My "State of the Union"

State of the union. Several people have asked me to comment on what I think of the state of this country. I will do that now. One of my brothers who gave his life for our liberty used to have a favorite saying that he liked: “Embrace the suck!” It means to endure unpleasant situations that you must go through. I want to live in this country, so I must endure the things in this country that suck. President Biden (I have to choke those words out!) has already helped my money shrink with gasoline going up around .30 cents a gallon in 2 months. Thanks Joe! But with just about everything going up in price my biggest concern is the price of food. I like the old 1999 TV series “The West Wing”. I’ve watched the entire series almost non-stop as long as it was on Netflix. But now it is off and I miss it. Aaron Sorkin, the producer and writer for this series really caught the essence of what happens in a Presidential administration. I enjoyed the casting and the writing. There was an episode where the West wing staff was not sure if there was a first U.S. case of “mad cow” disease. As they were discussing whether this possibility should be announced one of the staff, Toby, says: TOBY And I think it's when you know something. I think absolute confirmation has to be the rule when we're talking about public panic. JOSH Are we sure there's gonna be public panic if we're only saying there's a chance? We think maybe, usually it's negative. TOBY I do. 'Cause we're not talking about sushi, it's hamburgers. I'm not kidding around, it's... these things. The everyday things. The everyday American things. The 99 cent things that, when you suddenly have to be afraid of them, strike at the center of our equilibrium. I agree with Toby. It’s the everyday things, like food, that if threatened can knock us down. I cannot stress enough, and I’m trying to not be shrill, but I can’t stress enough the importance of getting your food storage. We just went through a winter storm with crazy weather, power outages, and everything that comes with it. Water storage turned out to be my saving grace. Work on and get food and water storage. You may never need it. But you’ll be teaching your children something that will be invaluable in their lives. To be prepared. I’m also tired of the general whiney, snowflakeish attitude of this country. Don’t say this, or don’t say that. It’s offensive. I’ve got some real good news for the people that get offended real easy. Stop! That’s the entire message. Stop being offended. If someone says something that you don’t like, thank God that you live in a country that does not put you in prison or the Gulag for your opinions and speech. Among other cherished values, the First Amendment protects freedom of speech. The U.S. Supreme Court often has struggled to determine what exactly constitutes protected speech. This is one of the cases decided: The right to use certain offensive words and phrases to convey political messages. Cohen v. California, 403 U.S. 15 (1971). Now I do not advocate the use of vulgar or offensive language. I believe we can show some intelligence and some restraint and speak civilly. But I also know that every person, at one time or another, has said something offensive or vulgar. We’ve all used name-calling. If we are trying, we use this as a minimum. I will admit, I’ve used, and probably continue to use, disparaging words. Just look above. I use the word “snowflake” for those sensitive to language. Most people understand this and try to practice some type of discipline. That’s where the term “mixed company” came from. I do believe we all should be nicer. Including myself. But I know that I have a real intolerance for stupidity. That’s why I go off on liberals because the stupid logic that they seem to perpetuate. When I was younger there was a saying: “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” Most of us would be happier if we lived by this saying. To fire someone from their job because of speech is petty childish political correctness. If someone needs to discipline themselves and won’t, that’s a different story. Free speech is getting killed by do-gooders who are trying to compel the world to think and talk their way. With this cancel culture bull crap will breed tyranny. We should guard against it instead of applauding it. So no, I’m not happy or politically correct. If you’re a shooter and you do it often, you’ll know we’re in the middle of an ammo crisis. We have been for some time. As of this writing I can find ammo online. I just can’t bring myself to pay between $600-700 for a 1000 rounds of pistol ammo! I’m not hurting, but in another 6 months I’ll need to buy again. Hopefully there will not be any gun control measures that will make it difficult or even more expensive! I’ve had ammo storage for many years. I determined what I thought I needed per caliber and put it away. I also know what I shoot in a month. I usually don’t have to go into my storage ammo to shoot, but nowadays I may have to. Don’t go crazy and buy whatever you find at whatever price is out there. If we do this there will be no ammo and when we find it again it will be triple priced. I hope that it changes soon but I have my doubts. The next thing I want to mention is not really directly about this country. But it is the state of Israel and Iran. Iran and Syria are allies and they are both fighting against Israel. How does this Ishmael and Isaac problem affect us in the U.S.? For one thing we are supposed to be Israel’s biggest ally. Also, when Syria or Iran sponsors or directs terrorism throughout the world, such as Saudi Arabia, we the Americans pay at the pump. Not to mention the terrorism implications. So our relationship with Israel needs to remain strong and viable. I don’t think liberals like Israel. I’m not sure why but relationships with them always go south when they are in office. Things are heating up in the Middle East and I don’t think the U.S. is ready for that. I feel we are in a big leadership crisis in this country. Left leaning individuals sound like they want to right every wrong as long as we can throw money at it. Our open borders are a joke. Immigration is worse. Accepting any idea and expecting everyone to accept that idea. I also feel that the federal government over reaches all the time. I think that the actions of some mayors, governors, and city leaders has been criminal. To allow crime to happen and to deliberately keep law enforcement out is a sign of corruption and gross negligence. Why would anyone elect a leader that didn’t keep the law or the peace? An autonomous zone is a made up word for “we-can-do-whatever-we-want-here” zone. We used to be able to trust that our elected officials would try and keep the peace and that they cared for citizens safety. That is no longer true. Yet they go right on in their jobs instead of being run out of town on a rail as they should be. But let me leave on a positive note. I believe that most people in this country are hard-working citizens who care about other people. I was leaving Home Depot the other day when some of the lumber I thought was secure in my pickup shifted and fell in the middle of a very busy intersection. I saw it fall out and immediately pulled over and backed up. Then I got out of the truck along with my wife and we went to grab this lumber. From the turning lane opposite the direction we were going a man jumped out of his truck and ran over to help. I appreciate this stranger’s help and only had time enough to shake his hand and tell him thank you. Also during a power outage in our town I noticed several stop lights out. Drivers would drive up to the intersection and treat it as they would a 4 way stop. I saw courteous, conscientious drivers in a stressful and potentially dangerous situation act very human. Things are not as dark as they seem. If we are prepared we won’t fear. So don’t fear, be prepared. Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn