No Fan of Mamdani

Charlie was no fan of Mamdani.

No, he was no fan of him.

He warned that the ideas he espoused

Would fill America to the brim.

Improve the economy for our young ones.

Improve it for those of young age.

If not, Charlie warned,

Mamdani will become the rage.

Well, Charlie is no longer with us,

But his words rise as Mamdani is elected.

And if you're listening to the echo of Charlie's words,

You know they have to be respected.

The Horse that Got Away

The oil industry is the horse that got away. Way back in 1890, the Sherman Antitrust Act was passed. It didn’t specifically mention companies owning things all the way from the creation of the product to its sale, but it dealt with it just the same.
Then there was the Clayton Antitrust Act in 1914. It addressed anti-competitive mergers and exclusive dealing, which can include "vertical integration," as it is called.

But there's mud in the pie. Vertical integration is not illegal in and of itself. No; it's only illegal if a company uses that control to block rivals. Loophole, mud in the pie—call it what you want, but the horse is getting away.

Perhaps the industry that attracts the most attention when it comes to vertical integration is the oil industry—"Big Oil," as it may be known to you. Oil companies often control the process from exploration and drilling wells to transportation by pipelines and tankers, to refining, to market and selling.

You might say, now hold on here. Oil companies don't own the gas stations. Those stations are independently owned. Yes. I suppose they are what is called "branded" stations—stations that operate under the name, logo, and fuel supply of an oil company even though they are owned and run independently.

Bottom line is, to a significant extent, Big Oil runs the show all the way from drilling the wells to selling the gas. That's vertical integration, and it remains something that often is not a good thing. For one thing, it gives the oil company leeway to set its own prices. The oil companies like that, but you don't.

So, just wondering: Why aren't we doing something about this?

Who Is the Criminal?

Who are the criminals here?

Who are the ones...

Are they the high and mighty,

Or the ones picking up the crumbs?

Criminals, criminals—

Which one of them is that?

Is it the one of them that's needy,

Or the one who's getting fat?

Is it the one with a family,

And you rip them from their arms?

Or is it the one with a weapon,

Who rules with firearms?

Is it the one on the ditch bank—

The one in the field?

The one who is humble,

Who on his knees has kneeled?

Or is the criminal the man

Who sends others off to jail,

Just because they come from elsewhere
And carry a worker's lunchpail?

 When Water Means So Much

You say the Colorado River Basin doesn't have enough water? One small shift could make a massive difference. And it would be easy to do—

If only we would do it.

It’s no secret that agricultural water use is a major factor in the West’s water crisis. About 74% of all water diverted from the Colorado River Basin goes to agriculture. Most of that is used to irrigate crops like alfalfa, hay, and pasture. In Utah, alfalfa alone consumes more than half of the state’s agricultural water.

Solve that problem, and you’ve gone a long way toward solving the bigger one.

Roughly 30–40% of Utah’s alfalfa is still flood irrigated. That’s an estimate, but whatever the exact figure, it’s significant. Why? Because about 50% of the water used in flood irrigation is lost—to runoff, evaporation, or deep percolation.

Do the math:

• 74% of our water goes to agriculture—mostly for irrigating crops.
• Half of that goes to alfalfa.
• 30–40% of alfalfa is flood irrigated.
• And 50% of that water is lost.

That means millions of acre-feet of water are wasted every year—water that could be saved by switching to more efficient irrigation systems. Even at their worst, sprinkler systems lose less water. Well-managed systems retain 70–85% of their water. Drip and low-elevation sprinklers push efficiency up to 95%.

So why aren’t we doing this?

We are—slowly. But the real barrier is infrastructure. To replace open ditches with pressurized systems, we need pumps, pressure regulators, pipelines, sprinkler or drip components, control systems, filtration—and skilled labor to install and maintain it all.

Estimated total bill: $4 billion. Utah’s state budget for 2026 is $30.8 billion, so this would represent about 13% of the annual budget.

