Author: tortminder

The Soldier’s Son

It is a gripping, yet terrifying look into a world that could soon very well be ours.

I am re-reading a story written by a friend of mine who goes by the nom-de-plume of D.C. Bourone. The title of the book is “The Soldier’s Son”. It is a gripping, yet terrifying look into a world that could soon very well be ours.

A quote from that book is an illustration; ““To destroy a great people, and a great nation, to destroy this once great torch of liberty, you first must destroy that people’s history. And to destroy their history, you must destroy their common language. To destroy their common language, you must destroy all physical borders and all moral boundaries.”
It can be purchased on Amazon.
Bourone, DC. A Post-Apocalyptic Story of Shattering Violence and Exquisite Revenge…: The Soldier’s Son, Books 1 & 2 . Kindle Edition.
https://www.amazon.com/Post-Apocalyptic-Shatt…/…/ref=sr_1_1…

Buy it!

Prayer for Saturday, February 22, 2020

James 4:1-3

(1) Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? (2) You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. (3) You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Education or Propaganda?

It’s worth briefly noting that the National Education Association is the largest union in the country and wields an enormous amount of power when it comes to education policy in the United States.

The state’s mechanism for school takeovers is already in place – the Department of Education (DoE), created in a fairly transparent quid pro quo between then Democratic Vice Presidential nominee Walter Mondale and the National Education Association (NEA), the largest labor union in the United States. This was the first endorsement it had ever given for a presidential candidate, support that they renewed in 1980, when Carter ran for re-election against anti-DoE candidate and future President Ronald Reagan.

One of Ronald Reagan’s most public and high-profile failures was his inability to destroy the DoE. There was very little enthusiasm for the creation of the Department of Education. However, there was virtually none – other than Reagan and his Secretary of Education appointee Terrel H. Bell – whose sole mission was to dismantle the Department and replace it with something more like the National Science Foundation.

Roughly 35 years later, the budget for the entire Department of Education stood at $70.7 billion in 2016. This did not include an additional $75 billion in pre-K education over the course of 10 years.

This is mostly spent on pushing a far-left agenda. The Mises Institute has thoroughly documented the 35 years of leftist bias at the DoE. Much of the civics curriculum is dedicated to a denunciation of America’s Founding Fathers, and a focus on slavery, racism and colonialism. The United States Constitution is not a core part of the curriculum. Great works of American literature are routinely barred in the public schools, including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Moby Dick, and The Great Gatsby.

It’s worth briefly noting that the National Education Association is the largest union in the country and wields an enormous amount of power when it comes to education policy in the United States. After all, they got a cabinet-level department created. They have been effectively able to prevent merit pay for teachers – credentials count more than performance when calculating pay. In many states, union membership is effectively mandatory, in as much as teachers are bound by collective bargaining agreements.

Between 2004 and 2016, political donations by teachers unions grew from $4.3 million to $32 million. 94 percent of all contributions, going back to 1990, went to Democrats.

As you might expect, the entire process for allocating funds to schools is Byzantine and difficult to understand. All told, states and local schools aren’t really relying on federal funds to get kids educated – most of the money for public schools comes from pernicious property taxes, whereby the government effectively requires you to pay rent on property that you already own. Approximately 10 percent of state education budgets come from the federal government.

Funds aren’t allocated in any systematic way. They’re allocated on the basis of State Education Agencies (SEAs) filing what are basically grant requests from the federal government, based on anticipated “needs.” Some income formulas are used in this process, but they do not represent the whole of how funds are allocated. The SEAs allocate their funds largely on the basis of income, to what are called Local Education Agencies (LEAs). These agencies then allocate funds using no less than four different formulas based on income and census reports.

The final result is that money is allocated for schools in a manner that favors the least well performing. This is very much in keeping with the radical, left-wing, redistributionist agenda of the teachers unions. In the American public education system, there is simply no mechanism in place that encourages excellence. There is only a system which rewards mediocrity – the ability to pass a standardized test that, it’s assumed, “everyone,” from the smallest town in rural Mississippi to the ritziest neighborhood in Manhattan, ought to be able to pass at the same rates.

