Proud to be an American

"If watching that game did not send shivers up your spine, make you stand a bit taller, make you feel a bit prouder, you might not have been watching the same game as I did." 

I guess I have been writing quite a bit as of late about some of the nut balls who are trying to take this country off its tracks. The slow trickle of stories such of that has turned into more of a flood. But yesterday was something different. It was a strong shot in the arm of some much needed hope. What was it? A simple football game between two of the nation's finest military institutions. The Army-Navy game. Or was it just a football game?

It was a group of young men and women, some in their late teens, some in their early twenties, who excelled enough in academics and/or sports to be selected to attend West Point or Annapolis. These are simply some the best and the brightest lights this nation has. Then for one day in December, with everyone decked out in their dress uniforms, Army and Navy became rivals on the gridiron. For one day. Then once the game was over (yes, Army won again), all of these young people, who had been cheering for their respective service, were once again brothers and sisters in arms.

It was America as it should be. Nobody knelled during the anthem to protest our flag. Nobody was irreverent during the chaplain's wonderful prayer. Everyone was - well, respectful. President Trump was there, and was greeted with the cheers and respect which every American President should get.

But who are these young people? The ones about as American as a Norman Rockwell painting? They are the ones, if duty calls them to do so, who will have the responsibility to lead troops into battle. They will protect this country, our way of life, and our Constitution with every breath they breathe. Yes, if need be, they will lay down their lives to protect - us.

They did not have to choose the military. All of these young people were bright enough, accomplished enough, they could have done just about anything they wanted. But they chose this path. The path of service. Some will do their allotted time, and then leave for the civilian world. Some will stay for a career. A few will rise all the way to the top. Some will earn medals for bravery and valor on the battlefield. And a few may end up in either Walter Reed hospital or a federal cemetery.  

I loved watching the game yesterday. I loved when the camera panned over the sold out crowds. Heck, even many of the commercials were service related, and done very well. Yes, I rooted for the Navy. I even got involved in some pre-game banter with friends who were Army fans. It is all good fun.

But who really won the game? Was it Army for the third year in a row? Yes, Army did rack up more points than Navy did. But who really won - was us. America. If watching that game did not send shivers up your spine, make you stand a bit taller, make you feel a bit prouder, you might not have been watching the same game as I did. 

God bless these young people. May God bless and protect them and the men and women they will lead in peace as well as war. And most of all, may God continue to bless our wonderful country. 

Behold! The ungovernable masses...

"I don't know what the answer is. But it am looking forward to 2019 with a great deal of trepidation rather than excitement. So much for Auld Lang Syne...."  

Anyone who can't see this one coming, is either not paying attention or very naive. Seriously. People all over the world are starting to become ungovernable - including right here in the United States. If you don't like the election results, screw them! Take to the streets! Acquiesce to the leaders? To the government? No flipping way! 

As usual, all eyes are on the United States. How we do things. We are after all, the great American Experiment. And the Experiment has worked well for centuries. That is - until recently. I have penned about this before. I believe the wheels started getting a bit loose in our republic right after the Bush 41 term. That is when the White House became sullied. And very classless.

What do I mean? In the note which George Bush left for Bill Clinton, the last sentence read, "I am rooting hard for you." Class act. However, when Clinton left the White House before Bush 43 came in, Clinton's staff took all the "W" keys off the typewriters. You know - to poke Bush 43 in the eye a bit, for beating their heir apparent, Al Gore. 

Then during the eight years of Bush, the social fabric started to unravel. "Not my President!" was the cry coming up from the Left. "Take to the streets!", cried the precursor groups to Antifa. I was at a Bush 43 rally in St. Paul towards the end of his term. Dozens of filthy grubs in black t-shirts were in the streets shouting insults and obscenities at the Bush supporters. All the black t-shirts had the same thing printed on them - "F... Bush". No respect for our President. None. It was disgraceful.

The Right however, did NOT return the favor under Obama. They never took to the streets. Sure they criticized him often for trashing our Constitution. But they never practiced civil unrest. Then Obama's term was up, and once again someone from the outside beat their heir apparent champion - Hillary. After two years of Donald Trump, we are only one step away from France. Total mayhem and entropy. Think it is bad now? Just wait until the socialists take over Congress in January.

