Category Archives: America

07/13/21

Death in the Age of COVID

Any discussion about COVID eventually devolves to death.

In the beginning, a lot of morons were predicting 2-3,000,000 US deaths from COVID. They were, in many instances, smart people who extrapolated very sketchy data to absurd conclusions. I don’t think they intended to mislead, but many of them were alarmists.

That obviously did not happen.

I also heard a lot of folks who said things like:

“Total deaths in the US went down during the time of COVID.”

“Every death is being characterized as COVID related because of funding implications.”

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07/4/21

Audacity, American Audacity

God bless America. Today, we celebrate American audacity — the willingness to take bold risks in the face of fatal outcomes. It is a characteristic of a man not all men possess.

More than 245 years ago, a handful of American men decided they had had enough preditations from an English king who possessed the largest and most powerful army and navy in the world to enforce his edicts against his subjects.

After careful deliberations, these audacious men declared independence from their king deciding that their rights were “unalienable” and were granted by God and that the power of governments should be derived from those who consented to be governed — not from kings.

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06/28/21

Patriotism, Nationalism — Explained

Having a chat with a chap — a great patriot by the way who served our nation with great distinction — the other day and we got wrapped in our underwear as to the implications of patriotism versus nationalism as it is used today in the national dialog.

What is patriotism, Big Red Car?

The first recorded use of the word in North America goes back to the early 1700s and became relevant to the Colonies in the 1770s when it was used to describe those men who would ultimately fight a war of revolution, a war of independence, against the British Crown who commanded the largest army and navy in the world at that time.

A patriot and his horse. General George Washington, later our first and second Presidents, was considered the finest horseman in the Colonies. He said his black manservant, William “Billy” Lee, was the better horseman and he, Geo Washington, was Number Two.

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06/17/21

Thoughts On Voting

Chap sent me a thought provoking article on the state of voting in the United States. Thanks, GW. Here are the thoughts it provoked in the engine of your Big Red Car:

 1. One person. One vote. Verify the person. Authenticate the vote.

This line above is what honest people want as it relates to American elections.

If someone argues that any of those four tenets are erroneous, be suspicious. It is basic stuff like cornbread.

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06/16/21

The Return to Eating Out

COVID knocked the snot out of the restaurant business and folks have been holding their breath to see the pace at which the industry returns now that places like Texas are fully open. I have some good news:

 1. Texas is seeing some “make up” or “revenge” dining out with the rate of Yelp related reservations showing a 2X increase versus pre-COVID.

This is a stock photo. Notice the watermark. I stole it from the Internet. It is owned by Depositphotos. Please do not report me.

That is so high it is hard to believe, but call a restaurant in Austin and good luck getting a reservation.

 2. California is reporting a full recovery to pre-COVID rates of eating out. Again, my source is a report from Yelp.

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06/13/21

Milestones

So, your Big Red Car is back out on the breakfast, coffee, and lunch circuit — no dinners, please — re-making the network that was stilled by the COVID circus. Texas is fully open, more than it ever was because folks are making up for lost time.

The other day I meet up with a pal — in the garden behind Texas French Bread over by the University of Texas, one of my secret meeting places — and we chat not having seen each other in more than a year.

We are the kind of pals that can and do say anything to each other without worrying if some snowflake will melt. It is a refreshing and candid exchange as we both share similar backgrounds: trade school grads, military service, entrepreneurs, builders, fathers, grandfathers, and we both used to swim long distances at Barton Springs once upon the day.

Barton Springs Pool | Austin, TX

Barton Springs — a quarter mile, up and back. The springs discharges 31,000,000 gallons a day of 63-67F water (once it was as high as 85,000,000 during a period of heavy rain). It is pure and you can swim up and back undisturbed. It is a treasure, especially on a hot Texas day when a mile will lower your core body temperature so much that you turn off the AC.

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06/11/21

The US Army Budget Under President Biden

It is not difficult to understand the Biden approach to governance and the military priorities of his administration if one studies the Biden FY 2022 budget submittal — made late on a Friday night before an extended holiday weekend because it is not something they are proud of.

I focus solely on the US Army budget because it is the easiest to decipher and unpack, and it is a clear indication of the Biden military intentions.

Some background

During the Obama – Biden administration, the US Army was decimated. It was neglected and put the US in a dangerous posture.

During the last year of the Obama – Biden admin, the US Army reported only 3 of 58 brigade combat teams as combat ready.

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06/11/21

Yes, We Have No Bananas

COVID got me eating way more produce — fruits and vegetables — and cooking a lot more with fresh ingredients — both good things.

I am quite the guacamole chef these days — as evidenced by direct testimony from a native who has been involved with my family (raised my children?) for decades. She said, “Oh, BRC, this is very good guac. You are part Mexican?”

Guacamole is healthy as Hell. I like mine spicy so there are jalapenos, red pepper flakes, and Sirachi plus cumin and cilantro.

I asked her not to spare me her criticism and she says it is “good” which is like winning the bloody Medal of Freedom. Thank you.

But what I really have learned is how damn extraordinary the supply of fruits and vegetables is in America (or is it just Austin By God Texas?).

Here is the banana display at Central Market, 1.2 miles from the domicile of the Big Red Car.

Image

You will note that the Central Market bananas are presented — like an art gallery, really — from least ripe to most ripe — green on the right to more yellow/brown on the left. In this manner when I am instructed to pick up “some” bananas I also get explicit instructions as to their degree of ripeness.

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