Thoughts on Charlie Kirk

Charlie Kirk was killed the other day. It was coincidence that I was in Utah when it happened. It does seem weird that shortly after I drove thought metro Salt Lake City that my brother in Christ was murdered.

Shortly after the Fox News alert, I got a text from “The Chief” informing me that it was a fatal shot. Chief stated that anyone viewing the video knew Kirk was dead. He told me the delay in announcing the death was to inform next of kin. As usual, my staff is Really Right.

Charlie Kirk was doing what he loved, arguing presuppositional apologetics with young skulls full of mush. Charlie was effective in removing the blinders from the minds of young people. He was quick on his feet and gentle in his rebukes to followers of the failed philosophies of our age. His mission was to turn the hearts of our youth toward the reality of God.

I find it remarkable that this unapologetic Christian has been praised by Protestants, Roman Catholics, and even Jewish folks of all stripes. In the wake of his death, people have been spontaneously doing what Charlie advocated, taking back our institutions. People praising his murder on social media are finding themselves unemployed and outcasts. People are seeing a chance to fight back via peaceful means and taking it. Chief was right that Charlie was just a guy with a microphone and a message that is older than our civilization.

Charlie’s methodology of discourse follows in the footsteps of folks you probably haven’t hear of like Cornelious Van Til, Rousas John Rushdoony, and Greg Bahnsen. Charlie Kirk argued that you need to stay consistent with your worldview assumptions. This, in essence, is using a presuppositional apologetic. Bahnsen called it “pushing the antithesis”. Don’t let folks borrow capital from a Christian worldview to prop up their failed philosophy. Look on YouTube for some videos of actor Kirt Cameron doing the same thing long before Charlie Kirk was old enough to shave.

Charlie Kirk touched the lives of many people and his reach on social media will allow his message to reach people long after he is laid to rest. Charlie’s message is eternal because the God that he knew is eternal. Charlie was able to communicate that love with boldness. Charlie will be missed. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” This has always been the truth.  

Charlie, thanks for fighting the good fight. Well done thou good and faithful servant. Enter into God’s rest. (see Matthew 25:23)

Charlie Kirk RIP

Those calling for blood in the streets got what they wanted today.  Charlie Kirk (he was a Republican, but affiliation doesn’t matter here) was killed today while speaking at Utah Valley University.  Ironically reports/video show he was fielding a question about deaths from mass shootings when the fatal bullet was shot.  Do not watch the video footage, it is gruesome.  It pierced his main artery in his neck, his body went limp, and a literal river of blood shot out.  It looked as like something from a horror/sci-fi/war movie.  I texted the Blog Father “no chance he lived.” 

Kirk leaves behind a wife, and a 1- and 3-year-old.  Also, online footage of his death will be circulated/still on the interwebs likely into eternity.  Imagine when those kids grow up, they can view the video of their father shot and killed.  Oh, also the ensuing comments celebrating his death.

But this blog is not to memorialize Charlie Kirk or attack the left.  It’s to make a point that we live in the equivalent of a Banana Republic or third world country. 

Folks, just in the past roughly 12 months we have had; 2 attempts to kill Donald Trump, 2 Minnesota State electeds shot, 1 fatally, a judge murdered by a Sheriff in Kentucky, The United Health CEO murdered, and an arson at the house of PA Gov Josh Shapiro.  The violence is condemned, thoughts and prayers are offered up, pro-gun vs anti-gun happens, then right back to where we started.  Oh, prior to these events, Gabby Giffords was nearly killed, and Steve Scalise likely would have been killed had the secret service and Sen Rand Paul not been present at the scene of that shooting. 

I guess it’s now ok to kill folks you don’t agree with politically?  That seems to be the message sent on all forms of media, electronic and televised. 

Trust me when I say this, it’s not representative of all Americans, it’s a growing fringe on both left and right…. Yeah, even the right.

When at the gym, I will occasionally have the news on in front of me, granted subtitles skew the content a little bit, but both sides are playing to the extreme.  Online media is the same exact way, who cares about being righ,t its more important to be first. 

The root causes of this issue are as follows; we have so many shootings in this country we have become numb to it under the guise of “violence happens” in that part of town.  Check out the local news at night.  We allow violent video games, I know, I know, research shows no correlation but there has to be something there, our young people are the trigger pullers in most cases now, and violent video games were a thing in my youth, and still are to this day.  This de-sensitizes you to death, oh, and in some of these games, you are the “bad guy” shooting at the police…. Where have we seen that before?  Political nonsense being spewed on tv and electronic media is another form. Now imagine consuming many hours of this garbage and thinking it’s gospel.  Again, I’m talking left and right.  This is the straw that stirs the drink. 

I overheard a fellow Republican at a CRA meeting say “The DNC is a great spot for a terror attack… think of how great it would be with that scum gone.”  I objected and was told by another member to “shut up.”  Yep.  Again, CRA is a “right leaning organization.”  I do not think many sane people advocate blowing up a mass of the population unless they have multiple screws loose.

Similar statements, but not political in nature.  I work with someone who has never missed early morning and prime time tv. They had this one several years ago;  Russia had been massing troops at the Ukraine border at the time.  “Come on Putin, move in and fire a bullet, I want the stock market to go down and have people panic sell so I can buy on the cheap.”  Yeah, he wanted a war and people dying in large numbers so he could buy a stock cheap.  Digest that for a minute.  Innocent people…. Dying.  Or this great hit from the same guy regarding Chipotle’s e-coli outbreak a decade ago.  It is was caused by an investor who is short (betting the stock goes down) the stock.  So let me get this straight, some guy somehow instructed a huge storefront operation to get high numbers of people sick…. On purpose, mind you.  This is tin-foil hat right/left wing BS.  It also shows a big disconnect from reality.

Fear not, the left does it as well, but what scares me is the right is now starting to have more and more fringe actors like the ones mentioned above. This creates a scary situation.  For example, Sean Hannity. I caught his opening monologue yesterday and boy I wish I hadn’t.  He has been lost since Rush Limbaugh died and it shows.  He dedicated the beginning to not Charlie Kirk but going off about how deranged and mad the left is.  Sean, we know this.  A deranged, Palestinian supporting leftist attempted arson on Democrat Josh Shapiro’s home.  Shapiro is Jewish.  Monologues like this do not help, they actually hurt.  It stirs up folks who have no view of humanity.

A final word comes courtesy of Alexandria O’Casio Cortez. 

“From the moment I was elected, I have felt that I accept a certain level of risk in doing this job,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters. But she added that security protocols for members of Congress are “for a bygone time. … They’re not designed for a digital threat environment era.”

AOC and several other members of Congress have cancelled outdoor events and are thinking of hiring private security.  The type of thing yesterday should scare lots of people, but not for the reasons you think.  Charlie Kirk is really a “JAG” (Just a guy) if you think about it.  He is a relative unknown outside of the political spectrum.  He isn’t elected.  Has no voting record outside of “he voted.”  He was murdered.  In front of his family.  A sniper from long distance, in what appears to be a long thought-out and planned attack.

How do we stop this?

We really can’t.  Political rhetoric, especially on the podcast fringe from both sides.  Some of what I think is the solution is the same as Brian Kohberger.  When this perp is arrested simply declare you caught the guy.  Do not name him or put out any info.  Try him after you have an airtight open and closed case that not even the public defender’s office even really wants to touch.  No plea bargain.  Federal terrorism/hate crime charges.  Death penalty!  Upon conviction, again as an unknown to the world population, make it clear any appeals are expedited to a judge immediately.  The goal here is a needle/electric chair/firing squad within 5-7 years of conviction.  This may not stop the shooting, but it helps to remove the scum and the attention they want from this earth.  As opposed to Kohberger who like I mentioned will be around awhile to continue to seek out attention for what he did.

The Chief

PS Matthew Dowd formerly of MSNBC fame, I’m coming directly for you next week in this space.

Trump/DC/Epstein Part 2: Electric Boogaloo

Why Epstein?  Why is this still being talked about in the news media?  I’m talking mainstream, far left, far right, and all over the internet.

None of this makes sense honestly.

Whose fault is it?  Trump’s.  Yep, go ahead CRA folks, throw your insults and other things my way.  Your newfound BFF, Trump, is solely to blame for this.  It was easily handled, but he chose to pull a “Covid Donald” as I call it.  Playing to both sides of his MAGA base.  If there is one thing Trump is very, very bad at its controlling a situation.

1/3 of the problem is Trump’s MAGA Base.  Who are MAGA you may ask?  I will define them for you.  MAGA are not representative of the Republican Party.  MAGA includes conspiracy theorists, new found “conservatives”, vaccine deniers, and a slew of 1 issues candidates that could careless about Party.

How is this Trump’s fault? He should know his MAGA folks better than most.  These conspiracy theorists and election deniers are something else.  They play in all far left/right corners of the internet. Also he has 1 in his cabinet, Dan Bongino of Fox News fame.  Bongino has been pushing the hardest to make the files public.  Vaccine deniers fit in this group as well, I’m not talking Covid, I’m talking these folks who are ok with Florida doing away with mandatory vaccinations.  Read what Measles can do to a young child, polio, etc.  Oh, RFK jJ. is in his cabinet spouting this BS by the way.  The newfound conservatives comment refers mostly to CRA types who hated Trump calling ,him a Democrat etc. who suddenly turned once he became popular as president.  The one issue people began coming out of the woodwork eight years ago. They love some of Trump’s policies but they really don’t know why.

2/3 of the problem is the far left.  They hate Donald with a vengeance, and will do anything to get him gone.  The rumor started by Musk that Donald is “in the Epstein files” was liquid gold for them.  They picked it up and ran with it.  Now they are getting right-wing whackos to support releasing the files via congressional vote.  Margorie Taylor Green and Thomas Massie being 2 of them.

3/3 of the problem is Trump himself.  Trump has been odd and erratic sense Covid.  Really, he has been all over the place on things.  He was all about releasing the files, Pam Bondi claimed they were all on her desk, then they weren’t.  Then they released the video with a minute or so missing, and basically claimed a judge was holding up releasing the files. Then Trump declared “If you are a supporter of mine and you want the files released; I do not want your support anymore.”  Yep, smart play to the base by releasing an obviously doctored video, then say you are done with them.  He is now calling it a “Democrat hoax.” 

“The confused and badly failing Democrat Party did nothing about Jeffrey Epstein while he was alive except befriend him, socialize with him, travel to his Island, and take his money!” Trump posted. “They knew everything there was to know about Epstein, but now, years after his death, they, out of nowhere, are seeming to show such love and heartfelt concern for his victims. Does anybody really believe that?

“The now dying (after the DOJ gave thousands of pages of documents in full compliance with a very comprehensive and exacting Subpoena from Congress!) Epstein case was only brought back to life by the Radical Left Democrats because they are doing so poorly, with the lowest poll numbers in the history of the Party (16%), while the Republicans are doing so well, among the highest approval numbers the Party has ever had!” Trump added.

The president asserted that the DOJ “has done its job, they have given everything requested of them. It’s time to end the Democrat Epstein Hoax, and give the Republicans credit for the great, even legendary, job that they are doing.”

I call that a steaming pile of BS!  If it’s a hoax, why was Epstein convicted and sentenced?  Why is Ghislaine Maxwell rotting in prison?  Why was she convicted?  Seems like an easy pardon case here.

Just to be clear here. I do not think it was a hoax.  I do think this whole thing is true.  I do think we are seeing a coverup by a President who ran on transparency and breaking up the Swamp.  Just to be clear, I do not think Trump’s name appears in anything bad.  I do think he ran in some of those social circles, so his name is likely there.  I do believe there are a number of very powerful folks on that list, not just government folks.  I’m talking financiers, CEO’s, etc.  Someone powerful got to Trump, and he flipped.

Trump has handled this whole thing wrong; it’s a damn shame too.  Look at all his momentum in his first 4-5 months.  Best President of all time?  Could have been!  Then he decided to play in this and the tariff stuff.  He blunted his momentum bigtime.  Congress is fighting him because he flipped. 

Trump, release the files.  Do it.  Take a gigantic straw to the Swamp and have Stormy Daniels assist with draining it.  Watch the swamp rats run, and your base go nuts.  There is still time.

The Chief

What the Texas Flooding can Teach us about Government

Sad, tragic, unthinkable, the horror of sending your daughter to church camp only for them to be swept away by a massive once in a forever flooding event.  Or to have your entire house washed away, or watching in horror as family members/friends/acquaintances are swept away by the flooding knowing you cannot do anything about it.  It’s awful and I shudder to even try to imagine how those families feel. 

Now the blame game has begun.  The cable TV watchers and hosts are eager to find a scape goat to blame this on.  It was actually part amusing, it’s on at my gym so I would watch about a segment or two a day.  God I’m glad I don’t pay for that at my house.  First you had the psychotic Margarie Taylor Green saying it’s cloud seeding that was done to change weather patterns.  Yeah.  A grown adult said that.  Then you had a flurry of Democrats saying Texas turned down money for a better emergency warning system, that would have warned about the flooding.  Yep, you lost a loved one, damn those Republicans in Texas, and damn the “cloud seeding group.”  Yikes.  That’s how far we have fallen as a country. We now politicize children/people dying.

Blaming the other party, or a government organization, or a hair on fire conspiracy theory when people are dying/dead/missing makes you the lowest of the low.  It’s not the fault of a political party or any person for the deaths that occurred. 

Whose fault is it then?

It’s the collective whose fault.  Why was the camp allowed to be built in a “long dried up creek?”  I think that is a fair question. It was approved by a planning commission and a zoning commission. Did anyone think to ask about “what if a once in a lifetime event happens?”  Or maybe a step further in saying “this used to be a creek, we should modify this to flood proof it?”  Everything is bigger in Texas, including the flooding.

What about the lack of a flash flood warning?

This is crazy to even ask.  It’s almost as bad as the Republicans I know saying “if only the fire hydrants worked during the Pacific Palisades fire!”  That is delusional thinking. A flash flood warning may appear on your TV should you be watching it as a weather alert, it may appear via text message on your phone (if you have service, the part of Texas we are talking about is very, very rural.) service likely didn’t exist. A flood siren going off?  Is it tested?  Would it work?  It was also very early in the morning while folks were sleeping, it likely would have been ignored.  It’s easy to be a Monday morning quarterback, everyone can say a day later what they woulda/coulda/shoulda done the day before. 

If you are relying on the government to keep you safe or give you an early warning then rethink your priorities.  In my area, Oroville dam had its spillway take major damage. We were told nothing was wrong, even though it was obvious the spillway was deteriorating by the hour.  Simultaneously with the government assuring that there was no threat to public safety, downstream of the dam, the government removed the baby salmon from the fish hatchery and PG&E took down the powerlines nearby (I’m actually thankful for this, as that company tends to kill about as many innocent civilians as Netanyahu does in each conflict).  I was told by a 90-day loving co-worker that there was nothing to worry about, as he had yet to see a TV segment or report on this. Well, a couple days later I got a text while he was in the office about the dam was going to fail and massive flooding was imminent.  He got a phone call from his wife, to which after hanging up, he decided he needed to leave right away, but that all was well.  His master plan?  Head for higher ground in an automobile with no 4-wheel drive.  First issue with his plan…. The higher ground was actually in the direction of said dam.  Secondly, when you are in a car, you are at the mercy of a large wave of rising flood waters.  I prefer my chances inside a building or at the very least on foot to be able to maneuver tough terrain quicker and easier than trying to find a passable roadway.

Two days later

He came into work buzzing about how the “roads were crowded, and the store shelves were vacant.”  Sound like the plandemic boys and girls?  Please do not hoard toilet paper?  Please don’t hoard groceries/staples etc.?  Keep in mind where we work is a solid 3 hours plus from that dam.  Additionally, with the farm land, designated flood zones and the ability to blast the levee further north, we were never in any danger of seeing standing water period, let alone some sort of Texas style flooding.  Me?  I worked my day, went to the gym, went home and if this tidal wave were to come, I would simply climb into my attic, bust a whole in the roof and fly my American flag simply letting folks know someone is here.  Of course he had an insult to call my plan.

Here is my comeback to his “plan”

Thou fool (William’s term which I love btw).  You watch more TV in a single morning than I do in a month.  Rather than thinking for yourself, you rely on a talking head reporting from a studio to tell you what to do.  Did it not occur to you, the smart folks like your co-workers, were unfazed and didn’t leave?  You had the genius idea to stop at a store looking for essentials… for what purpose exactly?  You tried to get gasoline; the lines were a mile long… I wonder why?  What was your plan?  Oh, wait you left the house because a talking head said go… you never had one.  Just like a lemming walking toward a cliff, you aren’t smart enough to figure out the next move and over the cliff you go.  Yet you think you were the smart one that day.  Both parties rely on people just like him, they don’t take a stand on any issue and always do as instructed by the propaganda network.

In closing I will say this.  Let me repeat if you are thinking a government run emergency alert system is the answer, check yourself into a clinic.  Think for yourself and please turn the tv off.  I cut the cable about 9 years ago.  I do not miss it.  I think for myself and always have a plan, one criticism I have of the older generation is they make the same mistakes over and over again, repetitively because they never learn a lesson.  My hypothesis is that they run their lives like a tv show, the next episode is on tomorrow and yesterday’s is in the past.

The Chief

“I’m from the government and I’m here to help” used to be a statement people feared, now it’s embraced.  I’m scared for the country’s future…. I really am.  And I didn’t walk uphill in the snow to school both ways like the scared generation did.

Epstein Didn’t Kill Himself …. Or Did He?

A pox on Jonnie Does, Chief, and Jake the Snake’s houses!  I had told them Epstein didn’t kill himself and the government was covering it all up!  They better be smearing Chick-fil-A sauce over their doors each night!  They have been warned!  They all tried to get the editorial board to block this blog.  I get the last hurrah!

