When yesterday’s blog post hit, WordPress told me that I’d posted for 100 days straight. I was tempted to celebrate by skipping a day or two, but here I am.
Soon, maybe. I’ve earned the break.
I won’t inflict another tick-tock on you today, nor will I bury you in more minutia about mitigating heat in the cabin. I will say that yesterday’s weather was a carbon copy of Saturday’s, though the temp increased at a somewhat slower rate and the cabin started the day a degree or so cooler.
Throughout the morning hours, it was damned delightful indoors. I have that end of the day pretty well sorted.
I spent the early part of my Sunday shuffling things around a bit in our afternoon refuge (the bedroom), to give the AC its best shot at success. I couldn’t motivate myself to add insulation to the south and west walls — dealing with the heat, on top of having a rough week otherwise, has knocked me down physically — but I added a sort of stopgap measure at the head of the bed.
Like much of what I’m doing on The Mountain, it’s genuine redneck.
And so we manage.
The last house I lived in before moving into the cabin last month, a mid-century ranch in central Ohio, had a detached garage. The space was part time capsule, part chronicle of an American man’s life. Much had been left behind, including this bumper sticker affixed to one of the cabinets:
It was there in 2010 when I moved in, and there it remained when I moved out 12 years later.
I remember those “HEY, IRAN!” days well. I was in college when radical Islamists stormed the US embassy in Tehran and held American hostages for 444 days. Hindsight informs me that the country generally was royally pissed about that, though not universally.
Only when Reagan supplanted the weak and incompetent Carter did our hostages come home.
The sentiment that inspired that bumper sticker 46 years ago is likely to make a comeback. The US, under orders from Trump and in support of Israel, has bombed three Iranian nuclear sites.
I don’t have a problem with that.
Iran doesn’t pose a direct threat to the Homeland, but it has vowed to eliminate America’s only steadfast ally in a region of critical importance to US national security. Yes, military action is expensive and susceptible to quagmires, slippery slopes and protraction, but in a complex world, the choice to drop those MOPs over the weekend seems patently straightforward.
So, based on what I know, I support Trump’s decision to involve the US directly in the Israeli offensive.
Now I’ll tell you what I don’t support — Tucker Carlson’s of-late campaign to tar anyone who stands with Israel as “warmongers” and “globalists.” His recent debate (if it even can be called that) with Ted Cruz was particularly dreadful, shameful.
Longtime readers of Ubi Libertas Blog know that I admire Tucker Carlson greatly — his intellect and his insights, his wit and especially his fearlessness. I agree with his positions on many (if not most) issues.
His current incarnation as Saint Tucker the Pacifist, however, is not to my liking. It’s not so much the case he’s making as it is the way he makes it.
Another pair who sabotaged my interest, and for much the same reason, are Clayton and Natali Morris and their Redacted channel. She describes herself as a “non-pacifist peace extremist.” Unsubscribed.
I’ll be watching where Trump goes with this. If I disagree, I’ll say so.
One more point before I leave this topic.
America’s military involvement in the region carries consequences, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they visit these shores. I believe, as many have observed, that we’re about to learn that the “conspiracy theory” suggesting that Iranian and other Islamist “sleeper cells” have flourished here over the last four years isn’t a theory at all.
I’ve seen more than enough intel and reporting to know that no one can say with certainty how many would-be terrorists are here, where exactly they all are, or what (beyond the obvious) their targets might be. A number of credible sources report that training is complete and individuals with bad intentions are among us already, looking for symbolic, vulnerable, and sensational places to kill and to die.
By the way, this crop of jihadis doesn’t need orders. They’re the ultimate “lone wolves.” And it’s been reported that cells have trained “second wave” corps to come in after an initial attack to establish and dominate a battlespace — to the death.
My reason for telling you this is to set the table for simple advice.
They’re here, so stay sharp. Be smart — don’t go stupid places and don’t do stupid shit. And roll heavy.
Smudge and I did okay yesterday.
We didn’t go anywhere, but this was by far our best day of the heat wave. My stopgap measures, along with adjusting the placement of fans (which I won’t get into), worked better than expected.
The Window of Misery wasn’t quite as miserable.
Miss Smudge has decided that she likes hanging out with me in the shade down by the shed. We had some good outdoors time.
And we got a cool-down with the garden hose.
It’s been just the two of us for six days. We connect and communicate the way we always have, but in just this short time our relationship has changed. It’s different. It’s even more affectionate. It’s more focused, if that makes sense.
Both of us are keenly aware that we have only each other now. That tends to sharpen and clarify.
Time has slowed down. Moments together are more important and yet less urgent.
Our bond is stronger than ever.
I’m totally not kidding about this. Smudge would tell you the same thing.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable