A summer or love? Or not?

"Other than all this defugalty on Earth, mostly perpetrated by pernicious and truculent forces, this could be a summer of love. All we need do is cast our eyes skyward."

Here we are, after living through the month of April which seemed to have eight weeks instead of four, now this month of June is speeding by like a high velocity bullet. In fact, the 4th of July seems like it is right around the corner. And then...summer will start to wane. Just saying, that every year once Independence Day is over, so is the best part of summer. And then the total confusion on how to do school this next school year will start. But we will worry about that later.

Meanwhile, as we do enjoy what many folks think are the best days of summer, the world continues to be a total mess. COVID might be spiking again, CHAZ in Seattle is still an open and festering wound, and in many big blue cities, cops are on the most wanted list rather than the most loved and respected list. The economy is trying to sputter back to life, and the unemployment rate is still way too high. 

HOWEVER - in the midst of all this mayhem, good things are happening. Yesterday, I watched the first part of the West Point graduation. That was an upper! The young men and women who graduated yesterday are the best of the best in our youth. Quite a contrast from the haters who dress in black and red and seek to destroy this country. The President was there, and addressed the brand new "butter bars". The day was gorgeous, the message was strong, and the entire event was wonderful.

Elon Musk is staying focused like a laser beam on what he thinks needs to be done. His time is split between his Tesla car company, his SpaceX program, and his Starlink program. SpaceX is not resting after the wonderful launch it had a few weeks ago. That was important, but not the final stop in Elon's space venture. He is already eyeing a trip to the Moon, trips up to the ISS for civilians who can afford to pay a high tourist fee, and of course - a manned Mars landing.

Lost in the shuffle with all this other madness happening, is Elon's Starlink program. How is it going? Full speed ahead. Elon keeps sending Starlink satellites up in the heavens, to fill out his broadband network. His first goal is 400 satellites to give minor coverage to the northern United States and southern Canada. Then 800 satellites for moderate coverage. Then 12,000 for worldwide coverage, and maybe up to 30,000 satellites so he can offer different kinds of services. Most of that by the end of 2021. For those who like reliability while surfing the net, this could be a real game changer.

Will our summer go speeding by? Of course - it always does. Will we still have to learn to live with COVID? Yes, just like we learned to live with Swine Flu, H1N1, SARS, MERS and so forth. Will any of our big blue cities disband their police departments? Not a chance. Other than all this defugalty on Earth, mostly perpetrated by pernicious and truculent forces, this could be a summer of love. All we need do is cast our eyes skyward. Bad things may be happening on Terra Firma, but good things are happening aloft.    

And now our beloved Lake George??

"Up here, we believe in the rule of law. Who else does? Our President. And his fuse has become very small on lawlessness. Actually, all of our fuses have gotten very small on lawlessness. Bottom line? If you come to Anoka County, you best behave." 

What the heck is going on these days? Have we collectively lost control of our senses? It seems last night, for the second time this week, the Sheriff's Department had to be called out to Lake George Regional Park to quell a disturbance. A big one. Where a few hundred young folk got into a party gone wrong. Drinking, fights, mayhem. Kind of like a little version of the Minneapolis riots, only nothing was torched.

Up to 300 young people were involved last night. When the Deputies arrived and told the crowd to disperse as the park was going to close early, many in the crowd refused to leave. Disobeyed our law officers. The Sheriff's Department had to resort to using a smoke bomb and tear gas to clear the park. Finally, peace was restored.

I have no idea who these young people were. Where they were from. Even their ages. I do know this. If they think that playing chicken with the Sheriff's Department up at Lake George will be good fun, think again. Unlike Minneapolis, where the cops will stand down when ordered to by city leaders, our Sheriff's Deputy will not. And our Sheriff and his Deputies have the full support of Anoka County. I have said many times, if you are an evil doer or a law breaker, this is NOT the county for you. We will catch you, arrest you, prosecute you, and incarcerate you. It really is as simple as all that.

If Lake George Regional Park becomes a magnet for the unruly and ruthless, because other beaches and parks in the metro are closed, Anoka County will simply close Lake George Regional Park for the season. And then the innocent tax paying folks who live up here, that use that park the right way, will become very, very pissed. So pissed, that if these trouble makers venture up here again, it might not be safe for them. Why? The good folk who live up here, do so for a reason. It is peaceful. We respect our cops. We don't go into other areas of the metro to cause trouble. By the same token, we don't abide with trouble makers coming up here from the city, or parts unknown.

