The Uvalde murder of children and teachers will be remembered as a situation in which the police did not respond according to protocol. The incident was not a hostage situation. Initial responders should have entered the school immediately and attempted to disarm or kill the shooter at all costs. If anyone is not prepared to come to the aid of a child threatened by an individual with a weapon, he or she should not be a police officer.

Having said this, it’s almost unfair to criticize someone who is not prepared to risk their own life, even to save young children. But police are supposedly trained to do exactly that. Whether lives would have been saved if the police acted sooner, we will never know.

Murder in schools is not something Americans can ever accept under any circumstances. The value of a life is not easy to quantify, but most agree that the loss of a seven-year-old is among the worst things that can happen in our society.

My heart goes out to all those who were caught in the carnage last week. Parents, other children who were spared and observers will be haunted by the evil that pervaded the quiet little town of Uvalde. And, we, all Americans, should put our differences aside so that this never happens again.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am anti guns and believe our society would be a better place if no one owned deadly weapons. But many disagree and say the Constitution guarantees Americans the right to bear arms. Practically, it’s folly to think we can become a society without weapons. But there is no place for automatic and assault weapons in my view.

So, we must compromise and find common ground to monitor and limit the number of weapons, prevent children and troubled people from carrying them and ensure that everyone who has a gun understands how to care for it responsibly to make our communities safer.

Radical and demented individuals have an enormous impact on the security of our country. These individuals are motivated by their political beliefs, religion, job dissatisfaction and/or depression. If they are able to acquire weapons, they wreak havoc on peace-loving people.

Looking back to the 9/11 attack, a small gang of terrorists from the Middle East killed several thousand people. They used box cutters to hijack commercial airliners and pilot them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. What was the motivation to engage in a suicide mission and impose such terrible grief upon fellow human beings? If they were alive to speak for themselves, perpetrators would probably say the deaths eliminated heathens and non-believers.

I think it’s righteous to protect innocents, especially young school children. One side of the gun debate blames the proliferation of handguns and rifles for countless deaths. The other side believes that the people who kill are the killers, not the guns they use. Any sensible individual should accept that there is truth in both perspectives.

Millions of Americans own guns legally and care for them responsibly. They resent efforts to make it more difficult to purchase and own guns. These people point out that thousands of people are killed on the streets of the major cities by individuals that own illegal weapons. Why take away the constitutional rights of legitimate gun owners? Shouldn’t our politicians, Supreme Court justices and police focus on illegal ownership of weapons?

On the other side of the coin are those against gun ownership saying that there are so many guns in this country that it is too easy for a person to acquire one and shoot up an elementary school after experiencing an unfortunate moment or event.

There are about 340 million people in the US. On any given day, a huge number of people are having a bad experience- marital problems, money problems, problems with the kids, problems with neighbors. A certain number of people are going to spin out of control every day of the week. The key is to get these people help before they do any harm to themselves or others. The mental aspect of gun control is what needs to be analyzed.

Security for our children is also on the line. Schools must do more to protect them starting with the hiring of more individuals. If they are not armed, what is the sense of doing so? I heard a report that there is over $110 billion of unallocated Covid funds that could be granted to the states to secure our children.

And what about the violence that we are subjected to on the streets, on TV, in the news, in the movies, on our cell phones? Turn on the 11:00 o’clock news and it will always have a story or two about robberies, murder and abuse involving weapons.

Illegal acts should all be subjected to arrest and imprisonment. Cops are currently shy about taking action because some politicians blame police for unnecessary aggressive techniques. Thankfully, defunding of police is a dead issue.

I hope that the latest tragedy in Uvalde will finally have an impact on gun control and control of people who have access to guns.  

Now that America is deeply engulfed in the primary season for midterm elections, it might be useful to review the significant issues that will likely influence voters.

Unfortunately for Democrats, Joe Biden is going to continue to be lambasted for a number of serious errors; the president is at historical lows for performance regarding almost every aspect of his job. This will hurt his liberal colleagues dramatically this year and should result in many changes in Congress and local governments.

