The Week Ends

Blog Post
Larry-Lambert

Caption: I hope that you’re as happy to see the week end as the Arleigh Burke-Class Guided-Missile Destroyer USS Lassen ( DDG-82 )

 

Israel v Iran

(Rand) Netanyahu’s deal with Tehran, though, was more a tactical pause than a game changer in the ongoing rivalry. The hiatus is unlikely to last long, and there are good reasons to believe that the next round of the Iran-Israel war will be even bigger than before.

Israel had good operational reasons for delaying another direct confrontation for now. During the 12-day war last summer, Iranian missiles killed at least 33 people in Israel, wounded more than 3,500, and caused at least $1.5 billion in damage. Israeli and U.S. air defenses kept those numbers from being a lot higher. By the end of the war, however, Israeli stockpiles of interceptors—particularly its advanced Arrow system, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles—reportedly began to run low. In addition, the United States now has fewer military assets in the region to assist Israel’s defense than it did last summer.

Israel also faces more immediate threats. Israel has long worried that Hezbollah, Iran’s premier proxy on Israel’s borders, could pull off a similar attack as Hamas did in northern Israel—but on an even grander scale. While the Israeli military killed some 4,000 Hezbollah operatives in its campaign in Lebanon in the fall of 2024, the group still retains tens of thousands of fighters. Israel continued to exert military pressure on the group even after a cease-fire went into effect in November 2024, and Iran still funneled some $1 billion to the group in 2025, according to U.S. officials.

Couple these practical factors with a general skepticism about whether airstrikes would have collapsed the Iranian regime during the protests, and it seems that Israel had other priorities before engaging in another bout with Iran.

Netanyahu’s calculus, however, may change again soon. Israeli Defense Ministry officials already promised to “significantly accelerate” Arrow interceptor production over the summer, and the military recently tested the new Arrow 4 air defense system. As for Israel’s northern front, the Lebanese government gave Hezbollah until the end of last year to disarm, as agreed to in the cease-fire, and began deploying its forces southward. Netanyahu’s office called these efforts an “encouraging beginning, but they are far from sufficient.” In other words, Israel will soon face a choice whether to let the disarmament process play out or attempt to “finish the job” militarily itself.

Once either option plays out, Israel’s focus inevitably will turn back to Iran. While Israeli and U.S. air operations over the summer set the Iranian nuclear program back by several years or more, the Iranian regime has not abandoned its nuclear ambitions. A report by the Italian Institute for International Political Studies, published late last year and which cited unnamed sources in Iran, said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had privately given his approval to develop miniaturized nuclear warheads. And while an Institute for Science and International Security study concluded in late November that Iran’s primary nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan had been “largely destroyed and have seen little significant activity since the war,” other assessments noted a new nuclear site—dubbed Pickaxe Mountain—buried even deeper in the earth.

While Israeli and U.S. air operations over the summer set the Iranian nuclear program back by several years or more, the Iranian regime has not abandoned its nuclear ambitions.

Iran’s nuclear efforts may also be receiving support from outside actors, most notably Russia. While Russia officially opposes nuclear proliferation, the Kremlin—which has relied on Iranian drone technology in its war in Ukraine—repeatedly reaffirmed Iran’s right to a peaceful nuclear program, opposed Israel’s airstrikes in June, and left open the possibility of aiding Iran in any future confrontation with the West. Last September, the two countries signed a $25 billion deal for Russia’s state nuclear agency Rosatom to build four civilian nuclear reactors in Iran.

Iran is bolstering other military capabilities as well. Last fall, China reportedly shipped precursor ingredients for Iran’s ballistic missile program. In December, a media publication affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced ballistic missile tests, only for official state news to later deny the report. Also last month, an Iranian media outlet—citing unnamed military sources—claimed that Iran was working on chemical and biological warheads. Separately, Russia launched several Iranian communications satellites that reportedly serve civilian purposes, although some analysts suspect that they have a military function as well.

