Seven Things Likely To Unfold By The End Of 2026

1.   Iran will collapse....with Trump declaring victory.  Within six months of this event....the US does a drawdown of troops in NATO.

2.  Oil will drop to around $60/barrel. 

3.  Interest rates will be cut 3 times.

4.  As late-night comedy shows dissolve away....no one seems to really miss them. 

5.  With the exception of the west coast....unemployment will drop below 4%.

6.  Republicans will win mid terms.  Figure a shift of 30 Democratic seats....flipped, and at least three Senate seats.

7.   At least ten small airports are ordered shutdown by President Trump...over the TSA crisis (still unresolved).  Oddly, all ten are in Democratic districts.

Hugging Story

I wrote this originally in 2018...about eight years ago.

My brother and I got into a discussion over a marginally serious event in the Alabama home-town....over excessive hugging, which got the local non-Alabamian doctor arrested on charges.  

The gals being hugged....felt it was overly dramatic and maybe borderline 'wrong'.  The country prosecutor apparently accepted their version and so....some version of a court case will open up over lusty hugging versus general hugging. 

Generally, I would take the position that the less hugging you do....the better off you are, but some folks think that a hug-a-day is Ok.....unless you grab ahold of someone in some inappropriate way.  In Alabama, we don't really have regulations  over hands in the middle of a hug. 

But my brother keyed into the topic that we'd be better off if the local channel (WHNT) ought to have a Doctor Phil type program that takes on Alabama topics.

I paused over this.  The problem is that most Alabama folks have a variety of problems that might shock folks nationally, and the Alabama Doctor Phil might be pretty weird.

For example....we have a lot of veterinarians in Alabama, and they've all got four-star stories over critters, fallen mules, killer-cows, and hunting dogs.  They'd take up a number of these local Dr Phil shows.

Then we have fallen Baptist ministers....who huffed on some magic 'smoke' and did some indecent acts with the Wurlitzer organ lady at the church.  Or they went to some conference in Tampa and got caught with a guy in ladies clothing.  Or they fell into some demon spell and hooked up with a Beverly Hills ventriloquist lady who does a sermon-episode with puppets. 

We also have NCAA obsessive folks who spend near $6,000 a year on personal attendance at various games (sometimes as far away as Texas), and chat only on NCAA football. 

We also have former female high school associates that suddenly show up twenty-five years after graduation and want to let you know that they've been obsessed with you ever since the senior year, and they are finally free of that idiot husband that they dumped.  You kinda stand there and admit after three minutes....you don't remember them or their name.  They'd like to talk to Dr Phil about this problem now.

We also have those folks who've gotten into some obsession about Mennonites, often dressing up to look like them, and using Mennonite-language accents.....while driving modern cars and violating the general standards of the group.  In simple terms, they just want to look fake-Mennonite.  They could probably go to the WHNT Dr Phil and talk about their problem.

There's also those folks who woke up one morning after being a Democrat for thirty years of their life and suddenly jabber away that they feel 'changed'.....like they could possibly vote for Trump.  They've talked this over with neighbors who think they've suffered a stroke or had some emotional breakdown. 

Finally, you've got those Alabama folks who approach age fifty-five and start talking about this wild idea of moving to Alaska or Idaho.  You, as a concerned relative or neighbor, want to get them some special help, and maybe this Alabama-style Dr Phil could get them back into the right state of mind. 

Yeah, we probably need such a Dr Phil. 

The Sage Guy

Generations ago, when Greeks held 90-percent of the wisdom on the face of the Earth (so they'd often brag)....you had these guys walking around who were Sage thinkers.  They were different from philosophers. 

Plato tried to explain the difference the two guys (sagists and philosophers).  The sage people had what the philosophers were already seeking.....but then he kinda left this on the table.....never explaining what exactly the sage folks had in the first place.

In simple terms....sage folks weren't that interested or thrilled with knowledge, facts, or wisdom.  In some ways, they figured that this kinda cluttered up the details part of a mess. 

Plato went on to write up a piece on sages.....saying in Theaetetus, that sage folks were 'righteous, holy and wise'.  The suggestion was....they were set to make good and sensible decisions.  You were supposed to listen to them. 

