BOMB IRAN TO FREE IRAN
I remember hearing the news about the Iranian hostages. It was 1979. I was 14 years old and very naïve to the outside world. I knew about Iran from my geography lessons but knew very little beyond that.
It was an uncertain time for America. Who were these evil kidnappers and what did the Americans do to harm them? I remember how everything seemed crazy and volatile in Iran. After all, it was a revolution. I just didn’t understand the full context of it.
The religious leadership and their objectives for society.
The Shah of Iran and the policies of his monarchy.
The CIA manipulation in the 1950s to install the Shah to protect US oil interests.
There was so much more going on that was beyond my own mind. I just remember how angry people were with Jimmy Carter. They thought he was feckless for not sending in the US military. We were still war ravaged in the late 1970s. Vietnam was fresh on our minds. But still, how could mighty America be bullied by this obscure nation on the other side of the globe? I remember the Bomb Iran satire song based on the Beach Boys Barbara Ann. Carter attempted a rescue, but the mission was a disaster. The hostages were freed and Reagan got the credit.
This was just the beginning of the problems with Iran.
I now understand that Iran is one of many societies that oppress women’s rights. They treat women as second class citizens, impose a dress code, and restrict them from employment and education. Iran even allows domestic violence under the law.
I also now understand that the Iranian regime, powered by oil revenue, have been funding so many terrorist cells around the world that have resulted in countless deaths of innocents. Gaza/Hamas, Hezbollah/Lebanon, Iraq, Al Qaeda, and ISIS all get funding from Iraq to carry out their missions.
Imagine the freedom we would enjoy if that Iranian regime was dismantled and replaced with one that respects our inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
Everything could change, and for the better.
So much of the collectivist conflict in that part of the world could be swept away. Man vs Woman. Jews vs Muslims. Christians vs Muslims.
I am encouraged by the protests in Iran. I hope they are successful.
TRUMP, NEWSOM AND EVS
Trump killed the HOV EV benefit in October last year. CA would allow solo driver EVs in car pool lanes. It was a HUGE benefit to EV drivers, especially those that commute. A friend of mine was an early adopter of EVs in the San Francisco Bay Area specifically so he could take advantage of this opportunity. It’s a huge benefit for my wife and a nice perk for me too. But it’s gone. Trump killed it. Am I surprised? No.
I’m an EV enthusiast. I’ve been driving some form of an EV for over 10 years starting my plug-in hybrid Ford C-Max. I later went with the BMW i3 and now I am wrapping up my 7th year with a Hyundai Kona EV. The benefits for EV driving are tremendous, especially when you charge at home using solar panels. We’re saving money on electricity, gasoline, and maintenance. Plus, we get extra benefits like driving in the car pool lane, special parking spaces and even free charging at some business locations.
The carpool lane benefit is gone, but will it be enforced? I can’t imagine it would be a huge priority for CHP officers to police the sticker on a car. Maybe the automated cameras will eventually catch up with us. I figure my wife and I will keep enjoying the carpool lanes until we hear otherwise.
Gavin Newsom is also bringing back EV rebates for new EV buyers. We enjoyed both federal and state EV rebates when we got our vehicles. The rebate amount was nearly $10,000 in total for each car. That’s a huge benefit. It’s a terrible government policy to offer these rebates because it’s just a form of corporate welfare that’s funded by taxpayers. So, while I am angry with politicians for creating it, I have no objection taking advantage of the rebate. Considering how much they take in taxes; it feels like good sport to find ways to get my own resources back.
This is part of the reason I enjoy EVs. There are so many gamification aspects to it.
TOP 10 FAVORITE NFL LOGOS
Sports is more than just athletic feats and contests. Sports is also about art. I enjoy discussing team uniforms, logos, color combinations, and numbers. Every element of a team’s brand can tell a story about their team or their city’s history. Every number tells stories of athletes of the past.
Here are my favorite NFL logos:
GREAT (human, heroic, motion, power, emotional, win a gladiator fight?)
