure on everybody's part. What happened in the Canada trade negotiation was a deadlock. To be followed on with punitive tariffs. Who really loses? Everybody - especially the consumer who will have to pay more for goods they need. 

Earlier in Trump's second term, he floated the idea of reciprocal tariffs. If another country charged us fifty percent tariffs - we would charge them fifty percent back. If another country charged us zero percent tariffs - we would charge them zero back. Easy peasy and very fair (so I thought). What happened to that plan? Was it that Congress had SCOTUS rule against Trump's tariffs? I don't know - all I know right now is we have a mess with Canada.

We need to get back to the art of the deal, and not have other countries think we are trying to execute the art of the steal. One other rule of negotiations I learned. Never negotiate over the phone. Way too easy to say no. We need Trump and Carney to meet face to face and hammer this thing out. Egos need to be checked at the door, and a reasonable deal needs to be struck. The American people, the Canadian people, expect no less.

 

Do we still have what it takes to build a good aircraft carrier?

"Here is my point to all this blather. We expect the best out of our young sailors. Sometimes it is not an easy life. But if we are to expect the best out of them, it is up to us to give them the best to work with. Having workable toilets when you are deployed to a war zone is not too much to ask."   

If the Navy were smart (and they usually are), they would do an in-depth "lessons learned" on what happened during the 265-day deployment of the USS Lincoln. To take 5,000 young men and women, put them on a large ship (but not that large), and expect them to be close to flawless in their performances on a very important mission, might need a closer look. Why do I say that? We need to examine the good, the bad and the ugly of that recent experience. Maybe there is a point, where no matter how mentally tough some of these young folks are, which is too much. Or maybe not. But in any event, since this was the longest deployment ever for a Nimitz Class carrier, it needs a closer look.

And it is not just the aircraft carriers. Again, to put over 100 young men and women in a tube and have it submerged for weeks or months at a time - there might be a breaking point on that experience also. I know, I know - the folks who qualify to be submariners are as tough as nails. But still - is there a limit to what can be absorbed before stress starts to win the day? I am not trying to borrow trouble by asking this, but if (and that is a big if) there was a problem on the Abe, the Navy needs to address that problem head on. 

Right now, out of our eleven carriers, we have two in dry dock. It is interesting that one which is in dry dock is our newest carrier, the USS Ford. That leaves nine carriers to be ready to be on station should the need arise. But one thing needs to be understood about the current state of our Navy - we are lagging behind China. Why? Not to put blame on Obama and Biden but maintaining a Navy which could do battle on two oceans at once, was not on their radar. Plus, the fact we have lost some of the recipe cards on how to build quality ships rapidly, has left the fleet with some holes in it. Like, many of our Ticonderoga Class cruisers are getting ready to sunset, and we have nothing to replace them with as yet. That is a whole lot of VLS cells that the Navy will be short. 

The USS Kennedy is going through sea trials as fast as humanly possible. What is the rush? The Kennedy, like our submarines and other surface ships - is behind schedule. But even with that, the Kennedy will not be ready for delivery to the Navy until March of next year. There is a lot of excitement about the Kennedy, on how much of an improvement it will be to the carrier it will replace. There was excitement about the USS Ford also, until the toilets quit working. For how much time and money went into the Ford, there was no excuse for that one!

Here is my point to all this blather. We expect the best out of our young sailors. Sometimes it is not an easy life. But if we are to expect the best out of them, it is up to us to give them the best to work with. Having workable toilets when you are deployed to a war zone is not too much to ask.   

Our state fair! Hot dogs, rides, and...gangs

"Some people, like that handsome young man in the picture above, just like to go to the Minnesota State Fair, have a foot long hotdog, and people watch. That is what the majority of us do. However, in the past few years, going to the fair has been marred by violence. Mostly at night, mostly by wild and feral youth."

