Tag Archives: politics

Well, that about does it

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Had to go into town today and regular unleaded gas was well above $4 per gallon. Diesel was well above $5 per gallon, Mind you that I live in North Central Florida. Just this past Sunday regular was just past $3.80, pretty steep rise for just three days. Regular will probably be near $5 if not above by this Sunday.

Neither the War in Iran nor the astronomical fuel prices will in any way prevent the November elections or the upcoming Primaries. Though they will have an effect on the results. I am a registered republican and many of my friends and associates will be sitting this one out. I am not going to sit it out, I will be casting my vote.

This is my plan and intention. We have a do-nothing member of Congress with ambitions to be the next Governor of Florida. He has some “endorsements” from other politicians and the party. This matters not to me. I will not be voting for him in the primaries as I think there are better alternatives. Should he win the primary I will not be voting for him, nor will I vote for a democrat and since the other parties cannot seem to find anyone with a lick of common sense that part of my ballot will go unmarked. My current Representative in the same do-nothing Congress is in the same boat. If he has a primary challenger, I will vote for him or her. Should he win the primary that section of my ballot will also remain blank for the same above reasons. The same goes for any in the do-nothing State Legislature up for re-election. I have a suspicion that most of the sections will be blank on my ballot.

I can hear some of you now, not voting for a republican is voting for a democrat. Well, I disagree. How many elections have we been forced to choose the lesser of the two evils. Less evil is not better than most evil. Evil is evil no matter the quantity. We only get to choose between republican evil and democrat evil.

So, basically, I am pretty much done with the republicans at the federal level and rapidly getting that way about the republicans at the state level and possibly at the county level.

We are told the short time pain we feel now is worth it because of the longtime gains that will be achieved. I will give you a moment or two to adjust your budget for that short time pain. As that knucklehead said, “You can just make one less tip to Starbucks”. More will soon learn that there is more month than paycheck.

But we are told that things will get back to normal when this war is concluded.

Now would be a good time to list another of the “Things that makes me weary”.

I grow weary of hearing thing will return to normal after this crisis. Normal will never come back. Did normal return after 9/11? Did normal return after Covid? When this “crisis” is over there will be another declared “crisis”. Wash rinse and repeat. But there is “Good News”.

Normal isn’t coming back but Jesus is. This is a great song. I recommend the version by the Bellamy Brothers featuring the Issacs on You Tube, but you choose the version you wish.

Lessons and Assumptions

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History has many lessons for us to learn from. One of them is do not make assumptions. The word Assume is comprised of three words, if you know what they are you know what they are. If you do not, then you do not.

Talking heads are still debating things that no longer matter. It no longer matters whether Iran had a nuclear weapons program. It no longer matters how close they were or how far they were from having the material to make one. Hostilities have commenced and that is what matters.

I find no example in history where a successful bombing campaign ever brought a conflict to a conclusion. It has always taken ground forces to end the war, sometimes meaning up close and personal violence. At some point ground forces will come into this, whether it be American or Kurdish perhaps both. I did not mention Isreal because I think they will be occupied elsewhere.

Taking a little sidetrack here for a moment. I personally am so tired of hearing the phrase “boots on the ground”, especially when those words come out of the mouth of one who has never served (worn those boots). One who has served and yet still utters those words should really know better and be ashamed for using them. Think on this, those “boots on the ground” are going to have a soldiers’ feet in them. It is a little different when you attach a face to those boots, isn’t it.

It was assumed that possibly, maybe, hopefully the Iranian protestors would rise up and take over their government. Well, that has not happened as of yet and most likely will not. There is no formal government to seize as we understand. I am not saying the Iranian citizens (civilians) will not fight, they may well, later.

Think back to occupied Europe. In some of those countries the government fled setting up a government in exile in a friendly country and left the citizen to fend for themselves. Some stayed and endured the hardships with the citizens. Others capitulated and collaborated with the aggressors. There were partizan fighters in all of the occupied countries. Not a one of them was fighting for their government, they were fighting the invaders. At the end of the war the collaborators were dealt with. I never could understand why the ones who fled and set up a government in exile were ever welcomed back and even worse allowed back in power.

A more recent example would be the war between Russia and Ukraine. It could be said that Russia saw itself as a liberator, but the Ukrainian people saw them as invaders. When arms were provided to the citizens who or what did they fight, the Ukrainian government or the invaders?

Funny thing is if Ukraine ever has another election, they may well elect a pro-Russian government. Politics are unpredictable.

When ground forces are introduced into the mix, how will the Iranians see them? Liberators from an oppressive government or invaders?

Been a while

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Haven’t posted anything in a good long while. It was not because nothing was going on, there certainly was. There is much going on now, so I might as well get busy.

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, Operation Epic Fury has been launched against Iran. There have been many statements and opinions (theories) made as to why.

One theory floated was it was done to get the Epstein files off of the front page and out of people’s minds. If this was the reason, it failed miserably. The Epstein files are still on the front page and mentioned as many times as before. This Epstein mess is not going away.

Another theory floated was that it was launched at the behest of Isreal. There are other theories and opinions as to why.

We could just accept what President Trump said in his statement or not.

One thing for sure is that it no longer matters as to the why, it is on and that cannot be changed, that toothpaste is not going back in the tube.

Politically speaking, in my opinion, this could not have started at a worse time, as the mid-term primaries will be soon getting underway. In November we will have the mid-term election. If Epic Fury turns out to be a protracted conflict or continues to escalate it will most probably have a negative effect on the November elections for the republicans.

Speaking of escalation, I have noticed a few things in my news feed of late. There have been reminders for the 18-year-olds and those soon turning 18 to register with the Selective Service aka the Draft. There have also been “pointers” on how to avoid the Draft. Not to mention maps showing the areas here in the US most likely to be a nuclear target.

We can all learn a very important lesson from this latest conflict. Some in Congress are mightily pissed that the President did this on his own and without the consent of Congress. There was a time long, long ago that Congress had the sole power to declare war. You lost that power long ago with something called the War Powers Act. You passed that act and it was signed into law. The only way to regain your power is to pass another act restoring that power to you. Here is a news flash “cupcake”, that will never be signed in to law. There is no way any President democrat or republican will give up that power. It was not taken from you; you gave it away. The same goes for tariffs and all the other things you were too busy to do. I mean after all if you took time to do your job, the job you were elected to do you would not have all the free time on your hands. Time for extended recesses, retreats and the many vacations you take.

To all of the knuckleheads out there that vote away rights, even the rights you have but choose not to exercise. If you choose not to exercise your rights that is your business. Leave the rest of us alone. You do not have the right to vote away the rights of others. Rights lost or stolen are near impossible to regain.