As we end this week, are we better than last?
Jim Thompson
By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist
Celebrations
Artemis II is on its way home from a successful mission.
We successfully rescued a downed U.S. pilot in enemy territory.
We haven’t blown Iran to smithereens (yet).
Concerns
We may still blow Iran to smithereens.
There are a number of left-wing groups in this country with the stated purpose of causing a revolution that were making noise this week.
Discussion
As I stated last week, Artemis II gives me a thrill as from days of old. I saw a comparison of two events this week.
Artemis II was kicked off around 2017 and carries a tab of $4 billion. The California high-speed rail project was kicked off around 1996, has not laid one foot of track yet, and is now estimated to cost $126 billion. Obviously, if they have not laid any track, they have not carried any passengers.
If you have not read up on the pilot rescue, you should. Using techniques developed by the CIA, we pinpointed his location by listening for his heartbeat from a long distance away. Simply amazing.
Meanwhile, the Democrats have criticized the amount of equipment we lost to make this rescue. Helps me understand their position on abortion. Life is always worth more than physical assets.
While I am happy in the near term, I lack optimism for Iran in the future. Have you read Iran’s 10 demands? We may still need to render them inert. They still seem to be entirely untrustworthy. Kudos to President Trump for finally – after 47 years – drawing a line in the sand.
Finally, the consortium of groups that have pulled off the “No Kings” protest are well funded, well organized and intent on destroying our current form of government.
This is not the relatively tame protests we saw back in the 1960s. This is far more serious. Their next protest day is May 1, the traditional communist recognition day worldwide. It doesn’t stop there. They have serious activities planned through the 2028 presidential election, which, if they have their way, will be the last one.
Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.