Fifty years from Apollo 11

"My feelings today about the Moon landing? Let's go! We are long, long overdue to return! This President will make it happen. And, just like in 1969, it will be 'Yuge'!"

Coming up in less than two weeks, will be the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing. Always a space nut as a kid, I followed the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo flights. I was hooked. I knew that if Apollo 11 was successful (and there was huge doubts that it might not be), it would be Earth shaking history. It would be televised all over the world for many millions to see. But not for me - I was in boot camp, and TV in boot camp was a no-no.

I was also on the Balboa Naval Hospital waiting list to have a hernia repaired. Boots were low priority, as Balboa did quite a bit of battle triage during the Viet Nam War. As luck would have it, around the 10th of July, I received orders to report to Balboa to have my hernia fixed. Going from boot to a Naval Hospital, my status went from lower than gum on the bottom of a shoe, to a human once again. It was a shock to my system. But a good shock.

The day after reporting in at Balboa, the surgeon came to see me (Gasp! A real officer, talking to a boot!). He joked with me that since I was only a boot, he was allowed to make my stitches big, and very uneven. I looked at him closely and then had the guts to ask him a question. "Sir, I see by your name tag your last name is Kemp. You resemble Jack Kemp from the Buffalo Bills. Is there any relation?" He smiled, "Unfortunately. He is my younger brother. I am a Rams fan, so once in a while I have to cheer for the Bills when they are playing." All I could think about was this - Jack Kemp's brother is going to operate on me tomorrow. How cool is that?

After my operation, they kept me at the hospital for two weeks to "recover". It was really to put me in an "X Division", to get some free labor out of me. That was fine - I just did get a free operation from the Navy. But the big bonus was coming. The barracks I was assigned to at the hospital had a TV, and July 20th was rapidly approaching. Yes, even though I had given up all hope of seeing the Moon landing, I was able to witness it, along with hundreds of millions of others, all across the globe.

One of the fellows who was watching the landing with me was an E-6 Marine named Sgt. Butler. I will never forget him. He was a frequent flyer at Balboa - this was his third time there - all for combat injuries. He loved pulling up his shirt to show off his torso. It looked like a map, which had been crumpled up and disfigured. That is where all three of his wounds were. But the Sargent was like the a Timex Watch. He took a licking, but kept on ticking. 

For some reason, Sargent Butler took a shine to me. Maybe it was because I had my operation the same day two Marine boots also had hernia operations. They both passed out when the corpsmen got them up when the operation was over. I did not. That impressed the Sargent. In any event, he tried his best to convince me I made a HUGE error in going in the Navy instead of the Marines. He would look at me, wink and say, "Hell boot. In Viet Nam, hunting season is open 365 days a year. No limit! You are from Minnesota - you should like that!"

Soon, I had orders back to boot. I needed to get that finished it up. I did see the Moon landing, as well as meeting a most fascinating Marine. I never found out what happened to Sargent Butler after I left. I know he was going back to Viet Nam when he got the green light from the medical folks. I sure hope he made it. Even though it has been fifty years, I remember that time just like it was yesterday. 

My feelings today about the Moon landing? Let's go! We are long, long overdue to return! This President will make it happen. And, just like in 1969, it will be "Yuge"!

"Pander fest"

"Time to enjoy the show folks. I like watching statists get all wrapped up like a pretzel trying to please everyone. Trump only promised two things - opportunity and removal of unwanted and unneeded regulations. So far, so good. Nothing more needs to be promised."

One of the announcers I was listening to on cable TV, in-between earthquake news, said the following, "Now that we got this Independence Day thing over, we can get back to our dependence days - brought to you by the Democrats running for President." I thought - BINGO! Ain't that the truth! Democrats have gone from promising two chickens in every pot, to two pots in every kitchen, to now two kitchens in every house. Why? It is a "right" that we all should have two kitchens. Just like free healthcare and free higher education.

Yesterday our own rubber stamp voter for the Democrats, Senator Amy Klobuchar, joined right into "Pander Fest" once again. She is trying to woo the NEA by first criticizing Trump's Secretary of Education (she is no teacher!), and then promising she would pass legislation which would increase teacher pay. And we need a teacher leading the Department of Education! Just like when the Minnesota voters elected Mr. Clueless (and former teacher) Walz to be our Governor.

