1/3/2026

 Saturday, January 3, 2026

Andrew Charles Clausen, January 3, 1972

2012  Interstim installed

In bed at 10:30, up at 4:50, aching hips overnight, bad back.  15/9/23/14.

Meds, etc.  Morning meds at ? a.m.   

We woke up this morning to news that the United States had invaded Venezuela, seized its president and his wife, and announced that "we will run the country," take over its oil assets, turn them over to American oil companies, and reimburse the oil companies for the losses they experienced from Venezuela's nationalization of its oil resources.     

I took care of some errands this afternoon: a trip to Walmart unsuccessfully looking for replacement seedcakes, struck out also at Meijer's, but found a birthday card for Andy there, which I mailed at the downtown post office later, after which I picked up American Catholic by Charles R. Morris at the Whitefish Bay Library, after which I was exhausted and returned home.  I have no energy reserves.

Text exchange with Andy:

Good morning, Son, and Happy Birthday.  I wasn’t thinking properly when I picked up all the Christmas cards; I failed to get your birthday card, for which I apologize.  I will try to get it today and put your birthday present in it.  FYI, I’m wearing a Holter monitor over the weekend to get more information about some arrhythmia and other problems I’ve been experiencing, and it’s looking like I’ve developed congestive heart failure, but I should know more about that on the 15th when I have an appointment at the VA Cardiac Clinic.  I guess it’s not surprising that my heart muscle is growing weaker, since it’s been true of all my other muscles.  In any event, I’ll keep you informed as I learn more.  I’m having many thoughts of you today, how you have grown up to be such an admirable man and great father.  I hope your birthday and the coming year will be super for you, and,  if I can help in any way, let me know.❤️

Take it easy and don’t do anything you have to. My birthday is relatively unimportant. So unimportant I’m spending all day redoing our powder room.

Thanks.  I’m impressed with your DIY skills, as usual.  I know what you mean about adult birthdays not being very noteworthy, but I think that the older you get, the more significant your children’s birthdays become because they trigger so many memories.  And, in any event, I did get your card, and it’s in the mail.  Good luck with the powder room and happy birthday, again.❤️ 

Lt. Gen. Smedley D. Butler, USMC:

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested. 

If only more of today's military personnel would realize that they are being used by the owning elite as a publicly subsidized capitalist goon squad.

I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long... Looking back on it, I feel I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three city districts. We Marines operated on three continents.