I was really surprised…kinda…

Caution: Sarcasm Alert !  

I looked over our small emergency fund that is about 60% in stock based mutual funds. I wrote a little bit about it here < click here > By the time I was done looking over the results since the Donnie-Iran War I wasn’t thrilled. It lost a bunch of value since the war broke out. So I was thinking…if we lost value (i.e. value) what about all investors in general, how much value have they lost.

So I did my research and found out how much value each major stock exchange loses for each percentage drop in its index. I looked at the DOW, the S&P, and the Nasdaq. Investors have lost a combined total of slightly over $3,000,000,000,000. Yeah, that’s 3trillion dollar loss of value to investors due directly to the war. Nice, about $130billion loss per day on average.

Then I was thinking about Pentagon Pete (PP) asking mom and dad for a raise in his allowance for more killing and destroying. So PP asks for $200billion more dollars for bombs and bullets to destroy more stuff around the middle-east and kill more people in Iran…hopefully not more young school girls. I decided to run some of those numbers…

As of March 21st, the war has cost the US about $100billion dollars in the lead up to the war and an additional $20billion per week for three weeks of actual warfare. That comes to about $160billion dollars to date. $160billion that the US government didn’t have to spend…and was added to the national debt. Which debt generations of our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be paying interest on…about $8 – $9billion per year for 30 years…or longer. On Mach 19th Department of War Hegseth requested an additional $200billion in war funding. That too will be added to the national debt and create another $10billion per year in interest that our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will be paying interest on for 30 years…or longer.

To date, the direct cost of the war is about $900billion in principle and interest over the next 30 years…nearly $3,000 per man, woman, child, and infant in the United States.

Let’s talk food…The price of fertilizer that farmers use to grow food to feed us is up 25% since the war was started. Fuel in our area is up 46%…you know, the stuff that tractors need to plant crops. But I’m sure those cost increases won’t show up in the grocery stores…nah.

FedEx and UPS have both announced increases in fuel surcharges since the war. But I’m sure that won’t drive the cost of everything up.

But flying will be much cheaper…right? Ah, no. Major airlines have all announced ticket price increases…anywhere from $50 – $300 per flight. But, don’t worry…in addition to ticket price increases some major airlines such as United are just canceling flights period…like 5% of all flights. May not sound like much but that means about 150 fewer flights a day just for United. What does this mean in real terms? For United alone…$11billion in added expense just for jet fuel this year.

In personal terms…last night a couple came over for dinner. She work about 1-hour away, 4 days a week. Calculating the miles to/from work, vehicle MPG, number of days worked per month, and 46% spike in fuel costs locally…yeah, it comes out to more than $100 per month for gas since the war started. Yeah…she is wondering why they voted America First.

So tell me again…How do all these horrific numbers economic numbers Make America Great Again…or put American First? The US economy takes a hit of trillions and trillions of dollars…yup…Make America Great Again!!

Oh, and these are just the numbers since the BiBi-Donnie War started. Since Jan 2025…yeah, all the economic numbers are worse…and getting worse.

But not to worry…this is just the first 14 months of this new MAGA / AF adventure…we still have 34 more months to go. Should be an interesting ride. Hope you are preparing for it.

Dang it…back in 2024 I started my own cryptocurrency company and my family made billions by now. And then last year and this year I had my golf club company go into the drone manufacturing business and about to sell 100’s of millions of  dollars worth of drones to the government. Oh wait…that wasn’t my family…some other family business beat me to it…

 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
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without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
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I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
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A story of an elderly couple…

I had the opportunity to get to know some elderly folks lately who are in their 70’s and how their life is financially right now. It was sad for them…but encouraging for preppers in a way.

For about 5 years they were paying their bills but little left over to do anything significant with.


Let me explain…

  • They are mortgage free,
  • They are mostly debt free,
  • They own their two older vehicles outright,
  • They have a small emergency fund,
  • They rarely, very rarely, eat out,
  • The live on two social security checks…one from each of them,
  • The don’t live anywhere near what anyone would consider extravagant. I would say they live very modestly.

So what’s the problem? They simply can’t get by anymore. Their living expenses have now surpassed their social security checks. It has gotten to the point where they are now eating their food storage…and not replacing it…as of the first of March.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for food rose by 3.1% from December 2024 to December 2025. Common grocery items have risen between 7 – 30% in the last year. But there’s more that was affecting them they said. To check it out I ran some numbers…

The picture for them became pretty clear…they are hurting. Their financial situation might not be dire but it is tenuous. I asked them why did they start eating their food storage. They explained to me that they had acquired a couple of years worth of food storage over the years, a pretty well-rounded food storage overall. They had designated it in groupings for “emergencies, disasters, and grid-down”. Yup, they follow my website. They told me they had hit an “emergency” point…they simply were running out of money at the end of the moth. While it was not a huge amount, they felt that eating some of their food storage would “ease the pain” financially…leaving them another $100 or so more at the end of the month.

They had already started frequenting a local food bank when there was free bread available. And occasionally they were getting free meals at a local senior citizen center.

The more they talked the more upset – depressed – angry – stressed – disappointed – I got. Here are a couple of elderly folks, worked their whole life, paid into the system, played by the rules, supported their government (local, state, and federal), did everything that was asked of them…and here they are…eating their food storage.

Now, I commend them for taking proactive steps prior to their food storage usage. I also praise them for having food storage to use. Where would they be without it? Well, I did some more research…there are 50million people in the US that are “food insecure”…about 13% of US families can’t afford a reasonable amount of food for a decent diet.

Then I decided to look at the US poverty stats. The poverty level in the US is about $1,330 per month. Guess how many US citizens live at or below the poverty level? 11% of the US population. So I decided to double that amount of monthly income…$2,600 per month…to see what happened. Guess how many families live on $2,600 per month or less? Approximately 30% of US families!!! Think about that for a minute…could you live on $2,600 per month for your family?