The Clown Car has emptied out now, so each clown can go to a state or area which will have an early primary or caucus. Everything is on the table, and everything is promised to be free. Farmers, union workers, stay at home Moms, you name it. All will be approached by the clowns and then informed just how bad they have it right now. The economy? As they say in the Wizard of Oz, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. The economy may look good, but it is only good for the 1% and the banks. Everyone else is taking it in the shorts. 

And this thing with Putin! Disgraceful! We need to have a President who handled Putin like Obama did. Like hiding a lot. Plus - this trade war with China? We need to capitulate with them like Barry did. We can live with sky high trade deficits and stolen patents. All Trump has been doing is stirring the pot and riling up this powerful nation. We need to sign the Paris Accord on climate change, get back into this fantastic deal with the Iranians, and stop playing footsie with Chairman Kim.

I have to admit, if I were a Democrat running for President against a guy like Donald Trump, I don't know how I would attack him. We are at peace, and the economy is booming. Those are the two things which usually spell doom for an administration if they are not going well. It was from James Carville's lips to our ears - "It is the economy, stupid!" Oh, one more thing to the pandering crowd. Good luck blaming the border mess on Donald Trump. Many, many fingerprints (Democrat) are on that mess.

Time to enjoy the show folks. I like watching statists get all wrapped up like a pretzel trying to please everyone. Trump only promised two things - opportunity and removal of unwanted and unneeded regulations. So far, so good. Nothing more needs to be promised. American people can figure the rest our for ourselves. That is, unless you are enamored with the Clown Car... 

The sweet and sometimes acrid smell of history

"It rained yesterday during the event. So what? It was still a great time, and the crowd loved it! Happy birthday America! We have reason to celebrate. To form a more perfect union? Absolutely, but the job is not over yet. Stay tuned - it is about to get even better." 

To form a more perfect union. I get it. As good as this country has been from the beginning, it has not been perfect. Pretty darn good most of the time, but not perfect. Yesterday, President Trump laid out his argument for just how good this country has been since the founding. Yes, it was a red, white and hurrah event. I loved every minute of it. Of course, there were demonstrations against our country at the same time. Dredging up old sins from the past. Like slavery.

Let's talk about slavery just for a minute to kind of clear the air. It seems every time this is brought up in our history, it is a blot - a stain. There is an acrid smell about slavery. So here are the facts. Yes, this country did have slavery at the beginning. Many countries (like Mexico, Canada and South America) also had slaves. However, many in this country were against slavery. We fought a very costly civil war to end slavery. We amended our Constitution so that ALL men are created equal - not that some men were less than equal.

Slavery still exists today. It is called modern day slavery, or human trafficking. It exists in many places in the world. Some legal, mostly illegal. It exists in this country and is highly illegal. But slavery as portrayed in the book Roots, ended with the Civil War. Lincoln freed the slaves in the Emancipation Proclamation. Is there still work we need to do with regards to racism? Sure is. But the vast majority of people I know are NOT racists. The fact we had a mixed race President for eight years, should speak volumes on how far this country has come.

To be an honest broker, I do need to address one more thing before I get back to the sweetness of yesterday. When this country was settled, there were many times in treaty negotiations, we could have done better with the Natives. Many of these proud people of the plains, now live in squalor in reservations. Because of what is perceived to be numerous treaty violations by the United States government, some Natives now consider this country to be "stolen land". I know the Natives were not perfect either when these deals were being stuck, but as an American, I feel we need to correct some of these perceived or real injustices. 

Putting those two issues aside, this country continues to be the shining city on the hill for the world to see. Many great people from other countries have said "If America falls, the world falls." Yes, we are that important to the world. Last century, we saved the world twice in world wars. Some say thrice with us winning the Cold War. Today, we feed a large portion of the world, we supply medical aid to the hurting, financial aid to the impoverished, and military aid to the imprisoned. America truly has been, and remains today, the big brother to many who are free or desire to be free.

Yesterday, we witnessed out Commander-in-Chief also being our Historian-in-Chief, as well as our Cheerleader-in-Chief. Donald J. Trump loves this country with every beat of his heart. Not a perfect man, but a very good man, President Trump is a patriot. Yesterday was NOT about him winning re-election - the Democrats on the campaign trail and in debates are ensuring that will happen all by itself. Yesterday was a party. By us and for us. A time to celebrate just who we are. What we have done. And hope for the future.

It rained yesterday during the event. So what? It was still a great time, and the crowd loved it! Happy birthday America! We have reason to celebrate. To form a more perfect union? Absolutely, but the job is not over yet. Stay tuned - it is about to get even better. 