Israel is unlikely to let Iran’s military reconstitution go unchallenged. Even well before the June war, Netanyahu was skeptical that Iran would give up its nuclear program voluntarily, much less abandon its missile program and regional proxy groups. Now that Iran has shown itself willing and capable of directly attacking Israel with missile and drone barrages, Israel sees any potential nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons as even more of an existential threat. And in Israel’s post-Oct. 7 strategic mindset, preemption trumps deterrence as the preferred means to deal with such threats.

Adding to this dynamic is the fact that 2026 is an election year in Israel. Netanyahu has staked his political fortunes on guaranteeing security, particularly from Iran. Moreover, he will need to appease his hard-right coalition to govern. Already, several more hawkish members opposed the cease-fire that ended the June war and advocated for a more decisive end. Even if the Netanyahu government falls, it’s not clear that a more moderate Israeli government would take a softer line on Iran.

Israel has talked openly of another preemptive strike. In late December, Israeli army chief Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir warned that “Iran is the one that financed and armed the ring of strangulation around Israel and stood behind the plans for its destruction,” adding that Israel will strike back “wherever required, on near and distant fronts alike.” A few days later, Netanyahu floated the idea of another round of strikes during a visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. Speaking after their meeting, Trump threatened to “knock the hell out of” Iran if it restarted its nuclear program.

If Israel is indeed considering another strike on Iran, then it may come sooner rather than later. The summer war stripped Iran of many of its air defenses and destroyed roughly half of its surface-to-surface missile launchers. While Iran took to rebuilding its air defenses soon after the conclusion of the war, it still has not fully recovered from this loss. As former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani remarked in early December, “The skies over Iran have become completely safe for the enemy.” From an operational standpoint, Israel would likely prefer to strike while this window remains open.

If Israel is indeed considering another strike on Iran, then it may come sooner rather than later.

This war also might be more extensive than last June’s campaign. Iran and Israel are separated by some 900 miles, which constrains military operations. But one can easily imagine a more protracted and destructive air war. After the 12-day war, Iran stopped reporting the locations of its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, and some analysts worry that Iran can relatively easily transport the material around the country. Moreover, if Iran actually has a chemical and biological program, then the manufacture of these weapons does not require the same large, specialized infrastructure—such as centrifuge assemblies—that is needed for nuclear weapons, and they can be produced in a variety of locations. All that means that Israel’s targets will not be concentrated on just a handful of large nuclear sites.

Similarly, facilities buried deeper underground—such as Pickaxe Mountain—require more powerful explosives to target them effectively. Given that Israel possesses neither bombers nor the required ordnance, it would need the United States’ help to destroy the site, potentially broadening the conflict. If U.S. support is not forthcoming, Israel would need to strike the site repeatedly or conduct some sort of risky sabotage mission to destroy it. All of this points to a broader war than last June’s.

For its part, the IRGC argues that Israel won’t be able to sustain a longer and costlier campaign, suggesting it, too, would want a war to drag out. The prospect of another relatively quick, lopsided defeat not only would be a blow to Iran’s prestige but could further weaken the regime’s grasp on power. Still reeling from the largest anti-government protests in decades, the Iranian leadership cannot afford to look weak.

Of course, nothing in the Middle East is ever guaranteed. If the current protests in Iran reignite or even succeed in toppling the regime, it could shift Iranian foreign policy. On the Israeli side, growing war weariness may constrain politicians’ appetites for another clash. Trump may yet decide to bomb Iran, regardless of Netanyahu’s wishes—or, conversely, may launch a new push for a diplomatic settlement. There are other actors, too: China, which imports some 750,000 barrels a day of Iranian oil, would undoubtedly be worried about a war disrupting its energy supply.

 

Bullet Points:

** The upcoming war between Iran, the US, and Israel is screwing with my work life. How long can they hang fire? Can they wait nine more days, make it ten? I’m not saying that my cheeks are so tight that they can crack walnuts (as they say in Louisiana – and elsewhere), but I’m one of those binary people. Go/No go. And there you have it. It’s all out of my control, unfortunately. Jesus, take the wheel.

