Five September Thoughts Under the Fedora: Greenland, A Great Incentive , First Amendment Reality, Russian Noises and The Election Comes Closer

Posted: September 21, 2026 by datechguy in Always look at the bright side of Trump, elections, politics, under the fedora
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So let me get this straight. We now have full military control of Greenland, independent of what happens with NATO and veto power over any other power doing a thing in the Island.

We have this without condition, without payment and without any responsibilities of the governance, and the press wants to pretend this is no big deal?

The best deal is the one where you get what you want and the other guy thinks they’ve pulled one over you. This is classic Trump.

No wonder the press is pissed.

The Washington Examiner is reporting that illegal immigrants are being increasingly deported to third world countries.

I can’t think of anything that might provide an incentive for people to decide to self deport or to not pay a coyote to smuggle into America.

I have no idea how accurate this report is but if I was Trump I’d spread this far and wide as the deterrent effect shold be considerable.

The text of the First Amendment is as follows:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

It says absolutely nothing about allowing CNN, MSNOW & Politico access to the president inside the White House.

All three “news” organizations are free to report whatever they want & present it however they want. When that stops, call me.

Russia seems to be making threatening noises in the direction of NATO countries and the Baltic states.

In one respect it makes perfect sense, NATO countries have been aiding Ukraine defense against Russia and pressure on such states and covert actions against them is only to be expected.

But given Russia’s lack of success in Ukraine proper I don’t see how they are in a position to open up a front in the east when such a move might not only unite Europe against them but when it means fighting a Polish military that is solid, intact and has plenty of motivation historically to give them a bloody nose.

The real question nobody is asking is this: How desperate is Putin’s position in Russia?

The most desperate is position is the more likely he will do something stupid or risky to restore it. That more than anything else is the real danger and the wildcard in play.

I’ve reached a point where I’m not sure who to believe when it comes to what’s happening in the national races.

I’m pretty much resigned to Massachusetts not learning from it’s mistakes that driving people out of the state but the sheer amount of noise coming from all sides makes it practically impossible to figure out what is actually happening.

I suspect this is by design but the noise doesn’t matter because reality will eventually bleed through.

Let’s hope it’s a good one for the country.

100 Word Doctor Who Fan Fiction: A disappointing Revelation

Posted: September 18, 2026 by datechguy in doctor who, fan fiction, fun
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The first surprise was seeing Dr. Summerfield standing next to the blue box in a place and time far away from where she expected. The second were the words she greeted her with.

“River we have an errand to run together I’ll explain inside.”

She read the instructions handed to her inside the control room. She was less annoyed by the reqeust than by the realization her assumption that her husband never knew when she would appropriate his ride for her own purposes was off.

“I hate him!” she said shaking her head.

Bernice smiled “No you don’t.”

Last time: Unexpected Marching Orders Next Time: Old Story Wrong Characters

100 Word Doctor Who Fan Fiction: Unexpected Marching Orders

Posted: September 15, 2026 by datechguy in doctor who, fan fiction, fun
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The instructions were detailed, VERY detailed in terms of times and places and settings. They were so detailed & elaborate that it gave her a flashback of the man she first knew.

But that man had changed since she had known him, many times in fact & even if he hadn’t changed it was very rare that he would ask a favor of anyone.

She was suspicious, she was annoyed but in the end there was no question as to what she would do. Her best friend needed a favor & Bernice Summerfield would come through, with or even without explainations.

Last Time: Prologue: Statistically Inconsequential Tweaks Next Time A disappointing Revelation

Iran and the Democrats Playing the Jefferson Davis 1864 War/Election Strategy

Posted: September 13, 2026 by datechguy in middle east, politics, war
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That Grand Old Army [of the Potomac] did performed many heroic acts but never in its history did it do a more devoted service than vote for Abraham Lincoln.

