Reluctant Warriors

 

 

 

"It really is hard to believe this is all that remains of the once powerful Iraqi Army. Saddam must be rolling over in his grave..."

Not too long ago, our newly minted Secretary of Defense (SecDef), Ash Carter, got into some trouble with our "friends" in the Iraqi government. It seemed Ash has not yet learned the art of subterfuge that most of the Administration uses. In other words, Ash told the truth, and the Iraqis did not like it.

It was right after Ramadi fell to ISIL. Ash called them out. Said the Iraqi Army did not have the stomach for battle. In fact, the once great Iraqi Army fled like school children in front of advancing ISIL troops. Those who were caught by ISIL were executed. All kinds of good equipment which had just been given to the Iraqi Army by the American taxpayer, instantly became the property of ISIL. It was a dark day in the worldwide War on Terror.

The Administration "plan" has always been to give some support to the Iraqi Army so these folks could protect their own homeland. For that I give us a grade of "classic fail". It turns out the real "JV" team is not ISIL after all - it is what remains of the Iraqi Army. This group of rag tags have no stomach for battle nor the butchery ISIL brings with them. Their natural "fight or flight" tendency has turned into nothing but flight. 

The latest kick in the teeth came this week when General Dempsey and Ash Carter were testifying on the Hill about Iraqi readiness. It turns out the term "readiness" is a misnomer. They were hoping to have a paltry group of 24,000 soldiers trained by the fall. Right now, that number looks more like 7,000. Why? Young men in Iraq don't want to fight for their homeland. They have seen too much battle already. Many their entire lives. In short, we are dealing with a bunch of reluctant warriors.

So where does that leave us? Simply put, with a big, big problem. Who will come in to save the day against the bloodthirsty ISIL? If not the Iraqi Army, who? The US of A? Not likely as long as Obama is Commander in Chief. The UN? Excuse me while I bend over laughing. NATO? Nope. No, in the eyes of ISIL, Iraq must look like low fruit on the tree. Anytime they need more ammo or equipment, all they need do is engage the Iraqi Army and steal theirs.

People of honesty know what the true answer is. There is only one force on Earth that can stop ISIL right now. Or Boko Haram. Or Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. Or the old fashioned Al Qaeda itself. Or just about any bad guy that pops up. It is the United States military. Period. End of story.

So maybe the reluctant warriors are not just what remains of the Iraqi Army. Maybe the other reluctant warrior sits in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The world is burning sir. Calls keep going out for the Superman of yesterday. Just saying...  

Are they here?

 

 

"The flying triangle is so common now, it has been named. It is called the TR-3. To whom does it belong? Beats me..."

I recently had the chance to talk to a friend who (this summer season) had seen a "something". Needless to say, it was very disturbing to that person. It was a "something" early in the morning that did not look right. It looked out of place. It was airborne very low over the ground, did not make a sound, and was not moving. And then it was gone. And this person was not on drugs or alcohol. This person was on an early morning jog through a secluded park.

I know every time I bring this topic up, some of friends roll their eyes. "There he goes again. the Old Bird has fallen off his perch." Some think I have taken a leave of my senses. Here is the problem - more and more people are seeing a "something". Currently, it is estimated that once every 2 to 3 minutes, someone on this planet witnesses "something" they cannot explain.

My son-in-law and I saw our "something" on Thanksgiving eve, six years ago this year. To this day, we have no clue what it was. But it was "something". And it was disturbing. The group of people who see "somethings" most of the time are airline pilots. But by far and away, the group of people who have seen the most "somethings" are - astronauts. Today we know that people worldwide are seeing "somethings", and it is becoming much too common.

So what are they? Experimental aircraft? Alien technology we have back engineered? Actual alien crafts? Interdimensional beings? Time travelers? Oh, I have heard it all. Everyone seems to have some sort of theory on what we are seeing in our skies. What I do know is this - "something" outside our norm keeps appearing to unsuspecting people all over Planet Earth. Most of us, like myself, would just like to know what we are seeing.

If you have some down time, go on the internet and check out the famous "Battle of LA" in 1942. Or in 1952,  the "somethings" which buzzed our capital. Or more recently in 1997, when tens of thousands of people in Phoenix saw a mile wide "something" drift silently over the city. There are many more, but I think you see the picture. There are thousands and thousands more of these on file, but the ones I listed are some of the more famous.

If you have seen a "something", don't be shy. Many people have. If you tell your story, some will think you are a kook, but most will not. I will not. Way, way too many people of reputation world-wide have seen a "something". And like me, they only want one thing - the truth.     

Calling Dick Tracy!

 

 

"Seems like Dick Tracy had it right long before Apple did..."

 

 

It is hard to walk around these days without seeing someone with a new Fitbit or Apple Watch on their wrist. It was after all, only a matter of time before our electronics miniaturized so much we could wear it on our wrist. Both the Fitbit and the Apple Watch are going to be game changers in our technology journey. Why? Many technologist believe this is only the beginning of a huge leap in technology.