** U.S. private equity firm Carlyle Group has agreed to buy most of Lukoil’s $22 billion worth of foreign assets, which Russia’s second-largest oil company is forced to sell because of U.S. sanctions.

** On January 28, 2026, the future aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) departed Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding facility to begin builder’s sea trials. The underway period marks the supercarrier’s transition from dockside testing to open-water evaluation under the shipbuilder’s responsibility. Trials follow initial nuclear propulsion testing conducted in the James River in September 2025.

** With both Congress and the Justice Department looking into the sources of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s dramatic increase in wealth, President Trump posted Monday on Truth Social that “…Time will tell all. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

** Danger Bubba Danger. I know, the Sci-Fi is getting out of control. And an abandoned film. Too much science?

** As the Canadian government finally rolls out its long-awaited “gun buyback,” the program is running headlong into the near-unprecedented situation of a majority of Canadian governments and police agencies vowing to ignore or defy it.

** VDH on Liberty and Victory ships.

** Chicago On August 15, 1812, approximately 500 Potawatomi warriors ambushed a column of American soldiers and settlers evacuating Fort Dearborn near present-day Chicago. Captain Nathan Heald commanded 54 regulars, 12 militiamen, and 27 women and children marching toward Fort Wayne. The evacuation followed orders from General William Hull, who feared the isolated garrison couldn’t be supplied after Britain captured Fort Mackinac. Heald had promised to distribute the fort’s arms and provisions to local Potawatomi leaders, but instead destroyed them—breaking his word and enraging the warriors.

The attack came 1.5 miles south of the fort when Potawatomi fighters emerged from behind sand dunes along Lake Michigan. Captain William Wells, a Miami-raised frontiersman leading the escort, charged toward attackers surrounding the wagon train carrying women and children. He was killed and, according to witnesses, warriors cut out his heart and consumed it to absorb his courage. The militia defending the wagons died alongside two women and twelve children. The battle lasted fifteen minutes before Heald surrendered the surviving soldiers.

American casualties totaled 26 regulars, all 12 militiamen, 2 women, and 12 children killed. Another 28 regulars, 7 women, and 6 children were taken prisoner. Potawatomi losses remain uncertain but were significantly lower. After the battle, warriors burned Fort Dearborn to the ground. Some prisoners died in captivity; others were ransomed. The region remained empty of American settlers until after the war ended in 1815.

The battle convinced federal authorities that all Native Americans must be removed from settlement areas. Though a tactical Potawatomi victory, the engagement ultimately accelerated their displacement. General William Henry Harrison used the battle as justification to attack Miami villages, despite their neutrality. The fort was rebuilt in 1816, and by 1833, the Treaty of Chicago forced the Potawatomi to remove westward. A fifteen-minute battle paved the way for Chicago’s transformation from a wilderness outpost to a major city.

** “The United States can pay any debt it has because we can always print money to do that. So there is zero probability of default.” — Former Federal Reserve Chair Greenspan (2011)

** Rep. Anna Paulina Luna – “I have a group of Republican members that will refuse to vote to send any appropriations bill back to the Senate unless it includes a rule for the SAVE Act. This will FORCE the Senate to VOTE on it! We will deliver this win for the American people.” The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is a federal legislative proposal designed to require individuals to provide documentary proof of United States citizenship (DPOC) to register to vote in federal elections.

** REPEAL the Refugee Act of 1980, a U.S. law that created a permanent, systematic process for admitting refugees, aligning U.S. policy with the UN definition by removing geographic/ideological limits and establishing asylum procedures, while also raising the annual refugee cap and creating the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to help with integration, significantly changing America’s approach to humanitarian crises, like the Vietnamese boat people. This is how we received the mandatory 50,000 Somalis per year. We don’t want to be aligned with the United Nations ever again. Nothing good comes from that. It’s like aligning ourselves with the Chinese-run World Health Organization. Not only no, but hell no.