Unknown Soldier quoted by Ken Burns in The Civil War Episode Seven Host Hallowed Ground 1990

After the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg and the fall of the Mississippi river to the North the Confederate Armies were no longer capable of major offensive actions against the North. This was punctuated by the defeat of Braxton Bragg who failed to follow up on his victory at Chickamauga by seizing Chattanooga giving time for Grant to take over the armies there and defeat him and force his retreat back into Georgia & his relief.

With overwhelming forces the plan of the North was for Grant as general in chief accompanying the Army of the Potomac under Meade going after Lee & Richmond and with Sherman commanding the Army of the Tennessee going after Joe Johnston & Atlanta.

This was a problem for Jefferson Davis and the South. Both Union Armies were at least a half again larger than the Confederate Forces, they were well supplied by a United States whose industrial and agricultural sectors were expanding. Meanwhile the Union blockade was squeezing the South, inflation was rampant and despite interior lines the pressures from both advancing armies combined with raids on infrastructure were creating a supply crisis. The discontent on the home front meant that the government itself was in danger

It was true that daring raiders such as the CSS Alabama at sea and the genius of General Nathan Bedford Forest cavalry on land gave the North grief neither was sufficient to do more than annoy the forces of the Union Army or dent their trade and while Johnston was an excellent general and Lee, despite his defeat at Gettysburg was rightfully considered a military genius they simply weren’t strong enough to destroy the Armies converging on them.

Davis had one card left to play. The election of 1864 was coming and with the war was not popular. If the Democrats which has a large peace faction could manage to unseat Lincoln who was committed to conducting the war to the point of victory, the South could win diplomatically what they were incapable of winning militarily, and such an electoral defeat of the GOP might even bring France or England on board diplomatically to end the war.

Thus is was the job for Lee and Johnston to do all they could to slow the advances of Grant and Sherman making sure it was costly in terms of time and lives to put the Democrats in power who would be amiable to the end of the war, even if it meant a defeat for the Union while expelling the hated Lincoln from the scene.

162 years later Iran and the Democrats have the exact same game plan.

Iran has been creative in their use of drones in order to try and overwhelm US capabilities and to strike (with aid & intelligence from Russia & China) bases in the middle east and the Houthi’s moves against the Saudi’s can drive the price of gas up but in the end Iran can only resupply by land and very slowly, they can’t sell their oil to get hard cash, their tankers which are not being blockaded find themselves venerable to the US navy at sea. What’s left of their air force is currently on the ground in Pakistan to avoid destruction, their navy HAS been destroyed & their army dare not move against US bases in the area for fear of being desiccated, that is even if they could manage the logistics to move, supply and feed their forces.

For all their loud talk and big treats they are unable to do much to wit:

Four days later no missiles are heading to Israel, which is just as well as Israel are much less reluctant to hit Iranian targets in Iran as we are and could even decide to go after the Houthis (although I suspect they will make the Saudi’s ask for the help or to sign the Abraham Accords before they do). Iran can basically hunker down and take it, but they can do one other thing, STALL.

Iran knows there is an American election in less than 60 days. Iran also knows that Democrats hate Donald Trump much more than they love America (at least among the minority of Democrats who do according to pols). They know that the Democrat left will do all they can to have the war end in an American defeat & will advance propaganda to that effect. If they can keep the price of gas high enough and create enough economic cost they hope to cause President Trump to end the stranglehold on the nation giving them a chance to rebuild. It will take years to do so, but that’s better than the Islamic republic falling.

In 1864 the Army of the Potomac had a ton of votes and despite the Democrat nominee being their beloved first commander who treated them well they voted enmasse for Abraham Lincoln and came from people all over the nation. In my city of Fitchburg which was still a town at the time of the war, a book on Fitchburg’s service members needed many many pages to list them all. They knew what they were fighting for

Today those in the service & who have served know what Iran is and who the enemy is, but they are a tiny minority of the country.

So it will be up to the non-serving members of the public, if Iran will be more successful than the Confederates.

May we as a nation have the wisdom to see things as they are.

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