The Party of Khrushchev

 

Growing up, my parents were Democrats. In Oklahoma and other rural states, they were the party of the people.  Nikita Khrushchev said he would destroy this country from within. He found an accomplice in the Democratic Party. Now, he and his ghost own them.

Democrats have become the party of Khrushchev.

That is not a victory for Republicans. It is a casualty for America. We needed and still need two strong, pro-American parties.  We need fiscal conservatives to keep our spending in line, while maintaining the generosity that comes with compassion for the least among us.

These don’t always fall along party lines. It’s better when both parties are known for prioritizing what is best for the nation and its people rather than just their party. We once knew a time when we could disagree on an issue but not be divided as a country.

This time around, it’s the Democrats that need our prayers.  Somehow, the mindset that a country in ashes is preferable to one in the hands of our current president has taken hold. That’s pushing the bounds of treason. That’s what Khrushchev hoped for—probably more than he imagined.

It’s time to American Up. Give Trump some support in restoring our republic. Give DoGE some support. They are working for us all. For us!

Remove hate from the equation altogether. Let’s get this country back on track. Only an evil ruler (party) would desire to burn their own country to the ground so as to rule over the ashes. Sun Tzu probably didn’t say it, but it applies here.

I am not happy with the Republican Party either. Much of the fraud and abuse that we are uncovering occurred under the less watchful eyes of both parties. Whether by design or by complacency, neither standard stands under scrutiny.

But we need a party that leans to the liberal and progressive side for balance.  Balance in politics helps us love our country and countrymen while disagreeing with another lawmaker or administrator.

We need the British Loyal Opposition without it becoming the Bell Cow of Discontent that sometimes deludes thinking into treasonous acts.

Differences are good and healthy. Politics often leads to compromise, but if we could convince each other that we act out of love for our country, rather than hate for one man or a party, we might find synergy and solutions that have eluded us for two centuries.

I will extrapolate from Churchill’s 1947 quote and note that we have the worst country in the world, except for all the others.

The United States of America has been a great place to live for 250 years. We didn’t get everything right the first time around. Our Constitution is great, surely with some divine inspiration included, but it didn’t always hit the target.

There is work to be done across so many areas. We can’t accomplish much as adversaries. We are not supposed to be enemies. Trust the system that divides power among federal branches and federal and state governments, while retaining many rights for the individual.

It’s a wonderful formula, but it takes work and vigilance. We have been lazy and distracted over the past few decades. That must change.

Let’s support Trump and his team as he fulfills the promises he made to the American people. It is healthy! It is the way of this republic. It is the natural swing of the pendulum and does not need to be contested at every turn.

Let’s support efforts to restore the Democratic Party as the Party of the People or some similar focus that might cause some friction with Republicans but not an acrimonious state.

We are known as the Grand Experiment, but the protocols have been ignored for too long. We are off track. Experiments take focus and discipline if we are to learn and grow from them.

I pray that we do.  

Khrushchev, you can hit the road. My parents didn’t invite you into their party. They were people who didn’t mind getting their hands dirty but kept their hearts clean. They had solid American values.

They loved America, and I am blessed to have learned how to love a country from them, two solid Americans and Democrats.

I want their party back.

Join the Group: Christians Hating Donald Trump

 

I understand people hating Donald Trump. I do not understand Christians hating Donald Trump. Actually, I do. We have been conformed to the world. The world says it’s ok to hate him. He is the exception to God's directions.

I will not offer Mr. Trump a role teaching Sunday School, but I must accept him as a brother in Christ.

But, but, but… Do you know what he has done?  Yes, he, like all of us, has fallen short of the glory of God.

But his sins are worse than mine.

Hold your horses, I was only talking to Christians.

But, I am a Christian.

The evidence is to the contrary. Hate cannot govern the heart of a disciple of our Lord, Christ Jesus. It is our sinful human nature that magnifies the sins of others and ignores or lessens the severity of our own.

What is the exact taxonomy of sin that you proffer?

Indeed, there isn’t one. It’s hate. You saw something that you didn’t like in him. Maybe some conduct disgusted you. Maybe it is his assertiveness. Maybe you don’t like his skin tone or hairstyle. They are unique.

Maybe it’s the Trump dance.

It doesn’t matter. Hate does not belong in your heart! We who follow Christ don’t get to cherry-pick this 'love one another' business.

On the other hand, we must not idolize him either. He is a man who happens to be doing good things for the country.  Love him, hate him, be indifferent to him, but understand clearly that what he is doing is for the good of our Republic.

But a judge said he couldn’t do some of the things that he did.  He has to be stopped.

Turn back the clock 222 years. We observed the same phenomenon with different motivations. Government branches were at odds with each other. The history that you know is Marbury v. Madison.

This is not a surprise to anyone who has studied power, politics, and the grand experiment known as the United States of America.

So, now I think I am a political scientist?  Is that where this is going?  Is that what you are selling me? According to Oklahoma State University, yes, I am a political scientist.

Our adventures in self-government were designed with conflict in mind. Powers that once resided in a single sovereign have been divided among three federal branches, state and federal governments, and those that the people retain.

The Electoral College is another division of power that comes into play for presidential elections.

With all of this separation of powers, boundaries have never been distinct.  What appears clear-cut on paper does not always translate to reality in practice.

The history of democratic growth throughout history is the story of wrestling power from a single sovereign. It was messy. It’s still messy.

Our system of government was designed not with efficiency but preservation in mind. Preserved from what? Tyranny.

But that’s not a thing today, right? Consider that tyranny doesn’t necessarily seek political figures. It can come from a mob, the mainstream media, or super-powerful business entities.  It can come from those entrenched in our government who have neither been elected nor vetted in any way.

Victories, setbacks, and counterattacks are the norm in politics. If your guy or gal is the one on top, things seem good. If it’s the other way around, it looks like the end of the world. It’s neither.

This is the nature of politics. Politics is the interaction among many factors. People and processes, governments and governance, law and justice, control and liberty are all competing for prominence when it comes to preserving liberty; none can remain unopposed for long.

We in this country have experienced good times and bad, but we are better off than most nations. We are blessed.  We never get it entirely correct, but we don’t give up. It’s called the grand experiment for a reason.

Presidents and other elected officials wrestle with the seductive nature of power. So many compromise values for money and prestige. That number has been growing.

The elected official who arrives in the nation’s capital on a modest income and a few years later has amassed a few million is not working on behalf of the people who sent him there but of those who are paying him.  It’s not too long before this elected official has a lot of money, his constituents forgotten, and his eyes on how much more can I get selling out Americans.

Money corrupts, but not nearly to the extent that power does.

The real danger here is not in conflict but in its absence. Conflict is natural in this system that we know. That does not mean that we don’t cooperate with others of different minds. We must!

Among the first examples of cooperation must be the exposure and elimination of fraud. This is a cancer that has been untreated for too long and must be removed. There will be some pain.

Next the government waste, and to some extent, the other major issues that delivered our current president to the Chief Executive position again. What we are seeing from him is straightforward efficacy. He is accomplishing what he promised to do.

You may still be wrestling with Trump the man, but the people of the nation agreed with how to address our current issues. It’s their turn to turn the nation that way.  Who knows how long that trend will continue? That will be in the hands of the voters, if they don’t become complacent again.

But we must realize that what is happening now is what the majority of the American people have demanded from their government. We should get behind much of that as an entire nation.

But I hate Trump!  We will come back to that for the Christians who have persevered so far, but for now have eyes to see the skill and the will that previous presidents lacked.

Every commanding officer and every business CEO knows that major change must occur from day one. There is no working into it. Others tried working into it, and inertia told them this body is at rest, and it’s staying there.

Big, immediate change often means swinging the broadsword. The medics, with bandages, and surgeons, with scalpels, follow, but they can’t lead the charge. They would be decimated.

Here’s the thing. Those who were scamming the government knew exactly what they were doing but never expected to be held accountable. Their only defense here is to cry unfair. They are not interested in getting their jobs back. They are interested in maintaining the fraud and thriving on it.

Here’s the thing. Those who got swept up in the first wave of casualties with the thieves knew it, but they knew it was for the good of the entire nation and that that same nation would restore them—eventually.  But they knew this had to be done. They are the new patriots, and those who are restored for legitimate reasons will be stronger for it and make the country stronger for it.

Who better to warn the next generation of the perils of turning a blind eye to the people's trust?

Trump came in like a juggernaut. That surprised many. Anything less would have fizzled into the nothingness of previous pontificating presidents who couldn’t muster movement. Short version: Trump has efficacy!

He does what he says he will do. We are not used to that. We are accustomed to being lied to, manipulated, and told what to say. You might think otherwise—” I haven’t been manipulated,” but he has been doing precisely what he said he would do when people elected him. We all have been manipulated over the past decades and grown accustomed to it. 

But our eyes have been forced open now.  It’s not all happening like Trump said it would, but enough is that even the wokest among us have been awakened! Things—most very good things—are happening that were thought beyond the possible before.

And the man you hate is leading the charge.

You may still disagree with the policies, the direction of the country, or even the fact that those previously labeled as extremist are now revealed as  patriotic because of genuine love for their country.

But don’t hate the man. I am talking to Christians. Those who have professed Jesus is Lord and taken his yoke upon themselves and say they are trying to put his words into practice don’t get to hate the man and claim to be faithful to the Lord.

But, I don’t know if I can do this. What do I do with all of the energy that I spend on hating him?

Blame Him!

What?  I might be able to get behind that. Just what exactly am I blaming him for?  Well other than ending my sentence in a preposition…

Blame President Donald J. Trump for causing you to walk away from your faith in God and denounce the Lordship of Christ.   Blame Trump for making you defy the Spirit that lives within you and embrace the spirit of hate as a long-lost friend.

Hold your holy horses. No man can make me denounce my faith. No one on this planet can make me do that.

Except for Donald Trump?

Have you made the one you want to hate more potent in your heart and mind than the Lord himself? 

It should be a rhetorical question. But so many Christians are surrendering to hate and blaming Donald Trump.

Then what is left for those of us who just can’t stand the man?

We are talking Christians here, right?

Yes!

Pray for him and others in authority.  Pray. It’s one of those cool Christians things that go underused.

Pray for him!

Remember that the ad hominem approach to any issue is the last resort of those who had no standing in the first place.  If you can’t argue with what he is doing, then attack the man himself for anything and everything without regard for the truth. That’s what’s happening now and Christians have jumped on this bandwagon of constant verbal abuse.

Christians don’t play that game. It has nothing beneficial in it. It will make you a stumbling block for others to come to God.

Our elected lawmakers have been on the verge of trying to push what amounts to bills of attainder by giving them other various names. They have no legal basis to prosecute Trump outside of those areas where the outcome can be manipulated. What to do?

Declare the man illegal for being Donald Trump. Open your eyes and see what is in play. These are very interesting times in which we live.

We are on the verge of becoming very much alive as a nation or fading into the obscurity of knowing our best times have come and gone. These are some very interesting times.

Here is a premise that I have noted in other epistles.

It is the nature of our republic that our domestic tranquility is afloat on a sea that separates revolution and tyranny.

It is our nature to have conflict. Our Founders thought ongoing conflict among branches better than tyranny of any sort. It can be messy, but it has been effective at preserving the blessing of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.

But we have so many problems. Yes, and we have the best chance of overcoming them that I know of when I consider the other systems in the  world.

Christians, quit hating. This is the nature of our country.

Christians, resume being known by your love, not your hate.

It’s a good trade.

 

Musk, Money for Nothing, and Apologies to Mark Knopfler

 This backlash from the Trump/Musk housecleaning is nothing new. In fact, the very fact that the attitude of entitlement among many government employees has been around for a while is why it is so necessary.

Yes, the process has begun with a broadsword. A scalpel would be totally ineffective at this point. Later, the fine carving can begin, but I get this approach and find it fundamentally sound and familiar to anyone who took over a command or a business or an organization that was floundering.

Significant changes must come early. You don’t ease into this sort of thing. This attitude has been around for a while and removing it takes bold action.

My last tour as a Marine officer was in the Naval Air Warfare Center-Training Systems Division in Orlando, Florida. I was in charge of the Marine Corps Ground Training Systems and Simulators. I was about to compete a major contract for our West Coast bases and units and needed a cost estimate on some “non-technical stuff.”

At about the same time, a project manager didn’t have enough funding to pay a couple of civil service employees. This was a Competency Aligned Organization (CAO), and it seemed nobody had any funding for these two people, at least until the next fiscal year's funds kicked in.

I had some funding and a need for a cost estimate. I briefed the two employees in detail. They acknowledged that they understood and would have the job finish in less than two weeks, which was what I had budgeted out of my program funds for a cost estimate.

I was beginning the process for a major recompete of contracts in the Pacific (Japan and Hawaii) and traveled there for the next week. Internet service in Okinawa was not too good back in those days, so when I changed planes in Osaka, I went into the United lounge and logged in to my email. I asked how the estimate was coming.

When I touched down in Hawaii for an overnight, I went to my email as soon as possible, expecting at least an update, if not the complete estimate. C’mon, this wasn’t rocket science; it was just a dozen hours of work that I expected these two could knock out in a couple of weeks. Even in those days, the bar was set very low for general performance.