I can appreciate a good conspiracy, NBA draft lottery being rigged, games being fixed, the Clinton Crime Family, People “falling out of 2nd story windows in Russia, and planes “disappearing over Malaysia.”  But these four things I know are true; we have never been to the moon, the earth is flat, covid was a hoax, and Jeffrey Epstein didn’t kill himself.”  Trust me, the first 3 have already been proven true, I will now show you positive proof of the last one.

We were all told Epstein killed himself in his jail cell, he had no help.  Jeffrey Epstein, if you are not aware, is the guy accused of “allegedly” sex trafficking girls as young as 14 for wealthy clients/friends/celebrities/politicians/etc. to have sex with.  Also arrested and jailed was his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.  Maxwell “allegedly” recruited these girls, again, as young as age 14, for this operation.

For years we were left to wonder who was listed on the “client” list, rumors of; Prince Andrew, Alan Dershowitz, Bill Richardson to name a few.  He was also running in the same circles with this list; Epstein was a longtime acquaintance of Prince Andrew and Tom Barrack, and attended parties with many prominent people, including Bill ClintonGeorge StephanopoulosMark ZuckerbergDonald TrumpKatie CouricWoody AllenJeff BezosSergey BrinNaomi CampbellStephen Hawking, and Harvey Weinstein. Contacts listed in his printed phone directory included Rupert MurdochMichael BloombergAndrew CuomoJohn KerryRichard BransonAlec BaldwinDavid Koch and Michael Jackson. The “black book” also included Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, British prime minister Tony Blair, and Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman.  This is quite a diverse list of clients and friends.  Several as you can see were either accused of or rumored to engage in this type of behavior.  Bloggers note: Due to me naming Clinton as a client, expect me to “commit suicide by 4 shots to the back of my head by a gun I do not own.”

So where is the conspiracy?  Well look at that list of clients. Maybe look a couple more times. Those are wealthy and powerful folks who do not want their reputation clobbered and destroyed.  Hell, look at Weinstein on that list, he is done.  Well, while in jail Epstein died.  Yep, in a cell with a live video feed strictly to watch for suicide, he died.  It was ruled suicide.  He was with a cell mate, kind of odd when you are “that” kind of prisoner.  His cell mate was a former New York corrections officer… again kind of weird, huh.  Of all the folks to share a cell with, it’s the one occupation that could do the deed and maybe not get noticed or know how to stage it. 

Here is a full accounting of his “stay” at jail. Also notice the lack of protocol followed.

When Epstein was placed in the special housing unit, the jail informed the Justice Department that he would have a cellmate, and that a guard would look into the cell every thirty minutes. These procedures were not followed on the night of his death. On August 9, 2019, Epstein’s cellmate was transferred out, but no one took his place. Later in the evening, contrary to the jail’s normal procedure, Epstein was not checked every thirty minutes. The two guards who were assigned to check his jail unit that night fell asleep and did not check on him for about three hours; the guards falsified related records. Two cameras in front of Epstein’s cell also malfunctioned that night.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in New York City at 6:30 a.m. EDT on August 10, 2019. The Bureau of Prisons said lifesaving measures were initiated immediately upon the discovery of Epstein’s body. Emergency responders were called and he was taken to a hospital. On August 10, 2019, the Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Attorney General William Barr called the death an apparent suicide, although no final determination had been made. The United States Department of Justice‘s Inspector General’s investigation report released on June 27, 2023, criticized jail officials for repeated “negligence, misconduct, and outright job performance failures” in connection with Epstein’s incarceration and death. It also denied the suggestion that what happened was anything other than a suicide. In May 2025, the FBI announced plans to release surveillance footage from the night of Jeffrey Epstein’s death, aiming to address ongoing conspiracy theories. Deputy Director Dan Bongino stated that the video clearly shows Epstein alone in his cell, with no evidence of outside involvement, reaffirming the official ruling of suicide.

Here is the autopsy, again notice the wild inconsistences.

On August 11, 2019, an autopsy was performed. It appeared likely that Epstein had thrown himself violently off the cell’s top bunk, which would explain the damage he suffered, other than strangulation. The preliminary result of the autopsy found that Epstein sustained multiple breaks in his neck bones. Among the bones broken in Epstein’s neck was the hyoid bone. Such breaks of the hyoid bone can occur from those who hang themselves from some substantial height, e.g. jumping from a chair into the rope, but they are more common in victims of homicide by strangulation. A 2010 study found broken hyoids in twenty-five percent of cases of hangings. A larger study conducted from 2010 to 2016 found hyoid damage in just 16 of 264, or six percent, of cases of hangings. Hyoid bone breaks become more common with age, as the bones become more brittle. Forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht noted that hanging by leaning forward would not result in broken cervical bones.

On August 16, 2019, Barbara Sampson, the New York City medical examiner, ruled Epstein’s death a suicide by hanging. The medical examiner, according to Epstein’s defense counsel, only saw nine minutes of footage from one security camera to help her arrive at her conclusion. Epstein’s defense lawyers were not satisfied with the conclusion of the medical examiner and were conducting their own independent investigation into the cause of Epstein’s death, including taking legal action, if necessary, to view the pivotal camera footage near his cell during the night of his death. Epstein’s lawyers said that the evidence concerning Epstein’s death was “far more consistent” with murder than suicide. Michael Baden, an independent pathologist hired by the Epstein estate, observed the autopsy. In October 2019, Baden said that Epstein had experienced a number of injuries—among them a broken bone in his neck—that “are extremely unusual in suicidal hangings and could occur much more commonly in homicidal strangulation”. Baden stated that he thinks that the evidence points to homicide rather than suicide.

So, you see all that info right?  Seems suspicious, maybe conspiratorial right?  You know what the easiest way to debunk a conspiracy or myth is?  The truth. It isn’t that hard.  Pam Bondi claimed she had the documents and was going to release them.  Including the client list.  Also, there was video to be released, I believe circa 8 whole hours.  Bondi and Kash Patel seem competent, so I believed it was the case. Epstein didn’t kill himself; they said it as well.  They released the documents and footage.  BIG PROBLEM.  There is a minute of video unaccounted for. Oh by the way, it was between 11:59pm and 12:00 am.  Yeah, no conspiracy there right?  Wild time for the video footage to be spliced together, but yeah, no way he was murdered. Oh, and the client list?  There is/was no list.