- Patriots (especially the old one) – historic, heroic, unabashedly American
- Buccaneers – bad ass swashbuckler, but more connected to US history in the Caribbean
- Steelers – industrial revolution, tough guy blue collar workers that built America
- Raiders – bad ass, evokes fear, perfectly matches up with Al Davis Raiders’ brand mystique
- Chargers – logo in motion, electrified power
- Cowboys – classy, clean and a symbol for white hatted good guys in Texas
- Vikings – plundering warrior vibe, historic, representative of local Scandinavian population
- Saints – classy, French, symbol of a special city
- Rams – the logo works perfectly on a helmet and matches NFL explosive action
- Chiefs – Native American history, arrowhead representing human evolution and brave warriors
AVERAGE (generic animals, flat 2D logos, non-human)
- Seahawks – native art that symbolizes an important culture in Native American history
- Dolphins – very representative of Miami, but doesn’t evoke intimidation
- Bills – it has a cool American history connection, but what exactly is a Bill?
- Bengals – old logo was awful, new tiger striped logo works great in jungle stadium motif
- Jaguars – I like the color combo, but this name seems more about alliteration than anything
- Panthers – too interchangeable with Jaguars
- Lions – too 2-dimensional, doesn’t intimidate like it should
- Eagles – would be better if more red/white/blue USA themed
- Ravens – the colors work great for the spooky Poe vibe, but it’s just a bird
- Falcons – their color combo is great, but the artwork has no emotion
- Cardinals – a bird, BFD, no relationship with AZ, worn out brand
WEAK (simple, city initials, or a confusing idea)
- Jets – clever to rhyme with Mets and Nets, but lacks a vibe)
- Texans – cattle logo oversized and too abstract, their old English H is much better
- Titans – how is this relevant to Tennessee other than alliteration?)
- Broncos – awkward presentation of a horse
- Colts – a horseshoe? really? Very dull.
- 49ers – there’s some Barbary Coast vibe, but it is way too subtle
- Packers – it’s a classic logo, but devoid of any personality
- Giants – the NY logo is very plain, the Giants logo is very plain
- Bears – just a C for Chicago? You can do better!
- Commanders – this is a team with a serious identity crisis
- Browns – worst logo in the NFL, an orange helmet, the helmet is blank
TRUMP VS THE FED
Trump has been bagging on Jerome Powell for his entire 2nd term. He’s called him every name in the book because Powell won’t lower interest rates to meet Trump’s whims. The threats to fire him have been amplified. Never mind the fact that Trump selected him in the first place!
I already have plenty of concerns about The Federal Reserve. Their policies have been key contributors to major economic downturns like the Great Depression and the Great Recession. The Fed’s COVID policies resulted in massive inflation and erosion in the value of the dollar. Heck, the devaluation has gone back since The Fed started in 1913.
Imagine what would happen if Trump or any other politician had control over setting interest rates? We would get chaos. We would get rampant inflation like Argentina was experiencing pre-Milei. Decisions would be made to achieve political outcomes.
Trump just wants to the economy to be red hot in his term so he can claim credit for the boom. But a bust will come and Trump will just blame it on someone else.
History writers are going to have a field day with Trump policies. I look forward to discussing this with my grandchildren someday.
SAN DIEGO WATER RATES UP 44%?
That’s the plan. Wholesale prices are going up due to increased fixed costs for infrastructure, maintenance, and employees. At the same time, traditional water usage has been heavily curtailed due to conservation and creation of new sources like desalination and water recycling.
Our water bills are already expensive. We live on 2 acres with many avocado trees. We already radically scaled back our trees given the drought. Would we scale back further with the new higher rates?
It is remarkable how inexpensive water really is when compared to other important liquids like gasoline.
One time I was thinking about business ideas to help innovate on water conservation. But the price of water was so inexpensive, that it made it difficult to cost justify investing in technology like water recapture and water recycling.
When rates go up 44% over the next 4 years, that math might be worth exploring again.
4 years later we’ll also know much more about this Pure San Diego water recycling project and its effectiveness.
