I kept going, and going...

"Now that the Republicans have had this public food fight, it is time to put it to bed. Today, better be the day. If not, the days of Republicans being in charge of anything might be coming to an end."

Okay. What am I talking about?  The non-stop votes for Speaker of the House, or the Narnia like snow we had yesterday? If you answered "both", you win the prize. And what would that prize be? More of the same, as we still live in Minnesota, and this stork dance in Washington is far from over. So buckle up, folks.

Hey climate alarmists! I thought you said we were going into a nationwide rain and snow drought. Yesterday, we had over 14" of snow in the Twin Cities (some areas more), and that was the 14th largest snowstorm recorded here (since they have been keeping records). And it was a long duration storm. It just kept going and going and going.

We are not the only ones getting walloped by moisture. Last week, Buffalo NY had four feet of snow! And SFO had 4 inches of rain on New Years Day. And there is another huge storm ready to come onshore in California. Seems like just about everyone in the country is getting some pay back from Mother Nature. Actually, it is good to see a normal winter again.

Now to switch from the natural to the unnatural. What the what is going on in Washington? Do you know right now, we have NO Congress? The former House (117th) is expired, and the new House (118th), is not yet sworn in. So we are stuck with the feckless Senate. And Biden. And today, the voting for Speaker will continue at noon.

What is wrong with Kevin McCarthy? Depends on your perspective. From the Freedom Caucus point of view, McCarthy is part of the swamp. As is McConnell from the Senate. And allowing the $1.7T pill of goo omnibus bill pass at the bitter end of the last session, was the last straw for many. Why? This seems to happen every year. Either pass this bill you have not read, or we will keep you here over Christmas. Plus, for the military hawks, much needed funding for the military is often times stuck in that omnibus bill. If you don't vote for it, the military does not get their money.

Meanwhile, as this drama unfolds, the public is losing faith in Republicans. I mean, if we can't even elect a Speaker from our own party, how in the world can we hold the Democrat's feet to the fire? We are not only washing our dirty laundry in front of the American public (as well as the world), but we are hanging out to dry in front of them also. Shameful. 

Now that the Republicans have had this public food fight, it is time to put it to bed. Today, better be the day. If not, the days of Republicans being in charge of anything might be coming to an end. Why is that? The Democrats stick together like glue, no matter how vile and corrupt the product is. And that is all the public can see - cohesiveness. And a little cohesiveness can eclipse a whole lot of corruption and maleficence. 

This village is full of idiots and thieves...

"There was a time, when I looked at Iowa and thought that would be a tough place to live, as compared to Minnesota. Today, I think Minnesota is a tough place to live as compared to Iowa. Whereas Iowa is a bright red today, Minnesota is a dull blue, with a tinge of baby poop brown blended in." 

Sorry about the tease yesterday. But there is a reason I did it. The best (I mean far and away the best), analogy I have heard about our state surplus is this - going out for diner, paying your bill, and expecting some change back. And then the establishment keeps your change because "they need it more than you do." For those on my side of the aisle who continuously say "taxation is theft", this is Exhibit "A".

Because of reasons which escape me, a result of this past election was losing our "speed bump". We no longer have divided government. Mr. "One Minnesota" is so full of himself, his eyes are brown. There is no "one Minnesota". This state is full of idiots, and they have elected idiots to run the village. Not only idiots, but thieves.

I will lay this out as simply as possible. We live in a high tax state. Not my opinion alone - just read financial mags like Kiplinger or the WSJ. As such, we pay a lot (a ton) of taxes. So much so, we have built up almost a $20B surplus. What does that mean? It means we overpaid. There is change due to us. The bill has been paid, and we need our change. 

But the village idiot(s) who are now in charge (with no speed bumps), think differently. No way, Jose! That money is now theirs! And they can pee it away any way we like! For example, because the village idiot(s) are in bed with Education Minnesota, they will spend quite a bit of it on our broken education system. Rather than fix it, they will (again), pour good money after bad. Plus, they will give tons of our money to corrupt non-profits like Feeding our Future. 

It is not only our money the village idiot(s) are after. They already have a bill ready to go which will outshine the former Roe v Wade. In MN, we will allow abortion on demand up to who knows when! This is beyond shameful. But the village idiot(s) don't give a crap about what the normals think. Right now, the village idiot(s) are calling the shots, and the normals are stuck on the sidelines.

