laughingwolf_qh33q8 – Page 16

Worlds As Islands Afloat In The Sea Of Stars

There are two posts I should be working on today. The first would deal with replacing NATO and nuclear trip wires, which frankly is rather tiresome and even somewhat depressing at this point given how much I’ve had to write on the nuclear topic these last three years. The second is to build on this post advocating an X-Prize for asteroid protection and have some fun.

So, for those and other reasons, I’m going to sit back with a nice glass of old vine zinfandel, and play among the stars and hopefully take you with me. I’ve got some ideas that even now have some exploring them, but I want to throw this out there to see if some of the other ideas find a place where they can take root.

Let me start by saying Elon is very correct in focusing on Mars as a staging ground for taking humanity to the stars. For all that it is at the bottom of a gravity well, it is a well far shallower than Earth. It also offers a variety of opportunities for habitation and more importantly self-sufficient habitation (though I’m going to make a suggestion to improve that here soon).

As I’ve noted a time or two before, Earth is indeed the cradle of humanity — but crib death is still a thing. Right now, we are facing several cusps if you will. Argentina has been turned around and, barring misfortune, saved. Milei has done wonders there and my sincere hope is that Trump 2.o and team can do the same here. Things are off to a great start, but victory is not guaranteed either in terms of finances or of liberty. Remember, the enemy gets a vote and while they are off balance now, cornered rats and desperate people do desperate things. Ukraine can go sideways and hot in a heartbeat; China could be stupid enough to try to take Taiwan; Kim could have an oops with a missile (deliberately or legitimate oops); and, well, you get the picture.

Frankly, mankind needs to be off Earth and spread out in self-sufficient settlements and in large enough populations to survive anything reasonable. To listen to some of the ‘oh we shouldn’t do it crowd’ there’s no way to save humanity if the sun goes super-super-nova or Ragnarku IV comes in and blows up the whole solar system so we just shouldn’t even try. Bull Feathers.

Humanity has always been at its best, and achieved great things that also raised the standard of living across the board, when there were frontiers. Others have explained this far more eloquently and in great detail, but we are at our best when we have frontiers and challenges. Space offers us that in spades, and without many of the issues and problems that were part and parcel of our expansion on Earth.

Mars is a first stop, and Luna and other moons offer the chance for large-scale self-sufficient settlements. We should explore and pursue such. However, I would like to see some of what Dr. Yoji Kondo explored in science and science fiction (writing as Eric Kotani). His book, along with the redoubtable John Maddox Roberts, The Island Worlds, is a good place to start, and is part of the inspiration for the title of this piece.

Actually, we should start with the original book in the series Act of God but it is hard to find even used I understand. And there is good reason to start there as it sets forth an important start to space exploitation that in part inspired a suggestion or two I made in my post on X-prizing asteroid defense. For humanity to live and thrive in space, we need water. There is lots and lots of water available, if we have the will and skill to take it.

Frankly, we need to be looking at comets and more as the ability to separate water from chemical bonds on the moon may not be as easy as previously thought. I’ve been watching a number of discussions amongst those who really know what they are talking about (see Dennis Wingo on X) and we need to be looking at other sources. There does appear to be ice (to varying degrees) on Luna, Mars, and elsewhere, but it is limited. There is potentially a lot more out there in terms of comets and more that could supply space settlements for thousands of years. Even a large number of settlements. Hence, one of the scenarios for the X-prize post is if the asteroid has ice that’s quite a resource to control. Metals and such matter, but water is indeed life.

And speaking of life, I’m going to jump ahead just a bit and point out that asteroid colonies offer a far greater chance for the expansion of the human species. As noted in this post on Sex in Space, we do not appear to know if we can reproduce in space. If there indeed have not been follow-on experiments to the Frog Embryology Experiment, we need to do them and keep in mind that asteroids may offer the best solution. Also, keep in mind that experiments (SCREWBA and the like) on Earth were not done in microgravity but neutral buoyancy, and there is quite a difference between the two. Even people who know better can make mistakes on that.

Okay, back onto track I hope. Planetary bases make sense as a first step out into the solar system. Mars makes a lot of sense, and if you look at the Boring Company and other business ventures of one Elon Musk, you might notice a plan. Living on Mars will require going underground or into mountains and the like because of radiation and solar hazards. Nice that he has a proven means already in place to do that. And if you think that is luck or happenstance, I have a bridge for sale…

But, to supply planetary bases — particularly with water — is going to take something more. To truly start exploiting the resources of the solar system, we need to get out into, and settle, the asteroid belt. This was what Yoji Kondo explored in several of his books, and there are a number of ways to do it along with good reasons to do it.

Nice thing about even just plain rock asteroids: they offer the chance to either mine into them to create shelters and colonies, or they offer the ability to build (pre-fab is great) structures in place on the surface. Need extra shielding? Burrow into a large asteroid and have fun. Need gravity? Simple, trim and spin. This gives you the ability to generate gravity gradients that run from micro/zero gravity up to several times Earth gravity at need.

Why would you need it? Various industrial processes can and do make use of gravity. Also, if we find that certain levels of gravity are needed for successful reproduction in space, they/it can be provided. I really want to see this addressed before the first Mars mission as if it has not already happened (cough) we need to make sure that sex does not lead to tragedy. Nor should we be experimenting using people. That is just plain wrong, and is very easy to prevent.

There are other reasons, including food production. I suspect that aquaculture will provide a lot of protein for space colonies be they planetary or otherwise. However, mankind seems to crave other forms of protein in addition or in replacement. So, having the ability to raise such makes sense to some degree.

If you want a fuller discussion of exploitation and why bases and such are good for that, go read the full series of books. It’s only about four, but they touch on a number of interesting and important scientific theories. Metals, rare Earths, and more are out there if we can but go and claim them. Do your processing in deep space and there go your pollution worries. Heck, do them in orbit and the same holds.