What has happened to the Minnesota State Fair? I will tell you what has happened. It has become a microcosm of what ails our society. We have spent some considerable time and money to negotiate with some young Somali gangs concerning our rapidly approaching fair. "Please stay away this year. And if you come, please don't hang with other gang members." That was our AG asking those questions. Will this work for a more peaceful fair this year? Odds are it will not. Why not? The current in our country right now is all about mass mayhem, put on by wild and feral youth. The Minnesota State Fair is prime breeding ground for that kind of behavior. 

Not to get too political, but this kind of behavior is a hangover from the lawlessness condoned in the Obama and Biden years. If it feels good - do it, even if it is against law and order. We still have a bevy of prosecuting local attorneys and judges who HATE to impose any kind of punishment on law breakers. "Please do better. Now go home and have some ice cream." So long as that is the kind of punishment we dish out for lawlessness, we will continue to have mayhem in our streets.

Think I am dabbling in histrionics or hyperbole? I am not. What about blocks and blocks of cars who have their windows broken overnight? One man who was interviewed on the news said this was this third time this year he woke up to broken windows in his car. Who is doing this? Who do you think. Hint: It is not Mormon missionaries or Boy Scouts. Wild and feral youth? That is a much better guess.

Some people, like that handsome young man in the picture above, just like to go to the Minnesota State Fair, have a foot long hotdog, and people watch. That is what the majority of us do. However, in the past few years, going to the fair has been marred by violence. Mostly at night, mostly by wild and feral youth. Why do I think this will happen again? Because it happened across the border at Wisconsin's fair. That is why.

How do we turn this ship around? How do we get back to that "Ozzie and Harriet" type of life we had years ago? The Mary Tyler Moore years in Minnesota? Or have been so scarred by the Floyd riots that we are stuck in this new rut. Because if we are, we better get used to living in Dystopia.      

Do we have DUMB, or what?

"Do we have underground bases? Underground cities? Most of us will never know. This might just be urban legend and rumor-mania, or there could be some truth involved in it. Do I have any superior knowledge on this subject? Not a shred. That being said, I am still interested in the stories about these things - true or not."   

Every now and again, the old rumor mill starts to buzz like crazy. Which topic? Oh, there are quite a few. But one of the topics which really catches my glance is DUMB (Deep Underground Military Bases). Now before you hang up the phone, let's take a bit of a longer look at this issue. First off, is it even possible that we do have some military bases underground? The short answer is yes. We have had the technology for years on how to safely and securely construct underground facilities. But the next answer is the most vexing - can we develop these bases without being noticed or heard? Maybe, maybe not. 

The current narrative on our underground bases makes their existence seem actually quite possible. Shortly after the Soviet Union exploded their first atomic bomb, it scared the pants off our military planners. So much so, they started being concerned about how to have our military continue should we ever be attacked by nuclear weapons. We know from our government, they have a continuation of government plan by having POTUS, most of his cabinet and Congress go to an underground secured and safe location in time of national emergency. This is fact. Weather Mountain is fact. Cheyane Mountain is fact. There are some others, but then we lose the factual information and start getting into conjecture and rumor.

If you look at what has been discovered in Gaza, what we know about what is in Iran, burrowing underground in cities and storage areas is common. If these backward areas of the world can do it, why can't we? There have been stories about tunneling machines with plasma cutters on them, which can make miles and miles of tunnels with no debris evident. What about the purpose and location of these bases? If they exist, I am sure the security rating on them is sky high. So much so, some of them might have been around for decades, and decades yet to come.

One year, my wife and I went up to a Minnesota State Park called Soudan. It is a mine deep underground. Currently, it is used for research by the University of Minnesota as well as other agencies. Why bring this up? It was spooky and weird to be that far underground. I suppose if someone was stationed in a DUMB, they would get used to it. But like it said, to us it was nothing but strange and unnerving.

Do we have underground bases? Underground cities? Most of us will never know. This might just be urban legend and rumor-mania, or there could be some truth involved in it. Do I have any superior knowledge on this subject? Not a shred. That being said, I am still interested in the stories about these things - true or not.   

You can't cure stoopid!

