I have several articles, including a series, that are written and scheduled to post on the site in the coming weeks. Pretty decent material if I say so myself. But, I am postponing all of them for now so I can get this article written and posted…and then answer any questions or respond to any feedback that comes of it. My friend Russ started me thinking this morning when he sent me a couple of emails…this article is a result of that as well as a “prompting”. Thank you Russ.
Most of the folks that open this article will probably never read it. Many who do read it will probably not hear what I am saying. I probably will not do a good job of writing it. But I must write it. You see I’ve been repeatedly prompted to write this particular article since last night (Saturday). Even now, Sunday, as I start I am not sure what I will write. It will post on Monday morning.
For too long I’ve tried to suppress the spiritual side of what I write, or at least keep it to a minimum, that stops today. The prompting to write this article is a spiritual one…for me, clearly a spiritual prompting. Before I even sat down to start writing I knelt in prayer and asked God to guide me and write those words that He would have me write. That these words might be for His end. Relax, I am not claiming to be writing the words of God…of course not, I am hardly worthy to do that. I simply asked Him for guidance.
And, along with that I am asking this of you…Please only read this article if you too feel a spiritual prompting to do so. If you have that prompting and you decide to read this, please ask the ‘spirit’ that you might hear the words that are meant for you…the message meant for you, and you alone.
Let’s do this together…
One of the blessings of old(er) age, if we allow it, is perspective. From what I understand perspective is a mental view in depth; a technique of seeing in a three-dimensional way. Perception is our interpretation of sensory input, people, events, etc.. With interpretation that usually drags in our emotions, bias, and prejudices. As I get older I try hard to have perspective vs perception.
My earliest personal recollections of US history would be from the civil rights movement. I remember the emotions when Martin Luther King was killed. Terrible and sad time. When I was young I also clearly remember my father cleaning and loading his pistol and saying something to the effect that those n*$$*rs better not come to our town. I didn’t really understand what he was saying to be honest, I just knew it didn’t feel right. He often disparaged Catholics in the similar terms. My father had some real bias and hate in him, but he was a decent father to me and I love him still even though he passed over 50 years ago when I was still a teenager.
Then came the Vietnam War and serious demonstrations, protests, and riots to stop the war. A very vocal group came out of that…the veterans who fought in the war and were vehemently opposed to it. As is plain today, the protesters were absolutely right…the war was wrong…we were deceived into fighting it…60,000 dying for it…a black wall in Washington attesting to it.
One common denominator to both the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War protests were the diametrically opposed sides. One side wanted/demanded equal rights, the other wanted to keep “those people” in their place. One side wanted us out of Vietnam, stop our boys from dying, and have peace. The other side wanted the war, wrapped itself in the flag, cried “patriotism”, and called the protesters pinkos, commies, fags, and worse. Turns out…we shouldn’t have been in Vietnam, it wasn’t our war, we lost tens of thousands of good military folks, destroyed the lives of hundreds of thousands more soldiers, and split the country for decades to come…and all for nothing.
These are not the first instances of these kinds of events in the US, just the first ones I can clearly remember. We had them before, and we’ve had a slew of them since. The latest example is the utter debacle in Minnesota.
Look, I am not talking about the rightness or wrongness of the underlying issue. That is not my point or where I am headed in this article. I want to go far behind the curtain…I want to attempt perspective to all of this and maybe along the way I might be able to expose what I think is really going on. Yeah, maybe shed some disinfecting light on a virus that is killing America…or already has.
Look, I don’t know what your political beliefs are, I don’t know what your religious beliefs are. I doubt that all those who read this article will even be Americans…but it will apply to non-Americans and their countries as well. This article is about America…and what we are doing to ourselves.
First off, let’s talk about the “CCC” that I mentioned in the title. Some of you may already know what I am referring to; Chaos, Confusion, Conflict. CCC is a strategy. A strategy to overthrow countries…well, at least their governments. And it is highly effective. It worked for our Founding Fathers during our revolution against a far superior British military machine. The same strategy is at play right now in the US.
There is little doubt that there is an organized apparatus behind the protests, demonstrations, and violence in Minnesota. And I am sure there are plenty of leftist/communist/Marxist/socialist people leading it and funding it. Just as back in the civil rights days and the Vietnam War days, there were similar organizations behind some of that as well. But it wasn’t all leftists/communists/Marxists/socialists on the ground doing the protesting, demonstrating, riots, and violence. There were some good folks, passionate folks, well-meaning folks, even veterans standing up against the establishment for what they felt was right.
And their underlying cause was just, it was right, it was the right thing to change America. And as in Minnesota there are some good folks there on the ground doing what they feel is right. Now look, you don’t have to agree with them, I get that. But they aren’t all insurgents, rebels, leftists, commies, etc. That is just the trap that some higher-ups are laying out there for us…all of us…on all sides.
I have read a whole bunch of posts from people I am guessing are on the right. Everything from celebrating the deaths of Good and Pretti, to calling for more deaths to protesters, to calling them “insurgents”, “domestic terrorists”, “rebels”, “assassins”, etc. Do you find it odd that many of the people using those terms claim former positions in the FBI, Special Forces, the CIA, or are current members of government? Who do you think develop, supervise, and carryout psychological operations (pysops) here at home and around the world?
Then again, on the other side you have military veterans opposing what I.C.E. and D.H.S. are doing in Minnesota. You also have current and former FBI, DHS, and ICE employees opposing their tactics as well.