Today, it is not just Antifa. It will be the patriots and the citizens also. The people who love this country will be in hand to hand combat with those who either change it from what the Founders intended, or tear it down completely. This is not like watching the Army-Navy football game, where the teams play hard, and shake hands as brothers once the game is over. This contest between the Right and the Left will be for all the marbles. Our very republic is at stake.

There are no "healers" whom we can elect as President that can heal our fissures and cracks. We don't want to be healed. We want to eviscerate the other side. Get rid of them. Both sides feel that way. 

As we stumble forward into 2019, the world will watch and wonder. With the Euro Zone starting to fray and the United States taking their disputes to the streets instead of Washington, what will be the next step? One world government? Big Brother? Or one giant politburo with gulags springing up everywhere. 

I don't know what the answer is. But it am looking forward to 2019 with a great deal of trepidation rather than excitement. So much for Auld Lang Syne....  

The calm before the storm

"Enough is enough! That is the cry from France right now. That is also the cry from other Euro areas who are realizing their countries are starting to slip away. Like I said - we will be paying attention like never before. We are watching. We are listening. We are ready." 

After a very emotional time of remembrance for our 41st President, as well as people bustling around getting ready for a robust holiday season, there is still a sense of foreboding in the air. It is similar to that brief period before a violent thunderstorm strikes, and everything becomes eerily quiet. We are truly living in the calm before the storm. 

Come on Bird! Why so dour? You just had a birthday, and your house is filled with the sounds and smells of holiday joy. True. But truth is truth. And I think the first wave of the storm will appear on December 21st. That is when the latest CR runs out of money. That is when Donald Trump will shut down the government.

How do I know? Ms. Nancy was on the news yesterday stating emphatically that not a dime will go towards the wall. Why? Her words - it is amoral. Huh? Killing babies is amoral Nancy, but building a wall to keep out drugs, human trafficking, illegals, gangs - is not amoral. Without a wall to help stem the tide, we will lose the battle at the border. And that is when the citizens and patriots will step in to do what the government cannot, nor will not, do.

Then shortly after the New Year, we get our new Congress. Replete with socialists, progressives, statists, and just plain weirdos. Wait - are you talking about our state House or the United States Congress? Both. Then when everything the President needs to do comes to a standstill in the House, the citizens will not tolerate it. If Congress tries to impeach the President, or any justice on the Supreme Court, the citizens and patriots will stop it. Should anyone doubt the strength of the people, they need to look no further than Paris.

I suppose it is Antifa which taught us the lesson we needed to learn. Take to the streets. However, unlike Antifa, the citizens and patriots will not cover their faces, nor hide in the shadows. This is our country. This is our state. We will be paying attention like never before. 

If the statists try to tax us into the poor house, we will take to the streets. If the progressives try to take away our guns or sully the Second Amendment, we will take to the streets. If the the socialists try to rewrite our Constitution or change the Bill of Rights, we will not only take to the streets, but we will be all up in their business.

Enough is enough! That is the cry from France right now. That is also the cry from other Euro areas who are realizing their countries are starting to slip away. Like I said - we will be paying attention like never before. We are watching. We are listening. We are ready. 

The canary in Europe

"The canary in the Euro Zone coal mine has tipped over. This is a warning sign for the freedom loving people of North America. Right now, we are frogs in slowly boiling water. Soon, it will be too late for us. Wake up America."     

We started losing Europe not that long after World War II was over. Part of it is understandable. Europe, as whole, is just plain war weary. Enough already. I suppose it is easy for us to criticize being isolated by two big oceans and all. But to have an enemy right at your border? We have not had that for centuries. 

What was the first warning sign for Europe? The churches. Large, beautiful, and ornate churches became more and more empty on Sunday mornings. Why? Hard to say. Maybe the new youth, the cultural elite, the Bohemians, had no time for their parents religion. I mean, what is in a religion, anyway? After all, most is just mumbo jumbo. So the youth dropped out en masse. That was not happening in America - yet. Little did the Yanks know that was soon to be coming to their landscape.

Then came the isolationism. Draw inward from the world. Sure, we were able to muster up some support for Desert Storm and the War on Terror. But the new posture was to let the United States or the feckless United Nations deal with the world's problems. The fact so many Euro countries were members of NATO in name only, should have been no surprise to anyone. It took someone like Donald Trump to call them out on their poop. Pay your dues. Pay what you promised. That being said, many countries in Europe can muster barely more than a self defense force. Period.