From the point of view of ensuring humanity’s survival in the face of realistic issues, spreading out into the asteroid belt just makes good sense. It is far enough to mitigate some of the effects of the Sun; and, having meters to kilometers of rock between you and a Carrington Event or worse is a very good thing. Also, having humanity spread out around the complete solar system is a very good thing from a survival standpoint. It makes us much harder to kill as a species.

Also, keep in mind that asteroid bases and colonies, or even stations and extraction centers within the belt, dont have to deal with significant gravity wells. It makes it much easier to get around and to get processed materials back to Earth, Mars, or where needed. If we want to launch further out into the solar system, again, this is the place to do it.

Mars is the first step, but if you want to truly make humanity an astral species, and take Mankind to the stars, you are going to do it from the Island Worlds.

Just some thoughts to share.

Asteroid Threat? X-Prize It

Over on X, Stephen Fleming was talking about the need to get on serious asteroid defense. Quick Aside: if you are serious about space and space exploration/exploitation, you should know and follow Stephen. In response to his post and a number of comments, I made a simple suggestion: X-Prize the mission as NASA is not up to it in my opinion.

In the long run, it will be a lot less expensive and likely to drive development of some key industries — not to mention creating new and innovative technologies and applications — than trying to run it as yet another government program. Make it open ended in all the key details: launch systems undefined, method undefined, tech undefined: the only thing that should be defined is success (asteroid does not hit Earth) and if there are any secondary objectives that need to take place (exploration, detection, etc) at the same time.

Make sure that teams can win rather than an individual company. I can think of some interesting and potentially effective partnerships right off the top of my head. It also has the chance to push the launch industry along and get some real competition to Space-X underway, which would be a good thing.

Also, though it would require some long-overdue revisions to space law/treaties, give the successful company twenty-year (pick a period) rights to that asteroid or to any asteroid that poses a threat and is neutralized. Depending on the type of asteroid, there could be some nice materials to be extracted/exploited. If nothing else, novelty sales could be quite the thing. Think about it, what would you pay to own a knife or other object made from the asteroid that threatened Earth? Again, this is an opportunity to start bootstrapping orbital industry and making needed changes to space treaties/law.

Minimize the regulatory process as much as possible. Under the previous administration this was weaponized and that’s the last thing we need right now. Use this as a means to identify problems while impact odds are low, so that we have an effective and robust system/options in place for real need.

Since there is already some huffing and puffing over my contention that NASA is not up to this, let me lay out the basics. First, I have done work for NASA as a contractor on both Spacelab and later SPD/Commercial. I grew up in the 60s on NASA and can-do. Heck, Von Braun himself recruited my cousin Jimmy to join his team and was involved in those heady days. Those days, however, are gone.

Yes, NASA has demonstrated that asteroid deflection can be done. Exercise for the student: look up the full timeline on that, from when it was first proposed to actual implementation. Then look up the budget for that over those years. NASA can still do some amazing things if given enough time and massive budgets.

As part of that, consider also that NASA has not successfully designed and implemented a new man-rated launch system since the mid-70s (STS). The current Constellation/Orion/WhateverElseTheyCallIt literally costs more than a billion dollars per launch, they have launched how many (?) and I could go on but there is no way to consider it a viable and successful system. Keep in mind that most (cough) NASA programs began decades ago.

Then, as I’ve mentioned before, there is the institutional culture of no failure. Not that failure is not an option, but that if there is even a chance something won’t work perfectly in view of the public, it tends to get canned. That also ties into the perfect safety issue, which tends to stifle innovation and more. There is more, but those are going to be two huge hurdles for getting anything done through NASA.

Put anything and everything on the table as an option, from nukes (the government has a small and obscure agency that actually owns all our nukes, DoD merely “leases” them so to speak) to a space broom. Nothing off the table, nothing can’t be tried as keep in mind that the prize only pays out for success.

For planetary defense of this nature, we need fast, we need nimble, we need innovation. Government is going to be the obstacle, not the facilitator. Doing this as an X-prize makes economic sense and opens the doors of economic and scientific advancement in space exploration/exploitation.

Just my two cents…

Oh, and if you missed this wonderful bit at Instapundit a while back:

O it’s Elon this, an’ Elon that, an’ “Chuck ‘im out, the cad!”;
But it’s “Elon, please, a rocket!” when the rocks are lookin’ bad.
When the rocks are lookin’ bad, my boys, the rocks are lookin’ bad,
O it’s “Save us, Mr. Elon!” when the rocks are lookin’ bad.

Post NATO

I’m unsurprised to already see a comment on the Suicide of NATO post pointing out logistics problems with a new NATO with the Baltic States. My inner smartass is tempted to say “No Bleep!” while my inner book promoter notes that someone apparently hasn’t read Cauldron as those issues are discussed there at length. Both responses, however, need to be set aside so as to focus on the fact that “a new NATO” is the last thing we should be doing. To repeat failure is arrant stupidity.

First up, why should we set ourselves up as a tripwire again? What benefit for the U.S. is there in so doing? Against whom are we playing tripwire, Russia or the EU?

The fact is, the former Eastern Bloc are the countries most enthusiastically embracing and encouraging freedom and the concepts of Western Civilization. Are they doing so exactly on our model? No, thank goodness. Each is taking a different approach, and in that regard they are acting much like the founding Fathers envisioned the states in the United States. Each was free to try different things, and the things that worked could then be adopted by other states while avoiding the things that failed.

Remember, we are The Great Experiment and if you don’t know what that is, sue your schools and do some research. The whole concept of regular individuals being bright enough to make choices on their own was only a thing of intellectual thought until the Founding Fathers needed to put a government of, by, and for the people into place. Many, including progressives here and overseas (which includes pretty much all EU leadership) still feel that such is wrong and that you are not capable of such. Understand not only your civics, but the history of your civics…

Now, back to topic. Do we have a legitimate and/or vested interest in free and independent states that promote freedom and the values of Western Civilization? I posit that we do, one that is worth investing in those states. Why that is, is a post for another day. For now, simply accept that my thesis is based on this being true.

