Chipping away at the monolith...

"No matter how much the common core revisionists are trying to change our history, the facts will always stay true to being facts."

I don't think there is a person alive today, who has a shred of honesty, that won't agree with the following statement. The African American community, year, after year, votes in a monolithic block for just about any Democrat. And when the question of "why" comes up, it is usually met with dead air. The simple answer is this - there is no good reason on this Earth why this community should continue to do so.

And yet, this seemingly immovable block of voters continues to vote for the Democratic ticket year after year. For the first time that I can remember, they are being challenged in their thinking. Donald Trump put it right on the line. "What have you got to lose by voting for me?" The answer should be "not much", as every time a Democrat promises the sun and the moon to them, all they get is asteroids and meteors. In other words, it never gets any better - only worse. 

Now as tempted as I am to do so, I am not going to go into history to show (once again) how the Democrats have not been friendly to African Americans. No matter how much the common core revisionists are trying to change our history, the facts will always stay true to just being facts.

But I can talk about current history. Like how have African Americans fared under our first mixed race President. What Mr. Trump was talking about were some cold, hard, stubborn facts. For example, under Obama:

• The labor force participation rate for black teenagers fell from 63.2% to 61.7%.
• The number of black families slipping below the poverty line went up from 25.8% to 26.2%. 
• Median income for black families fell from 35,954 to $35,398.
• The number of black food stamp recipients rose from 7,393,000 to a whopping 11,699,000.
• The number of homes owned by blacks fell from 46.1% to 41.9%.

What do I think? First off, I think Donald Trump was right on. Totally correct. To be fair to President Obama, blacks did not do that well under Clinton either. Nor will they under Clinton 2.0. But the question of Trump's remains - "What do you have to lose by voting for me?" After seeing the stats Mr, Trump, not a damn thing. In fact, this could be the best thing that happened to the black community in a long, long time.

It all starts this week!

"How did my addition start? When I was a young boy. Actually, it has been in my family for generations." 

Okay. I will admit it. I am an addict. A big time addict. Am I getting treatment for my addiction? No thanks - I kind of enjoy it. I am addicted to the Minnesota State Fair. And it all starts on Thursday.

How did my addition start? When I was a young boy. Actually, it has been in my family for generations. My Mother would tell stories of going to the fair when she was a young girl. That would be about 95 years ago. There were no foot long hot dog stands, candy cane stands, No Martha's cookies and so on. My Grandmother would fry up some chicken and they would bring it to the fair to use for lunch. Even though the fair was not as "glitzie" back then, my Mother would still have a ball.

Then the depression happened, After that, World War II happened. Then finally, peace and prosperity. My Mother married my Father and soon there was my sister and myself. When we were old enough to walk, it was off to the fair. My Father, who worked in the manufacturing business of making rock crushers, loved the old Machinery Hill. My Mother loved just about everything else. So from an early age, it was in my blood.

Flash forward to the 1970's. I was discharged from active duty, met my wife, got married and...yes - the fair. Since we were married in 1974, we have gone most every year. You guessed it - we dragged our kids with us. And now one is married and one is still single. What is one of the things they have in common? They both LOVE the fair! The tradition continues!

On Thursday, it all starts again. My wife and I will be there at zero dark thirty. First order of business? The breakfast of champions of course! A foot long hot dog dripping with fresh onions and mustard. Can life get any better?

We will then stroll  through the livestock yards, the food garden (of course), the dog area, the numerous exhibits and so forth. We will come home in the early afternoon with some trinkets and hand outs, and a full belly of everything the doctors tell us not to eat!

So, as the Rogers and Hammerstein musical goes, "Our State Fair is the best State Fair - don't miss it, don't even be late!" Don't worry - we won't!  

Miracle in Rio?

"But all in all, the games came off without a hitch. And the medal count for the United States was astronomical."

Well the summer games are almost over. And the prognosis of them being the worst. games. ever. seems to have been incorrect. Call it luck, call it excellent planning, call it whatever - the games were fun and entertaining to watch. All the talk about the harbor being so polluted with garbage that one could literally walk on water, seems to have been just talk. 

Oh, there was the usual (but rare) examples of some behaving poorly. Like our favorite swimmer with the lying tongue and green hair. Plus, there was some Olympic officials caught scalping tickets or some such nonsense like that. And we can't forget the doping scandal by the Russians. But all in all, the games came off without a hitch. And the medal count for the United States was astronomical.

Somebody on the radio or TV brought up a very good point. The Olympics are not as suspenseful as the good old days. Back in the days of the Soviet "machine". When the Soviet Union had a professional group of athletes who trained all year to be dominate in both the summer and winter games. And just like in the famed "Miracle on Ice" hockey game from 1980, the United States only had a bunch of college kids. A bunch of college kids going up against the finest hockey team in the world - and then beating them.