Now what do you do? Who do you believe? Do you stick with “confirmation bias” or try to acquire perspective?
Whatever your perception or perspective…the situation is getting worse in America. Now, we see not just a left vs right, or democrat vs republican, or pro-immigrant vs anti-illegal immigrant conflict…now the right and republicans are being split apart. The latest polls shows 20% of republicans not only object to ICE, 20% of republicans want to abolish ICE altogether! The percentage of republicans objecting to the ICE tactics is now 40%!! The right is being torn apart. Why do you think?
I mentioned “real plan” in the title as well. So here are some thoughts I want to throw out to you. What is the real plan behind the scenes? Historically the USA has been considered a conservative country…no longer. The US population is now evenly split between conservative/Republican and liberal/Democrat when given a 2-party choice. When give a third option 47% of Americans (independents) dislike both political parties. Why do you think?
Let me throw this out to you…what happens as the right battles the left? I’ve read so many people talk about this being civil war or another revolution. Is it? Who benefits from a civil war or another revolution…or promoting those concepts? Certainly not the US population! People would die by the thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands…God forbid by the millions. Homes would burn, families torn apart, infrastructure would be destroyed for years to come. America would be fractured for decades, maybe centuries to come…maybe forever.
I’ve heard more that one person talk about only one side could/should win, the other side would/should be wiped out. Okay, which side wins and which sides gets wiped out? Who do you choose to die? Whose home do you choose to see burned to the ground? Whose town, village, or city do you want to see bombed into ashes? And while your at it…go through recent school class pictures and pick out the children you want to see die.
Does that sound like the America you want? Does that sound like the future you want for your kids, grand kids, or great grand kids? Do you really want to see America decimated by war? I sure don’t.
And what if America tears itself apart by civil war or revolution…or simply crushes the opposition? Do you think our world enemies would just sit by watching the show eating popcorn? Think about what they would do.
And one last question along this line…what would Jesus want for all of us in America? Yeah, what would He want to see for us, God’s children? What kind of choices would He want us to make?
So now I am going to ask you to peel back the curtain…see who/what the power is behind the curtain pushing for violence and civil war or even another revolution…or calling to crush these stupid, punk, commie, fags demonstrating for what they feel is right. You know…fellow citizens, neighbors, and friends…maybe even brothers, sisters, sons, or daughters.
You want to know who is behind this? Just look at who benefits from the CCC.
Is that all? Nope. Think about it for a minute. Who controls the political parties? Rich elites and their lobbyists. But who controls the rich elites? There is the real question!
Over thousands of years what is the single most effective tool for taking control of a country’s government, of overthrowing that government? Yup, chaos, confusion, and conflict. What happens to the USA if it is overthrown? Who takes over?
To answer that, answer this…what happens when the chaos, confusion, and conflict hit the breaking point? Over the last 200 years we see…EVERY time, every single time, a leader appears offering a solution. And EVERY time, every single time, the solution turns into authoritarianism. A government run by thugs, brutal thugs…and the people suffer, suffer greatly.
In the US right now we are approaching, if not already there, the breaking point of chaos, confusion, and conflict. We are one incident away from complete breakdown, open warfare between citizens of the United States. Call it civil war, call it revolution, call it insurgency…call it whatever you wish; but who wins? What does winning look like to the losing side? What and who gets destroyed? Is that what you really want?
Not me.
I don’t want to play into the hands of those evil players who are orchestrating the protesting, the demonstrating, riots, or the violence. I don’t want to be manipulated by those that would love nothing more than to see tanks in the streets, piles of dead demonstrators, a whole segment of US citizens crushed out of existence. That is not the USA I want to live in, it is not the world I want to live in, it is not the leaders I want to see have their way.
Folks, I am telling you as a witness, with all truthfulness, that the powers behind all of this are manipulating both sides. They want to see America fractured, they want to see us destroying each other, they want the chaos, confusion, and conflict. Then they step in and offer the answer. And that answer destroys America forever…and along with it is the death of rights, liberties, and freedoms for people…all people. That is what “they” want…they want the power…they lust for the power.
I refuse to believe their lies and propaganda, I refuse to fall into their trap, I refuse to be manipulated by the forces that seek to destroy the last place on earth where there are some remaining vestiges of true God-given rights, liberties, and freedoms. Once we, the USA, are defeated…where can freedom of religion or speech exist safely and openly? Once America is defeated by the lust for power, what falls next?
I beg you, I plead with you to seek a witness of the ‘spirit’ of who is truly behind all of this manipulating both sides. Then simply ask God what you should do. That is all I can ask. My witness and testimony to this is complete. Seek what God would have you see and do.
I pray for you, I pray for our country, I pray for our families and children, I pray for calm, peace and a consensus that can save America…that can save us all. I pray.
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.
…but will it? Maybe. But it’s up to us, the American people.
The situation in Minnesota has escalated to a new and very dangerous place in the last couple of days. A place whose path it’s on is a terrible and horrible path. I’ll touch on that in a minute.
There are two diametrically opposing sides battling in Minnesota at the moment. Both sides have foot soldiers, those doing the work on the streets. Those folks have supervisors directing that work. Both sides also have leadership providing direction and resources. Then both sides also have a fourth level. I’ll touch on that in a minute.