Their reply was in my inbox. It said, we decided not to do it.

They didn’t decide not to get paid, just not to do the work. When I touched down in Orlando, I went straight to the office and completed the estimate myself. It took 9 hours.

The next day, I expressed to their supervisory chain my disdain for the contemptuous attitude these two had towards their jobs and their country. They may not have cared what they did or didn’t do for someone else, but these were Marine Corps funds, and I guarded them fiercely.

I needed a cost estimate and paid for one, but these two knuckleheads showed no sense of duty, work ethic, or obligation whatsoever. None!

So, I went to Human Resources upon their request. The two employees had complained that I was being unfair. I wasn’t sure which part wasn’t fair—paying their salary or expecting them to work when they came to work. I went to HR.

I explained the situation and the HR manager, said, “We’ve had trouble with military before.”

 I am not often surprised, but this was out of left field. Two civil service employees agreed to work on a 15-hour project and get paid for two weeks (80 hours). They took the pay but didn’t do the work, and the human resources folks said this was not something I should be upset about. In fact, I was the source of the problem, expecting them to do any work at all.

Finally, I met with the Executive Director (ED), who is sort of the civil service supervisor of those employees at that facility. There was a crowd in the executive conference room. The ED said that he didn’t understand why I was upset.

I told him that I paid for and expected a cost estimate, and they refused to do the work.

The executive director said that he still didn’t see the problem, but he would have them do the cost estimate.

I told him that I had already done it.

He was shocked. I just got back.

I told him that I had just returned from the airport after being overseas for over a week and knocked it out overnight. I then made a quick trip home to throw on a shave and a clean uniform and return to work.

The ED thought he was off the hook and said, I guess there’s nothing to be done. He was ready to leave.

I said, except to refund the money I sent to have the estimate done.

While this was a terrible experience due to the deeply seeded attitude of entitlement among government workers, seeing the looks on the faces of the civil service folks was almost worth it.

The pucker factor in the room among the government workers was through the ceiling.

Return the Money?

Hoping to save face, the ED noted that there was not enough time left for me to use the money in the fiscal year and it would just be lost if it was returned.  You could sense that he had finally made a point that he could defend as there were only a couple of days left in the fiscal year.

I said, "Yes, I can." Everything is in place; we are just waiting for the return of the funds. That should take 15 minutes at most.

If you know me, you might know that I can sometimes be a tiny bit ornery. So, I said “Thank You for opening my eyes.”

The ED was a bit perplexed, so I continued. If I can do two all-nighters a year, I could cut funding for a whole employee. That was about $85-100K each, including the overhead. By the way, the overhead paid the salaries of the senior civil service employees in the conference room.

If I worked four all-nighters, no, a week of all-nighters every fiscal year, I could save half a million dollars in civil service employee costs. I stood up, said, "I’m on it," and left the room.

That last part was just for fun. I had no time for civil service reform. I had Marine Corps training systems essential to training in our modern age and that’s where my mission and focus remained.

I hope this short reminiscence opened some eyes. It did for me. The entitlement mentality has had 25 years to grow and dig in from an already well-defended position. Only the broadsword can begin the process. Scalpels come later.

There will be casualties along the way. This isn’t Kindergarten where you can sit out for a while if you have a boo-boo.

This is simple, the pain of cleaning house will be less than the pain of doing nothing differently, and surrendering to this money for nothing and your chicks for free soundtrack playing in government offices.

***

While working with the civil service people associated with Marine Corps Programs, I met and worked with some top-notch people. I still write the occasional job or promotion recommendation for some, though we are all getting to the point where it’s time just for golf and grandkids.

So, how do you reward those who defy the government employee model and give it their all?

I got them bonuses. You can give a civil service employee a financial bonus. You have to plan for it, justify it, and budget it, and I did. It is that simple.

Reward the best, coach and counsel those trying to do their best, and give the entitled the boot.

It’s going to look mean at first, but it is necessary. The infection has festered too long. We get it now or lose the patient—liberty.

President Trump, press on.

Mr. Musk, stay the course.

Government Employees, work or go away.

This isn’t rocket science.

 

What did you do with the liberty you were given?

 10 November 2023

Address to Burns Flat – Dill City Students

 

Three times a year, we pause to consider those who serve or have served in the armed forces of the United States of America.

Armed Forces Day recognizes those who are now serving. It is typically celebrated on the third Saturday in May.  It is good to take a moment to recognize those who serve now.

Memorial Day is observed to remember those who gave what President Abraham Lincoln would call the last full measure of devotion.  It’s for those who didn’t get to come home like the rest of us.  They came home under a flag-draped coffin.

Memorial Day reminds us to remember the cost of liberty is high.  Freedom is not free. The price for your freedom was paid in the blood of American Servicemen and women. There is no higher price.

To take your liberty for granted is to disrespect the mothers and fathers, husbands and wives who gave someone from their family for your freedom.

These are things that we don’t think of much for to dwell on them too long brings sadness when there should be celebration.  We should know the price paid for our liberty but celebrate it all the same that there were those willing to pay the price.

And now we come to Veteran’s Day.  It originated with the armistice that brought an end to WWI and was signed in 1918.  It took effect on the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month of that year.  Since that time, 11 November has been special for all veterans.

It’s easy to remember for me.  The Marine Corps birthday was 10 November 1775. The Marines take over the internet with all sorts of off-center and sometimes off-color posts that only mean something to those who have worn the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor, but on 11 November, all veterans get into the act.

Veterans Day is for all who serve and who have served. But just who is a veteran?

If you address the early morning hours as zero dark thirty, you might be a veteran.

If someone was about to disrespect your nation or your Corps or a family member and in one look, they started running for the hills, you might be a veteran.

If you have been told that your language is not politically correct, you might be a veteran.

If you don’t care that your language is not politically correct, you might be a veteran.

If your friends and family know not to put you on speakerphone, you might be a veteran.

If you have an entrenching tool in the garage or your storeroom, you might be a veteran, probably a grunt.

When passing a large open area, you automatically look overhead for power lines that could obstruct its use as a landing zone, you might be a veteran.

If you can make a sentence out of nothing but acronyms, you might be a veteran.

If you have busted your kids back to private at least once, you might be a veteran.

If you keep your valuable papers in an old ammo can, you might be a veteran.

If you think the words suck it up buttercup are appropriate for most counseling situations, you might be a veteran.

If you can’t make any sense out of the abbreviations on the New York Stock Exchange but know the trading value of everything in a C-Ration or MRE, you might be a veteran.

More like these…

Most of these were a little tongue-in-cheek.  It’s 2023, I have to add that disclaimer. People have to be told that you are being light-hearted or they might be offended.

If you don’t really care that your straightforward remarks might offend someone, you might be a veteran.

This one is not lighthearted.  If you have ever written a blank check to your country, you might be a veteran.

Some of you may serve in the armed forces one day.  Most won’t.  I think it’s about 3% who eventually serve.  It’s about 1% or less who become Marines.  Most don’t serve, but some will.

As today is the Marine Corps Birthday, I asked a question that only Marines can answer.  How long does it take for the average person to become a Marine?

The answer is that the average person will never become a Marine.  In fact, the average person will never become a veteran.  It is a calling reserved for only a few.  There may be a few of you who will answer that calling.

Some among us will continue to put their lives on the line for their country.  Some will. Few will, but there will be some.

For those who do—for those who will write that blank check, do you know who your boss will be?

Will it be your commanding officer? Some captain or colonel?

Will it be the Sergeant Major?

Will it be the President of the United States or the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs?

The answer is “No” and it does not matter the service.  Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, active or reserve, you all serve the same boss. 

Who?

The Constitution of the United States of America.  Yes, that piece of paper from 234 years ago is your boss. That old document with 27 amendments is what you will be sworn to support and defend.

While the president may give you orders or the Sergeant Major will get your full attention; you are sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.

Not a person…

Not a government…

Not a branch of service…

The Constitution of the United States of America!

Listen to an oath that I know well. 

I ___, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.

That’s the oath for officers.  The enlisted oath is like it, but adds that you will follow the orders of those appointed over you.

"I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God."

Should you serve, you serve by swearing to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.

There are no other armed forces quite like us in the world. We are unique.

You heard that I am the pastor at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  Some of you already knew that.

It’s better than Christmas time for me over at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  Last week and this week both, I am preaching and teaching the Parable of the Talents.  It’s from Matthew 25:14-30 if you want to read it on your own.

Maybe, I should preach it here.  That might give the school board members a heart attack and upset the ACLU.

If you don’t mind upsetting the ACLU, you might be a veteran. 

But no preaching this morning.  You know where to find me on Sunday morning, and you are invited.

But there is a question that I always ask in the course of teaching or preaching this parable.

What did you do with what God gave you? It is a question that every God-believing person should ask themselves every day.

Now let’s put that concept into the context of today and ask:

What did you do with the liberty that you have been given by your country?

What did you do with the freedom that you have been given by the warriors who have gone before you?

Now put it in the first person.

What did I do with the liberty that I have been given?

Now let’s put it in the present and perfect tenses.

What am I doing with the freedom that I have been given?

Some of you are currently being held hostage by your adolescent minds and can’t see the liberty.  You might think that life is too restrictive, but you have more freedom than you know.

You have more liberty than you can comprehend at this time in your lives.

One day, you will have eyes to see the freedom that we enjoy in this nation. You are blessed so much to be born here, especially here in Oklahoma, not because the wind blows every day but because good moral values are still considered good.

You enjoy the blessings of liberty, but what are you going to do about that?

What will you do with the blessings of liberty that have been entrusted to you?

Some will make great achievements in the arts and sciences.

Some will contribute in the service of others in medicine or law enforcement.

Some will seek to represent many as an elected official.

Some will teach what you have learned to others.

Some will just say it’s all about me and what I can get for me and my own.

But some will serve in the armed forces and perhaps in armed combat in order to continue the blessings of liberty for another generation.

Some will write the blank check. 

Some will join the ranks of the faithful few who will put their right hands in the air and take an oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic.

What will you do with the liberty that those warriors before you have entrusted to you?

What will you do?

 

Carnival Debacle launches on 1 May 2022

 I have just returned from my latest cruise on the Carnival Debacle.  It said Carnival Breeze on the side of the ship, but debacle is better suited.

I had a back-to-back on the Breeze but had the first leg canceled due to dry dock.  That happens.  I contacted Carnival as to the vulnerability of the second leg and was assured that it was not in jeopardy, so I booked the Vista the week before.  It would arrive the same day as the Breeze would be back in service in Galveston, Texas.

It’s a trip for us to get to Galveston, so I either needed to cancel the second leg or find something to replace the canceled cruise that arrived the same day as the Breeze. Having received assurance that all confounding factors had been considered and the Breeze would be available for the second leg, the Vista was an easy choice—more expensive but workable.

Then the flurry of emails, texts, and phone calls began.  I was aboard the Vista and received none of them.  I usually just get the social package and make sure everything is covered at home.  Messenger works for emergencies, unless it’s a Carnival created emergency.

Eventually, I got a hotel room for the day I would be stranded ashore.  Carnival was reimbursing expenses for changes in air travel, but not for billeting requirements created out of their change. Carnival knows how to complicate the simple, so that one had to go to Christine Duffy.

I am not encouraged that she will do right by this as she was rather cavalier when confronted with ongoing fraud by Carnival aboard their Half Moon Cay island.  Back to the heart of this missive.

The 5-day cruise was now billed as a 4-day cruise and ended up being a shortened one at that. Instructions told Breeze cruisers to disregard their arrival times and come to the terminal between 3 and 5 pm on Sunday, 1 May 2022.

What usually is a 5-hour process would be reduced to 2 hours because someone in Miami just pencil whipped this instead of doing actual planning.

When a captain or cruise director is ignorant, someone up the line might just set them straight.  When the corporate staff is ignorant, everyone will pay.  A very senior vice president if not Christine Duffy herself had to sign off on this madness.

Why did it make a difference?  Some stood in line for 3 or 4 hours to get aboard.  Who thought that what took almost 5 hours in an organized system would be expedited to 2 hours by abandoning all organization?

Carnival did manage to get the Dream out of port a little early, but they informed each cruiser to arrive 30 minutes early.  Why did Carnival not tell those boarding the Breeze to add 4 and one-half hours to their arrival time?

Were there 2 different coordinators?  Was there no senior oversight? Was this a kindergarten project?  Was Shaq in charge?

Had this been a single instance and just an arduous process to get aboard, most could take it in stride as another Carnival SNAFU; however, the fun had only begun.

This is what the Navy and Marine Corps call a shakedown cruise.  A shakedown cruise is a short cruise of a couple weeks where the ship, its sailors, and embarked Marines work the bugs out.  The ship returns to port and a few days later sets sail for a 6 month or longer deployment.

The Breeze was on a shakedown cruise.

·       The theater sound system was down.

·       One public toilet in a high traffic area had the door hung wrong and it would not close. How does this not get inspected?