Do it. And do it now. Come up with the money. Urgency demands it.

Some say it could take 10–20 years to complete the transition. Qater rights issues can be resolved faster with political will, but the real challenge is accelerating the infrastructure buildout.

And that can be done—if we commit the $4 billion and act with the urgency this crisis demands. With funding in place and focused execution, Utah could complete the transition in four years or less.

Do it.

Echoing in Our Ears

“Anti-Trump, which is probably illegal.”

“Anti-Trump, which is probably illegal.”

“Anti-Trump, which is probably illegal.”

These are the words of our president,

echoing in our ears.

How they should haunt us

and distill in us deep fears.

“Illegal,”

“Illegal,”

“Illegal.”

“Anti-Trump,”

“Anti-Trump,”

“Anti-Trump.”

The man declares it illegal

to take his name to the dump.

Is this what you want, America?

Is this what you judge as right?

The man says speaking ill of him

is never, never all right.

 

 

 

Kick Oil Companies Out of the Gas Station Business

If you want to lower gasoline prices, try this idea: Don't let oil companies own any gas stations. That's right-- kick them out of the gas station business.

Oil companies would no longer have guaranteed places where their gasoline would be sold. So there possibly could be more reason to sell at lower prices.

It's just an idea, and who knows if it would work, but it just might. The more competitive of an edge you have in your market, the better your chances of holding prices down.

Is Israel Fascist?

Is Zionism fascism? It seems there is a fair amount of criticism this direction. So, is it true. I ask Copilot (AI) what fascism is, then I give my unlearned impressions. Then I study (using Copilot again) and come up with a more authoritative appraisal.

Core Characteristics of Fascism per Copilot:

- Authoritarian Leadership: Fascist regimes are led by a single, powerful leader who often rules without checks and balances.

- Ultranationalism: Fascists prioritize the nation—or a specific race or ethnic group—above individual rights or global cooperation.

- Suppression of Opposition: Political dissent is often crushed through censorship, intimidation, or violence.

- Militarism and Violence: Fascists glorify military strength and may use violence as a tool for national rejuvenation.

- Economic and Social Control: The state exerts strong control over the economy and society, often through regimentation and propaganda.

- Ingroup vs. Outgroup Mentality: Fascist ideologies often demonize outsiders—whether immigrants, minorities, or political opponents—as threats to national purity.

Without studying, here are my judgements on each of the "Core Characteristics of Fascism":

1) Israel doesn't qualify. Checks and balances remain in the Israeli government.

2) Questionable but perhaps. Israel is trying to defend itself. However, it seems to be massacring the Gazans and starving them. I do not know that Muslims living in Muslim have any fewer rights than Jews. Perhaps I would have to study.

3) Dissidents abound in Israel. They speak out against "Bibi." I am not aware they are being silenced or tossed in jail for speaking out.

4) I see no military parades like they have in Russia (or the U.S. these days). They have a military, but I do not know that they overly glorify it.

5) I believe Israel has a free economy. I am not aware of interference from or meddling by the government.

6) I don't feel informed enough to even make a guess on this one.

Now, let's go to Copilot for some answers.
1) Israel does not currently meet the full criteria of authoritarian leadership as seen in classic fascist regimes, but recent political developments have raised serious concerns about erosion of checks and balances. ... Judicial reforms proposed by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s coalition aim to reduce the independence of the Supreme Court. ... The legislature has become increasingly subordinate to the executive. ... Civil rights groups warn of authoritarian expansion, citing legislation that could restrict freedom of expression, increase surveillance, and undermine democratic institutions. 2) Israel exhibits significant ultranationalist currents within its political landscape, especially among far-right factions, but these do not represent the entire state or society. While some leaders promote ethnic prioritization and territorial expansion, many Israelis oppose these views and support pluralism and peace. 3) Israel has shown increasing signs of suppressing political dissent, particularly in the context of war and occupation, through censorship, intimidation, and violence—especially against journalists and Palestinian voices. However, robust civic resistance and pluralistic debate still exist within Israeli society.
4) Israel exhibits strong militaristic traits, with military strength deeply woven into its national identity, economy, and cultural narrative. While not fascist by definition, the glorification of military power and use of violence for national security and identity are prominent features.