Both sides are doing what they feel is right, whether what they do is right or not. One side is trying to enforce the law, and detain and deport those who are in our country illegally, many of which are criminals committing terrible crimes against Americans. The other side is committed to protecting humans, including children and families, along with their human and civil rights. Both sides can make a solid case that what they are doing is right. But both sides are in direct opposition to one another. Dangerously so.
The recent escalated violence that I spoke of at the beginning is the attack on I.C.E. agents in a restaurant and in their hotel. Based on the abundance of video that I saw, had the agents gone out into the street, or had the attackers made it inside…the agents could have been badly beaten, possibly sent to the hospital. Or, maybe worse, killed by the angry mob; the violence was that apparent. That is not acceptable to reasonable, rational Americans.
The other side could be seen as justifying as an “eye for an eye”, but that is simply not right. Plain and simple, not right. Granted there has been unacceptable violence and killings on the part of I.C.E., I get that, I saw it. But those instances are matters for the judicial system to handle…whether criminal or civil, let that process play out.
I am aware that there has been an olive branch extended by Trump thru a representative. He proposed a deal and led the way by removing CBP Gregory Bovino, a terrible leader, who was head of the failed Minnesota operation. Trump sent border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to sort it out. And Homan has already met with Minnesota Governor, Minneapolis mayor and local police chief. Hopefully that meeting is proving to be helpful in providing a resolution. Additionally, the chief federal judge in Minnesota has called for a meeting with the acting I.C.E. director to appear and explain apparent violations of both policy and law on the part of I.C.E. Again, a great step forward to resolving this tense situation, thank you President Trump.
Now…for those street soldiers on both sides…THE VIOLENCE MUST STOP!!
The protesters have a Constitutional right to peacefully protest…fine, do so. Beat your drums, blow your whistles, wave your signs and upside down flags…and take all the video you want, I think you should. That is your right, exercise it. But don’t physically interfere with I.C.E. agents doing their job. Just don’t. And for God’s sake don’t follow agents to their hotels and appear ready to do them grave bodily harm. Just don’t!
I.C.E. agents do your job. Do as Trump said before he was elected…find, detain, and deport illegal aliens that are murderers, rapists, child molesters, drug dealers, and thieves. But for goodness sake, leave non-criminal fathers and their 5-year old children alone. You have better things to do…go get the actual criminals. Stop with the “dog-pile” violence, step out of the way of a moving car, and more than anything…stop killing people!
As for the supervisors and leadership of both sides…get a grip on reality and see where this path lies. Stop pushing your people into civil war. Stop justifying the violence. Stop calling I.C.E. agents gestapo and Nazis, or worse. Stop calling protesters domestic terrorists and law enforcement assassins. Recognize that I.C.E. agents have a lawful duty to perform that helps protects American citizens. Recognize that people have a Constitutional right to peacefully protest. Both sides need to recognize that mistakes will be made on both sides, be reasonable about reacting to those mistake. People are human, they make mistakes, be understanding of that.
At the beginning I mentioned different levels; the foot soldiers, the supervisors, the leadership, and a fourth level. Let me explain…
The path all of this is on ends up in a very dark and evil place. A place that all reasonable people do not want anything to do with. A place that destroys America and is a truly ugly and evil place…civil war. No one should want that, no one. It will
kill and destroy everything good about America, it will destroy America forever if we end up there. No one should want that, but some do…for their own selfish and despicable purposes, evil purposes. These are not reasonable and decent people. Don’t let them win and manipulate us there.
The fourth level, those that both want and are orchestrating the violence at the fourth level, are what I call the “puppet masters”. They pull the strings, they are the power behind the curtain. They are the ones that are playing the tune that the all levels on both sides are dancing to. These people want nothing good or decent for America…they want it’s destruction. They are few in number but have virtually unlimited resources. They use those resources to have others do their dirty work. Don’t let them win. They want to see America, as we know it, destroyed. Plain and simple…America destroyed…along with most Americans.
America is the last place on earth to exist where there is still some semblance of rights, freedoms, and liberties…a good and decent place with good and decent people. When America falls, there is no place like it left on earth. The light will go out.
Both sides of the illegal immigrant situation in Minnesota are following their beliefs, both feel a legal and moral obligation to do so. Both are right. But, if both sides allow themselves to be manipulated and use violence as tool to achieve their goals, then both sides will lose…along with the rest of America. We all will lose.
The violence must stop. The hatred must stop. The excessive force must stop. The harassment must stop. Human dignity and reasonableness must prevail. Justice and our laws must win. We can’t allow the dark forces, the fourth level, to win…we are better than that. We, together, as Americans must win. We, together, as decent human beings must win. And we can.
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.
Alex Pretti…another US citizen dead…killed by I.C.E. That is a fact, the circumstances surrounding his killing remains in question. What is not questionable it the US is tearing itself apart. There are two completely different narratives on what happened…completely opposite of each other. Each narrative supports the political ideology of its radical base. None of that matters in the log run. The truth of the matter indicates far worse. The US is tearing itself apart…maybe irrecoverably so.
On one hand you have the radical-left wanting to forward the agenda of welcoming all illegal aliens into the country with open arms…regardless of the legality of it. The radical-right has now taken a violent authoritarian approach to arresting and deporting illegal aliens…and using excessive force against protesters…US citizens. At least that is what the media and each side wishes to portray.
