America Refuses to Face Reality

 The naivety and shortsightedness in this plaque on the right is the “non-violet” caveat to halting evil.  If we are not willing to fight both peacefully and violently, if necesary, to do whatever it it takes to preserve our liberty, rest assured, it will be stripped from us. 

On April 12, 1861 a Confederate mortar battery fired the first shot of the Civil War.  America responded in-kind.  America had no choice. We were at war. 

On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked the United States Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory.  America responded in-kind.  America had no choice.  We were at war. 

On September 11, 2001 the entire complex of the World Trade Center buildings were destroyed in a terrorist attack.  We then embraced a far more aggressive military posture in the Middle East.  On May 2, 2011 America killed Osama bin Laden.  America responded in-kind.  America had no choice.  We were at war.

 On January 6, 2021 a heavily armed mob of rioters attacked our national capitol.  They assaulted Capitol Police officers screaming death threats to elected officials.  They defiled the capitol with destruction while proudly displaying Nazi and Confederate flags.  This was clearly an act of anarchy designed to thwart our constitution, our laws, our way of life.  America did NOT respond even though we were, and are, at war.  

Result: 

·         Hardened, violent criminals are now free to walk American streets again, compliments of  presidential pardons. 

·         Under attack:

ü Thousands of American jobs

ü Increasing inflation through higher tariffs in an already inflation burdened economy

ü Social Security

ü Medicare

ü VA Benefits

    ü Our Educational System

ü Dismantling INDEPENDENT watchdog agencies (IGs) created by congress to hold administrations accountable for improper conduct and to ensure the rights of federal workers.

ü Courts whose rulings are blatantly ignored

            Policy on deporting immigrants deemed illegal – Policy continues

       With NO legal justification, a demand to impeach the judge

ü Unmistakable backing given to the world’s cruelest thug and dictator 

·       There is an unrelenting effort to establish a dictatorship with all power and decisions, emanating ONLY from the presidency that cannot be challenged.    

       We need to also be mindful that any demand for humane change in America has always required violence as the major catalysis.

• “No taxation without representation.”  The Revolutionary War was the major catalysis in suppressing the cruelty and evil of England. 
• It took a civil war to bring about an end to slavery and the adoption of the Emancipation Proclamation. 
• Blood ran rampant in the streets to gain civilized, humane treatment for employees in the workplace. 
• The 1964 Civil Rights Act while promoted by a non-violent movement still needed the violence surrounding the movement to end the Jim Crow era of bloody bigotry.  
• Not until the catalysis of violence was introduced into our demand for the truth could we achieve an end to the carnage of the Vietnam War. 

Make no mistake, we are once again under attach – We are once again at war. 

Now the big question:  How many Americans today, like our forebears, would be willing to suspend working at their jobs and take up arms to secure our democracy by preventing the takeover by a doctorship and would freely and willingly go to jail to do so?

Unfortunately, that is what it will take and UNFOTUNATELY there is no realistic expectation that will occur.  

The Trump Coup

In Robert Reich’s article “So Call It What Is: A Coup” he expresses outrage that none of the News Media outlets are referring to the Trump form of governance as a coup - “…it is objectively and in reality a coup…” - even knowing that an expectation of responsible reporting from today’s fourth estate is unrealistic.  He suggests that if the American people were inundated with the coup reality they would rise and put an end to it.  How can we be sure of that???

 For many decades our political system of governance has been badly deteriorating.  It has left us with one lunatic and coward after another (both sides of the political spectrum) as our representatives.  They are no longer patriotic, decent, well-meaning individuals.  The prototype American politician does not care about the American dream and no longer views their responsibility as providing for the common good and general welfare of our nation. Their inaction and posture in failing to compromise and find agreement in anything meaningful is crippling our once great country.  What is undeniably common is that America is now represented by second class and in many cases third class citizens (Rod Blagojevich, George Santos, Anthony Weiner and a whole host of others). 

This has produced enormous angst and depression for millions of Americans.  They are angry – they are fed-up - they are bitter, especially toward the inaction, selfishness and incompetence.  This has, and continues to, eroded trust in our elected officials.  The only politicians the American people are willing to trust are the politicians they continue to reelect, many of whom are as bad or worse than those they strongly abhor.  As such nothing changes – the stalemate continues. 

Enter Donald J. Trump.  Even with all his character flaws, ignorance and incompetence he has managed to tap into all this frustration and hatred.  He has set himself apart from anything resembling the prototype politician of the day.  This was irresistible to millions of Americans.  

Trump also realizes that trying to gain consensus with all the muttonheads, louts and incorrigibles in congress, as well as government agencies, will only result in the same failures suffered by his predecessors.  As such, he is ignoring the democratic process and the constitution that he sees as useless and will do it a different way - the easy way - the way that best suits his temperment and personal deportment.  As David Brooks so aptly writes: “Trump is right about a lot of things. He’s accurately identified problems on issues like inflation, the border and the fallout from cultural condescension that members of the educated class have been too insular to anticipate. But when it comes to building structures to address those problems — well, the man is just hapless and incompetent.” 

If Trump’s behavior can indeed be classified as a coup then don’t be surprised to the see millions of Americans vigorously applauding that characterization.  This is “objectively and in reality” exactly what they voted for in November. 

Reference Articles: 

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/say-what-it-is-a-coup 

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/23/opinion/trump-mckinley-populism.html?unlocked_article_code=1.rk4.Afzz.Oj-y5zfRbfzZ&smid=re-nytopinion 
 

Minnesota Vikings 2024 – 2025 Recap

Let’s consider two realities. 

The first is that sports aficionados exist  who worship – deeply revere - excellence. This excellence can best be measured over the grind, the ordeal and demands encountered in a full season of play.   They will forever fume that a baseball team that wins 100 games or more can be deprived of a World Series appearance.  They are equally disgusted that the team that wins the Presidents Cup in the NHL does not automatically qualify to play in the finals for the Stanley Cup; and on, and on, and on.  This incessant and never-ending effort to devalue the regular season is viewed as nothing more than a putrid money grab. 

Secondly, some of these aficionados learned years ago to never allow team marketing and the media (primarily designed to sell tickets) to influence their level of enthusiasm.  They learned to remain objective and evaluate the existence of excellence on performance only.  Which brings us to the Minnesota Vikings. 

There is a 76-year-old lifetime resident of the Twin Cities who meets this description.  Sometime after the Vikings golden era under Bud Grant he stopped caring if the Vikings won a game.  He watches more out of curiosity than interest to learn if there exists even a spark of excellence.  None has occurred for years until this season's December 29^th game against the Green Bay Packers at the “Darth Vader Memorial Mausoleum” in Downtown Minneapolis.   

The reason for the passion came from realizing that if the Vikes could beat the Packers they would qualify them to play for the best record and thus the top seed in the National Conference. They would once again be playing to establish a level of excellence.  After winning the Packer game, that resident of the Twin Cities knew it was time to revert to no longer caring about the outcome.  When all was said and done, only two teams in the NFL compiled a better regular season record than the Vikes.  That is too darn close to excellent to ignore and, for sure, the best any Vikings fan could have hoped for. 

So, C-O-N-G-R-A-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S !!! to the Minnesota Vikings on a superb season. 

So now you might inquire; what else is new with the Vikings? 

Answer:  Nothing – ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.  

 

Lessons From Los Angeles

I have asked myself, long before the Los Angels fires, how we could end or, at least, curtail the misery of the seemingly unending natural disasters that are continuing to plaque the American people. 

This consideration is particularly apropos as we are currently living in an age of American “me first,” cold indifference toward one another.  There is no effort to end spree shootings and mass killings by limiting guns and their God-awful scrouge on our society.  No effort to end the suffering and needless deaths by creating a national health care system that every other industrialized nation has instituted.  No concern over the growing level of poverty and all the human and economic misery it perpetuates upon us.  

Now add to all this pain and suffering the reality that insurance companies, one of the greediest and richest enterprises in America, can no longer afford relief to those in real need.  In recent years they have concocted ways to refuse coverage to the victims of natural disasters and are refusing to provide coverage for natural disasters in future policies.  In many cases insurance companies are justified.  Los Angeles has needed an additional 62 fire stations to meet just average daily demand for years and no action was taken.  When firefighters tapped fire hydrants during the current fire travesties there was no water available. 

Best Report-PBS Video–“Was Not Unpredictable”-Causes and The Future

https://www.pbs.org/video/california-fires-tape-stephanie-dis-1736544154/ 

As history has taught us, the only real solution to situations like this has come from the federal government.  We have reached the point where national casualty insurance is the only effective means for victim relief.  Naturally, such coverage would impose restrictions on property located where the greatest risk for destruction exists.  Now the question arises as to how this could possibly be enacted.  America has tried for decades to enact national health care insurance with no success.  We are perfectly content to spend trillions of American dollars on wars raging all over the globe.  We see no problem in spending additional trillions on erecting athletic venues and enterprises, not to mention, billions more on oil subsidies. 

This is all so very sad.  It doesn’t have to be this way.  America has more than enough resources to do what must be done.  And the saddest commentary of all is that there is no relief in sight.

The Problem With “Old Glory”

 “First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one.”

Every now and again a request, feeling like a demand, hits my radar to fervently support our flag.  Each time it does, I have the overwhelming compulsive to respond.  Such is the case today. 

Those of us who were once filled with pride and stood with hand over heart whenever and wherever “Old Glory” appeared can no longer do so today. 

Our flag once represented our incredible determination and sacrifice in establishing our own country; our own way of life.  The winning of two world wars from which we could not escape involvement.  An end to slavery and our public repudiation of racism and bigotry in the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act which ended the Jim Crow doctrine of segregation.  The first Catholic elected President of the United States. The creation of the American Red Cross.   The creation of a polio vaccine from which no one was financially enriched.  The Marshall Plan and the Berlin Airlift. The blood spilled to create labor unions for financial farness and more humane treatment in the work place. The establishment of the most affluent middle class the world has ever known, and from that affluence, the most robust economy the world had ever seen.  The implementation of unemployment insurance, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. The populous uprising that ended the Vietnam War and demanded accountability for Watergate. The threat of nuclear war averted through diplomacy and negotiation – compromise.  The six voyages to the moon and back again; with twelve Americans walking on the moon and without losing a human life.  Believe it or not, there is more.

That America is now dead.  An America that was once governed with  compassion, integrity and comprise.  Gone from governing is “Love thy neighbor…” “Due unto others…”  “What you do unto the least of my brethren you due unto Me.”  “My brothers keeper.” 

Predominate is hatred through polarization and intransigency created by partisanship and tribalism.  Predominate is greed – avarice – and selfishness.   

Old glory now represents endless wars, spree shootings and mass killings that go unabated; a country whose laws no longer provide justice for numerous criminal acts (An unarmed man is shot seven times in the back without any reprisal); that callously ignores thousands of Americans suffering and dying needlessly due to a  primarily driven financial healthcare system that the rest of the industrialized world abandoned decades ago; a country that cares nothing for its homeless or children living in poverty; a country that spits on the statue of liberty - a country that separates children from their parents. There is more – so much more. 

Blind patriotism isn’t patriotism.  It is a demand for conformity.  That conformity can only be healthy and admirable when it represents the loftiest of human endeavors to improve the human condition. When it is less than healthy and admirable it can be destructive.   As President Kennedy stated; “Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.”

America is the greatest country in the world??? 

Not anymore and here’s why.

“First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hvrCNkL9RM 

Is Buxton Baseballs Greek Tragedy?

In 2012 the Minnesota Twins drafted Byron Buxton. They paid him a $6 million signing bonus.  The most lucrative singing bonus paid in Twins history is $6.7 million.  That bonus was paid to Royce Lewis who, like Buxton, can’t seem to stay healthy for any length of time. 

Buxton, along with Miguel Sano, were immediately marketed as the anointed saviors that would take the Twins to the promise land.  Sano was signed in 2009 and paid a $3.15 million signing bonus.  This bonus, was the largest ever paid to a Latin American position player.  

Both Sano and Buxton came to the major leagues in 2015.  Sano was hired to hit homeruns.  He played for the Twins for seven complete seasons with a brief appearance in 2022.  After averaging only 86 games in the lineup per season, hitting only 162 homeruns (a little over 20 per season and never exceeding 35 in a single season), compiling a low .230 batting average and striking out to the tune of 130 times per season, the Twins stopped the bleeding by buying Sano’s remaining 2022 contract for $2.75 million. 

While the Twins finally gave up on the promise of Sano, they have never given up on the promise of Buxton, whose performance numbers are close to those of Sano’s.  Instead, the Twins signed Buxton to a seven-year $100 million contract in 2021 which included another signing bonus of $1 Million.  The agreement is not only lucrative but has eliminated any Twins remedy for the Buxton frustrating.  

Buxton’s average salary is $14,285,714.  His base salary this year is slightly over $15,000,000.  It contains a full NO TRADE clause through 2026.  In 2027 and 2028 the restriction is lessened to a five-team trade list.  It is estimated that the Twins have already paid him $55,314,417 with five-years remaining on his current agreement and three of those years containing the NO TRADE clause.

This is now the tenth season that Buxton has been in a Twins uniform.  The only season that held promise resembling all the marketing dollars the Twins have invested in Buxton was 2017.  He played in 140 Games which is the only season he has played in over 100 games. For the first, and again, only time in his career he had 500 plate appearances.  Buxton has tremendous speed which has been demonstrated in the way he covers the gaps in centerfield earning him a Gold Glove award in 2017.   He stole just 29 bases, the most in any season he has played. But strikeouts plagued him.  He whiffed 150 times. 