The question is, who now threatens those states and what are the threats?

NATO was predicated on a military threat from the USSR. While the USSR has fallen, Russia does have even larger territorial ambitions as outlined in Russkiy Mir (Russia World). If you like, look up previous discussions here on that topic (search function, along with the tip jar are on the upper right) but you do want to read up on it as it is the guiding document for Vladimir and current Russian leadership. And, yes, Ukraine was the first step in it.

The Russian military, conventional or nuclear, is clearly not the threat it was many years ago (discussions on that being wrong are for another day). Vaunted stockpiles are useless and have to be scrapped, and it is only through Western industry violating sanctions and such that it is even starting to hang on. Yes, I do think those sales are an even larger part of things that what is being done by Iran and North Korea.

Individually, some of the larger countries such as Poland or Hungary can defend themselves if they continue to go as they are. Working together, the countries in question should easily be able to do so. Without the U.S. having to rush troops in via a modern Reforger. Resupply of logistics may be a different issue, but it is not an urgent one at this time.

The larger threat right now comes on other fronts, including diplomatic and logistical. Yes, I know I just said that the resupply of logistics wasn’t urgent, and it’s not. What is important is energy, and Russia has been using this as a weapon, effectively, for a while now. One need only look at Germany for a prime example. Germany has committed energy suicide, and while it is reversible, it’s current leadership is refusing to admit there is a problem, much less take positive steps to fix it. Much of what they seem to want to do involves energy from Russia. From whom we are supposed to be defending them…

The energy issue is one for a post of it’s own one day, but almost every major EU country except for France is committing energy suicide. While not back in the EU, the UK is doing the same just without buying (yet) from Russia. France has bucked the trend (and the EU to some extent) by going heavy into new nuclear, which actually is quite smart. Not something I normally associate with the government(s) of France, but it truly is the smart thing to do, and we need to go with some of the advanced SMRs and newer systems here.

It’s time, however, for the elephant in the room. For all that I don’t see the EU as lasting, it is here and it plans to stay here by hook, crook, or force against its members. Most of the former Eastern Bloc have joined the EU and the EU has waged political war against some of them who have not toed the Brussels line. To the point of removing at least one government. I see no reason they would not engage in a military war to ensure their continued rule. Again, read Cauldron because the current EU seems to be following the playbook of the bad guys in it.

Which, skipping a few steps I think you can posit on your own, leads me to the idea that any “new NATO” should be nothing such; rather, it should focus on trade, energy, diplomacy, and ensuring that the countries involved have forces on their own capable of meeting threats from any direction. Trade boosts their economies as well as our own, and can help us reboot certain manufacturing sectors. Energy ensures their independence, and with research and other sharing agreements could provide an opportunity to test and advance nuclear and other advanced generation means. Heck, it could even provide a chance to upgrade and modernize some older generation systems (hydro for one example). Good diplomacy builds better relationships even as it discourages the stupid from doing stupid things.

Now, I do think that it is to our advantage to work with them to help them build the military systems they want and need. I can think of a few scenarios where having the ability to work with and integrate forces might be a good idea. The way to do that is through trade. We sell them systems, we sell them training, and we sell them supplies. We might give them a discount even. More than that, for those interested, we offer training opportunities here for their troops, and it might not hurt if some of ours trained there. We build them up as close as possible to our old standards (which hopefully Pete and company will get us back to), and we make sure we can work together at need. What they need is their own military, not ours, being known as capable of defending them against all comers.

Whatever we call this new thing, it must not be just a rehash of NATO. It needs to focus on economic well being, promotion of the values of Western Civilization, with an internal professional and potent military. It must not become yet another suck of manpower, material, and money. In that way you avoid the issues raised in Cauldron about logistics and resupply. Unless Russia or the EU want to start a war by sinking ships, free trade is the best way to work around things.

*****

Some quick related thoughts not germane to the post. We are going to have to look at how to work around some things no matter what happens here soon.

The UK became a staging ground in WWII because it was off the coast of Europe as much as it was an ally (sorta, some discussion there too). We needed bases for aircraft, ships, and troops, and England provided them. With the end of WWII and the start of the Cold War, those bases remained needed to counter the USSR. Scapa Flow and other bases up north provided sanctuary for ships and subs, along with the ability to sortie in several directions. Air bases provided the ability to reach Europe, Africa, and Scandinavia with ease.

Over the last couple of decades, however, the UK has gutted its military on a scale that made Obama green with envy. If you want to have some fun, look at tanks in say 1985 versus now. You can do that with planes and more if you like. Fact is, the UK has indeed limited our use of air fields and even or own assets when we were needing to respond to various incidents over the years. The state of the ports unfortunately mirrors our own.

One way or another we are going to need to look at how much we need/want forward basing, and what options there might be. We sure don’t need another turkey like Turkey and I fear that is where we are headed with England.

Which ties into some of the discussions in Cauldron about the problems of supporting the former Eastern Bloc/Baltic states in time of war. Especially as unlike the novel, I don’t see Denmark going neutral and could see England going actively hostile. Given that I’m not sure our current naval leadership could successfully get a rowboat across the lake in Central Park, I sure don’t trust it to run supplies into the Baltic in a time of war. Resupply by air just isn’t feasible in terms of amounts, much less the routings that would have to be used to avoid EU airspace. For all that I think there might be a few surprises in terms of EU members not taking part in such, it just reinforces my contention that we should avoid doing a “new NATO” at all costs. I think what I’ve outlined above is far better.

DC Crash Update

The NTSB has released it’s first real update on the horrific crash in DC, which was discussed here. I’m keeping an eye out for the Philadelphia crash update and will post it as well.

No real answers, which is how this goes. In fact, more questions were raised and the information in regards altimeters and other systems does suggest a number of things. Again and again: give them time. If you have never followed an NTSB investigation, take some time and learn about the process. Anyone telling you that what was released is a smoking gun or provides answers is either an idiot and/or a grifter/liar.

