Category: Opinion

The Proverbial “We are in This Together” Strikes Again

Do Not be Fooled by It, We Are Not

Yeah….Nah, we are not……

I am not on Facebook, Twitter, or any of those other social media sites. In my opinion, they are just cesspools of useless, mostly one-sided conversations, and some people use them to say things that otherwise they would not have the guts to say in person. Nevertheless, they are being used to spread misinformation about the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its effect on the United States.

Saddle up, here we go again, the ‘We are in this together’ baloney. Now, over gas prices and how we need to sacrifice to help the Ukrainian people. Everyone is changing their avatars to the Ukrainian flag and if you dare to complain about paying exorbitant gas prices, you are some sort of evil person.

The reality is most of these people could not find Ukraine on a map or even care about it. Ukraine is the ‘Flavor of the Month’ for liberals and the virtue signal police, nothing more.

This is one of the problems with social media and faceless actors. It is use as a bully pulpit by those who think they are better than you or know what is good for you.

‘We are in this together’ is liberals favorite go-to phrase. Is like a warm blanket that provides cover for their own hypocrisies.

The problem is that we are not in this together. While you are paying over $5.00 for a gallon of gas in places like California, our so-called Europeans allies continue to import Russian energy to satisfy their needs.

This is the same thing liberals did during the George Floyd riots. While businesses and cities were being torched, social media keyboard warriors wanted to tell the American people, ‘We are in this together.’

But we were not. I do not know anyone, including myself, who supported Black Lives Matter and Antifa burning cities and businesses to the ground. Those were crimes, nothing more.

Nobody I know thinks is fair for the United States to pay higher energy prices while European countries continue to buy oil and gas from Russia to fulfill their citizen’s needs. Once again, we are going at it alone and without a plan.

Biden voters and our government want to blame everything that is going in the United States on Russia. Inflation? Russia, gas prices? Russia, meat prices? Russia, and the list goes on and on.

All of that is absolutely false. All these problems were created by Joe Biden prior to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Sure, the Russian invasion threw another wrench into the machine, but it is not the main cause, this problem was homegrown and nurtured by the resident in the White House.

The same people who voted for Joe Biden now want you to believe none of this is his fault. They want to cover his ineptitude by trying to make you feel guilty for criticizing him. They want to deflect from the fact they voted for this incompetent fella and he is the reason why things are going south in the United States.

Do not fall for it. Sure, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has put a dent on an already bad economy and rising energy prices, but the culprit of this crisis resides in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Biden made things so bad, now we have to beg rogue nations like Venezuela to fulfill our energy needs. Folks, this is a country under United States sanctions.

Next time your virtue signaling friends try to guilt you into believing paying more for gasoline and other goods is in your best interest, remind them they were the ones who voted for this mess.

Remind them that we are not in this together, the United States is at it alone and we are the ones paying for it.

Let us be honest, paying $20.00 for a gallon of gasoline would not save a child in Ukraine no more than it would save a child from been aborted in the United States.

The reality may be cruel, but it remains the reality.

Hooray! No More Russian Energy Imports

At the Expense of The American Citizen

Sorry No Gas, Ask Joe For Some. Coming soon to a gas station near you.

Joe Biden finally made up his mind and banned Russian oil and gas imports. All without a plan on how to replace that 7% and without demanding our so-called allies do the same.

Sure, he is calling it the ‘cost of standing up for freedom.’ Standing up for whom?

Once again, the United States government is trying to sell us the conflict between Ukraine and Russia as a ‘we’ problem, just like they did Afghanistan. I am not buying it.

I ask again. Where was our government when the Ukrainian military was bombing and killing women and children in the Donbas region since 2014? Now they want me to support an oppressive undemocratic government and a country who supported the Nazis during the second world war.

Does it justify the Russian invasion? Absolutely not, but that is for Ukraine to figure out, not the United States.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden could not help himself and called the ban an opportunity to transition to renewable energy, without offering nothing but empty rhetoric and no plan. We are at the verge of a third world war and this is the best the leader of the free world can offer to the American people.

“No one has to worry about the price at the gas pump in the future, tyrants like Putin won’t be able to use fossil fuels as weapons against other nations.” Really? That is why European nations did not join the United States on this futile endeavor. Fossil Fuels are not going anywhere folks and that is a fact.

As I anticipated, he went on to blame the conflict for the root cause of gas prices going up. It is definitely part of the problem, but gas prices were already on the rise before the conflict began due to Biden’s cancelation of the Keystone pipeline and drilling contracts on federal lands.

Now he wants to blame all our economic woes on Russia, but that is a flat out lie intended for his supporters. Inflation was already at an all time high before the conflict in Ukraine started.

He said this is meant to inflict pain on Putin, but in reality it is going to inflict pain on the America people. He is using this as an excuse to justify his administration’s never-ending failures by trying to convince you that by paying $10.00 per gallon of gas you are contributing to Putin’s demise.

The Biden administration is now begging our sworn enemies like Venezuela and Iran to bail us out of our self-inflicted lack of energy independence. Seriously? If you don’t think this is embarrassing, I can’t help you.

The CIA has been trying to liquidate Maduro for years while our government will not even recognize him as the Venezuelan president. Now? He’s again our friend. In Joe Biden’s own words, ‘what a pile of malarkey.’

According to polls, if you believe those things, 71% of Americans support the ban and 56% suggest we have not gone far enough. This is probably the same 71% who approves of nonsensical stuff such as renaming things, food items, and drinks, as acts of ‘solidarity.’

Let us see how long this 71% of Americans will continue to support the ban as gas prices continue to rise by the day. Meanwhile Europeans will continue to enjoy the Russian energy imports while lecturing us on humanitarian and energy independence issues.

I am still waiting for Biden to tell us how are we going to replace that 7% of oil. After all, we are the largest oil consumer in the world.

I will sit down and wait.

The PGA Tour Has Become a Self-Absorbed and Greedy Cult

PGA Tour; all about the money. Picture courtesy of mikeduran.com

Listening to Commissioner Jay Monahan in his press conference at TPC Sawgrass, it reminded me how much I love the game of golf, and how much I despise professional golf.

First off, addressing the war in Ukraine, Jay Monahan was just another parrot. Grandstanding and demonstrating, once more, the PGA Tour does not understand geopolitical nor internal or external political issues.

When asked about some of the sponsors who have chosen not to pull out from Russia, Monahan did the ‘Potomac Two-Step’ around the question. So much for caring about the Ukrainian people.

They did the same thing during the George Floyd riots by saving an honorary tee time for convicted felon George Floyd at the Charles Schwab Challenge, while ignoring the carnage caused to cities and businesses by those same rioters.

“Go Woke or Go Broke, that should be the PGA Tour motto.

During his press conference, Monahan was clear; the PGA Tour is all about money and revenue. I do not believe Monahan is sincere when he states the PGA Tour is about legacy and not leverage. Individuals establish legacies not organizations by themselves.

I think the PGA Tour position on the Saudi funded Super League is obtuse. This will be going to court, and I believe the PGA Tour will lose the case based on antitrust regulations. Competition and free market are part of business life, and the PGA Tour has no leg to stand on.

Players, as independent contractors, should have the right to play where they wish. Monahan gives the impression of strong-arming the players by telling them the PGA Tour or else, that is leverage. Sure, the players will not publicly talk about it, but I cannot believe independent contractors are fine with one individual telling them they cannot make money elsewhere.

What’s next? Is he going to tell players which sponsors are acceptable? Get real Jay!

The PGA Tour and the Saudi Super League can coexist, the problem is Jay Monahan and his greediness. Monahan wants the PGA Tour to be the only game in town and goes after any competition that can threaten his monopoly, or like he said, his “lunch money.” Frankly, in my opinion, it is disgusting.

In regard to Phil Mickelson, I think Monahan was a coward and did not address the questions with honesty. He stated the ball was in Mickelson’s court, well Jay, not if he has been suspended. Of course, Monahan refused to say if Mickleson was in fact under suspension. The secrecy of the PGA Tour mafia continues.

