Next Stop, 2025

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Where are we headed?  And by we, I mean the non-leftists in this country.  I’m not saying “conservatives” because according to many people on the Right, there is no such thing as conservative.  And I don’t need to fight that war of words.  It doesn’t matter what label we end up with.  I can define myself by what I’m not.  I’m not a progressive.  I think the traditional definitions of things are sufficient to describe the world.  I think the traditional institutions like marriage, family and nation are valid and sufficient for people to live their lives in a meaningful way.

I also like the “rights” that were spelled out in the United States Constitution two-hundred-some-odd-years ago.  I like the idea of having freedom of speech, religion, self-defense, and to live my life as I choose as long as I don’t try to tell you how to live.  And to associate with people that agree with me on how to live.  All that seems very desirable to me.  And it seems quite believable that it can be maintained as it was in the early years of the republic.

This month by some incalculable miracle Donald Trump won re-election.  It’s as improbable to me as that Space-X booster that was falling out of the sky and then in one graceful arc lands in the cradle like an egg that a cook places in an egg cup.  It’s inconceivable.  But it happened and I guess there is an equally unlikely chance that Trump succeeds in doing all the things he’s said he will do.  Basically, he’s sworn to fix the country and make it great again.  And by great I think he means free and prosperous.

Well, I guess after his Houdini act, I should give him the benefit of the doubt and let him try to fix America.  If he does then the answer to my original question, “Where are we headed?” is easy.  We’re going back to the heaven on Earth that was this country a hundred years ago.  Now I’m sure the folks on the far-right will remind me that we’re not the same people we were back then, what with demographic change and women voting and all that jazz.  And they’re right.  We are different.  Whatever changes in culture and demographics have wrought won’t be erased.  Even the descendants of Old America have changed.  Their ancestors were religious people.  Their descendants are for the most part atheists or at least agnostics.  So, we have to acknowledge that.

My answer is that different people can play the same game and even though there will be differences in style and skill level if they play by the same rules, then basically it’s still the same game.  So, from my way of looking at things we’re most likely to get back mostly the same kind of country if we make everyone play by the original rules.  This I believe is known as civic nationalism.

Well, that’s a lot of ifs.  Trump is battling the most powerful accumulation of power since the Romans conquered the Mediterranean after knocking off the Carthaginians.  The Deep State and the vested interests that are their clients are the people Eisenhower called the military-industrial complex.  He warned us about them sixty-five years ago and they’ve only become more powerful over time.  They now also operate the surveillance state that knows everything we write, say or maybe even think.  They essentially control Silicon Valley because they are their paymasters.  They are not going to just roll over and play dead.

All this means there is a range of outcomes next year that runs the gamut from complete Trump failure to complete victory.  Of course, the most likely outcome is something in the middle where neither side totally wins or totally loses.  But Trump has earned the privilege of us watching and waiting to see what he can manage.  I don’t expect perfection.  I do expect him to make my life better and mercilessly torture his enemies and make their lives a living hell.  I think he owes that to himself and to me.

I want him to restore all of our rights under the Constitution including freedom of association.  And I want him to eliminate affirmative action from all aspects of American life.  If he does all that, he will be a success in my book.

I want to see a long line of FBI executives with cardboard boxes in their hands walking out of the J. Edgar Hoover Building with really sad faces.  I want NPR defunded.  I want the Education Department closed.  I want men in dresses drummed out of the military in great bunches.  I want everyone whose name is associated with Ukraine in the State Department unemployed.  I want all the prosecutors at the Department of Justice who spent their last four years prosecuting J6 fired.  I want the military budget for weapons systems halved and the VA fully funded.  I want Fauci prosecuted and all his co-conspirators rounded up.  I want a true analysis of the “safety and efficacy of the COVID vaccines.  I want Trump to declare martial law at the borders and refuse to let anyone in without a valid visa.  And if the visa cases become backlogged the candidates will wait outside the country for their turn.  And I want him to deport a million aliens a month.  And I want him to make the wall solid and equipped with drones that catch people climbing it and throw them back onto the outside.

And that’s the start of what I want.  I guess this is my Christmas list, Santa Trump.  Do the best you can.

Don’t Cry Baby, Don’t Cry

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Don’t Cry Baby, Don’t Cry

Donald Trump takes office in about two months.  Can we avoid a nuclear confrontation with the Russians until then?

I’m really not sure.

 

Comcast is going to spin off MSNBC.  And Elon Musk has jokingly spoken about buying it and putting Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones on the air.  Is it just a joke?

I’m really not sure.

 

Donald Trump says he’s going to deport thirty million illegal aliens and rip the Deep State out of the federal government by the roots and put RFK Jr. in charge of the HHS and let him dig out the truth about modern medicine and eliminate DEI from the military and the rest of the federal government.  Can he do any of these things?

I’m really not sure.

 

There’s a sense of unreality about a lot of our world.  People claim that misinformation is the reason that so many things that we are told turn out not to be true.  But I don’t think that’s the only reason for this growing uncertainty in our environment.  I think that the system may be coming apart at the seams.  I think the “people in charge” are themselves unsure about which way things are headed and therefore unsure which way they should head.  And without the rich and powerful putting their weight behind a particular outcome, random factors and herd instinct has a greater influence on day-to-day happenings.

