The United States Must Stop the flow of Drugs from Mexico

Fentanyl has been smuggled into the United States from Mexico for years. In case you thought that Mexico was an ally that the United States could rely on to combat the flow of fentanyl into the country, Mexico’s president is now outright lying about the issue.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has warned GOP lawmakers that Mexico will not allow foreign governments to intervene in its territory after some members of the party advocated for the U.S. to take military action against Mexico’s drug cartels.

GOP Representative Dan Crenshaw, who introduced legislation allowing American forces to act, responded by asking Mexican president López Obrador why he rejects U.S. aid. His response: “We are not going to permit any foreign government to intervene in our territory, much less that a government’s armed forces intervene.” Does that response make any sense?

Mexico is a country where gangs (cartels) operate with impunity. Their former leader of the Sinaloa cartel, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán is now in the United States most secure US supermax prison after multiple escapes from Mexican prisons.

So what in the world is Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador talking about? I have always believed that the Mexican government is bribed by the cartels. Obrador’s denial that drugs are made in Mexico is a joke.

I agree with Representatives Dan Crenshaw, Lindsey Graham and other senators that if is time to send American troops into Mexico to bring the cartels to an end. If that means fighting with the Mexican government to bad for them.

American lives are at stake.

Tevye has died

Israeli actor Chaim Topol, known for his iconic role of Tevye in the film “Fiddler on the Roof,” has died at the age of 87.

A cause of death was not revealed, however his son told the Israeli press last year that his father was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

Raised in Tel Aviv and revered as a top actor in his native land, Topol appeared in over 30 movies across Israel and the United States. He earned two Golden Globe Awards, one for the role of Tevye in the 1971 film production of “Fiddler on the Roof” – he originated the role on London’s West End in 1967. He was additionally nominated for a Tony Award when he revisited the part in the 1991 Broadway revival.

In 2015, Israel celebrated 67 years of independence, honoring Topol with the Israel Prize for his lifetime achievements.

One year earlier, the University of Haifa gave Topol an honorary degree, recognizing his cultural impact for more than 50 years.

Topol was also a musician, recording several singles and albums. He was featured on the “Fiddler on the Roof” movie album, as well as the London cast album from 1967. One of the songs his character Tevye sings is the notable “If I Was A Rich Man.”

Countless Israeli leaders shared their sorrow for the loss of Topol, acknowledging the legacy he left behind.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Topol’s “contribution to Israeli culture will continue to exist for generations.” .

Israel’s ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, said Topol was “one of the most outstanding Israeli actors,” who “filled the movie screens with his presence and above all entered deep into our hearts.”

Drag Shows are Nothing New!

The Sad Presidency of Jimmy Carter

President Jimmy Carter was a one term president. Ronald Reagan replaced him. The economy during his presidency was notable for a stagnant economy that included high unemployment and high inflation. It was a time of long lines for gasoline, a partial meltdown at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania and a siege at the U.S. Embassy in Iran. The 52 hostages held at the embassy were not released until the day after Carter relinquished the presidency. The hostage event, I believe, was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Carter’s presidency.

On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and took them as hostages. The hostages were held for 444 days. If there was an effort to free the hostages it was never made public.

Today as Carter is in hospice care almost everyone talks about what a great American and president he was. It’s just not true and most of us know it.

Presidents of the US: President-elect Barack Obama on Jan. 7, 2009, with President George W. Bush and former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.(J. Scott Applewhite Associated Press)

War Means Jobs and Profit

Daddy Warbucks couldn’t be happier. 800 people are working at a factory in Lima, Ohio that rebuilds Abrams tanks and “is building 15 to 20 armored vehicles per month, including tanks, it can easily boost that to 33 a month and could add another shift of workers to build more if needed.” Those numbers are reported in an AP article appearing in the LA Times.

I know we need to support Ukraine with military hardware but is that number 15 to 20 vehicles? Why? I understand providing munitions but this article was about hardware.

“Part of it is figuring out … what’s the best one that can allow us to get the Ukrainians tanks in as timely a fashion as we can” without disrupting foreign military sales, said Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth.

Sales to who is my question. I Googled for the answer. U.S. arms exports in 2021, by country

Saudi Arabia	1389
Australia Qatar Japan United Kingdom 4 countries	929 906 875 875
South Korea	646
Netherlands	586
Israel	550
Norway	455
India	425

United Arab Emirates 274

Denmark 226

Italy 214

The plus to this situation is the are 800 American families with good incomes. General Dynamics is earning a good profit for every unit they deliver. A few other companies like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon are also the beneficiaries of the war machine.

Incidentally if you don’t get it, Daddy Warbucks was a character from the classic comic strip Little Orphan Annie and the stage musical based on it. He was a war profiteer (someone who makes money through military contracts).

Special Committee to Investigate the UFOs

Today’s CNN news included reports of a special committee to investigate the UFOs instead they use the words “unidentified aerial phenomena.” The special committee will include Steven Spielberg because after all he produced the movie “ET” and of course Captain Picard will be called in as a special advisor.

Is NORAD Failing and Why?

On February 1, 2023 a spy balloon was spotted by civilians and recorded by Chase Doak, who captured on video from his driveway. He later described as a “big, round disc in the sky” and obviously posted the photo on line. What if he had not seen it and photographed it? Would the balloon tracking and ultimately shoot down ever happen? The topic of spy balloons would not be a news item.

What we don’t know is whether the balloon was being tracked by NORAD. I’m not into conspiracies but why wasn’t the balloon shot down over Alaska? Once alerted they tracked it and when another UFO was identified over northern Alaska it two was shot down.

Then a third UFO was shot down over the Yukon territory of Canada. Then another UFO was identified over Lake Huron and it too was shot won.

So what is the purpose of NORAD? From NORAD’s web site: The North American Aerospace Defense Command conducts aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning in the defense of North America.

NORAD has been asleep or lacks the ability to detect some aerospace invasion. I expect there will be a review of NORAD’s systems by congress. UFOs flying across our country before being identified is frightening.

Social Security and Medicare are Running out of Money

Sadly the congress of the United States delays confronting serious problems to the last minute. The debt ceiling was reached in January and there is casual discussion about adjusting it or doing major budget changes while the treasury secretary juggles the bills that are due now. We have an even big problem looming that will impact everyone.

Social Security and Medicare are running out of money.

Medicare’s trust fund is projected to be exhausted by 2028. Social Security’s trust fund is projected to be exhausted by 2035. When that happens the money each fund will dispense will be equal to incoming receipts. According to the Washington Post payments to doctors and health plans will likely be 90% of current reimbursements starting in 2028 and a 20 percent cut for all seniors receiving a Social Security check in 2035.

So, those are the two basic options to solve these issues: raise taxes or cut benefits. You could do similar things today. For example, to make Social Security solvent for the next 75 years, legislators could raise the tax rate from 6.2% to 8.1%. According to current actuarial projections, this would fix the problem until 2095.

Democratic lawmakers say that both Social Security and Medicare can be addressed without any cuts to the program — an approach expected to be codified in Biden’s upcoming budget, which is set to be released next month. Some liberal lawmakers have pushed for a one-line change to federal law that would require general funds from the Treasury Department to be used to pay off the shortfalls in the programs and make beneficiaries whole. Some liberal advocates, meanwhile, have pointed out that tax hikes would take care of the funding shortfall. One proposal to lift the current cap on earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes, endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and others in the Democratic caucus, would extend funding for the program for decades. That cap is now about $160,000.

Will congress do anything before the last minute? Not likely.