The derivation of the term "cc" and why it matters now

"My last solution is this. And it is another 'cc' term. Constitutional Carry. We need freer access to firearms. Just like the Second Amendment intended. Shall not be infringed. No permit, no waiting period." 

If you walk into most any bar, and order a "cc and water", the bartender will grab a bottle of Country Club Canadian whisky. If you have worked in retail, the term "cc" at one time meant "cash and carry". If you are a blue blood, and went out for a round of gold, you went to either the "club" or the "cc (country club)". The list on these derivations for the term "cc" could go on and on.

Today, one of the most frequent usages of the term "cc" is for conceal carry. Quite often you will hear a question like, "Hey, do you have your cc as yet?" Or "When does your cc expire?" It has become a very familiar term with patriots, gun enthusiasts and 2A protectors. For those who do not yet have a concealed carry permit, a very good question they might ask is this - "Why get one?" 

If the answer to that question has not been obvious to date, let me give you this fresh piece of information. This morning on the news, an Israeli security expert was in town giving some sage advice to all who would listen. This might sound like a bit of histrionics, but I don't think it is. He said, Minnesotans need to take what is happening in Iraq and Iran, VERY seriously right now. It we sit back, fat, dumb, and happy, and think terror cannot hit here, it would be a fool's errand to so. We have hundreds, maybe thousands of soft targets, just waiting as targets of opportunity. 

So what does a citizen do? Do we demand we expand our police forces by an order of magnitude? That would break anyone's bank. Besides all of which, from what we saw in the Texas church shootings, terror can be over in seconds. My solutions are simple. First off, if you have a cc, make sure it is up to date, and your range skills are sharp - very sharp. If you have been considering getting a permit, get it now. Get it now, make sure you have firearms you are comfortable with, and you KNOW HOW TO USE THEM.

My last solution is this. And it is another "cc" term. Constitutional Carry. We need freer access to firearms. Just like the Second Amendment intended. Shall not be infringed. No permit, no waiting period. If wish to buy a firearm in any state, we just need to go into any store and put down money to buy one. But..but..but - what about the bad guys? The terrorists? They already have their guns. And they did not get them legally. So let that one go. We need to give our citizens and patriots a hand up by not having them all tangled up in the web of expensive permitting just to legally carry.

Well that is it. Some on the Left will think I am "cc (certified crazy)" for coming up with this idea. Don't worry - this idea is not mine alone. Many, many patriots have had this idea before me. Why? It has made sense in the past, and according the dire warning received from that Israeli terror expert, it makes a hell of lot more sense today.   

If war comes a knocking...

"Were we wrong in taking out the general? No. We should have done this years ago. He was bad news, and as we know, bad news does not get better with age."

Last night, I put a post on social media. It said, this morning we could be a war, or at peace. Someone rightly corrected me - "Bull****! We have been at war for 19 years in Afghanistan." He was right. We have. We have been at war with a nomadic people who live like we did centuries ago. Yet, with the terrain in that country as well as their fighting spirit, they have proven tough to beat. And - here is the distinction with a difference - they have no ability to strike our homeland. They can only strike our troops who are fighting over there.

Iran however, is a different story. No, they are no match for the power of the United States. But that does not mean they cannot hit back. And hard. They have been working on a nuke. Lord knows at what stage they are at. Bebe seems to think they are currently at the "red line". Plus they have developed cyber warfare capabilities. But the thing which worries me the most, is what they might have procured from the Russians or Chinese which we don't know about. Like, state of the art anti-ship missiles, which would possibly take out one of our carriers. Or something hypersonic and conventional which would hit Tel Aviv. 

President Trump is right. Many of us have seen this battle brewing since 1979. The fact the President told the Iranians should they retaliate against us, he would hit 52 targets in Iran, is no coincidence. That is the same number as hostages they kept in 1979.

It will be hard to keep Israel out of this skirmish, as well as the Saudis. We are not the only ones with a bone to pick with the Iranians. The problem is, baring sleeper cells in our country, Israel and the Kingdom are easy for the Iranians to reach. By the way, if Israel is attacked by Iran, they will play for keeps.

What if we have sleeper cells in this country, as some have suggested? How hard would it have been to infiltrate our borders? Knowing what our southern border has been like for many, many years - not hard at all. Even our northern border (via getting into the "social justice" land of Canada) would not have been hard to breach. And because we are so accustomed to being somewhat isolated, our country is replete with "soft targets". A sleeper cell, properly trained and armed, could make the mass shootings we have had in this country look like child's play in comparison.

The best possible outcome would be for the Iranians to just call it a day. The general was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was not assassinated - he was an enemy combatant, killed on the battlefield. It happens in war. The worst outcome if for Iran, would be to go to war, or a proxy war with us, Israel and maybe the Kingdom. It would change the world for a long, long time. It would change the Middle East, maybe forever. 

Were we wrong in taking out the general? No. We should have done this years ago. He was bad news, and as we know, bad news does not get better with age. Are we headed towards war? Maybe cooler heads will prevail - but what we have seen of the theocracy in Iran - there are no cooler heads over there. We might end up having a fight which we can't avoid. As such, we would be going into a dark room and lighting a match. What we find in that dark room might be what we expected, or it might not be.    

Did God die in the DNC?

"Once we try to intellectualize the faith which has been given to us, we often times lose it. I have seen this more times than I would like to admit."

Years ago, there was a movement called "Is God dead"? It was like, okay, at one time humans needed a God, but do longer. This "fairy tale" God is dead. It caught on to some degree, but fortunately, not enough.

Today in a political sense, the evangelicals and born again Christians seem to have gathered on the Right side of the aisle, and the ones who think God is dead, seem to gravitate towards the Left. Not 100% for each - but there sure seems to be a tendency for such on both sides. 

I have thought about this issue many times. What is it, about the Creator of all things, great and small, that would cause Democrats to boo His name at a convention? To willingly and joyfully kill His unborn children? What would cause Democrats to want the name of "God" removed from any oath? Stripped out of our money? Out of everything? What is it?

I would like to ask Mazie Hirono (D-HI) what the answer is. Why her? Mazie has said the Democrats are so much smarter than the rest of us, most of us can't understand them. Yes, they are that cerebral. I would however, like to give it a try. But wait - maybe the answer is embedded within the question. Democrats have drunk their own bathwater for so long, they now think they are the Guardians of the Universe. Smarter than any perceived, or real Creator. And this - is exactly why the Bible tells us to believe as children. Once we try to intellectualize the faith which has been given to us, we often times lose it. I have seen this more times than I would like to admit.

But there is another side to this coin. The evangelicals, and born again Christians on the Right, believe in the strongest of all terms that this nation has been blessed by God for a reason. A big part of that reason is that we recognize God as sovereign. He rules. He is our Father. To dismiss our living God as a fairy tale, or obsolete, or "dead", has not worked well for civilizations in the past. Nor will it work well for civilizations in the present or future.

Did God die in the DNC? No, God is alive everywhere. In everything. The only thing which died in the DNC, is their faith in God. But here is the good news - no this is the very good news for the DNC. Come back to God, come back to the Word, and you will be forgiven. For not only do we worship a living God, we worship a God of grace. A God of forgiveness. Take this offer. It is the best one you will ever receive.

ps. If you are a Democrat, and have a strong belief in God, try and steer your party back to at least the center. Try and fix their misguided view on abortion. Sixty years ago, the differences between the two parties were not that big. Faith in God was not an issue. The gulf was not that huge. Today, it is like night and day. We need to fix that.  

  

A few less bad guys to worry about...

"Go in with over whelming force and kick some ass. Serious ass. And then leave. Remember - our military is trained to kill people and break things. Period. Next subject."

Wow! Talk about news last night! Even though it happened last Thursday, it was just revealed last night. It seems the main puppet master, the Iranian General who has directed all sorts of death and mayhem in the Middle East, slipped up. You can't create the type of mayhem without showing up on our radar. And he was showing up very bright. To stay alive, he needed to be very careful. But Thursday, he was not careful enough. BOOM!

Ready, set - caterwaul! The Democrats are off and running! If Obama had taken out General Suleimani, the Democrats would have already been forging his next crown. Why? This general was the baddest of the bad. But - since "Orange Man Bad" took him out, this might have been the start of WW III. I mean - how dare he! Without first consulting "leaky" Schiff, and the rest of the Blue traitors in Congress! 

But our President did take him out. And no - it was not for sacking our Embassy (although, that was bad enough). It was for killing an American contractor in Iraq, for no reason. This was just added on to the General's list of crimes, which was now about a mile long. So when our intel said they had a shot to take him out, the President gave it the "green light". BOOM!

