EMERGENCY RISK REDUCTION

After several months of working on the cabin, and isolating myself in the process, I am again at a stopping point and look forward to spending some time back in British Columbia. But this WuFlu is standing in the way. Crossing the border into Canada is no small feat. Flying requires a 3 night stay at an expensive (i.e. $250-300) night hotel near one of four entry airports. At my expense, by the way.

Driving is the option. And I look forward to it. Ours is an expansive and beautiful country. Especially when I have a like-new Transit van to drive – thanks to my son, Sheldon. In a blog last year, I mentioned that he had bought a van – a Merc Benz Sprinter – and “camperized” it. I thought he had bought a lemon, pouring money into the engine, body, and rv’ing it. But he found a buyer, and made a profit. Now, wanting to do it again, he bought one near Atlanta. It is parked, waiting for papers to be completed, and then hopefully I will be on my way within 10-14 days.

A kink in this travel mix is that I have tested positive to CoV. I knew it before the test, because I know my symptoms. (I had it upon returning by flight to Vancouver in March 2020). Symptoms were somewhat similar, esp. extreme fatigue, some chest pain, and aching body. I had nausea two weeks ago, which was new. I am feeling fine at this writing, and think the (+) is only residual. But it does alter my travel plans since I can’t cross the land border until I test negative on both sides. And have a quarantine plan in place. I get retested later this week.

The elephant in the room whether I am getting the CoV vaccination. After much research, I am holding off. Three reasons: I have antibodies since I have tested positive. Secondly, I am in my 60s and healthy. Thirdly, I am suspicious of any treatment (vaccine or otherwise) that seems to be forced upon the public – and is not FDA approved. All WuFlu vaccines are experimental, and the Big Pharma creators cannot be sued if adverse reactions or death occur.  In short, the Phase III trial is being implemented onto the general public. I choose to wait, until I am forced to take it. Which may happen, due to the ‘vaccine passport’ slowly being introduced. Maybe more of this in another blog.

The reason for the trip is more than delivering a van to Sheldon. I look forward to seeing him. He is now at his British Columbia fire base, training for wildfire fighting season. I guess on his off-hours, he plans to work on this nice van – use it and sell it. I wish him well – he is a risk taker, and growing up too fast into a fine young man.  I pray that he keeps his integrity and his dreams alive.    

Of course I miss my daughter Rachel, who is quietly at her apartment in Victoria BC with her beloved border collie, Inka. I was absent on her 21^st birthday in April, and sorely want to see her.   I am not sure how long I will spend in Canada. I love the cabin in N Carolina but also miss so many in British Columbia. A bit depends on whether the China virus clampdown will tighter or loosen. And how much quality time I will have with the kids.

I just finished a book entitled ‘The Last Lecture’ written by an outstanding, much loved 40ish professor with terminal pancreatic cancer who was asked to give a ‘last lecture’ at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg. He was leaving three children under 7 years old, and his insights on dreams, career, time, legacy, and family were insightful. It shook me. I hope to rebalance my priorities. A favorite country song is entitled: “Live like you are dying.”

Shouldn’t we all. Especially in this unpredictable world. Thanks for reading.

One of the goals of the Biden Administration is to pass what is called HR – 1. It is basically pushing to federalize all future elections. I mentioned what I observed as ‘irregularities’ in the November election (and the January 2021 Georgia senate run-off). It was disturbing, though now it is widely reported as ‘the Big Lie’ of 2020, since Trump was defeated.  This is in stark contrast to the panning by the media of the ‘Big Lie’ that elected Donald Trump in 2016. Everyone from Hillary Clinton on down called Trump’s win illegitimate. The ‘Russia connection’ to alter the election was dismissed by a 2 ½ year investigation by special agent Mueller. And other attempts also failed. But the media has kept beating this ‘lie’ drum. And 75% of Democrats believe it. Again, the power of the media. But I digress.

Constitutionally, individual states are responsible for elections – at every level, including federal. But the Biden administration sees things a bit differently. The reliance on the CoV to make numerous ‘rule changes’ to ease voting (and some would say ‘voter fraud’) will likely not be in play in 2022. The Democrats would like this to happen, but wisely know that the general public will not fall for this again. HR-1 is the answer.  If HR – 1 passes, many of the changes, (i.e. no voter ID, extended voting days and weeks, no signature or witness requirement, no paper trail for address verification, etc. ) become permanent. The result is that the Democrats will seldom loose an election again.

But it has bogged down in the legislature because of one issue: filibustering. The Dems can win on a straight up-and-down vote, but the Senate requires 60 votes to overrule a filibuster. And they don’t have it. But alas. The Senate can vote to change the 60-vote filibuster rule. After all, they have a 50-50 ‘majority’.  And will, if only two Democratic senators who are against ending the filibuster will change their view. One from Arizona and one from West Virginia. If the vote tally will change from 48-52 to 50-50, the barn gate swings wide open.  Not only HR-1 will likely pass, but other permanent etchings by the Democratic party may be installed. They include:

Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia becoming the 51^st and 52^nd states. If this happens, they will very likely elect Democratic senators. Therefore the Dem – Rep balance swings immediately to 54 – 50 –– a formidable wall for the Republicans to scale.

Also the Democrats want to ‘pack’ the Supreme Court. This is a fancy way of saying to increase the number of justices from nine.  There is much displeasure in the current administration that the court is too ‘conservative’. Appointments by Biden (or his puppeteers) will  no doubt be liberal. The number floated around is four additional judges. At a minimum, this would make a majority ‘liberal’ court count of 7 – 6, perhaps 8 – 5. By the way, the last time the number of justices was tampered with was in the 1860s – 150 years ago.

By passing HR-1, admitting two new states, and altering the Supreme Court membership, the present administration believes they can control every branch of the US government in perpetuity. And they may be correct. It is a sobering thought.

Once the above is accomplished, other massive legislation can be introduced, passed, and legislated. I will mention a few in the next blog. 

It’s a new year, and good riddance to the last.  What a year was 2020! It started about this time last year with the emergence of a ‘novel coronavirus’ which was dismissed by even medical guru Anthony Fauci. Then the buffooning of President Trump’s order to suspend air travel from China, later proven wise. Nancy Pelosi stood at San Francisco’s Chinatown and welcomed all. Dr. Fauci declared the use of facemasks was not necessary.  As February and March emerged, their tunes changed. Yes on the masks, and ‘social distancing’ became the new buzzword. “Isolation” for three weeks became quarantine for three months, then six, nine, and the beat goes on. So many mixed signals — both within the medical community and politicians.    All of this I observed from the Canadian side of the border.

The WHO finally gave it a politically correct moniker, COVID-19. Regardless, the virus originated in China, specifically in Wuhan at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. (I looked thoroughly at published papers on their website, before it was scrubbed.) Manipulation of bat proteins while studying the 2004 SARS virus became surprisingly very infectious and highly communicable to and between humans. Patient One was a researcher (likely a grad student) in the Wuhan lab and the spread worldwide from China happened at lightning speed. The spread was accidental, not intentional.  As mentioned in an earlier blog, I am confident that I contracted SARS-COV2 (the official name) when standing in a customs line at Vancouver Airport in March after a visit to the US.  Fortunately, within a week the pain in my chest stopped, though I continue to have uncharacteristic fatigue.

Meanwhile, the WuFlu directly impacted the upcoming November US elections. Before the election, select states, especially in so-called ‘battleground states’ there were changes, including at least one of the following:   Voter photo ID and signature requirements were waived.   Mail-in voting was encouraged. Drop boxes were used for convenience. Early voting became very liberal. Voting was extended beyond Tuesday for two additional days.  There were other changes. Almost all done by state-level Attorney General or Secretary of State, rather than state legislatures, as the Constitution states.

During the evening of Nov 3 election, ‘observers’ were not allowed within 10 feet of the counters, and could not see the results. Complainers were escorted out. In five of six ‘battleground states’, vote counting suddenly stopped for the night…but after observers left, the count continued and miraculously, the Democratic candidate had an unsurmountable lead the next morning. Ballots were photocopied and recounted. Some batches were counted again and again. There were other Election Day ‘irregularities’.

I honestly consider myself neither a Dem or a Rep, but a Libertarian. I won’t belabor the above issues, but think objectively that enough collective irregularities emerged during the election to warrant further investigation. Why would statisticians who compare 2020 to earlier elections see major abnormalities, in fact statistical impossibilities, focused only on the ‘swing’ states? Why would thousands of ordinary election workers and observers sign affidavits, risking perjury and jail by making up lies?  However, even mention of this incurs the Wrath of Khan from Democrats.  

My issue is not whether Biden or Trump emerged as the victor, but that the election process was transparent and legal.  I am not asking for perfection, but reasonably ‘free and fair’.  Post-election antics, such as in DC on January 6, have been the result of much skepticism of a tainted election by half of the nation. This is no way to govern, despite which party controls the government. The president can’t lead when 50% of citizens will not follow.  Leadership becomes increasingly totalitarian, with draconian Executive orders, railroaded legislation, and activist judicial rulings.  Despite presidential calls for ‘unity’, it is on ‘our terms’ — meaning conformity to our policies, surrender to our positions. Loyal opposition is silenced, as is shown in a growing ‘cancel culture’ for dissenters, in partnership with high tech social media. Whatever happened to the free speech 1^st Amendment? The result is a One-party State, a Fascist State. And no different from some Africa, Asia, and Latin American countries where I worked – and human misery that was a direct result of corrupt and selfish governments. 

I expected more from the United States. The founders of the US designed our government for more – for a democratic republic, not an autocratic tyranny.  Let’s hope, pray, and work for a better 2021, Be encouraged. And thanks for reading.

Only a sliver of Yellowstone Park is in Montana, but it is an important sliver. Mammoth Hot Springs is the gateway to Yellowstone, which was our 1^st National Park. Naturally it is also touristy, though not overly so because of the WuFlu lockdown. For that reason, I saw almost as many elk as visitors. 