Meantime, listen to the entire briefing for yourself.

The Suicide Of NATO

UPDATES BELOW

One thing that jumped out at me this last week was the realization that I was watching the suicide of both NATO and whatever chance was left at restoring the special relationship with England. Both are entirely self-inflicted and frankly Vance’s speech (and I’ve heard was also in some other messages not public) was a warning (or appeal) to not jump.

Unsurprisingly, led by Germany, they are jumping. The only surprising thing is that under two-tier Keir (have a slightly different pronunciation/name I try not to use in public) England may well beat France and Macaroon in joining them.

The roots of current events go back into the 80s, when NATO became more a status assignment than a true check on the Soviet Union and communism. In fact, look at the politics in Europe in the 80s and you can see the socialists/WEF globalists forming up and moving out. Green was deadly and a lot of things went on that still don’t have public answers (SDI deaths among others). Fact is, however, that it was the time that the progressives/globalists began to move inside and start gutting NATO so they could wear it as a skinwalker.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, that has only progressed. Frankly, NATO ceased to be relevant per it’s founding, and there was fairly open discussion on repurposing it so as to maintain the form and build upon it for other purposes. One of the largest being to have the U.S. fund the welfare states for as much of Europe as possible. Discussion of ending NATO was washed away in a tide of open and black-budget funding. I personally think that the NGO model was first tried outside of USAID with NATO. If Elon and DOGE want a challenge, look into that history.

In his first term, Trump tried to get Germany and others to live up to their oaths and treaties in regards defense funding and funding to NATO. The absolute contempt with which he (and Richard Grenell) were showered — in public even — was intended by those involved to be a humiliation. Don’t think that went the way they intended. Even so, Germany just doubled down on that with recent statements by their minister of defense and vice chancellor.

That doesn’t even touch the EU and how that has impacted NATO (and even the US as our internal enemies tried to make use of the EU to censor Americans). Frankly, I’m more and more reminded on many levels of Larry Bond’s book Cauldron. It is worth noting that most of the Eastern European countries, having been forced minions of the Soviet Union, are not happy with things and have been stepping up to their commitments to NATO, and even going several steps beyond. More on that in a minute.

With the formation of the EU, NATO should have ended (as such) and the EU taken responsibility for it’s own defense. However, as noted above, keeping both allowed all sorts of interesting money (and weapons, etc.) transfers as well as ways for the different countries to use each other to control unruly citizens and dissidents. This was especially true for the progressives in the U.S. who used not only EU countries but the UK to spy, censor, interfere with elections, fabricate evidence for political purposes, and much much more. And if you don’t think EU leadership such as Ursula, Thierry, and others were not in on this up to their eyebrows…

Now think about this: for all that the so-called leaders in the EU can’t read the room (and they truly can’t), they could see that all the high-handed actions and efforts that were having a negative impact on average citizens might not go over well. Hence, Angela’s great immigration folly. Bring in a new population, used to less, to balance and frankly to keep the original population in line. Problem is, I don’t think they truly realized that the massive influx of Islamics could not be controlled like normal. That they, in fact, might have ideas and plans of their own, such as finishing what they started a thousand plus years ago and avenging the Gates of Vienna.

Fact is, most globalists/progressives are not that bright. They see things through an amazing array of filters and blinders. When you add to it that they are also seeing more than a hundred years of their own power going down the tubes, they are not handling it well. Since the time of the despicable Woodrow Wilson, they have been effectively in charge and unreasonably sure of their own brilliance and eternal power. They have long used catspaws/loyal troops to provide violence when needed (BLM riots were hardly the first, go back to the Wobblies and others in the early 1900s). They do indeed see violence as a tool with a rheostatic control. Problem is, not even their own tools see it that way, and a lot of other groups only see a toggle.

Which, sadly, brings us to England. We did have a special relationship with England. It took a while after the War of Jenkin’s Ear, but it did develop and we did some good and interesting things together. Quite frankly, we saved their bacon twice in the last century and had their back as their empire melted away like vapor in the sun.

Despite some issues, we managed to hold onto it even into the 1960s and 70s. Some turbulence started cropping up then, but it truly hit the rocks with the election of Obama, who hates England, Brits, and everything to do with them. That was made clear during his first two terms, and even more so during his unofficial third term under the Biden Regency.

Fact is, I think the last vestige of the England with which we had the special relationship died with Queen Elizabeth. With her died the England of Churchill and WWII, and all that came before it. That there were and are still hopes for such can be seen in the return of the Churchill bust to the White House. But, there are two things against it.

One is Charles and The Firm. My thoughts on Charles I will leave aside for now, but even if William is much more than his father it’s not likely to matter for two reasons. The first is two-tier Keir, who would be a perfect fit in 1984 as a leader, and the demographics of England’s own invasion of Muslim immigrants.

Keir wants absolute power and an effective police state for all the original population of England, with some control over the immigrants. He and his cohorts are working hard to undo Brexit and return England to the EU, though I suspect he wants to return as an equal (a thing to which the EU will never fully agree).

So, he courts power within the progressive/WEF crowd by his actions and shows his loyalty to same by threatening America with this and that, including ending intelligence and military cooperation.

The truly sad thing is that I don’t think it matters in regards them, Germany, or France. Demographics is destiny. As noted before, that huge influx of Muslim immigrants allowed in legally and illegally has already set up multiple Sharia courts across England, which the politicians have stupidly allowed. The immigrants already wield outsized power in England, Germany, France (and elsewhere). My personal opinion is that unless something very unexpected and kinetic occurs, all three countries are not three, but one generation from becoming Islamic states. It’s purely a numbers game, and the immigrants have the numbers along with the effective approval/support of those currently in power.

Yes, I do think that was part of the plan here. Topic for another day, but it was and is much the same. Thankfully, we had a very different outcome last November and Trump came in prepared and loaded for bear. We have a chance, an opportunity, to save ourselves and our Republic. Under current leadership, Europe is fracked. And it is likely to stay fracked, or fall into violence.

