The healthcare canard

"We have a bit over three weeks left of this 'vacation' for Congress. More time for the clowns in the Resist! movement to get some free press coverage from other clowns in the home town media. Time to go back to work folks. Your vacation has been anything but."

LMAO. Well, I would be if it were not so sad at the same time. Why? This is unreal. And what is reality today? Now that Congress is in recess for the protected length of time in August and beyond, many in the GOP are being hassled at town hall meetings, their congressional offices, and at times - at their personal residences. 

For example, Jason Lewis had his home trespassed by protesters. People protesting what a mess the healthcare issue is. Huh? If that is the case, WTH would they not be protesting Amy and Al? Why them? They voted for the system which broke our healthcare (ObamaCare) in the first place. Jason Lewis had nothing to do with government when the bill was passed.

Don't get me wrong. I am not giving anyone, including President Trump a pass that this cornerstone promise of repeal and replace was just smoke and mirrors. For that, the GOP is guilty as charged. But - the blame for how hosed up healthcare is right now, lies squarely at the feet of the Democrats as well as President Obama.

Because of our myopic (and lap dog) media, Republicans are going to get blamed for ObamaCare if it implodes (as it is now), or replaced with something short of Nirvana. The Democrats? They have learned well from their guru. They are all bystanders now, standing on the sidelines, watching the show. Will the media ever blame the Democrats for ANYTHING??? Maybe - if they have something to do with censoring the press.

One more LMAO moment. The Resist! movement has some underpinnings from the Soros funded Move On.org. Remember Move On? Why it was started? Had nothing to do with Obama. Nope. Nor Bush (43). It had to do with Slick Willie and his insatiable sexual appetite. The Left wanted us to "move on" from the Lewinsky scandal. Clinton is gone, but Move On. org is still around. Their credo? Never touch a Democrat, but trash any Republican in view. More Code Pink type of hypocrisy.

We have a bit over three weeks left of this "vacation" for Congress. More time for the clowns in the Resist! movement to get some free press coverage from other clowns in the home town media. Time to go back to work folks. Your vacation has been anything but.

  

A hard rain is going to fall, Happy Boy!

"Your choice kiddo - time to think like a man. Your people need a leader right now. Not a 'gamer' on the internet."

Is it just me, or why is it every time I see a picture of this guy he looks like he just came back from smoking some hash (and not the kind you eat). I have never seen anyone on the verge of an early death looking so ebullient. And the military officers around him - the same way. It is as if the water were laced with some kine of happy juice. Why do I say that? These people, from the Boy Leader, all the way down to the lowest peasant, should be needing a diaper change right now instead of practicing frivolity.

Hey Boy Leader - You want to try and take out Anderson AFB in Guam? Go ahead! Even if your missile makes it through THAAD, sure, there will be casualties. But the troops there are prepped for this. They have had their NBC training - and lots of it. By the way - the return handshake to your launch? You will have 15 minutes to live.

I know you are doing your happy dance that you now have a nuke small enough to put on an ICBM. How about us? Oh yes. We have been there, and done it - decades ago. And now ours all have MIRV technology loaded in each missile. Our Ohio Class boomers will vist so much destruction on your door step, you will never know what hit you.

There is one more step we could take before the bullets or missiles start flying. Relax - it is still technically an act of war and should require the blessing of Congress. We could embargo North Korea like we did Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Nothing in, nothing out. For this to really work however, it needs to be an "all in" by other nations. That means you also, China. If you keep trading with North Korea over the land routes, everything else becomes moot.

By the way, I should probably mention this in the unlikely event the Happy Boy reads this blog. The company I worked at in the 1980's (that would be a while ago), was a major contractor on the D5 SACE upgrade to the SLBM. Why do I mention this? If you are on the receiving end of one of our D5 SACE SLBM with a MIRV on it, God help you. They were deadly back in the 1980's, I can only imagine what they are like today.

I do know this much from folks I trust who are still in "the game". This will be a 15 minute war. Just one, only one, of our Ohio Class boomers could destroy North Korea ten times over. Yes, they are that lethal.

They might hurt us, and hurt us a bunch should they land a missile on one on our cities. But 15 minutes after the launch, North Korea will no longer exist. There will be no extended damage done to Seoul by Nork artillery batteries, as they will no longer be there. Just smoldering land, which was once North Korea. And that land will be cursed with a lethal poison which will last for generations. 

Okay junior - wipe that silly ass grin off your face, and wake up. You are on the verge of committing millions of people - your people - to death. Why? Because you never grew up. You think this is all a game - like Nintendo. Well guess what? It is not. The adults are now in charge. And we don't placate stupid, nor practice fools like some of our past Presidents did. 

Your time is running out pal. Just as you were three of three, there will never be a four of four. Your bloodline comes to an end when you launch that first missile. Or - if you keep threatening the most powerful nation on Planet Earth, the same fate awaits you.

Your choice kiddo - time to think like a man. Your people need a leader right now. Not a "gamer" on the internet.

The Lingering Dangers of MAD

"Does history repeat itself? Seems it does. By the way, if you have not yet bunkered up a bit, this might be a great time to do so. The storm clouds have gathered and the ship might be about to hit the sand. Stronger message to follow. Stay tuned." 

Where do I begin? One of my liberal friends accused me of perseverating on the Norks. Well, try doing what I did in the Navy for 21 years and not practice perseveration when it comes dangerous world events. First, for those who have not heard it, I will repeat the big news for the day. For those who have heard it, please bear with me.

The Washington Post today announced it has on good authority from the Defense Department the Norks now have as many as 60 bombs. 60? I thought they just had a handful? Anyhow, the number might be a bit less, but it is impressively frightening in the short time how many they have had to produce them. Plus - here is the money line - they now have some of them miniaturized enough to ride on top of an ICBM. In other words, after their last missile test, an ICBM, and now knowing about their nukes, they have crossed the finish line. They are a full fledged nuclear power, with missiles and bombs ready to use. Oh, one more thing. Their missiles can be launched from subs.

Before Ronald Reagan outspent and bluffed the Soviets into a Cold War type of surrender, the thing which experts thought kept us all safe from annihilation was MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction). Did it do the job? Maybe. Well, we did not blow ourselves up. But it might have had an unforeseen consequences. Knowing the other side would not dare launch against us, might have lulled us into a false sense of security.

Why do I say that? Our missile defenses are spotty. They are better than having nothing, but unless our guys (and gals) at the Pentagon have other stuff in the closet they have not told us about, our chances of knocking out a missile go anywhere from maybe to probably. What I was hoping to hear was ABSOLUTELY - NOTHING GETS THROUGH!  And I have not heard that as yet.

If we had not used MAD as our deterrent, Reagan's Star Wars idea might have ended up with more teeth in it. The Homing Overlay Experiment (which I worked on) might have ended up being like the "Iron Shield" that Israel uses. Instead, we have only a wind and a prayer in our missile defenses.

One thought I had this afternoon as I was coming back from my errands. China. Everyone talks about how worthless China has been in dealing with the Norks. And they have been that and so much more.

What if China was located west of North Korea, instead of east? If there was a nuclear exchange with the United States, the fallout would affect China also. Just a question to ponder. Where China is situated right now, is a very good spectator (and safe) spot. 

Something to think about when you do your weekly grocery shopping. The only time our generals and Pentagon planners would EVER consider a first strike with our nuclear forces, is if there was no other way out. I think we are either at that point or very close to getting there. This nut ball in North Korea we are dealing with is unstable enough to launch. If he does, the world will change. Even if none of his missiles hits the US, the world will change. And North Korea will cease to exist. Forever. 

Tomorrow, if I can remember, I will re-publish some of the kind remarks Bill Clinton said in 1994. How we, through proper negotiations (and a boat load of cash), have eliminated the Nork nuclear threat. We were good to go. It was Noble Peace Prize time! It is very similar to the Obama "deal" he made with the blood thirsty Mullahs in Iran. That deal will come back to bite us in the other cheek very soon (if we survive the Nork threat).

Does history repeat itself? Seems it does. By the way, if you have not yet bunkered up a bit, this might be a great time to do so. The storm clouds have gathered and the ship might be about to hit the sand. Stronger message to follow. Stay tuned. 