** It is a process, with like five safeties (make sure you have a hot battery) – then swoosh.

 

The Law

Federal law (8 U.S.C. § 1324) makes it a felony to “conceal, harbor, or shield from detection” an undocumented immigrant, with potential imprisonment of up to five years, or up to ten years if done for financial gain. Harbor includes giving food, clothing, and shelter, even as acts of charity as defined by case law. You can make of that what you will. Local churches should be held to this legal standard. Encourage them to self-deport. A family of 10 will get $10K and airplane tickets – how much more humane can that be?

Let’s talk Title 8

1. 8 U.S.C. § 1357 (Section 287 of the Immigration and Nationality Act) grants U.S. immigration officers, primarily with ICE and CBP, authority to interrogate, arrest, and search individuals suspected of violating immigration laws. Key powers include arrest with a warrant or court order (including immigration), warrantless arrests for immigration violations, searching vessels/vehicles within 100 miles of a border, and operating within 25 miles of a border to access private lands.

Key Powers of Immigration Officers under 8 USC 1357:

Interrogation: Authority to question any person believed to be an alien regarding their right to be in the U.S..

Arrest Without Warrant: Officers can arrest individuals, including in workplaces, if they believe the person is in the U.S. unlawfully and is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained.

Border Search Authority: Within a “reasonable distance” (defined as 100 air miles) from any external border, agents may board/search vehicles or vessels (without a warrant).

Private Land Access: Agents can enter private lands (but not dwellings) within 25 miles of an external boundary.

Employment Authorized: Officers may carry firearms and serve warrants/subpoenas.

Limitations:

Warrants for Homes: Despite broad powers, officers generally require a warrant or consent to enter a home or private dwelling.

Agricultural Operations: Specifically, agents cannot enter outdoor agricultural operations without consent or a warrant.

Reasonable Suspicion: Roving patrols (stopping vehicles) require reasonable suspicion of illegal activity, not just race or ethnicity.

8 U.S.C. § 1357(g) also allows the federal government to enter into agreements with state or local law enforcement agencies to perform immigration enforcement functions.

2. 18 U.S.C. § 111 (Assaulting or Resisting Federal Officers): It is a federal crime to forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate, or interfere with a federal officer performing their duties.

18 U.S.C. § 1509 (Obstruction of Court Orders): This section prohibits using threats or force to obstruct, impede, or interfere with the “due exercise of rights or the performance of duties” under any order, judgment, or decree of a federal court.

This includes warrants and orders of federal immigration courts.

 

Board of Peace

Rubio knows his stuff better than Congress does because Congress relies on newspapers for its facts. He told the committee, “Actually, the Board of Peace was chartered and set up by the UN Security Council through a vote at the UN Security Council as to deliberations, so it’s an international organization recognized by the Security Council of the United Nations, which is something I think many of you should be supportive of.” (SLAP the donkey)

 

Identify the Ship

1

The name is on the stern, go for the class.

2

It’s a small pict but it should be good enough

3

4

 

End

 

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57 thoughts on “The Week Ends”

  1. Middle East, seen elsewhere – one US vessel approaching the area has gone dark, and another carrier is headed that way. Lots of things that can go boom around the Iranian area.

    1. Things are coming to a head. They’re trying to spin up tactical nuclear warheads with the material they have.

      1. To mangle-mix terminology – I wonder how Trump plans to ROE these boats. Along with the ground forces nearby. Guess we’ll see.

  2. 1 – Trump-class battleship
    2 – USS Long Beach nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser
    3 – CGN Paddle Steamer Rhône
    4 – USS California the lead ship of the California-class of nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser

  3. Identify the Ship:
    1. Trump-class battleship
    2. USS Long Beach
    3. Swiss paddle steamer Rhone.
    4. USS California. At this point, the U.S. Navy ship naming convention system was breaking down.

