Hiatus, Yea or Nay? - 4/16/2025

Well hello there friends. Just a short note this a.m. in the way of an update. I'm back from our great vacation. I'm toying with the idea of staying on hiatus or not, possibly returning to blogging here about the insanity. Honestly, I'm not sure. I had thought the hiatus would have me chill out a bit over what's going on in our country, but I find myself angrier than I have ever been before in my life over what's going on in D.C.

As I have said a good number of times, for starters, I do NOT think Trump is pitching a perfect game. That being said, nothing, not close, not by a mile, not by an Elon Musk Mars mission, has me thinking the fucking insane, evil, anti-democratic, unhinged left would have been a better choice. Neither do I think some other Republican without the balls or will to fight the fucking insane, evil, anti-democratic, unhinged left would have been a better choice.

I am watching as the lawfare has blossomed into an encompassing political strategy. Am I sure every one of Trump's initiatives can withstand legal scrutiny? No idea. What I do know is the shit the left is fighting for is completely foreign and unacceptable to me and a lot of like minded voters.

I don't want an unaccountable 4th branch of government shaping the world into a leftist Nirvana by handing out taxpayer money to study how lesbian bees in Argentina differ from lesbian bees in Europe during brief cold spells during a full moon. I'm sure the three radical leftist lesbians who are getting the money would be kicking back mightily to Democrat pols and PACs, all the happy lefties getting rich together, but I don't think this is how it's supposed to work. I'm also sure the smaller group of more conservative lesbians, think Tammy Bruce, they won't be getting shit. See, this is a money grab and political power grab. (The lesbian bee thing is tongue in cheek, dumbass, but it's only 1/8" off from some of the other USAID insanity, and you know I'm right.)

The people fighting against Trump Administration efforts to find fraud, waste, and abuse? They're the ones committing the fraud, wasting the waste, and abusing the system. You'll have a hard time convincing me otherwise. Help me understand people over 115 getting SBA loans, please. And while I'm here, persons terrorizing Tesla owners and dealerships need to do hard time. I wish a whole hell of a lot worse on them, believe me, busted kneecaps and heads, stuff like that, but hard time will have to be good enough.

I don't want the same fucking liars and crooks who said Biden couldn't manage the border short of legislation, who were trying at the same time to codify into permanent law via legislation the insane unacceptable immigration policies that got Trump elected, thus allowing 10 or so million in illegally or with the wave of Biden's magic wand now fighting tooth and nail to thwart every single deportation effort in every court in the land. You want "due process". Fuck you. I'm reminded of a cliche: if you owe the bank $10,000 and you can't pay it back, you're in trouble. But if you owe the bank $10 million and you can't pay it, the banker is in trouble. Well, if we had 1 million people here illegally, it's a problem, but a manageable problem. When you have maybe 25,000,000 people here illegally, and you have to adjudicate each and every deportation on a case by case and due process basis, you're fucked. There's no easier way to say it. Who fucked us with this problem? We all know damned well who it was.

Furthermore, who in the fuck fights to keep Venezuelan murderous rapist and gang members here? Who in the fuck fights to return criminal Salvadoran gang members here from their home country? Who in the fuck fights to keep radical, anti-American, green card holding students who shut down universities in support of murderous, rapist, hostage holding Hamas here? Spoiler: it is evil, victim hating, U.S. A. hating, satanic, mindless, Trump deranged leftist Democrats, that's who.

Our founders didn't predicate Presidential power on the approval of any of 677 Federal District Court judges. Immigration and foreign policy are the distinct responsibility of the Executive Branch of our government, under the authority of the Chief Executive and President of the United States. But here we are.

"Ms. Orange Man Bad" might have to change her name to "Ms. Orange Jump Suit".

Oh, Letitia James. Ain't that rich. The fucking Trump-deranged leftist piece of shit legal warrior lied on her mortgage application, allegedly calling a state she isn't allowed to live in while in her job as NYAG her permanent residence AND calling her father her husband on a mortgage application. Bankrupt her fucking leftist ass and lock her up with no key. It couldn't happen to a nicer bitch.