Take the first example above.  The United States and England both gave the Ukrainians permission to fire modern medium range missiles into the heartland of Russia.  These are very advanced weapons and in fact, the Russians know that the missiles are being fired by American and British technicians.  And the Russians have responded to these attacks by clarifying that they consider attacks with modern weapons that come from the Ukrainian territory are the same as attacks by nuclear powers and can be answered by striking back at those nuclear nations directly.  And to emphasize their seriousness they launched a new class of medium range multi-warhead ballistic missile into a target in a Ukrainian city.  Now of course this missile was not armed with nuclear warheads.  This was saber-rattling.  But that’s one hell of a saber.  Since that launch the Ukrainians have not used any more American ATACMS or British Storm Shadow missiles.  But the war is not going very well for the Ukrainians and many people say that the State Department and the Pentagon are determined to do everything they can to force the Trump administration into continuing the war.

Well, how far will they go with nuclear brinksmanship?  How well are they calibrating Putin’s willingness to ignore their provocations.  Or are they actually trying to provoke an attack on NATO bases outside of Ukraine?  Are they looking to let things go nuclear?  And who are they?  It’s a cinch that Biden isn’t calling the shots.  He can barely remember his name.  But is it even Blinken and the Joint Chiefs?  With things winding down is it even a lower-level cadre of idiots?  But whoever it is, are we staring down catastrophe because these weirdos lost an election and won’t get to play God in Ukraine anymore?

Once again, I’m really not sure.  And I’m beginning to believe no one else does either.

All the crazy stuff going on seems to be outside of the control of anyone with a lick of sense.  It’s almost as if every attempt to fix the problems elicits an even stronger and more dangerous response from somewhere.  But where?

 

We’re living in strange days.  If you’re the praying sort this might just be the right time to do it.  You could do worse.

 

“These are the days of miracle and wonder.  …   A loose affiliation of millionaires and billionaires …  and don’t cry baby, don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.”

Guest Contributor – War Pig – 24NOV2024 – Thanksgiving 2024

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war pig

I prefer butter pecan ice cream. Otherwise, sounds wonderful. I’ll be spending Thanksgiving at my brother’s place as my girls and grandson all have to work the day before and after Thanksgiving and one is on call. My sister-in-law makes wonderful turkey & noodles, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, sage dressing, oyster dressing and cornbread dressing. I bring the pies. Two pumpkin and two chocolate with a small butterscotch pie for my brother. I also bring the butter pecan ice cream, as well as three dozen homemade cinnamon rolls. The pies are chilled but the rolls come out of the oven right before I leave for his place, 15 minutes away. Still very fragrant when I arrive. They are divided up and taken home for coffee and rolls the next day. Big, puffy, tender and covered with royal icing with a slight hint of rum (his butterscotch pie has bourbon in it).

We’ll watch football and talk about his and my childhood. The rest love to hear about our juvenile escapades, then our military stories. His wife wonders aloud she doesn’t see how we’re still alive. Then it’s time for dessert and all pile in. My children and grandson can’t make it, but I send them pics of everyone.

A Pretty Good Deal

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The holidays are upon us and today we got a taste of them.  A gathering of my children and their families at the Compound was deeply enjoyable.  The youngest grandchildren were triumphantly underfoot.  They had a game where they spaced out some pillows on the living room floor and hopped haphazardly between them to avoid the “lava” that surrounded these tiny islands of safety.  They were a menace to navigation and a real danger to themselves from collision with doors and walls and other solid objects.  So, they kept me busy refereeing their wilder excesses.

And Camera Girl outdid herself in the kitchen.  The food flowed impressively onto the table and then into the mouths of the delighted diners.  I give her all credit except for one decision that I was responsible for.  She had baked a huge Italian cheese cake and a chocolate cake and a chocolate pudding dessert.  Along with whipped cream she declared that no other dessert should be offered.  I insisted that vanilla ice cream must always be available as a component of dessert.  When the dessert was being served, I quizzed the kids about this and the reaction was electric.  They shouted agreement with my position.  Well, Camera Girl must have known in advance that I was right.  Not only did she have a half gallon of   vanilla.  She had chocolate chip and cookies and cream.  I was magnanimous in victory.  I openly applauded her willingness to accept advice and avoid disappointing the future of the family.

We talked about this and that.  Local politics and town affairs like the volunteer fire departments and their trials and tribulations.  And I talked to the kids about the upcoming Thanksgiving celebration here.  I mentioned that they would have the option of joining me in watching my traditional viewing of the 1930s versions of “The March of the Wooden Soldiers” and the Max Fleischer cartoon “Gulliver’s Travels.”  I also mentioned that there would be viewing of some of W.C. Fields’ classic movies, “It’s a Gift” and “The Man on the Flying Trapeze.”  I emphasized that they should take special note of the similarity in behavior of the wife in these movies toward her husband (Fields) to the way that Camera Girl abuses and disrespects me.  I think it’s never too early to use the classics to teach valuable lessons to children about how the world works.  I’m sure Camera Girl heard me making these statements because I detected a growling sound coming from the kitchen at this point.

Well, before we knew it the night was getting along and everyone had to get home to their own things.  After they left, I noted to Camera Girl that it isn’t such a bad world where such nice people can surround us with life and energy with only the cost of some peasant Southern Italian food and desserts needed as fuel.  Sure, the world is falling apart at the seams and Joe Biden is still causing damage everywhere you look.  But things could be much, much worse.  And at least we’ll get to do Thanksgiving and Christmas at least one more time before the world comes to an end.  That’s a pretty good deal.  I’ll take it.