Lives, Fortunes, and Sacred Honor

"Today we celebrate the birthday of this great country. Most will not be tearing it down, but instead building it up. It is good. This country is good. We are good."

"We mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor." Wow. Every time I read those most powerful words, it gives me pause. This group of subjects to the crown, who desired to become citizens of their own country, were willing to risk it all. And then some. When pen hit paper to sign the Declaration of Independence, it became a record for all the British to see. There was no going back. Those signatures would be there so long as that piece of what they called paper in those days, survived.

Once that was signed, and then sent to the King of England, there was no going back. They had crossed the Rubicon. Their fates were sealed. If the upcoming war went poorly for the colonies, it would mean the death sentence for the signers. They would be hanged or shot by firing squad. Their property would likely be confiscated, and who knows what would happen to their families. The odds were stacked against them. But even with that, they still pledged their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor."

How are we doing on that today? In America? How is that pledge going? Where we would give it all, just to make this a more perfect union? Much has changed in the almost 250 years since our forefathers signed that most famous document. We have changed. Rather than E pluribus unum, we have become instead, tribal. In many places (especially Washington, DC), hate has replaced love, greed has replaced service, and worldly fortunes have replaced Godly ideas. No, I am afraid to say we are a much different people today. Sadly to say, we are.

But - some of us may have changed, but the concept, the idea, of America has not. There are still enough patriots remaining who will protect this idea at all costs. As Bono has said, "America is no longer just a place, but an idea, which has been shared with the world." Bingo! Bono nailed it!

Today, our enemies are not so much on foreign shores, as they are embedded within our shores. Enemies such as socialism. Tribalism. Fascism. Racism. Greed. Idolatry. Idolatry? Yes, whenever we replace God with just about anything worldly, it is idolatry. Pure and simple.

We can turn back the clock should we decide to do so. The country which saved the world from two horrific world wars is still here. The beating heart of liberty, is still beating strong for many. Young men and woman are still willing to travel to foreign lands to fight and die for other's freedom. And yet within all that good, there is still the loud and growing chattering class, demanding that America confess it is an evil empire. Guilty of most things wrong in the world. This chattering class is not only disruptive to the desire of citizens and patriots to continue to form a more perfect union, they besmirch much of the goodness our Founders stitched into our fabric. 

Today we celebrate the birthday of this great country. Most will NOT be tearing it down, but instead building it up. It is good. This country is good. We are good. And God is good all the time. It is important that we remain a Godly nation. Our Founders strongly believed that. As should we.

Happy birthday America! And may God continue to bless this great country!

The China neglect

"Even though China and the US are fighting over trade and tariffs right now, both countries are dependent on each other. They are the two strongest economies in the world..."

I was born in 1949 (yes, I am that old!). That is the same year Mainland China fell to the communists. As a nation, we were concerned, as there were so many people living there. But the main threat was the much more advanced, Soviet Union. Besides, we were still war weary from World War II.

To many, China was a big country who was still trying to crawl out of the dark ages. But - for the past 70 years, China has been undergoing a MASSIVE change. So much so, by the time we closely focused our vision back on Asia, China became one of the leading economies in the world. And the designs for even more power and glory are in the offing.

China, with 1.4B people, is now a force to be reckoned with. Under Mao right after the revolution, the main challenge was to keep everyone fed. To make this new system work. But during the reign of Mao, China was run pretty much by the book, Communist. But - for the past six plus years, the new ruler of China, the General Secretary of the Communist Party, has been Xi Jinping. He is a leader like China has never had before. His designs for China go out to the horizon and beyond.

How powerful is Xi? In 2018, Forbes called him the most powerful leader in the world. More so than Putin. More so than Trump. And meanwhile back in the United States, as China was evolving from agrarian to a world wide manufacturing economy, we allowed China to eat our lunch. By the time Trump became President, our trade imbalance with China was staggering - over $400B in 2018. Plus, the Chinese own 28% of our public debt. Can President Trump normalize this mess? Hopefully - but it will be like turning a battleship around in a bathtub.

The Chinese dream big these days. Blue water Navy, and more. Not only do they want to be the world leader in AI (which without controls could be very dangerous), but they also are working on something called the Belt and Road Initiative. The Belt and Road Initiative is a very ambitious plan to connect many countries together for trading purposes. It will involve road, rail and sea, and will be huge. So large, that to complete it will take until 2049 - the 100th anniversary of Communist China.