For what it's worth, I hope you dumbasses run AOC atop the ticket in 2028. Go for it. Really. Please. She's exactly what you need. I promise. I may even donate to her campaign. I want her to be your nominee that badly. I may register as a Democrat in 2028 to vote for her in the Primary here in FL. I'm serious as a heart attack.

Yeah, maybe I'm not quite ready to come back. What do you think: Hiatus, yea or nay?

Hegseth's Gaffe - 3/25/2025

OK, I'm back for just a second here to make an observation.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accidentally including Atlantic Editor Jeffrey Goldberg on a text stream. I'm not going to sugar coat it, it's a fuck up. Please read that last sentence back one more time before I continue. It's a fuck up. Now that that's out of the way, a couple of things. First, the texts I saw weren't actual war plans, you know, order of battle, jumping off point and time, logistics, etc. Second, what I saw was absolutely consistent with what the Trump Administration has been saying publicly about the Red Sea and the Houthis. What I saw didn't put anyone at any greater risk than they already faced absent these accidentally leaked messages, and in a way it's refreshing to accidentally find out the Administration is consistent in private with what it says in public.

Former Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin

Contrast Pete's gaffe with his predecessor, Lloyd Austin. I do have empathy for Secretary Austin having had, maybe he still has, prostate cancer. I'm not discounting that, nor do I fail to recognize the personal nature of dealing with cancer, something many people feel very private about, wanting discretion until they have a good handle on their own situation before it becomes the topic of calls and well wishes, even. I get all of that. But Secretary Austin was incapacitated for health reasons and didn't tell the boss. The read it again line this time is: "was incapacitated for health reasons and didn't tell the boss." Now, maybe he had an even better excuse, desire for privacy aside. I mean, Joe Biden is and was an intellectual vegetable most of the time. Even if he had been told, he'd likely have remained unaware. But even so, the chain of command below Austin needed to know and his assistant ought to have stepped up in an "acting" capacity.

I never felt Austin ought to be fired for failing to disclose his incapacitation. For some other stuff, yes, but not for that. Neither do I need to see Hegseth gone. Was this a major league screw up? Absolutely. The breach needs to be addressed so it isn't repeated, but anyone calling for Hegseth's job who didn't call for Austin's? They might just be a little biased. That's all I'm saying.

I'm glad I was able to get that off my chest without blowing my stack. I've struggle to express myself lately, and that's why I've stayed away from this blog. I simply can't tolerate or deal civilly with Trump Deranged people anymore, no matter who they are. I don't want my blog to be one redundant and offensive "go fuck yourself". And that's where I am headed if I comment on all the things happening around us.

Brief Hiatus, Some Parting Thoughts re: Ukraine - 3/3/2025

You'll feel blessed to know this blog is taking a short pause. I'm traveling to attend the funeral of a dear friend, a fellow Marine Navigator, gone too soon. Since it's the Monday after, and still a hot topic, here are my thoughts and questions, of which, at least in my mind, there are more of than there are answers.

How is that the guy who wants peace is the bad guy?

Is it possible, at any time at all in the future, for there to be peace from this conflict without terms, whatever they might happen to be, that Russia agrees to?

How much is public opinion on Ukraine influenced by the military-industrial complex?

Is there any limit to the financial and other support for Ukraine?

How much is public opinion on what happened in the Oval Office informed by the full range of dislike of Trump's bombastic style, to full-on Trump Derangement Syndrome?

Did you watch the whole exchange in the Oval Office, or did you see what was reported on television?

Is there anything at all that took place in the Oval Office Friday that, in your opinion, Zelenskyy needs to apologize for, or was his demeanor and behavior exemplary and above reproach?

Have you heard or read reports that in recent weeks, that Zelenskyy has made and then quickly reneged on minerals deals with Trump Administration representatives?

Can Ukraine win the war without U.S. or other foreign troops on the ground engaged to fight Putin?