In this time period (going back 2,000 years) sages were typically the folks that you turned to in the village or city....to describe a serious problem going on, and then generally ask for advice.  It really didn't mean that they were book-smart, successful businessmen, clever at math or science, or extremely moralistic.  It's just that they could look at a problem.....ask a few questions, and then offer a middle-of-the road opinion about how to proceed. 

Yes, they were a bit stoic in nature, susceptible to intense reasoning 'pains', and prone to offer up a blunt opinion about folks with the problems. 

If you stand view things in modern society, we have an awful lot of fake sages.  They'd like for you to believe their wit, and problem-solving abilities.  Pretenders at all of the general sage abilities?  Probably so, and they don't mind a bit of gossip about themselves, or their future.

Virtually every single night on some network, some sage guy is appearing and offering up his advice on such-and-such problem. 

Your problem?  In all of Greece, a thousand years ago....there might have been forty-odd sage guys.  Today, just in the US?  There might be 40,000 sage guys, and 99-percent of them are fakers. 

So beware. 

Army Bootcamp At Age 43?

 I sat and read a piece yesterday.....it's  been on my mind.

The Army wrote a new regulation....you can enter Army bootcamp up to age 42.

I tried to imagine....me at age 40 (I was still in decent shape....running 4 miles a week, and spending three morning at the gym)....signing  up for Army bootcamp.  But that was my Air Force period. If I were farmer-status....I doubt if I could handle the fitness requirement.

How many plus-35-year-old guys will sign up?  I would guess a couple hundred guys....maybe more women than guys.

The thing is.....you'd approach age 60....retire for 50-percent of your pay, and four years later...pick up social security. 

The Rubio

"We in America have no interest in being polite and orderly caretakers of the West's managed decline." 

- Marco Rubio

'Fake-intellectual' equals 'polite'.....my view.

Trump has removed the speed-control-system to Rubio....where he can say just about anything he desires, and Trump simply grins when he hears what Marco said.  If you gaze around....there's probably seven fantastic Rubio quotes per day.

Four Observations

 1.  The TSA crap....within about 2 weeks will flip to one of two scenarios....the President will convert all TSA slots to ICE positions, or five to ten minor airports will be shutdown (probably in key Democratic districts). 

In either case...Dems will be freaked out and end the crisis.

2. People freaking out about a  $4/gallon of gas, but standing in line for a $8 latte at Starbucks.  Make sense out of that.

3.  Reading through some news pieces.....early 2024....U.S. intercepted Ukraine government messages discussing plot to route money to Biden re-election (before he  exited the race).  

4.  Between 180,000 and 300,000....religious instructors are in Iran.  Basically....they have to 'go'....so it's curious, where will they end up?

Six Crazy Things

 1.  Looking over five states and their taxation plans (Cal, OR, WA, IL, and NY)....it's obvious that sports teams in these states are about to 'dumped' upon....with four-star players mostly saying no to future contracts.

Teams like the Angels, Padres, Giants and Dodgers?   Screwed.  

2.  The topic rarely came up in the 1970s/1980s/1990s....but if you ask folks if there are states which they WON'T move to....more than 50-percent of folks will list five to ten states of which they can't possibly move to.

3.  Someone brought up a growing German issue....that schools used to openly offer free music lessons, and today....don't.

Chief reason?  Well...if you openly offer music....Muslims get offended because they consider it a 'grave' sin.

4.  After viewing the TSA mess (no pay)....I have the solution.

Charge me as I enter the airport for security....$10.  Hand me a voucher for the $10....which I can flip to the bank after Congress resolves the mess, and  pay me the $10 back later.

5.  It just seems odd....bunch of news folks freely admit that Joe Biden was goofy and 'suffering' for four years, and now admit they noticed this.

Someone ought to invent a mental condition....for seeing reality but can't admit it until five years later.

6.  This past month....I've seen various folks freely admit they can't find or resolve their birth certificate situation.  It's like they are mentally handicapped, or freely admitting a IQ level of 65.