Some states allocate need based on a “per-pupil cost.” Perhaps somewhat unsurprisingly, the highest figure can be found in our nation’s capital: the District of Columbia gets $19,000 a head for its public school students. Some businesses exist to help school districts navigate this difficult process to get the biggest share of federal funds possible.

This is now the prerequisite to getting into college – passing the standardized test. It’s worth noting that the largest expenditure of federal funds on education is the Pell Grant, which has devalued a college education significantly while driving soaring tuition fees.

It is worth noting that homeschoolers typically exceed their government school counterparts in virtually all respects. In fourth and eighth grade reading and math, Catholic schools significantly outperformed public schools for both proficient and advanced students. A Cato Institute report stated that private schools out-performed public schools with regard to graduation rates, college matriculation, future income and parent satisfaction. This is not surprising, as homeschooled children and privately educated children exist in a bonafide marketplace of ideas. The publicly funded government schools show barely any divergence in terms of what they teach. This is increasingly true thanks to programs like “No Child Left Behind” and Common Core, both of which mandate a very narrow set of ideas and concepts to be taught in public schools.

Whether or not to educate one’s children in the government school monopoly is a choice every family must make. But, as with any important decision, parents should take into account the totality of the facts. The history of public education in the United States is one of coercion, extortion, and indoctrination.

Beyond such ideological objections to the government school monopoly, private schools tend to be safer, less violent, and better performing than their government alternatives. After all, who is going to choose to spend money on a school where their children are subject to violence, poor education standards, and constant grooming for the police state in the form of what are now ubiquitous active shooter drills. As the Cato Institute points out, there are 30 years of consistent evidence that private schools, beyond simply providing a better learning environment through safety and greater alignment with parent values, also provide a higher quality of education.

Even though not every family can afford a private education, private schools and homeschooling should be considered as a serious alternative. Evaluate the cost and benefits of homeschooling from the perspective of a loss of income. Find private grants and scholarships, in addition to the vouchers you might be eligible for. The point is to think flexibly about it and see if this is indeed an option for your family.

Even where the cost is great, the trade-off for removing your child from the government school monopoly might be well worth it.

Tin foil hat virus-another possibility

by the way, having men be more vulnerable to the Coronavirus at a rate of 5 to one is about right, when communists do cullings via methods other than starvation they kill LOTS MORE MEN because women are easier to force their will on.

This post COULD be classified as a synopsis for a science-fiction novel OR it could be a possible alternative answer to the CoronaVirus situation.

Consider the following; up until a few weeks ago the demonstrations in China against the regime were gaining both traction and international support. Suddenly, as if from nowhere the Wuhan CoronaVirus appears. It triggers first concern, then the quarantine of hundreds of thousands of Chinese, cessation of businesses, sequestration and virtual incarceration of foreign nationals and martial law. Suddenly, no more protests, no more demonstrations and international concern has shifted to the possibility of an extermination level event.

In case there is something about this “virus” that has not been proven out yet, I still encourage people to take at least basic steps to prepare. However, it really looks like this virus is going to land on: COMMUNIST CULLING.

As of last Thursday, the Chinese government has requested approximately 7 million body bags.

China cannot produce them in sufficient quantities, so orders are being placed in foreign countries. So I’d like to ask this question: “If they are being honest about a virus that has “only killed about a thousand”, WHY do they need so FREAKING MANY body bags?

Also, WHY are they insisting on incineration when there is no virus that would get through the decomposition stage in a mass grave? Obvious answer: Destruction of evidence.

If the so called enormous number of flu killed bodies is outpacing what the crematoriums can handle by SO MUCH, why are they even bothering with burning the bodies at all? Surely they would be justified in using mass graves, no one would fault them for it, yet they are not. Why?

The Chinese government has, in it’s history, an record of 80, 000, 000 executions and “disappearances”. They have used culling before, and things were getting out of hand with the protester and demonstrators. Deaths so few they cannot be discerned against statistical chatter outside of China strongly points to this.

We know through two business sources that there are now a number of textile-related factories in China that no longer do general business and are doing other special orders.

The head of one of the Chinese textile companies revealed that they had been instructed by the government to make only body bags.

Another overseas business owner also said that their partners in China are not taking orders because they “have to rush to make a million bags”.

One million body bags, and that’s a pretty staggering number (to have ordered from one manufacturer)

In fact, as early as February 1, the signature “Han Lianchao” on Twitter posted a “Wuhan body bag urgent” poster, and message “Wuhan epidemic continues to develop, the funeral industry to the whole country for assistance, the urgent need to transport body bags and other items, it seems that the death toll of Wuhan pneumonia far exceeds the official figures published.”

WHAT IF the Chinese government is insisting on body bags and cremations to hide gunshot wounds to the head or proof of death not by virus? The best way they could possibly handle this is to simply throw everyone in a deep deep trench and bury, but they’re not doing that. Why? Destruction of evidence? Evidence hidden inside a “do not open” body bag that goes straight into the fire?

WHY are they insisting on incineration? Once buried, the virus will be gone especially after the rot sets in. Bacteria will simply eat the virus.

The clock is ticking on the Communists in China, who have a history of mass cullings and there is nothing happening outside of china in the way of deaths AT ALL.

There’s a claim of one American death a couple weeks ago and one in the Philippines but that sure does not meet the profile it should, if the virus was actually a real killer there should be more deaths in the U.S. by now. Maybe we’ll get the bad news in a couple weeks and we’ll actually be doomed but at this point stuff is not adding up.

Seven figure deaths in China and the rest of the world combined is single digit?

It actually means NO DEATHS outside of china, because deaths are so few, so low you can’t hear enough to make sense of anything at all. There’s no way they can prove anyone “died of Corona” outside of China because the minimum statistical requirements to support that notion have not even approached being met. It could just be aneurysms and random crap. Seriously, something is not adding up!

A cruise ship may be the litmus test.

We probably are not going to need to wait until March 2 for an answer on Coronavirus. The Diamond Princess – which is quarantined in Japan will likely give us an answer. Over 200 people are now “Confirmed to have Coronavirus” and that’s a large enough pool of people to get a very good idea of whether or not a virus is killing people or if a regime is.

And by the way, having men be more vulnerable to the Coronavirus at a rate of 5 to one is about right, when communists do cullings via methods other than starvation they kill LOTS MORE MEN because women are easier to force their will on.

Think about that one for a while.

More viral musings

growing evidence that the Chinese government knew there were cases of this virus going back to early December, if not late November, and what that could potentially mean for the current situation and efforts at containment

More questions than answers regarding the corona virus;

1) The WHO is hardcore towing the line that China is reacting exactly as they should to this virus. No comments that I saw about whether or not they are actually welding shut the doors on apartment buildings, forcefully imprisoning even long-shot possible cases, or housing people under quarantine in crowded conditions without sufficient space or division between beds to prevent transfer of pathogens or infection from bed to bed.

2) No address of the question whether China is purposefully under reporting the numbers of infected and dead. Several independent epidemiologists have published papers showing that roughly 80-90% of the cases are going unreported in “official” numbers. Also, and this is important, no direct answer about the question of China’s changing how they are recording “confirmed” cases of the virus. The recent announcement that China is no longer counting asymptomatic, but lab-confirmed infections as “confirmed” cases since they are not displaying symptoms of the disease (at this time). The WHO spokespeople somehow tried to spin that as “casting a finer net” and that it will result in MORE, not FEWER cases. This seems blatantly false, especially since China acknowledges that some of these asymptomatic cases may develop full-blown disease later, at which time they will magically go from “not a case” to a “confirmed case” of the virus.

This change of reporting procedure is very important as it’s unclear how much of the “drop” in confirmed case count in China is due to this change in recording standards. This drop in case numbers, however, IS being treated as if it’s indicative of a reduction in actual infections. Given the change in recording, that is questionable at best.