I agree, Putin was the aggressor and that Putin is the bad guy here. Are those of us who have doubts to downright distrust of Zelenskyy supposed to overlook it because Putin is bad?

Do you think there is or that there may be corruption associated with U.S. money and other support? Like kickbacks, payoffs, embezzlement, etc?

How long do you think things would have to remain as they are now, with the war ongoing, before Putin loses his resolve? Can Ukraine outlast Putin's resolve, even with our continued support?

Does the 1994 Arms Treaty with Ukraine have a "till death do us part" clause? Is there any point at which, despite our best efforts to support them, it simply "is what it is," despite that we've done our part?

Can we agree that Putin invaded Crimea on Obama's watch and Urkaine on Bidens watch, and nobody on Trump's watch?

Are the Ukrainian lands now occupied by Russia worth World War 3 and or a nuclear holocaust to you? Will you feel it was worthwhile that your kids and grandkids are dead?

You don't have to answer. I'll see y'all in a week or two. 

Oval Office Dust Up - 3/1/2025

Holy shit this one's going to be unpopular. My thoughts on the disaster in the Oval Office yesterday acros a range of issues.

Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova appears to have a headache... or something in the Oval Office yeasterday.

1) The war in Ukraine. What's the end game? Can Ukraine win the war without the U.S. (or some other 3rd party) putting troops into combat? I don't think so. To me, it appears like the strategy is for us to keep dumping money in and hope that Putin / Russia loses his / it's will before Ukraine runs out of soldiers. I think the war, from Ukraine's point of view, is unwinnable, absent insertion of U.S. or other troops and a massive escalation that has a high potential to result in a 3rd world war. Peace is a better solution. I do not see a path to victory, and I do not see how we can afford to endlessly dump money into an endless war that has no potential happy ending. The war mongering neocons here love it. Wealthy business people here and corrupt politicians here are getting rich, rich, rich off of it.

2) Russia, Russia, Russia, Putin, Putin, and Putin Puppets. Russia are the bad guys in the war. There is no doubt in my mind. But, and this is a huge but, I really and truly do not give a shit about Putin. The absolute weakest argument to support continued fighting, or to criticize anyone who questions the wisdom of continuing down this same path, is to call me / us / whoever is questioning it a "Putin puppet" or to say we're 'playing into Putin's hands". I hate to tell you this, but on the list of things on anyone's political "to-do list", or on the "don't do list," playing into Putin's hands or having some asshole here call me a Putin puppet because I don't give a shit about him, what he wants, needs, or what makes him happy, ain't on them. And while we're on the "Russia, Russia, Russia, Putin puppet thing, lemme remind you. Russia invaded Crimea on Obama's watch. Russia invaded Ukraine on Biden's watch. And Putin, he's a bad guy. Sure. But you calling me his puppet because I question continuing and endlessly sending money to support an unwinnable war, it's aggravating, but empty. You want me to support continuing to fun that war with our money? Paint me a picture of an outcome worth supporting and tell me how we get there from here without U.S. troops or world war 3.

3) Zelenskyy. I already declared Putin the bad guy. That doesn't make Zelenskyy a good guy. I don't trust him. I don't like him. I never have. I don't see a path to me feeling good about supporting Ukraine, knowing he's their leader. Zelenskyy was in the middle of the CIA's plot to destroy Trump 45 via impeachment. You know, the Chiarmella/Vindman "perfect phone call" thing. Whether he was an active participant, or passive, he was in the middle of it. And for those of you who get your news from progressive or neocon propagandists, you won't know this (or may have conveniently forgotten) what Trump was asking about was how Biden had been bragging on camera about having leveraged U.S. money to force Ukraine to fire the prosecutor who was investigating Barisma, the firm his son Hunter was a part of, and what many, myself included, believe was a channel of corrupt money to "the big guy." To make matters worse, Zelenskyy played his cards all wrong last year, making an appearance with PA Governor Shapiro on the campaign trail supporting Democrats.

