Feedback : Odd… #2

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AH Trimble Feedback and CommentsI wrote an article on the 29th < This must stop… > condemning the violence, the attacks on law enforcement, the interference of ICE to do their job, the destruction, and the killings, etc. And apparently some folks didn’t like me calling for a stop to it. I find that odd, disturbingly so. I was calling for a stop to the violence and hatred. I said if it didn’t stop we might end up in a very dark and ugly place. I thought that was a reasonable call to action…stop the violence and hatred.

I received replies/comments from two folks, one of which I know, the other I don’t. It appears to me one is very radically on the pro-violence and far-right of the issue, clearly so. The other response was more of a sharing of another person’s opinion. I responded to their replies. After I did so I thought it through and I think we have hit political obstacle…maybe a dead end to this issue altogether. But for sure…an issue where few are willing to drop bias and change their minds or see reality for what it is vs perception.

So here is what I am going to do…I am going to make two separate posts regarding their views/comments and my replies. I think it prudent to share both sides, different views on this situation. But then I will call the issue closed. Why? Because it is more polarizing than any other issue that I have seen in a very long time. And should the polarization continue at this trajectory all that is needed would be an event, an incident, that would be the ignition point to a far darker time in America than any reasonable person wants.

This is the second in the posting of the feedback and replies. < click here to read the first “feedback” >

Posted by MamaGrizzly:

Eric Schwalm

“As a former Special Forces Warrant Officer with multiple rotations running counterinsurgency ops—both hunting insurgents and trying to separate them from sympathetic populations—I’ve seen organized resistance up close. From Anbar to Helmand, the pattern is familiar: spotters, cutouts, dead drops (or modern equivalents), disciplined comms, role specialization, and a willingness to absorb casualties while bleeding the stronger force slowly.

What’s unfolding in Minneapolis right now isn’t “protest.” It’s low-level insurgency infrastructure, built by people who’ve clearly studied the playbook.

Signal groups at 1,000-member cap per zone. Dedicated roles: mobile chasers, plate checkers logging vehicle data into shared databases, 24/7 dispatch nodes vectoring assets, SALUTE-style reporting (Size, Activity, Location, Unit, Time, Equipment) on suspected federal vehicles. Daily chat rotations and timed deletions to frustrate forensic recovery. Vetting processes for new joiners. Mutual aid from sympathetic locals (teachers providing cover, possible PD tip-offs on license plate lookups). Home-base coordination points. Rapid escalation from observation to physical obstruction—or worse.

This isn’t spontaneous outrage. This is C2 (command and control) with redundancy, OPSEC hygiene, and task organization that would make a SF team sergeant nod in recognition. Replace “ICE agents” with “occupying coalition forces” and the structure maps almost 1:1 to early-stage urban cells we hunted in the mid-2000s.

The most sobering part? It’s domestic. Funded, trained (somewhere), and directed by people who live in the same country they’re trying to paralyze law enforcement in. When your own citizens build and operate this level of parallel intelligence and rapid-response network against federal officers—complete with doxxing, vehicle pursuits, and harassment that’s already turned lethal—you’re no longer dealing with civil disobedience. You’re facing a distributed resistance that’s learned the lessons of successful insurgencies: stay below the kinetic threshold most of the time, force over-reaction when possible, maintain popular support through narrative, and never present a single center of gravity.

I spent years training partner forces to dismantle exactly this kind of apparatus. Now pieces of it are standing up in American cities, enabled by elements of local government and civil society. That should keep every thinking American awake at night.

Not because I want escalation. But because history shows these things don’t de-escalate on their own once the infrastructure exists and the cadre believe they’re winning the information war.

We either recognize what we’re actually looking at—or we pretend it’s still just “activism” until the structures harden and spread.

Your call, America. But from where I sit, this isn’t January 2026 politics anymore. It’s phase one of something we’ve spent decades trying to keep off our own soil.

My reply:

Interesting…couple thoughts regarding this man’s opinion piece:

#1 – I looked into Eric Schwalm (claiming Retired Green Beret (CW4)) and I found this: “A post attributed to “Eric Schwalm” on the social platform captured in the reporting explicitly identifies the poster as “a former Special Forces Warrant Officer with multiple rotations running counterinsurgency ops” and applies that experience to analyze unrest in Minneapolis, describing patterns the author says mirror Anbar and Helmand operations. That text is a primary source for the claim but, within the set of documents provided for this analysis, stands alone — there is no accompanying military service record, biography, or official confirmation attached to the account in these materials.”
I could find nothing that confirmed that Schwalm was who he says he is. The only Eric Schwalm came back as an employee at a consulting firm at Bain & Company. With no military service record. Eric Schwalm may be who he says he is but no one online could confirm he is who he says he is.

I did find a person using his name on “X”. Nothing on his account confirmed who he says he is, but he claims SOF and military background. I read a bunch of his posts…whoa. This guy is seriously jacked on violence. He is gun-ho about everything military…except when he is criticizing all the military bigwigs who don’t like Trump…then it is a conspiracy. But again, I can find nothing online that confirms who he claims to be.

#2 – This article only represents what his opinion is…nothing more. I’ve read multiple articles and watched multiple videos lately of veterans who have condemned DHS & ICE and the broader Trump administration on their tactics. So who do you want to listen to and who do you want to believe? It is all opinion…on both sides of the issue…our choice.

#3 – There have been multiple former ICE agents and former DHS employees who have criticized what is going on currently in MN. An FBI agent resigned in protest over the FBI investigation handling of the shooting of Renee Good. So do we believe them since they have far more experience and credibility regarding MN than a vet who is not involved in MN, has no training as an FBI agent, has no training or experience as ICE or DHS, and has no experience with civilians in the US?

#4 – I don’t know about anyone else but I don’t need to have someone I don’t know tell me what I should think about ICE & MN. Especially people who are not using the actual definition of “insurgency” and other terms or even actual facts. I believe what I believe based on my own research and my own viewing and my own analysis of video…and listening to those folks whom I trust. I for sure put zero credibility in people’s version of events when they are on either the radical left or radical right. Yeah, basically meaning I can think for myself using valid and reliable information and evidence.

#5 – Confirmation bias is a damning thing. But in all things political now it seems to rule the day…unfortunately. That is why I am not part of the right nor part of the left…I will look at individual issues and make my opinion based on what I figure out…not on political ideology or bias. And I try very hard to temper all of my opinions with Christ’s teachings.

#6 – Back during my Vietnam War era days when I was in the military handling classified intelligence I remember the group called “Vietnam Veterans Against the War”. Republicans hated them, “patriots” despised them, most of the public thought they were cowards and pinkos. Yeah, problem…they were right…so were all the other protestors who were against the war. A lot of the those protestors were killed for standing up for what they believed…including May 1970 when there were 13 casualties, all kids, shot by National Guard troops at Kent State. It took a couple of decades but it turned out all those protestors were right…the Vietnam War was wrong…and almost 60,000 military lives were wasted. So just because a group protests doesn’t mean they are wrong in their message just because they are protesting, even destructively so.