·       The Hub was down for half the cruise. When it works, it’s great.  When it doesn’t, not all areas of the ship are ready to operate in degraded mode. 

·       People who needed to check account balances used the kiosks so much that they broke down.

·       The Wi-Fi was down and the guest services folks tried to convince a line of 100 that never lessened that it was working because they had an email from IT that it was working. When the Diamond/Platinum line wraps around the atrium, be assured that passengers know what’s going on and won’t be fed a line.  There should have been a ship-wide announcement and eventually a full refund instead of pretending everything was working.

·       The Guest Services Desk Line was the most popular excursion of the cruise.

The list could go on, but it does not need to be recounted here.  So, is this guy just a complainer?  No, there is a possible silver lining here as there will likely be issues for all ships coming out of dry dock.

Why not offer a Shake Down Cruise for Diamond and Platinum members?  It would be a significantly reduced charge for the cruise stating upfront that it was a shake-down cruise.  Some stuff would still be worked out in the course of the cruise.  Safety, meals, and port times would be as certain as possible, but hub and internet issues would get put to the test, as well as other things that somehow were overlooked before setting sail.

See the process for what it is and adjust accordingly.  Don’t presume that everything works because the ship left dry dock.  This is as naïve as thinking that no organization would make a 5-hour process into a 2-hour process. 

Universal Studios has done this with some success.  Admission was free to a select group but the new theme park was still working out bugs.  If the ride or the special effects didn’t work right the first time, that was stated upfront.

A shakedown cruise offered for only Diamond and Platinum members would put the most experienced cruisers aboard and would set expectations that some things were still being worked out. Passengers would enjoy a less crowded ship and the crew would not have to support as many passengers.

Yes, revenue would be minimal, but the ship would be fully operational at the end of the cruise.  At least the bugs would be worked out and all passenger expectations would be met.

Think about it!  Risk launching the Carnival Debacle time and again or schedule a Shake Down Cruise at the end of each dry dock.

As a last note, the cruise director—Cookie—did a fantastic job to work with what he had.  He could not overcome the corporate ineptitude thrust upon him, but he did his best to try.  I love a man who does not back down from an impossible challenge.  Well done to Cookie.  The same attention to detail coupled with passion could have made the boarding process less of an ordeal. 

Consider the concept of a Shakedown Cruise.  It could be a win-win for your most loyal cruisers and for the corporate bottom line when the reviews going forward are fantastic.

Think win-win.  Think Shakedown Cruise.

Pipelines, politics, and Purpose--Going Green without destroying the nation

 

We need to transition to renewable energy.  Anyone with a sense of stewardship should be able to see this.  At some point we will exhaust our fossil fuels.  Using them until they are gone and going with Oops, we need something else is the worst of management.

Likewise, shutting down production and obstructing transport of fossil fuels or diverting it to more expensive modes of transport is likewise the worst of management.

Change management professionals know that when there is a forced change, there must be a safe landing area.  That landing area must be in the target area for the change.  There can be no safe landing going back.

The problem is that if the safe landing area is too far away or unreachable, chaos ensues.  No place is safe.

Let’s say we need to transition from fossil fuels (mainly oil and gas) to other forms of energy (solar, wind, nuclear, etc.).  A comfortable transition might take 50 years, and likely won’t happen within that time frame because it’s unforced and doing nothing different is comfortable.  Those 50 years will become 100 without some outside force acting upon the energy production system.

A super-fast transition would be 20 years, and such a short time frame (this is a short time on a national and governmental scale) would come with recurring disruptions.  The solution obviously is somewhere in between.

So, we would target 25 years and gauge success by most sources being converted in 35 years.  Considering the inefficiency and self-serving nature of government (ask ‘who profits’ by shutting down the pipeline), 40 years is the most likely target date that we might reasonably achieve without self-destruction.

What does that mean in practical terms?

Build the Keystone Pipeline.  It will have 20-30 years of service life before the transition to other energy forms is complete and will help us maintain energy independence.

Provide some government incentives for renewable energy.  Solar and wind have been with us enough that they stand or fall on their own.  Their subsidies should become less each year.

Reward the innovators not the scammers with government money for energy production that shows both promise and affordability. New energy sources that can transition to something that will prevail in the marketplace is essential.

If we really want to go green—and that wasn’t a bad thing until it was pushed to absurdity—then let’s set aggressive—not impossible—targets and have a compliance range that goes a little beyond the target.  In government, that 10 years. 

So, let’s target 2050 as a renewable energy source date and consider having 75% of our energy coming from renewable sources by 2060 a victory.

