Lift Sanctions on American Oil

How about lifting sanctions on the American oil industry? Seriously, ponder all the things the government has done to make America fossil fuel deplorable.

If any country did what the Biden Administration heaped upon the American oil industry it would be considered sanctions. Instead of buying Russian oil let's lift our own self-imposed sanctions on the American Fossil Fuel Industry.

What the Administration, American companies, banks and Wall Street have voluntarily done to reduce american energy production is as stupid as defunding the police. 

In less than a year the Biden Administration and its sycophants have crushed America's energy independence. We are now begging OPEC and Russia to pump more. No matter how you slice it that's just freaking stupid!

Why in the hell are we buying Russian oil? It's widely reported that 60% of Russia's economy comes from oil and gas sales. Not only are these petrodollars used to buy weapons, Putin's threats to cut off natural gas to our allies during the winter is a weapon unto itself. When oil pays for weapons and our allies are winter natural gas hostages, it doesn't make any sense to shut down America production no matter what level you support the Green New Deal.

When the United States is the only country that massively reduced its greenhouse gas emissions, how does Russian oil shipped to the United States make any sense?

No doubt the "adults" are in charge, unfortunately they have dementia.

Georgia Ballot Boxes and The Big Lie

According to Main Stream Media (MSM) and the Democratic party the "BIG LIE" is President Trump and Republicans refusing to accept the 2020 defeat by blaming their loss upon widespread voter fraud. 

However, we now know that the Georgia's Secretary of State is interested in missing ballot box custody documents for thousands of votes in the Fulton Country Area. There is no doubt that election workers will be fired and it's looking like Fulton County's next election will be conducted by the state of Georgia, not local officials. I'm positive that more voting irregularities will come to the surface and I'm looking at what "True the Vote" is undertaking. 

This makes me ponder what to call a two plus year, $40 million dollar investigation into the Trump campaign colluding with Russia and specifically Vladimir Putin. That investigation hobbled a newly elected President and has produced nothing. Yet it's perfectly clear millions of American's not only believe but absolutely know President Trump colluded with the Russians. The Russian Hoax continues to this day but it's not the "Big Lie"?

Mark Zuckerberg spent about $419 million dollars (easily the largest dark money contribution in history) to ensure people in high density areas of the country, mostly swing states, could have easy access to vote in the 2020 Presidential election. This mostly included giving grants to non-partisan election officials who used the funds to register millions on new voters. To get ballots to these new voters. To hold special "vote in the park" events. To put up a few thousand ballot drop boxes. To get out the vote and when the absentee votes came back missing signatures, addresses, etc... To cure those ballots.

The big lie is the bulk of this was done in states that mattered and in areas that would increase the democratic vote. It's hard to argue that getting more people to register and vote is a bad thing but when done is "specific" areas the 14th amendment, which clearly states that all American's are to be treated equally, is violated. You can't discriminate on who is helped to vote based on race, religion, sex or political affiliation. 

To me the "Big Lie" is the media and Democratic talking heads stating over and over just days after the election, based on no factual evidence that the 2020 election was the "most secure in history." Trump’s own officials say 2020 was America’s most secure election in history. Knowing full well that it takes months if not years to dig into potential election irregularities. Yet the talking heads concluded unanimously there were no significant problems with the election in months if not days. However, the Left just couldn't let their efforts go unrecognized. Molly Ball's Time Magazine article spelled out exactly how the left highjacked the 2020 election. 

To me this is NOT about dead people voting. It's not about felons voting. It's not about people voting twice, truck loads of ballots showing up or computer programs switching votes. That's a narrative that's designed to be the shinny object. The real issues were Hunter Biden's laptop being labeled Russian disinformation. The Atlantic's "Suckers and Losers" story that was soundly debunked but will lived on for many voters until they die. The suppression of news, social media and the shadow banning that became so obvious when emails and text messages didn't go through while Facebook and Twitter limited the number of "friends" you could reach.

It's crazy that so many stories banned by social media before the 2020 election have now been proven true. What's next? When will the America people realize that there are coordinated efforts to control what they can learn and how they vote. The 2020 election was NOT the most secure in history and the facts will continue to come out to show this. What will happen to those responsible for "stealing" this election remains to be seen but if history repeats not much of anything. If history repeats those that coordinated the lies will be rewarded with high level government positions in the Biden Administration.

Never in history has a sitting President gained a staggering 11,231,497 votes from one election to the next and and lost.

Vaccinations are 90% Effective?

As of Monday four cities in Maine are back to wearing masks indoors. I went looking for reasons why and I saw this in the Portland paper with zero push back.

"Vaccinations are 90% effective at keeping those with Omicron out of hospitals..."

What?

People tend to believe what they read in their trusted local paper and this headline would indicate that if you get Omicron you have a 10% chance if ending up in the hospital. Of course you should wear a mask! OMG people must be dying like crazy... "Bring out your dead." 

The problem is this isn't remotely true and sadly we may never actually know the numbers because we still don't know how many people have been infected. We don't know the "N".

A virus that you need a test to figure out if you have it still bogles my mind. Our elected leaders of today are the kids who dropped out of science, avoided calculus like the plague and took communication and political science classes. These are the people who see headlines and don't understand the basic reality that 10% of those infected with Omicron are NOT ending up in the hospital.

If you think I'm off base one only has to pull up comments from the Supreme Court classifying CO2, a gas that is essential to all life living on the dry surface of Earth, as a pollutant. More recently we have Sonia Sotomayor who recently claimed "We have over 100,000 children, which we've never had before, in serious condition, and many on ventilators."

Cloth masks, social distancing, masking outside, two weeks to flatten the curve, lack of therapeutics, lock downs of the healthy and seeing pictures of kids running cross country wearing masks have never made any sense.

It's that simple... Our leaders majored in communication, political science or became lawyers. To them the ability to interpret data is like asking me about subject verb agreement... It's just smoke and mirrors.

January 6th Armed Insurrection

Here is something I've come to understand... News articles that don't allow comments are not worth reading. Which begs the question why doesn't my blog allow comments? I really need to rethink allowing comments.

Anyway, I totally disagree with the universal main stream media's claim that there was an armed insurrection on January 6th. This is totally freaking bullshit and anyone with a smidgen of critical thought knows this. Furthermore, I will remember January 6th, 2022 as the day President Biden lost the last morsel of my support and goodwill:

"Go back to that day. What do you see? This wasn't a group of tourists. This was an armed insurrection." President Joe Biden - January 6th, 2022.

Has any January 6th armed person been identified? Were any firearm arrests made that day? Did anyone bring a gun into the Capital? What about a knife? If so who are these armed people? Where are their pictures? Their stories would be plastered on every front page in the country. Their stories would fill countless "A" blocks for CNN, MSNBC for months, if not years. 

Furthermore, claims that flagpole "spear" points represent weapons is demonstrably false. If this was factual then government buildings across this country need to be disarmed immediately.

Bottom line, Attorney General Merrick Garland's Justice Department has not charged a single person with anything close to insurrection (Update... a year after the event a handful of people have now been charged with insurrection... It's laughable) treason or sedition and the FBI has testified that no guns were seen let alone confiscated on the capital grounds that day. Furthermore, the FBI made it clear during Congressional testimony that January 6th was not coordinated.

Unless you have been living under a rock only one bullet was fired on January 6th, 2021. This bullet stuck down a 5' 2", 115 lb. unarmed woman as she was climbing through a window killing her within minutes. The shot was fired into her neck while three officers in riot gear were within arms reach behind her. It's shear luck that none of them were hit.

Immediately after the shot video shows the shooter fleeing... Since when do police officers involved in a shooting leave the scene?

Take a few moments and let this sink in. I'm a Trump voter not a Trump supporter and until January 6th, 2022 I've always prided myself in my unwavering support of our elected officials regardless of politics. Joe Biden has finally and irrevocably lost my support.

My fellow Americans the truth is important and it makes me sad when someone spins basic facts to such a degree that the truth is unknowable. For example, when two Supreme Court Justices, two of the smartest people on the planet, demonstrate they don't understand basic factual data regarding Covid-19 and are about to rule on vaccine mandates it's a sign things have gone way too far. Our "ruling" class are making important decisions devoid of basic facts. There is little doubt that unless something is done this is not going to end well.

We Love to Fly and it Shows

It's been two years since I've flown Delta and now I remember why I stopped flying with them.

No it wasn't the bombastic overweight Indian fellow who talked too loudly and way too much on the PA system and in person which makes one wonder was this an episode of undercover boss?

No it wasn't the overhead light for 42C that after a few minutes got hot and then flickered. I really wanted to read my Christmas book but I feared I or a fellow passenger would be triggered in to a full grand mall seizure if I did.

No it wasn't the 83 degree average temperature during the last half of the flight which makes me ask why I didn't strip down to my v-neck t-shirt. My light weight, 100% Egyptian cotton, dress shirt with sleeves rolled up felt like a full fledge Minnesota ugly Christmas sweater.

Was it the 8 hour flight (120 knot headwinds) with two "drink" rounds accompanied by gold fish or biscotti that made this flight unbearable? No beer, no mixed drinks, no box lunch... nothing but none alcoholic drinks, goldfish and biscotti?

The airlines have clearly used the Pandemic to end the "customer experience" albeit shitty as it had become over the last few decades. Gone are hot towels, drinks, warm meals and a microwaved cookie. Food service is and has always been an economical looser for the airlines but it makes the experience bearable. I'm at the point in my life that I can afford to upgrade but why bother as it doesn't look any better up front. 

What about the flight attendants? I saw one that seemed to enjoy her job. Yes just one. Not including the Indian guy who liked his job WAY to much and reminded me of my friend Doug on steroids most of the flight attendants (post pushing the "drink" cart) sat behind curtains playing with their phones.

Some how the airlines don't understand that cabin class flyers are their future business and 1st class customers. Have the airline CEOs collectively forgotten the Happy Meal? Their future profit centers are being aborted in their 40s and 50s. My wife, who is a crazy seasoned traveler said this might be her last long haul flight. She seriously is pondering cancelling our return leg and renting a car. A car? She would rather drive cross country than fly Delta?

So what is the real reason our Delta flight sucked? One thing is for sure... The masks have got to go. 

The government is slowly crushing our humanity. Instead of masks of questionable value (two out of four airline CEOs said they are essential stupid) how about taking everyone's temperature at security and actually keep sick people out of the airport and thus not flying next to me? 

Duh?

Furthermore, taking temperatures shouldn't stop with the pandemic. How many times have you flown next to or near someone obviously sick? We all have and that needs to stop. Trip insurance should become mandatory and a fever at security or a note from your doctor should be enough to invoke coverage with no questions asked.

Last but not least the 757-200 with it's 3x3 seating configuration should be retired in the United States. No doubt some foreign airlines would love to have them but Americans are just too big. At 6' 3" and 260 lbs I'm happy with all Airbus models and even what Southwest flies but I'm never going to be happy on a 757 unless I'm in front. It's so clear Airbus has the edge and the 757-200 either needs to reconfigure or be sold to nations with predominantly skinny people.

So our airports suck, the planes suck, the inflight experience sucks and yet airlines are back to flying millions of people each day. Does that mean America sucks?

So there you go... Our flight was just really bad. However, it doesn't come close to a 28 hour flight in a military cargo jet, freezing you ass off with yellow ear plugs and little fuzzy blue blanket but it was surprisingly close.

My one takeaway would be utilize temperature checks instead of masks. Make that argument, organize the resistance and get this changed. Remember the FAA for all practical purposes works for airlines why not for once use regulatory capture for good?

Lastly I guess Delta earned one greatful thanks from me... At least I didn't end up ducktaped to my seat sipping apple juice through a straw.

Kids Shouldn't Be Vaccinated

Kids not getting the shot seems obvious but clearly it's not. Before I try to explain the obvious let me be clear, kids should get almost all the modern vaccines required for babies, children, adolescents and if appropriate as college bound young adults.

That said, parents must do their own research and decide on each and every shot. They should try to spread them out and absolutely make sure your baby/child/adolescent is 100% healthy before they get any inoculation or vaccine. 

For example does a baby girl or a baby boy who is not going to be circumcised really need the vitamin K shot? Does a baby living in rural America really need the Hepatitis B shot? Does your not sexually active, lesbian 17 year old daughter need the HPV vaccine? Does your college bound son need the Chickenpox vaccine if they already had Chickenpox?

Okay so lets agree that vaccines are one of, if not the greatest medical advancement in the history of mankind. They have saved millions of lives and given so many a better standard of living. But what about the Covid-19 vaccine for kids?

So far since the beginning of the pandemic approximately 400 children have died of Covid-19. According to multiple sources (the CDC hasn't published squat) the vast majority of those deaths had other serious comorbidities in play. Essentially, kids don't get sick and die from Covid-19 and when they catch the bug most don't even know and statistically everyone but the already very sick, survive.