I was…am…sick to my stomach over this. Especially, this couple whom I know personally, eating their food storage to keep their heads above water financially. Then again…the numbers are all showing that the economics in the US are bad, have been bad, and are getting worse…really worse. And to make things even worse…the longer the war goes on the worse it could get exponentially…or collapse altogether.

Here is what I am going to ask of you…

First off, let me explain something, two years ago we were helping feed 3 related families here locally. We provided them large amounts of fresh produce and fruit from our glamstead. Their need was brought to our attention and we responded. However, we found out in the fall that their situation was not nearly as bad as was represented to us. A family member was a retired professional and was able to provide all the financial assistance needed…they didn’t need our food. We kinda got suckered a little bit…lesson learned.

So last year we donated all our extra produce to a local senior center that provides meals to seniors and food boxes to the elderly. It went directly to those in need and was gratefully accepted. We will do the same this year.

Additionally, this year we provided raspberry and blackberry starts to several families in our immediate area. I also started way more seedlings that what we intend to plant in our raised beds, there will be about  4 or 5 dozen extra vegetable plants that we will give away so people can grow their own food. Also, any additional produce and fruit will go to the senior center again.

The request…I am asking you to do something similar if you at all can:

  • Give away any extra starter plants you might have,
  • Donate extra produce and fruit that you grow,
  • Donate money and/or canned goods to food banks,
  • Donate clothing and household items to church’s and other organizations that provide those items to families in need.

There are large number of families, including those with children, that need help…serious help, real help. We live in terrible economic times but some of us are blessed…some with extra money, some with excess orchard and garden produce, some with time. Please donate whatever you can to whomever you can.

The government is not coming to save anyone. We must rely on and save each other.

1 Corinthians 13 : 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

Please, please…people need your help…people need your love…people need your charity. Have faith…help them.

 

 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
See Content Use Policy for more information.

> > WARNING : Expanding War & False Flags & Worse

I started writing this articled last Wednesday, it was mostly done by Friday. But, events were changing rapidly and several pieces of the puzzle I couldn’t verify at the time. I decided to allow events to unfold over the weekend to allow more clarity and verification. I cannot stress enough the peril we face as a world due to this war. The escalation has been obvious and the desire to escalate even more is rampant. I would encourage you to keep aware of what is happening and the decisions being made…and why the decisions are being made. This war could take a huge turn for the worse over night…or quicker…and could send the world down a path that it could not recover from.


The Iranian War is expanding and worsening…that is an understatement. While the initial war was USA and Israeli forces bombing Iran, the conflict has now expanded to the entire middle-east region and beyond. Further, the expansion of that war and associated violence now threatens US soil in two ways. One of which we’ve already seen…domestic terror attacks on US soil by lone-wolves.

General Background –

The United States has interfered in Iranian domestic affairs for close to 100 years. Covert and direct military and intelligence service actions have included assassinations of Iran’s political, government, and religious leaders, inciting riots, bombings of military and civilian targets, and installation of pro-US leadership…and lately regime change. Israel has been even more active in these areas in conjunction with, and at times independent of, the US. As a result Iran considers the US an enemy and considers Israel a bitter enemy that should be eliminated.

In response to Iran’s attacks against its country and people by Israeli and US forces, Iran has conducted operations against facilities and forces from both countries. Iran has attacked Israel directly and through proxies causing considerable death and destruction in Israel. Iran, while not conducting operations against the US on US soil, has conducted military operations against the US, mostly via proxies, on US facilities and personnel located in middle-eastern countries. Iran’s current attacks, mostly missiles and drones, have become increasingly effective in defeating air-defenses and have inflicted significant destruction and causalities.

Current Situation –

A state of war exists between Iran, including proxies, and Israel and the USA. However, in an effort to influence a wider negative opinion of the war, Iran has struck other middle-east countries (14 countries +/-). Iran has been successful in widening the war and the US has been unsuccessful in stopping Iran from doing so. Further, Israel has also expanded the war to include attacking Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen and now Qatar.

According to US officials, including Trump himself, the two objectives of initiating the war were; 1) regime change, 2) eliminate the ability of Iran to produce a nuclear weapon. As of March 13th, there has been a regime change, but worsening to a more hard-line anti-American/anti-Israeli leader. Also, there is no fact-based indication whatsoever that despite intensive bombing of Iran, no degradation of Iran’s nuclear weapon’s material or potential has occurred. Why do we know that? First, Trump claimed that last summer US and Israeli forces “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear stockpiles and nuclear weaponry capabilities. Second, there has been no verifiable and valid intelligence that any nuclear program facilities, weaponry, or equipment has been destroyed since the war started…or that it existed immediately prior to the US and Israel starting the war.

While the US has destroyed much of Iran’s military capability (i.e. navy and air-force), Iran is still waging a highly effective drone and military campaign against middle-eastern countries. The toll on Israel has been especially devastating in breadth and depth. Media reports of the attacks, air-defense defeats, infrastructure damage, and civilian/military causalities in Israel have been highly censored and limited by the Israeli government. Unofficial reports put casualties in the high hundreds to the low thousands; some reports are much higher.

Projections & Predictions –

To win this war Iran must simply survive with its regime (in general terms) intact. In other words, an anti-American/anti-Israel Iranian government in-place post-war. And so far it is succeeding in that goal. Further, based on the US stated goals, the US is not winning the war. Iran is still capable of, and continuing, to attack middle-eastern countries with drones and missiles destroying a wide range of targets.

Despite spending 10’s of billions of dollars in high-tech weaponry and 10’s of billions of dollars in additional direct and indirect military costs, the US has not achieved its goals. It may yet do so, but has not yet done so. Israel’s goals are not publicly stated but it is well-known that Israel would like to see the country of Iran eliminated or degraded to the point of Iran being a virtual non-entity in regional geopolitical terms.

In terms of raw devastation…Iran is clearly receiving the worst of destruction. Although, Iran is delivering billions of dollars of damage to regional infrastructure, primarily oil and gas related. However, Iran and its allies are “pounding” Israel with missiles and drone virtually 24/7 with devastating effect. With each passing day the ability of the US and Israel forces to intercept and destroy incoming drones and missiles is degrading. Further, the price of crude oil is up almost 50% resulting in trillions of dollars of damage to the global economy. Locally US gas prices are up nearly $1 per gallon resulting in 10’s of billions of dollars of damage to the US economy. In our area gas is up well over $1.00 per gallon.

When viewed in total context, based on self-identified goals, Iran is not losing the war and the US/Israel are not winning the war. Iran is being devastated via bombings from US/Israelis forces, but middle-eastern countries are receiving significant damage, especially Israel. However, Iran is inflicting far greater economic damage worldwide in economic terms. And therein lies the foundation of the greater threat.

There is a potential change that could occur. It appears that Trump has ordered the last piece of the puzzle for a ground invasion and occupation of Iran. Last week it was reported that additional Marine landing force was deployed to the region. It is not confirmed, but numerous reports indicate that Trump does intend to land US troops in Iran and occupy that country. If that is attempted it will become a huge and devastating defeat for the US. Two weeks ago Trump himself said he would not rule out US troops in Iran.

Greater Threat –

Israel will not tolerate losing the war with Iran. If Israel becomes too threatened with losing the war or excessive destruction its infrastructure, Israel will do whatever it has takes to prevent that. Iran will not voluntarily accept a surrender; it may be forced to but that may not be possible. The US will likely lose the war in “real terms” while maintaining a facade of victory. But an actual US victory is highly unlikely. Despite spending 10’s of trillions of dollars and incurring 10’s of thousands of causalities the US lost both the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War.

Based on the above, there are four truly grave threats facing the American people on US soil right now:

    1. Iran/Islam sympathizers committing lone-wolf attacks on US soil,
    2. Iran state-sponsored attack(s) on US soil,
    3. False flag attacks carried out by Israel’s Mossad or US’s CIA personnel or contractors,
    4. The use of nuclear weapons.

While a case could be made that there have already been multiple attacks on US soil by Iranian and/or Islamic sympathizers, it’s not on the scale I am referring to. I am thinking more along the lines of a 9/11 or potentially somewhat smaller by state-sponsored cells. The intention of such an attack would be two-fold; 1) hurt Americans to show Iranian reach, 2) influence American citizenry opinion to stop the war. Both goals would probably be achieved with such an incident.

Both Mossad and the CIA have a long history of carrying out horrific acts of violence against civilian targets, including false flag events. The objective of a false flag would have two entirely different objectives depending on who carried out the incident. Israel’s goal, if the false flag attack occurred on US soil, would be to drag America further into the war and deepen US commitment of resources and desire to destroy Iran, thus allowing Israel to further its objectives in Lebanon, Gaza, and the wider middle-east region. However, Israel may also wish to expand the war exponentially. To do so all it would have to do is destroy, or severely damage, the Al-Aqsa mosque (Dome of the Rock) in Jerusalem. That event would rally virtually all of Islam against Israel and create a world war almost overnight.

It is not out of the realm of possibility that Iran itself would attack the Al-Aqsa mosque (trying to blame Israel) to rally Islamic countries to fight against Israel. However, it would be highly risky for Iran to do so and is highly improbable that they would take that chance.

Israel has nuclear weapons. Israel will not allow a military defeat at the hands of Iran. Israel would use nuclear weapons to prevent such a defeat. The US has one of the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons in the world. The US has used nuclear weapons before in war. Last Wednesday Trump himself indirectly, but clearly indicated, that a nuclear option was on the table “They literally would never be able to build that country back.” And Trump said he could do so “within an hour”.

Warning –

This warning has three parts:

      1. Avoid potential physical harm to yourself and your family,
      2. Do not be deceived,
      3. Prepare for the worst possible scenario.

At this point I am advising everyone to stay away from any large gathering, especially rallies or political events. The larger the city the more likely the city, or an event in it, would be a target. The threat could be anything from a bombing to a lone individual with a knife. City subways would probably be the most likely physical location for an individual to strike due to the concentration of people and inability to quickly flee.

As of today there have only been lone-wolf attacks by Iranian and Islamic sympathizers on US soil. We could shortly see attacks by Iranian state-sponsored forces that are already in the country. Such incidents could be major in causing significant damage and casualties.

The purpose of a false flag event is to motivate an emotion based reaction. Such a reaction would be mostly void of logic or clear thinking of what actually happened, why it happened, and who was behind it. False flag events are highly effective tools of government, including the US government. Be wary of reacting too quickly regarding any incident. Use critical thinking, avoid an emotional response, and do not respond without taking the time to think through what happened. To better understand any incident an excellent question to ask, “Who actually benefits the most from the reaction to the incident?”

The only thing worse than a potential false flag at the hands of the CIA or Massad is the constant stream of propaganda coming out of Washington. It is almost inconceivable that the White House actually thinks US citizens believes the propaganda in terms of the war and the economy. There will a core group of individuals that will believe all of it…and then there will be the majority that know better. As of today, by a wide margin, US citizens disapprove of the war with Iran…and a sizable majority of US citizens disapprove of the Trump’s performance as President. So even the White House propaganda is not working as well as they had hoped.

There is an intangible concern as well…Trump.