We don’t have to kill the nation to accomplish this.  The 2050-2060 decade as a safe landing area is doable and we can skip much of the chaos being imposed by this most recent administration.

We can go green and build the pipeline without dissonance.  The surgeon doesn’t stop the heart to do a kidney transplant so there will be less bleeding.  A successful transplant in a dead patient is ridiculous.

A representative government set upon the course of serving the nation and its people can make this transition.  A government set on retaining power, profiting at the expense of the electorate, and living high on the hog disconnected from the people they should represent, will continue to play the shell game with manufactured crises so you forget what you sent them to Washington to do in the first place.

We can get better without destroying ourselves but we may have to cut out the cancer in our government first.

Smart, dedicated, and unselfish public servants can accomplish this transition.  We should settle for nothing less.

What is this packing the court business all about? Is it really a big deal?

 

Many have heard the term packing the court and think it’s just about evening up the left with the right or becoming a court that leans mainly to the left.  If that’s what you believe, then you have been duped as those planning this course of action hoped you would be.

It began almost 4 years ago in the attempted coup held in plain sight.  People don’t want to acknowledge this.  Those who present this case are labeled conspiracy nuts, racists, or just haters.  Logic need not follow accusation.

Please note the impeachment of Donald Trump was planned and, in the wings, since before his inauguration day.  This was plan B, a failsafe, or whatever name you want to give refusing to accept the legitimate election of Donald Trump.

You may not like Trump.  You may hate Trump, but his election was accomplished in accordance with the Constitution of the United States and the laws of the land. In centuries previous, if you lost, then you regrouped for the next round.  Over the past three-plus years, the country was torn asunder by those who defied the law of the land supplanting the will of the people with their own power schemes.

Here’s the thing.  Had those seeking to get rid of Trump been successful, the Constitution provided a replacement in the form of Mike Pence.  Emotional victories may have been ubiquitous, but power would not have been usurped.  An injustice would have been done, but the United States would have survived, albeit with the blood of patriots past on the hands of the conspirators.

What’s that got to do with packing the Supreme Court with however many justices it would take to have an overwhelming majority?

Packing the court would create a second and more powerful legislature.  The court could and likely would hear all manner of cases and use those cases to disassemble the Constitution.

If you don’t like guns and you know you will never get a Constitutional Amendment repealing the Second Amendment, don’t worry.  Just send any ole gun case to the packed court and the Amendment to the Constitution will be discharged as unconstitutional. 

How is that even possible?  It’s not even remotely possible if there are three distinct branches of government.  The Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land, but when power has been ceded to the one branch—the packed court which now can legislate at will and without the concurrence of the President, it simply does what it wants and brushes aside the parts of the Constitution that are so inconvenient to those in power.

The first coup attempt was to get rid of a man who was duly elected to office.

Packing the court is an attempt to remove the Constitutional protections that you have which have been paid for in the blood of patriots.

When the candidates will not commit to not packing the court, their noncommittal is their tacit approval of this next coup attempt.  This time, Trump will not be the target.  You will.

The Constitution will be dismantled before your very eyes and the only course of action left for any patriot is the exercise of the original intent of the Second Amendment—to overthrow a tyrant. 

Make no mistake, the court-packers are not coming for Trump.  They are coming for you.  The thinking, self-reliant, God-fearing American stands in the way of their illegitimate power grab.  The Constitution stands in their way of getting you out of their way.

There is another alternative.  Get used to the term ‘serf’ or ‘slave’ for that is exactly what you will be once the Constitution is a thing of the past.

Packing the court is less about being conservative or liberal.  It is about the unlawful seizing of power from the American people.

In the past the court has swung like a pendulum from left to right, somewhat in arrears of the executive and legislative branches, but there was some balance.

The pendulum comes to a full stop if the court is packed.  There will be no opportunity for the American people to express their desire to return to a previous ideology.  In fact, any ideology of the people will be considered rebellion.  You will be prosecuted and persecuted and will have no legal remedy available in the law.

Packing the court will bring America to a simple dichotomy:  Civil War or Serfdom?

So many are saying that they just want this election over with.  It is an understandable sentiment considering the state of acrimony and vitriol at play in our representative government, but this malaise contributes to the surrender to the present coup attempt.

This is not the time to just hope for the best.  Two candidates who refused to answer the packing the court question multiple times are indicative of two power-hungry souls who will discard your liberty in an instant.

Have eyes to see what is in front of you.