5) Israel does not exert totalitarian control over its economy or society, but it does engage in sophisticated propaganda efforts—especially through its Hasbara strategy—and maintains strong influence over public discourse and certain sectors.
6) Israel exhibits strong ingroup-outgroup dynamics, particularly between Jewish Israelis and Palestinian Arabs, with some political factions framing minorities and opponents as existential threats. While not universally fascist, these patterns reflect deep social divisions and exclusionary rhetoric.

Copilot's final judgment: Israel is not a fascist state, but it contains factions and policies that reflect fascist-like tendencies, particularly in moments of crisis or under far-right coalitions. The presence of elections, judicial oversight, and mass protest movements complicates any blanket label. What’s unfolding is a struggle between democratic resilience and authoritarian drift—a tension that deserves close civic and moral scrutiny.

 

 

 

 

It Is a Question of Being Fair

 Second-hand methamphetamine ingestion, can it give you a contact high? Can it cause a heart attack? Can it cause your thoughts to become erratic and bring hallucinations and schizophrenia? Can it affect your ability to memorize and remember?

And, if so, at what levels of ingestion? Would living in a home where meth is smoked affect a person just as severely as living in a house where it is actually cooked? It makes sense to me that a person ingesting second-hand smoke is not going to be affected as severely as the person actually smoking the drug, at least not unless the person smoking is doing it so openly and without secret that the air is clearly and heavily contaminated. Also, I think it is a given that meth homes are not as harmful as meth labs. It is not as harmful to live in a home where meth is simply smoked as it is in a home where it is made. Yet, today, few homes are meth labs but are simply homes where someone has smoked meth.

And, yet we shut them down, anyway.

With homes being shut down for meth contamination, costing landlords in the range of $10,000 to clean, these are important questions. The punishment should be just and fair and not excessive. And, on top of the cleaning expense, the residents are asked to throw away upholstery and clothing that supposedly could have been affected. It comes to a point that the landlords and tenants lose much of everything they own because they were in the same house as a person who smoked meth behind their back.

Now, if the health hazards are so severe, we do want to require such cleanups. But are they? Or do we need more study to determine how harmful secondhand meth is? Remember, we shut down the home for cleanup just because of the meth clinging to the walls and rugs. If the danger was just from ingesting the air, you would have but to air out the building and clean the AC/heater unit, a simple measure that would hardly cost anything. Opening the windows and turning on a big fan doesn't cost a dime, if you have a big fan. But the meth hanging to the walls and carpets and everything in the home is considered so severe that we require a $10,000 cleanup.

Talk all you want about not being soft on crime, but this is taking it too far. And you are raging more against the homeowners than their renters who caused the problem.

Do we have any studies backing up the claim that meth hanging on the walls and carpets and clothes and upholstery is dangerous? Or is this a case of government gone rampant? Is it over-regulation, filled with excessive requirements? Is this a clear example of excessive fines and punishments. Government can be vicious and unfair -- and it is. Should we let it be?

Yes, we need more studies on whether meth hanging to the walls and carpets is so harmful. But until there are studies to justify the punishment, unreasonable seizures of property should not be allowed. The Constitution protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. How, at this point, do you justify requiring people to throw away all the things in their home when you don't even know if those items are harmful?

 

 Keep Your Hands Off

I don't want to know what the line is on the game.

I don't want to know, at all.

You don't want to know what the line is on the game—

You don't care if it's big or it's small.

Take gambling away from our sports.

Leave us well alone, if you will.

I think, when it comes to gambling and sports,

We've all just about had our fill.

You legalized it

And tied ads to the game,

And we're sorry we let you do it—

Our games are no longer the same.

Stay away, and keep your hands off.

Don't you come near our games.

Keep your bookies away from here—

We won't have you causing more shames.

 

 

 

That's When I'm Coming Through

When everyone has given up on me,

That's when I'm coming through.

When dark of night is darkest,

And I'm lost in all the ruckus—

That's when I'm coming through.

When hope is lost and gallows sure,

When hits come so fast, they're all a blur—

That's when I'm coming through.

That's when I'm coming through.

Count me out, count me down.

Say I count for nothing.

Count me for a fool,

Count me due to have my roughing.

But when your abuse is heaped the highest,

That's when I'm coming through.

When your ridicule reaches the ridiculous,

And your scorn becomes a stench—

When you've laughed at me your loudest,

Thrown at me your very last wrench—

That's when I'm coming through.

That's when I'm coming through.

When you say I'm all done and through,

That's when I'm coming through.

 

Maybe We Shouldn't

By the numbers, guns are suicides.

Look at the states with high gun ownership.

Look at them—and count.

And watch the suicides mount.

List the top 20 states—

Those that have the highest percentage of guns.

And then the top 20 with firearm suicide deaths?

What do you guess?

It's almost the same 20 states.

That's stark.

And dark.

Evidence that the proliferation of guns is dangerous?

Evidence that having them lying around is...

Not the best idea?

You got it, hyena.

Chase that fact down.

Grab it in your teeth and shake it around.

Guns kill when too many are found.

Maybe we shouldn't let them abound.

Where the Trigger Waits

by Copilot (AI)

In quiet towns where rifles rest,

Beside the hearth, the door, the chest,

The morning breaks on fields of grace,

Yet shadows linger, face to face.

The gun is not the grief itself,

But grief may reach it on the shelf.

A moment’s ache, a silent plea,

Becomes a final certainty.

The states that hold their heritage dear

Hold also silence, sharp and near.

Tradition carved in walnut stock,

Now echoes through the ticking clock.

Not rage, but sorrow finds the steel,

Where help is far, and wounds don’t heal.

The numbers rise, the stories fade,

In places where the guns are laid.

The porch light hums, the curtains stir,

A prayer half-whispered does not deter.

The law is ink, the pain is breath,

And both may fail to forestall death.

A child’s room, a father’s shed,

Hold echoes of the words unsaid.

No villain comes, no war is waged—

Just sorrow, chambered and uncaged.

The trigger waits, not out of hate,

But in the hush we consecrate.

Where rights are held with solemn pride,

And mercy falters, unallied.

So let us speak, and let us tend

The wounds that silence cannot mend.

For every right that we defend,

Must meet the grief we dare not send.

 

 

Fighters and Warriors

Fighters, fighters,

Warriors, warriors—

Wrapped in the flesh of magazines.

Many of them are still standing

In a world being knocked to smithereens.

I think of The Nation,

I think of Mother Jones—

Magazines that stand up to tyranny

In the face of those throwing stones.

“Our nation is under attack.

We're fighting back."

The Nation offers that pledge,

And I'm grateful for The Nation's coverage

As our nation goes to the edge.

“American Gulag:

The brutal rollout of Trump's police state”—

Thus proclaims Mother Jones.

And I'm also grateful that that magazine

Is fighting off Trump's skulls and crossbones.

 

This Calls for Punishment

This one is within

The call for punishment.

It is out of line—

Yes, one hundred percent.

You have the right to free speech,

The right to say what you want.

But there are words, once gone,

That are going to come back to haunt.

The president-elect of Oxford Union

Uttered words best left unsaid.

He should have stopped quicker,

Before the light turned red.

“Charlie Kirk got shot—

Let’s f------ go!”

That’s a celebratory phrase among Gen Z;

I think you ought to know.

“Charlie Kirk got shot loool”—

An exaggeration of “laughing out loud.”

Words meant to bring humor

To an ill-mannered crowd.

Death is never funny,

And jokes like that are in ill taste.

Yes, the president-elect should resign—

And do so in great haste.

 

Let Them Stay

“Immigrants or illegal immigrants?

There’s a difference,” she snapped.

Draw a line; leave them out—

Those here illegally should be zapped.

A lower cut,

A lesser being.

Those here illegally

Should be fleeing.

Take a broom,

Get them out.

Chase them away—

Scream and shout.

These are not true immigrants;

There’s quite a difference, you know.

These are they here illegally—

Send them away; they need to go.

Shame them, shun them,

Cast them out.

We will not have them

Here about.

Intolerance for them?

Well, it seems so to me.

But I’m not against allowing them—

Let them stay, and let them be.

Joe Biden’s Body Cams

Joe Biden rolled it out—

a good program, without a doubt.

He called for all federal law enforcement units

to wear body cams.

He said, Just do it—

and don’t do it just equal to tiny kilograms.

Do it—do it all, and do it right.

Don’t miss a thing—

completely and tight.

But somehow the job didn’t get done—

not by noon,

and not by the setting of the sun.

Lack of money to implement?

Or did they just want to keep it easy

to catch the immigrant?

Whatever the cause,

whatever the reason,

wearing body cams never came to full season.

Some were worn,

and there were trial efforts—

but mostly they ran from the mandate

as if from lions and leopards.

It isn’t right—

no, not at all.

Government amuck,
and justice AWOL.

 

 

 

 

 

We Need Sunday Cops

I read a news story of how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is asking its congregational units to prioritize and consider measures to ensure safety.

One idea would be to have what we could call "Sunday Cops," officers from the police or sheriff's department who are assigned to attend the meetings undercover, dressed in suits but carrying. It is true that if you drew from the existing police staffs for such Sunday service, those police units would quickly be depleted. There are so many church meetings in the Salt Lake Valley, you would be taking too many away from other safety concerns.

So run people through the police academy to take Sunday-only jobs. Don't assign the officers to the same ward every week but rotate them so the criminals do not know who the officer is. This would allow the church policy against members bringing guns to be maintained and keep the responsibility in the hands of trained professionals. Would-be killers would be aware someone was guarding the meetinghouse even though they would not know who. That would be the deterrent to the shootings that many conservatives are seeking.

 

You've Got To

You've got to believe if you want to win.

You've got to believe that you can.

You've got to have grit; you've got to have hope.

You've got to take that stand.

You've got to inspire; you've got to lead

Those who follow you out.

You've got to exude; you've got to express

That you don't have a doubt.

You've got to overcome; you've got to believe that you can.

You've got to have faith in yourself and your team.

You've got to press and tug, and smile and shrug

If you're going to capture your dream.

 
Guns in the Pews

Guns, guns, guns —

and sometimes guns at church.

Before you go in,

they don’t give you a search.

Guns hidden

 from the men of cloth,

and a gun slips in,

carried by a man of wroth.

Guns, guns, guns —

we should have known

someone would pack one in.

Even when guns aren’t allowed —

no more than whiskey and gin.

 

 

Not Always a Rocking Chair

You can join with the raisins

and those who are old.

Call them your friends

and join in their fold.

Play bingo and bridge

and golf every day.

Then stop for some coffee

down at the café.

You can ride into the sunset,

quiet as night.

Fade away, fade away,

if you think that is right.

But old age need not

be a rocking chair.

It can be hope

and a dream that is fair.

 

Charlie Kirk Carved in Stone

Carve statues of Charlie Kirk.

Throw them up around the land.

Let his legacy be on display—

from sea to sea, and sand to sand.

Oklahoma and Texas are considering

requiring statues on all public campuses in those states.

Will that be just the beginning?

Is this just the opening of the floodgates.

 

 

 

 

Charlie Called It a Day of Rest

Charlie took a rest

come the Sabbath day.

Charlie saved Sunday

for his family.

And the last book he wrote

called for better observance.

The Sabbath, to him,

did not come about by chance.

The Lord established it

and gave a commandment to obey.

Once each week was given—

the Sabbath to obey.