It sure would be nice if the Democrats came down on the side of America, just once in a while. They really do look like traitors when they react the way they are right now. The Republicans gave Obama kudos when OBL was taken out. But "Orange Man"? Hell no! He could cure cancer and end homelessness on the same day, and the Democrats would still hate him. Why? He committed a sin worse than the seven deadly sins. He beat Hillary. For that unforgivable sin, they hate him with a seething hatred which has never been seen in the history of mankind.

But normal patriot Americans are thrilled to hear this news. Will Iran retaliate? Probably. But be advised. This President is different than any the Iranians have dealt with in the past. He will do anything to keep us from getting involved in a protracted Middle East war. That is, unless the other side provokes an act of war. And if war comes, it will not be a long, nation building war. It will be like the first Gulf War. Go in with over whelming force and kick some ass. Serious ass. And then leave. Remember - our military is trained to kill people and break things. Period. Next subject.

Anyhow, it goes without saying that we need to keep an eye on this one. How will this end? I guess we will all find out together.  

The Iranian Debacle

"In a pitched battle, you might want to choose fighting hell, before fighting Donald Trump and Israel. Just saying..."

Anyone remember the beginning of the mayhem in Iran? About 41 years ago, the last Shah of Iran was "invited" to leave. To go into exile. And take your entire family with you. Then a crusty old religious zealot named "Grand Ayatollah Ruhhollah Khomeini" was invited to take control of the very fractured, very disorganized, and very dysfunctional government. So long as you were in favor of living under at theocracy, and ready to go back to the 7th century for rules and customs, and most importantly - had a visceral hatred for America and Israel - you were in. 

I was working at Sperry Univac at the time. The Shah had sent some of his best pilots over to America to learn how to fly the aircraft he had recently procured, as well as how to use the avionics. The avionics is where Sperry Univac came in. Many times, we saw the pilots over at the company lunchroom. They mostly stuck to themselves, and were not the friendliest bunch I had run across. Then the revolution came - and these pilots became orphans. To go home, meant to change. To give up their 20th century life and live a life much different than a fighter pilot. Soon, they all disappeared from the facility, to head to parts unknown.

Our embassy in Tehran did not get the word soon enough. The Ambassador, Bruce Langdon, who had strong Minnesota roots, let a bunch of radical students capture OUR embassy. Not only capture, but ILLEGALLY hold our embassy staff hostage for 444 days! Why 444 days? Jimmy Carter was President. They became grand bargaining chips with a wimp like Carter as POTUS. Then the next election came. Ronald Reagan was elected. The hostages were released.

I, like many Americans my age, have had a chip on my shoulder for Iran for decades. Against the Iranian people? Not a chance. THEY are our friends. Against the theocracy who rules them? Absolutely. They have gotten away with way too much, for way too many years. If this current bunch of yahoos running Iran want to mix it up with the US and Israel - bring it. This fight has been smoldering for over 40 years now, and it is time to put it to an end. To wait much longer, would mean the fight would be nuclear. Now - it does not.

Just a word of caution to Iran. You are not dealing with Jimmy Carter anymore. Nor are you dealing with Barack Obama. You are not even dealing with Ronald Reagan, who was most respected. Our current President will kick your ass so hard, it will take you till Tuesday to realize what just happened. In other words, stand down, and relinquish being a terror state. Most importantly, stop your illegal manufacture of nuclear weapons. 

Why should you do this? To quote Wyatt Earp in the movie Tombstone - "I am coming, and bring hell with me!". In our case, bringing "hell" with us, is bringing Israel with us. In a pitched battle, you might want to choose fighting hell, before fighting Donald Trump and Israel. Just saying...

Oh, for one little dobbie...

"Both my wife and I agree it will be a very short time before weed is legal in Minnesota. Then we can really find out what is in Pandora's Box."  

It is the new year. What does that mean? It means, more and more states are legalizing marijuana. Both medical and recreational. For those of us who grew up in the 60's, that is a "big whoop". In other words, been there, done that. Most truthful people I know who are my age, have at least had a joint touch their lips. Or they munched on a Alice B. Toklas cookie. Or (gasp!) - puffed on a hookah.

Now I am going to sound like Dr. Buzzkill. I am not in favor of recreational weed. Not a bit. Like I said, many my age have taken a puff or two back in the day. But - back in the day, weed was much, much different. Some called it "Minnesota Green". Others equated it with smoking crunched up dry leaves. Weed today, is much different. The THC content is off the charts high. Plus, some with black hearts, "trigger" their stash with bad stuff, like fentanyl. What is so bad about fentanyl? It can turn a bad trip, into your last trip.