Heading north through the Gallatin Mountains, I stopped stopping by a Minuteman Missile Site museum and viewing area. Interesting, especially because my nephew Nigel is career Air Force working with missiles. Interesting history, esp. poignant during the Cold War era. Up I 90, I stopped into Missoula, hoping to visit the US Forest Service paratroopers headquarters, which was also closed. Passing through the Deer Lodge Valley, I wondered the location of our ranch before we moved to South Carolina in 1953.

Soon after, I took a right turn off of I-90, and headed toward Flathead Lake. Lovely valleys and an azure postcard lake. I kept due north, and ‘poof’…soon found myself at the west entrance of Glacier Park. Snows had already closed ‘Going to the Sun’ road, but I saw the lovey McDonald Lake. My regret was not getting a coffee cup as a memory, so I will have to come to Glacier again soon!

Heading west past Whitefish and Kalispell, I crossed into Idaho. Decision time at the hilly, river town of Bonner’s Ferry. I decided to head north and cross into Canada in the East Kooteneys.  In the back of my mind during the entire trip was the mandate to quarantine for 14 days. I was amply grilled by Canadian border guards on where I came from, where I was going, and my plan for quarantine. I explained that I was traveling alone, only in rest areas, and my destination was an isolated farm on Vancouver Island.   Finally, they conceded and I passed thru. I am unsure what other option they had. Or what more they needed. I am a Canadian permanent resident, so can’t be refused entry. It was all a bit surreal. But such is 2020.

Traveling west from the Kooteneys, I passed thru the sun-drenched farming town of Osoysys, stunning and snowy Manning Park, and other spots paralleling the US border. At Hope, I hung a right up the Frazier Canyon for a one hour drive, to fulfill the promise of seeing my son at his firebase in Lytton while he is quarantining.  A lovely road up the canyon – rivaling any bi-way I had traveled during the cross-country trip.   Sheldon and I had a good, albeit short, visit in this small town. I then headed to the ferry but took a wrong road in Vancouver, and made the last boat by a slim 5 minutes. That was an adrenaline rush that I didn’t need.

I arrived into Rosemeade Farm after midnight. I had safely made it. The trip took 8 ½ days. Approximately 4000 miles. I had stayed on secondary and more picturesque roads for much of the trip. And cherished memories of small towns and rural settings. This included almost non-existent crowds due to WuFlu travel restrictions.

The Tundra had been a faithful companion.  Now we were both in quarantine. This would nix visits to good friends I hadn’t seen since June.  Even my son and daughter.  But the farm was calling. And there was plenty to do.

Thanks for reading.

Finally, I was at a stopping point with the cabin repairs. Not that there wasn’t plenty more to do, but frankly, I was tired. Tired of the cabin; tired of the isolation (even with the WuFlu); tired of the political hacks incessantly on the radio. It was time for a road trip westward….to Vancouver Island.

An important note is that during my 20 years in Canada and many visits to family in the Carolinas, I have only gone by air  – many trips by flying, but had never driven cross-country from “corner to corner”. This would be a new experience.  Only one problem: I didn’t have a pickup. My sister Becky and David graciously let me use their 1997 Dodge Ram during the repairs, especially hauling old shingles. But this might not make the long trip, and certainly not comfortably.

I had done some research (my son says too much) and was looking online. I finally decided on a full-sized truck — and that Toyota Tundras had a high reliability rating. Challenges: the Tundra is expensive, and old ones in acceptable shape are difficult to find, especially within a reasonable distance. As a person of faith, I said a prayer, and then began seriously looking, knowing that I must do my part.  That very evening, about 11PM, I went online and saw a posting that was only one hour old, for a 2005 Tundra within my price range…and only 40 minutes away!  I spent three more hours researching this model, and possible issues with the 2005 model. At 4AM, I sent a text to the seller, offering to drive to see it the next morning. Then, with a sense of peace, I slept. At 8AM, I got a text reply, and we arranged for 11AM to meet. I left early, withdrew cash money from the bank, and drove to his place near Spartanburg.

Has it ever happened that you see something and immediately know it is meant to be? This was the case with the Tundra. I knew I would buy it before even driving it. Mechanically it looked solid. The interior was in very good shape. The exterior needed work – tires and some painting. It had been in a front-end accident.  But most things could wait. Within a couple of hours, I had what looked like a reliable pickup for a cross-country trip to British Columbia.  The major after-purchase purchase was new Michelin tires, for the various weather I would encounter.

I continued with tasks around the cabin, as well as preparing for the trip. Also in the schedule was the possibility to rendezvous with my son, Sheldon, who fights wildfires in BC in the summers. His unit had been deployed into Oregon to assist with some of the western US fires, and I was keen to meet up with him on my way into British Columbia.  As the month came to a close, he found out that his unit would go back to Canada and stand down. So if we met, it would be north of the border.

I didn’t really have a route mapped out. Rather kept my ‘compass’ going either West or North. I took off with some camping gear and snacks into parts unknown. I did want to see a few sights on my way out with an empty pickup, knowing that I would be laden down with boxes on my return trip east in November. I had no estimate of the days, states I would cross, and weather I would face. So here I go, with an untested Tundra and a few maps. Well, as long as the radio and heater work, I should be ok.

Trip highlights on the next blog. Thanks for reading. Be well.