Achievement gap and all that crap

"All kids, regardless of color, regardless of district, deserve better than what we have been offering. They deserve so much better without the taxpayers in this state going broke year after year."   

I have addressed this issue many times in the past. There have been numerous studies which support this conclusion. All people, regardless of skin color, are equal in learning ability. The is no "genetic deficit" in any race. ALL are wired the same way in learning. So I am so, so tired of hearing about this so called "achievement gap". It is insulting to people of color. And it is a false narrative.

Today, there was yet another article in the local paper bemoaning the latest academic test results. After pouring all kinds of money and attention into the "achievement gap" over the past five years, there was not been any significant movement in test results. In fact, math scores are a tad lower. Then if all kids are wired to learn the same way, and more money does not fix this, what gives? Seems like pouring money into this issue is barking up the wrong tree.

But there was another story within the story. The test scores in the Minneapolis district were published. And it was shocking. Test scores for both math and reading proficiency are in the low forties. Let that sink in for just a minute. We pour 1/3 of all our tax dollars into education, and in one of the state's largest districts, we have less than 50% of the kids who are up to snuff in both math and reading.

What do I want? I want this stupid box broken. In other words, I don't want us to just think outside the box, I want the box broken. Into a million pieces. It sucks. Our education system screws over kids, year after year. We have bright kids graduating from high school knowing very little. Okay - not all the districts. Some are much, much better than others. Minneapolis however, is in the basement. The lowest of the low. And kids in Minneapolis are the ones who suffer the consequences every year. 

Will we fix it? Na. We will stay in this same stupid box, failing kids, and then blaming Republicans for not spending enough on education. The irony of that argument is this - we could spend 105% of all taxes collected in this state, and this problem would still not be fixed. Why? It has been proven in the past that simply adding more money does not fix education.

What would I do? First, abolish Education Minnesota and make it illegal for teachers to form or join a union. Next, I would expand the school year from 180 days to 210 days. I would also scrap social promotion. If you don't master a grade, you will do it over, with more tutorial help if needed. There would be zero tolerance for behavior issues. Parents would be held accountable for excessive truants and excessive behavioral issues. I could go on and on, but that is good for right now. 

I am sick and tired about all this grousing concerning our education system. Fix it, or shut up. And stop telling kids of color they need more help learning. They don't. They are just as smart as anyone else - maybe smarter. All kids, regardless of color, regardless of district, deserve better than what they have been getting. They deserve so much better without the taxpayers in this state going broke year after year.   

Two faced cities

"Until you get serious about your two faced city Rahm, the head shots, the carnage, the sorrow will continue."

When I was first hired by IBM, myself and another man were going to be responsible for all post award contracts that IBM Global Systems had in Minnesota. And there were some giants. We were a part of the Chicago team, so my boss and most of the rest of our small team lived and worked in Chicago-land. Because of that, I took much of my training in Chicago and that is where our team meetings were held.

The people who lived in Chicago loved it. They loved the fact is was referred to a the Second City, right behind NYC. Sure there was some crime, but it was mostly centered down by the old Cabrini Green area. You just needed to steer clear of that area. But the food, the culture, the night life - out of this world good!

Today, Chicago is the poster child for how a large city dies a slow death. Is it still a quality city? Sure, in some places. But a large area of the city is now a certifiable war zone. I look at the publication Hey Jackass! (odd name, but good information) every other week or so. This online publication uses public domain information to catalog the shootings and murders in Chicago. Most days it is like reading a MASH report from a combat zone. 

Hey Jackass! has some interesting statistics. How many people were shot. How many people died from those wounds, and how many were just wounded. Where in the city they were shot, (and the one which really tells a valuable story) - where in the body they were shot. 

The reason the last one was so interesting and tells the story is most of the killed or wounded were shot in the head. That just says one thing - many of these killings were execution type. To make matters worse, the arrest rate for the shooters is alarmingly low. Out of the 421 homicides this year, in 352 of them, no suspect has been charged. And, over 80% of the victims were black, many of them young, and mostly male.

Chicago is the worst, but the murder rates are up in many of the large cities. Of all the reporting I see on this issue, the one questions which is not answered is "why"? Have we become that hollow as human beings that if we disagree with someone, it ends with a shot in the head? Even if a person survives a head shot, the medical bills, the recovery time is often times staggering. 