When the Middle East started to fall apart under the tyranny and terror of ISIS, Europe became a mecca for refugees and immigrants. With no controls or vetting, they let anyone and everyone in. Some good, some very bad. Soon the lifeboats became overloaded, and the citizens were asked to do more. And more. And more. By the time the citizens woke up, Sharia Law started creeping into their nation's fiber. 

How bad is it right now? France is now 10% Muslim, projected to be 15% by 2030. Germany is slightly less than 6% Muslim, but 10% of all newborns are born to Muslim parents. England has 5% Muslim. The Mayor of London is Muslim. This country of Anglican heritage, now has almost 2,000 mosques.

The globalists would look at this trend with great glee. Gosh, look at our diversity! We are so very cosmopolitan. The realists however, look at what is happening with alarm. The riots in France are just a harbinger of bad things yet to come. Yes, the carbon tax on gasoline was a big part of it. However, there are many French who want their country back. So do the Swedes. The British. The Dutch. And the list goes on. 

The canary in the Euro Zone coal mine has tipped over. This is a warning sign for the freedom loving people of North America. Right now, we are frogs in slowly boiling water. Soon, it will be too late for us. Wake up America.     

63%

"The makers can only handle hands in their pockets for so long. Soon the match will be lit and dropped in the street in this country as well. Hang on tightly. 2019 could be a tell tale year."

Today on the news, it was reported from an analysis done four years ago, it is estimated that 63% of all illegal immigrants are collecting some type of welfare in the United States. That would be over four million families. If that was not bad enough, it was also reported that 70% of those families are still on welfare 10 years after hitting our soil. Did I mention the term ILLEGAL? If not, let me say that again. ILLEGAL.

For those of us who have been paying attention, this report comes as a "Duh!". When you have people come here with no status, no skills (to speak of), and little if any language skills - what do you expect. And don't for a second think the fact this country is a gravy trail does not travel like wildfire. For many, coming here is no longer coming to the land of opportunity - it is hitting the lotto. Rather than being for opportunity seekers, our country is now a mecca for the opportunistic. 

Some reports say as a nation, we are paying $200B on welfare for illegals. Some say the number might be higher, but because so many live in the darkness, and there is so much graft in the system, that number might not be knowable.

Ladies and gentlemen - these are your dollars. I don't care which coffer they come out of, there is no money tree. The money comes out of your wallets. That is why when Lori what-is-her-name from the Star and Tribune tells Minnesota seniors they do not need a break on  Social Security taxes, that money should go to the state instead (because they need it to pay for all this welfare), I just want to body slam her.

Is there any question why Democrats look at illegals as if they were more precious than gold? Hooked on generational welfare, their votes are already counted for the next election. They have been brainwashed to believe in a welfare Santa Clause. This is the easiest money they have ever seen. And loose? Check out the stolen millions which have been shipped to Somalia. Why can't we stop it? Fear of being called Islamophobic, a racist, or a xenophobe by the metro snowflakes. So the money pours out of the country, as more illegals pour in. 

By the way, the report which was quoted was only for illegals. It would be interesting to know what the percentage would be for the refugee resettlement program. My gut tells me the stats would be similar. So, what do we do? Wait until the taxes to support these immigrants get so high we turn into Paris? Trust me, the patriots and the citizens are not that far away as it is right now from taking to the streets.

Yesterday riots also erupted in Belgium. In Europe, the tipping point has been reached. The makers can only handle hands in their pockets for so long. Soon the match will be lit and dropped in the street. America will be like Europe. Chaos will rule the day. Hang on tightly. 2019 could be a bell weather year.     

"We have the watch sir"... Do we really?

"Now that we have the watch, are we worthy? Do we have what it takes? Well love it or hate it, the watch is ours now. Let's hope at the end of our watch, we are remembered for doing a good job. For doing this country proud. We owe it to the ones who will follow." 