As Vice President Vance correctly noted, the EU and it’s member states have started ignoring or overturning elections they don’t like. It’s not just Romania, but France as well. Macaroon refused to acknowledge a rather clear vote by the people and has refused to dissolve the government or to put in place the government (and parties) for which the people rather significantly voted. Germany is currently trying to ban the ADF in Germany and even banned them from the Munich conference. Want to make a bet that if the ADF wins in the upcoming elections as expected, Germany and the EU will refuse to acknowledge the win?

Final thought in this part, particularly on the part of the so-called leaders not being able to read the room. I don’t think they truly understand where their own people are right now. I don’t think they get that they are legitimately and rightfully angry. I know for a fact they don’t have a clue about the American public and the flat-out anger that is close to breaking out. They think it is business as usual, that their buddies and co-conspirators will get back on top again and all go on as before. I don’t see that happening, and I do see efforts to force such resulting in violence and turmoil the world has never seen. I think they might even get a taste of that out of their own people if they don’t wake up and wise up. And I fear they are too stupid and too desperate to cling to the only power structure they know to do so.

Now, let’s face that NATO is not working and most members are not honoring their commitments. It is also not needed for it’s original purpose and the United States has no real vested interest in most of the issues that now face Europe. Fact is, in conventional terms Russia is no threat to a prepared Europe or to the U.S. In nuclear terms, Russia is no threat to a prepared Europe or the U.S. I stand by my previous remarks in regards the twenty percent option. I will skip China for now, but will note that I think it would not survive war with the U.S. or other power block, for all that I suspect most of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and far too many other forces will be either on the bottom of the Pacific or dead in the process.

Frankly, this old Cold Warrior finds himself in a position he never expected to be. I have to agree with Mike Lee and I think we need to be out of NATO. If they can’t and wont honor their commitments, why should we continue to fund them. To protect them and to pledge the blood of our young for their authoritarian and anti-democratic governments? For governments that hate and despise us even as they demand more from us?

I do think it would be wise and prudent to look at some framework with the Baltic states and other members (Poland, Hungary, etc.) who are stepping up. There are a lot of issues there, a number of which Larry Bond covered in his novel Cauldron. There are also some issues that tie into work by Cdr. Salamander, John Konrad, and others in regards the dismal state of our fleet, the beyond abysmal state of our logistics, support/repair, and merchant fleets, and related issues (we need seaplanes in the Pacific if for no other reason than that we can lose ships and planes, but can’t afford to lose pilots and crews because we have no means to currently rescue them). That’s a post for another day.

Right now, if a new framework with the new Europe can be worked out, I would say pull everything we can out of Germany and elsewhere, and move them there. England has been a good staging ground, but future use under current leadership is doubtful (and I have not forgotten past times they refused to let us use forces/assets in England to defend our interests, something that has happened more than once since the 70s). Keir wants to play chicken with those assets and long-standing cooperation? Let’s take that card out of his hands right now. Again, they have not lived up to their commitments, so what do we owe them?

The American public is sick and tired of supporting authoritarian deadbeats who do not honor their word. The American public is sick and tired of spending the blood of our sons and daughters for unappreciative snots, and that is a fair assessment of the current leaders of the EU, Germany, France, and England. The American public is sick and tired of paying for your welfare state instead of taking care of our own. The American public is sick and tired of your whining bullshit.

Time to leave. Let the chips fall where they may.

*****

UPDATE: The post on what I think should replace NATO is up here for those interested.

UPDATE II: I highly recommend this post NATO RIP at L’Ombre de l’Olivier

A Reluctant Change In Plans

For those interested in my journey after being struck by lightning, it is time for an update. Some major changes have occurred, and I want to share with you what that means for some life plans.

There is a lot of good news and I prefer to start with it. First up, my heart continues to do miraculously well. I met with the cardiologist last week (I think) and things are still going very, very well. While there are still some issues (BP and such), the heart itself is amazingly healthy. Which is interesting since last spring things weren’t looking so good as there was a thought I might have to have more surgery. However, not all that long after my Baptism into the Orthodox Church, the new cardiologist (who I like and trust) ran tests that showed pretty much complete healing. So much so he wants me to join a gym and start hitting some weights. I like the idea as walking only gets you so far. Puns intended.

Last fall, I met with a new neurologist to run a series of tests as at that point the brain was supposed to be healed as much as it was going to heal. Time to see what we could see and if any trend lines could be spotted. We’ve done the MRI and one phase of testing; sadly, the rest of the testing can’t be done until June (which is a story for another day).

Tied into that, last fall if you are a regular you may remember I started having vertigo issues. Unsurprisingly, after the fiasco with the first attempt at testing, we finally did get the tests the ENT wanted run. However, balls were again dropped and I just got the results a couple of weeks ago. The cause was not vestibular, as pretty much all of us expected, but neurological. The ENT thinks that it is a result of the brain continuing to rewire itself.

Continuing to rewire itself. More than three years after the lightning strike. To make it even more interesting, not all of that rewiring appears (to me) to be related to the lightning strike. Short version is that my noggin has been injured three different times. Not going to get into the other two, but where I am seeing a lot of change relates to that very first time many years ago. All I can say is I am grateful and looking forward to seeing what happens/how far it goes.

For now, routines, notes, and other bits of help work and for the most part work well. I’m sure not going to complain, as I know people who’ve pretty much had to start over after being hit. Me, I’ve had to relearn how to read music and sing, which is nothing in comparison. It does make me wonder about the poor guy on video who got hit three times in less than five minutes. There are still gaps in my memories, but every now and then something triggers a cascade that restores some of them. I don’t need a keeper, yet, but having someone around might not be a bad idea. More on that in a minute. For now, what I see as ongoing are the brain farts and some issues with time perception. An example of the latter is thinking it’s been two weeks since I talked with someone when it’s really been a year or more.