So, answer me this. If there is/was never a client list, where was the crime?  Why is Maxwell still in prison?  Why was Epstein in prison?

Sorry, but I’m now a believer that this story was covered up in a bi-partisan way.  Too many rich and powerful on that list, things were leaking out and action was needed.  Epstein was offed in prison, Maxwell continues rotting there today, and all files gone, including one minute of camera footage from an 8-hour recording.  You had 1 job, you said it never happened. I thought this conspiracy would die out, but nope, you re-opened it and made more believers that he didn’t kill himself.

Final serious thought.  It’s a troll blog so it’s satirical in nature, but I do believe the alleged crimes were committed, I also believe the powerful came together to squash this issue.  Donald Trump seems to love shining light in every corner to watch the cockroaches scramble futilely, but in this case he failed.  Patel and Bondi, as mentioned above, seem pretty sharp, and this was the equivalent of a wet fart they dropped on us.  Next thing you know, they will say they have proof 2020 election was rigged, then say well actually it wasn’t.  I will say this; the world is a better place without Epstein, it will be a better place without Maxwell, sorry but it’s true. These crimes are the lowest of the low.  Trump, you better figure some things out, because you are starting to look like the deep state you claim to be fighting.  I guess if you live long enough you see yourself go from hero to villain. 

The “Trump/Musk Bromance” Was Always going to end like this

It was a match that was never going to work out.  Didn’t it seem odd at the time, here is Elon Musk liberal darling who all of a sudden took a right turn.  He became the darling of the right wing, kind of like a born-again Christian.  They love to espouse how much they love the faith, but it’s obvious they have never actually read/listened or practiced it.

Why though?

What many in the far left and right are not able to comprehend is that many a wealthy folk/heads of corporations want to be friends with the group in power.  Harris lost, it was time to circle back to Trump.  Now in the case of Musk, he is actually more of a libertarian in a sense of wanting freedom of speech (he bought X) and legalizing all drugs.  Zuckerberg and others donated/flocked to Trump’s inauguration, many writing big checks.  Not because they agree with Trump, it’s essentially a bribe to make it so his DOJ won’t break up their monopoly in tech.

But they got along so well?

Well in a sense yes.  Musk saw Trump as a conduit, not a friend.  It’s the opinion of this blogger that Musk wanted to parlay DOGE into being head of NASA or some other department that can help his companies out financially.  Musk read and played Trump like a fiddle, Trump has loyalty to no one in DC and hates the culture.  Look no further than Trump’s cabinet picks this go round. It’s a who-who of Fox News hosts/contributors, and politicians from certain states/areas who are loyalists to him.  Qualifications be damned.  Musk knew he likely could not get confirmed by the Senate since he angered the left helping Trump, and a lot on the right, like me, view him skeptically.  So, DOGE was created.

Then what?

Well DOGE was somewhat successful in the eyes of some but likely in the eyes of Trump it failed.  Trump wanted to find several trillion in savings… Musk could not deliver.  Sure, DOGE did some good things, but it’s hard to find waste to cut.  Waste to you is someone else’s pet project/grift.  Also, Musk hurt himself by coming up with conspiracies that were flat out debunked; army of zombie 150-year-olds getting Social Security benefits anyone?  I think Elon at that point realized the easy cuts were done, and he was looking for an off ramp to be rewarded for his work at DOGE.  (As a side bar, the DOGE cuts never went through Congress as far as we know, so they will likely be revived under a different presidency.)

What was next?

To repeat, I think Musk was eyeing being NASA director, or somewhere there because he didn’t seem to want to be re-appointed to DOGE.  Then came the Big Beautiful Bill (BBB) and its circa, 4 trillion dollars in new debt, price tag.  Musk called Trump on the carpet about the debt and the debt ceiling parts of the bill.  Trump hated it.  Trump didn’t realize Musk is actually just like him politically, they are populists. I know the MAGA wing won’t like that description but it’s true.  Tell me where Trump or Musk stand on something?  It’s a shifting scale that slides depending on how it affects them and/or their poling numbers.

The marriage gets annulled

The fallout was wild to watch, kind of like an Enron executive’s fall from grace. The war of words on social media between the two was literally out of some reality tv type show.  Allegations of Elon being on drugs on the campaign trail and not able to pass a drug screen to Trump being on the Epstein client list.  It was bizarre. (Oh, wait there is no client list? WTF)

What really went down?

In one corner you have the richest man in the world, he blew a couple hundred million on Trump’s election and that is vapor to him.  Musk has done very well for himself.  In the other corner you have the most powerful man in the world in Donald Trump. Neither of these men like hearing “no.”  They are also both extremely petty… kind of like someone I used to associate with.  You go against them just once and they set out to ruin your life/isolate you.  Musk is now starting a third party; Trump wants to deport him.  Musk is threatening primaries against folks who supported the BBB, Trump will primary those who did not support his BBB. 

Trump now wants to cut all of Musk’s green energy benefits….?

Bingo, we have a winner.  Folks Elon Musk has made his fortune on the backs of taxpayers.  Green energy credits, interest free government loans, cap and trade credits, government grants and subsidies, all for his green energy empire.  Folks, Musk was a died in the wool liberal as far as California goes.  Tesla was going to be forced on everyone, and in some parts of the Bay Area, it seems like it was.  Solar was also a field Musk was in on.  His SpaceX company is another that does a lot of business with the government among his other affairs.  Cut those out, and Musk’s empire goes pop.  Hence the reason he is raging out right now.  Liberals have stopped buying his vehicles and conservatives have never wanted them.  Dirty little secret … Musk’s subsidies likely never survive even if DOGE found trillions in cuts.  I would not be stunned to see the subsidies darn near eliminated on a federal basis.

The next chapter will be fun to watch.

The Chief

How Trump Derailed his own Presidency

It was going so well.  The deportations, DOGE, law and order returning, no involvement in foreign wars, inflation cooling down, and the Democrat Party reeling like a swimmer drowning in a lake (or a passenger in the car with Teddy Kennedy). 