There was a time, when I looked at Iowa and thought that would be a tough place to live, as compared to Minnesota. Today, I think Minnesota is a tough place to live as compared to Iowa. Whereas Iowa is a bright red today, Minnesota is a dull blue, with a tinge of baby poop brown blended in. 

  

"Right, 100% of the time"

"Buckle up folks. This issue is going to be front and center with the new Congress. Mayorkas will be impeached, and hopefully, tried. Tried of what? Treason. Sedition. Dereliction of duty."

Relax. I am not talking about myself. I do try to be right more than I am wrong, but hey - I am only human. No, I am talking about one of our newest cabinet positions, and one which is (or should be) very, very important. I am talking about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This department, which was established in the shadows of the 9/11 attacks, probably should have been establish years before the attacks. But that is not how we roll. Many times, we are reactionary rather than proactive. Why? Don't ask me. 

A friend of mine whom I served with, went to work for the newly minted DHS once he retired from the Navy. I remember talking to him on the phone on one of his trips back to MN. I asked him how it was, working for DHS as compared to "spooky" stuff for the Navy. He told me the charter of DHS was critically important. So important, that (then he gave the DHS tag line), "We need to get it right 100% of the time. The bad guys only need to get it right once." Bingo!

That was then, and this is now. Now we have Biden and Mayorkas "keeping us safe". How is that working for us? Last month, when my wife and I flew to SFO to start a cruise to Hawaii, we had our passport, shot card, driver's license, and Global Entry card for ID. Still had to take off my shoes and get the "anal intrusion" exam by the TSA before getting on the plane. It was almost as bad, getting on the cruise ship. But we complied, as safety is good for all. Or, so we thought.

Alejandro Mayorkas. The ying to the tang of keeping us safe. Some say he is just following orders from President Biden, and the others say he has gone rogue. In any event, he is in charge of "keeping us all safe". But - during his tenure, he has allowed over FIVE MILLION illegals into our country, most not vetted. Some we know nothing about, as they are "get aways". In just over 20 years, we have gone from super vetting everyone, to asking nothing about millions of people from all over the world. 

Just as a reminder, it only took 20 foreign nationals to take over 2 jet liners and fly them into two skyscrapers. That was before we had DHS. Now that we have DHS, we have five million people running around this country, whom we know NOTHING about. 

Buckle up folks. This issue is going to be front and center with the new Congress. Mayorkas will be impeached, and hopefully, tried. Tried of what? Treason. Sedition. Dereliction of duty. The entire Department of Homeland Security needs to be cleaned out with disinfection. Why? They need to be right 100% of the time. Letting five million unvetted illegals into our country, means they are only right 0% of the time. Time to clean house.   

If not Kevin McCarthy, then who?

"Taking power back from a fiat government will not be easy. Power is the end game to many statists. Things could get ugly in 2023 - much uglier than in 2022. Where will it end? Hopefully back at a Republic."

Tomorrow is the day most of us "normals" have been waiting for now, for almost two years. The "speed bump" is about to be re-inserted into the House of Representatives. The 118th Congress will be sworn in, and peace, will once again return to the shire. Or will it? Seems there is a fly in the ointment. Maybe two flies. The first will be electing a Speaker of the House. The bets are on Kevin McCarthy, but it is far from a certain thing.

Here is the problem as most of us see it. If not McCarthy, then who? Keep in mind, we have a very thin majority right now. All it would take is five or so defectors, and BAM - there goes the vote. So, here is the question - if not McCarthy, then who? I have said this before, Democrats refuse to use litmus tests on their people. They can be flawed or comical, and it does not matter. !00% of the minions will vote for that person. Republicans, on the other hand, are very good shots. Nobody is better at shooting themselves in the feet when solidarity is needed. Bottom line? This week could be a mess for the red team.

Then there is the issue of Biden's team "slow walking" requests for oversight hearings. Any advanced notifications which have been sent over to the White House (since the election), have been rejected by team Biden. "Submit them again when you are in the majority. Until Tuesday, you are only minority players". This could be a bad omen. If team Biden does in fact "slow walk" all requests, the courts will be dragged into this mess. So much for being the most transparent administration in history.