Up here, we believe in the rule of law. Who else does? Our President. And his fuse has become very small on lawlessness. Actually, all of our fuses have gotten very small on lawlessness. Bottom line? If you come to Anoka County, you best behave. If you don't, be prepared to stay for a while in the Sheriff's guest room with bars. 

The Battle for Seattle - Part 2

"If we had Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden for President rather than Donald Trump right now, we could kiss Seattle good-bye. As well as other blue cities who are run by folks (hello, Minneapolis), who don't know their ass from a six pack of beer."

It was November of 1999. 9/11 had not yet happened. Nor had the Great Recession. Nor had the invasion of COVID -19. Bill Clinton was our President during that time, and it was our turn to host the World Trade Organization (WTO) get together. I won't get started on what a sorry bunch of globalists the WTO was made up of back then. In any event, Seattle was chosen to be the host city. Big mistake.

As far left as the WTO was, it was nothing compared to the lefties who made up the protesting class in Seattle. The WTO was an easy target for the socialists to pick on. Trade = money = wealth = capitalism. You know the drill. Instead of a rising tide raises all ships, the socialists believe that capitalism is zero sum. Somebody wins, others lose. The rich get richer, and so forth. 

Seattle turned out to be a mess. Violent protests. Tear gas. Mass arrests. Mayhem. What? Sounds like today? Sure does. Welcome to the Battle for Seattle, Part 2. Only this time the WTO has nothing to do with it. They are so yesterday. Today, there are bigger fish to fry. Like, getting rid of the cops. I know, I know. This is now going on in 30 blue cities across the country. BUT - when it comes to protesting and out and out lawlessness, few do it better than the nut balls in Seattle.

The socialists and anarchists have taken over the Eastern Police Precinct in Seattle. All that, with the blessing of the libtard Mayor, and their clueless Governor. Not only have the cops been booted out of their own precinct headquarters (sound familiar Minneapolis Third Precinct?), but the nut balls who did it have declared the area around the headquarters to be Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ). They are declaring themselves to be free from the United States (except however, for all the welfare checks rolling in).

Whereas the Mayor and the Governor are just fine with the largest city in the state being eaten away by drifters and grifters, but our President is not. He has been very clear to the leadership in Seattle. Either you fix this, or I will. The trajectory of all of these anti-cop protests going on in blue cities will hinge on how much Seattle can get away with. My vote? Time to crack some skulls and call in the National Guard. Time to establish a curfew with teeth in it, and maybe even declare martial law.

What is happening in our blue cities with this anti-cop crapola, is no worse than a cancer eating away at the body. I was going to say we were foolish to let it get this far, but the spineless morons who run these cities are just that. So now that the disease has spread, the treatment needs to be stronger and quicker. Like, when does this need to be fixed? Like - today.

If we had Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden for President rather than Donald Trump right now, we could kiss Seattle good-bye. As well as other blue cities who are run by folks (hello, Minneapolis), who don't know their ass from a six pack of beer. But we do have Donald Trump. He is our red line which is protecting our thin blue line. Stay tuned to this on folks. We might all be involved in it before long.  

It is a mad, mad, mad world!

"Erase history, take guns away from people, disband the police. We have seen this movie before. We know how it ends, and it does not end well."      

I was thinking about that movie from yesteryear. Many are too young to remember it, but it was a big hit in the day. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World was a must see movie at one time. But it was fantasy - a comedy. What is happening today is also a mad, mad, mad world. Only this is reality. And it scares the hell out of many of us. I know it sure does to me.

On what planet in this universe, is it okay to travel to the capitol of a state, go up to a statue of an historical figure, and then destroy it? Just because this historical figure might have hurt your feelings, or you feel differently today than how this historical figure did centuries ago? That is Nazi Germany crap. Gestapo tactics.

That is what happened yesterday in St. Paul. But here is the really disturbing part. The Governor in his presser, mentioned this. He knew it was coming. When this band of anarchists came to destroy the Columbus statue, the capitol police were just spectators. Nobody did anything to stop these people. The statue hurt their feelings, so they destroyed it. SMH. 

In Seattle, the Eastern Precinct of the Seattle Police Department was ceded over to the thugs. The cops pulled out, and let this part of town be put under mob rule. Why? Who knows. Maybe another knee jerk reaction to the George Floyd matter. In any event, just like when Minneapolis ceded the Third Precinct to the thugs, and allowed it to be trashed and torched, once again the inmates are running the asylum. This is nuts - purely nuts.

This is the tail wagging the dog - big time. A minority of nut balls in this country are now calling the shots. They are behind the riots, the defunding of police movement, the rewriting of our history. Why can't they be stopped? Votes and pandering. Pure and simple. We have allowed too many socialists and progressives into our government. And nobody panders better than this bunch. The President would like to intervene, but he has this brick wall called Congress stopping him.