It was good vs. evil in just about every Olympic event from the end of the World War II to the end of the Cold War. It was Communism vs. the free world. It was fun to watch, even though quite often the free world took a beating from the finely tuned Soviet athletes. And every time an free world athlete could come up and steal a medal from a Soviet in any sport, it was a huge deal.

Some say it is a bit boring now with the professional aspect in the games. How we allow our pro athletes to take some time off from their seasons and play countries which are made up of just armatures. 

However, that is the nature of the beast right now. Boring or not, that is the way things are going to be unless the world cries out for change. But if the United States athletes continue to "act classy" (for the most part), maybe, just maybe, the world will not soon tire of seeing the caliber of excellence we can exhibit.       

Conflict management

"I just want to say can't we all just kiss any make up? We are after all, on the same side."

Okay. We have had our food fight. If I said it did not get ugly for a while, it would be a lie. Truthfully - I hate these intra-party food fights with a pink purple passion. It really does pit friend against friend, brother against brother, patriot against patriot. But now it is over. And what I want more than anything is healing. We have bigger fish to fry. We need to go after the ones wrecking the country.

I just want to say can't we all just kiss any make up? We are after all, on the same side. For example, a few of the friends I admire were backing non-endorsed candidates before the primary. But now the primary is over. And I am a firm believer in the "no recrimination method of reconciliation." In other words, we disagreed, we voted, and now it is over. As far as some of the differences we had, there is a time and a place to reconcile it. And that time and place is not now.

I would like to reach out to everyone I know who ran and did not make it in the primary. As well as the ones who supported them. The event is over and everyone had their say. Now it is over. No more primary. Just the general election. And it is to beat this group of progressives. To do so, we need "All hands on deck." We need help to beat them - not just a little help, but a lot of help.

So let's go! We need to forget about the past few months. Points were made, points were taken. If there is still as desire to run again, 2018 will be here before we know it. To win the day, to rule the roost, we need to act as a cohesive band of conservatives. If we think one of our elective representatives has a problem on a issue, HELP that person, instead of hurting that person. That is how we win.

In any event, it is time to come together. No more fighting, no more parsing. We are now one, and the other side is resolute in their desire to win. We also need to be the same. To not do so is the same as sealing our fate.

Screw the First!

"Plus they were yelling at us, the visitors who went to see President Bush. I was so embarrassed and ashamed of this city! Rude, crude, immature, and uncalled for behavior!" 

There are certain times that I really, really want to move out of this state. For example, when I do my taxes. Plus, in February when I am sick to death of winter. But the thing that really makes my blood boil is how hosed up this state has become politically. How a perpetual group of unemployable anarchists, probably funded by Soros, always take pride in making life miserable for the rest of us. AND how our statist politicians make excuses for the behavior of this group of losers!

As many of us know, last night Donald Trump, a PRESIDENTIAL candidate, came to Minneapolis to meet with a group of donors. It was a closed meeting, which was his right. However, a group of lawless thugs thought it would be cool to harass people going into the event and then coming out. Some of the attendees were pushed, shoved, spit upon and called names. One loser cried out "Donald Trump is not welcomed in this town!" It is funny that this same group of misfits don't show up when a convicted liar and not yet convicted sex offender like Bill Clinton comes to town.

A few years ago, when my oldest daughter was in the Young Republicans at college, she was able to secure tickets to see President Bush when he came to town. She asked me if I would like to go. Heck yes, I said! I had never seen a President live and in person before. 

It was a great event. 9/11 was still fresh in everyone's mind and I for one was happy in how President Bush was taking the War on Terror as serious as he was. Once the event was over, there they were. The same bunch of miscreants who always show up to be turds in the punch bowl. Many had on black t-shirts which said "F**k Bush!" Most were also chanting it in unison. Plus they were yelling at us, the visitors who went to see President Bush. I was so embarrassed and ashamed of this city! Rude, crude, immature, and uncalled for behavior! 

Someone asked me a few years ago why I thought people on the Right never exhibited boorish behavior such as this. My answer was two fold: First, many on the Right were raised right. Common decency and respect for everyone. Second and maybe more important, many on the Right have a deep abiding love for this country, our Constitution, and the First Amendment to the Bill of Rights. 

People of my ilk for example, would never call Hillary Clinton an obscenity when she was here for a fund raiser. Even though we don't care for her, or agree with her. Nor would we interfere with people trying to hear what she has to say. In addition, we would not sneak into the event and disrupt it. These are all tricks that come straight out of the play book of the Left. Many times I seriously wonder if many on the Left still love our country, our Constitution, or our Bill or Rights. If they do love them, they have a strange way of showing it.

Minnesota nice? Not hardly. Now it is Minnesota nuts. One would have to be nuts to stay living in such a deep blue, out of control, high taxed, Commie loving state,  

A look in the mirror...

"Seems 'the talk' was missing with some of the Olympic athletes. Like how to obey curfew. How not to vandalize. How to tell the truth." 