3) WHO is pushing “solidarity” over criticism of the CCP. This is cause for concern for those of us in other nations where the virus is already beginning to show signs of person-person transmission. What it really says, to me anyway, is that even IF the reports coming out about Chinese authorities imprisoning those trying to spread the word about real numbers, forcefully detaining even potentially exposed people for quarantine, enforced isolation via doors welded shut (and the fire/safety hazard that presents) and other measures are fully endorsed by the WHO.

4) In spite of mounting evidence that containment is NOT working, the WHO is still presenting this as a viable and currently successful strategy for combating the virus. With a confirmed possible incubation period of up to 24 days, VERY easy person-person transmission, and a very extended period of illness (20+ days in ICU in many cases) this confidence is containment would appear misplaced. The issue of containment becomes more pressing given the recent change in China’s reporting standards given that there is a strong possibility that asymptomatic cases may develop symptoms days, or even weeks after the confirmed presence of the virus via laboratory results. It’s also questionable given the fact that the extreme quarantine measures in place in Wuhan are still very new. There’s a good chance given the density of the population in the quarantine centers, and the lack of effective barrier protection in the lower levels of quarantine, and the real chance that these centers could serve to amplify the virus in those conditions.

5) There was no mention that I saw of growing evidence that the Chinese government knew there were cases of this virus going back to early December, if not late November, and what that could potentially mean for the current situation and efforts at containment. No mention of the problem of potentially hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Wuhan citizens who left the city prior to the lockdown.

Another HUGE red flag that the CCP is not being totally forthcoming with the situation on the ground. They still have not requested CDC assistance. Given the size and scope of the outbreak you would think they would at least want help with the epidemiological nightmare of contact tracing the movements of +45k confirmed cases. The fact that they have had a very “closed doors” approach to this virus when it comes to both international assistance and internal voices disseminating information should be a cause for concern.

The WHO seems to be working very hard to convince the world that China is in control of the situation. China seems to be working very hard to convince the world that they are in control of the situation. In my experience, the only real reason to work very hard to convince someone you’re in control is when you’re NOT really in control.

US Economics Venezuelan style

it’s impossible to truly predict how far and fast the Wuhan coronavirus will spread. Like the virus, we just don’t know enough yet and the situation is rapidly evolving.

First of all, we import a crapton of stuff from China.

The cost of goods could go up as China attempts to recover from its own economic crisis.

The availability of goods could decrease since 400 million people are currently locked down in China. It’s a pretty safe guess that manufacturing is not ticking along as it has been in the past.

And it goes even deeper than that. Even products that are “made in China” have components that are made in the United States. A lot of the research and development is done in the states, and of course, the retail aspect also takes place here. In fact, 56% of what you pay for an item “made in China” goes to American workers and businesses.

And with the latest news that the virus can live up to 9 days on surfaces and that the actual incubation period is 24 days and not 14, well, bringing stuff in from China no longer seems like such a great idea now, does it?

So you can see how the ripple effect could cause a lot of problems on our side of the ocean.

A large number of medications and medical supplies will be adversely affected;

  • Coenzyme Q10 (ubidecarenone) heart health supplement increases oxygen
  • Quinone drugs including Malaria testing kits
  • Aromatic drugs derived from carboxylic acids with additional oxygen function, and their derivatives
  • Amfetamine (INN) benzfetamine (INN), dexamfetamine (INN), etilamfetamine used to treat ADHD, hyperactivity, narcolepsy,  athletic performance and cognitive enhancer
  • antidepressants, tranquilizers and other psychotherapeutic agents, monoamine drugs
  • cardiovascular drugs of amino-compounds with oxygen function
  • dermatological agents and local anesthetics
  • Lidocaine
  • oxygen increase breathing drugs for cardio patients and asthmatics
  • Anesthesia drugs
  • Thyroid drugs, hormone drugs
  • TB drugs
  • Anti-malaria drugs
  • Immunological products and drugs
  • Vaccines for human medicine
  • Vaccines for veterinary medicine
  • Human blood; animal blood prepared for therapeutic, prophylactic, diagnostic uses; toxins, cultures of micro-organisms
  • Antibiotics
  • Diabetes drugs, testing strips, syringes
  • Asthma drugs
  • Ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, norephedrine – vasodilators
  • Other medications containing alkaloids or derivatives
  • Medicaments containing vitamin B2 synthesized from aromatic or mod. aromatic compounds, in dosage form or packed for retail
  • Medicaments containing vitamin B12 synthesized from aromatic or mod. aromatic compounds, in dosage form or packed for retail
  •  Medicaments containing vitamin E synthesized from aromatic or mod. aromatic compounds, in dosage form or packed
  •  Adhesive dressings and other articles having an adhesive layer, coated or impregnated with pharmaceutical substances, packed for retail
  • Herbicides
  • Triethanolamine will affect surfactants (any detergent), emulsifiers, and cosmetics
  • Sterile surgical catgut, suture materials, tissue adhesives for wound closure, laminaria, laminaria tents, and absorbable hemostatic.
  • Algins used as thickening or stabilizing agents in foodstuffs and other products.
  • Drugs used to dilate the cervix
  • Blood-grouping reagents –  medical blood tests
  • Opacifying preparation for X-ray examination; diagnostic reagent designed to be administered to the patient such as Barium for GI series, dyes, and stains for other radiologic tests
  • Antigens or antisera antiserum. A serum containing antibodies that are specific for one or more antigens. Also called immune serum. Human or animal serum containing one or more antibodies that are specific for one or more antigens and are administered to confer immunity.
  • Thorium – coats tungsten filaments used in old-fashioned light bulbs, TVs, electronics, etc.
  • Dental cement and other dental fillings; bone reconstruction cement
  • Chemical contraceptive preparations based on hormones or spermicides,  birth control
  • Gel preparation use human/veterinary medicine lubricant in surgical operations, physical exam, or coupling agent between body & medical instrument, such as  KY Jelly
  • Appliances identifiable for ostomy use

That’s a whole lot of stuff – and much of it is incredibly vital.

But wait, there’s more. Here are products that could soon increase in price, be in short supply, or even be completely unavailable;

  • Tires, tire retreading products,  all rubber products including but not limited to stoppers, caps, lids, hoses, belts, tubes, pipes, etc. This will affect everything that rolls or is contained.
  • Antifreeze and de-icing fluids
  • Iron and iron alloys and steel products
  • Aluminum and alloys
  • Nuclear reactors and parts
  • Central heating units and parts, furnace burners and all parts, furnaces, ovens, and water heaters,
  • Turbines of all kinds, combustion piston engines, ignitions, compressors
  • Hydraulic engines, pneumatic engines, turbo engines
  • Pumps of all kinds
  • Machinery for food production commercial and home use
  • Papermaking and bookmaking, anything printed
  • Cartons, boxes, containers for mailing and shipping
  • Textile machines, any and everything to do with needlework of any kind in textiles
  • Metalworks:  Anything to do with machinery involved in this industry, drilling, milling, grinding, smoothing, shaping, punching, polishing, etc.
  • Woodworking machinery of any all kinds
  • Cast iron parts and products
  • Chainsaws and parts
  • Cash registers
  • Anything to do with computers, electronics, magnetic storage, whole or in parts
  • Medical devices
  • Microwaves
  • TVs
  • Car computer components,
  • Concrete mixers
  • Earthmoving, crushing, grinding, and sorting machinery of all kinds
  • Glass optic machinery
  • Assembly machinery of all kinds
  • Vacuum molding machinery
  • Thermoforming machinery
  • Rope and cable manufacturing machinery, both metal and fiber
  • Floor polishers,
  • Trash compactors
  • Pulleys
  • Ball bearings
  • Welders
  • Electric motors
  • Generators of all applications from large to small
  • Electromagnetics
  • Lab equipment for all applications
  • Broadcast equipment
  • Safety control equipment (flight record data box for example)
  • Railway and shipping equipment of any and all types
  • Tractors
  • Motor vehicles of all kinds.  If it rolls it’s on the list.
  • If it flies it’s on the list as well as the parts to repair or assemble
  • If it floats it’s on the list.
  • Satellites of all kinds and all parts

You can use this list to foresee the things that could become a problem. Some things you could stock up on – like medications – but others are items you won’t know you need until you actually need them – like parts to repair your furnace.