Seems we are in this in-between phase where water recycling and sea water desalination are not quite ready to radically change the water market for the better.
SKATING ON THIN ICE
America is still on edge about the Renee Good ICE shooting in Minneapolis. Protests are sprouting up in cities across the nation. It’s good to see people expressing themselves and challenging authoritarianism. It gives me hope.
But still, there are some people that simply are unable or unwilling to see this shooting as a major problem. To them the police and the law are sacrosanct. To them you obey orders. It’s akin to following scripture. It sure is preached, but it is also ignored by the preachers as they see fit.
I am particularly dismayed when I see other Liberty Fighters that are quick to defend deportation of illegal aliens. “It’s freedom for me, but not for thee!” Like the selective use of rules, it’s a contradiction. But they don’t care about the hypocrisy. I wonder if they even see the hypocrisy or if it flips a morality overload switch in their brain.
I am not seeing effective leadership calling out these ICE raids as an un-American idea. People from all over the world have come to America, assimilated and succeeded. The positive evidence is overwhelming. But a few bad apples ruin the bunch. People can’t get beyond their tribal thinking brain. The fraud of the Somalis is attacked, but the fraud of the President is excused. It’s completely irrational.
This problem only seems to be getting more divisive and ugly. Who can properly lead and educate? Who can find a pathway out of this mess?
POWAY’S TONY BLAIN NOT GUILTY?
Blain finally had his first day in court where he pleaded not guilty to perjury and bribery changes as a sitting member of the Poway City Council. Seems to me they have plenty of evidence to make these charges stick. I don’t think the District Attorney agrees to a case against a public official unless they are certain they’ve got the goods. I don’t see this working out for Tony Blain. Meanwhile, Poway needs to turn the page and replace him with ethical leadership.
POWAY HOUSING CRISIS
The Poway City Council just voted 3-1 to approve the construction of a 16-unit apartment building at the site of the former Big O Tires shop. I remember when the city council first entertained this proposal. Now it is official. We’re getting more housing units on Poway Rd, and the locals are in a crisis over it.
The lone no vote was Jenny Maeda who represents District 4 where the apartment buildings are located. She felt the plan was unacceptable since so many of her constituents are dealing with the chaos and loss of privacy created by the first development. Even District 2 candidate Vanessa Springett is upset because the development was violating the spirit of our City in the County.
I get the rationale of the resistors. They want less traffic on Poway Rd since it takes so long to navigate auto traffic all the way to the freeway. Many Poway homeowners were greeted with towering apartment buildings built next to their property offering a bird’s eye view of their backyards. Others are simply upset with Mayor Steve Vaus and see this another straw on the camel’s back.
I understand the objection, but I don’t agree with it. Thankfully the wind is at my back for a change.
Cities have less leeway to block development on private property due to the severe housing shortage in San Diego County and throughout California.
This is good news for relaxing the insane high cost of housing which absorbs 50% or more of people’s monthly income. But it’s also a win for progress. These new housing units will create more vibrant communities with families that want to enjoy Poway’s offerings. Walkable neighborhoods become more walkable when housing is more dense and more integrated with commercial business.
I don’t think the NIMBYs will ever give up their fight, but their power is eroding. Future generations of Powegians will be thankful, just as current Powegians are thankful of older Poway generations for welcoming them in.
DILBERT’S DAD IS DEAD
Sad to hear the news of the passing of Scott Adams. I’ve always been a fan of his Dilbert comic series of office worker humor. It’s been very interesting learning more about Scott himself as he became more outspoken on social media.
There’s plenty to like and dislike about him. He made ugly racist comments but has remarkably good insight on other issues. I remember him predicting very early on in 2015 that Trump would win the 2016 election. This was back when Trump was in the single digits in the polls and I figured he didn’t have a chance. But Scott saw Trump’s hypnotic and persuasive skills that I could not see.
I really appreciate how he spoke his mind, had weekly livestreams and was unabashedly authentic. There’s plenty to like in how he so easily spoke his mind without worrying about what others thought. His message resonated with some, but not with all. But it resonated and that’s not to be taken lightly.