I saw U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in an interview last week talking about how he and Vice President Vance had a deal worked out with Zelenskyy on the minerals Trump has been talking about. Accordin to Rubio, Zelenskyy said he had to get approval from his Parliament before he could sign on to it. Then two days later, Rubio said he saw Zelenskyy on television saying he had rejected the U.S. proposal. I guess they circled back and had worked through it, but the Trump Administration clearly felt Ukraine was in some way "playing both sides against the middle", and not being forthright with us.

Last thing on Zelenskyy and his part in this disaster: arguing with ANY U.S. President in the Oval Office in front of cameras, talking to Vance the way he did, I find it unacceptable. Some of you hate Trump so much you're unable to see a problem with anyone, anytime, any place if they're taking on Trump, you're glad to see it. You're certain they're in the right. My immediate take on yesterday was that Zelenskyy had made a bad boo boo. How can you possibly see it any other way? A lot of us have questioned our support for this war, not seeing an achievable outcome worth thousands and thousands more lives, and billions and billions more dollars. Zelenskyy galvanized that sentiment for many. Many.

4) Trump. Yesterday, Trump's biggest demons, his thin skin, and always getting in the last word got the better of him. I know you Trump haters think everything that happened was his fault. I don't. Zelenskyy had fences to mend with Trump for all the aforementioned stuff. I saw him talking down to Vance and talking over Trump and Vance in a way that was absolutely sure to light Trump's fuse. Yes, I realize some of you didn't see that. I also realize you hate Trump and it affects every single thing you see or don't see as it relates to Trump.

But for his part, I think Trump's handling of the fatigue and sweater wearing, disrespectful Ukrainian made a bad thing worse. As soon as things started to go sideways, Trump should have adjourned to press conference and retired the conversation to a private room. He, as he is inclined to to, failed to see there was a high road to take. While he may have felt he was in the right, and you likely did, too, how it played out was not a good look. That conversation perhaps needed to happen, but it ought to have been in private.

I relate it to a personal experience. I do realize in my career my stage was smaller, but indulge me. In my airline, there had evolved a lot of distrust of the local FAA, to the point there was a counterproductive, adversarial tone to much of the relationship. The FAA and my company both wanted to evolve to a more cooperative and effective working relationship. It had to be so. I see a real parallel with the Trump - Zelenskyy relationship. We were about to embark on a major initiative to conduct an FAA inspection jointly and cooperatively with them. I had a big meeting room in the airline's place, and in it were 15 or so FAA inspectors, and 25 or so of my airline peeps from all the involved departments. Anyway, this one FAA guy, he decided it was the perfect time and place to grandstand, and he turns my meeting, the first one in this new co-operative working relationship, into his own Festivus airing of grievances. He proceeded set us straight with the public ass chewing of the year. Some of what he had to say may have been legit, but I couldn't hear it. He was in our house, disrespecting me and everyone I represented there. I was mad and the more he talked, the worse it got. I was ready to explode. It had the potential to be career ending for me, I was that pissed.

I recognized where it was going and that if I didn't do something it would be unrecoverable. If not me, someone  I was the host of the meeting and our airline's coordinator for the effort, I said simply, interrupting him, "I don't think this is the meeting we expected, nor prepared for. We're not at all prepared for this. I'm adjourning this meeting and we'll reschedule when we're better prepared." I then asked the asshole FAA guy's boss's boss if he and I could talk privately afterward about "a different topic." I wish Trump had recognized and done the same. "This is not a conversation we're going to continue in front of the press and here in the Oval Office." All the good things aside, Trump is a street fighter, a bully in many ways, has thin skin, and always, always, always wants to get in the last word.

Not a good look. For anyone.

I give Trump a grade of "D" for this episode. This episode will go down in history as the low point in either of Trump's terms.

I give Zelenskyy an "F". I realize you Trump haters won't and can't see that, but the body language of Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S. in the photo I posted earlier says I'm right in my assessment.

