Love the one you are with...

 

 

"First things first - I should admit this. I like this man. Like most of us, he is not perfect. But he is pretty darned good, never the less!"

Okay. I will admit it. I bought into all this teaching I have learned about. This teaching about love. You know, one of the two greatest commandments the Lord gave to us. To love others as we love ourselves. Sometimes it is hard - very hard. To love the unlovable. To love the ones who disappoint us. Who we disagree with. To love where love should be vacant. If the Lord loved us that way, we would all be doomed. I know I would be.

Tom Emmer has made two very tough votes. Not easy. It was a tough choice between liberty and pragmatism. How would have I voted? Sitting on the side lines, I have my opinion how I would have voted. However, living on the shores of the Potomac, with all the political nuances involved, I really don't know. I might have voted the same way Tom did, or maybe different.

I admire Tom for leaving Jacquie and the kids at home to "fight the dragon" in Washington. After being in Washington over 250 times on business and military, I still don't think that I could have made that type of sacrifice. I told Tom a year ago, it is hard to please everyone, on every vote. That being said, I still have confidence in Tom to do the right thing. To cast the right vote. To protect liberty.

If someone is looking for me to throw Tom under the bus, they are looking in the wrong direction. Even though Tom and I are friends, I will still hold him accountable for his votes. He was been in office a whopping two months now, and had two very tough votes. But he is still my Congressman. He is not Michele Bachmann, he is Tom Emmer. He is his own person.

I have always admired the Democrats for sticking close to the most flawed candidate they put forward. Tom Emmer is not a flawed candidate. Should he have skipped the Selma thing today? Maybe. But Tom's opinion was to go - and that is what really matters. We will have plenty of time, plenty of venues to discuss Tom's recent votes and choices. And many of those times Tom will be with us to explain his actions.

I truly do understand the confusion and anger some have towards Tom. That being said, there is not one person, not one single person, that I hold malice toward in how they feel about the past two months. We are one team. Imperfect, bickering at times, gracious for the most part, who are trying to do the best for our country.

 We all believe that Barack Obama is not a patriot. I also believe that and have come to that conclusion. However, Tom Emmer is a patriot. It is up to us to help Tom succeed, not to bind him. He is ours. We elected him. We need to help him succeed.

Are we being played (again)?

 

 

"I trust this government --- NOT!!!"

The big and continuing news story is the attempted retaking of Tikrit. For those who don't remember, Tikrit is the birthplace of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Some months ago, the bloodthirsty group known as ISIL, stormed in and took Tikrit. They were met with a tepid resistance from Iraqi troops and the town soon fell into ISIL hands.

First a small bit of disclosure. Back before the Shah fell, the company I worked hosted members of the Iranian Navy for in-house training. They mostly kept to themselves, but for the most part were friendly and non-threatening. When the revolution occurred, these men suddenly became ex-patriots. None of them wanted to go back and face Islamic justice for being aligned with the Shah. The reason I tell this is simple - the people of Iran are not the problem. It is the government. And the government cannot, and should not, be trusted.

That being said, I believe this Iranian government is playing us. Not just a little bit, but quite a bit. Now back to Tikrit. The United States has made two things known. First, this spring will be an offensive where we will try and retake Mosel and now also Tikrit. Second, there will be "no boots (that be our boots) on the ground to help".  And this is where it gets interesting.

Turkey will be involved. However, they don't trust Iraqi troops to be ready enough to fight by spring time. Iraq does not want the United States dictating when and where any fighting will be done on Iraqi soil. Iran, while in the middle of phony nuclear talks with the United States, AND holding war game exercises where they are sinking mocked up US aircraft carriers, has offered to send in troops to help fight ISIL. So the question remains to be asked - is Iran with us, against us, or playing us? I vote for choice # 3.

It has been said the only time various tribes or sects in the Middle East become united is when they are facing down "infidels". Once the infidels are vanquished, it is back to squabbling. Iran has shown its hand many times as of late. Sometimes they operate behind the curtain, and other times they make their threats openly. They hate us. They hate Israel. If they could destroy both countries without being destroyed in return, they would do so.