"To have a secure homeland, we need enough water for all to drink, and to use for agriculture. We need a secure and almost limitless supply of electricity. We need enough gas and oil in reserve to use in a national emergency. And we need enough ammo to ensure we can fight off bad guys."

I am going to do something this morning I very rarely do. I am going to take a swing at our country. Not every part of our country, but at some things which has been a burr under my saddle for a long time. One problem has been a huge problem for decades and is still a huge problem. But now that problem has been made even worse by another problem is which just as huge and just as serious. In short, we have an electrical grid which is held together by spit and chewing gum, and now a huge area of our country is running out of water. Why does this make us stoopid? Because we are doing NOTHING about either problem.

I am going to talk about our water issue first. Israel has a lot less water than we have, so they have taken this on this problem with urgency. They have used the unlimited supply of water which comes from the sea. Now, things are going so well with the water they are harvesting, they are even able to start refilling the Sea of Galilee. Seriously - they really are!

We are losing Lake Powell and Lake Meade. Both are dependent of the Colorado River, which is starting to lose its punch. Since tens of millions of citizens in the desert southwest are dependent on that river for just about everything, it is time to think about a Plan "B". Like desalination - and lots of it. But no - we have done zip. Nada. And if we don't hurry up and take this problem seriously, we will have a mass migration of citizens headed northward, out of the desert.

Then we have our very fragile electrical grid. We have been so very lucky in the past that this grid had not failed. And if it did fail, due to natural or manmade causes, we would be in big, big trouble. People would die. To make matters worse, we are going to need much more electricity in the near future to power the proliferation of data centers. Ironically, many of these new AI data centers are being built in Arizona. And what do these data centers need the most? Water and electricity. Duh!

There are other issues also which need attention. Like our Strategic Petroleum Reserve being at historic lows. That is inexcusable. That need to be fixed like yesterday. And to have some of our smart ammo and missiles now being in short supply. Where was the planning on that? We can't fight a war against Russia or China and run out of ammo in the first week. Both of these issues also need to be fixed - like now.

To have a secure homeland, we need enough water for all to drink, and to use for agriculture. We need a secure and almost limitless supply of electricity. We need enough gas and oil in reserve to use in a national emergency. And we need enough ammo to ensure we can fight off bad guys. In short, it is time to start fixing some of these vexing problems before they become beyond vexing and a catastrophe. We are smarter than this. We have no time for stoopid. 

Who likes Iran these days? Hint: Nobody who knows them

"D-Day is coming soon for Iran. Trump is starving them out right now, but soon we might have to mix in some of our kinetic fire power to boot. BTW - what Trump said is true. We may be a wee bit short of some of our super smart munitions, but we have an almost unlimited supply of bombs and missiles which are not quite as smart - but smart enough."

What a bunch of jerks. Who? The IRGC. Yesterday, just for kicks and giggles, besides hitting two tankers in the Strait, the IRGC launched some missiles at the UAE. At the same time, they instructed their proxy (Houthis) to fire ballistic missiles at Saudi. If they are not killing their own people, they are shooting at their neighbors, or they are taking pot shots at commercial shipping. No wonder nobody wants to go to the prom with them.

What happened yesterday was the last straw for the good folks who rule the UAE. They have cut off any ties which remained with Iran. If Iran wants to be another hermit kingdom, just like the Norks, they are doing a fine job of getting there. And just to be clear on one very important point - it is Iran and Iran alone who has bottled up the Strait of Hormuz. That is why the best thing Trump has done for a while, is announce to the world that the US just might make the Strait a territory of the US. Where we can control it. Why? Iran had their chance - and blew it.

USA Today had an opinion piece about Iran today. I won't go into all the details, but to me, the punch line was as follows: "The war with Iran came as no surprise. They have been baiting the USA for decades." BINGO! A real truth bomb that was! Whose fault was this (as the Dems call it), Trump's "unnecessary war"? Iran's fault. Pure and simple. Rather than being a truculent nuisance in the neighborhood, attacking Isreal whenever they could, and threatening us - they could have played nice. But no - baiting us is the least of their sins.