Speaking of Congress, the Speaker of the House now wants to get rid of almost a dozen Confederate statues in the Capitol. This is part of our history. Just like Columbus is. Some also want to rename many of our military bases. Why? The people they are named after might hurt some feelings. So just like the minority forcing the City of Minneapolis to rename Lake Calhoun to some name few can pronounce, that small group of troublemakers are at it again. Beam me up Scotty.

This really is turning into a mad, mad, mad world. If we don't get the majority to quit kowtowing to these vocal and obnoxious minorities, we will lose the country. We really will. Erase history, take guns away from people, disband the police. We have seen this movie before. We know how it ends, and it does not end well.      

The coming explosion(s)?

"Americans have got to collectively decide this anarchy is poison to our way of life. It is like a cancer which needs to be cut out and destroyed. We need to get these leftover hippies out of our government, and let the adults come in and fix this mess."

It is summer, and starting to get hot. Very hot. So hot, there is a chance of explosions in the future. Actually, the types of explosions which might be coming are very different from each other. The first type of explosion, is one we have been hearing about from the Administration. It will be an economic explosion, as our economy comes roaring back to life. The jobs report last month might have been the first indicator of what is to come. The other type of explosion will not be as rosy.

The nationwide riots which happened after the George Floyd killing might have only been the precursor to what is to follow. To the lovers of chaos, mayhem and anarchy, the events which just happened, might have only been the foretaste of their feast to come. Why do I say that? Mission accomplished for "part one" of the dismantling of America. Many large blue cities in America are now second guessing why in the world they have a police force. And their cops are wondering why in the world they are putting it on the line, each day, every day, for cities which not only don't back them, but also can't stand them.

This thing with the cops is huge. Much bigger than I first thought. To take the cities confidence and backing away from their police force is to squash their authority. They become neutered and ineffective. When that happens, our famous thin blue line becomes no more than a blue smudge. Evil doers and criminals will have the day. How can I say that? Most police forces are comprised of highly trained men and women. Effective and professional. Not all of them, but the vast majority of them. However, their "juice" comes from a strong and effective city government, which supports and backs their police.

What happened post Memorial Day, with our continuing civil unrest, is going to happen again. Count on it. Antifa is emboldened. BLM is emboldened. New anarchist groups yet to be named, have been emboldened. This is Abby Hoffman's, Revolution for the hell of it, coming to us, live and in color.

When the next riot happens, it will land like a sucker punch on the chin of city leaders. Their view and desire for a socialist Utopian society, will burn like Rome while Nero fiddled. By the time they realize they made a HUGE mistake by eliminating, or emasculating their police force - it will be too late.

Where do we go from here? How do we focus on the first type of explosion, where the economy comes roaring back like a caged tiger? Here is the bottom line. The first type of explosion will never happen while our cities continue to explode and burn. Americans have got to collectively decide this anarchy is poison to our way of life. It is like a cancer which needs to be cut out and destroyed. We need to get these leftover hippies out of our government, and let the adults come in and fix this mess.

I do know this. I remember reading this years ago. Vigilante justice only comes about when people lose faith in their government. When the government can no longer take care of law and order, then the people will. And it is messy.

A well regulated militia works very well when it is in the hands of a well regulated government. That is the way our Founders envisioned it. However, in the absence of a well regulated or functional government, the well regulated militia will still stand. It will stand by and for the citizens and patriots.         

Something evil this way has come...

"The riots which happened post Memorial Day should be a wake up call to us all. The calls to disband our police forces should be met with the strongest of all opposition." 

Yesterday, there was a YouTube video circulating about with some very interesting facts contained therein. Facts about how all this rioting which happened (nationwide), did so at the drop of a hat once George Floyd was killed on Memorial Day. I watched the entire video (about 20 minutes long) and was stunned once it was over. I immediately put it on my wall for others to see. Then YouTube decided the truth on this subject did not need to get out. So they pulled it. 

This video was not for "conspiracy buffs" - it was for everyone who gives a damn about this great country. It was about how these riots were all well planned and staged. In other words, gasoline and accelerant had been spread around many different areas. All there was missing was a spark. And the spark could have come from anywhere. Unfortunately, it came from Minneapolis when George Floyd was killed. 

Now, there are those who will scoff at the idea that sinister forces are at work in our own country. Trust me, they are. There are groups of people, from many different backgrounds and areas, who would like to see out current form of government crash and burn. Then replace it with a communist or socialist utopia. Some even want anarchy. Wait a minute Bird! Are you not talking about sedition? That is exactly what I am talking about. It is happening right under our noses. At our colleges and universities. In our deep blue cities. Believe it or not, right on Capitol Hill.