Undoubtedly, Covid-19 is less deadly to children than influenza and should be treated the same as the seasonal flu. The idea we should vaccinated our children to protect them is dumb. To vaccinate children to protect others is just as dumb because it's clear now the vaccine doesn't prevent spread and the effectiveness appears to significantly drop in as little as three months going to 50% in six months.

There are approximately 75 million children under the age of 19 in America. Why are we even considering injecting them with a still arguably untested vaccine that may or may not be abled to save some of the 400 young lives already lost to Covid-19?

Did Sweden Get Covid Wrong?

I've been going on and on with a good friend regarding Covid. We both have gotten the shot and I'm guessing we both will get the booster. It's a no brainer for people our age... greater than 50.

That's pretty much where our agreement ends. I'm looking at deaths and ages and have concluded Covid is a non-issue for kids. Statistically as close to zero chance of death as life can give you. After 30 it really starts making sense to get the shot that is unless you have natural immunity. If you're 40 or older, even in good health, getting the shot makes solid sense.

Then there is the VARES data base which we are being told by the MSM is totally worthless. Don't even bother looking at it. Kinda crazy saying something the federal government spends millions on every year is worthless. Makes you wonder why the government bothers.

Sometimes the story is actually what's not being reported. Remember how the MSM went after the Swedish government because they were killing people by the thousands with their approach and policies? Now? Crickets...

A few things have crystallized this for me:

#1 Why are vaccinated people so afraid of the unvaccinated?

#2 Why haven't we heard anything about Sweden for months?

#3 Why is Rand Paul the only politician that keeps pointing out natural immunity is being ignored when it's clearly better than the all of the freaking vaccines?

#4 Why are we firing nurses who have been in the trenches for going on 21 months for not getting vaccinated... Even if they already had Covid?

Covid-19 is Dead To Me

Last week I volunteered at the Great Maine Airshow. From people working the gates to local organizations selling ice cream and beer the show needs a few hundred volunteers.

They need folks who fill the planes smoke tanks, move planes around, move the performers around, deal with flat tires, jump starts, deal with the influx of little planes who fly into a show to avoid the crowded roads, etc...

Loading smoke oil and helping move planes was my gig. Moving a plane that cost a few million takes a lot of people to ensure zero issues. 

The 1st day we worked the flight line and the next day we worked the pit... It was very cool because we get so close to so many unique planes and awesome pilots.

We had one flat tire the first day and three planes that wouldn't start (acrobat planes have really small batteries) the next. I met the Lucas Oil and T-33 pilot and got to know the parents of a world champion freestyle aerobatic pilot. Got their son to take a picture of our crew... Too funny.

My COVID-19 observation at the airshow... Unscientifically my guess is 1 in 500 adults wore a mask.

Clearly people in Maine are sick of being afraid, they are sick of masks and they sick of being told what to do expecially when the script they are being told keeps changing. They've had enough of the panic porn that the media has been feeding them for going on two years. 

I've come to a conclusion... You're not going to like it... Until the death rate from Covid matches the normal U.S. daily death rate of roughly 7,500 I'm not going to bother talking about this anymore. Statistically, it's not killing kids and the odds of Covid taking out someone who is healthy, like the finger of God, is so low it's not even something to bother with.

Talking about kids dying of Covid is the equivalent of global warming alarmists discussing how bad methane is... FYI,  atmospheric methane is measured in parts per billion and if you're talking about this causing hurricanes you are barbecuing the shark you landed and killed while jumping.

Screw the media and screw the Chinese who knew about this Virus in the Fall of 2018. They knew that it spread human to human when they said it didn't. The Chinese government stopped all domestic flights from Wuhan but continuing them internationally. If this isn't a smoking gun what is!

I'm done... I refuse to to discuss this further and will wait to see what history writes about this most despicable chapter in our national history.

PS  Last gasp... My math... Let's go big.
600,000 deaths thus far. I use this number to offset the deaths WITH Covid so hospitals get extra money.

Roughly half of all deaths are over 79 years old with serious comorbidities. Aka foot in the grave. Most people do know we all eventually die right?

So now we are down to 300,000 deaths.

The bulk of these deaths are over 50 with serious medical issues. If you're morbidly obese with diabetes, kidney failure, cancer, etc... and get Covid the odds are you will still likely survive... Seriously, it's crazy how many really sick people survive Covid.