Iran does not know this as yet, so let me help them out. You sirs, the members of the IRGC, are like a dead man walking. Your time is up. The millions of normal Iranians who you have imprisoned in your theocracy are ready to take their country back. And Trump is ready to take over the Strait. Why? You have shown you are cruel dictators to your own people and have shown you have no clue on how to leave well enough alone with commercial traffic in the Strait. And you have riled up our president, which is never a smart play.

D-Day is coming soon for Iran. Trump is starving them out right now, but soon we might have to mix in some of our kinetic fire power to boot. BTW - what Trump said is true. We may be a wee bit short of some of our super smart munitions, but we have an almost unlimited supply of bombs and missiles which are not quite as smart - but smart enough. For the IRGC - your day of reckoning is almost here. As they would say in the wild west, "you better git while the gitting is good." 

Birds of a feather no longer flock together....

"When the dust settles in November and the ballots are counted, what will be the lessons learned? Since few will be happy with the outcome, the lesson learned will be to do better in 2028. Until then (as the old saying goes) - suck it up, buttercup!"

One RINO person I know, recently lamented about the fact that Republicans are not like they once were. Let me see if I can translate that for all of us. A few decades ago, Republicans and Democrats got along much better than they do today. Why? They were all colored the same. Not red and blue as much as Democrats were a darker gray and Republicans were a lighter shade of gray. When they expressed opposing positions, they often were more alike than different. One was constantly reminded of that old axiom - "Birds of a feather block together." Oh, those were the days! (NOT!)

Fast forward to today. Many Republicans have taken a crash course in advanced conservatism. It started with the Tea Party, and then (thanks to Donald Trump), has morphed into the MAGA movement. No shades of gray here! But on the other side of the coin, are the Democrats, who have gone from liberal to progressive to Socialism to out and out Communism. Ergo, here is the problem at the ballot box. Do you choose the Ozzie and Harriet party to rule, or do you take a chance and vote for crazy?

Right now, many are not happy with this developing "forever war" in Iran. This "one and done" war is turning into Iraq 2.0. How and why is this happening? First off, we may want it to be done, but Iran is willing and able to stretch thing out for months (years) to come. Why? They know how impatient the American People are. Anything to hurt or seriously wound Donald Trump and the party he came from.

But on the other side of the fence, we have crazy. The DSA is trying to make their foothold into the Democrat Party more of a stronghold. And their platform is straight out of Lala land. The establishment Democrats are trying to minimize and marginalize this group of upstarts. However, this new breed of Communists, is starting to win the day the old-fashioned way - they are winning the primary races. That is how they take over the Democrat Party - one precinct at a time.

This is going to be a very interesting election. Some are going to punish the Republicans because of this developing "forever war" which is causing almost Biden like inflation, and others are going to punish the Democrats for allowing "crazy" to take over their brand. In other words, this will be an election (in my opinion) where many will vote against something more so than voting for something.

When the dust settles in November and the ballots are counted, what will be the lessons learned? Since few will be happy with the outcome, the lesson learned will be to do better in 2028. Until then (as the old saying goes) - suck it up, buttercup!    

 

Is this war over, or is this just the start?

"BTW - even though there is very little kinetic activity going on right now, something strange is happening in Iran. Upper levels of the IRGC keep turning up dead. This is due to either some Iranians on the inside who are no longer drinking the IRGC Kool aide, or maybe Massad? Or USA operators? Or Kurds? Bad things come to those who deserve it."

When I was growing up, and after conquering most of my boyhood fears, there was still something that I was afraid of. And that is getting in a fight with somebody who had nothing to lose. Hard to beat somebody like that. That is something I think about in our fight with Iran. The IRGC does not give a whit about how much we bomb, what they lose, how many of their people are killed, what kind of poverty and inflation they are now living in. They just keep on fighting.

