Here are my observations and opinions from my selected news of the day.

VINDMAN THE WHISTLEBLOWER OR LEAKER? – Minutes after my wife walked into my den, where I was researching and writing while listening to impeachment inquiry testimony, to tell me she thought Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman was the whistleblower or leaker, others were speculating.

It made sense when I heard Adam Schiff cutoff questioning of Vindman by Rep. Devin Nunes because he believed that would “out” the name of the whistleblower.

Within minutes I came across a piece by Charlie Moran in PJ Media in which he quoted Colonel Vindman being “visibly shaken” over the Trump-Zelensky phone call.

How was it possible that this Army hero, with all of those medals, could be so concerned over a phone call unless he thought it might be getting close to him?

(After checking the records, Moran learned that “almost all of his decorations are of the ‘I was there’ variety.” For those unfamiliar with service ribbons, you are awarded a ribbon for merely serving in a particular country.  If the Democrat lawmaker, who was all agog over Vindman’s chest full of ribbons was aware of this this, he would have been embarrassed.  Vindman did earn a Purple Heart.)

The “visibly shaken” reaction reminded me of former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch feeling “intimidated” by a mere tweet by the president after serving nearly 30 years, in 13 locations requiring her to move, including Somalia.

I then came across a piece by Jeff Dunetz in The Lid, in which Sen. Ron Johnson, who travelled to Ukraine for Zelensky’s inauguration, expressed serious doubts about Vindman in a letter to Representatives Nunes and Jordan.

During Johnson’s meeting in Ukraine, he made the point that supporting Ukraine was essential because it was ground zero in our geopolitical competition with Russia, when Vindman interrupted, stating that it was the position of NSC that our relationship with Ukraine be kept separate. “How in the world is that even possible?” Johnson responded.

Johnson wrote of Vindman’s deposition, during which he spoke of the “alternative narrative,” or irregular channel, of Rudy Giuliani as “inconsistent with the consensus views” of the relevant federal agencies and was “undermining the consensus policy.”

This is typical of the way career people talk.  Johnson was disturbed by the language of diplomats who refer to “our policy, “stated policy,” and “long-standing policy.”  “There is no such thing as a consensus policy,” said Johnson. “Foreign policy comes from the president – a consensus of one.”

So, is Vindman the whistleblower?  We may never know.

ANOTHER ‘RACIST’ CHARGE – Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams, who lost her race to become governor in 2018, and never conceded defeat while claiming Republicans engaged in systematic voter suppression, is in the news again.

In an appearance at the National Press Club, Abrams declared the Electoral College is “racist and classist,” disputing its formation was designed to fairly distribute votes to lesser populated states.

She claims that populations in the South were equal to the North, however, “because black people were not considered human or citizens, they wanted their bodies to count for the purposes of the population count but not their humanity.”

Abrams also incorrectly believes that states in the North didn’t want immigrants, or those who were poorly educated, to have a say in who picked the president as if immigrants didn’t settle in the North.  Of course, they did.  My ancestors  included.

CLIMATE CHANGE … “This is rapid change and we should do something abut it before it’s too late,” said a 13-year-old Flagstaff, Arizona eighth grader, one of some 400 people who gathered for a two-day conference Northern Arizona University over last weekend.

During the youth forum on Saturday, high school and college students sat together at round tables with markers and large pads of paper, writing down ideas on what they described on three pillars of sustainability: economy, society and environment.

Whoa. That’s productive.  All new, fresh ideas, of course.

About as much as a hip-hop song performed by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, a 19-year-old climate activist, who spoke at the conference.  Martinez is one of 21 young plaintiffs suing the federal government to press for action on climate change.

REMEMBER WHEN those curly compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) were foisted upon us by big brother and pretty much forced regular incandescent bulbs off the shelves?  With them came a warning regarding their disposal because they contained four milligrams of mercury.

Like batteries, oil, paint and antifreeze, we were instructed to take them in plastic zipper bag to our nearest hazardous waste site.  I never did this because I refused to switch to CFLs.

NOW GET THIS – An energy firm in western Iowa is having an unexpected challenge finding a place to dump old wind farm turbine blades.  Demolition crews are cutting the 120-foot blades into thirds and stuffing the thinnest pieces in the hollow cavity of the larger pieces to facilitate moving them on a flatbed trailer.

The blades are among the hundreds that will be trucked them to a landfill near David City, Nebraska, about 130 miles away.  Critics of wind energy say the blades’ removal to a landfill weakens the industry’s claim that it’s an environmentally friendly source of energy.

Blade replacement and disposal is bound to be a major challenge in other states as well.  And, what about old solar panels?

Incidentally, despite the big investment in wind turbines, providing 34 percent of Iowa’s electricity, coal is still Iowa’s largest source of energy.

LAUGH-OF-THE-DAY: Disgraced former CBS news anchor Dan Rather made an appearance on CNN’s Reliable Sources Sunday.

May God continue to bless the United States of America.