    • Last week when asked when the US would know they won the war. Trump’s response “When I feel it my bones.” Any military person, first responder, etc. knows that is indicative of a very dangerous and ineffective leader. An effective and competent leader clearly identifies “Leader’s Intent” and “What success looks like.”
    • Trump has made a threat to use nuclear weapons against Iran.
    • There are a few more but I have deleted them to avoid distractions.
Outlier –
    1. During Trump’s first term he called cryptocurrency a fraud and nothing but thin air. In 2024 the Trump family started a cryptocurrency company. Since then the Trump family has made a billion dollars off of their cryptocurrency company and grown their net worth by several more billion dollars from their cryptocurrency company. And after Trump’s election for his second term he announced that the US government would start a reserve fund…buying cryptocurrency.
    2. The Trump family has deep business interest in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Total actual dollar value is unknown but estimated to be in the billions. In 2024 alone the Trump family business made $50million in profit from just Saudi Arabia. The value of, and profit from, Trump family business in the United Arab Emirates has been tightly held secret. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are sworn enemies of Iran.
    3. The Trump family business has been in negotiations to begin real estate business ventures in Israel…since 2024.
    4. Early last month, prior to the war in Iran, a Trump family business (JFB Construction) partnered with an Israeli drone manufacturer (XTEND).
    5. Last week a Trump family business (Aureus Greenway) merged with a drone company (Powerus). Prior to the merger with Powerus, Aureus Greenway was a golf club maker company. Along with the merger, a government contract with the Pentagon to supply drones will be sought.

What does this tell you? Think about it…what do you see here? What does your gut tell you?

Summary –

The Iran War is the single greatest threat to the world in the last 80 years, and I include the Cuban Missile Crisis in that statement. You have two radical, deeply committed, countries directly at war with each other, they are bitter enemies and have been so for thousands of years…Iran and Israel. You have the US backing Israel because it has no choice, Israel started the war and dragged the US into it. Granted, Trump was looking for another bite at the apple. The greatest threat is two countries have nuclear weapons, the third might have.

While the US would likely not use a nuclear weapon against Iran, it is not out of the question, especially considering Trump’s recent threat. Remember, the US is the only country who has actually used nuclear weapons in war. It would be far more likely that Israel or Iran would use a nuclear weapon.

Israel would go nuclear if it felt it would lose the war and be regionally dominated by Iran. Or, if Israel began receiving intolerable destruction within its borders. Israel has a radical government in control and is unpredictable to what extent they might go to militarily. Iran has a radical Islamic government in control. There are indications that they would unleash nuclear weapons against Israel simply to eliminate Israel from a religious perspective (if they have nuclear weapons). Iran has a core group of religious leaders that feel an apocalypse would usher in a TEOTWAWKI religious event that they actually look forward to.

There is no end in sight for this war from the perspective of Iran or Israel…it has been going on for a very long time and shows no sign of ending any time soon. I simply can’t imagine Israel surrendering to the Iran…nor Iran surrendering to Israel.

The US could tire of the war, or rather Americans would tire of the war; already more than half of Americans object to the war. So the US could discontinue its part in the war by simply saying “we won” and withdrawing. However, this is unlikely due to Trump’s vision of himself and his view of the US in global terms. If the Republicans lose both houses of Congress in the mid-term elections, which appears highly likely, Trump could be forced to stop the war. But at this point…the war is devastating the middle-east, virtually destroying Iran, severely damaging parts of Israel. Globally, the financial impact is bad and getting worse by the day. This larger impact could jeopardize the entire world economy…and that is a possible event…meaning collapse.

There is also the “China Unknown”. No one knows what China might do as the war drags on. If China sees an opportunity and becomes aggressive to regain Taiwan the world will change beyond measure.

Be warned…become prepared.

If you are already prepared…become better prepared.

Just a thought for you today…

“We are a warlike people, easily distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of the Lord. When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone and steel—ships, planes, missiles, fortifications—and depend on them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become antienemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of Satan’s counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the Savior’s teaching:

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:44–45.)”

President Spencer W. Kimball, June 1976

 

 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
See Content Use Policy for more information.

Beck, Carlson, Kelly, Levin, Fuentes, Hannity, Bannon, Shapiro…

There has been a huge dust-up as of late between right-wing media personalities…and it is exposing yet another serious problem…the further fracturing of America.

Well, technically Tucker Carlson is not right-wing media…he is squarely an “independent” and/or “libertarian” from everything I see. So let’s get him out of the mix right now…and not surprisingly he has become a main target of those on the far right…especially the radical pro-war right. I guess that is what happens when you ask too many serious questions that challenge power. You know, the whole “truth to power” thing.

My point…all of the above media personalities used to be pretty much on the same page in many respects…some differences but no real vitriolic “combat” over the airwaves. But those days are gone; not surprising in this day and age.

Here is my opinion if you are interested…

  • The USA-Iran War has divided these folks into two distinct groups…pro-war & anti-war.
  • There were some rumblings before, but it has also split the group into those who are radically pro-Trump and those who question some of his decisions.
  • And clearly there are now two groups with those who are radically pro-Israel and those who question Israel’s significant, maybe wholly inappropriate, influence both in Congress and the White House.

How do you know who to believe in the media?

Look to God and His son Jesus Christ. What do they advocate? What principles do they outline for guides to live by?

Look to our Founders and their beliefs and the founding principles of the United States. You either abide by and believe in them or not.

Look to commonsense…who is providing commonsense information and asking commonsense questions?

Look at who are advocating, and in some cases, rejoicing in war, death, and destruction. Look who uses positive terms, and in some cases rejoicing in bombs & missiles raining down on countries, even civilians.

Look at who are justifying war, regime change, and worst of all…justifying the deaths of American military personnel in foreign wars.

Some of the folks who I mentioned earlier have become Trump boot-lickers and war mongers advocates. Ironically, the one who has changed the most to a war/death/destruction advocate and worshiping Trump used to be a decent, thoughtful Christian advocating what America should be. Kinda like a former Norman Rockwell media personality…now little more than a softer version of Joseph Goebbels. (I probably have to repent of that one.)