Then Trump nuked it all.  To be very honest I am not sure why.  There are many things he has done, I will list them all.

Tariffs.  This was and is felony stupid.  He essentially became a “trade war Hitler” and declared war on the world and unilaterally raised tariffs on everyone.  He had no plan…. actually, that is going to be a recurring theme of this blog.  China raised tariffs on us, and so did many other countries.  China stood up to us and showed the rest of the world how they could as well.  Sure, he saved face with a couple trade deals, which we know nothing of the details other than “we won!”  Color me a skeptic, until proven otherwise.  Raising prices on goods, services, and clothing and telling people to have more kids is an oxymoron but I do not expect most of his followers to understand that.  However, it has made for fun theatre watching; Sean Hannity and a host of other so-called conservatives defend him.  Look it up people. It’s a far-left protectionist policy, but do not let facts get in the way; it may confuse the MAGA boot lickers.

Trump v Elon.  Again, really stupid.  I understand the point of DOGE and Elon was to find multiple trillion dollars to cut/save in the budget.  This was always going to be an uphill climb. To Musk’s credit, he did find several things to cut.  Then Trump went full nuclear when Elon said the “big beautiful bill” would raise the debt by circa 4-5 trillion.  I do not know the relationship these two have now, but it was a nasty public spat that was so unnecessary.  One thing is Elon called Trump on the carpet for something real, conservatives have known all along, Trump has no problem spending our money, he did it big time last term.  Again, what was the point of this spat?

Trump v Jerome Powell.  Did you know Trump appointed Powell?  Yeah, I know “that was so 7 years ago… muh, MAGA!”  Did you also know he is a lifelong Republican?  Again, those pesky things called facts.  Folks, Powell and the Fed’s job is not to cut rates to juice the stock market, nor is it their job to cut rates to zero so you can get low interest loans.  It’s a hard job, they need to curb inflation.  Saying you are going to fire him, unless he capitulates to your desires is wrong.  Saying you are going to name yourself Fed Chair, even if in jest, is straight out of the far left “no king’s” protest.  Powell is not perfect, but could we maybe not treat the US as a 4-year series of “The Apprentice?”

The Iran/Israel conflict.  I blame Trump here for refusing to stand up at all to Netanyahu.  I would have publicly stated “Bibi, this is your war and conflict, we are sitting it out.”  Instead, he did the opposite, and his recent words tell me, we are already involved and likely going to drop the bunker buster.  So much for being antiwar, huh?  Interestingly enough India and Pakistan had to stand down, but this is ok?  MAGA had a large isolationist contingent, we shall see what comes out of this. 

His Big, Beautiful Bill. It is taking on water. The far-right hates adding to the deficit part, and center right wants SALT changes.  He refuses to move even slightly.  As a result, the tax cuts are stalled.  He better get ready to work with a Democrat Congress because the tax hike will happen on his watch if they are not extended. 

Greenland/Canada 51st state BS.  I have had many a MAGA wannabe tell me its trolling or funny, too bad no one else finds it so.  Oh, by the way, check out Canada’s election results. You add them as another state(s) to the Union and we will never have a Republican president again, ever.  Greenland? He spoke about this during his first term… why and how come?  They are sparsely populated, 45k at most.  We do not need it.  They do not want to be under US rule.  It’s honestly this type of stupidity that makes people long for Joe Biden and no drama due to him being in poor health shape.  This type of trolling when we have wars going on, inflation, homeless issues, and rioting is dumb.

Not calling Governor Tim Walz after the assassination of 1 representative, and attempted assassination of another.  MAGA: muh, Tim Walz bad, he’s dumb democrat from blue state.  Sure, but guys, the optics mean a lot here. It doesn’t matter if the shooter was; left/right/white/black/Cuban/Mexican/Asian, what matters is a phone call.  Touch base, say how sorry you are, and reassure the governor that the suspect is charged federally. Seek the death penalty, and make sure the death part is carried out as soon as possible.  I understand they were rivals and not so nice things were said, so I guess we carry a grudge into infinity?  Be the bigger man. Trump made a big deal out of the person who was killed when he was almost assassinated, yet he wants to ignore this?  Again, make a call, optics.  Also make it clear it’s not open season on lawmakers who you do not like.

Everything was going so well and then he started all these unnecessary battles, with his own people by the way.  As much as I liked Trump and voted for him 3 times, he is starting to more and more look like a deranged, angry, white male.  This is playing directly into the democrat’s hands.  I know one group of people famous for yelling “Allu Akbar”, when they want to end their life, why did Trump?

The Chief

The 400 Million Qatari Mistake

I guess I’m anti-Trump now right?  You know the right-wing folks who worship the ground he walks on. The same folks who endorsed Lyin’ Ted the first go round. Now, Trump can do no wrong in their minds.  I’m not anti-Trump, I just want to point out some things about this new Air Force 1 jet “donation.” 

First, the existing Air Force One has to be over 30 years old or close to it.  The president and other dignitaries fly on this jet. Frankly it may no longer be safe and is likely at/close to the end of its useful life.  Simply put, I do not want anyone of importance on that jet any longer.  We need a new one.

Why don’t we have a new one?

Well, Boeing got the contract. It was very likely “no bid” due to Boeing being the “American manufacturer” of airplanes.  Boeing, as per usual, cannot complete a project on time and on budget, so it’s delayed delivery of the new Air Force One for a very long time.  (I think it was supposed to be delivered during Trump’s last term.) Who knows? With that company’s track record, it may not be ready until 2050.  Even if it is ready, will it be safe?  Again, look at the track record recently.

Why am I calling it a mistake taking a “free” Air Force One?

Optics.  William will tell you I am a big optics guy.  Don’t tell me it’s free or you got a great deal or the best deal lay out the actual cost.  There is something else going on here in my opinion and I do not see how I can be wrong.  I hope I am …

Why?

I simply do not trust anything out of that part of the world.  Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Yemen, Oman … doesn’t matter to me.  They have so many petrol dollars they can play all over the world as far as influence and investments go.  A rumor circulating the interwebs was Qatar was paying now AG Pam Bondi $119,000 a month as a lobbyist years ago.  A month! Some of these countries even blockaded Qatar for a while due to their alleged ties to terror organizations.  While the blockade has ended, I do believe most of these Arab nations have been funding proxy attacks on the US forces and Israel.  Sure, Iran is behind them as well, but I think these countries want instability in the area. 