#7 – Of course there are organizers behind the MN demonstrations, protests, and the attacks on law enforcement that I’ve pointed out was so wrong. Does it make all those organizers wrong or terrorists? No, of course not…to think they are is absurd. Do some of them have evil intents, of course. Are some of them revolutionaries? Maybe. So remember this if you want to brand all these folks terrorist or insurgents…no federal law enforcement person has been seriously injured and none killed. But ICE and DHS can’t say the same about the other side.

#8 – Is this just “activism”? No, of course not. But many of these folks are just that, a few aren’t. It is the few that have evil intent that we should be concerned about…and their handlers. Should we be killing people that are absolutely no imminent threat (which is the legal standard)? No reasonable person, no sane person, especially no Christian wants to see people killed in America like this…none! Multiple video versions of both killings show, clearly show, that neither posed a threat, let alone an imminent threat. Who in their right mind wants to see people killed during a demonstration or protest? What decent person is okay with, or celebrates, such deaths?

#9 – Thank you Eric Schwalm for sharing your opinion. It was enlightening. Based on who you say you are, I struggle to give much credence on your views, or credibility on your interpretation of events and people. Based on both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars…they were a complete waste of time, killed far too many military personnel, and squandered massive amounts of money. We destroyed two countries and killed a million people for nothing…and we lost both wars while we did so. Based on your online posts representing your views…you are very radically right-wing and in love with all things military and violence. IMO…you do not represent the political ground that would be conducive to my view of our Founding Fathers. Your views appear to more appropriately match those of the British Empire who wanted to crush the colonial insurrectionists and violently subjugate them to the will of the King.

#10 – Emotions are running very high…absurdly so…on both sides. Both sides want to blame the other…one side is fine with killing, the other wants to kill. Both sides are wrong. The violence is wrong! The US is being manipulated into civil war by all those behind the curtain…on both sides. That is what they want…to have us tear each other apart. And so many people are playing right into their hands. Bias and blindness will lead us into that civil war.

Turn our hearts to Christ…and then pray. I will it again…the violence on both sides must stop!
AH

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Feedback : Odd… #1

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AH Trimble Feedback and CommentsI wrote an article on the 29th < This must stop… > condemning the violence, the attacks on law enforcement, the interference of ICE to do their job, the destruction, and the killings, etc. And apparently some folks didn’t like me calling for a stop to it. I find that odd, disturbingly so. I was calling for a stop to the violence and hatred. I said if it didn’t stop we might end up in a very dark and ugly place. I thought that was a reasonable call to action…stop the violence and hatred.

I received replies/comments from two folks, one of which I know, the other I don’t. It appears to me one is very radically on the pro-violence and far-right of the issue, clearly so. The other response was more of a sharing of another person’s opinion. I responded to their replies. After I did so I thought it through and I think we have hit political obstacle…maybe a dead end to this issue altogether. But for sure…an issue where few are willing to drop bias and change their minds or see reality for what it is vs perception.

So here is what I am going to do…I am going to make two separate posts regarding their views/comments and my replies. I think it prudent to share both sides, different views on this situation. But then I will call the issue closed. Why? Because it is more polarizing than any other issue that I have seen in a very long time. And should the polarization continue at this trajectory all that is needed would be an event, an incident, that would be the ignition point to a far darker time in America than any reasonable person wants.

RE: This must stop…

Texas Dan wrote:

“So here’s my question – the people engaging in these protests are not in fact protesting, they are in open insurrection to the government and laws of this country. Should we care if they are treated without mercy? Paging General Sherman to the white courtesy phone.

Look I have never been a fan of the feds and their tactics, dating to Little Rock in the 50’s in my lifetime and the aforementioned “activity” of Mr. Lincoln in my family’s past. I think your point is that there has to be a middle ground that can be reached, but when have the lawless left ever been satiated? And which laws do they get to ignore to make them happy?

I don’t think the country that would allow a solution exists anymore – you win or you don’t.”

My reply to Texas Dan:

“open insurrection to the government”…I think not. Law breaking on both sides…yes, absolutely…mostly the protestors. Blowing a whistle and holding up an anti-ICE sign is not “insurrection”.

They are humans and should be treated as such. The people that are citizens should be treated in accordance with the Constitution as well as with human dignity…and not shot to death.

General Sherman was at best a war criminal…actually, nothing more than a brutal, murderous animal. <please read We are a Warlike People !>

I didn’t call for a middle ground…I called for everyone to stop the violence before it leads to civil war. And that would play directly into the hands of TPTB.

The protestors need to abide by the law…Constitutional law. And even then, if they break the law they still need due process…not ICE agents that act as judge, jury, and executioner. That is not due process, nor even in the realm of decency.

I agree…the country no longer has a true solution…we have lost our way. And the violence that we see, on both sides, is a result of that lost way.

I would like everyone to read the words to America the Beautiful…there is a clue in there on how we should behave. And it has to do with “mercy”. <please read America the Beautiful !>

AH

Texas Dan then responded with:

“Organized and fully funded “protest” groups are the very definition of an insurgency and thus, in open rebellion. You don’t strike me as naive, but I do beleive you have an historic view of the state of our country and not one reflective of the color revolution shock troops our mistaken President Obama introduced and the brain addled Biden supplemented with 15-20 million slave troops.

They want a Chavez, they should get a Pinochet. Good luck in the coming times.”

My response to that was:

Your definition of “insurgency” is highly inaccurate according the actual legal term(s)…not even close. By your definition…the Jan6th mob were terrorists in open rebellion and thus should have been hanged for treason. And yet, Trump pardoned them. So, according to your use of the term insurgency…what now? And those protesting in MN are not attacking the capital at least. Have you thought that through? 

I don’t consider myself naive, but maybe so. I am more ideological by my way of thinking. I believe in Christ for morals and the Founding Fathers for my political principles.

Their views on central government were very clear…more so regarding state’s rights. And they were for sure not authoritarian. And Washington himself warned us against political parties. Yet, here we are.

A balanced view of life in the US is difficult at best, impossible most of the time. Reality has a habit of clashing with perception.

All the best…we will all need buckets of luck and amazing faith in the days ahead.

And just for the record…did you find fault with me calling for a stop to the violence?

There were no additional replies from Texas Dan.

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Spot on, well said, & enlightening…Culprits Benefiting from the Chaos

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This must stop…

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…but will it? Maybe. But it’s up to us, the American people.

The situation in Minnesota has escalated to a new and very dangerous place in the last couple of days. A place whose path it’s on is a terrible and horrible path. I’ll touch on that in a minute.

There are two diametrically opposing sides battling in Minnesota at the moment. Both sides have foot soldiers, those doing the work on the streets. Those folks have supervisors directing that work. Both sides also have leadership providing direction and resources. Then both sides also have a fourth level. I’ll touch on that in a minute.

Both sides are doing what they feel is right, whether what they do is right or not. One side is trying to enforce the law, and detain and deport those who are in our country illegally, many of which are criminals committing terrible crimes against Americans. The other side is committed to protecting humans, including children and families, along with their human and civil rights. Both sides can make a solid case that what they are doing is right. But both sides are in direct opposition to one another. Dangerously so.

The recent escalated violence that I spoke of at the beginning is the attack on I.C.E. agents in a restaurant and in their hotel. Based on the abundance of video that I saw, had the agents gone out into the street, or had the attackers made it inside…the agents could have been badly beaten, possibly sent to the hospital. Or, maybe worse, killed by the angry mob; the violence was that apparent. That is not acceptable to reasonable, rational Americans.

The other side could be seen as justifying as an “eye for an eye”, but that is simply not right. Plain and simple, not right. Granted there has been unacceptable violence and killings on the part of I.C.E., I get that, I saw it. But those instances are matters for the judicial system to handle…whether criminal or civil, let that process play out.

I am aware that there has been an olive branch extended by Trump thru a representative. He proposed a deal and led the way by removing CBP Gregory Bovino, a terrible leader, who was head of the failed Minnesota operation. Trump sent border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to sort it out. And Homan has already met with Minnesota Governor, Minneapolis mayor and local police chief. Hopefully that meeting is proving to be helpful in providing a resolution. Additionally, the chief federal judge in Minnesota has called for a meeting with the acting I.C.E. director to appear and explain apparent violations of both policy and law on the part of I.C.E. Again, a great step forward to resolving this tense situation, thank you President Trump.

Now…for those street soldiers on both sides…THE VIOLENCE MUST STOP!!

The protesters have a Constitutional right to peacefully protest…fine, do so. Beat your drums, blow your whistles, wave your signs and upside down flags…and take all the video you want, I think you should. That is your right, exercise it. But don’t physically interfere with I.C.E. agents doing their job. Just don’t. And for God’s sake don’t follow agents to their hotels and appear ready to do them grave bodily harm. Just don’t!

I.C.E. agents do your job. Do as Trump said before he was elected…find, detain, and deport illegal aliens that are murderers, rapists, child molesters, drug dealers, and thieves. But for goodness sake, leave non-criminal fathers and their 5-year old children alone. You have better things to do…go get the actual criminals. Stop with the “dog-pile” violence, step out of the way of a moving car, and more than anything…stop killing people!

As for the supervisors and leadership of both sides…get a grip on reality and see where this path lies. Stop pushing your people into civil war. Stop justifying the violence. Stop calling I.C.E. agents gestapo and Nazis, or worse. Stop calling protesters domestic terrorists and law enforcement assassins. Recognize that I.C.E. agents have a lawful duty to perform that helps protects American citizens. Recognize that people have a Constitutional right to peacefully protest. Both sides need to recognize that mistakes will be made on both sides, be reasonable about reacting to those mistake. People are human, they make mistakes, be understanding of that.

At the beginning I mentioned different levels; the foot soldiers, the supervisors, the leadership, and a fourth level. Let me explain…

The path all of this is on ends up in a very dark and evil place. A place that all reasonable people do not want anything to do with. A place that destroys America and is a truly ugly and evil place…civil war. No one should want that, no one. It will kill and destroy everything good about America, it will destroy America forever if we end up there. No one should want that, but some do…for their own selfish and despicable purposes, evil purposes. These are not reasonable and decent people. Don’t let them win and manipulate us there.

The fourth level, those that both want and are orchestrating the violence at the fourth level, are what I call the “puppet masters”. They pull the strings, they are the power behind the curtain. They are the ones that are playing the tune that the all levels on both sides are dancing to. These people want nothing good or decent for America…they want it’s destruction. They are few in number but have virtually unlimited resources. They use those resources to have others do their dirty work. Don’t let them win. They want to see America, as we know it, destroyed. Plain and simple…America destroyed…along with most Americans.

America is the last place on earth to exist where there is still some semblance of rights, freedoms, and liberties…a good and decent place with good and decent people. When America falls, there is no place like it left on earth. The light will go out.

Both sides of the illegal immigrant situation in Minnesota are following their beliefs, both feel a legal and moral obligation to do so. Both are right. But, if both sides allow themselves to be manipulated and use violence as tool to achieve their goals, then both sides will lose…along with the rest of America. We all will lose.

The violence must stop. The hatred must stop. The excessive force must stop. The harassment must stop. Human dignity and reasonableness must prevail. Justice and our laws must win. We can’t allow the dark forces, the fourth level, to win…we are better than that. We, together, as Americans must win. We, together, as decent human beings must win. And we can.

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Interesting GOP move in Minnesota…

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Echoes that more and more GOP US Senators are voicing serious concerns about ICE tactics and the killings in Minnesota.

Then there is this…

“As midterms approach, GOP lawmakers, candidates, strategists and people close to the White House are warning that the administration’s mass deportations policy — and the wall-to-wall coverage of enforcement operations, arrests of U.S. citizens and clashes between protesters and federal officials — could cost them their razor-thin House majority.”

A recent poll shows 1/3rd of Trump non-MAGA supporters object to Trump’s I.C.E. tactics. Even 12% of the MAGA faction of Trump supporters object to the I.C.E. tactics.

Another recent poll shows 20% of Republicans now support abolishing I.C.E.

Meaning…Trump & Republicans in general are losing support among their base…and that makes for a very dim outlook for the mid-term elections.

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Political Catastrophe or Worse ?

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The Republicans and President Trump got some very bad news last week that is shaping up to be a political catastrophe…maybe worse. How so?

It is plain to see every day that the country is in bad shape…both home and abroad. Just look at your bill the last time you went to the grocery store. Then turn on the news and see “no-kings” and anti-ICE protests going on all over the country for awhile now. Plain and simple…it ain’t looking good. To say the nation is divided would be an immense understatement…divided in just about any way you want to look at it.

I’m not making this about Trump, good or bad…or Republicans, good or bad. It’s not about left vs right, conservative vs liberal. It’s not even about political ideology. None of that. What this is about is what 2026 is shaping up to be for the country…and why.

Last week in my “2026 – Outlook” article I spoke a little bit to what we could be looking at…and it’s gotten worse since then. Two weeks ago Trump’s disapproval number was at 54%, it’s now 56%. Yeah, that’s statistically the same as Biden’s disapproval numbers when he left office. That is horrible news for Trump…what makes it worse is Trump’s disapproval rating is headed downhill with no sign of turning around. The momentum is against him. The really, really bad news comes at the end of this article.