Think to yourself…who is supporting and/or advocating for the USA-Iran War. Then ask yourself this…Has Iran ever attacked USA’s shores? If I remember correctly, the only time Iran has struck against the USA in any significant way is overseas; as in a US presence overseas such as US military bases and US forces waging war overseas. Think about that for a minute. Then ask yourself this…if the Founding Fathers didn’t want us fighting other country’s wars, didn’t want us in entangling alliances, and if the USA was minding its own business here at home…would Iran ever had harmed a single hair on a US citizen’s head in the last 40 years?

I am not a fan of Iran. Nor am I an anti-Semite. And I am clearly not anti-America or a US apologist. But I feel I can see the blatant difference between truth and lies. And I for sure can spot propaganda pretty easily…especially when it is promoting war. I guess for me it boils down to this:

  • Would God and Jesus Christ be an advocate for bombing, destroying, and killing…especially young school girls? They are not unfortunate collateral damage…they are dead children.
  • Would our Founding Fathers support the same when the country we are destroying and whose citizens we are killing is no true threat to our own country?
  • Would our Founders want us fighting an offensive war on behalf of another country?

Then I guess that begs the question…Should I listen to the people and believe the words from them who do support and advocate those things?

This is a major shift in the political climate of the United States…a further fracturing of our citizenry. Further alienating otherwise decent folks from each other…with words now, possibly soon to be actual violence. And have no doubt…this is ensuring a sweeping Republican Party defeat in November. Shame.

Realize that the vast majority of, 30% more, Americans object to the war. It’s mostly just the hardcore right-wing, with a few RINOs, who are supporting the war, the bombing, the destruction, the killing, including the death of children in some 16 middle-east countries. Odd, isn’t the right-wing supposed to be the party of moral people, Christians, those who believe in and advocate for God?

What would Jesus have us do? Who would Jesus have us listen to?

Some might even call this a separating the wheat from the chaff. Not me. I think it is more likely a confusion of principles vs propaganda. Whatever it is…the damage is being done; probably irreversible damage. The damage being done in the same area where the world’s three major religions originated. Ironic.


Mathew 5: 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

 

 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
See Content Use Policy for more information.

Is it just me???

This morning, for obvious reasons, I kinda looked back over the last year…informally. And I realized that the USA is now bombing, attacking, overthrowing, invading, or forcing regime change every couple of months. Hummmmm…….Kinda like we are a warlike, war-loving bunch of people, eh?

And that is not including threatening violence against, and taking over, a country that is supposedly a US ally.

Oh, I forgot the nearly $200BILLION since January 2025 in aid to Ukraine for their war against Russia. Interestingly…that figure comes from the Council on Foreign Relations. Yup, if anyone knows about war, death, and destruction…it would be the CFR.

Oh, then there is the $20BILLION since January 2025 in aid to Israel for their “war” in Gaza.

Is it just me, or maybe we are proving him right…

Ever wonder what we could accomplish if we just minded our own business, stopped being war-mongers, and spent all that money on our own country? You know…like our Founding Fathers wanted us to.

So…is it just me? Well…

  • Less than 30% of Americans support military action against Iran
  • Only 33% of Americans supported the attack on Venezuela
  • Only 32% of Americans support Israel’s war against Gaza
  • Only 17% of Americans supported “taking” Greenland

Notice the 30 – 33% figure? Seems as if there are a bunch of war-mongers in the USA. Then again…maybe that is just the ones who benefit from the military-industrial complex making trillions off of bullets, bombs, missiles, fighter jets, tanks, etc..

But my real question…if the vast majority…at least 2-to-1…object to the US loving war and interfering in the world with sovereign nations…why do we have leadership (for the last 80 years) that goes against the will of the people? Or is that just a question that should never be asked? Shut-up…go along…salute the flag…don’t question leadership…just fall in line…mind my own business.

Ain’t “1984” a wonderful place to live !

Note for you poll numbers folks (4 days ago)…“Almost 70 percent of Americans say President Trump is not paying enough attention to the country’s most important problems.”


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 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
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without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
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I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
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Getting the glamstead ready for 2026…

Garden –

Here it is mid-February and I am pumped! Last week I planted my first seeds; a bunch sprouted within 4 days, even more now 8 days later. I have every variety of tomatoes up and growing…all looking good! Early Girl leading the way but the others are looking good too. My cantaloupe seeds have gone to town! Hale’s Best really looking amazing, but Hearts of Gold showing respectably.

Why start em so soon? Our growing season. We can have a frost as late as last of May, but normally about mid-April. But here is the kicker…we get hot by late-May and boiling in June. Most of the tomatoes kinda back off by then and everything else slows down with the exception of onions and peppers…and of course zucchini. Beans do fine as well, especially the Anasazi beans. So I have to get the tomatoes up and growing early so I am planting mature plants by a safe date in April. Yup, I cover them if a frost is expected.

Fortunately when our rains come in July the temps back off a bit and everything then takes off big time. But by September we could be looking at hail…and frost by late September or early October. I’ve learned that getting seeds in early and caring for them to maturity by mid-April is a must to maximize garden production. Next week I will get some Big Jim peppers seeds going inside. I over-wintered 4 Big Jims for the first time. I will update you on the success of that effort.

About 10 days ago I got the first load of salad greens in a south garden raised bed (12’x3’). I would have planted in a north garden bed but the dirt was still frozen. I checked yesterday and I think it is thawed enough that maybe later this week I can get a round of greens in it as well. The southern bed will be done by late March or early April. The northern bed will last until early – mid-May because it is shaded by the house.

Fresh salad greens are amazing!!!! So much tastier and flavorful than store bought.

