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The Navy Blue and Trump (Gold)

12/22/2025

The Brits built the HMS Hood
The Germans built the Bismarck
The Japanese built the Yamato

All big classic battleships thought to be the superior battleship. All are now resting at the bottom of the ocean, casualties of war.

Alfred Mahan wrote a book entitled The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783. It is an historical book detailing how the power of the navy created world powers. The book does make sense. Sea power is still a condition that allows nations to become world powers.

Today, President Trump announced a plan to construct a "Golden Fleet" to include the biggest and fastest battleships ever build by the United States. But under the conditions in the modern era, is it wise to build warships that are subject to attack from various forms of weapons?

Even though it hasn't been spoken, there is a thing called "arms race". It started back when the Brits were fighting the French and the Brits brought out the long bow, capable of piercing the armor of French knights. As one may imagine, weaponry began to escalate and improve for centuries...because no country wishes to have inferior weapons. How would a country defend itself with inferior weapons, or a lack thereof? Think Ukraine.

The Falkland Islands War should be proof enough with old Argentine naval vessels being sunk by missiles fired from attacking airplanes. With guidance systems improving a great deal since the Falkland Islands war, Tomahawk missiles could be launched from hundreds of miles away to attack and hit the battleships Trump has green lighted.

We know this could happen because of American use of Tomahawk missiles in the 2003 invasion of Iraq during what was called "Shock and Awe". Guidance systems and weaponry has only improved in the last 20 years.

Would one honestly believe Russia and China will not try to counter-act the new proposed naval vessels by Trump? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that question and the answer to it.

So build those ships bigger and better than anything the US has produced and call them "Trump Class" vessels. Build that Golden Fleet. But will it be able to outrun incoming long range warheads? Will it be able to defend themselves should this happen? Will this turn out to be a huge waste of time, effort, and money? Will it cost American sailors their lives?

I have my opinion....

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Shoulder Taps

12/20/2025

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This entry will not have a thing to do with Washington D.C., the President, the situation with Venezuela…but I have been tapped on the shoulder to write this.

Recently, I received this “cartoon” via the internet.  I looked at it and thought, that is me.  That is how I came about my belief and faith in God…or Allah…or Yahweh…or Abba.  To me, even though the faith systems may be different, it all reflects in the belief of a Supreme Being, if you will…whom I call God.

My folks never took me to church.  My upbringing wasn’t fashioned in the thought of religion.  About the only “religion” I knew about was playing ball and trying to become better at my chosen sports.  As I look back on my early years as a teenager, I have often wondered about how great the improvement in natural talent would have been for me, and all others with whom I played, could have been with the technology now available.  I grew up in the era of “see the ball, hit the ball”.  That was my “religion”.

Along the way, friends of mine invited me to go to church with them.  And so, I did.  As a junior in high school, me and two of my friends decided to go to the local Methodist Church.  We attended regularly and even went to Sunday School classes until one day, our Sunday School instructor was upset that we posed a question regarding God and Science she couldn’t answer.  We were asked to leave and not return.

I have always been somewhat scientific in my thinking.  I understand what probable truth means and what absolute truth means.  I trusted the scientific method to provide answers…but absolute truth demands accepting the truth without proof…blind faith.  I wasn’t ready for that.

Another high school friend invited me to attend his church, the Church of Latter-Day Saints.  I thought it was a great idea, because of their youth programs and that church had the best-looking girls in town.  My faith didn’t grow, but I learned a great deal about the Mormon Church.  Some people consider that faith a cult; I would disagree.  Certainly, that faith system has some tenets unlike other faith systems, but all in all, in my opinion, it isn’t a cult.  (As it turned out, many years later, I would be invited to speak at a Farewell Sacrament Service for one of the missionaries who was called to a mission for the church.)

I met a guy in college, just by chance.  Pat Bonnet was his name.  If memory serves me correctly, he was a Canadian who happened to play college football.  Because of my past of playing football, we bonded.  Amazingly, Pat and I sat and he asked me about my “resistance” to accepting God.  I told him that wasn’t the case, I just couldn’t square it in my mind.  Then Pat offered this analogy, one that I understood.  Pat told me, just like your football coach in college who developed a game plan for the upcoming game, God has a game plan for you, but you don’t know what it is.  You just have to trust God.  Trust God.  That stuck with me.