It’s impossible to say whether the items in the list above will become unavailable, just like it’s impossible to truly predict how far and fast the Wuhan coronavirus will spread. Like the virus, we just don’t know enough yet and the situation is rapidly evolving.

If nothing else, your awareness of the possible economic and supply ramifications is a tool in your arsenal. Preparing for the economic fallout is just as important as preparing for the virus itself.

God Bless America

Get the drift? the ship has sailed and you’re not on it, but don’t feel bad because nobody else is on it either, except for the people, who talked you into this mess to start with and they’re on top of the world, penthouses, private jets, the whole enchilada.

CREDIT: Charlie Daniels

The phrase “God Bless America” is the title of one of the most durable songs in our history and is a part of the lyrics in an unknown number of compositions by American composers in all genres of music.
It is used as the closing remarks by public speakers of all stripes including presidents and lesser politicians.
It is one of the most frequently used complementary closes on personal letters, spoken from pulpits, openings of sports events, and a part of the prayers of millions.
The point is, God has blessed America, and in my opinion, more so than any nation in modern times.
This land, bordered by the world’s two major oceans is a microcosm of practically every blessing God has granted to any other nation on earth.
We have the mountains, the rivers, lakes and forests, plains and deserts, metropolises and village, cold regions, hot regions, temperature regions, fertile agricultural areas, swamps, thousands of miles of seacoast and the most diverse population on earth.
Rich heritage and culture carried over from countries of origin, from the colorful French flavored language and freewheeling lifestyle of the South Louisiana Cajuns to the Midwestern enclaves of the Scandinavians who settled Minnesota and Wisconsin. Little Italy, China Town Cherokee, Hamtramck where the colorful culture of the ethnic groups who settled there is still observed with festivals and fairs and the food, drink and accents still reflect the flavor of the “old country”.
Beneath our soil and under our oceans there are vast deposits of gold, silver, copper, minerals and diverse chemicals with petroleum reserves to last a century.
America leads the world in so many technological and industrial categories, medicine, space exploration, food production and transportation, with a standing army that is second to none, the envy of the planet.
Land of the free, home of the brave, the American Dream, the American way, the land that has welcomed pilgrims from around the world for over two hundred years.
Yes, God has blessed America, but greed and lust for power threaten to do something the most formidable military powers and the most contagious political philosophies have not been able to do.
To take down the USA or to change it into a vast pasture full of sheep who have given over control of their lives to a godless, totalitarian, central government which makes cradle to grave decisions for every man woman and child. A “one size fits all” bureaucratic nightmare that would dictate every facet of life from who does and who does not get perks and benefits to the number of children each family is allowed to have.
You see, this is all about globalism, or one-world government and as long as there is a nation that claims to be exceptional, and refuses to surrender its sovereignty, values the rights of the individual and proclaims its independence to the point of fighting for it, there can never be a one-world government.
And since the USA is the most powerful nation on earth, as long as we cling to our God and our guns – pun intended – it just ain’t gonna happen.
So how do you handle an intractable conundrum like America?
Well, you do it in increments.
First and foremost, you find a way of proselytizing the most vulnerable among us, the children.
You form huge influential political organizations like the National Education Association, identify some powerful politicians who think their re-election is more important than what our children are being taught, make sure their campaign coffers are never empty and proceed to tailor the curriculum to nudge the students in the direction you want them to go.
Then you fill the institutions of higher learning with Marxist professors who subtly convince their young charges that America is not really what it claims to be, that it has stolen everything it has and has marginalized and depressed minorities and that it’s time for America to be cut down to size and the way to do that is to level the playing field, to take away from those who have accumulated some degree of wealth by stealing it from those poor unfortunate souls who never had a chance under this unfair form of governance.
It’s called “socialism” and it means that everybody, no matter your skills, education, race, creed or work ethic will have the same opportunities with free college, free healthcare, free childcare a shorter workweek, guaranteed lifetime salary and lucrative retirement benefits.
There will also be realignments in the climate change policy, we will eliminate fossil fuels and begin a program to convert to all renewable energy sources.
And it will all be paid for by the greedy rich.
Now let’s get back to reality
Well, first of all if every cent Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and all the other multi-billionaires was not only taxed, but confiscated, it would not keep this socialist Shangri-La afloat for six months.
So then after all the rich have been taxed, a VAT of 20% added and the government is in debt to the tune of four hundred trillion dollars or so, no more credit is available and the American dollar is worth a little less than a dried corn shuck, prices of food have gone through the roof and that nasty old gasoline the government promised to get rid of is selling for twenty-five dollars a gallon when you can find it.
And when you find out that tomorrow the government is sending people to put you and your family out in the street because you can’t pay the seven hundred thousand dollars you owe on your house and the factory you worked for moved to Guatemala two years ago and your unemployment check has shrunk to two hundred dollars a month and you can’t find another job what do you do.
And you think, “I’ll get my guns out and…”
No, you won’t because the government, which is moving to Brussels confiscated your guns five years ago.
Get the drift? the ship has sailed and you’re not on it, but don’t feel bad because nobody else is on it either, except for the people, who talked you into this mess to start with and they’re on top of the world, penthouses, private jets, the whole enchilada.
Okay, maybe there’s a tad of hyperbole and a grain of exaggeration in my prattle, but the rock-solid fact remains…
SOCIALISM DOES NOT WORK!
IT NEVER HAS, IT NEVER WILL!
Not Karl Marx’s version, not Fidel Castro’s version, not Bernie Sanders version, not the insane version Alexandria “Cookie” Ocasio-Cortez is pushing, not Elizabeth Warren’s Pollyanna ramblings that will probably include free pedicures before it’s over, nobody, no how, no way has ever been successful at socialism.
Check the casualty list.
Start with Venezuela.
What do you think?
Pray for our troops our police and the peace of Jerusalem.