Right now, we have a broken government. The Executive Branch is way, way too powerful. Has been for a while now. Many on both sides of the aisle, think we need to go back to Article One of the Constitution. Our Founders set this government up NOT to have king - but a President instead. The real power is suppose to be "by the people", and reside in the People's House (Capitol Building). 

Taking power back from a fiat government will not be easy. Power is the end game to many statists. Things could get ugly in 2023 - much uglier than in 2022. Where will it end? Hopefully back at a Republic. The Founders warned us that a Republic was hard to hold on to. They were right. Now to get our power back from the Banana Republic, and put it where it should reside. When? Starting tomorrow.  

A year of trepidation? Hype? Or hope?

"We go forward into the New Year. Or is it the fray? Starting tomorrow, we will find out. As God is our witness, we need to be the light of freedom for the world. If we stop being that light, the world has nowhere to turn."  

Read an article the past few days, saying that 2023 is shaping up to be a real clinker. All the bad stuff which has been put in motion the past couple years, will come home to roost starting tomorrow. Like what kind of stuff? Besides the endless war in Ukraine, we will have mass layoffs, stock prices plummeting, and 401K plans crumbling. And that is just part of it.

Just seems like yesterday (pre-pandemic), that we were getting ready to have the new "Roaring 20's". The decade of the 2020's was going to be amazing! Progress! We were going back into space, have all kinds of technology developments, and new found wealth. Then came the election.

The country elected a man who continues to defy explanation. An octogenarian who acts every second of his advanced age - and then some. A man who for reasons yet unexplained, has opened up our southern border to anyone and everyone - without vetting. Plus - has declared war on our domestic energy resources, which has left us begging OPEC (and worse) for more oil production.

All of a sudden, our "Roaring Twenties" have devolved into a recession or maybe even something beyond. All the planning of a new hope of prosperity, has been replaced with hunkering and bunkering. We have lost faith in our CDC, FBI, DOJ, DHS and more. Since we can't rely on more revenue coming in from a broken economy, our "government" has decided to hire an additional 87,000 IRS agents. Why? To squeeze the middle class for more tax money and financial intrusion. In what universe does this thinking come from?

I know, I know. Many of my friends on the left think Biden is the best thing since sliced bread. He is after all, the "Anti-Trump". Some have been so blinded by Biden's bullshit, they can't see the mess we are in. They still think this career politician is the cat's pajamas. But he is not. He is evil. He is corrupt. He has put us in danger. And he is ruining the country.

2023. A year of hope? Hype? Or trepidation? Most I have talked to, are fearful of this upcoming year. The Republicans have the House, but will that help? Or will Team Biden have landmines planted all over the path, to make progress a non-starter. 

We go forward into the New Year. Or is it the fray? Starting tomorrow, we will find out. As God is our witness, we need to still be the light of freedom for the world. If we stop being that light, the world has nowhere to turn. And the "Roaring Twenties", will be nothing more than the decade of darkness. 

 

 

Tall tales and sea stories

"'There are lies, damn lies and statistics". Or, there is just telling the truth. And if for some reason you stumble and tell an un-truth, confess and come clean - immediately. No more BS. Just the truth please. The American people deserve it."   

For anyone who has served in "Uncle Sam's Canoe Club", this is a familiar saying. Every time a sailor (or former sailor) would start out a story or tale by saying "This is a no s**t sea story", you needed to lace up your BS boots. Why? Because what was coming at you, was probably a whopper. True, some sea stories had an element of truth in them, but usually a whole lot of blarney added also.

Why bring this up? George Santos. One of our newest elected Republican Congressmen. He got caught not only telling sea stories and tall tales, but also out and out lies. If I had got caught telling out and out lies like Santos did, I would be hiding my head in the deepest hole I could find. But I will give him credit for his response when caught - "Yes, but powerful Democrats tell bigger lies". Say what? I guess Santos missed that bit of counseling when growing up, where his parents told him that "two wrongs don't make a right".