This is the what is happening to many large cities today. They are two faced. "Hey we have a great night life and eateries. Just make sure you stay out of the "so and so" neighborhood." But the people who live in that "so and so" neighborhood, have to hear gunshots most every night, worry about family members outside after dark, and have bars on every window. Some life for those who are stuck there.

We have a toxic brew of gangs, illegal guns, drugs and broken families in many of our cities. These poor kids grow up without so much as a prayer. Their choices are often times an early grave or prison. And what is being done to curb this insanity? Not much. Just be careful where you go after dark.

Even though this brew has many ingredients, the catalyst (in my opinion) are the drugs. Until we can control our nation's drug problem, we will continue to have these issues. The fact we have so many young men in the inner cities who grow up without fathers and dysfunctional mothers does not help much either.

A word to Mayor Rahm, aka "sharp elbows". I think this online publication (Hey Jackass!) is for you to read more than anyone else. It does after all, have your name on it. Until you get serious about your two faced city Rahm, the head shots, the carnage, the sorrow will continue.

  

Hating with a passion

"Time is up Junior. Time to disarm and join the league of civilized nations. You are now dealing with the grown-ups in the world. If you don't disarm, President Trump and his generals will disarm you. We have a plan for you, and I don't think you, and your country, are going to like it." 

Recently, I was asked by a friend why the North Koreans hate us so much. How much do they hate us? They would sacrifice everything, their lives, their country, their future - just to inflict a body blow on the United States. Or Japan. Maybe even South Korea - but that is a maybe. But for us, their hatred runs very deep. We are in their bulls-eye. And they truly hate us with a passion.

I guess from a historical standpoint, I can understand why there is some ancient hatred for Japan. Korea existed under Japanese rule from 1910 to the surrender of Japan in 1945. The Korean people were treated like second class citizens (at best) under Japanese rule. It was not a good period of Korean history. When Japan surrendered in 1945, things really got mangled up for Korea. 

Both the Russians and the Americans were anxious to shed their World War II treaty alliances and Korea was a great place to start. When it became obvious that a unified Korea would not be possible, in 1948 the newly founded United Nations declared the 38th Parallel would be the dividing line between the two new Korea's. Once the Korean Peninsula was divided, the first leader (dictator) of North Korea was Kim il-sung. He was the grandfather of the current leader (dictator) Kim- Jong-un.

Things were not fine in the beginning. There were constant border skirmishes. Then on June 25, 1950, 75,000 troops from the North Korean People's Army came across the 38th Parallel and invaded South Korea. Why? North Korea had enough. They never recognized South Korea as being legitimate. It was time to take South Korea back by force, and unify the country. Suddenly, five years after World War II ended, the newly started Cold War became instantly hot.

The United Nations stood against the North in this conflict. It was naked aggression. The United States, still recovering from World War II, was asked by the UN to stand in the gap for South Korea. And we did. We, along with a United Nations peacekeeping force, fought and died next to the South Koreans.

The fighting finally came to an end in July of 1953. Not by surrender, but by armistice. General MacArthur hated the idea. "There is no substitute for victory over Communism" he said. President Truman took that as insubordination and fired MacArthur. History has shown MacArthur to be right and Truman to be wrong. 

Grandfather, Kim il-sung, ruled until his death in 1994. His son, Kim John-il, ruled from 1994 until his death in 2011. Now we have the grandson, Kim jong un, who began his rule in 2011. It really does not matter which one was, or is, in control. They all have or had designs on a much stronger, more respected, North Korea. What happened under Japan, or an imperialist nation like the United States, will never happen again!

Why do they hate us? Through their rose colored glasses, when they see the United States, they see pre-1945 Japan. They see a threat to hold them into some kind of bondage. To be a nuclear power (with punch) would solve that problem. Every time the United States requests sanctions against North Korea at the United Nations, the "bondage" image becomes more real. Just as the Islamic State views us as the "Great Satan", North Korea views us as something equally sinister and repressive.  

As time has gone by since 1953, the story of South Korea and North Korea has become a depiction of Rich Man, Poor Man. South Korea has become an industrial powerhouse with an excellent standard of living, while North Korea has become a repressively poor and brutal police state. The differences in life style could not become more apparent than viewing a nighttime satellite picture showing a glowing South Korea and a pitch black North Korea.