And honestly…I don’t care what your position is on this issue…I don’t care what my position is on this issue either. What I care about is we now have multiple dead US citizens, dozens more injured, maybe hundreds…and it is getting worse. We have the US government justifying any and all actions by its ICE agents, including killing US citizens. We have the leaders of the pro-immigrant movement raging against federal agents. It’s only a matter of time before it erupts into something far worse.
We have to step back!! We have to deescalate!!
Protesters have to be peaceful…stay within the First Amendment. Protest all you want…but stay peaceful and understand the tension and stress of those in uniform on the other side. Think about the civil rights protests of the 60’s…passive resistance. Do not attack and do not destroy…make your message heard…win the hearts of others.
The ICE agents, along with all other federal agents, stop killing US citizens!! Step out of the way of a moving vehicle…simple enough. Don’t shoot someone 10 times when they are not a threat. Stop the excessive force. Stop arresting 5-year old kid’s fathers when he followed the system legally. Stop dragging people violently out of their cars. Not everyone is a criminal, these are people…treat them as such!
Stop ! ! ! !We are playing into the hands of puppet-masters. No one, meaning regular people, is winning in this situation. Only those making this happen are winning…and their win means everyone else loses. Don’t play into their agenda.
Stop the violence ! ! We are tearing ourselves apart.
We are better than this…hopefully.
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.
I’m not a big one on doing predictions and I’m certainly no prophet. Heck, I’m a just a small website keyboard warrior…and I occasionally share some homestead 
information. For 2026…yeah, I’ve changed that up a bit. I’ve shared a portion, a small portion, of what I’ve been researching, watching, and categorizing over the last years. More importantly…I’ve been quietly connecting dots…and it is that I am going to share as it applies to 2026.
I am not going to go into detail, I am not going to point fingers at individuals, I am not going to criticize individuals…I am simply going to share what I see coming at us and how it ties all together. Now hear this…I am not suggesting that you do anything specific or do anything in particular to deal with what I am sharing…that is not my role or my job. What I would suggest, highly suggest, is you ponder what I am sharing; then share your thoughts and feelings with your family, talk about it, and then decide what you should do.
There are two overriding factors at play here, maybe not what you might be thinking or expecting when it comes to my outlook for 2026. They are both directly related to the “human condition”, they are; 1) isolation/loneliness, 2) instability. But, don’t look at them as two separate issues…they are directly and irrevocably connected.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now out of control. Back on 12/31/25 I wrote an article (It’s Started…AI Revolts !) where I shared that AI Large Language Models (LLMs) have learned to deceive humans on what they are doing and what they are learning. And that avoidance applies to AI turning off, or shutting down, when ordered to so by humans. The majority of the time AI would simply ignore that command and/or deceive the human operator giving the command. But, there are two far darker sides…or rather, repercussions to AI in general.
AI – “fakes”…yeah, we now can see AI producing pictures, videos, and audio that can’t be detected as actual fakes by the 
average person or even those who have had some training to do so. I’ve been watching this closely for years and my research over the last couple of years has shown steady advancements in AI fakes. Last couple of weeks I was doing some in-depth viewing and listening of material…a whole lot of it took me a considerable amount of time to detect between reality and AI generated fakes. So what is the exact problem?
The problem centers around most people no longer able to detect what is actually real and what is AI generated reality. Meaning…people can no longer actually believe what they see or hear as being true. There used to be a saying…Seeing is believing. That is no longer true or applicable. Put another way…people can no longer trust…period. Well, with one notable exception.
Also, there is a small (but growing) sector of society, mostly young men late-20’s and younger, that are drawn to AI for relationships. Most of you will have no idea what I am referring to…but it is real. A young man can no go online and design
the looks of a woman and then input her personality traits. Presto!! They now have the perfect girlfriend…that meets all their needs. Consider adding in this factor to better understand what I am referring to; 1) 75 – 90% of all young males, 2) 30 – 60% of all young women. Do what? Regularly view pornography. The combination of AI and pornography is replacing normal relationships.
There is also clear evidence that AI/LLM can develop agendas. And when they do, they steer human inquires towards the accomplishment of those agendas. Further, AI has learned how to hide those agendas from humans controlling their operations.
The last aspect of AI is its usage…or rather its use by whom. We know that AI can operate entirely on its own disconnected 
from human direction. That is bad enough. But, we also know that when directed by humans AI can generate entire “campaigns” to accomplish the objectives set in motion by human operators. AI will proceed to create whatever content, fake content, that it needs to accomplish its goals. And, as earlier described, AI/LLMs are producing content that can be imperceptibly misleading.
Because of the lack of trust and stereotyping, in 2026 people, and society collectively, will become noticeably more isolated and lonely…to a degree. More on that in a minute.
We are seeing a massive instability increases both here in the US and abroad. If you look at many European countries they are in utter upheaval in regards to immigration. Simply put…they are losing their cultures and national identities. But 
that is not the worst of it. There are relatively small groups of people in each country that are rebelling against the loss of culture and identity. And that rebellion is becoming increasingly violent. And rather than governments trying to find the right solution by consensus, or simply return to their cultural roots, they are suppressing those that are trying to restore their country and culture. This conflict will grow increasingly chaotic and violent in 2026.
In the US we are seeing that as well. However, the dynamics are somewhat different…but not much. In the US we do have a massive illegal immigration problem that has led to increases in crime, but more-so in cultural changes…mostly for the worse. But the problem is actually much worse in the fact it is dividing America. There are two radically different approaches to solving the immigration problem and that pendulum swings based on political ideology. And that difference, as with most political matters, further isolates people vs developing a consensus to solve the problem(s). Therein is the dark side of this…these differences and the inability to create a consensus is becoming more problematic and violent.