The fall of Mosel and Tikrit was on our watch. In our haste to leave Iraq, we left them partially defenseless. We need to tell Iran to stay the hell out, get some troops back in theater, and retake ISIL held territory. Turkey is right. Iraqi troops are not yet ready for prime time. However we are. The coalition against Syria and Iraq should be the United States, Turkey, Jordon, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and whomever else from the Euro Zone would like to join.

It is not in anyone's interest (except Iran) for Iraq to become a puppet state of Iran. We need a strong and democratic Iraq to stem the tide in the Middle East. First order of business is cut out the cancer known as ISIL. Then strengthen Iraq. Once Iraq is stable, and strong, then we leave. Not a second sooner.

We will see what Kerry and team have in mind. My fear is it is nothing like I just described.

  

Screw the rules!

 

 

"Rule are silly things for the little people. The high flyers - well, they don't require nor follow rules..."

This morning I would like to bring you another chapter in the book called People behaving poorly. Or, another name this book goes by is Screw the rules! It comes as no surprise that this episode is staring a very familiar face, Hillary Clinton. However, it is with great sadness that I report it also stars a man who really should have known better - General David Petraeus.

Now before I get into the Clinton mess, a few words about the General. As some know, in my 21 years in the United States Navy and Naval Reserve, I held a very high clearance. It was an honor and privilege to be granted that clearance. Before it was awarded to me, my background had to be scrubbed and scrubbed again. Once I passed muster, I had to sign some papers, an agreement, and then an oath. To violate the terms of that agreement and oath, to leak classified information to people who were not cleared, would have resulted in a lengthy jail sentence and a hefty fine. 

What General Petraeus did while serving as the Director of the CIA was way beyond the pale. First off, he was having an affair. Back in my day, that would be a game changer. You would have lost your clearance immediately. Then he disclosed, AND STORED classified information on his mistress' laptop. Here is a man, who had a security clearance most of his service life, breaking a cornerstone rule. It was almost like the rules no longer applied to him. After a long and distinguished career, he will soon exit in disgrace.

And where in the world do I start with Hillary? The Rose Law Firm? The billing records? "Bimbo" gate? Benghazi? Foreign dollars coming into the Clinton Foundation? Or the recent e-mail disclosure. I guess I will focus on the most recent. The rules on what type of e-mail should be used when conducting State Department business are crystal clear. And there are reasons for those rules. Cyber security, custodial responsibility, and accountability.

Hillary did not seem to care about that. Those were rules for the little people. She had her own e-mail account set up. Her own domain. Now that e-mails are being sought when she was Secretary of State, the answer is "Sorry - I only kept some of them. The others are gone". Oh no! Not missing e-mails again! I thought we just played that tune with Lois Lerner! Remember the IRS mess? Ms. Lerner also thought rules were for little people. 

Now where do we go from here? First the General. He will probably get a slap on the wrist. A fine and maybe some community service. If he was a low level enlisted person, there would be a cozy cell in Leavenworth Kansas waiting. As for Secretary Clinton, she is done - finished. Even the loyal minions in the Democratic machine have had enough. Severe Clinton fatigue is spreading quickly. But if she can escape from this one and secure the nomination, it will be a magic trick worth of Harry Houdini.

Well back to work. I need to go pick up my grandson this morning. On the drive to get him, I will adhere to the traffic laws. Unlike the high flyers, I believe the rules are there for all of us to follow.         

So bad he can taste it...

 

 

"To find out if this deal is good for us, the devil is not in the details. It is spelled out on the front page."

This is such deja vu all over again. Or, this is a movie I have seen before. It would be comical if not so tragic. Yesterday we saw and heard many Democrats with their undies in a bundle. Why? Because Bebe came to speak on the Hill. And what was Bebe saying that was so awful? Beware! You have no clue who you are dealing with. They will suck you into a deal so bad, it will change the Middle East forever.

Back when I was a Navy officer, once in a while a very ambitious young enlisted person would seek me out to ask an important question. Since I came up through the enlisted ranks, they thought I could give an honest answer. What it would take to become a chief petty officer, a warrant officer, or a commissioned officer? My answer was always the same. If you really and truly want to retire in khaki, you will. But you have to want it so bad, you can taste it.

I tell that story for this reason. To win a second undeserved Noble Peace Prize, our President wants a deal with Iran so badly, he is willing to do just about anything. Including dancing with the devil himself (Iran). In other words, he wants this deal so much, he can taste it. Nothing is going to stop him. Not the truth, not Bebe, not Congress, nothing. He is going to put Iran on a trajectory to build a bomb within the decade. And then all hell is going to break loose.

Another President also wanted to tame a nuclear bound rogue nation. In 1994, President Clinton was going to show the world how to negotiate with some "stone age yahoos" on the Korean Peninsula. He even sent over his secret weapon (Jimmy Carter) to broker the deal. It turns out these "stone age yahoos" were not so dumb after all. Even though Clinton wanted this deal so bad he could taste it, we now have a nuclear North Korea.

It is amazing how brazen the Iranians are. In the middle of negotiations last week, they conducted war games. They mocked up a ship to resemble the USS Nimitz, and then sunk it. If I had been leading the negotiations for the US (instead of the feckless Kerry), I would have pulled the team and walked out. Not our guys. They just keep handing concession after concession to the Iranians.

This is my take on how things will unfold. Before the end of the year, we ill ink a deal with Iran which will not be worth the paper it is written on. Iran will give some indication it is in compliance, but their clandestine program will be going full speed ahead. Israel, standing by itself, will have no choice but to attack Iran. The United States will side with Iran and condemn Israel. Due to Israeli air power, much damage to Iran will be done. However their clandestine program is so embedded, so deeply entrenched, nuclear progress will continue. The Saudis will cement a deal with Pakistan to buy enough nuclear technology to build their own bomb. Egypt and Jorden will quickly follow. Within ten years, the Middle East will be bristling with nuclear arms. All because of this crap negotiation.

Note to Pelosi and her minions. Bebe is NOT the enemy. He is our friend. He is trying to warn us. He is trying to save us from us. He has told us in the past, Iran is not building an ICBM to attack Israel. They already have missile which can do that. They are building an ICBM to attack US - in their eyes, THE GREAT SATAN.

Beware America, evil is coming. Evil is coming and our leaders are both blind and deaf.

An expensive dinner out

 

 

"Looks good, tastes good. Except for the sky high price and no change back, not a bad night after all..."

Last night my wife was busy, so I went out to dinner by myself. I went to a cozy little spot I have been to many times before. They have a hamburger special on Monday nights. It is a 1/3 pound burger with all the trimmings and fries. And price recently went up to $35.

I know there are other places which could give me more for less, but I keep coming back here anyhow. I feel sorry for the place as they have trouble managing their money. I have some loyalty as I have been coming here most of my adult life Their business acumen is about zero, and they have wasted money many times on many foolish things.

When the bill came, I gave the waitress a $50 bill, expecting to get $15 back. She thanked me, and said their new policy allows no change to be given. She went on to say the restaurant needed to keep everyone's change so they could keep wasting it on foolish endeavors. In fact, she then told me the price of a burger would be going up to $40 next Monday, as the restaurant needed even more money.

I tell this goofy story for a reason. When we live in a VERY high taxed state, and then find out there will be an almost $2B surplus, that means the state took in WAY too much money. Period. Most everyone seems to know that. Even though many in our state government spend taxpayer money like drunken sailors, the amount taken in was still way too much.

Even with that, they are some in state government who have the STONES to say the state needs to keep this surplus. They can find SOMETHING to spend it on. Oh I am sure they can - but so can we, the taxpayers. I for one, would like my share of the surplus back. I have a bill coming due on April 15th. My Turbo Tax program says I owe $2,500 to the Great State of Minnesota. Why? Because unlike most other states, they are taxing senior citizen's retirement income.

To ensure Minnesota maintains its viability to be a good home for working folks as well as its senior citizens, our spending and taxing must be realistic. Our neighboring states seemed to have figured it out. For some reason, we continue to stumble.

If I may quote some lyrics from the song The Show by Lenka, "I want my money back, I want my money back...."

Dumb like a fox...

 

 

"A fox can be very cunning and very sly. That is their calling card."