    1. Very good, Surly. The Navy has gone through turbulent times, and that hasn’t stopped the Destroyer Leaders (cruisers) and the surface nuclear program, except for carriers, from being on-again, off-again. The USS California was at one of the many inflection points, as you point out. Naming conventions and directions of travel have been inconsistent. The Trump Class BB(N)G(X) battleship threw a wrench into the cogent development of a CG(N)(X), though it might have strengthened the DDG(X). President Trump wants to have a big legacy – capital ships, but we can barely crank out a DDG each year, and it takes 10 years to build and commission a CVN. I’m not convinced that a BBG is a good idea. Maybe if we could build 3 submarines and 3 DDGs per year. We need more CVNs than we need BBGs.
      .
      More than that, we need docks, drydocks, and infrastructure for a modern navy.
      .
      I look at the DEI makeup of Annapolis graduates and have even more concerns. Yes, I know that they’ve tried to stop that, but there are a lot of people in the leadership pipeline who may not have been the best choices – and their education was indoctrination. end of rant

      2. Doesn’t matter what the racial/gender/mental disorder makeup of Academy cadets are, unless you get rid of every marxist/socialist/communist/nihilist teacher and staff member out of all aspects of the service academies. From the guy who picks up trash to the guy at the top of each academy, go through every person, especially the teachers and professors, as if Senator Joseph McCarthy was right about the rotten commies taking over (which, hah, you leftist bastards, he was, very right. About commies in the government (based on the State Department’s own investigations to Hollywood.)

        1. I think that Sec. Hegseth is trying to do that very thing. The purge has to go back at least the the beginning of Obamanation, but likey even further back to the turn of the Century. It’s a lot of cutting.

  4. RE: Canadian “gun buyback” program ~ looks like the Canucks are tired of being held hostages. Good on ‘em!

      1. Free people are armed. Slaves are not. It goes back to the beginning of time, and what has been true then is still true. The first thing that despots do is disarm those who would oppose them.

        2. Citizens have rights. Including the right to be armed.
          –
          Subjects have rules. And usually don’t have any ability to be armed.
          –
          I’d rather die a citizen than be a subject.

  5. Reagan’s misguided signing into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act, 1986, sadly removed the open fields access for the Border Patrol; it also limited their ability to venture far afield in seeking out illegal aliens in the US.
    I know I am a retired BPA.

    1. X2…..
      We can thank Teddy Kennedy for ending farm and ranch.
      Employer Sanctions was the work around for it.

        1. Though it’s impolitic in some circles to criticize Saint Ronald Reagan, there were a few missteps beyond those. Shutting down mental healthcare put crazy people on the streets, and they’re still there. I applaud most of what Pres. Reagan did. I think that he was a good man in a line of people who have been, at best, a mixed bag. Following Carter, he had a very low bar to achieve better. The same is true with Pres. Trump 47, following Pedo Joe, who belonged in a home.

          1. A very different era, to which I give Reagan – otherwise an excellent President – a free pass on any missteps. At least R’s could work with Tip O’Neill, nowadays Dems are so beyond deranged they believe they are prescient geniuses because they work lockstep regardless advocating for illegal criminals (save for Fetterman, who says he is telling them to NEVER compare anyone to Nazi’s, just plain wrong and harmful).

          3. > NEVER compare anyone to Nazi’s, just plain wrong and harmful
            Meh. That’s been so overused that the term is losing its power. Not as quickly as “racist” has lost power, to be sure, but same issue. When you use a term to mean “someone I don’t like and want to vilify” instead of the actual meaning, this is what you get.

  6. Basically it’s [only] been a year the Administration has had to unravel the tangled web of fraud at many levels, and the DOJ is just getting started. But as of this morning Omar needs to be worried because Don Lemon was arrested for his role in the church “protest” stunt. We’ll see how this fleshes out.

    1. Prison will expand Don Lemon’s circle of friends. I think that DOJ is serious about prosecuting him. There will need to be a change of venue for all of those prosecutions.

