One of My Top Ten Military Stories

 In the late 1980s...I was stationed at a base in the SW of the US, and a big eval-inspection was scheduled (known for six months).

The team was supposed to arrive on Sunday, and stay through Wednesday of the next week. 

Our base chow hall was run by a E-8 NCO.  He had been on some fast-track for two years (on the base) and needed some 'hype' to get this special duty assignment.  So he devised a fantastic chow-hall menu plan for the 10-day period.

I should note....at this time....military budgets ran from 1 October to 30 September of the next year.  The chow-hall had a quarterly budget.  

Sarge (the chow hall boss) scheduled on day one (Monday) of this inspection....a fantastic lunch, with grilled steaks (something people had never seen before).  Monday evening followed with higher than average dinners.  

Tuesday?  Seafood and shrimp.

To be honest, everyone was shocked over the expanded and terrific menu plan.  Normally, I might have eaten there once a month....I probably ate 3 lunches over that 10-day period at the chow hall.

No shocks....the inspection team gave the 'boss' extraordinary high marks.  Around two weeks after they left....Sarge got his dream assignment and about four weeks later.....he left the base (end of April).  

New Sarge arrives in early May.  He sits down and views the budget and funds left for the final quarter of the year (July-August-September).  He's short on money.  Old Sarge had spent almost an entire quarter of the budget in ten days.  

New Sarge goes to the Wing Commander to beg funds.  Everyone is shocked, and admitting there just isn't that kind of money (going up into the half-million range).  Wing Commander finds some cash, but nothing to the extent required.

New Sarge now develops a bare-bones lunch-dinner plan for June-July-August-September.  New rule started: if you aren't a barracks-dweller.....you can't use the chow hall.  

Deserts?  They mostly go to jello options only.

Chicken?  Most all dinners center on some chicken dish.  

Customer use on weekends?  Most people agreed that half the normal customers simply skipped the chow-hall because of the crappy food situation.  

Punishment or disciplinary action on old Sarge?  Nothing.  Oddly, this became one of the topics you couldn't discuss in front of the Wing Commander because of the misuse of funds.  

Q-and-A: Deinstitutionalism

 1.  When did the US invent the end to mental institutions?

You can go back to the late 1950s in the UK and cite the fact that .4-percent of the British population was housed in some type of mental institute.  A wave of changes were set into place by 1960s, and the 'wave' continued over into the US.

2  How did deinstitutionalism get packaged?

You can say two key things were put into play:

(1) Some efforts were put into play to 'lecture' a patient to change and adjust to the 'outside' world.  

(2) Lesser prescribed 'stays' were laid down as part of the recovery process (with medication), and releasing patients who seemed 'safe' and believed not to threaten themselves or others. 

3.  Drug and medication a key role to the non-existence of mental institutions today?

This is argued about to a great extent.  If you were unable to control your behavior, and the medication brought you to reality....fine.  But this idea is utterly dependent upon a person carrying out the medication routine, and not getting secondary drugs (unrelated) to add to the mental burden they are carrying.

4.  How many Americans are considered to have a mental disorder (just in general)?

If you read through all the reference material....from the adult population in the US....it's around one in four.  These are people who need a therapist or mild drugs to tide them over with the problem.  I should state....these are the people who have fear of flying, fear of driving on bridges, or freak-out on ghost-talk.

If you were referencing 'serious' disorders (a threat), it's believed to be around five out of a hundred.  Meaning?  Well....your friend might be OK for 364 days a year, and one single  day decide to shoot holes in the trailer, burn the garage down, or go nuts at Wal-Mart.  

5.   Is the current era of misinformation and political bickering adding to the mental institution chatter?

It's hard to avoid this.  It's like bringing up Trump-delusional-syndrome (TDS).  There's no doubt that the syndrome now exists....it's just the numbers that you worry about.  Personally, I'd take a humble view of 250,000 Americans with this TDS problem and you might have a equal number with anti-TDS (meaning people who see Trump as 'Jesus').  

6.  Could we bring some mild form of institutions back, in this modern era?

Legally.....it'd be challenged.

Then you'd have to figure the cost of this, and the burden given to each state to run a safe institution.  

7.  Aren't the dangerous mentally-challenged folks either living on the streets or in prisons/jails already?

This is argued a good bit, and jail-keepers will readily admit that a large segment of the prison population end up there because there are no institutions to house people. 

Around urban centers, one might make the case that they've attracted more challenged people because of the free flow of drugs....where one self-medicates to control themselves.

8.  Are we reaching a society position where 'crazy-crazy-dangerous' is acceptable?

There is some type of behavior being shown that we should allow people a chance to 'be themselves'.....even if they self-medicate to a path that makes them dangerous. 

There's also a public frustration building up that suggests some type of institutions probably will come back in the next decade.  

Do We Really Need To See/Read the Nashville Trans Manifesto?

 No.

Lets just be honest...it'll be mostly the chatter (probably fifty to one-hundred pages, if we are lucky....five-hundred to seven-hundred if unlucky)....of mostly how the world is wrong....people are cruel...stamps cost too much....fast-food is non-nutritional.....Saturday Night Live hasn't been great since 1988....Madonna hasn't sung a great tune since the early 1990s....and vanilla is just an odd cake flavor.

Yeah, I don't really care to read crap like that for an hour....where I reach a stage of putting the manifesto down and admit the young adult was losing his/her gripe on reality.

The sad thing....over sixty journalists would readily read the hundred pages, and condense this down to a three-minute presentation and try hard to avoid saying this was the work of a insane person. 

The FBI?  I'm sure their manifesto department has three different guys reading a copy and will offer an hour of their humble opinion, and vouch....insane people write crappy material.

Just my two cents of humble thought.

Missing 7.2-Million Men?

 For several months, I've been following a business report that circulates....saying that 7.2 million men in America between ages 25 and 54....aren't working.  The PhD people are fairly sure of the number and business people talk about constantly.  I would imagine I've seen this discussed at least a dozen times since early January.

So it stays on my mind.

I've come to the conclusion where the missing 7.2 million men are.  So there are three explanations for this.  

First, I suspect that around a quarter-million just plain left the US.  They've gone to various other countries and established themselves in jobs or own a business where they simply aren't counted within the American work-force.

Second, I would suggest in the range of 5-million are addicted to booze or drugs, and can't readily pass a drug-test or be dependable at work.  

Third, the remainder?  Mostly guys who've failed at various things, and mostly live in dad's house and opt for pizza delivery or part-time work.  

Should we be worried?  Well....the work-force managers say they need the seven-million to fill empty slots and perform actual work.  I assume they aren't BSing us.

Does it say something about the gov't failure to get them back to work?  Maybe, but it's not the government's job.  And frankly, no one really wants the druggies working in their plant, or shop.  

Q-and-A

 1.  Should Tik-Tok be banned in the US?

I would suggest we'd all be better off if age limits were put on social media (Instagram, FB/Meta, Twitter) and you could only open an account if you had a legit ID of some type (even a credit card) and minimum age of 16 for an account.  

2.  What do you get if a open society has a high percentage of people with high rates of psychiatric comorbidities (two or more physical/mental issues) is given hormones without much review of reactions?  

You would almost get a tranquilized or hyped-up society that seems to have a fasciation with 'hatred' or frustration. 

3.  How should the student college loan mess be resolved?

Have some PhD guys sit down and analyze degree field by degree field....what you would make at the five, ten and twenty year point after graduating.  Then publish the results, and tell the 18-year old kid....no matter how important this x-degree is to you....we will only loan you x-amount of money because it will never make financial sense.  

Engineer and science degrees?  Those people will probably still get $100,000 of loan possibilities.  The lesser degrees?  Probably no more than $10,000 a year of loan potential.  

It's the only logical way to clear the mess.  Degrees are like cars....a Corvette-degree has value....a Ford Pinto-degree has marginal value.

4.  Is there some effort in California to limit profits of oil companies?

Yes, and if it advances....fuel companies will produce less fuel in response to this....thus affecting the entire west coast region.  The cost of fuel would then go to a higher level in a matter of days (if not hours).

5.  Pentagon says 'NO' to releasing video of 'UFO-shootdowns' from a month ago?

Well....yeah, without much of a explanation.

Either they shot down balloons....which was the order given by President Biden....or they shot down UFOs.  Just begs a lot more questions.

6.  Did Joe Rogan say: "Media ignoring uprisings across the world because it doesn’t fit narrative?"

Yeah, and he's fairly correct.  

In 20 Years:

 1.  California:  Tax revenue generation will be approximately 70-percent of what it is today, with both SF and LA losing 1k residents each per month.  

2.  More than 50-percent of Americans will be unable to define a 'woman'.

3.  At least three states will have lowered the age of consent to marry to 14 (without parental consent or judge's consent involved).

4.  Some AI program will have constructed an entire album and gotten half the 'hits' to number one status within a 12-month period.

5.  The NY Times will have been bought by a Mexican news agency.  Half the journalists will be relocated to Mexico-City.

6.  At least 40-percent of all American kids by age 12....will be identified with a sexual disorder of some type.  Few if any of these kids will fail-out of school, however....they will be assigned the knowledge level of a 10-year-old kid by age 18.