 

So what is up with the new Fitbit? What makes it so special? Well there are a few different kinds of this device which can monitor different things that you may or may not find important. The Surge, which is one of the more expensive ones at around $250, has a built in GPS, it continuously monitors your heart rate, and on and on. And if you are not a fitness nut (or even a fitness affictionato), what good is knowing all that information? And that is the problem as I see it.

 

The next generation of these fitness watches might monitor much more than your heart rate. It might also monitor your blood pressure, body mass, metabolism and so on. Or it might be able to take minute samples of blood from time to time to measure sugar, triglycerides or cholesterol. All that information could be stored for government usage in the mega storage facility at Bluffdale, Utah. Trust me, there is more than enough space out there.

 

For us old guys, a Fitbit might have some limitations. Why? Size. The older I get, the bigger I need things to be so I can see them. Right now, I would have to get my "cheaters" on every time I looked at my Fitbit or Apple Watch. But there is a bigger problem also. Do I really want or need to know all those metrics on my body 24X7? Sometimes ignorance can be bliss after all!

 

Well it as about time to go outside and cut the grass. I will put on my old fashioned watch which tells me nothing but the time. But these days are coming to an end. Technology will soon be all up in our business, no matter WHAT that business might be! 

 

 

No Daudt about it...

 

 

"He is still somewhat of a newcomer and went up against the DFL machine. All things considered, he might have earned a strip or two this year..."

I always believe in giving credit where credit is due. Now that the legislative session in Minnesota is over, the post game analysis has started. I will not get into the weeds as that is for others to do who are much better at it and more informed than I. I will however give my 30,000 foot view of what just happened in our state.

Just so this is fair and balanced, let me first give the bad news. State government did grow (again). For us Conservatives, that is huge "no-no". Even though the push for early childhood was stymied (again), we continue to pour more money into our failed K-12 formula (again). Another huge "no-no". We did not get tax relief for our retired veterans (big ouch). We did not get tax relief for our senior citizens via the Social Security fix (another big ouch). All this are huge issues.

Now the good news. I really did think our young, somewhat inexperienced Speaker of the House was going to get played this year. And played badly by the seasoned Progressives who live on the other side of the aisle. But no. Kurt Daudt showed some welcomed acumen in how he was able to divide and conquer. Divide and conquer on many different DFL "line in the sand" issues. So much so, there is now a movement within the hard core Left to have Senate Leader Bakk dumped over the side as road kill.

Plus, the way this session turned out amazed many of us. I really did think the table was being set by the Governor for another shut down. Another famous shutdown with Republican's fingerprints all over it. What ended up happening was astonishing. Many of the "must have" issues for the Governor fell by the wayside. And Tina Smith did very little to save the day.

Looking back with all things considered, I will give the session a low grade. The reason for the low grade are bad news items I pointed out earlier. But this year it is not a failing grade. The bad news items are not trivial - they are damn important. However, not seeing the Republicans being waltzed around the my pole like they have been in past years was refreshing. For that Kurt Daudt, Joyce Pepin, David Hahn and others deserve kudos.

Going forward into 2016, we need to build off what worked well and fix what was missed. I have said this before, fixing the veteran and Social Security tax issue should not only be a no brainer, but also bi-partisan. There are plenty of vets and senior citizens who live on the Left side of the street also. This is a MUST DO the next time around. Fix these, and expect a higher grade next time around.

Life by the Missipi (or is it the Misi-ziibi?)

 

 

"The River Runs Through It - runs through what? The Twin Cities of course!"

Ha! Bet you thought I forgot how to spell. But no, I am talking about our home town (and home state river), the Mississippi. I once hated that word as it was the bane to many on spelling tests. It had way too many "s" and "p" and "i". It caused many a young youth my age to go down in flames. I could only wish we were asked to spell Ohio instead.

I got recently got spanked by some of my friends by sharing an article about letting the Mississippi River be restored to it's normal course through Minneapolis. Now I will say this - of all the goofy ideas that Mayor Betsy or the Met Council have come up with, I like this one the best. Why? My wife and I love the North Woods and the start of the "Great River".

Why did I get spanked? First off, the cost. It will cost money. How much, I don't know. However, I bet it will be less than the Viking Stadium. Next I like is the safeguard about the Asian Carp. It is felt they cannot run the gauntlet of the rapids. Plus (and this is a big plus), it will attract urban Eagles and other water birds. How cool is that? Finally, it will allow white water rafting in an urban setting. Could be unique in the entire world the way this is setting up. All I know is this - with the lock and dam system shutting down, it is time to "think outside the box". When I saw this idea, I liked it. I mean, I really, really liked it.

One of the questions was raised was about the hydro power. Would it be lost? True, It could be. But the research I have been doing (wind turbines excluded) shows a promising future ahead for power other than hydro (and I am not talking wind). Fossil fuels will be gone long before this decade is.

There is nothing about Minneapolis right now which sets it apart from the ordinary. I know, there are craft beers, the North Loop, the parks and the city lakes. All of which can be duplicated elsewhere. But having a whitewater river running through town? Now we are talking!

My Conservative friends can skewer me on this one, and for that I am sorry. I am a nature guy. The thought of the river returning to its natural state excites me. The thought of our Mill City turning into a Manhattan type city (as with Thrive 2040), does not.

So for now, I will think about how the Frenchmen thought about the River Missipi or the original Ojibwa thought of it as Misi-ziibi. Restoring the land, restoring the waters, restoring the rivers, or maybe even some of the land to its original state is not always a bad thing. The Ojibwa taught us many things about our land, about our water, about our environment. Some of which we could learn from. 

Bubbles, bubbles, everywhere!

 

 

"I love bubbles! They are so fun to watch! So relaxing, so mesmerizing!.....that is until they burst..."

This weekend I was listening to my favorite radio gal as I was out cutting the grass. The subject during one of the segments: student debt. One of my favorite topics for sure. And she talked about how big it is right now. How it has turned into another one of our "bubbles". And because we don't have the will to rein in our out of control spending at the university level, it is only going to get worse. (Hint: a "tuition freeze" does nothing to control costs.)

Now I like bubbles. I think they are kind of fun to watch. My grandson blows tiny bubbles from his spit. I like watching young children blow bubbles and see them ascend into the sky. Then at some time, they burst. And then there is no more bubble.

We have numerous bubbles in our economy right now. All are on the verge of becoming unsustainable. When that tipping point comes with sustainability, the bubbles will burst. I have already mentioned the student debt bubble. That by itself is almost $1.4T! And it gets bigger all the time! Our national debt now stands at $18.2T. Our Social Security liability is almost $20T. Our Medicare liability is over $28T. In fact the total amount of unfunded liabilities in our country right now is over $111T! Now that the grand bubble for sure!

Then there is one more bubble which does not receive much press. However, my belief in the near future it will. The underfunding of municipal pensions. This one can bankrupt states. How big is the number? Nobody seems to know for sure. A recent study by the Harvard School of Business puts the number somewhere between $1T and $4.4T. The belief of Harvard however, is the real number is much closer to the higher end than the lower end. Add this number to the list of things to worry about.

So what is up with all these bubbles? When one or more of these bubbles bursts, it can really ruin the day. The lesson here is quite simple. We (collectively) have been living too large. For way too long. We have spent too much. We have saved too little. We keep electing people to manage our national money who are financial morons. The way our federal and state governments handle money makes Common Core math look like a settled science. Soon it will be time to pay the piper. And it ain't going to be fun.

If we are lucky, we can tame these bubbles before they burst. Taming them is going to take a whole lot of work and discipline. It will not be fun at all. It will involve paying for the party we have already had. If we can't tame the bubbles before they burst, events will take care of themselves. And it will be a "dark day in Blackduck" as the old tale goes. Simply put, it will ruin our great nation - and all the lifestyles within.

Clandestine Everything

 

 

"What ever happened to transparent government? I guess we will have to wait until next year or so..."

Just when one would think that things in Washington could not get more goofy, along comes the mega trade deals. We have been told by our President these deals are critical for our country to continue to grow. We have been told by the union hacks these trade deals are job and union killers. I will now get into the finite details of each deal to explain them in remarkable clarity. No, just kidding. I can't. I have not read them. They are clandestine. Hush, hush. However as we have been told, if we just sign the bills, we would know what was is in them (snicker).

I know I am not alone in this. Ever since 9/11, it seems like the world of government has become very mysterious. Very secretive. Very clandestine. We have scrapped our 4th Amendment and now allow the NSA to collect mega data on every United States citizen. And somewhere in the new spook house in Bluffdale, everything on everyone is being stored for (maybe) all time.

Congress and our President are quick to join the party. Legislation, put together by lobbyists, keeps coming in bills the size of which would dwarf a World Book encyclopedia. Nobody reads them, including the President. He just signs them into law. And then the public, who also knows nothing about these bills, must live under them. ObamaCare, Dodd-Frank, TARP, Stimulus, and now the Trade Bills. This is no way to run a railroad (or a country).

Once in a while, one of the "Washington placators" will tell us they will put a bill on the internet so we can all download a PDF version of it. Have you ever tried to read just a few pages of a normal bill? It is like reading our tax code. Or an advanced calculus book. Or how to solve a Rubik's Cube. Most people can get lost in the weeds very quickly. I sure know that I can.

We are the stakeholders of this great country. As citizens, we are sick and tired of being spied on. We don't give a flying crap if it is only "Meta Data". It is still intrusive. We are sick and tired of all the cloak and dagger crap in just getting a bill to Congress. We are sick and tired of everything being written in "legalese" instead of plain English. We are tired of our laws written by lobbyists or special interest hacks. We want short, understandable laws written by the law makers we elect. Before a law gets debated on the floor of the House, it should be open for public view on the internet. That way, should there be any concerns by a citizen, that citizen could contact his or her Representative to voice the concern.

When the trade bill goes down in flames, we need to start over and do it the right way. May 2015 be the first year of the turn around, the reclama. No more clandestine anything - that is, except for taking care of foreign enemies of our state. That is what the NSA was founded for. It needs to get back to that charter. In fact, we all need to get back to our original charter - the Constitution.