      1. Works for WTP. Play stupid fraud games, get the pointy end of the ox.
        Then we have MinnieApplesRUs – yesterday Homan said TPTB agreed to certain (N)ICE ‘standards’…yet like clockwork Ellison comes out this morning stating “we never agreed to any of that” now that their mailbox money is getting ready to disappear while justice is catching up to their “we’re special” rear-ends.

    2. Which, that whole Aegean Stable/Shelob’s Lair thingy is why I’m not fazed by the slow roll of arrests. The best thing Bondi/Patel can do is basically have a big box of fun and drop it all at once, overwhelming the ability of the eneMedia and the Dems to react in an organized fashion.
      –
      Almost like it’s one giant huge RICO investigation, handled like that. Arrests countrywide almost all at once. That’d be the way I’d do it.

  7. I am sure that the senators in our state , markie mark kelli and cartel gellegos will vote no to allow the Save act to go thru , even if it means the military once again gets their pay shut off in the government shutdown. I hope the citizens in the state of Arizona realize the mistake they made.

    1. The demographics of Arizona have changed. Even so, I think we can thank voting machines for Kelly and Kari Lake for the Cartel Troll, Gallegos. Lake was a horrible choice for office, and before her, so was Blake Masters. My reaction to both Lake and Masters was, “You expect me to vote for these morons?” I do understand how politics works and have been disappointed in Arizona’s political framework. I have heard that the trophy/hag wife of Robson the land developer, Karrin Margaret Taylor Robson, is no longer running for office. That may have to do with health issues. But that’s good. Arizona needs people in politics who are genuine, thoughtful and smart. Who can say that of Lake or Masters?
      .
      Gallegos is a communist from Tucson with his paws in dirty money and Kelly. Yes, I know he’s married to another communist, but he has one of the more impressive CVs in Congress. Naval Aviator with combat missions, astronaut, etc. One would think that he was rise from the donkey swamp to be something better than what he is, but, yeah, communist.

        1. Better to own a politician than to be one (Confucius?), PaulM. That business is too vicious for me.

          1. That’s saying something considering your background dealing and going toe-to-to with all manner of ‘difficult” types.

    1. Well, this is good for the amusement factor at least. It’s not the center ring of panem et circenses MMXXVI fer shure; more like the freakshow, but entertainment nonetheless.
      We’ll see if anything happens to Don Lemon other than him getting to burnish his “activist/victim of the racist patriarchy” cred. I don’t know why he complains about being “oppressed” by whites anyway, seeing as he obviously enjoys taking white … ah, never mind.

  9. “Congress relies on newspapers for its facts.”

    “How do wars begin? Wars begin when, first, politicians lie to journalists, then they believe what they read in the press!” – Bertrand Russell

    1. Trump is pushing it. We need two more. I realize they are vulnerable at sea, but the first thing that happens in a crisis is that the President asks, “Where are the aircraft carriers?” There is a value in relative volume.

  11. Cracking Walnuts; We hardly have a blade of grass growing in our yard. Nearly completely shaded with overgrown pecan trees. Mrs W. Is incessantly cracking nuts with a device. No pecan pie… yet ;).
    –
    Hope your work adapts and prospers. Exito.
    –
    Chuck Girard and ” Love Song” wrote a tune called, “back seat, front seat.” Yielding to will of thee Almighty is one thing. “Leaving all the driving to the chief,” is not IMHO a viable option unless sliding on black ice for a split second.
    –
    Cannon balls will never be banned and answers will found by those with their hands on the wheel, not in the wind. Whether or not they are wrong or right, decisions of those in the valley of decision are surely seen in view of eternity and Providence are they not? Proverbs 21:1 comes to mind.