Overcriminalization = Less Liberty

Laws are, ultimately, a type of force. The more of them we have, the more force we have in society.

One of the fundamental principles underpinning our Constitutional republic is that the citizenry should not accept “trust me” as an answer from the federal government. Yet in one of our most Orwellian of federal departments – the Department of Homeland Security – a surveillance state is growing as our private information “trusted” to the government is used against us.

This surveillance state is made possible by Fusion Centers, police intelligence agencies that allow different police agencies to share intelligence with one another. It is, in effect, the intelligence-gathering method of the burgeoning police state. And the information gathered, received, analyzed and disseminated by local and state police agencies is then shared with the federal government.

Fusion Centers aren’t the only way police surveil citizens. Cell-site simulator devices – known as Stingrays – mimic wireless carrier cell towers to connect to nearby mobile phones and cell data devices. These controversial devices can extract data, intercept communications, conduct denial-of-serice attacks, find encryption keys, and more. It’s a serious threat to Americans’ privacy and civil liberties, first conceived during the War on Terror and now trickled down to local police departments and their militarized approach to enforcing the law.

Of course, while we’re assured that protections are being made for privacy and civil liberties, there is very little reason to trust the federal government – including the growing number of vague laws.

It’s easy to blame the War on Some Drugs as the reason for the explosion in the prison population, however this is simply not an adequate explanation. The real reason is a broad expansion in the total number of laws on the book and the vague manner in which they are written. What’s more, the concept of intent has largely disappeared from our national legal lexicon, meaning that simple mistakes are often enough to land a person in prison.