One thing is for sure, the Phil Mickleson saga opened my eyes as to the greedy nature of the PGA Tour and professional golf.

The PGA Tour has become a greedy and shameful institution.

United States To Ban Russian Oil Imports?

Unrealistic and Impossible

Photo courtesy of snohomishcountynewsnow.com

It has been reported on several news outlets plans by the Biden administration to seek an outright ban on Russian oil imports.

I am sure this sounds very patriotic to the uninformed, but the reality is we are not an energy independent country. Furthermore, we cannot receive any assurances by our European allies they can fill the gap.

Of course, if a ban is adopted, it will be only by the United States. European countries depend on Russian imports, and they cannot count on the United States to supply their daily needs.

Right now, we cannot fulfill our own daily needs and it will be interesting to see how the Biden administration is going to manage it. Even if we were to use all our strategic reserves, the United States will run out in less than a week.

If you think prices are coming down, think again. Europe is dealing with high record oil and natural gas prices. The United States is also facing serious surge on energy prices with record high gasoline prices topping $4.103 per gallon.

Brent Crude oil has reached a high of $140.00 per barrel, and as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues without an end in sight, futures are only going to trade higher with Americans paying more at the pump.

The reality is the United States does not have the capacity to ban Russian oil imports without further damaging the economy and causing harm to American families. The lack of energy independence since the Biden administration’s cancelation of the Keystone Pipeline and revocation of drilling permits has only facilitated this disaster.

You would think Joe Biden would go to his congressional allies to tell them the Green New Deal is not a realistic endeavor and we need to resume the march towards energy independence, but that will never happen. Democrats are not going to give up on that. They do not care if you pay $10.00 for a gallon of gasoline. Would voters remember that in November? I will bet not.

As Americans suffer and the Biden administration continues to beat the drums of war, we will continue to depend on foreign actors for our energy needs while our national security is jeopardize.

Regardless of the mumbo jumbo you hear from the mainstream media, we cannot afford not to buy Russian imports, period. This is just another distraction, and the Biden administration hopes you will buy into it.

Banging The Drums of War

Media Blackout and Misinformation Propaganda

Because you are too stupid to choose. So much for freedom of speech.

I guess now we are supposed to get our news from American “state media only” because the government doesn’t want us to see the other side.

Until this morning, Direct TV was carrying RT America and now is gone. This isn’t right and it goes against everything we stand as a country and a society.

Most Americans are smart enough to understand the information, and when we are at the verge of a third world war, we deserve to have both sides of the story.

As a combat veteran, I refuse to be bamboozled by misinformation because our government wants to to go to war for a country who has nothing in common with our country or our values. Other than its strategic value, the United States and Europe could care less about Ukraine or its people.

Since 2014, Ukrainian forces have been bombing and killing innocent civilians in the Donbass region, but nobody has condemned those actions. Aren’t those crimes against humanity? Ignorance is the worst enemy of reason.

I have been to war and is not a pretty sight. This is about the information and the free flow of it. The American people deserves to have access to all the information available and not dependent on state run outlets and one sided stories.

We saw that before when Collin Powell went to the United Nations and lied about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. We were bogged down in the Middle East for over 20 years. We don’t need that and we deserve to have the facts before sending aid and United States assets to fight another country’s war.

This is not Iraq or Afghanistan. Russia is the biggest country in Europe with a capable military and a nuclear arsenal. Are you willing to send your children to fight in a conflict that has nothing to do with the interest of the United States?

After all, the United States contributed to this mess, first in the 2014 Ukrainian coup and now by suggesting NATO expansion to Russian borders.

From Facebook to Twitter to YouTube, they all have censored all types of news coming from Russia. This media blackout only hurts us, the American people. Freedom to access information should not be delegated to media magnates and government entities.

Imagine if the American people would have been kept in the dark during WWII.

Russian actions need to be dealt with, but our government doesn’t have the right to deprive us of the information. We deserve the truth before sending our children to die in foreign wars.

Like Mexican President Lopez Obrador stated, “I don’t agree with the fact that media from Russia or any other country is censored.” I agree 100%.