    1. I am not going into detail, but in some situations, employers get over their heads. It’s not a new scenario. When the old king of Thailand wanted to punish a village, he would give it an elephant. That might not sound like punishment, but as the King’s Elephant, it required the villagers to care for it, feed it, and so forth. Allowing the King’s Elephant to die was very bad form. Elephants eat a lot and pass a lot, all of which is included in care and feeding. So it is with businesses that take on contracts. Being the low bidder on a prestigious contract doesn’t guarantee you can fulfill it without incurring a loss. Some people who have been talking to me may be in that position. Even if they take a loss, it will likely be good for business because it will give them name recognition – but it’s still a loss.

      1. “LL I don’t want to incur a loss. I’m in business to make money.” This contract was won without discussing it with me prior, by the way, and we still haven’t agreed on an employment contract. “What if we pay you X?” So you want me to work part-time? That will get you ten days a month. The rate is the rate. It depends on how much time you want me to spend on your project. I’m not that big of a hard ass and usually work 24/7 even if I’m not paid for that sort of devotion, but they don’t know that.

        1. > It depends on how much time you want me to spend on your project. I’m not that big of a hard ass…
          Exactly. I often end up doing stuff for the client essentially “in my spare time”. Sometimes because I’m genuinely interested in the project, sometimes because I actually like the person I’m dealing with [1], and sometimes out of calculation, as in “It’s a good idea to ‘bank’ some good will [2] because at some point I may drop the ball, and will need slack myself”. BUT if the client is a dick about it, then everything is strictly by the book. (I’m trying to introduce the idea of a PITA multiplier, as in 1.25x if the client is being a bit annoying, and 2x if being a major jackhole, but the Contracts people aren’t taking my entirely reasonable advice.)
          —
          [1] “actually like” doesn’t mean that I DISlike most people. The average person is usually okay; don’t have anything against them, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to sit down and have a beer with them either, if you take my meaning. But some persons are just Good People; or I admire their focus and dedication (even if they’re a bit of a hardass, but you can tell their focus is on The Job and it’s not personal — people like that are cool too). Those are the clients I am happy to go the extra mile for. Also let it be noted that the person you are dealing with, and the company overall, are not necessarily the same thing, on the cool/not cool scale. Some very cool people work for horrid companies, and some real bastards work for otherwise good companies.
          [2] Some people/companies you quickly learn that you will NEVER get any slack from them. It’s all a one-way valve where they only take (and push and/or threaten and/or beg, depending on which of those they feel will get them advantage IN THE MOMENT). I hate hypocrites and I hate people without principles (other than “me me me”) who do whatever is EXPEDIENT. These sorts also tend to have very long memories about any of YOUR shortcomings, but instantaneously forget that e.g. you worked 30h over the weekend (and this was UNcontracted beforehand) to deliver on Monday when they “suddenly remembered” at 6pm the Friday before that they had a deadline the coming Monday.
          —
          I know you know all this. Just sounding off….

          1. I like these guys, they’re not a PITA. I multiply x3 for PITAs. Or at this time of my life – in truth, I am simply too busy (taking walks in the woods) to put up with them.
            .
            They are not Americans and want to do business in the US and it’s different here. In many ways, much more difficult and the expenses are higher if you want a national approach. Likewise you can make money here. But you won’t if you’re not ready to embrace the tempo and scope required.

        3. They don’t teach you this in B-Law 101 and etc. nor is it officially written in legalese under Uniform Commercial Code or Common Law Contracts but WWW’s 1st Law of Contracts states that when you lose money on a contract, you are essentially paying the other fellow good money for the privilege of being his slave for a while.

  12. 45 yr old Refugee Act; That was then, and this is now. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” is not a constitutional requirement. AMERICANS FIRST, without neglecting to “strengthen the hand” (kjv) of our poor vs perpetual hand outs that weaken them.
    –
    X2 on the repeal, +’ DACA, + anything else that will straighten this mess out.
    –
    When 1/2 the country is willing to follow Mary Travers to Riverside Church, NYC; Where slick Willy C. and Fidel C. have been invited to speak…what more do we need to know about a Unity of States getting divided?

  13. The battle convinced federal authorities that all Native Americans must be removed from settlement areas.

    Exactly.

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