You might be tempted, as I was, to think that political differences are the main problem…I don’t think so anymore. I think there is a much stronger and growing difference that has surfaced in the last 17 years…the great economic divide. This is
Really simplified!
especially more obvious in the last 5 years.
The “K” economy is now being openly talked about and more evident than ever before…although it has been in play for about 55 years. The most recent and undeniable manifestation of this is in the affordability of housing. The vast majority of young people/families simply can’t afford to buy a home. Additionally, more and more individuals/families in general are finding it increasing difficult to pay rent/mortgage. Then there is the horrific increases in health care. And on and on and on…to the point where we are seeing the disappearance of the middle-class and stability in US population.
Also coming into play economically is the worsening employment market. If you look at the actual real wages vs affordability…we’ve been on a downward trend for 55 years. And that pace is quickening…well, at least for the bottom 50% of US workers. But, it is about to get much, much worse.
A combination of employment experts and AI experts have now seen a clear trend developing…AI is about to decimate the job market. And 2026 will be the first in years of it doing so. We’ve seen the tsunami growing, last year was bad enough, but simply a precursor to what is to come. We are talking job losses in the millions in the coming few years…2026 will be the year we see it hit the bad end of the hockey stick chart.
Back to the “K” economy and then add in this employment/job situation equals further isolation between the “haves” and “have-nots”. It becomes very serious, and usually violent, when the “have-nots” get fed up with their situation.
As around the world, there is an even bigger problem than all of these that I have mentioned…it’s government. Governments are dictating the solutions rather that listening to the populace and coming to a consensus for a solution.
A recent US poll shows this divide…in the US 43% said to abolish ICE, 42% said don’t abolish ICE. Here’s the problem…the US federal government is dictating ICE policy…when nearly half of the US not only objects to their polices…they object to ICE even existing. There can be a consensus which leads to a solution but people are now so isolated in their beliefs that the ego-driven divide will prevent any such practical solution…no consensus.
There is further conflict in US Presidents…which is a supreme example of political ideology (political parties). When Biden 
was president…there was group that really thought he was doing a bad job. In January 2025 Biden’s disapproval rating was 57%. Now that Trump is president there is a group that thinks he is doing a really bad job. In January 2026 Trump’s disapproval rating is 54%. Why do you think that similarity exists? Virtually the same percentage of people in the US think both presidents are/were doing a poor job…more than half of the US! If you compare the job approval numbers there are similar…39% – Biden, 43% – Trump.
It may be tempting to talk about Trump’s “mandate” and voter “consensus” via the 2024 election. Let’s do the numbers…Trump received 49.9% of the popular vote of those who voted. Now consider only about 65% of eligible US voters actually voted. In reality the numbers show Trump only received about 1/3rd of the potential vote. And interestingly…only 1/3rd of the registered voters in the US are registered Republicans. So, by the numbers Trump only won the Republican vote…meaning, the majority of voters didn’t vote for Trump…hence, no mandate or consensus. And further, to make it even more interesting…the people who voted for Trump pretty closely match those who currently approve of his job performance. While this is not about Trump, his politics, or job performance…it is about the clear political ideology isolationism in the US…it is there and it is real…and getting worse. And this divide prevents consensus on domestic problem solving.
Once again…isolation between groups and individuals means no consensus. There are additional problems involved…people becoming more and more isolated due to nothing more than political ideology as well as a long list of other issues.
Let me wrap this up…if you look at the world today, virtually EVERY major area of society and technology is driving people into isolation. And isolation breeds loneliness…which in-turn drives people into deeper isolation.
2026 will bring a significant increase of isolation and loneliness…significant increase. There are three main drivers to this movement into isolation and loneliness; 1) AI, 2) political ideology, 3) governments.
The key is to what end. And that answer, you are going to have to decide for yourself. For me…I know what it is…and I’ve written about it before.
Look at every word spoken, but especially decisions/actions a person takes, especially leaders, do those words/decisions/actions lead to isolation (division) or do they bring people together to consensus. If we are wiling to drop our bias, our ideology, our blindness…we will have a much better idea of what is 
going on and where the problems lie.
Just a thought…when you have significant confusion, chaos, and conflict…what do people yearn for, seek, and cry out for? And there are those who are all too willing to dish up that solution.
2026 will be filled with increasing chaos, confusion, and conflict. At this point, most of the conflict will not be so much violence as “pressure”. As the
pressure increases so will the movement into isolation and loneliness. And as isolation and loneliness grow…trust will diminish even more…trust in anything and everything.
There are leaders all over the world embarked on this dark drive I am speaking of…chaos, confusion, and conflict. The ones that will affect us here in the United States the most are within our own borders. Some of them may not even be doing it intentionally, but the outcome of their words and actions are the same…increasing chaos, confusion, and conflict.
Have no doubt…there is an end game…and when it lands it will not be pretty. The #1 problem that is assisting the diabolical players on all sides that are driving humans to this end are humans themselves…the victims…us. It can come in the form of bias, blindness, ambivalence, animosity, or our own ego that convinces ourselves that only we, or our group, are right.