The only other point at which Buxton demonstrated excellence was in 2021, the year the Twins crafted his current contract.  While playing in a scant 61 games he hit .306 with 19 homeruns, 32 RBI, and scored 50 runs. 

The explanation as to why he has been less than stellar can be traced to his never-ending injuries.

Sprained Left Thumb             Shoulder Injury

Back Spasms                          Left Foot Sprain

Migraines                               Right Wrist Injury

Groin Strain                           Hamstring Pull

Strained Wrist                        Concussion Symptoms – Twice

Fractured Toe                         Hip Problems - Twice

Broken Hand                         Knee Problems – 4 Occurrences

               Two Arthroscopic medical procedures on his right knee.

After just 28 games this year Buxton is currently out of action, AGAIN, due to soreness in that right knee, once AGAIN.   

This has resulted in an overall discouraging performance that not even the marketing gurus can justify or fix. 

·        He has played in just 698 of 1,486 games.  A Miserable 46%

·        Has Struck out 763 times in 2,351 at bats. A 32% strike out average. 

Ø 20% is the average in the major leagues.

·        His lifetime batting average is only .239

·        And saddest of all, he has only stolen 86 Bases – Less than 10 a year 

This has been heartbreaking for the Twins, their fans and most especially for Mr. Buxton.  However, the final chapter has not been written.  A miracle or some quirk could bring us a happy ending.  All we can do is try to stay optimistic, while never under estimating the torment of the Minnesota athletic curse and bearing in mind that no one ever said life is fair.

Byron working his magic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JzH5wLsjS8

Dynasties Are Needed

 Have always stated and always will, that a person who says he loves baseball can’t then say he hates the New York Yankees.  It’s an oxymoron, it is incongruousness.  No single team has done more for creating interest and excitement in the game than the Yankees. 

When the Twins opened shop in 1961 the Twin Cities became electric with excitement whenever the Yankees came to town.  Everybody wanted to go to the games, even those who would NEVER attend another game the rest of the season.  Those who were fortunate enough to have tickets when Camilo Pascual pitched would be treated to a curve ball that could, and did, on more than one occasion, shut out the greatest team on the plant.  More than 25 years later a baseball sage had season tickets to Minnesota Twins in the late 80’s and early 90’s.  He naturally could not attend all 81 games.  So, he offered the tickets to friends, relatives, and various associates.  The team most in demand was the Yankees, even though they were cellar dwellers. 

The real beauty of dynasties is the tremendous interest they can create in their sport.  Every fan wants to see firsthand their excellence on display and carries with them the overwhelming anticipation in the possibility that their team might beat the dynasty or, at the very least, challenge them to a competitive contest.  Dynasties filled the stands wherever they went.  No team of deceitful marketing gurus could ever, or will ever, be able to create that level of interest or elation. 

In 1971 Bill Musselman had brought with him a brand-new Gopher basketball team and along with it, his pledge to Minnesota fans that the Gophers would win a Big Ten Title – UNHEARD OF!!!  Indiana was one of the kings in college basketball.  On January 8, 1972, Williams Arena was filled to the rafters.  Musselman not only won the very first Big Ten game he coached, but beat the fifth ranked Indiana Hoosiers.  This swung the doors wide open for tremendous support for a team that couldn’t give tickets away before Musselman arrived.  Beating Indiana imparted serious credibility to Musselman’s contention that they would win a Big Ten Title, which they did in 1972. 

It was the same scenario for John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins basketball team; for the Lakers and Celtics, the Green Bay Packers, and, of course, the golden era of Vikings football which were all awe inspiring.  Let’s not be misled; the New England Patriots were one of the best things that ever happened for the NFL. 

All this support doesn’t just highlight entertainment value.  It also clearly indicated that Americans cherished, highly respected and admired excellence for it is one of the cornerstones if not the entire foundation for American excellence that has so richly benefited the world.   

Looking at this year’s crop of division one college basketball teams is disillusioning.  Its landscape is littered with mediocrity from top to bottom.  Times have dramatically changed.  Many outstanding high school seniors no longer opt for playing the division one game.  The transfer portal has all but killed any hope of seeing the creation of marvelously exceptional teams.  The loss of dynasties is inestimable.  It doesn’t just hurt athletics but diminishes our thirst for excellence, acting as a real deterrent to American pride and achievement.