I was married in the Episcopal Church.  That is what my bride to be wanted and I said yes.  Up until that time, I had no real affiliation with a church, and my faith was still a loose connection of yes there is a God, but…If it wasn’t for my wife, I don’t know if I would have been able to understand what some call the mystery of faith.

Our teaching careers gave us the opportunity to move about to different areas of the state.  Some decisions were by choice, others not.  Between the desire to move from one locale to another, and the dreaded reduction in force…we picked up and moved.  But we always had a way to stay grounded by finding an Episcopal church.

We have been married for over 50 years, and have had the chance to reflect on our time together and events that took place for which there is no explanation.  It would be easy to say we have been blessed.  It would be easy to say we put our trust in God.  But, to me, that would just be talk.

Over the years, we have had the urge to help people out.  Where the urge came from, I initially didn’t know.  But one day I heard a cleric talking about “shoulder taps”.  It was explained as if someone touched you on the shoulder to do something to help a person.  I believe in shoulder taps and I believe those “shoulder taps” come from God.  So did the cleric.

And with that, I certainly believe God tapped my shoulder and provided divine guidance on numerous times…finding a woman who could put up with me for over 50 years, for a daughter who has put up with me her entire life, for a grandson that means everything to me, and for the life I have been privileged to live.

Included in my life, I have met many, many people who have enriched my existence.  I will not list names because there are far too many, but from the faculty at Holbrook High School to Carl Hayden Community High School and those in between, I have been led by God to meet some fascinating teachers and students and athletes.  I couldn’t be more grateful for the relationships forged by divine guidance.

What I have learned is that one may not realize the impact faith in God may have had in your life, until you retrospectively examine your life’s journey.  I am of the opinion all people have had “things” happen in their life that are unexplainable.  I know my wife and I have had more than a fair share of those unexplainable “things” happen to us.  Some may call it a miracle, other, just say it must be fate, or coincidence.  I believe it to be divine intervention.

Some people have a “shoulder tap” to do something for someone and when asked, why, the answer sometimes is “I don’t know, I just wanted to do it”.  My assertion is God tapped your shoulder.

As I wrote earlier, I have been tapped on the shoulder to write this article.  With all of that being said, and this being the season of joy and love, please let me say “Merry Christmas “.  I hope you all have a day filled with happiness and love, and create memories that last a lifetime.

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Aargh Matey

12/10/2025

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As of today, December 10, 2025, the United States has entered into the business of piracy.

President Trump has told the world we  “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, a large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually,” Trump told reporters at the White House, later adding that "it was seized for a very good reason.”

Trump did not offer additional details. When asked what would happen to the oil aboard the tanker, Trump said, “Well, we keep it, I guess.”

One must ask…why did this event take place?

US Attorney General Pam Bondi offered “for multiple years, the oil tanker (the Skipper)  has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.”

Am I missing something here?  The US military under the command of either the President or the Secretary of War, blows alleged drug running boats out of the water, killing over 80 people, because, as the President claims, the narco-terrorists are poisoning our citizens and we are now at war with them.  Yet, the US Coast Guard boards and seizes an oil tanker.

The question that needs to be asked and answered is, “If the Coast Guard can board and seize a sea going tanker, why can’t the Coast Guard interdict, stop the “drug boats” and prohibit their distribution of drugs?
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Piracy has been regarded as a crime on the open seas and is often a reason for war.  Think President Thomas Jefferson and the Barbary Pirates…think Somalia pirates…

The government of Venezuela has called this action blatant piracy on the open seas.  And in doing so, has stated the actions of the United States destroying “drug boats” is just a smoke screen for the real intended policy of acquiring Venezuelan oil and using force to remove Venezuelan President Maduro from office.

And there appears to be support coming from American lawmakers to the Venezuelan claim.  Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the U.S. seizing the oil tanker cast doubt on the administration’s stated reasons for the military buildup and boat strikes.

“This shows that their whole cover story — that this is about interdicting drugs — is a big lie,” the senator said. “This is just one more piece of evidence that this is really about regime change — by force.”

The irony of this event and the strikes on the “drug boats” is the President of the United States has cast himself as the Peace President.  It is well known he campaigned for the Nobel Peace Prize, which he did not receive.

However, President Trump received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize.  The FIFA Peace Prize is a new, annual award, established in late 2025 by soccer’s governing body, to honor individuals who have made "exceptional actions for peace and unity," uniting people globally.  Some believe this award was used to placate the President, because of upcoming World Cup matches to be held in various cities in the United States.