What does our country think North Korea will do with a nuclear bomb? Use it for sure. Unlike Israel, Pakistan or India when they developed their own nukes, North Korea has been very public and braggadocios about theirs. "Hey world! Look what we have, and we are ready to use them!" Japan, South Korea and the United States are taking this thirty-some year old kid running North Korea as serious as a heart attack.  

I am afraid it is time for this show to end. The stakes have become much too high. It is one thing to listen to a tin horned dictator who has little to offer but bluster. But to have an existential threat to the United States getting more and more dangerous, is something else all together.

We are blessed today to have Donald Trump as our President and not Harry Truman. Even though Truman nuked the Japanese to end World War II, he did not have the stomach to end the North Korean menace. Donald Trump will take care of this issue. One way or another. Unlike Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush (41), Clinton, Bush (43) or Obama - Trump will not leave this mess for the next President. 

Time is up Junior. Time to disarm and join the league of civilized nations. You are now dealing with the grown-ups in the world. If you don't disarm, President Trump and his generals will disarm you. We have a plan for you, and I don't think you, and your country, are going to like it. 

The Yardstick

So I shook my fist at Heaven said, "God, why don't You do something?"

He said, "I did - I created you."  

If not us, then who?

Matthew West

Do Something

I think I named this article incorrectly. In reality, it should be called "The Yardstick(s)". But more on that soon. Right now, I want to set the table. Why is a yardstick so important? It really isn't. But what it represents, is important. What it represents is how we measure our forgiveness for those who sin against us. Sin? Who are mean or unkind to us. Who call us names. Who talk behind our backs. Or even forget about us. As we know, just about every day, someone commits one or more of those sins against us. And it hurts. But here is where the yardstick really comes into play.

God tells us in His Word, as well as having us recite it in The Lord's Prayer, the yardstick we use to forgive others, will the same one that God uses to forgive us. Tough words for sure. I think there is a very good reason God used succinct and direct words to drive that divine principle home to us.

The Lord's Prayer says, "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." One word - that is all it took. "As", not "because", "before", "just in case" or any other lawyer type word or phrase which can be thought of. God just used "as". How we are forgiven is an example of the first yardstick.

The next yardstick is a bit tougher. Why? It is not our yardstick. It is the one God will use to see how we took care of the least of us. In other words, His children, regardless of age. Our brothers and sisters. I believe this meant that caring for others to have many faces, many methods.

Caring for the most basic of all human needs comes to mind first. Adequate food, drinkable water, a safe place to sleep, and comfort against the elements. Fortunately, the Twin Cites has a plethora of responsible organizations which cater to those needs. And most of them are constantly in need of time and resources. We have found many of them to be worthy to partner with. To invest ourselves with.

But then after the basic human needs are done, then what? Is it over? Can we just call it a day? Not really. We were created to be relational people. Compassionate people. When someone is lonely, neglected, sad, unloved, afraid, you name it - there is a place for us to help ameliorate some of that pain. Sometimes it is just a kind word.  Or, an unkind word left unsaid. Maybe holding a door. A "hello", a nod of the head, any kind of acknowledgement, It may not take much to be a huge help to someone who feels alone and betrayed.

I love the Matthew West song, Do Something. I know we all feel that way at times. We look to God and shake our fist. What kind of a God would let this happen? What is wrong with you, God? Can't you stop this? And in the Matthew West song, God calmly responds, "I did so something - I created you." 

Truthfully - what more so we need? First off, we were created. Not just created, but created in the image of God - and we are His children. Plus (and this is huge) - he gave us a book of instructions, a book of pure truth - His Holy Word. We should be good to go. 

Even with that, it is not all fixed. We still live in a broken world. A world subject to broken promises, day after day. Soon, we all fall back into the trap. The "no yardstick" trap. But God's promises are the ones which cannot be ever broken. His yardstick is true. And His mercies are renewed each morning. 

Bottom line? Treat others the same way we would which to be treated. Forgive as you want to be forgiven. These are the constructs of The Golden Rule. Sounds a bit like God's yardstick(s), do they not?