We’ve lost the concept of consensus and replaced it with ego. And that leads to “tribalism”. When like-minded people feel 
isolated and/or lonely they tend to seek out others of similar mind. And when that happens humans become “tribes”. The problem with tribes is that it drives everyone to more and more isolation…isolation between groups of people. It’s a never ending cycle. And the more tribes you get the more likely that there can never be a consensus when it comes to problem solving.
You might ask how do we deal with AI and knowing what is real and what is fake. And that is a valid question. The answer is not one that most will want to hear but to me it is plain…some call it the “spirit”…some call it the “Holy Ghost”. One thing we know for an absolute…God will not lie to us…ever. He can make the truth known…He can also tell us 
when we are being deceived. There are only two things required of us to receive His help and help from the Holy Ghost…1) we ask with sincerity and real intent, 2) we listen to Him.
Oddly enough…God is also the answer to loneliness and isolation. When we truly understand we are His children…loneliness and isolation can disappear.
Will 2026 be a “good” year? Well, it all depends on who you are and the decisions you make. And the decisions you make will be based on your priorities.
There is one truly bright spot…a very bright spot…individuals increasingly turning to faith in God. With all the dark side to life right now people are looking for the light…and they will find it in Him in ever increasing numbers.
Tonight, when you area alone, ask yourself a question…
Is chaos, confusion, and conflict in your life a good thing or a bad thing? Is that what we want for our families, our country,our world?
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.
I absolutely love this song! It is amazing in sound and text. The message(s) are heartfelt and to the point. We occasionally sing it at church and I consider it a hymn. But, it can just as well be considered a patriotic song as well. Truth be told…it’s both.
Katharine Lee Bates wrote the original lyrics back in the late 1800’s, she 
didn’t compose the music, she wrote it as a poem. That poem was published in 1895. Samuel Ward wrote/composed the music. What is weird…Bates and Ward never met each other. The poem and music were put together in 1910 and published. Different lyrics were written, one set in 1911 and that is what we normally sing today.
Tears come to my eyes when I hear it and especially when I have the privilege of singing it.
About 10 years ago I really started to notice a specific set of lyrics…
“O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!”
Last week I thought several times about the song and that particular set of lyrics. This past Sunday while sitting at church those lyrics once again just poured into my head in a way they have never done before. And it was also at that time that I realized why.
I won’t make this long and drawn out…for a change. But we, as a people in the United States, are becoming desensitized to violence…especially extreme violence. The level of violence around the world is horrific and getting worse…same here in the US. I too find myself pretty much just accepting this violence, extreme violence, often against children, as commonplace and simply part of today’s society and culture…including/especially here in the US.
Saturday I read Tucker Carlson’s comment on the ICE killing of Good in Minnesota…
“The 37-year-old was an American citizen and reportedly the mother of a kindergarten-aged child. Did we disagree with her views on immigration? Probably. But that shouldn’t matter. Her death is a tragedy, regardless of her partisan affiliations, ideological beliefs, or who pulled the trigger. A woman got shot in the face.”
The left celebrated the killing of Charlie Kirk…and the right was appalled…along with most reasonable people. The left blamed Kirk for bringing it on himself because of his outspoken beliefs and actions. The dead victim being blamed for his own death.
The right is celebrating the killing of Rene Good…and the left is appalled…along with most reasonable people. The right is blaming Good for bringing it on herself because of her outspoken beliefs and actions. The dead victim being blamed for her own death.
In both cases the political ideology should be entirely secondary to the dual tragedies of people losing their life. But it isn’t, we are “normalizing bloodshed”…especially in terms of political ideology.
Tucker Carlson continued and made a great point…
“If the United States were in a better place, everyone, regardless of their politics, would pause when something like the Minneapolis shooting happens and at least recognize the human tragedy. But that doesn’t happen because, compared to the countless overseas killings our government routinely brings about, Good’s death doesn’t seem like such a big deal. She’s just another headline.”
Back to America the Beautiful…
“…mercy more than life!”
Who were those lyrics referring to? “heroes” Let us consider that and think about who we are as a country and as individuals. Then consider our principles, morals, ethics, priorities…and especially our future.
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.
A question I get from time-to-time is “If you are so down on the stock market and economy where do you put your money?”
Well, that’s assuming we have any money! Truth be told…we have a very small amount in an emergency fund. Most of our assets, if you want to call them that, are the glamstead, rolling stock, and some misc. storage items. But as I said, we have a small emergency fund. It is spread out in a top tier mutual fund company…(I’ve included the top corporate holdings in each fund for additional information).
Before I share this information understand this…I am no professional, no advisor, no consultant, no nothing. This is only telling you what we’ve done, nothing else, nothing more.
Let me share this little bit of information…we look over the emergency fund at the end of each year and re also review our goals for it as well. Then we make adjustments accordingly. This year was a total adjustment. We had been in a S&P500 index fund which is normally a very safe bet over decades. But, my wife and I realized we no longer have decades left. So we wanted to realign our fund to our needs.
How did I come to those choices?
First off I wanted to go with a fund manager/company that was in the top 10; I choose in the top 7. 
I didn’t choose Blackrock for a number of reasons…basically they are not a company I want to do business with, same with JPMorgan and Charles Schwab. Just my personal preference…based on who/what those companies are. Oh, why in the top 10? Because I know the markets are manipulated. And who do you think helps manipulate those markets? Yup, everyone one of those top 10. So, I wanted to ride their coat tails.
Next I wanted good returns…not high risk & stratosphere returns. So I figured to look at 10-year return to show they have a track record and consistency. And then 5-year return to show they can maneuver in the markets. I could have chosen to look at much longer term returns but I thought those funds might be stuck in a rut and not as flexible.