One of the tributes to President Bush was a traditional Navy farewell to a fallen shipmate. At the end of the tribute it said, "We have the watch sir." When I read that, it stopped me for a minute. Put me into somewhat of a rumination. I have had "the watch" many times while serving. Many of us vets have. When it is our turn to take the watch, we assume the duties, and tell the person who was on watch that he or she is relieved. At that point in time, you are responsible. Period. Nobody else to blame if things go wrong. It is your baby until you are relieved.

I thought about the kind of man President Bush was. He was a lot of things, but mostly he was an adult. I know that sounds funny, but he was a President who did the most important job on Earth acting like an adult. So, now that he is gone, and "we have the watch", what does that mean for us? Who do we have that will guide this nation through the choppy waters ahead. I mean, I love President Trump, but he is no President Bush. Different styles completely. 

I look on the Democrat side, the ones who are being considered for a run for the White House, and I don't know if I should laugh or cry. There is not one among them who has even a tinge of the leadership this country needs right now. Not one is an adult. I look at the state of Minnesota. The new "leadership" team. Who are the adults there? Come next month, they, along with a whole slew of socialists in the House, will "assume the watch". Are they ready for prime time? Heck, most are barely ready for potty time.

In his lifetime, President Bush fought in World War II. In fact, for a while, he was the Navy's youngest pilot. As President, he presided over one of the greatest military victories this nation has ever been involved in - Desert Storm. Also as President (during the same term), he presided over another great victory - this one without firing a shot. He won the Cold War. History will judge this fine man very well. This humble servant, who assumed the watch many times, kept this nation, this world, safe. 

Maybe American History needs to be taught over many years in school, and not just a semester. In fact, one semester could be just about (I am going to borrow this JFK term), "Profiles in Courage". Only the course could be renamed to be "Profiles in courage, leadership and humility". 

Of all the gifts he was blessed with, I think his greatest gift was his love for people. He had no room in his heart for hatred or grudges. He loved the Lord, loved his family, and loved this nation with a red hot passion. That is how this great man assumed the watch.

Now that we have the watch, are we worthy? Do we have what it takes? Love it or hate it, the watch is ours now. Let's hope at the end of our watch, we are remembered for doing a good job. For doing this country proud. We owe it to the ones who will follow. 

Our cold Omaha, now growing colder...

"Next month? That is when we go from bad to worse. That is when we go from Dayton to Walz. Will we be a cold Omaha under Walz? More like a cold Moscow."

Many of us oldies remember this phrase. "If we don't build the Metrodome, and we lose the Twins and/or the Vikings. Then this town will be nothing but a cold Omaha." Wow. Harsh. By the way, I was recently in Omaha. I think it is a very nice town. So where is the insult there? By the way, Omaha has some advantages Minnesota does not.

But wait just a minute Bird! Where is the pro baseball team? The pro football team? The pro anything team? Not there. So what? The folks in Nebraska can root for any team they want to. Besides all of which, unless you have been living on Mars your entire life, you know the entire state is in a college frenzy. They are loyal to the bone for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. They stick with that team through thick and thin.

But what about the living conditions there? We were in Grand Island to see the eclipse last year. Beautiful country, and very nice folks. I-80 cuts through the entire state, so getting from point "A" to point "B" is no trouble. In the spring by Kearney (on the river), is one of the largest migrations of Sand Hill Cranes in the world. We plan to visit this spring to witness this sight. Thousands of huge birds, almost blocking out the sun, making sounds similar to what prehistoric beasts would make.

The taxes in Nebraska are much better than Minnesota. Both the state tax and the sales tax are about 2/3 of what Minnesota's is. Of course, they have no stadiums or LRT to pay for. Gasoline however, is only slightly cheaper. It can get cold in the winter and hot in the summer (gosh - that sounds like here!). But let's face it. When a polar vortex comes roaring in from Canada, it can get cold all the way down to Florida.

Many predict that after two years of a Walz/DFL House economy, we will skyrocket way ahead of Omaha in the most unlivable city contest. In fact, it won't even be a contest at all. Our gas tax will spike, our individual income taxes will rise, and we will have "fees" on anything which moves or stays static. In other words, rather than Omaha being the brunt of jokes about weather and such, it will be Minneapolis.

Time to go turn up the heat. The cold wind blowing out of the northwest this morning is only a harbinger of things to come next month. Next month? That is when we go from bad to worse. That is when we go from Dayton to Walz. Will we be a cold Omaha under Walz? More like a cold Moscow.