The Native Iowan

An overcast, chilled, blanket wrapped morning here in my little valley. The deer are in the paddocks, the dogs are curled up in warm, furry balls. Temps today are 8c/45f – 20c/ 65f. Not much sun out.

A very good UFC card on in a bit. Blood Sports Sundays are my favourite. Ask me why I like the violence and aggression… and I won’t be able to answer. Ive been involved in martial arts all my life. I firmly feel violence and aggression is something one must learn, understand, and consider a factor of life. I have taught my children and grandchildren about violence. That the world is not a safe, soft, comfortable place. That you must walk through life prepared for violence.

Not to say being a bully, or a thug or a gangster is good or correct, but that life is predatory, and I shall not be nor shall I raise my offspring to be prey of any kind.

UFC offers a positive catharsis of martial arts, all styles, all disciplines, all practices in one place.

There is an old, old – age old – argument of “who is better”… the boxer, the kickboxer, the rassler, the grappler, the submission artist, the high flying acrobat…. And the answer is very simple… a combination of all is what it takes to beat all…

I grew up in Iowa. The land of Wrestling. Iowa is recognised as a land of elite wrestling.

The Gracie family took jujitsu and gave it a Brazilian twist. The Thai-fighting styles have been rehashed and refined and defined by many real and not so real fighters… I think of JCVanDam, and my ol buddy Steve Segal. Both trained martial artists, but neither ever “real fighters”.

As UFC has grown, developed, matured we have seen the advent of, the growth of high-tone, intensive training centres. I Think of Jackson-WinkleJohn in Albuquerque. Or City KickBoxing in Auckland. I see the scene changing, developing. The fighters are getting very much better. They have to. Competition is fierce.

There are many specialist training venues where the elite trainers and coaches make a decent living out of professionally training professional cage-fighters. People will always pay for blood-sports.

I think back to wrestling and what I call “The Grind”.

Through the 1990s I coached the Solomon Islands Olympic Wrestling team. I took very athletic island kids (guys and gals) and taught them the basics of Olympic wrestling. Both Greco and Freestyle. My favourite training session was “the pain game”.

Wrestlers learn at a young age to grind, to push, to keep going. You can see it in a fighter who has a wrestling background. They are wrestlers (rasslers) first and fighters second.

We won medals. Brought a lot of recognition to the team, the Solomons.

In the Pacific Olympic venue we were know to have an “Iowa” advantage.

So, as I wait for the fights to start, I shall ruminate, write from a stream of unconsciousness point of view…

I think the world is hobbled, injured, walking into the future like there is a stone underfoot.

The modern “Go-Green” foolishness has everyone paying more, moving less, concerned about the future. As quite adequate energy systems are being shut down to appease the elites of the planet, school aged children are taught about transgender rights, the soon to come end-days, and being prepped for a rather grim future. Where the designs of the few dictate the future of the masses.

We are in a world where we applaud the invention of gas/ methane collectors for cows, tell everyone to buy electric cars, as the elites of the world take their friends for joy-rides into outer space.

I live, proudly, in Australia. Its a great place. I worked hard and towed the line for more than a decade before I was granted citizenship. As a serial emigrant I thoroughly understand the need/ desire to relocate, to emigrate, by choice and forethought. I thoroughly understand and respect the rights of each nation to control who comes and when they come. Nationality is a valuable thing. More valuable in some places than others.

I fear that citizenship in the USA is being devalued.

I left the USA in early 1980s, January 11, 1981, to be exact.

I had by that time decided I needed to look a far from the USA, see what was out there… its is a big world. Many things about the USA have rubbed me wrong, since my youth, and I was destined to emigrate.

For me, the idea of emigration was not new. All sides of my lineage were emigrants. The German side, the Irish-English side, the Greek side… we know their stories. They taught us about the plights and perils and joys and successes of emigration.

I found the Solomons Island. I got real, real lucky. For 30 years I lived, enjoyed, and prospered in what I still think is the most beautiful and liveable place on earth.

But as I aged I found I needed to rethink my life, to consider finding a place that could cater to my needs as I aged. That could offer me the medical care and attention all old, ageing, decrepit dudes need.

So I came to Australia. It’s close to the Solomons, has about the best healthcare on the planet, and the climate is good.

One can understand why Australia is so tough on its immigration. I understand.

So, as I sit wrapped in a granny blanket, finishing off my coffee, waiting for the blood to flow…

I look toward the USA… where the Orange Man was bad. Where, by hook or by crook, he had to be deposed. anyone would be better than bad Orange Man…

So we let the kiddies loose in the candy shop. Old Uncle Joe cant keep up, has no intention of even being on the job. Like an elderly Pope, he is wheeled around and made a fool of by all. His acolytes are doing a quick-grab, stuffing their (and their cronies’) pockets full from the public coffers. The longer they are in power the worse the lunacy.

I love the idea that we can redefine failure into success… Recession becomes a good thing. Printing of billions in new currency is not feeding inflation, its stimulation for the economy. Millions of illegal immigrants are positive, they shall alleviate the employment crunch. Its all a silver lining sorta thing, as is the turd covered streets of SanFran and other “sanctuary” cities.

Defunding the police is a great idea, and not incarcerating law-breakers is a way to keep the justice system under control. Keeping the prison population in check. And if you claim to identify as a woman, they move you from a male facility, where you’re being raped daily, to a female facility, where its your turn to do the raping.

Sure, all makes sense to me.

I fear a nefarious plan, a very negative future being designed by those who think they “know best”.

And the beat goes on.

The fights shall start soon.

Some picts from the past weeks, to end on a positive note…

Smiles.

More later