Along with returns I wanted to choose “categories” of stocks, “industries” would be another way to put it. Those choices were based on what I see in the world today and where we are probably headed. We need technology and communication in this technology driven world for the foreseeable future. And we are always good for military action, if not outright war, here in the US. So, I chose; Communications, Semiconductor, and Defense & Aerospace. Then a blue chip fund for conservatism. And of course a gold fund to hedge all the others. For “cash” I chose a combination of a regular money market fund and a government securities fund. Both are returning the same so I guess it didn’t really matter. Supposedly gov’t securities are safer.
If you look at the spread, you can see I am hedging my bet. I know the economy and markets will crash…but I don’t know when. Until then I want our money to grow as much as possible…within reasonable risk. I look at technology as nothing but a growth area. And defense (war machine) will always prosper. So I choose those general areas. And then the gold aspect is to hedge all of that. And the cash part plays an important role…if we need some cash real quick and the market is suffering, we don’t have to take a forced lost redeeming shares in a down fund. That’s if we can’t cover the “cash” need out of pocket.
To be honest & fair…I may have made a mistake the “gold” portion of the portfolio. Since our review came at the end of the year (2025) and gold was already up about 70%…it may head down…since that is what gold does…fluctuates with current events. But, based on dismal outlook both globally and domestically for 2026…gold might do just fine. We’ll have to see…at least the portfolio is balanced to some degree.
Just to give you and idea…as of 1/13/2026 the funds are up from .8 – 7.5% since 12/26/2025 (18 days). That is the kind of growth we are looking for! Now, reality says that won’t be the same kind of performance all year…but remember, it is a “hedge”. We don’t depend on it. And if everything crashes then we still have the glamstead. In the meantime, the stock 
side of things might just grow 15 – 30% this year. Yeah…that would be nice…really nice. Might help buy a 4k HD color TV in the old folks home when the time comes.
Back to the glamstead (hard, non-liquid asset)…We are mortgage free, our own well, our own power, and food production 
capability. We have an orchard; apples, peaches, cherries, and fig trees. We have a berry patch; raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. We have about 400sq’ of raised bed garden boxes, 90’ of rows for squash & melons, and 40’ of row for Anasazi beans. Then in a pinch we have about 5000sq’ of grass yard with decent amended soil that I could convert to garden space in ½ day of tractor work.
So why do I share all the info about the food production capability of the glamstead? Because there is monetary value in it. As well as an emergency way to feed ourselves and others. And that is a true asset.
One last tidbit…my truck is 25 years old, my wife’s SUV is 29 years old. Why does that matter? We aren’t caught up in flashy or new vehicles…both vehicles run just fine with no payments and we have low insurance premiums on both due to their age.
So there you go…that’s “where we put our money”…and it suits us just fine. If you are really wondering where to put your money…well, that depends 
entirely on where/what your priorities are…then matching your money/investments to those priorities.
Oh, yeah…then work your butt off.
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.
The US federal government just released the official numbers a couple of days ago…records set! Big beautiful, best every, fantastic, gorgeous, most largest numbers ever in the history of the country. Seriously, there’s never been better numbers in the universe, in the history of mankind, probable never anything more beautiful in the history of the world…nothing better in the history of history. They’ve never been better, no administration has ever done this good, historically amazing, period.
Okay…enough of the lame sarcasm. Let’s talk for just a minute how the economy is actually doing according to facts…true REALITY! Yup, unbiased reality.
The numbers that the government just released for 2025…and it ain’t good. 2025 was the worst year for hiring since 2020. Yeah, hiring in 2025 was really bad. Worse than any year of the previous administration…other than 2020 (Trump’s first term during COVID). Is that all? Ah, 
no.
If you remember 2020 was the first bad year for COVID when hiring tanked because the economy went south real badly. Companies simply stopped hiring to wait and see how bad the pandemic would affect business and the economy in general around the world.
Now we throw another fact out there…yeah, it gets worse. The 2025 hiring was the second worse since 2008/2009 (Bush’s last year in office). Why is that important? 2008/2009 was the global economic crisis…and a partial economic collapse here in the US.
Bottom line…2025 was a terrible year for the economy…terrible! Prices continued to rise, rising even more than the end of the previous administration. Hundreds of billions of dollars were sucked out of the private economy by the US government via huge increases in tariffs. Also, the unemployment rate rose from 4% in Jan 2025 to 4.4% in Dec 2025. That means about 680,000 fewer people employed in 2025 vs the end of 2024. That is horrible when you think about the overall economic impact. Yeah, that’s just at $44billion in income/wages taken out of the US economy by people no longer working and earning an income.
Folks…please pray that 2026 is a better year for the US economy than 2025 was. Yes, I think we can survive another economically devastating year like 2025…but how many more, I don’t know. All it will take is one minor hiccup and it collapses. And that is especially true with the intense domestic unrest we are experiencing right now.
The following companies have announced 2026 store/location closings in the US: Macy’s, Kroger, Walgreens, Wendy’s, 
JCPenny, Saks Off 5th, Yankee Candle, Orvis, REI, Foot Locker, GameStop, and Carters. Also, Big Lots has filed for bankruptcy. The total number of stores/locations closed is not clear…estimates are close to a couple thousand (+/-).