Okay. I am willing to admit he has us this time. In the game of Washington chess, he made a sucker move and we fell for it. It is almost a checkmate. Now we have a hot mess on our hands. And I am afraid this is just the beginning. There will be more to come.

Mr. "Pen and a phone" has drawn first blood with his illegal executive amnesty memo. However, I believe he knew exactly what he was doing. This move was such an affront to our Constitution, such an affront to our separation of powers, he knew the Conservative side of the Republican Party would go apoplectic. And he was right - many did.

I also think he knew the first thing the Republicans would try to do would be defund the DHS. Of course, this would not be acceptable to the Commander-in-Chief. Especially in times of war with ISIL. So he would have to veto the measure, thereby shutting down the government. And, just like every other time the government gets shut down, the Republicans would get the blame.

So now the Republicans are divided. One faction says, "Hey, let the courts handle it! A Texas judge has already issued a stay. This is such an egregious overreach by the White House, the courts will overturn it." The other faction says, "No way. We are not going to fund an illegal action by this White House. We don't care if the President shuts down the government." And as the Republicans bicker, the President sits back and smiles. He really has them in a box this time.

He is already starting Act II using the ATF. He has done so by ordering them to ban AR-15 ammo. This will end up being another tug of war which he hopes the Republicans are divided on. Then after that, there will be Act III and Act IV. What will they be? Who knows. Maybe alternate energy. Maybe more gun control. Maybe impossible CAFE standards. All I know is this - much damage can be done in the next 700 days.

What aggravates me to no end is not so much that the President did this. We should expect no less of him by this time. It is that the Republicans once again look like country bumpkins and have allowed themselves to be cornered in a box canyon. Just like a hungry Northern Pike, we took the bait, hook, line and sinker. Our leadership in both the House and Senate look bad on this one, really, really bad.

I don't think the President is all that smart nor all that cunning. I just think our side is all that unprepared and unimaginative. Unless the Republicans can change their modus operandi, the next two years will be very painful indeed.

Trouble at ye old Money Tree

 

 

"Hey! Take as much as you want! It can always grow more..."

This weekend I watched the first episode to Season 3 of the House of Cards. For those who have not yet jumped into the pool of binge watching this Netflix produced show, I can't recommend it highly enough. It is truly excellent, and will make your distain for the crap which goes on in Washington get even worse.

Anyway, this is NOT a spoiler alert. The first episode of Season 3 starts out with President Underwood telling his cabinet he really needs a jobs bill which will cement his legacy. However to fund this bill, he will need to gut Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. President Underwood tells his cabinet (none of whom thinks this a good idea) that he now has no choice - these entitlement programs are bankrupting the country.

Today in the paper was an article about a woman who is receiving subsidized ObamaCare. As a registered Democrat, she is madder than a hornet at ALL Republicans. She is afraid the Supreme Court is going to rule against ObamaCare, and thereby take away her subsidy. Currently she pays $23 a month, and the federal government picks up the other $475 a month. And where does that $475 a month come from? Why the money tree of course. This newly created subsidy will soon join the other entitlements in accelerating the bankruptcy of our country.

So this is it in a nutshell. There is trouble at "ye old money tree". Most of us know it, a few don't know it, and most of our "leaders" are lying to us about it. Instead of trying to come up with VIABLE solutions which will allow current entitlements to last for decades to come, our "leaders" have once again kicked the can down the street. Not only that, but they have also thrown gas on the fire. They have added a fourth entitlement (ObamaCare).

There is coming a time in the future, maybe in the near future, when our entitlements will put this country in a no-win position. Just as President Underwood said he needed to gut them as he had no choice, I can also see that coming as a default position in real life. The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (aka Bowles-Simpson) was completed in late 2010. This commission, set up by President Obama, came up with some tough love items to help our debt become more manageable. They would not eliminate the debt, but their implementation would make a good start in controlling its growth. That was almost five years ago. Nothing, I mean nothing, has been done. Our debt is now over $18T, and the entitlements continue to grow like weeds.

We must all of us, continue to keep pressure on our elected representatives to fix this mess. If we don't fix it, it will for sure fix us. And that is real life - not just an episode from a Netflix original production.