Lemme summarize: I question the bottomless money pit, endless death, and unwinnable nature of the war in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin is not my boogie man, I don't care if you call me a puppet because I question the war. I don't like or trust Zelenskyy. I never have. He made things worse, at least with me, yesterday. Trump embarrassed himself yesterday. It was Trump being his worst self.

D.O.G.E. Cuts - 2/27/2025

The U.S. Government spends a lot of money. We don't just spend a lot of money, we spend way too much money. Way too much is an understatement. This post applies to EVERY single U.S. Government Department and Agency, bar NONE. I would break down the spending in broad categories.

1. Spending that is necessary and essential, well intended, and well accounted for which ends up where it was intended and accomplishes the desired goal for which it was intended.

2. Spending that is necessary and essential, well intended, and well accounted for which either does NOT end up where it was intended or does NOT accomplish the desired goal for which it was intended.

3. Spending that perhaps is NOT absolutely necessary or essential, but which is well intended, well accounted for, and which ends up where it was intended and accomplishes the desired goal for which it was intended. 

4. Spending that is NOT absolutely necessary or essential, but which is well intended, well accounted for, but which does NOT end up where it was intended or accomplish the desired goal for which intended. 

5. Frivolous and unnecessary spending that appeases or pleases some political faction or another. We have lots and lots of this. The dirty truth is, both sides have treated it as an unspoken agreement: "you get yours, we get ours, keep it on the down low and the American people will never know nor be the wiser."

6. Money that lines the pockets of influential middle men, either in business or in the non-profit sector. This is especially infuriating when our political or bureaucratic leadership is directly or indirectly linked to or financed by those business of non-profit interests. This includes children, spouses, siblings, friends, etc. This is corrupt, but the way it's set up there is always a bullshit explanation claiming legitimacy. Legitimate, my ass. Looking at you, NGOs.

7. Covert money for international AND domestic intervention and political and or public opinion manipulation. See. Aye. Eh.

8. Monies that are extremely poorly managed that nobody seems to know where or how it was spent, much of it either intentionally or unintentionally untraceable, either due to antiquated systems, inadequate monitoring, gross negligence and incompetence, or nefarious intent. This, if not in and of itself fraud, is an invitation to fraud.

9. Money that is being distributed or collected fraudulently. 

With as many budgetary line items as we have, there is no way to measure each cut carefully with a micrometer, and then to delicately remove itsy bitsy expenditures one by one across the government. All efforts to trim spending in such a manner are doomed. Each tiny cut becomes a battle, and in no time the effort will lose momentum and atrophy, dying under its own weight.

I do not believe there is anyone in public office or at any agency capable of the kinds of cuts we really need. Why? Because where the hell have they been?

Elon, seen here visiting the Oval Office.

Nope. A micrometer and a scalpel aren't adequate. This thing needs dynamite, chainsaws, and dump trucks. Government has grown itself into a behemoth industry unto itself. While there are many, many hard working, high integrity workers in the public sector, even if you won't admit it, we all know there are others who are not nearly as industrious, not nearly as honest, and not nearly as accountable. I say, blow the whole damned thing up. There is nothing that says excessive cuts in personnel and spending can't be reversed and restored later on. But I guarantee you, every penny we spend, every person we employ is someone's sacred cow, and they will fight to keep it in place, truly believing that the world will end without it. The more time you spend debating and deliberating each and every one, the less you'll accomplish in cutting. Fact. "But the world, it will end!"

Newsflash: it won't. Keep going, Elon. Ignore the noise. "Fire in the hole!"

Dumbass of the Week - 2/14/2025

Happy Valentine's Day! It seems like a good day to spread some love. So how about we love us some Dumbass of the Week?

The Roosevelt Hotel in New York City

Fourth Honorable Mention goes to the four now unemployed dumbasses who ignored the Trump Administration's freeze on USAID spending who sent 50 something million to the foreign owned Roosevelt Hotel in New York City which is being used to warehouse illegal aliens.

This week, Third Honorable Mention to everyone who's livid that Elon Musk has access to your Social Security Number. Hello? The data is there. The richest man in the world isn't doing this because he can get rich by pilfering your information, you dumbass.