Biden is not responsible for Russia invading Ukraine, but he is the commander-in-chief of our armed forces. The president was slow to respond to Russian aggression enabling Putin and his thugs too devastate Ukraine. This all happened before Ukraine could defend itself with help from the United States and its allies. Many believe that Putin has taken advantage of Biden’s reticence about Russian actions. To say it differently, Biden was reluctant to infuriate Russian leaders even as they attacked a helpless and peaceful country. US leaders must have the courage to meet senseless threats from rogue countries without hesitation.

The result of not coming to Ukraine’s rescue with more armaments was that the country has been reduced to rubble and Russia has annexed several parts of the country. The nation’s infrastructure has been decimated and millions of Ukrainians have lost their homes and have become refugees.

The poor performance by the US government to adequately support an ally will weigh heavily on our country’s relationships with other nations. And, Americans will express resentment of the denigration of our military. We are the greatest military power in the world and must apply it in desperate situations such as Ukraine.

A continuous flow of illegals across the southern border of the US is vexing more than just the border states. With the help of Mexican smugglers, individuals with dubious character are settling down in numerous states throughout America. A large number bring not only illegal intentions, but also sickness and abject poverty. Moreover, they tax the financial stability of those states that must care for them health-wise and educationally.

Is this open border policy an attempt to increase the number of poor Americans for political advantage? Many believe all the millions of illegals that make it across our borders will have a real impact on the balance of voters in our country in the near future as the US gives illegals a path to citizenship and the voting booth. Liberals are prepared to seriously damage many states financially and socially for the support of more voters down the road. More than a majority of Americans resent this diversion of resources to illegal immigrants away from needy citizens.

The woke movement across the country has law-abiding citizens at their wit’s end. Increased violence justified by a warped interpretation of free speech is likely to subside because more people are recognizing that liberals are not the only ones who have a right to express themselves.

Violent responses to relatively minor events are affecting law enforcement, local businesses and Americans who yearn for peaceful existence. Too many woke organizations have gone too far with their demands resulting in sinful justification of crimes against innocent people.

Defunding the police is a dead issue. It has resulted in decreased police protection in areas that need more police intervention the most. This trend is taking place across the entire nation. Eric Adams, mayor of New York City is leading the change. Voters are demanding more protection from all types of crime in the impending elections.

The oil crisis is the most important element causing the spike in inflation. Oil usage to produce many types of products is far-reaching across many industries. Rising crude prices have an immediate effect on a plethora of important and common commonplace purchases of consumers.

The Biden administration was slow to respond exhibiting a complete misunderstanding of the nature of the problem and the complicated relationship between energy and inflation. Fossil fuel reduction is a noble objective, but it must be coordinated so as not to affect commerce worldwide in the short term and medium term. The left’s zeal to dismantle the fossil fuel infrastructure in the country is dangerous to the short-term prosperity of the US and all other industrial countries.

The impact of higher gas prices to average Americans is devastating. A multi dollar increase at the gas pump could very well drive the world into a recession. Biden and Democrats will pay dearly for their pathetic response to this crisis.

It’s difficult to imagine that the Biden administration is even more inefficient than the Trump administration. It’s absolutely true that one hand does not know what the other hand is doing in Washington. Biden sycophants are continuously correcting their boss. The communication between different parts of government is terrible. Even the vice president is frequently befuddled by Biden comments to the press. This disorganization is creating a great problem for our country and is something that is obvious every day on the news.

Even though Democrats control the executive and legislative branches of government, they have been unable to effectively manage the country. There are many splinter groups throughout the progressive party that have their own agendas. This has made effective government unattainable. Senators Manchin and Sinema, both Democrats, are responsible for several initiatives being stopped in their tracks.

More recently Biden said he would use military force to defend Taiwan from a China invasion. This is a change from historic policy regarding Taiwan. On the same day, Biden aides were walking back the comments by Biden, correcting their boss once again. It is inane to threaten China with a face-to-face conflict.

And who could excuse the president for his anemic reaction to the shortage of formula food for infants?  

Considering the errors, missteps, walk backs and ineffective leadership, one can only imagine how Americans will vote in November 2022 in November 2024.