I do however, believe there has been enough sound medical evidence to prove that medical marijuana has positive benefits for some. But this weed must be regulated with the amount of THC it contains, as well as being certified safe from other additives. The nickle bag you buy from Joe Crackhead on the street corner, might contain who knows what. Yes, as much as I hate to say it, we will need the government involved to ensure medical marijuana first does no harm.

Call me old fashioned, but I still believe weed is a gateway drug to stuff which is worse. Much worse. Then the cartels in Mexico would love to get more of our young people introduced to poisons such as opium, coke, black tar, and points south. When that happens, you are injecting junk which could not only kill you, but if you survive, it will addict you. And as most of us know, the ticket to addition is an expensive one. It can empty out a bank account, and cause foreclosures on house loans and car loans. And this is to say nothing on what it can do to personal relationships (like marriages).

For those who don't mind dealing with stoners, go for it. I personally, can't stand it. I really need to talk with lucid people, not drunks or stoners. Keep weed illegal, except for medical purposes. That sounds good in my book, but I think this train has already left the station. Both my wife and I agree it will be a very short time before weed is legal in Minnesota. Then we can really find out what is in Pandora's Box.  

  

And so we start...

"So Happy New Year to all folks! I hope you did not might a wee bit of tongue in cheek this morning. I made a resolution to not do as much of that in 2020, but I guess I broke that resolution also!" 

The new year is barely a few hours old now, and already stuff is happening. Minneapolis has it's first homicide (look out Chicago - here we come!) We have an international incident brewing in Iraq with our arch enemies, the Iranians. Maybe we should give the Iranians some more money - could that mollify them?

The Gophers are going to be in very unfamiliar territory today, when we play a "bowl experienced" Auburn team at the Outback Bowl. And on Sunday, our "one and done" playoff Vikings, travel down to the Big Easy to take on one of the classiest and most proficient quarterbacks in the NFL - Drew Brees. And if we do make it out of NO with a win, the road ahead gets even choppier.

Social Security checks will be pennies larger due to another parsimonious cost of living adjustment. Most seniors just shrug their shoulders at this extra money. One said it was smaller than fly poop in the pepper - whatever that means. On the plus side however, the DOD got a much deserved increase to make up for years of nothingness they received in past fiscal years. This President said this will not be an orphan type of raise - he wants to see many more of them. Most who have had to live on a service level paycheck, agree with the President.

One of the questions which I keep hear coming up, is will this be the year our "cold" civil war becomes hotter? I see two flash points. The first of course, is this sham impeachment. There are literally millions of Trump supporters who will NOT allow this President to get railroaded out of town. You can fill in the blanks on that one. The other of course, is what is happening in Virginia. This is a classic case of Constitution versus a power grab. Will the local sheriffs obey the unlawful commands of the Governor, or the Constitution which they swore to uphold? No matter how this one plays out, it will be one for the history books.

The ball has dropped, sloppy kisses exchanged, and some brand new resolutions already broken. The cheap campaign has been chugged at midnight, and tons of seafood has been consumed during New Year's Eve dinners. Many of the male species (and some female), will plop their hungover bodies on sofas in front of TV sets today, to watch hours of college football, many of the teams they know nothing about. Then in a few hours, comes tomorrow. And what will the morrow bring?

Many for those who are still working, back to work. For those who want to use some vacation time to spend more time with the family, the party goes on. Outside, the landscape is white and frozen, and the prospect of three or four more months of living in this freezer, is about enough to confine most of us to bed rest. The good news? Just when it looks like the ground is ready to thaw in mid April, our confiscatory taxes are due. Oh, joy.

Some people from this frozen waste land are either snow birds, or are about to become some. Texas, Arizona, Florida, and yes, even California - are all looking pretty darn good right now. Those who decide to tough it out, will snowmobile, ski, snowshoe, or play indoor parlor games. Catching up on reading is also a good option. 

One final thing. Those of us up in this climate who love the 23.5 degree tilt the Earth gives us in June and July - now is the time to pay the piper. This is the ying to the yang. Short cold days, and long colder nights. But be of good cheer folks. The days are starting to get longer again (barely), and in a few months, we will be thinking there is no place like home. 

So Happy New Year to all folks! I hope you did not might a wee bit of tongue in cheek this morning. I made a resolution to not do as much of that in 2020, but I guess I broke that resolution also!