66-year-old George Norris provides a case study. He was greeted by three pickup trucks filled with six officers outfitted in flak jackets. He was held for four hours while the police searched his house, eventually seizing 37 boxes of his things with neither warrant nor explanation. He was indicted for orchid smuggling under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and for (what else) making false statements to an officer for a simple paperwork error. While being held for trial, he shared a cell with an accused murderer. He was facing five years for the original charge and five years for conspiracy. Because he couldn’t afford his legal bills, he plead guilty and was sentenced to 17 months in prison.

Another broad example is civil-contempt imprisonment. This is where people are put in jail or prison for failure to, for example, respond to a bench warrant for an unpaid parking ticket. This is what Anthony W. Florence was arrested for while riding as a passenger in his family’s car with proof that he had paid the tickets. He spent seven days in jail where he was strip searched twice. Guards also watched him shower and subjected him to a delousing. People have also been imprisoned for failing to pay debts in accordance with court-ordered settlements, which carries the specter of the return of debtors’ prisons with it.

Minimum necessary force is a concept dating back to Plato, but has recently found expression in Dr. Jordan Peterson’s book 12 Rules for Life. Basically, the idea is that when someone wrongs another person, the correct course of action is always the one requiring the least force. This is why, for example, we can say that the Islamic practice of removing a thief’s hand is somehow objectively unethical – it is a punishment grossly out of proportion to the crime committed.

The secondary aspect to the principle of minimum necessary force is the notion that the best way to go about laws is to have as few as are necessary. While not strictly speaking “libertarian,” it’s sort of “libertarian adjacent.” Laws are, ultimately, a type of force. The more of them we have, the more force we have in society.

The present state of criminal justice in the United States violates both principles. Not only do we have far more laws than we need (criminal asset forfeiture, for example), but the punishments are frequently far out of sync with the crime committed. Is prison time really an appropriate response to someone smuggling orchids into the United States?

It’s time to wake up II

Is there any wonder that we find ourselves disjointed, fractured, divided and blind to the truth? We have been manipulated and propagandized by false choices and react the way we have been conditioned to do. After all, it is so much easier than thinking.

THIS IS BIGGER THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.
-More than selling of State Secrets.
-More than selling of US security.
-More than selling of MILITARY tech.
-More than selling of CIA assets.
-More than selling of NSA bulk data collection programs.
-More than selling of Uranium.
More than selling of US Space NATIONAL SECURITY programs & positions.
More than selling of US AID.
More than selling of System Applications and Products.

If this is so, why haven’t the public been made aware of it and created an outcry?

The Media Has Blinded and Divided the People to Render Them Powerless and Controllable.

Control over the media has kept people in the dark.
Control over the media has kept people obedient.
Control over the media has kept people focused on falsehoods.
Control over the media has kept people in a constant state of fear.
Control over the media has divided our Republic into segments:
-Race
-Religion
-Class
-Political Affiliation
-Gender
The media has been weaponized against the citizenry.
When a citizenry is divided they have no ‘collective’ power.
When a citizenry has no ‘collective’ power they can no longer control the levers that govern them. Who controls the media?
Who operate the levers of control?

Six media giants control 90% of what you see, hear and believe…

GE which owns and/or controls;
-Comcast
-NBC
-Universal Pictures
-Focus Features

NEWSCORP which owns/co-owns or controls;
-Fox, (co-owned with Disney)
-The Wall Street Journal
-The New York Post

DISNEY which owns/co-owns or controls;
-ABC
-ESPN
-PIXAR
-MIRAMAX
-MARVEL STUDIOS
-FOX, (co-owned with NEWSCORP)

VICOM which owns or controls;
-MTV
-NICK JR
-BET
-CMT
-PARAMOUNT

TIME-WARNER which owns or controls;
-CNN
-HBO
-TIME
WARNER BROS.

CBS which owns or controls;
-SHOWTIME
-SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL
-NFL.COM
-JEOPARDY
-60 Minutes

232 Media executives control the information diet of 277 MILLION Americans.
Is there any wonder that we find ourselves disjointed, fractured, divided and blind to the truth? We have been manipulated and propagandized by false choices and react the way we have been conditioned to do. After all, it is so much easier than thinking.

Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?