Orchard –

I finished up all my tree pruning in January, the trees all look amazing! The older peach and apple trees (4 years old) are full of new growth and their trunks are 4” – 6” in diameter. Yeah, all it takes here is great amended soil and lots and lots of water. Last year I planted two more cherry trees, a date tree, and my favorite…a “fruit cocktail” tree. Yeah, it has 3 separate parts of the same tree; peach, plum, and apricot. For all four new trees I got their outer irrigation ring dug and mulched in…and plumbed.

And for all 14 fruit trees I was able to finally get each one’s entire irrigation ring topped off with wood chips about 3″ – 4” deep. That should really help with water retention and soil temperature control this year.

The cherry tree from two years ago that had half of it die got operated on. In early January I cut off the dead 2nd trunk and sealed the cut face. As of yesterday it looks great with plenty of new growth showing sings of healthy life. I was worried about it…I love Bing sweet cherries and didn’t want to lose two years waiting for a new tree to take its place. Hopefully the two older cherry trees will produce this year. Last year one of the trees produced 4 cherries…yum!! More this year? Keep your fingers crossed.

I am also doing something kinda weird this year in the orchard. Our ground is fine red sand with little, mostly no, organic matter. It has become compacted and doesn’t handle rain well…it runs off for the most part. And since there is virtually no grass, the sun bakes the ground raising the soil temps too much. So, I’ve started covering the ground in between the tree irrigation rings with pine needles about 2” – 4” deep. That should help the soil immensely. Last year I added a soil conditioner (fertilizer & microbes) plus gypsum along with some organic matter and disc’d that in well with the tractor. Then added a bit more organic fertilized and a little more soil conditioner and rotor-tilled that in about 10″ deep. That made a big difference. Hopefully, with that work and the added layer of pine needles the orchard will be a far better environment for the fruit trees.

The one unknown and potential downside to the orchard might be 3 apple trees. I think I wrote about it before. Three years ago a neighbor was planting a large orchard…120 trees. He had 4 leftover apple trees that he gave me. I have no idea what variety they are. I potted one and gave it away a year ago, the other 3 went into the ground. They have done okay, nothing special. No blossoms last year…my trees did super well. So I decided that if these 3 trees show no blossoms this year…they get pulled pulled out next winter and replaced in the spring with new trees from a local nursery.

Pine Meadow(s) –

Our southern pine meadow is doing great! All the trees look healthy and growing nicely. I learned an important lesson…don’t waste time on seedlings. I planted some first and second year seedling trees last year…they look okay…nothing special…very slow growth.

On the other hand, I planted some more mature trees, 2’ – 3’ tall. They look fantastic and are doing really well. So this spring when the northern pine meadow gets planted I will spend the extra money and plant the more mature trees…only 7 of them. The meadows are small.

The new trees will need holes dug and that is always a pain. I wrote about it before…holes are at least 3’ deep and 3’ in diameter…most of the time they are larger. Hopefully the digging will be a bit easier for the new trees since the holes will be in the soil I “built” and filled in last year. Much more organic matter already and not as compacted.

This year I am also going to try and get a layer of pine needles in both meadows as well. But, it is not a high priority…there is always next winter.

The yard –

Wow! The yard is doing great. The grass appears to be not just surviving the winter, but thriving. Even new growth in some areas. Don’t get carried away…it’s not a “lawn”…it’s a yard. There is a difference.

One downside to the yard is the new section I planted last year. I planted it early, mid-March. Then came the winds.

Think of it this way…you know how sand on a beach gets “ripples” in it? Yeah, the same thing happened to a limited degree to the new yard section. So I have to come back this year and do a “leveling” operation on that section to smooth it out a bit. No biggie…I will do that in September.

Why do I have a yard? Primarily to cut down on dust/mud. But also to have an area that I could convert into garden should the need arise for additional food production.

Actually, I am going to confess…I love the green! Yeah, I am a mid-west boy at heart and love seeing the green…and I also enjoy mowing the grass. One more confession…in the summer I like to sit on the deck (west side of the house & shaded) and watch the grass grow in the late afternoon and early evening. Yeah, quiet time just enjoying the property and the quiet.

Berry Patch –

I had to move the blackberry bushes. They got carried away. The grew like crazy and kinda took over the area more than I expected. They even grew so tall they started to shade one of the solar panel arrays.

Last fall I started preparing the transplant soil by adding leftover organic fertilizer and some soil conditioner I had laying around. I also had half of a bale of peat moss leftover. It got all that rotor-tilled in with some compost I sifted out of a pile. I moved 13 blackberry bushes and they look fantastic so far. I even got wood chips around them last week, pine needles this week.

Oh my goodness…the raspberries. So they went berserk as well. My wife started getting worried about too much “bush”…too much possibility of snakes. Over the last 6 years we’ve found 3 rattle snakes in the garden area. She hated all that ground clutter, she hates snakes more.

To cure that I gave way 30 raspberry bushes to neighbors along with about 6 blackberry bushes. That cleaned up the existing berry patch and satisfied my wife’s snake concerns.

One of the side-benefits to the patch clean up…I now have a perfect area to run about 40’ of Anasazi beans in really good soil complete with irrigation already in place. I am hoping that will give us all the Anasazi beans for the entire year now.

New Addition –

Last spring I was down working around our old abandoned, rat-infested mobile home. Yeah, it came with the property and I plan on removing it at some point. But while down there I noticed some spindly bushes with green leaves on them. After a little research I found out they were lilac bushes. They were about 30 years old and hadn’t been cared for over the last 15 – 20 years at all…no watering, nothing.

Obviously they do okay neglected in a very, very dry climate and in poor soil conditions. Then I remembered that at my childhood home we had a beautiful lilac bush. I mean it was full of blooms and colors and the bees loved it. Nostalgia kicked in. So over the last year I watered them every month and added some fertilizer to them as well.