Oh, there’s more but that’s life. I should also add on the good news front that the vertigo has mitigated a good bit.

As I think I mentioned before, the other bit of good news is that after a long process, I was granted disability. Honestly, I have some mixed emotions but it is for the best. Now making that interesting was finding out that I was being moved from my previous medical insurance over onto Medicare and Medicaid. A bit more of an adventure than I cared for, but it is done.

Yet, it is not done. As all this was going on, I was told that my premium would be covered, as would the cost of a full-up plan. There are some other little bits, but as long as I stay in Indiana that is covered tax free. Given that my disability payment isn’t much, this is huge. It also allows me to keep my core care team, which is very important to me. Especially since we may still be working recovery issues much longer than planned (for which I do give thanks).

Turning from matters physical to matters spiritual, as long-time readers know, I found a new Church home last year. Well, I found it the year before but formally joined last year. It has been an amazing and wonderful experience. I’ve even gotten to take some “courses” on the Church Fathers and other topics, which I’ve very much enjoyed. I also became a Chanter and there is a possibility that I might even be tonsured so I can serve as a reader and altar server. We will see.

I’ve also been blessed with getting to know some wonderful people. Our music director has been working with me on re-learning music and singing, agreeing that it was good therapy for me. Things are improving and I’m even starting to look for options for some voice coaching for the singing. With all the health issues of late, not being doing as much with the guitar as I would like but hope to change that soon as well. There are others as well, too many to list, who are helping me in my journey.

For all that my particular Church is known for sending members forth, I would like to stay there for a while. I’ve got lots to learn and they are quite gracious about working with me and my limits — and helping me push them at need. And that doesn’t even touch some of the friendships. I’m lousy at those, but who knows…

I know I’ve said before I had accepted that I couldn’t go off on my own and live the hermit life, but the last few weeks have driven that home to me with a vengance. Almost like someone is trying to pound it through my thick skull. I’ve finally accepted that not only do I need people nearby, but I also need people that can and will check in on me.

All this forces me to accept that I can’t move out West this year, or probably any time soon. Which on one level is a shame since this winter has reminded me of every reason I want to do it. I’m also having to accept that I need to stay in Indianapolis for now. I’m also realizing that I need to get a place of my own (or at least with my own kitchen) as my current situation is not the right situation for the future.

I’d really like to find a small house, or even a duplex, preferably with a basement. A basement is not only good for storage, but a good place to ride out a thunderstorm at need. Most apartments these days don’t let you have grills and smokers, and I want both. I’ve started looking around, but if anyone out there hears of anything here in Indy, let me know. Provided it doesn’t have barricade bars on the doors — no joke, looked at one house online that had them, told me all I needed to know about the neighborhood. Would love to find something close to the Church, but prices around there have gone up through the roof as the neighborhood has improved.

I will be updating the GiveSendGo here soon, as while I will be moving it will not be out West. At least not yet. It’s funny, and telling, that every time I thought there was a chance, something happened to prevent it. I can’t be sad though, as each has brought both physical and spiritual healing. What the future holds I do not know, but I continue to have Faith that I will be shown the path.

Thank you for being a part of this journey, and for all your help and encouragement these last 3.5 years. Your prayers and generosity have helped me get this far, and recover far more than I really expected. Thank you.

More to come…

More Soon

Running behind and lots going on. Not just on the world stage, but going to share a personal update soon. Also, working on a space post outlining some challenges and why I think we need to build of Elon’s Mars efforts to settle and harvest the asteroid belt and follow up on the suggestions of Dr. Yoji Kondo. Hang tight.

Skin Suits And Skin Walkers

Yesterday’s post ended up causing me to think a bit about David Burge’s take on progressives and institutions. Once they identify a respected institution, they take it over, kill it, and wear it as a skin suit while demanding respect. That led to some additional thought on my part in regards Skinwalkers (Naagloshii if you are into the Dresden Files).

Navajo folklore has the skin walkers as wizards who can change shape into animals, always with the goal of doing harm. This is in opposition to healers, who have the goal of doing good. Simplifying a bit, but it is a rich bit of legend and I think it applies to the current situation.

Looking at what has come out of USAID so far, quite a few institutions appear to be skin walkers. That is, they have been taken over, gutted, and used to attack freedom, liberty, and the rule of law. They dance around grandly, hiding that they are being paid to push not just misinformation, but lies, and to attack those who oppose the progressive intent (power, power, control). It’s not just corporate media, but a variety of institutions that profess to be for the good even as they seek to do harm.

Which brings us to Trump and his team. I noted that it really wasn’t the old Republican party, but instead a new coalition of libertarian, conservative, and progressive. In thinking on that some more, I realized that in many ways, this new coalition was using the skin of the old Republican party as a convenience. Let’s face it, the previous sunken-chested owners had long ago abandoned it as they became the bought-and-paid-for opposition-in-name-only. They were not even truly trying to fill that skin anymore, pretending the big robust figure it had been was still there, as it lay in a wrinkled heap in the corner.

Trump and his team looked at that pile of skin and saw it as a means to an end. That robust character could be revived, and filled with something better than the old. Much easier, in fact, than in creating an all new figure/party/etc. Cuts your development time and cost down considerably.

Which is why the never-Trumpers hate him. He not only disturbed and and imperiled their grift and graft, he did something far worse. In taking up that skin suit, refilling it, and giving it new life, he showed them for the pathetic things they are and they could see clearly what they could have been if they had tried. He showed their view of themselves to be flawed, horribly so, and they can never forgive that.

It is much the same as with Elon and DOGE and the skin suit they are wearing. It was a beautiful bit of legal maneuvering to take an obscure and not terribly important bit of Obama bureaucracy and turn it into one of the most important facets of the new Trump administration. In fact, they didn’t even have to change the acronym as they did so. However, instead of the elderly asthmatic Chihuahua it had been, the new suit holds as much wolf as it does Shiba Inu.

Those skin suits are not worn to harm, but to heal. That is the difference between the two sides. One side lives up to Navajo folklore, while the other works to heal and do good.

Which I find highly amusing on several levels. This unlikely group of heroes came very close to never existing. Both Trump and Elon were democrat, and pushed the standard causes. Both, however, had their eyes opened. I wonder how often Obama regrets doing this:

Elon probably would have been happy just to keep doing all he is already doing (and we need him to do it so we can get humanity off this mudball and out to the stars) but the progressive need to have absolute power and control struck yet again.

It wasn’t the defining moment, I suspect, but it is a good representation of what happened to change Elon’s course. I wonder if she ever regrets what she did, but I’m not sure (as with Obama) that introspection can overcome the sheer narcissism that is a hallmark of the modern progressive.

Both questioned, which is not allowed. Both then put up some mild challenges, and were attacked because they dared go off the reservation. I find it interesting that both have picked up unused/under used skin suits and are using them to do good. That may be the hallmark of the new Republican party.

Just some musing for a Friday. Enjoy your day and weekend.

Best Laid Plans

Last week, I had the chance to test some of my emergency preparedness when I was hit with the fun joys of food poisoning. If your emergency plans don’t encompass dealing with illness and injury, you may want to update your plans. Fact is, if you end up in a true emergency and sheltering for an extended time, you are going to have to deal with any number of illnesses as it is impossible not to share in those circumstances.

Now, I thought I had some pretty good preparations in place. In fact, I had just upped my anti-nausea (AN) and anti-diarrhea (AD) a month or two ago, and thought I was in pretty good shape overall. That turned out to be a touch optimistic.

Here are a few lessons learned that I will share for your planning use, and to remind me of what I need to do as well. Already taking steps, but…

First up, I generally don’t try to control things at first. It used to be that doctors would try to stop both ends as it were. However, it turns out that if the body is trying to purge things, there is a good reason for it and it is best to let it happen. The “plug them up” school may have done more harm than good it seems. The problem comes if the body doesn’t stop trying to purge and/or you (the patient) gets dehydrated.

Problem 1 for me was finding myself on the bathroom floor at one point, doing pinch tests to check for dehydration and checking other vitals to see if I did need to call an ambulance/help. However, when the body had signaled the urgent need to get to the bathroom now, now, now I did not think to grab my phone or do anything other than run, and my bedroom and the bathroom are at opposite ends of the basement. Not sure what to do about this, but do need to figure a plan for emergency communication.

Problem 2 was the bathroom itself. The landlord’s relatives who built it out did their usual high-quality job (cough, choke, wheeze) with the result that literally freezing air from outside was effectively being ducted down onto the floor — and me. Eight inches up from the floor, blissfully warm. On the floor, not so much. I did eventually manage to get back to my room and get a throw, but it really needed additional help. Was not surprised to have some respiratory issues the next day (and very cold feet and hands). Moving is an option, otherwise not much I can do about this one. Considering vacuum packing some throws and blankets and finding a way to store them in the bathroom, but…

Things That Worked 1: I always have solid, liquid tight wastebaskets in every room. Both in the bedroom and in the bathroom, this proved wise. Having them allows for emergency storage and transportation of liquids. In this case, I used them to catch and store what came out up top while sitting on the can. Was able later to empty them, clean, sterilize, and put them back to normal use. I use plastic grocery bags to line them as it makes getting trash out quickly an easy process.

Problem 3 is that I can’t find the flippin AD meds. Apparently I put the OTC and one prescription AD in a good safe place and not with all the other meds. I ended up using InstaCart to get some more delivered. BTW, would have been more impressed with them if they hadn’t left out the sports drink I ordered. I may try another service one day soon to see how they do, as a delivery service could be a good thing to include in preparedness planning. Didn’t need a lot on the AD, but did use it to taper things down later in the week.

Things That Worked 2: having a full-range of OTC items. In this case, having both antacids and anti-gas OTC agents has been very good and effective. In the case of food poisoning, having the anti-gas items is a big plus.

Things That Worked 3: During the time I could not get back to my room, I used a measuring cup from under the sink as a cup. It’s normally used to make saline and fill things. Rinsing the dust out got it clean [it’s kept clean normally, but the dust issue in that bathroom (mostly from the ceiling being another “quality” job) is incredible]. May look at a bagged cup and maybe putting a can of lemon-lime soda in there for emergencies. I will say it was very nice of the housemate to bring me down some bottles of water and ginger ale when he got home from work that next morning. The landlord just had a knee replacement and was not available to get down the stairs and help.

Problem 4 ties back to Problem 1 in that I really do need to be where people can get to me at need. When I move (more on that here soon) I really do need to be where there are good people around me and/or nearby. I’m not real thrilled with that on some levels, but I do have to recognize reality.

Things I Need To Add 1: I used to keep a couple of 2L bottles of a popular lemon-lime soft drink and of ginger ale around for illness. Not sure when I quit doing it, but need to add in some cans (longer storage) of same to my supplies. I also need to find some good powdered electrolytes (little sugar and no B vitamins) to keep on hand. Sugar and salt can make a good emergency solution, but having the better ingredients is the way to go if possible. Oh, no B vitamins because if you are flirting with dehydration you don’t want large amounts of B6 as B6 toxicity is no joke. When hydrated, it usually flushes out, but dehydration changes that equation.

Still recovering, but on the mend. Wanted to get an AAR down for my planning and to give you some food for thought for yours.

More soon. Be prepared and keep your family and friends close, and your things where you can find them in the dark.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, which include moving once we have medical issues cleared up, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Thoughts And A Warning

May you live in interesting times. The opening of an alleged Chinese curse (I’m too tired to research it but seem to recall it was such) and a reminder that even rapid positive changes can be unsettling.

Unlike some, the last three weeks (roughly) have not been something where I’ve been scared that I would wake up and find it a dream. I’ve been far more scared that I will wake up and the enemy will have gotten it in one sock and is effectively fighting back. So far they haven’t, and I bow towards Donald Trump and his team.