I have told this story before. A command I was stationed at while in the Navy had a full length mirror right by the main entrance. Before you left the command, you were to look in the mirror to ensure you were "squared away". Over the mirror was a sign which said, "You are not in the Navy, you are the Navy". I have never forgotten that. Even today, when I am out in public with a veteran or retired Navy hat on, I never want my attitude nor my behavior to discredit the Armed Forces in which I served.

Even when I worked in business, we would often get "the talk" before visiting a customer or another company. We represented not only ourselves, but also our company. We were not to bring shame nor discredit on either. When I did international travel, "the talk" changed a bit. When people from a foreign country would see us, they would not see our company as much as they would see us as Americans. Thus, our behavior was never to bring discredit to our country, our company, or ourselves. 

Seems "the talk" was missing with some of the Olympic athletes. Like how to obey curfew. How not to vandalize. How to tell the truth. For example, all of a sudden this young man named Ryan Lochte came out of nowhere and won a gold medal. The only odd or quirky thing about Ryan was the water turned his bleached hair green. Everyone seemed to just have fun with that one. 

But then things turned ugly. Once their events were over, Ryan and some of his swimming buddies decided to taste the night life of Rio. Early in the morning as they were heading back to the Olympic village, they stopped at a gas station to go to the bathroom. For reasons known only to them (and the alcohol they consumed), they semi-trashed the bathroom. They were caught by station employees and then the wheels came off the bus. 

We all know the rest of the story, so I don't need to go into it. Suffice it to say this much - Ryan's brand went from pretty darn good, to don't ever come back to Brazil. Yes, rather than looking in that full length mirror and asking how they could represent America in the proper manner, Ryan and his crew came across as spoiled little rich brats. In other words, "Ugly Americans".

My advice to Mr. Lochte is simply this. If you are looking for someone to emulate, try Usain Bolt. Not only is Mr. Bolt a credit to Jamaica and well as the Olympic games themselves, he once again showed the world that he is a class act. A true role model for all young people to follow. 

I think the only way out for Ryan Lochte and the other swimmers to just to tell the truth. Tell the world that they all did something very stupid and then lied about it. And then give the country of Brazil, the city of Rio de Janeiro, the Olympic Committee, and the people of the United States a heartfelt apology. Then maybe, just maybe, they might be invited back again to compete for the HONOR of representing this country in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.   

Prepping, once again...

"Actually, it is a miracle that more people did not perish. Two feet of rain in two days on a flood plain like Louisiana is beyond my comprehension."

I think I wrote my first article on prepping after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. To watch the aftermath of that storm on TV, was like watching a Hollywood produced disaster movie. Only this was for real. People were dying. Dead bodies were showing up on live TV, floating in the water. Some lying on the street.

Many people almost died in their own homes because they could not get a glass of potable water to drink. And that went on for days. Even though was inundated by water, that flood water was nothing more than a witches brew of every germ imaginable. No, for a city who has lived on the edge of hurricanes every season, I am amazed on how little preparation there was.

When Katrina hit, the coordination between Federal, State and Local was nothing less than a "cluster". This week's historic rain storm had a better followup by first responders than Hurricane Katrina had. The press reported over 30,000 residents had been rescued. That is an incredible number. However, when you consider the Red Cross said this storm was the biggest disaster since Super Storm Sandy, I guess we can see why that number was so high. Actually, it is a miracle more people did not perish. Two feet of rain in two days on a flood plain like Louisiana is beyond my comprehension.

The bottom line is this - I don't care where you live in this country, you are not immune from some kind of man made or natural disaster. The one take away we should have all learned from both Hurricane Katrina and Super Storm Sandy is this - help is not coming any time soon.

Thus, in the event of a disaster, how are you fixed? Do you have any water in the house outside of the kitchen tap? If power goes out, so does the tap. Every house should have enough potable water stored to supply each person living in that house for at least a week. Better if it were a month.

I have said this many times before in articles like this I have written. In the event of an emergency, your house becomes your store. Most grocery stores keep only one to two days supply of food on hand. In the event of an emergency, stores will empty out fast.

Consider storing things besides food also. Medications, toilet paper, other paper products, and so on. Try to keep from 5 to 15 gallons of fresh gasoline out in the garage. If we suffer a wide spread power outage, pumps at the gas stations will not work either.

One more thing. If (like with the fires in California) you need to leave your house quickly, have a "bug out" plan. In other words, if you have to load up the car in a hurry, know what and how much to take. Have totes set aside (and labeled) that can be loaded into your vehicle in minutes (if need be). 

Finally, every house should have an "E Plan" (emergency plan), which includes all your prepping. No two "E Plans" are alike. Take some time in putting one together. Make sure the entire family knows about it. And what to do if a dire situation is rapidly unfolding in your community. Having an "E Plan" and practicing proper prepping can make the difference between becoming a statistic or being a survivor.