Let me be clear on one issue. And this issue is one of the reasons the Iranians (the IRGC) will NEVER want peace. They HATE Israel. They will never accept Israel as a neighbor. They will always seek to have proxies who can carry out dastardly deeds against the Jewish state. And us? They hate us also. They will do anything to drive us out of the Middle East. Remember - in the eyes of the IRGC, we are still the big Satan. 

Today is the expiration date on the sixty-day MOU. Big whoop. The MOU, just like all the pauses and cease fires, have been there only to stall for time. Not having any agreements is just fine by most of us, thank you. And for Trump to keep our boot on the financial neck of Iran (via our Naval blockade) is good medicine. As Trump has said, he prefers not killing any more people but will delight in killing Iran's economy.

Meanwhile, yesterday a couple of Shahed Drones somehow made it into Egypt. Since that is outside their range, the thought is they could have been launched from some ship close by. It is no secret that Iran would love to pull Egypt into this fray. If Iran starts to launch drones from ships against friendly nations, this war in not going away soon. If anything, it will get bigger.

BTW - even though there is very little kinetic activity going on right now, something strange is happening in Iran. Upper levels of the IRGC keep turning up dead. This is due to either some Iranians on the inside who are no longer drinking the IRGC Kool aide, or maybe Massad? Or USA operators? Or Kurds? Bad things come to those who deserve it.

When will this war end? Will it end? My thinking is it will only end when the good people of Iran retake their country. And then we can be friends again. Until that day comes, we need to stay buckled up. Why? The IRGC types never give up.

What is up on the Abe? Fact or fiction?

How tough do I think the men and women of the USS Abe are? Plenty tough. Our sailors are well trained. I would put my money on the men and women of the United States Navy any day of the week - and twice on Sunday.

 

Before I went in the Navy, the motto I kept hearing was "join the Navy and see the world". Sounded good to me. I really wanted to go to sea. Make my own memories. I signed up for all "bird farm" (carrier) ratings I could when I was in boot camp. As luck would have it, my scores on the battery tests showed I had some kind of aptitude to do a different kind of work other than aviation. And that work led me away from a sea billet. Out of 21 years in the Navy/Naval Reserve, that was my biggest disappointment.

Lately I have been wondering, if I had gone to sea right out of boot camp, and was stationed on a pre-Nimitz era carrier off the coast of Viet Nam, could I have toughed it out? That being said, if I were younger, and in the Navy today, and stationed aboard the USS Abe Lincoln, could I have handled a 265-day deployment without going bat poop crazy? It is easy to sit back in my easy chair and judge what is happening off the coast of Iran right now, but I wonder how many of us have the mental toughness to "soldier up" and keep on mission like we are asking of the crew of the USS Abe.

For a young man or woman, 265 days is like an eternity. I get it. I do, however, have a hard time believing that with today's underway replenishments, that the Abe was running out of food - especially milk. When I was stationed on an Army Base in Okinawa, the chow hall only served powdered milk. The good news? The milk never ran out (until we could not get water during the drought). The bad news - powdered milk tastes like crap. But nobody starved and we all made it to the end of our duty rotation.

I know time drags when you are on station doing an important job. I know for young men and women they are wondering if this will ever end. But it will end. And good or bad, they will be part of a record setting deployment. As time goes on once this deployment is over, they will have a story to tell. For some, it will be bragging rights. For others, they will just want to get out.

It is times like these, that the leadership of the ship's CO, XO, Chiefs, Officers and lead petty officers must be as sharp as a tack. Yes, leadership. This is when real leaders, lead. Is it tough being on station for 265 days? Heck yes, it is tough. But the young sailors who endured this record setting deployment could or should come out of this deployment tougher and better. 

How tough do I think the men and women of the USS Abe are? Plenty tough. Our sailors are well trained. I would put my money on the men and women of the USS Abe any day of the week - and twice on Sunday.

One heck of a summer!

 

I was not going to mention this fact, but what the heck - I am surprised and honored by it. I have addressed this before - because it amazes me. My blog, the Very Angry Bird, has been read in over 2/3 of the countries on Earth. As such, the number of my views keep going up. I try to make my posts to be not only family friendly, but also about freedom and liberty, with a bit of faith stories thrown in for good measure. That being said, then there is this summer.

The number of views I have on my blog site have gone from the thousands per day to the tens of thousands per day. One day, I went over 110,000 views. This month, I am about ready to hit one million views for August - and the month is not even half over.

I have been asked in the past how and why I write what I do. My answer is always the same. First, it must interest me. And then comes the most critical part - it must (in my opinion) interest others. It can't be too long, nor too boring. And at times it can be even pithy. But that is it. In a nutshell. Oh, and I do a lot of reading from different sources, watching a lot of news, and at night, before going to bed, watching some YouTube. 

For those who read my ramblings from time to time - thank you. For those who don't, give it another try. I have thick skin - if you disagree with me - let me know. I any event, I have blathered on long enough. I put my article for the day was on the site earlier this morning. You might want to check it out. Hint: It is not about flowers.

Why we can't (won't) win

"Here is what the DFL does that the MNGOP does not do. Once the dust settles and the primary is over, they gather around the winner. It really does not matter to them how corrupt or imperfect their candidates are. They vote lock, stock and barrel. Meanwhile, many in MNGOP are still bemoaning the imperfect flowers in the bunch, as they wonder how and why they lost (again)."

The story goes as follows. Every two or four years, a man goes into a flower shop to buy some flowers for a lady friend. One shop which he goes into, has vastly superior flowers to any other shop, and his lady friend much prefers them to any others. But this man is very particular. Quite often, he will spot one flower in a perfect bunch which is less than perfect. For that reason alone, he leaves the shop empty handed. He instead, goes to a flower shop down the road which has flowers which are far less attractive. Many are diseased. But to keep from getting that one imperfect flower at the other store, he (out of spite) - buys the far less attractive and diseased flowers. And this happens over and over and over again.

Welcome to MNGOP. This is the land where (believe it or not), we still have enough registered Republicans to win statewide elections. Proven fact. But (and this is going to sting a bit) - we have far too many of the MNGOP voters who are like the man who did not buy the nice bunch of flowers with one flower which was imperfect. And the stink of how we vote is already in the air. How so? The DFL, which are running pretty much the same bunch of fraud infested losers they have had for years, out voted MNGOP by a margin of 2 to 1 in the primary. THAT - does not bode well for the general election.

I am a lifelong Republican. I have never been a Democrat. That being said, Republicans frustrate me in this state. Why? The knives are already out for Lisa Demuth. RINO! Loser! All kinds of names which should never be used for our candidates. Is Lisa the best candidate for governor we have ever had? Maybe not - but in my book she is pretty darned good, and hundred times better than Hotdish Amy. But we have many MNGOP folks, some even being state delegates, who will SIT THIS ELECTION OUT, rather than vote for Lisa. Is that cutting off your nose in spite of your face, or what. We will lose another election just because many MNGOP types have hurt feelings and will either vote third party, or not at all. Same outcome.

And we can't forget about Michele Tafoya. Oh my gosh - she is or was pro-choice. Now my preference is that she is not, but she still has the best chance of winning that open senate seat. However, there are MNGOP types who will SIT THIS ELECTION OUT, rather than vote for Michele. By the way, as the old expression goes, you can't govern if you don't win. The trifecta rule of the Democrats in 2023 gave us the immoral abortion law which is now law in MN. You know - the same type of law that MA just passed. It is a satanic law, and we had no Republicans who could stop it. Again, if you don't win, you can't govern.

Here is what the DFL does that the MNGOP does not do. Once the dust settles and the primary is over, they gather around the winner. It really does not matter to them how corrupt or imperfect their candidates are. They vote lock, stock and barrel for their candidates. Meanwhile, as many in MNGOP are still bemoaning the imperfect flowers in their bunch, they wonder how and why they lost (again).

 

No class, no morals, no kidding

 

"I have always said that one of the things I love about this country is that we have an open-door policy. Open borders to an extent. Open borders? Yes - whomever wants to leave this country which they hate so much - can do so freely." 