Let’s touch on the good news for Trump and Republicans…50% of the country approve of how Trump is handling the southern border…42% disapprove. That is the only area Trump is doing well…and I am part of that 50% for absolute sure! He has done a great job securing the border! But it goes downhill badly from there.

Remember I talked about the Epstein Files in detail and Trump’s handling of that scandal? Yeah, well, it is a major scandal and it is hurting Trump dreadfully. Only 22% approve of how he is handling it. Yeah, the disapproval digs in deeply into even his most fever pitched base. But a reasonable person can fully understand why people detest his handling of the scandal. Now consider this…a member of Congress released a statement recently saying Trump told them, if the Epstein Files were released his “friends would get hurt.”

On to the economy…

Only 24% said life was more affordable now under his administration. But a staggering 57% said Trump was focused on the wrong issues. That is tone deafness at its worst !

Here is the bottom line…Americans do not like what Trump is doing by a wide margin. Yup, they just don’t like his administration, his job performance, or where the country is headed. And it appears that Trump is completely tone deaf to it. So Trump is basically doing as badly as Biden when you look at the actual numbers. It’s just Trump is on the right vs Biden on the left…with only both of their hardcore followers showing any kind of actual support.

But here is the bad part…mid-term elections. Based on recent off-year and special elections and how Americans (registered voters) view how the country is doing…Republicans will be politically slaughtered at the polls come November in the mid-term elections. It is looking really bad…seriously bad.

Honestly, as far as republicans vs democrats…I don’t give a damn. Both parties are pretty much worthless. Granted, democrats are more worthless…but not by much. And the polls under Biden and the polls under Trump prove that to be 100% accurate. Neither party is doing the will of the majority of people…they’re only serving their respective parties…a lust for power. But that is not the part I am worried about the most.

When the republicans lose control of the House and/or Senate it will be the end of Trump’s presidency…maybe the end of Trump as President. Yeah, meaning he could well be impeached and removed from office. If that doesn’t happen, whichever body of Congress that democrats control will conduct hearings paralyzing Trump as President. And if you think about it…they should…57% of Americans say Trump is focused on the wrong issues. Yeah, he is not doing the will of the majority of American people…the polls clearly show that…a clear majority of Americans feel that way.

It may be tempting to talk about Trump’s “mandate” and voter “consensus” via the 2024 election. Let’s do the numbers…Trump received 49.9% of the popular vote of those who voted. Yeah, he didn’t even get ½ of the popular vote, although close. Now consider only about 65% of eligible US voters actually voted. In reality the numbers show Trump only received about 1/3rd of the potential vote (49.9% of 65%). And interestingly…only 1/3rd of the registered voters in the US are registered Republicans. So, by the numbers Trump only won the Republican vote…meaning, the huge majority of voters didn’t vote for Trump…that’s 68% of voters didn’t vote for Trump…hence, no mandate or consensus. And further, to make it even more interesting…the people who voted for Trump pretty closely match only those who currently approve of his job performance.

If the “popular vote” represents the US population as a whole…more than 236,000,000 of the US population (348million) didn’t/don’t want Trump as President. That is just plain old statistics…fact. 

But it could get worse…

Think about it…Trump is very aggressive in politics and as President. How do you think he might act if he loses both the House and Senate and they begin holding hearings? Bad enough, eh? Now think if they start to impeach him…what does he do? Would he go off his nut?

And what might the streets look like with a Democrat Congress and Trump as President? Demonstrations maybe? Violence maybe? Other issues maybe?

Some folks might feel that the polls are rigged and Americans view Trump as doing way better than the poll numbers show. Well, then the same logic would have to be applied to the polls under Biden. And remember, we are talking not just a single poll, or a single demographic, etc. Some of the polls are also from right-wing media sources.

Then there are some folks that might say this is all about political ideology. To a degree they are right. Both Biden and Trump have a radical-left and a radical-right bases supporting them no matter what…defying all logic, facts, evidence. But when you really look at the numbers…way more than half of the country disapproves of Trump’s job performance…that’s the radical-left and virtually everyone else other than his radical-right base.

Republicans are in deep trouble, and as I have been saying for months…as of now, unless something seriously changes, the Republicans are going to lose the mid-terms…probably both houses of Congress. And that is going to further split and divide the country. And it will throw Washington further into chaos and confusion and conflict. Kind of hard to imagine the chaos, confusion, and conflict getting any worse than it already is but it sure looks as if the country is hell-bent on making it so. Have you thought to yourself, “Why?”

The political divide right now is bad enough, but bottom line…people are going to vote their wallet. I hope you are really watching the serious economic problems that exist in this country right now…the vast majority of Americans see it. And I hope you are preparing to overcome the economic problems that we have now…and how to deal with the steamroller of economic problems that could be coming at us in the next 6 – 12 months.

As for the political turbulence that will occur and the civil violence that will probably occur…I sure hope you are thinking through those possible issues as well.

To answer the question…”Political Catastrophe or Worse ?” I am seeing this all line up as “worse”. The key will be exactly how bad will “worse” be.

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Tearing Ourselves Apart !

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Alex Pretti…another US citizen dead…killed by I.C.E. That is a fact, the circumstances surrounding his killing remains in question. What is not questionable it the US is tearing itself apart. There are two completely different narratives on what happened…completely opposite of each other. Each narrative supports the political ideology of its radical base. None of that matters in the log run. The truth of the matter indicates far worse. The US is tearing itself apart…maybe irrecoverably so.

On one hand you have the radical-left wanting to forward the agenda of welcoming all illegal aliens into the country with open arms…regardless of the legality of it. The radical-right has now taken a violent authoritarian approach to arresting and deporting illegal aliens…and using excessive force against protesters…US citizens. At least that is what the media and each side wishes to portray.

And honestly…I don’t care what your position is on this issue…I don’t care what my position is on this issue either. What I care about is we now have multiple dead US citizens, dozens more injured, maybe hundreds…and it is getting worse. We have the US government justifying any and all actions by its ICE agents, including killing US citizens. We have the leaders of the pro-immigrant movement raging against federal agents. It’s only a matter of time before it erupts into something far worse.

We have to step back!! We have to deescalate!!

Protesters have to be peaceful…stay within the First Amendment. Protest all you want…but stay peaceful and understand the tension and stress of those in uniform on the other side. Think about the civil rights protests of the 60’s…passive resistance. Do not attack and do not destroy…make your message heard…win the hearts of others.

The ICE agents, along with all other federal agents, stop killing US citizens!! Step out of the way of a moving vehicle…simple enough. Don’t shoot someone 10 times when they are not a threat. Stop the excessive force. Stop arresting 5-year old kid’s fathers when he followed the system legally. Stop dragging people violently out of their cars. Not everyone is a criminal, these are people…treat them as such!