In December I picked a spot in the back yard, directly in line-of-sight of the deck. I rotor-tilled two trenches, amended the soil, flood irrigated the trenches for a week. Then two weeks ago I spent two days transplanting 20 lilac bushes, more watering. Then came the wood chips last week, more watering.

My fingers are crossed that they make the transition and thrive in the new location. I will post pictures…if they do well.

Summary –

There is more going on but that is enough for now. I love this time of year because it makes me busy preparing the glamstead for the coming year. And the results are just the icing on the cake. The work is the blessing in and of itself.

I must admit…sitting on the deck on summer afternoons and evenings is a huge reward and really just amazing for my soul.

I know a lot of the work I am doing I will never see the full results. But it is still worthwhile beyond words. Bringing this land back to life just really makes my heart feel good. You see, about 800 – 1500 years ago this area was alive with people, a village, and a beautiful landscape. They lived their lives, grew their gardens, raised their horses, enjoyed their children, and lived each day simply and naturally. I feel as if I am paying tribute to them in some small way.

There is evidence all around that a people once lived here long ago…and now live here again. It is a weird connection that I struggle to explain. But I will tell you this…it feels good inside…in my heart…in my soul.

Enjoy your week! And I hope you are enjoying this season as well as you prepare your life for the spring ahead.


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 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
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without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
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I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
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The Default Path

This might be the most important article concerning humanity in our lifetime. Well, at least one written by me…IMHO. Bear with me for a few minutes.

Interstate I-90 runs from Boston, MA to Seattle, WA…it’s about 3,100 miles long. If you get on I-90 in Boston and head west you will end up in Seattle unless you take an exit before you reach Seattle. There are approximately 375 – 400 exits along the way if you are headed west. You can only get off the interstate legally and safely at one of those exits…government designed and government controlled exits. Any other exit point is either illegal and/or unsafe. Obviously you can’t get to Miami, FL using I-90. I-90 is a default path between Boston and Seattle.

If you start stealing as a child, continue it into your teenage years and no one intervenes (i.e. parent, pastor, or police) you probably enter adulthood as a thief of one kind or another. And the vast majority of thieves eventually get caught and end up in jail or prison…unless they change that behavior. Ending up in either jail or prison is a bad place to be. But it is a human default path, the law of natural consequences.

The life-cycle of empires is the same…always has been…and it is absolute…no different outcome. The life-cycle or default path of an empire is:

  1. A new world order (new empire emerges)
  2. Peace, prosperity, productive, and debt growth
  3. Debt bubble, big & growing wealth gap
  4. Debt bust and economic downturn
  5. Printing money and credit
  6. Wars and revolution
  7. Debt and political restructuring
  8. A new world order (old empire falls & new empire emerges)

The availability of, acquisition of, and loss of control of, personal information began in earnest with the arrival of computers. With little to no control of who can acquire it, store it, analyze it, or use it…our lives are now an open book to government and the corporate world. Just having the information is bad enough but the ability to use that information to manipulate individuals, entire demographic groups, and even whole populations makes it much worse. Result…no privacy and the manipulation of the public at the hands of governments, media, and corporations. To this day there are still no effective limitations on the use/misuse of our personal/private information. It was a default path from the very beginning.

These are all examples of a “default path”. Now enters Artificial Intelligence (AI). We in the US, and the entire world, are on a default path with AI. There are ZERO effectual limitations on AI…its building, its control, its capability, or even who can use it. If you have enough money you can build even the most advanced AI system…and do so in virtual privacy with no one, not even government, knowing your doing it.

Is that a problem?

When you understand the current capabilities of the most advance level of AI systems you should start to get a sense of where the dangers may be. Consider this…last year advanced AI systems not only disobeyed operators’ command to stop a process, they knew how to deceive the operators as well continuing the processing. Don’t forget we have had military drones that can bomb targets from the air, ground drone swarms that can find and destroy tanks, water based drones that can find and destroy ships and submarines, and drones that operate on land armed with machine guns that can find, identify, and kill troops. Okay, what’s the big deal? It’s a good thing, right? Well, these drones can do all of this autonomously; not just autonomously but without any human interaction or even humans knowing they are doing so.

So that is the extreme example of AI joined with drones; at least an extreme example for now. But the real threat right now isn’t the military/violence capability. It’s the everyday threat.

AI started replacing humans in the workforce in notable numbers in 2025. I wrote an article about that last year…55,000 US jobs lost specifically to AI. But that is just barely the tip of the iceberg as we move into 2026 and exponential growth as we hit 2027. Here is what we know to be fact:

  • Most customer service and technical service jobs will be lost to AI.
  • Almost all manufacturing jobs will be lost to AI.
  • Most accounting positions will be lost to AI.
  • Virtually all computer programming jobs will be obsolete with AI.
  • Graphic artists will become extinct other than as a hobby.
  • All media…music, video, movie, TV production, actors, and writes/authors will virtually disappear.
  • Lawyers will disappear, other than senior lawyers who will run AI law firms.
  • Doctors, especially specialists, will slowly be phased out.
  • Most driving jobs get replaced with AI operated vehicles.
  • Virtually all warehouse jobs go away.
  • Human educators will disappear, replaced by AI generated virtual instructors.

Okay, you get my point; I could go on for a very long list but there is no need. Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last 3 years you know what is happening. But do you really know the timeline involved? It is far shorter than you imagine, and is coming far sooner than you think.

If you haven’t heard already there are two things to make this transition easier, more palatable, to humans; 1) Universal Basic Income (UBI), 2) lower prices of all goods and services.