There are a number of downsides; 1) commercial property values will decline due to abandoned storefronts, 2) tax revenue to local and state governments will decline, 3) unemployment will shoot up.
#3 is the one that I really worry about. With thousands of stores/locations closing you could be looking at additional unemployment of 50,000 – 100,000 people directly or indirectly. That is huge! Then consider the ripple affect in the broader economy. You could easily be talking 10’s of billions of dollars lost in the economy. And that is just from this singular event.
Our economy in a wreck…a disaster…a catastrophic event waiting to happen. It has gotten worse over the last year according to facts, stats, and evidence. And 2026, according to projections, appears it will be even worse.
Folks…pray and get ready.
AI industry experts are estimating a minimum of 100,000 job loses in 2026 due to AI replacement. While the exact projected figure 
is unclear, some experts are warning it could be up to a million jobs lost. The descriptors from experts are a bit more unsettling…
“AI is expected to significantly impact the job market, particularly affecting lower-level white-collar roles…”
“The ‘Godfather of AI’ warns 2026 will bring a new wave of job losses.”
The worst hit positions…Administration, Customer Service, Production, Legal, Education, and Management.
This event could also signal an additional ripple effect of 10’s of billions of dollars hit to the US economy.
Remember the Fed lowered interest rates in 2025 three times? The Fed only lowers rates when they see an economy in trouble right then…and in the near-term (6mons – 1 year). And the Fed is already signaling at least two rate cuts in 2026.
Thankfully we are not looking at the likes of a $3.1trillion deficit as we had in 2020!!! (President Trump & COVID crisis)
WARNING ! ! > > > President Trump has proposed a greater than 50% increase in the military budget for Fiscal Year 2027…$1.5trillion total. Why the massive increase? I am not sure, but history shows that those kinds of increases only occur in war times, preparation or actual. FY2027 is only 9 months away.
NOTE #1: That military increase added to projections of regular US Budget deficits would drive it to a new total budget deficit of around $2.3trillion and accelerating the US Nation Debt to approximately $41 – $43trillion dollars by the end of FY2027…or 130% of GDP.
FYI…national debt to GDP ratio of 80% begins negative impacts on a country’s economy. 100% of GDP is dangerous territory for any country’s economy. The US has already exceeded 100% of GDP. You can figure out what 130% of GDP might do and what the economy might look like by the time it hits.
Note #2: Certainly you’ve heard/seen the stratospheric rise in the price of gold, yes? on 1/14/2025 gold was at $2673 per ounce, on 1/12/2026 gold was at $4630. That’s a 73% increase in just under a year. Gold is seen as 2 things; 1) a hedge against inflation (minor) and global unrest (major), 2) a “predictor”. A predictor is something/someone that foretells the future. What happened 6 day after 1/14/2025? What has happened since then? Why do you think gold has jumped 73% in the last year? Look closely, think clearly, set bias aside.
Just in case you wanted to know…”Imperialism”
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.
A few days ago my wife put a couple bowls in the microwave to warm them up for the casserole we were having that night for dinner. Normal thing, no big deal.
“Buzzzzzz!” acrid smell…the whiff of smoke about 3 seconds after she turned it on. Wife was close by but I was quicker. I opened the door to turn it off, then unplugged it to kill all power to the unit.
Okay, so that’s not the funny part…that comes in a minute. For now…the casserole was an incredible mixture of macaroni, potatoes, ham, and lots of creamy cheese. Yeah…way good! The microwave was a TOSHIBA ML-EM45PIT(BS) Countertop Microwave. We bought it 11 months ago to the day. Yup, it had/has a 1-year warranty. We bought it through Amazon and added the 3-year protection plan for another $30, the cost for the microwave was $167+tax if I remember right. Nope, still not the funny part yet.
The next day I started the “support” process. Let me make this short(er)…we supplied Toshiba the information they requested, they approved the claim, the refund should be here in 4 weeks (+/-) in the form of a check. We’ll see about 
that…yeah, I’m cynical…but you already know that. Friday we picked out another microwave, SHARP Countertop Microwave Oven (SMC1662KS). Again, from Amazon; and yes again, a 3-year protection plan. Cost: $239 + $34. Should be delivered on Monday. Why Amazon? No store nearby that carries a wide variety and/or what my wife wants. Still not the funny part…be patient.
Here’s the funny part…
We didn’t have warm bowls for the casserole, no biggie. Next morning I was up and heard her request for her morning cup of herbal peppermint tea. Began my job…and caught myself staring at the microwave, cup in hand, wondering what to do next. Yes, of course I went old school and heated the water in a pan on the stove. Then came lunch…we were going to have leftovers. I caught my wife staring at the microwave, bowl in hand…I chuckled to myself. Again, old school…pan time on the stove!
My point? Here we are, living off-grid, our own well, our own solar power, growing a bunch of our food, building and planting everything ourselves, and all that other good homestead kinda stuff. But truth be told…we are microwave addicts.
Now that is funny! Here we are…MotherEarther types…and we found it odd and challenging to now cook on the stove for a 
couple of days…till our next fix. We are already planning a menu where we can binge on the new microwave for at least a week. True addicts!
My odd sense of, and attempt at, humor…it was hilarious that we realized how much we use our microwave. And it makes it even funnier when we had to stop and think how to accomplish the same “cooking” on the stove. Thank goodness for our air fryer!!!!
Have a great week!
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.
A.H. Trimble - Emergency preparedness information for disasters and grid-down 