Why instability?

The US has a very large air force base in Qatar.  Al Udeid airbase is where we stage most of our Middle East operations.  If we were to attack Iran or another terror group in the Middle East, it would be launched from there.  Qatar is an oil rich nation that really doesn’t have a military, they rely on us to defend them.  As a result, we get to use this airbase.  We also use it to attack many groups funded by these nations such as the Houthis, Hamas, and Hezbollah to name a few that are active in Yemen, Gaza (or Palestine I guess) and Lebanon.  I fully believe these nations fund the terrorists, so we stick around to provide defense here.

A $400 million plane for a defense agreement?  Really?

No, not in the slightest.  There is a lot more to this than meets the eye.  I think it is interesting that now President Trump wants the sanctions removed on Syria. Granted NATO ally Turkey led a coalition to overthrow the government of Syria, but that was very recent, only a couple months ago.  Now we are going to lift all sanctions?  Turkey is a Muslim nation like the others I named above, in my opinion they look out for themselves far before they look out for others.  Case in point; Turkey has supplied Ukraine with drones for use in the war but has also not abided by sanctions against Russia.  They are very much like these gulf countries in that they play on both sides.

Let’s be honest here, how much do we know about Syria’s new government?  We know nothing, it’s to soon.  Like any government that is overthrown, we always assume it’s for the better.  That is rarely the case.

I also think this has implications for Israel.  This could be bad or good depending on your thought process/ideology.  It is very odd timing that the last “American hostage” was released by Hamas later that day after this “deal” went down.  I say odd timing because I think Qatar spoke for all Arab countries with that jet …. I think Bibi Netanyahu is about to fire his last missile/attack into Gaza.  Those countries are getting tired of him and Israel, but specifically his warmongering policy.  I think there will be a resolution here soon.

Yes, I think the plane was a bribe …. maybe not in the traditional sense but they bought a lot of influence.

In closing, ask yourself this fellow republicans/conservatives, if Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., Barack Obama, or Hillary Clinton accepting this plane, what you would say what?  Don’t answer. You and I already know the answer. You would be outraged.  I am willing to let this play out, but I think Qatar just bought one hell of a lot of influence with President Trump.  And if there is one thing the Trumps love, its money/expensive things.

The Chief

Why the Trump Tariffs will Backfire

You will have to put the Kool-Aid down for a few minutes for this blog.  For the most part I agree with everything President Trump has done, foreign policy issues notwithstanding.  While I agree tariffs are necessary to even the playing field globally, I think Trump is going about it wrong.

A little history here first.  Every president has punted on the idea of tariffs on foreign nation’s goods except maybe Eisenhower, I as a student of history, think he was going to attempt to try it.  Point being it’s a very hard thing to accomplish.  Politically if it doesn’t work, you will be a one term President (no bother to Trump here) and your party will lose massive seats in the next election.

Here are the issues facing Trump in this uphill climb on tariffs.

His own party:

Let’s face it, the GOP is good at one thing, claiming a principled stance then reversing course a year later.  Check out each government shutdown they created… what did they ever extract?  Yeah, my point exactly.  These coconuts are more concerned with getting re-elected, not the health of the nation.  Their pocketbook, not yours is the goal here.,

NAFTA/CAFTA and other free trade agreements:

These agreements made it, so the manufacturing phase was sent outside the US solely to save money on cheap foreign labor.  The premise here was to keep the input costs down and as a result the trinkets we love to buy are dirt-cheap.  If labor costs rise in say China, close the factory and move to Bangladesh, Vietnam etc. etc.  These trade agreements, unlike most legislative moves today, came through Congress so they likely will need to be reformed/circumvented/repealed.

Cheap foreign labor:

See above, but the point stands, the American worker will cost substantially more, then throw in mandatory benefits (these manufacturing centers will have far more than the minimum to avoid benefits/union forming) suddenly the foreign workers seem better.  The cost of your favorite t-shirt to wear won’t be $20, trust me.

CEO/C-Suite/90-day calendar folks:

These folks do not care about the price of the goods you pay for, they could care less about your livelihood or employment status, they are bean counters.  The reason the above 2 reasons exist is due to these people. They care only about earnings per share/costs and stock price.  That’s all that matters. They get a bonus (except 90 day guys) due to performance.  They moved the jobs out of the US to save labor/benefit costs, then they moved them again due to the ability to save $.01 a share.  It’s the bottom-line only to these losers.  Bringing the jobs back, or the effects of a tariff scare these folks.  Again, a falling stock price leads to “how can we fix this?”

American Consumers:

Let’s face it, we love buying cheap crap.  We do not care where it is made. Let’s again be honest here, we only care when we hear about product recalls and lead contamination etc.  We love buying cheap stuff!  It’s a hard sell to say you are going to pay more but it’s better in the long run. Older generations grew up with Blue Light Specials (RIP K-Mart), dollar stores, and everyday low prices.  It’s a tough sell.

Foreign Customers:

They are a tough sell; it’s a foreign brand to them when we try to sell our products overseas.  They know the names: GM, Ford, Kellogg’s etc. So, we try to buy foreign brands and hide the fact it’s an American company, but I digress.  Most foreign countries are fiercely loyal to their domestic products, and they do not trust foreign ones.  When people argue when they go to Japan its nothing but Toyota, or BMW/Volkswagen in Germany it’s a national pride thing as opposed to a cheapest price thing.  They tariff us to not let us undercut them as well.  Canada and parts of the European Union right now are labeling/removing American goods and putting “buy _______ support local” signs on their goods.

Product Quality:

As stated above we outsource everything to the point quality doesn’t matter.  The Craftsman brand comes to mind, rather than stand for a quality product, its cheaply made crap that will break on you during the first job use.  This is what happens when the idea that costs must always come down.  Foreign and even domestic companies know our products are inferior to theirs.

Globalists:

These folks were the loudest during the Bush years, now they are changing their tune.  The issue for people like me is that it’s hard to take someone like Rick Santelli of CNBC seriously when he is outright flip-flopping on this issue.  Suddenly he cares about the Chinese/foreign cheap labor?  Santelli and his ilk remind me of the older generation, they sent the jobs overseas and were thrilled with cheap costs but now want to do a re-mix because it’s cool.  They saw the jobs leave and now are concerned about the future? Yeah, sure!  It will be hard to sell this to the folks.  Santelli’s final word in an article I read was “Americans will be fine with higher prices on goods” that’s a tough sell to folks when Trump said he would lower the cost of eggs.

Trump is going to have a very hard time closing this deal.  While I am rooting for him, I think he went about it all wrong.  I would have microtargeted a couple countries and gone from there, take a few victories, and move onward and upward. His problem is that he is going to try for the jugular.  While a few countries have potentially given in, most are announcing reciprocal tariffs on our goods.  In other parts of the world China is likely moving in, willing to dump their products and fill the consumption gap.  This could cause a long-term headache, as we do not want China being a massive superpower.

Additionally, American’s do not have much resolve anything.  Turn the clock back a couple generations and buy American was a thing. In the modern day, “Made in USA” means the stickers were put on it here, but not much production is done stateside. Production here is even more outsourced.  Right now, during high inflation/low wage growth/raising prices times, American’s do not have the stomach for higher prices.  At what point do we as a people say, “put it back to how it was!”

Lastly and my biggest point, when your 401k becomes a 104k in the span of about a week, you tend to not like the guy/party in the White House.  It’s one thing to have high prices, it’s another to see your retirement account go away.  Again, I hope this works. It’s nice to have a president who doesn’t do politically correct things, but this is going to be a tough sell.  How long do we watch chaos unfold in the market before we cave?

Major credit to Trump for trying though!

The Chief

Editor’s Notes:

  • It doesn’t help that the financial markets, run mostly buy Democrats, don’t understand what Trump is trying to do.
  • In addition, none in the workforce are old enough to remember when tariffs were used to protect American jobs.
  • NAFTA was the death null of domestic manufacturing and the triumph of globalism.
  • Lastly, when you abort 1/3 of all children in your nation for over 50 years, outsourcing is your only viable option to maintain your lifestyle.

Hair on Fire Conspiracy Theories Debunked

I have to give Trump a lot of credit, he somehow, someway, he brought all the conspiracy theorists on the right out of hiding.  When you scream “fake news” “false” or “wrong” these are the people you tend to attract. 

Full disclosure: I do agree with the theories he is putting out there; however, I do not feel they are at the level  of fraud that his supporter’s project.

Social Security Fraud: Yes, I firmly believe it is occurring, but not the type that the conspiracy theorists think.  If you think (like they do) a 350-year-old is drawing a check each month, you are crazy.  That is easily caught, and BOTH parties will demand a full review from top to bottom.  The fraud is also not being done in the 80–100-year-old group… again this is too obvious.  To perpetuate large scale fraud, you need a large group spanning several ages.  It cannot be too obvious, or you will get caught.  Get caught and the operation will unravel quickly, the long arm of the IRS and DOJ would love the chance to catch you.  Also, what is never discussed is someone (s) on the inside is/are very obviously involved as well, likely even a couple managers/supervisor types.  Again, this type of large-scale fraud needs to be done with precision, making up/taking over the payments going to 100 something year olds is a good way to get caught.  Oh, by the way, the government really doesn’t like it when you steal their money.  Additionally, no judge or jury will like you stealing from someone’s dead relative.  Use your brain, it might be there, but it is likely not happening at the levels you think it is.

Medicare Fraud:  Musk and his crew should get carte blanche on this, there is a TON.  As laid out earlier, between fraudulent billing schemes and LLC’s, PO Boxes, etc. there is plenty to be found here.  I actually think this should be where they focus.  Pam Bondi (a Troll favorite now btw) is likely all in to go after these characters as well.  This could be a gold mine as the characters committing this fraud tend to be the real bad guys.

Voter Fraud:  The biggest hair on fire conspiracy theory going right now is this.  Had a gentlemen come into my work and claim “California voted for Trump. This person claimed that it was voter fraud that gave California to Harris.”  Yes, read that sentence again.  Yikes!  Then a person who works here claimed “Gavin got recalled, but the voter fraud saved him.”  These two are far too old to know better. They reside in the over 65 group, who in my opinion should be put out to pasture.  I agree we have voter fraud here, but not millions, not even hundreds of thousands, it’s likely low 4 figures by my estimation.  Think about it, in California we may be the largest state by population, but it is so concentrated. Sure, you could drop ballots in; Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, maybe San Francisco and Alameda, but outside of that where?  Same thing in other states, it’s happening but again at what numbers?  Not nearly what they think. 

If you want to go after voter fraud, do not go state by state, it needs to be county by county.  Example: if Sacramento County has 1.2 million people but has 1.5 million registered to vote, that is a problem.  Then drill deeper, after you get access to voter rolls on a “view only” basis, look for an obvious anomaly.  For example, an apartment with 8 registered voters with different last names all with high voter propensity… this would indicate a problem.  Ditto with the house with the same issue.  The key here is to find a crack in the fraud and use a pry bar to open the crack to expose the fraud.  No judge will let you have carte blanche over the voter rolls, this is the only way to try to expose fraud unless we get a Secretary of State that cares about the issue.  It’s been put to me in some counties nationwide there are more registered voters than actual people.  Go to town here, there is your opening.  Once you find a little, it will lead to more.

Most importantly, understand that screaming voter fraud will do nothing. Just look at what happened to Rudy Guiliani, John Eastman, and “The kraken.”  They are done.   National laughing stocks.  You look foolish claiming CA is ground zero for fraud. The democrats always win big here.  If you think Gavin won the recall due to fraud, there may be no hope for you.  If you think a 340-year-old is getting a social security check and so are many others who are 140 years old or older, then you might want to check into a clinic.  It’s happening, but declaring it’s happening on the levels you claim is silly and makes you look like a whacko.

The Chief