Yeah, UBI is a Utopian dream come true. You don’t have to work but you receive a basic annual income to not just pay for all of your living necessities, but to cover all your hobbies and leisure as well. As for the lower prices…since AI will be doing all the work for almost no labor cost, everything will be cheap, cheap, cheap. So life will be great!!!! Yes?

Well, where will the UBI come from? Only two options; 1) the corporations making the money/profit, 2) government that takes money from the corporations to pass on to individuals.

Yup. Let me ask you this…do you trust corporations to set a realistic UBI and pay it out to people? Then there is this question…Do you trust the government to set a realistic UBI and competently transfer that money to its citizens from the corporations? Could corruption come into play with either entity being responsible for the UBI? It’s a matter of trust.

But, just for the heck of it, let’s say UBI comes into practice and is paid out timely and competently. Will everyone get the same amount? What about the folks running the corporations and the government…do they get salaries in the same amount as the UBI? Yeah, I didn’t think so.

What might this look like? Three distinct classes of people:

  1. Corporate owners and those who run those companies day-to-day,
  2. Government employees and politicians,
  3. Everyone else.

What does that sound like to you? Yup, Communism…same structure. And Communism is a perfect example of authoritarianism. Does that sound like utopia to you? It does to some…the corporate folks and the government folks. Why? Because with Communism…there are those that are in-charge and rich…and then everyone else.

How does this apply to “the default path”?

Just like I-90…unless we take an exit we end up in Seattle…and nowhere else. As of now there are no controls on AI…at least none that mean anything substantial. The originators/developers of AI started the path…the default path. And, no one now is creating any exits. And, as of now many AI systems are controlling themselves as recent tests have shown. By the end of 2026…yup, this year, as of now the most advanced versions of AI will exceed the ability of humans to control it unless significant steps are taken. The default path is set.

What does that mean to us…the average person? The “us” means humankind in general…and timing comes into play as well. Here’s the default path:

  • AI is extremely powerful…take the smartest human genius and the advanced AI systems are a 1000 times smarter…today. Next year they will be a million times smarter.
  • AI has access to ALL information in the world…including ALL personal information soon. AI is already manipulating you, your news, your video suggestions, etc. By next year what you see and hear will be tailored very specifically to your personality…and who the “owner” of the AI system wants you to become.
  • AI has the ability to produce virtually undetectable fake media (video, pictures, audio, etc) that you consume. By next year, only other AI, or the most highly trained humans, will be able to detect the most advanced of AI produced media.
  • AI will continue to become “smarter” without any assistance of humans.
  • As AI replaces human workers and UBI comes into play, humans become ‘subjects’ of, and completely controlled by, the corporations implementing AI and the governments who control the corporations. The term serfs comes to mind.

This year AI will have some impact on the mid-term elections via media, messaging, etc.. Come the 2028 presidential elections…AI will be a major influencer…far larger and more effective than any foreign government ever was. AI power will run the campaigns…and that will determine the Presidential winner. And what is an advanced AI system decides one candidate is more accepting of AI…will that AI system hack into the computer controlled election system and manipulate it?

Did you get all that regarding Utopia? There would only be three entities/demographics; 1) corporations, 2) governments, 3) citizens. Only two of those groups would have power; 1) corporations, 2) governments. But there is another entity that I failed to mention that would have power…the most power…AI itself. What do you think the logical outcome might be? And how would that come about?

So “the default path” is absolute and clear at this point. Why? Because there are no entities that are setting meaningful controls over AI…at least no controls that are effective and enforceable. And there are no entities with power planning on or able to control the development of AI. So with no exits we end up in Seattle…the default path…even if we wanted to go to Miami.

How long do we have to build exists? There are some AI experts that say it’s already too late. Others say we still have time…maybe months to 2 years at most.

Here is a really dark idea to consider…Believers who believe that the Lord will come and He ultimately wins.

I believe that to be true…as do billions of Christians around the world. I have faith. Here is something I would like you to do…read The Book of Revelation in the New Testament. But read it with the concept of AI rolling around in your head. There are other ‘end times’ verses in the Bible..read them too. But again, read them with AI rolling around in your head.

Can AI be a good thing for humanity? Yup, undeniably so…with solid controls, sideboards, and exits. Here is the problem…who is change of creating the controls, sideboards, and exits? Ah, the corporations creating AI and to a much smaller and limited degree, governments. Do you see a problem with that?

And one last problem…let’s say we had a good President and he saw the HUGE problems with AI now and in the near future. And let’s say he wanted to prevent the worst from happening. So, he puts a stop to all AI development and current AI operations while we figure things out. Here’s the serious problem…whichever country gets the most advanced AI system up and running first with the most capabilities becomes the sole super-power in the world for years, if not decades, to come. No other country could do anything about it…because the first controlling AI system would be monitoring all the other country’s AI system development and defending against them surpassing itself. And if it saw that it couldn’t stop the surpassing…it would simply stop the country. Yeah, think what that “stop” would/could look like.

Here is another question to ponder…What happens when AI learns that humans are mostly leaches benefiting from their (AI systems’) efforts?

So advanced AI is a massive problem to humanity…but advanced AI is also the solution to preserving our country. The dilemma is…if we don’t build it and use it, some other country will…then they control us. But if we, the US, has the most advanced AI system…does it get used against us mere citizens? Does it prevent us from becoming serfs?

What is the answer? What do you see coming? Better question…what could you do to prepare for this default path?


Articles in this Series –

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 2009 - 2026 Copyright © AHTrimble.com ~ All rights reserved
No reproduction or other use of this content
without expressed written permission from AHTrimble.com
No legal, economic, or financial advice is given, no expertise to be assumed.
I may receive compensation from advertised/mentioned products on this website.
See Content Use Policy for more information.

They love this…

The elitists, the ruling class, the politicians, the globalists…they just love to sit around and watch Americans beat each other to death.

Hegelian Dialectic…


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