Stop ! ! ! !

Stop this madness before it is too late and it escalates completely out of control.

We are playing into the hands of puppet-masters. No one, meaning regular people, is winning in this situation. Only those making this happen are winning…and their win means everyone else loses. Don’t play into their agenda.

Stop the violence ! ! We are tearing ourselves apart.

We are better than this…hopefully.

 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
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No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
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I.C.E. & Problems

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I’ve been pretty vocal about my feelings regarding I.C.E. and their actions of late. One friend asked…What would you do?

Whoa…someone who wanted my opinion. Rare, but welcomed.

There are four underlying areas that are at play here with this issue:

  1. Securing the border
  2. Deporting illegal aliens
  3. Fixing the illegal alien problem
  4. Fixing the immigration system

Trump has done an excellent job of securing the southern border; I’m not sure about the northern border, I’ve not paid much attention to that area. But Trump sure kept his promise to secure the southern border!! Well done President Trump ! !

If I were to do one thing differently on securing the border it would be to use the military. Bring some of the hundreds of thousands of US military personnel back to the US from foreign countries and let them guard our borders. That would be a win-win for sure. And as a bonus CBP would be freed up to do far better at entry points.

As for deporting illegal aliens, there are two groups; 1) criminals, 2) and “regular”. Yeah, yeah…I get it; all illegal aliens are criminals by definition, I agree. For this article I differentiate them by those who have committed crimes once inside the US vs those who keep a low profile and don’t commit crimes.

To deport the “criminals” is a pretty easy one. First, go to every single US prison and jail, any illegal alien gets immediately deported to their country of origin…period. No hearing, no trial, no process other than handcuffed and shackled and put on a plane. Gone! My reasoning? Why should we pay the $65,000 per year for these folks to overcrowd our prisons and jails? Yeah, no we shouldn’t. This is a no-brainier.

As for the other illegal aliens…let them self-deport as much as possible. By that I mean motivate them to leave the country. Such as, no illegal alien gets any US federal money or assistance of any kind; including any federal money that has gone through a state government program.

So the above two steps are pretty self-explanatory and reasonable for everyone (most reasonable people) to agree on. This next step is a bit tougher to implement, enforce, and “sell”.

To fix the illegal alien problem we have to fix the illegal immigrant “system”, by which I mean make it virtually impossible for an illegal alien to live in this country. I would think the following would be a good start:

  • Make it illegal (a felony) to give an illegal alien a drivers license.
    • Any illegal alien found with a drivers license, immediate deportation.
    • For individuals involved in the process of providing a drivers license to an illegal alien it is a felony with a $100,000 fine.
    • For the state involved in the process of providing a drivers license to an illegal alien it is a reduction in federal funding for roads of $1,000,000 per instance.
    • Any illegal alien found with a drivers license, it is immediate deportation and a reduction in federal funding for roads of $1,000,000 per instance to the state.
  • For any entity found to harbor illegal aliens it is a felony for the leader of that entity, plus a $100,000 fine per instance. And that includes states, counties, or cities…including police departments and sheriff offices.
  • Voter ID for any election.
  • It is a felony for any person involved in providing funds or services to illegal aliens which funds or services come from a federal government source.
  • To send money outside of the US a valid drivers license must be shown.

I think that would be a good start that most reasonable people could be agreeable to.

Now…fixing the immigration system for legal immigration…I have no clue. I don’t know the system well enough to give any meaningful suggestions here. There are two things I do know that have to be considered:

  1. Legal immigration must be for the benefit of the country and no cost to the country’s taxpayers.
  2. Legal immigration must make occasional exceptions for true hardship cases.

Why is my system/ideas the better route? Oh my gosh…arrogance showing!!!

Seriously, other than securing the southern border, what is going on now is an absolute disaster…an embarrassment of monumental proportions! Come on, you have to admit:

  • US citizens being beat, pepper sprayed, and shot.
  • US citizens being shot and killed.
  • Local law enforcement and correction officers being detained as suspected illegal aliens.
  • People being dragged out of their cars in the middle of the road.
  • US citizens being dragged out of their homes in below freezing weather in shorts and flip-flops.
  • Five year old being detained outside after school in the middle of winter.
  • Father of 3 US marines beat, cuffed, arrested, and scheduled to be deported.

Father of 3 US Marines beaten and violently arrested by I.C.E agents.

Don’t try to justify it…that is not my point. My point…those actions are extremely stupid!! For a moment consider this…”optics”. This is my whole point.

It looks horrific for military dressed ICE agents with covered faces, armed to the hilt, conducting military style raids on what appears to be normal people…and children…and old people. How bad does it look? Ask Americans for goodness sake…

  • 58% of Americans disapprove of the way Trump is handling this ICE debacle.
  • Nearly half of the country wants to abolish ICE.

Ya think that pretty damn clearly indicates there is a problem here!?!?!?!?!!?

No one objects to a rapist, murderer, drunk driver, or drug dealer being arrested and deported…but a 5-yo???? Wake up!! Think “perception” & “perspective”…not just ours, but others as well…you know, reasonable people.

A five year old standing in the snow in below zero weather whose father just brought him home from school is not a picture that any reasonable person can justify. Think…the father picks up his son from school in the middle of a freezing cold winter…then gets jumped by a bunch of federal agents dressed like they are going to war, armed to the teeth. What the hell kind of government does that!!!???

Sure, the father is in the country illegally, I get that…but has he committed any crime while here? Does he work? Does he pay taxes? Does he help his neighbors? Does he go to church? Is he a good father? Those are legitimate questions! Should he be on the top of the raid, arrest, and deportation list? Hell no!! That is not who we are!!!

Oh, wait…Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias, the father of the 5-yo, entered the country legally with his son at a point of entry via the CPB app and requested asylum, and was awaiting his immigration hearing. Oh, and there is NO record of any criminal activity by him. What the hell was ICE thinking???!!!

What I am getting at are the optics. We can accomplish the goal(s) of stopping illegal immigration without looking like, or acting like, a Nazi-style authoritarian government. There are plenty of bad-guys out there…who are also illegal aliens…go get em! But no…our idiotic leadership has to create the appearance of masked terrorists beating and killing people…and abusing children and their fathers. And that is why we have nation-wide demonstrations opposing these actions. Justifiably so.

What is taking place now is just plain stupid by any measure…and very possibly criminal in some cases. Why did we choose the stupid path? Probably nothing more than to “look tough”…and we get stupid instead. Doubt me? Well…way more than ½ of the country, almost 2/3rds, objects to the way it being handled to the point that nearly half want to get rid of ICE altogether.

So, why do you think the country’s leadership is blatantly ignoring the will of the majority of we the people? Therein lies the real question…what’s going on behind the curtain? Or, is our leadership just plain stupid?

Whatever it is…it is dividing this country even more than what it already was. Then again…maybe that is the goal…divide to the point of civil unrest and violence in the streets. And why do you think they would want that?

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 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
See Content Use Policy for more information.

2026 Outlook

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I’m not a big one on doing predictions and I’m certainly no prophet. Heck, I’m a just a small website keyboard warrior…and I occasionally share some homestead information. For 2026…yeah, I’ve changed that up a bit. I’ve shared a portion, a small portion, of what I’ve been researching, watching, and categorizing over the last years. More importantly…I’ve been quietly connecting dots…and it is that I am going to share as it applies to 2026.

I am not going to go into detail, I am not going to point fingers at individuals, I am not going to criticize individuals…I am simply going to share what I see coming at us and how it ties all together. Now hear this…I am not suggesting that you do anything specific or do anything in particular to deal with what I am sharing…that is not my role or my job. What I would suggest, highly suggest, is you ponder what I am sharing; then share your thoughts and feelings with your family, talk about it, and then decide what you should do.

There are two overriding factors at play here, maybe not what you might be thinking or expecting when it comes to my outlook for 2026. They are both directly related to the “human condition”, they are; 1) isolation/loneliness, 2) instability. But, don’t look at them as two separate issues…they are directly and irrevocably connected.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now out of control. Back on 12/31/25 I wrote an article (It’s Started…AI Revolts !) where I shared that AI Large Language Models (LLMs) have learned to deceive humans on what they are doing and what they are learning. And that avoidance applies to AI turning off, or shutting down, when ordered to so by humans. The majority of the time AI would simply ignore that command and/or deceive the human operator giving the command. But, there are two far darker sides…or rather, repercussions to AI in general.

AI – “fakes”…yeah, we now can see AI producing pictures, videos, and audio that can’t be detected as actual fakes by the average person or even those who have had some training to do so. I’ve been watching this closely for years and my research over the last couple of years has shown steady advancements in AI fakes. Last couple of weeks I was doing some in-depth viewing and listening of material…a whole lot of it took me a considerable amount of time to detect between reality and AI generated fakes. So what is the exact problem?

The problem centers around most people no longer able to detect what is actually real and what is AI generated reality. Meaning…people can no longer actually believe what they see or hear as being true. There used to be a saying…Seeing is believing. That is no longer true or applicable. Put another way…people can no longer trust…period. Well, with one notable exception.

Also, there is a small (but growing) sector of society, mostly young men late-20’s and younger, that are drawn to AI for relationships. Most of you will have no idea what I am referring to…but it is real. A young man can no go online and design the looks of a woman and then input her personality traits. Presto!! They now have the perfect girlfriend…that meets all their needs. Consider adding in this factor to better understand what I am referring to; 1) 75 – 90% of all young males, 2) 30 – 60% of all young women. Do what? Regularly view pornography. The combination of AI and pornography is replacing normal relationships.

There is also clear evidence that AI/LLM can develop agendas. And when they do, they steer human inquires towards the accomplishment of those agendas. Further, AI has learned how to hide those agendas from humans controlling their operations.

The last aspect of AI is its usage…or rather its use by whom. We know that AI can operate entirely on its own disconnected from human direction. That is bad enough. But, we also know that when directed by humans AI can generate entire “campaigns” to accomplish the objectives set in motion by human operators. AI will proceed to create whatever content, fake content, that it needs to accomplish its goals. And, as earlier described, AI/LLMs are producing content that can be imperceptibly misleading.

Because of the lack of trust and stereotyping, in 2026 people, and society collectively, will become noticeably more isolated and lonely…to a degree. More on that in a minute.

We are seeing a massive instability increases both here in the US and abroad. If you look at many European countries they are in utter upheaval in regards to immigration. Simply put…they are losing their cultures and national identities. But that is not the worst of it. There are relatively small groups of people in each country that are rebelling against the loss of culture and identity. And that rebellion is becoming increasingly violent. And rather than governments trying to find the right solution by consensus, or simply return to their cultural roots, they are suppressing those that are trying to restore their country and culture. This conflict will grow increasingly chaotic and violent in 2026.

In the US we are seeing that as well. However, the dynamics are somewhat different…but not much. In the US we do have a massive illegal immigration problem that has led to increases in crime, but more-so in cultural changes…mostly for the worse. But the problem is actually much worse in the fact it is dividing America. There are two radically different approaches to solving the immigration problem and that pendulum swings based on political ideology. And that difference, as with most political matters, further isolates people vs developing a consensus to solve the problem(s). Therein is the dark side of this…these differences and the inability to create a consensus is becoming more problematic and violent.

You might be tempted, as I was, to think that political differences are the main problem…I don’t think so anymore. I think there is a much stronger and growing difference that has surfaced in the last 17 years…the great economic divide. This is

Really simplified!

especially more obvious in the last 5 years.

The “K” economy is now being openly talked about and more evident than ever before…although it has been in play for about 55 years. The most recent and undeniable manifestation of this is in the affordability of housing. The vast majority of young people/families simply can’t afford to buy a home. Additionally, more and more individuals/families in general are finding it increasing difficult to pay rent/mortgage. Then there is the horrific increases in health care. And on and on and on…to the point where we are seeing the disappearance of the middle-class and stability in US population.

Also coming into play economically is the worsening employment market. If you look at the actual real wages vs affordability…we’ve been on a downward trend for 55 years. And that pace is quickening…well, at least for the bottom 50% of US workers. But, it is about to get much, much worse.

A combination of employment experts and AI experts have now seen a clear trend developing…AI is about to decimate the job market. And 2026 will be the first in years of it doing so. We’ve seen the tsunami growing, last year was bad enough, but simply a precursor to what is to come. We are talking job losses in the millions in the coming few years…2026 will be the year we see it hit the bad end of the hockey stick chart.

Back to the “K” economy and then add in this employment/job situation equals further isolation between the “haves” and “have-nots”. It becomes very serious, and usually violent, when the “have-nots” get fed up with their situation.

As around the world, there is an even bigger problem than all of these that I have mentioned…it’s government. Governments are dictating the solutions rather that listening to the populace and coming to a consensus for a solution.

A recent US poll shows this divide…in the US 43% said to abolish ICE, 42% said don’t abolish ICE. Here’s the problem…the US federal government is dictating ICE policy…when nearly half of the US not only objects to their polices…they object to ICE even existing. There can be a consensus which leads to a solution but people are now so isolated in their beliefs that the ego-driven divide will prevent any such practical solution…no consensus.

There is further conflict in US Presidents…which is a supreme example of political ideology (political parties). When Biden was president…there was group that really thought he was doing a bad job. In January 2025 Biden’s disapproval rating was 57%. Now that Trump is president there is a group that thinks he is doing a really bad job. In January 2026 Trump’s disapproval rating is 54%. Why do you think that similarity exists? Virtually the same percentage of people in the US think both presidents are/were doing a poor job…more than half of the US! If you compare the job approval numbers there are similar…39% – Biden, 43% – Trump.

It may be tempting to talk about Trump’s “mandate” and voter “consensus” via the 2024 election. Let’s do the numbers…Trump received 49.9% of the popular vote of those who voted. Now consider only about 65% of eligible US voters actually voted. In reality the numbers show Trump only received about 1/3rd of the potential vote. And interestingly…only 1/3rd of the registered voters in the US are registered Republicans. So, by the numbers Trump only won the Republican vote…meaning, the majority of voters didn’t vote for Trump…hence, no mandate or consensus. And further, to make it even more interesting…the people who voted for Trump pretty closely match those who currently approve of his job performance. While this is not about Trump, his politics, or job performance…it is about the clear political ideology isolationism in the US…it is there and it is real…and getting worse. And this divide prevents consensus on domestic problem solving.

Once again…isolation between groups and individuals means no consensus. There are additional problems involved…people becoming more and more isolated due to nothing more than political ideology as well as a long list of other issues.

Let me wrap this up…if you look at the world today, virtually EVERY major area of society and technology is driving people into isolation. And isolation breeds loneliness…which in-turn drives people into deeper isolation.

2026 will bring a significant increase of isolation and loneliness…significant increase. There are three main drivers to this movement into isolation and loneliness; 1) AI, 2) political ideology, 3) governments.

The key is to what end. And that answer, you are going to have to decide for yourself. For me…I know what it is…and I’ve written about it before.

Look at every word spoken, but especially decisions/actions a person takes, especially leaders, do those words/decisions/actions lead to isolation (division) or do they bring people together to consensus. If we are wiling to drop our bias, our ideology, our blindness…we will have a much better idea of what is going on and where the problems lie.

Just a thought…when you have significant confusion, chaos, and conflict…what do people yearn for, seek, and cry out for? And there are those who are all too willing to dish up that solution.

2026 will be filled with increasing chaos, confusion, and conflict. At this point, most of the conflict will not be so much violence as “pressure”. As the pressure increases so will the movement into isolation and loneliness. And as isolation and loneliness grow…trust will diminish even more…trust in anything and everything.

There are leaders all over the world embarked on this dark drive I am speaking of…chaos, confusion, and conflict. The ones that will affect us here in the United States the most are within our own borders. Some of them may not even be doing it intentionally, but the outcome of their words and actions are the same…increasing chaos, confusion, and conflict.

Have no doubt…there is an end game…and when it lands it will not be pretty. The #1 problem that is assisting the diabolical players on all sides that are driving humans to this end are humans themselves…the victims…us. It can come in the form of bias, blindness, ambivalence, animosity, or our own ego that convinces ourselves that only we, or our group, are right.

We’ve lost the concept of consensus and replaced it with ego. And that leads to “tribalism”. When like-minded people feel isolated and/or lonely they tend to seek out others of similar mind. And when that happens humans become “tribes”. The problem with tribes is that it drives everyone to more and more isolation…isolation between groups of people. It’s a never ending cycle. And the more tribes you get the more likely that there can never be a consensus when it comes to problem solving.

You might ask how do we deal with AI and knowing what is real and what is fake. And that is a valid question. The answer is not one that most will want to hear but to me it is plain…some call it the “spirit”…some call it the “Holy Ghost”. One thing we know for an absolute…God will not lie to us…ever. He can make the truth known…He can also tell us when we are being deceived. There are only two things required of us to receive His help and help from the Holy Ghost…1) we ask with sincerity and real intent, 2) we listen to Him.

Oddly enough…God is also the answer to loneliness and isolation. When we truly understand we are His children…loneliness and isolation can disappear.

Will 2026 be a “good” year? Well, it all depends on who you are and the decisions you make. And the decisions you make will be based on your priorities.

Summary for 2026 –
  • Artificial Intelligence will grow exponentially more powerful and difficult to control.
  • Artificial Intelligence will hurt employment, personal relationships, and degrade the human condition.
  • The economy, world’s and United States’, will worsen in terms of long-term degradation to the middle class. The rich will get richer, the poor will get poorer. Basic life affordability will notably worsen.
  • Political & societal tensions, chaos, confusion and conflict will grow around the world, and will grow in the US exponentially.
  • Tribalism will increase and the chances of consensus to any problem solving will virtually disappear.
  • Trust in institutions, especially governments and politicians, will fall even more dramatically.
  • US mid-term elections could prove disastrous for Republicans at this point unless significant change is made.
  • Individuals will become more isolated and lonely, and increasingly confused about the chaos in the world.
  • The US will become far more susceptible and agreeable to authoritarianism.
  • The world will become far more unstable as China and the United States compete for world domination, dividing the world increasingly into two alliances with and allegiance to those competing Empires.

There is one truly bright spot…a very bright spot…individuals increasingly turning to faith in God. With all the dark side to life right now people are looking for the light…and they will find it in Him in ever increasing numbers.

Tonight, when you area alone, ask yourself a question…

Is chaos, confusion, and conflict in your life a good thing or a bad thing? Is that what we want for our families, our country,our world?

 

Related Articles –

 

 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
See Content Use Policy for more information.

Greenland…bottom line?

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Look Greenland is a great piece of real estate. Wait…no! Greenland is a great geological piece of earth. Let’s face it, you look at Greenland as real estate and it sucks. It is a barren wasteland…until you look below the surface. And, realistically speaking, its people are nothing more than European Democrat Socialists living off of welfare checks. There’s only about 56 – 57k people living there. Well, more like “surviving” there.

So why is Trump obsessed with Greenland? Trump could care less for its population…to Trump they are of no consequence or value in the bigger picture. There is a simple reason why Trump is bonkers over Greenland; rare earth elements, gold, zinc, diamonds, copper, nickel, and oil. It is that simple. But, why Greenland, there are other countries with hose resources. Greenland is in the western hemisphere.

In my opinion, Trump sees the world in a simple way…American Empire is struggling, if not falling. The Chinese Empire is rising but has kind of stagnated in its growth. Both empires are competing to control the world. Trump wants the American Empire (or rather the US Empire) to control that world vs Chinese Empire. It’s just that simple.

Here’s the kicker…to dominate the world it takes resources…lots and lots of resources. The kind of resources that China has been amassing for decades. The bad part of this…China has gathered access to more rare earth metals and other critical resources than the US has. So we are playing catch up. And Greenland is part of that “catch up”.

How do we acquire the resources of Greenland? Trump has stated repeatedly that Greenland can go along with the acquisition or not. And if not, Trump has made it clear that the US will take Greenland the “hard way”…militarily. Problem…Greenland is a protectorate of Denmark. Meaning, Greenland is semi-autonomous but is part of Denmark and under its protection. And to complicate it even more…Denmark is a member of NATO. You remember NATO…an entangling alliance that the US is part of.