Elon Musk is being analyzed by many people on the heels of his offer to buy Twitter. The man is a trillionaire, supposedly, so friends, foes, competitors, regulators, legislators and ethicists are expressing their opinions about whether the man deserves to hold such enormous power over automobiles, space travel and prospectively freedom of speech.

Regarding automobiles, Tesla is leading the crowd of manufacturers trying to build affordable battery-operated vehicles. It’s early in the game, but Tesla seems to have an edge in the race for dominance on our streets and highways (the stock market seems to confirm this observation). Of course, every other manufacturer is actively working on prototypes that will also replace fossil fuel cars.

The interesting thing about the race to build cars that run with electricity is that they are presently too expensive (prices start at $69,000), there are not enough places to recharge the batteries of the cars and some companies will have to build fossil fuel cars until the changeover occurs years into the future. I doubt Musk will be building any cars that run exclusively on fossil fuel. This is a burden that the GM’s, Fords, Toyotas and Mercedes of the world will likely bear.

Trillionaires can dabble in just about anything they care to. One morning in the last six months or so, Musk woke up and said to himself that Twitter and all the other high tech social media companies are not giving all individuals and companies an equal opportunity to express themselves. And that’s not constitutional.

Moreover, Twitter has experienced some bumps in the road aside from freedom of speech issues, so Musk thought it needed some managerial assistance. And so, he asked himself why shouldn’t he come to the rescue of those being spurned by Twitter, buy the company and give Donald Trump and all Americans an opportunity to speak their mind without being subjected to undue censorship.

Trillionaires all believe they are far superior intellectually and morally than normal human beings. Would the world be a better place if must Musk jumped into the fray and negotiated with politicians, ethicists, philosophers and political scientists about how to properly run a social media company and how to define free speech?

The problem with all this is that are there are several big social media companies trying to convince government regulators and politicians what our citizens can say without the threat of censorship. It’s going to be a real food fight if Musk gains control of Twitter.

When it’s all said and done Musk may or may not move forward on this this journey to offer free speech to all Americans. But his instincts are correct. Free speech cannot be available only to liberals, social activists and woke individuals who are favorites of the liberal media. If one person is denied his or her right to speak out it’s a sad day for America and the US Constitution.

The stakes are very high in the Twitter cat and mouse drama. The stage is set for Elon Musk to take control of the company, and he has already started to solicit investors and bank loans to finance the proposed leveraged buyout of Twitter.

So, what’s good about the proposal, and what’s bad?

Twitter is used by many powerful people as a means to communicate with followers and interested parties. It has become a significant player in the social media world. But, it’s also a platform that gives trolls an outlet to publish disgusting, hurtful and disrespectful messages. It gives any subscriber an opportunity to say whatever he or she wants to say, even to disseminate misinformation. And there’s the knock; the platform must be monitored. Who’s monitoring the tweets and posts made on the service and what are their protocols? This question is the basis of a gigantic freedom of speech controversy.

The existing Twitter has a strong liberal bias. There’s nothing wrong with their left-leaning perspectives unless they use it to boost their politics and opinions, and censor perspectives of others. To reiterate, it’s a free speech conundrum. The prospective new owner, Elon Musk, says he will not censor unless tweets are over a certain line where they encourage violence. We should expect liberal and conservative perspectives to be expressed freely on the platform if Musk is successful.

This all seems like a positive development for social media to offset some of the big players that have a liberal stance on controversial issues. Will the proposed transaction inspire yet another megalomaniac and his sycophants to share his perspectives and minimize others, except that he has a right-leaning viewpoint of the world?

Musk is on a mission to protect free speech in America. His words probably give many a positive vibe. How can freedom of speech ever be a bad thing? But do we really want a quirky, extraordinarily rich man guiding us through the free speech battleground.

To date, Musk has made a trillion dollars running a car company, which could very well be a prototype for electric cars in the future, and a rocket ship company. Is he also a philosopher and a legal scholar? Why should one give this man more power than he already has to control discourse on a monstrous stage? The answer to the question is that he isn’t breaking any laws and he has the resources to buy Twitter for over $40 billion plus.

The New York Times reported that Musk had already secured $7 billion from 18 entities. The group includes some Silicon Valley friends, including venture capital firms. The original capital raised included $13 billion in bank loans from seven banks, $21 billion of Musk’s money and $12.5 billion from a loan against Tesla stock. With the new inflow of $7 billion, he will reduce the loan against his Tesla stock. Funding for an additional $20 billion dollars has not been identified in public information.

Supposedly, Musk has suggested to investors that they may double or triple their money, but a 10 times return would be a challenge. Not a bad return!

Twitter’s annual income exceeds $13 billion and its earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation would potentially hit $6 billion by 2025. This is a bold prediction.

Needless to say, very smart money is chasing Musk based upon his previous successes. But what the hell does he know about managing a social media platform?

One issue that has not been addressed in any detail to this point is what impact a busted deal would have on the economy and the prospects for his investors? Seems to me that if Twitter ultimately fails, the banks and large investors could have a very difficult time. And what about interference by lawmakers and regulators? Will they make it difficult for Twitter in the future to achieve its projections and to expand into new areas?

I’m reasonably confident that Donald Trump will not be a factor in the 2024 Election. However, Trump is asserting himself in numerous congressional races throughout the country. What if Trump can convince Republicans he is still the leader of the party and should be given an opportunity to run for president once again? The answer is, it would be an unmitigated disaster for the country and for the Republican Party.

To clear the air, I should note that I did not vote for either Clinton or Trump in 2016 or Biden or Trump in 2020. In fact, I have continuously badmouthed the former president, and the current president. Nevertheless, there are a number of conservatives who are thinking about supporting Trump. Immigration, crime, claims that Trump was robbed in the last election are strong subjects for the former president to discuss.

I really believe that, at most, Trump will have some influence in the Republican primaries over conservative contenders who are frightened by him. I’ve stated that Trump will be a ghost in 2024, on this blog. But Fox News talking heads are selling Trump once again, incredibly, as the anti-Biden candidate. The truth is that both men are incompetent, untruthful, too old and downright harmful to our democracy. It is these facts that worry me most.

I don’t want Trump or Biden negotiating with Putin relating to the Ukraine crisis. Trump thinks every diplomatic situation is like a real estate deal or buying a casino and throwing it into bankruptcy. He thinks he is more intelligent than all other politicians, a blatant misconception. He is a shyster and accused felon. Biden has no leadership qualities at all. Say no more about him.

So, is Trump going to attempt to steal the presidency? Probably. He will likely use techniques that were employed on January 6, 2020 when Trump encouraged his followers to storm the Capitol and disrupt the election process. I don’t doubt that there was some voter fraud in 2020. But no one has uncovered definitive evidence that it impacted the outcome of the election. Biden was voted in fair and square. Do Americans really want a rebel rouser like Trump as their leader, the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth? Do they want a confused and disjointed administration and inane policies?

These are questions you should ask yourself if you have the slightest inkling that you want Trump to be president. He proved without a doubt, that businesspeople are not great politicians. Trump tried to find qualified people to work with him for years. Most quit. If he wins again, very few super talented individuals would agree to join his new administration.

Donald Trump has been accused of being a tax cheater, liar, seditionist, narcissist and misogynist. The man has no redeeming character qualities. He leads by attacking anyone who disagrees with him. Foreign leaders laughed at him behind his back when he exited the room. Intimidation was his most used weapon.

Trump became president in 2020 because he actually ran against someone who is more despicable than he, Hillary Clinton. Americans were sick and tired of the same old corruption in government. Voting for a businessman was an experiment that didn’t work out.

Donald Trump is not honest, with followers or with himself. He is incapable of making an error and fessing up to it. Do you really want Trump as a person who would decide whether to launch nuclear missiles? Putin and Xi think the man is a moron.

Smarten up Republicans, just ignore Trump and vote for the individuals who will serve you with honor, integrity and determination. It is disheartening to think that Donald Trump is once again dominating headlines for anything other than crimes he committed while leading the country.