7.  You will only be able to get baby formula via a prescription program (run by the gov't) or via local drug dealers.

8.  More than 500,000 people yearly in America....will be getting testosterone injections and be identified on a national database for massive rage episodes....and unable to work.  

9.  More than 12-million Americans will be assigned the status of 'scientist', but over half of them will have a knowledge level of a 2020-16-year-old kid out of high school.

10.  A young female trend (teenagers mostly) will start up where they shave their heads and are on some kind of hormone treatment to trigger unconsciousness.

11.   Besides UFOs....the federal government eventually agrees that Bigfoot is real, and that zombie's exist. 

12.  The term 'whore' will be treated like the N-word, and you will be confronted each time....where you have to utter the 'W-word'.

13.  More than 16-million Americans will be identified in a national database as 'fragile'.

14.  Editions of the Bible will be produced with the Old Testament separate from the New Testament..  Christians will sub-divide themselves along 'OT' and 'NT' lines.

15.  A candidate for the Democratic Party Presidential nominee.....will reach national level-status....who is a self-admitted meth-user.

16.  Stores in SF/LA will have a security cube situation where you have to swipe your credit card to gain entry.  More than 500 per day at these stores will be refused access because of past criminal behavior in the store.

17. At least one state will have out-lawed the sale of Christmas trees....in the interest of climate change.  Residents will only be able to purchase these in neighboring states.

18.  Ten years after the passing of Donald Trump.....at least 300 people a year are still being diagnosed as having TDS (Trump-Derangement-Syndrome).  Scientists are unable to explain why.

19.  At least five states will have a law forbidding you (as a restaurant) from serving a person at the table more than 1,000 calories.  

20.  The NBA will have a majority of European players on teams....because American players can't play at the level of the European clubs.  

The Reality Of The Salem Witchcraft Trials

 As things closed out in 1691....in Salem, Mass....the population of the local area was around 1,400 people.  If you were going to describe the local town....laid out....it was probably 3 x 3 miles, and it was mostly an agricultural or gardening type environment.  

Chief work/hobby? Well....religion.  It was their religion that brought them there....it was religion that focused everyone on community responsibilities....it was religion that would divide them.

In Europe, for about 200 years....witchcraft had been a major subject and the Catholic Church had pressed hard on the topic for local 'drama'.  The Lutheran Church (after 1525) would wonder into this, and it was hard for any 3rd religion to avoid the subject.

If you go back to the original start-up of the Salem trials....it involves to two kids (girls, ages 9/11) who seem to have something along the lines of epileptic fits.  I won't go into great detail but at least in this period of time....epileptic fits weren't that unusual and they weren't 'demonized'.  In this case....both girls uttered non-English words, threw things around the home, and crawled around the floor like some animal (none of these things fit the typical epileptic situation).

Some minister is brought in, and deems the two under some spell.

Over the course of the next week...a couple more teenage girls launch into the copy-cat situation.  I should note here....ONLY young girls acted this way.

Accusations began to fly around.....witches putting spells on people, etc.

All of this....over the next month or two....led to the locals now talking about demons, men being influenced by women (a terrible tragedy), and hot lusty stuff causing a division of the public.  

The only cure here?  Well....you needed to charge up people, and have a court render a solution to halt all this demon stuff.

Fifteen months would pass in this drama....May 1694 would arrive.  Out of the 1,400 residents....roughly 200 would be accused.  Thirty of this group would be convicted by the local court.  Nineteen of the group would be hanged.  A couple would die in the local jail.  

Then....the whole witchcraft thing just ended....with an authority arriving and declaring this was all 'faked-up'.  

Trigger?  I'd say it goes to three things: mass hysteria with no throttle of control, isolation of people with no outside skepticism, and total acceptance of accusations (no matter how weird they are).  

My belief of what caused the original episode with the two girls?  Use of mushrooms....given to them knowingly or unknowingly....triggering them to have hallucinations and some sense of euphoria.  If you look over research of the past couple of decades....some PhD people will now argue that use of 'magic' mushrooms can lead to permanent changes in personality/character....affecting your long-term mental health.

After the two girls....this was all mass hysteria.  

Observations

 1.  In 1977, as I graduated high school and left the farm....the top three priorities of people (99-percent)....were to: (1) get a job, (2) get a car, and (3) size up a relationship situation.  Today, out of every ten Americans, one person has a top priority of wanting you to accept them...as they identify as something.  

You just wonder how this transformation came (and went).

2.  I saw a comment yesterday...suggesting 'mob-driven-wrong-think' (MDWT) is a 'thing' now.  I sat for five minutes trying to imagine where this idea came from and how logical it is in the big world today.

3.  Just in general....when you buy any gun in the US and fill out the form...it'll ask about drug-use, and if you were a regular cocaine-user....the purchase would halt if you marked 'yes'.  

4.  For the record, there are two female sex hormones (estrogen and progesterone) which can play a part in the start-up and development of plain old depression problems.  

5.  Was Twitter ever worth what Elon paid for it?  As this whole thing came out and the 'offer' was staged....I looked at the stock, lack of dividends and lack of growth over the years.  Elon probably paid 50-percent more for Twitter than it was actually worth.  But I don't think he really cares about that segment of the story.

6.  Just an odd thing I noticed in California law business....there's a draft being circulated that would allow a kid (age 12 or older) to sign up to live in a 'group-home'....meaning they could exit the house or parent's control, if they desired this.  A better lifestyle or safer home?  I'm split on this.  Odds of passing?  Unknown.

7.  1980....rage in America was non-existent.  2023....rage pops up almost daily.

8.  Does it seem like more than 10,000 'experts' now exist on how to prescribe a peace deal between the Ukraine and Russia?

9.  If you asked 1,000 Americans to define stigmatizing....how many could accurately explain this in 40 words or less?

10.  For future reference, when you use the term 'useful idiot', it generally means a marginally intelligent person or someone rather naive....who can be pushed/manipulated into doing something for an agenda.   Note, the person could have a PhD, wear a uniform of some type, or even be a billionaire.  

Rule 11 Mentality

 My son (as a kid) was greatly attracted to board games....before the video gamer stuff came along.  

Personally, I hated board games.  In particular, Monopoly.

Someone brought this up today....rule 11....to explain what happens when the bank runs out of money.  

You would basically print money....to keep the game going.  

I brought this up in the office once, and someone came to admit that they'd played (within the family a four-hour game) it before.

I just never had the patience to sit there and dwell on this.  An hour was the point where I needed it to conclude....a winner and a loser.  

But I also hated this 'printing' business.  It made no sense.  Someone was bankrupt....just end the game and find something else.  

Racists Chatter?

 

I have a general opinion about how the mass media and news media are reacting to something they call 'racism' but really doesn't fit the image that I had from the 1970s, 1980s, or 1990s.

The graphic to the right really sums up the discussion. 

Has Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and the rest....set up a path to confusion?

I would suggest that we've all gone down a path...asking stupid questions.  Nothing makes sense in the solutions department....unless you've opened and poured half-a-bottle of Jack Daniels for thinking-purposes.

Five Observations Over the Nashville Shooting From Yesterday

 1.  Trans-woman (biological guy)....if you didn't grasp that from very confusing news coverage.

2.  I'm going to wait to see if anyone checks his/her drug situation.  From prescription pills to self-medication....I'm curious what he/she was on.

3.  Oddly enough, today....there's talk of a manifesto existing.  If you go and review trends....women don't write manifestos.  Guys are the ones who write stuff like this.

4.  Two Nashville police bravely walked in, and took down the individual in the end.

5.  Virtually every single network news group I watched....desperately identified the person as a woman.  What I find odd....the police made a statement that they could find no mental issues with 'her'.  Gender dysphoria has always been classified as a mental health issue.  So their statement does not make sense.

The Half-Ass Nature of Society in 2023

 There was some point in 2021 where I was watching a Sunday political talk-show, and some group of three with a moderator were trying to get a point across, and it just struck me....it was a conversation that you'd expect out of 11-year-old kids...there were no facts, they'd dumbed down the points enough where they made no sense, and there could not be a reasonable conclusion.

In simple terms....it's become a half-ass conversation with no value.  I'd say from that point on (2021)....at least once or twice a day....I see a news programs (from CNN, Fox, BBC, MSNBC, etc) that has been constructed with no clear 'drawn lines'. It's like you went into a Piggly Wiggly....grabbed a couple of clerks, and asked the group to sit at some table to talk over Social Security reform.

These conversations seem to be existing mostly to drive you to x-position, yet you keep asking....can you give me more of the y-points, or explain this in better detail.  

You almost get an opinion that they want fake problems to exist....keeping away from real problems....so that you don't interfere with incompetence.

A magic show?  I'd offer that idea....that they seem to think that if you are kept busy with a decent magic show.....you won't go and jump into such-and-such problem of a bigger nature.

Am I watching less news TV?  Yeah, I noticed that in the past year....I'm going more to podcasts.  I probably watch four hours a week now of British intellectuals and comedians.  From the American side?  I probably view or listen to a minimum of a dozen hours a week.  

The podcast folks avoiding the half-ass nature of what TV news slipped to?  I'd suggest that presently....the podcast folks want something to be informative and interesting.....while the TV news people seem to be focused more on propaganda value.  