Did you see the latest and the greatest disgrace which was done by disciples or fans of Hassan Piker? Why do I say that? Because when every other word out of your mouth (like it is with Piker's) besmirches or degrades America, some loose nut kids will take that crap to heart. Yesterday, filled with rage against the machine (so to speak), they defaced the nation's World War II Memorial in Washington DC. These young punks, whom without the duty and sacrifice of those heroes who fought and died in World War II, would living in tyranny and speaking another language. It makes me sick to my stomach.

What has happened to our great country? Why are our national monuments no longer sacrosanct? I know this started under Obama and then went hog wild under Biden - but come on folks - these monuments mean something special to the normal folks who live in and love this great land. Is it the schools these days, which are filling this young heads full of this vile hatred for America? Teaching faux history and civics?

How about this past primary election season. Some of these Commies which were running for public office, proclaimed loudly they hate America as well as some of our holidays. Why do they say that kind of crap? Because they don't belong here. Not one bit.

Or is it the churches? Some liberal denominations have strayed so far from the Gospel they are preaching things which are antithetical to Biblical teachings. Like pride. Like gender reassignment. What will be next? Polyamorous marriages? Same sex marriages? (sorry - we are already there). Are these the days that Ezekial had prophesized about? 

Are we at the point right now that the majority cannot have nice things in this country, just because some minute minority hates it here? A small minority who feels guilty that we won wars, that we invent things, that our standard of living is higher than most? Is that what the message was with the damage done at our World War II Memorial yesterday? Well guess what? There are more of us than there are of them. Plenty more. And when we catch these vandals, mercy will be in short supply.

I have always said that one of the things I love about this country is that we have an open-door policy. Open borders to an extent. Open borders? Yes - whomever wants to leave this country which they hate so much - can do so freely. That being said, those who want to come here need to do it the right way. That is freedom in my book. Living in a free and open country. As the old saying goes - "America, love it or leave it". 

The gravity of the situation

"Rumor has it that DARPA is working on an anti-gravity propulsion system. I find that very interesting. Why? How can we do that if we don't understand how gravity works in the first place? Bottom line? The gravity of this situation really escapes us. Love it or hate it, gravity keeps us here and prevents us from floating away. Does gravity suck, as the hippies from the 60's would say? Not in my book."   

For those who survived the close call with the seven seconds of no gravity yesterday - congrats. The seven seconds of free floating never happened. And that is a good thing. Why? As the old saying goes, what goes up must come down. There was even a fictitious name for this fictitious event. Project Anchor. Somewhere, many light years from here, there was a disturbance in the gravity field. It was going to hit Earth yesterday, and if you were not hanging on to something which was firmly attached to the ground, you were in for the ride of your life. Probably the last ride of your life. 

If you ever want to have fun with a scientist, here is a series of questions to ask him or her which will put that person in a box canyon. Question One: What is gravity? Answer: It is the force which keeps us on this (or any other) planet. Question Two: What causes gravity? Answer: It is caused by the mass of something in the universe. Question Three: (And this ends the discussion) - What causes gravity? How does it work? Answer: We are still working on it.

Gravity is one of those things which is real, yet unexplainable. Thus, to have this gravity wave hit the Earth yesterday and nullify our gravity for seven seconds, was a good story at best. Why? How would NASA know that, if they can't even figure out what gravity is in the first place? The interesting part is even after this seven second story had been debunked, some still believed in it. But those who still believed in it, still had a shred of truth to do so. Really?

Trying to get an absolute answer on why this could not nor would not happen from experts who can't even fully explain the how and whys of gravity is a problem. Sure, the seven seconds came and went with nothing happening - but was it only because it was a fable, or were we just lucky? 

Rumor has it that DARPA is working on an anti-gravity propulsion system. I find that very interesting. Why? How can we do that if we don't understand how gravity works in the first place? Bottom line? The gravity of this situation really escapes us. Love it or hate it, gravity keeps us here and prevents us from floating away. Does gravity suck, as the hippies from the 60's would say? Not in my book.