Was Santos right? Do powerful Democrats tell bigger lies? Sure. But also some recent powerful Republicans did also. Ergo, here is the problem. Lying. Deceit. Or even just being a BS merchant. Is this what we want our kids to see? To learn from? I mean, COME ON, MAN! We need to be better people, especially the ones we elect to represent us. I know Biden lies a lot. I will give him the benefit of the doubt however, as I think he is missing a screw or two. Hillary, when she told the whopper about landing at some airport under heavy snipper fire? That was just a bald face lie.

I know, I know. We all tell half truths at some time or another. I know I do. For example, when our kids or grandies do something they are proud of, and in reality it is not that good, we still tell them it was awesome. Is that a lie? An acceptable lie? A "white lie"? For most of us, it is just fine to keep doing that. But - when we tell an un-truth, or out and out lie, just to edify or benefit ourselves - that is not alright. Not cool. 

As far as Santos is concerned, he needs to go. He needs to come to grips with the fact he has some issues - some big issues. Senator Blumenthal from Connecticut should have also resigned right after his stolen valor issue years ago. No Senator, you did not serve in Viet Nam. The fact you lied about that, was an insult to our brave veterans who did serve there. And Joe Biden needs to be called out by his fawning press when he tells his lies. He is supposed to be our POTUS, not Walter Mitty.

"There are lies, damn lies and statistics". Or, there is just telling the truth. And if for some reason you stumble and tell an un-truth, confess and come clean - immediately. No more BS. Just the truth please. The American people deserve it.   

 

 

A gathering storm?

"The storm clouds on the horizon for 2023 are much more menacing than previous years. Are we prepared for what is about to (or might) come? I would like to say yes, but that would not be truthful."

Want to have a sleepless night or two? Just start thinking about our geopolitical mess. Having the "A" team in charge, would still make 2023 look dicey, but this clown car that Biden has put together, gives one pause. Ready for this one? Then buckle up.

Ukraine - It is now a cold fact that the Russian Army has been shredded and decimated over the past year. Like, over 100,000 of the Russian top line troops are now gone. And the ill trained conscripts Russia has replaced them with are nothing but cannon fodder. Even with that, Sergey Lavrov told Ukraine they must de-militarize, or Russia will do it for them. Really? In what world is that, Mr. Lavrov? Now that "somebody" is hitting deep inside Russia with drones, Russia is getting very nervous. Maybe nuclear nervous. 2023 is going to be an interesting year in this war. Maybe even a tragic year for mankind. 

Taiwan - Taiwan, as much as we love them, is just a pawn in what China really wants to do. They want the South China Sea to be a "Chinese Lake", and as such, they is no room for United States warships to be loitering there. Ever since Ms. Nancy visited Taiwan, the temperature has risen dramatically in that part of the world. We have the goods on China in how they are killing our young people with fentanyl, and soon will should be able to tie in Wuhan to Covid bio-weapons. Soon, the "ship will hit the sand" in our relations with China. China, much more so than Russia, should be our biggest concern going into 2023. War could be on the immediate horizon.

North Korea - And then there is "Rocket Man". Here is the problem child in the region that only Donald Trump seemed to have any influence on. But Trump is gone now, and "Rocket Man" has no time for Joe Biden. What does Kim Jong-un really want? He wants to be noticed. He wants to be feared. He will push South Korea and Japan to the brink of war, just to be noticed. Meanwhile, the governments of both Japan and South Korea are authorizing more and more money for defense. The Korean Peninsula could explode at any time next year, just by "Rocket Man" doing something very stupid. And then we would have big problems from a little man.

Our Southern Border - One of the first things which will happen next year, is the new Congress will go after DHS Secretary Mayorkas, like bees on honey. They will impeach him, and maybe put him on trial for (gasp!) "treasonous offenses". But that should not be our greatest concern. The concern should be the hundreds of thousands of "got aways" who came over the wide open southern border. The enemy could not only be at the gate, he (or she) could be INSIDE the gate. All kinds of bad stuff could happen to us, just because of this government sanctioned invasion on our southern border. If we make it though 2023 without some kind of terror attack, it will be next to a miracle. 

The storm clouds on the horizon for 2023 are much more menacing than previous years. Are we prepared for what is about to (or might) come? I would like to say yes, but that would not be truthful. And to think I did not even mention Iran in this article. That is a whole bowl of trouble to add on to this inferno. Thus - Iran will have to wait for another day.