An  odd development?  I don't think anyone started out with the half-ass agenda....it just landed there in the end.  

What's next?  That's what I wonder about.  

Observations

 1.  Is VP Harris a crappy VP?

If you went to view VP's from prior to Bush II....most were marginal characters, and their name didn't appear in the news unless they were opening up a new federal building or attending some funeral.  

Ever since Cheney....we seem to want some equal pair where the VP is significant. 

Go back to the 1990s and look for Gore's name to be mentioned.  In the first four years, I doubt that his name was mentioned more than once a month by the CBS nightly news.  

2.  California's governor wants Medicare to pay for homeless rent?

Yeah, he did say that.  If you went to the books and figured the cost (especially around SF and LA)....it'd bankrupt the system in six months.  

Five Signs A Guy Is Bluffing His Military Service Chatter

 1.  He keeps bringing up his service time, and one day....you ask what his MOS (duty or job description), and he can't answer you.

2.  He talks about being in x-battle, but can't tell you which unit he was part of.

3.  You ask the guy when he started/finished boot-camp, and he avoids the answer.

4.  The guy keeps talking about military service but can't cite things because it was all classified.

5.  Almost every single story that he tells....connects to the CIA or special operations like the SEALs.  

I worked with a guy who retired in the 1990s, and upon retirement....joined up with some local VFW group.  About three months into this participation (mostly drinking at their local bar), he came to establish that several guys who were VFW members were either total frauds, or were kicked out of boot-camp.  

The 2 Plus 2 Equaling 5 Reality (Non-Reality)

 I spent about an hour today reading over Twitter comments of a person trying to impress upon people that 2 plus 2 can possibly equal 5.

The sales pitch here?  Measurement uncertainty, and limits of casual intervention.   Yeah, more or less BS.

The chief problem here....if you can't make two and two to come to the same conclusion each time....modern technology fails. There has to be a consistent path on physical reality, and a way that a mathematical form presents that reality.  

Why this mindset that two and two might relate to five?  The only way that this comes up....might be the idea the idea that nothing much can make sense, and if they can set you to think two and two might not equal four....maybe a lot of other things would fall into place.

You know....like dogs might be viewed as cats?  Or that a one-dollar bill might be worth $1.01?  Or that a speed limit of 65 mph....might really mean 67 mph?  

My chief issue?  If you walked into a bank to deposit a $1,000 check into an account with $2,000 already in it.....then it has to equal $3,000 in the end.  Using this 'not-5' logic.....the bank might say my $1,000 check came to equal $900 upon the final details.  

This is where I think we need to dispatch some stupid people to digging ditches for a living, or shoveling snow.....anything that avoids math.  

Other Things To Ban

 Over the past year, gas-grills/gas-stoves have been projected as unhealthy and various laws are being drafted to prevent them in the future.  Lot of hype and criticism over how this has been handled.  I sat and pondered over where things are going, and this is my list of the next eight things to be banned:

1.  Condiments of ketchup, with sugar.  Non-sugar ketchup will be forced upon people....with most saying it has no flavor/taste.

2.  Plastic silverware.

3.  Lipstick.

4.  Toilet paper on rolls.  You use too much, so the gov't will suggest that it only come in 1-ply sheets, singles.

5.  Car speakers are too loud, and only half-power speakers will be installed on new cars.

6.  The word and use of 'demons' in the Bible will be deemed inappropriate.

7.  Tight fitting jeans will be deemed a health hazard.

8.  Sodas in aluminum cans will be deemed as unhealthy for consumption.

Q-and-A

 1.  This photo floating around with Senator Fetterman and his wife (taken in the past two days)....is it fake?

What you see is a Fetterman who has lost weight (I'd suggest 20 pounds), smiling (first ever picture I've seen him grin) and he almost seems normal.  Some people suggest it's fake.

I think what they did at this clinic or the past six-odd weeks....was get him off all the various drugs he was taking....having a daily dose of exercise....control his diet....and this is the real Fetterman.  

Can he stay this way?  I'd question that.  People who have strokes usually don't go back to a 40-hour work-week.  

So it's not fake....as much as you'd like to believe that.

2.  Remaining banks all fine....after those three failures?

Well....banks are borrowing money at hefty levels to suggest to you that they are fine.  I'd say they are simply pushing the limit, and hope to survive this era.  Whatever issues they have....will just slightly disappear and wait until the next crisis period.

3.  Who is the best fact-checker?

You.

4.  Ukraine-Russia going into a odd stage?

Russians in the Crimea area (far south) are packing up and leaving. Some belief that a spring offensive will occur, and that the Crimea might be taken by Ukraine.

5. Did the prosecutor in NY City actually 'help' Trump by these actions to push charges?

Well....Trump went out and asked for campaign funds, and got a good bit.  Same thing will help with the fed prosecutor pushing secret document charges, and with the Atlanta folks working on their charges for Trump.  I don't think they've grasped this angle of them helping Trump.

6.  FAA guy that Biden nominated for chief's job....dropping out?

Yeah, during the Senate hearings....over and over, he showed limited knowledge of the FAA, travel requirements and the airline business.  If anything, I suspect the Senators were surprised just unqualified the guy was.  So he's out and Biden will have push another candidate (hopefully a female, or minority).

7.  Is $100,000 not of the value of $100,000?

Someone did a cost survey for NY City.  If you make $100,000.....it merely feels like $36,000.  So if you were making $50,000 in the city...it'd feel like $18,000.  

My advice....if you lived in NYC, this merely adds another reason to pack up and leave. 

8.  Lot more people with 'bad' teeth?

I'll just say over the past five years of watching TV news chatter with protest activists (up close and with my big screen TV).....one out of every three has awful bad teeth.  I almost wish the TV folks could create a filter to fake-up the teeth issue.  It's like they are anti-toothpaste as well as activist.

9.  People having an on-going mid-life crisis?

I have this theory that since Covid....people are creating wave after wave of mid-life crisis eras, with each peaking and within a couple of months....restarting again.  

No idea why....but it's just odd to observe this behavior from mature adults.

10.  Just seems like a lot of Twitter feed now includes black women fighting other black women?

I don't know what Elon did to the Twitter magic 'formula', but I probably get forty-odd fight sequences now via Twitter.

So of these even black women whooping up on their BF or husband.

11.  Is it simple to define Misinformation and Disinformation?

Yes.

When someone is giving 'facts', and things don't make sense (bogus or incorrect).....thats plain old Misinformation.  Once you tell them this is bogus or fake, and they continue without correcting themselves....that's Disinformation.  

Anyone....even a 11-year old kid....can produce Misinformation.  On a daily basis....you probably get a minimum of 20 bits of Misinformation.  Just watching some local news at 6 AM....you probably get two or three bits of Misinformation.  

12.  Time to review the Salem witchcraft trials?

Mass hysteria has taken over and a lot of people seem to believe in things without any facts or reality.  

Some Advice

 

There should be a book with about 500 pages that is issued out to 15-year old kids, with 1,000 things to consider in life.

This should be on page 8 (my humble belief).

A lot of things 'matter'....but the truth is....if you CAN'T control or maintain those things, then the bulk of things don't really matter.

The 80-percent group that you can't control?  They should be lesser prioritized and probably considered not that important.  

My Gut Feeling Over the Pentagon UFO Chatter And Where It Leads To?

 It's a simple theory of mine.

I think a number of Navy and Air Force pilots have seen 'X' occur, and have come to the conclusion that 'X' can't be them, or the Russians....so they can only be a UFO situation or a private commercial program.

So opens this discussion door that people have expressed for years...that in the early 1970s....most all of these 'hidden' programs were removed from the US government, and handed to a commercial organization to manage, with some cash moving from the gov't to the Pentagon....onto a commercial group for 'research'.

Without a lot of hype or finger-pointing....the military guys are dragging this discussion back to a central theme....it's not them with the craft....so who is it?

Standing behind a curtain....some commercial company is now wondering...just how long can you hide this 'act', and will someone eventually figure out this whole game.

The alien guys?  I think they are amused how their 'brand' or label has figured into this, and how a fake US program has consumed billions (each year), with nothing to really show.  

My Theory On The Trump Legal Cases 'Hype'

 In 2016, there were a total of 136.7-million people who voted in the United States election of Clinton/Trump.

In 2020, there were a total of 158.4-million people who voted in the United States election of Biden/Trump.

For reference in 2012, Obama/Romney had a total of 129-million.

So from 2012 to 2016, we added a total of 7.7-million.....from 2016 to 2020, we added roughly 22-million.

In my theory....for 2024....I don't believe the 2020 numbers can be sustained.  In fact, it'd would not shock me if we reverted back to around 2016's number of 136-to-138 million.

I don't think Joe Biden or any of the suggested candidates (AOC, Newsom, etc) can generate the hype to get 81-million votes.  

So a reset is needed....a cooling-off election where Trump is not in the landscape....either by x-charge or y-conviction.  Whatever formula comes to exist...Trump has to be excluded for a reset to occur.  

Am I saying anything was faked-up for 2020?  No....what I'm saying is that you can't reproduce the results again...even if you ran President Biden as the candidate.