By the way, part of the strategy to change our government is to get rid of the police forces. Sound familiar right now? Keep the citizenry from arming themselves (dilute or eliminate the Second Amendment), and then get rid of the cops. Once that happens, the next riot which takes place could be the game changer. Especially if the socialists in Congress keep the President from deploying troops to restore order. 

This is a time when all citizens and patriots need to sit up and take notice. This is NOT a time to blow this stuff off as histrionics or fantasy. This evil which has permeated our land is not new to us. It has been around since the 1960's - maybe even earlier. It has been incremental, so many have not noticed it. It has been like the "boiling frogs" example. That is, until now. 

The riots which happened post Memorial Day should be a wake up call to us all. The calls to disband our police forces should be met with the strongest of all opposition. It has been said by many a pundit that this coming election in November, will be the most important in our history. I believe it will be. Why? If the election goes the other way, it could be the end of our history. Then the evil in our country will rule the day.    

2020 - A whirlwind year (so far)

"Many of us will make the most of this summer of 2020. No, it will not be normal, but we will try to squeeze as much normalcy as possible out of the next three months. We will go into fall with caution and trepidation. As we get closer to New Year's Day of 2021, the cold realization will set in. Our world changed in 2020. It will never be the same."

We hosted my sister-in-law's 60th birthday party yesterday. Made me feel kind of old. When I first started dating my wife, her sister was much younger, and basically a kid. Now she is 60 and looking forward to retirement. Wow. After the party was over and everyone left, I started thinking about all which has happened this year. Never seen a year like it. So, I decided to make a timeline of things which many of us in Minnesota have gone through this year.

Timeline:

• January 1, 2020 - Gophers beat Auburn in the Outback Bowl. Unbelievable!
• January 5, 2020 - Vikings beat the Saints to advance in the playoffs. Life is good.
• January 11, 2020 - Vikings lose to San Francisco and are eliminated. Boo hiss.
• January 13, 2020 - LSU beats Clemson for the national championship. Great game! 

NOTE: Now the fun part of the year is over.

• January 16, 2020 - Senate impeachment trial begins. 
• January 20, 2020 - First confirmed case of COVID - 19 in the US. It was in Seattle.
• February 5, 2020 - Impeachment trial over, with the President acquitted.
• March 1, 2020 - First confirmed cases of COVID - 19 in New York and Minnesota.
• March 6, 2020 - My wife and I return from Florida, me with pneumonia, she with bronchitis. 
• March 20, 2020 - Stores in Minnesota start to look empty as the supply chain breaks.
• March 27, 2020 - Minnesota receives its first "stay at home" order from the governor.
• April 1, 2020 - Economy starts to tank, and unemployment starts to climb.
• May 8, 2020 - Unemployment is the highest since the Great Depression.
• May 25, 2020 - George Floyd is killed by a cop in Minneapolis.
• May 26, 2020 - A week of rioting starts across the nation.
• May 30, 2020 - First Space X launch with humans on board. Mission to ISS.  

I have quoted this man before. Alvin Toffler wrote a book called Future Shock back in the 1970's. Things will happen too fast, too many choices, too much going on, too much, too much. None of this (according to Toffler), will be good for folks in the future (that is us). As crazy as the tail end of the decade of the 2010's were, that was NOTHING compared to how 2020 has started out. To quote a good friend of mine, "This is nuts man - totally nuts!"

The question which begs to be asked is this - where do we go from here? We are in summer (June) right now, and how school will be handled this fall is still a mystery to most of us. The economy is started to sputter back to life, and the recent jobs report was surprisingly good. That being said, way too many people are still out of work. Those who have been working from home, might be doing so for years to come. Some jobs will never come back.

I do know this. The next seven months in 2020 will be time of great change. How we care for our elderly in long term care facilities will change. No more killing fields for COVID. How we do school will change. At home learning will become more in vogue, and time off for snow days are soon to be a thing of the past. Work will change. New employment opportunities will start to appear, as some of the older jobs will disappear. Large urban cities will continue to boil and churn. When Minneapolis burned last month, so did Thrive 2040. Sorry, Met Council. 

Many of us will make the most of this summer of 2020. No, it will not be normal, but we will try to squeeze out as much normalcy as possible during the next three months. We will go into fall with caution and trepidation. As we get closer to New Year's Day of 2021, the cold realization will set in. Our world changed in 2020. It will never be the same. Change will become the norm, not the exception. Hang on and buckle up. This ride is far from over.