Some dumbass, likely at the FBI, leaked details of ICE raids to a radio station in California who then put the information out as a means of aiding and abetting criminal illegal aliens in their efforts to evade ICE arrests. I hope that dumbass is lawyered up. Second Honorable Mention goes to you, FBI leaker. I hope a judge presents it to you at your criminal proceeding.

First Honorable Mention, Dumbass of the Week for the week ending 2/14, goes jointly to Rep. Alexandria Occasio-Cortez, who posted a video on her web page advising illegal immigrants how to evade and avoid ICE, and Rep. Ilhan Omar, who engaged in similar aiding and abetting, but in her native Somalian language. Way to go, girls! First Honorable Mention! Woo hoo.

And now, by popular request, drumroll, please, I once again bring you the Dumbass of the Week. 

The Dumbass of the Week for the Week Ending on 2/14/2025, goes to every single person who is more concerned that Elon Musk is finding questionable and unacceptable expenditures, than you are about the questionable and unacceptable use of US Taxpayer money. Many of these dumbasses are too stupid to understand the U.S. Constitution or too politically far gone to recognize it's stature as the law of the land. These dumbasses think the Federal Bureacracy is a fourth branch of our government. "Price check on Lane 3, please." "Is the bureaucracy a branch of the U.S. Government?" "No, sir. The bureaucracy is NOT a branch of the government."

I do recognize that many of this week's dumbasses know USAID, FEMA, DOE, Treasury, etc., etc. are not their own separate branch of our government. These people either don't care or suffer from a non-lethal disease: Trump Derangement Syndrome. Here's the bad news for them. Surveys show that We the People, yeah, us, want the waste, fraud, and abuse cleaned up in our government budget and spending. We don't want migrants in luxury hotels, a trillion in Covid money stolen, endless Social Security payments to dead people, USAID funding Russian collusion hoaxters and Taliban terrorists, transgender comic books for Peruvians, and all the other lightning rod line items D.O.G.E. is making visible to us every day. 

If you've earned the prestigious Dumbass of the Week this week, congratulations, and Happy Valentine's Day! You are loved.

Moral, Ethical, and Legal High Ground - 2/10/2025

I recognize that my friends on the left are true believers. They truly believe that the left owns the moral, ethical, and legal high ground. For them, it seems that all leftist causes are righteous. Unassailably, totally righteous. And woe be he or she who would interrupt or interfere with that righteousness.

Uh, sorry. No. Our Constitution does NOT provide for a 4th branch of government. There is no separate and permanent bureaucracy, untethered and outside the control of any of the other three. I do realize that you on the left can find Federal judges who are fellow travelers and fellow true believers who, like you, believe the kinds of things USAID, FEMA, DOE, and other government agencies have been spending our money on is righteous and unassailable. But I have read our Constitution, and if you ask me, USAID, FEMA, DOE, DOD, etc., etc., all fall under the Executive Branch of the government and Donald J. Trump is the head of the Executive Branch.

I love the argument (sarcasm) that "it's only half a billion" and "it's less than 1% of the Federal Budget." Oh, okay. Then waste as much as you want on whatever you want (end sarcasm). I'm not going to make a long list here of spending I think is insane, immoral, and unacceptable. I will say none of it sits on moral high ground, I don't give a shit how many times you scream and screech and piss, moan, and complain. If you are more concerned about who is looking, and in believing the places these things are being found are unassailable and untouchable, and aren't at all concerned about how far over the line reasonable people see as the end of acceptability, we have nothing to talk about.

It wasn't long ago, FEMA pushed hurricane victims in western NC out of their hotels in winter, but FEMA continues to rent blocks of rooms in luxury hotels in NYC to house illegal immigrants.

"People will die!" "Children will starve!" "You're throwing the baby out with the bathwater!" I love that last analogy, and here's why. Before we can decide whether to throw out the baby, drain the bathwater, or both, don't we first need to stop the flow from the faucet? The discussion is meaningless if the tub continues filling from an endless flow.