If there are 20-odd-million votes missing in 2024....how exactly do you think the CNN or Fox analyst can explain this?  People just walked off or disappeared?  The homeless vote that came and went?  Russian involvement in creating votes out of thin air?  

Just a theory that I have.  

The Low IQ Discussion

 In my Air Force years, about every six months, I'd come across someone with exceptionally low IQ.  

They were competent enough to perform normal regular tasks.  If you came to them with a fresh new problem out of thin air?  Well....that usually became a major problem, and any resolution was long and drawn out.

I won't say they were unproductive or a major problem.  It's just that they wanted things to stay 'status-quo'....meaning if things just worked....don't screw it up by changing things.  

For a number of years, I didn't see a problem with these people or status-quo.  

At some point, this group 'morphed' into a weird state of mind....they were anti-status-quo and wanted to bring 'change'.  In most cases, they never considered consequences or assigned a 'cost-factor' to the crapped-up changes they were bringing. 

It hit me one day (1990s)...that they were no longer enlisted people....they were captains, majors, and even generals.  They were people with degrees in some cases.

My guess is....in the 1970s and 1980s....education was weakened enough...that folks with low IQs got into colleges, and were marginally accomplishing a degree.

The problem I now see developing....as long as these people were in the landscape and not in positions of authority....I didn't see a problem with them.  With them in leadership roles?  It starts to worry me a bit.  

Note: If you've never seen the movie 'Idiocracy', you might want to take some time and review it.  Excellent reference material.

The Two Problems With This NY City Trump Grand Jury Business

1.  The bulk of residents in the city are what I'd call 'working-class', and they know that probably over 3,000 incidents a year occur where some Wall Street guy, or some city hall manager, or some Broadway prominent person....pays off some guy or gal for a sexual affair.  

These same jury members are sitting and thinking....no one ever seems to get charged-up, so why does this come up now?  

They aren't stupid....they just see this as BOLD print on the daily newspaper, and ask themselves....will any of the 3,000 incidents ever get picked-up by the federal prosecutor?  

2.  Then we come to the problem of present day crime in NY City, and how no one seems to have a desire to prosecute on assaults or robbery.  This jury could view prosecution now as a joke.

I'm not giving Trump a pass, but when you view the past twenty years of fake news and public skepticism....a Grand Jury review might not have the strength it did....from the 1970s.   

My Two Cents On Micheal Cohen (Trump's 'Advisor')

 Trump has one unusual habit....which he shows over and over.  Fifty percent of the management people he hires....are totally and absolutely incompetent.  We aren't talking about low-level 'normal' incompetent....we are talking 'General George McClellen-incompetent'.  

The more you look at Cohen, I think Trump intentionally brought Cohen on....to fill the role of poor-performer....waiting for something like the Stormy business to occur, and he'd fill one simple role. 

If this NYC case moves forward and Cohen is called to testify?  I expect him to be up there for two days and fall apart on various pieces and parts of his testimony.  The conviction potential?  It totally relies upon a guy who hasn't really shown a lot of brilliant decision-making.   

Murder Story

 I looked at a simple story today....across the nation of 3,143 counties....about 1-percent of the Democratic-run counties (meaning the county commission, DA, etc)...make up 42-percent of America's murder count.

I would suspect if you did the murder count....massive urbanization...meaning big cities of 200,000 or more....probably take up two out of three murders reported.  

Is this a big deal?

Well....only if you live in the counties, and view this from a personal viewpoint (your front yard).  

Three Observations Over All This Trump Hype In Past Month

 1.  For this NYC prosecutor stuff (with Fed prosecutor Bragg)....if he fails to convince the Grand Jury or screws this up....the 'wind' in these news media sails will suddenly just drop, and Trump goes back up to 'unbeatable' status.  

So, I would suggest Bragg's whole career is on the line.  

2.  I would suggest that the Georgia case on Trump is also drifting around and should they also fail....there's another prosecutor with their career lost.  

3. The secret documents charges?  Well...if you move forward on those against Trump....you'd have to prosecute Biden in the same manner.  I just don't see anyone feeling that super-positive over inviting such charges on Biden.  

It's like watching some 7-hour Perry Mason episode with 40-odd murders committed by the accused, and at the end....Perry Mason has cleared the client of all charges.  

Talking Over Mental Health

 I saw this today....PEW study from 3 years ago.

Question went to men and women....if your doctor came up and suggested that you had a mental health condition.  

Around conservative guys....age 18 to 29....around 15-percent of guys said 'yes'.

Around the group at age 50 to 64...it came down to like 8-percent.  

Female conservatives?  They maxed out around age 30 to 49....around 20-percent.

Liberals?  Well....double.  Why?  No one really knows. 

Throughout my Air Force years....18 to 40....no one ever asked mental health questions.  Somewhere around 53, I went to a regular doctor and the nurse asked three questions related to mental health.  I asked why and she just responded it was a regular thing they did in this clinic.

Last year, I ended up at a Air Force clinic....this time the airman nurse must have asked eight questions that went to mental health.  It kinda felt like some Baptist revival episode.....if you wanted to admit you were mentally impaired (I responded no).  Then she rephrased the question.....'no' again.  Then she rephrased another way.  'No' again.  

I then asked....I just came here for blood pressure medication.  Why the questions?

She responded....it's on their 'to-do' list now.

I've contemplated the idea of admitting I was four-star 'Alabama-crazy'....meaning I keep four hunting dogs in the backseat of my Rambler, or I sip whiskey out of a paper-cup all day, or that I've memorized 1,200 lines of scripture from the Old Testament.  But I'm not sure if the nurse would take me crazy or just suggest I was 'faking' it.

If I did admit such....should I admit I'm liberal, moderate, or conservative?  Or should I bring up my revolutionary feelings?

Part of me wants to believe that mental health clinics are getting low on patients, and that this is an attempt to draw new business for the side business.  

Toward August of this year, I'm supposed to show up for my yearly check and the new prescription business.  I would imagine the mental health thing will come up again.  I probably should stick to the 'no' business.  

Another Administration Member Leaving?

 Yesterday....the Biden camp's Assistant Secretary of State, Karen Donfried, came to announce she's leaving the job.

Reason given?  Well....she said 'to spend more time with her family.’

Someone went to examine her background.  She is 60, married, but has no kids.  

So, maybe there is some odd element to the story.  

Her chief job over the past two years?  Mostly the chief attendee for the Biden team of the World Economic Forum.  Just taking a guess here....she was probably getting a lot of BS from the Treasury Department and the financial advisers for Biden...now realizing that most of what she sold as a 'brand'....was utter BS.  

Two Observations

 1.  The White House said yesterday....crypto currency does not give you "any fundamental value, nor do they act as an effective alternative to fiat money."

I pondered over this.  First, from the forty-odd people around Biden...how many hold crypto currency?  I would guess at least five to ten of them....although they won't admit this in public.

Second, to be fair...as you print more cash....the fundamental  value of dollars is crap.  

Finally....why make a statement like this?

2.  Greta Thunberg is apparently going to receive a honorary doctorate degree from a Helsinki, Finland university.  Value?  Zero, but it gives her a title.

Debate Chatter

 I sat and watched an interview with Brit Richard Dawkins.  On my list of influential intellectuals who are worth watching and hearing....he's in the top ten.  What he generally says....makes a lot of sense.

So he go onto the subject of 'safe spaces'.  

For those who aren't into this....these are typically college kids (18-22) who arrive at college and immediately feel that their past world has not prepared them for this moment of truth.  They can't handle various topics of conversation.  You can probably make up a list of a hundred subjects....which can't be discussed in their presence.

This fear business translates into an anxiety-attack.  They literally hyperventilate and start acting like a 5-year old kid....based on words.

Dawkins comment?  "You want to be physically safe, but intellectually you should be challenged."

If the college is simply creating a massive shelter for you....to last four years....how will you be able to handle and cope with reality?  

He has a point, but with all these 'kids' who've arrived at college and unable to handle reality or truth....do you just open the backdoor of the college up and ask them to leave?  Do you require a serious debate class as part of their graduation requirements?  Do you provide rehab?

It's just something to wonder about.  

Ten Observations

1.  I watch a YouTube channel called 'Whatever', which features a male moderator and five college-age ladies.

In a 20-minute discussion....the term 'like' gets uttered by the ladies at least 300 times.  I've never seen this type of language behavior, and wonder where it comes from.

2.  This AM, I watched a clip from last night....a WWE 'Raw' wrestling event....where the bad-guy left the ring and got almost to the exit....when a fan from the audience came out to attack him.  WWE security stepped in....must have been five guys to haul the fan out of the arena.

3.  If you've finished four years of college and a 11-year-old kid can debate you and win....your degree is probably worthless.  

4.  I watched some AM news piece out of NY City....where a young Republicans group was out in protest.  I'd guess there were a max of 20 in the group.  Number of journalists formed up to view this?  I'd guess near sixty.  

5.  I would suggest....just on average....a typical person walking around gets a dozen doses of propaganda....from TV, radio, the internet or newspapers.  

6.  The new laws says that any intelligence report (classified at any level) that deals with Covid origins....must be totally declassified and released to the public.  

Where this leads to?  Unknown.

Personally, I doubt if there is more than ten reports on this, and they probably all come from the same source in Wuhan.

7.  It used to be if you brought the word 'fluid' up in a conversation....you were talking about brake fluid, transmission fluid or wiper fluid....not sex-stuff.  It does seem a bit odd how fluid got shifted around. 

8.  I would suggest that the whole first year of college now....is mostly a rehash of your last two years of high school, and you are mostly shocked that they mention stuff that you never heard about....while in high school.  Then you are shocked that they are charging you money for what is basic high school stuff.

9.  Tik Tok having more persuasion risk.....than anything on US TV networks?  I would suggest that.  

10.  If Cohen is the primary witness in this NYC Trump case, and 50-percent of the case is based on what Cohen says....I'd be questioning the win potential.  If Cohen fails on any 'truth' he says....the case is screwed.  

Seekers of Raw Truth

 I sat and read a piece today....there's this team of professors who got a grant by the DC folks.....to build something called a misinformation fact-checking 'tool'....named "Course Correct."

How much in this grant?  $5.7-million.

Who would use it?  Journalists....medical folks....election officials, and just about anyone against misinformation would just 'dial-in' or access this, and be given 'correct' information.

Where would the correct information come from?  Well...the internet.  But this would be 'sanctioned' information that the government or the machine would 'bless'.

After reading this....I was reminded of that scene in the 'Wizard of Oz'....where the curtain gets pulled from the 'all-mighty' part of the room, and its just a guy speaking.

Was the $5-million wasted?  Yeah, I'd say so.

But I would imagine there are hundreds in DC who believe that a computer could speak raw truth, and you could trust the computer.  It's just that raw plain truth....might be too much for some to handle.  

How A US Banking 'Holiday' Would Proceed?

 Step One:  Between now and the first of April, roughly half-a-million Americans who mostly have in excess of $250,000 in their bank....mostly connected to their retirement, farm, or business....would go and ask for the money in cash.  Primary aim....to deposit it into their safe deposit box.

Banks would strongly caution people NOT to do this.  Then most banks would say that they will cooperate but right now....the max in cash to release is  $10,000.  Overnight, this will scare the crap out of most Americans.

Step Two:  As the limit is established and you realize....it's $10,000 for a two-week period.....the next rush will occur with people using money in the bank to buy crypto currency, gold, silver or attempting to move partial amounts to other banks. 

Step Three: Around 10 days into this business, the President gives some address that a special trillion-dollar deal is struck...saving everyone.  Oddly, they still want you to leave your cash in the bank, and not remove more than $10,000 a month.

Step Four: Zero confidence in President comes up about five days into the trillion-dollar gimmick.  Bitcoin by this point will be near $100,000 per coin.  Gold will be near $3,000 instead of the $1,750 price in mid-Feb.   

Step Five: By the beginning of May, the economy has become stagnant.  Credit cards and ATM cards work....but getting cash is fairly difficult.  The DOW by this point has dropped around 4,000 points.

It's not so much that companies are weak.....it's just that more than 160 bank institutions have gone to a level where they can't provide cash any longer. 

Four Observations

 1.  This money that the Chinese sent to Hunter, and onto Joe (via Hunter)....could it just be that the Chinese had way too much money and felt sorry for the Biden 'clan'....that they were 'poor' by Chinese standards?  

2.  Pence theatrical 'show'?  I hate to admit it, but anytime now that he appears on the air....I automatically 'mute'.

3.  Hate to suggest it....but after Trump is arrested this week...with numbers going up...I suspect several Democrats will realize arrests have a positive trend.  So they will try to develop scenarios where they can be arrested and get national attention for their campaigns.

4.  Warren Buffet was supposed to be meeting with White House officials this weekend to discuss the banking crisis.  

From the dozen officials in the room....all will be shocked that Buffet seems to grasp failed business practices and poor banking strategies....something that none of the White House staff can understand.

NYC Funny Justice

 The one odd thing about this NYC attempt to prosecute on Trump....it goes to Alvin Bragg.

So if you went to view 2022 news bits....it's a funny thing.

At that point....say mid-2022, Bragg made some pledge in public that he just wouldn't prosecute misdemeanor resisting arrest.  Even though it was so still written into state law.

Then he pledged to avoid cases involve obstruction of government administrations.

Then he promised not to handle cases involving prostitution....even though that was against the state law.

More or less....Bragg cherry-picks what he does and when he does these attempts to force or not enforce state law.  

Maybe some folks would walk into a Grand Jury and not notice this pledge business....but I would imagine half the people in the Grand Jury business would remember this, and just ask stupid questions why he handle law cases this way.  

Either you are a prosecutor full-time, or you are a political tool for someone.  

I hate to suggest it, but Trump could walk into the court....see some chance to engage in prostitution with some gal, and Bragg couldn't do much about it because of the pledge crap.  

Money Topic

 Over the weekend, just something I noticed.

Across the US, using all banks under FDIC's view....there's around 600 billion in 'unrealized' losses.  

From the chart, you can say since the end of 2021...with bond rates increasing....old bonds were sitting there without any interest from the banks to dump or finding consumers to purchase.  

Desperation is a word I'd use. 

What happens if people start walking into banks to remove their cash or just get it in bills to place in a safe deposit box?  A collapse leading to bank closures.

What the Fed would do, or the President?  I would assume they'd invent 1929-like tactics....a 7-day closure and on reopening, you'd be limited to no more than $1,000 a week being removed.  On paper, your money might exist to the full extent possible, but only with the gov't printing out a trillion-odd dollars to suggest to your satisfaction.

I would also suggest a lot of people just aren't that business-savvy and would believe for 30 days that the temp-closure and weekly limit was a temp thing.  I'm of the mind it could be gov't policy for the remainder of the Biden term.  

But here's the thing.....is the $600-billion unrealized losses the limit?  I would suggest that they'd have to wipe out the losses on paper....to regain your trust.  How'd you make the unrealized losses disappear?  A curious problem, I admit. 

Just something to ponder. 

People That Don't Work

 I was reading an article about a month ago.....which went to the subject of how many Americans are in the prime-age group of 18-to-45 year old folks....but don't work.  Their estimate?  Around 3-million able-bodied people simply don't work anymore.  

Reasons given?  Drugs, alcohol, lack of respect for past work efforts, pay-scale at the same level as welfare, lost desires.  

It's been on my mind.  The numbers given?  There's zero scientific data to work with.  So I'm of the mind it could be this number....it could be even more.

Who sponsors these people?  Well....mom and dad usually.  

How long can this type of situation carry on?  That's the problem I'd worry about.  

When you have a 35-year old loser in the house, and both parents pass on....then what?  This part of the story is left to you....to wonder about.  

Five Books I Recommend Over 1929, The Era Prior, And The Crash

 1.  Manias, Panics and Crashes (Aliber, 2015)

2.  A Rabble of Dead Money (Morris, 2018)

3.  The Forgotten Man (Shales, 2009)

4.  Once in Golconda (Brooks, 2014)

5.  Bubble in the Sun (Knowleton, 2020)

Having watched a fair amount of analysis in the past two weeks....I'll just say that virtually no one has a understanding of how 1929 came to occur, and how we lingered for a decade after that...unable to proceed.  

What Is Gell-Mann Amnesia?

 In simple terms....you watched a 10-minute segment on Fox or MSNBC or CNN....and by the end....you as an expert on business, look at the business report presented....then realize that the journalist involved...knows nothing much over the topic presented.

It works in football.

It works in politics.

It works in corruption.

It works in crime.

It works in stock analysis.

It works in technology.

It works in religion.

It works in Covid.

It works in healthcare.

The second part of the Gell-Mann Amnesia...is that you tend to over look page 2, which relates an entirely different story, but might have the same exact traits (a planted fake story).

I should note here....it was a physicist who created the concept....not a journalist. 

This Current Trump Drama

 It's mostly about Stormy getting paid by Cohen (the campaign boss), and the money coming out of campaign funds.  

The key problem?  Well....if Trump wrote a check to cover this, from his campaign account....there's some check.  And whatever is in the 'FOR' column matters.  

If Trump wrote 'sex fee' or 'whoring around fee'....then there's trouble.  

But remember....Cohen paid this originally out of his pocket.

If Trump wrote 'legal fee'?  Well....the case is pretty doomed.  

I'm no lawyer, but I'll state the obvious....what you write in the 'FOR' column of a check really does matter, and you sure as hell don't want to write something stupid (like whoring-around).  

If Cohen says his interpretation of 'legal fee' is X, and Trump says Y?  Well...the case drops like a rock. 

If this were me....I'd go into the box and when asked about this....I'd get all descriptive about the whoring-around....she showed up in a pink flamingo outfit....danced some Irish-jig....and we watched some Bonanza episode later, with a diet-soda each.  

Then I'd say that Cohen offered me some advice.....I took it, and he said his advice $170,000.  I'd say in NY City....that's the going rate for advice.

Jury would just laugh, and say 'not guilty'.  

Bill Clinton's Story

 Just for the record....Bill Clinton paid Paula Jones $850,000 in 1998....for 'damages'.

No one....to this day....can cite which pocket the money came from, or if was related to campaign funds, or if some friend slipped Bill the money.  