What blows me away is how perfectly healthy people get it and die... Sometimes in days.
The humane genome is crazy and it's likely something that our ancestors survived is helping many today. Maybe it's like how 1/10 of Northern European males are essentially immune from Aids.

Furthermore, it's possible that some young healthy people, who are seemingly randomly struck down are actually not healthy. Heart disease is the number one killer of Americans. Heart disease kills more Americans every year than COVID-19 has killed in the last 20 months. Many people have no idea they are ticking time bombs. How's your heart?

Sorry to say this but when your 85 year old mother dies of COVID it's sad but not a tragedy. When a healthy 40 year old, with three kids, dies that sucks but it happens all the time due to accidents, health issues and other causes.

So I'm down to roughly 150,000 people dead in the United States that shouldn't have died AND their deaths are tragic.

My point...

331,000,000 Americans
150,000 tragic deaths
150,000/331,000,000 
150/331,000
15/33,100
1.5/3,310

0.0004531722

So far we have "tragically" lost 1 out of every 4,500 Americans. 

That said, how many lives have been ruined in the short term or permanently by the government's response to the virus? How many more lives could have been saved if we spent the Covid trillions on other health issues, the homeless, food distribution, Crime, heart disease, etc...? 

How many Americans have list faith in their government, government agencies, their elected officials? What is the long term cost of the loss of that confidence to our nation?

Martin Luther King was a Republican?

Thelander for Congress

Bath, Maine and it's August 28th. The days are getting shorter, the ragweed is in full bloom and a former Navy S.E.A.L. takes aim at seven term Congresswoman Pingree. The Maine Maritime Museum meeting room is packed and if there is any doubt that Ed is a politician, that was removed the moment he started talking.

I always knew Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, but today I learn that Martin Luther King not only gave his "I Have a Dream speech" on August 28th, he too was a Republican? Turns out there are many scholars who believe MLK was a Republican. Who knew?

Ed hit on so many topics that Republicans once embraced: from school choice, to the national debt, to legal immigration, to border security, to invoking the ghost of Reagan's "I'm from the government and I'm here to help". His talking points were not all popular with the crowd, but you knew he was sincere.

Although it didn't get the applause he wanted, Edwin made a solid point about the national debt. When the debt broke $10 trillion it was huge news and a grim milestone. When the debt surpassed $20 trillion, the nation barely noticed and now with the debt surpassing $30 trillion, it's a subject not discussed in polite society and I'm the only one quietly clapping.

Economists once argued the debt away saying it's just a fraction of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Thanks to the pandemic and progressive spending, that fraction now exceeds 100% of our GDP while the government's ability to "print money" without any serious political pushback continues unabated. It's as though the common sense paradigm of not spending more than you make has been brutality beat up and is bleeding out internally.

Ed, in a good way, is different. For starters, he's humble, which normally isn't something associated with politicians. My hope is the voters of Maine's 1st Congressional District will see the choice they have, side by side, and realize our nation is desperate for leaders, not politicians who take action by forming committees.

Ed is not a shiny political diamond in the rough. He's not even a lump of coal. He's something totally different. His speech was slow and hinting to more going on behind those keen eyes. I've been around politicians for over 20 years. From State Reps, Members of Congress, to the Governor of Virginia. When retired Navy Chief Thelander looks at the crowd there is no doubt this is someone on a mission. He's not running to get out the vote for Governor LePage and drain Democrat resources. He's running to win and the next 437 days are going to be interesting. 

PS A few hours after his announcement, I had the honor of meeting Edwin's father at our flying club BBQ (yes, Ed's a pilot). His dad is amazing and it turns out Mr. Thelander (Sr), his son (Ed) and I all have something in common. We loved playing football and all three of us played offensive guard - a position that requires smarts, toughness and quickness. Ed has all three of those attributes in abundance and he is going to need everything he has to retire Maine's Chellie Pingree, the Minnesota girl turned 30-year career politician... Dontchaknow.

3,000 Die Each Year from...

The CDC estimates that every year 48 million Americans get sick from food borne illness. Of those who get sick 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die.

To put things into perspective since the start of the pandemic fewer than 3,000 young people under the age of 30 have died of COVID. We do not know how many of those deaths involved seriously comorbidities. 

Apparently the CDC doesn't think parents are interested in knowing how many healthy young people are actually dying from the virus.