Even though China and the US are fighting over trade and tariffs right now, both countries are dependent on each other. They are the two strongest economies in the world - and they trade quite a bit with each other. I believe this trade war is far from over. The Huawei issue is going to complicate things, even though Trump made a concession to Xi while in Japan. This trade war, and how it will be played out, will be one for the history books.

Have we neglected China in the past? I think so. Are we neglecting China right now? Not a bit - China is showing up bright on the President's radar. If we can forge the right kind of deal with China, and work together on things that matter, the whole world will benefit. If not, well, stay tuned. Things could then get very interesting.   

Independence Day in DC

"Back to this year. I don't think this is a bad idea to shake it up a bit. Try it out. In just a few short years, we will be celebrating our 250th anniversary. Good time to practice up."

By now, most have heard that the President wants to change the way we celebrate our Independence Day. Not that there is anything wrong with the way we do it now - he just thinks it could be so much more. Like parades, speeches, patriotic songs - throwing a party by us, and for us. As usual, the great divide is present. The other side thinks that this would be way too showy - maybe even an attempt to be a political rally. The President's side on the other hand, it tired of seeing our country run down. It is time to proudly proclaim, we are Americans, and we are great again! 

I have been in Washington, DC on Independence Day. No, it was not for vacation. I was in the middle of a protracted negotiation, and Independence Day fell on Wednesday. Since my government counterpart was off on Independence Day (and theoretically, so was I), my boss gave me a choice. Come home on the late flight on Tuesday night, spend the Fourth with my family, and then be on the zero-dark-thirty flight back to DC on Thursday morning - or - gut it out. Stay in DC over the holiday. I talked with the team, and we all decided to "gut it out".

The Beach Boys were playing on the Mall that year. It just so happens, they were also staying at our hotel. That was an experience. Lots, and lots of drinking and partying (by them, not us). We spent the morning of Independence Day working. At noon, we decided to walk down to the Mall to be part of the festivities. Anybody who has ever been in DC in the summer time, knows DC offers two things in the summer - heat and humidity. In any event, we made the most out of it, and saw a bang up fireworks show that evening.

Back to this year. I don't think this is a bad idea to shake it up a bit. We should try it out. In just a few short years, we will be celebrating our 250th anniversary. Good time to practice up. As far as having tanks on the roads, I am still pondering that one. May be a good idea, or it may be a bridge too far. In any event, if the President has his hands in it, things will be really YUGE!

However it turns out, it will be a great holiday. Never had a bad Independence Day, no what the weather. Coming up this Thursday. It will be great. I can't wait. 

Very little room at the inn...

"Hey Mayor Jacob - you have a big problem here, my friend. Being a sanctuary city does not help you either. For those living in Minneapolis who do not have a place to live - good luck. Like to say things will get better, but that would be a lie." 

Today in the morning rag, was an article about the further gentrification of Minneapolis. The article did not use the term "gentrification", but it might as well have. Our Mill City, just like most other major Blue hubs, are becoming a mecca for the modern day Yuppie, and a desert for those making the magic amount of $15/hour. Why? No housing for the lower incomes. And what housing there is (trust me, I have seen some from the inside), are dumps.

But the city managers keep the pens going to authorize more and more high rise luxury apartments, condos and lofts. The plan is to get the young and childless group, who love the urban life and glitz. And they have been successful to a degree. However, the socialists running the place also want to keep the mantra of "Moneyapolis" going, by having some of the highest welfare checks in the known universe. So the underclass keeps expanding in town also. But - good luck finding a place to live when you are making $15/hour.

Hold on Bird! It seems there are protests every month by folks wanted to make $15/hour! That is a living wage! Really? Might have been forty years ago. But not today. $15/hour is only $30K every year. That will qualify you for Section 8 housing. Now, if I would be asked what is a "livable salary" today to survive in Minneapolis, I would say a bare minimum of $30/hour, or $60K every year. Even that would be very, very tight. 

What is the bottom line? Minneapolis will continue on the path it is on. It will be a two tier society living there. One for the well healed, the other for the not so much. The chances of upward mobility for the not so much crowd will be - not so much. It immigrants and ex-patriots coming here from other states are coming into an area which will be tough sledding. Sure - welfare will pay for a nice cell phone. But cars are discouraged here, and housing is almost out of the question. Net result - our homeless population keeps increasing. 

Hey Mayor Jacob - you have a big problem here, my friend. Being a sanctuary city does not help you either. For those living in Minneapolis who do not have a place to live - good luck. Like to say things will get better, but that would be a lie.