Just one of a hundred-odd facts over the Clinton era.  

And just for the record, Paula never said she had sex with Bill....just that he sexually harassed her by asking for a hotel room 'event'.  

My View of The Banking Crisis

 Ten observations:

1.  FDIC wrote the regulation to say they will cover personal accounts up to $250,000.  Once they go past that (in the SVB case) and say into millions.....they might invent a rule to protect 'other' accounts, but then the FDIC fund is finished (emptied out) before it gets to the rest.

If there are other banks (I would suggest no fewer than forty banks) who will default in the same fashion (probably before mid-summer)....then the 9-billion-dollar fund that FDIC has will be long-gone.  The House/Senate would then have to invent money out of thin air to cover the others, up to the $250,000 level.

Will lawsuits then occur against the Treasury folks for saving big accounts for SVB and not the rest?  Yes, and this will go on for several years.  For the House/Senate to resolve this mess?  You'd be talking about several trillion dollars.

It's a bigger mess than people think. 

2.  Yellen of the Treasury Department?  

She's 76, and based on the Senate hearing yesterday, I'd say she's way beyond her capability.  About one out of every three questions....were 'headlight' type answers....she couldn't answer them.

Like Biden, old age is hindering her ability.

3.  Can any of this crisis be resolved in 2023?

I would dispute this mindset and suggest that we are handing the 2024 Presidential campaign a major economic issue.  

4.  Do any of these 3-minutes speeches by President Biden really bring confidence into the banking situation?  No, and the more often you do this....the more it becomes a comedy act.

5.  The single most important figure of any bank....is the risk management officer.  If this person was hired for non-risk management skills/talents....you need to pack your money up and move elsewhere. 

6.  If the Treasury Department is going to 'make good' all the folks who lost tons of money beyond the $250,000 limit.....you'd basically hand the lost money back to them....giving them yet another chance to take high risks, and yet lose the second batch of money as well.

Are you set for a 2nd saving job....possibly even a 3rd saving job?

7.  Somewhere in all this SVB chatter.....someone noted that the SVB bank offered a 'personal' deal....where if you placed their business account with the bank....the 'VIP' could get some kind of 'below-market mortgage' account.

Illegal?  No.  

How much is this 'below-market' deal?  No one is really saying....it might only amount to a quarter-point lower rate.  But the problem is....it's gotten out in public and will beg questions.  

8.  If you count both SVB and Signature Bank (both failed), they had around $263-billion in deposits.  That's the total amount from all the failed banks of 2008.  

From this point on.....it's a bigger mess than 2008 (which we all thought was a five-star mess).

9.  KPMG is a audit and review company that gives a stamp of approval over banks.  It's an odd thing....KPMG, 2 weeks prior to the SVB collapse, gave them a clean bill of health.

Then it's a 2nd odd thing....KPMG, 11 days prior to Signature Bank's failure....gave them a clean bill of health.

Makes you wonder....did the two banks just fail over night, or did the two hide their problems well enough that KPMG couldn't find the issues?

10.  Just odd....the risk-control officer for a major bank (SVB)....says that they want a executive job....not related to risk management (April 2022). They don't want retirement or to quit....just some executive position.

SVB invents such a position.

Then the risk-control position remains empty for 8 months.

Hard to believe?  Most companies would have advertised and interviewed within 6 weeks after the person left.  Did they do that (the HR crew) and the people who applied....considered the job, found the issues....spoke to having to sell the bonds, and the CEO said 'no'?  You have to wonder.

Why did the original risk-control officer want another job?  Never explained.  

Hunter's Laptop

 This week, I noticed that Hunter Biden is suing the computer repair shop....for invading his privacy when he failed to return to pick up his laptop.  

I've sat and pondered over this.

Why didn't Hunter ever come back to pick up the laptop?  He's never been interviewed on this....or explained why he was just 'dumping' it.

When I was stationed at Rhein Main Air Base....the base laundry (at the BX) would hold a inventory once a year, and determine all the items which had been sitting there for 60 days or more, and have a 'sale'.  

I stood there one day....at least sixty items laid out.  Most were uniforms, with stripes sewn on.  Someone had dropped off a field jacket, with MSgt stripes sewn on....never came back to pick it up.  I checked the size....perfect fit me.  The lady in charge just wanted $4....so I bought it (taking off the stripes and name-tag of course).

Yeah, it did cross my mind....how did the MSgt just leave the jacket there?  There's probably some story.  The guy may have had some medical emergency.  Maybe his wife dumped him and tore up the laundry slip?  

I'm left with the only logical answer for the Hunter/laptop mess.....he was so messed up on cocaine....that he just plain forget he even owned a laptop. 

Three Things I Expect by Election Day 2024

1. I expect President Biden (probably by late 2023) to stumble down the Air Force One steps (at least six steps), and have an ambulance carry him off while cameras are turned off while he lays on the steps or ramp area.

At the hospital, they will let you know he's badly bruised up and will be there a week.  In truth, he'll have a broken hip.

While in this situation and in harsh pain....he'll ask for pain-killers and they will remark that he can have them but VP Harris has to be sworn to carry the nuke codes while under the influence. Joe's wife will say 'no', and demand the pain-killers anyway.

Around the 10th day of this 'game'....someone will admit finally that Biden has a broken hip and is on pain-killers.

For a period of 2 months, Biden will be in a recovery status.  Travel after this period will be mostly non-existent.

2.  I expect Antifa will be seriously active in Atlanta....to the point that locals start to carry guns and threaten the lives of Antifa members..

At this point....the FBI will arrive and began to confiscate weapons and arrest people for threatening Antifa.  

Confidence with the FBI....even by black members of the community....will be shaken.  

3.  While Governor Newsom of California is likely the early top candidate for the Democrats....his finance issues and accomplishments/failures in the state....will be a negative thing for him to overcome.  AOC will be the chief candidate for the party in the end.

When A Bar Is Not A Bar

 Years ago, I worked with a Air Force NCO who was wrapping up his 20 years...retiring, and was in the mindset to open a bar.  Neither he or his wife were really into the bar management business....but they felt this was a simple idea.

About a month before he retires....he's returned to work and discusses the liquor license business.  Whoever laid out the requirements...went into various details how you could be denied the license, and how you could lose the license.  There must have been ten different ways that some city/state inspector could walk in....review the situation, and shut you down.  Without the license, your entire investment was 'finished' (wiped-out).

So one of the details he laid out....if you had an underage kid in the shop....just drinking a soda (at least in this state)....it could be grounds to shut you down.  

This past week, I observed this Florida story, where the luxury hotel had run some trans 'story-hour' for kids....in the bar area.  

Had this been done in the conference center or in some coffee shop....there wasn't much that could be done.  However, they had this in the bar area.

Someone in management should have some knowledge over liquor laws and the license, and just said....you know, lets move this to an area outside of the bar.  But no....that didn't occur.

The Governor?  Well...he went to the liquor board and a review occurred.  The license for the resort is suspended.  There will be some appeal and I'm guessing high-priced lawyers will argue that shutting down the license is unfair.

Adult leadership?  That's the part that makes no sense.  If the state law is clear and you aren't supposed to have kids in a bar (even if they drink water).....then you have a problem.  Yet the bartender and staff never alert the hotel 'boss' over this development?  

As you admire the landscape across the nation presently.....it's like some massive drug-party occurred and a quarter of the nation is doped-up.   They aren't able to grasp whats going on or how it might affect their success.

Running a 4-star hotel/resort.....with a bar that can only serve soda, coffee or water?  That's not a resort attraction.    

Officer Chatter

 I read through commentary today, where an individual had several long chats with enlisted folks (NCOs/Airman) from the Air Force, and got onto the topic of 'wokeism'. 

Up and down the line....the enlisted people were figuring it was about 99-percent (within their group) anti-woke, anti-Marx, and anti-Communist.  

Then the subject went to officers....who were pretty much committed to being pro-woke....yet still showing a strong tendency to being anti-Communist/anti-Marx.

So, here's the odd thing to think about.  If you lined up non-military people and identified a hundred people who were committed to being pro-woke.....the same people (near 100-percent) would at least lean to being pro-Communist and pro-Marx.

It would defy logic, when laying out this path on the officers.

I sat and pondered over this.

Woke-people for the most part....are generally anti-capitalist, and lean a good bit toward socialism/capitalism.  If you laid out Marx chatter....they'd be somewhat agreeable.

This position by the officers make little sense.  Course, you have to remark that these are the enlisted guys who are making this observation.  

With around 30 years around the service, and working in three generally different fields (civil engineering, intel, and comm)....I have this generally different prospective about the officers I worked around.  Each had a different view of the job, and how to prioritize things.  The intel officers often sought to use logic in decisions.....it was less so with the comm officers. 

All this chatter....laying down a serious problem?  Yeah....it begs how you will wake the officers up, and if they eventually reach a point where they are anti-capitalist in nature. 

Meds Story

 Rumor says....Senator John Fetterman will remain in the hospital a couple more weeks.  Reason suggested?  'To get meds right.'

At one point in my life, I worked with a guy who had a 18-year old daughter that was bi-polar.  It was at the level that she would never be able to be productive or employed.