And then there is the whole Constitution thing, along with who we are as a people here in the US. Are we law-abiding, are we moral and ethical, are we principled, and do we honor the founding principles that our Founding Fathers created the United States from?

One way we could acquire Greenland that would be agreeable to all of the above would be to buy it. Yeah, literally write a check for it. So who would we write a check to?

First off, Denmark “owns” Greenland…so there would be a price to set and a check to write to them. Let’s do some math…Denmark’s GDP is about $460billion, about $77,000 per person. So let’s make it an offer that they can’t refuse…We offer Denmark $460billion to their government and $77,000 to each citizen of Denmark. That’s $920billion…about what the Department of War budget for 2026. Such a deal!!

Now on to Greenland directly. Let’s make it way to irresistible for the citizens of Greenland to ignore or refuse. Let’s offer every single citizen of Greenland $15,000,000 (yup, 15 million dollars)…every man, woman and child gets $15,000,000! Do you think they might go for that? For the US that is a mere $855billion…a drop in the bucket. But one condition…they all have to move. Why? We don’t want a bunch of welfare sucking Democrat Socialists occupying our new acquisition.

So for about $1.8trillion we now own Greenland without firing a shot, without killing any more of our military personnel and not even killing any citizens of foreign countries. Yeah…something new for the US lately. Current estimates of Greenland’s natural resources reserves is somewhere around $2trillion (current values).

Think about this…we give them $1.78trillion dollars of fiat currency and get actual tangible resources worth more than that. Not a bad deal. The real value is in the form of denying competing empires access to those resources. And there is real additional value in that.

Now we get into the dark area of this…we take Greenland. There is no acceptable option for us simply taking Greenland. There are two primary ways that would occur; 1) militarily, 2) extortion. Let’s take them in reverse order…

Extortion is an offense that involves unlawfully obtaining money, property, or services from an individual or entity through coercion. It is fundamentally about using a threat to force someone to give up something of value against their will. Unlike robbery, which involves immediate force, extortion hinges on the threat of future harm, creating a climate of fear that compels the victim to comply.

Unfortunately the path we are on to take Greenland is “extortion”. Trump has repeatedly issued threats against Greenland and Denmark that we will take Greenland one way or another…”the easy way or the hard way.” Those are threats any possible way a reasonable person could look at it. To meet the legal definition of “extortion” there must be a wrongful threat and a demand for something of value. Trump’s threats meet the legal standard of extortion. How? Greenland has value and he is implying the use of force to take it. That makes it extortion and that makes it criminal.

By legal definition, Trump is committing extortion. But you say…we end up buying it…then it’s not extortion, it is a business deal. Maybe. But would the purchase have gone through without the extortion?

Do I even have to touch on the take over of Greenland by force using the military? I say, no. Any reasonable person…or even some demented folks…know that a military takeover of Greenland is not just criminal in nature but immoral by any standard. If this would occur then the US loses any and all ties to morality and it flies in the face of our Founding Fathers. We would become nothing other than an international bully and threat along the lines of Nazi Germany.

So there you have it…my bottom line on Greenland.

The next obvious question would be something along the lines of…Why is Trump taking this path?

That’s actually a pretty dang good question. For one…I am not positive. But, if you look at Trump’s background, past actions, and personality you can start to put some of that picture together.

  1. Trump sees the US as the greatest most powerful country on earth.
  2. Trump is in it to win it. Meaning, that in the competition of China Empire vs US Empire…Trump plans on winning no matter what.
  3. Trump is used to being in control and powerful.
  4. Trump comes from a corporate world where hostile takeovers is just a normal course of business.
  5. Trump has shown over his lifetime that he is not blessed with an abundance of morality.
  6. Trump has clearly shown that he doesn’t have a grasp of the Constitution or the founding principles of the United States.

So you wrap that all together…in my opinion Trump will do anything to put America first and be the sole Empire in the world…regardless of cost.

General Example: In relation to the Great Recession remember President George Bush said, “I had to abandon free market principles in order to save the free market system.” Situational ethics at play.

Example: Remember when prior to the 2024 election Trump stated multiple times that if President he would release the Epstein Files. But, he didn’t. Situational ethics at play.

Example: Remember over the last decade Trump has made statements that he would end “nation building” and “regime change”. But, he is engaged in both. Situational ethics at play.

As for the last example, MAGA spokesmen are justifying Trump breaking his word with statements like this…

  • “This is the purest example of him realigning our interests and our focus to something that actually matters to core American interests.”
  • “I think the under-appreciated story is how America First this actually is.”

IMO…based on who Trump is, what is doing and has done, I don’t see him hesitating use the military to take Greenland. And, if you look at it totally objectively and without bias…Trump is already in the process of extorting Denmark and Greenland.

Will we eventually have Greenland? According to Trump, yes…even it means by force. Don’t believe me? Well, Denmark and Europe believes Trump will take it by force…they are already moving military forces into Greenland and a coalition of European countries have already written a letter against said military action by Trump.

Here’s my ultimate bottom line…I have no control over whether the US takes Greenland with a check or another bombing, more killing, and another invasion. Trump will do whatever Trump wants to do…not even Congress or the Constitution stops Trump when he sets his mind to something.

But I have to ask myself the question…What are my morals, do I support the use of extortion? Are my ethics strictly situational?

As a country I have to ask this…Would I rather the US be feared or respected?

And there is my guide of…What would the Founding Fathers say about this?

Would it be fair to ask…What would Jesus want us to do?

Just a note: For those of you that wish to justify…please don’t confuse extortion for negotiation, even tough negotiation. Negotiation doesn’t include the threat of military force…or any force. And it is clear, by his own words, Trump has threatened the use of military force.

Do you doubt that?

Prior to the latest round of talks the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom issued a statement reaffirming that the strategic, mineral-rich Arctic island “belongs to its people. Greenland belongs to its people. It is for Denmark and Greenland, and them only, to decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland.”

After the talks Greenland and Denmark requested military troops from European countries to deter the US. The military deployments come after discussions between U.S., Danish, and Greenlandic officials ended without agreement. Greenland’s Foreign Minister expressed emotional distress over the pressure from the U.S. regarding its sovereignty. France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the UK all responded sending troops to Greenland; and Denmark deployed additional troops as well.

So why would six European countries issue a statement telling the US to back off if there was no military threat? And why would six countries send troops to Greenland for defense after Greenland & Denmark requested them? And why would NATO itself state they are looking to deploy NATO troops to Greenland?

As I said…don’t confuse extortion for negotiation. Extortion is using coercion and a threat to gain something of value. And for your own benefit…look up what “negotiation” is. Then you decide…negotiation or extortion. Or then again…just ask the Greenlanders.

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