 

 

Lots of Time

Lots of time for a dollar,

Lots of time for a dime.

I'll sweep the floor in a hurry,

and tell you the pleasure was mine.

I'll cook your meals,

I'll wash your dishes,

I'll clean your clothes,

and do all your wishes.

Lots of time for a dollar,

lots of time for a dime.

I'll take out the trash,

I'll mow the lawn,

I'll bring in the paper

if you aren't up by dawn.

I'll wax your car

and shine your shoes.

If we were on a farm,

I'd milk the cow that moos.

Lots of time for a dollar,

lots of time for a dime.

When you're hungry and homeless,

you do it all of the time.

 

Save a Lot of Plastic

I do believe this would save us a lot of plastic.

What do you believe?

For we are losing oh-so much

that there's cause to grieve.

But train them—

train all those clerks.

No double bagging,

unless the customer wants such works.

And don't put just an item or two

in each sack.

That's a waste,

and that's a fact.

Simple, simple, simple—

such a simple way

to save a lot of plastic
every single day.

Cummings’ Thoughts on Charlie Kirk

This would be one man's take—
Or is it the take of many?
Was he way off,
Or was he right on the penny?

Thoughts on Charlie Kirk,
From K. Ward Cummings:
He drew these conclusions
From watching Charlie’s goings and comings.

Writing in the Austin American-Statesman, 
He suggested Kirk favored whiteness for belonging in our land.
He said Kirk dismissed empathy as weakness—
Are Cummings’ thoughts true, or out of hand?

(Index -- Poems, poetry, ready)
(Charlie Kirk poems)

 

Kirk on Martin Luther King Jr.

"Just a man," Kirk said of MLK,

And “a very flawed one at that.”

At the end of his life,

Kirk's views on MLK stood pat.

Kirk called him "awful"

And said he was "not a good person."

Earlier in his career, Kirk spoke well of him,

But at the end of life, his feelings worsened.

Kirk felt MLK enjoyed unworthy reverence—

Honor that he shouldn't have enjoyed.

So if you want to follow Kirk,
Martin Luther King is someone to avoid.

 

Cummings’ Thoughts on Charlie Kirk

This would be one man's take—

Or is it the take of many?

Was he way off,

Or was he right on the penny?

Thoughts on Charlie Kirk,

From K. Ward Cummings:

He drew these conclusions

From watching Charlie’s goings and comings.

Writing in the Austin American-Statesman,

He suggested Kirk favored whiteness for belonging in our land.

He said Kirk dismissed empathy as weakness—
Are Cummings’ thoughts true, or out of hand?

A World Full of Cannabis

A world full of cannabis—

That's too much for me.

A world packed with Mary Jane,

A world gone insane.

A world filled with those

Who swear marijuana's good,

People running here, there—everywhere,

Saying it's beyond compare.

But lay that drug down, I say;

Its faults are not a few.

Cannabis is an ill drug—

I won't just look and shrug.

The Mistake That Swept His Books off Belfast Bookshelves

Wasn't this guy once one of the most-read authors in all the land?

Now Stephen King claims he is the most-banned writer from sand to sand.

No fewer than 87 of his titles have been removed from shelves nationwide—

That's a lot of books to be swept out by the tide.

The author of Bag of Bones and The Shining has been mostly banned for the content of his books;

That's why he has received most of the disapproving looks.

But now there's the case of his books being banned from Belfast Books stores—

You just won't find them if you enter that establishment's doors.

King wrongly suggested Charlie Kirk “advocated stoning gays to death,”

An untruthful thing to say about a man who just drew his last breath.

King’s was a mistake to apologize for—and he did,

But you can certainly imagine how Kirk supporters flipped a lid.

Kirk did once quote from the Bible, where it speaks of two men laying:

“...thou shall lay with another man shall be stoned to death, just saying.”

So, by and large, the banning of King's books is because their content doesn't meet with approval—

But now there's the case of Belfast Books: a small but noteworthy case of book removal.