So one day...the doctor over her....had this new brand of medication that they wanted to prescribe.  Old medication would halt, and the new medication would start.  There was to be a one-week stay in some clinic, to be continually observed.

Then the daughter was released. 

About a week passes by, and the guy (with his wife) and daughter decide to do a quiet drive into central Virginia....to an apple orchard.  Things went fine for the first six hours of this day.

Then it comes time to plan the return....which they decide to stop at some restaurant.

About ten minutes into the sitting......there's a sign or two that the daughter is about to get unhinged.  Arguments mount.  A verbal situation occurs, and there's some stuff thrown around.  The medication?  With the stress of the day and energy released....it'd worn off too quickly.  

Restaurant calls the cops.

Cops arrive, and decide that 'dad' is the root cause and detains him....taking him to the county jail.

Mom is now left with the unhinged daughter, and questioning the cops on how she can return the kid home. 

Eventually, the cops call the county hospital and decide to hold the daughter in some medical situation.

Wife returns to Fairfax area....by herself.  There, she calls their lawyer, and he gets some bail situation for the dad.

About a month later, court convenes and the whole story is laid out.  No charges.  But the judge kinda hints that the daughter can't really reside at home any longer....she needs full-time observation. 

I kinda look at Fetterman's case and wonder.....they are trying various meds to help the guy....finding there's almost nothing that resolves his problems.  

Maybe he does return to the Senate, but it wouldn't shock me if  it's for just a 90-day period, and then he returns to the hospital once again.  

My Theory On Alien Visitation 'Tourism'

 I have an odd theory....no science or facts behind it.....just simply a belief....that an alien culture (or two)....hang around the Earth mostly on a tourism situation.

Lets face up to this....this crowd of aliens is probably anywhere from 10,000 to a million year more advanced.  I would suggest that life has gotten to such a slow level....that 'Zorg' and 'Buorg' have found a need to recharge their batteries.  So they spend a year or two....learning some Earth language, and sign up for a tour....maybe six months long....maybe three years long.

The ship takes in a load of 300 alien tourists each week, and via some fake company they've created....have a credit card and hotel reservations arranged.  

Zorg and Buorg look enough like humans....that with a funny accent, they arrive in some place like Norway, or Ottawa, or Miami.....they settle in and get a taste of Earth culture.

Along the way, Zorg and Buorg ran into pronoun issues (they weren't expecting that), the Trump thing (they weren't expecting that), and daily assaults in major urban areas.  

It's a crazy idea....I admit.  But it begs the question....if you were this highly advanced culture, why keep visiting Earth, and tourism makes perfect sense.

Ten Types of People I Can't Be Around Any Longer

 1.  People that engage on lecturing me (doesn't matter if it's 30 seconds or 30 minutes).

2.  People that have personal woes/problems on a daily basis....that seem  to be unresolved no matter what happens.

3.  Both guys and gals who seemed 'locked' in 1980s fashion.

4.  22-year old 'kids' who have a college degree but seem to be 12-years old in terms of behavior and knowledge.  

5.  Women who wear pajamas for casual-wear....for airline flights.

6.  People who are in a position of decision-making, but in the majority of situations....can't pull the trigger or make a decision.

7.  People who readily create an atmosphere of 'emergency'.....for just about everything that occurs within their reach.

8.  People (especially managers) with no goals.  People with fake goals are even ranked worse in my book.

9.  Individual with a PhD....that is hopeless beyond his/her expertise.

10.  People whose life hinges on pronoun activity.  

Kid's Note BS

 President Biden did some chat deal with this letter from some kid (probably in the 5-to-6 year old range)....talking about unfair wages between men and women.

I watched the White House 'con' and kinda laughed.

I will admit some kid wrote it, but I would imagine they copied it from mom's notes.

This being something you drag up for adult consumption?  No.

Seven Observations

 1.  At the end of 2020, you could buy SVB bank stock at $400 a share (up from 2016's $100 a share).  By the 3rd quarter of 2021.....it was nearing $700 a share.  Then it started dropping month by month.  January of this year.....$250 to $300 a share....a massive drop.

They had to be enticing people from 2016 on, and those with shares in the SVB stock....are screwed today....royally.

2.  At some point, Antifa is going to be on some terror list given to the FBI, and a lot of people who hold college debt/school jobs....are going to be dumped into a fed prison visit for a couple of years....with no ability to ever pay their debt.

3.  In an average week....there must be ten occasions now that I see President Biden in a confused state of mind.  

4.  Apparently, three of the wineries that Governor Gavin Newsom (California) owned.....had their business accounts with SVB.  Up to $250,000 each....they are covered.  Beyond that?  

5.  Blaming Trump for SVB financial crisis?  The new WH has had two years to correct all mistakes....so it's hard to drag this out and BS that you couldn't figure out the screw-up here.

6.  Lot of optimistic chatter about Senator Fetterman returning to 'full-power' in two weeks.  Basically, with his past stroke....you can figure he has about three to six weeks of limited work upon the 'return'....then falling back to a hospitalization episode.  He'll repeat this at least two more times in 2023.

7.  My advice on how to watch President Biden?  Try to find a channel with a deaf 'hand-speaker' and watch for the confused facial expressions as they try to 'explain' things.

The 'Mute' Reality

 "If Liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear."

(It's a somewhat fake quote).

Some people will argue that the quote came from George Orwell....when he tried to market 'Animal Farm'....finding almost no publisher willing to handle it.  Some revisions occurred, and this quote got 'cut'.  Years later, it would be found in text of the original document.

It's a quote that probably bothers people a good bit....when thrown out in a discussion.  

Is there a limit?  I would suggest that everyone has a list of things they'd rather not listen to or hear a lecture on.

My list?  I'd rather not have to listen to Joe Biden speak at length (60 seconds is probably my limit).  I'd rather not have to hear a 30-minute podcast over Bigfoot.  I'd rather avoid having three PhD types discuss Quantum physics.  I'd rather not sit at a diner....having breakfast, and have two ladies sitting there and talking over their failed marriages.  

I'm often critical of the 'con' situation...where I'm getting BS at a top level....where some Jesus political figure is selling his 'con'.  I can see the past dozen Presidents in this way.  

I've worked with people who had zero trust in US government doing the 'right-thing'......oddly, while still employed by the federal government.   They really didn't want to hear the BS story that was supposed to whip them up in a frenzy and get hyped up about the new path.

Did Orwell have a point about this quote?  I would imagine while sitting in some pub in the 1920s....he probably came to this reality.  But in this case....if you didn't want to engage with Orwell at the pub....you'd just take your glass to another table, or just walk out of the pub.  It wasn't a case where we needed Lincoln debating Jefferson.  

Life is crappy around the edges....no matter how much chatter goes on.  It's just that we want to hear certain things, and would prefer to 'mute' the lesser of the list. 

Woke Story

 I sat this AM and watched a 10-minute podcast where someone (moderator) was asking a trans-woman to define woke.

What followed....was about a two-minute frame of the trans-woman stumbling around, and being unable to define it.  Yeah, it resembled what a 9-year old kid would say about nuclear energy, or what a 40-year old non-intellectual would say about disk brakes.  

The general problem is that people have reached a new stage in life where the explanation will be deemed 'reckless' or 'ill-advised'.....meaning you can't utter the explanation without making pro-woke people look like idiots.  So the best advice here....if asked to define woke, you need to pull out a bottle of whiskey....toss back ten shots as quickly as possible, and say you aren't in shape to think along these lines.

The fact that we now have outsiders and insiders to the woke discussion....with the realization that reality is too amusing to handle? Well.....yeah, that is noticeable now.

Are there yearly changes to woke?  I think as early as 2010.....you could assign a definition, and as you advanced every other year (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022).....you would need to sit....pausing over the term.

That this started off in some positive trend?  Some people suggest that.

Is woke a fad to end one day?  I'm probably of the belief that it will trend out at some point.  

About That Alien Chatter

 If you go and review the news this AM....there is this new research paper written by some guy (probably a PhD contractor) in the Pentagon's All-Domain Anomaly Resolution Office.  

Topic?  They suggest that a 'alien' mothership is resting somewhere in our area of the universe, and they use smaller 'pod' shops to bring Zorg and his associates over to see the Earth.

BS?  The problem here....it's just a scientific 'guess'....which the Pentagon folks are sitting and thinking over.

I sat and pondered over this.  To be honest, I've been on this subject in a serious thinking level for a decade.

I have no doubt that visitations have occurred, and multiple cultures have come and checked out things on Earth.  

It wouldn't even shock me that Earth has been used as a 'vacation' spot for alien cultures to arrive and spend a month or two....in some relaxed 'west-world-like' situation.

If you were highly advanced (say 10,000 years ahead of Earth).....you might get a thrill off eating Papa John's pizza, watching episodes of Baywatch, or listening to Bee Gee's music.  

Hiding a mother-ship?  You could easily park such a ship on the far side of the moon....since it doesn't rotate.  Or you could park it on the hidden side of Mars.

The question is.....is this starting to bother White House people?  I'm not talking about Joe Biden....I mean the next forty people around him.

Just weird stuff, but it's to the point now that you have to start accepting 50-percent of this chatter probably is not a conspiracy or fake story.  

My Humble Thoughts On the Louisville Breonna Taylor Episode

 Eleven thoughts.

1.  Oddly, before any of this police action on 13 March 2020 (where she died)....Taylor and a guy with a last name of Glover.....rented a car in December of 2016.  They 'loaned' the car to a guy named Fernandez Bowman....who was found shot eight times.....in the car.  

Nothing much over the Bowman-dead story has ever been discussed.  Police did examine the car and just note that it was a rental....which ties Taylor and Glover to it. 

For most people....if you ever rented a car, you probably wouldn't loan it to someone. Added to this....you might be in for problems as you handed it back to the rental company....with shot-holes in it.

Whoever shot the guy....unloaded the whole clip into him.  It was personal.  

2.  In this period of 2016 to 2020....just a fair amount of stories where Glover has money coming in and Taylor is part of some handling of the money.  Just about everything says 'drug's when you figure how the money moves.

3.  Local cops are continually focused on Glover and a second guy (Walker) for this whole period. 2017 goes by.....2018 goes by....2019 goes by.  Just aa lot of watching.

4.  Local cops get a 'no-knock' search warrant for early 2020....for a residence that Taylor resides at.  Why?  They seem to believe that the drugs arrive there and get dispersed out to Glover/Walker.  

Here's the odd thing....the cops say that postal authorities are involved and reviewing packages that are delivered there.  After the screwed-up raid....the postal authorities are dragged up to a judge and say 'no'....they never saw such packages.  It would appear someone simply make up a lie...to cover the request for the raid.  

5.  There's about ten different ways of looking how they raided the apartment on 13 March 2020.  He said....she said situation.

Taylor's new BF (at this point) says he and Taylor both thought this was a criminal gang breaking into the apartment.  

The warning shot fired (either by Taylor or the BF)?  This is up for discussion.  The BF said he fired it originally....later saying it was Taylor.

The one cop hit?  There's a fair amount of discussion....that this warning shot fired....didn't hit him, and maybe a round from the other police instead....was the cause of the wound.

6.  How many rounds did the cops fire?  Well....32 rounds.  Yeah, it was a pretty fierce gun-battle on their part.  Taylor was hit by a minimum of five of them (maybe even six).

7.  Here's the odd thing....after all these rounds fired and the excitement of the moment.....there's zero evidence that the search warrant was ever presented (to either Taylor or the BF).  Oddly, there's not a complete search of the apartment for drugs, money or whatever....afterwards.

8. Oddly, about 7 months would pass, and this 'friend' of Glover was found dead (Walker, 19 Nov 2020).  All cops say....he's found shot dead....end of the story.  

9.  Was Breonna hanging out with the wrong crowd?  That part isn't really disputable.  If she'd just been dating....it was marginally bad.  But the part where the rental car was part of some associate's death....just makes her friendships suspect.  

10.  Was the no-knock raid crapped-up?  Yeah.  There's a dozen smarter ways this could have been handled....even serving the search warrant while they were out of the residence.  

11.  Excessive shooting?  You can discuss this a good bit.  I'm more shocked that only one cop was wounded in this mess.  

So to the final note, on wrongful death dynamics....on a scale of one to ten....it's a solid ten.  Just a lot of errors that kept piling up and no one suggesting better ways of doing things. 

How Does a Run On a Bank Really Start Up?

 This is my descriptive 'trail'.

You'd be laying there around midnight when the phone rings.  It's your cousin, who is hyped...possibly drunk....telling you to go into the bank when it opens and remove your money.  Nothing much makes sense....but he says two key facts.  

You hang up....thinking he was just drunk.  Thirty minutes pass, with you thinking about these two key things that he said.

You get up and figure....what the hell, I'll call my church friend....Deacon Bob. Yes, at 12:30 to 1:00 AM....you call him up.

Deacon Bob is married to a gal who works in the bank. 

After about 12 rings, Deacon Bob picks up and you greet him with some witty Bible verse....to launch into what your cousin said.  After two minutes of your chatter....Deacon Bob is quiet for about 20 seconds, then responds that 'yes, there's some issues at the bank'. 

It's not a big bank, but it's part of some 20 bank 'chain' in the state.

Deacon Bob then explains about some bond program, and crappy management by two bank executives, and how they are 100-million into a crisis period.

Deacon Bob then says....things might smooth out and resolve itself.  The bank is looking at selling itself to a sister-bank.  

You thank Deacon Bob and tell him you feel reassured (you really aren't reassured).

After hanging up....you call your business associate and two friends....to suggest immediately removing all cash at 9 AM when they open.

You arrive at 7 AM.....to find there's already sixty people in line.  By 9 AM.....there's more than 400 people in line.

While the bank opens, they are limiting entry to only 8 people at a time. 

As customer 12 exits....the guard locks the door.  Basically....all cash that the bank held is gone.  Some clerk does come out and says they've ordered more cash.  It'll be delivered shortly after 1 PM.  But then comes the key note....things are hectic and you will be limited to only $5,000 on a withdrawal (per week).

This is your basic run script.  

In 1929, business operations that tried to continue on....couldn't get the employee pay situation under control.  On the books, they had a $100,000 in the bank and should be able to walk in and ask for $8,000 a month for employee salary.  Well....the banks couldn't issue the $8,000 and so the commercial operation ceased operation.  One after another....shut down because capital flow could not be accomplished.  

Restarting the flow?  With what cash?  Throughout the 1929 to WW II starting up....there was no cash flow.  The fed?  Either intentionally or just so weakened by the mess....they just left the crap on the floor.  

The Thing About Incompetent People

 I was reading a piece today, and suddenly....someone made the statement....is there some surge of incompetency that has erupted today and spans from the government to the commercial world.

Probably since 2008....I've generally felt that way.

I won't say the vast number of people I come across are incompetent....but in general...walking around either in Europe, or in the US....I have this gut feeling that a quarter of the folks that I need something transaction or work out out of....are lacking.

Often, I've sat and thought....are they smoking some weed?  Are they sipping a bit of whiskey?  Are they just a lower IQ person?  

I'll be at a airport check-in, and feel this way.

I'll be at a gas station, and feel this way.

I'll try to deal with some banking person, and feel this way.

I'll be on the phone with a customer service person, and feel this way.

I brought this up while working at the Pentagon, and someone responded that they had to interview around a dozen people for a job (wasn't a job with responsibility or requiring college).  At the end, at least half of the dozen were disqualified because they either seemed low-IQ or seemed 'out-of-focus' (like they were on medication).  

It'd be interesting if this was observed in the 1960s/1970s by people as well....like it's not a new thing....just a normal thing about people.

Am I bothered by it?  I try to overlook their problems and just exit as quickly as possible.

Ten Observations

 1.  The thing about all this lab leak/Covid chatter.....there's not a single day in America, where some industry mechanism screws up and a 'mess' is created which requires a 'clean-up'.  In China?  There's probably forty-odd screw-ups each day.  So this whole Covid non-leak business is more or less a joke.

2.  Whether you like it or not....there's two divisions of banks in America....the ones you will save without thinking, or the ones you allow to dissolve....never regretting your bold non-action.

3.  Bitch-slaping someone....probably ought to be a 3rd degree misdemeanor....meaning you pay $5 for the act.  

4.  If you've never read up on the 'Winter War' where Finland accomplished a 'Ukraine-like' halt to the Soviet Army.....you might want to go spend 30 minutes reading up on the episode.  I don't think Putin ever read over that part of Soviet history.

5.  Whether bright or not....this May....Ukraine will get a listing of where they stand on joining the EU.  It'll just irk Putin and the Kremlin twice over.

6.  Someone started a trend where Trans-women are referred to as 'women-plus'.  Not sure how they mean the plus.

7.  And just like that....the Silicon Valley Bank sold for exactly 1 Brit Pound to HSBC.  It would have been worth several billion a month ago.

8.    One interesting factor about HSCB's landscape (owning SVB now).....they hate crypto, with a passion.

9.  We talk more about 'failures' today....than successes.  Isn't that odd?

10.  The day will come where you (as a guy) will know more Women-plus or Trans-women....than actual real women.  

Just Something To Remember About Conclusions

 As Yorg and Gorg left the valley as cavemen....there has been this understanding in our verbal language....that when you state a conclusion....there can only be three things to come up.

First, you can reflect upon things and offer up some reasonable end-statement....which sums up the discussion or argument.  It can be just a one-liner, or a full page.

Second, you can offer judgement....which means a critical thought process and perhaps some unkind words to your 'friend' or now to be 'former-friend'.

Third and final....you can state a call-to-action....meaning you want people disturbed or hyped-up.  I'll just say that a quarter of the time, you haven't really thought this action out, and it might be a tricky ending....dissolving into chaos or revolution (especially if you were in France).

Are conclusions to be avoided?  Well....how?  Once you open up a discussion or argument....things have to be summed up in the end.

Are conclusions something that ought to be stressed in high school?  I'd go out and suggest that by the time some 18-year old kid has finished school....he should have spent a good twenty hours in some conclusion training and be able to analyze things to some marginal degree.

All of this being Greek philosophy in some hidden way?  Well....yeah, but lets not bring up this fact.