I had a sneaking suspicion that things would be interesting as soon as I heard that the transition team would be privately funded and not working with the previous Regency as used to be the norm. When I didn’t hear the usual leaks, or even some of the usual behind-the-scenes chatter, suspicions intensified.

Wow. What was being planned was beyond my wildest imagination. There has been a blitz from the word go, and like all good blitzes it was meticulously planned, contingencies developed, great legal counsel was clearly involved, and the logistics were in place. It hit so many places at once the enemy couldn’t figure out where to fight back, and it was also clear that the Trump team was setting things up so that the enemy had to defend their worst assaults on freedom, liberty, and the Constitution in public.

Read this as an example, looking at just one of the EOs and actions. Then read this excellent take from David Strom. Then think of how much work went into the hundred plus (?) EOs piled up and ready to go that first night. That was quite the sight with them all on the desk to be signed, and more keep coming. It is worth noting that every time the enemy even starts to think about getting back on balance, out comes another major EO, often on a hot-button topic for the progressives, to throw them even further off balance. Right now, I’m not sure they can truly decide where to start and can’t handle the sheer volume of things to challenge.

Then, add in the extremely prudent acts in putting people on leave, locking them out of buildings and systems, etc. to prevent the open sabotage that was a hallmark during Trumps first term. I noted with approval that apparently one of the first acts done by DOGE was to mirror drives so that such sabotage would be easy to detect and deal with. That it also preserves a lot of data many would have liked to seen deleted before the audit is another good thing.

Yes, I do keep using the term “enemy” deliberately and advisedly. They are not the loyal opposition. What they have shown themselves to be are opponents of individual freedom, individual liberty, the Constitution, and even of civilization itself. They pretty much dropped all pretenses otherwise during the Biden Regency and declared war on the American people. Or, did you think all those SWAT raids that saw people judicially executed/murdered, and became one of the features of the J6 persecutions were an accident? Messages were being sent, and not just through the corrupted corporate and political media (and boy have the last couple of days been fun with the data coming out of USAID on that). Did you think the 80,000 IRS were going to go after anyone on the left? The Lois Lerner brigades had a target, and it was everyone not a progressive. I could go on, but the point is made. These were not and are not the actions of a loyal opposition, but a disloyal (to the Constitution) enemy.

I’m going to skip over a few things I’ve noticed as I am hoping Trump and DOGE can get several more weeks of accomplishment in before the enemy starts fighting back/fighting back effectively. I really hope the enemy does not figure some of it out and the grand rope-a-dope going on continues.

That said, it is not a time to drop your guard or your preparedness. The usual suspects have doxxed the DOGE team, and while the new leadership at DOJ is investigating that and a myriad of threats, it’s still a problem. It is a bigger one for the people doing this as within their bubbles they have no clue how PO’d the public is and how much (and how fast) that is growing as more corruption comes out. The public mood is far angrier than most realize, and far too many of our credentialed so-called elite really don’t get that this time they need to care. They have not caught up with the times, and still think violence (by their usual crew) is something to be controlled like a rheostat so as to make the controlled opposition behave. Reality is that for the majority of Americans, it’s a switch and nobody on any side should want to see that flipped. Violence against Trump, Vance, his cabinet, and the DOGE team is almost guaranteed to flip it though.

Again, they live such insular lives within their bubbles that they really don’t get that it is truly no longer the Republican party (and controlled opposition) they knew all their lives. What it is now is a mix of libertarian, conservative, and populist that used the existing structure because it was convenient. It’s no longer the group of squishes that would let them keep running things even when the party “won” an election. The concept that the winning team would govern and not let them keep on like always is, I suspect, a horrifying lèse-majesté that truly shocks them. The horror!

There may be a few of the enemy who get it, and understand where they are at right now. Most don’t. They can’t (or won’t) deal with reality and the changes underway. Which is where danger comes in. As noted above, violence against Trump and Company will have repercussions no sane person wants to see happen. Yet, the BlueSky crowd was busy doxxing and making threats early on. I’m hoping that legal consequences for same may cause some to hit the brakes a bit, but I think far too many are not going to calm down given how many rice bowls just got kicked over.

Cornered rats are very dangerous, and the credentialed so-called elites are several steps above that. They see the system that they grew up in and that has given them power, money, and more failing. The NGOs were sinecures for children, nieces, and nephews that guaranteed the money and power would stay in those families for generations. Quite a few of those types have no other marketable skill nor do they have alternate career plans even if they did have skills. Given that, I truly am worried we could see some nuclear-grade stupid.

I actually think there are plans already in place for such (note Trump’s “I’ve left instructions”), and even if not I would be saying restraint, restraint, restraint. Stupidity on their part does not demand stupidity in return.

Make no mistake: we are in a revolution. This type of revolution has very high odds for success and a return to a truly Constitutional Republic. As someone noted on X the other day, it’s not something you can shut off at this point. Fact is, it is burn the boats time and we need to go all in on DOGE and the efforts underway. We have even more to lose in some ways than the enemy, in that we can lose our gains and freedoms, as well as our souls. However, we also have far more to gain through a successful revolution/restoration than they will. Their way of life is gone no matter what.

Expect the unexpected; think, then act; and, sit back and enjoy the show. I think Sarah used an analogy recently of a roller coaster and it sure is a good descriptor of the last couple of weeks. It’s fun, more than slightly scary (occasionally even terrifying), and not something you can leave mid-ride. My inner geek keeps hearing Kosh from Babylon 5 saying “The avalanche has already started. It is too late for the pebbles to vote.” Apt, and there are some interesting parallels between what is going on and what went on in Babylon 5.

I am going to pray for success, sanity on all sides, and the best possible outcome. I am going to make sure I’m prepared for turbulence. Most of all, I’m going to try not to get whiplash from the rapid events and not laugh too hard at all that is happening. Feel free to join me in sitting back and enjoying the show.