And, to add to the initial irony of the moment, let us not forget, the Senior Little League team from Venezuela was not granted visas so the team could come to the United States and participate in the Senior Little League World Series.  Venezuela was on a list of countries with U.S. travel restrictions, linked to national security concerns under the Trump administration's policies.

The bottom line is self-revealing.  President Trump is committing the United States to armed conflict with Venezuela, WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL. It appears this is being done to remove Maduro from office in Venezuela.

Admittedly, the President may send troops to where ever by invoking the National Emergency Act of 1976, but must be specific in regards to why this needs to happen.  The main reason given by President Trump on January 20, 2025 was to strengthen the southern border.  Which, because of a broken immigration policy and system, needed to be done.  As of this moment, the immigration policy and system hasn’t received any serious overhaul from Congress, which is an enumerated duty of Congress in the Constitution.

I am of the opinion the President’s Executive Order did not include what is taking place in the Caribbean, the eastern Pacific, and with Venezuela, yet it is happening, either lawfully or not.

And, with all of what our nation has recently witnessed, does this behavior of the President qualify as “exceptional actions for peace and unity?"

I know what I believe…

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Come on Supreme Court

12/6/2025

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In recent months, our nation has heard the term “constitutional crisis” based on actions of the present administration.  In my view, this crisis is on the brink of either solidifying the rule of law in our country or destroying the Constitution, which would mean re-writing the pathway for American citizens and our system of government.

The Supreme Court has decided to take up the case of President Trump’s Executive Order regarding birthright citizenship.  In question is the first section of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.  The first section of the 14th Amendment states:

Section 1.   All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

At question, is the President’s EO to remove the first sentence of this Amendment.  The argument that might be given, is this amendment was provided to ensure the slaves who were freed as a result of the Civil War (1861-1865) would become “citizens” of the United States, and that it no longer applies to our nation at this time.  However, it should be noted, this amendment to the Constitution is more than just citizenship.

The second sentence of Section 1 has been used numerous times to ensure equal protection to all citizens.  This amendment led to reversing the Dred Scott decision, was used in the determination of Brown v. Board of Education, key to the desegregation of schools, and was paramount in producing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

More importantly, and in my opinion, this action may bring the true light of the matter to the forefront is Section 3 of the same amendment.  Section 3 states:

Section 3.  No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

This section of the 14th Amendment brings to mind the action of then President Trump and his speech on the Ellipse of January 6th, 2021 urging his followers to “fight like hell”, telling the crowd if they didn’t, they would lose their country.  This took place immediately before the Capitol was put to siege by Trump’s followers…who were following his suggestion to “fight like hell”.

The Supreme Court has a decision to make regarding the power of the Executive Branch.  That decision to be made is, can the President eliminate a portion of the Constitution with the stroke of a pen?

By Executive Order, President Trump has indicated he wishes to restrict birthright citizenship.  The fact is, most all of the people in the United States born here, who are not children of undocumented citizens, could be subject to this EO.  So…would new born babies be subject to applying for citizenship to the United States?

More importantly, if the President can use an EO to change the Constitution, then, the President can make null and void Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, something that may or could prevent him from holding office.

The President could abolish elections; the President could play judge, jury, and executioner without regard to due process or the rule of law.  We are already seeing that played out with the sinking of alleged drug boats and narco-terrorists being killed
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The President could determine what would be the pathway forward for the nation and persecute those who objected to his desires.  We have seen the President revoke his endorsement of Marjorie Taylor Green, a devoted disciple of Trump, because she spoke out against the President; The President has determined Senator Kelly has committed sedition and should be hanged, all the while Senator Kelly just reiterated what is in the UMCJ and the DOD War Law Manual.

Or to be more outlandish, the President could declare the entire Constitution null and void and reconstruct the government as he or she wishes.

There is an amendment process as described in the Constitution.  The U.S. Constitution can be amended through a two-step process: proposal and ratification. An amendment must first be proposed, either by a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate or by a national convention called for by two-thirds of the states. Second, the proposed amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states, either through their state legislatures or through state conventions.

I am aware that Executive Orders have the same effect as law produced by Congress.  I am not aware of a portion of the Constitution stating the President can amend the Constitution by Executive Order.

Let us pray the Supreme Court understand what is at issue and denies the power of the President to change the Constitution with the use of Executive Orders.

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One Man's Opinion

The Navy Blue and Trump (Gold)

Shoulder Taps

Aargh Matey

Come on Supreme Court

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